,, whistles the wind

[damian jeremy ward]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i52.tinypic.com/otj5sn.jpg); width: 390px; height: 450px; -moz-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; border-radius:40px 0px 40px 0px; opacity: 0.9; border-right: #590707 15px solid; border-left: #590707 15px solid;]

[/b][/i][/color][/font][/size][/ul]

' ' Damian Ward stumbled his way out of Hogsmeade village, just coming off of the streets and making his way towards the hill that lead up to that large castle. The American boy tripped on his feet and stumbled to the ground. He chuckled to himself and rolled over onto his back. He licked his lip and tasted a bit of blood from when he had gotten punched in the face. He forgot exactly why, something about hitting on some guy's girlfriend while they were on a date. Maybe... or did he tell the guy with the tattoo's he was over compensating for a small penis... it really could have been anything. All he knew was that the small throbbing in his lip was barely noticeable compared to the spinning in his head. Yes, Damian had been drinking. No, he was not supposed to be. He had gone down with a few buddies and, well, he wasn't sure where they were now. He barely cared. He stared up at the sky and watched as a few dark clouds passed over the stars. He took a deep breath and laughed to himself again, wondering what dear ol' mr. milligan would have said about his current inebriated state.

Mr. Milligan was the man who pulled Damian off the street when he was 13 and brought him the the UK to go to Hogwarts. The guy was a prick. Strict, tried to act like Damian was some project to fix. Hell, if Damian was broken, it was long enough ago the whole tough love routine wasn't going to work. Chances are he would always be the same screw up he had always been. To be expected. He grew up homeless for the most part, being taught to scam people to stay alive. Well, scam Muggles out of their cash at least. It was almost too easy, to be perfectly honest. No, Milligan was a meal ticket to Damian, school was the payment. The only class Damian was good at or ever seemed to attend regularly was care of magical creatures. He liked animals. Something, about how none of them could judge him.

Damian groaned slightly as the breeze blew. He really should be getting back up to the school. But it was just so far away... He pushed himself over onto his side and then off the ground so he was in crawling position. He breathed deeply, so he could stomach the slight nausea from the head spinning and straightened his knees out so he was standing up, crookedly, sure but he was still on his feet none the less. Damian tilted his head back to look up at the pretty but pretentious, castle and lazily pointed his arm and finger out at the building before taking a few steps forward and stumbling yet again after another few meters, falling to his knees again. He laughed and spit a bit, to get a bit of the blood out of his mouth. God, he really did hate this place.

[/b]lyrics; floggin' molly tagged; delilah outfit; street clothes[/ul]
[/div][/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table]
[/center]

[delilah gwenevere hartley]

[/style][style=background-image:url(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m76l2x3Jo51rq5fsz.gif); width: 390px; height: 200px;]

delilah usually wasn't the type to sneak out of the castle, but the day had been pretty rough - quidditch practise hadn't gone exactly to plan, nor had her day of classes. now, although late, she was sneaking out of the castle because she knew, she needed to get a little fresh air. a walk was all she really wanted, and while she knew that she'd probably be caught out of her common room late, but in that moment, it was the last thing on her mind. it was a chilly evening, so she'd grabbed herself a decently thick coat before she headed off through the halls, brushing her hair over her shoulders and out of her face as she went. the halls were quiet, and dark, while she had her wand out for most of the journey, taking some of the secret passageways she'd learned about during her time here at the school, she walked through in the dark for the most part. her footsteps seemed to echo around her, and some of the ghosts of the school drifted their way through the halls, keeping to themselves, and minding their own business, as they went about their evening as though nothing was astir. delilah, had spent far to much time at this school, worrying about what would happen if she were to step out of line, and what the reprocussions of her actions would be. seeing as this was her seventh year, she'd figured, what the heck - it was time for her to live a little, spread her wings and really let lose. the school really didn't know exactly what they were in for. she'd spent far to much being pushed around, and far to much time worrying about what people thought of her. losing weight to suit those around her, focusing on her work to impress the professors, and spreading herself as thin as possible to keep her best friends happy and content. now, this was her time to do something a little more reckless.

she made her way through the large oak doors of the entrance hall, and found herself standing outside under the high moon, the stars reflecting off of the pitch black lake. it was late, but students were still awake, tucked away in their common rooms, focusing on homework and other little things, while she was ready to just head off for a night of drinking - maybe. the path was rough, the grass overgrown over it in most places, and the gates were thankfully still ajar. did the professors come out at night and go for drinks? she supposed they must, because unless they were patrolling the halls, they had no need to stay indoors on a night like this. tucking her hands into the pocket of her jacket she started on her way towards hogsmeade, but after wandering a few meters from the gate she saw the limp form of someone walking towards her.. if you could call that awkward drunken stumble even a walk. but soon, that figure had found itsway to his knees, and the laugher that echoed rang a sweet and familiar tune in her head. damian... she groaned, starting forward down the slope to his fallen figure. what are you doing out here? merlin, you're a complete mess her scottish accent had lilted since she'd been living in england for such a while, but it still rang through in her words. she knelt down beside him, pushing a few strands of hair away from his face, and glanced over the blood, checking his injuries. i know you're likely to tell me to piss off, but merlin, what have you been up too to wind up like this? drinking, she was sure - she could smell the whiskey on his breath.

[damian jeremy ward]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i52.tinypic.com/otj5sn.jpg); width: 390px; height: 450px; -moz-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; border-radius:40px 0px 40px 0px; opacity: 0.9; border-right: #590707 15px solid; border-left: #590707 15px solid;]

[/b][/i][/color][/font][/size][/ul]

' ' Damian had never been what others would call well behaved and to tell you the truth, no one ever seemed to believe he was in Hufflepuff. Slytherins were usually the ones with the hard, cold shells to the world. Hufflepuffs tended to be very kind and loyal. Thing was, Damian was very caring and loyal, he just kept those parts of him buried so deep that he didn't even know they were there. But he did know why he wasn't in Slytherin. People sometimes forget that the qualities of Slytherin are not mean, bitchy, etc. The Slytherin qualities are ambition and a tendency towards self preservation. There really is nothing wrong with that. It just means they will probably save their own life before others and that they want to do well in the world. Gryffindors are brave and courageous but sometimes they are so self sacrificing they can/could get themselves killed, or so stubborn they get themselves into stupid situations that could have been avoided. And of course, Ravenclaws are logical, intelligent and, honestly, like the Slytherins, they usually wouldn't self sacrifice unless they saw a real reason to. Hufflepuffs were supposed to be compassionate, kind and loyal. Honestly, to some, when it comes down to it, would see those as by far the best qualities of any of the houses.

But Damian had no ambition. He had no idea what he wanted to do with his life and was not particularly concerned with it. He was a screw up. Always had been. No reason the think the future would be any different. Although, if pressed, I guess he would say he would want to do something with animals. Care of Magical Creatures was the only class he enjoyed after all. But... it didn't matter. Especially not in that moment. That moment on his knees, trying to lift himself back up. He heard a familiar voice say his name and looked up at her. He pushed back on his hands a bit so he was less on all fours and more kneeling on the grounds as she came over to him. He gave her a very crooked, drunken smile, but crooked and drunk it was still an honest smile, which was rare. Delilah Hartley, he usually was a bit of an ass to her but mostly because she had this smile, it was huge and cheeseball and refreshing and pretty and then there were these chestnut eyes and he just... they were dangerous. They were very very dangerous.

Damian watched her as she knelt down next to him and in his drunken state was not able to stop himself from staring as her eyes seemed to scan over the dirt on his shirt from falling and tripping so much as well as the bit of blood at him lip. " i know you're likely to tell me to piss off, but merlin, what have you been up too to wind up like this?" Damian curved his eyebrows down and narrowed his eyes at her confused for a moment, he looked down at himself and sort of pushed back for a moment, as though he were a bit surprised. He pulled on his shirt for a moment to look at it better before shrugging and lifting his head to look at her, "mostly whiskey, although I am not sure who hit me. I think it was the big guy I told had a little penis." he replied in a drunken slur as he leaned back a bit. He lost his balance and fell back onto his actual bottom, which thanks' to the hill, pulled his upper body down too, letting blood begin to flow towards his hed. He groaned slightly, as his head hit the ground a bit hard, not too hard, nothing concussion worry but just enough to hurt. He closed his eyes and put a hand to his head before opening them back onto the stars. As his eyes looked up at the sky, he wondered if maybe he had just hallucinated Delilah's presence and if he did, man he needed more help than he thought. He tried to prop himself on his elbows to see if she was still there. He chuckled a bit as he saw her. "I thought you were a dream..." he added, sounded thoroughly amused.

[/b]lyrics; floggin' molly tagged; delilah outfit; street clothes[/ul]
[/div][/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table]
[/center]

[delilah gwenevere hartley]

[/style][style=background-image:url(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m76l2x3Jo51rq5fsz.gif); width: 390px; height: 200px;]

there was nothing set out for her in the future, nothing to look forward to, and nothing that she'd planned out. despite attempting to set out some sort of plan, she really was just waiting for the stars to align and show her where she was supposed to go. quidditch was an option for her, and with girls becoming more popular additions to the professional league, it was something she could have considered. although the passion was there, she didn't have the belief in herself to get there. so where was she headed? her seventh year, and she still had no plans for the future. some would have called her a failure, but for her it was a courageous, and daring step that would allow her to set forth and view the world from a different light. academics were definitely important, but until you experienced the real world, there was no way you could make the correct choice about your life - or so she liked to believe. for her, travel seemed to be the best option, although she'd seen a few european countries in her time, she wanted to experience more, she wanted to see the world. could she do it? possibly, but she was sure there was going to be something, or someone that would hold her back.

the usually bubbly girl had found no pleasure in stumbling upon damian, other than witnessing him sprawled on the ground, and slightly bloody. she was sure this meeting was going to ruin the rest of her evening. mostly whiskey, although I am not sure who hit me. I think it was the big guy I told had a little penis her brows wrinkled in distaste. well then, perhaps you should learn to watch what you say, but you don't have a verbal filter, do you? it wasn't a question she wanted an answer for, and she knew he'd probably only come back with some snarky comment, that seemed to be the norm at least. how do we know you aren't over compensating for your own... less than impressive package? a small grin spread over her lips at her witty comment. it wouldn't have taken much for her to simply continue on her way down to the village, there was nothing about him that was going to keep her there, damian was a less than pleasant being especially to her. although, at times... he was actually decent to her, the moments where he would stand up to someone for saying something about her. these days, it was a rare commodity, but she still remembered those moments in time, they weren't exactly something you could forget. then, he fell backwards.

god dammit. she muttered under her breath, watching his limp body for a few moments, before she finally made her way towards him. she knelt down on the hard ground, glancing over his face a moment. I thought you were a dream... you would. she murmured softly, a tender touch slipping around the back of his neck as she felt for any bumps after that knock. you're so helpless, damian. can you even stand? why on earth didn't she just leave him there? now, it was too late, she'd made it obvious she was there to help him. come on, if you can get up, i'll help you back to the castle. but i swear, if you say one nasty thing... i'll push you over, then we'll see if you can get back up. a teasing tone laced her words as she warned him. well, this night was surely about to get more interesting.

[damian jeremy ward]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i52.tinypic.com/otj5sn.jpg); width: 390px; height: 450px; -moz-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; border-radius:40px 0px 40px 0px; opacity: 0.9; border-right: #590707 15px solid; border-left: #590707 15px solid;]

[/b][/i][/color][/font][/size][/ul]

' ' One of the worst moments in Damian's life flickered through his mind at the moment his head had hit the ground. The ground was cool from the evening air and the grass itched his skin just slightly. His father's death. His birth father, his real father. He may not have been the type of guy the world referred to as a 'model citizen.' He was a crook who took advantage of muggles by using his magic to gamble, not that he was the best at it. They were still rather dirt poor, homeless for most of what Damian could even remember of his childhood. It was after they had moved to Chicago where his father had been convinced he would find his fortune. Even at such a young age, Damian had known his father had very little chance of succeeding but it gave his father hope, and he would have never taken hope away from anyone. He knew how important could be to someone's sanity and survival, even false hope. Young Damian had been correct though. Within a short period of time, him and his father were living under a high way over pass. The winter's were terribly. Come late December, freezing to death was a real possibility. His father was older, and sick and weak.

One morning, Damian woke up, ran to his dad's side, shook him as hard as he could and... nothing. Died in his sleep. It was lonely. He was hungry, freezing, and then he was also alone. Even with everything else he had endured, getting his ass kicked by his foster dad, the scars on his back from belt whips that broke skin, scars that were always fun to explain and that he refused to have magically whisked away. There were somethings, some memories that were meant to be around forever, as much as you hate it. Damian's face pouted a bit at his brain for jumping to such things after touching cold ground before he pulled on a grin as Delilah was in sight still. "well then, perhaps you should learn to watch what you say, but you don't have a verbal filter, do you?" Damian rolled his eyes a bit, "pssshhtt... filters are for coffee." He said in a drunk mutter, not even knowing if she would understand the reference since it had to do with actual coffee machines muggles made.

"how do we know you aren't over compensating for your own... less than impressive package?" Damian furrowed his brow and dropped his jaw in mock offense. He lifted and pointed a finger at her, oh god when did his arm get so heavy? "That hurt, De" He replied, deciding De was a lot easier to say at the moment, Damian then turned his finger and pointed at his own chest over his right side, forgetting his heart was on the left, "Right here. I can check for you though if you like"He contorted with a smirk. He then dropped his arm as though it were made of bricks. He looked up at her as she kneeled over him, just staring for a moment before she spoke again, "you're so helpless, damian. can you even stand? " Damian looked around and sitting up as best he could he nodded, "It's walking up a hill that's not great at the moment." He said honestly. He pushed up on his hands trying to get a good footing but not doing the best job. "come on, if you can get up, i'll help you back to the castle. but i swear, if you say one nasty thing... i'll push you over, then we'll see if you can get back up." Damian straightened his back, knees staying bent a bit more than usual but still standing. "I win!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up, accidentally throwing his balance off. He reached out for her shoulder to stabilize after a moment. He looked at her and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "You're being nice to me." He said, as though he were surprised, Delilah's kindness was never the problem. He was the problem, he always was. "Then again," he continued with a shrug, "You're always nice... I was the not good one, always me." He finished almost absentmindedly as though he was not quite sure what he was doing, or saying and clearly from his poor grammer, not the best at the moment with vocabulary.

[/b]lyrics; floggin' molly tagged; delilah outfit; street clothes[/ul]
[/div][/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table]
[/center]

[delilah gwenevere hartley]

[/style][style=background-image:url(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m76l2x3Jo51rq5fsz.gif); width: 390px; height: 200px;]

delilah had spent far to long worrying about what damian thought of her, from day one he had left her wondering why he was such a terrible person to her. though they shared very few moments of actual pleasantry, in those moments where he'd actually stand up for her, she felt some kind of pull towards him. there was no doubt that damian was indeed an extremely attractive male, oh he was most certainly one of the most gorgeous men in the entire school, something she'd noted from the very first moment she had met him. he had a smile, although rare to see, the smile was definitely one that she couldn't exactly get out of her mind. a lot of the time, she wondered long and hard about the life that must have made him into the man he was today. she had grown, and blossomed and changed, and there he still stood, as hard as stone, and as unforgiving as he could be. it was sad to see, because he had so much potential. he could make her laugh, even if he wasn't talking to her. there was times she'd pass him through the halls and catch wind of something he'd say. of course, it would cause a scowl, or a glance in her direction, and quickly she would silence herself. that was the issue with them, there were shared moments, although fleeting, shared moments that she always seemed to be able to hold onto. but it was the words that left his lips in a moment of sheer annoyance that hurt her the most. she wasn't going to change for him though, and she had yet to change until this day. delilah hartley, was a strong and emotional woman who was more than capable of holding her own against a bully like damian, even if she did.. perhaps have a soft spot for him.

i don't know what I'm even supposed to do with you, if you get caught out of the common room you know it'll be detention, or even expulsion. do you even care? she questioned him, her brows knitting together in frustration. she wasn't sure what it would be like to lose him from the school forever, even if they didn't get along, she still didn't want to see him thrown out on his own. you're smart, you have brains... you've just got this absolutely ridiculous attitude that's going to leave you out on your own. her eyes lifted to his face, as she held onto his arm, helping him stand properly, and helped to steady him as he almost fell again. a small smile curled her lips as his speech slurred with his drunken stupor. you're nice about me, but not nice to me. she added lightly, her eyes lifting to the castle that towered over them, her brows furrowed - her night was ruined already, she wasn't about to head back down to hogsmeade after this. she was going to find herself stuck back in her common room, after helping him to his own. you can be nice when you're defending me, but then you're just as bad when you end up saying the same things. you're so drunk though, i could tell you anything right now and you'd probably listen. she glanced at his face a moment. it hurts, what you say actually hurts, damian. i'm a strong girl, sure. but like anyone else, names still hurt.

this is rambled, i'm sorry love!

[damian jeremy ward]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i52.tinypic.com/otj5sn.jpg); width: 390px; height: 450px; -moz-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; border-radius:40px 0px 40px 0px; opacity: 0.9; border-right: #590707 15px solid; border-left: #590707 15px solid;]

[/b][/i][/color][/font][/size][/ul]

' ' Damian had dated. He had been fairly popular with some of the girls. They seemed to think he had the bad boy attitude that they liked but he was a Hufflepuff, how bad could he be right? Honestly, Damian was not completely sure why he was put into Hufflepuff. Then again, he was not a guy who respected learning much, he was brave but more because he had not sense of self preservation and that would bring us to why he would never be a slytherin. But most people did not look at him and see a kind hearted guy. Damian was not very soft and cuddly like most of the other Hufflepuffs. He had been in a private sorting ceremony. His first day at Hogwarts had been strange for him, new country, new school, new school system, the houses here where strange for him, weren't in the American school. The American school sorted into programs, if the kid wanted to be an Auror he would be in a certain group and class, that sort of thing. He had been taken to the school by his warden as Damian referred to him, he had gone to the headmaster's office who sat him down and explained the school. The headmaster told him that there would be no tolerance of his antics. He had gotten thrown out of the American school. He had sort of tried to sneak a muggle girl he was sort of with onto school grounds. He didn't see the big deal honestly but whatever. Then the hat was put on his head and that strange voice rang in his ears. Hat didn't seem to have much of an issue placing him. He mentioned gryffindor as a possibility but said hufflepuff was the clear choice.

To tell the truth his warden and the headmaster seemed surprised. Damian hadn't understood why yet. And then as he was being walked to the Hufflepuff common room he had glanced out the window and seen Delilah for the first time. She was just as beautiful then. He found her dangerous, it was like she made the world seem like a better place than it was. Like a siren. They lure you in with their melody and then before you know it, you were so distracted by the music, you crash into the rocks. When he looked at her. When he looked at her, when she smiled at him in those rare moments, it was like she was challenging the way he looked at the world and he knew better. He was not naive. Damian's head spun a bit, just as it was doing more currently as he was attempting his way back up to the school. "i don't know what i'm even supposed to do with you, if you get caught out of the common room you know it'll be detention, or even expulsion. do you even care?" Damian chuckled slightly and looked her in the eye, or at least he was trying to but focused eyes weren't a strong suit at the moment as he leaned against a tree for a moment, "Not really, I hate this place." He said with a smirk. He took a deep breath and then shrugged causing a loss of balance and he slid down to the ground by the tree, sitting leaning against the trunk with his legs sprawled out.

"you're smart, you have brains... you've just got this absolutely ridiculous attitude that's going to leave you out on your own." Damian scoffed and shook his head slightly, "I'm not that smart, and I already am on my own, have been since 8." He replied casually, his words heavily slurred in his midwest american accent. He pushed himself off the ground again, standing up, "But you want the truth De?" He asked rhetorically. He stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders gently, half for support have to enable himself to look her in the eyes, "The truth is we all are already out on our own, whether you want to believe that or not." Damian added. He dropped his arms and stepped once more towards the castle but being caught from falling as Delilah helped him stand properly. His arm now around her shoulder. He looked up at her as she spoke about the strange history between the two, mostly his bipolar behavior towards her. "it hurts, what you say actually hurts, damian. i'm a strong girl, sure. but like anyone else, names still hurt." Damian shook his head drunkenly as the proceeded up the hill, finally making some headway, "Nope, you're wrong, I never said the same things because you have never been anything less than the type of beautiful men go to war for." He replied as though it was the most casual and obvious thing in the world. He looked over at her, "And I never laughed at you." He shook his head slightly and looked back towards the school, his eyes droopy, "I would never laugh at you." He shrugged, "I just wanted you to... hate me enough to leave me alone."

[/b]lyrics; floggin' molly tagged; delilah outfit; street clothes[/ul]
[/div][/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table]
[/center]

[delilah gwenevere hartley]

[/style][style=background-image:url(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m76l2x3Jo51rq5fsz.gif); width: 390px; height: 200px;]

she'd been speaking to noah more lately, he'd been such a good friend to her, and he did offer some pretty decent advice to when it came to dealing with damian. although, he had mentioned something along the lines of damian liking her - that she found completely unbelievable. she'd known them both since their first year, having been sorted into the same house as noah, she'd found herself sitting with him at their house table completely engrossed in conversation. they'd been tight, and although noah loved to have fun, and act out he always seemed to just want to have fun. she was like that, she just wanted to let lose and enjoy herself, which soon became an issue. she could remember seeing damian for the first time, it had been a cool afternoon, where she'd been wandering out of the library, her arms loaded up with books. she'd hardly been able to look over the pile, her dark eyes were peering over the top most book just slightly. her head full of curls was definitely seen though, with each step those ringlets seemed to bounce in place with her. it was no surprise though, when she caught her footing on a loose tred of carpet, and her books had gone flying all over the floor. her knees scrapped up, with tears in her stockings, and her skirt riding a little high on her thighs. she quickly adjusted them, her eyes darting around quickly as she reached for the books, gathering them up.

she saw him at that point, walking through the hallway as though he owned the place. a tall and dark, handsome stranger, full of sharp angles, and mystery. she was almost gawking at the sight of this absolutely gorgeous man who had stumbled upon her in the most uncomfortable of circumstances. he was new, she had presumed, or she had simply missed seeing someone getting sorted - she couldn't place his face anywhere in her mind, and thus presumed he wasn't one of her fellow gryffindors. she hadn't asked him to help, she hardly even expected him to have seen her. why would he have? a short, sqaut little girl who had just been a complete clutz right in the middle of the hallway, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be over looked by him. actually, she hoped he would. things really had just gone down hill from that moment though. she'd always found him interesting though, she'd find herself watching him, or looking at him during classes. she still couldn't get over how handsome that man was, which for her was going to wind up to be quite the problem. crushing on a guy like him wasn't something that was going to end positively, she knew it, and so did mostly everyone else. he was above her in most cases, and far to proud to even look at someone like her. so when noah suggested that damian liked her, well, she found it completely laughable.

Not really, I hate this place. you hate hogwarts? you've got to be kidding me, this place is the most amazing place in the world. you get food, an education, a great place to sleep, the perfect social opportunities, quidditch... everything right here in this one magical location! she was quick to defend her home, her brows knitting together in annoyance, as she cast a glance over towards him. i don't get you at all, really. you take this for granted, i'm sure. she wasn't sure about him at times, this place really was a home away from home. I'm not that smart, and I already am on my own, have been since 8. But you want the truth De? she had always found his accent so handsome, and most of the time found herself drifting off into another world as she listened to him, but tonight, his speech was slurred and unattractive. "The truth is we all are already out on our own, whether you want to believe that or not. in a way, it was true, they were out on their own. they didn't live with their parents, so really he was right, it wasn't something that she'd really given much thought before though. with him leaning into her side, and her arm supporting his lower back, they were slowly making their way up towards the castle. but the pace was slow, and she was worried he was going to drag her down with him if he fell again. Nope, you're wrong, I never said the same things because you have never been anything less than the type of beautiful men go to war for she was blushing at that point, her face had turned a scarlet red. she had not been expecting that. you're lying. she managed quietly, her brows wrinkling as she focused instead on the path beneath their feet, fading away into the distance. he would never say something like that, unless he was then going to go and insult her, she knew him well enough. I would never laugh at you. I just wanted you to... hate me enough to leave me aloneshe glanced back up at him, her eyes searching his face a moment, she shrugged. you're drunk, this is ridiculous. she murmured quietly, casting her gaze away. but in any case, there isn't a chance for me to hate you, i... well, you've always interested me, damian. always.

[/b][/div]

[/center]

[damian jeremy ward]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i52.tinypic.com/otj5sn.jpg); width: 390px; height: 450px; -moz-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; border-radius:40px 0px 40px 0px; opacity: 0.9; border-right: #590707 15px solid; border-left: #590707 15px solid;]

[/b][/i][/color][/font][/size][/ul]

' ' The year before, Damian had been called into the headmaster's office. The headmaster was... Concerned about him. Basically it was just another skeevy ass adult trying to handle him, make him into something, someone they approved of. But the headmaster had Damian called into the office and sat him down. It was after some nonsense Damian hardly remembered that happened in the forest. Damian rarely remembered how he specifically screwed up, it happened so often. The headmaster tried to do the whole sentimental thing. Concern, worried about him, trying to understand and yada yada and a lot more bull. But probably the most entertaining part of the entire speech was when the headmaster told Damian that it was about time he started acting more like how a Hufflepuff should act. It amused him because I mean, damn, even the headmaster was confused how Damian got into Hufflepuff. He also found it funny that the head master admitted to preferring Hufflepuff behavior to the alternative.

The only time the inner hufflepuff really ever came out of Damian Ward usually tended to be around animals and magical creatures of all sorts. They all loved him for some unexplainable reason. When they dealt with Hippogriffs, Damian of course was not paying attention to the instructions on how to approach them. The teacher got scared he would be attacked when he just walked up to the Hippogriff without proper protocol but the Hippogriff let Damian walk right up to him and pet him and ride him. Teacher said he'd never seen anything like it. Hell, a mooncalf once hugged him in the forbidden forest. that was weird. Who knows? Maybe he'll end up the next Newt Scamander, or at least that's what the professor seemed to want to happen, as well as the headmaster. Newt was a Hufflepuff too after all, guy who wrote a bunch of books on magical creatures including one of their text books, Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find them? Damian did not really see himself with a career, or a future or anything really. He figured he'd take his magic to Vegas once he was of age, win a shit tone of money and coast his entire life in the muggle world. He had no clue why more wizards did not do it that way. Way easier plus, young rich good looking guy in Vegas, think of the fun he would be having and the very literal play boy bunnies he would be having said fun with. Only one he really planned on staying in contact with was Noah anyways. Noah might be a bit better than that sort of debouched life but hey, Damian was a street rat anyways.

See? He had a plan, sorta. Probably would not be too heart broken if it failed. He was sort of past caring what happened to him. What sucked was, he felt like he would kill to protect his best friend Noah or Delilah and he still barely new her. He hated that though. It meant he was still failing not to care. Damian gave a half smirk as she rambled on, coming to the school's defense and how much she loved it. He shook his head slightly, his eye partially closed as his head was spinning, "Just a youth prison decorated with classrooms instead of bars. Glorified babysitters pretending to care when really they're all just trying to get you to be the person they want you to be." He spoke plainly, "don't worry though, muggle schools and american wizard schools are the same." He added, as though that should make it sound better. Maybe she was right, actually he was sure she was right that he took it for granted. At least he was not sleeping on the street anymore. At least he had regular meals here. But at the same time, he had those things in foster care, as well as rules that resulted in the scars on his back, a badly broken jaw, hence why his jaw line was a bit crooked. It healed as well as it could. Taking the place for granted was fine logically, but he still felt like he hated the place. Maybe he just did not get it yet.

Damian tilted his head to the side slightly to look at the Gryffindor girl again. It was amazing how much time he spent thinking about her. Watching her from the corner of his eye whenever she was not paying attention. He tried not to. Even when she was a bit larger, I mean he had found her stunning. He shook his head when she told him he was lying. "Nope, wrong again. Seriously, you're kind of off tonight, maybe you're the drunk one." He replied in a jokative tone with a small chuckle before his shaking head turned into a nodding head, "But I'm serious, I blame the eyes but the dimples might have something to do with it too." He explained, as though he was accusing her appearance of pulling some prank. "you're drunk, this is ridiculous." Damian yawned a bit as the drunkenness began to crash, "You're ridiculous. Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'things said while drunk have been thought out beforehand?" He asked tiredness in his voice. "but in any case, there isn't a chance for me to hate you, i... well, you've always interested me, damian. always." He chuckled again, "Well that sucks" and removed his arm from around her, dropping himself to the ground, sitting with is legs bent, resting his arms on his knees. "Because you should." He added swinging his head up to look her in the eyes as he said it. He looked over his shoulder at the castle, "jesus christ, when did they put this fucking school on a mountain!" He added, frustrated by his drunk stupor, his tiredness, his normal depressing nature, his anger at delilah seeing like this, his anger at him caring that she sees him like this and once again, how tired he was getting.

[/b]lyrics; floggin' molly tagged; delilah outfit; street clothes[/ul]
[/div][/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table]
[/center]

[delilah gwenevere hartley]

[/style][style=background-image:url(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m76l2x3Jo51rq5fsz.gif); width: 390px; height: 200px;]

one thing had been on her mind lately, and that had been the dance. she had been looking forward to dressing up, and doing her hair, putting on her makeup, and then simply hanging out with her friends for the evening. the problem was, she wasn't exactly going with the person she would have chosen. she had spoken to noah a few times, and though nothing had been taken all that seriously between them, they had decided to go together as friends to the school dance. while she was happy to cut the ties there if he wanted to take someone, she was actually looking forward to spending the night with noah, and her best friend. one thing stuck in her mind, one name, and one face that she was craving to see when she was there, and that was damian. she was sure he'd go against the grain again, and he'd probably keep himself away from the dance simply because that wasn't who he was. she wanted to see him, she wanted him to see her all scrubbed up and stunning, in a cute dress. maybe, just maybe he'd notice her as more than just an average girl. the way he was talking tonight though, that made her really wonder what was going on through his mind. gorgeous? beautiful? the compliments were flooding - though somewhat slurred - through those gorgeous lips of his. she was half tempted to lean in and that point and steal the kiss she'd been dreaming of taking for years - but it would be marred with the taste of fire whiskey, and probably stale cigarettes that seemed to cling in the air around the pubs. how could he talk like this? act like this? one moment he was complimenting her, the next he would be pushing her away and looking at her as though she was lower than scum. her head hurt from the confusing trip he sent her on every single time they ran into each other. still, the only person she woke up each day, hoping she would see was damian.

it was their last year, they were graduating in the spring, and then what? that would be it, she'd probably never see the american by again. she was sure that she'd end up wondering for the rest of her days what could have been, or what should have been. if only there was an answer to her question. if only she could look to the future to see what the world would do for her, but there was one thing she was sure would be missing - and that would be him. it saddened her to think that she might end up losing him completely, even though the two of them hardly spoke a word. there was something about him that she wanted to cling onto, and cherish. damian.. her voice came out in almost a whisper, her eyes ought out his a moment and met a pair of hazed over, drunken brown eyes. her brow furrowed, and she shook her head slowly. dammit. she heaved, and pushed up to her feet, leaving him to sit there while she paced a while. you're probably the most infuriating person I've ever met in my entire life she breathed, turning her eyes back to his, staring at him. you call me ugly, and beautiful all in the same day and i can't even begin to try and understand you, or what you what me to do. i wish it was easy. you play with my head, and my mind and you drive me absolutely crazy. she made her way back over to him, dropping down in front of him, her hands resting in her lap as she stared down at him. why can't you be this honest all the time, huh? why do you push me away? she murmured. her hand instantly lifted to her cheek, her finger sliding over the length of his slightly off center jaw, another perfectly imperfect feature of his face.

she wasn't even sure if she was supposed to believe the things that were coming out of his mouth, it was so completely out of the norm, completely unnatural for him to say half of these things. he may have been right though, when you were drunk you tended to open up about things without a second thought. all inhibitions were dropped, and suddenly you could speak your mind about absolutely everything. delilah may have been completely sober in those moments, as she cupped his jaw, her deep eyes boring into his own, lips pursed so close to his own, she could already taste the whiskey on his breath. she couldn't lie to him, but was resolved to remembering that he himself was so far gone, that all of this would be some black hole in his mind by the time morning came around. a chill, swept down her spine, raising the hairs on her arm and causing her to sink into him slightly. the tip of her nose brushed against his, and her heavy lids fell down against her cheeks as her lips found his in the briefest touch of a kiss. get up she murmured against his lips, drawing back the castle hasn't moved, but you really should get back up there, or else we're both going to wind up on detention, and i for one do not want to miss the dance her cheeks were high in color, bright red, that was thankfully covered by the dark of the night. she could hardly believe she'd done that. such a simple movement had caused a ripple effect throughout her body, like electricity had wound it's way through her, all the way to her toes. she was buzzing from that one touch, but refrained from touching her lips, lest she draw attention back to them. it may have been such a simple gesture, but it was certainly something she was going to remember, even if he wouldn't.

[damian jeremy ward]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i52.tinypic.com/otj5sn.jpg); width: 390px; height: 450px; -moz-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; border-radius:40px 0px 40px 0px; opacity: 0.9; border-right: #590707 15px solid; border-left: #590707 15px solid;]

[/b][/i][/color][/font][/size][/ul]

' ' As stupid as it was or possibly could be, Damian Ward was actually scared of Delilah. He was scared of how he felt about her, about how he felt when he was around her, about how she looked at him, even when she was angry, it seemed to be a look with out judgment, just disappointment. She had always seemed to expect better from him which was something no one ever really seemed to do. He just was not sure he would ever be able to deliver for her. The thing was, he had helped her that day when they technically first met, back in fourth year, he had helped her with the bullies because he hated seeing her in pain. But when she tried to thank him for it, he panicked. Honestly, he hadn't expected her to pay him any mind. She may have been picked on but he still thought it was obvious she was far too good for him. Damian has never had much self control. If he had become friends with her, if she liked him and was around, it would have been much harder for him to control himself enough to stay away from her. He had wanted her to hate him. He had wanted her to not give a crap and just roll her eyes and forget about him. He wanted her to avoid him because than it made it easier for him to avoid her. But they just couldn't seem to avoid each other, ever. I mean really, it was like the hard they tried to pretend the other didn't exist the more obvious her presence became in the great hall during meals, the closer she sat in classes shared with gryffindor, the more he saw her in the halls. It was like the world didn't want him to forget.

Why was this considered bad to Damian? He had never had anyone in his life that he truly loved or cared about. His father was the only one who ever even attempted to care and he was so busy cheating people on the street and spending the cash on booze that he was not able to ever care that much about his son. Damian and his father were close but most of the time was Damian searching for a place for them to crash for the night and then helping drag his wasted, coked out dad to the spot for them to sleep. Damian still remembered his father fondly. The there was his first foster father who beat the crap out of him, the second whom neglected so badly at twelve damian was attempting drug deals to get money for food. And his third and final once again beat the crap out of him, even if he got to spend a portion of the year at the school. And then he was put with his current babysitter who apparently felt it was his responsibility to "save" poor lost Wizards. Guy was just as much as an ass as the others. Basically just ignored Damian or called him pathetic. Doesn't matter much anymore. By then, Damian had lost faith in any adult, pretty much any person. So the idea that Delilah could actually make him as happy as he felt she might? His head pulled him back screaming it was a red herring and that really it was trap. Some how being around her, being with her would end up screwing him over more than he already was. Whether it was heartbreak, distraction, or betrayal or all or whatever. He knew the world was crap, he knew his luck, he knew who he was and it was crap. So whatever this was between them, it could only end disastrously.

He lazily looked up at the brunette as she said his name. He hardly noticed as she cursed at him before she spoke again, "you're probably the most infuriating person i've ever met in my entire life " See?! That seemed about right. Damian nodded in agreement, his head still kinda worried about how far away the castle seemed to be. He nodded along with his eyes closed, as she ranted only half hearing the words. "I am crap, don't worry. I know." He murmured with a small chuckle. "why can't you be this honest all the time, huh? why do you push me away?" He opened his eyes hearing her words and feeling her hand on his cheek, and whether it was his exhaustion or the alcohol in his system, he didn't pull his head away but if anything, his head nuzzled into her hand just a bit more. He exhaled a deep silent breath through his nostrils, once again his mind convincing him he was probably having another dream. After all, his only good dreams were about her anyways. He fought to keep his eyes open as she leaned in closer. Despite everything his heart was racing out of his chest. His head tilted up a bit as he felt her lips get closer to his and they shared a kiss for just a moment. It had to be a dream, he let it happen and just rested, eyes closed as she pulled back just slightly. Definitely a dream. "the castle hasn't moved, but you really should get back up there, or else we're both going to wind up on detention, and i for one do not want to miss the dance" See that was real, she was telling to get up. He had made up the kiss. He nodded, not sure if he even could fight her in anything after that dream. He pushed himself off the ground. As they began up the hill once again, they were quiet for a bit before he looked down at her, when he was sober he probably wouldn't have the mind to say this so, "Thank you... for not leaving me down there... most would have." He said plainly, before giving a small smile and looking bck towards the castle.

[/b]lyrics; floggin' molly tagged; delilah outfit; street clothes[/ul]
[/div][/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table]
[/center]

[delilah gwenevere hartley]

[/style][style=background-image:url(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m76l2x3Jo51rq5fsz.gif); width: 390px; height: 200px;]

there was more than one thing for her to worry about when it came to damian, he was someone who would hurt her in a heart beat when it came down to it. he'd proved that on more than one occasion. it was probably what held her back when it came to him. he was someone she was sure she'd never be able to rely on, someone who changed his story when things weren't exactly going right for him. he was far to good for a girl like her, or that's how it came across at least. there were times in her school life where she'd wanted nothing more than for him to smile at her, or even show her that he didn't hold any hate towards her. but he never smile, he never showed that he liked her, and never showed that he cared. damian always just went about his day as though she wasn't even alive. it definitely did push her away, it made her wonder why she even bothered trying with him. now, she'd stopped smiling at him, and stopped showing him any sort of recognition in public. she didn't know why she even bothered with him, why she even tried to fix things. corey would have told her to just give up, damian was just another guy who was going to leave her hurt. delilah was drawn to him though, she felt the need to be near him, and wanted to talk to him. in her mind damian could do no wrong, her head was telling her to walk away, and her heart was telling her to give him a chance.

she could hardly draw her eyes away from him, from his crooked jaw, to his dark eyes. damian was that one gorgeous man that always seemed to grasp attention even if he didn't want it. his skin was dark tan, and his features were so sharp and perfect. there was a complete allure to him. she was sure women were drawn to him because of it, and she was sure that he must have had his fair share of women for that one particular reason. unfortunately for her, she was still going to be stuck sitting back watching him hook up with other girls, while she continued to wonder what it could even be like to have him look at her like she was something more than just another face in the crowd. the idea of him liking her like noah had told her, seemed completely far fetched, how was it possible that he could ignore her like he did, and still like her like noah suggested. she wished it was true though, and it was going to eat at her until it was.

the touch of his lips was still haunting her mind as she made her way up the slope towards the castle, holding her arm under his arms and around his back to support him. Thank you... for not leaving me down there... most would have. she lifted her eyes to his face, trailing them over his features, once more pausing on his lips. shaking her head, she tucked a loose curl behind her ear don't worry, you don't need to thank me... I'm not that bad of a person, i could hardly leave you passed out there in the dirt. you'd probably freeze over night. she murmured, shifting her gaze back to the castle. the wind was blowing lightly at that point, and the moon was high in the sky, full and bright and illuminating the grounds in an eerie glow. there was a fine mist hanging over everything. she pressed in closer to damian, as though she was scared, but really, she just wanted to take the opportunity to be closer to him. look, about the kiss... i know you're going to forget about it anyway. she paused, inhaling deeply but i wanted to do it, and I've wanted to for a while. she bit down on her lip, brushing her fingers through her hair before she dropped her hand to her side, trying to find something to do with herself as they walked. instead, all she could think about was the warmth of his body against hers, and that ingratiatingly rich smell that wafted from him. you will forget, won't you? she tilted her head to watch up at him, her nerves starting to build again in the pit of her stomach.

[damian jeremy ward]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i52.tinypic.com/otj5sn.jpg); width: 390px; height: 450px; -moz-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; border-radius:40px 0px 40px 0px; opacity: 0.9; border-right: #590707 15px solid; border-left: #590707 15px solid;]

[/b][/i][/color][/font][/size][/ul]

' ' He was a problem. He always had been. Apart from Noah, he had never really made any real friends in his life. Ever. I mean, there had been Darren though. Darren was a kid just a bit older than him when Damian lived in Chicago. He would chill with him before he got into wizarding school and then during the summers. Darren was another foster kid. The reason some might be a bit concerned calling Darren a true friend was because he had been the boy who got Damian to run drugs for some cash on the street. He got Damian involved in a lot of things Damian should not have been involved in but at the same time it was hard for people who had never lived that type of life to truly understand. Darren might have, in the long run, been bad for Damian's well being but in his mind, he was giving his friend, a boy who felt powerless and like he had been abandoned by the world, he was giving his friend power. He was giving his friend money which to kids like them, meant everything. It meant freedom. It meant getting away from abuse, it meant being independent and being able to rely on only yourself which was something Damian had craved since he was born basically. He just wanted out. He wanted out from under the control of everyone else. What he wanted to do with said freedom was another question entirely. When he was around Delilah the answer seemed to easy which was simply, he wanted to be where she was. He knew that was stupid, not to mention pathetic and naive but, even if it was fake, the illusion of a better world around her was a nice dream.

Sometimes he would wonder why it would be so bad to just let himself like the bubbly brunette? Why not live in her reality for a little while? And then he would remember that he would screw it up for her. He would either break her heart or she would end up breaking his because of something he did. Somehow it would come back to him. You know how some people, everything they touch seems to turn to gold? Like they never seem to do anything wrong? Yeah, imagine the opposite of that. Everything he touched rusted and decayed until a gust of wind could cause a shatter. Now career was different. Of course he was currently bankin' on his Las Vegas idea but if he were to have to choose an actual, honest life? He knew what he would want to do. He would just have to grow the balls to admit that to people but he would want to travel and document different animals and magical creatures, much like Newt Scamander. He would want to work with the creatures because as much as animals seemed to like Damian, he liked them as well. He liked that they never judged him for anything but who he was in each individual moment. He liked that he didn't have to explain to them if they saw a scar. He liked that they did not pry into his past only turn up their noses at him. If he was asked what he missed the most about America, and he were to answer honestly it would have to be that he missed his pet fennec fox. Damian had saved him, nursed him back to health but Hogwarts did not allow Fennec foxes and the man he was living with during the summers refused to take care of him during the school year. Damian found him a good home before he left but he did miss that fox.

Now he had domesticated Serval cat. He was usually against the domestication of still wild animals, even if they were popular like the Serval cat but she was again a rescue. Her mother had been taken by wizard poachers who were going to sell them for their parts which are sometimes used in dark magic potions. And while the mother couldn't be saved, Damian had found his serval, whom he named Jade, wandering around the trash of Knockturn Alley when she was a kitten. She was probably waiting by the common room door for him to let her in, or one of his housemates already did. Jade tended to come and go as she pleased now that she was older. She seemed to like the forest a lot, he figured that was the closest to her natural habitat that she had ever seen. He briefly wondered if Jade would like Delilah, Jade could be picky. He looked at Delilah with a small tired smile, he decided in his head Jade would like her. "don't worry, you don't need to thank me... i'm not that bad of a person, i could hardly leave you passed out there in the dirt. you'd probably freeze over night." He smirked and shrugged as they got closer to the castle, "Nope, not a bad person..." He repeated, "Dangerous, but not bad" He added with a small chuckle as though it were incredibly amusing. Damian's head tilted down towards the ground a bit as his eyes focused on his feet, come on feet... keep moving.

" look, about the kiss... i know you're going to forget about it anyway." Damian looked back up at her as he heard her speak. The kiss? The kiss! the dream, right. He was imagining again. He wondered how much of this night was real and how much of the night was just in his head. Maybe she wasn't here at all and he was crawling up the hill on his own and this is what he was thinking about? 'but i wanted to do it, and i've wanted to for a while.' Day dream or not, hearing those word come from her, internally scared the hell out of him, but externally caused a large smile to form as the approached the castle. He took a step away from her and leaned against one of the outer walls of the castle, making sure to keep eye contact which was a bit of a feet for him at the current moment. "you will forget, won't you? " Damian took a deep breath through his nose, his eyes closing slightly out of tiredness. He tried to think for a moment before his eyes fell on her face again. He smiled tiredly. God she was beautiful. It was definitely a dream, everything seemed fuzzy, even his vision. So why not? Damian leaned forward and bit, tilting his head down, his shoulder staying against the wall to keep him standing so he wouldn't fall into her as he inhaled as he gently pressed his lips against hers in a gentle but rather intense lip lock as his hand away from the wall reached up and held her forearm lightly. He held the kiss for a few seconds before stepping back a bit with balance loss and leaned harder onto the wall. His eyes not opening after the kiss as he seemed to almost fall asleep standing against the wall. Guess that was her answer for now.

[/b]lyrics; floggin' molly tagged; delilah outfit; street clothes[/ul]
[/div][/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table]
[/center]

[delilah gwenevere hartley]

[/style][style=background-image:url(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m76l2x3Jo51rq5fsz.gif); width: 390px; height: 200px;]

her life growing up had definitely never been that hard, unlike damians of course. she'd had a pretty steady home life, with loving parents who had showered her with as much as they could really afford. but with every perfect life, came the downsides. there was obviously the moments where she wished things would change. the moments where her parents would have screaming matches, and she would be sitting scared in her room, hiding under the blankets until those moments passed. her parents of course, acted as though nothing had happened. it was as if, when delilahs door was closed, she couldn't hear what went on through the thin walls. like any inquisitive child though, she usually made sure to keep quiet just so she could hear what was going on. she could remember the night her father walked out on her mother like it was yesterday. after being sent to bed after dinner, delilah had found herself laying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, the boring white that she wished could look like the stars above. she'd made her way to the door, and was just pulling it open when the yelling started, and her door was yanked out of her hands, and slammed shut in her face. with wide eyes, she'd run back to her bed and dove under the covers, drawing them up to her chin as she stared at the door in anticipation. the yelling and screaming seemed to go on for hours, and for any child, it would have felt like that long, but really.. it must have only been half an hour. the front door slammed shut, and then the house was left in silence. an eight year old delilah sat listening to the sobs of her mother, unable to go and comfort her out of fear. she didn't understand what was going on, and she assumed everything would be alright by morning - just like it always was. it did change though, her father didn't come back to that house, and her mother was left gathering up his things to send off to him at his new house.

it was when she was ten that she found out what had really happened, and when she'd discovered her father had been seeing another woman, who had wound up pregnant - her mother had thrown him out. part of her had wondered what it was that she had done to drive her father away. did he not love her enough? was she not a good daughter? those thoughts had driven her mad for years, until the summer of her fourteenth birthday, where her father had finally come to see her and explain to her what had happened. she didn't really want to hear it, she was a fourth year at hogwarts, she had a social life, she had friends, and her mother was happier now than she could ever remember. her father didn't have a place in her life. it may have been what her father had done, and how he had hurt her family that made her so hesitant around guys like damian. he was bad news, he was dangerous. delilah was sure that the only thing that would ever happen between them, would be something hurtful. he scared her, because for once in her life there was someone she actually had proper feelings for, and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to approach them. how did they breach the subject of feelings? she couldn't even talk to him when he was sober, so how was she ever going to be able to sit back and be able to open up about her feelings for him. she wasn't, and that was how it was going to stay. he was dangerous, scary, and the unknown - how do you breach the unknown with your head held high, and your heart steady in your chest?

Nope, not a bad person...Dangerous, but not bad her mind was drawn back to the present and she stared at him. dangerous how was she the dangerous one? she wasn't even sure how she was supposed to have come back to that one. but all she could think about was that one word - the word she used to describe him. her eyes met his and she held his gaze, although his seemed to falter from his drunken stupor, she couldn't tear hers away. i was just thinking the same about you.. she whispered under her breath, her brows knitting together. she watched as he leaned back against the cool stone of the castle wall, and her eyes drifted towards the heavy wooden doors - she wouldn't be able to open those on her own, and she sincerely hoped he would be sober enough to draw them open with her. but she doubted he'd be able to take a steady step up the stairs. how was she even supposed to help him to his common room? the kiss that followed, stole away her breath, and that tingling in her fingers returned. it was firmer, and stronger than before, there was more control behind it when he took the opportunity into his own hands. her mind though, was focused instead on that smile that had spread across his lips before he had even made the move to kiss her. she couldn't remember a time in her life where she had seen such a real smile from him, everything instead seemed to be more of a smirk, or a grimace. he didn't seem to be able to form a real smile, and then... it had happened. she held that mental picture in her mind, she held the idea that maybe there was someone behind this hard facade that she hadn't met before. maybe she wasn't giving him enough of a chance to prove himself.

she gazed up at his face, his eyes were closed, and her breaths were clouding from her mouth in small puffs. her cheeks were flushed red. she could not tear her eyes away from his face, and her own small smile spread over her lips. dimples evident as her smile seemed to take a life of it's own, a silly, girly smile. one which seemed far to teenage schoolgirl with a silly crush for her liking. then she'd slipped her hand around the back of his neck, her chest pressing up against his and she stole another kiss. this one lasted longer, and was far deeper than they'd managed before. she'd drawn it out, gripping the back of his neck to keep him steady and from falling over. come on she finally whispered, her lips almost touching his as she spoke we really need to get you to bed, you're going to have the worst hangover in the morning... letting a small sigh escape through her lips, she came to the realization that this night was going to end, and all of this was soon going to end. can you walk? i'll walk with you, keep you from falling and breaking your neck, but you have to be as quick as possible... you're going to get me in trouble she puffed out her lower lip in a playful pout, cupping his cheek as she pressed a small kiss against his lips come on, drunk. she heaved out a breath, and reluctantly drew away from him, reaching a hand to steady him.

[damian jeremy ward]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background-image:url(http://i52.tinypic.com/otj5sn.jpg); width: 390px; height: 450px; -moz-border-radius: 40px 0px 40px 0px; border-radius:40px 0px 40px 0px; opacity: 0.9; border-right: #590707 15px solid; border-left: #590707 15px solid;]

[/b][/i][/color][/font][/size][/ul]

' ' Damian had never known anyone like Delilah before. And it was hard to explain just what it was about her. It was not just her looks, which he had always thought she was beautiful, even though when he first saw her, she had been a bit more stout that the other girls around, he had never looked at her and seen anything but incredible beauty. But it was not just how she was on the outside, there was something more to it. There were plenty of pretty girls around Hogwarts, not that any even slightly compared to Delilah but pretty girls were a dime a dozen. But Delilah? He had felt such an instant connection to her. He was drawn to her, with no real understanding as to why. It was the way she moved, the way she spoke, the way dipoles formed at the smallest hint of a smile and how she seemed to be stronger than anyone he had known. Damian did not know much about Delilah's past. He had no clue what her family life was like and while a part of him was curious, he did not feel the need to know because it would not change who she was now. Sometimes explaining the past can help a person see why someone was the way they were, maybe help people cut them some slack. Happened with Damian a lot. He did not like it or milk it like others did but there were a few times where someone went from disliking him to trying to be nice because they learned some of his past. Honestly that just read like sympathy to Damian and he did not appreciate it. He liked people who were honest with him, even if he did not like what they ended up saying.

Delilah was too good for him. He knew that because he did not feel like he needed to know her upbringing to excuse or explain her behavior. Whether her parents were horrific or the kindest people in the world, whether they were neglectful or overbearing, she was still going to be this incredible woman standing in front of him. The girl that in his mind he had only kissed in his dreams, the girl who... yeah well, perhaps could learn to take a hint a bit better. She always seemed to give him a chance when he had tried very hard since he got here, to get her to stop doing so. It was about self control. Damian did not have much self control. If he allowed them to become friends, he was not sure if he would have been able to stop himself from trying to be with her. Plus, it was hard for Damian to watch her date from affar, he could not imagine having to actually meet the guys or possibly deal with a double date that would make him angry and sick feeling. He had dated around too although mostly he had just screwed around. There were very few women he found interesting enough to waste too much time on. Alessia Fiore was a spitfire he found interesting. But he had also never slept with her which might be why. But still, Alessia was interesting but Delilah was intoxicating. Damian had always been content to just tell himself in his own head that he was simply a bit infatuated and that it meant nothing and would go away soon. Well, years later and here they were. His lips pressed against her's as his shoulder lifted off the cold stone of the castle's outer walls.

Damian's eyes had remained closed after the kiss, which was regretful seeing as the smile on her face was the kind of smile he loved seeing her have. He almost passed out against that wall but woke to alertness as he felt her hand on the back of his neck. His eyes opened, a bit glazed but soon squinted as a smile came on his face as she pulled him in for one more kiss. He kept his balance a bit better, his shoulder against the wall and her hand on the back of his neck as he instinctually wrapped his other arm around to her back to gently pull her just a bit closer as they kissed. If he wasn't already drunk it's possible his knees may have weakened from it. His heart raced, his head spun but seemed crystal clear for the actual kiss, like he sobered up for that one moment. But as soon as they separated the head spun in the cloudy drunk way again and he leaned against the wall, his palm going to his forhead for a moment, despite the smile on his lips, left over from the kiss. "we really need to get you to bed, you're going to have the worst hangover in the morning..." Damian looked over at her and grinned a bit, nodding, "Is it strange I enjoy hangovers... a bit?" Okay, yeah he already knew that answer, yes it was weird. I don't know why, but it was like he enjoyed being punished somehow for his clearly bad behavior the night before. "can you walk? i'll walk with you, keep you from falling and breaking your neck, but you have to be as quick as possible... you're going to get me in trouble" He smiled softly as she put on a small, ungodly adorable pouty face before cupping his cheek for one last small kiss. "come on, drunk" He chuckled and nodded, pushing off the wall with his shoulders and wrapping his arm around her, "I will do my best, De but, caught or not, you won't be in trouble." He replied before looking her in the eyes as he nodded, "I promise." He added before reaching for the door handles.

Damian was able to help pull the door open by using his weight more than his muscles at the current drunken stupor he was in. "Ugh... I forgot the stupid stair move... who designed that? How was that a good idea?" He added as he thought of how to get to the Hufflepuff common room as they began up the first staircase. Eventually though they were able to make it to the entrance. He saluted with a rather goofy seriousness to Jade, who was indeed waiting by the Entrance. The serval cat walked over to where Delilah and Damian was and stood carefully by Damian's feet, nudging his calf with her head as if to tell him to let her in. Damian looked down at Jade then back at Delilah and nodded. "This was a good dream but I should probably sleep and wake up." He said drunkenly, eyes half closed

[/b]lyrics; floggin' molly tagged; delilah outfit; street clothes[/ul]
[/div][/td][/tr][/td][/tr][/table]
[/center]