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LilyHermioneChapman Captain
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 Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:45 pm
 Hogwarts has the Great Lake that is full of mystical creatures. Be careful around it, wouldn't want you to get hurt. Of course, not many adolescence' can keep themselves from taking a quick swim or two now and then.
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 7:33 pm
Seth walked, spectral and pale, along the side of the lake. Though it was early September, frost collected on his robes as he walked, arctic eyes cast downward. Esrath had taken off for a warmer perch when Seth got the letter. He knew his friend would want to be alone. Besides, Seth's body heat had a habit of dropping when he was upset.
"Glacius," Seth spat, freezing a 10 foot circle of the lake into a makeshift ice floe. He stepped onto it, kicking off from the shore and drifting out onto the lake. Though the little circle of ice dipped and bobbed over the waves, his balance never wavered.
Pulling the letter from his robes, he read it one more time. Chi was dead. His friend, traveling partner, and in later months lover had been killed by Haro as Seth had feared. There was a crunch as Seth's ice floe hit shore again. The currents weren't right to take him to the center of the lake. He sighed and sat on the shore, throwing a handful of stones into the water. He had known this was coming. No one associated with him could last long. Coming to Hogwarts had changed nothing. Haro was still out there. And he had other targets just as painful as Chione to torment Seth. He dropped his head to his knees and let the frigid wind blow over him.
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 9:40 pm
 During the free period, Klára crept down to the edge of the lake, not paying the fog farther down the bank any mind, and sat herself under the beech tree, near Professor Dumbledore's tomb. It was cold, but not bad with the sun shining down on her. She drew her bare knees up to her chest and leaned her back against the marble tomb, eyes closed and breathing slowly. She was doing alright for her first day back, but she was simply exhausted from the effort it had taken to be even fracturally social.
What sort of Gryffindor are you? she asked herself critically. You're sixteen years old and you can't even bring yourself to hold down a proper conversation after a summer of mannerism-practice. You used to be the first one to jump in the pool, the first to wrestle with the boys, the first to climb to the top of the tree, even before Josef, and he was the bravest boy in our village. She let out a loud, frustrated sigh and turned her face up to the sky with her eyes closed. I can't go near the forest, or the Whomping Willow, or even the dungeons. I might as well ask Wixom to re-sort me. I'd probably make a good Hufflepuff...if they wouldn't be insulted by me.
Within several minutes of self-loathing inner monologue, Klára fell asleep, pressed against the grave of a man long-dead.
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 3:46 pm
Seth walked slowly from the lake, fog-scented Scottish air playing with his robes. He allowed himself one small, sad thought before resuming his icy indifference.
Why did she have to die?
He shook his head bitterly, willpower failing. We're all just little sparks, he thought. Like so many embers in the storm. It's only a matter of time before Haro puts us out with a wall of rain. He froze an insect that strayed into his path, twirling his wand like a saber. I wish I were a muggle. Not knowing about everything that goes on here... Confident in the inventions and substitutes for magic that shield their world from the truth. The magical world may be a beautiful, special place, but without the people you care about it's a cold, empty window where you watch everyone else going around being happy. In a way, wizards are so naive. There are so many pressures and paradoxes in the muggle world that they simply don't have to deal with. It's a smaller world here. A simpler world. He spat on the ground. A stupid world.
Out of the mist rose a white, glowing shape. The marble tomb of Albus Dumbledore shone faintly in the fog. Dumbledore... Seth ran his hand over the smooth marble. I never got to benefit from your wisdom personally, but I know you were a great man. Why do I still exist after everything that has happened? What makes it worth it? He snorted softly. Give me one reason not to throw my wand in the loch and join the muggles. He pressed his cheek to the cool marble and sighed. He liked the feel of the slick stone under his hand, walking aimlessly around the tomb's perimeter. As he rounded the corner, he heard soft, even breathing. He looked down, seeing Klára slumped against the tomb in a deep snooze. Almost like an answer, he thought to himself, a wry smile on his face. If this is the answer, I think Dumbledore misinterpreted my question. He sat down next to her. "At least someone's troubles are gone for a moment," he commented to nobody. With a sigh of stiff legs and back, he clumsily sat down next to Klára. The fog was clearing somewhat, so that a ray of sunlight penetrated the mist, illuminating Dumbledore's tomb and by association, Klára. "You'd never let me tell you you're beautiful if you were awake," Seth smiled sadly. "So I guess this will have to do." He rested his head on his knees, looking off into the shifting fog and sunlight. Maybe Dumbledore's sharper than I thought.
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 5:46 pm
It's cold, was the general feeling in Klára's sub-conscious as she lay huddled against the cold marble tomb and a stiff breeze blew over her, ruffling her hair and skirt rather sadly. She shivered with both the chill and the dreams running through her mind, the enormous gray wall shrouding her mind that had been there ever since Josef had died. Thick, unyielding to even the most intense stimulation, and utterly unforgiving. However, as if from far away and underwater, a voice broke through. Was she really beautiful?
Unconsciously, she took in a deep breath and rolled her head toward his warmth against her right side. And then another breeze blew right through her and she shuffled toward him, still deeply asleep. Where...what...who...was this? This warmth, this feeling of safety and security that had been stripped away from her so violently two years ago?
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 7:21 pm
Seth smiled as she snuggled up to him for warmth. He draped his heavy black cloak around them both. It's a good cloak, really, he thought. It had kept him warm in many a place and always had that Seth smell, as Chi had put it. According to her, Seth always carried the electric smell of ozone with him, like clothes fresh out of the dryer. He rolled his eyes at the memory, then wiped them with the hood of his favorite garment. He looked at Klára, still sleeping more or less peacefully. He unconsciously brushed a strand of her long, silky hair out of her face. They were far from the end of the period, and she looked like she could use some sleep. Seth was both envious and entranced by her peaceful expression as she lay against him. Wish I could join you.
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:52 pm
It was quite the phenomenon, when a person is asleep and, no matter how uncomfortable they were when they fell asleep, they have to remain in that constant state or their internal system will shift and they'll awaken. Klára was suddenly warm, but warmth was a good thing and she only seemed to fall deeper asleep. But then, there it was - a hand gently touched her forehead, no more than a whisper of touch, and yet her mind screamed through the fog. No! No! No! Bad touch, bad touch! "Don't touch me!" she yelped, snapping awake with almost a painful jolt to her head. She gasped for air and blinked dazedly, looking around and jumping when she found Seth's cloak wrapped around her, with Seth still attached.
Mouth gaping slightly and eyes wide with fear from the remnants of her dreams, Klára scooted away from Seth with one hand snapping up to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry," she whispered shakily, practically dragging herself away from the boy in the frosty grass. "I'm so sorry..." She backed into the beech tree and was too disoriented to move away. She wasn't apologizing to Seth; not really.
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 11:51 pm
Seth jumped at her sudden awakening. "Take it easy!" he yelped, Scottish accent suddenly pronounced. "What d'ya think I am? A bloody axe murderer?" He put a hand to his mouth, turning red. Seth was an actor, really. It helped him pretend everything was some bizarre movie he was making a cameo in. As such, he preferred using a flat, cold American accent, finding it the most dramatic and furthest from his natural Scottish brogue. "I'm sorry I startled you," he continued, bringing his voice under control. "You looked cold. It's not healthy to fall asleep under prolonged low temperatures." He held out a hand to the wild-eyed girl leaning against the tree. Of course, she just stared at it, wild-eyed. He let it drop to his side, sighing. "What happened to you, Klára? You're as screwed up as I am." He sat down on the cold ground, shaking his head. His sleeve pulled up as he wiped his eyes, exposing the scar tissue. He was unable to say anything else.
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 11:57 pm
At the sight of the scar tissue on Seth's wrists, Klára subconsciously pulled at her own sleeves. Her face turned so red she thought she might cry tears of blood as she forced herself to stand up, slightly dizzy with the remnants of fatigue. "I am not screwed up!" she insisted, pointing accusingly at Seth. "I'm fine. I'm normal, and I don't need your help or anyone else's, rozumíte mi?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:18 am
"Fine? You've gotta be kidding me," Seth shook his head. "I may not be the pinnacle of mental health, but at least I admit it! Ow!" The burn scar on his left arm flared with pain as he put too much weight on it. The remnant of a curse gone wrong made it feel as though the cells in his arm were physically pulling apart. He rubbed it as the pain receded, cold sweat breaking out on his brow. He swallowed before continuing. "Look, Klára, I'll level with you right here. I like you. You've got spirit. But freaking out when someone covers you in the cold and brushes hair out of your face is not normal."
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Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:31 am
Klára crossed her arms tightly across her chest in a both defensive and offensive gesture, though mostly she was just trying to make herself disappear. "So I don't like being touched," she argued with a shrug, though her voice was very small. "Lots of people don't like being touched..." Yeah Klára, like rape victims and drug addicts, which you aren't either. You're a teenager, you should love it when an attractive boy touches you! Just shut up now before you start spouting about rationality and-- "You've only known me for two class periods; it's not rational for you to make an emotional investment in me." Crap. Too late. You're screwed, Klára. Sorry. She leaned heavily against the tree behind her, wind blowing her hair into her face as she shivered stubbornly, caught in a strange sort of stare-off with Seth. She would not crumble to some boy she had just met! She was stronger than that, she had had to make sure she was stronger than that before the summer had ended, or her parents would have sent her away. Maybe then she would have ended up like Josef too, and all of her problems would be far away.
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Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:42 am
"Two periods, huh?" Seth ground his teeth bitterly. "Chione and I took about two seconds to, well, at least travel together. I think we hit it off somewhere between the Reductor curse that shattered the bar counter and the Killing curse that set the place on fire. She threw a curse that turned three of the assassins to jelly, I liked her style, and we were off. We were together for three months, running from Haro. I had some of the best times of my life and the worst with her, and now she's dead." He looked away. "With the way my life runs, it's throw caution to the winds because any day could be my last. So forgive me if I come on a little strong. I have a knack for finding the best sort of people. And fighting off the worst, for that matter."
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Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:22 am
Klára turned her head away from Seth, rotating her jaw slowly in order to gain control over herself before looking back at him. She was going to hurt him. She was going to have to hurt him very badly. But it was for the greater good, really. She didn't need anyone prying into her business or her life, and he didn't need someone out to get him. "That's just another reason for me to avoid you, isn't it? Since the last girl you went together with is dead, maybe you're not the best companion." Her stomach turned; she felt so horrible that she wanted to throw up. She held her ground until she thought she would die, then finally when she couldn't take it anymore she walked around the tree and headed toward the Forest edge. Maybe she could get some peace, or an accidental Dementor's Kiss, there.
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Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:00 pm
The words cut Seth to the core. He stood stock still, not sure whether the callous expression hurt him more because it came from someone so beautiful, or because it was so true. He leaned against the tree and called after Klára.
"The wizarding world is coming apart at the seams. It almost would have been better if Voldemort had survived, for in this power vacuum it's not the idealists, the talented wizards that seize control. It's the businessmen, the crime lords that move quickly to secure their assets. And they have recently recognized the value of muggle assets. Heroin, cocaine, meth, psyclobin... From Ciudad Juarez to the Persian Gulf, wizards are aiding the cartels. They're cutting them with experimental potions and selling them indiscriminately to wizard and muggle alike. Have you ever seen a wizard with a heroin addiction? After a while, the lose their magic. They're less than a squib, and it's happening all over the world. Whatever personal issues you may have, you have to harden your heart and carry on. Haro's got all sorts of things that would take that pain away. You'd feel better, instantly. No side effects, no immediate symptoms of anything. Just an artificial sense of moving on and being happy. There are a lot of damaged, empty people out there after Harry Potter's war. People who want to move on, but can't. And the minute they succumb to the lure of an easy out, they're Haro's. Forever." He walked toward her, light glinting off the handle of his wand. "I say this not only out of a desire to protect you, but out of self-preservation. You're a prime candidate for Haro to control and use. Use to kill me. And how many people do you think will get caught in the crossfire? Ten? Twenty? Everyone in the great hall?" He shook his head. "In case you're the 'tl;dr' type, I'll give you the short version. You're walking around with a target on your forehead, and your 'I'm fine' act isn't fooling anyone."
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 3:10 pm
Klára trudged to the side of the lake and quickly climbed to the lower branches of the beech tree, staring at the hippogriff as it examined her with a curious tilt of the head. "Why are you following me, Beaky-Boy?" she asked the animal as if she were speaking to a small child. "I don't have any treats for you." The animal only moved closer to her, nuzzling her knees and making an odd sort of chirruping noise that she thought might be a sort of purr. He really was sweet. She petted his glossy neck absently, looking up at the school and wondering what trouble she would get in for allowing the seemingly-wild animal so close to the other students. But it wasn't her fault, not really; the thing had followed her.
Still, he was an awfully handsome hippogriff, wasn't he? He chirruped again when she scratched behind where ears would be on a normal horse. and nipped her arm in a non-threatening way.
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