"Friendship is constant in all other things"

PV to @Eris Fawley

Returning to Hogwarts always felt strange to Alexx. It was as if there was a blank period where nothing happened, and then finally, all at once, the world came crashing in on her. She could not escape the responsibilities of school. It wasn't like she was trying to, because Alexx certainly didn't mind carrying the weight of a million projects on her shoulders. It was mostly for the fact that Alexx couldn't seem to bring herself to be motivated this time around.

It felt as though every other year, there was something to drive her. Something to make her motivated. But now, she was dead weight. A walking disaster. The events of the past few months had mostly destroyed her, and now she wasn't sure how to settle back in.

The Hogwarts Express was always the first place to start. Not like she had much of an option, of course. But if anything, Alexx hoped that seeing a friendly face would settle her back into the world. It was time for a restart, she decided.

Reinventing oneself came with a price. You didn't get a half-painted canvas. Not some pre-built shell of a human, where someone decided exactly who you were, what you would do, and then you could work from there. Instead, you were given a totally fresh start. You got to decide the person you wanted to be. But what if Alexx didn't know who that was? There was a lot that was to be determined, and the start of the third year would certainly govern that. Whoever she wanted to be; these were the building blocks. The bare-bones. The shell that she was crawling into to call her own. Gone were the days where she knew what she wanted and took it. Alexx was finally free from that.

And so, Alexx had decided towards the end of last year that there was a new Alexx coming. She dropped her title, dropped her old friends, and began to rebuild. Just as Alexx thought her past was behind her, she noticed a face that she hadn't seen in far too long. The familiar red head of hair almost screamed "Marla Quinlan", in which Alexx would have found herself walking in the exact opposite direction. But no, this was someone who she knew before all of that. And it was rather surprising, if not coincidental, or even "fate" if Alexx were to be so bold, that her peripherals caught such a glimpse. A saving grace, or maybe an unlucky encounter. Her cards were on the table, but how would she play them in this situation?

Eris Fawley.

Was Eris Fawley the type of person that Alexx was going to sit with and make small talk with? Perhaps. That was still to be determined.

Eris was a sort of bad-ass, high-energy, ball-of-fire spirited girl that Alexx wanted to be around. A being of Hogwarts, one with a force that the school wouldn't seem to shake for years to come. Something that oscillated the very ground in which Alexx stood, and made her even go as far as to question if she was living her life to the best of her own ability. While Ami certainly held that energy close to her, but Alexx needed a change in scenery. Someone who could show her a different path of life. Someone who was so oddly similar to her, and yet not at all. There was a hint of admiration in the eyes of Alexx that day.

Taking a deep breath, she went for it. It was now or never, and to a Slytherin, "never" was not on the table. "Eris!" She announced, smiling. "Long time, no see, mon ami." Alexx could have kicked herself for how casual she was being. This was going... terrible. She didn't want to bore the poor girl to death!

"Mind if I join you?" She asked, tilting her head to the side and smiling politely. What else could she do? She barely knew the girl, and now she was asking to join her on a train ride back to school. Well, in Alexx's defense, she had always meant to branch out. Eris felt unreachable, though, because for many months, they were on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of... Practically everything.

Rosalie dumped down from her shoulder, cautiously eyeing the confines of the compartment. The last time that she was here, Rosalie knew of excitement, familiarity, and an easy environment. She was well acquainted with all of Alexx's friends, but this new figure, this new energy... Rosalie wouldn't know what to think. Eyeing Alexx, and then eyeing Eris, she squeaked. That was all that a pygmy puff could do.

Alexx didn't wait for a response, actually. She shuffled into the compartment, smiling at the redhead. "It is too bad that we've never properly spoken before this. Well, aside from my sleepover and what not. But new year, new opportunities, right?" It just felt so strange... Like Alexx was trying to make it seem like they were old friends, when they certainly weren't. She could have easily left, found Reid or Ami (or both if she were so lucky), and been about her way. But Alexx, quite decidedly, declared to herself that it was time to be different. No more holding back. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right, and that all somehow started with Eris Fawley.

The steam from the train felt sacreligious, as it blew upon her hair. Once, Eris might have already been bounding up the stairs, her friend’s names upon her lips like a prayer. The feeling of coming home from a long vacation. Even the steam would echo her name, as if welcoming her back into the arms of Hogwarts. But, now Eris felt nothing. Maybe that feeling of numbness was because of her grandfather’s hand, pressed tightly against the pale skin of her arm. It was a reminder of her worthlessness, the divide between herself and her old friends. Faintly aware of the fact her hair was going to turn blue from the immense sadness, Eris focused on the grounding touch of her grandfather’s rough hand against her skin.

She didn’t feel like herself. But, then again, Eris hadn’t felt like herself in a long time. Her usually frizzy red hair was tied back into a fierce bun, the kind that ballerinas always wore. It hurt her head a little bit, and the smell of hairspray permeated her nose. It wasn’t a pleasant smell, and it didn’t remind of her any fond memories. There was no grandma smoothing back her hair and brushing it softly, humming praises about Eris’ studies and her newfound skills in her abilities. Instead, there was the violent touch of her new houself, who was perhaps the scariest creature Eris had ever met. The muttering house elf didn’t seem to like Eris much, and often remarked upon how Eris was a freak of nature, too short and too scrawny to amount to anything. She was ‘a disgrace to the Fawley name, not as distinguished or lovely as her grandfather.’ And then there was the strange way that she whispered that Eris’ grandmother was just as bad as a mudblood, with how she had let Adam into the Fawley manor.

Nym had gone. Eris didn’t know where, but she remembered her grandad’s screaming when he found out Eris was friends with her house elf. It had been the snapping point. Eris had thought his anger over Adam being allowed into the house was the worst, but the fact that Eris was ‘friends with the common rabble and the servants’ had forced him to punish Eris with one of the worst things she could think of. For the whole summer, Eris had not been permitted to see her friends. She hadn’t even been able to get the pet owl she had been so excited for, because she was not trusted enough. Her granddad worried that Eris would try to send letters to her friends, which in truth, she would have done.

For a long time, Eris tried not to lose hope. Her friends would come for her, someone would come save her from the desolate tower of her bedroom and the hateful company of that nameless houseelf. But, nobody had came to save her, and eventually Eris had lost herself in her grandfather’s hateful teachings about muggle borns and the pureblood world. Perhaps she wasn’t meant to be saved. Or, there wasn’t anything worth saving. She was made to be a pureblood, wasn’t she? Even if she didn’t want to be one, maybe it was time to accept that all Eris would ever be was the heir to a cruel man’s fortune.

She didn’t know who she was anymore, the fancy black dress feeling too large. As if it no longer fit who she was, or it was trying to cover up all her flaws and imperfections. Trunk enchanted to float beside her, Eris ignored the whispers of judgement and awe over her appearance. She looked like the pureblood heiress she was supposed to be. Royal, regal, and disconnected from reality, eyes still upon the smoke with a distant expression.

“Be a good girl at school, Eris Leto Fawley.” Her grandfather snapped, turning Eris’ attention away from the wafting smoke from the train cars. His hand fell off her arm, and for a moment Eris felt free. Then, his words echoed in her ears again. She bowed her head, nearly hissing at the weight of the bun attached to the back of her head. “Yes, grandfather.” She answered, tone just as calculated and empty as his own.

His hand brushed against her arm again, a lingering warning. “I will know if you talk to any of those mudbloods or halfblood freaks, Eris. Now go.” Trunk still following her, Eris entered the train on silent footsteps. When she turned around to see if her grandfather was still there, he was gone. She wished that her grandma or father were there in the crowd, but Luca Fawley had relapsed with another episode, and Demetera was tending to him. With a weary sigh, Eris and her trunk began to venture through the crowded halls of the Hogwarts Express.

She wanted to look for them. For flashes of Rosie’s curly brown hair, for Adam’s blue eyes. Eris’ heart pounded in her chest at the names of her friends. Their names felt precious, like something she had been forced to forget but could never forget. They were a secret that only she knew, one that she kept close to her chest. She couldn’t talk to them. Couldn’t look at them. The pounding in her heart turned to stillness, an improbable sadness washing over her small body.

Finding an empty compartment, Eris slid into it and set her trunk down. Slowly, she pulled her hair out of it’s bun and watched her frizzy curls fall around her in a comforting embrace. The only embrace she’d get for now. Sitting there in silence for a moment, Eris ignored the people passing by. Suddenly, her name was called and Eris turned judgemental eyes towards the speaker of her name.

“Mon ami? We hung out once at a sleepover party.” Eris answered, a faintly amused smirk rising to her lips. Her grandfather couldn’t hate Alexx. She was a pureblood, like Eris. Shrugging, Eris moved her trunk aside with an indifference that led to her just merely kicking the trunk onto the ground. “Yeah, go ahead. Isn’t exactly like I got a lot of people waiting around to get into this compartment. At least it smells better than the ones over in the corner. The six years? They got some naaasty B.O.” Eris commented, patting the seat in a gesture for Alexx to sit down.

“New year, new responsibilities.” Eris answered glumly, before pulling herself together. She gasped at the pygmy puff, letting out a noise of excitement. “oh, Hello! Aren’t you a fat blob of cuteness.” Eris giggled, offering her hand out to Rosalie. She heard that you did that with dogs so they could sniff your hand. Maybe it was the same for pygmy puffs.

Eris studied Alexx for a moment. She didn’t know anything about the girl, besides the fact that she was also pureblood. According to her father, that was reason enough to be friends with someone. But, Eris didn't’ feel any connection with Alexx. She was just a stranger sitting next to Eris, one who Eris kind of knew. But, she needed new friends. Even if she had to fake and lie her way through conversations, it was better than nothing. So, Eris gave Alexx a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

New year, indeed.

Shrugging, Alexx thought nothing of Eris' words. "I find that anyone can be my friend. Though, I am surprised that you know French. Often times, many people do not know what I am saying." Alexx giggled. It was true, very many people didn't understand her. Meeting those who did was a delight.

It was odd to be around Eris. With other people, she clicked instantly. It all felt too perfect around her friends. And then there was Eris, who did a good job at being guarded, from Alexx's perspective. This was likely turning out to be a superficial friendship, but it had potential if any. There was room to work here, if only Alexx would try. And anyway, Alexx was ambitious and determined like the good Slytherin that she was, so if her efforts were to no avail, it wouldn't be for a lack of trying by any means. She would certainly put in the time and effort. After all, this is what she wanted.

But she did laugh at Eris' sense of humor; much in the same way that she did at the sleepover. "You've noticed that too? I am surprised they can even live with themselves, smelling the way that they smell. It makes me wonder if the people in our grade will hit that same sort of all-time-low that they seem to hit." She pondered aloud, a slight smile still curled upwards on her porcelain pale face. Trying to lighten the mood was a terrible task to bestow on a person like Alexx, who was quite literally absolutely dreadful, boring, and bland. It was a wonder that there were people in this world who took an interest in the girl at all.

"Oh!" Alexx exclaimed, remembering the fluff ball that was staring at Eris. "That is Rosalie. She likes everyone but me, so don't worry. Bit of a safety hazard, that one. She sends me flying at the feet of people in the halls every time she runs off, chasing Scott." Alexx rolled her eyes, watching as Rosalie nudged Eris' fingers before rolling onto her hand entirely.

Humming, Alexx tried to think of ways to keep the conversation going. "Have you got a pet? Most people did after the pet ban was lifted." Her eyes scanned the compartment, but she didn't see any companion that belonged to the redhead. Guess not. But Alexx decided that if that was the case, then that simply was not allowed! Not with the fact that it was open and available! She would singlehandedly give Eris the money herself to buy a pet, because Alexx knew that everyone deserved a friend. Then again, she briefly looked at her lap in shame, knowing that she and Rosalie hadn't quiet... Connected. It seemed like an impossible task with that one.

But Alexx felt quite proud, suddenly, because this seemed to be coming along just fine. So far, Eris had not killed her yet for speaking to her, and her nerves were, slowly but surely, dying down. So she decided that she might be alright after all.

Bringing out Rosalie (though she had no choice, Rosalie was sentient) was a good way to keep people interested. She was her token, in a sense. Everyone liked a pink ball of fluff that squeaked and rolled everywhere. She was also a good conversation starter. Fascinating creatures, Pygmy Puffs. They could raise the brows of even the wittiest of folk, though Alexx didn't know if there was wit outside of words with Eris. She had a quick tongue, but was there an equally sharp mind to accompany it? Only time would tell.

There was some sort of wonder in the significance of encounters, and what they could say about a person. Alexx wondered what her own friend choices said about her? Not that Eris was a "friend", because she was absolutely right, the two barely knew one another. They were purebloods. They were 3rd years. That was it. That was where the known similarities ended. So what did this chance encounter say about both of them, and the way that they handled it? Would this bridge crumble before it was even built, or would it flourish? Alexx was certainly a dreamer with the way that she anticipated the future in such a manner.

Part of her was guilty, because she had so many other people that would rejoice at the sight of her. Welcome her with open arms and friendly smiles. But Eris was alone, and that simply was not allowed. That and... Well, she had her own reasons, as mentioned beforehand. Oh, to have the problems that only Pureblood children would have. Eris would understand, anyway, but she wasn't going to burden her with that this early on in the friendship. That was far too much to ask of someone.

“I used to read a lot. You know? Before I knew I was a witch or even.. Uh.. a pureblood.” Eris paused, softly brushing a hand through her frizzy hair, looking down at the ground. Sometimes Eris forgot that nearly a lifetime ago, she’d not even known of her heritage. She had been raised like a muggleborn, but apparently that didn’t make her like one. She was better, just because of the blood coursing through her. But, there was nothing inherently different about her blood. She bled red, just like Rosie, just like Adam, and just like everyone else in the school. So why did it matter? Shrugging, Eris kept going forward with her story. “I read this one book where a lot of it was in French, for some reason. It was a pretty good book, but the girl ended up being captured and shipped away to prison at the end of it.”

Eris shrugged, trying to sound decently nonchalant about the fact that she had once read a lot. All her energy that had once gone into reading had vanished completely long before her grandfather’s ban upon muggle things. Not for any particular reason, but really because it felt like the magic of pouring over letters in a book had vanished, replaced by the magic of the world she was living in. Eris felt like she was living in a book, but sometimes she had the strange feeling that the plot of her life was like a book that randomly changed characters in the midst of an action sense. Something that didn’t make sense, even when Eris thought that she was following the arc of the story perfectly.

Eris decided that her life was just a really strange story. At the sound of Alexx’s laughter, Eris’ lips tilted upwards into a faint smile. She hadn’t heard laughter in a while, the depressing silence in the Fawley Manor becoming something she was accustomed to. Perhaps the company of another tween wasn’t such a bad thing, when their parents weren’t around to enforce strange rules that dictated social interactions. Eris found it stupid that social gatherings needed rules, because the whole point was to be social! Therefore, it made no sense to be closed off. However, that was what her grandfather said to do, so Eris stuck with it. His rules were the rules she was forced to follow without question, although he wasn’t in the room right now. Perhaps that meant that Eris could be herself, with just a bit less worry than usual.

“Oh, please. I’ve already hit my all time low.” Once the words were out of her mouth, Eris instantly regretted them. But, she passed them off with a grin of her own. “I doubt smelling bad will make me become an even more sad person.” Even as she snorted and passed off the words as a joke, there was an underlying truth to her words and a secret left up in the air for Alexx to process or talk about, if she so chose to. Rubbing at her arm, trying to make it seem like a nervous gesture, not the sign that Eris felt awkward in the situation, the distraction of Rosalie was a delightful one that Eris gobbled up without much aversion.

Eris stared back at Rosalie, calmly. “Do you keep her on a leash?” Eris questioned, giggling as the pygmy puff rolled into her palm. Other hand rising up to pet the creature’s soft fur, Eris marvelled over how small the creature was. She had wanted a pygmy puff of her own, but decided that owls were the far superior pet. “If she sends you flying down the halls, I bet she’d be a good ass chaser.” Eris felt a thrill of delight at the curse word, just as she always did. Grinning even more now, just from the usage of a word that her grandparents wouldn’t approve of, Eris’ smile faded as quickly as it had came. She had decided not to try out for quidditch, even though she had a new broom. The reasoning behind that was the fact that Eris had wanted to be an auror more than she wanted to be a chaser, and she figured it was better to focus her time on duelling and studying than playing around on a broom. Besides, she wasn’t really even good enough to be a professional chaser, but she had a slim chance of becoming an auror. Apparently they were more likely to give people who were metamorphmagi jobs.

“I have an owl.” Eris explained, thinking of her small companion. “He’s not with me right now. He’s too busy bothering my granddad. I sent him on a mission to bite the butt of my grandpa. But don’t tell anyone that I said that. I wouldn’t want to lose my pureblood street cred. He’ll come to school soon enough.” Eris grinned, thinking about the runt of an Owl who had already made such a mess of the Fawley Manor that her grandad had been upset he was staying behind to fly any missing parcels to Eris once she was settled in school. Which was one of the many reasons that Eris loved her new pet with all of her heart. Although, sometimes she wondered if even her owl would succumb to the endless pressures of a pureblood household and lose his spark. She hoped otherwise, but the prospect made her sad.


Eris sighed once. “Thanks for sitting with me, anyway. I’m just having a hard time talking to my friends. It just- it feels like they’re all so far away. Everyone’s always talking about how I’m superior because I’m a pureblood but it doesn’t feel like that? And then again, my grandad would kill me if I talked to anyone who wasn’t a pureblood so I’m afraid. Which is a weird feeling.” Eris took a shot into the darkness, deciding to get the pleasantries over with and finally state how she was feeling to another young girl of a similar situation, hoping beyond a doubt that Alexx would understand, not just think Eris was a crazy short girl. It was a risk worth taking.

Hearing Eris' words struck something in Alexx. An emotion in her that she didn't know that she had. It was like there was a deeply rooted memory inside of her, living and breathing, pulsating within her, but it wasn't her own. It was one that belonged to Eris, but Alexx somehow understood it. Felt it was if she were in the same shoes as the Gryffindor, despite never being in that situation at all.

From the outside looking in, it would appear that every pureblood witch or wizard had it easy. Money and manors, a title that they drug behind them, positions in society that usually came with either authority or respect or both, and a legacy to uphold. While being in the 1% sounded like an absolute dream, and perhaps in the muggle life it would be, that wasn't always the case for this generation of witches and wizards such as Alexx and Eris. But to anyone else, their lives likely appeared pristine and joyful. Easy. Comforting. All of the things that parents of less fortunate lives would wish on their kids, because if money grew on trees, Merlin knows that those parents would be able to buy lives for their children that was so much better than the ones that they had to offer.

But alas, even with all of that at their disposal, no one was buying happiness and comfort for Eris or Alexx. Financial comfort was a dream, but that didn't substitute the rest of it.

Nodding, Alexx listened to the way that Eris depicted the book. She was going to comment on what Eris had said about her background, but then decided that it was better not to. There was no use in making this train ride miserable for them. The one home was miserable enough thanks to Alexx and her breakdown, so she wasn't going to be the cause of discomfort once more. Especially when she was here primarily to entertain Eris, seeing as though she appeared lonely.

"I wish I read more than I do. Sounds like an interesting book." It was only sort of a half-truth. Alexx would have probably found it boring, as she did most books. "I prefer comics. Got introduced to them when I lived in America." She shrugged, giving Eris yet another half-smile. And Alexx did love comics, that one was the truth. Ever since Tex decided that he had grown out of his love for Marvel, Alexx was gifted with hand-me-down treasures that would last a kid a lifetime. This blossomed her love for all the "nerdy" things that she loved. Tex was a form of propaganda, in a way, persuading her to show interest in things that she wouldn't otherwise have.

Another thing that sat funny with Alexx was Eris' mention of an "all time low". If she had mentioned it in a context of older students, she would have believed it. But herself? It wasn't that Eris wasn't allowed to have problems, but Alexx had always assumed that a crisis of sorts would be visible, or at least audible. Eris looked just fine to her. Then again, Alexx wasn't here to determine whether or not someone had issues. She would leave that up to the professionals. It wasn't her job, nor her place, to determine that sort of thing. Especially not to another student.

Looking down at Rosalie, Alexx raised her brow. "I should consider a leash! Though, I am not exactly sure that they make ones for the size of pygmy puffs. Perhaps I could invent one." She chuckled, picturing the oversized ball of pink lint on a leash. Rosalie would detest that! Alexx assumed that most pets don't exactly relish their time in confines, but Rosalie least of all.

Instead, Alexx began to focus on the description of the owl, and the current mission that it was on. The more that Eris spoke, the more interesting she became. Most purebloods, at least the ones that Alexx had met, were stuck-up and proper. While Alexx was certainly guilty of being pompous to an extent, it was refreshing to meet someone like Eris. Someone who seemed more like a child and less like a mini-adult. This wasn't to say that Eris was immature, because she wasn't, but she was capable of being playful. This was an attitude that Alexx never knew that she would miss, which confused her, because how can one miss something that they've never really had? Outside of Hogwarts, Alexx didn't exactly have this sort of environment.

The last statement that Eris spoke to her stuck out, and confirmed what Alexx already believed to be true; that the two girls were not so different. Alexx remembered the firm "talking-to" that she had received after her birthday, because how dare she bring a half-blood and a muggle-born into this house? And, well, of course they loved Scott. But it was as if her grand-mère had some sort of "blood purity" sensor on her nose, and knew the moment that Reid and Ami entered the manor that they weren't purebloods. It was all that she could do to keep her grand-mère from kicking them out on the spot. So, yes, Alexx understand exactly the position that Eris was in.

"I get it. It's quite similar with my family as well. Old people can be assholes." Silently, she wished that she had some better insult for the older generation, but that was all she had in her. "But it's no problem! You are rather interesting anyway, so I don't mind. Besides, it's all about strengthening those pureblood relations, am I right?" She joked, rolling her eyes and chuckling once more. Somehow, the compartment didn't feel as small anymore, and Alexx felt more at ease around Eris. It was insane how one simple fragment of an opinion that had such a hand over the both of their lives could change the situation immensely.

There was an imperceptible layer of sadness, as there so often was with children tasked to carry the burden of such achingly long legacies. It hung like a curtain, just draping over the muted drabness of the compartment, as if waiting for the chance to remind the two inhabitants that their sadness did exist, that no matter how fast the train went, there was no escaping the life behind. That no matter how dull the compartment was, there was a life of opulent luxury just behind them, constantly waiting in the station for the two girls to return. There was no way to turn away from the truth that sounded just as loudly as the whistling of the train, no way to avoid the ringing of verity. Being a pureblood wasn’t exactly an easy thing, even though the endless tales and stories written and told in the libraries of the wizarding world liked to tell the stories of ancient lineages, of daring witches and wizards who were amazingly talented at magic, ripe with their resolve to keep the wizarding world a good place. And then there were the stories that none dared to speak of in the presence of Eris, but were heard through whispers and rumours. The tales of the death-eaters, of the way purebloods used their status as cruelly and cuttingly as a knife, and the lack of respect gifted to other people. Yet, nobody ever mentioned such things.

Nobody ever told you about the secrets and the lies. There was no pamphlet explaining that being real and honest was disobedient and disgraceful, and that every single thing that a person did would be used against them. It was painful, how every move that a human made would be judged by tsking adults in fancy ballgowns, with smiles gleaming just as sharp as razor blades. When being told you were basically wizarding royalty, nobody told you that even though there were no cameras in the wizarding world, the world watched. Or, at least those in the world deemed important and vital enough to matter. So, every move mattered and it was like drowning underwater, which was painful and not worth anything; not even the significant sum of money that one inherited.

Yet, even as they tried to crush her spirit, Eris was unable to break and fit into a mold. She was able to sit and listen to her grandfather’s rules when living under his roof, but once the sprawling freedom of being on the train and away from him took over, Eris felt her rambunctious nature and impulsivity take over, sweeping over the dullness of obedience like an endless tsunami. That had always been her strength, to never yield. Although, now it seemed to be her weakness. Eris tried to keep her thoughts in, but something about being alone with another human who understood the situation was enough to make Eris loose lipped. Before she could feel the usual sensation of worry, as if waiting for her grandfather to appear and yell, the conversation shifted to calmer waters.

“Comics? I LOVE Comics.” Eris announced loudly, hopping up in her seat as her whole face took on a rare grin of excitement. But, before it was even possible to dwell upon the fact that she was smiling, she had taken off upon a long ramble about comic books and her genuine love for Marvel. “Marvel is better than DC, and if you think otherwise, you’re quite welcome to leave the compartment.” Eris grinned again, evident delight present upon her face, before it faded into quiet sadness.

Her comics had been taken away and burnt, the delightful stack of hidden Captain America comics destroyed. Eris wanted to go to America, just to visit the places where Captain America had been to. Like, New York. Was there anywhere else important in America, besides from New York? She wasn’t quite sure, as Eris frowned and thought about it. An aching loneliness filled her body, as Eris thought about her missing comics and her father’s lack of love for Marvel. He had once had so much life, as the two had spent their nights watching movies and old TV shows. Now, he was just a man who didn’t even want Eris as his daughter.

There was a silence for a moment, as Eris cleared her throat and tried violently to change the subject, to steer it back towards the topics that filled her mind with so much joy. Sometimes she zoned out completely, trapped in thoughts of the past. “Anyways, who’s your favourite superhero? Mine is Captain America. He’s totally the best, ever. His shield is so cool!” Eris grinned, turning her attention to Rosalie. Studying the pink ball of fluff, envious for a moment over the way that Alexx could easily carry her pet around, but mostly envious of how Alexx could train her pet to be thrown like a baseball, Eris laughed at the idea of the small leash, fit just for a ball of fluff.

“Or maybe a sweater, or something. A sweater with a leash on it? Or a harness?” Eris thought about the various devices that muggles used for their pets, forgetting everything besides those few ones. “Ooh! You should try braiding her fur. That would be fun.” Eris giggled once again, before going silent, as the reminder of the struggles of pureblood life once again were brought back into question.

Looking down at her feet, still too short to even so much as touch the ground, Eris slid into a criss-cross applesauce type position upon her seat, willing a faint smile upon her face. “Arseholes. The lot of them.” Eris agreed, before amending. “Besides my grandmum.” Eris smiled at the thought of her grandmother, even if she knew that Demetra wasn’t the best person. It wasn’t painfully obvious, but Demetra wasn’t the loving grandmother she could be. She was loving when it was safe, but wasn’t able to ever stand up for Eris. That was just the way things were, sometimes.

Sighing and running a hand through her hair, Eris let out a laugh. “You’re interesting too! And, of course, those goddamn pureblood relations. All those stupid parties? I don’t even know half of the people I’m mingling with every month. They all seem so fake and… annoying.”

All that Eris needed to say was that she had a preference to Marvel over DC. While Alexx never got much of a choice, considering that her comic collection wasn't one that she had hand-picked, she would stand by Eris' words as well. There were a number of reasons for which Marvel was superior to DC. But to Alexx, apart from Marvel hitting close to home, she also found that the stories of DC didn't intrigue her nearly enough. There was hardly anything compelling about them, to a point in which she gave up trying to like it all together.

"It appears I won't be leaving, then." Alexx concluded, a soft smile spreading like butter against her porcelain white face. "Everyone with a brain can tell that Marvel is far superior to DC." She nodded, tapping her fingers as she did.

It wasn't that Alexx was an expert on human emotions, because she wasn't. But she thought that maybe, for a half a second, something flickered in Eris. An eyebrow of hers almost raised, but then she composed herself, knowing better than to pry. Not only was it rude, but this was another case of traumas that Alexx knew better than to look into. She wouldn't know how to solve anything, anyway. Her words of wisdom were not wise at all, either. Falling into that pit was dangerous. Human emotions were a slippery slope, and Alexx was ill-equipped, as well as allergic to empathy. It wasn't that she didn't have a nice bone in her body, because she was kind (in her own way), it was just that she couldn't force herself to be nice in a polite way. It had to be genuine. A good person would ask Eris if they were correct, if something was wrong, and offer an unofficial therapy session. Alexx wasn't a good person like that. It had to be in the heat of the moment.

Instead, she opted to answer Eris' question. "Ah- I'm more of a Thor person myself. Well, I guess you could say that I'm more of a Loki person, but my favorite Avenger is Thor." It probably had less to do with the fact that Alexx was just completely infatuated with the Thor series (though there was no denying that the lore was brilliant) and more to do with the fact that Thor was Tex's favorite, and by default, the comic collection that was passed down to her was littered with the hero's stories. Alexx didn't have much of a choice. She had more Thor comics than she did any other superhero, so she had more of his stories than anything else. It would be only natural that she had an affinity towards that one figure in particular.

However, Alexx identified with Loki quite a bit. The trickster God appealed to her, and she found a sort of relation to herself within him that wasn't there in many of the other characters. In fact, she often found herself doing that with antagonists, but Loki especially. Her eldest brother, Mikey, didn't think it was so grand that she could sympathize with the villains, but Alexx understood her case. Whether she was just turning into the "edgy teenager" or she actually had some sort of repressed hurting inside of her, only time would tell. But for now, traumas wouldn't allude her, and she knew very well what this feeling was.

Her eyes shot down to Rosalie once again. "This poor Pygmy, she's going to be so traumatized by the end of this year! But perhaps I should braid her fur..." Alexx trailed off, and as if Rosalie had an understanding of what was being said, she looked terrified. The blonde Slytherin had a sort of hunch that perhaps her pet had not taken to her the way that she had hoped. Admittedly, Alexx picked what was cute, and not what drew her in. She would have, if picking the path of what she identified with, declared herself to be the queen of the rats. Very willingly would she have picked up one of those grey pests, calling it her own. But a Pygmy Puff was cute. Expensive, yes, but cute.

Perhaps all of this explained why Rosalie seemed to detest her. Well, she didn't exactly hate Alexx. But there were weird things that happened... Like how Rosalie would always chase Scott through the corridors, or magically end up in Kovacs' pockets. It was always anybody but her. A loyal rat wouldn't have done that to her.

She nearly laughed out loud. "And when they try to introduce you to their kids? As if I ever have anything in common with them." The only thing that Alexx had in common with those pureblooded children were mundane and superficial things, like how their parents bought them the latest broom model, or that they would be attending the same dinner two months from now. They would see one another again, in the halls if they were unfortunate enough to go to the same school, but never talk. What was quite common, however, was the need to spy on their parents, because bloody hell, what could these boring adults actually be discussing at eight o'clock in the evening? If there were any bonding moment, it was when their ears were pressed to wooden doors, eyebrows raised in curiosity as they listened for anything juicy.

Finally, she did let out a laugh. "Ha! I finally got to meet my Grand-Mère over the summer. She's been hiding away in America with the rest of my family. Eccentric woman... Nah, I only really like my siblings. And my uncle, he's cool too I guess." Uncle Jean was an interesting man. He was a loner, and quite sad. From when Alexx was younger, and Uncle Jean was married, she remembered him as happy. It pained her to go to America and see that the times had changed. But as much as she did love her Uncle Jean, she was still sitting on those words... The offer to move to America, and to start over at Ilvermorny. That was just something that she couldn't do.

Pushing all of that aside, she smiled. "I take it you don't have any siblings?" Alexx could only assume this, because if Eris did, she would have expected her to mention them amongst the people that she liked.

Comics were a secret language. One devised out of whispers and giggles, of nighttimes, spent on the couch pressed against her father’s side, the bright screen of the tv luring Eris to sleep as Captain America’s theme song blared throughout her ears. That was a language slowly fading away, just like her father’s fading health. The less he remembered, the less inclined Eris was to cling onto Marvel movies or comics in general. The more he screamed at her, the more Eris found herself secret glad that her unnamed house-elf had destroyed the comics hidden under Eris’s bed.

Eris hardly remembered what was so interesting about comic books, to be honest. She just knew that comic books had once made her happy. Happy in the way that seeing Max and Phae last night had made her. They had made her happy in that rare way that few things could, in the way that filled one’s chest with elation so heavy that everything felt light around them. But, Eris was slowly closing all the doors to her past and locking them tightly, and with that, none of the elation of the past could reach the guarded shell of a person Eris had become.

However, she knew that Reid liked Thor. At the reminder of her friend, Eris grinned. “A Thor fan! Gah. Bet Reid put you up to that. Thor is fricking lame!” Eris barely retained information upon Thor, but knew that she had spent a great deal of her first year at Hogwarts insulting Thor and fighting Reid for liking the burly man. So, she stuck her tongue out and made a face at the mention of the superhero, just to annoy the spirit of Reid. He was lurking around somewhere, and if she ever admitted to liking Thor or not knowing who he was, Reid would find out. Eris wouldn’t want that.

However, Eris did not remember who Loki was. Although, Alexx had grouped him together with Thor. So he must be lame too. Coming to the simple conclusion that Loki was somehow related to Thor, and therefore liked by Reid, that made the ever-illusive Loki a perfectly insultable character. Eris didn’t tease Alexx for liking Loki, though. Simply due to the fact she knew nothing of the villain and didn’t want to make a wrong assumption. Maybe Loki hated Thor and was actually cool. Instead, she just nodded her head and went back to looking down at Rosalie.

Missing Owlbert once again, but knowing that he would soon be coming to school to annoy the shit out of her, Eris petted the pink abomination of fur, inspecting the strands of pink fur with what Eris thought to be a critical eye. In truth, she’d never been into art and truly had no idea what she was looking at. Pretending to be an artist inspecting the fibres of the hairs, seeing if they could be braided, Eris looked away from the pygmy puff. “I think her hair would look lovely braided,” Eris concluded, thinking of Owlbert for a moment, once again.

If he had fur, Eris assumed that he would have loved to have it braided. Eris’s pet owl was quite a handful. He was rambunctious to a fault, his energy levels even higher than her own. While Eris loved her pet deeply, she hadn’t been able to ever learn how to control him. Thinking of him made Eris’s lips form a smile, as she continued forward. “You know, if I could braid feathers, Owlbert and Rosalie would look adorable with matching braids,” Eris commented brazenly, snickering at the very idea of their pets with matching hairstyles. They would look like members of a band. Kinda like.. “They could look like the animal version of the Weird Sisters!” The band, not the characters from Macbeth. Eris still had no idea who Shakespeare was or what Macbeth was, even after having lived half of her life in London. One could assume she’d at least walked past the Globe theatre, but with Eris, you never really knew.

While it was muggy if Eris had been to the Globe theatre or not, it certainly was apparent that she had been to quite a few pureblood galas of her own. It felt nice to finally have someone to talk about those dreadful events with. It was pure torture, being shoved into tight dresses and forced to smile prettily at people whose faces all blurred together into an unrecognizable blend of adults who wanted to dote upon how pretty she looked, or talk about how their own children had all been prefects or in Slytherin. While Eris was forced to nod her head and listen blankly, acting as if she was saddened not to be in Slytherin. One secret she’d never revealed to anyone was that she had actually asked to not be placed in Slytherin, just to spite her cruel mother. At least she had been a prefect. Although, people always found ways to remark upon how Eris had gotten fired for punching another student. And a pureblood, at that!

Nonetheless, pureblood parties were always quite miserable in one way or another. When Alexx spoke, Eris mock shuddered, giggling. She had plenty of horror stories about introductions to other pureblood children. One of the worst being her horrendous birthday party, where Dorothy Shafiq’s guardian had tried to win the Fawley family’s support through a hideous present that had quickly been thrown out of the window of Eris’s tower bedroom. Dorothy had been nice enough, but being that she was a Hufflepuff, Eris and Dorothy had never talked much after that day. Mostly because of how awkward the present had been, and how weird Dorothy’s family was, which was saying something. All pureblood families were weird, but the eccentric outfits of the Shafiq matron still haunted Eris’s dreams.

“Easy for you to say! You’re actually in Slytherin. Try having to hang out with pureblood children who are in Slytherin. All they want to do is discuss the muggleborns in my house, and if I think my blood is tainted for having to sleep in a tower with so many muggleborns.” Eris started as a joke but didn’t dweleve into the topic of blood purity or her own opinions upon whether she thought her blood was tainted or not. The only thing that Eris and her Slytherin companions had in common was an eagerness for breaking the rules.

The issue with raising children to be perfect and above everyone else was that they thought themselves above the rules of everyone, even their parents. The world was ripe for the picking. Any knowledge hidden was the knowledge that they deserved to have. Which led to ears pressed against doors to eavesdrop or curse words being sloppily uttered to delighted ears. When young and rich, there was no door that couldn’t be opened, and no secret that couldn’t be discovered. Even though the world they lived in was a brutal one, it was theirs.

“But, you know what’s even worse?” Eris leaned in for dramatic effect, acting like she was sharing a conspiracy. “When their parents are literally desperate for you to become friends with their kid. I once had to have tea with this Hufflepuff girl, who’s mum- I think she was her mum- was so obsessed with making us become friends that she literally kept interrupting and being awkward. It was one of the worst moments of my life. I just ate lemon cakes and wallowed in my own misery for a few hours.”

Was Eris faintly egotistical? Perhaps. Above all else, she was growing self-centred from her sheltered point of view of the world. Of course that was one of the worst moments of her life. Not when Ben had burned her face, and certainly not during her lonely period last year, or when Adam had denounced her as a friend. Already dramatic to start with, being exposed to the real housewives of the pureblood world, for lack of less cruel or less accurate wording, had turned an innocent fixation upon drama into an actual personality trait. If that hadn’t been clear from Eris’s stories beforehand, it was certainly clear now, as she regaled Alexx with her tale of woe. While funny, it definitely was NOT one of the worst moments of Eris’s life.


“Your family’s in America?” Eris shifted in her seat. She had some family in America, but they had been denounced as blood traitors. Thus, she chose not to mention them. Brain trying to come up with something to say that wasn’t about her family in America, Eris blurted out the first thing she could think of. “I have an uncle Alfie who died because he tried to capture a dragon and died of dragon pox. He also used to wear muggle dresses. He was crazy.” Nailed it! She also had a cool uncle. Or.. had a cool uncle. He had died before she was born. Feeling cheery, even if she had just mentioned a deceased family member, Eris thought the conversation was going well. That was until Alexx brought up siblings.

Siblings. Whatever friendship was forming was interrupted by the reminder of Bella. Eris looked away, staring out the window. The smile that had been on her face faded away, as the tiny Fawley heiress peered out the window at the mountainous terrain of the rugged Scottish backlands. She wasn’t really looking at the landscape but doing what most people did when they were deep in thought: averting their eyes and looking away, as to think properly.

Could she even properly count Bella as her sister, anymore? Eris wasn’t sure how disowning someone worked. Even though her grandfather had taught the short redhead much about the pureblood world, she didn’t retain information when far from his grasp. Nor did she even think straight when he mentioned Bella. One of the worst moments of her life had been during last term’s Christmas break when an owl had covertly been sent to the Harringtom home, alerting Eris to the fact her mum was still alive and had kicked Rhea out of the Bishop family home. And even worse, had alerted Eris to the fact her sister was alive and had a wand of her own.

It had been three years since Bella and Eris had last spoken to each other. Eris had no idea what her sister even looked like, or if she was still angry with Eris. The last time they had spoken, Bella had been jealous of Eris’s magic. But, apparently, she had a wand of her own. That must have meant that she had magic of her own, or was just holding a stick for no reason whatsoever. Eris had no idea what was going on inside of her twin’s mind. People liked to say that there was such thing as twin telepathy. Maybe there was, but there certainly was no connection when it came to Bella and Eris. Maybe there once had been, but it didn’t matter. Not when they hadn’t spoken in so long that it sometimes felt like Rhea was more of a sister than Belladonna had ever been. Blood may have been thicker than water, but there was no way to prove that. Not when Eris’s sister was nonexistent in her life.

Still looking out of the window, peering so intently through it that it seemed like Eris could see all the way back to London and Bishop Manor, where her absentee sister was, Eris slowly nodded her head. “I have a sister. She lives with my mum.” That was all Eris said on the matter. If Alexx was well versed in the rumours of the pureblood world, that would be enough for her to piece everything together. Jane Rowle was not a good person.

But then again, who was a good person anymore? Eris saw the world as black and white, people easily defined as good guys or bad guys. Sometimes, especially when regarding strangers like Alexx or pariahs like her sister, it was hard to say where someone really fit in the world. Looking away from her window again, Eris scratched at her hair. The top of her head still ached from how tightly drawn her severe bun had been, so Eris distracted herself from her emotions by massaging her scalp.

A light laugh escaped Alexx. "Ha!" She exclaimed, shaking her head. "Reid is wise for liking Thor." She declared, smile beaming at the red-head. Reid. That name put an odd feeling in her stomach. She missed him, but after the proposal that Uncle Jean had thrown on her lap, she couldn't be bothered to talk to her closest friend in all of Hogwarts. Especially not with what was on the line. The memory of Reid Kovacs and their wonderous friendship rested against her chest, the locket glistening ever so slightly when the light hit it just right. And what did the locket play when she opened it? Country mother fuckin' Roads.

Her eyebrows perked up at the mention of the band. Alexx could only assume it was the band, anyway, because she didn't know of any other Weird Sisters. "You could put Owlbert in a wig!" She suggested, giggling, her eyes squinting shut as she did. The thought of a poor owl in a wig was amazing to her. Almost as funny as poor Rosalie, who already didn't like her human counterpart that much, with braided fur that would stick out like short spikes. The precision and patience one would have to possess in order to braid such short spurts of fur was one that was not yet bestowed upon the 13-year-old French girl.

The mention of the band made her remember home. Texas liked them, didn't he? Or, he at least had a phase when he did. The memories of Alexx's early years were beginning to elude her as she got older, but there were a few vague recollections that sat at the back of her mind. Ones covered in dust and cobwebs, waiting to be thought of again. Right. Texas liked the Weird Sister alright. He had a poster, maybe even two.

"I've been lucky," Alexx said, nodding. "My family wants me to have pureblood friends, but so far, I've liked almost everyone I've met. There's... Well, there's Rhea and Dymphna. I like them alright. But it is the forced friendships that are hard to handle." It was true. Luckily for Alexx, the kids of the families that she's allied with were all quite nice. "Besides, my parents like to keep too many things on the down-low. They don't trust my siblings and I."

Vivienne and Raoul had every right to be secretive. Society hated them. They were judged by any eyes who recognized them. Not even their friends from their school days would trust them again after their involvement in the war. But Alexx was curious. She wanted to know her family history. She wanted... She wanted to see! But alas, Vivienne and Raoul would never let such valuable information slip past her.

That's how she and Rhea became friends so easily. Their parents practically pushed them into the other room, not concerning them with "adult business". Immediately left to their own devices, they found a way to bond through all the tension and chaos. It was easier like that. But Alexx supposed her family, quite rightfully, had no pride in their name. Second generation relations mattered less to them than they would have if their lives had taken a different turn. If... If he had won the war, and all of that mattered. Now, it didn't.

"I hardly even know any Slytherin children! I have had to meet them all through school." That was the truth. She met Bellamy through school, and he wasn't even really her friend. He was merely an acquaintance. It seemed as if Alexx repelled Slytherin students, and ended up befriending every badger that crossed paths with her. In a similar matter, she was enemies with most Gryffindor students that she met.

When Eris' demeanor changed, Alexx knew it was better not to speak on the issue any further. She knew the way that pureblood families could be. Not everyone got the luxury of being forgotten. Sometimes, it was the opposite. There was so much to handle that they couldn't deal with all of it. That seemed to be Eris. Meanwhile, Alexx thought she had it rough because there wasn't a soul who cared. If Alexx died today, no one in her family would notice. Vivienne and Raoul might even rejoice. One less liability. One less threat.

Children were a threat. They lacked a filter and were too daring for their own good. That was Alexx, anyway. She didn't believe in her family's principles, and therefore, rebelled against them. Had she been quieted... No, they even hated Mikey, the obedient, eldest child. He was a golden boy, one who had never done wrong in his life. They found a way, in their cold, dead hearts to hate even him. It sickened Alexx.

So Alexx changed the subject. "Hey, weren't you on the Gryffindor Newspaper? I could have sworn you were." She doesn't know if she is right or wrong, and she doesn't care. It was a topic to distract Eris from whatever was haunting her. And, if there was anything that Alexx could talk about, it was news. Being recently appointed Editor-in-Chief, this was all right down her ally. She could do this all day.