Einar didn’t have that many people around him, despite joining the quidditch team, he hadn’t actively tried to get to know any of them yet, and he didn’t want to. EInar didn’t need anyone. He’d signed up to the pen pal scheme and received his first letter, his response had taken a while to write, but he’d sent it off, it was distant enough that he didn’t mind it. He didn’t need anyone else. However, in the last week he’d noticed a distinct lack of his shadow. Einar could tell he was in the dorm at times, but he hadn’t seen him. He hadn’t joined him at the dining table, nor to study or when Einar looked for a quiet spot to sketch. It had become a staple of his life, that whenever it wasn’t there, he noticed. He didn’t bother to consider what this meant, that in noticing it and caring he would only bring ruin to Lucas’ life. That he should keep the distance because Lucas deserved better than Einar’s toxic luck. But, he didn’t care about Lucas, and he definitely would never admit that he had become used to having him around. Perhaps with no one else left in his life, Lucas as frustrating as it had been at times was welcome, he seemed to just keep trying no matter how Einar was.
Einar hadn’t fallen asleep yet when he’d heard shuffling from the bed next to him, the sound of someone leave. He was both curious about what Lucas was doing and a little concerned. He’d noticed that someone much older was fairly bold in their picking on Lucas. He wasn’t sure why, but at every opportunity Einar was set on preventing it. He decided to follow Lucas, he just needed to be sure that he was okay. It wasn’t that he cared about him but he did need to make sure he was okay. Einar grabbed a jumper and changed into his jeans. He ran a hand through the bleached white hair before making sure that no one was following him as he headed out the dorm. Einar had taken a little longer to make his decision to follow Lucas, and clearly wasn’t as good at following people, because he ended up just guess where Lucas might’ve gone. Einar spotted the boy in the courtyard, sitting on the steps, and evidently crying. Einar stood a little away, unsure of what to do, he had never been particularly good with crying and he wasn’t particularly good at bringing comfort. But, he approached and sat down next to the boy, ”What’s wrong?” he asked, putting his hands on his own lap and looking at the boy. His tone had an attempt at some warmth, to show some concern, but he wasn’t sure he’d managed it.