Just One More ((Ryann and Noah))

[Drake Manning]

Drake was not happy. Of course, what was new? Hogwarts always seemed to bring out the best and worst of Drake Manning. The best of him was happy to be away from his house and his parents. They never did understand him and give him the freedom that he needed to thrive. And yet, the worst of him was ever longing for the small taste of freedom that the holidays did offer; the small freedom that he would steal from his parents with his late night encounters at bars and the many girls who were his escape from life. Drake was an addict, and his addiction was himself- how could he get that happy feeling that everything in life seemed to want to suck away from you? It may sound horrid, but to Drake, it was normal, and even more, he'd argue that everybody was the same deep down. In the end, everybody only really cared about themselves. Drake was just brave enough to admit it.

With a scowl on his face, Drake strode restlessly down the halls of the castle. One thing that he was glad for, amidst his sour mood, was that classes were done for the day. Classes were torture for Drake. Some of them seemed perhaps slightly useful, but for the most part, Drake never bothered to search for a meaning. There was no meaning for him; only life and how to survive it. As he passed groups of other students, some looked at him with fear, others with resentment if they had been unfortunate enough to be one of his past 'flings'. The stares didn't bother Drake. People could judge him all they wanted, it wouldn't change who he was. If anyone knew him, they'd know that it did no good to try to judge him.

As he turned a corner, Drake felt himself collide with what he quickly realized to be another person. Book went flying, and Drake cursed audibly. He was about to make a nasty comment, but then realized it was a girl who seemed to be alone and somewhat upset. Naturally, Drake did what he did best, turning on the charm. "Oh... um, let me help you," he said kindly, trying to determine if he knew the girl or not. She didn't look familiar, but Drake's memory with girls was not the sharpest. She was rather attractive, he decided, standing up to hand her books back to her. "You know, you should be more careful though," he added with a grin. "If I were one of those mean Slytherins, you might be getting cursed right now." Drake loved playing the 'I'm not as bad as them' card when it came to girls. Noticing the maroon and gold trim on the girl's robes, he wondered if her being in Gryffindor meant anything for his chances.

"I'm Drake," he finally introduced himself. "And you are..." The girl didn't answer at first, and so Drake went along with one of his more common habits of finishing his own sentences when girls would ignore him. "And you are going to join me for a walk around the grounds." It never failed that Drake was relentless when it came to girls.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

It had been ages since Ryann had bothered to pay Tibby a visit in the owlery. She rarely had the need to use him, for her parents weren't the type who insisted on her sending letters every week. They were lucky to get one once a month, and everybody pretty much seemed to be fine with that arrangement. Her mother would say that she didn't need an owl to let her know how Ryann was doing in school. She insisted that her divination skills were enough to keep her informed. Her father on the other hand would always give her a playful wink when her mom would go on and on about the future and what a bright light she saw for Ryann. Sometimes, Ryann felt herself wondering where that bright light really was, but she knew better than to let herself get caught up in hopes and wishes. Life was what you made it, and Ryann wasn't going to sit back and think that fate would bring her all the joys and happiness that she could think of.

After feeding Tibby a few owl treats and sending him off with the letter, Ryann made her way back to the castle with her books and such from class nested in the crook of her arm. As she walked, her thoughts drifted to Noah. For some reason she hadn't been able to get him out of her mind, not that she really wanted to all that much. She pictured his handsome face and imagined having more conversation with him about music. It was everything she could have wanted, but seemed so impossible to ever come true. Where's the bright light now? she thought, realizing that if she wanted to be able to move on, it didn't help her to daydream about him. It was bad enough that they actually spent time hanging out and that he wanted to be friends; that was just pure torture for Ryann. She could only see it from one extreme to another: they were either friends, or they didn't speak. It may have been harsh, but she knew she couldn't do just the friends thing. That would be too painful.

As she walked, not paying much attention to her destination, Ryann turned a corner and felt the sudden impact as she had crashed into an unsuspecting passerby. Instantly, her face became hot as it reddened a bit, her books scattering on the floor. She didn't even bother to get a look at the person she had run into before spouting out one apology after another. "I'm so so sorry," she said hurriedly, trying to pick up her books. "I am so clumsy. I'm sorry, please..." She stopped when the boy cursed and then offered to help pick up the books. Ryann stole a quick glance at his face; he seemed older than her, and it took her a few seconds before she realized that it was Drake Manning, the Slytherin who was notorious for his reputation with girls. Funny- rumors have it that you are of the worst, she thought, eying him closely rather than saying anything in return. As he introduced himself, Ryann couldn't help but notice a few things. First, he didn't seem like the horrid person that people painted him to be, and second, he had for some reason seemed to express an interest in her.

She offered an instinctive smile in return, but was silent for a few seconds, unsure of what she should do. The stories she heard were running through the back of her mind and she wasn't sure if she should be afraid or if she was just overreacting. "I..." she began silently, but Drake finished his sentence before Ryann could talk. She was relieved not to have to say anything at that moment, but then Drake told her that she would be joining him for a walk. Ryann watched his face, wondering if he was seriously ordering her to join him or what. It was odd- he looked so kind and innocent, but she couldn't help but sense an air of power coming from him. When it came down to it, Ryann was quite curious on top of everything else she was feeling.

Not sure what to do next, Ryann went with the first choice that came to her mind. "I could use some fresh air." She figured that she would be safe to at least start walking with him, hoping that they would at least see some more people. After all, what was he really going to do if there were people around? She gripped the books she was holding tightly to her chest and started walking slowly, with Drake by her side. "I'm Ryann," she said, almost in a whisper. She didn't know what to add beyond that, and it wasn't until a quick moment of silence passed that she couldn't help but blurt out a question that she had been thinking in her mind. "Why do you want to go on a walk with me anyways? I'm a Gryffindor and you're a Slytherin, and I don't care how nice you say you are, I don't even know you, and it seems the last thing of you to do unless there was something in it for you." Ryann hoped she hadn't pushed a boundary. The last thing she wanted to do was anger Drake. She could only imagine what his temper might be like if the stories were really true.

[Drake Manning]

Drake kept his smile, not wanting to give any hint that he was anything but sweet. Maintaining your facial expressions was half the battle. It was odd, Drake had it down to a science. Some girls wanted you to be sweet and others wanted something else. He had slowly began to learn how to quickly pick up on what a girl wanted, and Ryann seemed to be the type that was looking for a sweet guy. After all, she seemed to be one of those sweet girls, the type who believed in fairy tales and happy endings. He couldn't help but notice that she was a little hesitant, but in the end, she agreed and began to walk with him down the hallway.

She wasn't looking at him when she talked, but she introduced herself and then moments later rambled off some rather demanding questions. Drake played it cool though, remaining smooth in his talking. "Indeed, you are a Gryffindor and I am a Slytherin. However, if I'm correct, aren't we supposed to try to get along? I mean, do you really want their to be such a division of houses?" Drake was sometimes so full of it that he wondered how people didn't see past his ulterior self. He didn't care a bit about house divisions. In fact, he probably helped contribute to them in so many ways. "You may want to discriminate against me for being in Slytherin, but I am going to put all prejudices aside." Drake left it at that, continuing to walk with Ryann down the corridors.

As they made a turn, they started down a hallway that was abandoned. Drake slowed until he came to a stop. “We don’t have to go outside. We can just stay here and... talk.” He watched as Ryann slowed herself, still having a somewhat scared look in her eyes. He inched closer to Ryann, leaning against the wall and supporting himself with one arm. She was clenching her books so tightly to her chest that she was almost shaking. Drake kept a soft smile on his face and then looked down at the ground. “I’m not a monster, you know,” he couldn’t help but express his thoughts out loud. Perhaps Ryann wasn’t buying it, and if she knew what was best, she wouldn’t have bought it. Anything that came out of Drake’s mouth was likely embellished or flat out false. Still, he was truthful on occasion; a rare occasion at that.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

Ryann kept telling herself over and over again in her head that she shouldn’t trust Drake. She was just entertaining his requests until she thought there was a safe way to just get away from him. She held on to the thought that he wasn’t going to try anything drastic, but she didn’t really know for sure. When they made a turn that led them to an empty hallway, Ryann cursed to herself, wishing they could go somewhere more public. She was about to suggest they head the other direction when Drake stopped, still offering the sweet smile that she had yet to determine if it was authentic.

When he leaned in close to her, she felt her breath catch in her throat, the beating of her heart amplified in her head. Then, he stopped and simply spoke. I want to go outside, she thought. Please, can we just go outside instead of staying here in this empty corridor. Ryann kept her thoughts to herself though, and then Drake spoke again. “I.. I don’t think your a monster,” she offered with a hesitant voice. She just wanted to keep him calm and pacified. Little by little though, she did find herself loosening up. If Drake was going to try anything, he would’ve probably tried it already.

Why hadn’t she just run away in the first place? Ryann began to question herself. Perhaps though, she reasoned that it was her need for attention. Despite his reputation, Drake had been nothing but nice to her. He even seemed to notice her and actually enjoy her company. She hadn’t talked much, but he seemed to like to talk anyways. Suddenly, Ryann worked up the nerve to just ask Drake what had been eating at her the entire time they were walking. “Are you just trying to use me, Drake?” Her voice picked up a little more courage from before. “I mean, you may say that you aren’t prejudiced against Gryffindor or whatnot, but how can I know that your kindness isn’t just a ploy?” Ryann retreated a bit, again fearing that she was pushing too much. Maybe Drake didn’t like girls who questioned him. Then again, Ryann didn’t want to just be another one of his girls. If he was seriously interested in her, she wanted to know the truth.

[Drake Manning]

Drake was somewhat caught off guard with Ryann’s sense of audacity. She seemed hesitant in some ways, but then she didn’t fail to question his motives. Very rarely did Drake pick out the girls who would question his actions. Drake was good at finding the girls that he could manipulate with his act. Ryann was surprising him more and more by the moment.

“You say that you don’t think I’m a monster, but you sure seem frightened of me,” Drake suggested in a calm voice. He couldn’t budge on his acting kind because he didn’t want Ryann to have any reason to think he was being insincere. “Trying to use you?” he questioned, trying to sound as innocent as possible. Had she really seen through the outer layer that Drake had perfected so brilliantly in the past? Drake wasn’t going to be the one to crack though. Perhaps she was just testing him.

“If I wanted to use you, do you think I would really have just brought you to some random hallway? Plus, don’t you think I would have just made my move already?” Drake didn’t want to sound like he knew too much about it, but he wanted to try to prove a point to Ryann. He had to make anything that happened seem as if it happened on her own accord. “If I’d have known any better, I’d think that you are just afraid of ruining your own reputation. Someone will see that you were hanging out with the ‘evil’ Drake Manning, and from then on you’ll be ruined.” Drake started to harden a bit, the real him coming out from behind the mask. “But I understand that you would be cautious,” he added quickly, shrugging his shoulders.

Drake took his hand from the wall and stepped back from Ryann. He leaned his back against the wall and then slid to the ground until he was sitting. The kindness card wasn’t working all that well, so it was time to change his strategy. “You know what sucks?” he asked rhetorically. “Just because I made a few mistakes and somehow created this terrible reputation for myself, I can’t even have a casual conversation with someone without them pegging me as this horrible person.” Drake hoped he would get at the strings of Ryann’s inner self. Perhaps he could guilt trip her for stereotyping him.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

Drake made some valid points, and Ryann couldn't help but nod her head in agreement. Drake indeed had been kind to her and showed no signs of trying to use her or whatnot. As he then went on to assume that she was perhaps protecting her reputation, Ryann let out an indignant sigh. "Protecting my reputation?" she questioned. What reputation did Ryann have beside a non-existent one. "As if I even have a reputation to protect," she added somewhat bluntly. "And... perhaps I'm cautious for a reason," she offered. Granted, her reason was Drake's reputation, but Ryann left it open for interpretation.

As Drake stepped away and then lowered himself to the ground, Ryann took a seat across from him, folding her legs underneath herself. As time went on, the conversation was becoming somewhat interesting, and Ryann couldn't help but hold on to the fact that Drake might actually be interested beyond a friends type of thing (unlike Noah). She knew she was probably being selfish, but Ryann still wanted to see what else Drake had to say. Even more, she wanted to prove to him that she wasn't who he thought she was either.

When Drake proceeded to talk about how it was so terrible that his past was still following him, Ryann gave him a somewhat harsh look before replying. "We'll perhaps you should have thought about that before the fact that you made yourself into someone with such a reputation as yours." Ryann crossed her arms over her chest, becoming more and more comfortable that Drake was probably not going to do anything. Seeing him now, she wondered if he was just some lonely and pathetic person who hid behind the mask of darkness that he put up.

"If you're not the monster that everyone points you out to be, then prove it." Ryann was rather bold in this statement, but she was slowly being pulled in by Drake's charm. "Prove to me that you can be a sweet, caring, and non-womaniser type of guy," she ordered with a knowing stare. Ryann wondered how Drake would go about proving it to her, and she was curious to see his response.

[Drake Manning]

"Typical reply," Drake said with a huff of disgust. How many times had he heard the statement used over and over again; 'if you'd have only thought before you acted'. Drake was tired of that phrase and felt that it was a bunch of hogwash anyways. Everyone takes the time to think before they act, regardless of if they knew it or not. Deep down, Drake knew that everyone was willing to accept the consequences of their actions, even if they didn't realize it at the time. What he didn't get was why he couldn't just be selfish and avoid the consequences at the same time. That was the major reason Drake was like he was. He figured if there was any way out of the consequences he had set up for himself, he would do whatever it meant- even if that was pretending to be someone that he wasn't and hiding his true self behind a mask so complex that people would never be able to realize who the real Drake was.

He laughed a bit when Ryann told him to prove it. This was the second time in a mere span of weeks that Drake was challenged by a girl to prove that he wasn't who his reputation painted him as. However, when Brianna put up the challenge, Drake was in a more bitter mood than he was now. Plus, he wasn't as determined to convince Brianna as he was determined to make Ryann see past the stereotypes and his history. "And how do you suggest I go about doing something like that?" he asked, giving Ryann a look of openness to suggestion. She seemed adamant in his finding a way of his own though, and so Drake thought quickly, acting on a whim as he usually did when he found himself stuck in a place that he needed to pull himself out of somehow.

Slowly, Drake leaned toward Ryann. Her face turned to an instant expression of shock, but Drake persisted, closing his eyes. Lucky for him, she didn't slap him or anything, and he kissed her gently on the lips. It was one of the many kisses that didn’t really mean much for Drake. Some kisses just felt like they meant something more, and this was one that was devoid of meaning for him at least. Lingering for just a moment, Drake then pulled away and opened his eyes. He wasn’t sure what to expect from Ryann, and he was even a bit surprised with himself. Still, he forced a soft smile, waiting to see what Ryann would think of his proof. It was arguably a sad attempt, but Drake found that sometimes the most pathetic moves of his were the ones that worked the best.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

Drake seemed to be mocking her when he asked how he should go about proving his reputation. Ryann said nothing though, leaving him to his own devices. It wasn't long though before he began closing the space between the two of them. Ryann tensed up a first, not sure what he was doing. Before she realized it, Drake was kissing her, and without thought, Ryann kissed him back. It wasn't a terribly long kiss, which was probably why Ryann didn't really think about what had happened until it was over. When Ryann opened her eyes again, she saw Drake looking back at her with a kind smile. She wasn't sure what to feel though, and she couldn't decide if she found his smile to be creepy or sweet. Mixed emotions running inside of her, Ryann was silent at first, offering a weak smile back at Drake.

"That doesn't really prove anything," she said. Ryann was still trying to figure out if Drake was just playing her or if his intentions were genuine. Even if he did have quite the reputation, there was bound to be at least one girl who could break Drake of his habits. Ryann quickly realized it was ridiculous of her to think that she might be that girl. She was confident in herself for the most part, but she definitely didn't see herself as the type to catch Drake Manning in the midst of his womanising ways and be able to change his heart. Still, she couldn't help but feel a sense of something good deep down inside of her. Perhaps she enjoyed the thought of feeling like she might actually be needed; she might actually be wanted by someone. It was an easy thought to get lost in, and so Ryann quickly brought herself back to reality before getting too deep in her own mind.

"I should go now," she said, more confident that when she had first run into Drake. She was beginning to realize that even if he had his reputation, it wasn't one to be afraid of. If anything, she should just be afraid of having her heart broken. Deep down though, Ryann could tell that her feelings for Drake weren't what she'd call genuine anyways. It made her think that even if he was just using her, she was in a sense simply using him in return. That gave her a sense of comfort in an odd way, but still, made her feel better about the situation. If Drake was going to give her attention, she had every right to enjoy that. It wasn't like it was a negative attention either. It was a simple kiss, and Ryann didn't think anything wrong of that.

As Ryann stood to her feet, she gathered her things. Turning, she gave another small grin to Drake as she said her farewell. "See you around, perhaps?" She didn't know what to expect. "And, you still need to work on proving your reputation," she joked. For all Ryann knew, Drake could have been stringing her along the entire time. But in all reality, Ryann wouldn't have cared a bit. She waved a goodbye and then turned the corner, just in time to again knock into another person.

Ryann let out a cry of frustration, gathering her books for the second time in less than an hour. She stood to see who it was this time, quite shocked to find out. "N.. Noah?" she questioned feebly. How long had he been standing there? Did he see her kiss Drake? A lump began to form in her throat as she wished that she could disappear from that moment in time. "What are you doing here?" she asked, hoping and praying that he had just then been turning the corner and not watching for the past few minutes.

[noah]

Noah hummed quietly to himself as the end of his quill tapped against the hard wood. His head phones cushioned his ears, as music blasted from the small crystal on the table. Most people wouldn’t be able to think under such conditions, but strangely, listening to music helped him. Especially now since her was studying muggle politics and economic issues. Besides taking History of Magic as a side class, he was also taking Muggle Studies, which wasn’t so hard. Noah mostly slept during Professor Bin’s lecture, which was starting to bite him in the butt. His recent essay on the Goblin Rebellions wasn’t the best, and that was clearly showed in his grade. Even after the help of Ryann, it wasn’t enough to write about the topic. Sighing, Noah copied down the last sentence, trying hard not to sing the lyrics out loud. He didn’t exactly have the best voice for singing. He was only good at playing the piano, but most people didn’t know that about him. Grinning as he was finished, Noah waited for the ink to dry, taking the time to glance around the room. The Student Lounge was packed with more students than usual, since the fall weather was too cold to be outside for too long. He didn’t see anyone he knew, not even Chris. Shrugging, he folded the parchment up, setting inside his backpack, zipping the zipper up. With the headphones still over his messy brown hair, Noah left the student lounge toward the common room to get ready for dinner.

He turned various corners of the corridor, until he made his way toward the stairs. He stopped suddenly seeing two figures leaning up against the wall. With a raised eyebrow at the notice of Ryann, Noah slowly took more steps back, hiding behind the wall. She was talking to an older Slytherin boy Drake, who was known around Hogwarts for his…wild reputation to say. “What would he want with her?” he questioned quietly, peeking over the edge of the stone wall. Drake was leaning in closer to Ryann, his lips just pressing against her. An unusual flare of rage burned in Noah as he watched the boy. Didn’t Ryann see past his actions? She was smarter than that. Well, at least Noah thought she was. He normally didn’t see her go around kissing random boys in the hallway. Leaning away from the wall, Noah listened as Ryann said her goodbyes. He counted to ten seconds before continuing his way back to the common room. Grunting as he felt someone collide with him, he stared at the younger girl as she bent down to pick up her books. She quickly babbled on like she usual did when she was nervous. Noah crossed his arms over his chest, his blue eyes piercing Drake’s, his head slowly shaking up and down in response.

“Well this is the only way from the Student Lounge that leads to the stair cases, which will take me to the Ravenclaw tower…” he answered slowly his gaze now turning back to Ryann. “I wasn’t expecting to see you lip locking Manning over there. Tell me…how long have you guys known each other? You do know he has a reputation of manipulating girls?” Noah’s soft gaze soon turned hard as he took a couple steps around Ryann, so he was facing Drake. “What are you planning, Drake?” Noah asked his eyes never leaving the boy’s. This was all too strange for Noah. Why didn’t he just ignore it and go back to the common room? Maybe he didn’t want to see Ryann hurt…or possibly he was even jealous.

[Ryann Taylor G6]

Noah’s gaze wasn’t on Ryann, but focused steely on Drake. After a moment, he gave Ryann an answer. When his words indicated that he had seen the kiss, Ryann was petrified at first. She didn’t think that Noah would ever want to even spend time with her again. But then... then she realized that he might just be a bit jealous of Drake. Despite her better understanding that he was obviously angry with her, Ryann couldn’t help but think that his apparent jealousy meant that perhaps he had feelings for her that she hadn’t realized until now. Even more, maybe this was what it took for Noah to realize them on his own.

When he began to question her though, and step right past her to confront Drake, Ryann felt a hot anger begin to take over inside of her. If Noah was more worried about Drake than her, she wasn’t going to stay and bother watching. “At least he noticed me,” she said, fighting back the tears. It was all too much for Ryann to handle at that moment, and with her heart and emotions spanning across from love to confusion to anger, she turned quickly and ran with her books clutched tightly to her chest. She was careful not to run into any more people before getting back to the Gryffindor common room and escaping to her room.

[Drake Manning]

Though Ryann said that he had proved nothing with the kiss, Drake knew she couldn’t deny that she had allowed him to kiss her and even kissed him back. He continued to give her a mysterious smile as she explained that she should be going. Drake figured this was ok, as he had at least proved something, even if she didn’t acknowledge that it was much. As he waved good-by to Ryann and stood to his own feet, he heard her cause some commotion as she once again ran into someone as she turned a corner. Drake looked up to see Noah Bentley, a seventh year Ravenclaw. Drake knew of him, but didn’t know him personally. Ryann seemed to know him though, and soon Noah was questioning the kiss that he had apparently seen.

The stare that Noah was giving Drake made him wonder what was going on. It was almost as if Noah was trying to protect Ryann or something. She too had seemed to notice this as she muttered something that Drake didn’t catch and then ran off almost in tears. When Noah mentioned Drake’s reputation, he smiled a somewhat evil smile before taking a few steps toward Noah. “Worried I’m going to steal your girlfriend?” Drake questioned in a threatening manner. “Don’t worry, I’ll give her back when I’m done.” By this time, Ryann had been gone, and Drake wasn’t going to let Noah scare him. “Perhaps you are satisfying her anymore, Bentley,” Drake taunted. It was amazing how confident Drake could be when he had the power of his reputation behind him. That was one reason he felt so naked without it. His reputation was everything, and without it, Drake was vulnerable. As long as people like Noah believed in his reputation, Drake was more powerful than ever, at least in his own mind.

Not wanting to bother with Noah anymore than he already had, Drake took a few steps around him, following the way Ryan had disappeared to. He turned, speaking to Noah over his shoulder as he left. “I’ll take good care of her so that you don’t have to worry about sneaking around, following her to protect her.” Drake probably wouldn’t even bother seeing Ryann again, but knowing that Noah might be worried about it was enough to give Drake some satisfaction.