Leaving the library

[Lily Drage]

Lily had put in a few hours in the library studying and was getting hungry. From her table near the window, she could see the sun was starting to set so she packed her things and readied herself to leave. She was supposed to meet Blake in the entrance hall to have dinner together this evening, and she was anxious to get down there. Putting her last book in her messenger bag of space that she had gotten as a present from Estrella, she pushed in the chair and made her way to the massive doors that closed off the library from the rest of the castle and helped to keep the room deathly quiet. Just before reaching the doors, she glanced at the clock and noticed that she was actually running a bit late. She was supposed to meet up with her boyfriend now and it would take her at least 5 or 6 minutes to descend the stairs from the fourth floor, depending on traffic flow from the other students that were heading to dinner in the great hall as well.

She pulled open the doors and headed out into the corridor. Lily turned and headed to the stairwell, then stopped quickly. "Duh," she muttered to herself, "I hope he has his on him!" She set her bag down on the floor next to the wall under the window she was just passing and knelt next to it. Digging around inside, she smiled as she finally found what it was she was looking for -- her galleon that connected her to Blake. Working it quickly, she set in it a message. Running late. Just left library. Heading down now. She tucked the coin into her skirt pocket - grateful that the uniform skirts had them - and picked up her bag. She placed it over her shoulder, crossing her body with the strap, and slid the bag around to her backside. With a look out the window at the setting sun, she smiled, then turned to head to the stairwell again.

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

Ford had had a long day; having to wake up around nine and go to class was definitely something that drained his stamina. As such, he had determined to spend the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing productive towards his schoolwork. After wandering for a bit, he had found an inset window in the corridors by the library stairwells. The window was set into the wall just enough to provide Ford with a nice place to laze about and watch the outside world go by.

After a few hours or so, napping a few times had caused him to lose track, a girl walked out of the library and played with a little trinket in her bag. Lily? He cocked his head to the side, curious, Leave for a bit and they all grow up...

He dropped down onto the floor and strolled lazily to the girl, "Why hello there, Lily," he greeted and fell into pace next to her, "It's nice to see that some things around here have changed for the better." He flashed her a sly grin.

 

[Lily Drage]

Lily was startled as suddenly there was a voice next to her. And even more so because it was a voice that she never expected to hear again -- and had sincerely hoped she would never hear again. Ford was the only boy to have turned her head when Blake's mother had kidnapped him away from school and held him hostage for a year. She was hurt when she realized he was just playing with her for a bit of fun after the Yule Ball. She stopped walking and looked up at him. Are you kidding me? Ford? Wow, he has gotten taller I think. Wait, what the hell is he doing here? I thought he was gone! she thought.

She then noticed the grin on his face. The one thing that Lily had always found attractive on Ford was his smile. She saw it so few times when he was dating Sophia, at least in public, but the night they had spent out on the grounds after the Ball she saw it multiple times. Taking in a deep breath, she steeled herself and then politely greeted him. Her voice was cool, and she managed to keep it controlled for the moment. "Hello Ford. What brings you back to New Zealand? I thought you were in England."

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

Ford shrugged lazily, "I was for a time," he began and stopped to talk with Lily. She has...grown... Ford thought, I suppose time does fly when you're not paying attention. But, in this case, Ford couldn't find a complaint really. He grinned, not his old malicious one, but a seemingly more jovial one. But it was not purely joyful, and if one knew what to look for, there was an edge to it. As if there were an ulterior motive for its existence.

"But, since I came of age and received some interest from some quidditch clubs here in New Zealand, I decided to come back to my roots. Get reacquainted with the territory," he winked at Lily when he finished and cocked his head, unconsciously, as he usually did.

 

[Lily Drage]

Lily felt a shiver go up her spine as Ford spoke. He seemed somehow, too nice, too friendly. She was leary of him after the way he had toyed with her while Blake was gone and she was not sure how to read him now. "Well, congratulations on being scouted. Which clubs are you looking at?"

She really wanted to ask how long he was going to be here, but that seemed a bit rude. "Still playing beater?" She decided to keep things on the topic of quidditch since that seemed safe. She stood looking up at him, shifting her weight from her right foot to her left, and her right hand resting on the strap of her messanger bag.

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

"Chaser," Ford answered, not missing a beat. Perhaps she knew and was trying to put him off, perhaps not, it was irrelevant to Ford. He noticed Lily was a bit uneasy, so he cooled it a small bit.

He shrugged, "Auckland, Dunedin, and Hamilton. There were also one or two in England, but that island is way too rainy and depressing. New Zealand is much more pleasing." He grinned, the mischievous glint back into his eye.

 

[Lily Drage]

"Oh, yeah. Chaser. Sorry. I forgot," she shrugged her shoulders up a touch, trying to relax. Ford always had a way of getting under her skin, in both a good and a bad way. She was trying very hard to make sure the good way was not rekindled again. "Those are pretty good clubs. Got any preference on which you land?"

She noticed the grin on his face, and realized that he was sort of flirting. She chose to ignore it, especially since she was on her way to meet her boyfriend. "I have not been to England so I wouldn't know about the rain there. I will have to take your word. So now that you are back, is your girlfriend back with you?" She wondered if she was in for more torture from Sophia. She was not very happy with Lily for having a crush on Ford when they were broken up.

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

Ford snickered when Lily referred to Sophia as his 'girlfriend', the news of the scene in the Great Hall hadn't reached everyone yet. "Not anymore. Sophia's a bit too much to handle anymore." He shrugged casually, grinning in spite of himself, "Apparently she's getting delusional nowadays."

Shifting his balance, Ford returned to the topic of quidditch. Weather he realized it or not, Ford liked talking about himself. "Hamilton looks promising, they need a replacement chaser since their old guy ended up lost in the Sahara for a month and now refuses to leave his home. But Aukland is a good up and coming team." He paused momentarily, "We could go play some quidditch some time." He grinned.

 

[Lily Drage]

Lily registered the fact that Sophia and Ford were no longer a couple. She found it odd that they both were back around the same time. Maybe she is going to try to make a play for him again, like last time, she thought. "Yeah, I heard that Aukland is getting pretty good. Its a team I wouldn't mind playing for if I wanted to pursue pro Quidditch." She was a bit shocked that Ford proposed playing quidditch sometime. She paused a moment, then responded. "I might be up to playing a bit of quidditch, depends on my practice schedule and if you are going to rejoin your house team or not. I won't usually practice with the competition." She smiled, relaxing a bit and giving a small wink.

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

Shrugging, Ford cocked his head, "In that case, I might not try my luck rejoining the team." He grinned mischievously and returned Lily's wink. Perhaps this encounter would be fun after all, at first it had seemed like Lily was entirely uninterested. However, now perhaps things were different. "Then we won't have to worry about that whole, conflict of interest thing."

 

[Lily Drage]

"Besides that," Lily said, "I don't know if Blake needs any more members for his team. And knowing how the Ravenclaw captain is, I wouldn't want to be caught fraternizing with the enemy on the pitch." She smirked, knowing that she was the team captain, but not quite ready to divulge that bit of information to Ford just yet. She was curious how he would react to her dropping Blake's name. Lily wasn't even sure if he knew that Blake was back at school, let alone that they were a couple again. She gazed up at Ford, a doe-eyed look on her face, having a bit of fun seeing how he would react.

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

I am so in, Ford thought, entirely more pleased with himself than decency dictated was appropriate. She is totally digging me right now. Ford's mischievious grin widened, he would have to try that professional quidditch bit elsewhere, considering the it's success here. He readjusted his posture to be a bit more...close before continuing. "Well, it wouldn't be technically fraternizing, per se, if I weren't on the team." He kept his tone playful and warm, "I don't exactly have anything tying me to my house in that respect. If anything, I could be training you." He smiled arrogantly.

 

[Lily Drage]

Lily took note of the smile on Ford's face. Damn if he is not hot when he smiles like that. What the hell am I doing? Seriously. I love Blake. She cringed just a touch as he moved closer to her, and took a step back, running into the wall. "So, how much training do you think I need nowdays?" She smiled at him, hoping to get out of him just what it was that he was looking for with her.

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

Ford shrugged plainly, this was working better than he could have ever hoped. It was rather bizarre that Lily was still single, as she was quite attractive. But such intracacies of life were not Ford's concern, "I'm not sure, I'll have to see how experienced you are first. To see if there's any need for improvement," he cocked his head to the side and smirked, "Though, if memory serves, you probably don't need that much instruction."

 

[Lily Drage]

Lily smirked. She was trying to keep the topic on quidditch, but had a feeling that quidditch was not exactly what was on Ford's mind. Choosing her words carefully, planning on tormenting him a bit longer before she dropped the boyfriend card on him, she responded softly. "Well, I do tend to be the best on the field. My captain always tells me so at least." She gave him a small, quick wink, wondering just what he was thinking about. "I spend a lot of time out on the pitch messing around."

She let her eyes get a bit wider and she tipped her head to the side a touch. "My captain says I am the best chaser on the team." She wondered if Ford knew who the captain was at this point, or if he would ask. She was surprised that he did not react to her mentioning Blake's name as captain of the Slytherin team, but figured that he had forgotten about her boyfriend's existence. "And Slytherin's captain is rather, um, fond of my skills on the pitch."

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

I was the Slytherin captain, at one point, Ford mused silently. He momentarily pondered weather or not she was playing word games with him on that point, but determined her to be too bright for that. "Well, he's got good taste." Ford grinned, a tinge of competition entered into his voice. He did not feel kindly towards having to vie for a girl's attention. Before, it was Bruin, Kale, and Ford. Kale always seemed more of a one woman sort of guy, and Bruin and Ford were of vastly different personalities and attracted different sorts of girls...usually. As such, there had been no real crossover in targets. But now, the student body had grown, and Ford was not accostumed to it.

"Perhaps we could mess around tonight," Ford suggested playfully, "You don't have to bring your broom, either."

 

[Lily Drage]

Aw, crap, Lily thought, a tinge of red finding the apples of her cheeks, I would have been all over that a year ago, but not now. I could not do that to Blake. She took a quick breath, then stood straight up away from the wall. "I would love to go mess around on the pitch tonight." A devilish little grin appeared on her mouth before she continued. "And I am positive that I will be bringing my own broom. There is no way I will ever fly on one of those house jobbies." She cocked her head to the side, "and I don't share a broom unless it is with the Slytherin Captain." Lily waited, wondering it if would register with Ford that she was not available for his amusement outside of the actual game of quidditch.

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

Ford was many things; perpetually bored, politically apathetic but still a bit of a fan of oligarchies, tall. But he also has a very large ego, and as a result, he was often blinded when it came to girls. Such was the case at present, as Ford was the Slytherin captain before he left, of who else could Lily be speaking?

His mischievous grin widened to rare levels. Levels reserved only for girls...and food. But in this case, it was most definitely a girl. "I suppose one does perform better with their own things. However, it's never a bad thing to try out different equipment."

 

[Lily Drage]

Lily looked Ford in the eyes and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, so you want me to ride your broom out on the pitch? Really? But where on Earth would the Slytherin captain ride? He would never let me practice after hours with another guy alone and on his equipment. No, think I shall stick to riding my own broom for now." She gave him an innocent look, then continued. "Besides, I don't think the Ravenclaw captain would appreciate me riding the oppositions equipment, and I know for a fact that Slytherin's captain would NOT appreciate that. He is kinda possessive. Likes to keep the players to their own brooms, or their partner's brooms. Just depends on what work out is happening at the time." She giggled, then looked down the hall to see if Blake had gotten bored waiting for her and headed up to meet her. She did not want him to see his old friend trying to hit on his girlfriend.

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

Wait, what... Ford's playful expression dropped to one of confusion like a bullet. Son of a... A tricksey lass! She had been playing for a fool the entire time. And his ego was pulling him in one direction, and other yet undiscovered desires that usually popped up when he was pushed around by a girl pulled him another. In one part, he was infuriated: being shot down was not an idea Ford took lightly. But on another level, the who situation vaguely excited his competitiveness, amongst other things.

He quickly recovered his expression and pulled his thoughts together, if there was anything to be gained from this, succumbing to his baser emotions would not achieve it. "Who said anything about opposition?" He mocked playfully, "I'm not on the team. And as for the Slytherin captain, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if your skills on a broom were improved upon your next encounter." It had been a momentary setback, but Ford was back to full steam. Who was the Slytherin captain? Ford would have to hunt this guy down.

 

[Lily Drage]

I think he finally got the hint! Yay! Lily thought when she saw the reaction on his face. She was hoping that he would catch on that she was taken, and maybe she finally got through to him. Sure, she could have easily told him that she was dating Blake, but where was the fun in that?

Then Ford opened his mouth again, and was still seemingly hot on her trail. "Ok, so if I were to meet you, what kinda skills do you think you could teach me?" She looked up at him, her eyes gaining a doe-y look to them. "I hope you remember when I was on your team I was pretty good on a broom." She decided to tease him just a bit more and moved her body a bit closer to him. "And don't forget, you will always be the opposition. You are a Slytherin after all." She lifted her right hand up and trailed one finger down Ford's arm. "And the Captain just does not like it one bit when I practice my skills with anyone other than him -- even if I would be able to learn some new tricks he would love."

 

[Blake Zepline]

Blake had watched as almost everyone but Lily entered the oak front doors of the Great Hall. It was due past the time it should have taken Lily to make it from the Library to the Great Hall and, quite frankly, Blake was beginning to worry. What could be holding her up? A tonne of suggestions rushed into his mind, and almost everyone of them consisting of injury. Blake grew earnest and impatient after a few seconds longer of waiting, and at long last he finally stood and made his way up to the Library.
As he ascended the stairs that led from the third floor corridor to the fourth, the faint sound of two familiar voices reached his ears. Rounding the corner that turned into the corridor, Blake's eyes fell upon Lily and Ford, and for a moment Blake's expression darkened. When Blake had returned to Hogwarts last year, rumors still clung to the air about the Lily and Ford situation. He had never dared to bring it up with Lily because it had happened while he'd been away, and Ford had left the school before Blake's return so there were no awkward moments to be aware of.
Now Ford was back. And he was here, coincidentally, with Lily. In the very back of Blake's mind he wondered if Ford had perhaps developed actual feelings for Lily now that so much time had passed. And more seriously, he wondered, self consciously, if she might feel something, anything for Ford still.

"I was getting worried something had happened to you," Blake said to Lily, coming to a stop rather close by her side. Pushing all his thoughts of Lily and Ford to the back of his mind, Blake easily slipped a masked expression of pleasantness over his face. Turning to Ford ever so casually he added, "Welcome back Ford. I can't believe I didn't run into you any sooner, especially considering we're both Slytherins." As he said this, he wrapped one arm around Lily's lower back and laced his fingers with her's, just as a mere sign of possession...

 

[Lily Drage]

Lily had not been paying attention to anyone else in the hallway and jumped just a bit when she heard Blake's voice. She turned her head and smiled at him as he slipped his arm around her and held her hand. Thank you! she tried to scream with her eyes. She was slowly coming to the realization that she was in over her head with Ford, and always had been. Even during the time after the Yule Ball, she really was over her head. She breathed a sigh of relief, then spoke. "Blake, darling, Ford here is being scouted by a few of the local quidditch clubs. He offered to help coach me a bit, but I told him that the Ravenclaw and Slytherin captains would not approve. Don't you agree that the Slytherin captain just really does not approve of me having private, nighttime practice sessions with anyone but him?" She snuggled a bit closer to her boyfriend, hoping he would catch on to her coded speach.

Lily worried about what Ford might try to say to Blake. She never had told Blake upon his return what had happened with Ford while he was away, and honestly never thought that there would be a reason to. Ford was in England and they were here in New Zealand. There wasn't much that had happened anyways, but still there had been rumors afterwards that she had done her best to diffuse. Blake had never mentioned to her anything about it either, so she felt no need to bring it up. They were not together at that point, well, at least in her eyes they weren't since she had no idea where in the world he was. Her heart raced a bit with nervousness, wondering what exactly would happen next.

 

[Ford Harkonnen]

Ford had not expected Blake to be there, and his appearance caught Ford quite off guard. He blinked his eyes and quickly covered up a confused reaction with a blank expression. He had never had anything against Blake, in fact the mere existence of another Slytherin boy besides Ford and Kale made his existence welcomed, in Ford's eyes. However, right now he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ford had too much pride to let Lily's indiscretions go, and Blake would just be an unfortunate civilian casualty.

He smirked a bit, "Well, if you ever want a real bit of practice, just remember ours, by the lake." He paused, narrowing his eyes, "It was quite thorough, if I recall. I think we kept the merpeople up all night."

 

[Lily Drage]

"Excuse me? What planet are you on? We never "kept the merpeople up" out by the lake. I think, you have taken one too many bludgers to the head there Ford," she replied, her voice no longer friendly, but dripping with disdain. "You could only wish that you got anything from me except my right hook." Turning her head to look at Blake, she spoke again. "I think we are missing our dinner date in the great hall. Let's leave Ford to his delusions." She turned to head down the hallway, hoping that they would get out of there with no further incidents. Lily knew that she would have some explaining to do to Blake already, and was afraid that Ford was going to make that even worse.