PAPERTHIN HYMN (ANDROMEDA)

[Deleted]

short line of lyrics here~

### WORDS	OPEN
OUTFIT	<3

Hogsmeade wasn't a place he took to visiting often. The castle was usually far more quiet during those weekends and it was rare for him to miss out on it. He could walk the halls during the daytime without forcing his way through those dreadful crowds - which usually resulted in him escaping to the outdoors for a lengthy smoking session until they died down (something he didn't particularly enjoy doing in the dead of winter). Not that the treck down to Hogsmeade was any better. It was terribly cold, wind pushing right through his winter robes, through his skin and right to the bone. He shuddered, buried his face further into the scarf his mother knit him and forced his feet to move faster. The snow was packed high; soft drifts of uneven terrain. He couldn't tell if it was snowing or if they wind was just pushing around what was already there. Another shiver, another step and he was in the small wizarding village.

Students and professors alike roamed the streets, laughing, talking, bundled together as they shopped about. Some younger Gryffindors were throwing snowballs at eachother down the way, and one of his classmates was trying to drag her friend into Zonko's Joke Shop. He didn't walk towards her though, slipping down an alley that blocked the path of the wind. He'd remembered the bookstore being somewhere down one of the lower streets - where the crowd wasn't bustling, even despite the cold - which was baffling, considering just how frozen he was.

Nestled into his scarf, from the nose down, he peered down the way as he stepped from the alley. There were few people on this street, which suited him far more. It took a moment glaring into the bright white, but eventually he caught sight of the shop he was looking for. The sign above it read: Tomes and Scrolls 1768 Specialist Bookshop. He'd been in it a couple times before, on the few occasions that he'd gone to Hogsmeade, but never bought anything. But he had remembered a book he had spotted there before and decided it was about time he'd gotten his hands it, since his searches in the Hogwarts library came up dry.

Stepping into the bookshop, he pulled his face from the scarf and looked around as an older witch disappeared behind a shelf. He kicked snow from his shoes and glanced over at the counter, where an old man appeared to be napping. Jude let out a breath and tried to remember where he'd seen the book and started down an isle filled full of books. Some that whispered or croaked, one that had steam curling from its pages. He kept his distance from the ones that looked as though they were moving and made extra effort to avoid anything that looked like The Monster Book of Monsters. He didn't particularly enjoy having it chew into his shoes the first time he'd encountered it, considering he damn near lost his toes.

And then he saw it, a dusted sign, taped to the shelf in small letters. Muggle Books. None of them shifted or groaned or gargled. They were silent, un-moving and incredibly dusty. His fingers drew along the spines searching for the title he was looking for. The Iliad, The Art of War, The Prince. Classics. Pieces of history, primary documents from the muggle world. He didn't want to read them though, not after learning how much influence the wizarding world had over masking the truth in history. Eventually though, he would find it in himself to contrast and compare the two different but coinciding dialogues of history. For now though, he moved onward, to fiction. Sherlock Holmes, Lord of the Flies.... and finally. The Chrysalids. A small old cover with a worn spine. And then he heard a shriek, and turned, a blur of books and cloak collided into him.

HAYANA OF CAUTION 2.0

[Deleted]

the lights are so bright

but they never, never blind me

Andy wasn't really one for crowds. All those people judging her and assuming she was just like her sister? No, thank you. She was flat out tired of everyone thinking that her mannerisms meant that she was a blood purist like the rest of her family. She had a particularly fantastic conversation with a fellow Gryffindor one the way to Hogsmede about it.

"Hey, Lestrange! You gonna kill me too cuz my mums a muggle?" they snickered with their stupid little friends, bumping into Andys shoulder as they passed. "Only if you kill me first!" she hissed back at them. She wouldn't actually kill anyone, and she realized her insult didn't make any sense, but she was having an off day. People were being harsher than usual since her and her sister had returned. They had been taken out of school for four weeks or so because everyone thought her sister was the Hogwarts Murderer. Andy still didn't know if she was. Andy didn't know anything.

Andy tightened her grip on her cloak and wrapped her scarf tightly around her face. As the tears started to prick her cheeks she cursed herself for crying. What was with her today? These people had no right to get in her head. Maybe she was just being hormonal.

As soon as she arrived in Hogsmede she ducked into a bookshop that she had visited once or twice before. She ducked into an aisle a little ways away from the front and didn't even read what it was. Soon, she found herself reading the titles. She didn't recognize any of them, and the tears weren't stopping. She didn't even notice that when she slammed her fists into the bookshelf and cried out in anger, someone was standing next to her. Sadly, that was the moment she chose to slip on her robe as books fell and she collided with the person.

"I am so sorry I wasn't looking," she muttered as she reached out and grabbed the persons arm to steady herself. She looked up only to make eye contact with Jude Wyatt, a muggleborn boy whom she had felt complicated about since day one.

"Jude," she said, almost breathlessly as she let go of her grip on his arm. Things were... complicated between them, at least in this girls mind. For their first few years she tried to be the perfect little blood purist daughter and didn't really speak to him, but she couldn't help noticing that they were very similar. They could both be cold and prickish on the outside, but they both had a sadness to them that couldn't be easily overcome by crowds, laughs or friends. She couldn't help but notice that they were sort of kindred spirits.

Around third and fourth year she finally started conversing with him a little. At least, with a little more interest. He really was similar to her, but his life was so different as a muggle born. It was really fascinating to hear about, but she didn't push it. When fifth year rolled around Andy had really started breaking out of her shell, but that mostly came out in her violin music. She played more often and looked at the sheet music less. She sort of got lost in the music and didn't talk to anyone for a while there....

Now, sixth year. What did he think of her? What did she think of him?

[Deleted]

short line of lyrics here~

603 WORDS	ANDROMEDA
OUTFIT	<3

Between books colliding into his face and what he presumed to be a girl damn near toppling him over, Jude barely managed to let out a muffled cry of his own. "Bloody sodding hell-" He stumbled in attempt to keep steady, grabbing the shelf to keep him propped up as another book knocked against his shoulder. Though he wasn't particularly glad to have someone smack into him, he was thankful to me in the muggle section. The books weren't nearly as deadly and cast with intent. Rather than gnawing on his arm, or shrieking their own cries, the books simply toppled off of him, landing lifeless on the floorboards. The same couldn't be said for the robed girl however as she latched onto his arm to steady her own feet. He realized who she was fairly quickly and blinked now that a waterfall of books no longer blocked his vision. "The hell Lestrange..." He said as she apologized.

Andromeda Lestrange was probably the last person he'd expected to run into in the old dingy back alley bookshop. He gave her a quizzical look as she let go of his arm. For whatever reason, she'd been crying and she looked more frazzled than usual - no thanks to her practically falling into him. Jude wasn't sure how to respond just then. Andormeda, until a couple years ago, had been one of those nutter purists who pretended muggleborns such as himself were unworthy of their presence, much less their time. Which had suited Jude just fine since he didn't care much for people anyway, even less so for the ridiculous bloodfeud that literally bled its way through wizarding history. But the girl standing in front of him wasn't that same girl. Something happened as they got older and she started talking to him. He wasn't sure why at first, he was never very good at understanding other peoples motives. As far as he was concerned at the time, she'd just decided to pull the stick out of her ass. After awhile though he started to reach something of an understanding with her. She was just as unhappy with her world as he was his and misery found company in him. At least for awhile.

Jude still wasn't sure how he felt about her though. She seemed to flicker in and out of his life at her convenience and he couldn't quite remember the last time he'd spoken with her beyond passing acknowledgement. Now though, he stood in front of her, staring, not sure what to say. "Are you- Are you okay?" He asked, not entirely sure it was the right thing to say. Jude wasn't usually word conscious, but seeing someone more emotionally vulnerable than himself had a tendency to throw him off. He was pretty sure whatever she'd been crying about wasn't because she'd hurt herself in running into him. The pain in her face wasn't physical. That much, he was certain of.

Realizing that he'd dropped the book he'd been looking for he bent down to pick it up, looking up at his fellow Gryffindor. She was a pretty girl, living in a fairytale hell, living in a world he'd never understand. But all human emotions were the same. Jude stood straight once more, the small red book in his hand once more. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to think of something better to say. He was dry-tongued however and he was sure he looked about as awkward as he felt. So he changed the conversation, or at least, attempted to. "What brings you into this hell hole anyway?"

HAYANA OF CAUTION 2.0

[Deleted]

the lights are so bright

but they never, never blind me

Andy could tell by the way he looked at her that he knew she had been crying. That was the last thing she wanted right now, people to see her in this light. Especially someone who she had been so... indifferent toward in the past. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She felt herself wanting to laugh a little at that comment. How was a person ever okay? But, she nodded anyway. "Fine," she managed to get out, though it came out a little choked.

Andy was always collected and proper in front of others. She had good manners and an old fashioned sense of propriety. But to be seen like this was probably the most embarrassing thing she could go through right now. She took the opportunity when he bent down to straighten out and loosened her scarf a little. She also took the moment to take a deep breath and let a few more tears sneak by before wiping them off quickly.

When he stood, there was sort of an awkward silence between them as he scratched his neck. She pretended to become interested in a book on the shelf and gently stroked the spine. Soon he spoke again, and she turned to face him. "To be honest?" he bit her lip a little, "I'm hiding out." Well, she may as well tell him exactly what was going on, what else could she do in this situation? "What about you?" she asked him.

[Deleted]

short line of lyrics here~

470 WORDS	ANDROMEDA
OUTFIT	<3

Jude wasn't sure what it was with women and using the word 'fine' when they clearly weren't. He grew up with his mother saying it to mean that she meant it even though she didn't and whenever his step-sister actually appeared even remotely human, she did the same. "You sure as hell don't look fine..." He replied, the awkwardness started to subside as a familiar irritation set in. This was why he didn't like seeing people cry. They made him think of home and thinking of home put him in a horrid mood more often than not. It tore away at him whenever he thought about being away, whenever he thought about how much had changed every time he went home. His mother had aged every time he saw her, his step-family became more unbearable, technology was never consistent and he was constantly reminded of how he didn't truly belong there anymore. How he didn't belong at Hogwarts either and how he seemed to live in between two worlds in a constant state of limbo. He bit the inside of his lip to chip away at the internal rage brewing and decided to focus on Andromeda who was trying to quell her own emotions.

His eyes went to the book she'd been touching, then back to her as she replied. After her not so illusive 'fine' he was glad she'd made an effort to be honest, though he was admittedly scarce on sensitivity, "Well... I guess this wouldn't be the worst place to hide if you don't make a habit of toppling shelves over." He wasn't really trying to be a dick. He was irritated, yes, but not at her and he'd never been very good at displacing his feelings from the present. Jude curled his fingers around the book in his hand a little tighter and looked over at the other bookshelves, filled with the not so friendly enchanted books and scrolls, once more thankful that the books at his feet were lifeless and denied a will of its own.

When she asked why he was there, part of him wanted to say he was there for the same reason, but the shop contained more than enough of what he wanted to hide from. With books of ancient spells and enchantments abound he couldn't very well hide among the muggle section pretending the rest of the shop didn't exist. Opting for his initial purpose for leaving the castle he pointed to the Muggle Books with the book already in his hand, "Can't find much of these in Hogwarts and as much as I hate coming out to Hogsmeade I was running out of options..." he said simply. He'd read all he'd managed to find as it were and he wasn't keen on reading The Odyssey for a third time.

HAYANA OF CAUTION 2.0

[Deleted]

the lights are so bright

but they never, never blind me

Andy leaned away from his as his sass and irritation started to seep into his words. She cocked her eyebrow at him and folded her arms across her chest, "What do you care, Jude? It's not like we're-" she was going to say the word 'friends', but she thought that could be a little harsh. Instead she just sucked her lips in for a moment in thought, trying to figure out what to say next. "Just... forget about it, okay?" the comment started off as a snap but ended mostly in a soft mutter. She had this weird idea that she should be kind to people who were trying to help her. She hadn't really been in this type of situation before. Especially not with Jude.

"What's wrong with toppling shelves over?" she felt herself smile a little. Was she joking? Classic cop out for feeling crappy, try to make a joke out of the situation. Well, Jude wasn't helping by being so... insensitive. Not that she really expected him to be there for her or anything. She didn't necessarily come here to be cradled by someone, so then why was she kind of disappointed that he was being so cavalier about this conversation? Nah, it was just part of her off day.


Andy wasn't actually sure what he was talking about, "can't find much of what in Hogwarts?" she glanced at the book in his hand and the books on the floor around them. Only then did she realize that the books weren't bursting open around her and shooting all kinds of spells in their direction. "Wait... woah..." Andy bent down and picked up on of the books titled The Scarlet Letter. She flipped through the pages gingerly as she stood. "I've never... I've never seen a regular muggle book before."

[Deleted]

short line of lyrics here~

438 WORDS	ANDROMEDA
OUTFIT	<3

He wasn't entirely sure what she was about to say, but he didn't really care either. Rather he did seem to care about why she was crying - if only because he'd never seen her that upset before. Not that he really saw much of her lately. "Whatever. I was just trying to be nice," He mumbled back. And a poor job he was doing of it. He crossed his arms in a similar fashion, book tucked beneath his arm. For the life of him, Jude couldn't understand why people thought it was worth smothering their feelings, though to be fair he couldn't even if he tried. He was an open book, painted in expression for the world to see.

"Oh I don't know, it's not like most of the books in here aren't enchanted to sneeze in your face or eat you or set you on fire, or maybe even potentially kill you." He was probably exaggerating. Probably. He didn't particularly trust them though. The magical world was known for crazier things. Like dragons and unicorns. If they were able to walk right out of a muggle fairytale, he didn't see why books couldn't murder people. Hell, pigs could probably fly too. The thought made him smirk slightly, even though he felt more bitter than amused. Muggle idioms got thrown out pretty fast when you realized magic was real. Not that he could really throw that in anyone's face without getting thrown in a mental hospital.

Jude was a little taken aback with Andy's confusion, nevertheless making a point to clarify it for her, "A normal, unechanted muggle book that isn't cursed with malicious intent." He wasn't sure why wizards and witches alike felt the need to make inanimate objects so volatile. Books were meant to be read, not to spit in your face. He huffed a sigh of defeat on the matter. The world he was living in would never amount to make any sense to him, but part of him had gotten used to it. And he had no choice but to let it go. It didn't make him feel any better about it though.

An incredulous look crossed his features as Andromeda expressed her awe in the muggle book she'd picked from the pile at their feet. "You're joking right? I know muggles don't know shit, but I at least thought you wizards would at have access to muggle books." You'd think if you were going to live in secret, you'd want to know what you were living in secret from. But nope, those pureblooded type seemed to throw that idea out the window. .

HAYANA OF CAUTION 2.0

[Deleted]

the lights are so bright

but they never, never blind me

Andy rolled her eyes as he mumbled his thoughts about trying to be nice. Sure, she felt bad for getting in his face, but what right did he have to cheer her up? He had never really made an effort before. Neither had she... but that wasn't the point. The point was that they weren't friends, not really. She almost apologized for snapping at him. Almost. But she decided to just drop it. He had let it go, hadn't he? Well, if he really was trying to be nice he could've done a heck of a lot better job at it. She really didn't appreciate pity parties, so it was just better to move on.

"I guess we were lucky on that one," she accepted his offer of a lighter topic somewhat and watched as a smirked played across his face. It didn't really seem that amused, though. Jude really was a weird guy, it was almost like he hated magic all together. Actually, Andy was kind of sick of the magical world right now too. But she wasn't up for admitting that to Jude just yet. "I'll try not to topple any normal books next time," she commented, emphasis on the fact that these books were definitely not normal in her eyes.

Andy looked up from the book to see a look of disbelief cross his face. Her eyes widened a little at his harsh words. Andy was taught never to say a cuss word, so she was a little taken aback by the word being slipped into casual conversation. Obviously she had heard that stuff before, but not whilst on the topic of books. That was a new one. Jude was just getting more confusing and strange by the minute. But, that almost made him more intriguing to Andy. His being a muggle born was probably what interested her the most at this point.

"Oh come on," she rolled her eyes and replaced the book on the shelf, not even sure if it was in the right spot, "I wasn't victimizing you." She turned back to face him and folded her arms across her chest. Her face was becoming much more stern now, she was gaining her confidence back and the red in her eyes from crying was probably almost gone. "Not all of us had access. Some of us had our hands burned if we even looked at a muggle book," she would love to say that it was an exaggeration, but it wasn't.

When she was younger, before Hogwarts, she had met a family of Half-Bloods in Diagon Alley. One of the kids was sitting at Floreans Ice Cream parlor reading a book.  Andy had slipped away from her parents and started to approach the girl. "What are you read?" she asked. But before the girl could answer Andys father came to drag her away and punished her as soon as they got home. Those punishments happened more to Andy then any of her other siblings, but they didn't happen as often anymore. Andy had learned her lesson when it came to thinking about, talking about, looking at, and learning about muggles.

[Deleted]

short line of lyrics here~

521 WORDS	ANDROMEDA
OUTFIT	<3

He really had no idea what her problem was and she seemed pretty intent on not telling him. As she rolled her eyes at him, he decided it wasn't worth his time to drag it out of her, especially since he really didn't give a damn. At least, he was pretty sure he didn't. It had been strange to see her so upset at first, but surely he was just not used to seeing it. Regardless, he didn't really want to think about it. All he wanted to do was take the book in his hand up to the front so he could pay for it and return to his dorm where he would hope nobody would be. Though knowing his luck, somebody would be up there, not that it looked like Andromeda was going to just up and disappear. Not bothering to say anything more about her reasons for being there, he settled into his typical frown.

Jude looked up at her when she started speaking, blinking as she played up his cynicism. Her added comment brought a dubious glare in his eyes, "There's nothing normal about those books.." He mumbled stubbornly, glancing down the daunting isles of flesh-hungry, ass-biting monstrosities. He realized that the standard of normal was different for wizards and witches than it was for muggles and muggleborns, but that didn't change his opinion any. Magic broke the boundaries of normal and nobody could convince him otherwise. Especially when they thought it would be funny to enchant the most ridiculous things for the most absurd reasons.

"I didn't say - Whatever," She may not have been victimizing him, but whether he admitted it or not, he certainly was. He'd considered himself a victim since the first time he preformed magic unknowingly, since the day he received his Hogwarts letter from a strange, awful smelling lady who had managed to convince his mother to let her take him away to a fairy-tale world where he could hone his magical skills, courtesy of a stick and people skilled to teach others how to use said stick. He looked over the girl who'd grown up in the fairy tale, pretending as though she'd never cried, holding her ground. Part of him, a small strange part of him couldn't help but admire her for it. Not that he'd ever admit it.

He cast her a look of speculation at her following statement. He wasn't particularly good at telling if people were lying, but he had a feeling she wasn't. Wizards and witches alike, not born among Muggles, were pretty naive and ignorant to the world outside. "Hm." He said, fingering the book she had put away with his free hand. "Well, it's not like they're going to bite you on their own accord if you try to read them in secret." He replied, sardonically. "Though, you would think if you were going to hate muggles so much, you'd at least want to your children to know why." He said, pulling his hand away from the shelf, "Half of the books on these shelves have no problems detailing the faults in muggles."

HAYANA OF CAUTION 2.0

[Deleted]

the lights are so bright

but they never, never blind me

"Maybe not to you, Jude, but they are normal to some people. But," she bent down and picked up yet another book, trying to find it's place on the shelf as she spoke, "I can understand how these seem normal to you. So, let's just accept that we come from different backgrounds and be done with it." now she was really starting to get a little OCD as she started replacing the books on the shelves, "Are you going to help me, or what?" she asked in a sudden moment of stopping and raising an eyebrow at him.

She could easily have put them away with her wand, but a part of her wanted to take her time. She wanted to stay in this conversation. She didn't know why, they were just bickering, but still-at least she was talking to someone. She was used to being on her own and even liked it some of the time, but she needed a friend today. Or... whatever Jude was.

As he blew off her comment about her victimizing him, she just rolled her eyes and kept finding places for the fallen books. He clearly had been doing just that, but she didn't want to argue about it. That was a conversation that no one was going to win. It was pointless to start it up with him anymore than they already had. Especially since he had used the word 'whatever', which was a word that Andy had been slapped for using on more than one occasion because it was 'UN-intelligent'. Ugh, whatever.

Now he was looking at her in a different light, as if he was actually contemplating her words. She hadn't meant to blurt out that detail to him-but things had been changing a lot for her since her return to school. She was tired of people thinking she had a perfect life. She listened intently to what he was saying, nodding in agreement. "Well, I agree with you. But my parents had different ideas about muggle books," she shrugged and frowned a little as she picked up another book, "tell me... are the stories good? I mean, if they detail the fault in people they must be very realistically written..."

[Deleted]

short line of lyrics here~

529 WORDS	ANDROMEDA
OUTFIT	<3

Jude wasn't adverse to defeat. He had some sense when it came to letting things go and felt it better for what little patience he had to heave a sigh and do just that. Besides, he knew she was right and he stubborn as he was, he wasn't interested in fighting a losing battle. It wasn't worth the energy - for all it cost his temper. They did come from two different backgrounds, a problem many muggleborns dealt with daily in the face of the wizardborn, and it would always cause such a divide between them - especially in Jude's world, where one meant far less than the other. He glanced at the tag tapped to the shelf marking off the Muggle Books as separate from the others. Distinct, different from all the other books in the room, for they contained no insights into fantasy realm that sat upon them in secret, the same way Jude could hold no insight into the mind of another.

She had started to book up the books she'd knocked over while he lamented grimly. He voice drew him out of it and he grunted at her question, responding to her aid by setting aside the book he'd been holding and began helping her with the mess she'd made. He didn't do it because he wanted to help her so much as out of respect for the books, but he didn't feel the need to voice that particular thought.

As Andromeda spoke of her parents and their backwards ideals, he frowned, setting another book on its designated shelf."As realistic as man.... or woman can write." He finally replied, pausing to look at the remaining books. "Some stories have incredible depth, some despicable. They are not all that different from what wizards write as far as human nature goes, but there are histories of documented muggle horrors that would have done well to turn anyone against them." He looks down at the book he had been so desperate to get his hands on - it was the perfect example of a would be world and its discriminatory plights.

The Chrysalids was a an old science fiction novel from the 1950's and it bore such intensity in it's post-apocalyptic world - showing the greatest misjudgments of mankind and exploring problems so timeless for humanity that Jude had never been able to forget it. He looked at Andy as he remembered how much his first read of it did for him. He didn't know her well and he found her to be remarkably irritating in the few moments they spoke now, but she also evoked admiration for the amount of control she had over herself that Jude could never hope to achieve. She could put her feelings aside where he could not.

"Read this for yourself and make what you will of it." He said, holding out the book to her. He fully intended to purchase it so he could take it back when she was done but he didn't see the harm in her looking at it while he swooped down to pick up the last of the lifeless, and yet timeless novels at his feet.

HAYANA OF CAUTION 2.0

[Deleted]

the lights are so bright

but they never, never blind me

Andy was surprised that he bent down and started to help her pick up the books. And he did it without even making a sarcastic comment, which was a new feat for him. Still, she was sure that he didn't know it for the purpose of helping her. But that wasn't important.

"I guess my parents should have thought of that," she said. It wasn't that she really agreed with what he was telling her, she just really had no opinion. It's not that her parents necessarily hate muggles. They just think of muggles as lesser beings. Kind of like animals. Either way, Andy was sure her parents didn't want her reading anything that was created by a muggle. "I'll be honest though. It wouldn't have worked. I would have probably loved them more because I'd know they were just as flawed... as flawed as I am," she said in a soft voice.

It was weird to have a fairly real conversation with Jude, considering all the years she had given him the cold shoulder. He was... actually quite full of original thoughts, something she rarely gave boys credit for. As much as Jude drove her up a wall with his 'devil may care' attitude, Andy was actually started to think he could be good company. In another life, maybe.

She raised an eyebrow at him as he held the book out to her, inviting her to read it. She gently clasped it and brought it to her. "Yeah, okay," she agreed somewhat in awe that she was actually holding a muggle book with plans to take it home.

She glanced down at the book, stroking the covers with her fingertips as he picked up the last of the books. He really had no idea what he had just done for her. She wouldn't have had the courage to select a muggle book on her own, nor the knowledge to choose a good one. She bit her lip a little, lost in the moment of what reading this book could mean. Freedom. She had been in a bubble for so long and he had basically just handed her the key to a new world. A world she had never explored.

A world that he had come from.

A thought hit her as he replaced the last book. She wanted to talk to him more. She actually wanted to know more about his world. When he looked at her again, she spoke up. "Tell you what. I'm supposed to go to this Christmas party on Friday. What if I read the book by then and you can come to the party with me and we can talk about it?" she suggested. Her heart was pounding in her ears, she had never really invited someone to something before.

@jude

[Deleted]

short line of lyrics here~

529 WORDS	ANDROMEDA
OUTFIT	<3

Contrary to what people though, Jude didn't complain about everything. Just the blatantly obnoxious and dreadfully unbearable things. Placing lifeless novels back upon their shelves hardly met the criteria, even if the girl he was helping did. But that was something he hadn't entirely decided on just then. She was annoying, certainly. He'd always found her to be classified as such, what with her pureblooded snobbery. Lately though, she'd toned it down and Jude wasn't one to hold it against her. He had better things to do with his time than hold grudges over people who didn't deserve it. And by the way she spoke of her parents, Andromeda Lestrange had better things to do than play into the nonsensical blood war, like for example, topple over an assortment of muggle books so that they might contribute to his daily headache. Not inclined to let the thought linger, he glanced at the dark-haired girl with a strained grimace. Whoever her parents were, they didn't sound particularly smart. Rather, more ignorant that anything else.

"We're all flawed." He grumbled in response to her self-pity, knowing all too well what it meant to feel not just that but broken, damaged and severely devoid of understanding the world around him. He was of fallacious design, with so-called gifts set upon him to complicate his already uninspiring life story. The slums of Bristol had already layered out the blueprints for disaster. A troubled kid, guided only by his fury and frustration. The equation of being born for wizardry had only made to muddle his make even more. And while people could argue that his quality of life at Hogwarts was better, he was certain no ordinary muggle boy would be using quills and parchment do to their homework, not even in the dingiest schools.

Upon Andromeda accepting the book he offered her, part of him was surprised by it. He supposed she really had grown away from the girl he remembered from their first years. She stroked the cover as though it were foreign and Jude couldn't help but find it strange. He truly couldn't understand what it was like for a sheltered wizard or witch to come into contact with objects that are strictly intended for muggles. Merlin, he'd be interested in seeing how she'd react with a smartphone in front of her if she was going to look so taken by a simple, plain old book. And for a moment he actually considered how attractive she was in her antics.

But that all meant nothing with the next words to come out of her mouth. Jude frowned. He'd backed himself into a corner and knew it. "A... party..." With a large number of obnoxious individuals in one place. Probably drinking and doing otherwise annoying things. "You're joking..." He looked at the book now in her hands. The one he'd desperately sought after. Agitation flowered in his chest as he glared at the other Gryffindor. "Fine, but I'm not wearing a suit."

FIN

HAYANA OF CAUTION 2.0