After the sun goes down... (Tatia, PG)

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

It was about an hour past dinner time. Or at least time when most of the students began to leave. And it was about half an hour since Nikolas came to the room. He didn't like crowds of people at one school. When four schools were together, it was even worse. So he always came late as he prefered his own peace. He didn't care what his dad thought about this. It was strange in general to see him walk these hall with him for the whole year. Usually, they just saw each other during holiday.

"See you outside, Nik," few girls from Beaubaxtons called after him, which only made him chuckle. They were really funny sometimes. But to his amusement, he never got as many date invitations as this year. Turning away from the table, leaning against it, he observed people who passed by.

[Guest]

Tatia had been deep in the pages of a book, and by the time she looked up, the sun was already setting. Checking the time, she noticed that she was already an hour late for dinner. Really, not that she minded. She normally ate alone, either sitting on her own or bringing her meal back to the room she was staying in. There were so many people this year and being in a new location, while thrilling for her, was also a tad on the nerve wracking side. Shutting her book and setting it aside, she made her way to Hogwarts' Great Hall for dinner.

As she walked, the air that her father had instilled in her of pride over her linage flowed easily off her, whether she agreed or not. This was expected, and so she did as she was told. As she walked past a group of Durmstrang students, her Tatia's ears picked up the familiar cat-calls she often received, but never gave a return anything, which often seemed to drive the boys crazy that she was playing hard-to-get. Finally reaching the Great Hall, Tatia sighed in a happy way to see that the hall was actually emptying. Walking past several students that were finishing up, she found a place at the far end of a table that was not surrounded by anyone. Sitting with a small smile to herself, she waited for her dinner to appear...

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

Nikolas watched as the Great Hall became empty. Well, almost empty. He often waited here just to enjoy the fact of being alone at huge place like this. But today, there was someone, who seemed to be against his plans. Narrowing an eyebrow, he tried to place the girl in Emperor robes. Who was she? By the look at her, he wouldn't say she was a newbie, so how come he didn't remember her? Well, the most likely reason was probably the fact that he never bothered much with the names. With smirk on his lips, he watched her. She was small. Other girls were taller. But she was cute. And she had something inside of her, that caught Nik's interrest. Was it her innocence she seemed to be hiding?

[Guest]

"Hey, lovely. How about some company?" a gruff voiced boy asked her. Looking up, Tatia's dark eyes took in the boy. He sported similar robes to that of the Slytherins at Hogwarts, and judging by the snake crest on his chest, she was correct in her observations. "No thank you," she said simply before returning to her meal. With a raised eyebrow and a wicked smirk, the boy leaned in close and clasped a hand around her wrist, making her drop her fork. "Now, now... No need to be so cold," he said smoothly to her. "Let go..." she demanded, her words hard and twinged with a prickle of fear. "I will when you say you will come back with me," the boy said in a hard, hushed tone. "No," Tatia said again. Pulling her wrist towards him, so she was forced to lean forward, the boy said, "Maybe I won't give you the option..." Bringing her eyes up, Tatia felt a small tremor of fear slither up her spine. Shaking her head in a small glimmer of defiance, Tatia waited for what was to come next...

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

Nikolas was still studying the girl, when one of the slytherins approached her. By the look at him, he could tell he was no one and being no one in this generation of snakes can leave you quite frustrated. Maybe that was the reason why the asshole behaved the way he did towards the girl. Nik used the fact neither of the two seemed to notice his presence and nobody else was around. He approached the guy from behind, slightly tapping on his shoulder. "What?!" the boy snapped. "Well, I saw you two and I thought I stop by and ask if everything is okay," Nik replied, giving the girl smal smile and a wink. "I don't think me and my girlfriend are any of your bussiness, asshole!" the guy said sharply. "Your girlfriend, huh? Well, I don't know about you, but I was always living in idea that to be your girlfriend, the girl actually has to agree to it," Nik spoke, still calm, as if he was just chatting.

"You know what?! Piss off!" the snakie boy continued to attack Nik with words which only more suggested he was actually kind of afraid of the way how calm Nick behaved. That itself made Nikolas chuckle, but his eyes went dark in the same time. He grabbed shirt of that idiot, pinning him against the wall, holding tight around his neck. "Killing fellow students on Hogwarts grounds is unfortunately forbidden, yet I feel very tempted to choke you right now this moment. So, out of pure kindness Hogwarts are so proud of, let me give you a little warning. Next time you touch this beautiful lady, or even come closer than ten steps to her, I will choke you. I swear to you in the name of Amelia Grindelwald, I fucking will!" Nikolas growled before releasing the guy, who fell on the floor, coughing heavily, before running away. "Are you okay?" he turned towards the girl.

[Guest]

Tatia's eyes fell on an approaching boy and her heart sank, but seeing the uniform from her own school around him, she felt a tiny bit better as maybe he would do something. When the confrontation occurred between him and the Hogwarts student, she could do nothing but watch, eyes very wide. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. Why?! Rubbing her wrist, which was already showing the small markings of the boy's strong grip around it, she let her eyes follow the Slytherin as he ran out, truly petrified by the Araneae and the threat he made that was anything but empty.

Bringing her eyes to the boy who had...come to her rescue...Tatia was a little stunned to see that he was easy on the eyes. Many boys from her school were, but none that she actually took the time to notice. But, this one... He was different. Nodding, she dropped her eyes and swallowed before saying, "Thank you..."

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

"I believe he won't bug you again," Nik smiled at the girl, sitting next to her as she looked down, gently he grabbed her chin, making her look back up, at him. "What's your name, little one?" he asked in a way amused by how shy she was. It was usual for any Wolfclaw student to be shy. But it made her only more cute. She had long brown hair and beautiful big brown eyes, that looked so pure and innocent, it was hard for Nik to believe that someone like this girl could be at the same school as he was.

[Guest]

Feeling his hand on her chin bringing her face up to meet his, Tatia looked into his eyes that appeared so kind and deep. Getting lost in them for a small moment, she nearly missed his question. "Tatia... Tatia Gamp," she answered simply. His touch was gentle, something new to her, as was his voice. Pulling her face free of his grasp when her mind couldn't process what she was picking up from him, she glanced back to the boy. "What is yours?" she asked timidly. These feelings were so new, so foreign, Tatia had to force herself to stay sitting next to him. For some odd reason, she felt something that was so unknown to her, she was both terrified and curious: she didn't feel threatened...

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

"Nikolas Karkaroff is my name," he introduced himself, still amused by her reactions. She seemed like nobody was ever kind to her. Like she was surprised by his behavior. "And you, my lady, have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen," he added in a whisper, dark smile on his lips again. "In a way, I can't blame that idiot for taking interrest in you. Only he chose the worts way possible," he added.

[Guest]

He had a pleasant name. It was strong and seemed to fit him perfectly. His comment about her eyes brought a very rare flush to her cheeks as well as causing her eyes he was so taken with to simply gaze into his. "You say... Such kind things... But, you don't know me... Why do you call my your lady?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, her brow pulled together fully confused. Never had she been spoken to this way, and, as strange at it sounded, she liked it, but she was still weary of what these kind words held. A whisper of a smile touched her lips in return to the one he offered. "He's no different then any other," Tatia said, blinking to break the trance he seemed to have put her under and looked away, "He just got the upper hand so I couldn't get away..."

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

Her words made him laugh a little. She would be perfect toy. Despite the name she carried, she didn't seem like a Gamp at all. "I may not know your story, but I can see a lot in those eyes of yours. I can see that you are more innocent, than you want people to know. You get easily confused and are surprised by the compliments, which means you are aloner. You actually prefer to be alone, because you fear that if people knew you, they would judge you. You fear you would fail someone elses expectations," he said, as if he was reading from a book. Nik was good reader of people in general. And he was also a good listener. He could spend hours sitting in the crowd, only listening and putting pieces together. According to his father, he was real spider in that matter. "And I call you a lady, because you are one. As for being mine, I guess that is just what I would love to do one day," he flirted with her, genuinely curious about her reaction.

[Guest]

As Nikolas read her and told her nearly everything that was more or less true about herself, Tatia began to panic. Where had she messed up that he could see so much of her that she tried so hard to keep hidden? Careful to keep the mask she wore perfectly in place, Tatia said nothing as he spoke, the only tell that he was flirting with the very truth of her was a flicker of the panic she was feeling flashing in her bright eyes. She felt so exposed. His compliment of her being a lady brought a strange sensation to the pit of her stomach that only intensified slightly when he mentioned that he would like her to be his. How could she be his? Why did he want her? What did it all mean? Swallowing dryly, Tatia's mind told her to leave, to get back to her room, but she stayed. She was at a loss for what to say, but finally something came to mind. "You don't want someone like me. There are so many others that would make a better choice," Tatia told him, still trying desperately to keep her front up. Even if he did want her, why and what in Melin's name was she to do? All of this, it was all foreign...

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

Nikolas narrowed eyebrow at her. Of course she felt exposed and scared now. It was so predictable, yet he didn't really think of it. But well, not like he was a good boy anyway. At least she had some hints now and the less she will be able to blame him later. "You're scared," he pointed out finally. "Don't be, little one. I am not going to hurt you," he whispered to her afterwards. "See and that's where you're wrong. Other girls, they are shallow. You look into their eyes and all you see is a sheep, following orders. They do, what their families want them to, no questions asked. They do, what they are supposed to. They are boring. You are not. You have fire inside that makes you want to fight. You are just clever enough to pick your battles. I like that," he told her honestly, hint of darkness in his voice. That fire was too bright. He was determined to make it darker. For them both.

[Guest]

Nikolas was still reading her, and how spot on he was with what he was seeing. But, when he spoke of what he saw in her eyes, one that didn't follow what her family wanted, Tatia's mask broke. How could he not see that she was exactly like the others? How could he not see that she wasn't being her own person, that she wasn't permitted to be her own person? When he spoke of a fire in her, a fight in her, tears began to brim in her eyes. She wanted to fight, but she couldn't. She was too weak, powerless, to fight. She had to be as she was told, period...

Shaking her head, Tatia said, "You're wrong..." Her voice was weaker then she planned it to be, which prompted her to get to her feet and put a loose fist to her lips to stop them from trembling. Again shaking her head, she repeated, "You're wrong..." Letting a single tear fall, she moved to leave the Great Hall.

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

He didn't really want to make her cry. But as cold as he was, it only made her more interresting prey in his eyes. He wanted this girl. From now on, his goal was to get her. And Nik was used to make his goals come true. She had no idea. But that didn't mean she will be in wrong hands. "Am I really?" he asked to stop her. "If I was so wrong, than tell me... why the tear?" he got up and caught up with her as he wiped away the single tear on her face. "I'm not going to tell your secret, Tatia. I didn't tell you all those things to scare you. I just wanted you to know how amazing you are in my eyes," he said. Lie. Of course it was a lie. You cannot manipulate someone, who is not vulnerable. Well some can, but only the best. And Nik wasn't the best. But he was good. And he knew the strategy. If he wanted Tatia to ever fall into his arms, he needed to make her weak.

[Guest]

His question brought Tatia to a halt only a set or two from him. Looking at him just as he caught up to her, she shied away as he reached out and wiped the tear from her cheek. His touch, once again, gentle and caring. In that moment, her body only wanted more of what he was offering her. Wanted more of this gentle touch that, until now, she hadn't known. He was asking her to tell why he was wrong. But, could she? No... She couldn't... "You just are, Nikolas," she said, "You say things you see, but you don't see fully. How can you say I'm so amazing when we've never spoken until this moment?" The logical side of her mind was trying to put the pieces together, but this foreign feeling was clouding everything that she knew, or thought she knew. Why was she feeling drawn to him?

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

He sighed. She will be tough one. But than again, that's why he wanted her so badly. "Words are lies, my dear. If I spoke to you instead of seeing you, I would talk to a perfect pureblood princess. She would never admit what I just found out. She would never let me see. It's eyes, they never lie. Well at least not eyes of someone like you. Someone, who only heard of evil, but never really got a taste of it," he explained. Of course his eyes could by perfect liars. But he had a lot to hide. In a way, she had not.

[Guest]

"I am that which you would speak to," Tatia told him stongly. She was a pureblood princess. Her father made her that way, even if she wanted nothing to do with his blood line mania. Feeling her wall of defense slowly build back up, she took a step back from him. "I know evil, Nikolas. Don't say I don't. Don't say you don't see it..." she said and turned on her heel to leave.

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

"See, that's what I was talking about," he chuckled. Though he had to admit, she was pretty quick in gaining back her defense. "Oh you know nothing about evil, sweetheart. You may heard of it, but you never witnessed the evil. Because if you did, those big brown eyes... they would be much colder," he said. "And mainly, you would never turn your back on me, because you would never trust me enough to do so," he whispered to her from behind, his voice dark, teasing.

[Guest]

Stopping dead in her tracks, Tatia let Nikolas' words sink in. She had witnessed evil... Been its victim, first hand... Did she cover it so well that he didn't see it? Was she truly so different, so molded, that even though her father wanted her to be a certain way, had done terrible things to her to make her strong and as he wished, was it possible that how she wanted to be, how she really was, was visible? Turning to look over her shoulder at him, she realized he had a point... She was always so careful, always kept her guard up... This was the first time that she could recall, that she turned her back to someone that she didn't fully know... WHY?! Why was he making her make all these mistakes?! Tatia thought she heard him teasing her, but anymore, she didn't know what she was hearing. This Araneae was confusing her, clouding her mind with some kind of magic she didn't know. Why? Letting her warm eyes simply look at him, Tatia said nothing...

[Rabastan Lestrange]

"You don't have to fear me. Despite the fact you do," he added, now looking into her eyes, on purpose letting down his own guard to let her see all the blood and pain, all the evil he himself cause or witnessed. Well, not all of it. Just small part. All of it would scare her beyond and he would maybe never reach her again. She was so beautiful and so mysterious. He wanted to kiss her, to hold her. He wanted her to be his. She charmed him at the first sight despite the fact he never believed in such a thing.

[Guest]

Turning back to fully face him, not because of what he was saying, but because of what she saw in his eyes, Tatia felt that same feeling she felt only moments ago. The threat was gone... He had pain, too, pain that was maybe like she had. "Why don't I have to?" she asked softly, "What makes you so different?"

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

"Nothing makes me different. There are just people in this world, who actually don't want to hurt you or judge you," he told he honestly with a smile. Of course he didn't want any of that. But he sure as hell wanted her next to him. And with his beliefs. Even if that meant running a marathos to get her.

[Guest]

"Then... You are different. If you do not judge or hurt, then you are different then many others. Everyone wants something, and many do whatever it takes to get it," she told him, a tenderness creeping into her voice that was so rare, many might think or say it didn't exists at all. Her father was a prime example of this. He wanted her to be not as she wished to be and did whatever it took to make her that way. Now she was...mostly... Taking a tentative step towards him, she said again, "That makes you different..."

[Nikolas Karkaroff]

Nik smiled at her, while his mind was filled with the darkest of laughs. Oh he wasn't different. He just had different strategy. Tatia was too stubborn for her own good. And he liked that about her, he really did. But it only made his determination stronger and stronger. He will lure her into darkness and she won't see it until it's too late. "Does that give me a chance that you won't deny my offer for dinner?" he asked, stepping closer to her once again. As small as she was, he was now much taller, which mean he looked down at her. But that all made her just more beautiful.

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