Louis Weasley

Wizard / 4th Year / Hufflepuff / Keeper

[louisisakeeper]

To whoever left the Splitting Whizzle Slip-Trip outside the Sixth Floor boy's bathroom...I will find you, and I will kill you. 

[poppylarssonarchive]

Poppy laughs at that, a bright sound that leaves her lips so often but somehow never seems to lose or dim in its appeal. She leans with her back pressed flush against the pillar, watching as Louis climbs up and mimics her actions on the next one over. The way they’re standing, they’re on either end of the arch, each looking at one another. Despite what she said to Alexis Adams the other day about short boys, Louis has already started to mature rather well. He’s almost the same height as she is, and his shoulders are broadening, the vague lines of new muscle visible as he pulls his arms out and his shirt stretches tight. Poppy suddenly finds herself flushing scarlet and ducks her head, wondering where those thoughts came from.

"I believe it," She says earnestly, staring at her feet for a moment. She points her toe, drags them along the stone. Later, she’ll regret scuffing them, "It looks like its tough on the body." She can’t say much from experience, of course — she’s never even ridden a broom.

[louisisakeeper]

Her laugh. Louis sighed. It was a laugh he often heard. They have classes together, of course, and he always wondered who exactly could have such an amazing laugh. And always, his eyes landed on Poppy. Despite the wide variety of girls that vie for his attention, he's never really taken a shine to them. Yeah, he's teased, and he's flirted...but he really just becomes friends with them. He's never be awestruck. And awe would be quite a good feeling to describe the feeling right now as he stares at Poppy. Practically opposite to one another, he had no other choice but to look in her eyes, but, feeling a slight blush appearing on his cheeks, he rolled his head back, stretching his arms to lay behind his head, a buffer between his flesh and the stone of the pillar.

"So, yeah," he said, looked upwards, "Quidditch isn't too bad, but it isn't for everyone. It's all about balance and getting used to being off the ground. But you're right, it is pretty tough on the body. I can handle it though, it's a great workout." 

[poppylarssonarchive]

"Yep. With an oven." Poppy even manages to talk about death cheerfully, although considering how macabre the subject of suicide is, the overall effect is a little disarming, "Carbon monoxide poisoning. It was terrible, really, but I suppose if you read her poetry, it was to be expected. She was battling a lot of demons," Now her tone seems far more appropriate and she hangs her head a little, her long hair partially obscuring her face. She flicks it out of the way, a gesture many girls practice in front of the mirror. For Poppy, primping and beauty has never been too much of an issue. She likes to get dressed up when going out and probably owns way too many dresses, but she’s the type of girl who’s been blessed with the sort of face that never needs make-up. 

"Don’t feel inadequate!" The blonde immediately looks contrite, as if upset she’s upset him, "I read a lot. Bryce says I read too much, actually, but I guess I have a lot of free time." She shrugs one shoulder shyly, and begins rocking back and forth ever so slightly, clutching onto the beam for support, "Anyway, you play Quidditch, right?"

[louisisakeeper]

It was kind of hard not to feel inadequate around Poppy. She was smart. Beautiful. No, radiantly beautiful. Like a sun punching you in the face, except the impact felt like a marshmallow smacking you in the face. Louis groaned at his extended metaphor, but it's how Poppy came off. And he couldn't help but be a little enticed by her. It was a little disarming to his psyche, considering most of the time the girls came to him, and he usually knew how to read them.

Poppy, however, was a stunning enigma. So engrossed in though, he almost didn't register that she had asked him a question.

"Oh. Yeah, I do. I'm Keeper for the Hufflepuff Team. I may not look it, but I'm pretty strong." He gave a cocky smile, stretching out his body along the railing and leaning against a pillar.

[elenacornered]

Elena shakes her head, and opens her mouth to speak. She was prepared to say, “That’s really not necessary,” but silences herself before she can get the words out. Maybe she ought to let somebody offer to do something nice for her for a change. Who knows, come tomorrow she may really need it. 

"Okay," she agrees with a twitch of her lips that doesn’t quite graduate to a smile. "I’ll see you, Louis."

[louisisakeeper]

"Be safe, Elena." He waved before turning away and heading through the door to the foyer. Carefully closing it behind him, he looked around - didn't seem to be any professors or prefects. Thank God. They haven't made it back to patrol this area. Sticking to the shadows, he made his way around the Entrance Hall and just in time, too - descending the steps towards the Basement, a Prefect made their way down the main staircase. Whew.

He definitely would check up on Elena. But for now, sleep sounded amazing. He could tackle his worries another day.

[elenacornered]

Elena nods with an uncharacteristic firmness. “If anything happens, I can always use my Prefect badge as an excuse,” she assures Louis, though she can’t be sure if she expects him to believe it when she doesn’t herself. “And if anybody spots you… Just… tell them you were sleepwalking. It’s a bit flimsy as far as excuses go, but they should let you go with a warning.” She nods again, more solemn this time around.

She tries to remind herself that she isn’t making some great, bold sacrifice in Louis’ name; It’s simply bad fortune that her Common Room happens to be several stories up rather than one flight of stairs below where they stand now.

[louisisakeeper]

"If you say so." He gives one of his trademark smiles, hoping that the comment didn't come across as off-handed. He just didn't know what else to say. Elena seemed adamant in her decision. And, of course, since she's a Prefect she could probably get out of trouble...

Probably.

There was still a gnawing desire to make sure she got back to Ravenclaw Tower safely, but this was one battle he had to surrender. He didn't like this arrangement, now that he knew the dangers lurking in the corridors - or what Elena perceived as dangers in the corridors - but, alas, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"You said you're usually in the Hospital Wing, yeah? I'll come check up on you soon. Make sure you're okay." 

[poppylarssonarchive]

"It doesn’t have to be beautiful to be a happy ending," Poppy says sagely, and she rests her head against the beam she had been swinging off, "A lot of the time, really beautiful things are created because of sadness. Like poetry. There’s this poet, Sylvia Plath, who wrote these wonderful poems… and there’s just something about them, and how you can feel her pain through the words that make them so special and spectacular." She sighs wistfully, and stares up at him with those huge doe eyes. Poppy is very fair, even for a Scandinavian, and she could almost be confused as part Veela herself, "I think as well maybe you can’t appreciate the good things if you don’t have a little struggle. And I don’t want to miss out on appreciating anything."

[louisisakeeper]

"Didn't she...you know, kill herself?" Louis wasn't a master at poetry. Honestly, he didn't read a ton of things outside of what was required - unless it was about dragons, or other mythical creatures. Unless something really caught his eye, he couldn't keep a focus on it. And anything that was about someone's inner pain and struggles...yeah, he couldn't do that. The world needed to be happy-go-lucky and bright. 

"I wish I could read stuff like that. I feel a bit inadequate." He laughed a little bit at the comment, but it was true, Poppy seemed to be really smart. Louis wasn't dumb or slow by any means, but he just didn't have the academic drive to do anything except "average." 

"Struggle seems...hard."

[elenacornered]

Elena falls silent for several minutes, considering her options.

There is a strong possibility that if the pair attempts to make the winding trip up, up to Ravenclaw Tower they will be caught by a professor. Or the Sioux man… If he catches Elena under suspicious circumstances for the second time today there will be no doubt of his reaction. Worst case scenario, both Elena and Louis are punished by way of default and are then condemned to live under the watch of Nurse Wainscott for the following two or three days.

But surely they can’t spend the evening sleeping on the stone benches that line the perimeter of the Courtyard. Spring hasn’t quite come to terms yet, and it’s only growing colder by the minute. Plus, there is also the chance that there are members of staff patrolling not only the castle but the grounds as well.

There isn’t any way to evade capture.

"Okay…" she relents, her voice trembling at the notion of inevitable discipline. "But I don’t want you to have to walk all the way back down to your own dormitory alone after you’ve dropped me at mine… So, I really think you ought to just get back to the Hufflepuff Common Room, and let me go upstairs on my own." There’s no need for them to both end up beaten and bruised.

[louisisakeeper]

"I suppose you're right. Sneaking across the entrance foyer with two people would be much harder than one." Louis still had to cross in order to reach the staircase down to the basement. He hadn't really thought of the consequences, but now Elena had him sweating a little. Usually he gets by without any concerns, but...

He sighed. By the sound of her answer, she wasn't going to let him escort her, and pushing the issue would be a bad idea. The only real option he had was to go his separate way, and hope for the best.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? I'd feel horrible if I find out something happened to you on the way back."

[elenacornered]

With a start, Elena realises that he doesn’t know. He has no idea, and how could he? The attacks were hardly publicised. Vaguely reluctant to do so, she slips her hand out of his as she backs away from the castle entrance. She shouldn’t have been outside at this hour anyway, and now it’s much too late to try to sneak back inside. What if they’ve already noticed that the two are gone? Somebody could have tipped them off; There are leeches dispersed throughout the castle, even among the students, she’s sure.

Tears of fear spring to Elena’s eyes, and she whispers to Louis, “You haven’t seen those kids… in the Hospital Wing. Of course they can use force as punishments, and they do. They will hurt us. No,” she begins shaking her head back and forth, moving even further away from both Louis and the castle. “No, I’m not going in there, and I strongly suggest that you don’t either. It isn’t worth the risk, I promise you that.”

[louisisakeeper]

The sudden change in Elena's attitude took Louis by surprise. He slowly closed his now empty hand and returned it to his side, staring into her eyes. She looked scared. And, were those tears? He suddenly felt horrible. How could he have been so inconsiderate? 

"I'm...I'm sorry." He looked down at the ground. It wasn't like him to take such a gloomy disposition, or to be lost for words - but how else could he be? He grossly overestimated the situation, and made a girl feel horrible, something that should never be the case. He had heard vaguely of the state of some students, whispers around the castle. He heard whispers from his parents, and aunts, and uncles. Whispers about the state of the Wizarding world. And it wasn't a stretch to imagine, with the strictness that Hogwarts seems to have undertaken. But...professors, attacking students? It couldn't be true, right? 

Little he has heard, and little does he agree with. But Louis was still ignorant about the entire state of things, preferring to continue in his own carefree, non-nonchalant nature...but even that has caused someone to panic.

"...Can I at least escort you back to your Common Room? I...I wouldn't want you to walk these corridors alone. And we can avoid the main entrance." He looked up, motioning to the doors behind him with his head. 

[elenacornered]

Under different circumstances, Elena may actually go against her grain for once and follow this boy into forbidden territory and actually have some fun for once. But Fear has got his reminiscent hand curled around her throat, and she squeaks out, “Not if it means you and I both end up in Hospital beds by dawn.”

[louisisakeeper]

"We're going to be inside, what's the worst that could happen?" Louis sighed. But it wasn't a sigh of frustration, or anger. Or even exasperation. It wouldn't be fair, or justified, if he felt that way - Elena was simply doing what she felt was right, and he definitely couldn't fault her for that.

No, the sigh was one of those "what could I possibly do to convince her everything would be all right?"  

"Professors can't use force on us. And I doubt the Room of Requirement will send us into a pit full of Pixies." He winked. "How about this - you get to use the room and shape it how you want, if we find it, and I'll just be along for the ride."

[ceceroleplays]

[elenacornered]

Being a Prefect, there weren’t many places in the castle that Elena hadn’t been. But there was, “The Room of Requirement? I’ve never really needed to go there… but everyone always has really wonderful things to say about it.” Elena bites her lip, surrendering to her better judgement, “We probably shouldn’t go there, though. It’s late, and it’s likely Selwyn’s got professors roaming the corridors looking for students out of bed.”

[louisisakeeper]

"It'll be like hide and seek. Except with professors. Sounds really fun." He stopped moving as he reached the opposite end - a door leading into the main foyer of the castle. He didn't want to make her do anything she didn't want to, and Louis would have to be stupid to not realize she was hesitant. Also, the main foyer would most certainly be guarded...

"But if it's wonderful, isn't it worth the risk?"

[elenacornered]

"An adventure…?" she repeats uncertainly. With a slight, but noticeable hesitance Elena lays her hand in his, because that’s just what you do when a cute boy offers it to you.

[louisisakeeper]

"Of course. It's night, everyone's cooped up in the Common Rooms...perfect time to explore!" With a wide grin, he turned and briskly headed down the corridor - Elena in tow, since he now had her hand. He didn't want to pull her, of course; that would probably make her very, very opposed to going anywhere with him. 

"Name one place in the castle you've always wanted to go, but never could."

[elenacornered]

By now Elena’s abandoned all attempts to conceal the colour in her cheeks. She’s hoping that Louis has simply accepted the varying shades of red to be her natural skin tone. “It’s not so much discipline as it is a lack of anything better to do…” she admits, instantly wishing she hadn’t made herself sound so pathetic. Well, she kind of is pathetic, but she didn’t have to point that out.

[louisisakeeper]

"Well, why not find something better to do?" Louis didn't know what exactly Elena did to entertain herself - or what she would find entertaining - but hey, that's part of the fun: figuring out what people enjoy.

"Let's go on an adventure." With a burst of energy he hopped away from the pillar and held out his hand.

[poppylarssonarchive]

The smile returns to Poppy’s face at his words, a rueful, almost cheeky little grin, “It’s tragedy,” She says, and jumping onto a lower step, she leans against the pillar in the courtyard where they’re standing and dramatically drapes the back of her hand over her forehead, “It’s supposed to break your heart, but I don’t suppose anyone really wants their heart to be broken.” She pauses, straightening up a little, “Even the really sad things are beautiful in their own way.”

[louisisakeeper]

Louis laughed slightly, a sideways grin appearing on his face as he hopped up onto the stone railings that ran between the pillars.

"I don't see how heartbreak and tragedy can be beautiful, honestly. I want happy endings. Not something, you know, melancholy."

[elenacornered]

"I’ve just… never been to a real party." Based on what’s she’s seen and heard from her sister, that lifestyle hasn’t once appealed to Elena; Not that she has any disapproval of Tessa. In fact, that may be why she’s always craved distance from the recklessness of parties. It’s the perfect symptom of Middle-Child Syndrome, she wants to be her own person… But no, Elena thinks. Even if Tessa were a Wizard’s Chess champion who wore loafers and was on a first-name basis with Headmaster Selwyn, I would not feel inclined to dance and do Jello shots at one o’clock in the morning.

"Hm?" she asked Louis, realising in the same instant what he’d said. "Oh, no it’s okay. This essay isn’t even due until the sixth, so I’ve got plenty of time."

[louisisakeeper]

"Parties are cool, but it depends. The main thing is, you have to go with someone who understands you, and won't pressure you. That way, you have an anchor - and someone to watch over you."

What honestly constituted a real party? Louis mulled it over in his head. To him, just the social interaction and learning about others were enough. He floated between person to person, talking and mingling. Eventually he'd be asked way too many times to dance...and in some instances, make out or more, and he'd have to excuse himself. Despite the flair he gives off, he wasn't the type to just jump into someone's bed. 

"Starting on it early? I wish I had your discipline." He smirked. He hoped it didn't come off as teasing; he really did wish he had more discipline with school work. 

[poppylarssonarchive]

"Every day is romantic in its own little way though, right?" Poppy smiles brightly, her usual cheery disposition shining through no matter what the time of day, "There’s a poem I read once about the moon and the sun being lovers who were kept apart by the day — but the sun loved the moon so much, he died every night so she could breathe," Her expression becomes a little sombre now, her large eyes wide, "Isn’t that beautiful?"

[louisisakeeper]

"Yeah. It's beautiful...but also a little sad. I don't think I would enjoy being kept away from the person I loved." He met Poppy's smile with his own, which, surprisingly, paled in comparison to the beam that she was giving off. Which is quite a feat to do. 

[elenacornered]

"Well… I guess I’ve never really considered myself as being one of ‘most people’," Elena confesses with a sheepish smile (the only one she has, really). She’s still unsure whether or not that’s something she should be proud of. Perhaps in this new era it’s even dangerous not to be ‘just another face in the crowd.’ Blending in would certainly guarantee safety, there was no denying that. So, maybe she ought to go out to a party every now and then, act a little more like a normal teenager. Ugh. She knows what the right thing to do is, but not if that’s what she should do.

[louisisakeeper]

"Sounds like you're just being yourself, and that's what matters. Yeah, parties are cool...but if they aren't for you, don't." He smiled at her, before leaning his head back against the cold stone. It felt nice, this weather. He felt relaxed. Socializing was always a great distraction from homework, something he'd rather not be doing right now - even though it really had to get done. But he did feel bad keeping Elena from hers.

"Sorry. Am I keeping you from your homework?"