First Strike of Lightning

[Tristan Collins]

Being busy with schoolwork was nothing new for Tristan, as he prided himself on getting good grades and holding a good reputation at school. But a good reputation meant more than just getting good grades, someone with all O's but no friends or club activities was a bigger loser than a quidditch player with all P's, at least in the eyes of the other students. Tristan was already aware that he was looked down upon for his blood status by some, and his house by some others. He hadn't cared about being sorted into Hufflepuff as a first year, considering he had no idea what the houses stood for, but knowing many people saw it as the house that 'took the rest' didn't please him.

At least he had met his best friend there, Vivian. The thought of him made him feel nervous, the two had kissed twice, admitted they liked each other, but nothing else. Which was all on Tristan, as he had asked the other boy to keep it quiet. It made him feel guilty to remember that as he was on a mission now to do something Vivian would definitely not be happy with. He was on his way to ask someone else to the yule ball. He just couldn't even begin to imagine what people would say about the two of them appearing at the yule ball together. Probably nothing, as Vivian didn't stand out at all. But nothing would be worse than negative things, as it meant he would be ignored.

He pushed thoughts of his best friend and his very soft lips away as he entered the student lounge, as he spotted his target. Jessica Matthews. The two had talked a lot at the valentine's dance last year, and he'd had a good time with her. She was clever, pretty, and seemed somewhat popular. He'd spotted her hanging out with a Slytherin girl in his year, one that was at least infamous and notable. The fact that he was going with a girl instead of a boy didn't much matter to him, as he was starting to realize he liked both. But Jessica seemed like the perfect candidate now, as long as she'd say yes. He had the feeling she would.

He slid into the seat across from her and flashed her a smile. "Remember me? I'll be heartbroken if you don't." He joked, leaning his elbow on the table to rest his chin on his hand. "Though I seem to recall a subtle mention in Hogwarts Monthly last year, did I leave an impression during the Valentine's dance or did you enjoy someone else's company when I wasn't paying attention?"

 

[Jessica Matthews]

Jessica hadn't been in the student lounge for very long, but had arrived with the intention of hopefully finding someone to talk to. Unfortunately none of her friends had been in the room, but she decided to sit at one of the tables and wait for ten minutes or so - it was far easier sometimes to just let people come to her. Facing the entrance she looked up every now and then and someone entered or left, and was soon rewarded for her efforts at the sight of the boy who had just walked through the door. Jessica perked up immediately, a little voice inside her trilling 'Tristan!' They'd met at the Valentine's Dance last year, and though they hadn't spoken terribly much since then, she had taken notice of him every time she saw him in the Great Hall, or passed by him in the corridors.

Hopefully without making herself too obvious, Jessica silently willed Tristan to come over and talk to her, smiling as he immediately headed in her direction and sat down at the same table. "Of course," she said with a small giggle at his greeting. "How could I ever forget your face, Tristan?" She was pleased that he seemed to care whether she remembered or not though, and even more so that he had taken notice of her little interview piece in the school paper last year. Maybe she'd made as much of an impression on him as he had on her. "So you did see it," she smiled. "I knew you'd know I meant you - to be honest, I'm sure that dance was the highlight of my year." Jessica meant it too; it was certainly one of the better memories she had from her first year at this strange school. Crossing her arms to hold onto her elbows, she leant forwards across the table in order to get slightly closer to the older boy. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Tristan?"

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan watched Jessica's reaction to him, and it made him feel great how obviously she liked seeing him. Not only was she pretty, cute, and witty. She clearly thought highly of him too. He eyed her for a moment, trying to make sense of his own feelings. Did he like her? He thought he did. But was it in the same way he liked Vivian? It was similar, for sure, though less deep. He didn't know her very well, after all. It was strange though, how he could like two people that were so completely different. He honestly couldn't imagine anyone more different than Vivian. Vivian was quiet, shy, artistic. Tristan associated him with dark colors, greys even. But Jessica was bright, happy, like she was shining. Though there was something underneath the brightness, something that interested him. He felt a flicker of annoyance at himself for constantly thinking of Vivian. He had decided not to ask the boy to the yule ball, hadn't he? So why did he keep popping up in his mind? The idea of going with Jessica was much better, as the two would look like a pretty couple in the yearbook. He hoped they would be mentioned in the newspaper too.

He had to focus, Jessica took to his flirting immediately and flirted right back. It gave him a thrill, and he wondered why he hadn't tried this sooner. "Me and my face are flattered." He told her with a small smile. "And of course I saw it, I couldn't help being drawn to it as your picture was next to it." He said with a slight tilt of his head. "It was impossible to ignore, and I was quite pleased you remembered it so fondly." If only she had mentioned his name. But that was alright, anyone who had paid attention at the dance would know who she was talking about. He raised his eyebrows slightly when she said the dance had been the highlight of her year, but quickly smiled as well. "Really? Then I may have to leave as I'm afraid my company now won't live up to that." He said teasingly. "I remember it very fondly as well, though. You cross my mind every time I look at pumpkin juice now." It wasn't really true, but a little lie never hurt. He liked that she leaned on the table to be a bit closer, and he leaned in slightly as well, his eyes meeting hers. "I can't leave until I ask you something, though." He said quietly. "But I think I'm going to be horrible and ask you to guess what it might be." This teasing back-and-forth was too fun to give up now, and he hoped she would play along a little longer.

 

[Jessica Matthews]

Jessica didn't think she was capable of doing anything else but smile in Tristan's presence - which might not have been saying much considering how frequently she used smiles to condition people to like her. This was different, however. The smiling wasn't conscious, it was an uncontrollable reaction to having someone pay so much attention to her, to the flattering words Tristan was saying. He was definitely interested in her, there was hardly a doubt about that, and Jessica wanted to chase that feeling further; experience where it would lead her. "I couldn't remember you any way but fondly, Tristan," she smiled. "You were my white knight with impeccable taste in drinks - and style," she didn't mind confiding. It was one of the things that had made her approach him at the dance in the first place. "But if you leave now, I think this shall be the most disappointing moment of my year," she teased slightly, knowing that he wouldn't. The pumpkin juice comparison was a little... strange, but that hardly mattered considering the context in which it had been made and so she quickly brushed past it to focus on his guessing game. She liked that Tristan had leaned in closer as well, and cupped her chin in one of her hands as she regarded him with a smile. "You're too charming to be horrible, Tristan - but I'll guess." She pretended to think for a moment, letting out a little humming noise. "I think you want to spend more time with me - am I warm?" Jessica was sure she was, or he never would have come to talk to her in the first place.

 

[Tristan Collins]

Jessica had a very cute smile and Tristan felt more and more confident the longer she was aiming it at him. He had never tried to flirt like this before, but it was very fun and he would have to try it again very soon. Though he wasn't sure with who yet. For now, Jessica was the prefect person, and he had a feeling she wouldn't mind being his date for the yule ball. Somehow, this conversation was no longer about just asking her. He was enjoying their back and forth too much. His eyebrow twitched slightly when she called him her white knight, though. That... sounded silly, childish even. But he knew better than to show her that he thought what she was saying was anything but charming. "I wouldn't call my taste impeccable on all fronts, but the fact that I like you so much certainly says something positive about it." He said with a smile, his eyes focused on her face and expression. Everything he said seemed to delight her, at least on the surface. He grinned at her teasing, though he now felt like he should start to move on to the goal of this little exchange. "You're very warm, though I'm thinking about spending more time with you at a specific place and time." He said, sitting up straight and resting his hand on the table in front of him instead of resting his chin on it longer. "I was thinking of the Great Hall around Christmas time." He said casually, watching her to see if she was making the connection. "Will you do me the honor of going to the yule ball with me, Jessica?"

 

[Jessica Matthews]

Jessica was greatly enjoying the exchange she and Tristan were having, and had been about to teasingly ask him in which areas his taste wasn't impeccable, but instead her eyes widened slightly at the casual way he mentioned how much he liked her. She recovered quickly, or at least hoped she did, her smile stretching wider again. She'd be worried about how much she was doing that, actually, but as long as she wasn't grinning at Tristan in the manner of a mad Cheshire Cat, it would be excusable. He clearly didn't seem to mind the way she was looking at him, though, Jessica could see that much in his expression. "Well, I suppose I might have to agree with you," she said, taking care to make the response sound humble rather than arrogant. "How fortunate that I like you so much as well." It was important to tell him she reciprocated the same level of interest, Jessica thought - nothing could progress by keeping that a secret, and now that she and Tristan were talking together again, she definitely knew that she did very much want whatever this was between them right now to progress.

She gave a pleased little smile when Tristan let her know she was on the right track, but because she had already sort of known that herself, his mention of a specific time and place was what made her eyes brighten in surprise. Did he mean...? The Great Hall, Christmas time, he did. Jessica had attended the Yule Ball last year, but it had been on her own, and she'd been largely on the fringes of the crowd there to her dismay. The memory of that experience made her answer blindingly obvious. "Yes," she replied, giving Tristan the most beautiful smile she could muster. "I couldn't give you any other answer." Truly she couldn't - being asked such a question, especially by him, was above and beyond anything Jessica might have hoped to happen today.

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan grinned when Jessica told him she liked him too, it was very nice to hear and he couldn't help but hope someone had overheard it. It wasn't every day a pretty girl said that to him. It was even better to see her reaction to his question, and he knew what she would say before she said it. He grinned back at her. "I'm very happy to hear that." He told her as he reached over to lightly touch her hand. "Maybe we can meet in the entrance hall on the night itself and head into the great hall together?" He asked her hopefully. "I'm sure you'll look beautiful in your dress." He added, figuring a few compliments couldn't hurt, even though he had gotten the answer he wanted now.

 

[Jessica Matthews]

As Tristan reached over to touch her hand, Jessica thought he might have been able to actually feel the thrill of excitement that raced up her arm at the contact. "Of course, that sounds perfect," she said with a smile. A slight blush entered her cheeks as he complimented her so openly, and her thoughts immediately turned to the dress in question. It was a step up from last year, of course, there was no question about that - but now that someone had actually asked her to go with them, she wondered if it was special enough for the occasion. "Thank you," she replied, choosing to worry about the dress later. "If only suits didn't practically all look the same, I'm sure I could say the same. Although it wouldn't be your suit people would be looking at, Tristan, I assure you." The image of him wearing a suit came unbidden to her mind, and Jessica grew even more invested in their decision to attend the ball together. She couldn't wait for people to know they were associated with one another.

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan felt the relief of his successful attempt at asking her very much, which calmed him significantly. He felt very at ease with Jessica, as pretty and charming as she was. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her, and how different it would be to kissing Vivian. She was shorter than him, unlike his friend. Thinking of Vivian brought a bit of guilt with it, which he tried to push down. He had to focus on the girl in front of him now. He smiled at her compliment about how he would look. "We'll look nice together, and maybe we'll even make some silly Hogwarts Monthly list." He said jokingly, though secretly he really wanted the attention. He glanced at his watch. "I should get going, unfortunately." He lied, he figured it was better to keep some distance until the ball itself. It would be horrible if they ran out of things to talk about there, and he really did have homework to do. "Thank you for your wonderful company, and I look forward to more of it." He told her with a wink.

 

[Jessica Matthews]

Jessica smiled as Tristan mentioned the possibility of being mentioned in the Monthly - although inwardly, she didn't think it would be silly at all. It had been practically a fluke that she had made it in to the paper last year, and she'd love to do it again properly. She was about to make another little quip in reply, when Tristan suddenly looked at his watch and announced that he had to leave. "What a shame," Jessica said lightly, though her insides had just spiked unpleasantly. She supposed he really did have a good reason to go, but didn't like the unbidden thought that he might just want to leave now that his task had been accomplished. Pushing it aside, she smiled at Tristan instead. "You're very welcome - and you can count on mine in return for yours. I'll see you at the ball." Saying it gave her a little thrill; and she knew that by the end of the day she'd still be as excited about the prospect as she was right now.

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan could tell his sudden departure wasn't well-received by the girl he was trying to woo, and he knew he would have to make up for it. He was a practical person, and knew it wasn't a practical use of his time or hers to keep chattering on when they had both gotten what they wanted. He hated idle chat without a purpose, and he had homework to do. Still, he could make sure they left on a positive note. He got to his feet and walked around the table to her side. With a wink to show he wasn't serious, he took her hand and kissed it in an exaggerated fashion. "I look forward to it immensely, my lady." He said teasingly. "See you there." He let go of her hand, tilted his head at her in acknowledgement, and then left the Student Lounge with a visible spring in his step.

 

[Jessica Matthews]

Though she wasn't happy about the fact that Tristan was leaving, Jessica tried not to let the emotion show on her face too much - there was letting him know that she would miss his presence, and then there was looking like someone who never wanted him to have a moment for himself. Her plight was made a little easier as she watched Tristan walk around to her side of the table, however, and her heart rate picked up a little in puzzled excitement as to what he was going to do. If she hadn't already been interested in Tristan previously, the wink and kiss to her hand would have made her consider it for sure. Warmth blossomed in her chest at the act, spreading and tingling its way down her arms and up her neck. For once she couldn't trust herself to speak, and so only smiled at Tristan and nodded, not taking her eyes off him once as he left the room.