Fantasy +lumos; becoming the light+ (Closed)

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire.

The place had become packed as the champions were chosen. Loire had been uneasy the whole day, she was convinced something would happen. The air today felt troubling. Her gut was never wrong. She had assumed today would be the unfortunate day she had her run in with the eldest Krum, never would she anticipate that Potter's name would be produced from the flame.

This was the first year the tournament was back, death eaters were back, and Harry Potter was all mixed up in the middle. This was no coincidence. Add on this odd ass group of people to mentor the kids and something reeked of suspicion. Suddenly their group made sense. Who better to protect the students than an auror, alumni, and children of some of the most pretentious pure bloods?

"Obviously he was set up. I don't know how or by who, but, we should all keep an extra eye on the students. We can just hope they don't make him do this." Who would do something like this? The lingering thought of death eaters caused the image of her father to cross her mind. Cyrus obviously knew something was going on, and while Loire knew that her parents involvement with the death eaters was a secret it could help something? For fucks sake, there had to be something she could do!

Just as Loire was about to pull Cyrus up the stairs to talk to him a boisterous Bulgarian accent chimed in from behind them. "Larkyn, Loire!" Her blood ran cold. As if today couldn't get worse. Nikolay Krum; a 30 year old alum of the Durmstrang institute, Viktor Krum's brother. Loire's soon to be husband. Nearly identical to his brother with the bright red coat with obnoxious fur, he approached with the elder Delecour sister.

Loire nearly shifted right there, tucked tail, and ran. Instead she gave a small huff and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "We're busy. What?" Her words were nearly a hiss, and if looks could kill he would've been struck down right there. "Now, now, calm down milady. This time it's business, we can discuss us later on." As if to pacify Loire the tall man pat her head (enraging her even further), before looking over at Cyrus and Sapphira. "Now that there's two Hogwarts contestants we'll need more help than originally planned. We've been tasked with our siblings, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor mentor's will be tasked with Cedrick and Harry."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

Some of her students had been whispering about Harry, gossip couldn't be helped among the students. Sapphira tried to calm her students down as she watched them being escorted out, though nothing overshadowed the joy she felt for Cedric. Out of all the nominations he was chosen! They should be celebrating this success while the adults try to figure out this whole Harry Potter situation.

At least, she hoped the adults would figure it out. Surely they didn't expect Harry to take part of the tournament? He wasn't of age, he couldn't actually be part of it. Sapphira went to leave with the students she could hear Minerva's voice, one that made her physically wince. Okay, apparently this meant trouble for even them. The eight of them gathered near the stairwell to await further instructions. Thin fingers smoothed over her yellow chiffon dress as the others spoke, her big green eyes batting curiously as everyone gave their take on it.

"Harry seems like a good boy, I can't imagine that he'd do anything like this. A-And who in the world would set the poor boy up?" A small sigh passed her lips, her index finger tapping her cheek as she racked her brain. "What happens if they don't let him withdraw?" Typical Sapph, thinking out loud. Horrible timing though.

Luckily enough for them they were soon joined by Krum and Delecour. Well, at least she thought it would lighten the mood? It seemed to make the already tense air even worse. Why couldn't the biggest drama of the year be the addition of the mentors? Just simple, silly things like that! These poor kids.

"Hmm?" Long lashes bat curiously as Krum began to address her and Cedric. They'd be assisting Harry and Cedric? That was good, right? "Oh! Okay, sounds good. Can do. No problem." Oh, always awkward under pressure too.

------

And so time passed on. Word spread quickly that Harry Potter would take place in the TriWizard tournament despite being underage. His name came from the fire, those were the rules, and it was left at that. It wasn't Sapphira's place to question the ruling, but this didn't settle right with her. Still, she couldn't let the students know that, least of all Cedric.

It was late November now, a couple days before the first task of the tournament. Hufflepuff team spirit was at an all time high for their shining star Cedric and, honestly Sapphira was busting her ass off rooting for this kid! Between making banners for their common room, keeping an eye on Cedric, or making Hufflepuff pride sweaters and scarfs for everyone she kept herself quite busy. She tried to keep in contact with her parents but, really they weren't too thrilled about her staying for the year. There wasn't much to catch up on.

No one knew what the task was and truth be told Sapphira was dying to know. "So how's class been? Those boys being nice to you?" The mentors were all getting a break for the day, not that she knew how Delaney and Loire got out of work. They had been tasked with setting up the arena for the tournament. They were told to keep decorations to a minimum so they had a banner made for each of the champions, that and made sure the whole arena was clear. Not that it was hard, it was winter after all.

"Do you think this should be a little higher on my end?" Ever the perfectionist she was. Sapphira went to reach the corner of the banner, standing on her tip toes as she did. Before she knew it her foot slipped off of the handle and suddenly, the bubbly fiery red head was plummeting back towards the ground.

The landing wouldn't kill her, but it would definitely hurt.

 

[Colt Voltage]

S. Longbottom

Sebastian really tried to keep his Ravenclaws grounded about this whole ordeal. Potter was going to be in the tournament, that much was obvious at this stage in the game. His house debated it relentlessly on how he crossed the age line! Sebastian nipped at it in the bud as much as he could but, alas, kids were kids. He knew a losing fight when he saw one. When he heard the chatter in the common room he would just roll his eyes and go about his day.

Another losing fight: Anna Delecour. Beauxbatons alum, Fleur’s older sister; also known as the girl Sebastian used to see for a while, and whom proceeded to stalk and harass him for two years. Anna wasn’t the first woman to fall for his charm and, while he wasn’t completely blameless, he let her down easy! He didn’t think he deserved to get harassed. Hell, he could barely visit France it seemed without her popping up. And Gran still got letters from her, even after he moved! She’d freak if she saw him with a woman, so for now he kept his distance from the fellow mentors.

That’s when Mad Eye swooped in. Seb was the top of his house grade wise, he was smart and he liked to think rather useful. Every time the Ravenclaw mentor would pass by Moody’s classroom he would summon him in there. From moving things in the classroom, to reaching something, to various other little tasks he did it no questions asked. Random questions about spells, charms, things that tested his knowledge. He was just being helpful to a teacher, right? So when he popped the question of assisting him during the day well, he was kind of stumped.

The mentors were all in the arena setting up. Sapph and Seb were on the ladders hanging up one of the banners, Delaney was on the ground making sure it looked even. Sapph had rearranged this damned thing four times but, honestly, he was just happy to help. “If you need me to have a talk with these boys do let me know Laney, I won’t have them disrespecting you.” He spoke with a serious tone as he glanced down at her, still holding his end of the banner.

“Hey do you guys know anything about this Mad Eye guy? He wants me to be his assistant for the year when I’m not busy with the kids. I can’t get a good read on the guy though.” Just as Sapphira started to readjust the banner again the red headed girl started falling to the ground. Seb panicked a little— even if he reached for his wand he couldn’t save her in time! “Hey Larkyn!” Yes! He was always the fastest one on his feet back in the day, maybe he could catch her before she smacked into the ground.

 

[Sir Damien]

Weasley.

Death Eaters, the burning of his mark, and now Harry’s forced participation in the tournament… it was all pointed to one thing, but what could he do? Out himself as a marked individual? Basically admit to being a fucking death eater? Putting that label, that danger, on his family? Hunter could stand a weeks long torture session, but that? That was something he couldn’t bare.

So instead, he took great comfort in the fact that Cyrus was more than willing to jump in to be at Harry’s side. Hunter could focus on making sure the rest of Gryffindor, the rest of his four siblings were keeping their noses clean.

The air in Gryffindor was extremely tense. Hunter could see that Harry didn’t want this; why the fuck would he? The boy seemed like he wanted to stay out of the limelight, not delve deeper into it! Of course Ron was already pissed at Hunter for abandoning the family for so long so, he wasn’t one to be giving lectures right now. He left that on the twins shoulders… who were doing a right shit job at it. Luckily Ginny and the twins weren’t too cross with him, they even promised not to tell mom until break. Kind of a surprise for her! …and it also gave Hunter time to figure out what the hells he’d say to his mom after so many years.

So there he was sitting in the arena with the mentors setting up some banners. Hunter sat on the ground painting the last banner, though who trusted him with the painting process he’d never know. It was all a ridiculous notion considering what the first task was. Hunter was one of the very few that knew of the task. It had him sweating bullets. The dragons were no easy beasts to tame and he never recommended students interacting with them. Bloody Hell, his most fiery one was being used for this! The Hungarian Horntail, a beauty of a creature, but would die to protect her eggs. Merlin, he prayed Harry didn’t get her.

With a long sigh Hunter dropped the paint brush in the bucket, rubbing his wrist absentmindedly as he looked over the Harry Potter written on the crimson banner. While the mark hadn’t stung in a while he was still fearful of it every minute of every day. “There, last banner.” For once Hunter was checked out, not paying any attention to the three hanging banners. Not until he heard Seb yell for Larkyn. “Oh- Shit!” Even if Hunter ran he wouldn’t catch her in time! Larkyn was the only one who had a chance to catch her.

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus



It had been a few weeks since the champions were chosen and still Loires words rang through his head. Loire had said she believed Harry to be set up, without a second thought, she truly believed it. In that moment Cyrus wanted to pull her into some closest and spill his guts about everything. At least until he remembered that his silence was never about doubting her, despite her family and her lineage… Loire and Larkyn weren’t like that. It was about keeping them safe from this all, if everything they had learned the past four years was true and Voldemort was back… getting anyone else involved was dangerous. Let alone any members of the second generation of famous death eater families.



Cyrus spent his time cautiously finding ways to contact the other members of the Order. Harry didn’t know of its existence yet so keeping it from him was one part of the issue, especially given Cryrus’ need to keep a constant eye on the boy. Then there was keeping his conversations from the others as well. If anyone in their group found out that Cyrus was hiding in dark corners of the castle to send letters to Remus Lupin or speak to Sirius Black in the coals of a dying fire… he would be sent to St. Mungos to get his head checked!!



Then to add another layer of fuckery to it all, of course Nikolay was here. Cyrus had never met the man but hated him on principal for his attachment to Loires side whenever he was able to track her down at least.



Now it was nearly time for the first task and Cyrus was nervous. Harry hadn’t been allowed to withdraw, Dumbledores hands were tied by a century’s old tradition. What the cup said goes. It had been an argument between Cyrus and the old man but can you really win against Albus Dumbledore himself? So instead Cyrus poured his time into figuring out why this was happening. The timing of it all was too specific. The death eater attack and now this? There was no way this wasn’t foul play.



As their group worked on setting up the Quidditch pitch, turning it into some insane looking arena, Cyrus heard the subtle whooshing of a sound from his pocket and bile backed up in his throat. With a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching he dropped the banner he had been adjusting with his wand and backed away until he was able to safely make a run for one of the equipment sheds. In his pocket the noise went off again and he cursed under his breath, looking around and making sure he was alone before pulling out the piece of sharp glass.



“Emergency’s only Padfoot, this better be one considering its broad daylight and students could have heard you!” Cyrus glared into the broken piece of mirror, more specifically a looking glass, he was met back with the staunch impression of Sirius Black. The man looked paler than normal and Cyrus noticed that the background was a different scene than he was used to. “Wait are you back at Grimault place, I thought you and Remus had the safe house in Diagon Alley…?”



“Someone sent Moony an owl. They knew where we were. It just said they were watching you, watching Harry. That they knew. It was all quite cryptic. So we figured a change of scenery was needed, but I wanted to warn you. Someone knows why you’re there and I have to imagine it’s the same person who’s put Harry up to this.”



His stomach could have fallen out of his feet right then, Cyrus felt like he had been so careful. It was barely even part way into the year and already he felt like a failure. “Thanks, I’ll keep an eye out. While I have you, any chance you guys could get me some background of the Karkarov guy? He was a death eater back in the day right? I don’t see him doing this to Harry, the guy is so obsessed with seeing Krum win, but it’s worth looking into.”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn Gaunt

Larkyn hadn’t meant anything bad when he suggested Harry put himself in the tournament, quite the obvious actually. If he had it was impressive! Though after hearing everything from the others as well as the staff over the last few weeks since the ceremony he knew how insane it was to even want to be a part of these games, let alone as a young unprepared wizard. Due to the new circumstances, there was a little added responsibility on their group. Larkyn had been spared from most of it, the headmaster wanted him to focus on surveillance but that didn’t keep him from helping out where he could.


“They’d eat you alive if you tried Seb, you’re too nice.” Larkyn chuckled softly, butting into the conversation Seb was having with the two Hufflepuff women. “They even scare me sometimes and I’m twice their age, in their house and literally chase dark wizards for a living.” He spoke partially joking but partially telling the truth, back when he was in school the Slytherin house was sort of ostracized because of the first wizarding war. Because they were the house that Voldemort had belonged to during his years in the halls, as did most of his followers. That was why a lot of the Slytherin students had the lasting impressions they did, why they still all had such house unity even years after graduation. It was because for a long time the members of Slytherin house only had each other, people like Larkyn were rare. Slytherins who didn’t fold in on themselves as shut everyone else out. Now it seemed the students were the same, very much stuck to their classmates in their house but instead of sticking to the shadows they were brazen and mean. Not all of course, but it was just their new self defense mechanism.

As Larkyn lost himself in his thought he zoned out a bit, his eyes glazing over as he stared thoughtlessly down at the ground. It wasn’t until Seb yelled for him that he snapped to and realized what was happening. Thankfully Larkyn was quite literally two feet from the spot where Sapphira was falling to, he was able to take one large step into position right in time to catch her. His arms caught her in an almost cradled position and his knees bent a little to adjust for the force of her fall, it wasn’t too far of one sure but gravity was quite the little devil. “Woah there! Are you okay?” Larkyn held onto her for a long moment, peering down at her face before glancing over her entire body to make sure there were no apparent injuries before gently setting the red haired woman on her feet.

Larkyn looked up to where she had fallen from, the banner hanging even more crooked now. Presumably from her taking it a bit with her when she fell. “I think you should keep both feet firmly on the ground okay? I’ll get it.” He shot her a bright smile, his hand moving up to pat her gently on the head before stepping past and climbing up to where he could reach the corner. It didn’t take long for him to reach it and adjust it so it was straight, well where he at least thought it looked straight. He turned to glance down at Sapphira where she stood and raised a brow. “Look okay? I mean personally I think Potter will just be happy to see it. After all those terrible buttons that have been circulating around this week.”

After getting confirmation that the banner was done, Larkyn returned to solid ground before resting his hands in his pockets and turning to look at Sapphira, “Saying terrible buttons might have been a bit rude, they’re actually pretty snazzy. Just a touch mean. Much more of a Slytherin move than a Hufflepuff one if you ask me. Though I’ll be the first to admit, you Hufflepuff kids have surprised me many a time throughout the years.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Delaney Wilson

These. Kids. Were. Going. To. Kill. Her.

Delaney now understood why all the Hogwarts professors were gray! It’s because they were TORTURED. Even her seeet Hufflepuff house, the ones who congratulated the other teams when they lost Quidditch, who cheered on friends in other houses, the ones who were known for loyalty and friendship!!! They were acting like little MONSTERS. The first week after the champions were chosen the only Hufflepuffs not being complete little demons were the ones too young to know different and Cedric himself. Everyone else was so clearly and loudly against Harry. It took so much work and talking from Delaney to get them all to calm down even a little bit! And then just when she thought it had all fizzled out, then came the buttons.

Swirling magical buttons that switched from a yellow and black design, it read “Support Cedric Diggory; the REAL Hogwarts Champion!”. At first Delaney thought it was sweet that the students had started making their own versions of support! That is until she finally saw one change. They shift to a green stink cloud looking design that simply said “Potter Stinks.” At this point Delaney couldn’t even count how many she confiscated!

“The Slytherin boys are the least of my worries right now. Honestly at this point it’s like I leave them alone and they leave me alone. And until all this animosity between Cedric and Potter calms down, I literally could not care less if those little shits fail herbology.” Delaney sighed. It was rare for her to lose her sparkle, especially when it came to teaching, but she was so damn dead tired she couldn’t help it! Seb chimed in and Delaney gave him a soft smile that said thank you without really needing to say it. Larkyns input though made the smile turn into an eye roll. “However, they’re all getting a project next week that is worth a large portion of their grade. If they’re not paying attention in class this week, they won’t be able to complete it without admitting they need help.” An evil smirk crossed her face, a small chuckle coming from her mouth before she shook away the literal demon she was becoming and smiled over at Sapph. “They’ll learn one way or another I suppose.”

Delaney turned her attention back to finishing up the banners and shuffling around the arena. Sapph had moved to adjust and hang some of the banners and not five minutes into that process did she hear Seb yelling for Larkyn. Delaney snapped her head around just in time to see him catch her clumsy friend. “Sapphira! Lord! Careful! You made my stomach drop deeper than the damn canyon.” The sudden breakthrough of her slight accent made her wince. It didn’t pop out often anymore after being in England since she was 12 but when her mouth got going faster than her brain, she couldn’t really help it.

Delaney held her hand to her chest for a moment and caught her breath before turning to where Seb stood nearby. “To answer your question that was so rudely interrupted by Saph and her obsession with the dramatic… Moody is a great teacher. The kids are kind of scared of him but respect him. I’ve never heard a single one of them say they don’t like his class, at least not yet. Minerva doesn’t seem quite fond of him but, I say do it. You’ve always been good at that sort of thing Seb! Why not take the chance while you have it?”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella Malfoy

Something about being back here was changing her, at least that’s what it felt like to Druella. It was only nearing the end of November and it was already like the extended time away from the Manor and her father was peeling away at the layers of hardened walls. Some of that was good and some of it was not so good? It was putting her in a weird mood, a weird headspace… There was so much of her life that was controlled by her family’s wishes. Dru wanted a job at the ministry, she didn’t want to work in education however. She had always wanted to work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures but her father said it was a job that was below her, below the Malfoy name. When she was younger there was a time when she was a bit more bold, more willing to go against her father. But as time went on she realized how truly impossible it was… he was everywhere and had so much influence. If Dru wanted to work in the Ministry, it would be by his rules. Just like all of her life, where she lived, who she befriended, who she married. Not that Dru didn’t love Larkyn, she had actually begged for him to be the man she was allowed to be with. Thankfully he was from a pure blood family otherwise there would be no way it would have happened.

“You all just need to calm down, it’s a bunch of silly little games right?” Dru really had never looked into or listened to anything about the TriWizard Tournament. Everyone said it was pretty harsh competition but how bad could it be if it was competition between students ? She had to guess it would be like flying… duels? Something like that right? Dru had all but blatantly refused to help with the making or hanging of banners, none of these kids were in her damn house. No instead she was leaned up against the support beams of one of the pitches spectator towers and playing mindlessly with the ends of her slicked back braid.

Looking around the room she couldn’t help but feel a bit like she did back in school. Larkyn was always good at fitting in and making friends, here he was again talking with everyone while she sat in the corner and watched. A little to the side of her Hunter had been working on a banner for the first event and when he spoke up Dru looked over with mild interest before letting go a sudden laugh. “Garish. Like an actual child made it.” Though she supposed there was some charm in that.

Behind them there was a sudden whoosh followed by a yelp and people yelling for Larkyn. Dru sat up a bit with worry, worry that swiftly passed when she saw he wasn’t hurt, he was saving Sapphira from quite the spill. Something about the scene made her throat tighten slightly, her eyes quickly moving away from the two of them and towards her hair once more. There had always been rumors that Sapphira liked Larkyn back in school, and Larkyn was so kind and caring with everyone that there were plenty of times the two definitely flirted. Dru could tell both of them were daft when it came to that sort of thing so she always tried to let it slide off her shoulders but… somehow it felt worse now that they were older.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire Gaunt.

Now not to say Loire was unapproachable, but— okay, she knew even on a good day her resting bitch face kept most students away. Even before attending Hogwarts, Loire shut out the world. Not only was she a Gaunt, direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin, but she was sick more often than not. Her parents only allowed her to socialize with the cats, her brother, and the snooty ass pure bloods that came over to kiss her parents ass. Dru was the only one that didn't remotely suck, but other than that Loire just kept to herself. By the time they started attending school she had already preferred to avoid socializing, she was the exact opposite of her brother in nearly every way.

The past few weeks that paid off. The students knew to behave, so whenever there was a lull in the library Loire would sneak off to lurk about. It not only allowed her to avoid Nikolay, but it allowed her to sneak about throughout Hogwarts to see if she could find anything about what happened with Potter.

Becoming an animagus was something Loire obsessed over since she was little, so at the age of ten she got her shifting form. Every animagus was listed with the ministry, it was public knowledge as to whom and what they could shift into. Still, only a few seemed to knew what she could shift into. It allowed her to sneak around with ease, especially the staff wing. Hushed conversations amongst the staff, mostly useless information, but she had noticed that Cyrus would sneak out in the dead of night. Every time she noticed he was already gone. She was dying to ask, but, assuming it was Harry related she let it go.

Well, up until she noticed him running off to the equipment shed. Where the hell did he was going? Bright blues looked to the dropped banner, her dark brow quirking curiously. Loire had been busy doing, well, nothing because she wasn't participating in this silliness. She was not supporting games that included a teenager in an adult competition.

As Loire leaped from the post she had been perched on her feet carried her swiftly through the arena after him. She could hear him faintly... did he say Remus? Dear Merlin, Loire was a terrible friend for eavesdropping on him like this... but he gave her no choice!

Oh, fuck it. He was already mad at her.

Without missing a beat Loire walked into the shed. Cyrus was talking into the glass... a glass with Sirius Black. "Huh. Interesting choice of company." Okay, for once the woman was genuinely surprise. Behind her she shut the door, fully expecting some actual answers from him this time.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

Sapphira fully expected to feel the harsh smack of the ground after she slipped. Long lashes closed tightly over her bright green eyes, her body tensed up to brace for the impact. She didn't hear Seb call for Larkyn, all she could hear was the blood rushing to her face and the wind rushing around her. The next thing she felt was a pair of warm, strong arms catching her. "Huh?" Quickly her eyes popped open to see how close her and Larkyn were. Suddenly her face was as vibrantly red as her hair, her heart pounding faster than it did during the fall.

His question lingered in her head and she felt completely dizzy, as if she would faint. She hadn't seen this man in years and, yet, she was still just as taken with him as she was as a teenager. Even more so seeing the amazing man he had grown into! "Y-Yes, thank you so much." Sapphira gave a quick nod as he sat her on her feet, finally processing his question. Her thin fingers ran through her crimson locks nervously as she tried to soothe her anxious heart.

Larkyn was kind, respectable, always looking out for others. He was smart, talented, and that disarming, charming smile of his... He was also completely out of this muggles league. She'd never be some impressive, beautiful witch like Dru was. That thought was quite sobering. Sapphira was from a whole other world. After this year mentoring she'd go back to New York, he'd go back as a full time auror. They'd never see each other again. "Thank you, really." Sapphira gave him a warm smile, tucking a loose strand of wildfire hair behind her pale ear. Then he pat her head and she felt her knees nearly give right there.

"Looks perfect! I hope so, poor kid needs someone in his corner." Sapphira was doing her best to raise the spirits for everyone, even for Harry. She confiscated those stupid pins at every turn, she even scolded Cedric for supporting it. All Sapphira could really do was tell Cedric to take another look at the situation, that he was going to win this and he didn't need the badges. She dropped it after that; she was a mentor, not his parent.

"No the buttons are definitely terrible! I can't tell you how many I've taken from my kids. They think that Harry's taking the glory away from Cedric or something, it's so silly." Her cheeks heated once again when he talked about the Hufflepuffs. "It kind of feels like back in school doesn't it?" Sapphira looked back up to the banner Larkyn just fixed for her. All the signs she had made for her team, and when the Hufflepuffs weren't playing she obviously made a sign for Larkyn. It was so big that Delaney had to help hold it up, it was comical. They were always the odd ones out rooting for the Slytherins, but she couldn't help it! He was clearly the best Quidditch play on any of the teams.

Sebastian and Delaney were over there continuing their conversation, Dru and Hunter were off working on banners, and she didn't quite know where Loire or Cyrus were. It was nice to be able to converse one on one with Larkyn, they never really had any one on one conversations. "You know it always threw me off you being a Slytherin. You're way nicer than any of the ones I've met. Smarter, too. I think you were one of the only ones that didn't poke fun at Delaney or I." It was weird how much blood lines could determine houses, she never quite understood the pureblood versus mudblood debate.

 

[Sir Damien]

Weasley.

As Hunter lazed about on the ground literally watching paint dry he could hear Dru chime in as she did nothing but hold up the support beam. He didn't even look at her, all he could do was lazily roll his eyes. If she only knew what these kids were up against. He had every intention on ignoring her until she mocked his paint job. It went without saying it looked like a child did it, but still!

"At least I'm helping. Y'know, you act like the games are no big deal. What, a smart girl like you doesn't know that they're three dangerous tasks? That's why you have to be a legal adult, duh. You didn't learn about that in your fancy ministry club? They're not just some silly games, these kids are gonna be up against d---" Hunter had never had to stop himself so fast, he bit his tongue so hard he nearly drew blood. "D-d-dangerous tasks! They're up against some dangerous tasks alright, mm-hmm, three completely unknown, mysterious, dangerous tasks. Fire could be involved. Or, um, other elements." A stammering, stuttering mess. Hunter was... downright shit at lying. Ever tried lying to Molly Weasley? She just stares into your soul and she can see right through you. After two or three times lying to her and Hunter became the type of person that had no secrets.

That's exactly why he was so nervous about seeing his parents after all this time. The mark on his arm... how could he hide that? How could he lie to his mother? He felt such shame despite it being forced on him.

As he looked back over at Dru he couldn't help but notice how uneasy she looked. His dark red brow arched curiously as he glanced over to see Larkyn holding Sapphira. He sat her down rather quickly and patted her on the head, and while Hunter didn't quite see what was wrong he could tell that it made Dru uncomfortable. Surely she wasn't jealous?

Here's the thing. Hunter could be a dick, but he was also a caring guy. He knew that him and Dru constantly gave each other shit, but, he didn't want to see her down like this. Quickly the ginger headed man cleared his throat. "Wanna ditch this? Those guys seem like they've got this, and I think Loire and Cyrus have already dipped. Plus, I'm not one for crowds." A charming smile spread on the tall Weasley's face and he motioned for her to follow. "You like beasts? I know a great spot to see moon calf's, even in the day. C'mon."

Hunter didn't know much about Dru, Malfoys and Weasley's were practically natural enemies, but he knew that she didn't want to be there. It had been forever since Hunter snuck off into the forbidden forest to search for creatures, so as soon as he exited the stadium he B lined straight across the field. She had every right to ignore him, or go off on her own, but he wouldn't have minded some company. Plus, it seemed like she really needed a distraction right now.

 

[Colt Voltage]

S. Longbottom

Oh, thank Merlin Sebastian wasn't a teacher. The man was charming, he was sure he didn't have an intimidating bone in his body. He would never survive teaching Slytherin children. Even the little Hufflepuffs were being assholes! It was clear that they were getting under Delaney's skin, but hearing her call them 'little shits' caused him to smirk proudly. Little Delaney, he never seen much get under her skin like this. It was almost entertaining. "I'm glad to have never crossed a teacher like this. I've never been so terrified and proud at the same time." A small chuckle passed his lips.

Thankfully Larkyn had caught Sapphira, and for a moment things flashed back to high school. Sebastian was a Ravenclaw but he was always socializing with other houses; Neville was Gryffindor, Delaney was Hufflepuff. He hardly ever sat in his section, and when he sat with the girls he remembered Sapphira's ridiculous posters she would always bring and it caused him to chuckle.

Then he heard Delaney's accent that melted his heart. Sebastian completely adored Delaney back in the day... oh, who was he kidding? He still cherished her more than anyone else, a feeling he was forced to bury. The girl's like family Sebastian, behave and be a gentleman. The harsh words from Gran still stung to this day. She was right, though. Clearly Sebastian wasn't good at anything long term, he didn't wish to lose Delaney. "Good catch Larkyn," he gave a small chuckle as the white haired male helped finish off the banner.

Quickly he slid down the ladder before giving a relieved sigh. Not everything was done but, it looked like half of them bailed already. That's when he heard the kind voice speak about Moody. Sebastian's steel gray eyes locked with hers as he gave her his warmest smile. "Ah, well, I'd be a fool to refuse him then. Thank you Delaney, I feel much better about this decision now. Who knows? Maybe I'll become your coworker one day." The man did intimidate him at times, he was sure that he'd get over that feeling eventually though. And becoming her coworker... that caused his heart to beat. If only he could be so lucky.

"Delaney, I do truly miss hearing that sweet accent of yours." It was out of the blue but, he couldn't help saying what was on his heart. His right hand pulled his wand from the pocket of his jacket, gave a small wave and hung up the last of the banners one by one. It was much faster than the ladder method but, Sapphira insisted on them. Thankfully she was distracted now.

"There, all set up." He deposited the wand back into its rightful place before turning to face Delaney once more. "It seems like everyone else has bailed. Want to go for a walk? We could go through the greenhouse where it's warm, or go inside and get some cocoa like old times. The kids still have some time left before class gets out, we've got plenty of time." It was getting chilly out and they had been out there a while, he didn't want her to catch a cold. Plus, he wanted to spend a little more time with her and catch up.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella Malfoy

Cunning. It was the first word that described the students of Slytherin house and it was the biggest reason that Dru had always felt right at home amongst her classmates and peers. That being said, a lot of shit didn’t get past her. For example, the fact that Hunters face got a bit red when he lied, the freckles on his cheekbones sticking out even more than usual. He stammered. His eyes refused to meet hers. Suddenly Dru had gone from feeling self conscious and left out to having a confident smirk on her face.

“D- what Weasley? Because I can guarantee you weren’t about to say dangerous tasks.” Dru reached over and poked a long black painted nail into his chest gently. Her eyes searched his face again, trying to determine what he was about to say. “Listen I work in the ministry but I don’t pay attention to crap like this. Not my cup of tea really.” Actually it was but her father would scoff at it, it was bad enough that Dru had played Quidditch in school, imagine if her parents knew the girl had a wild streak in her. They both very much thought women were meant to be demure, strong behind closed doors and polite and respectful in public. It always boiled down to that all so important Malfoy image.

The mention of ditching this peaked her interest, even if it was with Weasley. However the mention of moon calfs? Dru didn’t even stop to tell Larkyn she was out, she quickly got up from where she had been sitting and wiped away the wrinkles in her black and green trousers before hurriedly following after Hunter. Once the two of them were mostly across the field and closer to the Forbidden Forest, Dru finally broke her silence. “In the day huh? Impressive. I’ve only ever seen them in person twice…” Her first encounter was at school during care of magical creatures. The second wasn’t so great, it had a happy ending sure but still… Dru could still remember the anger she felt when she sat on the jury of a ministry trial against a ring of poachers. There had been so many poor creatures in cages ready for slaughter or sale! Thankfully they were all either released back to the wild or to the care of reputable people but she couldn’t help but think of how many came before those horrid people were caught.

Dru believed her love of beasts came from her hatred of people. Growing up it was rare to be around a good person, most of her family was loony or pure evil. Her mother was good but stuck in a horrible situation. Draco had been a good boy, sweet and kind… then their father’s influence slowly began to turn the boy into the vapid man he was today. Creatures and beasts were pure, for the most part all the wanted was to live their own lives and be at peace. It was outside influences that ruined that for them…

As the two of them walked through the forest she quickly realized she was ill prepared for this journey. Black heels were paired with her plaid flared dress pants and a black button up shirt, her emerald necklace hanging around her neck in its usual fashion. “You know, I don’t really know a lot about your family.” That was kind of a lie, she did know a lot but it was influenced by her parents opinion of them. “But your profession seems a bit out of place. Arthur is a gem but I couldn’t imagine the man ever doing anything crazy in his life. He once cornered me into a conversation about the purpose of a rubber duck! And Bill was never too wild, Percy was young when we left Hogwarts but he seemed to be quite the little stick in the mud.”

As they walked she eyed him curiously, another thing Dru knew to be true of the Weasleys was that they were fiercely protective and loyal to one another. It seemed odd that one of their pack would be content being so far from home for so long.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Delaney Wilson

Hearing Seb say that he may be her coworker some day made Delaney nearly radiate joy, it was something all three of them had joked about when in school. How they would all work at Hogwarts or find a job in Hogsmeade and they would all be close together. However when they graduated Sapphira was called back home to the US, Delaney got hired at a farm in Hogsmeade before getting a job as Professor Sprouts assistant a year later. And Seb… he was around when he was able but that wasn’t always he case. His shop kept him busy and when he wasn’t there he put time into taking care of Gran. The idea of him being able to be around more… Delaney had to admit she selfishly wanted that more than anything. Well, having Sapphira back here was tied for first.

Then the talk of her accent made her quickly cycle through all seven stages of grief. Delaney had always been made fun of for her accent from other students, a lot of it was light hearted and fun but some of it was so mean. Seb however had always been sweet about it… made her blush. Just like he was now. She suddenly felt shy, afraid her voice would forsake her again if she spoke too quickly. So for a moment she stayed silent and watched as they finished up the arena. Looking around she noted the same things Seb did, most everyone was gone.

“A walk sounds nice, I actually need to trim a few of the more rowdy plants and could use a help if you don’t mind?” Delaney gave him a soft smile before reaching into the opening of the woven satchel at her side and pulling out some small shears. “I assume you’re still okay to throw down with a tentacula or two?” She dropped the shears back in before turning on her heel to yell over to Sapphira. “Looks all good here! Seb and I are going to the greenhouse, you two should get some dinner before the kids raid the hall after class!”

Delaney turned and grabbed Sebs sleeve, yanking him forward gently before looping her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder as they walked. It was something she had done often, sometimes her and Sapph would surround him and cause him relentless teasing from other boys when they were younger. “So, I haven’t been able to see you in a while… or the shop. All my info I get through letters or Neville. How’re things?”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

It was as if the universe said, “Hey what’s the worst possible thing that could happen right now?” And then granted it! Loire walking in on this was the worst possible option, well second to maybe Lord Voldemort’s scraggly ass. The moment he heart her voice Cyrus shoved the looking glass into his pocket so quickly that he sliced his hand. He chose to keep his hand in his pants, wrapped around the glass and wincing slightly in pain before turning around to look at her with what was a sad attempt at a non chalant face.

Loire shut the door behind her and Cyrus looked over her face for a long moment while he chose how to respond. “It’s just a looking glass Loire, I was talking to-“ He paused, trying to come up with a single name that wasn’t also going to toss him into hot water. It wasn’t like Cyrus talked to his family, he didn’t have many friends outside of the few here and everyone else was only slightly less bad than Sirius. Plus Loire was a Gaunt, if she didn’t know what the wolfish man looked like from family photo books she would know from his face being in every paper just a year ago. Suddenly he was very aware of the device in his pocket. The fact that Sirius could very possibly still hear him and hear how much Cyrus was failing. “I was talking to a friend.”

Weak.

Cyrus didn’t want to look shady by removing himself from the looking glass for the time being but he also knew he was caught. The look that Loire gave him said it all. The tall man moved to her, reaching out with his free hand a gently removing the scarf she had been wearing, shoving it into his pocket and hoping he could remember a good spell to remove blood stains. Hopefully that helped muffle this enough.

“Shh, okay?” Cyrus held a finger to his lips to beg her to be calm and quiet before he took another step closer to her so they could speak in whispers. “I can’t say a lot okay, just know that he’s not a bad guy. Everything about him is wrong and a lot of the people, the good guys, are on his side.” He pulled back slightly to look at her, he knew Loire would never run and tell on him. She always protected him even when it wasn’t her job to do so. Even if she did believe Sirius Black to be an insane murderer she would scold Cyrus behind closed doors and not get others involved out of worry for his well being. He only hoped she still felt that way about him. “I’m kind of the reason this whole mentor extra help situation is going on… we needed someone in the castle keeping an eye on Harry but giving the kid a body guard was suspicious as fuck. So this plan happened and yeah.”

The explanation he gave was sad at best, he knew that. “Loire I promise I’ll explain better okay? I just can’t right now.”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn Gaunt

A small chuckle left his lips at Sapphira's mention of his house, honestly it wasn't the first time he heard something like that. Back when Larkyn had his sorting ceremony, Loire had gone first and was sorted into Slytherin. Before that moment, despite being direct heirs of the house, Larkyn had silently hoped to be placed elsewhere. Lots of people thought he fit the Ravenclaw house more and he couldn't really disagree. "There are plenty of other Slytherin's that are nice like me, Dru may be prickly but shes good under all that. Loire too." He hummed, placing his hands in his pockets to warm them up. "It's just that we get a bad rep because the mean ones are loudest and the rest of us don't really do confrontation like that." He could see how it looked from outsiders though, all the houses had pride and house loyalty but there was nothing like how the Slytherins acted towards other houses. Honestly their only real allies were usually Hufflepuff.

The others all departed, Delaney and Seb being the last two and calling Larkyns attention to the fact that suddenly they were the last two left. He hadn't even noticed Dru left... he was sure to get attitude about that later. "Let's get inside yeah? Delaney has a point and I could use something warm after all this outside time."

Larkyn walked with Sapphira until they made their way inside, the halls were fairly calm. Most students were still in class or just getting out for the evening. However down the corridor he could hear something unsettlingly familiar. He peered around the few bodies and sure enough a few dozen feet down the hall was Draco and his two goons with a poor small boy in red robes. They had the small boy surrounded, holding a camera above his head and taunting him to make him jump for it. "Just give me a second yeah? I'll join you in a moment."

Draco had been a pain in the ass since Larkyn met him, he was a mini Lucius in lots of ways. Dru always maintained that her little brother was sweet and caring under it all but... those were some thick layers from Larkyn's point of view. "Malfoy!" Larkyn's voice boomed as he neared the three morons. His eyes turning into slits as he walked up behind the one he thought was Crabbe (he always mixed those two idiots up) and grabbed the young man's wrist in one hand and the camera in the other. Gently he applied pressure until he let go and took the camera away. Larkyn handed it back to the young Gyffindor who mumbled a thanks before darting off towards the stairs. "What is wrong with you lot? Can't pick on someone your own size yeah?" The snotty glare he got from Draco wasn't new to him, it was a look of loathing. Larkyn and Loire were two of the only people on this planet Draco couldn't run to daddy about. "Maybe we grow up, or at least try. Now go before I decide to take away points or give our a detention or three."

With that the three students darted off and Larkyn let out a heavy sigh before turning back to Sapphira. "Morons."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire Gaunt

Catching Cyrus in his lie, watching him shove the glass into his pocket, almost made her smirk to herself. The faint metallic smell of blood tickled her sensitive nose and caused her to stifle a cocky smirk... for now, at least. One of her worst fears with his disappearance was he met someone, someone who meant more to him than her or Larkyn did. If all he was doing was hanging out with some shady characters, well, he should of just said!

Just like the Weasley's, Sirius was a blood traitor. A pure blood whom supported equal rights for muggles, who rejected the doctrine of blood purity. From the stories her father would tell of Sirius's arrest it seemed like the man never even got a real trial, and it reeked of a set up... kind of like Harry's participation in this damn tournament. The last few weeks things hadn't made any sense. She listened on random conversations to just get a hint of a lead! Now? It seemed like things were finally adding up, at least to some degree.

Loire felt her cheeks heat up as Cyrus moved close to her, her body freezing as he removed her black knitted scarf to stuff it in his pocket. It had been well over a year since they were on speaking terms, let alone being close enough to whisper to each other! All she could do was give a small nod and patiently listen to everything he had to say. She was just grateful he was finally talking to her... No, no. It was more than that. Loire was just happy he was finally trusting her again.

So with a rare happy smile she withdrew from the shed, leaning next to the door to wait for Cyrus. As soon as he was out, however, she wasn't letting him avoid her anymore. She grabbed his hand and escorted him to the staff wing, dragging him if necessary. The halls were thankfully clear so they made it there rather quickly. Once there they headed up a two sets of stairs and straight to her bedroom, swinging the door shut as soon as they were inside.

"There, now let me see that hand and start talking." Loire let go of his hand and pulled out her wand, motioning for him to sit. The room screamed Loire. The blankets were black and white, cute black cats lined the mantle of the fireplace, and a picture of her, Larkyn, and Cyrus a few years ago sat on the bedside stand. She supposed she could of brought him literally anywhere else, but no one else would be in the staff wing at this hour.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

Truthfully, Sapphira was intimidated by both Dru and Loire. They had never been mean to her by any means! But, Loire's face alone scared away most grown adults, even having a bit of a Snape attitude to her. Dru? Dru was completely and utterly perfect; the epitome of upper class. They were from similar families just from two different worlds, and she was sure that they'd get along great if they were to socialize! ... they just, ran in different circles. It was good to know that the two of them weren't as scary as she thought.

The next thing she knew her best friend was leaving. Was Delaney seriously abandoning her?! The lot of them had socialized before, but, it had always been in a group. Sapph was normally a confident woman. Back home she was a socialite heiress, here she was just an average muggle who was half decent with a wand! Gods, she hoped she didn't bore Larkyn to death.

The mention of going inside though was music to her ears. As usual the woman got lost in thought as they walked towards the dining hall. Her green eyes watched the paintings move, the candles float, she was still so fascinated by the magic of the castle. Part of her wished that she could stay here when the year was up, be closer to Delaney finally, but what would she do? Ah, but it was nice to daydream.

"Hm?" Suddenly Larkyn was off towards the small crowd, though she didn't quite know what towards until she peeked between the students. Before she heard Larkyn's booming voice it was hard to see him as an intimidating auror, but now she could definitely see it. His voice made her shrink back into her bright yellow heels. Seeing him rescue that poor little Gryffindor's camera warmed her heart. She knew it was his job to look out for the students, that's kind of why he was there, but still. He always looked out for others and it was admirable.

The blonde one, Malfoy, pushed through the crowd and shouldered his way past Sapphira like she didn't exist. It caused her to stumble slightly on her heels and nearly fall for the second time in the day. "Filthy mudblood." She didn't quite catch who whispered it, not like it really mattered. It was something she heard more than often in her school days. "Malfoy? You mean that's Dru's brother? He seems a little more aggressive than she does." Only by a little. Still, the resemblance between the two was uncanny and supported her sibling theory.

"Oh! We should get going before the kids get out of class. I promised I'd help a few of the kids with their muggle studies later on, and I think I promised to do Cedric's homework for him tonight?" Without missing a beat she grabbed Larkyn's hand and lead them toward the great hall. Her holding Delaney's hand was always natural, even Seb's, so she didn't think twice about grabbing Larkyn's.

Not until they entered the hall and she noticed that she indeed was holding his hand. Once again her face lit up a bright red and she instantly released him. "S-Sorry about that! Looks like we beat everyone here." The tables were already all set up, ready for students and teachers alike to gather. "Weird, I thought when Dru and Hunter left together they would've came straight here."

 

[Sir Damien]

Weasley.

Hunter didn't dare look in Dru's face as she poked fun at what he was saying. It was clear like she could see right through him but, he wasn't going to let a damned Malfoy get the best of him. Oh no. She'd never let him live it down. Instead he just tucked his pale hands in his pockets and looked literally anywhere but her-- the gray clouds that grew heavy every day with the upcoming first snow of the year, the dense darkness of the forest, even the moss growing on the trees.

He stayed silent up until she brought back up the calfs. Beast taming was the one thing Hunter was good at. He was funny but not like the twins, he couldn't break curses like Bill, and he would rather die than work for the ministry like his dad or Percy. Though, he supposed if he stayed closer to home then he wouldn't have been marked... there was no point in regretting his passion now though. An elated grin spread on his face as he led Dru deeper into the forest. He hadn't been here in years yet it felt so natural, like he had just traversed this path last week, "Only twice yeah? Well I'm honored to accompany the miss Dru Malfoy for her third calf visit." Was he teasing her? Only slightly, but it was more playful than it had been earlier. He wouldn't dampen the mood when it came to seeing moon babies.

It didn't seem like Dru got that 'mood dampening' memo. The mention of his family made him physically tense, though he quickly tried to play it off by running through his shaggy red locks. It had been a while since the man had a haircut, no matter how much he pushed it back it seemed to keep falling in his face. "Oh, my parents tried to no end to talk me out of it. We all tend to stay close to home just because,..." Well, there was no place like home, but for blood traitors like them it was just safer to stay home. He learned that the hard way. Hunter trailed off for a moment at the thought of the mark on his arm.

"Percy works for the ministry now, he'd absolutely go nutty if he saw what I did. Mum too. Graphorns, drag---" The man bit his tongue so hard he drew blood. Shut. Up. Hunter. "D-Dragging Graphorns around can be the biggest pain, you've gotta be really fit to do it!" With a nervous chuckle he once again aimed to change the topic. "We're all close. Or, we all were close. I haven't been home in years. I kind of got into a predicament and I don't know how to face my mum about it." Wait, why was he talking to Dru about this? A MALFOY for crying out loud! All she'd probably do was make fun of him!

"A-Anyways. Watch your step, yeah? We're here." Without much thought Hunter reached his warm hands to lift Dru over a large log that blocked the cave, seeing as her shoes were not anywhere fit for climbing logs. He proceeded to jump over it himself, holding open the heavy moss vines to the large stone cave. Inside there was a crystal blue water pond, and a giant moon etching at the top of the cave that glowed with some sort of magical essence.

And, of course, right below the glowing moon was a nest of dancing, big eyed moon calf babes. "Want to feed them?" From his pocket Hunter produced a small pouch full of moon calf pellets. He took out a handful and poured some in both of their palms. The calfs began to herd together and bounce straight for the two of them, almost like they recognized the red headed man. "Hey there buddies, how have you been?"

 

[Colt Voltage]

S. Longbottom

Truthfully Sebastian didn't spend much time home, at least not as much as he'd like to. Traveling and plants were a passion of his, so as soon as he graduated he traveled for a year straight. There were so many subspecies to plants that weren't as well known, so many rare plants and ingredients they didn't have access to in Hogsmeade or Hogwarts. After he came back home he had so many plants he decided to open a small shop in Hogsmeade with a flat at the top. He would stay for a few months, travel the next few, and so on and so forth. The last year he had notice Gran had been getting a tad bit slower, so Seb tried to stay a bit longer every time. She was an old feisty witch that lived on her own, she needed someone looking out for him.

He tried to see Delaney as much as he could, but with their schedules it was hard to see each other. He genuinely missed her; Seb's mother died when he was born and his father was murdered when he was a child, all he really had was Gran, Neville, and Delaney to grow up with. His dad was an auror who went after the wrong wizard. Not much was known on his death, all they told him was an unforgivable curse was used. Gran was already raising Neville and the boys were essentially raised like brothers. Delaney was just unfortunate enough to get placed with the lot of them.

Seeing her packing shears on her was enough to make him smirk to himself. He could remember all the times they spent with Gran in her garden, they were some of his fondest memories. The pair of them even made their own cute little garden, though it paled in comparison to what they were capable of now. "We're just abandoning her like that with Larkyn? My dearest Delaney, becoming a teacher has changed you." The tall raven haired man gave a small chuckle, his face heating ever so slightly as she hugged his arm.

Her familiar scent filling his nose as she rested her head on his shoulder and Seb's heart skipped a beat. Delaney had always been his weakness, no amount of time apart would ever change that. "Things have been busy. I just got my hands on a rare violet fanged geranium. She's just a baby right now. Gran's geranium is always cranky but, I'm sure you could raise this one to be a bit nicer. Maybe put her in the greenhouse?" He rested his head against the top of hers, a small smile on his face. "I've got a few employees taking care of the shop while I'm away though, so I'm one hundred percent here on campus with you. And the students, of course." Ever the flirt.

The pair soon found themselves approaching the large greenhouse. "Speaking of. I'm proud of how well you're handling everything. I don't think I'd have the patience to deal with those little hellions." Sebastian held the door open for her, following her inside and towards the tentacula. "Ah, now what's your method professor Wilson? Pretend I'm a sixth year and walk me through the steps." From the pocket of his black, blue, and bronze coat he retrieved his wand, fully prepared to cast a severing charm on the deadly spiked plant.

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

Cyrus should have known that the moment he gave Loire an inch, she would take a mile. Especially with a topic like this. Instead of trying to fight it Cyrus simply let himself be dragged along, following her through the corridors of the castle until they eventually found themselves in the staff wing and then finally in her quarters. When she let go he took a moment to look around, taking in everything around him. It felt oddly comfortable in here despite it being a place he had never been before. It was a room that very much looked like Loire had decorated it and if he had been shown it without context he would still know it was hers. “Nice place you got here.” It kind of just fell out of his mouth and caused him to realize how long he had been standing there gawking at it all.

His hand? Oh yeah. Cyrus pulled his hand and the scarf from his pocket, unraveling it and laying it gently on the end of the bed before peering down at the looking glass for a moment to make sure he saw nothing looking back at him. Cyrus then took it and placed it across the room under a pillow to muffle some noise. He then crossed the room back to where Loire sat waiting with her wand and gave her a small sigh.

Cyrus took a seat and held the cut hand out to her, it wasn’t too bad but he knew he wouldn’t be able to tell her that. “No one knows this Loire, seriously.” He didn’t think she would go tell anyone but, he had to say it. “I’m working with some people, alongside…” Cyrus looked around the room, saying Dumbledores name felt wrong. Like a painting would overhear him and spread rumor throughout the castle. So Cyrus thought, the rest of the Order used a lot of codenames right? “The Grand Beard himself… I guess is the best way to say it. It’s people like the man you saw in the glass, but also the Weasleys. A few aurors. We even have a member of the Ministry on our side.”

“What happened last year in the castle, he wasn’t coming to hurt Harry. He was coming to prove his innocence. The man who actually sold out the Potters to Lord Voldemort was still alive and hiding among one of the students as a pet rat!” Cyrus was trying to tell the story with as little specific information as he could. It wasn’t a trust thing, it was a danger thing. “The bastard got away and they couldn’t prove his story. But there was no way they were sending him back to Azkaban after learning the truth, at least not the people close to him. So he’s been hiding with others. I- I only met them a few months before I went off the grid. Remu-“ Cyrus stopped himself as he realized he nearly said Remus full name. “I became close with them and I sympathize. They’re the good guys Loire I promise.”

Cyrus reached over with his free hand and placed it gently on her leg, looking her in the eyes when she spoke. “I meant it when I said it was never about leaving you and Larkyn. It was that I wanted to be a part of something that would change things. The world is getting scarier and scarier again, I don’t want him to come back and cause havoc. Especially when my two best friends in the whole world would be so close to the issue.” Loire and Larkyn were nothing like their family but that didn’t mean they would be able to avoid the trouble when the Dark Lord returned.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella Malfoy

If anyone had told her that she would be spending her day out in the Forbidden Forest looking for moon calfs with Hunter Weasley, Dru likely would have died from laughter because the idea in and of itself was so preposterous! Yet here she was, out in the cool November air in the worst possible clothing ever to be doing this. With Hunter. Who shockingly wasn't so terrible, at least not at this very moment.

"Wealsey." Dru spoke the word as more of a warning than a name, giving him a glare out of the corner of her eye when his tone turned to teasing. "I like moon calfs so what? Am I not allowed to like cute things?" She slightly pouted as she spoke, the woman was very aware of her demenor and attitude but still. Her ice was reserved for people. She didn't like people all that much. "They're my favorite apart from Jade-" She stopped as soon as she said it, realizing that the others hadn't quite been aquainted with her pick-pocket friend. "And bowtruckles, though they're not really the type of creature I would keep. They're just rather interesting in general. Demiguises as well, though it's not as if many are lucky to really see one. Oh! And of course the Merfolk." She was suddenly aware that she was rambling and felt her face grow warm... it was just so rare for her to be able to talk with someone about these things. No one else in her life gave one single shit about beasts and creatures. Larkyn would listen on occasion but it wasn't as if he had much to offer, his extent of knowledge began and ended with Loire's animagus ability.

Dru decided to go back to silence, at least for herself to avoid another further embarassment. Thankfully it was Hunter who spoke up next, listening to him talk about his family made her feel a little bad for the comments she had made. Especially since she could relate. Dru wasn't physically far from her parents but she couldn't tell you she had a real conversation with any single one of them. Even her mother! For a long time her and mother were able to talk candidly behind closed doors but as of late it felt as if everything was on edge. "I understand, in a way. I see my father every single day, we work together. So while we're not physically apart, at the same time I cannot tell you the last time I have a real conversation with him..." Then the man slipped up again, this time giving a little more and causing Dru to look at him with a raised brow. "Hunter Weasley will you just spit it out already? You're bloody terrible at lying and even worse at subtlety. " A small grin peaked at the corner of her mouth before her large green eyes suddenly went wider. "Wait Weasley, are you skipping over DRAGONS? Are you telling me theres dragons involved?!" Her sudden outburst was less about worry for the students and more of excitement for herself. They were rare and even if you got the chance to see one it was normally because you were in danger. "I- well. I'm shocked I suppose."

Then he announced they had arrived and lifted Dru without warning! For a moment she prepared to lay into him but when she caught the smallest glimpse of what was inside the cave, all bets were off. "Absolutely!" She exclaimed in a hushed voice, afraid to startle the calves as they danced. Hunter was the first to move close and Dru followed slowly behind, watching her step and being wary of scaring them. "I cannot believe this. It's amazing."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Delaney Wilson

The greenhouse was her safe space, her home, her favorite place in the world besides her old bedroom at Gran's. There was often times that students would find Delaney napping with her cat in her makeshift office in one of the more overgrown areas of the greenhouses. Obviously she had a traditional office in the castle but it felt so stuffy and old, Delaney preferred being outside anyways. So she had taken some desks found in storage and made an L-shape with them complete with a hammock hung behind it to serve as both her chair and napping spot. Most days it served as Turtle's bed but... still. That being said it meant Delaney took the time to make this place a sanctuary for herself, the plants and the students. Professor Sprout was lovely and amazing with the plants but as she aged it got harder and harder for her to keep things thriving as she once did. It was Delaney's passion project to bring it all back to its former glory.

"A violet fanged geranium? Sounds gorgeous." The two of them had always had a thing for the more dangerous plants. She could remember back in school, the two of them had taken it upon themselves to try and grow Alihosty. When they learned of what happened to Frank and Alice, they felt useless. They read somewhere that Alihosty was potentially deadly when used incorrectly but if dosed properly could help with mental health. Gran had to explain to them that it wasn't something Frank and Alice could come back from, that if the witches and wizards at St. Mungos were at a loss then there was nothing more to do. "We haven't had one in the greenhouses since I started, last one nipped at a student. Which usually isn't an issue, happens all the time. But the boys father works in the Ministry and well, it was more trouble than it was worth. He's past that age now though, wouldn't be a plant he used in classes plus we would keep it safe in my office until she's fully grown. That is if you really want to bring her here? You would have to come visit it, often of course."

Delaney missed him, she missed this. She had a few friends since school ended, acquaintances really. People she would catch a meal with on occasion and hang around at events. Hogwarts staff and her got along but Delaney was new and quite young compared to other professors. Last year she had made friends with Remus up until he all but poofed out of existence. It was nice to have friends again, not just any friends either. Saph and Seb. As they walked she heard Sebastian’s slight flirting and Delaney smiled, letting out a small scoff. Always the flirt he was, when she was younger it really frazzled her. Probably due to the fact that she was head over heels for the boy. But after time she got used to it, it was just the way he was.

However when he earnestly complimented her… said he was proud. Now that? It made her face warm and her heart flutter. Thankfully she was able to use the plant in front of them as a distraction. “A sixth year yeah? You’re awfully tall… and is that a five o clock shadow I see?” Delaney smirked before heading over to her storage below one of the counters and pulling out a box of food for the plants. “I’d drop the wand until they’ve been fed. They don’t have eyes but I swear they know when a wand is pointed at them.” She took a handful of the mixed feed and threw it until the air above the row of slithering plants, various vines moving to catch and place food in their strange little mouths.

Delaney turned to Seb as she pulled out her shears and a small crate. “Now if you want to cast away, I’ll collect.” She spoke quietly as if the plants could hear her. Most people used the stunning charm combined with the severing charm, Delaney did too most often. But with Seb here to help keep them stunned, she sure as hell was taking the chance to really get in there and trim some of this overgrown baddies! Plus there wasn’t a plant alive that scared Delaney, not when she knew antidotes to everything in these greenhouses.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn Gaunt

Larkyn could not handle the way that kid acted sometimes, Dru always insisted that Draco wasn’t a giant brat but his behavior sure said otherwise. “Yeah that’s him, in all his bright and shining glory.” He gave Sapphira a small eye roll as he spoke, making sure his sarcasm was known before following her off to the great hall for a quick dinner.

However it was so much of a follow as it was a pulled. Larkyns face warmed up at the contact, it just wasn’t something he was used too at all. He didn’t come from an affectionate family, he and Dru were very much not into PDA… when they were at events and such it was more of an arm through an arm sort of thing. Holding hands was natural to others but to him it felt foreign and strange, not bad… just strange. “What? Oh yeah. I mean, I doubt they’d come here together willingly. Those two hate each other, always have.”

-

It was back in the staff wing when things really got going. Druella had come back at some point with Hunter which was already strange. But after stepping out for a while she returned and was visibly angry. Larkyn tried to ask her what was going on and it turned out she was angry with him! Draco had run and told her some lie about the situation that had happened earlier and made it seem like Larkyn was out there punching kids in the face!

“You know I wouldn’t do something like that Druella. Don’t feed into Draco’s nonsensical dramatics.” Larkyn scoffed, fairly offended she would even think he actually hurt that kid. “You have said yourself that those three create havoc and lies to get their way! Why is this any different. Why are you being so unreasonable about this?”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire Gaunt

Despite coming from one of the more prestigious of pure blooded families, Loire was a simple person. All she wanted a simple life somewhere she didn't feel like she was riding off her father's coattails. The woman hated everything the death eaters stood for; Voldemort, the fact that she was related to the bastard, the damned blood purity. It was all so ignorant to her.

Loire and Larkyn were the heirs to their name. Their father had certain expectations of the both of them, following in his path was one of them. It was expected at least one of the twins to join, and while he would of preferred both of them Loire was always seen as the weaker of the two. The last time she refused him she was presented an ultimatum; Join him, or be forced to move thousands of miles away. Of course Nikolay was the lesser of two evils, but barely.

As Loire sat there with Cyrus she quietly listened, silently casting episkey to heal the wound on his hand. It wasn't terribly deep or deadly but, it always caused her heart to ache whenever he was hurt. From what she understood there was an animagus rat framing Sirius for his crimes, he had been lying low with this group, and they were out to protect Harry. She didn't quite understand why Cyrus was there, but she understood his reason for being apart of it. She'd do the same.

"Let me help you." The words flew from her mouth without a second thought. It was a typical bossy Loire response but, she meant it. "I mean, I won't tell anyone. Promise. But I want to help. While you're busy with Harry I have full reign of the castle, I can listen in on any conversation, or just help keep watch. So- just, tell your friend that." Auror's, Weasley's, Dumbledore... another teacher, surely that would come in handy.

If she could help put a stop to them, save Harry, be helpful to the good guys for once... she'd do anything for that. Suddenly the grandfather clock chimed and Loire gave the hand on her leg a gentle squeeze. With a warm smile on her face she stood from the bed and gave a content sigh. "I don't want to hold you up from finding Harry. We can talk later, yeah?" And with that they were off.

-----

During dinner Loire was her typical quiet self, not chiming in unless she was addressed. It was as if a huge bombshell didn't get dropped on her a short while ago. That is, until Nikolay reared his ugly head at the end. Loire remembered the deal, that she had to make this marriage work, or she'd be forced to join the death eaters. Begrudgingly she went with him.

As soon as they got back to the staff ward she intended on retiring for the night, but when Dru came in breathing fire towards Larkyn she decided to hang around a little to listen. She clearly didn't care that they could see her; Loire was parked on the couch 'reading' a book while listening in on why she was so pissed. Malfoy was a little shit and was growing up to be just like his father, there was no way Larkyn would hurt a kid.