Michael Larson

Lonely, but not alone. Trevor Michael Larson, 18 Ravenclaw || Prefect || Aspiring Charms professor|| Avid Reader || Halfblood || Writer || loyal friend

[salvaorlovahow]

     Salva looked up when he heard the snap of someone breaking a quill. He spotted Michael at a table near him and decided to go back to work rather than comment on the incident. At least until Michael began to talk. Salva didn’t have a lot of people he could stand, but he didn’t have anything against Ravenclaw. In fact, Michael was one of the few people that Salva paid attention to – even if it was just because Michael was good at Charms and that happened to be the only subject Salva liked. “Maybe they want you to build character, and decent handwriting skills,” Salva looked at Michael’s handwriting and then stared blankly at the Ravenclaw. He wasn’t trying to be funny or be rude; his statement seemed rather kind for what he could have said. Salva wasn’t aware of muggle technologies. Some of the muggleborns and halfbloods would talk about different kinds of technology that muggles had, but he always looked at them blankly when they tried to explain it to him. Growing up with a father who was a pureblood and a family that took blood supremacy to a whole other level, Salva hadn’t been introduced to muggle items. “You can charm a quill to write for you,” he stated with a neutral expression on his face. “Then it might write faster and maybe you can fix your chicken-scratch.” Again, he wasn’t trying to be rude. Just blunt and honest.

[t-michael-larson]

Michael hadn’t expected anyone to really answer his quiet belligerence towards the Wizarding World and its backwards ways, so when he heard the bland comment, it jarred him. He glanced up, confusion scratched into his features, his eyes suddenly guarded. “I’m sorry?” He asked quietly, his mouth going dry. He wasn’t sure what to make of the comments, nor was he used to being called out so blatantly. His eyes darted down to the scribbles on his essay, something Caldwell was always onto him about. He liked to think it was the handwriting of a writer, someone who could put ideas down as quickly as he could make them up in his head, someone with particular attention to higher things than handwriting. He took personal offense to that. “Sorry, I... I wasn’t....” He blushed hard. “Wasn’t talking to anyone,” he mumbled softly, looking back up at the boy. “I’m well aware of writing charms. I’m also aware of how easily they backfire. I’d rather be accurate than comfortable.”

[t-michael-larson]

Reunion || Michael & Caldwell

[the-caldwellmoore-deactivated20]

It was embarrassing, very embarrassing. Caldwell didn’t really date and he didn’t really talk about crushes and boys because it really was too much, he just had to think about it and he grew flustered and awkward. He supposed the difference was his brief and previous crushes hadn’t meant much before, nothing would ever happen because he could barely talk to people comfortably let alone much else, but Sonder was different. “He asked about me?” Caldwell tried not to sound interested but his voice rose in pitch at the mere idea, teeth gnawing at his bottom lip for a moment. He wanted to know what they spoke about, what it was said and how it was said and what exactly Sonder was interested in knowing- maybe he needed to talk to Sonder’s friends? He hadn’t even thought about it. Gosh, it was just all new territory for him and it felt odd. Cute Hufflepuff boys with a love for flowers and magic tricks didn’t come around asking about him every day. It didn’t seem real. “Oh, erm-” The clap on the shoulder drew his attention back and he blinked a few times before shaking his head. “N-Nothing, not really anything, I mean- I mean we just met up the once, for like a… a… I don’t know, a maybe date style thing b-but there’s nothing to tell! Nothing happened!“ He inhaled a deep breath, his face burning and his head ducking in a further attempt to hide his embarrassed grin as he mumbled, “Maybe we kissed a little or something.” Gosh, he felt like he was going to die. “A-And we might’ve kissed a little bit before break, sort of.” Not really sort of, more of a full blown make-out in the greenhouses but he did’t think that sounded very gentlemanly of him to admit that. You weren’t meant to kiss and tell. “I missed you too… We can celebrate that- nothing else! I’ll die.”

[t-michael-larson]

Michael nearly doubled over laughing at the way Caldwell tried to explain his way out of it. He quirked one eyebrow cheekily. “Oh? Nothing to tell? You know I’m quite observant, right? From the way he was talking about you, you’d think he’d just gotten engaged.” He sniggered a little, remembering the conversation in the little coffee shop. It made far more sense now, knowing there was definitely something growing between the two boys than it had in the moment. “A ‘date style thing,’ or a date, Caldwell? And don’t you lie to me because you know I’ll find out the truth eventually. Kissed sort of? How do you sort of  kiss someone?” That one was dangerous, he knew from experience, because he definitely had sort of kissed a certain Elaine Sappington over break, but he didn’t feel the need to bring it up, not when tormenting his friend was so much fun. So often, it was Caldwell who won these things due to his superior size and strength. He’d sit on Michael and tickle the bloody hell out of him until he gave in. But here was Michael’s chance to exact revenge, and Merlin, he was taking it for all it was worth. “Oh, no. You aren’t getting out of it so easy. You’ll live, I promise. But we are celebrating everything.”

[t-michael-larson]

Take a Break || Michael & Elaine

[elainesappington]

“Oh?” She grinned, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her fingers itched to take her hair out of its standard ponytail, fix it from the windswept mess her walk had left it in, but it wasn’t so pervasive a need as it could have been. Elaine didn’t feel like she had to fuss too much over it in front of Michael; he probably hadn’t noticed, she assured herself, and if he did, he didn’t think any worse of her for having messy hair of all things. “Well. Thank you. It’s nice to hear someone say that, instead of leading me to believe that I tie myself into knots over nothing. It doesn’t feel like nothing. Not to me, at least.”

Elaine felt her smile soften as she watched Michael, then waved her hand dismissively. “No need to thank me. In fact, it was a pleasure, as it was done out of complete selfishness.” She paused, battling with the urge to scoot over another inch and press her arm against his. The urge lost, in the end, to the prickly fear of invading Michael’s space and making him uncomfortable. “I wanted to monopolize both your time and attention, so I’m glad you asked,” she inhaled deeply, then let out a small, breathy laugh. “I’ve been doing pretty well. Professor Zhang thought my performance in Transfiguration good enough to compliment me on my wandwork today, so you could say that my month’s been made.” She pressed her lips together, letting her elbow slide the small distance down the table to connect briefly with his, then smiled again. “You?”

[t-michael-larson]

Michael had had plenty of experience dealing with Type A personalities from his time with his grandparents. Anytime he or Alice complained about their grandmother’s rules or their grandfather’s strictness she would chalk it up to “Type A personality.” Caldwell was a little more intense, but Michael had grown to understand the need for things to be a certain way, and he didn’t mind accommodating for it whenever he could. “That’s because it isn’t ‘nothing,’” he tried to reassure her. He himself had had plenty of anxiety attacks over things most people would not see as important. “It matters to you. It’s not ‘nothing.’ But then, don’t beat yourself up either, if you can help it. That doesn’t help.”

He found himself laughing a little shyly at the girl’s instant shift in demeanor, her take-charge attitude coming through perfectly. To him, he didn’t mind giving her his undivided attention. It certainly beat slaving over coursework his heart just wasn’t in, and it gave him a chance to make up for the awkward way he had acted all those weeks ago. “I see. Well... I’m glad to be of service.” He listened patiently to her talking about her day, smiling and arching both eyebrows, impressed and a little infatuated. “Really? That is pretty impressive. Professor Zhang is not one to give compliments for no reason. That’s great.” He smiled shyly, his cheeks still rosy. “Well... honestly, I’m all right. Just... just ah... getting through the first few weeks off a break.” Truthfully, not much had happened to him besides work, reading, and sleeping. He had almost gone into a hibernation state for the winter, too afraid of catching cold to go outside and feeling too overwhelmed with work to really think about socializing beyond saying hi to the occasional friend in the hallway. He doubted she wanted to hear about his boring experiences and decided to keep quiet.

[t-michael-larson]

Reunion || Michael & Caldwell

[the-caldwellmoore-deactivated20]

It was rare that all of his family gathered, especially as most of them lived overseas, it made a nice change to have them all over though it had made the holidays rather hectic. It was good though, he was first and foremost someone who valued his family a great deal. “When I’m not busy there’s not usually many people I want to see other than you anyway.” Michael was really his closest friend, although on good terms with most people he wasn’t as comfortable around them as he was with the other Ravenclaw. “Oh, erm, S-Sonder… Just the once, at the start, it was- it was nice.” He was trying not to smile too much, or blush, though he was quite sure he failed at both as he ducked his head and cleared his throat a little uncomfortably. “It was nice to be with my family, I did miss you though, it feels weird not seeing you every day now.”

[t-michael-larson]

With his odd encounter with Sonder on Christmas Eve on his mind, Michael’s ears perked up at the name. He quirked a brow, watching his friend blush and listening to the telltale stutter. He knew instantly that something was up, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Sonder, huh? What a coincidence. I met up with him in London over the holiday. He was asking me about you, actually.” Michael tried - and failed - to sound casual about it. “So... what’s up there, huh? You ah... have something to tell me about, Cald?” He clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Because this may just be cause for celebration. I’ve missed you, mate.”

[t-michael-larson]

Snap. Michael groaned, almost screaming in frustration. Tossing the second broken quill in the hour aside and rummaging through his book bag for a third, he looked at his chicken scratch and shook his head. “You’d think wizards would have discovered a typewriter by now at at least,” he grumbled under his breath. Writing was always so much easier at home, where there were computers with word processing software that allowed him to move faster, write more, change things as the muse hit him, and avoid having to look at his own handwriting or breaking quills when he got too into what he was saying. “How hard is it really to integrate bloody magic with the convenience of technology?”

[ariel-kim-blog]

It was only Ariel’s luck that in the midst of a large storm she would be stuck holding a broken umbrella. She quickly ran herself inside, completely and utterly soaking wet. She tossed down the broken umbrella to show it a lesson. How dare it break on her, the stupid thing. She peered up noticing someone looking over at her. With a little wave, she gestured to where she came from. “It-it’s really rainy outside,” she tried to explain.

[t-michael-larson]

Michael had a bad habit for daydreaming. Daydreaming of the past, daydreaming of the future, daydreaming of fantasies that would make him blush if anyone ever got ahold of in a pensieve. Rain always made it just a little easier for him to think, like the water was washing away interference and the gentle pounding of drops on the windows and high ceilings offered him a sense of peace he didn’t normally get to enjoy. So when a sopping wet seventh year burst in on his thoughts, scaring him half to death and making him jump as he was startled from his pensive reverie, it took him a moment to process. Naturally, he found himself staring at Ariel for a few long seconds, probably making her incredibly uncomfortable. “S-Sorry,” he muttered, snapping out of it. “That rain can be... can be brutal. I ah... I know a drying charm... may I?” He gestured to her sopping clothes and hair, and then let his eyes flicker to the wrecked umbrella. “I may be able to fix that, too... but I’d have to look and see if reparo would do it or if something stronger is... is needed.” He smiled shyly, hesitantly reaching for his wand in case she took him up on his offer.

[t-michael-larson]

Take a Break || Michael & Elaine

[elainesappington]

“Hello there, stranger,” she greeted on an exhale, a smile stretching across her face as she placed her hands on the table beside him. Elaine felt a quiet sort of exhilaration, her breath coming a fraction faster than normal and her cheeks still flushed with the chill from the outside. Her day was shaping up to be a good one, no double Potions and a walk around the lake; she had her prefect rounds later and, despite the countless jokes at her expense that were flowing from the third year students as of late, they had all been going well. Professor Zhang even commended her for her precision during class, something she had never done before. And then she had a moment of fluttery excitement as spying Michael sitting on his own in the Great Hall but it dulled somewhat at his ‘oh’, prompting her to remember that they hadn’t really spoken since New Years. She felt her face light up with a dull flush at the memory of how ridiculous she must have been, then cleared her throat as she slowly lowered herself into the seat beside him.

“So,” she started, “you looked like you were lost in your thoughts. Not getting caught up in your head, are you?” She smiled lightly, bumping her shoulder against his, then lowered her voice a little playfully. “‘The world is so much bigger than your brain, stop living inside your head.’” She let out a soft, sheepish laugh. “That’s what my grandpa always said to me, at least, when I was little. I used to get a bit… neurotic about some things, perhaps still am. I’m sure many of our fellow prefects would say so – or anyone who’s had to be my partner in Potions, most likely,” she grimaced lightly.

[t-michael-larson]

His blush deepened a little, and he had to remind himself to breathe and to smile. He felt wholly conscious of every little move, including the rise and fall of his own chest. Had it always been so hard to breathe around her? “Ah... I guess you could say that,” he agreed with a slight nod, turning a little in his seat to face her when she sat down. He pushed his book away so as to give her his full attention. “I wouldn’t say you’re neurotic,” he answered quickly. “Not really. There’s... there’s nothing wrong with needing things done a certain way or... losing yourself to a thought.” He supposed it wasn’t really a thought so much as a memory, something pleasant he could focus on instead of things he didn’t understand in his coursework. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to tell her that, however, seeing as it directly involved her.

“I do try not to live in my head so much. I’m sure your grandpa had the right idea there,” he went on quickly. “But I think I just lost control of it for a few moments there. Thank you, for ah... for bringing me back out of it.” He smiled shyly at her. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while....”

[t-michael-larson]

Reunion || Michael & Caldwell

[the-caldwellmoore-deactivated20]

“It was, chaotic but I think that’s part of the fun of Christmas.” He felt a little guilty for being so quiet over break, especially as he knew Michael didn’t always enjoy Christmas with certain members of his own family, but it really had been a hectic holiday for him. “No, sorry, I didn’t really get the chance to get into London much at all. I didn’t really see anyone from school either, maybe one or two- or just one, actually- but, erm, it was mainly a family-orientated holiday for me. It was a good Christmas, the elves made a really good dinner, thinking about it too much makes me mess their food.”

[t-michael-larson]

“That it is,” he agreed softly, though he had no real frame of reference for such things. His Christmases used to be fun, before his mother decided they needed to spend it with the whole family. Before they had had their own place, the holidays had just been sorrowful occasions. “Really? That’s all right. I had to get out of the house a few times or I probably would not have seen anyone either. Who did you end up catching up with?” He tried not to be too jealous of whomever it was. After all, Caldwell had friends outside of his roommate. Michael couldn’t be upset about that, even if it did cause an insecure pinch in his heart. “Sounds like a grand time, mate. I’m glad you got a break. Merlin, we’ve certainly earned it.”

[t-michael-larson]

Reunion || Michael & Caldwell

[the-caldwellmoore-deactivated20]

“About you? Never.” Caldwell smiled a little, hugging his friend back, happy with the familiarity being around his friend again. “I’m sorry to hear that, especially as it was Christmas but, erm, my holiday was good? A lot of my family ended up coming over and staying so a lot of time spent with them.”

[t-michael-larson]

“That sounds fantastic.” Michael beamed at his best mate. “I expect you’ll tell me of all the fun you had with them. I thought for sure I’d run into you at the Leaky Cauldron at least once, but I suppose you didn’t get much chance to go. Did you have a happy Christmas at least?”

[t-michael-larson]

Reunion || Michael & Caldwell

“Mate... where the bloody hell did you go over break? Did you forget about me?” Michael grinned, moving to give Caldwell a tight hug. It had felt like years. “Holiday with the family was about as awful as you’d expect. How was it going back home?”

[t-michael-larson]

Take a Break || Michael & Elaine

Their glasses clinked together, a little liquid sloshing out onto his hand, but he didn’t mind as he sipped at it, her toast to the new year still ringing in his ears. The world around them was awash in colors and lights, the noise of hundreds of thousands of London residents chanting the countdown to the new year and their fresh start. Despite his hatred of crowds, huddled beside her, giddy and tipsy, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, he thought he didn’t mind them so much. They both shouted out numbers until they made it to “one” and everyone cheered. Couples around them began snogging one another, champagne in hand, smiles on their lips. Michael took it all in, listening to the blaring sounds of “Auld Lang Syne” and turning to grin at Elaine. The moment he did, he felt her lips land just at the corner of his mouth. The spot burned, and his face turned bright red. Stammering, he managed to sputter out a soft, “Happy new year, Elaine,” as she just smiled, eyes dancing with mischief. A Happy New Year indeed....

Michael brushed his hand against the spot where her kiss had landed, gazing dreamily into the distance as he recalled the moment. He was pulled out of his daydream suddenly, glancing up at the sound of his name. He was seated alone in the Great Hall, trying to get through a particularly difficult reading in Potions and finding his focus waning. He hadn’t been able to take his mind off her since their adventure in London on New Year’s Eve. But then, he hadn’t had the courage to seek her out again. He blinked at her, heart taking off. “Oh. Elaine. H-Hey....”

[loxley-blair-lockhart]

•Truancy•

[t-michael-larson]

Michael blinked a few times, clearly not understanding what Loxley was trying to tell him. He hadn’t seen or heard from him in what felt like a disproportionately large amount of time, and now he was offering a dirty look, no explanation, and a few curt nods as his only method of communication. Michael was perplexed. It took him several minutes to fully understand (or, he supposed fully understand, since there was really know way of knowing by just reading the boy’s gestures) what Loxley was trying to say. “You… can’t talk? Did you catch something over the holiday? I’m pretty shite at healing magic, but maybe I can find a charm to help….” He glanced in the general direction Loxley pointed to with his head and frowned even more deeply. “I d-don’t… what are you trying to tell me here?”

[loxley-blair-lockhart]

Loxley gave a frustrated sigh, he was always so frustrated when people couldn’t understand him. Which made him even more frustrated, because it wasn’t as if it was their fault. It was his fault. He couldn’t communicate. Loxley liked Michael, or he would have been tempted to just show the fuck off sign and hope that he got the message. Instead he gave the boy a curt shake of his head and frowned as he pulled his knees up to rest his paper on to write. “I dunno if you can remember or not but I didn’t start talking until third year, and it’s come back. Haven’t caught anything. It’s mental.” He balled up the paper and threw it at Michael. He then tapped his forehead, just so that the Ravenclaw knew what he meant when he said mental.

[t-michael-larson]

Michael flinched, feeling like an idiot immediately after, and uncurled the paper, reading it over a few times before looking at his friend sympathetically. He vaguely remembered the boy that wouldn’t speak third year, but by that point he had been trying to disappear himself. He set the paper aside and moved to sit beside the other boy in an act of solidarity. “I vaguely remember,” he murmured. “I’m sorry, mate... that’s... tough. Did you ask Madam Pomfrey about it? Maybe she could help get you sorted out.” He wanted to ask what had caused this dramatic shift in the boy who rarely shut up about anything, but he figured it was better to let Loxley come out with it on his own time. It wasn’t Michael’s place to ask anyway.

[loxley-blair-lockhart]

•Truancy•

[loxley-blair-lockhart]

Stupid Michael. Of course it would be Michael. Michael who definitely didn’t listen to gossip, much less contribute to it. He needed people who already knew what was going on so that he wouldn’t have to make a shit attempt at trying to explain it. He didn’t hate Michael, far from it, but he was so frustrated at not being able to talk. All his anger was deflected into the scowl he gave the Ravenclaw, which quickly softened with a sigh. He got out his notepad and flipped to the front. His default phrases. Yes, no, fuck off. Can’t talk. He cleared his throat and wondered if he couldn’t maybe pretend that he was okay without saying anything. He nodded in the direction of the Potions classroom, at the backs of Tyler and Jeremy. Maybe that would be enough explanation.

[t-michael-larson]

Michael blinked a few times, clearly not understanding what Loxley was trying to tell him. He hadn’t seen or heard from him in what felt like a disproportionately large amount of time, and now he was offering a dirty look, no explanation, and a few curt nods as his only method of communication. Michael was perplexed. It took him several minutes to fully understand (or, he supposed fully understand, since there was really know way of knowing by just reading the boy’s gestures) what Loxley was trying to say. “You... can’t talk? Did you catch something over the holiday? I’m pretty shite at healing magic, but maybe I can find a charm to help....” He glanced in the general direction Loxley pointed to with his head and frowned even more deeply. “I d-don’t... what are you trying to tell me here?”

[loxley-blair-lockhart]

•Truancy•

He stuck with either Jeremy or Tyler as much as he could, and the classes he didn’t share with either one were skipped. He didn’t care. It didn’t matter. Nothing really mattered as long as he had either one of them, because as long as he did, he didn’t have to answer any questions. Loxley hadn’t told anyone in the administration that he wasn’t talking. It was such a total fuck around the first time, he just didn’t want to put anyone out. Especially now McGonagall was gone, and she’d been such a huge advocate for him.

- But Loxley didn’t share all of their classes, and he didn’t want either of them to skip. Potions. He’d dropped the class at the beginning of seventh year after rather optimistically signing up in the first place. He realised two weeks in that he definitely couldn’t handle the fire heated cauldrons anymore.

He sat, huddled outside the classroom, his head buried in a book on semi-sentient plants, though he did look up mournfully at the questioning student. He simply shrugged and hoped it was a good enough answer. He didn’t feel like explaining that he couldn’t talk, so he decided to simply act like the sullen bastard he’d always been.

[t-michael-larson]

Michael thought it was odd that he hadn’t seen Loxley around. After their eventful Christmas holiday, he thought for certain he’d be seeing a little more of the boy, with whom he wasn’t sure exactly where he stood. It was hard to classify what they were. On one hand, they were certainly not enemies anymore. But he wasn’t sure to what degree they were friends. Michael had to admit he was feeling a lot more comfortable with the other boy than he had been with most people. There was something about the real way Loxley handled him that left him feeling less like an undesirable and more like a real person. He had to say he appreciated that.

He wasn’t expecting to find him huddled outside the door to a potions classroom, and certainly wasn’t expecting to nearly trip over him. “Woah... bloody hell....” He glanced down. “Sorry, mate, I didn’t-” Before he could get any further, he noticed the boy’s sullen expression and frowned deeply. “Loxley? Hey... what are you doing out here?”

[t-michael-larson]

Michael found himself blushing a t the compliment. “Ah… well… I-I guess… you could say that. Th-thanks.” He cleared his throat and shuffled awkwardly alongside the other boy. “Ah, she’s m’sister. Just turned twenty-four not long ago. I’m sure she’ll be married this time next year, but she’d ah… she’d kill me f-for saying so. Any help would be… very appreciated, Sonder, thank you.” He hadn’t really interacted with the other boy much at all. It was jarring to do so now all at once. “Ah… Caldwell? W-What about him?” Michael quirked one eyebrow at the giggly Hufflepuff, wondering exactly what about his frend was making his current companion act this way. 

By the time they got in, Michael was craving a little warmth. He was only too eager to get himself a warm beverage to sip on, and he was happy to provide one for Sonder too, particularly given the fact it was almost his birthday. “Great, yeah… a-absolutely.” He went up to the counter, waiting just behind a woman in a gray knit beanie, frantically studying the options before his turn came.

[sondermink]

What was it with boys having stutters? Adorable, and Sonder would have said so again except he knew he needed to calm down around the Ravenclaw boys. They were so precious and so easy to fluster. “Twenty four, okay! Does she have a house with her partner? Maybe you could get her house things? Sweet, decorative things! I know a shop!” He was, at his core, helpful. Also very bored, and very hyperactive on the high of excited shoppers all around him. It was an atmosphere and Sonder fed on it.

“Ah, Caldwell.” He mimicked, though with a completely different inflection. Sonder sat with the boy on an overstuffed sofa and curled his legs beneath himself. “He’s lovely, isn’t he? Isn’t he lovely? I just think he’s so gorgeous… Does anyone else, do you think? I mean obviously everyone thinks he’s gorgeous but do you suppose many people tell him so? Because I do.” He wasn’t so much jealous as he was curious. Sonder simply wanted to know if Caldwell got much attention from other boys, mainly so that he could decipher whether or not it was positive attention. “Have you spoken much over the holidays?” Maybe Caldwell had mentioned him, how they kissed in the greenhouse and how Sonder had been completely inappropriate on his couch when they were supposed to be watching a movie. He grinned at the idea. He did love the attention. “Thank you!” He near shouted at the server when their drinks were brought over. “Lovely, lovely chocolate, Michael! Such a fantastic birthday gift. See? Practice for tomorrow! You’re already great at this!”

[t-michael-larson]

Michael nodded, sinking almost comically into the plush sofa, his legs bent oddly close to his chest. “She lives with him now, yes. That might be more than perfect. She likes candles? Says they’re healing. I don’t really understand all that, but I was thinking about finding her a nice one.” Michael unwound his scarf, deciding it was too warm indoors for it, and listened politely but with an air of disbelief to Sonder prattling on about Caldwell. The Caldwell. The very same boy who hadn’t contacted him all of break and who was certain no one would ever find him attractive or desirable. “Ah... y-yeah, he is... absolutely lovely, an excellent friend. But ah... no, he doesn’t really get all that much attention. P-particularly not... like that.” Michael hadn’t even ever used the word gorgeous to refer to the boy in question, and from what he had said in the dorm many nights ago, not many people had. The fact that Sonder was openly saying so, and made it sound like he did so frequently, had Michael grinning in spite of himself. He knew Caldwell would positively faint from something like that. He was suddenly intrigued by what Sonder had to say, curious to bring it up to Caldwell when he could back at Hogwarts. “Wait a moment... are you and Caldwell...? I haven’t heard from him all break, I assumed he was just busy.” He wondered why Caldwell had never mentioned anything like this before. It wasn’t like him to keep secrets, particularly not big ones like potential significant others. 

Michael quietly thanked the server when their coffee came out, smiling shyly. “Well... I hope you like it then. Think many people are going to show up to your party? With everyone scattered about I know it’s probably difficult.”

[loxley-blair-lockhart]

“Buddy, ain’t you eighteen? You don’t have to listen to their fuckin’ rules! Make your own!” Loxley’s view was pretty simplistic and based on the fact that he would have graduated before he was eighteen. Still, it seemed so simple, and he knew he wasn’t going to hang around with shitty people when he was old enough to legally tell them to fuck off. “I’m feelin’ really, really drunk. ’S great. You should try it.” He slurred as he lazily pushed Michael’s drink closer to the boy. He was impressed when Michael didn’t even cough as he swallowed the firewhiskey. Loxley still did. “They can come!” Loxley opened his arms jovial like and laughed, before frowning just a little and leaning his cheek against the bar, looking up at the Ravenclaw. “Why’d yall go there if you’re all hated? Seems odd.”

[t-michael-larson]

Michael shook his head. If only it were that simple. If only eighteen were the magical age he’d grown up believing where he didn’t have to listen to what his family told him or do as they demanded of him. But alas, that wasn’t exactly the case. He took another long drink of firewhiskey on Loxley’s prodding, coming to enjoy the sensation of flames licking him inside, pleasant and warm as he could have dreamed it would be sitting around their hearth at home. “Not so simple. They’ve had us under their thumb for years. Mum thought it might be nice, since they’re getting older and we’re all we have, if we’d just spend the holidays together. Out loud, it sounds lovely and noble and in the spirit of Christmas. In practice it has been just about the worst thing ever.”

[sondermink]

“Oh, aren’t you just so sweet?! I think I’d prefer gifts throughout the year anyway, just because you know? Totally sweet.” Gosh, if Sonder had known that Ravenclaw was hiding such a pair of cuties he might have tried to climb that tower a long time ago. “Who’s Alice anyway? Sister? Girlfriend? How old is she? I can help!” All his other friends had nicked off anyway, and he thought he could be quite useful. “My ulterior motivate is Caldwell!” He giggled bashfully as he urged the other to walk with him, narrowed suppressing the urge to hold Michael’s hand. Sonder needed boundaries. “Well it is my birthday tomorrow.” Sonder opened the door to the sweet little coffee shop and ushered his classmate inside. It was warm and homely and overwhelmingly chocolaty. “You can buy. It can be your gift to me! Double chocolate with a caramel swirl please.”

[t-michael-larson]

Michael found himself blushing a t the compliment. “Ah... well... I-I guess... you could say that. Th-thanks.” He cleared his throat and shuffled awkwardly alongside the other boy. “Ah, she’s m’sister. Just turned twenty-four not long ago. I’m sure she’ll be married this time next year, but she’d ah... she’d kill me f-for saying so. Any help would be... very appreciated, Sonder, thank you.” He hadn’t really interacted with the other boy much at all. It was jarring to do so now all at once. “Ah... Caldwell? W-What about him?” Michael quirked one eyebrow at the giggly Hufflepuff, wondering exactly what about his frend was making his current companion act this way. 

By the time they got in, Michael was craving a little warmth. He was only too eager to get himself a warm beverage to sip on, and he was happy to provide one for Sonder too, particularly given the fact it was almost his birthday. “Great, yeah... a-absolutely.” He went up to the counter, waiting just behind a woman in a gray knit beanie, frantically studying the options before his turn came.