Call Me Old Fashioned (Nerisei)

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Dimitri had been left watching as Nerisei had left him on the platform at Hogsmeade, there was nothing else he could offer her in that moment as the witch left with what could have been inferred as a carefully veiled threat. The witch was not the type to hurt him, of that much Dimitri was quite sure, but as the witch left, he'd known that all he'd said had not been enough. The truth had not been enough, and that was a difficult pill to swallow when you thought you'd... you'd get somewhere.

The boy had climbed aboard the train once Nerisei had disappeared, finding the compartment with his dorm mates and settling in for the ride home.

Summer had come with the usual stint of being at home. Usually punctuated with a trip to Greece with his mother to see the rest of his family, this year had seen Dimitri held home with his father instead. Business was calling, he'd been told as the trip was swiftly pulled from beneath his feet. Which meant there was no break to the beautiful Greek islands, or time spent out in the sea or pools the family's villas boasted.

Instead, Dimitri had been brought from meeting to meeting to slowly work up his knowledge of what his father and his associates got up to. What kept the Moreau fortune in tact. Something that was coming under threat more now that sanctions were being imposed on movement in and out of the United States.

Each meeting, though, would only find Dimitri's mind wandering away from the deal that was happening, or the intel that was being provided on various deliveries, or potential threats of custom, and instead to the witch who'd left him back on Hogsmeade's platform. The thoughts of how he was going to win her over to his side again were ones that came in to being even when Dimitri tried to concentrate on something else, costing his father a half a million extra on the trade of crocodile hearts required from their seller in Florida. Apparently Dimitri had missed the point in which he should have laughed politely at the American's joke, and caused mild offence...

His father had, of course, not been in a good mood that evening, dinner had been more strained than it might usually have been, and the Moreau heir had retired to his room early that night to avoid any further backlash from the man.

The mobile device Nerisei had gotten him the summer before last had blown up with texts from his dorm mates from the whole day, the group chats he'd been forced in to detailing the fun each and every one of them had gotten up to, the Muggle girls they'd been dating through the summer were countless, and the question of what Dimitri was up to became less and less frequent with his vague replies. That night was no different as Dimitri scrolled through the conversation, barely glancing at the picture of a blonde girl that Phil had snagged this week and wished to have his back pat for the accomplishment.

Dimitri, though, pressed out of that group, and instead on to Nerisei's chat icon. The messages there were older than he cared to admit, the conversation just as it had been the night before when he'd read through it again. The only difference was the top bar, which announced Nerisei had been seen an hour ago.

The boy's fingers moved without touching the screen, trying to conjure the words to type in to the message, but falling short. He wanted to try, of course he did, but there just didn't seem to be something to say in text that wouldn't sound... wrong somehow. Dimitri locked the phone and tucked it carefully back under his pillow out of sight before turning away.

Eyes landed upon the desk in the far corner of his room almost out of instinct, and the boy had contemplated for a moment before he moved to sit down. The parchment came to had in seconds, the quill following not far after.

He'd spent a while on the letter, carefully ensuring his handwriting was neat despite the fact his handwriting was not all too awful to begin with. It had been carefully folded and placed in to an envelope, and Nerisei's name had been written neatly on top of it. Another piece had been pulled towards the boy and a less carefully crafted note had been made to instruct the florists of Hogsmeade to forward the letter he enclosed with their most beautiful mixed bouquet they had for the more than generous stash of galleons he would deposit in their account once the gift had been delivered.

It was a simple gesture, perhaps, but Dimitri was trying his best to show that he was working towards making things better. Of showing the witch that he did care, and that Nerisei was not someone he wanted to give up on.

One, tiny step at a time.

***

Nerisei,

I hope you're having a good summer, whatever it is you're doing!

I keep trying to text you, but each time I try I can't think of something important enough to say. Truthfully, I'm not sure why writing a letter is easier, but this is where I have gotten to with everything. Honestly, I can't seem to figure out what to do, or to say, that will not feel as if I am overthinking it all, I have been thinking about it for weeks, trying to fathom how on earth to start this, but there isn't an easy way to do this.

Phil told me you made Head Girl, congratulations on that, it is well deserved! I hope the flowers are to your liking in celebration -- in truth, I don't think I ever learned what your favourite was, so I asked for a selection to be put in your bouquet. You'll have to tell me sometime, so that I can ensure you get your favourites in future.

Anyway... I won't take up too much of your time, I'm sure you're very busy with your summer.

Dimitri

P.S. You're on my mind all the time, to the point where my father's business deals are affected. I miss you.

Guest

The moment Nerisei boarded the train, a loud sigh escaped her lips. The Ravenclaw witch found herself leaning against the window, a few tears threatening to escape. It had been so easy not to think about him, not to let him affect her when there was no contact. Nerisei had managed to block him out of her life and sort of move on. Sure, she was still hurting, she still had feelings for him, but it was easier to deal with those feelings when she didn't have to hear his voice call out her name. She was better off not knowing that he had feelings for her. That he wanted her back. That he...

Walking down the aisle, Nerisei found the compartment Annie was sitting in and pulled the door open. "We need to talk." Was all the Ravenclaw witch said, but her eyes betrayed her. Anne bit her lip and nodded, knowing already that she was about to get yelled at, but following Nerisei outside nonetheless. Once they were away from the group, Nerisei made sure that Anne understood that being her friend did not give her the permission to make choices that affected her life. The discussion was short, but ended on a positive note, and that was a good thing.

Boundaries had been set.

And so, Nerisei's summer had officially begun.

The witch spent most of her time attending different photoshoots and gathering money, in order to rent a house. They were going into their Seventh Year, which meant that Nerisei's dream of studying Potions was almost there. She had already made preparations to talk with James Balan, the best Potion Master for the time being, in order to get an apprenticeship. She was going to be the best, but that required a lot of work and a place of her own to relax, study and practice. Not to mention that she needed her privacy...

Her phone was ringing non stop, requests from various photographers and models that wanted to collaborate with her, but not a single text from the person that had insisted he wanted to stay in contact with her. Dimitri had not made a single attempt to communicate with her in any way, and that just proved to Nerisei that his intentions were, once again, not clear. He wasn't sure what he wanted from her, or he just wanted everything, without realising how serious the consequences were. And it pissed the young witch off a great deal.

What she hadn't expected though, was the gigantic bouquet that arrived, along with a handwritten later by none other than Dimitri Moreau. Her mother had been spamming her with questions all day, forcing the young girl to lock herself in the room. The bouquet was placed on her desk by the window, whilst she sat cross legged in bed, reading over the letter again and again.

P.S. You're on my mind all the time, to the point where my father's business deals are affected. I miss you.

I miss you.

Those three words were haunting her mind, making it incredibly hard to fall asleep, or focus on anything else. It might have taken him that long, but he had managed to communicate with her. Should she respond to him? A part of her was screaming no, but there was that other part of her that was screaming yes. Because she, too, had missed him dearly. But second chances shouldn't be given that easily. There had to be a way to respond to him, without giving him too much though, right?

You'll have to tell me sometime, so that I can ensure you get your favourites in future.

"That's it!" Nerisei mumbled with a small smile, before lying down, her mind finally at ease.

The next morning, Nerisei had called the florists at Hogsmeade and informed them to send a single white lily to Dimitri Moreau. This was Nerisei's way of answering Dimitri's question, and showing him that he had been, in a way, noticed by her.

That was all she would give. For now.

» Happy Birthday, Nerisei (Dimitri & Nerisei)
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