The Warmth of the Fire ((Damien))

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

The air was chilled and the wind whipped savagely across the grounds, as Fiona moved through the snow-dusted grounds. It was the first snow of the season and it was sure to be intense. The wind was so cold she could no longer feel her fingers, which were clutching tight to the strap on her book bag. Why did the greenhouses have to be outside the school? There should have been another way to get to them from inside. Having to walk out in this sort of weather was ridiculous to say the least. All she wanted was to be curled up next to the fire in the common room, drinking a warm bottle of Butterbeer. It sounded delightful. Unfortunately she had to get inside first. A strand of brilliant red hair flipped across her face and she quickly picked up her pace, coming to the doors that led into the warm castle. Though her fingers felt numb she managed to still grasp the door handle and slip inside, the wind howling it’s unease at her escape inside.

Fiona sighed to herself in reprieve before heading to the stairs that led down to the dungeons and then further still to the Slytherin dormitory. The path was lit with torches, making her feel more at ease in her surroundings. All that mattered to Fiona in those moments was getting to sit in front of the fire. She had the next block free from class and she was going to take advantage of it and if there were any younger students sitting in her chair when she got down to the common room she was going to blast them out of it, if her fingers were working properly by then at least. Pulling back the red hair that was still dangling in her face, she tucked it securely behind her ear. If there was something Fiona hated worse than Mudbloods it was the annoyed tickling of hair across her face.

As the secret door came up that would lead her to the common room, Fiona sighed again. Glancing around her quickly she made sure no eavesdropper was there to hear the password as she muttered it under her breath, immediately the wall began to slid in on itself, forming a passageway that led to the Slytherin dormitory. Smiling to herself she slipped through the arch and headed immediately to the large common room. The fire was blazing with a brilliant heat, warming the entire room as soon as she stepped in. Shrugging off her book bag she moved to take a seat near the fire, but not before pulling off her robe and folding it neatly on the arm of the chair. Settling into the chair she crossed one leg over the other, her skirt slipping up her thigh as she rubbed her hands together. Now this was the life. Sitting in front of the fire, without a care in the world…now if only she had some Butterbeer to go with it.

Distantly she heard the common room door slip open once more. The thought didn’t really register though as she stared into the fire, her mind a million miles away, somewhere between her father, the Chosen, and Kennedy. Even Cassandra Blackfire made an appearance every few minutes. She trusted Kennedy again…and now with Cassandra gone and more absorbed in her own life it made things easier…or at least it should have. Kennedy and her had just finally gotten back together again…after last year’s heartbreaking betrayal. Brushing a strand of hair back, Fiona sighed; her world had certainly changed in the last few years. So much had happened and yet she was still there at Hogwarts. It was her constant and she loved that about her sweet home away from home.

Fiona jumped slightly as a voice interrupted her thoughts and brought her back to the present. Her green/blue eyes flickered up to the familiar face as the corners of her lips turned up in a smile. "Hello Damien."

[Damien Lennox S7]

Snow. There was snow. On the ground, in the sky, just waiting to attack people and make them messy and cold and uncomfortable. Damien scowled out at the weather hatefully, safely protected from the elements by the panes of glass that comprised the window in the Ancient Runes classroom. Most of the time, Damien was pleasant enough, if more than a little self-indulgent. He flirted as he wanted, worked as he wanted, tormented his cousin as he wanted. Life was his to live; his parents had taught him that simply through their lenient negligence. There was something to be said for rarely hearing the word ‘no’ directed at him, Damien thought idly, automatically copying Carlin’s notes as her poised quill scratched out sentences in her stretched, curly handwriting. Girls always had such luxuriant handwriting, he mused thoughtfully. All stretched out and loopy and time-consuming. Girls thought that they had forever to make notes. Or maybe it was just the girls he knew well enough to recognise their handwriting at first glance. His mother and sister had that fancy writing too, though his mother’s was significantly spikier and rushed. Perhaps he should ask Carlin. His cousin would probably know; she always took notice of even the smallest details.

In a sudden flash of movement, Carlin’s nails pinched the skin on Damien’s arm as her right hand deftly slid a piece of parchment across to him. Scowling in pain – Carlin’s talons were bloody sharp – Damien flicked the parchment open with a sigh, exasperatedly wondering why they were acting like they were still in third year. Passing notes. Really? Exasperation turned into indignation as soon as his eyes scanned the writing however. Hmph. If Damien wanted to be vexed by the falling snow outside then he would be. He had a date later tonight, or as much of a date as an inevitable kissing session could be, and he didn’t want to be stuck trying to walk in the snow while the boy tried to come to terms with his sexuality. That was the only problem with boys. At least girls didn’t have that awful moment of mental struggle. How pathetic. Anyway, regardless of how irritating his straitlaced dates could be when he had the misfortune to pick people with actual morals, he was not sulking like a little child, no matter what Carlin’s note implied. Damien Lennox did not sulk. He brooded. In an adult-like way.

With restrained displeasure, Damien collected his quills, neglecting to snatch away the one still resting laxly between Carlin’s fingers, and left the classroom the very second that the professor dismissed the class. His cousin had a knack for catching him at the wrong moment with the wrong quip. It didn’t mean anything; they were family. Family was blood and blood would always be thicker than water. If it weren’t for the fact that Carlin had an enviable hour of playful seduction with a reticent Ravenclaw ahead of her then Damien would be strolling along with her to the student lounge instead of heading straight for the Slytherin common room. If Damien was a better person then maybe he would have told her that her temporary Ravenclaw boyfriend was the same boy that he would be meeting later that night instead of planning to taunt her with the knowledge at a later point. That, however, was a ridiculous thought unworthy of his time. He would never be a ‘nice’ person and Carlin would just laugh in puzzlement if he ever told her that they were sharing the same date for the night. It didn’t matter to either of them; the headstrong, arrogant Lennox cousins cared only for themselves and their family.

At least the common room was warm. Warm and very much free of the snow that littered the ground outside. Had Damien been a cat or a kneazle, he would have veritably purred with happiness. “Hey Fiona,” Damien greeted absent-mindedly, pausing for a moment before taking a step backwards to let his eyes linger on her skirt for a long, pointed moment. “Nice legs. Cross ‘em more for me?” It was always just teasing with Fiona, which was a shame when he considered it because the girl was both pretty and intelligent. Still, she was dating Kennedy and Damien would rather not be hexed in his sleep by either of the other two Slytherins so he took a seat in an armchair close to the fire instead of teasing Fiona further. It took a while, as Damien concentrated first on the delicious warmth of the fire more than conversation, but his head eventually turned back in Fiona’s direction, blue eyes lit brightly by the flickering flames. “Please tell me that you’re not one of the insane people who enjoy this type of weather. Not that I’m vain or anything,” Damien spared a half-smile for the blatant untruth that had just spilled from his mouth mockingly, “but the wind just messes up my hair. I don’t look good with messy hair.”

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

A smirk pulled at Fiona O’Reilly’s lips at Damien’s greeting. He surely was an interesting character. He hit on anything that was human…though there could certainly be a few other species of creature out there he would probably hit on as well. As long as it moved he felt it was okay to hit on it. It wasn’t any secret that Damien batted on both sides of the Quidditch pit. He and his cousin were known for their lack of…..innocence, if one could call it that. Fiona didn’t make any move to pull her skirt down. Damien was more than welcome to look if he felt the need to, look, but not touch. It was a rule he already knew. It wasn’t any secret that Fiona belonged to another and probably always would. There was hardly any separating of the two. It always just felt right, being with Kennedy. So even though Damien was handsome, suave, and of good standing Fiona couldn’t see past Kennedy. It was just fun and games with Damien…nothing that would move beyond the appropriate distance and conversation…well maybe not conversation, but one could always hope.

As Damien took a seat close to the fire like her own, Fiona simply turned her green/blue eyes back to the fire. It jumped and cracked in a soothing way, one that brought warmth, calm, and sleepiness to any who dared to meditate on it. It was a moment before she was drawn from the flames and back to reality as Damien began to speak. The soft laughter that rang out from her was clearly amused by his question. She was most certainly not one of those people, but Damien was certainly vain. She leaned forward a bit as if she were going to tell him a secret meant only for his ears. “Actually Damien you should try that messy hair look I hear the girls and boys go just crazy for it now. The new style they are saying,” Fiona said, her face completely serious as she spoke. So she couldn’t help herself. She loved playing with people, even though she knew Damien wouldn’t believe it…it was still all a game. Everything was a game. It was the Slytherin way of life. If they didn’t play their little games they wouldn’t be the kings and queens of Hogwarts.

Leaning back an amused smile playing at her lips she shrugged. “In answer to your original question, no. I am not a fan of this sort of weather. Give me the rain any day, snow and wind I could do without. I cannot say, though, that it’s because I do not look good with messy hair, cause let us face it…I look good no matter what,” Fiona said, her eyes finding Damien’s for a moment before returning to the fire. “Although it is nice to have a reason to sit beside the fire and forget about the world around you. Sometimes it is nice to get away…” Fiona trailed off for a few moments as her thoughts ran rapid. There were so many things she wanted to get away from. Life hadn’t always been kind to her and that scar would never heal. Breaking off from her musing she looked back at Damien and smirked. “I have to admit though that this would be much better if I had a cup of steamy cocoa. With about fifteen marshmallows all melting at the top of the liquid, add some coconut and white chocolate shavings and it would be perfect. But enough of that…tell me Damien who is the lucky victim tonight? I saw your cousin bouncing almost excitedly around the room this morning, which is usually the case when she’s got something planned. I can only imagine that if she’s got someone in mind you do as well.”

[Damien Lennox S7]

Ah. That was why Fiona was one of his favourite female Slytherins, especially of the Sixth Years. She didn’t even so much as bat an eyelash to hear him flirting with her, regardless of how serious or otherwise he may or may not be, and, to his knowledge, his shameless demonstrations of his sexuality didn’t overly bother her either. Damien was neither sensitive enough nor thoughtful enough to be troubled by what other people thought of him, but there was still a pleasant feeling that came with the idea of being accepted by some of the people he had to see every single day. Some of the people who had called themselves his friends had distanced themselves from him as soon as they could. They hadn’t been friends. With the evident exception of Carlin, Damien didn’t have friends anymore. Not really. He had acquaintances and people that he couldn’t quite classify, but not friends. Not real friends; the friends that people wanted because they could then cry on a shoulder or pour their poor little pitiful hearts out to someone who pretended to care. He didn’t need them. He had Carlin and himself and, sometimes, little Cyn. They, whether it was the two of them or all three, were fine by themselves; why complicate matters by adding in semi-permanent attachments to people who would eventually leave?

A small smirk graced Damien’s face as he mimicked Fiona by shifting forward, appearing almost mockingly eager to hear whatever undoubtedly wise nugget of information she had decided to gift him with. Hopefully it would not be a reminder that he was, in fact, most likely one of the vainest boys currently sorted into Slytherin, or perhaps in the whole of Hogwarts. He certainly did take enough care with his appearance for it to be true. “Darling,” Damien sighed in exaggerated disappointment before continuing his arrogant drawl, “I don’t need to adapt to the new trends to trick people into believing that I’m attractive. I have admirers aplenty, though their attention may not be devoted solely to my hair.” If not for the wicked curl of his lips, Damien’s expression may have passed for innocence as he leaned back in his seat comfortably. He didn’t have nearly enough time to spend on his hair anyway. There were too many boys and girls to corrupt, too much innocence to taint. Not that there was really much innocence left among the older students. Between Damien, Carlin and general adolescent curiousity amongst those with boyfriends or girlfriends, innocence had pretty much been stripped from anyone above fifth year. Far from feeling guilty at his part in that, Damien would be quite content to receive credit and acclaim for being such a helpful person to his fellow students. Teenagers had to learn and Damien, should he say so himself, was a fabulous tutor.

“You always look good,” Damien promised Fiona with a sly smile, temporarily ignoring every other part of her statement as he immediately targeted the most important issue. “No matter how ruffled your hair is, whether you have make-up on or not, whether you’re wearing a skirt or trousers...” Damien trailed off with a wolfish smirk, openly amused by both himself and Fiona. The girl had drifted off into her own world for a few moments, during which Damien observed her with avid and unabashed inquisitiveness, but she hadn’t even hinted that he should leave her to dwell within her own mind so he remained in his armchair with only the idle consideration of retreating tactfully. He never had been the most tactful person anyway. “Victim?” Damien’s eyebrows shot up incredulously as he glared at Fiona with playful offense. “My dates are not ‘victims’, Fiona O’Reilly, and I’ll kiss your boyfriend if you ever say so again. They enjoy every moment of a date with me; it’s probably being left alone afterwards that isn’t quite so pleasant. But yes, I do have a date tonight and Carlin has one this afternoon. My dear cousin, however, isn’t aware that both of us will be sharing the same boy. She gets him for the day while I have the pleasure of his company during the night. Or some of the night. He doesn’t look capable of holding my attention for longer than a few hours. Wait...” Lit with wicked delight, blue eyes rested on Fiona’s face sharply, disregarding the contest between cousins as easily as others brushed away a speck of dust. “Carlin bounces when she has a new conquest? Bounces? My cousin? Oh, that is priceless. I didn’t even know Carlin could bounce anymore.”