Closed So, siblings anyone?

[Amory Raven]

It was a nice day, or well so Amory supposed it was. He wasn't much of a sunny weather guy, not when it was supposed to be turning into a winter anyways. He was walking the castle grounds, bored out of his mind as he had quite literally nothing to do. Might have been his own fault, but that wasn't important.

He had just entered The Great Lawn when he heard some shouting from somewhere over there. With no particular interest of taking part in whatever lovers quarrel was going on in there he had every intention to just mind his own business and continue his walk, until he kind of recognized the other voice. He wouldn't call the boy his friend, but he was acquaintance of sorts? Contemplating whether he really wanted to go and see what was going on, he eventually came to the conclusion he could just go and see what was happening. If it was indeed a lovers quarrel, he could just walk away and act as if nothing had happened. If it was something else? Well he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Whatever he had expected to see was not the scene unfolding in front of his eyes. It was indeed Felix and an older looking redhead? Amory hadn't taken Felix as someone to go for older girls, but each for their own he supposed. Grimacing at the sparks flying around as the two whipped their sticks, well wands, at each other Amory just sat back for a bit. Trying to figure out whether he wanted to interfere or not. "So, you guys breaking up or...." He said questioningly, trying to break the strange atmosphere.

@Felix Layton-King @Ten Layton-King

(Homie has no idea they aren't a couple but siblings, poor guy)

 

[Ten Layton-King]

"Oh boo hoo Felix," Ten yelled across the field, completely uncaring whether anyone else in the vicinity was even watching. "It's not my fault you can't take a joke. I tried to include you in everything but oh no that's not what you want to do. So fine! Have it your way! I don't even care anymore!" Ten was fuming ever since her little brother had approached her to ask why she wouldn't leave him alone. Ever since he'd joined her in her Hogwarts house, Ten had done nothing but try to make him feel included and to let him know that there was at least someone in the school who knew him. She knew what it was like to be in a new school and have no friends, so she had just been looking out for him. Unfortunately, when Felix had asked her why she wouldn't leave him alone, Ten felt rage like she hadn't done in years. Maybe Felix didn't remember it, but they more or less only had each other these days. Growing up, who had it been that had taken him under her wing, introduced him to other distant relatives, and encouraged him to find his hobbies? When they made films at home, Ten didn't have to dress Felix up and cast him in a role for their cousin but she had because she wanted to. Everything she'd ever done for her brother felt like a slap in the face when he told her that all he wanted for her to leave him be.

Ten had her wand in hand, but only because Felix had his out too. She was ready for whatever stupid little first-year spell he was going to try to cast at her if he would have been a fool to try. "Don't you think you would have been better in Slytherin? At least then maybe you could have hidden out in the dungeons and no one needed to ever know who you are!" she continued to belt, her voice loud anyway let alone when she was shouting. Suddenly she saw her brother's arm move, and the fourth year shot out her own protection spell in retaliation, much faster than she'd expected to be but it was probably the adrenaline. "How dare you," she glowered, before flinging it straight back at him, "Everte Statum!"

 

[Felix Layton-King]

There was a good fifteen feet between the siblings, but it wasn't enough for Felix was now felt as though he was backed into a corner between his sister and a hard place. He'd spent all day try to come up with the right thing to say to her in order to get Ten off his back. Perhaps they were only pranks, but he was over being the cause of the laughing stock. "Hogwarts was meant to be a fresh start for me Ten," he yelled back, fingers gripping around his wand so tight his knuckles were turning white. He wasn't even sure why he was holding it but it felt like the right thing to do, "and you're ruining it!" He couldn't take much more of the hexes across the table, the potions threatening to be slipped into his drinks, or even messing around with his books so he was almost late for his classes. Felix heard a soft familiar voice behind him, but he couldn't break the moment he had with his sister to turn around and explain to Amory what was going on until she left him alone. Felix was sure Ten didn't even know what a joke was, she just seemed to love antagonising him to the point that he had to creep around the castle in fear of running into her and Felix hated that. "I do have friends, and I do want people to know who I am," he shouted back though not nearly as loud as his sister who seemed to have a natural gift at being a megaphone, "maybe if you opened your eyes you would see that the only thing I don't have anymore is a sister that is nice to me!"

Felix was shaking, he'd never stood up to Ten like this before. Until now, he wasn't sure he had the strength to but now that he was here, and starting to learn more about who he was and what he could do, why should he just let other people tell him what to do? He'd already looked out for Jonah and maybe it was because of that that Felix wanted to stand up for himself, too. He raised his wand, recalling the motion they'd been practicing earlier in the day, "Stupify," he fired off, aiming straight toward Amortentia. He was a little relieved when she managed to block the spell, only because he hadn't wanted to hurt her, but before he got a chance to say anything else he felt his feet lift off the ground entirely. For a moment the world flew in slow motion, and then almost as quickly as it had begun, Felix felt his back hit something or someone, as he came crashing on top of them.​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory stared in confusion at the scene unfolding in front of him. Perhaps they weren't a couple after all, seemed a tad more personal that preteens dating. Maybe this was the sister Felix had mentioned? Though Amory did not recall him ever naming her but if he looked he could see the resemblance. Both of them had a temper that was clear at least.

The Slytherin just stared at the two, feeling an odd feeling, was it pride? No it was being proud? Or something of the sorts, he had no idea about the situation between the two of them, but seeing Felix in that forest he had gotten the sense the boy was miserable and he felt a sense of pride seeing him stand up for himself. For what reason was he harboring such feelings towards someone he barely knew? It was beyond him and he was glad nobody was asking.

Amory crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, that girl had a fire in her that was for sure. He wasn't sure how to view the situation, however before he had any chance to further analyze a blond head was nearing him at an alarmingly fast speed. Soon his back met the ground with a weight on top of him. Amory groaned "If you wanted to hug me, you could of asked.... I would have declined, but I digress." He started, trying to push the boy off of him. "What is all this fuss about anyways?" His voice had adopted that bored tone again, his interest in the situation deflated the second Felix was sent at him like a bowling ball.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

What was Felix talking about? How was she the one ruining things when it was Felix that kept walking away? Why was that the thing everyone in life wanted to do? Her mum had left her, her dad had left her, her sister had better things to be doing that hanging around with children. Her aunt and uncle were busy bringing up the triplets, her cousins were busy bringing up even more children. And now, not even her own brother wanted her around. Tears brewed in Ten's eyes as the reality of the situation was dawning on the fourth year. She knew she had Eluned, but how long would it be until she was more interested in other boys or girls or a career, and then Ten would be on her own again. Felix thought she wasn't nice to him? She'd said nothing else as the Gryffindor crashed into the student that had been staring behind them, and without waiting to see if Felix would retaliate, Ten turned on her heel and stormed away across the lawn, not allowing anyone but especially her stupid little brother to see the tears that had started to roll down her cheeks.​

 

[Felix Layton-King]

"Oh merlin, I'm so sorry," Felix apologied as he realised he'd fallen onto Amory. At least it was him and not another student he neither knew nor had been aware of the argument if it was any consolation. Felix got to his feet and helped Amory up before brushing the dirt off his clothes. Ten had already walked away by the time Felix turned to look back for her, although he was glad she wasn't going to try and cast another spell at him or his newest friend. "She's my sister," Felix started, trying to think how he was going to explain everything. "She's been bullying me for as long as I can remember but to her everything is just a joke," his voice was lowered now so that only Amory could hear him, just in case another student were to come past. "I tried to tell her to stop but, she just got angry with me for saying she didn't care how I felt," Felix had no idea how he was supposed to get out of this vicious cycle, but apparently trying to talk to her about it had gotten him nowhere. Felix tucked his wand back in his pocket, looking sheepish now that he wasn't arguing with Ten anymore, and was suddenly aware that a number of other people may well have overheard their conversation. "We should get out of here," he motioned, tugging Amory by the arm as he kept his head down, and starting to walk further down the lawn incase a crowd was about to gather.​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory stared after the girl in confusion and then switched to Felix in equal confusion. There was more to it than he was explaining or perhaps he was blind to it himself. To Amory it sounded like she did care, perhaps her way of showing wasn't the best if Felix saw it as bullying. Though the Slytherin decided to keep that observation to himself. It didn't seem like a situation where his opinion was wanted, especially not when he barely knew either of them and when he was clueless about anything family related. For all the boy knew that5 was normal, he had never experienced familial ties of any kind, at times he envied those who had and did and then there were times when he was glad of it. This way nobody could hurt him or leave him without him allowing so first. He would always look out for himself and didn't need family for that, never had.

Though he had no idea why, Amory did nothing to object the Gryffindors request and pull to leave. He wasn't sure he wanted to engage in any more conversation, but he also wasn't sure he wanted to leave the boy that was closest thing to a friend he had on his own after an altercation. Not when that could ruin any chance of Amory finding a friend in him and for some reason he found himself wanting to make a friend out of the blond.

"So...." He started, not entirely sure how to go about it all. "You okay?" His voice was way more questioning than he had realized, only giving away just how out of depth he was with any sort of social interaction beyond the surface level stuff. "I mean I am not an expert on all things family and feel free to discard my opinion into a pile of trash or whatever, but to me it looked like you two were in different world so to say? Like there was some level of misunderstanding, miscommunication between you two." Amory started while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sort of seemed to me like you two were speaking in different languages. Not literally, but figuratively I suppose." He had no idea how to explain what he had observed, or if it held any truth to it. It was all so foreign to him but he could sense something being amiss between the siblings and that something was being misunderstood in a way or another. He just didn't know what and how to explain it.

 

[Felix Layton-King]

Felix was glad when Amory followed after him with little disagreement. Even if it hadn't been the way the Slytherin wanted to go, at least he'd come away from the part of the lawn that would have drawn attention. The Gryffindor was going to explain that he was fine, that while maybe he hadn't argued with Ten so openly before it wasn't unusual for them to not be on the same page. That was, until Amory told him that it looked as though there was some kind of miscommunication or misunderstanding. Felix frowned, wondering if he was trying to defend his sister after everything she'd done to him! "I'm not in the wrong," he stated simply, knowing that he'd put up enough with Ten's behaviour in the past to know that it was her fault entirely why they didn't get on.

"Ten always thinks she can get away with doing whatever she likes because no one ever tells her no," he explained. In truth no one ever told him no either, but at least he didn't take advantage of that in the way his older sister did. "She likes to poke people and do or say whatever she wants because she usually gets away with it," Felix wasn't going to tell Amory that way he often feared going into rooms by himself just in case Ten caught him in there and used the opportunity to pick on him some more, although it was even worse if there was an audience she was trying to impress. "You don't have any siblings, do you." It wasn't a question so much as a fact, but just the idea that Amory was trying to settle an argument he had no context for showed Felix enough.​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He could see the gears turning the wrong way in the other boys head, all he tried to do was give an alternative opinion. Something to consider. "I did not say you were in the wrong, but it seemed like there was something else beneath it. I don't know, perhaps I shouldn't have poked my nose where it does not belong." He sighed in defeat. What was the point of arguing to make a point that clearly the other one could not see and perhaps he was in the wrong. He did not know a single thing about any sort of relationships never mind what a healthy communication and sibling relationship would be like.

"Sure, well perhaps you two need to take some time then? Consider your situations, get some breathing space and then talk again." He had no idea why he was even trying to give advice when he clearly was bad at it, but didn't hurt to try, right?

"I don't. No family whatsoever, it was always me. Nobody looked out for me, nobody spent time to even try to be around me. In fact I was the odd one out, picked on so in a way I do get it. Just because I don't have siblings doesn't mean I don't understand things." There was no reason for him to feel offended, yet he did. It was not fair for him to bring up the fact and assume just because Amory didn't have siblings he would not understand, he didn't in the exact way that he would perhaps had he had siblings. Perhaps this whole conversation, perhaps thinking he could actually find a friend in the boy was one big mistake.

 

[Felix Layton-King]

"Like what?" Felix said suspiciously, wondering what on earth Amory could be seeing from either one of them except for anger at the other. He seemed quick to try and withdraw his statement, but Felix knew that it was better to stick things through to the end if you were going to start them, so he continued to push, "She was probably just angry I said something at all, and she doesn't like that I called her out on being so rude to me." It made sense, he'd never tried to do that before, and as far as he knew, Ten would only get angry at those who didn't just go along with her blindly. That was probably why she liked Looney so much, their aunt followed after Ned like a lost sheep sometimes, and if she wasn't, well it was the other way around. They were both as bad as each other.

Felix shook his head at Amory's next statement, "This is the first time I've ever tried to talk to her, I don't think there's any point waiting to take some time because apparently twelve years wasn't enough," it was true. Usually, Felix did whatever Ten told him to do, and while he loved his sister he needed to her know that she couldn't just boss him around anymore or treat him like he didn't have his own feelings. As he listened to Amory tell him that he'd never had anyone around to spend time with, he had to admit to himself that even if Ten was annoying, at least she'd tried to include him in things growing up. "What if the people that were around, only used you and made you the butt of every joke?" he asked quietly, not entirely sure which was worse. That, or being alone completely.​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory's eyes turned into calculating pools of ice as he pondered how to say the next things on his mind. "Maybe this is the only way she knows how to show she cares? You said your mum died when you two were younger and from what I understand it's been more or less just you two against the world? She hasn't had anyone to teach her how to show her love, she has learned through your relationship and it's not your fault but maybe your twelve year silence has given her the idea that you didn't mind it or she was doing the right thing?" He had no idea where all that was coming from, but he refused to believe Ten wanted to hurt Felix, perhaps she just didn't know how to show her affection or something. Merlin knew Amory wouldn't know how to.

The Slytherin was close to shutting off his defenses, closing those walls he had lowered foolishly, when the Gryffindors next words morphed his face into a sympathetic smile. "You think growing up in an orphanage among muggles, whilst clearly being different didn't do that? But I suppose you just have to find the right people then and make it clear to those already around you understand your limits and boundaries. It is not too late to set boundaries." Amory finished with a shrug. All of it had been true, it was not easy growing up as different among kids who each just fought to be seen and wanted. Those who didn't fit it were made to be left out and used as a laughing stock, though Amory hadn't ever before voiced those experiences.

"If it makes you feel better, I think you seem cool. I mean if you didn't I would have been out of here in seconds. In fact wouldn't even have intervened on the field." The whole idea of intervening had almost come back to bite him in the butt, but in the end they had managed to pull out of the hostile waters and find some common grounds, or at least so the the brunet boy hoped.

 

[Felix Layton-King]

Felix thought about Amory was saying - Was it true that Ten didn't know how she was even supposed to show love? He knew he had a hard time showing it himself, but that didn't mean he was rude to everyone the way she was. She was closest to Looney, Felix knew that. Looney grew up around Leda and Mervyn and Ten had spent a lot of time with them, which meant that maybe they were the closest thing Ten had to a couple to base relationships on. Felix knew Leda and Mervyn loved each other, but he also knew that what they had wasn't the typical kind of love either. "We have an Aunt called Leda, she used to be in Slytherin," he started to explain, wondering if Amory would think this made sense, "She was..is best friends with our Uncle Mervyn. They are, strange though," quite literally if Mervyn's name had any input. "They're not like a normal couple though. Their version of showing love is gently smacking each other on the head when someone says something stupid," to be fair, it did make a lot of sense. "Sometimes they might say something considerate," like that time when Mervyn had told him nicely that he needed that haircut, "but Leda especially will likely avoid anything that gets too sentimental." How could he blame Ten for not knowing how to show him the love of a younger brother if his entire family had spent years avoiding it? "We have another cousin called Wendall, he was a Hufflepuff," he only thought it was important to mention Wendall, because he and Lysander had often babysat them too when they were younger, "He wouldn't hurt a fly and he adores his wife, although.." Felix pondered for a second, "He's been showing us horror films since we were old enough to pay attention, so I don't think he's a good example of appropriate boundaries either." The only reason Felix hadn't resorted to treating Ten poorly was because in truth he didn't know how to treat her at all. He was as guilty as everyone else when it came to showing that he cared.

As Felix realised he'd been waffling on about his whole family to Amory, he turned to apologise knowing that it probably wasn't what the boy wanted to hear when he'd found him on the lawn. "Sorry." Had he been right though? Did Ten just have a funny way of showing things? "It must have been hard being with lots of muggles too and knowing you were different," Felix was lucky in that respect. Wendall and Leda hadn't known they were magical until they'd gotten their letters, but at least Felix had grown up with the knowledge of the family he was entering. ​

 

[Amory Raven]

Amory listened to the boy and it all made perfect sense. Every little piece of the puzzle slowly clicking together. He had not been too off-base after all, had he? He hoped Felix could see those pieces falling together as well, because maybe then he could get some clarity to the situation and have those questions answered. It made perfect sense if his sister did not know how to show affection nor boundaries, the situation sounded unique for sure.

Amory once again surprised himself when the Gryffindor started to apologize. He lifted his hand in a slightly awkward pat on his shoulder. "It's fine, it sounded to me like you needed to perhaps revisit those experiences to maybe get another view and process the situation better?" These words felt as foreign to him as did any sign of support or comfort he had offered, but it also felt like the right thing to say. "If you ever need to waffle over these things to process your thoughts I can lend an ear. I am not perhaps the best communicator myself, but I can listen and offer my most of the time useless advice." At the end of that sentence Amory cast Felix an amused lopsided smile.

"Meh, it did have it's own benefits probably, not that I know what they were, but just seems like the socially acceptable thing to say." The Slytherin shrugged at his own words. In all honesty he had just been very happy to get out of there and to somewhere where he might be more himself and meet people like him.