Who: Caradoc Dearborn and Emmeline Vance
What: He takes stalking her to a whole new level
Where: Hogsmeade for like five minutes



Caradoc pressed his fingers closer together, squeezing the bridge of his nose tightly. So not only was this possibly the coldest day ever, but everyone around him was all… goggle-eyedish. Didn’t anyone get that it was two whole days after Valentine’s day? Two. Apparently, that meant absolutely nothing to these Hogwarts kids because obviously Hogsmeade was the place to be when it came to love. It was all rather sickening, actually, and if he saw one more couple walking together and holding hands, he was going to hex them.

It didn’t help that he had a headache either. Or that another was going to come any minute now. Dorcas had been going on and on earlier about this and that and--- Merlin, she just never shuts up sometimes. If she understood, then she understood. How bloody hard was that to get? It wasn’t like they were breaking up. Caradoc pulled his gloves closer to his hands, jingling them in the process. Emmeline had better come soon, or else she would force him to find her, which really wouldn’t turn out well for either of them.

Besides, he had to give her her present. It was a new journal, and oh yes, was it something. Not only was the thing an obnoxious pink color, but it was fluffy, blinked, sparkled, and did whatever else a pink girl could ever imagine a pink journal could do and more. It was perfect. Caradoc looked up from the ground, squinting for a second before--- ah. Finally. “And here I thought you were going to stand me up.”

Emmeline didn't have many fond memories of Hogsmeade. She had good times, when it was just the girls going out and things like that, but those didn't stand out as much as Frank disappearing two days before Christmas. Or Antonin grabbing her and snogging her. Or the dementors swooping in and making her relive the worst days of her life. The village had definitely lost its appeal, to Emmeline, which may have been part of the reason she'd told Remus she was sick and skipping out.

What?

No, she felt horrible about it, she honestly did, but since everything with Greyback, she and Remus had hardly spoken, neither had really made an effort, and if she wanted to be honest with herself Emmeline would state that she didn't really want to talk to him. But only because she wasn't ready to try and make things okay. Maybe come June, when she could see him for more than four hours at a time, then, but at the moment it felt like the best thing to keep her Hogwarts life separate from the world outside the castle walls (especially with a Valentine that professed an dying love from a boy that wasn't her boyfriend).

Except she'd accepted this invitation from Caradoc. Of course Emmeline knew he was up to something, that it was either a really elaborate plan to annoy her, or there was something he wasn't telling her.

"Stand you up?" Emmeline asked, feigning shock, "Never." Her eyes looked over the sickeningly pink crowd, "You picked the perfect time to reveal your stalker-like tendencies to the world."

He gave a mock smile, pushing off from the wall he had been leaning on. "Good, because you would have been in big trouble if you did," Caradoc answered, waisting no time to drop the bag he had been holding into her arms. That thing had been expensive, too. Nearly three galleons. She had better like it. Well, really the whole point of the thing was to make her hate it, really. So, she better hate it, he supposed. Or at least get her to make that trademark disgusted Emmeline Vance face.

"Oh, yes well. You know how I love attention," he answered in a monotonous tone, not hiding the fact that he was rolling his eyes at her. Yes, of course he knew that a good amount of people would see them here, unfortunately. That was the whole point. Sadly enough. Caradoc took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill his lungs. Honestly, he hated Hogsmeade. There was nothing ever good here. And, it was always overflowed with Hogwarts students. Well, it hadn't been for a while but now it was and--- blah. Well, time to get this date started.

"Open it," he said, inclining his chin toward the bag and putting his hands into his pockets. If a least, he could get a good laugh about that.

Her eyebrows went up as he plopped the bag into her hands, and Emmeline sent up a bashful, exaggerated flirtatious expression before opening it. It was rather hideous, but she was more amused than anything at the thought of Caradoc actually going into a store and finding the most ridiculous looking journal imaginable. Emmeline pulled it out and smirked, holding it high and limply, "Just what I've always wanted."

With a quick roll of her eyes, Emmeline put the journal back into its bag and let it drop down to her side. Now what? Was he going to tell her what this was all about, or...well, what? Caradoc was bold, but it would be completely out of character for him to try and actually, without something to gain, ruin her relationship with Remus. Not that Emmeline wasn't doing a wonderful job of that herself (and Remus, oh, he would be the one to do it in for good), but even with his perfect cold shoulder, Emmeline couldn't imagine Caradoc truly pursuing her because he wanted to. Or for shits and giggles---well, maybe that, but she didn't think that was the case.

"I'm freezing," she stated, giving him a not so subtle hint that the should get going with whatever this was.

Oh, she was cold? He had been waiting for nearly.... well, Caradoc wasn't sure how long it had been. But at least a very long time. Most likely. The little details didn't matter, the point was that he was just as cold as Emmeline was and she just needed to relax for about three seconds as he thought about which place they could go where the most people could see them. Or at least create enough gossip to get to other people.

Which was no-place, because Hogsmeade sucked. Right.

Caradoc titled his head slightly, implying for her to start to walk with him down the street. He took his hands out of his pockets, letting them lay on his sides. Well. Fuck this shit, he would probably get bonus points for bringing her out of the Hogwarts area anyway. "Do you even like Hogsmeade?" he asked, turning to her to see her face. What seventh year legitimately liked this place? Really, he himself had gotten bored with it by third year, so why would Emmeline go into fits and giggles about coming? Especially since--- well, anyone could tell she was miserable. That wasn't hard to see.

He stopped, noticing that some people behind them had given some notice. Yeah. "Because I don't. It's a piece of shit. And not just because it looks like it was eaten by some pink monster."

"We can leave?" she asked a bit stupidly, shaking her head immediately before nodding. All that they were going to gain from staying was a bunch of people staring and whispering; fuck, if they leave now they still would, but at least she couldn't feel their eyes or hear their words, "Let's leave."

It wasn't as if she hadn't left Hogsmeade before, seventh years were allowed to, after all, but usually it was because of an Order mission or...well, Remus. But she wasn't thinking about Remus at the moment, because everything in her life outside of Hogwarts was going to shit, so---Emmeline knew she was being completely irrational, but she was allowed to be, so she pulled her cloak tighter around her and nodded again.

"Just not Greenland," she muttered, though a quick grin slid on and off her face with a look up at Caradoc. She hated the fact that no matter how much he annoyed her, she'd always end up remembering her rescue and feeling in debt to him. Hated that. "It would ruin the mood."

Caradoc took another deep breath, holding back his tongue. Yeah, Greenland. Because that was the best place on earth and brought back such joyful memories. Because hey, who didn't love missing a week of your life? Caradoc sure did. It had been his favorite week ever.

That reminded him; he would have to get a move on with his plan of revenge on Longbottom. Things of great splendor took time, but he needed to start getting things together. Anyway.

"I think I know a better place than hell," he said, his jaw opening to form something of a pressed smile. "Ready?" Before Emmeline could answer, Caradoc stepped forward and pulled her close, enjoying for a brief second the body warmth she brought to him. Come on, it was like a fucking ice cube outside, and he was doing this for her, after all. He was allowed something nice in return.

They vanished with a loud snap, reappearing in what looked like a park. Well, it was, actually. There weren't a lot of people in the area (again, ice cube), and Caradoc wasn't exactly sure what part of the park they were in. But, he was fairly confident Emmeline would know.

The rush of heat his cloak and embrace gave her completely knocked away any worries about being seen. Bloody hell, it had been beyond freezing out there, her nose felt as if it was going to fall off. The apparation should've been expected, but Emmeline had always hated side-along and made a slight choking sound when they reappeared wherever he was taking her. Her body was scolding her for pulling away so quickly, but it wasn't exactly natural to be cuddled up against Caradoc Dearborn.

Emmeline squinted and looked around, and it took her less than a second to recognize where they were, and her hand shot out to smack Caradoc in the chest.

"I don't know what you're up to," she started, grabbing onto the front of his cloak, even though she was turned around and taking in the surroundings, "But you're going to tell me right now because---how did---"

They were in a small park in Liverpool, the one place she didn't mind about her childhood; honestly, the only good memories were walking around these trails and going on the playground, and Emmeline was sure she'd never told anyone that, or if she had--maybe in passing she'd mentioned---no, Caradoc was doing his stalker-thing, again, and Emmeline was not going to go on without any answers. She turned back to him, hand still tightly gripped on the fabric, "What is this?"

He should have expected that she was going to hit him (she always hit him), but he didn't. Caradoc leaned back in surprise, quickly bringing one hand up to his chest and sending her a mock hurt look. Really, what was with girls and hitting? Everyone hit him; Emmeline, Juliet, his mother (used to), Dorcas, Matilda, Mackenzie, Giada... everyone. And not even the mad smack, just this.... worthless smack that really, only in the long run sort of pissed him off. But before Caradoc had any more time to react, Emmeline latched onto his cloak and began to pull him with her.

Caught off guard, he only stumbled slightly before getting his balance back. Alright, if he had been aware this would make her go crazy, Caradoc would have just brought her back to Greenland. Though, she probably would have smacked him there too.

Caradoc looked down at her with a slightly surprised look playing across his face. He thought for a moment, thinking up of the best suited answer to give to her. "It's a park, Emmeline," he finally answered slowly, looking down at her.

"It's not just a---" Emmeline stopped herself, letting go of his cloak and taking a step away, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. This wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be. Caradoc Dearborn, randomly invites her to Hogsmeade, and then takes her to a park that had a lot of sentimental memories and---yeah, no, no. Emmeline bit her tongue and managed to stop herself from tapping her foot. Well, they were here, and poking and prodding was only going to make Caradoc keep his motives to himself even more than he already was, so she was going to have to go about it another way.

Her arms uncrossed and she stuck her hands in her pockets, tilting her head a bit as she started down a trail.

"I have to be back by three," she said, indicating that they better get a move on if she didn't want to get a detention, or what ever the penalties were that the prefects and heads would be dishing out for tardiness. Not that Emmeline really cared (and maybe it was part of Caradoc's plan, to get her in trouble), she just didn't need to be harped on about it.

Watching Emmeline keenly, Caradoc took a step back from her too to avoid anymore hitting. She had that face on, and he wished he could see what she was thinking (well, he technically could if he wanted to, but that was somewhat not an option at this point in time), because it must have been something good. Or at least entertaining. Either way he was fairly sure she knew something was up, but just didn't know what. And that was alright, she didn't need to know exactly what right then.

Apparently she had decided to go along with it, because she started down a path closest to them. Caradoc put his hands into his pockets and followed Emmeline, taking a few steps before catching up. "Yes, and I'm fully sure you want to go back to school one-hundred percent. Because Hogwarts is just the best," he responded, blinking and bulging his eyes out a bit to emphasize his point.

"It's only twelve."

Oh, she should be feeling much more guilty about this. Though, really. She'd known Caradoc for nearly all her life, so spending time with him wasn't the problem, she wouldn't think--it was the choosing him over her boyfriend that was the problem. The big problem. But all Remus made her think about these days was trouble, and sometimes you needed to do something stupid like this to make yourself feel better. And she never had a boring conversation with Caradoc, so that was a plus.

Of course they got into quidditch, Emmeline not so casually mentioning the undefeated Ravenclaw team towering over Slytherin. It didn't matter that she wasn't really as enthusiastic as she was making herself out to be, all that mattered was that it bugged Caradoc, or was at least a good way to do so. If anything, their conversation took up time, created some sense of comfort and as they dropped down onto a bench, Emmeline turned to him, biting her tongue once more before finally asking what had been in the back of her mind for the past three weeks.

"Not to kill the mood of this lovely afternoon," she started, glad her ears were already red from the cold, "but why did you demand I come out with you?"

The bench was cold. Caradoc thought about putting a heating charm on it, but--- eh. That would actually take energy, to pull his hand out of his pocket, then lift up his arm, and finally point his wand at the bench... and then starting the whole process all over again to put the wand back into in pocket. So yes. They where just going to have cold butts for the time being.

Caradoc did feel a rush of adrenaline course through him, inadvertently warming up his body in the process, though once Emmeline finally asked the question he knew she had been waiting for all afternoon. This was it. Well, sort of. At least he knew that it had been coming. Shifting in his seat, Caradoc crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Emmeline.

"Hmmm..." he hummed, pulling his face up as if to be searching for an answer. He had a cornucopia of answers for her, all more amusing than the next. But finally, Caradoc decided on one final answer. "For the sex."

"I knew it," she responded with a laugh, once again glad that every centimeter of uncovered skin was red from the chilling breeze. The last thing she'd thought she'd be laughing about these days was sex with Caradoc Dearborn, so Emmeline couldn't help but take it lightly. Emmeline pushed some hair out of her face that had been annoying her the entire time and looked back down the path they'd just walked. She wasn't dumb; there was a deeper reason for this and Caradoc was avoiding it. It had to be serious, and Emmeline felt like she was awaiting a death sentence.

He was being a kind of an ass about it, though, showing her a nice time only to strike down with whatever news he had to tell her. Part of her wanted to just ignore it and enjoy the rest of the day, but the inquisitive Ravenclaw inside of her wouldn't settle.

"I imagine this is just the first of your many steps?" Emmeline turned back to him, nose scrunched. "One, woo her with fond memories. Two, get her to see how much of a jerk her boyfriend is, etc. etc. I'm not quite sure you'll make it to number two."

Hahaha, steps. Caradoc chuckled, his face cracking in the cold. Like he sat at home and thought about how to 'woo' girls over. Please. Perhaps people like Emmet needed to do that every waking moment just to get a girl to notice that he wanted to talk to her, but he was Caradoc Dearborn. He made this shit up as he went along. Though for Emmeline, he had gotten a bit of help, but--- no, there were no steps.

But, maybe he could humor her. "Funny thing is--- that's already accomplished, seeing as I don't see your boyfriend around here anywhere. Or ever, actually." Caradoc shrugged, pulling his face together tight to form an innocently perplexed look. Good thing he had never cared for Remus at all. Not that actually being friends with the Gryffindor really would have made a difference the first place.

Emmeline sent him the quick, required glare that every girlfriend had mastered when it came time to defend their boyfriend (except for Juliet. She would tell you to keep going). It wasn't Remus' fault that he wasn't here, he'd done nothing wrong but be born a year before her. Or well, a few months. Sometimes Emmeline hated her late birthday, as if it was forcing her to wait just that much longer to 'grow up,' but she relaxed and dismissed these thoughts, leaning back into the bench.

"Remus is a good boyfriend," she said loyally, though her eyes betrayed her words; actually, if he was home, he was only about a fifteen minute walk from their resting spot. Which...made the bit of guilt in her stomach twist some more, but Emmeline was convincing herself that this was for the Order, even if Caradoc hadn't given her a lick of information. Not that she really wanted to waste her day outside of Hogwarts talking about missions (ha, a month ago she would've been dying to), so Emmeline wasn't going to push the subject, "Though I'm wondering what Dorcas thinks of these advances."

She turned back to Caradoc again, eyebrows high in question. That could answer a few questions.

Caradoc didn't hold back rolling his eyes at Emmeline, and he didn't hold back letting out a loud sigh either. Oh, gag him. She sounded like one of those lovesick puppies trained to say how much she loved her boyfriend and how wonderful he was and blah blah blah. She even had that annoying smile plastered across her face too; oh, he had been expected much better than that from her. Why did she like him anyway? It wasn't exactly like Remus was the safest bet in the world. At least Caradoc could provide the fact that he wouldn't randomly attack the shit out of her at night and turn her into a werewolf (yes, he knew; it wasn't that bloody hard to figure out).

Anyway.

"Mmmhm, I'm sure he is," Caradoc responded, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he nodded his head. Yep, that was exactly it. He unfolded his arms from across his chest and let them rest on his legs.

Dorcas; he knew Emmeline would bring that up eventually. A large grin crept onto his face as he shifted in his seat to look at her more. She wanted to know what Dorcas thought about all this? Caradoc thought for a second, trying to decide what the best answer would be. He could just start snogging her. That usually tended to work well with Emmeline and getting her to stop. And she almost never hit him after doing so, which was a big plus. But, Caradoc supposed it would be somewhat inappropriate, and it was rather cold out... eh. He pulled at his gloves again, tugging them tighter in between his fingers.

"If you're so keen to know, why don't you ask her yourself?" His voice was so nonchalant, it didn't seem like he was even a bit guilty or interested in what they were talking about. Caradoc looked at Emmeline expectantly, waiting for another question.

Now that was a confusing answer. Emmeline didn't allow the confusion to cross her face, but she had to give him credit. If she really wanted to know, there was no way she was going to approach Dorcas and ask about her relationship with Caradoc; if they hadn't broke up, Dorcas would probably kill her with one of her many super-bad ass-auror tactics for even wondering about it. And...if they had broken up...Dorcas would probably react the same way. Definitely not someone she wanted to deal with or piss off.

"Hm," she hummed thoughtfully, sliding down a bit and stretching her legs out. Maybe Dumbledore had sent him, to make her suspicious that something was going on, and to keep her mind off of everything that was making her miserable. Because she would definitely be thinking about this for a while, and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it was kind of an interesting thing (it was not a good thing, if his intentions really were for the sex, because---yeah, no).

"Well, whatever, then," she finally get in. There, nothing they'd done was bad for a relationship; this was training or preparation for something. Guilt. Free. "What else do you have planned in your attempt to sweep me off my feet?"

Caradoc's grin grew even wider, because he couldn't help but gloat. It wasn't his fault; he had just won a rather large battle in the ongoing war he and Emmeline had to see who could outsmart the other. There was no doubt he had won-- she had changed the subject. Even though it made him feel much colder, he finally relaxed into the bench letting his back arch with the structure. Sweet, sweet victory. Caradoc closed his eyes and leaned his head back to let it hang slightly over the edge.

"What? I haven't done that already?" he responded, keeping his eyes closed as he spoke out to her. Caradoc cracked his eyes open just a bit a few seconds later, looking up at the sky. What time was it, anyway? The sun way hidden behind clouds, making it hard to tell from just looking up. Lazily, he brought his wrist up to his face and held it steady for a few moments to focus on the watch.

"Depends on how late you want to arrive after curfew," Caradoc answered suddenly, letting his arm drop as he tilted his head to look at her. Emmeline wasn't getting there on time, he knew that much. Three o'clock? Come on now, it was just screaming for someone to rebel.

Emmeline had to let out a laugh at that; she looked away for a moment and then back at Caradoc, a disbelieving look on her face. Miss curfew? After all the restrictions the professors had imposed, she was going to waltz off and come back whenever she felt like?

Well. She did know a few secret passages.

And Anneliese would definitely mark her in. Plus, this would definitely make avoiding eye contact with Brad easier.

She smiled once again, not at Caradoc, but across the park. She'd been waiting for someone to tell her that school wasn't important for ages, even if the next day she went back and studied for twelve hours straight. It wasn't life or death, breaking a rule or missing a class or failing a test--it had taken this Ravenclaw seven years to figure that out (not that she'd failed a test yet, goodness no--). Emmeline twisted and sent Caradoc a sly glance.

"Let's go to the cinema," she said, standing and almost putting out her hand; this wasn't a date, so there was none of that, "it'll be absolutely hilarious, I assure you."

His left eyebrow cocked up with intrigue, but not because she had decided to go to the--- cinema. Yes, he had been to one of them before, and to say the least, he hadn't been that impressed. Though it was surprising that Muggles had achieved something so wizard-like, but Caradoc would never tell anyone that. To him, the things were loud, disgusting and smelled like year-old butter. Standing up, Caradoc took his time to brush off his cloak and warm up. Once he was done, he stuck his out his arm for her.

"Lead the way."