Cold War PV A.D Finished

The Christmas season had passed as always, just like his birthday on the 26th of December, without any spectacular joys. Aside from the gift he had given his dorm-mate Aiden Sinclair, nothing remarkable had happened. As always, The old excuse of a Christmas tree, which they had managed to get too late after one of his mother’s night shifts, stood in the living room bald and miserable after just two days. The presents were necessary school supplies and a new pair of shoes, since the old ones had become too tight, and by the 29th, his Mum‘s usual evening shifts had resumed. At twelve years old, one wasn’t supposed to be home alone, without supervision and without an adult to make sure enough food was eaten. Even though his mother wouldn’t have minded it with her too big trust in her son, the neighbor Mrs. Morris, had a serious word to say about that! Therefore with newly packed shoes, his few sparse personal belongings, and a scarf so old it practically begged for mercy each time Aleks wrapped it around his neck, he was sent back to Hogwarts early. Once arrived and settled back into his room, the days that followed felt dreary somehow—alone in his bedroom, 2025 had begun without any friends. However, what kept him going was the thought that maybe, once Aiden Sinclair arrived at Hogwarts in the new year, they could become friends. Aleks had wanted to prepare for this. In childish idiocy, the young boy had kidnapped Aiden’s blanket. That pitiful excuse of a tortilla type pillow—thin and wide—spent New Year’s with Aleks and got to hear all the plans he was devising to convince Aiden they were meant to get along! The reasons ranged from having the same or similar hair color to: we both have noses, which already makes us more alike than me and Lord Voldemort. Then had pressed his face and arms around the duvet. And so the days had passed. During that time, he had managed to sneak the blanket back onto Aiden’s bed, wishing to the stars that the extra creases wouldn’t give him away. Snow had fallen too, turning the Scottish Highlands around Hogwarts into a white wonderland. It begged to be explored—but his first attempt alone had made him lose interest after just a few hours. With nobody by his side, the white cold wasn‘t as thrilling as it should. There was no other but to indulge in other activities, the kind that is done alone. Aleks couldn’t remember the last time he’d read that many books! For once, even the parts of the textbooks he had ignored during the first months of the school year were devoured. He tried different genres, Horror, Romance and even a book in Spanish that taught him how to say ‚Once upon a time‘ or ‚Help‘. He wasn't sure which of the two it really was, but the young Serbian boy imagined either one must be true. Reading about flying and magical sports had even sparked a genuine interest in playing Quidditch one day, but the idea was quietly pushed to the back burner of his wish-list, because by the fifth of January, more students began to return to Hogwarts. Then, the mission was as clear as flushed water in a fuel station: he had be on the look out for Aiden! The now thoroughly lonely Slytherin had already spent the entire morning trudging through the snow, carefully examining the identity of every single student returning to the Wizarding School. He had only taken one or two brief bathroom breaks. Aleks was convinced those were the exact moments that had cost him the chance to see Aiden’s arrival, because when he heavy-hearted made his way back across the courtyard toward the Slytherin dormitory his gaze caught on a familiar figure. Aiden was sitting on a stone bench! A flicker of betrayal crept into his blue eyes at the sight of the other boy sitting there so calmly—after Aleks had waited with so much effort put into staying out in the cold. Of course, deep down, he knew it was his own bladder that had failed him. But in this moment, the cold surged through his limbs like the temperature version of having to sit through Magical History lessons. His cheeks had been burning sore and red for hours now, his nose faintly running, and a bluish tinge clung to his lower lip. The old scarf had long since sacrificed its final scraps of warmth and was now hanging damp and limp around his neck. Even the coat, too thin and fraying, had given up. Aleks was freezing. Aiden sat there as if he hadn’t been looking for him at all and why would he anyway? They weren’t friends yet. While reality pricked at him, put a big chunk of garbage in his throat and made it hard to swallow, the anticipation of future conversations with Aiden took over his lips. Aleks smiled faintly, uncontrollably beneath flushed cheeks, and reached downward. With his hand, he scooped up a large pile of white snow into his mittens and expertly patted it into a round ball. The cold wet feelings seeped through the woolen gloves. He couldn’t possibly shiver more than he already was, so what did it matter. Aleks patted the snowball a little and rose back into position. The plan wasn’t exactly thought through. Maybe it would’ve been more socially acceptable to greet the other boy sweetly—but with freezing knees and a red nose, it felt fairer to welcome him back at matching temperature. Aleks pulled his arm back and hurled the ball straight in Aiden’s direction. “Welcome back!” he called after it, watching as the white snowball softly collapsed on impact with Aiden’s cheek, then broke apart. With a small cheeky grin, Aleks looked over at his bed‘s neighbor like he’d just scored a basket in basketball! “Missed you~”

Interaction: @Aiden Sinclair ──────────── Speech:#84319f 5/1/2025 Blablala-Whale-Song-Singing-Dominance-Asserting

The cold air was already burning at the tip of his nose. One could make small mistakes—like accidentally folding the corner of a book‘s page—and then there were the big ones, like insulting half a nation, just to subsequently be standing in front of the town hall with a name tag and a glowing sign. The realization that his snowball belonged firmly to the second category hit him in the beating heart with Aiden’s words: “You’ll regret that.” His bedroom neighbor‘s voice was seemingly composed, quiet—but something dark flickered in those green eyes. Aleks couldn’t place it. His smile retreated from the corners of his mouth like a nervous animal backing into the corner of its enclosure. His gaze ran searchingly over Aiden’s features. In the brows, the cheeks, even the tip of that well-shaped nose—there wasn’t a trace of a joke to be found. Then he watched, lost, as Aiden leaned down and buried his hands in the soft snow. You didn’t need a doctorate or a manual on life to know exactly what would follow! Aleks swallowed nervously at the thought of facing the promised revenge—and yet, a small and easy smile poked its way back onto his face. The Slytherin deep down hoped deep, that somewhere behind the act lay a flicker of friendship and fun. “Hey, I didn’t even mean it in a me—” he began quietly, raising a hand in a half-hearted gesture of peace —just as the first snowball came flying! Aiden had moved so very fast, Aleks barely registered that he was already under attack—cold ammunition flying toward his misfortune! The packed snow shot toward him like a combat spell, and by sheer luck, Aleks flinched and ducked out of its path. Only when the snowball whizzed past his head and slammed into the wall behind him did he fully grasp with how much strength it had been sent. His eyes followed it, staring at the white splatter—half-shattered—against grey stone and grime. “Oh shit,” he gasped, halfly impressed! Just for the next one to hit him on the back of the head. The force jolted him slightly forward and the cold snapped him back into the present—which clearly, was war. The remnants of snow slid down the back of his head, straight into his stretched-out scarf. The wool already was at the edge of death, now hanging to it with a few strings alone. The wet chill burned and tingled against his skin—but that was secondary. What mattered now was fighting this war with effort and heart, the way two Slytherins should! Aleks bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, and launched a ball toward Aiden, trying to dodge whatever was coming in return. With joints stiff from the cold, his success was limited at best. He only managed to shield his face—but took the next right to the faintly freckled neck. With a small shivering jolt, the terror of the situation somersaulted through his chest— and left the Serbian boy laughing softly under his breath. Adrenaline pumped his veins, flushing his ears. He sent another snowball flying toward Aiden, pushing himself upright on freezing legs and tossing it without much aim. But the moment it left his hand, he saw it—the death march! Aiden was running at him. Not slowly—charging, like a fury stuffed to the brim with vengeance. A demon of green glowing eyes and soft locks of hair. The laughter died in the same breath it had bloomed. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that!” he tried, one last panicked attempt at defense. A loose snowball slipped from his other hand. The other boy tackled him to the ground! A small yelp jumped out of his throat, as Aleks fell into the snow like it was his personal cold grave. Even sinking slightly into the soft wet, the ice shoved itself into every gap of his clothing. It pressed into the arch of his back, curling like cold tongues between pant legs and shoes and licked his ankles. A half silent squeak rolled off his lips. Had Permission to drive the plot to this point.

Interaction: @Aiden Sinclair ──────────── Speech:#84319f 5/1/2025 Blablala-Whale-Song-Singing-Dominance-Asserting

Slowly the cold spread. It traced beneath pale skin along the bones, crawling its way into knees and elbows. Even at his neck, wet chill pressed beneath his ragged scarf. Aiden’s hand still clung to the front of his coat like a biting dog, creasing the fabric from under Aleks’s arms up to his chest. He could feel the tightened fabric, but distracted by the temperature, it took Aleks a moment to process the picture above—and the pain above his hip. Laying there, with the first breath his senses shuffled themselves like students on a crowded bench, making room for the burning throb. The pain forced itself like a delayed reaction from his hipbone into his gut. Aleks tightened the side of his face where the ache reached into his lower back, his mouth pulling into a smaller shape and one eye narrowed. His feet drew together, knees straining, muscles bracing in a futile fight against the pulsing ache. Then his gaze shifted and caught on Aiden’s other hand. Aleks’s jaw slackened. A snowball crouched there like a loaded cannon between tanned fingers. Its hard-packed form already announced cheerfully enough that the powder had been pressed tight. This wasn’t at all how the Serbian boy had imagined their encounter! Perhaps more like a snowball fight that ended with them laughing on a bench, or stumbling, worn out, into the Great Hall to coax a mug of hot chocolate from the house-elves. Not this—caught between violent flakes of snow and the hardened look in Aiden’s eyes. The tension in his body held. The pain still flickered, but Aleks’s features slipped from their posture. His brows lifted in apologetic confusion. He didn’t even know what he ought to say. Shame clutched at his burning lungs and drained the last trace of color from his lips. Seizing on his weakness, the cold won, painting his mouth with a faint shade of blue and purple. In contrast to the reddened tip of his nose, heat of humiliation burned in his ears—though he wasn’t entirely sure if it wasn’t the snow’s touch that summoned the stinging ache at the edges of his lobes. Anger danced in Aiden‘s features—more than that, he looked as if Aleks were all that‘s wrong with the world! A splinter caught in his foot, finally pulled free and ready to be discarded. Aleks’s heart wanted to leap like a lovesick dog, hurling itself off a cliff just to escape the boy’s gaze. At that feeling, pressure gathered beneath his freckles and surged toward his eyes. The young Slytherin knew what it meant, and so he swallowed hard, forcing it down. In that instant, Aiden threw the snowball. Out of sheer expectation, Aleks pressed his head deeper back and into the snow. Cold shuffling in between his strands. The dark lashes lowered halfway, bracing to shield his eyes from the sting of icy powder. But the crack of shattering snow rang out to his right, somewhere off in the distance. The frozen breath slipped out of his body. Relief greased the machinery of shame and confusion. For a moment, he nearly let the tears run free—but then Aiden’s grip loosened and the tension ebbed away. “Consider yourself warned. I’m not in the fucking mood for your games. Got it?” Twelve-year-old Aleks raised his hand, pressed a few curled, freezing fingers against his cheek, and rubbed one eye shut. He was grateful the snowball hadn’t been thrown at his face—perhaps he might have deserved it. Of course, the Slytherin knew his ideas were not always the best but never would he have expected such an Ending to his Welcome-plans. With another swallow he slowly built up resilience against the tears, locking them as far back as he could into his burning lungs. Aleks forced a small, apologetic smile onto his lips. “.Yes, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.” One arm drew closer to his body, his elbow brushing against Aiden’s thigh. “Could you please get off me?” he added in a subdued voice. Unease began to creep in. The old scarf had breathed its last, and the snow was melting into his trousers. All the effort he had poured in would do nothing to salvage what his impulsive choice had destroyed. Aleks wasn’t even surprised.

Interaction: @Aiden Sinclair ──────────── Speech:#84319f 5/1/2025 Blablala-Whale-Song-Singing-Dominance-Asserting

He didn’t need to properly observe the boy above him to sense what was happening. Slowly the weight shifted off his body, rolling to the right until his hips and legs were released into freedom. Without Aiden above him, the cold winter sun seemed to strike Aleks full in the face once more—yet it still could not distract him from his feelings. With a deep breath he kept his hand pressed against his eye, holding the tears beneath his lids. The throbbing pain in his lower body ebbed like a receding tide meanwhile. Unfortunately, it was not the peaceful kind at a beautiful coast with sweeping vistas. Instead it was the ugly, unwanted—the kind at narrow pebble beaches with litter strewn along the shore, where every tide flings seaweed across the ground. Exactly how Aleks felt. He had messed it up. His steady breath flared all at once, as though threatening to turn a salty hose on in his face. The Slytherin swallowed hard. Briefly he closed his free eye as well, taking the moment of silence to move. He all but folded himself over, turning to the side in Aiden‘s direction. Aleks‘ hand left his eye just in time to let the cold snow find refuge against his cheek. The temperature shot through his face—and to his relief, it was exactly what he needed to choke back the threatening tears at their root. Aleks didn’t know where to look now that he was lying there. He sank slightly into himself, pressing a small hollow into the hardened snow. His back was soaked, his socks as well and even his knees have got their fair share of chill. A faint shiver began spreading through his body like hyperactive ants—when suddenly, Aiden moved. The young Slytherin himself couldn’t comprehend where the first thought had come from. Out of the corner of his eye, Aiden shifted in his stance, and the immediate fear shot through Aleks that Aiden was surely about to strike. He thought, he was about to be punched—maybe with snow or maybe with the bare fist. Aleks’s body tensed imperceptibly, when something tumbled from the corner of his vision straight into his field of view. It was a familiar brown shape: the chestnut. His shoulders eased, driven by wonder, which also etched itself across his face. His brows knit together, and his lips parted from their pressed hold. Even after several blinks of brown lashes, the realization didn’t fully sink in. It was unmistakably the nut he had sent Aiden as a birthday present and token of a budding friendship. The little good-luck charm lay peacefully in the snow, as if to remind them that Aleks had only ever meant well. He didn’t need to voice the question. You kept it? was written as plain as white snow across his face. His lips parted, ready to turn the astonishment into words, when Aiden cleared his throat. Quickly, Aleks lifted his gaze. His blue eyes shot upward, straight into Aiden’s face. The other boy, strangely enough, seemed almost awkward to Aleks. “I enjoyed your gift. The candies were good,” he spoke. “That makes me happy—I was afraid you might think it‘s silly…” Aleks replied before he had thought it through. His eyes wandered back to the small chestnut. It was slowly sinking deeper into the freshly fallen snow, disappearing in the ocean of white flakes. Suddenly, the sight pressed the presence of his own body back into Aleks’s conscious. As though pain had numbed it, reality struck his spine. With a jolt, a small squeaking sound escaped his throat. The Slytherin pushed himself upright into a seated position. His fingers curled into fists, arms drawn tight against his body, yet he couldn’t keep the shivering at bay. It shook him outright! The chill seeping through his skin painted a bluish hue across both sides of his lips. “Fuck, it’s cold… let’s go inside, yeah?”, he hoped Aiden wasn't upset enough with him, to refuse. Shivering, Aleks searched for mercy in the green eyes.

Interaction: @Aiden Sinclair ──────────── Speech:#84319f 5/1/2025 Blablala-Whale-Song-Singing-Dominance-Asserting

Relief crashed over Aleks and swallowed him whole as he heard the words of agreement. His trembling breath slipped out in a sigh. With the decision to leave the frozen icebox behind, reality asserted itself—driving cold needles into his neck and fingers. Curious, he cast a glance at his hands. The Slytherin couldn’t see the skin beneath, but the fingers bundled into old gloves quivered uncontrollably in view. „Mine are … burning…,“ Aleks muttered, replying to Aiden’s comment about how he couldn’t feel his own anymore. Out of the corner of his eye, Aleks noticed a hand being offered. Gratitude sparked in his bluish eyes as he placed the one, slightly less frozen hand into the other’s and let himself be pulled back up onto his feet! Only then did the boy realize how much he had needed the supportive gesture. His knees wanted to nearly buckle beneath him. The trembling spread, infecting each joint as though a particularly virulent strain of Shiver-Goblins had taken hold of his limbs! The thin shoulders began to quake, even the elbows refused to obey. It was almost as if his own body had conspired to betray him. Trying to regain stillness, Aleks pressed his arms closer to his body. The elbows pressed into his waist, but quivered nonetheless. The words that followed—“I didn’t think it was silly”—slipped into Aleks‘ ears unexpectedly. He almost wanted to forcefully interpret warmth into Aiden’s voice, wrap himself in it, and force his knees to still. Perplexed, his features turned toward the other boy. Fingers clawed into the wet fabric of his own sleeve as the gaze skimmed across the other‘s face. He was searching there for a hearth fire, a place to rest and more comfortable than cold snowballs. Even though Aiden bent forward after the chestnut, Aleks still was for a lack of words. He only stood there like a trembling hound, staring down at the dark head beneath him. The sentence etched itself into his memory, yet it expanded with the detail that Aiden surely didn’t mean he believed in superstition. Aleks didn’t either—or at least, not on most days. All the more it pleased him that Aiden hadn’t thought it silly, and that he‘d just now taken the trouble to retrieve the chestnut from the snowy jail of flakes. Aleks parted his lips for a moment, when the cold air slipped into his mouth and put a knot into his tongue. The weight of hours spent waiting—between the merciless walls of Hogwarts and the threat of freezing to death falling from the sky—finally clamped around his throat. It sat heavy on his shoulders like karma incarnate, mocking his scarf and each loose thread. Aleks swallowed instead, and Aiden spoke again: “I was more so concerned wondering how you knew where I lived.” That was an excellent point! Drawing his attention to the topic, the freckled boy furrowed his brow. It was sending several of his specks to shift. Aleks had to think for a second what exactly Aiden meant. After all, the other boy had given him a postal address! Just not the exact one, only a collection point. A small smile ghosted across Aleks’s pale-blue lips. For once, he rather liked the feeling of sitting in the stronger position. He wanted nothing more than to toss out a joke—one dripping with innuendo, alluding to stalking, and demanding a compliment for the effort, overriding the fact it had slipped Aiden‘s mind. But the tanned boy cut him off before Aleks could chase the thought. He added, “But it was nice that you thought of me on my birthday.” To which Aleks replied with no remorse or hesitation:„of course I did.. You'r welcome“ It was out of question that he wouldn't! A small grin tugged at his trembling lips. By now, the cold had infected even his face with that stupid dance of shivers and weakness. Aleks tried to ignore it, forcing a defiant smile wider across his features. “We really should go inside. Come on, let’s go~…” For once, he didn’t wait. The temperatures had riddled his brain with holes until barely a coherent thought could form. Aleks turned around and staggered on unsteady legs the few steps that still separated them from the entrance door. Pressing his arms tight against his body didn’t help anymore either—the elbows wobbled along his sides. The Slytherin student felt like a drunk snowman. “Oh—right,”something occurred to him. Aleks took the last step to the door, placed his hand on the knob, and pushed the tall wood inward.His fingers embraced the cold iron, flinching a hint. When suddenly the relief came rolling over his skin. Heat streamed from the narrow gap, spilling across his cheeks and halting his shoulders for the first time in minutes. At least it was a start. Quickly he added the rest of his thought. Turning his head just slightly, Aleks smiled at the other boy. “You might want to leave the chestnut outside, though—wouldn’t want its larvae crawling out in the dormitory…”, they shouldn't be kept room temperature for long. Not without having been burned in an oven before. While the imagination was funny and potentially bonding, he doubted Aiden would appreciate it.

Interaction: @Aiden Sinclair ──────────── Speech:#84319f 5/1/2025 Blablala-Whale-Song-Singing-Dominance-Asserting