Now is the winter of our discontent

made glorious summer by this sun of york; and all the clouds that lour'd upon our house in the deep bosom of the ocean buried. ahren stark, fifth year durmstrang

[ahren-stark]

VALENTINO:

Ahren was ecstatic, the more that he and Valentino discussed their plan, the more sure he became that this was what he wanted to do. And it gave him a high, one he’d never had before. He felt unstoppable, he was unstoppable. And the fact that Valentino would be by his side the entire time, just made it better. 

“You’re right,” he mumbled, licking his lips as he shifted his gaze from Valentino’s eyes to his lips, a small smirk forming across his face as he stared. He wanted to dive in, press his lips into the other’s, but he didn’t. He was going to wait, until after- it would be better then, more exciting, more passionate. “No one is going to keep us apart,” he added, as he shifted his attention back to Valentino. “And if they try, well- we’ll just have to get rid of them,” he continued speaking, as he gently extended his hand to place it on Valentino’s shoulder.

The blond smirked as he heard the other’s affirmation that his plan was indeed brilliant, he already knew it was, but it was nice to hear it from someone else- especially when that someone was Valentino. He wouldn’t admit it if anyone asked, but he sought approval from the other- he needed his approval.

“You’re absolutely right-” he laughed, as his thoughts shifted to the castle’s numerous towers, and the image of students taking their lives by leaping into the darkness. It had a certain poetic nature about it, leaping into the darkness, he liked it. But he was sure he would like it even more when it was his brother taking the plunge. 

As he continued to think about the towers, his mind shifted towards which tower might best suit their purpose. Obviously the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers would be out of the question, they would be asking to get caught by a student. “I’m trying to think, what tower best suits our needs?” he mused, as he gently tapped his finger’s against the other’s shoulder. “If I remember correctly, the astronomy tower is awfully high.” 

[ahren-stark]

VALENTINO:

Valentino moved his hands to run reassuringly up and down Ahren’s back, not wanting the other male to think that he was doubting him, and he nodded against his skin. Anything. Anything was a lot of power. The fact that Ahren entrusted him with it made him feel nearly high on it. The confirmation that he was more than willing to kill his brother? That thrill was somehow even better, and he couldn’t keep himself from kissing him again, tangling his fingers into Ahren’s blond locks with a hungry noise.

After he’d temporarily satisfied his own desire, he pulled back reluctantly, and actually put some space in between them this time. If they were going to actually do this, they actually needed to talk about it. “Then we will,” he breathed, eyes dark with a combination of adrenaline and lust, both sexual and for blood. “We’re going to have to be careful…make sure no one can link this back to us.”

He mind was already moving a mile a minute, trying to think out logistics – methods, alibis – it was all crucial. “Do you know how you want to do this? A killing curse is too…easy, I feel like we need to draw it out. If we use his own wand, we can make it look like an accident or a suicide or something,” he suggested.

His anticipation was already high. He could practically envision it in his own mind if he thought about it enough: stupid, nosy, irritating Lukas on his knees, begging and pleading for mercy and receiving none at all. He deserved it, for crossing him, for trying to take Ahren away from him. Ahren was his. They’d both made that abundantly clear to him, but he’d refused to take the hint. Well now they were going to make him take it. And take everything else from him too. Valentino was out for blood and he was going to get it.

Ahren nodded as he listened to Valentino’s words, he hadn’t stopped to think about the necessary precautions- but it made sense. The last thing they wanted was to be caught, that would certainly put a damper on things. Biting down on his lip, he ran his fingers through his blond locks as he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to concentrate. 

How did he want to do this? When he pictured the scene in his mind, it was messy, blood covered the walls, screams could be heard in the background. There were many ways to achieve such an outcome, but which made sense? Which would cause the most pain, shed the most blood, make a lasting memory? 

“I want it to be bloody,” he spoke slowly, as he lifted his head to look at Valentino, a smile dancing across his face. “And it needs to be slow, this isn’t something that should be rushed, it should take time,” he continued, a new found wave of excitement washing over him. “I want him to suffer,” he explained, as he gazed into the other’s eyes. “He deserves to suffer,” he continued, as he licked his lips, “For trying to keep us apart.”

Ahren meant every word that he spoke, even if he didn’t realize it until after they had already left his mouth. He wanted Lukas to suffer, to face the consequence for getting in his way. If it was up to him, he would use Sectumsempra, making cuts all over his body before finally slitting his throat. But Valentino made a good point, making it look like an accident would be smart. Or even a suicide. He liked the second idea, the possibility of what it would do to their parents was exciting. 

“We could back him off of one of the towers,” he suggested, his eyes widening as an idea started to come to mind. It was perfect. They would corner Lukas at the edge of the highest tower, and they would give him an option, jump or avada kedavra. “Make him chose between jumping or dying at the hand of his own wand,” he continued, his smile widening as he began to picture the scene in his head. “Of course, that would be after we have a little fun.” 

[ahren-stark]

VALENTINO:

Valentino tilted his head to the side, not liking the frown that overtook Ahren’s face when he mentioned his brother. Instead of saying anything about it directly, however, he instead leaned in again to mouth at the skin of his throat, alternating between hard nips and soft kisses, still listening attentively to the other male.

He paused his gentle assault upon Ahren’s skin as the other male brought up what he was thinking about. Interest blossomed in his chest and he pulled back a few inches so that they could talk, still close enough that they were practically still breathing the same air. Excitement tingled through him, and he couldn’t resist pressing a quick and dirty kiss to Ahren’s lips, before pulling back and resting his forehead against his.

Merlin, he hated Lukas, hated his incessant pestering and the way he tried to keep Val away from his brother despite the numerous times Ahren had insisted that he wanted to be at his side. He acted like Val was somehow holding Ahren hostage, even though they all knew Ahren was always completely willing to be with him, to follow his whims, and vice versa. There was no changing his mind, and if Ahren was willing to get rid of the nuisance in Val’s life, he wasn’t going to try and stop him. In fact, it made him nearly sick with want when he thought about it for too long. This? This would be the ultimate victory against Lukas. He’d have won. Not that he’d ever had any doubt.

“You’d do that?” He murmured, pressing another hungry kiss to his mouth.”For me?” He rested his forehead against Ahren’s again, blinking at him slowly, calm and sure that he wanted to do it. He just wanted to make sure Ahren did too. “You know there’s no going back from this, right, mi pequeña águila? Once he’s gone, he’s gone.” Internally Val was practically begging Ahren not to change his mind. Now that the idea was in his head, it was like a bug, buzzing incessantly as it flitted through his thoughts, never leaving him alone.

Ahren tilted his head back, letting out a low groan as he felt Valentino’s lips against his neck. The other’s attention made it difficult to concentrate, and he found himself falling silent for a few moments as he tried to regain his train of thought. Lukas. They had been discussing his brother, and what they wanted to do to him.

Ahren had often fantasized about harming his older brother, but he had never once shared this desire with anyone else. Until now. The moment the words left his lips, he felt a tingle down his spine, as a smile worked it’s way across his face. He had never felt so right, so sure that he was making the right decision. Lukas was nothing more than an obstacle in his way, and he needed to crush him.

He could have easily taken care of his brother by himself, but where was the fun in that? Lukas was just as much an obstacle to Valentino, it would be tremendously satisfying to eliminate him together. It would bring them closer, closer than they had ever been. And that excited the blond. 

“I’d do anything for you,” he mumbled, eagerly leaning forward to return Valentino’s kiss, resting his forehead against the other’s, a smirk plastered across his face. “I know what I’m doing,” he spoke slowly, his tone showing hints of annoyance. He know Valentino just wanted to be sure, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was being treated like a child. He wanted to do this so bad, he wouldn’t regret it. “I want to do this,” he spoke slowly, as he stared into the other’s eyes, “I want to kill him.”

[ahren-stark]

VALENTINO:

Valentino crossed the room in a few long strides, and then sat down next to Ahren on the bed, raising an eyebrow, his mouth curling into a skeptical smirk. “Please, we both know you could never forget what I look like,” he said, cockily, leaning into his side as he spoke.

He turned to rest his chin on Ahren’s shoulder and hummed quietly. “Where’s that brother of yours? He can’t have possibly been in the common room otherwise I’m certain he’d have followed me in to yammer on about how I’m a bad influence and corrupting,” he said, wrapping his arms around Ahren’s waist and biting at the junction between his neck and shoulder.

He pulled back a few inches so that he could properly meet Ahren’s eyes again. “I’m not going to lie, he’s getting on my nerves. Your family – he – is always going to throw a fit about this,” he complained. “I doubt they’re ever going to just let us hang out together in peace.”

Ahren rolled his eyes, a smirk spreading across his face as he loosely draped his arm around Valentino’s shoulder, his finger nail’s dragging against the other’s skin. “You’re right,” he responded with a short laugh, it was true he’d never forget Valentino’s face.

The blond’s eyebrows furrowed together when Valentino decided to mention his brother, a small frown working it’s way across his face. He didn’t see why it was necessary to talk about Lukas, they were having such a nice time, they didn’t need to ruin it by discussing his brother. “I haven’t the slightest clue,” he responded with a shrug as he cocked his head to the side in order to get a better look at his companion. “Hopefully he’s realized, he needs to stay away,” he mused, knowing full well that wasn’t the case. He knew his brother well enough to know Lukas wouldn’t leave them, he was determined to keep them apart and there was only one thing that could stop him. 

“He’s getting on mine as well,” he muttered, taking a deep breath as his eyes danced around the room. Ahren had an idea, but it was something he’d never quite thought about before this moment, and while he was sure Valentino would be for it- he wasn’t sure if he was. But he did know one thing, he wanted to be with Valentino and he wouldn’t let anyone or anything get in the way. Even if that someone was his brother, Lukas needed to leave them alone or he needed to go.

The blond remained silent as his mind began to wander, envisioning what it would be like to finally be left alone. And he liked what he saw, himself and Valentino ready to conquer the world with no one standing in their way. A smirk worked it’s way across Ahren’s face as he lifted his head to look at Valentino, his eyes taking a quick sweep around the dormitory before he leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I think it might be time for Lukas to go,” he spoke slowly, a smile still dancing across his face. 

[ahren-stark]

VALENTINO:

Valentino hadn’t seen Ahren all day so he’d figured he’d go to his room. Either he’d find the other male or he’d set up camp and wait for him to get back from wherever it was that he’d disappeared off too. Now that Ahren was more or less fully healed from the first task – despite the scars that still annoyed him to no end – Val wanted to talk to him about something they’d only really discussed in passing in the past.

Ahren’s brother Lukas got on his nerves to no end. He had this irritating tendency to not take his eyes off Val if he ever saw him near his brother, and he’d taken to trying to warn Ahren away from him. As if I’d ever do anything to Ahren that he hadn’t asked me to do, he scoffed mentally. Frankly, he was tired of it – and by it, he meant Lukas and his stupid, unsolicited opinions about Val. He knew Ahren was too.

When he reached the Durmstrang residence, he made his way inside, ignoring Ahren’s schoolmates as he made his way to his friend’s room. He let himself in and smiled, delighted, when he spotted Ahren. Good, no waiting around then. “I haven’t seen you today,” he said in lieu of a greeting.

@ahren-stark

Since his release from the hospital wing, Ahren had been spending most of his time in his dormitory. He wasn’t necessarily hiding from anyone, rather avoiding the inevitable questions that would plague him as soon as he stepped into public. Under other circumstances he would adore the attention, but he just didn’t have the patience to talk about what it had been like in the woods, especially when he didn’t have any real memory of it. 

Unfortunately the blond was starting to grow bored of spending his days in his dormitory, listening to his brother’s constant worries. He needed to get out, he needed to do something, anything. And he had an idea- but first he needed Valentino. He hadn’t seen the other male for a while, but he wasn’t worried, he knew it wouldn’t be long before they found themselves together again. Ever since they had finally met, they had spent an incredible amount of time together.

His speculation proved to be correct as he heard the door to his room open, his eyes immediately landing on Valentino as a wide grin worked it’s way across his face. “A shame really,” he mused, as his eyes scanned over the other male, “I was beginning to forget what you looked like,” he continued, a smile dancing across his face as he pushed himself into a sitting position before gesturing for his friend to join him. 

[ahren-stark]

VALENTINO:

Valentino shrugged, not looking away from Ahren’s face at the question. He had been, more or less, excluding his brief dalliance with Orion. “So what if I was?” He turned Ahren’s hand over, absently running his fingers up and down his wrist as they spoke. “Yeah. Hondo got her out. She’s fine, only got a scratch on her through some sort of sheer, dumb luck, I guess.” He was relieved that he hadn’t ended up with her in there too. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if they’d both been injured grievously. A smirk tugged up the corner of Valentino’s mouth, and he nodded towards Ahren’s other side. “Yeah, I’ll bet you did. I heard they aren’t even sure if the Malfoy boy is going to wake up,” he said. It was a nice reminder, he thought, that while he was still livid at what had happened, Ahren could have been much worse off. “Still… it was stupid and reckless of them to leave you all dangling, unconscious and without your wands. Sure no one’s dead this time, but they got lucky. The champions in the forest could’ve all done much worse,” he said, irritably. He raised an eyebrow at how much Ahren perked up at the promise of scars, tucking that information away for when he could use it. “Not the kind of scars I think you deserve, if you ask me.”

Ahren couldn’t help but chuckle as he heard Valentino’s answer to his question, “Aw, you were worried about me,” he responded, teasing the other male. He didn’t say it, but he enjoyed knowing that Valentino had been there the entire time, knowing that he hadn’t been alone. “She’s lucky,” he responded, his eyebrows furrowing, while he was glad that Celia hadn’t been more seriously injured, for Valentino’s sake, he couldn’t help but feel angry. Why should she have made it out of the forest with just a scratch, while he would have permanent reminders of his time in the forest. Was it because she was the “main” captive? Shaking his head slightly, he turned his head to look at his neighbor, a smile spreading across his face as he studied Scorpius. He looked bad. “Really?” he asked, arching an eyebrow as he turned back to look at his friend, “Can you imagine what that would do to that friend of his,” he mused, letting out a small sigh. The thought of Albus Potter experiencing the pain of losing his best friend excited the blond. “Has he visited him?” he asked quietly, his stay in the hospital might turn out alright if Albus Potter was sitting next to his friend’s bed side. “It was stupid alright,” he responded with a small nod, he didn’t want to encourage his friend’s anger, not right now- but he did agree. “Really?” he asked, a smirk spreading across his face, “What do you think I deserve?” he whispered the question in his friend’s ear, gently nipping at his ear before leaning back against his pillows. 

[ahren-stark]

VALENTINO:

Valentino’s own icy blue eyes met Ahren’s hazel, and he sighed, leaning in to the other boy so that they could speak quietly and reduce the chances of other people hearing them. “You’re awake,” he murmured, reverently, tangling his fingers with Ahren’s and squeezing hard enough to bruise. “The task…they took you and Celia into the forest. Had some beasts keeping you there. I’m not exactly sure what did this to you but they had no right.” He bit down on his lip, his shoulders trembling from the force of his rage, the need to rip into something and make it bleed to take the edge off. The competitive side of him was pleased logically that Hondo had succeeded in the task and put them in the lead, but he’d seen the deep gouges that had been left across Ahren’s back, heard the mediwizards whispering about scars, and it had left him furious. No one touched Ahren. No one but him.  His mouth twisted into something ugly and sour. “They said you’re probably going to have some pretty massive scars.”

A smirk quickly made it’s way across the blonde’s face, as he gazed into the other’s icy blue eyes. “Have you been here the entire time?” he questioned, his gaze flickering down to see the other squeezing his hand, his fingers already turning a purplish color due to a lose of blood flow. As he studied Valentino, Ahren couldn’t be sure what he was seeing- the slightly older male seemed to be worried but he was doing an excellent job of covering it up with anger. “I can remember being called to my Headmaster’s office, and then I woke up in the woods,” he spoke, his voice low as his eyes remained fixed on Valentino. “I had no idea Celia was there, I knew I wasn’t alone- I could hear the screams,” he explained, a small smile appearing across his face as he recalled hearing the screams of his fellow captives. As he slowly trailed off, the male let out a small sigh as he bit down on his lip. He may be acting like he was okay with the entire situation, but it wasn’t, he felt used, and not in a good way. But more than that he felt helpless, and he didn’t like it- he was left in the woods without any means to fight for himself, waiting to be rescued- and it bothered him. However his attitude peaked at the mention of scars, he was fascinated by scars, and he hoped that his would at least serve as a positive outcome. “I can live with scars,” he responded, a smile once more appearing on his face. 

[ahren-stark]

VALENTINO:

Valentino felt like he’d been practically living in the hospital wing since the first task ended, nearly glued to Ahren’s bedside as he waited for the other boy to wake up. He’d been restless, pacing the length of the infirmary over and over, trying to suppress the helpless rage he’d felt, knowing what had happened to him. Ahren could have died. And that possibility was unthinkable to him. Ahren was his. No one had the right to do this to him, to throw him towards mortal peril when he wasn’t even a champion. He was supposed to be safe. He clenched his fists, digging his nails in to conceal how badly he was shaking, and let out a breath, the red slowly fading from his vision. At the sound of rustling from Ahren’s bed, he spun around and rushed back to his bedside, letting out a relieved breath when he noticed he was awake.

@ahren-stark

Ahren had been awake for a while, but he had yet to make anyone aware of the that- he didn’t want them to know, not yet. First he wanted to figure out what the hell had happened to him, he could remember waking up in the forest tied to a post, and he remembered the claws tearing through his body. He could still feel the claws tearing through his body, it was like nothing he had ever felt, and he enjoyed it. The pain was incredible, and while it caused his eyes to water- he loved the feeling. Yet- it made it hard to focus, which was to be expected. So taking a deep breath, he slowly sat up, biting down on his lip to avoid crying out in pain as everything around him suddenly came into focus. His eyes immediately landed on Valentino, a smirk appearing across his face as he noticed how worried his friend appeared to be- it was rather hot. “Valentino,” he breathed, as he made eye contact with the other. “Mind filling me in?” he asked with a hoarse laugh, trying to ease the obvious tension in the room. He didn’t want to draw any attention to them. 

[ahren-stark]

ROSALINE:

Rosaline had found herself half asleep doubled over on a hospital wing bed, cheek pressed into the crook of her free arm. The other was stretched out, hand loosely holding her best friend’s. She had spent the past two days since the task worried sick. She had seen Ahren through injuries before, but nothing quite like this. Upon arrival to the Hospital Wing after everything was over, she had heard a medi-witch mumble something about ‘lucky to be alive’. Her entire body shot up, out of it’s sleepy state, when the other’s hand twitched in her own. Rosaline squeezed Ahren’s hand as she moved to sit next to him. “Ahren?” She whispered, not wanting to wake the other patients. “Merlin, how do you feel? I was sure you were dead when they brought you out. I could kill whoever’s idea it was to tie you to a post like live bait.”

@ahren-stark

Ahren blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the sudden bright lights as he slowly opened his eyes. Everything hurt- he’d experienced his fair share of injuries, but none quite like this. This was terrible, and it took everything he had to avoid crying out as he attempted to sit up. What the hell had happened to him? He remembered waking up in the forest, tied to a tree but after that was a blur. He furrowed his eyebrows together- he needed to remember, but his process was interrupted by a familiar voice. “Rosaline?” he croaked, biting down on his lip as he turned his head to see his friend. He was glad to see her, but he didn’t show it- he wouldn’t show it. “Like I nearly died,” he responded dryly, before letting out a short laugh. 

[ahren-stark]

LUKAS:

Lukas wasn’t that much older than Ahren. He knew that, really, two years didn’t mean much. But sometimes talking to him was like arguing with an eight year old. Especially when the source of disagreement was his friend. He knew Ahren only did it to get a rise out of him, but damn it, it worked. “Yeah, and you sure act like you’re capable. Not at all like you’re a clueless child. Nope. Wow, Ahren, you sure showed me.” His brother wasn’t stupid. Lukas knew that. So there was no way he missed the air Valentino had about him, no way he couldn’t tell the innocent facade was just that. That worried him, immensely. Ahren was going to make him prematurely grey, befriending people like this. “He’s the exact type of person you need to avoid, and if you’d actually think through your decisions you’d accept that fact. But you’re never wrong, right?”

ahren’s eyes narrowed as he continued to watch his older brother, it was ridiculous- lukas was two years older than him, but he acted like there were at least twenty years separating them. “i’m very capable,” he responded, a small smile spreading across his face. at this point ahren was starting to become angry, he was sick of being treated like a child by someone who was by all means still a child. lukas had no idea, no clue what he was talking about- and it was bothersome to say the least. ahren found himself clenching his hands into fists, his eyes narrowing as he waited for his brother to say more. “you say i need to avoid him, yet you fail to provide as reason as to why you think this,” he spoke slowly, his words carefully selected as he maintained eye contact with his brother. “i assure you brother- i think through everything. i’ve thought about this a lot, and valentino is exactly who i want to spend my time with.”

[ahren-stark]

LUKAS:

@ahren-stark

“You can’t be serious, Ahren! I’ve told you what I think of him. You don’t need to be around someone like that!” Lukas knew he sounded harsh, and probably a little ridiculous, but it didn’t seem like anything else was getting through to his brother. Almost as soon as he’d found out Ahren and Val were so much as socializing he’d had a bad feeling. He’d left it alone at first, figuring he might have been overreacting, but by now he was sure his unease was justified. He didn’t know what it was exactly, but something about the Castelobruxo student was off. He could put on an innocent act all he wanted, but Lukas knew bullshit when he saw it. He was hiding something, and Ahren needed normal friends, damn it. Ahren was a good kid, deep down, and he didn’t need to be around someone like that. But his brother wasn’t exactly a child anymore, and sometimes it felt like arguing with him was like shouting at a wall. “Do I need to follow you around or something, like a fucking child? Because I will.”

“oh- but i’m very serious, lukas,” the younger stark boy replied to his brother, his eyes narrow as he folded his arms across his chest. “valentino is my friend, and you’re going to need to accept that,” he continued, a small smirk working it’s way across his face. usually ahren was nice to his brother, but lukas was starting to bother him, which meant it was time for him to do the same. and truthfully- it wasn’t that difficult. it wasn’t hard to see how upset lukas was getting, he just needed to mention valentino a few more times and he’d be good. but he didn’t want to anger his brother, he hated fighting with lukas- but the fact that he felt the need to protect him from valentino was, upsetting. “i’m very capable of looking out for myself,” he explained, his eyes narrowing as he continued to watch the older male. “valentino is exactly the type of person i need to be around- he’s already taught me more than any of the books i’ve read, and he’s giving me experience-” he explained, his smirk growing wider as he waited for lukas’s response. he hoped it would be enough to send his brother storming off, then he’d be free to find valentino. his friend would find this amusing. 

[ahren-stark]

MAGDALENA:

@ahren-stark

Lena held her books to her chest walking briskly in the cold towards the library. She wanted nothing more than to be alone for the rest of the day, lost in her thoughts and the countless books of information in the library. She rounded a corner she slammed into a group of people, effectively knocking her things from her hands. The impact sent her flat on her butt, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her burning cheeks and ignore the snickering students as she picked her things up, cursing under her breath in German as she scrambled to pick her things up. 

ahren had been watching the beauxbatons student for a while now, ever since he’d overheard her say something in german in the great hall. He hadn’t been planning to do anything, yet, rather he just wanted to observe her. he found it fascinating that they were from the same country, but attending two very different schools. why was that? were her parents beauxbatons students? did they prefer one school over the other? his questions were answered when he saw her collide with a group of students, dropping her books on the ground. “lass mich dir helfen,” he told the girl as he bent down to help her gather her things, a smile spreading across his face. 

[ahren-stark]

ALBUS:

VALENTINO:

ahren smiled as he continued to gaze upon the brunette, a smile still spread across his face. he was such a pretty sight, the tears streaming down his face, the helpless look in his eyes. he wished he could capture the image for ever, he’d love to go back and revisit this moment. but he’d settle for mental images, and perhaps retelling the story with valentino. this was an important milestone in his journey, and he wanted to savor it.

however his plans were ruined when he saw the boy start to fall, and whipping out his wand he quickly cast a spell to reverse the charm that was holding the boy in place, his eyes widening as he watched him fall to the floor. “oh- the fun’s over,” he said with a small frown as he turned to look at valentino. “it’s a shame you didn’t get to do more,” he mused, as he reached out to touch the other on the arm, before quickly casting a glance at their surroundings.

“if you’re quick- i think there’s still time before we need to go,” he suggested, responding to his companion’s statement about creating something more lasting. he had a few ideas of his own as to how to leave a reminder, but he wanted to see what his friend had in mind. 

[ahren-stark]

FELIX:

Felix couldn’t stop reading the letter he’d gotten from his father. It was fairly short, and to the point, but he’d been going over every word for what felt like hours. He’d sounded….remorseful, guilty even. Told him that they’d work things out when he got back home but…how many times had he said similar things to him in person only to start throwing things at him and beating him again only days later? He crumpled the parchment up in his fingers, his knuckles going white with how hard his grip was, and then he balled it up entirely. He pointed his wand at the ball, and lit it on fire, before stiffening as he realized someone was watching him. “How long have you been standing there?”

ahren hadn’t intentionally been staring at the other male, it had sort of just happened over time. he found it extremely curious how he kept rereading the letter, it must have held some sort of importance to him. he wondered how many times he’d read it, and what it contained.  he wasn’t able to ask, but perhaps he’d find out by watching. so he stayed silent, as he leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the other male. he wasn’t caught off guard when the other caught him, but he pretended to be by flinching as he seemed to jolt awake. “not long,” he replied, it was a lie of course, he tried his best to seem startled, but he wasn’t quite sure it was working. “i didn’t mean to bother you,” he added, finally telling the truth. 

[oanico]

[ahren-stark]

yvesle:

“Evil” Characters of Triwizard HQ Edit Edition. Theirs was an elegant savagery. 

[ahren-stark]

ALBUS:

VALENTINO:

as far as ahren was concerned, this was the best moment of his life- he loved it. it brought him large amounts of pure joy knowing that he was capable of causing so much pain, it made him feel power, invincible. but- it came with a downfall, he was impulsive, careless. he didn’t stop to think of the consequences, of what might happen if they were to be caught.

he wanted the world to see what he was doing, what he was capable of doing. he wanted people to fear him. but even more than that, he wanted to see his victims face as he inflicted pain on him, he wanted to see what he was doing.

he was relieved when valentino agreed to lift the disillusionment charm, a wide grin spreading across his face as their victim slowly materialized in front of them once more. his eyes narrowed as he watched the male, gently stroke their victims hair, speaking to him in spanish. it was too affectionate for his liking, but he wouldn’t stop him.

the thought that they could drive the brunette to insanity hadn’t occurred to ahren, until valentino mentioned it. and the more he thought about it, the more it excited him. a wide smile spread across his face as he stepped towards the duo, a new found enthusiasm waving over him. “isn’t that a wonderful thought?” he mused, as he turned his head to look at valentino. “knowing that we hold the power to change someone’s life,” he continued, his eyes wide, as he took a moment to think of what that meant.

to ahren it was a huge step towards greatness, and that excited him. he wanted everyone to know his name, he wanted people to fear him. no, he needed people to fear him. holding up his wand, he pointed it at albus and cried “crucio.” this time was different, his cry was more determined, he truly meant it- he wanted to see the pain in the male’s face. 

[ahren-stark]

ALBUS:

VALENTINO:

ahren found himself erupting into a small fit of laughter as the boy’s cries continued- who knew it would be so exciting to practice on a living, breathing human? he certainly hadn’t, and after this- he didn’t know if he’d be able to just go back to practicing on animals, the rush he gained from inflicting pain on another was far too great to just give up. 

“perhaps, we could lift the charm?” he mused, as he gently bit down on his lip- before turning to look at valentino, “just for a bit. i want to see him cry,” he explained, his nervous demeanor slowly returning to his previous state of excitement. he knew lifting the charm was risky, but then again so was everything they were doing. and it would be so, so worth it to see their victim’s face as they tortured him.

and truthfully? if he had been the one to cast the disillusionment charm, he would have already lifted it. but since valentino had cast it, he needed to lift it- which was unfortunate. it made ahren seem like he was looking to the other for approval of all his actions, and he wasn’t. 

“why thank you,” he smiled as he felt valentino nuzzle his neck, the other’s affection was the only thing that could possibly make this situation better than it was. the combination of their sheer power and desire was exhilarating, he wanted nothing more than to grab ahold of his friend and press his lips into his. but it would have to wait until after they had finished- but then the passion would surely be heightened. but that didn’t stop him from quickly pressing his lips against the other’s cheek. “your turn,” he whispered, before taking a step back.