Sigh... (Howl) (OPEN)

Sam sat at his usual place with his head on the table.
He was so tierd and melancholy. It always happened after a full moon, plus he was a sensitive soul, and was hurt by knowing people out there hated him.

At least he had Crystella again now. She had been looking after him. He liked being by her side; he didnt want to leave it, but he decided to get some air and give her a break for a while.

He too donned a cloak to disguise himself with. He didnt want to return to the school just yet or for anyone to recognise him in case he got in trouble for just disappearing. At least he hadnt physically hurt anyone this time.

He wouldnt if he should explain himself to some of the Hogwarts staff. Hades, Briony or Richard for example... He probably would have to explain himself to other people too. Fmeh... he was too weak in himself to care too much. If people had questions for him, he would just answer. If he needed to apologise or explain himself, he would.

He had so much on his mind to think about and try to deal with. His temples were starting to hurt. He sat up and rubbed his aching forehead. He rubbed his eyes and rested his face on the palm of his hand and looked absent mindedly at the door. He never knew who would come through it.

Natasha walked into the room and saw that there was a man, sitting alone. He was rubbing his forehead.

"Hey," she said softly. "You alright there?"

Jamie was whistling a loud and happy tune as he walked into the Three Broomsticks. Looking around, he waved at some of the happier patrons and received waves in return. Deciding to be charitable he ordered two glasses of firewhiskey and looked around for the most melancholy person he could find. His eyes locked onto the man sitting on his own at a table. He walked over, nudging the man's shoulder lightly as he did so,

"Hey buddy!" he greeted the man with a smile, "How about I cheer you up? I brought firewhiskey..."

He trailed off as he noticed the woman now sitting by them. He smirked,

"Or perhaps you enjoy the company of the fairer sex more than mine?" he chuckled, "Wouldn't blame you."

Sam snapped himself out of the trance he was in.
He voice was husky and tierd.

"Oh...yes" He replied to the woman. He couldnt help but notice she was very pretty. "Hi... Oh, i'm sorry do you want this table, cause i'll move if you do..."

Then he nearly had a heart attack when someone nudged him. It was Jamie...the man who Willow was in love with. he was at her gig if Sam remembered rightly. Sam covered his face and hoped his voice was different enough not to be recognised. He looked pretty rough, and didnt want people who knew him to see him like that.

"I dont like fire whiskey... and neither company is preferable... i'd be happy to converse with either or the both of you..." Sam replied, trying not to make his voice sound like a sigh. "And i dont need cheering up... i'm fine..." His voice didnt exactly sound certain.

"Sure you don't," Natasha said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm Natasha, and you two are...?"

Jamie sighed a little, reached across the table and lowered Samuel's hood,

"You need cheering up because it's not long since been the full moon." he chuckled a little, "I know all about your condition Samuel. It's the reason why my own little condition tells me to bury a silver spike in your heart. Of course I ignore it."

He chuckled a little and slid the other glass to Natasha,

"My name is Jamie. I don't suppose you will drink with me?" he chuckled again, "I'm quiting tomorrow."

Natasha shrugged. "Why not?" She took the glass and downed it.

She was a little curious to what was Howl's "condition" but she decided not to mention it. Instead, she said, "What're you quitting?"

Sam jerked forward and shivvered a little startled when Jamie pulled his hood down. He covered his face with his hands becuase he looked terribly ill.

"Nice to make your acquaintance Natasha." Sam bowed his head with a nod. "I'm Samuel Howlin, but i go by Sam."

"Thank you for that Jamie..." Sam growled sarcastically to himself in his head. "Why must my bloody curse be the main thing that defines me...?"

"Would you two like to join me then? Thats if either of you can lower yourselves to be in the company of a mutt like me. You could share some of this pie with me i have. You wont find this anywhere else in the world, nor will you taste anything as great." Sam placed a small whole Stargazer pie on the table and pushed it into the middle of the table. He pulled his hood back up over his face.

"Pffuh... i've heard people say that before..." Sam muttered under his breath.

"Um, okay then..." Natasha said warily, sitting down next to him. "Are you alright? And what do you mean by mutt?"

She had guessed.

"Oh.... i'm a werewolf... not like thats hard to tell i guess ha ha... And yea... im just.... weird... i guess, after... well... after i change. My head will sort itself out eventually though..."

Sam thought he give a try at being funny. "Well thats three things you know about me now: my name, my species and that im a nut case ha ha. What about you?"

"Hmmm..." Natasha said. "Isn't there a potion to stop people from becoming a menacing werewolf or something? Okay...three things..." She grinned. "You know my name, and now I shall tell you two other things. My favorite color's blue, and I'm planning on trying out for the groundskeeper place in Hogwarts."

"I'm not sure if there is or not. I have potions that weaken the wolf when i turn, and my sister is trying to develop a once-and-for-all cure, with little success. And i'm hardly menacing ha ha. According to my friend im too fluffy to be menacing."

Sam smiled at Tasha. "I like the colour blue too. And Groundskeeper? I've always thought i was more suited to a position like that than Caretaker ha ha. Are there no professor positions available? I think you're too pretty to have to do a labourous job like that. You could have had a lot of students with crushes on you. But i hope you get it anyway, im sure you'd do a fine job. And i'll always be wandering about if you ever need a hand or anything."

Jamie sighed a little as he poured himself another glass of firewhiskey, holding it up to the light in front of him,

"I'm quitting this because it's the devil's water." he downed the drink and shook his head as it rushed down his throat, "I'm quitting because I want to be able to look in the mirror and see a good man. I'm trying my best to be a better man."

He looked down sadly at the empty glass, rolling it around with a finger,

"My name is Jamie Curtail." he looked up at his 'friends', "My favourite colour is white, my favourite type of tree is a willow, my favourite flower is a white rose, my favourite muggle TV show is Doctor Who, especially the ninth doctor, and my mother and father are haunting my house for the singular purpose of telling me that they're not proud of me. My job includes travelling to find rare and expensive books to sell to private collectors. Hi."

The 'good man' speech. Sam had heard that before from Cobalt he was sure. But hey, if people wanted to try to better themselves and be good people, Sam was hardly going to begrudge that.

"That was quite the introduction. I i bet i can guess why you like willow trees" Sam winked. "How's she been by the way coz i had the weirdest dream about her you know ha ha. And oh dear, im sorry about your parents dude, but hey, my family doesnt exactly hold me on a gold pedestal either. Ha, my job just involves mopping floors ha ha. How the other half live eh?"

There was more to Jamie's role than just collecting books to auction Sam was sure. There was an air about him that made Sam feel uneasy, like a pair of shadowed hands were surrounding him. According to his uncle, shadow hands reaching out to grab you was not a good sign; bad luck; the occult trying to harm you, or some such thing like that.

"No-one fancies a bit of pie then?" Sam laughed, putting it away. He hoped he looked a little more awake and less dead and ill now.

Jamie waved a hand casually,

"I'm sure I should probably over-react about you being able to see private conversations by way of dreams and visions but to be honest I don't really mind." he turned to howl and his eyes flashed gold briefly, "It's not a threat to me... but you guessed correctly! That is indeed why I like willow trees. Except the weeping kind. And the whomping kind. I had a run in with that last kind when I was in school. Worst. Dare. Ever."

He chuckled a little,

"I'm hoping to catch breakfast with Willow so I'm not eating tonight." he shrugged a little, "Hoping it'll help me get drunker, faster, so that I can actually sleep more than two hours tonight. Here's hoping."

"It wasnt a conversation, i just envisioned Willow as an angel, suddenly being caressed by flames which turned her wings into something devilish but her heart and soul were still the same. It was weird. I wonder what it means. But i could see Willow as an angel really, she's a lovely person, you dont find many people as pure hearted and innocent as her." Sam laughed a little at Jamie's story.

"Yea, i take the long way to avoid that bloody tree ha ha, and we've all done stupid dares in our time ha ha" The scar on Sam's armpit suddenly throbbed slightly. Yea... trying to annoy an old guy for taking your football and then slipping on his wall and landing on the spiked fence... not the best way to spend an afternoon.

"Not eating just to get drunk? I'm not sure greeting Willow tomorrow morning with a hangover is the best thing to do." Sam shook his head.
"Dude, if you're having trouble sleeping, i do have this potion. I have to take it coz i have bad nightmares sometimes that mean i can lose up to 5 days of sleep. I've got spares if you want them. I havnt needed them over the past few days because iv been sleeping much better."

Sam smiled to himself, remembering how happy it made him feel waking up to see Crystella's face beside him each morning. His dreams had been of the people he knew finding some shred of happiness for themselves. The only nightmares he had was of Kerew trying to kill him and Crystella. They were so vivid that at times he felt like they were really happening. This wasnt another weird level to his sense thing was it?

Jamie chuckled a little and his eyes flashed the same strange gold colour,

"It means you've seen entirely too much Mr Howlin." he smirked and relaxed in his seat, "But nowhere near enough to understand the context. That's a good thing I assure you."

He smiled a little,

"Oh I did the worst dares with my Brothers." he mused with a wistful smile, "I jumped into the lake to moon merepeople. Danced with the whomping willow, it was suppost to be a tango but it wouldn't let me lead. Oh and I sang the YMCA to the centaur herd in the forest. Got a few of them to join in too."

Jamie waved it off,

"I'll take a potion in the morning." he dismissed the concern. He shook his head a little and refilled his glass, "It's a punishment Mr Howlin. I don't sleep more than three hours a night anymore. Doesn't stop me from trying though, even though I know full-well it's futile."

"I cant control what i see in my dreams im afraid. And true, i dont know the context, but i just have an inkling that the flames were you. Fmeh, its probably just becuase you two are pretty close; practically together i guess. I hope you look after her."

"Oh im sure the merepeople were thrilled!" Sam laughed jokingly.
He and his sister never really did dares other than 'i dare you to tell dad blah blah'. Kerew's dares usually got a bit out of hand, from petty theft to break ins to jumping off of bridges into rivers. Sam had pretty much wore bruises like medals every day of his life.
"Ha, the whomping willow's more of a boxer than a dancer, like a reverse Billy Elliot ha ha. And i'd have love to see centuars do that ha ha. The only centaurs i've encounted threaten to skewer me ha ha"

"The potion won't be much good to you in the morning. It knocks you clean out the second you swallow it, and you dont wake up for at least 5 hours unless your body goes into shock or something. Me, i've slept through storms, traffic noises, screaming, the lot, but i usually bolt up awake if im having a panic attack. And why would someone punish you with sleep deprivation?" Sam was rather curious about Jamie now.
He laughed slightly with a huff. "Please dont title or last name me, none of us in my family go by those titles, first name basis usually. We even respond to insults or no form of address at all ha ha"

"I'll do my best to look out for her." he promised while slowly rolling his right sleeve up to show Samuel the living tattoo of twisted black lines, arranged in some places to look like flickering flames, "I am the fire."

Jamie pouted indignantly,

"Hey! I had a nice ass back then, they should have been happy!" he smirked a little before shrugging, "The Whomping Willow wasn't a very good dancer. But the centaurs... I got some of them drunk and they make excellent dancers."

"I was talking about a sobering potion." he replied with a smile, "I'm sure your potion is very good but it won't work on me for more than three hours. I've been hit by a stunner everytime I woke up and no matter how many times and no matter how much power was used, I never stayed down after I'd had my three hours sleep."

"Mr Howlin... Mr Howlin.... Mr Howlin..." he teased before shrugging, "Samuel it is then. Or Fluffy. Can I call you Fluffy?"

"Good." Sam said sternly. He had been worried about Willow from the moment he had met her. Sam blinked in shock at the tattoo on Jamie's arm; he had never seen anything like that before. "Wow, that was a good guess on my part then..."

"Ha ha, i' rather not have to think about your ass if thats alright!" Sam laughed. "Really...? I dont really have an answer to that one. Well, do you at least have a peaceful 3 hours sleep? My sister made this when my uncle lost his wife and couldnt bare to close his eyes. He was delierious with sleep loss but she whipped that together and he's slept like a baby ever since; and after the things he bares on his conscience, thats not an easy task. Take it anyway and see if it helps, if it doesnt, im sorry."

Sam smirked and jokingly put his middle finger up at Jamie. "Oh please, even Samuel sounds too formal. Just Sam is fine. If you really wanna be adventurous or think of us as friends, you can call me Sammy boy. You can call me Fluffy if you want, but i wont like you for it" Sam laughed. "Feel free to call me anything but mutt-face or wolfy becuase..." Sam shuddered darkly. "I get called that by someone im not on good terms with so they annoy me just a tad. Its a shame i couldnt think of a nickname to annoy you with" Sam joked. "The only one i can think of sounds fairly cool and robbed off something: 'DarkFire'. Or Jammy-Dodger ha ha."

"You're guess was right..." he smiled a little, sadly, as he took another drink of fire-whiskey, "In ways you can't possibly understand."

Jamie smirked,

"Secretly you're thinking about my ass." he stuck his tongue out, "Pervert."

"It's three hours sleep Samuel. No matter how peaceful it is, it's only three hours sleep." he shrugged a little, "But the strange thing is I don't miss the hours of sleep I used to get. It's like I don't need them."

Jamie smirked a little,

"If I let you call me Jimmy..." he grinned, "Will you let me call you fluffy?"

Sam wouldnt way Jamie was so sad. What wa sit about this mans life that must have been hard for him? Why would Sam envision him as fire...? He felt like there wa sa darker side to Jamie that he wasnt aware of, but the guy seemed descent in person. Sam thought he could be made to understand, but thought it best to leave the subject for now and try to make the mood lighter for now.

Sam threw his hand sup in the air mockingly and spoke in a joke fashion "Oh! Well you got me! I cant help my lecherous ways! Ha ha"

"Bummer... so i cant help you with your insomnia dude. Well i guess 3 hours sleep is better than no sleep. Me, i couldnt function without sleep, i could sleep for months on end" Sam hope dhe didnt sound a douche as if he was sayin 'ha i can sleep and you cant' type thing.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked back at Jamie. "Jimmy huh? Hmmm... could i get away with Jimbo...?" He had a devilish smile of his face. He put his hand out to seal the deal. "Sure" He laughed. "Go ahead and call me Fluffy, or whatever you want, i dont mind ha ha. This'll give Cryssie a right laugh later."

Jamie stuck his tongue out,

"Everyone's a pervert Fluffy." he winked, "Some people just embrace it more than others. Sadly I am definately a pervert. I hope Willow knows what she's let herself in for."

He waved it off with a grin,

"No worries Fluffy." he shrugged, "I don't suffer from it really so it's no concern to me."

He frowned a little, in thought, before nodding,

"Jimbo is acceptable Fluffy." he agreed before raising an eyebrow, "Cryssie? Your wife or something?"

"Oh dear!" Sam laughed. "And hey, i hope you tone it down for her though"

"Ha ha, Jimbo and Fluffy, what a pair eh?" Sam laughed again.

Sam smiled warmly; it always warmed his heart to talk about Crystella.

"Cryssie is in essence, my heart and soul, my world, my strength and reason, my dreams and wishes. She's my best friend and fiance; everything that i love a cherish in this world."

He pulled a picture out from his wallet of her and showed it to Jamie. "Thats my Cryssie." He smiled. "Its amazing how happy we've been together. I hope you and Willow can be this happy someday Jimbo. We're hoping to go back to the muggle world and get married soon. We dont think we're gonna stay here for much longer. She's desperate to get away from here for a while."