I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Alik waited for Svetlanna by the gates as he had said before. He had a large bouquet of random flowers in his hand and he was wearing his best clothes, as if he were trying to impress the young girl more so than he already had. He had arrived five minutes before to make sure everything was in order but the moment he saw Svetlanna walking slowly toward him, he felt as if he had been ill prepared for the day to come. His hands smoothed his facial hair and his suit before he took a step forward and offered the flowers to his date.

“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl,” he flirted with a smile as he handed her the thornless flowers and grabbed her hand to kiss, “how are you feeling today?”

Svetlanna blushed at his actions and words but managed to find the proper words to make her seem a bit educated around such a charming person, “I’m rather tired, I couldn’t really get to bed last night, but I wouldn’t rather be any place but here… with you.”

Alik smiled and offered his arm, “Shall we go then?”

The two walked in silence, well Svetlanna did, as Alik told her tales from Russia and more about his past. She learned that his father was once a powerful man and one of the greatest wizards in the wizarding world, but he was brought down once he was framed by a jealous companion. Alik was from an obviously rich family with many house elves and a pure blood line that stretched all the way to the beginning. The family originated in Germany, but migrated to Russia once one of his great-great grandmothers married.

“’Ow many countries ‘ave you visited,” Alik asked as they made their way toward a small diner a little further into town, “I ‘ave been talking of nothing but myself.”

“Well, my father used to travel around a lot for business and we would have to move with him,” Svetlanna explained, “so I’ve been to over thirteen different countries just to visit but I’ve lived in only around five or six. My favorite so far has been France, but my father says it’s because my French blood feels at home there.”

“Do you live in France when you’re away from school?”

Svetlanna shook her head, “No, I live in London.”

“Are you an only child?” Alik prodded, he was trying to make Svetlanna a little more comfortable with him, but she was acting as if they had never been alone together, “tell me more about you. I’m interested.”

“I was born December twenty-second in a small muggle village in Scotland,” Svetlanna started, looking at everything but Alik as she spoke, “my father was doing business there and he figured I wouldn’t be born until the next month because I was so small. After a few weeks my parents and I moved to France for the first time and stayed there until I was around two before moving to Russia. We moved around a lot and didn’t get stable until we met the Weasley family and my dad got a new job. My little sister and I were so used to moving around that we didn’t quite get comfortable with being stable until I grew attached to Ron and we’ve been friends… were friends until just recently.”

“What ‘appened with Ron?” Alik opened the door for Svetlanna once they reached their destination.

“We’ve discovered a difference we don’t quite agree on,” Svetlanna whispered, “but enough about me. I don’t really feel too well talking about myself, continue with you.”

The date went on slightly different than Svetlanna imagined. She pictured Alik sweeping her off her feet with surprise after surprise about himself but she quickly realized that he was predictable. So predictable that she could almost finish his sentences without even knowing what he was talking about. She found herself, however, growing more and more comfortable with him and that was what she truly wanted.

Just to be comfortable with someone on more than a friendly level.

As the date drew to a close, the two walked hand in hand back toward the castle and toward the fat lady. Alik was still going on about how he had won his first duel as a first year and how the seventh year could barely look at him after. Svetlanna pretended to listen as she visualized how awkward it was for students who had known her for years must have looked at her holding hands with a boy three years her senior.

“I had a lovely time with you, Svetlanna,” Alik whispered when they reached the fat lady, “I was hoping we could spend more private time alone another time.”

With a smile, Svetlanna nodded and made a move to walk into the common room, but Alik stopped her and pulled her closer to his body. Slowly, he leaned his head in and brushed his lips lightly against hers before adding more pressure and holding her tighter. Now, Svetlanna had never kissed a person so she was both rushed and flustered as she reacted as if by instinct. She hugged his body tightly and pushed her lips against his as she stood on her toes.

When they pulled away, Alik was smiling, “We are together then, yes?”

Svetlanna nodded with a reddened face and bit her bottom lip to keep herself from embarrassment. The two said their good-byes and parted ways. The moment the fat lady closed and Svetlanna realized the only people in the common room were Hermione and Ginny, she allowed herself to let out a large sigh and slide onto the floor to clear her mind.

She had no idea what had just happened or what she had just agreed to.

Ginny walked over and asked her what was wrong, getting the story almost at once, and upon getting the news she wore a smile larger than Svetlanna had ever seen.

“So you two snogged out there while I was in here doing homework?” Ginny asked.

“I didn’t know what was happening until it had actually happened,” Svetlanna whispered, “I’m not even fully sure I even liked it.”

“Are you two together then?” Hermione questioned, joining the two girls on the floor.

Svetlanna shrugged her shoulders and looked toward her feet, “I think I said yes when he asked me.”

From the boy’s staircase a gingery boy stood, listening intently to the conversation. His heart seemed to skip a few beats as he heard the news and made his way back to his dorm to allow the news to sink in that Svetlanna was no longer the shy, single girl she once was. The girl he had slowly grown to feel for.

This, however, would not be known by Svetlanna.