Wolfsbane and mistletoe

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

This year for the chritmas holidays Briar had aranged to spend a few nights at a time with different people, the last few she had spent at the castle. tonight she was spending with Dederick on his boat. he was a boy she had met earlyer in the year, and had an unfortunate run in with, but despite that they had kept in touch. she had agreed to meet him in the afternoon.
With her bag packed already containing some clothes, she spent the morning gathering a few things from around the shops, some food and some other things that she needed, she had even picked up something for Dederick as a thanks for the invite/christmas present, it wasn't interesting, but useful. when three o'clock came she headed to the waters edge. she saw a small boat a little further along the quay, she walked towards it hoping that it was the right one. if it wasn't she would head back and wait for his to come in.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

Dederick despite missing their first meeting was on his way to pick up Briar at the said location he mention in the last letter he sent her. New Zealand was a few miles away. he started his trip bright early in the morning. That put him in a bad mood through the entire trip. but he told himself to 'chill out some' Briar deserve the best of him today. Leaving her stranded would make him look like an ass. He reached New Zealand boarders by noon and sat out waiting for the Gryffindor to show up. Around two o'clock he dock his boat and took a stroll around Brightstone. An hour along with fried dough, pop and some chips later he was right back on his boat narrating to let it drift for a while. In due time Dederick spotted Briar, driving his boat to the dock he let her in. "Sup Lion, what took you so long?"he grasp a rope around the dock's pole, shutting down the engine for now.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar saw that the person on the deck of the boat was Dederick, she ran the las of the distance and smiled at his greeting. "Hey Ded, sorry, i ran into someone and they wouldn't stop talking. she called. once she was close enough to the boat she took a jump easily cleared the gap and landed on the deck. she smiled at him. "so how have you been? many good fish to catch?" she asked, the two questions were together even though they sounded different as from the letters she guessed that for him life was good when the fish were biting, and not so good when they weren't. she reached inside her bag "I got something for you, incase you need it" she said withdrawing a bottle. she had got it from the apothicary and it contained wolfsbane potion

 

[Dederick Cullen]

"It's no problem, just don't be dead" he said with a half smile. She was sure a talkative girl, for someone who lives in the out doors she talk like any regular looking girl. I've been fine, the fishing been real good lately with Summer weather and all" he shrug simply casual about his somewhat normal living life. 'I ah thanks" he took the bottle of wolfbane. It was nice of her to think of him, out of all the people she may know she got him a potion that he would desperately need most times. If he ever did ran out now he would go to the nearest St.Mungos, it was time he thought more about being responsible and all that rubbish stuff he would forget all the time before. These days to his mom amazement, he was becoming the lad she always wanted him to be.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you anything useful but I did make something to eat with the catch I made the other day" He had fried fished inside the boat, rice and a fresh bowl of salad. His mom provided him with recipe when he requested the last time over owl, she was happy to give him anything as long as he was still alive and not in Azkaban. "Are you hungry?" he went to the back of the boat and sat on the deck's side bench.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

"I was very much alive last time i checked, so that is all good" she said back jokingly. she couldn't remember ever actually being on a boat before other than the ferry to the mall, but she had only done that a few times. even when she went to the south island last summer she flew. she didn't know much about them, but this one seemed like it was kitted out well. "its good the fish are biting." she said simply. she realised that the last time she had met him it wasn't the fish that were biting but the wolves. thankfully tonight was heading towards a new moon so there wouldn't be much chance of wolf bite tonight. "don't worry about it, i wasn't planing on getting anything but i thought you may need it, if you are already stocked up, i am sure it will be useful one day" she said pulling some hair from her face, it as a little breezy on the boat, and her hair was annoying her. when he said that he had made some food she smiled "you didn't need to" however she was happy that she had thought of her. "I don't think i am ever not hungry, but it doesn't mean that i have to eat straight away" she said. it was true, she was always either eating or hungry. she guessed that it was because she had a high metabolism, and was active so she burned everything off as fast as she ate it.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

Dederick relax into his chair, "Right then off we go" he pulled on the rope at an instant it was set loose from the pier. "If it's your first time, make sure you keep a hold of the boat this old tin can jerks sometimes when it's on" but it wasn't on, the sail was up and set. He was counting the wind to guide them out today. It saved him gas on the motor, less pollution in the air, and there was no rush to be anywhere. Out alone he would drift, but when working the motor would run and his net would be out by the deck. Everything been put away, clean actually for Briar's stay here. Again she still a girl, all girls were neat in their own way. Weather she notice it or not, "So life..." he slink back into the cushion bench, the wind was blowing and off they were going on their own. "...how's it going for you?"

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar watched as they were released from the pier. she could feel it rocking under her and she quickly grabbed the side so she wouldn't fall over, she was pretty sure that she would got used to the movement but it took her by surprise. in a few minutes she saw that the boat was moving steadily in the wind and hazarded letting go of the side. she staggered over to the bench and sat down. "life is going pretty well, mainly school work and quidditch" she said, this year she had actually been trying in classes as she had decided that she wanted to get into the ministry, to work in werewolf support services, as well as playing pro quidditch. "surprisingly i am actually working in class more this year than before, it helps that most things are practical and not theory" she said, she had always hated theory, as she found reading hard and writing even harder, but this year had been mainly spells that she could do fairly easily if she had a little practice.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

"Are you alright?" he kept his eyes on her. She rocked a little to the side, she look okay when she got use to rocking right away. He sat calm and listen. The boat wind was pushing through the sail nice again, no more rocking for a while, unless they started to drink? That wasn't going to happen with Briar, no point in asking if she wanted a drink. "That blows, I fawking hate school to many damn professors all up in your business" he stood up to navigate the boat. He moved to the wheel and motion the boat out to the ocean. It was going by the town very slowly, he was going to take around New Zealand in the time she stayed with him.

"How come you decided to go to Hogwarts New Zealand if you're from up north?" her accent didn't sound like an Australia accent. He would be aware of that, meeting a few Aussie around his trips between both Islands. "You sound like you're from England? Am I right?"

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar smiled. "I'm fine. it just wasn't expecting that" she said. she had had much bigger falls stumbles before. "Maybe New Zealand is different from dermstrang, but it don't find it to bad, i generally get to do what i want. i just wish the grounds were bigger." she said. watching him steer the boat out of the harbour and into the sea. the wind was stronger here, but more constant, so the boat was able to stand rather stable. she wondered where they were going but found that she really didn't care. she was used to living a nomadic life, and this wasn't much different to traveling back home.
his next question was a little surprising. she really hadn't thought about it. she hadn't heard about hogwarts until a witch visited her to tell her about her place, and the other schools were unknown to to her until she had started school. "I don't know, Hogwarts New Zealand was just the only school that offered me place, and when they did i got kicked out of home so there wasn't really much choice left" she said as truthfully as she could. she had decided a while back not to keep her past secret from Dederick, but it didn't mean she was going to list her entire life tory to him unless he asked for it. "no i don't come from england, more mainland europe. don't know exactly where my family used to travel a lot and names didnt really mean much to us but it think it must have been near Ukraine and romania, maybe even up as far as lithuania in the summer" she said she had looked at maps and tried to work out where she was from but she really hadn't got much of a clue

 

[Dederick Cullen]

He's listen, he was glad to know she wasn't all that personal about him asking questions. I mean if she's staying with me right? Shouldn't I at least know more about her? It's the main reason he invited her along, to get to know her better in a sense he could understand why she acted like a little tardish sometimes. "Romanian? Seriously?" she had lived close to his school. Maybe home, "I use to live in Norway but then my parents kept traveling back and forth from America to Europe. Pain in the arse" he revealed. Dederick smiled a little, his childhood had been great. They didn't live a great rich life, but they had each other. And that was all that matter to him, he appreciated what he had yet when it was taken away he became destructive and violence.

Dederick turn the wheel and placed it on 'auto pilot' code word for magic. He went back down the deck and sat right across from Briar. He lean into the boat, flexing his arms out to yawn and stretch his morning tiredness away. "I am so tired, working like hell but I gotta do it" he rested his elbow onto the cushion benches. "S' why they kick you out of you're home? Parents are muggels or something?" he wonder out loud in her presents.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar shrugged, "like i said names didn't mean much to us, i was only guessing, we were basically nomadic, traveling where food and weather were best" she said realising that was a little like him, traveling to where the fish were best. "I saw Norway on the map, and america is ages away, it does sound like a pain travelling back and forth between the two"she said although she wasn't convinced that ti would be a pin, they had traveled a lot and when they moved everything moved, she was lucky that she had been young and slow and therefore she usually got out of carrying anything.
she watched him as he turned the wheel and flicked a switch before coming down correctly assuming that there was some magic in the boat enabling it to look after its self. "well, i can give you a hand for a few days so you can have a bit of a beak too." she said when he said he was tried. he looked it. at his question about her family she waited a moment trying to work out the best way to explain it, decided to just let it come out how it wanted, took a deep breath and started talking. "they kicked me out because i was a witch and learning magic. I was adopted from birth basically, and don't know my real family they could be muggles i guess but i somehow doubt it. my adopted family knew the magic world, but didn't expect it to crash so blatantly through their forest. you see" she paused, this was the clincher of her past, the reason why she was who she was, "I was brought up by a herd of centaurs" she said looking away from Dederick at a spot on the deck that was much like all the rest of the deck.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

Dederick listen the entire time she was talking about her family. His eyes shot of their sockets when he heard she was brought up in such a way. Man she really was a wild chick, he shook his head in shocked. "That's some heavy stuff, not every day do you meet someone like you" he dug into his pocket to pull out a smoke, he hasn't been smoking tremendous enough, but he was feeling for one. He lit it quickly pocketing his small flicker right afterwards. "I didn't even know they would just allow a human in the herd in the first place, such personal creatures" he'd run into one every now and then in the aftermath. He shook his head again, blowing out a puff of smoke. Sh!t tasted like mint, he bit down his lips rubbing the mint onto his tongue.

Minutes between them passed, Dederick bend over his chair and took out a radio from underneath his seat. It was an old radio, very old that ran on batteries. He turn in on and change to his favorite channel, some old school jam played out of the stereo. He placed it on the bench so they could listen together, hopefully they'll report on the weather, he needed to know how good it will be tonight for them out here. "S you don't know your real parents, sh!t" he recline back into his seats. "So tell me you ever with a bloke?"

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar didn't look up so she didn't see his reaction but she heard it enough to guess what it was. "I don't think there is anyone like me to be honest, no real family, first adopted family centaurs, second adopted family were half giants, now a werewolf, I think any one of the three is rare" she said. she didn't feel uncomfortable about saying werewolf here as no one would hear them as they were already a fair way from the harbour. she could smell him light a smoke, she had never liked the smell of them, they were too unnatural but as she was on his boat she didn't do anything, or even change her expression. at his next question she looked up at him. "they wouldn't usually let a human in, many of the m were against it, but the chiefs wife had just lost a foal, then she found me, the original plan was to take me to a muggle village and leave me there, but by the time they got there she had grown too attached to me, so i was allowed to stay, it it had been anyone else i probably wouldn't have been able to but i am glad i was" she said, that was the story of her past. many members of the herd were not happy about her staying but hey had gotten used to it. but when she was attracting wizards then they finally overruled the chiefs judgement and she had been kicked out.
a while past each of them in their own thoughts, hers were of home, and she didn't have a clue what his were. she saw him start an old radio up and music started playing she looked up at him. she shook her head in confirmation when he repeated that she didn't know her real family, she didn't care, they hadn't done anything for her, so she saw them as nothing, they probably thought she was dead anyway. newborn in the forest in the middle of winter, would most likely be food for a wolf, or some other animal. at his next question she shook her head again. "no most of the guys at school are sort of well boring, and i never really mixed with people before then." she said unsure of the intentions of his words, but realising that she didn't care, now he probably knew more about her than any other human, even her "siblings" didn't know about her condition. and besides, he certainly had that wild spark that was absent in the people at school except perhaps icarus, but he as a professor so nothing would be able to happen between them, and besides he seemed rather close to Professor Le Fey.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

Dederick put out the smoke, he was done sucking in that bad air. He sat back again, he was quite nervous for no reason at all, weird. HE guess Briar here, around or on his boat made him detach to the usual solitary he was use to always. "I see...." he heard himself say, it was like a muffle sound when he spoke he nodded his head automatically. He was certainly zoning out from the nervous feeling. "I could see why you would be bored, no one can match up to you. You're a brilliant example of what nature does to a girl. Maybe guys are just afraid of you too?" he smile. "What the bloody hell am I saying?"

He stood up quickly, music kept playing in the background of his zoning out 'looks'. Alone he would get like this, wanted to jam a little but she was here. Company very new to him, he forgot what if like to have them when they weren't slags or juvenile youths parading around his boat. "Would you like to have a dance with me? I bet you never dance before in your life..." stating without acknowledge can make you look like a d!ck sometimes, but he was Dederick he'd hardly notice the meaning of his words.He just says it out of nowhere.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar was glad when the smell of smoke stopped. she smiled and looked at him again. he was pretty cool. but she could see that he was getting uncomfortable. but she wasn't sure what she could do to make him feel better. so she just shut up. however this didn't seem to work and she was thankful when he started talking. she blushed slightly and pocked out her tongue, when she said that he was a good example of what nature did to a girl. not quite sure if he was serious or joking. "i wouldn't say i was scary, but then i guess you cant judge yourself" she said before laughing. "I don't know what you are saying. so maybe talk about something different" she said not realising that she was doing things that she had been accused of before, running away, or avoiding things that were too hard, or required too much emotion. she had always been practical. emotions had not been much used when you were trying to work out how you would be getting food.
she saw him get up and a few moment later she got herself to her feet. she shrugged. "Why not?" she said she had sort of danced a couple of times at school balls and festivity, but not really dancing, but more sort of jumping and awkwardly moving around.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

Dederick rolled his eyes. "Not saying scared of you as in you're hideous" he bit down his lip. He didn't just say....well she wasn't a hideous girl at all. "Lets' just dance.." he pulled her close to him, it was a slow song the kind of songs that calm his nerve down and the felt of some girls bodies really close to him. To be quiet honest, it's been months since he last touched a girl, last time it was a party where he met a slag and took a spin at her. Didn't last long, she wasn't serious in the head, a little wacky.

"Why are you so serious smile a little? You're still a girl if you don't know that" he swung her around and back again. He moved very little because of the slow music but he was trying to make the stay with her a little less uncomfortable. "Like really, you seem the type that if I touched you in some way you'd kill me. Correct me if I'm wrong" he grin a little, he was unwinding a little more.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar smirked. he was definatly geting uncomfortable. "well thats reassuring, I maybe i will have to work on that a bit" she said joking. she felt him pull her close. she had certainly not danced like that before, she felt her whole body briefly tense before she relaxed and decided to at least see what he was going to do before she pushed away, it sort of felt nice to be held by someone, and not have to be on her own and have her guards up.
she started to dance along, trying to keep her balance on the moving of the deck of the boat. she smiled when he said that she should mile more, "is that better, I will try and bear my species and gender in mind" she said still smiling. as the music continued she started to relax a little around him. "do i really strike you as that kind of person? you are still alive now aren't you, and incase your memories were messed up from the last time we met, i did have a knife to your neck, and besides how would i get back I would have to learn to fish quick. but there is a chance you may regret it" she said looking at his neck to see if she had left a scar. she hadn't wanted to hurt him as she knew he wasn't in control but she was pretty sure she had still drawn blood as she wanted to be alive in the morning, which wasn't much to ask, was it? that night had been the only night she could remember being truly terrified.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

"No it's just your hard to connect with" he stop moving, it was no longer dancing. "I mean we have a few things in common and I like that a lot, but you just told me you were raised by centaurs and you act different then most the girls I ever came in contact...." there was a low number in that department. Dederick had concluded a couple years back he will never be the type to be in relationship, yet somehow with Briar he was trying to stop what shouldn't happen. It's like that song, love is a word that he never knew exist?! Somewhere along that line, that was Dederick. Unstable, unpredictable, uncaring Dederick.

"Let me just, let me just" he took her hands in between his own. He ran his fingers through hers so they were lock between each other. "If you trust me then you won't move away, hold still and trust me..." he mumbled the last part, Dederick took a breath of air, lean in and kissed Briar squared in her lips.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar stopped dancing at about the same time Dederick did, her only movements now were to keep balanced on the boat that was swaying beneath her feet. she still wasn't used to being on the boat. she started to feel uncomfortable, but she tried not to let it show. she was not used to being so physically close to any one. her instinct told her to move back, however here she held herself where it was. instincts may tell you the best way to survive, briar knew that well, however sometimes they didn't make allowances for other things. things like emotions. and right now Briars emotions were going all over the place, she liked Dederick, and he certainly had the spark of something wild going for him that most guys didn't have. but she was just not used to letting people so close to her. his words were a surprise to her, she wasn't sure why. she knew that she was different form others it was just the way he said it. could he possibly like her? briar Rowan? "well you are not the same as any other guy i have met either" she said not sure why she was saying that. it just came out.
she felt his hands around hers, and she interlocked fingers. she sure felt butterflies in her stomach, she moved her head n a slight nod when he said trust him. did she trust him? she guessed that she did, if not she was about to find out. looking up slightly, as he was taller than her, she saw what he was going to do before he did it yet it still came as a shock when she felt his lips on hers. for a brief moment she stood there frozen, trying to suppress her instincts to move away. Then her green eyes looking into his blue ones she tentatively kissed him back.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

It's not something you think about, but do cross you're mind before you act on it.And it was things like this would make you think later on if it was worth it. Right here right now it was worth it all. She had been every thing what a girl would do for a guy if she really cared about him. She may not say it, but she very well showed since day one. Not saying he was falling for her, and if he was damn so let it be. It was no one business to begin with, let it be let it be. He closed his eyes kissing her back, he deepen their lips together, building a connection with her though she tried to hide her emotions from him, he was trying so she could let it show.

After years, well it felt like years between them, Dederick broke the kiss. He had a smile on his face, one he hadn't showed in a long time. "How was that?" he verbally asked, but body language spoke louder then words. He could read it, although he wasn't an expert with the female species he could see he had left her mesmerized. Or he did something out of nowhere and she was about to knock him out. Good or bad, he played it out. Rode it out with his guts, waited for reaction, thought about the aftermath effect. It was one hell of a show.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar was surprised at herself for doing what she had done. if someone had told her even that morning that she was going to kiss dederick she would have laughed but here she was kissing him. the part of her brain that usually told her what the right thing to do was sending mixed signals so in the end she stayed here. after what felt like ages they parted, she could feel her face was flushed, palms a little clammy, and heart racing. now a different question was going through her mind. did she like him? the thought of that was scarier than the reverse because she knew that she was the one responsible for finding the answer. sure he was a mate, and from the night on the mountains there was a connection between them, no one could have gotten through that and not had a connection, but she wasn't sure if that was a good enough reason to like him, or even if she should hate him for what he had done, though she didn't want to hate him.
when he asked a question she paused for a moment before answering as she wanted to get the right answer but wasn't sure what it was, she certainly hadn't done anything like that with anyone else before. "umm, It was good i think... I mean i am fairly sure that i enjoyed it but it was so bloody scary" she answered, and couldn't help smiling. not the most composed answer but then again she wasn't in the most composed mind frame, and why the hell did she have to say it was scary. she bet most witches her age had kissed someone before, but she hadn't until now. "how do you think it went?" she asked rewording his question back at him.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

"I'm not sure, it was different but not bad" he stayed faithful to his words. Anyone else wouldn't get a word out of Dederick, to Briar well she deserved the truth. He folded his arms right in front of him and rubbed the bit stubble growing right underneath his chin. "I wanted to show you a part of me that hardly anyone ever sees anymore. No girl to be exact" he was saying more then he was suppose to but he sense a feeling of wanting to show all that she deserve, and not just deserve all that he could give. He look down away from her, he hadn't a clue how to go about it more in a sensible way. His eyes wander back to Briar, his hands moved around once more till they were deep into his pockets.

"What now...?

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar smiled wen he said that it was different but not bad. she could tell it was the truth, and that she was grateful. she could see that he was trying his best with her. however now that the moment was over she felt herself reverting back to her old self and way of thinking. "I feel very honoured then. the only girl to experience that side of you, its quite an achievement" she said smiling. maybe she did like him, she didn't know. she was glad that he was showing what she was sure was his good side, his best side. she looked at him and saw him turn away. realising how close together they were she took a step away. she knew that she had said she wouldn't step back and she hadn't when it had mattered and came to the test. however just as she moved the boat jeered and she stumbled slightly. "sorry still not used to being on a boat." she said just about regaining her balance before she ended up on the deck. "what now? well the music is still going we could try dancing again, or we could eat, or just sit and continue talking, you haven't told me much about yourself. you can decide" she said giving him the option. making her way to the edge so that she could hold onto something they seemed to be going through a bit of a rough. sort of like the turbulence on the broom when two different winds met.

 

[Dederick Cullen]

Dederick was quick to catch when she stumble forward, more odd awkward moments collided between them. He smiled as she regain her balance, the usual less civil side of Dederick hardly made it's appearance. He was keeping calm, cool, and collective around Briar. "Nah dancing not for me, not right now at least" the boat rocking would cause anyone to fumble and stumble onto the deck. He sat back down and offered her a seat besides him. He sat hands collapse together, please just throw me a sign or something. He asked rolling his eyes to the skies above, if there was ever a higher power that exist in this world right now he'd ask what the heck should he do now?!

"Please tell me what we should do, cause I'm nervous here. I know you don't approve of smoking..." he reached into his pocket digging for his case, they were no where to be found inside his trouser. For Christ sakes, I'm losing it. He stop browsing for case of fags, they won't be the answers to his questions. He scratch his chins, he moved his fingers rapidly, maybe eating will stop his nerves from ticking.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar felt Dederick catcher as she stumbled. if it that been almost anyone else in almost any situation she would have felt a little annoyance, she was able to look after herself, but right now she was glad that he had. "thanks. I think your right, probably not the best time for dancing" she said before they both ended up stumbling towards the bench, landing a little haphazardly next to each other. Briar looked at the coast that was a long way in the distance everything there seemed so small in relation to the vast expanse of water.
when he said he was nervous she bit back saying, well your not the only one. she managed it and instead responded to his comment on smokes. "I don't disapprove of you smoking, i just am not a big fan of the smell, but there is enough breeze and fresh air here, that i probably wouldn't smell it anyway" she said. feeling a little bad for giving him the impression that she disapproved. "well i seem to get the impression that you aren't a big talker, so maybe food will be a food way to go." she said. she had some food in her bag, but it was mainly snack food, chocolate, an assortment of different fruits and some vegetables, there was a loaf of bread and some cheese to as she didn't know what Dederick kept aboard and she didn't want to use all his supplies.