France Again.. As Subtle As A Foghorn

[James Dalton]

James was back again. Back outside of Beauxbatons, lurking in the forest.
Antoinette was in there right now. Right now she was only twenty minutes walk away.
But he couldn't just run up to the school and declare his love.. There were charms at work holding him back.
However, his luck was in as it was the school's weekend allowing students to visit the local village.
Without a moments thought, James had apparated there.

He was wearing a flowing white shirt, a pair of dark trousers and a pair of shining black shoes; he looked like something from the victorian age which seemed to spark interest and amusement among the many other students at the local village.
James waited patiently, standing at a tree, leaning against it with one arm, his other hand clutching a small blue box.

 

[Antoinette Greenwood]

Clad in a pretty red dress with black ballet flats, her blonde hair tied back in a simple red ribbon, Antoinette strode along the footpath, down to the local village with the rest of the students. It was the final weekend at the village, at least for Antoinette. For within the week, Antoinette would be starting her final exams, and in just under a month, she would be leaving the school for good. And oh, the part-Veela girl couldn't wait. She would not miss the teasing, yet fearful glances from the boys, the jealous and hateful glares from the girls. She would not miss anyone at Beauxbatons, except maybe a couple of her teachers. Especially her Charms teacher, he was the best. Apart from that, she couldn't care less about the school. At least it had been better to her than Hogwarts, that's all she could say.

Walking along in her reverie, Antoinette barely noticed anyone around her, until she heard some giggles from the younger students. Irritably, Antoinette looked at them sharply, then followed their gaze to a lone figure, leaning against a tree. And then, her heart seemed to stop. For the figure was none other than James, her love, the only man who had ever been able to wield any power over her, the only man who could have her. Slightly breathless, she walked towards him, a sly, yet unsteady smile on her face, truly happy to see him again. The best thing about leaving Beauxbatons, she realised, was the fact that she could be with James. "Hello," she purred, standing before him with her hands clasped behind her back.

 

[James Dalton]

James smiled down at Antoinette with a look nothing short of love.
He had longed to be with her again, to feel her lips upon his, to be alone with her and to do this..
"Antoinette, my love," he said with his charming voice, " I have missed you so. Nothing has filled the void in my heart when we have been apart. You are the missing piece." And then, he did it. James got down on one knee, taking one of Antoinette's hands in his, his other hand behind his back.
"Antoinette.. Will you be my wife?"
Yes, James was aware of the crowd, no, he didn't care when they began to whistle and make childish noises for he was with his love now and she was the only one who could truly hurt him. Who could truly break his heart.

 

[Antoinette Greenwood]

Antoinette, although she was quite an intelligent girl, hadn't contemplated this happening. Not right now. Not when she had exams to worry about. She wasn't even going to go to the village today, but she wanted to get some chocolate to keep her energy levels up. She hadn't been prepared for this.

She was only seventeen, after all. And although that meant she was legally an adult, by wizarding standards at least, she still felt so young. Antoinette hadn't contemplated marriage. Not at this point in her life. Oh, she'd dreamt of the big wedding with the beautiful white gown and the handsome groom...but if she thought about it logically, she hadn't considered being married until she was at least twenty-six and had established herself and forged a career.

But it was different with James. Why, she had found herself falling madly in love. It was a struggle not to think of him when she was studying, or at any time, really. Whenever she was apart from him, she wanted nothing more than to be with him again.

"I...I..." Words were failing the seventeen year old. The answer was, of course, yes. But she wasn't sure she wanted to marry him right now. She wanted to wait. She could persuade him for a long engagement, right? "Yes," she whispered. "James, I promise you that I will be your wife."

 

[James Dalton]

James' ears twitched with excitement and he beamed from ear to ear.
"You have made me the happiest man alive." He breathed before pulling her close to him and into a passionate kiss.
Everything was right with his life. Everything was good.
He was engaged to the woman he loved and he had nothing to--
But then James gave a shiver.
Something was very wrong. He didn't know what but something was wrong.
He still managed to smile at Antoinette. It was a moment before James pushed this odd feeling aside and spoke.
"Shall we go to our shack?" He asked, though it wasn't really a question. More of a command yet he said it in such a way that it seemed more flirtatious than snarly.

 

[Antoinette Greenwood]

Antoinette kissed him back eagerly, happily. So what if the ice princess had met someone who had defrosted her once and for all? She was happy, and she didn't care about her reputation. She didn't need to go around chasing boys madly now, not now that she had James. She would always be his, and he would always be hers.

But then he shivered, and Antoinette pulled out of the kiss, an odd look on her face. "Are you alright, my love?" Antoinette queried, looking confused. She hoped it wasn't her eliciting these reactions from him. He did love her, didn't he? He wouldn't have asked her to marry him otherwise, right? She loved him, that was for certain, and she truly believed that he felt the same for her.

He smiled, and Antoinette was more at ease. "Yes. I believe we shall," Antoinette said, a smirk gracing her beautiful features, as she offered her hand for him to take.

 

[James Dalton]

And so they had been back to the shack and once again, James had shown Antoinette how much he truly loved her only this time..
He sat at the end of their bed in silence, his head in his hands, bed cover pulled round his waist.
Why the sudden change from the two of them being so close? James had uttered one word to change it all.
"Svetlana."
Now he had a lot of explaining to do.. Although, he didn't really as there was no doubt how bright a young lady Antoinette was. She'd have sussed him instantly.
"I.. I'm sorry." James said, his face pale.
He was actually shaking. He was so shaken up from what had happened that he was having trouble speaking.
"P-please.. I love you."

 

[Antoinette Greenwood]

Antoinette, too, was shaking, but for a completely different reason to James. Rage. Pure, blind rage. James had to be thankful right at that moment that she didn't have any more Veela blood. Any more, and her rage would have permitted her to transform in to a hideous monster of a bird, and undoubtedly she would have screeched and clawed at him without restraint. Struggling to breathe, she tied up the back of her dress, her hands trembling so much that she found the task impossibly difficult. Tears formed in the part-Veela's eyes, tears of sorrow and of hatred. When she calmed down, she would realise that she still had feelings for James, but right now she was hurt beyond measure and just so mad that she could barely think.

"How could you do this to me?" she screamed, the tears falling now as she fell against the wall, struggling to keep upright. "I trusted you. I loved you!" Oh, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned alright. How she could have put her faith in a man, to only have him cheat on her with some other woman while she was locked up at school. It was lucky for them both that Antoinette's wand was in her bag. She could've burnt down the house with her anger.

"You can take your damn proposal and shove it up your arse for all I care!" Antoinette screeched, now struggling to put her shoes on and fumbling for the door. "You're the first man I ever truly loved and you broke my heart. I hope you're happy, James Dalton." Choking, she opened the door and stumbled outside, running a short distance before collapsing on the ground in a flood of tears.

 

[James Dalton]

Once Antoinette had left the shack, James released his emotions fully.
He was so angry at himself for what he had done. You couldn't help it, a voice whispered inside his head.
James was too weak to fight. He was pale with tear-stained cheeks and now he fell to the floor, tugging at the blanket covering his waist, holding it to his cheek. It was soft and warm like her and it still smelt like her.
This did not help in the slightest and James' tears fell with renewed upset.
He managed to stumble to the door. It had started to rain.
James opened the door, looking to the outside world, falling to his knees and screaming. Screaming those words that just seemed to make the pain worse.
"Antoinette, I love you!"
And then he collapsed into the fetal position on the ground.
Cold, naked and sobbing.

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