Escaping Trouble ((Adrian))

[fallenangel]

Malcolm pulled the guitar case up from the ground and headed down the steps to the Slytherin dormitory. He had just finished one of his daily music breaks. He just couldn't help it. He needed a daily fix of his guitar or he was driven nuts by the continued annoyance of everyday life. Today had been a good day though for his music session. He had thought up a few more lines for a song he was writing. It didn't seem like it was going anywhere really, but he knew if he kept coming up with more and more lyrics sooner or later he was going to find the perfect ones for the music. He smiled at the thought. He needed to finish another song. It wouldn't be long before he was in Ireland with his grandmother and she wouldn't take kindly to his continued obsession with locking himself in a room and not coming out until he had made some progress on a song. No she would make sure he didn't have much time to work on anything this summer but on what she wanted him to work on. It had become a grueling task every summer, just showing up at her house was something that gave Malcolm a knotted stomach. He had begun to hate it there, okay not begun, but his hatred for the place had significantly risen in the past year due to her antics last summer with not letting him leave the house period, not even to step outside to enjoy the sun. This summer he was determined not to let that happen again. After all, now he was 17, he could force his way out of the house if he wanted to and he would if he had to.

Malcolm continued his slow walk when he ran head on into a suit of armor that had not been there a moment earlier. He looked up from the ground to see the culprit. "What the..." he exclaimed. A student that Malcolm didn't recognize was laughing hysterically as he began to throw small items that Malcolm's mind didn't connect with at first, but before long Malcolm realized what they were. The kid had somehow come into possession of several dung bombs and had lit the suckers before Malcolm could do anything. Who dose this kid think he is, the old filthy Weasley twins? Malcolm thought. He pulled out his wand to stop the kid, but it was too late the kid had taken off in a dead sprint out of the corridor. Malcolm looked around becoming aware of the situation at hand. Before the dung bombs went off Malcolm booked it toward a secret passageway that led back upstairs. He took it quickly and was within the passageway just as he heard the unmistakable sound of Filch's footsteps. Keep going...keep going, Malcolm counseled himself. His guitar case was banging hard against his leg as he ran, but he had no choice.

At the top of the passageway Malcolm bolted out into the corridor and ran straight into an unsuspecting student. He couldn't slow himself enough to keep from meeting the ground. His case flew out from his hand and he was so glad that he had bought the hard case last summer. It hit the ground with a loud bang that echoed down the hallway as Malcolm toppled to the ground next to the student. He rose quickly and looked down. He recognized the boy enough to know that he was in Slytherin. Probably a year or two below him though. He put out his hand. "My apologies, some kid was trying to get me in trouble," Malcolm said with annoyance as he nodded back toward the passageway he had just come through. He waited to see if the boy would take his hand in acceptance of his apology and let Malcolm help him up.

[hollow]

"Castor. Get down here, I have a letter for you to deliver." Adrian squinted up at the flurry of owls swooping around the Owlery and sighed as Castor didn't appear. Honestly, that owl seemed to obey anyone more than Adrian when others were present and right now, a group of young, idiotic Hufflepuffs were staring at him and giggling. "Shut up." Adrian glared at him, icy brown eyes piercing through them and instantly shutting them up. His patience with anyone not Slytherin, and perhaps Ravenclaw, was rapidly shrinking day by day. And at this moment, Adrian couldn't remember why he had even thought that Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were worthy of any attention, let alone the attention of a Slytherin. He pushed his dark hair away from his face irritatedly. If that owl didn't surface soon then Adrian was going to swap with his younger sister for her owl, Pollux. Castor and Pollux, Adrian couldn't remember who had named the two black owls but it was probably his younger sister with names like those.

The group of still giggling Hufflepuffs gave Adrian an idea and he stepped toward them menacingly, watching their cowering forms with satisfaction. Now that was satisfying, much more satisfying than being friends with them. What had started off as an act, had turned into reality; Adrian now enjoyed his power over the two weaker houses. But the niggling voice in the back of his mind, the voice telling him that this behaviour was wrong, that voice wouldn't go away. Yet everyday the voice was growing weaker and weaker, getting harder to hear and easier to ignore. A packet of owl treats clattered onto the floor and Adrian bent to pick them up, smirking at the Hufflepuff who had dropped them. "Castor." Adrian whistled for his owl demandingly, holding an owl treat in his hand firmly and smiled in faint delight as Castor landed on his shoulder and rubbed his beak against Adrian's cheek before nipping the owl treat out of his hand. "Cheeky," Adrian murmured fondly, rubbing the top of the owls head. Adrian produced a white envelope and handed it to Castor. "You know the drill Cast, straight to my parents and you have a day to spend with Pollux and my sister." Adrian whispered the instructions into Castor's feathers quietly and watched the black owl fly out of the Owlery before throwing the packet of owl treats back to the group carelessly. He ignored their astounded glances as Adrian strolled out of the Owlery, whistling a dark tune and smirking.

Adrian walked through the unusually empty corridors thoughtfully, barely even noticing that he didn't have to step around an annoying student who insisted on blocking the corridor for once. His mind was firmly claimed by ponderings about his treatment of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. He had been raised to respect everyone equally and at first, that had showed. But Adrian had quickly learned to hide his respect and to insult them. Now the acting was turning into reality and Adrian was fine with that, he didn't care about the weaker members of the school. But his parents would and that's what worried Adrian. His parents had given him life and had loved and cherished him. Surely going against their teachings was wrong. But they too had been at Hogwarts and had had friends in Slytherin. So they would know what behaviour was expected of Slytherins. But would that be enough to make them understand and accept him? His sister, Adrian knew, would have no problem with his hatred toward Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. She would stand by him no matter what. The two may be rather distanced in age but they had a bond that no one could break.

Adrian was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the older student bolting toward him and only realized that something was amiss when he felt his head bang against the ground. "Ouch," Adrian groaned quietly, rubbing his head tenderly and his eyes closed in silent relief when he felt no blood against his fingers. His eyes only opened when he heard a voice speaking and Adrian glared up at him silently but still accepted the hand and let the boy help him up. Adrian recognised the boy as an older Slytherin and his anger subsided, only to be replaced by spiking panic. The boy would have been here when Adrian entered Hogwarts, what if he remembered Adrian's friendly attitude toward the weaker houses? Adrian calmed himself quickly, the boy would have no reason to remember. Hadn't Adrian changed his attitude within a matter of days, perhaps a week? "It's fine. Don't worry about it. They're always trying to get us into trouble." Adrian half-smiled calmly, chuckling silently at his words. Us and Them, like a mini version of the war raging outside, and occasionally inside, Hogwarts.

[fallenangel]

((Not one of my best, but I'm in a rush to finish it before I kicked out of the computer lab. Sorry it took so long to reply. ))

The kid took Mal's hand and he hoisted him back to his feet. Even if the kid was younger his blood was enough to make Mal keep up pleasantries. It was beginning to get worse between the pure-blood's anyway, there was no reason to be apart of the hatred. Mal was for any pure-blood that disliked muggles, mudbloods, and half-breeds. The pure-bloods that weren't for that were on the top of Mal's dislike list. His grandmother was one of them. He subconsciously glared before realizing that his thoughts were leading his actions. He turned his attention back on the kid. "Yeah, I'm getting sick of these people that think getting Slytherins into trouble is funny. When I find that kid I'm going to make the sucker pay, even if it means losing a few house points, you know what I mean?" Mal said with a bit of an evil smile. He knew plenty of good hexes and curses to throw at someone who was bothering him. The kid would certainly regret it when Mal was through with him.

"Malcolm Reynolds Jr., but you can just call me Mal. Most people do. I'm a 6th year. I recognize you from the common room, but I must say I don't know your name," Mal said as he shook the kid's hand before letting go. He ventured over to where his case had hit the ground and opened it quickly to check on his guitar. If that kid had caused his only prize possession to break than he was definitely going to be needing Madam Pomfrey after Malcolm was through with him. However, the kid seemed to luck out. The guitar was virtually untouched in the case. Only a few sheets of music had been out of wack. He straightened them back out before standing and holding his case in his hand. He sat it upright in front of him and leaned slightly on the top of the case as he addressed the kid in front of him.

"The kid was about to be in serious trouble if my guitar had been damaged. I don't suppose you saw a young kid with dark hair and what looked to be a Gryffindor fly up the staircase a few moments back. He was probably laughing. I'd love to find the little sucker and give him what he deserves," Mal said with an small smile that masked his hatred and annoyance for what the kid did. Malcolm brushed his hair out of his face and placed his hand back on his guitar case as he waited for an answer.

[hollow]

Adrian raised an eyebrow coolly at the fierce glare but let it slide. It would be foolish to challenge an older Slytherin and especially about such an unimportant matter. Still, what had caused this boy to channel his anger toward Adrian in a glare? "Ah, ah. Punish them by all means but at least be discreet enough to not get caught. Is that not what the Slytherin house is famed for? Besides being 'sneaky, slimy, no good snakes' of course." The words were blunt, partially because of the glare but also because of the simple stupidity Adrian sensed in the older boys words. Why punish the idiot and get caught because of it? Was it not a better idea to plan the revenge carefully and execute this brilliantly thought out plan without getting caught? Not only would it save Slytherin from losing yet more points but the idiotic child who had thought it a good idea to get a Slytherin into trouble would see just how wrong he had been. No one should be able to get a Slytherin into trouble and not pay for it.

"Adrian Hollows, Adrian Sean Hollows if you really want to be formal and to have the pleasure of learning my middle name." Adrian smirked slightly, enjoying the return of his own, special brand of humour. If this boy - Mal, Adrian reminded himself sharply - didn't understand his sense of humour then Adrian wasn't really bothered, not many people actually did until they had adjusted to Adrian himself. He would be more surprised of Mal did get the subtle insult toward the old fashioned etiquette that Adrian rather despised. "Fourth year. Likewise, I recognize you from the common room but must admit that I had no clue what your actual name was." Adrian shrugged slightly. He didn't really show much interest toward knowing everyones name and rank..or bloodline, as others seemed to prefer calling them. Why bother when so many of his house mates were such idiots? True, a few were rather interesting and amusing but not many.

"Young kid. Dark hair. Looks like a Gryffindor. You might need to be a bit more specific, Malcolm. There are many students who are young and have dark hair." Adrian rolled his eyes in exasperation. Why did people find it so hard to be specific when describing people? "After all, I'm fairly young - compared to you anyway - and I have dark hair. Hopefully I don't look like a Gryffindor but really, two out of three isn't bad. Are you so sure that you didn't just describe me but assume that the kid was a Gryffindor and so add on the part about the boy looking like a Gryffindor?" Adrian lifted an eyebrow challengingly, waiting for Malcolm to respond with a suitable answer to Adrians challenge. Though he would be rather annoyed if Malcolm decided that Adrian had been the one to get him into trouble and took out his anger on him.That wouldn't be a good response to a simple attempt to make him be specific and add details.

((Mine isn't the best either. And how could I mind you taking a while to reply when you gave me the opportunity to attack Mal with pillows! ;D))

[fallenangel]

"Look kid, I wouldn't get caught. I was just saying. Besides the fact of the matter is that the kid is going to get his comeuppance. Sooner or later he'll find himself in a bad situation. As for your description of our house. I'd watch it a bit if I were you. I've never heard a Slytherin talk so harshly about their own house. Or are you one of those pure-bloods that despise what the Dark Lord is doing?" Mal questioned. His voice had turned darker than normal and his eyes had narrowed. That's all he needed right now was to be in the presence of a blood traitor. He was in no mood to deal with their kind and if indeed this kid was one of them then Mal would just have to show the kid what happened to pure-bloods who turned on their kind.

After Mal's introduction the kid gave his and Mal just shrugged at the kids formality. "Well if you want to be formal. Malcolm Theodore Reynolds Jr., but as I said before just call me Mal, the rest is a mouth full," he said. Mal wasn't into being formal unless he was around his grandmother where he was forced to be. The rest of the time he just wanted to be treated the same as other 17 year olds. He was of age and he was an adult. Formalities only mattered when talking with someone of importance. Which Mal was hardly accustomed to. He didn't talk with people very often at all and the people he did talk to were definitely not of any more importance than himself. So why should he bother with using formalities. They were a waste of time to him and he preferred to not even deal with them at all as opposed to always using them.

"You know I would have given more detail if I could, but the kid wasn't close to me and besides that he was wearing his Hogwart's robes. By all means if you want to go into it, you do kind of look like the annoying little kid from a couple floors down. You think I ought to deal with you like I would deal with him?" Malcolm asked harshly as he drew to his full height and placed his hand on his wand. He was going to do anything to the kid, at least not now. He was just trying to get the kid to back of his case. Kids now a days were definitely not into respecting their elders. Mal's threatening glare subsided and he cracked a small smile. "The kid was too far away for me to get a good look of him. I figured the details I had would be enough if you saw a kid bolting up the stairs, but obviously you didn't or you would have just said that instead of annoying me with semantics. Of course I could always be wrong."

[hollow]

"I don't despise what the Dark Lord is doing. I think he's heading toward his goal in the wrong way and I think he could think over his priorities but I don't despise his work." Adrian raised his chin defiantly, recognising the warning signs but not backing down. If this student was a Dark Lord fanatic and wanted nothing more than to cheer as all the muggles and muggle-borns were executed then Adrian had no argument with him. But Adrian had no allegiance to either side of the war and wasn't planning to openly support anyone. By all means, the Dark Lord could kill off those who didn't belong is this world and Adrian might even secretly cheer him on but to do so openly was to have a death wish. "And the description of our house should be familiar to you. Isn't that what most Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs call us?" Adrian smiled dryly, remembering just how often he had heard that particular insult and had wished to take revenge on the students.

"Sure. Take your temper out on a younger student. I wouldn't mind at all but I don't think you'd want a group of Hufflepuffs - they look like Hufflepuffs anyway - watching you curse another Slytherin. United front, and all. They might get the idea that it's fine for them to pick on Slyths as well." Adrian tilted his head toward the small clump of students in the corner with a laughing smirk. Chances were that Mal wouldn't have done anything to him anyway but there was always a possibility. Adrian's eyes flicked to Malcolm's hand, noting the position of the wand and quickly calculating the likelihood of him actually being cursed. To Adrian, it was a form of treason to curse another Slytherin anyway and the presence of the Hufflepuffs just added another reason to his list of exactly why he would not be hexed by this boy.

Adrian relaxed slightly when Mal smiled, mentally smirking as his beliefs were confirmed. He was safe from other Slytherins at least, even if every other house tended to try to wreak havoc upon every member of the Slytherin house they could find. "You could be wrong," Adrian agreed with a small smile, allowing the more mischievous side of his personality to take over for a few minutes. "And you actually are wrong, Mal. I did see a kid running up the stairs. Looked like a Gryffindor, quite young and certainly laughing." Adrian paused for a few seconds, allowing the tension to build, before continuing. "Of course, this student was a girl who had blonde hair and was surrounded by a group of friends, one of whom had just fallen over and was the cause of the laughter, I believe." Adrian grinned slightly and raised his eyes to Mal's face, waiting for his reaction, whether he was annoyed at the joke or had enjoyed it or any other reaction.