Facades

[Solomon Mordaunt]

It had been three full years since Solomon had first come to Hogwarts, and even longer since he'd been friends with practically the one person he genuinely cared about, even if he didn't like to admit it. Most people he knew bored or irritated him, or were a means to an end, at best. There was typically always one flaw or another he found in new people that caused him to immediately dislike them. Merrill Piper was an exception. While she had annoyed him the first time they'd met, he gave her a chance that he hadn't given to anyone else, perhaps because she was the first person he'd met who liked the same things as he did, and appealed to his competitiveness. Now, three years later, she turned out to be the one person he could trust the most. Which is why it was becoming more and more difficult to keep secrets from her with each passing day.

Seated on top of an oversized pumpkin growing just outside of the Herbology greenhouses, presumably grown by the latest batch of first years in preparation for Halloween the following month, Solomon waited for Merrill to come meet him. They spent time together at least every day, gathering herbs, brewing potions or just talking, so seeing her wasn't out of the ordinary, but he couldn't help feeling somewhat apprehensive about what he was planning to tell her. He'd never told anyone before. His father knew, as did his sister, but he had never needed to tell them explicitly. This was different, and he couldn't be entirely certain how she would take it, especially after keeping it to himself for so long and not trusting her any earlier. He just wanted to get it over and done with so he could move on without having a weight on his shoulders.
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[Merrill Piper]

Merrill stretched out her arms above her head as she walked towards her meeting place with Solomon. The first quidditch game of the year was coming up fast, and James was training the team hard. They wanted the cup this year, and nothing would get in their way. She could already see the headline in Hogwarts Monthly 'Gryffindor Takes Cup: Piper Best Keeper in Years'. Of course she might be accused of bias seeing as she was the new writer for the sports section of the paper.

As she approached the greenhouses Merrill saw her best friend sitting atop one of the giant pumpkins. They were almost ready for Halloween at the end of the month. The Gryffindor waved, and when she reached him she jumped up on top of the gourd with him. "Hey, Sol! Don't worry I changed after practise." she said as she threw her arms around her friend, and gave him a hug. "So whats on the agenda for today?" She asked. Solomon usually decided what they needed to work on, and Merrill just went with the flow.​

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

Lost within his own thoughts, Solomon didn't notice Merrill approaching until she was practically sitting beside him on the pumpkin, sporting a house pride he'd never had for his own. Aside from his uniform, none of his clothing was remotely Slytherin related, no snake like emblems, with the closest being a few green garments he wore on occasion at best. The boy shuffled over somewhat to give his friend more room, and absent-mindedly returned her hug, too distracted by nerves to really put all of his effort into the gesture. "Hm?" He asked as though he'd not heard her, but his scattered mind simply took a moment to process her words, and he continued. "I have a packet of wormwood seeds I thought we could plant this morning so we have our own resources to brew a shrinking solution. I've been thinking I might try to get in to the potions cupboard for some rarer ingredients we could experiment with, I just need to find a time where the professors will be too busy to notice."

He was dancing around what he wanted to say and he knew it, but he struggled to bring up the subject. With a sigh, he went for it. "It's not important right now. There's something I wanted to tell you about instead, about me." Rarely did he ever divulge too much of his life anyway, but this was different. It was easier not to talk about his parents, or his life at home, and keep it vague or uninteresting, but this was about him, and who he was. "I'm...well, different. I don't quite know how to say it." He admitted aloud, trying to think of how best to phrase it. He didn't want her to feel betrayed by the fact he hadn't told her sooner.
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[Merrill Piper]

Merrill cocked her head with concern. It wasn't like Solomon to see so distracted so something must have been really bothering him. If he didn't let her know what soon she would just have to drag it out of him. That's what friends were for after all. Nodding along as Solomon explained the shrinking solution idea Merrill couldn't help but think what fun things they could get up to with that potion. Maybe she could shrink one of her friends down, and hide them in her pocket to help with exams. Merlin knew she needed all the help she could get.

Suddenly Solomon changed the subject, and Merrill was snapped out of her thoughts. So something was going on. At least he was being honest about it. As his words came out a sudden realization washed over Merrill. She couldn't say she was surprised honestly. In fact she had wondered about it before, but was too akward to just come out, and ask him. Merrill grabbed her best friends hand, and gave it a tight squeeze. "Oh, Sol. I always had a hunch. It's okay! I totally support you!" She told him gently. "So whose the lucky boy you have a crush on?" She asked excitedly. Maybe she could help him ask him out to Yuleball.​

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

Feeling Merrill's hand squeezing his was reassuring, and he knew that he could trust her, and that surely she'd accept why he hadn't said anything to her sooner. She was his closest friend, and he knew that to a degree he was overthinking it all, fretting over nothing. He knew what kind of person she was like, and that this surely wouldn't bother her, that she'd understand. Before he could open his mouth again to finally try and push the words out, he listened to her talk about how she had a hunch, which genuinely confused him. He tried so hard not to slip up, to make it obvious as to what he was, but had she really figured it out already? "You did? How did you-" The Slytherin started to say, but it quickly dawned on him that they were talking about two entirely different things. "What? No. I'm not crushing on any boys." Merlin, relationships were an unnecessary drama of life that he didn't want to deal with at the moment. After seeing Merrill and Lucas, it seemed more like a waste of time than anything else, and Solomon hated wasting time. "That's not what I was trying to say. Just - it'll be best if I show you." He muttered, getting to his feet and facing his friend directly. He frowned in concentration, looking at her facial features and, slowly but surely, his own copied them. Hair lengthened and lightened, aspects became more feminine, until he had mimicked her appearance. "I'm a metamorphmagus." He stated in his own voice, his concentration ceasing and his original features returning to normal in moments. In hindsight he could have been more tactful, so now he could just pray she wouldn't flip out.
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[Merrill Piper]

Merrill felt her face burn, and turn bright red when Solomon explained that no he wasn't gay. That was very... Unfortunate for her. "Wow, um, I'll just go bury myself right now then. Thanks for the years of friendship." Merrill started off. Merlin she couldn't believe she made that mistake. When Solomon explained what he really wanted to say she actually was shocked. Metamorphmagus? Where had she learned that work before. Thank-fully she didn't have to think on it long as Solomon just showed her instead. Slowly Merrill watched as her best friend disappeared, and an exact copy of herself stood before her. Merrill opened her mouth to say something, but found herself lost for words. So Solomon could change his appearance at will? "Wow. Thats- pretty sweet honestly. Like wow. So you can turn into anyone? Is this your true appearance or just one you like? Have you ever pretended to be someone else? Have I ever met you as someone else?" It might not have been tactful, but the questions make pouring out of her. ​

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

Solomon released a long held breath of relief, his shoulders slightly slumping. "I can settle for pretty sweet." It wasn't what he had been expecting. He'd hyped himself up and overthought it, when there had been no reason to. In the end, it had been a waste of time and energy fretting over nothing, he should have known it would be okay. It was his first time being open about who and what he was, and he felt better about it. Letting Merrill take over his old seat, the boy sat cross legged on a new oversized gourd and faced her, listening as, of course, she had questions about it. "I can look like anyone, yes. Human, at least." He explained, becoming anything too drastically different, like a giant, or a centaur, was beyond his capabilities. "This is what I look like naturally, for the most part. At least, I think it is. I've changed minor details that I don't like over time. When I was younger, I shapeshifted a lot without meaning to, but I'm fairly certain that practically everything looks the way it should." It was difficult to say whether there had been any changes that simply hadn't reverted for any reason. When he was born, his abilities were almost ever present. Hair, skin, a lot of it would frequently change colour, though his actual features themselves he was almost certain had never been altered without him intending them to. "I have pretended to be other people when its been useful, however I'd say its infrequent. I don't think I've ever spoken to you under the guise of someone else." He had to really think about it for a moment, but there was no instance he could think of where, at least intentionally, he'd approached her whilst looking like another person. "No, definitely not." He finally decided. There had never been a need to with Merrill, he only ever needed to be himself.
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[Merrill Piper]

Listening intently Merrill nodded along to everything Solomon was telling her. She knew her best friend was cool before, but this was just like over the top cool. Merrill also felt incredibly touched that Solomon shared this with her. It was clearly something he kept secret if she was just finding out after 4 years. It made her feel like she could trust Solomon with anything. Merrill knew what she had to do. She took a deep breath, and squeezed Solomon's hand again. "Thank-you so much for trusting me with this. It means a lot to me. There's something I have to tell you too." Merrill told him before taking a quick look around to make sure no one was in listening distance. "I haven't been truthful about what my parents do for jobs," she started, "they-they hunt werewolves. For as long as I can remember we've been traveling from country to country murdering people. I'm worried that soon they are going to want me to join them." Merrill finally got it out. It was the very first time she had ever told someone, and her heart hurt from the weight of it. She quickly wiped the tears away from her eyes as they formed.
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[Solomon Mordaunt]

Solomon had not expected his secret to be met with one of Merrill's own, and curiously he leaned forward as she looked around to ensure no one was in earshot. What could she possibly have to hide? Surely she didn't have an ability of her own she was keeping hidden as he had, but judging by her reluctance to have anyone overhear, it wasn't going to be some trivial thing. Listening to her mention her parents, and not being truthful about what they did as an occupation hadn't been the kind of secret he had imagined, and truth be told, he was almost disappointed by where the topic was going, under the impression perhaps they were simply along the lines of something like aurors trying to keep their identity a secret for some reason or another, and couldn't begin to imagine how it was important enough for Merrill to bring up. Then, she revealed they were werewolf hunters, which couldn't have been further from his mind. Solomon paled and opened his mouth in a perfect "o" of shock, not sure where to begin. Knowing Merrill and the type of person she was, he could never have guessed her life and upbringing could have been so severe. "Werewolf Hunters." He repeated, not that he needed any clarification. He didn't know how to react. Lycanthropy was a curse, that had been passed on for as long as history could remember. It needed to be eradicated, and he felt that the Ministry could do more about it to stop it spreading further, but he didn't think that murdering all of them was the right was to go about it. In all honesty, he was surprised it was still a thing. It was such a medieval occupation to have continued in to the modern age, even by wizarding standards. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. It's...taking a moment to process. Is there anything you can do? Can you say no, or choose not to? Can you tell somebody?" He asked, moving to his friends side and placing an arm around her for comfort. He hadn't seen Merrill so upset before, and he had no idea how to make her feel any better, especially with such drastic news. Magic fixed his problems in most cases, but he doubted she'd take too kindly to him using a cheering charm on her. It was going to change the fact her parents were killing people.
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