Fandom Challenges Most Foul

[Slaybian]

Axel shook his head at her question pertaining to the room. Magic like this was still so intriguing to him. For all of his ability to fight he was truly average at best when it came to theory, so complex charms like the on that was on the room were a mystery to him. He grimaced as she told him the reason for her knowledge of the room. He wished he could go back and ask her who did it so they could've pranked one of them instead of Montague. They could always prank them later though he supposed. He felt his body tense relax as her fingers grazed his skin. Her soft hands felt soothing. He realized as she spoke that she was tracing some of his scars and marks on his sides. Most of them were simply wounds he had gotten in practice that hadn't been magically healed, as nobody in the house had much knowledge of healing magic.

"I'm not saying you are a prude, but I value you and your level of comfortableness. I figured perhaps something like this might be a little too into the deep end for you." He let out a relieved groan as she felt one of his knots. "I am very glad to hear it is not." He said as she moved to his lower back. He groaned more as she went up his back. He felt his tension begin to leave his body. He listened to her as she talked about her sweet tooth. "Huh, a sugar fiend then? You and Daniel would get along. He is constantly snacking on something sweet. Guy drinks more honesy than he does tea I swear." He said with a grin. He was incredibly comfortable as she worked on his back. He rolled his eyes at her as she told him he couldn't pay for anything but a butterbeer. "Fine fine, but if anybody asks, especially Stacy I payed for everything. She'd undo all the work you are doing right now by beating and scolding me." He said, moving his head onto the other side.

He frowned lightly as she got up, as he thought it was over, and he was rather enjoying himself. He let out a small breathe as she sat back down, this time on his waist. He felt a small but pleasant tension in his core. The closeness he felt to her was slightly intoxicating. He didn't expect this from her, but then he thought back to her statement on the train. She was daring, he forgot she was a Gryffindor. She had set her mind on getting more comfortable in things she considered uncomfortable and she was brave. He should never have underestimated her in that way. He was pulled out of his musings by her gentle voice. "Well uh, I sorta do this to myself if I am honest. You know how excitable I can be." He said as he grinned, thinking about the dueling club incident. "I tend to rush things and skip stretches before working out, and I also carry all my stress in my shoulders and neck. So yeah, usually my favorite way to de-stress was-" He stopped himself before finishing the sentence. He didn't want her to think anything bad about him. He knew she knew about the rumors of his many forays with women, but he worried she might find him hollow or superficial if she discovered he slept with girls partially just for stress relief, and partly for his lack of love he received. His family was never that touchy, and after his mothers passing that only got more true. He didn't want to ruin this beautiful moment with his stupidity or sob story.

Instead, he shook his head slightly, the pillow below him limiting his movement. "It doesn't matter. I will keep your advice in mind though. Perhaps you can help me out again when things get this way huh?" He said with a wink. He acknowledged that having her this close to him was exhilarating, but he wanted anything that would progress them past their current flirty friendship to be her decision. He wouldn't do anything so quickly. He slowly lifted himself up, hating the fact that her hands weren't on him. He put his shirt back on and gave her a smile. "So, Hogsmeade then?" He said with a wink. He grabbed her hand and stopped before exiting the room. "This room really is something else."

 

[xLotte]

"Why would Stacy want me to let you pay for everything?" Autumn raised an eyebrow, not understanding why Stacy would make such a big deal about it. "I've seen her watching me a couple times, is she worried about something?" She'd noticed Stacy staring at her whenever she and Axel were talking or just sitting together. What was going through her head that she was paying so much attention to them? Was she seeing something or did she know something about Axel that Autumn herself wasn't aware of yet?

She stopped the massage and got up as her hands were starting to feel sore. "Maybe it should be a regular thing." The suggestion came with a smile. "But I would like something in return if that would be the case." Not that she didn't want anything particular in return, she enjoyed being able to touch Axel that way. Seeing him relax was enough for her to do it again. She looked at him as he put on his shirt again, feeling a slight dissapointment when he did. Another thing she'd enjoyed about the massage had been the view. She walked closely next to him when they exited the room. "I could recommend some books about this room, but I guess that's not really something you'd be interested in."

Next up was Hogsmeade. Some people looked at them frowning, probably wondering if they were students, and if so, what they were doing at Hogsmeade. But nobody approached them. Autumn had decided she would try and act normal when they arrived at Dogweed and Deathcab, but she couldn't really help herself. She struck up a conversation with the owner, chattering about all the new stuff that had arrived over the summer. She was way too enthusiastic, wanting to buy a lot more than she first intended. In the end she made a deal with the owner to come back another time and get all the stuff she had gathered. It was way more than she could carry, even if Axel would help her out. Honeydukes wasn't much different, but here she did leave with quite the new collection of candy. While eating some nougat chunks, and offering Axel some as well, they went to their last stop: the Three Broomsticks. They didn't stay long, as it was almost time for dinner. And that ment, in just a couple hours they would know who were going to be the Hogwarts champions. While entering Hogwarts again through one of the secret passageways, she felt she was starting to feel nervous. She really hoped she wouldn't be chosen, as she felt she really wouldn't make any chance at all. She would probably only embaress everyone at Hogwarts.

Before they entered Gryffindor's common room, she turned around to Axel. "I really enjoyed today." She said smiling. After that she wanted to turn back around and enter the common room, but instead she put her arms around Axel's waist. She held him tight, her face first resting again his chest, before looking up. "Or maybe I just enjoyed your company. You can tell Stacy you were a perfect gentlemen, if that's what she's worried about." It was the first time she didn't feel uncomfortable being this close to Axel, actually looking relaxed.

 

[Slaybian]

He laughed a little. "Stacy is sorta like that. Did I tell you her parents are American? They have some different customs and apparently over there the guy pays for everything at every opportunity. Especially if its a date." He blanched at what he said. "Not that what we are doing is a date, I am just saying because of example..." He muttered to himself, for the first time in awhile truly embarrassed. He moved past it quickly though as she talked about the books. "Nah I don't think I would like that. But coming back here with you sometimes and making this regular sounds like a plan. You can think about what you'd like in return as we go through Hogsmeade, ok?" He said with a smile.

He let her almost drag him around, as this was what she had wanted to do, so he accompanied her everywhere and tried to show her he cared about her interests. He got a kick out of watching her in Honeydukes. He imagined that excitement and wonder was sorta like what he experienced when he did dueling. It was like she was an expert on sweets. He teased her a few times and asked her what she thought he would like. Axel never really at many sweets, but the few things he did like were often times either super sour or fruit based desserts. He had been tempted as a kid to write to Bertie Botts about making him a bag of sour grapes jelly beans just for him. The light conversation between them flowed incredibly easily. She was a very fun person to be around when she opened up. They almost evened each other out. When they got back to the castle Axel was almost sad to see their day end. Then he remembered the ceremony was tonight and he got super excited.

He held her close as she grabbed his waist, resting a hand on her back and one on the back of her head, almost pulling her deeper into his chest. He smiled contently and looked down at her. "Thanks, I will be sure to embellish myself to seem like a great bastion of manliness and gentleness simultaneously." He laughed and let her go reluctantly. "See you at the ceremony then? Hoping we get to be the champions." He said with a thumbs up as he walked out of the common room. He had a smile plastered on his face the whole way down to the great hall. He was ecstatic at how the day had been. He took his seat at the great hall, waiting for more students to walk in. He looked at Flitwick who gave him a slight nod. He kept his eyes on the cup and almost never looked away.

A half hour later and everyone had filed into the hall. Conner and Stacy had taken their usual seats directly accross from him. It was hard for anyone to get his attention as a all he could think and do was goblet of fire related. He was stirred at the appearance of Autumn though, but only briefly as McGonagall stood from her seat and the hall quieted instantaneously. She spoke with her usual sternness. "Well before we eat we have a few things to do. First things first I would like to say how this will be handled. After we eat the Goblet of Fire will spit out three names, who will go on to participate in the new format of the Triwizard tournament. The faculty and I have made a list of top candidates for the student representatives. Should those students be selected by the goblet we will choose the backup. There are for in each category so that on the off chance the top three candidates for our three support subjects are chosen the fourth can step in. The student representatives will be announced immediately following the Champion announcements. All champions and representatives will be called into the trophy room to make their selections for the one student they would like to accompany them to Beauxbatons. All students will be visiting the week before events, so don't be too upset if you are not chosen. That being said, tuck in!" She finished rather unceremoniously as food filled their table. Axel ate only a small amount, excitement and a full stomach of chocolate and butterbeer curbing his appetite.

Axel turned to his friends, seeing that most of the school was scarfing down food, as if they thought if they finished eating faster the champions would be chosen quicker. "Thats kinda interesting. Question is who should I bring with me? I would hate to break up the dynamic duo." He said gesturing to Conner and Stacey. Conner laughed and Stacey gave him a reluctant smile. "If you even get chosen." She said teasingly. Axel looked hurt. "Who else Stacy lets be real for a second. My money is on me, probably Diggory, and then maybe another Gryffindor. Who cares after me." He said jokingly. To anyone who didn't know him he would have appeared horrendously arrogant. But he knew he could joke like this in front of his friends.

 

[xLotte]

Autumn didn't go the Great Hall after Axel left the common room. She first went into her dorm, dropping all her stuff. She had two bags filled with candy. Her parents would never have allowed her to buy such a great amount of candy, since her mother was a bit of a healthfreak. The reason she enjoyed it even more. She grabbed some chocoballs and then left the dorm again. While she walked down to the Great Hall, her mind wandered of to the day she had just spent with Axel. She'd never imagined feeling so relaxed around him, having fun without worrying that she was saying something weird or stupid. With a bright smile she entered the Great Hall. She didn't join the Gryffindor table, even though she felt the urge to sit down next to Axel, but instead she joined her Ravenclaw friends.

There was less excitement there, but that was something Autumn didn't mind. She enjoyed talking about something else then the Triwizard Tournament. Sometimes she glanced over at the Goblet, but after McGonagall's speech she tried to ignore it as best as she could. Since she at quite a lot of candy, she didn't feel very hungry. She only took some vegetables, she couldn't completely ban her mother's voice out of her head to eat healty, but that was about it.

It was almost as if everyone finished their dinner more quickly then usual and it didn't take long before Headmaster McGonagall got up from her seat again. She barely had to wait two seconds before everyone quieted down. "Now the moment you have all been waiting for." She slowly walked towards the Goblet of Fire, holding up one of her hands. Autumn glanced over all four tables, everyone had this intense look in their eyes, following every move their Headmaster made. She could almost feel the tension in the room, some people even held their breath. When she turned around to watch the Goblet she saw the blue fire turning red, spewing out a small piece of parchment. McGonagall caught it in agile way, reading it before she turned around to face the students. "Our first Hogwarts champion is.. Cedric Diggory!" An abundant applause sounded from the Hufflepuff table, while most of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table applauded polite with them. None of the Slyherins made any sound at all, they just kept on staring. Autumn watched Cedric getting up, seemingly laughing, and walking towards the professors. He looked relaxed, confident. Autumn was wondering if that was really how he felt on the inside or if he was just really good at keeping up an appearance.

It took a while before everyone -mostly the Hufflepuffs- had calmed down, and McGonagall turned around to face the Goblet of Fire once again. "Our second Hogwarts champion is.." Autumn suddenly felt really nauseous, maybe she finally reached her limit with all the candy she ate. "Autumn Hayes!" She froze when she heard McGonagall say her name. For just a couple seconds she had no idea how she would ever be able to get up and join Cedric. "That's you." Luna gave her a little nudge. Autumn barely registered the clapping, almost stumbling over her own feet when she finally managed to get up. A lot of people were applauding for her, mostly Ravenclaw students, and some of them padded her on the shoulder when she walked past them. When she looked over to the professors, she saw professor Lupin nodding towards her. Even though it was barely anything at all, it felt reassuring. As she walked towards Cedric she tried to smile, looking at least a bit more confident than how she actually felt. "Congratulations." Cedric put his arm around her shoulders when she came to stand next to him and looked down on her smiling. "Yeah, you too." She mumbled a bit sheepishly.

 

[Slaybian]

Shortly after Axel was done with his meal he heard McGonagall clear her throat with a magically enhanced cough. His attention immediately shifted from his plate to the Headmaster. He nearly hurt himself clenching his fists in anticipation as the first name came out of the Goblet of Fire. When Diggory's name was called he politely clapped and looked over at Conner and Stacy and shrugged as if to say 'I told you so'. Fire erupted from the Goblet and the second name floated into McGonagall's open palm. He watched her bring the paper up to eye level and nearly shouted as his new friend Autumn's name was called. Axel clapped incredibly loudly, Stacy and Connor joining him. She didn't make eye contact with him as she went over to the trophy room but he could tell that she was surprised and nervous. He was looking forward to walking over and giving her a high-five when the his name came out next. He said this to himself but as her name was called he felt a small sense of worry. What if he wasn't the third?

His fears were apparently fortune as McGonagall called out, with an almost angry tone, "Harry Potter." Axel slumped in his seat. He was aware of the murmurs and even the random shout of surprise, but all of it seemed as if it was reaching his ear through a thin pillow. He had a look of anger, sadness, and hurt on his face as he forced his neck muscles to make him look at his two friends. They were staring at Potter in open shock, looking over at him after watching him walk to the trophy room. Conner gave him a very rare remorseful look, and Stacey grabbed his hand. They new how much he had wanted to go. He barely registered what Mcgonagall said next.

" Well there we have it! Our three Champions that will be representing us in the Triwizard Tournament. However as I previously stated there is more to announce. The three representatives that will have specialties in certain subjects to assist our Champions and represent Hogwarts in a dignified manner are as follows; For Care of Magical Creatures and Potions, Luna Lovegood." There was a smattering of applause. "For Theoretical Magics and Transfiguration Hermione Granger." The gryffindor table erupted into cheers. Axel finally came to from his daze at the sound. He clapped but kept his features stony, hiding his internal grief. "And for Defense and Charms, Axelander Grant." There was a great roar, not quite as loud as that for Diggory, but loud enough. Many of his dueling club students and peers were standing and shouting with wide grins. Axel smiled sheepishly to keep up appearances. As he sat there he realized, he could still go. And sure he couldn't show off, but the dueling tournament was still at Beauxbatons, and he could help Potter and Autumn, as he knew they would need his help the most. "Please proceed to the trophy room immediately. As for the rest of you, I'm sure this is an exciting night but please try to get some rest. Dismissed!"

Axel grinned genuinely at his friends as they all stood up. He waved them off and assured them he was ok as they walked out of the Hall. He looked over to see Granger approaching him, leaving a slightly disgruntled and frustrated Weasley behind her. "Hello. I don't think we have formally met, but I am Hermione Granger. As we will be acting as pseudo teachers I figured I should defer to you as you have the most teaching experience, even if you are not an expert in our fields." She said with a quick and to the point tone. He looked at her incredulously and then finally laughed. "You almost are like a young McGonagall you know that?" He said as he began walking with them to the trophy room, a blonde who seemed to be in a dreamlike state joining them.

Before introductions could be had the headmaster shoo'd them into the trophy room, where the champions and several teachers stood, some with worried looks on their faces. Snape looked ready to kill. He saw Flitwick who was beaming at him and seemed barely able to contain himself. He smiled back at the professor. It wouldn't do well to wallow in what could have been. Best to play with the cards he had been dealt, not wish his hand was different. McGonagall stood in front of them all and grimaced. "Harry. Did you put your name into the goblet, ask an older student to, or in any way attempt to undermine the rules and regulations of the tournament." She said swiftly and harshly. The young Gryffindor shook his head vigorously. McGonagall seemed to tense even more. "Then... perhaps this is bad." She said and turned to the professors, whispering to them. She turned back around and got to business. "Well, it seems there is no way to stop this now that it has begun, but we will be proceeding with incredible caution. Champions. What you need to know now is you can submit a name to bring with you. They can be a friend, someone you wish to learn from, anyone so long as they are a student of Hogwarts. I know such a long time away from here will get lonely, so this is in hopes you do not get distressed. The student advisers here are reputable and at the top of their respective classes. You can use them for practice, lessons, any manner of things. That said they are not to show favoritism. You will be escorted and supervised on your yearlong absence by our new transfiguration professor, Remus Lupin. I hate to rush this, but please submit your names quickly and go to your common rooms before curfew. Potter. You stay." She said and went over to Moody and spoke with him and Snape in hushed tones as the rest of the professors walked up to champions.

Lupin approached them all and gave a small wave and smile. "Well, lets have a good year then! One thing McGonagall forgot to mention is that this will be a lot like a normal school year. You will be attending classes with me as your teacher for Hogwarts only subjects, such as Defense Against the Dark Arts, but the classes you have that overlap with Beauxbatons they have agreed to allow you to sit in on. We are a school first and foremost and your education should not be slighted because of a sporting event." He said with a smile, attempting to sound as Mcgonagall-ey as possible. Flitwick bounced over to Axel and looked at him approvingly. "You will do us proud in the tournament." He said. "Thanks professor but... I am only a helper and representative, not a participant." Axel mused with a slightly dejected smile. "Oh not that silly boy, the dueling tournament! There is no rule that says you cant be an assistant and participate in nationals!" He said with a rare laugh. Axel grinned widely in turn. "You are right, but still, primarily I want to help the champions out. Who knows what they will face. I bet I could win the tournament with a whole year of not practicing at this point. They deserve my attention." He said looking at his friend, the young boy, and Diggory. His eyes rested on Autumn and he flashed her a brilliant smile and walked up to her. "You are brilliant you know that? You can do this." He said , resting a hand on her shoulder.

 

[xLotte]

Autumn opened her mouth slightly, breathing deep in through her nose and out through her mouth. She had put her hand on her stomach, trying to bring her breathing down. She had put her name in the Goblet, mostly because she’d felt sure she wouldn’t be chosen. She wasn’t champion material. Cedric was, you could see it by how confident he was. And even though she knew that she was way smarter, he was stronger.

Her eyebrows went up when she heard the next and last champion’s name. Harry Potter? The guy was in his fourth year, not nearly close to the age of 17. How would he have managed to put his name in? She’d seen George and Fred Weasley try, it hadn’t worked out. She watched him as he walked towards them, looking almost as surprised as everyone else. Autumn always felt the boy was incredibly unlucky, but heard others say he was actually just very lucky. She couldn’t imagine that. Of course she didn’t know him very well, but him losing his parents so young and his many encounters with he who must not be named, were not something she would consider as ‘lucky’.

She followed the professors to the champion room. While McGonagall explained further about what was to happen next, she looked over at Axel. How would he feel about not being chosen? She’d seen him quite confident about it, as if he almost knew he would become one of the champions. She almost felt worried that he would resent her. But McGonagall didn’t give her a lot of time to worry, as she had to figure out who she wanted to bring with her. Her first choice would’ve been Luna, but her friend was already chosen as one of the students representatives. She knew Maren would be nice company, but there wasn’t anything she could learn from her. She could see Cedric writing down Cho Chang’s name, and after that Harry writing Ron’s name down. Both were to be expected.

She looked up when Axel spoke to her. There was no resentment in his voice and he had his usual smile on his face. She smiled back carefully, but shook her head as an answer. “I’ll probably just disappoint everyone.” She laughed nervously. “I guess this is what I get for trying to get out of my comfort zone, right?” But she felt like she didn’t have the right to complain to Axel, as he was probably feeling disappointed for not being chosen. She put down Maren’s name, deciding that having her friend with her was more important than bringing someone she could learn from. She took another deep breath, trying to keep it under control. “I don’t think I have any other choice than to just wipe the floor with everyone.” She tried to lighten the mood by making a joke, but you could hear her voice crack in the middle of her sentence. “You’re gonna be great.” Luna joined her, having the same dreamy distant smile on her face as always.

Autumn tried to keep up her smile, pretending she was doing fine. But as soon as Cedric started talking to Axel and Luna, about them being the representatives, she quickly left the champions room. She didn’t run, but she walked fairly quicker than her usual pace. It was almost curfew, but instead of going to the common room she went outside. She knew she could still breath, but it was almost as if the air around her was becoming more and more tight. When she finally got outside, she let her back fall against the cold stone wall, closing her eyes. Why had she ever decided to do this?

 

[Slaybian]

Axel smiled at Autumn but saw that she was obviously upset. Axel couldn't tell why she appeared this way but it was written all over her features. When she said in a quite sarcastic way that this was what she deserved and that she would disappoint people. He was just about to refute that claim and give her ample encouragement when Cedric decided to intrude and ask him and Luna when they could schedule a session. He watched as Autumn nearly ran out of the trophy room. Axel smiled and answered as politely as he could to Cedric in that moment before excusing himself as well. He it took a little longer than he thought it would, Cedric seemed persistent.

He rushed his way out of the room as quickly as he could. He took one last glance back to make sure he wouldn't be followed out and left. He looked all over the place but saw no signs of Autumns presence. He groaned and punched the wall with the bottom of his fist in frustration. The stone wall made his hand ache slightly but he ignored it. He looked out the window in contemplation, trying to figure out why Autumn seemed so out of it. His eyes cast downwards and he saw her. She was leaning back against the wall, her eyes shut tight. He immediately ran in the direction she was, hoping to catch up before she decided to change locations. Eventually he found the door that led to the outside and he approached her quietly. When he got closer he decided to take advantage of her closed eyes and silently walked in front of her.

She looked nothing short of stunning in the moonlight. Axel found himself momentarily unable to think, and had the impulse to kiss her flushed cheeks, the slightly chilly air and the wall probably making her a little colder than she would be otherwise. Instead of acting on his first thought however he instead decided to walk closer to her, not masking his sound while saying; "Hey there champion." He chuckled at his own stupid joke and looked at her eyes. They were full of something he didn't think he had seen on her in its purest form. It seemed like genuine nervousness. Perhaps regret? It was hard to tell but he knew something was horribly wrong. Any thought of teasing went out the window and he pushed a hair out of her face. "You are far too pretty to have a face marred by such pain. I think at this point I can say without sounding too arrogant that you can trust me. I can tell something is up. I'm all ears." He said standing next to her with his back against the wall as well.

 

[xLotte]

Autumn felt her heart beating rappidly and her breathing became heavier. It was almost like she'd been running for a while, but instead she'd been standing still for almost five minutes. She kept her eyes closed, putting her hand on her stomach once again. "Just calm down, silly." She mumbled to herself. She tried to remember what her mother had taught her about meditation, but it was like she couldn't get to her own thoughts properly. Her head was filled with images of every accident she'd read about in the previous Triwizard tournaments. She tried to push them out, but focusing on that seemed to only bring more of them.

A sudden voice startled her and she quickly opened her eyes. "Axel." She mumbled. She hadn't heard him coming towards her. Him startling her made head empty for a short period, but it only took the images a couple seconds to reappear again. She shook her head as she looked down, looking at her own feet. Axel had trusted her with something very personal, and she felt like she could trust him as well. At the same time, she felt stupid about it. What if he thought it was too?

"I started having panick attacks after.. those Slyherins, well you know." The way she was breathing made her throat sore and her voice started to sound a bit raw. "It used to happen all the time, whenever something unexpected happend. But I thought I had it under control, it's been awhile since last time." A couple months actually. She finally told her parents last summer and her mother helped her by learning some meditation techniques. Most of the time they did work. "It's stupid, I know. I just - I don't think I want to talk about it anymore. It's really stupid." She was starting to feel a bit lightheaded. If she didn't want to pass out, she really had to something with her breathing. With her back still against the wall, she let herself slide down on the ground. With her eyes closed again, she tried to go back to paying attention to her breathing. Three seconds in through her nose, holding it for another three seconds, and then letting it go through her mouth. It took a minute before she noticed how tense she was, as she finally started to relax just a little bit. Her body always felt like she just finished some huge work out after a panic attack.

Her eyes opened up again and she looked up to Axel. "My mom had them too when she was my age, but she used different methods to deal with them." Her voice still didn't sound like her own, but she was slowly starting to feel better. "She used drugs, or she slept with someone." She laughed softly. Autumn and her mother were almost nothing alike, not if you compared them in their personality. Her mother was more like a rebel when she was Autumn's age, but she had mellowed out when she became a mother. She held up her hand, reaching towards Axel. "Apparently human contact helps." Not that she was purposing to sleep with Axel, but she was reaching out for some way of physical contact.

 

[Slaybian]

Axel felt his chest grow heavier with every moment she spoke. His heart nearly cracked as he watched her slide to the ground in remorse. As she spoke about her experiences, her struggles, and her mother, he ached to help. Watching her was a lot like watching an animal being neglected food. It was something horrendous to look at and do nothing about. So instead of siting there allowing her to feel as alone as she looked he knelt down and wrapped his arms around her the second she reached her hand out to him. He pulled her into his chest and held her tightly enough to not be uncomfortable but definitely showing the passion and strength behind his care for her. He ran one hand up and down her back, the other holding her head to his chest. He laid his cheek on the top of her head.

"I am so sorry. I can't change it, but I can at least let you know I am here. And I will do anything to help you to get past this. Anything. Not just as your resource provided for the tournament, but as a friend." If Axel was being honest with himself he would do even more for her. He wanted to be there for her as everything. A lover as well. "Don't say it is stupid what you are going through. Everyone has struggle. Even the worst people, say Voldemort, have been through struggle. Its a part of being human. So how can it be stupid if everyone has it? Sure you may not think its bad compared to some issues, but so long as it is an issue it is worthy of being addressed and treated with care. I care about you Autumn." He said and lifted her chin up with his thumb and forefinger using the hand that was once holding her head close to him.

He stared down into her eyes, she was calming down but still seemed slightly on edge. He saw some of the moonlight reflect in her eyes, it gave her a glow that seemed more magical than the whole of Hogwarts. "You know... I can definitely provide you human contact." He said in a breathy voice, his heart was beating hard in his chest causing his head to feel slightly lighter than usual. Without another word or thought, Axel let his inhibitions go and kissed her. It was a soft, simple, almost peck, but it lingered. It was almost the ghost of a full kiss, but it was all Axel needed for his mind to finally click into place. He could no longer deny that he wouldn't be happy until Autumn was his. His hand cupped her cheek, and he gently leaned back ever so slightly, simply to let their lips no longer have contact. He kept his face an inch or two away from hers as he smiled softly at her beautiful face. "You are so brave. So strong. I see a lot with these eyes, and one thing I have always been sure of is that you, Autumn Hayes, are one amazing witch." He said with the same almost husky tone. He wanted desperately to return his lips to hers, and show her with his passion just how much she had impacted him.

 

[xLotte]

“I just feel like this is a bit of a.. silly struggle.” Maybe Axel was right. It was part of being human to struggle with things, but she felt like she had no right to. There were so many people who struggled with a lot more, one example being Harry Potter. Losing his parents at such a young age, still being haunted by death eaters, and maybe even You-Know-Who. She cringed when Axel said his real name out loud, Voldemort. But that was the only thing she showed, she didn’t say anything about it. Some wizards would go mental if you said his name out loud, but she wondered if that wasn’t something that gave him even more power.

“I don’t expect you to change anything, the only one who can change anything about this situation is going to be me. But I could use a friend with me in this.” Autumn smiled. When Axel continued about providing human contact, she wanted to open her mouth and say something about getting a hug every once in a while. To make clear that she wasn’t going to follow her mother’s example in it. But before she could say anything, he leaned further into her. Her breathing stopped when their lips touched and she stopped moving completely. It was almost as if she froze.

Was this what she wanted? One little voice in her head told her no, said that she had to get away as quickly as she could. Another voice was complaining and even felt a little bit sad when they’re lips parted and told her to crawl onto his lap; to kiss him again with more passion. She knew she liked Axel more than ‘just’ a friend, but all these feelings were new to her. When she looked into his eyes, she claimed to see that his look had softened. Were his feelings genuine for her? Or was she just another conquest?

She barely listened to the words he spoke after and started shaking her head. “Axel, I’m really sorry, but eh-“ She slowly got up, widening the distance between them. It almost felt cold without his arm around her and she instantly regretted getting up. “I know it’s just a kiss, barely even a real kiss. And maybe that’s not so much to you, but for me it is. Do you have any idea how unexperienced I am? I’ve only kissed one guy and it was absolutely horrible.” She hadn’t even liked the guy. “Not that you kissing me was horrible, I’m not saying that.” She added quickly. One benefit from this situation was that she completely forgot about her panic attack, or the reason she even had it in the first place.

“It’s just.. I really like being your friend. And I don’t want to be added as another girl on your list, that’s not me.” She’d rather just stay friends, then date him for a couple weeks and then go back to being strangers. Seeing him move on would probably be a pretty painful experience for her. “So please don’t kiss me or do anything else. Unless.. well, unless you’re really up for trying something serious. If not, I would just prefer us to stay friends.” Trying something serious would be no guarantee for everything working out, maybe they would out that they just didn’t match.

 

[Slaybian]

As Autumn pulled away from Axel his heart nearly broke. He felt his hands get cold, his vision and hearing almost stopped working for a split second as he tried desperately to process what was happening. He felt like he had taken something beautiful and crushed it. Had he misread the signs? Did she not like him in that way? Perhaps his arrogance had decided to disappoint him twice today and keep that which he wanted and thought he had out of reach. As she spoke his mind came back to reality and he focused intently on her words. As she spoke it was clear to him she was having an internal struggle as well. He relaxed ever so slightly. She hadn't been repulsed as he had immediately feared.

Her words sunk in and he took a moment to process it entirely. It seemed she was worried that he was trying to take advantage of her and move one. Axel smiled. If that was the issue he could fix this. It would take time but the fact he hadn't ruined what they had made him relieved unlike he had ever felt. "Autumn... I am sorry. I didn't really know that you wouldn't be comfortable with that. I should've read the signals more. But I just want to say I never wanted you to be a conquest. Never. Not once. You are special. I don't even know if I understand it entirely but I never had any intention of leaving your side. You are right though. This is probably too fast. You are unlike anyone I have ever met, and I guess I just got carried away." He said and stood up and brushed himself off and flashed her another toothy smile. "Next time, and you had better bet there will be a next time, I will make sure there is no doubt in your mind that you mean something more than a fling to me."

He finished his thoughts and sighed. "I will never take advantage of you in that way. And don't think just because of this I am gonna be some cold bastard to you. I know my reputation would indicate i'm a womanizer who just moves on the second I get my prize, but I am not like that. And I will prove that to you." He started to walk towards the door inside. He turned back to her with one shoulder against the door. "I am gonna head back and call it early. Being rejected twice in a night does a number on the mind. And one of them was from a ruddy magical cup!" He said with a laugh. "I have a feeling dueling club will be very excitable tomorrow, and I should prepare some materials to work with you champions on over the year. Congratulations again on that by the way. You are gonna do awesome. Hogwarts is gonna wipe the floor with everyone." He said and walked inside briskly.

If Axel was being honest with himself, he was slightly defeated. He didn't blame anyone but himself, and he wasn't going to take his frustrations out on anyone besides maybe a few fellow dueling club members and some training dummies. He walked to the portrait of the fat lady and murmured the password. He barely registered the various congratulations thrown his way and the party that was being thrown was almost a distant buzz as he made his way to his room. He got to his bed and laid down, still fully dressed. Tomorrow he would wear some muggle clothes. Screw robes, and screw the establishment. He was gonna work off this frustration as quickly and efficiently as he could, and be a good friend to Autumn. But first, he needed to have some damn fun, and beat his body up and build it stronger. That would have to wait till morning he supposed as he drifted off to sleep.