Old Friends and New Acquaintances {Abbie, Dorian}

[Tory Bloom]

"Mum, gerroff!"
"Your last year! Vee are being so proud. Come here!"

Tory Bloom's mother was holding him at arms length, observing all of his features tearfully. Even in her early forties, she was a magnificent woman. Her hark was dark and her rich, olive skin was expertly powdered.

She was Bulgarian in origin and had never quite lost that last hint of her accent, even after being in England for so many years.

"You made it son, you're now officially of-age. You're mother said it, your last ever year." His father clapped him jovially on the shoulder. He had to reach though, as his stocky son was growing in what his father considered to be an indecent rate.

"Dad, I don't need reminding. Can you let me go now? I've got a train to catch."

The family of three were standing on the busy Platform 9³/₄. Busy looking students were lugging trunks and owl cages onto the magnificent scarlet steam engine. A sign above them read,

The Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock

Neither of Tory's parents seem to have heard him. They were still too caught up in the moment to realise that their son was struggling to get away.

"Mum! Dad! Hello?"

"Oh right!" laughed his father. "I'll give you a hand with that." He heaved Tory's enormous trunk into one of the open doors and lifted up into one of the luggage carriers.

Tory's mother took this opportunity to seize him again.

"Mum!" Tory protested. "You never normally make this much fuss."

"Yes vell, dis is an important year for you. Promise me dat you will be good. Promise me!"

"Alright, I promise you if it makes you feel any better. I don't know what you're so worried about! I'm a model student remember? Clean sheet for four years?"

His mother made no indication that she's heard him, but continued to brush down his muggle clothes rather unnecessarily.

Tobias Bloom, rather interupted the scene by locking him in a bear-hug. Tory thought it best not to struggle, and just smiled at both of them.

He climbed on the train with a last wave at his very worried looking parents. His mother was crying

- what the hell had got into them?

Wearily, he climbed into the compartment by the door where his father had put his trunk - it was utterly empty.

He opened up Maria's cage. Maria was a very large Eagle Owl who immediately set to exploring where she would be for the next two hours.

"Guess it's just you and me Maria." he said softly, almost grimacing.

He watched his parents melt back through the barrier into the muggle world through his window. And the great 'chugg-chugg' of the train started and steam obscured his view, he sat back and closed his eyes.

They were right. It was his last year - and he knew that they had so many expectations all laid out for him.

He closed his eyes more tightly and tried not to think about how his life would contain this year; how so much of his future hung on how he used it.

He knew that the end of the year would involve so many parting of ways. He loved his friends, and he wasn't so ready to make new ones. After you've settled in to a place like Hogwarts, the idea of leaving it and the people within seems so horrible.

[Abbie Chalk]

out of character
Wow... I have alot of inspiration today...

in character
Indeed, it would be a rather interesting year at Hogwarts. It was not Abbie's last year, but it was definitely going to be an exciting one, to be sure. She had been elected Quidditch Captain for Hufflepuff and was determined to do the job well. Although she had not been practicing that much during the summer, she had immediately began to plan strategies after receiving the indication of her triumph. Of course, her brother Jack who just graduated from Hogwarts, laughed at her immediate interest in making the team better. Jack had been on the Ravenclaw team in all of his Hogwarts years besides when he was eleven and always joked about how the Hufflepuffs played- especially when Abbie made it onto the team her second year.

Before practically every Quidditch game he would visit Abbie at the Hufflepuff table and wish her luck, but only right after he would whisper comments to scare her. All of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team surrounding her, including her friends, would always comfort Abbie telling her that Jack was just a fool to be treating her like this. But, that was the only thing that came between Abbie and her brother. Quidditch. It was only when Abbie finally beat him at a match in her third year that he slowly stopped harassing her about the games. Now that she was finally a Quidditch captain, something Jack had never achieved in his Hogwarts years, he was beyond trying to make her scared. She had grown up since her second year, of course.

"Well, it's rather weird not getting on the train, I must say." Jack was standing there with his arms crossed as he seemed to be engulfed at the sight of the Hogwarts Express. Abbie was right beside him dressed in her normal wear. Blue jeans with the bottom cuffs torn off from how often they dragged the ground (she couldn't help she was short and no pair of pants fit her), a baby blue plain tee shirt with a corduroy jacket overlaying it, and adorning her feet were her black pair of Mary Janes that matched the Hogwarts dress code. Abbie was too lazy to wear anything else, as it seemed. Laying on the ground beside her was a large suitcase clad with her initials and resting just atop that was a cage with a very irritated brown barn owl. Mancini never liked the long train rides to Hogwarts.

"Where's Mum?" Abbie asked after a minute of silence, not adverting her gaze from the Express. Jack seemed to snap out of his adoring glance toward the train and shook his head. "I dunno," he said, turning around as if looking for her. As if her mother senses were tingling, she appeared running through the barrier onto Platform 9 3/4. Jack smiled at her. He had grown alot since his seventh year and was now exceptionally taller than their mother. Of course, she had always been rather short. Abbie believed that is where she received her own lack of height.

"Are you ready, dear?" She said, rushing over to Abbie with her hands trembling as they ran over Abbie's shoulders. It was yet another feature that ran through the family line of the Chalks. Trembling hands. It was nothing serious at all, just an unfortunate gene. "Yes, I think so." Abbie answered giving her anxious mother a lop-sided smile. Her mother always got like this. Never worried, really, but anxious. Abbie supposed she just hated seeing her children leave for a few months. She would be back for Christmas, but it must be lonely around the house. Even Jack wouldn't be there this year. He had a job in Ireland studying orges. Abbie felt terrible for her mother. Her father was great company, but he was at work most of the day.

"Mancini is in quite a state of shock." Jack added with a stifled laugh. Abbie shot him daggers, "Oh, leave him alone. You know he always is." She grabbed the owl's cage and then reached down for her suitcase. With an item in each hand, she really couldn't hug her mother, but it was no problem. Abbie's mom immediately flung herself at her, giving Abbie quite the scare. She could see Jack from behind their mother giving a big grin. He used to go through this every year as well and Abbie was positive he was not missing it one bit. "Well, off you go." Their mother said adding a wink as she shooed Abbie toward the train doors. She obliged and jumped onto the train. Looking around, there wasn't much room to sit for there had already been many children aboard. Instead, Abbie found a compartment where Naida resided, gave her a quick wave, and began loading her belongings into the top storage area. She waved out to Jack and her mother through the window and immediately felt the train starting the move.

"I'm going to roam around." Abbie said, waving to Naida Yeni again and then leaving to search the other compartments. She saw one boy down the pathway about to enter a compartment and decided it might be nice to say hello. He was rather peculiar from the way he dressed himself, but it wasn't like Abbie hadn't seen him before. She had the knowledge that he was a fourth year, but knew nothing else. "May I join you?" she asked once approaching him, giving a heart felt smile. Little did she know who was already residing in the compartment. Tory Bloom.

[Dorian Stratford]

Dorian thought he had been rather clever to suggest that Kent wait by the car. His step father had been rather reluctant at first, but they Dorian subtly mentioned what funny types of people you might run into around the station. Uncannily enough, after that Kent had been rather content to guard the sparkling black SUV. Dorian’s mood was rather brightened after that. He didn’t ever mind Jacob and Josh’s constant yammering. The twins were going into their first year, but they weren’t nearly as excited as he was. They didn’t mind Kent so much as he did, so leaving their parents behind seemed a rather sadder ordeal to them. They’d both gotten bear hugs from Kent and Dorian had shrugged off a pat on the shoulder before entering the station.

Even in muggle clothing, he attracted strange looks. It was warm out side, and he twirled a toque in his hands, which was decorated with a piano key pattern and an over large puff on the top. His white, long-sleeved dress shirt was layered with a sweater vest printed with airplanes. A flamboyant bow tie was displayed around his neck. The only normal garb he was wearing was a pair of stressed blue jeans. And, though he’d never admit it, he’d once again let his brother do his hair today. Jacob, though only 11, knew more about hair dressing than their mother. He was about as metro-sexual as you could get. Besides, whatever Jacob did to his hair, it always turned out nicely. Not too weird, but stand out enough for his tastes. He had refrained from actually wearing the toque for this reason.

Dorian was the first one to go through the wall. The feeling of it always amused him. Cartier felt less inclined towards it though. The flammulated owl hooted in protest of the seemingly solid barrier. He puffed up his feathers and turned his back on Dorian once they were on the other side. Dorian smirked to himself and waiting in an out of the way spot as Aireal ushered the twins onto the platform. Dorian vaguely wondered whether or not Damian would have been proud of him and his brothers. Did he approve of magic?: Or did he take the same stance as Kent on the subject? Dorian immediately decided that since Damian was nothing like Kent, he would not have a problem with him attending Hogwarts.

Dorian submitted to Aireal as she hugged him before having to catch the twins before they ran off. She proceeding with warning them to obey the time and then telling them to have a good rule. By the time she realized that, in her fluster, she had mixed something up, they had both hugged her and ran off with their trunks to board the train. Dorian grinned.

“You watch out for them Dorian, wont you?”

”Ya’ mom.” Dorian replied. Aireal gave him one last hug and informed him that he’d better get moving. Dorian was amused. She didn’t talk as much as most moms seemed to. Aireal was scatter brained, and about as good at showing emotion as Dorian was. However, he was always surprised when, every year, she, along with just about every other female on the platform, burst into tears. Aireal wiped them away self-consciously and Dorian pretended not to notice as he climbed into the passage way.

”Well, see you next summer then.” His mother said, rather airily.

”I might come home for Christmas this year, remember?” Dorian reminded her.

”Oh right.” Aireal said, giggling at her own stupidity. ”Well, No Smoking, No Drinking, and please do your best to stay out of trouble. And I’ll tell Kent you said goodbye. See you!”

”You know I don’t do that stuff mom. And please don’t say that. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”

Dorian grinned at her, and she looked at him doubtfully. She didn’t believe that he’d never smoked or gotten drunk in his life, and she also didn’t like it when he expressed openly exactly what his opinion of her husband was. But he waved jauntily, and that seemed to cheer her up. At least they were on good terms as they parted.

Dorian was bumped as Josh and Jacob ran past him to wave out the window to Aireal. Soon they were gone down the passage to find seats. But Dorian stood in the same spot, watching the platform outside gradually fly past him. By the time they’d reached the open countryside, the halls were pretty much empty. And still Dorian stood, thinking about the year to come and the summer that had past. But then a prefect came bustling on, no doubt going to the front of the train were their compartment was situated. The prefect told him to go find a seat ‘or else-‘ but the renewed shrieking of Cartier drowned out the rest of the sentence. Dorian wasn’t to worried, as he figured it had something to do with point docking, and he nodded absently. He lugged his trunk and the owl cage in the opposite direction of the prefect, towards the back of the train. As he passed each compartment, he saw very few empty seats. The ones with room were otherwise filled with gabbling first years or leering Slytherins. He didn’t much fancy joined either of the groups and continued on.

He shouldn’t have just stood there while seats filled up, now he was more than likely going to have to share with some strangers, or maybe back with the Slytherins. He waved vaguely to a few peoples whose faces he remembered but not their names as he passed their full compartments. He scowled to himself.

But soon enough he came to a compartment that appeared nearly empty. He glanced inside. Only a very stressed looking boy was in there. He was older then Dorian. But really, was it likely he’d find another place. He’d just opened the door to the compartment when a girl walked up. He looked at her and recognized her rather easily as a 6th year. He couldn’t recall her name or her house, however. He smiled as well, and shrugged.

”It’s not me you ought to be asking.”

He pointed inside at the older boy, he walked in, without asking permission himself. He sat down in the seat opposite Tory after dumping Cartier’s cage beside him and stowing his trunk on the rack. He payed no mind to the other two as he moved to let the tiny Flammulated Owl out of his cage. Cartier hoped up his arm to sit on his shoulder. From there the bird regarded the older students with interest. Dorian moved the cage to an out of the way spot on the floor. When he looked up, he smiled brightly.

”Dorian. This is Cartier.”

Dorian drew up his feet to sit cross-legged on the long seat.

[Tory Bloom]

((Modified!))

As the train gathered speed, Tory had a sudden urge to write in his journal. He carried it almost everywhere with him. Right now, it was lodged awkwardly in the rucksack he was using as a travel-bag.

The Most Secret Diary of Tory Bloom

Tory allowed himself an indulgent smile. What was he - a first year girl?

He made to flick through its pages, but he was forced to stuff it hastily back into his bag when the compartment door rattled loudly.

A strange and rather distracted looking fourth year walked straight in to where he was sitting.

He was about a head shorter than Tory and had jet black, ruffled hair. He sat down opposite the seventh year with his owl cage in arm. After a small moment where the boy let his owl out of its cage, he looked up brightly to Tory as though this had been an arranged engagement.

”Dorian. This is Cartier.” said the boy.

Tory returned his friendliness with a weak smile and replied,

"Umm...hi. I'm Tory, Tory Bloom." He cast his eyes around the room, looking for his owl.

"Oh, and that's Maria." He said, finding her finally and pointing an unnecessary finger. She was a magnificent Eagle Owl who had been sitting in the corner, cleaning her feathers. Maria gave a dignified sort of hoot and then carried on as though nothing had disturbed her grooming session.

Was Tory the only one who didn't find the situation strange? It was as though Tory had walked into Dorian's compartment. But, you know, he was in the fourth year. And they were certainly a strange stock.

Tory flicked back his hair and rummaged around in his travel bag for some Owl Treats. Maria cottoned on and walked as fast as her tiny legs could carry her to where Tory was sitting. She nipped his finger quite hard.

He popped a treat in her mouth and then looked back up at Dorian. Obviously he was expected to start making some more conversation. Where can you start? He only knew his name? Would 'how are you?' be enough.

However, he was spared the awkwardness when he caught sight of a familiar face by the compartment door.

"Abbie?"

[Abbie Chalk]

out of character
Excuse my short post.

in character
Abbie quirked an eyebrow at the male and his unusual comment. 'It’s not me you ought to be asking'. She had never thought that this compartment might be full. She had made the assumption that possibly it was a free room where he would be staying. But, she took that as a sign of leave, and let him enter the compartment with no further questions. Yet, through the crack of the door, she could swear she spotted somebody she knew. Tory Bloom. Abbie wasn't sure whether it was him or not and she almost didn't want it to be.

The last time Abbie and Tory had talked had the summer to her third year. They sent owls to each other a lot and mostly kept up on recent events. They had some interesting conversations and Tory was a rather talented wizard from how Abbie remembered. But, it had been so long. She saw him in the corridors between classes from time to time, but they never waved or even attempted to talk. It was odd how they could be so close friends and then drift apart just like that. Yes, it might be best that Abbie not address him. She gave a great sigh and then began to walk away from the compartment. That was, until her own name was called.

Sp, he had seen her as well. Abbie stopped in her tracks and hesitated before turning around. A million thoughts wandered through her brain as she tried to comprehend what he might be like now. He had probably changed so much. What if he was mean? What if he had completely forgotten what they used to have? What if he still thought of her as that silly first year? But, no, none of that mattered. It was in the past and this was a fresh start, right? This was something new.

Abbie opened the compartment door slowly and peeked inside at him. She gave him a nervous smile and laughed a little. "Tory? Is that you?" After the door was open, she took a second to place her hands on her hips. "Wow, I haven't spoken to you in a while." It was true, all true. And, as she looked at him, he had changed. His face was more lean and his hair seemed slightly longer than it's usual trim. To her, the look was significantly better. And she thought his old look was impressive.

[Dorian Stratford]

Dorian nodded in acknowledgement of Tory and Maria. As he set about looking for his wand, Cartier hooted with great interest. Cartier seemed to b taking offense to the fact that Maria, this other owl, was paying him little mind. Dorian thought he was being rather stupid, but of coarse he didn’t say that. It would upset the tiny owl and then Cartier wouldn’t let Dorian practice on him. After a moment of searching his pockets, Dorian spotted a long, thin strip of wood poking out of his toque’s rim. Frowning, Dorian picked it up. ”How did you get there?” he muttered. He shrugged off the mystery and took the mahogany wand in his right hand.

He snapped his fingers to draw Cartier’s attention away from the eagle owl, where Tory was giving her a treat. Cartier fluttered down to alight on Dorian’s fingers. The tiny bird took hardly an effort to hold up. Cartier made rather a show of turning his back on the eagle owl. Dorian readied his wand, hardly registering the fact that Tory was now talking to the girl he’d left in the corridor. Color change, what had the professor said about that? What was the incantation again? Dorian took a moment to think. Densuageo? No, that had something to do with teeth…..Evenesco? No, he didn’t want to make anything disappear. Impervius was way off…

Dorian’s brow knit in a tight line. He decided to try an few things and see if he got it right. He managed to make Cartier’s beak grow to half it’s size, and his wing to flash different colors before he remembered the right incantation. Grinning broadly, he undid the color flash charm, and using a slight variation of it, tapped Cartier’s talons. The claws of the bird turn red. Dorian frowned. That wasn’t the color he’d wanted. Cartier clicked his beak in irritation. It was quite clear to Dorian that his owl would rather be attempting to socialize with the larger owl. Dorian ignored him and tried again. This time they paled to silvery white. ”Darn. Why can I never make gold?” Dorian was about to tap the owl’s feet again, but Cartier dancing along his finger, out of the way. It seemed the owl liked having silver-colored claws. Dorian rolled his eyes.

”Stay still will you?”

Dorian said, irritated. He prodded his wand once again, but this time Cartier took off, leaving Dorian’s wand to instead tap his own fingernails. Dorian forgot his anger as he examined his work. It hadn’t come out right either, and now his nails were bright, pulsing yellow. He looked at them with interest as Cartier whirled around the ceiling for a moment. The bird settled on the luggage rack, light glancing of his talons to create spots on the walls.

”I wonder if they glow in the dark….,” Dorain glanced up at Tory again, now seeing Abbie had entered. He held up his hand, fingers spread, for them to see his fingernails. ”D’you think it’s my color?” Dorian grinned like a chesire cat. He wasn’t quite aware that they knew each other, he’d only been half listening. But it hardly bothered him. He was a stranger to both, even if it didn’t put him off sharing a conversation with them. Though he supposed it may have been rude to ignore them for the past few seconds as he practiced transfiguring. It was his favorite subject, and now that he was on the train, he could legally do magic, as he was no longer living among muggles. He really did want to take advantage of that.

[Tory Bloom]

ooc:

Sorry for my short posts everyone, my muse seems to have gone into hibernation.

ic:

Tory couldn't help but intake a sharp breath. He had been hoping for a hassle-free train journey. But now that Abbie had entered as well, he would have to make the effort to be social. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the girl he had once felt so close to walked into his compartment. Tory shot a quick look at Dorian. He was stroking his owl and seemed utterly in his own world.

”I wonder if they glow in the dark….,” he said to Tory, looking up at last.

He shifted his attention from Abbie for a moment and noticed with a surprised expression that Dorian's nails had changed colour. "I don't know," he grinned, without falsity this time. As he smiled, he shook himself mentally. This was so stupid, these students were younger than him and he seemed to be scared of them both. And what was he scared of anyway? That they wouldn't like him? Since when did Tory Bloom care about that?

Turning back to Abbie, he gave a rather forced grin and tried to act as friendly as possible. You see, Tory had always been under the impression that the friendship between himself and Abbie drifted apart because Abbie simply didn't like him anymore. I mean, even Bloomer himself would have to admit he was an odd character, and hard to work out. He would often get moody for no apparent reason, which he knew had always annoyed her. But still, he reassured himself that it wasn't as though they had just stopped talking one day, it was a gradual losing of touch as exams and revision and school life had set in.
"But," said the small and annoying voice in his head, "Even after the exams were over, she still didn't talk to you, did she?"

Tory told the voice to shutup as he politely listened to Abbie's next words.

"Wow, I haven't spoken to you in a while."

"Tell me about it," Tory grinned again. "My second year seems like a hell of a long time ago now."

He looked up at her, without fear this time, and saw her again as the first-year girl he had liked so much. But he had to say, a much better-looking version than he had remembered. And that was saying something, because he had had a huge crush on her even back then.

[Abbie Chalk]

Abbie laughed a little, grinning back to him with a genuine smile. This was definitely awkward, but she wouldn't let the situation get the best of her. But, still, her eyes wouldn't stay off of his hair... and how much longer it was. It was so different seeing him this way. Besides, he was cursing now? People do grow up, don't they? She shouldn't be too surprised. Every student that surpassed puberty always started inserted random things in their sentences. It did make your feelings more prominent. Who would want to say "What's your problem?" when you were obviously mad and you could just shout to the heavens all the curses possible to emit a human mouth.

"Yea, it does seem a long time ago, doesn't it?" she added, clearing her throat. Yes, this was uncomfortable and it almost made Abbie feel as if she wish she could have kept in touch with in him these past three years. He was about to graduate and it would be a complete loss if she were to start talking to him now. But, it wasn't like she could walk away now. Feeling inclined to talk to him more (whether it was the fact that it was Tory or that his looks had grown to be attractive), Abbie entered the compartment and took the seat opposite him next to Dorian.

She did not regret her decision in any way, but was definitely surprised when the guy next to her flashed his fingernails to her. Abbie giggled a little bit. "Oh, undoubtedly." she said flashing her own fingernails to him as if trying to play along. "Think you could do mine? I've been needing some color." Her nails were very plain and it looked as if she had never painted them in her entire life. They were crisp and smooth which matched her equally pale skin. So, they weren't all that bad.

Abbie, as she gestured her hands toward the boy, couldn't help but glow slightly red in the face. I wonder what Tory must thinking... she wondered. He must have thought she was a complete girl now. She had always been a girl, of course. But, she was a Quidditch girl. She never bothered to paint her nails (as it was obvious) and she never really bothered to wear makeup. Although she did do some girly things such as loving to shop or loving to style her own hair, she never focused on the main aspects of feminism. He must think she was a total idiot right now.

In an attempt to start some type of conversation with Tory, she tried to bring up Quidditch. They had been in Quidditch together for a while, but had never really talked. They just practiced and won games. It was never much of a friendship because Tory's friends would come to the games or practice and then hang out with him every time he wasn't on his broom. It never gave Abbie much time to strike up a conversation. In fact, she was curious as to where his followers were now.

"So, I made Quidditch Captain." she said looking over at Tory with her fingers still extended to Dorian, feeling immediately stupid at that moment. She was bragging. How lame. He loved Quidditch and he didn't make captain even with him being a seventh year. Meaning that she had out-beat him. Maybe bringing up that she was captain wasn't such a good idea. Now he probably thought she was a boastful fool. Oh, great.

[Dorian Stratford]

(Not long enough for my liking, but thoroughly random, at least enough for now.)

’I don’t know.’

Dorian continued to grin. He thought having glow in the dark nails might be interesting, but then, they’d also be irritating. I mean, what if you were trying to sleep? Maybe he could stuff them under the sheets? But no doubt they’d be distracting. He supposed he’d have to remember that particular spell variant for another time. Dorian grinned at Abbie, he was only to happy to oblige. Dorian tapped his nails again and they returned to normal. He turned his attention to Abbie’s nails. He’d picked up her name from the untoward snatches of conversation.

He flourished his wand unnecessarily and tapped her hand. He watched as the fingernails deepened to dark blue. Okay, so not a bright color like he’d been going for. But her could definitely work with it. With a moment’s ‘hrm’ing, Dorian tapped the nails again, one at a time. Tiny shooting stars ran across the surface of the polish, off the edge of one and onto the other in smooth transitions. It was at this point that Dorian heard her comment about Quidditch and looked up.

”Oh, well I’m better change it to your colors then. At least I’ll be against someone with a pretty cool nail job. That is, assuming the enchantment lasts that long.”

Dorian gave a final tap of his wand and the blue darkened to black. Her nails were now the Hufflepuff colors, and he hoped vaguely that he had been right in thinking that was her house. He leaned back on his end of the seat and tucked his wand back into the fold of his toque for safekeeping, hoping to remember later where he’d put it. He then took the toque and tossed it up to his trunk, just barely missing Cartier. With Dorian’s wand safely out of his hands, Cartier fluttered down from the luggage rack and settled on his shoulder to show off his tiny glinting talons.

Dorian looked from Abbie to Tory, now ready to be included in the conversation. He registered now the tension between them. He smiled vapidly. He resolved not to say anything though. Not just then. Awkwardness was an interesting situation and Dorian wished to observe how these two handled it. It was as if their unease bounced off of him, like he was some sort of wall furnishing that wasn’t susceptible to such human sensations.

[Tory Bloom]

ooc:
I know Abbie isn't really doing any of these things, but these are Tory's thoughts, and he doesn't know that.

bic:
Tory was starting to feel the familiar twinges of nervousness. It was an anxiety that had been growing on his mind, and was now seeking to rule his stomach too. With the confusion of Abbie and Dorian coming to his compartment, Tory had almost completely forgotten what he had been worried about. However, as the conversation grew more and more friendly, Tory started to remember that this was his last year. The lack of responsibility and old friendships he had known and loved so well at school, would soon be coming to an end. Sure, Dorian was a new friend. He hadn't known him for more than a few minutes, but he still felt that he would miss him when he left.

He had this picture in his mind of people outside of school being hostile and unfriendly. Surely no-one in the world of work would come and introduce themselves so spontaneously. And be so ready to make new friendships. Tory needed people like that, he wasn't a forward and confident person. He needed time to forge new friendships and even his existing ones hadn't been initiated by him. But the real twinge of worry came when he thought about how many years he had missed with Abbie. She had been the first girl he had ever felt close to, others had just been fleeting fancies. Sure, he had always had a crush on Naida, but it had never been accompanied by a friendship.

He had used to think of Abbie as the girl he would picture himself with when he was older. They got on so well, he had never doubted that he had really liked her. Ok, so maybe it was the idea of being with his best friend that he had liked, but he was so sure that something really special would have come out of it if they had only given it time. Now, after five years, it just seemed far to late to make amends. The thought made the knot in his stomach tighten even more.

"Yea, it does seem a long time ago, doesn't it?"

The line rang with awkwardness. It was the kind of reply that Tory would give when he really didn't know what to say. He suspected she felt the same way as he did about the situation they were now in. But her next words made Tory feel a little winded - 'is she trying to show off to me? Was I totally wrong about the way she feels?' Tory hadn't minded so much that he hadn't got the captain-ship last year. Sure, he was the kind of boy who liked to be best at everything. But he had to admit that Abbie was a much better model for a captain. She had a knack for pep talks and motivational speeches, she had a much better logical mind that him and, although Tory would be loath to admit it, she was a a mark or two higher than him on the Quidditch pitch as well. He knew it, everyone else up for captain-ship knew it, but now he had the horrible feeling that Abbie was trying to dangle it in front of him.

"I heard," Tory smiled, his mood not quite matching his facial expression. "Congratulations, we all knew you had it in you." He was holding his smile so much he had to let his face relax into what he guessed must have been a still quite pleasant look. He wasn't enjoying this at all.

"So, how's life been since I last saw you? Christ Ab, it's been what? - five years now?" He just called her Ab, something he always used to do (but she had always hated) when they were younger. Would she just think he was being annoying again? 'Damn, why couldn't you just of left it out Tory?'

Tory now turned to Dorian, he realised that he must of been left out of the conversation a fair bit. He wondered distractedly whether he was good friends with Abbie, they seemed to be chatting happily about fingernails at any rate. Dorian reminded Tory strongly of a boy he used to know called Kieran Cesspit. He had always wondered slightly why no-one in his family before him had thought to change their surname. Anyway, Kieran had possessed the same unconcerned manner Dorian was now displaying. Maybe they could get on after all, and if Kieran was anything to go by - Dorian wouldn't have really cared that the conversation hadn't been directed towards him for a while.

[Abbie Chalk]

Abbie shrugged, looking over at Tory. She felt immediately guilty at how long it had been since they talked. And, for the life of her, she couldn't even remember why it had been so long. There had to have been a reason, but the thought was just slipping through Abbie's brain. They had been so close. So close that Abbie had carried a crush for him for years, but refused to ever tell him. What ever happened was beyond her, but she wished that they hadn't lost those precious years. If they hadn't, who knows what would be going on now? Her entire life might be different. But, then again, that might be going too far to say. Still, it was possible, wasn't it?

"I guess it has been a while... what ever happened?" Immediately she almost regretted bringing up the tiring subject. He didn't have to answer that, he really didn't. Abbie almost wished he wouldn't. It might break out in a long discussion or something. Something that Abbie wanted to do, but at the same time wasn't sure she could handle. What if he had met somebody better than her? What if it was because she had changed over the summer and was too unbearable a hang around? What if that was the reason? There were a number of reasons that she didn't even want to think about. Reasons that she hoped he wouldn't say.

It was great that Dorian was there, though. If he wasn't, Abbie wouldn't know what type of stress she would be under. It might be worse than how it currently was. He was a great ice breaker and, as she looked down at her nails, she couldn't help but feel a little better. They looked amazing and it was almost weird how they looked. Abbie had never painted her nails. This was definitely an odd feeling. The coats of paint seemed to be pressing down on her nails, almost like a weight. Was this how it felt to have your nails polished? Such an odd feeling for beauty. But, she had to admit, they looked very good. He couldn't have done much better.

"Thanks." she said, laughing a little at his remark and trying to force a smile that would attempt to show Tory she was happy. But, who was she kidding? She was happy. The situation was just awkward. That was all. Besides, the fact that his hair had become unbearably tempting was making the situation worse. Why did all guys have to grow up? They always looked better from when they were seventeen to when they were twelve. Tory was definitely no exception.

[Dorian Stratford]

(CRAP POST! YAY!)

Dorian’s mind wandered a moment to the hall way, where the unmistakable noises of the trolley were approaching. The only candy he had on him was a half-eaten bag of licorice wands. The only money he had on him was a couple of sickles mixed with muggle toonies and quarters. He’d see what the trolley was packing in terms of sustenance when it got here, and decide on something then. He was a little hungry as he hadn’t eaten breakfast. Kent tended to haunt the kitchen and dining room in the mornings, and there was nothing he liked less then talking to his stepfather over a meal of cheerios or Reese’s chocolate puffs, or whatever they were called.

Perhaps it was the excitement of returning to Hogwarts for another year, of perhaps it was coffee he’d drunk that morning finally kicking in, but Dorian’s levels of energy were rapidly increasing, and his amusement was only fueled by the two older students. Dorian watched the exchange with a small smile on his face. It was like watching one of those chick flicks, the ones where the people knew each other in high school and then meet up later in life. Except they weren’t quite getting on as well as people did in the movies.

“Alright monkeys, stop already.” Dorian raised an eyebrow at them. “This kind of tension is only needed in horror movies. Murderer-victim relationship. You know, like when Murder had Victim A cornered, Victim A uses last words (“Don’t do it!”) and then Murder rips the persons head off anyway? Sometimes Victim B comes around and avenges Victim A. I can be Victim B. You guys can mix and match Murderer and Victim A. I really don’t have any preferences as to who I’m avenging here. Or you could both be Victim A and I could be Murder. That would be an interesting twist. Of coarse the downside being that I spend my life in Azkaban rather than one of you….”

He trailed off thoughtfully. Dorian bit down into a licorice wand that he had taken from his pocket during his rambling. He liked licorice wands, but they were no match for sugar mice, which Cartier enjoyed also. Dorian’s gaze strayed to the ceiling. There wasn’t anything very interesting up there, which, he figured, was probably why people never looked at them. It was almost as if they weren’t there. And yet people seemed to notice when the ceiling was missing. Especially if it was railing, or batter yet, hailing. It was a rather good metaphor for taking things for granted. Dorian looked at it, wondering what it would be like if the train was roofless.

[Tory Bloom]

ooc: Sorry for my absence guys! I explained it all on the C-box. Basically, my cousin's wedding swallowed up my entire weekend. So, I'm behind on more than just roleplays. Luckily, my parents let me have the day off so I could get over my hangover and get some sleep. Plus, I have giant chunks of coursework to hand in for today... ^^
Anyway, while I'm waiting for the weather to warm up so I can get my chores done, I'm just posting in the few threads it's my turn to reply to.

I'm joining your crap post club, Dorian. Here's my application...

bic:
Tory ran his fingers through his hair and gave his head another flick to clear his fringe from his eyes. He was starting to notice that the atmosphere was starting to warm from its cold depths of awkwardness. But still, he did not feel totally comfortable. The situation was not unlike the time when Tory's parents had taken him to a fayre when he was seven. He supposed it had been his first taste of 'Muggle Studies' from his parents. The fayre, to say the least, had been awful. The rides he went on span him round and round until he just wanted to cry. He found himself near panic, searching for reasons to leave and go home. Ok, maybe meeting up with Abbie wasn't all that bad, but he really did find himself searching for reasons to get up and leave. He had imagined, if he had at all, talking to Abbie again on some sunny day by the lake. A day when Tory had had time to fix his hair and wasn't just wearing jeans and a shirt. Maybe he could just leave it here and arrange for a meeting another time? Even when he thought it, he knew everywhere else was full. He'd have to stay here for the full two-and-a-half hours.

"I guess it has been a while... what ever happened?"

Indeed - what did happen? "Umm... I guess school just split us apart. And I mean - it's not like we don't talk EVER - what about Quidditch practice? But I know what you mean, we've never been quite the same."

Tory fumbled with his thumbs; pondering over what to say next. However, he was spared the agony as Dorian very helpfully broke the tension. Tory could have kissed him. The fourth year Gryffindor started comparing the situation to a muggle horror film; the victims and murderer trapped in a room. Tory laughed, more to release his anxiety than anything. And nodded in what could only be described as fervent agreement. As Dorian proceded to look thoughtfully at the roof of the train, Tory turned his attention back to Abbie.

"So..." he ventured. "I guess Dorian here is more than right. I know we haven't seen eachother for a while, but it shouldn't be this awkward. We see eachother in the Common Room and at Quidditch often enough, maybe we should just pretend we're back on our broomsticks again."

Tory smiled warmly; hopefully this tack would work. He agreed they were being a bit stupid, they used to be best friends after all. But they were acting as though they were ex-lovers who had ended on a painful tangent. In reality - it was nothing of the sort. Surely they should just be treating eachother as though they were vague acquantainces, trying to get to know eachother. Tory finally relaxed. And as though the weather shared his sentiments, sure enough, he heard the pit patter of raindrops. Tory had always loved the rain, an attitude not shared by many. But when you grow up in a hot country that yearns for water year after year, it's nothing short of a blessing. A sign that finally everything is going to be OK.