Celebrate life ((Nasser))

[darien]

Dare danced with the young second year while laughing loudly. Sure the girl wasn’t much of a dancer but at least she was light enough so it didn’t hurt if she stepped on his toes which she did rather constantly. Laughing and assuring the girl that it was nothing to worry about that she stepped on her toes Dare helped her stay in balance through the ending whirl of the make-shift dance they shared in the middle of the common room. With laughter still dancing in his eyes Dare bowed and gave the little girl a quick friendly hug in a way of thanking her for the fun time. Dare smiled and laughed and winked as he teased and tried to make the group of girls and the small girls friends laugh in which he did succeed without too much trouble. A light touch, respecting distance and a wide smile his grandfather has always said. He had told Dare how he would one day meet a girl who would have none of his antics and therefore would be the right woman to marry. But until that time it was almost a duty to cheer all the amazing women of all ages in the world to the best of his abilities. And Dare tried to live by these words.

Excusing himself finally form the others Dare moved to the stairs leading to dormitories and hurried up of them hopping over steps easily once gain whistling the tune of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady”. The song was amazing. It had all the right words and a nice rhythm. What more could you ask?
“Foxy
I wanna take you home
I won’t do you no harm, no
You’ve got to be all mine, all mine
Ooh, foxy lady,” Dare sang out loudly as he slammed the door to his own dormitory open already pulling off the Gryffindor tie that was still hanging loosely around his neck even though he had changed out of the Hogwarts uniform a long ago preferring his regular outfit of nicely worn-in jeans and a white shirt with it’s buttons partially undone. But Dare liked the tie. Not when it was knotted up tightly around your throat. No, then it made one feel like suffocating. But when it was around your neck without any tie – then it was great.

“Nasser, old chap, what are you doing here?” Dare asked with a cheery grin as he greeted his dorm-mate. Sure, they were both the same age, but by the way they acted strangers could rather guess that Nasser was older than Dare himself was. “Ooh, foxy lady,” Dare sang out again flinging his tie towards the general direction of his bed watching as it landed on his trunk instead. Shrugging and not really caring as long as the tie wasn’t on the floor Dare spread his arms and twirled once.
“What on earth are you moping in the dormitory for while there are dozens of gorgeous ladies tall and short, blonds and brunettes and even an occasional red-head down in the common room who want company and deserve all the bits of attention you can share, while they reward you for your efforts with a heart-stealing smile?” Dare asked with a shake of his head as he ended his twirl with his back towards Nasser’s bed. Letting himself drop back-wards Dare bounced on the bed twice while laughing towards Nasser, “Really, I like the dormitory, it’s great for sleeping, but that’s exactly what it’s purpose is. TO SLEEP! So why stay cooped up here at other times, especially since it gets boring here without no company what so ever. When will you come with me to Hogsmeade one evening so you can just relax and let everything go for a while as you experience life. If not when you're young, then when will you celebrate life?”

[Nasser Salah G6]

It was Friday. After classes that day, Nasser had been to the library to return some books and borrow some others and had just been making his way up to the common room when he'd seen Lavendar running down one of the corridors with tears down her face and towards the girls' bathroom. He called after her but she didn’t stop and he stood there for a few moments, stunned. He couldn’t get that image out of his head, couldn’t get the look on her face to fade away, couldn’t stop wishing he'd been a little quicker so he could follow her and comfort her. But what would he have said? Nasser had no idea. Still that didn’t stop him from wishing he had been there for her. He suddenly didn’t feel like going to the common room and instead made his way to his dormitory and lay down on his bed without taking off his robes. He pulled the covers up to his chin. He wasn't even remotely sleepy. He stared up at the ceiling, his glasses askew, his mind traveling from one morbid topic to another, always coming back to the same point – that sad look on her face. What if had been Dana who was kidnapped? Or Cass? Or any of his other friends?

How long he lay there he didn’t know. But suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a voice he knew quite well, singing a song Nasser had come to know quite well too. What on earth was Dare doing up here? Nasser toyed with the idea of feigning sleep but Dare was there before he could get into a sleeping position, and as soon as he saw Nasser he stopped singing and plunged into a long speech about Nasser needing to enjoy life more. Nasser sighed. Did he have to jump on his bed? Dare already had his attention. Well, there was no hope of Dare leaving him in peace so he might as well get up. In an attempt to energise himself threw his legs forward and arched his back and narrowly avoided hitting his head on the top bunk as he stood up.

"So many accusations," he said rubbing his eyes and looking at Dare. "Give me a chance to defend myself, will you?" he said, pulling out a pair of jeans, a white shirt, black sweater and red scarf from the wardrobe he shared with his fellow dorm mates. Nasser talked to Dare as he changed. He pulled his robe off, then undid his tie and placed them on a shelf after folding his robe. "I don’t stay in the dormitory all the time. I mean not this year I don't, and I was thinking not moping," he told Dare. Nasser had gone through a phase last year when he'd been shielding himself from everyone after he and Perseus and Sethia had stopped being friends – and he'd certainly done some moping during that time – but he hadn’t moped since then. "I just needed some time alone to think, which is not something I think you'd understand Dare," said Nasser. "You consider a moment not spent in the company of a lady to be a moment wasted," he continued.

Nasser pulled off his trousers and slipped on his shirt. "Just because I'm not a skirt chaser and have a string of girlfriends like certain people doesn't mean I'm not interested in the female population at Hogwarts. Not that you improve my prospects by referring to me as "old chap" all the time, Dare," said Nasser. Nasser didn’t mind Dare calling him that at all and Dare knew that – he often wondered when exactly it had happened though – funny how he couldn’t remember that at all. "I just don't think every female is worth the effort, and while a heart-stealing smile is quite a reward, I'm not prepared to go to the lengths you go to for just that," he said, feeling better already as he smiled at Dare. His energy was quite infectious. He pulled on the jeans and sweater and then tied the scarf around his neck. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, seeing Dare's reflection as well and found himself thinking about how different they were.

It was fun being around Dare. Sure he said and did the silliest things, and rather enforced the image that Gryffindors were reckless and rash, but Nasser was used to him by now, and accepted him and liked him for who he was, which wasn't an easy thing for the fifth year who tended to see the worst in people too clearly. But while he knew there was quite some room for improvement in Dare's character he also saw the positive side of his friend's personality. Nasser could do with taking a page out of Dare's book when it came to relaxing and "celebrating life" as he put it. It's not like he'd been helping anyone by sitting here and worrying, maybe he should relax right now and perhaps look for Lavendar tomorrow or tell any of his Gryffindor female friends to try and comfort her.

"Next weekend, that's when. I was just busy the last few weekends, Quidditch, and you know, we're in our OWL year, remember?" Dare was right though, Nasser hadn't been to Hogsmeade in a while. Nasser had just finished brushing his hair and he turned around to face Dare, leaning against their dresser and crossing his legs at the ankle. "And anyway what are you doing here yourself, Dare? There is nothing remotely feminine within at least a 5 metre radius I should say," he said with a lop-sided grin.

[darien]

Dare waved his hand carelessly towards Nasser, brushing his words aside. “Not accusations, I’m just pointing out mere facts. And well, don’t think that much, old pal, because there doesn’t appear to be much difference between your thinking and moping. I know frowning gives exercise to more muscles than smiling does, but don’t you get enough exercise at is from quidditch?” Dare smiled at Nasser calm. He didn’t know what serious thinking was? Perhaps that was the case. He preferred to look at the bright side of life and smell the roses and all other flowers as well to tell the truth. But that didn’t mean he didn’t know the darker side of life either. He was from a pureblooded family, so naturally his family and close family as a matter of fact had suffered from the hands of Death Eaters. Just because he didn’t share the knowledge with just anyone and rather kept the spirits up to his best of abilities, someone had to after all and not too many others appear to be making an effort, didn’t mean all his life had always been floating on clouds and smelling flowers.

“Shameful. Those people who keep up a string of girlfriends and toy with feelings are no good,” Dare agreed with Nasser with a wide grin, “However as I did notice a hint of our old friend Sarcasm inside your words, let me point out yet again that I am yet to have even one girlfriend.” Dare flirted and flirted with everyone. Looks, family, character –none of that mattered more than helping Dare decide from which angle to start flirting. But he made sure his flirting never became any more serious.
“Oooooh, not everyone is worth the effort? Why then, oh one blessed with heavenly wisdom, which woman or girl is worth giving your everything for? Which girl is good enough for you to lower yourself to her level and actually smile and talk with her?” Dare asked with a small frown and a shake of his head. All girls were wonderful in their own way. How could they not be? And Dare refused to believe anything else. How could anyone believe anything else when looking at the sunny smile of a girl?

Sitting up Dare grinned and shrugged carelessly: “You are thinking again, Nasser-boy. It’s starting to become a habit of yours. I will get some Ravenclaw to tutor me. What could be more positive? Getting a pretty girl to make me smarter and preparing me for the exams while I get to enjoy a gorgeous view at the same time? You should really try my tactic as well as I am the one with a hot date today, not you. Here, I’ll even let you practice.”
Dare upturned the legs of his pants to his knees grabbing a sweater from his bed and tying it around his waist in a make-shift skirt. Grabbing a dry white towel from the bathroom Dare tied it around his hair in an attempt to look more girly and hide his short-cropped hair as he walked over to Nasser’s bed once again exaggeratingly swinging his hips walked back to Nasser’s bed on his tiptoes hoping that hte ends of the towel looked like ensnaring waves of hair. Carefully seating himself on the edge of the bed Dare fluttered his eye-lashes towards Nasser speaking with a high falsetto: “Why hello there, mr.Salah. Dear me, where have you been hiding all this time? Come talk with me.” Dare patted the blanket next to him fluttering his eyelashes and giggling into his palm to accentuate his point.

[Nasser Salah G6]

"My mistake, Dare, string of potential girlfriends I should have said. I'm sorry but I just don’t see myself enjoying just – fooling around if you don’t mind me calling it that. I mean I'm happy that you’re happy with that and yes a lot of the girls I see you with are certainly very interesting people though sometimes I wonder whether you really get to know any of them or back off just when things get too serious for your liking. And anyway I wouldn’t know how to do the funny things you do or flirt quite as outrageously as you do Dare," said Nasser with a grin. Dare's nickname fit him perfectly – Nasser couldn’t imagine half the things he did to get girls' attention let alone actually do them. "And I haven’t found her yet mate. And yes, you’re right, I haven't been trying hard enough, but that doesn’t mean I'm not looking," he continued with a shrug.

Nasser paused for a minute wondering if he should tell Dare how he felt or if it would just be a waste of his breath. He decided he would tell him even if he didn't understand because they were friends and even if they didn’t think the same way it was important that each of them knew why the other acted the way he did. Nasser certainly liked to know what was going on in Dare's head – especially if he needed a laugh; Dare's ideas and schemes were both creative and funny. "Do you know what they say about true love, Dare? It's about being with a person that makes you suddenly feel like there's only you and her in the world, that the both of you perfectly understand each other and that you were made for each other. It's about feeling so intensely you didn’t know you had it in you, and in a way you feel a little sad because you know that even if you have years and years together when that person goes away you still won't have had enough time with them. That's what I want, Dare, I don’t want something that looks like it. Call me romantic, but I'm not going to settle for less," said Nasser. Nasser was just about to turn sixteen but unlike a lot of others who were his age he wasn't looking to date just for the sake of experimentation or because everyone else was doing it. He had a secret desire to be with someone he imagined would understand him completely, a girl who'd admire and respect him and make him feel special, and that was what he was willing to give in return should she be out there. "Yeah, that's exactly the kind of girl I was looking for all my life. Be careful Dare, I might jump on you," said Nasser giving him a mischievous look. "Next weekend I'll go to Hogsmeade and I'll find a real girl, OK?" said Nasser. Or at least I'll try to.

[darien]

((*giggles*I like this thread. I have to found a way how Dare will handle himself around other guys. And he needs a friend. Especially next year considering what's in store for him. Why, even Izy is feeling sorry for him and she doesn't even like him! Ah well, don't take Dare very seriously. He doesn't take himself all that seriously, so don't get spooked any more. especially not so as both Nokomis and Izy kept telling me not to harm NAsser in any way.))


Dare accepted Nasser’s correction of his words with a generous nod. Dragging the make-shift veil away from her face Dare let himself drop on his back and crossed his arms under his head while making himself comfortable not at all bothered by the fact he was occupying Nasser’s bed. “Potential girlfriends – yes. But no for me. You know, when I was a small kid my father told me to be a bachelor boy until my wedding day. So at the ripe age of 8 when I fell hopelessly, in a reach for the stars over the fences way, head over heels in love to the sweetest girl ever I remembered my fathers words, gave her a door-knob to remember me by and left her. I was heartbroken, but I stayed a bachelor boy like my father told me. And I will stay a bachelor boy until I meet a girl and fall in lone, then get married, have late wine and children and they’ll be my eternal love.” Dare closed her eyes and sighed: “Marlene had the most beautiful eyes the colour of the slimiest mud and she had the newest red broom. After I broke up with her she didn’t let me fly that broom anymore. I was depressed for four whole months until my birthday came up and I got the same broom only blue version. That helped me get over my heart-break.”

Dare listened to Nasser’s words. And sighed as he opened one of his eyes and twisted around until he could see Nasser. “You just had to use the one argument I can’t make fun of, right? Yes, I understand what you mean. We all search for that other half of our heart, but why sulk until we find her? If we never go out, never have fun, then how can we find them and recognize them? Maybe your girl is out there laughing and dancing with friends right now? If you go out there too, you will find her quicker and get one more moment with her you can hold dear in your heart.”
Dare grinned suddenly and shook his head as he pulled himself to sit up again: “Yes, I am glad to hear you’ll come to Hogsmeade and find a real girl. Especially if you are already desperate enough to want to jump on me. But if a really foxy girl smiles at you or even gives you a peck on your cheek, don’t flee screaming on top of your lungs, alright? Very unbecoming from a girl’s point of view as well I'm sure. And I don’t want to help pick up the shards of a heart you broke. But don’t expect real love to fall into your arms from the moment you set foot into town either. It doesn’t really rain women outside the dormitory either.”

Dare peered at Nasser thoughtfully moving his head form side to side as if trying to see Nasser from all angles. “True, you are a romantic. But there’s charm to candle-lit dinners and dancing over the Hogwarts lake or in the quidditch stadium as well. But I suppose I would rather see you with a good girl. But then again that has it’s downsides as well. If you walk down a good girl in the night to make sure no thugs attack her and give her a good night kiss, then she just might tell her mother like a good girl should. And then suddenly you have an angry father with a rifle-gun on your door-step demanding you follow her daughter down the church isles too and that even before you get to ask the girl yourself. And take it from an older brother – you will be in a lot more danger if that good girl happens to have an older brother. I would slaughter anyone who would take a good-night kiss form my little sister that way.” Dare grinned to take off the edge of his words, even if his eyes held a moment of seriousness in them. He was protective of his little guardian angel. And his older protection angel too. Dare would hate to see either of his two sister in the arms of some man. Who would be good enough for them?

Dare let himself drop back on his back as he chuckled with some amusement patting his stomach that was rumbling a bit: “Be a good lad and throw me a chocolate-bar from the top of my bed-side table, will you? Ah, but this is the trick with girls. We may dream of our favourite girl and we just keep wondering if there is an other pair of arms hating to let her go becuase we haven't found her yet? A smile from someone else that will set her eyes aglow? We wonder, yet we never really want to know the truth either. But, my little romantic, if you have such a clear view on your dream girl can you also tell me the colour of her eyes? So that I could send her your way should I ever happen to notice the kind of girl you spoke of. Or perhaps tell me where and when your wedding will be held? I would like to be prepared if I have to go shopping for wedding presents. I do expect an invitation. Who knows, maybe I'll find the other half of my heart at your wedding?” Dare bounded to his feet happily and waded over to his bed-side table himself as he had a vase with flowers there as always. It might seem girly for some guys but Dare didn’t mind. The flowers were there for a purpose. Picking out a small and light bloom Dare hopped over to Nasser and set to work at pinning the flower to his chest: “Never underestimate the power of flowers, old chap, my grandfather used to tell me all the time. Good flowers, good wine, good armchairs and good women are all hard to come by.”

[Nasser Salah G6]

It was a mark of how strong their friendship was and how much Nasser valued it that he didn’t burst out laughing after Dare told his first story. “Dare, you were eight. And I’m not saying I’m looking for the girl I will eventually want to marry – I’m just saying I’m looking for something meaningful, and that I’m ready to stay in a relationship that lasts long enough for the question “Are we in love?” to crop up. I’ve liked girls since I was in the first grade, and I’ve fantasized about them and thought I was in love. But now I’m almost sixteen I know those were just major crushes. I mean, at one point I really liked a girl at Hogwarts and when I went back home for the summer I liked another girl all summer. And guess what, I never said much to the one at Hogwarts, and the one back home just thought we were friends. And next year I moved on to other girls, and yes, I did think one word from one of them made the sky bluer and the grass greener and the whole day brighter. But I’m over that. I want something real and meaningful and I believe it’s out there – maybe in Hogsmeade,” he said with a grin. “And it can take as long as it does, but you can’t convince me to look for something I’m not interested in finding,” he said, stressing his point.

“Dare, fathers and brothers know their daughters and sisters are dating, uncomfortable as they are with the idea they eventually come to accept it. And you know I can worry about crossing that bridge when I come to it. When I become important enough to be mentioned to her mother I’ll worry about the rest of the family, along with goodnight kisses.” Nasser summoned the chocolate and then made it zoom across the room so it was an inch away from Dare’s chest. “I have no idea what the colour of her eyes are going to be Dare – and you’re already thinking about my wedding? Of course you’ll be invited, not so sure about finding the other half of your heart there though mate. Not that I have any idea what the other half of your heart will be like.” Nasser looked down at the flower. “Wise man, your grandfather. And I won't underestimate his words. Now can we do something more productive than discuss the imaginary girl who I’m going to have an imaginary relationship with?” he said, standing at the door of the dormitory.

[darien]

Dare turned and glared at Nasser at his words. “Yes, I was eight. But some of us are sensitive you know! It left a remaining scar in my soul and one that I can never forget! Don’t discard my painful past experience that easily. They were what have turned me into the person who I am today.” Dare was quiet as he listened to Nasser speak. Or rather let Nasser speak because he talked himself further into that hole he had dug for himself in this conversations. Besides it allowed Dare an interesting insight to his friends head. Sometimes Dare really didn’t understand how it stayed on Nasser’s shoulders and operated but Nasser was a friend so Dare was willing to look past it and just accept that his friend had a couple of loose brain cells floating around in his head when he couldn’t understand even the simplest things about girls. Not that Dare was really an expert either as who could fully understand the mysterious workings of the secrets hidden behind the pretty eyes of a girl? But Dare loved the chase and the veil those secrets wrapped themselves in.

“You aren’t interested in finding a relationship? Then why have you been telling me for the past half an hour how you want to find the girl with who you could enjoy yourself with and maybe fall in love with? Maybe you should sort out what you really want, old chap, because you sound very confused to me.” Dare smiled at Nasser. He really did feel almost fatherly sometimes in the fifth year Gryffindor boys dorms. Nasser, Branden, Todd, Oz. They were all great guys in their own way but sometimes they could be so naïve about things. Not that Dare wasn’t but he did enjoy helping his friends out. “Since first grade? Wow, you’re ahead of me then. At that time I was oddly fascinated and horrified at the workings of a girl but at the same time I was very very much afraid of cooties they would give me if I didn’t run away from them fast enough. Maybe being exposed to girls at such a tender age has created some suppressed traumas in you. Is there anything you would wish to tell me about it?”

Dare laughed and shook his head accepting the chocolate and unwrapping it quickly. Biting into it Dare enjoyed the taste before glancing towards Nasser once more. “I never thought you to be a fool before. But evidently I was wrong. Love grows out of major crushes. Maybe you would have found your happiness with one of the girls. The one of summer back at home or the one with the one in here. Maybe you let the love of your life slip away from your grasp because you didn’t dare to tell a girl that you want to get to know her better? And do you feel better now? Have the girls found someone for themselves, someone between whose arms they would be happy? Don’t you feel any remorse seeing that the green could have stayed green if you had had the guts to tell the girl so that you would be the guy holding her now? The good girls will be taken away for good quickly if you don’t use the chance you are given and then you can blame only yourself. I really don’t understand the workings of your mind, old chap. Relationships are based on communication. See? Like now. We are talking and discussing freely. Friendship is a sort of a relationship too after all!” Dare motioned wit his hands between the two of them before walking over to Nasser who had stopped at the door of the dormitory. “Go and find that imaginary girl for you so that she wouldn’t be that imaginary anymore? We can go and serenade under her window. There’s an absolutely dishy Hufflepuff that has caught my eyes. Those doe eyes. So trusting yet at the same time holding such inner sadness. Cute as a button. Lead the way to adventure, oh brave Gryffindor.”