memories in the mayhem

It made Arlo sick that he had to worry like this, that he had to hold Violet tight because he thought that perhaps in the mess of things, he could have lost her too. Hearing her words broke him, the PANIC and the desperation made his heart shatter into pieces. Not knowing what to do or say, he just held her in a hug, scared that if he let go he might have to face the fact that he’d shed a couple tears of relief. “ I’ll try Vi, just tell me how I can help you, or if I eve can. But I dont like this either Vi, ” he responded, feeling himself tense as he did. “ I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner, I had to speak with a few professors. Merlin. ”

Violet gave her brother another tight squeeze, truly not wanting to let go and face the harsh reality that awaited her. She had to however, as there were bigger worries than her own feelings. They could wait until she was alone and able to not worry about anyone else. She pushed away from Arlo slowly, as if that was going to make anything easier. Violet glanced up at him and nodded at his explanation. “I don’t... I don’t know what...” It was odd, completely unlike her to be so speechless. “Have you seen Poppy?” It was the best subject to go to. Violet didn’t want to talk about her feelings and she knew she’d feel better by looking and caring for her little sister instead of just standing there, gaping.

After the scene at the Quidditch pitch, the want to fly had completely left Violet’s body, leaving her with too much restless energy and nowhere to put it. The want to hit something hadn’t subsided and it unnerved Violet. Sure, she could be as aggressive as the next person and sure, she’d gotten into fights plenty of times but... She’d never felt like this. So utterly helpless and it was the worst feeling. It reminded her of a younger Violet, stuck in the hospital visiting her grandmother; looking upon a frail woman who didn’t resemble the photograph she clutched in her hand at all. It made her think of a slightly older but still juvenile Violet who was about to face a boggart for the first time. The fear rising, the feeling of being trapped and helpless stuck in her throat, like someone had put a stopper on a boiling potion and it was about to explode.

Violet made her way into greenhouse number 6, a personal favourite of hers. She was hoping that being surrounded by the plants, the comforting smells and sounds of the rustling plant life would calm her. It only did the opposite, grating at her nerves. The boiling feeling in her body was feeling more and more volatile, building and building: ready to burst. She couldn’t take it anymore, the restless feeling was too much. An arm swung out, taking out a row of potted plants. It was joined by its partner to push over a table, then another set of plants and suddenly it all became a blur of tears and greenery as Violet took her frustration out on the poor greenhouse.

McGonagall’s words still rung in her head, a constant stream of sentences that made sense but couldn’t at the same time. She was briefly aware of the students milling around her, leaving as soon as the headmaster released them. The words the somber woman said still hadn’t stuck in Violet’s head as she too followed the motions, joining her classmates to file out of the hall. Well, most of her classmates. Despite being shorter than the majority of the older students, Abigail stuck out like a sore thumb. As listless as a statue, not jostled by the waves of students blowing past her. The Gryffindor made a beeline over to her best friend, not caring about bumping into other students. They’d get over it. Maybe they didn’t even notice her. Her only objective was to get to Abi. The blonde reached the smaller girl and her natural instincts took over, something Vi was rather grateful for. A hand delicately landed on an arm, so much as to not scare Abigail. “Hey, babe. We gotta go.” she whispered, not sure what else she could do.

Anger was a familiar emotion for her. It was always strong and burning, popping up more often than it should have but Sienna always got through it by hexing the person that caused it. But what was she to do when she was the center of her own anger. It was coursing through her and the instability fueled her ever increasing frustrations. She wanted to shut it all off, to go back in time and do something differently but reality had its ways of bringing her back down from her train of what if’s. Stinging hands came in contact with a gentle touch, one that left the blonde surprised when she realized whose hands they belonged to. It was no secret that Violet and her didn’t get along. Sure, Charlie and Violet fought and the Ravenclaw would always take the Slytherin’s side, but Sienna and Violet’s relationship was different. Their personalities clashed like two swords in the night, leaving a clanging sound that was seen in their various arguments. They were two very different people, a fact that showed through Violet’s current gesture. While not necessarily soft, she was always kind, reaching out to help others even if they didn’t deserve it. She was surprised that the Gryffindor was even there, attempting to help when it would be so much more easier for her to walk away and go on with whatever she was doing. Just this one selfless action had her mind once again spinning on how she didn’t deserve any form of kindness when perfectly innocent children were taken away by her own selfish intentions. “It’s fine.” She replied, voice cracking as she did so. It was like her voice had decided to reflect her own heart, strained from emotion and now too tired to continue on. “I’m fine.” Her voice hardened, despite being unsure if she was trying to convince Violet or herself.

Violet’s eyes flicked up, searching the other girl’s face. She wasn’t met with the usual serene features or even the annoyance that came with Violet’s presence.  Sienna had her heart on her sleeve and maybe that was even more damaging than the blood pooling from her knuckles. Violet’s eyes flicked back down to the injury. “Don’t lie to me.” Her voice came out harsher than intended, a consequence of the events earlier that day, she supposed. The Gryffindor cleared her throat before continuing. “You- You don’t have to lie to me. Not right now.” Violet let go of her hand and extended her body before making her way to the first aid kit. She grabbed the necessary supplies, juggling the overflowing pile in her hands before crouching back down next to Sienna. She lay out all the medical supplies and got to work dressing the wound. “It’s not going to be pretty,” she mumbled, glancing up at the other girl to see how she was doing. “But it’ll be enough to get you to the hospital wing.” She didn’t know how to broach the subject of the destruction of the locker room. Violet wasn’t friends with the girl, they hardly ever talked unless it was about Quidditch statistics or mild threats. She was sure Sienna wouldn’t want to bear her emotions to her but in true Violet fashion, she wouldn’t let that stop her. “So are you going to tell me why you reducto’d the lockers with your fists or do I have to guess that they had it coming?”

Arlo had never been so anxious in his life. Not for quidditch games, not for important tests or presentations, hell not even when he had to face confrontation. Overall, he was a pretty chill dude. With the threats in the air at first, and then the conformation of these events, there really wasn’t any way for him to stay CALM. That’s why the minute he spotted the golden locks of hair, he’d made haste to make his way over and throw his arms around her in a hug. “ Vi, ” he had said, not even sure what to say other than her name, so not to scare her when he suddenly hugged her. “ You’re okay, Merlin, you’re okay. ”

@violetslongbottom

Violet didn’t like the feeling that filled her body as the assembly of students dissipated, leaving the Great Hall in a stupor. She despised it actually. A mixture of anger and guilt and hot tears and thanks that it wasn’t her family and more guilt for thinking that and sympathy for the families and white hot anger again. She was a molotov cocktail of emotions but when she felt her brother’s arms wrap around her, some of the overwhelming feeling left. She hadn’t heard him calling but she’d know her brother anywhere. Violet hugged him back, squeezed even, for fear that if she let her grip loosen, he’d disappear. She couldn’t handle anymore loss today. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she mumbled. “I... I... Make this better. Please make it better. I don’t like this feeling.”

sparked with frustrated anger, sienna found herself destroying the empty locker rooms. lockers were dented in as she kicked over benches, miscellaneous items being thrown about as she paced back and forth. she was huffing, her face red as angry tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. her usually composed nature was corrupted with a disheveled version of herself. one who wanted to wipe the smug looks off of raziela and the others. but most of all she was angry at herself. she was furious that she had given into the pressure and gone through with it. if she hadn’t been so prideful and selfish then maybe those students would still be alive. maybe she could have had arlo keep a headcount throughout the night. now she was just left with herself and her self-loathing, bloody knuckles barely bracing her fall as she collapsed in the middle of the room.

@violetslongbottom

Flying always seemed to have a soothing effect. The wind in her hair, the rush of adrenaline, the feeling of being free and weightless... it was all things that felt foreign to Violet at this point in time. All she felt was anger. Anger at the people who did this, anger at the people who didn’t protect those kids, anger at herself for having a good time while innocents were slaughtered, anger at the school for allowing people in who could do such a thing. It was vile. Realistically, Violet knew hitting something wouldn’t make her feel better but she had to try, and the blonde was pretty sure no one would volunteer to be her punching bag. It was for those reasons (to try and feel better the way she usually did and to try a new way with hitting things) that the Gryffindor captain made her way to the pitch. She honestly didn’t expect anyone else to be there and was even more startled by the banging coming from the changing rooms. Vi poked her head into the room, expecting to see a troll, only to find a girl. She watched as Sienna crumpled to the ground and her heart pounded as she deliberated. Did she stay or did she go? It was a first; Violet Longbottom was speechless. She didn’t know what to do, yet her body moved on its own accord. She knelt down next to Sienna and picked up a hand, sure to be delicate. She didn’t know anything about healing magic but she did know a thing or two about a busted knuckle. Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper, as if she hadn’t spoken for days. “We have to get these bandaged up.”

Violet made her rounds through the great hall, overly sweet and far too pink drink in hand. It was sickly if she were being honest, but it fit the mood of the room. Utterly gross. It wasn’t as if she were a bitter single, far from it actually, but she certainly didn’t need a day dedicated to pink frills and the like. The atmosphere of the dance was getting too much for her and who better to relieve the sick feeling in her stomach than someone who made her feel a little queasy. “Not in the party mood tonight or just sad that  the other two musketeers abandoned you?”

@violetslongbottom

Admitting to himself that Violet Longbottom looked pretty was no big deal. Anyone could look pretty, it didn’t make them any less awful. There was a stereotype of beautiful people being terrible, wasn’t it? Some people around the castle found Eden wasn’t very good company, but the suckers couldn’t be so hypocritical they’d pretend he wasn’t a damn snack. At least, that was his line of thought, and he’d live by it. Now, admitting to the girl herself that she looked nice was unnecessary, but Eden was slightly bored and most of all, he loved the way he didn’t like her. Chatting for a while and then walking away, thinking: that’s right, she’s still unlikable. I still would let her fall to her death or something. He needed that more than the sub-par punch available that evening. “You don’t look too shabby, Longbottom. If you dressed like that on the pitch, maybe the other players would leave you alone.”

As soon as she saw Eden Rosier approaching her, Violet tried to curb the need to roll her eyes. The boy hardly said boo to her in private and even less in public and all of it was filled with the underlying note of sass. This should be good. “People don’t tag the shit players Rosier, so thanks for the compliment. Are you promoting a two in one deal for valentine’s day?” the blonde deadpanned, before glancing at him. “You look alright yourself but you hardly need me to tell you that.”

@violetslongbottom

“ Found a valentine yet ? ” He chuckled as he greeted his sister so abruptly, a certain CADENCE in his question. This Valentine’s Day, he decided that his way of showing his brotherly love would be to tease his sisters until they can’t stand it anymore. Though, that wasn’t very different from any other time. “ Don’t let me catch you canoodling with anyone while making my rounds tonight, okay,  ” he joked, in reference to the ridiculous term the headmaster had used earlier that day when discussing the rules. In all seriousness, he didn’t really care what anyone did so long as it wasn’t going to hurt anyone, which kind of made him a pretty bad prefect for not enforcing rules.

Her head swung around, only mildly surprised by the voice that snuck up on her. Violet whacked her brother lightly on the arm, giving him her best ‘Hannah Longbottom chastising’ look. “If I’m going to canoodle with anyone,” she started, trying not to gag at the godawful word. “It won’t be anywhere you will find me.” Violet told her brother matter of factly. It wasn’t that she planned to do anything tonight but if she were, the Gryffindor certainly didn’t want any of her family members finding out. “I think someone should keep an eye on you, make sure you’re a model student and not skimping on your responsibilities for a skimpy dress.” Violet raised an eyebrow at her brother, wondering exactly what his plans were tonight and whether she actually wanted to know. “But no... No valentine yet. What about you? Got your eye on anyone?”

After what could only be described as an exercise in patience and growth, the photo booth was assembled with Albus’ assistance. Sort of. Charlie was keen to put as much distance between himself and the possibly hazardous photo booth. He stood to the side of the laboriously decorated room, watching on as students expressed their affection with friends and loved ones. A day of such freedoms of expression was nauseating. Ironically, his day was to consist of anything but freedom. He shoved his hands into the deep pockets of his suit pants, and tapped the toes of his black leather derby shoes against the boarded floor. His misery seemed to attract company in the form of a Gryffindor. Bloody typical. He flashed a sneer in response. “I suppose this would be a party by your standards. It’s.. amusing.” He replied curtly, his eyes glancing her over from head-to-toe. “All dressed up, I see. I can’t recall a time I’ve ever seen you in something as presentable. It’s a new you. Who knows, with this kind of improvement, Gryffindor might not be a complete embarrassment this year.”

Violet flashed her counterpart a smile and batted her eyelids for good measure, amping up the act by placing her hand over her chest. “Oh Charlie, you really know how to charm a girl.” Despite the fact that he (probably) didn’t want her company, Vi made herself at home, taking up a position next to him, looking out at all the other students. While normally she’d be out there in the thick of it, annoying Charlie Yaxley was too good an opportunity to pass up. “Coming from an embarrassment like yourself, that means a lot. You can take the crown of King Loser while Gryffindor leaves you in the dust.” The blonde flashed him a smile, her sweet tone highly contrasting her teasing. “You are reigning champion of loserdom though so I wonder if it’ll be hard to out do yourself...”

 Right as he had been about to counter that he wasn’t glum, Albus noticed he didn’t have to move his features much to look discontented. So, alright, maybe he wasn’t a ray of sunshine ( he rarely was, in public settings ), but one had to understand he’d rather be anywhere but surrounded by pairs when he had to act so casual there was nothing casual about him anymore. He sighed, shooting Violet a grateful smile. “Are you that bored?” he joked at first. “It’d be nice, thanks Vi.”

She looped an arm around Al’s torso and steered him towards the other dancing couples, nudging him lightly with her shoulder on the way. “I wouldn’t say bored, I think I’d use... looking out for you.” Or whichever word summed up the fact that she didn’t like to see Al any less than his Albus-y self. “You can go ahead and pretend I’m some other hot blonde... I won’t get too offended.” 

Violet glanced over at Albus and at the expression that graced his face, the blode started to pout. “Why so glum chum?” she asked, eyebrow quirking slightly. She guessed it might have to the fact that he couldn’t (wouldn’t?) take his own boyfriend to a dance all about love. Still pouting, though it had taken more of a teasing turn, the blonde held out her hand. “You wanna dance with me and take your mind off it?”

Valentine’s was not high on the list of holidays that Violet looked out for, what with the drama and the couples and the lovey dovey-ness. It was rather gross if you asked her. What Violet did look out for was a party and Hogwarts always delivered. Sure, it was annoying that she’d be a part of the clean up crew at the end, what with helping the house elves, but the blonde figured she may as well make the mess worth it and have a ball. Bugger, she even wore a dress for the occasion (the black harshly contrasting against the sea of pinks and reds), and she’d be damned if she didn’t make it fun for everyone. Violet spotted her first victim across the room and made a beeline towards the Slytherin. “Y’know, it is a party Charles. The least you could do is smile.”

Violet could admit her faults. Many people wouldn’t believe her but she could. She was stubborn, brash, and couldn’t make her hair look fancy. What could she say? She was a simple girl with simple tastes that left her with messy ponytails almost every day. Unfortunately that wasn’t acceptable, as her now hairdresser was telling Vi while her hair felt like it was being pulled out of her head. The blonde wished she could turn around to glare at Abigail but she was afraid the Ravenclaw would hurt her head even more. “If I’d known you were going to cause me so much pain, I would’ve asked Poppy to do my hair.”

“Blimey, were you? I can’t believe I didn’t notice you sitting there when I snuck through!” Shooting her sister a sympathetic look, she threw an arm over her shoulders as she seemed to shake herself from whatever haze she’d briefly fallen into. “You got it, it’ll be our little secret. But, c’mon. Anyone with half a brain already knows that you’re the most heroic of us Longbottom kids. The title is totally yours.” Not wanting to bother the house-elves when she and Violet were fully capable of handling themselves, Poppy slipped through the door and made her way over to the counter to begin the hunt. “You find the tea!” She mumbled, beaming as she pulled a tin full of biscuits from one of the cabinets. No sooner than the lid was lifted, the blonde had already stuffed one into her mouth. Nodding happily to herself as she swallowed, she finally spoke up again. “I’ve been…well, stressed out. Haven’t been sleeping as much since the escape.”

Following her younger sister through to the kitchens, the pair split off as soon as entering. Violet made a beeline for where the tea was kept, no doubt at at all about where to find the good stuff. She could manoeuvre the kitchens in her sleep, having snuck down here far too many times than her parents would like. The odd detour on a trip to see Gilbert or missing dinner thanks to Quidditch meant that she had no problem getting around. “Do you want good old earl grey or something a little fruity?” Vi called over her shoulder to Poppy, before rummaging around to find two mugs. Tinkering around, it didn’t take long for the tea to get underway. While the kettle was boiling, Violet hoisted herself onto the counter and looked over at her sister, patting the spot next to her as an invitation for Poppy to sit. She was disheartened to hear about how her sister was feeling and she wished she could do something. Short of rounding up all the Azkaban escapees, there wasn’t anything Violet could do though. “I know how you feel... but we’re safe. Mum and Dad are here and we don’t need to worry. They’ll all get caught and everything will be okay. I promise.” The older girl held out her pinky to drive home the promise. Sure, she couldn’t guarantee everything she said would be true but she would do everything in her power to keep her little sister safe and in that moment, that was all that mattered to Vi.

Violet dancing with Poppy (listen)

It had been an especially hard day with patrons at the Leaky Cauldron becoming extra demanding and a lot less polite than usual. Normally, Violet would quip back at them, ignore her mother’s rules about politeness and not give them their order until they behaved like actual adults. Today however, she didn’t seem to have the heart. Maybe it was the fact that someone had drunk all the milk and neglected to go get more (her money was on Arlo), leaving her with dry cereal and a poor start to the day. Maybe it was the drunk fool who thought it okay to bad mouth her own mother, forcing Violet to drag him out by his ear.

Nevertheless, the customers had drained her and it took all of her remaining energy to haul herself up the stairs and put a record on in an attempt to cheer herself up. She must’ve been playing it a little too loud however, as only moments after flopping onto her bed Violet heard a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer, the person popped their head in and Vi was met with the concerned face of her sister. The older girl tried to muster up a smile but it fell flat to her usual grin. 

Poppy made her way over to the bed and held out her hands, inviting Violet to sit up. After a half hearted glare and a huff, Violet managed to sit up and took her younger sister’s hand. Pop led her out to the middle of her bedroom with Bob Seger droning on about how music nowadays wasn’t as good as the old day. Violet closed her eyes and moved along to the beat, almost instantly feeling reinvigorated. Only Poppy make her mood do a complete one eighty. The pair moved about without a care in the world. A twirl here, a turn there, it was exactly what Violet needed.

Eyes landing on familiar honey blonde hair, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Haven’t you heard? They renamed it in my honor,” she deadpanned. She didn’t know what it was about Violet, but she always had Sienna on edge. Maybe it was her relations to the Wotter’s or maybe it was her overall attitude, either way the Ravenclaw found herself walking a thin line between liking and disliking her. “I suppose there is,” she replied, an exaggerated sigh escaping her lips. Shuffling her papers around so they were not as scattered as before, she dramatically gestured for the Gryffindor to make herself at home. “What brings you up here, anyways?” she asked, her curiosity urging her to carry on the conversation.

“Congratulations. What an honour.” Violet said, utterly expressionless, ignoring all of the dramatics as she sat down next to Sienna. She didn’t know why she didn’t just leave but she also figured the other girl could kick her off the side of the tower if Vi annoyed her too much. It was one way to go and honestly? Violet was far too stubborn to leave any other way. “Couldn’t sleep.” she shrugged, leaning against the wall before looking over at the Ravenclaw. “What about yourself? The library kick you out or something?” she asked, eyeing the scattered pages in front of her. Of course she knew the library wasn’t open at this hour but making small talk with people who seemed to dislike her was not Violet’s strong suit.