All Things New

[Dante Vittori]

It was the beginning of the school year. A fresh start for the young Ravenclaw. He had already began his classes, so far finding Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes the more interesting subjects this term. They had been his electives, so he had expected to enjoy them once more. He was prepared for the year, even though he would really rather be at home. His friend was here, Raziel, and judging from the news Dante had heard in the holidays, he was Head Boy. He had not expected this for his friend, as Raziel was just like he was. Neither of them were talkers, and they did not stick out. They did not have a lot of friends - in fact, Raziel was his only friend - and Raziel never had a desire to lead. He was not a follower, but Dante did not see him as the type to take control - didn't one have to speak to do that? What about the speech at the end of the year? It was because of this that Dante had fashioned the older boy cards to use as headboy. One with his name, and then cards with numbers, describing the amount of points awarded or removed from the target. he knew that Raziel may need them eventually. He had no idea how accurate he was in his thoughts.

Dante made his way outside to the fresh air. He was feeling a little enclosed in Ravenclaw Tower, and was not sure where Raziel had found himself. The young Ravenclaw vaguely recalled a visual exchange of points from the Seventh year, but he had not been paying attention. He was sure that Raziel would be able to find him if it were necessary. Fixing his Ravenclaw robes, Dante paused at the lakefront, and admired the water for a bit. The sun was still strong, but not so much that it was blinding. It was obscured by chilly clouds and the September air still hung with a hint of winter. It was chilly, but not too much so. He released a sigh and he finished fidgeting with his robes, satisfied that they were presentable to society. It was the beginning of the year, and he was already unsure of what to do. His only friend would be leaving soon because of their difference in age, and that would be it.
​

 

[Raziel Kim]

It was already his last year at Hogwarts, and Raziel thought that the year would fly fast like the previous years before it. He knew that he was going to miss the school. He was going to miss the spot that he always occupied at the library. He was going to miss his bed. And most importantly, he knew that he was going to miss his only friends, Conan, and Dante. Though admittedly, he had not been able to spend more time with the former. Dante, however, was a different case. The younger was just like him. They shared the same fondness for silence and sweets. The younger wouldn't bother him. Around him he didn't feel that he was obligated to talk. He trusted the younger with his secret. It was a bonus that they were sorted in the same house too. If there was one thing that he'd regret leaving after graduation, it would be him. That was why he decided that he was going to make the best of his remaining year at the castle, and that meant that they would just continue their usual routine. He thought he could just continue being the 'normal' student that he was, minus the fact that he had to deal with all those transformations. For the first time in a long while, he had been optimistic. But apparently, someone had other plans for him, and that plan didn't include him being the same student as he was before.

Whoever thought that he was fit to be a head boy must have hit his head. He was grateful, yes, but the better part of him thought that probably, they just got the wrong person. He didn't excel in anything. He was fairly average, though admittedly, he was quite good in his studies. But he didn't stand out, and he didn't want to stand out. He was perfectly satisfied with being an observer. He didn't want to take an active part in anything. Being a head boy would take too much from him. His time. His silence. His personal space. That's why when he first learned of it, his first thought was to 'tell' his friend. He initially thought about returning the badge too, but alas, his family, his mother in particular, had been really excited. She thought that she was finally stepping up and moving out of his comfort zone, and he couldn't bare to see that smile slip off her face. And Dante put a lot of effort into helping him too. He couldn't just waste those cards that he made for him

He thought he could do it. Upon meeting the head girl, Ai, he knew that he need not worry about the talking part of being a head boy. The girl was more than capable of doing his share of talking. Everything went smoothly, until that prefect meeting. It started fairly well. Ai did all the introductions. He thought that it would end well too. But apparently, he was not allowed to be optimistic. For as soon as he thought that everything would go smoothly, he was proven wrong. His valued silence was shattered. Cupcakes were thrown, and he almost lost his sense of hearing because of the head girl's voice. To add to that, Dante's cards. those precious cards that he he had received from his younger friend, had been disrespected. Torn, thrown, and stolen. And worst of all, he was made to wear a cupcake as a bib! Icing covered his face, some had even gotten to his hair, which made them all sticky.

That was earlier, but currently, as he wandered around the castle, he still looked the same. A couple of cupcakes being balanced in his hands, hair already out of its ties, chest and face smeared with cupcakes, he wandered to look for his friend. He could have cleaned himself up first, but he had no time for that. He needed to find Dante. Dante would understand him. Dante would not question him the same way the other students did when they saw him walking around like a little kid running away because he stole a cake. Dante would appreciate all the things that these people do not appreciate.

It took him sometime before he finally spotted his friend. He would spot him even in the middle of a crowd. He had spent a lot of times observing the younger just because he had no other thing to do and because he had not been able to get rid of his habit of staring at people. He walked towards him, though that walk suddenly turned into a run. And soon, he was near him. He didn't say a word, though his mouth opened as if to say something. He then sat down, took out a handkerchief, and carefully set the cupcakes on them. Usually, he would have taken one already. But it was odd, for he still hadn't found his appetite for it. He thought it would have returned already, for finally, he was at the presence of his friend. But alas, maybe, he wouldn't be able to look at cupcakes the same way again.​

 

[Dante Vittori]

Dante had been waiting patiently for his friend to find him, and when he did, the younger Ravenclaw was very surprised. So surprised, that even his eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly in show at what Raziel looked like. He had seen Raziel in all hours of the day, just before his transformations, at breakfast, just before bed, and yet he had never seen Raziel looking quite so flustered. What on Earth was he covered in? Raziel had even run towards him, as if he absolutely needed Dante's presence more than he ever had before, and it made him wonder if perhaps Raziel had had some trouble with someone. He was Head Boy now, he was the head of the school, and Dante understood that that must be a terribly daunting task that he was not sure he could do himself, which was why he had done everything in his power to try and help Raziel out, but beyond cards and a name tag, there was very little the fifth year could do.

He sat down as Raziel had, and further examined him. He was definitely wearing cupcake on his face and chest. Who had done this to him? He was annoyed, that he did not know who was responsible for this. He felt as if he were supposed to hunt them down and press something into their face - perhaps something not as precious as cupcakes - but certainly something that would stain or smudge, like a souffle. He pulled out his wand, and aimed it at Raziel. "Scourgify," he muttered quietly, cleaning up his friend. He then picked up both cupcakes as, in an attempt to get Raziel to eat something, and offered him one.
​

 

[Raziel Kim]

Indifferent. Indifferent was simply how one could describe the seventh year Ravenclaw. He didn't actively participate in anything, and when given a task, he would try to do it. He was indifferent about failure and success, indifferent about almost everything. In the grand scheme of things, only a few things could be considered as a big deal for him. He was an observer. The situation around him didn't usually bother him much, he had no reason to feel intense emotion. Yet right at the moment, he was everything but indifferent. The seventeen years old took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. It was nothing, that prefect meeting was nothing. It was no big deal. It was not supposed to be a big deal, it was a one time event, it need not happen again, yet try as he might, he couldn't completely convince himself that the meeting didn't bother him. It was not the way that the prefects treated him, they were not the real issue here, sure, they disrespected the silence that he valued, they messed with the things that he liked, but more than that, as he sat in silence with his younger companion, he realized that what bothered him the most was the way that he reacted to the situation. No. He didn't regret taking points from them, he thought that they deserved it. But the fact that he had let his personal feeling cloud his judgment, that's what bothered him.

The event played in his mind as he stared ahead, his face unreadable, though it was evident with his posture that he wasn't comfortable. The presence of his friend, Dante, had slipped from his mind. He had forgotten that he was alone. It was only him and the memory of what had happened during the prefect meeting. Raziel rarely get angry with people. He was usually apathetic, uncaring. Anger, among other things, was a missing element in his personality. Yet, he did got angry. Sure, he didn't yell like how other people would, but he did got angry. And even when he believed that those people deserved what they got, and even though the facts state that it was only right to get angry, and even as he felt it now, he wasn't happy with it.

He reached out for a lock of his hair to twirl them between his fingers, like what he does every time he was in deep thought, but by doing so, he was again reminded of the prefect meeting. The icing on his hair, making his usually fluffy mane sticky, reminded him of how one prefect disrespected one of the things that he cared for the most. Then it was gone, he was clean again, his hair no longer as sticky as before, and he remembered that he wasn't alone. Dante. Dante was with him. He had been looking for the younger boy, right? It should be fine, he knew it should be fine, Dante can keep him grounded, keep him from acting like someone else. But instead, he felt the opposite. He could sense malevolence within him, an outside hand, a strange emotion cracking through his defenses. He stared at the younger, to those not paying attention, it would be as if he was just doing his usual staring, but this was different, there was a certain sharpness to this stare. It was a cross between a glare and a stare of indifference. What was he doing? This was Dante. Dante didn't do anything to him. And even if it wasn't the younger, he wasn't supposed to act like this. He was being unreasonable.

He tore his eyes away from the younger Ravenclaw in an attempt to drown the negative emotions threatening to spill. He should probably leave. He couldn't understand himself anymore. He searched for his friend because he believed that the younger would help him through this like how he had helped him when he learned of that he was a werewolf and when he learned that he had been appointed head boy. He searched for Dante because he thought that Dante could understand him without him saying anything, but how could he be understood if he couldn't even rationalize the emotions coursing through his entire body? Not good. He wasn't usually like this.

He refused to look at Dante, he couldn't let the younger see him so conflicted. He had to get away, his defenses where starting to crumble, he didn't like it. He had to be alone, to let the shadows take away these emotions that were threatening to control him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the younger Ravenclaw pick up both cupcakes and hand one to him, but instead of accepting the treat, he slapped it away. Strange, coming from someone who loves these things. Even he was shocked with what he did. One of the factors why he had been riled up earlier was because of how those prefects treated these sweets, yet here he was, doing the exact same thing. He supposed he should pick it up and apologize, but he didn't move. Instead, he turned sharply to look at his companion. A bevy of negative emotions began swimming through his head, and he suddenly realized that he was shaking and then, against better judgment, words slip out of his mouth. "Stop," he wasn't yelling, his voice was still soft and low, but it was cold, "I... I don't... " he couldn't form any complete sentence, but he was still shaking, and his eyes, usually blank, was ice cold. "Leave" He didn't know why he said those last words, nor why he even spoke at all, nor why he was saying this to Dante. He didn't even know whom he was angry with, was it the prefects? Or was he angry at himself? But make no mistake, even though he wasn't shouting, and though his voice wasn't raised, he was angry, and that was evident with the way that his words, though little, were sharp. "Leave.me.alone." He knew that nothing good would come of lashing like this. Dante didn't do anything wrong, but he couldn't stop himself from saying what he said and doing what he did. But by this time, he was completely overtaken, he wasn't himself anymore, he was running on auto pilot, completely taken back by his action. This wasn't him, this person telling the younger these harsh words, this person who had slapped the cupcake away, disrespecting it the way the others did, this wasn't him. And he didn't like it, and he had to stop it, his knuckles turning white with the way that he had been clenching it unconsciously since earlier. Then he realized what he did, he bit his lower lip to stop himself from saying anything anymore, bit so hard that he could almost feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, his breathing slowed, and the coldness started to die down. He averted his gaze away from the younger boy, shamed of what he did. He should apologize. He knew he should apologize. However, the words wouldn't come. He couldn't understand it. Why can't he talk when he needed to the most? He knew he should say sorry, but he couldn't form the words, he felt a sense of dread, he should apologize, he should but he couldn't.​

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