what's in it for me?

nadia zabini. eighteen. slytherin prefect. ◇ ❝  cages look like   c a s t l e s   when      the  world  is  an  army  advancing.     they can't hurt you      here.(nothing can).      even  you  cannot   find   the  beat           of your heart.   how would they?    ❞ ◇

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lloydxurquhart:

“All the more impressive really, don’t you agree?” Lloyd accio’d a pineapple pool float from under another student, chuckling as they fell into the water, and slumped himself into it. “Well,” he began, sipping on his fucking pathetic orange juice, “I promised Jac I’d be sober for tonight, so I’ll watch you until midnight, then you can watch me until breakfast.”

Nadia chose not to say anything, the eye roll that followed his question answer enough. “As riveting as staying up til breakfast to watch you get wasted sounds, I think I’ll have to pass. Prefect’s meeting tomorrow before lunch, and I don’t know that ‘Lloyd Carrow needed me to be his sober companion’ would really work as an excuse. But if you’d like we can cut out early and start your night a bit before tomorrow----it’ll be midnight somewhere, right?”

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qveenavery:

                  “ No, you’re Celestina. ” Usually, Nadia was a voice of reason, the  e a s e  to her stress and worries. But it seemed not even her gal pals could make this one seem less awful. “ I dunno’, Nadia. I think… I think it might be me?? I mean, my own PARENTS don’t want me either?? I got myself  e x i l e d  from the pureblood community. The only people who don’t avoid me like I’m the Black Plague and this is the 1940s I can count on one hand. And I’ve been so freaking NICE lately?? Why is karma dragging me like this?? ”

Nadia pursed her lips; there were so many thing she wanted to say, arguments she wanted to make.  Finally, she said, “You don’t deserve what’s happening, Amma. Karma isn’t REAL----it’s just some made up concept people use to try and scare others in acting the way they want them to. Bad things don’t happen because we earn them---” Nadia’s voice dipped as she thought of her brother, “---sometimes bad things just happen. The universe isn’t making Khan act like an ass to punish you; he’s acting like an ass because he IS an ass, and that’s not  y o u r  fault.” Reaching out, she smooth a bit of Amma’s hair back, “Besides, I  love you, and since I’ve got better taste than almost anyone in this castle or your parents, you should listen to ME before you listen to them.”

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lanceahn:

               Idly, looking at Nadia, the thought flitted across his mind that when they got the chance to be a real couple, he’d take her on so many dates. He’d take her to movies and to watch airplanes fly over them under the  s t a r s,  laying atop the shitty car he’d left back at home. He pulled his gaze away, before it was more than just a casual glance. Lance’s brows lifted in sympathy, and he blew out a sigh. “ Peak, man. Poor gal, init. ” He’d never particularly liked Amma, but Kiran had done her proper dirty like. “ Nah, not gonna’ be his beg old mate, third wheeling those two. I’ll stay right here, ma, close enough to hear you. Close enough to be near you without  r e a l l y  being near you, you get me?? ”

He was looking at her, she knew, despite the fact that her gaze had returned to the party----and it stayed there, since she wasn’t sure what she would say or do if she looked at him in that moment. His sigh did draw her gaze, and she studied him for a moment before looking away, a small smirk playing across her lips as he spoke. “Well,” A sigh of her own  escaped, “I suppose we wouldn’t want to do anything out of the ordinary, but you know-----it might seem awfully SUSPICIOUS if you didn’t try to flirt with me at least  o n c e; you’ve set a bit of precedent over the years, don’t you think?”

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qveenavery:

             Truthfully, Amma was planning on leaving herself, but that didn’t mean she was going to let Nadia miss out on fun. “ No, it’s fine, ” she lied. “ I just  d o n’ t , like, understand. I thought we were Brad and Angelina, you know?? It turns out I’m fucking Jennifer Aniston. ” Her brows drew together sadly, “ he looks happy. ”

Nadia was only vaguely familiar with muggle celebrities (much less American ones, if she were remembering correctly), but she got the gist of it, and the fact that a sleaze like Kiran could make Amma feel like anything less than the queen she was made her blood boil. She bit her tongue, though (Amma didn’t need to deal with Nadia’s emotions as well as her own), and murmured, “You’ve got it all wrong. You’re like----Celestina Warbeck, and he’s Ludo Bagman. You’ll find someone-----someone who knows what they have when they’re with you. This is something wrong with HIM, not with you.”

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zachzabs:

“They wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. They’d probably prefer their piss beer.” Imagining his poised grandmother taking a sip of a wine that was tainted with bubbles was enough for him to roll his lips onto the top of his mouth, holding back a puff of laughter. “Her face alone would be quite something to capture. Why she didn’t insist we get an Italian education where they’d have more of an appreciation for the finer things in life I’ll never understand.”

Seeing Zach  s m i l e, seeing him holding back laughter, was bittersweet----her brother deserved to be happy, she wanted him to be happy; but there was an ACHE in her chest every time she realized that it shouldn’t be just them; they were missing someone, and they always would. She still believed that somehow, she should’ve done more; but she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. “Maybe...” She began, her tone light, “Maybe if you asked you could----finish out the year there. Merlin knows you’d learn more at the vineyard than you ever will here, and grandmum would----she’d love the company.”

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ffsbanhi:

lanceahn:

              Without much thought and acting on pure,  i r r a t i o n a l  anger, Lance smacked Kiran’s hand away from his frame. “ Watch the tone?? Your mate SLAPPED Nadia, and you’re telling me to watch it?? What, is she gonna’ smack me one too, Kiran, or are you?? ”He challenged, staring Kiran purposefully in the eye. What would you do if someone slapped Amma?? Words Lance communicated with a tip of his head, because he couldn’t say them aloud. “ I don’t know why you’re being such a  d i c k  lately, but good. Pardy was better off without you, Krum and Benji acting like twats anyways. And YOU, ” he pointed at Benji, “ don’t you go near Nadia again.  E V E R. ”

The air had shifted as soon as Kiran stepped in front of her, protecting her from…Lance. Her eyes fell to the other boy’s burning with anger. While Benji had never gotten along with him, his betrayal hurt no less. “Nadia slapped your mate. Where were you when that happened, huh?” Benji planted herself firm in between Lance and Kiran now, fists curling at her side. “The only wasteman here is you. What happened to your loyalty?” She asked, righteous indignation causing her to push his hand away as she stepped forward. Where his cause was noble this time around, Benji couldn’t just allow Kiran to take this – not from Lance. “Don’t go near Kiran. If this is how you’re going to be. And Nadia don’t even come close to him again or It’ll be much worse than a slap.”

Benji’s smack had stunned Nadia----more used to being hit with spells than what she considered the more barbaric alternative----and before she knew it she was wandless and safely tucked behind Lance, Kiran involved as well; but that didn’t stop her from firing back at Benji using her words, hand curled into the fabric of Lance’s shirt in front of her in an effort to keep herself from reaching over him to try and retaliate. “Kiran can try anytime, Fenwick, but keep fighting his battles----just like you let him USE you to screw over girls he’s too afraid to end things with---you’re both PATHETIC---but I’m the fucking coward, somehow. Try to touch me again and you won’t have a  h a n d, bitch.”

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lloydxurquhart:

Taking the drink, he nonchalantly threw it over his shoulder, raising his eyes in a who-do-you-take-me-for manner. “You’ll find the mere neanderthal nature of Khan and Ahn is enough indication for anyone with even a fraction of my brain capacity to make that educated guess.” He fiddled with the temporary sobriety ring on his finger. Lowly, he whispered, “Afters in the dungeons?”

“YOUR brain capacity? You mean, even counting the untold damage done by all of the hits you so willingly take?” Her teasing had no real bite to it, and she appeared to mull over his offer for a moment, “Is your self-imposed sobriety only for the party itself, or are you planning to spend afterwards watching me drink----since it seems I won’t be doing so here?”

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kirankhan:

Broad shoulders tensed at the reluctant recognition of a rather hostile presence within his peripherals, but Kiran tried his best to focus on whatever the 6th year Hufflepuff – or, was it Ravenclaw? – girl was saying. Within a blink of a eye, quite literally, the girl was pushed to the side, and before Kiran could protest or offer a hand, he was left with a stinging sensation spreading across his cheek. Wincing, he rubbed his cheek lightly, sighing heavily. “Yep! That’s me…” He spoke with faux enthusiasm, nodding slowly in defeat, absent of any one of the dozen ridiculous nicknames he’d coined for her, and with his tongue pressed against his cheek. Another sigh. “Listen, I’ll catch you later, yeah?” He spoke to the other girl, forcing a small smile of reassurance. “Bit peak, init,” he looked at Nadia, referencing the shove. He could silently take shit from everyone else, despite his innocence for the first time, but when it came to Nadia Zabini, Kiran couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Anything else to say whilst you’re at it? Even it out? More disinfectant?”

"Let me tell you what's really ‘ peak ’, Khan," She spat venomously, "You showing up here, having a ball with a waste of space like Atlas Krum and acting like you don't have a  care in the world----and you really don't, do you? You don't even care----about ANYTHING but yourself. If you had even a bit of decency you wouldn't even be here, but no----" And now he was talking back to her? "I could fill a  book with all the things I have to say to you, but quite frankly the planet doesn't deserve to suffer for all the trees it'd kill, but since you offered---" A hard shove and Kiran was back in the pool, Nadia leaning down to speak to him, "The ONLY reason you're not in the Hospital Wing right now is because Lance is astonishingly still fond of you, but if you  e v e r  mess with Amma again, I'll take a page out of my grandmother's book and you'll be wishing it was nothing more than a slap across the face. Are we clear?"

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lanceahn:

NOTHING ON YOU, Lance’s mouth pulled into an earnest smile at her words. He shifted to eye Nadia over his shoulder, worry lines in his forehead  l e s s e n i n g  to nonexistence. It was nice that she could just WASH them away. “ You’re the bestest, Nadia Bo Badia. It’s  w e i r d,  he and Krum together just become some kind of next level wastemen. ” Not that Kiran hadn’t done a job of acting like a dick all on his own lately. Lance couldn’t even defend his best mate. “ Yeah, init. How… how’s Amma been?? ”

Her gaze flitted back to him, a smile softening her features as she admired him, eyebrow quirking at his words. “Well it’s not like someone like Krum will really expect any decent behavior from Kiran like you might----having expectations of people isn’t a BAD thing.” She paused, thinking for a moment on how to answer his question, “She----Amma’s not the kind of girl who takes humiliation well, none of us are, and----” And she was hurt, Nadia knew, but she wasn’t sure Amma wanted that broadcast to anyone, particularly not Kiran’s best friend. Nadia sighed, then; Lance was his best friend. “You could always go pry him away from Krum, if you wanted.”

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zachzabs:

Zach took a sip of the drink himself, his face contorting distastefully. “This is not the kind of bubbly that I prefer for my champagne to be.”

Nadia’s face lit up in a way that only her brothers----brother----was able to cause. With a wry smile, she set the glass down, “Can you even fathom how they’d react to quality wine and liquor? Can you imagine if our grandmother tasted this? That would be a memory for the pensieve.”

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marymacii:

“I mean, I dunno what to tell ya, there’s bubbles everywhere?? Didn’t you bring your own shit, Nadia??”

“No, MacDonald, I didn’t; why would I waste my own shit here?”

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lanceahn:

               “ Probably just some wasteman’s idea of a prank, boo. ” Lance replied distractedly, failing even to spare a glance in Nadia’s direction. Instead his gaze remained fixed on Kiran and Atlas across the room, fooling about by the pool. “ You don’t think Krum is more bants than manz is,  d o   y o u,  Nadia?? ”

Still examining her glass in dismay, Nadia replied absently, “Atlas Krum is a total degenerate, and that’s putting it kindly.” His tone---his distraction----finally registering, Nadia looked up, eyes darting over to him because she could count on one hand the number of times Lance wasn’t focused on her when they were speaking. Following his gaze, she frowned, “But to answer your question----no, he’s got NOTHING on you. Kiran is probably just looking for someone who will condone his atrocious behavior.”

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qveenavery:

                “ You shouldn’t be surprised, Nadia. Because  e v e r y t h i n g  fucking sucks, everything that’s supposed to be nice tastes like soap. This party sucks. ”

Nadia’s lips pursed; Amma shouldn’t be so unhappy, and it was all Kiran Khan’s fault. “Do you want to leave? Just say the word, and we’re gone.” She paused, hesitating a moment before continuing, “Just say the word, and I’ll toss HIM out the window and into the lake. Or the forest. Either, really.”

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gcdofwars:

“Because you know you can’t trust anyone but Slytherin with party preparations. OR ANYTHING AT ALL, for that matter.” Ares shrugged. “No one strives for excellence like we do.” Smirking, he handed her a silver flask. “Party favours.”

“I have to speak up in Ravenclaw’s defense if only for Zach----he’s quite the party planner and an excellent host. But your point is valid otherwise.” Taking the flask, she tipped it towards him in thanks before taking a drink, “And you’re in the mood to share? How lucky for me.”

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lloydxurquhart:

“Congratulations, you’re probably drinking muggle piss.”

She grimaced, pressing the cup into his hands, “Fine, you taste it and tell me since you’re apparently knowledgeable enough on the subject to make that educated guess.”

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kirankhan:

Emersing from the water like the Greek God he thought he was, Kiran flipped back his black hair, and strutted out of the bath as he ran a hand over his torso, feeling his own chiseled abs. He had to remind himself not everything was bad. “Woiiiii, look who it is,” he greeted the person nearest to him, anything for a distraction. “You got a wand on you? Manz proper fucked it,” He said, pressing the ball of his palm against the deep cut above his eyebrow; the downsides of pissing around with Atlas Krum. 

Nadia’s eyes narrowed as she observed the scene; just who did Kiran Khan think he was? Did he think he could CHEAT on her best friend and then come to a party and have FUN? No way. She shoved the person Kiran had been speaking to out of the way, a mocking “Here, Kir, let me help,” uttered before she threw her drink in his face----hopefully it burned. To follow up, a resounding SLAP echoed through the room as her hand connected with his face, “You have a  l o t  of nerve, showing up here and acting like you aren’t the scummiest----most vile----asshole---” 

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“This has----” Nadia grimaced, “This drink tastes like it has soap in it; why am I not surprised....”