The Hogwarts castle

[loekie]

James Ford was not you average teen-age wizard. He lived in the muggleworld with his uncle, even though he was a pure-blood. He hadn’t known about wizards and magic until his acceptance-letter from Hogwarts. He had been over-joyed to be away from the man who had an even worse temper then even his father had had and his fucked up wife. He had only been 11 at the time but already he had learned people were absolutely not to be trusted and had already earned himself the name of ‘rebel’ at the school.

Now though, he was far away from ‘home’ at school, and really he didn’t really fare much better there. He spent more time in detention then he actually did in classes, and yet passed all of them with flying colors

There was someone shaking his shoulder. James squatted the annoying hand away. Why couldn’t they just let him sleep? Mornings weren’t a good time for the young 16 year old and he’d gladly take another detention. He carefully opened one eye groaning irritated. He really should not have had the last few shots the other night... he knew he’d pay dearly today. He finally shoved his dorm-mate away from him sitting up “I’m awake” he grumbled brushing his hair from his face.

The brunette that had bothered waking him raised an eyebrow holding up his hands in mock surrender. Logan however knew better then to start anything first thing in the morning. Ford’s morning temper was legendary and as the four other boys had soon found out, not something to be taken lightly. They didn’t really care though as the blond American had always provided entertainment.

The blond boy rose from his bed, grabbed some cloths and headed into the bathroom to take a quick shower before breakfast. He knew classes would be hell today, but then again, weren’t they always?

He knew he was classed as a troublemaker, a rebel, always had, even before he'd come to Hogwarts, and yes he did spent more time in detention then he actually spent in class or on his homework, yet, to the annoyance of the teachers, and more specifically Snape, he managed to stay on top of his year.

He just went about his day and through his classes. He rounded a corner to head to head back to the Gryffindor tower when someone almost walked right into him.

“Watch it!” James growled his sea-colored eyes darkening dangerously.

“Aaaw... poor wittle Ford got himself a pair of balls” a taunting voice filled the air and James clenched his jaw “Fuck of Malfoy” he hissed at the blond heir whom had now stepped up to the younger Southerner until he was right in front of him.

James raised an eyebrow “Finally gonna fight your own battle princess” he mocked as he saw the blond’s steal eyes darkened as well. James smirked before pushing past the taller boy “It seems I’m not the one in need of balls” he smirked as he continued on his way. There was a hiss from behind him though and he swirled around holding up his hand to deflect the curse at him.

“Seems like someone wants to play” he shrugged taking out his wand. He’d been practicing wand less magic for quit some time, and that plus the other training he done made him one of the more powerful students at this school. Curses were fired until McGonagall ran into the room pulling the two boys apart.

“Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Ford, care to explain?” she asked eyeing them both sternly.

“Princess here was being a bitch” James simply commented. The head of Gryffindor house eyed her trouble student shaking her head sentencing them both to quit a substantial detention and ordering them to get to their tables and eat their lunch.

James sighed as he ran a hand through his dirty-blond hair as he settled himself in the Gryffindor common-room. Another detention? Oh that Malfoy boy was going to suffer, and suffer he would. Then his attention was drawn to a bird near the window. He rose to his feet opening the window letting the bird into the room. The bird nibbled his finger affectionately before dropping a piece of paper in the blond Southerner’s lap. James unfolded it and read the contents. Then he crumpled the piece of paper in his hand throwing it in the fire. It appeared his uncle wanted to meet with him this weekend. He knew how these visits ended up and he really was not looking forward to it. He shook his head. Fucking brilliant. He sighed deeply getting up and stalked out of the room onto the Hogwarts grounds picking up a book on the way.

He sat near the lake leaning back on his elbows as he opened the book and started reading letting the sun stroke his face.... He just wanted to forget all about everything and reading was the boy’s way of escaping the sad excuse that was his life... It wasn’t working too well though... The letter had made him think about ‘back home’. His uncle and his wife had taken in this little girl that was now left to her own devices. He sighed deeply staring out over the lake.

‘Thanks a lot dad’ the boy thought bitterly as he closed his eyes for a moment. He knew it wasn’t his father’s fault. That he had been driven to it by that... low-life. The blond leaned back on his elbows giving up on reading and simply lit a cigarette staring ahead blankly

[myxthumbelina]

Lilia Miller came off to be an average teenager. Well, for the most part. She was a half-blood, meaning her father was a muggle, and her mother was a witch. Her three younger brothers, Benry, Chase, and Patrick, came off as normal as well, but in reality, Benry and Chase had also inherited the magic, leaving Patrick as the only muggle as the family. It all sounds pretty normal, right? Wrong. It isn’t normal when your father is a bitter old drunk, and all he wants is his sons to succeed, and his daughter to disappear. Drinking day in and day out, beating Lilia every day.

When Lilia was younger, her mother would kiss her forehead and run her hand through her thick, wavy, dark black hair and hold her tight. She would whisper to her ”Lilia, darling, just go play with your toys, it will all be over soon.” and she would put her in her room. But that never stopped him. Eventually, on his drunken rampage, he would find his way to Lilia’s door and bust it in.

”Filthy, disgusting magic crud…” he’d stumble into her room, kicking her toys out of his way, “worthless little girl. Could be so much be-better off without you.”

Her eyes would well up with tears as he began to kick her, and hit her, almost instantly bruising the small girls skin. She would bite onto her favorite teddy bear, Tebby, so as not to scream and upset him more. Her mother could do nothing to stop him, because he would beat her too. But her brothers were never touched. They were the golden children, always.

The day Lilia received her letter to Hogwarts was the happiest day of her life, and her mother’s. She was finally able to get away from her drunk of a father, and was finally able to be a kid for once.

The sorting hat had no trouble at all placing her into Ravenclaw, and she spent most of her first year in the Library, learning as much as she possibly could. She would only speak to people if spoken to first, and didn’t really make many friends. She was an awkward young child.

Now, in her sixth year at Hogwarts, Lilia had found herself. She was very social, and loved making new friends. She was hardly ever mean, unless you gave her a reason to be. Especially if you were any type of authority. Lilia had a hard time respecting those above her, or of the opposite sex. She had a quick tongue and was not afraid to use it if you were going to try and put her down. She would not have any of that.

Today, Lilia had been woken up by the sunshine peaking through the window. She had showered, eaten breakfast, and went to her first two classes before eating lunch. Now she had her free period and decided she would go down by the lake to read for just a little while. Lilia loved to read, and she loved to write as well. Even though she had found herself in the social circle, she was still a bit of a geek.

As Lilia made her way outside, she decided she would go down to the Lake to read. She loved to sit under the tree and let the sun wash over her. She threw her bag back over her shoulder and quickly made her way down to her favorite spot.

As she got closer, she noticed someone was sitting there, someone she didn’t exactly recognize until she was almost right on him. James Ford, a trouble maker of sorts. She smirked and slowed down as she slowly approached him. His eyes were shut, so she wasn’t exactly sure if he knew she was coming or not. She stopped only about two feet from him and slowly set her bag down.

“H-hi?” she said, chewing on her lip nervously.

[loekie]

The young southerner blew out some smoke with a sigh. This was going to be a long, long day. He had to admit though, he loved it here. It was much better than having to stay at his uncle’s. He had been shoved there by social services when he was eight years old. He hadn’t even really known the man at that time. He had soon learned that things were going to be even worse than they had been before. He was nothing more than a glorified slave, plaything or punching-bag. He had quickly gotten used to it and it hadn’t even really bothered him that much. There was nothing he could do anyway. He took another drag from the cigarette between his lips thinking of this last summer. There had been some good times despite everything and man had that night been worth the punishments he’d received as a result.

A young teen woke to pounding on his door.

“JAMES” came the low growl from outside his bedroom door giggled “JAMES you open this door now!”

“Whadda you want?” the blond boy groaned out as he slowly opened his eyes to greet a new day.

“You unlock this door now boy, or I’ll break it down” came the threat “Leave me alone!” the boy sighed annoyed. “James Ford, if you don’t come out now, I swear ta God, you’ll regret it.”. The blond groaned sitting up swinging his legs out from under the blankets and headed to the door unlocking it. Before he could open it though, the door swung open against his wrist, snapping it. The blond however showed nothing as he simply glared at the big guy before him “Yeah?” the boy questioned raising an eyebrow. The only answer was a hard smack in the face his head swinging to the side at the impact. The blond narrowed his eyes as he slowly turned his head back “Ya done?” he bit out. He might be acting all tough, but make no mistake, this guy scared the shit out of him. He just couldn’t let the older man see that, cause the day he did, might just be the day he died. He just was so tired of the man’s anger. James had his own Ford-temper to deal with, and that was more than enough.

Then he was grabbed by his arm and dragged to the living-room “Trust me Jamie, we ain’t done by a long shot” Sean growled shoving his nephew against the wall.

“You mind telling me what this is all about?” the youngster asked his eyes blazing, but mentally searching for escape-routes for if things really got out of hand.

“The police called me this morning” he started meaningfully and when the boy stayed quiet he narrowed his eyes “Well boy, ain’t ya gonna tell me what ya did?” he asked, but the blond stayed quiet again until he was punched in the face again “well??” he demanded.

“Whadda ya want me to say?” he asked ignoring the pain that had shot through him at the hit. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t used to it after all.

“Tell me what ya did” the guy ordered again and the blond bit back a ‘what’s the point if you already know?’ and broke eye contact for a split second. This was a mistake. It showed the older male that his tactics were working, and that James was intimidated…as much as he often refused to show it.

The boy found himself being grabbed by the collar and he was pulled forward threateningly “Don’t you make me ask again” the older man hissed.

“I didn’t do nothin’” the boy insisted.

This earned him another punch in the face. Blood was dripping down his chin and he just wiped it away.
“They said you and yer friends were out joyriding last night, you in particular all liquored up” he clarified.

The blond shrugged “and?” the boy asked.

“And they’re charging me a fine! Look at where we live! Ya think I have money ta spend on you and your foolishness?” he got in the boy’s face “You’re just good for nothing sack of shit” he growled in a dangerously low tone “I knew you were going to end up like your dead beat daddy”

The blondes face contorted in anger “Shut up!” he growled almost spitting fire taking a threatening step forward about to punch the bastard in the gut. His arm was grabbed though and before James could even register what was happening, a fist connected with his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and then another with the side of his head. After a few more blows, darkness seemed to pass over his vision and he fell unconscious. He woke up a few minutes later, lying on his bed in his room. His whole body ached, as he painfully sat up and assessed his most recent injuries. Suddenly, his anger was gone and a sense of despair and hopelessness washed over him. He absolutely refused to let the tears that burned behind his eyes fall.

Something brought him out of his reverie. Footsteps that came closer and closer. He didn’t bother to open his eyes until the one standing before him spoke. The blonde glanced up taking in the girl that was stood before him… what was her name? He had seen her around… one of the brainiacs at the school. “Hello sweetheart” he grinned as he brushed some hair from his face.

[myxthumbelina]

[agh sorry, i was busy all day! had a game & then drove two & a half hours to visit family. will get to posting ASAP!]

[myxthumbelina]

Lilia ran a hand through her thick black hair as she watched the blond haired boy. He seemed to be thinking quite deeply, maybe reminiscing on good times from the past. Maybe not so good times, as his face seemed to contort into an uncomfortable, pained expression every now and then. She furrowed her brow as she watched him.

She often wondered what she looked like when she was thinking. If her mouth was wide open, were her eyebrows moving, did she look as if she were completely out of it? Sometimes Lilia wondered the most random things, but that's just what kept her curiousity peaked, and that's what kept her writing and writing.

Lilia loved to be creative. She spent a lot of time writing in her journal. Sometimes it would be what happened that day, or maybe a curious dream she had, or even an idea for a story. Lilia's role model was Rita Skeeter. Even if she was a shady, kniving old woman, she was still a published writer, and had many dedicated followers. Lilia knew some day she would write for a great paper such as the daily prophet.

"Hello sweetheart." came his southern accent. Her eyebrows raised rather quickly. American eh? That was extraordinarily rare around Hogwarts. She ran her gaze over him quickly. Long blonde hair, kind of a rough exterior. She shook her head quickly as she realized she had been staring at him for quite a period of time.

"Oh uhm, is it alright if I sit against the tree here?" she asked, running her hand through her hair once more. She always had a nervous tick if she were around new people or in a new environment. Playing with her hair, laughing nervously, fiddling with a zipper. Sometimes she just couldn't quite help it.

[loekie]

The blonde smiled slightly as she gave him a once over before realizing she was staring. It was rather amusing. He was usually quick to figure people out, easily figured out what made them tick. He brushed some hair from his face before turning his attention back to the girl that was stood before him. He had not really paid much attention to her before. He mostly kept to himself at the castle. He was a loner… always had been and most likely always would be. It was just easier that way and kept him from getting to close to anyone. It was just something he had always tried to avoid. He knew his mother had had her concerns about it… but really that wasn’t important now was it? He had just been too busy with trying to protect his mother from his father. The man had had a quick and ferocious temper that had become more and more explosive over the years, especially when he had started drinking.

These thoughts were soon discarded though as this was not going to be doing any good “It’s a free country” he shrugged with a smile. The youngster opened the book he’d brought outside with him. He figured he might as well just try and see if he was going to be able to focus enough now. Tonight there was going to another party tonight in a discarded room of the castle. He figured the headmaster knew all about it, but just looked the other way… or perhaps he was too busy keeping the dark forces from the castle. It didn’t really matter now did it? As long as he could have some fun. First though he had detention to content with. Oh that Malfoy was going to suffer… oh yes he was. That boy just needed to be put in his place.

Ah well… he’d survive now wouldn’t he? He inhaled the last of his cigarette and discarded the butt having it magically disappear. Why did life always have to be so damn complicated? Was it really too much to ask for a bit of break? He just shrugged this off… enough of this wallowing in self-pity. It wouldn’t change anything and so it was useless.

[myxthumbelina]

"It's a free country,"

"Yes, well, that's debatable now isn't it??" she said, half-muttered as she shrugged her bag off of her shoulder and took a seat against the tree. She ran a hand through her hair before glancing over at the boy once more. He was reading as well. Something she most definitely did not expect.

Lilia was never really one to see the world as free. She always felt like there was just level after level of authority, looking down on you, watching you. Never letting you out of their site. Tracking your every move, because freedom just wasn't allowed. She never really had any respect for anyone above her, mostly becaue of her father. Her brow furrowed in anger at the thought of him.

After her first year at Hogwarts, when she had returned back to the train station in the muggle world, it wasn't her mother that had come to pick her up, but her grandmother and her four younger brothers. Her mother had finally found a way to get them out of their house, and her grandmother had more than willingly taken them into their house. That year, her summer had been filled with baking cookies, loving trips to the park, and plenty of alone time in her room, with no one barging in at any time.

As she cracked open her journal to start writing, she stopped suddenly. Running her hand over the beaten leather cover, she sighed heavily and began to flip through the pages. Almost every single detail of her life, dreams, and ideas had been written down in this journal at some point or another. She had always felt that writing was the easiest way to vent, rather than try to find that one person they could trust, who in the end they really couldn't trust at all. She looked over at the blonde boy once more.


"I'm Lilia," she said quickly, looking at the boy and extending her hand to him. "I forgot," she said, laughing shortly afterwards, followed by a short cough. She felt as though she were making a fool out of herself. Although, she got the vibe he really didn't care.

[loekie]

He could see it on her face… the surprise when she saw the book in his hand. He knew that most did not expect this… but it had even been his mother’s concern when he was little. Where most boy would be playing outside and go to the park run around and just have fun he would be locked in his room with a book. Even when she would take him to the park he would still chose to spend the time alone. She hadn’t understood but he just wasn’t a people person. He never had been, and never would be. People were just not to be trusted. He ran a hand through his hair. This was not the time, nor the place to think about these trivial matters. They were only going to make things even harder. He wanted to forget about what had happened over the years. He shook himself from this.

“Too true sweetness” he smiled agreeing.

“I’m James” he introduced himself following the girl’s example shaking her hand “So did I sweetheart “ he smiled as he glanced over watching her write into something… a journal most likely. He knew the little girl had one. It must be a girl thing…. He didn’t understand the documentation of one’s life. What was the point? But hey, if it helped these girls who was he to judge. He then turned back to his book to see if he could find the concentration again to make something of the story. He gave up soon and leaned his head against the tree closing his eyes. He was tired. He hadn’t been sleeping well the past few days… it may be the parties and late nights… it may be the recurring dreams… it didn’t really matter now did it? He looked up at the girl “So ditching classes as well sweetness?” he asked as he glanced around the vast grounds that surrounded the castle. He loved this place, he really, really did even if he was always getting in trouble.