An Autumn Moon ((Ruby))

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer was tired of the day he had. After a failed Potions class with Professor Snape, a test in Charms that should have been easier than it was, and a slew of homework he had crammed into the entire day, he was ready to just take a walk in the cool air of the night. It was fall, and nearing the winter months, so the temperature around the castle had dropped drastically from the daytime hours. He loved this time of year, particularly because of the cold. Walks around the large, towering castle of the school they all called home seemed to sooth his rough days, and he had been having quite a few lately. Busyness had been taking its toll on him, and he wanted to just relax and find some friends to spend time with.

As he made his way past a few classrooms, and walked out the large doors to the courtyard, he couldn't help but notice the clear sky, and the massive open air around the top of Hogwarts castle. The stars were quite bright tonight, and the moon was full. A bad sign for some, while others found it soothing. Valmer thought about the things he had gone through that day, and how he just wished he could do some things differently. Not that I regret anything, of course, he thought to himself. No, he didn't regret his attitude with some people. He just wished that others would see things his way sometimes. It would help immensely.

Valmer took a seat in the middle of the second closest clearing from the doors he had just come through, and began to fiddle with his wand. It was a special one, his father had given it to him when he had gone off to Hogwarts for the first time. He began to think of some of the spells he had learned earlier in the day, and positioned the wand in order to start one, just to have a little fun. But before he was able to speak the spell, he heard a shuffle of feet nearby. He glanced up curiously to see who or what it was that was making the noise.

[Ruby Lehane]

Alone...Ruby was finally alone. It was a rare occasion for the paternal twin, whose brother was her only trusted companion. They usually spent every minute together of everyday. It was there way actually. Wynd was a great friend. I mean he was her brother...her younger brother by 23 minutes or something like that. But now...now she was alone. Wynd was off doing some sort of study thing. Ruby didn't want to go because she didn't care one way or the other on whether she passed Herbology. She hated the class and found it to be a complete waste of her time. Instead she had decided to take a walk around the castle. She wasn't quite sure where she was going, all she knew was that her feet were carrying her far away, far away from the laughter of the mud-blood's and half-breeds that seemed to take over the school. One day she'd fix that. One day she'd continue on with the Dark Lord's plans. And when that day came all would fear the Lehane twins and the wrath they would bring upon the world.

Feet skidded to a halt at the opening to the courtyard. She could see the full moon in the sky. It brightened everything outside, giving it a blue illumination. She wandered slowly out the archway, blue orbs straying to the dark sky. Stars blinked furiously in the far off distance and deep down she wished she could see them closer. To experience the universe and all it had to offer. After all she felt she had to rule it all, not just Earth and the damned muggles that put her mother in Azkaban, but also the planets in the Solar System and the stars and worlds beyond. One day she'd possess that power. The power to make all things bow to her. But those days would come in time, until then she was buying time. Waiting for the day her and her brother would command the world.

Soft footsteps shuffled toward a bench, blue orbs fixated on the sky above. She let her hand slide down her Slytherin robes and into her pocket, clutching the wand that had become to mean so much to her. It had been her mothers, before she had been taken away. The one that had killed those muggles that had attacked them. It was a crime really, how she was tried and sent to Azkaban without further investigation. She had only been protecting her. Her thoughts wandered off as her eyes fell back down to reality and landed not on the empty courtyard, or what she had thought was empty, but instead on a familiar face. Valmer Van Ruster sat on a bench not far from where she stood. Her feet shuffled toward him slowly. "Valmer I didn't expect to see you out here," Ruby said, pleasantries a many as she knew his lineage.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer hadn't glanced up for more than a second until he knew the blond hair and devious eyes of Ruby Lehane. She was in Slytherin as well, so they knew of each other. He hadn't had much time to get to know her over the past years, and he was glad that someone he knew had come out on a walk as well. He didn't need company, but it was appreciated at times.

"Ruby, it's as much of a surprise to see you as well," he replied to her expectation. "I've been coming out here quite a bit lately. I've found the courtyard to be quiet and a good place for me to reflect on the day's events. Today's have not been without their troubles, but it's always good to see a friend from the same house. Snape wasn't very gracious today in Potions, and things just went downhill from there."

Valmer happened to look down to her hand, as it was in her pocket, clutching her wand. "No need for wands out here, unless it gets much darker. I was just playing around with mine. I was going to practice a few of the spells I learned last week, but then you showed up. It's better to talk with a friend than play around with spells on your own. Isn't this your fifth year, just like me? It's crazy. I was just thinking about how long I've been here, and the things that have transpired over those years. So much has happened, yet everything has made me stronger. How about you? What brings you out here tonight?"

Valmer hoped secretly that Ruby would stay to talk with him for a bit, or that she would want to join him on a walk around the various courtyards. He hadn't been around many people in the past few weeks, just because of all the problems going on, and he longed for someone to talk with.

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby smiled at him, a rather inappropriate thought flitted through her mind for a second before she quickly let it pass. She gestured to the bench beside him before taking a seat, letting her left knee slide over her right as she pulled out her wand at his mention of it. She twirled it around between her fingers, loving the feel of the old wood pulse under her fingers, almost like it was alive. Maybe it was in a way. After all, the wand chose the wielder and her mother's wand had definitely chosen her after her mother had been taken away. It could have very well chosen her brother, but it didn't it chose her to wield it and she wasn't about to deny it. The whitish wood glinted in the moonlight as blue orbs turned from its glowing wood and back to Valmer beside her.

"Yeah, my wand...it's special. I have a hard time not studying it when I'm reflecting. Of course I'm sure I'm not the only one like that. We all have reasons to reflect over our wands. The mere power they can wield is amazing, which I'm sure you already know," Ruby said as she twirled the wand in her hand one last time before sliding it back into her robes. Blue orbs wandering back up to look at the sky above. "Fifth year...yeah. It's a wonder how fast the years can go by and yet slow in some way or another. I hate it really. I hate how slow things have gone in the last few years. I'd give anything to be out of Hogwarts making a name for myself, but that's impossible right now. I have to wait...to stay in this stupid school until I graduate, but when that happens I'll be sure to make sure my name is..." The words trailed off as a sigh escaped her lips. She had gotten carried away in the last few minutes, in her need to talk.

"Believe it or not I was actually hoping to get some time alone. It's hard you know, having a twin. We tend to spend too much time alone and not get our proper alone time. But I definitely don't mind sitting out here and chatting. It's a nice change from my brother. He's always talking about some thing or another that I really don't care to hear about. I'd probably still be walking around the castle if the moon hadn't caught my attention. There's just something about a full moon on an autumn night. Definitely a beautiful thing," she says before letting a smile cross her lips. She looked down at the ground for a minute before continuing. "Guess I'm just chatting my mouth off now aren't I? Guess I needed someone to talk to after all."

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer was pleasantly surprised at Ruby's friendly aura, especially when they hadn't spent much time together in the past. He was also pleased to hear her talk about her wand, and how it was her mother's. "That's fantastic," he replied. Holding out his wand for her to see it close to her, he said,"You know, this wand was my father's, too. He gave it to me when I first came here to Hogwarts. I agree with what they say, that the wand picks it's wielder, and my father was the man for this wand. But over the past few years I've been able to perfect using it. It makes me feel more and more like my father each time I use it."

Valmer listened intently as she explained about how she hated being here at school. "I understand how this place can get to be a bit draining. It's hard to imagine it's been so long since we both started here. There are many people I wish I had had the chance to get to know better over those years, and you have been one of them. I guess better late than never, huh?" he chuckled, hoping Ruby would see the joke and find the small amount of humor he had thrown in.

"If you'd like some time alone, that's fine. I can go back to my spells and such. I must agree though, the moon is magnificent tonight. I've never seen it so big, nor so bright, especially this late at night. Oh and don't worry about talking too much. It's something you could never do. I love listening, and especially with someone so interesting as yourself." Valmer looked down as he said this, almost trying to avoid eye contact. He wondered what she was thinking. She's probably so focused on that moon up there, and I'm babbling on..., he thought to himself.

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby smiled at him as he talked about his wand this time. She watched his eyes seem to light up. She wondered if she did the same thing when she talked about her mother's wand. She knew she probably did. It was something she couldn't help doing. When her mum had been carted away it had been the last thing of her mother's she had. It was the most precious thing to her, the only thing in her life that she wasn't about to lose. She couldn't...if she did than it would be the end of her life. Well she felt it would be the end. Her hand absentmindedly found it's way back in her robes wrapping slowly around the cool wood. She did that so often anymore. It was something she couldn't stop herself from doing. Sometimes she just felt the need to check to see if it was still there. She had laughed back in the day after someone had told her she acted like some character from a muggle book that was obsessed with a ring, even though they were on a journey to destroy the ring, it still consumed the one and they were always checking to see if it still remained with them. Ruby didn't care to read the book. A, because it was a muggle book and B, because she had no use for fairytales. Other things were more important to her.

Ruby found a smile crossing her lips again at his words, her blue orbs dancing slightly with humor and an unfamiliar feeling of almost joy. Of course she wouldn't be the first to admit that. It had been ages since she had been really happy. Things had become so complicated in the last few years. Especially since her mother was set to be released from Azkaban within the year. It was hard to believe that after all this time without her, she'd be back in their lives. Ruby was almost afraid of that...afraid of what all that time in the prison had done to her. It was something she was more afraid of than anything. Ruby laughed softly as she looked at him. "Yeah, definitely better late than never."

"Oh please don't leave. I really didn't want to be alone. Just needed sometime from my brother is all. He can be quite the pain and all," laughs softly as she felt her hair fall across her face as she looked down at her feet for a few seconds at his comment. "I wouldn't say I'm interesting. Strange...but not interesting. I haven't been called interesting since I was a little girl and pulled my brother into a bunch of crazy schemes that never seemed to work. Now you, on the other hand, seem to be far more interesting than myself." She tucked the strand of hair behind her ear as she caught his gaze, her blue orbs almost sparkling in happiness.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer had a feeling of...something...he just couldn't shake whatever it was. But being here, in the dead of the night, with a beautiful autumn moon, and someone as beautiful as Ruby, he couldn't think of a better night to have gone for a walk through the courtyards. He scooted closer to her, as he caught a glance of her hand reaching down to feel her mother's wand in her robe pocket once again. "I understand the feeling it gives you, Ruby," he assured her. "I get the same feeling sometimes when I hold my wand the same way my father used to. Of course, he's probably got some nice new wand that he loves, and he's just glad this old thing is being used somewhere. But I treasure it. I treasure it with my life."

Valmer noticed her smiling again, as she gazed on. He didn't mind it, of course. It was wonderful to be able to have some joy during these rough days. "I'm sure it's probably been as rough on you as it has been on me, these past few days or weeks, what with so much being due in classes lately," he said to her. His heart jumped when she asked him to stay, and admitted that she wanted someone to talk to. "I understand how siblings can be pains. I have a younger sister that thinks she knows everything I do, and she's so smug about it all, with her and her friends. Ugh!"

He loved seeing her laugh with him, and when she continued the interesting topic, he had to say it. "Interesting doesn't begin to describe you. You seem like someone I'd love to get to know so much better. Me on the other hand? I'm just a simple Slytherin, trying to find someone to spend time with. You seem like you're looking for someone as well. I hope I'm not jumping to any conclusions with all of this." He wondered if he was reading things wrong. Right then, her hair fell in front her face, and he instinctively raised his hand to help her tuck it back behind her ear, as she did the same. Almost instantly, their hands touched, and he felt her gaze on him, as he looked up into her sparkling blue eyes, and leaned in a bit closer to her, brushing his arm against hers.

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby blushed a little as she realized Valmer had caught her feeling her mum's wand again. She forgot how she did that. Digits unwound themselves from the wand, nails slowly scrapping the wand as if she could dig right into the very being of it and find the power and strength her mother used to wield. Her blue orbs turned down towards her feet again as she smiled sadly. "I guess I forget sometimes how much stock I put into this wand. It's the most important thing in my life really. It protected me when I was a kid. This is the last thing I really have of my mothers," Ruby sighed softly as her mother's face swam in front of her once again. "I guess I treasure this like you treasure yours. I love my mother's wand. It means so much to me."

Ruby's hands intertwined together as she tried to find the words to tell him exactly how rough things were for her. She couldn't even really put words to her fears right then. All she knew was how much she wanted things to be different. How she wanted to be raised by her mother, but couldn't be. It was a pain that was almost too terrible to think about and yet she couldn't not think about it. "Yeah...rough. It's definitely been that kind of year. And who knows how bad it'll get. After all, we do have O.W.L.s this year," Ruby said trying to distract herself from the real reason she was having a rough year. Trying to remember that school was important to her future even though she didn't really want it to be...nor felt it was at the moment. Not when her mother's release was coming closer and closer to happening. "My brother though...he's a great guy, just sometimes since we're so close we tend to have our sibling feuds. I don't know anyone that doesn't. Sometimes it's just hard being the only woman in the family right now. Makes it hard to deal with."

Ruby was almost shocked...no not almost, she was as the next words seem to finally begin to sink into her. She looked at him, red slowly coming to her cheeks, crimson almost in color and it was a good thing it was dark outside or she would have even more to be embarrassed over. She couldn't help it though. In all her time she'd never had anyone say something so kind to her. Not like that anyway. When his hand touched hers goosebumps slowly spread over her skin. It was strange...she didn't know why, but she didn't mind his hand on hers. She had been so caught up in life's problems that she forgot what it was like to actually feel something other than fear and hatred. Ruby leaned in a little as he did the same to her. It was so strange. So strange that she actually felt a smile falling over her lips...a real, genuine smile. One that she hadn't shown in a very long time. "You are interesting. Not a simple Slytherin at all, if any of us can really be called simple. And no...you're not reading me wrong at all. I'd love to spend more time with you..." the words were out of her mouth really before she even knew she had said them. She didn't take them back...wouldn't take them back. For the first time in a long time she was actually happy and that in itself was something she never wanted to let go.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer was amazed at Ruby's beauty, and as she explained more about her mother, and her wand, he knew that she had had quite a hard time through it all. He wasn't sure what to say, and as she put her own hands together, she seemed to be searching for words with every fiber of her being. "Ruby...," he started. "You might not be able to find words to describe how you're feeling right now. That's okay. I'm here for you. You can cry, you can talk, you can vent, you can do whatever. I'll be here for you. I know we haven't known each other much in these past years here in Hogwarts, but I feel like I can reach out to you. I want to be there for you."

Valmer was quite surprised at himself, for trusting someone this quickly with so much of his own life. He usually didn't tell people about his father, nor did he usually open up that much with anyone, but Ruby was different. Ruby was someone so special, he never wanted to leave her. She began to mention about the O.W.L.s coming up, and he groaned. "Oh no, don't remind me about that stupid test. It's so annoying. I wish they just didn't have to even give us them."

When Ruby face darkened in the fading light, Valmer worried that he had said something wrong. He wondered what she was thinking about when his hand touched hers, as he helped her with her hair. As she explained how she felt the same way as he did, he couldn't help but smile and scoot closer to her on the bench. By now, they were side by side, legs touching, and he felt so comfortable with her. He looked into her eyes as she said how she wanted to get to know him better, and he leaned over, slowly putting his arm around her, drawing her closer to himself. He hoped that he wasn't going too fast for her. "Ruby...," he said softly to her. "I hope I'm not being too forward with anything here. We are in Slytherin though, and our house is known for taking risks. Taking a risk with you would be something I would be so proud and happy to do. I feel happy, looking at you and seeing you. I've never really thought about it, and maybe it's about time."

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby was surprised at how well Valmer seemed to pick up on her emotions. She had always been good at hiding them, but here he was pretty much reading her like an open book. It was new to her. The only one that was as good as that was Wynd, her twin brother. But of course she didn't think it was because he could read her like a book, no it was probably because they were so much alike that they sorta fed off each other's emotions. So it was weird that Valmer could sit here and read her. It was almost comforting though in a way. She didn't have to voice her emotions at all, they just seemed to radiate off her, like she was some sort of muggle radio tower reporting the latest news. However it wasn't the stuff about her emotions that really got her, it was the fact that he was willing to listen to her. Not even Wynd wanted to listen to her like that. It was a strange thing...to find someone like that, especially now after four and a half years had gone by. It amazed her at the timing of things. What amazed her even more though was how quickly she was ready to trust him. How quickly she wanted to trust him and just spend time with him. It almost scared her.

A smile pulled at the corner of Ruby's lips at Valmer's response to her O.W.L. comment. He seemed to have the same feelings toward it that she did right then. She enjoyed the small talk, liked to forget about life's problems with the little conversations that really didn't seem to mean much other than fill the awkward silence that could arise anytime. Not that she really felt there would be silence. Valmer seemed to have just as much to talk about as she did and she was so grateful she had run into him this night. Especially with the thoughts that were running through her head. She couldn't tell Wynd everything, she tried, but sometimes she wanted to save her twin from falling into the same sort of depression she lived in some of the time. It was her way...feeling responsible for the reason why her mother was in Azkaban. After all, if she had fought off the muggle that had grabbed her then her mother wouldn't have killed him and been imprisoned.

Thoughts seemed to swirl in many different colors inside Ruby's mind as she sat on the bench, Valmer's words instilling a want inside her to become close to someone else. When his hand snaked around her back, pulling her toward him Ruby didn't object. She didn't want to. It was the first time she'd actually been held by someone other than her family in a long time. Of course she had no idea how Wynd would react when he found out. He had a tendency to be a bit overprotective of her sometimes. But she didn't want to pull away from Valmer, didn't want to be alone anymore. She sighed as she laid her head against his shoulder. "Five years pretty much and we just now decided to have a conversation? What a time huh?" a small laugh escaped her lips, almost a scoff in its entirety. "Just promise not to tell my brother. I'm not sure how happy he'd be if he found out. He has this annoying habit of trying to keep me save, even when I can take care of myself."

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer was glad to see Ruby smile at his OWL joke, and was glad that they shared a common hatred for the bloody tests. They were nothing more than a standardized test ordered by the Ministry to make most of them feel stupid, and he didn't care for that too much.

As Ruby leaned in on his shoulder, Valmer looked up at the sky, happy for this time with her. He couldn't tell her all the things that were flying through his mind. There were just too many emotions and feelings and thoughts. But the one thing he grasped onto was the fact that he cared deeply for her. It was just the feeling he had been waiting for years to have with someone, and now it was finally here. Valmer chuckled with her as she explained her brother Wynd to him. The guy seemed to be an overprotective brother type, but hopefully he would take a liking to Valmer, because as it was, Valmer was the protective type as well.

As he sat there, holding Ruby in his arms for who knows how long it felt like, Valmer knew that there was no other place he'd rather be in the middle of the night. He wanted to be with someone he cared about, someone he...no, not yet. That wouldn't be for a while yet. "I must say," Valmer replied. "I'm so glad I came out her this evening, and decided to have this conversation with you. Otherwise, I would likely be still searching who knows who else."

He wanted to make her smile again, so he teased her a bit. "So Ruby, what are we now? Do you want to put a label on us? Or should be make everyone try and guess that we're together? It could be fun, and you know it!" His demeanor immediately changed. "Or we could just be good fifth year Slytherins and act like nothing had ever happened. What do you say?" He got right up next to her, pulling her in deeply, loving every minute of the experience. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, thankful for the night and even the day, with it's hard times. Overall, it had been a good day...and maybe it wasn't over yet.

[Ruby Lehane]

Love at first sight...maybe a strain on how describe how she felt at the moment, but that's what it was. She felt safe...protected...loved almost as she curled up in Valmer's arms. Things seemed to be going so fast between them, but she didn't mind it. On a normal basis she probably would have, but Valmer just brought out this side in her that was long ago forgotten about. How could it not be? After living so long without a woman's influence on her life, Ruby had become a little more cold hearted in her thinking. She had never wanted to, but things like that couldn't always be. But sitting here, so close to Valmer...his arm around her was one of the best feelings in the world to her right then. And if it wasn't love at first sight than she had no idea what it was, nor did she really care. All that mattered to her at that moment was that she wasn't alone. It was strange how fast she was letting things happen. It wasn't like her in most ways. But it was different...different, but good. She wanted to just stay there for hours, forget about the problems that surrounded her and just stay there...with him.

So many thoughts were bombarding her brain at that moment and Ruby wasn't quite sure what to say. She was so unfamiliar with things like that, especially when she found her breathing to be so irregular. She tried to regulate her breathing as she sat there in his arms, but it was difficult to concentrate. Everything just seemed so wild, her day was so strange. If someone would have told her an hour ago that she'd be sitting under the full moon in the arms of a man she would have laughed in their face, but here she was. Blue orbs traveled slowly from the ground, where she had found great interest in the last few minutes, to her hands which twisted together in her lap, trying to keep herself in reality instead of in the dream she felt she was in. The smile came without even her knowledge as she revealed in the warmth his body was giving her as she let her body relax completely in his arms.

The silence that had fallen between them was broken softly as Valmer made Ruby blush again from his words. It was almost unlike anything she had ever known. Never had she been so easily embarrassed, especially by men, but he just seemed to say all the things that made her shy, made her blush. She buried her head a little in his shoulder to hide her reddened cheeks. A soft sigh passed her lips. "I'm glad I came out here tonight as well. It's been nice," Ruby said softly, her body snuggling in closer, if that was possible. She couldn't believe she was sitting here. She couldn't believe any of this was happening, but she loved that it was. She didn't want this moment to ever end. She wanted to stay in his arms forever, it felt so safe...so warm to her. She didn't want to ever leave this place of comfort.

Ruby smiled as she pushed herself a little into him at his questions. She didn't know what they were. This was all new to her and she definitely wasn't good at telling where things were going to head. She just smiled brightly as she relaxed in his arms, letting him pull her in as deeply as possible and revealing in the soft feel of his lips on her forehead. She sighed quietly. "I would never pretend this didn't happen. I wouldn't want to," she said softly, finally pulling away from him so she could look him in the eye. "Unless of course you want to pretend like it didn't happen."

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer wasn't sure what to make of anything that was happening this night. It had been so long since he had been alone with a girl, much less holding one in his arms this closely. It was a phenomenal feeling, and it only grew as Ruby nuzzled closer to him. He worried that things might be going too fast for her, so he voiced his concern. "Do you think we're rushing into things? I just don't want to force you into anything you're not ready for. I care about you, and I have this strong feeling to be with you. I'm just not sure where it's come from, but it's too strong to ignore." He hoped that Ruby would understand where he was coming from, and he also hoped that she felt the same way he did. After all, she hadn't pulled away when he had put his arm around her. In fact, she had embraced him fully, allowing him to pull her closer to himself than ever before.

Thoughts came pouring through his mind as he sat there in stunned silence with a girl he had never really even gotten to know very well. But now he was ready to get to know her better each day, no matter what happened. How could such feelings come so quickly? Love at first sight, they always say. Valmer had never really thought of it, nor believed it too much. But contrary to his belief, it was happening as he sat there with Ruby. As she smiled up at him, he noticed her hands tucked away in her lap, and reached over with his free hand to hold hers. Immediately he felt her warmth surge, as he took her hand in his. She agreed that it was a wonderful night to spend together, and he cleverly joked with her. "You say 'It's been nice.' Does that imply you want it to end? Because I surely don't want this night to go anywhere." He smiled back at her, in awe of her beauty.

She seemed surprised that he would ask such a question, so as she raised herself up from leaning into him, he raised his hand to touch her cheek. "Of course I wouldn't want this to go away. I'd never be ashamed of feelings I have for someone, especially you." He gazed into her blue orbs, and continued. "This is much too good to pretend like it never happened. I'd be honored if you'd agree to go out with me. I'm not sure what else I could want other than that."

He caressed her cheek, gazing into her eyes as she looked back at him. He wondered what she would say. He had a slight fear that she would snap out of whatever had taken over both of them, and run away or be scared. At the same time, he worried that someone might come around the corner of the castle and find them in such a precarious position, and assume the worst. It seemed pretty quiet tonight though, so his heart settled some because of that assurance, as he eagerly awaited her response.

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby wasn't sure what the heck was wrong with her. Who was this girl in her body, snuggling closer to a guy that she had only talked to a handful of times and never real conversations...had they even really had one tonight? Her blue orbs eyed the ground outside of his protective circle. Outside of the arms she'd been in for she didn't know how long at this point in time. She sighed and pulled away from him as his words seemed to rouse her from the momentary lapse of judgment she had had. It was overwhelming to say the least. The thing was she didn't think it was a bad idea, she just felt things were going too fast. Far too fast! She'd gone through enough mistakes in her life...she didn't want this guy to be another on her list of mistakes. So with that she'd make sure that she wasn't pushing...or allowing...things to go faster than her own pace, or slower than that. Probably slower than that.

Ruby couldn't just sit there next to him without wanting to let things go a little faster...so she stood, hoping that distance would help with the want and need to be in his arms. The sigh came without any knowledge to her. Second nature as it was by now. She couldn't stop it though if she had known it was coming. Things were a bit overwhelming in their entirety...nevermind the 'bit' and throw in the 'very'. Things were so incredibly overwhelming inside her that she wanted nothing more than to solve the problem and walk away. What had her grandmother said about this?
"Now listen Ruby...one of these days you're going to run into someone that confuses you more than anyone else. Confuses you not in the way of knowledge, but how they make you feel. You'll want to do two different things. One is to run like you've never run before; stay in your nice warm comfort zone and get as far away from him as possible. Two is to wrap your arms around them and hold them close. You won't want to leave them ever. Two options...only two. When that happens you'll have to make a choice Ruby. And that choice will be the most important decision you'll ever make in your life."

Ruby stood there, her back to Valmer at the moment as she thought of the words her grandmother had left in her subconscious. The words that she had hung on to, even though she never really thought she'd find something like that. But here she was, battling these inner feelings, one making her want to run, the other wanting to sit back down and be held. It was a crazy feeling for her. A feeling that she wanted to get rid of, but couldn't figure out how. She thought the distance from him would help, but that just seemed to make it more intense. Made her feel more out of control, not being near him drove her crazy, but it was also far enough away that if she wanted to run he wouldn't be able to catch her.

Ruby realized she had never answered his questions. How was she supposed to answer his question? He wanted to date her...date...was date the same as like? And what feelings did he have for her? It was one of the first times they had ever really talked. Sure they'd seen each other around, had been in the same classes since first year. So why...why hadn't they gotten together before? Maybe it was Ruby's stress...maybe her emotions were just going wild because of everything that was going on? The thought was shaken away as Ruby realized it was ridiculous. Her grandmother wouldn't have told her about this if it was just because she was stressed. So she turned...almost angelic in her appearance as the full moon glinted off her blue orbs as they looked at Valmer. "I would be more than happy to go out with you..." her voice was soft, much softer than she had ever heard it. Her hand came up, pushing back the strand of blond hair that had fallen across her face again. She looked away from Valmer briefly and then back at him. "But...we have to take things slow...this...this was too fast..." Not as fast as I wanted to take it...but still Ruby thought to herself as she straightened her form, looking confident in her choice.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

Valmer was feeling two different emotions at the same time. And that wasn't good. On one hand, he was so glad he had come out this night for a walk, and found someone to spend some time with, maybe even pursue a relationship with. Yet he also felt guilt and regret for letting things go so fast at first. Seriously, why would have ever done what he had just done with someone? He and Ruby barely talked, and when they did, it wasn't about much. Not feelings, for one thing. Not by a long shot. So why did he feel so compelled to act on a feeling that had maybe started a week or so ago? Was it because he had watched her from a distance for that short time, and wanted to get to know her better? He hadn't known she would be out here tonight. He was no stalker. But Valmer continued to question his mind, trying to find answers to where all this had come from.

As his mind raced, Ruby pulled away from him, standing up, and turning her back on him. He felt dejected, but at the same time, he felt remorse. If only I hadn't have taken things so quickly. I barely know her very well. At the same time, his mind went other places. Now wait a minute. What am I thinking? I'm a Slytherin, and so is she. We shouldn't be caring about all this. Our house prides itself on getting the upper hand whenever possible. I was just taking the upper hand in our "relationship". His mind wrestled with the questions and thoughts, as it seemed like Ruby was contemplating her escape from him. The way it seemed, she all of a sudden didn't trust him anymore. It wasn't a planned trap, but it had turned into one. Trust is a hard thing to gain, he had learned that from his father. Valmer wanted nothing more than to get up and tell her everything would be fine, and that things would work out. But he couldn't be sure.

As he thought back on the words he had just set, he realized he had probably used the wrong words. Yes, Valmer did want to date her. But it was more of a "figuring each other out" stage, than a "let's do everything together" stage. He wanted nothing to do with those couples that "waited" for the most opportune moment to begin dating. His idea of the whole thing was to tell the girl flat out how he felt, and see what the reaction was. Hers had been good, but now she seemed to be having major doubts. He looked up from staring at the bench that had held them so close to each other. He looked up into her eyes, those blue dancing orbs. They weren't dancing anymore. They were...saddened. Almost scared. And he knew why. He also knew what he had to do.

"Ruby," he began, in a low voice, but still loud enough for her to hear. "I don't want to rush you into anything. I apologize to you wholeheartedly if I scared you or made you feel uncomfortable in any way. I know it's a lot right now, at this very moment, and I feel bad if I've pushed you to something you're not ready for." He knew he needed to continue, but he looked in her eyes to find some shred of humanity, a shred of hope, of forgiveness. He wasn't sure if it was there. "If you'd still like to try things out for a while and see where they'll go, I would be, of course, more than pleased to do that. I'm willing to take things slow. But knowing us, as Slytherins, we don't usually take things too slow, or sitting down, now, do we?" he chuckled to her. He hoped she would see his humor and maybe laugh or smirk at him. Something for him to know that she was okay again. "If you want to forget all that happened here tonight, we can do that as well. It might be hard, but if you feel that way, we should do it. So there it is. It's all there." He searched her eyes again for some kind of meaning. "I'm not asking for a chance, because I know as a Slytherin, I don't deserve one from you. I've already used it, and you're scared. I can tell." He wanted to fix things, yet knew he couldn't. And that's what would eat him up inside until she said something else.

[Ruby Lehane]

Valmer didn't seem to hear her words from before as he started going on and on about how sorry he was and that he didn't mean to scare her. Ruby just let him talk. She wasn't about to correct him or stop him just yet. One was because she liked seeing him somewhat flustered. It brought a small smile to her face to know that he was trying hard to say the right things, but really he wasn't doing that well. First, she hated being told that she looked scared, because she wasn't. Scared and confused were two totally different things. And second, he hadn't really heard her before, because if he had then he wouldn't have gone on about pretending like none of this happened. She didn't want that. She didn't want to forget any of this. This wasn't something to forget. She had never felt more open with anyone...other than her own twin brother, but still there were things she couldn't even tell him. Things that she wanted to, but just couldn't. Mainly it had to do with relationships and stuff. She found it difficult to speak with her twin about her crushes and her boyfriends, mainly because she knew how protective Wynd was and how likely he was to threaten the guy she was with. It was why she rarely told him whom she was with. Usually he found out, because he always knew when she was hiding something, but she just didn't want to have him scaring off all the men she wanted to date. And right now she knew for a fact that she wasn't going to tell Wynd about Valmer. She liked Valmer, even though they had just met, she felt happy around him. Something she hadn't felt in a very long time. Not only that, but she could very well see Wynd threatening Valmer in more ways than one.

A dark cloud loomed in front of the moon, obscuring its glow from Ruby and throwing them into momentary darkness. It felt nice, to be alone in the dark with Valmer and even though he thought she was scared she couldn't help but want to step to him and let him wrap his arms around her, protecting her from the darkness, even though she wasn't afraid of it. She was never afraid of stuff like that. How could she be? After everything that had happened as a child to her, she wasn't afraid of anything. Not even the man before her. The thing she was afraid of was love...the kind of love that meant she would want to sacrifice things for. She didn't want to sacrifice anything. She wanted to be the selfish girl that she had always felt she deserved to be. Love meant sacrifice though. It meant that she would fall for another so badly that she would immediately give up any and everything just to be with them. And that’s not what she wanted. She had plans for her life, so many plans that she wasn’t about to sacrifice them for someone else. That’s why it scared her. Love was one of those forbidden fruits that always lie outside her reach and she knew why. She knew that if she were to taste such forbidden fruit than she would be just like Eve. At one time she was on the inside of the Garden of Eden, loving everything about it and then after being tricked into eating the fruit she was on the outside, fending for herself and her family. That was not something that Ruby ever wanted to experience and if that meant denying love than that’s what she was going to do.

Ruby smirked inside to herself. She knew very well that she wasn’t about to deny love, but she wanted to feel like she would. She wanted to feel like she wouldn’t give up her dreams for someone else, but deep down she knew she probably would. If the right person came around and offered her the world in their arms then there was no way she could deny it. She’d give up everything to be with them as much as she hated that. But she knew she couldn’t live alone. She knew Wynd was there for her and always would be, but he was different, he was her brother. He couldn’t love her in the way another man could. The way that Valmer seemed to already be exuding in his demeanor. Ruby sighed lightly as she finally took a step toward Valmer. “I’m not scared Valmer. I never was. Not of you anyway. And I never said I wasn’t ready for this…because believe me I am. I was just concerned is all. Things seem to be going extremely fast for our first real conversation. I mean am I wrong about this? We hardly know each other. I mean I don’t even know where you grew up or anything like that. It’s hard to let things go any faster without simple knowledge like that. I want to be with you Valmer, I just feel that we need to make sure things are going to go slow, so we get to know each other. So this isn’t just some infantile relationship, that most kids our age get into. Now that I want to be that serious and stuff in this relationship, I just want it to mean something,” Ruby said as she looked intensely at Valmer with her blue orbs, wanting him to understand what she was talking about…what she needed right then.

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

The moon was suddenly covered by a dark cloud, plunging Valmer and Ruby into almost utter blackness. He wanted to bring his wand out and light up the area, but something kept him from it. Something about the darkness, and being with Ruby, the person of his affection right now, soothed him. As she explained how she was feeling, he felt lifted. It helped to understand better where she was coming from. As he searched for words to explain how he was feeling, she had a look in her eyes that said all that he needed to know. She wanted him to understand, so much, it looked like. He had a way of reading people's eyes, but hers seemed to be a bit harder to see through. He didn’t mind it. It actually intrigued him, and made him want to figure her out more, or at least as much as she wanted to be figured out.

He stood up and came near her. He was glad to hear that he had perceived things wrong, and looked directly into her eyes. “I’m glad you’re not scared. Sorry for mixing things up. I tend to do that from time to time,” he confessed. “I would like to get to know you better. I would have to agree that things were on their way to getting to be too fast, even for me. I’ve learned from my father that when you see something you want, go for it. I’ve never been one to go all out like that, but I do have part of my father within me. Maybe that’s why I jumped at the chance of tonight, and made things go faster than we probably both should be going. Believe me; I don’t want some childish relationship like the others here do. I want something that means a lot too.” He hoped that she understood where he was coming from. He honestly did want a more serious relationship than his peers, and if that was possible with Ruby, he wanted to go for it. So many of his friends got into relationships just to see if they could, and hurt the girls they were with at the same time. He had only had one girlfriend in the past, and that had been hard for him to get over. It had been a year and a half that it had ended, but he had recently realized it was one of those middle school age crushes that had lasted longer than it should have. He regretted it at times, with Rachel, but he knew it had taught him a lot about who he was, and the kind of girl he wanted.

He looked at her eyes, those blue orbs, as they seemed to be searching for something in his own. He looked down at the ground, wondering what else he should, or wanted to say. Valmer looked back up at her, and took a step closer to her. He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. “I know we barely know each other. That’s sort of why I want to be with you, so we learn more about each other and become closer with each new thing we learn. You can always let me know if things are too fast for you, and I’ll respect that. If you want, we could stay out here and talk some more about our lives and family stuff, and at least get some of that out there. Unless you have somewhere you need to be.” He searched her eyes, but to no avail. He wanted to tell her about how much his father had done for him, all the influence he had on him, even to this day. It was getting a tad late, however, and he figured she needed to get going soon.

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby couldn’t believe she was standing there. She could hardly make about Valmer’s presence before her, the darkness was overwhelming her senses. Everything around her was black, her eyes hardly adjusting to the darkness that had surrounded him and her. She wondered if she should pull out her wand, but she didn’t want to. She liked the darkness, liked how it seemed to make the moment last a little longer, become a little more mysterious. It also left her feeling intrigued. She couldn’t believe that her walk tonight led her to this very moment. Maybe there was such a thing as fate and if there was what else did it have in store for her? Ruby was a mystery, that’s how she always wanted to be. Her goal was to keep people guessing, to keep them wondering what she was thinking, but sometimes…sometimes there was someone out there that just seemed to see past those barriers. She wondered briefly if Valmer would come to be that person or if he already was. The thought passed quickly as the darkness lifted a little, the moon trying to come out of hiding.

Ruby’s attention was brought back to Valmer as he moved for the first time in she didn’t know how long. Her breath almost caught in her throat as he came closer. She wasn’t uncomfortable with his closeness; she was more uncomfortable with the fact that her emotions wanted him closer. She fought that of course. Fought with everything in her, reminding she of her Slytherin title. Reminding her that she was a strong woman who wanted nothing more than to rule the wizarding world. Still…her emotions wanted her to step closer, to close the small distance between them. Her blue orbs were even darker than before, staring unbelievably steady into the eyes of the man before her. When he began to apologize, a soft smile fell over her lips and she lightly shook her head. She didn’t want him to apologize, didn’t need to hear how sorry he was for bringing her an iota of happiness. She didn’t know his past. Didn’t know anything about him, but what she did know was that he wasn’t afraid of taking control of things. It was a rare trait anymore and it showed Ruby strength of character and passion. She couldn’t believe where she was at that moment. How could someone she just really met be standing in front of her telling her these things?

The moment was broken as Valmer dropped his gaze to the ground. It was a flaw…something that Ruby would have to fix in him. He was going to have to be strong, very strong if he were going to be an ally in the new revolution. Her mind was about to reiterate this point out loud when he held out his hand for her. A little unsure of where it was going she slowly put her hand in his. At the mention of time, she realized just how long they’d been standing out there and her heart dropped. Wynd was probably looking for her and if he found her out here with a guy…the thought drifted off as she let out the air she realized she had been holding in. “I…I want to stay out here. I really do. I want more than anything to talk with you, spend time with you. Can we do it another time though? My brother…he’ll be looking for me,” Ruby said as she squeezed his hand gently. “This weekend. There’s a trip to Hogsmeade. Come with me?”

[Valmer Van Ruster S7]

As the light began to come back, slightly, Valmer wondered what Ruby was thinking. When he had explained about his father, and how he was sorry for mixing things up (which was an honest mistake), she smiled a bit, but shook her head. It was something he wasn't used to. Did she not want him to apologize? As a Slytherin, he had been taught by some to do what he wanted, and if people had a problem with it, tough. But he was a different kind of Slytherin. In fact, sometimes he wondered why he was in the house in the first place. It was likely partially because of his father, and the likeness of himself to his father. He didn't want to be a carbon-copy of his father. He wanted to change things. He wanted things to be different. He looked back at her, wondering how many different thoughts were going through her mind. Valmer couldn't read minds, of course, but sometimes he really wished he could. He wished he had a way to figure things out with the girl, but she seemed to be a mystery in and of herself. That wasn't necessarily a problem, but it was hard for him to understand things, especially if she didn't understand everything. He didn't need to know everything about her, particularly right now. All he wanted right now was to be with someone he suddenly cared about.

There it was again. That feeling. Where had it come from? It was really sudden, and strong at times. Valmer wasn't sure what to do with it sometimes, but he had let it control him, and one of the ways he had was tonight. Getting close to Ruby. He also wasn't sure how she completely felt about getting this close to him so quickly. She had said how she wanted to make sure things would be going slow, but she hadn't said she didn't like it. At one point, he had wanted to kiss her, but he wasn't sure it was appropriate. After all, they had just had their first real conversation that night, only an hour or two prior to where they were at now. At the same time, he felt the Slytherin heritage in his blood, and the urge to just do what he felt. He had fought that so hard in the past few years, trying to be a good guy. Was it something that he should embrace? The feeling of a Slytherin? His father had always taught him to be strong, and stay strong, because people will continue to try and destroy you. He figured he would ignore it for now, but let it fester in his mind, until he came to the correct conclusion, whenever that was.

As soon as he made mention of the time, he knew it would end their night together. Maybe that was a good thing. It would give him time to think about what had gone on, and give her time to think about things as well. She took his hand, uncertainly, he could tell. She talked about her brother again, and he wondered how close they were. As it was, it seemed they were pretty close, except when it came to Ruby's interest in guys. He chuckled. "Well I guess I'll have to watch out for your brother," he said. "You did say that if he knew about you and I, he'd have a bone to pick with me." She also explained how she wanted to spend more time with him, but she couldn't this night. He was disappointed at hearing this, but knew that they both needed some time to think. She said something about a trip that weekend to Hogsmeade, and she wanted him to come. "Of course. I'd love to go with you. That will give us some time to think about what's going on between us. I look forward to it." He wanted to kiss her goodbye, but he still wasn't sure if he should. He decided against it. There would be time for that later, if ever. Instead, he squeezed her hand, and let it go, so she could leave. "It was great spending time with you. I'm not sorry I came out tonight. In fact, I'm not even sorry for anything about tonight. It was something that needed to happen, apparently. I hope you have a good night. I'll see you this weekend." He waited for her to reply before she left.

[Ruby Lehane]

Ruby could only smile at him. She had never wanted him to apologize, but he seemed to be confused by her reaction to his apology. Everything that had happened that night was nice. It was a strange feeling for her to be able to stay so calm and so collected over certain things like that. She had never really had that sort of encounter with anyone, especially another guy. Of course she’d been with her fair share. She wasn’t ugly and never had been. She knew she wasn’t. But it was strange for a man to seem to be able to look and see more than her curves. It didn’t happen that often and she wasn’t about to let that go now. However she knew if things continued the way they were going she’d regret it later. She didn’t want him to just take up and leave after a night with her as most men did. Of course Wynd didn’t know the half of them. She shared a few now and then with him, telling her of how angry she was, but she never told him exactly what happened, just implied that things had gone too far. And now…now she didn’t want that to happen again, not with Valmer. She liked him. She really did. All of those other guys she hadn’t really liked, she just was with them. That was her way. She didn’t like getting close to people and she certainly didn’t like showing her emotions to anyone, but Valmer could be different…no she wanted him to be different, wanted things with him to be different.

How quaint? Here Ruby was…standing with a guy she had just met and feeling the need…no the want to stay with him longer. It was so crazy, the mix of feelings coursing through her body at lightning speed. There was so much excitement in her. So much…happiness would be the closest word that could describe how she felt. It was so strange. She felt like everything in her wanted to explode and she was fighting everything in her to not just wrap her arms around him and pull herself into his warmth. How had she managed to get this way? How had he made her feel like this so soon? It was too strange. She wanted to think she was under some kind of spell, but she knew she wasn’t. Instead she felt the intense reality of just how much she wanted to be with Valmer. She immediately let her hand run over her face and back through her hair trying to give her some time to get herself under control, to stop the thoughts from running through her head at a mile a minute. Blue orbs kept getting lost in his and she had to remind herself to breathe every few seconds so she didn’t pass out right then and there.

Ruby had to keep reminding herself that she had to leave. Wynd would be looking for her and she didn’t quite want to tell him about what had happened, not yet anyway. She wanted to give herself time to figure out what was going on. Time for her and Valmer to really get to know each other, to really find out what exactly it was she was feeling. She smiled at his comment. “Yes, my brother can be quite obnoxious, but I just want to give him some time. This can wait until we both know exactly what’s going on between us and then we can tell him…together,” Ruby said as she took a step toward him, her fingers sliding over his palm softly. The smile deepened as he agreed to go to Hogsmeade with her. She couldn’t hide the happiness that seemed to be expanding and exploding out of her. She tried to rein it in, but it was nearly impossible. Instead she just squeezed his hand in return. “I enjoyed this night as well. It was perfect and Valmer, thank you so much, for all of this.” Ruby stepped closer to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek before pulling away. “I’ll meet you out front of the Shrieking Shack on Saturday at 2. Don’t be late.” And with that, without waiting for a further reply Ruby turned, smirking to herself as she stepped back into the corridors and began her search to find her brother. Knowing that he was already out looking for her.