Just here (Ashlyn)

[Damon Graas R5]

Damon stretched languidly, before pushing the gate open and stepping into the yard. Where else would he heading too, if he couldn’t stay at his home. Of sorts. Where home was, was a slightly tricky conception right now, he mused lazily. The apartment in London? It had never been home. But it was easier and shorter to refer to it as that or the place where he stayed. Italy? Was a home for sure. Childhood home and summer home and always important and a sanctuary. Hogwarts was a school. Ashlyn’s house hadn’t entirely accepted him just yet, which was understandable as well. So did he even entirely have a home just now? Or was he currently in-between homes while he prepared to create his home for himself and possible also for Ashlyn and everything that came with her. Not that he was willing to share that bit with Ashlyn. Damon woke from his thoughts as the door opened before him even before he managed to knock. “Hello sir, Damon-sir. I didn’t know you were coming over. Will you be staying for dinner as well?” Damon nodded calmly at the house-elf: “My coming wasn’t entirely planned. Think I’ll stay for dinner, Jiggers. Where’s Ashlyn?” “Round the back, sir, Damon-sir,” Jiggers responded promptly and with a light nod, Damon turned to walk around the house rather than through it.

Now that he was actually paying attention rather than musing about home, Damon himself could also hear the soft sounds of a violin floating quietly in the air. And also the quite delicious smell of something, he deduced as he inhaled deeply. Well, at least Ashlyn wouldn’t be mad at him for breaking up her practice session, as apparently it was time for food soon. His stomach let out an agreeing growl, as Damon bowed and absently picked a small daisy while passing. Rounding one more circle, Damon came about the back-porch with Ashlyn practicing her violin. Not changing the pace of his steps the least bit Damon continued on, twirling the daisy lazily under his nose, fully aware of Ashlyn’s eyes on him. She probably hadn’t seen him much in this sort of outfit either, as Damon was glad in blue jeans and a white button up shirt that he had left open as the day was deliciously warm. Stepping up the two steps to the porch, Damon absently leaned against a pillar and simply listened to Ashlyn. She was good. Very-very-very good. So Damon offered her a wide grin, once the girl finished and put away the violin. “Brava, primadonna,” Damon stated as he stepped forward and offered the daisy to Ashlyn, “I believe we just found one more good side to the bond. I’ll get to abuse the bond to get free entrance to your concerts, when you deign to give them. You probably know more correct words yourself, so I’ll satisfy with repeating the simple fact that it sounded fantastic.”

Dropping himself to sit in a cosy two-person basket-seat, Damon used his finger-tips to pull the top ends of his ears downwards, stuck out his lower-lip at Ashlyn and give his best impression of a poor forsaken puppy. “Rister kicked us out. And did so before we could even see the pizzas we had ordered for dinner. I whole-heartedly agree with Jiggers that I should stay for dinner. You wouldn’t leave a man to starve now, would you?” And while at that Damon recalled just why Rister had kicked them out and forgetting out the pouty sulk, Damon snickered with pure glee: “Remember the Rumour Has It article where Rister was claimed to have been in arranged marriage again? The mother of the girl showed up at the apartment. Lousy timing though, I had a good hand when she showed up. So where else could I have gone but came here? Gabriel dragged Leandra to annoy his photographer during the shoot. Would I be risking my lunch were I to ask if I’ll get a kiss as a greeting?”

[Ashlyn Swallow G5]

These kids were so expensive, Ashlyn thought ruefully as she leaned against the wall lazily, her eyes always flicking from one face to another carefully. Alexis, backed by Keegan naturally, had tentatively asked Ashlyn if the house-elves in the London house would mind very much if she took control of the kitchen every once in a while since they would be living there on a more frequent basis next summer. Neither James nor Ashlyn had ever bothered to fight the house-elves for time in the kitchen so, logically, Ashlyn had decided that they wouldn’t be at all happy if someone tried to cook while they were still around. Alexis had accepted that answer with good grace – and she hadn’t even needed to be prodded by Keegan, Ashlyn had been silently pleased to note – so plans to convert one of the empty sitting rooms into a kitchen had been implemented. It was expensive, true, but Ashlyn had enough money to not have to worry. There was her trust fund, the inheritance from her parents, the vaults in Gringotts that James had left to her and the money that her Uncle had given to her to pay for the twins and Layla’s expenses with. In the previous summers, there had been money from concerts and joint-recordings with other musicians that Ashlyn had participated in but it hadn’t been wise to leave the younger children alone nor to take them with her. Besides, there had been the time spent in Italy with Damon and his family. Perhaps next summer, when everything was more settled. Layla had been very much pleased with her piano – another expensive buy – and had taken to it quickly. In a few years, Ashlyn suspected that the younger girl would surpass herself where the piano was concerned. And the younger blonde girl had never said anything but Ashlyn had caught her glancing wistfully at the locked guitar cases in the private music room. It had been harder than it should have been to harden her heart and ignore the silent longing in the green eyes. Guitars were the one instrument that Ashlyn had never played and she didn’t plan to start. James had bought her one, just weeks before he had died, and Ashlyn had locked it away without even playing it. She had the knowledge of how to play but not the desire to.

“I’m going outside,” Ashlyn told Keegan softly, keeping her voice low so that she didn’t disturb the two other girls. Layla’s long fingers were skimming across the piano keys and Alexis was sitting next to her, her own hands trying to clumsily copy her younger sister’s progress. If she kept trying then she would probably be good at her chosen instrument, Ashlyn pondered as she wandered outside. Music ran through their blood and it showed in every single one of them. Even her mother was adept at the flute and the viola. And that reminded her that she had to dig out that necklace from her jewellery box. Ashlyn sighed at the memory, her hands automatically raising the violin to its proper place and positioning the bow. It was just a simple silver necklace, with a pendant in the shape of a treble clef, and it was so old that, by rights, the silver should be tarnished if the house-elves hadn’t always taken such good care of it. The necklace had been passed down from generations of the musical Ellison’s. While they were still in training for their first instrument – for Ashlyn, it had been the violin and it was now the piano for Layla – they had all worn the necklace. The one that Ashlyn had worn and would now hand down to Layla had been James’ when he had been a five year old strumming at a guitar with raw talent. Their parents, it seemed, had decided to cling to their own necklaces selfishly instead of passing them down to the next generation. A drawn-out note hung in the air, strong in its sadness before Ashlyn shook her head and repositioned her bow after a moment’s thought. A more light-hearted melody spilled from her violin strings, effortless in its ease. She had played this composition so many times that her hands remembered the notes even without the music sheet resting in front of her for reference.

A warning flare in the bond startled her but her hand didn’t waver, still drawing the bow across the strings with practiced ease. Lazily, Ashlyn opened her eyes, amused by the sight of Damon clutching a daisy. But the song wasn’t over yet so she merely turned slightly to face him and continued to play. It slowly came to an end and Ashlyn lifted an eyebrow at Damon mockingly as she lowered her violin. “Forgot how to button your shirt?” And a daisy from her own garden, she noticed dryly as she accepted the flower. “I don’t do many concerts, and I’ll probably do even less now that I don’t just have myself to look after.” Though Layla might want to do some concerts in a few years, which was another thing that she had to prepare for. Her life was just getting a lot more complicated as more people entered it. She missed the days when she could be secure in the knowledge that whatever she did affected only her. Ashlyn kept up with the gossip column simply to make sure that she and her cousins weren’t in it so she nodded silently, recalling the article with ease. She hadn’t put any faith into the idea of an arranged marriage for Rister so she had simply ignored it. “Of course I would leave you to starve but Jigger has already invited you to stay for dinner so I can’t withdraw that invitation – that would be rude. The girl’s mother showed up? Why? To check whether she really had engaged her daughter to your brother and had simply forgotten about it?” Gently, Ashlyn placed the violin in the case and turned the lock, waiting for the quiet ‘click’ that signalled that the case had locked properly before turning a disapproving gaze to Damon. “You would be risking more than your lunch if you asked for a kiss,” she warned him firmly. Honestly, she kissed him once – in a moment of confusion! – and now he seemed to expect one at every meeting. It simply wasn’t going to happen.

[Damon Graas R5]

As Damon listened to the melody flowing from Ashlyn’s violin, he mentally rectified a deep mistake. He had known Ashlyn played the violin and liked it. But a lot of people were good at some music instruments. Those, who wanted to become professionals, needed to be more than good. And Ashlyn could become a professional if she wanted too. But as Damon observed her now, he figured that she wouldn’t do it just yet. No matter her words, her sense of loyalty and duty was much too deep in her for her to pursue a career while her younger relatives were living with her. And they would be for a good couple of years still. “It’s a warm day. You’re welcomed to button my shirt up, if it bothers you,” Damon offered with a charming grin, even if he doubted that Ashlyn would take him up on that offer. She generally avoided all and any sort of contact. Even if she was improving steadily lately. At least she didn’t start at Damon’s touch on her shoulder or arm anymore.

“That only proves my point, doesn’t it?” Damon responded lazily, as he let his head drop back and closed his eyes, “If you don’t give many concerts, then the few you do give are even more popular and sought after, meaning it’s even harder to get tickets to those. I think I’d like to see and hear one though. See you all dolled up to take guys breath away and play on the stage. It would be quite a sensational experience.” Even if Damon wasn’t overly knowledgeable when it came to music. He listened to fast-paced rock when he was with his brothers, pop and rap when he was forced to use muggle transportation like planes, classic with Ashlyn. None of the styles bothered him, but he was also quite partial to silence when he worked or concentrated on something. “Don’t worry, I won’t stick around too long tonight. Have a deal with my brothers for all of us to be home by 8 PM latest,” and he would have to find a way to tell Ashlyn soon. He worried about it. He couldn’t fathom in any way how Ashlyn might react and he worried about how he would tell her. What would he do if she went into hysterics and wouldn’t tolerate Morgana at all after it? It would be a damn hard choice to make and one Damon wished he would never have to face. “Don’t ask,” he requested quietly, as he raised his head and noticed the puzzled expression on Ashlyn’s face. The bond must have carried on his worry. “I’ll tell you soon. When Hogwarts starts up again. But it would be too hard to explain now.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps to see if she could cause enough drama to make Rister marry her daughter. Perhaps merely curious? Not entirely sure, but Rister will sent her flying out of the door, if she dares to make any demands. I know my brother enough to know that,” Damon smiled lazily. Wasn’t the first time someone tried to manipulate power and money and connections through marriage, wouldn’t be the last time either. “Our family crest has a wolf and the family – the pack – together can take down and achieve quite a lot. Rister, the heir and one day the head of the family, would be quite a catch from that sort of point of view,” Damon mused lazily as he watched Ashlyn pack away her violin with as much care as Damon showed to his quills and writing stationary. “No lunch? What if I ate one of your peppermint breath-pills first?” Damon couldn’t resists the temptation for the jab, even as he raised his arms in surrender already while saying it and laughed quite mirthfully, “For now, I’ll also content to learn what I’ll eat. And no, not even threats of soup will get rid of me right now.”

[Ashlyn Swallow G5]

There was a beauty, a comfort, in music that could rarely be found anywhere else. Some people, like James, never found that beauty or comfort in anything but his music. Ashlyn had always thought that she would be the same way. Her eyes flicked to Damon, holding his gaze for a few seconds, as a wry smile crossed her face. She had a feeling that Damon would never let himself be surpassed by music. Indeed, a part of her pointed out, why should he? She had accepted the bond, accepted his ring, accepted him. But she wasn’t ready to consider that yet – maybe she never would be – so she pushed that thought away with a little bit of panic and concentrated on her music. “I doubt that the sight of your scrawny body could bother me,” Ashlyn scoffed mockingly, her eyes firmly trained on the sheet of music resting in front of her.

“I’d be more likely to invite Jared to a concert than you,” Ashlyn pointed out absent-mindedly. Jared would appreciate the music more than his brother, and she could get him up on stage to add a bit of contrast to the music. Layla would enjoy one of her concerts though, Ashlyn contemplated seriously. So if Layla and Damon would both enjoy it – and it would bring in some more money, which would probably be useful in a few more years since the three Ellison’s were proving to be expensive and used to luxury – then what was the harm in a concert? It would be a nice addition to the Christmas holidays, perhaps take the kids minds off their parents. Not for the first time, Ashlyn spared a moment to mentally curse the man who had abandoned his children with a technically underage witch. Ashlyn opened her mouth to retort to Damon’s comment about not being around for too long but closed it again slowly when she sensed the worry radiating off him. “If it’s anything illegal or dangerous then I’ll get Jigger to tie you up and lock you in the basement,” Ashlyn told him quietly, her eyes determined. The bond still pushed her to protect Damon but Ashlyn stubbornly quietened it. The Ravenclaw knew how to take care of himself and his brothers were going to be with him. The time in Italy had shown her how close they were. Everything would be fine. The apprehension prickling in the back of her mind was nothing more than paranoia.

“If Rister really has been involved with the woman’s daughter then some of the more old-fashioned families might demand a marriage. So he should hope that the girl comes from a more liberal family.” Ashlyn grinned, knowing that Kris and Cleo would never permit a forced marriage for any of their children. Her parents would have quite happily used her to further their businesses. There had always been plans to do just that. The bond – and Damon, Ashlyn added reluctantly – had saved her from that, and she couldn’t ignore that even though it annoyed her to admit that she hadn’t saved herself. “You’re lucky. We’re not having soup.” It was Layla’s turn to choose the food today, Ashlyn mused, so it would probably be simplistic food. Keegan chose traditionally English food, Alexis tended to be adventurous and Ashlyn chose food that she knew the three younger teenagers would eat. “We’re having pizza,” Layla informed them, appearing at the back-porch in search of Ashlyn but stepping away when she saw Damon there also. Curiously, Ashlyn arched an eyebrow at her youngest cousin and her smile tightened when the younger blonde girl shook her head and disappeared back into the house without another word.