Love Me, Lights Out

[Jay Bennet]

In the depth of a dark Californian alley, a pair of bodies appeared with a crack and together collapsed into a giggling heap against a dumpster. Apparating while under the influence was not a wise idea; they were lucky the two of them hadn't lost any limbs, as Jay's mother had so warned him. But it was graduation night; they had finally been freed from the strict boundaries their school had chained them in. So the pair of best friends had chosen to disembark early from the celebrations as Delilah's parents were away until morning, meaning they had the whole Richarde household to themselves. It was an opportunity they could not have passed up. The tallest of the pair was a handsome young man of eighteen, his dirty blonde hair dishevlled and his tie loose and askew. In one hand he grasped a half empty bottle of vodka, a party favour he had "borrowed" from his Uncle Tristan, and used the other to smooth back the disarrayed hair of his company. "You okay, Del?" Jay asked breathlessly, as he attempted to stifle his laughter but it soon came under wraps as even to touch her silken hair sent wild electric pulses along the boy's arm. Their hazy eyes met, the ocean blue of his washed over the crisp green of his friend's and Jay could not tell if it was the glance, the alcohol or the apparition, but his stomach began to flip inside of him. The graduate had been bottling these feelings away for quite some time now and had spent long nights awake wondering whether or not it was wrong to harbour these thoughts of the Ravenclaw. After all, if Alexis hadn't passed in the accident all those years ago, Delilah would have been his aunt's sister. His aunt-in-law? The thought left a sour taste in the boy's mouth and he gulped it down uncomfortably. For a moment more their gaze held before Jay tore his eyes away, blinking slowly as he focused on the streetlights at the end of the alley.

"Let's get the show on the road." Jay grinned, brandishing the bottle of vodka in right hand while his left arm slinked around Delilah and guided her in the direction of her household. This celebration had been a long time coming and the graduate could not wait to undo his years of hard work, one swig of alcohol at a time. Unlike his mother and Izaak, Jay had taken his studies at Hogwarts rather seriously. What had reminded the brother and sister pair of their death eater father, Jay had revered in. He understood that the grandfather he had never met was perhaps not the nicest of wizards, but he couldn't imagine why they would turn their noses up at such a fascinating world. Much to Fletcher's delight (and Izaak's dismay), he had taken to Quidditch like a duck to water in his first year. As a beater, he had even secured himself a position on the Falmouth Falcons for the upcoming season. Even if his step-father had had a hand in that, Jay was particularly proud of himself for choosing to venture down his own path in life, one that his mother and his Uncle Izaak had never dared to set foot upon. The eighteen year old had a month until training resumed, a solid month of freedom, and from now until then he planned to make every waking moment one to remember. Grinning wickedly as the pair reached the doorstep of the Richarde's empty household, Jay drew upon his liquid courage and wrapped his arms around the waist of his beautiful friend, embracing her from behind as she fumbled with the lock. "Come on, drunkie." Jay's lips grazed the shell of her ear as he whined teasingly into her hearing. "We've got some celebrating to do."

 

[Delilah Richarde]

For much of Delilah's life it had been grief, warnings and fear. Julia and Alexis had both died and so she had been forced to take extra care with her actions but now with alcohol making her limbs tingle in a tantalizing way she could not recall why, even after she and her friend had apparated against a dumpster. A small laugh fell from her lips as she pushed herself back onto her wobbly feet and straightened her dress that she'd worn under her graduation robes. She, like many others, were glad to have Hogwarts be over. She could not handle all the drama that circulated it constantly and so she didn't look back as they arrived in her home town. However, she was waiting to find word if she was accepted into the St. Mungo’s training so that she may be a healer and in the back of her mind she knew that it would be so much of the same between schools with only a different and more localized subject matter. Still, she had become quite in tune with healing as she had spent many hours reading muggle and magic texts that were said to save someone in the case of an emergency which she had been sure would arrive but never did, aside from a broken wrist after trying to keep up on a broom with the very same friend who was smoothing her hair down. She looked up at his messy attire and smiled. He was so far from everything she’d been told was good for her and it was perfect. No, not because of a strong need to irritate strict parents but because she knew him genuinely and although she had to fight whatever feelings she had, the dark sky only hid so much of her rosy cheeks. for a moment they were silenced by one another and night. In a blink of her bright green eyes and there was a new goal - making it into the large household.

As an arm was hung around her waist she put one on Jay's back lazily. The wizarding community they found themselves in was one of lavishness but at the top of the hill there was none more than her house. It was, as her father had said, the perks of being a politician. It was his family who saw the downsides and so to the displeasure of her father she had goals different than finding a future minister of magic to play house with. She wanted a career, a life and a completely different person. It was complicated, certainly, and it was what had kept her from acting on her feelings for at least a year. Complex in that their families were intertwined. How her father despised anyone who was related to a Finch because Alexis had died at the side of one and how Jay's uncle and mother were practically family with her sister. Well it was hard to decide what to do with jay because of all this and so she was sure to forget so much of everything as more alcohol was consumed. She was glad to have a cabinet full of it for when the bottle Jay had procured was empty although as they walked she wasn't sure that they would need anymore. As they reached the front steps, Delilah was sure there were too many keys and when she found the one for the front door she struggled to get it in. "I'm not drunk. You're drunk," she proclaimed stubbornly, for a moment not noticing that arms were around her thin waist until she felt Jay's breath on her skin. a shiver crawled up Delilah's spine and all she wanted to do was revel in it for much, much longer. Her tanned friend was all too much sometimes from his accent to his touching, there was not much more that Delilah could handle on a day when her inhibitions weren't lowered and yet she would happily take more, despite the complexities. For a moment she stopped and then put both hands on her key and directed it into the lock, once it was unlocked she opened the door and giggled as she lead Jay into her house. "C'mon," whined the American, as she offered her hand to Jay to take him further. Wherever they were going into the house it first had to mean more booze and so she took him into the living room where there was one of many cabinets. Taking a bottle of firewhiskey she opened it and didn't think to get glasses or to lock it back up with the key no one knew she had. To be fair, no one knew much about her anyway except for Jay Bennet.
​

 

[Jay Bennet]

At the protests that met his drunken name-calling, Jay cocked an accusing eyebrow and prodded the brunette's sides with his fingers, attempting to traverse her conviction. "Says the girl who can't unlock her own front door." The young man chuckled as leant his head against Delilah's and watched her failed attempts to gain entry into her home. Jay was just about to offer to unlock it with his own, usually dextrous, hands until she finally guided it in. "Good drunkie." He grinned and reached around to place a quick kiss on her flushed cheeks before allowing her to lead him inside. The Hufflepuff had been to the Richarde's abode a handful of times, sometimes with Izaak, sometimes with Delilah, but it never failed to take his breath away. Each of the Finch siblings had made quite a home for themselves, Izaak with his surfing riches, Tristan as a muggle surgeon and his mother with her floristry business and Fletcher's involvement in the Quidditch world. However, no one in his family rivalled the Richardes and their magnificent manor. For a moment he stood gawping in the doorway, as was usual each time he entered their household, until he heard his friend's impatient whine. Shaking his head clear, the blue-eyed boy eagerly took hold of Delilah's hand and entwined his fingers within hers. For a moment he glanced down at their interlaced hands, the porcelain skin of his friend's small and slender hand looked quite odd in his own sun-kissed, broad and calloused grasp. However, it could not feel more right and the tingle in the pit of his stomach seemed to agree.

Once inside the living room, Jay allowed Delilah's hand to slip from his own as she went to retrieve a bottle of firewhiskey. The young man flashed his friend a bright grin as she returned to him, more alcohol in hand in the case that Tristan's should run out. Jay had a feeling that they might not even make it to the firewhiskey, but he sure as hell hoped they did. If there was ever an excuse to get blindingly drunk, graduation night was it. "Don't let Daddy find out." He teased, although his nerves began to flail even thinking about Delilah's father. The man was already intimidating, even before he let it be known that he harboured a burning hatred for anyone who was remotely related to Jay's uncle. Izaak had once recounted to him the first time he had visited the Richarde manor as Alexis' boyfriend and how scared of Pierre he had been, even all those years ago. Now here Jay was, the same age Izaak had been, and even more terrified because if Delilah's father knew he was here, the young graduate would surely be lucky to escape unharmed. The blonde wizard shuddered and tried to put the thought out of his mind as he twisted the cap off the bottle and took a large gulp of the incensing liquid, the burn of the alcohol sliding down his throat seemed enough to suppress the thoughts of Pierre. Anyway, her parents weren't home tonight, he had nothing to worry about. Sucking in a breath, Jay reached out and enveloped Delilah's hand in his own once more. "Shall we?" He crooned, a slight slur encroaching on his deep voice, gesturing upstairs with a nod of his head. The thought of spending time alone with Delilah in the confines of her bedroom sent splendid shivers up his spine. But for all he knew, they were just hanging out, she didn't even know what he felt for her. However, the blue-eyed boy supposed that he would go wherever the night, and the booze, took them.

 

[Delilah Richarde]

"Says the girl who might just leave you outside," Delilah quipped playfully as she squirmed in Jay's arms, in attempt to move away from his prodding fingers which tickled her to the point of giggling but it was stifled with her conviction. When she finally opened the door there was a quick kiss which she wasn't a stranger too from Jay but it still left her somewhat flustered just as it had the first time. Affection was not normal for the dark haired Ravenclaw. Perhaps the most she had ever gotten was when she was first born and there was cooing and she was held for only a little while by her own parents before she was passed onto one of many nannies and au pairs who had their own children whom they preferred to spend their attention on. So she was painfully aware whenever someone gave her any type of it whereas Jay, she knew, was used to it and so she could never be certain if it was their differences that might deceive her into thinking that he might like her too. She was a calculating person because of her raising and so she was never sure what Jay wanted. Everyone wanted something and it was easier when you knew but she could not figure him out no matter how long she thought about him, which was a lot. There was more than once that the witch had stayed up late puzzling over everything. Now her head was too cloudy to weigh her options - she just acted and walked with him hand-in-hand. The pale Californian revelled in the feeling of the rough yet tender touch and was hesitant to slip away from it even as she knew she must to get firewhiskey.

Rolling her green eyes was all she could do. Although her sisters had done much worse in their prime, she was the last and with Zachary already having two children she was the center of attention. Well, as much of a center as the Richarde's could bear. If she did something bad, which wasn't often, she was left alone with no big sister's too take care of her or to tell their father how unreasonable he was being. She had to admit that, even now, she hated them both for that. "How about we don't talk about my Daddy," she suggested, Delilah wasn't ashamed of her doings but it would certainly make her feelings askew and sort of disappear to talk about her father. Especially when she was near Jay as she couldn't imagine anyone hating him as blindly as she liked him. It made her angry and disturbed but mostly she did not want to think about someone so negative on a night so positive. They were done with Hogwarts and soon they would start real life, whatever that meant. Not dwelling on it or anything tonight, she allowed herself to be closer to Jay - to have him hold her hand in his. "Uh huh," she nodded slowly, not taking her eyes away from his blue eyes for a moment. Searching for what he wanted because spending time with Jay alone anywhere made her feel warm and somewhat uncomfortable. With a little liquid courage to aid in the burning she felt, Delilah smirked and said, "But you'll have to catch me first." Without warning she slipped her hand from his and started running towards the stairs and once she'd reach them up them so that she could get to her bedroom. She was, however, sure not to drop an firewhiskey. In that moment, it was as important as the diploma she'd just received and to be taken to her room with care.
​

 

[Jay Bennet]

Jay watched his company carefully, allowing her eyes to dive deep into the ocean blue of his own. What she was seeking in the azure depths, Jay did not know, but there was a mirthful glint there that he hoped she would stumble across. Delilah had to know he loved spending time with her and if he continued gulping down that bottle of vodka, she would really know just how much. He could already feel the tingling warmth percolate through his veins, it was only a matter of time before it took hold of him. Quickly, their locked gazes were snapped apart as Delilah proposed a challenge, one that he was adept in accepting. The young man's bright eyes narrowed with determination but a good-natured chuckle spilt from his lips as his friend yanked her hand away and darted towards the stairs. What Delilah lacked in brawn, she certainly made up for in lithe speed. It seemed as if the beater had met his match. He allowed her to traverse the first few stairs before he started after her. Jay held tightly onto the neck of the vodka as he took two steps at a time, finally catching up to her at the top of the stairway. With Delilah just ahead of him, he raced behind her along the hallway and the pair reached her closed bedroom door simultaneously.

With the vodka flowing freely through his bloodstream, Jay pinned his friend against the sturdy structure. One hand grasped onto both the vodka and the doorknob, as the other gripped her petite waist. Their heaving chests pressed against one another's as they both struggled for air and Jay could feel her hot breath tauntingly tickle his skin. Those azure eyes of his flickered down to the green of Delilah's and Jay began to lower his head towards hers. Although before their lips could meet, the bottle in his hand began to slip through his fingers and in catching it, the beater had somehow managed to twist the doorknob open. As the door gave way, the intoxicated pair of friends tumbled awkwardly into Delilah's room. It was a miracle that neither of them had fallen to the floor. "My bad," Jay chuckled sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders at his beautiful friend before sitting himself down on her lavish bed. Acting as if their intimate moment had never existed, once more, he uncapped the vodka and took a generous swig. "Merlin, this stuff tastes like horse piss." He claimed once he had swallowed the burning liquid, scrunching up his handsome face as he had done so.

(my apologies for this crap, i'm sleepy)

 

[Delilah Richarde]

Running wasn't something that Delilah normally did. Her activities had just been walking up and down all those stairs at Hogwarts and so she was out of breath in more ways than one as her back was pressed against the door and her chest against her friend's. She was very aware that he had a hand on her waist but didn't think to glance down to look at it. Instead she starred into the familiar azure eyes until she glanced at his lips for a split second, as she could feel him get closer to her. She attempted the same but was interrupted by clumsiness. She put a hand on Jay's arm to balance her as they stumbled backwards and then dropped her arm quickly, feeling light headed and embarrassed.

Delilah hid her disappointment with a nervous laugh, she was sure that he was going to kiss her. Whether it was the alcohol adding to his affectionate nature or something a little more in her favor it brought her to bite down hard on her bottom lip so that she didn't make any rash decisions. For a moment she stood by the doorway, looking at Jay and laughed lightly at his claim. "Try this stuff, it's awful," Delilah said walking as she walked closer to Jay, standing in front of him for a second to hand him the bottle that she had quickly taken a swig of and cringed just as much. Firewhiskey was perhaps a little too strong for young adults such as themselves but as she sat down on her soft bed beside Jay it didn't seem to matter much because the room wasn't spinning any longer. Or maybe it was but in a different direction, her head was too woozy to think of the distinctions. With enchanted candles all around her room instead of muggle fixtures that she had seen a Jay's house Delilah had always felt that there was a glow to every room in the house, however strong the light was. She couldn't understand how his home worked fully or how he lived as a wizard there. It wouldn't be long, probably, until he had his own place thanks to being a Quidditch player. Although Delilah was overwhelmingly proud of her friend but she simply couldn't hide her jealousy when she thought of how surrounded he would be with fans and how they would try to get close to him. While she would hopefully be changing bandages, a hardly romantic idea for anyone. It seemed to her as now or never. Without thinking much about it, she took one of the bottles away from Jay and put it down beside her just so she could slide her fingers through his and hold his hand. The Ravenclaw had never kissed anyone before as she had once feared that she would some how catch an auto-immune disease and die just as her sister's had - too young. Now thinking of kissing Jay consumed her completely and so their lips touched. The feeling of his soft, warm lips was better than she'd imagined, she only hoped that boundaries weren't being overstepped because she didn't want just a peck. No, she was a little more ambitious than that.​

 

[Jay Bennet]

Jay cautiously accepted the bottle Delilah had handed him, his bright eyes widening as his fingers curled around the thick, glass neck. Already, the young man knew that heavy liquor was not his poison of choice. He much preferred the beers that his uncles would sneak him at family dinners when his mother wasn't looking. However, desperate times called for desperate measures and the alumnus tilted the bottle upwards, allowing the amber liquid to cascade down his throat. Instantaneously, Jay felt as if writhing flames licked at his insides and exhaled a heavy breath as he pulled the bottle away from his mouth. The firewhiskey had more of a kick the vodka and he almost preferred it because suddenly a heated courage began to percolate through his body, there seemed nothing he couldn't do. This was especially the case as his eyes traced Delilah's actions, watching pointedly as she took the vodka from him and filled the space it had left in his palm with her own hand. Jay did not need to second-guess himself any longer; he was no fool and knew that they wouldn't keep themselves busy tonight by playing scrabble or anything of the like. No longer did he care about the complexities that trussed the Finches and the Richardes to one another or that her father harboured innate hatred for him because of it, nor did he dwell on the fact that their post-graduation choices would surely come between the usually inseparable pair of best friends. None of it mattered when they had tonight.

The ambience of Delilah's room seemed to only add to the electricity that sparked between them. Her magnificent bed, much grander than his own, and the soft, warm light that flowed from the enchanted candles surrounding them only assured Jay that this was the right time to let Delilah know that she meant more to him than a best friend ever could. The dynamic between them really was something else. Knowing what was surely to come, as the pair briefly caught each other's eyes, had Jay tingling with anxious elation. Yes, he had smooched a couple of girls in his time at Hogwarts, but the only kiss he had ever truly wanted was Delilah's. And as their lips slowly came to touch, his heart mellowed at the fulfilment of his wish. Without detracting from their kiss, Jay set the open bottle of firewhiskey down on the floor, so that he could devote his other hand to his best friend's body. As their kiss deepened, he curled his long fingers at the elegant curve of her neck and gently traced the silken skin of her thigh. Perhaps it was the alcohol or the kiss or a combination of both, but Jay had never in his life felt so blissfully dizzy. This was beyond words. Slowly, and without ever breaking from the kiss, Jay laid his darling Delilah down onto the supple mattress. He made sure her head was supported by her pillows before continuing their kiss as he hovered just above her.

 

[Delilah Richarde]

Kissing, Delilah found, was fun. Until this moment she'd not understand why she was tempted to do it or why everyone was in frenzy about kissing boys or girls. It had seemed so inconsequential to her but the normally cautious girl had been wrong to not try this with Jay before, especially now knowing that his reaction would be so welcoming to this development in their relationship. While she could not go back to make sure that they had done this before and more often, she was happy to make up for lost time just as Jay seemed to be. The vodka and firewhiskey could not have made the graduate this enlivened, it was her best friend's touch of her thigh, of her neck, of her lips. It was enchanting enough to make the girl forget how complicated everything might be when this trance state wore off and how this would affect them. Her small hand on his back, muscular from Quidditch, as she was laid down under him, and the other gently tugged on his loose tie, uncertain if she was going to take it off of him completely or whether it was to keep him close to her; as if it would keep either of them from returning to their wits. Without thought, a rarity for Delilah, she slowly propped a leg up around Jay's hip so that he could lay even closer to her small body.

With the promise of an empty house, it was easy to do these things and to have the confidence to make the first move. If it had been otherwise, the boy Delilah had placed her affections in would not have gotten so far as the front door, as if her parents thought that the Finch's and any relatives were the sole reason that death had come to their doorstep. It had seemed, however that they weren't as alone as they had thought. The portraits and photographs were not the only moving things in the large manor. Whether out of guilt for not making it to her graduation or due to a failed evening, which was more likely, Delilah's parents had come back and had opened her bedroom door at the most inopportune time. There was a gasp from her mother's lips that had the dark haired girl stop everything she was doing and put a hand on Jay's chest. "Stop, stop," she whispered. She hadn't even looked over at her father, who was sure to be mad, but it would only make it worse when he recognized just who it was rushing out of her bedroom. The dark haired girl moved away from Jay nervously and stood up in an attempt to distract her parents, while he hopefully apparated away. "Errr hi Mom. Hi Daddy," she said, trying to regain some of the innocence they thought she had. However, her father had already recognized Jay and was getting red in the face. His green eyes murderous as he took a step forward and reached for his wand but Delilah being uncharacteristically nimble grabbed it before him and said, "You aren't going to hurt him." It was all she could think to say of while her mind was whirling from the turn of events.

"Delilah, go with your mother."

Stubbornly she shook her head. If she left it would not bode well for Jay. She didn't know what her father was going to do to him and she wasn't going to let that happen. She knew how he had nearly killed Izaak during Alexis' funeral this was not much different in the eyes of the man who all but ignored his children until they were gone. She had never stood up to him like this, or anyone for that matter. The normally pale girl was red with embarrassment and anger as she looked back at Jay, apologetically but still hoped that he would just leave so she could receive her punishment and be done with it.
​

 

[Jay Bennet]

Jay's heart thundered wildly inside of his chest as he layered his affections heavily upon the young woman he had spent his years at Hogwarts in adoration of. He was not yet sure if Delilah was driven by her own feelings for him or if the alcohol and the thrill of graduation were spurring her to kiss him in this manner. Nonetheless, the Hufflepuff alumnus was confounded by the attention that was being paid to him. From where Jay stood, it seemed as if he was punching well above his weight. The girl was stunning, and not traditionally so, which made her all the more attractive in his eyes. But more importantly than that, she was the most intelligent person he had ever had the pleasure of knowing. From what he remembered of Alexis and what he had heard of Julia, he could only imagine it was a trait shared between the three sisters. Jay was hard-working and received decent marks through determination and application but he was not naturally adept as his friend was. The staff at St. Mungo's would be lucky to have her as a healer. With this admiration in mind, Jay could not help but to grin against her lips as she secured her dainty fingers around his tie, pulling him further into her delicious kiss. Jay's hand began to wander her body, exploring the curves of her hips, her waist and her chest, while his tongue gently traced her swollen lips. The boy could not seem to get enough of Delilah Richarde and he doubted he ever would.

With Delilah's leg hooked around his hips, Jay's other hand came to glide along the soft skin of her thigh. He wondered to himself, in the midst of their ravishing kisses, where these affections would lead tonight. They had the house all to themselves after all and it would be smart to take advantage of the rare opportunity. But the young man was also content with simply showering her in kisses all night long, despite the way her affections were working him up. He supposed he would just go with it, wherever the night would lead them. But he was quickly robbed of the opportunity to find out when Delilah braced her hand on his chest, protesting his kisses. Jay's brow knotted in confusion, had he done something wrong? It was only as she leapt from the bed, her attention clearly caught by someone, that Jay turned around and realised the reason the sudden change in mood. They had been caught red-handed by her parents. The teenager could have sworn that his heart swelled and halted to a stop in his chest, before taking off at lightning speed once more. He could feel her father's furious eyes burn into him as he sprung from the bed as if it were made of hot coals. But Jay lowered his eyes in guilt, avoiding the hot-tempered man's eyes. The boy had heard of Pierre Richarde's wrath from Izaak, his uncle had experienced first hand on several occasions and now it seemed as if it was Jay's turn to feel the heat. His eyes shifted upwards anxiously, just in time to catch the red-faced man reaching for his wand. Jay dove a hand into the pocket of his dress pants, wrapping his fingers around the handle of his own in case he should need to defend himself but the boy knew he would not stand a chance against the man that had once been the minister of magic.

Jay exhaled silently in relief as he watched Delilah jump quickly to his rescue, if it weren't for the thick tension that hung in the atmosphere, he would have pressed her an appreciative smile. But now as the teenagers stood facing her parents, he almost wished her father had hexed him. He could see no other simple way out of this sticky situation. Of course, apparition was a very tempting option but Jay fretted that if he chose the coward's way out, the very slim chance that Pierre would ever recognise him as a potential suitor for his daughter would be ruined. The least he could do was attempt to make amends. Looking from her father's furious stare to the more subdued of Strella's, Jay cleared his throat anxiously. "I'm really sorry, Mr and Mrs Richarde," He began shakily, knowing that nothing he could say or do would erase the image of the compromising situation they had found their daughter in from their minds. "But please know that I am not my Uncle. I would never dream of hurting Delilah, not in a million years, and I am not predisposed to repeating Izaak's mistakes." Although Jay believed that Alexis' death had been an honest accident and that Izaak had not been intentionally reckless with her life, the infidelity he had learned of in recent years was something that his uncle could have very well helped. And opposing Izaak's actions on the whole could only bode well for the young man, or so he hoped as he chewed down on the inside of his cheek and gauged her parents reaction with those Finch blue eyes.

 

[Delilah Richarde]

It hadn't occurred to Delilah to wonder whether or not Jay's very visceral reaction was due to alcohol or not. There was something about the feeling of his hands that made her forget that she had not been the only one to make a friend with a little liquid courage. Although she had always been told that it dulled the senses, she'd never felt so aware, even with her green eyes shut. Every touch was heightened, from her lips that were moving somewhat clumsily with Jay's to his wandering hands. She was a conservative girl from even a young age. Always making sure all her buttons were done up or her hair was up but it felt natural to let it all down with Jay Bennet in a way she couldn't quite be sure of herself. Delilah couldn't help but giggle against his lips as she felt the corners of peel into a smile against hers. If there was ever a time to laugh it was possibly at how they had put off this for so long when it should be a common happenstance by now. Fear and even a few girlfriends on Jay's part had gotten in the way until tonight when the quiet, narcissistic, pessimistic girl had somehow forgotten these things about herself and just acted. Feeling a large, rough yet gentle hand on her, made Delilah's breath quicken and brought her to delight in even more heated kisses for as long as she could. Both of their particular sort of joy with this was cut short and her busy mind would be left to wander and wonder where this might have taken them if they'd not been interrupted by one meek parent and one frightening parent, who looked most like her.

There were few outstanding traits that Delilah had not taken from her father. They had the same dark hair, although his was speckled with grey more and more often lately, the same green eyes and shared the same nose. Only a slim face was given to her by dear mumsy. The couple were a match made in disaster as far as the child had always thought and especially now as she starred her father down, looking equally as determined as he. It wasn't until that Jay had spoken that her guard was let down and hid her pouted frown behind a wave of hair. When he had finished his stupid, albeit brave, speech she couldn't help but let out a loud sigh.

"Could everyone please stop being stupid for just one minute," began the girl, getting angry at the lot of them, Jay included. He was making this difficult by being so forthright and thinking that he was saying what they wanted to hear when in reality, all they wanted to hear was that the last fifteen or so years hadn't happened which was simply not going to happen. "I know it's hard but do try," the shocked look on her mother's face was enough for her to smirk at her own rudeness before she continued heatedly. Anger and alcohol was taking over her as she spoke, "My sister died in a car accident. It wasn't on purpose and even if it was, who cares? She's dead anyway. She's still going to be dead whether you hate the Finches or not so just stop." If anyone had a right to be upset about the death of her sisters it was Delilah because she'd never been given a chance to get to know them whereas their parents had the opportunity but gave it up for some stupid position in the ministry. Truth be told, she couldn't remember what they looked like anymore. Photographs of Julia and Alexis always felt taunting, like they knew more about them than she did and yet in all this anger she could not blame anyone for this except the high population of kangaroos. She turned to her friend and said, "You. Stop lying." That was all that could be said to Jay as her head began to pound and she could feel the room spin in circles so she could see the shocked faces of both her mother and father spin around her and of Jay's. Everything was in a whirl. She'd never stood up to her parents this way, she'd never spoken about either of her sisters no matter how her therapist had tried to convince her to or Jay had said that he was there to listen if she ever needed it. She was just tired of stupidity surrounding her and for once she took a stand against it. Her rebellious sister would probably have been proud of her if she was anywhere but six feet under the ground.

Delilah looked at her father and tossed him back his wand, feeling certain that whatever heat he had been in was stopped in it's tracks but who knew. She had been completely unpredictable tonight, why shouldn't her sire be? The Ravenclaw alumna looked at her parents and just to add insult to injury she said, "Thanks for coming to graduation tonight." Now, with more off of her chest than she had ever thought she could get she smiled and waited for the reaction of all around her.

Her mother just looked at Jay, blinking away what might look like tears if Delilah had been paying attention, and said, "I think I should apparate you back to your mother's. She'll get worried," but her father said nothing, hardly even blinked.​

 

[Jay Bennet]

From where the young man stood beneath the tresses of tension hanging thickly in the atmosphere, he was hard pressed to believe that it was mere minutes ago when he had felt as if he could hold the world within his palm. The room now spun in a different way than it had when he had held Delilah in his arms and the blissful dizziness began to ebb onto nausea. Jay attempted to gulp down the unpleasant feeling as he felt the abhorrent cocktail of alcohol throb through him like the thickest of poisons. But the sensation persisted and worsened as his immense blue eyes flickered between the disapproval that painted the two adults before him. He could not help but to think of how their night could have panned out had they stuck to the original plan of taking their private party back to Jay's home. In that parallel universe, perhaps his lips still would have been heatedly locked with Delilah's. But the offer of the Richarde's empty abode had been all too tempting to refuse and now, here the pair of friends were, dealing with the consequences of their actions. Some perhaps more brazenly than others, Jay thought to himself with surprise at Delilah's sudden outburst. Perhaps it was the fire whiskey that coursed heatedly through her veins but the young man had never seen her break composure as she was now. Jay's azure eyes distended as he balked, his mouth plopping open as Delilah incensed words seared the air, just as the fire whiskey had their throats.

With furrowed eyebrows and his jaw still unhinged, the young man's wide eyes flickered between his emboldened friend and her parents. Unaware that a portion of her frustration had stemmed from him, Jay silently egged Delilah on as he saw how her words sobered her parents, how the colour began to drain from her father's flushed face. Conceivably, Pierre might take some reason from her words. As much as a fresh-faced teen could, Jay understood that it would have been difficult to watch their only remaining daughter slip through their fingers. But on the other hand, Jay and Delilah were both of age, technically adults and capable of making decisions for themselves. At eighteen, surely that warranted a loosening of the reins. However, the next string of words that spilt from Delilah's lips put a stopper in Jay's thoughts entirely. He looked down uncomfortably at his shoes, toeing the floor as he threaded his long fingers through his messy crop of hair. He had never heard her speak of Alexis before, despite how she and her relationship with his uncle had brought the pair of friends together after her death. Jay chewed down on his lip as his eyes, brimming with concern, fixated on Delilah as she continued to bluntly address her sister's death. His heart ached for her, knowing how she had bottled up her feelings for much of the last decade.

Out of instinct, his hand went to reach out for her, to comfort her, and yet before he could so much as lay a finger on her shoulder, she had spun around and chastised him. "Delilah," he began to softly protest, feeling the alcohol thick on his tongue, but quickly closed his mouth as he remembered his place before her parents. The young man shook his head in disbelief at the situation unfolding before his very eyes. Delilah then managed to add insult to injury and it honestly broke his heart in two. Jay's entire family had made it to the ceremony - his mother, Fletcher, Lexie, Aubrey and little Charlie. His uncles and his grandmother had even tagged along. They had cheered and whooped for him as he was presented with his diploma. But even though her achievements had far exceeded his own, Delilah had had no one. He had cuddled her into him and brought her to join his own family to celebrate but he had known that beneath her apathetic façade, their absence bothered her. Jay watched as a smile sidled across her lips but unlike earlier in the night, it was not infectious. His weary eyes delved into the steely green of Delilah's, unsure of what to say, especially in the wake of her parents.

He pressed his lips tightly together at her mother's words. "It's okay, I can let myself out." He spoke lowly as he tugged uncomfortably at his tie but his feet seemed glued to the floor. If only he could apparate Delilah back with him, pitch a tent in his bed sheets and they could hide away there together for the month they had left. His pleading blue eyes settled on Delilah's once more, wishing for another way, to make amends to what was supposed to be the best night of their lives. And, moreover, he could not bear to leave her in her current state but Jay could foresee no other option.