The Challenge. ((Jack))

[Riley Coxen G7]

“Oh will you stop moving so much already? I’m almost done..” Erica Maple muttered with a girlish giggle as she put the finishing touches on Riley’s makeup. The girls had been playing dress-up with her all day, ever since she’d been unofficially inducted into the Godric’s Daughters. It was odd being around the company of such girls, but Riley was beginning to get used to it. Their ways of doing things, their thought process. It was all very different to her. She wasn’t used to carefully applying her makeup before going anywhere. Never once did she catch Mia or Veronica (the two Daughters in her year) without gloss polishing their lips and glitter sparkling their eyes. Riley had been the Barbie doll of the day, each girl taking on a different aspect of Riley’s ‘transformation’. Mia had taken care of the clothing, though with their uniforms, Riley would only have to deal with the uncomfortable new clothing when she saw the girls outside of school. Veronica would take care of her nails, meaning Riley was now sporting a set of ten fake acrylic nails painted with white tips. Veronica had told her it was called a French manicure, and was absolutely astonished when Riley told her she’d never had one. Christy got dibs on Riley’s hair, straightening it to perfection so that not a hair was out of place. It contrasted quite nicely with Christy’s signature mane of curly blonde hair, but Riley liked not invading on Christy’s personal ‘style’. Now it was Erica’s turn, who was in charge of Riley’s makeup. She’d been told to pay close attention, because she’d have to do all of this for herself everyday. Riley merely laughed, thinking they were joking. But then Riley took a look at the other girls, with their styled hair and glittering faces. Apparently, they weren’t kidding at all.

“There. All Done.” Erica said, smiling to herself, as if she’d just finished working on a masterpiece. Riley looked in the mirror, not all too pleased with what she saw. The hair was decent, sometimes it liked to fall straight like that. But right now, the makeup was a bit too over the top for Riley’s liking. Riley smiled reassuringly, trying desperately not to show her disapproval. “Couldn’t we do something…umm...a bit more subtle?” The girls laughed and Erica spoke next. “No, I think this is the perfect look for you. The dark makeup makes you look mysterious, not as open as before.” Riley gave her a confused look through the reflection in the mirror. “Is that a good thing?” She asked, feeling stupid and ashamed she’d even asked to begin with. “Well of course it is! But it’s not just the looks you need, hon. To be a Daughter, you must have the attitude. You need to radiate confident, poise, and power from the pores in your skin. People need to see it etched across your face and through all your body language. You need to know how to make a man melt, to make him beg for you to simply look at him, just by passing by him on your way to lunch. These are the characteristics of a Daughter. Do you think you can do this for us, Riley? Could you be those things?” She asked Riley , who nodded silently.

“Good.” Erica smirked as she stepped back to fix Riley’s hair. She hadn’t noticed Riley’s disappointment in her new look, which was good. Riley had spent quite some time bonding with this ‘elite’ group of popular Gryffindors. She was closest with Erica for some reason. She was the ring leader, the commander-in-chief. No one really proclaimed her that way, but it was a bit obvious. Mia and Veronica talked with Riley often, asking her uncomfortable questions about her brother or her brother’s best friend. But Over the past few weeks, Riley had gotten close to them. They were her friends, for lack of a better word. Even though Riley had gotten more than her fair share of the stench of cigarettes and booze, she still liked spending time with the girls. At first, the thought of smoking or drinking was insane, but she had sort of gotten used to it. She still couldn’t stand the smell of it, but she figured she would get used to it. It wasn’t that bad. Riley looked up and the girls in the fifth year’s dormitory (which was covered with posters of male stars and other bands Riley had never heard of) and they were all looking down at the slightly uncomfortable Riley sitting on the small chair in front of the mirror. Erica stepped forward. “Well, I think it’s time you prove you can be one of us. We know you can handle our lifestyle, but do you have the attitude?” Erica asked (or rather accused) with a raised eyebrow. Riley looked up at the girls. Erica merely smirked and led her out of the room.

Riley had no idea where they were taking her, but the other girls were all giggling and whispering amongst themselves. Riley looked toward Mia, who was the youngest Daughter last year, and she merely smirked knowingly and shook her head, letting Riley know that she wasn’t going to say a word about what she had to do. Riley sighed with relief as they appeared to reach their destination. The courtyard. What were they doing there? The place was packed with people, all socializing in their individual little groups. It was rather sunny out, despite the bite of the autumn wind. Erica and the other girls huddled around to form their own little group. Riley felt the entire area grow silent. Riley heard faint whispers everywhere, but she couldn’t make out what any one person was saying. This always happened when Godric’s Daughters entered the room. But for once, all eyes weren’t on the other girls, they were on Riley. She liked the feeling of the attention, but it made her feel even more awkward. Riley cast Erica a confused look. She merely laughed. “What are we doing here?” Riley asked timidly. Christy Campbell leaned in to whisper in her ear. “The challenge.” Christy spoke excitedly. Erica elaborated by pushing Christy out of the way so she could speak to Riley. Christy cast Erica an offended glare but stood back with Mia and Veronica. “You see that Slytherin boy sitting on that bench in the far corner?” Riley nodded, wondering what she’d have to do. “Well you need to get him to ask you out by the end of the day. Just so we know you have what it takes, you know.” Riley swallowed and her throat became as dry as cotton. She agreed solemnly and took a deep breath as she walked toward the intimidating Slytherin. She took a seat on the complete opposite side of the bench, knowing the girls were all secretly watching her, even though they’d all resumed to their own business. Mia was now with some older Ravenclaw, Veronica chatting with Christy, and Erica had taken her position at the center of a circle full of older boys. Riley sighed. “Hello.” She told the boy politely. “You’re a…sixth year, right?” Riley tried to sound calm and polite, even though she was nervous beyond belief.

[Jack Reid]

Jack Reid sat at one of the many benches in the courtyard with a book of spells he had found in the library. Since he didn’t want to really associate with anyone, he had brought his book out to the courtyard to get some reading done, but as he sat there, more and more people had shown up. He hadn’t liked being outside much because he liked his dark areas of the Common Room, where he spent much of his time as it was. Jack thought about leaving, but the students around him weren’t making too much of an annoying racket for him to not concentrate, so he had stayed. He heard many different conversations going on, but had no desire to follow any of them. As a Slytherin, he kept to himself, and that was the way he liked it. Friends didn’t much matter, much less exist in his world, and if anyone came up to talk to him, he would likely end the conversation quickly and move back to the dark corners of the Slytherin Common Room. As he read the book in front of him, he heard many of the conversations die down sharply, and he turned his head slightly, to see what had caused the quieted conversations. He saw a group of girls, likely one of the many cliques that roamed the halls, and one of them had more makeup on than was ever necessary. He smirked and turned back around to his book.

Jack turned the page and then realized out of the corner of his eye that one of the girls that he had just seen was heading over his way. She sat down on the bench, appearing to sit as far away from him as possible, and said hello, timidly. He didn’t look up from his book. She asked if he was a sixth year, and she did it with such politeness that he almost lost it right there. Jack closed his book over his thumb so he wouldn’t lose his place, and looked over at the young woman. It was the girl that had the outrageous amount of makeup on. Lovely. So this was how it was going to go. He decided to at least respond to her question. Maybe she would take that and leave him alone. He could only hope. “Yes, I’m a sixth year.” He opened his book again and began to read, wondering if she’d had enough yet. After a minute, he realized that she was still sitting there, looking at him. He closed his book again and looked up, sighing loudly. “Is there something I can help you with? As you can see, I’m trying to read.” Jack sat there, looking at the beautiful yet outwardly clueless girl who had sat next to him. What did she want? He had never seen her before, but he guess she definitely was not a Slytherin. Slytherins didn’t dress up that much, unless they were demented and overly cautious about how they looked, which applied to a few of the girls in his house.

He sat there, waiting for a response. Nothing was coming, so he went back to reading his book. Maybe she would get the picture that he didn’t want to be bothered and leave him alone. Fat chance of that, likely. She had probably been told by her friends that he liked her or something, and she was coming over to see if it was true. The fact was he didn’t have feelings to any of these girls at all, because he didn’t need them. Friends were useless for the most part, because the continually let him down. Family was even useless, especially when it came to his. August was the smartest of the lot, but even he could sometimes be brought down by petty thinking. Bronsen was completely irrelevant. The boy didn’t know half of what was going on with their family, and he would never understand any of it. Besides, he hadn’t even been around this year at all. Mum and Dad, he didn’t even want to think about. The summer had been hard enough with going back for even the month that he did. As he sat there thinking of this, the words on the pages went to a blur. He realized the girl was still there. He closed the book fully this time, and sat it next to him. Jack turned around to the girl, whoever she was, and had a look on his face of impatience and frustration. “Well, did you hear me? I asked if you needed something. If you don’t, I’ll gladly leave so you can have fun at this social gathering mess of pointless meandering.” He turned the sharp tone up a bit on his voice so she would get the point he had no use for her at the moment.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley was already hating this stupid challenge. She wasn’t used to stuff like this. She had no idea how to flirt or get guys. Normally she really just didn’t care. Guys were just the same as girls in her opinion. Well, not really. Riley had always been able to socialize and talk with guys better than she could ever hold a conversation with a girl. Riley was in a house full of boys. The only two women in the house were nowhere near her age and Riley couldn’t relate to them at all. They were always trying to get her to be more girly and stop playing so much Quidditch. But for some reason, the task that had taken them years to master (it took Riley years to agree to wearing a skirt, even as a small child) had only taken these teenage girls about a month to complete. Sure, on the outside they’d changed her. Maybe Riley was starting to change on the inside as well, because a few months ago, Riley would have never thought about going along with so many of the things she’d agreed to doing in this past month. Riley was glad Oz or Oliver hadn’t noticed this little transformation yet. Oz and Oliver weren’t a part of the natural world, of course. They wouldn’t have noticed Riley even if she was tap dancing in a chicken suit right in front of their very noses. There was no hope left for them. There was a time when Riley cared what they thought, but that time was long gone by now. Riley was changing. The inner change the girls wanted for Riley surely wouldn’t happen for a long time, but on the outside, Riley was a completely different person.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Why was this such a problem to her? Chances were, Riley probably played this guy in Quidditch before. She wasn’t nervous at all to knock a large seventh year Slytherin off his broom, so why the hell could she be so terrified of holding a conversation with one sixth year boy? Riley sighed, looking down at her nails. She was still surprised when she found the clean-cut long painted nails on her hands. Riley was so used to the horridly short bare fingernails that were completely uneven thanks to the horrible habit she had of biting her finger nails. She looked up at the boy, who looked bored, if anything. He was quite handsome, in Riley’s opinion at least. C’mon Riley, he’s just a guy. Don’t let him intimidate you. You’re stronger than that. Riley told herself in her head. She glanced nervously over at Erica, who winked in her direction from her seat on some older Gryffindor’s lap. The two looked like they had just been kissing, but Riley averted her gaze before she could make any proper observations. She felt countless eyes on her. Why couldn’t she try and charm some other guy? Maybe a third year Hufflepuff or something? They had to be a lot easier than this. This guy seemed like he was completely annoyed by Riley’s mere presence.

He seemed to be reading some kind of spell book, one that Riley had read before. She was actually rather fond of that book. She looked down at her lap and began picking off the pale nail polish base. She glanced up again to notice Veronica, who had done her nails glaring at her. She immediately stopped and figured she should probably say something to the kid (who had just confirmed himself as a sixth year ) before the guy thought she was mentally ill or something. But it seemed it was too late. He told Riley that he had said something before, even though Riley hadn’t heard him say a word. She was probably too lost in her own thoughts to notice him say a word. She sighed, glancing up at the tree they were sitting under. There were leaves falling out of it with each gust of wind that passed. It was still quite pretty though. She looked back at the older boy, who looked like he wanted nothing more than to have Riley go away. “Well I really just wanted to introduce myself I guess.” She turned his way, gaining just a little bit of confidence. “I’m Riley Coxen.” She said with a slight smile. She held out her hand for him to shake it, but after having her hand hover there for a moment, she placed it back on her lap. The paint on her index finger was starting to chip off, and it took all the strength Riley had not to just carefully rip the entire nail off. Veronica would probably hang her. She merely sat there in silence for a rather long rather awkward moment, waiting to see what he said next. “You know, I think I’ve read that book before. I thought it was pretty good. I especially liked the spells in Chapter eight. It provided me with some pretty useful spells last year.” Riley said, attempting to start a civilized conversation without being painfully annoying to the other person. She doubted he’d ever want to ask her out, but what was the harm in trying? She actually maintained a calm expression this time, her nerves settling despite the fact that many people were staring at her in a rather awed silence.

[Jack Reid]

Jack was amazed at how idiotic this whole interaction between the two of them was becoming. She had sat down and said hello, and just made up conversation, without introducing herself or anything. This was nothing like any conversation he had ever been used to, and it struck him as odd and forced. He was determined to figure out why she had come over to talk to him when they clearly had never met before. In order to do that, he needed to put on a facade and get to the bottom of it. She kept looking down and around her, as if she was nervous that she was being watched. She kept picking her nails, like they were bothering her. He decided to listen to her and see what would happen. Any other time Jack would just walk off and be disgusted, but he felt like having a little fun with the girl and seeing where it would go. She introduced herself as Riley Coxen, a name he had heard from the Gryffindor Quidditch team. While he didn’t play Quidditch, he followed it at times. Most of the time he didn’t care just because there was no need to, but he checked into it from time to time. She held her hand out as she introduced herself, but he wasn’t sure what to make of it, so he didn’t shake it. She seemed even more embarrassed, to which he chuckled at, and then he introduced himself. “Jack Reid. You might have heard of my brothers, Bronsen and August,” he said plainly and simply.

That was the only information he gave, and he let it go at that. She mentioned how she had read the book he had before, and he nodded. “Yeah I’ve read parts of it before, but I needed a refresher on a few of the spells, so I found it in the library. Haven’t gotten to chapter 8, but I guess I could let you know how I like it.” He had a bit of a smirk on his face, mainly because he now noticed how attractive the girl actually was. The makeup was a bit much, but she was definitely beautiful. He looked away as she did, seeing more couples and people splitting off to enjoy the day together, and he sighed. How did these people not see how petty relationships were? His last relationship had been with Juliet, and she had let him down, as he had expected from the first time he had laid eyes on her. Of course, his emotions had gotten in the way, and he had slightly fallen for her. Something he wouldn’t have done if he was stronger. That was probably why he had gone through the problems with Juliet. To teach him to be stronger. It was a cruel way, but seemingly the only way. He shook the thought of Juliet off, and turned around again to see Riley glancing behind her again at some of the girls. He assumed that she had been sent over to the bench on a dare or something to talk to him. Jack knew he could have some fun with this.

“Riley,” he began, inching a bit closer to her, to convince the onlooking girls. “What’s the real reason you came over here to talk to me?” he whispered, so that the girls likely watching and/or listening wouldn’t hear. “Did some of those girls that seem to be watching you like a hawk send you over here to make a fool out of me or something?” He knew that this must be the case. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t be embarrassed. She’d probably get up and just leave after that comment of his. Actually, she probably would have left because of his attitude before she had even introduced herself. So it was likely true, what he was asking. “Come on,” he said softly. “Tell me so we can show them a thing or two. You don’t want to disappoint them, now...do you?” He paused, waiting for a response.

[Riley Coxen G7]

He was laughing at her. Laughing at her. Could this be any more mortifying? Why oh why had she let Erica and the girls talk her into this stupid little challenge? It was stupid, it was pointless, and most of all, it was embarrassing. Riley had no idea where this conversation would go. Most likely, the older boy would continue to sit there and read his book, though Riley had to wonder if he really wanted privacy, why would he turn to sit in a heavily crowded courtyard when he could just as easily be inside all by himself? But Riley didn’t dwell on the mental question for long. She tried not to look like she had a million and one nervous thoughts flying through her head by offering a small smile, one that was just a small bit wider than te last one she gave him upon introducing herself. He gave her his name in return, and Riley scanned her brain for any trace of the name in past experiences. Christy liked to gossip frequently, and she could have sworn she heard her talking about this Jack Reid in one of her long, pointless, one-sided conversations in which she did most of the talking and everyone else pretended to listen. She had heard of one of his brothers though. August was in Riley’s year, but in a different house. He was such a nice kid, though Riley had never really gotten to know him because her personality was so different from his. Plus she was always with Oz and Oliver (though she hated the fact that Oliver was always there) so other friends were pretty much out of the question.

He started talking about the book, saying he had read it once before, but needed some sort of a refresher on some of the spells. At this, Riley gave him a genuine smirk, one that reminded her of the old days when she and Oz would use those spells to master their dueling techniques or to play pranks on some of the students and professors at school. “Ahh, planning on dueling any time soon?” Riley asked, unable to help herself. It was in her nature to be a lover of dueling and trickery. She was fair at dueling herself. She’d practiced on almost all of her brothers, all except for little Connor of course, who Riley refused to duel in fear of hurting him in some way. She looked up at him again, noticing a different sort of look in his eye. She’d managed to hook him into the conversation, which was good. He no longer held that bitter look of boredom and annoyance, but interest in Riley and what she was saying. She couldn’t exactly tell if his interest was genuine, (which she highly doubted it was) so she simply decided to play along and continue the conversation like she planned. It was obvious that Riley wouldn’t be able to walk out of this unscathed. She’d have to face this and just get it over with so she could return to her dormitory and wipe all of this ridiculous makeup off her face.

However, the conversation had taken an unexpected turn when Jack had noticed Riley glance quickly over her shoulder to see if Erica and the girls were still looking. Obviously, they were all ‘discreetly’ watching the scene intently, much like many of the other students in the courtyard. Although, it could have been just Riley being paranoid again. She did get rather paranoid sometimes. Especially now, when she was nothing like her usual self, she felt like all eyes were on her. It wasn’t that great of a feeling to be perfectly honest. It made her feel extremely uncomfortable, making the task at hand just that much harder. It was no secret that Riley had been caught off guard by his sudden question, not to mention how nerve racking it was when he moved himself closer to her to whisper those words so no one could hear. His voice was silky, almost too persuasive. His eyes held a glint of mischief and challenge, daring her to answer his question. Riley couldn’t keep her composure with that, even if she tried. “Well I’m thinking it’s not really you they’re trying to make a fool of.” She said, her smile fading into a look of confusion. “And well, I guess it was really a challenge, I’m not all too sure. They figured you were kind of…unapproachable, which you definitely are. You’re body language about a second ago was basically telling me to get lost.” Riley said honestly with a bit of a smile. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say that, but the words had already come out of her mouth, there was nothing she could do about it now.

[Jack Reid]

Jack shifted on the bench and chuckled as Riley asked him if he was planning on dueling anyone any time soon. “Well if you’re up for giving me a challenge, I could show you a thing or two. Other than that…” he let his voice drift off, winking at her with a semi-amount of trust in his look. He was a year older than her, because he remembered now about August mentioning one day about girls in his year, but not in his house. It had been quite the boring conversation, and he hadn’t listened very intently at all. In fact, Jack barely ever paid close attention to anything either of his brothers talked about, particularly not Bronsen. The boy was too young and talked too much to be worth anything. August had a better head on his shoulders, but still, he had his pitfalls. Jack was the adult of the family anymore, and he intended on upholding that position, without the aid of his two younger siblings. They wouldn’t be there for him in the end, and neither would Mum or Dad. Particularly not Dad. All he wanted in life was another woman to love behind Mum’s back as she sat in their house at home, no idea what was going through her mind. Jack ran his hand through his hair once, wiping the idea of his Mum and Dad away, and bringing him back to the situation at hand, here with Riley in the courtyard.

Jack noticed that the girl, even though the make up was a bit excessive, was honestly attractive. He wasn’t interested in the least. Juliet had taken the last bit of his love away, and now all he had left was….well he didn’t have anything left. Yes he had his brothers but he didn’t care about them. Besides, they were his siblings. No one would ever replace Juliet. He knew this for a fact. Especially not Riley, in front of him. She had been dared to come up and make a conversation with one of the most arrogant Slytherins in the school. What kind of a punishment was that? It was an impossible task, and yet, it seemed like this Riley girl would do nearly anything to fit in with this crowd. He would have liked to take the time to change that, but why would he? Riley didn’t mean anything to him right now, and likely wouldn’t mean anything to him for the rest of his life. This was a forgettable game, and a forgettable situation, and certainly a forgettable conversation.

Jack could tell that his soft words and appeasing looks were working on the girl in front of him, because she seemed to get a bit squeamish. Riley looked behind herself a couple more times, and he scooted over again, listening as she answered his suspicious questions. “So they’re after making you look like a fool, rather than making a Slytherin look bad? That’s interesting, to say the least. It looks like they won at least one battle,” he said quickly. “They made you look like you’re wearing a light shade of clown paint on your face.” He knew this would likely upset her, but he was tired of students pulling stunts like this on other students. He decided, against his better judgement, that he should at least try and see if this girl would want some help in regaining her dignity. “Don’t worry, you look fine. Yes, I am quite unapproachable. I don’t have many friends because that’s just how I am,” he said, calmer than he expected to be. “Is that a problem? It better not be. Now, I don’t do this sort of thing very often, but...” he slowed. He was seated right next to her now, and still whispering so that the other girls wouldn’t hear them. “How do you want to get back at these girls? I’m tired of these ‘initiations’ that some of the crews around this school give. Let’s show them a little fun and give you a little attitude. Should I follow you back into the castle?” Jack honestly couldn’t believe what he was saying, but it seemed like it would fun to knock a few of the higher ups off their ivory towers. Jack didn’t even think about what he did next. He put his hand on hers, which was resting on her leg. “Or should we just show them what kind of girl you are right here?” It was a sly move, but it was how Jack worked. He looked in here eyes as he waited for her response.

[Riley Coxen G7]

This Jack boy was very confusing. At one moment, he was sitting in his respective little corner in the midst of the typical crowded courtyard scene. Everyone had managed to find their own respective little groups. The smart, somewhat nerdy Ravenclaws were huddled in one corner, comparing Potions essays and talking about their future plans and how unbelievably stupid the rest of the school population was. Then there were the average students, who walked about the courtyard and maybe lingered in a random spot to chat with someone else. A bit to Riley’s right, near the corridors, were the prideful Slytherins, who stood in their little clusters scoffing at every other ‘half-breed’ or muggle-born that passed by. Finally, there were Riley’s new friends, the Daughters, who had each taken their respective positions amongst the higher ranking in the school. Erica with the boys (even though they all knew she was taken by some older model of some sort) Christy and Veronica, and Mia had managed to already disappear with that Ravenclaw boy she had been with earlier. But then there was Jack Reid. Riley still wasn’t sure where he fit into all this madness.

He almost seemed like two completely different people. Obviously, Riley knew she meant nothing to him. He was an older, much more arrogant Slytherin boy who probably wouldn’t even cast her a simple look after this little conversation. But of course, Riley wasn’t going to attach herself to the guy either. He was simply part of this innocent little dare, the small challenge that probably wouldn’t take up far too much of her life. It was nothing too terrible, and Riley was definitely one that would never back down from a challenge. So, when Jack mentioned the thought of dueling her, Riley’s discomfort was once again replaced by that same mischievous, troublemaking smirk. It had been Riley’s signature smirk in the past. Oz wasn’t completely oblivious all the time. Even he knew that when that smirk appeared on her face, she was up to something and she wanted his help in doing it. Those days were done now, and the smirk on Riley’s face simply welcomed the challenge in dueling him. “I think a duel would be a lot of fun. I’ll keep that in mind.” Riley said distantly, thinking about the last time she’d dueled on school grounds. The poor kid had been sent to the hospital wing for two weeks, leaving Riley with a detention for each day he had to stay in the infirmary. It was all worth it though, because that pathetic third year (he’d be in fourth year now had he not decided to transfer) was terrified to even look at her again.

Riley laughed a bit self-consciously. “Oh please, I think they’d find it very hard to make you look like a fool. And I know, I didn’t think it was that horrible though. It’s a change. I normally never wear makeup, let alone this much.” Riley said with a slight shrug, well aware that the girls had taken notice of their increased closeness and were now whispering excitedly. Riley didn’t mind it much though. Her nervousness was starting to slowly vanish as she spoke, gaining more confidence as the conversation led in a direction she was comfortable talking about. The boy seemed to try to explain himself to Riley, as if trying to defend his choice of staying alone. He really didn‘t need to. Between the time after Oz had decided to abandon her and before she met the daughters, Riley was alone too. She liked it better that way for a time, but then she got lonely and needed some company. And so here she was, practically taking orders from Erica and the other girls, practically desperate for them to like her. (Even though she‘d never admit that of course. Riley smiled, but moved her hand. He was a bit too close at the moment, and now the girls were making no effort in trying to be discreet as they watched. She did want to get back at them though, it would be nice to gain some dignity back. “And what exactly did you have in mind?” Riley continued, interested. She was in the mood for a bit of fun, but she wanted to make sure she knew what she was getting into before anything else happened.

[Jack Reid]

Jack tried to get a hold on what he was thinking, what he was doing. This was a girl right in front of him that he didn’t know at all except what her house, her year, and her name was. But he felt something that made him want to have some fun with the girl. He found it annoying how some of the small respective groups in the school would stoop so low as to just tell a girl to come over and talk to a boy that relatively never talked to anyone. He smirked at Riley back as she accepted his duel challenge. “I’m sure we can come up with a time and place for that duel. I look forward to showing you how a true wizard duels,” he said, with a certain pride about him. Before Dad had gone off with random women, he had taught his eldest son a thing or two with a wand, and the book helped him refresh on some of those early spells he had learned.

“You never wear makeup? Interesting. I thought all of the...what do you call yourselves, the Daughters? I thought they all worshiped the muggle makeup and needed it on every day. You are one of them, aren’t you?” He knew he was likely confusing her with his tone and his words, but he didn’t care. His goal now was to destroy the hopes, dreams, and pleasures of anyone he could right now, and if that meant being nice for a short period of time to this younger Gryffindor, so be it. It wasn’t like he had anything else to look forward to in his miserable existence of a life. His mind flashed back to his siblings, but it didn’t linger there for long. They were out of sight, out of mind. Just like his parents.

Jack backed up from Riley, but not much, and removed his hand, as she had removed hers. He wasn’t ashamed of what he’d done. It was taking a chance, a risk, and seeing the outcome, he had acted accordingly. He thought about the kind of things the girls did to the “fresh meat” like Riley, especially when Riley asked him what kind of things he had in mind to get back at the girls. “Well, from what I’ve seen over the years, the girls that you’re trying so desperately to fit in with want to see you embarrass yourself with someone like me. They know you can’t get me so they tell you to try, so that you will fail.” He was guessing, but from the trends he had seen go through the school, he knew he was likely right on par.

“Why don’t we go into the castle and hide somewhere so that they think you got me so interested I needed to have you right now? That way you can rub it in their little pampered noses that you were with someone they thought you had no possible chance of getting?” He knew the idea sounded juvenile, but the games these girls were playing with Riley were immature at best. And what do you fight immaturity with? More immaturity, or smarts. This was his version of smarts, and she had to deal with it. “So what do you say? Ready for a little revenge?” This was her moment. It was up to her. If she wanted to get revenge on these little stuck up daddy’s girls, she would have to play along with him.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley actually managed to laugh. She hadn’t truly laughed in awhile. She’d let out many of those horrid giggles after a few shots of liquor that were kept in their dormitories, but other than that, she hadn’t really laughed. Being with these girls, a member of their little group, it was all just an outlet. Riley didn’t really know this of course. Well, she knew it, but she didn’t exactly comprehend it. Everything was spiraling out of control for her. What with the death of her father, the issues she had with Cora and the rest of the family, and Oz and Oliver, Riley had one hell of a problem on her hands. She was sick and tired of having no one to talk to about all of this. Sure there was Connor, but he could never possibly come close to relating to what Riley was going through. Not to mention with a school this big, Riley simply couldn’t allow her only friend to be her baby brother. It was too pathetic to imagine right now, but it was the life Riley had turned to when Oz decided to play the wonderful game of replacements.

But it would finally be Oliver’s turn to feel the pain in Oz’s stupid game. He was now interested in some bimbo of a girl, and Oliver would soon be left in the dust just like Riley once was. She wished someone would splash some cold water on Riley’s twin and wake him up to what he was doing to all those close to him. Now that Riley finally had the courage to do the deed herself and let him know what he’d done, she simply didn’t care anymore. Let Oz be an idiot, she didn’t give a damn. She had friends and a life now (well, somewhat of a life, and hopefully these girls were her actual friends and not just members of a group) and she didn’t need her damn brother or his stupid replacement problems.

Riley looked up at him, wondering whether to take him seriously about the duel or not. This boy managed to confuse Riley more and more with every word he spoke and every little move he did. Just minutes after the little dueling conversation had been over, his hand drifted on top of Riley’s, which was resting on her lap. Instinctively, she moved her hand from his. Had she thought about her actions before she made them, Riley probably would have left her hand where it was, just to rub it in their faces that she had managed to do the unimaginable. Riley stifled another laugh, thinking about the thoughts going through their mind right now. Christy and Veronica would be astonished, Erica would probably be proud, and knowing Mia, well…Mia would be wondering when she could get her hands on that Slytherin boy. “Well, I guess you can say I’m a ‘Daughter’.” Riley said with a small nonchalant shrug. “I’m not really like them though. I don’t wear makeup, hate dresses…I have no idea why they continue to hang out with me.” Riley said, genuinely confused about what exactly it was they saw in her that made her so interesting, so ‘worthy.’

She smirked, the plan formulating in her mind. “Yeah, I think you’re pretty much right. Riley sat up just a bit straighter and leaned in slowly to his face, looking like she was about to kiss him. She heard the audible gasp coming from behind her, which no doubt belonged to Veronica. But Riley stopped. Riley had always been a very good actress. She had always secretly wanted to be involved in some kind of school play of some sort, but Hogwarts never had any of those. Riley’s acting talent had come in handy during the years of her childhood. She was very good at acting like the innocent one, blaming it on Oz or even Oliver when he was over the house. Eventually though, Riley’s parents began to see through her little tricks. Apparently though, the girls were buying right into it. She smirked and whispered the words ‘Let’s Go’, moving her lips so her words would be easy to lip-read from a distance. Riley stood up and walked with Jack back into the castle with him, as her friends’ mouths hung open in shock. Once inside and out of earshot and too far for them to see, Riley looked over to him. “Thanks for that. Sorry if I kind of surprised you there. So what now?”

[Jack Reid]

Jack realized how confusing his lines and words must sound to Riley, but he was having fun with this. He loved the sense that she couldn’t figure out what he was going to do next, and it thrilled him when she instinctively pulled her hand away when he put his own on hers. He was making her a bit uncomfortable, which meant that he was getting closer to his ultimate goal: getting her to go away. But as she talked about how she considered herself a “Daughter”, his mind began to wander and he found himself asking questions of her rather than trying to get rid of her. “Well if you’re not like them anyway, why are you doing all this? And why are you letting them treat you like fresh meat? Surely you must have a reason.” Jack knew his question was valid, and Riley wondered out loud why the Daughters continued to hang out with her. Jack propositioned back, “Maybe the question really is, why do you continue to hang out with them?” He knew his words would challenge her thoughts and reasons, which is what he loved to do with people. Make them question their ways, their values. And he was having fun doing it too.

Jack’s mind couldn’t rest from the fact of how manipulative some of the girls in those little clusters could be. Why would such a seemingly normal and nice girl like Riley want to get mixed up in all of that? Surely she had friends to spend time with, not girls that just wanted to tear her down from limb to limb and embarrass her in front of a courtyard full of people. What was the point? Jack didn’t have many friends, but the ones he had he kept to himself, and didn’t expose himself nearly as much as he already had with Riley. Could this mean that he felt comfortable around Riley? The last time he had felt comfortable around a woman, she had drank her weight in alcohol and ended up with a concussion in the Hospital Wing. After amnesia and a month of bliss, she had crushed him and left him for dead, without any part of his heart left. Could Riley be someone different? He doubted it, and struck the thought down as soon as he thought it. The only reason he was here with Riley now was to help her with her revenge plans for the Daughters, a task he was more than up for. There would be nothing else.

Riley agreed with him quickly, and moved in closer to his face, to which he wasn’t surprised. It was all a game, a show, for the Daughters that were watching like hawks, after all, and even Jack could see how tizzy the girls were getting that Riley was putting the moves on such an avoidable Slytherin. As Riley whispered ‘Let’s Go’, he took her hand and walked her into the castle. Once they were out of sight and earshot, Riley turned to him and thanked him. “Sure thing. It’s no problem at all. You seemed like you could use some sweet revenge. Besides, I like surprises.” She asked him what was next on the plan. Jack wasn’t sure exactly what the Daughters had required of Riley, so he figured he would ask. “Well, Riley. What are these girls expecting of you? Do you need a kiss in front of them to seal the deal or something?” he said, dryly. “Or would hiding out for a few hours away from them do the trick? I know a few hidden places within the castle where they wouldn’t be able to find us.” Jack had surprised himself at the fun that he was having, and eagerly anticipated her response, as he looked around, watching to see if any of the Daughters had followed them.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley was surprised by his forwardness. It was weird how at one moment he could be so closed off, but during the next, he was asking her all sorts of uncomfortable questions. Riley had pondered why she’d ever want to hang out with girls who were so very unlike her. And up until now, they had really done nothing that would cause Riley any sort of pain or embarrassment, but she supposed this was a bit of payback for the many times Riley had managed to win their little truth or dare games. She’d already gained sort of the daredevil title, seeing as she was willing to take on any dare the girls offered up for her. Not to mention she always found a way to get them back with a new dare or some new little trick. Her stunts amused them, and she was amused by the ‘Daughters’, but they were all friends, as far as Riley knew. They had each helped her get over this family thing and they had all accepted her. Riley wasn’t used to being accepted, it was a good feeling to be sure.

“Well that’s a long story, actually. Basically this is just them getting back at me for all the tricks I pulled.” Riley said lightly, remembering their many truth or dare games. “Plus they all helped me through a rough time, I feel like I kinda owe them.” Riley said with a slight shrug. She liked to think she didn’t take any crap from anyone, but sometimes that wasn’t exactly sure. She did allow Erica, Chritsy, Mia, and Veronica to manipulate her in a way, but that didn’t make her a follower or anything, did it? Of course Riley was different. But change was good. Riley enjoyed change. Of course, she wasn’t all too comfortable with the fake nails or the extreme amounts of makeup, but the other changes she could probably get used to. Riley had a lot of fun with these girls that were now her ‘friends’ and it was going to take a lot to convince her that these girls were all wrong for her. Riley was just too happy to finally feel like she meant something to believe that Godric’s Daughters were doing anything but positive things to Riley.

Riley had to admit that she was starting to enjoy spending time with the older Slytherin. He was a very interesting character, not to mention he had the looks to match. His silky tone made it almost impossible for Riley to disagree with him, but thankfully she was able to keep her composure and her sense of judgment. Otherwise, Riley would be in quite the situation. She smirked confidently as she passed her friends with Jack’s hand in hers. Their eyes followed Riley’s hand as she walked in with him. She couldn’t help but chuckle softly as she passed him. She wasn’t exactly sure what was next on their odd agenda, but she followed him inside the castle anyway.

Never had Riley been put into such a situation. She’d just met the kid, and already they were arranging ways to get back at their friends. Well, Riley’s friends at least. They were walking down the corridor, and Riley was thanking him for helping her with her little revenge. Was this even about revenge anymore? Or was she simply looking for something to occupy her time and someone to occupy it with? Riley had never really spent this much time alone with a guy that wasn’t somehow related to her, and she was starting to like this.

Riley blinked in surprise. He was very forward, wasn’t he? He didn’t seem to have any sort of problems kissing a complete stranger, one who he had been practically begging to get lost just about ten minutes ago. All this fast paced change of mind and such was starting to drive Riley just a bit insane. But somehow, throughout all the confusion, Riley loved his unpredictable nature. She loved the surprise, the unexpected actions he made. Riley glanced over her shoulder, figuring one of the girls would have been sent in to follow her and see what she was doing. Riley laughed, as if the thought of kissing anyone, especially a complete stranger was out of the question. “No, they didn’t ask me to kiss you, surprisingly. I’m actually surprised, that definitely seems like something Erica would do. No, what they actually asked was to get you to ask me out on a date of some sort. Though I think if we hid out in the castle for a bit, they’d be satisfied. Though I’d hate to have to put you through something you didn’t want to do, so if you want to get back to your book or something…” Riley’s sentence trailed off, her actual self-consciousness kicking in again.

[Jack Reid]

Jack was surprised at himself. He had no idea why he was acting this way. Any other time he would have just walked off with a grunt and a gut-wrenching comment before he would actually talk to someone even remotely like Riley. But there was something about her that just kept making him want to turn away from his usual reactions. She was beautiful, and attractive. She was nothing like Juliet, and that’s what made this whole situation feel odd to him. Anyone he actually knew and knew well would know this was nothing like him. He stood there, still holding her hand as he had seemingly whisked her away from the crowded courtyard and brought her deep into the castle. Jack listened somewhat intently as she explained why she spent so much time with the Daughters, and he smirked. Not because of what she was saying but because he noticed how bold and wide her eyes became when he said something unexpected. The past few things he had said, he had noticed her eyes each time. He found himself slowly drowning in her eyes and even though he was still listening, he couldn’t listen fully because of those beautiful eyes of hers.

“Well I’d love to hear the full long story sometime,” he said quickly, shortly after she was done explaining. What was he doing? He was unsure of this turn of events, especially since he had vowed to himself that he wouldn’t let a girl influence him the way Juliet did. But right now he was almost ignoring his intuitions and pretty much flying with his emotions toward Riley. He had started off by hating her because she had sat down and purposefully interrupted his book. But it was a book he barely cared about. After all, he had only been just going over the spells in the book that he knew already. And she was much more attractive than a book. There were many things that were better than a book, and he was getting increasingly more comfortable with Riley. She seemed to be following along with each of his unexpected actions, and that’s what he liked about her. She seemed to have no problem following his lead.

Jack watched as she looked over her shoulder, seemingly sure that some of the other girls were watching them, especially after a walk through the corridors holding hands. He again hadn’t let her hand go, and was listening as she laughed at his question about the kiss dare. “They didn’t ask you to kiss me? Interesting.” He was thinking about what he could do to surprise her again, as she was seeming like she enjoyed that about him. She mentioned how the girls had dared her to get him to ask her out on a date. “Well why don’t we count our little duel, whenever we have it, as a date? I’d love to wipe the floor with you and your fifth year spells.” He chuckled at his own joke, and she explained how if they hid out somewhere in the castle, it would satisfy the Daughters. She mentioned his book, and he shook his head. “No no, It’s just a book of spells. I can memorize them any time. Let’s see what we can do about satisfying those girls of yours.” When he finished, he did the next thing he could think of, which was simple enough. He leaned in quickly and planted a firm kiss on Riley’s lips, expecting the surprise and smack of a backhand to come as soon as it was over. He pulled off of her lips and squeezed her hand lightly. “Come with me, I want to show you a secret spot of mine. Only if you want to come, though.” He tugged at her hand, and waited to see if she wanted to come with him or not.

[Riley Coxen G7]

It had been a while since Riley had fun. Sure, she’d had fun with the girls, but that was forced fun. Riley was still getting used to using booze and their other little helpers to help them have their fun. Riley didn’t mind sneaking around the castle in the first place, so she really didn’t have a problem when they wanted to do it when under the influence. Riley never really drank much, but simply took a few sips just to please them. After that they didn’t seem to notice when Riley poured bits of it into the flowers. She wasn’t a big fan of alcohol, even now. It was ok, but not something that Riley could ever take too much of. Riley looked up at him, surprised that they were still holding hands but somehow not surprised enough to pull it away. His hand was rather warm, but not uncomfortably warm in her hands. She noticed that he was staring into her eyes, following a random thought trail of his own. This was natural, right? People were supposed to make eye contact while they were talking. There was nothing weird about that.

She smiled up at him, even though she would do anything to avoid that awkward conversation. It really was a long story, what with her brothers and her parents and then the involvment of Godric’s Daughters in her life. Riley didn’t like to talk to most people about the personal stuff. She would normally go off and vent to Connor, but she hadn’t really seen him too much lately. He was probably busy with that friend Jayci of theirs. Riley had always thought they’d one day be together. But that didn’t change the fact that even if Connor had been around the castle more, Riley probably still wouldn’t tell him. She was afraid he’d be disappointed with her and the choices she’d made. Connor probably didn’t like the girls. Everyone knew who they were and what they did. If he had seen her today, Riley didn’t know what he would have done. Chase would have probably just shook his head and walked away since they were never really all that close anyway. But Riley was still waiting to see Oz. He would flip out when he saw her looking like this and now hanging out with the Daughters. Not to mention Riley would probably fall on the floor laughing if he walked into the scene right about now.

The scene didn’t look good to any brother or parental figure of any kind, especially those who really knew Riley. Anyone who knew her would probably have to make a double-take before they forced themselves to believe that this pretty Gryffindor holding hands with the handsome Slytherin in the middle of an empty corridor. Riley didn’t hear any sort of footsteps behind her, so she simply assumed that the girls had decided on giving Riley and Jack their privacy. Riley almost started chuckling at the thought of their astonished faces again. She really didn‘t know what was up with her lately. There still a very large part of her old self left that was wondering what she was doing to herself. Had her father‘s death made such an effect on her? Riley was never close to her father at all, in fact, there were times where she could honestly say that she hated him. So why was he driving her down to crazy lane and back? Riley had no idea, but she was intent on giving this new self a try in the meantime.

At Jack‘s comment about the duel, Riley laughed. “Well that sounds fine, but after our duel you‘re going to wish you had stayed back and read that spell book. You‘d be surprised, but I do know a lot more about dueling than your average fifth year.” Riley said with a smirk, knowing that if she tried, she‘d probably be able to beat this kid in a duel. She‘d been around the block a few times. Jack‘s reaction to her dueling comment was not a chuckle or any kind of retort. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her. He kissed her. Riley let out a small surprised squeel but did not find the strength in her to pull away. When he did pull back though, Riley just stared at him like he belonged in an insane asylum. “Um..what was that?” Riley was completely astonished by what he had done, but she was even more surprised that she hadn‘t been angrier about the surprise. Riley merely smirked and gave him a playful glare. “You know, I‘ll get you back for that. I‘m beginning to look forward to that duel even more now.” Riley said with a smart glare. She did still want to go with him. How could she not? “Alright.” She said simply and took his hand again as he led her away.

[Jack Reid]

Jack laughed as Riley made an attempt to shut him down and give him a little lesson in spells. “Oh you do, do you? Don’t make me laugh. You’re likely as simplistic as the rest of your kind. So loyal and brave, so they say. Too bad you’re not a part of my house.” He smirked and gave her a look like he knew exactly what he was talking about, because he did. Slytherins knew their place, and that place was at the top. They didn’t belong anywhere else but the top. If Riley knew her bounds, she would recognize that and make sure to respect it. It obviously surprised her that after her reaction to his explanation of his skills, he had kissed her. It wasn’t surprising to him, after all he had planned on it for the past few minutes. What did surprise him was that she didn’t resist urgently, and he didn’t feel the sting of a backhand to his cheek. What he got instead was a surprised, yet seemingly passion-fueled kiss back. When he broke free, she immediately gave him a look of awkwardness, and asked him what that was.

“Well isn’t it obvious? It was a kiss, Riley. Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls that’s never been kissed before.” He smirked again at her, laughing at his own comment. “It’s how I do things. If you don’t like it, too bad. You wanted me to ask you on a date so you could impress your Daughters, this is how I am. Do you have a problem with it?” He doubted she would have any problem, otherwise he would have felt that all too familiar sting of pain on his cheek already. She hadn’t let go, and he hadn’t forced himself too hard upon her. Jack had left room for her to push away. They had even let go of holding hands. She made a promise that she would get him back for it, and implied that it would be taken care of within their duel, whenever they decided to have it. “We’ll see about that, Miss Coxen. We shall see.” To prove to her, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at her. “Do you want a taste now? I doubt you could handle it,” he challenged. Without waiting to see if she would answer, he did as she agreed and pulled her hand to him.

They walked quickly, and Jack looked around the two of them, as if he was concerned of what other people would say if they saw him with Riley. Why did he care? She was a young woman at Hogwarts, someone he could easily be with. No one else matter but him right now. Riley was with him now, and that’s what mattered at the moment. He walked Riley up a flight of stairs and then stopped at an old, rusted door towards the top of the stairs. He looked at her and held his finger at his mouth, signaling her to be quiet. He put his ear to the door. He didn’t hear anything, so he took his wand out again, and pointed it at the lock. With one word, it swung open and he caught the door with his free hand. Jack put his wand away. He turned to Riley and said, “This is probably my favorite spot. I come up here quite often, as of late. Hogsmeade has turned...cold.” Jack grabbed her hand again and kissed her on her lips again, just a simple kiss. “Come on.”

Through the door was a platform with a few more stairs and then a balcony that owls could be sent off through. Students weren’t usually allowed up there, but he had been given permission once, back a few years ago, when there had been an urgent message needing sent. Students weren’t even supposed to know this area existed, and he didn’t tell anyone that he had gone up there once years before. Now he went up here just to get away and take in the view of the world surrounding the castle of Hogwarts. Jack pulled Riley close to him. “Here, let me lift you up so you can see.” He held her waist and lifted her up onto the large stone pillar in front of them, and when he was sure she was up there soundly, he jumped up next to her. There was room enough at the top of the pillar for the two of them, but not much more. “Well, I don’t want you to fall. Maybe you should sit on my lap. That way if you fall I’ll be falling with you. What do you say?” He sat there motionless, gazing into her eyes again, awaiting her response.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley was surprised. Not at Jack anymore, but at herself. Over the past hour or so that she had known him, she had become somewhat used to his antics. He was sly, arrogant, and completely unexpected. But Riley had learned to expect that. Now that the initial surprise was over, Riley wasn’t surprised anymore. But now, the problem was her. Riley was now surprised at her own behavior. Why was she acting this way? This couldn’t all be just a ‘quest’ of some sort to get back at her friends, because in truth, Riley didn’t really see this as revenge. Sure, she would probably deeply enjoy telling them that she had passed their little challenge, that they had failed to embarrass her like they planned. But now, this wasn’t just about revenge. Riley had no idea what it was about anymore. But nevertheless, she felt odd acting this way. Riley just didn’t go around kissing random Slytherins. She didn’t wear makeup, and she definitely didn’t sneak off into the dark corners of the school holding hands with a Slytherin in the year above. This wasn’t her, but she liked it. Riley was actually starting to really like the new her. Would she even be in this position had it not been for the Daughters and their little ‘makeover’ game? Riley doubted it.

“Oh, now simplistic is such a harsh word.” Riley said jokingly, looking up at him with teasing eyes. “I like to think I’m very complicated. Though, that’s not always a good thing I guess…” Riley’s tone became less teasing and more serious as she finished her sentence. Yup, complicated was the perfect word to describe Riley’s situation. Everything in her life just had to be complicated. That was how things worked with Riley, they just didn’t happen any other way. Well, things not only tended to be complicated, but most events in her life were unexpected, which was the perfect word to describe this situation right here. Riley really had never kissed a guy before. She’d never really thought of any boys in a sort of romantic way. Up until recently, Riley’s brain just didn’t work like that. She was one of the guys, always. She was everybody’s friend, but never had she been more than that. She’d never had one of those pre-teen crushes before, and she’d definitely never kissed anyone. But she supposed it wasn’t that hard. She didn’t really think about it though, so it wasn’t too nerve-racking.

Riley merely laughed dryly. “Well thanks for pointing that out, Captain Obvious.” Riley said sarcastically. “I just meant it was pretty un-called for, don’t you think?” She asked with an eyebrow raised. “But it doesn’t matter. I already said I’d get you back.” Riley said teasingly, still completely embarrassed. Her cheeks blushed a subtle shade of scarlet but she tried her best to ignore it. She kept walking, hand in his, hoping that he hadn’t noticed that she hadn’t answered his accusation. Of course she’d never been kissed before, but she wasn’t about to go proudly blurting that out. She watched as his eyes scanned the corridors for anyone around. She couldn’t help but raise her thin eyebrow. He almost looked like he didn’t want to be seen with her. She didn’t blame him. The whole Gryffindor-Slytherin thing probably wasn’t too good for his reputation. Riley sighed at his accusatory question. Did she have a problem with it? “No, not really.” She answered honestly, adding just a bit more reddish tint onto her cheeks. “I just wish you’d warn me first.”

Riley found herself being almost dragged alone the corridors. Jack seemed like he was in a rush to get to wherever it was he wanted to take her. She did like the adventure and the suspense. Riley lived for all things exciting and out of the ordinary, and that was Jack in a nutshell. He led her to his favorite spot, which was a large set of stairs that Riley had no problems in climbing. She was an avid Quidditch player, it wasn’t too much for her to tackle a couple stairs. She allowed Jack to lift her up to sit onto the small platform and only then did she realize how high up they were. “Whoa…” Riley said, a mixture of awe and slight fear in her voice. When Jack sat next to her, she felt her body slide further off the platform. She nodded all too willingly when he offered to have her sit on his lap. Riley couldn’t argue with those eyes of his, even if she wasn’t already terrified of falling off. “You know, that’s probably a smart idea.” Riley let him help her onto his lap and looked around her again. “Wow, this place is really beautiful once you get passed the height thing. How’d you find it?”

[Jack Reid]

Jack hadn’t been with a woman alone like this since Juliet. It hadn’t been long since she had broken up with him, but it had felt like an eternity of hell. The worst part of it was that he didn’t know why she had left him. All she had said was that she was afraid of what he was becoming. He had no idea whatsoever what that could mean, but it didn’t matter anymore. Riley was who was in his sights now, and was even sitting right there on his lap, on top of the pillar. What an interesting turn of events it had been, this day. It had started with nonsense classes that he had semi-interest in and had ended with him pretty much changing around to accommodate this Gryffindor girl who had just showed up on the same bench as him. It was all happening so fast. He had vowed he would never let another woman take Juliet’s place, at least not this quick or anything. Yet here he was, sitting in his secret place with Riley. He hadn’t even shown Juliet this place, or any of his others, for that matter. Here he was, kissing and holding hands with this girl whom he barely knew. Where was it all coming from? Jack couldn’t for the life of him figure out why it was all happening. But he was slowly starting to thoroughly enjoy Riley’s company, and that’s what mattered, wasn’t it?

He loved when she had that teasing look in her eyes. It made him just want to hug her, for some reason. What was he thinking? Jack had never thought of things like this, never. But here it was, his mind was just going there. He had no choice but to follow it. He shook his thoughts off and focused on the girl on his lap. She explained how she tended to think of herself as quite complicated. She seemed serious as her tone changed. “Well I tend to think of myself as quite complicated as well, thank you. Which might mean we’re meant for each other, don’t you think?” He gave her a sly smile as he said this, and laughed as she made fun of his obvious comments. “Oh I don’t think it was uncalled for. You were just waiting for the exact right moment, weren’t you? I don’t usually let people see what I’m going to do before I do. I’m the only one who knows what’s going on usually.” She answered him about it being a problem or not, and she made a comment that he should warn her first. He laughed. “That would take the surprise and intrigue out of it, now wouldn’t it? What’s the fun in that, Riley?” He was serious when he said this, because he loved doing the unexpected. It seemed like Riley was getting used to his unexpected nature, too, which is what he liked about her. She seemed to be able to adapt rather quickly.

“You know, for such a good Quidditch player, it surprises me that you have a fear of heights. Are you just showing off, to try and impress a man that you unknowingly have already impressed?” He smiled at her as he positioned her sideways on his lap, showing her the best of the view. He put his arms around her band and said “Here, put your arms around my neck. I don’t want you going anywhere.” He chuckled, and she asked how he found this place. “When I was younger some of the professors needed an emergency owl sent out, and everyone was busy. So they sent me, as a third year, up to this high tower to send the owl out. The regular mailing system would have worked, but the owl being let out up here got the message there quicker. They told me I wasn’t allowed up here any more after that. What they don’t know is that three years later I still visit it often. Haven’t been caught yet, and I don’t expect to be.” Jack pulled Riley closer to him, as the wind began to blow a little more. “Well it’s been fun, but you should probably get back to your girls, and I should study more in that spell books so I can show you who’s superior in our duel. Hang on, okay?” Jack knew Riley wouldn’t be expecting what he was going to do next, and he loved that feeling.

He pulled out his wand with his free hand and pointed it out in front of him and spoke a spell. He then waited a few seconds, and held Riley tighter as he jumped, with her in his arms, off the pillar. Jack knew that if the spell didn’t work, they would likely be plummeting to quite the messy ending. They kept falling, and right as they got close to the stone stairway, he reached out and grabbed the front of his broom that was flying underneath them. They landed a little hard, as he heard a slight crack in the middle of his broom, but they were fine. He flew the broom around once and landed on two feet close to the entrance of the courtyard, where their little adventure had started. He let her go, making sure she was okay to stand. Jack knew the little stunt was likely enough to make Riley’s mind go crazy, but he didn’t care. By now, the courtyard was empty, as it was getting slightly dim out. He pointed his wand at his broom and it shrunk to a small enough size that he could put it into his robe pocket. Now he just needed to remember it was there. Jack turned to Riley. “Well, I assume this is goodbye for now? I’m sure we’ll see each other soon for that duel. And I hope my little stunt didn’t scare you too much. I’ve done that before, but not with a second person. I’m glad it worked!” He laughed, because he knew she might be upset that he tried something so dangerous with her. He didn’t care what happened, it had been a good day either way.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley was really beginning to like this. No, she was beginning to love this. Jack had completely caught her interest, and managed to keep it. Riley lived for excitement. When nothing was going on, Riley was not a happy person. So it would make sense that Jack would be perfect for her. Honestly, she didn’t care about the fact that he happened to be a year older than her. And even though she was now a member of a Gryffindor elitist group, she didn’t even care that he was a Slytherin. Why should that simple fact matter to Riley anyway? The thing was that Jack kept her happy, and he kept her practically in suspense as to what he was going to do next. She honestly had no idea what was up his sleeve, but she was going to find out. The more time Riley spent with Jack, the less she felt like it was wrong to be with him. Why had she been surprised at herself again? Riley couldn’t remember at this point. “Well I do suppose that could be true.” Riley said as he helped her onto his lap. She stared down again, her eyes widening.

Jack did have a point. Riley flew around on a Quidditch broom as a sport and she was normally at least fifty feet higher than she was right now. She wasn’t scared though, not really. She was more awed than scared. It was really just that she didn’t have the security of her broom anymore. Not to mention Riley didn’t tend to hover or look down when she played. She always had a goal, something that she needed to accomplish. How could she think about a silly thing like fears when she had things to accomplish on the pitch? Riley smiled at him, now with her arms around his neck. There couldn’t be a safer place in the world. “Well that’s one way of doing things” Riley said with a chuckle to his reasoning behind randomly deciding to kiss her. It worked for her, it was better than having everything spelled out for her. She hated when things were blunt and obvious. Riley liked having to guess, which was why she loved mystery and thriller movies so much.

Riley managed to blush a bit, something that she never did. She was glad the sun was setting and it was getting darker by the moment. The view was beautiful, but she was happy because since it was starting to get darker, it was harder to see the redness in her cheeks. “Well it’s different. When I’m playing Quidditch, I’m on a broom. And I have a goal. I don’t particularly like staying still, so I don’t think about how high up I am. It’s weird I guess, but I’m not really scared.” Riley said, reassuringly. In fact, she felt quite safe here. It wasn’t like Jack would want to jump off of the pillar, especially with Riley on his lap. But then again, Jack was always full of surprises, wasn’t he?

Riley sighed at Jack’s mention that they should probably go back now. Riley really didn’t want to, but she supposed she had to. She’d probably spent a bit too much time up here with him, and she’d lost track of exactly what time it was. She’d been too busy admiring the sunset that she had completely forgotten she had friends that were probably dying to know what had happened with her. She sighed and was about to get down off the pillar when Jack held on to her tightly. He jumped off the pillar, causing them to fall seemingly down to their death. Riley’s earsplitting scream could be heard echoing throughout the courtyard. Suddenly, their fall did not break on the courtyard pavement, but on top of Jack’s broom. Riley’s scream ended and she sighed with relief. “Phew. Don’t scare me like that!” Riley said through fits of laughter. She punched him hard on his arm. Fifteen years of living with a bunch of guys had made Riley pretty physically strong. She still had the championship for the wrestling matches they’d held at home during the holidays. Not to mention they had Riley viewing danger as a fun thing, not something that would scare her. She was still a bit angry that he had put her in such an extreme form of danger. She could have died! But wasn’t that what made it all the more fun?

Riley landed swiftly with Jack just near by. Riley looked around. It was now very dark out, and a bit chilly. The courtyard had cleared up as the time neared closer to their curfew. Mia and Veronica appeared out of nowhere, skidding to a halt at the site of Riley. She must have been quite a sight. Riley had landed facing Jack, her arms around his neck like they’d been before. He said a spell to minimize his broom and stored it in his pocket. Riley smiled at him and decided, ‘why not go out with a big bang?’ Mia and Veronica approached them and Veronica spoke first. “Oh there you are, Riley we were looking all over-” Riley held up a finger to stop them in their tracks. Mia and Veronica gave each other both confused stares. “I can’t wait to show you all those tricks we were talking about. Until next time.” She said with a soft smile, kissing him deeply. She then stepped back and walked away, looking back as she walked away with her friends. “Ok Riley, spill. Now. What the hell did you say to him?! Even I couldn‘t get that guy to notice me, and I‘m me!” Mia asked in astonishment, looking back at Jack with disbelieving eyes. Riley merely chuckled. “Did you cast a spell on him or something?” Veronica chimed, making Riley chuckle softly. “Sorry girls, I don’t kiss and tell.”

((End. Finally. Whoa that was long. ))