Closed Stars and Snacks

[Lillian Lockwood]

Continued from here

Lily followed behind Elliot closely, her eyes kept solidly on her feet as they made their way out of the castle and into the courtyard. She felt so guilty. Tears welled up in her eyes as they came to a stop. She realized she had kept hold of Elliot with one hand and let go. She sat down on a nearby bench. This felt like a disaster. Sure, she had tried, but... She sighed, fiddling with the prize in her hands. "El?" She started, her voice soft and a little sad. "I'm sorry."

She sniffled a little, hoping he wasn't too upset but too nervous to look at him. "I... I shouldn't have come tonight. I-I know I'm... um, I'm not good with, with people," She stuttered, her hair falling to cover her face. "That's why... why I n-never had any friends... um, before coming to school here." She admitted softly. "I'm just... I'm just so awkward." She bit her lip, twirling the object in her hands.

"The bullies didn't, um, they didn't really help matters either," She joked lightly, glancing up at Elliot through her hair. "U-um, anyway. I... I did get this." She held out her hand with the cupcake he'd been looking at in the Great Hall. "I... I lost a little bit of the icing," She murmured shyly.

 

[Elliot Briar]

The courtyard was a breath of fresh air after the somewhat stuffy great hall. Elliot thought he could smell some of the flowers somewhere blooming. It was much quieter out here, only a few other students compared to the crowd inside. Lily let go of his arm, and Elliot took a moment to enjoy the night air for a moment, turning when Lily said his name.

He felt his heart drop when he saw Lily was crying, suddenly feeling a bit stupid standing there in his costume. "Lily..." Elliot sat down next to her, fumbling for the right way to react. He'd never been good with people crying. "Well, I think you do fine with me, and I'm people so maybe you're not as bad as you think," he winced. That didn't come out so well. "And you've got friends now, so maybe you just didn't know the right people yet." He frowned when Lily mentioned the bullies. He certainly hoped no one was messing with her at Hogwarts.
"Well," he said, accepting the cupcake from Lily, "I'd call that a success then. Plus, I think I have the rest of the icing on my sleeve." He tried the cheesiest smile he could, hoping to at least make Lily smile. "How
bout we go halfsies with it?" Elliot careful tore the cupcake in half, offering the bigger half to her.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily smiled as Elliot reassured her. He really was very sweet. Though she still wasn't sure how to react to that yet, she was glad he was with her. She couldn't help but giggle as he commented on the icing. She held up his arm to investigate. "Well, what do you know, you're right." She teased lightly, letting his arm drop back down.

She accepted the cupcake he offered her, nibbling at it as she laid her head lightly against his shoulder. Her heart had steadied back out again and she felt more like herself. "El?" She tried after she had finished her treat. "Thanks for being my friend," she murmured, shutting her eyes as she leaned against him.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot felt his ears go hot when Lily settled against his shoulder, but did his best to play it cool. He was happy she seemed to have calmed down now, and he relaxed more into the bench, tilting his head back to enjoy the night sky. "Mm?" he hummed when Lily said his name. "Thanks for being mine," he said softly. He was glad he'd met Lily, he felt like he could be himself with her.
"Happy Halloween, Lil."

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily smiled. "Happy Halloween, El," She murmured softly. She couldn't help but feel tired. She was happy that she'd at least made it into the Great Hall, but she found that all the commotion had drained her. She was trying very hard to open up more now that she was at school, but she was still very shy.

Leaning against Elliot was very warm. Lily felt more comfortable than she had since coming to school. She relaxed more as she listened to him breathing. Slowly, she felt herself slipping away, and before long, her breathing grew softer as she drifted off to sleep.

 

[Elliot Briar]

The courtyard was lovely at night, despite the slight chill, and Elliot enjoyed the quiet with Lily for a few minutes. As the silence extended on longer, El cast a glance over at his companion, a bit surprised to find her fast asleep on his shoulder. "Lily?" he asked softly, giving his shoulder a half-hearted wiggle. He didn't really want to wake her up, she probably needed a break. Though they really shouldn't sleep out here.
"Lily? We should go back to the dorms now," he tried again, shifting away from her a bit so she was resting gently on the bench still. Elliot frowned when he received no response. Guess she was really tired.

Surveying the courtyard, he decided there was nothing else for it. If Lily wasn't going to wake up, he'd just have to try carrying her to the common room. She seemed light enough. Probably. It wasn't the greatest plan, but every time he thought about waking her up, his stomach did an uncomfortable flip-flop and he brushed the idea away. Besides, he'd given and received plenty of piggybacks with his cousins before, this was fine. He crouched in front of Lily, carefully looping her hands around his shoulders before standing up, pulling her onto his back as he stood. He grabbed her legs and did his best to steady them both, taking a few unstable steps and doing his best to keep her long hair out of his mouth.

He'd taken a few more tentative steps before he caught site of his basket, with all their candy still sitting on the bench and sighed. "This couldn't be easy, could it," Carefully, Elliot managed to pull his wand from his pocket without dropping Lily and took aim at the basket. "Wingardium Leviosa," He couldn't suppress the thrill when the basket lifted off the ground, able to maneuver it to hover in front of them. Perfect.
They'd made it nearly across the courtyard when Lily began slipping, Elliot scrambling to jostle her as gently as he could back onto his back. His basket hit the ground with a loud clatter the second his concentration shifted and Elliot sighed again as he watched a few gum balls roll away mockingly. How in Merlin's name was he going to get them up four flights of stairs...
"Shoot." He said, sourly.

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx was looking for a breath of fresh air. He had wandered out of the Great Hall and away from people. He wasn't really sure where he was going. As he started off, however, he heard a loud clatter followed by a little voice. He cocked his head to the side and followed the noise to find a first-year dressed up like the kid from E.T. carrying... a bride? He chuckled to himself before stepping in and lifting the little girl effortlessly into his arms. "Hey," He greeted the boy with a smile.

"I may be stealing the bride, but I promise not to run away," He teased lightly. The girl shifted in his arms with a light grumble. He glanced down, but she had just snuggled into his chest. "Huh," He stared at her a moment. Now that he was looking at her, she reminded him a lot of Ava. He shifted her in his arms, stowing the thought for a later date. He turned his attention back to the boy. "I'm Onyx," He introduced himself softly. "I've got Sleeping Beauty here, why don't you gather up all those treats?"

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot panicked for a moment when he felt Lily's weight lift, before spinning to face the new student. He was off-balance and a little wary, but there didn't seem to be immediate cause for concern. "Hey..." he offered back cautiously. Older students still spooked Elliot a bit, and the vampire teeth certainly weren't helping, though he seemed sincere in his offer to help.

"Hi, Onyx. I'm Elliot. And thanks," Elliot tried not to look when Lily snuggled into the other boy's chest, confused at the sudden surge of animosity he felt towards Onyx, and went to gather up the dropped basket and candy. He should know when to admit defeat but Elliot still couldn't quash the sense of disappointment at not being able to handle this by himself. "We need to get up to the fourth floor, it's a bit of a ways," he looked over at Onyx again and couldn't help feel the disappointment again, noting that the older boy could probably handle it. "Though I guess at least it's not one of the towers." He offered a weak smile, trying to shake off what ever dumb superiority contest his brain seemed intent on starting.

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx smiled at the younger boy, nodding towards the doors. "Well, then, lead the way." He thought he recognized that look in the other boy's eyes, though he seemed to be trying to hide it. "I can get her up the stairs for you, but you'll need to get her in the dorm." He winked at Elliot playfully. "Of course, we don't need to tell her I was here. If you want to impress her and tell her you got her up there all by yourself, I'm fine with it." He sauntered back into the castle. He couldn't help but look at the girl in his arms every now and then. She really was a lot like Ava. "Hey," He started after a moment of walking, "What's the name of your bride?"

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot nodded to Onyx, walking into the castle. The whole interaction had him feeling off-balance, but he needed help and Onyx had offered. He counted the steps as they passed the Entrance Hall, checking over his shoulder to make sure Onyx was still following, and that Lily was okay. "I'm not- I don't need to impress her.." He hoped Lily wouldn't mind that he got a stranger involved.. Maybe he wouldn't tell her, just so she wouldn't upset.

Onyx looked so cool, easily carrying Lily with a seemingly effortless confidence as they walked further. Elliot went back to counting his steps to avoid getting more flustered. "Her name is Lily. Lockwood," He did his best to ignore the "your bride" part of the question. Elliot hoped they could get up the rest of the stairs without him feeling more like an idiot.

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx bit back the urge to laugh as he followed Elliot. Maybe he was reading it wrong, but it certainly seemed Elliot had something on his mind. Maybe he just didn't like having some weirdo in a costume stealing away his friend. It seemed plausible, but nowhere near as fun. He was pulled from his thoughts when the boy told him the girls name.

Onyx stopped dead in his tracks. "Lily... Lockwood?" He looked down at the girl in his arms again. The same blond hair, the same sweet face. But... Ava was an only child. And she had never mentioned any family other than her Papa. Which she did. Constantly. He couldn't see Ava having family and not doting over them. He shook his head and quickly followed after Elliot again. "So... you're both first years?" He asked conversationally, curiosity burning through him. The name must be a coincidence. It had to be.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot paused at the way Onyx said Lily’s name. He didn’t think Lockwood was that weird of a last name. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Onyx had stopped, staring at Lily contemplatively. El slowed his ascent, but whatever Onyx was thinking seemed to have passed and he continued walking, closing the gap between them. “Yeah.. “ he responded to the question cautiously. “I’ve only known Lily a few months but.. She’s nice. I was a little worried about meeting people here..” Maybe he was over sharing. He glanced back at Onyx again from the landing, Lily still sound asleep in his arms. Onyx didn’t seem like the type to struggle with friends, all the older students at Hogwarts all seemed so put together, even while wearing dumb Halloween costumes. “I’m glad I met her.” he finished after a moment.

They were nearing the Hufflepuff common room, and Elliot had a sudden panicked thought. Was he allowed to show Onyx where it was? He was certain other students knew where the other houses were, but it still seemed wrong to lead someone else straight to one. At least, he thought Onyx wasn’t a Hufflepuff. He didn’t look familiar, but Elliot couldn’t really be sure if he’d even seen all the Hufflepuffs in his own year, let alone the other years. “Say… Uh, what house are you in?”

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx smiled as he listened to the boy talk. Whoever he was, and whoever this girl was, he was glad they seemed to have each other. Being alone was never good. "I can understand that," He said in response to the boy. "I transferred here in my second year, and my only friends are my sisters' friends." He chuckled, readjusting Lily in his arms. The girl was beginning to stir. "Oh, ah, Gryffindor." He told Elliot without looking at him. The girl's eyes had fluttered open. "Hey, lovie," He murmured softly. "I'm gonna need you to walk a bit now. Can you do that?" He gave her a small smile.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily had been having a wonderful dream about being curled up on a big, soft carpet in front of a roaring fire. She was in a cabin and snow swirled outside the window. It was very warm and cuddly. "Mmm..." She stirred as her calm dream started to fade. She opened her eyes slowly. What? Her eyes widened at the sight of the strange face above her. She froze as the boy spoke. She had no idea what was going on. Her heart hammered in her ears. "Where's Elliot?" She squeaked as the boy put her down. "I was with-" She stumbled away from the boy as soon as her feet hit the ground, worried and uncomfortable. In her haste, Lily tripped over her own feet. She yelped as she began to fall.

 

[Elliot Briar]

So Onyx was a Gryffindor. Elliot frowned, still trying to figure out a tactful way to ask if he was allowed to show him the common room when Onyx began speaking again, this time to a slowly waking Lily. He'd hoped she'd sleep right through to the common room so they could pretend Onyx had never been involved, but as Lily began to panic, Elliot could immediately tell that wasn't going to happen. He rushed forward as Lily stumbled, reaching for her arm as she fell, the basket of candy forgotten on the ground. Lily's head bumped his face as he grabbed her, and Elliot over balanced as well, both first years hitting the ground in a flurry of limbs. Elliot hoped he'd at least broken her fall a bit.
"Hey... Lils.. Sorry to wake you," he offered weakly, casting a sheepish look to Onyx as a clutch of dropped gumballs rolled slowly across the floor behind them.

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx watched with his mouth hanging open as the girl panicked. The boy hurried to reassure her, but the next thing he knew they were both sprawled on the ground and gumballs were rolling everywhere. He couldn't help but laugh. "I got 'em." He chuckled, lowering his lanky form to the ground. He hummed to himself as he gathered up all the treats. He had a feeling the girl might need a minute with Elliot before Onyx went barging back in.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily squeezed her eyes shut as the familiar sensation of falling came over her. It was different this time, though. She couldn't quite place it at first over the beating of her heart. After a moment on the ground, she slowly opened her blue eyes wide. Elliot spoke, apologizing. She stared at him a moment. "Wake...?" She shook her head, lowering it to his shoulder for a moment while she struggled to wake up. As her heart settled back to its original beat, exhaustion seemed to overwhelm her.

Lily detangled herself from Elliot. She sat down, her legs tucked beneath her, and started rubbing her eyes. Her mind seemed to be moving especially slow. How did she get up here? The last she remembered... they were in the courtyard. Had she actually fallen asleep? She felt a blush creep up her neck. "Mmm," She murmured tiredly, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Lily still seemed pretty out of it. Elliot considered her carefully, scooting back a bit as she resettled on the floor. She looked unhurt at least, he thought, rubbing at his elbow where he'd hit it on the way down. "You uh, dozed off downstairs," he said as he pushed to his feet. "We're nearly at the common room though, c'mon," Elliot held out his hand to help her up, trying for a reassuring smile. He vaguely registered Onyx shuffling around in the background after the dropped candy.