Just Benji's Fine

MOTHER

FUCKIN

HANUKKAH 

SEASON

Green/Purple Calligraphy and Wax Seals Stimboard with Gold for anon

Red looks at Benji’s young face with what he prays is a stoic face for his innards are melting. He feels as if he’s in a sweet frothy type of agony looking into Benji’s eyes and Red tries not to feel the tears pushing against his eyes. He’s not quite sure why he feels like crying, mayhaps it’s becaues Benji reminds him of his first few years at Hogwarts: scared and possessing too much magic. Not quite the Slytherin people wanted him to be. Red wants nothing more than to reach out and pet Ben’s head once again. 

You don’t need to be their version of a Slytherin, he wants to say. You only hve to be your version of a Slytherin. You don’t need to impress anyone. It almost feels like that’d be cheating though, telling Benji all of the things he had to learn in his time. Still, Red already knows he will draw Benji into the strange inner circle friend group he has. 

“It was. I’m looking forward to spending more time with you. You know where to find me if you need anything, or simply want company,” Red says and nods to Benji before walking down the hall towards Slytherin common room. Once in the safety of his room, Red sinks into his desk chair and stares at the ceiling.

I have a younger brother now.

Benji raises a hand, waits until Red has rounded the corner before he lets it fall back to his side. Though now he’s standing alone in the potions hall, he doesn’t move to head to the library like he said, but instead, sighs heavily and tilts his head to the ceiling.

It’s not that he disliked spending time with Red, quite the contrary. Benji hadn’t spent any extended amount of time with anyone at Hogwarts since arriving four years ago that he genuinely enjoyed as much. It was simply that the amount of attention and socialization was almost too much for him to handle in such a short time.

When he finally starts moving, he does so with a small private smile, a slight bounce in his step, as he climbs his way up to the library. With Red now, Benji can almost use two hands to count the number of friends he has at the school, and he thinks smugly, that Bradley is going to be so jealous when he finds out he’s friends with a famous pureblood wizard. Jealous, and hopefully as happy as Benji is, that he’s finally found somewhere and someone to belong to in this ancient school.

Red smiles at the young Slytherin before chuckling behind his hand politely, sighing fondly at the mention of their house. The seventh-year prides himself in being what his parents, his professors, his classmates, and he himself calls a “true Slytherin”. The Sorting Hat makes no mistakes and being put in the Slytherin house didn’t mean he is inherent evil.

Evil is not a trait.

Red is as ambitious as they come, starting his professional studies of magic and its arts when he was around five years old and mastering non-verbal casting in his fourth year at Hogwarts. While Red can’t teach his own classes, he can always offer self-taught tips to anyone who is struggling. Red Jo is a Slytherin from the very core of his soul, and he will strike down any opponent who wishes to test him otherwise. 

“Most people of our house don’t like me either, but they’d be a fool not to befriend me. Hense, my inner circle of friends is quite small in circumference,” Red says nonchalantly. “It’s the same with Matthias. Students are either trying to shame him for being an American at the British wizarding school or trying to seduce him because he’s an American at a British wizarding school. A better looking American I should add. I’ve been to the States. The typical male there is… leaves much to be wished for.” Red grins cheekily at Benji before deciding to help out the younger one. With their efforts combined, the two Slytherin return the potions classroom to its pristine order, Red absently and mutely adjusting some things with spells.

“Good job today Benji,” Red says as they exit the classroom, reaching out and ruffling the younger boy’s hair. “If there’s anything you need, please let me know. Anything at all.” Red’s powerful brown eyes glisten with mischief and power, a hint at what “anything” covers. He gives Benji a smile with no teeth (because Red is feeling naughty now and when Red feels like doing some misdeeds, his teeth look more animal than human). “Here, are you done with today? Let’s walk back to the common room together.”

With Red’s help, Benji finishes his usual tasks a solid hour earlier than usual, and while anyone else would be thankful for the freed time, Benji dreaded the thought of returning to his dorm early. When Red offers to walk him to the common room, he shakes his head before he can think. The light blush comes back and he tries to laugh it off, but it comes out as more of a wheeze.

As they exit the dungeon classroom, Benji gestures, a bit wildly, to the castle on whole, and says, “No it’s fine. I was going to go to the library and study. Y’know, gotta keep up those grades or they’ll drop me back to fourth year classes.”

Red seems like a nice person, to Benji. Still intimidating, and he’s sure if it wasn’t for the potion he gave him, Benji would be jumbled beyond reason. Then again, that’s might just be his usual self.

Red feels a seed of brotherly love plant itself into his heart, watching Benji happily praise Matthias (who already sees Benji as a younger brother, almost son even) yet put himself down. The wizard looks at the young Slytherin before the mention of that incident years ago comes up. He’s careful to conceal the discomfort in his features and slowly straightens from his slouch against the table. Red licks his lips and feels his walls come back up, brick by brick. However, Red knows Benji didn’t mean ill from asking and besides, Matthias loves this boy. He can afford to open up to a potential new member of his inner circle.

“We… did. It was hard,” Red begins and looks at Benji with slightly more vulnerable eyes. “I was scared for Wren but she handled herself wonderfully, despite starting her studies years after me. Still, we were both young children. We didn’t get out unscathed.” Red absently touches his side, where he had taken a dangerous spell so Wren would have the chance to unleash something powerful enough to knock all the Death Eaters to the ground. His mother, he can still hear he wailing as he fought tooth and nail to crawl over to her. 

“… But we both have grown from the incident. We’re proud of ourselves and take no pity on Death Eater sympathizers.” Red smiles and spells the glass out of Benji’s hand, letting it float away to be cleaned. The Slytherin looks at his younger and gives a shrug. “We’ve moved on. It’s a strange memory to revisit.” He gives Benji a smile.

“I’ve heard much about you though. I know you’re amazing at Herbology, enough to garner much respect and praise from Professor Longbottom. I know you’ve impressed the potions professor multiple times, something I’ve only seen when I was in your year. And…” Red hums and breaks into a pretty smile. “You’re kind. And I enjoy that quality in people, Benji. I hope you’ll be fine if I pursue a friendship with you.”

There’s a moment, where Benji looks at Red and listens to him talk and thinks, this boy seems incredibly sad and lonely. It passes in a blink though, and Benji is left with a surprising amount of praise and something that could be friendship, given enough time. And Benji wasn’t sure he’d be allowed friendship with anyone while at Hogwarts, let alone a supposedly esteemed Jo.

Still, he shakes his head and smiles, crossing his arms lightly in front of his chest, “I don’t really think I’m all that kind, but thanks. You seem really cool, compared to other slytherins.” He keeps his face carefully neutral thinking about the common room and the table in the great hall, and shrugs hard, “I’d like to get to know you better too.”