BLOOD DIAMONDS

“I thought it sounded familiar,” she said, laughing softly. “I don’t think it’s a very good joke. Someone ought to tell him. There’s too many moving pieces to the puzzle.” She shrugged, ready to let it go at Alecto’s dismissal. “I’m inclined to agree, really,” she said, a sly grin on her face for her best friend. “Especially after we’ve had a few.”

     “Believe me, I’ve told him,” she said, rolling her eyes. Andromeda’s comment made her laugh. “And that happens quite often. I think I have a wonderful sense of humor, though not many can say they’re amused by me. I can’t imagine why.”

He sighed as she spoke, feeling foolish for not having recognized her hold immediately.  She didn’t seem put out with him for it, and to be fair, he was feeling a little off-kilter today. As she ducked and twisted, rearranging herself around him, his arms came around her, and he softened, holding her close for a long moment. Of course he’d skip for her, with or without the whiskey. “Are you alright?” he asked, brushing her hair back behind her ear. He moved with her- well, technically, maneuvered the pair of them- out of the way of the sea of people in the corridor, and he leaned back, bring both hands up to frame her face as he looked down at her. “I’m all yours, Princess,” he promised. “What happened?”

     Alecto sunk into his hug, hardly caring that they were in the middle of the bustling corridor. It wasn’t anything unusual for them, and people knew better than to give funny looks at that point. Amycus moved them out of the rush and Alecto looked up at him when he grasped her face, her lips pressed together in a thin line. She’d mostly passed her point of sadness and was just angry, which she honestly preferred. “Mum and her fucking letters.” Alecto shook her head, taking his hands away from her face and holding them in her own. “She says she has a few ‘prospective suitors’ for me.”

He supposed he shouldn’t have expected Alecto to stay put as he slid down the wall to sit with her.  In fact, it was probably a positive sign to see her still acting somewhat like her usual self.  Otherwise, the entire exchange would have been extremely weird and out of place for them.  “Fair enough,” he said.  James shook his head at her next few statements, absentmindedly knocking his knuckles on the floor on either side of him before he spoke.  “I’m not that good of an actor.  I just… I know what you’re doing.  You’re pretending like nothing’s wrong, and you’re going to swallow whatever emotions you’re feeling because it’s easier than to actually feel them.  Or, Merlin forbid, talk about them.”  He shrugged, turning his gaze to the wall opposite them as his knuckles continued making a rhythm on the floor.  “I do it, too.  I don’t know what’s causing yours, but just…” He shrugged again.  “I know it gets lonely feeling like you’re carrying all this shit around with you.  Just thought you might want a listening ear from someone who’s not going to bullshit you.  And you can give me all the hell for it you want later.  In fact, I wouldn’t suspect any less.”

     “Thanks for the therapist speech, Potter,” she said with a scowl, glancing over at him before returning her gaze to the brick wall ahead. Alecto reached into her bag and pulled out the bottle of wine she’d been nursing, taking a swig straight from it. Part of her actually thought of offering it to him, but she didn’t. His being so nice to her was only making her more anxious, and she honestly wasn’t sure if that was his intent. It was difficult to fathom that he would put in effort to ask what was wrong with her when she put him -- and everyone else -- through so much hell. “You wouldn’t understand, anyway,” she mumbled before taking another swig of wine. “How could you? You and your perfect Potter family.” Her voice was laced with contempt when she delivered the last sentence. Alecto finally looked over at him. “You don’t need to have a worry in the world.” Her lips pressed together, effectively stopping her from elaborating. Alecto didn’t like to speak about her family. “It’s not fucking fair.” 

“Get off me!” he huffed, arms sticking straight out at his sides. He didn’t really know what had happened, or why, but one moment he’d been walking out of Potions, and the next, he’d been wrapped in someone’s arm, the hug confusing him entirely. “Why?” he asked, petulantly, not quite pouting. If anything, this display was embarrassing- Amycus Carrow was not a hugger; only a few exceptions were ever made in that regard. “Just let go. I don’t know where you got the idea that I need a hug, but I don’t. I really don’t. Why are you doing this to me?”

     Alecto had skipped her own class in order to catch Amycus coming out of his. She knew she’d catch him by surprise, and it took her a second to make him realize it was her. “It’s me,” she finally voiced, ducking her head under his arm without removing her arms from his waist. Now she was hugging him from the front rather than the back, looking up at him with a smile-- though it was slightly strained. “I needed a hug. Can you skip your next class? I’ve got a fresh bottle of firewhiskey.”

‘…He’s not an eggplant, he’s retarded!’

 “Wait…. what?” she asked, confused, turning to face her companion. “I’m sorry, it’s not.. I was listening, I just got distracted trying to keep track of all the different pieces.” She bit her lip, the apology written all over her face. “I think I missed a bit in the middle there, so I don’t quite get the joke. I’m sorry. Tell me again?”

     Alecto dismissed a joke with a wave of her hand. “Forget it. It’s just a ridiculous joke Amycus always tells, and I never seem to understand it. Sometimes I think all the humor in our genes went to me.”

He was ready to just turn around and walk off.  Leave her be down there all alone to wallow in whatever was going on with her.  After all, whatever it was, she clearly didn’t want to talk to him about it, and he should’ve just walked away.  But, in a horrifying realization, James realized that was exactly the sort of thing that he did when something was up.  He tried to keep up his appearances, but the energy just wasn’t always there.  Exactly like Alecto.  Terrifying though, really.  “I was looking for someone,” James said.  “Thought they might be down here, but I guess not.”  He shrugged at her next few statements, waiting until she was completely done before answering.  “Something about you just doesn’t seem… right, you know?  And I don’t mean that mean, but just, your energy or something isn’t the same.  I can’t explain it, but something’s just off.  Even your insults aren’t what they usually are, which really shows something’s wrong, because you’re one of the best at throwing them around.”  Moving towards the wall, James put some space between them before sliding down to sit.  “So, you really going to stick with the story that it’s just my showing up here?”

     Alecto shifted her jaw as he spoke. He wasn’t wrong, obviously. Her threats were emptier than usual, her wit wasn’t at its peak, and her energy was depleted. The worst part was that he was able to tell all of that. Actually, the worst part was that he seemed to care. When he sat beside her against the wall, Alecto shifted herself a few more inches away from him. “For now, yes. I am going to stick with that story.” She knew that this was an admittance that something else was wrong, but she was baffled at the idea that James Potter was genuinely caring to hear what it was. If she hadn’t had a few drinks during her continuous re-reading of the letter, she wouldn’t have even admitted to having a ‘story’ in the first place. “Revel in it now, Potter. Pretend to care all you want. I know you’re enjoying it. But you know that the next time I see you, I’ll give you hell for it.”

Pandora tried not to take it personally. When it came to people lashing out she knew to take a step back. She nibbled the inside of her cheek. “I understand.” Pandora fiddled with a strand of hair. She offered a small smile to the redhead in front of her. “Although you could never be a charity case.” Pandora didn’t appreciate the term, but she wasn’t going to fight it. “I was just offering to listen.” She shrugged. “Venting can be quite cathartic.” The Hufflepuff let go of her hair. “Or yelling at people?” she suggested instead. Pandora never liked to be yelled at, but she knew it was an approach Alecto would prefer.

     Alecto was close to snapping, but a dry laugh ended up escaping her at Pandora’s attempt to reach her. Yelling at people did seem to be her strong suit, didn’t it? She turned to face the girl, quirking an eyebrow. “You’d like me to yell at you?” She questioned, an amused smirk on her face. “Are you really that desperate to please people?”

“Who said I wanted a heart to heart? Maybe I’m just trying to commit this to memory.” she smirked, crossing her arms and leaning back in the chair. Bathsheda wasn’t exactly sure why she had taken a seat. She was not a cruel person but she could say she did take some pleasure in Alecto’s discomfort. Alecto had made her life miserable for a period of time and Bathsheda was only human. She couldn’t resist the opportunity to ruin her already terrible day. Seeing Alecto stuff a letter into her bag, she could only assume it was issues with her mother and father. “Problems at home?” she asked, “Your parents finally over your shit?”

     One thing Alecto hated about people who knew her family was that it was easy for them to conclude how awful her parents were. Bathsheda had certainly experienced it first hand, considering they had playdates quite often when they were younger. “My parents have been over my shit for a long time. I’d expect you to know that by now,” she responded with a withering smirk. “What about you? I’m sure your family is sending you supporting letters every week, yeah?”

“Just sweating off the handprints your brother left all over my body,” she commented flippantly, immediately going back to her old dig. It was short lived, though, as Marlene knew it wouldn’t work every single time. “Perhaps you should learn some physical defense, Carrow. I’d hate to see what would happen to you if someone snapped your wand. You wouldn’t get too far in those heels,” she mocked, as if she didn’t live her own days out in heels.

     Alecto was still feeling a bit self conscious when it came to her previous argument about Amycus, but at this point she knew there was no substance behind it. She looked down at her heels when Marlene made a comment, knowing that the brunette must have realized the hypocrisy behind her own words. Alecto did have physical strength-- it was her brother. When he wasn’t there, Marlene was right: she was too small to defend herself. “You’re not much bigger than I am. A couple hits on a dummy isn’t going to get you far.” Alecto walked a few steps closer, closing the door behind her. “Besides, your wand can only get snapped if you’re a poor enough witch to let someone get that close to you.”

Marlene felt invigorated by the fight that had occurred with the vigilantes versus the Death Eaters. That was what she wanted to do. She knew this now. If they could stop attacks before they happened, how many lives would be saved? How many asses would she get to kick?

If she was going to do that, though, she knew that additional training was absolutely necessary. So, that is where she found herself, kicking dummy ass in an empty classroom, feeling like she could take on the world.

     When Alecto walked into the classroom, she was hoping to find something a bit more exciting going on. Seeing Marlene sweating with the effort of kicking a dummy, though, was better than nothing. “Wow, McKinnon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do so much physical activity. Got a hot date you need to shape up for?” Alecto could assume what Marlene’s motivation was, but she wanted to egg the girl on. The news had clearly had a much different affect on Alecto than it had on the girl standing across the room from her. “So admirable of you to be training like this. Futile, but cute.”

Pandora had been dipping in and out of classrooms, looking for an empty room to relax in. That’s when she stumbled into the scene before her. Pandora’s mouth dropped. She stammered. “Sorry,” she blurted. “I just—are you alright?” She frowned. “I don’t want to intrude, but if you want to talk…” she trailed off, unsure if she should continue.

     Alecto’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head when she noticed it was Pandora. She had to be one of the weakest people Alecto had ever met-- but really, it was only because she was nice. Nobody ever bothered to ask about Alecto’s feelings or offer to let her vent, which was how she claimed to like it. With Amycus being so busy, she felt alone. “No, I don’t want to talk,” she snapped. “Especially not to you. I don’t plan on being one of your little charity cases.”

Alecto had obviously been crying. Her quick retort and red-rimmed eyes were enough proof of that. Bathsheda felt she knew the girl well enough to tell the difference between Alecto’s regular self and when she was lashing out. She was good at keeping up her facade but if you looked closely enough, you were always able to see the cracks. Bathsheda still felt a familiar pang of sympathy for her though.  “Sure, sure.” she shrugged, “You might want to check yourself in a mirror then. You look a bit red.” Walking over to the nearest armchair, Bathsheda dropped her bag on the floor before taking a seat. “Slumming it with the resident undesirables..” she chuckled, “My usual Tuesday night.”

     Alecto’s jaw clenched. The last person she needed to see was Bathsheda. Someone who managed to get under her skin more than anyone else. Despite being at the receiving end of Alecto’s viciousness more than once, Bathsheda never attempted to bite her tongue around her. When Bathsheda sat down, Alecto sighed audibly. “I’m sure,” she said, something of a mix of a grimace and a scowl on her face. Alecto tucked her letter into her bag, picking her sweater up off the floor and putting it on. “Since you’re making yourself comfortable, I’m assuming you didn’t get the hint. I’m not exactly up for a chat right now, Bat, despite how much I love having heart to hearts with you.”

He really should’ve brought the map with him.  Instead, it was probably laying somewhere up in their disaster space of a dorm room, or in the hands of one of his mates.  Maybe then he would’ve avoided the slight confrontation that came his way.  James had done so well avoiding either Carrow sibling since his New Year’s party, and it was definitely a streak he had hoped to keep up until next New Year’s.  However, it seemed his luck had run out as she snapped at him.  “Can’t you see you’re sitting in a public place?”  He pointed out, eyebrow raised.  “Doesn’t quite give you the right to banish everyone who comes this way.”  Still, something was off.  James couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but something was definitely wrong.  He wanted to just walk off because she was a Slytherin, she’d threatened his friends before, and was just all around a terrible person in his mind.  But, even James knew he couldn’t just walk off like this.  Letting out a sigh, James tugged at the back of his hair, regretting even asking the question before it left his lips: “Everything alright there, Carrow?”

     “People don’t typically tend to wander this far into the dungeons. Especially people like you.” The last person she needed to see was Potter or one of his foolish friends. Her mood was bad enough as it was. There was an odd look on his face, and when he spoke, Alecto was shocked-- though she hid it well. “Why would you even ask me that?” she scoffed as she said the words, her question genuine. Why should James Potter care if everything was alright? Maybe he was attempting to make a mockery of her since she’d partially ruined his party? “Of course everything is alright. It was until you got here, at least.” Her tone was cold, although her verbal attacks didn’t carry the same energy as they usually did. “I’m clearly not in the mood to argue with you right now, Potter. So kindly fuck off.”

Bathsheda had been holed up in the library all afternoon finishing some work for ancient runes. Skipping dinner, she headed to the kitchens after to get a bite to eat. When she finally made her way back to the common room, it was pretty late. Expecting it to be empty, she was surprised to see Alecto. Initially, she had tried to stay quiet as to avoid her but Alecto was also in direct eye line of the entrance to the girls’ dorms. She was going to see her anyway…and it looked like she was crying? They had been friends once when Bathsheda was younger and more naive. After Alecto had spread some nasty rumors about Bathsheda in her fourth year, she honestly couldn’t trust her as far as she could throw her. “You’re the one sobbing in a public space.” she sighed, immediately regretting engaging with her, “What’s got you crying anyway? I wasn’t aware that you still had feelings…”

     Alecto’s eyes narrowed immediately. For the past few years, simply hearing Bathsheda’s voice was enough to put a scowl on her face. Especially in this moment. “I’m not crying,” she snapped, stuffing the letter she’d been holding into her pocket. She wanted to look in a mirror, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable. Were her eyes mistier than she’d thought? Was her face red? Despite their falling out, Bathsheda knew Alecto well enough to be able to judge her moods. Even still, the only person who’d ever seen her cry was Amycus. “And even if I had been, I wouldn’t tell you. What are you doing up so late, anyway?”