fine lines [raphael]

[YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED]

August 2027

Yas wasn't an empath by any means, she would be the first to admit as much. Hell, she hardly knew how to address her own feelings. After the night back in March where she had gotten far too drunk, far too flirty with Diana, and risked their friendship by far too much, Yas had relegated Diana back to close friend where she belonged. Or so Yas thought. She was actually feeling rather conflicted by this matter. They had hung out on more than one occasion, but never with as much alcohol or - dare she address it - sexual tension. They'd been safe, and yet...

Back to the empathy thing. Yas knew that Rafe was feeling down, not because he told her but because he hadn't told her. They'd spent a bit more time together and he was continually moping until Yas had managed to prise the truth from him. He'd broken up with that golden girlfriend of his, Addy Slater. Yas had frowned, comforted him, and hugged him, promising that she would always be there for him.

Yas had tried a variety of different activities to get Addy off Rafe's mind. He'd spent more time with his other friends as well, and like the hard boy he was, inked his pain into his skin in the form of tattoos. Tonight, Yas had big plans for them. Well, not really. She was just going to spend a shit load of money and do something different. There was some big party going on at the casino tonight, and she'd gotten wind of it with enough lead time to coax Rafe out.

Yas had dressed in a stunning red number, with her black hair swept up in a chic knot at the nape of her neck. Golden earrings sparkled in the low light of the casino, and her ruby painted lips parted around a straw as she sucked up the last of her vodka soda lime. She'd arrived early, wanting to scout the place out before seeing Rafe. But when he entered - looking like a vision, of course - Yas beamed. "Took you long enough," said Yas with a laugh, pressing a kiss in greeting to his cheek. "Gambling, sorcery, and drinks, all in one place. What more could you ask for?"

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

August 2027

Cheese had definitely, no questions about it, entered the Twilight Zone. That was how his life had felt since…basically last year, but especially so these last few months. He’d been scared of graduation for a long time, but then he’d thought he had it all figured out. Then Hogwarts had burned down, Brígh had yeeted off to go learn how to be a cursebreaker, and everything with Addy had just gone so wrong. He’d gone back to Godric’s Hollow because, for the first time in his life, the distance felt like exactly what he needed. Just him and his camera, taking only black-and-white photos and hating himself. He’d spent a lot of time at the Bainbridges after that, because Penelope didn’t push him too hard and he didn’t have to ask hard questions about what exactly had happened and how much of it was his fault.

He didn’t think there was a single person on earth besides a potential might-exist god out there that could answer how it was Jimmie Blishwick who’d snapped him out of his self pity party, but there you go. She’d never been one to mince words, but she’d told him exactly what he didn’t want to hear, although maybe needed to – toughen up. Figure yourself out. She had a rather terrible streak of being right about things, at least when it came to his future, so…there might be something to it. Enter Yas – who had a better bedside manner, even if she had basically the same message for Cheese. But still, the bedside manner – that was important. And the more that Rafe could move past the emotions, the seemingly bottomless regret and sorrow and dread for facing the next day alone…well, the more he could actually face what had happened. And even decide that maybe it had been the right thing to do in the moment, even if he still hated it and felt the loss like a missing piece inside him. But he still didn’t feel like going out – no, he mostly went where Yas told him to and joined her when she started something. He didn’t know why he deserved someone as amazing as her watching out for him, but some big force out there had seemingly decided that he did so he was okay to go along with it.

He ran with a crowd that didn’t ever really seem to ‘dress up’ the way the rest of the party did (you know, photographers) so he was somewhat on the casual side this time. But he did let himself roll his sleeves up to show off his newest tattoo – bigger, more noticeable than the others he’d dared to get since graduation. The beauty of magic meant that the phoenix really did seem alive and fiery as it curled ‘round his forearm, and he had to admire Blair’s magic with the ink gun as he idly wandered into the casino. Only to stop short because it felt like he’d been sucker-punched as he finally caught sight of Yas. Listen, so much of him had always been wrapped up in Addy – the warm comfort of their friendship, the thrill of his first real relationship. But a small dark corner of his mind had always been dedicated to Yas, and that was the part that overwhelmed him now with the pure and simple awe he always felt in her presence.

He only felt himself blush a little as Yas kissed his cheek, but his words came out even this time. No stutter. He supposed Addy had done that to him – made him believe that he wasn’t just that awkward wallflower anymore. But he couldn’t let himself go down that path tonight…at the very least, it wasn’t fair to Yas and how hard she was trying to help him find his new normal. “Okay, it’s your choice whether you believe it or not, but I swear there were two goblins going at each other and blocking the entrance,” Cheese defended as he held his hands up in surrender. Gambling, sorcery, and drinks – it didn’t sound like his usual style at all, but maybe that was a good thing. “And you,” he reminded helpfully when she asked what more they could need as he offered his arm to Yas. That seemed like a gentlemanly thing to do, right? He smiled uncertainly as he took in the scene of glamour and wealth in front of them. “But, er, you’ll have to coach me so I don’t lose it all at once. I still gotta eat for the rest of the month.”

YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED

[YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED]

Yas's gaze landed on Rafe, and she gave him an appreciative nod. He didn't quite match her level of dress, but then again, who could? Not when she was looking this stunning. She beamed at him in greeting, planting a kiss on his cheek as he regaled her with a tale of two goblins. "Honestly? It wouldn't surprise me," said Yas, glancing over his shoulder to try to see the front entrance. Unfortunately there was no sign of the two goblins, nor any sort of evidence that something had gone awry at all. Yas chirped about all the things they could get in one place, and though Rafe said nothing, she knew he was thinking about how this was all rather unusual for him. But that was the whole plan. Yas yearned to push him from his comfort zone to carve out a new sort of normal - one that didn't revolve around a certain Slytherin girl.

"Your wish is my command," said Yas, draining the last of her drink and placing it on the bar. "We can start with roulette - probably won't lose much or win much as it really is luck, but it's fun to watch the ball and one of the dealers quite fancies me," said Yas in a conspiratorial whisper. "At least, he's been eyeing me up from across the room. Besides, we get free drinks as we play!" she exclaimed, tucking her hand into the crook of Rafe's elbow and dutifully leading him towards the table.

Yas hovered around the edge as they approached the table with the spinning wheel and green felt checkerboard. She wasn't a gambler, not by a long shot. But this was the sort of place her father frequented when he came to visit. "You can bet on a specific number or on a colour. Each bet costs a certain amount, see," said Yas in an undertone, nodding to a vampire with deathly pale skin who placed three chips on the line between 0 and 00. "Putting something on the line means that if it falls into either of those, you'll get half your bet," she added. "Usually it's best to start out small - a few chips on red or black. It's a fifty fifty shot really. And then one you place the bets and the ball is rolling, the dealer will close bets with a wave of his hand- He did so "And the ball will slow to a stop." It landed on a black thirteen, and the vampire cursed at his loss. Yas turned to Rafe. "Make sense?"

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Rafe was still searching for the air inside his lungs as Yas shot him a blinding smile. In school, he’d always had the chance to admire her from afar – the high-flying artist with a streak of creativity and a wide circle of friends who adored her. She’d been the most popular girl in their House by far, and it had felt so natural to ask for advice on any little thing and copy anything she did as it was likely to start a new trend. But Rafe was searching for that polite and mild Hufflepuff demeanor inside himself now, because it seemed to have been dizzyingly swept away. No, all he could do was feel his eyes linger as he noted that red was most definitely her color – it brought out the crimson red of her lips and made her caramel skin positively glow.

No, don’t think about her skin, he chastised himself with a blush as he tore his eyes away and focused on what she was saying. “’Course he is,” Rafe responded with an easy grin as Yas leaned in close to whisper to him, “But so’s half the blokes here. You, er, look stunning. Makes me wish I’d brought my camera.” He’d been too tongue-tied to say it earlier, especially since he’d finally found his cool around Yas and hadn’t wanted to lose it by stammering over how beautiful she looked all night. But it needed to be said sometime and Cheese was proud of the way he could (mostly) contain his blush. Like he wasn’t an embarrassed schoolboy talking to his first crush anymore. And about his camera -- well, that was a regular thought in every event where it wasn't appropriate to bring. He liked to document things for eternity, and he already knew he'd want to remember Yas exactly as he saw her now. Beautiful and free and alive.

He let Yas lead him to the roulette table, and swiftly plucked two of those mentioned free drinks off a tray while Yas examined the wheel. She seemed to have got a head start on him, but he desperately needed some liquid courage if he was going to make it through the rest of the night. He’d never been good at pacing himself, really. “Sure, sounds simple enough,” Cheese agreed as he handed off the second drink to Yas and placed his already-empty glass on the edge of the table. He examined the chips intently, let his fingers sort through them to examine the different kinds, and then messily stacked a small pile (while keeping his distance from the fuming vampire). “I think red’s my color tonight,” he announced, letting himself shoot a quick glance over at Yas (Merlin, he needed to control himself) before smiling a little and turning expectantly to face the wheel. He could almost feel himself holding his breath.

YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED

[YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED]

Yas felt a flush of pleasure at Rafe's compliment. She'd always admired him - he'd been so kind and sweet, though at some point he'd shifted from a meek boy to a stunning man. "Best for a beautiful girl to be on the arm of a handsome man," said Yas, winding an arm through Rafe's as she explained the rules of roulette. She wasn't completely sure she knew what she was talking about, but Yas thought she'd gotten the gist of it. "I'm surprised you didn't bring your camera. But maybe they would have taken it away at the door. You never know with those rough types," said Yas, glancing over her shoulder at the front entrance. All was quiet for the moment. Not a goblin wrestling match to be seen.

Yas gracefully accepted the drink that Rafe handed to her and took a sip. The bubbles exploded on her tongue, sending a pleasant tingling down her throat and a warmth spreading through her body. The pair kept their distance from the vampire who was muttering to himself in an ancient language. Yas glanced at him then leaned over to Rafe. "Do you reckon he's trying to summon an iblis from the underworld?" It was a reasonable question, as the words that flowed from the vampire's mouth were both disturbing and undistinguishable. But then, he turned and fled, taking his chips with him. Silently, Yas raised a brow in question and looked from Rafe to the table.

Something warm blossomed in Yas' belly at Cheese's bet. A grin spread across her ruby lips as the ball was cast, and the bets were closed. As luck would have it, it ended on red. "Well done, you've won!" said Yas clapping her hands together in excitement. "Won his money back, at least," replied the dealer gruffly, but he offered the pair a secret smile as he handed Rafe the chips. "Right, yes so you didn't lose any money. I think that's a win," Yas decided. She took a few chips, placing two on red again, and two on the number eight. Though it was black, it was her lucky number. "What's your lucky number, Rafe?" asked Yas, her gaze falling on him.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

There’d been an incident a few months ago – the Prophet had sent Rafe to photograph some skateboarders at a new park in Bristol, to capture the crazy artwork that was their boards. Anti-gravity, color change charms, the whole works. It was a fluff piece, nothing serious, but he’d been seriously enjoying the assignment until he’d got knocked ‘round the head by one as its rider wiped out. He’d found himself flat on the ground and thankful it’d been nothing worse at the time…although now he wondered if maybe it had been a fatal shot and Rafe had actually died. It was the only possible explanation to account for this now, for Yas apparently having just called him a ‘handsome man’ while she wound her arm through his. “Oh, uh, yeah,” he stammered out, willing himself not to blush as he tentatively pulled her a little closer and looked over the table.

“Addy always told me not to bring my camera to these things,” he said automatically to account for the empty weight that was usually a camera bag on his shoulder. But Cheese winced a moment later as he realized what he’d said, and that he’d actually said her name out-loud – which wasn’t even something he could have done a month ago. “Damn sorry, ignore that. Ignore me,” Rafe said a little miserably as he tried not to dwell on such a depressing subject on what was supposed to be a fun night out. His camera had always been one of the main things they’d argued about, whenever she felt he was paying more attention to it than her. It was hard to kill the habit of bringing it everywhere, but Rafe supposed he’d internalized the debate at some point – if it was still in the back of his mind months after the break-up.

Still, he couldn’t help but lighten up at Yas’s excitement as the ball stopped on red and he gave a pleased laugh. “It’s definitely a win! The starving artist lives to eat another day,” Cheese agreed as he took back the chips and placed them haphazardly next to their little hoard. Yas turned to face him and Cheese smiled down at her as he squeezed her hand excitedly after their first win. The casino lights played brilliantly off her gold jewelry and he caught himself drowning in her eyes until he noticed her lips moving. Damn, he’d missed that. His mind scrambled for a moment to replay the last few seconds and he rushed to say something, “Er, four?” Was that right? Was that a logical answer to the question she’d asked? He cast his mind around and decided on the Brígh philosophy moving forward. “And another shot for luck,” he said, deciding to ignore the almost magical way the drinks tray seemed to pop up after that. As Rafe handed Yas a glass and downed his own, he decided – yeah, he didn’t really care where it came from as long as it didn’t stop coming.

YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED

[YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED]

Rafe seemed baffled by Yas’ easy compliment, which suited Yas just fine. She was used to boys falling speechless around her. But then again, Rafe was her friend. So as she wound her arm through his, she nudged his hip with her own, fixing him with a serious look. He pulled her a bit closer and Yas settled neatly into Rafe’s side. She pretended to focus on the game before them, but really she was rather distracted by the hard muscle of Rafe’s abdomen. Merlin, she wasn’t wrong. He’d gotten fit. Where was the scraggly little boy with the camera constantly bouncing on his chest?

Yas tilted her head up towards Rafe and sighed as if the weight of the world were on her gently sloping shoulders. ”Don’t limit yourself. Tonight is about being free, habibi,” said Yas with a grin. ”Relinquish the chains. Open up your wings. Talk about anything. Tonight, we have fun,” she added by way of clarification, stretching up on her toes and kissing Rafe on the cheek. She left a mark of red lipstick which she appraised with a smirk before returning her attention to the table. ”Don’t you let anyone else dictate your art,” said Yas as she watched the pair of them win - even if it wasn’t very much.

After a short celebration, Yas asked Rafe what his lucky number was. He responded something vague and she rolled her eyes, chuckling at his distraction. Yas tucked a finger under his chin, guiding his gaze back towards the table. She placed half their chips on the number four, and threaded her fingers through Rafe’s. She squeezed his hand for luck as the pair of them downed their drinks that had magically appeared at their elbows as the bets were closed and the ball was thrown.

All eyes were on the table as the ball rattled around, before finally sinking firmly into a pocket. Yas’ jaw dropped in astonishment and it took her a full five seconds to realise just what had happened. The ball had landed in the four, winning them thirty five times their bet - 350 galleons. The dealer nodded, impressed as he passed over their winning chips. Two glasses of champagne magically appeared at their elbows and Yas toasted to Rafe with a flourish, already feeling the effects of their previous drinks. ”Looks like you’re my lucky charm, McLaggen,” said Yas, her voice a low purr as she maintained eye contact with Rafe as she sipped her celebration champagne.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

He was usually very in-tune with his surroundings. It was second habit by this point, because Cheese had always been rather talented at noticing everything happening around him except for whatever was standing directly in front of him for the moment. But a photographer was always on the lookout for the perfect shot, whether that meant glancing up (like wow, see those clouds?) or out (because of that one time he’d just glanced out the window in time to see the start of an epic broom chase) or around (because the little snapshots of other people’s lives were always happening around you and were there one moment and gone the next). He’d also started to notice those little things when he’d first Apparated outside the casino – like the goblins outside who were smoking and making amazing shapes appear from their pipes, and the high glitzy arches of the casino entrance, and a jacket he was nearly sure was made from elf-hide that he’d seen on his way in.

But at some point his vision had completely narrowed and Rafe probably couldn’t tell you what drink he’d just swallowed or what color the dealer’s shirt was or what number had just come out of his mouth. Nope, his entire focus was on the scarlet red of Yas’s dress and the soft brush of her lips on his cheek and the little smirk that danced across her lips as she turned back to the wheel. Merlin, he felt a little dizzy at all the little points of contact between them and all the terribly embarrassing thoughts the color red was awakening in him at the moment. He found himself nodding at Yas’s words before his mind caught up with it. Art had become such a marginalized part of his life over the last years – what a sad thought.

“Tonight’s a night to drown in beauty.” The words escaped him before he’d fully thought it through (classic Cheese) but it felt profoundly true in the moment. It felt like the sort of night where you unanchored yourself from everything and let the desires of a higher power guide you. Sweep you away, take you somewhere new. Maybe call it a god, definitely call it Yas – maybe those two things were really one and the same. Cheese didn’t know anything except that he felt the excitement and adrenaline threatening to sweep him off his feet, and he was ready for it. He was much too enthralled by the way the golden lights of the casino seemed to chase after Yas to notice anything else until he felt a soft pressure guiding his gaze back to the table. Cheeks burning, Cheese glanced over the bets and finally digested that he must’ve said the number four. What a random choice.

The small crowd stared in silence at the motionless wheel before the whole scene erupted into noise. “We won?” he asked dumbly, staring at the champagne in his hand and then glancing back at Yas. His face broke into a wide grin as the words echoed in his mind and in the astonished look on her face. Merlin, this was a brilliant game, wasn't it? Ignoring the drink, he gave a laugh of disbelief and wrapped his free arm around Yas’s waist to spin her easily in a circle. “No, it’s all you,” he said earnestly, “You turn everything you touch into gold. Just like your art.”

YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED

[YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED]

Yas glanced over at Rafe and gave him a secret smile of agreement. Yes, it was a night to drown in beauty. And debauchery, and luxury, and lots of other things that ended in -y. And revelry too, by the slack-jawed look Yas gave the table before crowing that they'd won 350 galleons. She beamed over at Rafe, who was looking at her like she had the Midas touch. She waved away his stunned proclamation. "We are a good, lucky team!" said Yas decisively instead. But she didn't mind Rafe sweeping her up in his surprisingly strong embrace and spinning her round. She felt rather giddy herself after that, and grinned stupidly at Rafe.

"It's dangerous though - winning streak or lucky shot?" asked Yas, trying but failing to school her face into a serious expression. She glanced at the dealer, who was studiously ignoring the pair of them and had already called the next table. Hmm, perhaps he was the jealous type. "Let's try something else, now that we're high rollers," said Yas, linking her thin arm through his before steering him towards the bar. She bought them a pair of martinis - "Be like James Bond and at least pretend to enjoy it!" - and pulled him towards a roped off area at the back.

They paused at the area only briefly, lit up with bright white letters announcing that the minimum buy in for this section was 100 galleons. "On second thought, let's not push our luck. We are but poor starving artists, no?" said Yas, sliding her hand from its place in the crook of Rafe's elbow to twine her fingers with his. She paused at a regular slot machine, then turned to Rafe. "I think you can change it to the theme of your choosing. What will you take - Jungle Fever or Star Bound? Think it's a knock off of Indiana Jones and Star Wars or something. They're not very original," said Yas, heaving a great sigh.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Cheese was still riding the high of their victory as he spun Yas ‘round and whooped excitedly. The casino wasn’t the usual place that he went to for an adrenaline high – that was usually him chasing after a spectacular moment with his camera before it snapped out of existence – but he could see the appeal. It was like he’d stepped into a parallel universe when he’d crossed the threshold. Some out-of-reach world where he could be a winner and just shy of deserving to have Yas look at him like that. He’d spiraled into a deep depression since the break-up, and it’d become sort of rare not to feel like a Dementor had his heart in a pretty tight squeeze.

But that was part of her magic – he felt so much lighter than when he’d first wandered in, and he grinned openly at her. She posed the age-old question, winning streak or one-time victory, and Cheese laughed at the dilemma. “I’m feeling pretty good about my chances tonight,” he joked, and for the first time in a long time…he really meant that. The world was big, and full of beauty, and he’d only stumbled into a dark corner for a while. It was possible to find his way back into the light, and it felt like Yas had done that. Taken his hand, turned him around, and maybe sometime soon those butterflies in his stomach would stop fluttering…?

He squinted skeptically at his martini, not because he had any of James Bond’s concerns about being poisoned, but because it was about three levels of sophistication too high for him. It was a stark contrast to the pitchers of beer he usually went for. He downed it absentmindedly as Yas pulled him to a slot machine, and his eyes lingered on the slot for his wand so he could choose a theme and pull the lever. “I dunno, I don’t remember that in Indiana Jones,” he said with a flush to his cheeks as he checked out the decoration on the side of the slot machine. Not that Indy didn’t get his fair share of women, but they weren’t usually dressed like that. He breezed by the moment and with a sharp crack from his wand watched the machine change to a definite space theme. “Ready to sail away into the stars?” he asked eagerly, squeezing her fingers gently with his and offering her their prize from roulette. He wished he’d brought his camera, because he seemed completely unable to take his eyes off Yas for longer than a few seconds at a time. And he badly wanted to remember this moment.

YASMIN ZARA EL FAYED