#semperopen

it is a terrible thing, to know that you are safe when the ones you love are in danger. paige had felt shaky all morning, remaining quiet at breakfast despite reassurance from her best friend that all would be well. dominique and her family had treated her better than her own family for her entire life, and she considered herself more loyal to them than any of the purebloods who she had to associate with during holidays. she had been so distracted that even professor kader noticed, suggesting that she take a break from her work to deliver a book to a student who had left it behind in the last class. her eyes lit up at the familiar name in the cover. she nodded, wordlessly, taking the book in her hands. after wandering around for a few minutes, she finally found the individual and held the book out in front of her, getting their attention. “you left this in potions,” she said simply, pursing her lips.

the usual pep in alfred carrow’s step seemed to turn into a bounce as he strode down the halls. after all, he had woken up to the wonderful news that his family was free. his father and aunt were out there, somewhere, and he was sure that they would find a way to contact him soon. of course, it was still his job to play the role that he had perfected over the years; that of the grief-stricken son, the carrow child trying to turn the family name around and make it respectable again. the son who had been a darling in his class, a star prefect, and beacon of hope for the future.  ugh, he had even had to suffer through muggle studies in order to create a believable character. catching that he was not along, he swung around, plastering his usual friendly smile on his face. “can i help you?” he asked, keeping his tone pleasant.

tori was always ready to fight. of course, the news this morning had only further solidified her resolve to fight against evil, but it hadn’t changed her daily routine the way it was effecting most students. she still got ready to do her daily run, meditating on the list of names as she stretched. it was hard to push it from her thoughts, but she attempted to in order to focus on her running. rounding around the campus, she tried to focus on the new quittich plays she was drafting to take her mind off of it. however, her thoughts were disturbed by a very loud, very clear scream. the captain stood dead in her tracks for a moment before quickly running into the castle, stopping the first person she saw. “did you just hear that?” she asked, brow furrowed.

In light of the new news, Beatrice had made a beeline for the quidditch pitch. Where she made quick work of running until her legs gave out -- which now took four hours instead of three and a half, a feat which she was incredibly proud of. The Slytherin seventh year didn’t know how to process any of the emotions, the fear that her father was involved, the fear that he would abandon her again. Glistening with sweat, Bea fell back onto the lush pitch, furrowing her eyebrows as someone’s shadow stepped into her view.  “Take a picture, you know it lasts longer. Would prefer you get a boner over that.” 

His yawn seemed to echo throughout the hallway and his footfall sounded more like a giant’s than a teenage boy. Tobias had always been an early riser, never one to dawdle and daydream, but this morning it seemed a little ridiculous. The sun had only managed to just peep up as the boy made his way around the castle, relishing in the silence. It was a rare occurrence at the school and Tobias wanted to savour every moment of it. The weather outside was a tad too chilly to be walking around without his robes or a coat but the Hufflepuff made his way out anyway. Inhaling the crisp air, he made his way to a stone bench only to stop short. Simple thoughts ran through his head, telling him that the seat would be freezing and that it was a stupid decision. No one was around to witness said foolish decision though, so Tobias lay down and watched the sunrise, ignoring the cold biting his skin.

Scout perched on a stone wall in the courtyard, her choppy blonde fringe in her eyes as her legs swung in the breeze. Reading through her charms text book to see what trouble she could cause. The sixth year Slytherin seeking a distraction from all the news that had been plaguing the papers, being a muggleborn meant she never had to deal with any of this before; it was all a bit overwhelming. But if hiding in the Room Of Requirement for the rest of the day and practicing pranks was going to solve that, she would eventually do it. Feeling someone walk into her light, she looked up from her book. “Can I help you?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“They never really seem to miss a beat with these things. Getting better and better every year.” Beatrice lent against one of the columns in the Great Hall, a black flask that was once hiding in her thigh high stocking now sitting in her grip. Taking a swig and leaving a trace of red lipstick on the rim “want some?” 

Bopping back and forth to the music, Lily desperately tried to forget her entirely embarrassing completely regrettable interaction with the secret man of her wildest dreams. Ever since breaking up with her dumb (as a bag of literal bricks. How do you not notice magic for a year? Oh that’s right you liked your skateboard more than your girlfriend) muggle boyfriend, she’d felt just entirely ugly. He who must not be named, a nickname for her ex she didn’t dare voice to anyone but her siblings and Niamh, was at least good for boosting her self esteem. Maybe the blood wasn’t helping. Half the people she’d seen tonight had thought she was a zombie anyway. Lily made a promise to herself to stop the next person who bumped into her and luckily she wasn’t waiting a long time. “Hey! Who do you think I am? Do you like get it? The look? Or am I completely off base and do I look stupid? Honest answers only, okay?”