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Post by Eiliyah Morgan on Jun 14, 2015 23:32:42 GMT -5
Everything here felt so cold. The cold walls and dim lighting, the quiet hallways and the faint echo of her footsteps as she climbed the marble staircase she wondered how people could live here. Eiliyah heard faint whispers from behind her a group of much younger giggling girls no older than 13. ‘Is she a new professor?’ ‘I didn’t know we were getting another one’. She did not respond just kept climbing the stairs what could she say anyways? Earlier, a fellow 7th year showed her to the Hufflepuff common room eyebrow raised probably wondering why an older student was still in school. It made her anxious and took everything in her power to make eye contact with the judgemental stare coming from the younger girl. Once left alone in her dorm she immediately discarded the school robes opting for a flowy dress and left the, thankfully, empty common room. Since she had nothing to do, Eiliyah decided she would take this opportunity to acquaint herself with the castle.
Home
It was sad to think that she may never see it again. It was such a stark contrast with the hard stone walls of Hogwarts. Back in Suriname, everything was more open. You could practice magic under the warm sun or bright stars, in the gentle caress of wind, near the smell of salt water and sound of children sweet laughter drifting from the nearby beach. Everything here confined to rooms, which could only be compared to large prison cells. She dreaded the thought that she would have a class in the dungeons if it was this dark in the upper levels then how would it be down there? The thought made her shudder. She just had 1 year possibly even less to deal with before she could leave these castle halls behind.
She could not be sure how long she was ‘exploring’, but one thing she was certain of—Eiliyah was lost.
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Post by Skylar Constantine on Jun 15, 2015 12:31:51 GMT -5
Skylar knew exactly where he was and where he was going. He'd needed a night out, dammit, and dropped Ember off with Michael's brood to get her out of the manor. Now he was striding through the corridors, his mind on Knockturn Alley. Some underground dueling would scratch that itch.
He hadn't been dueling in a while. The incident with the Blackwoods had soured him on it. Dueling should be an escape, a chance to do what he was born to do in a setting that wouldn't get him thrown into Azkaban. He got to show off his skill for a usually-appreciative audience, and sometimes he actually found a man who challenged him. He didn't like the scrutiny that came after, though. Winning too much pissed people off and he wasn't willing to lose.
The female ahead didn't even register in his mind. On the way in, he'd been Ember's father, his mind on getting her settled for the evening. Now his mind was on release.
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Post by Eiliyah Morgan on Jun 15, 2015 13:44:45 GMT -5
Every turn looked the same as the one before it; the only way she knew she wasn’t going down the same hall was by the various different portraits murmuring in their frames. The farther she travelled the more empty the castle seemed. It wasn’t until she turned a corner did a figure appear; instinctively making her edge towards the wall as if it would provide her some sort of protection.
For a moment there was relief, but panic took over as she watched him approach clearly unaware of her presence. Should she speak and break his train of thought? What if she irritated him? He was clearly not a student and the last thing she needed was to make a bad impression on a staff member. Yet, if she chose not to speak, she might as well sleep in one of the empty classrooms and attempt to find her way back to the common room the next day.
The debate went on in her head for what felt like ages until she mustered enough courage to speak up hoping that her accent wouldn’t be too hard to understand.
“I’m so sorry, but could I bother you for a second?”
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Post by Skylar Constantine on Jun 15, 2015 14:05:57 GMT -5
Skylar finally noticed the girl as more than scenery, but only because she appeared to be talking to him. No one talked to him around here excepting a few acquaintances, and she definitely wasn't one. "I'm not a professor, can't help you," he said, not bothering to slow down. "The Blackwood-Hardts are back that way. The double doors." He crooked a thumb behind him and went on. Hopefully she wasn't one of those socially desperate people who had to be friends with everyone, because he didn't intend to stop for her.
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Post by Eiliyah Morgan on Jun 15, 2015 14:26:14 GMT -5
She did not doubt for a second that whomever he spoke of could help her, but the plural only made her more anxious and a quick guidance to the common room would be plenty of help. After all that happened in the past few years it was hard enough talking to just one person; dealing with more than one... she couldn't. She mentally rationalized it as no need to bother more people than she already has. Eiliyah’s eyes turned downward for a brief second gathering what little courage she had. She was the daughter of powerful politicians, correction, once powerful politicians. Talking to a person who was neither a professor nor a student from the looks of it should not be this difficult. This time as she spoke her voice was stronger.
“Just point to the Hufflepuff common room is enough. I don’t think bothering the Blackwood-Hardt’s is necessary.”
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Post by Skylar Constantine on Jun 15, 2015 14:50:03 GMT -5
Skylar gave a brief, chuckling snort and finally stopped to look at her. "Honey I don't know where the common rooms are, I'm just visiting. I can show you how to get out, but that's about it." He'd lived at Hogwarts for a while, but he had more important things to remember than the layout of some old school. He could get to Michael's tower, he could still get to the places he passed on the way, and he might be able to find the Deputy Headmaster's office if he tried. That was it.
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Post by Eiliyah Morgan on Jun 15, 2015 15:13:01 GMT -5
That sound, the chuckle she felt it getting under her skin again. If he was paying attention he would notice her slightly shudder, but with the way he barely gave her a second look and that was only because she spoke she doubted he would notice... or well she hoped. His ‘offer’ however was even better than what she wanted; a chance to get some sun and away from the cold interior of Hogwarts.
“Getting me out of this god forsaken castle is even better than I hoped.”
Maybe she would leave the area altogether, she heard of some place called Hogsmeade was nearby maybe she could wander off there or even farther away. If she had to live here for the next few months, she may as well take advantage of any opportunity to keep away from the uninviting corridors. It was not as if she couldn’t apparate or use magic away from Hogwarts she was of age after all
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Post by Skylar Constantine on Jun 15, 2015 16:12:05 GMT -5
"All right, just keep up." It didn't occur to Skylar for a second that the girl might be a student. There were new professors all the time and some of them were so young you could hardly tell them from students. If she wanted to talk, the burden of conversation was on her. He didn't care and he didn't want thrown out of his mood. He was ready for a fight.
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Post by Eiliyah Morgan on Jun 15, 2015 16:43:52 GMT -5
Eiliyah was grateful; now she didn’t have to wander around like an idiot probably just getting her unwanted attention. It was enough to nod happy he wasn’t the chatty type. She fell in just slightly behind him looking over her shoulder before they started to leave; a habit she picked up from years of running.
It had dawned on her that during their short exchange she never asked his name. If she was going to thank him later it would be best to get pleasantries out of the way. She may have been away from society for a while, but she did not forget how to act.
“Where are my manners. I am Eiliyah who do I have the pleasure of accompaniment?”
Her thick accent emphasizing the last word.
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Post by Skylar Constantine on Jun 15, 2015 17:19:26 GMT -5
The pleasure of accompaniment. Skylar actually gave the girl a look, one brow arched slightly. "Trouble," he replied and looked forward again. If she was in the level of people he needed to play nice for, she wouldn't be here or at least the name Blackwood-Hardt would ring a bell. For all he knew she was another governess. Michael had enough kids that he could probably use the help.
"I'm leaving and you're following me, that doesn't make us friends."
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Post by Eiliyah Morgan on Jun 16, 2015 3:03:15 GMT -5
It was her turn to laugh. It was soft and muffled behind her raised hand it wasn’t so much his name response for all she knew it was really his name if not he didn’t want to share that was his choice. It was the ‘friends’ part that made her laugh. Eiliyah’s faith in friends was so limited; when her parents knew that the government was coming for them all their ‘friends’ closed their doors and refused to help. Had it not been one person her family surely would not be living. “Your assumptions on my intentions are wrong; I was only trying to be proper.” Despite the fact that under her own assumption he was irritated with her she gave him a shy apologetic smile hopefully she did not offend him.
“Then again I heard society outside of the Caribbean is very closed and unwelcoming to anyone who isn’t pureblood.” Even back home the inner circle was only of the purest blood, but that did not mean half-bloods or muggleborns were shunned altogether. Instead there were given sub status something her parents had been trying to fight for ages.
Eiliyah was surprised she was being as verbal as she was it was as if the diplomat's daughter she once was was trying to claw it's way out. Never the less, her heart rate did pick up and his response would determine whether she would speak more or less she could almost hear the judgmental and demeaning tone he might take. She once again made another assumption.
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Post by Skylar Constantine on Jun 16, 2015 11:08:06 GMT -5
Skylar flicked a glance toward the girl at her laugh, however soft it might have been. That wasn't a reaction he'd expected, and he wondered for a moment if she was mentally disabled, or whatever the p.c. term was now. Then she went on and he decided that she was just one of those people who couldn't handle silence. He listened idly, but didn't deign to respond.
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Post by Eiliyah Morgan on Jun 16, 2015 11:44:09 GMT -5
Eiliyah pressed her lips together and shook her head she was making a fool of herself, he was judging her, he was probably irritated with her, her head turned away as she flushed of embarrassment ‘You were better off not saying anything. You’re always better off not saying anything’. “I can take a hint”. He did not want to speak she would oblige him there wasn’t anything wrong with silence; silence had been her only friend for the past few years.
She kept silent only watching
Two giggling students were passing through she wouldn’t have given them any attention until she heard them. ‘That’s her! I told you she was old!’ Eiliyah looked up it was the girl who showed her around the common room earlier she was eyeing Eiliyah and ‘Trouble’ before returning to her whispers as if it wasn’t obvious. Eiliyah instinctively fell behind her guide head bowed downwards her heart fluttering it was so easy for her to be crushed. “Wish I had a f-ing beer...” she muttered under her breath not caring if he heard or not it was for herself.
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Post by Skylar Constantine on Jun 16, 2015 12:16:04 GMT -5
Skylar nearly rolled his eyes. He didn't care, and he wasn't taking the bait. He didn't associate the kids' whispering with the girl following him, considering she definitely wasn't old, and he wasn't inviting some self-loathing mouse with him to a gaming hell of dubious legality. He turned down a shortcut, glad that the entrance to Michael's tower was on the ground floor. That meant he'd reach the entrance hall shortly and outside just a couple minutes later.
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Post by Eiliyah Morgan on Jun 16, 2015 14:04:47 GMT -5
His lack of comments was comforting and his I don’t give a f- attitude was intriguing; then again people and their interactions on this side of the world was always intriguing. They were so cold, so guarded and so unfriendly perhaps their buildings were a reflection of their exteriors, but she had a hard time believing that this is how they really were. Some people were just more difficult to communicate with and she just ended up drawing the shorter stick. Even if she didn’t want to bother him she might as well make use of him or whatever knowledge he may possess. No matter what he said, or how he said it if he wasn’t a professor then her dealings with him would be limited and at this point whatever anxiety she felt she would be be able to cure.
“Is there a place somewhere in this Hogsmeade where one could just drink and whore themselves to an early grave?”
She was being sarcastic, but back home a party can be held in the middle of a road where bumping and grinding with strangers was not only acceptable but a part of the norm. Smoke would fill the air while the smell of rum filled one’s nostrils. There were times where she would watch from afar as her friends had fun sometimes joining in if she had enough to drink; it had been so long since did any of it. If she was going take advantage of this new found ‘freedom’ she might as well embrace it thoroughly.
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