It Isn't All About The Mistletoe

The analogies were beginning to make Sevastian’s head spin; though he was sure that that had something to do with the subzero temperatures outside. The gear he’d decided to go out in had done little to help him and so he found himself rubbing his hands together and shivering a little despite the woollen gloves and scarf he wore. Sevastian knew that he wouldn’t be able to last outside much longer and he couldn’t decide where he’d rather go - into Hogsmeade or back to the castle. For an understandable reason, the former sounded much more appealing and the House Elves were bound to be harbouring some Butterbeer in the kitchens somewhere. A little bit of persuasion could go a long way where they were concerned. Sevastian knew roughly where they kept it but he’d need a little bit of help to actually find it. He could taste it on his tongue as he stood there.

“I’m confused now!” Sevastian admitted with a laugh. “Maybe you should try pears...or plums or something. Apples aren’t the greatest of all fruits - if there is such a title to bestow. Perhaps, I don’t know, maybe you’d be safer taking an orange instead?”

Sevastian rubbed his arms and exhaled gently. His breath swirled in the air before him and he sighed heavily. More silvery air swirled in the air and Sevastian gave a little laugh, reaching out to bat away the air. Sevastian lifted his eyes and looked at Julien as his lips came together again, the smile decreasing in size. Sevastian’s shoulders shook a little and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he began to gently sway from side to side. He needed to go back inside and he was losing time as the cold set into his bones. Perhaps, if Julien wanted to continue to talk, he could be talked into coming inside with him.

“Hogwarts has charm,” Sevastian murmured with a smile. “There is no denying that. Maybe your father was right. There are a few really pretty girls in Gryffindor. I’m not interested exactly but maybe you should try there. I mean, I’ve heard all sorts of things about Gryffindor girls. One of my friends - Roxi - is in Gryffindor. She’s kind of a free spirit...a little on the kooky side but she’s nice enough.” Sevastian smiled optimistically as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment again as Julien’s words finally made sense to him.

Sevastian laughed - giggled, even - before replying, “Merry Christmas Julien Delacour.” Sevastian brushed some of his hair behind his ear, exposing his face to the cold, but oddly he didn’t mind too much. Merlin knew the flush was keeping his cheeks warm enough. “Third year,” Sevastian told Julien. “You are too aren’t you? I think we share a class or two? Maybe?” Sevastian shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows? I have, um, Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Meriwether on Monday mornings - first thing; do you?”

When Julien asked where Sevastian’s Christmas would be, the blonde’s face fell. He shook his head and averted his eyes. He sighed shakily and scoffed quietly, murmuring, “Here.” He couldn’t bear to face the facts. He didn’t want to have to admit that he’d be there for Christmas - at Hogwarts when he should have been with his family at home.

Julien gave a few blinks before chuckling at Sevastian's suggestion of other fruits. He was amused that the other boy was even entertaining what he deemed to be a nonsensical analogy, even if the intention was probably correctly suspected by Sevastian. "Oh, don't worry your head over these fruits. They exist for the eating, not for the fussing." Julien was not sure what exactly did he mean by that either. Shrugging it off, Julien slipped his hands back into his pocket, wishing that he had remembered to put on some gloves. The tips of the boy's fingers have began to be infected by a gradual numbness from the cold. Julien made a scratching action with his hands in his pockets, trying to return the feeling to the tips of his fingers from heat sparked by friction. As he was doing so, Julien noticed Sevastian trying to warm himself too. It was obvious, the body language. Before he could suggest anything, though, a familiar name interrupted their conversation.

"Gryffindor ... Roxi ... You mean Roxanne Weasley?" Julien really did not know any other Roxi in Hogwarts. And if he had not heard of the person's name, and that person was in his year, then perhaps he or she was not worth knowing anyway. Julien grinned now, assuming without asking if he had gotten right who Sevastian was referring to. "We're cousins ... yes I think that is our relation. My aunt's married to her uncle. And yes, Roxi's very free-spirited. If I'd known she knew you, I would have asked for an introduction much earlier than this." Julien grinned again, resisting a wink in the direction of the other boy. He did not want to over-play his games. He, however, made a mental note. He had to ask Roxi about this friend of hers. She would understand why, he was sure. They shared commonalities that made sure that it was so. "Roxi's pretty in her quirky way. But besides the fact that we're cousins, and that we get along really well, she's not exactly my cup of tea ..."

"... girls are not the only fruits." And then Julien merely stopped there. He had to be cautious about this, as much as he wanted to be open about his preferences. A little bit of mystery never hurt. If he was truly interested, he would have to serve himself up in bite sizes. Big gulps ensured quicker combustions, and so he would do well to avoid them.

Julien watched Sevastian put some hair behind his ears, and he smiled. Why were all his moves so ... graceful? He soon frowned, as if he was trying to remember Sevastian in his classes. Sure, Julien always picked an eyecandy for every class, every term. But it only took five minutes of staring before his mind took over, and he attached his attention merely to the lesson. All of that fared very well for me, given that he had garnered quite a bit of points for the House. He was proud of his contributions. Unfortunately, Julien could not recall seeing the boy in his classes. "I'm blind to people in classes. It's a pity. I could have made an acquaintance out of you much earlier. Or perhaps even a friend. I'm guessing that's how you met Roxi? She's a lot better with people. I'm a block of wood in class. But ... I'll certainly keep a look-out for you in classes now. And yes, indeed. Professor Merriwether on Monday mornings. He's a bit of an odd ball, isn't he? It makes for more interesting lessons though. I like them a little quirky, especially when they're served first thing in the morning. Perhaps we'll see each other in Potions and Charms too. I love those classes."

Julien bit his bottom lip as he listened to what Sevastian replied about Christmas. He was surprised. For a big family like the Krums, surely Christmas was a crucial day for a family reunion. Perhaps, then, they were nothing like the Delacours. But the Delacours had their secrets too. They merely were good at treating each other well, and putting up a pretty front to the world, even if all might not be genuine. After all, there were so many quarter and half veelas in the household, there were sure to be breakdowns in the beauties.

Finally, Julien was stumped. He found it hard to reply after he learnt about Sevastian's Christmas plans, or the lack of it. Julien tried to mask his sympathy. He had read enough to know that looks of sympathy usually never sat well with people who needed them. That is, despite his lack of experiences with it. His readings were his experiences. Julien merely proceeded to clear his throat, before an idea jumped into his head. The boy felt his eyes light up, but soon it was filled with uncertainty. Still, it was worth a question.

"The Delacours can be good Christmas hosts. If you're allowed to ... you could spend Christmas at ours. I mean, yeah we just met, but I make a good Christmas buddy, if you think you need one." This time he did wink, except it was more of a friendly one than the usual ones he throws at people. "Boy, isn't it getting a little too cold? Want to head back in? You look as white as the falling snow. And as much as that might be pretty, I don't want you feezing yourself out here. I'm suffering, if you're not!" Grinning, Julien gestured, as if to further question if the other boy wanted to follow him back to the Castle.

Fruits had never been Sevastian’s cup of tea as it was so no wonder his head was spinning. No, he liked sweets; fudge in particular. He’d rather be using fudge comparisons and chocolate comparisons instead of apples and oranges. Sevastian could taste the fudge on his tongue and his mind began to wander towards the kitchens, to the pantry where he knew for sure the House Elves had some caramel fudge stashed with their crates of Butterbeer. They were sneaky little sods and he didn’t know how they’d managed to get it in; but then again, they were House Elves - they had their ways. Sevastian had now succeeded in distracting his little mind but now all he could think about was fudge, among other things, and being told that fruit was meant to be eaten and not for fussing over didn’t help Sevastian. And so, while his mind was distracted, part of him got sneaky and words he otherwise would have censored escaped his lips in an almost whisper.

“But what if these fruits - apples in particular - aren’t meant for eating...but instead for loving?” Sevastian asked, his eyes turning to Julien’s.

When the words rang in Sevastian’s mind, the Hufflepuff ducked his head and flushed scarlet. He shrunk into himself and looked away, back over the frozen lake and into the nigh on impenetrable snow fortress that was the Forbidden Forest. It almost looked welcoming there, the trees gently swaying in the breeze despite the lack of it. It was a suitable distraction for Sevastian while the blood drained from his cheeks. He’d miss-stepped. What he’d said was hardly appropriate and though part of him regretted it, a very large part mind you, the other, far smaller, part of him told him that he’d done right in asking, in probing for an answer by throwing him off - like a Krum man should. But, Sevastian was hardly a Krum man. At times he didn’t even feel like the Krum woman his sisters liked to dress him up to be. He was the odd one out - the white sheep of the black sheep family. Sevastian doubted that would ever change. One day, his father would have enough of the disappointments Sevastian caused him. Then, Sevastian could say goodbye to a state of relative comfort.

Julien surprisingly seemed to know of Roxanne - Roxi, for short. Sevastian smiled at the thought of them having a mutual friend. But if they were both acquainted with someone as boisterous and outgoing as Roxi, how on earth had they never met before? Perhaps they had. Perhaps neither boy had been particularly remarkable in the other’s opinion so they swiftly forgot each other. That wasn’t so unlikely. Sevastian wasn’t entirely sure whether that was the exact truth but it wasn’t too farfetched. The only problem was that Julien didn’t seem like a man that would forget a face. Sevastian liked to think he wouldn’t forget anyone he’d met. So maybe they hadn’t met after all.

“Yeah, Roxi Weasley.” Sevastian confirmed for him. Julien was quick to explain the relation to her and Sevastian mentally slapped himself. They were related - of course they knew each other. But having said that, there were a fair few Krums quite close to him in terms of blood and he barely knew them. So really, it just depended on circumstance didn’t it? “Oh!” Sevastian murmured in reply to Julien’s sort-of-compliment, as he decided he’d call it. “Well, I, um...” Sevastian’s cheeks reddened again and he laughed uneasily. “Well, I...thanks, I think? It’s okay though. Better late than never, eh?”

Girls are not the only fruits, Sevastian’s mind echoed Julien’s words. Well, it didn’t take any genius to work out what the Ravenclaw meant. Even Sevastian - as naive as he was - could understand what Julien meant and despite his earlier, slightly brash and suggestive comment, Sevastian took step back in surprise.

“I, um, oh...” He stuttered uselessly. “That’s, um...great! I’m not...I mean...I’m not against...I, uhm...” Sevastian slapped his hand to his forehead and laughed a little. “Sorry. You’re right. Girls aren’t the only fruits. That doesn’t mean a thing necessarily but it isn’t a wrong suggestion to make. Sometimes, one fruit is better than the other - more often than not in fact.”

Sevastian hadn’t seen Julien before in Defence. Sevastian had a tendency to sit towards the back, by his favourite window while Professor Meriwether would speak to the class. There, Sevastian could write or draw or even read in peace. The Professor didn’t know how Sevastian managed to get all of his essays done because it looked as if the boy paid next to no attention. Sevastian liked surprising the Professor - but not just Meriwether; he liked to surprise all of the Professors in one way or another. Meriwether was the best though as rewards often came in the form of Jaffa Cakes and Hobnobs.

“I sit at the back, to the left of the door...by the window,” Sevastian informed Julien. “It’s a pretty free row. No one really wants to sit back there. It’s a little dusty but it’s got a great view of the grounds and you’re less likely to get a splinter in your bum there than anywhere else in the classroom!” Sevastian told Julien enthusiastically, as if he were a travel brochure.

Sevastian frowned a little. Merlin knew anywhere was better than Hogwarts at Christmas. Christmas was a family time and regardless of whether the Delacours were good hosts, Sevastian didn’t want to intrude on their celebrations. He was sure there was a reason for him being unable to go home apart from his father not actually wanting him there. If Sevastian was going to put money on it then he would have said a ball. He would have bet a handful of galleons that there was a ball that he was not allowed to embarrass the family at. It would have hurt less if he’d just said. As it was, his father was being deceptive and therefore far crueler than was necessary. Sevastian didn’t know what or, rather, who had influenced the end decision but whatever that was didn’t matter now. If they didn’t want him at home then they relinquished their control over him. He could do whatever he wanted within reason couldn’t he? So why not the Delacours?

Despite the rebelliousness fuelling Sevastian’s irrational thoughts, his words came out more level and less maddened.

“If you’re sure I won’t be intruding on anything...and if your parents will be alright with it then I suppose I could come. I doubt they actually care what I get up to now they’ve washed their hands with me for Christmas.” Sevastian shrugged his shoulders and sighed heavily, brushing his hair away from his face again. “No one wants to be alone at Christmas do they?” He smiled optimistically and looked over towards the castle before beginning to carefully tread down the embankment. “Come on. Have you ever been to the Kitchens? It’ll be a good place to warm up.”