Ordinary Date
Ahaha! So I did write something for Valentine’s Day, now that it’s basically over, but it’s still 9:40pm my time, so it counts! So, sequel-ish to The Path we Walk and prequel-ish to Goodbye Winter, with Talbott and Ravenclaw!Alexus, my favorite pairing to write about, it seems. It’s not a fic of the Valentine’s Day Ball sidequest, this is kinda AU-ish on what I think their first date would really be like.
First date hymns, poetry, angsty stuff, the world’s smallest canon complaint, preppy-nerds-who-pine, banter, little proof-reading, this did not go remotely the direction I thought it was gonna.
Things started out so nice for them. He made her feel like an ordinary girl, if only for a few hours. But she was not meant to last a whole night, it seems.
Rated T, 6,000+ words.
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The soft glow of the street lanterns casted an orange glow onto the otherwise pearly white snow that rested to the sides on the main street of Hogsmeade, dulled grey by the night’s gentle darkness. It wasn’t snowing, but the clouds looming in the sky suggested that fact would change. There was a gentle coldness in the air, not a biting freeze, but it still made the breaths of the passersby illuminate a smoky puff as they walked along the wet cobblestone path. Their breathes would turn orange or yellow as the air would catch the soft light glow of the window shops. The people walking in front of the warm interiors would only have half their face casted in light, the other halves of their bodies turning to near translucent shadows.
Talbott Winger watched people turn into silhouettes, only seeing shadows as they walked from shop to shop.
He stood on the opposite side of the street of the Three Broomsticks entrance, the adults and the students pouring in and out of the establishment, walking hand in hand, or storming out furiously, one girl running out, crying. It must have been a date gone wrong. It was Valentine’s Day, after all.
Talbott’s first Valentine’s day with Alexus Johnson, the girl from his year he gave his heart to on accident and against his better judgement. It was not a deathbed confession, but she was recovering after being tortured by a dark witch when he confessed his mutual attraction.
A lot of their relationship milestones seemed to be an accident. He accidentally let his guard down enough for her to become his friend. She accidentally confessed her feelings first. He accidentally got feelings for her, more than he knew what to do with.
He just didn’t want to accidentally ruin tonight.
He was waiting outside the Three Broomsticks because that’s where they agreed to meet. She was discharged from the Hospital Wing earlier today, and he left while her friends dragged her to the dorm room to “get her ready” even though Alexus herself was wildly protesting.
Talbott was anxious, even if he would never admit it. He would never admit he was anxious or that he consulted his dormate, Andre Egwu to help him pick out an outfit.
Andre was ecstatic, almost insultingly so, to help Talbott dress for such an occasion as a date, and while throwing different clothes from Andre’s own wardrobe onto Talbott’s bed, he admitted to giving the girls tips about what should be Alexus’s outfit for the date.
So, that was how Talbott ended up standing in the cold while wearing some dull tan overcoat over a light grey pullover sweater and that was over a white button-up shirt. Not to mention, blue jeans. Overall, he was kept warm, which Andre must have accounted for. Maybe a little too warm, as the back of his neck was burning. Maybe that had nothing to do with the heat of his clothing layers. He let out a breath, that smoky breath that visibly danced in front of his face before disappearing the next second. He gently placed a hand over his chest, over the feather charm on his necklace. He pressed down, feeling it against his palm, against his skin. He was nervous.
God, who would have known he would be nervous taking out the girl he really liked?
They both agreed to no grandiose plans, as Alexus was still technically in recovery and they both hated grandiose plans. Talbott knew what his ideal date entailed, and he had a decent idea of what Alexus would enjoy for a date.
So why was he so nervous?
“Talbott!” he looked up and his heart stopped.
There she was.
“Alexus,” he said as she walked up, not quite smiling, but he stared at her with something soft in his eyes.
She wasn’t alone, but he saw only her, his vision tunneling as her appearance was stunning. She wore a neck dress that was a deep, royal shade of blue that cinched at the waist and swayed around down her legs with each step, ending just above her knees, the rest of her legs covered by black, opaque tights. White lapels peaked over the collar, and a fitted dark grey cardigan hugged her torso.
Alexus walked in the middle of a trio which consisted of her, Badeea Ali, and Penny Haywood, the three girls linking arms, walking to Talbott like they were moving down the aisle, giving their daughter away for a wedding. Maybe that was a semblance of their motivations, but in reality, he knew they were just making sure she made the walk to him, as they were rather unsure of all the spells that dark witch had used on Alexus just recently, unsure if there would be any lingering effects.
As they reached him, Alexus broke from the girls and slid her hand into Talbott’s waiting one.
“Thank you,” she said to them.
“Have fun!” Penny waved off cheerily.
Talbott nodded his head to them respectfully before they disappeared into the Three Broomsticks. He watched them leave before looking down at Alexus. He brought her hand to his lips for a second. “Are you ready to go?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t,” she replied, smiling at him.
He returned her smile before leading her away, down the street of Hogsmeade.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I feel you’d prefer to avoid crowded places today,” he started as they walked.
“I’d prefer to avoid crowded places any day, but since the rumors of my dating habits have been picking up, I would prefer to be away from as many other students as possible.”
“As you wish,” Talbott said, winking at her.
Alexus rolled her eyes, still smiling. “Since when do you watch The Princess Bride?” she asked.
“Since you mentioned how good it was in five letters after fourth year,” he chided.
“It was good!” Alexus said defensively.
“Well, you always were a sucker for romance. Who would have known?”
She poked his side. “You have no room to talk, Mr. Read-Poetry-to-the-Girl-in-the-Hospital.”
He stopped walking and looked down at her. “As I recall, you enjoyed being read to.”
She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I never said I didn’t.” She walked further along, dragging him with her a few steps until he started walking on his own, again, taking the lead.
“You’re… impossible,” he said with admiration and burning cheeks.
“You’re paradoxical,” she retaliated as she fell into step with him. Before he could question her adjective, she continued. “Where are we going, anyways?”
He frowned, but let it roll off his shoulders. “You can fly, yes?”
“As gracefully as the day I first transformed.”
“Oh dear, we might be in trouble then.”
He laughed as she nudged his side with her shoulder.
“The Courtyard, Alexus. The Clocktower Courtyard.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You have me escorted all the way to Hogsmeade just to fly back to Hogwarts?”
“Well, eventually. I thought you’d enjoy Honeydukes first. You can tell a lot about a person by the sweets they enjoy.”
He stopped as they reached the front of the shop in question. She didn’t even realize that’s where he had taken her.
She opened her mouth, probably to say something smart back to him, but he was already opening the door for her like a proper gentleman and ushering her inside from the cold.
She gave him a look that was half a smirk and half a challenge and half a battle of wits when they left.
He just winked back and grabbed her hand, walking with her through the shop. There were other students, more crowded than they both would have liked, but also not as busy as a place such as the Three Broomsticks. There were other couples, walking and poking around the shelves.
“So, what is your favorite sweet?” Talbott asked as they made their way through a natural path of the store. He inspected a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans.
“Not that. Too much risk,” Alexus replied, scrunching her nose at his selection.
“You break curses in your spare time,” he pointed out, almost laughing.
“Ever since Jacob gave me a wasabi flavored bean when I was four, I’ve been rather weary of them.”
He laughed and kept the package. “Then I’m definitely getting this. I’ll give you the good ones.”
“Oh, you’re such a gentleman,” she said, sarcastically before reaching up. He found it incredibly endearing that her fingers barely brushed the bag of liquorice wands, straining to grasp them before she caught the plastic with her fingers, pulling it forward just a centimeter before pulling it closer until she could slide it off the edge slowly and into her palm.
“You could have asked for assistance or a step ladder you know,” he said, trying not to burst out laughing, but there were tears in his eyes from the strain of holding himself back.
“Sod off, Talbott,” she muttered before looking at her parcel. “These are my favorite.”
“Liquorice wands?” he asked, glancing at her hands.
“Ever since I was little. My mum…” she stopped and looked at him cautiously.
He caught her look before turning away, trying to make his demeanor as eased and nonchalant as possible. “Continue,” he assured her.
“My mum always bought these when she went to a wizard market. Jacob and I would pretend to duel.”
Talbott laughed lightly. “See? I told you, you can tell a lot about a person based on the sweets they enjoy.”
She rolled her eyes. “What about you? What’s your favorite?”
Talbott hummed and put the peppermint toads he was holding back onto the shelf. He grabbed her empty hand with his own before leading the way to another aisle. He picked up a displayed cardboard box with a saran wrap window, showing off the gelatinous sweets inside.
“Jelly slugs?” Alexus asked incredulously while Talbott beamed, like he was the creator of the confections.
“They’re right and proper when you have a craving for sweets, Alexus,” Talbott said seriously.
“They’re good, but I didn’t think they’d be your favorite sweet,” she shrugged.
“Oh? What did you think would be my favorite?” he asked, added the box to his collection.
She hummed, thinking before letting go of his hand, disappearing behind a shelf before reimaging, walking up to him and shoving a box of ice mice into his hand.
He stared as she pressed her lips together, eyes lit up with something wicked.
“You know,” she said, voice shaking with restrained giggles. “Because… well, birds of prey tend to enjoy mice.” She laughed as he gave her a pained expression.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he put the box back. They looked at other sweets when they were approached by a wiry and young employee with a tray in his hands.
“Chocolate raspberry fudge?” he asked. “Free samples for Valentine’s couples.”
Talbott looked at Alexus before taking two off the tray, thanking the employee.
“Are you fond of raspberry?” she asked.
“Very, when it’s paired with chocolate,” he replied, handing her a small square of the pink and brown treat.
They ate them together as they finished their shopping and walked to the register, Talbott grabbing two bottles of butterbeer on their way. They paid before they left the shop, still talking about the sort of treats they would enjoy in their childhood.
“Muggle candies, have you ever had those?” Alexus asked.
“I can’t say that I have.”
“You’d love them. If I make it to summer, I’ll be sure to buy a bunch to share with you.”
He looked at her. “If?”
She blinked. “Uh, when,” she corrected herself, “I mean, when I come back from the summer.”
He stopped, his grip in her hand making her stop as well. She turned to him, reluctantly meeting his piercing red eyes.
“Do you not think you’re going to make it past the Final Vault?”
“It’s- it’s not that, Talbott. I just… can’t guarantee it,” she looked down and held his hand tighter. “I have to be realistic.”
He sighed and kissed her head. “That is the path you walk?” he asked.
She nodded and pressed her head against his chest.
He wrapped an arm around her. “Then I’ll walk it with you. I promised you that much, Alexus.”
“You’re… paradoxical,” she muttered before pulling away.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked.
She looked up at him and sighed before pressing a kiss to his cheek.
He admired her, that orange glow illuminating half her face, her emerald eyes shining even brighter as the moonlight casted it’s soft mercury glow onto the other half.
He felt a compelling force that almost pushed him down, if only to… well, he wasn’t sure. He felt some great pull towards her, a desire for something but he didn’t know what. He saw that in her eyes, he saw so much in them. That mysterious and compelling force.
She leaned back, taking her hand into his. “Let’s go back. The long way, yeah?”
He nodded and walked with her back down the street of Hogsmeade.
They didn’t talk. They didn’t need to talk, which was not an infrequent occurrence with them. Sometimes, the only thing they needed to say could be expressed with the silence, the energy that they could feel passing between them.
As they got to Hogwarts, it was around dinner time, so not too close to the curfew, but it was close, so Talbott and Alexus knew they had to be careful about avoiding any teachers or other staff members as they walked past the Great Hall.
Eventually, they walked outside and into the Courtyard. They held hands still as they sat at the base of the fountain.
Alexus took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
He smiled before opening the two bottles of butterbeer, setting one down next to her before he took a swig from his own.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“Nothing, actually,” she replied, opening her eyes and grabbing her bottle. “Just… the sound of the fountain, and the silence of the night, it’s always relaxing, to me. I missed it, while I was in the Hospital Wing.”
“Yeah? You sneak out here often?” he asked, reaching through his bag, pulling out his box of jelly slugs.
“Not as often as you go to the Owlery for the same reasons,” she replied before taking a long drink from her bottle.
He gave a small chuckle and opened the box. He selected a strawberry and lime flavored slug and bit into it, leaning back before looking at Alexus.
He was startled to see her looking at him, that intense look, where the expression holds the million thoughts running through her head faster than light, every single one causing the most minute shift on her face, but at the same time, all those million thoughts were about one subject. Him.
Her eyes, catching the moonlight again fixated on him, one eyebrow raised, the other pressed down in the lightest furrow, a crease in her forehead because of it. Her lips, pursed together, mostly hidden under the hand that she pressed to her mouth, one corner of her lips only just lifted and visible next to her thumb. Anyone else might have seen a soft neutrality, a few thoughts, a contemplating look. He saw that and so much more.
The way something lit up in her eyes when he looked at her, the flush in her cheeks, a centimeter rise in that one corner of her lips. He did that, by looking at her.
He felt that great pull on him again, like there was something inside his chest, in his instincts that was gripping him, trying to move him forward. He wondered if this was what being under the Imperius Curse was like. Something was trying to control him? No. He’d read personal recounts from survivors, about the effects, and this was not that.
But what was this pull?
Alexus slid her hand over his and reached over him, grabbing one of his jelly slugs for herself. She bit the head off and chewed before laying her head on his shoulder.
He moved his arm to wrap it around her lower back and pulled her closer.
“I hope the lack of eventfulness was okay for our first date,” he murmured, pressing his lips to her crown softly for a second.
“With my daily routine? Lack of eventfulness was the best thing you could have planned. Thank you for making me feel ordinary for the night.”
He chuckled. “Somehow, I don’t think you can be ordinary, Alexus. You are… fantastically remarkable.”
“And you are fantastically corny.”
He laughed, turning away from her to hide his little outburst, which made her laugh.
“Corny, but appreciated,” she assured him, gently putting a hand on his chest reassuringly.
He looked down at her, at the laughing grin on her face, and as she was wiping away a tear from her eye, he leaned down, tilting his head.
He kissed her.
So suddenly, he kissed her, soft lips meeting softer lips, eyes closed, her hands sliding across his arms to wrap around his shoulders, his hands moving to cup her face.
As suddenly as he kissed her, he pulled away, taking a couple deep breathes, watching her, eyes wide, mouth agape with a breathless panting. Her cheeks grew warm rapidly under his hands.
“I-I’m sorry… I don’t… uh… I don’t know what came o-”
She cut him off by leaning up and kissing him this time.
It was hard for him to say how long passed before one of them pulled away again.
When they kissed, he discovered in about five seconds that time became lost. The world was lost. Stars twinkled around in the sky above them, water trickled into the pool behind them. Talbott could swear he felt the ground move beneath them. Until it was all lost. There was nothing around them, there was no world, no stars, no water, no ground.
Just her.
Just him.
Just them together, connected in the purest form of a kiss.
When it was over, when they were pulling away from each other, the noise of the world slowly came back. There was that water trickling, soft insects calling in the night. An owl hooted somewhere far away, a wolf howled in the distant forest. Heavy footsteps clacked on the stone floor nearby, and it was coming closer.
Talbott and Alexus looked at each other before at their supplies from Honeydukes.
“Conceal it!” she whispered quickly, whipping out her wand, Talbott following suit. They quickly casted the disillusionment charm over their bags and bottles before pocketing their wands. They nodded to each other before assuming their animagus forms, Talbott as a brown eagle, Alexus was a chihuahuan raven. They flew up, right to the end of the courtyard as some… unknown person walked into the courtyard.
Alexus watched, ready to fly away at the first sign of trouble. Whenever dark-hooded figures with most of their faces obscured walked in her general area, it was never good, and they always seemed to be for her.
Talbott let out of call, a warning one.
Alexus looked at him, where he was perched on a ledge that overlooked the courtyard.
Alexus got ready to fly away, waiting for when the stranger would least likely be bothered by two non-nocturnal birds. She watched as the wizard stalked around the courtyard, poking stone with his wand.
As his back was turned, Alexus called out to Talbott, and they both spread their wings to take off. This was something they had to report, and fast.
They flew up, Alexus aiming for the sky to disappear into when there was a terrible, fiery pain in her right wing. She cried out, the vocalization coming out as a pained caw.
The wind was rushing through her feathers from her rapid descent.
She landed on her side, curling her arm into herself, black feathers swaying onto the ground around her.
“Alexus Johnson, small raven. Right there in the registry where any one can read it,” the wizard said, making his way over to her.
Alexus groaned, slowly sitting up, her wand in her grip, but she couldn’t lift her arm, it hurt too much to bend it. Her cardigan and shirt sleeves had already been burned or blasted off.
“It’s a chihuahuan raven, actually,” she corrected the wizard as he pointed it wand at her. “The base of the neck has a white coloration, native more to the Mexico and western United States area.”
The wizard didn’t say anything as he stood over Alexus.
Alexus smiled and set her wand down. “I’m not coming quietly. In fact, I’m not coming with you at all,” she assured him as she slowly rose to her feet, eyes trained on his wand.
“You know what ‘R’ wants, so you might as well make it easy now. Before we make you abide by our ideals.”
Alexus laughed lightly. “No.”
There was a screech and Talbott descended, talons extended, right towards the dark wizard’s face.
While he was distracted, Alexus stooped down to grab her wand with her left arm.
“Get away!” she shouted to Talbott.
He flew off, and Alexus sent a powerful blasting spell at the dark wizard, sending him flying back across the courtyard, landing in the fountain.
Talbott landed next to Alexus, turning back into human as he did. He pulled out his wand and kept it trained on the wizard.
“Do we run?” he asked.
“No, he’ll slip away.” Alexus walked to the wizard, ready to attack if he moved. “You go get a teacher, Dumbledore, Filch, anyone. We can’t let him get back to ‘R’ when he knows.”
Talbott didn’t want to leave Alexus alone, but he knew she could handle the wizard better than he could. But he still hesitated, looking at her.
“Talbott, go!” she insisted as the dark wizard started to stir.
She wanted to watch him leave as he ran into the castle, but she was too terrified to take her eyes off of the dark wizard.
“So… ‘R’ must be getting more desperate, if they’re just sending any idiot to try and retrieve me,” she commented as the wizard slowly sat up from the water.
“What can we say? Your work with the Vaults continues to be impressive.”
“I believe I have given you my answer already. Incarcerous!” Ropes sprang from the tip of her wand and coiled tightly around the torso of the dark wizard, binding his arms to his sides.
She walked over and grabbed his discarded wand, kicking it further across the courtyard.
“You gave us the wrong answer,” the wizard said, nonchalantly.
“Ferula,” Alexus muttered, pointing her wand at her burn. Bandages delicately wrapped around the injury. She’d find Chiara for a more permanent solution.
“It is cute that you think ‘R’ is giving you a choice.”
“Stupif-!”
“PROTEGO!” Alexus shouted, twirling on her heel, slashing her wand up, throwing up a quick shield to counter the second assailant’s attempt to stun her as they came up from behind. The force of her opponent’s spell on her shield made her slide back a few inches.
“You didn’t think I’d come alone to collect such a… volatile target?” the man asked, inching his way out of the fountain as Alexus faced the new dark wizard.
“I was certainly hoping, but I guess no one wants to be alone today,” she muttered, planting her foot behind her. “Expelliarmus!”
The wizard dodged and sent his own spell back to her, causing her to jump to the side.
“Locomotor Mortis!”
Alexus tripped as her legs were bound together. She swore under her breath and gripped her wand as the wizard advanced upon her.
“Flipendo Maxima!” she shouted, trying to buy herself more time, but he blocked that too.
“Stupify!”
All Alexus saw was red sparks and then stars. Lights and shadows swimming in the darkness of her vision. She groaned and turned on her side, towards the fountain. Vision was slowly coming back to her, her surroundings blurred.
Semi-conscious…. Semi-conscious was better than unconscious, which could have been the outcome with the stunning spell.
She saw the two dark wizards at the fountain as blurred figures, coming in and out of focus. “She really got you, didn’t she?” the second assailant asked as he undid the ropes on his companion.
“She had a bird friend, another animagus. Little bastard got my face, went to get help.”
She looked at her hand, extended, laying on the ground.
Her wand…
She had a wand.
“We better get out of here quickly.”
She moved her fingers, brushing along the stone. It must have been knocked out of her grip. Then, she felt it. That familiar wood, the warmth in her fingertips as she found her wand. She gripped it firmly and looked back at the two. The second one was helping the first wizard up out of the fountain. She pointed her wand at the ground by them. “Bombarda!”
The second wizard jumped back as there was a small explosion at his feet, the first wizard falling back into the fountain.
She sat up as the second dark wizard whirled around to face her.
“Everte Statum!”
“Lacarnum Inflamari!”
His robes caught on fire as she was sent rolling back across the courtyard, stopping when her body collided with the far wall, a sharp pain in her torso where the spell hit her.
“PUT IT OUT!” the wizard shouted, stomping on his dark cloak rapidly.
“My wand!” the other one shouted, jumping out of the fountain and looking at the dark ground.
If Alexus wasn’t reeling, she’d be laughing, but as the pain was subsiding, she slowly climbed to her feet as the wizard just shrugged off his robe, revealing his face.
He was a gruff-looking figure, with patchy black and white facial hair on his jaw, his head shaved, a massive scar on his scalp. His dark eyes pierced Alexus as he raised his wand.
Where was Talbott? Should it have taken him this long to get help? Was he on his way with Dumbledore and all she had to do was stall?
“I told your friend, I wasn’t going to come quietly,” she said, raising her wand as well
“And I told your friend, I’m willing to take you in bloody if that’s what it takes.” He shot a spell at her, and she jumped to the side before firing her own at him.
“What did you do to him?” she asked, trying to keep her voice bold and even.
“Just gave him a full-body bind so he wouldn’t have to get any pesky teachers involved. Someone will find him, but you’ll be gone by then.”
Alexus set her jaw. Talbott would be terrified. She couldn’t let him be any more scared than he already was with her in her danger. But more importantly, they got to Talbott. They hurt him. She couldn’t let that slide either.
If Talbott was in that courtyard in that second, only he would have seen the darkness in her eyes, like a thunderstorm overtaking clear, green, rolling fields. A brewing and dangerous storm that made it seem like the sky was about to explode, Heaven’s fury being unleashed like Hell’s wrath.
Alexus focused her wand on the men in front of her as the wizard finally found his wand and joined his partner.
The air became still for a second as the intensity of the silent rage culminated in her chest.
“Incendio!” she shouted, waving her wand in arch before herself, sending a wall of flames to the men in front of her.
They only had time to wave the flames away in one swoop before she thrusted her wand forward, at their feet.
“Confringo!”
The bald wizard threw his arms in front of his face while his friend jumped back as shards of stone flew up in all directions from their feet.
She sent furious spell after furious spell, making them dodge and jump out of the way to avoid serious injury. Now that there was no backup, she had to win.
“Expelliarmus!” she disarmed the bald wizard, his wand flying behind him.
He looked at the discarded wand behind him before back at her. “Who knew you had such a weakness, Miss Johnson? Don’t worry, weaknesses aren’t allowed in ‘R’ so that will be fixed soon enough.”
She froze, only for a second, but that was enough for the other wizard.
“Diffindo!”
The air stilled again.
Alexus pressed her hand against her stomach, shuddering as she felt something arm and stick saturating her clothes and hand. Gulping, she pulled it away and held it up in front of her face, even if she already knew. In the moonlight, she saw the dark stain on her hands.
Before she could do another thing, before she could even think about healing herself, the first wizard snapped his wand at her.
“Petrificus Totalus!”
Eyes widened, mouth slightly agape, wand outstretched, bloody hand near her chest, she became frozen.
The first wizard rushed forward as the second one went to retrieve his wand.
“There we go,” the first one muttered as he moved his wand over her injuries, healing her slowly.
“Don’t need to kill ya, just needed you stunned enough.”
Alexus moved her eyes, watching him as the wound disappeared, like it was never there. He patted her head when he finished. She would have broken his hand if he could move.
“Ready to go?” he called back to the bald wizard as he picked up his wand.
“Take her wand from her first. I’ll bind her, you unfreeze her.”
The first wizard snatched her wand from her hands and took a few steps back.
Alexus watched the bald wizard and he raised his wand at her. “On three.”
“One… Two…”
“THREE!” Alexus looked past them just in time to see the red sparks before the first wizard was sent flying forward, skidding at her feet.
The bald wizard turned around only to be knocked back the same distance, his back colliding onto the wall behind her.
“Excellent knockback, Mr. Winger!” Professor Flitwick complimented, pocketing his wand after knocking the second assailant.
Alexus had never been more relieved to see her head of house and the Headmaster before, but it was Talbott’s presence who reassured her the most. He was okay.
He gave no acknowledgement, instead, running over to Alexus.
He cupped her face lightly and looked down at her. “Are you hurt? Are you okay?” he asked.
She wanted desperately to collapse into his arms. For him to hold her as she felt her legs could no longer support her. But she couldn’t. She could just control her eyes and even then, she couldn’t stop the heavy streams of tears that spilled, cascading down her cheeks, catching on his hands.
“Mr. Winger, I believe she is petrified at the moment,” Professor Dumbledore stepped forward. “Allow me.”
With a wave of his wand, Alexus stumbled forward, right into Talbott’s waiting arms.
She closed her eyes and stifled a sob in his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso and hiding her face into his chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked again, softly, cupping the back of her head with his hand, holding her close to him.
“Miss Johnson, are you hurt?” Professor Dumbledore asked.
Alexus pulled away and took a breath, quickly collecting herself. “My arm, it got burned.” She extended it to show the bandages she had placed on her arm.
“I see. Mr. Winger, will you please escort Miss Johnson to the Hospital Wing to be treated while we take care of the mess here?” Dumbledore requested.
“Yes, Professor. We’ll go straight away.”
Talbott gently placed his hand on her back and they began walking, but hadn’t taken more than two steps when Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.
“Miss Johnson?” he called, prompting them to look back.
“Yes, Professor?” she asked hesitantly.
“Your wand, don’t forget it please!” he held up her wand, which he retrieved from the first wizard.
“Oh! Right, thank you, professor,” she said while walking over. She took it and nodded in thanks before walking back to Talbott. They finally left the courtyard, silently.
He kept his hand on her back, reluctant to not feel her with him, but she didn’t mind. She stayed close to him as they walked.
When they went into the Hospital Wing, it was filled with mostly petrified students. But there was also Chiara Lobosca, attending to a girl who looked sickly with a very runny nose.
“Just take this potion before bed and your cold will go away by the end of the night. Be mindful of smoke in the ears,” the Hufflepuff was advising the girl as they approached.
“Chiara,” Alexus said, softly.
She turned around, a pleasant expression on her face, but when she saw Alexus, the bandages, the blood, her eyes turned as big as the moon.
“Alexus!” she almost cried, quickly walking in front of her.
“The slice was healed, I’m not bleeding anymore, but I am faint from the loss of blood I did experience, but the most severe injury is my arm, it’s burnt under the bandages I applied. I was in a duel. Don’t tell the Circle yet.”
Chiara blinked, processing, before nodding and she quickly guided Alexus to an empty bed.
“Are you okay?” she asked, gently extending Alexus’s arm out and unwrapping the bandages.
“Barely. Talbott got Dumbledore and Flitwick just in time,” Alexus winced at the movement.
“Thank you, Talbott,” Chiara said, looking at him before back at Alexus.
She looked at the burn before back at Talbott. “There are bandages in that cabinet. Can you please get them for me?”
He nodded and walked over to the cabinet while Chiara gently traced her wand on Alexus’s wound.
Alexus flinched and wanted to yank her arm away, but the skin slowly started to mend.
She bit her lip and turned her head away from the healer and tried to suppress any cry or outburst.
“There we go, you did good,” Chiara assured her before pocketing her wand again.
Talbott came back with the bandages.
Chiara took them and began dressing the wound, slowly wrapping the bandages loosely over the area.
“It will take a few days to heal fully, but there shouldn’t be any scarring as long as you leave it alone.”
“Thank you, Chiara,” Alexus said. She gently moved her arm back and looked at the bandages.
“Remember, if you want to talk about it, I’ll always listen,” she reminded.
Alexus looked at Chiara, incredibly touched. “You’re too kind,” she said, smiling softly. “I’m good for now. I think now is a good time to call in the night.”
“Goodnight, then, you two. Hope your next date is safer!”
Talbott walked into a hospital bed and slammed his leg into the railing while Alexus nearly fell off her bed.
“Who told you?” they both asked, almost shouting, making the healer jump back.
“Penny! Penny told me before she went to help you get ready!” she quickly said.
Alexus groaned and buried her face into her hands. “Hasn’t she ever heard of stylist-client confidentiality?” she cried.
“Oh no,” Talbott muttered under his breath, remembering Andre.
“Well, you two better get going! Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help!” Chiara quickly and pleasantly excused herself before walking to another student across the Wing from them.
Talbott looked at Alexus, resigned.
Without a word between them, they both walked out of the Hospital Wing.
The second they closed the doors behind them, they looked at each other.
Alexus gave him a weak smile. “Thank you. You… definitely saved my life.”
“I’m sorry that your cardigan got ruined.”
Alexus snorted and looked at the burnt off sleeve that now ended at her bicep. “I can remedy it… I think.”
Now he snorted. He looked down the hall and sighed. “Let’s head to the Common Room, before Snape or someone deducts house points for being attacked after hours.”
She laughed and grabbed his arm gently before leading the way.
“Hopefully, our sweets are still there by the morning, we can get them then,” Talbott said.
“They were still invisible by the time we left, so they might be,” Alexus agreed hopefully.
“I’m sorry this… didn’t end up how I wanted it to,” he looked down at her.
“You don’t have to apologize, Talbott,” she assured him. “It was magical. I had a really great time.”
“I’m glad.” He glanced at her and took a breath. “The… kissing… was that okay? I should have asked, and-”
“I wouldn’t have kissed you back if it wasn’t,” she assured him. “You don’t have to worry, you gave me an amazing night. I was ordinary for a couple hours. That’s the best thing you could give me.”
He gently nudged her side with his arm. “I told you before, you’re incapable of being ordinary. You’re… the most… remarkable girl I’ve met.”
She smiled. “You make me feel remarkable, Talbott. I’m really just doing things that need to be done. And sometimes, doing those things…”
“Lead you down a hard path?” Talbott completed for her.
“Yes. You’re the one I want to walk with me. I know that now. I realized that when I was dueling, oddly enough.” She looked forward.
“Oh?” he said, not pressing her to continue, but he still wanted her to say more.
“It’s… that dark wizard, he told me he petrified you. I… lost it. I was scared. You could have been hurt, I couldn’t just… let them get away with that.”
He looked at her, not sure of what to say. He was stunned, but unharmed. Dumbledore and Flitwick had stumbled upon him in the hall. All he could say was that Alexus was in danger before running off. He was terrified for her. He thought she was going to die and it would have been his fault for not being better. That he could have done more. Just like with his parents.
He just brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently before they continued walking.
The common room was almost empty, students tired from a night of festivities, winding down, talking to one another about their dates and otherwise.
“Hey,” he tugged on her hand before pulling her to a nearby bench, gesturing to sit down. “Before you go up to your dorm, I had… one more thing planned.”
She tilted her head, looking at him quizzically.
He gave a small smile before pulling a small box out of his pocket. He held it out to her.
She took it and gave him a small smile before opening it. Her eyes widened when she saw the contents.
“Talbott,” she said softly before grabbing the silver braided chain and pulling the necklace out.
There was a single charm, a brown eagle feather.
“From my own wing,” he muttered.
She looked at him before kissing his cheek. “I love it,” she whispered before quickly fastening it around her own neck.
“I’m glad,” he said, relieved.
She admired the feather before looking at him apologetically. “I didn’t… get you anything, but… I was thinking… I could maybe… read a poem to you?”
He pulled out a small booklet from his other jacket pocket. “I’ve been waiting all night to open this.”
She snatched it from him. “Reyes’s Handpicked Poems!” she exclaimed.
“I may have already marked a couple,” he said, a little slyly, a self-satisfied smile crossing his face as she eagerly thumbed through the collection. “It’s not as hefty as The Romantic Collection we fight over, but there’s something charming about knowing these are the author’s favorites.”
She stopped on a page and quickly skimmed it. “Found one,” she muttered before leaning against him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head, closing his eyes
Come see me, Eros
Where the woodland sings
of their secret songs
of the evergreen
Come see me, Eros
In the break of the trees
Where Apollo touches
the land where lovers meet
Come see me, Eros
In this forestry dream
Surrounded by nymphs
and Demeter’s love
Come save me, Eros
Follow me down
Where Hades’ lips
kiss away the light
Come save me, Eros
From Thanatos’ grip
that’s keeping me
away from you
Talbott sighed. “That’s a sad one,” he muttered.
“It’s heavily symbolic, which just adds weight,” she agreed.
“Death of the Lover… what a perfect poem to end Valentine’s Day on,” he muttered sarcastically.
She closed the book and looked at him. He waited for her sarcastic rebuttal, but instead, she kissed him.
He was shocked, but he wasn’t going to complain, and instead, placed his hand on her cheek, closing his eyes.
“Oh dammit all to Hell, they’re kissing!”
They pulled away quickly and turned to see Tulip Karasu fuming. Alexus didn’t like the look in her eyes before the mischievous Ravenclaw ran to their dorm room. “BADEEA! TELL TONKS PENNY WON! I’M OUT FIVE SICKLES!”
“Oh… Merlin’s saggy left…” Alexus grumbled before burying her face into her hands while Talbott sighed.
There were better, more romantic notes to end their first Valentine’s date on, but this was not one of them, it seems.
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