Exploring.

[Andrea Kelize]

Boredom filled Andrea's being as she rested her head on a wooden table. She was at the Gryffindor Common Room, in hopes to find someone she knew. There weren't as many people as she expected. There were only a few. Five or six maybe, with her excluded. Andrea's body was too lazy to do anything remotely interesting. She has been resting her head and both her arms on this table for almost an hour now. Percy's voice still kept ringing on her head. She's not really sure if Percy was being serious or if he was just kidding but he really had a serious look on his ugly face. But knowing Percy, he was the world's best actor, yet he really looked different. Andrea rolled her eyes as she calculated Percy's words. Frankly speaking, she didn't know any student who would know the common room of their opposite houses. She didn't know the specific location of the other houses' common rooms and she didn't know any fellow lion who would know also so how would Percy know the exact location of the Gryffindor Common Room when he's not even a Gryffindor? Andrea bit her lip. She cannot accept this. Every time she replays Percy's voice, she feels like he knows all of her secrets, even her dark ones too and it's not a good thing. She thought hard. How would she get back at him if he was really telling the truth? She couldn't possibly put traps outside the Room since he's not the only one who would enter it and he couldn't rat him out to the Headmaster too since she'll get in trouble with their parents so the only thing that's left is for her to find his common room too. It's the only thing that will make things even, even if his allegations are the truth or simply a big fat lie. And anyway, if she can really find Slytherin common room then she would have perks. Not only would she get back at Percy if he was really telling the truth, she would also have an advantage if he was lying. Andrea rose from the table and started walking out from the room, in hopes to find the Slytherin Common Room.

The easy part is she knows where the Slytherin's Common Room is located and that's at the dungeons. The hard part is it's exact location. Andrea walked down those annoying labyrinth of stairs and found herself at the entrance to the dungeons. She has been here a couple of times, usually in search for the Kitchens. She never made an attempt to discover Slytherin's common room until now and it made her feel challenged. It was dark inside. It was a cave, really. She sighed and took out her wand. "Lumos" She whispers, as the tip of her wand lit. Then, she walked in slowly and tried to find a clue to where the Slytherin common room's whereabouts is.

 

[Benjamin Chase]

Not that Benjamin Chase was lazy, but he could swear to Arthur's sword, his mind could not think of anything good to do. He had eaten breakfast, read his History of Magic notes and tried practicing some charms. Professor Spenser was really a hell of a teacher for him. He knew some people who found the man "cute." Benjamin stared at the ceiling of his four-poster bed with an expression that indicated how odd his thoughts were. They were running - constantly changing into amusing ones then into bitter thoughts. Now he found that strange. Dwelling on the fact that he would make his butt land on trouble in the very end made him feel so childishly immature. "What the hell can I do?" He muttered to the ceiling as he felt the hair on his head make contact with his two laced hands. Now that he had the position of his hands behind his head, he felt his whole weight sink again onto the mattress. What a day it was. Wanting to clear his mind, Benjamin closed the green eyes he had and savored the cool darkness. He was painfully aware that he had almost memorized every single detail of the ceiling. Not quite fascinating honestly, just made of a simple but sturdy material.

A rumble. Then another. The cycled repeated itself for the last fifteen minutes. Irritatingly, the pureblood boy opened his stark green eyes with much effort. He was certainly not asleep. His "hobby" of sleeping ages ago had reduced to occasional laziness kicking in, fortunately. It was better to feel lazy than to sleep the day through. Hearing his stomach rumble again, Benjamin placed a hand on his abdomen and felt the vibration. Suddenly groaning, he sat up abruptly and ran the hand that was previously on his stomach through those black strands of his. A ridiculous idea popped in his mind and he thought about getting up. A walk to the Kitchens would be fantastic but could he really risk it? If only he were in Gryffindor... Then maybe his courage would elevate. Retrieving his wand from under the sheets, he stood up and slipped on some comfortable footwear. He hoped that it wouldn't be too dark from the dungeons to the kitchens. "I'm a wizard for Merlin's sake," He thought amusingly. Casting the Lumos charm would be a piece of cake. Setting off, he took one glance at the mirror to make sure his hair wasn't sticking up everywhere. Thankfully it wasn't. Much.

As the entrance to the common room closed behind him, Benjamin kept his wand in his loose grip. So far, he supposedly knew the distance from the common room to the kitchens of the elves. He was familiar, although not exactly sure. If he was unsuccessful, Benjamin was absolutely sure that he could always go up to the Great Hall. He walked slowly, observing the dim darkness surrounding him - he was incredibly used to it anyways. Silently taking medium sized steps, he arrived in the middle of the so called labyrinth by other students. As Benjamin's eyes scanned the room around him, he noticed a brighter light getting closer. Intrigued, he tried stepping forward to surprise whoever brave soul tried to explore (except if he knew that the person was a Slytherin or a professor). His lips formed into a soft, devilish grin and he observed where the light was coming from. Benjamin swiftly stepped into the still darkness just near him in a very hushed way. He was going to stay in the darkness first before he could even approach the person. Curious as ever, the Slytherin waited for whoever will appear.

Out of Character:

After you post, that's where I'll say that Benjamin saw her already and yeah.

​

words: 627 words

 

[Andrea Kelize]

Andrea placed a hand on the Dungeon's rocky walls. She was trying to find clues on where her destination might be. She was sure it had a secret something for it like any other common room but a question intrigued her; what was it? Her first guess was a secret surface. Maybe there was a spot on the wall that when someone pushes it, it reveals a secret passage towards the Slytherin common room. She wasn't exactly a hundred percent on her idea but it wouldn't hurt to try. She put effort on her hand and tried to push the wall but nothing worked. She tried doing the same for at least five inches of the wall’s range but still, nothing happened. Andrea sighed, she knew it would take a while for her to find something but she wasn’t giving up. She was determined to find this room wherever it is. Adventure wasn’t new to the girl. In fact, it is a natural habit. She has been doing some exploring in this castle for almost years now. She knew this place had tons of secrets buried within it. The only problem was, they had been safely hidden. Andrea had already found a few secret passageways and a secret hiding place but all were useless. The passageways often led to nothing with great use. One led to a classroom but mostly led to nothingness; just old concrete brick walls. The hiding place was no use too. It was far too small for anyone to fit into. Only a kitten or a couple of books could fit on it which left Andrea disappointed.

Andrea could still remember her adventure with her best friend. It was the day she found the secret passageway leading to a Charms classroom and also the day she met her. Andrea was up for a challenge and tried to look for something. She was not sure what it was, though but she was determined to uncover anything. Her friend offered to help and so they exchanged words and got along. After a while, they found a part of the wall that was different and so they pushed it and it opened, leading to something. They went inside and finally found what’s beneath it and it was a passageway leading to the classroom. It was the best adventure in this castle she had. It was the first one that led to something remotely interesting. Andrea walked slowly while still putting force on her hand, circling it as she tried to push the wall. She figured it might save time if she generally worked faster. After five minutes or so with no such luck, Andrea stopped walking and dropped her hand. This was harder than she thought it would be. She moved her wand towards the wall. It didn’t look any different than the previous portions she’d touched but so did the one that lead to the classroom. She bit her lip and touched the wall again, her determination pushing her forward. She sighed and walked again, continuing her search.

 

[Benjamin Chase]

Even if the darkness was suffocating, Benjamin Chase had learned to deal with it. Within the three years of residing in Hogwarts, he really did expect himself to get used to it. It was creepy in the evening - especially if not all the torches were lit. The flame on those torches were the ones that gave light to the whole room and in Benjamin's quiet opinion, he thought that they weren't sufficient. It was not that Benjamin feared the darkness nor did he disliked the fire. He just thought that his bearings looked to be so pessimistic. Pessimistic in a way that he could not be so sure if he was perfectly safe down there or if there were other ways to reach the common room - a shortcut in other words. The dimness of the room made everything look like an illusion to the fourteen-year-old boy thus resulting him to make his eyes squint as he tried to figure out if his guess was really correct. Was the figure really a female? It looked to be since the outline of the person was utterly feminine. Benjamin closed his eyes in the darkness, hating that he was stuck there instead of choosing somewhere where it had light. At least a little brightness will do. His grip on his Birch wand tightened and he hoped that this encounter would be worth it.

With his back against the cold stony wall, Benjamin found it hardly comfortable. He stopped leaning against it and softly smirked as he thought of the things he could comment about. Why would someone who is obviously not a Slytherin venture in the dungeons? The possibility of that person being a Gryffindor was massive. Gryffindors were the adventurers of the school, were they not? Benjamin waved his wand without saying anything, creating a wave of cool refreshing air just in front of his nose. He heard the audible footsteps of whoever wanted to intrude in the Slytherins' property. "Such determination that is," whispered Benjamin to himself and felt amusement take dominance on his emotions. Whoever wasn't a Slytherin and wanted to walk deeper into the dungeons was completely nuts. Benjamin decided that it was showtime and he waved his wand lazily and murmured, "Lumos." A wave of light appeared on the tip of his wand and it shone brightly. Light traveled fast and sure enough, the floor and wall was reflecting its light in just mere seconds. Benjamin stepped out of the darkness and held his wand just a few inches in front of his hip.

Whilst moving out from the dark position, Benjamin opened his lips to drawl, "Don't be so reckless to roam around here." Deliberately studying the figure in front of him, he respectfully let his eyes linger on the person's, and he cocked his head to the side ever so slightly. It was true that the figure was female and she had a blonde strands attached on that head of hers. His smirk, still plastered on his charming young features, slowly melted as the realization came. Those brown orbs were terrifyingly familiar and that expression was known. The outline of her jaw and her height - those factors helped Benjamin know who she really was. He blinked without moving from his ground and took in the fact that Andrea Kelize was the person most unfortunate to be here. Indeed it was the third year Gryffindor that Benjamin had met a year ago and it has been a whilst since both of them had a private meeting together. "Kelize... Pft, I should have known. What brought you here? Fancied a stroll in the dark dungeons huh?" His infamous drawl wavered like fragrant scent in the air since both of them were the only two living beings there - with the exception of rats. Benjamin licked his lips, waiting for her verbal onslaught.
​

word count: 646 words

 

[Andrea Kelize]

Determination kept Andrea going. Adventures were exciting, yes, but they took a while before the real fun begun. Andrea changed her strategy. Her biceps were getting sore from raising and her fingers were starting to feel a little numb from the wall’s cold surface. Andrea let her hands drop for a few seconds. This mystery was harder that the others. At least from the others, she would be able to switch hands when one feels sore but here it was different. She had to raise both of her hands; one for her wand that gave the room life and the other for the wall that was supposed to lead her destination. Andrea kept on having doubts about her suspicion. She wasn’t even sure if a brick on this stony wall led to the snakes’ room. The snakes weren’t dumb, except for Percy of course. But he had found out the location of the lions’ den. Still, he only said he did, there weren’t really proofs only words so why does Andrea feel so bothered? She asked herself the same question over and over again. She wasn’t sure if it was her brother’s knowledge that bothered her or her paranoia. Andrea took a deep breath. She was determined to find this room, wherever it was. She was not going to let her paranoia destroy her determination. But God only knows what tricks Percy has up on his sleeves. Andrea had enough of his tricks. She knew that the more Percy knew, the more danger she was in. She never wants to be humiliated again.

Andrea inspected each brick from range and so far, they were all the same. A groan left her lips. She was getting impatient. She looked at her watch. 30, it said. An hour and a half has passed and she still hadn’t gotten a single clue. Andrea pulled herself together and kept her focus back on the damned wall. As she looked at the same wall for the millionth millisecond, she heard a noise deeper into the place. ‘What was that?’ she thought. Not a moment after that, she saw a small flash of light flick like candlelight on that same place. The light then moved. Andrea stood still on her place. The light seemed to be coming from a wand. Casted by the Lumos spell, no doubt. Andrea had to hope the person was not a professor. She really didn’t want to get into more trouble than she already was in. Step by step, the light grew more visible but Andrea could not see who the person was. Was it a boy or a girl? It couldn’t be Percy, could it? Andrea’s luck wasn’t that bad. A voice spoke from the light’s direction. Andrea squinted as she tried to make out the caster’s face but the light blinded her. Suddenly, she heard a familiar cocky voice. Not Percy thankfully but it still wasn’t worth feeling relieved for. Andrea rolled her eyes at Benjamin Chase’s questions. “It’s really none of your business” She answered bitterly and gave him a sour look.

 

[Benjamin Chase]

The initial reaction that Benjamin expected to flood him was total vileness. By Merlin's blood, his own crimson liquid flowing in his whole body was pure and authentically magical and he was supposed to contradict the existence of muggleborns. He despised their blood, yes, and was terribly nasty around them. He hated the blood in their veins. Halfbloods had dirt in them too but they were at least not as bad as the mudbloods nor as pure as the pureblooded folk. As raised in a family of powerful purebloods who were glad to keep their reputation clean and a little quiet, Benjamin felt he was super entitled to go and speak rudely to this girl who was of inferior blood. But god, did he not? Of course. He felt that he was responsible for whatever trouble he landed onto which was partially correct. Benjamin felt the absurdity of the idea clench the nerves of his brain and he quickly dismissed it and let the silence of the chamber settle into that Slytherin-filled brain of his. He hated when he had these inner battles whether to just leave the person because of blood which he thought was utterly unfair. The pupils of Benjamin stayed on the sight before him and he noticed that the figure was approaching him, the same way that he had approached her. Obviously, she still hadn't seen his features yet and Benjamin decided to wave the Birch wand just once, in front of his face, to let her see that it was really him, Benjamin Chase, the guy who she probably totally loathed (and was angry at) by now.

Up next came the surge of annoyance that rapidly dominated the very emotion of his whole being. How unfortunate for him to meet Andrea Kelize, when he only wanted to get a good snack from the Kitchens or the Great Hall to be much safer and no doubt sounder. He blinked at her moving form and then realized that she was actually speaking when he heard the familiar tone of that tomboyish voice that he thought was particularly... odd for a girl who was definitely not good to look with boyish fabric covering her form and sports that did not have any feminine qualities at all. Benjamin caught her words clearly and exhaled loudly at that. Suddenly he just got so arrogant about his immediate thoughts, that he wanted to grin at how fast his brain worked whenever he needed to work up a comeback. Perhaps it wasn't the best, but Benjamin knew that this time, his words spoke nothing but a threat. A truthful one at that. "Oh, but I think I could play a part in this. Let's say I inform a professor of you being here: near the heart of the dungeons then say either you're in search for the Kitchens which is definitely restricted from students or, you're looking for something deeply hidden which I bet is also best to remain as it is." Benjamin successfully placed a triumphant smirk upon the lips that he had. How quick was his thinking now. The results of being a lazy bum perhaps was this. He craved for some excitement which he was ready to defend and leave, if ever needed.

Benjamin would not generally be described as a nosy teenager although he had his times wherein he just could not feign disinterest in a subject. He was having one at the moment and he stared pointedly at the other student across him. If she did not have that sour look on her face, he would've thought that she actually looked... pleasant today. He never really found anyone too ugly except for the awkward people who always stuttered whenever trying to make out their own speech. His smirk widened as he thought of many other ways to provoke her but that soon died down as he noticed that he had one main question at hand. Benjamin chose to ignore the soft, inaudible rumble that just occurred in his ultimately speedy metabolism. If only he wasn't as starved, he would be more aggressive than this. "So what's new Kelize? Off to save someone stuck in the dungeons? Gryffindors are said to be noble anyways," he laughed briefly and quickly turned his mind to the images of the Rumour Has It magazine that he was sure destroyed her ego at least. He opened his mouth slightly to speak about it, but being the human he really was supposed to be, he closed without any click resonating from his jaws. With all the thoughts closing in, Benjamin gave up speaking about what happened between Blade and Kelize, so he settled in for some questions that could annoy her and benefit him. "Now would you just like me to get you out of here or leave you there and let me hope that I would see a professor to share my thoughts with and come here to save your ass?"
​

WC: 832 words
NOTES: I'm having the feels for both of them <3

 

[Andrea Kelize]

This particular Slytherin was not expected by Andrea. Lots of Slytherins entered her brain but never did she expect to see Benjamin Chase’s arrogant face. Since the person had a male silhouette, she suspected it was Percy or one of those male Slytherin prefects. She looked at his companion observantly. She had not encountered him since last year and after that argument they had, they never talked again until now. He had grown taller which was expected from adolescent boys. His hair looked different and his eyes were greener than ever. Andrea raised an eyebrow. His physical appearance may changed a bit but his personality remained unharmed. She really never thought she would encounter him. If he ever crossed her mind, she suspected he was in some secret place doing whatever those prejudiced purebloods do. And now here he was. Andrea always hated his kind. Even if he was a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff or even a Gryffindor, she would still have a dislike feeling towards him. The reason was simply because he was supremacist when it comes to blood status. Being a Muggle born, Andrea knew how it feels to be treated like dirt. To be continuously oppressed by people who treat themselves like gods. It was painful and very wrong. She believed that Muggle Borns should be treated rather fairly as purebloods. Just because they did not have magical blood, it didn’t mean they could not participate in the magical world. Yes, the purebloods were the root of most of these magical things but that didn’t mean they should not respect those others of different blood that were interested in their world. Andrea had voiced out her thoughts to her mother once but she had only told her to leave the subject as it was the type of argument that went on unsolved for centuries. True, some purebloods learned to accept the modern magical world where Muggle Borns were involved but the majority of the pureblood population remained stubborn.

Benjamin Chase’s next words knocked Andrea’s world to its core. She could not even believe he just said what he just said. His comment left Andrea’s mouth imperceptibly ajar. ‘Oh no, this is not happening’ She thought miserably. Andrea turned her gaze away from him. How he spoke with such confidence that Andrea started to suspect he knew what she was up to. No, her plan was so not going to be spoiled by some threat caused by some Slytherin. Andrea licked her lips. She feared academic trouble. She feared that if a professor would find out about this, she would get reported and be disciplined and would probably get expelled for wandering around restricted areas or worse, get humiliated in public. Benjamin kept on mocking her which gave Andrea’s temper a favor. She was starting to melt. She can’t believe she was even having this conversation in the first place. She was wasting precious time. She should be continuing her search for the room at this moment. Andrea pulled herself all together. ‘No. Don’t believe him. He won’t do it. He’s just trying to scare you’ she reassured herself. Andrea stared at the Slytherin’s sea green eyes and plastered on what she hoped was a brave face. “You know what? I don’t care.” She said, trying to sound confident which she hoped Chase would buy. He asked her another question so annoying that biting the inside of her cheeks was the only thing she could do to prevent herself from doing anything she might regret. ‘He’s just scaring you. Don’t believe him’ she reassured herself again. Why did Chase have to enter the picture anyway? Andrea could be this close into finding her destination but instead, here she was standing face to face with a boy he loathed as he entertained himself by playing with her. “Do whatever you want. No one’s stopping you.” She fierily replied trying to sound as fierce as possible.

 

[Benjamin Chase]

"Thank Merlin I have my wand," thought Benjamin funnily as his green yes lingered on the sight Andrea's hanging jaw. The light that was shining forth gave him the perfect view of her priceless expression and he treasured the image perfectly in his mind. It would be fun to mock her by constantly letting her remember that she was actually shocked with his, well, threat. Benjamin wasn't daft and he searched her eyes instead to see if the barrier of apathy was still there. There seemed to be mixed emotions changing from one to another. The shock was evident primarily then in came the momentary fear that Benjamin was hoping to see. Not that he was pessimistic and he took all his entertainment in that. The thought of seeing a Gryffindor with immediate alarm was something he would never want to miss in his lifetime. Oh, the irony of it. Andrea was totally human though so Benjamin understood easily why she had that reaction prior to the courage that was made to engulfed Benjamin and make him feel taken back. The horror that she initially had was deeply hidden within - which somewhat impressed the Slytherin boy. She had the heart of a Gryffindor really but never would he want to admit that to anyone aloud.

Benjamin stepped forward tauntingly but not too close enough to feel the warm body heat that every human had. He hated it when someone stayed too close to him with the exception of his family. Even with his closest friends (which could be counted, no doubt) he was conscious with the distance that remained in between. Benjamin noted that her wand was also lit which gave her the best view of his twisted expression. He cocked his head the to side and gave a few seconds to step back if she wished to. Being in front of a Slytherin that was totally unpredictable as the pureblood boy was perhaps not the situation Andrea wanted to be in for. "Of course no one is. A Gryffindor like you is ready to face the consequences anyway." He definitely had no trust towards that "brave face" that was implanted on her features but Benjamin was ready; Ready to test its worth and truthfulness if there were any. Empty threats were usually faced with empty responses that indicated very empty bravery. Besides the fact that no one was there to block his attempt to scare her, he decided to proceed with it but with not to a professor anyways.

The widen of the taunting smirk applied itself to Benjamin's thin lips. It made him look strangely like his father when asking for something to the point that he had to demand it menacingly. Benjamin stepped back though and held up both his palms as it faced her. He shrugged once, leaving his shoulders uptight in the air as he formulated another sentence for her. "Fine then," Benjamin let his shoulders relax and he put his palms down. He checked his back slyly as if to see if there was anyone eavesdropping on them. He smiled at her and left her to decide which decision she'll choose. The clock was STILL ticking anyways. Either she let him get out of the dungeons or let him report that she was there looking for something restricted. With any way, it was nasty but to Benjamin's personal opinion, the latter was more embarrassing. "To my Head of House it is." With that his smirk altered into a cocky smile - like he knew that it would be trouble that would reach her now. He turned his back away from her and let his legs bring him back to the Slytherin Common Room, where the office of Styx was. But then Benjamin was NOT going to tell it to Styx. Maybe he'll let it go to a prefect and let the prefect secretly tell Kingsley. As he was walking away from her, his wand still harboring the Lumos Charm, he knew that she still had time to rapidly think if ever she'd let him do it... Or not.
​

 

[Andrea Kelize]

The Slytherin’s eyes told Andrea that he did not believed Andrea’s act. She hate to admit it but she was actually feeling scared. It was a rare emotion for the Gryffindor and usually, when it visits her, those are the moments which she knew; things won’t turn out as what she expects and that those situations should be better avoided. She wondered what would happen if Benjamin Chase would really rat her out. It would totally ruin her reputation. She could not possibly be expelled. Expulsion was only given to those who commit the worst violation. So far, she only knew one person that had been expelled from this school. She was that Ravenclaw girl who was nasty to everyone. ‘I’m not nasty so I’m not going to get expelled’ she told herself confidently. Andrea stopped thinking about the consequences and thought deeply. This was some kind of a Math problem –a challenge that needed some kind of equation in order to be solved. Andrea thought harder and harder but no idea would pop unto her mind. She gritted her teeth impatiently. She had to figure out a plan sooner or later or she would regret it. Of course, there was the other option which was so absurd Andrea pushed it out of her thoughts in a millisecond. Andrea laid her eyes on the boy’s hair. She was not going to look at his eyes anymore. She couldn’t bear seeing that triumphant glow her companion’s eyes contained. She found his hair rather cool. She always liked black hair. Andrea crinkled her nose when Benjamin stepped forward. He taunted her further which made her more irritated. He cocked his head to the side, as if expecting Andrea to step back. Andrea only gave him another sour look and remained on her position. She narrowed her eyes upon hearing Benjamin Chase’s words. She was trying to figure out if he was being sarcastic or if he truly meant what he said. Andrea imperceptibly sighed as she swallowed the Slytherin’s words. She was having doubts if she was ready to face the consequences. She felt like she had to but she was afraid on what it would turn out.

Andrea observed silently as Benjamin continued on making her feel miserable. He looked so confident and so smug, Andrea’s nervousness climbed up on another level. Andrea was starting to lose hope. Maybe Benjamin would really report her. Andrea balled her free hand into a fist as he took a step back. She listened to his voice as he prepared to leave. Andrea’s eyes widen in total alarm when he heard Benjamin spoke of his head of house. Oh, she hated this boy big time now. This situation was getting worse. Professor Styx intimidated Andrea like hell. She does her best to avoid him at all cost. Now, the idea of spending time with him while he disciplined her scared her to her bones. “NO!” She shouted without thinking. Since it was too late to make a plan she decided to take the second option. Andrea HATED feeling hopeless. She winced really hard and silently moaned. This was the first time she felt like a loser –a total coward that was stupid enough to let her paranoia lead her into this. Andrea hesitated. She figured this was the only idea that could make Benjamin Chase shut his mouth. It was difficult but she decided to take this path. “W-wait for…for me” She miserably said as she struggled to let the words come out of her mouth. She took one last glance at the depths of the dungeons then turned around and walked towards its exit.

 

[Benjamin Chase]

The vast dimness of the mini chamber possessed quite the best atmosphere that held the situation at its greatest suspense. Going back to the common room would not be much of a pain for the pureblood boy. All his days in Hogwarts always ended up in the common room of the Snakes where he belonged by the Sorting Hat's wishes. The common room was still a walk from here to there. As Benjamin audibly (and smugly) stepped his feet towards the ground to pretend to just retreat, he could almost smell the indecisiveness of her mind working it out. Andrea Kelize was perhaps a fool to believe his threats which were half empty but at the same time, it had a meaning. As his back was facing the Gryffindor, Benjamin kept his pace slow with a dangerous and taunting demeanor with his lips held up in a smirk. To add some effect he shoved a hand in his pocket to show that he had no care for her... risky chance of venturing under the dungeons. With the Birch wand still lit up he waved it absentmindedly twirled the wand in his fingers. Goodness, it was such fun to have a Gryffindor's mind think rapidly. Her path was to be decided and Benjamin knew that he would play at least a minor part in this.

The silence was truly patent in the dungeons and only the occasional creak of some old and rusty rooms could be heard. Benjamin knew that he put a moderate stretch between them which pessimistically pleased him so. Always, his spontaneous reunions with the Kelize were rather hapless and eventful. As he thought about it, an echo of a single word caused him to halt ever so suddenly. His ears were ringing that particular word over and over again and he stayed still for perhaps the most sickening three seconds of Andrea's life. Benjamin tilted his head to the side and slowly, turned his head to face hers. She looked miserable and hesitant which altogether amused him quite. A knowing expression - which was blended with triumph, sad to say - filled the very corners of the Benjamin's handsome facial features. He fully about faced and walked back to her swiftly with a hint of smugness accompanying his every step. Soft patters of his steps finally reached the spot where the lioness was standing up miserably but Benjamin was decisive to not halt. He simply walked past by her, with a crooked posture yet the smile of an immature know-it-all filled his lips. The subtle air he felt on his arms continuously tapped itself on his skin as he walked, ignoring the very audible clap of footsteps that came from someone that was certainly not him.

Sly - a lovely adjective that was commonly used to define the Snakes of Styx. Benjamin know it really deemed him somewhat correctly in some particular moments of his teenage life. He had no hidden agenda in this case although he did a decent job of horrifying her. His malicious intelligence led his conscience to do that for him to have some [queer] fun at least once in a freaking whilst. Benjamin put his wand hand just in front of his hip. "Nox," muttered Benjamin waving it to extinguish the tip's light. It vanished in less than three seconds which did not put off Benjamin's thoughts at all. He knew this place quite wholesomely - living just nearby assisted him with that. "You can turn it off." That single statement was supposedly a signal for her to mimic his previous action. She did not need the bright gleam on her wand. The caliginous ambiance was sufficient for his eyes to roam around freely and to watch for his way. Benjamin threw a dark look over his shoulder and said, "Care to now share why you are in the dungeons?" Whatever flamed tempered reply he would receive from her, he would not give any heed to it. It was just proper for a pureblood boy to show his princely manners, was it not?
​

 

[Andrea Kelize]

Realization filled the young girl’s thoughts as she stood stiffly on the Dungeons’ rough and cement floor. Coming to the Dungeons to find a restricted area without a really brilliant plan was a complete and utter foolishness. The young Gryffindor finally realized that she should have had her plan perfectly polished before putting it to action. She sighed at her failure and watched as Benjamin turned around triumphantly and walked past by her. The sight of his actions made Andrea want to punch the wall. She hated the fact that this particular snake caught her. How she wished the person was someone else –that Jane girl maybe or one of those friendly and understanding snakes– then, things wouldn’t be this worse. She wiped the small trickle of sweat on her forehead as she followed Benjamin. Her sweat wasn’t because the room’s temperature was getting slightly warmer; it was because of the fact that she was a little scared if Styx or Professor Weasley would find about this whole thing. She guessed whatever punishment is set for her would be what she deserved. Coming to the Dungeons to execute her plan was not wrong but coming to Dungeons to execute her plan this day was the mistake. She knew she should have prepared a better plan and not let her paranoia win her over. She should have prepared a vanishing potion to drink or maybe a replica of the invisibility cloak to cover herself in case she encounters a Slytherin which actually has a higher chance of coming true than to find the Snakes’ common room.

The boy’s voice woke Andrea’s thoughts as she stared at his wand. It had no light at its tip which was expected since real light was becoming more visible in this side of the Dungeons and there was no need for any more light imitation. But his order made Andrea forget that he had a much bigger position than she currently had. It made her forget that she had just been busted and humiliated in front of him. Yes, it felt miserable and shocking but it also had a mixture of embarrassment in it. But his words were simply unacceptable. It may be pointless but no one tells her what to do. Not someone with a respect they hadn’t earned yet, that is. “I’ll turn it off anytime I wish and right now I don’t want to” She said stubbornly as she gave him another one of her signature sour looks. Andrea raised a disgusted eyebrow as Benjamin’s words sunk down on her. Just because he caught her on his territory doesn’t mean he should know her purpose…Well, maybe he deserved to know, but Andrea doesn’t want him to. He had enough information already and it would be a risk if she told him the truth. “You are not going to get that information out of me” She replied sternly as she stared back into those intense green eyes.

 

[Benjamin Chase]

Walking alone in the silent dungeons with Andrea was something very unusual to Benjamin. Malicious chills threatened to run up and down his spine swiftly. He prayed that she would not pounce on him dangerously anytime soon because of his constant courage to come up with such nosy questions. Even with the arrogant demeanor that Benjamin Chase held, he still carried the nervousness that was caused by the possibility of girls to be such weirdos. Yes, strange and insufferable weirdos. They always held a different kind of temper. Even his mother had this at some points with his father, giving Benjamin's dad headaches. Possibly the cause of this was her monthlies. If ever she had them right now, he was sure as fudge that she could kick his ass whenever he did something out of the way. As a person from the opposite sex, Benjamin was completely clueless about a girl's sudden mood fluctuations. It was a good thing that today, he was slightly under control. A quarter of his emotions that acted on impulse was still. However Benjamin doubted that that little quarter will help him with this Gryffindor. Good gracious, girls were just unendurable yet fascinating creatures.

The ever familiar irritating stubbornness of Andrea Kelize had arrived. She never ran out of that, didn't she? Benjamin always felt it being practiced on him and he pitied those poor souls who got to experience the same treatment Andrea was giving him. Benjamin rolled his eyes with exaggeration, letting off the familiar crankiness whenever he was with her. "Oh God." Benjamin left Andrea to think why he said that, but since it was pretty obvious, he expected her to know in a matter of seconds. Her stubbornness always got on his nerves, clawing his very temper up and down without any effort. "What a nice way to say you don't trust me." Given that she really wanted to stick to her Lumos'd wand, Benjamin suddenly felt that the Gryffindor really showed off how she did not give an ounce of trust to him. He winced sensitively, but in the dim light, he was so sure that Andrea did not witness it. To cover it up, he looked over his shoulder and smirked knowingly, as if he was not surprised that the blonde never put any of her trust on his character. They kept walking, but Benjamin knew that they were still near the entrance of the Slytherin common room. He rounded up the corner that turned to a left and god, did he hate this part of the dungeons. It was murky and eerie since they really were under the lake as of now. Benjamin felt his fingers tighten around the wand for the reason of cautiousness. He felt the presence of Andrea walking just near him and he did not like the tone of her next words.

As far as he knew, the kitchens were his only destination for the day. As a boy of his teenage years, Benjamin was fairly certain that he could eat more than an average girl's meal. He was a big eater now, since he was growing into a man, and having a pit of a stomach was something he had to deal with every two hours. Benjamin felt himself crave for a cake, or maybe some pie will do. His current predicament prevented him from going to the kitchens instead. Benjamin kept his arrogant mood activated and turned around to face her resulting for him to walk backward with a slight swagger forming in his pace. "You're so stiff Kelize. Doesn't suit you at all." The American Slytherin tilted his head whilst returning the favor of staring into those brown orbs with a glint of dark amusement. Benjamin let out a tight chuckle to ease the mood between them. The change of subject he embarked on would never really hurt him anyway. In fact, he believed that he was doing her a massive favor for her dirty secret. Benjamin clicked his tongue before turning his back on her again, his head facing the font properly. He had enough of walking backwards and Andrea was just going to have to deal with his insults and questions as they walked out of the dungeons in deliciously slow steps.
​

 

[Andrea Kelize]

Each step felt far worse than defeat for the young girl. She still could not accept the fact that she was caught due to her inexcusable stupidness. It was bad enough that she was caught; she also had to be chaperoned out of the certain place by the person who caught her. And to tell the truth, that person is someone who always make her feel uncomfortable. Andrea clutched the wand tightly as she followed the Slytherin's footsteps. Artificial light was not really necessary as this part of the dungeons served an enough amount of natural light. The Slytherin was right of course to switch his Lumos charm off. Andrea only kept hers brightly alive because she felt her usual stubbornness gnawing on her and she felt that if she followed the command she would look...weak. Her impression towards Benjamin certainly hadn't changed since the first time she met him. He was still that arrogant, sarcastic, witty (she might as well admit it) and irritating supremacist she met a couple of years ago. Except that he looked better a lot older now. It was uncomfortable having Benjamin as a company. Whether it was in a positive or in a negative way, she haven't figured it out yet. Andrea raised both of her eyebrows as she questioned Benjamin's eye action. She chuckled slightly upon hearing his response. Andrea's trust was as rare as a meteor falling from the sky and as precious as a gem stone. It would take eons for someone to earn her trust, exaggeratedly speaking and once they eventually earn it, they should not take it for granted because once they've wasted it, they could never get it back. So far, only one person had fully earn her trust and that is no other than herself. But calculating the current event, her self-trust has unfortunately lost almost a quarter of its points. Andrea shot Benjamin an adamant look while adding a sickly sweet smile as she readied her response upon her pale lips. "Oh yeah? Well, it's also one way of saying the obvious. And besides, nobody really deserves my trust anyways" She spoke with mock wistfulness and added a sarcastic sigh into it as she continued to walk two steps behind Benjamin Chase. She doesn't really know where the heck they are at the moment but she was quite sure that they were nearing the dungeons' entrance. Andrea's defeat still haunted her thoughts. She still cannot believe that she wasted all that precious time and energy just to get caught by the Slytherin. She should be sitting at a stool in the Gryffindor Common Room right now, plotting a more polished plan rather than being escorted by Chase out of this heck hole, which was what's happening right now unfortunately

The girl wondered what made her "chaperone" ask his question. It was ridiculous and weird at the same time. Andrea had that annoying feeling that the Slytherin already knew what she came here for and just wanted to hear her version of it. Whether her feeling was the truth or not, there was no way she was ever going to share that information with anybody. Judging her current status, it pretty much sums up the words reckless, risky, insane and stupid. Benjamin knew enough -enough that if the time comes, if his despicable side itches, he might rat Andrea out or worse, blackmail her. Andrea shivered at her own deep thoughts. Seriously, Benjamin Chase couldn't be that evil, could he? The Snake's triumphant aura greeted her once more. He looked as annoying and irritating as ever. His criticism made the temperamental lion boil again. She balled her fist, ready to reward him with a healthy smack on the face when another damned thought hit her. If she was to hit this knowledgable Snake, there's a possibility that he might also lose his temper and fight her too (which is unlike him but hey, who knows?) and would only result into further more trouble. And if another snake or a prefect or God forbid, Styx himself catches them, they'll know for sure what made Andrea visit this cold and evil place. Or there's this other possibility that Chase would get chicken and leave her alone but she decided to stray on the safe path. Instead of fracturing Benjamin's handsome snake-like face, she just scowled at him and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Your opinion doesn't matter".