Never Truly Alone pv Closed

Ed had been more than happy to stay inside the castle during spring break. He had not been missing Adeline's babbling or Eudora's epiphanies at all. Besides, he quite liked the castle. It was large enough to disappear when needed and diverse enough to keep you entertained. It's like it presented you with something new every time you got bored. A truly magical aspect in a child's eyes.

As he was munching on the last bits of his breakfast, Ed began to prepare his shoulder bag. The item in question was all sorts of disorganised by the end of the year. Books were misaligned and papers had got crumpled on the bottom. Every time his hand would reach inside, it would appear smudged with grey graphite. The downside of keeping a horde of pencils in there. Nevertheless, the boy was pretty certain he almost always had everything with him that he would need for the day. Something he was quite proud of, as it kept him prepared for classes or even anything unexpected.

Even this late in the year, Ed still felt unsure about most anything. There hadn't been many friends so far, even though he believed himself to be a nice guy. The way he understood it though, Slytherin wasn't always the best house in reputation. Still, from what he had seen from interactions within the common room, he knew those mostly were presumptions made by outsiders. And they could tell him whatever they'd like, but their common room was actually the best. As he was born in a sea-side city, he felt naturally connected to it. There was peace there, though the water would still prove itself mischievous from time to time. Quite fitting to his character, or, so he felt anyway.

Now he was wandering around the empty hallways again. It wasn't half bad, the windows had a great view over the valley. There weren't to many students still around during the last two weeks. Though that was soon to end after today. Not that it would terribly annoy him. For instance, he wouldn't mind being surrounded by other kids again during breakfast. Would be nicer than how he was sitting alone these days.

Ed tugged on the sleeves of his navy blue jumper, making sure his hands were partly covered as he placed them under his armpits. Burying his nose deep into a Slytherin scarf, the boy would stare outside towards the landscape

A girl passed by that got his attention. She seemed to be carrying quite a bit around on a with no lessons up for now. His furrowed brow followed her around until she disappeared around the corner. Slowly walking up after her, he popped his head from behind the wall and noticed her heading for the courtyard. Was she going outside? It was quite chilly out, he wasn't sure if anyone else was there around this time of day.

Curiosity would eventually be the death of him, Ed knew it and anyone who knew him would have to agree. Back home half the city loved him for it, the other half would have told him to stick his nose in another's business. Having now reached the open doorway that led outside, he could see the girl sitting outside. Seeing her face now, he recognised her from his year, and he was pretty sure they were in the same house as well.

Ed looked around, finding no one else nearby. Maybe he ought to go take a look? She did seem kinda alone? Or maybe she wanted it that way? Girls were awfully complicated like that, not that boys had proven any different to him. He saw two lads fight, laugh then fight again earlier today. The entire situation confused the hell out of him as he'd been staring from the sides. Bugger off

With a slight spring in his initial step, Ed stepped forward until he reached the fountain. "Are you looking at something interesting?" He asked with a friendly smile. "Sorry if I interrupted." He added quickly. "Just thought I'd... Uh, check in to see if you were alright?"

Santario had skipped past the title page, which had been written in her mother’s delicate handwriting. Moving to the first page that actually had photos on it was something that struck her a little harder than she thought it would. There were four pictures per page, and on the left started with a photo of her father, her mother, an image of all three of them, and then a photo of their grey cat gently poking a giant green toad on the head. The four pictures on the right were photos of her favorite places at home. One on their outside garden where they grew potion ingredients, their cozy kitchen with a beautiful granite center island, their living room featuring a fireplace where she spent time reading books, and finally the lake that was on their property.

So it was no surprise that an unfamiliar voice startled her slightly. It caused her to jump a little as she looked up at Eldridge, her sapphire blue eyes wide. She blinked a few times before seemingly composing herself. She almost confused the Slytherin boy with someone else she knew, but she hadn’t seen him in a long time. Not since that night in the common room when she hid his secret from everyone else. His disappearing without a word hurt; she thought they had been friends, and yet again, she was burned by someone she let get too close.

Looking at this boy, though, it was clear that he was different. “No, it’s okay.” Her silvery voice tried to affirm that she didn’t mind. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure if she was okay with it or not. On the one hand, she was looking at her family photos, but on the other hand, she was in a public place, and it was her birthday… Did she really want to run off the only person she had really had a chance to converse with all spring break? “I’m just looking at my photo albums. Photography is a bit of a hobby, and this is one of my favorite places here. Oh, I’m terribly sorry. My name is Santario.” She reached a slender hand out to him in greeting, and if he took it, it would feel far colder than it should. Then again, that is what you got for sitting outside without any gloves on a chilly spring day.

His own hand would extend and gladly accept the greeting. "That's a bit chilly." He said with a little chuckle. "Might want to get yourself some gloves." Burying his own hands in his pockets as he spoke, the boy looked over to what Santario was holding. "I was never one for taking pictures. I mean, I like them well enough to look at. But I just don't have a feel for it." He'd explain with a shrug. Ed's head turned to see if anyone else was present with them. But it seemed the courtyard was still a deserted place over the end of this week. Tomorrow it would be bursting with life again. A few giggling boys in the back and a pair of whistling girls by the door. The usual scenery.

The boy would point a finger to an open spot on the grass next to her. "Can I?" Ed asked with a soft voice. He assumed he could, given it was a free space, and they were talking anyway. Would make sense for him to just sit down at one point. The girl looked nice and hadn't given him any weird looks so far. Sometimes he felt people just knew from seeing him. As if he were sending them information mentally. But in the end he made no illusions about it that he was making himself crazy. "Oh! I'm Eldridge by the way." He exclaimed with a smile. "My family calls me Ed for short."

She looked down a little when he commented on her hands flexing and unflexing them a couple of times before letting them disappear into the sleeves of her jacket. “I- uh, probably.” She actually had a pair sitting in her dorm room that she ignored on her way out. The cold was something that made her numb, and if only for a moment, she could pretend that it numbed her pain as well.

Tomorrow would be a day that she wouldn’t be able to be found here. The influx of students that would return wanting to hang out with their friends that they hadn’t seen in a week or so. No, Santario would probably stay in the confines of their common room or her dorm room. She was slowly coming back out of her shell, but it was hard when all of your friends disappeared or found other friends to hang out with because they probably just didn’t want to deal with you anymore. This boy would be no different, but she was used to being disappointed by now. The day she didn’t see someone disappear from her life would be a surprise.

He pointed to the free spot next to her, and she answered his question with a nod. “Of course, please do.” A small smile accompanied her affirmation with a pat on the ground next to her. If or when he did choose to sit next to her, he might be able to pick up the scent of almond and vanilla, something that would be faint for a normal human but much more noticeable to others. “Your first name is very unique. I like it. Which do you prefer to be called? I like Santario or San, but whatever you prefer is fine.” She would call him whatever he asked to be called, not wanting to be rude and just start calling him something his family called him. “I hope my family photos don’t bore you.” If he did want to look at them he would be the first person in Hogwarts to ever see this particular photo album.

"Ed's fine really. Or if you can find me another fancy nickname, that's fine too!" The boy exclaimed as he let himself fall to the floor. Getting his hair in order before sitting up straight, he quirked an eyebrow. "Why would they bore me?" Ed asked with a frown on his face. The boy would cock his head slightly towards the girl, trying to figure out what she was getting at. "There's nothing wrong with family, unless you're a muggleborn o' course..." He'd pause for a second with a serious look resting on his face. Until he burst out a small chuckle. "I'm only joking o' course! I wouldn't say any o' that if it weren't for fun!" A large grin exposed itself from cheek to cheek.

Ed wasn't a stranger to well... strangers. He actually quite enjoyed new people and especially learning all about them. Curiosity often got him all sorts of stories he'd bundle up in that little head of his. As long as the girl seemed nice, he saw nothing wrong with spending an afternoon with her. Otherwise, he'd just be stuck playing the loner again back in his dorm. Not that he actually minded that from time to time. Back home things weren't exactly different. At least here he didn't have to endure his sisters.

His finger reached out for a picture on the girl's right. "What happened there?" He wondered out loud. His eyes already smiling as the rest of his face followed suit. He wiggled his nose as he imagined his own scenario in his head before the girl could even utter a single word.

“Ed, it is then.” For now anyway, maybe if they became good friends, she would make a new nickname for him. The boy fixed his hair as she turned the page in her book, and then he asked why they would bore him? She thought the answer was obvious, but he continued his explanation ending for a moment on a line that disgusted her. His pause was enough time for her brow to furrow and her eyes to roll. Then he did something she didn’t expect, and he chuckled, claiming it was a joke. “Well then you’ve saved yourself a lecture. I don’t play into pureblood elitism.” Even though most of her family did and she was raised with it.

It was nonsense because being a pureblood didn’t make you better at casting or more proficient with spells. The notion that purebloods were somehow better was ridiculous, considering most of them were too wrapped up in their arrogance to have a semblance of intelligence. “No, I just figured you don’t know my family or me. So looking at some photos might not be on your agenda for the day.” She started glancing at the photos on the new pages that she had flipped to when he drew her attention to an image that was dated 19.04.2018. Two years to the day precisely, and it was a photo of her father lying on the ground with a cake on his face.

She stiffened for just a moment before giggling softly at the memory of her father, a tightness in her chest was growing. “This – uh.” She cleared her throat. “This is my papa. He was quite a clumsy man, and well, I suppose this time it was really facilitated by the cat and the frog. My maman’s cat and my papa’s toad are great friends, and the cat liked to chance the toad around the house. It caused my papa to slip on the rug, and my birthday cake smashed into his face.” Was this boy one that paid attention to the date, or was he the type to lose track of time? Could he have correlated that today was her birthday? She worried as she turned the page of the album and subconsciously bit her lower lip.

Ed brushed the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry. Neither am I. My mum's a bit that way though. Though, funnily enough she married dad, so can't be that bad to her." he shrugged his shoulders a bit as he focused on the girl's book. "So, San, right? I don't mind some pics, they are fun." He smiled gently, nodding in affirmation to himself. As if he were praising himself already for getting her name right. Or perhaps the fact he thought it was a good name played part in him repeating it again. Wither way, it seemed Ed was off for a good start for once. Though with there being no immediate wolves around, that might have been a little easier on the boy to get himself to socialise.

"Maman?" The boy frowned. "That's an odd way of calling your mother? Where did that come from?" He tilted his head a bit and looked at her expectedly. "He sounds like a fun father though! You also have quite some pets!" He couldn't imagine any of those pets in his own household back in Scotland. His father was rather scared of most animals, small or big. How ironic it had been that his only son now had become a werewolf. Ed almost laughed at himself over it, but all he'd have lingering on his face would be a smirk and an intensely distracted look towards the book.

Perhaps one day they would have a decent chat about it. But Ed did not see that coming anytime soon. His mother might know more of the issue, but she was more interested in keeping his lycanthropy a secret rather than discussing the topic. "Wait..." He frowned.

"Your birthday cake?" He looked up and down between San and the date portrayed on the picture.

She would offer him a genuine smile. “Don’t worry, so are my grandparents.” She didn’t bother clarifying which set of grandparents at the moment because realistically, there was only one set in her life right now. She hoped someday that would change, but for now, it was for the best. She had bartered her freedom so that her parents’ final resting place could be in the country that they lived together.

He questioned her use of maman, and a look of ‘oh duh’ crossed her face. “Sorry about that. It’s French for mother, I started using it more again when I was relocated to France.” She had gotten comfortable with herself enough to start using certain phrases, which would slowly begin to giving pieces to the puzzle that was her. “Yes, Tobias the Russian blue cat and Antoni, the toad. They were my parents. I am actually debating on whether or not I want a toad or a rat myself, but I just can’t decide.” She had the money to buy any pet she wanted really, but she loved frogs, and if she was lucky it would sing with her in the frog choir, but having a rat hanging around on her shoulder as she fed it bits of cheese was very appealing as well.

When Ed said wait, he might be able to feel her stiffen next to him. “I- Well. Yes.” She didn’t look at him; she was just looking at her hands that held the photo album. This was the first birthday without her parents, and she had intended to spend it alone in the freezing cold looking at photos, and she would have if Ed hadn’t come along and decide to freeze with her. “I-… Cant be with them anymore. So this is how I do it now.” She didn’t think she had to say anything more for someone to understand.

All the signs lined up in Ed's head as his mind slowly came to pass with Santario's situation. "Oh..." Was all that escaped his mouth as realization dawned upon him. His eyes did not know where to look in order to avoid hurting her with a look that would have said it all. "I- Well... I'm sorry to- You know..." He wasn't finding the correct words to deal with this type of thing. So instead he opted for a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it a bit in an attempt to reassure her. Perhaps things would turn out alright, not that he was stupid enough o promise anyone that.

"Pick a toad." He stated, trying to get that conversation rolling instead of tumbling down the hole that apparently was the girl's parents. He had just met this girl ten minutes or so ago. There was no need for them to dive into anything like that. Or at least he did not deem himself entitled to that privilege. Nor was there a particular desire to discuss a stranger's deceased family members. Scratching his head, he'd offer her a soft smile. "I want a toad myself. I might even be looking to enter that weird choir we have as soon as I get one!"

The idea of the school having an actual choir that used toads was one of the most bizarre things Ed could have expected to see here in the castle. But he was all for it.