Don't Die

*

Remus nodded in understanding of the girl’s plight. He couldn’t claim to be the same way really, given the number of hours he spent sitting still hunched over various books, both for school and recreational, but he knew that if the guys were kept cooped up for too long they tended to go a bit mental. The only times Remus ever felt like that, were some of the days leading up to the full, before the pain started setting in.

“Think that’s what I like about some of it,” Remus admitted with a shrug. He tried to not come across as the angry sort, but there was a lot of injustice out there and most of the time he felt like he had to bottle it all up. Music was a good way to get it all out. Sometimes he needed something that mellowed him, but other times he needed something that let him rage a little without taking it out on the people around him.

“I’m sure she knows it.” He chuckled softly while shaking his head. “Mum’s a muggle, so she’s the one that even got me started on their music. Da wouldn’t even be able to tell you the difference between Fleetwood and Sabbath.” A grin pulled around his cigarette as he took another drag. “I’d love to see her try to drag him to one, bet that would be as much of a show as the festival itself.”

.

She started to pace about as Remus talked, rocking back and fourth on her heels and stretching her arms high above her head to work out the kinks in her neck. Jimi didn’t get why classes had to be so long, and how they were expected to do homework on top of that. “Aye, s’good to ffind a sound that matches your rage. It’s supposed to be the sorta’ stuff ya’ feel down to your bones, my favorite part is bein’ able to lookaround the crowd and know that everyone is feelin’ the same way.” 

Jimi bopped her head, nodding along to his story. “I think my ma’ was a punk so I doubt if it’d be quite so funny to see her at one of these shin digs. I mean I assume she was anyway, fuck knows where else my da’ would’ve met a chick considerin’ he spends all his time on the scene.” She shrugged, “draggin’ wizards to muggle concerts has been a right hoot since I started school here. Edith lost her damn mind.” 

–

How fascinating. He’d never given much actual thought to what the Muggle world looked like, really. Of course he’d gone shopping in Edinburgh and seen Muggleborns around all that fucking jazz, but he’d never really considered more than the surface level. Perhaps that was one advantage to the more open, populous amount of Muggles: deeper culture and layers and shit. “I dunno if there’s ever enough of us, population-wise. You’ve got all the numbers.”

Walden laughed, the sound loud and surprised. “I’ve been banned from doing that. I’ve got this problem where once I start it’s really fucking hard for me to stop until the fog of it all clears.”

–

Jimi rolled her eyes and shook her head, “if the wizarding community is big enough to have that shitty group that wanna stamp out muggleborns, it’s big enough to have punks fightin’ against the pricks. The iron hand of the ministry really represses the lot of ya’, eh? Ya’ ever heard anyone even question the minister? Politicians are usually corrupt, ya’ know.” 

She grinned, “I s’pose folks have different methods. My da’ encouraged the hittin’ as long as it was people who deserved a good smack. I guess we all gotta find our own groove.”

–

“Advanced Hide and Seek, it’s much more fun.” And definitely more dangerous. Mostly because she had very little self-preservation. Perhaps she ought get better at that. It would probably be nice for Alice, give her less to worry about in general. “We’ll wait until you’re all the way healed though, I don’t really wanna get you hurt any more.”

She tilted her head to the side, confused. “But cameras just take one picture, how would that be help?”

–

.

“It’s hidin’ and seekin’!” Jimi exclaimed with a laugh, “I don’t think there is a way to advance it. But I ain’t gonna be mad if ya’ proove me wrong.” She shook her head, “if you’re waitin’ ‘till I’ve got no injuries you’ll be waitin’ a while, eh? Lord knows I’m always gettin’ roughed up somehow.” Pure stupidty and recklessness sometimes, beating up a guy twice her size the others. “Aye, but you’ve got CCTV and shit that takes video. Just wire a few of them up around the place. Course then you’d have to allow muggle technology in, and we all know how terrible it would be if a kid could get their hands on a walkman inside these walls.” 

Walden considered this, cocking his head to one side. That… could have some merits honestly. Some people might have really benefited from something like that. Maybe him, maybe Rabastan. Some of it seemed burrowed pretty deep in things though. Some of it just couldn’t shake off easy. “Do punks stop out all the evil in Muggle culture?” He asked.

“S’what my family calls teaching me not to lose my shit at every little thing.” He said with a bit of a laugh. “They’ve done a good job of it, but I definitely wrecked one of the suits of armor because someone laughed too loud while I was in a state last week.”

–

.

‘Course there were shitty posers in the punk scene too, but that was true just about anywhere. For the most part their community had a common goal and belief, not entirely unlike that of the wizarding world. The difference was their beliefs were agaisnt the rest of their world, and wizards just seemed to be all parroting whatever lines the ministry fed them. “Oh, no.” Jimi frowned and shook her head, “too much evil for that. But we try our best, eh? protests and riots and petitions and what have ya’. Gotta make noise, make sure your voice is heard, make sure evil knows its got its work cut out. Not for nothin’ but I ain’t seein’ enough of that around here.”

It seemed so backwards to her, a community so advanced still struggling to avoid the rise of vitriol. “Ah, I see I see.” She nodded, “gotta get your anger out somehow I guess. I just hit people.”

millicent & jimi.

          She knew she’d been here a long time. Millie wasn’t working on homework though, so at least that’s how she justified being here so long. All her homework had been done for ages and she was caught up enough that she knew what was coming in her studies for the next few weeks. However, she had research topics she wanted to look into before leaving. “Well, probably, but I’m working on a personal project, so I got carried away.” Millicent smiled. “Maybe you should check in here every so often and make sure I’m not still here.” She laughed. “Two kisses. Now you’re getting greedy.” She couldn’t help the grin on her face as Jimi spoke. “Oh, um… I donno. I could be persuaded either way if you give a compelling argument.”

.

“Oooh a personal project eh? Alright, I can dig that. Just so long as ya’ ain’t spendin’ all your time focused on the stody old curriculum.” No doubt it was still hopelessly geeky, but at least it seemed to be something Millie was working on for passion rather than because someone else said she had to. “Aye, I’ll poke my head in the door with a bag of sweets every now and then to drag you out, eh?” She teased, grinning. “Hey, I told you that’s the price for secrets. Now I do know of this one little alcove hidden behind a big old tapestry that is just dyin’ for a couple of hotties to have a cheeky snog in it. And I’m an even better kisser when I’m sober, so you’d be a fool to say no.” 

morgana & jimi.

          When it came to following the rules, she tended to follow them. Morgana didn’t like people paying attention to her. She was doing her best not to draw attention to herself, but she knew that that wasn’t her choice these days. She was a target even if she didn’t want to be. Morgana wanted to keep herself safe and secure, which meant she was quiet a lot. “It’s not. Not for me. I don’t… I don’t want to draw any more attention to myself than necessary.” It was tough, really. The Ravenclaw was soft, too soft, for her own good. “Oh. I mean it is late though.” 

.

For the record, it baffled her that a community who prided themselves on being advanced and generally better than muggles (people could deny it all they liked, Jimi knew a superiority complex when she saw one, and the whole damn community had it) still relied on such strict rules and archaic methods of schooling. Jimi had learned to read and write in the back of a bus. “If people are payin’ attention to ya’ anyway might you just as well go ahead and do what ya want?” She pointed out, hopping up to sit down on an empty section of low shelving probably meant for plants. “Sure.” Jimi shrugged, “but I had a lie in this mornin’, so I ain’t tired.”

Would he actually fight into the punk scene? He opened and closed his mouth, puzzled. Maybe if he’d grown up in Jimi’s world he would’ve turned out okay in the end. A bit of a mystifying thought honestly. He’d never thought about that sort of hypothetical. “Is it? They don’t really have much a punk scene trade-off here. Maybe, I dunno, maybe some of the wilder Quidditch circles or something.”

Walden gave the pigeon a quick kiss as he walked, murmuring sweet nothings to it just to make sure it stayed calm as they began walking. The birds were used to the sound of his voice by now and they both seemed much more well-behaved. “Oh, I’ve loads more than two. They’re part pet, part patience training.”

–

.

People had this idea that showing your anger made you stupid, all the holier than thou folks thought they were so great for acting above emtoions. Well bad shit was happening and punks weren’t afraid to prove they were pissed about it, and somehow people were still surprised they welcomed outcasts. “Aye, I know. It’s all the bloody same, drives me mental. Like its no fuckin’ wonder all these evil pricks are crawlin’ up outta’ the woodwork tryin’ to erase muggleborns. Ya’ ain’t got no counter culture to stomp ‘em down.” 

She threw a bemused glance at Walden and the bird, but stayed quiet. Hey it seemed to be helping, so he could coo at his pigeons all day long. “Oh aye? Fair enough. What’s patience trainin’?”

morgana & jimi.

          Morgana was usually better about remembering bedtime. She was typically one of those students that knew exactly what time it was. She rarely ever broke rules and the only ones she did break were the ones that most everyone broke all the time anyway. She wasn’t a person like Otto or Jimi who were always breaking rules. So she was nervous when anyone caught her breaking the rules. Plus Morgana had been seeing Jimi spend more time around Millicent and everyone knew that Millie never broke rules. 

          “Sorry. I’m a little jumpy. I shouldn’t be breaking any rule. What are you still doing up?” 

.

Look, Jimi understood why an institution like Hogwarts thought rules were necessary. But she’d spent most of her life in communities that trusted individuals to have common sense to keep themselves safe and healthy, and didn’t use fear of consequences to corral people into behaving a certain way. She resented that her education now hinged on her following these rules closely enough to avoid expulsion. Not that her dad would be too peeved if it did happen, but it would mean the last few eyars were a waste. “Don’t worry about it lass, rule breakin’ is good practice.” Jimi hummed, taking a drag of her cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke, head angled to the side so it didn’t blow towards Morgana. “I’m not tired yet, so I ain’t goin’ to bed yet.” 

Walden kept forgetting that not everyone had grown up alongside his temper. Not everyone had seen him dragged home by his parents, red-faced and screaming, having broken several tables or punched someone or started a fight over nothing. Not everyone knew the poorly kept secret of how his fifth nanny had ended up dead. He coughed and looked to the side. “I was… a tad more than feral. I doubt your punk scenes would’ve wanted me.”

His grin was distracted and he forced himself back into the moment, focused on keeping his hands around the pigeon gentle but confining. They were just talking about pigeons now it would be fine. Talking birds was just fine. “Yeah, yeah they’ll need it. Find the bigass eagle owls. That’ll do it.”

–

.

Seriously, from the age of three her parental figures had been a bunch of crust punks. Jimi hadn’t really been familiar with things like rules or a consistent structure before Hogwarts, and she could be a right little terror to prove it. ‘Course most of the trouble she caused was encouraged by the folk that surrounded her, funneled into healthier avenues like protests and riots. “Punk scenes want pretty much everyone as long as ya’ ain’t a bigot, that’s kinda the point, eh?” She shook her head, “it’s the mainstream that’s exclusionary.”

Jimi nodded, “alright then, let’s get this show on the road.” Making sure her grip on the animal was firm, she marched out of the bathroom, “so are they like your pets or somethin’? Why do ya have two?”

Edith pumped the air in victory. Finally, an actually willing participant! She couldn’t believe how cool Jimi kept getting. First the general aura, then bus, now the games. They were gonna have to be best friends forever now. Alice never wanted to go on proper adventures any more. “Oh, oops! Sorry Jims.”

She cocked her head. “Aww, they’re not so bad. Besides if they’re gonna watch anyone sleep it’d probably be me to make sure I don’t try and vandalize them in my dreams or something.”

–

.

“Why do I get the feelin’ I’ve just agreed to participate in somethin’ highly dangerous? You’re awful excited over a game of hide and seek.” Jimi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but her tone was still playful. “Ah, you’re alright. I’ll be sound in a couple of days. Just a wee bit tender. That’s what I get for thinkin’ I’m fuckin’ invincible eh?” Not her smartest moment, that was true.

Jimi frowned, “they still creep me out a tad. I mean, why not just have cameras or somethin’.”

*

Despite the bright red that his ears turned, Remus grinned right back at her while chuckling and giving a shake of his head. She was certainly something else that was for sure. “Can’t say I blame you. Is it just me or did all these seats used to feel a lot bigger? Toss in some size adjustment on the furniture, Minnie, some of us suddenly find ourselves at six feet here!” 

Marking his place in his book, Remus pulled his feet up so that he was sitting crisscross on the bench. “Sounds like a blast. Y’know I bet you my mum would have loved something like that. She’s a bit on the crunchy side. Then again she’s never cared much for punk. Calls it a bunch of angry noise,” he added with a cheeky grin. Hope wasn’t wrong, per se, but that was kind of part of the point wasn’t it?

.

The crass joke came quick, as they always did. The habit of a girl raised by a bunch of old punks who lacked a filter and had entirely forgotten how to be polite. When Jimi was ten a woman at the bank had called her feral, and it was still an idea she wore pridefully. “N’aw, it ain’t the seats. It’s the sittin’. I fuckin’ hate bein’ so still for so long. Especially in class.” Travelling for hours on the bus waas bareable because there was stuff to keep her amused. Class was torture.

She nods, “aye, she sure ain’t the first to make that point. Most of my lot would argue she’s at least partially right, to be fair. I mean, the idea is that bein’ angry about shit shouldn’t make what you’re sayin’ less valid, y’know? If anythin’ it should mean more that you’re so passionate about shit. But angry noise ain’t far off the mark. We’re angry and we make noise about it.” Jimi shrugged. “Tell your ma’ there are softer festivals to go but she won’t see me there.”

“A challenge!” Edith said, dancing around in a circle in her excitement. She loved a good challenge. As much as she loved terrifying poor Dirk on the regular she wouldn’t mind having someone actually looking for her in a serious sort of way. Poor Dirk, he did try his hardest. “We have to now Jimi, we have to!”

She poked Jimi in the side excitedly, giggling in glee. “They can’t hover they’re too heavy. Plus they can’t talk to get into Common Rooms. Don’t worry you’re safe. From them.”

–

.

“Aye, you bet.” Jimi laughed, “hey, just say when baby, I’ll be up for it.” She grumbled, grabbing Edith’s hands to end the assault on her sides, “watch it, fell off the top of the bus on our last day and bruised my ribs somethin rotten.” She shook her head, “I don’t mean hover like up in the air, I just mean like creepily standin’ over my bed watchin’ me sleep.” Jimi wrinkled her nose,”sentient shells. There ain’t nothin’ like it in the muggle world.” 

millicent & jimi.

          When it came to people she would stop studying for, the list was very short. It was actually honestly, only a few people and Jimi was on that list. Maybe she was better at flirting than she thought she was because Jimi seemed to think she was funny. Millicent didn’t think she was that funny and was a bit of a disaster in the romance department. “I’ve been here for four hours and even I want to sneeze,” she admitted. “But don’t tell that to anyone.” Millie liked keeping up her bookworm appearance. “I donno. Do you have something fun in mind?” 

.

Honestly one of her goals of the school year was to see Millie let her hair down. Have a drink and a laugh and just chill out for a bit without feeling like the world would crumble around her if she wasn’t working or studying. Jimi knew she was a staunch nerd, but if anyone was up for the challenge it was her. “Four hours? Jesus lass, that’s more than enough.” Jimi shook her head, “another secret?” She teased, “that’s two kisses a day, hen.” Jimi winked, “I got plenty in mind when it comes to fun with you, but I was wonderin’ if you’re interested in the makin’ out kinda fun or lookin’ for somethin’ a little more PG.” 

“Now you have to be involved that sounds like the best challenge ever!” She said. The suit attempted to do some bending move that would’ve been a backflip if it had more agility, and Edith decided she’d put it through enough. She pressed a kiss on the back of its head. “You win this round, my metal friend.” She whispered before tumbling off its back.

“Aww they’re not so bad I think they mostly just nap all the time. They’re just big spooky metal cats. Except they don’t meow and chase things.”

–

.

“Hey, don’t underestimate my ability as a seeker, you’re dealin’ with a chick who’s been navigatin’ camp grounds since she was three, and you saw the state of the bus I live on. I can find anythin’ anywhere.” Jimi laughed as Edith gave up on her attempt for the time being. “Callin’ em big spooky metal cats don’t make ‘em lees creepy! I swear when I arrived I kept waitin’ to wake up to one of the fuckers hoverin’ over my bed.”

   “You joke, but those staircases still turn me around if I’m not paying attention… which is kinda hard to do when their are so many pretty women around” he replied, a smirk finding it’s way into his face as he moved his gaze from Jimi and looked around the bathroom. “Sorry, no can do Jimi. There’s no turning off the charm with me, it’s both a blessing and a curse…. although I’d lean more towards blessing” he said, looking back at Jimi and picking up the small jar of green goo, shaking it a little as he inspected it. “How was your break anyway, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages. Still living the rocker lifestyle?”

.

“Even I don’t get distracted enough by the hotties to get lost, so I think you’re just a touch dim babe.” Jimi joked, reaching out to pat him on the cheek sympathetically, “thank the lord you’re pretty enough to make up for it, eh?” She wrestled a few elastic bands off her wrists to twist the sections of hair she didn’t want to dye into buns, leaving random strands loose around her head. “Aw for sure, any day I’m lucky enough to be charmed by Ludo Bagman is a good day.” Jimi winked at him, taking back the jar of goo. “Aye, you know me lad, we were on the road pretty much the whole time but we stopped at a winter holiday fesitcal for a short while and Edith came to hang with us so that was all good fun. What about you? Ya’ miss me?” 

“Pretty much, yeah.” He said with a shrug as he tucked the pigeon in the crook of his arm before carefully heading back over to Jimi. “Lots of space though which was nice. Besides I’m… I wasn’t really the sort of kid you could uhh, take places. My sisters go to the city though. You’d like them more.” Any sensible person would, honestly. 

Carefully he tucked the second small hood over the pigeon in Jimi’s grip. She had a pretty good hold on it for someone who had never had to do this before. Maybe she oughta get some pet birds of her own. “Now we take them back to the Forest. Might stop at the Owlery first, make them look at the hawks and think about what they’d done.”

–

.

Bloody typical. All sorts of folks from bank tellers to greasy spoon waitresses had looked down on Jimi and her lot for things as inconsiquential as having no permenant fixed address and their accents, and here was another high and mighty bastard who thought he was better just because he didn’t use terms like hen or lass. “I was a feral little monster and I still went places.” She laughed softly, “mostly punk places though, so I guess I fit in even as a kid.” 

She wasn’t the sort to be squeemish, but this thing flapped about and bothered her until Walden got the hood over its head and she was relieved it calmed down. “All those years of catchin’ drumsticks in crowds finally comin’ in handy, eh?” Jimi joked, nodding. “Sure, sure. Put the fear of god in the poor little gremlins why don’t ya’.” 

*

“Oh stuff it, Jimi,” he murmured before pulling it back out and taking a drag. Two days from the full and he wasn’t in the best of moods, thankfully he didn’t feel like he’d have to pull blows with someone like Jimi. “You a witch, or not?” Barely twitching his wand, he lit her own in turn with a roll of his eyes before patting the seat next to him on the bench in invitation. He sat in silence for a moment, just allowing the smoke to fill his lungs before eventually glancing over at her. “How’s the band then?” He was sucker for muggle music, you could blame his mum for that.

.

Jimi stuck her tongue out at him and winked in retaliation, “don’t be silly, I haven’t had to do that since I was fourteen.” She wrinkled her nose at the reminder of the trick with the wand, “apparently, but I always bloody forget they can do that. Seems a tad silly if ya’ ask me.” Still Jimi took advantage and lit her cigarette off the small flame before takeing a drag. She shook her head at his offer, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, “I’ve been sat own all day, my legs are goin’ mad, I need to move for a bit.” Jimi kicks one leg out and bends over to stretch it, doing the same with the other, “aye, band is kickin’ as always. Had a hell of a winter holiday festival this year, whole thing run by these ancient hippies that put on a mad buffet and were blessin’ peoples’ pics for ‘em, so that was fun.”