Hiding

[Odette Madison]

Everything was a mess. Odette had never expected her first semester to turn out like this. It had started off so well, she had managed to make a lot of friends, but it had all been ruined by Harley. Why did she have to find Odette with the flyers? Why did a professor have to show up? All she had wanted to do was show Harley her place, make her leave Odette alone for the rest of their time at school. But now she had lost thirty points for her house, had been humiliated in front of Harley, had gotten a bad reputation with some of the professors, and she now had to apologize in front of the entire school. The ENTIRE SCHOOL. In what way was that a fair punishment?

She couldn't even stew in her own dorm. Harley had a friend in Slytherin too and Odette doubted that girl would leave her in peace. The student lounge wasn't safe either. She just wanted a moment to herself, a bit of time to reflect and regroup, think of what to do. She would have to apologize, but she wasn't sure yet how she would do it. Would she act tearful and remorseful? Cold and uncaring? Wrongfully blamed? Which would be the least damaging to her? The least humiliating?

She sat down at one of the old desks in the abandoned classroom, sighing. This was so much harder than she ever wanted it to be. Next time, she would make sure her plan was better and there was less chance to get caught.

 

[Leo Benivieni]

Leo wasn't one to judge others without finding out the reason why they did what they did first. They might have a good reason to have done it, you never know. He looked around him, noticing all the flyers were gone. Thank goodness. That hadn't been very polite in his opinion. He had no clue who had put them up in the first place - why would anyone even do such a thing? The gryffindor got momentarily sidetracked and he was reminded of what he was supposed to do as he saw that his brother wasn't there where he'd asked to meet Leo, for some reason Alessio wanted to talk to him. He didn't know why though. Maybe he needed help with making new friends? The gryffindor was unsure. Al was more than capable to finding his own type of friends without having to ask Leo, and besides he needed to study hard for these exams otherwise the Benivieni's weren't going on holiday. If Al failed his exams that was fine with his parents, which was totally unfair, but if Leo got a low mark for even one class then they'd stay at home and his cousins and other family would be visiting them over Christmas instead. He really didn't think that it was nice of his mom and dad, but then again Al really tried while Leo had to admit he himself didn't study as much as he should.

He wanted some time to think and decided that his brother could wait in telling him whatever it was that he needed to tell him. His thoughts were back on the big scandal that has occurred recently. He sighed, finding an abandoned classroom and entering it. His brain was exploding with information from studying and confusion about what happened in the school as well as trying to figure out what on earth Al had to say to him. Leo turned around, realising he had company. "Oh, hello!" He grinned at the girl he saw, unable to recognise her. He waved, his cheerful self taking over. "I didn't realise anyone was in here." He didn't know whether to leave her alone or to stay. He needed to think but the fact that there was somebody else he hadn't yet spoken to was tempting him to stay and make a new friend. He stood there, smiling at the girl as he had no idea who she was or whether she wanted to be left alone.​

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette was just about to slump over the desk in defeat and maybe stay there forever when someone came in. She very nearly cursed out loud, but managed to just keep it in her head. Wasn't there any place in this school she could be alone for a little while? Where she didn't have to be nice and sweet or mean and harsh, depending on the person around? She was so tired, she wanted to go home.

She managed a smile though, this boy was a bit older and she knew that being mean to older students was never smart. She also knew that making a few older friends was something she should have been working on already, so maybe this was a chance. "Hello." She answered, sitting up straight. "I was just resting for a moment, that's all. I didn't really expect anyone to come in here. Are you meeting someone?" This sort of place seemed like a spot where older students would meet their boyfriends or girlfriends, maybe that's what this boy was doing here? It would be a good reason for Odette to leave, so she hoped so, even if that was a gross idea.

 

[Leo Benivieni]

Leo's smile stayed on his face as he spoke. "No, I was actually meant to meet my brother somewhere else but I can't find him so I...came here instead." He walked further into the classroom and sat down on a desk. "Also, I wanted a break from studying for exams and stuff," he shrugged, trying to make conversation. Maybe Leo and the girl would be friends in future and he wondered whether she'd even want to be his friend or not. He knew he acted a little too friendly sometimes but he couldn't help it. He loved socialising and talking to other people so it came naturally to him, it was spontaneous. "I'm Leo by the way," he told her, unsure of what exactly she thought of him at this point. He definitely knew he was talkative. Leo watched the girl and frowned, she didn't look okay. He didn't like seeing other people down and if she wanted to talk he would listen. He didn't say anything yet though in case it was too early as they had just met. He'd find out later, after they talked for a bit.​

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette smiled but she knew it was a weak one. She didn't feel up for her usual charm, her usual pretense. What was the point? At least this boy seemed nice, but you never knew if someone that seemed nice actually was nice. "I get that, Exams are tough." She said noncommittally, looking away. "I'm Odette." She added, not sure what else to say. Everything that had happened had shaken her more than she wanted or expected. "You're not a first year, are you? What house are you in?" If it was Gryffindor, she figured he probably knew about her already. She couldn't imagine Harley not spreading her name around their common room.

 

[Leo Benivieni]

Leo could sense that something was up, he really wanted to cheer the girl up but he was unsure as to how to go about doing that. The third year had heard her name come up once or twice, from some people in Gryffindor and he remained quiet for a few moments as he pondered over what exactly it had been. Then he remembered, the flyers, her name and that Harley girl in first year, it wasn't that hard to notice since they had been all over the school. Harley was a Gryffindor and unfortunately for Odette, Leo had heard about what had happened. He didn't judge though (only a little). He wanted to hear what the girl's side on this whole situation was, that was if she felt like talking. Leo was a good listener, although he chattered a lot more than he'd like to admit which sometimes backfired. "No, I'm in third and a Gryffindor," he smiled at her hoping it would put her at ease.

Leo had been there once, before he came to Hogwarts and long before he became his cheerful, open self. He could guess how Odette was feeling. Softly, he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" He was unable to keep it for much longer. Leo didn't say anything else, preferring Odette to speak up if she chose to and if not, he would move onto something else. He knew from experience that getting it all out helped, more than one could think. He hated seeing others this down and whatever unresolved issues her and that Harley girl had needed to be sorted out, hopefully soon - before it became worse. Odette didn't seem so bad, just by speaking to her now he could see that. Leo didn't care about what others thought, personally he believed no one was pure evil. Maybe he'd have to become her friend to prove that not all Gryffindors were going to hate her for what had happened. The boy had been at this school long enough to figure out that everything that occurred passed with time. They just had to be patient, and let it play out without any more hurtful conflicts.​

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette nearly sighed when the boy told her his house. Of course he would be a Gryffindor, she could never catch a break. "I see." She said, her smile slightly more strained. She had no idea if this boy knew who she was and what she had done or not, but it did seem a lot more likely now. He was a third year as well, which made him two years older than she was. She didn't even want to know what he saw when he looked at her, a pathetic little girl? A child? Surely not someone to be reckoned with. But he would be wrong.

Her feelings about him knowing who she was were quickly confirmed when he asked her if she wanted to talk about it. It was an innocent enough thing to say, but it was enough for her to know what he meant. She scowled. "Talk about what, exactly? I have no idea what you're talking about." She snapped at him, more forcefully than she meant to. Who was this boy to pry into her feelings? She didn't need to talk about anything, especially not with some stranger.

 

[Leo Benivieni]

The fact that he knew about why Odette was upset was not helping as she snapped at him. He simply raised an eyebrow, unaffected. Sadly he was used to it, so he started becoming indifferent to the way people talked to him when they got fed up with him. It hadn't happened at Hogwarts yet though so he was kind of surprised but then again, Odette was not feeling okay. The third year put his hands up in defence. "Okay, so we won't talk about it," he told her, his tone neither sympathetic nor defensive, only slightly apologetic. He thought he'd been nice actually but he wasn't going to dwell on it for longer because clearly she did not want to talk about a sore topic. Her tone made him suspicious of how much deeper it all went. It wasn't just about the flyers, that much he could see. He veered off the subject and spoke about something that was easier to converse with the first year. "Out of curiosity, what do you think of Quidditch?" It was random but it was Leo and Quidditch was his favourite sport ever, even amongst all other muggle sports he'd tried in the past. If Odette didn't find the magical sport interesting, he'd find something else to talk about. The Gryffindor was good at finding something in common with others. He didn't want to annoy the girl, hopefully she was going to feel better even if only mildly by the end of the day.​

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette's face showed genuine surprise as the boy just... dropped the subject. She really wasn't used to people listening to her if she asked them to stop or take her feelings into consideration. Especially if she snapped at them the way she had. It softened her slightly and she looked at him in a new light, was he not here to make fun of her? To humiliate her like she had humiliated his housemate? But why not?

It took her a few moments to find her words, she fidgeted with her hair. "Thanks." She said, looking away a little. "It's not ...something I like to talk about. I want to just forget it." It had seemed like a better idea than it had turned out to be, and she did regret it. Even if it was only because she got caught. His other question took her by surprise as well. It seemed really random, but she appreciated the subject. "I've never played." She admitted. "My mother wouldn't-- I mean, I just never have." It wasn't like her to slip like that and she silently cursed herself, he didn't need to know anything about her. Especially not something like that. If someone knew her mother wouldn't approve of her flying or playing quidditch, it just meant they could blackmail her with the knowledge if she ever did make the team. Sharing personal things was a weakness. "But I really enjoyed flying and I've watched the games so far. I want to try out for the team next year." It was the first time she admitted it out loud and it made her smile a little. Realistically, she knew she was still very young and would probably be a alternate if anything, but she still dreamed about being on the team.