Jasper Amir inherited many of his wonderful traits and qualities from his family. From his father, the Botros side, he inherited his freckles, athleticism, and warmth. From his mother's side, the Emerson's, he inherited his confidence and expensive taste. His charm is, however, something both sides of the family shared.

Often, he relied upon his charm alone to keep his girlfriend happy. It usually worked for him too, he hadn't yet received any complaints. But he also enjoyed surprising her whenever he could and the end of a long, grueling week of exams felt like an appropriate time to do so. They deserved it.

This evenings surprise took him to the battlements, where with the help of magic, he had set up a makeshift fort. He sat inside arranging all the pillows (maybe he had gone overboard with the pillows). The sun wasn't meant to set for another few hours, but he had a plan if Serena wanted to stay out late into the night.

Be there or be square.

That's what the airplane note from Jasper said, and of course, Serena did not wish to be a square. So here she was, trudging up all those stairs that led up to the battlements. She had just finished an intense training session and now her muscles groaned with each step. A bath had somewhat helped her aching muscles, but she didn't mind, to be honest. It was a reminder that she had worked hard.

Arriving at the battlements, her hear skipped a beat--the way it often does when Jasper is involved. How the curly haired Hufflepuff managed to melt her ice heart, she didn't know. But he did and Serena was always excited to see what he was up to.

And just like she had foreseen, he WAS up to something. The makeshift fort stood out like a dragon in a field. This caused the usual stoic mask she wore and her unyielding posture to relax. As the corners of her mouth curved upward into a smile, it made her face seem softer despite the edgy look her steel blue eyes possessed. Jasper had that effect on her. Her mental shields peeled off and she felt at ease, knowing that she was safe with him, and not just physically.

"My, my, my. What do we have here?" she said, taking a peek inside the fort.

It was true and to be fair, he was always up to something.

Jasper knew he was asking a lot of her to make their meeting point all the way up in the battlements. But it would be worth it. He’d make sure of it. See, Jas wasn’t typically one to go into things with a plan - he enjoyed the freedom of spontaneity, rarely ever sticking to a plan even when one existed. Let it be known, however, that when he put his mind to it, he could come up with KILLER plans. Fort in the battlements included.

He heard Seri’s footsteps before he even saw her, already grinning from ear to ear as she approached. It wasn’t his fault, that was just the sort of reaction he always pulled out of him. Couldn’t be helped. As for her question, he answered simply, ”Boyfriend in a fort.” Not even bothering to step out, he simply reached his arm out for her and puuuuuulled Serena in, hoping to catch her in his hold when she inevitably toppled over.

”How was training?”

The battlements were some of Norman’s favorite places in the castle. They were a nice, (usually) quiet place to unwind after a long day, and he appreciated the close proximity to his office. Best of all, the battlements provided a spectacular view of the grounds. He could see everything from up here, so if anything was amiss, he’d be first to know.

Today he wasn’t here for relaxation or observation. He was here for a student job interview, this one with Brandon Fox. He absentmindedly rifled through a folder full of pamphlets as he waited, this batch geared toward healer studies. Hmm, he could see Fox doing well in that line of work!

Brandon was here for a mock job interview. It made him anxious, just a little, because he had never done one before. He'd only really been interrogated, not interviewed, and he'd never had a job (he was only twelve). But he brought his notebook, and that made him feel like he was prepared.

When he got to the top of the battlements, his worries all went away. "Wow." It was a stunning view from up here. "I can see so much from here. Thestrals, the lake, the road to the gates..." He stepped a little closer to the wall. "I can see everything. Isn't it beautiful, Professor?" Sighing a little, he turned his attention to the real reason he was here: the mock job interview. He sat cross-legged on a crate, because he felt like he was supposed to do that. "Do you want a granola bar? I have two." He paused, considering that maybe you weren't allowed to have granola bars at job interviews. But he was afraid that if he asked permission to eat, Professor dad Carton would say no. He ate the granola bar very fast, so nobody could tell him it wasn't allowed. Sorry...

"How exactly does this work?" Brandon's worries all came flooding back. They were also written down in his notebook in case he forgot them. One of them was 'interviewer yells at me'. He didn't think that was a very reasonable worry, considering that the interviewer was one of his favorite professors. But he had ten other more reasonable worries. "What exactly do we do?"

Jasper’s spontaneity was one of the traits Serena liked most about him. There was never a dull moment, not even in those moments when they were simply relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Not even when they were supposed to be studying.

Boyfriend in a fort. Hah. He was cute.

Serena grinned and let out a squeal as she stumbled over to him. Looking up at him, she shot him a playful wiggle of her nose. SEE. Spontaneous. He HAD to have that planned so she could fall right into his arms.

“You make the fort look nice,” she said, loosely wrapping her arms around his neck and taking a glance around, now that she was sure she wouldn't face-plant the ground.

Bringing her attention back to him, she rose on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his chin. “It was brutal. I loved it.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrocat

Brandon was here for a mock job interview. It made him anxious, just a little, because he had never done one before. He'd only really been interrogated, not interviewed, and he'd never had a job (he was only twelve). But he brought his notebook, and that made him feel like he was prepared.

When he got to the top of the battlements, his worries all went away. "Wow." It was a stunning view from up here. "I can see so much from here. Thestrals, the lake, the road to the gates..." He stepped a little closer to the wall. "I can see everything. Isn't it beautiful, Professor?" Sighing a little, he turned his attention to the real reason he was here: the mock job interview. He sat cross-legged on a crate, because he felt like he was supposed to do that. "Do you want a granola bar? I have two." He paused, considering that maybe you weren't allowed to have granola bars at job interviews. But he was afraid that if he asked permission to eat, Professor dad Carton would say no. He ate the granola bar very fast, so nobody could tell him it wasn't allowed. Sorry...

"How exactly does this work?" Brandon's worries all came flooding back. They were also written down in his notebook in case he forgot them. One of them was 'interviewer yells at me'. He didn't think that was a very reasonable worry, considering that the interviewer was one of his favorite professors. But he had ten other more reasonable worries. "What exactly do we do?"

Norman hadn’t been waiting long when a familiar voice jerked him from his thoughts. Fox could see the thestrals too? And at such a young age! A sad thought, but now was not the time or place to dwell on it. He blinked, slightly caught off guard, but otherwise showed no sign of emotion. “It is, isn’t it?” he replied, nodding in agreement as he gazed at the scenery.

That was enough waiting and watching for now. There was a job - or job interview - to do! He turned away from the wall, just in time to catch Fox eating a granola bar. He considered the offer. Eating was usually not allowed in a real job interview, but this was not a real job interview. He saw no reason to make it any more formal (and daunting) than it had to be! “Thank you. I’ll save it for later.”

The questions got a slight reassuring smile in response. “We’re going to sit down and chat about your career goals and how to achieve them. I’ll ask you some questions that you might find in a real interview. Answer them the best you can. Make sense so far?”

Norman set up a couple of crates to sit on and placed a barrel between them to serve as a table. Opening his folder, he said, “Your application says you wish to become a healer in some way. What is it about that field that interests you?”

He pecked her nose, still grinning from ear to ear. See, nose wiggling was a kissable offense. And with the way she wrapped her arms around his neck, how could he let her get away with it? Mm, no see. He was a weak boy. Serena ought to know that.

"Yeah, was it?" He chuckled, lifting up an eyebrow. "How about we sit down, have some sweets, and you tell me all about how brutal it was?" He wrapped a finger around one of her red ringlets, twirling it so prettily as he spoke. How she managed to come after training and still look like this was simply unreal.

His girl was absolutely unreal. Did she know? He'd whisper it in her ear just in case.

She could be yawning and Jasper would think it was the most majestic masterpiece ever. It was amusing and it made her want to roll her eyes in that loving way it's become. The fact that he thought so highly of her tugged at the cold heartstrings of her heart.

Speaking about heart, he knew the way to hers. Sweets, cuddles and quidditch talk. Did he know how perfect he was? Because Serena sometimes thought the universe was like, 'here's a boy who's tough enough to deal with you.' A boy she had fought to push away for YEARS and he was too stubborn to get the message.

She was about to ask why he was looking at her like that when he whispered into her ear. With a shiver, she sat down and looked up at him, cheeks blushing. "I'm pretty real." She pat the space beside her. "Unless you're dreaming and I'm simply a figment of your imagination," she said, a playful smirk dancing on her lips. She knew what he meant, but she liked to mess around with him.

Let it be known that he would react that way if she yawned, but only because he knew she'd get a good laugh about it. He liked knowing that he could get her to smile so much. Despite what she thought, Serena's heart wasn't anywhere near cold. Jas knew this, he knew her heart.

"Wouldn't be the first time you've showed up in my dreams," he winked as he plopped down in the spot beside her. "But alas," he lamented with a sigh. You know how he knew? Because "we're wearing too many layers for it to be one of those."

Heh.

What? The guy was honest. Sue him.