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Damien made himself a plate, keeping an eye on Marina to make sure that she was handling everything alright. She seemed to be keeping her cool, but anyone who knew her would be able to tell that something was wrong. She wasn't talking, wasn't even really smiling. It bothered him more than anything. This was his fault, even if she didn't blame him. He could have just walked away and never looked back. He could have said it wasn't worth it, not just for him, but for her, too. But he hadn't, and now... well, now there was no going back. Which was nice, since it meant he could stop worrying about when everything would go to hell; it already had. But it was still awful that they'd had to go through it. And at least they'd had an entire school year without the drama. Sure, there'd been whispers and rumors, but those didn't bother him. Marina was strong enough that those didn't really hurt her. But this... this had been awful.

Still, it was worth it. So he smiled at her, nodding his head towards the first thing to catch his attention, which happened to be a certain tiny Hufflepuff running to her table, rather late for the feast. Her hair was a bit ruffled, too. "Looks like Adalaide fell asleep again." The Slytherin had noticed that lately, Ada had been running into lessons at the last second, her clothes and hair rumpled. He'd also heard a rumor that a couple weeks ago, she'd fallen asleep outside and had to sneak into the castle after curfew... and that she'd had help.

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'It's natural for a thing like me...'

Damien shook his head and shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothing. She's always had her head in the clouds; maybe she's just enjoying her dreams, too." Damien thought that he'd been told before that it was normal for teenagers to go through phases where they slept constantly. Something about conservation of energy for the body to grow better. And Adalaide certainly needed all the energy her body could save up for growing; the girl was so tiny she could play quidditch on a twig. Maybe she'd hit a growth spurt over the break or something. "Anyway, she's doing alright. She always wakes up in time for class. Maybe she'll get plenty of rest over the Summer and be back to normal by next term." He shrugged again and started on his dinner. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.

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'It's natural for a thing like me...'

I settled down a twisted up frown
Disguised as a smile, well
You would have never known

Loneliness, it’d never bothered him more than it had today. Maybe it was because he was surrounded by a crowd; surrounded and yet, drowning in solace. It was ironic, really. He’d spent the train ride with Damien and Marina, hadn’t found Gracie on the carriage ride up to the castle so he sat to himself and strung on his guitar. Even now, he still had his guitar in his fingers and he plucked the strings carefully as he found himself a seat at the Slytherin Table. He was only lucky to have not gotten in trouble at the end of the year feast last year for sitting at the Ravenclaw table, because, well, it was the end of the year! What were they going to do? Give him detentions?

Yeah well, they seemed pretty worth it right about now. He nodded solemnly towards Amanda as he sat and played an acoustic harmony. A droll silence filled the hall. Where was the chatter? And the laughter? Idly, he wondered if it died during the summer, too. Like so many others did.

I settled down a twisted up frown
Disguised as a smile, well
You would have never known

He blinked in utter disbelief and surprise. ”Grace?” His voice uplifted, hopeful, as he turned around to find the source of sudden cold flesh wrapping around him like a cool blanket. Her whispering voice flooded his ears and rained down his mind, dousing the flames running rampant over dried memories. ”What are you doing here?” He blinked again, but this time allowed a smile to grace his lips fully as he positioned his guitar to the side and reached over to wrap her in a half-hug, a kiss soon graced her lips to follow. His arm around her felt distinctly smaller, thinner, and it'd felt that way each time she saw him as the summer had progressed into the school year. His flesh was a little paler, and his eyes were rimmed with the faintest circles of sleep deprivation.

”You know you’re not exactly the best at blending in, right?” He gestured playfully towards her vibrant red hair. If his cousin was here, he wouldn’t feel half so vulnerable, but now that she was gone, he was left to fend for himself—and that really sucked when you were used to being handed everything, seriously. Still, he tucked the thoughts away and chuckled as she questioned his musical aptitude. ”Yeah, I’ve played since I was a little kid, mum thought I was getting too barbaric, playing rugby and the like, hell, I guess I kinda was, now that I think about it,” Playfully, he stuck his tongue out at her as she teased him. It was a wonder how easy it was to compartmentalize everything away into the darkness, pretend it wasn’t there. ”I play piano too, but I’m not really that good at it, it kind of bored me,

“At least I could’ve pretended to be a rockstar with a guitar when I was little,” he laughed. ”That made it a lot easier for me to pay attention, and actually learn something.”

"Music is easy and simple, you don't have to worry about things like betrayal."

♮

♯

"But in life, your best friends can end up as your worst enemies."

Amory Goodwin

Finally being sorted, Mory hopped off the stool and made her way to the Slytherin table. Father would have been pleased by the house she got in, she wouldn't have to deal with those of lesser quality. Her mother, on the other hand, would have been indifferent. She could be aloof at times in her praise of certain things she deemed worthy of it. None the less, Slytherin it was and so Amory took a seat on an empty portion of the bench, which happened to be next to Yesenia.

Mory was unfamiliar of the girl and so was not quite aware of her blood status as of yet. As sorting continued she looked in that direction, however, and watched as the various students made their way to their respective tables. Mory was anxious for the rest settle in and be sorted. It was a better way to see who to devote time to, if needed. Not only that, but she was ready for the rest of the night's activities to take place.

Sergio walked down the line, studying his house mates. And he happened to come across two people...two people that he knew he'd be seeing before, but not until now did he truly know. Oh, I am going to love this.

Sergio found himself having to sit in front of them, which was to a point exactly where he wanted to be. "Time to have some fun,". "Hey look, if it isn't the Princess and the Russian Enigma, sounds like a movie doesn't it...? Probably thought you were rid of me," he said in jest, laughing a bit in between the saying "Turns out I'm a little more like you than you take me for. And guess what? You two..." he said, pointing his finger at them. "Are going to have to deal with me for another...seven... years? That should be fun huh?"

Sergio was going to enjoy his time here. Chastising the lovebirds, picking up new ...'friends', and representing the Di Maria Family Line, one that is revered in many countries, and is somewhat infamous in another, but that was beside the point.

Damien's eyebrows went up as one of the newly sorted Slytherins plopped down at the table, not far from his and Marina's seats, looking shocked. He wondered about that; sure, sorting could come as a surprise to some, but most Slytherins were well aware of their sorting outcome. Most of them wanted it; a few grudgingly accepted that they might be like their families. He'd never seen anyone response with such full-on shock before. He nudged Marina, and slid closer to the young lady. He was a prefect; so was Marina. It was their job to make sure the new first years got properly assimilated and fit in well. The other new snakes... he wrinkled his nose when he realized just how well they all seemed to be fitting in. Typical Slytherins, the lot of them, it seemed. He sighed, and the offered the young lady a smile. "Hi, there, I'm Damien, a fifth year. Prefect. What's your name? Are you alright?" He supposed it might just be nerves; after all, being sorted into a house known for its cunning and ambition set certain standards on a person. Things were expected of them. Particularly by their parents. It was the curse of coming from a lineage. Particularly one of snakes. Although, he supposed that Ravenclaws might not fare much better. They were expected to be the smartest. He considered that perhaps being in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff might have some merits he hadn't considered. There were only so many slots on a Quidditch team, and how else was a Gryffindor supposed to portray bravery in a school setting? He supposed high marks in Defense might help, but he couldn't really think of an academic application for such a trait. And Hufflepuff's were known for being kind and loyal; that wasn't a school thing, that was all about how good of a person you were. And if your parents were the sort to judge you based on your house standards... well, they were probably the sort to have not been in Hufflepuff. And possibly to be disappointed that you were. He smiled a bit; thank God Ada's parents weren't like that. She'd die.


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'It's natural for a thing like me...'