Closed One of my own

[Demi Zephyr]

Demi wasn't surprised Ares had made Gryffindor. Now that every Zephyr sibling had been sorted (and into independent houses no doubt) their parents would have the house to themselves. Well, themselves and the creatures that roamed the halls. The third year felt as though she was about to spend more time with her siblings now than she ever had at home, although she wasn't complaining. It had been Echo that helped her out last year so maybe she needed them more than she realised. "Have you spoken to Iris?" she asked her brother, wondering if their eldest sister had anything to say about his sorting.​

 

[Echolyn Zephyr]

The fact that Echo was already a second year was crazy. Now Ares was here too to complete the set, and she figured if Demi had needed her help, she was probably well placed to look out for Ares, too. "No one's spoken to Iris," Echo interjected, "Don't you know, Hufflepuff's are known for hiding away, doubt you'd ever see one out on their own accord," even the ones that did leave the common room often hung around in packs, as though too nervous to break away on their own.​

 

[Ares Zephyr]

Ares's sisters were right, so far he hadn't seen Iris outside of the Great Hall. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed lazily over his chest. "Nah, but did you see that one Hufflepuff girl on the train here?" he asked the girls, "She was on her own. Though if her sense of style was anything to by it was probably because no one wanted to be seen with her." The only reason he'd known she was Hufflepuff was because of the badge on the front of her trunk. ​

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Freddie had been on his way to the great hall when a poster in the courtyard had stopped him in his tracks. Student Defence Association. Something something something, duelling. Huh. A duelling tournament? The date on the poster had long passed - someone had obviously forgotten to take it down - but as far as he could gather, it was an annual event. Susie had never mentioned it. Sounded fun, anyway; if they did another one, he would have to go and watch.

He turned to carry on, but something else made him pause. His ears were sensitive to any mention of his sister; and it was his sister, Freddie realised, with a flicker of something savage, that the boy was describing. She'd sat on her own because she'd had a headache. Admittedly, he'd given her some grief about the flowery-blazer-and-tie combo himself, but he was allowed to tease her. He was her brother. And because he was her brother, she'd rolled her eyes and brushed it off. What would happen if she overheard some random kid talking about her like that? She'd pretend it didn't bother her, but it would, deep down. The blazer would come off. She'd put it in the back of her dresser, claim she'd grown out of it, couldn't find it, didn't like it any more. No. So what if it looked stupid? It made her happy. And if anyone in this world deserved to be happy, it was Susie.

Before Freddie knew what he was doing, he was standing in front of the Gryffindor. "Are you talking about my sister?" he asked. His tone was almost polite, but there was venom in his eyes, sharp and focused. "Are you talking about Susie?"

 

[Ares Zephyr]

Before Ares had time to hear his sister's answer, another boy had taken it to stand in front of him. "What?" he'd heard what the boy said, although Ares didn't know why he was talking to him. "I don't know, who's Susie?" he asked, making no move to rectify the situation. He glanced to Echo who was stood a little closer, wondering if someone wanted to fill him in. Ares didn't know why this boy would jump to the conclusion that he was talking about his sister, unless of course she stood out in a crowd like a sore thumb. ​

 

[Demi Zephyr]

Demi shifted a little uncomfortably as she put two and two together. Susie Lagowski had a little brother. She'd never said as much but how many other Hufflepuff's with that name were there? "Why don't you take a step back," she smiled to the boy, feeling as though this situation wasn't dissimilar to the one that had Tori up in her face. Her brother was annoying, Demi would be the first to agree to that, but she wasn't stupid enough to put him in the firing line of another student before the term had even begun.​

 

[Echolyn Zephyr]

Unlike her siblings, Echo had a keen sense of style and she had seen the weird girl on the train in the blazer. As a boy approached Ares, Echo was beginning to think he'd already started making friends. It was only when Demi warned him to move away that the Slytherin wondered whether this wasn't as friendly as she'd first expected. "Was she the one with the multicolored flowers? You'd have to be brave to wear something like that," Echo chuckled, doing her best to compliment the girl, not realising in the process she'd confirmed who Ares was talking about.​

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Freddie glanced up at the girls. A step back? Yeah, sure - in a second. There was just one thing he had to do. He turned to the Gryffindor. His fist shot out. Quick and clean. Straight to the stomach. Maybe that would teach him - maybe that would teach all of them. Don't talk about Susie. Don't talk about Susie...

Godmod approved

 

[Ares Zephyr]

Ares froze when Echo mentioned the flowers. Surely this kid wouldn't dare try anything while they were out in the open, surro.... Ares keeled over. Pain shot through his stomach and he remained doubled over as he tried to make sense of what just happened. This kid just.. decked him. There and then! Classes hadn't even started yet!​

 

[Echolyn Zephyr]

Echo yelped as she saw the boys fist fly through the air. She instinctively tried to grab her little brother but she was too late, watching as he bent over. "Oi, you little!" The second year wasn't one to get involved in fights, even the food fight she'd steered clear of, but watching Ares drop with a swift punch to the stomach brought out a side of her that wanted this boy to pay for what he'd done. Echo, long nails and all, suddenly reached out to grab a lockful of the boys hair, yanking as hard as she possibly could.​

 

[Demi Zephyr]

This. This was why Demi had told the boy to step back. It seemed as soon as someone got it into their head they wanted to answer a call of violence there would be nothing that could convince them otherwise. The moment the boy swung, Demi was already moving. She'd seen it before. By the time she reached him however, Echo had already lashed out too, "How dare you!" He'd had no proof Ares was even talking about Susie. Demi grabbed an arm in each hand, pulling the boy and her sister away from each other if not only to try to break them up. Demi was angry but she wasn't about to have her sister be his second round.​

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Freddie half expected the girls to grab him, but he wasn't quick enough to do anything except brace. Pain rocketed across his scalp and down his neck as he was yanked one way, then the other, the world a blur of skin and nails. The second pull caught him off guard and stumbled backward, breaking free of the girl's grip.

He stood there for a second, knuckles throbbing, chest heaving. Thinking.

OK. Fine. He'd made his point - if not in words, then certainly with his fist. They wouldn't forget this. Against three of them, he was powerless, but the fire in his eyes as he backed away said he'd find a way to take them down one by one if he had to. For Susie. "Stay away from me," he told the Gryffindor. "And stay away from my sister."

He turned - not toward the castle, but back toward the grounds. He needed to get out of here, now.

Merlin. What had he done?

 

[Ares Zephyr]

As Ares's sisters went on to fight his case, he was left moaning and wailing behind them. He could hear from the commotion that they had it under control, which meant the Gryffindor was free to express himself without limit. "Argghghhh," he dropped to the floor, still clutching his stomach. "I need a nurse, a nurse!" he called out, hopefully loud enough to draw the attention of students and/or professors in the vicinity. He wasn't about to forget this boy's face in a hurry.​

 

[Echolyn Zephyr]

As Demi grabbed Echo's arm, she released the boys hair despite her best efforts to keep hold of it. She was taller than she was, and the angle did nothing to help her strength. "What are you talking about? You came over to us?" she bit back, angry that they should be viewed as the cruel ones here when he was the one to attack Ares. She turned to face her brother, who was now laying in the fetal position at their feet. "Are you okay?" Mum would be furious when she heard.​

 

[Demi Zephyr]

No, no this boy did not get to get away with what he'd done. His actions would have consequences. He may have yanked his arm away from Demi and begun to walk away but that wasn't stopping the third year. "Where do you think you're going?" he wasn't about to walk away before being reprimanded. "What house are you in?" she asked, knowing that wherever he was, there would at least be one of them around to keep an eye on him. "No one gives a damn about your sister, so why don't you leave us alone?" That wasn't true, Tori seemed to care for her but Tori wasn't here anymore. ​

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Freddie broke into a run. They'd tell on him, he knew it, he wasn't getting away with this, someone saw it, they'd tell Susie, she'd get mad at him, even though he'd done it for her... He'd been at Hogwarts for less than a week and he'd already ruined everything. Everywhere he went, he ruined everything.

They were wrong, though. Freddie gave a damn about his sister. He'd done it for her, hadn't he? She'd understand. No - he couldn't tell her. He would have to explain why he'd done it, how he'd heard them laughing at her clothes. It was pointless. He'd lose either way.

Please don't let her hate me too. Please.

(OOC: I'm not opposed to him getting into trouble at all, but pretty please could you PM or DM me if you want to jump in because I am debating having Susie turn him in which will be fun for development - thank youu <3)