The Lonely Sod In The Corner

[Louisa Clark]

Once again, Louisa May Clark had somehow ended up attending a dance she didn't really want to be at. Her roommates had been getting ready all evening and insisted on sending her pitiful stares. Louisa didn't want their pity, nor did she want rumours of her friendless state to spread around the school. It was one thing not being invisible, but it was infinitely worse to be visibly pathetic.As such, she'd donned the dress she'd worn to the yule ball, which had once belonged to her mother, Most girls probably had new dresses, but Louisa couldn't see the sense in buying a new dress for a night that meant next to nothing. Plus, she liked this dress, and her mother had put a lot of work into altering it for her. So, she had eventually put down the textbook she'd been reading lying on her four poster, and gotten ready for the dance. She was currently standing in almost the exact spot she'd resided in for the duration of the Yule Ball. She had a glass of punch in her left hand, and her right rested on the edge of the table. She had to admit, she did enjoy watching the dancing figures. Her parents had loved dancing, and her fathers moves had been consistently goofy.

To be honest, she was a tad bored. Sometimes whole days would go by and she wouldn't speak a word to someone. For a girl who'd always been social, the past year or so had made quite a change. Every now and then she idly wondered if perhaps she could re-brand herself completely once more. The thought of having people ask about her parents, and being forced to explain her Dad, however, was a powerful deterrent. Whenever people passed, she slid slightly further into the shadows, intermittently sipping her drink and watching the world go by. She'd probably leave soon. At least now, her roommates had seen her leave the dormitory, and wouldn't whisper behind closed doors about how sad she was. She'd saved face, that was all that mattered.

 

[Apollo Adams]

Apollo looked at his twin sister in shock, unsure he had just heard her correctly, but her next words confirmed it. "Go on, don't be shy, I'll be here if you need me." "Are you serious, I can't just do that!" His reply was slightly furious, but the glare that he received in return quelled most of his anger. Deep down he knew that she was only trying to help him, and given that she had come with a bunch of friends, it was only fair that she have a little time to herself without him loitering nearby to distract her. In contrast to this, he had brought nobody with him so he had been rather clingy to his sister. Sighing, he glanced over at the girl looking quite forlorn in the corner of the Hall, ostensibly enjoying the party with a glass of punch in one hand. Unfortunately, that was where the enjoyment ended: it was clear that she was both alone and unhappy about it, much like Apollo himself was really. Turning away from his sister, he looked in the direction of the girl once more before glancing back at Artemis. A gentle nudge in his back sent him on his way, and he took a deep breath as he made his way over towards her.

Halfway there, he stopped by a table and grabbed a drink himself, not even caring what kind it was. Then, without pausing to think, knowing his sister was watching him even now, he made his hesitant way over towards the girl. As he reached her, he smiled slightly, although he was sure it was more like a grimace. Unsure where to begin, he took a sip of the drink; elderflower he thought, with maybe a hint of lime somewhere. Looking down at his feet, he coughed, and spoke shyly, "Errr, hello. My sister told me to come and keep you company, and well, she knows best. So, errr, hello. I already said that didn't I? Well, I'm Apollo, Apollo Adams." Throughout this he blushed, and only afterwards did he glance up at her face, then to flick his eyes around a moment later, conscious that he must look a bit weird coming over to talk to her. He looked imploringly at Artemis for her to come and rescue him, her excellent talking skills a necessity it seemed. But she just gave a small grin and made an encouraging hand gesture. It looked like he would have no help there after all.
​

 

[Louisa Clark]

Not for the first time, Louisa wished she were wearing a watch. At least that way she could know whether it was a respectable time to leave or not. If felt as though it had been a long time since she'd actually had fun. She'd swam in the lake a few times, and that was enjoyable, though she doubted it would be permitted anymore after the death of an older boy. She'd found herself thinking about him a lot, though she'd never known the Mitchell boy. Death both scared and fascinated her, she wondered frequently about what happened afterward, about where her Dad was now. Shaking her head to rid herself of such morbid thoughts, she returned to scanning the room. A boy was approaching her. Oh no. Please don't ask me to dance. It had been years since Louisa had made new friends; in Hamilton, she'd known all the children in her class, and here, she hadn't bothered getting to know anyone. The boys presence wasn't exactly welcome, but she couldn't bring herself to be rude when he looked so nervous.

She smiled back; the small, slight, unsure smile of someone who'd become unused to doing so. "Hello." she frowned, not liking what he was saying."You don't have to keep me company if you don't want to. She shouldn't make you." she murmured, hurt flashing in her eyes. Of course, the only reason anyone would want to talk to her was because someone else had forced the interaction. "I'm fine, I just came so the others wouldn't talk." she added. "I'm Louisa Clark." she added, realising she'd never introduced herself. Her social skills had grown somewhat rusty. The popular smiling girl of yesteryear was gone, replaced by one who couldn't allow her walls to come down. Her bespectacled companion looked somewhat familiar, she noted as she studied him. He was a fellow first year, probably, so she'd most likely seen him during the sorting. To be fair, she'd mostly spent the sorting worrying about being sorted into Hufflepuff, which would've been a nightmare. At least in the dungeons there were no reminders of the late Matthew Clark, while the Hufflepuff's common room would be full of them. Sipping her drink, she could feel herself getting somewhat upset, not that anyone would know. A year and a half of grieving had taught her to hide such things. Why couldn't she just return to being happy? Why would any father do this to his little girl? She missed him so much, but she hated him for making her this way. How could she trust anyone else to stay, when her own Daddy had left her to face the world without him? "Did you want to come to this?" she asked, trying to distract herself, and partially to prove to herself that she was still capable of talking to someone without losing her temper or upsetting herself.

 

[Apollo Adams]

Am I meant to ask her to dance or what? Does she even want to? Apollo's thoughts were running around in circles, repeating constantly as he wondered what he should do now. By the way she had glanced at her wrist, he was astute enough to gather that she wanted to leave, but now he was here with her, he felt a curious compunction to remain. It was bizarre, he realised, as only moments ago he had been contemplating how to escape from her company so he could be on his own again. Perhaps it was just the realisation that she wanted to leave that seemed to blend seamlessly with his understanding that he didn't belong when he was so alone in the hall. Sure, he had his sister, but she wanted some peace and quiet, and apart from her, there was absolutely no-one that he might want to talk to. Realising by the flash of...maybe anger?...in her eyes that what he had said wasn't kind, he felt himself blush even more, the embarrassment mostly replaced by deep shame. Logically, he now understood exactly why she might be angry, so he tried to say something to appease her.

"I'm sorry, that isn't what I meant. We're twins you see, and sometimes what I'm thinking is the same as what she's thinking. I get confused a lot between who actually had the original thought. To be quite honest, it was my desire to not annoy my sister by hovering nearby tempered by my fear of approaching anyone else. She's just the one who encouraged me. And if you don't want to talk, Miss Clark, then I quite understand. Really, I do." At this he raised his head and looked her squarely in the eye, knowing full well that he exactly understood her desire not to speak to someone. Or anyone for that matter. At times that was precisely what he experienced, even with his twin in a few, rare, occasions. After a few moments, Louisa asked a question and he paused, unsure how to respond. It dawned on him then that despite his reservations about coming, he had indeed wanted to go. "Yes," he mused, "Yes I did. I mean, don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate social events, and I don't dance. Like, at all. So in case you were wondering I'm not about to ask you to dance...unless you really do want one, of course? Sure I may have strongly disliked being alone bar my sister, but I would also have regretted not coming. I feel like it's quite hard to explain though, so I'm sure I've done a poor job of it." He gave a small laugh at the end, knowing that his speaking was never good, especially when it involved feelings. "What about you though? The same?"
​

 

[Louisa Clark]

His words prompted a sigh, but Louisa felt that there was a very slight chance that Apollo Adams did actually understand, and as such, she elected to be honest with him. "It's not that I don't want to speak to you, I don't object to speaking with you. It's just everyone here is always so curious about your life and your family. It's quite tiring." The redness in the boys cheeks made her smile for some reason. She wasn't used to embarrassment, having always been quite confident, but there was something funny about thinking she'd embarrassed someone else. Funny in an odd way, that she couldn't quite understand. She didn't find his being embarrassed shy per se, but it was a strange experience. "It must be nice to have a twin, I'm an only child." she mused, volunteering probably the most information she'd given out about her family life to this point. It was a bit strange, she though, that he'd wanted to come with his sister, but yet he felt he was annoying her. Louisa didn't want to ask though; asking about someone's life implied that they could ask about yours, and there were questions she didn't want to answer. Still, there was something nice about this boy who'd intruded on her solitude. Noting that her drink was seriously depleted at this point, she was occupying her hands otherwise, winding her hair around her fingers. It was a nervous habit, one she'd inherited from her Mother. In personality, Louisa resembled her Dad, but in looks, she was the image of Ella Martin-Clark.

He rambled a bit, which made things easier for Louisa. She didn't have to talk so much, and she was rather enjoying listening. She actually surprised herself with a bark of laughter when he dithered over dancing. To be fair, he did offer to dance if she really wanted to, which she didn't. The music wasn't the kind she was used to, and the only kind of dancing she was any good at was jiving. She couldn't slow dance, it felt silly and awkward. Her Mum loved dancing. Apollo's question gave her pause. "I didn't really. I came to the yule ball because my Mum altered this dress for me, and I'd have felt guilty if I didn't go, and then today I was in the dormitory and the girls were all getting ready... I don't want to give people reasons to talk about me, and if I'd stayed in they've have thought I was some sort of saddo." It sounded like a silly reason when she spoke aloud. "I would've liked this kind of thing when I was younger, but now it's just not really my thing." She had no friends in this place, not that she'd made any effort. Parties were never fun when you were alone.

 

[Apollo Adams]

Apollo paused his words as the girl, no Louisa, sighed, instantly believing that he had done something wrong, something that annoyed her. Her words sort of confirmed that, but he gathered that her manner towards him in particular was tenable given that they were more directed towards people in general rather than him in specific. As she moved onto her family however, he found himself in a slightly awkward position because where he loved his family, it was clear that there was something more than the obvious with her own. He felt deep sadness for her that she didn't have quite the same relationship as he with his parents, or more pertinently given the discussion material at the time, his twin. Artemis was somebody that he could always count on, always know what he was thinking at the time, and he felt he had to justify this in words. "Then perhaps it would be best to steer clear of your family; I'm afraid I've never been one for small-talk, so unless you want to discuss the weather, perhaps it would be more suitable for me to simply sit here in solitude, or even leave if you wish. And yeah, I've always loved my twin: she's somebody that I can trust totally, somebody who knows what I want before I can express it myself - just take our meeting here for example! But on the other hand, I feel worried that I'm taking up too much of her time. I mean, she's found friends here at Hogwarts, I...well, let's say it's not been easy. Any tips you could give would be most welcome!" As she glanced down at her drink, he did too and saw that her glass was almost empty. "But where are my manners! Could I get you something else to drink?"

Despite the small time that Apollo had spent with Louisa, he had begun to appreciate that there were noticeable differences between them that he hadn't really had a chance to explore with anyone else in the past, given his lack of friends, and although he understood that some things were similar, he was starting to realise that not everyone felt exactly the same way as he or his twin did. In fact, as he glanced over at Artemis, he saw her in close conversation with another first year girl he had seen on other occasions when with his twin, and he had a sudden revelation that even twins could be different. It was strange really: after eleven and a bit years, it was only now that he began questioning their differences? He shrugged the matter off for a different time though, his slightly watery eyes surely just a figment of his imagination? Right? As she talked though, Apollo drank in her words, "Well, I'm no expert judge of clothes, but I must say you look stunning in that dress; there's some sort of intangible aura around you that makes it stand out on you, maybe just the colour even? To be honest I'm really not an expert am I! What am I wittering on about now? Intangible auras, I ask you...Still, what I said was true, you do look stunning. And believe you me, I'm not attempting to flirt with you; or, I should say, not intentionally. I haven't really flirted with anyone before. Honestly I'm rambling again, I'm a terrible friend." Apollo stopped suddenly, realising with mounting horror what he had just said. He comes barging in and five minutes later he's her friend? What if she didn't want friends? Would she even think of him as a friend? Or was it just the fact that she was the first new person at this school that he'd ever talked to for more than a few passing comments? Did this count as friendship, feeling an attraction that they were similar in certain ways and should therefore stick together because of it?
​

Out of Character:

Just realised Cyndi said this is closing soon, do you want to wrap up or take it to the Other Plots forum or what? I'm open for pretty much anything to be honest, even plotting future plots if you want!

 

[Louisa Clark]

Louisa found herself laughing aloud at Apollo's words; a hearty, happy sound which hadn't graced the lips of the young Slytherin in quite a while. "Not much family to steer clear of. If I steered clear of Mum, there's be nobody else!" she exclaimed, not even realising what she'd let slip in the moment she'd let her guard down. There wasn't another person in Hogwarts who knew her Dad was dead, though it was quite possible that Apollo would assume her mother was simply single. The only ones in the know might have been the professors, and the girl hadn't even stopped to consider that. Louisa's slip didn't even register in her mind, as she surrendered to laughter, imagining herself ducking behind corners to avoid Ella in their tiny home. It wouldn't be easy, though she thought she could maybe pull it off. That theory would never be tested though, since "Lou Lou" would never do anything to hurt her softhearted Mum. They only had each other now. She did sober herself after a moment, however, and she could feel her cheeks reddening as she realised how much of a fool she'd just made of herself. "I don't know if I have any tips, I've mostly avoided being around people here. You seem to be kind though,and that's good." That absolutely did sound pathetic, but somehow she didn't really mind. "Oh no thank you, I'm fine. I was only drinking it to have something to do with my hands really." The blush in her cheeks rose even more at that. She wasn't really presenting herself very well, but she didn't have it in her to lie, honest creature that she was. She quickly disposed of the glass which she still held, feeling silly holding it when she had no need of it.

Apollo's praise of her turned her the colour of beetroot. She wasn't used to flattery, and didn't think it suited her, for she didn't feel she was stunning or pretty. Her mother was beautiful, but Louisa had always been a bit of a tomboy and while she resembled Ella, she had none of her natural grace. Louisa was still but a girl, and had no notion of how to beautify herself for everyday life. Ella wore little makeup, if any at all, but she moved in a way that Louisa couldn't imitate, no matter how she tried. The word "flirt" sent alarm bells ringing around her brain, and she stepped back slightly, a shocked expression passing her face. Louisa had never thought of boys as any more than friends, for she was too young for such things to bother her yet. As such, she had no idea how to reply to her companion's compliment and stayed silent. Apollo's final words, however, forced words out of her mouth. "You'd... You'd want to be my-my friend?" she whispered, incredulous. She wanted friends, she just didn't want to have to talk about her family history. It was something she wasn't ready to be pitied for. "I-I, I mean why would you? You just met me. I-" Her eyes began to fill with tears, and without thought of the consequences, she turned tail and ran, her face now as white as a sheet of paper. A part of her knew she was being ridiculous, a part of her knew that poor Apollo had only been trying to be friendly, but the ruling aspect of her personality was that of self-preservation and she couldn't lose face in front of so many.