lucky strike, |NOAH|

Ever since she had landed in London and walked through Heathrow in the early hours of the morning, it still hadn't clicked that she was back 'home'. Of course, she was here with someone she contemplated killing in his sleep every night, but still. Eden Karkaroff was back in London. Unpacking numerous boxes by hand was some sort of stress relief, even though doing it with a wand would have been a lot easier. She prefered unpacking her own belongings, while Alek could care less. Paying someone to do his work for him was much easier. Eden scowled at the thought, throwing a pair of shoes against the floor harshly. This was a disaster. She hadn't even began thinking of excuses of why she had left in the first place. It couldn't be because of a job, because she didn't have one; a thought that sickened her. Stressing over good grades in school was a complete waste. Scrunching her nose, she reached over for the shoes she had thrown, putting them in place. She wasn't even going to bring up the N word. Her heart ached at the thought. If anyone deserved the truth, it was him. However, she was going to avoid him as much as humanly possible...for his sake and hers. He'd get a warning, of course. Eden would get...well, she didn't want to think of that. Rubbing her thumb over a bruise absently on her arm, she decided it was time to get a little fresh air.

According to Satan, she was a little too overdressed to walk through the park. Little did he know, that's not where she was going. Like she'd take a walk through the park in heels. Seriously. It was almost instant relief when she sat in her car by herself. It was silent, calm. She didn't bother to turn on the radio, either. It was amazing to her how different the atmosphere felt when she wasn't around her keeper. It was almost normal...almost. The quiet hum of the engine is all Eden heard as she made the short drive to a pub nearby. It wasn't one that she had ever been to, but that's what she was looking for. She didn't really want to run into anyone she knew just yet. She didn't have a story put together, well, one that was believable. Pulling into a parking space, she turned her car off and reached over to grab her purse. Adjusting to London's tempermental weather was going to be slightly challenging, but welcoming. She had to remember that she wasn't going to be freezing her ass off everyday of the year. Russia was as horrible as everyone portrayed it. However, that could have just been her own situation imparing her judgement. Taking a deep breath, she opened the car door, preparing herself for the worst. Walking into pub, she was relieved that she hadn't noticed anyone, yet. Of course, she looked a lot different...more grown up, as she was sure everyone did. Eden scanned the front room before taking a seat at a small table by the window- ordering a firewhiskey immediately. Normally, she was a wine person, but that wasn't going to cut it tonight. Reaching in her purse, she took out a pen and her journal, writing away like she usually did. It was a habit that formed when she was taken...moved away. At first, because she wanted to write N...him desperately, but she couldn't. She did, though, there were numerous letters she wrote him, but never sent. If she could have, well, this situation would be very different. Eden sighed, glancing up and noticing the waiter staring at her oddly. "What? You want a tip, don't you?" she shooed him off, taking a sip of her drink- making a face. It had definitely been too long since she'd had whiskey. Still as bitter as she remembered. Running a hand through her hair, she began to write again, absently listening to the people bustling around.

Things could be much worse, she reminded herself. For one, she could be dead. That would be pretty awful. She was lucky that Alek hadn't beaten the life out of her. That was a plus. Her father could be alive...which, honestly, he could be- but, she didn't know about it. He hadn't contacted her, if he was. Thank God. N...He could have been in the pub when she got here. That...she didn't want to think about that. Her chest suddenly felt constricted like she couldn't breathe- making her take a long drink of her whiskey. She wanted to slap herself. God, she probably looked crazy. Eden bit down on her lip, drinking the rest of her whiskey before signaling the waiter over for another. She needed to slow it down, or she'd be walking home.

*WEARING

Six years had passed since he had went from being trained to be an auror, to finally achieving that place in the ministry. Some could have said it was the fact that his great aunt was considered one of the most powerful witches alive. Only a few could believe the kid that had gotten kicked off the quidditch team in his seventh year, would have accomplished a feat only a few could accomplish. Having a nose in the books, analyzing every word was not something that was of interest to the great nephew of Minerva. Surprising enough in his first year, the sorting hat took several moments to decide on what house that he would end up in. Slytherin was nowhere near that decision though it was predicted as his former house at times. Instead, it had been between ravenclaw and gryffindor. The choice of being known as a nerd, completely involved in his studies. The other choice of being known as that idiot, the one to run into a fight without thinking it through. The choice that the sorting hat had made was the smarter one. He held all the respect for the red and gold house though it wasn't hard to see the same types of people in certain houses. The idea of ravenclaw would be attributed years later when he was considered a bit of a rebel. While everyone was reciting their history of magic book for the OWLs, he was at a party with older classmates. Following the accomplishment of becoming an auror, he had celebrated in the pub with a few friends. A few friends except her.

Besides the idea of being an auror, many people were surprised with his abilities of transfiguration. Something that his aunt helped him perfect before becoming an auror. It wasn't until after his first year as an auror that he managed to become a registered animagus. Two years later was when he managed to learn occlumens due to the help of a childhood friend of his. Despite all the accomplishments over the six years without her, he had not changed much as a person. Sure, he may have been considered better looking since those years. His skin had tattoos on it which weren't there before. The old habit of smoking had drifted away. However, he was still the gryffindor that knew how to party. Something perhaps learned from wanting to break all the rules possible in Hogwarts, while his aunt was the headmistress. Breaking rules would perhaps be the one reason that he would never move up in the ministry. The ministry workers were the type to follow everything by the book except of course, Harry Potter. Though with him gone, everything was back to by the book. Noah was never going to be exactly like the stuck up ministry workers. Evidence of this could be seen by the fact that he was seated in the pub at a table in the corner of the room. There were a few girls at the table though he had no idea who they were. Except the fact that they were beautiful and easily persuaded to drink shot after shot.

Wearing a white shirt that lit up a bit due to the black light in the pub, he slid a glass over to the one girl. The look in his eyes were certainly daring, daring the girl to drink yet another shot. The two girls next to her were egging on her as he kept silent. Not much work had to be done by him to persuade a girl to do something except use his eyes. His hair which usually stood up, was swept to the side a bit. Perhaps from an encounter with a girl from before the pub? If his aunt was around to witness his behavior at the pub with three girls, she would certainly disapprove of his behavior. After all the McGonagall family had always been well respected in the wizarding world. They weren't the type of family to go out for a good party, let alone have tattoos on them. Needless to say the sight of one tattoo on his arm sent the former headmistress into an uproar. The lecture of ruining his skin with horrible images. Imagine the lecture of having three beautiful women sitting across from him at a table? Noah, himself had not yet had anything to drink. The reasoning behind that? He was getting a kick out of the three women taking drinks to the point of not being sober.

She was definitely drinking too much. At this point, she'd definitely be walking home and she didn't even want to think about that. She'd have to slash her own tires on the way out to explain to Alek why she ended up walking. She'd still get in trouble, but it wouldn't be as bad...she hoped. How ridiculous, she thought, that she had to worry about how much "trouble" she'd be in. Eden laughed lightly to herself, taking another drink of her whiskey. At this point, she learned the waiter's name, Bradon, and he didn't look at her weird anymore. In fact, she even got him to buy her a drink. It wasn't such a bad night, after all. Eden slid her engagement ring off her finger, throwing it in her purse. "Fuck that." she mumbled, glaring at her purse...A PURSE THAT HE BOUGHT HER. Taking out her wallet, she got up, walking over to a trash can, and threw it away. Eden smiled proudly to herself before sitting back down. Why hadn't she done that earlier? Maybe she should just drive her car off of a bridge. Or push it. She wasn't really ready to die yet. Eden shrugged off her purple sweater, leaving her in her pale colored halter. It only made her look more tan, which she was thankful for. The pale Britons couldn't hold a candle...unless they used the tanning bed; a torturous muggle contraption she heard of. Standing back up, she decided to get her own drink this time.

Probably not the best idea she ever had, considering she could definitely tell she had too much to drink upon standing. Flashing a smile at the bartender, she ordered a shot of American Honey along with her firewhiskey. Sitting down, she glanced over at the other various people occupying the bar with her. Most of them were men, but there was a pretty decent mix of women, too. However, one group of girls was being a little louder than the band, which was a feat on it's own. If she had known that decision would completely change her evening, she wouldn't have done it. She wouldn't. Eden had to squint her eyes to make sure she was seeing the situation clearly. Because it couldn't possibly be real. It couldn't. Sitting at a table with three drunk skanks...was him. The girls were playing his little game unknowingly. They were cheering each other on to drink and he was just sitting there, probably as sober as can be with an annoying little smirk...and tattooes?! "Where...did those come from?!" she found herself mumbling and staring. He looked great. There was no way around it and it made her blood boil. Turning back towards the bar, she downed her shot before chugging her whiskey. Eden ignored the horrified look the bartender gave her, giving him a wink instead. Standing up, she sauntered over to the table, her eyes focused on him.

When she got to the table, she reached over one of the girl's shoulder, taking one of the shots before setting the glass down. "Girls, girls...you don't drink a shot. You down it." Eden tried to swallow her heart that she was sure was going to come up at any minute. It was like electricity being around him again. Grabbing a chair, she pulled it up, finally meeting his eyes. "You have room for one more, don't you?" Her eyes were dark, she was sure. Her stare could have burned him, if it was possible. This, of course, wasn't how she imagined their first meeting again. However, she didn't think she'd be intoxicated, either...or with three bimbos. Eden bit her tongue, refraining from saying something nasty to them. Diverting her eyes, she looked back over to the girls, smiling in a ditzy way at them. They were idiots. She could play along momentarily. "I'm Eden."

The game of getting girls drunk was certainly entertaining. In rare cases, he would end up going home with them. It was rare considering he was not the type to go looking for a girl every single night. Not like some of the douches from his graduating class of Hogwarts which he would often see at a pub, looking for girls. The other factor being the girls at pubs were never smart upstairs. As if the sorting hat had taken all of their knowledge at the age of eleven. Evidence of this could be seen from the three women in front of him. Women that had come to the table together, hoping for a shot at the guy covered in tattoos. Something he had experienced from time to time, given the fact that he was single. It was rare for a girl to accompany him anywhere except the one relationship that he had managed. A relationship which lasted about two years before it ended, for the better. A distraction from the former relationship that had been before, was what it could have been called. In this instance of the three girls, he was just enjoying the sight of three women getting drunk over the simplest thing. Some people really had no other hobbies, but finding someone willing to be with them for a night. It was hilarious to him. After all, he could not have had much entertainment being alone for six years.

It wasn't until a girl brought over a bottle of firewhiskey that he poured himself a shot. The girl was someone that had attended school with him, a ravenclaw at that. Someone worth smiling out compared to smirking. The other girls had luckily paid no mind to it, too busy with their own babbling about how the one girl spilled the previous shot on herself. The girl left the table, not wanting to get involved with the mess at the table. The two had always remained good friends despite popular belief that they could have been a couple. If the cards had played out differently in school though she was more of that 'nerd' type compared to the wild, not giving a care about studies guy. The shot that he had given her, was gone within a matter of seconds. Firewhiskey was something that he had never been a big fan of. It gave a burning sensation and overall just appeared to lead to more daring actions. As if it gave people the courage to do something more. Noah had taken a shot of it because he didn't just come to the pub to sit and watch three girls act like idiots in front of him. He had originally planned to show up and drink away the night. Something that had always been consistent in his life. Pouring a shot of it, he moved it across the table in front of him towards the girls. Little did he know that none of the three girls would end up taking the shot.

The three girls were still babbling away, so the shot sat on the table. That was until a girl had walked up behind them, reaching over to the glass. Despite the poor lighting in the back area where they were, it only moments for him to realize who it was. Despite the past, he couldn't hide a smirk at her comment about downing shots. After downing the shot, she had pulled up a chair in between the three girls and himself. The girl had asked, if there was room for one more. Noah said, "I can't imagine why there wouldn't be more room for one more." It wasn't sarcasm and she would certainly know that since she knew him best. While holding respect for people, it was too often that he spoke his mind. No matter if people took it for sarcasm or not. Something that he inherited from his aunt that loved to say exactly what was on her mind even to her students. His hazel eyes were settled on her for the time being considering her own eyes were dark. Nothing that intimidated him or made him even worry. Two reasons being that he normally kept calm in situations. The other being that he wasn't the one that had left behind what the two had. She introduced herself to the girls at the table as being Eden. The name was one that Noah had not heard in a while, refusing to talk about her after a year had passed. The one girl sitting closest to her, acknowledged her and introduced herself as Lillian. However, the two other girls paid no mind to her as they finally downed their shots that had been sitting for a while. The girl with black hair spoke up, "We drank enough, no more drinking until you fulfill that promise, Noah!" Girls with no brains really had the worst timing in the world for comments. Anyone with a clear conscience would've noticed something between Noah and Eden. Perhaps someone with half of their brain full of alcohol would have even noticed as well. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Very well then." Most guys probably wouldn't have done the next event in front of Eden, had they dated her. Though this was different as he didn't care entirely since six years had gone by. Six years was a bit of a statement to him about everything. Pulling the white shirt over his head, he rolled up the shirt putting it on the table. The three girls certainly went for the bottle of firewhiskey, all wanting more shots now. Unknowing to Eden, he hadn't promised anything else to the girls if they did more shots. Also unknowing to her, he merely did it to show her what she had missed over the years. Karma was beginning to eat away at her, no doubt?

Eden was never a party girl, even though she was a Slytherin. She liked to have her share of fun, which is how she ended up meeting him. It was also the reason for her attending any party he'd be at. In school, she was incredibly picky with who she dated, but that didn't stop her from playing hard to get with nearly everyone. She was the Queen B, there was no doubt about it. Not as much of a bitch, though. Eden kept her eyes off of him, trying to keep her concentration. It was too much to be around him, even though she was drunk. The bumbling idiots next to her certainly weren't helping, either. God, she wanted to just punch them in the face. All at once, if that was humanly possible. She signaled the bartender over to bring her another drink, figuring she was going to need to not remember this night. Getting black out drunk had now became a goal she was working towards. If she had been paying attention, she would have heard the girl's reply as to what her name was, but she didn't really care. His words, however, rang through her ears. Just hearing his voice was enough to throw her off. She fucked up. It wasn't her fault, but her life was fucked because of it. Eden watched with a disgusted face as one of the girls tried to down one of the shots, watching it spill over her mouth. "Someone needs a bib..." she mumbled, running a hand through her hair before taking a drink. Amatures.

Eden wished that she had been prepared for what happened next. Maybe she was the one that actually needed a bib. She was casually ignoring him when one of the girls mentioned him keeping his "promise." Eden thought it was more alcohol, but she found out quickly that it was NOT more alcohol. Before she could even fully turn her head to look at him, he was pulling his shirt up over his head...and she just stared. She thought that she was just involved in a slow motion moment. The girls stood up around her immediately, jumping up and down and she just sat there...and stared. When...how...WHAT?! Eden glanced up at him, feeling her face warm. "You just made their life, Noah." His name. It was an accident and she hadn't even meant to use it. It was first time she had actually said it in years. Not because she couldn't, but because she refused. Eden looked down at her glass, debating leaving. Actually, that's exactly what she was going to do. She was going to leave. She already felt like shit, so she might as well be punished for it again. Eden drank the rest of her firewhiskey, standing up and grabbing her wallet. "Have fun tonight, I'm sure that this is going to end well for you." she didn't sound bitter, in fact, she sounded like she actually meant it. She was gone for six years. What did she expect? "I actually have some tires to slash, though, so...it was nice seeing you." That was all she could come up with? REALLY. Eden shook her head slightly, walking out of the pub.

When she got the idea to slash her tires, she hadn't really thought it through completely. Of course, Alek would believe it because he hated muggles. Anything to make them worse in his book was acceptable. Getting the box cutter out of her trunk, she sat on the ground next to her front tire, trying to stab the dull blade through it. After several unsuccessful attempts, she ended up throwing the thing and leaning against her car. Seriously. How fucked up was her life, she thought. She hated the man she was forced to be with. Couldn't stand him. She knew what she was going home to. On top of that, she just HAD to run into the one person that she wanted more than anything. She honestly didn't know what she did to deserve it. Her life sucked. And here she was, sitting in the parking lot, looking drunk as fuck, like some upscale hobo. Eden groaned. Standing up, she brushed off her jeans, walking over and picking up her box cutter.

Being the great nephew of Minerva McGonagall, the headmistress of the school, it came with many ideas. The idea that he would be on his best behavior considering he was related to the headmistress. Not many people understood why he was the complete opposite of anyone in the family that they had known. The people that did know, remembered the fact that the McGonagall family had fought in the second war. Minerva's two brothers had perished at the beginning of the second war at the hands of death eaters. Margaret, her niece, had passed away from dragon pox. That death came as a shock to plenty of people considering she wasn't that old when it occurred. As for Noah's own parents, they had passed away when he was three years old. An attack made by two death eaters who had avoided going to Azkaban until that night. The reason for them going specifically after those two were the fact that the McGonagalls had ended up being in the auror office shortly after the war. They had fought alongside the school's staff and students during the battle. With Kingsley deciding to allow anyone that had fought in the war to become an auror, they ended up joining the aurors shortly after. Due to being raised by Minerva, Noah ended up quite the opposite of his family. This meant that he was practically at every party and detention possible. It was during one of those parties that he met Eden.

Sitting at the table, his eyes had lingered on her for a moment longer than hers had lingered on him. In terms of her, she hadn't changed a lot in looks. No tattoos on her at all which wasn't a surprise since she was not like every other slytherin at their school. This meant that she was not a party girl, not entirely wild. Atleast not until she had met, did she end up attending parties a lot more. The changes were obvious though, considering he had known her since their school years. No longer did she look like some girl fresh out of school, a teenager. A young, grown woman was what she looked like. Looks wise, she hadn't changed much considering he had always thought of her as being beautiful. Way too beautiful to be with him, let alone any of the nerdy ravenclaws that tried to hit on her at parties that the two would attend. His eyes left her when the girls had brought up the promise that he had made when they first sat down. It didn't take long for him to comply by taking his shirt off, rolling it up in a ball before putting it on the table. The girls practically freaked out, standing up. On the other hand, Eden said his name for the first time in a long time. A long time since he had heard her say his name to him. Noah hadn't bothered to comment to her, not sure what to say. She finished her glass before getting up, leaving for the night. A comment about it ending well for him was made. Something that threw him off since he had thought she knew him better than that. Eden walked out of the pub, heading out into the warm, fall night. Finally getting the bottle back from the three girls, he managed to pour himself another shot. Again, the shot was gone within seconds as he was soon to be. Noah stood up which made the girls just go a bit crazier considering the jeans that he was wearing, were hugging his waist practically. Meaning they clearly showed off his chest a bit too much for what would have been allowed back in the seventies? He said, "Excuse me, ladies" before walking away from the table. As he walked out, he certainly caught the eyes of other girls in the pub. Even some a bit too old for him, creepy to have Dumbledore's sisters staring at him. Ignoring them, he opened the door of the pub and walked out.

Pulling his shirt over his head, he walked out to the parking lot to find Eden. She had mentioned slashing tires, so he had to presume that she had brought a car. Something that he used from time to time though he preferred apparating everywhere that he needed to go. It was a save of time, no doubt. Despite the darkness of the parking lot, he managed to find her next to her car. She was leaning against the car, having given up with the box cutter laying on the ground next to her. Pulling the unicorn haired wand out of his pocket, he easily said a spell which caused all the tires to deflate. No muggles were around from what he could tell, so he was safe. Walking up to the car, he commmented, "You know me better than that, I'd think." While she had said his name, he was nowhere near saying her name just yet. Noah said, "And I'd hope being around me enough that you wouldn't dare try to drive or walk home alone." The two had been to enough parties, so they knew the standard stuff. Not to try driving any cars or even riding a broomstick home let alone walking by themselves late at night. Well, Eden anyways. He could careless about himself considering he considered her to be too good for him at times. His own arms were folded a bit as he surveyed the slashed tires, clearly wondering why she would need the tires slashed. Also, the car didn't appear to be her taste at all. As if someone had picked it out for her, whoever it was, had horrible taste in cars.

She wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Eden wasn't sure if she meant using his first name or leaving him. Either way, she wouldn't. She was actually pouting like a little kid. What a shitty fucking night, she thought. It was much easier to dwell on the past, but it was something she was trying not to do, no matter how hard her mind tried to go there. It also wandered to different places, making her wonder why he suddenly got so many tattoos...not that it bothered her. It just made her wonder what else had changed about him, if anything had. He still partied, but he was entertaining more girls than she remembered. She knew him better than that, though. He wouldn't take THREE girls home, that was just ridiculous. He certainly had his hands full, though...shirtless. Eden squeezed her eyes closed, trying to push the memory out of her brain, something that was going to be impossible now. She had stood up, ready to walk home when he appeared outside, his shirt back on. Eden watched him from a few feet away, watching him deflate her tires with his wand. So much easier, she thought. "I do..." she finally said in reply to his comment. It wasn't like him. "But it looked like a possibility." she noted, looking at her tires still.

Why did he have to follow her outside? She wasn't his responsibility. She left him. It didn't matter that it wasn't her decision, it still happened. He should hate her for it and maybe he did. Maybe he was jut being nice to her because she was drunk. Not likely, she thought. "Actually, I was going to dare walking home. I have to. Besides, you were having a good time, why don't you go back in? Pretend you never saw me tonight." she grinned slightly, before looking away, wiping it off of her face. If only it was that easy, right? She noticed him looking at her car, one that she hated. It wasn't her taste at all. It was so modern and sleek looking, like it shouldn't be able to be driven on the streets. "I didn't pick it out." she noted. "I'd push it off of a bridge or something if I could get away with it." she smirked slightly. This conversation was only going to become more awkward. It was only a matter of time that he asked who bought it for her. "Anyway, I don't live far from here...only a few blocks up." Eden ran a hand through her hair, appearing restless. She was becoming incredibly so. She glanced over at him, letting her eyes take him in. They were practically still kids when she had to leave. Now...now she didn't even want to think about it. He was tattooed on her mind like the tattooes on his arms. Pure torture. "I should...be going, I think." She didn't want to.

Eden turned away from him, beginning to walk away before stopping in her tracks- turning to face him again. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry...for everything." She put her hand on her head, as if to comprehend what she just said. "Right," she mumbled, "So, yeah...have fun tonight. Don't worry about me." she smiled slightly, dragging her key across the side of the car idily. She needed to be away from him, she couldn't think.

The two may have not met until a party occurred at school though they knew each other. Considering the amount of time that they had spent together in school and outside of school, they could have passed for childhood friends. No one understood Noah quite like she did and no one understood Eden quite like he did. In his case, many people looked for more in him considering his heritage. They expected him to look like the next great professor or something which he would never do. A professor was such a boring job in his mind, the same stuff everyday. Being an auror meant different things everyday, something that surprised everyone except maybe his aunt that he had accomplished it. After all, she had helped whenever he needed help with a spell or anything. As for Eden, she was respected by most people. In terms of the fact that she was like most of her house at Hogwarts. A pureblood. If one person didn't think highly of her, it would be Minerva. The reason for that would be that she was just as wild as Noah. Well, she became that way after hanging around him. If the girls at the table had known of her heritage, no doubt they would have shown some respect. Perhaps. Though it would have been quite hard with a tattooed shirtless man in front of them, no doubt.

Having walked out after her, he had went out to the parking lot. Over the course of six years, he had felt different emotions towards the whole situation between them. She had left without one word to him, just disappeared out of sight. An explanation was never given and certainly, he blamed himself at times. Though he really had no idea why he would be to blame considering their relationship was quite strong. Nothing appeared to be going wrong in it except perhaps they were a bit busy with trying to pursue careers when school ended. At first, he didn't date anyone right away since perhaps, she just needed time away from everything. Though after several months of her, he eventually moved on. Well, tried to. After entering into an actual relationship with someone for two years, that would be when he stopped mentioning Eden at all. Even in the pub, he hadn't said her name at all. There were bitter feelings left in him after everything though was he really going to let her walk out feeling that way? He wanted to, but he just couldn't. No matter how much he tried to deny it, she was a weakness of his. It was hard for Noah to really show any anger towards her even when they had been dating. It hadn't been much, but at times when they were younger, sure. She wasn't his responsibility at the present time, so it shouldn't have been his concern if she had walked out by herself drunk. Nor should it have been his concern that she walked home alone, but it was. Having made it to the car, he had slashed the tires with a spell from his wand. Something that he kept in his right hand, just incase anyone decided to mess with the two. Again, not his concern in her case. Eden finally replied to him, looking at the tires. She mentioned that she did know him though three girls looked like a possibility. He said, "Looked, but wasn't. They lacked intelligence, resembling more of a leaf on the ground really." Leaves were just like the three girls. Rolled around to wherever they wanted to lay just as the three girls basically would have rolled off the chairs considering their non sober state.

She mentioned that she was going to dare to walk home alone. Something that he was going to object, no matter how much of a good time that he could have been having. Noah said, "You're hilarious, if you think I'm leaving you to walk yourself home. Drunk especially." Normally, he would have been less straight forward, less serious. Though he wasn't entirely in that state of mind, again bitter feelings left that mark on someone in some way. He had been looking at her car, one that he knew that she wouldn't have gotten at all. She took note of him looking at it, saying that she had not picked it out. What caught his attention more was the fact, if she could get away with it. Noah looked at her and asked, "Could get away with it? Is your mother still shopping for you or something?" He had seen her with her mother a few times out shopping when they were younger, something he could pick on her about. A mother shopping for a car for a grown woman? He had a smirk of his own, on his face as he walked around the car a little. It certainly wasn't her style at all nor anything that he would drive. Pushing it off a bridge sounded like a brilliant idea. She spoke up about her home being a few blocks away. Interesting, how they had not run into each other before considering he visited the pub often. Before he could say anything, she mentioned that she thought she should have been leaving. An interesting statement, no doubt. Eden started to walk away though was followed by Noah. He had walked only a few steps before she turned around to face him, apologizing for everything. Along with the apology, came a comment about having fun and not worrying about her. Noah just shook his head a little, obviously meaning 'no'. He said, "You can keep saying to go have fun, but I'm not letting you walk home by yourself. Even if I have to call for another auror to escort you home." It certainly gave away that he had managed to end up being an auror, but he didn't care much about that detail. There was a bit of a smile on his face, considering she had apologized. Just there was no reasoning behind the departure though, something he had wanted to know for six years. Noah said, "Next time, you're in town, you should send an owl." Bitterness could be heard in that statement considering her home wasn't far from the pub and he had visited it quite often. It was surprising that they had not run into each other before. He folded his tattoed arms, waiting for a response. Half of him expected her to just turn away from him and maybe signal to one of the girls that had been at the table. One of the girls had walked out of the pub though had not noticed the two yet. Half of him expected her to just do something unpredictable considering she was the other 'wild' one from their class.

Minerva McGonagall did not like Eden Karkaroff. Well, maybe at first she did. Eden was considered a good, even great, student. She was always on time and she always did her homework...until she met Noah. Not that her grades suffered, because they didn't, but she began partying with him and being known as one of the reasons why he was distracted from his work. It was like a fun challenge for Eden- to see how angry she could make her without having to say anything. She could be a brat. She liked to push people to their limits with out having to really do anything. She had that kind of personality. She could demand the attention of a room simply by standing up or she could fade into the background like a wallflower. Eden was respected, but she didn't flaunt around her last name. In fact, the entire time she lived in Russia, she went by her mother's maiden name- Dragonov. It would have made it harder for people to find her...which is exactly what her piece of shit father wanted to happen. Zero contact from her former life. Zero contact from Noah.

If she was like a normal girl, she would have been crying and begging for forgiveness at the sight of Noah. However, Eden wasn't a normal girl. She liked to deal with things at the expense of her liver...and sanity. If he was still angry at her, she deserved it. She had left without a single word. Not one that he'd ever hear, at least. In fact, she was dragged out of her room kicking and screaming. If she had to sum up the last six years in three words, they'd be miserable, painful, and empty. Whiskey was a blessing in disguise. When Noah followed her outside, well, she wasn't exactly surprised to see him standing there. She told him she was fine, that he could go back inside and enjoy his evening. Maybe she meant that in a bitter way, but she couldn't remember how it came off. "At least that hasn't changed about you. There's still hope for humanity." she grinned slightly. He didn't like dumb girls. In fact, his intelligence is one of the things that drew her to him initially. He wasn't a complete idiot like most of the other Gryffindors. "I'm sure your shirtless body has distracted them enough for them to not notice that you left." she added airily. She still couldn't get over how good he looked, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

At the mention of her being drunk again, she crossed her arms lightly over her chest- her hip popped slightly. "I am perfectly sober and able to walk several streets up the road, sir. " She liked to challenge him, especially. She was fucking drunk. Even the squirrel trying to get into one of the dumpsters would be able to figure that much out. A small giggle even managed to escape her lips before she regained her composure, dropping her hands to her side. Those eyes of his could see through to her soul, she thought. And when he made the remark about her mother shopping for her, she scoffed before replying with a, "Hey! My mum has wonderful taste..." ...before erupting in laughter, settling with a small smile. "You could say that, though. I can't believe you remember that...God, you're such an arse." she smirked, watching as he walked around the car. Apparently, mentioning that she only lived a few blocks away struck some kind of nerve. Maybe she should have mentioned that she had just moved back to England...oops. Eden watched the expression change on his face. That's when she had turned to walk away, determined to make it to her home on her own. She heard his footsteps behind her, however. She knew that he would follow her and a part of her heart suddenly ached. Auror, huh. Mr. Bigstuff. "As generous as that offer is, I don't want a strange man with a badge walking me home, either." she smiled slightly, watching him curiously. "I'm glad you followed your dreams, though. That makes me happy." Eden looked down at her feet, trying to shake off the feeling of more guilt. She should have been here for that. She should have been here for him. When he mentioned her not writing, she looked up at him, her brows furrowed. He had crossed his arms over his chest, one of his hands grazing over the collar of his shirt- pulling it down some. Eden had to look away again, feeling the urge to want to stare. "I literally just got into town today...I'm back for good." That was all she could manage. Hearing the anger in his voice...she wasn't used to it, so she'd try to shake that off, too. When she caught sight of one of the girls leaving the bar, she made eye contact with her. It was the bitchy one who had ignored her when she sat down- she'd show her.

Eden was on auto-pilot. The events that occurred next happened in a blissful, glorious blur. Reaching for Noah's hips, she pulled him towards her, kissing him full on the mouth. It was like breathing in fresh air. Like she had ignited a spark, turning it into an unruly flame. Somehow, her hands found their way into his hair, entangling her fingers. As soon as it started, though, it was over. Eden took a step back after hearing a car squeal out of the parking lot. Leaning against her own car, she ran a hand through her hair, finally looking at him. "What? She gave me a dirty look." That was all she could manage. Eden cleared her throat lightly, biting her lip. "Right, so, I'm leaving now. Have a, um, lovely...day." she grinned lazily, walking towards the sidewalk like she had someone chasing after her...well, she did, kind of. "Jesucristo, yo soy un idiota. Vete a la mierda!" she mumbled angrily at herself.

Despite all the partying that the two did, their grades had never suffered. He was one of the few people that would never study, managing to pass his classes with flying colors. The only classes that he did not pass for his OWLs were divination and history of magic. His aunt had told him to avoid divination considering it was a subject that was somewhat controversial. Not listening to her, he took the class anyways. History of magic was a class that he never felt much need to pay full attention to. It was one of the most boring classes in the school, something that he could easily learn later in life through books. Most students feared the OWLs so badly that they were studying crazy for them in their fourth and even fifth years. Noah was one of the few hanging around with the older years at parties that were held in the room of requirement or any empty classrooms that they could find. When he had met Eden, his aunt had liked her. She felt that she was a great student, someone that was a little different compared to him. This meant that she was on time to her classes unlike him. Eden barely got into trouble when she attended school. That changed a bit when she met him and they started to go to parties together. When this habit developed, it was when his aunt would put her two cents into everything. Not that she hadn't done that before, but it really came out when he was with Eden. Noah was never really sure why considering he hadn't changed much with Eden at all. Even in his first year, he had ended up in detention a few times with professors for stupid reasons. One of them being the fact that he had gone into the forbidden forest with some friends to have a bonfire. Not their smartest idea considering folks could easily see a fire in a pitch black forest.

When Eden had left, the two cents being put in had gone down quite a bit. Except for moments such as whenever he got a new tattoo or was with a different girl every few months. The day that Eden had left luckily, his aunt had not put in any two cents except an apology that she left. He could have guessed that she said something to him because the two had been together for quite a while. While she had apologized, there was certainly bitter feelings for her. She could never understand why Eden had left without a word much like Noah could not understand it. When he had followed her out of the bar, it was really no surprise to either of them. Even in school when they tried to stay away from each other, they never really succeeded at that. Staying away meant being in their own common rooms compared to finding some place in the castle to be together. As much as they tried to stay mad at each other or away from each other, the two were always drawn to each other. When he mentioned the girls not having any brains, she grinned slightly. Eden mentioned that hadn't changed about him meaning she certainly recognized some changes. If anything threw people off when they saw how he had changed, it would be the tattoos. Things that looked like he would never have them considering he wasn't some tough guy that could up in Azkaban or anything. She mentioned his shirtless body leaving the girls distracted enough that they would not have noticed that he left. Noah shrugged with a little bit of a smile on his face. He said, "Thats why I said I'd take it off, so I could slip away when they got too drunk." If one thing could be said about him, it was the fact that he had no problem admitting things. Such as knowing that he was good looking enough now to just use that as a distraction to slip away from any girls that he didn't want to be with.

She crossed her arms over her chest, challenging him with the fact that she was perfectly sober. The sober act didn't last long since she let a small giggle out before she regained her composure. Noah slightly rolled his eyes and said, "Sure, you are, ma'am. I could draw a line right here and have you walk it, to show you're not sober at all." When he had mentioned drawing a line, his hand with the wand had come up. He simply moving the wand in his hands to show that he meant he could use his wand to make a line on the ground. His hand dropped down after he mentioned the line. Noah was rarely ever the sober one out of the two, so when it did happen, she would challenge him. Challenge him all the time that she was perfectly fine to walk alone. So independent she was, something that he liked despite not being willing to let her walk by herself. When he was drunk along with her, well they were just idiots together. If she was ever the sober one of the two, well he barely remembered how he would act as a drunk. Eden just told him that he was loud and always interrupting peoples conversations. So, the annoying drunk would probably fit the description of him. Noah made the comment about her mother which made her comment back in laughter. Noah said, "I can't really forget you two shopping together. I was quite bored during those times." If someone could define normal then it was quite obvious that Eden's mother was normal. Much more normal compared to her father, god did he hate that man. The more that he looked at the car, the more he wondered if her father had gotten it for her instead. That man had terrible taste even worst than his aunt and that was pushing it.

When she had mentioned living a few blocks away, the tone certainly changed a little in his voice. He was certainly curious as to why she had not come to see him when she returned to the country. Let alone, send an owl mentioning that she was returning home. She had turned to walk away though he followed her, something not surprising. Noah offered for an auror to even walk her home, if for some reason she did not feel comfortable with him walking her home. She smiled slightly at him, mentioning that she didn't want to be with a strange man and was glad that he had followed his dreams. Then her eyes went to her feet, something that told him that she felt guilty. Perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned that he had finally become an auror despite many people doubting that he would. Noah said, "It was kind of hard not to follow them with her pushing for me to succeed with it.." His voice trailed off as the conversation was slightly going in the awkward direction. By her, he had meant his aunt. Afterall, she was the one that had him thrown off the quidditch team during his seventh year. The reason being that he was starting to skip classes considering it was his last year of schooling. She didn't want to see him fail thus threw him off the team, hoping that he would be less distracted. Noah started to attend classes more though certainly avoided her at all costs that year. Considering quidditch was something that he was quite passionate about besides partying. He had mentioned to Eden that she could have wrote him, his disappointment and anger showing in the tone of his voice. Eden mentioned that she just got back into town for the day and all he could say was, "You could've sent an owl saying you were coming back, you know..." The good tone that the conversation had before, was slowly getting lost as the two began to talk about her returning to town. A distraction though was provided when one of the girls had left the bar. Eden managed to make eye contact with her even. It was this distraction that turned the whole tone into something new. Unexpectedly, Eden reached for his hips and pulled him towards her, kissing him on the mouth. A spark certainly be ignited when her lips met his. The taste of alcohol was clearly there, the spark seeming even hotter considering the alcohol. His hands were rested on her own hips, while her hands were running through his hair. By mistake it appeared, he felt her nail scratch him which didn't even effect him. A tiny scratch compared to a duel with a dark wizard or witch was nothing. As soon as it had started though, it ended. She took a step back from him. Noah had heard a car squeal out of the parking lot, perhaps not a smart decision for the girl. If it had been her that had left. Eden leaned against her own car, running her hand through her own hair, looking at him. He was slightly surprised by what she had done. It was to be expected from her, but not exactly. The two had been away from six years and there was obviously still some bitter feelings. Though at the same time, neither of them had restrained themselves much with a kiss. First kiss in six years and it appeared as if she desired it. As if she hadn't kissed anyone right in years not that he would know. It was certainly better than it had been back when they were much younger. After she had pulled away, he certainly a look of surprise on his face which was rare. It took a lot to surprise him, especially her. She mentioned the girl giving her a dirty look. He didn't say anything since he was just a bit thrown off. Before the kiss, the two had been in quite an awkward conversation. Now, he was entirely unsure of what to say. If anyone could read his thoughts though, he hadn't wanted it to end at all. With no response from him just yet, she mentioned that she was leaving and walked quite fast towards the sidewalk leading out of the parking lot. He didn't move right after her, seemingly planted where he had been left after the kiss. A lot of questions were certainly running through his mind. It only took a few moments before he started to follow her and he heard her speak in some language that he had no understanding of. It was bulgarian from what he could tell, only because she had spoken it around him before. Noah moved quite quickly to catch up to her and said, "Wait up!" He managed to catch up and said, "If you think you're using that as your own distraction to walk alone down the street, you're wrong." That was all he could say, really? Noah really didn't want to address it considering they still had a lot to discuss about what had happened over the six years. He only brought it up being used as a distraction because he had done the same thing to the girls in the bar, obviously not physical though.

The day the Eden got taken away, she was supposed to go see Noah. Instead, she spent her time screaming in the back of a car until they eventually just stunned her into unconsciousness. The first few days in Russia were miserable, being held prisoner in her own home...well, her father's home. It was apparent that he wasn't happy with her and the decisions she made while he was away. His idea to fix her was in the form of Alek Petrov. Eden hated him immediately. As soon as they gave her wand back, she tried to kill him. Obviously, that plan didn't go so well, considering that he was still very much alive. She was forced to learn the dark magic that she hadn't been taught by her mother over all those years. It was literally like a prison camp, well, a high dollar one. It was memories like those that haunted her...made her hate her life. But it was the memories of being in school and being with Noah that saved her from herself- even if she had refused to say his name. Her life was a beautiful disaster and that was putting it lightly. Noah was doing perfectly fine without her, which hurt a little bit. On one hand, she was happy that he followed his dreams. On the other, she couldn't help but think that he was better off without her, even though that thought hurt quite a bit more. Eden could have been one hell of a lawyer, but that didn't happen; it wasn't allowed. Most pureblood women didn't work and it was respected, but Eden never saw herself being one of those people. The idea of not working was torturous itself...not to mention embarrassing. Things had to go up from here, though, right? She hoped so.

Noah was perfect in her mind. He deserved so much better than what she had done to him. A part of her hoped that he had been able to move on, but most of her, selfishly, wished otherwise. They were magnets- when they were in close proximity to each other, they couldn't be apart. In school, they could never stay mad at each other. Eden would stay in her common room all day, knowing all too well that if she went out in the halls, she'd find him. She always wanted to be found, though. Just being around him right now made her feel alive. It was like she had awoke from a restless slumber. His tattoos only made him more attractive. She wanted to touch them, see the ones that were hidden under his shirt. She shook that thought her brain for the moment. She was so incredibly distracted right now. She had mentioned him taking his shirt off as a distraction, of course, that's what it had been. She smirked slightly, letting her eyes look to the ground. "Very clever. It worked out good for you, apparently." He knew that he was attractive. Any woman would be an idiot if she didn't give him a second look. He was a good person, though, and in her book, that made him more attractive. He was selfless. Obviously, he saying that she was sober was a complete lie. She liked to toy with him, though. "I could walk that line backwards," she challenged. "Look at you getting all official...it's kind of hot." Eden smirked, watching him closely. She couldn't help herself. "If you had handcuffs, I wouldn't be able to help myself." It was a joke...but she was half serious. She snickered, pursing her lips. He mentioned her mother and their shopping experiences. She always felt bad when she had to drag him along. It was almost funny how bored he was, but he was a champ. "I think you held up pretty damn good, all things considered. Shopping with her is like running a marathon." Eden smiled slightly, lowering her eyes.

The conversation had turned awkward when they began talking about life after she left. He had followed his dreams, not that he would have had much of a choice with his aunt. She could tell that something had changed in their conversation when he began speaking about it. "I know...but that's a good thing. You're lucky that you have her..." she trailed off. She realized that what she said could have been misinterpreted, but she hadn't meant it in a bad way. He brought up her not writing again, which only made her feel more guilty. God, she wished she could have spoke to him. "I...I couldn't..." she furrowed her brows. She couldn't explain herself anymore without telling him the whole story- which she wasn't about to do right here. That's when the tramp walked out of the bar and thank God she did. What happened next was intense. Kissing him again was beyond amazing, but it made her want so much more. Her nails had grazed his skin, making her want to pull his shirt back over head. She didn't want to stop, but she had to control herself, stepping away. Eden was in a daze for a moment before she turned to look at him, making up some dumb excuse. She had to leave and that's exactly what she did, taking off for the sidewalk. She heard him behind her, but her feet didn't stop. It was only a few moments later before he caught up with her. Eden looked shocked...and she still couldn't look at him in the eyes. "Oh, that wasn't a distraction tactic..." she murmured, slowing down her pace slightly. "I knew you'd walk with me either way, I just needed a head start." Eden cleared her throat slightly, still feeling electricity pulsing through her. She wanted to kiss him again and she didn't want to stop. She knew he was still mad at her and obviously the still had a lot to talk about. However, in the moment, that was at the back of her mind.

She was hoping that Alek would be asleep and not waiting up. Fat chance. She'd be lucky if she wasn't killed on the spot. Eden walked in silence the rest of the way until they got to her home. As if on cue, Alek appeared in the window. Eden cursed in Bulgarian, reaching for Noah's arm, pushing him against a tree to hide him from Alek's vision. She had a feeling it was too late, though. Eden looked up at him finally before peeking around the tree to see if he was gone. He wasn't, yet. "Shit." she breathed, biting her lip. "Don't move. He'll see you." God dammit. This wasn't something that she wanted to explain right now. She didn't want to be victimized anymore than she already was in her mind. Why was her life so complicated? Eden lowered her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. "So...I might not get to see you again as soon as I thought..."

The day that she had left, they had planned to go out for dinner. It wasn't as if the two didn't live together. They practically did considering she was often at his small apartment at that present time. The two just had yet to move officially in together in any place. Concerns of what would happen after Hogwarts had obviously come first before finding a place to live together. By concerns that meant their jobs were slowly building. In fact on that day, he had an important meeting which was why she had settled for going home that night besides staying with him. A meeting at the ministry meant dressing up, another reason for the ideal choice of seeing each other being dinner. When he had arrived at the place though, there was no sight of her. So, he had sat by himself waiting for her. It took him a while before he eventually gave up and went to her home, searching for her. Unfornuately, he found no one in the home and it was pitch black. Considering he was an auror in training, aurors did check out the home though found no sign of anything wrong. With that news, he couldn't really contact her. There was no place that he knew of that he could send an owl to her, so he spent the first few days wondering. Wondering why she had up and left with her family without saying anything to him. It was also during those few days that he spent those days being that angry drunk. Meaning he certainly wasn't happy that she was gone at all. Needless to say, he did end up kicked out of a pub in London permanently for punching a man. The staff didn't know, but the man was was trying to assault a woman. Something that he wasn't going to tolerate much for, considering Eden had left him.

It may have appeared that he was better off without her though that was not the case. Lacking in relationships, he usually hooked up with girls, not every night. Though it was more frequent than it would have been had he just been single leaving Hogwarts. It also did not start up until about six months after she had left since he wasn't the type to cheat. During those six months, he mostly occupied pubs and relied on alcohol to be his entertainment for those nights. Surprisingly he did not end up with any girls during those six months. Probably the longest amount of time without any physical contact with a girl for him since his first kiss? His aunt was the one to push for him to just focus on his career and stop mourning a lost relationship. It was then that he ended up, pursuing different girls. Along with pursuing becoming an auror. On top of those two things, he ended up gaining the ability of occlumens and registered as an animagus. If he really wanted to, he could have followed Eden in his animagus form. It probably would have stopped her from kissing him too or even knowing that it was him following her. Though what was the point of that when it was their first time running into each other in six years? It could have been thought that he was better off in terms of his career and abilities though relationships were something that he lacked. The girl that he had ended up with for two years, appeared to have taken Eden's place. It was still obvious though that she just wasn't like her at all. Especially towards the end of it when she started acting crazy.

By crazy, that meant she started to get controlling. As if she thought the two would get engaged and live happily ever after. Luckily for him, he wasn't one to be controlled by some psycho and broke up with her. It took quite a bit for her to actually leave him alone considering well, not many people were used to being left alone by him. After the two year relationship, he mostly stuck to getting with some girls a few times of the year. Another actual relationship never happened since he could never find the right fit. Basically, he could never find her, the one girl that he could never really get over. As hard as he tried, he could probably not get over her. The two knew each other so well, even as they stood outside in the parking lot. The two still had the same habits of challenging each other. She smirked at him noting that it worked out good for him, using his shirtless body as a distraction for the girls back in the pub. He didn't respond to her considering he knew that it worked out. It always did. Confidence in himself was certainly much higher after being with multiple girls and just seeing how they easily went after him nowadays. Not that it mattered much since they weren't her. He had brought up drawing a line which she said that she could walk it backwards. Following this comment, she brought up being official and handcuffs. His one eyebrow went up a bit as if questioning if she knew exactly what she was saying. That or she was too drunk that she wouldn't remember her comments the following day.

Noah said, "You're not too bad looking yourself there, drunk one." He could deal with a little flirting back and forth, after all it was the truth. She was so much more beautiful than she was in Hogwarts not that she never was. She brought up him handling the shopping with her mother well though the conversation took a different turn. An awkward turn for sure. His hazel eyes had been rested on her though occasionally looking at the car as the conversation fell into it's awkward state. He had crossed his arms, unknowingly moving his hand to the point that some of his shirt collar was pulled down revealing some of his chest. Not that he cared much. She said that he was lucky to have his aunt which was a true statement. Considering he lost his parents at the age of three, not really remembering them. Had his aunt not been around, he would have ended up in an orphanage. It was a big deal when she took in her nephew considering she was quite up in age though she still took on the challenge of raising a kid on her own. He said, "Yeah, I am..." Oh, he could have pointed out that she was one of the few people to not abandon him though he was not going to be that rude. If she could tell from his eyes, she could tell that he was quite a bit peeved with her. The two could always read each other's body language as if they were a book to each other. She mentioned being unable to not write, something he did not get a chance to respond to. It was then that she had kissed him. The kiss was over as soon as it had started though still, there was the obvious signs that the two desired it. As if they had never found anyone quite like each other.

She had taken off though he was right behind her. Noah said, "A head start? You're drunk...there is no head start." His voice had certainly changed from its tone from before. No longer was he as bitter when he talked to her. The talking though didn't last long as she kept quiet the rest of the way up the street with him just following behind. There was distance between them. No hand holding or her leaning her head on his shoulder. Nothing like that. Nothing that would make any normal person suspicious of the two. They had reached a house and how could Noah tell? She had cursed in Bulgarian again before reaching for his arm. Eden pushed him against a tree, a scared look in her eyes. Noah asked, "Him?" She had mentioned a guy seeing him. A guy? She kissed him when she was with another man? He was utterly confused and a bit pissed, wondering if she had changed. Noah was tempted to walk away and had even taken a step forward. However, she mentioned in a shaky breath that she may not end up seeing him again as soon as she thought. Noah asked, "Why? Because you're with another guy? I would be pissed too, if I was him..." Showing his own annoyance at the situation, he was actually concerned though. As to why her voice was so shaky.

The thought of Alek sickened her. No longer was she afraid of him in the way she once was; cowering or flinching when he was in close proximity of her. He was both physically and mentally abusive, something that she had unfortunately grown accustomed to. There was no way out that she saw currently. They put on a show when they were around their "friends," seeming happy and relaxed. If only they could see the little scars or bruises hidden by make-up or various spells! They'd certainly think differently of him. The only way she'd ever get away from him, was if he was dead. Eden had tried escaping before, but he tracked her and punished her harshly. She was his prisoner. He was never affectionate in the time they've been "together." Eden was aware that he had mistresses and for that, she was relieved. Being forced to sleep with someone that harmed you...was terrifying...and degrading and in her book, was called rape. That hadn't happened in quite some time, luckily. She would slit her own wrists before she would have his demon children. No way in hell. Eden often found herself wondering what Noah had went through- if he had dated. He certainly didn't deserve to be alone and he didn't deserve what she had put him through. It was gut wrenching. She just wanted a good thing to last. She could have married him...she could have been his this whole time. It hurt. She was in a shit storm and it hadn't fucking stopped raining.

Whenever Eden said something sexual about Noah, she always meant it. Even if he was fairly convinced that she was kidding...yeah, well, she wasn't. The handcuffs comment came a little out of nowhere, but it didn't really sound like a bad idea. It sounded pretty kinky and enjoyable. 50 shades of kinky sex. She almost laughed at her inner monologue, refraining (thankfully) and keeping herself looking sane. Well, as sane as she could be in that moment. "Drunk one sounds too...sloppy. But I'll take it." She grinned slightly, letting their conversation fall into an awkward position. The guilt; it never left. If she didn't have have that feeling, she would have lost herself a long time ago. She was waiting for him to finish his statement. Waiting for him to get a dig in, waiting for him to point out how she left him. It never came, though. Eden was left feeling uneasy, the unspoken words lingering in her mind. It didn't last long, though, because of the kiss. That epic kiss that left her tingling down to her toes. Of course, that's also around the time that she bolted.

Noah caught up to her shortly, earning him a glance- especially because of his comment. "I've sobered up, if you haven't noticed...so, it totally counts." She wasn't sure if she meant because of their kiss or because a part of her finally felt alive. She figured it was a combination of both. They walked in silence the rest of the way. Eden was unsure of what to say after she had attacked his mouth with her own. She desperately wanted to reach out and hold his hand or link her arm through his. However, she remained right where she was...refusing to look at him. Her worst nightmare had come true when they reached her house. Alek was awake and obviously wondering where she was. Eden realized that she had thrown her phone away when she got rid of her purse. She wanted to hit herself. Pushing Noah against the tree to keep him out of sight, she began to feel panicked. This wasn't going to end well for her if he left. Noah was offended...or angry, she couldn't decipher which feeling. He took a step forward then, obviously trying to leave. Eden intervened, her hands ending up on his chest to keep him from walking forward anymore. He thought she was with him and technically she was...but she wasn't. Not in the ways that mattered. "Yes...no," she corrected herself. "That's why I was taken...I didn't leave willingly. My father...he made an unbreakable vow with him...we're engaged." she began, dropping her hands. She felt like crying. Instead, she made a motion with her hand over her other arm, revealing a nasty bruise that resembled a hand- like she had been grabbed. "I have been kept from you against my will." Her voice still sounded shaky to her own ears. "Please...don't leave." She could have laughed. How could she ask that of him when it's exactly what she did to him? When she didn't get a reply from him, she took a step back, giving him room to leave. Eden lowered her eyes to the ground, waiting for him to inevitably push past her.

The girl that Noah had been with, had been much like Eden at the beginning. The two had met at a pub, the usual setting that he meant a girl in. Only this girl appeared to be different from the others. Mainly because she didn't appear to be as air headed as some of the girls that were found at any pub. After one night together, the two ended up seeing each other afterwards. They would go out and have fun much like Eden and himself would do. So for that, he thought for just a few times that she could take his mind off of Eden. The relationship provided a distraction from her considering he always tried to find out any where abouts of Eden's with no success. Though he never fully moved on from Eden. The two stayed in a relationship for two years, managing to be a close couple. It was due to the closeness that she perhaps grew a little crazy towards the end. She expected him to propose and got quite pissed one time when he didn't. For that to happen, it would have had to have been longer than two years. Plus, Noah still hadn't gotten over the image. The image that one day it would have been Eden that he would have proposed to, not someone else. So for that, he did not propose to the girl. She certainly tried to visit the ministry after he broke up with her though after frequent attempted visits, the ministry staff kept her from visiting. Giving up, she left him alone and moved on from him. As for the image with Eden, it was something that he would certainly have to work courage up for. Considering, it was a huge commitment to ask of someone or even himself.

Their conversation had ended up in different directions from her guessing he had changed who he was. To sexual comments. To awkwardness. Most of the time, Noah thought that she was kidding with her sexual comments. Sure, there were times where he knew that she wasn't kidding. However, most of the time he did think that she was kidding just because she said the craziest things. With their conversation having gone in a different direction though, he had ended up following her down the street. She mentioned that she had sobered up to which he said nothing. The kiss was still on his mind as they walked in silence. It was something that he had surprisingly really missed about her. Obviously not the thing that he missed most, but he had certainly missed being that close to her. It just felt conflicting considering his feelings about her suddenly leaving him. The two walked down the street, not even looking at each other. It wasn't like them at all considering they were the type of couple that had always been close. Not even making eye contact said a lot about what was going through their minds.

Being pushed against the tree, Noah was a bit surprised as to why she was pushing him against the tree. That was until she had mentioned him, another man being involved. Usually, he wasn't the type to get jealous. However considering she had kissed him, well there was no doubt that would piss someone off. Feeling as if they were being played with, especially after what happened six years ago. His reply to her showed bitterness towards her over the situation. Annoyed, he had taken a step forward. However before he could take anymore steps, her hands went on his chest to prevent him from walking away. She began to speak, saying that she was with him. Then it appeared that she had changed her mind when she said no which confused him just a little. This certainly confused him a little as to why she said yes then no. That is when she began to speak of her father, the man that Noah had never been a fan of. An unbreakable vow?! Taking an unbreakable vow, it would result in death if the vow was not kept. Why would someone do that over an engagement of all things? The man never made sense as if something just entered his mind and poisoned it at a young age. Noah asked, "What?! Why would he make an unbreakable vow over something like that?" It was unthinkable to even question the motives of her father, but it was worth a shot to get an answer. Judging from her face, he could tell that she felt like crying. Instead of crying though, she moved her hand which revealed a nasty bruise from potentially being grabbed by someone. She mentioned that she was kept from him against her own will. The tone of her voice being shaky as anything. She asked him to not leave though still stepped back, to give the room to leave. Over the course of hearing all of this, his expression went from annoyed to concerned. That was until she showed him the bruise, boy did his hazel eyes go dark. With the room given to him, he walked away from her though not in the opposite direction of the house. No, directly towards it. There was still a lot of unanswered questions though the bruise was certainly an answer to one question.

When Eden thought about the future before, she only saw one that involved Noah. She never pictured herself being with anyone but him- she could honestly say that she loved him. Before she was taken away, they had pretty much been living together. That was the next step, of course, but securing a job was at the top of their priorities. Eden was in school studying law and Noah had just started Auror training. They had their ups and downs like every couple, but she could honestly say that there was nothing that she's change in their relationship during that time. Now, she was unsure if he'd ever trust her again like he once had. Sure, it wasn't her fault that she was taken away- her father had threatened his life- but Noah didn't know that. Not yet, at least. He also just found out about Alek and she was more than positive that he wasn't very happy about that, even if she wasn't really with him in the was that count. There was always the chance that he was dating someone, too, in which case, he deserved to be happy. That didn't mean that she wanted to see him with the bitch, though. That still hadn't changed. She would never be happy to see him with someone else, but that was something that she'd have to accept if things couldn't be fixed. Eden didn't want him to get involved with Alek, either. That was never good. She knew that Noah was a hell of a dueler, at least back in school, but Alek was heartless...brutal. He didn't care about anyone elses feelings or the aftermath of any chaos he caused. If something happened to Noah, it would literally kill her; whether they were together or not. Her heart ached.

When she saw Alek in the window of their living room, she nearly froze in her spot before reacting the way she did. Her worst nightmare had come true and it had involved the one person she cared about unconditionally. It was like she was in some kind of terrible dream sequence and she'd wake up at any minute. However, that minute slowly turned into several minutes and she knew that this was just an unfortunate reality. Eden explained what she could, giving Noah the shortest explanation possible. She knew that after she showed him her wrist, though, that'd he would believe her. It wasn't something that she could do herself and honestly, who would do that to themselves? Eden looked up at him finally, noticing that his eyes had darkened; he was furious. That could only mean two things and of course, he did the one thing she didn't want him to do. When she gave him the space to leave, he didn't leave. He began walking towards their house. It took her a second to get over the initial shock, but before she thought about anything else, she took off after him. Reaching out for his hand, she tugged him back gently. "Noah, please- wait a minute!" Her brows were furrowed, a pleading look on her face. How could she really stop him? He wasn't one that listened when he had his mind made up. Plus, it involved her. She had been hurt and no matter the current status of their relationship, that wasn't going to fly with him. Eden had to think of a way to stall him, though. Make him think about what he was doing.

She was worried. This wasn't going to end well for her. Alek would be aware that she was going to try and see Noah. Her punishment would be worse than ever. The only way it would truly stop is if he was dead and she didn't think Noah was currently going to murder him. "He's dangerous," she began. "I know what you're capable of, but I don't want him to hurt you." Eden ran her hand through her hair, still grasping his hand with her other. "Or kill you! Jesus." She let go of his hand, but lowered her eyes to look at it- wishing she wouldn't have let go. "There's more I need to tell you before you go in there. This little bruise is just the tip of the iceberg." she said, referring to the mark on her arm. "Whatever you say will only make things worse for me. I can't leave. He will find me and he will do horrible things." Eden's eyes were watering at this point. She wasn't one to cry, but she was basically pleading for her life. Eden swallowed hard, biting her lip slightly. Her eyes darted to the door when she heard a creek, revealing a dark figure until he stepped into the light. "Noah McGonagall," he said, his accent apparent. "What a surprise." His eyes looked passed him to her, making her clench her jaw. He was smiling, but she knew that look. Nothing good was going to come out of this. This was going to be a disaster.