One is the Loneliest Number(Angela)

[Julius Lionheart]

Evening had snuck up on Julius Lionheart like a panther stalking its prey. He had been on the quidditch pitch, just flying around on his broomstick. It's no wonder though how it had snuck up on him, for he had been lost in the freedom that the sky offered. Up there he had forgotten that today was Valentine's Day, and that he was once again on his own for the event. He had been planning on attending the event they had planned for the day, he believed it was called a Blind Date Party. He had even planned on signing up, but it had been much to late for that. He was walking back from the pitch to the school and silently contemplated whether or not to go. In the end, he really wanted to go, perhaps he could meet a girl and show her a good time. The first thing he had to do though was shower, so as he reached the doors to the Entrance Hall, he quickened his pace, and headed for the common room to grab his clothes.

Two hours later, Julius stood in the boys dorms, looking, to use his grandmothers words, quite spiffy. He was wearing cerulean blue dress robes to match his eyes. His hair was straightened, but styled as it usually was. Looking over himself in the mirror, he said aloud, " Bow chi cha bow wow. Damn I make this look good." He had said this last statement just to embolden himself. Turning around, he put his Firebolt up, and then proceeded out the dorms, through the common room and out the portrait hole, and down to the party below.

Due to his shower and getting ready, he was half an hour late, which was a good thing in his mind. He always held the oppinion that being fashionably late was a good thing, most of the time. When he entered the Great Hall, the change in it's decorum was significantly noticeable. He had read Shakespeare, and it was if he was in one of his plays. This thought in tow, he realised however he was missing his Juliet. He headed over to the tables to get a drink. Grabbing up a bottle of butterbeer, he scanned the Hall for girls, wondering what fate held for him; misery or fortune.

[Angela Merciano S7]

Angela loved parties. She absolutely lived for them. Of course, this party would be a bit different as she’d likely see dozens of cute happy couples invading on Angela’s space, but this thought did not discourage her. She would not let some stupid Hallmark sorry excuse for a holiday stop her from attending what was sure to be a very fun event. Angela would take any excuse she could get to buy herself a nice fancy dress and dress up for a big party. She was single though, but that thought didn’t trouble her like it did most single people on Valentine’s Day. Angela remembered sitting in her common room, listening to the frivolous discussions of some younger airheaded Slytherin girls. All they did was complain about how they were going to skip the party and stay in their common rooms doing ‘girly things’ and wallowing away in their own self pity with tons of sweet treats and ice cream. How pathetic. No, Angela was much too good to be wasting an evening away in her dormitory. Especially when she knew that sick creature Damara Hemingway would probably be in the dormitory mourning the loss of her dear Nico.

Angela snickered at the thought. She was honestly considering just telling the little wretch he died, just to see what she said. That would teach her and her evil Entourage gang not to mess with the Merciano family. They should have learned their lesson when their leader so foolishly tried to seek a fight with Angela’s father. He killed himself, that miserable idiot. Of course, that didn’t stop the Hemingway family from blaming the death on Angela’s family. Then they had the nerve to kidnap Angela’s mother to try and get back at them for it. Oh how they would pay for making such a mistake. Once Angela graduated, she would fight til the death until the Hemingways were no more. Until then, Angela was going to have some fun with her youth. She had no problem with going alone. In fact, she would probably be meeting some of the members of her own “Extended Family” later on in the night. Perhaps she’d even meet a guy or two there as well.

Angela smiled, thinking of all the possibilities this night could hold for her. She had picked out the perfect dress for the occasion. Angela was wearing a deep red formal gown that was much more like a big red wedding dress. The dress was very flattering, and it had been designed specifically for her. Her hair was curled beautifully and her makeup was done to perfection. However, Angela almost messed it all up when she almost started crying while putting on her mother’s old diamond necklace and earrings. But Angela didn’t cry. Ever. So, she fixed her makeup quickly, hoping that Hemingway wretch hadn’t seen Angela’s little slip-up while getting ready. By the time she turned around, Angela had a confident smirk upon her face as she stared Damara Hemingway straight in her evil wicked eyes. “Well, have fun tonight, creature. I’m sure Nico would want you to enjoy yourself despite…what happened.” Angela said with a bit of a girlish giggle. Without waiting for some pathetic retort, Angela left the room and headed toward the Great Hall. Of course, not before locking her trunk first. She didn’t trust it alone with the thief.

Angela smiled to herself, admiring the beauty of the decorated Great Hall. She didn’t hear about the Blind Date Party or whatever until it was too late, so she didn’t get a set-up date. Besides, what if she ended up having to spend an evening with one of the future Entourage? She wouldn’t have been able to handle that. So, Angela scanned the room as she entered, not really impressed by what she saw. Everyone there was either too young or just not worth Angela’s time. But then she saw him. The boy was the typical Gryffindor, but Angela never really bothered herself with house prejudices. Those didn’t matter to her as much as the boundaries set by the Entourage and the Cavalieri gangs. He was an excellent Quidditch player and his family was both pure and very wealthy. She smiled at him charmingly from across the room. She knew it wouldn’t take long. Angela wanted some fun tonight, and she was going to get what she wanted one way or another. She always did.

[Julius Lionheart]

His first search of the surrounding females yielded no results that had the possibility of a good time. They had mainly been fourth years, which wouldn't have been totally out of the question, but they just looked so young and it made him feel oddly older. He had noted that there was a shortage of elder students, thus far. He had spotted an older Hufflepuff, with, to his immense amusement, Stephen Donahue of the Slytherin quidditch team. Other than those two, the ones who had stood out were the charming pair of Cassandra and Julian Fallon. He had just brought the butterbeer bottle to his lips, ready to take a swig, when he saw her.

He didn't have need of his sharp eyes, for her beauty had transcended the scene, shaming that of any veela had there been one there. He had of course spotted Angela Merciano. She was a Slytherin sixth year, but he was prepared to overlook that. After all, one of his best friends had been an Slytherin. His gaze had focused upon, and he realized that she was smiling, was it directed at him? He wondered at this, and knew that it had to be he whom she had deemed deserving of an smile that would have charmed the ferocity out of an Hungarian Horntail. His deep blue eyes did the all to familiar scan of her body, starting at the bottom and heading up. The dress she wore suited her features well, as if it had been designed just for her and her alone, the necklace was simply radiating against her skin. However, it was as always the eyes that enticed him the most; those dark brown orbs were strikingly brilliant, and beheld his gaze for a moment.

He was no fool though, he didn't believe in love at first sight, but he found it difficult to suppress that particular thought. Looks don't always belie the inner workings of a person he told himself. He had learned that all to well in his fifth year, his heart having been broken, temporarily. Not taking his eyes off of Angela, he placed his butterbeer on the table next to him, and made his way to her. He weaved in and out the way of dancing couples who were nothing but bigger and slower versions of bludgers that couldn't stop him from getting to the goal he would take his shot at, Angela.

Stopping in front of her, he flashed her his most charming of smiles. Up close her beauty was increased tenfold, causing her to seem like the treasure so brilliant that you have to shield your eyes from it's great riches. He didn't utter a word as he took her hand, bowed and kissed it. He then glanced up at her and said, " Hello there milady, I am Julius Lionheart, and I was wondering if I could have the honor of having the most breathtaking beauty here keep me company for the evening?", his alluring accent highly noticeable.

[Angela Merciano S7]

Angela was not at all surprised when she received the look that was a mixture of shock and awe coming from the Gryffindor boy across the room. Angela was beautiful and she knew this. She also knew how to get what she wanted. She didn’t come from a family of criminal geniuses for nothing. Why, even her mother was the master persuader. She had the uncanny ability to charm the pants off of anyone she pleased. She needed this skill after all if she was going to be sneaking around the toes of every border patrol in Europe with stolen money. She’d only been caught a few times in the fifteen years she’d been on the job and even then she managed to get out unscathed. This was the kind of future Angela dreamed for herself. She wanted to be brilliant, and it all started here. Right now though, Angela was going to have a bit of fun with her youth before she put herself in that kind of danger she knew was coming the moment she graduated. But she welcomed this danger. In fact, she couldn’t wait to face it. Until then, it was time for the closeted hopeless romantic to come out and play. Angela’s grandfather and father had already picked out a future husband for Angela, but she didn’t exactly agree with their choice. She’d dated Emilio on and off for years since meeting him, but now she was finally sure that ex-Slytherin creep wasn’t the man for her. He was too rough and tough, not the fine tuned gentleman that Angela secretly dreamed about. Angela knew she deserved better than that.

She surveyed the older Gryffindor with a smile upon her face that was almost a confident smirk. He was very good looking indeed, with electrifying eyes and a very rouged but somehow still clean cut face. Of course, the matter of his race had to come into question. Angela didn’t like to talk about it, but unless this guy had any Spanish or Italian blood in him, Angela wouldn’t dare spend more than a night with him. It wasn’t her opinion frankly; it was her family who decided the rules of the Cavalieri. Angela had always thought that as long as the guy held no interest in joining the other side, there was no danger in having him join her. But her grandfather was a very strong believer in tradition. He would not stand for Angela getting involved with someone of English heritage and there was no way Angela was going to displease him. However, she knew there was no harm in spending just one evening with the boy as a girl had to have her fun. Her family would surely understand that. So, without any other thoughts she stepped forward and allowed him to kiss her hand.

Dios mio this boy knows how to charm a lady. He said I was a breathtaking beauty. Such a fine choice of words. I knew I would do well tonight. And he can play a mean Quidditch game as well. He looks Italian, right? Kinda? Angela couldn’t fool herself. This gift would have to be a temporary one. Angela didn’t let her confident smile fade into the look of discourage that was going through her mind at this moment. Instead, she simply accepted the kiss he placed on her hand and spoke in her accented silky smooth tone. Angela was known to have quite the temper at times, but what most didn’t know was how charming and sociable she could be when she wanted to be. Angela Merciano was not the golden child of the Merciano clan for nothing. Her grandfather had always said Angela would grow to do great things and she didn’t doubt it. “Angela Merciano, kind sir. Very nice to meet you, and of course it will be my honor to join you this evening. Shall we take a spot on the dance floor?” Angela spoke in her most proper voice. Most would find it rather cheesy that their meeting had gone in such a way, but Angela found it very romantic to say the least.

Translation:

dios mio: My God

[Julius Lionheart]

Julius knew the kiss of the hand and the bow would seem, to most people, cheesy. He didn't care though, if he happened to look like one of those chivalrous characters in plays, it only meant he was doing everything right. His father had raised him to be an gentlemen, even if he only portrayed one when he saw fit. This though had definitely been one time that he had need to be the gentleman that he partially was. After all, his hopes of her accepting his request all rested on Angela's view on his actions.

At the glance up, his eyes had locked on hers. He thought that maybe he detected an inner turmoil, but after another second he was unsure he had even noticed it. Her reply to his request sent his inner self bouncing off of walls for the sheer joy that her presence seemed to have awakened in him. Her voice alone had snared him into her charms and wiles. All worries disappeared as she had asked whether he would care to dance. He would get to possibly hold her close, what could make that any better? He was almost convinced that he was actually dreaming, and that she was simply a dream to be had once and not again.

The band began to strike up an slow tempo song, which was good for him. Smiled at her, he offered his hand. " I would love to dance with you." he replied. He was no expert dancer, but he had taken lessons last summer, and had been able to memorize each dance on his first try. The beat was easy to go to, and he had no doubt he could perform out there quite spectacularly.

[Angela Merciano S7]

Angela had almost forgotten how very vulnerable she tended to be when placed in these situations. Her mother used to warn her about this often obviously, since she was the only one who ever really knew about Angela Merciano’s one true weakness. People always said that love was blind, and Angela couldn’t agree with this statement more. Although she couldn’t exactly call this Valentine’s Day Dance with this Gryffindor love per se, because that was the farthest thing from what Angela was actually feeling. Angela couldn’t love. She’d already tried this with Emilio, but other than that temporary moment in time where she actually fell for his empty words, she had never loved him. Everyone who knew Angela well and even those who barely knew her at all called her the “Ice Queen” or “the cold heartless witch”. She didn’t particularly like these titles, but she couldn’t really disagree with them either. She was far too driven by rage and vengeful wrath to ever really be capable of such emotions as love. All of this was a temporary fix for her; just something to keep her interested and content for her teenage years.

Angela wasn’t too much of a strong believer in marriage, but she knew it was just one of her many responsibilities as a Merciano daughter and as a future Cavalieri member. Just the idea of marrying simply for the sake of reproducing sounded absolutely primitive, but it needed to be done. Angela would be perfectly content with ruling the Cavalieri when it was her time with as many children as she pleased—she just wished it could be with someone she actually loved and cared about rather than a young boy of good heritage that her grandfather picked out for her. And of course, once a husband was picked out for her, it was likely that he would get most of the power. But of course, Angela would never let this happen. She would find someone on her own that pleased her family, but she’d make sure that she’d rule on her own. It was time for the women to step up and take initiative in the Cavalieri, and in the coming years, Angela would see to it that this happened. And of course, somewhere throughout those plans she’d make sure to include the painful and miserable death of every single Entourage member she came in contact with. She’d get them all.


Angela was somewhat glad her thoughts were beginning to fill with her ambitions for the future. A side of her was quite thankful for that temporary dark look on her face. She could feel her eyes darkening as she pictured the demise of the Hemingways for the hundredth time in her head. She couldn’t fool herself with romance and love. Her family and her blood would always come first—this was important. However, until this could happen she’d have to sit back and have fun while she still could. If there was ever a time to enjoy one’s life, it was during their time at Hogwarts. She’d been told this by practically every member of her family. They all said that while one was a child, it was important to have a good time and really get the feel of how life is. Of course, you had to stay focused on the goal the entire time, but it was much easier living life as a future Cavalieri than an actual one. This was something she had also been told countless times, but it wasn’t about to get in the way of Angela’s plans. She still wanted to be a part of “The Family” more than anything else in the world.

Angela tried to rid her mind of the enticing images of the Hemingway’s demise and focus on having a good time with this Gryffindor boy at the dance. She smiled up at the boy who was just a few inches taller than her as he led her onto the dance floor. A very slow song was playing, which suited Angela fine. She would have preferred something a bit more upbeat and fun to dance to, but this was fine for a sort of warm-up. Plus it gave her a chance to talk with her new friend a bit to find out what he was all about. Perhaps Angela would luck out and this guy could actually be acceptable for her family. It was part of Angela’s duty to scout out possibilities for the Cavalieri’s future members. Of course she had to do this subtly as no one was supposed to have anything more than suspicions about the truth, but it had to be done. It would be quite wonderful if Julius checked out, but if he didn’t than that was fine as well. Angela danced, allowing Julius to hold her closely—after all, it was a slow dance and those needed to be danced the correct way. She didn’t mind much that Julius happened to be a Gryffindor, it was much more his heritage that bugged her the most.

Normally, people would be staring in shock at the sight of a Gryffindor and a Slytherin together, but the school knew Angela by now. She was quite well-known for her attitude, and everyone pretty much knew better than to stare. The students at Hogwarts didn’t know much about the Merciano and Hemingway families, but most held the belief that those two families were not to be crossed. Due to the tragic incident when Angela’s ex-boyfriend and Slytherin graduate Emilio Ramirez killed a professor during the last few days of his seventh year, the family had to work very hard to cover his tracks. Of course, this was a bit hard considering his entire class saw the argument between them just before the woman’s death. Ever since then, most people stayed away from the Mercianos in fear of pissing them off. But Angela could be pleasant—especially to the male population. She gazed up at her new date and smiled. “So tell me about yourself. Other than your wonderful Quidditch skills of course. Where are you from?” She asked pleasantly.


((Sorry this took so long and if its longer than what you're used to. My next one will be better...promise. ))

[Julius Lionheart]

Julius had to remind himself that he easily let his romantic nature take over when he was with a good looking girl. It was often a good thing, but he was never wary when this side of him took over, still it was fun. The last time he had let this romance devil of his take over, he ended up heart broken. He didn't want that to ever feel that again, but the old saying of 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' always popped into his cerebrum, so that it was easier for him to be around and flirt now.

Looking around, he could see that some of the people near them showed signs of surprise at seeing an Gryffindor and Slytherin dancing together, but hid it rather quickly. He saw that they tened to change the looks on their faces when Angela would catch sight of them, was she that menacing to them? Going beyond that, he wondered what was so stranger about the pairing, he wondered. They didn't look at Julian and Cassandra in that way, but he didn't care, as long as he got to dance with Angela, he was content to be the cause of whispered rumours and shaking heads.

The slow tempo of the song was easy enough, so Julius felt that he could test out his abilities with a minimal chance of screwing up. Hearing the question put forth by his beautiful dance partner, he thought on it for a second. Where exactly was he from, London? If one really wanted to know where he was from, he would have to really say both America and the UK, due to how his mothers heritage impacted his own persona greatly. His accent made him sound as if he came from Austrailia, but that was the from the combination of his two parents accents. Smiling, he looked downwards at her specatacular face he replied, " I am from England, but I guess you could say that I'm also from the States. My father is from somewhere in northern England, but my mother is from the States, so I'm a mixture of the two."

Beyond that, he didn't really know much. He knew that his mother was born in the states, but he knew that his grandfather had come from Spain. His father was english through and through, anyone could see that. It was odd, he thought, for it took a question from somebody else to cause him to wonder about his own families origins. Maybe tomorrow he would send an owl to his parents asking about his family history, but tonight he would devote to Angela. He decided now would be the time to at least try a dance move he had learned, and twirled her around like they did in the dance scenes of the old romance movies. Coming back to close holding once again.

Try as he might, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He was having fun and he could never contain outward signs of it when he was. Looking into her eyes, he asked her the very question she had asked him, " Now, may I ask, where are you from?" He knew she was Italian or Spanish, which was evident from her accent and her looks, but one never knew where someone trully came from until they asked.


(( Don't worry, all is good. I'll hold you to that promise though. ))

[Angela Merciano S7]

Angela didn’t bother scowling at the many onlookers who were eyeing Angela and Julius cautiously. They meant nothing to her. Most of them wouldn’t even amount to anything in the future anyway. They were mere pawns that she had to deal with on the way to becoming a Queen. She wanted to rule her family and these silly adolescents would not bother her. She looked back up at her dance partner, awaiting a response. Julius seemed to have also noticed the attention they managed to steal from the room, only he didn’t seem too sure as to why they were so interesting to the many party guests. Angela knew exactly why though. Some of the students had suspicions as to what was going on with the Merciano family, though no one really talked about it much anymore. This gossip was old news. But of course, this didn’t stop the students from wondering how Julius Lionheart--the typical Gryffindor seventh year fit into the mysterious puzzle that the Merciano family was a part of.


Angela couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed when he confirmed her deductions about his heritage. He was a British boy--the enemy. Well, Angela knew this boy had nothing to do with the Hemingways or the Entourage, but just the matter of his simple descent made him someone that Angela simply wasn’t allowed to get close to. This was the unspoken law of the Cavalieri. In a few years, Angela would be bound by the Unbreakable Vow to follow these “unspoken rules”. Despite the restrictions this gave her, Angela couldn’t wait for the day to become a part of this Merciano tradition. Angela was a sixth year now so it wouldn’t be long before she was an adult and she’d be out of Hogwarts and in the real world with her family--where she belonged.

Angela tried not to show the displeasure she felt when he told her he was a British boy. It was simple, really. Angela was an expert at being pleasant to those who deserved and demanded it. She was very political and polite with any Cavalieri member or their children. It was all about who she was talking to. If Angela had come with a date tonight, she wouldn’t even give this Gryffindor a second glance. The only reason Angela was giving him any attention at all was because she knew he was a pureblood and he was an outstanding Quidditch player. “Well that’s interesting. As for myself; I’m an even mix of Italian and Spanish. My father is from Italy and my mother from Spain. Though my extended family is a bit more diverse. There’s definitely no British in me though.” She said pleasantly. This was quite true indeed.

Though there were many members of the Cavalieri that came from many parts of the Caribbean and Latin America, there was not one member in the Cavalieri gang or the Merciano family that had any sort of connection with the United Kingdom. Angela’s grandfather and the Cavalieri’s Unbreakable Vow made sure of that. She continued to dance, wondering when something more interesting would be played. Angela wanted to dance and party. The waltz that was playing now was classy and elegant, but it didn’t hold her interest for long. Of course, none of these emotions came anywhere near Angela’s expression. A pleasant smile remained on her face for the entire time she was thinking. “You know, you really are a remarkable Quidditch player, Mr. Lionheart. I play Quidditch myself actually…if only you were a Slytherin. You’d make a wonderful asset to the team.” She said charmingly in her elegant accent.