Seemingly innocent beginnings PV Levi Drakos Closed

@Tory Williamson

Noon was fleeting, the sun descending as though she held a grudge against the students bathing in the gentle warmth melting from her figure. Only residual light leaked into the corridors now to form a soft golden glow, and most of her lovers had fled to the grounds to admire her with squinted eyes in the closing stage of the day. With summer creeping up upon the young witches and wizards of Hogwarts, the prolonged hours of daylight weren't enough to counteract the simmering sorrow of all those who would dream of the stone walls and grand architecture from beneath their homely comforters. It was a fond farewell to their haven, and a hello to things they didn't miss. Even destined to return the following autumn, there was nothing quite so surreal as that first boat ride across the bottomless waters, with nirvana in sight skyrocketing over the horizon.

Levi Drakos was of the few that remained indoors, forsaking the falling curtain of a beauteous day in favor of a brief walk through the corridors. The Gryffindor's eyes were glued to the floor, finding beauty in even the smallest detail of the castle's appearance. He shared in the sentiment that joined so many to the hip of the school, but not in the hostility toward home. So many people became so accustomed to their homes that they stopped finding that flower bed by the door alluring, or became numb to the charm of a homemade centerpiece. They never smiled at their guardian's return, didn't savor the vivid notes coming from the melodic upright piano in the den, neglected the mesmerizing way music caressed the air and colored the grey a vibrant magenta. There was a conscious decision to be made every day, a choice to romanticize the candlelight and neat desks or crumble in your misery.

He did find those who chose to crumble intriguing. Manipulable, maybe, because they spend so much time longing for something they can't name that Levi would always be free to tell them that its name was his. Now, now, there was no ill intention behind this; it was a win-win. They get a beating heart with every gap fulfilled and he gets his first taste of undying loyalty and height on the social ladder. It was lonely at the top, which is why you don't step on those at the bottom but instead let them give you a boost.

There were two layers of sound in the hall of the second story, one void of all but the rhythm of the brunet's steps and the bass notes of his pulse. The other was muffled through the walls and tight corners, distant conversation and a steady drip of water from God-knows-where. Under his breath, Levi was humming a quiet melody, a Zelda theme that loomed in the back of his mind from a play through nearly a year ago. The entire scene had an eerie but placid quality, a blankness to an abandoned corridor but an incoming calm shared in the heartfelt bonds of a balmy golden shine and a song that defined a childhood. The world was in repose, the hallway buried breathless deep within.

It extended inward, creating a sphere of inner peace that killed focus. The world became a habit, breathing a secondary activity and where he looked, he wasn't even looking. The lion only woke back up when the castle began to live again itself, mirrors of one another, and Levi rounded a corner smack into a fellow escapist lost in a daze of pensiveness. A surprised noise, and one hand flew up to the wall to balance himself again, then shook away the dreamy state and half-alive blood flow. He glanced down to see how it'd impacted the victim, a penitent expression already overcoming him, along with a gradual dwindling in his demeanor.

"Gah! I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention, that is completely my fault. Are you alright?" The boy bit his lip to prevent himself from spewing further and overdoing it like he always did. Perhaps that was simply part of being too kind for your own good.