corwin travers.

It wasn’t uncommon for roommates to disagree. Time spent in your room is typically when one is their most authentic, so it’s natural for discrepancies to arise. Benjy and Corwin, however, took this to a different level. He wouldn’t say things got off on the wrong foot, or they had a rocky start, or any other cliches there were on the subject. Those were all too light of a way to put it. Their relationship was more like….being trapped in the middle of the ocean on a little dingey in the middle of a treacherous storm. The little boat (Benjy) is just trying to make it to shore, but giant waves (Corwin) keep threatening to take it under.

That’s how he liked to think of it, anyway. The high pitched squeak of his luggage wheel took the place of waves as he sailed through hall towards the oncoming storm, lost in ideas of how to miraculously convince the powers that be for a room change. Please, you don’t understand. I think he has a bit of a smoking prob-

He heard Corwin before he saw him. Benjy didn’t try hiding the grimace before giving his roomate a sickly sweet smile. “Ah, Corey! I thought I smelt something rank!” Letting the door close behind him, he took a leisurely stroll to what he assumed was his bed and put his jacket on the bedpost. “I don’t think it’s been long enough. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, my dear pal.” He turned back to his night paralysis demon with his head cocked, his voice taking on a quality that could easily be mistaken as concern, “Have you gotten that snore checked out yet?”

Corey. Anger was an emotion that ran deep in Corwin, one that snaked its way through his veins and burrowed itself a hole in his chest, even if he kept it tucked away from sight. Strangely, though, anger was not the sole sentiment that Benjy evoked in Corwin: he was annoying, pestering, the very personification of everything that he hated, but somehow... not entirely detestable. 

It was frustrating, to want to hate someone and not finding oneself able to do so. He was certain he’d gotten Benjy to hate him long ago, yet he couldn’t bring himself to return the same feeling. It was something akin to weakness, but he was quite convinced he didn’t have any weaknesses. Call it a minor and one time slip up.

“Oh, you don’t like my new cologne? Pity, I’ve just gotten it and I do have plans to wear it until its all out. These are trying times, you know - can’t go around wasting money,” he said, as if he was being sarcastic and, in reality, had all the money he would ever need. Benjy didn’t have to know that he was only half joking. “Aw, you’re fond of me? You’re a real sweetheart, Benjillimungus. I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with the snore, for now. All the nurses at St. Mungo’s can’t seem to cure me - don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

He’d peaked her interest. Friends - that was pushing it, but it wouldn’t hurt having Corwin on her side. He could be useful. “That certainly sounds like you want something.”

“Well, then, maybe I do want something,” he said, smiling. “It’s just - I think we could be of use to one another. Don’t worry, I’ve not inherited my family’s idiocy.”

Pandora was now arriving at the ravenclaw common room after having been to The Students Organizations Fair to sign up for the clubs she wanted to join in her second year. She wasn’t exactly tired but decided to stop by just to see if any of her friends wanted to do something, it was a beautiful day outside so she didn’t feel like being locked inside of Hogwarts.

After solving the riddle with some ease - which contributed even more to her good mood - the blonde entered the common room and was received almost immediately in a very unimpressive manner.  She rolled her eyes as soon as she identified who that voice belonged to, it was extremely rare and out of character the way Pandora acted whenever she was close to Corwin, she was always friendly and cheerful with everyone, but for some reason she had never gotten along with the other ravenclaw.

“Hello to you too, Travers” she answered in a dull tone, she tried never to be rude even if often Corwin didn’t deserve such treatment.

“I won’t be here long so don’t bother talking to me”

Sometimes, it was difficult to see why Corwin bothered to pretend to be nice to his housemates. They all knew, or at least the vast majority of them knew, that underneath that smile was a certain viciousness that couldn’t be entirely masked by a candy-sweet compliment or a welcoming greeting. With Pandora, the effort had stopped long ago - it was simply much more fun to mess with her.

“Oh, come on,” he said, grinning, “Let’s not break out the T word, okay? It’s Corwin. I’d tell you my middle name, but then we’d have to have an unbreakable vow, and... well, I’m not sure w’re there yet.”

“No, do stay a while, we haven’t caught up in ages,” he said. “My heart aches in your absence.”

“Pandora,” he said, not bothering to smile. She didn’t deserve that much of his energy. “Look what the sea monster dragged in.”

It was the end of orientation, finally. Rosalind was having her morning tea, preparing for a day of listening to the drivel of her orientation group, when someone interupted her. Corwin Travers. She pitied him, she really did. If her own father had done what Torquill had done, well - he would probably have found some poison in his tea. But still, the apple never strayed far from the tree, and Corwin was still an apple in her eyes. “Only to the likes of you.”

“What do you want?”

Corwin fought the immediate urge to scowl at her, because mixed with his anger was an unusal twinge of excitement. Yes, she was being rude, but that was her, and it felt better to be treated harshly by a harsh person than by a generally kind one. “I’m flattered,” he said, “I don’t want anything. It’s only, I’ve been thinking, lately, I should expand my palette of friends a bit. It never hurts to know a few like-minded people, especially with Hogwarts overflowing with... individuals that shouldn’t be here, shall we say. No?”

A shiver ran down Marlene’s spine as the echo of a familiar voice pierced her ears to their core. This was the last place she wanted to be seen, boots in hand and shirt crooked on her shoulders as she slunk away into the shadows that lit the path to the Hufflepuff dormitories. In a way, it was a relief that it was Corwin Travers, who had seen her sneak out of Ravenclaw Tower countless times before, much to Marlene’s dismay. On the other hand, it was Corwin Travers, laden with underlying shame in the knowing glances that followed him on a daily basis as he walked through the halls. Maybe that was how people who knew where she was coming from looked at Marlene, too, but that did not, in any circumstance, mean that they were in the same league.

Merlin, did she hope he knew that. Hell, did she hope that everyone else knew that, too. She turned around to meet his waxen grin with a suspicious smile of her own.

“Fine.” With some people, she might have made an effort to make conversation. With Corwin, the urge was lacking. She stared for a moment before she looked him up and down, shifting her boots from one hand to the other. “Did you have something to tell me?”

No matter how long it had been since his father’s incident, it seemed nobody was willing to accept the fact that he wasn’t like him. Corwin felt like he might be one of the only people in the world that knew that, in fact, he was barely of the same fabric as Torquill: where his father was idiotic, he was discerning; where his father was weak, he had no plans on faltering. He felt the stares, felt their pity, and he resented them as much as he resented his family. He resented Marlene. 

“Nothing to tell you,” he said, letting the smile drop from his face. Cad, he thought, feeling the familiar bubble of anger settle into his chest, you absolute, idiotic cad. Being polite, perhaps, wasn’t the best plan of action. “Though, I did expect more from you, Mckinnon. Has nobody ever taught you to greet your peers with a touch more enthusiasm? It’s really quite a bad look on you, you know.”

He’d been settled in for a solid five seconds before his roommate made his entrance, and without looking up Corwin knew it was him. Damn it all, Benjy hadn’t mysteriously died or disappeared as he’d halfway hoped - this was his reality, now.

“Benjikins! Darling,” he said, giving a pinched smile that said really, this may be one of the worst moments of my life, and I hate you terribly, and remind me why you’re here again? “It has been far too long, my sweet, sweet roommate! I’ve missed you so.”

He didn’t seek her out; he valued his peace of mind at least that much, but sometimes, life found ways. That is to say, sometimes, life sent you face to face with Marlene on your way back to the dorms one evening. 

“Marlene!” he said, smiling. It was always best, he thought, to be kind to useful people, even if the sting of I couldn’t care less what your chittering mouth has to say remained in his words. “I feel like it’s been ages. How’ve you been?”

It was orientation, which made things even worse. Thankfully, he hadn’t tried to become a prefect and wasn’t responsible for mingling with any of the first years - he applauded himself for dodging a major bludger there - but that didn’t mean he couldn’t extend a polite, well-meaning hand to a familiar face, even if she was a new student. Besides, a witch the likes of Rosalind Nott didn’t simply waltz into the place and not hit his radar. She could be useful, and while he was stuck here, he might as well make use of his time and find her. 

He finally found her in the Great Hall, the morning of the last day of orientation. “Rosalind Nott,” he said, sitting decidedly across from her. “You certainly know how to make yourself scarce.”

@rosalindnott