Being Sneaky, Ain’t Easy

Magnus Blackwood!
DURMSTRANG | SECOND | OUTFIT | HEX
Russian/French | 04.15.2026 | WC 498
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M A G N U S |
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B L A C K W O O D |
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Reducio ACTIONS + MENTIONS @Ilias Lahlou |
Reducio OOC NOTES None |
Reducio STATS/OTHER Stamina: 3 Evasion: 6 Strength: 8 Wisdom: 8 ArcPower: 2 Accuracy: 8 Coded by Cirrus Nam |
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Being Sneaky, Ain’t Easy
| AT HOGWARTS GROUNDS WITH @Magnus Blackwood | FIFTHEENTH APRIL, 2026 |
Attending the ball had, in hindsight, been an even worse decision than Ilias had suspected; something he’d known the moment he frowned at himself in the mirror that afternoon. The boy hadn’t needed to search particularly deep down to know, in his progressively less sane consciousness, that he would regret it. The ball itself had been only half as bad, regardless of the fire incident that had broken out, the real issue being the constant reminder that he was in a strange, huge castle, yet full to the brim with other students, where Ilias couldn’t remember a single instance since the morning when he’d spent some time to himself. Under the cover of his duvet. Going back to sleep at the end of the night seemed like a fast-track to having to endure another day. Normally, he would have tried to escape the dreams that inevitably followed him once his head hit the pillow, but even those had decided that Hogwarts was too exhausting. His head had been unusually quiet. Ilias never thought he’d admit it, but he wanted to go back to Ilvermorny. At least there, he knew the place by heart. Even the dreams of scary nature would have been comforting among the unknown. Once the clock struck midnight, he had left the camping grounds to finally regain some of his control. He didn’t assume he’d find any climbing spots around here, so he didn’t bring his climbing shoes, even if they were in the light baggage he’d brought for the trip. He just needed some fresh air. Entering into the slightly chilly spring night and walking across the patch of grass, Ilias regretted not bringing a jacket. Too determined to turn back to fetch one, he gritted his teeth and continued, arms wrapped around himself, albeit silently promising himself that his escapades would be short. And even shorter than that, as not more than half-across the ground to… somewhere, a voice shouted after him. “Yo! Pretty boy, you do know if you’re going to sneak off you may wanna be a bit stealthier you know ?” Ilias halted in his tracks, his shoulders drawn up to his ears; the temperature suddenly felt like a hundred degrees cooler. Fuck, he thought with an internal groan. Not again. Regarding the comment masked as a compliment, he didn’t believe it, of course. With bewildered disgust curling his upper lip, Ilias whipped around to stare at his stalker, half-expecting it to be one of the annoying Ilvermorny jocks, if the accent hadn’t been the furthest from American. Nevertheless, the boy’s presence was not welcome, evident in his unamused glare that he fixed on the older boy. Even more so when he had the moment to take him in properly: a curly, untamed bird’s nest of hair sat atop some blonde guy with a teasing glint in his eyes—something between amusement and provocation, if Ilias had to name it—who had, for some reason, decided to follow him and tease him about his escapades. Objectively, he would have been considered good-looking in the circles back home, possibly even popular. His appearance suggested that he was as annoying—if not more—than he currently seemed; the type of person who moved through life believing everyone owed them something. In this case, Ilias didn’t owe him anything, not even the courtesy of honesty. To be quite frank, Ilias hadn’t been actively trying to sneak, but he had assumed that no one would be awake to spare notice, or at least not care enough to check where he was going. He didn’t care about not being sneaky enough, only that someone had infiltrated his personal space and carefully carved-out alone time. Between the ball events and the large student population that had crowded Hogwarts for the occasion, finding a spot for himself had started to feel like an impossible task, meaning he had to resort to nightfall to reclaim what was rightfully his. “What’s in it for you?” Ilias shot back, rough defensiveness lacing his tone. After giving the blonde a narrowed once-over, the American boy rolled his eyes. “I’m not sneaking." Objectively, that was a lie. "I just need to get away from…” He hesitated, unable to pinpoint a single thing that encompassed his frustration with life, then liften an arm to gesture vaguely at the grounds around them. Was it not obvious? Ilias thought, almost bemused at the prospect of having to explain why a busy ball with loud, obnoxious children around every corner would require someone to draw back. During the ball, the gazebo had caught on fire, for God’s sake, while Ilias was still inside. Without his wand. The timing had almost seemed comical; almost as if whenever he touched something, the world responded with rot and destruction. As tragic as it was to say, it was not the first time Ilias had seen his life flash before his eyes with nothing but casual dimissiveness. Not even the thought of that bothered him anymore. The fire had quickly been put out by nearby students without any lasting consequence, but his point still stood. It could not possibly be the first time he’d encountered someone with social burn-out. Perhaps some people were just lucky not to have to care—or more likely, oblivious. Finally, in lack of better words, he flicked his hand in the stranger’s direction, and he concluded, “you.” |
| SEER | INTUITION |
Camille De Varenne | Hogwarts
Being Sneaky, Ain’t Easy

Magnus Blackwood!
DURMSTRANG | SECOND | OUTFIT | HEX
Russian/French | 04.15.2026 | WC 498
_____________________________________
M A G N U S |
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B L A C K W O O D |
_____________________________________
Reducio ACTIONS + MENTIONS @Ilias Lahlou |
Reducio OOC NOTES None |
Reducio STATS/OTHER Stamina: 3 Evasion: 6 Strength: 8 Wisdom: 8 ArcPower: 2 Accuracy: 8 Coded by Cirrus Nam |
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