Remembering...

Participating characters:
Luthien Finisterra
Ryuu Riccardo Nefis

Status: Incomplete/History

Last Post: unknown





Luthien Finisterra

September weather in England...not a nice thing, it was humid and cold and it did terrible things to Luthien's allergies. Yes there she was back again, back at Hogwarts only this time she knew that there was no one there who was waiting for her, the one person she loved and cared about the most was back at France and the only news she had had from him lacked his physical person and the way he made her feel when she was with him.

It was amazing how she felt lonely even if she was surrounded by a lot of people, she truly missed him, those three months without him had been terrible and now she still had to wait for another year until she could see him and kiss him again. Walking absentmindedly her feet dragged her to where he had first kissed her, the fountain.

The cold air gently brushing her cheeks had never bothered her, she loved cold weather, but not then, not that year at Hogwarts. During summer she had been stuck at Hogsmeade and in one of her boring days she decided to get a haircut and so now her once long brown hair was no longer there, now it was short, shoulder length to be precise, she had never imagined how cold you can get when your hair is short.

She sat by the edge of the fountain, watching the ripples that were formed by the flowing water, a soft whisper escaped her lips without her realizing the footsteps that were approaching her..."Damian...where are you?"


Ryuu R Nefis

Here he was, back again, back to where he never thought he would have survived a year and here he was on his third and final semester in Hogwarts. Today was one of the days he decided to do something out of his usual routine to get away from the mundane. Ryuu had given his feet free rein and they had brought him, to the fountain.

The fountain, the place he had spent his first night at Hogwarts in his fifth year and where he had made his first but not last encounted with a bewitching Slytherin whom he had given his heart to once, only to be broken by bitter strife. The memories were painful and unpleasent, but the pain was gently cast aside by sweeter, more endearing thoughts of she who had stood by him through his transgressions. In his times of need she had been there, but when she had needed him, his prefectorial duties then had kept him away. He was greatly indebted to her, and yet Debora demanded nothing in return. All she did do, was to continue to shower him with her unconditional love.

The chilling signs of the approaching autumn brushed against his cheeks as his boots struck a steady rhythm on the cobblestone path. The silence was broken only by the sound of his footsteps, the wind and the sound of water on stone.

Ryuu was alone now. Alone once again. No more Armadeo, no more Olivia, not even Reuben or Arizce.

Debora was still, at the moment, no where to be found. Damian, his fellow assistant Quidditch captain too was missing. This was the year he had to complete his NEWTs and he wouldn't be able to handle the team alone. In fact, he probably wouldn't be able to handle the team at all. If there was a team left.

A figure stood hunched over the edge of the fountain, watching the ripples on the surface of the crystal clear water. She seemed familiar, yet alien.

"Luthien?" Ryuu had wanted to say. But something stopped him.

"Damian...where are you?" The soft voice lingered over the water.

"Back in France." Ryuu replied, not without a quiet sigh. The lion joined the girl by the fountain and turned his emerald gaze into the shallow depths and said nothing more. The silence had returned.


Luthien Finisterra

She was lost in her own world then, not paying attention to the noises around her like the birds chirping and the footsteps that were drawing nearer by the minute, the only sound her ears were listening to was the one the flowing water was making and it reminded her of Damian's voice, how sweet and caring it was.

It also reminded her of how he treated her, with such love and care, as if she was a frail being, how she fitted perfectly in his arms and how he could make anything alright by just running his fingers through her hair and telling her that everything was going to be alright and that he would always be there for her. She felt like crying, she missed him with all her heart and soul and could think of nothing or no one else but him.

"Back in France."

That voice, with such a strong accent, was all it took to take her back to reality with a little jump. Before she knew it the guy's whos voice she had heard and that had spoken such truthful and yet hurting words had sat beside her on the fountain edge. "Oh...I didn't hear you come Mr. Nefis, I hope all is well with you", she said as a greeting, her eyes still fixed on the water.

"Yes, unfortunately I know that Damian is back at France, I was just thinking out loud I guess." She sat back up and put her hands beside her, holding to the edge of the fountain. Silence had fallen between the both of them after that. She was now facing the pale light that was coming from the sun directly, she narrowed her eyes a bit and asked a question she had been dying to ask someone but she hadn't found a single person that could know the answer, with an anxious and "Have you gotten any news from Damian? The last letter I got was in the middle of summer."


Ryuu R Nefis

It was still a while to sun set, but the sky had already begun to show traces of purple and red trailing between clouds. It was going to rain tonight if not in the evening. Strange how the weather always seemed to reflect his mood. The wind was picking up, blowing harder against his cool cheeks and stinging his cracked lips. Ryuu shook his head gently as weariness began to take over. For some unknown reason he was feeling tired and worn out as if something else was feeding off his energy. Luthien's voice was what jolted him awake.

"Oh...I didn't hear you come Mr. Nefis, I hope all is well with you"

Ryuu laughed in the form of a half smirk under his breath. Nothing was well with him and He knew it. More things would just go wrong.

"Yes, unfortunately I know that Damian is back at France, I was just thinking out loud I guess."

He wished he could comfort her but Ryuu knew what he could offer was perhaps only more pain. Afterall, when one was sick, one looked for a doctor. But what good would a doctor be if he himself was ill? He could help Luthien as much as the next depressed person could. For the moment, Ryuu decided to hold his silence whilst a free hand broke the surface tension of the water at the base of the fountain.

"Have you gotten any news from Damian? The last letter I got was in the middle of summer."

Ryuu shook his head, finally breaking his gaze into the water. As he withdrew his hand from it's icy depths he replied, "No, I haven't. I was hoping that perhaps you would know something more about him. Afterall you are his... significant other..." He didn't mean anything by that, perhaps he had said it in that tone just because of his mood. "Or are we all so unfortunate to never hear from our beloved monsieur again?"


Luthien Finisterra

A soft smirk came from Ryuu as she greeted him, probably he was feeling the same as her or even worse. It was amazing how much angst and problems could drown such young hearts, it was as if only their bodies were young, but their souls were old.

He remained silent and the only thing he did was play with the water. Luthien was tempted to ask about Debbie because she knew that there was something going on between them but she couldn't tell by Ryuu's eyes if everything was alright with their relationship so she kept herself from asking. Why was love so complicated? It was supposed to be the greatest feeling of all, and though sometimes it was, others it only brought pain and despair to the people feeling it.

"No, I haven't. I was hoping that perhaps you would know something more about him. Afterall you are his... significant other...Or are we all so unfortunate to never hear from our beloved monsieur again?"

Luthien turned to face him when he said that, what was he trying to say? She didn't like the tone he had used but she had heard by many about the way the lion treated people, always giving them the cold shoulder. She had no idea why he and Damian had become friends in the first place, both their tempers were so explosive that it was almost unbelievable that they could stand each other. But if Damian had trusted in him it meant that she too could do it. "We are not unfortunate, I do have some news from him, and they are good ones," she began with a calm tone, the news she had were good indeed.

"The girl he had been promised to eloped with her governor on the day of the wedding, she left Damian at the altar," Luthien smiled a big smile when she said that, and it wasn't because she was making fun of what had happened, she would never do that! The reason for her smile was that those were the only good news she had gotten regarding Damian and it made her feel at ease, "So I guess he will be coming back to us next year, still a year is a long time to wait and I miss him terribly."



Ryuu R Nefis

The clouds were growing heavier overhead as the sun continued it's decent. A volumous body in space, a sphere of fire that both gave life and destroyed with it's overwhelming power. The sun would soon disappear over the horizon, splashing the sky with beautiful shades of red, orange, purple and yellow as it decended below the visible line, sky blue turned a dark navy and eventually black. But without fail, it would rise again tomorrow, still burning strong. Ryuu could not feel the same way. He was never refreshed after a night's sleep for he slept fitfully. He never had dreams, he had nightmares. Insomnia was his frequent visitor at night. Night after night he would wander the hallways and grounds. No one had ever stopped him because all these three years the lion had held the perfect authority to wander as he wished.

The wind built up and died again. A single dry twig inflicted a superficious cut across his left cheek just before the wind vanished as it had come. Aside from the cries of autumn, the grounds today was miraculously quiet, quiter than any late afternoon had ever been. The gardens in which the fountain stood lay deserted of its usual visitors. Not a single student soul was visible. Ryuu absent mindedly brought a cold hand to the cut on his cheek as he heard Luthien's movement; the crunch of the dry leaves as they crumbled under the pressure of her feet was almost deafening in the unnatural silence. Slowly. he took his hand away from his face and starred at the thin line of blood that lay faintly across his index and middle finger like a crayon line drawn crudely across a sheet of paper by a four year old.

A four year old... crayons... Another recollection of his past lingered faintly in his mind as he thought about his family.

We are not unfortunate, I do have some news from him, and they are good ones,"

Ryuu looked up at the girl again. Any news from Damian would be good. He missed his companion dearly. There had only been two people in his student life he ever missed; Damian and Debora. Ryuu's mind wondered if the alliteration from the repetition in the first letters of their names were coincidental.

"The girl he had been promised to eloped with her governor on the day of the wedding, she left Damian at the altar,"

Wedding. Yes, that was one thing that worried the Venetian. Now that he had found his family, he had not only found those he loved, but he had also reconciled with his old ties and duties. Ryuu was still the sole heir to the Nefis line. No, the Nefis and Levet line. His benefactor had willed for him to inherit everything she had upon her death as well. His father has said something about it being his time to continue the line. He would probably attempt to find him a 'suitable partnet' even. Knowing his father's staunt beliefs is tradition and class consciousness, he would probably disapprove of Debora.

Outloud Ryuu did not comment much. He simply waited for her to finish what she had to say.

"So I guess he will be coming back to us next year, still a year is a long time to wait and I miss him terribly."

"You know," the lion began as his dipped his hand into the fountain's water again to wash off the blood stain "If I didn't know you better I would have thought you assertained the practice of schadenfreude. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for you that the monsieur and yourself have a chance of a future, but perhaps things may not be exactly what you think it is. There is a chance he may be scarred by the experience. You forget that status does mean something to Damian though he does not always admit it. And it's not a good thing to be one with a name and to be left stranded at the chapel whilst being made a fool of."

His comments were based on what he knew of the young man and he had soent many sleepless nights in his companionship in the high places of the castle. He had held a level of respect for the younger lion and though both had many similarities in their dormant temperments, they had gotten along quite well.

"You might want to prepare yourself for anything that might happen... just in case. A year may prove to be insufficient time if one is not careful."


Luthien Finisterra

The sun was setting and the wind was picking up, making the weather a little bit colder with each wave that struck the girl's face. She saw through the corner of her eye that Ryuu was touching his face and then that he was observing his fingers, she couldn't tell why until she turned to face him. His left cheek was bleeding. Her girly instincts kicked in.

"You're bleeding, here let me take care of that," she took out her handkerchief and pressed it lightly against the cut on his face; it was weird for she had never talked to Ryuu, except on the previous's year valentine's ball and well, it hadn't been nice, she knew that the italian was not one who liked being talked to or touched but Damian was very fond of him so she felt the urge to help him, as if Damian had asked her to do so while he was away. She realized that maybe she was being innapropriate so she just took the boy's hand that wasn't blood stained and put it where her hand was, holding the hanky against his cheek. "Im sorry about that...it should be fine, its not a deep cut."

"You know, If I didn't know you better I would have thought you assertained the practice of schadenfreude. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for you that the monsieur and yourself have a chance of a future, but perhaps things may not be exactly what you think it is. There is a chance he may be scarred by the experience. You forget that status does mean something to Damian though he does not always admit it. And it's not a good thing to be one with a name and to be left stranded at the chapel whilst being made a fool of."

What was Ryuu trying to do? Hurt her with her words or make her think that Damian didn't love her because of her social status? A shadow covered her eyes then, she knew that she would never be 'right' for Damian on his family's eyes but he had made her feel like any of it mattered, he had even gave her his mother's ring, that had to count for something. "I am aware that my status is not of high class like yours or Damian's, and if at some point it becomes an issue between the both of us then I'll be happy to step out of his way and let him be with someone who fits his needs."

"You might want to prepare yourself for anything that might happen... just in case. A year may prove to be insufficient time if one is not careful."

Did he know something that she didn't? It was strange that he didnt know her and was telling her all those things about Damian. "Mr. Nefis, do you know something about Mr. Le Fey that I dont? If it is so, then please tell me for I do not know what you mean."


Ryuu R Nefis

"You're bleeding, here let me take care of that,"

Ryuu was taken aback as Luthien tended to the cut. His face bore the look of unexpected surprise as she brought his hand to hold the handkerchief she had so generously lent to him in place. It was a sweet gesture he had never thought he'd live to see again. It had seemed to be all a part of his childhood, of a time where everything seemed good and innocent. It was no wonder Damian loved her, who wouldn't? She had a very sweet nature, so much like Debora. Ryuu's eyes saddened as he thought about his Brazillian goddess, his mind drifting away again, lost with the wind.

"Im sorry about that...it should be fine, its not a deep cut."

Ryuu was pulled roughly back into reality again. "You don't have to apologise mademoiselle," His court manners were back again, why was he acting so formally with Luthien? "It is not your fault." The lion put in another attempt to smile.

Smiling was becoming more natural for the eighteen year old, but at a time like this, it was hard. Especially when he thought of the person who had made this all happen. Ryuu wondered what life could have been like if he had not met Debora at the camp. Would he still be wallowing in self pity and sorrow now? Would he be on a futile, daily struggle to flee from people or could he be so bitter and full of spite that his scorn could have put him in another house instead? What of Armadeo and Reuben then? Or how would he have been with Arizce? Too many ifs. Ryuu mentally pushed the stream of questions aside, he was thinking too much again.

"I am aware that my status is not of high class like yours or Damian's, and if at some point it becomes an issue between the both of us then I'll be happy to step out of his way and let him be with someone who fits his needs."

Ryuu studied Luthien's face as she spoke those words, one eyebrow arched as he listened to her. Her words had been noble and selfless - his respect for her had risen another few notches. Ryuu admired certain people for different reasons, and now, for Luthien, it was for her selfless nature despite the fact that she would be greviously hurt in the process. Ryuu hoped that she indeed knew what she was saying and had thought about it before speaking or else it would only make her a foolish youth sprouting empty words.

"Mr. Nefis, do you know something about Mr. Le Fey that I dont? If it is so, then please tell me for I do not know what you mean."

Her last sentence made it clear that the young woman had misinterpreted the intention behind his words.

"Don't get me wrong mademoiselle, I mean no harm and I know less about what monsieur Le Fey could be going through than you do. What I said is but a passing thought. You must understand that from my past circumstances I have grown to be more cautious about things, even mundane issues. Perhaps too cautious but I would not advice you against giving my words some thought." Ryuu turned his gaze away from her's as he continued.

"Take them as a warning from a friend, for they are not suggestions plucked from the air, I would have to confess that I sympathise with Damian because I face a similar fate. Monsieur Le Fey and I are like mirror images in our past, present, and perhaps even future."

The small, slightly warmer smile returned to his face again as he turned back to Luthien. "One thing I want you to remember when we depart later today should you forget everything else mademoiselle, I could not wish for anything more than my friends to be happy."


Luthien Finisterra

His surprised look confirmed Luthien's suspicions that he didn't like to be touched, or maybe it was that he wasn't used to it. She just gave him a little smile and took her hand away from his cheek.

Then something quite weird happened, Ryuu actually smiled to her, that was a first! He seemed to be thinking about things that most likely didn't concern her so she kept herself from asking. Was he thinking of Debbie? probably, Damian had told her that they were very close but she didn't know it for a fact for she hadn't seen her friend in a long time, there was so much that she wanted to tell her.

"Don't get me wrong mademoiselle, I mean no harm and I know less about what monsieur Le Fey could be going through than you do. What I said is but a passing thought. You must understand that from my past circumstances I have grown to be more cautious about things, even mundane issues. Perhaps too cautious but I would not advice you against giving my words some thought."

He was right, the girl did have a tendency to misinterpret the things she heard, but that was only because she had been hurt so many times that she always thought the worse of people. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that, its just that, like you, I've been hurt, and it rips my heart in pieces to think that Damian might be hurting and I'm not able to help him...Luka Le Fey can be very cruel when he wants to...when Damian rejected the marriage for the first time, He locked him in his room and he was not allowed to leave the house at any time," the lioness's hands turned into clutch fists, she loathed the thought of Damian locked up as if he was some kind of animal, "My only hope is that now that the whole marriage fiasco is over, Damian will be allowed to make his own free choices."

"Take them as a warning from a friend, for they are not suggestions plucked from the air, I would have to confess that I sympathise with Damian because I face a similar fate. Monsieur Le Fey and I are like mirror images in our past, present, and perhaps even future."

A similar fate? Oh no, not another young man's life was going to be destroyed because of economic interests of his family, Luthien sighed, if Debbie was going to be hurt by that 'fate' of his, then that would make two Gryffindors hurt by girls they didn't even know. "I hope that, like Damian, you'll be able to escape it, it would be terrible for both you and Debbie."

"One thing I want you to remember when we depart later today should you forget everything else mademoiselle, I could not wish for anything more than my friends to be happy."

The girl turned to see him and watch him look away into nothing, he was in some kind of pain, what kind? From the heart,obviously. "I will remember everything you've said...are you alright?"


Ryuu R Nefis

Ryuu's head tilted downwards into the now gold-tinted surface of the fountain's shallow pool as the sun dipped lower and lower behind the trees of the forbidden forest. Not a single ray of light escaped through the thick murky green canopy as the forest appeared to remain a dark black. He forced a sort of half smile as he listened to Luthien apologise, he didn't blame her for he simpathised with her. He had been hurt before too, by someone who had been highly possessive and turned a jealous green easily. For a snake, he had not expected to find the mind of a child in the body of a woman.

As she spoke about her well wishes for him, Ryuu could only wish that things could be that simple as it was for Damian and Luthien. Even their situation now was already complex. But Ryuu, had two families to deal with. Perhaps Miss Levet would not be too impossing about her wishes, for so far, as long as it had benefitted Ryuu's future she had given him le way to do as he wished. But he couldn't assume the same with his father. He hadn't seen the old man in almost four years. From what he had heard, things had changed drastically since the last time he stepped out of the pilazzo's door. Perhaps if he was fortunate he would be allowed his choice. If that was not to be, Ryuu would probably find himself with the right to chose his bride, but they had to be within his father's qualifications.

There was something about his father's class consciousness that irked Ryuu. He hadn't been like that until he had spent three months indulging in the luxeries of Paris. Those three months had been enough to turn the old noble's head in the direction of the French idea of image, class and social status. Curse those revolutionary ideals. Curse them all.

"I will remember everything you've said...are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, oei mademoiselle. I.. I am fine." Ryuu replied, his words uncertain as he tries to push his private frustrations below the surface.

"I'm just worrying for Debora." That wasn't entirely untrue. The future did concern Debora. Now that it had come to mind, Ryuu wondered if it was wise to officiate their relationship at all. What if Nefis senior opposed to their union?

Oh what did it matter?! He'd just marry her anyway, as long as they could be happy. It wasn't as if he depended on his family, it wasn't the only inheritance he's have.

If only he could do that. Ryuu's gentlemanly nature and noble upbringing would not allow him to partake in this sort of rebellion. A small sigh escaped from his lips.


Luthien Finisterra

"Huh? Oh, oei mademoiselle. I.. I am fine."

Luthien was not buying the boy's facade of a cold uncaring heart, she knew that there was more than met the eye within him, if it wasn't true then Debbie would've never cared about him neither would've Damian. His forced smile proved it all, he was not alright at all but being the aristocrat he was he had to keep it to himself, she had seen it before with Damian and she knew quite well how much it had hurt her loved one to keep his feelings to himself and how much it had helped him to talk about them with someone.

She turned her gaze to the almost gone sun and wondered where Damian could be, he was probably on his way to Russia to find the pieces of his broken past by then, she wondered when she would see him again. She was busy thinking that when Ryuu spoke again and sighed after he finished.

"I'm just worrying for Debora."

"If what you have said about you and Damian being very much alike and having similar destinys then I think I understand why you are worrying about her...", yes she understood it very well and she didn't want her friend to go through what she had been going through the entire summer, " Arranged marriages only bring suffering to everyone involved in them, but maybe your family will be more understanding than Damian's has been and lets not forget that Debbie's status is one of high class in Brazil, maybe they will allow it."

She turned to see him, his sadness and confusion was obvious, his green eyes showed a lot, just like Damian's, maybe it was time to turn that stressed environment into something more calm, "You know, Damian is going back to Russia, he is going to try and find something that will make his past more clear to him," she looked at the ring on her right hand, it wasn't as shiny as it used to be and it made her think of what Damian had told her about it, but it didn't matter, the ring still shone pretty good. "Do you think he'll come back safe to us?"