alura lestrange

maddison furrowed her brows at the sight of alura—hiding? sure, but it didn’t stop her grin. “what are you doing?” she said, laughing slightly. “if you wanted to snog, you could’ve just asked me. i didn’t take you for an objectophiliac.” with an arm perched on the table, maddison rested her cheek against her hand as she watched the other. she was bored—and with most of her school work finished for the day, she wanted to play. “the former, more like. i’m looking to be entertained,” maddison nodded at the book. “are you going to tell me what’s in that book that you were about to make out with if i hadn’t interrupted?” 

“What does it look like I’m -” Alura paused mid sentence, mouth open, Maddison’s words stopping her in her tracks. “What?” She asked finally, making a face at her. She had to be kidding - but people didn’t usually kid with Alura. It didn’t historically go over well. She hadn’t grown up with jokes and teasing, she usually answered it all wrong. Frowning, Alura glared at her, tempted to reach out and knock the hand out from under her cheek. “You’ll just have to wait ‘til next year and find out, won’t you?” She replied, pulling the book closer to her body as she turned to look at the other girl more fully. “If you’re looking to be entertained, you’re looking in the wrong place.”

there’s a sense of surprise in the air, and for a brief, mortifying moment, artemis thinks the comment wasn’t directed at her - wasn’t directed at anyone. she’s about to bow her head and flee across the room when the young woman smiles. “it’s pretty crazy, the kinds of things you get to see even when you’re a bit of an outsider. i think i might just be good at going unnoticed - or they know better than to try to stop me.” then she snorts - the girl’s right, of course, about the flashiness of seekers and their gear. but she’s got a rebuttal - she always does. “beaters don’t need the fancy equipment to make an impact. good enough on talent alone - if you’re gonna knock someone off their broom, you don’t always need to be quick. don’t even need to be big. a good beater’d be able to figure out how to snap a twig like that in two.” she grins.

then she nods at the girl. “yeah. beater, with the harpies academy. used to be at ilvermorny. i’m guessing you’re in one of those hogwarts teams?”

“Either way, it’s not a bad position to be in.” Alura shrugged slightly, knowing the feeling. Except it was one that brought her comfort, she liked sticking to the shadows - when others eyes slid over her like they didn’t even see her. It was usually easier that way.  Alura was unable to help it as she straightened her spine proudly at her words -she was right. Beaters didn’t need fancy equipment to do well. They were simply good. At least, she was. But whether that was pure talent or pent up rage she wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter much, as long as the outcome was favorable. 

“Mmm.” She nodded at the question, leaning on the edge of the display with a light sigh as she appraised the other woman with a calculating eye. “Ravenclaw. Beater for me, too. Apparently I’ve got a lot of pent up agression.” She drawled the last words, throwing up air quotes as she rolled her eyes.

Once she had a decent buzz going, Alura pushed off her spot against the back wall, winding her way through the people and plopping herself down on the couch next to Audrey - the one person besides her sister she had caught sight of that didn’t make her want to retire early to her bed upstairs. “Kill me now. Please.” She sighed, rolling her eyes and dropping her head back against the cushions. “You’d be doing me a kindness.”

“My sister. In every way you can imagine.”

Alura hesitated, licking her lips. “You know, the Lestrange mansion has a family of cats that lurk the halls. We’re meant to keep one as a pet, it’s a little family tradition.” A smirk played along the edge of her mouth. “But I’m really more of a dog person.” 

“Yes. If there were no consequences, and I could turn him in, I would in a heartbeat. Anything to be rid of the man.”

when:  17 february, 2024 where:  hogsmeade village who:  open

     hogsmeade visits used to be a major highlight for louis.  he had trouble taking time to relax and chill out, and those trips were like a very polite way of kicking him out of the common room and into the sunlight, away from the textbooks and the parchment.  but it was different now.  everything this year was different.  the illicit butterbeer didn’t taste as good, the cauldron cakes weighed heavily in his coat pocket, and even outside of the castle, louis felt the need to constantly look over his shoulder.  “i can’t get over the feeling that this is a trap,”  he finally admitted quietly.  as he opened a chocolate frog  ( another bertie bott card )  and took a bite, he elaborated:  “like, we’re gonna go back up to the castle and fun is going to be outlawed.”

Alura looked around, not sure that he was actually talking to her. But there was no one else within earshot, so she figured he had to be. “You say that like there’s so much fun to be had.” She replied sardonically, turning slightly to face him more fully, raising her eyebrow. He was one of the Weasleys - she supposed the castle was a much different place for him than it was for her. “Even so, if that was the case, might as well enjoy it while we can.”

Fenna already felt the buzz of alcohol in her body — she felt like she was slightly humming, and she embraced it fully. It was better than the tension she seemed to feel at all times those days, and with a hangover potion already waiting on her bedside table, she had no plans of holding back tonight. That was as long as her hands would cooperate. Fenna stood with a beer bottle in her hand, trying to get rid off the cap by pushing it against the edge of a table. She seemed to lack the strength, though, or the technique, and frustration washed over her face. The bottle ended up on the table, still closed, and she looked around for a moment before — “Hey, you! Do you have a beer opener? Or a lighter? Or, like, the strange skill to open beer bottles with your teeth or bellybutton, like those freaks on the internet?”

People watching was the only good thing about these parties, she was convinced. Alura had retreated to the second most comfortable armchair in the dorm early on - the one in the corner, half hidden in the shadows - with a bottle she’d nicked from the cooler. Currently, her attention was on the small hufflepuff girl. Usually she’d simply watch as she struggled, but she was feeling generous tonight - whether it was the win or the alcohol she couldn’t tell - and so she pushed herself up and made her way lazily toward her. “I don’t.” She said with a sigh, but held her hand out anyway. “But I don’t need one.” Alura grinned wickedly, and in one fluid motion hooked her family ring under the edge of the cap and wrenched it free. “Don’t say I never help anyone.” She finished sarcastically as she handed it back.

Although they weren’t offended in the slightest, that didn’t stop the soft gasp that Anthea let out, pressing a hand over their heart. “I’m cut, Alura. I cannot believe that you would say something like that. What textbook could possibly be more interesting than me? Although I’m glad it’s not Care of Magical Creatures.” Their nose wrinkled in distaste; though they weren’t above getting a little dirty in the right circumstances, animals had never been very interesting or appealing to them.

“You are not.” She countered, rolling her eyes at their dramatics as she tapped her fingers restlessly against the back cover. “Magical creatures are fascinating.” Alura argued, her brow furrowing as the obvious distaste on Anthea’s features. Everything new that she learned was riveting to Alura. Well, mostly everything. And if not riveting, she was certain it would be useful in the future, at some point. The more you knew, the more you were prepared for, and that was no small advantage in her life. “It’s the practical aspects that I take objection to.” A small pout formed across her face. “I got mud caked all over my favorite boots last class.”

“longer than the amount of time you’ve spent down there scrambling for your things?” cress crossed his arms, “i think not.”

he jabbed his wand into the air wordlessly and all her things rose off the ground before neatly stacking themselves atop one another. they lowered themself into his arms gracefully and he grinned, “it’s the morning, lestrange. and, as much i appreciate your attitude normally, this is the one time i have good news and i’m going to ask you to not put a damper on my day.”

“Shove off.” Alura sent him a glare, reaching for her things as if to snatch them out of the air as they floated past her and up to him, but the movement nearly knocked her completely onto the floor because of the way she was squatting and she glowered before pushing herself back to her feet properly and dusting off her robes. She held her hand out before her, wanting her things back. 

“Exactly. It’s early. And you are way too giddy for me to pretend I don’t really hate you, so please tell me there’s something I can say to you that will stop you from forcing your annoyingly good mood on me.”

artemis likes diagon alley. she never had anything like that, in her childhood. there was nowhere she belonged, nowhere she was normal. at home, she was the witch. at school, she was the kid with no-maj family. but in diagon alley, she just blends in. and more than that, she she needs a new broom care kit.she tends to her broom like it’s the most important thing in her life, like it’s her best friend - which, really, it sort of is. so she goes through oils and tweezers like they’re nothing else: she wears gloves until they fray and uses bats until they splinter in her grip. so she spends ungodly amounts of money on new gear, but still, it makes her happy.

she turns to the speaker, smiling just a bit, and she nods. “yeah, it’s gorgeous. and it’s just as fast - if not faster. they ran some trials near where i train - it was insane, honestly, how fast that thing goes. a seeker on that… unstoppable, just about, i think.”

Alura hadn’t really expected the woman to answer her - most people didn’t. She wasn’t sure if it was because they knew who she was, or maybe unconsciously they knew what she was. Or maybe, it was what her sister had been telling her for years and she just had an unrivaled case of resting bitch face. But whatever the reason, she was used to being ignored. She couldn’t help the small grin that formed on her face, mirroring her company. “Merlin, I wish I could have been there for that.” She sighed wistfully, marveling over it some more before a slight frown creased her forehead. “It’s always the seekers that get the cool shit. Just think - stick a beater on that broom -” Sure, her argument was self indulgent and just a tad ridiculous - “And your team will never get hit by a stray bludger again.” 

She turned slightly, the rest of her words finally registering. “You play?” It would make sense, as they were in a quidditch supply store, but it was never a guarantee.

Anthea had always been proud of their ability to make friends with almost anyone. They had certain people who they were more careful about their friendships with, of course - and Gemma and the rest always were the most important. After all, the de Silva family needed to succeed and Anthea’s friendships could be very important in that. But Alura Lestrange was one of those people who were also a very good connection, as well as being someone Anthea genuinely liked. They laughed lightly at the comment, pouting even though Alura wasn’t looking at them. “I am simply trying to say hello to a friend. I cannot possibly think a textbook is more interesting than me.”

“A friend?” She sneered, finally looking up as she continued to talk. “I don’t have - oh.” Alura had been too engrossed in her work to recognize their voice, an oversight on her behalf, and she blinked twice before nodding and sitting up straighter. She marked her page with her homework before gently closing the cover of her textbook with a sigh, angling herself more toward Anthea. “Depends on the textbook, to be completely honest.” She shrugged, fighting a smirk. “But since it’s Care of Magical Creatures, I’ll agree this time.”

"Fuck." Alura grumbled, sighing heavily before lowering herself down to retrieve the books that had tumbled from her hands as an overzealous first year bounded past. "It's fine, I'll get it. No worries over here." She murmured to herself, wondering not for the first time that morning if anyone would really notice if she just went back to bed. A pair of feet stopped not too far from her and she glanced up, squinting against the light that shone from the window behind him. "Take a picture, Lee. It'll last longer."

Meandering through the small aisles, she hummed quietly to herself. This was one place she felt purely happy - safe, at home, like nothing could touch her. Anything to do with Quidditch had the same effect, really. It was why she had fought her father when he’d tried to tell her to quit the team and focus on what really mattered. What mattered to him, anyway. Shaking her head of the thoughts, she trailed her fingers along the rickety shelves, turning a corner and pausing in her steps as she took in the sight of the newest broom. It was beautiful. 

She came to stand next to the only other person in the shop, also looking at the new model. “Damn fine broom.” Alura commented with a low, reverent whistle. “D’you think it’s really as fast as they say?”

Trying to ignore whoever it was that had sidled up next to where she was sitting, she lowered her head slightly further over her book with a frustrated sigh as she restarted her paragraph for the umpteenth time. She had been struggling to concentrate as it were, the letter from her father tucked neatly between the pages near the back of her textbook. But she was definitely not thinking about that, either. “Did you need something?” She asked, tone clipped and annoyed without even seeing the person that was standing so close to her. It didn’t matter - unless it was her sister, and it wasn’t her sister - she didn’t want to deal with them. “Or are you simply trying to push the rules of social propriety?”

who: lysander & open where: the astronomy tour when: midnight, february 12th, 2024

It was technically against the rules for Lysander to be out, but sleep wouldn’t take him and he needed a distraction from the raucous of the Slytherin dorms. Star-gazing was calming, like the cool air that surrounded the tower. He’d feel closer to his mom too, afterwords. With everything that had happened, all the information running around - bits and pieces from friends and others, he needed the connection. It wasn’t like he could owl her and ask for forgiveness for something he’d rather never talk to her about. So instead he watched the sky, writing a few thoughts down intermittently.  

Lost in the slow swirl of the nights constellations, Ly barely heard the footsteps approach. “You caught me,” he said calmly, eyes flitting towards the other. “Of course, I’ve simply lost track of time and it’s become late. I didn’t even know it was after curfew, really.” A lie, of course, sickly sweet and dripping with falsity. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last either. “So what do I owe the displeasure of your presence?” 

Alura had thought that surely she’d snuck up unheard - although she had also been certain that the tower would have been empty at this time of night. It usually was, when she needed the space. But this time she found she had company in the form of Lysander Scamander. She crossed her arms, leaning on the frame of the door that she’d just come through, looking at him plainly as he explained himself. “Save it, Scamander. I don’t actually care.” 

Kicking off the wall, she passed by him with a light sigh, leaning on the wall and looking out over the grounds, eyes trailing the line of trees where the forest started. “Just needed some fresh air.” She shrugged, her answer vague and evasive. “My feet brought me here. That a problem?”