--Leaky Cauldron/ Diagon alley {{Selena&+Chase}}

[Selena Belvidere]

Selena’s skimpy undershirt stuck to her skin, giving her the feel of a wet bathing suit. She had tried to find a significant amount of shade, but to no avail. The most she could find was under a dark green umbrella on a patio at the Leaky Cauldron. From her spot, Selena could see all of Diagon Alley, well, whatever was between the Leaky Cauldron and Gringotts, that is. She could see everyone that was shopping around the Alley, scrounging around, looking desperately for their Hogwarts necessities. It felt like a throne to her. She could sit up her and examine the happenings of her kingdom. It was a very strategic point.

Other than Selena, only three other people occupied the patio. At least here in solitude she could actually think. Think about what was going on in her life, what would go on, and how to handle it. She would be starting her last year of Hogwarts in a few days. That in itself was life changing. School would be so much harder, what with professors trying to jam whatever they could into your brain, preparing you for N.E.W.T.s. It reminded Selena of her fifth year, having to cram for her O.W.L.s. It wasn’t a pleasant time in her life, and just thinking about the upcoming year made her stomach churn in anxiety.

Another thought running through her head was the fact that her parents weren’t going to be home for her when she was going to leave. The next time she would see her parents was at Christmas. Although it wasn’t much different from any other point in her life, they had always been there to see her off to Hogwarts. They were off on some important mission for Voldemort, who was just about the strongest wizard in the world, save for Albus Dumbledore. Selena always felt torn between her loyalty to the Dark Lord and her loyalty to the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
What would she do when she was done at Hogwarts? A lot of people’s dreams were to hunt down Dark Wizards, but that couldn’t be in Selena’s future. Her parents were dark wizards, and she definitely wouldn’t chase her father down. He would disown her, and she would be left penniless. If they knew what she truly wanted, however, they would more than likely disown her.

Selena had never wanted to follow in her parents footsteps. She didn’t want to have to follow the Dark Lord, doing his bidding every single day. That wasn’t her life; it was her parent’s life. If they can life like that, more power to them, but not Selena. She wasn’t someone’s toy, forced to do what they say. When she was in Voldemort’s presence, she felt like she was attached to strings. Selena wasn’t someone’s marionette, and she definitely wasn’t going to become a Death Eater, or at least, not yet. The future may change many aspects in Selena’s life, even her own wants and values.

Although she didn’t want to become a Death Eater, Selena still had a strong love for her heritage and her bloodline. Purebloods were, in her opinion, the superior race. That was about the only thing that Selena and the Dark Lord had in common, their view on bloodlines. Her love for her status in life was nearly tangible, her aura almost visible. One look at her, people know she is a Slytherin. The way she dressed, held herself, even her attitude. Yet no one could ever, or would ever, see the battle within her slender form.

Selena brought her straw up to her cherry lips, sucking on it lightly, sending the refreshing liquid down her throat. Nothing more perfect on a heated day like this than a muggle soft drink. In her clear cup was what they call Coke®. Normally, The Leaky Cauldron did not sell Coke®, but Selena paid the bartender extra to go run across the street to the muggle drug store and buy it for her. It felt good being able to control people.

Selena flipped nonchalantly through her TeenWitch magazine, bored out of her mind. If only something actually exciting or interesting would happen today.

[Chase Wilkins]

Chase pulled his button up shirt off of his shoulders, leaving him in only a plain white muscle shirt. He hated dressing like this in a public setting, but the sun was killing him, he never remembered it being so hot in Diagon Alley this early in the school year. It wasn’t hat he was flabby, he was extremely toned from Quidditch and from his weekly workouts at the nearby Muggle gym. He just preferred modesty. Chase had already apparated home, so as to drop off all of his supplies that he had purchased. He lingered in Diagon Alley in hopes of maybe finding a friend or someone to talk to.

The sun continued to bear down upon each and every magical person that walked in the area, and with Chase’s dark hair, it wasn’t helping him. He felt that if he cracked an egg on his head, that he could scramble and sell it for a few extra gaellons. But, nobody would want a hot snack to eat, an ice cream and a firewhiskey sounded good right about now. He wasn’t that far from the Leaky Cauldron. Hmm that could be nice

He frowned as he saw numerous first years strolling along with their parents. It brought back two unhappy memories to his mind. One, when he was eleven, he remembered walking down these exact same streets, in between both his mother and his father. When they were still together. It enraged him to think about what his father had done to his so called ‘family’ He had destroyed them, tore them apart at the seams. After killing Leanne, his squib sister, there was no chance that Chase would ever forgive him.

So now his father was a death eater, strolling about with a the dark mark on his arm, flaunting it about. He needed to die. There was no way, on this earth, that he would live much longer. After this year, Chase would find him, and he would die. Plain and simple. The second memory, his sister would have been eleven this year, meaning that she could have come with Chase to get supplies for school. He couldn’t help but wonder what house she would have been in, would she have played Quidditch? He missed her so terribly, it was like a part of him had died the day that she did.

After he had finished in a prank shop, he headed towards the passageway out into the Muggle World. The Leaky Cauldron. He had been able to pick up a couple of useless items that would probably never get used, hence the name ‘useless.’ The crowd was beginning to thin out, people were deciding that the heat was too much, that they would rather be inside, sheltered from the unforgiving sun. Buy Chase couldn’t leave. He promised his mom that he wouldn’t be home for dinner, giving her some time to herself.

It seemed like the only time Chase’s mom got to herself was when Chase was ‘sleeping.’ And even then, the only thing that she did was cry. Every night since Leanne had died, his mother had cried. For many months, he joined her, feeling that he would be unable to continue. He had missed a part of his fourth year. From the end of Christmas vacation to the end of Easter, he had stayed at home, mopping about.

As he neared the Leaky Cauldron, he noted a black haired beauty sitting all by herself. Selena Marie Belvidere, Slytherin Queen. A rumor was going around that both of her parents were death eaters. Chase chose not to judge people by what their parents did. Look at his dad; he had killed his own daughter in his own kitchen. That was enough to be forgiving of a lot of things. Chase silently slid into the chair across from her, underneath a dark green awning. “Hello Miss Belvidere.” He said in a deep, rich tone. He found, that when it came to girls, politeness was the best route.

The heat seemed to leak through the awning above them, creating a very, very small bit of comfort in the sweltering heat. A waiter walked by, carrying numerous beverages. “Excuse me, sir, but do you think that you could get this pretty lady and I a nice, cool, seat inside?” Chase asked the flustered man. The waiter shook his head, explaining that everything inside was packed. Chase tugged his left sleeve up gently, trying desperately to keep a straight face as he did so. “Maybe this will encourage you.” The man gasped, telling Chase to follow him, he’d find them a seat. Chase stood and turned to Selena “Coming M’lady?” he asked, offering her a hand.

[Selena Belvidere]

A car drove by on the muggle road, pounding some sort of hippie music. “It’s the 70’s now, get over yourselves.” Selena didn’t really care that much for the whole hippie, world peace kind of aspect of the world. It didn’t make much sense to her, why they wanted to get high of the drugs and lay around like the scum they were. Selena hated those kinds of people, who waltz around drunk, incompetent, and annoying. Most of the time, Selena tried her absolute hardest to annihilate the mere thoughts, but sometimes, like now, they reoccurred.

Selena continued on with her browsing through her tabloid, flipping lazily through the colored pages. Apparently, BeWitched was on the top of the charts again. Selena didn’t care too much for their music. There was too much bass, not enough vocals. All of their music was pointless, their lyrics of no consequence. Poetic songs, containing flowing melodies, fit Selena’s musical taste buds nicely. She continued to flip through the pages, merely glancing at the picture, until a dark photograph caught her eye. The heading read; ‘Death Eaters in Trouble?’ Selena squinted at the picture, not caring much about what the article had to say. Apparently one of the gatherings her parents went to was discovered. Three people were apprehended, but they were hooded, so Selena couldn’t tell who they were.

In the background of the picture, however, Selena could see the outline of two figures running into the woods, preparing to apparate. Selena gasped, recognizing them immediately. Her parents. They had been in horrid danger, and Selena could have done nothing about it if they had been sent to Azkaban. It wasn’t like you could just walk in to the most heavily guarded wizard prison and try to bail someone out. It just doesn’t work that way.

Why did this have to happen? Her parents leave, promising they will be alright, and they end up nearly caught. If her parents had gone to Azkaban, none of her ‘friends’ would talk to her, and she would be the laughing stock of the entire castle. Every corner Selena would turn, a student would point and laugh, yelling, “Been marked yet, sweetheart?” Selena hated being judged for her parent’s actions. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be forced to becoming one of ‘them’, and she could live her own life, no strings attached. Sadly, Selena’s life always had strings.

A short laugh escaped her plump lips, sounding more of a twinkling of chimes than a real laugh. She couldn’t believe herself. Here she sat, feeling sorry for herself, when so many other people were suffering more than she was. That feeling that others had it worse than you made Selena feel one hundred feet tall. Leaning back in her chair with a relaxed manner, she sipped on her coke, flipping through her tabloid.

As Selena started on an odd article about horned bullfrogs, a greeting interrupted her from the article. When Selena looked up, she was staring directly into a pair of gorgeous blue-brown eyes. The eyes belonging to the one and only Chase Wilkins. Selena smirked, tossing the tabloid onto the metal table. She crossed her legs, taking on the full relaxed look. “And why, might I ask, are you here?” Selena said sarcastically, adding a bit of a laugh at the end. Selena always felt superior towards anyone, save for the Dark Lord of course, but especially guys. Most girls would melt if Chase freaking Wilkins sat across from them randomly, but not Selena. She knew how to keep her cool, even if it felt like they were in a sauna outside.

Her perfect brows furrowed in confusion when Chase asked the waiter for a table inside, then in suspicion when she saw him raise his left sleeve up. There was no way Chase was a Death Eater, but she had definitely seen a bit of the mark. A snake’s head was visible from across the table, which made Selena unsure of whom she was really sitting across. And what was wrong with this seat? Selena felt that she could see everything going on around Diagon Alley from up here.

As he offered her his hand, Selena rolled her eyes at his attempt at flattery. It was actually quite cute, but no one would hear her say that out loud. Selena Belvidere likes a halfblood? No no, that would never do. She slid out of her chair gracefully, placing her hand in his. “Lead the way.” Selena said nonchalantly, like it was no big deal that the cutest guy in their year was holding her hand. It wasn’t as if she had never held a guy’s hand though, but there was just something about Chase.

[Chase Wilkins]

Chase grinned as he heard a Muggle hippie song being played as a car flew by. He loved Muggle music. Probably because his mom, being a Muggle, loved music, and always had it playing. Chase had tried to introduce her to music sung by witches and wizards, but she would have none of it. She didn’t understand most of the stuff that the songs were talking about, and she just didn’t like it. Most magical thought that the Muggle’s that listened to that kind of music were druggies and drunks. That was very stereotypical of them. Chase loved ‘hippie’ music; he wasn’t a druggie, or a drunk for that matter.

On the table in front of him, was a BeWitched magazine. He didn’t really read Wizarding magazines; every so often he’d pick up a copy of Quidditch Today, but, other than that, he found it boring and a waste of time. A slight, uncommon breeze ruffled the pages, flipping the magazine open. It turned to a page that said ‘Death Eater’s in Trouble?’ Chase glanced at the picture; a few wizards were fleeing into the forest that surrounded. Really? How stupid do you have to be? People are on the look out for you, you’re bound to get caught, at least be a bit more secretive.

Chase gave Selena a heart-breaking grin, “I’m sorry, you just looked lonely. And, trust me; it’s no fun to sit here by yourself in the heat of the day.” He knew from past experiences, that being by yourself was a whole heck of a lot less enjoyable than being with someone else. He continued to study brown-eyed beauty in front of him. Many of the girls at Hogwarts were pretty, there was just something about Selena.

He saw Selena’s face scrunch up in confusion as he pulled his left sleeve up, making it even harder for him not to laugh. Who knew that this would come in handy so soon? Surely not Chase. The waiter didn’t seem to notice, and immediately offered the pair of them a seat. Chase chuckled as he did so. This was a fun day. Selena accepted his hand, following him inside. The young waiter placed them at a small, two seater booth. Chase slid in the one side, allowing Selena to have the other. “Excuse me,” He called to the waiter before he could leave. “I’d like a firewhiskey.” He turned to Selena, “Would you like anything?”

After the man left, Chase pulled up his sleeve, peeling the Dark Mark sticker off of his skin, laughing quietly to himself as he did so. “I can’t believe that he fell for that.” He grinned largely, “It doesn’t even look that real.” He wadded it up into a small ball, chucking it into a nearby waste bin. “Sorry, about that. I don’t know how you feel about death eaters and such. Honestly, I find them a pain in the arse. Good for nothing if you ask me.” He smiled, hoping that he didn’t offend Selena.

The two sat their in silence, until a group of seventh year Gryffindors strolled by, “have you been marked yet Belvidere?” they cackled, pointed and laughing. That wasn’t fair. Just because Selena’s parents have made a wrong choice, doesn’t mean that she was going to. “Why don’t you all sod off?” Chase growled at the group. “What Selena decides to do will be her choice. You have no right to question her about it.” The group left, sniggering behind their hands. Chase refocused his attention on the Slytherin in front of him “Does that happen a lot?” He asked sincerely, “I know that it does with me.”

He was constantly being teased because of his father. People would reenact Leanne’s death. Majority of them were heartless Slytherins. He hadn’t let it get to him. He knew how he felt, and he knew himself. There was no reason for him to be swayed by the words of other people. He was his own person, free to make his own choices.

“So,” Chase smiled “How has your summer been?” He kept his blue eyes locked on the brown orbs in front of him, in a sign of politeness and respect.

[lizzy]

The sun beat down on Catherine's head, making her hair feel like it was ablaze. It had been a very big mistake to wear her favorite pair of skinny jeans, as they were clinging to her persperated skin.
She was walking down a London sidewalk, getting odd glances from muggles in shorts and t-shirts. In the distance Catherine heard the faint sound of a car driving away with loud hippie music on. Catherine smiled. Muggles were very peculiar.
She walked over to the Leaky Cauldron, seeing that it was practically full with sweaty wizards and witches. It seemed like the perfect place to get a drink.
Catherine walked in, hiding from the view of a waiter trying to keep out a group of dehydrated looking wizards. Catherine was glad she was swift, otherwise she would not have gotten in.
It was more crowded than Catherine had imagined, and louder as well. She could hardly hear herself think.
She went over to the bar, weaving her way through many people. She reached the counter, when her heart stopped.
Sitting at a two-person table was Chase Wilkins, a seventh year Ravenclaw. Catherine quikly turned to the bartender, keeping him out of her sight.
The old bartender seemed very unhappy and impatient, and he had a grimace on his old wrinkled face.
"One firewhisky, please," she said. The man raised an eybrow, and as Catherine could see, it was beaded with sweat.
"No butterbeer for you, miss?", he asked with a slight chuckle. "You don't seem the firewhisky type." Catherine shook her head.
"Oh no, I'm extremely allergic," she answered. The bartender nodded and went to get her drink.
When he returned, Catherine paid him an scoped out the room, searching for a place to stand. The only spot was almost right next to Chase's table, and Catherine was scared to get closer. But she knew it was that or standing outside in the hot August sun, so she walked over.
Chase seemed to be enjoying himself, for he had a wide grin on his face. That grin always made Catherine's stomach drop.
Catherine had never really liked boys. She was the kind of girl that only loved her hobbies, and that nothing or nobody could ever get in the way of it. But, in her own mind, Chase Wilkins could.
He seemed like he was in deep conversation with the girl across from him. She had crow black hair, and she had a very slender frame. Catherine heard her laugh, along with Chase. They were having a wonderful time.
Catherine glanced at the girl's bag, trying to see if it would distinguish her better. And it very well did.
Sitting across from Catherine's only crush was Selena Marie Belvidere, queen of Slytherin house, or as she was sometimes adressed. Catherine wanted to puke or scream.
Selena and Catherine had known eachother since they were little, because of their families. They were very close friends, and they always got along, nothing ever breaking their friendship. But seeing this made Catherine feel like they were the best of enemies, not friends.
It was like her own personal horror film, taunting her and crushing her to bits, making her scream inside. She almost felt like she absolutely hated Selena, although she knew that was only because of jealousy.
Then, without warning, Chase caught her eye, and smiled slightly. It hit her like an unforgivable curse, making her want to turn away and pretend like she hadn't noticed him. But she had, most deffinitely, and turning away was something that average girls did. And Catherine was not an average girl.

[Selena Belvidere]

“Mmm.” Selena replied, leaking some of her famous sarcasm into her charm-like voice. Selena was, more likely than not, always a bit lonely. Not lonely enough to sit around and pout about it though. She had been perfectly fine while she sat alone, surveying her domain. It was nice, though, to have a bit of company now and again. Chase was a bit better than your average company. He was always a bit shy, which made it more fun to be around him. Selena was the farthest thing from shy, and she liked to break people’s boundaries and try to fit into their shell, so to speak. And that is exactly what she was going to do.

As Selena walked through the small doorway into the crammed pub, the raven haired girl was hit with a strong blast of cool air. Selena let out a small sigh of relief, thanking God for the invention of magic airconditioning. It was a bit different than the muggle way. With this type of airconditioning, there were no large metal boxes or huge vents. Oh, the power of magic. What a wonderful thing. The waiter led them to a small table near the far edge of the pub. Selena followed, practically being dragged through the throng of bodies by Chase. She slid into the booth gracefully, adding a bit of a hair ‘flare’. Chase ordered a firewhisky, but that wasn’t what Selena wanted. She wanted another one of those cokes. “A coke, and don’t try and tell me that you don’t sell any. Go get some down the street or something.” She added with a smile, slipping a few galleons into the waiter’s pocket.

Selena watched to waiter walk away with a grin. Well, a few extra galleons out of her pockets wouldn’t hurt her. If she needed more, she could just go over to Gringotts wizarding bank and just get some more money. It wasn’t like her family was hurting or anything. She turned her attention back to Chase, watching his every move. He pulled up his left sleeve a bit higher, revealing his Dark Mark. Selena stared at it for a bit, realizing what it was. It looked nothing like what her parent’s does. Selena leaned back and grinned, surprised at what the boy was capable of. Selena laughed as he tore off the fake Dark Mark, wishing she could do that when she got branded. Her life would be so much easier if she could.

Selena smirked, wishing she could trash talk some Death Eaters as well. If she was destined to become one though, don’t trash talk destiny. It just wasn’t done. She really didn’t want to discuss her views on Death Eaters, much less why she did or did not like them. It wasn’t something she really wanted to discuss with Chase.

The raven haired girl sat playing with her hands when a group of Gryffindor girls walked by. “Have you been marked yet, Belvidere?” Selena smirked in their direction, a perfect reply coming up in her mind. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you really cared. Well, I will do the same caring gesture toward you. Go shave your back now. At the pureblood pool party this summer, it wasn’t a pretty sight, Maria. Thank you.”

Selena was surprised that Chase had actually stood up for her. No one outside of the Slytherin house had ever stood up for another Slytherin, least of all Selena Belvidere. She shrugged, not really remembering if it happened a lot. She was sure it did, but not in the realm of recollection. Most of the time, Selena blew those people off with another comeback, sending them away crying.

The waiter returned, carrying Selena’s coke and a firewhisky for Chase. Selena smiled up at him, making him turn an odd shade of red. Selena dug through her purse pulling out a straw, sticking it into the cold soda. She left her drink sitting on the table, turning her attention back to Chase. “My summer? Boring. Nothing happened at all.” Selena’s voice faded off on a bit of a melancholy not. Oh, how Selena had wished her last summer break would be worth something. “How about you?” She asked while sipping on her coke. “How was your summer?”

While waiting for his reply, Selena looked around the crowded pub. At the bar on the other side of the store, Selena saw a very familiar face, staring right at them with an expression of hatred. Catherine Grace. Selena smirked mischievously. “Oh Catherine! Selena called across the pub. “Why don’t you come and join us?” Oh, what plans she had for this little girl.

[Chase Wilkins]

Chase grinned as Selena ordered a coke. A Muggle beverage. It surprised him some. She was a pureblood. Why did she know about, or even like for that matter, a Muggle drink. She was very peculiar for a pureblooded Slytherin, that was for sure. He noticed that she grinned as he pulled his Dark Mark sticker off. He wondered what it was like to be the daughter of a death eater. Then reality hit him hard in the back of the head. He was the son of a death eater. His arrogant good for nothing father was the exact same thing that poor Selena’s parents were. Agony sunk in over him, he had never thought of it that way before. His father was no better than the scum that was rotting in Azkaban, not that Selena’s parents were scum. It was just… odd. The Snape character, he was scum. He was also a soon to be death eater. Everyone who knew him knew that that was what he was going to do. He wasn’t good for anything else.

With a shake of his head, he returned his attention to Selena. He had rather hoped that she would want to say something about her parents. He knew that somewhere, she was feeling the exact same loss that he was. He hadn’t had a real father to teach him the rope of wizardry. Someone to show him how it was done. Richard had basically abandoned Chase and his family when he chose to leave. He loathed every cell in his body for it. But, revenge would come sooner or later. Karma is a wicked thing. There was also the death of a loved one between them. She had lost her only sister, Alex… if his memory suited him correctly. He had lost his only sister, Leanne. They had so much in common, but Selena never seemed to want to talk about any of it. About five months after Leanne was killed, Chase’s mom made him go to see a Muggle shrink to see if they could help him sort through this. Nothing helped. He had to get through this on his own, without anybodies help along the way. He knew that he would. And he did. About a year later, he came to the realization that the only way he would ever sleep good again, was if his father died. That shouldn’t be too hard. If he could prove that his father was a death eater, it shouldn’t be illegal to murder him. Right?

The waiter returned a few moments later, with a firewhisky in one hand, and a coke for Selena in the other. Chase popped the lid off of his drink and took a swig. The coolness of the drink felt good against his parched throat. Standing out in the sun all day could really take a toll on someone. He took another sip before turning to the raven-haired girl in front of him. It didn’t surprise him how she had handled the Gryffindor girls. She could stand up for herself. She was Selena Belvidere. Chase had no clue why he had thought differently, where his sudden protectiveness over the girl came from. There was just something about her… he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He chuckled at her comment back, she was a witty character. ‘That was nice Miss Belvidere.” He commented “Very quick on your toes.”She shrugged in response to his question about teasing, obviously unwilling to talk anymore on the subject. Chase simply let it go. She was uncomfortable talking about her parents. He knew how it was. When a fellow Ravenclaw would ask what it was like, he would simply bark out a sharp comeback and storm out of the room. It was personal

Mr. Wilkins was surprised to hear that she had a boring summer. Most pureblood simply lived the vacations up, basking in every moment they can. Maybe that was just Potter and his cronies. Chase shrugged, smiling sadly. “Mine was oh so boring. I pretty much sat and stared at a few pictures of Leanne and I the entire summer. It’s hard being home. Y’know?” Knowing full well that she would know, having lost her own sister. “I guess I should move on, it’s been four years… but still, you really can’t help but feel… lonely.” He had no idea what drove him to share his innermost feelings with the girl that sat in front of him. He claimed, mentally, that it was because she was going through the same sort of thing. She had lost her own sister. She knew how he felt, whether she would admit to it or not.

Chase looked about as she invited Catherine to sit with them. He didn’t know the girl well, pretty much what everyone else knew about her. She’s a Slytherin, her parent’s are death eaters, and that she had a ‘thing’ for Chase. He didn’t really let it get to him. He’s had multiple people tell him that he was ‘good looking’ and ‘attractive.’ Also, numerous Ravenclaws had told him that they knew of a girl or two that was crushing on him. He didn’t believe a single one of them. He wasn’t good looking, he wasn’t handsome. He was an overgrown baby who had cried himself to sleep for a year of his life. There was nothing ‘abnormal’ or ‘special’ about him. He was Chase Wilkins. Point blank. Nothing more.

“Hello Catherine.” He said with a grin and a slight wave. “We were just talking about summers. How was yours?” He would have rather kept the conversation between him and Selena. He liked being able to talk to her. But she obviously wanted Catherine to sit with them. He had never seen the two as friends. He always saw Selena around with the Victoria girl. He wasn’t quite sure how she expected her to join them, the pub was full, they were at a two person table, and there was no way that he was going to share a seat.

[lizzy]

Catherine smiled back and continued to drink her firewhisky, trying to act as casual as she could. As the drink touched her taste buds, Catherine realized that she hated firewhisky, and that she was so distracted at the bar that her mind couldn’t control her lips. She wanted to spit it out badly, but she couldn’t walk away with the drink and come back with nothing. Chase would think she was either a drinker or that she was incredibly un-observant to what she was ever doing, so she kept drinking slowly, hoping that the taste wouldn’t burn as much. She wasn’t the type of girl who was constantly making a fool of herself, especially in front of a guy.

There was one thing wrong with Chase’s expression that made Catherine realize trouble was coming her way. Selena was a very observant girl, almost as if she had eyes in the back of her head, and with magic on her side, that could easily be arranged. The problem was that Selena knew somebody was back there, and that if Chase even smiled slightly, and not at her, there was someone worth destroying. What relieved Catherine was that Selena was her friend. And then horror struck.

Selena turned her small, perfect face around, letting her raven-black hair flip around her. There was a mischievous smirk on her red lips, and her dark brown eyes were expressed with a sly happiness. That look frightened Catherine very much, and she knew something embarrassing was going to be thrown in her direction.

“Oh Catherine!” she called. “Why don’t you come and join us?” Catherine felt like a deer in the headlights, eyes open with fear and cluelessness. She wasn’t sure if she should go over of dart out of there.

With all of the courage she could hold inside of her at that moment, Catherine moved swiftly to the table, keeping a casual and interested smile on her face, trying to seem as if she didn’t care about coming to join them. Her firewhisky was almost gone; because she tried to drink it to her heart’s content as if she could care less what was inside it.

Chase smiled and waved nicely, letting Catherine know that she didn’t look as dumbfounded and afraid as she felt. This made her more confident, but his adoring smile made her forget what kind of person she really was. It was an identity crisis.

“Hello Catherine,” Chase said. “We were just talking about our summers. How was yours?” It wasn’t a demanding question, so Catherine was sure that he didn’t want anything embarrassing out of her. Selena on the other hand, that girl was a bloody piece of work.

Catherine’s summer was as boring and usual as any other. She would be shipped off to another country for a month, while her father ‘pretended’ to act like he was coming. It was a sick joke in Catherine’s own mind, and she was tired of being sent away to make something good of herself. It wasn’t worth the while.

Catherine tried to think of a good reply that wouldn’t make her look bad. She had gone to the sunshine state of Florida in America, and Catherine didn’t have a very good time because of the beaches. Any sentence that included the word “boring” could be used.

“It was good, I suppose, if you count lying around outside surrounded by nobody you knew was fun,” she answered, with a slight tone of sadness in her voice. She had wanted to be with her her dad, even if he was over-protected of her. At least he loves her.

Chase nodded with agreement and Selena smiled. The best thing about Selena’s smile was that Catherine could decode the expression whether Selena was upset of just being friendly. In this case, Selena was being friendly. That was a relief to Catherine.

“So I suppose we’re on the same page with this whole ‘summer’ conversation?” Catherine remarked. “No one had a good vacation, huh?” Selena replied with a ‘No, I really didn’t,’ and Chase nodded. Catherine knew he wasn’t always good with words to girls because of his sister’s death.

Catherine was happy to be there, even if she had been afraid before. It was as if this conversation had merely shaken off all of her worries. And she was happy to be with these particular people. The two in front of her were special in Catherine’s head because of one old expression. They too could see the thestrals.

[Selena Belvidere]

Selena shrugged, acknowledging Chase’s ‘praise’ for her comeback. “Well, In order to win a race, you have to run faster than your opponent, right?” Although Selena’s character was full of snide, sarcastic remarks, Chase’s compliment struck her differently than anyone else’s. He wasn’t particularly important to Selena, in a way that she could never like him. But for some odd reason, Selena felt a bit of a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach, making her feel a little jittery. Selena felt caged, as if she wanted to actually like Chase, but she never could. Her blood status prevented it. She would be a blood traitor, which was worse than being a Mudblood. A blood traitor had all the wonderful characteristics, but chose to abuse it and take it for granted. Without a doubt, Selena would be disowned.

She thought about what was to come with her, what would happen with her future. Ever since she was a little girl, Selena had been destined to have the serpentine tattoo on her left forearm. It was like a symbol of her household, and she would be the only one without one. It would be shameful of Selena not to get it. If only she could peel it off, just like Chase had done.

Listening to Chase talk about his summer, Selena snorted internally. Although he was a rather handsome fellow, Chase was so whiny. Yes, his sister had been murdered, but so had Selena’s. Did Ms. Belvidere sit around her house crying at night for months on end? No. A few weeks maybe, but then she got over it. Selena had to learn to accept the inevitable, the past won’t change now. No matter what has happened, pushing forward was the only way to get anywhere in life. If Chase was going to just sit around crying about it deceased sibling, he really won’t become much of anything. Selena desperately wanted to share her philosophy about that matter with the boy, but decided against it. It would be best to just leave the topic be, not pressing farther and farther into it. He probably didn’t want to talk about it anyway.

Selena did feel sorry for him too, and she could feel his sorrow. It wasn’t like she had completely forgotten about Alex, no, that was impossible. She hadn’t forgotten about that at all. That night would be etched into her memory for the rest of her lifetime, no matter if she wanted it there or not. It was one of those things you would never forget, no matter how hard you tried. Selena stretched her thin arm across the small table, placing her hand onto Chase’s. “I am so sorry.” Selena whispered, making sure that Catherine had seen everything that had transpired.

Selena gazed at Catherine as she made her way over. ‘Hmm… how am I going to do this?’ Selena wondered, trying to plan a way to twist this in her favor. She didn’t necessarily want it to end with Chase head over heels in love with her, but she wanted it to end up in a way such that Catherine could suffer internally. It just so happened that last Christmas the whole ‘Death Eater clan’ had gotten together for a party, and Selena and Catherine both tagged along with their parents. They hung out together, staying clear away from the practiced Legimens over on the other side of the room. Selena had been hanging out with this incredibly gorgeous boy that was visiting from Poland or something, and they hadn’t exactly been carrying on conversation, if you will. Selena had left to get drinks, and Catherine started talking to the boy. Flirting, twisting her finger in her hair, batting her eyelashes, the whole bit. Selena wasn’t exactly appreciative of that fact, and she needed her revenge. Although she wasn’t liplocking with Chase, something might turn out in her favor.

“Catherine, have you ever seen such muscle on one person?” Selena asked, sliding her fingers up and down Chase’s bicep. Selena prayed that Chase wouldn’t get offended by this, but she hoped Catherine would. “Do you work out?” Selena directed the question to Chase, still eying Catherine’s reaction. It looked as if tears would well up in her eyes, and Selena hoped they would. It would be downright hilarious if she did, and that was the best part of being a Belvidere, getting enjoyment out of harassment. Some would consider what Selena was putting Catherine through horrible, but Selena really wasn’t bothered by it.

[Chase Wilkins]

If there was one thing Chase wasn’t, it was whiny. He didn’t like to be called such, or thought of as such. He had lost his only real family, and now he had a Muggle mother. What he wouldn’t give to just leave school, get married, and be done with the whole thing. It was too much of a hassle for a person to handle. He couldn’t deal with it, So what if it took him months to get over his sister’s death, most people did that. Other’s were just creepy crawly black heartless with antenna protruding from it’s head in search of destroying any hope and love that was left in the world. Chase distinctly remembered that after the summer vacation that Alex had died, Selena came back to school, still acting all high and mighty like all the other Slytherins. She showed no emotion or any sense of loss. Chase remembered Alex once, she seemed not much different than the raven-haired girl that sat in front of him, simply misunderstood.

He was surprised when Selena had tried to comfort him. That was very uncharacteristic of her. She seemed to only care about her self. But then again, what was exposed to other people doesn’t exactly mean that that was the kind of person that she was. Chase was just as guilty as the next person when it came to judging by first impression. For example, if Chase had come across a boy that was 7 foot three, cross-eyed and looked like he got run over with a lawn mower, he would instantly dislike the boy. Simple as that. But with Selena, he had never felt any certain dislike for the pretty girl. He figured, when he was in his fourth year, that the two of them had more in common than most of the Ravenclaws that he hung around with. She seemed to understand.

Death Eater’s weren’t heartless people, that was true. He wasn’t sure if Selena wanted to go into the whole ‘Death Eater destruction’ thing, and he found that it wasn’t his place to ask. On an acquaintance basis, that was not a question to ask someone. If she felt compelled to share, he would listen, if she decided that she didn’t trust Chase enough, he would go about his merry way, not looking back once. As Catherine made her way over, Selena seemed to be acting very friendly towards the brown headed girl. He shook of the question about them being friends. He must’ve been wrong. Selena had a certain glint in her eye, one that said she had a plan. Chase decided right there that he would play along with whatever she had in mind.

She ran her fingers up and down his bicep, asking Catherine something about the size of them. Chase grinned, keeping his eyes locked on Selena’s brown optics. He winked at her, making it unnoticeable to Catherine, allowing her to know that he was playing along. “Actually, I do, at a nearby Muggle gym during the summer. And, then y’know, Quidditch helps too.” He leaned towards her, catching her hand in his. He laced his fingers through hers before asking. “What about you… People aren’t naturally that beautiful… surly you must have people help you.” He pretended that he didn’t notice Catherine near them, but he felt her eyes boring into the side of his head. This was going fun.

[lizzy]

As soon as things started to get better, they began to, progressively, get worse. Selena, avoiding any eye contact whatsoever with Catherine, ran her small, bony finger up and down Chase’s bicep. It was incredibly disturbing to see, and Catherine’s world began to topple down. But she wouldn’t let one stupid self-conceited Slytherin ruin her day. Catherine was as strong fighting a friend as she was at Quidditch.

“Catherine, have you ever seen such muscle on one person?” Selena asked. Her finger traced down Chase’s bicep again, lightly and softly. “Do you work out?” she told Chase. Catherine couldn’t see his face, but by his next reaction she could see that he was as bad as Selena was.

“Actually, I do, at a nearby muggle gym during the summer. And, then y’know, Quidditch helps too,” he replied. He reached for Selena’s hand, grasping it sweetly and laced his fingers with hers. Catherine felt sick, like word vomit was going to come out. Or maybe even real vomit, because the firewhisky was getting to her head.

Catherine was relieved when Chase stopped talking, but then he began to tell Selena how beautiful she was. It was awful and sad, and a bad way to start her last year. She used to be afraid to talk to Chase, but now her head got hot and her fury and rage rose in her. She wasn’t going to hit anyone, but she really wanted to.

“Well, you two are the most pathetic people I’ve seen,” she said. They didn’t seem to care. “I’m not going to cry Selena, I don’t cry, and Chase,” she said sweetly. Catherine bent over, her mouth at his ear.

“I don’t think she likes you. She’s just using you to get me back for that Christmas party. You’re a jerk, and Miss. Belvidere is an arse-face.” Catherine began to walk away, but she stopped before she left.

“This is a bad year for you, Chase, for quidditch,” she said. Catherine turned her heel, but her head was turned towards them.

“I’m not an insult person, so this won’t happen again,” she finally admitted. Catherine didn’t fancy being cruel to others. She wasn’t a standard Slytherin, and she never planned to be. “And Selena,” she added before walking away. “Don’t be surprised if you get an owl visit today.”

With that last note, Catherine walked out of the Leaky Cauldron, stepping out into a horrible heat. It was almost evening now, and she had to get home before supper.

Catherine stood tall, ready to apparate, when a funny taste rose in her throat. Catherine ran to a nearby muggle drug store, and into the bathroom. She was sick, not because of Chase and Selena, but because of the firewhisky. After she left the muggle store, she promised herself one thing.

She wasn’t going to break her promise, because it was the best promise Catherine was ever going to make. She apparated with a loud ‘Crack!’ arriving at her front gate to her house. She felt good about her day, even if it was a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day. And her promise was sworn in her mind, never to be touched.

Catherine was going to drink pumpkin juice and muggle drinks from now on.

[Selena Belvidere]

Selena felt a small electric shock race through her fingertips as she twisted her fingers through his. She was a champion at the flirting game, but something about Chase made her feel like she could go the extra mile. Although Catherine couldn’t see from where she was sitting, Selena slipped off her tan sandal, stretching her thin leg out. Selena ran her toe up Chase’s pant leg, rubbing little circles in the denim. For some reason, Selena was on fire, feeling like she was winning, and indeed she did.

Glancing at Catherine, Selena could tell that her ‘friend’ was upset. She may not be showing it, but Selena could usually tell with these things. Returning to Chase, Selena giggled slightly at his comment, a twinkling sound. Shrugging casually, she added, “Oh, well, I really don’t do much, just a bit of makeup.” Selena was truly enjoying herself, even if it was at Catherine’s expense. Obviously, Catherine wasn’t very happy with what was going on between the two of them.

Catherine started replying, a weakness at her part. Selena tried her best not to burst out laughing, which would ruin the whole scheme. So she thought Selena was pathetic, we’ll see about that. Selena, with her free hand, reached into her back pocket, pulling out her wand. Someone had once told her never to put it in her back pocket, but she didn’t care. Under the table, Selena directed the wooden object at Catherine, thinking of what to do. Instantly, it came to her. Selena silently thought of a spell, giving Catherine a very unwanted tattoo. Luckily, she wouldn’t be able to feel it as the image was etched into her skin. A small tidal wave, some flailing arms, were depicted on the girl’s ankle. Too bad for you, don’t get on Selena’s bad side, it won’t work out for you.

As she walked out of the pub, Selena watched her with a careful eye. Once Catherine was out of hearing range, Selena burst into a small fit of giggles. “Love it.” She whispered, thanking God for her beautiful revenge. Catherine won’t be liking Chase much anymore, if Selena had anything to do with it. Oh, the gifts of power.

Not bothering to untwine their fingers, Selena returned her attention back to Chase. “Thanks for playing along, I need to get back.” Selena felt fully relieved, the whole Polish boy out of her mind. Except for the fact that he was an amazing kisser. Selena gazed at Chase, wondering the same about him. Was Chase any good? Perversely, Selena wished she would somehow have a chance to find out, but more than likely not. Selena felt stupid for wishing that. “So, do you really work out?”

[Chase Wilkins]

Chase felt a sort of electric shock run through his body as Selena ran her toe up his leg, and traced small circles in the denim of his jeans. There was no way that Catherine could see that from where she was sitting. Why was she going ‘the extra mile’ so to speak? So Chase decided to go with the flow, thoroughly enjoying himself. He gently kicked off his athletic sandals. After doing so, he gently nudged Selena’s free foot with his own. This seemed a lot like innocent flirting to him, but he figured Selena was trying to get to Catherine. And honestly, he was having a good time, so why ruin it? He didn’t expect anything to come from this. He was a half-blood Ravenclaw, and she was a pure-blood Slytherin. Those types of relationships do not work out. Especially if the Slytherins parents were both Death Eaters. But y’know that they say, you have to live for the now. “Surely, you must do more than that.” Chase told her. Maybe she was just one of those naturally pretty people. He had heard so many of the Ravenclaw girls talking about all the make-up products that they used. Chase preferred girls that didn’t wear tons of make-up.

Chase turned to Catherine. “Miss Grace.” He said sweetly and innocently “I do not care if this will ‘work out’ or not. It is a teenage relationship. I will certainly not be replacing my friends with a girl. That is not how I roll.” He ended firmly, turning his attention back to Selena. She was a much prettier sight. “And Miss Grace, I am not a jerk, and I do not believe that Miss Belvidere right here would appreciate you talking about her behind her back. If you have something to say, please, say it to her face. How dare she insult his Quidditch skills. “Surly Miss Grace, that you do not believe that you all have a chance of beating us this year. It’s my final year. And I intended to give it my all. We’ll just have to see who the better Quidditch player is out on the pitch now won’t we. Try not to get hit with too many bludgers.” Chase wasn’t a rude person, but there was just something about Selena being insulted in front of him, he felt… protective over her.

As soon as Catherine was out of earshot, Selena broke out into a fit of giggles. Chase couldn’t help but snigger along with her. It was rather funny. “I didn’t expect her to take it so hard; I thought she was a Slytherin. Acted more like a Hufflepuff if you ask me.” He smiled at the raven-haired girl in the seat opposite him. “Huh?” He hadn’t heard what she had said. After a few moments, he realized what she had said, “Oh, no problem. I’ve been looking for some fun, and honestly, that Dark Mark sticker wasn’t enough. It was my pleasure Miss Belvidere.” He said with a slight bow and a smirk. He noticed that she had not yet released his hand, not that he minded. It felt good, different. He noticed that she was gazing at him, with a sort of question in her eyes. “What are you thinking?” he asked quietly, rubbing soothing circle on the back of her hand with his thumb.

[Selena Belvidere]

Selena felt a bit better that Catherine had left, but it took away her alibi for flirting with him. An inaudible gasp came to Selena when she felt some contact with her other foot. She could feel Chase’s foot on her’s, sending thrills up and down her spine. Selena wrapped her feet around Chase’s left leg, going through a full-blown ‘footsies’ game. Selena was having fun, which had been a rarity in the past few months. The feeling was oddly restricted, no one they knew could ever find out about this. If anyone saw what was going on, what would happen? Pure-bloods rarely ever associate with anyone of any other blood status, except to make fun of them. If anyone found out Selena might possibly have a crush on a half-blood, there might be some trouble in store for Miss Belvidere.

“Not really. At least you have never seen what I look like when I first wake up.” It felt odd, saying that out loud. Selena hoped Chase hadn’t seen any hidden meaning in the statement. And if he had, well, he can go with it whichever way he wanted to. “My hair is like a monster.” Selena added with a small laugh, trying to make her last statement seem a bit more innocent. Might as well go for the good girl image. She did want to appear clean, and she was. It wasn’t like Selena had lost her virginity. That was one of her intangible possessions she was proud to hold.

She had enjoyed Chase’s comeback, loving that he would smack-talk Catherine like that. His comments seemed to pay for the other times Catherine had annoyed Selena. Like when Selena had just been given a new talking Barbie doll, and Catherine took it. Although they were eight or something, it was still annoying. It made her feel much better knowing that she could let some things go. But in her Catherine relationship, she was going to lay low and play it cool for awhile. Why push someone’s buttons repeatedly? It is more fun to leave and come back.

Selena gazed at Chase, watching his expression as he smiled back at her. She didn’t blush, but she bowed her head to the table, twisting her fingers around. She ran her right foot up and down his leg again, playing around with it. Selena examined the wood on the table, watching how the lines in the wood circled and curled around each other. She didn’t want to keep gazing at Chase, for fear of him noticing what she was thinking.

Sadly, the question was going to come up, and it did. As Chase asked what she was thinking, he rubbed her had with his thumb, sending chills through Selena’s veins. She untwisted their hands and rested hers on the table, leaving them open, if he wished to pick them up again. It was a bit of a test, but she just wanted to see what Chase would do. “Nothing, really. You wouldn’t want to hear it anyway.” Selena added innocently. It was fun to act innocent and nervous. It helped with her acting skills, which was a plus. The way Chase had asked her, though, was very smooth, and somewhat thrilling. Selena loved it, but she wasn’t going to tell anyone that.

Again, the thought came to her mind. If only she could figure out if Chase was as good a kisser as he seemed to be. She didn’t know, and would never find out. Chase didn’t want her, he was just playing right now. That fact Selena was pretty certain of. As annoyed as she was, Selena would accept it though, even if it was hard. She wasn’t right for him, and he wasn’t right for her. That was all that seemed to matter, their futures.