(no subject)

[stifled]

「 he thinks this is all some sort of prank or joke when he first walks in. five minutes and three spontaneously appearing sugar quills later, he wonders if this all isn't a dream or hallucination. one hour and ten doors later, the cold feeling of panic has made itself at home in his stomach, lips taut and brows furrowed as he tries to make sense of this place. 」

How is it that there's a room with a circus inside, and yet no library or parlour?

Comments

[pridegoesbefore]

Would you believe "magic"?

[stifled]

Only if it's of the more frivolous variety.

「 there is a hopeful look in his eye that is soon swapped for one of scrutiny. like the now-dispatched sugar quills, he isn't quite sure if the young woman standing in front of him is who she appears to be, or if this place is simply playing tricks on him (if she is, she'll be able to tell by that clipped tone of voice just how anxious he feels right now). 」

[pridegoesbefore]

Darling boy, everything here is frivolous except me, and that's only because you have my sugar quills.

[She has her head tilted just so; if he's who she hopes suspects he is, that should hopefully be the clincher to nip his own suspicions in the bud.

Or not.

That remains to be seen.]

[stifled]

「 witness the most tentative of smiles; that certainly sounds like something his cousin would say, so logically, it must be her.

except that if whatever magic this is could create an apparition that looked like his cousin, surely it wouldn't take that much delving into his mind to make it sound like her too (bella once said he was too naive; of all the times he chooses to take her advice and act more cautiously, it would be now, wouldn't it).

or he could be over-thinking things, you never know. 」

I don't recall you ever leaving your sugar quills floating about strange places like this.

[pridegoesbefore]

[Bella is probably well-meaning somewhere in her black Black heart, but it's been horribly twisted by now, so taking her advice is best done with several grains of salt and an enraptured expression lest she hex you.]

No, I tend to hide them against potential quill famine. But you might find this place will give you another, if you wish it.

...your collar is caught.

[stifled]

「 a hand reaches up automatically to correct it. still, sinister apparitions wishing him harm could comment on his clothing like that, right?

right?

...right, so maybe he can't even believe that.

he allows both the look on his face and his tone of voice to soften slightly when he next speaks. 」

...You mean they're safe to eat?

[pridegoesbefore]

Other than the fad flavours you occasionally come across, yes. Raspberry swirl sounded so lovely on the box, but once tasted... [A delicate shudder.

And you're paranoid, darling boy, though it makes sense to be.]

[stifled]

...Raspberry flavoured sweets never taste as nice as the real thing, I've come to find.

「 paranoid though he may be, the vanilla quill that next appears is plucked from the air almost instantly. he does take the time to give it a good sniff, however. 」

[pridegoesbefore]

...you're as bad as Nero.

[A peach one appears for her, and she bites the tip off with a neat and satisfying snap.]

[stifled]

Doesn't he start licking his lips after the first few sniffs?

「 the tip of his own will disappear behind his lips as he sucks the quill to a point. 」

[pridegoesbefore]

Like you've just done?

[Everything clicking into place.]

[stifled]

Only in demonstration!

「 it almost feels as though they're not in a strange magical room. 」

[pridegoesbefore]

[Almost! Except.] Come here and greet me properly, you maddening boy.

[thirdtimelucky]

...what are you doing here?

[stifled]

「 ...of all the rotten luck. 」

--What, have you got some sort of monopoly on odd places?

[thirdtimelucky]

[Hey, that was his thought. Give it back.]

Apparently not, if you lot are going to show up. Here to rub shoulders with your precious Death Eater pals?

[HE KNOWS ALL. He does not know how old you are, so that might be a little awkward, but the point is. He knows.]

[stifled]

「 no, it's his and you can't have it, so there! 」

Here to make wild and idiotic assumptions about my intentions?

「 his nervousness turns to mere annoyance as he rolls his eyes. you sir, are not quite the irritating teenager he remembers you to be, but this entire situation combined with that blast of obnoxiousness more or less distracts him from fixating on that one small point. 」

[thirdtimelucky]

[...he had it first! This is going well.]

If by wild and idiotic you mean bang on the mark about your past actions and likely intentions, then yeah, I am.

[Hmm. You... don't look quite right. Also he is pissed at you for joining the DE's, FYI.]

[stifled]

「 aren't older brothers meant to be the more mature ones? 」

...I make disparaging comments towards you at the breakfast table, and suddenly I'm a Death Eater?

「 and there he thought this anger had more to do with the whole telling Mother about that stash of Muggle magazines thing. 」

[thirdtimelucky]

[Shut up that is not the issue at hand.

BUT WAIT.]

...how old are you?

[It was porn. HDU. That stuff is sacred.]

[stifled]

And now you've amnesia too. Maybe I ought to develop some; I could forget your birthday and save myself the trouble of getting you a gift.

「 what he means to say is that he is only fifteen, and you are still his brother, for now.

and he could see buttocks and breasts, for goodness sake! it was dirty! 」

[thirdtimelucky]

Maybe you could stop being a mouthy little smartarse and answer the question, since unlike you, I don't talk to just hear myself speak.

[Ohnomessy. Sirius is nineteen, and a git, and you have been a proud Death Eater for a while now, you bloody little idiot.

Welp. Lucky he didn't find the other stash. *whistles*]

[stifled]

Oh, really? You could have fooled me. My fifteenth birthday was only a few weeks ago, for the record, and since you feel I speak too much, I'll leave my comment at that.

「 he does not leave the opportunity to glare darkly at a brother he feels is being more difficult than usual. and if he knew just what was set to happen over the holidays, he would argue that sirius is the greater sinner here, thankyouverymuch.

--what, there's more? 」

[thirdtimelucky]

Right, well, there's the problem. You're three years younger than you should be, because I'm nineteen and... probably nothing at all like you remember.

[--nope. There's none, don't go looking for it, nothing to find.]

[stifled]

Rubbish, I'm not younger than I should, you're just older than you ought to be. You're just as disagreeable as you've always been, at that, so I doubt those extra years have truly made as much of a difference as you seem to think.

「 oh, you'll leave something lying about eventually, and regulus won't hesitate to tell on you. 」