Valentine's Day (Nerisei)

When Nerisei offered to go to Madam Puddiffoot’s, she knew that it would probably be a terrible idea. The place was always decorated as if it was Valentine’s Day, every damn day of the year. So, imagine how it would look now. Nerisei didn’t mean to make Dimitri feel uncomfortable with that, and she certainly didn’t make that proposition in a romantic way. She was simply trying to find out ways to spend their time. It wasn’t easy, though, because who spent Valentine’s Day with a friend? When you are a couple, you either want to be in the middle of most of the festivities, or locked away, somewhere, to do other things. Things the girls in her Dorm wouldn’t stop talking about.

And, to be honest, Nerisei had caught herself thinking about these things too. She had never even kissed a boy. But the girls were talking about much more than kissing. Or, well, if they were talking about kissing, it definitely wasn’t your every day kiss.

Though, the only guy she could think of,was Dimitri. And the moment Dimitri’s face came into the picture along with these things, Nerisei felt like fainting. So, she stopped thinking about it altogether.

But, thankfully, she had thought about the Shrieking Shack, and despite Dimitri not turning her down on her offer about tea, she knew he would prefer not to. She wasn’t dumb. Hell, even she didn’t want to go!

“How about… instead of staying for lunch, we grab some sandwiches from the shop, and some drinks, and we head to the Shack for the afternoon? Then we won’t have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the village when all the love birds get here?”

Neri’s eyes widened! How had she not thought of that? “Oh, thank God, you thought of that! I didn’t want to go either!” The witch exclaimed sincerely. Just the thought of sitting there, surrounded by couple that would probably kissing all the time was not what Nerisei wanted to do. Dimitri’s idea was excellent!

Though, as Dimitri admitted that he was positive she would go to university, Nerisei gave him a small smile and a raised eyebrow. Was she that easy to read? Or had he become good at figuring her out already?

“Me… I’m not sure yet. My father will want me to join the family business as soon as possible.”

Nerisei nodded, but didn’t say anything. Nerisei knew that his family worked with Potions, even though they weren’t the biggest name in the industry. And this was one of the reasons she was surprised that, well, Dimitri wasn’t the best at the subject. He hated it, basically, though Nerisei wasn’t really sure if it was the subject or the Professor that made him despise  it so much.
Nonetheless, how would he get into business, if he wasn’t fond of the profession? Or… as good as you needed to be, at least.

“Maybe I’ll go, but if I go I don’t think my father will be happy with me taking anything other than potions…”

Neri laughed at that. A genuine laugh. Though, what he was saying was true. Despite what he wanted, Dimitri would be forced to study something that would benefit their business and nothing less. It was nice to know, though, that, even if she wasn’t a Pureblood, she could potentially be better than them. Or, if she achieved to become the best Potions Mistress, they could need her.

“Well, say you go to university,” Neri started. “And say, you indeed are forced to study Potions. You could always borrow my notes.” Neri smirked and gave Dimitri a wink. She would gladly help him. She always did.

Dimitri wasted no time and moved to the stationers shop. After all, they had come to an agreement about what they would do in the evening. So all they had to do now, was pick up the things Dimitri needed, and move on to their next destination. The Shrieking Shack.

As Dimitri was buying a notebook, Nerisei looked around the shop. Did she need anything? Nothing popped up in her head, until the last minute, when her eyes spotted a very nice notebook. It was a leather one, and it was perfect. It was about time, after all, that Nerisei updated her diary.

“I wouldn’t want to burden you at university with my work as well as your own. You know that I feel guilty enough asking you for help now, so to do it with something I really wouldn’t want to be doing, when you’re so passionate about such things…”


Neri had to roll her eyes at that. Dimitri was just being modest, and pushing her away for no reason. She wasn’t aiming to hurt his feelings, or make him uncomfortable in any way. He was her friend, and the least she could do was help him when he was in need. Especially when she was very good at exactly the subject he was struggling with. But Dimitri didn’t want to accept her help and it made her feel.. Weird.

“I know you mean well, and I am super grateful for the offer, but I couldn’t take you up on it, Nerisei. I couldn’t burden you like that.”

“Dimitri, sweetheart, you know I would love to study with you, if you did go to university.” Nerisei answered truthfully. She would never reject such an offer. Especially if she had such an intelligent study partner. “But you never were, and I doubt that you will ever be a burden to me. I am your friend. I want to help you.” Though, the witch didn’t say anything more. After all, it was his choice what he wanted to do. She wouldn’t push him about anything.

“Did you need anything from this shop, or shall we just go grab some lunch from the take out shop next door?”

Neri held up the leather notebook for him to see with a smile, “Just that. Then we can grab some food, and go hide away from all these couples. Else, I will be scarred for life.” A small giggle left her lips at that, before she fell silent once again.

Once Dimitri paid for their notebooks, Nerisei moved along with him to their next shop. It wasn’t something extremely fancy, and Nerisei was secretly thankful for that. She just wanted something simple. And that was exactly what they got. Some sandwiches along with a drink each and some chips, and then they were off to the Shrieking Shack. The Ravenclaw witch truly hoped that no one else would be occupying the place. She wanted to be away from people, not walk in on anything.

As they neared the Shrieking Shack, Dimitri asked her once again a question, making sure to point out how much of a gentleman he was, for giving her enough time to ask a question later. Nerisei didn’t hold in the laugh that escaped her red lips at that moment. Dimitri knew how to cheer someone up and lighten the mood, and for that, the young witch was truly thankful. Nerisei wasn’t really a social butterfly, and expressing herself was…. Hard. Really, really hard. Especially after she had pushed herself to become more introvert that she already was.

“Well, besides dancing, I do play volleyball. And not just beach volleyball. I used to be on a team, in the Muggle World.” Neri confessed with a small smile. She hadn’t given up the sport, of course. She was simply not part of any team, because it was simply impossible, when your school was Hogwarts.

“I also workout. Since I can no longer be part of a team, I have to stay in shape, somehow. So, since hitting the gym isn’t really doable at Hogwarts, I workout outside. I do go running, you know I don’t go swimming, for sure, and I just.. Do some exercises on the grass. During Winter, I just use the Room of Requirements.” Nerisei admitted.

Once the couple of friends reached their destination, Neri made sure to look around, just to make sure no one was near, before she slowly opened the door and slipped in quietly. Placing a finger on her lips, initiating that they should stay quiet for a few moments, Nerisei listened carefully for any signs of life. None. Smiling triumphantly, she motioned for Dimitri to follow her inside. The place was old, of course, but there was still a couple of furniture lying around.

Finding a bed, Neri grabbed her wand and made sure everything was clean, before she carefully took a seat, motioning for Dimitri to do the same. Once they were both comfortable, Nerisei allowed herself to lean back against the wood, closing her eyes. Peace. It was so nice to be away from all that… fuss.

“My turn to ask a question now.” The Ravenclaw witch announced with a grin. “If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you want to be and with who?”

His query on why she hadn’t made a volleyball team at Hogwarts brought a sad smile on the witch’s lips. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to make one, but she was terrible at being the center of attention. She liked it, but she was terrible at it. And since it would be her who would make the team, she would have to organise and make sure everything worked well. Which was not something she wanted to do. Nerisei was quite the shy lady, and she preferred to stay hidden. Unless, of course, she was positively sure about what she was doing.

“I just don’t like to be the center of attention. And yes, winter is too cold for me.” Nerisei answered truthfully, making sure to cover his next question as well. She still remembered how worried she had been when she had seen him outside running. It was still a surprise to her, how Dimitri had manage not to fall ill.

But then they were already in the Shrieking Shack, comfortably lying on the bed, staring at each other. Well, technically, they weren’t staring, but Nerisei was definitely lost in his eyes. That much, she couldn't stop herself from doing. She wasn’t that strong, it seemed.

“Well, I’m quite content here…”

A smile touched the girl’s lips, happy to know that she wasn’t all that boring. Truth be told, she didn’t want to make DImitri feel neither uncomfortable or bored. He had sacrificed a day such as this one to be with her, and to make sure she wasn’t alone. The least she could offer him, as his friend, was some fun.

Dimitri, then, further explained how he would maybe change the place with one of his Holiday Homes, but her company wouldn;t be dismissed, and Neri didn’t hide the happiness that took over her features. Well, she liked being in his company, and it was nice to know he liked being in hers too.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t change today for anything.” Nerisei answered truthfully, when Dimitri asked her whether she would like to be somewhere else. Well, yes, a part of her did, but the place wasn’t really far, from where she already was. She would love to be in his arms, instead of opposite of him. But that was going to remain hidden.

“Do you have any phobias? Or, what scares you?”

Did she? Of course, she did. What human didn’t?

Nerisei didn’t believe for a second, that there were people out there who weren’t afraid of something. Whether that was insects, their mom, or… something as simple as the dark. Because, yes, Nerisei was, even at the age of fifteen, still afraid of the dark. But not just darkness. Complete blackness. That was what scared her the most.

“Please, don’t laugh…,” the witch whispered to him, taking a deep breath. “I am still afraid of the dark..” Nerisei admitted. Though, she believed, she was still afraid, because nothing important made her surpass that fear. She hoped, that eventually, she would be able to put that behind her.

“You know, that’s kinda cute?”

Nerisei blushed furiously as Dimitri admitted he found her phobia cute. It had been hard for her to tell him what scared her, but if she had known that this would be his reaction, she wouldn’t be worried at all. But, how could he find that cute? Was it because of her, maybe? Or was he simply trying to be kind and avoid making her feel bad?

“I better make sure I get you back to the castle before the sun sets, then.”

“You are teasing me,” Nerisei observed with a small giggle. It was nice, though. Usually, she didn’t take lightly on teasing, but the way Dimitri did it… she had no problem, basically. The witch wasn’t sure if it was the way he was approaching the whole teasing subject, or if it was because it was him.  But nonetheless, she didn’t mind.

“Please, protect me from the scary monsters, my Lord,” she teased back, showing that she didn’t mind at all.

“I’m scared of failing.”

Nerisei didn’t bother to hide the surprise that took over her at that statement. “Oh?”
The Ravenclaw witch didn’t expect ‘failing’ to be Dimitri’s fear. After all, he wasn’t failing at all. He was an excellent student. Hardworking, intelligent and passionate. He could achieve pretty much anything, if he put his mind into it.

“Not tests, or exams -- though I don’t want to fail those, either. But, failing the people I care about. I know it sounds cliche, and I don’t mean it to, but I’m really scared of disappointing my parents because I don’t… I’m not like them…”

Nerisei fell silent then. Dimitri had never been so open with her before, and, to be honest, she didn’t expect him to share that much with her. That showed the witch that Dimitri was slowly opening up to her. Trusting her with parts of him that she doubted he had shared with someone else. But what could she tell him? Neri was scared that whatever left her mouth would sound wrong and make him feel uncomfortable. She didn’t want either.

Hesitantly, Nerisei extended her hand and softly brushed her fingers against his cheek. A smile touched her features, and her eyes found Dimitri’s. “You won’t fail, Dimitri. You are smart and far more capable than you think. I believe that you simply don’t trust yourself enough.”

Nerisei then pulled her hand away, not wanting to cause him any discomfort. “I don’t know what makes you think that you are not like your parents, but I can see that you love them. You don’t want to fail them, and you won’t. And you are right, you are not like them, Mitri. You are better, much, much better…”

But the Ravenclaw wizard wasn’t done. There was one more thing that he wanted to share before they moved on to the next question.

“I’m also scared of wasps.”

Nerisei didn’t hold back her giggle at that. He was the first guy to admit such thing. Most males pretended that insects were something only ‘weak girls’ were afraid of, but everyone knew that is a lie. “Well, I wasn’t really afraid of them. More like… I avoided them. Up until I actually stepped on a wasp and, yeah… I was five, and I was crying like a baby. I still remember how painful it was.” The young witch admitted, wanting to make him feel better about it. After all, she wasn’t mocking him, and he shouldn’t be afraid of sharing that with her. His secret was safe with her.

Most of the evening was spent in the same manner, mostly exchanging questions. Some were either very simple and ended up with them laughing like crazy, and others were more serious. Overall, both parties had fun and learned a lot about each other. A small break was taken so that they could enjoy their food and drinks, before they, once again, fell into a deep discussion. Nerisei couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so nice. It was, by far, one of the best days she had ever lived in her life.

Darkness came faster than Neri expected, though, and after a mutual agreement, Nerisei and Dimitri left the Shrieking Shack full and happy. The walk back to the castle was quiet, but not awkward or uncomfortable. They had surprisingly made it to the Ravenclaw Tower without stumbling upon too many couples. Sadly, though, the Common Room was full, and Nerisei and Dimitri had to avoid a lot of comments and looks by others. Though, truth was that neither of them cared.

With a small smile, Nerisei thanked Dimitri for the beautiful day, and after making sure that everyone had gone back to whatever they were doing, and the couple wasn’t the center of attention anymore, she leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. After wishing him goodnight, the witch disappeared up the stairs. Once in the room, the girls almost pounced on her, demanding to know everything that had happened -especially the juicy details, Anne had insisted-, but Nerisei waved them off.

They didn’t have to know anything.

Dimitri was just… her friend.