t r o u b l e and p o t i o n s (OPEN)

[LYRA MAE WALKER]

A B A N D O F T H I E V E S I N R I P P E D U P J E A N S
g o t t o r u l e t h e w o r l d

[/b]

Lyra had decided to hide for the remainder of the day. Why? Because a third year had informed her that a rather angry looking Professor Snape was searching for her. That obviously meant she was in trouble, so she didn't really want to be found by him, hence the sudden fleeing to the Armour Gallery. She couldn't say she'd been in this particular part of the building often, and she guessed that hardly anybody had really. So it seemed like a perfect place to hide. She couldn't imagine anybody thinking she would be up here, so she had a limited chance of being caught and forced to partake in a months detentions (and that was if Snape was feeling charitable!). She had the odd idea that she knew exactly what he wanted her for (she'd failed terribly on the pop quiz he had sprung on her last lesson) and she knew she really didn't want to face him. Being told she'd failed, was even worse than knowing in her own mind. And she was certain he would find some particularly unpleasant task for her to complete during her detentions.

Of course, the dark haired girl knew she was going to have to face him at some point- but not today. And hopefully she'd be able to avoid him for the rest of the week, at least! She didn't have a potions lesson until then, anyway...Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair, exasperated with herself. Potions was the one thing she really struggled with, but she was too proud for ask for any help or tutoring off anyone. She didn't want to have to lower herself to that- especially being in Ravenclaw, and with some of the best marks in her year for transfiguration and charms. And being told that she wasn't good at something would almost kill her, she was sure. Failure was not an option for Lyra Walker. Failure was weakness, and in turn, weakness was for those who were too cowardly to do anything for themselves. She was the exact opposite- she loved standing up for people, and the arguments that ensued actually exhilarated her. It was odd, but it was something she almost lived for.

So here she was, finding herself sat in the corner of the armour room for no reason other than she was terrified of what Snape would have to say. She wasn't easily scared, but this was one thing that she could honestly say petrified her. Failure? No, thank you. Schoolwork was the one thing she actually excelled in, and she was damn well proud of the fact. For someone to take that all away with just a few words... she'd feel rather worthless, and she hated that feeling. It was what had driven her to depression the year previous, and what she never hoped to return to. However, she supposed there was one good thing out of failing. It would probably make her parents take notice- she usually passed everything, and with good marks too. To see a T on her work? It would certainly shock them... did she really want their attention, though? She rarely talked to them anymore, even when she was home, and to be perfectly frank, she didn't see the point in attempting to socialise with them. They cared only about themselves, and she was still wondering why they hadn't just given up and divorced yet. She wouldn't care which parent she lived with, as long as she was still able to attend Hogwarts, of course.

Hogwarts was somewhere she could feel secure and happy. She had her friends, some of whom acted as her family the majority of the time, and she had her work. Of course, she also had her broomstick- she loved flying. It was something she really enjoyed- just her, the broom and the air whipping past her face, and through her hair. It made her feel alive, something she hadn't felt in a while. But alas, she hadn't been able to fly so frequently over the last few weeks. What with her schoolwork and her studying, she had no real time to do anything. She hardly spoke to people these days. She just wanted to pass all her courses, and she acted as though it was the only thing on her mind, when it wasn't. Of course, it was one of her pritorites in life- but she thought about everything else, too. About her family, about everything that was going on in the wizarding world...

That was another thing she was beginning to fear. The dark lord and all the frightening things that were happening. Being a halfblood, she wasn't classed as good enough by some of the Purebloods attending the school, and she despised this. Sometimes, when she was in the mood for arguing and duelling, she tended to say things to them- insulting them for their arrogant beliefs. Getting a rise out of them was what she wanted. They felt they could torment so called 'mudbloods' and halfbloods, just because their blood was from two magical parents? She found it all a little ridiculous. She was just as good as them, better even. She excelled a lot of them in her spellwork, and she was a whole lot wittier than the majority of them, too. All they seemed to be able to say, was 'Watch it, mudblood'

[/b] or 'You're polluting the air I breathe'. Lyra found it pathetic, really. Who were they to state that she wasn't good enough, for the sake of her lineage?

Drawing her attention back to her current situation, the pale skinned girl sighed, and glanced around her. It was pretty boring in here, and she had no care for the armour on display. But she had to bare in mind the fact that it was a perfect hiding place, of course. That way, she thought she could deal with it. At least for a while. She guessed there were a few people in her house who would grass her up to Snape, just because she'd argued with them at some point, and so she didn't think risking the common room was a very clever idea. No, she could last here a little longer.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

tagged; open!
notes; hola
words;[/b] 1038
wearing; ravenclaw robes
credit; lyrics to taylor swift. everything else is mine <33[/size]

[LUKE JONATHAN LUPIN]

Luke was going somewhere. He didn't know where exactly, but he was walking aimlessly, allowing his limbs to carry him wherever they should wish to go. Today was a good day. He hadn't been bullied, no one had tried to walk all over him, and he was thinking less and less about Brianna. That was probably a good sign, considering how quickly she got over him, it was only healthy that he should start getting over her - or so he surmised. He knew that he probably never would fully, she was his first love, after all, and he couldn't exactly forget about her being trapped in the same castle with her; but she was a Ravenclaw and he was a Hufflepuff. Thankfully, he didn't have to see her in the common rooms and given that she was a year above him, he didn't really see her around in class; either. That was something that he was glad of. Because the few times he did see her around the castle his heart throbbed and he felt his pride shake. He hadn't known where it had all gone wrong, but her heart had clearly never been in the relationship. That was something that hurt. Much more than she would ever know.

Shrugging off these dismal thoughts, the Hufflepuff cheerfully walked down the halls. He was sick of feeling like a failure and being dismal all over a girl. A beautiful and intelligent girl none-the-less, but she wasn't the only pretty and smart girl in the world. It had hurt him, at first, that she had taken that piece of his soul so greedily without even caring what happened to him afterward - now he was just angry. Being the gentleman that he was, however, he would never seek her out to argue with her. That would be a rather base and immature thing to do. He wouldn't sink to that level no matter how furious he got. He wasn't going to be like every other man in the world simply allowing his anger to rule him in one moment and regretting the consequences later. It just wasn't wise.

He didn't know what exactly had gotten him into Hufflepuff rather than Ravenclaw.

Maybe it was because he didn't believe that man's greatest treasure was wit beyond measure. Sure, there were merits to being smart, and he appreciated his intellect. But loyalty and hardwork were equally important in life, without them one didn't have a job or friends. Without either, one could wither into a creature that no one would want to know. He felt as if that had already happened to some of the students of Hogwarts. A lot of the Slytherins, in particular. He didn't think most of them thought of their futures. It seemed as if they thought that the Dark Lord would have all the answers and they would simply be a Death Eater. Yes, servitude to a coward to kill those whom they thought were lower than them. Well, that was the life, wasn't it? He rolled his eyes. He really didn't see why a person's blood mattered. He had seen purebloods who could barely perform the most basic spell and muggleborns that excelled in magic. In fact, though the scenario could and sometimes did go vice versa, he had never seen a muggleborn witch or wizard who couldn't perform a basic spell.

Maybe that was telling.

Just because one had magic in one's blood it didn't mean that they would be a great wizard. It could mean that, but it didn't necessarily. Not to mention the haughtier and proudier the Death Eater - the weaker they looked in Luke's eyes. Mostly because as proud as they were, they didn't have any basis to back it up. They simply thought themselves larger than life and more wonderful than everyone else until they were knocked off their cloud nine. Even then, they seemed to make excuses. Their wand exploded or they didn't get enough sleep or they were surrounded by Aurors. Rolling his eyes, he ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. People were rather ridiculous, sometimes, and sometimes they grated even on his patient nerves. He sometimes didn't understand why people behaved in the manner in which they did.

The Hufflepuff finally made his way to nowhere in particular, looking around his surroundings. It seemed that he was in the armor gallery, a place where he never really frequented before. It was curious that he hadn't, as he knew most of the locales of the school like the back of his hand. Shrugging off this slight mystery, he hardly noticed the presence of another. He was too curious looking about. However, he suddenly felt himself collide with another figure. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," he apologized. "I was distracted by looking around here. I've never really been here before," he explained, wondering why he was even doing so. The person he knocked over probably really didn't care about that, and yet it had burst out of him as if it was some sordid confession that he had to get off his chest before he died or something. Talk about embarrassing and awkward.

Awkward seemed to define a lot of moments in Luke's life. It even seemed to define him, at times. Well, a lot of the time.

"Here, let me help you up," he said, offering his hand. He then realized that it was Lyra. "Hey, Lyra," he smiled. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you up here? It isn't exactly the most lively of places," he pointed out. He figured that a girl like her would be rather bored here. Even if she were a Ravenclaw, it didn't mean that she would enjoy something as tedious as researching all the armor that hung about the place. It didn't seem like a hang out, either. It wasn't somewhere one would go to meet someone unless they were meeting a lover or something. He felt an embarrassed flush cross his cheeks. Lyra didn't have a boyfriend that he knew of, but that didn't mean that she hadn't ascertained one since they had last spoken. "Sorry about that again. You're not meeting someone here, are you?" he asked, gently. He didn't want to come between her and a boyfriend, accidentally. He knew that he would never forgive himself for messing up her love life.

WORDS; I don't keep track.
TAG; lyra & open
MUSE; it's here
MUSIC; none
CREDIT; thavron @ caution

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[LYRA MAE WALKER]

A B A N D O F T H I E V E S I N R I P P E D U P J E A N S
g o t t o r u l e t h e w o r l d

[/b]

A flurry of thoughts were invading Lyra's head, and she hated it. She was constantly thinking of something- usually to do with school or her family life- and she really wished she had a switch that could just...shut it all down. Get rid of everything, leave her in peace, free to be happy for once in her life. Happiness was not something she associated with most of the thoughts that continuously flooded her, and that was something she greatly disliked. Couldn't she have any pleasant thoughts? Just one right now, to overshadow everything else... that would be good, she decided. It would be nice, a welcome break from the things that seemed to crush her, the things that she could never escape from, not even in her own head.

And with those thoughts she managed to now laugh- she sounded like a mental patient. If anyone could hear all those words... they'd think she was depressed. Again. She wasn't. She knew what it felt to be that down all the time, and this wasn't it. Usually she was in a good enough mood to socialize, and forget about everything for just a little while, but today she wasn't feeling it. And though it was partly to do with the impending doom that was sure to befall her, after she was finally found by Snape, it had a lot to do with other things, too. A letter from her younger sister, who had decided to stay at home this term, in the vain hope she could help her parents, had told her that her father had begun to drink heavily again. He had had a brief period of what seemed to be recovery- but there he was, back to his old ways again. But Lyra decided she didn't want to think about that. Not now, not ever. It was his is problem, her parents could deal with it. As selfish as it sounded, it was probably rather fair. Lyra had already had to deal with far too much, in her eyes, and she wasn't ready to take on even more.

But really, did the dark haired girl have anything else she could think about? Anything worth her time? All she seemed to do these days was study, study, study and worry. About her exams, about her parents, about how her sister was coping, about the few slytherins who decided to ridicule her daily, about the anger she felt... she didn't seem to be a fun person to be around, and that realization was rather upsetting. Sure, she had friends- who didn't- but maybe she'd been pushing them away lately. It was kind of what she did- closeness was one thing she couldn't allow. Closeness would make it harder when she lost the person. And she would lose them eventually. She always did- just like she'd lost her parents to their own self-pity, and her grandparents to their pureblooded pride. Everyone she was close her left her in the end- maybe not physically, but mentally. Lyra just supposed she wasn't worth sticking around for.

And she was fine with that. |Really. It was good for her, if she didn't get too close to people. Good for her if she didn't trust them. Trust ensured they'd know everything about her, which in turn meant they could use it against her. It would be a weakness in her defence.

Still. The girl could do with some friends right now, she supposed. Friends were meant to make people happy, right? They were meant to be there for her when she needed them- it was kind of like their job, or something. And she, in turn, would do the same. She would listen to them. Only she, herself, wasn't comfortable with telling anyone about her deepest thoughts, about the things that plagued her. It was the sort of thing she struggled with- intimacy. Nope, Lyra tried her very best to stay away from most kinds of intimacy. Except for with the few close friends she had. She wasn't a total outcast after all- she guessed there were a few people she would consider to be her best friends, even though she didn't really talk about herself when it came to those deep, meaningful kind of conversations.

Lost in her thoughts, she was unaware somebody had entered her current sanctuary- that was to say, at least until she felt a heavy weight hit her, making her fall backwards. "Ow."

[/color] Her first thought was that peeves had found her, but when she glanced up to see a boy she recognised, she breathed an almost audible sigh of relief. She'd been scared for a moment, thinking she'd been found, that she'd have to go to Snape straight away. She wasn't ready for all that drama, yet. "Oh, it's fine, really. I should have been looking where I was going."[/color] She glanced around the room, when he explained he'd never been there before, and shrugged. "I haven't either...it's not exactly the place to come and socialize, I suppose..."[/color] she attempted a smile, which came out looking half-hearted, even she could tell.

The dark haired girl grasped his hand, using it to pull herself up, and muttering a thank you, quite embarrassed that she hadn't been taking notice of anything. She was the observant type, and this was unlike her- to not notice the things that were happening. It made her feel rather stupid. She recognised the boy completely now- his name was Luke, and he was a very friendly kind of person, warm and caring. "I guess I just needed a break."[/color] she smiled easily, this time, more comfortable with the knowledge of who he was in her mind. "And you? Just...wandering about, I suppose?"[/color] She felt the need to wander a lot, and she couldn't really imagine any other reason why somebody would find themselves in this room. Other than hiding, of course.

Lyra's face burned slightly at his next comment. Really? He thought she could be meeting someone? She shook her head quickly, laughing rather nervously. "Oh, God no. I'm not... I mean, I don't really talk to anyone like that."[/color] Aware that she sounded like a bit of a loser- which she most certainly wasn't!- she groaned inwardly. She didn't want people thinking she was socially inept or something- she wasn't. She actually enjoyed socialising. When she was in the mood, of course. She was oddly happy that someone had found her, though- a conversation, however meaningless and small, could be exactly what she needed. Just somebody she could talk about normal things with. "You're not, right? Meeting anyone?"[/color] She didn't really like the idea of having to find somewhere else to hide, and so hoped that she was correct in her assumption that she wasn't. She was pretty sure he'd come out of something with a girl called Brianna, anyway, so meeting someone seemed out of the question. "I can leave if you are..."[/color]
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tagged; luke !
notes; hola
words;[/b] 1158
wearing; ravenclaw robes
credit; lyrics to taylor swift. everything else is mine <33[/size]

[LUKE JONATHAN LUPIN]

The dark haired boy brushed tufts of dark brown hair from his piercing blue eyes, gazing around his shoulders. He just had a feeling that someone might find him here, and he didn't want to be dealing with any unruly Slytherins or silly Gryffindor who wanted a laugh. He realized that it was quite peaceful up here in the armory, and he found it quite alluring. He now understood why someone might want to be there. There was no one to disrupt the peace so to speak, and the tranquil atmosphere was good for thinking if nothing else. But even that must have gotten boring at some point or another. While humans could be independent, they weren't made to be solitary creatures. They needed socialization. Yet Lyra might not have wanted that. She might have simply wanted to be alone.

The Hufflepuff boy didn't know if she wanted him here or not. It was impossible for him to read her, at the moment, and he hoped that she wasn't too upset with him for interrupting her solace. It could be another thing she wanted, just some peace and quiet. One was certain to find it here. After all, as far as he could tell it wouldn't be so special a place that anyone would try to throw a party or any other social gathering up here. The suits of armor could walk around, but they weren't doing so right now. They all remained still and quiet, like the calm before a storm. He just hoped that someone wasn't hiding behind one of them waiting to scare himself or Lyra simply for a laugh. That wouldn't be a very pleasurable experience yet it sounded like something a Slytherin might do. He told himself to calm down and not be so paranoid. He didn't want to freak Lyra out or make her think that there was something wrong with him. Well, other than the occasional throbbing of his heart strings, but that was to be expected - wasn't it?

He thought so.

But this wasn't all about him. He wasn't the only one with problems, nor was he going to try to implore anyone for sympathy. If they asked, he told them. But he didn't go right ahead and launch into stories about what had happened between him and Brianna simply because he was sick of people offering to punch her in the face or trying to smother him with affection. He knew that they meant well and they cared about his well being, but he didn't think either of those things would make him feel better right now. With the added pressure of his suckish Potions skills that needed mending before they got any worse, it was stressful. He didn't know how most people put up with the pressure of classes, being a prefect, and Quidditch on top of that not to mention personal problems. He could imagine that it was rather stressful and vexing, to say the least. He didn't know if he wouldn't cave under all of that pressure. He didn't handle stress all too well. It made him panic and freak out, and he oft felt bad for the people he might have flipped out on due to the fact that he was under so much strain.

He didn't know what was going on with Lyra, but she seemed to be going through a lot. Yet she wasn't one that talked about her problems frequently. Like some girls he was familiar with, she seemed to want to bottle up all her emotions inside and not let on to the pain or suffering that she was feeling. It was admirable, really, but destined to fail. It would always come out in one way or another. Exploding at someone that was close to them, starting a scuffle and then getting a detention in return. Nothing good could come from it, and yet they thought that they had to be so strong. They didn't realize that there was beauty in the breakdown and what was broken could be repaired again and made even stronger. He wished that they knew that. He wished that he could tell them all that, and they would all remember that for the rest of their lives. Yet he knew that was quite impossible, so he would be there for them when no one else could be.

No one deserved to be alone. Not even the most wretched person deserved to be in a world without friends.

"Well, if you're sure. I think I should have probably been paying attention to where I was going, too," Luke laughed. He was glad that she was all right. Not that he was arrogant enough to believe that him merely running into someone would hurt them, but he wasn't sure how hard he had hit the girl and how hard she might go flying. Thankfully, it wasn't near any windows so there wasn't the possibility of her being flung out one of the windows. He would have felt really bad if she had been.

"Likely not," Luke agreed, "but it does seem like a good place to go if you just want to sit and think about something." He smiled. He would have to come up here, sometimes, now that he knew how quiet it was. Though, knowing Hogwarts and all the bodies that inhabited the place - it couldn't always be quiet. He surmised he might have to scout it out and see which times were the quietest. He had no problem doing that. Well, if Peeves weren't there. If he called him 'loony loopy Lupin' one more time, he thought he might just hex the poltergeist. He wasn't sure if they were allowed to, but he would anyway. He was a pain the backside and really rather unnecessarily rude. He didn't understand what motivated Peeves to be such a thorn in people's side. He would understand if they were some annoying Slytherin who had disrupted Peeves' peace, but most of the time he went after innocent people and drove them completely batty for no reason simply other than the fact that he could. He didn't understand why the Professors put up with him, either.

Her smile was half-hearted, and he wondered if that meant that she didn't want him there. Well, that was embarrassing, if that were the case. He couldn't just evaporate into the floor, no matter how many times he may have wished it in the past. She smiled again, but this time it was an actual smile, and she seemed much more comfortable. This put Luke at ease. He never liked irritating people even accidentally, so it came as a relief that Lyra didn't mind his presence there, at the time. "Oh, I see. I know what you mean what with classes and personal problems, it can get quite stressful. I don't know how some people juggle all that and prefect duties along with Quidditch. I think I would worry myself sick if I had all the responsibility on my shoulders," he admitted. "So I guess I should be thankful that I don't. I mean, after all, I have more important places to be than the loo," he joked. "Yeah, I was just walking about, taking a break from studying and coursework. I didn't feel like going out on the grounds, though."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. It just crossed my mind that this place could be a secret meeting place for people, being as quiet as it is," he mumbled, feeling quite ashamed that he had made such a stupid mistake. "No, no, don't go. I'm not meeting anyone, either. Not yet, at least. Brianna's still on my mind, but it's clear that she's moved on all ready." He cleared his throat. He really didn't want to discuss his ex-girlfriend further. When he had been with her, he couldn't see her flaws, but now that they were split up - they came out in a glaringly obvious fashion. She was arrogant, self-absorbed, and controlling. He could never be with someone like that in the long run no matter how lovely and intelligent they were. He couldn't believe that Brianna had played him for her fool. He was ashamed of himself. "Not to mention, you're a pretty girl," he added, feeling a blush creep up on his features. He didn't like her like that, but it was the truth. She may have gotten the wrong impression with his blushing, though. Ah well, if she got that opinion, he could always set her straight. Hopefully, however, she would discern that he was merely shy and had embarrassed himself. Because he knew that he would end up blushing even more if she thought that he liked her in that way. Not that there was anything wrong with liking Lyra in that regard, but he didn't. She was beautiful, but she was simply his friend.

WORDS; I don't keep track.
TAG; lyra & open
MUSE; it's here
MUSIC; none
CREDIT; thavron @ caution

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[LYRA MAE WALKER]

A B A N D O F T H I E V E S I N R I P P E D U P J E A N S
g o t t o r u l e t h e w o r l d

[/b]

The slight disturbance in the peace and quiet that Luke had interrupted was no annoyance to Lyra. Really, it was a welcome surprise. Peace and quiet was one of those things that you could have too much off. It took away all distractions, and while that could be a good thing, it was bad for her current situation. It just gave her more time to ponder over her problems, when all she really wanted to do was forget them. Run and hide. That was just the way she was, the way she handled things like this. She ran from them, until she found a place of security. She was like her parents in that sense, she believed, considering her father seemed to be in work a lot, her mother locked in her room... the 'pretend-it-doesn't-exist' approach seemed to run in the family, then. Problems were ignored, and shoved under the carpet, until somebody managed to unleash them again. And that was the worst part, because then they all had to be dealt with at the same time. Lyra knew she should take care of everything that was bothering her, but sometimes she felt it was best to just leave things as they were, and try, at least, to forget them.

At least Luke seemed to be mostly happy. Though that, of course, could just be his mask... after all, his break-up with Brianna had to have hit him hard, Lyra guessed. But she wasn't going to say anything. What was the point? It was just bringing up something he most likely wanted to forget, and she wasn't going to do that. She knew she'd hate it if somebody did that to her. Plus, from what she'd seen, he'd already been smothered with apologies, and 'she's a bitch, anyway's. She doubted he wanted anymore of that- sometimes sympathy just became too much. Lyra knew she wouldn't want to be pitied, so pity was something she didn't feel for Luke. Of course, she felt sorry- if he was hurting, then she had to be sorry- but he didn't need to know that, right? Hopefully he'd just sense it, anyway.

Snape would have given up the search for her till the morning now, surely? Lyra couldn't imagine he'd waste his time for that long- especially since she was positive most of the students he questioned would say they hadn't seen her. She had quite a temper on her, and getting on her bad side? Most people didn't want that. Except for those who deliberately aggravated her, just for a kick. She didn't mind, really. Arguments with people she disliked exhilarated her, in an odd sense. Gave her something to do, and something else to think about. It gave her a chance to put all her negative energies into using them against somebody who deserved it (most of the people she argued with were arrogant Slytherins, anyway). But even if Snape was still looking for her, she decided she'd stay up here for a while. It was... nice.

She wanted to talk to Luke, actually. Not about her feelings or her thoughts or any of that... it was just nice to talk to somebody. Someone who didn't want anything off of her, and someone who wasn't looking for a fight. It was pleasant, at least. Just another one of those things that removed the bad thoughts from her head. Talking about things like that just wasn't her style. Keeping them inside, and acting as though they'd go away? Definitely her. A few weeks from now, maybe even days, and she knew she'd have a bad day where everything would just come out, and she'd yell at everybody, and take her frustration out on some unfortunate Slytherin, and then everything would go back to normal for at least a month. That was her cycle, and the people she knew in the common room tended to stay away from her at that point, and not take anything to heart. She'd apologise, of course, because she didn't purposely like to make people feel bad, if they didn't deserve it.

Her companion's voice brought her out of her own mind once again, and she laughed a little at his words. He was speaking sense, she supposed, as she glanced around the room at the armour. It actually wasn't that bad in here, really. It boring- until the armour would come alive, of course- but it was the nice kind of boring. The boring that people needed for peace. She made a note in her mind to come here again, when she was feeling like this. It seemed a good place to just stew over things, and that way she'd be away from people, with no danger of insulting them.

"Definitely. I guess I'd come here again, just to do exactly that- think. Though it'd probably be a lot more hectic if the armour was moving around, or if peeves was up to his usual business."

[/color] Peeves was one of those constant nuisances. He was always around, and giving students that paranoia of being played a prank on. She had the idea that the only reason the teachers allowed him to stay, was because Dumbledore had decided it was Peeves home- he had the right to stay. That didn't stop the poltergeist being aggravating, though. Lyra would most definitely like to practice all her worst hexes on him sometime- he was the best thing, after a particularly aggravating Slytherin.

She smiled then, pleased that Luke could understand where she was coming from, with her 'needed a break' excuse. School work was getting on top of her lately- especially her potions- and she was studying harder than ever. She knew the exams were a while off yet, but she still decided she needed all the help she could get, even in the subjects she was really good at. At least she believed she could pass Charms and Transfiguration with flying colors- they were easily her favourites, and she excelled in them. Herbology was one of those things she found quite boring, but she was good at. Still, she needed so study and she knew it. "Exactly! Sometimes I just need to forget about the school work for a while. I mean, I shouldn't be constantly studying, right? I'd probably end up hexing myself, from frustration."[/color] she chuckled a little, shaking her head slowly at herself. "I could never be a prefect on top of it all... I'd be so tired all of the time."[/color] She was tired enough as it was- the thought of more work and responsibility made her shudder outwardly. "Yeah, there's always lots of students out in the grounds. Not many places for some peace, I guess."[/color]

"Ah... right, it's fine. It's easy to come to that conclusion, really."[/color] Lyra reasoned that the place was very quiet, and tranquil. Exactly the right place for some kind of secret meeting between a couple. It could be cute, actually. Not that she'd know anything about that, of course. She nodded as he said he wasn't there to meet anyone, and then frowned at the Brianna thing. She didn't want to sound patronising or anything, and didn't want to dwell on it so much- she thought he'd probably appreciate it. "I'm sure you've heard enough sympathy, but... well, that sucks."[/color] She tried to sum it up in a few words, with the belief she had done well (hopefully- she didn't want to upset him). She knew she'd be upset if she'd had a relationship like that, that had ended so badly (well, she guessed it had, as she had no real clue- she tended not to listen to the school gossip too much, since most of it was just rumour). His next words were a bit of a shock, and her eyes widened slightly. She wasn't used to being complimented, and although she knew he was just trying to be friendly, it felt good, instead of being criticised for something. "Well, thank you. I appreciate it."[/color] she was genuine, as she could feel her cheeks reddening a little. She really wasn't used to compliments, and she'd never honestly classed herself as remotely pretty. It was nice to have a friend who was that sweet, she decided. "You're not too bad yourself, you know?"[/color] she teased, her tone playful. He was attractive, but she knew their feelings were strictly platonic.
[/blockquote][/blockquote]

tagged; luke !
notes; hola
words;[/b] 1399
wearing; ravenclaw robes
credit; lyrics to taylor swift. everything else is mine <33[/size]

[LUKE JONATHAN LUPIN]

Luke, unlike Lyra, didn't like confrontations. To him, they weren't exhilirating in the least. They just lead to bickering and awkward situations, afterward. Not to mention if it went too far, it could lead to a detention. He remembered once in his second year, some seventh year had gotten into a fight with another sixth year because the sixth year was dating the seventh year's ex-girlfriend. It was pretty brutal. He remembered that the sixth year knocked the seventh year's tooth out and the seventh year gave the sixth year a black eye. Not to mention there were people on both sides that threw themselves into the fray for no apparent reason other than the fact they liked the carnage it brought. Luke remembered how he had avoided it all, slipping past the argument to make his way to his History of Magic class. Some girl that was already present was trying to tell the teacher what had happened, but he wasn't paying any attention to her. He never knew what happened at the end of the fight. Neither party was expelled, but he was certain that they had to have had at least a month's worth of detentions.

He, being the intuitive sort, could feel that Lyra was sorry, but she didn't want to bring up the topic of Brianna. That was fine by him, and he really appreciated that. He didn't know how much more sympathy he could take. He knew that his friends and peers meant well, but too much sympathy was just stifling and constricting and made one want to jump off the side of the building, even if they weren't suicidal. Sighing heavily, Luke combed tresses of brown hair from his blue eyes. It was nice being around someone who understood or attempted to understand him. It was a refreshing change from the people who tried to make his decisions for him because they thought he was too shy to do it, himself. He knew that he could sometimes be rather indecisive, but that was no reason that people had to answer for him. He felt embarrassed when that happened, but he was too much a gentleman to say anything about it. He knew that perhaps he should, but he didn't want to drive anyone away or annoy them.

Especially when they were just trying to help.

But, sometimes, he just wanted to scream at people that they were being too comforting. He liked a warm embrace from a friend as much as the next person, but pity was something that made him feel queasy. Truth be told he would rather be hated than pitied. At least then people weren't constantly coming up to you, hugging you or trying to make you smile. He was thankful for the empathy, he just didn't want to be smothered in affection. That was something that all women seemed to want to do. They wanted to wipe away your tears, they wanted to hold your hand, they wanted to run their hands through your hair, they wanted to kiss you, they wanted to embrace you. . . Luke was thankful that Lyra wasn't like so many of the other girls he knew. Not that he didn't like any of those aforementioned things, but in excess they were just plain annoying. Though, he knew that he would never ever in his life be able to tell a girl that. That just wasn't the way he was.

It wasn't in his nature to argue. He was a pacifist that much preferred peace and tranquility, and solving things peacefully rather than using war. However, he knew that sometimes it was an option that one had to resort to. Particularly in the current state of their world, where the Death Eaters were killing and maiming people simply so they could rule the Wizarding World. He hoped that he was never alive when a day like that happened because he didn't know what he would do if he had to be on the run for ages without any glimmer of hope to hold onto. Shoving that rather scary thought aside, he looked about them. He might have seemed paranoid, but he really didn't want Peeves to come by and interrupt this peaceful setting. It would be like Peeves to disrupt something so serene and nice.

Luke wondered what had made Lyra come up here in the first place. She hadn't really said, so he wasn't about to press the subject. He knew how irritable he got when people nagged him or tried to press matters entirely too far. He could never stand people that were so intense and so nosy. He didn't mind the occasional question or two, but when one kept asking the same question demanding an answer, he just found that to be quite vexing. It was a pet peeve of his. Clearly, if he hadn't answered the question, he wasn't deaf, he just didn't want to answer and he didn't have to. Unless, of course, that person was a Professor. Then he would have to say something or else risk getting a detention, and he wasn't about to do that.

"Yes, that would be rather hectic and noisy, I suspect. Don't even get me started on that stupid poltergeist," he sighed. "On my way to Potions this week he insisted on ripping my bag, making me drop all my things, nearly making me late for Snape's class and you know what Snape is like. To top it off he insisted upon calling me 'loony loopy Lupin'." He shook his head. He honestly didn't understand why Dumbledore couldn't just expell the poltergeist from Hogwarts. He did more harm than good - in fact, he couldn't remember Peeves doing anything remotely helpful for anyone. He wouldn't be surprised if that scenario had never happened. He shook his head once more. He really didn't understand why Peeves stayed at Hogwarts, anyway. Why not invade the Ministry and call them the Ministry of Morons? Or why not go to where the Death Eaters were and throw ink wells at their heads. Now that would be something helpful, not to mention entertaining.

Luke grinned, pleased that she was pleased. He always liked making people happy, and he liked it even more when they smiled. There was just something so contagious about a person's positive or negative energy, and it was a relieving sensations when it was joy. That was always something good to cleave to especially when things started getting difficult. Being in his fifth year, there was more pressure on him to decide his future. He really wasn't certain what he wanted to do. There was a part of him that thought that this tremendous pressure wasn't good for his upcoming exams, yet he knew the Professor's pushed them mostly so they could help them with their futures. Some Professors simply did it for their own sadistic sense of humor, he was certain . . . One greasy haired Professor came to mind when he made that assertion. He glared at a suit of armor directly in front of him as if it were Snape, itself. "I wouldn't blame you. I get that our O.W.L.'s are coming up, but some Professors are just riding our butts hard for no reason, and I really would like to hex them. Except that wouldn't come to much good," he admitted, with a small toss of his shoulders. "I just don't understand why people take on so much. Then they wonder why they are so susceptible to getting sick." He sighed. "Always lots of students on the grounds. It's quite surprising. You would think more of them would like to do their homework indoors, but I can never be fully alone any time I venture out there. Sometimes, I try, but as soon as you get two seconds to yourself - well, someone has to march out and ruin your solitude."

"Yeah, I suppose so." It was easy to come to that conclusion? Well, maybe he was a bit daft if any common wizard could come up with that conclusion. He really felt like banging his head against the wall now. Fortunately, his common sense kicked in and told him not to. "Thanks," he nodded. The Hufflepuff had heard enough sympathy from others, but he was grateful for how terse Lyra was about it. She wasn't droning on incessantly about it, and he could really come to appreciate that fact. Smiling, Luke ran a hand through his hair, realizing that this was quickly turning into a habit if it hadn't already been one. "You're welcome. Ha ha, now you're just being nice. I'm not that good looking." Well, in Luke's eyes he wasn't. Though, people were constantly telling him that he was cute, he was certain they were only doing so because they were his friends.

WORDS; I don't keep track.
TAG; lyra & open
MUSE; it's here
MUSIC; none
CREDIT; thavron @ caution

[/blockquote][/center]

[LYRA MAE WALKER]

A B A N D O F T H I E V E S I N R I P P E D U P J E A N S
g o t t o r u l e t h e w o r l d

[/b]

Lyra could understand the apprehension most people felt when it came to arguing and fighting. Nothing good came out of it- except for, maybe, a sense of smugness for her when knocked some Slytherin in their place- but at the same time, it was something that just seemed to run in her blood. She couldn't help herself a lot of the time- she wasn't a nasty girl, or a bully, and she'd never intentionally start an argument with somebody who didn't deserve it. But some Slytherin beating up on a third year Hufflepuff? Or running his mouth off about mudbloods being useless and worthless? It was something Lyra just couldn't handle. Really, she sometimes thought she would have been sorted into Gryffindor, had she not been blessed with her brains. She just didn't like people picking on those who couldn't stand up for themselves, or just generally being unpleasant towards people. So she felt it was her place to stand up to them, because she was able to- usually the 'fights' were duels, because people were more comfortable with hexing her, than beating her up. Which was only natural, given she was 5 foot nothing, weighing a measly seven and a half stone, with a slight figure. She didn't cause much harm when it came to physical blows.

The majority of the time she didn't get into much trouble, because she and whoever she was arguing with at that particular time both agreed silently to keep it between themselves as best they could. That way they could both keep out of trouble, whilst still aggravating each other. Really, Lyra found it all fun. Some of the arguments and duels she had weren't even real- they didn't feel real hatred or dislike for each other, and nasty but playful comments were made. Whilst they never really spoke to each other pleasantly, they both understood the others need for an argument at times. One of Lyra's priorities at times was getting her mind off of the things she didn't want to think about. Arguing with annoying people seemed to help that. Of course, people probably though she was a troublemaker, or something. But anybody who was running their mouth off about someone else in an attempt to hurt them? They deserved to have someone like her there to hex them. Plus, seeing some Slytherin's face turn red as she hurled an insult at them? It was worth seeing.

She clearly wasn't like most girls. Most of the girls she knew tended to want to stay out anything that was remotely dangerous. Of course, she enjoyed being around girls (moreso than boys, because she felt more comfortable around them, and being a normal girl (well, as normal a girl as a witch could be) and having normal girly conversations was something she looked forward to. But she liked adventure, and though she had a few close friends who stood by her, and who would enter the unknown gladly with her, there were a lot of girls she knew who seemed to just want to talk about boys, boys, boys. It was rather annoying, though, of course, she joined into those conversations often enough. Lyra thrived on the sense of danger, and adventure and exhilaration, and there were too many people that just didn't seem to get that about her. The fact that the danger could end up getting her into trouble didn't bother her too much. After all- what was life without a little excitement? Detentions just proved to herself that she wasn't just some know-it-all loser.

As much as Lyra hated to admit it, she was just like everybody else in the sense that she cared what other people thought about her. Despite her outgoing nature with the people she knew, and the way she stood up to the people she disliked, she liked to keep herself to herself when someone didn't come into either of those categories. Making new enemies? She was excellent at it. Making new friends? Call her shy, and let her stammer. In conversation with those she didn't know in anyway, she tended to become shy, which was uncharacteristically like her, and she had a few nervous habits that tended to come into play at times like that. A lot of the people at the school either had the idea she was a bitch, a know-it-all, or just a loser in general. Which wasn't particularly pleasant for her.

But she liked to pretend she could suck it up, and pretend she didn't give a damn what anybody wanted to think about her. In reality- it meant a lot.

"Well, that certainly isn't very nice. I don't think you're loony, or loopy"

[/color] Lyra grinned slightly, though she felt sorry about the Peeves thing. He was a right nuisance, and if she could kick him out of Hogwarts herself she would. Unfortunately, she assumed she'd be in a lot of trouble if she did- that was if she could even find a way to make it happen. But really, the idea of a peeves free Hogwarts? Every student in the place would welcome it, she knew. He constantly made things difficult for people, by jamming chewing gum in key holes, and throwing things at people's heads when they were trying to study. She didn't see the point in him, at all. He was a useless, annoying little twit. She wasn't even sure he had any good points at all. "Yesterday he was in the library, annoying the students who were reading... but Madam Pince sorted him out."[/color] the librarian was an intimidating figure, and she'd sent Peeves on his way.

Lyra was glad that she and Luke had managed to stumble across the armour room at, more or less, the same time, because as much as she'd believed she'd wanted peace, this turn of events was welcome to her. He was one of those people she found it easy to get along with, and he didn't push when she didn't want to be pushed. Plus, she had the odd idea that they were on the same wavelength a lot of the time, which was nice to say the least. It was lovely having friends like him around her when she needed them most, because they could take her mind off anything. "It would be nice if the professors weren't so tough. We all know the OWL's are coming up, and the majority of us are studying anyway, right?"[/color] It aggravated her that some of the teachers felt it was appropriate to make their lives a living hell. She knew how important these exams were. "I would definitely prefer to do my work indoors- it's usually too loud out there, and you can always find somewhere quiet to work within the castle walls, I find."[/color]

Glancing around the room absent-mindedly, Lyra wondered when exactly the armour tended to move around. Maybe there were... sleeping or something? It sounded stupid, but this was Hogwarts- stupid ideas made sense here. She smiled at Luke, to acknowledge his words, before frowning. "No, no, really. I think you're good looking."[/color] She knew what it was like to not think you were attractive, but she believed he was, anyway. "I think so, and that's all that matters, right?"[/color] she teased lightly, laughing at her own words. Joking around was another thing she found easy to do, especially with the friends she felt closest to. "Is there any interesting news flying around the school?"[/color] the dark haired girl knew it seemed like a random question and she frowned at herself. "I mean, I've been studying a lot lately, and not paying attention to anything else. I wonder if I've missed out on anything important?"[/color] It was something that would happen to her, as when she was studying she paid attention to little else.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

tagged; luke !
notes; sorry this is a bit rambly :c
words;[/b] 1306
wearing; ravenclaw robes
credit; lyrics to taylor swift. everything else is mine <33[/size]

[LUKE JONATHAN LUPIN]

Luke sometimes wished that this were all a dream that he could awaken from, and when he rose he could be some noble, brave knight in shining armor winning the heart of every girl he should have ever desired. He rolled his eyes, but reality didn't work like that. It liked to smack you upside the head for no reason, at all, and force you to witness things one rather not see, it forced one to sometimes face their fears, and made the bad memories play in one's head like a never ending movie reel. He just wanted it all to stop sometimes. He wanted his mind to simply shut off or shut up for once, and feel peace and weightlessness. However, when he told someone this before they had thought he was suicidal. That hadn't been the case, at all, he simply wanted to feel free again. He didn't know when he stopped feeling free, but he knew he felt stifled in the castle. He just wanted to run around like a wild animal, sometimes, without the pressure of exams and people's expectations falling upon his shoulders. He honestly didn't know how overachievers did it all. It was vexing and taxing, to say the very least.

But what did it matter? He no longer had to worry about his overachiever. Correction: what had been his overachieving ex-girlfriend. It was over now, and nothing would change that.

As much as he would like to change it, he recognized that it wasn't going to change. Brianna was too set in her ways and he was just the man she played like a violin. He felt like such a dolt for allowing it to happen. He should have known better. Why in Merlin's name had he proposed to her? He didn't know what prompted it except that he loved her and wanted forever with her. Age shouldn't have mattered when it came to love, but everyone seemed to have ideas about when one should get engaged or married. It was really obnoxious, should one ask him for his honest opinion. If someone loved someone else, what should it matter what age they were? Sighing heavily, he ran his hands through his long dark hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a suit of armor shift slightly. He hoped that they didn't all wake up and start trying to attack both himself and Lyra. It would be a little awkward fighting with a suit of armor.

But it would make for a nice story.

If anyone believed him, that was. Privately, he thought that the suits of armor would be charmed not to harm anyone except intruders to Hogwarts, but who knew? Maybe they had their own personalities. It wasn't that hard to believe. Even animals in the Wizarding World seemed to have defined emotions. It wouldn't be so hard to believe that suits of armors had minds of their own, too. Though, he hoped if any of them woke up they wouldn't be in the mind to fight with himself or Lyra. Because, really, how could one defend themselves from a suit of armor? Brute force would only result in broken and bloody knuckles, spell work would simply bounce off of them unless you aimed in the right position, and talking to an inanimate object that had a shield and sword likely wouldn't do any good. He just hoped that he was never put on the spot and forced to do that which he dreaded.

Luke hoped that Peeves or some idiotic Slytherin didn't wander up here. He didn't want to deal with the likes of either. In the case of Peeves, they would probably have to run off, covering their heads, hoping nothing exploded behind or above them - whilst listening to his evil cackle which grated on Luke's nerves quite readily. He wasn't exactly the type of person that liked being pranked. Especially not by a poltergeist. He also didn't want to listen to some blood purist complain about his or Lyra's bloodline in some drawling voice. It seemed that most Slytherins were the same. They had as little regard for people as they did rules, and they would say something simply to provoke one into fighting. Luke resisted that urge. He was more a lover than a fighter, and only fought when there was no other alternative. He was a pacifist. He would rather there be no argument to begin with, but he also knew that sometimes that wasn't always possible. Some people were insistent upon using their fists or their wand to solve their problems which was more than a bit annoying.

"Not particularly," Luke agreed, in Lyra's response to that not being nice. The Hufflepuff also nodded in agreement. "Well, thank you, it's nice to have your vote of confidence. I don't particularly find myself loony or loopy, either. But it's hard to say when one cannot observe themselves with somene else's eyes." Luke merely shook his head when Lyra told him what Peeves had been doing the previous day. "Thank goodness Madam Pince was there. If not Merlin only knows what would have happened. I remember being in the library once and Peeves decided it would be hilarious to throw ink wells at people's head. Some people had ink in their ears for at least a week. Fortunately, I wasn't sitting at the time, I was looking for books so he left me alone." He didn't know why Dumbledore put up with Peeves. He knew that if he were Headmaster, he would have thrown Peeves out eons ago. It seemed like the only decision that would be wise.

However, Dumbledore didn't think the other way that people did, and if he thought Peeves should stay - well, maybe he had a good reason for it. Luke, however, still didn't understand what that possibly could be, but the Lupin boy had stopped trying to figure out Dumbledore's thought process eons ago. He seemed to have a lot of unique ideas that the Hufflepuff didn't necessarily always agree with. "It would be, but it wouldn't be Hogwarts if some of the Professor's weren't like that. I don't think Snape would turn down any excuse to be more of an arse than he usually is," Luke muttered, rolling his eyes. Potions wasn't his strong point, but he was certain that Snape's snide comments didn't help matters any, either. "Yeah, I expect so, unless you're totally dense and don't care what you get on your O.W.L.'s like some people." He shrugged. "Yeah, I would think it would be too hard to do homework out there, especially considering how oft it rains, but Merlin only knows the thought processes of some of the people here." And Merlin knew that Luke didn't even want to understand the thought processes of some of the students at Hogwarts. In fact, in some cases, he wasn't entirely certain that all of the students had a thought process, even.

"If you say so. I'm no Gilderoy Lockhart or anything," he snorted. Most girls and women, he knew, adored Gilderoy Lockhart for his blonde hair, dazzling smile, and eccentric taste in robes. He tried hard not to roll his eyes at these thoughts. The Hufflepuff grinned. "But thank you none-the-less. I'm glad someone thinks so." Because I sure don't. he added, in his mind. "Yes, that's all that matters. The world should cease what it's doing and focus on the fact that Lyra thinks so," he teased. He laughed. He didn't know how long ago he had felt so good without Brianna. It seemed like years. It was a refreshing change from moping about the castle, for once. "You haven't missed anything big, well, there was a dueling club - but it's not a manditory class, and I think you can come and go as you like. Other than that, not really. The Slytherins are still pricks, Snape still has something dead up his arse, and the teacher's are assigning more homework than necessary. I'm pretty sure you knew that last fact, though, what with all your studying," he said, with a small smile.

WORDS; I don't keep track.
TAG; lyra & open
MUSE; it's here
MUSIC; none
CREDIT; thavron @ caution

[/blockquote][/center]

[LYRA MAE WALKER]

A B A N D O F T H I E V E S I N R I P P E D U P J E A N S
g o t t o r u l e t h e w o r l d

[/b]

As bad as Lyra felt for Luke, about the Brianna thing, she couldn't really sympathise. She wasn't exactly... experienced in the romance department. Embarrassingly, she'd never been in a relationship. She'd had a few week-long flings, that weren't classed as anything serious in anyway, and that was the extent of her love life. It wasn't something she really liked to flaunt, of course- she just let people assume what they wished. And assume they did. She'd heard a few rumours about herself in her time at hogwarts. Apparently, some people seemed to believe she was anything but virginal. Which, actually, she was rather offended about. If that was really what people thought of her... she dreaded to think what other things they were saying behind her back. She was as sweet as they came, but boys seemed to have little to no interest in her, as anything but a friend. Which sucked, to be frank. But she supposed it had good points- this way she wasn't distracted by anything and could focus completely on her school work.

And, she supposed, relationships probably weren't all they were cracked up to be. Many couple's seemed to argue constantly, and that didn't seem like much fun to her- especially when she had plenty of people to argue with anyway. Considering her temper and bluntness, she figured anyone she was with would have to be patient enough to deal with all that- and, really, where was she going to find someone who fit that criteria? She doubted there was anyone in the world who would be able to put up with her mood swings, and constant moaning. And, many people who were in relationships seemed to dislike it because they weren't free. She loved her freedom- she wouldn't want somebody constantly checking up on her, or telling her she couldn't do something, or wanting every second of her time. It would be something she couldn't deal with, she decided.

But a small part of her brain was telling her it would be nice to have someone who cared about her like that.

Lyra tried to push that little (annoying) thought straight out of her head. She was fine with the way things were at the moment (well, minus her family problems, her failing potions grades, and everything else that was wrong with her life) and she didn't need any boy to come along and mess that up for her. She was supposed to be studying for her upcoming OWL's, not worrying because she didn't have a boyfriend. Jeez, she was beginning to sound like a right air-headed girl... it just wasn't right. She was intelligent enough to know that she didn't need nor want a boy right now, because her number one priority was school. School, school, school. She didn't need someone to come and distract her from all of her work now, did she? She was fine with the way things were. Really.

Which gave her no real reason to sigh sadly, as she just did. Or to suddenly start feeling sorry for herself, as she could feel the familiar knot of insecurity and worry turning in her stomach. Well, this sucked. She hadn't wanted to think about anything like this- she just wanted to be happy right now, and it seemed her brain wanted everything but happiness for her. It just seemed to want her to think about everything she wanted to forget, and ignore. There really didn't seem to be anything the dark haired girl could think about, without it leading off onto another thought that was sad and depressing. She really didn't want to be in her own mind right now, wishing she could trade with someone else. Someone who was a lot happier...Lyra rolled her eyes at herself outwardly, realizing she probably looked rather insane, with all these sad, and/or frustrated gestures she was making to herself.

"I think he should call you Lovely Lupin, instead. It sounds a lot nicer (and more truthful!) than the awful name he uses... he's a nuisance, isn't he?"

[/color] That was probably an understatement. Peeves was horrible, most of the time, helpful none of the time, and mean all the time. He had no real good points, and so the reasons to keeping him at Hogwarts were beyond Lyra. Sure, if he was particularly smart in anyway, she could bare him being around. But he didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities whatsoever. "Something must have happened to him to make him so mean and aggravating... maybe he needs some sort of Poltergeist counselling..."[/color] She giggled a little. "I've thrown a few well-aimed hexes at him in the past, for attempting to throw ink wells at my head. He's terrible, really...I think he should just be thrown out of the castle."[/color]

Lyra's mind turned, again, to the teachers who were working them rather hard. She realized it was all in their best interest, but she'd wish they didn't feel the need to remind her constantly about the OWL's. She was Lyra Walker- they should know by now that she'd had the dates written down in her calender for months. It wasn't something she'd forget easily, and she wasn't going to not try. She was probably one of the hardest working fifth years there was, when it came to exams. "That's true... and I suppose they're only trying to help us... but yes. Some professors seem to think it's their job to make our lives a living hell."[/color] Snape came to her mind, too, and she shuddered, remembering why she was in this room again. "I can't imagine not caring about the OWL's... I worry about them a lot."[/color] She admitted, but that was possible just because she was a Ravenclaw- they tended to care about their grades moreso, just because of the expectations pushed on them. "I prefer to work in the common room or library- then, at least, there's little chance of damaging the homework in anyway."[/color] If she did it outside she knew she'd probably end up caught in the rain, and regretting her decision to study in the grounds.

The dark haired girl was almost horrified at the Gilderoy Lockhart comment. "Thank God you aren't him- he's one of the most infuriating wizards of all time. He's a fake, and I have more intelligence in my little finger, than he does in his whole body."[/color] He'd been a terrible defence against the dark arts teacher, and even if he'd been smart she'd have found no pleasure in his appearance. He was too much of a... 'pretty boy', for want of a better term. She grinned, then. "It's true, for I am always right. If people just saw everything the way I did, the world would be a much better place, thank you very much."[/color] She was only half-joking... she did think rather highly of her own opinions, which could make her come across as arrogant at some times. "Maybe I should go to the duelling class at some point... is it fun? It sounds like it'd be fun. And of course, if any Slytherins' attend, I'm not one to miss a chance of hexing them..."[/color] She giggled a little, before rolling her eyes at his next statment. "So basically everything's the same...I really think Snape should have a personality change. So should half of the Slytherins, actually"[/color]
[/blockquote][/blockquote]

tagged; luke !
notes; sorry for the delay!
words;[/b] 1227
wearing; ravenclaw robes
credit; lyrics to taylor swift. everything else is mine <33[/size]

[LUKE JONATHAN LUPIN]

Luke didn't really want to dwell on the whole Brianna situation. After all, if he did, he might go from feeling good to a round about circle that face planted him back in depression. That really wasn't something that the Hufflepuff wanted to happen. Plus, there were plenty of other fish in the sea. Sure, the sting of losing her would hurt every now and again, but he knew that it was time to move on. Clearly, she wasn't going to wait for him - in fact, she had ended it. Instead of just telling him to wait or that maybe they needed a break, she had just ended it with as much sensitivity as an axe. But he knew it wasn't in Brianna's nature to sugar coat things. He just wished that for once she could have spared him. For once, she could have just been honest with him. He had loved her, and he hadn't been the only one to purpose to someone at a young age. Yet he was rejected, and it was the worst feeling in the world - to know that you were hopelessly in love with someone who wouldn't or couldn't return those feelings back. He just wanted to smash his head into the wall, and pretend that everything was slipping out of focus, simply to con those feelings into going away. He sincerely doubted that would help, though.

He told himself that he wouldn't think of her today, so why was she the only thing on his mind, right now? He would have to rectify that.

Being in love wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Sure, it felt good when one first started. It was like that honeymoon stage - nobody or anything could come between the happiness and bliss you felt simply being in the mere presence of the one you chose to date. Then when it was over, one felt shattered like a million shards of glass scattered upon the floor, just laying there to cut the rest of a person up when they least suspected it. It was dangerous, it hurt like hell, and it was a tearful experience. Yet Luke knew as romantic and sensitive as he were, he knew that he would end up doing it again. Though, next time he would be more careful. He wouldn't smother her with affection, but he wouldn't let her drift away from him like Brianna did, either. He would try to be the perfect balance of affection and protection. He would be the person that she needed him to be, rather than the person he wanted to be for her. He wouldn't pretend to be something he wasn't, and he wouldn't be something he wasn't. He wouldn't change his personality drastically, and yet he would be willing to change if that was what she needed.

If Brianna had taught him anything, it was that love was something that could overtake one and make them do things that people would consider idiotic. But that's what love did. It made one do crazy things for one another. Yet she hadn't seemed to appreciate it. Pity. He really wished that she would have. But that was all said and done, and there was no use dwelling in the past. There was nothing he could change. Though, if given the chance, he would have changed everything about that night so that she could have stayed by his side. Sighing heavily, he ran his hands through his dark mane. Merlin only knew that he had relived that night far too many times in his head. He needed to stop doing that. Because if he didn't he was going to drive himself into a slow insanity, he was sure, and he didn't want to lose his mind. Especially not over a girl.

She may not have been any girl, but still losing one's mind for a shattered love hardly seemed to make sense. Love in itself was a maddening concept. He had once heard that people loved each other in percentages. One couple loved their partner sixty percent and the other forty, it was rarely a fifty fifty split, and sometimes it was disheartening enough for one to love someone ninety percent and the other only ten. He cringed. He had a feeling that he and Brianna were the latter couple. He had loved her ninety percent, and she had loved him ten, and perhaps that was why their relationship floundered in addition to the proposal which she clearly wasn't looking for. However, knowing her, any time really wouldn't have been a good time to propose. Maybe she was right. Maybe she wasn't that girl. He was finally grasping what she was saying, and though it annoyed him, maybe it was for the better. Maybe fate was protecting him from someone who would only hurt him more in the long run.

Luke laughed at Lyra's statement, forcing himself back into reality. He didn't want to think about Brianna and how much she had saddened him. Because if he did that, he was bound to sink into a bottomless pit of depression, and he thought he had enough self-pity as of late. It was time now to move on with his life, even if he found that hard, at times. "Lovely Lupin? I guess that has a ring to it, but it would be embarrassing if someone did that on a regular basis, I should think. But thanks, I'm glad that you find me lovely." At least, he thought so. It was a compliment, right? Sure, most people were called handsome, but he had known some girls to call guys beautiful, and unlike some - he didn't find that offensive. "He really is quite a pain. I don't know why he's mean, either, but I think he would need some extensive therapy to cure whatever it was that crawled up his butt and died a hundred or so years ago," the Hufflepuff murmured. He nodded in assent to her comment. "I'm not really sure why Dumbledore let's him stay here. I wish he were thrown out of the school, too. Dwelling here, causing mayhem for students and staff alike, well, it just doesn't make sense as to why he hasn't been thrown out yet. However, I'm sure Dumbledore has his reasons."

"Yeah, and it's aggravating, to say the least." He shook his head. "I'm not looking for a free pass, but honestly, some people need to learn how to lighten up a bit. Some Professors are positively medieval in their teaching methods." He frowned, running a hand through his hair once more. This was a bad habit, he was aware, but he didn't know how to stop it, either. Plus, it wasn't an embarrassing habit like picking one's butt or nose in public. "Yeah, I can't imagine not caring about classes, either, but some people aren't particularly worried about their futures, it would seem. I mean, like Crabbe and Goyle - they never seem to do much by way of course work and I think the teacher's pass them simply so they don't have to deal with them again. Merlin only knows what people like that are going to do with their future. Probably throw it away doing something terribly mundane for the rest of their lives. . ." He trailed off. He couldn't help but feel bad for people who didn't seem to care what happened in their future. They really ought to have, in his humble opinion.

WORDS; I don't keep track.
TAG; lyra & open
NOTE; It's fine. ^_^
MUSE; it's here
MUSIC; none
CREDIT; thavron @ caution

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