Libel! Well...not really. PV Closed

Alan had been devouring his breakfast absentmindedly when the murmurs broke loose and he was able to catch snippets of information. Upon hearing the gist of it he asked one of his house mates for their Hogwarts Headliner and began to read through it as fast as he could, paling at the words he read. His gaze scurried around the great hall only to be captured by a familiar figure heading straight towards the door of the great hall. With a jump the fourth year pushed away from the table leaving behind his only halfway emptied plate as he bolted to catch up to the boy, catching him in to corridor in front of the great hall. "Howard!" he would try to capture the boys attention and after a second thought he was wondering if it was all too smart to follow an agitated dhampir but forced the thought out of his head, not wanting to allow himself to even think such foul things. He was positive that the Hufflepuff would be able to remain in control as he finally caught up to him and reached out to grasp his arm.

"I heard- I saw- ..." the Gryffindor shook his head trying to gather his thoughts as worry and bit of anger crashed down on him in waves that he tried to shut away. "That was a horrible thing to publish, are you alright?" He asked as he tried to hold the dhampir's pace. He didn't like what he had read and he had no idea how Howard must be feeling after reading such a foul article. He truly hoped there would be something done about this, who would even dare to write such a thing? It frustrated him that someone would try to encourage people to attack the dhampirs of the school as they were as rightfully having a spot in the school as everyone else had.

@Alan Vanes | @Howard White

Nico had been trying to get back into sketching. Her sleeping schedule had been getting better, except she still got up way too early in the morning. She sighed softly as her eyes watched some of the few people sitting by themselves, trying to capture them as best as she could. Her mind was still abit blurry in the morning. She preferred the evening...

The owls did their usual posting routine, dropping packages left and right. Near her a few Hogwarts newspapers dropped down, nearly rolling off the wooden tables. The dhampir wasn't particulary interested in the paper. Not the one of Hogwarts atleast. She ignored it and went back to sketching while taking a small bite of her cupcake. Chocolat. Having to put your attention on something as drawing could make someone surprisingly hungry. Things were rather quiet. The usual slight murmur and excitement.

But suddenly Nico could hear a voice boom, soon followed by the sound of a slam on the table. Slightly startled she looked over, trying to eye what was going on. From a distance she could tell that the person was holding the Daily Prophet. What... was so bad about it? Worried about the way he seemed to storm out of the Great Hall, she quickly grabbed one of the papers, turning the pages as she left the sketching for later. Interviews, starsigns... And there she saw it. DHAMPIR: docile or dangerous.

Breathing in sharply, her palms started to become sweaty. Her eyes ran over the letters, her mind feeling more sick by the minute. What in Merlins name was this...? As if she hadn't felt any inferior before, this could possibly trigger her peers into... hunting her down?

The thought of it made her anxious... And then angry. Why would someone do this? What was the meaning of this? Who was so sick to ... write some nonsense like this?

Quickly, Nico packed her things and got up, leaving the rest of her cupcake behind. She had lost her appetite. Was... the other boy a dhampir too?

Walking towards the older boy, Nico noticed a familiar figure. Alan. He had been chasing the other boy aswell. Did Alan maybe... know something more about this? Carefully increasing her speed, Nico managed to catch up with them.

'A-Alan! W-What's going on?' Was she right to approach them? Nico just wanted answers. And someone to share her disbelief with.

@Alan Vanes @Nico Shymane

Howard’s long legs carried him quickly towards the doors of the Great Hall. His heart pounded as the anger ripped through his belly like a beast out of hell. With hands outstretched he would burst though the doorway and turn to make his way towards the Headliners office, but just before he could make his way, someone called out his name. Too mad to recognize the voice of his newfound friend Alan, he would ignore the call and begin to step away. It wouldn’t be until he felt someone grasp onto his arm that Howard came to a stop. Alan would feel his steely muscles flex under his touch as Howard began to act in defense, his anger blinding him and fueling his actions, but just as he turned he would feel the soothing affects of Alan’s presence. The anger would still boil, but it cleared his head momentarily.

“Of course I’m not okay, Alan!” Howard’s tone was harsh as he answered the other boys question. “How could this be allowed?” He held up the crumbled newspaper. “Basically askin’ people to come at me and the others. Even...even...even if it was true.” Howard began to stumble over his words. He of course knew that the article was based on his own actions, but he could not admit it. Not here, not now. It was now only a matter of time before they began to track him down. The mix of fear and anger would be apparent across his expression as his eyes flared with emotion. “What am I gonna do?” His harsh tone would drop as the fear shook his voice.

Not but a moment later another presence would arrive. A girl that Howard did not know. His red eyes would briefly make contact with her crystal blue before dropping to hide his emotion. It became obvious that she knew Alan as she called him by name, so he wouldn’t dismiss her right away, but his guard would go up as he went silent. Although Howard did not maintain eye contact, he would use his other senses to try and get a feel for this newcomer. It was hard to pinpoint, but something about her just felt...familiar.

Alan was frustrated and a little angry at whoever wrote this article even though he had no idea who had written it. Perhaps he could be asking George if he knew anything, or Thomas because both of them happened to be writers for the newspaper. He could not believe that it was even allowed to have those printed and whoever had done this must have probably done so in secret. Though the fourth year had to force himself to breathe as he knew his eyes had probably darkened a few nuances as he felt the frustration and anger bubble up within his chest; he felt bad with his friends and he was a bystander so he could not even begin to imagine how they felt. But he could, not that it mattered but he knew how it felt. The thought of having everyone's eyes tracking his every movement and fearing the unknown. He would feel cold as a shudder ran down his spine, his thoughts fixated on his fears rather than what he knew to be true. "This school is supposed to be a safe place... for EVERYONE! Why would someone allow to publish this, let alone write things like this?", he muttered, his voice sounding a little weak if not as if it was breaking under the strain of emotions. "There has to be something that can be done, right? We could- we could...", the fourth year was trying to think, trying to come up with a plan that could solve all the problems, dissipate all needless fear and hate, but he couldn't even face his own fears, how could he possibly find solutions for someone else's? He felt at a loss of words and couldn't help but clench his hands into fists as he was attempting to make it easy for his friend. But how? What could possibly be done?

Another voice, a familiar voice that he had heard many times would break the painful silence between Howard and the prefect, but again it was a big question, possibly too big of a question for anyone to answer. "I- I don't know, Nico... I don't know but someone published something really, really horrible..." And if he had anything to say about this, he would love to give that someone a talking, because he could not help but feel the need to protect his friends and everyone who received this wrongful hatred and fear. Alan wouldn't stand for it, he couldn't... he just had to do something. But what?

Alan managed to stop the other student. The dark haired boy seemed older than her... or more mature in a way. Was it because of the way he looked or... For a brief moment, her eyes met with his. His eyes were red. Nico had never seen someone with that colour before. Were they contacts? Pretty sure there were some kids running around with those. Yet, his colour was way more intense and more natural at the same time. Even though they only made eyecontact for a short time, she felt that there was something familiar to him.

A soft layer of blush fell on her cheeks, both because of her short sprint towards the duo, but also because she wasn't sure how to strike up a conversation with him. But she'd find a way. Eventually.

As Howard had gotten quiet, Alan looked over his shoulder. It seemed that even he had no idea who would write something as atrocious as that article. She sighed softly. Only slightly dissapointed that the Gryffindor didn't know anything more than she did. 'I see...' Her gaze looked at the newspaper in her hand before she hesitantly watched the older student. Why did she find it hard to look at him? Usually she'd casually or atleast face someone else with almost spotless ease. But not with him.

'I'm... I'm sorry I don't believe we have met.' Nico appeared right next to Alan, her head slightly tilted, trying to come over as approachable. 'I'm... Nico. What may your name be?' Why was this so scary and not at the same time?

@Howard White | @Alan Vanes

@Alan Vanes - @Nico Shymane

"We could do what Alan?!" Howard snapped back at the Gryffindor. It was unfair for him to speak to Alan that way, but the emotions were fueling his actions and clouding his judgment. If anything he was now in the company of one of the few people that had never judged him. Didn't bat an eye at his ghostly appearance or scurry away in fear as he saw his blood red eyes for the first time. They had even shared a nice evening together when they first met. A night they bonded over being different and had fun showing off the things that separated them from the norm. No, it was wrong be so harsh. "Sorry..." Howard mumbled, his tone full of misery. "It's just a lot." His verbal skills were limited, but it was an apology nonetheless. "I dunno what we can do. Gotta find out who this T. Ruth is and put a stop to 'em. This is the same shite that's been in the Daily Prophet. Tellin' everyone that us half breeds don't deserve our place, that we're nothin' but a bunch a monsters. It ain't right, Alan. People make mistakes!"

The fear and anger still shook his voice and usually Howard would not be so open in front of a complete stranger, but with Alan's presence he was able to calm down and speak clearly. As the red head shifted to stand next to Alan, Howard would make eye contact with her once more. His eye lids would be tinted red from the tears in his eyes, further enhancing the deep crimson of his irises. Again, he would feel compelled to continuing staring into her crystal blue eyes, but at the same time to also look away. It was an odd sensation, as if he was looking at someone he was familiar with, but yet she was unknown. Instinct would kick in and before he knew it, Howard would lean forward ever so slightly and breath deeply through his nose. His heightened senses taking her scent into memory. He scanned the rest of her features, pale, almost lifeless flesh just as his own and nails perhaps a little too long. It all made sense now.

"Howard." He introduced himself. "Nice ta meet ya Nico. You're dhampir, like me." It was both a statement and a question really. No need to beat around the bush, it wasn't Howard's style.

Alan had to grimace when Howard snapped at him, he did not like being yelled at, then again who did. But he also could not really blame Howard because he knew exactly how scared the boy must be in the very moment. Someone had literally called the whole school up to hunt down people like him; dhampirs. All of that for no reason, for one instance? Alan was kind of mad at this whole situation and could not believe that someone would dare to publish this. He was surprised that the school had even allowed to print this out and wondered whether someone was actually even controlling what was put into the school paper and what not. "I know! I don't think they had any rights to publish this, it ain't even true, but it has been done already we can't stop people from reading it now," he explained the biggest issue with the situation. He also did not want them to live hiding away from the public eye, it was simply wrong. Whoever that T.Ruth was needed to be brought to justice and take back her statement and call back the mob. "Half breeds aren't much different from normal witches, it just isn't fair," he muttered under his breath, frustration showing in his eyes.

At Howard's statement about Nico the fourth year himself had to give a nod, it was not really anything you could hide really; it was simply there when you were one. Especially because the panic made those dhampiric traits stand out all the more. "What do you suggest how we proceed?"

Howards response was rather straightforward, something she wasn't used to and it only made her blush more. Perhaps it was naive of her to not put two and two together sooner. A bit flustered she set a small step back, trying to collect her thoughts before glancing at his features once more. Maybe it was because he reminded her of her father. She had the same reaction with Professor Equinox, the first adult dhampir she had seen besides her dad. And a teacher at that. Howard's dark hair, the exquisite red colour of his eyes, the paperthin looking skin.... The last one she often tried to conceal with foundation to fit in more with her peers...

'R-right. So that's what it was. It makes sense now.' She smiled sheepishly and embarrassed. Next to Kaegan, Howard was the next dhampir she met who was close to her age. 'Nice to meet you, H-Howard.' Her hesitant stutter usually came up when she got in a situation she didn't fully knew how to handle. Nico had approached Alan and this boy, thinking that maybe they were just having some sort of fight that wasn't necesarrily tied to this merciless article.

Trying to keep her head cool, the redhead cleared her throat and straightened her back slightly. 'Maybe we should face this writer head on... Interesting choice of initals, I have to say. They can't just... go around and give others ideas of how to...' Nico didn't dare to say the words. All this time, she had been filled with fear. Fear for her peers. Trusting was hard. Especially within her own House. A solemn layer of doubt rested upon her iceblue eyes.

@Howard White | @Alan Vanes

@Alan Vanes |@Nico Shymane

Howard ran his fingers through his hair as his eyes bounced around, the stress laid thick across his face. He did his best to follow Alan’s words. What was done was done. All he could do now was breath, try to remain calm and figure out what to do next. Harder said than done really, but he was grateful that his friend was near. Alan’s presence had a way of calming him down. “Yeah, ok. Suppose you’re right, but Alan...” Howard leaned in closer so that only the pair could hear him. “The article, it’s about...” His eyes would flicker towards Nico before he fell silent, changing his mind on being so open.

Fortunately Nico would stop any awkward silence as she acknowledged they were both Dhampirs. It was a shame that Howard was so stressed as this was the first time he had interacted with another Dhampir around his own age. Under normal circumstances they most likely would have a lot to speak about and maybe even bond over, but all he had to offer now was another hard look as she continued speaking. “Hurt us!” Howard finished her thought with a reassuring nod. Although he appreciated the fact that this subject might scare her he still thought it was best to face these tough topics head on. Hopefully it wasn’t too straightforward for Nico, but it was his own way of letting her know she wasn’t alone. “I think your right though, Nico. We should face this head on. Not sure how we’ll figure out who they are, but I’ll think of something.”