i am in love with a boy manufactured to destroy [vi]

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The day was bright and getting colder, sharp with hints of the coming fall. Dustin didn't care, but ever since he had started playing Quidditch professionally, he had made a point of taking a stock of the weather that day, and the way the air felt around him. Something as simple as humidity higher than he anticipated could change the way his broom worked. Even if it was a minute change, in the professional league, it was the difference between catching the Snitch and not catching it - and everyone knew that Dustin Bainbridge always caught the Snitch. There had been eleven games in the season so far, and Dustin had caught the Snitch in every one of them. The Falcons were once again off to a great start to have an undefeated season, but Dustin was exhausted. Even though he had Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays off, it was still exhausting to spend every other day of the week playing his hardest. He was thankful that the team's first day off happened to fall on the same day as the first Hogsmeade visit.

Dustin was waiting on the path that led to the Shrieking Shack, failing to look nonchalant as he loitered, scanning the crowd of incoming students for Viovinnia Nott. She had agreed to meet him here, and she didn't seem like the kind to back out on promises. Thus far, though, the two had only met by chance - or, in once case, when Vinnie surprised him by coming to his game. This was the first time they had mutually scheduled anything, and Dustin was worried that it wasn't going to turn out. Maybe she wasn't going to come for him after all.

@vi

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The morning of the Hogsmeade visit had been a long one. Viovinnia had spent the majority avoiding her fellow Hexen girls so that she wasn't asked what her Hogsmeade plans were, as she had already made plans to meet someone over near the Shrieking Shack. And not just anyone, but a certain someone. Dustin Bainbridge. The Gryffindor alum that Vi had met by chance last year and every time after that, except for when she attended one of his games. When the Falcon Seeker had asked her out on this date, Vi had been through the roof excited though she kept that entirely to herself. The thougt of once again being alone with Dustin, the only person who constantly managed to surprise her, was an exhilarating one.

Viovinnia headed down to the village by herself, careful to be on the lookout for anyone who may stop her or get in her way from seeing Dustin. Fortunately, no one spotted her as she made her way through the crowds and to the path that led to the Shrieking Shack. When she set her eyes on Dustin, a wicked smirk spread across her face as she approached him from the side, out of his main line of sight, and stopped just next to him. "Afraid I wasn't gonna show?"

@dustin

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Dustin knew that Viovinnia was in a good mood, because when she appeared next to him, she was smirking. As far as Dustin knew, she only smirked when she was happy. He hadn’t ever seen her not smirk, though, so perhaps that was flawed logic. Unless…she always had a reason to be happy around him? Well, that was an inspiring thought. “I’ve been stood up before, if you would believe that.” Dustin said, winking at Viovinnia. He had only been stood up once before, but once was enough for any guy. “So, I have this great idea.” He began again, turning to go down the path to the Shrieking Shack. He wasn’t certain that Viovinnia was going to follow him, because she definitely wasn’t a follower. Maybe his idea would be enough to intrigue her, and she would follow just to hear what it was. Dustin was going to continue to talk as if Viovinnia was at his shoulder the entire time, regardless of whether or not she followed him. “We go into the Shack, in full sight of everyone.” Dustin gestured vaguely towards the crowd at Hogsmeade. “They see two people go in…But only one person will come out.” The other person – him – wouldn’t be leaving as a person, but rather as bird. “It would solidify your reputation as someone not to mess around with.” He said, kicking at a stray stone on the path. His plan was Slytherin-esque, if he did say so himself. “And then no boy will come asking after my girlfriend.” Dustin hoped that Viovinnia noticed his word choice, because it was deliberate. He wanted her to be his girlfriend, if only because he didn’t want anyone chasing after her while he tried to figure her out.

@vi

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The idea of someone standing Dustin up was surprisingly a bit angering to the Slytherin. How someone could ever stand him up was baffling to Viovinnia. "Well, they missed out, huh?" She raised her eyebrow at him and remained smirking.

Vi turned and followed Dustin down the path as he led the way. She had heard things, rumors, about the Shack before but had never been there before. And to be honest, Vi regularly avoided Hogsmeade weekends. But she began to think an exception could be made if they were to include Dustin Bainbridge from now on.

Dustin's plan brought a devilish smirk to the Slytherin's faces "I like the way you think, Bainbridge," she responded, bumping into his shoulder lightly as they walked along the path. His idea was so good, she almost didn't catch his last word. But when she had, she nearly stopped dead in her tracks but remained casual. "Girlfriend, eh? I don't know how my parents will take kindly to me dating a bird," she attempted what was for Vi, a lighthearted joke.

@dustin

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Dustin wasn’t sure if the girl had missed out on much when she had stood him up – he hadn’t had much planned for that date, not like had had planned out what was going to happen here. He hadn’t actually even liked the girl all that much, but still, it had hurt a little. He was an emotional wreck in fifth year. Sixth year had gotten better, but seventh year was a downward spiral with all that had gone on at the school and his juggling work and school. Really, there was no good time to date Dustin Bainbridge when he was in school. Meeting Viovinnia at the end of the school year had been a disaster waiting to happen, but everything had worked out when he had graduated and summer had come. She had gotten to him at the right time.

“Thanks, Nott.” He said with a smile when she said she liked how he thought. It seemed he was drawing nothing but compliments from her lately, and that made Dustin feel…nice, he supposed. It was like every word she said was the feeling right after he had caught the Snitch – rushes of adrenaline that made his head spin. “Well, who said your parents ever had to know?” He paused. “Besides, I don’t think my mother would be too fond of me dating a snake, but it isn’t stopping me.” They reached the shack, and Dustin gestured for Vi to enter in front of him.

@vi

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Viovinnia raised her eyes slightly as they continued their walk down the path. The idea of defying her parents wasn't an unfamiliar one, but never had she so blatantly disrespected their authority. She and her brother were pretty much raised to do what they were told when they were told. And when Theo broke off his engagement with the Lestrange, well, Viovinnia felt the pressure her parents had put on her brother as the first heir. She was to marry River Flint, a pureblood from a respected, wealthy family. To go against her parents, as tempting as that was becoming with this Bainbridge boy, she didn't know how they would take it or if she could even do it. "I'm sure my mother would consider it a success to be with a Quidditch star such as yourself," she added, half joking. She was sure her parents would love that, but Vi didn't recognize the name Bainbridge from anywhere and that alone wouldn't please her parents.

Vi rolled her eyes at Dustin's snake comment but entered the Shack when he gestured to, only half ignoring the group of younger students who were whispering off to the sides as they saw the two entering the Shack. When they entered, Vi folded her arms across her chest as she looked around. "Great place for a honeymoon if you ask me," she turned back to Dustin with a smirk.

@dustin

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Viovinnia followed him, and that gave Dustin a swell of probably unwarranted pride. She appeared to be thinking about something, though Dustin couldn’t imagine what it would be. Probably pureblood politics, and how dating him would fit into that. He hadn’t met to act like she had no choice in the situation, but Vinnie appeared to enjoy his confidence – hell, even his cockiness – so Dustin decided it was for the better that he not rescind the comment. “My team’s undefeated right now, you know.” Dustin told the Slytherin girl, cracking a smile as he did. “Eleven games, and we haven’t lost a single one. Last year we went the entire season without losing one.” That had been well over a hundred games, and the fact that they had won every single one proved that it was more than just dumb luck and talent that had benefited the Falcons – they worked hard, and they played harder. They had their off days, of course, but they were a team, and that meant that when one of them had an off day, everyone else was there to support them. Of course, it was a little more difficult for Dustin when he was off, since he didn’t really have a support system, but on the rare occasions when he hadn’t been able to catch the Snitch, the Chasers had built up a strong enough lead that it hadn’t mattered.

“You suggesting it for when we get married?” He asked with a chuckle. Marriage was still way, way out of the picture for the two of them, considering he hadn’t heard Viovinnia actually confirm that she wanted to be his girlfriend. “Y’know, Vinnie, I hate to sound like one of those clingy guys, but I could see a future with you.” He shrugged, trying to brush off how heavy that actually was. Dustin had never thought past the next week with a lot of the girls he had dated, mostly because he found them wholly uninteresting. But Viovinnia was intriguing, and he could spend the rest of his life trying to find ways to make her smile.

@vi

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Vi had never been attracted to weakness. That much was evident from her relationship with River Flint, whom she was constantly trying to get to toughen up. But with Dustin, she didn't have to do that. In fact, it seemed to come natural to him. He had a certain air and confidence about him that was so appealing to Viovinnia that it drew her to him like a magnet, like she wanted some of that confidence herself. She raised an eyebrow, only slightly impressed at his words, and folded her arms across her chest. "Oh really?" She asked, her voice on the verge of slight sarcasm but playful nonetheless. "You sure you don't cheat?" She challenged playfully.

Was Vi suggesting it for marriage? She didn't let the comment catch her off guard as she just narrowed her eyes at him, still smirking as usual. "You wish," she rolled her eyes sarcastically, but she had the smallest hint of a smile. When Dustin spoke next, Vi found herself staring at him, unblinking and her face probably the blankest it had been since she met Dustin. He could imagine a future with her? That was something she had never heard, from anyone, before. And that had caught her off guard and she was certain it showed on her face this time.

After a moment, Vi looked away and a small smirk appeared as she shook her head at the ground for a moment before looking back at him. "No you can't," she said through a light, sarcastic chuckle.

@dustin

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Viovinnia didn’t look as impressed with his proclamation of his team’s undefeated Quidditch record as Dustin thought she would. Maybe she wasn’t as into Quidditch as he had originally thought. If that was the case, then that solidified the fact that she had just come to his game to see him. It was a win-win situation for Dustin; either Vinnie was impressed with him, or she had gone out of her way to see him. Either option boded well for the future of their relationship, Dustin thought. After a moment of shocked silence, he scoffed at the idea of his team cheating. “Why would we need to cheat? We’ve got more skill and put in more hard work than any other team in the league.” There wasn’t a single team that could rival the Falcons for their natural talent, and their Captain made sure that they all worked hard to stay on the top of their game. Without that guidance, Dustin probably wouldn’t have been nearly as successful as he was. He had easily been the best player at Hogwarts by talent alone, but to really succeed in the major leagues, he had needed someone to teach him some sort of work ethic.

“I’ll pencil that in as a yes, then, and you can confirm later.” Dustin said, flopping down onto the floor of the Shrieking Shack, The wooden floorboards groaned at the sudden weight change, and Dustin was too surprised by that to realize that Viovinnia had smiled at him. He only saw the blankness after his comment about spending their future together, and wondered if he had come off as more clingy than he realized. “Don’t tell me what I can or can’t do.” He replied stubbornly. “You, me, two and a half kids, white picket fence, maybe a cat or two. We could live the dream.” Someone like Viovinnia probably didn’t have that dream, and to be honest, Dustin didn’t either. He wanted way more than two and a half kids.

@vi

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Viovinnia let out a small laugh at Dustin's scoff. She had been wondering what else she could do or say that would get under the Quidditch players skin and it seemed that it was exactly that; saying something about his Quidditch playing. The Slytherin let a wicked grin spread across her face. "Looks like I found something else that makes you tick," she said, wiggling her eyebrows at him. "Hm. I guess you'll have to take me to some other team's games, you know, just so I can see how the competition fairs." Any excuse to go out more with Dustin.

Vi raised a skeptical eyebrow at the Gryffindor alum as he called out a few things that the two of them, apparently, would have one day (and to be honest... the idea didn't sound horrible.) She liked how he had responded so stubbornly; it was a little... cute to the young Nott. But one thing didn't sound okay and Vi made a disgruntled face at the mention. "Cats?" She asked, looking at him a little incredulously. "You lost me." She waved a hand dismissively at him, turning her nose up at him playfully. It was rather fun planning out their hypothetical future together, though. "And if we're to be married," she said folding her arms again and narrowing her eyes at him. "I'd suggest you get used to me telling you what to do." She was joking, of course, but he was too, right? This was all just pretend, hypothetical? Even though it didn't sound bad... it was still just pretend.

Riiight?

@dustin

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Dustin had played right into Viovinnia’s hands, and he made a face at her when he realized that. There were two things now that she knew could rile him up, and he still hadn’t managed to find one. She had looked a little shocked at the talk of a future together, but he wasn’t sure if that counted as something that made her tic or not. He’d have to see how the rest of the conversation went before deciding on that. “Well, if you could get permission to leave the school more than once a month, I wouldn’t be opposed to taking you with me to an away game or three.” Dustin paused. “My teammates asked about you, after you came to see me that one time. I told them you were a friend from school.” That was much easier than explaining how big of a crush he had on Viovinnia to his team, who would tease him relentlessly about such a thing.

“It’s alright, I’m not a big fan of cats, either.” Dustin said with a shrug. “They’re not overly fond of birds, you know.” Everyone knew that, but Dustin still felt like saying it. “We could have an entire aviary of songbirds and exotic birds and hunting birds, if you wanted. Every morning they could sing you awake, and every night they could sing you to sleep. And then, when we have our kids, the birds can sing them lullabies when your voice gets tired.” Dustin smiled at the image – Viovinnia holding a baby in her arms, singing to it with a canary on either shoulder. “I’ll get used to you telling me what to do, unless you’re wrong.” He said with a smirk. “Because here we are, talking about our future, even though you said I couldn’t.” Dustin liked proving people wrong.

@vi

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Viovinnia raised both her eyebrows at Dustin in interest. "Hm... we will have to see about that," she mused. The idea of leaving school was a fun one. She wondered for a moment what her fellow Hexens would think of her if they found out she was leaving school for Quidditch games... or what her parents would say. She would probably have to wait until she turned seventeen in October before she could think of leaving the school without permission from her parents. The thought of Dustin's teammates asking about her was also an interesting thought. But his apparent answer to their questions was dissatisfying to Vi. "Oh? A friend from school?" She repeated, looking at him expectantly for further explanation.

The Slytherin smirked at the thought of a cat waving its paws at Dustin in his animagus form, even though his bird form was likely much too large for any cat. It was still a funny thing for him to say. Vi never thought she would own any sort of animal in her life. They had never really been important to her. But Dustin made for a pretty convincing story and Vi could see herself with some pretty cool looking hunting birds sitting behind her on her arm chair. The thought made her grin a little. "Hm. Well, those birds will be lucky I'm a morning person," she joked at his saying the birds could sing her awake. Vi usually woke up to the sounds of birds outside early every morning anyway. Vi made a face at Dustin. "Those birds will be singing a lot. I don't sing." She shook her head once in defiance.

"You think you're real slick, huh?" Vi narrowed her eyes at Dustin, but the corner of her mouth was curved in a small smile as she rolled her eyes at him.

@dustin

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Dustin took Viovinnia’s ‘we’ll see’ as a yes – she probably just had to wait and make sure that she could escape school without any damage to her oh so important reputation. Her pureblood parents were also something to consider; they probably wouldn’t be supportive of their daughter leaving school and her studies behind to see some half-blood boy play a game. “Well, you are from my school.” Dustin replied easily. “And girlfriend has the word friend in it, so I really think you should become mine, to keep me from being a liar. You wouldn’t want people to think so ill of me, would you?” He was back on the topic, doggedly persistent to get a clear answer out of Viovinnia. He had all day to convince her to be his girlfriend, and since they had already kissed (and were on a date) he didn’t see a point in her saying no, unless she didn’t like him. Considering her willingness to go into a supposedly haunted shack alone with him, Dustin couldn’t consider that as a possibility.

“Even if you weren’t a morning person, there’s no way you can say no to bird songs.” Dustin said with a grin. “And since I can talk to them, I can adjust your alarm clock, if need be.” Dustin could convince birds not to sing with ease, considering that when he was in his Animagus form, he could easily dispose of them. Of course, he preferred not to use intimidation whenever possible, and most birds were polite enough, if he asked nicely. “Vinnie, when we have two and a half kids, you won’t be able to resist singing to them. Trust me.” Even people who didn’t sing sung lullabies to their children, right.

Dustin chuckled when Viovinnia asked if he thought he was slick. “If I think that, it’s only because it’s true.” He parried back, enjoying the way Vinnie smiled when she was teasing him.

@vi

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If her friends thought she was ditching school for Quidditch, perhaps that would be fine. Maybe they would think she was taking a large liking in the sport for a career (ha!) But if they found out it was for a boy, oh she was certain she would never hear the end of it. "Well then, if it's your reputation we would be upholding, I guess something could be done..." She smirked at the Quidditch player. The idea of actually being someone's girlfriend was a wild one. Vi had never been anyone's anything. It was already feeling nice.

The grin that the boy often wore was nearly enough to put Viovinnia's heart to a halt and that surprised her. She had never looked at anyone before and felt that... butterflies. She heard what he said then and made a disgruntled face again, raising an eyebrow at him. "Two and a half kids?" She repeated, looking at him with feigned shock.

Viovinnia rolled her eyes once more. "Yeah, yeah," she drolled, not wanting to admit that he was, indeed, pretty smooth. How else would anyone have gotten her to smile like that?

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Dustin smiled at Viovinnia when she seemed to warm up to the idea of being his girlfriend. He still hadn’t gotten any official statement, and Dustin wasn’t going to stop pushing. “Can I have it in writing?” He asked with a smirk. “I, Viovinnia Nott, do commit myself to being Dustin Bainbridge’s girlfriend, until such a point where we unanimously choose to move on the path towards husband and wife.” He dictated. It sounded like a solid vow to him. “I won’t even make you sign it with your own blood. Ink will suffice.” Dustin said, winking at Viovinnia. He had never heard of someone actually signing a legal document in blood, but he figured it must have been done sometime before.

“I’ve already said that twice, Vinnie.” Dustin said with a roll of his eyes. “Yup. Two and a half. Hell, I’ll be nice and round up for you – three kids. Two boys and a girl. Or two girls and a boy. Or whatever combination of genders you want.” He’d go down the more than three path later, after she had agreed to marry him. He’d give it a month or two first, though, so he didn't scare her away.

@vi