Quoting Shakespeare|Julian

[Poppy Petal Finnigan]

Poppy was out in the courtyards, sitting under a tree that kept the sun off of her. She didn’t need sun. Everytime she got too much sun, she freckled. That was something that she hated. She never tanned and it was rare for her to burn. Her dad used to call her freckles. No, don’t think about him. It would just make you upset. Continue paying attention to your book. The book was Poppy’s favorite. It was Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Out of all his plays, this became her favorite after she began dating Julian. Before that, MacBeth was her favorite.

She did believe that it was cursed. It was her strongest belief. That’s why she wouldn’t say the title out loud. Poppy didn’t want to end up dead anytime soon. Though she missed her father, she needed to continue her life. As long as Julian was apart of it, she would be happy and want to live. She didn’t know what she would do if she ever lost him. Her thoughts left the book as she thought about him. It was such a shame that she wasn’t in the same house as him. They couldn’t see each other all the time. What made it good was the fact that the house unity ball was coming up and they could go together. Well, she thought it was coming up. The announcement was up, but no date was set. Poppy really hoped that he asked her.

She returned to the book and turned the page. Her favorite part was coming up. Well, her favorite saying anyways. “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love And I'll no longer be a Capulet,” she said aloud as she read. Poppy didn’t know why she liked it so much, but she did. It could have to do with the pa*sion that those words are supposed to be said with. All good Juliet’s would know how to read that line. She said it with a lot of pa*sion. She was sure she could play Juliet well, if she ever got the chance. She probably wouldn’t though. Muggle plays weren’t done at a magical school.

Poppy heard someone approach her, but she continued reading. She wanted to finish the scene.

[esme]

Julian, wanting to find Poppy, had been looking around for some time with no avail so far. Possibly because he had initially limited his search to the confines of the castle, and not bothered to look outside simply because he did not want to go outside unless it was absolutely necessary for him to do so. Which it appeared to be, considering he had not found her inside, and no one had been able to tell him exactly where she was at the given moment. Which meant that, unless she was in the Gryffindor Common Room, she would be outside somewhere. He hoped that was so, because if she was in the Common Room he would not be able to find her, and would have to contact her by other means to arrange a meeting.

He shuffled outside, looking about on the grounds for any sign of Poppy or another person who might know her whereabouts, heading towards the Courtyard. If anyone was outside at this time, that would be the best place to find them. It was a favorable place to spend time, especially on days like this. It was the place that stood the highest chance of anywhere outside, well, now that he thought about it the lake might prove to be the most favorable. However, he would take his chances and start at the Courtyards, feeling it was the best place to start.

Even before the fifth year had reached the courtyards, he heard a familiar voice that caused him to smile. The courtyards had been the proper place to search for Poppy, indeed. Perhaps he was simply getting better at following that innate sense that normally had a way of leading you to the person you were looking for. He continued on his way to the courtyards, following her voice to end up finding her seated under a tree. She was reading from a book, a Shakespeare play to be exact. Romeo and Juliet. It was one of the more famous scenes, and he could tell she was quite involved in her reading. It would have been a pity to interrupt her, and so he lingered on the edge of the courtyard waiting for her to finish.
"The balcony scene, one of Romeo's more intrusive moments," he commented by way of greeting. It seemed fitting in some ways. He walked over to join her by the tree.

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[Poppy Petal Finnigan]

A familiar voice reached her ears as she finished the scene. It was just the man that she wanted. He named the scene that she’d been reading from and she grinned. “You’d be correct, good sir, about it being the balcony scene, not the intrusive part. It was one of the best scenes and the one that got changed throughout the years. It was said that she appeared at a window, not a balcony, but every time it is played, she appears at a balcony. They should’ve kept it the way it was written, at a window, but maybe a balcony is easier to climb.” Poppy wondered when exactly that was changed. When did they even decide to change it? “Now, about your intrusive comment. What are his other intrusive scenes? And why do you think that he’s intrusive?”

She would never say that Romeo was intrusive. He wanted to be with the one he loved and since her family wasn’t accepting of him, he had to force his company on them. She’d do the same thing if Julian’s family wasn’t accepting of her. She wondered if Julian would’ve done that, if her dad hadn’t been accepting. Poppy knew that he hadn’t been very accepting of Jedrek and he did anything to be with Bella. “He wanted to be with the woman he loved. That isn’t being intrusive. What would you do if someone tried to stop you from seeing me?”

Poppy set the book down and drew up her legs. She began thinking about the dance again. She wanted to bring it up to him, but she wouldn’t. She had to be patient and wait, no matter how hard it was to do that. “So, what are you up to? I’m sure you didn’t come out here looking for a Romeo and Juliet debate.”

[esme]

Julian sat down, or rather settled into his normal crouch, next to Poppy as she responded to what he had said in way of greeting. He watched her, interested in what she had to say as well as glad to have found her and be able to see her. Though at the moment she did not seem to agree with what he had said, but he felt he had evidence to support his claim, and that this argument would not continue too long. They didn't have much time to spend together, and he doubted she wanted to spend it debating any more than he did. There were other things he would rather discuss with her, such as the House Unity dance. They could attend, the one good thing about her being in Gryffindor.

"Yes, it was probably a change that was added simply to make the actor who had the fortune of playing Romeo's job easier when it came to climbing. Either way it seems to be effective in getting the message, however," he responded. "And as to Romeo being intrusive, I view that scene as a very private moment for Juliet. She was pouring out the deepest desires and turmoils in her heart in a moment where she was sure she was alone. Even if she was delighted to see Romeo, I'm sure initially she was shocked with his presence. In that matter, he was intrusive on her private thoughts. And that is simply from Juliet's point of view. I will not even begin with what her family must have thought, or would have." He took a moment, thumbnail in mouth as he formulated the rest of his thought and took a pause. "And Romeo seems to be bursting in on things repeatedly throughout the play. The party he was not invited to, the Friar's chambers. I am not saying it is bad, it just seems to be his nature."

"And I understand him completely, Poppy. If you were to be kept away the way Juliet was, I would certainly find means of getting in to see you. I do not condemn him for acting as he did. It is very admirable to put yourself in the way of harm for those you care deeply about," he responded, looking over at her. He knew that if Poppy's family had not accepted him, or did not, he would have done whatever he could to make sure he had time with her. She was far too important to him to let petty concerns such as her family's approval get in his way.

"I came out here in search of you. You were nowhere to be found inside, and so I thought you might be out on the grounds somewhere. At least, I hoped you were. Ravenclaws cannot exactly find ways into the Gryffindor Common Room," he responded. "And I am glad I found you out here. It would have been disappointing had you been in the Common Room." It would have. He had things he had to discuss with her. Important things, such as the dance that would be sometime in the future. He hoped she would want to go with him.

[Poppy Petal Finnigan]

Poppy listened to his reasoning. She liked what he said and she began looking at Romeo differently, but she still thought that he was sweet. When she was younger, she wanted someone like Romeo, used to dream of finding him. Now she thought that she found him. Julian was for sure her Romeo and prince charming rolled into one. He’d been there for her after she lost her father, during the time she was sinking in depression. Julian kept her floating. Poppy was so in love with him. It was a love that she knew would last forever.

She moved closer to him. “This debate is getting old, I think,” she said, smiling up at him, “but you are a good person to get into a Romeo and Juliet debate with. I’d bet that you read that play as much as I did.” Poppy was glad to hear that he would do what he could to keep them together if her family hadn’t approved of him. She didn’t think her mother did like him much, but her father had and Lavender hadn’t said anything about it. She wouldn’t allow anyone to keep them apart. “So glad to hear that. I’m not going to allow anyone to keep us apart.”

At this moment, there was only one good thing about being in separate houses. She could go to the dance with him. Any other time, it sucked. “I don’t spend much time in the common room because I can’t see you. It sucks being in different houses. I wanted to be in Ravenclaw. I have no idea how I got into Gryffindor. So you wanted to see me so bad that you walked through the entire castle?”

[[OOC-Sorry it took so long and it's a bad post. my next post should be better.]]

[esme]

Julian continued to sit, well crouch, by Poppy, his attention focused solely on her. Someone could have noticed at this moment his eyes which normally appeared dark and relatively "dead" or unfriendly actually held a bit of warmth. Well, Poppy could do that to him. He had seen her go through a lot in the last year or so, and he wanted to be there for her. He loved her, and loved her more than he thought he would ever be able to describe to her in words. The best thing about this love was that he was pretty sure she returned it, and returned it at almost the same level. He would be loathe to give it up any time soon, or any time at all. They were happy together, truly happy.

"Yes, it does seem to be," he responded, nodding. If she was done he would not drag the debate on any further. Besides, it was not why he'd come out here in the first place. And so he didn't want to continue it and end up not getting around to his reason for seeking her out. (Well, at least the main one). "And I am glad that you think I would be a good person to hold a debate with. As to reading the play, I am certain you've read it more than I have, but I have read it a few times." And he would probably go reread it tonight, for the sake that he would want to be well versed in it so they might be able to hold more discussions. Sometimes it paid to be an insomniac. Well, on the subject of parents liking the other, Julian felt that his parents were very supportive and did indeed like Poppy a great deal. Anyone who could put up with him the way she did, probably. But he didn't think they would ever present a problem to their relationship. "That is nice to hear," he responded.

"It is certainly unfortunate that we are in different houses. I wish you had been sorted into Ravenclaw, too," he said with a sigh. It was more difficult to be in separate houses. "However, for the reason I sought you out the fact that we are in different houses does work out quite advantageously," he said, looking over at her. "I was seeking you out in order to ask if you would like to attend the House Unity dance with me?"

[Poppy Petal Finnigan]

Very old. They could pick it back up at another date, if they felt like it. They could even debate about another Shakespeare play. It was a great way to get to know what he thought about the plays that she liked and the characters. For now, though, they could talk about something else. Something that wouldn’t turn into a debate. “It is my favorite, but I’ve only read it a few times. Maybe a little more than fifty times, not too much.” Though she knew some people would consider that a lot, but she didn’t, compared to some of the other books that she read.

It had just been her family. They had all been Gryffindors, so she supposed it was decided based on that. She had asked to place her in Ravenclaw, but the hat had just said that she’d do better in Gryffindor. Poppy remembered how much her parents had been happy to hear that she’d been placed in Gryffindor. The dance would be the only way it could work out advantageously and she wondered if he was going to ask her. When she heard the question, she grinned. “Hmm… let me think about that,” she said, jokingly.

She pretended to think about it and then said, “Of course. I would love to go with you.” She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Poppy gave him a kiss on the cheek and settled down closer to him.