girl / storm.

Eyes fell on Sybill ( @ofsybills ) when she entered their dorm, and in stead of moving to her own bed, she moved to the others. There was no comfort, knowing that she was going through a similar thing, but Glenda still figured it’d be good to talk. And so she halted at the other’s bed, eyes falling on her friend. “Can I sit?” Hand gestured to the bed. “And d’you wanna ... I don’t know, talk?”

Xenophilius wandered down the hall a little aimlessly, a book open in thier arms. They didn’t watch where they were going when they walked, too focused on the book in their hands, so it was understandable when they eventually missed a turn and ran right into the wall. They looked up with confusion at the person watching them. “You know you could of warned me there was a wall there..” 

“YOU could have looked where you were going. I mean, seriously, dude, why’re you reading and walking at the same time? I’m all for multitasking, but you shouldn’t ... risk your life like that, you know? What if you walked off the Astronomy tower next time?” Glenda was rambling, her body shaking a little with laughter, her muscles tense. She wasn’t in a mood to talk, but words kept spilling past her lips anyway --- it was how she seemed to work: she talked a lot when she felt good, and when she felt bad? She only talked more, even if she didn’t want to. “Anyway, you okay? Heard you got interrogated pretty intensely, wanna join my club or something? We can curse out Aurors together, or something.” A pause. “Jeez, shit --- I’m like, totally, bugging right now. I’ll shut up, yeah? You keep on reading.”

Hestia slides her way down the table, a blank look on her face as she begins to pile the food onto her plate. There’s an aching in her chest which she ignores, quietly going about her morning routine. “If you want that sausage, just take it,” There’s a quiet exhaustion in her voice, done with the pretence of whatever the fuck she should be feeling that wasn’t anger or fear. Her hand pauses, her fork poised in mid air, half a hash brown on the end of it, as she speaks. “And if you can move that bloody dish rag of an article, I’d appreciate it.”

“Don’t eat meat,” said Glenda, eyes focused on her fingers, which were busying herself with an orange and its peel. She didn’t have MUCH of an appetite most mornings, but spent a lot of her time at the breakfast table ( both her own and the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff ones ), still ----- there were people there, after all, and without them around her, she got lost. “Good call.” She dropped the orange on her plate, picked up the prophet with juice-stained hands and looked at Hestia. “D’you reckon I’d get in trouble if I just lit it on fire, like, right here? I kinda want to. Or chuck it at Lucius Malfoy’s head or something like that.”

Tired. Beat up. And the subject of countless bludgers, Sturgis was beat up and bruised but a little too proud to make his way to the hospital wing. So he found himself sliding into a seat in the common room, a grunt slipping as he managed to be seated. When someone strolled over, he shook his head. “Not today, not a good day…. Lots of ow, need rest, need food.”

“You’re giving off mixed signals there, bud,” said Glenda, crossing her arms. Find distractions. “I mean, you dismiss me, but you do want food. I can get you that, ya know? I’ve got taste, too.” She slid into a seat next to him, pulling her legs up on the chair’s seat, letting out a bit of a sigh. “Anyway, I just came over to tell you that you look EXACTLY like how I feel. Congrats.” Fingers trailed the cuffs of her jeans and she spoke up again, desperate to fill any silences. “You wanna get some food, then? You’ll need nutrition, Podmore, if you’re gonna win us this season!”

“That’s actually the most absurd thing of this all, you have neither the ORGANIZATIONAL skills nor the ambition to be an important member – or even member – of a drug ring. You being scrawny is really only part of the reason why, definitely not the whole reason.” Rosamonde said this confidently, without teasing, as if ve’d been asked this question as part of a job interview. As part of something serious. Of course, ve recognized the melancholic tone of Glenda’s ‘jokes’, the way she’d been keeping the textbook in front of her even though she wasn’t studying. Ros wasn’t in the habit of pitying anyone or doing them favors, but, ve’d known Glenda for over six years – it would’ve been cruel to let her be alone during a time like this. 

Not that Ros wasn’t capable of being casually cruel, but, how could ve be in this situation? Glenda was rendered an orphan, her little sister subjected to the same fate, Ros knew what it was like to worry about younger siblings – being more PROTECTIVE of Capucine than ve liked to admit for fear that someone would use it against ver ( it was a true weakness, but not one ve was ashamed of ). Lily had asked ver to keep an eye on Glenda, stay with her when ve could, so she did. 

Despite the fact that Glenda wasn’t ver best friend ( hard for anyone to be a close friend when everyone was kept at more than an arms length distance ) Ros also noticed Glenda’s absence in almost everything ve did. That was one of the reasons it was so easy for ve to agree to keep Glenda company, they spent many days together, even if not on purpose, being in the same year and house. Plus, they shared a mutual love of music. “They interviewed Capucine as well, not me though, yet. I expect to be called in but it’s quite SUSPICIOUS that the majority of people they’ve interviewed have been people of color, isn’t it? And by suspicious I mean racist.”

Glenda was dumbfounded at Rosamonde’s reply for a moment. Not in a BAD way, per se --- she just genuinely didn’t know what to say, and that didn’t happen to her often. “Wow, thanks,” she said eventually, sitting up a little. She wasn’t offended, far from it actually, she was just glad that someone wasn’t sugarcoating something, that they shared something so matter-of-factly. It felt like a breath of fresh air, and Glenda needed that. She had a gigantic need for things to seem normal, and for Rosamonde to answer her self-pitying words this way? It was funny, even.

“I mean, you’re absolutely right. I’d probably accidentally share a TON of important secrets after two days of being part of it. I’m too much of a blabbermouth.” Glenda found herself relaxing a little as a chuckle slipped past her lips. “Besides, I’d probably end up smoking up my own supply.” The situation was ridiculous, in all honesty. Her father dying was strange on its own, as was the fact that the world kept moving when she seemed to be standing still. And then there were the suspicions towards her, which were almost laughable. It wasn’t funny at all, but the ridiculousness of the situation, and how quick and sudden it had hit her, left her laughing either way. Hands covered her face, laughter slipping past her lips. “Fucking hell.”

She hadn’t gone to any of her classes, hadn’t gone to any club meetings, hadn’t been anywhere but nowhere. She walked the Hogwarts grounds until her feet bled with blisters and she felt the muscles in her leg ache. She sat at the lake, an empty notebook on her side, begging her to write. She sat at the owlery, feeding the birds treats and sending her sister letter after letter, apologising endlessly. Glenda didn’t know why she was at Hogwarts. She didn’t want to be, after all, wanted to be somewhere else. A place that’d feel safer. ( But her father had been in a safe place, and he’d still died. ) 

“You know what’s funny?,” she started. She was sat in the courtyard, a Herbology textbook lying on her lap for show, a cigarette dangling in her fingers. “Apparently, I’m part of a drug ring.” Eyes looked up, to keep her tears from falling. “Can you imagine? My scrawny arse? A drug dealer?” A humourless laugh spilled past her lips. “Fucking hilarious.”

“Alright you’d better open that FUCKING door, it’s been two hours and I know there has to be some rules against holding a minor for that long when she’s not actually done jack shit!” Lily catapulted from her seat, trying to push past the Aurors’ guarding the door to this particular dungeon they had taken Glenda in for interrogation. She was two hours past livid now into explosive reaching volcanic proportions – she was extremely close to pulling out her wand, as stupid as it sounded to do against two trained Aurors. Only managing to get a hard smack on the door, Lily was pushed back into her position in front of the door, back resting against the cobblestone wall that lined this particular hallway.

Maybe it was the fact that she knew how this song and dance went on in the muggle world, maybe it was the fact that she saw so much of herself in Glenda ( @glvnda ) – maybe it was the fear of losing someone to this war, permanently, happening in a place she had come to find as home. Someone she cared about, someone who didn’t deserve it. In a DESPERATE attempt to find faith in the worst & most frightening of situations, Lily sent prayers to a God she barely practiced to spare Glenda’s life. Please, God, let Glenda survive this. Let her live.

Lily continued to stare at the door as if her glare alone could rip it off his hinges, knocking both of the Aurors unconscious. “You can’t keep her in there forever! I’ll make sure all of you idiots make it to Azkaban if you kill a STUDENT. You want to say Dumbledore’s a bloody villain? That’s he’s horrible and all of the other bullshit The Prophet likes to spin nowadays? This is unethical and unlawful, you’re worse than what all of you think Dumbledore might be. You are all so SO much worse just taking orders she’s a fucking child. Let. Her. Go.” Lily felt her voice starting to go hoarse from all the screaming she was doing, but she didn’t care. She would find a way to do sonorus if she had to. “The Wizarding World is just as bad in terms of law enforcement as the MUGGLES half of you inbred idiots HATE. If not worse.”

If she had had MORE energy, she would have dragged the names of these Aurors through the mud, would have fought them every step of the way. She would have pointed out their flaws, the idiocy of their theory, the wrongness of what they were doing ----- but she didn’t. She was tired. Exhausted. After an hour had passed, in which she’d pointed fingers and cursed and told them that they were dickheads, she’d shut her lips and not opened them. Numbness -- a feeling foreign to Glenda, who always felt so incredibly alive with emotion -- had washed over her and left her glassy-eyed and done.

Her father was DEAD. Murdered. Gone. And she was sitting in a tiny office, being asked if he’d been killed because of her involvement in a drug ring. And why? Because she’d smoked some weed in the past? Because she was black? Poor? Muggleborn? An easy target? Glenda KNEW how this worked, had known how this worked from a very young age. Maybe she had blindly hoped that the wizarding world would be different than the muggle one she’d grown up in, but it was all the same. And she was tired of it. She couldn’t fight it any more, not in that moment at least --- in that moment, all she wanted was to go to her sister and embrace her, to grief, like she was supposed to. But in stead she was stuck in this office, the eyes of Auror’s staring at her with accusing looks, her chest tight and tears burning in her eyes. 

She had heard Lily’s voice all through the time she’d been in that office. How long it had been, she didn’t know --- it felt like both a full day and a mere few minutes --- nor had she been able to place who the ringing voice belonged to. Glenda connected the dots when she was allowed to leave ( they made it seem like a nice gesture, as if they hadn’t kept her in there against her will ), eyes falling on her friend, a gasp of relief slipping past her lips. A NICE face. Someone who’d understand. Someone who’s rage might spark hers again. “Get me out of here,” she said, aware of how weak her voice sounded. Glenda felt small, as if she’d shrunk under the gazes of those Aurors, a weak being. She ached. “Please.”

“I still don’t know how you convinced me to drink that,” Blythe giggled, capping the bottle that secretly held only water. “What’s next? Spin the bottle? Truth or dare?”

           ARIEL MACKAY WAS A PARTY GIRL FIRST AND FOREMOST. everything about a party intrigued her — the atmosphere, the dancing, the games, the drinking — and she would be damned if she missed this particular one. by the time the clocked ticked over to one in the morning, ariel was feeling the buzz. it took a lot to get this girl drunk ( she was far too used to it, after all ) but drunk she was as she stumbled towards the table of treats. the plates were nearly empty by now, but she managed to find a particularly intriguing looking cookie that her fingers hovered over for a moment before she turned to the person nearest. “ wait… is this one of those, ” HICCUP. “ one of those cookies that’ll make me feel… y’know… ” she stumbled around a bit hoping this made sense to whoever it was she had asked. 

      “Yep,” said Glenda, taking the cookie right out of the others hand. She was pleasantly high, buzzing her way through the party. This was a place that felt more like home than her own house did, with it’s leaky windows and creaky doors. Here, she felt at peace, so wonderfully alive, surrounded by people she loved and hated, thriving because of the music, because of the food and the conversations and the weed. “And you don’t seem to be needing it.” She took a bite from the cookie before putting it back on the table, giving Ariel a broad grin. She liked parties too; she didn’t even have to tell Glenda that for her to know. It was so damn obvious from the way she moved, from the way she was absolutely sloshed and still thriving. “What you need is a dance, another drink or a big bowl of crisps. Which one shall it be?”

“ 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. “

“Ahhhh, would you miss me if I left, Alecto?,” wondered Glenda, a cheeky grin plastered on her face. She leaned in. “I’d hate Ravenclaw without me too.” She sat back again, nodding along to Alecto’s words. “True, true, we are the best, and I don’t know if I’d want to sleep in a dorm that’s NOT in a tower. Kinda like being high up. I’ll do that --- I’m friendly enough to try and charm one to get me food, right?”

“Fucking hell, Glen, I know! Maybe at the next BSU meeting, we can discuss a protest. Change some school rules because I feel like they must be teaching the Puffs something like VOODOO to get this food this good,” Lily was usually the most picky eater, but tonight she’d been eating almost everything she could get her hands on. The food was divine. Otherworldly. “What should I eat next? You pick. Anything except for pot infused snacks. I’ve probably had a bit too much, probably inhaled one of them already for all I know.”

“Oh, FOR SURE. Do we have any Hufflepuffs, by the way? They’ll have to provide food, next meeting. But yeah, we gotta change these rules; it’s just not fair that these Puffs not only get to be close to the kitchens and be good at making food!” Glenda was, admittedly, stoned as hell, and so everything tasted about a hundred times better than normal. Which was brilliant, considering this food was amazing. “I was going to say, pizza, but there’s none, which is the only bad thing. The brownies are to die for --- I think these are pot-free.”

“I’ve never heard of it being allowed, but I don’t see the point. We’re a friendly lot. I don’t think anyone would object to you spending more time in our common room.” Daisy was always happy to have more people around and sharing had never been a problem for her. “Maybe we could take a vote and call you an honorary Hufflepuff if you’d like.”

“Right? You guys REALLY are. Maybe except for Alice, she’s a tough one --- don’t really like dealin’ with her on a calm day, but still. I would love to hang with all of you, all the time. Besides, I NEED to spend more in your common room, it’s cosy as fuck. And yeah! Let’s do that --- you could be a honorary Ravenclaw, for your good ideas.”

Hearing that Glenda was in the middle of quitting the habit, Persephone immediately stepped on the cigarette, not wanting to tempt her. “Well, luckily you don’t have to worry about that, now. I know how hard it is to give up stuff so I don’t want to be the reason you end up taking it up. I’m trying but failing to stop as well.”

“Ah, dude, you didn’t have to do that! It’d have been the PERFECT test to see if I was properly off them,” she said, looking at the cigarette with a sad look in her eyes. “Cheers, though. I was kinda tempted. You know what? We oughta set up a support group, with fellow people tryin’ to quit smoking. There must be plenty of peeps ‘round here who’d join.”