Let Us Trade

[Stefan Archer]

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It was midday, classes were mere days away from starting, and all Stefan could feel was a complete and utter loss for all things. He didn't know how to act, and he didn't know be himself any more. Sure he could try, he could sit and pretend that everything was okay, when his mind screamed that his life would not last much longer than it had. While his mind told him that he'd really messed up. Violence wasn't ever the way to solve anything, the Slytherin was well aware of that factor. He also didn't know why it had happened. Why he'd just snapped, and in snapping pretty much sealed his fate. A part of him was desperately clinging to the fact that upon his return all would've been forgotten, but the better part of him knew that he was clutching at fog. The slytherin had never felt so desperate in his life. And considering the life he had, that was really saying something. But, people wouldn't understand, he generally wasn't desperate. He maybe had close to no food at home, and his dad treated him like he was nothing, but this was something he didn't want to have to deal with. So he was at least pleased that he could be at Hogwarts and he could pretend that it didn't exist. He could walk around and pretend he didn't hear his father's words about how useless he was. Or how much he hated him. He could smile with his friends and pretend that like them that he had someone who cared about him outside of the gates of the school. He could go to classes and work through everything, pretending that he knew what was going on, that he hadn't spent the night waking up from nightmares. He could spend his entire time at Hogwarts ignoring the fact that in terms of life hands he'd been dealt truly one of the worst. That he could ignore the fact that his whole body was in agony because of someone who was meant to love him. At least he had friends, that was one thing that he didn't have to pretend, there were people who cared about him in school. He might hold them all at arms length but they would there, like they promised, and Stefan would always try his hardest for them. He fought because of them. A part of Stefan knew he'd grown strong over the years, not physically, but in a place where it mattered. Unlike before where he doubted he'd reach thirteen, Stefan Archer finally had a life. He had friends, the possibility of a career, he actually had things to lose. Which was new for him, and it was scary. His desire to protect them from everything that was terrible in his life and in the world was above how much he should take care of himself.It was why part of him wanted to tell them and the other part wanted him to keep it forever his secret. He'd never talked of his friends to his father, since it would be very pointless, he would not care for them. How could if he cared so little for his own blood?

Being back at Hogwarts was pretty surreal. It was hard, he was still readjusting and while others were just happy to be back, him being back was completely different. He was as thin as ever, but he'd grown several inches, making him appear, if possible, even skinnier than before. And he definitely looked like he hadn't eaten proper meals in a long while, but he could still cover it up with his clothes, that at least length wise seemed to now fit him. Well, the ones from first years, the clothes he'd been given the last summer holidays were going to be a little big for him for a little longer. They managed however to cover up most of what Stefan wanted them too. His bruised and cut right arm completely hidden by the sleeve, although at times if he wasn't careful the sleeve rode up and left part of the wrist exposed and bruises were never simple shapes that stopped when Stefan needed them too. He left arm was only slightly bruised, but there was slight discoloration around his wrist which was indication of a sprain, but he didn't know that, he couldn't see it. So he was a little less careful with that wrist. However, this time around his hands were pretty bad. With dark bruises, and a number of pretty terrible cuts caused by the fact that Stefan had used sharp objects to break his fall. Object he hadn't realized were sharp. So, both his hands were bandaged. It was pretty bad, and on top of it was the fact he had a huge bruise on the side of his face, stretching from his cheek to his ear and then down part of his throat. On the top of his head were a number of smaller cuts that looked a lot older. Of course, all of this was just what a person could see, underneath the clothes was a different story. A story that Stefan only thought of pain when he remembered it. But being at Hogwarts meant he could deal with them. He could go to the bathroom when he wanted to, eat when he wanted to and just be a normal person. However it was difficult, how could he look his friends in the eye if they could see what was wrong with him. How could he lie to them when the evidence was so clear. Stefan was looking for somewhere quiet. Somewhere secluded and somewhere that he would not generally go to. This place was the Abandoned Classroom. It was a quiet room, there was only ever one or two people in the room at the one time. Stefan kind of liked it. He couldn't ever see anything, but it was a good place to sit and just think. Which was why on that very day after a terrible night's sleep he'd gone to the place. He sat with his back pressed against the wall between two windows, his wand a little in front of him, emitting a strong light from the lumps spell he had cast. Stefan was sitting with his knees close to his chest and a book open at his side. But his blue eyes were not on the book, they were staring at the light. Not something that he generally did, but today, as he did it, he was reminded that he had friends, he didn't need to be alone. He had Kate, and boy did he love her. But he couldn't move, he didn't want to, he was comfortable sitting watching the light in front of him.​

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[Georgiana Night-Carter]

Georgiana moved through the school with a general air of ease. Now a fourth year Gryffindor the young girl knew most of the corridors of the school having been there four years. She had her favorite locations in the school and her least favorite places as well by now. However most of these places have changed over the course of just a few short months. Her favorite person in the world had been her boyfriend and best friend Logan, however when he moved to France he decided to end their relationship and she hadn't spoken to him in months, not even a single letter had been sent to her by him. Georgie did not understand how they could go from being with each other every single free moment of the day and then he suddenly suprises her days before he was set to leave. That moment in the Three Broomsticks was the last she saw him for an entire year till this past summer when she saw him yet again in the same place. Her very point of staying here in New Zealand was to avoid seeing him, not to actually see him. It annoyed her still to think about what he did to her yet she couldn't change anything about their past and knows that. The young girl did have the issue of not being able to get past their failed relationship, being almost a full year since they broke up Georgiana was upset that she still hadn't moved passed him, however she hadn't found a guy completely worht her attention since him.

Her feet began to take her to the North Tower, a place she had spent countless hours with Logan working on homework or people watch. Once she realized where she was going she quickly changed her route and went to the abandoned classroom on the second floor. A place she hadn't personally spent much time and figured it would be a great place to help her start over. Opening the door she let herself in quietly and closed the creaking door before she realized that someone was already in the room. About to leave she took a better look at who the person was and realized it was a person she had talked to only a few times before but had found to be a very interesting person along with the girl, Kate Moon that she had also been there at the same time. "Hello," she said quietly, hoping she hadn't been intrupting any thoughts going on in his head.