Mad World Mods (madworldmods) wrote in madworldrp, @ 2007-10-14 23:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | peter pettigrew, veronica smethley |
Peter & Veronica
LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY droppingeaves)
who → Peter and Veronica
what → Peter reads his journal from the previous few days and needs clarification ...
when → Sunday evening
where → Library (to start)
warnings → could get a little high, depending on how the conversation goes.
status → Incomplete
Peter slammed his journal shut after reading through his latest entries. VK. Not only had she come up, but he might have told Veronica about her. All because Veronica's mother was having another baby. He couldn't remember; he couldn't remember anything from that Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. He'd been lucid for part of Thursday, but he had no recollection of it.
And with Victoria Kate being such a touchy subject to him, he had to know. After asking around and finding that Veronica was in the library, he headed up there, his palms sweaty. Veronica wasn't hard to find, and he approached the table slowly. When he did speak, his voice squeaked, and he cringed, "Ronnie? Could I talk to you, er, a moment?"
Veronica looked up with some surprise, and upon recognizing Peter's obvious discomfort, furrowed her eyebrows. "Well of course, Peter! Sit down! Are you okay?" she ask, concerned. It seemed he'd been avoiding her since the potions fiasco, or since the conversation they'd had in her journal when she'd written about her mum being pregnant. It seemed he'd at least made an attempt to talk with her again in his journal, but then he'd promptly forgotten everything and she hadn't a real moment to think about it as she'd been too busy half drowning herself in the bathroom in an attempt to veer an unsatisfiable thirst. One good thing had come out of it, at least--she was no longer petrified of public washroom facilities.
"Um, ok," Peter said, his voice still shaky, though he took a seat.
"Um ... I don't know," he said, "if I'm ok or not. I may have said some things that I didn't mean to or wouldn't have normally or anything like that, but I can't remember because I have no memory of it and we could have met in person and I'd have no idea, but I was going to talk to you in person, and I don't know if I did, so ..."
He broke off, looked at the table, traced the grain line with his finger as he silently willed his voice not to waver, "What do you know- did I tell you- of VK?"
Veronica blinked. "Well you mentioned the letters when you were writing to me after the potions incident," she said thoughtfully. "We'd been talking about siblings, so I must I admit you confused after saying you'd not had any, but then telling me it was a touchy subject."
She paused and bit her lip, reaching over and touching his hand lightly. She'd been trying so much harder lately to overcome her reservations where touching other people was concerned. Especially Peter. She was really making an effort for him. "I don't expect you to tell me anything you're not comfortable with, Peter. We all have secrets and sad things that are no one else's business."
"Yeah, the letters stand for ..." Peter said softly, looking up at her touch. He was both surprised and grateful for the gesture. He looked around; they were pretty secluded, near the back of the library, and if anyone came, he was certain Veronica would give warning.
"I meant to tell you," he said softly. "That day. Thursday. Um ... just let me talk, ok? Please? It ... just ... please. Um ... VK, it ... she ... they, rather, stand for Victoria Kate. She um, was my kid sister. At the very end of our first year, during exams, my mum owled me saying she hadn't come home. And I finished exams and went home straight away. And the Muggle police were involved and everything, but she was ..." He broke off and shook his head, taking a deep breath. "I need to get through this, I'm sorry," he added, hoping she didn't interrupt. After a few moments, he began again, "She never came home. Play date. Just down the street. About two blocks. She liked to ... take the shortcut I showed her home, ran near this brook and it had been raining, strong spring rain and the brook was both deep and fast and she wasn't very good at any of that sort of athletic stuff and-" he broke off again, wiped the tears from his eyes angrily.
"And they never found her, you know? The Muggle police searched and searched all summer, but there wasn't anything of a body or anything, but they did say the current was so strong, and it did lead straight to the ..." he couldn't say it and only shook his head again. "Said she fell in and ... I guess that's what happened. She fell in and couldn't get out." He paused, staring at the wood grain again, finally adding in a small whisper, "She was only seven years old."
Veronica felt her heart go up into her throat. Prone to being emotional she felt tears welling up in her own eyes. "I'm so sorry, Peter," she said, voice low and genuine as she squeezed his hand, all the while feeling guilty of being so obviously upset at getting a sibling of her own. She should be happy! Excited even! The only real jolt she'd felt about the entire situation up until now was her father's owl that morning telling her that come April, she'd be getting a baby brother.
"And I'm sorry for not appreciating what I'm going to be getting with a sibling of my own. I can't..." she trailed off for a moment and took a deep breath. "I guess in everyone's life there's the things they never expect to happen and the things they always expect to stay the same."
"It's not your fault," he said softly, still rubbing tears from his eyes. "It's just ... I miss her all the time. And everyone acts so unhappy with the siblings they have and like ... it can all go away in a second. And ..." he broke off and shook his head.
"Well, thanks for listening. I just ... yeah. Siblings are a touchy subject."
Veronica nodded silently. After a few quiet moments she said, "They say you don't know what you have until it's been taken away. How quickly you could miss out. Daddy keeps telling me that life can be too short, and if we spend it all worrying and not living for ourselves, we'll either die old in regret, or die young and have accomplished nothing."
She looked at him and considered what she'd just said, and consciously made a decision. She was the worrying sort, yes, and she had been since she was a very small child. But it was time to grow up and channel something resembling assertion rather than always debating what was safe and clean and to just... take a chance. Do exactly what it was she wanted to do.
Without waiting for Peter to respond, she leaned over purposefully, and killed him right on the lips.
It was surprising, again, and wet. Very wet. But still, Peter rather enjoyed it and he half-stood, one hand on the table, the other behind Ronnie's head as he kissed her back.
He pulled back, took a deep breath. Life was short and it was time to dive in, "You'll go to the ball with me? Will you?" Not how he anticipated asking, but looking into her brown eyes, it felt so good and happy and ... right. He might have assumed they were going, as perhaps maybe had she, but he wanted to ask.
Veronica's lips quirked into a smile. "Well yes, of course," she answered with a little laugh, noting quite happily that rather than wanting to retch after swapping bodily fluids, she instead just wanted to do it again. "I've already had to fend off the advances of several fourth years on your behalf," she added, feeling a little silly saying it and blushing. "Hannah Boardman seems to think you and Fee Moran would make a dashing pair. I believe she's quite smitten with Remus Lupin, actually."
Dear lord she was starting to ramble.
"She's asked me to ask him to ask her," Peter said, smiling. "And thank you for turning down the fourth years. For me." Not that he was anything special. But still, he felt lighter having got Victoria Kate off his chest to someone ... new. Someone he cared about deeply.
"Just ... kiss me again," he said, grinning at her. "Please?"
Veronica mirrored his grin. Never mind the fourth years and the silly things, or even the serious ones, not for this moment when it was just her and Peter, two people like any other boy and girl, grinning like fools and kissing--like a proper boyfriend and girlfriend should--in the library.
She had absolutely no idea what she was doing, of course, beyond the fundamentals, but sincerely hoped that her obvious enthusiasm made up for her novice. She shifted her chair slightly and leaned in, kissing him again and hesitantly wrapping her arms around his neck to bring herself closer, and to support herself at the same time.
Just when Peter was starting to enjoy it, Madam Pince had to come along and ruin it. After nearly pulling Veronica off of him, she ordered Peter out of the library, muttering about 'children these days'. Unable to surpres his amusement at that, he laughed, winking at Veronica.
"I'll see you later," he said, somewhat shyly, as he picked up his bag to leave. They would just have to go somewhere more ... private next time.
Sirius was sure to have good advice on the topic at hand.