Liar, Liar PV ⇉ S. Alexander Closed

A place is not your home until you've gone away and come back.

Admittedly, this refers mostly to the times of abandonment and realisation, not summer holiday.. but what does that matter? He'd missed Hogwarts enough. More than enough, actually, for those words to have significance. And so when the train rolled in to stop before him and the hundreds of other children on platform 9 and 3/4, and his brother spoke just those words- they meant something to Scott.

"You know, Scott, a place is not your home until you've gone away and come back. You're not nervous are you? Because you don't look it."

That Silas had taken the time and endured the trouble to leave Tallinn just to see him off, had kept Scott happy and un-nervous for the entire week since he found out about it. Now, on the other hand, with the reminder: did he actually have anything to be nervous about, anyway? His first year had gone so well. He'd met so many good people, made so many friends and.. actually done his homework. All he could find to really be worried now about was wether anything would change..

"You know me." Scott smiled at his brother, and Silas handed him his trunk nodding as it had been too heavy for him to carry.

"And you know me, too." This time he hinted towards his parents, who both looked just as sick with anxiety as they'd done his first time around- and like he could imagine they'd look for the next six years every time their baby would leave.

Ben, of course, had already gone on and boarded without a word.

Telling his family goodbye, Scott heaved his trunk before him and stepped aboard the crowded train. He didn't wait behind, like some other (admittedly smart) students who'd wait for there to actually be room to breath in the aisles- for he was far too excited with taking off to do so. Instead he shuffled through the masses throwing brief looks around to see if there maybe was a familiar face to sit with, though giving up with a shrug he began to solely look for an empty seat.

How many students could there be? Scott strutted by, hauling his bag with great effort, smiling through every glass door at whoever he could imagine he'd maybe met before, and stopped only very far back in the train. There lied a compartment, in which just the one little boy was sat alone.

Scott tapped on the glass and grinned inside before opening the door. No one should have to travel to Hogwarts alone!

"Knock-knock! Place for me, here, too? Great! I'm Scott Alexander, pleasure to meet you."

And so he took the seat across from the unfamiliar boy, and threw his bag to the side.

Off they go!

Elijah jumped at the figure who appeared rather suddenly in the doorframe, cursing under his breath. Before he could even attempt to stop, his brain clicked into analysis mode, and he let it do so reluctantly, ignoring his sister's words. Each and every one of his senses went into overdrive, absorbing as much as he could about the boy standing in front of him as possible, so he could make an ally and not an enemy.

Enemies within the first fifteen minutes of something, anything, were bad.

First were his words. Casual, peppy, and holding far too much energy than Elijah was used to dealing with. That was alright, though, he could work with it. Subconsciously, with years upon years of practice, Elijah's posture slouched but somehow seemed more attentive; his body relaxed, seeming more open; his expression became more earnest, more outgoing and extroverted. It was an act that he was too used to playing, a role that had become a second skin.

All his life, Elijah had lived lies upon lies upon lies. He wasn't going to stop now. Eyes darting across the (obviously) older boy's frame, the smaller boy took in what he had to work with. An amicable gait and kind eyes suggested a cheerful child, and the way he handled his belongings suggested a carefree, extroverted personality. The brash way in which he had entered the compartment signified a sort of confidence only truly happy people portrayed, which only intrigued him. What was it like to be so... cool?

God, he hated these types of people. It took so much effort to become friends with them- so much energy that he didn't exactly have lying around. However, if he was to succeed, to thrive at Hogwarts, he would have to work for it. He might as well start here. Smiling widely, Elijah kicked his backpack to the side with his toe, grinning cheekily at Scott. He looked nothing like the solemn child sitting down mere moments before, but instead, happy and carefree- just as Scott did. "I'm sure the pleasure's all mine, Scott," he said cheerfully, hands twitching slightly with a nervous energy. It was hardly noticeable, but it was certainly a step up from his deathly stillness. "I'm Elijah Huang."

He didn't expect the last name to make an impact, as Huang wasn't a common pureblood name. Alexander, however, he had heard of- the controversial one, where marriages had been broken. His mother wasn't immune to gossip, and he wasn't below listening to her exclamations of shock and horror. The boy standing in front of him, however, seemed pleasant enough, easy to make friends with.

"I'm going to make the jump to the fact that you're not a first year- so, what year are you?" he asked politely. He figured it was best to gauge age first, and then to continue on from there. He was determined to make a friend on the train, and this kid sitting in front of him was his only hope.

"Oh I'm on to my second year, now! Realise I can look older. But you, you must be unsorted and all that, I gather!"

At first facing him from across the compartment, Scott had started to fear he'd come off as intrusive. He did sometimes, though he was more than reluctant to admit that it needed to be dealt with.. luckily this no longer appeared to be the case, as Elijah was expressing perfect interest back in response to his own. So he relaxed into his seat and crossed his legs.

"Exciting, must be.. I remember how excited I was. Ended up in Gryffindor, which was a surprise, but it makes good sense now. Really thought I'd be a Slytherin- unthinkable today but still, that's the thing about it all. Where do you think you belong? Or maybe it doesn't matter to you. Well if it doesn't then I reccomend Gryffindor."

Scott slapped his knees and reached to unzip the exterior pocket of his trunk. It was his father that had wanted to buy a muggle bag, his mother found it untraditional and ugly.. But he was right in it being more practical, as Scott retrieved a brown leathered notebook from it.

"Mind writing your name? If you've got a pen. I try and keep track on the people I meet, especially after last years name-fiasco of mine, mother's idea.. you'll actually be doing the honours of signing it first!"

Certainly, the boy sitting across from him looked older, much older. But perhaps it was simply the height? The blonde swoosh of his hair made Scott a solid fifteen centimeters, or so, taller than himself... wow, he was short. Really short. Was this going to be a problem? If he started getting smacks on the head from his height, or lack thereof, he was going to scream and leave Hogwarts altogether. He was not short. He refused to believe it.

Trying to make his smile match Scott's, a cheeky grin, he waited until the boy spat out his words before nodding along in agreement. Indeed, he was merely a tiny first year and had yet to experience the supposed wonder of being sorted. His sister before him had been placed into the house of Ravenclaw, but he knew he wasn't nearly as clever as she was.

No, he was manipulative, and he knew it. It wasn't harmful- no, not to his knowledge, he had never truly hurt someone with his lying, with his facades. His parents didn't seem to really care, either, and that was good enough for him. He knew, deep within his heart of hearts, that he was a Slytherin- the house of the cunning and the manipulative, the prideful and the ambitious. It would be delightful to finally meet those who were like him.

Ah, so the child sitting so carelessly across from him was a Slytherin-turned-Gryffindor. His smile faded only slightly for a brief moment before the lie was bolstered once more. "Well, if Gryffindor is full of people like you, I do think I'd have quite the time there," he confessed in what he portrayed as a confidential tone. "But I do think I'm better suited to Slytherin. Couldn't possibly imagine any other color looking quite as dashing on me." 

A sprinkle of compliments followed with a dash of mock-arrogance would be the perfect recipe to becoming Scott's friend, Elijah was certain. Having an older boy as his friend, his ally, would certainly be beneficial should he run into any bullies. He looked like the type to be protective of his friends... well, he would just have to work that much harder to ensure Scott's friendship, then.

Elijah started as Scott slapped his knees loudly, eyes widening uncertainly. When it was clear that nothing bad was going on, he relaxed, hastily wiping the scared expression off of his face. Unzipping the front pocket of his backpack, he retrieved a jet-black pen as Scott spoke, and took the notebook from him as he continued talking. "Your mother just might be on to something, here," he mused quietly, etching his name at the top of the page in painstakingly neat print. 

When he was done, he closed the notebook with a sharp snap, handing it back to Scott. Putting the pen away, he reached into the side pocket, retrieving a water bottle. Taking a small sip, he set it down on the bench next to him before asking, "So what's it like? Hogwarts, I mean? I don't think I'm nervous about going- at least, that's what I keep telling myself. But is there anything I should know?"

Scott got his notebook back with a satisfied smile on his face. He'd initially planned to have some names written down already, ones he could remember, but when he realised he didn't even know how to spell half of them he figured he'd start from the beginning once at Hogwarts again.

Elijah Huang.. it was written in black pen and Scott nodded honestly to himself. There was no way he would've been able to spell that on his own. A smudged Ami Prokpio could be seen above it, and that was proof enough.

Looking up, he could see how Elijah had taken a seat. "Oh it's not too bad at all," he told him, and laughed at his penchant for green. "Especially if you're so sure you'll be in Slytherin, sounds like you'll make yourself at home. That's the important part. Do you have any family there? I've got one brother still at school, though he's a Gryffindor like me."

Scott smiled and wondered if he hadn't seen Ben whilst passing all the compartments earlier. His brother didn't want them to sit together, and Scott guessed he could understand. It would've been worse his first year.

"Now, if there's something you should know.."

Scott had to think about it. Fingered with his sleeves as he did, and looked out the window curiously. What was there to tell? Last year had gone well for most people he knew.. including himself. Of course, as anyone not completely oblivious of the wizarding world would know- Hogwarts will always be the centre of some kind of danger. But he had a feeling this was not what Elijah had meant.

"I suppose there will always be people.."

Scott thought of Dorian Gray, and the others in his dorm with such strange ways and qualities.

"Who are.. in conflict with others."

Scott thought of Ami in the hospital wing.

"I know it's not the most specific but I think you get it, you look smart."

Scott chuckled and crossed his arms as he looked back at the boy listening to him. "Just try and stay civil, that's what I do. Keeps you out of trouble."

The corner of Elijah's lip quirked at the thought of Celestine still at Hogwarts. "I have an older sister," he said quietly, thoughtfully. "She was in Ravenclaw, though- she really is quite clever. We're very proud of her." Or, more so, his parents were. It didn't matter to him how high his sister's IQ was- she loved him, took care of him, and that was enough for him. It was all that he wanted from his idol.

Elijah nodded along earnestly as Scott slowly spat out his advice- it was slow and hesitant, like he was purposely leaving something out. Something his little first-year ears couldn't handle. That was alright- he understood the gist of it, and his head bopped up and down in a true bobblehead fashion. He knew that despite his eloquent vocabulary, he had his je ne sais quoi that made people inherently trust him. He already knew that he was going to get into Slytherin because of his use of his unique talents.

"Stay civil. Got it. Like... um, like just passive?" He let his eyebrows furrow together, and twisted his face into an expression of brooding. If there was one thing that he liked about Scott, it was that he didn't have to watch his words. There was a certain carelessness with which he was allowed to talk with, where words could be thrown about without having to worry about offense or a wrongly conveyed meaning. 

Compared to his parents, where every syllable was carefully chosen with a precise deliberation, conversing with Scott was like conversing with a toddler. Simple, easy, and really, quite fun. "No, that's not quite the right word for it, is it? More... neutral, then?"

This advice was indeed good advice, actually- more so than he was giving Scott credit for. When his sister spoke of the school, she made it seem like you wanted to stand out in order to thrive. He wanted to thrive, desperately, and he had feared that he would have his work cut out for him trying to keep his head above water. This, however, was good news- very good news. He just had to keep his head down low, and try not to rub anyone the wrong way. Easy peasy.

"The name," he added, suddenly going back to the subject of the notebook, surprising himself more than anyone else. "Am- Amy? The name crossed out above mine, in the notebook... who is she?" Obviously, Scott would've had to have tried to write it, as the letters were somewhat wobbly and unsure, like he didn't know how to spell the name. There wasn't a soul out there in the world that didn't know how to spell their own name, not if humanity was as vain as he believed it to be. 

If Scott had written it in himself, that meant he cared, even if it was only a little bit. If he cared, well, how much did this person mean to him? How hard had they worked to be deemed worthy of his love and affection? How hard would Elijah have to work to achieve those same levels?

"Neutral.. why I guess you could call it that that. Yes. I'm neutral.. Though I suspect this really has something to do with me also being oblivious which is something completely different, and you don't strike me as oblivious.. But what I meant was to not seek out trouble. Take a stand, for all there is, when it matters. What kind of Gryffindor would I be if I suggested against that?"

Scott winked, and if not to the boy then simply to himself, knowing very well he was probably the worst Gryffindor when it came to confrontation, although he saw no need for Elijah to know this just yet. The boy seemed to have something else on his mind, now, anyway.

The name.. Am-Amy? The name crossed out above mine, in the notebook.. who is she?

He rose his eyebrows confusedly, then looked down at the notebook he'd retrieved. That was right, he'd tried to write Ami's name the day he got it. To no avail, of course.

"Oh! Why this is the reason I waited for the year to start, this spelling is hideous.. but It's Ami Procoppio, a friend. A real good friend, and I tell you: you'll have to try and meet her once we've arrived, you won't regret it. She's in Hufflepuff, although a second year like myself."

Scott caught himself smiling then, thinking about her, as he hadn't actually thought of the things he was missing about Hogwarts so much until now. And he had missed Ami, that was for sure.

"You make great friends at Hogwarts, I tell you that. Looking forward to it?"

Elijah couldn't help but glance at his feet and blush as Scott pointed out that he, indeed, was not oblivious. Not at all. In fact, he prayed he was the exact opposite- but now, he'd have to work harder to conceal just how much he saw, how much he observed of the student body at Hogwarts- or, more accurately, would observe. Who was he, getting ahead of himself? 

No, the fun part would be in the corridors, all the bodies smashed against each other, his eyes picking out every detail, every glance, every love tap and every flirty swish of the hips passing between the students. In a world where interactions between other people were paramount, a school was an observer's hunting ground. At Hogwarts, the world was his oyster, and he would coax every pearl, every dirty little secret possible from it.

He. Missed. Nothing.

He nodded as he filed the new information away in his head. He already knew to stay out of trouble, to not seek out a fight with the bigger kid, but a refresher course from an outside opinion could never hurt. Scott obviously knew what he was talking about, and he would keep that in mind as he continued through the school year. While "taking a stand", as Scott had so eloquently put it, had never exactly been Elijah's scene, maybe it was worth looking into- should he actually have any friends.

True friends were hard to come by; thus, he didn't have any of those. Maybe this year, however, it would change. Maybe it would all change. Did he want it to? God, no, he didn't want any of it to change... what was he saying?

The way he pronounced the girl's name- AH-mee, not AY-mee, and the far-too-complicated last name... he'd said this name before. Often. Quite often. Presumably in tales told to parental units, whispering her name as he fell asleep? Thinking of her should she fall ill or get injured? 

It was quite clear that he loved her to the moon and back. In a romantic way? Probably not- they were preteens, after all. But platonically, treating her like family... certainly so. He envied the relationship he had with this girl, more than he realized he was capable of doing. Banishing such thoughts from his mind, however, and sighed quietly at Scott's question.

"I don't know," he said carefully, choosing his words carefully. This... this was dangerous territory he was wading through, here, and he didn't want to screw it all up. "I know I'm supposed to like to, that I'm supposed to be excited out of my wits that I'm going to such an amazing place, but I'm..." With another sigh, although this time it was staged, he shot Scott a skeptical glance. "I'm kind of scared, if I'm entirely honest." 

He was 1000% not honest. 

"What if the image I have in my head, this image my sister's given me... what if it's all a lie? It's just some glorified version spun through my interpretations, my imagination, and that it's nothing like I've been bracing myself for?"

Drawing a deep breath, he exhaled sharply, looking deflated. "What if I'm wrong?"

Scott nodded thoughtfully, as he'd understood very well that high expectations are the enemy. He could clearly remember all the stories his brothers' had told him before he got his letter, and he tried now, to think of wether or not they appeared to be true.. maybe it was too soon to tell. He had yet to see a dragon. Still, had he ever gotten disappointed? Hogwarts wasn't one for letting him down, and he doubted it'd do anything else for Elijah. Well, that of course depended on what his sister had told him..

"What has she told you? If it helps, you're not really supposed to feel anything. I met a boy last year who wasn't excited at all. Although I think he should've been, because if I'm being honest, Hogwarts is the last place to disappoint."

Scott smiled and leaned his head back. "Not to try and raise your expectations further, I get it! Though I don't think I was scared, myself.. then again I doubt I pondered about it as much as you do. You sure seem to think a lot. Who knows? Had I maybe put a little thought to it then maybe I'd have been terrified. But I'm not now and that's the point. A good sign for you at least."

Scott looked out the window, it was getting darker outside. Trees flew past, and he wondered how long it'd be before they could see Hogsmeade, or the castle.

"You'll be fine." He said, not looking away. "Great, even. And either way, I'll pretty much always be around. And since you were so sure about Slytherin, I bet those'll be around as well."

He turned, and offered Elijah a huge grin.

"I think I saw a deer outside."