I'm Only Me When I'm With You (Jack)

[Riley Coxen G7]

“Riley, Riley, Riley. You never cease to amaze us. How’d detention with that Slytherin go? Gosh you must have really liked the guy…such a shame he had to dump you like that. What did he do to you that got you so pissed off?” Erica asked curiously, sitting on Riley’s bed and leaning against the wall. She was smacking away on her chewing gum, seemingly waiting for Riley to get back from detention. Christy of course was sitting by the window smoking a cigarette and chasing it down with a few shots. Mia was sitting with her guitar strumming some random peaceful tune on her bed, and Veronica was counting out galleons in another corner. They all looked rather bored, but were all glad to see Riley was back. Veronica looked up and gave her a look of disgust. “Ew Riley you’re covered in soot. Filch have you scrubbing out the dungeons or something?” Riley couldn’t help but smile. She figured she’d have a quick shower before she went out and met Jack again. They’d decided to meet in the Great Hall to scarf down a quick dinner and take a walk around the grounds afterwards before bed. The Great Hall was still open, but it wouldn’t be for long so Riley had to hurry if she wanted dinner. She shook her head softly, her face still glowing with happiness from the events of the night. She searched through her trunk for her towel and spare robes. “Oh, I wasn’t pissed. That was just our crazy way of having fun.” Riley said cheerfully. Behind her back, Veronica gave Christy a ’what’s gotten into her’ kind of look and Christy shrugged. Erica merely smirked. “So what you’re telling me is that you guys didn’t have a fight?” Erica said with a sly smile, probably recognizing the cheerful tone in Riley’s voice.

Mia’s hands stopped and Riley only just realized that her little song had finished. “So, throwing each other up against the wall and blasting holes into the castle are just your freaky way of having fun?” Mia questioned in a disbelieving tone as Riley now searched through her trunk for her bag of toiletries. Riley smirked. “Oh yeah, definitely. Actually, I agreed to start seeing him. Exclusively, you know.” Riley said in an amused tone, enjoying the satisfaction of their surprised faces. Erica didn’t seem surprised at all, in fact, she just seemed smug and proud. “I’m sorry, I think I misheard you. You decided to do what with who?” Christy asked in disbelief. Riley merely smiled and turned to Christy, who had dropped her cigarette out the window in surprise and was now lighting herself another. Could the girl ever put that stuff down? “Christy, Jack and I are dating. You know, that crazy thing where you’re in a relationship?” Riley questioned, talking to Christy by spelling it all out like she was a child. Riley was having far too much fun with this. “Oh shut your smart trap Riley, you know what I meant. The guy is a Slytherin. You’re a Gryffindor. Not to mention he’s a year older. It’ll never work out.” Christy said in a negative tone. Riley always got the feeling Christy never really liked her, but she didn’t mind much anyway. Christy could think whatever she wanted.

“Ok. If you say so. I’ve got to go wash up. I’m meeting Jack in The Great Hall for dinner. I assume you‘ll all be here when I get back?” Riley said smugly before walking off toward the bathroom. If they didn’t like what Riley was doing, then maybe they shouldn’t have set her up for the challenge in the first place. Once Riley had left, Christy glanced over at Erica. “You sure about this one? She seems a bit off to me.” Christy said suspiciously, glaring slightly at the door Riley had just exited from. Erica smirked before standing up and walking toward her own dormitory. “Oh, definitely. The kid’s got spunk. Not to mention it had to have taken some serious skill to nab a guy like that. I’m proud. She’d perfect for the Daughters. You should follow her lead, Christy. Maybe a tough Slytherin man will help you lay off all those cigarettes.” Erica pointed out before leaving the room as well. Meanwhile, Riley hopped into the shower for a quick little scrub down, singing to herself the entire time. Riley actually did have a pretty good voice, but she never sang in front of anyone. She was completely unaware of her volume, but she sang anyway, letting her voice echo around the room. There was no one else in the room anyway, so Riley didn’t bother keeping her voice down. But of course, Riley hadn’t taken into account that the walls were thin and she had no idea who could be hearing her favorite song coming out of the girl’s washrooms.

It didn’t take Riley long to get dressed and magically dry her hair (a trick that Mia had told her was an amazing time saver) and she dressed quickly, wanting to get to dinner and get something in her stomach before the house elves cleaned up and packed everything away. She didn’t bother with makeup now, it was simply a hassle anyway. Riley picked up her things and her wand and sent them away with a simple spell. She didn’t want to waste time going all the way back up to Gryffindor tower. She walked outside only to find none other than Jack Reid leaning confidently against the wall. Riley’s cheeks flushed pink. She hoped he hadn’t heard her in there, he couldn’t have heard her, right? “Hi Jack...I thought we were going to meet in the Great Hall?” She asked curiously, glancing around to see if there was anyone else in the corridor. She walked up to him and took his hand. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s go, all that hard work scrubbing all day got me hungry.” Riley said with a smirk. She and Jack had been able to sneak back in successfully and managed to trick Filch into thinking that because of the hole in his pocket, he had only just dropped their wands on the floor. He was probably still suspicious of them, but he had no proof that they had left so he couldn’t punish them again.

[Jack Reid]

Jack left the Common Room confident, after washing up. He and Riley had already had quite the exciting day. After getting taken away to the dungeons by Filch for busting up some of the walls in the corridor from their duel, he and Riley had sneaked their wands back and ran up to their secret spot, in the tower that Jack had once used as a young Slytherin to send out an emergency owl message. During that tower meeting, Jack had gotten up enough nerve to ask Riley to start seeing him exclusively, a feat that he had quietly yet nervously accomplished. With a firm, passionate kiss, Riley had accepted, and not long after they had been holding each other, they retreated back to the dungeon so that Filch wouldn’t notice they were gone. Riley had cleaned up all the dungeon bars so that the children in there could be let go on good terms, and neither Filch nor Mrs. Norris seemed to think anything was amiss when they let them go. Little did they know how well Riley and Jack worked together. Filch had let them out with just enough time to grab dinner in the Great Hall and head back to their respective Common Rooms for curfew.

Jack had agreed to see Riley once more that night. Why wouldn’t he want to spend more time with the woman who was on his mind the whole day? He had waited to see how well she could fend for herself in a duel, and her skills proved to him she was worthy. It had been a bit of a stretch for him to ask out a Gryffindor, especially since she was a year younger than him. Juliet had been in his same house and his same year in fact, but Riley had the attitude he loved about women. She was fiesty, attractive, and had a head of her own that she actually used. She didn’t seem to care what anyone thought, which was the same as him. He was proud to be with her, even if she was in a different house. Even if he thought (more like knew) that Slytherin was the most prestigious house, it wasn’t written in stone who he could date. He thought about all this as he walked through the corridors towards the Gryffindor girls Common Room. They had agreed to wash up and meet in the Great Hall, but he figured she would take a bit longer than him, only because all the girls from Godric’s Daughters would be asking her a million questions about him and what the duel was about. They likely thought it was a brutal break up, when it was truthfully a way Jack and Riley bonded.

He walked past some of the paintings before the entrance to the Common Room, and stopped. He thought he heard singing. Jack leaned against the wall and recognized the beautiful voice of Riley. She had to be in the shower washing up right then, singing her little heart out. He chuckled, knowing she likely had no idea how loud she was, nor how thin the walls were at this part of the castle. She did had a beautiful voice and he loved that about her. He thought about doing something to try and embarrass her, but he decided against it. He would just have to give her a hard time when she came out. He rested against the wall near the entrance to the Common Room, and waited. He heard the girls chattering away right away as he leaned against the wall, twiddled his wand, trying to think of some spell to mess around with Riley. She came out rather quickly, and she flushed pink in her cheeks as she was surprised to see him already there waiting for him. Riley asked him about the Great Hall, and he smiled. “Yeah, we were, but I decided to come up and surprise you, so we could walk there together. Besides, I didn’t want to miss being serenaded by the lovely Riley Coxen while she washed up. That was you, wasn’t it? Singing at the top of her lungs?” He laughed and smirked at her, sure that she didn’t expect him to have heard her.

She took his hand quickly, and he eagerly took hers, his wand semi-hidden in his other hand. He had the perfect spell in mind, remembering how she had said (and proved) how ticklish she was. Jack squeezed her hand and looked at her. She wasn’t quite paying attention to him, she was too focused on looking where she was going and likely how hungry she was. He was hungry as well, but he wanted to have a little bit of fun with Riley. He began a sentence, so that she wouldn’t see the spell coming. “So, I was thinking after we get done eating…” He had practiced the spell lightly before, so he could use it on some unsuspecting first or second year, maybe even Bronsen. He pointed his wand at Riley, behind his back, and thought the words to the spell. Rictusempra!, he nearly yelled in his mind. He watched to see how Riley would react.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley couldn’t believe he had heard her singing. She couldn’t have been that loud, could she? The walls were thin, Riley often remembered overhearing over excited conversations or fights from outside the girl’s washrooms. Riley tried to control her embarrassment, but she couldn’t help it. She was sure that there were less than three people in the entire world who had ever heard Riley’s singing voice. Jack Reid happened to be one of them. She didn’t know why she didn’t like anyone to hear her sing. It was probably part of that inner self-confidence problem she had hidden beneath her almost conceited nature. It was all part of the inner Riley, the part that no one ever saw. Even her closest family didn’t see what lay underneath layers of what seemed to be solid rock. Riley was convinced that there must be something wrong with the true her, so she did her best to hide it. She did a damn good job of it too, but it was moments like this, when people heard her singing or heard about her aspirations for the theater, that really bugged Riley. She supposed the real Riley was starting to come out of her shell, which was a good thing. That’s what she really liked about Jack. She really didn’t care that she’d known the guy for less than a week. All she knew was that she was able to be herself when she was with Jack. She didn’t understand why exactly this happened, but it happened.

Riley walked out of the girl’s washroom to greet Jack, who was looking quite smug and just a bit mischievous. She couldn’t blame him. They had gotten into quite a bit of trouble in this day alone. They’d torn up the corridors, the exact corridor that Riley and Jack were about to pass through now, and they’d dueled like they couldn’t stand each other. Of course many found it odd that they found it fun to wrap the other in fire or blow holes in the castle trying to knock them off their broom. It wasn’t the conventional meaning of fun, but somehow, it worked for thrill-seeking Riley and Jack. Then, after they had finished their little morning show, the two had been dragged off to detention where Filch thought it would be funny to force them to work together in scrubbing the dungeons, thinking that they hated each other. Of course Filch hadn’t counted on Riley’s trusty sleeping potion (which she’d restocked on when she was in her dormitory) that had successfully managed to put Mrs. Norris to sleep while they could sneak out. And then, to top it all off, they had decided to once again visit Jack’s secret tower which was forbidden to students. But what Riley didn’t know was that it wasn’t even all these little misbehaviors that had caused the mischievous smirk on his lips. He had another plan on his mind, one that Riley had no idea was brewing.

“Actually, that was Moaning Myrtle, Jack. She’s got a lovely voice, doesn’t she?” Riley said jokingly with a sly smile. She had so much fun joking around with him. Riley’s sarcasm always seemed amusing to him for some reason. She took his hand, walking down the corridor that they had so recently torn up. The hole in the middle of the floor was gone, but the wall looked like it still needed mending. Not to mention the paintings were back in their appropriate place, glaring at Riley and Jack as they passed. “Yes Jack, that was me. And I wasn’t that loud, was I?” She asked, completely mortified that he had heard. With Riley’s luck, it wouldn’t have been just Jack that had heard her song. She wouldn’t be surprised if most of the school was outside laughing at her voice by the time she exited. She listened as he was about to share his ideas when suddenly, she felt a sharp pressure in her hips and eventually, the sensation spread. She felt like she was being tickled to death. She immediately broke out into laughter. Jack hadn’t touched her, but she did notice him slip his wand back into his robe pocket. Riley bent over, laughing. “JACK!” She said as she continued to laugh uncontrollably. She couldn’t tell if his spell was really strong, or if she really was just that ticklish. “REVERSE IT!” She pleaded as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. A few passing students stopped to give Riley odd looks, and after realizing Jack and Riley weren’t going to start dueling again (the news about their duel had traveled fast, and Riley likely had Christy to thank for that. “Please?” She begged feebly.

[Jack Reid]

Jack had slipped his wand back in his robe as he cast the spell on Riley. He saw the shiver go through Riley’s body, then he watched as she started laughing uncontrollably. “No, you weren’t that loud singing, Riley. But now you are!” he said, laughing. Jack watched in amusement as he stood above her, laughing as she was nearly doubling over in absolute hysterics. She begged him to reverse the spell, and he looked at her with barely and compassion. “Oh give it a minute, I’m sure it’ll wear off. Or maybe it won’t. I’ve only used it a few times…” She eyed him and begged again, and he couldn’t say no to her beautiful eyes staring back at him. “Okay, fine. Don’t worry, it’s easily fixed.” He pulled his wand out again and reversed the spell easily. Jack looked at her somewhat apologetically, and said, “I had to. You told me how ticklish you were and I had to see just how ticklish you actually were. Now I know. You weren’t kidding, were you?” he laughed through his words, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. He hoped she would see the humor in his actions and quickly forgive him for his little prank.

He didn’t apologize though. Jack was a hard stone when it came to being apologetic for his actions. Riley would certainly learn this sooner or later. Jack never apologized unless it was completely his wrong-doing, and even then it took a lot for him to say the word “sorry”. He hadn’t even said it to his kid brother Bronsen, even the few times he had grabbed his robes and shoved him up against the wall, nearly making him cry, the little child that he was. He couldn’t stand the kid, and that was just how it was. Jack didn’t apologize for anything because he felt everything he did had a reason or advantage behind it, the advantage usually being for him. It was likely why he was so unapproachable, but Riley had broken down that barrier by coming over and talking to him, at the exact moment when he didn’t want to be bothered. She had made herself attractive and interesting, something he admired very much about her. But he would not apologize for something, especially not something as simple as asking Riley out, or casting a tickling spell on her. It was pathetic and small, things he didn’t care about at all.

Jack held Riley close and looked her in the eyes. “Well I guess we should be going, shouldn't we? It's getting close to curfew, so we should hurry.” He brought her closer to him and they walked side by side. Within a few minutes, they were in the Great Hall, where some of the children from the dungeon were eating, as they had been let out. If Jack had more of a heart, he would have done what Riley did down there, cleaning the bars. But he didn't and that was fine. He looked at Riley. “So you like the tower quite a bit, don't you? Maybe we can go there whenever we need some time alone from your girls or the school. Anyway, let’s see what we’ve got to eat.” He took her hand again and grabbed two plates. They went on either side of the buffet style table and got what they wanted to eat. Since they were so late to dinner, they had cleaned up most of the food already, but some was still out. They sat down across from each other and held hands for a little while, then proceeded to eat their food. “So any ideas for what to do with our remaining hour or so before curfew? I was thinking a walk outside, if it’s not too cold. Of course, I could just give you my cloak again.” He laughed at the thought of Riley laughing uncontrollably again, and looked at her intently. He was sure she had questions about him, so he brought up the question. “Is there anything you’re wondering about me?” Jack was barely ever this open, but he was starting to really comfortable with her and was likely willing to talk about anything with her, save for a few certain topics.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley smirked, rubbing her sides a bit. She let out one last small chuckle that was the remnants of Jack’s spell, and pushed him over lightly. He didn’t seem to want to apologize at all, which was fine, Riley supposed. It wasn’t like decided to cast a tickling spell on her was a criminal offense or anything, plus even though it caused her to laugh like mad, she sort of liked it in some weird way. She didn’t exactly like that he had cast a spell on her, but what was she going to do? Yell at him? Not likely, not at this point when Riley was so incredibly content with herself and her life. She had great friends, a wonderfully interesting boyfriend, and well…that was pretty much it wasn’t it? Her family situation wasn’t the best, but what else was new? Riley’s family was always a mess. That wasn’t about to change, no matter how hard Riley tried, and boy did she try. “Well if that’s your way of apologizing, then I forgive you, Jack.” Riley said jokingly. He pulled Riley close and she smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling. She noticed that he did tend to look into her eyes a lot, which was fine with her. She enjoyed those moments where they didn’t have to say a word. She held him tightly, not knowing what he was going to do next. Jack did tend to be a very spontaneous person by nature, and she loved that about him, but at the same time it also confused her as well. Just when she thought she’d had Jack figured out, he’d do something completely odd for what she thought of him. She still had no real idea who exactly he was, just the basics. She knew he was older, he was a Slytherin, and he had two brothers named August and Bronsen. Then there was the fact that normally, he was supposed to be pretty anti-social. Other than that, Riley knew nothing. Of course, that was one of the results of dating a guy you’ve only known for less than a week. Somehow though, even though she didn’t know much, she didn’t care.

The next thing Riley knew, Jack had disappeared out of the room with a loud crack. He had apparated out of the room and into the Great Hall. Riley was surprised, but she held on tight until they arrived. Riley had traveled by way of apparation, though of course, she hadn’t done it herself. She was used to the familiar sensation of disappearing out of the room in only seconds, because she and her older family members traveled this way frequently. She trusted that Jack knew what he was doing, so she held on to him without a doubt that he’d keep her safe and wouldn’t make any mistakes. When they arrived outside the Great Hall, Riley was grateful. Because it was so late, there was only one long table left at the center of the room, with probably about twenty or thirty people sitting at it. There were people of all ages and houses at this table, and it was likely that these were all the kids who had ended up in detention or simply hadn’t gone to dinner when everyone else did.

Everyone turned to stare at the two, most of them being the children that were in the dungeons earlier on in the evening. Jack and Riley had become the talk of the school in less than a few hours. Riley had quickly become one of the most popular girls of Gryffindor house, and she drew attention fast, just like Erica had planned. The second she started going out of her dormitory with those four other girls, heads turned. Then to top it all off, there was Jack Reid. He was good looking and everyone knew it, but he was so closed off that he didn’t let anyone in. It was a miracle that Riley had managed to charm him and then of course the duel had been the icing on the cake. Riley couldn’t help but smirk a bit as she walked with him to their spot at the table. Everyone probably thought they hated each other, so when they apparated in holding each other closely, it was bound to baffle some people. She filled her plate, starving from her day of work and play. She didn’t eat like a pig for her mother and father had at least managed to give her manners, but she definitely had a large appetite. She tiled her head slightly as she chewed, thinking about what they could do. A walk on the grounds seemed perfect. Riley loved the outdoors. “I think a walk is a great idea. And I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine. It’s not far too cold.” She said thoughtfully. There was plenty she wanted to know about him. “Well of course, I barely know anything about you.” She said with a small chuckle. “Let’s start with the basics. What are your parents like?”

[Jack Reid]

Jack turned cold. Riley had jumped right into the biggest can of worms he had access to, and she was asking about it outright. Riley was right, she did barely know anything about him. The most she knew was his house, his brothers, and his unpredictability. It was likely that the things he was about to say would be as unexpected as his actions had been in the past week. They were having fun together, despite their family lives, which he didn’t even know anything of for her, and here she was asking about things she didn’t have any idea about. While she wasn’t as young as Bronsen, she was still young. She had a good head on her shoulders, but would she understand how messed up his family was? And more importantly, would she accept him once she knew the truth of his heritage. The Reid legacy was a definite screw up, all the way down to Mum being made crazy by that bloody spell.

Jack looked Riley in the eyes, her beautiful glass-like eyes. He took both her hands and looked down. He noticed they were both pretty much done eating, so he looked back up at her and did what he did best, when being forced to talk about his family. He stalled. “Come on, we’re pretty much done here. Let’s get started on that walk, shall we?” He held her hands tightly and they walked out of the Great Hall in somewhat of an awkward silence. Quickly, they were at the entrance. He pulled her close and they walked down the steps together. Jack knew Riley was likely trying to figure out why he didn’t want to talk about his parents. Little did she know the terrible childhood he had dealt with and the great deal of responsibility he had simply been thrown into.

Jack decided he could trust Riley, at least with some beginning things. If she wanted to know more, she could ask and he would have to decide then if he wanted to let her in even more than she was already. “Okay well. Where to begin,” he said aloud, remembering Riley’s specific question about his parents. “My Mum has been there for me for a lot of my life, but in the past years, at least since my brothers have been here at school with me, she and my Dad have been just not in my life much.” He worried she would ask more about that, so he continued on quickly. “Recently, within the past couple years, Mum apparently had an accident and a curse was backfired onto her, leaving her crazy and unable to function very well at all. Nothing has been the same in my family since. Dad runs off with other women nearly every night, because he thinks Mum doesn’t matter anymore. Bronsen and August look to me for direction but I’m just not the type to be looked at as a leader. I don’t consider myself that, especially not for those two.” He thought more about his father and gritted his teeth as he spoke yet again. “Dad is a man high up in the council, and I have no intentions of filling his spot. Hell, I don’t even want his bloody name. But I’m stuck with that, I guess. That’s about all I can come up with. Any questions?” He hadn’t meant to glare at her, but mistakingly he did, and as soon as he saw Riley notice his anger, he regretted showing her that side of him.

Jack couldn’t dare lose Riley the way he had lost Juliet. That’s why he looked back at Riley with sympathetic eyes and asked her quietly, “What about your life, your parents? You’ve got a bunch of siblings don’t you? I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my life the whole night. We’ve only got so long.” Jack hoped this change of subject would calm Riley and help her to open up, despite how angry he had gotten in the past few minutes. They rounded a corner and he pulled her tighter to him, as the wind picked up slightly. “Are you okay, Riley?” he said quietly again, as she hadn’t really answered him yet. He looked at her, hoping for some kind of response.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley had obviously taken notice in Jack’s abrupt change in mood. All throughout this week, they had had fun together. They had spent so much time together over the past few days each bonding with their own unique way but neither knew what was really going on. Riley of course, had suspected that there was something about Jack that made him the way she was, but she had never really known for sure what was going on. Then Jack on the other hand, had no idea what Riley was hiding about her family. Well she wasn’t hiding exactly, she was simply neglecting to tell him about what was going on. She didn’t want to get that issue started. She hated telling people about her father. She hated the look of pity that appeared in their eyes when she told them her father was dead. She didn’t want their pity, nor did she need it. She watched Jack’s face go stone cold and after a moment he composed himself somewhat before asking if they should go outside. She could tell something was wrong. She probably shouldn’t have asked. This was obviously one of those things Jack wouldn’t be too keen on talking about.

She left her half empty plate on the table, no longer in the mood to eat. She felt somewhat guilty that she had brought up the subject, and definitely wouldn’t mind if he chose not to tell her. She gratefully came to him as he pulled her close, but noticed the stiffness in the action. This was a side of Jack she hadn’t seen before, and one she wasn’t too keen on seeing ever again. She walked out of the Great Hall and went down to the front doors, where they exited into the cold breeze. Jack sent her a very unfamiliar glare and Riley felt a chill up her spine that had nothing to do with the weather outside. “You know, if it’s something you don’t want to talk about, I’m fine with it. You don’t have to tell me.” Riley said, completely worried and slightly confused by the glare. Was it something she had said that offended him?

Riley knew his family situation must have been painful, she could see it in his eyes as well as all his body language. His eyes told all the words he wanted to say, he didn’t need to say anything else, but he did. She sighed and ventured a glance at him. She could tell that he was still angry just having to talk about his past and his family, but that he wasn’t angry with her. He just couldn’t help it. Some guys tended to be like that. Having always been around guys all her life, Riley knew that most tended to have a temper. She just couldn’t help it. “But you don’t believe that’s what happened to her?” Riley asked in response to his comment about his mother apparently being hit by a backfired curse. Seeing his expression, Riley decided it probably wasn’t safe to ask just yet. “Never mind. I can see why you didn’t want to talk about all this. It seems like it’s been tough growing up in a home like that.” Riley said quietly. She didn’t want to be one of those “Gosh are you serious?” or the classic “Wow, I’m so sorry” people who just radiated pity for you. There was nothing Riley hated more than being pitied. “You’re dad probably would have got along well with mine, if he was still around anyway.” Riley said bitterly. She tended to adopt this tone of voice whenever remembering the memory of her father.

She sighed at the mention of her family. Even though their family situation was surprisingly similar, Riley approached talking about her family much differently. She did have a temper, but when it came to subjects like her father or sister, she just acted like she didn’t give a damn. She acted like her family was ‘no big deal’ when really, her entire family was beginning to drive Riley completely insane. “Well, four siblings, actually. One being my twin. I’m only really close to my little brother Connor. The others are just taking up space as far as I’m concerned, especially my sister Cora. I used to be close with my twin brother Oz, but…well let’s just say he’s moved on to bigger and better things. As for my parents, well, my mother’s nice I guess. Just worries too much I guess. My father was a real ass though. I’m pretty sure he slept around a bit as well, but he kept his secrets well. He died over the summer.” Riley said, her voice now dipped in bitterness so much that she could almost taste it. She offered a small comforting smile as he pulled her closer to him. She didn’t mind the cold air much. In fact, it was kind of refreshing. “Yeah, I’m fine I guess.” Riley said, rolling her eyes. “Just…I don’t like talking about them. Obviously you don’t either.”

[Jack Reid]

Jack knew he might have been pushing her away, and even though he cared for Riley, he wasn’t sure how much of his life she would be up for hearing. Jackson was a hard man to please, and Jack knew that if he ever found out his Slytherin son was dating a Gryffindor, he would likely blow a gasket or two. But it didn’t matter to him. His father didn’t mean much to him anymore, and Riley deserved to know that. Riley looked at him with a seeming pain in her eyes when he accidently glared at her. His eyes immediately changed to apologetic, longing even, for her forgiveness. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but he didn’t want to hurt her, at all. He smiled slightly at her as she warned him that he didn’t have to talk about it. “Frankly, I don’t want to talk about it. I never do. But,” he said with a pause. “You deserve to know the truth about my life, if you’re going to date a hard Slytherin man such as myself.” Jack wanted to expose Riley to everything about him, at least as much as he would let her into right then. There were a few things she would just have to learn on her own with him. She would indeed learn, and likely learn fast.

Jack knew it was unconventional for him to apologize. Pretty much everyone knew that about him, at least anyone who had had any decent exposure to him. But Riley had seen a different side of him, a softer side, one he hadn’t shown many, the last being Juliet. So he did something he didn’t even expect of himself. Gulping the huge lump of pride in his throat, he looked deep into Riley’s eyes and said it. “I’m sorry for glaring at you,” he said calmly, and slowly. “Not many people ask about my family because they get that glare from me. I didn’t mean to do it to you. It just happens when someone brings up my family. I’ll tell you more.” Juliet hadn’t asked much about his family, since she had always been yapping about her being her daddy’s girl. That was likely the one thing he couldn’t have standed about that girl. Riley was different in this area though. She didn’t seem to want to talk about her family much either, as he would likely soon find out. Riley asked if he didn’t believe that the accident had happened. He told her the truth. “I honestly don’t know what to think. Dad’s been lying for so many years, I don’t know what to believe anymore. It just seemed too convenient for her to have gone crazy when Dad seemingly started cheating on her. So I don’t know what I want to believe, even if it’s a lie or the truth.” He gritted his teeth as he thought of how stupid Jackson was, especially if he had performed the spell himself. He hadn’t been in the room with his father, he had walked in after Mum had gone crazy.

When Jack heard Riley’s somewhat snide comment about their fathers, she smoothly mentioned that her father was gone. His eyes narrowed, knowing the pain that she was going through. Even if he hadn’t lost his mother, her current state was practically as bad. He decided to be strong for her, as it seemed she didn’t want anything to do with her father. “I may not know what it’s like to lose a family member, but with Mum being crazy and incompetent, she’s practically dead to me. I don’t know if she’ll ever get better. So I know somewhat how you feel, Riley.” He walked slowly with her, pulling her close into her, letting her reach around to hold onto him so that he could wrap her with his cloak. They were walking against the wind slightly, so he did what he could to keep her warm. Jack listened intently as she explained the problems with her large family and numerous siblings. He could tell she had nearly a problem with everyone in her family, save for the few she mentioned good things about. Jack squeezed her hand and laughed. “What would your mom say if you brought a big mean Slytherin boy home with you? I’m sure that would get some laughs and looks, wouldn’t it?” He was trying to lighten the mood, as they were both in a state where they didn’t want to talk abut the certain subjects at hand.

Riley explained how she didn’t like talking about her family, just the same as he didn’t. “I don’t like talking about families much, because it makes me too vulnerable. But I’m okay with being that way with you, for some reason. It seems like you have a few you really connect with in your family. Plus, be glad you still have your mom. Mine is a vegetable, basically.” She mentioned how he seemed to not like talking about his family.“You’re right,” he started. “I hate talking about Mum and Dad because of the past. I always got stuck being the babysitter once August and Bronsen were born. Pretty much any time I had some plans to go out or do something for myself, they stuck me with the brats. I’ve constantly been pushed around by them. Now that we’re all here at school, I hoped things might be different when I went home, but it’s just like old times. Dad’s out all the time and Mom can’t do anything but sit there and stare into space. So I have to make food and pretty much take care of everything when we go home. August has a decent head on his shoulders, but he tries too hard to please everyone. He’s never going to do it, so why try?” He didn’t want to bring up Bronsen, because it would likely anger him, but he decided she could know his frustrations. He trusted Riley. “Bronsen, he’s the youngest and thinks he’s the best thing ever. I have to set him straight all the time, get the reality of life back into him.” Jack finished on that note. He couldn’t think of much else to bring up. “Anything else you’d like to know? Looks like I’m sort of an open book tonight. You’ve got me opening up more. Good job.” He said, acting like he was so smug. He chuckled and waited for her to respond.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley chuckled at Jack’s mention of him being a ‘cold hard Slytherin’. Riley highly doubted he was really this way. She didn’t doubt for a second that he could be this way if he wanted to, but she could also see the really nice and even caring guy hidden inside. She’d seen both sides of him now, which she supposed was a good thing. At least Riley knew what to expect now. She knew now that whenever the subject of his parents or his family came back, he could no longer be that nice, teasing guy. “Oh now, don’t be so hard on yourself. I bet that not so deep down under that cold, hard, Slytherin skin, you’re a big softie.” She said teasingly, trying to lighten the moment. She could tell that neither of them were far too close to their families, and talking about them just put a damper on everything Jack and Riley were about. But she supposed this needed to be done. Riley would rather know so she could avoid the subject rather than bring it up at random and watch him get angry for seemingly no reason. She shook her head slowly. “No, it’s fine. I understand, trust me. No one likes talking about things that upset them, it’s fine.” She said with a comforting smile. Riley found that lately, she had been surprisingly understanding of Jack which was odd for such a hot headed person like Riley. But she had supposed it probably had something to do with the fact that they had so much in common with one another.

She walked with Jack as he tried to comfort her by pulling her close. She enjoyed their closeness and walked with him. Honestly, even Riley didn’t know how she felt about her father’s death. It had come as a shock to her, really. There had been so many times when Riley almost wished her father dead, but she knew better than to actually will that to happen. In all aspects of the term, Riley could honestly say that she hated her father. She should have been rejoicing the fact that such a hateful, cruel person was finally out of her life. So why was it that the moment Riley was alone in her little garden (the same garden she had found the dead body of her father) she had to cry her eyes out? She had cried and cried for hours in her secret spot and everyone was too busy mourning in their own special way that they hadn’t noticed the seemingly stone cold Riley Coxen brake down in tears. “Well, I’m not really too sure how I really feel about his death to be perfectly honest. He was the dictator of the house and then Cora, his damn shadow just made things worse. I was the only one who actually stood up to him.” Riley said somewhat bitterly, remembering the countless Cora/Bruce vs. Riley fights that would constantly take place inside the house.

Riley laughed. In truth, Riley had no idea what her mother would think about Jack Reid. She wasn’t one that really liked house seperations, and had always tried to encourage Riley and Oz to make friends with everyone, that despite the stereotypes for each house they were all just teenagers when it came down to it. Yasmin Coxen had been heavily involved in Hogwarts activities and such, so chances were, if Jack’s parents were wizards (which they obviously were) then Yasmin would know at least three good facts about Jack Reid’s family. “Well I think she’d just be glad I’m finally becoming more feminine. She does love that I’m an active girl, but she’s always the kind of mother who tried to get me to replace Quidditch with ballet or something. But I really don‘t think you‘ll have to worry about meeting my wacky mother anytime soon. Trust me, the last thing you‘d want to do is spend time at the Coxen place. I can barely stand it myself, and I live there.” Riley said with amusement, remembering those early years when her parents had forced her into ballet classes. The classes had only lasted about a horrific two weeks, but Riley still had the horrifically embarrassing pictures of a very angry young Riley in a tutu.

Riley smiled. “Yeah, I am glad for the few sane people that are left in my family. It’s really just me, mum, and Connor, and even we’re not all that sane. I‘m like the middle child, I guess. Connor and my twin brother Oz are the only younger ones than me, so I never had to do the babysitter thing. We all just took care of ourselves.” Riley said with a small laugh, wondering when she’d introduce Jack to her brother Connor. She knew Oz would eventually find out, if he didn’t know already. If that clueless kid did know (which she doubted) anything about Jack, he hadn’t approached Riley about it. For once, Riley didn’t even care that she and Oz weren’t close anymore. She shook her head as they approached the black Lake, which was caked over in very thin ice.

[Jack Reid]

Jack chuckled as Riley seemed to be trying to see right through his hard Slytherin skin. While he had some soft spots, admittedly, he was like his father in more ways than he cared to talk about. Jack would likely become the kind of dictator that his father was. “Well I have a few soft spots in me, but you’ll only see them from time to time. You’ve penetrated pretty far in, pretty quick Riley. I may decide to keep you around.” As he said this, he winked at her and pulled his cloak further around her. He took out his wand as it got cooler and they approached the dark lake. Riley talked about her mother, and Jack did something he had never done before, at least not since his mother’s accident. He sniffed and wiped away the one single tear that was just streaming down his cheek. Jack cursed silently to himself, knowing he did not want to cry or even come close to it in front of Riley. She surely had seen him, but he acted like it hadn’t happened. “Yeah, most of us don’t like our own homes, do we? That’s probably why we want to get out and go to school all the time. It’s been…” he paused. “Different, to say the least. It’s nearly as if...Mum’s gone.” He quickly pushed his gloved hand up to his other cheek and ferociously brushed away the second tear. He could not (would not) cry in front of Riley.

Jack hadn’t cried since the day of his mother’s accident. That day would haunt his mind forever. One moment Mum was standing there making dinner, singing her little songs that she heard on their muggle television and muggle radio set, and the next...It was like she was completely gone. Dead. It was likely the main reason he held such a secret hatred for Jackson. In fact, he rarely called Jackson “dad”. What kind of father screwed around with numerous women the weeks after his wife had such a tragic accident? While Jack couldn’t prove that his father was cheating in the days after the accident, he didn’t put it past his father. August and Bronsen had no idea what was going on. Jack was the only one who knew the full truth. While August possibly knew some of it, but as much as Bronsen claimed to know, he could never know the truth. How could someone that young possibly understand even a bit of such an adult situation? It boggled Jack’s mind how Bronsen acted like such a know it all, even as a second year. He shook his head off of it, focusing on what Riley was saying about her family now.

“Well I definitely know how that goes. Bronsen gives me a headache anymore with how smart he claims to be, and August gives me the lectures all the time like he’s now in charge instead of me or Dad. It’s pathetic really. They act like they seem to want so much independence, yet they keep coming to me for answers and help. It’s not my responsibility anymore.” They had reached the large dark lake, and Jack had an idea. He had grown fond of surprising Riley, and she seemed to enjoy his unpredictable nature, so she would likely enjoy this next little stunt. Jack spoke the Lumos spell and his wand lit up the ground near the lake. He eyed around the lake to make sure they were alone and he spoke another spell, summoning his broom. Within seconds, his broom was next to them and he took his cloak off and wrapped it all the way around Riley. “Trust me?” he said to her simply. He got on the broom and helped her on the back of it. “Put your arms around me,” he nearly commanded. He didn’t want her falling off, especially with where they were going. Once he was sure she was secure, he leaned forward and the broom sprung to live, shooting them over the icy lake. “Hang on tight, love.” Jack spoke a soft spell and immediately his cloak warmed up. It was a little spell he had learned, to keep him warm in this cold weather. He used it at the moment to keep Riley warm. “Warm enough?” he asked her, as he could turn up the heat if she needed it.

Jack came to a slow stop towards the middle of the lake and with a little maneuvering, turned around to face Riley. He looked in her eyes deeply, and she likely expected him to say something. He decided not to and leaned slightly to make the broom glide slowly in a large circle around the frozen lake. While they glided, Jack took Riley’s face in his hands and kissed her deeply. It was a long kiss, one he had wanted to give her since he had seen the little smudge he had given her from the dungeon. “Riley,” he said softly. “I could care less what our parents think. This is what I want now. No one is taking you away from me. I know it’s only been a week or so, but I’ve loved every minute with you. It’s why I asked you out so quickly. I didn’t want you getting snatched up by anyone else but me.” Jack knew he was very vulnerable, but Riley had pretty much broken some outward skin off of him, so she got to see some more of his vulnerability. “Now, if you tell anyone about my soft side, I’ll have to show you some of my better skills at dueling. That’s a promise, not a threat.” He laughed at his joke, and waited to see if she had anything to say to it, which he was sure she did.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley could easily tell that talking about all of this was painful to Jack. He had a tough family life, as did she. The only difference was, it was much harder to get Riley fully out of her skin. Other than when she was a child, Riley had never cried in front of a living soul in her life. She liked to keep her emotional needs private, as they were hers and no one else’s. She hadn’t told anyone about her true feelings about the death of her father, her insecurity when it came to changing herself for others, and the true reason Riley had decided to be such a rebellious and troublesome child. She never told a soul about all of that. Well, she supposed she shared bits and pieces of herself with certain people, but only what she wanted them to see. Never before had she just broken down in front of a close friend or even a boyfriend like Jack, one reason being that she’d never really allowed herself to become that close to anyone.

Secretly, deep down inside of her, Riley was scared of what was happening around her. Never before had she been scared or vulnerable, and now that her father was dead, her family was crumbling before her eyes, and she now had Jack by her side, Riley was scared she would finally be faced with the opportunity to open up to someone. She did talk to Connor a lot about her feelings and what was going on, but even then she kept a few of her feelings and thoughts hidden from him. He was in fact just a kid. He wouldn’t understand what was going through Riley’s head. She figured no one would. No one would ever understand. Jack might. Spoke a small voice from inside her head. Riley agreed with it completely. It seemed highly likely that he could understand, but that didn’t mean that Riley was going to start crying in front of him. Riley just didn’t work like that. She didn’t cry at all, not unless she was alone. It didn’t matter how much pain she was in. Riley took notice of his two small tears, but she didn’t say anything about them and pretended she hadn’t realized a thing as he wiped the tear off his face. Riley merely nodded. Even though she would never really understand what it was like to be the oldest (she was often the rambunctious younger sister causing all the trouble) she still understood where he was coming from on the frustrating siblings front. “I know what you mean. Well, not about the taking care of my siblings part, but we all have little issues with each other. Cora’s just a witch who was ‘Daddy’s Little Angel’ and Oz is just so clueless he wouldn’t know what was going on even if it bit him in the ass. I suppose Chase is okay and Connor is probably just sick of all of us by now. And I‘m sure your brothers can care for themselves. I‘ve been taking care of myself my whole life, and I‘ve done just fine….more or less.”

Riley was glad when the mood seemed to lighten as they started to joke around and poke fun at one another. Riley looked out onto the horizon, admiring the scenery. They still had a bit of time until curfew (not much time, but still a bit) but already it was getting darker. A beautiful bright full moon hung in the sky, surrounded by what seemed to be hundreds of illuminating stars surrounding it and creating reflections in the thin ice they were now gazing at. It was moments like this that made Riley love being here at Hogwarts, especially on the Grounds. There was always something beautiful to be seen here, something that could have easily have been overlooked had you not been paying attention. Once again, Jack had taken her by surprise, something that put a thrill in Riley’s heart unlike any other. She loved the element of surprise, and Jack seemed to have tons of it. He once again wrapped his coat around Riley, keeping her warm against the cold. “Surprisingly, yes. I trust you.” She said quietly, in a voice almost as low as a whisper, wrapping her arms around him like he had asked. She smiled at him and let out a quiet squeal of surprise as Jack’s broom zoomed in out of nowhere and whisked them off. They weren’t flying fast, but they weren’t going at snail speed either. It was perfect for a moment like this. Riley sighed, unsure of whether or not there could be a better moment in her life.

Riley smiled when he turned around and held her hands sweetly. Somehow, despite all the differences the rest of the school saw, Riley couldn’t imagine anyone more…perfect. As if everything else she loved about him wasn’t enough, he didn’t give a rat’s tail what their parents thought, which surprisingly was the one thing Riley loved the most about it all. It was an odd thing to love, but hey, that was Riley. If her father had still been around, she would have enjoyed rubbing her relationship with Jack in his face. She then accepted his kiss, not wanting it to end. It was odd how fast this was all happening, but Riley wouldn’t have it any other way. After quite awhile, Jack pulled away leaving Riley’s lips all but tingling. She’d never believed those stupid clichés about ‘the first love’, but now that she was experiencing it, Riley felt silly not believing them to begin with. “Are you sure that's a promise? Because I was merely trying to decide whether it was a dare, or a double dare." She said jokingly, before laughing and saluting jokingly. "You know I'd never tell a soul about your secret soft side, but I do look forward to another duel."

[Jack Reid]

Jack was happy for the first time in quite a while. It had been quite a while since he had felt this feeling of love, this feeling of being wanted. Riley was exposing herself slowly to him. He was doing the same thing, and it took quite a bit to break through to his fragile heart. But here he was, telling a near stranger about his life, his parents, his problems and constant inside struggles. Jack wasn’t scared of this at all. In fact, he was reaching out to it, trying to quickly grab onto whatever it was, so he could keep it and make sure it never left. He couldn’t stand to be hurt again, and he had no intention of letting himself get hurt by another woman, particularly not Riley. Jack listened intently still, as Riley explained her problems with her brothers and sisters at home. He knew exactly how she was feeling, even if he didn’t have any sisters to compare to.

Jack was glad that the mood was better, since they were joking and playing around for a bit. Jack was also happy that she trusted him, as she said “surprisingly”. They got on the broom and flew around the lake slowly, and Jack was glad she took his kiss as much as he wanted her to, it made the night pretty much the best ever. Jack couldn’t think of a time when he had been more happy. He had been happy when his family had consisted of just him, Mum and Dad. That had been some of the best times. After August was born, the attention had started slipping, and when Bronsen was born it had completely gone out the window. He couldn’t fathom how much things had changed in so few years, and it had been so much worse since Mum had had her accident. But Jack was experiencing something real and something substantial right now, and he intended to hold onto it.

Jack pushed Riley lightly as she poked fun at him about his secret soft side, and he pulled her close to him and kissed her again, as deeply as he had the first time. He then whispered in her ear, saying softly “I think it’s time we head back.” Jack pushed Riley to the front of the broom and used his wand to direct the broom back to the castle. As they neared the entrance slowly, Jack put his arms around Riley and said simply, “Well we smashed up the school, got punished but not fully, and spent numerous hours together day. I’d say it was a good day, wouldn’t you?” He smiled at her as they both got off the broom and walked hand in hand back into the school. At the hallway, they kissed again and parted ways. Jack knew that his life would be changing, and he didn’t mind it either way. He had what he wanted.