The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree (Cyrus)

[Olivia Dawson S6]

((Please Note: This thread is PG-13. The warning just didn't fit in the title. ))

Laura Dawson walked confidently to the door to her office. She had an appointment waiting outside, a very important life changing appointment. This wasn’t particularly about the law or her job. In fact, she was probably breaking quite a few rules doing what she was doing today. But Laura couldn’t care less. She’d covered up evidence many times before. Of course, Laura would only risk looking over something if the outcome turned out in her favor, like it would now. Because of this fact, Laura didn’t mind much that she was breaking the rules in meeting with Mr. Thorn this evening. Admittedly, the two had had their little affairs in the past when things were rough with her relationship with her husband (as they still were, though Laura didn’t care. Laura had long since stopped loving her husband, so she didn’t mind turning a blind eye to his affairs as well) so she was able to talk somewhat freely with the man. The two had mutually decided to end their little fling after they’d had their fun. There was no hard feelings there. She opened the door and smiled politically as she let the man in. Mr. Thorn had a son that was just about Olivia’s age, which was why she had brought him in to her office to begin with. She still had a copy of the official letter she’d sent him in her desk drawer. Dear Mr. Thorn, you are needed for an appointment with Mrs. Laura Dawson of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement tomorrow evening at six thirty. Please note that this meeting is not optional or personal. It is a matter of business. Sincerely, Hannah Taylor, secretary to Mrs. Dawson. She had recently discovered that his son, Cyrus had been caught doing some serious illegal magic, and could be expelled from school if Laura were to take the appropriate measures. But as always, Laura had other things in mind.

In the beginning, Laura had high hopes for her eldest daughter Olivia. To make a long story short, things had not turned out as Laura had hoped. But Laura was on her way to fixing it, and now that her daughter was halfway through her sixth year, it was high time both Laura and Olivia started securing her future. Olivia was a stubborn girl, but she wasn’t stupid. If it was one thing she listened to it was cold hard logic. She had to start coming to the realization that those damn cigarettes weren’t the key to her future. She needed to do something with herself, and Laura had the perfect solution. “Evening, Mr. Thorn. Let’s get right down to it, shall we?” She said, taking a seat at her desk and offering him a seat across from her. The man looked dashingly handsome as usual, and if Laura hadn’t had a plan on her mind, (as she normally did) she would have considered trying to charm him back to her, just for a night of reunions. But she didn’t have the time.

“Well, the reason I’ve called you down here is because we at the Ministry have heard word that your son has been performing some forms of illegal magic. Now, if I were to abide by the Ministry’s standard policy, your son could face expulsion from Hogwarts and possible time in Azkaban. However, I do care for your family and of course, your sparkling reputation. I’m sure your son is a very good kid, which is why I’m willing to make you a deal. My daughter, Olivia, needs a decent boy by her side. Her choices lately haven’t been very wise and I’d like that to change. I’m confident that, with a bit of a push on both sides, we can find ourselves a very influential and powerful couple for the future. I don’t think it would be too much of a crime to put in a good word, would it? I mean, I’d hate to have to go through those messy hearings and trials when I know I will never see this kind of behavior from the Thorn family again, now will I?” Laura said with a convincing and very conniving smile. She patted Mr. Thorn’s hand, seeing that he was catching on. “Very good. Now, Olivia will be attending a party tonight at this address." Laura spoke smoothly, slipping him a neat piece of paper with the address written in her daughter's hand. It wasn't very smart of Olivia, but she'd left the sheet on her bedroom table in her wreck of a room. Laura waved the thought off briskly and continued. "Sadly, there will be muggles present, but there will also be many students from Hogwarts as well. I’m sure you could get your son to go and socialize, couldn’t you? Olivia’s looking for a new man anyway, so I’m sure they’d get along quite nicely. They’re in the same house you know, I’m sure they’ve met before. Think you could make that happen?” Laura didn’t wait for a response. Her next appointment was waiting for her. “Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got another appointment waiting for me outside. I trust that this conversation will remain between the two of us, and that your son will be present tonight. I look forward to hearing about her experience.” Laura said with a sly look. She didn't directly threaten Mr. Thorn, but she was sure her tone delivered the necessary message. If he did not do what she asked of him (which wasn't all that much, really) his son and his family's reputation would pay the price. So, without another word, Laura let the man out the door with a quick friendly goodbye. It was a rushed meeting of course, but it got the point across.

Meanwhile, Laura’s daughter Olivia smirked confidently as she walked out of the magical casino, a fat check in her hand. Normal people would have felt somewhat bad that they had just betrayed a close friend of theirs, but Cassandra Logton-Blackfire-Fallon (Olivia still had no idea which one of the three she went by these days, so she simply mashed all three together when referring to the seventh year Gryffindor) wasn’t in fact Olivia’s real friend. As a matter of fact, Olivia wasn’t really all too fond of any of the people she’d been spending all her time with lately. It had all been a plot to get her ex-boyfriend back, and her plan was slowly working in her favor. Olivia spent a significant amount of time in the muggle casino, and the goblins there had sort of started to notice that Olivia was spending time with the Fallon couple. They probably knew of her plan, as Olivia tended to talk to them often in the late hours of the night after everyone had already decided to leave. Today, Olivia had asked to meet with them. Olivia had decided to come back to her home. She missed Elle and the benefits of her old home, so she had agreed to come back under one condition: that she pay a monthly rent. It seemed that Laura would be the only one to gain with this deal, but this wasn’t true. Olivia wanted to show her mother that she didn’t need her mother, that she could get money on her own. So, because money at her job was short and she wanted to further her plot to win Julian back, she had decided to sell her knowledge to the goblins, who were very interested in the Fallon couple for some odd reason. They’d paid her a large sum for whatever Olivia knew about them. This of course, included the information that she was expecting. Now, Olivia wanted to party. Pocketing the check safely, Olivia walked out of Diagon Alley down to muggle London, where she would be attending a party hosted by a fellow Slytherin in her year. The Slytherin was also friends with many of her muggle friends, so they’d be at the party as well. But in addition to wanting to have fun, Olivia was looking for something else, something else that would further her plot. Olivia didn’t know this, but she was much like her mother in many ways. When Olivia had a plot or a plan, everything in her life revolved around the sneaky little plot and she did not rest until she got what she came for. Tonight, Olivia’s hidden plan was to find herself a man. Olivia wasn’t stupid. She knew she’d been blessed with beauty and charm, so she used these things to her advantage. Olivia could get pretty much anyone she wanted if she set her mind to it, so getting herself a guy wouldn’t be far too hard.

One would wonder, if Olivia was still so deeply in love with Julian Fallon, why would she ever want to replace him with someone else? The answer was simple. Olivia needed a cover. Julian was growing suspicious of her, so she needed something to use as proof that she was over him, even when she wasn’t. A new boyfriend was the perfect tool. She smirked confidently as she walked down the rainy London streets, her hair now back to the jet black it had been at last summer. She was already dressed for a night of fun, though she didn’t overdo it. She was wearing a pair of tight, light ripped jeans and a short black tank top. The bottom of the shirt ended on a point in the center of her slim stomach, showing off just a bit of skin on her stomach and a sparkling ring on her navel. She’d also gone to get her nose pierced again, as the hole had closed up during the school year when she wasn’t allowed to wear it. She was getting just a bit tired of the blonde innocent look for now. Perhaps she’d go back to it later on in the year, but for now, she wanted to explore a bit of a darker side in her. So, she walked into the room, greeted the muggle friends that had missed her so, and greeted her friends from Hogwarts kindly. She then surveyed the room, noticing a rather good looking boy from Hogwarts by the drinks table. Olivia smirked, recognizing the boy as Cyrus Thorn. He was a Slytherin in Julian’s year, and he was the perfect candidate for the guy she was searching for to help her get Julian back. Not to mention she wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn she may have hooked up with him at a party once. Olivia walked confidently to the drinks table, getting herself a beer. Olivia had always been fond of liquor, but she knew how to handle herself well. After so many years of partying, Olivia had become sort of experienced in such a field, which included knowing when enough was enough. Olivia took a sip and addressed Cyrus, who hadn't seemed to notice her yet, or at least, not as far as Olivia knew. “Evening Cyrus. How’d the train ride go for you?” Olivia said kindly, though there was an obvious smirk on her face.

[Cyrus Thorn]

Joseph was an important man. A rich man, a wealthy man. A clever man. He had importance and authority amongst most people. Connections in high places. He rarely wanted for anything. A good son as his heir, handsome and wise, he had never looked at a man in envy- and if that rare occasion came, the object of his desire would soon be his anyway. But this woman… this Dawson woman, was something new. Someone that barely let Joseph get a word in. It was incredibly rude and normally Joseph would not have hesitated once about putting a woman like Dawson in her correct and proper place. But at the same time, he recognised a tone in her voice that made him remain silent for the majority of their meeting. It was the voice of someone who knows they have won. For many, many years, Joseph Thorn hadn’t heard the voice from anyone but himself. He was always the person winning- and everyone around him tended to lose, if he was in the race. But this woman was different. Joseph’s mind went back to the first time he had met her- the sex had followed quite quickly. She had been elegant even in bed. But that was a long time ago. She had been much younger; he, too. Joseph wondered if anything had changed in the woman, in the way she kissed, as a result of the amount of time she put into her work. Joseph himself was aging. Everyday he spotted a new grey hair, a new line around his eyes. And when he looked at Cyrus- his beautiful little boy, no longer so little at all- he saw those eyes, he saw much of himself in his son. But recently he had been wondering if the apple had fallen farther from the tree than he had initially guessed. Cyrus was almost ready to leave his school, and in his last year a new look in his eyes had arrived, a new tone in his voice, a new expression on his face. It was something that Joseph had never had. But he had been tempted by it- indeed, it was difficult to fight the need to possess that look, that tone, that expression. Because most people feared someone with those things. Most people would do anything for someone with those things.

Evidently Cyrus had gotten himself into some trouble as a result of his new persona- and this Dawson lady knew of it. As the words tumbled from her mouth Joseph remembered how those lips had once kissed and caressed him. Encouraged by alcohol sure, but Joseph knew that she had felt something for him. It was difficult not to back then- girls fell for him so easily. He knew it was only a matter of time before they would be doing the same for his son. Tuning into the words again, Joseph didn’t let the surprise at his son’s business show on his face. He was surprised. Shocked that Cyrus had business he didn’t know about, and shocked that it was illegal. Joseph himself had done bad things in the past, and he did not regret them either. Without those things, those deeds, those favours, he would not be where he was now… or at least, where he had been recently. He didn’t say much to the Dawson woman. This was her office and for once Joseph was not in control. Her hurried words and her obviously dislike for his presence in her office offended him more than he allowed his eyes to show. Cyrus… his dear little boy. It was difficult to fend off those flashbacks of his son ten or so years ago; when they were so close, so connected, so happy with one another. What had changed? He still loved his boy more than he could say, and he knew- he just knew that Cyrus still loved him, old though he would soon be. But he could no longer read his son as he once had. This incident made that clear.

Dawson’s proposal stunned him into silence and this time he allowed the shock to be displayed on his still handsome face. His son, and this woman’s daughter? He didn’t know Olivia, but oddly enough warmed to the idea as he played it over in his mind. Cyrus was a handsome boy, tall, powerful, wealthy. Olivia would gain a lot by being with him. And Cy? What would he gain in return? Joseph tossed the idea around for a moment. This woman’s secrecy. That was important. And if Olivia looked anything like her mother, then a beautiful girl with a good body too- always a bonus of course, and Cyrus wouldn’t say no. It was unusual that, despite having just said she knew Cyrus had been doing illegal magic, she wanted a ‘good boy’ beside her daughter. Quite the contradiction really. But then, Joseph knew that everything in this world was contradictory. If you wanted to succeed you had to know what contradicted your words, your views, your rules. Otherwise you would fail. Although he wasn’t in a position to reject the proposal Dawson made he still made as if he were mulling it over, before nodding slowly. He had to do something to get a little more control over Cyrus’ life. His boy was slipping through his fingers and Joseph knew that eighteen was too young an age for such things. Perhaps arranging this relationship would give him a tighter grasp on his son’s life. Perhaps he could save him with it.

While his father was being cornered and pressurized by an ex-lover, Cyrus was surveying a crowded room with distaste. Girls and boys filled the place. No men. No classy women. No-one with any sense. He had Buffers and Craydown beside him. Both boys- yes, they were still boys- were alright for company, oddly enough. They kept Cyrus’ glass full and send glares at anyone who looked particularly idiotic, just in case they wanted to befriend Thorn. Cyrus was still having fun- he had danced a little earlier (strangely, he was quite a good dancer) and had already spoken to the only half decent girls in the room and had plenty to drink. One of the girls was by his side now, leaning into him. She was attractive; her mother some kind of model and her father a producer of films… something like that, anyway. Cyrus didn’t listen much to girls like her. If she wore a skirt the size of a belt and a top the size of a bra then she obviously didn’t expect to be listened to anyway. She leaned closer now and planted a kiss on his cheek. He allowed this, although made no move to make the position easier for her. She continued the kiss and with one slender hand, attempted to turn his head to face her so she could kiss his lips. His brow creased and it was a shame she didn’t notice this, else she may have stopped. He snapped his head around quickly. In one swift motion he kissed her hard on the mouth- as she had wanted. Then he pushed her away with one hand, not looking at her. She got the picture and after throwing a disgruntled glance at Cyrus, moved away.

It was then that he noticed Craydown’s head cock to the side slightly. Clearly he had seen something shiny to watch for a while. Cy didn’t bother to turn and see what had caught the boy’s attention- probably something like a stupid muggle ‘lava lamp’. Those muggles were always coming up with ridiculous inventions like that, a ploy to pull more money from children with commercially bright colours and idiotic advertisements showing happy children. Muggles… there were some in this room. Cyrus could almost smell them. And he didn’t like it. If he wanted he could pull out his wand now and make sure he never saw any of them again… sure, the Ministry wouldn’t be too happy about that. But Cyrus was beginning to think himself quite lucky in terms of the Ministry- for some unusual reason they hadn’t cottoned on to his illegal business yet, even the business he wasn’t directly involved in, the business that he didn’t spend so much time covering up and disguising. As he mulled these thoughts over and sipped his drink Cyrus noticed that Buffers had also turned to watch the object of Craydown’s interest to. With a sight Cy flicked his gaze from it’s initial source (a Hufflepuff graduate had been belly-dancing on a table nearby, quite a beautiful sight and it hurt to pull his eyes away…) to view whoever it was approaching.

Olivia was not someone that Cyrus knew that well. She was quite beautiful, he had always thought so. She had an air about her that was endearing. He liked that. Her mother, he knew, was fairly powerful in the Ministry. She was fairly appealing and he allowed himself to look at her, ignoring the curious questions in the eyes of his companions. A smile pulled at his lips as he listened to her speak. She was not so original or unique in her presence that he was instantly in love with her of course- he didn’t believe so much in love at first sight. But there was something about her that separated her from the other girls in the room, though he was unable to know what this was. So he confirmed in his mind that perhaps it wouldn’t be so awful if he allowed himself to spend a little time with her, get to know her further just for tonight. If she continued to have this air about her then maybe he would even offer a little of his own character up- though this was unlikely. Cyrus kept himself covered completely in places like this. You could never be completely safe around muggles, after all.

Her question made him frown. Boring. He was bored already, in fact. He didn’t even try to answer the question, merely looked into her eyes with obvious disappointment. A train ride… oh, how delightfully thrilling. With a sigh he pulled his eyes from hers and looked back at the graduate, now doing an endearing little trick that made her bottom move in ways Cyrus hadn’t thought possible. He smiled slightly. It was a typical trademark Cyrus Thorn smile- one half of his mouth curved into a sharp upward movement, the other half staying sharp and still. “Do you dance like this girl, Miss Dawson?” He didn’t look at Olivia as he spoke. Downing his drink swiftly and without any trouble, he indicated with a casual hand the girl on the table. “It is quite entertaining.” He allowed a spark of life to reach his eyes, making them seem almost friendly for a moment. Then they were dark again, and he turned sharply to look at Olivia.

[Olivia Dawson S6]

Olivia could tell that the pleasant conversation was boring Cyrus Thorn. Olivia’s eyes silently and secretively scanned the boy, trying to figure him out without making it blatantly obvious as to what she was up to. Much like her very manipulative and cunning mother, Olivia was very critical of people. She was quite good at assessing people’s emotions and thoughts based on body language. As she had approached the table, she had picked up on the fact that she had sparked his interest. That part was easy. All she had to do was walk past a person to have them look at her. The part that took skill was keeping that attention with words and charm. Olivia usually didn’t jump right into it, but she figured that Cyrus Thorn was a hard man to please. She would have to step it up. There were two older and quite large boys hovering near him, standing over him like bodyguards or something. Olivia didn’t miss the disgusted glance he cast toward a group of muggles not too far away from them. Olivia kept that in mind. She wasn’t too concerned in bringing up her opinion on the issue of muggles. She did glance curiously at the two others. They were not obviously guarding him, but they did seem to hover over him, though they kept their distance. Didn’t they have lives of their own? Girls they wanted to court? Did they really enjoy standing there the entire night?

Olivia raised a thin almost perfectly shaped eyebrow, reminding herself of the suspicious look on her mother’s face when Olivia had been caught doing something wrong during her very early teenage years. Olivia wiped the expression from her face and memory, replacing it with a calm confident expression. She took a sip of her drink and sighed with relief. She’d been very thirsty. She noticed his eyes wander almost instantly. He was quite the little player though, wasn’t he? It was quite obvious that this boy always got what he wanted. Olivia could walk away with one of his little bodyguards right now and it wouldn’t make a difference to him. What with his good looks, obvious wealth, and way of carrying himself, the boy could have another girl in minutes; possibly even seconds. This thought probably should have intimidated Olivia, but it actually didn’t. It only made her more interested. This was all a game to her. Whether Cyrus Thorn took to her or not, Olivia would have fun tonight. She could already see another possibility for her “cover story” now, if the Cyrus plan fell through. But Cyrus was definitely a better possibility. He was in Julian’s year and house, so they shared a dorm. That meant they would talk more. She glanced over at the loose and very ‘open’ graduate and merely chuckled as she rolled her eyes. Obviously drunk out of her mind. Olivia thought to herself in amusement. Hufflepuffs. They didn’t have any sort of self-control or even self-respect.

“She’s doing it all wrong actually, no doubt thanks to all that liquor in her system.” Olivia said with a sparkle in her eye, as if the thought of watching her make a fool out of herself was amusing. “She can’t hold a candle to my skills, though I’d like to think I have more class than to jump on a table and dance in such a way.” Olivia said this as she too looked in the direction of the Hufflepuff graduate, though she definitely was getting a different kind of amusement out of her movement. After this, she looked back at Cyrus and smirked knowingly. “You know, I could show you what I’m talking about…” Olivia said, as if seriously contemplating the idea of giving him a private show, but then she shook her head. “Or maybe not. I’m afraid I’m not that far gone.” Olivia said with a smile in his direction. She noticed a very interested glance from one of his friends, or rather; protectors. Olivia couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows at this. Damn you, Laura. Olivia thought bitterly to herself. Laura influenced Olivia’s life in more ways than she liked to admit. Olivia didn’t even know all the ways she and her mother were alike. Good thing she didn’t too. The thought that she could be anything like the evil Laura Dawson would literally drive Olivia insane. “What’s with the bodyguards?” Olivia asked skeptically. “The way I see it, either you feel that someone’s out to get you or you need their help for some reason. I would have hardly thought you to be the kind of guy to need a wingman, let alone two.” Olivia spoke with a teasing smile, leaning against the wall casually.

[Cyrus Thorn]

The first thing Cyrus noticed after Olivia had said her boring bit and he had replied was that she seemed to be hovering. It was not unusual of course- people hovered when they wanted something. A teenager might hover around a parent, hoping to get a bit more pocket money that month. And a lonely girl might hover around a handsome young man, hoping to get a bit more than pocket money for the night. Not that Cy saw Olivia Dawson as lonely. But there was an element in the manner in which she hovered that made him feel as though she almost needed him for some reason. Perhaps it was just the alcohol in his system seeing this air about her, perhaps not. Whatever it was Cy didn’t mind so much. She was pretty and so far hadn’t mentioned any insane love of anything weird and stupid like excessive armpit-hair or muggles. Which meant that for now he would accept her company, whether she was lonely or not. Cyrus noticed her eyes roll as she glanced at the girl on the table, and grinned inwardly. There was something about girls like Olivia that amused him in these situations. Obviously, Olivia was better than the Hufflepuff graduate. That went without saying really. But by rolling her eyes Olivia had given Cy the impression that she was almost jealous, as if she had to compete with the girl on the table. This attitude was not new- many girls tried to compete for Cyrus’ attentions and most were ignored or taught a lesson for their foolish, teenage attempts- so he didn’t respond or speak of it, though his mind made note of the response.

As Olivia spoke about the girl’s techniques, Cyrus turned back to view the dance, smile still tugging his lips. There must have been something right about what the girl was doing because Cyrus found his eyes drawn to the body parts she was attempting to move the most; most likely her reason for dancing. It certainly didn’t seem very ‘wrong’ to Cyrus anyhow. But he listened as Olivia continued to speak and when she turned to him to smirk, one of his brows raised. I could show you… With those words Cyrus couldn’t help his head snap to look at her again, his eyes tracing her form swiftly. He didn’t feel rude for doing so- if she didn’t want him imagining things then she shouldn’t put the pictures in the head in the first place. Looking back into her eyes Cy wrinkled his nose slightly in amusement, but didn’t comment about her almost-proposal until her next words about not being drunk enough. “Ah, well clearly we’ll have to change something about that.” He turned his body halfway and casually caught the wrist of a boy a couple of years older than him, who had just picked two drinks up from the drinks table and was bringing them back to his girlfriend across the room. Swiftly Cyrus thanked the boy before lifting both drinks from his hands. He handed one to Olivia and lifted his own to hers. The clinking sound of glass on glass rang loud, a chime bolder than it should have been in his ears. He cocked his head at it slightly before he sipped from the new drink, without taking his eyes from Olivia’s.

While the boy he had stolen the drinks attempted to explain to his girlfriend in a bewildered tone where her cocktail had gone, Olivia spoke up again after a glance at the two tall men behind Cyrus. The comments made Cyrus smile. Craydown and Buffers were family friends, both with fairly successful parents that Cyrus was interested in stealing from in the near future. Well, not stealing from exactly… just borrowing. A loan that might not be returned, you might say. And that could not be tracked back to Cy or the Thorn name in anyway possible… yes, that’s more like it. So the two men were useful in some aspects but Cyrus agreed with the Slytherin girl; they were not necessary now. With a frown he turned to face them, one eyebrow raised and a look of irritatation on his face. “You have a point, Olivia.” He didn’t bother calling her ‘Miss Dawson’ more than once. He knew that Pyro, a good friend of his and the only person he had ever called ‘friend’ and meant it, could keep up the formal titles for hours in conversation. But Cyrus was not so polite, nor did he care so much for the other person’s titles. Eventually, the would lose any importance they had if they were talking to Cyrus for more than a few minutes. He liked to steal reputations like that.

“Unless you’re about to provide entertainment and get up there with the girl,” He flicked a lazy hand at the graduate, who was clearly getting a little tired now. “- then perhaps you wouldn’t mind pissing off?” He smiled a smile that didn’t reach his eyes after this, which somehow reassured Buffers and Craydown and told them he still considered them as his equals. Which he never had and never would of course, but the point was there; a simple smile could work wonders. No promises had to be made. They sauntered off in the direction of the food table and Cyrus turned back to Olivia with a satisfied expression. “Wouldn’t be surprised if they were queer for me really.” It was not spoken so arrogantly, more a passing thought that he let slip. With a mental shake of his mind he looked Olivia directly in the eye and took a step closer to where she leant against the wall- perhaps to make it easier for the two to hear each other speak over the music and general conversation in the room, perhaps not. “So, were you about to dance for me or is that event booked for a later date?” Another half-smile, another sip of his drink.

[Olivia Dawson S6]

Olivia didn’t intend to tell Cyrus what her plans were for him. Well, maybe not at first. Though, she was starting to think that he would be the type of person that would have fun with such a favor. She wasn’t entirely sure yet, which was why she didn’t just go and let the cat out of the bag now. She figured the news she was using him would do one of three things for the boy. Either he would be insulted that Olivia was only giving him her attention to make another guy jealous, (which was a bit unlikely from Olivia’s assessments of his personality) laugh in her face for thinking of such an obsessive and absurd plan, (also unlikely given his interest) or he would see this as an opportunity for some fun and take to the idea with one of those confident smirks of his. Out of the three, Olivia was hoping for and expecting the third, but she didn’t plan on telling him just yet. If anything, it would be by the end of the night. Perhaps she’d even wait until their next meeting to let him in on the little plan. But Olivia wouldn’t let him get into this with his eyes closed. That would surely have some messy results. People were instantly drawn to Olivia, and if this kid got too attached only to find out he was being used, she wouldn’t be happy with the consequences.

Olivia had always supposed this little trait of hers was a main reason Olivia couldn’t forget Julian Fallon. She was so used to having men fall to their feet to praise her. Yet for some reason, Julian had left her high and dry, leaving her for some plain and boring Gryffindor Quidditch junkie. It hurt her pride more than anything at first, that she could be so easily replaced. Of course, she’d done quite the same thing with many men (and even more boys who thought they were men) throughout her life, but it wasn’t quite the same when she was on the other side of the brutal breakup. Olivia finished off her drink, smacking her lips with satisfaction. She was far from an alcoholic, but she did like a good drink every now and again. She was definitely one of the people that could label themselves as a “social drinker.” Nicotine was more of Olivia’s vice. Olivia was proud. There was a short time period after finding out about Julian’s marriage that Olivia feared she’d lost her touch. However, after seeing the interest spark back into Cyrus Thorn’s eyes, Olivia was sure that while Julian may have acquired a temporary immunity to her charms (though even that so-called ‘immunity’ had its limits) they still existed and were still proving to be useful in getting Olivia what she wanted.

As she quickly mentioned the possibility of showing him what real dancing was, she noticed the seventh year almost instinctively turn his attention back over to Olivia, who glanced around the table thirsty for more. All they had was beer there, but she was sure there had to be something better. And of course, Olivia didn’t miss Cyrus’s eyes scanning her figure, his mind no doubt whirling with thoughts of Olivia actually fulfilling her little offer. Olivia couldn’t help but chuckle at this knowledge. Not to be stereotypical, (because Olivia was often guilty of judging) but Olivia knew his type well. She’d dealt with the “confident player” type often. In fact, that label fit the name Julian Fallon quite well. Or perhaps, it did. Now she supposed the term “former” should be tacked onto the front of the label.

Olivia wasn’t sure what Cyrus was doing, as her view was blocked by the backs of a few people. She simply stood there though, eyes sweeping the very long and crowded drinks table for another drink that wasn’t slightly warm beer or soda. Suddenly, Cyrus returned with two drinks in his hand. Olivia’s blue eyes sparkled at the sight of the cocktail drink. Of course he was trying to get her drunk. It was the typical thing to do. However, Olivia wished him luck with that. It took quite a lot these days to get Olivia to the point Cyrus would want her at. Perhaps if it had been a few years ago, when Olivia had still been getting used to her freedom, things would have been different. Olivia had been so much more reckless back then, so eager to do whatever she could to rebel. “Thank you, Cyrus.” She said with a smile as their glasses clinked and she took a sip. “Though I’ve got to say it might take a bit more than two measly drinks. I’m no lightweight, you see.” She said in a tone of mock caution. It wasn’t long before Cyrus had sent the two boys away jokingly and Olivia was left to speak with Cyrus uninterrupted. He seemed to take advantage of this fact to lessen the distance between them. Perhaps it was to make the conversation easier. Perhaps he had other motives. Olivia didn’t mind either way. She was a hunter on the prowl, and she was getting just that much closer to getting her prey. “That idea is to be determined.” She said with a sly smile, taking another sip.

[Cyrus Thorn]

Perhaps this party wouldn’t be so bad. The thought popped into Cyrus’ mind as he spoke to Olivia. Attending the event had been an idea of Craydown’s- and since Cy didn’t actually have that much planned that night and didn’t mind missing a few hours from his work schedules, he had decided to humour the boy. Of course, he didn’t know that Craydown’s father had been talking to Joseph Thorn- who had managed to slip in a word about the party, somehow suggesting it would be a nice place for their sons to bond. Even if Cy had known this he probably still would have gone, maybe met a nice girl and introduced her to his bedroom. There was always something that could be done at parties like this anyway. He initially hadn’t expected to stay long, but now that there was at least one half decent person attending the event with him he wondered if he might stay a little longer. He never stayed too long at parties- they always bored him after a while. Either the music got repetitive, the girls got irritating and cheap, or the drink ran out. The three most prominent reasons for Cyrus to get bored, but certainly not the only ones.

Since a young child Cy had always had a very short attention-span in certain things. If he had to listen then he would, and would take in everything he needed to. But he just found everything so tedious sometimes. So repetitive and ugly, and muggle. Yep, muggle. How odd that something could be described to perfectly with just one word. To Cyrus, muggles really were boring. They ate, slept, some partied, some worked, some had sex, some starred in (boring) things that appeared on ‘televisions’ and some even went to whole new levels of boring and made things like clocks or tables or… solar-power electric fans. Yeah, boring. Whereas the world of magic that Cyrus lived in always had something exciting going on. Either there was a dark lord trying to kill everyone or there was an outbreak from Azkaban. Perhaps a spell had gone horribly, horribly wrong and the results were shown on the front page of the Daily Prophet- Cyrus always enjoyed a few chuckles at the misfortune of others and the Prophet delivered news of other people’s bad luck on a regular basis.

He hoped that this Olivia girl would not bore him too easily. But… he hated to say it so soon as she really did have some potential for a moment- but he could feel his attention drifting slightly. He tried to reign it in and focus on her again and only just managed to. Why was he so? Why could he not sit through a normal conversation (albeit a normal conversation with innuendo and a lot of flirtatious comments added) and enjoy it for what it was? He didn’t know the answers so couldn’t help himself. It was not that Olivia was incredibly boring; he already knew that he was physically attracted to her and had shown that. He would not have held it back, as Cy was always honest with girls and how he felt for them. But she was being a little typical. Looking back at himself through her eyes, he was amused. Despite having being the typical player himself she seemed to be by his side still, which tugged his smirk wider. It was not that the ‘player’ attitude he held was a façade- of course not. Enjoying women and flirting with them however he wanted was something that was purely Cyrus. And those girls would normally be his instantly if they were girls at all; another trait that was purely Cyrus, no act at all.

Olivia’s words brought Cyrus back into their conversation, his mind having wavered again- his eyes had almost flicked to behind Olivia, where two girls were looking interestingly close to one another, sending looks to each other that made Cyrus wonder what they were thinking. “No, of course not. But since when did the night end at two drinks?” He smiled mischievously as he gently spoke his response to her comments on being a lightweight, or rather the opposite. He cocked his head to Olivia’s answer about dancing. He remained looking at her at that odd angle, curiosity clear in his eyes. He didn’t know the girl that well, but wondered if she was being serious. Not that he didn’t believe her- but he certainly didn’t joke around when he invited a girl over or arranged to meet later that night, or another night, for some harmless… ‘fun’. She was still young. Sure, Cyrus was young too- but he had matured quickly in many ways. Perhaps Olivia thought that she had, when in truth she was just a confused sixth year? Whatever the case Cyrus didn’t mind too much. He returned the smile before leaning forwards and- yes, without hesitation- kissed her fairly hard on the mouth. It was just for a moment, almost in a friendly manner, but with a pressure that suggested something else. When he withdrew there was nothing different about his expression or his tone, nor in the air around the two. His eyes did twinkle for a moment as he drank more of his drink and studied Olivia.

“Cass isn’t as pretty as you, but she’s more sincere. Perhaps Fallon goes for that kind of thing? Bit of an idiot really. Now he’s got a brat on the way and chains around his waist.” His tone was casual but his eyes studied Olivia. He had come out with the mention of her ex so randomly but so comfortably, as if they had been talking about it before. He wanted a response, a reaction, anything to make it a little more interesting.

[Olivia Dawson S6]

Olivia was glad she had decided to come to this particular party. She had many friends, both muggle and magical (though she was hardly going to mention that in front of Cyrus, who was most likely the muggle hating Slytherin pride kind of guy) so she almost always had at least two or three parties to attend each night she happened to be in London. She was normally in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, which were places with a very different air to them. Other than the obvious difference, things were different for Olivia. Partying in London was more reckless, more unpredictable. Not that being in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade wasn’t fun. It was just…a different kind of fun. Fun where Olivia could be comfortable knowing what was going on in the present, and what would soon happen. She spent most of her life in such places, so she had sort of begun to expect the apparating in and out, the random duels in the middle of the festivities. Most people thought it would be the other way around, but Olivia knew better. The muggles didn’t have as much to do as those in the magical world. Things got boring quickly, so during parties, the kids tended to be much more impulsive and reckless. There was a much better style of music and drink as well.

She could see from the expression on his clear face that she was quickly losing him and getting him back. His focus on her was like some sort of a light switch. One moment, he was staring her down with his wandering eyes. The next, the actions of the girls around them seemed to be much more interesting. Olivia was confident in herself and her charms though, so she ignored it. He was a teenage boy after all, there was no way Olivia was going to achieve all of his attention after only really just getting to know him. It was surprising that they hadn’t really gotten to know one another before. He wasn’t in her year, but in the year above, much like Julian. Olivia could often be seen hanging around in his dormitory during Olivia’s “Julian era” almost on a daily basis, so it was even more surprising that they hadn’t yet gotten to know one another a bit better. However, the fact that he didn’t have much knowledge of her from the past could work to her advantage. Not that she was ashamed of anything she had said or done, she just felt she was better off approaching this situation as a distant acquaintance rather than someone he really knew. Things were less likely to get too messy that way.

Olivia laughed and nodded. “Well yes, tonight would be quite the disappointment if it ended after only two drinks. Hell, even three and I would go home dissatisfied.” She said jokingly, though her tone seemed to make it clear that his presence didn’t make too much of a difference to the mood she would be in when she finally turned in for the night. As her gaze followed where Cyrus’s slate eyes landed, she giggled in amusement. Seeing others do outlandish things in public had always amused her. “Well, those two seem to be having quite the time.” She said, taking yet another sip. How refreshing the cocktail was. It was almost as refreshing as a nice cigarette would be right about now. But Olivia was focused on attempting to quit. Rather, she was simply limiting herself to only having one when she really felt she absolutely needed one. Of course, this need happened a bit too often, but with the alcohol, Olivia felt she’d be able to control this mental urge for the time being.

Olivia set her drink down on the table beside her, but did not let go of it. She’d seen too many idiots abandon their drinks and have to pay the price later on in the evening. She looked up at Cyrus again only to realize that the distance between them had almost closed completely. His face was inches away from hers and before Olivia could raise her eyebrow in confusion he kissed her. Hard. Olivia was surprised of course, but not displeased. She returned his kiss with her famed expertise (the guys in her year didn’t dream about her company for nothing, of course) and when he pulled away from her, Olivia looked at him with a knowing smirk on her still tingling lips. Too easy. That took like what…fifteen minutes? Olivia thought confidently to herself. He seemed to return to the natural air of conversation.

Olivia had no problem sticking to this as well, but when he mentioned Julian Fallon, it was then that Olivia’s mouth hung open only slightly. She forgot to keep her guard up for only a moment, and after registering what he had said, she regained her composure and answered his comment with a smile. Olivia opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it again. For once, she didn’t know what to say. “One could say that..” Olivia said breathlessly. “You know, you should really congratulate yourself for that one. Actually managed to catch me off guard for a change. Very…unpredictable of you.” She said, not referring to the kiss or the comment about her ex specifically, but rather a combination of the two. Whichever he chose to react to she’d take.

[Cyrus Thorn]

Ah, a joke? He was unsure of the tone in which Olivia spoke and so in reply he smiled. At least, he tried to smile. It was more of a well-disguised grimace really. The expression remained when she commented on the two girls behind her and he wondered about her views on things that were perhaps, not seen so much on a day-to-day basis. Like people of different sexual orientations, or simply people with very different opinions to her. Surprisingly maybe, Cyrus had no problem with people who were gay; but he did have a problem with how people showed it. Like that Ravenclaw… alright, he was gay. People got it. Cyrus liked to watch people- then you kind find out what make them irritated easier- and he saw how Theo looked so lovingly at the Gryffindor…s. Yep. Cyrus guessed there was some crazy love triangle going on. The looks to one of the boys, Ryder, were less obvious and Cyrus doubted that Theo even knew he was making them his way. But he had seen them, and the ones more openly sent to Flynn- these were sent back. It amused him greatly to watch them all in lessons especially since Cyrus didn’t care for the lessons themselves. But he really didn’t have a problem with Theo like men, or any other man liking another. What irritated him about their situation was that Flynn didn’t seem to know about the arrangement. Which made him dislike Theo Darke a lot. Cyrus didn’t mind cheating, affairs, two-timing. But it did irk him when the one of the three involved was in the dark. It was cowardly to tell lies like that; which made Darke a coward. Which made it ok to say the snide remarks about him that hung constantly in Cyrus’ mind.

The kiss was returned and Cyrus noted that she didn’t lack talent in the area, although in truth her confident expression afterwards irked him. She wasn’t that good; Dawson didn’t have the right to hold that expression afterwards. Cyrus didn’t let any emotion or opinion of the kiss show in his face, keeping it entirely expressionless, as if the two hadn’t even kissed. No doubt she expected the boys she kissed to step back reeling, ‘wow!’ in their eyes and on their lips. He did, however, smirk as her surprise showed so clear on her face at his comments about the Fallon boy. Too easy. That took… fifteen minutes? He thought confidently to himself. Just fifteen minutes to shock her, to bring out that expression. The expression that so entertained him whenever it came up. To know what surprised people meant that you could press on that. Surprise was a weakness- unless you could disguise it, and then it became a strength to play upon. Cyrus wondered what could shock him and found himself without an answer. There was definitely something. He was aware of the things people hated about him, and so if they told him of those things he would not be surprised, merely amused that they thought he didn’t know himself. But did her really know himself? Almost. But he didn’t know what made him show that expression that Olivia had only just held moments before. And that was a weakness.

“Congratulate myself?” This amused him too. How would he go about congratulating himself? He did smile at the thought as he pondered it. And why should he congratulate himself- because he said some words that she had foolishly let shock her? In a way her swiftness in regaining her former expression was a little admirable… but Cy’s mind passed over that. He was now curious; she hadn’t said anything in return to his actual words. “So you do not deny it? That the boy is idiotic?” Another smile. “Or perhaps… you are envious. After all, he chose her over you, although admittedly the wrong thing to do now…” He was no longer trying to shock her, merely… well, what? Show that he wasn’t going to go through the night complimenting her? Or perhaps Cyrus was doing what he was best at; stirring a situation. Oh, it was just so much fun how could he resist? Leaning casually against the table he drank from his drink again. It was a fairly girly drink, he grimaced. Cyrus was not really one for ‘girly cocktails’. With a half-sigh he slipped a hand into the pocket of his jacket and brought out an elegant silver flask, barely the size of his hand. He tipped some of the sharp-smelling liquid inside his own drink and then offered to pour some into Dawson’s. “It’s safe. See?” He took some from his own drink and relished in the sharp flavour, his cheeks twisting slightly as the flavours raced through his mouth, sharpening his senses.

[Olivia Dawson S6]

Olivia wondered how exactly she would play this out from here. Would she have to sleep with him tonight to seal the deal? Dear god, she hoped not. Olivia was determined, but not desperate. Besides, sex was the one thing that kept a man (especially a man like this) coming back for more. Once Olivia gave that up, she’d have absolutely no leverage over him. No, there has to be some other way. Olivia mused. Cyrus seems like he’d enjoy a good negotiation. Perhaps just telling him bluntly would be better? No, perhaps not.. By nature, Olivia was very meticulous and thorough in her planning. She carefully analyzed everything that could be done to benefit her and those she was close to. She would plan far into the future to make sure that her decision didn’t mess up any of her future plans. She didn’t involve herself in such intricate plots very often, so when she did, she figured she may as well make sure the plan went perfectly. These recent behaviors were very unlike Olivia in many ways. Though perhaps it wasn’t strange she was so conniving now. In the past, the situation had never really occurred when this side of her would ever have to be released. Or at least, that was what she led herself to believe. Throughout her teenage years, she had purposely tried to keep her head clear of future plans. She thought herself to be the kind of person that lived strictly in the present. She was laidback and carefree, because she figured she was only young once. Everything would fall into place. She was never sure how, seeing as she'd never paid much attention to her studies and didn't have any specific talents, but she was confident that it would. However, now that Olivia was getting older, she had come to the conclusion that if she wanted to continue living such a carefree life in the future, she had to be free of this nonchalance now.

Olivia was seventeen now, and she was nearing her final year at school. If all went well and she got what she wanted, (Julian Fallon of course) a final year at Hogwarts wouldn’t even be needed. She was perfectly fine playing the wife, especially if she was going to be Mrs. Olivia Fallon. She couldn’t help but smile at the sound of the name in her head. They would make a very powerful couple, and she was sure a decent job wouldn’t be hard to come by with the connections his family had. She’d live a happy and comfortable life. But this couldn’t happen if she didn’t continue to plot. There was still some very important last minute details to arrange. Olivia had slipped up by letting Fallon out of her grasp. Now she had to pay for it. Letting her mind return to the original conflict of getting Cyrus Thorn to cooperate with what she wanted without directly telling him her plan, Olivia discreetly studied his expression. He seemed bored. Obviously very arrogant, like he was too good for a crowd like this. What with his status, charm, and dashing good looks, there was a strong possibility that he really was better than the majority of the people here. But he could at least be modest about it. Not that Olivia was one that should be preaching about modesty, because she was far from describing herself with such a trait.

A subtle temper had flared inside Olivia at Cyrus’s words. She didn’t particularly like discussing the matter of her ex boyfriend to prying strangers like this. However, Olivia kept her irritation very well hidden, masking it with a very convincing look of amusement. She didn’t like admitting that she had lost the lovely Julian Fallon to such a plain and ordinary girl. She knew that the relationship had stemmed purely from luck and chance. There was no possible way the two were actually compatible. They were drunk in a casino. Things like that happened all the time. People made stupid choices. Had Olivia been there that night, that gorgeous diamond wedding ring would have been on Olivia’s finger. It would have been in its rightful place. Olivia still cursed herself for letting the girl sneak so luckily into Olivia’s rightful husband’s arms. It didn’t matter though. Olivia was a strong optimist. That ring wouldn’t be on her finger for much longer, and if Olivia played her cards right, Cassandra would be the one to yank it off herself. As for the child, well Olivia would see to it that she was always loved and supported by her loving step-mother Olivia. Olivia pulled herself out of her reverie to answer his accusatory questions.

Olivia laughed, taking another generous sip. The drink was sweet, but it lacked the real burn that Olivia enjoyed in her liquor. Olivia prided herself in her drinking habits. She could take most of the stronger beverages without a problem, but they did tend to affect her much faster than a sugary cocktail would. After pausing to sip her drink politely, Olivia spoke. “Well I wouldn’t exactly say he’s an idiot. Fickle is a better word. To be truthful, I was foolishly a bit jealous at first, but I quickly got over it. I’m a plotter by nature, you see. I’m perfectly happy living my life without Julian of course, but I keep close to them both. He’ll return to me eventually. He always does. In the meantime though, I like to keep my options open.” Olivia added with a wink. She tried to keep her explanation as short as she could, being careful not to divulge too much. She didn’t particularly like talking about her feelings to others, especially those who were near strangers. Grateful that Cyrus had decided to switch topics by removing the small silver flask from his pocket, Olivia accepted the drink with a thankful smile. She hesitated, seeing him take a sip for himself before taking one of her own. She trusted him though, so she decided to sample his little creation. She wasn’t really sure what to make of it. The taste as a whole was new and different, but she could taste some familiar flavors hidden in the array. She smacked her lips, despite the strong taste that left a burning in her throat. “This is very good. Strong, but still very tasteful nonetheless. What is it?” Olivia asked, taking another sip and experiencing the burning sensation once more.