Sparks Are Flying [London]

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

Kellie, or rather, 'Mac' as he preferred to be called had taken up a summer job at Quality Quidditch Supplies. The boss was nice enough, and Kellie appreciated the hours given to him. Lucky for him, it wasn't anything too strenuous. Mainly he was dusting, and stocking up all the supplies. He had to keep on eye on the customers too, but that was easy enough for him. It was an easy 1 galleon, 11 sickles and 6 knuts* per hour.

This particular morning, Mac had been kept in the back, doing inventory. It wasn't until everything was counted and new orders were placed that he was allowed to go to the front and tend to a few customers. It was more than usual, since many students were doing their back-to-school shopping this week. He saw many familiar faces and chatted up a few old friends. Many just dropped by to check out the latest brooms, but a few second years made eager purchases. This morning two brooms had been bought, one quaffle was sold and an order was made for 25 bats. A good start to a day, though rather on the slow side.

"Burn these papers, will you?" His boss asked him. Mac nodded and took the box of papers outside. He glanced at them and noticed they were old shipment statements. Eager to use magic, he grabbed his wand from his pocket and pointed it down at the box. "Incendio!" He exclaimed, but faltered, as something -or rather, someone- caught his eye.

Although he was supposed to create a vibrate flame upon the papers, all he managed to produce was red sparks, which startled him, causing him to jump back, trip and fall down. He landed on his back, and propped himself up with his elbow to take a look at the newcomer.

[[* Using this converter]]

[London Kale]

London had just finished shopping for books and remembered that she needed a new bat. She had smashed her previous one but hitting a bludger to hard. Her beater bat had the best spells on it but it still broke. She had found this peculiar, but figured she was just having a really good arm that day.

On her way in she saw a few gryffindor second years talking about how they were going to make the team. She laughed under her breath and made her way past them. On her way into the store someone bumped her left arm, which caused her to almost double over in pain. Her arm had been severly sore and it was at the height of pain at the moment seeing as she had been squeezed many times by Lisette.

She got over herself as she entered the store. Moving past a few giggly girls she got to the gloves. She had needed new ones, also. She scanned the gloves until she found some black and red ones that she liked. When she looked closer they seemed to be burning, but this was just an effect of the gloves. A smile crossed her face and she grabbed the gloves.

London headed to the counter, seeing nobody there she was about to cal out. As she got closer she realized that behind the counter, getting up, was Kellie McCullum. Her mouth fell open. She and Kellie, he preferred Mac, were in the same house. Though they had never spoken but once or twice, London had acknowledged him as her fellow beater. In a trance, she wasn't watching where she was going and ran into a shelf, knocking various things down.

"Oh damn!" London mumbled under her breath as she scrambled to pick up what she had knocked down. The girls next to her started giggling and she knew what was coming next. London tensed as she looked up, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks.

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

London Kale. What was she doing here? Kellie felt like an idiot. A total idiot. How could he have just fallen like that? He quickly picked himself up and stood behind the counter. Just then, she took a step backward and knocked down the stand of broom cleaning supplies. He scrambled to her side, and helped pick up the bottles.

"Here," He began, taking a bottle from her hands, "I can do this. You just get up." He held her hand in his own and paused, taking a moment to look up at her.

For some reason, he couldn't help the grin that was pulling at the corners of his lips. "Are you o-okay?" He asked, turning to hide his grin. How comical, that both of them would have fallen. Why, she fell, he didn't have a clue. But he? Well, it was a bit of blow to have seen her. He didn't know exactly why.

[London Kale]

London kept cursing under her breath. She fell? How could she have fallen in front of Mac? He must have thought she was a total loser for falling. She started trying to pick things up again. "No, I can," she was silenced. Her hand was in his. The blush was starting to get worse but she tried no to be embarrassed. She then took it in.

He, Mac, was holding her hand. No. He was holding the bottle that happened to be in her hand. London took a deep breath and tried to straighten herself out. "Yeah, I'm fine." she froze as her eyes met his. It took all her of her will power not to gulp. She was usually good in tight situations, why did he have to do this to her?

She almost slapped herself to regain the heir of confidence she usually had. A laugh escaped her throat "Yeah, I saw this shelf and thought I needed to be clean." She almost slapped herself again. I needed to be clean? How the hell did she come up with something that stupid? "I mean..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say.

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

His dark brown eyes met London's own. He hadn't noticed before, but they were the same shade of brown he had. He blinked, why was he noticing these things? It wasn't like him at all. "But it's my job." He explained. Shit. If his boss came out right now...He took a quick glance at the door. No, his boss was probably too busy making phone calls.

"Here," He lent her a hand so he he could help her straighten and get herself of the ground. "Uhm...seriously though, you don't need to help. Like I said, I'm working here, and...If you do this, they'll cut my pay." He gave her a wry smile, and pushed the hair out of his eyes. Brilliant.

A quizical look inhabited his eyes at her comment. He laughed it off though, realizing her mistake. He held a hand up to her. "It's alright." He told her, "I understand."

He pulled out his wand, and with a simple flick of the wrist, the mess cleaned itself up. "See? No worries." Mac smiled back at her confidently and frowned slightly, noticing a pair of gloves on the ground. He bent over and held them to her. "Are these yours?" He questioned.

[London Kale]

London looked down. It was his job, but she had still just knocked over some pretty pricey stuff. Magic could fix it, but she was thinking about a different kind of magic. How could he have this effect on her. Sure he was handsome. She had always known that, but now it was different somehow.

London took his hand and got up. She smiled, starting to feel better. She still wasn't back to her usually confidence level. She had been so scared of what he thought of her that it frightened her. She had never cared about what anybody but Matt and Lisette thought of her. A slight blush came to London's cheeks, along with a dazed look as he pushed his hair out of his eyes. He was the handsomest thing that she had ever seen.

A frown came upon her face as he used magic to clean her mess up. In the embarrassment of falling because she was looking at him, London had forgotten that magic even existed. As he held up the gloves London nodded, not daring to talk. It probably would have come out gibberish anyway. She had to get the upper hand again. She quickly thought of one of her strengths and went with it. "So you trying out for beater this year or what?" She flashed a flirty smile and brushed her hand against his as she took the gloves.

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

Mac noticed the soft blush on her cheeks and felt confused as to why she would even be blushing. He figured it had to do with the fact that she jumbled up some words in her last sentence, so he shrugged and left the matter alone. However, had he been with anyone else, he'd probably taken a chance to do a bit of teasing.

Still, London was a tough girl. He knew that already from getting to know her a bit through various Quidditch practices and around the common room. She deserved respect, and Mac didn't want to be the one to disrespect her. Besides, she was a lady. And Mac had been raised in the gentleman fashion.

"What?" He questioned, noticing her frown after he cleaned it. Thinking that perhaps she disapproved of underage magic, he added "I'm eighteen. I can preform magic outside of school." He sighed, the irritating knowledge of how old he was begun to sink in. And she was merely a 6th year now.

It was an odd thing to realize. He'd always known he was older than her, but now it seemed to make sense. Something sunk in. He knew his behavior right now wasn't normal. This feeling in his gut wasn't something he'd felt before. But he'd seen her so many other times? Why was it that now, it made a difference?

She hadn't changed much, save for her growing an inch or so. But she was still the same London. He was sure of that. He eyed her closely, noticing a bruise on her jaw. "What happened?" He questioned, gesturing at her jaw. Had she been in a fight?

He turned, suddenly snapping out of his thoughts at the feel of her hand against his as she made for the gloves. He cocked his head and looked at her. "C'mon, London," He told her. "I've been Beater for two years now. You think I'm gonna let the Captain just boot me out? No mam, I'm staying. I've been practicing all summer long." He grinned. He sure had, and all those employee discounts helped him out. "What about you?" He questioned. "Not too chicken to try out?"

[London Kale]

London almost laughed. He thought she was frowning because he could do magic! This was almost perfect. but she didn't stop frowning. He was eighteen. She had just realized that. She was only sixteen. Of course she had known his age..it just never sank in before now. London was now scared. She had never felt this way. Her stomach was tight and she felt that at any moment she could start giggling like all the other normal girls.

The normal girls. London had never had this thought before. What if he liked girls that wore make up all the time, carried purses, and watched quidditch instead of playing it? Why was she thinking this? In any other company she wouldn't mind being a bit different, but now. He had a sort of charm that made her want to do those horrible things. She was raised to be a fighter, not something to have guys fight over.

London looked shocked as he asked about her bruise. She had forgotten it was there. She pondered if she should be truthful or make up some lie. Almost the whole school knew about her father being a Death Eater. But she never had to talk about it much. "This?" she gestured to it "I...Got into a fight with my old man. Wanted me to be a Death Eater." She told him the truth, but she left the part where she was a Death Eater out if it.

As he felt more comfortable, London felt more insecure. But quidditch could always bring her back to reality. Although he looked cute with his head to the side she made herself forget about it. "Of course I'm trying out! You think I'm gonna let these second year newbies get egotistical because they made the team?" Her smile widened.

London grabbed her bag with her money in it and headed towards the counter. She made sure not to look at Mac until she got there. Another flirtacious smile crossed her lips. "So...How much for the gloves and a new bat?"

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

When London's frown didn't fade away, Mac tensed. He didn't know what was wrong. What had he done? Had he said something wrong? Had he offended her? He tried to think back to what had been stated, but he couldn't pin point anything. Just then she looked shocked. At her words, his jaw dropped. But just slightly. He quickly shut it and adverted his gaze to the cashier on the counter. "I uh...I didn't know your father was like that." An uncomfortable silence filled the air for a moment.

"My old man's like that too." He told her, getting the nerve to look up at her. "He uh, he thinks muggleborns and half-blood are filth. Not fit to even walk the earth. He's hinted similar stuff, but I tell him to shut it every time. I have plenty of friends who are muggleborns or half-bloods and they're better people than he could ever be." He shook his head in disgust. As much as he admired his father, he was disgusted by his character when it came to things like that.

"You sure can throw a punch, eh?" He questioned, taking the gloves on the counter and ringing them up. Mac chuckled a bit and looked back at her. He eyed the second years outside the store and nodded. "Yea, someone has to put them in their place, right?" Underclassmen never bothered him too much, but he knew they could be annoying little bastards when they felt like it.

He looked back at her and was blown away by her smile. He gawked for a second, and then adverted his gaze to the counter. "A bat?" He glanced up again and noticed she didn't have one. "What's wrong with your old one? It was top last year." He sighed, and remembered the last quidditch match of the year. "Oh, right." He chuckled. "Ahh...it lived a good life." He smiled and came around to the front. "Ok, listen. I'm not going to let you pick just some random ol' bat. C'mon, I'll show you some of the new stuff. Stronger, better." He put his arm around her shoulder and lead her to the back, where they kept the bats.

[London Kale]

London looked back up at him, expecting him to react like Lisette or Matt, but he was in disbelief. She forgot that some people didn't know about her father. Some of those who did know usually stayed away from her, afraid that she was a Death Eater too. Now she was and she felt horrible. She joined the people that stood for the evilist thing on the planet;Killing innocent people. This made her doubt if she should actually talk to him or push him away so he would be safe.

Her mind was instant;y made up when he started talking about his dad. She decided that she was going to stick with him. If he got a girlfriend it would drive her crazy. "I'm sorry about how your dad is." She smiled sincerely and thenturned thoughtful. "Heh, My dad punched me when I told him no." London would have usually found her father's reactions funny but in something this serious she just couldn't find any humor of how violent he was. "But there's nothing I can do about it now but keep my friends somewhat safe."

London turned her head to the side when she saw Mac staring at her for a second. She found this comforting. It meant that she had some effect on him. Her smile turned playful as he asked about her old bat. "Yeah. Bloody bludger got the best of me, but I'll be a bit more ready this year." As he came around she leaned against the counter. A look of mild suprise came to her face but she quickly hid it. "That's not the only thing that's stronger or better..." she muttered to herself.

As he lead her to the back London smelled his cologne. She had never been so dazed byu a scent. She took a breath and sighed contently. Most guys smelled good but this was just intoxicating. She glanced up at him before trying to put her arm around his shoulder. Mac was so bloody tall that she couldn't reach, so she just pulled her arm around his middle. She had forgotten that in most terms this would be too intimate for everyday meetings. Or maybe she did remember but didn't care...

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

Mac just shook his head and waved her apology away. "There's nothing for you to be apologizing for." He told her, "But plenty he should be." The eighteen year old shrugged and sighed before taking a listen to her words. The frown on his face deepened when she told him about her father's reaction. A violent wave of anger spread through his veins and a rather violent image came to the front of his mind, which had him picturing a tall man that had London's very eyes. He shut his eyes to chase the thought away and focused on London.

Mac's eyes narrowed at her statement. This, he decided, was why the girl had been sorted into Gryffindor. She didn't care about how badly she got beaten, but all that did matter was that her friends were safe. Considering that way she talked about her father, he figured she didn't have much family she would die for. It was a sad thing to realize, but he knew that all her love had been transferred to her friends. That was good, at least. He didn't want anyone to be alone and loveless in the world.

For some reason, he wondered if she would ever stand up for him? Would she ever go great lengths to protect her? He knew he would for her. She was special. There was something about her that made him realize this. She was a forgotten treasure; valuable and prized, not to be treated lightly and discarded.

"You're a good person," He murmured sincerely, taking a look into her eyes. He smiled at her own smile as the conversation turned towards Quidditch. "Oh yea?" He questioned her, "You been practicing then?" As he came around the corner, he saw her lips moving but didn't quite catch what she was saying. "What was that?" He asked her.

"We've got plenty of new bats like the one you had." He informed her, "They even upgraded it and have a new one. But that's so old school compared to this new line that came out last month. Old man Jensen has bought plenty, and they're getting good reviews. Apparently the Tornados bought a few for their Beaters." He nodded, proud that he knew all this information.

"Anyway, this is made from really strong wood. It's special too. The wood has certain magical abilities. But of course, the makers went and placed even-" He stopped, at that moment London had snaked her arm around him. He paused to look down at her and decided he liked the feel, and continued walking. He pulled her a little closer before going on about the bat. "Yea, so they placed stronger charms, so it's not as breakable." They reached the stand of bats, and he had to rip his arm away from her.

"Ok, this is the bat." He took it off the stand and showed it to her. "See how sleek it is? I think this just may be perfect for you." He handed her the bat. "If you want, you can test try it. We can go out back and shoot a bludger around."

[London Kale]

London nodded. Talking about quidditch usually made her comfortable, but this was not the case. She felt semi-confortable. Mac's presence clouded her thinking a little. She smiled "The Tornados, huh? I'm starting to like it already." The tornados were good but she always stuck with the Chudley Cannons. She had liked them all her life and her brothers liked them. Anything her brother's liked, she liked. She looked bck up at Mac. He was proud to know this. "Show off.." she muttered jokingly.

As Mac started descibing the bat she nodded again. Her spells were good, but maybe when she charmed her old bat her magic wasn't good enough. When he stopped she could feel his gaze. She bit her lip and looked to the side. She hoped he would at least tell her off if he didn't like her. She almost stumbled when he started walking again. So he was tolerating her. A look of suprise crossed her face when he pulled her closer.

As they reached the bat stand she almost whined when he took his arm off her, but was distracted by the bat. She took the bat from his and eyed it from every angle. It was perfect. The handle, the wood, the finish. Everything she wanted. When Mac offered to try it out she shook her head. She knew it was the bat for her. Instead she took a half step towards him, limiting the space between them. "Thank you." she whispered taking another half step.

Now London was less than a few inches from him. She looked up at Mac, her eyes burning with determination. She was going to thank him...

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

Mac frowned a bit when she she mentioned the Tornados. For some reason he recalled her liking another Quidditch team. Hadn't they gotten into an argument about it during Quidditch practice? Of course, it hadn't been Mac vs. London, rather three of the players vs. four of the others. He frowned when he couldn't quite remember the outcome or the team she supported. He heard her comment and looked down upon her with a wry smile. "Who you calling a show-off Miss-I'm-So-Strong-I-Broke-My-Bat?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Honestly, I wouldn't know any of this I hadn't gotten the job. It's required knowledge you know. You have to know just about everything about Quidditch."

He was lucky to have gotten job, quite honestly. Luckier still for his father to have agreed with it. He thought the old man would have denied it, but he simply nodded and said it would be good for a first job. If Mac could have his way, he'd have worked there every holiday. Of course, he knew his father would never let him do that. He thought Quidditch as only a hobby. He didn't think it was a suitable career for his son. It was too bad really, Mac really liked Quidditch. If he hadn't been planning on going into the Ministry, he might have set his sights on becoming a Tornado Beater.

Mac noticed how quiet she became when he kept talking about the bat. Either she was paying close attention or was lost in thought. About what, he couldn't rightly say, but he guessed it might have been about her old bat. He wasn't sure when she had come into possession of it, but he knew that it was hard to part objects after a while. Especially Quidditch maniacs like themselves.

His brown eyes lit up as she inspected the bat, turning it this way and that to check it all out. "It's perfect for you." He told her softly. "And if you'd like, you can get your name engraved onto it. Usually you have to pay 5 galleons, 3 sickles and 28 knuts for it, but I can give it to you free of charge." He didn't know why he was doing so. He had actually been planning to that to his broom, and old man Jensen had told him only one object. Yet, he felt the need to make it special for her. It would be a gift from him. Perhaps she would remember him every time she held it in her hand. Plus, the fact that the inscription was free was him trying to impress her. He felt the need to be noticed by her.

As he was plotting out just what he would say to his boss about the change of plans, he noticed that London had taken a step closer, closing any space between them. It hadn't been that much to begin with. He hesitated, but she thanked him and took another step forward.

For a moment he thought about taking a step back, but he wanted this. Yes, he knew where this was heading. He could scarcely believe it, though. Would they...? After a moment's hesitation, Mac lowered his head down a fraction, just inches away from her own face. He was so close to her, he could have counted her lashes if he wanted to. Her eyes were such a soft swirl of brown. He wanted to get lost in them.

Somehow, he managed to get one arm around to her back to pull her closer, while his other hand lifted her chin up to him. "Hold still," He murmured, just a second before he pressed his lips upon her own in a soft and tender kiss.

[London Kale]

London looked at Mac a little confused. Why was he frowning? The last time she talked to him she remembered that he liked the Tornados. Didn’t he? They were a good team but maybe he didn’t like them anymore or something. Maybe she had said something wrong. But she specifically remembered having an argument about the Tornados and the Chudley Cannons. She had forgotten who had won, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t on the same team as he was. “Hey,” she laughed “I didn’t mean to break my bat in half. It’s not my fault I’m strong.”

London smiled. It was perfect for her, and she was thinking about getting her name engraved. She started to reach for her money but stopped. Her head snapped up to look at Mac. Was he really going to do that just for her? She looked down at the bat again and felt the handle. She blushed to an ultimate extreme. Was this something he could do or he wanted to do? She put her hand on his arm “That would be great.”

London bit her lip. Mac was going to do this for her, now she wanted to be able to do something for him. Until she found something it would probably drive her crazy. Instantly she started making a list of things she could do for him. “Hey. Do you need anything new? Anything at all? Please, let me do something for you. You’re being wonderful.” Wonderful wasn't a strong enough word to describe him. Neither was perfect, amazing, or magnificent. They were all to weak to desribe how perfectly perfect he was.

London’s brain stopped working the moment Mac started coming closer. She drew a blank. She couldn’t think at all. He was actually going to kiss her. She wanted this more than anything. She forgot about being a Death Eater, school, age differences, and quidditch. She was a little shocked when she felt his arm wrap around her. As he told her to hold still she had to break that rule. She lifted her hand to rest it on the back of his neck, touching his hair. The bat in her other hand fell to the floor.

London had never moved this fast with a guy but Mac felt special. She had a connection with him that was strange and wonderful. It was something that just came on randomly. But she felt like she was supposed to be here with him, like no matter what else she had done she was in the exact place she was meant to be. She looked over his face and blushed. He was amazing.

London felt a rush of adrenaline flow through her. She instantly overreacted and deepened the kiss, one hand tightening in his hair and the other hand gently went to Mac’s back where her finger gently digging into him. The feel of the kiss was amazing. It sent shivers all through her.

[Kellie 'Mac' McCullum]

Mac's frown turned itself upside-down into a smirk at her words. "Uh-huh. Repeat after me: show off." He pronounced each syllable and exaggerated his mouth movements, but he was just messing around. He hoped she wouldn't take anything the wrong way. He just liked kidding around. If he recalled correctly, she could take a joke.

Mac noticed London reaching for her pocket after he told her about the inscription, but shook his head violently at her. "No." He told her firmly. "Let me do this for you, please." He hadn't meant to stress the word 'please' but it came out that way. His eyes bore into her own, almost begging. The ultimate grin graced his face when she rester her hand on his arm and told her it would be great. "Thank you," He told her, lowering his head a fraction of an inch. "I'll get this old man Jensen today and you can come back for it tomorrow. Or if you'd like - I can give it to you on September 1st."

He didn't know why, but he was eager to see her once more. Tomorrow would be perfect for her to pick it up. He was getting off early - perhaps they could go get lunch? But then again, if he gave it to her on September 1st, he could gift-wrap it and add something special. After all, summer wasn't over just yet.

“Hey. Do you need anything new? Anything at all? Please, let me do something for you. You’re being wonderful.” Mac blinked several times, pausing to let her words sink in. "What?" He questioned with a soft laugh. Was she joking or what? "No. Listen, you don't need to feel obligated to do anything for me. Let me just do this for you. It's my last year at Hogwarts and to be honest, I never really got to know you. Just think of this as a present for all the Christmases and birthdays I missed in the past."

He adverted his gaze from her for a second. Any longer and he might just ask her not to leave. Ever. She was asking him for anything, and if he didn't have much self-control, he might have just asked her to be his girlfriend. But this was all going by way too fast. He knew her, yes, but he didn't really know her. How could he just ask her to be his girlfriend? He felt a strong pull towards her, though. He had never experience anything like that before. It was like she was meant for him, and he'd been blind for seven full years. He could kick himself!

How could he not have noticed her before? She was so strong and beautiful. She had such a passion for life and for her friends. He would understand it if she was in a different House, but no, she had been there all along. Right under his nose, and he had just been wasting time!

His mind was slowly drawing to blank. Everything around him was drawing blank. All Mac could focus on was her. As he bent closer to her; towards her dark-as-night eyes and impossible lashes, Mac began to loose knowledge of everything but the kiss. Just the feel of her lips upon his made him brace himself for all that was coming. He felt London's hand make its way to the back of his neck, suddenly pulling him in - deepening the kiss between the two.

His mouth fastened over her, firm, confident, passionate. The kiss sent him reeling, he knew he had to stop, but quite frankly, he wanted to be selfish and continue. To hell with the fact that he was working and that he had to attend to customers. To hell with the fact that Jensen may just walk in on them and fire him. All he wanted was to continue kissing London. To continue his hold upon her.

But first, a guy needed to breath. With an unmistakable groan, Mac pulled back for a take of air. He caught her eye and her blush, and felt a bit proud, knowing he had probably had the same effect on her. He smirked at her and lowered his head back towards her. "You moved," he accused in a husky tone. He hesitated briefly, and moved in for another kiss, hungrier than the last. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her even closer, colliding her body with his.

What the two teens didn't know, was that Jensen had emerged from his office in the back and was now witnessing this second kiss. The old man liked Mac, but he had told him from the begining, that he wouldn't allow slip-ups. Although part of him wanted to just leave, he had a business to run. He walked behind the couple and tapped Mac's shoulder, clearing his throat as he did so.