The pursuit of darkness Open

Jade had been walking down to the study room to, well, study when she heard a loud crash from the abandoned toilets. Jade walked closer wondering if some one was hurt when a ghost came flying out crying "foooooool!" this really interested Jade so she decided to go in. As Jade entered she saw why they were abandoned.

“Not the best time, mate. I’m…er, I have no clothes on.” Jade heard a voice from around the corner say.

"Uhm, why would you take your clothes off in this place? Thats just plain stupid. Anyway, uhm, are you ok? I heard a loud crash and thought some one might be hurt..." Jade asked. She didn't want to risk seeing this boy naked, but she was pretty sure he was lying. 


Jade supposed she would just have to wait and see what would happen. Though something was telling her this wasn't the place to be, something seemed off about this place. It seemed like it had seen a lot of duels, and that was not a good sign. Jade thought of leaving, but this boy may be hurt. Jade took her wand out just to be safe and stood there waiting for a reply. As Jade waited she went through all the spells she could use to defend herself if she was attacked, she didn't know why she was scared, but just being in this creepy place with this boy who seemed a bit off was putting her on edge.

Villains are more exciting than heroes. A hero was in the right place, at the right time. Circumstance was simply in their favor. A hero was simply someone that was forced to act in response to a 'tragic' event. They did not make anything happen, they reacted to it. They had rules. Villains had ambition, they had passion. Villains, not heroes were the ones that made the stories happen. Villains didn't fear death. No, villains wrapped themselves in death like suits of armor. Heroes in fear of death wrap themselves in leather and metal, terrified that tooth and fang, claw and blade would plunge into the breast or into their back. They lived in fear. 

Apparently the announcement of Thomas being naked was enough to draw Erin to the abandoned bathrooms. What a disappointment it would be when she discovered that he was fully clothed. Actually, she was already in the abandoned bath when Thomas arrived. This broken down, abandoned space was like a second home to her. It felt comforting to be here, she could see the bones of this space. This place had nothing to hide and it was proud of it. 

Thomas was experiencing an inner turmoil, one that Erin could not possibly fathom but she felt it along with him. To her the answer was simple: let go. Let go of those fetters that bound him to these rules, that suppressed and repressed him. To live and not let that fire die. She could feel that fire in his belly, that small continual flame that he spent years trying to extinguish. For what reason? Because they said so? Who is to say that they are right. 

Erin would peer over the edge of a staff, standing on the lid of the toilet with her arms crossed to brace herself as she leaned over the edge. "You are not naked," she complained. With a sigh she disappeared behind the stall door, her feet would click on the ground. Her MaryJanes were all he could see until she entered his stall if he had made his way into one or simply left her own. 

"Stop your aching Thomas," she could feel it. It felt good, the asshole getting all the good pain. These people had the audacity to complain. "The pain and trepidation are good for you," she claimed. "People like to throw around terms like - human, wizard, muggle, monster, hero, villain - it was all just a matter of semantics." She exhaled, ignoring the yellow jacket that was addressing him. "Do you think that it is good to feel the way you do." 

She looked over at the Hufflepuff as if she had just noticed that there was someone else there. "Does he look like a bad person?" She inquired of the Hufflepuff in reference of Thomas. The answer, regardless of his sullen expression or his true nature would of course be 'no' because people love to lie. 

"His nature is a terrible one, but that does not make him wrong" just bad. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human. She could tell that Thomas was a monster just like her. 

Erin would jump unto one of the sinks and look at Thomas. "You need me you know Thomas," Erin claimed. "To help you to stop hiding." Thomas' story would be nothing without her. He needed her. Thomas would never rise to greatness without someone like her, someone to challenge him, someone to force him to live his truth and to fuel his fire. In the absence of someone like her, Thomas would be left kicking rocks on the shore of the Great Lake or taking tea and biscuits with some mind-numbingly cheery socialite. She needed him as well, someone force her to turn her aches into action, her bruises into battering rams. "To push through the niceties and against societal restraints the world has forced onto your back," she was digging a bit and she was not really trying to hide it. What was the Hufflepuff going to do, hug her until she submits?

She knew that she was winning, even if Thomas failed to realize it. Thomas would never admit it but he was secretly rooting for Erin. Hoping that she would make some grand escape, telling himself that he was only hopeful because he wanted to be the one to stop her. No, he did not want that, he envied her. She was willing to work harder, get dirtier and break more rules than he was. One day he would realize this. 

A haze lingered from the fall as he attempted to regain his footing. He placed his hand on the floor, remnants of shattered glass instantly sticking and some even piercing his palm when he collected his feet. Keeping weight off the knee that impacted the sink on his way down, he maintained a limp before reaching a nearby stall to lean on. A silvery tone belonging to the young girl came from around the corner that entered a few moments ago.

"Uhm, why would you take your clothes off in this place? Thats just plain stupid. Anyway, uhm, are you ok? I heard a loud crash and thought some one might be hurt..."

The choice of words was questionable, but it achieved a moment for Thomas to regather himself before being seen by the newcomer. It was unlikely the wanderers of the abandoned toilets would expose Thomas’ foolish choice to attempt magic he did not understand, but he would take no chances revealing this truth. “Not hurt, no.” Thomas groaned with a wheezy tone, giving his best to play off his intimate moment with the bathroom mirror. “Perfectly fine...”

"You are not naked,"

Holy mother of god, Erin f’ing Ryan. The Slytherin girl’s eyes were made visible, peering out from two stalls down where Thomas leaned. Her presence undeniably sent haunting chills to his core, nearly losing his footing against the stall when he turned to face her. His brows ascended in a wide-eyed glare as she appeared to hop down from a stall, and approach Thomas in the aisle located between the stalls and sinks. “You sound disappointed.” A cheeky response from the boy while he would assume a defensive position, back against the stall with his fingers trailing down behind his back. Despite the contract between the pair of Slytherins’, Thomas would never be able to fully let his guard down in the presence of this particular girl. Little did he realize he was defenseless with his wand lying on the ground mixed in with several glass shards after his fall.

Erin would go off into another one of her rambles about the significant value of pain, closely tied to a fact that Thomas already knew. This fact was made simple from the past encounters between them. She craved the pain for reasons Thomas was focused to discover through their contract.

"Does he look like a bad person?"

Thomas was quick to interject before the Hufflepuff could answer what he viewed as a trap question. “Don’t answer that.” Regardless of her answer, Thomas desired for the girl to remain on the outskirts. If he could help it, he would not allow another to be manipulated by Erin in his presence. The Huffle has stumbled into a battle with many layers.

"His nature is a terrible one, but that does not make him wrong"

Far too long has Thomas teetered along the line of right and wrong. Regardless of his quarrels with Erin, he was ready to embrace his true nature. Much like the rumors he decided to believe about his father, the path of darkness was unavoidable. His choice to destroy Erin Ryan was just the tipping stone in acts that have yet to pass. These decisions would come to define him. “She’s not wrong.” His eyes found the floor during this moment of self-reflection.

"You need me you know Thomas, to help you stop hiding. To push through the niceties and against societal restraints the world has forced onto your back,"

Erin found an unusual place on top of a sink, she was certainly not one for comfort. Thomas was not in a good position to resist her claims, nor did he fully believe them as false. But it could not help him from pushing back. “I do not need you,” His eyes momentarily found the Hufflepuff. “None of us need each other.” In his best attempt to ignore the tingling pain in his kneecap, he stood up straight, slowly approaching the sink Erin was on, glass cracking underneath his shoes. And yes, he still failed to realize his wand on the floor below. He came only inches away from Erin, without a blink he would utter the following words in a lifeless tone “Remember that.”

Thomas turned from her slowly, wiping the specks of blood from his palm on the front of his robes while he walked down the aisle. As his hand came across the pocket that he would normally place his wand, he realized it was not on him. Surprisingly he did not seem to care, continuing his path down the aisle. He did not fear Erin would attack him, and if she did, so be it. With his back still turned to her, he followed up on his previous statement. “I chose to have you,” He felt it would not be as likely for her to detect his deceit if she could not see his face. “Like me, your parents have failed you. Do not deny it.” He turned back to her after advancing several steps away, placing his hand on a sink and pivoting to lay his eyes upon her again…cold and expressionless “I am yours, Ryan.” Of course, he did not mean romantically, more so as her weapon, available to use until broken. “Now teach me.” The lines began to blur on whether Thomas was still joining Erin to ultimately gain a strategic advantage against her, or simply using her guidance to access the power within him, to use against any that opposed him. The birth of a new villain was near.

Jade was happy when the boy said he was fine, but he didn't sound fine, he was groaning and grunting quite a bit. Jade was startled when she heard another voice say "You are not naked,"  

Since Jade had established the boy wasn't naked, Jade crept around the corner so she could get a good look at them. In answer to the girls question, which she had been instructed not to answer, Jade muttered under her breath "He doesn't exactly look good"

As Jade listened to the exchange, she quickly realised that this might not be the place to be right now, sure she could try to help this boy. But he seemed a bit too far gone, not to mention Jade didn't want to be pulled down with him.

As the boy said the words "I am yours Ryan, now teach me" Jade felt a not in the bottom of her stomach form, this was Defiantly not the place to be.

Yet Jade felt that she was already too far in, as while they had been talking Jade had silently walked forward, coming farther into the room. She was now only a few steps behind the boy, and if she made the wrong move, well, she might become a practice target.

Jade took a deep breath trying to calm herself before saying in a cool, calm voice "So, you two are trying to become 'Dark Wizards'? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't you two a little young? You still have a lot of learning to do, wouldn't it help to learn the good before the bad? So that you'll know what your up against?"

Jade hoped this would end well, she really didn't want yet another trip to the hospital wing. Oh well, here we go

“You sound disappointed.”

"You're right," Erin announced out of sight as she dropped behind the stall and her feet hit the floor. "Would have been an entertaining sight." Well, at least the girl was 'honest.'


She knew that Thomas did not care for her, that much was abundantly obvious. His dislike of her came off him like a mist. Still, he tolerated her and that was all she needed from him at this moment, his compliance. The rest would come with time.  She looked over at the little girl. It was time to bring someone else into the mix. She asked the girl a simple question already knowing their answer. Does he look like a bad person?

Of course not. People are 'inherently good' and wanted to do right by the rest of the the world. People derived pleasure in ending the distress of others. People wanted to help. People wanted nothing more than to love and to be loved by others. If she said he looked like a deviant, she would play the devil's advocate and say he had a sweet caramel center beneath that bitter dark, if she said he looked like a nice guy Erin would simply nod in agreement. 

People were not inherently good or helpful. People are fucking liars. People don't share your earning and the bounty of their efforts with others for the sake of doing so, they do it so others can see what a 'great person' they are. People don't just take what they need, they enjoy all that they can take. That was why there was the haves and the have nots. Advocates for the poor and disenfranchised might often by the well-to-do, but they do not exhaust their means for the sake of others, they encourage others to do so.

“Don’t answer that.” 

Thomas warned. He was onto her tricks already it would seem. So be it then. His nature is a terrible one, but that does not make him wrong. In fact it did not make him different even. In fact, as far as she was concerned, if anything it made him better. There was something in there, hidden under society's layer of shame and humility. People telling him that he needed help or that something was wrong with him. Not a single person was pure of heart, but a lot of people liked to play pretend. Thomas' nature was darker than most, likely influenced by what he thought he would or should become, that fear festering in him like an inky poison. That did not make him wrong. Hell, it did not even make him 'bad.' It would be like faulting a spider for eating a butterfly.

“She’s not wrong.”

Thomas admitted. At least they agreed on something, progress. She sat on the sink, apparently his ass was too bony if he lacked the padding necessary to tolerate the porcelain rim. 

“I do not need you.” 

Thomas claimed. 

"Liar," Erin protested.

“None of us need each other.” 

He moved towards her. Was his gait off? A slight limp from his knee? She might have noticed if he gave a physical sign. If he did she would look down and she would even notice his wand. Her brow furrowed but when she blinked he was close, a bit too close. 

“Remember that.” 

Such a serious tone. Then he walked away, had she noticed his gait her focus would be on his legs, not his ass. She would mention the wand if her attention was taken by his gait. "You're disarmed," she would nod downward towards his weapon, not that he could see her physical gesture with his back to her.  "And hurt," she would add. Was he injured in the ruckus that pulled her from her bathroom ponderings? What was she doing in there? Well, that stall was basically her 'office.' The reasons for such would one day be readily apparent.  He might not heed her mention of the wand or her almost human mention of an injury. Not that she cared, she just had no use for an injured ally. 

Had she not noticed a limp or an injury beyond the bit of blood he smeared onto his robes she would not have mentioned the wand or his injury because she was unaware.

“I chose to have you,” 


Aww, that was almost... sweet. He was right on one thing, she probably would have noticed his ruse had he faced her when he said those words. She did not trust him but she was good to her word, like a demon to the letter but perhaps not always the intent. 

“Like me, your parents have failed you. Do not deny it.” 

Like me, your parents have failed you. That, however was a lie. She remembered how he was riled at the mention of his mother before. Oedipus complexes all around. At least between Howard and Thomas. She let out a breath. Was she actually disappointed? A bit. 

“I am yours, Ryan.” 

His back was to her so he would not see her shake her head to the side. Lies made things harder for her to read, decipher the things she just barely understood about the world and the people around her. Being incapable of feeling jealous or angry, but understanding the sentiment and basing that emotion off of the context of the situation was the scaffolding of her universe. She was back to square one in regards to her assessment of a one Thomas Lestrange. If she was subject to emotion, she likely would have stuck him while his back was turned. Yet she could not feel anything but what he was feeling. What the likely bemused Hufflepuff was feeling. It was rare that she felt anything at all, but through them she was learning. Perhaps it was true that they did not need her, but she needed them.

“Now teach me.” 

"I cannot teach you anything," Erin claimed. She looked over at the Hufflepuff before she looked at the back of Thomas' head. "Because I have no idea what the hell you are," she walked up behind him. "All I can do is tell you that you are more than this."  He would hear the crunch of glass as she approached. If she had not already noticed and notified Thomas of his misplaced wand she would recover it now. She would pick the wand up and once she was close enough she would extend her arm that was holding the wand in front of him. She would place the slender piece of mayhaw wood at eye-level.

In a whisper she would mention one thing of note, "you would not have been brought to a rage over me nay-saying a woman that had failed you now would you Mister Lestrange?" In a louder, almost cordial voice she would announce, "you dropped your magic stick."

She was not obfuscating the fact that she knew he had lied. This is what happens when you lie. Erin turned her attention fully to Jade Murphy. Erin donned a big, dumb smile on her face as she addressed the first year. Out with the bad air, in with the good. A pair of exaggerated breaths like the ones she saw the prissy little princesses she was roomed with would do. She would reflect their mannerisms, their words. "I am like super sorry," Erin announced as she mildly modified the way she was speaking as she began to address Jade. She was dumbing down her language a bit as she tried to mirror something that would put a Hufflepuff at ease. Start with an apology. Add a sense of uncertainty to the language. "My... like name is... um... like Erin." she approached Jade and extended her hand which unlike Thomas' was actually blood-free and clean. Innocent people get hurt.

"So, you two are trying to become 'Dark Wizards'? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't you two a little young? You still have a lot of learning to do, wouldn't it help to learn the good before the bad? So that you'll know what your up against?"

Erin had no intention of being a 'dark wizard' that was like deciding as a child that one day you wanted to be a super villain. It did not work like that. Erin shook her head side to side as if to say 'no.' "You just entered in on a bit of a... tiff" Erin did not even had to lie on that one. "He is a hard one to get through to girl," that was a girl and not a really feminine guy right? "Nobody is looking to be a dark wizard here, but Tommy..." yeah 'Tommy' "and I for a few months er so now... been in a bit'ta... a real rough sortta place." She let out a self-depreciating laugh, not that she felt that way but she knew the sound. "It is not something a Huffle like you would get I am afraid, but I think we are on the mend. I have been having an easier time about it than Tommy here. Hard with the boys I guess but I have gotta say that he is a good guy under all that anger'n rust tho." ] Improper English coupled with the infantilizing of his name was intended to set the girl at ease and to play a game. The game was called 'tell the truth or the pretty little Hufflepuff got hurt.'  

"Since you decided to get involved, you gotta join us. We could totally use a goodness sponsor."

Approaching a month here, I am going to assume I just left I guess. If the members of this thread decide to resume, please message me.