Re: Secret Corridor in the Dungeons

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy laughed, also dreading working on the paper she couldn't afford to half-ass. She'd have to get to the library for it eventually. She pulled her legs up close to her body, hugging her arms comfortably around her knees. "Not really. Haven't seen my friends in what seems like ages. They all go to the lake, and I'd rather just avoid that place these days. Too many idiots in too concentrated an area. Sev's been the only one I've talked to recently, but he's even acting weird. Like he's... I don't know." She paused, trying to figure it out. The panicked faces, hurried sentences and quick changing of subjects, and his constant insistence that Draco loved her more than anything. No explanation presented itself. She glanced over at him, still clueless. "Almost like he's afraid of me? It's strange."

[Muffy - Tam - Draco]

"I can't see how that'd be strange. Everyone else is afraid of you," Draco joked, chuckling to himself, "Maybe Sev caught on with the trend. Finally realized how scary you really are..." He saw that she was actually concerned about it and shrugged, "Only kidding. Maybe he's going through something he doesn't want anyone to know about. We've all been there before and Sev's got it worse off than most of us," He wanted to avoid the subject of Severus. Ever since the awkward conversation in the common room, Draco was sure Sev was bound to be avoiding him too. What had Sev meant by it anyway? Draco pushed that from his mind and looked back over at Pansy, "On the other hand, I agree with you about the lake. It's become the key hangout spot and I can't even sit in my favorite spot under the tree without someone introducing themselves. I'm a depressing git, who'd look at me and think 'Ooh! New friend!'" He picked at the dust on the floor, "People here are crazy. Especially the Gryffs and Ravenbores."

[HorcruxHunter]

[-is not crazy-]

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy didn't add anything else about Severus. It was obviously a strange thing for both of them, and she figured he'd come around eventually once he got things sorted out. Sev always did. She laughed as Draco talked about the lake. "They all expect to be the best of friends. What's happened to this school? It's all I can do sometimes to keep from hexing them to keep them away. Hm. Maybe you're right, no wonder everyone's afraid of me," she laughed. "I'm afraid they're rubbing off on some of the Slytherins, though. A bit too jovial these days. 'Course, it could just be because I've been easily annoyed this past week or so." She rubbed her hands on her arms, partly because she felt strange telling him this since it was because of him that she'd been irritable, and partly from the chill of the dungeons. They were like home, or at least, the place she felt most home, surrounded by the dank stones, dust and spiders and echoing corridors underground, the odd green light that filtered through the lake water into the common room. As strange as it all might have been, that was comfort to her, not some cheery hallway with golden glittering sunlight. That felt foreign. Sitting here in a hidden hallway with Draco, this was what she liked. This was how she could spend forever.

[Draco Malfoy]

[well some gryffies have been rubbing off against me but i doubt that's what you mean]

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

[well some gryffies have been rubbing off against me but i doubt that's what you mean]

[Uh. Hi. Your bff is Granger. You're done speaking now.
]

[Molly Prewett]

[well some gryffies have been rubbing off against me but i doubt that's what you mean]

[Uh. Hi. Your bff is Granger. You're done speaking now.
]

[*pats sweet little innocent Parkinson on the head*]

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

[well some gryffies have been rubbing off against me but i doubt that's what you mean]

[Uh. Hi. Your bff is Granger. You're done speaking now.
]

[*pats sweet little innocent Parkinson on the head*]

[*bites*]

[Draco Malfoy]

[*is grinning like a Loon on Loon Tablets*]

[Muffy - Tam - Draco]

Pansy didn't add anything else about Severus. It was obviously a strange thing for both of them, and she figured he'd come around eventually once he got things sorted out. Sev always did. She laughed as Draco talked about the lake. "They all expect to be the best of friends. What's happened to this school? It's all I can do sometimes to keep from hexing them to keep them away. Hm. Maybe you're right, no wonder everyone's afraid of me," she laughed. "I'm afraid they're rubbing off on some of the Slytherins, though. A bit too jovial these days. 'Course, it could just be because I've been easily annoyed this past week or so." She rubbed her hands on her arms, partly because she felt strange telling him this since it was because of him that she'd been irritable, and partly from the chill of the dungeons. They were like home, or at least, the place she felt most home, surrounded by the dank stones, dust and spiders and echoing corridors underground, the odd green light that filtered through the lake water into the common room. As strange as it all might have been, that was comfort to her, not some cheery hallway with golden glittering sunlight. That felt foreign. Sitting here in a hidden hallway with Draco, this was what she liked. This was how she could spend forever.

"Fuck inter-house unity. If I wanted that, I'd have been put in the Gryffindor house..." Draco gritted his teeth, thinking about the events that had happened. He had done some stupid things since he had returned, possibly egged some of the younger ones on about being friends with the other houses from the rumors of him and Granger. That was about to change, "I could fix the Slytherins up, if need be. They shouldn't be afraid of you. If they are, they did something stupid. Like hanging with Gryffinbores. I like that nickname better than Ravenbores. Not all the Ravenclaws are bad, just the majority. The only house that has people who understand me and who actually know what goes on beyond these walls is the Slytherin house. The world doesn't unite out there, you know? It's silly to think that we can all unite here. I'm never linking arms with Looper or the Mudblood. They don't deserve my presence or my touch for that matter. Have you ever noticed they send the most fucked up kids to Slytherin? We're the ones who are treated like vermin. If anything, Granger should start a Spewlike thing for us." He was rambling now. He knew half of what he was saying was wrong, but it was comforting all the same.

[Draco Malfoy]

[S.O.S - Save Our Slytherins... ]

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

"I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking the Slytherins, and not even all the Slytherins at that, are the only students who are ready for what's out there. Unity doesn't exist outside of this school, and we'll be the few ready for it. You can't just waltz up and proclaim a new friend. You'll get killed. It's everyone for themselves." She'd been drilled with this all through childhood. Take care of yourself. You can only depend on yourself. You cannot show weakness. You cannot show emotion. You have to be strong. You have to take power of your own accord. You have to survive in this dog eat dog world. It wasn't a pleasant childhood all the time, maybe, but it made her who she was. And she never doubted her ability to care for herself. She mumbled, mostly to herself, recalling the words her mother always told her before she got on the Hogwarts Express each year. "We can only trust ourselves out there. Friends mean nothing." There were few truly happy memories from her childhood, but nearly all of those included Draco. Through all that had happened, he was her one constant, at first because of their parents' ties, and later because of their own friendship. He'd always been around, though the degrees of friendship had fluctuated oddly. Inseparable friends, school allies, follower and commander, confused nothingness when he'd disappeared without a trace, almost lovers, brokenhearted idiots, and now, well, whatever they were right now. Pansy still wasn't quite sure.

[Muffy - Tam - Draco]

Draco turned to look at her and nodded slowly. It wasn't something anyone would have wanted to admit, but it was the truth. The truth was hard to hear sometimes and he expected that the other Houses didn't want to accept the realities that lay beyond the walls of Hogwarts, "The world is like this school. There are the ones who think they're brave and will get all the glory, the ones who are loyal to the causeand defend it even when it's futile, the ones whose wit will save them from almost anything, and the ones who are mistreated because of the history that binds them and end up fleeing. Everyone believes that we're sneaky. Everyone believes that we're manipulative and cruel..." His voice trailed off as his fists clenched along the damp, cracked flooring, "Maybe we wouldn't be hesitant to help them if they didn't spit in our faces and hate us for our families. Maybe we would be inclined to fight alongside them if they accepted the fact that Dark magic is sometimes necessary. Maybe we'd risk our lives for them if we knew they would do the same for us and not leave us to die," He turned to look at her, "But they wouldn't. If we stood in the front lines and fought along with them, they'd be too stunned to fight with us. If the battle was about to be lost and we stood there, using our Unforgivables and fighting til the death, they'd be the ones fleeing. They would never help us because we are the Dark wizards and we don't deserve love!" He didn't realize the sound level of his voice had risen or that he had pounded his fist on the floor, "The minute we're sorted into Slytherin, we're outcasted as the scum of the Wizarding World. Why only us?" He calmed down, resting his head back against the wall, "We shouldn't trust any of them. We only have one another. The minute we divide ourselves amongst them, we lose our own unity. We lose each other...."

[Guest]

[just to but in, and inflate heads even more, you guys, are. the. best. tehehe]

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy wanted to reach over and calm him as he ranted on, but she didn't move. Thoughts needed to be spilled, shared, and it was much too soon to allow herself to hug him yet. "They will never trust us, and we can never trust them. You're right. The moment we're proclaimed a Slytherin, our fates are sealed. We are hated for what we are. But I'm not ashamed of it. We're among some the most powerful wizards there have ever been, Dark or not. We're known for our cunning and getting what we want. And even if it's just out of fear, we get some respect. We don't let ourselves get walked all over like the rest of them." She dug her fingernails into her palms, knuckles turning white. "The strong survive in this world. Allies are often useless. Grades are essentially meaningless. Cowardice will be their downfall, and they'll know the truth too late. That we weren't so different, or wouldn't have been except for our isolation, our families, how we were taught and treated as children. We don't get babied like they do." She sighed and looked at him, knowing he'd had it even worse than she had. "Maybe it will pay off in the end. We can only hope." She slid her hand across the floor, only half believing she was actually doing it, and took his hand. She needed the comfort of his warmth on her skin. It made something as stupid as hope possible.

[Muffy - Tam - Draco]

Draco took her hand into his forgetting about all that had happened. All that mattered to him now was the fact that the Slytherins used to be the people he could trust and now he could only trust one of them. The people who used to stand up for the things they believed in had scampered off into the unknown to hang out with the other houses who would turn their backs on them, "I used to think that one day, the houses would be different. We could all be around one another and accept each other for who we are. That's never the case. I'm hated because of what my father has done to other people's families and what he's done in the world. I'm hated because my father made some loathsome decisions. I've learned things from what has happened with my family. I've learned that being a coward and only doing things out of fear will get you nowhere. That's why I despise being judged based on my father's actions. I am not him and I will not make his mistakes. The others, they don't see that..." He looked down at her hand in his, "But you do. You know where I stand and what brought me here. I know that our pasts will lead us down the right path. Whatever's out there now, we know better than anyone how to defend ourselves against it. We've fought against the worst of the worst...we've learned from the worst of the worst," He stared up at the darkened ceiling, his head beginning to pound, "The others feel like they can gain experience from books. Books won't teach you the horrors that happen when you inflict pain on someone else. They don't give off the emotion someone shows or the memories they yell when you're torturing them. They can't make you feel pain, they only describe it in explicit detail. None of it's real. None of it shows what really happens," He felt ashamed of himself, "I have made people do my bidding. I have seen their minds go blank and I make them walk into dangers. I have done the worst things imaginable and, yet, when I read books about what I've done it's not anything that I felt! It's lies," He paused, for a long time, before continuing, "We, the only Slytherins who know their place, we're fucked."

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy listened to him in silence, the times she'd used Crucio flashing through her mind. The unbridled power she felt, the complete control and savageness of it all. It was a terrible but wondrous feeling, and she almost hated that she'd enjoyed it so much. She squeezed his hand lightly and laughed coldly to herself. "We're beyond fucked, you and I. We're part of a group that no one leaves alive." She stared at the ground, wishing she could find the hope to be one of the lucky ones. Those who could disappear, go off somewhere else and start a quiet life, not bothered with what 'side' you were on. There was dark and there was light, and she was stuck somewhere in between. "I wish there was a way out. A way to run away from this." She smirked, imagining her family's reaction to that, their precious daughter running off without a word. They'd probably kill her for the shame it would cause; there was no mercy for even their own blood.

[Muffy - Tam - Draco]

"I've already tried running away from my family. The only way to get away is to change your name, I'm thinking..." Draco shook his head, "I'm not afraid of my name. I want people to know I'm not afraid to be who I am. They won't stop hating me and I won't stop hating them, it's the way life's meant to be." The world was cruel when it created the places they would live in. Stuck with families who forced them to be what they wanted them to be, hated by people who didn't even care to get to know them. They were placed on the Earth to be ridiculed and hated. Draco had grown used to it over the years and didn't mind it when people directed their hatred at him. He was a sponge, sucking in their cruel words and judgements and growing from them. He didn't believe that every single Slytherin deserved that. He glanced over at Pansy, squeezing her hand lightly, "I don't mind being in this hell as long as I have someone like you."

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

"No shame in being a Malfoy. Maybe you'll redeem the name, prove everyone wrong, even your father. You never know." Pansy knew he could be better. She'd seen his heart, and it was good, even if it was tortured and warped by the world they grew up in. She knew his potential, knew how important he could be with a will like his. He wouldn't let anything stop him from getting what he wanted, so long as someone reminded him to keep going every once in a while. Pansy couldn't help but smile at his last comment, though she tried to hide it behind her hair. "I probably wouldn't have survived as well as I've managed to if not for you."

[Muffy - Tam - Draco]

"I'll work hard to bring honor to the name," Draco grinned at her. The cold dungeons were the opposite of the environment he felt when he sat beside her. Maybe it wasn't necessarily the dungeons that felt like home, but the experiences that he had in the dungeons that made it home. He felt his eyelids droop as he sunk into his thoughts: The Houses and unity, his warped family, the loss of friends, and Pansy. All, except one, made his head ache. The last sentence she uttered wiped them all away. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up a bit. He didn't care. He didn't need to impress Pansy, she liked him for who he was and he appreciated that, "We'll stick together. With the others losing faith in the ones who truly matter and this school going to hell, all we've got is one another." He muttered to himself, a smile on his face, "I think that solitude will be nice." He thought he heard footsteps from another corridor and his head jerked in the opposite direction. It turned out only to be the madness from sleep deprivation, "Parkinson. What do you say we head back to the common room?"

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

"We'll always have each other." Only realizing at the mention of the common room just how tired she was, Pansy laughed. "Yeah, that'd be great. Hope I just make it there without passing out on you." She rolled her shoulders back, wincing as one of them popped and she yawned with her newly discovered sleepiness. She leaned forward and got up, turning to wait for him to follow. Things felt normal again, at least a little bit. It was a nice change from the past week, the complete isolation she'd put herself in. Never again, she promised herself. She wouldn't let it happen again. She might not be able to survive it twice. Trying to stifle a second yawn, she tucked her hair behind her ear, not believing how wonderful her bed sounded right now. Even the couch would be lovely.

[Muffy - Tam - Draco]

Draco pushed himself off the wall, not minding the stiffness in his shoulders. It would all go away as soon as he got to the common room. The thought of seeing Severus in the dormitory still worried him since the last conversation. He would probably curl up in his spot on the couch and sleep there for the night. He stretched his arm back behind his head, yawning. They had spent a long time in the dungeons. He walked beside her as they left the dungeons to return to the common room. He didn't think it'd be long before they were running back here for another one of their talks, but he was looking forward to it. He desperately shoved that thought from his mind. For now, he needed to get some sleep or he wouldn't live to see it.

[Meet you there! XD]

[Claire McCann]

Faye strolled down the dungeons. She hated Regulus Black. She didn't know why he was suck a prick or why he thought he was above her. She leaned on one of the stone walls and pulled out a Muggle cigarette. All in good fun, she thought to herself. She used her wand to light the end and began to smoke. The nicotine calmed her for some reason. Odd, how Muggle products could do wonders that magic couldn't do.

[Guest]

[Faye is obviously gone by now.]

Reg is dragged to a place where they're sure nobody else will be able to overhear.

[Narcissa Black]

Narcissa let go of Regulus and turned to face him. "So, talk to me," she put a hand on her hip. "What's wrong?"

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