*~ a heart of gold {Louis}

[MARLON COOPER DELANEY]

As the school year went on, the air became bitter and cold as if discouraging others from going outdoors, which was exactly what Marlon wanted. There are times that Marlon did not mind being around other people. After all, people were fascinating specimen. More importantly, the more he knew about the people at Hogwarts, the better he knew how to deal with them. Specifically, who to avoid like the Muggleborns and who to look up to and follow closely like the powerful, charismatic purists. To say the least, the Slytherin was more than a bit paranoid about people. And he was most paranoid about the person he was about to meet up with now: Louis Weasley. For obvious reasons, Marlon, a Slytherin, could not be seen associating with a Hufflepuff and a Weasley no less. However, Marlon happened to enjoy the company of the Hufflepuff. In some ways, Louis was quite similar to himself. Marlon was never entirely certain what it was about Louis that brought him to really trust the Hufflepuff. There was a very real sincere quality in Louis that the Slytherin appreciated and had never truly encountered before. Plus, Louis was a marvel with animals, and anybody that the animals liked and trusted... well, Marlon had a harder time of disliking them.

Wrapped in a warm cloak, Marlon trekked onwards outside. Just as he had hoped, the grounds had very few people. Sure, there were a few people here and there, but there was few enough people that he felt himself relax a bit. But being highly paranoid, Marlon had taken extra precautions to ensure that nobody would see the two of them as something more than enemies, or cold indifference at best. They had arranged to meet just inside of the Forbidden Forest by owl. The Slytherin was very careful when, where and how the two of them met up. As far as he knew, Louis didn't seem to mind his paranoia, and for that, he was grateful. His hope was that there would be no giddy Gryffindors, swooning at the idea of breaking rules prancing around or any Slytherins determined to prove just how great they were by crossing the forest's threshold.

Having arrived at the pre-determined destination, Marlon sat down on a rather cold log, waiting for his friend to arrive. In the meantime, he had opened his notebook. This notebook contained a number of observations of the people he had seen; some facts were trivial, some more significant. Nevertheless, the Slytherin was convinced that one of these days, one of these little details would come in handy. While leafing through his notebook and briefly reading his notes for the past week, Marlon barely noticed as a young gold unicorn foal approached slowly and curiously. In fact, Marlon had barely been made aware of its presence until the young foal snorted softly next to his head. The Slytherin paused in his movements, not wanting to scare off the little thing. He could see from the corner of his eyes the gold sheen in the young foal's hair, marking the unicorn as a very young one. Well, it had to be for one to be so curious and trusting of wizards. After all, how often was it that boys manage to have a unicorn approach them?

[LOUIS ALEXANDER WEASLEY]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 485px; background-color: #FFCC33;][cs=2] don't you forget about me as you walk on by

Louis had gotten the note and as soon as he had read it, he tore it up and later deposited it into the Hufflepuff fire. Blue eyes watched as the note burned and only when he was satisfied that there was only ash left, he quickly headed to his dorm where he grabbed a normal black cloak, throwing it over his shoulders, he proceeded to sneak out of the castle during the afternoon. All Marlon had said in the note was the place and time he wanted to meet him. Was there anything in particular the Slytherin needed help with, or was he simply missing his friend, like Louis was. Well secret friend anyways. No one knew he was friends with a Slytherin and he kept it that way. He doubted Marlon would have liked everyone knowing he was friends with a Weasley and a Hufflepuff, right? He drew the cloak tighter around him, his eyes darting left and right. He paused when he heard a couple of girls giggling. Crap he thought, they were heading this way. If only he had his uncle's invisibility cloak, everything would have been so much easier. But if he had asked Albus for the cloak...well he wouldn’t, he didn’t want to go anywhere near Malfoy who seemed to follow Albus like a lost puppy. Uh how could the only Slytherin he could talk to in public be friends with that blonde jerk? Ducking into a dark doorway, he held his breath and waited for the girls to pass before he continued. The Hufflepuff sighed in relief when he passed through the front doors and out into the open. There weren’t many people around outside as the weather was getting chillier. He kept a vigilant eye out for anyone that wanted to look his way. Eventually he made it to the forbidden forest and what he found was worth the while. Marlon with a unicorn foal. How had Marlon gotten such a creature to approach him? Perhaps the unicorn wouldn’t run from him either, perhaps it might sense the veela blood in him. Taking cautious steps towards the creature, he held his hand out. So close, he thought, oh so slow and then he felt it, the soft golden coat under his fingers. He sunk to his knees as he petted the unicorn. "I've never seen a foal up so close before," he spoke, directing his words to Marlon whom he had momentarily forgotten about, "I wonder where its mother is." His eyes searched the trees but could find no trace of a full grown unicorn.

this proboards template was created by Monsteur! of caution & atf.

[MARLON COOPER DELANEY]

At first, Marlon tensed up a bit when he realized that there was another presence in the small clearing. However, he slowly relaxed when he realized that it was Louis and not a total stranger. The last thing he needed was for someone to see this. As magical as this moment was, Marlon was more than a bit frightened that someone would take it to mean that he was not the big, scary Slytherin that he liked to be known as. Well, so to speak. He liked the idea of being the intimidating and unapproachable type of Slytherin and having a unicorn foal approach him would complete destroy that image.

Seeing that his friend was attempting to touch the unicorn next to him, he tensed again, afraid to lose his newfound unicorn friend. He was so pretty! All bright, shiny and golden, it was hard not to be captivated by the small thing. However, when Louis made contact with the foal, nothing of the sort happened. In fact, Marlon could have sworn that the small foal leaned into Louis's touch. Seeing that, the Slytherin felt a bit more confident about petting the unicorn himself. Slowly so as to not startle the poor thing, the Slytherin's hand approached the foal incrementally until he felt its soft coat. Although he could feel its breath on his neck and face, somehow touching it made him feel that much closer to the unicorn.

“Me neither,” he said seemingly mesmerized by the unicorn foal next to him. "I wonder where its mother is." Marlon frowned. Louis had made a good point that he hadn't thought of before. Mother unicorns tended to be highly protective of their young, and for good reason too. The Slytherin had been far too enthralled with the foal's presence to make sense of anything else. “I don't know...” he murmured softly under his breath, not wanting to scare off the foal since its ears were much closer to his mouth than Louis's. The last thing he wanted was for this magical moment to end. “Do you see anything over there?” Marlon didn't dare to move too much in case a sudden movement startled and scared away the foal. This was a once in a lifetime experience after all. There was no need to cut this moment short by being hasty. He could be forever patient for such a majestic creature.

[LOUIS ALEXANDER WEASLEY]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 485px; background-color: #FFCC33;][cs=2] don't you forget about me as you walk on by

It was so soft, unlike anything he had ever touched. If people ever caught such an animal he knew the golden coat would sell for heaps. Lucky though he hadn’t heard of such a thing happening, why kill a baby, he thought. It was a horrendous idea but he knew that there were some sick enough to do it. The foal was lucky to have been born in such a well protected place like Hogwarts with not only the professors around, but also the other unicorns and the centaurs. Of course he knew of the werewolves that roamed the castle, but would a creature like that even attempt to kill such a beautiful creature? His train of thought was broken when he heard his friend. Looking over at Marlon, it amazed him that the foal was letting two males touch it. A very rare occurrence indeed. He felt honoured and privileged to be able to touch such a creature. He caught the frown from his friend and wondered if he had said anything wrong. No he didn’t think he did and when he replied with an 'I don't know' he realised the frown had been for his question. Louis blinked, his eyes gazing at the foal as Marlon asked if he saw anything in the woods. He took another look, careful not to move too quickly, not wanting to startle the foal. He couldn’t see any silver and a dreadful thought entered his mind. What if the mother was dead, what if a werewolf had gotten to it during the full moon and killed it. No he couldn’t think like that, the foal's mother had to be out there somewhere, perhaps watching for the dark shadows. "Nothing," he replied, "There's no movement anywhere; can you see anything?" Maybe he had overlooked the unicorn, he hoped he had. Turning back to the foal, he smiled at it, his hand absentmindedly petting it. "Where's your mother little one?" he asked although knowing he wasn’t going to get a reply. Although he loved animals and the majority seemed to like him, he wished he could communicate with them, find out what they were thinking and to be able to simply talk and vent to someone that would simply just listen.

this proboards template was created by Monsteur! of caution & atf.

[MARLON COOPER DELANEY]

When Marlon had asked his friend if he had seen any sort of movement in the forest, he wasn't sure what kind of answer he was hoping for. On one hand, movement would have meant that there was something coming that could have scared the little creature next to him. On the other hand, no movement could have meant that something was wrong. Sometimes, no news was not good news at all.

Very much aware of the unicorn foal next to him, Marlon shifted only very slightly to see if there was anything suspicious on the other side. Thankfully, there was nothing from his line of sight. However, his line of sight was much impaired by his lack of ability to move. But he was basing his report off of whether or not there was any movement in the bushes in his direct line of sight. He shook his head ever so slightly. “Nothing. Although... I should mention that I can't much.” Again, the Slytherin was unsure whether or not such a report was necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. Although being in such close proximity to a unicorn foal was simply fantastic, it was a little unnerving that the mother was so noticeably absent. Mother unicorns, like many other creatures, were wildly protective of their young and allowing this little one around two wizards, albeit ones who had no harmful intentions, was more than a bit strange. So where was its mother?

"Where's your mother little one?"  It was times like these that Marlon wondered how it was strange sometimes how alike they thought, especially considering how different the two of them were with their respective houses being the most obvious difference.

“I don't know about you, but this is a first for me,” he said with the ever-present tinge of sarcasm as he continued to pet the foal reverently and turned slightly to his friend. Despite the sarcasm, the playful grin at the edge of his lips belied the possible annoyance in his voice.

(( Sorry about the long wait. I got a bit clobbered by real life. ))

[LOUIS ALEXANDER WEASLEY]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 485px; background-color: #FFCC33;][cs=2] don't you forget about me as you walk on by

Nothing; that was the reply he got from Marlon, the same reply he had given only moments ago. The next part of Marlon's sentence confused the Hufflepuff for a moment, what did he mean he couldn’t see much? He turned to look at the Slytherin and realised that he must not have wanted to startle the foal too much. He chuckled at the sight. Although as glorious as it was, Marlon was what made him laugh. "The foal won’t run off if you move, just no sharp movements," he replied as soon as his laughter died down. The foal had been around then for a good few minutes, if it felt threatened at all, it wouldn’t stay. Maybe that’s why the mother stayed in hiding, it didn’t sense any threat coming from them, but still it was a very strange thing to happen. It was times like these that he appreciated Marlon's friendship, made the whole sneaking around to see him worth every second. There were times he wished he could walk around school, chatting to Marlon beside him. There were times he wished he could walk up to his family and introduce Marlon as his friend. But he understood why he couldn’t, understood and respected Marlon's wishes. “I don't know about you, but this is a first for me." Louis snapped out of his thoughts. He hadn’t even realised that he had started petting the foal again. Indeed this was a first for him as well. He nodded, looking at the magnificent creature that graced their presences. "I know what you mean," he replied before feeling the foal nudge his hand hard, making the blonde stumble before losing his footing and fall, landing hard on his butt. As much as Louis wanted to glare at the foal, he couldn’t help but smile then laugh. "Looks like the foal thinks my place is on the ground," he chuckled, not moving up off the ground.

this proboards template was created by Monsteur! of caution & atf.

[MARLON COOPER DELANEY]

With the exception of his sooth touches as his hand run down the foal's pretty gold mane, the rest of Marlon was essentially stock still. "The foal won’t run off if you move, just no sharp movements,"  Colour infused Marlon's cheeks at hearing Louis laughing at him. Of course, he knew that but there was a part of him that refused to take even the smallest chance that could possibly cause this majestic creature would run off. It was far too much of a once in a lifetime experience to simply give up or lose simply because he decided moving would be a good idea at the time. “...I know...”

[/color] he replied lamely.

Every second that passed made Marlon even more nervous since it meant that any second now, the mother foal would come along and tear this beautiful moment apart. But for now, Marlon just continued petting the foal's soft pelt. Despite his view being slightly blocked, Marlon edged around slightly just in time to see the foal nudge Louis to the ground, Marlon chuckled slightly, hiding his amusement behind his hand. “Well, you can get that side of him that I can't,” he reasoned lightly, still laughing slightly.

Now that the initial novelty of having a unicorn foal voluntarily being in his presence wore off just slightly, Marlon was reminded of his constant friend known as his fears. In this case, it involved his fears of his friendship with Louis being discovered. For reasons unknown to anyone but himself, Marlon was quite paranoid about having very particular things about himself secret from as many people as possible. For example, his bonding with a blood traitor Hufflepuff did not reflect well on his desire to blend in with the others in house as being a 'just-your-average' Slytherin.

“So...” he started slowly as if he were hesitant to say. “You weren't followed or anything, were you?” he asked nervously. Marlon hardly realized that he was being paranoid but to him, it was of the utmost importance to him that Louis was not followed, by one of Louis' friends who just happened to wonder where he was wandering off to or by one of the sneaky Slytherins who tended to unwarrantedly snoop in other people's businesses. [/justify][/blockquote]

[LOUIS ALEXANDER WEASLEY]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 485px; background-color: #FFCC33;][cs=2] don't you forget about me as you walk on by

Was the foal trying to make a mockery of him, at least it was providing entertainment for Marlon, but still that was not the point. He looked up at his friend, raised an eyebrow before eventually laughing with him. It was pretty funny when he thought about it and the foal was a cute one, he would let it slide this time and besides it just proved a point. He had made somewhat of a sharp movement, thanks to the foal, and it was still here. The Hufflepuff decided to stay on the ground, although weary of the foal's hooves. The floor wasnt as bad as what it looked. He looked up at Marlon as he begun to speak, noticing the hesitation in his voice before he finally asked what was on his mind. “You weren't followed or anything, were you?” What would Marlon do it he said yes just to play a joke on him? He thought better of it, it would probably make the Slytherin more paranoid or have him running off and he didnt want his time with his friend cut short. "Relax, no one followed me, you know i'm always careful," he replied. If he had the slightly feeling of being followed, Louis would always go the long way around and through large crowds just to deter the follower before eventually making his way to the designated spot, only once he was sure he was completely alone. He valued his friendship with the Slytherin too much to let anything destroy it. He understood the reasons why the Slytherin boy thought it was necessary to meet in secret; Slytherins would not leave them alone if they found out, they would more than likely be picked on, all because he was a Hufflepuff. One would have thought that after the 2 wizarding wars that any house prejudice would have disappeared, but sadly no, there were still some out there that believed that being a pureblood Slytherin was the absolute best. "Hypothetically, what would you do if someone did follow?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

this proboards template was created by Monsteur! of caution & atf.

[MARLON COOPER DELANEY]

Despite being the one to enforce the issue, Marlon could understand how many others including Louis would think that he were far too paranoid. Yes, he was a tad jumpy a large amount of time. However, whether or not others thought he was a paranoid freak wasn’t particularly high on his list of priorities so the Slytherin just didn’t care for the most part. After all, he had his reasons. That should be enough in his mind.

"Relax, no one followed me, you know i'm always careful." He nodded slowly in response as if not entirely sure whether or not he should believe him. It wasn’t so much that Marlon disbelieved in Louis’ super sneaking abilities--wait, that was exactly why the Slytherin was so nervous. But then again, Marlon doubted everybody’s sneaking abilities, sometimes including his own. Despite the fact that Louis had meant to calm him of his worries, Marlon never ever felt fully relaxed. There was always something nagging him at the back of his mind. Was there something he missed? Was someone finding out one of his numerous secrets even as he sat here on this log, completely clueless to the occurrence. The unknown was evidently quite a terrifying idea to him. Perhaps, it is such that the Slytherin appreciated the Hufflepuff humouring his paranoia. However, if Marlon had known the exact measures that Louis had taken to ensure that he was not being followed, the Slytherin might have felt better about it. But given his nervous ways, that is not entirely certain.

"Hypothetically, what would you do if someone did follow?" Hearing those words, Marlon felt a thread of terror run through his body. To Marlon, this ‘hypothetical’ question was not a hypothetical. To him, it was Louis trying to get a sense of just how bad a reaction he should expect from him for something that had recently happened. It was as if Louis’ recent reassurance had not been uttered at all. Cautiously, Marlon glanced over to his friend from around the unicorn, trying his hardest to hide his reaction to hearing Louis’ hypothetical question. "Who followed you?" he asked his friend slowly, as if speaking slowly could prolong this devastating new finding that his friend had possibly betrayed him out of sheer carelessness. In all honesty, Marlon quite enjoyed the company of Louis. He was a kindred spirit that the Slytherin had never dreamed of encountering upon his arrival at Hogwarts. The last thing he wanted was to have to hate the Hufflepuff. Marlon hoped that against hope that his friend, his good friend, had not allowed someone to follow him, intentionally or otherwise.

[LOUIS ALEXANDER WEASLEY]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 485px; background-color: #FFCC33;][cs=2] don't you forget about me as you walk on by

"Who followed you?"

[/s] There was something in Marlon's voice, something he couldnt quiet put his finger on. Fear, worry, anxiety, betrayal. Perhaps a combination of all. Louis shouldnt have asked the question, he knew it would stir up Marlon's paranoia, but he was simply too curious as to what the Slytherin would do. Would he hex and curse someone if they stumbled upon the two. Would he try and erase their memories? Looking at Marlon who was leaning around the unicorn, he wondered if the Slytherin would do said things to him just because he asked the question.

The only thing the Hufflepuff could to was try and calm his friend down.
"Marlon, no one followed me, I took the long way around and if someone had the intent on following, they'd be lost long before I made it out of the castle," how else could be make the Slytherin believe him. Words were just words that could turn out to be a complete lie. Perhaps he ought to go, would that calm Marlon down, somehow he didnt think so. He'd most likely end up more paranoid the next time they met. He ran a hand down his face. He was telling the truth, no one followed him, he wouldnt jeopardise his friendship with Marlon, not like that.
"Look you have to believe me, I wouldnt allow someone to follow me intentionally or unintentionally," he added. The boy knew what lengths Louis went through to meet, or so he hoped.

Reaching out he petted the unicorn, it was still here, and although it was a distraction, this was a serious conversation. He sighed as he stood and brushed himself off.
"I can go if you want?" yes he was asking permission on whether to stay or go. If Marlon wanted him gone, so be it, he'd leave and hope the next meeting went a bit better and he knew never to ask said question again and if he wanted him to stay, well he would. He liked Marlon, he couldnt bear not having him as a friend. Now it was up to the Slytherin to make the decision.

((sorry for the crappiness))[/font][/color][/size][/div][/td][/tr][/table]

this proboards template was created by Monsteur! of caution & atf.

[/center]

[MARLON COOPER DELANEY]

"Marlon, no one followed me, I took the long way around and if someone had the intent on following, they'd be lost long before I made it out of the castle." Despite the fact that Louis was trying so hard to calm him down, Marlon was having a more difficult time believing him. A very large part wanted to believe his friend, but there was another part of him that was more interested in self-preservation that could not and would not believe him. After all, the Hufflepuff had assured him that no one had followed him and then asking him about the consequences if someone were to follow. It was difficult to inspire any sort of confidence.

It was strange. The unicorn was so happily oblivious of the serious nature of the conversation taking place around it. It only seemed concerned about the fact that the soothing hands were suddenly not as soothing thus causing some amount of distress in the unicorn, but at the same time, it aroused a strange curiosity in the young foal.

"Look you have to believe me, I wouldnt allow someone to follow me intentionally or unintentionally." Marlon couldn’t stand to look at his friend while the Hufflepuff was trying to convince him of his innocence. It would’ve been too easy to win him over like that. With the amount of sincerity Louis was expressing, Marlon was slowly finding it more and more difficult to doubt his loyal friend, as one could expect from a friend in Hufflepuff even with his hesitance and paranoia. Louis had never done anything that should even remotely inspire such suspicion from him. It was the other people in his life that caused him to be so suspicious of others. But, Louis had done the opposite. If anything, the Hufflepuff was very slowly convincing him that perhaps, not everybody was terrible and full of ulterior motives and worthy of such suspicions.

When Louis seemed to be at his wit’s end and offered to leave, Marlon looked over to the Hufflepuff with some amount of alarm in his eyes. The Hufflepuff knew so much about him, and he couldn’t simply let him go off, exasperated with him. Not to mention that Marlon suddenly felt very bereft and friendless with his friend’s threat of leaving. He reached out to hold his friend back. “No. Please.” Marlon hesitated, feeling very vulnerable and exposed. “Stay.”