All Hail the Heartbreaker ((Open))

[Bevin Banes G6]

"Bevin, darling!" The voice, in all of its sickening glory, reached Bevin's ears as she approached the table at the Three Broomsticks. Her parents were seated close beside each other, as they usually were when they were out in public, but the moment Bevin had been spotted entering the pub; her mother had broken free of her father's grasps and launched herself at her daughter. Bevin suffered through two cheek kisses and when she pulled back enough for her mother to examine her, she plastered a fake smile on her face that looked nearly 100% genuine. Bevin was an exact replica of her mother. It bothered the younger Banes woman at times, simply because a woman was supposed to age. Mrs. Banes was using some anti-youth serum that made her skin look younger than Bevin's own…it just made her look completely ridiculous, but no one would tell her that – not even her own daughter. "You look lovely, dear." There. The compliment had been given. Bevin smiled and took her seat, pulling her purse from off her shoulder and settling it on the back of the chair easily as her mother sat back down in her seat, reluctantly. Immediately, as if suctioned to Mrs. Banes' shoulders, Mr. Banes wrapped his arm around her leisurely. "How has school been, love?" Mrs. Banes was never one to let silence linger for too long. It was a trait of hers that Bevin couldn't stand, along with a few others. Mr. Banes took a drink from his fire-whiskey and waited for Bevin's response, not bothering to add in any questions. Mrs. Banes would take care of that efficiently enough.

Bevin pushed her hair long brown hair over her shoulder and leaned back in her chair, going through her mind over what she could say. There was the truth, which was, "Well, I'm skimming by on my classes, just barely. I drink nearly every night, don't remember who it was that I made out with the night before, and all the while I am appearing sophisticated and perfect." The truth wouldn't go over well. Actually, now that Bevin thought about it – it would probably go over just as well as the lie. "Oh, you know," she finally said with a bright smile as she drummed her dark red fingernails on the tabletop, "school's school. It's nearly the end of term so exams are being prepared for… not much time for anything else." Mr. and Mrs. Banes smiled and nodded, just as Bevin knew they would. Now, the polite thing for her to do would be to ask about the business or ask about the socialites back at home – but of course, Bevin was never polite. So, they sat, in silence. Each of them was painfully aware that the only reason they put themselves through this terrible monthly luncheon was because of the public image it gave off. People loved seeing a family together on a monthly basis. It gave them hope that there were still good-natured families out there. The secret was: there weren't. The Banes were just good at making it seem like there was.

The server came up then and Bevin ordered a red currant rum. The drink appeared without a question from the waiter. If Rosmerta had been around, it would have taken some coaxing. Her parents didn't say anything, they just merely sipped at their respective drinks. Bevin didn't expect anything less. After another moment or two of silence, Mrs. Banes broke it again: "So, you'll never guess who we ran into this weekend, Bevvy." Bevin cringed noticeably at the use of her childhood nickname, but she pretended to look interested in what her mother had to say nonetheless. Her mother, a gossip monger in her own right, loved to talk about others – especially if she thought it would shock everyone else. "Do you remember the Kleins? Oh, sure you do, darling. Their daughter is Jennifer or something like that… you were in the choir with her for a year or so…" Her mother's voice started to drip away into a monotone sound that Bevin just couldn't help but tune out. She kept nodding with everything her mother said, taking drinks from her rum, but other than that her mind was elsewhere: as it was every time she had lunch with her parents.

Twenty minutes later, Bevin was sufficiently buzzed and was leaving the Three Broomsticks with her blue handbag thrown on her shoulder and her big sunglasses over her eyes. She walked into the streets of Hogsmeade confidently and made her way to a giant oak tree just off the way. She loved sitting beneath trees. It gave her an air of mystery. It was rare that Bevin was ever alone, and if she was ever alone it wasn’t for very long. Sitting beneath a tree would definitely attract some attention to her from the passersby. She sat beneath the shade and spread her flower printed dress around her knees as she rested her head against the base of the tree, her eyes closing. A small secretive smile settled itself on her lips as she waited to be joined, and she would be. She always was. It was all a matter of who the lucky contestant would be. Let the games begin.

[Seth Wright]

“Dude, not cool.” Seth commented in an amused tone of voice as he grinned at Chace, who was trying on a rather ridiculous-looking article of clothing. “That colour is so not you, as Willow would say. I wouldn’t blame Lara for dumping you on the spot if you turned up on a date wearing that.” Laughing, Seth narrowly avoided a friendly punch on the shoulder for his sarcastic remarks from his best friend, before Chace hastily pulled the robes off and gave them to the lady in charge of the fitting room. A few minutes later, after Chace failed to persuade Seth to pull on a set of horrible clothes himself, the two boys exited the boutique, chuckling – not giggling – about their antics. Chace didn’t strike strangers as childish; rather, he was always the authority figure, mature and responsible. However, in reality, he could be just as ‘loose’ as Seth, but only with Seth, and possibly Lara. Chace was really not as uptight as people assumed he was; he was like every other teenager who liked to have fun and mess around. Seth admired his best friend for being able to differentiate between acting sensible and acting stupid... because Seth always blurred the lines. And it wasn’t something people admired. “Is it time to split yet?” Seth asked as he glanced at his watch. “It’s coming up to, you know.” Chace nodded, and after a brief goodbye, the two boys parted; Chace to go to Lara, and Seth to kill time until his best friend was done wooing his lady. Willow was back at Hogwarts – had some sort of Charms assignment she insisted was too important to abandon to come spend a few hours with him in Hogsmeade – and Seth respected Willow’s need to stay back. He was perfectly fine roaming by himself... after all, it was how he spent his early childhood.

Stuffing his hands into his jean pockets, Seth strolled down a half-empty street, looking for signs of anything of interest. Fellow students flocked between shops, chattering in animated groups. Some couples ambled by, looking lost in love, causing a smile to quirk to Seth’s lips. It reminded him of Willow, and despite making him feel a pang of disappointment in his chest, being reminded she couldn’t be here with him today, he resigned himself to mourning her wonderful presence. “I should get her a souvenir or something... just something small... maybe flowers? It’s not like she can’t visit Hogsmeade whenever she wants.” Talking to himself out loud and ignoring any weird glances in his direction, Seth switched direction and began heading slowly to the local flower shop. He knew Willow’s favourite flowers were roses... the girl was a typical romantic, which was fine by Seth, because so was he... with a bit of a twist (because comic books weren’t your classic romantic present, as he’d discovered quite early on in life). Approaching the open boutique, which hosted many blossoming, beautiful flowers giving off fresh, enhanced-scented flowers, Seth browsed round the display for a while, buzzing around the bunch of different coloured roses. They were available in any shade, since it was a magicked shop, but Seth thought it better to stick to the most traditional colours... either red or pink. Willow’s favourite colour was pink, no doubt about that, but wasn’t red more romantic? He murmured the question under his breath, and paced around a while, musing over his predicament. Seth wanted to get anything related to Willow just right. He had to make it perfect.

The shop assistant eventually came over to enquire if he needed any help. “I was wondering... should I get red or pink roses for my girlfriend?” Seth would never get fed up of saying ‘my girlfriend’. It felt good to have the words slip off his tongue without batting an eyelid of pretence. After five minutes of discussion, the young lady helped Seth to choose a bunch of magenta roses, red in colour from afar, but with a rich tinge of pink in its soft, scented petals. Very happy with his choice, Seth paid for his purchase and exited the shop, whistling happily with his flowers in hand. They were wrapped in a clear, pale pink-tinted cellophane, with a matching satin ribbon. Seth was sure Willow would like them. Glancing at his watch again told him he was to rendezvous with Chace in just over an hour, and with nothing to do again, he set off down the street, bored and looking for something to entertain himself with.

That was when Seth passed a familiar girl sitting under a tree. The area was empty, he noticed, as his eyes landed on her, and she had found herself quite the nice, comfortable, secluded position. He tilted his head to one side as he watched her for a few minutes, noting the peaceful expression on her face, her eyes closed. Seth recognised her as a girl in his year, a Gryffindor, though he’d already forgotten her name. Yes, Seth had never been good with names. He was sure he knew this girl though... maybe he’d spoken to her a few times before. Perhaps she was notorious for something or another? Looking at her, Seth thought her to be someone who had quite an ego... He had always been good at guessing people’s personalities, though he never seemed to heed his own predictions, which got him into trouble. Just as Seth was deciding whether he should leave the girl in peace, or approach her, the said subject’s eyes opened, and their gazes locked. “Uh oh,” Seth thought with a gulp as a piercing look settled on his frozen figure; his grip round Willow’s flowers tightened. After a moment of awkward silence, Seth found it necessary to break the quiet as usual, and cleared his throat to attempt a nervous smile. “Um, hi.”

[Bevin Banes G6]

Bevin was rather skilled at realizing when things were disturbed or not the same as it had been moments before. For example: whenever she thought she was alone in her room with her back to her door, she knew immediately when someone entered; whenever she was asleep and someone entered her room, she knew about it immediately. It was the way she was. Always alert for someone to shove a knife into her back. She had to be with the life she led. And so, when someone stopped by her resting place, Bevin smiled to herself in hat assured way she does and opened her eyes to look at who her next victim was. Seth Something-or-other…hmm what was his last name? Bevin didn't care much for surnames, in fact, she didn't care much for first names – but she'd found it was only polite for a girl to know a guy's name, and not only that but it somewhat stroked their ego. "Well, hello," Bevin smiled brightly when he spoke. Wright! she suddenly thought as she stretched her arms above her head and then let them fall into her lap. Her eyes took in the flowers and smiled, knowing they weren't for her at all but wondering if she could get Seth to give them to her. She looked back up at him, "You see something you like?"

Her smirk was still on her face, but now it was a teasing one as it always was when she was talking to a boy. She had lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the sun that was situated behind him, adding perhaps a hint of a mystery to her. Or maybe Bevin was just full of it. She ran her fingers through her long brown hair after a second and then grinned up at Seth, "Who're the flowers for, handsome?" She stood from her seat beneath the tree, fixed her dress, and walked over to him. She was about his height in her stiletto heels, but then again – Bevin was tall naturally as well. She reached down with a slow, fluid motion and took the flowers from his hand. They had looked red further away but now they looked pink closer up. It was a nice trick, but Bevin herself would have just stuck with red roses. She loved the colour red; but it had to be a dark red, a dark rich red. She smelled the enchanted roses and then handed them back to Seth with a knowing smile on her face; "Your girlfriend is very lucky, having a boyfriend who gets her flowers and such. My boyfriend never got me any flowers, can you believe it?" She did not mention the fact that her last boyfriend had actually gotten her a rather expensive car and that she had set fire to it when they had broken up. Bevin would have liked roses.

She stood there, relaxed and composed, her arms folded across her chest as the breeze teased her dress around her knees and her hair around her face. Seth was obviously not the type to flirt with other girls if he was getting his girlfriend roses. Although, Bevin had met guys like that before – who bought their sweeties presents but then turned around and charmed some other girl in another place. She had been on both sides; the girlfriend and the other sweetie. She didn't like either position. She liked to be the one to twist, turn, and manipulate; not to be broken. Bevin wasn’t good at wearing her heart on her sleeve, hell, she didn't even want to because all it led to was heartbreak. It was so much easier to be the heartbreaker than the brokenhearted. Bevin smiled at Seth now as she pulled herself from her thoughts, "I'm Bevin, by the way, Bevin Banes." She held out her hand for him to shake or kiss or whatever, it always depended upon the type of guy he was. The flirty kind would kiss her hand, the taken afraid to make his girlfriend upset kind would shake it quickly and then drop it before anyone else could notice. She always found it highly amusing when guys did the latter – as if she had anything better to do than to ruin their relationships…oh wait, she didn't.

It wasn't that Bevin found it funny to break peoples' hearts, she just liked causing drama and chaos and who better than to cause the chaos with than couples who were happy now but wouldn't be later on? Perhaps she was bitter, she knew she was called such by many people – but she really just thought she was saving people from the ruin of relationships by breaking their heart sooner than normal. Of course, she should be considered a saint not a sinner. Bevin smirked to herself at this; the idea that she was anything but a sinner was a rather fantastic one. She did far too many sinful things to be a saint. Mother Bevin.

[Seth Wright]

Seth coloured a little when the girl smiled at him and returned the greeting. “Um... sorry for, well, intruding...” His eyes darted around nervously, wondering if he had just stepped on this girl’s ‘space’. He knew girls were very picky about their ‘space’, and he knew that girls needed a lot of it. Well, Willow did. Willow needed a lot of it. Like now, for example. Girls were so difficult to understand really, Seth thought. You had no idea what they were really thinking, and that confused him even more. He didn’t think this pretty girl would be any different as he looked at her, observing her face and long brown hair. She was pretty, but he wasn’t attracted to her. Seth hadn’t really found any girls besides Willow attractive. He supposed Willow liked him that way. If Seth ever –which was rarely – even chatted friendlily to a girl their age, she would stalk right up to him and pull him away as quickly as possible, snapping in annoyance about how ‘fickle’ Seth could be. Sometimes it got on his nerves. What did he have to do to show his girlfriend she was the only one for him? That she was the only girl he’d ever love? Hopefully, he thought as his hands weighed up the flowers in his hand, this would please her... and cement her trust in him just that little bit more. Seth believed in going slowly in relationships, and he was sure he would do the right things to convince Willow of his sincerity. It had been over a year now that they had been together, and Seth would continue taking those little steps to ensure his hopes would be fulfilled.

So when the Gryffindor girl looked at him and said “You see something you like?" Seth blanked. Girls didn’t flirt with him, firstly because he was not an object of their affections, and secondly because, amazingly, he was taken. He, too, didn’t flirt, because he was incapable at it, scaring girls away, and he was taken and knew Willow would kill him if he did, and he was not going to lose her. Seth was very careful. That was why, when Bevin sent him such a flirtatious smile, he had no idea what to do. He kind of realised she was flirting... her comment was flirtatious, he was sure of that. But, Seth didn’t really believe it was happening. So, he did what he always did. And pretended nothing was happening and he had no idea that anything was happening. Just. Act. Dumb. “Um... excuse me?” Seth managed to say out loud, his thoughts whirring in his mind. He couldn’t formulate anything else in his brain. It seemed this girl had rendered him, surprisingly, speechless. He had simply not been expecting such a bold, odd girl to talk to him in such a manner. “Oh, these? Er...” Seth held up the flowers and motioned at them as he tried to process the fact she had just called him ‘handsome’, before smiling as casually as he could. “They’re for my girlfriend. I mean, who else would I buy them for? I wouldn’t buy flowers randomly... and no, I’m not gay, many people have already asked me, and the question’s not that funny.” He was rambling again, so Seth immediately shut up. Why did he always embarrass himself in front of pretty girls. He didn’t know, but it didn’t stop him from flushing a bit.

Wait. Had this girl really called him ‘handsome’. Okay, this was either a very flirtatious girl, or, she was insane. ”Probably the latter,” Seth thought.

When the girl began walking over to him, Seth began to whiten again, but he was still flushed at the same time. Why was she approaching him? ”Oh god, the insane girl is coming at me. How do I get out of here?! Where is Chace when you need him to work his handsome magic?” Seth began to panic inwardly, and was so engrossed in trying to find a way out of his awkward situation, when the girl swooped down and took his flowers. She was almost as tall as him, since she was naturally tall he could see – not many girls that tall nowadays – but she was also wearing heels. That made it somewhat worse, because Seth was intimidated by women just as tall as him. He was used to being a very tall, gangly person himself, with small girls flocking around him, peering up at him like he didn’t exist, or he was too big to exist at all, or be ‘normal’. “Huh?” Seth managed to stutter as the girl took Willow’s flowers and smelt them, “Hey, you can’t – those aren’t--” Seth fell silent though as she began to speak again, feeling helpless as he watched her handle his gift. “Oh,” he managed to reply when she had finished. “Um... no. I can’t. Every boyfriend should give his girlfriend roses sometimes, right? To show he loves her.” It was awkwardly said, but Seth was glad he’d found his voice. He motioned at his flowers a little desperately, “Can I, like, have them back now? Thanks.”

Seth clutched at the roses protectively, not wanting them to be ruined by the girl. She was pretty, but... manipulative, Seth concluded, wary of her snatching Willow’s present again. “Seth,” he returned, managing to process fluid thought, “Seth Wright. I’m in Hufflepuff. You’re in Gryffindor, right?” He tried a smile, and seeing Bevin’s outstretched hand, he took it quickly, shaking it and immediately trying to let go. “Um, nice to meet you. Even though we’ve been in the same year for like, years.” Seth mumbled, before shutting up.