Letters and Things (Al)

Being a Muggleborn in a traditionally pureblood house was never easy. It never got any easier either. Those in other houses avoided you. Those in your own house either hated you for your lineage and so generally he had only a small group of friends. The boy lay on his bed in the dorm room, his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook open upon the pillow before him as he tried to get ahead of the class. That’s all one could do right? There were no essay’s due yet… or well for his next class anyways. But eventually he found himself nodding off.

With a yawn he made his way out of the dorm room and down the stairs, walking down the stairs as the white shirt (which covered the yellowing bruises that were the remainder of his father’s beating on September the first) had its sleeves pulled up to around his elbows. He wasn’t ready to walk around the place shirtless and announce his current situation at home to the world. Heck, he didn’t even feel ready to tell his best friend. A boy he had known since his first year at Hogwarts.

How did anyone tell someone that their father… a man that was supposed to love and protect them was now doing everything but? That he was punching him and swearing at him and all of the above? How did anyone admit that to anyone? As he came into the room his eyes landed instantly upon Albus. His heart starting to pick up in pace as he watched Al’s hand reach up and flip a page. He didn’t even remember ever making the decision to move his way towards the boy but he did move that way and before he knew it he was sitting upon the floor, just in front of Al.

There was an overwhelming need within him to grab his friend’s arm and to place it over his heart. As if to fill some sort of void, and in fact his arm had actually started that voyage until his mind slowed it to a halt. What was he doing? What was he thinking?! Why were these thoughts so commanding? He wasn’t gay! He couldn’t be! How come he was thinking these things?! His hand slowly dropped again, his head leaning back so that his head was close to Al and it was a much less sexual movement.

“Hey Al, what chu readin’?”

It was one of those nights where Al would just tutor a couple of the younger students. Albus wasn't like most Syltherin student selfish or sly, yet he was quite clever. It was merely his luck to be placed in this house. If Al had had his way he would be a Ravenclaw. It was later in the night and after settling down he got out his own books for homework. He glanced over to the clock and he had a straight two hours of cramming before he had to break and tutor. Albus went through all his studies in a matter of an hour and with time to spear he started to read his pleasure reading novel. The boy never liked movies and what not, reading brought out his imagination. A smirk appeared on his lips as his aqua eyes skimmed the pages. At the end of the chapter he marked his page and took in a second to take in the literature. Al must have looked foolish sitting there with a sheepish grin so he snapped himself from it and pushed himself off his bed.

The boy wore his black plaid pajama pants with his jumper. Al kicked on his slippers before making his way to his tutoring session help a couple dorms down. A quick knock at the door and he was looking at two twin boys awaiting to be taught. Albus was confident in all the skills he possessed. Maybe he'd let it get to his head at times, but he couldn't be completely normal. What the heck was normal? He shall never know. He looked at the herbology book and smiled opening it to the lesson and began to lecture about mandrake root. After defining a few plants he was wide awake but these boys looked like that had enough lecturing for the past hour. Albus cleared his throat and smiled. "Great job guys, get some rest now." Albus whispered with a genuine smile. He watched the two get in their beds then exited the room. Albus was wide awake, he'd go down to common room and enjoy his book by the fire. As a prefect he loved the fact he could be privileged with helping the younger students. He even tutored students his age, but the main reason younger students came to him was because of his title. Albus got cozy by the fire, and opened his book, glanced through the pages.

Albus let his eyes skim the pages til the voice of another caused him to look up slightly. A smirk crossed his lips when he saw Nate walking toward him. "Oh nothing, it's just one of those crazy love novels I get so wound up in." He admitted looking at the book, marking his page. Albus licked his lips, eyes dancing up to Nate. Albus lost a faith in the word love recently, going through his break up. He wasn't even positive why he was reading the book. Yet his sick mind told him it wasn't over, and love still was out there. He clung to the good times, and tried every night not to cry himself to sleep. How could things get so bad? Then again, it wasn't the worst thing that could happen, and Lily had told him it would pass. How bloody hell would she know? She had never been in a relationship in her life. Albus let his mind rest, if he kept questioning himself he would break down. "Where have you been Nate? I haven't seen too much of you around lately." He said quirking an eyebrow. Maybe Nate was around all along, and he was just avoiding everyone he cared about. Albus had a tendency to separate himself when he was going through things that hurt him. He'd hate for anyone to see him weak. Albus leaned back, pulling one of his knees to his chest. "How 'av you been?" he asked offering a warm broken smile. At least he could smile, Albus could think about nothing more then the lonely summer he was suppose to embrace. Perhaps he could find something to hold on to until then.

His heartbeat increased a little as he watched Al mark his page, a small nagging voice in his head declaring that it wanted to be marked by him just like that book which sent a shiver down his spine. What was causing that to happen to him? Why those thoughts? Why was he fighting to lick his lips? They had been best friends ever since they had been dual swirleyed in the toilets during their first year at Hogwarts so why was is it that he was being hit with all these thoughts six years later after he had broken up with his boyfriend of all times?!

Nothing had changed! Nothing had changed so why was he acting like this? Why did he suddenly want Al to do everything he had done to his ex and more to him? Wait! Stop! STAHP! What was he thinking?! He was a Christian! A Christian didn’t think like this! A Christian didn’t lust like this! It… It just didn’t! He continued to fight with himself and of course this had all taken place in a span of a few seconds.

“Oh really? What one?”

He wanted to face palm. That was a complete wrong answer to say! Yes he liked being read to and not having the reading done by him, but that totally wasn’t what he would have said if he was in his right mind! Or maybe it was…. He didn’t know! He was confused! Completely and utterly confused! Someone had to help him! Someone had to guide him to some sort of finish line so he no longer had to go through this! But then Albus asked him a question, and the truth was he had been avoiding his best friend. You sort of had to when you were having thoughts like this right? Where when you saw him with another guy, kissing or not, some in explainable anger tore through him.

“I’ve been up in the dorm trying to make sense of all these NEWT classes… I can’t seem to get anything right… must be the joy of being a muggleborn… I’ve been good though…”

It hurt to lie to Albus, it really did, but it was best for both of them. It was best for Albus’ state to not know about what his best friend thought of every time he saw him recently, and it was for Nate’s best intrest not to believe in what these thoughts were trying to make him believe. He looked down at his feet when suddenly he found something curling around his leg. It was weird, it felt like some sort of coil moving up his leg. He stretched out the limb into the light of the fire and there was a snake (which had to be someone’s pet) coiled around his leg. Well this was strange! This had never happened to him before!

“Shiashi! Shishi!”

There was no acknowledgement from the snake of him telling him to leave. Instead he continued to move up his leg until he got to his knee and looked the boy straight in the eyes.

”No”
Nathaniel began to freak. He had seen many weird things in the wizarding world but nothing like this. Nothing at all like this. He bumshuffled backwards until his back began to burn from the heat of the flames, shaking his leg as he tried to get that creature of devil’s creation off of his leg, and even as he spoke you could hear how spooked out the muggleborn was.

“Al….. It…. It just spoke! Help me get this Devil’s spawn off me! Please!”

He tried to pull it off with his hand, the snake biting down hard upon the soft skin between his pointer and thumb.

“I don’t thinksss ssso”

“AL! DON’T JUST STAND THERE! HELP!”