Bliss {Fin} {M}

[Scotty Kovac]

The cool chill of the grounds coupled with the golden glow of the late afternoon sunshine was something to behold. The sky was clear and a pale blue, disguising the bite of the day and any signs of the previous night’s snowfall, one of the last before the warmer weather. Again the Hogwarts grounds looked like a winter wonderland but with spring fast approaching that would all soon change. Many of the students relished the replenished snow; many built snowmen, enchanted to live, others had snowball fights complete with magical snowballs that sought out their target like a rogue bludger.

Scotty Kovac was one such student. The seventh year boy’s cheeks and nose shone red against his cold chilled skin as he laughed and launched a snowball attack at one of his peers. His sides ached as he giggled and dodged flying chunks of snow. Water seeped through his thick clothes, soaking him to the bone, but Scotty didn’t care; he was having far too much fun to worry about a lecture on pneumonia from the school nurse. The consequences could be worried about later, for now all that could be focused on was payback for the snowball that had hit him squarely in the side of the head only moments before.

What had started out as a friendly game between the Gryffindor boys soon became all out war amongst the seventh years of every house, even some of the braver Hufflepuffs got themselves involved. No one could have pin pointed how it all started but, from the Gryffindor trench, Scotty swore the war had started when one particularly nasty Slytherin boy had almost knocked out a Gryffindor with a piece of solid ice.

In amongst the chaos of inter-house war those who were not involved came under the crossfire. From every direction there came flying snow and it seemed like there was no escape from it. At last the teachers stepped in, at least they tried to. One had a shower of multi-coloured snowballs rained down upon him while another almost took a flame-wreathed one to the face. Finally the fighting died down, with the ringleaders all frogmarched back to the castle, except Scotty of course.

Breathless, the boy kept himself hidden from view until the teachers had all turned and left. Every time something like the snowball fight happened they automatically assumed he’d had something to do with it. Even if this was the right assumption most of the time, this case included, Scotty felt it was unfair and that others were perfectly capable of causing the same amount of mischief.

Still laughing he wandered out into the throng of people that were dusting themselves off of snow, ice and water. It wasn’t long until he found someone he knew and instantly the boy was at their side. ”Fin!” he exclaimed brightly, ”Where were you when this was all going on? I could have used you by my side.”

The boy greeted the Hufflepuff girl with a broad grin and a quick hug. She was a year below him and yet the two had become good friends since they’d first met. ”Man I’m freezing, almost time to head up into the castle I think. Where are you heading now the fun’s all over?” For a moment the boy stood with Fin, shivering and pondering what to do next. At last he decided he’d wait and see what Fin did.

[Finlay Cassandra Mackenzie]

The day was beautiful, but then again Hogwarts always looked so pictureque whether it was in the dark depths of winter or the height of summer. Fin used to find herself stopping mid walk, her breath sucked from her lungs when she saw a view that amazed her. It had happened so often in her years at Hogwarts. Sadly, it wasn't such a common occurence anymore. She was numb to such things.

She had been locked in the library, surrounding herself with books from the moment her classes were let out. She was desperate to get her grades back up to something that might seem respectable. Hours had crawled past with her scribbling away at parchment, making notes, cards she could revise from. The hip flask concealed within her robes, filled with whiskey, not only helped to pass the time but also kept the cool chill of the library away from her. She wasn't drunk, it took a hell of a lot more than a few gulps of whiskey to get her sloshed. No, she was fine, warmed and her breath probably smelt of the alcohol a little, but she wasn't drunk.

Finishing up her gruelling research session, Fin found herself wandering through the school towards the courtyard so she could head for the Quidditch pitch. She had her work out clothes in her bag, she could go for a run after all that sitting. As she found herself amongst the crowd of people, Fin tensed. She hated crowds. It came from too much weed, it made her slightly paranoid. She panicked about what people thought, whispering behind her back about what she'd become, her grandfather... which was probably why she jumped visibly when Scotty appeared at her side.

He was so bright and smiley, Fin found it contagious, only helped by the fact that her heart still raced a mile a minute when she saw him. It was rare to see the Hufflepuff smiling, but a little smile appeared on her lips as she looked
around at all the people who looked like they'd been assaulted by the abominable snowman, "I was in the library. What happened?" He'd said he could have done with her at his side... damn her hormones, why couldn't they just take that comment as it was meant!? He hugged her, Fin was past getting awkward when that happened now, she just hugged him back, taking in a deep breath, how the snow made his scent change.

As the hug broke, she looked up at him, trying her hardest to stay cool, not let her emotions get the better of her. He was one of the only people who she'd let stay friends with her. Probably because she felt like she couldn't push him away, she needed him around, purely because it was better than not having him around. He could make her laugh. She wouldn't ever tell him any of this though, she still stuck by the fact that falling in love sucked and she would never do it. She didn't want a boyfriend, she didn't want to care about anyone... but part of her wouldn't let her not care about him. "Uh... I was thinking about heading for a run around the Quidditch pitch... but you're right, it's freezing, I think I'll pass on it for now." She couldn't help but smile at how the chilly weather had made his skin tinge a similar colour her cheeks went when he did something to send her teenage hormones silly. Her arms wrapped around her body, keeping the cool air away from her skin. She could fight it off with the whiskey, but she didn't want him to see her drinking on school grounds. "How about we head inside, I can get us some hot chocolate and you can warm up... you're like an icicle!" A chuckle escaped her as she nudged him.

[Scotty Kovac]

”The library? On a day like today?” Scotty scoffed, fiddling with his thickly padded jacket. He laughed at the thought of studying he’d much rather be throwing snow which was probably why he was teetering on the edge of failing potions. Vivian would have scolded him for it and the thought made him feel slightly guilty – and want to go see her too. ”Oh nothing really happened, just all out WAR!” he replied with loud enthusiasm, spreading his hands out wide in a gesture to the battlefield around them.

His nose wrinkled at Fin’s mention of a run. His friend was obviously crazy, who ran around the pitch in winter? Actually who ran at all? If Scotty was to do any exercise it would be Quidditch, that was what kept him fit. Fighting with his dusty old Potter-era Firebolt as he hunted for the snitch was his work out. ”Yep, way too freezing for stupid things like runs, let’s go,” and with that the boy turned and crunched his way through the snow back towards the castle. ”Man a hot chocolate sounds predivan. I feel like an icicle, all the snow that got dumped on me by some Ravenclaws,” Scotty chuckled along with Fin.

Gently he nudged her back, giving the girl a warm smile as they walked together. In the wake of a silence, that was not uncomfortable, the boy’s thoughts wandered to his girlfriend who would be asleep. It was still a little mind blowing to be going out with a vampire and it sounded like that sickeningly bad story that had been popular before he could read but he didn’t care. He loved Vivian, which was all that mattered. He’d gotten lucky when he’d met her; finally he found someone who shared his feelings in return but even though he was the expert on unrequited love he was completely oblivious to Finlay’s feelings. Not once had it occurred to him that she had remained friends with him, whilst severing ties with so many others, because of romantic feelings.

”So are you going to sweet talk the house elves or will I have to do it? We all know my voice is sexier, they’ll do anything for me, especially if I throw in some Croatian here and there,” Scotty joked with a wink as the pair neared the main doors. ”So what were you studying up in the library? More ways to sneak to the Hog’s Head after hours? How to get the jump on Professor Connery or, the easy option, Professor Grey?” the boy chattered happily, both trying to keep their conversation from faltering and to get warm through talking.

[Finlay Cassandra Mackenzie]

............

I'll tell you something,I am a wolf but

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I like to wear sheep's clothing
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Bless Scott, even if there hadn’t been feelings that made Fin keep him around she likely would have found it hard to kick him to the curb like the rest. She fell back into her old self when she was around him, found it easier to smile and laugh, which was exactly what she did when he exaggerated the extent of the snow ball fight. War? Okay, maybe it had been considering the feelings between houses at the moment, and from the look of the courtyard… yeah maybe war was the right word for it. Either way, being locked up in the library seemed like the best place for her to have been despite how Scott reacted to it. She wasn’t good around people, especially like that. She wouldn’t put it past one of the ex-friends to lob something not so snowy at her, something that might hurt. Or that could have just been the paranoia again.

She followed him as they walked, her own shoes skidding dangerously on some of the slushy snow. Fin liked running, not because it was running, or it was keeping her fit. Please, the amount of muck she put in her body, getting obese was the least of her worries. She was going to suffer liver failure or her lungs were going to pack up before she had clogged arteries. She ran because it was calming for her. She was alone with herself, she could think; push herself until things didn’t bother her anymore. Her smile warmed as he spoke in his native tongue, something she was used to but it still sent her stomach twisting all funny. Over time she had picked up the meanings of a few things and, although she didn’t know the full meaning of the word, she knew it was good, it meant something like wonderful. The ravenclaws had dumped snow on him huh? Fin knew that probably wouldn’t go unforgiven by the Gryffindor, so she merely smirked “You’ll get them back…” She had faith in him.

Her body, so slender and slight under her robes, moved to the side slightly when he nudged her back. Within an instant she was back beside him, returning the smile as they trudged towards the castle. It was good that Scott didn’t mind the silences, since Fin had changed, she wasn’t so talkative anymore so the silences were pretty common. She had no idea that his thoughts were away with his vampire girlfriend, Fin knew ‘of’ her but she tended to blank out if she came up. If you asked her the girlfriend’s name, she wouldn’t be able to tell you. Yes, it was selfish of her to not be happy for her friend, but she was protecting herself, blanking out meant she couldn’t betray that the fact hurt her.

Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Fin scoffed at him. Okay, so yes, in her opinion he did have a sexier voice than her… but still. Shaking her head gently, she knew he was right, more so because the elves and her weren’t the best of friends. She didn’t exactly treat them badly, but she wasn’t nice to them either. “Knock them out, Casanova. And if your Croatian doesn’t work, your modesty might.” A small shrug moved her shoulders as they entered the castle and headed off in the necessary direction. Why had she been in the library? If only it had been for the reasons he had mentioned. Rubbing her hands together, blowing a warm jet of air through them as she placed them before her lips, Fin debated whether to be honest. Why not? It would only be more awkward if he knew she was lying, “I uh… just… trying to drag my grades out of the mud to get my parents off my back… so extra work, extra papers… you know. All work and no play makes Finlay a dull girl.” How true that was, she was craving a night out, just to get out and drink herself crazy, pick up some guy and have some fun.
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Tagged :: Scottay
Credits :: Cam

[Scotty Kovac]

”You bet I’ll get them back, they won’t know what hit them,” there was the familiar deviously dark grin on Scotty’s face as he told of revenge. Really they wouldn’t know what hit them, the things the boy could produce at times, while ingenious, were strange and sometimes downright scary. Both the other students and teachers at times feared what the young Irish boy unleashed on the school. Thankfully for them he’d settled this year because he knew one foot wrong and his dreams of being an Auror came tumbling down. What didn’t help his cause was that he was blamed for the pranks of other students when quite obviously, with their simplicity and mediocre design, they were not of his doing.

”If the ladies can’t resist what chance do House Elves have against my Irish Croatian-ness? Or is that Croatian Irish-ness? Whatever, same thing really and what are you talking about? I’m modest, sometimes,” Scotty laughed, giving Fin a friendly shove. Okay so maybe he wasn’t modest about some things like Quidditch and his skills in the area of magical mischief but when it came to Vivian, his friends and his skills in the areas of healing that was when he was modest and humble. ”I can’t say I know the feeling, my parents are generally pretty good in that area but maybe it’s only because I’m failing only one subject and not all of them,” the boy mused for a moment, a slight frown on his face.

They pair wandered into the kitchens and almost at once they were greeted by the cajoling of the House Elves, eager for the humans to sample the food they were busy preparing for dinner. Both Fin and Scotty were ushered to a table in the corner with full plates of food and mugs of steaming hot chocolate placed in front of them. ”Told you they couldn’t resist,” he winked at Fin, ”do you know what would be awesome; a bit of firewhiskey to wash all the down after.” As soon as he’d finished talking Scotty was wolfing down the food he’d been given, finding he was ravenously hungry.

[Finlay Cassandra Mackenzie]

[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/2yotog1.png,true][atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/9prvw0.png][atrb=style,padding:0px 50px;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;] Yet another reason why Fin probably kept Scotty on side, she’d seen what he could do, how insanely crazy most of his pranks were, and she knew she was safe from being on the receiving end whilst they were on good terms. If Fin felt anything towards her fellow students, she might have worried for them when it came time for Scott’s revenge. However, they were just strangers now, people who stared at her, whispered the rumours to each other they’d heard about her. It hurt her deep down, but the alcohol and drugs helped to numb that. She’d kissed goodbye to her dreams last year, she would never be able to get her grades good enough to get into training, she was finding it hard enough to just get passable grades. As they walked, Fin listened to him talk, keeping her head down to avoid the stares. There were some who still couldn’t get used to seeing the loner with the attractive Griffindor quidditch player. Moving back to his side after the shove again, Fin frowned slightly, “Yeeeeeeeah, modesty is your middle name. And…it would depend on your father… like ligers are the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger… and a tigon is a male tiger and a female lion… so you’d be.. Croatian Irish…” She knew he could be modest at times, but she liked to tease him, especially when he was just giving her more and more ammo. Then he frowned about his family and his grades, which just made her envy him on two levels. She would kill to be only failing one course and to not have her parents keeping on at her. “Cheer up Scott, it’s one class, you don’t have a 78.9% chance of not graduating.”

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Upon entering the kitchen, Fin instantly tensed up as the house elves darted back and forth, carrying huge plates of food. Steam seemed to float everywhere, rising from the bubbling pans on the hobs and misting up the entire room. Fin didn’t like how chaotic it all seemed, but she knew they would have everything under control, it was more… organized chaos. Still, she huddled close to Scott as he spoke to them and led the way to the table in the corner. Fin settled down, placing her bag at her side as they served up the plates of food and hot chocolate. Okay, it was slightly overwhelming for her. That was a hell of a lot of food! She wouldn’t be able to eat that in a whole week!! Managing a weak smile in response to his told you so comment, Fin picked up her fork and began picking and pushing at the food. Her eyes flicked up to meet his when he mentioned the firewhiskey, it was one of her personal favourites. It was easy enough to smuggle it around with her, just a little too young to be legal for it. Watching him tuck into the food, shoveling it into his mouth, Fin reached into her back and pulled out a small vile, no bigger than a medicine bottle, and placed it on the table in front of Scott’s plate. “Knock yourself out. Bottomless bottle. Got an entire 750 mil in there… minus a few gulps.”[/justify][/size][/color][/font][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Scotty Kovac]

Scotty only stopped shovelling food in his mouth to ponder what Fin had said about Ligers and Tigons. The boy giggled only because at the mention of Ligers his thoughts wandered to a particular muggle movie he’d watched once. It had been weird but hilarious. ”That is the most random theory thing I’ve ever heard but now I know that I am Croatian Irish so thank you for clarifying that mystery in my life,” he laughed, giving her another warm smile. He wasn’t enjoying talking about class, it was distracting him from the plotting of revenge, where he’d get some firewhiskey from and from what to eat next.

”I’m sure you’ll be fine, just gotta stop staying out so late and partying with bad influences like me,” it was a serious comment disguised by Scotty’s joking tone. The boy was genuinely concerned about his friend’s grades; maybe he and Viv could help her out? He was just about to suggest his idea when out of seemingly nowhere Fin pulled out a tiny bottle of firewhiskey. Instantly his face lit up and he took the vial for a closer look. ”Bottomless, nice. Do you just carry this around with you, like all the time?” he asked in wonder before taking a generous swig. The familiar burning sensation filled his entire body with warmth. After taking a few swigs he handed the bottle back to Fin. ”Your turn.”

A relatively unknown fact about Scotty was that he was a lightweight when it came to alcohol. If he wasn’t too careful he’d end up completely off his face if he drank too much at one time. His friends used to pay him out for it and since he’d started going out with Vivian his drinking had been reduced to a minimum. In fact the drink he’d just had had been his first in months so he’d probably get drunker quicker if he had anymore.

[Finlay Cassandra Mackenzie]

[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/2yotog1.png,true][atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/9prvw0.png][atrb=style,padding:0px 50px;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;] Okay so when Fin was around Scotty she had a tendency of opening her mouth before her brain had really thought it through. As he responded, she could feel her cheeks burn. Great, she was a freak, she really was. Of all the things to bring up, that was bottom of the list. She just thanked her lucky stars she hadn’t mentioned that those sorts of hybrids were usually infertile. –That- could have been a real conversation killer. She managed an embarrassed smile back at him, more from his smile than for her own benefit, she liked his smile. Still he thanked her, and hadn’t made a big deal about her screw up, so that was good. Although, maybe he was just used to it now… and that wasn’t so good. She didn’t pick up on the seriousness beneath his comment about her partying, partly by choice, she didn’t want to get defensive and snap at him. Besides, why would stop staying out late and partying when it involved him? As for her grades, she really was trying, but in all honesty, if she really thought about it, what was the point? She was doing it to keep her parents happy, they could have their daughter graduate from Hogwarts, not be a drop out. What was she going to do after school? Her dreams and aspirations were gone and the crap she put in her body was more likely to take her to an early grave. She watched him drink, pondering what to answer to his question. She could picture it now, ‘Yes, Scotty, I carry it around with me all day every day and sleep with it under my pillow. Today it has firewhiskey in it… but some days it has rum, whiskey, vodka, you name it.’ Yeah, that might not go down so well. She replied with a soft nod of her head, was it any wonder she wasn’t a lightweight? Though that being said, she was usually drunk full time, or at the very least tipsy. As he handed her the bottle, Fin paused. Should she? I mean he had asked about her carrying it around, did he really not know the extent to which she drank? Should she cover up by placing the cap back on it? The smell of the bitter liquid wafted into her nostrils and the decision was out of her hands. Tipping it up as the neck met her lips, Fin chugged a good few mouthfuls. She had only meant to have one or two but once the taste hit her tastebuds, five or six gulps had disappeared into her stomach before she stopped. “Cheers…” She thanked him as she placed the bottle back on the table and wiped her lips with the back of her hand and turned her attentions back to her food.

[Scotty Kovac]

***

Oh God did he feel good. Since he’d started drinking that day Scotty was hitting high after high. Deep down he knew he shouldn’t have downed as much alcohol as he did but like hell he was going to let a girl out drink him. Every swig Fin had taken the boy had felt compelled to match it and now he was feeling the pleasant, if fuzzy, side-effects. Like a stereotypical drunk he gave a hiccup and stretched out his hand for the glass bottle. ”This is some damn good stuff Fin, just like you,” he slurred, giving the girl a sloppy smile.

It took a moment for Scotty to focus fully on the vial but once he did there was yet another gulp of the amber firewhiskey going down his throat. All around the two of them the House Elves rushed around the kitchen; looking as though they were cleaning up for the night. In fact that’s just what they were doing; how long had they been drinking for? The boy checked his watch and, by some kind of miracle, worked out that he and Fin had been in the kitchens long enough to miss dinner. Okay so it hadn’t been a genius deduction but in his state it sure felt like it.

”Wow, me missed dinner, ‘s your fault. You’re so distracting, keeping me down here drinking with you,” Scotty giggled, almost falling off his chair. He totally needed to get drunk more often. This whole situation would have been about ten times better if Viv was here. After a glance at Fin the boy found himself thinking on how much she looked like his girlfriend, which in turn made her extremely attractive. ”You’re really pretty, and you’re nice, most of the time anyway,” he sidled gradually closer to his friend, a drunken smile on his face. It didn’t take long until they’re faces were almost touching and, without thinking or really knowing what he was doing, Scotty kissed Fin.

[Finlay Cassandra Mackenzie]

[atrb=width,450,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/2yotog1.png,true][atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/9prvw0.png][atrb=style,padding:0px 50px;background-position:top;background-repeat:no-repeat;] Fin wasn't used to drinking like this. Normally it was a gulp here, a swig there, enough to keep her tipsy throughout the day. This, this was something different, drinking so fast, becoming a game of sorts, keeping up with him, him keeping up with her. The quantity she drank was more than normal, in a shorter space of time, and the company, talking and giggling, it all made it more effective. ~This is some damn good stuff Fin, just like you~ That made Fin blink slowly, a frown appearing on her features for a moment before she blew it off and returned his sloppy smile. No, he didn't mean it like that. She knew they'd never be more than friends, he'd have made his move before now if he wanted that. He meant it as a friend, she was a good friend. That was it. Nothing more. She was getting warm, the alcohol creating that tell tale heating system that had her cheeks tinged a rosy pink. She rested her elbow on the table, her fingers raked into her hair that had been pulled from the hair tie ages ago. Her gently curled hair was tumbling down over her shoulder as she gazed at the house elves, rushing around carrying dirty pots and pans, plates and glasses. It was something to focus her mind on, trying to push what Scotty had said to her. She shouldn't let it affect her, knowing it didn't mean that, but each word had burned into her heart and was permanently imprinted in her brain. She giggled as his words made her realise what had happened. Ah well, no one would really miss them right? They could tell people they got stuck in the library or, just be honest and say they ate in the kitchen... just leave out the alcohol. ~‘s your fault. You’re so distracting, keeping me down here drinking with you~ She giggled and moved to grab him as he looked like he was going to fall. She let out a laugh, trying to act normally as the house elves looked over at the commotion. Leaning across the table, she grinned, "You're the one who wanted it... and you're the one who got lightweight on m..." He interrupted her, with something she had always wanted to hear from him but never thought she would. ~You’re really pretty, and you’re nice, most of the time anyway~ Speechless, that was the only way to describe how she was feeling. Completely and utterly speechless. He had called her pretty, him, her best friend, the one she never thought would ever see her like that. He had called her pretty. And he was right, she was nice, most of the time, a lot of the time to him. Her eyes looked into his, not noticing he was moving closer to her, still not believing he had actually said that. Her heart thudded in her ears, but next thing she knew, she could feel his breath against her lips, followed by the feel of his lips pressed against hers. All she needed to do now was wake up, find out they'd had dinner, she'd passed out and he'd got her taken back to her room. She needed to wake up in her bed. This couldn't be happening. After all the time they'd known each other, he couldn't have suddenly seen her. Her eyes slid shut, figuring she would enjoy the dream until she regained consciousness, her lips moving against his. She'd wake up soon, it always happened this way. 3, 2, 1... her eyes opened. He was still there, kissing her. Scotty. Her best friend. Her Scotty. He was there. Kissing her. Fin didn't know what to do, this had been everything she wanted for months, maybe even years! And it was happening, right now! Her hands moved into his hair as she closed her eyes again, kissing him back with the passion that had been building, storing for all that time.

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