Incandescence

[Vulcan Zhefarovich]

Vulcan Zhefarovich had a huge surprise for Esme Lancaster. He loved her. There was no doubt about that. There was a fiery passion within his heart for her, and his life was engulfed with her. That was why he decided on tonight to do this. As he made his way to the lakefront, he looked at the lake, while the gentle waves washed up, and there was a full moon that night. Everything about this seemed perfect, except for a few clouds in the sky that was blocking some of the full moon. Oh well. Vulcan started to gather up some sticks and other flammable material, and place it into a pile by the lake. It would be easy to put out with all the water. He managed to make it all nice and good, before he set it on fire. Vulcan watched it crackle with life, before he sat down on the rocks. He wondered if this would make things better for them. Vulcan did not know if anyone else would dare to compete for Esme’s attention except for him. Of course, he would always thank Lucien for introducing them. It was puppy love at first sight for him. Only it became into something much more.

'Everything about tonight needs to be perfect. Down to the last detail,' thought Vulcan as he made sure that the fire would stay alive until Esme would get here, which would be any minute. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring that would make sure that Esme would remain his forever, as he would be hers for as long as he lived. They already knew some of the future. However, he was determined that it would not end in their deaths. Instead, they would live, have children, cause chaos but not get caught like his cousin, and end up loving and living for as long as any other regular witch or wizard. He just did not know if he wanted to join the Scitorari or not. The only thing he was really good at was fire, and causing trouble. That was about it. Vulcan did think about it often. As a Zhefarovich, he did have many connections...​

 

[Esme Lancaster]

Firelight was always a sign that Vulcan was around, and it was the first thing the Slytherin seer saw before the boy himself came into her view, lit up by the warm glow of crackling flames. She wasn't entirely certain as to why he called for her to meet him by the lake, and naturally, the witch had her assumptions, but in any case, any time spent with the Zhefarovich was time spent well. There was a lot he had done for her since their initial encounter at the manor, he was one of the few people she felt as if she could talk about anything to, and the two of them could simply talk for hours. Esme's eyes shifted to the sky as she walked toward him, the moon, round and full, hanging overhead, it's light partially obscured by a few stray wisps of cloud. She wondered why he had chosen tonight of all nights for them to meet and hoped that, as unlikely as it would be, he wasn't about to reveal he'd secretly been a werewolf all along. The absurdity of the scenario brought a small smile to her lips, and she shook her head, reaching the small pit of fire by the water's edge. No. He had something else planned, surely.

"Vulcan." Esme said with a smile, removing her hands from her pockets now that she was in range of the fire's warmth. As before, she withdrew her wand, adding her own blossoming flower of blue flames to the Gryffindor's orange blaze, before returning it to the pocket of her coat. The pyromaniac loved his fires, and the witch adored the trait of his that others may have found as a destructive flaw. Since singeing the Adams pest and his crowd of gawking onlookers, she developed an appreciation for it herself. It was beautiful, unpredictable, and untouchable, which made it all the more enticing. It was easy to understand his infatuation.

 

[Vulcan Zhefarovich]

Vulcan loved seeing Esme come near him. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on. He gave her a gentle smile. Only she could make her smile when it was a positive thing. Normally, he smirked and smiled when someone was being hurt or something about fire. Fire was his passion. Everything about it. Now, Esme was one of his passions. He looked down at the fire as she added her flames to his. He said, getting straight to the point, “As a Gryffindor, we tend to go straight into everything blindly and headfirst. So, that is why I brought you out here today. I wanted to declare my love for you. It burns more than a Fiendfyre.” A cursed fire that he would love to perform. Maybe one day. Something he could control. He pulled out a ring and held it out to her, since he was already sitting down, no need to kneel. “You have seen a broken future that ends in our deaths. I intend to stay alive to see you as my wife. Let’s make a better, brighter future for us that burns with a passion no man or woman could ever imagine. An ultimate token of my love, and the greatest honor of having you as mine, and I am yours.” He hoped, no, prayed she would accept. Sure, they were young, but he knew that his life was always with her. Almost like he was born for her.
​

 

[Esme Lancaster]

Esme listened, curious, as Vulcan began his speech, slowly nodding her head in agreement toward the boy's description of what it meant to be a Gryffindor. It applied to so many of those childish little lion cubs, but when it came to the Zhefarovich boy, the traits he carried weren't a flaw of his character, as they were with so many others. Adams. Fontaine. Snow. Until Vulcan, there hadn't been a single student from that wretched house she had liked. Before she could speak her agreeance, however, the boy continued on, and it suddenly dawned on the seeress as to where the conversation was going. She'd seen flashes of what was to come, alternate timelines, potential futures, and in each of them, the two were together - a fact she always loved, accepted and never questioned. Yet somehow, she had never really thought too much on it. When it came to the future, it was difficult to realise that what she was seeing, what she lived at that moment in time, was her own life. Visions were so easy to separate from the present reality, like having a dream, that its actuality took time to sink in.

As Vulcan presented his ring to her, the witch covered her mouth with her hand in shock. It was clear what was coming, but seeing the silver band with its glittering stone took her breath away. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and she him, a fact she had always known, but the token of love, the official title of fiance, a large step up from the meager "girlfriend", solidified their future. "It's beautiful." She murmured, for a second forgetting the correct way to respond to such a gesture. "I- yes. Yes. We have the opportunity to shape our own destiny, and I can't see mine without you. Fate brought us together, and nothing is going to change that." The Lancaster girl held out her hand toward her partner, her smile broader than before, and waited for him to put the ring on her finger. "Esme Zhefarovich. It's not bad."