there you are | florence

[rhys alexander greyback]

whispers in the background

behind closed doors

September 15, 2016
florence violet fortescue

Rhys recalled how vast and expansive Hogwarts had felt during his first year. The corridors felt miles long, and simply going from the Common Room to the Classroom or the Library felt like some epic quest. Seven years later, the castle might as well have shrunk in Rhys’s eyes. It was probably like that for most of his classmates. It was perhaps a combination of muscle memory and the fact that they were not eleven years old anymore. Rhys often forgot how many of his classmates were older than him, considering his birthday was hardly a week before the beginning of term. Especially when his strides were very long, the miles-long corridor felt like a few steps.

He opened his mouth to make another comment to fill the silence until he heard footsteps but loud footsteps. Merlin, how close were they? His heart sank into his stomach for a moment, and the only thing that popped into his head was Bagman's troll-like face. Off the top of his head, he was the only person large enough to make footsteps that loud. But it couldn’t have been, considering he somehow had not failed his final year and graduated. Either way, Rhys wasn’t keen to find out. Quickly glancing around, he saw the large doors to exit into the courtyard or smaller doors so they didn’t have to hide outside in the cold.

”Sounds close by—“ Rhys grabbed Flossie’s hand as he’d done earlier in the evening, and the first door he tried was unlocked. Even though it was not a classroom or large room, he pulled her in with him. Faintly, he could still hear the echo of the footsteps. But it was hard to focus because, in the dim lighting, Rhys noted they were once again in some sort of closet. Merlin—twice in one night. He wasn’t sure if this was some kind of sign. All he could think about was her proximity to him and how warm he was feeling. ”S-sorry. I—erm—didn’t think patrols would still be out…”

He found it hard not to look at Flossie as much as the lighting allowed. Had Flossie been shorter, at least they could both stare off into the dark until the coast was clear, but she was tall. And maybe if Rhys hadn’t been so timid or unassured during this part of his life, he certainly would have considered this incident a sign—a kick in the ass from the universe, as it were. At least he had the corner of a box digging into his back to occupy his mind, but he could only deal with the pain for so long. ”Sorry. Something digging into my back.” Rhys shifted forward, grunting quietly in this limited space. Easing the pain but not their comfort as they stood face to face.

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Rhys was a little too perceptive, in her opinion. He zeroed in on her false footsteps almost immediately, and Flossie barely had time to sneak her wand back into her pocket before he grabbed her hand once again and started to lead her towards the closest door. Luckily for them, Hogwarts had a tendency to not lock the doors of abandoned rooms and off-limits closets. As their bodies were shoved together inside the tiny broom closet, two thoughts ran through her head: 'Perfect,' and that she had made those footsteps entirely too loud. To the point where she could still hear them between the door and her much deeper breathing now that she was within inches of Rhys again. She assumed this was what being under the effects of a love potion must feel like; an endless warmth of yearning for something that would maybe never be properly reciprocated. Rhys would have dragged anyone who was with him in this same situation into a closet, regardless of what his feelings for them were. He was just like that. Which also happened to be why she'd been pining for him all these years.

He moved closer after saying he had something jabbing him in the back, and she felt her chest heave in excitement. Flossie was hopeless though, and despite everything that was screaming in her head for her to do, she was a cowardly lion tonight. She had used up all of her Gryffindor bravery to cast that charm and force the situation. Now that she was frozen and trapped, all she could do was stare dumbly at Rhys through the darkness. "I-It's okay..." she mumbled quietly, wondering at that moment if he could hear how loudly her heart was beating. Surely he could. It was just them, a poorly placed box, and the ghostly footsteps of her charm. Which she needed to cancel soon, otherwise it would be walking in circles outside of their closet until morning.

To do so meant she needed her wand again, which had been placed back into her pocket. The cramped conditions of the closet made pulling that back out far easier said than done, and she momentarily panicked. Thankfully, she had an idea of how to play it all off. Pushing closer to Rhys, her hand fumbled down the side of her leg and found the handle of her wand, and she quickly slid it back out. A discreet flick towards the door to try and disengage the auditory charm and then she raised it enough to cast a follow-up. "Lumos," Flossie said softly, to not make the light too bright. She placed her wand in a way that it would seem like she was trying to block the light with their bodies. "Sorry...I've just had enough with being in the dark," she lied. She really just wanted Rhys to look at her more in the short amount of time they still had together tonight.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

whispers in the background

behind closed doors

September 15, 2016
florence violet fortescue

Rhys wondered how long this apparent giant would roam this corridor. This closet felt smaller than the previous one, leaving little room for Rhys or Flossie to move around. He could hardly take a full breath without feeling like his body would touch hers as his ribcage expanded to breathe. If someone had told a first-year Rhys that he would end up in a small closet not once but twice with a girl who was not only beautiful but kind and caring—well, first-year Rhys would have said that person was mental. And yet, here he was.

Suddenly, Flossie shifted, causing her to lean into him. He just about held his breath. The last thing he wanted was to let what stirred inside him, and his feelings cause him to act impulsively and risk Flossie reacting badly. The reason for her sudden movement was quickly revealed as a dim light appeared at the end of her wand. Looking at her, he didn’t immediately notice the footsteps fading away. They weren’t in the dark anymore. Rhys realized how close they stood to one another. As his eyes traveled across her face, he noted her freckles and how her jaw appeared to angle more sharply when she wasn’t smiling. But Flossie usually smiled, revealing those dimples Rhys had grown familiar with.

”I—erm—“ His throat felt dry. This sort of situation was not new, per se, but Flossie was a close friend. And all Rhys could think about was how a connection with him—a Greyback would do nothing for her. Thoughts like that made it easy to suppress whatever urges he may have felt. The strange feeling in his chest shifted to a sinking feeling. Because in what world did Rhys Greyback have a shot with Florence Fortescue? It was a disheartening thought, but all he could think of was bringing her close as he’d done in the previous broom closet.

Rhys reached out and let his fingers push the hair out of her face to retrieve what looked like dust or a feather stuck in her hair. ”Got a feather in there…” He spoke in a low tone. Despite the doubt lingering heavy in his mind, he almost couldn’t help himself either. He moved forward just slightly to lean in. The broom closet, however, had other things in mind.

Something shifted behind him, perhaps that box that had dug into his kidney. But it distracted Rhys enough that he found his forehead contacting something solid. Merlin, there was nothing like a literal knock to the head from a solid shelf to clear a teenage boy’s mind of any lustful thoughts. ”Bloody hell—“ Rubbing his forehead, Rhys sighed heavily. The adrenaline from the moment left him feeling very warm, and he also felt his chance was forever lost. Clearing his throat again, Rhys now noted the lack of footsteps. ”I—uh—I think the coast is clear…” Now more than ever, he felt awkward. Maybe Flossie hadn’t noticed the intent in his eyes, and maybe he hadn’t risked their longtime friendship over a stupid, impulsive urge. Rhys waited a moment, fairly sure he wasn’t blushing anymore, to finally crack open the door and peek out.

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She could die tomorrow and eternally happy for falsifying this moment with Rhys. A dash of last-minute Gryffindor bravery had put her into a position of power that she was never going to fully capitalize on, much to her own dismay. That didn’t mean she couldn’t relish in it a little bit while she had the chance though. Her brain was telling her that this could not have gone better either, with her stupid little noise charm and the convenience of a broom closet right near them. Another part was telling her it was all a dream, and she had dozed off up at the Astronomy Tower while Rhys was still working. Operating on dream logic would definitely get her a lot further if she really wanted to follow through with it too.

But that was where her house’s best trait started to run dry. Flossie knew herself best and putting herself in such a compromising position on purpose meant that eventually she was going to see reality. Which came smacking her right in the side of the face as she stared across at Rhys with the dim glow of her Lumos-lit wand between them. She had always tried to avoid staring into his eyes, afraid of their captivating blue hue. It didn’t help her at all when he started to push her hair back to pull something out of it. Rhys said it was a feather, but she was too frozen to even register if there had been anything there to begin with.

He had begun to do an awkward shuffle, which she assumed was because of whatever was jabbing him in the side. There really wasn’t enough room to be doing that, though there would be no complaints from her if he accidentally found himself even closer to her by doing so. A loud ‘thunk’ made her cover her mouth as she realized that he managed to smack his head onto something jutting out from one of the shelves. A quick raise of her wand revealed it to be an old trunk of sorts. It rattled gently, and she hoped that was because of Rhys’s unexpected contact with it, and not because it was home to some sort of nasty ghoul.

Flossie, unfortunately, did not protest when he finally pointed out that the hallway seemed clear. She had momentarily forgotten that she was the cause of all of this in the first place, still slightly lost in her luck of being smushed up against him twice tonight. The release of cold, corridor air rushing in to meet their cramped hiding place was welcomed and did wonders to cool her off and remind her that she wasn’t nearly as brave as she tried to be. Extinguishing her wand and returning it to her pocket, she moved up against Rhys to try and see out of the tiny crack he had made with the now opened door. ”Are you sure?” she whispered, hoping her acting was good enough of a sell. Knowing how oblivious Rhys could be at times, she probably didn’t need to try too hard. ”W-We could wait a few more minutes if it isn’t…”

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[rhys alexander greyback]

whispers in the background

behind closed doors

September 15, 2016
florence violet fortescue

The cool air helped ground Rhys. His mind raced with thoughts, though he suspected many had become dislodged by his untimely encounter with that trunk sticking off the shelf. But he also kept asking himself if he’d almost made a move on Flossie. Peering out, he also took the opportunity to take a deep breath and calm himself. Aside from the anxiety of what had almost happened, Rhys also battled the hormones of a teenage boy. But the reprieve was temporary. Flossie wedged between Rhys and the door, causing his breath to catch.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was some kind of test. It had to be. How often would a girl place herself against him in one night before Rhys acted? In the meantime, he also wanted to avoid getting caught at this house. There wasn’t a need for detention or rumors from loud-mouthed Prefects about all this. Instinctively, Rhys wrapped an arm around Flossie’s waist as her back was to him and her front against the door. The last thing they needed was the door to give way, and they tumbled out of the closet with whatever else resided there.

”Careful.” Rhys managed to mumble into her ear. It was too easy for a loud whisper to echo in these corridors. Waiting another moment, Rhys opted to step back in taking Flossie as well. There was a chance he heard footsteps unless all he was hearing was some latent echo of the previous footsteps, plus his heartbeat in his ears. Normally, he was far calmer than this, but it was safe to say Rhys was feeling a bit riled up. Not to mention on edge already due to the eve of the full moon. Once inside, Rhys let go of Flossie. But he didn’t move, partly out of fear of what he might bump into and mostly because he wasn’t sure he wanted to. ”We can—erm—go in a minute.” In Rhys’s experience, patrols were never out this late. And Prefects tended to find their fair share of trouble among themselves given the opportunity, they could care less about two students returning from the Astronomy Tower.

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Fuzzy. That was the state her head was in currently. Like television static. Flossie knew that she was pressed up against Rhys and the door, and that he was holding her around the waist to prevent her from falling out of the broom closet. But her brain was racing a mile a minute, wondering if this meant anything or if he was just being courteous because he believed a Prefect was prowling around outside. The entire situation was self-inflicted and fabricated by her and she couldn’t even handle it with a clear mind. That was exactly what happened when she let primal instincts and wants to take over for actual critical thinking. No wonder she wasn’t in Ravenclaw.

It didn’t help feeling Rhys’s whispered ‘careful’ brush past her ear. She was an utter failure at orchestrating her own success. Flossie let herself be pulled back further into the closet, but she was released once again. Staring down at her feet, or at least where she assumed they were since her lumos had failed to allow her eyes to fully adjust to the pitch black of the closet, she knew she couldn’t even dare to look at him right now. Even if she couldn’t see him, the perceived notion that he’d be able to see how red her face was only made it burn more. Unfortunately for her, it showed too.

”R-Right. Just didn’t want to be caught too soon is all,” she explained herself. With the door closed once again, she could really feel the stuffiness of the closet. No thanks to her, she was sure. Despite not being claustrophobic in the slightest, she sort of understood what those that were felt like. The tightening in her chest was definitely emblematic of it, though for an entirely different reason. ”We should probably be quieter the rest of the way,” Flossie added, still looking down. Again, mostly because she didn’t think she could look him in the face for the rest of this evening.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

whispers in the background

behind closed doors

September 15, 2016
florence violet fortescue

Rhys could hear how the other boys in his dormitory might relentlessly tease or poke fun at another boy should he fall into such a situation. Twice in one evening, after hours with the beautiful Florence Fortescue in small broom closets and to not make a move? It was probably best that Rhys wasn’t all that close with many Slytherin boys in his year, especially because his mind was swirling with so many thoughts not helped by her proximity. He thought of how she felt pressed up against him. His face felt warm again. Rhys cleared his throat, which felt so dry now. ”Right…”

Using what was left of his willpower, Rhys felt determined to return her to the Gryffindor Common Room detention-free. It hadn’t been his plan to get a good night’s sleep either way. He never slept well around the full moon, but he certainly wouldn’t now. And maybe if he was lucky, Flossie wouldn’t bring it up, and Rhys wouldn’t lose a good friend because his hormones had a mind of their own. His eyes adjusted slightly to the darkness, so he stepped forward again, knowingly into Flossie’s space. This was not something he ever expected to happen. It felt almost delusional to think it could happen. In the daylight, she might have seen the swirling thoughts in his eyes as they pondered, crossing that line.

”Let’s go.” That split-second moment felt like forever. Rhys spoke low and reached for her hand before slowly pushing the door open to peer outside. The coast appeared clear, and it was a now-or-never sort of situation. Rhys let her fingers interlock with his, but he didn’t look back at her. This would be easier if he didn’t, and after a few careful corridors and carefully checking around corners Rhys recognized the portrait of The Fat Lady. They had made it without further incident. Rhys let her hand fall from his before finally looking at his longtime friend. He had realized long ago his life was not meant to contain the same pleasures or happiness others were privileged, and the sooner he accepted that—the better. For now, he needed to make his way to the dungeons without earning another detention, and perhaps see if Sarah was around.

[ end rhys ]

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Flossie knew that she couldn’t delay this for any longer. The silence, only occupied by their individual, stifled breathes, felt like it was forbidden. If only she could steel herself more than she already had. All these steps forward that she had pushed herself, only to falter here. If she hadn’t been such a cowardly lion…

Rhys, at some point, decided that it was time to leave, and Flossie didn’t object to it at all. She needed to cool off from her little ploy anyways. It was an exhausting exercise of restraint of self-indulgence. She had a feeling that she would never win anything past tonight. McGonagall already had a leg up in Potions (quite literally after the accident), and Flossie had seen other girls with more assertiveness throw themselves his way. Waiting until the castle was completely empty except for the two of them was the only way she could ever have the bravery to do this.

She silently trailed a step behind him, relishing in the fact that she would only have a little longer of holding his hand. The twists and turns through the dark corridors, while familiar, felt different when she could barely tear her eyes away from their hands. It didn’t take long until they made the last corner in front of the Gryffindor Common Room.

”Night…” she whispered as Rhys disappeared back into the darkness of the hallway, leaving her alone with the gently snoring portrait of The Fat Lady. She was going to be receiving several strong tuts over waking the painting up, but at least she had the excuse of doing schoolwork. Sort of. Still feeling her heart fluttering at a pace it didn’t normally run at, an achievement, since the amount of sugar typically consumed by the Fortescue’s would do any normal person in, she stepped up and prodded the picture frame so that she could get into her dorm. She wasn’t going to be sleeping tonight, but lying in bed and staring up at the roof of her four-poster was better than nothing.

[THE END]

rhys alexander greyback ● 343

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