Black and Blue

[Odette Madison]

Being back at school wasn't nearly as nice as it used to be. Everything just felt so useless, so meaningless. Everywhere she looked she feared she would see her younger sister, even though she hadn't actually run into the girl this year yet. The girl was a joke as far as threats went, but she still would rather avoid her for now. The whole situation just made her so angry. She was angry at her father, at her mother, at her half-brother and sister. At the stupid school for bringing them together and at her stupid self for caring so much.

That anger was part of the reason for dyeing her hair. She knew it would horrify her mother, and it had, which was satisfying. But it also made her look different from Charlotte, from basically everyone in her family. At least, as far as she knew. She still hadn't even seen a picture of her father. But based on how relentlessly blonde everyone was, she could assume he was as well. Hayden had of course noticed her hair color, but because she hadn't opened up to him about what was going on he couldn't guess what she was feeling inside. She knew it was her own fault, but it still frustrated her.

She had decided to do something so unlike her that no one would expect it. It wasn't even anything too big or dramatic, but she wanted to rebel against the image everyone had of her. The marker felt light in her hand as she made her way into an abandoned classroom and closed the door behind her. So, she was pretty much copying Harley. So what? The Gryffindor seemed to have this whole 'rebellion' thing down pretty well, and she would never had to know Odette was trying to be more like her. She just hoped it would help her feel a little better. It had to, right? Why else would anyone do it?

After deliberating for a moment, she decided to start with an old desk. On the surface she wrote in spiky, angry letters with her black marker. "I HATE YOU." the letters spelled out accusingly when she was done. She stared at it for a moment, a small laugh bubbling in her throat at how ridiculous this was. She didn't even know who this message was for. Her parents? Her sister? Regardless, they would never see it. But the act of scrawling down her anger on school property wasn't half bad. At least someone would see it, read itli, even if they would never know or even guess it was from her.

Deciding to take it one step further she pushed another desk near the wall and climbed on top of it. It wobbled slightly, but she managed not to fall off. This time, she wrote directly on the wall, the letters bigger than before. "Perfection is a lie," was the phrase she wrote now. After she was done she underlined it twice, then she paused to look at it for a moment. Perhaps by the time she was done, the entire classroom would be covered in black ink. It felt like she had enough conflicted feelings to cover the entire school if she had to.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Coming back to school after the holidays never felt like any less of a relief. No more family to worry about, no mum and dad to praise her and talk down to Jason, none of that. Just school and friends and new adventures to be had. One good thing the holidays had brought was new paints, and Harley was eager to find an unoccupied area of the school to test them out in. She was wandering the corridors near some classrooms she knew didn't get used often when she spotted another person up ahead holding a permanent marker. Now that was intriguing. She didn't recognise the person from behind, but this was definitely worth following up on.

Staying behind the person as quietly as she could, Harley followed them down to an abandoned classroom. 'Good choice...', she thought to herself, watching them slip into the room quietly. The closed door was an issue, and Harley debated giving up the chase. But the idea of another student interested in acts of public art was too enticing to stop now. Doing her best to make no noise at all, Harley quietly turned the door handle and carefully crept into the room, closing the door silently behind her. It was only as she watched the other girl at work that she finally realised who it was. Odette looked like a completely different person, the dark hair and graffiti entirely unlike her.

Harley liked it.

"Nice work, Odette." She smirked, approaching the other girl. "Tryna gank my style? I can respect that. It's a pretty sweet style. Want a hand?" Harley wasn't entirely sure whether her praise and offer were teasing or not, but she was pretty sure that Odette's reaction would decide that. This entire situation felt so far removed from their usual dynamic that Harley didn't really feel any need to antagonise Odette... she just wanted to see where all this was coming from, and Harley Tsuji was never one to say no to some public art if it came as a side effect.

 

[Odette Madison]

Even though it was kind of silly to write on school property and feel rebellious about it, it was definitely an effective outlet for her emotions. She went up in her work so much that she didn't notice anyone follow her into the classroom, she didn't even hear the door open. Focused on what she would write or draw next, she felt her heart skip when she heard a voice. With a gasp, she whirled around, horrified to see Harley there. Of all people, why did it have to be her? She was completely right about Odette stealing her style, and that infuriated her. The things she had been writing had been personal, even if they were too vague to point to anything in her life directly. Not only that, but it seemed like dyeing her hair a drastically different color for the new school year hadn't been as original an idea as Odette had thought. Looking at Harley's blue hair, she felt oddly jealous. She had actually considered an unnatural color, but she hadn't dared to. Even in this, it was like Harley was winning some sort of invisible competition. She had to admit it suited her, which was only more annoying. Glaring, she lowered her marker. "You're not the only person in possession of a permanent marker, Harley. And I'm not as obsessed with you as you might want to think." She snapped, shoving it into her pocket. "I don't need your help, why don't you try leaving me alone for once? I'm not in the mood for your sh*t." Remembering the confrontation with Hayley last year made her point at Harley accusingly. "Even when we agree not to torment each other, you send your little cronies to come after me. So don't think I'll start trusting you just because you pretend to be nice to me." Her rivalry with Harley had been going strong for years now, and a similarity in style wasn't enough to break it. She wasn't yet pathetic enough to want to befriend someone like her.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley was actually a little surprised when Odette snapped back at her, though she supposed she shouldn't be. New cool attitude or no, this was still Odette. "Hey, I mean, when you rip on me for years for writing on sh*t and then turn around and do it yourself what am I supposed to think?" She asked, smiling calmly, trying to defuse the tension. For once she didn't feel like prodding at Odette, more interested in getting to know more about this new side of her. "I've got some new paints I wanna try out, come on, let's paint the town red. It'll be like primary school art classes again." She said teasingly. Odette's next accusation surprised Harley, who paused, trying to think what Odette could be referring to. "I don't know what you mean. I don't have any cronies, I've left you alone all year. Minding my own business, that's me. The only thing I'm bringing to the table is an olive branch and some paints."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette rolled her eyes at Harley's comment, even though her own anger and annoyance were cooling down significantly. Harley didn't seem to be here to rip on her,and it wasn't actually the worst person to catch her like this. At least she wouldn't tell on her. And her messages were vague enough not to convey too much personal information. "I've been ripping on you for years for many more reasons than you writing on things." She said with a small smirk. "Many of them better reasons, I assure you." She sighed, actually glad Harley hadn't risen to her bait. As angry as she was, Harley wasn't the person she wanted to fight right now. There was a reason she had copied her style a bit, and that was because she was envoius of how little she cared about everything. "You'd let me use your paints?" She asked, a frown furrowing her brown. "Why?" The idea of using a marker was simple enough, but paints? What sort of plans did Harley have? The conversation about Hayley didn't quite go as she expected, and she watched Harley closely for any sign of a lie. "I mean Hayley. She's been bugging me. But I guess she's doing that all on her own." The idea made her grow more annoyed at her fellow Slytherin, as she had assumed the dislike between them had been because of Harley. "Whatever, I'll deal with her on my own." She muttered. "Whatever. Show me how you were planning to use the paints."

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley actually laughed at Odette's comment, leaning on a nearby desk. "Sure thing. And many of them much, much, much, much pettier reasons." She smirked, raising an eyebrow challenging Odette to prove her wrong. Sure, their rivalry had always been a back and forth, but the way Harley saw it she spent most of her time reacting to how Odette was acting. Most of Harley's offensives had actually been defensives, even if they had been somewhat disproportionate to the slights she was reacting to. Odette seemed to relax slightly, and Harley relaxed too, relieved to be actually getting a real conversation out of this bizarre encounter. "I dunno, I'm curious?" She shrugged in response to Odette's question, smiling a little. "Wanna see what this new punk Odette can do with the proper tools."

Harley slumped slightly and sighed when Odette brought up Hayley, running a hand through her hair. "Hayley's her own person, dude, I don't live in her back pocket, whatever you've been bugging each other about is between the two of you. Just 'cause we're friends doesn't mean everything we do is a scheme." She was relieved when Odette asked about the paints, holding up the box and heading over to a blank section of wall. "C'mere. I'm gonna paint a dragon but you can do whatever you want, write stuff or paint or whatever. You can just splash 'em around too if you want, it's pretty satisfying." Harley grinned, cracking open her paints and picking out a brush.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette snorted at Harley's comment, flicking her dark hair over her shoulder. "Please, as if it's just one sided." She said testily. Sure, Harley liked to pretend it was just Odette's fault that they had this rivalry between them, but it came from two sides in her opinion. But it seemed like neither girl actually wanted to fight right now. She knew Harley could have reacted much worse to her opening jab, and she was actually glad the girl hadn't. "I'm not punk just because I dyed my hair. And I'm not here to make something pretty and colorful." She said with a sigh. "Look, I'm just venting some frustration alright? I don't know if I need your... I don't know, silly paint set for that." She ignored the comments about Hayley. She didn't need to be a part of this conversation, as Harley had a point. They were two separate people, and right now she actually sort of enjoyed Harley's company right now. Well, enjoyed was too big a word. She tolerated it. "Why are you going to paint a dragon in an abandoned classroom no one will see, anyway?" She asked, looking around. "What's the point of a dragon?" She glanced back at the phrases she had written, wondering what Harley thought of them. "Not that I'm judging, I mean, I'm here too." She added with a shrug, playing with a lock of her dark hair. She still wasn't used to seeing it. After a moment of hesitation, she followed Harley to the wall she was intending to paint on. She looked at the different paints. "You know, I'm not actually all that creative." She said, not even sure why she was saying it. "Whatever I make with this won't win me any prizes."

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley laughed, relieved that their back and forth had taken on more of a tone of banter than anything contentious. "Hey, I never said it was all one sided." She grinned teasingly. "Remember when I put snails in your book bag in primary school? That was all me. That was my fault. And I apologise." She grinned, giving an exaggerated, sweeping bow. Odette's next assertation made Harley laugh. "Nooo, you're punk because you're sneaking around writing on walls, that's pretty Punk 101. And hey. Paint is good for venting. I never said you had to paint something specific. Feels good sometimes to just chuck it at the wall and see what sticks." Harley actually paused when Odette asked why she was here of all placess, dipping her brush in some red as she pondered. "Hmm, well I was gonna look for somewhere a little more public, but sometimes it feels good to just go somewhere and chill and paint, and not worry, y'know? It's nice to just get away from expectations and do your own thing." She smiled, beginning to lay down colour where she wanted her dragon's coiled body to sit. "Whatever you make, I'm sure it'll be fine." She said reassuringly, not taking her eyes off the wall, painting as she talked. "Just grab some paint and do what feels right."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette couldn't help but laugh at Harley's confession. "Oh really? I had no idea." she said sarcastically. "Like, you were the only girl in our year who would even dare to touch snails. It wasn't that hard to put together." She smirked at the girl. "But apology accepted." She still didn't really like being called punk, as that didn't feel like her. But shrugged in acceptance of the other girl's reasons. "I'm fairly sure it will all stick. It's paint." She said dryly, though she curiously watched as Harley started to paint. "So where were you planning to draw this dragon, anyway? And was it originally going to have my face? You can be honest." She said with a snort, picking up a paint brush herself. After a moment of consideration she painted it in red, and drew a heart. Before Harley could comment on it, she drew a jagged line down the middle with her marker, adding more cracks to it as she went. it wasn't about anything specific but it felt good to just draw anything her mind made up. It was kind of messy, as the paint dribbled down, but she didn't care. Not even when a few spots of red made their way onto her shoes. "It's a wonder you're not living in detention." She commented as she glanced at Harley from the corner of her mind. "If you do this regularly. "

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley laughed. "Thank god... that's been weighing heavy on my conscience all these years. What if Odette never forgives me for the snails?" She grinned cheekily, leaning in to start adding detail to her dragon. "Well, I was just looking for a place where there was space really, didn't have many plans. But y'know, not everything I do is about you. Sometimes I just wanna paint a sick dragon." She paused for a moment, considering. "Could look pretty cool with one of the Professors faces though..." Thinking about her options Harley began blocking in a few scales on the dragon's back. Painting with Odette felt different to painting with Hayley. With Hayley they would be working together on the same piece, looking at each other's work all the time, sharing paints and helping each other out. As lightly as she had approached the situation though, Harley could tell that there was some deep meaning for Odette doing the things she had been when Harley entered, and it felt almost intrusive to look up at the other girl's art. She couldn't resist stealing a glance though, surprised to see Odette pulling jagged cracks through the middle of a heart. "Nice." She commented idly, returning her attention to her dragon. Odette's next comment made Harley laugh. "Oh, y'know, I'm in and out. Professors can't punish what they don't notice though, it's all about finding places they won't check until I'm long gone."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette raised her eyebrow. "The snails weren't your worst crime. The time you put paint in my hair is a much more vivid memory." She had been very upset, and part of it had been that she had always considered her hair the only truly beautiful thing about herself. It didn't help that her mother had said as much, though perhaps not in so many words. Odette watched her paint her dragon, feeling a familiar sting of jealousy. Harley was artistic, plain and simple. Odette tried not to care, but what Harley made looked a lot better. "Don't they just vanish drawings like these? Have you ever had that happen?" She asked the girl as she focused back on her own drawing. "I guess you would just use a sketchbook if you wanted permanence." She muttered, thinking of Hayley and her annoying sketchbook that she wouldn't let Odette see. There were probably thing about her in there. It didn't really bother her. Not much, anyway. She felt a slight blush rise in her cheeks when Harley complimented her drawing. Mostly because she knew it wasn't all that great, and she was probably being nice. She didn't need Harley to pity her. "Shut up, I know it's crap." she said with a shrug. "Just focus on your damn dragon, it's nice." She said pointedly, giving her a slight smirk. "So do you always do this hobby alone? Or does your little group follow sometimes?" She asked casually as she started drawing a few arrows through the heart. She glanced at Harley from the corner of her eye to see her reaction.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley winced slightly and laughed. She had forgotten about the paint for a moment. "Oh, right. Sorry about that one too." She paused, looking over at Odette's still unfamiliar brunette hair. "Or, you're welcome for the inspiration? Seeing as you've gone all out on your own now." It was a weak joke, but looking back Harley really did feel bad about the hair. It had been mean, and pointless, and obviously upset Odette a lot. Harley got as good as she gave, but there were things in their back and forth that she felt bad about, looking back.

When Odette asked about her paintings, Harley shrugged and nodded. "I don't expect 'em to last forever. It's just nice to do. I'd be surprised if nobody cleaned them up eventually." She leaned in closer to the wall as she painted the smaller scales along the dragon's tail, blocking out the spaces where more detailed shading would go later. She was surprised to see Odette actually blush at the compliment to her piece, shaking her head quickly. "No, I mean it, it's nice. The cracks and stuff look wicked." She gave Odette what she hoped was an encouraging smile. She was surprised to get a compliment in return, and laughed awkwardly. "Thanks." In response to Odette's question, she shrugged. "Sometimes I paint alone. Sometimes Hayley and I paint together, and we chat while we do, like this. We usually work on different parts of the same painting though."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette snorted dismissively. "This wasn't inspired by you." She said, gesturing to her hair. "It's... other stuff. I just didn't want to look like I did anymore." In truth, she didn't want to look related to the Harpers anymore, but Harley didn't need to know that. She already knew way more than Odette felt comfortable with, and she wondered if Harley had made the connection between Charlotte and her yet. In a way, they had younger sisters in the same year. That was a strange thought.

It was strange to talk with Harley about her paintings without any arguments or name calling. She was glad Hayley wasn't here, because she didn't think it would be quite this peaceful with the other Slytherin there. "It just seems kind of pointless, if no one knows you did it and it just gets quietly cleaned up later." She said with a small shrug. "But thanks." she added, putting the cap on her marker. She wasn't sure if she had more creative outbursts in her, so just watched Harley work. "You're doing fine on your own, you don't need anyone else to help you with your paintings." She commented, wondering if Harley thought Hayley was better than her.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley nodded sympathetically. "I know, chill. I don't actually think it was about me or whatever." She said gently, brushing her own hair back. "I get what it's like not to wanna look like yourself, or your family, or whatever. Sometimes you just gotta change and do your own thing." She sighed gently, leaning back to grab a different shade of orange.

Harley shrugged, loading her brush up with more paint. "I mean, the point is doing it, not necessarily it existing forever. Public art is always temporary, it gets damaged or cleaned up or painted over eventually. The fun part is making it, not looking at it. If I was painting for glory I'd paint the tables in the Great Hall or something. This is just for me." She smiled, glancing up at Odette's heart again, glad that the other girl had accepted the compliment. When Odette commented about Hayley helping, Odette actually laughed. "It's not like that! We just have fun working on stuff together. We're not like, teaching each other or whatever, just having fun. Here, c'mere, you can paint a village my dragon's destroying or something. Give it a try."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette shrugged. "You could have, I know you don't think I'm all that original or anything." She said with another tiny shrug. She didn't care what Harley thought of her. She didn't. Harley's hair was very beautiful, though, and Odette wondered what sort of dye she used. Maybe it was magical, to make the color this vibrant.

She listened to Harley's explanation of why the point wasn't for it to exist, and it didn't make much sense to her. Why wouldn't she want something permanent? Or at least be recognized for what she did. Perhaps this was why Harley wasn't a Slytherin. Though she wondered how Hayley felt about it. It annoyed her a little that Hayley kept intruding into her thoughts, as the Slytherin was actually one of her least favorite people right now. Only Charlotte ranked higher, and having both in her own house just made the common room feel sort of unsafe. Like she couldn't completely let her guard down anywhere. She shrugged at Harley's comments. "Whatever, if you say so."

Harley's offer to work on it together surprised her, and she glanced at Harley uncertainly. Did she mean that or was it some sort of joke? Odette wasn't an artist, and she would surely ruin Harley's drawing. But if that's what she wanted. "Can I draw some burning stick people running around too?" She asked, a small smirk appearing on her face.