ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀᴅ

open starter: for hogwarts students location: great hall date: march 1st, just before dinner.

            the brightness of ariadne’s smile seemed to fall in deep contrast to the more sombre air in the atmosphere of hogwarts as of late.    in reality,   it was because ariadne knew she personally had very little to be scared of as long as she kept playing her cards right,  but to everyone else,  her smile should be a constant.    even when she fell off her broom into the great lake the radiant grin didn’t shift one inch, and if she didn’t flinch then, flinching now could give everything away.           

 such smile was the most notable thing about her as she almost jumped on the only open seat she could find / desperate for some kind of human connection after spending almost all day helping madam pince tidy the library ( after being caught trying to take several books out in her bag ).                       ❝   you want some fizzing gobstoppers? ❞   she hoped the offer of sweets would stop the person whose space she probably collided into from complaining,                ❝   i want to try and clear out my stash before easter, you know ?   it’s like .. godric this term is moving so fast ! oh,    you weren’t saving this seat for someone, where you ?  ❞     she ends her sentence with soft puppy dog eyes and a hopeful smile,     trying to twist empathy round her little finger.

There it was again, that darned habit of his. He would turn his head towards the Gryffindor table to catch a glimpse of his sister and extended family. For a split second, he expected to see Lily, and then jarringly realized that she wasn’t...  there. It felt like his heart was being ripped out all over again, all because of a seemingly innocent habit. Hugo cursed the lack of action, the lack of any kind of news. 

Despite the happenings, he awarded Ariadne with a slight lift of his lips, steadying her when she collided into him. A genuine one—not like the polite one he would’ve given to others. He thought Ariadne’s cheeriness was refreshing and not at all insensitive, as some might’ve liked to perceive. He knew it was her own way of dealing with the events, and quite frankly, he was grateful to be receiving her energy. With Ariadne, Hugo was no longer the awkward teen who didn’t fit anywhere. She made him feel belonged, which was what drew him to her when they were first years. He would normally recoil from high energy types such as her. “I would like to think so, since we’ve been sitting next to each other for the most part,” he drily states, reaching out a hand and slightly ruffling Ariadne’s shiny hair (which honestly puzzles him on how it could stay like that). “Merlin, Ari,” his eyes widened at the sight of the candies, “you’re gonna be sick even with everyone helping you out.”

with: @hugosts where: an empty corridor when: late, late at night

It wasn’t that Analise never broke the rules - that would be a total lie. She was a cheeky sort of girl, the one who was always thinking of new practical jokes, but she generally tiptoed the line. After all, it was her life’s ambition to become the Head of the Auror Department and that was more easily achieved with a school record that wasn’t filled with detentions (and expulsions). 

That night was a bit different though. It was pouring rain outside, the droplets pattering softly against the castle windows, and with it came a sense of quiet consideration within her. For a girl who was always analysing and always trying to manipulate the world around her, Analise didn’t do much thinking for herself. In fact, there were many things in her life that she generally avoided, pushing them into the back of her mind as though they were pointless dustmites. They were not, really.

Slipping out of the dormitory late at night, she found herself just seated by the window sill. She watched the rain against the glass, fascinated by how it created shadows on the moonlight that hit her skin. The rain always made her feel someways - and she wasn’t always appreciative of it. At the very least she was alone though, free from any need to be cautious of the people around her.

He knew he shouldn’t be out this late, really. But he had been worried about the hippogriff who didn’t currently have a healthy appetite as a result of her injury. When he had finally succeeded in making her eat—a mix of insects which would make the normal person nauseous—it was already way past curfew and bedtime. He cursed, not wanting to be caught and put into detention. Again.

Breezing through the Hogwarts grounds, rain lightly pattering on his dark robes, Hugo made way for a window. It was one of those that could be opened with a simple alohomora spell—a tip he learned from his cousin. Most windows had an anti-unlocking charm, but not this one. Hugo promptly fitted into the window which led to an empty corridor, dropping with a light thud. It was at that moment he saw Analise Kim, pretty as a picture & daintily perched on a sill, and his jaw dropped. He was about to form words, when he heard sudden movement to his left. At the end of a corridor, he could perceive light footsteps approaching. 

where:  hogwarts corridor when:  29 february, 2024 who:  open to anyone @ hogwarts

     this was the most strung-out louis had been in his entire life, he was sure of it.  and given his general state of high-strung, that was definitely saying something.  things had been going okay-ish, as smoothly as they could have been this year.  and then …  boom.  everything came crumbling the fuck down the way it always seemed to, anymore.  lily was gone — vanished — kidnapped.  and this registry business.  truth be told, louis was more concerned about his sisters, his mother especially, than he was himself.  maybe with everything else going on, nothing would happen.  besides, who really cared about a kid who was only one-eighth veela anyway?  

     it was that thought that sent him spiraling, and before he knew it he was excusing himself from class and stumbling out into the hall.  once out of sight and out of earshot of the classroom, he pressed his back to the wall and closed his eyes.  he hadn’t been sleeping very much since shit hit the fan.  how could he?  he had to keep watch to make sure one of his housemates wasn’t about to smother him with a pillow.  louis’s eyes shot open at the thought.  “fuck,”  he whispered.  he tried to steady his breathing, finally glancing around at his surroundings.  “oh shit,”  he muttered, clearing his throat.  “i didn’t see you there.”

“Lou,” he accidentally blurted out, standing up from the floor, rattled for a moment and forgetting that he hasn’t used that nickname in ages. “I mean, Louis.” His golden cousin’s vibrance has always somehow terrified and intimidated Hugo, and so he wasn’t the most comfortable around Louis. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint when they had gotten so distant—which was Hugo’s fault anyway—but to see his perfect cousin crumbling down greatly unnerved Hugo. This was probably the first time Hugo had ever seen Louis less than composed, which made him grow even more agitated. On the floor was his sketchpad, with the unmistakable color of red taking up most of its white sheet. He had been trying to get Lily’s hair color the right shade. Cheeks darkening at being caught, he quickly stooped down and hid the drawing. 

“I...uh...d- Don’t you have class right now?” he asked, weirdly feeling dumb. Hugo, a Ravenclaw, feeling dumb. What would his mum say now if she were to see him like this? He was supposed to offer words of comfort—to at least try and soothe Louis’ obvious pain. Not asking dumb questions like this.

where: room of requirement when: tuesday, february 27th who: open (ma members/anyone staying in the ror)

Persephone hadn’t slept. Not since Friday night. She’d been awake since five on Saturday morning and she had no intention of stopping any time soon. There was too much to do, to worry over, to lead. She’d been attending classes ( albeit begrudgingly ), but otherwise, one hundred percent of her time was being spent in the Room of Requirement. She’d spread the word early Sunday morning that this was where she would be based, that if anyone needed anything she was there, and now she was far too afraid to even blink. She wasn’t being kind. Not to herself. Persephone was doing what Persephone did best — looking out for everyone else first. Persephone second. She was exhausted but Merlin, it didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered except Lily, except finding her. Except making sure everyone was safe, weren’t being reckless, weren’t making decisions that were going to put them in danger. Every molecule in her body had been drained of its energy, she wasn’t grieving the way she should be, but again — again — it didn’t matter. She didn’t matter like everyone else did.

As the evening began to draw to its close, Seph was worrying over a piece of parchment, covered in every inch with scrawled notes, half-ideas, diagrams and maps and the occasional sketched flower. She’d skipped dinner that night, and part of her was aware that those who had attended would be returning soon. For now, she lounged in a small armchair near the front door, her head delicately relaxed in her hand. When the door eventually opened, she glanced up at who had entered. Smiling gently, she sat back in her seat, tickling her neck with the feather of her quill and lifting her knees up to her chest.  ❛ Hey. Nice to see you back — how was dinner? Go on, try and make me jealous. ❜

“Actually skipped dinner as well. Heard you were here though so I kinda... smuggled food.”  He unconsciously scratched the back of his head, expecting for someone else to be in the room other than Seph. Now that he had realized that they were alone, he felt slightly nervous. He remembered a time when he was briefly attracted to Seph, and was definitely part of the litter of Ravenclaw sixth years who sort of idolized her back in the days. Now that he had grown to know her more through Lily and with being part of the MA, that attraction had died down to something more platonic. He sat down on the stool next to her, and offered her a plate of croissants. “Hope you like bread.”

When: Feb 27th Where: Just outside the greenhouse, Hogwarts grounds. Who: Ruben x anyone nearby. Really open here.

The heat of the flame illuminated his lips as he took another drag, pulling from the nearly finished cigarette idly as he gazed out at the forest. The smoke settled in his chest, a light burn warming the back of his throat. Another nasty habit that he picked up from Durmstrang. Young Dutch men were rarely ever seen without a sig between their lips. This was his third in the last hour- almost like an obsessive tick. But he liked the solitude that smoking brought him. An excuse to keep people away so he could be alone for a moment, relax around the solitary that he created.

That was until the air shifted and he wasn’t alone anymore. Ruben’s jaw tightened as he heard someone’s oncoming steps, his eyes finally turning away from the setting sun. He tilted his head as he gazed through the open door and smirked. “Out so close to curfew?” His thick accent purred the words and he moved to lean against the doorway, arms folding across his chest. “What could bring you here so late?”

In his venture of seeking solitude from all the recent events, he hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. Hugo has always been attuned to nature, and with it comes affinity with all sorts of creatures—magical or not. This time around, he had been peacefully following a fairy who had stumbled this close to Hogwarts. Unusual, really, but strange things had been happening around the school lately that he didn’t put much thought to it. It wasn’t until the fairy suddenly darted away and disappeared—seemingly spooked—that he noticed he had eventually stumbled near the greenhouse.

He, then, realized that the fairy was repelled by the nicotine-filled smoke coming from a certain transferee. Hugo shrugged at the question. “A fairy,” he blurted out, tension slowly filling him up. He didn’t know much about Ruben Valder, and even with people he was familiar with, he already felt uncomfortable being around. His thick accent was so much in contrast to what Hugo was used to. He ended up pointedly staring at the roll Ruben was smoking. 

when: lunchtime  where: the great hall open to students

once, when he was very young, jasper talkalot had lost his family in diagon alley. he was certain they were right behind him (as they had all been looking into the window at quality quidditch supplies a moment ago), but, by the time he actually decided to check, there was no one there.  he had panicked for a moment, started walking off into the street, before he remembered an errant tidbit that he had learned a few weeks prior: most people lost in the woods often made things worse for themselves by journeying deeper into the unknown. this was not the woods, he knew, but he figured that it was still best to stay put, sitting down on the sidewalk and waiting for his mother to notice he was missing. 

thankfully, it hadn’t taken long. 

that day, as a panicked lucinda talkalot saw her eldest child sitting in the middle of a busy street staring off into the clouds, she couldn’t help but ask, “where is your head, jasper? what in the world is going on in your mind?”

he had started to say something about the woods, something about survival tips, but one of his siblings had interjected with a huff, “it’s just jasper, mom. you know how he is. he always has his head in the clouds.”

in the years since, he had thought of that moment often. and while he hadn’t appreciated the tone of voice being used, he had thought the descriptor rather apt. jasper was a simple man. he was hardly ever thinking about anything other than a few nebulous and flighty topics. his current preoccupations were quidditch (in which his head was literally in the clouds), on occasion, the object of his affections (which, in his view, was about as close to heaven and, thus, the clouds, as he was about to get) and his family (he admitted this one didn’t really quite fit the cloud metaphor.

nevertheless, it was, thus, unsurprising that, during their lunch break in the great hall, jasper had his head in the clouds again. when he finally grounded himself long enough to be aware of the world around him, his companion was looking at him like they expected him to say something. after trying to recall what they wanted from him and failing miserably, he took a bite from his sandwich, nonplussed.

“yes,” he said firmly, though he was not quite sure about what exactly he was agreeing to. 

“tell me this, though–” he changed the topic, “is it a cauldron full of hot strong love that goes like this,“ he hummed a few bars, “or is it magic magic man?“

Hugo was familiar enough with the tells of someone who was lost to earth, and so he waited patiently as he watched Jasper daydream. He had only been sitting down at the Hufflepuff table for a short minute, after impulsively deciding to take the open seat beside the Talkalot boy. It wasn’t customary of Hugo to be the first one reaching out, and the only reason he was around the ‘puff table in the first place was because a relative called out to him. Plus, Jasper’s sisters weren’t around yet, so he decided to take the chance. Hugo’s eyebrows slightly jerked up at Jasper’s sudden response, choosing not to comment on the fact that he hadn’t asked any question that needed any answering to. “I’d say it sounds like neither,” he lightly jested, “But that’s probably hot strong love.”

“Got this owled to me some days ago,” he started. He pulled out a copy of Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson. “Seems like your kind of stuff.”