A Holiday Gift for the_iscariot
TITLE: Of Candles and Boons
MUSES: Maia Malfoy/Judas Snape
PROMPT: Courting Candle and Judas asking for a boon.
RATING: So G even Disney wouldn't have a problem with it.
TIMELINE: Maia is 18 - Judas is 25
Maia loved candles. The way they made a room rosy and warm. How shadows seemed to dance with every flicker. She liked the darkness broken by a candle's bright orange and red flame.
Some candles were special: candles on top of birthday cakes granted wishes, some candles in the window could light the way home... some candles just burned a little bit brighter than others.
Twice a week Maia would come downstairs for breakfast, walk through the living room to the dining room and see the candle was placed on the side table. Just the sight of it and time seemed to slooow down. Breakfast dragged. The trip to the dance studio seemed to take forever. Warm-ups. Rehearsal. All the things she usually lived for weighed on her until the whole day was like trying to run through wet snow.
Then...then once rehearsal was done Maia felt like a rubber band that had been pulled all the way back and finally let loose. She flew out of the studio as fast as she could. First to The Leaky so she could floo home and then shower and change and pace a tiny bit and ignore the teasing from her brothers and the knowing looks from her Grandmother and Mother and even Gingy the house elf smiled more than usual at her but none of it mattered because at seven o'clock the doorbell rang and Judas Snape was shown into the living room.
Scorpius, Sirius, Phoenix or Leo probably would have noticed the way their father looked pained, or the very notable way their grandfather *thumped* his cane harder than necessary against the floor when Judas arrived. Maia didn't notice and possibly might not have cared even if she had.
What mattered was that Judas had come. Judas with his soft little half smiles, gentle manners and very expressive eyes that seemed to see right into Maia's heart.
With any other boy Maia would feel uncomfortable having her family watching, being confined by time and custom. Most of the boys she knew would chafe at it. But Judas was different. He seemed to like the ritual of it, the tradition of it. It made him seem more comfortable and the more time they spent together the more Maia realized she enjoyed it as well. She'd had 'dates' with a couple of boys in school and even one nice Muggle boy from her dance studio, but she was much more herself in her own home. She did enough performing on stage and in the studio - it was nice to simply be at home with her new ... Judas.
Sometimes they played backgammon. It was Maia's favorite game and she enjoyed teaching it to Judas almost as much as he enjoyed teaching her Go and using the instruction in the game to teach her Japanese. Maia was much better at picking up the language than she was the game.
After the first couple of weeks Maia was comfortable enough to want Judas to stay longer so she'd tried to set the little peg in the candle a couple of notches higher...her fingers stung for an hour after the little *zap* she'd gotten for her trouble and her father smirked just a tiny bit more than usual.
So Maia decided she was going to enjoy each minute of the time they were allowed together. They talked about dance - her ballet and his Jujitsu, about his time in Japan and the weeks she'd spent in New York City with her dance company.
Out of the corner of eye, Maia could see the candle burning lower and lower. Soon it would be out and Judas would say goodnight and go for three whole days. She could tell he'd noticed it too. There was a look that flitted across his face.
"I had a very nice time tonight Judas." After several awkward starts and stumbles they'd worked their way up to first names and Maia relished the way his name sounded.
"As did I Maia-hime." Judas gave a little half bow. Then a pensive look came over him. "Maia-hime? Might I ask a boon?" If she'd seen that same look on one of her brothers faces she'd think he was plotting some great mischief.
Maia cocked her head to one side, studying him. She wasn't mistaken - Judas looked playful. It was a brilliant look on him and made Maia smile in response. "A favor? Of course!"
Judas' eyes lowered, but there was still a hint of something tugging up at the corners of his mouth. "Might I be so bold..."
At that her heart did a funny little flip. "Yes?" Her answer came out a tiny bit breathless.
"As to - that is, Maia-hime..." He looked up at her through lowered lashes. "If you might have something of yours I could take with me? A boon..."
She was so busy watching Judas' eyes that it took Maia a minute to process his words. "A boon...oh!" There was nothing sly or demure about the smile that crossed her face - it was the sun midday. She was about to make her answer when her Grandfather appeared in the doorway with an exaggerated clearing of the throat and an impatient thump of his cane. It was just enough to break the tenuous moment between the two. Judas gave her a little lopsided smile and bowed to each of them before exiting the library followed by her Grandfather.
Maia's heart was still doing the odd little flippy thing when the closing of the front door spurred her into action. She grabbed the first book off the shelf she could find and after a few seconds of struggling with the ribbon in her hair ran out into the foyer.
"Maia?" Lucius leaned heavily on his cane. "What is it?"
"Judas...he left his book! I'm just going to return it." Maia gracefully slipped under her Grandfather's arm on the door and practically raced down the brick walk in front of the house. "Judas?"
"Maia-hime?"
Maia darted forward, pressed the book into his hands and in spite of the fact she knew her Grandfather was watching and that she and Judas might both die of embarrassment, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Three days." She whispered before starting back up the walk. When she looked back over her shoulder one of Judas' gloved hands was fingering the white silk ribbon while the other absently touched his cheek.
Three days.
MUSES: Maia Malfoy/Judas Snape
PROMPT: Courting Candle and Judas asking for a boon.
RATING: So G even Disney wouldn't have a problem with it.
TIMELINE: Maia is 18 - Judas is 25
Maia loved candles. The way they made a room rosy and warm. How shadows seemed to dance with every flicker. She liked the darkness broken by a candle's bright orange and red flame.
Some candles were special: candles on top of birthday cakes granted wishes, some candles in the window could light the way home... some candles just burned a little bit brighter than others.
Twice a week Maia would come downstairs for breakfast, walk through the living room to the dining room and see the candle was placed on the side table. Just the sight of it and time seemed to slooow down. Breakfast dragged. The trip to the dance studio seemed to take forever. Warm-ups. Rehearsal. All the things she usually lived for weighed on her until the whole day was like trying to run through wet snow.
Then...then once rehearsal was done Maia felt like a rubber band that had been pulled all the way back and finally let loose. She flew out of the studio as fast as she could. First to The Leaky so she could floo home and then shower and change and pace a tiny bit and ignore the teasing from her brothers and the knowing looks from her Grandmother and Mother and even Gingy the house elf smiled more than usual at her but none of it mattered because at seven o'clock the doorbell rang and Judas Snape was shown into the living room.
Scorpius, Sirius, Phoenix or Leo probably would have noticed the way their father looked pained, or the very notable way their grandfather *thumped* his cane harder than necessary against the floor when Judas arrived. Maia didn't notice and possibly might not have cared even if she had.
What mattered was that Judas had come. Judas with his soft little half smiles, gentle manners and very expressive eyes that seemed to see right into Maia's heart.
With any other boy Maia would feel uncomfortable having her family watching, being confined by time and custom. Most of the boys she knew would chafe at it. But Judas was different. He seemed to like the ritual of it, the tradition of it. It made him seem more comfortable and the more time they spent together the more Maia realized she enjoyed it as well. She'd had 'dates' with a couple of boys in school and even one nice Muggle boy from her dance studio, but she was much more herself in her own home. She did enough performing on stage and in the studio - it was nice to simply be at home with her new ... Judas.
Sometimes they played backgammon. It was Maia's favorite game and she enjoyed teaching it to Judas almost as much as he enjoyed teaching her Go and using the instruction in the game to teach her Japanese. Maia was much better at picking up the language than she was the game.
After the first couple of weeks Maia was comfortable enough to want Judas to stay longer so she'd tried to set the little peg in the candle a couple of notches higher...her fingers stung for an hour after the little *zap* she'd gotten for her trouble and her father smirked just a tiny bit more than usual.
So Maia decided she was going to enjoy each minute of the time they were allowed together. They talked about dance - her ballet and his Jujitsu, about his time in Japan and the weeks she'd spent in New York City with her dance company.
Out of the corner of eye, Maia could see the candle burning lower and lower. Soon it would be out and Judas would say goodnight and go for three whole days. She could tell he'd noticed it too. There was a look that flitted across his face.
"I had a very nice time tonight Judas." After several awkward starts and stumbles they'd worked their way up to first names and Maia relished the way his name sounded.
"As did I Maia-hime." Judas gave a little half bow. Then a pensive look came over him. "Maia-hime? Might I ask a boon?" If she'd seen that same look on one of her brothers faces she'd think he was plotting some great mischief.
Maia cocked her head to one side, studying him. She wasn't mistaken - Judas looked playful. It was a brilliant look on him and made Maia smile in response. "A favor? Of course!"
Judas' eyes lowered, but there was still a hint of something tugging up at the corners of his mouth. "Might I be so bold..."
At that her heart did a funny little flip. "Yes?" Her answer came out a tiny bit breathless.
"As to - that is, Maia-hime..." He looked up at her through lowered lashes. "If you might have something of yours I could take with me? A boon..."
She was so busy watching Judas' eyes that it took Maia a minute to process his words. "A boon...oh!" There was nothing sly or demure about the smile that crossed her face - it was the sun midday. She was about to make her answer when her Grandfather appeared in the doorway with an exaggerated clearing of the throat and an impatient thump of his cane. It was just enough to break the tenuous moment between the two. Judas gave her a little lopsided smile and bowed to each of them before exiting the library followed by her Grandfather.
Maia's heart was still doing the odd little flippy thing when the closing of the front door spurred her into action. She grabbed the first book off the shelf she could find and after a few seconds of struggling with the ribbon in her hair ran out into the foyer.
"Maia?" Lucius leaned heavily on his cane. "What is it?"
"Judas...he left his book! I'm just going to return it." Maia gracefully slipped under her Grandfather's arm on the door and practically raced down the brick walk in front of the house. "Judas?"
"Maia-hime?"
Maia darted forward, pressed the book into his hands and in spite of the fact she knew her Grandfather was watching and that she and Judas might both die of embarrassment, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Three days." She whispered before starting back up the walk. When she looked back over her shoulder one of Judas' gloved hands was fingering the white silk ribbon while the other absently touched his cheek.
Three days.