Messages from Home PV Elrich Shulz Closed

Fools. This school is full of ignorant fools, Elrich thought to himself as he stormed down the hall in an intense rage. How was he to read, to continue his path to grandeur, if he could not have a single minute of pace within the confines of the wretched school? It did not matter where he went; his common room, the library, the lake. Nowhere was he safe from the noise and distractions this school was ridden with. It seemed like the sole goal of the entire population was to impede his studies, making it impossible to work even with every drop of his concentration focused on his task. He had to get away from them all, and there was only one place he could think of that could provide him shelter from their incessant cries of pure doltishness.

He rushed down the stairs to the second floor, making great care not to drop the books he had in his grasp. The books of frivolous charms and historical junk, and other nonsense that his classes required he read were not in his possession. Instead, he had scoured the library for books on new spells, techniques, and knowledge that were not taught in his first-year classes that would set him ahead of his peers. If he could master these advanced topics, only then would he ever achieve his ambitions for success. Only then might the cold, unfeeling gaze of his father falter. Those eyes of disappointment and disdain that had been piercing his very soul for his entire life. It did not matter if he was sorted into a house of sloth-like ignorance, he would show that man what he was truly capable of. He would wipe his contempt from existence.

He had finally reached his destination: a seemingly abandoned bathroom on the second floor of the school. Nice and tucked away from the common eye, it would serve him well. Upon looking around to make sure he was not being watched, he reached for the handle.

Upon opening the door to the bathroom, it became evident that there was somebody else present inside. Elrich himself was not supposed to be in there, but that also meant that nobody else was to be there, either. Before actually stepping in, he took a deep breath, wanting to remain calm and collected. As he took his first step in, he uttered only a single question, forcing a smirk in order to fake an air of confidence, though even he was a bit unnerved by meeting somebody, or something, in an abandoned bathroom of all places.

“Well, what do we have here?”

Green gasped in a breath at the same time Elrich did, one hand holding the potion aloft in plain view, the other gripping the bathroom sink as he stood before its mirror. His eyes flickered towards Elrick's feet as he stepped forward, narrowed at the smirk, lips pulling back, showing teeth. It was not quite a smile.

"Well, yourself," he said, corking the potion, shoving it away in a pocket. Nothing. He knows nothing. He may have seen, but don't let him think. Instead, he dragged his gaze over Elrich up and down like a spotlight, chin tilting upwards, back straightening. "I could ask you the same question, couldn't I? You look... familiar," he murmured, forcing himself away from the mirror, taking two slow, steady steps closer to Elrich. He was significantly shorter than Elrich was, but he held himself tall, and he moved with the purpose of a dangerous thing.

"I remember you," he realized quietly, head tilting. "From the sorting ceremony. You're Elrich," he nodded to himself, eyes flicking to the lion crest on the boy's robes, a mirror to his own. "You didn't seem too happy with the hat's choice. Normally, I'd warn you that there's no point in reporting this, as we're equally guilty and it could only hurt our house; but I suspect you don't care much about our house, do you?" He asked. Another step closer. "You didn't just look disappointed. You looked shocked. As if the sorting were more than incorrect, but an insult. As if the hat had declared you to be a goat or something," he huffed, lips curling into a grin. Sobered, darkening. "I can relate. I felt the same. So let's save ourselves the further indignity of detention and agree to keep quiet for that sake. Why are you here?" he asked, voice suddenly, inexplicably gentle. His eyes were locked on Elrich's, and he waited patiently.

The first thing Elrich’s eyes locked onto was the small vial in the boy’s hands. What would somebody be doing in an abandoned bathroom with a strange looking potion? Nothing innocent, that much was clear to him. To be fair, some may say that what he himself was trying to do in that bathroom was immoral. Even if caught, however, he could always play innocent and make some claim or another. He would apologize and get off with a slap on the wrist.

As soon as Green mentioned him looking familiar, his smirk cleared. He had tried to remain inconspicuous throughout his time at the school by spending time in isolated or quiet places. That damned hat and ceremony. His sorting into Gryffindor had thoroughly blindsided him, and his usual calm demeanor had faltered into one of rage and confusion. He could not afford to allow such a thing to happen again. He already knows too much.

“Well, don’t you have an impressive memory?” he asked with a chuckle, “And yes, maybe I was a bit surprised by the Sorting Hat’s decision, but I still love being a Gryffindor!” A blatant and pretty obvious lie, but he was not going to admit a thing.

Elrich was intrigued in the other boy’s change in tone, but even more so by his question. Was the gentle way of asking supposed to lure him into letting his motives spill onto the floor? He sighed, and then with a renewed smirk said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a bit of an airhead, so I got lost and wandered into this decrepit old place. And upon entering, I see one of my beloved housemates with a vial of who-knows-what! I can’t not tell a professor about this; what if you hurt yourself with that little potion of yours. Of course, maybe if you were to tell me who you were and why you’re here, I might just rethink my course of action”.

"An impressive memory? For memorable people, yes," Green replied, still calm, still gentle, though his eye twitched as Elrich said the words, 'hurt yourself.' He rolled his shoulders, took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes, cracking his neck. "Alright. If that's the way you'd like it to be, o brother under the banner of bravery and bluster, then that is how it shall be," he murmured, beginning to pace, shoes tapping against the tile, splashing softly through the puddles. He didn't even look down.

"I would like to propose a game. A getting-to-know-you game," he nodded at Elrich slowly, eyes locked on his. "It would seem we've caught one another in a bit of an - awkward position," he gestured, thin fingers fanning and furling into a fist. "While I appreciate your fortitude - I do, it's admirable," he nodded, sincere, " - I cannot concede. You simply don't have me in that position yet - you don't know my name," he spread his hands, shaking his head regretfully. "What exactly is it you might do? Run and tell a teacher that you saw a boy with dark hair and green eyes in the abandoned bathroom that you shouldn't have wandered into? There are tens of such boys in our school, and in Gryffindor alone. I would be long gone by the time you got back, and even if we were to bump into one another again, and you were to point me out, what proof would you have for your claims? Maybe you've made the whole thing up," he widened his eyes, feigning shock. "And you're the larger one, the stronger one. Maybe you were p-p-picking on me," he sniffled, shrinking, pinpricks of tears welling in his eyes.

He straightened, face washing to stony blankness in a blink. Wiping his eyes, he flicked crocodile tears from his finger like mud.

"Or," he said quietly, evenly, "We could trade questions. One by one, taking turns properly," he nodded, reasonable. "We each get, nnn... let's say five questions, one pass, and two deferrals to answer only at the end," he shrugged. "Obviously, for me, one of those deferrals is going to be my name. But agree, and you'll have it," he nodded, sincere. "What do you think? Fair?"

It took a lot of mental effort for Elrich to maintain his composure while Green poked holes in his threat. He was right; his threat was not really plausible, so he had no leverage over him. The way his façade was easily seen through did not help his temper from growing closer to the edge, and the way the boy conjured tears and a helpless persona honestly caught him by surprise. He had underestimated his opponent by believing that the simple head games that would work on the average boy would work on him. He was not necessarily afraid, but he recognized somebody that posed a threat when he saw one.

This stranger was sharp, so he would have to be sharper. He was right that he was bigger, but the proposal of a questions game was something that Elrich would have an incredibly hard time turning down. “A game of questions,” he began with a smile, “What a fun way to pass the time. I do hope you don’t mind if I go first, though”. As if him minding would matter.

He only had five questions to ask, one of which had to be asking the boy’s name. He was already starting at a disadvantage by having his identity known, so he would have to put careful thought into his other four questions. Regardless, there was only one way to start that made sense to him.

“Well in that case, I suppose I’ll get this out of the way: what’s your name, you insufferable little…?” he asked, ending in a grumble.

Green smiled thinly at his reaction, fingers tenting as he regarded Elrich with something like smug affection. "You know that I'll have to use one of my deferrals on that question. It's not that I don't trust you," he shook his head, blinking at Elrich slowly, innocent. "It's just that if I told you now, I lose all leverage. And I really do want to get to know you," he smiled at Elrich sweetly.

Green straightened, leaned against the mirror; with a sigh, he crossed his arms, looking up contemplatively at the ceiling. "There are some things I can tell you now," he said, conciliatory. "Just as a show of good faith. I can tell you that I'm from a pureblood family, although not one which is prominent right now. ... Right now," he added, nodding emphatically at Elrich, implying. "And I can tell you that we're renowned for our alchemical skill, or were, when people were paying attention," he spat, sullen. He stared at Elrich, dark eyes serious.

"As for something to call me for the length of this game, before I finally give you my true name at the end... it sounds like you've already chosen one. 'Insufferable little rat,' perhaps?" he smiled at Elrich sweetly, batting his eyelashes like a coquette.

Just as expected, his question had been deferred. It did not matter, it had to be done. What did matter to Elrich was the damned way the boy spoke and carried himself. He’s clever. Manipulative. Almost a little scar-. He stopped himself from finishing that thought. He refused to believe that even a tiny part of him was intimidated by this rat of a human being. He may not have been used to dealing with people with such wits, but that would not stop him from keeping a clear head.

Whether he liked it or not, he had been given free information. The boy came from a pure blood family, one that is skilled in alchemy. That did not help Elrich much; he barely cared to learn about his own family, so he had no idea what other prominent wizarding families there were or if any were known for alchemical prowess. Regardless, he still wanted to whittle away at the boy. “A pure blooded, alchemy loving family? Nothing too impressive, I presume? I’m pure blooded as well, and you don’t seem like much to look at it compared to the others I’ve met. Do your parents run a shop out of a cardboard box in an alley way?” he asked, half speaking and half laughing. The only connection he could make out of all of it was that the vial may have something to do with alchemy. It was a pretty flimsy lead though.

“And yes, I do believe that I have found a name for you”, he remarked with his laughing attitude subsided and replaced by one of disdain. “Ask your question before I die of boredom.”

Green's eyes narrowed at Elrich slowly as he spoke, shoulders tightening, hackles rising. Who was this boy, to intrude on his privacy, demand answers, and insult his family? A moment ago, Green might have thought that there was a playful element to all of this, a sort of sparring, matching wit for wit.

And that wit had been a relief. God, could the company of some of the others be boring. Lions or no, the others had no teeth. Even some venom could be a pleasant distraction! But that concession had truly been an extension of good will, and to have it returned like this...

He sighed, fury quickly draining out of him, replaced by a cold, creeping loneliness. Regarding Elrich with tired eyes, he murmured, "What do you want from me, Elrich?

He let out another breath, eyes closing, head tilting against the wall. "And you know I don't mean what information. I mean why are we doing this, why are you bothering. You aren't being kept here; you are free. And it's not because you want the space to yourself, or you would have agreed to leave it alone, and I'd have simply left. Laughing or not, you don't seem to be enjoying this particularly," he murmured, opening his eyes to gaze at him quietly again.

What did he want? Why was he doing this? Elrich had to take a moment to figure these questions out for himself. He really didn’t have to do any of this, he could easily just walk back to the library again. The conversation they were having, however, offered him something that books could not.

“Why bother?” he asked with a blank face, as he was still trying to piece his thoughts into a coherent answer. “I’ve spent most of my life dedicated to knowing things. While many equate power to strength, I believe it is knowledge that truly sets the powerful apart from the weak. I’ve spent my life learning from books. One can only learn so much from them, though. I’ve never had the opportunity to gain knowledge from examining other people, though, you see.”

He was still deep in thought, his eyes fixated on the bathroom’s elongated mirror, which was all aged and cracked. “So, you want to know why I’m bothering with you? Maybe I’m just morbidly curious about you and what you’re doing, that by learning about you I might gain some valuable nugget of knowledge? Or…,” he trailed off, looking back at the boy with a smile, “Maybe I’m just bored.” He shrugged as if even he did not know the real answer.

“Now I’ll ask you the same thing. Why are you still here? You said it yourself, I have nothing on you. Yet here we are.”