There is a reason why young people are not to make important decision such as passing sentences in the court: young people are painfully impulsive. They never think twice before they do, not to mention talk. And they, alongside with their stupid pride and self-esteem, barely regrets the mistakes they have made.
However, at the age of eighteen, Caesar Montague was proud that he had never had that kind of 'impulsive moment'. He had always considered himself among the young yet mature adults who were wise enough not to suffer from youth stupidity. He was a gentleman with fine manners and good education as well as impressive family background. There was no way he would put any of the things that made his name at risk for any reasons, or so he thought. Much as he enjoyed stories about famous outlaws, he would not idiotically risk his reputation to become one. But in the end, he was wrong. Hard as he try to stay in constant denial, he could not convince himself to believe that what had happened in potion classroom the week before the Eve of Lights ball was okay to and extends.
The kiss. Whenever the young Montague thought of that, he could not keep a sigh of despair from slipping out of his lips. The taste of her lips kept lingering on his mind and appeared whenever time allowed. Caesar pushed himself to work harder, marking papers like insane just so he would not have to recall that moment anymore. But a cup of water or the few minutes before bedtime would lead him back to how hard it was to let his lips part with hers. If only it were the lips of his lovely finacée Rosalie Harper. But it was not. Never had he thought Gisella Henderson's lips could be addictive. Dropping his quill down so his hands would be free to squeeze his hair, Caesar cursed himself under his breath, which had recently become his habit.
Why did every thought he had end up leading him back to her? To Gisella and not Rosalie? The pain he had thought would never go away after finding out about his best friend and his fiancée was still there, but it somehow faded, slowly and steadily. Caesar blamed time, but he knew better than anyone else in the world that it was not time that healed the wound.
The wedding would be happening very soon, and the last person he would have expected to be distracted from it was himself. What a disappointment.
As if God had heard his prayers for some distractions, an owl crashed into his office and landed right on his desk. Its big eyes stared at him inquisitively when he was startled to find it before him. Without even trying, Caesar recognized it, which actually surprised him, seeing writing was not a prominent hobby or habit of his precious friend Ajax Pakarinen. Things got even stranger when Ajax sounded as though he were dying and utterly distraught. Knowing Ajax, his lack of sanity was not something to people; however, hysteric was definitely something new about that boy. The owl had to leave and return to Caesar several times before the young professor decided that he would be on his way to his friend, for the level of insanity in Ajax's letters appeared to be increasing.
Grabbing his coat, the Montague heir made a quick journey to the school yard on foot before he performed flawless apparition to the other Slytherin Alumni's home. The night was cold when Caesar showed up at his doorstep. The door was not locked when he tried to turn the handle. And without knocking, he rushed inside. “Ajax?”
The panicking man greeted him with obvious gratitude in his voice when he spoke. But soon, all that could be seen on his face was pure panic. Caesar opened his mouth but he closed it quickly for he realized that he would not get a chance to say anything because Ajax was frantically doing a monologue. No expecting this? Settled? Murder? Her dad?
What could involve all of those things?
Caesar's memories tracked back to his schooling year, when Scopius Malfoy would tease him about not to knock any girls up or their dads were going to kill him. Caesar would give his best friend a very sharp glare after that joke.
“Hold on, hold on! Are you saying that... she is pregnant?” The future potion professor interupted his friend. His eyes widened in great surprise. “You are so dead, Phineas. Her dad is going to kill you.” Words slipped out of his lips without hesitation. Still, he pulled a chair over for Ajax to sit down before he began to speak again.
“How did it happen?” Caesar caught himself asking that question, which caused him to immediately fix it. “No, don't answer that. I don't want to know. Did you take her to the hospital? Did she do any... tests to make sure?”
them!