The not so young ones

[Casey Daniels]

Casey had long held a special fondness for Obsidian Harbour and he loved returning every year to top up his school supplies. It was a strange feeling to be preparing for his third year, choosing extra classes and maybe even finally playing Quidditch. With Quidditch in mind that would mean Casey would finally be making a purchase in the Quidditch supplies shop, a shop he had often visited and spent a lot of time in when he was at the harbour but he had never bought anything as he had never felt like he had a realistic chance of making the team, there was also a reluctance to represent Slytherin. Growing up he had dreamed of wearing the scarlet robes of the Gryffindor Quidditch team just like his father had. He felt differently going into his third year, he felt more at home in Slytherin and the emerald robes didn't seem so taboo anymore, Slytherin was his house and he wanted to pay the game and represent it, he also had more confidence in his own abilities, he had sent some time on the Quidditch pitches at the school practicing, he would bewitch a Quaffle to fly at him while he flew between the hoops. Casey knew that competition for Keeper would be highly competitive so he decided to branch out and learn to play some other positions, he practiced flying with the Quaffle and taking shots to try out for chaser and he used make shift bludgers to practice for beater.

The day had been very warm which Casey had enjoyed, but after a lot of moving around from shop to shop he had gotten a little hot under the collar so he decided to sit on one of the benches and relax for a few minutes. It took him longer than he was proud of to realize that he was sitting on the same bench he sat on when he met Alison just before his first year. He smiled as he remembered that day and the days they had spent together since. He was looking forward to getting back to school to see her again.

 

[Alison Kingswood]

Alison and Casey's relationship had been breaking slowly over their second years. Alison missed Casey, but Gryffindor and Slytherin was such a big difference. Slytherin was filled with bullies and other filch that had pestered Ally on some occasions. In her eyes Casey had changed from a Gryffindor fan to a Slytherin snake. Alison did not care about the houses, she only cared about she and Casey, she missed her best friend. Her best friend and boyfriend, could she still call him that way? Alison was at Obsidian Harbour buying her third year supplies, she had a giant list in her hands and she had almost bought everything from it when she remembered that she had met Casey here. She had remember the exact bench where they met and she had decided to return to it. All of her dreams of becoming a famous Quidditch player had withered when she heard that Casey had betrayed her and was sorted in Slytherin. She still loved him though and after a year she did not care about Slytherin or Gryffindor any more. She had seen her boyfriend not as much as she had liked and when they were together it was almost in secret.

Alison ran through the street which wasn't that big, but there were more students getting their supplies. The bench that they had met on was somewhere in the middle of the harbour and this time she did not have candy with her. It was just her and the bench alone, well that was she thought it was going to be. When she saw the bench occupied by her boyfriend she started crying a little, a tear trickled down her cheek. Her mouth falling open at shock of seeing her boyfriend here. She ran twice as hard to the bench and almost fell into the arms of Casey, her hero. ''I should not do this.'' Ally muttered silently. Although they had some differences, she had missed her boyfriend. She was courageous and adventurous, but she did miss this comfy feeling that she had with him. He even smelled the same as this was the first day they met. ''Hello I am Allison, who are you.'' Ally kind of joked, she had seen this happen on TV so many times, of a boy and girl meeting each other again after a long time. With her sleeve she brushed away some stray tears that had a faint black colour to them, due to her mascara.

 

[Casey Daniels]

Casey had just wanted to sit down and relax for a little bit before he finished off his shopping and returned home for the remainder of the holidays. He never expected to have company on the bench, he especially didn't expect to feel Alison throw herself into his arms. Casey was taken aback and at first he struggled for words. Casey hadn't seen Alison for a long time, and as much as he had missed her but obviously not as much as she had missed him. Over their second year at Hogwarts they had hardly seen each other, Casey hadn't moved on from his feelings for Alison but she wasn't the only one he thought about anymore. Things had changed, he was a different person, Alison would say that he was no longer the Gryffindor she had met and he had become more of a Slytherin. The truth was Casey didn't think that was a bad thing. Most of the Slytherin's he knew were not bad people, it was only a few that were bad. A lot of the prejudice against Slytherin stemmed from the old stereotypes from Hogwarts Scotland. Casey had never considered Alison his girlfriend, she was his best friend, he did like her but they were young, too young to be together like that. He had always thought they would be together when they were older but not now, not yet. "Hey Alison, I'm Casey," he said playing along with her game. "I've missed you Al,"

 

[Alison Kingswood]

Alison was shocked that Casey was here, she had not expected him to be here. Alison would normally not hug people like this, but honestly she had missed Casey.
For Alison being girlfriend and boyfriend was more of a formality, they held hands and when they did that she felt all gooey inside. Now Alison had no idea what to say so she just waited for Casey to say something. ''Nice to meet you Casey'' Alison giggled still playing the game. She was now sitting right next to him, which was pretty scary and Alison her cheeks were all red now.''Missed you too Cass, Missed you too.'' Ally, had no idea what to do now, she had missed him, but they were apart now. ''How are you?'' He was changed, he looked manlier now. She did not dare to ask how it was in Slytherin. She did not care about houses anymore. Slytherin or Gryffindor they could be friends anyway.

 

[Casey Daniels]

The truth was Casey didn't know what to say to Alison. He had thought they would have spent more time together, that they would be closer and be closer to being a real couple. They just hadn't happened, in Casey's opinion Alison had backed off a little when he was was sorted into Slytherin and that had changed the dynamic of their relationship, it was almost as if she wasn't sure if he was the same person anymore. Alison was right, he wasn't the same person, Casey didn't think he had changed in a bad way but the way Alison had acted around him at school suggested that she didn't look at him the same way. "So what is it like in Gryffindor?" He asked, there was a time a question like that would have gotten stuck in his throat, but the time when he mourned Gryffindor as a big loss in his life was over, for better or worse he was a Slytherin now.

 

[Alison Kingswood]

Saying things to Casey had become harder and harder. Everything could be used against you, that was the motto that ran in Ally her mind. Alison knew deep inside she liked Casey, he was special even if he was in Slytherin. He betrayed her with that, but the hat was always right. Casey was changed, but she changed too, but if that was a good thing she was not sure of that anymore. ''Gryffindor is red and overall pretty nice.'' He asked her how Gryffindor was, not that if she was okay, frigging Gryffindor. ''And how is Slytherin treating you?'' Ally said with this overly nice voice, she was a bit taken by surprise, by his last statement. Houses were objective and not necessary everyone had their traits so why would there be the need of houses, but she was loyal to Gryffindor and would do everything in her right mind to help that house, but Casey was more important he stood above that. ''I hope you had a nice vacation?'' Ally asked questionly, her eyes had this sparkle in them and it felt if she was back again on this bench a couple of years ago.

 

[Casey Daniels]

Casey had had long thought that Alison was mad at him for being in Slytherin, it had ruined everything. For a long time he was unhappy about it too, but he grew to tolerate his new house and even like it at times. For Alison it was different. When they met on the same bench two years previous they had become fast friends, and even early on there was a spark of attraction, they had spent their early days making plans for their lives as Gryffindors, what it would be like to spend time together in the common room, spend everyday together, become best friends and one day more. All that had changed when Casey was sorted into Slytherin, at the time Casey was devastated but he always suspected that Alison felt betrayed, betrayed by Casey for being the type of guy to be sorted into Slytherin. She had never looked at him the same, the first time she looked at him different it had killed him. In truth Casey didn't think she was mad at him for being sorted into Slytherin, she was mad at him for not being Gryffindor, for being across the hall when she woke up, for not sitting by the fire when she came back from class, for not being hers. "Slytherin is fine, Ali you have to know I'm the same guy that sat on this bench two years ago, I've not changed," He pleaded hoping to convince her, but the truth was he wasn't even convincing himself.

 

[Alison Kingswood]

Alison was not mad at Casey, she was disappointed that he left her.They had talked so long about sitting in front of the Gryffindor fireplace and non of that could ever happen now since Casey was a Slytherin. Deep inside Ally was mad on herself, for being sorted in Gryffindor and not Slytherin just like Casey. ''Are you sure of that?'' Ally muttered, tears forming in her eyes. She was not mad, but Casey did change, but he was still the boy Alison liked. Were Ally had plans with, playing Quidditch, sitting in the common room and maybe become more. Alison brushed her hand through her hair, she was kind of lost without him, she missed him, but had no clue how to fix everything. ''Casey, it is not like I hate you now or anything, I still like you as much, but...'' Alison stopped mid-sentence, she just wanted to say that she wanted to make this work, she did not care about the way that would happen. Alison started to shift closer to Casey on the bench, sighing softly. ''We are screwed up.'' Allison said with a higher voice, she had to laugh about it.

 

[Casey Daniels]

Casey could almost have sighed in relief when she told him she didn't hate him. That was all he needed to know to want to make it work, to know that she hadn't given up on him. Alison was Gryffindor through and through, she had such a passion before the house before she was ever put there, and being sorted to it proved that her devotion was true. Casey feared that all the love and passion he had held for Gryffindor had been empty, in truth he had been slow to take to Slytherin but he wasn't sure if it was out of a deep seeded loyalty to the house or because of his feelings for Alison. "Ali I know you're disappointed that we aren't in the same house, so am I. I hate waking up every morning and knowing your on the other side of the castle. I'd love nothing more than to roll out of bed and see your smiling face the moment I reach the common room, for you to be the first person I see on a morning is all I want, I'm sorry it didn't happen but we have to do our best to make it work the way it is, the alternative is unbearable," Casey couldn't stand to lose Alison. Ever since he met her he had hoped their relationship would grow into something special, there was still time for that. He smiled as she slid closer to him. He leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek, "I'm screwed up, you are the brave honorable Gryffindor I fell for,"