familiar h a u n t {open}

[amadeus]

Amadeus walked slowly down the dungeon corridor, his steps lacking the arrogant swagger to them they once had. Lately he had been keeping to himself, he kept his head down and his hands in his pockets. He had pushed away those he might consider his friends, Amadeus found he couldn't deal with them at the moment. He just needed to be alone. Ascella's death was still fresh in his memory, it was painful to think about. Though what hurt even more was the reluctance he saw in the faces of his parents when they spoke of it... There was something that they weren't telling him. Perhaps that made it even worse, he was not allowed to understand.

Amadeus bit his lip, slouching his shoulders a little more, making his person a little smaller. He didn't understand himself anymore, usually he wanted to be the centre of attention, have people fawning over him- but now that there was a reason for them to, he didn't want it. Even picking on his peers had lost its luster, how he had been so sharp-witted when it came to insults. It almost didn't seem worth it anymore. Amadeus sighed lightly, taking a quick look around at where his feet had taken him before directing his gaze downward again.

This was an all-too-familiar haunt, he came to this dungeon frequently. And this afternoon it was where he found himself whilst skipping Herbology. Amadeus couldn't really focus on schoolwork, at least not that day. He couldn't even be bothered to turn up to class, or think on the consequences he might encounter should he be caught. He leaned up against the wall and slid down it until he was seated on the floor. Amadeus sat there a long while, only looking over when he heard the sound of footsteps, not caring if it were someone who could get him in trouble...

[natalia]

Natalia couldn't stand potions. She couldn't stand the dungeons, or the icy, foreboding air that surrounded her in the dark depths underneath the ground. It was all so cold, and hard. The ground was supposed to be warm, soft and inviting. She enjoyed the light, and the feeling of life beneath her feet. Potions had dragged on for an eternity, and she had been the first out of the class room, wanting to put as much distance between the lonely feeling class room and herself. Spring was just around the corner, and the long, study filled winter had made her antsy, being trapped in doors. She hated the snow. With a burning passion.

Of all people to see, it had to be the Slytherin that she recognized from last year. She'd passed him a few times since then, his sneer only eliciting an anger in her she didn't know she had. This year she'd managed to steer clear, take odd paths to classes to avoid that sneer. That swagger that just made her want to roll her eyes. Only he didn't seem to see her. He was lost in thought, so deep in thought, he was forgetting his arrogant swagger. For a moment, she figured he must be bothered, but that anger his mere presence brought out figured it was well deserved. She shook her head. She was letting him get the best of her, something Erik said she should fight against. She could act civil around him. She even managed a small nod as she began to walk towards him, hoping he hadn't seen that slight stumble of shock he had caused. Even that nod took all of her will to not accompany with a childish act of sticking out her tongue.

[amadeus]

Amadeus slightly bit his lip, for not the first time wishing to have things the way they had been. He would be in herbology then, likely snickering at one of his peers behind the professor's back, then he would go to Transfiguration where he would be top of the class like always, then he would doze through history. And at lunch he would sit with Ascella like he had always done. Only there no longer was an Ascella, no, she had been taken from him. Although he would never admit it, Amadeus had loved his sister very deeply, of all his siblings she had been his favourite.

She was the one to see that he was no longer a child, when everyone else continued to baby him. Now more than ever he was being treated like he was five years old. He had seen the way conversations stopped suddenly when he entered the room, the topic hastily changed whenever he brought up Ascella. Amadeus needed to understand before he moved on, though nobody was allowing him to do so, leaving him perpetually stuck. He only mildly crinkled his nose when he saw the Ravenclaw mudblood, though said nothing. Lately he didn't have harsh, elitist comments in him.

It just wasn't worth it anymore, not worth the attention, he didn't find joy in tormenting his peers anymore. Frankly, Amadeus would rather that everyone left him alone. Thankfully the girl probably was still rather resentful of him, and unlikely to start conversation, he didn't feel like talking.

[natalia]

Natalia had reached a full foot closer to him when she realized, he had nothing to say. How out of it was he? She raised an eyebrow, pausing. "Nothing?" She asked in amazement. "You have nothing? Wouldn't it just, cheer you up or something?" What had possessed her to confront him about it, she didn't know. But she knew he was hurting about the fellow Slytherin who had been killed. She couldn't relate, not being close to many of the Ravenclaws. Professors had constantly lectured her on her lack of social contact. It was terrible that her first face to face conversation with someone who wasn't Raug was this Slytherin. Maybe she needed some form of ridicule to justify her hatred for him. She didn't want to hate him without a reason. It made her feel even worse for having such harsh feelings. She didn't want to pity him for what happened, either. He seemed reasonable enough to hate pity just as much as she did. So she wasn't going to pity him, or let him off the hook.

[amadeus]

Amadeus sighed lightly to himself, so much for not having conversation. He heard almost disbelief in her tone, a disbelief he felt was likely well-placed. It was unlike him to not jump at the chance to make someone else miserable in order to make himself feel better. Though lately Amadeus found that it did nothing for him. All he wanted to do was turn things over in his mind, and skip out on as many classes as he could without getting caught. It would catch up with him eventually, though lately he simply did not have the necessary focus to do anything school-related. And really, his mourning had only just begun, Ascella had been dead only three months.

It was still painful to think about, painful to address, but Amadeus knew he needed to. It was his family that was not allowing him to do it. "No," Amadeus said flatly in a tone that suggested he would dearly love to tell her to eff off, though at the moment he didn't have that in him either. He fell silent, deciding that if the mudblood didn't leave him be after that he would ignore her.

[natalia]

No. That was it? Not even calling her a nutter or anything, let alone his usual intelligent insults. Nat blinked, and it was then she realized the shared face of the now dead Slytherin and the arrogant boy. The Slytherin girl had helped her her first month here, along with another from their family. She blinked again. It had been his sister. "Need help?" She offered. She was referring to insulting her. She could start the round of insults. "Normality helps grieving," she knew all too well. Of course, the more she talked about the actual topic of the death, the more pissed he'd become. At least, she assumed it'd be that way. Obviously, no one else was going to want to piss him off, but she wasn't going to feel bad for him. Pity was more disgusting than he was. She was determined to get at least one insult out of him before leaving the topic alone. Maybe two, for the sake of pissing him off.

[amadeus]

Amadeus bit his lip, why was the girl still standing there? After the many times in the previous term he had heartlessly insulted her? Really, it was beginning to grate on his nerves a little, something which he found unexpected. For so long he had suppressed every emotion, it was foreign to feel something, even if it was just annoyance. Amadeus quickly dragged a hand down his face, for once in his life not sure what to do. Was she taunting him? He decided right in that moment he didn't care, he hadn't cared about anything since Ascella died. At least not passionately, or even at a passive level. "Just leave me alone," sighed Amadeus. Well, there went his plan of ignoring the mudblood until she gave up. He returned to biting his lip, wondering why he couldn't summon to will to get up off the floor and walk away. Moving seemed like too much effort.

[natalia]

Natalia's jaw dropped. That was the best he had? That was her line! She opened and closed her mouth, about to give up, before she realized, she needed to egg him on. For her own good, and for his. She knew grieving. Better to feel something then nothing. Plus, she could hold this over his head as soon as he was done mourning. She raised an eyebrow, leaning on the wall beside him. "Come on," she pressed. "I'll make it super easy," she held up her muggle watch. "Come on, there's a thousand muggle born jokes in that," she had made a goal of three insults. That or get some sign of emotion on his face. She mentally stored away a quip about him lacking the mental capacity to have emotions for when he wasn't the walking dead.

"I can stay here all day, Amadeus," that was probably the first time she's ever used his name. "Insult me and I'm gone," she taunted.

[amadeus]

Amadeus narrowed his gaze slightly, still looking up at Natalia, still wondering why she was there. Did she really want him to insult her? Perhaps she was crazier than he had initially thought. His heart wasn't in it, though. He just wanted to be alone, not have to talk to anyone, even to offend them. Normally he might jump at the opportunity as her mere existence really did make it too easy, but he couldn't be bothered with it. Not now. He needed to be able to mourn in peace. Amadeus again pulled his hands down his face, unable to shake the stoic nature that had been consuming him of late. "Fine," sighed Amadeus, "you're fucking annoying now leave me the hell alone." Even that phrase which normally would be said with a tone brimming with anger sounded flat, lifeless, even.

[natalia]

Nat would have loved to take offense to that, and throw her own witty insults back at him. Her insults had developed quite well, thanks to the Slytherin prat which was becoming the bane of existence. She slid down, sitting next to him. She said nothing, but studied him. The dead look in his eyes. She knew it well.

"Well that won't do," she said at last. "You know what I do when I'm sad?" She didn't wait for his interest. He wouldn't feign it at his prime. "I go to the greenhouses. They remind you that there is always life, no matter what," living in these cold, icy and lonely stones probably was only holding him back. She stood. She wasn't going to miss a class for him. No matter how much she enjoyed justifying the terrible feelings she had for him, which were nothing shy of pure hatred. She couldn't believe it herself when she had managed those kind words. She had vowed that first day to one day make him suffer, but now that he was, she didn't like it. It wasn't because of her, she reasoned. She would have to start anew, make him miserable when he was somewhat lifelike. She stood, taking a few steps to leave, before looking back.

"And if you do go, don't destroy it," she spat. "I know how your icy soul seems to kill everything," even then, she had nothing real to offer as an insult. Maybe she needed her own visit to the greenhouses, and feel the vibrant, earthy energy around her, reminding her of how far she herself had come. It was a tradition, everyday after Potions, to rush to where she could feel the ground beneath her feet. Those dungeons were beyond eerie, and those who hid in the cold shadow even worse.

[amadeus]

The minor annoyance that Amadeus had been feeling intensified when the mudblood actually sat down beside him. That, he felt, was taking this whole weird business just a step too far. He didn't like others getting into his personal space when they were uninvited. It seemed to be almost an unspoken law, something that people subconsciously followed without his needing to say anything. Maybe it was because Amadeus had an intimidating sort of nature toward people his age, they were apprehensive about initiating things with him unless they knew him well. And Amadeus had a feeling that not many people knew him deeply. He didn't allow them to, especially now.

He didn't like the idea of someone knowing the intricacies of his personality, he didn't want someone to be able to use information against him. Amadeus drew in a deep breath, assuming a more guarded posture with the muggleborn Ravenclaw being so close. Really, if he were in his right mind, he might have threatened to hex her, or actually hexed her, though as it was he still felt almost entirely numb. Except of course for the nagging feeling of annoyance being caused by the girl. He still didn't know why she was still there.

Amadeus looked at the wall opposite him, ignoring Natalia's comments. Though truthfully, beneath the numbness, beneath the annoyance, he was almost astounded. Was she actually offering him some sort of advice after all the cruel things he had said to her? Amadeus hated people like that, they were too kind for their own good. They were the ones that life chewed up and spat out, they got hurt. In fact, he was almost relieved when she snidely added that he should be careful not to spoil anything should he decide to go to the greenhouses. There was the resentment that Amadeus had been certain she would have. He still said nothing, though was eager for her to finally leave.