Fauna walked along the path from Tulo's hut to the castle, snow crunching beneath her boots and lining the tree branches in white. The first snow had fallen yesterday, while she was stuck inside the library, but today she at least got to enjoy the aftereffects. She was decked out in a bright yellow winter jacket, with colorful striped mittens and a warm floppy hat.

She rubbed at her red nose, trying to protect it from the wind, and walked at an upbeat, energetic pace, kicking the snow around playfully. Her last lesson with Tamis had put her in a good mood. She felt glad to get a break from studying and the stress of midterms, and frankly, she was happy to get a break from taking care of the egg for Care of Magical Creatures, too.

As she neared the entrance to the castle, Fauna caught a glimpse of a figure standing by a tree, and thought nothing of it until she took a second look. Yup, she recognized him from the back of his head, the broadness of his shoulders, and even (or especially) his bum. Devlin Matthews! She stopped to study him for a moment, and then thought of something.

Fauna extracted her wand from her pocket and aimed it at the tree branch above him. With a flick, she made the branch shake, causing the fresh snow to fall onto Devlin's head.

She pocketed her wand and let out a giggle, as if she'd had nothing to do with it at all, and continued walking towards the doors.

Devlin stared out over the grounds in silence, considering the last couple days as he blew warm air into his freezing hands. Yesterday had made him realize that sabotage wasn't going make certain that Fauna was his. If it wasn't that Ryker kid hitting on her, it was going to be someone else. And the bruises on his ribs from the swat Chance gave him the day before reminded him that he couldn't solve everything by pretending to be a lost rat. Eventually Fauna was going to figure it out and would probably hate him for it. He needed to assure that her that no other guy would do for her. He needed to seal the deal, and fast.

Plots and plans whisked through the back of his mind as he stared out over the frozen landscape near the Hospital Hut. Why Fauna had been going there for weeks now was beyond him, but he knew that she was there and would be coming out soon. Unfortunately, he was too intent on his plans of domination to see her leave the hut and start his way. He wasn't aware of her until a drift of freezing snow shook itself loose from the branch above him and landed on his head. Letting out a string of curses under his breath, he quickly tried to dust away the powdery snow before it became bone freezing water. As he shook it free from his wool hat, he caught a glimpse of the perpetrator. The outlandishly yellow jacket and fuzzy hat gave her identity away and Devlin smirked.

Scooping up a handful of snow, Devlin aimed it at the back of her head and paused. He was about to pelt her with it when his eyes strayed from his target and down to her hips, where her jeans stretched deliciously over the soft curve of her hips. Suddenly, childish snowball fights were the last thing on Devlin's mind. Eyes intent on her rear, Devlin snuck up behind her and caught up with her just as she reached the doors. Before she could enter into the welcome warmth of the castle, Devlin shoved the handful of snow down the back of her shirt and then wrapped his arms around her, smashing the snow into her back with his chest. "Turn about is fair play sweetheart..." He murmured into her hair as he pressed up against her. She smelled sweet and felt even sweeter. This was heaven. Cold, Blindingly white heaven.

Fauna kept her gaze ahead and tried desperately to stifle her laughter when a flurry of curses could be heard from Devlin's direction. The snow had hit its mark. She purposefully walked slower, giving him a chance to gather a snowball and throw it at her if he wanted to, but a few moments had passed and there was nothing.

Fauna paused. Was he ignoring her? He didn't mind a little snow, did he?

She froze when she heard a soft crunch from behind her, and let out a squeal seconds before the snow even dribbled into her coat and down her back. Then Devlin's arms wrapped around her, and she squirmed at the freezing ice on her back.

"Cold, cold, cold!" She complained with a giggle, finally standing still when he murmured something into her ear.

That voice could whisper in her ear all day as far as she was concerned. Midterms? What midterms?

Fauna slowly turned around to face him, hoping he'd keep his arms around her, and gave him a mock glare that was made completely ineffectual by the smile on her face. They were awfully close, and Fauna wished for the first time that her winter jacket wasn't so damn bulky.

One pressing concern tickled the corner of her mind. Merlin, what was she supposed to do with her arms? They just hung there like limp noodles. His were wrapped around her... but of course he had the excuse of the snow... was she supposed to do that too?

Say something! She could say something.

"Oh, so I'm your sweetheart now, am I?" she teased in a murmur, face flushing slightly as she glanced away and back up at him.

He was enjoying the smell of her soft hair, and the feel of her rear against him, when she started to pull away. Reluctantly he loosened his grasp on her, a slight frown gracing his face as he did so, thinking that she wanted to be out of his arms. Was she falling for another? That idiot kid she was playing mommy with? Surely not. His brow started to furrow when she suddenly turned around, instead of away. Staring down into her beautiful eyes, Devlin felt a strange swelling of hope when she smiled up at him.

"Oh, so I'm your sweetheart now, am I?"

The corner of his mouth curled up and he couldn't help but look away, relief washing over him. Licking his lips, he chuckled slightly before turning back to her. Releasing her, he reached up and softly tucked her hair behind her ears before cupping her jaw between his hands. Without a word, he bent down and pressed his lips to hers. The chaste kiss quickly became a bit more steamy as he parted his lips and deepened the gentle kiss.

After several steamy moments, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, the cold of the air making his breath come out in soft white clouds. His hazel eyes met her baby blues and he smiled "... Do you want to be..."

Instead of responding with a surprised look, or some sort of verbal banter, Devlin simply tucked her hair behind her ears, touched her face, and kissed her. Except there was nothing simple about it. Fauna's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then fluttered closed as she kissed him back. Fauna rested her hands on the front of his jacket and leaned in closer, ignoring the cold wind and everything else around them, and just focusing on his lips against hers.

When he pulled back and smiled at her, their foreheads gently touching, she didn't expect what he said next. She blinked at him for a moment, wondering if he was joking with her, but his smile and his voice and that kiss seemed so sincere.

"I... uh.... really?" She breathed, eyebrows raised high, a hesitant smile spreading across her face. "You mean, dating? You and me?"

Her smile turned into a grin as she beamed up at him. "Well, yeah. As long as you want to. Definitely," she babbled, throwing her arms around him in a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment and then slowly pulled back, taking his hands in her mitten-covered ones. She could do that now! Fauna could hold his hand in the corridors, out on the grounds, in the Great Hall, anywhere she damned well pleased!

"I... uh.... really? You mean, dating? You and me?"

Devlin couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. It was like she was an 8 year old girl getting a pony for her very own. But while he was pleased that she was so elated over what, to him, seemed like such a trivial thing, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret and shame. What would happen to her beautiful smile when she realized he was just playing her? What would happen to that twinkle in her alluring eyes when she knew he was just another lying douchebag? Part of him, a surprisingly large part in fact, felt like an asshole for continuing this little game. She deserved someone better then him. The now smaller part, who wanted to continue playing, whispered that the whole point was to prove that he WAS worth it. Giving in now would only prove Waker right.

For months, his vision of Waker's regretful and jealous face was etched in the corner of his mind, urging him on. He had longed to see her rethink her opinion of him, to regret the decision to leave him. Yet now, when he looked into that dusty little corner, her eyes no longer stared ruefully back at him. They had been replaced by a pair of piercing blue ones that he knew belonged to Fauna. He didn't know how long it had been that way. How long ago had this stopped being about revenge? And what was he supposed to do now? He couldn't stop now... if he did, then he would lose both Fauna and the last bit of self respect he had. No, he couldn't stop now. He was in far far too deep.

"Well, yeah. As long as you want to. Definitely,"

"Then you'd better pack your bags... it's going to be a long trip..." He said softly, kissing the gloved knuckles of the hands clasped in his. It was corny, and a load of bullshit, but he couldn't help it. For some reason, when he was with her, that sort of cheese was rapidly becoming commonplace. Grinning self consciously, Dev let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist "Well then, should we seal the deal with a kiss?"

Fauna let out a giggle at Devlin's cheesy line, finding it endearing and funny. When he kissed her hands like a gentleman out of an old romance novel would, she found that too, endearing. A lump formed in her throat at all this attention. She swallowed, touched by his thoughtful gestures, and the way he smiled at her and looked at her as if she were the only girl on his mind.

He made her feel lucky, cherished. Emotion bubbled up in her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gazed into her eyes.

"Well then, should we seal the deal with a kiss?"

A ghost of a nervous smile graced her lips and she hesitated for a moment before wordlessly reaching up, stroking his cheek, and leaning in. Fauna lightly pressed her lips to his, then put her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, pouring all of her emotions into it. It was her way of telling him how much his actions and words meant to her.

When she finally pulled away, her cheeks were tinged with pink, though she didn't realize it. She gave him a shy smile, and rested her head on his chest, absently brushing some snow off from the collar of his jacket.

After a moment of standing there like that, she let out a soft, happy sigh.

"Lou said we should all go on a double date sometime," she murmured, the giddy feeling making her more courageous than normal. "You, me, her, Edmund. Maybe during the Winter Festival," her eyes lit up and she glanced up at him, then her face clouded over. Merlin, what if he thought...

"Not that I've been assuming! Or talking about you! Because I definitely haven't," she reassured him, lying through her teeth about the 'talking about him' part. "...much," Fauna amended, smiling at him sheepishly.

The deal sealing kiss was a bit hotter then Devlin expected. Knowing how shy and prudish she could be, Devlin was surprised when she took it over and added a little tongue to the mix. He couldn't help but chuckle and grin at her as she pulled away and rested her head on his chest. "Well ok then..." He murmured into her hair, closing his eyes briefly as he breathed in the sweet scent of her dark locks.

"Lou said we should all go on a double date sometime, You, me, her, Edmund. Maybe during the Winter Festival,"

Her comment caused him to pause in his sensory exploration of the essence of Fauna and his smile faltered a bit. It was lucky that her head was on his chest and his face was buried in her hair, lest she had seen the disdainful look that flitted across his face. Lou... Lou he could probably stand. Sure she was related to Carter, but as long as she didn't pull the 'over protective bitchy friend' card, then Devlin could stand her.

Edmund though... he might be a problem. Sure they shared a dorm without much drama, but that didn't mean they liked each other. Klint was, among others, one of those 'friends' that deserted Devlin after his supposed 'personality shift' a couple years ago. The two had barely spoken a word to each other, past those required for living in the same dorm, for years. Dev wasn't sure how this date thing would go, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't go well. But he couldn't tell Fauna that, she looked far too excited, and an excited Fauna was too cute to disappoint. Like how she was blushing and fidgeting over the idea that he might be upset about her talking about him. Imagine that!

"Not that I've been assuming! Or talking about you! Because I definitely haven't...much,"

"Well then! I had better start giving you more things to talk about then, eh?" He chuckled, squeezing her against him playfully. Reaching up, he cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head so he could lean forward and kiss her forehead. "As for the date, babe.... let's... let's see how it goes when the time comes..." Time to apply the silver tongue so she wouldn't realize that he didn't want to go on any double date, especially with Carter and Klint. "...I would like to... you know... spend some alone time with you..."

Fauna had been grinning like a fool as he joked around with her and kissed her forehead. She quirked an eyebrow at the name 'babe', but said nothing, not really minding it.

He mentioned alone time, and her eyebrows raised higher as she stared at him for a second. Alone time. Alone time meant... alone, alone time? Which meant snogging or a date? Or both? Fauna could go for both. "I, uh, right... that makes sense," she nodded, as if they were discussing their Charms homework.

"Erm..." she let out a giggle and gazed up at him. He made her want to smile and laugh (and snog) all the time. Unfortunately, because of this she sounded even less eloquent than usual.

But what he was asking did make sense. Their first few dates should probably be just the two of them, and then later, they could include Edmund and Lou sometime. Of course, this meant that Fauna would have to get through an entire date by herself, without help from Lou, but if all went well Devlin wouldn't leave her stranded at Madam Malkin's like the last time she'd gone on a date with a boy. That one didn't count, she thought. She'd been a third-year and much more clueless than she was even now.

"A date just with you would be fun," she told him, squeezing his arm affectionately. "We leave Hogwarts in about a week, so maybe that weekend," Fauna went on excitedly. "I could save you a seat on the train and we could sorta, um, figure it out then," she looked at him hopefully. "If you want to," she added. "I don't have to save you a seat, I mean... yeah."

She gave him a bashful smile and tried to stifle another giggle.

"A date just with you would be fun, We leave Hogwarts in about a week, so maybe that weekend, I could save you a seat on the train and we could sorta, um, figure it out then,"

"Yeah..." He said, his voice growing distant for a moment as though he were deep in thought. In actuality, he was. That weekend was supposed to be the one where he and Kitty infiltrated Mungoes and planted some runespoor. Due to the nature of his plans, going on a date that night might be a bit... unwise. Perhaps he could go on a date with her Saturday and then do the deed Sunday? One day couldn't be too much of a wrench. He wasn't sure Kitty would be happy, but she was helping him, not the other way around. 

"If you want to, I don't have to save you a seat, I mean... yeah."

Dev realized that his distracted silence had left her thinking that he wasn't keen on the idea. Eyes wide, he grabbed her hands and kissed them "No no no, that sounds wonderful. I would love to share a seat on the train with you. Preferably the whole compartment..." He smirked, letting his flirtatious joke sink in before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. "You're cute you know that?" Reaching up, he ran his fingers lightly down her cheek before smiling "I need to go... I promised the guys I would meet up with them. Will I see you tomorrow?"

A whole compartment! To themselves! A foolish grin planted itself on her face again. If anyone could manage to snag a compartment just for the two of them, Devlin could. And perhaps she'd be able to use those wards they were learning about in Defense to keep the evil Slytherins and other onlookers away.

Unfortunately, Devlin called quite a few of those 'evil Slytherins' his friends, and said that he needed to run off to meet them. Fauna didn't want to be the scary clingy type of girlfriend, so she nodded quickly. She was in a great mood anyway. He'd kissed her hands and called her cute and seemed to really be looking forward to seeing her later.

"Um, definitely!" Fauna reassured him, inwardly wincing at the number of times she'd used the word 'definitely' during the course of this conversation. "I'm heading in too," she glanced at the doors and started moving towards them. "So I'll see you!" She began walking away, then stepped back and kissed him on the lips one last time.

"Thanks," she said, thinking of his earlier compliment. "And... you're cute too. Well, more like dashingly handsome."

Oh Merlin, she'd just said that out loud!

"Gotta go, bye!" Fauna hurried towards the entrance doors, hiding a smile behind her gloved hand.