B L A C Kout :: Horcrux Peeps

[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;] Things had not been so great within the life of Fin recently. The girl was normally screwed up, but this was the worst she had been in a long, long time. She had done something she had wanted to do for as long as she could remember, but it had turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life. There had been a moment, when she had woken up, when she’d hoped it would have been the beginning of something, but it wasn’t, it had been the end. It had just cemented the reason she had never told him before. She had slept with one of her best friends, and she had lost him. There could have been some sort of resolution, but that wasn’t Fin. Every time she had seen Scotty since she’d ran out of the room of requirement, she avoided him. If he was walking towards her in the corridor, a general direction that might have their paths cross, she would duck through the nearest exit, she would escape. If there wasn’t any exit available, she just bypassed him, put as many people between her and him and got away as soon as she could. It was now that she realised how useful her running was, he might have followed her on occasion, but she never knew, she was already gone, sprinting off to somewhere he couldn’t be, her dorm, Hufflepuff common room, forbidden forest. It had changed her, she was colder to those she didn’t consider friends, and she was more reliant on the one person she considered to be a friend, Auggie. God alone knew what he must have thought when she broke down in tears in front of him. She’d told him everything, not just the mistake but everything leading up to it. Around him she turned back into the young Hufflepuff she had been when they’d met. And Auggie, blessed Auggie, he didn’t freak out, he did what she needed. He grabbed a tub of ice cream and he listened. For that she would be eternally grateful, and she was also grateful that he’d willingly promised to stay quiet; she did not want rumours spreading around school about this. He’d been so good to her, he’d been like a big brother. It was the fact that Auggie had been there for her that she had agreed to meet up with him. He had become her backbone and it also meant she could get the hell out of school. School was where Scotty was, and she was jittery there. So heading into Hogsmeade, she was wrapped up against the cold, crisp air of the evening. He’d told her to meet him at the Three Broomsticks so, glad to be free from the clutches of the wintry evening; she rushed in through the front door. Scanning the room for August, she froze as though the door had been opened and blown an arctic storm in. There, sat at the table mere meters from her, sat August… and Scott. Going into autopilot, Fin’s defences rose, her self preservation kicked in and all she could think to do was get out. With eyes that mimicked that of a deer caught in the headlights of some oncoming, speeding vehicle, Fin turned on her heels and headed back out the door. She didn’t like the cold, but it was better than how she felt in here. Her feet started to pound the icy pavestones, slipping and sliding every now and then as she sprinted as fast as she could from the pub.

((Lemme know what needs amending))

[August Jensen]

August was under the impression that Fin was one of the strongest and most determined people he knew. She hadn’t got squicked out by blood like he had when they’d come across a first year with a grazed knee, she always seemed remember where he’d put his second glove when he couldn’t find it and she didn’t even get teary when she got detention (which was quite frequently). August had cried all the way to Professor Grey’s office when the potions professor hadn’t believed that a thestral had eaten his homework back in fifth year. So he’d been quite surprised and more than a little worried when she’d burst into tears quite without warning one afternoon when he suggested they go down to the kitchens to get a snack.

You didn’t get to spend seven years in Hufflepuff without knowing what to do when one of your fellow students was crying, though, and eventually the whole story came out, helped along by copious amounts of ice cream and a box of tissues. August couldn’t say he really understood all the details, nor did he really know what to do to help apart from pat her gently on the back and make sure the double chocolate chunk didn’t run out. He did know he had to do something. He couldn’t stand seeing Fin so miserable and he didn’t think Scotty would want her to be unhappy either.

Not that he knew Scotty that well and in the end he decided the most sensible thing to do would be to get some advice. So he went to Amelia Pace, because talking to her killed two birds with one stone, she was practical and she was friends with Scotty. Trying to get the two of them to talk it out was probably the best idea and August had agonised over the best way to get them to meet up without lying. Inviting them both to the Three Broomsticks without mentioning that the other one would be there seemed to be the only way he could think of. It wasn’t lying, just being selective with the truth. That didn’t stop him from feeling terribly guilty.

Scotty was the first to arrive and August grew increasingly agitated as he waited for Fin, filling any silence with nervous chatter and likely talking the Gryffindor’s ear off. It wasn’t too much to spend 15 minutes discussing the weather was it? He bit his lip as Fin entered the pub and it turned out his nerves were perfectly warranted when she turned on her heal and ran. ”Fin wait!” August stood up suddenly, almost upending his drink in the process and grabbing Scotty’s wrist to drag him out the pub too. ”We have to go after her! Students aren’t even supposed to be out of the school this late!”

[Scotty Kovac]

He felt nothing but misery and pain, it was as though someone had turned flicked a switch and turned off all of Scotty’s other emotions. It was his fault, he knew and accepted it but that didn’t make it hurt any less. In stupid move he had simultaneously lost one of his best friends and then his girlfriend; it felt as though the bottom of the boy’s world had came out from underneath him. The people closest to him knew it too; they could tell there was something not quite right about Scotty. His usual, bubbly nature was all but gone, he looked exhausted from sleepless nights and his pranks had begun to border on dangerous and malicious.

Maybe that was why Amelia had suggested he go out with August Jensen. The Gryffindor barely knew the Hufflepuff; he wasn’t exactly the type of person Scott spoke to often but he’d been assured that the other seventh year was the best person to see if you needed cheering up and Lord knew he needed that. Seeing the quaint, sleepy village again after Vivian and Dacian brought the feeling of something close to fear. He couldn’t go back, he wouldn’t but when he turned to leave the promise to meet August just dragged him back. Damn him.

There was also a nearly overwhelming sadness in the air, the likes of which Scotty had not felt since he’d thought Vivian was dead. By the time the boy reached the Three Broomsticks he was thoroughly miserable, not even the cheery atmosphere of the inn made him smile. It would have been better if he had Viv holding his hand. August’s agitation and his looking as though he was waiting for someone escaped the Gryffindor’s notice, he was merely content to stare blankly at the table and wallow in his thoughts and let the other boy do the talking.

Thoughts of Fin ran through his mind; how he missed her. Words couldn’t describe how much he wished he could face again but it was too much; the wound was still too fresh. The Hufflepuff beside him speaking her name made Scotty visibly flinch and come back from his drowning in self pity. Fin had been at the door, what? Before he could even process what was happening he was being dragged out the door and after Fin’s shadow. ”Let her go,” he said bitterly and yet he still ran after her with August.

[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;] Feet pounded the pavement beneath her, the strides falling into a steady, albeit fast, beat that matched the racing rhythm of her heart, Fin dodged through the streets of Hogsmeade. She stayed on the main street for barely a moment before shooting down an alley and zigzagging her way further from the pub. She had heard the commotion inside, Auggie calling her name, begging her to wait, but what should she wait for? Scotty had been there, the reason she had sobbed, actually properly sobbed, against August's shoulder, and yet he was there, the pair of them, together. It had just torn the barely healing wound right open again and it hurt. It hurt like she hadn't felt in a long time, and it reminded her why she had gone the way she had. Emotions hurt, it was just better to lock herself away so it couldn't happen. Pausing, she figured she'd lost herself enough to take a break. She didn't need to, she could have carried on running until she was far, far out of the township, but there was something inside her that made her stop. Leaning against the brick wall, the back of one of the shops, Fin took in a few deep breaths, her hand clutching at the scarf draped over her chest. Face contorting, Fin hissed. Her heart actually felt like it was falling apart inside her, it made her ribs ache, her arms feel heavy, worst of all, it took all her defences away from keeping her cool. With a shuddering breath, Fin let in a sob, a sound so embarrassing to her that she moved her gloved hand from her chest to smother her mouth and nose. No. She did this when she was alone, not anywhere people might chance upon her. Fine, in a moment of weakness, she had let August see her cry, but look where that had got her. He had gone and arranged some sort of reconciliation meeting. Huddled in the shadows of the alley, Fin indulged herself into letting a few silent tears fall onto her cheeks before she opened her eyes, forcing her vision to clear and her mind to get a grip on itself. This was ridiculous. They were both seventh years, she was a sixth, they would be out of school soon. She just had to survive to them. She could do this. She had dumped off friends when she had changed, it wouldn't be so hard to dump another two, the last two, right? That would be it, it would just be her, and then no one could hurt her again. Yeah right, even she didn't believe her. Cleaning herself up, wiping the soft fleece across her cheeks to mop up the salty streams from her skin, Fin pushed herself off the wall, making her way back out onto the street. She figured they would have gone by by now. She could just make her way back to the school and sneak back in, sleep this crappy night away.

[August Jensen]

It was a rare moment indeed that August’s face was ever contorted with a frown. He seemed to be perpetually happy, easily able to put an optimistic spin on any situation and usually oblivious to any tension affecting the people around him. He lived in a happy bubble and that bubble had been quite suddenly popped. It had been impossible to remain oblivious when Fin had sobbed into his shoulder and his attempt to ease that pain had only made things worse. The frown that was crinkling his brow deepened at the thought, his mouth turned down at the corners in miserable guilt.

”No!” He practically snapped at Scotty, another first for him as he had never been short with another student in his entire time at Hogwarts. It was fortunate that they had paid for their drinks as they got them as August didn’t think he could have waited at the bar to pay while Fin ran further into Hogsmeade all alone. He’d heard that there were vampires in the magical little village and, even though Amelia had told him time and again that he shouldn’t believe everything he read in the school’s gossip rag, he couldn’t help feeling that this one might be true. (Amelia would have been quick to point out that he got that feeling about every story)

The chill evening air bit into the skin of his cheeks and hands as he hurried outside and August shuddered against the cold, glancing in both directions before setting off after the glimpse of Fin that he spotted before she disappeared around a corner. ”I’m not going back to the school without her, it’s my fault that she’s even out here and so I have to make sure she gets home okay.” August felt his lip tremble with worry and he was slightly glad that he was dragging Scotty along behind him so he couldn’t see quite how choked up the Head Boy was getting.

Fin was fast, all that running she did around the school paying off and, even in spite of the height advantage that the two seventh years had over her, by the time they reached the turning she’d taken she was out of sight. August slowed to a jog, already slightly out of breath and chewing at his lip as he spotted a couple of alleyways that ran perpendicular to the street they were on. The alleys looked awfully dark and he didn’t really want to separate from Scotty, but at that moment he was more worried about Fin. ”You check that one.” August told Scotty, pointing at the nearest turn off and hoping the Gryffindor would listen to reason and agree. ”I’ll try the next one.”

[Scotty Kovac]

Seeing the mild mannered Hufflepuff act anything but was on the verge of unnerving. To Scotty, August was always the same, cheery, friendly kid; he’d never imagined he could be anything but that. The sudden change of personality left the other boy stunned into continuing to run with him.”Alright we’ll go after her,” he answered the other boy’s snap. It wasn’t just the being yelled at that kept Scotty searching for Fin, not that he’d admit it. He still cared for her, she had been one of his best friends for so many years now and it would be wrong of him to abandon her in ever increasingly dangerous village. Like August, his thoughts touched on the stories of vampires lurking and the last thing he wanted was the girl to be attacked.

As the two ran after the girl, sites of her became ever elusive. Fin had always been a fast runner and Scotty knew they’d have no chance of catching her unless she stopped. There was nothing the Gryffindor could reply to August’s little speech, instead he simply nodded with an understanding smirk. He felt the same too, they had to find her and make sure she got him safe. The Gryffindor had already hurt the girl enough; he doubted he would be able to live with himself if she was even more tonight because of the mess he’d caused.

There had been a waver in the Head Boy’s voice that was almost reassuring, that was the normal August Scotty knew and tolerated. It restored what the Gryffindor thought was meant to be, that he was the brave one and he should take the lead of the search which is just what he did. ”You read my mind Auggie. Splitting up means we’ll cover more ground,” Scotty nodded with a weak smile. As directed he jogged down his assigned alley, wand lit and held high and eyes alert for signs of Fin.

His heart nearly leapt out of his chest as he spotted the back of her out the other side of the alley. Part of the boy wanted to stop, turn around and lie that he hadn’t found her just to avoid talking to her but Scotty knew he couldn’t do that. He wanted to be an Auror which meant personal feelings had to be put to the side to ensure the safety of an innocent civilian. The thought spurred him to sprint as silently as the wet ground would allow and latch a hand on Fin’s arm.

”Stop, I know I’m the last person on the planet you want to see right now but it’s not safe out here alone,” Scotty said sofly. He looked earnestly into Fin’s eyes trying to transmit that he still cared so much about her, that he was sorry for everything. After a brief moment he smiled weakly at her before his thoughts turned to getting back to August. ”Come on, we need to find August. Then once we get safely back to school you can continue avoiding me again.”

[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;] Considering the events of the evening, Fin's head was a clouded mess of turmoil and indecision. She was hurting, not able to create any sort of logic out. She couldn't see what August had tried to do, all she could see was the best friend she had turned to, ambushing her with the best friend that had broken her heart. It was too much for her brain to handle, to comprehend. She just wanted to go back to the school, there was something she never thought she'd want. It was the way her mind was swirling with all kinds of negative emotion that meant she didn't hear the footsteps approaching. She only heard the heavy thud as Scotty stopped behind her, a split second before his hand wrapped around her arm. Jumping out of her skin, Fin turned to face him, her eyes showing exactly the same shock they had when she had spotted them in the pub. ~Stop, I know I’m the last person on the planet you want to see right now but it’s not safe out here alone~ He was right, and wrong at the same time. Fin had been trying so hard to avoid him, but it was for the very same reasons he had wanted to turn around and pretend he hadn't seen her in the alley. She didn't want to confront him, what had happened between them had been the best thing for Fin, but the aftermath had almost broken her completely, but only August had seen that. The look in his eyes had her knees going weak, but she was like a cornered, wounded animal. It didn't matter that he spoke softly to her, that he looked like he cared. He had hurt her, all she could see was his reaction to waking up next to her. It made her defenses rise, building a wall around her heart as to try and protect it from shattering all over again. ~Come on, we need to find August. Then once we get safely back to school you can continue avoiding me again.~ Fin scowled at him, yanking her arm free from his grasp. "Go find him yourself, Scott. I don't need you to make sure I'm safe. I'm fine!" She stepped back and opened her arms, letting him see she was still in one piece, "See, all good. And that's from god alone knows how many nights here on. my. own. So get on your white horse and ride off to someone else's rescue, because trust me, I don't need -you- as my knight in shining armor." Moving away from him, she was letting all the pain and anguish that had appeared to August in the form of tears come out as it's raw form. He was the one who had hurt her, probably more than he realised. This was more than him sleeping with his best friend. She had loved him and all she wanted was for him to realise how much this had screwed them up. She wanted him to know. A few footsteps away, she turned back to face him, her defenses unable to stop the dewy, glassy look in her eyes, "I thought you wanted me... I thought... after..." She looked up, exhaling a shaking breath. Was she ready to do this? Was she really ready to open herself up and show him why she was in so much pain? Looking back to him, she shrugged, pulling a pained smile to stop herself from crying, "I loved you... since I can remember... and I... I thought you'd seen me... finally. Then..."

[/b] She choked back a sob, clearing her throat, she didn't need to say it, they both knew what had happened that morning when they'd woken up.

Fiddling with her fingers, Fin's shoulders were curled round, making her seem so small and weak. She looked down at the floor, the bricks around her heart were slowly crumbling down. She'd said it, she'd let him know... but before she knew what she was saying, more came tumbling out, laying everything out, "I wasn't avoiding you because you'd hurt my feelings... I couldn't... because..."[/b] She sobbed again, feeling the burning tears sting her eyes as they escaped onto her cheeks, "It broke my heart, Scotty. You were all I wanted..."[/color][/justify][/size][/color][/font][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Scotty Kovac]

Just as he had been with August’s abrupt anger, Scotty was once again stunned into silence. The more Fin spoke the more his mouth couldn’t help but drop. By the end of it all the boy was left gaping, with a look close to that of a stunned fish. She had been in love with him and he’d never known, never even had an inkling of her feelings. Unrequited love was something the boy was no stranger to, he had thought himself in love with Amelia Pace since his Third year, and he knew how much it hurt. ”That’s why you kept me around,” he said slowly, everything falling into place in his mind.

Scotty had watched Fin push away all her other friends and had never once wondered why she hadn’t done the same to him. God he was so stupid, to have not noticed anything. Now it was his heart’s turn to break and for his eyes to glass over with tears. ”Fin I am so sorry, I never meant for it to hurt you but I’m afraid I’m only going to hurt you more if I tell you the truth.

“I loved you, that’s true, but not in the way that you longed for. I, I, you’re like a sister to me. I did see you that night Fin, but I’ve always seen you. From the very first moment I saw a beautiful, headstrong, smart, courageous and loyal girl and was so happy to be able to call you one of my best friends. You wanted more from me, but I couldn’t give you it because my heart belonged, still belongs, to someone else. I wish I could give you more but I can’t and you deserve better than me.”

When he had finished he couldn’t hold back the tears. Silently they streamed down the Gryffindor’s face, he too letting out the pain he felt. Again he wanted Vivian here to hold his hand, to whisper him words of encouragement because facing Finlay was getting harder and harder. ”I know you won’t forgive me but I won’t forgive myself if something happens to you out here. I’ve caused you enough pain so please, come back to August with me.”

[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 nodded slowly, mirroring the way he spoke as he put the puzzle together, "Yeah... I couldn't let you go... and August just wouldn't leave."

[/b] She half laughed, half sobbed. She loved August to pieces, and was glad he hadn't let her drop him, but it just went to show the sort of guy the head boy was.

Nodding her head, she bit down on her lip as he continued to explain, talking about how he would only hurt her with the truth. She knew, even that morning when she woke next to him, that he never wanted her that way, but still, to hear the words leave his lips not only ripped open the wound, it hacked at it with a razor, laticing the edges and making it bigger and deeper. The sister comment was bad enough, but to tell her she deserved better was something she couldn't handle. How the hell could he tell her that? How did he know!?

Again, she nodded her head, unable to form words. He loved someone else... he... wait. He had slept with her mere weeks again, but his heart belonged to someone else!? The sleazebag! How could he love someone and sleep with her!? She was still figuring that one out as he continued, talking about forgiveness, begging her to come find August with him. Her eyes moved to him, her feet moving to carry her closer to him. Without warning, her hand whipped through the air to land a smacker right across his cheek. She seethed, "You slept with me when you loved someone else!? Dammit!" She turned around, pacing for a few steps. She had been 'the other woman', how fucking degrading!

Cue more turmoil. She'd hit him. Something she'd thought about since that morning and yet it didn't make her feel like she thought it would. Actually, she felt kind of guilty. Turning on her heel, she stormed back towards him, placing her hands on either side of his face and pressing her lips to his, tasting the mixture of their salty tears. She knew it was wrong, after everything, she knew it was so, so wrong, but she couldn't help it. Kissing him for a few moments, she pulled back, resting her forehead against his "Sorry... I just... last chance I guess. I should hate you, Scotty. I thought I had a chance that night... but I can't. I can't bring myself to hate you."[/justify][/size][/color][/font][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Scotty Kovac]

The laugh was encouraging, even if it was only a half of one. Maybe things between them weren’t as irreparable as he’d first thought. Damn August’s optimism was contagious. ”He doesn’t take no for an answer in any situation that kid,” Scotty chuckled and sobbed. Why hadn’t he done this before? Made her talk to him because this was good, it was helping get rid of most of the pain that had built up since their fateful night together. ”Truth is, I couldn’t let you go either,” he said quietly, his gaze dropping to somewhere in the vicinity of his shoes.

For the first time in a week Scotty started to feel some semblance of hope, that if things with Fin could be repaired then maybe, just maybe, he and Viv still stood a chance. And then the girl in front of him had to go and remind rather him rather painfully that, yes, he’d slept with her while in love with someone else. Ashamed and reeling from the slap he looked away at the wall of the building to one side of the alley, face feeling as though it was on fire. Fresh tears began to pool at the bottom of his eyes and the familiar deep and painful longing for a certain Russian vampire resurfaced. ”Your heart’s not the only one I broke, see what I mean about you deserving someone better?” the boy mumbled at the bricks.

Before he could sound any protest the Gryffindor felt the chill of Fin’s hands on his cheeks. The sudden contact made him jump but not as much as what came next did. She kissed him, again and this time completely sober. Instinctively a part of him wanted to kiss back but the rational and in control side knew it would be wrong to. He still loved Vivian and kissing back would only serve to hurt her and Fin even more.

What she said afterwards made his pale cheeks flush a deep shade of crimson. He mumbled a quick, ”You’re forgiven.” Then he took her hand in his and led her back down they way they’d come. Out in the main street there was no sign of August anywhere. A little spooked by the eerie silence Scotty told Fin to stay quiet as he led the way to the alley the Hufflepuff boy had said he’d search down. ”Stay here,” he breathed before lighting up his wand and venturing into the dark side street. He very much doubted Fin would do as he said; she was never one for following orders.