Beauty Beyond Your Dreams (Xan)

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Hugo stood right outside the doors to the entrance hall, waiting for his girlfriend, Xan. They'd been in school a short while and it was definitely strange not having her in all his classes. He didn't plan on saying anything to her, but he missed being with her all the time. That was why they were getting together today. It was Saturday and early enough in the year that neither of them should be too overwhelmed with their homework yet. He looked around himself, grinning. The weather today was perfect for what he had in mind. They were going to have a nice afternoon with one another and he honestly couldn't wait. He nodded to a few people as they walked past him, but didn't say anything. Hugo was practically bouncing up and down on his toes as he waited.

@xanthippe

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Hogwarts was back in session again, and Xan was oddly happy. She had expected the return to school to stir up emotions in her that she had fought valiantly to keep under control – resentment for her sickness and the fact that she hadn’t been well enough to go to class, resulting in her being held back a year – but she found she didn’t mind as much as she had feared. She had been disappointed not to be in classes with her friends anymore, but this was her chance to make new friendships and explore new connections, which would be good given her new role as the head of Phoenix Rising. And there was still time to see her friends outside of classes – like right now, when she was making her way to see Hugo. They had agreed to meet in the entrance hall, and Xan took the stairs down two at a time. Hugo was already waiting for her, and Xan greeted him with a hug. “Hi!” She grinned. “How is my favorite Head Boy?” She asked. She was thrilled that her boyfriend had been made Head Boy – of course Xan thought he deserved it, and it was better him than someone who would let the power get to their head.

@hugo

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Waiting for her wasn't a bad thing. Hugo nodded to people as he saw them. Then, she was coming down the stairs, wrapping her arms around him. Hugo grinned. "I'm doing great! How's my favorite sixth year." He figured he should be able to tease her about that. It wasn't a super big deal and she seemed to be enjoying her time redoing sixth year, from what he could see. "Man, I gotta admit, it's weird not having you in most pf my classes," he muttered before releasing his hug and pulling away. "How are your classes going?" He wanted to see her more often ... Hugo was going to have to figure something out, because hanging out every once-in-a-while was not going to work for him. Maybe he should start eating meals with her or something ...

@xanthippe

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Xan scrunched her face slightly when Hugo asked how his favorite sixth year was. That was her, wasn’t it? Even if she had accepted it, it still sounded a little strange to her ears. “I’m good! Having to explain who I am to all the other sixth years is a little weird.” She had been around enough that most people didn’t confuse her for an American transfer, but they were still confused as to why someone new had showed up in their classes with little explanation. “I remember most of the stuff, so they’re pretty easy so far.” Xan shrugged. In the earlier months of her sickness she had tried to keep up with her schoolwork, believing there was a chance to return to her studies and keep her academic schedule on track, but that had fallen off as she had gotten sicker. “Let’s get going. Those butterflies aren’t going to catch themselves.” She smiled sunnily.

@hugo

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Hugo couldn't help but laugh when Xan's face crinkled as he teased her. Yeah, he didn't like how it felt calling her a sixth year either. Probably wouldn't be doing that often, since it was basically just a reminder that she wasn't with him in classes, like he still felt she should be. "I bet it is," he answered. He had the opposite issue, having to explain to those who didn't know why Xan wasn't in classes with them. Most people knew ... but not all. They knew Hugo would know though, so most came to him with any questions. He didn't need to tell her about that though. He smiled as she continued, "I'm glad. I'm sure you've got it all handled." Xan was a good student and last year hadn't been too bad, academically speaking. She would do just fine. He laughed, reaching for her hand as he started to move more quickly. "You're right. We need to get out there before they're all taken!" Hugo laughed. He highly doubted there were others that would be trying to catch butterflies now, but he might as well joke about it. He wanted to have fun with his girlfriend. He stopped when he saw different butterflies fluttering not so far away. "Okay, I've never done this before ... anything I should know?" He quirked an eyebrow, part of him teasing Xan, but also partly serious. He couldn't help it.

@xanthippe

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Xan smiled at Hugo when he said he was sure she had it all handled. “I’ve always got everything handled,” she said, only somewhat teasing. There were some perks to being Hermione Granger’s goddaughter, and knowing how to handle things was definitely one of those perks. You couldn’t be intimidated or stressed when your godmother was practically the definition of awesome.

Hugo made the joke about getting to the butterflies before they were all taken, and Xan chuckled. She doubted most teenagers wanted to be seen running around chasing after insects, but she and her boyfriend were not most teenagers. Besides that, it was great fun just to run around and not have any care in the world. Spending too much time caring was just exhausting, and Xan had enough on her mind as it was. “…They’re butterflies, Hu,” Xan laughed when he asked for tips. “If you don’t know about butterflies, I’m not sure I can help you!” They were seventeen years old, after all. Honestly, Xan wasn’t sure what advice there was to give – most of butterfly catching seemed like sheer luck, to her. That, and being able to outrun the butterflies, since predicting where they were going to go was a bit of a hopeless case. “Maybe it’ll be easier if we work together?” She had never tried to trap a butterfly before, but it sounded like it could possibly work.

@hugo

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Hugo laughed, “Don’t I know it!” He loved being with Xan. He loved spending time with her and he was glad that she was enjoying this year so far. It made it all better, the fact that they weren’t in the same classes anymore and that he didn’t get to see her as much as he’d like to.

Xan started laughing and Hugo grinned. He loved watching her smile and laugh and he loved it when he could be the one making that happen. Being with her made him happier than he could have ever imagined before it happened. He shrugged, “Just wanted to make sure. You’re the butterfly expert here, Xan.” He followed her as they made their way over to the field. “Working together is probably the best way to do this,” he said, moving closer to her and nudging her shoulder. “Oh! There’s one right there!” On instinct, he lowered his net, trying to capture it, but the thing flew away. Hugo laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, how do you suggest we work together to do this?” Maybe Xan had a better idea.

@xanthippe