s t a n d ing (Cora)

[untouchable]

Tristan hastily rounded the corner of the boys bathroom, staying flat against the wall near the door. Three screaming girls hustled past, looking frantically... for him. What mess have you gotten yourself into this time Tristan? he thought, mentally slapping himself. It had all started with him complimenting one of the three girls on her style. It turned out her two friends were crazy about him, and that had caused a fight between the girls. He had attempted to flee, but they followed, still arguing. That's when he came hiding here.

Tristan peered out of the door minutes later, seeing that the hallway was clear. Pulling his robes along with him tightly, he rounded the corner quickly. He hoped to avoid a disastrous situation by hightailing it to the grounds as quickly as his feet would carry him. That meant practically flying down the Grand Staircase. Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous. No doubt he would launch himself off one of the many moving flights in an attempt to flee once more.

That plan quickly failed him. Without noticing where he was going, he plowed into someone, who, in turn, fell to the ground. He was knocked over as well, and was panicking. He hadn't seen the obstacle's face, but the long hair whipping around was key. He silently prayed that it wasn't one of the crazed girls. Tristan shut his eyes tight, waiting for the pouncing, the tearing, and the screaming. When nothing came, he opened his eyes slowly, squinting. Breathing a sigh of relief when it wasn't one of the girls, he was stunned to see someone else sitting there. "Um.... are you okay?" he asked, still unsure of who he had run into.

[girlingreen]

Cora, who was quite angry that she had just gotten completely knocked off her feet, sending all her belongings flying over the edges of the staircase. Plus, her Veela hair was thrown all around her in complete disarray. Furthermore, she was pretty sure that she had twisted her ankle in the fall, as it now hurt terribly. She rubbed it slightly, hoping the injury wasn't too bad. Isabelle would be upset if she couldn't come to the next run.

Then she heard the voice, and her temper seemed to boil over. "No, I am not-" she said loudly, looking up to see who had run her over. She found herself face to face with one of the most handsome boys she had seen in a long time. Cora bit her lip and didn't finish the sentence. She brushed her long blonde hair away from her face nervously, but hesitated to turn on her charm. For some reason, this boy seemed different. "Hi," she said in a definite tone, wondering why she had never seen this boy around before.

[untouchable]

Tristan was staring into the eyes of the most wonderful looking girl. He smiled dazzlingly until he noticed that her ankle was swelling. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Here -" he stood and produced his wand out of a pocket in his robe. He muttered a quick healing spell he had learned from his father. He had to be in the know of healing if he was to play Quidditch. He helped the girl to her feet gently, stepping away slightly as he released her hands. "Better?" he asked hesitantly. Something was off about the girl. Normally, he would be smooth and suave with women, the typical charmer. But for some reason, that part of his brain was turned off. Tristan smiled shyly as he tucked his wand back into his pocket.

[girlingreen]

Cora allowed the Gryffindor to help her back to her feet again, glad of the healing spell that had dulled the pain slightly. She was still a bit unstable, though. "Yes, thank you," Cora replied, releasing his hands, though she was a bit sorry to do so. She whipped out her wand and all her books zoomed into a pile, landing on her left arm. "Well, I'm Cora," she said, extending her right hand to him. "Care to tell me why you were running down the stairs?"

[untouchable]

Tristan took her hand and brought it delicately to his lips, finally cranking up the charm factor. "Tristan." He released her hand and laughed awkwardly at her question. "Um... crazy girls." he replied simply. He didn't really want to elaborate on the subject, but would if she asked. She was, after all, the lady on his mind at the moment. He was slightly pulled by her looks, and her attitude. She was feisty and hard-headed. Not many girls were like that. Then again, he hadn't met many girls like her.

[girlingreen]

Cora smiled slightly at his mention of crazy girls. She certainly knew the type, and was sad to say that many of them were Slytherins. "I know what you mean," she replied with a slight sigh. It seemed if she ever turned her charm on, all the boys in the vicinity would rush after her, practically throwing flowers at her. She preferred being alone with boys to keep things under control. She briefly flirted with the idea of turning on her Charm right now, but decided against it. Something told her that she didn't need charms for Tristan.

[untouchable]

Tristan laughed a bit. No doubt Cora had taken note of these girls, for the very same three that had chased him were, in fact, Slytherin. He smiled a bit more broadly, although his ears were burning. He couldn't take his eyes off of that face, that hair. It was mesmerizing. He quickly diverted his gaze to her books. "Where were you headed before I plowed you over?" he asked with a slight laugh. He still couldn't believe how clumsy he had been. It was astonishing.

[girlingreen]

"The owlrey," Cora replied with a slight shrug. Bradley had been writing her more than ever, which was sort of ironic, as she never wrote him back, and she had been doing things he would disapprove of. "My brother will probably have sent me a letter." She paused for a moment. "Were you trying for the escape to the grounds?" she asked.

[untouchable]

Tristan was caught off guard by the question. Had it been that obvious that he was going to hide there. He smiled awkwardly. "Yes." he replied smoothly. Well, if someone had figured it out, the least he could do was be truthful. He was like Madeline in that aspect. His mother was kind and decent. Obviously, not all of her traits had been passed down. He was like Kai too. Arrogant and stubborn, just like his father. Trinity was golden though. She inherited both their mother's personality and her looks. The only thing that linked him to his folks was the tanned skin and black hair. Other than that, the family had no idea where his looks came from. Tristan didn't mind, it gave him a reason to deny the fact he was following his father's footsteps all the way through school.

[girlingreen]

"Yes, that's what I though," Cora replied with a slight smile. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and then dropped her right hand back to her side, wondering what to say next. He looked a bit more familiar now, though Cora doubted that she had any classes with Tristan. Perhaps she had seen him on the Quidditch field. The memory struck her. He was one of the Gryffindor chasers! "You're a chaser, right?" she asked.

[untouchable]

Tristan grinned. So she did know him, to an extent. "Yes, I am." he replied. Then another thought occured to him. He had seen Cora before. She was a Slytherin chaser. Tristan had to keep his jaw clenched to keep from dropping. He had versed her, perhaps even had some issues with her on the field. He had gotten into some pretty rough contact with other chasers before. "And.... you're a chaser too, right?" he asked slowly. He was preparing a type of apology. What a shame, that he might have roughed her up on the field. It was embarrassing.

[girlingreen]

Cora smiled, glad that he had recognized her as well. "But of course," she replied with a firm nod. She then tested her ankle slightly, by putting a bit more weight on it. A throb of pain shot through her leg, so she lifted it back up a bit again, shifting her weight onto her left leg. It would probably be better in a few days, Cora wasn't too worried.

[untouchable]

Tristan smiled. "Well then, should I escort you to the Owlery. You have a letter waiting for you, if I heard you correctly." he replied with a dashing grin. He held out his arm mockingly, almost wishing she would take it. Now that he had someone to walk with, he had no need to flee from the other girls. Now that he knew who Cora was, he knew of her reputation. If she was near him, the other girls would avoid him. He liked Cora as well, so the girl-repellent-edge was just a plus. Maybe if he had her on his arm, he wouldn't get chased up multiple flights of stairs by screaming girls.

[girlingreen]

Cora decided on a move that she figured would surprise Tristan. She took his arm. Not exactly in a loving way, but more like mimicking his almost mocking movements. "I suppose that's a good idea," she commented with a wry smile. A couple of girls appeared at the top of the stairs and Cora shook her head lightly to adjust her hair. They scampered away like mice.

[untouchable]

Tristan felt his face go hot as Cora took his arms. Notcing the girls at the top of the stairs scamper away, he new that the two were a power couple. With their skills on the Qudditch field and their charming good-looks, they were unstoppable. He smiled dashling, escorting her to the Owlery. He climbed up the stairs and released her arm. "Ladies first." He replied with a sly smile.