#gideon1

“I think I’ve killed it again, Gid, but at least I’ve mastered the memorial part. My golly green Salazar.”

Halloween... Amycus Carrow did not mean to be a cliche, not really... But Halloween was his favorite holiday. He didn’t care much for Christmas. Gift giving had never been something he cared for, nor did he give a damn about receiving gifts either. Valentines day was a load of bollocks... but Halloween, well... he lived for that. It was a night of fear and fun, two things that Amycus considered synonymous. On this night, he was dressed up as a dark night. It hadn’t taken much preparation. The Carrow estate was filled will various relics, including an old pitch black suit of armor. All it had taken was a quick owl home, and his suit was delivered inside of a small box, bewitched to hold such things. He also had a sword on his side, held neatly within a scabbard encrusted with various jewels. The handle of the blade was a serpent. Hm, perhaps he was a bit more cliche than he thought. 

The party was lively, loud, and filled to the brim with people. Amycus was already feeling a bit less than sober. He had drank a little before arriving and had also had two drinks since being here. Still, he had hit wits about him and was no drunken fool. He stood off to the side, eyes scanning over the crowd. He wasn’t searching for anything or anyone in particular. Perhaps Alecto was around. They could terrorize some of the younger students together. -- Was that Emma over there? Perhaps he could convince her to leave. His bed had been awfully cold... He sighed, shaking his head. There was no way Emma Vanity would be leaving this party, not until everyone had either left or passed out. He turned around and strode over towards the table filled with drinks. He wasn’t picky about the cup he chose, grabbing one at random. He brought it to his lips, tilted it back so the liquid could flow down his throat and then... it happened. 

It struck him so violently, his knees almost buckled. Gideon Prewett. Amycus whirled around, eyes wild and searching. Where was that blasted red-head? He felt a need like no other and he knew he must find the boy. He felt as if he would die if he didn’t. All thoughts of Alecto had vanished from his mind. How curious a feeling! He didn’t think he had it within him to feel such a way about another! He began pushing his way through the crowd of people, when finally, near a stack of pumpkins, he saw him. Triumph flashed in his eyes and Amycus laughed manically. He didn’t notice the weird looks sent in his direction, too focused on his prey ahead. When he neared Gideon, Amycus didn’t waste a single second. He reached out and grabbed Gideon by the back of his shirt and yanked him roughly against his body. Amycus shuddered. It felt so good to be touching him. “You,” He whispered in the boy’s ear, “You are coming with me.”

It was, to put it lightly, an incredibly restless morning. There were many doodles drawn, and many extra, “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”. Lila didn’t mean to be so out of it that Wednesday, but she couldn’t quite help it. Something about meeting up with a bloke that gave her the time of day, that complimented her on the little things, that understood her. She realized how silly it all sounded, how fast it already was seeming to move. How was she to stop it though? It was if they both collided, like some outside force shoved them together, and they both enjoyed it. Lila had never had something like that happen in her life. Only in books did it happen. A strange foreign man, though Gideon wasn’t foreign, walked into a pub, though she didn’t go in those, and swept the beautiful barmaid from her feet, and they lived happily ever after. Not that she was expecting any of that. Not that she was expecting more than coffee and pleasant conversation, but it was nice, no, fantastic to feel excited about something again. All summer she had been working hard, hating her job, hating where she lived, yet she forced herself to remain happy, and grateful. But this, this was something just for her, like painting, and traveling. Gideon didn’t want her to make money. He didn’t want her to move out. Hell, he didn’t even want to shut her up once she got talking. He was already her closest friend, and while most people would be sad about that, Lila just smiled, putting a finishing touch on her latest creation.

Finally, the clock struck noon. And right on cue, Gideon Prewett stepped through the doors, looking very similar to the way that he had the day they met. Eyes shining, hair glistening, it was all very anti-climactic, and while Lila knew she shouldn’t be describing it like that, it was. He seemed to walk in slow motion towards her, her own personal savior. Suddenly a woman was tapping her shoulder, and told her it was time for her to take her break. Lila had forgotten she was even sitting down, let alone the fact that she was still very much at work. Quickly she gathered up her bag, shoved the drawn on paper in a pocket, jumped out of her seat and ran in front of the counter. “Thank you!” Lila said, in a way that conveyed thanks, but also a bit of nerves as well. Nervous? It wasn’t too foreign of a feeling, but as her feet moved closer to her intended target her heart beat just a bit faster, as if someone was off in the distance playing drums.

The weekend had been quiet, just the way Amelia preferred it. Yes, she missed seeing the Gray family around, as well as her own, but the solitude was welcome. At least she wasn't bombarded with orders. She knew what needed to be done better than most of her superiors and did it without needing to be asked, and if one thing got under her skin, it was when people repeated orders to her. It wasn't as if she were deaf. 

Though she was locked inside the empty home, it didn't stop her from hearing the gossip going around. A paper was dropped off at the doorstep early this morning, and who would be featured on the front page but Mr. Gideon himself. Amelia rolled her eyes and ascended the lavish stairs of the Gray residence, determined to get her work done free from distraction. There were only a few rooms she hadn't cleaned yet, and the family would be home today, so she made her way to Gideon's first. The wooden door creaked open and she began to tidy up the empty liquor bottles and crumpled clothing laying on the floor. 

Amelia began organizing his desk, replacing his worn quills with a few new ones she'd picked up in town a few days previous. Her hand made one careless mistake and she sent the quills and a small box flying onto the floor. Cursing herself for the momentary clumsiness, Amelia bent to retrieve the items, hoping she did no damage to them. It was then that a small glittering object caught her eye, and upon closer examination, her jaw dropped. Her small fingers plucked the item delicately off the floor, her eyes widening. It was an engagement ring. A beautiful one with a lovely engraving on the inside of the band. Her heart sunk. Was this meant for her dearest friend? Had he held onto it for all these months?

Despite the bit of liquid influence she was under, the back of Hestia's brain couldn't help but cry out, asking what in Merlin's name she was doing. Leaving the party hand in hand with Gideon wasn't one of her brighter ideas-even tipsy, she was more than aware of that. But she kept walking, clinging to her companion as he led her through the corridor and into an empty bathroom. She grabbed his other hand and, as the door swung shut, backed up against the chilling porcelain of the sinks. She put her hands back on either side of one of the sinks, pulling herself up to sit on it and dragging Gideon forward, slowly closing the gap between them.