Valentines [Stephryn]

Posts : 7 Join date : 2017-10-06

February 14 || 5th Year

If there was one result from his speech with Stephanie back at the end of the third year that Cabhan was expecting, it wasn’t this — wasn’t Stephanie taking his words to heart and changing, wasn’t her being ostracised by Purebloods, wasn’t him falling in love with the witch, wasn’t them getting together...

He fidgeted somewhat nervously, bunch of roses in one arm, other in the pocket of his pants. Why on earth he had decided a suit of all things would be appropriate, he’d never be able to say; but he’d always heard that romance involved dressing up and going to a fancy place. It wasn’t necessary, of course, and it wasn’t like he needed to impress Stephanie. While she might have been from an upper class family — a Pureblood, no less — she was different, one of the reasons he loved her. Sure, she still knew how to get dressed up, and he wanted to show her that he could, too. Besides, it would be fun. Right?

Standing outside the Slytherin common room, he waited for her to show. He’d debated meeting her at the entrance only for a moment; a gentleman never made the woman walk further alone than he had to. If he could’ve gone straight into the common room, he would’ve. But he couldn’t, and so he satisfied himself with waiting outside. He hasn’t said anything more in his note than ‘wear a dress, I’ll pick you up at five’.

Hogwarts has become much more lax than what he’d read about in history. He supposed it had to do with the peace and lack of wars, but whatever the reason, they were allowed out on Valentine’s Day until ten. Of course, they had to sign out and back in, and there were still strict rules to follow, but they were allowed out nevertheless. And so Cabhan had made reservations at a small restaurant he’d found for six. He figured she wouldn’t want anything over priced or fancy, but he wasn’t about to bring her someone cheap and icky, either. The place he found was in between, something he could afford (he wasn’t going to make her pay, naturally) but had delicious foods.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist, noting there was still five minutes before five. He’d arrived a whole fifteen minutes earlier, mostly due to nerves, and had been standing there fidgeting for the last ten, much to the odd stares from Slytherins entering and exiting.

Four minutes now; Cabhan couldn’t help but grin. How has he gotten so lucky as to end up with Stephanie? That would be something he would never figure out.

Posts : 11 Join date : 2017-09-07

Stephanie never imagined that she'd end up with Toryn on Valentine's Day. If someone had asked her fourteen-year-old self what she imagined her future to be, Stephanie would have given a completely different answer.

Toryn had given her a lot to think about ever sine their conversation at the lake. She had, at first, been very angry but his words stayed with her as she tried to make sense of it all. The change had been slow and fast all at the same time. It felt like Her world had been turned upside down in a second, and yet the months that followed were tedious and trying.

Her friends had been the first to notice the change and shun her for it. They had questioned her about it but hadn't been satisfied with her answers - she hadn't been satisfied with her answers, still trying to figure everything out.

Then during the summer holidays, her family had noticed the change, or more precisely, noticed that she'd been more reserved than her usual outgoing self. She couldn't help it when her thoughts weighed her down so much. She hadn't voiced out what she had been thinking, and no one really knew what was going on in her mind, but she had a feeling that Serafina suspected something.

Of course, during those months of turmoil, Toryn was there for her. She'd gone to him with many questions, trying to sort everything out. Along the way, somehow, she'd developed deeper feelings for him. She'd at first attributed it to the fact that he could answer he questions, help her shift her perspective a little, and understand the world around her. But she later realised, that it was way more than that.

She'd held those feelings at bay, wanting to sort herself out first before jumping into anything else. Now, a year into their relationship, she couldn't be more happy. Her parents knew nothing about it - or at least, she hadn't said anything about a Muggleborn boyfriend, but they'd find out soon enough.

Inspecting herself one last time in the mirror, Stephanie smoothed out her dress. She'd gone for the pink instead of the black, form-fitting one to match the mood of Valentine's. A very light pink eyeshadow and lipstick to match completed her look, her hair falling down in soft waves. She had no idea where Toryn was taking her, but her outfit was suitable for both something formal and something casual.

With a couple of minutes to spare, Stephanie walked out of the common room, ignoring the snobbish looks some other students gave her. It hadn't been easy, but she'd learned to be immune to the gossip she knew went behind her back.

The sight of Toryn in a suit greeted her and she grinned, eyes sparkling with humour. "You clean up nicely, Callagham," she teased, entwining her fingers with his.

Posts : 7 Join date : 2017-10-06

Finally -- a few minutes early, but not even close to being too soon for Cabhan -- the door opened and the person he'd been anxiously waiting for appeared. He took her in with a grin on his face. Pink. Of course she'd gone with pink, his inner voice teased. Only, instead of the groan it would've once upon a time been accompanied with, it was nothing but amused and very, very in love. Despite her Muggleisation (as he jokingly called it) and developing her own personality and views, there were parts of her that still 'stank' of Rich Brat -- without the brat, or the rich, part -- such as her love of pink things.

She grinned at him, and he felt his heart do that weird flutter it did around her. His siblings had, of course, teased him (and her) no end about their relationship. With the first of the three of them to have a girlfriend (or boyfriend), they couldn't help but tease him, especially as the one most disinterested in dating in the first place. Of course, in such a small town, soon almost everyone found out and he became the most interesting news -- save per one of his neighbours giving birth to triplets.

They had gone with the simple cover story of her being from a very rich and posh family somewhere in England -- which wasn't exactly a lie -- and thus for falling for a 'small-town-boy' like himself, she'd not been received welcomely back by her family. Everyone -- literally everyone -- had lapped up the story, and poor Stephanie had spent countless hours being interrogated by curious folk about how the rich did life. Sometimes (oftentimes), Cabhan only rescued her after some time had passed or when he saw her getting flustered; it was good teaching for her, getting along in the Muggle world, not that he said as much. She could handle herself most of the time, anyway.

Her fingers in his made his grin widen. "You dress down nicely, for a Pureblood," he teased right back. While what she had on was beautiful and she looked absolutely stunning, he also knew she used to have far more expensive and showy things in her cupboard -- before her parents gave her the ultimatum, that is.

"You're beautiful," he added, eyes sparkling as he leaned forward, gently kissing her cheek before moving his lips and allowing them to come into contact with hers, tasting the strawberry-cherry blend he had become so familiar with over the months. He didn't allow it to linger too long -- merlin knew where that would lead to, and they had plans, after all -- breaking it off after a few short seconds.

"You smell nice," he murmured, inches away from her lips. It was oh-so-tempting, and he grinned past the tempation. Rose and vanilla, with hints of... jasmine and something else, he assumed. His sister adored perfume, and he often found himself helping her shop for them, not that he minded, so he knew the different scents. Finally not able to stand it, he kissed her once more, before firmly pulling away and handing her the roses. "Charmed," he explained, as she took them, "so they won't wilt."

Posts : 11 Join date : 2017-09-07

"Why, thank you!" she said in response to his comment, performing a perfect curtsy. It had taken time to adjust and there had been moments when she'd wanted to throw in the towel and return to her former life. It would definitely be easier and she'd be free from all the backlash she was receiving.

Even in Hogwarts, she knew students gossiped behind her back, calling her all sorts of names and accusing her of behaving the way she did only to garner more attention. "As if she doesn't already have enough attention being a Richardson, she has to play the wild child card." "She'll never be one of us, no matter how much she tries and if she thinks she's doing this to get the affection of the non-Purebloods, she's dead wrong." "She's just a simpering dumb blonde trying to do whatever suits her fancy." Some of the things she'd heard people say about her had almost left her in tears, and there were times she'd sob softly into her pillow, wondering if it was all worth it. Almost all her previous 'friends' had left her, forming their own cliques and mocking her relentlessly.

The idea to leave her Pureblood ways aside and explore the world of the Muggles had been exiting in theory, but in actuality, it was an uphill climb. She'd reach one peak and think that it was over only to look up and see another looming in front of her. Merlin knew that Toryn had been on the receiving end of more than one of her rants as she tired to talk out her frustration.

Things did not become easier when she revealed her relationship with Toryn to her parents. They'd started dating three months before the summer holidays, and she'd kept silent about their relationship. She'd thought long and hard about whether or not to reveal it to her family, but if she was going to change, she wanted to do it fully and not secretly. And so, after another one of their balls, almost month into the summer holidays, she'd announced to her parents and siblings - sans Serafina - that she had a Muggleborn boyfriend. They did not take the news well, giving her an ultimatum. She had one month to get over her "Muggle phase", boyfriend and all. Once the month was over, she had to come back to her Pureblood heritage or risk being excommunicated.

She hadn't been shocked at her parents' words but had been surprised at the fact that they'd actually put their foot down. She'd taken leave for the rest of the summer holidays, citing the fact that she needed her own time and space to make her decision. Not telling them where she was going - though she knew they suspected - she asked Toryn she if she could spend the rest of the summer with his family. And that she did. It had been an eye opener, living in his small town where nobody really knew anything about her and she could be herself. Of course, it wasn't as fun when she was constantly stopped by people peppering her with questions, but she took it all in stride.

She returned his kiss, not missing the fact that he'd said You're beautiful instead of You look beautiful. It made her heart melt and do funny dances in her chest. He was so thoughtful and so sweet and she didn't deserve him in the least bit. "Puppy love" some people called it, and yet Stephanie would disagree. What they had was not puppy love. It was so much more and it ran so much deeper.

She giggled at his comment, having never had someone tell her how she smelled. It was such a weird thing to say and yet so fitting coming from Toryn. "I always do," she replied, giving him a coy smile. She accepted the flowers, her favourite kind. "Quite the gentleman, I see," she commented with a grin. "Thank you." Slipping her hand into the crook of his elbow, she allowed him to lead the way.

Posts : 7 Join date : 2017-10-06

The curtsy only made his grin widen. This was her mocking, he knew, and he only found it amusing. Many people had said things about Stephanie that, at the beginning, he had believed or suspected. After all, not many leopards changed their spots, and it was difficult to believe that Stephanie had really taken his words to heart. But Cabhan had never been one to simply heed rumours or the gossip going around, and he'd made it a point to seek the girl out himself to see if there was any truth to what was being said. And now, he was beyond glad that he had; if he hadn't, he wouldn't be dating her. Of course, once he found out the truth, he'd made it his mission to educate others as well, speaking up for Steph whenever he heard someone saying things about her that weren't true. Slowly but surely, he'd managed to convince some of his friends, but it was an uphill battle.

So long as Stephanie wasn't alone, though, Cabhan knew they'd make it. The both of them, and whoever else wanted to join them. Stereotypes were usually wrong for a reason, and where they were right, they were nasty and didn't aid anyone. Normally, Cabhan ignored stereotypes, preferring to form his own opinions on a person or subject, but did not much more than that; in this case, however, he was actively fighting against it, rejecting it entirely and trying to get others to realise how wrong it was. Stephanie was, after all, worth the effort.

She'd told him, of course, about the ultimatum her parents had given her, and it had done weird things to his heart when he found out she'd chosen him -- him, of all the guys in the world -- over her people and everything she knew. Money had never been important to him, but seeing Stephanie give all that wealth p had made him feel like he was walking on clouds for months; in fact, he still felt like that at times. There were those in his dorm who wondered what he'd done to get 'that Pureblood girl', but he'd merely smiled and said "I didn't classify her as Pureblood, only a person." That had gotten the message across, and soon the subject was dropped -- or at least, he wasn't asked stupid questions like that anymore.

He leaned into the kiss. At the start of their relationship, he'd been hesitant about public displays of affection like holding hands, let alone kissing. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, nor was it that he didn't love her; it was quite the opposite, in fact. He loved her so much he didn't want to cause any more rumours. It took him a while to realise that there was nothing wrong with being together, and that there would be rumours whether they were seen kissing or not. Besides, he was proud of her, proud of being able to say he was her boyfriend, and the next time they were together, he had kissed her in the middle of the library. And that was how everyone had found out they were dating, not that he particularly cared.

Returning her grin with one of his own, reminding himself there was time to kiss her later, he began to lead her out of the dungeons and to the entrance. Stopping only to write their names in the book by the door and the time of their exit, Cabhan continued out towards Hogsmeade. The walk was pleasant, and he enjoyed her company in silence. There were couples, he knew, that had to be constantly talking about things -- and perhaps for the first few months of their relationship, there was so much to talk about that they might've appeared to be one of those at first -- but Stephanie and him weren't one of those. Instead, they talked when there were things to be said, and enjoyed each other in silence when there weren't.

Arriving at the restaurant, decorated in pink and reds for the special occasion, Cabhan found the table with his name on the place card and pulled out a chair for her and waited for her to sit before moving to the chair opposite her. The menu sat open on their empty plates, and he gestured towards it. He'd saved up for this, and knew he had more than enough for whatever she decided to order, so prices weren't an issue. In fact, as he glanced at his menu, he smiled to himself; they'd done as he asked and provided priceless-menus, so that she could only order what she wanted instead of based off price.

Posts : 11 Join date : 2017-09-07

Stephanie followed Toryn to their table, glancing approvingly at the decorated restaurant. It was tastefully done and brought out the sentiment of the day without being too gaudy or over the top. She murmured a, "Thank you," to him as he pulled out a chair for her and sat herself down gracefully. While she may no longer adhere to the policies and beliefs held by her family, good manners and etiquette had been so engrained into her that it came subconciously.

She picked up the menu laid out and noted that the price wasn't listed. That sneaky son of an Irish man. While she knew that her boyfriend wasn't dirt poor, he also wasn't as rich as any of the Pureblood males she could be currently dating. Money and wealth - and how much of it her boyfried had - didn't bother her but she wasn't about to insult him by ordering the least expensive thing in the place. Still, she could not help but grin at what he had done.

"You asked them to remove the prices, didn't you?" she questioned, raising one finely plucked eyebrow as she caught his gaze. While she was smart enough to figure out the prices on her own - after all, being a Pureblood meant that they ate at the classiest restaurants around the world - Toryn's actions had somewhat amused her but most of all, it endeared him to her even more.