6 Sep 2023, 22:16
Be Careful Who You Sit Next To
September 1st, 2023
Hogwarts Express
As Rory's burst of adrenaline faded, along with his uncharacteristic outburst, he felt both hurt and defeated. He had finally accepted that there was no "good resolution" to this conversation. Perhaps out of pride, Rory was reluctant to blame himself for the conflict in any manner. Sure, his words were harsh, but he had never encountered such a difficult acquaintance. An accident that had spiraled into a determined grudge between both parties.
Maybe his father Lewis had the right idea when he married a muggle, abandoning most of the abilities he had learned at Hogwarts. If this encounter was indicative of the way that young witches and wizards behaved, Rory would have felt better returning to his life before magic. The compartment was really starting to feel small.
Rory stood facing Damian. Head at a slight tilt upward, cradling both his rejected hand and fragile emotions. The boy in front of him didn't look great, either. It was as if Rory was examining a broken Greek statue. Still prepossessing but uncomfortable to face, seeing the cracks behind a pristine image. His hair was still magical, the contrast between the black roots and ginger curls almost similar to a blazing fire.
Of course the boy had an insult to throw back for every one of Rory's. It was certainly not unexpected considering the rest of their encounter on the Hogwarts Express. Mind his own business? Rory found himself in disbelief at the statement considering that Damian had entered the compartment with his stormy attitude. If Rory was thinking reasonably, he may have realized that Damian had clearly been wishing to be left alone. That he instigated the event, even with pure intentions. He couldn't help but agree, however, that it was good that the boy's notes remained undamaged. Rory never intended to destroy someone's property - the thought horrified him even in his poor mood.
Damian's bitter laugh made Rory feel smaller than before. Yet the boy sounded unbelievably arrogant when he described the ways in which he would raise up whichever house he was sorted into. Maybe it was a difference in values, or the other student speaking nonsense, but Rory could never imagine praising someone for their intelligence, their abilities and talents, if they were cruel.
Perhaps it didn't need saying, but Rory was very sensitive. He always had been, and it was both a blessing and a curse. Oftentimes, it helped him to support others and be understanding. However, it also often led to great upset. None of what Damian had said was kind, but it was particularly awful, in Rory's mind, to call him a crybaby. Damian, understandably, wouldn't know how many times Rory had been called that name, to his face or behind his back. While the term probably wasn't meant to be as hurtful as it was to Rory, he couldn't stand it.
Someone had to leave. So Rory moved closer to the sliding doors on their compartment, he kept repeating in his head: don't cry. In an unpleasant tone, he began. "Look. I'm going to go to the restroom for a minute, and when I get back, you'll get that quiet train ride you wanted. Just a word of advice -- be more careful who you sit next to."
Little did Rory know, that day on the train was the beginning to a very complicated relationship between him and Damian.
Private to @Damian Hills
Last edited by Rory Hara on 7 Sep 2023, 09:40, edited 1 time in total.
7 Sep 2023, 08:31
Be Careful Who You Sit Next To
“Be Careful Who You Sit Next To” - 1st September 2023 - 11 AM - Interacting with @Rory Hara - Outfit: school robes
Apparently the fight was slowly coming to an end, and not in a peaceful way. Damian almost didn’t remember how everything had started, and how that spiralled so rapidly, completely ignoring that it was all his fault, basically. The peak of emotions had been reached and he was in the direction of cooling down; but despite all, he could have gone clapping back for the rest of the ride just to not admit that he was acting so rudely because of his negative emotions.
Damian wasn’t capable of admitting he was wrong, ever. And how could he? Every time just the thought of having made a mistake, or to admit he had really lost his mind like never before sent a chill through his spine. His parents’ obsession of being perfect had been shifted to their child, who kept applying that tendency to each aspect of his life, and if some sides of him turned out to be dangerous, like his exploding rage, in order to not see that he wasn’t in fact perfect, but a simple person, he would simply twist his own mind and put everyone else in the wrong.
He was standing facing back Rory, an expression between arrogance and fury. He wanted to keep the superiority he himself was trying to build between him and Rory, his gaze locked on the boy’s blue eyes with no intention of backing up; if before he had the feeling of having to defend himself with aggression and harshness, now it was a pure attack to instillate some sort of fear and respect for some reasons.
Where did he get that trait? He had never been so repulsive and violent before, no wonder he had so few friends if that’s what he was capable of when he had completely lost his mind. At some point the words just kept going out themselves, bypassing the brain and aimed exclusively to hurt Rory as much as possible. Of course he didn’t know his personality, he based his insults and bad words on the basis of what he had seen in that short amount of time. And apparently, he hit a soft spot.
He expected another comeback, some new fuel to foment again the fire that was slowly dying out. To be honest Damian was also growing tired of it, both figuratively and literally: being that angry and aggressive was using a lot of energy, and if he didn’t want to collapse at dinner, he had to stop.
Finally, Rory acted as the mature one between them, announcing that he was going to the restroom and that their fight was over. “Hah, did I win?” Damian thought, obviously. He didn’t even hear that soft advice Rory said just before leaving, as his mind was already celebrating the victory.
The rest of the train ride was indeed quiet, with Damian going back to his usual self and his hair slowly returning brown, at last. He hoped to never see Rory again, thinking that their personalities were so different there was simply not a single chance to be sorted in the same house; he was obviously Slytherin or Ravenclaw material, while Rory seemed like a Hufflepull boy. He then had to avoid him in class, and that’s all.
Curious how destiny intertwines people.
✿ Damian Christopher Hills ✿