leave me to the wolves [annalise]

[Deleted]

You keep living

in your own lie

Charms class dragged on too long. It always dragged on and on and on. Perpetually unending whilst the professor prattled on about the importance of something Jude didn't find particularly important at all. Quite frankly grooming his finger nails was far more important. They were getting too long again, always growing too fast, unlike the beard he gave up growing a month into realizing it just wasn't going to happen. He ran his finger nail along his chin, as if to rub off its growing potential on it. He glanced at his nails in response, biting the inside of his lip out of habit. He was sure there was some facial hair growing spell buried in the library somewhere, but he had always hated using magic as a general rule and therefore never bothered to look for one. Besides, if there was anything he'd learned after over five years of being at Hogwarts, it was that experimenting on oneself with magic never seemed to end well. And if it did, Jude was never around to see it. Of course it didn't help that his cat Lyra had more of a social life than he did.

The moment class was dismissed, Jude rose quickly, packed his things and slipped away before the professor could catch him. Time and time again he hounded him for his 'lack of enthusiasm' or his 'lack of interest' in the learning material. Granted not all his professors cared, just the few that had pestered him since the moment he stepped foot into Hogwarts. It wasn't his fault he was there. He knew he didn't belong the moment he stepped off the train. He was muggleborn. Ignorant to the world he'd been shoved into and having to get his barrings all over again after an already tumultuous childhood with a step-family he hated and a mother who - bless her soul - couldn't understand why weird things seemed to happen around her son. A couple years of that and a letter later and suddenly he was living some ridiculous fairly tale life as if he were literally shoved into some storybook from his childhood. Life felt like one big, horrendous joke to him and the fact that his professors couldn't grasp that just made him even less likely to cooperate. Somehow though, he'd scrambled his way into his sixth year with average grades and moderately clean record, sans a detention or so here and there.

The halls were their usual cluster-fuck. Students swarmed around each other like bees, buzzing annoyingly to each other about the latest prank played by some Weasley kid or the most recent news in the Daily Prophet about some self-combusting centaur or whatever demented story had made the headline that morning. Jude picked a path along the wall and stuck to it, moving through the hive of students with a smug frown on his face. Charms always put him in a bad mood and crowded hallways never helped. But classes were over for the day and as soon as he broke away from the cluttered corridors he could breathe. Maybe sneak a smoke or two in the slow to decay, Ferbuary air before he retired to the library until dinner.

He located one of the exits more effectively than he might have in his first year. The castle having once been dauntingly large and filled with an unnecessary amount of secrets that more often than not resulted in him getting lost and infuriated. There were a hell of a lot less wizards running around Hogwarts than there were poor households inflated with children who attended his local elementary. And Hogwarts was significantly larger than his run-down joke of a primary school. And yet, it housed a smaller population, not including the confounding amount of dead souls and blubbering portraits of course. But if Jude counted them, he might as well include the rodents and spiders.

Brushing the thoughts buzzing around his aside, far aside, he stepped into the cold open air of the Clock Tower Courtyard on the third floor, finding only a handful of students milling about. He huffed to himself, deciding it was better than nothing and stole to a more isolated corner of the courtyard to light one of the contraband fags he'd smuggled into his pockets.

open!
711
words as weapons - seether
open to whoever!

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Annelise hurried through the overcrowded corridors, moving swiftly through the throngs of people milling about. She truly enjoyed her classes and learning new things, but sometimes she got to a point where she really just needed a break from it all. Sometimes she needed a breath of fresh air and that was what she was going for now. She smiled at all the short people around her ... not that she was really tall, but it always made her laugh when she looked at first and second years. Was she really that small when she first came to Hogwarts? She knew that she was, but found it amusing all the same.

Finally she found a door that led outside and found herself at the Clock Tower Courtyard. She smiled, glad that she came to this spot. It was out of the way enough that most people didn't come here, though there were a few here at the moment. Oh well, she would just cross it and spend some time alone in a corner. As she walked across the courtyard, someone called her name and she turned to see them. She smiled and waved, turning back to see where she was going when she ran into someone. Hard. Taken completely by surprise, she fell on the ground. Looking up to see Jude in front of her, she stared. Oh crap.

Anna never really understood Jude. He seemed kind of bi-polar and anti-social to her so she'd never really gotten to know him. They'd been in the same house since their first year, but still they haven't really interacted with one another much. Anna was pretty sure that she annoyed him. It seemed like he didn't like really up-beat people, and she was definitely one of those. She'd always wanted to try and befriend him, but something about his serious nature just kept her at bay and it never really happened.

So she stayed on the ground, staring up at him. What was he doing here? "Uh ... sorry Jude. I wasn't watching where I was going," she offered a few moments later.

[Deleted]

You keep living

in your own lie

He relaxed as soon as the fag was lit, nicotine firing through his lungs, but the pleasure was only momentary as something, rather someone smacked right into him. Startled, the cigarette dropped from his lips into the snow and he cursed, stumbling to keep upright. He glared at the someone, realizing who it was as he processed the mirage of colours. Red. Or orange, the color of carrots. Definitely a Weasley. They were everywhere. This one was more familiar than some of the others, but he couldn't give name even if he tried. Instead he leaned down and fished the cigarette from the snow, pleased to find the smoke still spiraling from the tip. He set it back between his lips, inhaled and breathed out before looking back at the ginger, setting the cancerous fag between his fingers, "You just going to sit there or what?" She was staring, which if she hadn't so rudely interrupted him, he probably wouldn't have noticed. He looked her over for a moment as she apologized. The glare in his gaze didn't really lessen, but then, he did something rather unexpected to anyone who knew him.

He extended his free hand to the Weasley girl, the other hand occupied by his sickly addiction. He flicked the butt absently while he waited and ash fell from the tip, shattering against the foot-battered snow. Jude was not typically kind. At least, it was not a word many people associated with him, but the hardness in his gaze and the irritation stained in his voice didn't necessarily mean he couldn't be even moderately civil. One might say he had ulterior motives, hoping that in helping the girl to his feet, she'd keep shut about his contraband habit, but Jude wasn't the kind who thought that far ahead, and frankly, getting hounded by professors was so frequent in itself, he never thought twice about what he was doing. Some had even turned a blind eye to this particular habit, simply because it brought him down several notches, settled his damned nerves when few things could.

Perhaps that was why all the Weasley got was a glare and a snarky remark, rather than a full on Jude fashioned outburst. Whatever the case, he looked her over with more effort, unable to find a name. The only Weasley Jude could truly name was Ondina and that was purely on account of the fact that she was a complete and utter bitch and he'd despised her from the day they met. This girl though, he had a vague image of her being the overly energetic, outgoing type. Friendly. The word cropped up into the foreground of his brain and he cringed. Friendly often entailed seeking out the loners thinking them lonely, when in truth, they really just wanted to be left alone. That was kind of the point. At least, as far as he was concerned.

It didn't seem like she ran into him on purpose though, so he let it go. "What was your name again? I know you're a Weasley but there's so goddamn many of you I can't remember who's who."

@annelise
523
words as weapons - seether
hey hey <3

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Anna blinked quickly and looked at the hand in front of her. Was he really offering to help her up or was he trying to play a joke on her? She had been expecting a full-on explosion from him and was surprised at how well he seemed to be reacting to her running into him. Still, she should give him the benefit of the doubt. It he ended up being a jerk and was just trying to make her look like an idiot, then she'd deal with it when it happened.

"Wow Jude. You're actually being nice to me?" She said, reaching forward and taking his hand before he could pull it away. She laughed quietly at his other question, not even sure why he was asking. Did he really care what her name was at all? Still, this was more than they had ever talked with one another during the whole six years they'd been at school, so she was going to take advantage of it.

Once she was on her feet again she shrugged, "Yeah, there are kind of a lot of us. I guess that's what happens when your Dad is one of 7, right? My name is Annelise, but you can call me Anna. Most people do," she explained, hoping that it wouldn't seem like she was trying to be pushy or trying to flirt with him. She was just trying to be nice, but she still felt slightly bitter. "Think you'd know my name after basically six years though," she mumbled under breath. Whatever.

@jude

[Deleted]

You keep living

in your own lie

It would figure. The moment his irritation wasn't flaring up and setting off explosive reactions the world looked at him like he'd grown two heads. Not that he cared, they could think what they want, say what they want. Jude lived by his own rules, he didn't feel the need to conform to everyone's expectations, especially since he really couldn't have given a damn Most of the people around him blurred in and out of focus as if they were fable characters come to life. After all, no matter how used to it he was, the magical world around him never felt quite right. So paying attention to it when he didn't have to was more headache inducing than not. Just like acknowledging the Weasley girl's comment would have been. He shrugged it off and let go of her hand as she righted herself, taking a drag of the cigarette as if to distract himself.

He cast her something of a sideways glance as she spoke of her family. As suspected, it was too bloody large. "Sodding hell. No wonder." He muttered between exhales, eyes shifting to watch the smoke trail from his lips in great white puffs. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have so many cousins, frankly, he didn't want to. Having a step-sister was hell enough. He would have been perfectly happy if it were just him and his mum, but he knew deep down how lonely she was when it had just been the two of them and how lonely she would have continued to be once he was whisked away into some twisted ass fantasy. The thought of his mother tugged at his chest and he took a noticeably long drag.

He almost missed hearing her name, even though he'd gone through the effort of asking. -nna. She wanted to be called Anna. Granted, he'd probably still call her Weasley, assuming she ever sought him out again. Considering her remark however, he doubted it. "Yeah well, it's not as if I spend my free time memorizing the names of people I never talk to." That fell somewhere in between wasted energy and giving a fuck. He remembered the names of the people he spent time with. Because when it came down to it, they were the only ones that mattered, not that he'd ever admit it. Stubborn as he was.

Tired of standing, Jude brushed the snow off the stone bench behind him and sat down, leaning his arms against his knees.

@annelise
420
words as weapons - seether
hey hey <3

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

She worked to keep her expression neutral when he mumbled about her family. Of course, he had no idea how important family was to her. It would seem that family wasn't important to him at all, from the way he was acting. She knew that the Weasley family was larger than most, but she couldn't understand how people could stand small families. What did they do on holidays? Who did they spend the summer with? Whenever she and Lucy were stuck at home together- with no one else around- she got extremely bored. Maybe he came from a small family? Or didn't have any siblings at all? She didn't know- and probably never would. Jude didn't seem like the kind of person that readily opened up to others, and she had a feeling that he wouldn't ever really want to talk to her again. Not that she would loose sleep over the idea. To be quite honest, she really didn't care. She was just trying to not be a jerk. Even though she started the problem ....

Still, his attitude in general was annoying her. Why did he have to be such a snob? Anna was fighting it, the feisty attitude that was basically begging her to let it out. He was being a major tool. Not that she really expected anything different. After all, she was a snob first to him. So maybe she deserved it ... but still. He could have tried to be the bigger person. She looked around the courtyard, but the few people that had been there a few minutes ago were almost all gone. She considered following them, but couldn't. Blast her conscience! She was going to have to try and make things right, even though that was completely stupid. He probably just wanted her to leave him alone by now.

Then what do you spend your free time doing?" she asked, trying to be as sincere as possible and keep the snarkiness out of her tone. She's the one who started the smart-alec remarks. She might as well be the one to try and be nice, even though she was pretty sure she'd already made him angry. She wasn't sure whether or not he'd actually respond to her at all now, much less be nice about it. She watched as he sat down on a nearby bench and she glanced at it momentarily, then decided on another course of action. She wasn't going to sit next to him- they definitely weren't even good enough acquaintances for that- but she could stand nearby. She leaned up against a post  to the right of his bench as she waited, making it obvious that she wasn't going to go anywhere until he said something. But she didn't even know if that would make a difference. For all she knew, he would just ignore her and continue doing ... whatever it was that he was doing. Jude ignoring people was quite commonplace, so that would actually be quite normal, but still she waited, if only to soothe her stupid conscience.

[Deleted]

You keep living

in your own lie

If he thought about it, he might wonder why the Weasley girl was still standing before him. But he didn't. Jude wasn't one for wondering, which might have been quite strange growing up as a muggleborn and being thrust into a fantasy world where dragons were just as real as dogs. Sometime ago, the wonder was lost in the reality of it. So instead he thought about the people he had spent so much time with. The two people he was avoiding. Andromeda Lestrange and Philip Longbottom. He'd seen them earlier in class, though he bowed out afterwards before either of them could break the vow of silence between them. He didn't know what was going on with them now that he'd been out of the picture, and a large part of him didn't want to know. He'd spent three weeks dating Andy and while half of the time was spent sucking face, the other half was spent trying to get out of it. Like most things with Jude, things started happening before he realized what was going on, and when he finally did it was usually too late. This time though, this time he didn't wait for 'too late'. Phil was more important, though he'd have to be high to admit it.<p>

The cigarette neared the end of its lifespan as the Weasley broke his train of thought with a question he wasn't ready to answer. He looked at her, resting the dwindling cancer stick between his fingers. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" He said, his brows creased. He wasn't trying to sound rude, in truth he was more confused by it than anything. After giving it a moment, he shrugged. "Reading, running... things?" What did he spend his free time doing? Two months ago he'd spent most of his time with Andy and Phil, now he read and smoked and read. Sometimes he went for jogs to get away from the crowds. Other times he hid away in the common room while everyone was away. He shrugged again. "Honestly I'm just killing time until I get out of this fable..." He muttered, more for his own benefit than anything.<p>

He inhaled the last of his cigarette before grinding the butt into the bench and flicking the remains out into the snow. He looked over at the girl leaning against the stone pillar. "Question Weasley. How good are you at keeping secrets?" He wasn't sure why he wanted to talk to somebody about the dilemma he was in, he wasn't even sure if Weasley was the right person to talk to about it. But she was there and he couldn't turn his thoughts away from it.

@annelise
451
words as weapons - seether
hey hey <3

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Anna watched curiously as Jude did ... whatever it was he was doing. Maybe he would answer her eventually. If not, she'd just leave. She didn't like how conflicted she was feeling right now. Normally it was easy for her to keep her attitude cheerful but right now he was really making that difficult. She was trying to remain calm and not let her attitude make things difficult, so if he got too annoying she would just leave even though her conscious was screaming at her that she needed to be nice and patient with him.

To her surprise, Jude actually did answer her, first asking a snarky question of his own and then with an actual answer. However, this time she kept her surprise hidden. She didn't want him to know what she was thinking, so she kept her expressions neutral. Though his question was somewhat rude, she didn't think he meant it that way, even though she hardly knew him. His answer seemed sincere, until he started talking about killing time or something. She didn't really know what he was talking about, so she decided to ignore that bit. She shrugged her shoulders, not sure how to answer his question. Anna wasn't particularly interested in how he spent his free time, she was just trying to be nice and she'd never actually thought about it before. However, before she could answer, he asked another question, wondering if she could keep a secret. This time she had to really focus to keep her surprise hidden. He wanted to confide in her? He didn't even know her name! Then again, maybe that's why he wanted to talk with her about whatever it was ...

Anna decided to start with his first question, though she still wasn't sure how to answer it. "Umm ... I guess I don't know why I asked that. I just never thought about it before. So I was curious." she hesitated again. Now that it seemed like Jude was looking for someone to confide in, she really wanted him to tell her what was going on, but she didn't want to seem too eager. If she did, she didn't think he would ever tell her. "And I'm actually good at secrets. It's kind of a requirement when you have as many cousins as I do." She rolled her eyes and gave a small smile; it was true. Having so many cousins- especially ones like Lily- meant that Anna had to keep lots of secrets. "Why?" She asked, hopefully encouraging him to tell her something.

@jude