New Game

[Victoire Fontaine]

It had not escaped Victoire's noticed that Jean had been a little annoyed at the lost game, that he'd been barely present at dinner and with the loss of the game, it was more difficult to spend time privately together when others lingered around the dorm room. The following day she'd become more concerned about it, but it wasn't easy for her to just go up and see if he was there, she had to be more careful, she had no reason to. But it took some subtle questions to learn from a slightly disgruntled first year that he was at the pitch, and so Victoire thanked the child and headed there, a student so young would never know what she meant or why she was looking for, to her it was a little more full proof. Meeting up was about just seeing how he was following the game but also figuring out a few things for herself, she had said she loved him during the duelling match and though she'd denied it to who mattered, but the fact she'd even said it had brought the question about if she meant it, and perhaps seeing him, seeing how he was would help that. Victoire just knew this was the thing to do, though perhaps not the time to do it, however there was never going to be a time to do it, she knew this, so the blonde gathered her courage and slipped on the thick gryffindor hoody before heading out.

Victoire was dressed more casually, her hair in loose natural curls that moved in the light morning wind, she cast her eyes up at the sky above her and noted the darkening grey colour, the sign of impending rain. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either, and Victoire was glad for the gryffindor jumper she'd slipped on before she'd left. The teen made her way through the quiet grounds until she came to the quidditch pitch, she'd gone to the match, spent the time with her brother cheering on Gryffindor team and she had felt the annoyance over the gryffindor seeker not focusing and the fact that the slytherin seeker had just been so quick about it. The teen had no idea what it felt like to play a sport and feel the cold sting of loss but she gathered from how Jean talked about it that it was never easy. The teen made her way to the stands, wondering if he would be flying or just sitting. The place itself empty and completely devoid of others, "Jean?" she called out softly trying to spot him though there was no one. If he wasn't here she'd check the gardens before heading back to the castle. Victoire knew that them spending the time together would be important but she also realised that it was just important for her to make sure that following the game her boyfriend wasn't blaming himself or feeling like he'd let the team down. Her gaze shifted up to the sky as she attempted to see if there was a broom up in the sky with a familiar blonde riding it.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Losing never sat well with Jean Snow, but for some reason, this loss had hit him harder than normal. Perhaps it was because this was his first game of the season, having missed the first one because of his strike. He knew that was part of it, but it wasn’t the whole reason. Perhaps it was because he was getting closer to leaving school and he knew he was running out of opportunities to impress scouts. There was a lot at stake for the Gryffindor, and he knew it was immensely important for him to play well in games. Yesterday, he had not. His brother had played really well though, and while Jean was happy for him as he usually was, he was also a bit jealous. Lucien frequently had the easier lot in life. He’d been born first and healthier, he had a relationship that he could be public with, and he was on a team that not only got along but also played extremely well. Lately, Jean had been considering just leaving the team, wondering if it was worth all of the trouble. After last night, those thoughts had creeped in again, and he had spent much of the night incredibly distracted, going over the game again and again in his head.

The teenager knew that he was just in a funk, and he knew that the only way out of it was to go through it. So, he left his room early, he hadn’t had much sleep anyway, and he headed for the pitch, doing so many laps that he lost track. He didn’t even hear or notice that Victoire had come in and even called out his name, so lost he was in his own thoughts and actions. He’d been trying to burn off some energy, and it was working. He could feel himself tiring, and knew that he should get himself down before he simply fell off of his broom. Nosediving, Jean headed for the grass at dangerous speed, stopping just before he could crash into the base of one of the hoops. Jean simply collapsed there, his broom falling by his side as he abandoned it, his blue eyes looking at the clouds as they grew darker and darker, the threat of rain there. His forehead was already damp, from sweat not rain. And Jean had no energy to move even though he knew he should get inside. He was still prone to getting sick from the slightest of things, and getting drenched in the rain would guarantee to get him sick.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire could not spot Jean any where, but he just began walking around the stands, trying to see if she could spot him in any of the little areas before checking the changing rooms and then finally calling the pitch a bust. She knew that losing was hard for him, she didn't like losing much either and though Victoire didn't play quidditch she always thought of it like when she worked really hard on a piece of homework and didn't get an O for it, that same frustration and annoyance. Victoire wanted to make sure he was okay, dealing with it fine and then bring up what had happened with his brother to him. She knew that it likely wasn't the best time, but with the fact they couldn't be honest with anyone else about each other they had to be honest with one another. Victoire eventually resigned to the fact that her boyfriend wasn't at the pitch, she didn't think he'd be in the changing rooms, but that was the last place to check before just leaving, it was as this very thought crossed her mind, that she noticed someone taking a nose dive out of the air, only just stopping at the ground before all but collapsing.

All thoughts of finding Jean escaped her mind as she rushed out to go see if the person was alright, she had never gotten quite used to quidditch and how dangerous it could be, she didn't understand why her brother wanted to be involved in such a sport. As Victoire rushed on to the pitch, she noticed the familiar blonde hair and from her distance thought it might be Lucien rather than Jean, but it didn't matter who it was, she had to make sure they were alright. As Victoire slowed in her approach, it became pretty clear who it was, "Jean?" she spoke clearly as she got close, stopped a few centimetres away from him and sitting on her knees, "You okay?" she couldn't spot anything wrong with him, not immediately, he appeared to be unharmed, but she wasn't entirely sure. The blonde reached forward and without a care for anyone around them, delicately moved some of his hair from his forehead and kept her gaze on his, he was sweaty and she didn't think that combined with the potential for rain would be any good for either of them.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean heard the flurry of footsteps, someone running in his direction, as his gaze remained on the sky. As the person drew closer, he tilted his head to the side, a slight smile coming onto his face as he realized it was Victoire. She was sideways, or rather his view was sideways, but she still looked as beautiful as ever, the dark clouds silhouetting her blonde hair in a way that made it stand out. Her face was full of concern though. He didn’t move another muscle, his body still tired from the exertion of the speed he’d been flying. He hadn’t been trying to hurt himself, but if it would have happened, Jean would have readily taken the blame. He hadn’t exactly been trying to fly safely out there. The speeds that he was going, it was no wonder he really hadn’t crashed into the base of the hoop. As she settled herself beside him, her knees within touching distance, Jean heard her question. The teenager hoped she hadn’t been watching for long, hoped that she hadn’t spotted just how high he’d been flying or just how quickly he’d been going. He didn’t want to scare anyone, but sometimes a guy needed to breathe, to forget the rules and the boundaries and just fly.

The Gryffindor opened his mouth to respond to her, but stopped for a breath as she reached over and moved some hair from off his forehead. It was an intimate gesture, but they were alone, and he was sure that they were or she wouldn’t have done it. He fought the urge to take hold of the hand that she’d placed on him and pull her in for a kiss. Anyone could technically walk in on them, though he doubted that anyone would think of flying in this weather. There was going to be a downpour, and it was going to happen soon. But, he knew that if he did that, Victoire would be upset with him, and he didn’t want that. They were in a good place in spite of that slight scare at the Yule Ball. In spite of their blood status. In spite of everything. Jean groaned as he sat up, his arms shakily holding up his body. “Never better, Victoire” he replied, turning his body so that his legs rested on either side of her knees. He didn’t explain what he’d been doing, hoping that she hadn’t seen anything more than his landing. “Just practicing a new move. What are you doing out here?” he asked, brushing a hand through his hair before returning it to the grass. It wasn’t that he minded. He didn’t. It wasn’t often that Victoire showed up on the pitch though, especially when there was no game. He didn’t think she was very fond of the sport even though he played and so did her little brother, Emma’s friend.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire easily smiled fondly at him, she felt the urge to lean in and kiss his lips but fought the urge more interested in just focusing on him, she doubted that anyone would see them or even if they did know who they were so she was fairly certain that it would be okay to share a moment of intimacy. Even at that, she figured that following the game perhaps what he wanted was a little bit of intimacy, the gryffindor prefect knew they were in a good place, despite the scare before the holidays and she didn't want to ruin it with the news that she had. But it seemed in her mind like there would be no good occasion to bring it up, but she just listened to his answer, just watching as he moved, just letting his move his legs so that she sat in between them and the Gryffindor prefect just looked at him with a warm expression sitting on her face, she let one of her hands rest on his leg, not gripping it, but letting her hand just rest there as a small indication of intimacy that they could share in this moment. It wasn't much but given what they were it was something to them, especially that they were out in public, but Victoire doubted that they would have anyone run into them.

The belgian girl could hardly resist looking up at the sky as he explained that he was practicing a new move, she didn't particularly believe it but it didn't matter to her, she didn't know the first thing about flying and that meant she couldn't exactly comment, and with so much else to do she didn't have enough time to be researching what was a quidditch/flying move, so the girl just decided to move past it, "I was looking for you," she told him a little smile on his face, "I figured that you needed some company today," Victoire purposefully glanced about them, looking to all the spots that she could see before glancing back at him, and quickly leaned in to gently kiss him on the lips, a quick but soft kiss. She pulled away from him after and just held his gaze, "The game wasn't that bad, the gryffindor seeker just wasn't paying attention," Victoire told him, trying to make him feel less bad about it, definitely not thinking it was his fault about the loss, but she was gearing up to tell him and she just wanted to make sure to soften the blow a little, "Jean, I have something to tell you, something we need to talk about," she began carefully pausing waiting for him to give her the all clear before she would continue.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean was happy to see Victoire and even happier to learn that she had been seeking him out. He leaned forward, meeting her halfway and sharing the kiss with her. It didn't last anywhere near as long as he wanted it to, but he enjoyed it as he always did. They were out in public, and though they were alone, he knew that it had probably taken Victoire a lot to give him the kiss. She was right though. He did need the company, and what was more was that he was ready to have it. Jean had been surrounded by people at dinner the night before but he'd been too surly, too lost in his own thoughts to truly appreciate any company. Today, now that he'd burned off some energy and put some distance behind the game, Jean felt more like himself. He was still down a little bit, and he shook his head, a look of disgust on his face as she spoke about James and how distracted he'd been. "I felt like hexing him after the game...but there were too many witnesses" he scowled. Still, he didn't think he'd played all that great either. Victoire didn't mention him though, and he felt like she would've told him if he sucked. She was honest like that. It made him wonder if he was maybe being too hard on himself.

Jean just liked being in her company even when they were just doing homework or walking together. Moments like this, where they were in the school but still all alone had grown on the Gryffindor. As she continued on, the prefect felt his stomach drop a little. They needed to talk? Jean knew what those words typically meant in a relationship, and his mind flashed back to everything that had happened the past few weeks. Avie was the only thing that jumped out at him, and he was sure that nothing would happen there. Avie had been over the moon about them playing hide-and-seek with him, something Jean would only admit to himself had been a blast. The apprehension was there though, his stomach suddenly feeling like it had some of Avie's rocks dropped into it. "Yes?" he dragged the word out, his tone slightly nervous and certainly not happy.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire didn't think that Jean had played badly, she thought of him as the best player on the team, though she could be accused of being biased in her opinion, but the Gryffindor prefect just let him speak, nodding in agreeing, thinking that the strange fighting between James and her co-worker was a little bit odd, and she didn't quite know the origin of it. The girl let herself just smile at his words, "I don't think any one in Gryffindor house would've stopped you," she told him, sure that a lot of others felt the same way they did about that, though she was sure that the head of their house would be happier if there was no more in fighting between the students. Victoire was proud of Jean for taking a stand like he had, but it certainly hadn't improved much when some of the issues clearly still existed on the team, it was difficult to resolve such issues when they were so deep within the team, and Victoire couldn't help but feel bad for Jean who relied on the team doing well so that he could do what he wanted in terms of sports. The prefect knew that it was much like her exams which she worked so hard for, "Next year you'll be in charge of the team, and it'll come together under your command," she assured him, taking his hand and giving it a light squeeze.

Victoire had no idea how the new captain's were picked but she didn't think anyone would be more worthy of it than Jean, who had put the time into the team, and worked at it to make it good, she thought he'd make the best leader to whip the team into a better shape, make everyone feel better because they wouldn't have to worry about being subbed out. The teen knew that she couldn't hold off on what she needed to say to him, and Victoire brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, scratching a little behind her ear as she figured out how best to phrase it, "I was in the duelling tournament, and duelling your brother," she began lowering her hand and just meeting his gaze, "He was trying to get a rise out of me, saying I thought of you as some kind of trophy to win, that all I wanted to do was sleep with you," she switched to french half way through her sentence, "I decided I'd play his game, and I told him that I loved you," the girl let a small beat of silence, "Technically he can't prove it's true, he still has no idea about us, so it can just be chalked up to me just annoying him to win the duel which I did, but I mean, I said it," She glanced at the ground between them, feeling the words on her tongue, she wasn't entirely sure if what she felt was love but it felt pretty damn close to it, "And I think I meant it,"
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Victoire was right. He didn’t think that anyone would have stopped him if he wanted to hex James. In fact, he probably would have had some people helping to cover things up and distract the crowd if he’d really tried. Professor Kingsley would have been another matter. And, he wasn’t keen on losing his prefect badge anytime soon. Jean enjoyed the benefits that it came with even if he pretty much hated being a prefect. As Victoire continued, Jean wondered if that would actually happen. He definitely thought he deserved to be captain of the team. He’d worked his ass off over the past few years, and he knew that no one could deny that. Jean just didn’t think that Skye would give him that title. She didn’t seem to like him very much, a fact that didn’t bother Jean at all. “That would be great” he smiled, returning the squeeze of her hand. He was beginning to feel much better already, and although he heard a distant rumble in the sky, he didn’t even budge. Even if he got soaked and sick, it would be worth it for these few moments with Victoire. Jean looked down at their linked hands, his thumb rubbing her hand absentmindedly until she spoke, and he looked up at her. The prefect nodded his head. He’d known about the tournament, of course, but he hadn’t shown up to it. Jean had returned to the castle from break feeling really sick, so he’d jumped on the opportunity to have a quiet day in Gryffindor House, catching up on some much needed sleep. He knew that Lucien had lost to Victoire, but that she’d lost the very next round. So, he simply nodded his head.

Jean’s blue eyes remained on Victoire, wondering where this was going as she continued to speak. As he learned what Lucien had said to Victoire, his eyes iced over, his gaze growing stony. “What the hell?” he mumbled, wondering what Lucien had been playing at. He was glad that Victoire had beaten him and shut his stupid mouth up. Lucien talked too much sometimes. That wasn’t the entire story, and Jean went from angry to shocked…and a bit afraid. “Oh, Victoire…” he replied, a sigh on his lips as he wondered what kind of trouble he’d have to dig them out of. He couldn’t understand why she would do that, why she’d put them in the very situation that she, SHE, had wanted them to avoid all along. Victoire wasn’t done shocking him though and she continued on, finally ending with words that Jean didn’t know what to do with. Another, closer sounding rumble sounded. He’d run the gamut of emotions in these few brief moments. Anger at his stupid brother for saying stupid things because of his desire to win a tournament. Shock that Victoire would even put out there that the pair of them were anything other than friends, especially since she’d been the one to impose all sorts of rules on their relationship. And…he didn’t even know how he felt right now as she finally went silent. Jean remained silent as well, his gaze had dropped from Victoire’s when she’d mentioned what his brother had said. And, it had remained on the grass and on their linked hand. Jean would be a liar if he said that he hadn’t thought about it. He absolutely had, and he’d definitely spent time thinking about sleeping with her. But, they were more than that. Finally, he looked up, a smirk on his face. The words had gone to his head, gone to his heart too. “Good. You should. I’m a really loveable guy, you know” he stated, the laugh apparent in his voice. His gaze turned more serious as he let go of her hand and reached to caress her cheek. “I think I mean it too” he stated, punctuating his reply with a kiss. He pulled away slowly. He knew that Lucien wasn't going to just let her statement slide by though and that worried him immensely, especially with his admission.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

It was almost more nerve wracking to her to sat any of this than any of her exams had been, she had always worked hard at her exams and when she got to them it was usually easier to realise what the outcome of them was going to be, but this was different there was no way for her to be able to guess how he might react, she'd seen his temper on others, experienced in a way Lucien's temper, but she had to wonder about how he might react, she couldn't help but feel horrible because oh how he said her name the little tone of disappointment which she heard ringing through. Victoire had her head bowed at this, "He just got to me," she muttered annoyed at herself more than anyone for what had happened, "He always reduces me to something to do with sex, like I'm only sex appeal," she continued trying to find an apology for why it had slipped out, but it had and they had to deal with it like they dealt with every problem. Although dealing with it was perhaps a weird way of saying it, since she'd said it, Victoire had realised that it was mostly true, that she did really like him, perhaps it was love what she felt for him, and though Victoire thought that inevitably this relationship would have to end, she didn't regret taking the step with him. She realised the full weight of what they were doing, realised how bad it could be if they got caught, and Victoire felt annoyed at herself they'd narrowly avoided Jean's finding out through Avie which she had thought was the weakest link until the duel. Until she'd accidentally said something she couldn't take it back to the one person they were keeping it from, at the very least they'd been speaking in French so even if anyone else had heard it, likely few would've understood it.

Victoire just let the silence build, the darkening sky above her forgotten, her blue eyes looking at the top of his head, feeling so nervous at his reaction, searching his expression for any indication of how he was feeling about it, and she felt bad enough about it, would understand if he chose now to break them off. She just wanted things to be fine between them, for things to be easy, they had so much to worry about already and she hated that she had caused this of all things, when she had championed the let's keep this very secret campaign. At long last he looked up at her and Victoire felt her heart skip a beat, the Gryffindor prefect searched his face and easily found the smirk, she felt herself relax a little at it though she was a confused about why he was smiling, this was no occasion to smile, unless he already knew what she'd said, or this was actually Lucien playing a sick joke on her and Jean to find out the truth. Although she felt like now she knew the difference between the two easily, but it was clear as he spoke that he was taking the news surprisingly well, perhaps it was just the only reaction to have, it was said and done there was little they could do about it. The words he spoke and the tone he spoke them in eased her mind and she just found a smile gracing its way into her expression, her eyes meeting his as he reached out and lightly touched her face, she couldn't help but lean into the touch before being warmed by his words, it wasn't out right saying it, but it was close enough and she didn't have much time to think about a response as she kissed him back, a hand reaching up and resting carefully on the nape of his neck. Victoire pulled out of the kiss and smiled at him, this admission made nothing easier, Lucien having some clue wouldn't make it easier for them, but she would enjoy however much time they had together, make the most of it whenever it was simple and they were alone, "Ik zie je graag," Victoire muttered quietly to him, opting for once to go with Flemish, the words I love you in Flemish rather than the understandable French or English, it would single them out, but given they usually opted for French when they spoke, she didn't think anyone would notice, though she hoped that he would pick up on what it was.

The fact they felt the same way didn't make anything about their relationship easier, it didn't her make feel like everything for them would be alright, like she'd always imagined love would but they would have to continue to take each day as it came, and be even more careful though she couldn't ask that of him currently, "I'm so sorry," the prefect stated, keeping her gaze on him as she spoke so that her boyfriend would know how much she meant it. Victoire liked this intimacy even more so knowing there would be few moments for them to be like this, and they'd have to be even more careful from here on out, goodness knew what Lucien or Jean's family would do to them if they ever found out.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean knew that Victoire want fond of her brother. The names he'd called her to her face were enough to kill of any kind of acquaintanceship they might have developed. Really, she couldn't blame Victoire for trying to anger Lucien. He'd certainly pushed enough buttons over the years to warrant Victoire saying much, much worse to the Slytherin. Jean was in no position to lecture anyone about losing their temper or lashing out anyway. But, he knew that something would have to be done eventually. Jean knew that, sooner or later, Luc would come to him and bring it up in conversation. He had no idea where that conversation might lead, no doubt it wouldn't be anywhere good. For now though, he wasn't going to worry about it. He was too busy taking Victoire's features in, committing them all to memory as their kiss broke off. He heard her whisper something, only realizing after a moment that it hadn't been in English or French. He could only assume it was in the Flemish that she had offered to teach him. The words had gone by swiftly, too swiftly for him to catch, but soon enough he'd know them by heart. He smiled at her, moving his hand and leaning back just as the first drop fell from the sky. It landed on the side of his hand, the drop sliding off ever so slowly.

Shaking his head at her, Jean spoke. "Don't be." He struggled to his feet, holding his hand out to help her up. "I sort of wish I'd been there, just to see his face when you told him that." Part of Jean felt that way. The other half of him was glad that he hadn't been. Although the sick of his brother's face would have been funny, once that had worn off, Jean would have been worried that his face wouldn't betrayed the truth. He wasn't very good at lying to Lucien. He'd never had a reason to be. Now, he did. And he knew he'd have to get good fast. Jean had survived his brother trying to kill him before, if the rumors were to be believed, but he really didn't care to have to be in that sort of situation. Nor did he want to put his brother in that situation, and he knew his family would be sick enough to do that to Lucien. A new complication had been introduced for them, and Jean wasn't sure how many complications their relationship could handle before it simply shattered apart. Jean had heard that love was supposed to be one of the greatest forms of magic of all, able to keep things together like nothing else. "Besides, Lucien isn't going to want to believe it's true so we have that going for us." Jean was trying to convince himself that they had little to worry about.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

The Gryffindor prefect watched the first drop fall and she glanced up at the sky which was threatening to all break loose, and she just focused on him, watching as he got to his feet, and then gladly accepted his hand so that she too could stand up, getting to her feet and she gave him a little smile remembering the way he had looked in the moment before she had cast the spell, but it didn't make up for what she had done to him, it didn't make up for what had happened. They were now even more precariously placed in their relationship because of something she had done so while this was a situation they almost had to make light of because of what they faced, but making light of it didn't feel right. The teen just looked at Jean, able to in this moment and thankfully due to the weather lightly take his hand and squeezing it, feeling like in a certain way she owed it to him to be a little more intimate at this moment given what she had done and how they might effect their relationship as they moved on. There were a lot of things they were never going to be able to do, and she was very much okay with that, but as he spoke, she just nodded, anything that helped them worry less was a given.

Victoire found herself just smiling at him, they didn't have much and their relationship would be continously tricky, but she did think she loved him, and surely that meant something, surely it meant something. They felt the same way about each other so they would both be careful about how they acted with one another especially when they were close to one another. This was perhaps one of the few situations where the weather meant that they were unlikely to see anyone, or anyone was unlikely to see them, "Shall we head back inside before the rain really starts?" Victoire asked him with a light squeeze of his hand, as more light rain began to fall around them, Victoire wouldn't mind but she wasn't so sure about Jean, who might mind a little more about it. But the gryffindor prefect wasn't sure what else there was to say at this point and them hanging out on the quidditch pitch as it rained would surely look even more suspicious than it would currently given that they were hanging out alone, "Or if you want to hold off going inside, we could probably cast that Impervius spell and then do something before going inside," she offered not sure what his plans were or if he just wanted to be alone, but Victoire felt that it was probably a good thing to ask, they had to be more careful but she was sure that no one would bat much of an eye to two people spending time on the grounds alone in the rain.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean brushed his free hand through his hair as he considered. He knew that no one would be able to specifically make them out on the pitch if they looked out of the castle windows. The pitch was too far away for anyone to really be able to make them out. Still, Jean knew that they had better get moving. He didn’t really think that anyone else would think of coming out to fly in the downpour that was threatening, but he’d seen crazier things happen in the castle, and leaving the pitch felt like a good idea. He’d come out here to be alone, not really wanting to spend the day in the common room with nothing to do, and not really wanting to speak with his teammates about the terrible game. He didn’t want to rehash plays anymore, having done that in his own head all evening prior. And, he definitely didn’t want to hear anyone on the team down play the game. It was one thing for Victoire to do it. She was his girlfriend and just trying to make him feel better. It was another thing entirely for someone who’d been involved in the game to try and downplay it all. Jean hated that. With a nod, Jean reached for his wand. “I’m in no rush to head back to the castle.” He tapped Victoire on the head with his wand, casting the spell on her first before turning his wand on himself.

Really, any excuse to be alone with Victoire was good enough for him. If they returned to the castle, he'd no doubt get annoyed by someone. It was rare that Victoire did anything to annoy him. Even her quirks, if they could be called that, were cute to him. "Did you have something in mind?"he asked as they headed towards the exit. The drops were coming down a bit faster now, the thunder rumbling. "We could always play hide and seek again" he continued, a look of pure amusement on his face as he recalled her in her dress, and he and Avie actually playing that only a few short weeks ago. When he'd actually been able to put aside the reason they were playing and the very serious concerns it brought up, he'd actually enjoyed himself.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire had to admit she was pretty glad that he didn't want to go back inside, she felt like going back inside would be worse for him, especially since there would likely still be the feelings of anger towards the team, and she was happier as he said he wanted to stay. She went to grab her wand, to be able to cast the spell, when Jean beat her to it, casting the charm on her first and then himself, the girl loved the spell, it was such an interesting thing, being brought into magic she thought it was perhaps one of the most interesting spells they could do. The small drizzle of rain which seemed to be beginning was of no harm to either of them because of the spell, and the rain would scare most others away and given them the time to be alone, and Victoire was always glad to spend time alone with Jean after so much that had happened already in the term it was something she was thankful. A little time for them to be just them, not having to pretend with anyone or acting in a specific manner because someone might walk in on them.

The belgian girl didn't have much in her mind as what they could do, she would offer to fly with him, but she couldn't really fly and didn't want to intrude on whatever he liked to do when flying, much like how he watched her study a lot, she would happily just watch him practice. The suggestion of hide and seek brought a small and questioning look to her face, they'd played hide and seek at the yuleball with the child like Slytherin seeker, which had mostly been to keep their cover, and though the situation hadn't been great it had been a while since she'd been able to do such a thing and therefore have quite enjoyed it, "Okay," she said to him with a small smile, finding it almost a little funny that as two almost adults they were choosing to do something so childish, "I'll count to 60 and you hide," Victoire let go of his hand, and used her hands to cover her face so that she couldn't see where he'd gone to hide and began to loudly count, shaking her head as a light giggle found its way out of her lips.
​

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean had thrown the child's game out there as a mere joke, so when Victoire agreed, he found himself laughing. He hadn't been sure that she'd enjoyed the game with Avie, but it seemed she had, at least more than he'd suspected. "No peeking" he reminded her, watching as she covered her eyes and began to count. Knowing that she couldn't see him, Jean decided to take advantage. Leaning down, Jean planted a kiss on her cheek before he chuckled and jogged off. Thankfully, the grass wasn't too wet yet, and he didn't have to worry about slipping and sliding around. He did, however, have to worry about finding a hiding place. And that wasn't going to be easy. Having put some distance between them, Jean paused to take a look at his options. With a more mischievous grin on his face, he shot off, the countdown quickly coming to an end.

The rain was growing more steady now, but aside from the increased slip on the grass, it didn't affect him much. The drops didn't land on him anyway as he reached the broom shed, quickly reaching for his wand and muttering the spell to unlock it. The sixth year slipped inside, tripping over a broom and nearly falling into a pile of brooms. When he'd steadied himself, Jean used his wand again. "Colloportus" he stated, the door sealing itself once more. The shed was extremely full, brooms along every wall, and the huge game chest in the middle of it all. Jean settled himself behind it, slouching down so that Victoire might overlook him if she did check in here. Hearing the countdown come to an end, Jean grinned. She'd never find him here. As he waited, Jean considered how silly they'd look to anyone who might come across them, and he realized he didn't give a damn. Today had been a day full of revelations for the teenager, and that was the most important of them all. He didn't give a damn what anyone thought or said. Right now, he knew that what he and Victoire had going was something special, and even if it couldn't last forever, he was determined to enjoy it as long as it did last. Jean brushed a spider off of his shoulder.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire wasn't sure why she had agreed to this, but she was pretty excited to be able to play it, it was such a strange thing for them as almost full fledged wizards to being a childish game, but after everything else, it felt almost right. Victoire found herself blushing lightly at the kiss but then focused on the counting, counted slowly to sixty in French, realising as she counted that unlike when she had played it as a child, they had a wand, and it wouldn't be as difficult for her to find him, while also being true that it would be difficult to find him just due to the space and scale of the quidditch pitch and that he too could do magic, they hadn't exactly decided upon rules, given that the last time they had played together, they hadn't thought of such things either, "....fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty," she called out loudly over the sound of the rain falling around them. She glanced around herself, looking at the quidditch pitch knowing that her boyfriend had the advantage of knowing the field a lot better than she ever would since she spent far less time on it and around the stadium in general.

However, the teen just began looking around, walking slowly in the direction that she was sure she had heard him walk away, she checked the changing rooms first thinking those were the places with the most amount of space for him to have hidden, and for a good number of places to pick from, but that turned out to be false although in doing so the girl noted a few places that she could hide when she eventually found him and it was her turn. Victoire as she wandered out of the changing rooms, noticed a broom cupboard which to her knowledge had always been locked, but since they had wands she decided that she would be able to check, so the girl carefully approached, trying her best to keep quiet as she did although she had no real reason to. She tried the door first by just pulling it open and then took out her wand, and quietly whispered Alohomora, and the door unlocked itself, she grabbed the handle and then pulled it open, smiling when she saw the boy in front of her, "Found you," she greeted unable to stop the joy she felt at such a simple game as the rain fell down around them, "Your turn to count," she said this before waiting for him to start counting, walking away with the intention of hiding behind a wall in the changing rooms.
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[Jean Snow]

From his hiding spot, Jean had no way of knowing how far into her count Victoire had gone. He was too far away and the rain was pattering across the metal ceiling, making a racket that made it impossible for him to tell how close she might be. He kept brushing what he suspected was the same spider from his shoulder as he waited, hearing a steady drip in the shed that let him know that there was a hole somewhere in the ceiling. Eventually, the teenager heard the noise of the door unlocking. He almost lifted his wand to quickly re-lock it and mess with her, but he knew that would give him away. Considering his size, the chest wasn’t a huge thing to hide behind and she spotted him easily enough. Jean grinned up at Victoire who seemed happy enough playing the game. “Took you long enough” he replied good-naturedly, his bad mood from earlier mostly dissipated from the time he’d spent with his girlfriend.

Happy to take his turn, Jean remained on the ground to count. He covered his eyes with his hands and began to count, slowly at first and then quicker when he began to grow bored. “Sixty…Ready or not. Here I come” he said, his deep voice sing-songing the familiar words from his childhood. Jean stepped out into the rain, which was much more steady now, his wand in his hands, twirling between his fingers as he walked. He checked the easy spots first, the stands, under the benches, not wanting to miss her in his haste. Barring that she’d cheated and left the pitch, Jean headed for the only other place she could be – the locker rooms. He moved at a leisurely pace, cracking the door to the locker room. ”Lumos” he muttered, his wand lighting his way in the dark space. By his light, the teen looked around, pondering if she was small enough to fit into a locker. He knew that he could use a spell to see if she was inside, but then he’d be cheating. And, he was too competitive to cheat. Making his way inside, Jean opened the big closet with extra uniforms. No Victoire. He looked a couple of other places too, and he didn’t find her. “What the hell? She has to be in here” he muttered to himself as he continued to look, slamming a door a bit harder than necessary.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire wasn't sure where the almost childish enjoyment of such a game stemmed from, she wasn't exactly the most childish of people, she could admit to having fun but when she had so much else to do with her classes it wasn't often that she could have fun. This was such a carefree thing to be doing, it wasn't complicated and it just allowed them to be able to do something a little different, something a little less serious considering the largely serious nature of their relationship in which they couldn't spend too much time doing anything that was even remotely fun. Always being on guard to those around them meant having fun was tricky, they'd had fun at the Yuleball, dancing with Jean was always fun, and playing with Avie in this game after he'd caught them was definitely something that had been far more fun than she might've otherwise assumed. The teen was growing pretty bored of waiting where she stood, she could hear him beginning to search different places but it seemed to be pretty far away.

After waiting what felt like far too long, Victoire was beginning to get bored, so she decided to much like how she'd done as a child in yelling out Marco, she took out her wand and gave it a small wave before muttering, "Avis," and a small flock of birds appeared and she sent them out of the room she was hiding, so that there would be a little indication of where she was, since she was growing bored of just standing around no matter how exciting it was to be literally hiding and playing a child's game. The girl stayed hidden behind the wall she was behind, waiting to see if her birds would help him find where she was, if not Victoire was definitely interested in seeing what other spells she might be able to use to help him.
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[Jean Snow]

Jean heard the birds before he saw them. He spun around quickly, the light of his wand catching the flock and the slowest of the birds as they flew out of a door on the other side of the room. It was a small area that he'd almost forgotten about, he spent so little time in there. Moving swiftly, Jean reached the open door, shutting the light off from his wand when he was sure that he wouldn't bang into anything. Instead, he used to wand to write a message to Victoire. Are you in here? he wrote in French, the words floating in the air for a few seconds in Gryffindor red before beginning to dissipate like smoke. By then, Jean had spotted her in the shadows. At least he hoped it was her. Otherwise, it was going to be super awkward in a second.

"Found you" he reached out and tapped where he thought her shoulder would be. " I was beginning to think you'd cheated and run off somewhere else" he said in English, a laugh in his voice. Victoire wasn't a cheater, so he really hadn't thought that at all. He just didn't want to admit that she'd picked a great hiding spot. Lighting his wand, Jean held it in between them, the shadows around the room making odd shapes. "Now what? I've used up my ideas for the day" he smiled.

 

[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire didn't noticed the words or the smoke from her hiding place but was really pleased when he tapped her on the shoulder and then said the words. She just smiled at him, how simple and easy this game was, if a little boring as almost adults who were heading towards leaving school and with just two of them playing, but the teen was happy spending this time just with him. She shook her head at his statement and then just gave him a warm smile, they were in the relative safety of this area, of being just around nothing but space and a lack of general students. She just smiled at his words and then just grinned at him, sure they'd probably have to head back up to the school pretty soon, not that she imagined anyone would notice they were missing or add up that the two of them missing meant they were going to be together, but she reached forward, putting her arms around her neck and pulled him closer ignoring the light of his wand, into the little hidden area she'd been in and then smiled at him.

"I have an idea," she said, before leaning up, and standing a little on her toes so that she could reach and then kissing him, she knew it was almost a little cliche, but they had so much else to worry about and be wary of that these moments when they were alone and she could pull in her boyfriend for the kiss were moments she looked forward to the most. The girl kissed him easily enjoying it and the general softness of his mouth against her. She had grown to really liking kissing him, and there were a lot of things that she liked about him, and she was as she'd told him, pretty sure that she did love him. The gryffindor prefect eventually pulled out of the kiss and smiled fondly at him, showing that her kiss had been what her idea was.
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