These inconsiderate steps. (Peyton)

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The days went by quickly as Daniel got used to being back at Hogwarts once more. A summer of just going and doing what he wanted didn’t translate well to going back to a schedule and having class and homework. Still he was happier than he had been last year with the rest of the Ilvermorny students here with him. He had the friends he had missed so much and for the most part he felt like he was back to how he used to be. Back before he was forced to move to Europe. At the very least he was far less annoyed than he had been before.

Still no matter how quick it went it was an interesting week. Many of the Ilvermorny students had still been dealing with the shock of being split up from people who they knew as they all got placed into new houses. It wasn’t as clear cut as Daniel always thought, many thunderbirds didn’t become Gryffindors. So the houses just didn’t translate like they thought they would. Never the less with the ones that did get sorted into Gryffindor, Daniel attempted to help them adjust. He had done it himself once and it was the least he could do for them. Yet with that he didn’t get much time to relax this week. It was either class work or helping people with one thing or another.

One thing he would never get used to was the moving stair cases of Hogwarts, it was just such a pain. He wasn’t as annoyed with it as all his classes were done and he had plenty of time but that didn’t mean he wanted to spend all day just trying to get down them. Especially when they had already moved twice on him. What he did see was a familiar face going down a flight of stairs below the one he was on and he picked up his pace slightly to catch up. Once close enough Daniel tapped the blonde Hufflepuff on the opposite shoulder just to get her to look the wrong way for a second. Childish, yes but still amusing to him if she did look that way and he made sure to look away as if it wasn't him who did it.

@peytonbainbridge

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With her books in hand, Peyton descended the moving staircase with grace. She was being rather careful because knowing her she would be likely to fall the minute it moved against her will. It had happened before, wasn’t pleasant and had been an embarrassing moment for her, especially being a second year at the time. But now she was a sixth year, she should have the stairs down to a science, especially with the few books she read on it. It was easy now and days, but sometimes the stairs were just a horror to get through, especially with a crowd of people moving and bumping you. Luckily, she was by her lonesome as she moved down the stairs, coming from the library to return to the common rooms. However, she was stopped in her tracks by a random tap on the shoulder, and quickly she glanced back and noticed no one was there. “Very funny,” she breathed out thinking it was one of the joking ghosts before she turned to the opposite side and came face to face with Daniel. A blush appeared on her face, “Daniel! Hi,” she breathed out as she turned around to look at him, her back to the bottom of the staircase and her front to him. “It’s so good to see you!” she breathed out before shaking her head, “Did you have a good rest of your summer?” she questioned with a smile on her face as she adjusted her books in her arms.

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@crimson1

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Daniel stood there for a moment after he tapped Peyton’s should waiting for her reaction. He partly didn’t expect her to fall for it but she indeed looked that way before letting out a sarcastic comment he could only chuckle at for a second. After which she looked his way and noticed him. “Oh that’s a relief, I was worried for a moment you might have forgotten me.” Daniel joked for a moment with a small smirk on his face. “Hey Peyton, it’s good to see you too.” Daniel was being genuinely honest here, he had been keeping an eye out for Peyton since school started after all. She asked how his summer had been and he just smiled for a moment. “Pretty uneventfully honestly but it was still nice. How about you?” He asked curious about how her summer was after their date also. “Want my to carry those for you?” The boy asked while pointing toward the books Peyton was holding in her arms.

@peytonbainbridge

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Peyton shook her head with a soft laugh of her own, though a small blush appeared on her face with her next words, “I could never forget about you.” Of course, the moment those words rang out of her lips she grew embarrassed but pushed past it, maybe he would see it as her teasing him back. When he revealed that his summer was pretty uneventfully, she nodded her head in agreement, “I couldn’t agree more. It went by a little too fast in my opinion, but always nice to be back at Hogwarts with friends,” she said with a smile on her face. It was then that he offered to carry her books, the ones that she held to her chest, “Oh—no no you don’t have to. I got them,” she said, not wanting to make him do something that he probably was offering to do as a nice gesture.

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@crimson1

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Daniel just laughed as blonde girl on the stairs with him explained that she could never forget him. It was sweet to say or more possible she was just saying that to be nice. “I wasn’t aware our date had been so bad that you will never forget it.” He teased for a moment knowing full well that wasn’t what Peyton had meant. She claimed that her summer was similar to his in that it was uneventful but also quick. “That’s true but I think I could have used another week or so of summer before coming back still.” Which was partly true, Daniel had been on the fence about if he wanted to come back as soon as he did or not. On the one hand he had been enjoying his time to himself out in the world. On the other he did want to see some of the Ilvermorny students he had been missing since his transfer. Peyton explained that he didn’t need to hold her books for her as she had it. “I’m sure you’ve got it but this way it gives me an excuse to follow and talk to you more. So really you'd be the one helping me here.”

@peytonbainbridge

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Peyton was flabbergasted for a moment but quickly realized that he was teasing. Without even thinking, as if they were old-time friends and didn’t just meet once on a blind date, she slapped at his arm. “That’s not what I meant by that and you know it,” she said with a laugh and forced her nose up in a wrinkle as she wiggled it at him. It probably looked weird, but Peyton felt somewhat comfortable around the tall, dark boy before her. She shrugged her shoulders, “I was a bit ready for school to end. I feel more at home here than I do at my own home sometimes,” she breathed out truthfully.

With her siblings regularly at each other’s throat, or more likely, at Kinsey’s throat, she sometimes got tired of being around most of them. She even started to sway away from her fellow triplets, but regularly saw them in the common rooms and dinner. They were all growing up and taking their path, and she understood and accepted that. A small giggle left the girl’s lips as he gave his reasoning for wanting to carry the books that she was perfectly fine holding, realizing he was using it as an excuse had gone over her head the first time. “Oh well, if you insist,” she said as she handed the books over to him, gently putting them into his grasp and making sure he had them before she let go.

“You know—I’ve meant to find you and ask something of you,” she said, wanting to bring up Jimmie wishing to meet him now rather than later. Plus, she had made a deal with the blonde Gryffindor that she would put in a word that she wanted to interview him or something along those lines. That had been a few days prior when she hadn’t had the chance to run into her previous blind date.

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@crimson1

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Daniel had just being teasing and Peyton got that pretty quickly, still the few seconds where her face gave the impression she was taking him seriously were priceless. “Yeah, but I couldn’t help myself.” Daniel said laughing for a moment after she slapped his arm saying he knew that wasn’t what she was talking about. As they spoke of summer and going back to school what Peyton said made sense to him. Albeit it wasn’t so much Hogwarts for him but Ilvermorny that felt like home. He had spent five years there. The only reason he was less annoyed by it now was that he didn’t feel alone in being displaced from it. “Yeah I can relate, not so much about Hogwarts but you spend so much time in a school than at home and you just feel more comfortable there.”

Peyton smiled and handed over her books agreeing to Daniel holding them if he was going to insist on it. “It’s this or I’d still just follow you and allow you to carry the books. Which I can only imagine would look rude to anyone else.” Daniel teased for a moment just messing around. The books weren’t anywhere near that heavy and he doubted it was an issues for her either. Still it didn’t hurt to be nice. While they made their way down the staircases the blonde mentioned how she had been meaning to find him and asking him something. “What? You want to hang out again sometime? I mean I’ve never actually been asked out first before so this is an interesting moment for me.” Granted he doubted that was what she was going to ask him, at least right at this moment.

@peytonbainbridge

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[attr="class","next"] Peyton found herself letting a soft giggle leave her lips when he laughed, shaking her head at him. He understood what she meant, though he didn’t feel the same way about Hogwarts, and made an excellent point. They spent most of their time at Hogwarts, usually only spending their time at home for four months and then two weeks in December with their family at home. She nodded her head enthusiastically, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, “Exactly! We are only home for four months and two weeks. I’m guessing you relate to it but at your old school? Ilvermorny?” she questioned looking at him. She didn’t blame him, the other Ilvermorny transfers that just came this year probably felt the same way.

Peyton laughed, “Well I’m happy to make you look nice in front of our peers instead or rude,” she said in her teasing manner. Making their way down the staircase, Peyton didn’t know what to do with her hands now that she lacked anything in them. She mostly just kept them at her side, one hand in the pocket of her school robes. Peyton blushed when Daniel mentioned hanging out sometime again being her question, and she quickly looked in the other direction and shook her head.

“While I’d love to hang out with you again because I had fun the last time we did, that sadly isn’t my question. A friend of mine, she’s actually in your house, wants to interview some Ilvermorny transfers. And when I mentioned, I knew you, and you were one, but this wasn’t your first year, she asked me for the favor of asking,” she started before looking at him quickly and stating, “You can say no. I told her I wouldn’t force you to do it, only suggest it to you and let you decide. Her name is Jameson Hera Blishwick, as in the daughter of the Blishwick matchmaker thing we did over the holiday. She goes by Jimmie though. If you want to do it, I can introduce you two. But—only if you want to,” she said, emphasizing the last part about it being only if he wanted to. She just prayed that her offering this idea to him and he met Jimmie, wouldn’t push him away from actually ever hanging out with her again.

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TAG @crimson1

NOTES just mentioning chanel so she can know i actually did the deal IC!

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Peyton agreed with him about spending so much time at school than anywhere else. Or course school would feel more like home than an actual home. She also guess correctly that he was mostly speaking of Ilvermorny when he thought of a school that was like home. “Pretty much. I’ve gotten used to Hogwarts over the last school year but I still spend five years back at Ilvermorny.” Daniel said with a shrug, he certainly disliked Hogwarts when he first got here during his sixth year but that wasn’t the schools fault, he would have hated anywhere he was sent that wasn’t Ilvermorny at that point. “Doesn’t help that my home has never been that.. homey? Homely? ..Not really a home.” He couldn’t find the right word but laughed it off anyway.

“I appreciate that, we Americans get enough rude tourist jokes. I don’t need to fuel that fire anymore than it already has been.” He replied joking as Peyton teased him for a moment. For all the jokes he had heard that people made about Americans when they traveled he hadn’t heard much of it from people being serious. Either he had been lucky to avoid it or it was just something people said as a joke he wasn’t totally sure at the moment. Daniel mentioned hanging out with Peyton being her question and she quickly looked away from him. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing but she began to speak soon after.

The blonde explained that while she would like to hang out with him once more that wasn’t her question. She went on to talk about her friend and her request for an interview. Daniel nodded along while she explained that he could say no anytime he wanted. “Sure, if she’s that interested I don’t see the harm in it.” Daniel said as he agreed to the interview with her friend. Peyton had explained the girl was also in his house but she wasn’t ringing a bell at the moment. “I suppose I owe her a favor or at least her father a favor since we ran into each other because of him. Just don’t have her ask any questions that you wanted her to ask me.” Daniel teased at the end just messing with the blonde for a moment while they walked down the steps, her book still in hand.

@peytonbainbridge

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[attr="class","next"] Peyton was a flustered mess of a person when it came to being around Daniel. His teasing and joking being taken to heart before she realized that he meant no harm by the things that he said. A crush had developed the first time they met, and she still felt that beating beneath her chest. She liked him, he was attractive and had a good personality. He was different than what Peyton always looked for in a guy, not that she looked hard and such, but he seemed to fit perfectly. Maybe as a friend or as a lover, she would never really know – but only time would tell if something became of their back and forth words and her constant blush.

She laughed a little, “I get what you are saying. I think the right term would be ‘homey’ but not sure. But I understand not having a home because it never felt that way. Hogwarts, to me, feels more like home than my actual home – so when I’m there with my siblings, I feel lost sometimes. I guess that is what happens when you grow up in a huge family as I did – I love my siblings and my parents, but I’m closer to my fellow triplets more…so having them here and in the same house and such, feels more like home.” She ended her sentence, clearing her throat as a blush began to appear on her face, “Sorry—blubbering again,” she added, laughing off her words.

“But you aren’t a tourist…so that candle can’t be held to you, right?” she questioned with a raised eyebrow. “Unless you are telling me you’ve simply been touring Hogwarts for the last year, taking pictures and asking questions – cause then you’d be held to the same stereotype as the 'rude tourists.'” she teased with a small laugh.

Daniel agreed to speak with Jimmie, and Peyton found her being light up. “Great!” she exclaimed just as he went on to tease her. A huge blush appeared on her face, and she quickly shook her head, blubbering incoherent things before she was able to speak. “No—of course not! I would never have her ask things for me…” she breathed out, trying to get him away from that train of thought – of course, she didn’t realize he was teasing right away. And then, she narrowed her eyes as she came to that conclusion, “You were just joking, weren’t you?”

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TAG @crimson1

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Peyton assumed the word he was looking for was homey and it did seem to fit. That was how he saw Ilvermorny he supposed. It was the only place he could actually consider being his home, certainly the house where he stayed during the summers wasn’t one to him at least. She continued to explain how Hogwarts was that place for her and a little bit about her family. The Blonde quickly apologized for blubbering again and Daniel just laughed. “No, please continue. I don’t have any siblings or a big family so it’s fun to hear about how it feels.” Daniel explained as it was both true and he just enjoyed talking to Peyton about whatever really. “Blubber away.”

“No, no photos but I have been touring Hogwarts a lot over the last year just trying to get my bearings.” Daniel replied with a laugh as that was pretty true. It probably took students sometime to get used to all the twists and turns of this school. Ilvermorny was similar in some ways. “It’s hard to say I even have a full idea of where everything is after just one year. There’s always some turn I wasn’t expecting or new room I walk into.” While he explained he laughed for a moment. “Which is fun but doesn’t help when I’m trying to get somewhere quickly.”

Daniel couldn’t help but laugh as Peyton blushed for a moment and proceeded to refuse the idea that she would have her friend ask questions for her. She caught on moments later that he had just been kidding as she gave him a look. “I was at first but with how quickly you just denied it I’m starting to get the feeling I might have been on to something.” Daniel teased as they walked the stairs. Sometimes it was just fun to see how people reacted to being teased, Peyton had been one who he had enjoyed her reaction each time.

@peytonbainbridge

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[attr="class","next"] A strand of blonde hair was tucked behind a pale ear as her fingers raised to do so, attempting to distract herself from the embarrassment of blubbering on and on. It seemed like he didn’t care, which sometimes was odd because people usually got annoyed by her blubbering, but he seemed to allow her to continue. Some people listened to her out of kindness, her siblings sometimes just told her to stop talking, but it appeared that Daniel was interested in what she had to say. She shook her head, a blush, and a smile upon her pale face, “That’s pretty much it. Sometimes a big family is a blessing and a curse. But think of those in your house as your family, or at least, the nice ones that is,” she said with a soft laugh.

Daniel went on to explain that while he didn’t walk around taking pictures, he still found new places to explore around the castle, even after a year of being here. She let out a laugh, nodding her head, “Believe me…I understand. I’ve been here six years, and I still find new places around the castle that gets me incredibly lost. Guess that’s the magic of it all,” she said with a huge grin upon her pink lips. It was true though, just the other day she had wandered down a familiar hallway and took a turn down somewhere she didn’t remember, trying to find her way back took forever.

She shook her head, “Such a tease,” she muttered amusedly, but it was true. She would have loved to have Jimmie grill into him and learn everything she had yet to, but she wouldn’t do that. She wanted the thrill of figuring things out on her own. “I am so not up to something,” she said with a soft laugh leaving her lips.

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TAG @crimson1

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Daniel listened on as Peyton explained about families and to think of his housemates as family. At least the nice ones that is. Which was partly how he felt when he was back at Ilvermorny with his fellow students in Thunderbird. He hadn’t really given the other Gryffindors much of a chance in the beginning. “I guess you could consider even the not nice ones family too in a way.” He finally replied with a small laugh as he thought about it. “I’m sure every family, even small ones, have at least one person who is a bit of a pain or a major one.” It’s hard for Daniel to decided which one that would be, his father and him never got along and he was willing to blame him for that but his father would equally blame him too. Hard to say who was in the wrong anymore.

Peyton agreed with him saying she still found new places and got lost at times. Something Daniel easily believed as it happened to him enough. He wouldn’t be surprised if this castle some how magically changed its layout just to mess with the people inside of it. “Well maybe we both can get lost together sometime since it happens to both of us. Especially me as I’m still getting my bearings.” He offered for a moment as it sounded like fun, it also wasn’t something he imagined they would have to try to hard at to get turned around in these halls.

“I could attempt to stop if you want but I imagine I’d be far more boring and have less to say.” Daniel jokingly offered as it was just part of who he was. He’d lose half of anything he would have to say if he cut down on the jokes and slight teasing. Peyton assured him she wasn’t up to anything like asking Jimmie to ask questions for her, which Daniel was sure was the truth. He had just been teasing her for a moment. “Well besides getting me to hold your books for you but I was the one to offer to hold them. Unless that was all part of your plan?”

@peytonbainbridge

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[attr="class","next"] Peyton shrugged her shoulders with a smile at Daniel’s words about including the not so nice members of a house into the 'family,' and it was true. I guess everyone and anyone that walked the halls of Hogwarts, both past, present, and future, could be considered family. The bad ones were like the estrange cousins twice removed or something like that. “That is true—even if they don’t know they are part of the family,” she said with a soft laugh, “And that is true as well—all families have their ups and their downs, their problems, and their successes. Every family comes with strings, but they are still your family,” she said with a smile. For Peyton, it seemed that the strings ran deeper through her older siblings and she just got to witness it from the sidelines.

The blonde let out a soft giggle at his offer of getting lost together, and she nodded her head with a smile. “I’d like that—we’ll have to do it before you graduate and abandon Hogwarts next year,” she said with a smile on her face. “Are you going to stick around London after graduation?” she questioned softly and quickly after her last statement, the words coming out almost in a rush. She didn’t want to seem to clingy or pushy for the answer to his question. She hoped he stayed, cause then she could see him over the summer and holiday while she was in her last year, but if he returned to America—all bets were off.

Peyton let out a loud laugh, holding in a snort at his joking offer and she shook her head, “I doubt it would be boring—but I’ll let you continue to tease if you feel that way,” she said, a hint of a blush playing on her soft pale cheeks. And then he spoke once more, and she shook her head amusedly but plastered on a grin. “Oh darn—you figured out my master plan…getting you to hold my books,” she said, pretending to be defeated.

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TAG @crimson1

NOTES we can end this soon if you like, maybe in the next few posts say they finally reached the landing that leads down to the hufflepuff common rooms and they separate!

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Daniel nodded along for a bit as Peyton agreed with him about family. It wasn’t like he had any experience with large or even decent sized families. His father had no living relatives and he didn’t know much about his mother’s side of the family. Daniel never got a chance to learn about that and it wasn’t like his father was willing to share any information there. His experience lied more in broken families but that wasn’t something he needed to share openly just yet to anyone. “All you can really do is just hope they don’t decide to show up to the family reunion.” Daniel joked for a moment, never having been to such an event before.

Peyton agreed after a cute giggle that they should tour Hogwarts sometime this year and possibly get lost. At least before he was out of school. It was a fair point as Daniel doubted he’d ever see Hogwarts again after he graduated. Peyton followed it up by asking if he would be sticking around London after he graduated. It was a question that had been on his mind for awhile. When he first moved here all he had wanted to do was return home but now he found himself more on the fence than before. “I’m not sure, I had wanted to go back all of last year just to be back at Ilvermorny but now that I’ll be out of school anyway. I’m just not sure.” Daniel explained partially and possibly thinking out loud as well.

"Well if you're going to allow me to so easily it loses a bit of the fun." Daniel replied with a laugh as he was only kidding. it was just fun to speak to some people teasingly and peyton was one of them. It didn't help that she took him seriously at times and it came off as cute. "Yes, I figured as much." He said as Peyton played along to his idea that she was just using him to hold her books. "That whole blind date has just been leading up to this moment where I carry your books for you."

@peytonbainbridge