Look to the Future (Edmund)

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After having a delicious dinner in the Great Hall, Juliet was chaperoning her sister Helena to the Hufflepuff common room, much to Helena's visible annoyance. Helena was enduring Juliet's daily lecture about how she needed to decide what she wanted to do with her life. "I'm just saying, you ought to start thinking about the kind of careers you are interested in pursuing after school," Juliet insisted.

"Julie, I'm only in first year! Most people don't decide what they want to do until their fifth!" Helena argued.

"I knew that I wanted to be a healer from my first year, actually. And I'm not saying you have to permanently decide what you want to do for the rest of your life, but I feel like you don't even bother to think about it!" Juliet replied. It was like her sister never listened to her. Apparently being years older wasn't good enough to convince her siblings that she knew what was best for them.

"Well, maybe I would if you didn't badger me about it so much..." Helena mumbled under her breath. Juliet heard her plainly, but she did not say anything else. Instead, she simply narrowed her eyes and continued walking in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room, thinking about how much more responsible she was when she was Helena's age. However, Juliet stopped walking and instinctively grabbed onto her younger sister's hand when she thought she heard someone saying something to her.

@edmund

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Edmund was leaving the Great Hall after dinner. He didn't exactly know where he wanted to go before curfew, but he didn't want to go back to the Common Room. He spent quite a bit of time there lately and wanted to walk around, maybe wander for a bit. 

It wasn't long before he heard two sisters arguing. Their conversation reminded him of conversations he'd endured in the past. Being the third of four children, his older sister and brother loved telling him what to do when he was growing up. He hated it. Edmund hated others dictating his life and thinking that he would actually do what they said. As a general rule he would do the opposite or outright now do what they said just because they told him what to do. As he listened to this conversation, the younger sister seemed to have the same outlook as he did. 

"I'd let her figure things out on her own if I was you," Ed muttered. He wasn't specifically trying to talk to the girl, but he wasn't being quiet either. He hated it when people bossed others around and while he didn't know either of these girls, he understood the younger one's annoyance. He made to move past them, sure that if the older one did hear him, she would have a thing or two to say.

@juliet
(hehe this is definitely going to be interesting.)

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Juliet looked around to see who had spoken. It was a boy she vaguely recognized; he was a Slytherin who wasn't in her year. After hearing his comment, however, Juliet could not have cared less who he was. "Excuse me?" Juliet said as he walked past them. Helena suddenly seemed very interested in getting back to the common room, but Juliet had something she wanted to say first. What the boy had muttered wasn't the most insulting thing she had ever heard, especially since she was a Muggleborn, but she particularly disliked being judged and she was already in a bad mood from her sister's attitude. "If I was you, I wouldn't intrude in other people's business. You don't know anything about my sister."

@edmund

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The girl heard him. It wasn’t altogether a surprise, seeing as how Ed hadn’t made any attempt to lower his voice, but it definitely would have been easier for him if she hadn’t heard. He could tell by her tone that she was upset. He couldn’t help the small smirk that covered his face at that tone. How many times did he get that sort of tone from Will and Susan? All too often. He remembered how he always fought against it. Poor girl that felt like she needed to give in. Honestly, why did older siblings always feel like they had the right to boss others around?

”Nothing,” Ed grumbled back at the girl, hoping that she would let it go. No such luck. She called after him about not intruding in other people’s conversations and he sighed before turning around. He lifted an eyebrow at the girl in front of him.”You’re right, I don’t know your sister, but I happen to have a brother and sister who used to treat me the exact same way I just heard you talking to her. I wish someone else would have stood up for me,” he gave a sympathetic look to the younger sister, hoping she wasn’t upset at him too. Honestly, he wasn’t trying to cause problems. This time, it was just happening.

@juliet

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As the boy explained his reasoning -- rather rudely, in Juliet's opinion -- her younger sister Helena looked up at him with a nervous smile. Juliet couldn't believe her own sister appreciated the support of someone so impolite. "Really? And I suppose you've been very successful, ignoring their advice? I hope your career at The Three Broomsticks works out well," Juliet glared, her anger rising, causing Helena to hold her face in her hands. In the back of her mind, Juliet hoped she had not truly insulted him, especially since she had little idea who he even was, but she did not make it visible on her face.

@edmund

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It was a sort of strange relief that the younger girl gave Edmund a small smile. Like, a sort of confirmation that he was helping instead of making things worse. Or maybe it would help her stand up for herself in the future. Either way, he was in too deep to get away now. After all, her older sister seemed furious, or at least extremely annoyed. When she spoke again, in what she probably assumed were cutting remarks, Edmund smirked at her, completely unphased. He quirked an eyebrow at her, shrugging casually. "Oh, don't worry about me. If it gets to the point where the Leaky Cauldron is the best I can do, which is highly improbably by the way, I'll just go live in my castle." The fact that he brought up the fact he was royalty was evidence of how much this conversation was annoying him, though he kept the contemptuous smile on his face. This girl's self-righteous, all-knowing attitude was getting to him, though he wouldn't let her know it. He shifted a little to look around the rude girl at her little sister, offering her a sincere smile. "You can join me there if you ever need to." He mostly said that to annoy her older sister, but Ed meant it. If he could provide refuge to people who were going through what he did, he would.

@juliet
(I apologize for Ed being a snob. Couldn't help it)

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Juliet quickly hid the surprise on her face after the boy claimed that he lived in a castle. She couldn't tell if he was serious or not, but either way, she thought being a prince did not justify his behavior. He succeeded in further enraging Juliet by inviting Helena to his castle. Apparently, he still thought he knew what was best for a girl that he had just met more than her own sister. "Oh, I get it. You think you can do whatever you want because you're a rich brat," she fumed. "And by the way, my sister -- unlike you -- doesn't need to run off to a castle for an excuse to be irresponsible."

@edmund

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Edmund wondered if the girl actually believed him when he told her that he lived in a castle, but she didn't argue with it. She seemed to take it in stride, even making it part of her argument. She was angry. It would be obvious to anyone watching the interaction that the two were having a row, but Ed also knew that few people would be surprised that he was involved. He rolled his eyes at her verbal attack. "I rarely get what I want, but if it makes you feel better to call me a rich brat go ahead." The second part of her argument was much more ridiculous. "And how you think you know how responsible I am by two minutes of a conversation is ridiculous. Maybe you should find an insult you can measure in that amount of time because you know nothing of my responsibilities." He was actually getting slightly more annoyed with the girl in front of him, though he might seem angrier than he was. The thing was, he hated people judging him because of who his parents were and that was all this girl was doing at the moment

@juliet

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Juliet crossed her arms with a shake of her head at his retort, partially because he was right; she didn't know anything about him just from this conversation. That, of course, did not make her any less upset. "Sorry, would you prefer if I said you were rude and full of yourself? Because you're making that much obvious," she replied. The conversation was hardly about Juliet's sister anymore, but people never bother to think rationally when they're in an argument, and Juliet was no exception.

"I'm really sorry about her," Helena mumbled to the boy before turning to her older sister. "Julie, maybe it's just time to go." Juliet, however, said nothing to her sister.

@edmund

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Edmund was kind of surprised by this girl's determination. If seemed like she was trying to get a rise out of him. Either that or she was super annoyed by what he said. She started asking if he'd rather have her say that he was rude and full of himself and Edmund shrugged. "You say whatever you want about me. Just don't assume you know me from this one conversation, well argument more like." It was true. Ed really didn't care what she said about him. Plenty of people already called him rude and snobby so it wasn't anything new to him.

Then the younger sister apologized, turning to get older sister and saying they should just go. Edmund shrugged, "It's fine. Sorry for causing a problem." He did feel bad that the younger one was going to have to put up with the elder's fury now, but only for her little sister's sake. He also spoke softly enough that the older didn't hear him. He watched her quietly, waiting to see if she'd go.

@juliet

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The boy again said that Juliet didn't know him from this conversation, and Juliet started to realize she might have criticized him too quickly. Well, he had been rude, that was for sure, but she had been upset with him because he judged her... and then she went on to judge him. She was too proud to apologize, but she held herself back from shouting out any more insults. "The way you act shows people who you are," Juliet replied, her tone still annoyed but not quite as furious.

"It's okay," Helena sighed, but Juliet wasn't sure who she was talking to. Did the boy say something to her sister that she didn't hear? Juliet was distracted when her sister grabbed her hand and started walking back toward the direction of the common room. Juliet didn't say anything else to the boy as she left; she felt like she had said enough as it is. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down and hoping she could make it to the common room without getting into any more arguments.

@edmund

(Do you want to wrap it up? )

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Something was changing in the older girl, but Edmund didn't know what and he was staying on his guard. He didn't want to be blindsided if she got suddenly furious at him and decided to attack or something, though he really didn't think that was going to happen. At her next comment, Edmund merely nodded. "Everyone's actions show who they are," he amended. Ed almost mentioned how the way one treated those they considered lesser than them was also a good indication of who they were, but bit his tongue. No, he'd let it go here.

He nodded when Helena told him it was okay and then started leading her sister away. In a way, Ed was kind of relieved about that. At least he didn't have to worry about the older sister yelling at him some more. He shook his head and made his way down to the dungeons, ready for some peace and quiet after all that.

---the end---

@juliet