Thank You for the Venom
| —— |  you're running after something that you'll never kill; if this is what you want then fire at will summary, this thread is happening on SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2025, in the MORNING with @AVERY LEVERET / wc: 694. Being back at Hogwarts after being forced through the fire and flames of life was not the relief he thought it would be. Sure, he had made it to exactly where he wanted to but did the ends justify the means? Perhaps it was just Hogwarts showing him that despite getting an invitation to the school, Harlan was being shown his rejection with an escalation of harrowed events stacking up in intensity and frequency. He pushed the thoughts aside as he entered the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom for the first time in the new school year, his stomach already in knots from knowing this was Professor Lécuyer's classroom and the last time they were together the man was casting directly at his possessed body. There was so much unresolved from that incident, it seemed like resolution repulsed itself from the wizard and he'd have to simply continue forward through the aftermath finding a way forward. The classroom was dimly lit, cleaned for the new school year, lined with shared desks in rows that had slowly been filled with other fourth years. Without skipping a beat, Harlan found himself a seat in the middle off-set from the center and began to get himself set up with his books, journal, ink and quill while keeping an eye out at some of the other students who were his age. If he was lucky, Raizel would sit next to him and ease the nerves of any questions if Harlan was a transfer or if they would've remembered the kid version of him from years ago. He looked similar but puberty transformed the once scrawny kid into who he was today - closer to adulthood than adolescence. The time ticked and despite a few familiar faces, it seemed as though it was going smoothly until a certain rodent-faced Slytherin turned the corner and Harlan's eyes widened as though seeing a ghost. He'd completely forgotten about Avery Leveret, his name returning to the forefront of his mind in an instance. Was he related to Caoimhe? Did he have a crush? Harlan could remember that they were friendly, perhaps the boy had liked her, but his ego hadn't allowed him to worry about Avery while Caoimhe and he were together. There was a game too, something akin to Quidditch, but the memory felt foggy and quite out of reach. Regardless, this was Harlan's potential in to figuring out where she had gone of to. He hadn't the nerve to look like an insane ex asking about her, especially if she was still somewhere in the castle. The thought horrified him but that was the one interaction Harlan always stayed prepared for. There were two ways that he could play this — he could meet the other with animosity and look the absolute fool or return back to full form, stuff the insecurities and trauma back into a case, and befriend the man to seek out more information. If he remembered correctly, Avery came from a quite wealthy family. Wasn't there something in the news about them? He'd have to look later. Deciding to lean in and see what he could glean from the snake, Harlan calmed his breathing and looked around the room for mirrors to steal glimpses the boy in different angles to see where he had decided to sit. It was the back row, typical, two away from him but directly behind him, something that Harlan could absolutely make work. He waited for some of the fanfare and the noise of a chair being slid out and the plop of a bag to be heard before he would enact his plan. Within the five minutes of class starting, Harlan would plant the seed. The lion reached behind him to reach for his bag as he pretended to shuffle inside for something before looking up and trying to catch Avery's attention. " Holy shit, is that you, Avery? " A feigned response of shock and surprise. " Puberty's been good to you, huh. " A little flattery never hurt either, he just had to see if this was enough to attract the other's attention in a favorable way. | —— |
Last edited by Harlan Montgomery on 26 Jan 2026, 06:46, edited 2 times in total.
Thank You for the Venom
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• THANK YOU FOR THE VENOM •“A light here, required a shadow there.”
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┏ ----- Avery moved like a spectre; soft-footed, with practiced prowlish grace.
The return to school was something he had come to anticipate with some measure-- but it always felt different to how he remembered them. This was his fourth of such, and each time he was subtley reminded of the mediocrity that filled the ranks of this pathetic generation. His self-assuredness hadn't eased on the way to class; nor even as he walked through it, navigating between the desks with slender grace as those in the way shifted their bags or hurried to their seats. He hadn't asked for it, nor did he even expect it; but all was the culmination of his reputation.
Avery hadn't looked like he was busting himself with setting out his affects, or even taking notes; was that a sign of ignorance to the lesson? Surely not. His love of the class had meant he had read ahead-- that he was confident enough to go by the earlier stages of the syllabus; it was one of the reasons he had used to leave Moredell over the summer, to escape the gaze of the gorgon under the premise of buying the necessary books in order to perform a flame horizon amongst the most studious of his peers, voracious as he was. To everyone else? Yet another haughty superiority thing.
Of course he knew who Harlan Montgomery was; his was a face committed to his mind for his proximity to Caoimhe; and not anything else. Such was a dark thought, one that didn't cross his sharp features. Was that a hint of obsession Avery? He moved on by discarding such a thought and donning his serrated smile, one side; wicked with hidden and ever present malice, the other side; flush with charismatic charm that he -had- grown into.
"Montgomery." Avery flashed a surprised smile, his head double-taking. Practiced pleasantries; ensure your partner feels the spotlight of warmth at first contact.
"Well at least you have a fighting chance!" He quipped, all in a tone of jest and convivality as he leaned back on his chair; crossing one leg over the other. The nonchalance of him was unexpected, more so when he moved his left arm from the back of the chair next to him, and shifted his bag to the floor. One might think that such was an invitation for those that were bold enough.
Had the cat lost its claws?
┗ ┛ ─▪────────────────────────▪─September 6th | DADA
Avery's Hex #136b5c
wc: 403
Interacting with: @Harlan Montgomery
Thank You for the Venom
| —— | you're running after something that you'll never kill; if this is what you want then fire at will summary, this thread is happening on SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2025, in the MORNING with @AVERY LEVERET / wc: 479. If Harlan remembered correctly, there was nothing soft about Avery Leveret. The wizard was, in fact, all hard edges, wicked displays of arcanic power, and the progeny of a long line of ambitious wizards who would stop at nothing to ensure a flawless victory. There was an article last year about the death of Willard Leveret, was it? That must’ve been his Father now that Harlan could recall pieces of information from the Daily Prophet article he had skimmed through in looking for the Quidditch scores. The surname was enough to remind the Gryffindor about his prior life and how Avery had been one of a handful of students that would and could tie him to a snake who seemed to have vanished without a trace. This would have to be played spectacularly and without flaw if the Slytherin would even consider an amicable relationship with a Pureblood from a less than ideal family. The practiced arrogance and swagger wasn't a surprise for Harlan as he observed it in real time, but Harlan was far more intrigued at how the other offered a kindness towards him that he wasn't expecting. There had to have been an angle that he wasn't considering, but it hadn't mattered much when he was staring directly into the maw of a poisonous viper. " You flatter too much, Avery. It's nice to see you though, genuinely. " Meaning every word as this might've provided answers that Harlan had never been bold enough to seek out. Sometimes when it came to trauma, it was best to simply leave all of that long behind. Besides, there had been far more that would come to spook and shock Harlan into deeper worries and considerations that he hadn't even thought of before Hogwarts — like possessions where the possessed is locked in their mind watching like an errant pensive thought gone rogue. When offered, Harlan would nod, pick up his belongings, and decide to sit directly next to Mr. Leveret allowing himself to be slightly exposed but not entirely unarmored with quips to push back, if Avery had decided to attempt to sink his teeth in. " How've you been? I don't think i've seen you since first year. " A door opened to get the information he wanted, an opportunity for Avery to ask where he's been (if he cared enough) and a window to see if Avery had also taken a sabbatical from the pressures of Hogwarts. He'd keep his gaze on the Slytherin without wavering, but still choosing to remain light and as though his heart wasn't beating a million times a minute. These were one of those moments that felt both like a nightmare come to life and a fever dream that Harlan had never wanted to end. Only time would tell how exactly this would go and if the lion cub would continue to be inflicted by a viper's bite. | —— |