4:30 AM

Vienna ripped out another page from her History of Magic textbook and tossed it into the fire. The flames cackled and hissed and swallowed it a whole. She looked back at her textbook and flipped through the remaining sheets. That would make twenty-two pages in the fireplace and four-hundred and thirty-one to go. A soft desolate sigh escaped her lips as she resumed her studying.

No one, herself included, could deny she had strange habits when it came to exam prep and schoolwork. After memorizing the information on each page, she would always tear it out and destroy it. There was something strangely comforting about the whole process of learning and destruction. For Vienna, the two went hand in hand like chocolate and ice-cream. Of course, there were a few occasions where she had forgotten the information and could not go back to her textbook for reference, but such incidents never dissuaded her from repealing the practice.

Vienna leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, looking every bit as ladylike during a study session as she would at a fancy luncheon. Appearance was important and reputation even more so. One could spend a lifetime building up an image and ruin it in a single moment. Vienna would hate to have her peers see her as a bad-mannered and uncouth slug.

As she immersed herself into the long and fascinating world of Wizarding history, a stray spark from the fireplace jumped onto her lap and burnt a small hole through her dress. Vienna hissed in pain and jumped up. She tossed away her book and leaned over to check out the damage of the burn. There was now a marble-sized hole in her dress just above the knee. Only decorum held her back from swearing aloud. St. Genevieve dresses weren’t exactly cheap these days. Vienna stared at the unsightly charred hole and scowled.

She stood back up and looked around. Thankfully, there was no one else in the Common Room at this hour of night to witness her indignity. Vienna gathered the folds of her dress and dashed for the stairs. Merlin forbids anyone should see her in this appalling state.

June 5th. It was still only June 5th and he had the rest of June 5th to study, as well, and then there was the 6th, the 7th, 8th and - then that's when exams began. The 9th. It had his stomach twisted up like a vampire in the sun and up now. At four thirty in the morning, that was early even for Jasper who usually was out of bed by six forty five. But he just simply couldn't sleep any longer and not having to actually get ready for several hours - most people actually got up at seven - he had snatched up his Potions textbook and was coming down the stairs when he heard the thuds of someone running.


Who-? he thought blankly, with a yawn, as he scanned the room. OH- Vienna. A small smile crossed his face. Vienna indeed. She was standing there at the foot of the girls' dorms' staircase, looking beautiful (according to Jasper's very biased point of view) with a scowl on her face. Vienna could pull off scowls, pouts, everything...She was Vienna Pascal, after all. Jasper suddenly felt embarrassed about his soft gray bathrobe and his unbrushed hair and unwashed face and he hadn't even put on deodorant. Jasper sniffed the air. Trent's incense had sunk into his clothes yet again, making his robe smell vaguely of strawberries. And boy sweat, but that was just plain Jasper, no Trent whatsoever. Jasper couldn't remember the last time Trent genuinely smelled of...boy and nothing else.

"Morning, Vi." he called out. Better to address her first, control the situation as much as he possibly could before she took one look at his mussed up hair, musky scent and sleepy, half-closed eyes and screamed and ran away in horror. "How're you doing?" Had she been to bed yet? he worried. Did girls sleep in dresses? Well, they had nightgowns but that dress looked awfully fancy to be sleeping in. Then again, just about everything Vienna owned was expensive compared to Jasper's taste. Each to their own, he supposed, and what they could afford.

Vienna would have made it up the stairs if not for the ill-timed presence of one Jasper Quinn. His groggy voice stopped her in her tracks and she looked up with a bashful smile that spoke of nothing but guilt. Vienna was mortified. She was pretty sure Jasper had 20/20 eyesight or else he wouldn’t have made the Slytherin Quidditch team. Sleep deprived and overhyped on caffeine, Vienna was convinced he could spot a pinhole from a mile away.  She sidestepped behind the stair post and hoped for the best. A deep crimson blush coloured her cheeks. It was late and she wasn’t thinking straight. Vienna peered over the marble banister and saw only a grey blob.  Surely, if she couldn’t see him, he couldn’t see her.

“Morning, Jasper,” Vienna greeted her housemate awkwardly and refused to meet his eyes. Partially hidden behind the stairs, she fidgeted nervously with the hem of her dress. The fact that it was Jasper who caught her made the matter all the more worse. Vienna didn’t want to admit it, but she wouldn’t be caught dead in the same room as him while looking any less than presentable. She couldn’t explain why. It was just…complicated. Vienna eyed the top of the stairs and did not like her odds. She was a good fifteen feet away from the door and there was no way she could dash into the dorms without looking like she had lost her marbles. That would also be unacceptable. Vienna reminded herself, a mask of sanity must be maintained at all times when in the same room as Jasper Quinn.

She crossed her arms defensively and replied, “I’m well. Thank you.” Vienna almost winced at the way her voice sounded. Like a bona fide ice queen with her knickers twisted in a knot, she chided herself crossly. Not attractive, by any means.

“You should go back to sleep, you look like hell.” Vienna chuckled uneasily. She couldn’t see him from behind the stair post and had no way of knowing just how he looked like. But, Vienna took a gamble and decided that all boys must look bedridden and hellish at five in the morning. A bitter laugh almost escaped her. She was such a hypocrite for saying what she did, after all, she was the one who had a hole in her dress.  

She looked at him with a bashful smile and he felt his insides melt. Had Vienna always been like this? Beautiful, gorgeous, delightful, funny, intelligent...the list, he felt, went on and on. How had he never quite noticed all this before April? Before then, Vienna had just been a pal, someone he had rarely even thought of in a romantic context and now...Now it was all different. A blush showed up on her face and Jasper smiled softly, running a hand through his messy bedhead-hair.

“Morning, Jasper,” she sounded weird and he frowned. No, it had to be his imagination. Vienna had few flaws - and even fewer he cared to admit. Jasper stared at her, his mind slow and sore and tired. Jasper wasn't at his best mental reflexes at this early in the morning. She told him she was fine and he nodded. He hadn't expected any less.

“You should go back to sleep, you look like hell.” she chuckled in that beautiful way of hers and he smiled uneasily. "Like hell, huh?" Jasper chuckled softly, "At least, I don't feel like hell...not when I'm around you, anyway." The line was lame, he was aware, but he was tired and Jasper wasn't very good at this whole flirting with girls he was completely besotted with. A girl he didn't like, it was easy, sure, his mind was clear and he could think. Around Vienna, Jasper's senses were quickly overwhelmed. Oh merlin, did that sound as lame as I think it did?

Vienna arched an eyebrow and felt her jaw drop open. That cheeky bastard, was he just flirting with her? It was late, and she was not in the mood to be humoured or played. As far as Vienna was concerned, Jasper did not strike her as the sleazy skirt-chasing type. He wasn’t like Trent, who made a nasty habit of stalking girls until they relented to his attention, or Alex, who was a chick-magnet and all that but could never hang on to anyone long enough to remember her name. Jasper was Jasper. He was sweet and charming and lovely and above all else, not like Trent. Of course, Vienna had nothing against her fellow Slytherin or his inescapable odour, it was just that… He owned more lotion than her and that was just…weird.

Speaking of Trent, Vienna suddenly recalled a particular comment he made on the night of the paintball match. She couldn’t peg down his exact words, but it was something about Jasper not paying attention and the latter had reacted very strangely to that. Come to think of it, he had been giving her the oddest of looks these past few days. Surely…?

Her ruined dress half-forgotten, Vienna poked her head over the stair banister and stared at him with curious green eyes.

“Ha. Ha. Jasper,” She smirked, “Frisky tonight, aren’t you?”

Vienna clasped her hands together and tilted her head to the side. She stared at him with an unfathomable expression, “Are you feeling alright? I really don’t recall slipping you any Amortentia in the last few days…”

Vienna's mouth dropped open and Jasper felt blood rush to his face. Was he that pathetic? Jasper replayed the situation in his mind, despite the fact it had only occurred several moments ago. She'd said he looked like hell, he'd said maybe, but he didn't feel like it when he was around her. Was that so horrible? Was he incapable of flirting with her? Jasper had flirted before, had dated before, but he hadn't been dating more than twice since... Ainsley. Jasper didn't like to think about her.

Finally, Vienna shut her mouth and poked her head over the stair banister, staring at him. Jasper wanted to look away, but he felt trapped in his fluffy gray bathrobe. Of course, the fact that he was only wearing boxers and socks besides it was...inescapable. And made him nervous. But he wasn't going to dwell on that. He couldn't dwell on that.

“Ha. Ha. Jasper,” She smirked, “Frisky tonight, aren’t you?” He smirked weakly back. Good. She hadn't bailed yet. Jasper supposed the jaw-drop wasn't the best reaction, and her words seemed a bit hollow, but if it all went horribly wrong....maybe Jasper could convince her it was some bizarre dream later. It was early, they were both tired. "I suppose you could say that." Jasper acknowledged with a smile. He was going to say more when she went on. “Are you feeling alright? I really don’t recall slipping you any Amortentia in the last few days…”

"You, of all people," Jasper began, hoping desperately to sound dreamy and not idiotically corny, "Wouldn't need to slip anyone a love potion. Vi," he smiled, looking at her carefully. She was going to run away screaming, he just knew it. "You're the most beautiful girl in Hogwarts." She liked flattery, right? Devotion? Girls liked that, he thought, romantic and all that. "And you've got...the best personality." he added earnestly. Oh, merlin, was he sounding too desperate? Glancing away, Jasper swallowed hard. "Is it hot in here...or...is it just you?"

The best personality?

Vienna tilted her head to the side and smiled. No one had ever said that to her before. Somewhere deep down in the dark crevasse where her heart should be, a warm and fuzzy feeling not unlike smugness and satisfaction filled her. Vienna was secretly delighted. She supposed Jasper was not such a hopeless flirt after all. He had hit all the right notes, not that it was such a difficult task, anything that appealed to her pride and ego was likely to put her in an enticing mood.

A bemused expression lingered on her face. Vienna draped her arms over the banister and allowed her hands to dangle gracefully in the air. “Oh,” She laughed softly, “Is this true now?” Forget jealousy or imitation, flattery was the sincerest form of flattery.  She met his gaze and smiled her usual unfathomable smile.

Had she really struck his fancy?

Up until last week, he had always been her friend Jasper, her paintball buddy and Quidditch mate. Their relationship was one based on mutual respect and cordiality. Or so she thought… He hadn’t objected when she dated Zoey, and she had kept her quiet when he toddled after Ainsley (to her secret chagrin, not because she fancied him, but because she thought he could do better, considering the Hufflepuff’s sullied reputation). Vienna shot him a long look. He seemed flustered, which was always a good indication of romantic interest when it came to courting a Slytherin such as herself. This better not be a joke, she thought. There would be hell to pay if he dared to play her for a fool. Only she could do that. Interestingly enough, the hypocrisy of her double standards did not bother her in the least.

“Jasper, Jasper, such lovely words, you devilish flirt,” She sighed wistfully and murmured in a teasing tone, “The heat must be getting to you.” Though the matter at hand was quite serious, Vienna could not resist the temptation to make him squirm and fluster a little bit more. It was just all too fun messing with his head. Besides, she convinced herself that it would be rude to leave flirtations unreciprocated. Vienna simpered very prettily at him and meaningfully eyed his clothes, “It doesn’t help when you’re wearing a bathrobe…”

He wanted to squirm, to look away, to blush bright and red, but...no, he couldn't do that. Jasper swallowed hard. He couldn't possibly do that. This was Vienna, Vienna Pascal of all girls and she deserved perfection. He looked at himself - anything but perfect. Okay, then, okay - he could do this. His cheeks and neck were flushed, sure, and maybe - just maybe - he was sweating, but that was understandable. After all, he was near Vienna and he was only in his bathrobe and boxers and not really anything else. Well, socks, but that didn't really count, did it? Jasper stifled another yawn. Damn it, he was so tired. Four in the morning - really? It wasn't like he had been up at this hour before - Mal had sometimes demanded their team practice at insane hours like these - but still.

Oh, oh good. She was smiling and laughing. That meant he was doing something...something right, right? Wonderful. Wonderful, really. Jasper let himself crack a grin.

“Jasper, Jasper, such lovely words, you devilish flirt,” She sighed wistfully and murmured in a teasing tone, “The heat must be getting to you.”

He started walking towards her slowly, struggling to come up with the 'right' words. "With such a phoenix in the room," he began smoothly (or at least, Jasper desperately hoped that sounded smooth and suave to her. Later, when he was alone, Jasper would likely reflect and come to a conclusion that it was desperately corny.) "It's hard not to feel the heat." Jasper's eyes flickered up and down her body, resting on her eyes. (Yes, her eyes. Really.) She simpered at him and the smile on his face got wider.

“It doesn’t help when you’re wearing a bathrobe…” she added prettily and at this he couldn't resist blushing, the redness going from his neck to his ears in a matter of moments. "I...It..well..." he stammered, lost for words. "Just woke...up. Um." Now, there, wasn't exactly...flirty-talk, was it? He frowned. Oh, oh no, no, no. He had to get better at this. Really.

"And...uh, you know. I came prepared." he nodded quickly, smiling shyly as he finally came to the foot of the girls' stairs. "Dressed for success, and all." She looked even more beautiful from this point of view. "After all, you're...you're..." Jasper shook his head, "A dream."