*SHE'S A JACKRABBIT UNDERNEATH.

“God, it’s just…” He’s holding Dash in his arms, petting the puppy with gentle strokes over his ears and looking out past the lake with a reminiscent gaze. “It’s so close, you know. We’re so close to the end that it feels like there’s this inevitable cloud looming. Leaving this school, figuring it all out. Christ I still have a hard time remembering the proper ingridients for a fire-breathing potion, why would you want someone like me to be an adult.”

Shaking his head, Sturgis laid back on the grass, the puppy bolting from his arms to chase some gnome as Sturgis shut his eyes. “I want to play quidditch forever. I want to be able to soar through the clouds as a job, and not have to worry about menial things, but… Then I think about what I want in the future and I think about a family and things like that.” Shooting back up, he laughs. “It’s all right here in front of us. This weight that feels like it’s going to swallow me whole, it’s…. It’s wonderful and terrible at the same time….” Blinking, he relaxed into a slow grin. “And this… this is the part where you tell me to shut up and relax.”

“ shut up and relax, “ alecto parroted with a wide-eyed mockery of obedience. really, there were worse ways to pass a peaceful moment than just letting someone else wax poetic about their imminent adulting. better sturgis than the group of teary gryffindors she’d passed earlier --- when it had been too early in the party to even be properly drunk, damn it, those tears were just sloppy. alecto watched the dog run through the crowd for a second, pulling in a new sip of her drink through a straw ... thinking, really, on the points he made. 

she shrugged. “ or not, I guess. like, you should totally relax, but the shutting up is optional, as I learned how to tune you out years ago. “ alecto finally returned his grin with one of her own, letting her posture relax with the expression. “ but I mean, I feel you, about the quidditch thing. the only way I’d be able to do it after school is if, after I told my parents I wanted to, someone reanimated my corpse and set it on a broom. “

               ❝ come here, ❞ eliza started, looking to the person only a few feet away and nodding her head to the spot beside to her. she stood before a table, pouring two shots of firewhiskey in a pair of glasses before setting the bottle down and handing one of the small glasses to her new companion with a smirk- eyes tantalizingly challenging as she picked up her own. ❝ ready? ❞ 

           “ hell fucking yeah, I’m ready, “ alecto agreed. she clicked the rims of hers against eliza’s in a little baby toast ... before holding up her other hand. “ wait, I lied. we need to do this in sync, of course, and everyone does shots differently. are you a toast and then knock it back, or a toast then set it on the table and then knock it back, or do you forgo the toasting altogether? this is super important. “

“I have twenty galleons on it being a Gryffindor to be the first face down under a table.” A short pause followed, as Rodolphus scanned the crowd. He hadn’t seen Rabastan once, which was concerning. Where did that little fuck get to– “And no, that isn’t prejudice. Tell me I’m wrong, tell me that out of all the houses they don’t have the biggest drinking problems.“

“ please, “ alecto drawled. “ I wouldn’t call it prejudice, don’t get me wrong, but you can’t honestly think that’s the reason? “ she rolled her eyes, jostling an over-friendly shoulder against rodolphus as he seemed to concerned with people watching to pay attention to her, and their conversation. “ because I think every house has a drinking problem. gryffindor just can’t handle theirs. “

“Do you think it’s TOO late to switch houses?,” wondered Glenda as she chewed on a small piece of one of the many muffins in front of her, her fingers playing with the wrapper before she tore off another bite. “I want to be a damn Hufflepuff, share my common room with the people in charge of this food, ‘cause it’s fucking amazing, man.” 

“ yes, “ alecto said. not a moment’s hesitation in the word, though she did take a pause after it was already out --- head cocked and eyes far away, the whole nine yards of ruminative thinking. she shrugged, then, and refocused on glenda. “ honestly, ravenclaw’s the best anyway. just befriend a badger or two and get them to sneak you something when you need it. “

“Er… Hi?” Septima was a bit startled by the arm suddenly slung over her shoulder as if it had been done a million times before. She tried her best not to seem surprised or confused. Not that Alecto probably noticed- she looked a little too happy to care. “I mean, yeah, I guess. I’m not really a party person, but this is fun.”

alecto huffed a brief laugh, almost breathless and barely audible, at septima’s greeting. not that there was much that was funny about it, but she was in that sort of mood. “ hi! “ she returned the greeting, not caring if it made her earlier ‘hello’ repetitive. she gave the other girl’s arm a squeeze before she pulled fully away. “ right, though? I like the vibe this year. totally enjoyable by all. “

      olivia’s lips quirked in a sly smile, her hands still busy occupying themselves the the rather delicious cake as she made her way closer to the girl. “ call it an educated guess, ” she teased, stopping just in front of her friend to lean her hip against the table. the sound of drunken boys pushing each other ever so close to the edge of the waterfall was hardly a distraction for the slytherin as she watched alecto drink slowly from what she could only assume was certainly not apple juice. “ i might assume that apple juice and any of these treats would not be a good mix, though personally i’m not a fan of apple juice altogether. ” chewing on the last little piece of her little cake, olivia reached past alecto for a fresh cup at the other end of the table. “ now, my dear ‘lecto, would you mind sharing what it is you’re drinking? or are we keeping our valuables close to our chest tonight? ”

         “ a fine education, then, “ alecto conceded, tilting the opening of her cup so as to show olivia its’ contents --- which, while being remarkably similar to apple juice in color, certainly did not smell anything like apples. she eyed the treat in olivia’s hands, gaze dropping for a brief moment, before she tossed a wide and subtly shit-eating grin at the girl. “ because, yeah. as great a mixer apple juice might be --- seriously, don’t knock it ‘til you try it, we can’t all favor pumpkin liquid --- this is not that. “ she closed the statement with a cheerful clinking of her cup against olivia’s new one. they weren’t the sort to make any satisfying sound at the motion, but alecto was just gone enough to find it was the gesture that mattered. “ I’d be willing to share, of course, so long as you split that cake, hm? I’d call it pretty fair, as non-special goods seem to be dying out quickly. “

“Of course dear sister.” Amycus laughed a little, leaning his head on the woman’s shoulder. “You need to hurry and catch up on being drunk because I need you to be having more fun with me.” He encouraged, giving her a little squeeze.

“ yes, absolutely, you’re right, “ alecto agreed quickly, in the moment between giving her brother a nod and absolutely draining the cup in as little time as she could manage without dumping its contents on her face. “ what’s the fun in pacing yourself when everyone else is already gone? “

“ hello, septima, “  alecto drawled as she drew near her housemate. she had recently crossed over into tipsy territory, thankful somewhere in the back of her mind that she could feel the alcohol she’d poured into her system, now. her movements were loose and happy, and she didn’t think twice about slinging an arm around the other witch’s shoulder as if it was something natural. “ tell me, tell me honestly, are you having a good time? “

Amycus grinned wide who he saw his sister, shining an arm around her and giving her a squeeze. “Really? Well I think you just need another drink then!” he said with a bright grin, handing her his own cup, which was his sixth that night already. 

“ I do need another drink, thank you so much for noticing. “  alecto’s words had the hint of a laugh woven into them --- she would never turn down the opportunity to get a new cup without any work, and she would never turn down the chance to keep her brother upright, if not, well, sober.  “ I wouldn’t be any fun if I let you spin alone. “

Amycus definitely felt better standing to the side and observing while getting quietly drunk but tonight there was something a little stronger in the drinks and so he decided that he wanted to talk to people. “Hey! How you doing? Is the room spinning or is it just me?”

alecto made sure to knock her shoulder into amycus’ when she approached him, the gentle push a greeting to let him know who it was. she had not expected that kind of reaction --- spinning, and talking. so alecto downed her current cup, not ready or willing to be the sober twin, and bumped their shoulders again. “ it’s definitely not spinning for me, though not for lack of trying. “

with a biscuit in each hand to munch on, amelia’s eyes were glued to a game of beer pong taking place. one side was particularly worse than the other, though she imagined–or as a chaser, she hoped–it must’ve been due to their intake amount. it was the only explanation considering, well, how badly they sucked. she shook her head. “they’re bloody terrible, what kind of alcohol have potter and mckinnon provided?” she asked the nearest person without taking her eyes off the game.

VULNERA SANENTUR: character song playlist

          olivia had been watching the treats table for quite some time. she’d overheard someone say that some of the baked goods were packing an extra punch, but she hadn’t been so stupid as to try and find out for herself. instead, she stood with her back leaning against the damp wall of the cave, a strand of hair twirling around her finger as she watched some moron go in for their fifth special brownie. they hardly looked like they even knew what planet earth was anymore. it was rather pathetic. pushing off the rock, she made her way towards the table, lithe fingers hovering over the assortment of food before picking a simple cake to nibble on. shooting a quick glance to the student next to her, she allowed a small scoff to fall past her lips. “ if you’re contemplating whether you should have a chocolate brownie or a special brownie, i can tell you now the ‘ special ingredient ’ won’t go too well with that cup in your hand. ”

“Uh, actually, these are all for me,” Jess said, as if she wasn’t holding multiple drinks. “I earned them.” That wasn’t expressly true, of course—-she hadn’t really earned them, unless one subscribed to the idea that her existence was enough to earn them, which Jess, in fact, did—-but Jess hardly thought that was relevant.

alecto eyed the platter of drinks, a flick of a glance before she returned her focus on jess. she didn’t bother to count them; the beauty of the party, she’d found, was that even if jess wasn’t willing to share the drinks, someone would give alecto their glass. when she made her argument, it was with more amusement than heat --- “ so, are you saying I haven’t? “

           “ hello, Miriam, “ alecto greeted, the words a play in easiness marred by a backbone too stiff. she slid into a seat across from the other all the same, the smile on her face softer than she’d normally allow for it to be --- a tiny consolation for alecto’s harder opening lines. it seemed fitting for a morning, and anyway, she’d yet to take even a sip of her coffee. she could manage some niceties for miriam. “ it seems we’ve yet to run into each other since the start of term. how have you been? “

       tearing at another piece of the buttery pastry, olivia vaguely registered when someone tried to speak to her, but she was far too invested in her croissant to pay attention. at the lilt of their voice indicating they had posed her a question, she hummed quietly as a sign that she was ‘ listening ’, sparing them half a glance as the popped the bite into her mouth. “ what was that? ”

        alecto allowed her lips to curve into a sly version of an encouraging smile, mouth tugging sideways as her eyebrows lifted in an indication in olivia’s direction. she crossed her arms at the table, taking her time to resettle before speaking. “ something probably boring about the next dueling club meeting. clearly, I should have asked where I could find my own croissant. “