An active, character-driven Hogwarts experience set in the early 2000s. Unique items, plots, and features. Non-canon; this isn't Harry Potter's story, it's ours.
Post by Amara Seabrook on Mar 29, 2019 1:18:01 GMT 10
Amara's attention went to Lucas. Her eyes widened in shock, as he reacted in a way that was most unexpected of him. She instinctively inched forward when he lunged towards the edge, though mentally berated herself for it. What did she care if he went over too? Lucas tried to help Bane and she didn't understand why.
She eyed the Hufflepuff again when he was thrown near her feet – where he belonged, she thought. The idiot seemed just as unremarkable as ever, so she eyed Lucas instead. What was that about?
Lucas and Lailee were quiet. Amara might have given that further thought had she not been so focused on Bane, waiting to see how he reacted once he pulled himself together. She rolled her eyes at his laughter, but wasn't fooled. She'd seen her cousin Oliver do the same thing, after he was smacked over the head with a beater's bat. No, not hers. No one would let her own her own Quidditch bat, for whatever reason.
Bane remained on the bridge floor, clearly ready to retaliate in whatever way he would. Amara wasn't expected to be impressed, but his words cut deep and sharp into her composure. She was vaguely aware of Lailee's movement, not that mattered – a snake could strike faster than most could react.
And Amara did exactly that.
The words stung, burned, and tore through her. Amara snarled an animalistic sound, one that instilled fear even in those who weren't the target. Her wand in hand, she lunged - properly pounced at Bane. She couldn't think or see clearly, so her wand tip was at his throat before even she'd realised. Her eyes bore into his, primal and enraged that he'd dare say such a thing. Her shaking hand gripped the wand tight, but in desperate restraint. Murdering someone with her own wand was not wise; it could be traced. It was strange, the kind of memorable lessons her mother had bothered to instil.
'You don't know what you're talking about.' Amara's voice was low, her tone thick and beyond a definable emotion.
Her stormy gaze was so close to his. His eyes were brown, she noticed. She eyed his throat, having used her weight and knee to keep him against the bridge so he couldn't just shove her away. Her wand at his throat, tight and no doubt painful already, made it clear she was in control.
'You've no idea...' Unnaturally and against her own will, Amara's voice wavered. Bane didn't know her enough to decipher it as anything more than another layer of deadly anger, but Lailee would know. 'Don't you dare, ever, think you know anything,' she screamed, hand shaking and making it harder for him to breathe with the wand's tip jabbing him.
One flick of her wrist, and he could be dead for real.
Amara narrowed her eyes, considering which spell to use. The rage simmered and burned – her father would be proud in this moment, perhaps. That vile, violent man who broke her and owned her. She was just like him, wasn't she? That was the truth of it all that she hated the most. No matter what he did, the pain he'd inflicted...She'd learned well.
The question was how far she would go in her rage at Bane for mentioning that man – for reminding her she was still broken. Amara had to decide his fate before her own pain decided for her.
[OOC: Already been mentioned, but just wanted to add that yup - all this was still discussed and planned among us. Amara be nasty.]
Post by Lucas Mardling on Mar 29, 2019 1:23:09 GMT 10
While still in shock and processing what just happened and could have happened, Lucas was aware of the situation escalating fast. Normally, that would be his cue to leave. This was different. On one hand, house loyalty wasn't a complete sham, even to him – but on another, he knew as well as Lailee that Amara's father was a big NO of a subject matter. The situation had turned dangerous.
'Amara.' Lucas didn't know why he bothered, having made no physical effort to stop her. She attacked Bane, pinning him with her wand at his throat, and he wasn't the idiot to even consider getting in the way.
He had a choice to make. Lailee probably knew how to handle this a lot better than he did, yet the change in Amara's voice and the way she'd reacted...Suddenly, a lot of things made sense. Lucas froze for a moment, eyeing her and the risk involved – then looking at Bane, who didn't stand a chance if someone didn't intervene. Lailee could and should do it, but Lucas wasn't thinking about the Hufflepuff this time.
All he saw was Amara.
'Is this who you are?' Lucas frowned at her. 'A murderer? You pushed him off the bridge, but did you know it wouldn't kill him? Would it have mattered? Are you really going to do this, right now on a whim?' He crouched by her – out of harm's reach, of course. He wasn't that stupid, though to hex him she'd have to remove the wand from Bane's throat. Lucas was actually rather fine with that not happening, as a matter of fact.
'Amara. Hey, look at me,' Lucas winced and muttered a prayer, then reached to place a hand on her forearm that gripped the wand. He could grab her if she swerved to aim it. 'Frankly, Bane lives up to his name and he's a little shi-well, he's annoying, like me. More than me, actually. At least I have amazing hair and a shred of common sense. My point is – it he really worth it? Right now, you're in control. We know it and he knows it. If he's stupid enough to ever do something like this again, by all means, kill him. But not today. We have to better than them, Amara.'
Either unaware or ignoring his rare slip up, which Lucas would adamantly deny meant anything, he took another bracing breath and placed his hand over hers to steady it. No use trying to talk her down from murder if she suffocated the guy while deciding.
'Bane didn't hurt you. He made a stupid comment without knowing better. I don't care if you spare him, but spare yourself – don't do this.'
Running out of anything that could pass as useful advice, he glanced desperately at Lailee for help. She knew Amara and probably had a more practical way of handling this. He blinked, refusing to get emotional himself -quickly looking away in case Lailee saw something deeper in his gaze.
He'd never seen Amara at the edge like this, always ensuring he was far enough away the moment things led to chaos. Something shifted in that moment, having seen her lose it like that. He understood her more, but wished he didn't. It made not caring a whole lot harder.
In a last-ditch effort, Lucas lowered his voice to make sure Amara heard him clearly. 'Show mercy. Let him live this time.' They were close, him still holding her hand in hope to ground her in the moment than getting lost in her own head.
Post by Amara Seabrook on Mar 29, 2019 1:32:54 GMT 10
Amara stayed still, tense and angry, but listened to Lucas.
She relented her wand just enough that Bane could breath and move his head. He wasn't worth it, she knew that. The rage was too strong. She flinched when Lucas touched her, but his hand over hers reminded Amara to breathe. She caught his slip-up loud and clear, averting her eyes to his instead.
'And if I let him go?' She uttered, voice wavering and full of indecision. 'If he thinks he can use this against me again, to push his luck further?' Amara glared at Bane. 'Your silence, for your life?' she offered.
Except, it wasn't good enough. She had no outlet, nowhere for the pain and anger to go. Why should he get away unscathed? But Lucas' words settled her thoughts, broke through the fog. She had to be better. Her father was weak and pathetic. She would prove what real power was.
Slowly, she removed her wand and nodded, emotions coiling in her stomach as she hated doing so.
'Diffindo,' she hissed the incantation. Amara aimed her wand at Bane's arm – watching as his clothes tore and a thin, red mark showed on his skin. She'd been careful, though had no idea how. 'A warning,' she told him nastily. 'Speak of my father again, to my face or anyone, and I won't be so...Merciful.'
Amara jerked back, willing herself to scramble away from the Hufflepuff. She curled in on herself, wrapping arms around her knees as she shuddered. Her wand remained firm in hand, and tears shed as a reaction of being overwhelmed. It was quiet for a moment as everyone processed what just happened, and realised just how far she could go. It scared her too.
'Thanks,' she told Lucas. That was big, coming from her, but he needed to hear it. Pulling herself to her feet, though Amara swayed slightly as her heart continued to race and her head swarmed with re-repressed memories. She glanced at Lailee and made it clear they were done there.
'I've changed my mind about the expansive lawn. Let's skip it.' Without a glance back at anyone, Amara forcefully strode off towards the end of the bridge and beyond – headed for the dark forest.
The situation escalated quickly, as Lailee presumed it would. She had very little concern for the Hufflepuff, as far as she was concerned he deserved whatever Amara would do to him for his comments. She knew that if in Amara's position herself, she would have turned her wand on him as well, though not as violently.
Amara's voice wavered slightly and Lailee instantly felt a surge of protectiveness rise from deep within her--not towards Kieran, but towards Amara.
She moved to intervene, if not just to keep Amara from getting expelled or worse, but Lucas beat her to it. She hesitated for a moment, surprised that he had gotten himself involved in the middle of this. Where was his sense of self-preservation?
Surprisingly, just as she was prepared to say something to try and placate her angry friend, Lucas managed to do just that and Amara lowered her wand. Everyone was still for a moment, and Lailee had a million thoughts racing through her mind as she processed everything that had just taken place. She pushed all of those thoughts back, though, as Amara glanced in her direction.
With a meaningful glance towards Lucas, that she hoped he would understand since she wasn't even quite sure she understood the complex thoughts and emotions she was projecting, she rushed to catch up to Amara.
If Kier thought falling from the bridge was going to be the worst part of his day, he was once again proven wrong. Almost immediately after speaking the words he sensed the change in her and knew he had struck a bad nerve. The crazy chick had daddy issues, why wasn't that surprising? Perhaps if his mind hadn't been so frantic he might have guessed that and chosen a different insult, but... perhaps not. You have a death wish, Bane? Hell, maybe Lucas was right, he really did.
Kier's eyes widened as Seabrook suddenly lunged at him with a snarl that really did belong in a horror movie, giving him no time to react before he was pinned and once more in a bad situation. Being who he was; Kier quickly found himself mentally battling between rebellion for being at someone else's mercy, and cool acceptance that once again he just might die. The latter voice scared him probably about as much as Amara herself did at this point.
The moment he felt her wand dig into his throat, however, he froze completely and was forced to choke back the resulting laugh in fear of hurting himself. He could barely breathe, much less speak or give any further retort to make his position even worse. Her face was way too close to his already, and his mind suddenly found itself panicking that Seabrook, or even the other two for that matter, could now see the fear and rage in his eyes. For some reason the idea of them knowing he was scared stung even more than his throat did.
He closed his eyes and listened as Lucas seemed to try and talk her down, too scared to be insulted personally by his words. He didn't reply to her offer even though the pressure at his throat was gone. Bitterly, he knew he wasn't capable of telling anyone about this. He had built that wall long ago, and even he himself probably couldn't break it down now. Of course, that also came with the realization that if he did push his luck further... he'd be on his own. He made a perfect target and suddenly wanted nothing more than for Amara to never find out about that.
He stubbornly remained silent even as pain tore up his arm, though he was forced to bite into his lip to remain so, and simply let himself fall flat on his back. He could hear the other three for a moment before the girls seemed to leave, but he was too drained to even open his eyes and check to be sure. For now it took all of his concentration just to keep himself together. He could feel that he was both trembling slightly and bleeding, but couldn't be bothered to remedy either. Besides, he knew the cut wasn't life-threatening. It was just a warning. Of what, he didn't want to imagine.
Instead he turned his attention to Lucas without opening his eyes. "Shouldn't you be following your Queen?" If the boy was staying just to mock him, Kier was sure he might have just enough energy left to punch a pretty boy. Although he was glad Lucas technically saved him, he was well aware it had been for Amara's sake and not his. Therefore, Kier didn't feel like he owed Mardling anything.
Post by Lucas Mardling on Mar 29, 2019 3:03:20 GMT 10
Lucas released a long breath when Amara withdrew. She was clearly overwhelmed, but he glanced at Bane to make sure he was still breathing and not getting ready to say something stupid again. Lucas would gag him with his tie if he had to. It was all very stressful for Lucas, though he remained firm as he waited to see what happened next.
Lucas nodded as the girls directed their attention to him. He didn't know how to feel, other than relieved he'd survived. He groaned in disbelief when Bane spoke, this time to him and indeed without any regard for his own self-sabotage.
'Considered I just stuck my neck, and other valuable limbs, out for you - I suggest you shut up, mate.' Lucas crossed his arms, frowning angrily at the cause of the whole situation. He huffed and ran a hand through his hair. 'You okay?' he added carelessly, though there was a hint of genuine need of reassurance. He'd risked a hell of a lot for that Hufflepuff so he damn well better recover.
'And she's not my queen,' Lucas added bitterly. 'Slytherin's queen, perhaps. Not mine.' He looked out at the Scottish mountains, his mood conflicted against the bright sunshine of the afternoon. He was annoyed and a bit overwhelmed, so fell silent to process everything. He didn't completely turn his back on Bane though, still on edge and defensive.
"I'm not a-" Kier paused and opened his eyes slightly as he hastily re-thought those words before continuing. "I'm not totally oblivious, you did that cause you cared if she got in trouble, not cause of me. So don't even try using that against me." He paused, however, when Lucas asked if he was OK. He was equally unsure of the question himself and rather suspicious why Mardling would ask it in the first place. Apparently, kids his age were a lot more capable of the violence and other pain he had once only associated with adults, and Kier felt he couldn't quite predict what someone might do anymore. For all he knew Mardling could stab him the second he closed his eyes again. He kept them open.
"Just fine." It was a lie, but it would do. He was positive the other boy didn't really care and probably only asked it out of some instilled social obligation. Plus Kier was partly lying to himself to help keep his composure long enough to get somewhere quiet and alone. Where that was he had no idea, but he would damn well find it.
"Last time I checked, you're a Slytherin. So that does kinda make her your queen, too." He finally sat up as he spoke and blankly looked at his arm for a moment before averting his eyes and muttering under his breath. Already he was trying to think of a plan to hide it. The hardest part would probably be getting a new shirt... unless he simply added a few scratches and wrote it off as falling out of a tree. If she was going to cut me she could have at least made it jagged and not so obviously inflicted. "Just so we're clear... if any of you gossip about this, it will hurt her more then me." He didn't think they would talk about it, after all Amara would obviously risk expulsion, but you just never knew and he felt the need to say it in words. Just to be sure.
Post by Lucas Mardling on Mar 29, 2019 3:40:15 GMT 10
'Got in trouble?' Lucas turned sharply to stare incredulously at Bane. 'I don't give a bloody damn about detentions or if she gets kicked out of school, Bane. She was going to kill you - you do realise that, right? You know what, maybe I should have let her. I don't know what I was thinking.'
He waved a dismissive hand, putting some distance between them. Sure, his reputation of not caring was biting him in the arse now but Lucas was still bitter about it. He'd risked so much for Bane and that's the response he got? He wasn't going to outright lie that he hadn't done it for Amara's sake or even his own, but all the same - he won't be making a huge risk like that again, not for someone who was nothing more than a classmate.
Lucas ignored the Slytherin comment. He had nothing witty to retort with.
'Oh, don't worry, I'm not breathing a word of this.' Lucas scoffed. 'Not that it'd do any good. She hasn't been expelled yet, has she?. Do you think you're the only one who put his foot in his mouth and risked certain death in doing that? I hope you've learned your lesson. You're lucky to be alive right now. You're welcome, by the way.' He checked his hair again, then straightened his tie, needing something to occupy his hands.
Kier narrowed his eyes slightly at the reminder of his brush with death; not once, but twice. Yeah, he realized it, and it was getting increasingly harder to keep up his act the more he thought about it. "Maybe you should have." He added with his own bitterness as he shifted only to realize he was a lot more bruised than he had first thought. When had he even bruised his thigh? The whole scene was fuzzy in his mind and he couldn't remember exactly when it might have happened, but it was probably safe to assume it was when he was pinned. Boney she-dog. A whole lot of emotions were simmering under the surface just waiting to break forth, and it took a lot of effort not to break his composure and unleash them on the closest body.
"Would have saved you a lot of trouble, after all. I'm sure the teachers might have believed I had just wandered into the forbidden forest never to be seen again." He knew his words didn't quite match his normal carefree self, but he was half-hoping Mardling would write it off simply as stress. Given what had just happened he was pretty sure it was fairly normal to be bitter himself. Kier slowly got to his feet and leaned sorely against one of the beams of the bridge for a moment as he regarded Lucas. His mind was going to very dark places and he knew better than to add anything out loud. The true joke was on them, Kier was one-hundred percent sure if Amara had killed him his own parents would probably have thrown her a party.
Post by Lucas Mardling on Mar 29, 2019 22:41:51 GMT 10
Ignoring the comment, Lucas eyed Bane curiously. There was something different about him and it was interesting to see the Hufflepuff less cheery than he always was. No one was that happy all the time, so Lucas was already suspicious there was a lot more to Bane than it appeared. Yet he hadn't given it much thought until now.
'Oh, please, as if they would have believed you'd found trouble in the forest and not somehow set it on fire in the process.' He rolled his eyes. Though Lucas' tone was sassy and unimpressed, his expression remained serious and intrigued. He continued watching Bane, waiting for a slip-up - knowing people were often put more on the spot when stared at.
Kier wasn't a fan of the look he was getting from the other boy. It was the kind of look that made his skin crawl and put him on edge. Watching. Someone was always watching, weren't they? Normally it didn't faze him but right now it just made things harder than they already were. It took a decent amount of effort to keep himself relaxed and at ease, the need to lash out was brewing and Lucas made himself way too tempting.
"Why the staring?" Kier gave a smirk and cocked an eyebrow at Mardling, his head tilting to the side as he leveled the boy's look with his own. He may be rather beaten right now but that didn't mean he was willing to just back down or crawl away either, he was far too stubborn for that no matter how much he secretly wanted to. "If you're looking for a damn kiss, you'll have to buy me dinner first." He was hoping the switch of focus might distract Lucas but wasn't putting too much faith in it, instead, he desperately thought of a way out of this situation without losing any more face. He was really beginning to curse his stubbornness for turning this stupid interaction into a stand-off.
Last Edit: Mar 29, 2019 23:13:32 GMT 10 by Deleted
Post by Lucas Mardling on Mar 30, 2019 0:01:22 GMT 10
Lucas choked on a laugh, averting his eyes as he composed himself.
'Hardly. You think after one dinner you've earned the pleasure of kissing these lips?' He gestured to his handsome face. 'I have standards, you know.' Lucas kept his tone light, though had to crush a thought that right now he couldn't risk spending any of his savings on something as useless as a date. Even less so with a death-wish Hufflepuff.
Or a boy. Lucas blinked in surprise, remembering that was a thing people also used to determine if they were interested in someone. It seemed silly to him. If a boy looked as amazing as he did, he'd date them. Heck, he'd date himself if that were at all allowed. Who else could be so worthy? Though Amara was...No, that'd be pushing his luck to infinity. His mind had taken a weird turn, which was probably exactly what Bane was aiming for.
He let him have it for now. Lucas was growing bored of the bridge though. He normally just walked out of any situation that no longer served him a purpose, but hadn't yet considered what to do with his afternoon.
"Honestly, I'm just surprised they're not chapped from kissing your own reflection in the m-mirror." Kier blinked in surprise as he suddenly stuttered his last word. His shaking had gotten worse without him realizing it, and although he didn't think someone as self-absorbent as Lucas would notice, he was sure if he lingered any longer it would soon get much worse. For now, he would simply have to admit defeat and make a hasty retreat to solitude. After that... maybe his mind would be clear enough to consider what he planned to do next.
Without further teasing, Kier gave a shake of his head as if exasperated with the conversation and started toward the end of the bridge, taking special care not to seem as rushed as he felt. When he passed Lucas he spoke up without looking at him, "Oh ya, thanks for being a decent human being." before continuing on. The moment he was out of sight of the boy, however, he suddenly broke into a flat out run towards the whomping willow. It was probably the only place he knew would be deserted this time of day, and although that was due to the freakish attacking plant, he was beyond giving a damn about its dangers. Between facing the willow and facing another student... the decision was very easy to make.
Post by Lucas Mardling on Mar 30, 2019 16:55:28 GMT 10
Lucas watched Bane leave the bridge. He had a lot of thoughts rushing through his mind about that Hufflepuff, but there'd be time to consider it later. He had enough to process as it was. One thing he knew for sure though, is that there was a lot more than meets the eye with Bane.
He was intrigued - and it wouldn't do him any good to have the wrong impression about someone, as he needed to know their weaknesses and goals in order to take advantage of a situation when necessary. Always the scammer, Lucas supposed. There was nothing decent about him.
Now he was left with a free afternoon and no idea how to spend it. Lucas looked over at the view, taking it in and restoring some calm. He glanced towards the forest but thought better of it. He hadn't set one foot near it since first year and had no intention of changing that. He could go back to the library or track down Klaus, but say what?
Lucas was annoyed that he could achieve so much and had more charm than most, yes still found himself without friendly company. Not that he blamed anyone for not wanting to befriend him or trust him as far as they could throw...
With a huff, he shoved hands into his pockets and casually strolled along the bridge - headed back to the castle in search of some unsuspecting younger year to scam a few Galleons off of. At this rate, he's going to need to add therapy to his upcoming post-graduation expenses.
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