And You Are?

[Conan Edogawa]

Conan had gotten up from bed after more than an hour of just laying around in his bed. He had no classes today nor did he have any plans with Taylor, and so, he was practically being lazy around the confines of his room. But he knew that if he did just continue being lazy and doing nothing but having a staring contest with the ceiling, it definitely wouldn't take long before he goes insane, and so here he was, dressing up in muggle clothing as it was after all his day off and he was free to wear as he wished without classes going on about. It didn't take long for the Hufflepuff boy to come down from his room and head out of the Hufflepuff Common Room to just wander around, letting his feet decide which way to go.

Conan had practically roamed most of the corridors by the time he had reached the outdoors. He didn't mind walking though, after all, it was his only way to spend time at a day like this. Thankfully though, he was wearing clothes that were fitting enough for the season as he reached the lake for a cool breeze had made its way too him. It had been a long time since he had gone to the lake and it was surprising enough that he remembered Ai when he looked at the frozen lake that offered a wonderful view. But despite reminiscing memories about his sister, it was not enough for him to be one to initiate an action for the two of them to make up and so, he could only think of continuing his little walk along the lake.

 

[Dante Vittori]

After Muggle Studies, Dante needed some air. It was a reasonable class - much better than he had thought. The professor was ridiculously young - young enough to be his brother. However, he seemed knowledgeable enough. Dante was not sure of how the class would go as of yet, but he did hope it would be okay. He was not even sure if he had seen a muggle before, so he really needed this class. Especially if he wanted to have his dream job. He had to make sacrifices if he wanted his life to go as he had planned. As his family had planned. As everyone had expected it to go. He left he castle interior and fluttered his eyes shut gently. The breeze that attacked him was what he had asked for. Freedom from the confides of the claustrophobia inducing castle. His robes flickered behind him as he continued to walk - his muggle studies book plastered to his chest. He was planning to read it further, so he could get a head start on Muggle Studies and further his knowledge on the topic. It was hard to sit in a class full of people that found the subject easy, and struggle with even questions to ask. Questions such as, how muggles travelled, how could they survive without magic, what in Merlin's name was an aeroplane, or a helicopter? Too many swam around his brain for him to pick one. It made him feel stupid, and ignorant. Two things he disliked strongly.

Dante found himself near the lake. The young Ravenclaw appreciated water - being terrified of fire. It rocked with a gentleness that he knew most human beings were incapable of achieving. They were too loud, too violent and too emotional. Water was cold, relaxed and slow, unless disturbed. But most things were volatile when disturbed. Dante flicked his book open in his forearms and began to read while he walked. He had this down to a fine art, he could virtually see right in front of him as he had his face and attention buried into the book. However, while he was watching the scenery, Dante had a terrible tendency to ignore the existence of others. This included the boy he was approaching without realising. He only noticed what was happening after he bumped into the boy. Though his fault, Dante could not help but cringe at the contact and crinkle his nose at the identity of the boy. It was that violent bonehead, Comin? Kornen? He did not care for the boy's name. All he knew was that his older brother did not appreciate this boy, and as much as Dante thought Jeremiah to be an embarrassment and not something to spend much time with, he respected his opinion enough to continue walking without acknowledging the boy verbally. However, since he had bumped into him, he looked at him - an attempt to acknowledge his mistake and move on. He returned his attention to his book. Muggles had strange tendencies.
​

 

[Conan Edogawa]

Conan had his head in the air as he thought about various stuff in his head. Some about Ai, some about Taylor, some about his family. His mind just wandered off from one memory to another and he just couldn't understand the purpose of those memories that were playing around in his mind. Of course he didn't mind memories of Taylor and his family back in Japan, but memories of his parents and Ai were just disturbing and he wanted them to stop but couldn't bring himself to stop looking at those occurrences for they reminded him of how happy they were back then and it would make him realize the reality he was facing now. That he had completely changed in the eyes of many.

The Hufflepuff's walk continued on silently and in solitary, well that was until someone had bumped into him, and knocking the thoughts completely out of his head. The Hufflepuff glared at the smaller boy who had bumped to him. And worse?! Had just stared at him and ignored him completely afterwards! What the heck was wrong with kids these days? Okay, he was a kid too, but the boy, from the looks of his robes, was a Ravenclaw was younger than he was. And he just left him after bumping and it was also the younger's fault! Slightly angered, Conan had took hold of the back of the boy's collar and said, "I think you owe me an apology."

 

[Dante Vittori]

What in Merlin's name was the boy doing? Dante dropped his book and held his hands to his throat protectively. He was not being choked, but it was a possibility. It could very well happen, he had no idea of the emotional state of the older, stronger boy. He knew very little of who he was now forced to spend time with, and he did not wish to learn more. Dante already disliked him. The Hufflepuff was touching him. Dante didn't like touching people, or having people touch him. He didn't like having to talk to them either. Now both scenarios were going to happen and it was daunting for the anti-social Ravenclaw. If he wished to speak to the older boy, he would have done so. Could he not see that he was acknowledged and a non-verbal apology given? What was wrong with him. Dante had even dropped his book because of this boy. It was near heartbreaking. It was in the sand too, the sand would get through the pages and corroded the book if he did not get to it soon. However, he was still stuck to this boy. No wonder Jeremiah did not like him. The boy apparently enjoyed popping the personal bubbles of others. That was near unforgivable. He turned his head to look at the Hufflepuff as he spoke, surprise in his eyes. He no-longer owed the twit anything. He had apologised, Whether that message was received Dante did not care. He had sent it and that was final. He was not a parrot nor a wheel - he did not repeat himself time and again because someone was incapable of understanding the simplest of movements and acknowledgements.

After tugging on his collar for some time, Dante realised that this boy had no idea what he was trying to tell him. Release me. With a heaved sigh, Dante slipped his fingers between the boys and attempted to pull away. "Please." He muttered quietly, his head turning from side to side in order to try and loosen his collar. The boy did realise how difficult it was to loosen a tie, right? The Ravenclaw felt as if he were turning as blue as his robes. Of course this was not the case, but breathing was slowly becoming difficult.
​

 

[Conan Edogawa]

Well, it was too irrational of Conan to just suddenly grab the back of the boy's collar like that and he knew that but hey, he was emotionally unstable and he just can't and doesn't control his temper. Added to that was the boy's action of bumping into him and not bothering to apologize at all. While Conan knew all of this, especially the fact that when two people bump into each other, they are both at fault, he still ignored those because of his pent up frustration and yes, he was venting it out on the younger. Well, he might have apologized if only the boy had done the same but he didn't and now Conan was mad and irrational.

Conan really did not have the intention of letting go of the boy's collar, well, at least until the Ravenclaw had apologized. But the Hufflepuff's grip on the collar had only tightened as the younger attempted to pry his fingers away from the said clothing. "Please what?" Conan said annoyed as he had heard the Ravenclaw mutter. The Hufflepuff was just getting more and more annoyed as he was thinking that the boy was familiar but he just couldn't point out whom he resembled. But the older had a feeling that he wouldn't be too happy to know the identity of this boy and who he looked like.

 

[Dante Vittori]

Dante could not believe the level of stupidity that this boy must possess. It was obvious that Dante wished to be released - a muggle would surely notice and they were idiots. This boy was obviously not a muggle because he was attending the school. Dante had no idea of his blood status - but he hoped he was not a pure-blood. It would be embarrassing to know that someone with such good breeding would be so stupid. Unless he was one of these disgusting families where inbreeding occurred. He physically shuddered and shook his head. No, he would not allow this boy to hear too many of his words. They would be nothing complimentary and he was a firm believer of remaining silent when having nothing good to say - or just remaining silent because he'd rather be alone than with people. This was just another reason for Dante to remain by himself - or with that Raziel boy. He did not like communication and people were not observant enough to realise that he said more with actions than words. His favourite sound was the emptiness of silence, and this boy was being too loud, too physical, and too close to him. And his book was in the sand! That was his second priority, to get that book and clean it. His first was to get out of this boy's grasp and return to the tower.

He even told him to release him, he was even considerate enough to be polite about it. 'Please' was the English term, he was quite sure. He had been speaking the language actively for three or so years, and occasionally he would converse in English back at home. He was very sure that he used the word in the right context. However, he soon realised that he would have to sat a complete, easily understood sentence so this boy could understand him. obviously he was incapable of reasonable, and quick conversation. It was useless expecting the boy to be intelligent to take a physical motion and interpreted it clearly. In fact, his grip had tightened. Dante held his hands over the boys hand awkwardly. Merlin did he not want to touch the boy. "Release my collar." He whispered, rolling his eyes at the sound of his own quiet, Italian influenced voice. It was a terrible thing to talk.
​

 

[Conan Edogawa]

While the Ravenclaw boy was busy being silent, Conan had been pretty much occupied between keeping his hand on the boy's collar and thinking. The Hufflepuff just can't keep his mind from searching for the person who this boy resembled. He already has a feeling that what he was about to know won't be a pleasant experience for him and the younger. But while the Ravenclaw was drowned in his thoughts, Conan decided to drown and engage in his own thoughts. Who in the world has a resemblance to this d@mn boy?! the Hufflepuff angrily thought as he was frustrated with his inability to remember. He was close to remembering that much he knew. His train of thoughts and memories were interrupted though as the younger was trying to remove his hand. Now, he was really getting annoyed. "Why can't a Ravenclaw brat like you understand that I'm not letting you go unless I hear an apology?" the Hufflepuff said annoyance evident in his tone. But, the voice of the boy had finally triggered his memory. There was no mistaking it, indeed. They had the same features as well as the same annoying accent. "You're a related to Jeremiah Raven," the older said through gritted teeth as he barely contained his rage and could only tighten the grip on the younger's collar even more.

 

[Dante Vittori]

For some reason, the only gripped his collar tighter. What was wrong with him? Did he know nothing of throats? They were not made to be confined, although it was rather easy to cause them discomfort, being strangled was not the purpose of the neck. And while it was not quite choking, it felt like it. He could not move because the boy was still not releasing him. It was awkward being held like this. He was quite surprised that no-one had seen this yet. The added fact that the sunlight was still beating on him and he was not a sunshine a sunshine person. The New Zealand sun was harsh, harsher than the light back home. If he had a violent bone in his body, he might have elbowed the boy in the chest, however, Dante saw no point in violence. In fact, he found it embarrassing to engage in violence. But when the Hufflepuff spoke, Dante turned his head to look at him. Brat? How was he being a brat? He had apologised. It was not his fault that the boy lacked the capacity to understand physical responses to situations. Dante did not dream of ever touching this boy - the bump was purely accidental. He had acknowledged the Hufflepuff and moved on. What was wrong with that? Just because he was not on his hands and knees begging for forgiveness did not mean he was not apologetic for his actions. In fact, right now, Dante would have rather stay the night at a muggle's house than touch this boy.

He remained silent on the insult, for he had nothing to say. In response, he simply fidgeted more. He had considered just repeating his apology verbally, but now he was not. He did not like this boy. He was not going to hold any sort of verbal conversation with him. In fact, he should be lucky that Dante was sill acknowledging him. He the Ravenclaw had the choice, he would already have forgotten about this exchange. And then, 'the penny dropped' as they say. The Hufflepuff recognised him. He was surprised when the Hufflepuff recognised him as the brother of Jeremiah. Considering he was incapable of realising that Dante had already apologised, and that Dante wanted nothing more than to return to reading, he was sure he had the mental intelligence of a flobberworm. He was quite surprised at the level of stupidity this boy could have and the amount confusion he could cause. He folded his arms across his chest in defiance. He was refusing to acknowledge the boy verbally now. He was not even going to look at him.
​

 

[Conan Edogawa]

Conan only grinned at the boy in front of him. Of course no one would be paying attention to them, they were all too busy minding their own business that they didn't even have a second to waste just to stop and look at the exchange between an older Hufflepuff and a younger Ravenclaw. Although, he really didn't mind being watched though, it just made the experience more thrilling and exciting, but what's suppose to happen, happens. And so he could only observe the boy some more comparing the younger to the Gryffindor he knew and despised. "You two are related, alright," Conan said as if he had the concrete evidence and has already proved that this was indeed a relative of Ai's so-called friend. "Although I can't quite figure out on who between the two of you is more annoying," the Hufflepuff said as if musing to himself on who is really the more annoying one, especially since each of them had something that is particularly good at annoying the hell out of the Hufflepuff boy. "You really are like that girly Jeremiah, aren't you?" he said as he felt the boy fidget and play defiance. He remembered the day that he landed a punch on the Gryffindor and as he could remember, Jeremiah was also being defiant at the time. Getting more annoyed by the boy's silence and defiance, Conan forcefully made the younger turn and immediately grabbed the front collar this time, trying to lift the boy so that he was unable to stand properly and would be seemingly standing the same height as he was as his free right hand was now clenched into a fist. "Maybe I should give the little one a bruise like the one the older one received," he said in a calm and utterly cold voice. This boy was testing his patience and so, he shall see how short the Hufflepuff's patience was as he out of nowhere punched the younger square on the left jaw. It wasn't too much of a hard punch but Conan's smirked as he knew that despite the diminished strength in that punch, it was bound to hurt and leave a mark.

 

[Jeremiah Raven]

Jeremiah had been having a very uneventful day. After spend one half of the day looking for Ai or Khione, he had all but given up. So, he had decided to search for Ryder. Only to discover that all three of his friends had somehow mysteriously fallen from the face of the planet. He had given up on them somewhat. he would need to construct some sort of time table on where they should meet. He was actually planning on instrumenting this, but it would include having his friends actually with him. Unfortunately, they were not. So, Miah left the castle for a brisk walk. He had neglected to bring out his violin case, as he had been high strung as of late. One should not play the delicate violin when not calm. It encouraged mistakes and the breaking of strings. However, it was hard to be without it. He was used to carrying it in his hand and having it brush by his thigh at times. Now that sensation was not happening. It threw him off. He looked around the grounds, and sneered. Conan. He was not in the mood to deal with that Neanderthal. He was over it. However, just as he thought of turning back, he saw blue robes. There were many Ravenclaws, but only one would catch his eye in such a way. Was that Durante? Why was his brother over there with that idiot? His eyes widened as the scene unfolded. Dante did not want to be near the Hufflepuff. That Jerk.

Jeremiah cared about his little brother. They rarely spoke - since Dante did not speak to people often and this extended to family members - but Jeremiah was Dante's brother. Seeing that animal Conan even looking at his little brother made his blood boil, let alone witnessing the Hufflepuff hurting him. The Gryffindor quickly closed in. If he had his violin case, he would have hit him with it. However, he ignored the Hufflepuff first off and went straight to the Ravenclaw. He knew that Dante didn't like being touched, so he knelt beside his fallen brother, and would only stand tall once the Ravenclaw stood properly. He was hit in the face, he would be able to stand up after that. The Gryffindor's eyes slowly glided upwards to look Conan in the eyes. "You disgust me." He spat. "My brother would have done nothing to you. Are you so pathetic that you must attack third years to satisfy your own need to dominate others? Are you incapable of being a responsible and respectful human being?" He refrained from using his wand. He was not going to use magic for this. He was not going to allow himself to resort to violence just as the Hufflepuff had, not in front of his brother. He could not help but think that this occurrence was his own fault, because of the distain he harboured for Conan Edogawa. Dante would not have done anything to deserve this, he didn't speak much at all. Conan's fragile, pathetic feelings would not have been hurt by the Ravenclaw in any capacity.
​

 

[Dante Vittori]

Dante remained silent as Conan seemingly spoke his thoughts. What a useless thing to do, it achieved nothing. Dante was no interested in what the Hufflepuff was thinking. He could have told him the secrets to the universe, or a cure for werewolves and the Ravenclaw would not have cared. He was not interested in what he had to say. He had heard enough of this boy to know that he was not worth the time or energy to completely acknowledge and listen to. Dante had his own suspicions on who from he and his brother were more annoying. That title would probably fall to Jeremiah, while being rude would be his crown. He did not like to think himself rude, just disinterested. There was a difference. He then continued to insult him and his brother. What was he trying to achieve? Simple insults such as being compared to a girl were not going to hurt Dante in the slightest. Girls were not that bad. He had no desire to be one, but he was not overly ashamed nor embarrassed to be compared to one. At his current age there were several distinct differences physically, but otherwise both genders were the same species. It would have hurt more to be called a muggle or mud blood. However, he was surprised by being further manhandled and spun around. Now he was forced to look at the Hufflepuff. As if his day couldn't get any worse.

Dante eyed Conan carefully as he continued to monologue, or what ever it was he was doing. He had stopped listening some time ago, but the threat of violence had stirred something in him. Not quite rage or fright. Something more akin to annoyance. Why fists had to be resorted to when it came to males he was not sure, but he was quite content with thinking himself something more along the lines of a pacifist. He did not even see the attack coming, he simply found himself on the ground with his hand over his jaw. It actually rather hurt. It could have been harder, that much he realised judging by the size of the Hufflepuff, but otherwise that was it. A mark that would balloon to something more, but nothing a potion could not fix. However, he was not sure he wanted a potion.He looked up at Conan silently, his hand over the growing bruise. What was he supposed to do now? Fortunately, Jeremiah came, but a bittersweet feeling soon scratched at the Ravenclaw. It would have been simpiler to grab his book and walk off from this. However, Jeremiah was here. As every other teenage boy driven by hormones more than sense, Jeremiah was getting emotional, though the Gryffindor would never admit it. He was too proud for that. Dante simply picked up his book and stood up, swiping dirt from his pants and looking between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff as a fight began to be started by Jeremiah. This occurrence was embarrassing for the Ravenclaw. He looked at the Hufflepuff expectantly, hoping that the flobberworm-like boy would spontaneously grow an intelligence and settle Jeremiah down. He really did not want to have to do it himself.
​

 

[Conan Edogawa]

Conan had just continued glaring at the fallen Ravenclaw. It had been a long time since he actually punched someone and the last time he had it was Jeremiah's face that had connected with his fist. That Gryffindor boy would have gotten more than one punch if only his dear sister didn't come to the other boy's rescue. It was practically annoying that Ai had been able to handle him already after such short amount of time. But that thought quickly fled to thee back of his mind. Surely his prefect sister wouldn't be interfering now since she'd been kept busy practically all the time. But, someone just had to interfere once again. This time though, the person who had arrived was one that he was more irritated at. Jeremiah Raven.

The Hufflepuff just watched the two interact and frankly, he was getting more and more annoyed by the minute. His attention was now already away from the Ravenclaw and on to the other boy for he did not care anymore about the younger. He just looked straight into Jeremiah's eyes as the Gryffindor did the same. "And you disgust me," Conan, his voice as cold as ice. "Now how do you know he did nothing? You weren't even here," the Hufflepuff rolled his eyes in annoyance at the obliviousness of the Gryffindor. The Ravenclaw bumped into him and said nothing. That was his problem. Well, it annoyed him and led to this situation which he really isn't regretting. "Brothers huh? I didn't know you were related," Conan shrugged. While he guessed they were related, he wasn't really sure and Jeremiah only confirmed his thoughts. And them being brothers and the Gryffindor being protective was making he more and more frustrated. "No idea he was a third year," the boy said, voice showing his ignorance. He wasn't a psychic to just guess accurately who and how old the boy was. "What's so good about being responsible and respectful?" Conan just shrugged as he didn't really get the point of having those two descriptions anymore. He used to be responsible and respectful but that just got him into a fight with Ai that hasn't been resolved till now.

 

[Jeremiah Raven]

Jeremiah snorted. Of course Conan would just repeat what he said. Conan was an idiot. He was incapable of forming complicated opinions and executing them effectively. Sometimes Jeremiah felt sorry for him - to be so idiotic it must be difficult to function, which was probably why the Hufflepuff was so violent. He folded his arms across his chest as Conan continued. He had promised himself to not rile Conan up and not allow a fight of any sort occur, but it was hard. For starters, Conan seemingly hated him because he could, and now he had just brought Miah's little brother into their petty feud of sorts. "I know my brother." Jeremiah responded. "Unlike... some other brothers, I know my siblings rather well. I don't abandon them." He was blatantly pointing out his disapproval of the Hufflepuff boy abandoning his sister like he seemed to. Jeremiah considered him a terrible relative. He did not get along with a large majority of his family, but he stood by them - even if they were kick out.

He then glanced at Dante when Conan mentioned their relationship. It was so obvious that they were related. "I am not surprised. You seem to lack in many aspects." The Hufflepuff brought this on himself. Jeremiah was sick of trying to play the passive role in this. He was over trying to settle their differences. he failed the majority of the time anyway. Why not let the Hufflepuff know what a pig he was? He obviously needed to be educated about his behaviour. And the more Jeremiah prodded at the boy, the more he was certain that the Hufflepuff was getting angrier. "He is obviously not a seventh year. You are older than him, you should be setting an example on principle. Throwing your weight around gets you nothing but the label of bully. Being a bully gets you no-where in life, Conan." His hands dropped to his sides. "You get no-where by being pathetic, Conan. Surely you can see what you're doing is ridiculous?"
​

 

[Dante Vittori]

Why could they not just leave? Dante looked between Jeremiah and Conan, finding both to be completely stupid. The Ravenclaw had already moved on from the hit, he was not permanently damaged. It was a bruise and would heal. It was simple to fix with a potion. In fact, it would not even need a potion. In a few days it would be fine. Dante never used his jaw anyway, so nothing had really changed. However, neither Jeremiah nor Conan seemed to really care about the situation, only their distain for each other. He was but a pawn in their own rivalry. Well, the Ravenclaw was sick of whatever this was already. He was not going to be used as a reference to this argument. He was disinterested in their problems and them as people. He looked down at his book and brushed off more rocks and sand from its cover. It was no as damaged as he had first thought, which comforted him. He glanced at Jeremiah cynically as he was used as a way to further insult the Hufflepuff. Dante did not care whether Jeremiah knew him well or not. He refused to witness this. The Ravenclaw decided to leave the situation, via walking between both boys. Perhaps seeing his head would get them to pause for a moment and realise just how ridiculous they were both being. Dante had more important things to do, such as write a letter.​

 

[Conan Edogawa]

Conan was quite bored of this exchange. Annoyed yet bored. Frankly, the Hufflepuff liked confronting the Ravenclaw better because the Gryffindor would just keep on talking nonsense that he really didn't care about. But, what Jeremiah had said about knowing his brother unlike others, that had struck a nerve on the Hufflepuff boy. Where was he trying to get at? Back to the part where he abandoned Ai, why, it was probably one of the best decisions he had done, but why is he getting angrier with the Gryffindor pointing it out? "You know nothing about what's going on between me and Ai," the Hufflepuff said through gritted teeth with his fists clenched. Surely another punch wouldn't take too much of his energy would it? But the Hufflepuff decided to calm down first though before having a smirk on his face. "And you know nothing about either of us. After all, why would she tell you the truth? She's just some lying b!tch most of the time," Conan spoke, quite surprised at his language whilst talking about his sister. And he couldn't believe that he was sounding like his aunts from years ago like how they disowned Ai back then. "I don't even understand why Ryuuji, Heath or you are hanging out with that violent brat," the boy said faking a sigh whilst shaking his head. Well, it was certainly true, wasn't it?

Conan just shrugged as Jeremiah looked at his younger brother and back at him. He could only snicker at the boy's comment. "Lacking in some can mean excelling in others though," the Hufflepuff boy stated plainly. He didn't really care if the Ravenclaw was someone who was older or younger than him. He could be a first year for all he cared because the younger annoyed him and that was it. "I really have no way of telling if he's younger or older," Conan said getting bored of this particular conversation with the Gryffindor. Where were they getting at again? He had no idea. "There are part-GOBLINS around the castle. Who knew if they only took on the HEIGHT and not the ears," Conan said emphasizing quite a few words to get his point across but sadly, it doesn't seem that the Gryffindor wouldn't be able to get it anytime soon. The Hufflepuff rolled his eyes at Jeremiah's words. Was he in some kind of Good Manners Class or something, cause he was definitely not liking it. "Example, principle, blah, blah, bully. What are you now? My professor?" he retorted, obviously annoyed at Jeremiah who kept on pointing out stuff he really didn't want to know. "Not really," the Hufflepuff shrugged not really caring about his doings being ridiculous cause to him, it all seemed normal. But this was just plainly ridiculous that the younger passed exactly in between him and the Gryffindor and Conan could stare at the retreating of the Ravenclaw disbelievingly. See how rude he is! the Hufflepuff thought annoyed wanting to give the younger another punch, this time on the other side of his face.

 

[Conan Edogawa]

Conan was quite bored of this exchange. Annoyed yet bored. Frankly, the Hufflepuff liked confronting the Ravenclaw better because the Gryffindor would just keep on talking nonsense that he really didn't care about. But, what Jeremiah had said about knowing his brother unlike others, that had struck a nerve on the Hufflepuff boy. Where was he trying to get at? Back to the part where he abandoned Ai, why, it was probably one of the best decisions he had done, but why is he getting angrier with the Gryffindor pointing it out? "You know nothing about what's going on between me and Ai," the Hufflepuff said through gritted teeth with his fists clenched. Surely another punch wouldn't take too much of his energy would it? But the Hufflepuff decided to calm down first though before having a smirk on his face. "And you know nothing about either of us. After all, why would she tell you the truth? She's just some lying b!tch most of the time," Conan spoke, quite surprised at his language whilst talking about his sister. And he couldn't believe that he was sounding like his aunts from years ago like how they disowned Ai back then. "I don't even understand why Ryuuji, Heath or you are hanging out with that violent brat," the boy said faking a sigh whilst shaking his head. Well, it was certainly true, wasn't it?

Conan just shrugged as Jeremiah looked at his younger brother and back at him. He could only snicker at the boy's comment. "Lacking in some can mean excelling in others though," the Hufflepuff boy stated plainly. He didn't really care if the Ravenclaw was someone who was older or younger than him. He could be a first year for all he cared because the younger annoyed him and that was it. "I really have no way of telling if he's younger or older," Conan said getting bored of this particular conversation with the Gryffindor. Where were they getting at again? He had no idea. "There are part-GOBLINS around the castle. Who knew if they only took on the HEIGHT and not the ears," Conan said emphasizing quite a few words to get his point across but sadly, it doesn't seem that the Gryffindor wouldn't be able to get it anytime soon. The Hufflepuff rolled his eyes at Jeremiah's words. Was he in some kind of Good Manners Class or something, cause he was definitely not liking it. "Example, principle, blah, blah, bully. What are you now? My professor?" he retorted, obviously annoyed at Jeremiah who kept on pointing out stuff he really didn't want to know. "Not really," the Hufflepuff shrugged not really caring about his doings being ridiculous cause to him, it all seemed normal. But this was just plainly ridiculous that the younger passed exactly in between him and the Gryffindor and Conan could stare at the retreating of the Ravenclaw disbelievingly. See how rude he is! the Hufflepuff thought annoyed wanting to give the younger another punch, this time on the other side of his face.

 

[Dante Vittori]

Dante had tried to leave the situation before he was offended, which he was sure was going to happen. Unlike the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, the Ravenclaw openly admitted to being capable of being offended. He also knew that he reacted crossly. Admittedly, it was an extremely difficult thing to get the Ravenclaw to feel anything, or react to a situation. In fact, feeling agitated was difficult for him, because he so rarely felt it. Being unable to identify and control his emotions was something he had grown to accept and so worked towards not feeling them. However, as a boy and a human, he did feel emotions and he felt them rather strongly today. Not only was his book damaged, something that nearly broke his heart, but he had been attacked, forced to share space with a Neanderthal, forced to watch his brother be a complete idiot, and his cheek was still a little pained. With these facts putting the Ravenclaw into a blue mood, his ears hearing the sort of disgusting insults being thrown around was far too much. Being a pureblood, and rather proud of it, one of the most insulting things that could be done to him was being thought of as a filthy half-breed. Honestly, Dante had seen and shared the same space with such creatures - but they were creatures. Not completely human. He would not openly abuse them, as they too had magical lines - no matter how repulsive and unnatural, and were better than the ignorant muggle-borns that littered the school like a disgusting virus. But he was not going to allow himself be referred to as a part anything.

The young Ravenclaw spun around, his eyes dark. How dare this pathetic Hufflepuff toad think he were better than anyone. He was just some useless waste of space. Dante would not be surprised if he too had filthy blood like an disturbing amount of people at this school. He was barely good enough to acknowledge, but he had touched a nerve in the Ravenclaw. He placed his book in his dominant hand, the left, and threw it at the Hufflepuff, before storming off. He no-longer cared about the book, it was damaged. He would have to get another one. With one final look at his brother and that useless Hufflepuff, he nodded his goodbye and walked back to the Ravenclaw common room. He had an important letter to write.
​

 

[Jeremiah Raven]

Jeremiah put his hands on his hips. How could Conan talk about his sister like that? Just thinking about disrespecting any member of his family in such a way made Miah pale slightly in the face. Then again, Conan was nothing like him - something he was completely fine with recognising. Conan was a disrespectful idiot. "Are you even listening to yourself? That is your sister you are talking about." Surely he had some form of family loyalty? Didn't everyone have a bit of that? Maybe everyone except this Hufflepuff. And a the mention of two other people Jeremiah did not know, he tilted his head slightly. However, he did get the jist of what Conan was saying, well, he was quite sure he had. Either way, Conan was talking rubbish. He seemed to always do that. "Perhaps people favour your sister over you because she is not violent towards them." Afterall, Conan had just hit his brother, and in the past showed violence to himself, and he was also very quite to verbally abuse people. He was like a human volcano or something, except volcanoes had a purpose. Conan just seemed to absorb the local oxygen and upset people. "As far as I know, I have never seen her attack anyone. You, on the other hand, have hit two people in my presence, one being me and the other being my little brother." He looked at him sceptically, expecting the Hufflepuff to understand where Jeremiah was coming from. In the Gryffindor's eyes, Conan was nothing but a spoiled, dominating brat. "I met your sister when she was being bullied and helpless - I met you by accidently bumping into you and you yelled at me. Who is the lying, violent brat, Conan?" Jeremiah felt he raised some good points, considering all the times Miah had met Conan the Hufflepuff was being a horrible person.

And when Jeremiah felt that he was just beginning to lay all of his cards on the table - trying to clear to Conan and fix all of this. Even though the Gryffindor thought the Hufflepuff to be one of the biggest wastes of space in the whole of creation, he did not want an enemy. He had enough of those. He was hoping that this could be cleared up and they could stop whatever it was this could be classified as. However, he pure blood cringed slightly at the mention of part-goblins. Personally, Jeremiah was not sure of his opinion, as he knew Khione, and sort of liked her, in a way he was unsure how to describe. She was a part-goblin. Unfortunately, his not all of his family agreed with his views, not that he ever spoke about them. He knew for a fact that his very proud pure blood Ravenclaw brother would be very offended, and his silent reaction said as much. Miah was not sure if he had ever witnessed Dante throw a book before. Didn't he love those things? "Durante, return!" He watched Dante storm off, and looked at Conan. The book was now lying on the ground near the lake. He wasn't sure if it had hit the Hufflepuff, since he was a little too busy calling for Dante's return. He ignored all of what Conan had to say, and instead jumped to explain Dante's actions. "I'm sorry, he has no idea how to behave around people. Please, forgive him." He thengrew a little red. He did not just ask Conan to forgive someone that was his blood relative, did he? The guy didn't even like his own damn sister! 'Dear Merlin - I'm going to get punched in the face for this...' He smiled meekly - trying to lighten the situation.
​

 

[Conan Edogawa]

Conan just stood there impatiently as he was rubbing his ear. Why was he still even hear having this conversation with Jeremiah when it seemed that it was both getting them nowhere. "Who's my sister again?" the boy said impatiently at the boy. He was not hesitant in playing the game where in he didn't consider Ai as his sister. Well, he really didn't care about the Hufflepuff girl lately so why treat her as a sister. Conan chuckled at Jeremiah's words. "Not violent? You don't even know her one bit," the boy stated as if it were a silly thing. How could this fool think that Ai wasn't the least bit violent? Of course the other two he mentioned knew how violent Ai could be. They knew her since they were first years for God's sake! "Well, I guess that's what Taylor's talking about. As long as you're out of the picture, you don't care. How do you know she just doesn't attack anyone behind you're back?" Conan smirked as he said this. Of course what he was saying is slowly losing sense but he wasn't about to show the Gryffindor that, he was just about to retort something else until he heard Jeremiah mention something about Ai being bullied. "What are you talking about?" his voice suddenly becoming as cold as ice. How could the Hufflepuff prefect be bullied? That was impossible, certainly Jeremiah was lying, wasn't he? The rest of the Gryffindor's words had already fallen to deaf ears after he had heard about Ai being helpless.

Conan had already let his attention leave the Ravenclaw and instead on the Gryffindor. After all, the Ravenclaw was already leaving so there was no point in conversing with someone who nearly seemed to have no knowledge in talking. But instantly removing his attention from the younger seemed to have been a hideous mistake in the Hufflepuff's part. It would have been alright if an open book had hit him in the face, but there was a pain on his head because the spine of the book had actually hit him hard. Real hard. He heard Jeremiah yell for the boy to return but the Ravenclaw had only ignored him. With a clenched fist, Conan took a deep breath and picked up the book. The Gryffindor apologizing had only made him remember his old self. Back when he and Ai still acted as twins, back before they had their first argument at the cliffs. Annoyed, the Hufflepuff hit the Gryffindor's face with the book before letting it go. It wasn't hard, not even enough to cause a bruise to any normal human being. "Return that to your d@mn brother," Conan said muttered. The Ravenclaw better not have another episode coming or someone will get seriously hurt.

 

[Jeremiah Raven]

Was he serious? How could someone not realise that their sister was being bullied? Didn't they used to spend all their time together? Wasn't that what twins did? Jeremiah was no expert, the only twins in his family were his younger brothers - and they were not identical, did not spend large amounts of time together, and were completely different people, taking after different parents entirely. Julian looked more like their mother and older brother and sister - while Arturo looked more like everyone else, and was quiet. Julian was never quiet. "She's never been violent around me. When I first met her, she was being bullied by some guy. She was very timid..." Jeremiah explained, still not sure how Conan could not know this. "She would barely look me in the eye and was obviously upset by the guy, so I got rid of him." It had taken a while and a few broken rules to do so, but it happened. "That's how I met your sister. She was being bullied, not being a bully."

Jeremiah could have facepalmed himself for asking for Conan's forgiveness for Dante. How stupid was that? How honestly gullible could Miah get? Like Conan wasn't going to smash his face in, he was a violent boy, a terrible person, and really, really seemed to dislike him. That must be the flavour of the month. About now, very many people were disliking the Gryffindor. They must all be in a bet to see who can get to him first. Conan, by far, was winning if that were true. He closed eyes when he saw the book coming, but was surprised when all he received was just a little slap. He stared at Conan for a moment, waiting for a follow-up of that very surprising display. He had no idea how long he just stared at Conan, but it was surely enough to make it all awkward. He cleared his throat and took the book, holding it against his chest. Just to make sure that Conan wasn't going to grab it and hit him with it again. He just wasn't sure how to read this. "Th-thank you, I will." He nodded slowly and looked out at the lake. Dear Merlin, he had no idea what to do now that he wasn't yelling or glaring at Conan. What did people do now?
​

 

[Conan Edogawa]

Timid? Ai? were the thoughts that were going on in Conan's mind. The girl that the Gryffindor was describing at the moment seemed to far-fetched from the Ai he knew. His sister wasn't timid, especially towards boy or girls their age. Heck! She'd even fight someone three years older than her! The Hufflepuff girl never lacked courage in fights, yes, she lacked in friendship, but when it came to defense, Ai could never be a coward or someone who'd let herself be bullied. Conan was shaking his head, not believing the words that Jeremiah was uttering. He and Ai haven't made up for years and he really didn't spot any difference in the girl except after he disowned her in front of the Gryffindor last year. Everything that Jeremiah had said was just unbelievable for the boy. All of it just seemed so wrong.

"That's impossible," was all Conan could mutter for it was what he believed. It was hard for him digesting the information that the Gryffindor was giving him. It seemed that what was happening now was just a dream. "Ai... She... She doesn't let anyone bully her. Hell, she doesn't even want anyone making friends with her!" the Hufflepuff said nearly yelling. "She would even fight the head people now if they say one wrong thing about her!" that was the Ai that Conan knew for so many years. He believed that she never changed, that she was still the same twin that she had left alone in the courtyard for many hours, the same sister that would go violent at anyone at anytime. "Are you sure that was Ai and not someone who looks like her? Or are you lying?" Conan said his gaze at the Gryffindor as cold as ice. The Hufflepuff was mad. He wasn't exactly sure why or whom he was mad at but these things that Jeremiah were telling him were surely going to cause trouble.

 

[Jeremiah Raven]

Jeremiah was surprised that he was actually confusing Conan. How could he be confusing Conan? Surely Conan would know his own sister better than Jeremiah would? Did they not grow up together? And now he was nearly yelling, but Miah was unsure as to whether he was being yelled at, or Conan was just in some sort of state of shock. "No, it is quite possible. I was right there. The boy was being terrible." Miah was not sure what would have happened if he had not of been there. It wasn't his place - and he was not proud of his actions, but that Slytherin needed to be told a few things and bullying other students wasn't right, especially Ai, since Jeremiah had only known her as a quiet, nice person. "Look, Conan. She was being bullied. That much was obvious, they weren't friends and she was not fighting with him, he was just being horrible to her." Possibly worse than what Conan was to Jeremiah, except to his experience, the boy had not actually hit Ai, though he was not gentle with her.

Jeremiah looked at Conan sceptically, trying to decide whether the Hufflepuff was being sarcastic or not. "I'm quite sure, Conan - and I'm not lying. What would I gain from lying to you about your sister being bullied?" He shook his head. "Look, Conan, obviously you had no idea. I suggest you speak to her about it - it's not my place to get into your family business." Which was exactly why Jeremiah never did ask Ai about why she fought with her brother. It was not his place, it was not that he didn't care about the situation. He did. But it was not his place to ask. if she wanted him to know, she'd tell him. "Just talk to her about it at least."
​

 

[Conan Edogawa]

Conan was not sure of what he was feeling right now. Emotional conflicts rarely occur within the Hufflepuff boy, but this was probably the worst he had so far. What was he feeling? Anger, jealousy and maybe a bit of uselessness. He was not really pleased with what he was knowing about Ai. His sister was not someone who'd just give up without a fight. She was not some damsel in distress every single time that there was trouble. In fact, she'd either be the one to start the fight or maybe one who would back down. But the girl Jeremiah had been describing since earlier wasn't even close to the Ai he knew as a kid. Conan never noticed the change the might have occurred in the girl, does that mean he changed a lot too? Was he someone that Ai doesn't know anymore? When did he even last talk to his sister just as a brother like he had back before they discovered magic?

Conan just shrugged at Jeremiah's question. What would the boy gain if he was lying. There was none as far as the Hufflepuff boy knew. But, hell this was absolutely confusing him. Puzzles were easier to solve and even mysteries, but why is a situation like this hard to comprehend? "Of course I have no idea! I can't even tell if it's really Ai you're talking about here!" Conan snapped at Jeremiah. He was already having a hard time and the Gryffindor pointing things out were not really the Hufflepuff's idea of clearing things up. Conan's brows furrowed though as Jeremiah told him to talk to Ai about it. That was next to impossible! He couldn't even find the girl to talk or fight or whatever about going home to Japan, much more having a conversation about a supposed bully when he doesn't even completely believe about it! All he could do was be annoyed and ask, "How do you even talk to someone who's been hiding?"

 

[Jeremiah Raven]

Jeremiah's eyebrow rose sceptically as Conan continued to be... well, difficult. There was no other way to describe the boy. How he could manage to be so thick - yet actually function in society amazed the Gryffindor. "Unless Ai has an identical twin sister that shares her name, I am quite sure the Ai I have been spending time with and watched you argue with are very much the same person." He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He was tempted to loosen his tight grip of Dante's book and just slap it across Conan's face, but that would just throw him back into square one. Considering the last time he slapped Conan with anything, he was punched in the face, the Gryffindor was not prepared to relive such an occurrence. "Stop being stupid before I hit you with this book myself for the sake of Merlin." Jeremiah was ready to leave. He was gaining nothing from this, and he still had to see if Durante was okay. Properly this time, without interruptions from Conan or anyone else.

At Conan's final question, just as Jeremiah was preparing to leave, the Gryffindor stared at the Hufflepuff with mild irritation. "You are both in Hufflepuff, you are both in the same year, and we all take classes together. It's not that hard, Conan. Find Ai and I after class, I'll distracted her so you can get close. Then talk to her. It's as simple as that." And with that said and done, he hoped Conan would actually understand that he was tyring to help, and left the lake.​

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--FINISHED--​