Valentine's Day (Nerisei)

The questions game that they had going on was one Nerisei was really enjoying. It was fun to be around Dimitri, but getting to know all the little details that made him who he is was even better. So far, she had learned what his favorite sweet was, and now, she heard talk about his favorite color. She didn’t expect it to be red, though, especially the darker hues of it. Dimitri surprised her more and more every day. He was unpredictable, that boy.

“Mine is purple. Every hue of it!” A small giggle escaped the girls lips. It wasn’t one of her ‘family colors’, but Nerisei had always liked purples. She had green eyes and every hue of purple complimented them. She just liked making them pop.

“What’s your favourite season, and why?”

“Ooo, that’s a good one!” Nerisei agreed with a small nod of her head. But was was her favourite season, really? She liked winter, she liked the snow, but that was pretty much it. Autumn, meh, too windy for her taste. And Jesus, certainly not Spring. All sorts of insects blossomed along with the flowers, and this was, probably, the worst season of the year for Nerisei. So that left… Summer.

“I guess I will have to go with Summer. Mostly because, well, it’s summer?” Nerisei chuckled at how childish she sounded. “I don’t.. . do swimming, you already know that. But, I do like tanning. And playing volleyball. And spending the nights at the beach. I don’t know. I think the starry nights are winning me over.”

It wasn’t a good enough explanation, but Nerisei hoped that it would suffice. “What’s yours?

But then, it was her turn to ask a question again. Thinking hard, Nerisei decided to ask something that would, hopefully, help Dimitri open up more.

“If a Genie granted you three wishes right now, what would you wish for?”

Dimitri’s favourite season was the Summer as well, it seemed, and that brought a smile to the witch’s lips. They had something in common, and that was one step further in their friendship. Nerisei knew, of course, that Dimitri mostly liked the Summer because of its weather, since swimming was what he loved. So being able to swim any time of the day would probably be pure bliss for the young wizard. But then, it was time for him to answer her next question, and Nerisei was really curious to hear what he had to say.

“Aside from the fact they’re not real…”

Neri wanted to roll her eyes. Of course they were not, but it was just a question!


“Well, the first would definitely be that my sister, Ellie, would be happy and safe for her whole life.”

Nerisei was surprised at that answer. She knew a lot about Dimitri, but how had she never heard about his sister? There was  a Moreau Princess in the castle and she had no idea? She was almost ready to ask him if he truly had a sister, but why would he say something like that if he didn’t? Nerisei’s brain was lagging, it seemed.

But even though she had no idea he had a sister, Dimitri seemed to love and care for her very much. And that was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. “I would love to meet your sister, sometime.” The witch said, but left it there. Nothing else needed to be added.

As the answer for the second wish left his lips, Nerisei nodded, more to herself than him. She didn’t strike him as someone who wouldn’t care about his friends. So, wishing for them to have anything they want in life, whether that was love, money, success…. It was nice to know that Dimitri had a pure heart. That he loved to make people happy. His friends, especially it seemed. And it was an honour to be his friend. But sometimes, being that good ended badly, and Neri didn’t want to see him hurt.

And his last wish was something for him. A personal need. A place to call his, where time stopped and he could work on anything he had in mind. Whether that was music or small projects  that Nerisei had known nothing about. With every passing second, it seemed that Neri didn’t truly know much about him. But she was learning. And she loved every minute of it.

“What about you, what three things would you wish for?”

Nerisei hadn’t thought about what she wanted, yet, as Dimitri asked her, a million things came to mind. But he wasn’t asking about everyday things. This was a question about our deeper wants. So Nerisei already had an answer for, at least, the first wish.

“Firstly, I would wish that there would be no blood discrimination. Purebloods would be equal to Halfbloods and to Muggleborns. It’s just blood. There shouldn’t be boundaries…”

It shouldn’t be impossible for me to be with you, the witch thought but never voiced it. No romantic moves, she kept reminding herself.

“Then, I would, too, wish for my friends to be happy. Anything they truly wished it, I’d want them to have it.”

But what would her third wish be ? What did she really want more? Neri, even if she was a Muggle, came from a very powerful and wealthy family. She didn’t need money, she didn’t need fame. No clothes or makeup. She just wanted… happiness. Love. A family of her own. A husband that loved and cherished her, and babies. She wanted to grow old, and die in the arms of her husband. She wanted a beautiful life.

A deep sigh left the girls lips. These were usually dreams that didn’t come true. Hope was all she had left, but deep inside of her, she knew that it wouldn’t be that way.

“My third wish would be for me to have a beautiful life. I want to become one of the best Potions Mistresses to ever exist, then marry and have a family. Have a husband who loves me and many, many children. That would make me happy.”

By the time she was done, they had already arrived at the village, that seemed to be quite empty still. It was the right choice to come earlier. “Are you ready to get some sweets, Lord Moreau?”

“Many children?”

Nerisei couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips. She didn’t know whether Dimitri was shocked, surprised, or scared. But either of them would be understandable. After all, males weren’t really fond of the idea of marriage and children. But how many did Nerisei really want? Well, two were not enough for her for sure. Three? Maybe. But she could bet she would want more. Nerisei was an only child, and one of the things she wanted the most when she was younger, was siblings. “I guess I would say about five… I mean, you never know what’s going to happen in life, but I am aiming for around five of them. And I do not particularly want a specific gender.”

“And, I know you’re going to find all of that, one day.”

Even if he assured her of that much, Nerisei wasn’t really believing it. It was rare, nowadays, to find true love. Especially in the Wizarding World. Love was not a choice, but it seemed that people, especially Purebloods, didn’t get that. So, it wasn’t rare to find cases that marriage didn’t necessarily lead to love. Arranged marriages, for example. Marrying a stranger? Or a cousin? How did people even manage that? Nerisei wanted to believe that anything was possible, really, but life was unfair. She had learned that the hard way.

“Always ready for sweets!”

Nerisei giggled and thanked Dimitri, as he opened the door for her. He was such a gentleman, it was hard not to feel protected and beautiful when you were with him. It was the way he moved, he talked, that made you feel so special. Like a Princess. And if she ever told him that much, he would say it was just manners. They way all males of the Pureblood society are taught. But Nerisei knew it was much more than that. Because no matter what manners they had been taught, not all males treated a woman like that. It was Dimitri’s personality, his own want to act that way, that made you feel special.

As Dimitri listed what they would have, Nerisei took the time to look around the store. Of course it was decorated in pinks and reds, filled with heart and.. Well… anything that screamed ‘love’ from a mile away. Wanting to investigate a bit, Nerisei moved away from the wizard and scanned the shelves, one by one. The things these people had come up with where crazy.
Her eyes landed on some teddy bears by the corner with the words ‘I love you’ inscripted on them, and Nerisei’s cheeks reddened. No romance, Neri, she thought once again.
This day was going to be hard to deal with.

As Nerisei stood there, she couldn’t help but wonder. Would she ever receive presents like these? Every girl wondered about that, she believed, so her thoughts weren’t surreal, or something. Because no matter what she hoped, Dimitri could not be the person she would end up with. After all, he had told her quite clearly that he hadn’t seen her in that way, ever. So why would he do it now? Nerisei didn’t believe in love at first sight, but she did believe in attraction. And Dimitri was most certainly not attracted to her.

So that left a hole in her. Would anyone be attracted to her? Would he shower her with love and affection and make her feel beautiful and… loved? Make her feel like she belonged, as if this was the right thing to do. Her destiny. Or would she end up with someone that didn’t care? No. The witch preferred to stay alone forever, instead of being with someone that didn’t give a single care for her. She was not going to tie herself down with a man like that, even if it was an arranged marriage.

But Dimitri…

Nerisei knew well enough that Dimitri would treat his wife with the respect and love she deserved. He would never leave her needs unattended and he would always make sure a smile was gracing her features. Because this is what Dimitri did. He wanted to make the people he loved happy. And Nerisei didn’t have a single doubt that he would fail to do so. He was a charming, sweet young man, who could literally give you the stars, if you asked for them. All because he cared.

“How about these?”

Neri was shaken out of her thoughts, as Dimitri’s voice touched her ears. Her eyes found what he was looking at and Nerisei nodded. They would of course share the chocolate. And thankfully, even though it still looked too romantic, it wasn’t extreme. They wouldn’t be able to get away from all the hearts and flowers, that was for sure, but they could try to minimize the awkwardness. They were doing fine for now, weren’t they?

“That looks nice.” Neri agreed.

His question on whether she wanted something else was answered with a negative shake of her head.  She liked sweets but she didn’t eat too many of them. She was sure that by the time they reached the chocolates, she would be full already.

Nerisei, though, knew that Dimitri would want to pay. So, before he had the chance to do so, she opened her purse and left more than enough galleons on the counter. “You can keep the change!” The witch said with a smile, before grabbing her sugared butterfly wings.

“Don’t you dare start whining, just because I paid. I am warning you!” Nerisei said with a laugh. She loved that Dimitri wanted to make her feel special this day, but she would not have him spending his money for her. She just wanted his company. She had a lot of galleons to spare.

Neri knew very well that the Moreau heir wouldn’t allow her to pull the same stunt twice. But in all honesty, Nerisei didn’t want him to feel like he had to pay for her. He was already doing so much by accompanying her this day. Without him, she would probably be sulking in some dark corner of the castle, hoping no one sees her. Or well, hoping she wouldn’t have to see something her eyes weren’t prepared to see.

Though as the wizard insisted that the next stop would be his treat, Nerisei knew she didn’t have a choice, so she simply nodded with a small smile. He could pay for something. Once. And that was it.

“Would you like one?”

Neri smiled and took one, wanting to try them mostly, before offering her bag to him as well. As the explosions hit the top of her mouth, Nerisei gasped and giggled. The feeling was… incredible! In a good way! “Try the butterfly wings! You are going to love them, believe me. They are divine!”

Dimitri’s next question was an easy one. He was in need of some things, and Nerisei didn’t mind going with him at all. They had all day, and the more time she spent with him, the happier she was. “Well, we can go get the things you need, and then we could go to Madam Puddiffoot’s for tea?” The witch offered. It was way too early for lunch, so tea was the best option.

“Unless,” Nerisei said with a smirk. “You would like to go to the Shrieking Shack..?”

It was just another place that would buy them time, while they waited for lunch.

But Dimitri had another question, that was far more interesting than the first.

“And, second question. Will you be going to university to study potions to a higher degree, or are you going to look in to an apprenticeship?”

Easy. Nerisei knew the answer to that question since her first year. She loved Potions. It made her passionate and she, of course, wanted to spend her life doing what she loved the most. “And Apprenticeship will not suffice for me. I want to become the best Potions Mistress, so I will definitely go to university. Higher Degree all the way!”

But then, Neri understood that she had never asked him what he wanted to do once he graduated. “What about you?” Did Purebloods go to University, or did they just got straight into the Family business? “You want to study anything?”