Polar Opposites (Willow and Arsen)

Willow decided that she needed to stretch her legs a little bit, although her flat was lovely and spending time with Jamie more so she had missed the wide open spaces of Hogwarts and she decided that she needed some of that.

Searching around the clearing Willow climbed up a tree and grazed her hand as she did so, hanging by one hand as she frowned, kissing the cut, swinging forward slightly she landed on her feet and smiled as air rushed past her.

"It's so beautiful tonight."

Seeing that nobody was here she began to unfold her wings but, hearing a rustle, put them swiftly away again.

"Hello? Who's there? Don't be afraid...come out!" Willow called friendily

He sighed as night was once again upon them. He wasn't sure whether he liked night times yet he was still undecided. On the plus side, he was human so he needn't worry about having to control the anger in him. On the down side, he was human which meant her was weaker with no fire power to help him.

He took a deep breath and wondered through the trees until her heard something and paused. He was not meant to be out at this time, Aspen would kill him if this stranger didn't kill him first. Slowly and cautiously he moved forwards revealing himself to her in the moon light.

Willow looked in the direction that the noise had come from, relaxing as she saw that it was only a boy, not someone who was going to pose a threat, Merlin knows she couldn't stave them off.

"Hey there."

A smile broke out on Willows face and she stepped closer to him, but not too close, then a thought struck her, what was he doing here on his own?

"Are you alright? Should you be out here on your own?"

A tone of worry beginning to tinge her voice.

His eyes darted around for all the exist routes. Sure she looked innocent but nothing was as innocent as they looked, or so he'd learnt. He readied himself with his hand ready to flick his writst to allow his wand to be released into his palm. "Hey." He muttered his shoulders tensing as she stepped forwards causing him to step backwards to match her action.

He shrugged. "Should anyone be out on their own during times like these? I'm fine though i can handle myself." He said or so he hoped, he'd never had to fight as a human before and he'd not had the best training in being human either.

Willow saw that the boy seemed to tense up when she stepped closer to him and she bit her lip. At least hes not too trusting but it's still a little hurtful, I'm not going to do anything to him, she thought to herself.

"What's your name? I'm Willow, Willow Hartman."

Smiling friendily Willow extended a hand out to the boy, still wanting to be friendly and coax him out of his shell a bit. Despite his words she could sense that there was something wrong with him. Maybe it was a family sort of thing?

"That's very true! And that's a very good thing, after all, lots of children are attacked these days...sad but that's the truth ne?"

Willow looked at the boy again with a fainter smile on her face.

He thought for a second remembering the lessons his uncle had given him about trusting people. "I'm Arsen, Arsen Barela." He said which was half true. His uncle had always told him to give a false last name because it was easier to not lie about your first name in case they call you and you don't respond.

He paused, his temperature would still be hotter than normal but it was still a lot cooler than in the day. He took a deep breath and took her hand, giving it a little shake before letting it go. He didn't want to seem rude but then he didn't want her to click onto anything either.

He nodded. "It's not just children though is it? Everyone is under attack, the muggles just don't care who they hurt as long as they have magical blood its a win for them." He frowned remembering their first attack. He still had the scars from that night which was unusual for someone that can heal themselves.

Willow smiled and nodded at the boy, he looked like he didn't want to talk about much to do with his personal life, after all in these days you should be careful with who you talk to and Willow understood this she just thought it was sad that children couldn't have a sort of semi normal life without fear.

"It's nice to meet you Arsen, like I said I'm Willow. Do you go to Hogwarts?"

Eager to hear what had happened to the place since she had left and she really wanted to know that the school had been untouched by this terror going on outside of school.

"Huh, I wish I could be as toasty as you, I really do need to get some gloves."

Willow tilted her head to one side and smiled happily, even though this interaction was keeping her from using her wings she wanted to know more about this boy, she could tell that he was troubled.

"Ive not been under attack yet but I have had to clean up a few with the Ministry and it's just so...unfair you know. We haven't done anything to make them want to hurt us have we? It's just a select few so they should be intelligent enough to figure out who."

He nodded because he did now go to Hogwarts no matter how much he wished he was still living in Italy. "Yes i go to Hogwarts. It's my first year there." He explained running his hand throught his hair.

"Oh i was just... i've just had them over the fire." He said shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. He knew it was a mistake accepting her hand shake, it was stupid of him to think he could pass as normal.

He nodded. "Muggles are idiots, they know nothing about us yet they think they know all there is to know. What kind of thing have you had to clean up?" He asked maybe it could help him and his uncle understand what the muggles were up to. "Muggles aren't intelligent i think they've proved that themselves." He muttered.

Willow smiled widely and she clapped her hands together so being this excited she tried to calm down, it couldn't be that comforting to have an adult jumping around like a small child because of the mention of the school.

"I only ask because I used to teach there, I was wondering if it had been affected by any of these events?"

A cool wind whipped around the clearing and Willow hugged her arms around herself to keep warm.

"It wasn't a complaint! Honestly!"

She gasped waving her hands in the air frantic with the thought that she might have offended the boy.

"Oh, well I work for the ministry now in the administration offices and I deal with the paper work, sending obliviators out and things to events where Muggles have witnessed an attack or have launched one."

He watched her jump up and down excitedly. "Really? What did you teach?" He asked. "No the headmaster seems to be doing well, the school makes life seem normal again. It's as if the wars not even happening, of course we all know it is." He shrugged.

He frowned as she shivered it just made him feel even less normal than he actually was. He pulled out his wand, moved over and turned his back on her as he made a fire spring to life. Of course he never needed his wand but it was all apart of the show. He gasped shaking his hands as the fire burnt his human skin. The flames hurt him a lot more during the night. "Here this should keep us warm." He said giving her a little smile.

"I know, i just seem to get hot easily thats all." He shrugged sitting at the roots of the nearest tree so he could sit and stare into the flames.

He looked up at her and nodded. "Oh right that sounds interesting. So how did you go from working at Hogwarts to working at the ministry?" He asked returning his gaze to the fire.

Willow smiled at Arsen as he asked her what positik she used to teach even remembering it made her heart fill with happiness. It was probably because it was a memory of not only her friends shed made there but it was the way she had met her boyfriend.

"I used to teach flying, it's something that I love really passionately so it was my pleasure to take the position, I even moved to have it."

Tilting her head to one side as Willow watched Arsen and tried to see what he was doing, as soon as the fire was lit Willow rushed over to it and almost hugged it to get the warmth from it.

"Thank you, now I can be as toasty as you."

Willow sighed and played with a strand of her hair, she didn't like thinking about how she had lost her job

"It was a matter of restaffing, the Headmaster cleared me out and only kept a few of the originals, I don't understand it, more students enjoyed flying than ever when I was there."

"Flying? Yeah there's a new professor for that i think I haven't taken that class, i think it's best i keep both feet on the ground. Much safer for everyone." He smiled to himself, he'd probably end up breaking his broom anyway because it wouldn't move the way he wanted it to. He was very temperamental about everything.

He smiled. "Your welcome, it's the only spell that i really know." He shrugged, stupid Durmstrang had taught him nothing but he was a freak. They had him concentrate on his 'gift' which left him as an outcast. All his friends soon turned out to be people trying to find out what he really was.

"Oh, the new headmaster does seem a little weird. There's something not right about him i just don't know what it is, but i'll find out sooner or later. I'm sure there must have been a reason as to why he got rid of you." He said pulling out a knife to play with. He often did this to occupy his mind and hands so he wouldn't suddenly burst into flames.

Willow smiled and shook her head, lots of people thought that they wouldn't be able to fly but they would when they got used to it. Tilting her head to one side Willow bit her lip and wondered if she could help Arsen.

"Do you want to learn to fly? Or are you just not into that sort of thing, because if you wanted I could always help you to learn."

Hoping that Arsen would be truthful with her, but she didn't expect it after all they had only just met!

"I'm sure it's not the only spell you know, if it is then schooling has seriously gone down since I was there! I'd say I'd go and talk to the new head but I don't work there and I'm not related to you."

Willow frowned a little bit more and began to worry not just about Arsen but about everyone there, this war was taking it's toll on everyone and she thought that the students need to have a place away from it...and Hogwarts seemingly wasn't doing it's job.

"To be honest I don't think he really liked me, I think I was too nice, didn't give detentions out and insisted that the students have the best brooms."

He shrugged. "I've never really thought about it. My uncles always said people like us belong with their feet on the ground but i don't know. I've always wanted to watch quidditch i've just never had the time or been allowed." He frowned picking up a rock that lay beside him.

"Really? But why you don't even know me? I could be satan for all you know." He said turning the rock in his hand, he honestly didn't know whether this was a trap or whether she genuinely was a nice person. "Besides i don't have a broom so unless i could just suddenly sprout wings i don't think i could." He shrugged.

"Well it's not but it's the only one i'm good at. Durmstrang believe in working with your strengths and building on them and magic wasn't my strength. So i rarely got to use it which is why i moved here to England. My uncle thought i'd get a better education here." He said eyeing the rock in his hand, he could break it so easily he wouldn't even need to try.

"That's okay Hogwarts is actually pretty good for me which is a good thing because my uncle is useless when it comes to taking care of me. He's more interested in which girl he'd like to sleep with first." He frowned

He raised his eyebrows. "Since when is being nice a bad thing? There's not many nice people left out there now a days. People are far too caught up in this stupid war but hopefully it will be ending soon."

Willow smiled and she thought that this boy hadn't really experianced many of the things that he wanted to and she wanted to be the one to allow him to do that, if of course he wanted to, he may just think she was a creepy woman and back away slowly but she hoped that he wouldn't, Willow really did want to help him out.

"Wow, it seems like your uncle wont let you do an awful lot of things, but, I know this sounds a little weird since you dont even know me that well, but a boy never watching a game of Quidditch is just absurd, so, would you want to come to a game with me?"

With a slight nervous tinge to her smile Willow waited for Arsen's response hoping that he wouldn' try to attack her with the rock he had in his hand or something, after all, he did seem a little bit suspicious when he had no real reason to be.

"Really really. I don't think you are. And that's what counts. Brooms? Thats no worry. You can have one on me! I run a shop so it's really no big deal."

Trying desperately to steer the subject away from the whole 'sprouting wings' business, Willow bit her lip and listened to what Arsen had to say about the school, deciding that it may not be as bad as it seemed to her Willow smiled alittle broader and nodded her head after he had finished speaking, glad that he seemed to have some space where he could be himself.

"Ah Durmstrang. That is around my homeland. How is it last time you saw it?"

Laughing softly Willow shrugged her shoulders and suggested:

"Maybe he didn't want the children in my care to grow up being soft."

He shrugged. "He saved me from being stuck in an orphanage and he's done a lot for me. I just wish he'd understand how i feel, i mean he seems to be getting less and less human each day." He frowned it was his parents that had stopped him from doing what he wanted but now he was free of them he had work to do. Being Aspens partner didn't come without a cost.

"I know that, i can't even talk to people because i have nothing to talk about with them. I know nothing about what it is to be a kid." He frowned. "With you? Yeah i'd love to but i don't think i can." He frowned, he had no money and he would probably needed to help Aspen. It was times like these when he wished he had a normal life.

He shook his head. "I can't just take one i'd have to earn it some how." He frowned. "And the lessons i'd need to pay you back somehow. I'll start getting Aspen to accept money on our jobs."

"Not good the place is all over the place. The Highmaster has just left so they are looking for a replacement and i hear most of the professors followed him." He shrugged. "It was an awful school i hated it. All the students and even the professors too just wanted to get to know you so they could figure out what you were." He said gritting his teeth, the people there annoyed him more than the lessons.

Willow listened to what Arsen was saying about his uncle and it seemed that he was not getting anything in the way of support from his uncle and he didn't sound like he'd had a lot of support anyway. Biting her lip Willow smiled at Arsen.

"Well, it sounds like you need someone to talk to, you could always come and talk to me you know...if you ever needed someone to vent to."

Rummaging in her bag Willow pulled out a ticket to the next Quidditch game and she handed it to Arsen with a large smile, she wanted him to have a good time. That to her would be one of the best payments she could receive.

"Here you go. And stop worrying about paying me. You don't need to. The only thing that I want to hear about payment is you enjoying yourself."

Willow smiled again and felt it dimming as he spoke about his school and she wondered if he was used to being used and if so what was he being used for? Frowning slightly Willow leant against a tree and thought for a moment.

"Well I'm not going to do that to you, I promise. It sounds weird but I really want to make sure you're okay."

He smiled. "Thanks but i wouldn't even know where to find you. I can't exactly come here every time i needed to talk to you can i?" He asked then stopped as a thought came to him. "Unless you live in the forest do you?" He asked it wouldn't be that much of a shock if she did after all the things he'd seen in his life.

"Wait you are human right? And not some forest pixie or something. I seem to have a habit of making friends with non humans. They all just seem to flock to me. I have one human friends though." He smiled just the thought of Char brightened his day. She kept him grounded.

"But i'm afraid you'll never get rid of me." He smiled. "Theres always something to complain about when you live with my uncle. He's not the best room mate." He said throwing the rock into the lake.

He shook his head and looked around. "No you keep it my uncle will tear it in two or burn it if he finds it. I don't even know if i can go. I'm only here because my uncle was busy with the new girl on the scene." He said rolling his eyes, he had no idea how he got them. The guy was a freak.

"I can't just take them. I've never gotten anything without having to pay for it, it just wouldn't be right. Please let me repay you i wouldn't be able to sleep knowing id taken something." He frowned, not that he sleep anyway.

He frowned. "You havent seen the real me yet. Im different during the day, some find me interesting me? I hate myself. I find myself wishing for the day to end. What kind of normal human being does that?" He asked concentrating on pulling his sleeves down over his hands. He shrugged. "I'm fine this is the best i've ever been." He admitted.

Willow smiled softly and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear just happy that she was able to make this boy's life better even only by a little bit. True she didn't live in the forest but she didn't know if she would be able to lie and say that she did just in case he found out and she felt bad about it.

"No I'm sorry I don't live in the forest but you can have my address if you want it,"

Rummaging around in her bag she pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and scribbled the address down onto it, before handing it to Arsen with an even wider smile on her face, just wanting him to accept the help she knew he wanted really.

"There you go. And to answer your question, I consider myself human but with added extras, so I should think that answers it correctly."

With a shrug of her shoulders Willow let herself walk a little closer to Arsen then stop a reasonable distance away so she wouldn't get his back up about her being so close. After all she wouldn't want to upset him again.

"Arsen, I dont care, everyone needs someone to talk to about their problems and you can talk to me about yours any time that you want to. I'll be there for you I promise. Well then you'll just have to encourage him to go out on the pull then wont you? So that you can come."

Stuffing the ticket back into her bag Willow sighed and wrote the date and time on another scrap of paper and handed it to Arsen again.

"I'll be here at that time on that date to take you to the game, if you're not here dont worry and I will just go on my own okay?"

Willow sighed and hung her head wondering what she could do or say to make Arsen just accept the ticket and broom without her having to charge him for them, then, she had abright idea, snapping her fingers she pointed at Arsen and grinned.

"You want to pay? Thats fine. You can come and work in my shop on the weekends you're at school. It's only down the road in Hogsmeade. You come work for me those two days each week and we'll call it quits okay?"

He raised his eyebrow, he didn't even know the woman and she definitely didn't know about him yet here she was giving him her home address. "Oh thanks. Are you sure? You don't even know me i could be satan for all you know. How do you know i wont go straight to your house and steal everything you have?" He asked rubbing the back of his head, note to self buy a decent pillow to lay on.

He took the paper none the less because it would be nice to escape from time to time and his uncle would never guess he was there, not unless he found the address which he must hide or get rid off as soon as he remembered where it was. He raised an eyebrow intrigued about what that could mean. "Added extras? Like what?" He asked maybe she was gifted somehow like Char was, he couldn't imagine someone as nice as her being curse like him and his uncle. It just couldn't be.

He thought about it a second before giving a little nod. His instincts were telling him to walk away but he didn't want to. This was the second person he could really talk to without them trying to get something out of him. But then again she hadn't seen him during the day or when he got angry which is more often than not. "I don't think it will be that hard he's not really interested in me unless he wants a job doing." He shrugged. "I'll be there eventually i might just be a little late if i can't get out early enough."

He took the next piece of paper and read it before nodding and putting it in his pocket along with the other one. "Okay but i will be here, i've always wanted to go watch them play i've just never had the chance." He frowned wishing that low life was still alive so he could show him how miserable he'd made his life when he was alive. He smiled and practically jumped at the chance, he'd never been offered a job before. "Really? You want me to work for you?" He asked then frowned as he remembered what he was. "But what if i scare your customers off? Or they just come in to see the freak show working?" He frowned.

Willow smiled happily as Arsen took the address off her it proved that she was right and that he did truly want help from her and he was finally admitting that as well as wanting it he also needed it. Running her hand through her hair Willow looked at Arsen kindly:

"Well, are you Satan? I don't think you are. And to me my own opinion is what truly matters in the end, many people think they are good people but they are not, and many people think that they are bad people but they are in fact good...but people cannot often see themselves for what they are."

As Arsen asked her what she had meant by the added extras Willow tilted her head to one side and wondered if she should tell him or not, if she did then it might scare him away but if she didn't he might take offense to her decline and leave without accepting her help.

"Oh, I have wings. But you can't see them right now...they're all folded up...if you really wanted to see I could take them out for you."

Willow nodded she accepted the fact that it was going to be hard for Arsen to get out and about and because of that she would wait for him, even if they missed the game, because they could always turn up late and watch it.

"Okay then Arsen, I'll wait until you come and if we miss it we miss it and we'll just go and do something else okay?"

With a large grin Willow nodded again, she really did need the help in the shop and this was a perfect oppertunity, she could always keep his wages on the side and give them to him when it was christmas as a huge bonus or something.

"Arsen, I don't care what other people think, I want you to come and work for me, you're not a freak, nobody is, there are just unusual people in this world and I've met my fair share of them."

"No but im as close as you'll ever meet. Yes but there are people born evil that stay that way because they don't have a choice. Those are the people that kill and can't help but like it." He frowned he'd killed two people in his life and both times he couldn't help but love and he hated himself for it. If he grew up and turned out like his uncle he'd kill himself. He'd hate to live like that he loved his human side and he wished to cling onto it for as long as he could. "You'll soon find out the sun should be up soon and then you'll see the real me, i'm different during the day." He frowned.

His eyes widened in both shock and fear. "What like an angel?" He asked it would just be his look that he'd bumped into an angel, if she started sprouting religious stuff at him he'd scream. He couldn't handle all of the bible stuff. "You're not an angel are you?" He asked angels and demons weren't known for getting along.

He shook his head. "No i wouldn't want you to miss it all. Just wait half an hour then leave to go watch it okay? If im not there by half an hour ill make my own way there." He said glancing down at his watch, the sun should be coming up any minute. He smiled and shook his head. "You don't even know me, wait here until the sun comes up and you'll see. Im no normal human and everyone knows it even if the don't know why or what i am." He said looking up to the sky waiting for the first signs of the sun to appear.

Willow wondered why Arsen was so intent on pushing people away, she knew that he didn't want to yet he did it all the same, such a level of distrust in such a young person made her heart sting a little bit and she looked sadly at him trying not to be too sad around him.

"Well that may be so but I don't see that in you and until you show that you're evil I wont believe it either. People are innocent until proven guilty."

Looking out to the sunrise Willow's eyes widened she didn't know that she had been out this late and Jamie was sure to be worrying about her so she may have to retire pretty soon to bed, luckily she didn't have any work to be done.

"No no I'm not an angel, I'm just a girl with freaky wings growing out of her back, but people do say I'm like one, mostly because I just give stuff and generally be the nice person everyone should be but few are."

Willow smiled softly at Arsen and waited for what it is he said would define him from everyone else, she knew that she wouldn't be surprised from what she had seen from Aspen and her partner Jamie, so it was just a matter of time.

"Arsen I know I dont know you, but I hope to, if you will let me, and I know what you have to show me wont phase me at all."

He frowned. "You shouldn't be so trusting you know. One day you are going to help the wrong person and you'll get hurt or worse killed because you're too nice to fight back or say no." He said not entirely sure how he felt about that but a part of him knew he wouldn't be too happy if she ogt herself hurt.

He nodded silently thanking satan she wasn't an angel because that would make things really awkward. "Were you born that way or did they happen later on?" He asked because he wanted to know whether she like him had to grow up with what she was. "What did your parents say?" He asked also wanting to know if they treated her the same as his did him. He hated all families for what his did to him, even the thought of having his own family made him sick because there was no way he was going to turn out like them.

He nodded, he'd rather wait to hear her judgement after he had turned into his day self before he commented. As soon as the first rays of sun cut through the sky he began to feel the changes. His temperature began to rise, his skin going from just above normal to way above normal as his body prepared itself for the demon. His now clear blue eyes turned into a bright glowing red as his eye sight increased to that of a predator. The rest of the changes happened from within with no physical change to the outside of his body.

"Still want to know me?" He asked holding up one hand as he let the flames engulf it. The normal cycle of his skin being burnt away and then replaced only to be burnt away again began.

Willow smiled happily and she shrugged her shoulders, after all, she knew this because it had happened before but it wouldn't stop her from being so nice to people, it was just who she was and she liked it. And most other people liked it will enough too.

"Well I've had bad things done to me, and I'm still like this, I don't think it's worth being sour because of the things that a few people have done when the majority are still good people."

Tilting her head to one side she thought for a moment, for as long as she could remember she had had these wings, but maybe she had gotten them from something after she was born but she didn't think so. Willow sighed softly and she leant against a tree and smiled up at the sky, turning her head to smile at Arsen.

"I do believe so, but my family never hated me for anything, they loved me and I loved them, they always used to call me their little Angel. But I suppose...other people didn't like me, so I learnt not to talk about my wings so much."

Willow looked at Arsen as he began to change as the sun came up, there was really nothing that different about him, just his eyes, and as he set his hand on fire she gasped slightly and went forward to try and help him, but when he saw that he wasn't hurt she smiled.

"Yes, of course. You're just as nice as before. Like I said, I doubt that its going to shock me."