A Brand New Start [Neri & Dimitri]

Guest

Nerisei could not believe how fast summer flew by. The last year had been dramatic and quite... terrifying in a sense. The young witch's reality had been altered more than once, making sort of difficult for her to adapt to each event accordingly. Though nothing would have prepared her for the events that would follow during the Summer Holidays either.

First, her manager had approached her, informing her of a major photoshoot that would take place in one of the many beautiful beaches of Milos' island, in Greece, alongside the biggest modeling names. Of course, Nerisei was hesitant at first, but this was a big opportunity for her modeling career. She couldn't possibly turn it down! Therefore, she agreed and did not regret a single second of it. The pictures were beautiful and she felt like a new life was starting ahead of her. A positive one.

Then, it was the owl from Hogwarts, informing her that she had made Head Girl that year. The joy that overcame her was unreal. Nerisei had tried really hard to be one of the best students in Hogwarts, mostly because she enjoyed learning stuff. Not to mention that it kept her busy enough not to think of all the negatives that had happened last year. Dimitri had affected her terribly, and Nerisei had fought hard in order to stay the person that she used to be. Obviously, a lot of things had changed, but deep down, she was still the Nerisei everyone knew. Just more... matured.

But Dimitri had other plans. He wouldn't exit her life... no. He just had to come up to her, right as she was about to step on the train, only to talk to her again. And say what? Nothing new, of course. Same old excuses and feelings. As if that was something she cared about, after everything he had put her through. Though, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was still in love with him, deep down. And the Moreau heir seemed to be quite persistent, when he wanted to be. Which explained the lovely bouquet that arrived at her door one of those sweet summer days.

That kept her up all night, trying to figure out how she should respond.

But all she did was give him a hint.

But Summer was over, and the young witch was called back to the beautiful reality of Hogwarts. The train ride was something the Ravenclaw witch was looking forward to. Her relationship with Anne had been a bit tense, after Nerisei had learned what Anne had done, but the girls, of course, made up during the holidays. Anne was just looking out for her, that much Nerisei knew, therefore there was no point in holding grudges. They were practically adults now. Almost.

Anne had informed her that she had a few stops to make, in different compartments, but she would end up finding her eventually, and of that, Nerisei was sure. So instead of wasting time looking around for her blonde friend, the Head Girl found an empty compartment and slid in, placing her things aside and taking a seat next to the window. Opening her book of Advanced Potions, Nerisei slowly got lost in the pages, blocking out everyone and everything.

There was peace.

For now.

Guest

Summer had come and gone with very little excitement for Dimitri, which was hardly surprising when you were not allowed to travel with the rest of your family for the summer, and instead got holed up with your father and business. Text updates from his dorm mates were the excitement of the boy's day, in truth, and with each evening within the refuge of his own room, Dimitri would check his phone in the hope there would be a message from Nerisei.

There never was, and the boy found himself watching the charmed white lily on his bedside thoughtfully.

Dimitri had found himself in the same predicament once more, though.

Yes, Nerisei had replied, but it hadn't been enough for him to know what to do next.

Summer had come to a close, though, and with it the final year at Hogwarts. The warning from his father as he left for King's Cross had been clear enough, nothing short of an Exceeds Expectations in Potions would see his son graduating from the school, which meant Dimitri had a lot of work to do through the school year to ensure he met those expectations. It had been the last thing his father had said before Dimitri and his sister had been escorted to London by the staff. With their trunks safely aboard the train, Dimitri had seen his sister off with her friends before turning to his own ideas for the trip.

He could, of course, go and find Phil and the guys, listen to the list of fun things they'd gotten up to over the summer whilst he listened without much to add. Perhaps at some point he might find the boys, but for now...

Dimitri moved down the train slowly, looking in to each compartment to try to find the one person he really needed to speak to. Time after time the boy found himself faced with compartments filled with students. The Clement kid and her following spilled out in to the corridor, another witch sat with a younger male from his house which brought a momentary smile to Dimitri's lips before her carried along on his way. He might have almost passed the compartment that Nerisei had holed herself up in, in truth.

Tucked away behind her book, face mostly hidden from the world, Nerisei would have been easy to miss in that moment, but Dimitri caught himself halfway across the compartment and took a step back. For a moment, the Ravenclaw male stood for a moment just watching. It went without saying that he shouldn't have, and after a moment more, he was rewarded with the reminder that he shouldn't be stood watching Nerisei like that. The shove of the second year hurrying down the aisle excitedly with his friend pushed Dimitri headfirst in to the compartment door -- not too heavily, but enough to bang his forehead and alert the occupant of the compartment to his presence.

"Slow down!" Dimitri called after the students, but the smile on his features showed he was not in any way trying to tell them off. Eyes moving back to the witch inside the compartment, Dimitri offered a small smile before opening the compartment door enough to be able to speak with the witch. "Room for one more?"

Should Nerisei agree -- which the boy was hopeful she would, Dimitri would enter the compartment and take a seat opposite the witch by the window. For a moment, it might even look like Dimitri would fail to know what he was going to say, but the confidence came a moment later.

"So, how was your summer?" Dimitri would ask, knowing that whilst it wasn't the best opener, it was something. He'd said something, which was more than he'd managed for almost all of the previous year.

Guest

It was not a secret that Potions was Nerisei's favorite subject at school. On the contrary, she was -if not the best- one of the best students, when it came down to it. It was her dream to become one of the best Potions Mistresses the Wizarding World had ever seen, and she knew that she was smart and gifted enough to achieve that, with the right tutoring. Which was why the Ravenclaw witch had already done her research, and had chosen James Balan, their previous Professor and one of the best Potion Makers out there to work alongside to. But there was one tiny problem that had to be solved first.

James Balan did not take apprenticeships.

Nerisei was incredibly persistent though, and she had promised herself that she would achieve her goal no matter what. Which was why she would be writing a letter to her ex Potions' Professor, informing him of her exceptional grades and explaining to him why she wanted to be his apprentice. She would fight for this position anyway she could. Hopefully, there would be a way to persuade him into helping her out. After all, she was one of the best. Hell, she bet she could be better than him, even.

Her thoughts were cut short though, once a bang was heard throughout the compartment, alerting Nerisei, who quickly shut her book and grabbed her wand, eyes finding the source of the noise. Dimitri. Raising an eyebrow at the scene, she took a moment to realise that the young, handsome man, had managed to actually hit his forehead against the glass, all because of... children.

"Room for one more?"

"Well..." Nerisei started, but she found her voice breaking towards the end. A part of her knew that she would have to face the young wizard sooner or later, but she wasn't actually prepared to face him... well, now! She had hoped that he would run after Phil and his other friends, to talk about women and all the idiotic things males seemed to do at this age. But, of course, this was Dimitri, and being conventional was apparently not something he did.

"So, how was your summer?"

Tucking her book away, Nerisei cleared her throat and motioned for him to take a seat inside. After all, she did not need the whole train to know what was going on. But knowing how gossip seemed to travel around Hogwarts, everyone would be talking about the young male who was sitting alone with the Head Girl. "Summer was... eventful." Nerisei murmured, unwilling to give out more information just yet. Silence settled for a few minutes, and Nerisei found herself looking at her hands, or outside the window, before deciding that this was not how things should go. She was a mature, young woman, and she should not be afraid of talking!

"I had an important photoshoot. You may... have seen the pictures? I am not sure whether you're following that sort of news, to be honest." Neri admitted with a small shrug, before adding one more thing. "And I made Head Girl. How was yours?"
Being a decent human being was the least she could do.

Guest

The answer to the question he'd posed was short. Gave nothing away, and almost made the Moreau heir vacate the compartment as not to force Nerisei in to talking to him. He had thought, perhaps incorrectly, that the reply to the bouquet had been a sign that Nerisei was open to talking to him again. The short answer was perhaps the opposite of his expectations, but then, they had a long way to go before they could possibly end up in the realms of being comfortable around one another again.

For the longest moment, Dimitri considered apologising, and leaving Nerisei to get back to her book.

But then the witch spoke again.

This time with a little more openness.

Only a little more.

The question of having seen her photoshoot was one that Dimitri shook his head to to begin with. "I don't know how I would find those... can you show me?" The boy asked, taking his phone from his pocket and offering it to the witch opposite him without a second thought. If Nerisei took it, she would find it set up exactly as it had always been, from the time she'd given him the device to keep in contact with her over two years ago. Dimitri would still not pretend to be overly comfortable with the device, but he was getting there.

The second part, though, made Dimitri smile warmly at the witch. "You really deserved that one!" he told her. He'd messed up last time Nerisei had received the nod from their professors, but that wouldn't happen again. And out of all of the prefects in their year, Nerisei Gerber was without a doubt the best witch to receive the honour of Head Girl. "That..." Dimitri realised a moment later what that did mean, though... "Will you be staying in the Ravenclaw dorms, or taking up residence in the Head Boy and Girl dorms?"

Not that it was really any of his business, but if Nerisei was not going to be around the dorms so often, that was definitely not something Dimitri was overly happy with.

"Not as exciting as yours, that much is for sure." Dimitri replied to the question of his own summer. "My father kept me with him for most of the summer, shadowing him with his business deals, and the like. I didn't even get to go to my cousin's villas in Greece this year."

Though, it had it's plus points, not seeing Odysseus before school recommenced was a bonus, he supposed.

"I'm hoping the lake won't be too cool for swimming in the first few weeks of the term. I mean, I can using charms to keep me warm, but it's not quite the same. I missed the beach this summer..." Dimitri caught himself, though, almost on the edge of continuing on about things Nerisei probably didn't really care about.

So Dimitri found himself looking for something that might interest the witch.

And was left overthinking as he tried to work out what to say next.

Guest

The more time passed, the more confused Nerisei felt. She thought she had been fine. Dimitri's presence, or well, his absence had cost her a lot, but with a lot of work and persistence she had managed to overcome that. She had managed to feel somewhat fine. But then he had to go and try talking to her. Apologising. Trying to make amends for all the mistakes he had made. For all the degrading comments and stupid acts of immature jealousy. And that had left the younger witch in a turmoil of emotions for the whole of Summer.

But this was her fault too. Because no matter how angry she had been at his actions, she still responded to his advances. Because deep down, she still wanted him. Nerisei still wanted this to work. But for how long could she go on living a lie? Both of them knew Dimitri's family would never accept her, and that eventually Dimitri would have to move on, marry another woman, have a family...

Whilst she would be left to try and gather the pieces.

"I don't know how I would find those... can you show me?"

Nerisei still had the chance to leave, though. She could just ignore him, say that she couldn't keep doing this, stand up and exit the compartment. Knowing Dimitri, he wouldn't try to follow her, and perhaps this would end there. They would forget they ever existed for each other, finish this last year at Hogwarts and then move on with their lives. No more pain, no more lies, no more false hopes.

But as tempting as that sounded, Nerisei found herself softly extending one arm to take the phone that she had given him over two years ago from his hand. Whilst listening to his encouraging comments about how she deserved making Head Girl, Nerisei unlocked his phone, the faintest smile touching her lips as she observed the sleek piano she had put as his wallpaper still there. He hadn't changed a thing. Without wasting time, she tapped the internet icon and typed her name along with the name of the shoot, waiting for it to load before handing the phone back for him to see.

"I will be moving to the Head Dorms. I think some privacy will be good. I will still come by the Ravenclaw Tower, of course. Isolation is never pleasurable for too long." Nerisei admitted, her eyes now focused on the male wizard. Was he going to like the pictures? Part of her already knew that he would definitely not comment on them, since they were way more provocative than what ladies of his own blood would ever dream of taking. But she still hoped that he would --at least secretly-- like them.

Nerisei remained silent as she listened to him talk about his summer. Business meetings had kept him away from the once carefree summers he was used to. Swimming, spending time by the sea, travelling... Dimitri had the opportunity to do so many things, yet no time. He was one of the lucky few to be able to travel to such beautiful places though, and Neri envied that sometimes. Modeling was the only opportunity she had to travel to different countries, hence why she had not completely abandoned the idea.

Silence settled in the compartment after that, with Nerisei unsure of what to say. She would have to leave later for a meeting with the Prefects, but until then, she had no idea how else she should approach this. If she should approach this. What was even the goal here? Dimitri had admitted that nothing had truly changed. Yet, he had also admitted that he liked her, wanted her. And that touched the young Ravenclaw witch because despite everything she knew, deep down, that Dimitri was the only man she had ever wanted so much. The only man she believed she would ever want.

And that was her biggest mistake.

Guest

Dimitri watched as Nerisei took the phone from his hand and typed in to it. For a moment there was nothing to say to the witch as he waited for her to return the phone. The idea he'd had of the photoshoot, though, was a stark difference to the pictures that he was presented with on his phone. The boy couldn't help but look from picture to picture with vast interest showing in his eyes, even as he schooled his features in to one of neutrality -- a difficult feat when you could feel the eyes of the witch in question were upon you.

The faintest hint of a smile managed to escape from the attempted hiding of his thoughts, one that would be vastly overshadowed by the desire that would show in the boy's eyes as he looked up at the witch, trying to find the right words to... well, say anything...

But Dimitri was spared the trouble as Nerisei answered his question about where she would be staying for the school year, opting to make full use of the Head Common Room and rooms she was provided with. "It makes sense," the boy agreed, clearing his throat shortly after because he sounded like he was almost gasping for water when he'd spoken.

The witch did not comment on his summer, though, stunting their conversation more than necessary in that moment. Dimitri looked back down at his phone that had now moved to the black screen due to inactivity. The idle -- and hopeful -- thought of the images still being there when he unlocked it registered in that moment, and the boy too a moment to look out of the train window to contain the thoughts that had presented themselves in response to his own query.

Another moment, and the boy's eyes moved back to Nerisei, his mouth opened to say something, and then lost it's trail of thought. Closing his jaw back together, the boy let out a soft sigh. He hadn't wanted things to be awkward, but he was struggling to think of something to say. Something that would get Nerisei to open up a little more from her shell...

"Do you think we might beat the Slytherins at Quidditch this year?" He asked, only proving how thin on resources he was for conversation because he'd opted for a subject he barely kept up with in their day to day lives. But, he was trying... and surely that had to count for something, didn't it?

Guest

Nerisei waited. And waited. And waited. The anticipation made the hairs at the back of her neck stand, as the young witch fidgeted with her hands. Was he going to be appalled? Was he going to judge the whole thing? Was he going to find her beautiful? All those questions were swirling inside her head, causing her to stare at the younger boy for a sign, any sign, that could give away what he thought about the pictures. About her.

A small smile touched his features thought, and Nerisei almost let out a sigh of relief. But the moment his eyes found hers, that breath she was going to release got caught in her throat. Dimitri's eyes were dark, full of desire. Desire that she almost couldn't believe she was seeing. Dimitri Moreau had always been one to hide his emotions, especially from her. Not to mention we were talking about emotions of desire.

Nerisei felt her face turning hot, the realisation hitting her like a wall of bricks. She was... turned on, by the way he was looking at her. She liked the way he was looking at her. And Nerisei knew that the same pleasure was mirrored in her eyes, that were now staring at him. The Ravenclaw witch involuntarily bit her lip, the tension between them growing with each passing second. She wanted to close the space between them. She wanted to leap from her seat, grab his face-

But Dimitri broke their eye contact, leaving Nerisei breathing hard, frozen in her seat. What had just happened? She was supposed to be mad at him, damn it! Not fall back into love with him! But... when had she ever truly fallen out of love with Dimitri?

"Do you think we might beat the Slytherins at Quidditch this year?"

Nerisei took a moment. Two. Dimitri couldn't seriously have asked that. After the obvious tension between them, after the incredible staring competition...
"Of all the things you could ask... this is what you chose?" Neri asked, frustration obvious in her tone. "You truly are one of a kind, Dimitri Moreau."

Guest

Despite the witch's frustrated tones, Dimitri couldn't help but let out a soft laugh in response to words. Not a harsh one, just one that would show he fully understood how he had not picked the best line of conversation to start with. But, hopefully, Nerisei would understand that he had tried to find something to talk about, that she would understand he was trying to build the bridge between them, no matter how much of a backward manner it might have seemed.

"Well, I heard a few people talking about it on the way in to the train, so I thought it was quite topical." The boy offered as a joke to ease the tension that had built during the awkward silence before. "Though, I'm not quite so hopeful as some of the younger Ravenclaws for dethroning the Slytherins." Dimitri finalised the topic of conversation with his own view.

Whether it had worked to resolve the silence, and ease them both, Dimitri was not sure, but he didn't let it go to waste before he continued on, not knowing how long he might have before Nerisei would need to go about her duties as Head Girl.

"So, do you know what you're going to do after this school year, yet?" The Moreau heir asked. His suspicion would be university for the witch, likely Potions as her chosen topic of study. Merlin knew how very good the witch was at Potions, she was the envy of the boy opposite her who struggled to get an Exceeds Expectations in the subject, something that had never gone down well with his own father. How could the son of a Black Market potioneer not be great at the subject? The question had always haunted Dimitri, and this year would be no different with the looming forced option of Potions on his curriculum.

Guest

The laugh that escaped Dimitri's lips made Nerisei raise an eyebrow, but only for a moment. Sometimes, it surprised her how vastly different the two of them were. Different backgrounds, different values, even different points of view, most of the time. Yet, there was something in him that drew Neri close. It wasn't just his handsome looks. And it definitely wasn't his love, or ability for Potions, since they both knew that he was rather weak at the subject. Dimitri was refreshing. His music brought something out of her that no one else had managed to before. Perhaps this was why they found it so difficult to communicate with words, sometimes. Perhaps... they had been doing it all wrong from the beginning.

"Though, I'm not quite so hopeful as some of the younger Ravenclaws for dethroning the Slytherins."

"You do know that I believe Ravenclaw will win this year. We're strong. Practice can do wonders. Also, smart planning. I feel like our fellow housemates have forgotten that wisdom is crucial. As Head Girl, it is my duty to remind them." The young witch said with a small smirk touching her lips. It was true, the Slytherin House had been quite impressive so far, but it was about time that the Ravenclaws took back what was rightfully theirs.

"So, do you know what you're going to do after this school year, yet?"

"Yes, of course. I am going to become the apprentice of James Balan, and hopefully turn into the best Potions Mistress of our generation." Nerisei admitted rather seriously. Her love for Potions had always been quite evident, so there was no question about her choice of profession. "I also have my modeling career. It brings good money, so I will probably keep doing that on the side of my studies. I assume you'll take on your family's business. What are your plans? Any changes you plan on making?" The Ravenclaw though already knew that there would be no changes. Dimitri didn't have to backbone for it.

Guest

The response to his own lack of belief in the Ravenclaw Quidditch team was returned with the completely opposite attitude from Nerisei. Her own fierce certainty that their house might be able to dethrone the Slytherins was admirable, as was her note of trying to rally all of their players to remember the values on their house as they tried to win at the Quidditch House Cup this year. Dimitri couldn't help but admire the assured nature the witch had taken in that moment, and relented in his own view.

"I hope they listen," was where the boy settled on instead of anything else, allowing that topic to be left where it had gotten to without further exploration.

Instead, Dimitri was gifted with the fact he'd been right in his guess for what Nerisei would be doing for her next jump in education. He was surprised though, that the witch would not be heading to Univeristy to study potions, and instead had decided to go down the route of an apprenticeship. "James Balan... the old Potions professor?" Dimitri asked, equal amounts curious and concerned in the choice. James Balan was not known for being an easy man to get along with, quite the opposite... but then, the boy had never really liked potions, so those associated with it usually did not come with as much liking as they probably deserved. "Did you not want to go to University?" He asked, careful to not show that he thought skipping university would be an error on her part, and instead with as much neutrality as he could muster.

But the notion of his own plans, the boy nodded to show she'd also struck true with his plans.

"Father has the expectation that I will join him after this year." Dimitri confirmed, and it would go without saying that the seventeen year old would not try to go against his father's wishes. "That's why he kept me so busy with him over the summer." The question about whether he would make changes was one that Dimitri fell short on. Changes? His father was still in charge of the business, and his own ability in the subject was less than helpful. The black market was ruthless, and Dimitri...

"I'm still learning." He settled on, leaving the question not exactly unanswered, but without a solid answer too.

"How long do you believe you'll be able to keep your modelling career going?" Dimitri asked, his mind bringing up the pictures she'd shown him only shortly before which he tucked back away to save himself from getting lost in such thoughts, but they stayed just in sight in the periphery of his thoughts, a reminder that they weren't going away any time soon.

» CLASS: Fall Term: Potions (Neri & Dimitri)
» Soothe the throat (Neri)
» Unexpected Meetings [Jacques & Neri]
» To Start Anew (Daniel)
» The Start of Something New {Elenore and Alexei}