Breathe Deeply

[Benjamin Chase]

By now, all the lessons were already picking up speed. Assignments were provided in almost each lesson. With all these happening, Benjamin Chase was simply not going along with it well. He avoided going out of the Slytherin Common Room so that he would be able to take some naps and do his assignments in there. The Common Room provided him enough space and as well as space for all his books, parchment and quill. Usually, it would be quiet in the Common Room. Either nobody was there or everyone was just talking among themselves in a hushed tone. Benjamin ascended the staircase leading to the fourth floor. He had no idea why he just did that. All he had in mind was to get a break and for once, love his Hogwarts life. He was homework-free at the moment and there was nothing to do except for roam around the grounds. Everybody seemed to be in the Great Hall, eating for them to get extra energy. The variety of food in the Great Hall was not appealing for Benjamin, resulting him to roam around instead of eating. The thoughts of the Student Lounge suddenly flowed in his mind. Benjamin immediately stopped dead in his tracks. Nobody was there anyways and he thought that there would probably be no students there in the lounge. Straightening up his back, he walked more slowly to the lounge, knowing that the Hufflepuffs reside on that floor. He slowly walked towards the door leading to the interior of the lounge and peeked in. It seemed that nobody was there. Absolutely, nobody. In two seconds, he stepped in and scanned the room that was really meant for students to relax in. So far, he was the only student there and his only companion was the fire. It was 1:45 in the afternoon and Benjamin was fully aware of that. The wristwatch he had showed him that and made sure that he was not running late in case he needed to do more errands. Ben walked towards a sofa, it was covered in green colors that were almost the same color as his dark green eyes. Immediately, he dropped himself on the couch and allowed himself to not care whether it was mannerly or not. After all, he was the only one there. If ever someone came in, they would not mind hopefully. ​

 

[Napoleon Hawke]

The student lounge was such a good idea. Napoleon found that at Hogwarts there is very little opportunity to get to know people in different houses, after all the two places he spent most of his time were in the Great Hall where he ate with Gryffindor and the Gryffindor Common Room, again only surrounding himself with Gryffindors. He decided to break from routine and mingle with students in different houses after lunch in the student lounge.

He entered the lounge expecting hundreds of people to be crammed into any available spot, but it wasn’t. The lounge was completely deserted bar another boy Napoleon didn’t recognise. “You have the right idea” Napoleon was referring to the boy lying on the sofa. “I’m Napoleon, are you a first year?”

 

[Hariah Meadow]

Hariah had a free day today, she had finished all of her work and she could just relax. She wondered whether she should send a letter to her father as she hadn't contacted him for a while and she missed him. But instead she decided to go roaming about the castle, a favourite past time of hers. Doing this, Hariah had found a lot of interesting corridors and rooms and had met some nice people. However, doing this she always found herself back at the same spot. The student lounge. It was always so busy and full of people, it was just a nice atmosphere and you could meet and talk to anyone.

The wooden door creaked open and behind it was not what Hariah was expecting. Normally the Student Lounge was bustling full of people. But not today, today it was very quiet and only two people were in there. Hariah felt a little awkward just standing in the door way so she stepped in and shut the door behind her. The boys that were in the room looked around her own age, she continued to walk towards them smiling. "Hey, mind if I join you?" she asked them. Hariah got closer and realised one of the boys was a fellow Gryffindor and one her good friends, Napoleon. "Napoleon hi!" she grinned.

 

[Benjamin Chase]

Silence remained in side the room for actually a long time. Benjamin did absolutely nothing to ignore it. In fact, he took advantage of this by relaxing his mind from all the home works that they were given and continuously stared unto the fire. It was golden orange, crackling and blazing forth. Occasionally it would give a light roar and as far as Ben knew, that was the only audible sound that the room had. Unless he would include his breathing. But his lungs only took small breaths of air most of the time. Sure, he would sometimes do a breathing routine but that only happens once every morning and evening. It helped him remain his calmness and control over his mind and body. Never was he easily distracted by something or someone, not until that thing or person would start doing absurd actions for him, her or it to catch his attention. The boy continued to stare at the orange flames and turned away from it in almost a second. His eyes suddenly burned because of the bright light and he just observed his surroundings. The Student Lounge was not as huge as anything. Not like in the Chase Manor where everywhere he goes is just to spacious and full of furniture which are fragile and expensive to lose. Anyways, its main purpose was to keep the students relaxed in whatever they planned to do in the lounge. Whether it was to chitchat with other students, play wizard's chess or just simply stare and make their thoughts wander. Benjamin was doing exactly what the third option was. Stare and let his thoughts flow and flow until he got tired of it.

Everything seemed interesting to look at. The sofas, the fire, the lights hanging on the wall above him and the silence itself was enjoyable for him. Chilly air entered the room to refresh Benjamin in such a way he won't be irritated with it. He unconsciously smiled and turned his head again to face in another direction. There was a sudden voice that caused Ben's shoulders to jerk upwards and made him feel slightly awkward with the other person's presence. "Thanks?" Benjamin did not know whether to reply or not. He formed a fake smile on his lips to show his fake gratitude. He slowly stood up and moved to the left side of the soft Slytherin green sofa for him to make space. That would be slightly embarrassing if ever he did not and quite rude if he even did not acknowledge the presence. He again sat down, satisfied with the space he has offered to the boy. "Yeah. I'm thinking that you too are a first year, aren't you?" Benjamin tapped the space beside him, offering in a mute way to let the boy sit down. He did not want them to converse with one standing up and one sitting down. It would seem awkward for him to do that. The strange thing was that, he noticed that the boy was not in his house. If he did, he'd notice immediately. With Benjamin being aware of his surroundings, he would be able to identify the presence of the boy if ever he would be in the Slytherin House. Also, with the meeting held a few days ago, he sure would be able to notice him. Then again, another voice joined them and Benjamin turned once more to the direction of the girl. He chuckled when he heard her say the boy's name. "Small world. You two know each other." Benjamin said with twinkling eyes. Indeed, it was a small world. After all, Hogwarts New Zealand was not as big as the real world outside. It was almost a thousand more huger than the castle itself.

"Napoleon," Benjamin faced the boy just close to him, finding it strange to recite his name. The word was foreign to his tongue but he was determined to speak of it anyways. "I'm Benjamin Chase from the Slytherin House." Benjamin spoke while turning his face to the girl instead. Her face did not seem familiar too, which made him uncomfortable. Here he is, entering a conversation that will make him feel like a third wheel. The two know each other, with a possibility that both of them are in the same house. Hopefully, they'd accept him coming from the Slytherins. "Er, would you like to sit down?" He abruptly stood up, making himself such a gentleman at a young age. At a fast speed, he was able to locate an armchair just a few feet away. He was hopeful that the girl would sit beside the boy. Benjamin, for some reason, wanted to sit alone on the armchair. After all, it is obviously made for only one person to actually sit on it. Except if another person sits down on one of its arms.

Out of Character:

Same playbys. Would you like to do it in a round robin form? Like Benjamin, then Napoleon then Hariah? So that it would be easier to post?

​

 

[Napoleon Hawke]

OOC: Yep, much easier that way



The boy reminded Napoleon of someone but couldn’t work out who it was. He knew someone who looked very similar to him and after glancing at his reflection in the mirror above the fireplace, Napoleon realised who it was. This Slytherin boy looked like him! He could easily be a long lost relative, twin perhaps, and Napoleon would believe it.

His thoughts were interrupted by Hariah entering the lounge, “Hazza! How are you, not been munching away without me have you?” He winked at his friend and put his arms around her for a friendly hug. ‘Munching away’ was a private joke Napoleon wouldn’t have expected the Slytherin boy to understand. Recently Hariah and Napoleon had found the kitchens at Hogwarts where they could get all the food and beverages they wanted and vowed not to tell anyone about it.

He parted Hariah and slumped himself into a particularly comfortable armchair, “Yeah we’re both Gryffindors, that’s how we met, it’s only a small common room. “What’s Slytherin like? You’re the first snake I’ve met.” Napoleon hadn’t heard great things about Slytherin but from first impressions, Benjamin didn’t fit the stereotype.

 

[Hariah Meadow]

Hariah hugged him back and laughed "I haven't no, We'll have to do it again soon though!" she said to him and winked back. It was extremely fun and she was happy that she ran into Leon that night. It turned out to be a great adventure and they found the best secret that Hogwarts had to offer.

She guessed the other boy in the room felt a bit awkward as Hariah and Leon knew each other already. So she promptly pulled away from Leon and turned to the boy and smiled at him. Hariah wanted to appear friendly and didn't want the boy to feel like a third wheel in this group. After all she came up here to make new friends, it was just a happy coincidence that Leon was here too.

"Slytherin?" she asked him, that's probably why Hariah had not spoke to him before. Classes had just started and even though they had classes together everyone tended to stay with people in their own house. Hariah rarely ventured out from the common room most days unless she had nothing to do. Much like today. She found that the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs tended to hang around these floors and not so much the other two houses.

Hariah sat down on the sofa that the boy just vacated "Thankyou Benjamin, do you like to be called Benjamin or Ben?" she asked wanting to make sure she got his name correct, she didn't like getting on the wrong side of people straight away. Especially since she hadn't really met a Slytherin before and their reputation showed that they were not overly friendly. However Benjamin seemed pretty decent. She didn't want to listen to prejudice anyway, her father had told her not to, that people from all houses were equally as nice. Hariah was sure that she would find this out soon enough.

Out of Character:

Yeah that seems fair

 

[Benjamin Chase]

Benjamin could not help but smirk at the two love birds right in front of him. They looked good together actually, but Benjamin did not really hesitate to ask. He watched them part away and had a feeling that was one of these two were actually unhappy to part. Am I becoming hopelessly romantic? Benjamin questioned himself privately. Being such a love crazy boy would not actually suit him. Especially with him bearing the Chase name and being the second to the youngest member, it would probably not make him a good example for his younger sister. Sometimes, he had the feeling that his morals and values that he gives his sister is not that cool. Especially for one that is just a seven year old right now. When Napoleon sat back again at the couch, he considered himself to be actually standing up right now to give the girl a seat. "Yes, Slytherin." He chuckled at the girl that seemed to be surprised that he was a Slytherin. Was it because of his current decency? His calm attitude or his looks? It was probably the first one since Slytherins are actually misunderstood to be people who are meant to be mean. He mentally frowned at the fact and resumed to immense himself within their conversation. "There is actually no difference at all. We're all equal. It's just that our dorms are somehow located under the lake." He gave them a playful smile that meant something was going on. This fact sometimes drew students to drop their jaws in astonishment. With his father being in the Slytherin house, he was able to make it clear that their dormitories are under the lake. Yes, that was true. Or at least, that is what Benjamin thinks. "I'm not so sure if it is true though." All was not clear for him yet, but he knew that outside the Slytherin Dormitories, there was something spooky going on and he sure did not want to find out what was happening. After saying this, Benjamin Chase sat down on the armchair just facing them and looked at the two Gryffindors in front of him.

Nicknames were no big deal. They were actually easier to use rather than a person's formal name. In the Chase Manor, only his father was the one that called him 'Benjamin'. With him always being around with his dad, he was already used in responding to someone calling him his first real name. Then his mother would call him by 'Ben'. He loved his mother dearly, since she was the one who was less rigid and stern than Father. She clearly was the one who did not do all the errands of the family. But the financial status of the Chase was doing highly well and a part of it came from the contribution of Isabella Chase, Benjamin's mother. "Either goes well." All these decisions with names seemed annoying. Can't they just decide on their own? Did they think that deciding on names was actually categorized in such a complex branch and even they cannot decide for themselves? Benjamin's mind flowed with all these questions and more seemed to come in each and every second that passed by. Ever since he has met this other Gryffindor student, everything seemed to go the same way. "And your name is Hazza?" Benjamin flashed a puzzled face and could not believe that Napoleon actually called the girl by using 'Hazza'. Such a ridiculous name. Hopefully, that is not really her real name. Or else, that would be so much embarrassing to state to someone that you know the Hazza from the Gryffindor House. He looked again at the two students sitting almost directly in front of him. An idea popped into his mind and he decided to ask them a silly question just to make up a silly conversation. Besides, it would be so much amusing to watch these two first years argue if ever they are or not. "So are both of you together?" Benjamin asked. "You actually make a good couple." He wondered if ever the girl would be outraged or something. There was nothing to be angry about. He was just joking anyways. He also remembered when Napoleon hugged his fellow Gryffindor. Was it like a sign of love or something? Benjamin forced himself to bring him into the complicated branch or romance or simply called love. What was there to learn about, anyways?​

 

[Napoleon Hawke]

“Under the lake huh?” Napoleon replied sarcastically, he knew that wasn’t true but went along with it anyway.“Must be pretty cold, dark and damp down there. Do you ever get merpeople paying you a visit? I’ve heard that when merpeople sing out of water it sounds like a deafening screech.”

The boys next question caught Napoleon off guard and he almost started choking in response. No Napoleon and Hariah certainly were not ‘together’. Napoleon was curious to know why Benjamin even thought that. “Ew no! Why did you say that?” Napoleon couldn’t think of anything worse than kissing a girl at his age, he might get cooties. He did really like Hariah and after the short time he had known her would have already considered her a good friend of his. But he didn’t like her, he didn’t like any girls, only adventures and Hariah was his number one adventure buddy.

 

[Hariah Meadow]

Hariah smiled "I haven't really spoke to many Slytherins yet. You'll be the first one that I've had a proper conversation with!" she said to the boy called Benjamin. She must admit that he was not what Hariah thought a Slytherin would be like. He was far more friendly and warm then some of the other people she had seen in Slytherin. "Under the lake? No way" Hariah said shocked. She nodded in agreement with Napoleon "Yeah is it cold and damp?" She asked Benjamin. She wasn't sure whether she would like to sleep under the lake. She imagined that it was damp and perhaps rather chilly. She much preferred it in Gryffindor tower, it was out of the way.

"Okay, Ben it is then!" Hariah said to him smiling, she felt Benjamin was a bit formal and she wanted to be friends with Ben not just acquaintances. Hariah laughed "No, my name is Hariah. Leon calls me Hazza. Your welcome to aswell if you wish." Her name was unusual, her parents did like unique names for some reason. Hariah liked her name, no-one else had it and it was very memorable, it was hard to forget.

Her eyes widened "No we're not" she answered him at the same time as Napoleon did. Ben probably couldn't decipher who said what or make sense of what they both said anyway. She felt a bit hurt that Leon said 'Ew' she wrinkled her nose at his comment. She felt they had been getting along quite well, obviously he only thought about her as a friend, which was fine. She giggled at Ben's comment 'You actually make a good couple' Hariah felt it was a bit early to be thinking about things like that but she supposed that Leon was a potential boyfriend, he was nice and decent looking. She thought that Ben was reading too much into them.

 

[Benjamin Chase]

Benjamin nodded when he heard about Hariah's statement. He quickly understood why even his fellow Slytherins acted towards people liked this. They were slightly mean to others who they thought were not worthy to them. Some Slytherins were actually hostile to those who had a low class life and some even had the prejudiced feelings against those 'Mudbloods' who seemed stupid to act around with. Benjamin was not prejudiced, but as an eleven year old, he had the guts to show the other people that he can speak foul words with no worry at all. After all, his blood was the highest rank among all other types. He was Pure Blood, and no blood was superior to that. Ben smirked about all these information swirling inside his own head. "Yeah? We're simply choosy with who we talk with." His tone was serious at the same time his eyes faced her with only boredom speaking out. The conversation was a normal one and he did not want it to be exactly like this in the next few minutes of their talking. Was their any fun with a Snake and two Lions? He hoped their will be, soon...

The Slytherin Common Room made Benjamin Chase sighed with boredom. He successfully hid his bored expression so that he would not look rude to the two bloody Gryffindors in front of him. He remembered the dark atmosphere the common room had and its dark green colors that were almost seen everywhere. The first year loved the atmosphere there. It always matched him mood. However, when their is an unusual noise going on, he'd be usually irritated about it. It was either the trending topic was something interesting or they won something lovely. Benjamin scowled when he heard that stupid sarcastic comment from Napoleon. If he did that further, Benjamin would end up hating him soon. He was quite bipolar for today and he had no idea why. The Slytherin ignored the comment and just answered the next one. "The Dungeons are cold and quite deserted. Same goes with our common room. But they're not damp." He responded with a calm tone. He stopped his position and just placed his legs the normal way like he was casually sitting down. He was ready if ever he needed to change his personality, even though it would ruin his reputation. Making people feel lonely and horrible were said to be the Slytherins' job, and he would be fully happy to oblige in such a task.

Names were slightly difficult to understand. Some names did not suit the person's looks or personality. He never had difficulty in remembering anyone's names. But sometimes when the name was actually long, he would only remember some parts of the name. But the person's face was always Ben's key to make him remember better. Ben smiled and at Hariah and said nothing, deciding to shift to the next subject. "Cool." He did not want to extend it further, talking about the history of her name. The black haired wizard stifled a yawn because of the tone of their talk. There was no excitement and he wanted some. It was all introductions and awkwardness. The only time he felt his heart beat with excitement was when he felt the sudden outburst of the two students in front of him. He loved the way they reacted and he chuckled immediately. "Hey, don't take it to seriously. Relax, I was just joking." He made his eyebrows go upwards in a fast motion two times, to tell them that he was just trying to boost the energy of their talking. All he wanted was a change of subject. He intended to make fun of it, nothing else. ​

 

[Napoleon Hawke]

It hadn’t been the young Gryffindors intention to appear to not like Hariah with the ‘ew’ comment, he just didn’t like her like that. He had never even thought of such things before now and he didn’t like having to answer such questions from someone he didn’t know before five minutes ago. They had only been at Hogwarts a short time and already Hariah was one of Napoleon’s closest friends, nothing more at least for the time being.

The longer Napoleon spent in the same room as Benjamin, the more his dislike for the Slytherin grew. He had never been one to not get along with someone but was preparing to make an exception for Ben. It was quite simply because he didn’t like the boys attitude. He behaved as if he was more important than Hariah and Napoleon and that the two Gryffindors should feel privileged that a Slytherin believed them worthy enough to hold a conversation with. “Well Gryffindors choose who we talk to as well.” Napoleon snapped defensively, “We just don’t base it on such trivial things as blood status or wealth.”