The Return of the Shoes!

Eli was bracing himself for rejection. He didn't know how far he could go with Amelia. He was in unknown territory and was ill-equipped for searching it. He knew she probably had to go to some kind of ball at the Ministry with her parents. An offer for him was given at the Ministry also but he had declined after finding out exactly who was on the guest list. It was mostly the people his mother and father associated with and he didn't think he could last the night listening to the women gossip and watch the men get steadily drunker.

He was expecting to be let down. Not that he would have taken it to heart but when at least four seconds had passed he heard Amelia's voice. She was hesitant but she didn't say no. She didn't say no. She didn't say no! Elijah's face brightened and he felt Nachash give a leap of joy under his skin and he winced slightly but masked the slight pain. It wasn't the best thing for a tattooed snake to do, especially a living, breathing tattooed snake.

The rejection hadn't come. She'd said that they'd try. It was a huge contrast to what he thought would happen. It was like summer against winter, a huge difference. He smiled happily and felt Nachash leap underneath his skin again. It hurt quite a bit but his happiness outweighed the pain and he must have been over the moon because the snake's enthusiasm hurt like Crucio.

"Snow Forts? You don't know what they are?" He asked in interest. "I suppose they're used more in snow ball fights than anything. They're like castles made out of snow and those who are really talented and arty when making them can charm them and make them full sized. I knew someone who lived out in the streets all through the year accept during winter when he would make a snow castle and live in it until spring. It was a wonderful thing. Perhaps we could try and make one, I haven't really had a chance to charm mine before because they were like mounds of slush most of the time." Eli laughed lightly and smiled down at Amelia.

Elijah knew that this Christmas would be better than all the previous ones. He knew that spending it with someone he cared about would make it perfect. No matter of bags of money or the newest broom on sale sitting under a plastic Christmas tree would be able to get close to how important it was to him that Amelia was spending Christmas with him.

It meant that they were getting closer and he was breaking down the defences she held up. He had a feeling that he had just gotten past the main gates and was just inside the castle, past the great stone doors. She was up in the tower and he wondered if he would have to fight a dragon just to get to her. It wasn't like the Muggle Movie Shrek so he probably would have a dragon that wasn't susceptible to Donkey-love waiting for him.

He would battle the thing, though. He would take out Death Eater after Death Eater if it meant being able to touch the cool mountain spring beneath the defences which was Amelia Lyons. He wanted to be able to see exactly what she was, not just little glimpses. He wanted to be able to hold the woman he knew she was in his arms and breath in her scent knowing that he had been the hero and had made it past ever obstacle. He wanted that and he knew he would fight for it until he got exactly what he wanted.

But even if he got past it all and even if at the end of the day she was off limits to him then he wanted to know that she was happy. He would gladly leave her to live her life and never speak with her again if he knew that she was happy. Really, truly, wholly happy and living her life the way she wanted to. He would gladly walk away knowing that she was thinking more about her needs and being spontaneous. He would forever walk around with a smile on his face knowing that someone was making her happy because they had gotten to the real Amelia. If Elijah couldn't be the one to give her the world then he had confidence in the fact that someone else would.

"We could go and visit the Thestrals as well." Elijah said thoughtfully. "they like the winter."

Amelia would never, she thought, come to understand how just a few words from her could manage to light up Elijah’s face so thoroughly. The boy went from waiting with a look of fear on his face to looking as though he had just won the lottery. It was amazing to Amelia that every fleeting emotion Elijah felt displayed itself to clearly across his features. He didn’t try to shield anything from her, seemingly not worried in the slightest about how vulnerable his emotions made him.

Who does that? Amelia wondered, smiling in light of Elijah’s smile and enthusiasm, her thoughts not appearing on her porcelain features. Who says exactly what they are thinking all the time? Who makes no effort to pretend? The questions were perplexing, and no matter which recesses of her mind she searched, she came up with no answers. She had never met anyone like Elijah, and thus had no model on which to base him or his actions.

His descriptions of snow forts only solidified Amelia’s questions about why any sane person would want to do such a thing, but the way his eyes lit up when he talked about it put a stop to the questions that were threatening to arise about whether or not she had made the right decision. Sure, building a castle out in the snow seemed hardly practical when Hogwarts was warm and dry, waiting for you to come inside to a toasty fire – couldn’t have one of those in a snow fort – but to Elijah, they were magical. She didn’t often see the glint of excitement in fifteen-year-old peers, more often in children, but Amelia did not begrudge him his imagination. She may not have understood his fascination, or even the reasoning which would lead one to build a structure out of a temporary substance, but he had convinced her. Even though every part of her rationality said this was a stupid idea, a smaller, less vocal part still managed to win out, and she laughed along with Elijah as he reached the end of his description.

Amelia couldn’t help but dwell on the fact that she had likened Elijah to a child. It was not that he looked like a child; despite being younger than her, the combination of his height, bulk, and facial hair could easily have convinced her that the boy was in his seventh year. It wasn’t his physical appearance, but something else that made her make the comparison. It was the way he believed that was childlike. He saw the good in people, thought anything was attainable, and believed in the impossible. Amelia hadn’t thought that way since she was six years old; the world had taught her otherwise. She couldn’t help but wonder how Elijah had managed to hold onto that feeling for so long.

“Thestrals?” Amelia asked, finally responding to what Elijah had said. It seemed as if he said twenty words for every one of hers, for which Amelia was thankful for, but she did wonder if it would begin to bother him. Most people didn’t like the kind of one-sided conversations that tended to persist with her. The idea of thestrals, however, had peaked her interest enough to make her vocalize it. She had read all about them in Care of Magical Creatures in her fifth year – she wasn’t taking the NEWT level course – and had always wondered about them ever since. She had heard it rumored that there was a group of them living on campus, but she would never have known if the myth were true or not. She couldn’t see them.

“Do you know where they are?” She asked, not wanting to get too excited lest her hopes be dashed. She knew that even if Elijah took her to the thestrals she would not be able to see the horse-like creatures of which she had only seen sketches, but her curiosity would not allow her to pass up an opportunity to be in the presence of such a perplexing and interesting species of magical creature.

Elijah’s thoughts drifted to the little group of Thestrals that lived near Hagrid's Old Hut. He would often steal away with a sketchbook and some charcoal and sit around, sketching out the babies as they played with the bubbles he'd produce with his wand. He was a peace around the Thestrals and he knew he probably always would be.

He always had a need to protect the creatures and it seemed mutual. He would often go down there to find the mother of the babies he sketched ready to fuss over him and reprimand him. He knew Thestrals couldn't talk but he was good at interpreting what they were trying to say via Nachash who would slink off to harass some of them.

Elijah had planned on going down there on Christmas day and tell the little ones stories. They were always excited at Christmas and were wonderful to be around. He wanted to go down there whenever he saw fit but it was impractical, especially if his mother got word of him skipping classes. He knew he would probably never here the end of her ranting and raving.

"Yes, Thestrals." he affirmed. "I found them a while ago. There are a lot more here than there were at Durmstrang. They're not so well known. Many people here think that the carriages pull themselves or some nonsense." Eli scoffed. "I suppose it is because they have innocent eyes. 'Those who see the death of another are those who see the eyes of the beast'," he recited, remembering a passage from an old tome.

Elijah honestly wondered why people were so excited by the prospect of seeing Thestrals. To see one was no gift, it was a curse. Yet, despite the 'curse', Elijah was the only one that seemed put it to good use. He loved the animals, despite their bad reputation of being bad luck. He loved seeing them frolic in the snow during the winter.

He used to try and get some Thestrals to live in the area around the Mansion in Bulgaria. He succeeded the a few years after he got Nachash and when he got his cat. That was when he could finally see them. It was when he finally learned exactly how cruel the world around him was. He had tried to ignore it all. He had really honestly tried. Revenge was sweet though. Pure and enticing. He was glad that in the end it wasn't he who had to silence the fool. It was his snake.

That was another strange thing. Nachash chose to kill and by doing that she saw exactly what he saw in the Thestrals. She wasn't proud of her choice to 'take him out' so to speak and Eli wasn't proud of his choice to seek revenge. She'd told him no, told him not to do it. Alice had begged him but he didn't listen. He'd just pressed a kiss to her forehead and watched as the final light died in her eyes. Then he'd left and gone out to avenge her death.

Perhaps that was what was wrong with him. Perhaps that is why he could identify his emotions like that. He considered himself no more than a child because he had showed no adult qualities in the way he handled things. He was childish and stupid at points in his life where he could have shown bravery.

Maybe that was why he turned back to his art. Maybe that was why he locked away every picture of Alice he could find and burned the sketches he began to draw. Maybe that was why he spiralled into that mess that he was not so long ago. Maybe that was why he didn't pick up a paintbrush or a pallet until he found himself surrounded by those broken brushes.

Maybe he was just a scared little boy who just needed a mum to call the shots. It sounded much more plausible. It sounded better than listening to his inner-self loathing. Perhaps he was just a little boy that hadn't been shown how to be truthful with himself as well as other people. He shouldn't have been holding back as much as he was but he felt as if he had too. He felt as if he had no choice. But did he? Was there more to life than deception and smiles that kept himself going? Could he finally be honest and sit on the Astronomy tower, screaming to Merlin that he was clear of sin? Could he be truly happy instead of the emotional mess that seemed to be Elijah Krum? Maybe, Maybe not.

(Ah, this is a bit big. Hehe. Elijah has a few inner demons that he hasn't really addressed before. Interesting Character development (: )

((No worries on length. I have posted many novels in this thread and others, so I can hardly be one to talk. This is an interesting development, though. I haven’t seen this side of Elijah’s thought process before. I guess Amelia isn’t the only one keeping things hidden.))

Amelia felt her breath catch when Elijah confirmed the presence of thestrals and his knowledge of their whereabouts. She was both excited and intimidated at the same time; thestrals where a fascinated species, wrought with mythology and speculation, but there was also a darker side of their existence. Amelia was not unaware of the fact that in order to see the thesrals one would have had to have seen death. Sometimes it was something as innocent as seeing a grandparent pass away, but not always. Elijah, though he did not elaborate at all on it, must have been able to see the thesrals if he had found them.

It was a sad thing to wish to be able to see thestrals. Although Amelia knew what it meant to wish for such a thing, she could not brush aside the thought. She was curious by nature and an academic to boot, and the sheer number of stories and speculation about thestrals was enough to get her mind to make the leap over the obstacle of what it took to be able to see thestrals. Although she knew it was a horrible, awful wish, she did want to see the creatures. It was a further testament to her inability to get in touch with her emotions when she did not immediately banish the thought from her mind.

She could not help but wonder about Elijah’s encounter with death, although she dwelled upon it for only a minute. Amelia, being rooted so firmly in logic and fact, did not spend much of her time in speculation. She believed in science, in fact, and in things she could prove. It was one of the things which stood most firmly in the way of her making emotional connections to people: if she couldn’t see the physical manifestation of a relationship, how was she to know it existed at all? Amelia had difficulties trusting in things she could not prove, which made it all the more difficult to trust anyone but herself.

Shaking the speculative thoughts from her mind, Amelia was finally pulled back into the moment, noticing for the first time that Elijah seemed to be lost in thought. It was a different look that she had encountered with him before; usually Elijah lived in the moment, the present seeming to be the only thing which had any effect on his emotions or features. This time, though, Amelia hesitated to speak, choosing instead to observe the pensive nature of his bearing and the way that he seemed to have forgotten her presence at all.

“I won’t be able to see them,” Amelia finally said, having waited for what might have been a break in Elijah’s thoughts, “But I would still like to go with you. Maybe if you described them adequately to me, my mind’s eye might be able to compile an image. If you, um…” Amelia continued, not wanting to offer him an alternative, but knowing it was only fair, “If you want to take someone else, someone who can share more fully in the experience with you, I would understand.”

Why do I feel bad about offering him the option of going with someone else? Amelia wondered, This is what I always do. I always find a way to get out of going anywhere alone with people. Why do I all of a sudden want to go so badly with him?

It’s the thestrals the more rational part of her stated, as if there were no question about it. But another, less vocal part of herself knew otherwise.

"Pure eyes are a gift but I will not deny you the chance of at least feeling them, Mia."

Thestrals were a presence like no other and they were what made the Forbidden Forest so terrifying to those who didn't understand. Elijah loved detentions in the forest because he loved seeing the ones he was with get scared out of their pants.

You would feel the Thestrals, even if you could see them, before they came into your line of sight. One of the babies would brush against the back of your legs or one of the elders would lick your face in greeting.

Elijah hadn't taken anyone with him into their little village and he didn't want to until he met Amelia. Like Eli himself, Thestrals could almost see innocence. They could tell when someone couldn't see them, when someone hadn't witnessed death.

He knew Amelia would enjoy meeting the Thestrals. He would love to see the look on her face when they interacted with her. Eli knew that the Thestrals would be interested, mostly because he brought someone down to them - someone who couldn't see.

Elijah idly wondered if the mother of the group would allow someone to be around them. She was protective of the group and of Elijah and didn't like new people coming to see them or in Amelia's case, not seeing them.

Elijah knew they would be accepting when he reassured them but he valued their trust and friendship more than anything in the world because at the end of the day, they were there for him always and despite the hell he went through just to see them he would never take it back. He believed in destiny and he knew that when the light finally left Alice's eyes that it was her time to go.

"I could draw them for you." Elijah said with a small smile. "I have lots of oil paintings of them in the summer. I keep them in the Room of Requirement because I don't really like them on show I suppose. Just like the Thestrals themselves I guess. I could show you sometime if you want.." Eli offered.

He was protective of those animals and vice versa but he was ready to show someone the paintings. He like them and they were special to him, more special than anything else in the world. If it were his choice and if he wasn't already a White Bengal Tiger then he would have gladly had his Animagus as a Thestral.

Elijah wondered what exactly Amelia would make of the animals. Sure she wouldn't be able to see them but it was a wonderful feeling. A feeling like nothing on this earth.

Amelia, not missing the fact that Elijah had used her nickname again – so much for “not all the time” – couldn’t tell exactly what Elijah meant when he said ‘feeling them’. She supposed it had something to do with the fact that even when one could not see a thestral, they were still very much present.

The books she had read on the creatures described their skeletal appearance, with wings reminiscent of pterodactyls. The picture in her mind’s eye was a composite of what she had read and the images drawn in the textbooks. Occasionally, Amelia had come across sketches in the margins of the library books of the creatures, but she doubted their accuracy. Most of them were drawn in jest, with the thestrals eating human limbs or other such nonsense. Amelia had never been in the presence of a thestral, but from the lack of documentation on the subject and the way Elijah spoke of them, she doubted very much they were as unlucky as many believed them to be. And even if they were bad luck, Amelia would accept the risk if it meant getting a chance to be near such a mythological and much-talked-about creature.

“I would like to see them as you do,” Amelia replied to his offer, knowing his representations would likely be a more accurate summary of their existence.

Amelia could feel the smile lingering on her face, no doubt from the anticipation of their outing. Although she tried to ignore the small part of her happiness with was not associated with the thestrals, it was becoming harder and harder to push it aside. She could tell that Elijah’s barrage of friendship and honesty was beginning to get to her, and despite the fact that he didn’t intend any attack, Amelia was feeling overwhelmed. It had taken a lot for her to walk with him this morning, especially after his breach of social contract the night before. Now, despite his less physical tactics, Elijah was still managing to alert Amelia’s protective nature that an assault of her defenses was underway.

As her eyes darted across Elijah’s face, looking for some hint that he was growing tired of her presence, Amelia heard the scampering of feet from the stairs behind them. She turned away from Elijah for the first time since their walk had stopped in the entrance way, her gaze falling on two fourth year boys who had stopped in the middle of the stairs to look down upon Amelia and Elijah. Before this moment, Amelia had not realized the proximity in which she stood to Elijah, nor the way the scene would look to an outsider.

The boys certainly had not overlooked the fact that she was wearing little but a pair of shorts, a camisole, and a silk robe. Combine that with her bedhead and the sleepless look the two of them wore and she wasn’t surprised that the boys’ original expressions of surprise had changed to smirks and muffled laughter that wreaked of innuendo. The glance they exchanged as they gave Elijah a “nice job” eyebrow raise was all Amelia needed to immediately blush darker than the Gryffindor banner hanging above them.

Before she could correct them, the boys turned around, taking the steps two at a time as they ascended, their laughter no longer contained as they hurried to tell the story of what they had seen to their other pubescent comrades. Amelia could feel the embarrassment welling inside of her, though she had nothing to be embarrassed about. She hadn’t done anything, but the scene, she had to admit, would have looked very different had she not known how it began. Turning away from the echoed laughter and back to her “partner in crime”, Amelia raised a hand to her cheek to cover some of the colour which had risen there.

“Perhaps we ought to head back upstairs,” she said, her voice sounding guilty despite her innocence. The crimson in her face was spreading to her ears and neck, her eyes avoiding direct contact with Elijah's in the futile hope that he wouldn't notice her embarrassment.

Fat chance.

"Stupid bloody fourth years." Eli muttered under his breath.

He'd probably go and see just how grown up and aware those fourth years actually were or weren't; the latter seemed more likely. He could probably tell them some stories that would make their grandfathers turn over in their graves. They probably were quite racy and Eli had some stories to tell, some not for the ears of a fourteen year old despite most of those stories being made when he was fourteen. Ouch.

Maybe that was the idea, maybe that was is twisted way of getting them back. Elijah had planned ahead, he wanted the conversation to last longer than it had done. But unfortunately, the noble house of Slytherin - which was what he assumed they were, struck again made his life just a little bit harder than it already was concerning Amelia.

"C'mon." he said, gesturing up the stairs. "I'll walk you back."

Elijah didn't want to have to say goodbye. It was as bad as her leaving last time accept he had no choice but to leave her be. He could have tried to stop her, maybe make her stay but she was embarrassed and no one wanted to be in another’s presence when you've got Gryffindor red smeared over your face, neck and possibly chest depending on how far down the blush goes.

That was another thing, how far down DID the blush go on Amelia?
You sick idiot. Nachash hissed, obviously waking up from her nap.

What was the attract of Gryffindor though? The house certainly wasn't noble. The red was blood. A thick crimson liquid that poured out of those lost in the war. The gold trim was the bow around the neck of the victim. Nothing important at all. Just lives lost in that "Noble" house.

Hufflepuff were okay. Honey and burnt toast.

Ravenclaw, the sapphire ocean under the silver light of a moon/ brown trees? Depending on which trimming they were going for now. Picky people.

Slytherin. A goddamn forest and a few wolves maybe.

Who knows but Gryffindor had blood on their hands yet Slytherin had the bad rep. Sure they were mostly a bunch of DE's but that didn't make them bad people. Then again that defeats the object of being Death Eaters but never mind I suppose.

"Would you still like to see the oil paintings?" Elijah asked quietly. "Or not and when we visit them I'll draw ..."

Elijah trailed off, he wasn't really sure what to say. He didn't want Amelia to go. But she had to. It wasn't the best thing in the world to be caught out of bed, with someone of the opposite sex at some god for saken time on a school day. He knew that, she knew that and those little fourth years who had probably only caught their parents getting lucky knew that.

Elijah’s reaction was different than hers, but it was clear that neither of them much appreciated the interruption. Her companion seemed angry at the pair of them, his muttering sounding more tense than his usual speech. The colour still persisted on Amelia’s face and neck, making her look as if she had spent a little too long in the sun. She knew Elijah had probably discerned what the boys were thinking, just as Amelia had, but he didn’t seem to be embarrassed by it. His was a different emotion, a combination of annoyance and something else, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

She nodded when Elijah offered to walk her back, still not able to look at him for fear that her embarrassment would only intensify. Amelia did not know what had provoked such a strong reaction in her – usually she didn’t much care what her peers thought of her – but whatever it was, it was not going away quickly. As she and Elijah started up the stairs, Amelia attempted to convince the crimson to drain from her cheeks, although she knew perfectly well that this was a biological response of which she was not in control.

I knew this was a stupid idea her subconscious gloated, sounding smug. At the very least you could have put some clothes on. Where is your sense of decency?

Amelia shook her head to clear the thoughts from her mind, the way children do an etch-a-sketch when they haven’t drawn what they intended. She was already being hard on herself for being caught by the two nameless fourth years, she didn’t need any further attacks by her subconscious. Focusing only on the steps below her feet, Amelia and Elijah ascended the stairs, maneuvering around the moving steps as they treaded back along the path they had taken earlier.

As usual, it was Elijah who broke ht silence. Amelia was still pretending to be absorbed with the nail polish on her toes - a red darker even than her blush – but she looked up when she heard his voice trail off. Elijah may not have been as embarrassed as she was, but he was tentative now, moreso than he had been earlier. It seemed that being caught in what may have looked like a “walk of shame” didn’t bounce of Elijah as easily as she had thought it did.

“Yes, I would like to see them,” Amelia answered, her eyes finally rising to meet Elijah’s again. She could see the hesitation in them, the questioning about what she would say. Once again, this prompted her to ask why the Slytherin boy placed so much weight on her answers or impressions when no one else did.

“But perhaps when we do, it would be pertinent to wear something a bit more publicly appropriate,” she added, gesturing to the silk robe robe, bare feet, and disheveled hair which had given the boys the wrong idea. Although she did not find it particularly humorous, she did find herself smiling slightly, more likely a manifestation of her embarrassment than of a sudden ability to laugh at herself.

Elijah smiled and laughed slightly as he looked over her. He couldn't laugh for long though because fresh thoughts were being thrown at his mind. Why didn't he properly look at her before? She was beautiful.

The clothing (or lack thereof) showed off how fortunate she actually was. Curves in the right and assets that girls would kill for. She was proportioned just right in every way and Elijah made sure to look away just in case she thought he was staring - which he would have gladly done without hesitation.

"Don't worry about those idiots alright?" Elijah soothed, seeing Amelia's evident embarrassment. Damn she went red alright. "I'll deal with them later and they'll be celibate for the rest of their lives after the stories I've got to tell."

Elijah smiled and they stopped outside the entrance to the Ravenclaw Tower. He saw the woman in the portrait scowl at him and he changed his hand into a paw. He extended his claws and made a scratching gesture, causing the woman to gasp and hide her face in her hands. Eli chuckled and shook his paw, turning it back into a human hand.

"I think you've got a chance to rest up a little more before breakfast, Mia." he said, mussing up his hair a little bit. "As for me I'm going to deal with the fourth years and crash for a few hours. I might not see you 'til lunch or something."

Elijah yawned and realised just how tired he actually was. Perhaps it was the fact that he was leaving Amelia or maybe he was just loosing his train of thought and fatigue was setting into him again. Perhaps the boys came at the right time.

"Come to the Room of Requirement tonight." Elijah said with a sleepy smile. "Just think about a studio and you'll find mine. Wear something old-ish, something you wont mind getting paint on because I think some oils are in order. I'll see you tonight Amelia and if points need to be taken away for my class skipping then that's fine. See you."

Elijah waved, not really knowing if he should show physical affection or not but squeezed her hand gently before turning away. He melted into his Animagus form and heard the portrait squeal. Elijah brushed up against Amelia's legs and growled at the portrait, causing it to squeal again. He chuckled lowly and licked Amelia's hand before springing onto one of the stair rails and jumping down onto another towards the dungeons.

(hehe. I see another thread coming. It is in our near future. Oki-doke. Shall I start up a thread or take a break for a bit or something because I am fairly confuzzled.)

Amelia hadn’t been able to laugh at the situation, but Elijah – as usual –proved himself capable of what she was not. His smile, from what she could tell, was not based in nerves or embarrassment, but rather legitimately humoured at what had just occurred. His eyes darted over to meet hers, the laughter dancing in them. For the first few moments, Amelia enjoyed what she saw in his expression: a happiness she kept from herself. While she would have observed this expression for a considerable amount of time had Elijah not been looking back at her, Elijah’s gaze lingered longer than she expected, causing her to look away after the first few seconds with a rejuvenated blush.

Because she looked away, Amelia had not seen the raking stare Elijah had made over her body, the way he noticed things he hadn’t before. It was probably for the best that she was oblivious to this, because she likely would not have understood what it meant. Amelia wasn’t accustomed to catching anyone’s attention, and if she did, she managed to ostracize whomever it was that was looking at her before they had a chance to look for long. Amelia had never considered herself any great beauty – actually, she had never given the idea much thought at all – so she likely would have thought Elijah was being critical instead of appreciative, the way most people were when they stared at her.

Amelia raised her eyebrows at Elijah’s suggestion that he could tell them stories to debilitate the boys’ libidos, wondering what from Elijah’s history might even come close to achieving that goal. She didn’t know many pubescent boys personally, but she had watched their flirtatious natures and the way they “graded” the girls who walked past them. While Christabelle often got a 9 or 10 and Myrtle got a 1 (or 2 at best), the boys cards stayed down when Amelia walked by. To them, the silent and sharp-eyed Ravenclaw wasn’t really worth rating. No matter what number her looks might earn, her personality was enough to keep them at bay.

Although her imagination ran wild with ideas, she decided not to ask Elijah just what those stories he spoke of might entail. If she wanted Elijah to stop asking questions, she wasn’t going to be able to ask all she wanted.

Besides, the imagination might have been better than the truth.

Amelia was so distracted by her subconscious suddenly being abducted by aliens – since when do I think things like that? – that she nearly missed what Elijah said about sleeping a bit before the day had to begin. It took her almost a full minute to process what he had said, and by then the pair of them had reached the Ravenclaw portrait. She stopped as Elijah did, turning to face him as he extended an invitation to her.

Are you even going to consider that? her mind asked in disbelief when Amelia did not immediately turn him down, Haven’t we had enough gallivanting around with strangers for one day?

Torn between what her rationality told her and what she wanted – since when did those not coincide? – Amelia did not manage to eloquate a response before Elijah transformed into the form she had originally seen him in when she stumbled blurry eyed from the common room. The portrait’s squeal voiced the surprise Amelia felt, though she herself stayed quiet, her wide eyes the only indication of her emotion.

Although she now knew the jungle cat to be Elijah, she didn’t think she would ever get used to him shifting shape in front of her. The chuckle which escaped him and his playful torture of the portrait was her only indication that this was still the Slytherin boy she had met yesterday. At least until she felt his silky coat rub against her bare legs. The chills which followed this gesture were enough to make Amelia close her eyes, every hair on her body standing on end. As if this weren’t enough, Amelia felt the warm moisture of his tongue on her hand, causing her to inhale sharply in surprise.

When she opened her eyes, she was not even sure what she was going to say in response, but by the time her lids were raised the tiger-form Elijah was already leaping from the banister down the stairs. He was too far away now to say much of anything at all, which worked out well because Amelia could not think of a single appropriate response. She wanted to reprimand him for the physical affection, which he knew she was opposed to, but the tingling that still remained in her fingers from when he had licked them kept her mouth closed. Amelia could not manage to explain what had just happened, nor why she had allowed it to happen in the first place, but it had happened none the less.

It seemed, one way or another, Amelia was going to end up in the Room of Requirement tonight. Elijah got everything else he wanted. Try as she might to stop it, and as many excuses as she could think of, Amelia knew that come nightfall, she would once again find herself in the presence of the very stubborn and perplexing character known only as Elijah Krum. And so, with few decisions of her own to make in the matter, Amelia picked up the pair of shoes which had started this whole endeavour, slung them over her wrist, and answered the portrait's riddle. The only choice she felt fit to make right now was the one that involved going back to her dormitory and falling into bed.

((You can go ahead and start the thread in the room of requirement if you want to. If you are busy elsewhere, then you don’t have to do it now. But if you do have the time, why stop a good thing? I usually look most forward to responding to your posts, so I would be remiss to take that away from myself if you have no objections.))