TAKE ME AWAY , [ alexander ]

[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

"But- I've already been to Honey-" he gave up as she had already started to walk away, fully expecting him to follow. He shrugged, reminding himself he had volunteered for this. The boy quickly began walking, so as to not get lost in the crowd. Alex found himself more or less dragged (without her actually dragging him, oddly) to Honeydukes. Before he had a chance to get his bearings, they were inside, and once again, the blonde had grabbed his hand.

Pulled towards the side, Alex found himself looking at a row of shelves with other candies. However, with speed that he wasn't sure could've been possible, Victoire had a whole variety of candy. He recognized a box of Everyflavor beans, and he gulped in fear. His parents both agreed that the Beans were great, so long as they were normal flavors. The odd ones were the ones that were made to gag people. Literally. His father had mentioned a story about him eating two at once. One was booger flavored, the other was motor oil. he was sure he knew how that one turned out. His father tended to just shudder and look sickly by mere mention before nervously changing the subject.

His mother found it hilarious.

Following her to the cash register, he pulled out a few coins to find that she had beat him to it.

"How the bloody hell is she moving so fast," was the thought crossing the boy's mind. Seriously, his reactions were dulled completely and he was following around like a puppy.

He reminded himself once more that he had told the girl he'd go shopping with her. Alex sighed as they left, low enough so she wouldn't here it. She asked if he wanted to try the candies, and he felt bad that she had bought so many for his sake. Alex nodded.

"Sure. Might as well!" the young man said warmly. While not a chauvinist, his parents had instilled a certain moral code of gentlemanly conduct in him from an early age that mostly boiled down to : 'Women rule the world, and men just live in it.' So, the young man went along with it.

[VICTOIRE RENEE WEASLEY]

with eyes like sunsets baby ,

[/i][/color][/font][/size]
and legs that go on for days. i'm falling in love but it's falling apart.[/center]

victoire smiled as they took a seat on a bench outside of honeydukes, more in the center of the alley itself, near a fountain. "hm, how about ice mice? they make your teeth chatter and squeak!" she proposed, laughing lightly. she opened up her bag and threw some into her mouth, chomping on it. she opened her mouth and giggled as the squeaking noises came out, eroding her teeth. she laughed, and then as they stopped closed her mouth.

she sighed, then looked inside the bag again. victoire looked up and then titled her head to the side. "i'm, um, sorry if you're bored,"

[/color] she said lightly. toire bit her lower lip and started tapping her foot on the ground. "i guess i tend to be uninteresting."[/color] she pursed out her lips and looked away, down the alley, at the other shops. they looked so different in the night, though she could remember them all well. she remembered the many times she spent at each of them, the laughter she shared with friends. but there were times that she remembered that didn't involve laughter, and she still knew them by heart.

like the time she saw jayson and teddy with two girls, one each. they were walking with them, laughing. she had been going to meet them at the three broomsticks, sure they would have a wonderful day. they seemed to have replaced her, though. she remembered how hurt she'd been, how she ran to the shrieking shack and cried her eyes out. it must have been third year or so. she was still young and immature. but she swore to herself that she was heartbroken and betrayed, and she even screamed out loud as if in pain. that was a bit of an embarrassing memory for her, and she made sure she didn't share it with anyone else.

she snapped out of her vacant thoughts and turned back to alex, smiling at him lightly. she hoped he'd want her to stay around, even if she was pretty average.

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[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

Alex sat down next to the girl, the bag of candy separating them. The Ravenclaw took some of the ice mice, and like his companion, threw them in his mouth. He grinned at the girl's giggle, and also the refreshing mint taste the mice had. A small part of him was morbidly amused by the squeaking, but that was black humor and this wasn't the time, place, situation, or proper company in which to have dark, creepy, and somewhat terribly disturbing thoughts about mice being eaten alive, because really, that's wrong. Shame on him. Shame, shame, shame.

The pretty blonde girl brought his attention from his semi-dark ramblings by apologizing for her being boring and uninteresting. Alex chastised himself for being rather rude. No wonder he had a reputation for being a jerk.

"Nah, you're not boring. I'm just not used to attention. Or being pulled around. Or much of anything involving human contact, really. Plenty of plants, though... looooots of plants..." he trailed off, trying to elicit a laugh while apologizing at the same time. He reached in and popped a few more in his mouth, quashing any thoughts he had about the squeaks again.

The Ravenclaw noticed the girl looking at the nightlife of Hogsmeade, the shops with their lights paving a visible path that pedestrians could easily follow. A quick glance at her eyes told Alex that she seemed to be reminiscing about trips here, likely with her friends. As he paid attention, he noticed that she was also going through a few bad memories as well, and Alex mentally sighed.

The way this was going, he'd make another negative memory for the girl, and his personal code of gentlemanly conduct forbade such a thing. He swore to himself that he'd lighten up so as to maybe make this a somewhat positive memory for his blonde companion. His ocean blue eyes closed as he leaned back in the bench, before looking up at the moon, a quarter full and waxing.

"What would YOU like to do, miss Victoire?"

[VICTOIRE RENEE WEASLEY]

with eyes like sunsets baby ,

[/i][/color][/font][/size]
and legs that go on for days. i'm falling in love but it's falling apart.[/center]

victoire laughed, then put her hand at the back of her neck. "yea, you do seem to like plants more than people...but i hope i'm a tad more interesting than a shrub," she said, then winked at him. it didn't matter, really. she knew he was really interested in potions, which was interesting to her. vic hadn't really met anyone that liked the subject as thoroughly as alexander did. it was...different, in a very good way.

then, he surprised her. "what do i want to do?"

[/color] she asked, tilting her head. it was weird. victoire thought about it, then grinned. she stood up and bowed slightly, extending her hand to him. "dance with me?"[/color] she asked, then smiled widely at him. her eyes twinkled in the moonlight, her hair shined. she was sure this would throw him off his rocker, and that he'd deny it. but she didn't want him to.

victoire realized he may be a bit nervous, having probably never danced before with a girl he never knew. "i really love to dance. i understand if you don't want to...but, i could show you how if you don't already know. and plus...you did ask what i wanted to do,"[/color] she said, then sheepishly grinned at him. alex was really fun, and she hoped he'd dance with her. then, he would officially be one of the most amazing guys she'd ever met! she grinned as she kept her hand extended, waiting on an answer.

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[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

"Well, I don't know, I know some rather "knotty" pine trees that know some good "oaks", but you are a good bit more interesting than shrubs," Alex said, hoping she'd get his plant based puns. Joking around with a person was fun for him, a hobby he had that he rarely got to perform due to his very diminutive circle of friends. Her laugh was quite infectious, it brought a happy smile to his face.

She didn't answer his question, but repeated it with a tone of surprise. The blonde stood up and bowed to him, putting out her hand towards Alex in a way that Alex had actually recognized. It kinda looked like...

"Dance with me?"

Dance? Here? In the middle of a street? With people watching? And seriously, she was wanting to dance in the light of the moon, the stars, and the flickers of the lampposts that lit the village, next to a fountain.

In all honesty, the setting was straight out of a romance novel. Which he didn't read. He had better things to do than read romance novels. Definitely.

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head and his face turned a shade of red that would make the robes of and Gryffindor house member proud, and quite possibly shame them.

"Y-y-you wanna...what?" Alex didn't even try to cover up his stutter, and his blush somehow grew redder.

She explained herself and her love of dancing, and the fact that he did ask what she wanted to do. Faced with reasoning, Alex fought his nervousness down. His chivalry was going to kill him one day, for certain. The boy gulped inaudibly,and wondered what the hell it would hurt. Alex stood up and took the girl's hand with his left hand, putting it on his shoulder. The Ravenclaw took her other hand in his right in a light, friendly clasp, and put his left slightly above her waist.

"I took a few dance lessons last summer. I have two left feet, though, so I apologize in advance if I step on your toes," he said, explaining himself.

[VICTOIRE RENEE WEASLEY]

with eyes like sunsets baby ,

[/i][/color][/font][/size]
and legs that go on for days. i'm falling in love but it's falling apart.[/center]

as she watched his reaction, she couldn't help but feel bad. maybe asking him to dance was a bad idea? victoire thought it'd be nice to do so. she loved dancing, and felt that it was a way to get more comfortable with a person without completely invading their space. well, depending on the type of dance. she looked around her, realizing the scene was that out of a romance novel. she giggled. she hadn't meant for this to be all lovey-dovey, but she supposed for him, he was probably a bit overwhelmed with the mood. she wanted him to say yes, but at that point, it seemed like she would get rejected. pity.

toire watched his features, and he seemed to have calmed down considerably since his initial reaction. then, he did something that made her grin idiotically. he stood, took her hand, then took her waist. she smiled and listened to him explain himself. "show me what you got then!" she said, then smiled as they began. she began to lead, wondering if he'd take over at some point in their dance. there was no music, but she hummed a tune anyway. there was music in her head, though, that she was following. victoire looked up at him, smiling. the way the moon hit him, he was actually quite handsome. well, she was sure he was handsome anyway, but the connection they were sharing while dancing made her fully see his true, manly side. it was considerably easier without him going on about plants - not that that was a bad thing.

her hair fell back as a slight breeze picked up over them. "thank you,"

[/color] she said through the silence, grinning up at him. "i hope you'll stick around in my life, despite just meeting officially for the first time. i like you,"[/color] she said, smiling. of course, she meant as a friend. she could see a good friendship blooming here, though knew it might take some time. she was confident that it'd be worth it. she laid her head on his shoulder and looked sideways, partly at his shirt and partly at the ground. she continued to sway with him, adjusting her hand on his shoulder and closing her eyes. dancing was always so peaceful to her. she hoped she didn't fall asleep. now that would be a story he could tell.

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[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

He let the girl lead the first couple of minutes, trying to figure out the song she was humming. Flashbacks of his dance lessons went through his mind, and he soon figured out the right rhythm to move to. Alex grinned, and using his clasp on her hand, let go of her by the waist and gently spun the girl. He was very relieved that the spin worked without a hitch, and he grinned proudly.

Alex, to his credit, merely blushed at her words and didn't freeze up at her putting her head on her shoulder.

"Well, my mum says I'm like a bad knut, and I never seem to leave, so... guess that you'll be stuck with me then. I suppose there's worse folks that you can hang around," he said, chuckling lightly, but very touched by the kind words. People only praised him for his smarts, never for his character. You could hear it in his voice.

"So tell me about yourself, Miss Victoire," he said, really hoping that she wouldn't fall asleep on him. That would be rather awkward for the young man, who was very much out of his element and though he didn't seem as nervous as he was originally, he was a blubbering frantic mess on the inside.

A random thought crossed his mind.

'Maybe I should take up acting?' the young man wondered, mentally shaking it out of his head. He had an attractive blonde in his arms. She wasn't his type, and he was largely single and happy about it (somewhat), but he was a redblooded male and even he knew that this wasn't a chance to be wasted.

[VICTOIRE RENEE WEASLEY]

with eyes like sunsets baby ,

[/i][/color][/font][/size]
and legs that go on for days. i'm falling in love but it's falling apart.[/center]

victoire smiled as they continued to dance. she was sure that people would think it was rather weird if they popped out of the shops. there might even be a few rumors that the two were together, if students saw. but, she didn't really care. she considered alex to be on his way to becoming a very good friend of hers. they seemed to get along famously, and she didn't find that too often. she got along with most people, but never felt truly happy with them - spare her family, teddy, and jay.

she was spun around, and laughed lightly as alex pulled her back into his arms. "hm, about me?" she asked, looking up. toire thought, then shrugged. "well, one thing you should know is that i like to...well, keep my feelings hidden,"

[/color] she said half-heartedly. she didn't like admitting that. she knew that people often thought it was bad for her to keep her emotions to herself, but how else was she supposed to cope with things? if she started going on about how difficult it was for her, the headaches she'd been getting lately, and her desperate desire for her sister to love her again, she'd just end up in tears. she didn't want that. she didn't want to feel weak.

"i guess i'm pretty simple. i like nature and dancing and music, and animals of course. i have a snowy owl named ellie, and she's one of my best friends,"[/color] she said, then looked up at him, her head still against his shoulder. "what about you? do you have a pet?"[/color]

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[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

He did his best ignore the ood looks he saw that they were getting. Some people thought it was cute, others were students and looked like they had just discovered gossip gold.
"Fair enough. I talk my feelings out with a potions cauldron. He's a very good listener, and he doesn't much talk back," Alex said, leading the girl into a dip before picking her back up.

"Though get him drunk at Christmas and he's a riot, I tell ya," Alex said, finishing the joke. They were lame, but he was out of his comfort zone, and humor, even terrible attempts at it, were helping him, keeping him from having a breakdown.

Strangely, though, he felt himself growing more comfortable.

He listened to her talk about loving nature, dancing, animals, music... he loved nature and animals as well.

"I'm more into books and studying. You know, Ravenclaw stuff. I like a few muggle bands but not many. I definitely like nature. Obviously."

He thought about home for a minute, missing his mum and dad, before bringing his thoughts to Bowser, the 100 pounds of muscle that thought it was a lapdog.

"I have a dog at home. He's a boxer and a Rhodesian ridgeback mix. He's scary smart, almost like a human. He's also a big spoiled baby," Alex said, laughing at a few memories he had of the dog.

[VICTOIRE RENEE WEASLEY]

with eyes like sunsets baby ,

[/i][/color][/font][/size]
and legs that go on for days. i'm falling in love but it's falling apart.[/center]

toire laughed lamely at his attempt at joking. it actually turned out to be funny, in that awkward sort of way. she grinned and shook her head, then was surprised when he dipped her backward. she felt herself falling, then was slightly relieved when alex brought her back up. victoire laughed, raising an eyebrow. "you might just be a little better at dancing than most of the guys i've danced with before," she laughed.

the gryffindor listened to her ravenclaw friend, and chuckled. "ha! i've never had a dog, so i wouldn't know. but that sounds quite amusing,"

[/color] victoire said grinning. she leaned out, pulling his hands to the side, intertwining their fingers. she spun them in a circle then leaned back into his arms, laughing. "i don't think you realize how happy you've made me to do this!"[/color] victoire didn't get the chance to have many dance partners, so it was always a thrill to get one.

her mind was completely hidden from the thoughts of depression that had vacated it minutes ago. now, she wasn't focused on anything, really. alexander had seemed to make her forget everything serious going on, and simply let her mind wander. "so, do you have any siblings? cousins, or anything?"[/color]

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[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

Alex blushed lightly as she seemed to actually enjoy his lame jokes, and felt even better when she complimented his dancing skills. Compared to other dance partners, he felt obligated to shed a logical Lumos on the male psyche.

"Most guys don't get dance lessons on account of feeling less masculine. I don't really care what people think of me, and felt that an ability to dance would be an asset on the off chance that I have to attend a ball or a formal party. I detest looking like an idiot. Though to be quite honest, this is the best I've done as far as dancing goes."

He was quite glad that the girl was having fun, and a small part of him noticed a large part of him was having fun as well. Being spun in a circle elicited a light chuckle from the male, and he grinned widely as he spoke.

"Well, I do aim to please, Miss Victoire. My parents taught me all about being a proper gentleman, of course, so at least chivalry can live on through me.

Alex stumbled at her question about his family, barely avoiding stepping on the girls feet. He recovered, though, and shook his head.

"N-no... I was orphaned when my biological mother died in in childbirth. I know nothing about my biological father, and my adoptive parents... my mother is an only child and my father's family lives in the United States. I don't know much about them... I think he was disowned because he was a Squib," he said, mildly uncomfortable talking about his family, but he shrugged it off. After all, she seemed nice enough not to care about whatever stigmas seemed to hang around orphans and children of Squibs or other nonmagical parents.

"You have a sister that I know of. I met her on the Hogwarts Express. I think I bored her to tears," he said, suddenly remembering the dyed red hair.

[VICTOIRE RENEE WEASLEY]

with eyes like sunsets baby ,

[/i][/color][/font][/size]
and legs that go on for days. i'm falling in love but it's falling apart.[/center]

victoire thought about the days that she thought she was acting mature, and in reality made herself appear even less so. it was a thing that happened she supposed, but nonetheless she hated to reflect on her younger days. her entire life she'd been striving to be taken seriously, and as she thought about the future, she couldn't wait for that to be one of her advantages as an adult. at the same time, she had two more years to enjoy the life without responsibilities. she was bound to take advantage of them.

"oh, i completely agree. i hate looking foolish, and i'd do anything to prevent it," she said, squeezing his hand. "i think that's part of why i don't let people in on my feelings too much, ya know? i mean half of it's because i want to look strong and stuff, but i'm sure that the other half is because crying and being dramatic makes people look...well, somewhat idiotic."

[/color] toire hoped he didn't take this the wrong way. she of course felt sympathy for people and tried to be a comforting shoulder to those in need. but at the same time, she wouldn't be caught dead running down the corridor sobbing into her hands. it just caught the attention of too many unwanted eyes, and would of course make for interesting banter at the house tables the next day.

when alex started about his family, victoire began to regret inquiring about them. "oh wow, i'm so sorry,"[/color] she said, stopping the dance briefly. she put both hands on his shoulder and stared up into his eyes, tilting her head to the side and frowning. "it must be hard for you to not know your real parents. and even at that, you have to deal with the idiotic people in the world who won't accept squibs,"[/color] she said, shaking her head. "if it makes you feel better, i think that society should accept everyone - muggleborns, squibs, other creatures...just as much as they do purebloods!"[/color] she said, trying to be comforting.

"oh, dominique. well, yes i guess she's my sister by blood but i've just recently disowned her so..."[/color] she said, then sighed. toire felt bad about kicking dominique out of her life, but she had to do it for the good of her own. dom was driving her insane with the name-calling, the rudeness, the disrespect. it was all too much. dominique had certainly changed for the worse, and victoire just couldn't put up with it anymore. for her own sake, she had to do what was best for her sanity and that was disregarding the fact that she even had a sister altogether.

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[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

"I don't really talk to people enough, so I don't have to worry about sharing my feelings with people. But I agree. I guess some people can't help it sometimes, but the ones that do it just for attention can go swim with the giant squid in the lake," Alex said, nodding his head.

Sometimes, he wondered if that was why he distanced himself from people- potions and plants wouldn't hurt your feelings like a person could. Alex wasn't really sure how he would handle heartbreak. Probably not well.

He shrugged off her apology about inquiring about his family. She didn't know, so there was no need to feel sorry about it.

"It's quite alright, miss Victoire. It's really not that bad. I love my adopted parents- they're my real parents, in my opinion. They're the ones that raised me into the potions obsessed bookworm I am today, after all!" the young man said, joking. He listened to her talk about her sister, and this time Alex gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I wish I could say I understood what it's like to have that sort of problem so I could help you with it. Miss Dominique seems to be a nice enough girl. Just has a huge...chip on her shoulders. I think. I'm not really the type of person who can read others very well, I don't think. Like I said, I talk about my feelings to plants and a cauldron, so I'm no Oprah Winfrey," he said, before mentally chastising himself. There was no way she'd know Oprah.

"She's an American Muggle. Does a lot of self help emotional stuff on tv. She's really old now, though."

[VICTOIRE RENEE WEASLEY]

with eyes like sunsets baby ,

[/i][/color][/font][/size]
and legs that go on for days. i'm falling in love but it's falling apart.[/center]

toire shook her head at him. "dominique was a nice girl. but she changed, completely. some people do that. i know though that i have to stop picturing the way she used to be and accept what she is now. she's rude and selfish, and i'm not going to call her my sister until she's through being like this," she said, then sighed. "she just doesn't want to be part of my family anymore. and i don't mean just me, it's with everyone. i mean, how could you hate your own mother?"

[/color] she asked, then shrugged. that was how dom acted, as though she hated her and their mother. but there was no more their. there was no more dominique weasley. she was just dominique. someone who just happened to have the same last name as her.

"oprah? that's a weird name,"[/color] she said, then rolled her eyes. "i don't like people like that. counselors and everything. they think they know people, but they don't actually understand everything about a person,"[/color] she said and shrugged. toire had never been convinced that people who gave advice knew exactly what to say. the world was all about perception and background. no one person could possibly know about everyone else, and as such victoire has always figured that no one could completely understand anyone else's feelings aside from their own.

victoire stopped dancing and smiled at him. "i think it's almost time to head back to the castle. want to sit with me on the train?"[/color] she asked, grinning. she wondered where ted and jay were at, but it seemed as though she wouldn't figure that out that evening. at least she and alex had fun, and she was sure they'd be seeing each other again after their night ended.

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[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

Alex frowned, and his heart went out to the blonde. Despite claiming that she disowned the red head, Alex could tell Victoire was very hurt by this ordeal.

"I wish I knew what to tell you. I don't have siblings, so I can't really relate. I don't really know Dominique very well, so I can't really offer my view into her character. And there's many reasons that would cause a person to resent their family. However, there's a good chance that as we're all teenagers, it's just typical teenage angst and rebellion. A phase. A hurtful one, but it could pass once you both grow older," the Ravenclaw said.

It wasn't the most comforting thing that could be said, but it was true. It could just all be teenage rebellion, and the books said that would usually pass. Not without hurting people, but wounds always healed, even if they left scars.

They stopped dancing, and Alex shrugged.

"Sure. I mean, there's a whole bag of candy I still haven't tried," the young man said, "but wouldn't you rather sit with your friends? I'm sure you've got at least one, you're too friendly not to have any."

Not that he was complaining.