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[erikoliver]

Erik was pleased with the beautiful weather, it gave him a great opportunity to go out and perform for the people in Hogsmeade that day. He normally set up in the middle of the small village, by the fountain that was constantly running, no matter the weather. The shop keepers didn't mind his music, since it usually attracted a lot of customers to their shops and pubs, and they didn't have to pay him a single Sickle for his services. It truly was a wonderful thing, getting the opportunity to play his music for people. Granted, many didn't listen to intently. Still, he enjoyed what he did.

Erik set his guitar case on the edge of the fountain, unzipping it and smiling down at his precious acoustic. He attached the shoulder strap to the instrument, then heaved it over his shoulder. He went through the tuning exercises slowly, not wanting to do anything wrong. A breeze picked up, sending a chill down his spine, but the shining sun warmed him up rather quickly. Given the weather, Erik was wearing his black skinnies and white Converse, along with a button-down white shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, showing off his two tattoos in the daylight. His shirt was tucked in, and he had a loosened black tie on, finishing the look off with his favorite black suspenders and black, thick-rimmed phonies.

Once the tuning was done, he retrieved his wand from his back pocket, smiling gently to himself, then flipped his guitar around so it was strapped to his back, rather than his chest. In the bag next to his guitar case, he retrieved a tambourine and a small, hand-held maraca. With a spell of his own design, he enchanted the two objects, and they rose in the air on either side of him, at about the level of his shoulders. After years of research, he had finally figured out a charm that would bring his instruments to life in a way that they would play any melody he told them to. "Nine in the Afternoon," he said softly, and the two instruments made a series of noise to show him they knew what to do.

Erik flipped the guitar back to it's proper position. Normally, before he began to play, he'd introduce himself and the song title. In this case, he was just going to start playing. Taking a deep breath and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he started to strum the intro to his song. This was a fairly cute song in his mind, simplistic and merry in sound. That, and he rather enjoyed singing it.

Nine In The Afternoon

[potter]

Elliot wasn't sure what had brought her to Hogsmeade that day, perhaps it was the pleasant weather, or perhaps it was because she had one last day of medical leave from work. She was still nursing a large burn on the back of her arm, which she had dressed in a bandage atop some of the ointment the healer had prescribed. It would probably leave a thick scar, but it was nothing compared to the one that she was bringing up now by being in the square. At the fountain was a young man that she knew all too well, Erik Truelove was his name, she would recognize him anywhere. He was the only boyfriend she had had in school, it had been sixth year and they had wound up sleeping together.

That part of her life, Elliot would rather forget. She had wanted to stay a virgin until marriage, but her judgment had failed her. At least she had managed to conceal it from her mother before she had died, and her father still didn't know. She was disappointed enough in herself still after three years, she didn't need her father to know too. Elliot turned, hoping that Erik hadn't seen her long enough to identify who she was. She grasped the skirt of her dress lightly, it had been the one she bought in the muggle store to celebrate her making a trivial amount of progress against her anorexia. It was sky blue with spaghetti straps and a scalloped hem.

It wasn't quite warm enough to wear alone yet, so she had thrown on a white cardigan to go with it. She had gotten a couple of weird looks being dressed in muggle attire, but Elliot was comfortable. She just was not being in the immediate vicinity of Erik Truelove. But she couldn't bring herself to walk away, his music was almost hypnotic to listen to, and he still looked just as good as she remembered. Elliot looked in the window of a shop, pretending to be browsing, while praying that Erik hadn't gotten a real good look at her, she wasn't sure if she wanted to encounter the ghosts of her past today.

[erikoliver]

in mid-song, Erik had noticed a familiar face weaving through the crowd, and he felt his eyebrows arch. Elliot Potter was the last person he would have expected to be anywhere near him and his music, not after their nasty breakup at the end of their sixth year. The pair hadn't spoken since, yet, here they were, over two years later, peering at each other secretly through the crowd. Still, he didn't want her to catch him staring, so he effortlessly emerged himself into his playing, ignoring the fact she was there... sort of. Erik didn't want to admit it to himself, but every so often his eyes would find her form. It was obvious she was trying to avoid him, and he didn't blame her. The two of them hadn't exactly ended on a good note, and Erik blamed himself for that.

They had been a power couple at the school at the time, for whatever reason. The Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw, the Pureblood and the Mudblood, they were certainly a bizarre couple, but they had found happiness... But then Erik went and fucked it all up... At least, he had, in his opinion. Elliot had been against having sex, and, truthfully, he had been willing to wait. But, one passionate night alone in the Room of Requirement called for other circumstances. It had been sort of a mutual downhill slope from there, ending in a mutual break-up. Elliot had been ashamed, wanting to wait 'til marriage, but had given into Erik's charm. Erik blamed himself, believing that it had been his temptation that drove him over the edge. Still, even after all the time that had passed, Elliot still looked good, as pretty as ever.

Erik finished up the song, and a few people clapped. Turning his head slightly, he muttered, "Ballad," to the tambourine, who shook sporatically in response. He whispered the same thing towards the hand-maraca and received a similar response. Counting down in his head, he zoned out, focusing on his next song, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa." This was one of his favorites, and was certainly influenced by his events with Elliot, cleverly disguised with word-play and metaphor. It told of how he was fighting two sides, the side that went and ruined everything, and the side that tried to pick up ther mess left behind. His gaze traveled to Elliot for a moment, before closing as he became engrossed in the song.

The Ballad of Mona Lisa

[potter]

Elliot could feel Erik's eyes go to her every so often, and her chest instinctively seized up. Truth be told after all those years he would creep into her own mind from time to time, but lately with more frequency than ever. Aries had quelled those thoughts of her only ex for a long while, but he had failed to make any move at all in months, so Erik had started creeping back into her mind again. She continued ambling about the square, looking in windows at random, pretending that the musician playing music against the fountain didn't exist. His music was beautiful, it was different, that was what she had liked about him when they were in school. He was different.

Their relationship hadn't exactly been what people would expect of her. She was the perfect little good girl, a nurd by nature, and Erik had been fun, outgoing and social. They had made a good match, like yin and yang almost, they had balanced each other. Painful memories were beginning to resurface, brought on by actually seeing Erik for the first time in years. She had unresolved feelings involving him, which only confused her. Elliot had tried so hard to move on, she had felt taken advantage of by him. He had known that she wanted to wait until marriage for intimacy. Though she couldn't exactly say it was all his fault, she could have put a stop to it before things went too far.

Elliot paused at the window to the quill shop as Erik began to play his second tune, she pretended to be interested in the display of fancy eagle-feather quills, but in reality it was the perfect vantage point to watch Erik via the pale reflection in the glass. She sighed quietly, she wasn't stupid, she could hear all sorts of code in the song. Or was she just imagining it? Hell, it might not have even been about her, there had been a couple of years between then and now. Elliot bit her lip, still watching the reflection of her ex-boyfriend in the glass. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to go into a shop, or go home, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. Why was this so difficult?

[erikoliver]

Erik finished the song rather dramatically, eyes ablaze with emotion. He found Elliot, keeping his eyes locked on her form, singing directly to her for the last, dramatic chorus. It was risky move, since it would show her that he knew that she was there, and that he wanted to apologize and take the blame for what had happened between the two of them. It was a bold move, but wasn't unlike him at all. Some realized who he was singing to, and turned to look in her direction, but Erik took the hand of a nearby girl, a total stranger to him to distract them away from Elliot.

The girl blushed profusely, and he grinned at her charmingly, winking slightly. She managed a smile back, and he turned to his instruments, whispering "New Perspective." The pair shuddered slightly, signifying they were ready. He turned to the girl and released her hand, smiling charmingly. He began to play, leaning in and pretending to flirt with her as he sang. The girl had turned a beet red by then, but it was obvious that she was enjoying herself. That's all that mattered, he wanted to entertain people.

Still, he wished he could crack out some of his more risque material. He had some stuff that could be pretty bad. Granted, the song he was singing wasn't entirely innocent either... but no one needed to know the true meaning of it. They could interpret it however they wanted to, but it didn't matter what they believed. The majority would get the goal of the song wrong, remarking about how it was about living life to the fullest. Oh, how wrong they all were...

New Perspective

[potter]

Elliot felt her spine stiffen as she saw Erik's reflection lock directly onto her, leaving her without a doubt in her mind that he had noticed her. Of course, she often figured that she was hard to miss, people often taking more than one look at her, merely because she was a Potter. A daughter of the Harry Potter himself. There was no denying it to herself this time, Erik had been singing about her. Elliot swallowed forcefully, she didn't know what to think of it. She supposed that she ought to have been pleased, or perhaps even flattered, though she felt mostly uncomfortable. Elliot half-wished that Erik would pretend that she didn't exist.

She felt more eyes come to her back after a little while, and she looked more intently into the quill display- acting oblivious to the fact that there were people looking at her. When she felt as if the burning gazes of people had been redirected, Elliot finally turned around, to see Erik holding the hand of some random girl. She was relieved that he had done that, it had been most uncomfortable to know that people were watching her. Feeling suddenly vulnerable in her chosen spot, Elliot tore her eyes off of Erik and began walking.

She went to the other side of the fountain, sitting down on the rim almost directly behind where Erik was playing, so she could still hear him over the babbling water, but he would have to turn completely around to catch even a glimpse of her. Elliot closed her eyes, she couldn't think of what was coming over her. Erik wasn't good for her, they had broken up for a reason, it would be better if she just left and resumed trying to erase him from her memories. Elliot scratched at the bandage beneath the sleeve of her sweater, biting her lip and trying to talk herself into disapparating.

[erikoliver]

Erik finished the piece and took the girl's hand, bringing it to his lips. The crowd, growing slightly bigger, cheered and the girl stared down at his bent form. His eyes glittered mischievously, then he released her hand. The girl stood in a daze for a moment before people pulled her away, sucking her back into the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Elliot walking around behind the fountain. Damn, he thought, biting his lip. Shaking off the slight feeling of sadness, he turned back to the crowd and turned on the winning smile up a thousand more watts.

Erik quickly scanned the crowd, looking for any younger people, any children. It was a Wednesday, so the Hogwarts students were busy in their studies, and there weren't any mothers in the crowd, brood in tow. He decided he'd pull out his more risque material, he had one more song up his sleeve. Leaning over, he whispered, "Lying." The tambourine and maraca shook slightly in response, and his face took on a more devilish charm. His eyes glinted flirtatiously, and the women in the crowd were suddenly drawn into him.

Good, Erik thought. Just like they should be. He smiled devilishly at the women. His lips parted, and he ran a hand through his hair slowly before counting down out loud, slightly growl etched into his voice. "One, two, three..." With that, he launched into one of the raunchiest pieces he had.

Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off

[potter]

Elliot sat still, still listening to Erik's music. She found that it had a near hypnotic quality to it, making her feel like a snake before its charmer. She was glad that she was able to avoid inching closer, though she still found herself swaying in time to the song. Should she stick around and wait until he had finished and attempt to talk to him? That seemed awfully ambitious for Elliot's standards, though she had tried quite unsuccessfully to mentally talk herself into disapparating home. Although she didn't have work that day, Elliot still had things that she could be doing rather than sitting there confronting her feelings for Erik.

She had been planning on moving out of her father's house... Again. Elliot was only moving on his insistence that she didn't need to be at home anymore, that he could handle himself on his own. And now that she had stepped up to being a full Auror she had more than enough money to cover a flat. Elliot was actually looking forward to having her own place again, she had found a building, Thistlewood Run, that looked like it was quiet enough. She hoped to move in shortly, but she did need to repack her stuff and get the paperwork filled out.

Elliot listened to the next song that Erik began to play, faintly surprised at the content being played in the middle of the day, in Hogsmeade square nonetheless. There was all sot of innuendo, and yet Elliot found that she liked it. She wanted to idle back over to where she could see Erik properly, but she wouldn't force that upon herself. Elliot settled instead for looking over her shoulder through the curtain of water cascading down from the fountain. The image was distorted from the water, but it would suffice, if only for a moment.

[erikoliver]

Erik had the women practically eating the palms of his hands, the men glaring at him, but tapping their toes to the beat none the less. His eyes were shining flirtatiously, and the women were melting under the sound of his voice and its more edgy quality that it possessed at times during the song. It was perfect. As he was flirting with the crowd, he saw the form of Elliot through the fountain. It was hard to tell, with the distortion of the image, but he could swear that she was watching him.

Grinning devilishly, he finished off the song next to a pretty blonde, who practically fainted upon him sliding up beside her. He sang to her, and she grinned, looking around, watching as the other women around her looked in envy. He winked at her, stepping back as he finished. The women clapped enthusiastically, and a few of the men followed suit. Erik bowed in a flourish, grinning. "Thanks, that's all I've got for you today," he called out. A few people frowned, but the crowd began to disperse.

[potter]

Elliot rolled her eyes after a moment, Erik was a showman at heart, but now he was almost being a bit too flirtatious with his audience. But it was nice to see that she was not the only one who seemed to find an intensely hypnotic quality in the music that he played. Even with the simplicity of just guitar, tambourine, a maraca, and his voice. Elliot bit her lip, turning her head around and no longer watching Erik. She slipped out her her sweater, allowing the sunlight to fall onto her bare upper back and shoulders. Of course that also revealed the bandage around her left forearm.

She quickly draped her sweater over her arm to hide her injury, the last thing she wanted was any more attention over it. Her father had fretted worse than ever, and her boss had written her no less than four times in the four days that she had been granted off of work to mend. Elliot thought it hadn't been all that bad, nothing compared to the curses she had sustained in November. Elliot sighed as Erik concluded, proclaiming to the small crowd that had gathered that he didn't have anything else to play for them. She half wanted to take the opportunity to approach him, but her courage failed her and Elliot stayed put, somehow getting the feeling that Erik would come to her if she didn't go to him.

[erikoliver]

Erik began packing up, his eyes traveling up every so often to look at Elliot's distorted form. Shaking his head, he brought his attention back to putting his instruments away. With a quick flick of his wand, the tambourine and maraca began to fall, and both hands shot out to catch his beloved instruments. He placed them back inside the bag in which they had come, then took the strap of his guitar off his shoulder. Placing the guitar in its case, he removed the strap, placing it alongside the instrument before zipping up the case.

Slipping his wand in his back pocket, he looked up towards Elliot again. He wanted to say hi, but was almost afraid to. Still, wouldn't that be the polite thing to do? Erik pondered his possibilities, and all of their possible outcomes, while he slung his guitar case over his shoulder and fitted the instrument bag in the crook of his elbow. Itching his tattoos slightly, he breathed deeply, making a snap decision to at least say hello. Making his way around the fountain, he smiled awkwardly. "Hey, Elliot."

[potter]

Elliot felt her throat constrict slightly as Erik walked into her line of sight once more. She was still under the assumption that he was going to pretend that she didn't exist, Elliot wouldn't blame him if that was what he did. Things hadn't ended well between them, though Elliot wasn't completely sure what had gone wrong. They had slept together when she didn't want to go into that phase of their relationship, but couldn't she have looked past that? Couldn't they have worked it out? Elliot was beginning to regret her decision to go to Hogsmeade that day, even if she had liked the music.

Elliot returned his somewhat awkward smile, it felt strange on her lips, as if she had tried both to smile and prevent herself from doing so at the same time. "Hi," Elliot returned, deciding there was no reason to be impolite. Things hadn't exactly worked out between them, but she didn't feel any extreme animosity towards Erik. Elliot pulled at the sweater draped over her arm again, she didn't want him to know about her injury.

[erikoliver]

Erik noticed Elliot shrug her sweater back onto her shoulders, but he said nothing. It was normal action, he supposed. Erik remained standing, running a hand through his hair absently. Elliot was beautiful, though he wasn't surprised. She hadn't changed much since school, and she still retained that same innocent, yet edgy beauty she'd held when they'd been in school. Granted, it hadn't been that long ago in truth, but it had felt like an eternity since they'd last exchanged any sort of greeting. "You look great," he complimented thoughtfully, though his smile fell when the words fell from his lips. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Erik quickly covered with a bold smile.

"How have you been?" Erik asked, removing the strap of his guitar case from his shoulders. He set both the case and the bag of instruments down on the fountain's edge, sitting next to Elliot. He was far enough away for it to be comfortable, but not too far that it was awkward for the two to be talking. Erik anxiously played with his hands as he awaited Elliot's reply, hoping she didn't hold as much animosity towards him as she had when they'd broken up. If she did, the small chitchat they were having now would just become an awkward experience for the both of them.

[potter]

A faint tinge of blush came to Elliot's cheeks when Erik complimented her, she hadn't been told that she looked good in a long time. At least not from someone who was sober. She had found that she was going out to clubs and bars a lot on her own of late, just to get away from her troubles. Drunken men would periodically come up to her, offer to buy her drinks or ask for dances. She would occasionally accept, though she found she just enjoyed being on her own. She liked to dance, have a drink or two, and smoke without being judged for it.

"I've been good," said Elliot, assuming that Erik like everyone else knew of her mother's murder nearly a year ago, it was still painful, but she found that she was finally getting some sort of closure. "I'm an auror now," Elliot added. It had been her ambition for a long time, she actually had some pride in herself for getting this far so quickly. It was rare of her to be proud of anything that she ever did- there was always something that she could do better. "How about you? How have you been?" asked Elliot, glad to find that talking to Erik was somewhat easy, she didn't want anything to be too awkward.