Lost In Stereo;;

[prongs]

James Percy Maine walked into the barely populated Great Hall, his eyebrows furrowing a little in confusion as he set his bag next to an unoccupied seat.
It's the day the champions are announced. You'd think more people would show up...
James looked around, his mousey brown hair falling in his face as he moved his head.

Alexandrina sighed as she joined the Hufflepuff table, her black curls tied in a loose ponytail and bouncing behind her. If she were only a few years older, maybe she would have had a chance to sign up for that tournament...
The very, very Greek third year sat at a seat that she made sure wasn't going to be anywhere near anyone, holding her head in her hands in a bored manner.
Hufflepuff better win.

Dylan Barker was the next to join the Great Hall, Bethany Jacobs attached to him like a leech, as always.
The boy scowled. He had signed up for the tournament, but it wasn't like he was going to get picked.
I'm no Cedric Diggory.
Bethany stopped at his table, grinning away like an idiot.
"Well, after this, make sure to meet me somewhere, mmkay?"
Dylan gave a smile, and Bethany gracefully made her way to the Ravenclaw table.
Dylan looked at the Slytherin table, his black and soulless eyes a little darker.
I swear to God, if that blue haired prick of Xanthe's is in this...
He immediatley started to ball his fists on instinct, and he knew if he wasn't in his alias of Dylan Barker and was Darien Wakefield, his hair would be turning a shade of red that would make a Weasley blush.

Liam Smith groaned, his hands in his pockets as he walked into the Great Hall. Nothing was going right in his life, he was in an unhappy relationship, a laughingstock of the Gryffindors for friending a Slytherin.
His hair was messy and his choclate eyes void of emotion, but his socks seemed the only vibrant part of him at the current moment as he sat at the table.
Liam looked at the owl poduim, wanting to get this ceremony over with so he'd go meet with Penny like she forced him to.[/size]

[Wilhelmina & Darius]

awful sweet to be a little butterfly

[/color]
WINGIN' OVER THINGS AND NOTHING DEEP INSIDE [/color]

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Wilhelmina

[/font][/color]

It was so weird to be here again.

Standing outside of the Great Hall, Wilhelmina White stared up at the large double doors before her. Her emotions were driving her crazy at the moment. Luckily, she had cried more than enough on the way to Hogwarts and she could hold the tears back now. Her heart leapt with happiness knowing that she was once again part of this magical place. However, there was a part of her that held an extreme amount of hatred, as well as some hidden fear, for a certain female Slytherin. Her hands balled into fists immediately at the thought of that creature, but she quickly shook her head and the major feeling of anger slowly sank away.

The young girl looked very different compared to the last time she had occupied the corridors of Hogwarts. She use to have long, blonde curls, but they had recently been cut down to just about her shoulders and dyed a very dark brown. Mina had also lost a small amount of weight, something that generally happened when someone went through something as traumatic as she had. The one thing that she could never explain was the lightening of her eye color from their previous dark brown to a lighter hazel, sometimes green, color. The changes she had purposefully made to her appearance, those being her hair and the slight change of style, were just done so she could not be noticed as the girl she actually was.

Mina took a deep breath, moving to the doors to pull one open and quietly slip into the Great Hall. Her eyes scanned the sparsely populated room, wondering if the eyes that had looked up to see her actually noticed who she was. Her feet carried her quickly toward her house table, but as she moved her eyes from the one belonging to Ravenclaw to Gryffindor's, Mina froze. Sitting there was someone she had longed to see since she had left him the previous summer. She had missed that adorable boy for so long, and not a day went by that he didn't cross her mind. Her first instinct was to immediately move toward him, but she couldn't. Mina had no idea what kind of relationship he had with..her, knowing that the three of them had been somewhat friendly to each other at one point, and Mina could not risk being anywhere near that girl.

Taking another deep breath, Mina moved to the opposite end of the Gryffindor table, facing away from the gorgeous boy that she longed to throw her arms around. The tears stung at her eyes before starting to flow heavily down her cheeks, and Mina immediately put her head down on the table to hide her overacting emotions.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[prongs]

Liam looked up at the beautiful, multicoloured cup that the winner of the House Cup would win, the one who would realize their potential in the few short minutes that would procede to realize their potential, their hope.
A few footsteps sounded against the still, bare rock of the floor of the Great Hall, but Liam didn't notice. He didn't seem to notice many things nowadays.
Liam's choclate eyes were dulled as usual as he waited for Penny to come up to him. She was okay sometimes, really, but she made him feel like...
A Pureblood would a Mudblood?
Liam thought bitterly of the subject, thinking of some of his Slytherin friends who would do some of the said thing.
Yeah, but it's not like Xanthe would murder someone.
Liam looked down again, thinking of the clashing emotions of his. He felt worthless, pathetic.
Maybe if I weren't so much of a brat, my parents still be here. Maybe I'd actually be liked. Maybe if I actually had the courage Gryffindors were so well known for-
Liam stopped himself dead in his tracks, knowing that the last thing he was about to say was the weight of his burden, the thing he could never forgive himself for.
Maybe Mina'd still be here.
The Gryffindor had seemed to dissapear for a while, but even still, they hadn't had the best of relationships; Mina was together with David Solomon a while back, someone Liam didn't trust at all. Just the thought of him using her, like he would any girl, made him feel rage like no other...
Liam had to keep some sort of composure, or else he knew he'd implode. It was getting closer, any day now...
He'd never forgive himself for not telling Mina how he felt.
And now she was gone.
He was a coward.
Liam looked down at his table setting, realizing that he had bent his fork in anger. The Gryffindor looked around, his ears turning hot with embarrasment.
The table was a sea of gold and red, a color he was a little sick of seeing recently. It was what stood for what he didn't have - courage.
Liam looked at a Gryffindor student sitting down at the table, realizing it was the one walking from earlier. She looked oddly familiar.
It's not...
Liam felt a pound in his chest, hope building up despite his fear of it being crushed.
It is.
Liam hadn't seen her face in what was ages, but it was so familiar now, like she never left. It was also broken.
Liam wrenched a little; he always felt awkward around pain, especially Mina's.
Somehow, the boy found the strength to get onto his feet, and he found himself walking toward her, maybe a little faster than he really should be. He had a girlfriend, after all.
Liam stood behind the sobbing Mina, knowing that it was the seconds he had before she would sense him there.
Liam's voice was soft.
"Mina?"[/size]

[Wilhelmina & Darius]

awful sweet to be a little butterfly

[/color]
WINGIN' OVER THINGS AND NOTHING DEEP INSIDE [/color]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][/font][/center]

Wilhelmina

[/font][/color]

A shiver was sent down her spine the moment she heard that boy's voice, her sobs quickly quieting with the realization that he could most likely hear her. She had heard more than enough questions about her tears on the way to this place, and she did not feel like coming up with anymore excuses today. Lying to her maternal grandparents, who she couldn't even stand, was bad enough. Taking a very deep, shaky breath, Mina lifted her head and slowly got to her feet, facing Liam. She didn't speak, nor did she move after she had gotten to her feet, she simply allowed her eyes to take in the sight of him. Her heart pounded in her chest, her legs shaking, and her palms sweating. He was even more perfect now than he had been the last time she had laid eyes on him, he looked so much older even though it had only been a year or so. A smile slowly formed on her lips, and without taking the time to think about it, she stood on her toes and threw her arms around him.

For a moment she allowed herself to enjoy his touch, hiding her reddened face against his shoulder and neck. Oh, how she had missed everything about this fellow Gryffindor. His voice, his scent, his touch, and that amazing feeling she got whenever she saw his gorgeous face. Her tears were soaking his shoulder, and she hoped that he didn't care. As she continued to support herself against him, a few thoughts began to slowly penetrate her mind. What if he was still friends with Xanthe? Could she really be his friend knowing that he was completely alright with the girl who had destroyed her life? Of course not. With a cough, Mina pushed herself away from Liam and looked up at him one last time before turning and running off. She was so confused. Mina wanted nothing more than to be with that boy, to be his, but she couldn't take the risk of running into Xanthe. Even if they weren't friends any longer, she could guarantee the Slytherin figuring out who this new brunette girl was if she happened to be hanging all over Liam the same way the blonde-headed Wilhelmina use to.

So, she ran out of the Great Hall as quickly as she could without drawing attention. She continued to walk quickly down the corridors until losing her footing at the first staircase, falling onto her hands and feet. Mina sighed loudly, turning and falling onto her bottom on a step. She wiped frantically at her tears, taking deep breaths and finally stopping the flood of tears for now.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[firefly]

Penny smirked, her pink lips curled in a grin. Her sugar coated world was truly coming into perfection, and she was pulling the strings.
Her heels clicked as she made her way into the Great Hall, scanning the Gryffindor table, which was the only table she really should be concerned with. Houses shouldn't mix.
The girls eyes slitted and darkened as she saw her boyfriend, focusing more on whatever skank had decided to wrap her arms around him. For God's sake, she was sobbing all over him! He was probably covered in snot.
The girl fled, and Penny gave a satisfied scowl as she passed her. If that girl ever decided to touch her boyfriend again...
"Liam Smith."
The tone was commanding, much like the mixture of the former headmaster Dolores Umbridge and a Nazi officer. Her heels seemed to click to a death psalm as she made her way over to him, the intensity of them showing how angry she was.
Penny faced the boy, her hands soon on her hips, and her voice got louder than necessary.
"Who was that, Liam?"
Penny tried to stay calm, but her voice cracked in between saying the order. She had had her fair share of times she had hooked up with others in the relationship her and Liam had, but him with another girl was absolutely unacceptable.
Penny looked down at Liam's feet, her teeth coming to an irritated snarl.
"Jesus Christ, Liam."
Penny VanTressent's laugh was cold and mocking. "I don't know how many times I've told you to get rid of your dumb ass socks. Honestly, you wonder why you don't have friends. You're fucking retarded, really."
Penny sighed.
"You can't do anything right."[/size]

[prongs]

Liam blinked a little in suprise, his heart wrenching a little at seeing Mina cry. He wanted to protect her from whatever was causing her so much emotion in any way he could.
"Mina. It's okay."
His voice was tender, like a parent comforting a child after their very first experience with a boggart. He hated seeing Mina in pain.
Liam didn't mind that she happened to be sobbing all over him, he was just glad she was back. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, wanting to do anything he could to make her stop feeling the pain she was in.
Liam looked down at Mina, realizing how shadowy and lachrymose she was.
Something bad must have happened.
Mina started to break from him, and Liam found himself internally breaking a little.
No. Don't go now...
Mina ran out of the Great Hall, her feet tapping with ballerina's grace. She always ran from him.
Liam found himself staring at the entrance that she left through, his body getting colder from the absence of her warmth.
"Liam Smith."
The Gryffindor cringed, knowing all too well where the raptor like voice came from.
"Ah, crap. Pen, I can explain."
Her taunting continued, and he looked down at his socks. He should have thought better than to wear them today, not to throw out every odd pair he had. He couldn't do anything right, just like she had said often enough.
Oh God, the wrath of Penny. He'd rather do detention with Snape weekly.
Liam sighed, grabbing Penny's hand. He needed to make her calm down. Penny could get...on the unpleasent side.
"It's' nothing. It's not like I'm cheating on you or anything, Pen. She's just my friend. You might have met her. Mina White?"
Liam pulled himself closer to Penny, one of his arms wrapping around her waist.
"You really don't need to worry." he whispered. "I love you."[/size]

[firefly]

"Don't call me Pen." Penny snarled, breaking away from Liam's grip.
She gave a sarcastic laugh. "Mina White? The one who dated David last year? That explains it then. A whore, huh? You going to go and be hooking up with a whore now, Liam?!"
Her voice became a yell, and Penny saw a few heads turn around in curiosity to what the hell could have gotten her so mad. This only fueled her fiery, consuming anger.
The blonde girl had a feral scowl on her face, and she folded her arms together in an annoyed way.
"No. Don't even talk to me right now. You have no idea how mad I am."
Penny sighed, her heels giving a click.
"You aren't to talk to her again, Liam."
The angry, angsty girlfriend gave a huff.
"You just like to make me miserable, don't you?"
Now she was overreacting, and she knew it. But anything that made him feel bad worked.
"You just like to toy with my emotions. I'm a human being, you know. You better be treating me with the proper respect a lady should have."
Penny turned from him.

Evelyn Jacobs sniggered at the Slytherin table, her hand covering her mouth as she overheard the conversation. Her life had been rather uneventful recently, other than nearly being an assassin to Xanthe Murder, and the argument was increasing in hilarity. Something about the Penny girl made her want to hex her.
Evelyn looked around, not noticing many Slytherins around.
Where could they be? It was the day of announcing the cup champions, after all...[/size]

[prongs]

Liam looked at Penny, his mood getting worse and worse by the minute, his eyes widening.
Liam's arms fell to his side, and his eyes widened in anger.
"Mina is not a whore!"
His ears turned bright with the heat of embarrasment as he realized he was yelling, but he didn't care. Liam was beyond the point of caring. "You don't even know her! You don't say a thing about her!"
Liam looked at her, taking a step back.
"You know what, maybe I can't do anything right." he said to her, his voice mocking her tone. He looked at the Great Hall exit.
"But I'm about to fix something. See you around, Pen."
Liam gave a smirk, making his way toward the entrance. He didn't care that he was leaving her in the hall and the spectators who had watched their fight.
He needed to help Mina.
Liam took a turn, and another, and another. The boy made it to the stairway, looking down at the bottom.
Sure enough, she was there.
Liam walked down the steps, his eyes focusing on the broken girl at the bottom. He needed to help her, to fix whatever was wrong. The urge was overwhelming.
Liam sat down next to the fellow Gryffindor, his hands on his knees.
He gave a little smile to her, his eyes soft.
"I always have to keep following you, you know."
He sighed.
"I wish I knew what to do. Whenever I seem to follow you, you, you're always in this state."
His arm wrapped around her.
"I want to change that."
Liam looked at Mina, one of his hands grabbing a free one of hers.
"I haven't seen you in so long. Had anything...happened?"
He looked down awkwardly.
"I mean, if you want. Not to be nosy. But don't try to lie to me, I know when you're down."[/size]

[Wilhelmina & Darius]

awful sweet to be a little butterfly

[/color]
WINGIN' OVER THINGS AND NOTHING DEEP INSIDE [/color]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][/font][/center]

Wilhelmina

[/font][/color]

Wilhelmina had sat there for a long couple of minutes, her head blurry with millions of thoughts and regrets. At least she had calmed down enough to stop her crying and dry hiccups that generally came with her sobbing. She felt so torn. She was inbetween the boy that she lov..liked an awful lot, and this girl who had completely destroyed her life. Not only had Xanthe ripped her away from Darien previously, picked on her throughout the school year, and killed her father, she was now also taking Liam away from her. She was sure this had been the Slytherin's plan since she had seen Mina kiss Darien so long ago in the Astronomy Tower, and Mina felt ridiculously idiotic for trusting someone like her, or trusting anyone at all.

Once again there were footsteps behind her, and by the time Mina turned to look back Liam was already taking a seat next to her. She couldn't help but let a smile cross her lips as he spoke toward her. He was right, he did have this habit of following her around. The small smile began to fade slowly as his soothing voice continued to flow from his mouth. A part of her wanted to tell him everything that had happened, but..she just didn't know if she could. What if Xanthe had put him up to this whole thing? What if he was actually on her side of this little war the two had going? Mina shook her head and began to stand up. "Liam, I can't.." she muttered before his touch stopped her in her tracks. Feeling the warmth of his hand against her own caused her heart to leap with a very large range of confusing emotions and the small gryffindor to gently sat back on the step next to him. "Liam.." Mina took a deep breath, leaning against him and laying her head tiredly against his shoulder, taking in his scent once again. "Something did happen. Something terrible," she spoke with a shaky voice, evidence that she was once again on the verge of tears. Wilhelmina took another deep, shaky breath before going on. "My father died the night I returned home from Hogwarts last year," she was nearly whispering now. "No, my father was murdered that night. By someone here, someone you know, someone you are friends with."

Why was she doing this? Why was she letting that horrible creature get away with destroying her world? "Xanthe killed him, Liam. She tortured him and then murdered him. Right in front of me."

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[prongs]

Liam took a bit of a breath as she leaned in against his shoulder. It was coming back to him that she was there, she was tangible and wasn't going to dissapear again, but it wasn't exactly settling in right away.
Liam's heart gave a fearful thud.
"Your father?"
Liam knew that Mina's mother and siblings had died a few years back, and all she had left was her father. Now that he was gone...
His blood chilled, and he pulled Mina in tighter to him, encasing around her.
"I'm..."
He didn't know what to say. Saying that he was sorry didn't seem like it was enough, but he couldn't not say anything. He'd be a terrible friend.
"No, my father was murdered that night. By someone here, someone you know, someone you are friends with."
Liam stopped dead in his tracks, his heartpace quickening in fear.
"Murdered?" he whispered in a chilled tone, not sure if she could even hear him, as he could barely himself. "Why would someone want to murder him-"
It took two syllables next to completley run him dry. The two that made up the one name of someone he could trust....he thought he could trust.
"Xanthe?" he said in a whisper, but his eyes showed the anger that he felt. His jaw clenched.
"Say the word, Mina, I'll make her pay, I swear I will..."
He thought he could trust her. They thought they could trust her.
And so did Darien. Now look where he is.
Liam got closer to Mina, feeling as if the death that had happened was that of his own father. He had lived through his parents dying, but if they were murdered, oh, that would be so much different...
Liam calmed a little, but not much. He looked down at the tiny girl in his arms, her warmth against him again. It felt right.
"I'm always here for you. You know that."
The Gryffindor looked away for a second, because he thought he heard a noise. After a few seconds, he turned back to her, an unanswered question forming on his lips as he moved his head closer to her for the whisper, if only by an inch or so.
"What...did you do after?"[/size]

[Wilhelmina & Darius]

awful sweet to be a little butterfly

[/color]
WINGIN' OVER THINGS AND NOTHING DEEP INSIDE [/color]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][/font][/center]

Wilhelmina

[/font][/color]

After those words had left her mouth, she fell against the boy and buried her face against his chest. Mina had started crying once again, even after hoping that by now all of her tears had dried up. All of the sobbing was beginning to make her feel weak and tired, a feeling that she knew all too well. Although she was feeling extreme sadness, this happened to be the first time in a very long time that she didn't feel like..not being alive. How could she when she was nestled within the arms of this boy? He was so perfect, there was absolutely no way someone could be so close to him and allow themselves to be that sad. Wilhelmina tears eventually slowed, but she didn't move from against his chest and continued to breath in his scent.

And then he threatened Xanthe. Mina immediately sat up, her face directly in front of his own. She shook her head, her dark curls moving from side to side. "You can't say a word to her about me, Liam. She doesn't know I'm here. That's why I dyed my hair, I don't want her to know that I am..me." With a sigh, she leaned forward again, leaning her cheek against his chest. "I cannot deal with that creature, Liam. I am not here to have to deal with being threatened and made fun of. I am here to learn, and to be with people who actually care..which pretty much means you." Her hands quickly slid around his waist and she pulled herself closer to him, stealing even more of the boy's warmth. It was so soothing to have someone who actually cared enough to protect her again, it was almost like having her father around again. Maybe that was why she had taken such a liking to Liam so quickly, because he was similar to her father.

Wilhelmina sighed with relief as he promised to always be there for her. She needed to hear that more than anything, and it only helped that it had come from a truthful mouth. She began to grin, happiness starting to wash over her as she finally fully realized where she was. At this very moment Wilhelmina was in the arms of the boy she actually..loved. Her heart leapt when that word crossed her mind, out of both happiness and nervousness. She had never let herself think about loving Liam, only having a very strong crush on him. But something was different now. She knew she couldn't let herself wait on telling Liam how she felt, not with the terrible things that had been happening to her loved ones within the past years. "Liam..I ha-"

His question threw her off, making her sit up once again and look at him curiously. "W..what do you mean?" her heart started pounding, wondering if had somehow found out about what she had done to herself shortly after her father's death. Mina shook her head, pulling away from Liam and sitting quietly on the step beside him. "I went to live with my mother's parents. That's why it took me so long to get back here. They don't approve of magic, and I had to work to convince them to let me come back."

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[firefly]

Penny looked at Liam in disbelief, her eyes wide.
"Don't you dare, Liam!"
The Gryffindor snarled at him, wanting him to turn back. "I swear to God, if you take one step toward that filthy little whore-"
Liam was gone before she could finish her sentence. She looked over at the Slytherin at the table who was laughing obnoxiously.
"You think it's pretty fucking hilarious, don't you?!" she screamed, her arms at her sides in anger as she roared at Evelyn.
Grabbing at the wand that was in her pocket, she curled her fingers around it.
That bitch is going to pay for it.
Penny's stomps were ominous, her heels clawing away at the floor as she walked to wherever Liam and Mina could be.
"Filthy brute, he is." she muttered to herself as she walked along, the moonlight in the stained glass windows lighting the Mudblood with a rather ominous glow. "Thinks he can cheat on me, he can..."
Penny VanTressent looked at a stairwell, looking at the form that could only be Mina and Liam together.
Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. She appeared to be crying terribly, and Liam was with his arms around her, almost in a brother like way.
Odd.
She felt no empathy to the girl who was obviously trying to steal her boyfriend, not in any way whatsoever. She'd never be friendly to her again.
Mina's hand started to move, and it curled around his waist and pulled him closer to her...
That was it.
Shouting a curse in her head, she non verbally set a spell on Mina, her steady hand pointed at the brunette.
Penny's lips began to twist into a wicked snarl like smile as Mina's skin began to turn an emerald shade of green, crawling from her fingertips and spreading all over every peach part of her body, showing the world the outcast she was...
"Good luck washing that one out." Penny said, her face still in its vicious grin, her arms folded while she tapped her wand up and down in the air.
No one dared mess with Penny VanTressent.[/size]

[prongs]

Feeling the warmth of Mina's arm around his waist, Liam's stomach tightened a little in nervousness as she brought him closer. The Gryffindor breathed in her sweet scent, his eyes not leading astray. She always put him on the edge...
His heart pounded in his chest, and he was pretty sure Mina could hear it. She was like a sweet cyanide, coursing through his veins, putting him under her spell like a witch would a Muggle. Only not a one sided affair.
Hopefully.
The young Gryffindor's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion at Mina's nervous response. Why was she so nervous about staying at her grandparents?
If that was what she really did, after all. Liam knew Mina pretty well after this long while, long enough to know when she was lying. This was one of those times.
"You honestly expect me to believe that, Miss White?" he scoffed, his eyes taking a light of mocking, all jocular of course. Liam played with Mina's fingers idly as he was holding her hand. "I know you, Mina."
Liam, his mind finally steady, wrapped his arms around Mina. It was less of a hug now; it was like they were holding each other.
"You really can tell me anything."
Liam Smith looked at the small Gryffindor, knowing she'd never truely know how much she meant to him. He had known how he felt about her, the love he felt that was most likely one sided. He didn't even have the bravery to admit it to himself.
The clicking of a heel would have made him flinch internally, if it weren't for the warmth of Mina that surrounded him.
Penny started to turn a sick shade of emerald olive, and Liam backed away a few inches in suprise, his eyes widening in anger.
Liam turned to Penny, his face frozen in shock.
"Penny!!" he snarled. "Why would you do that?!"
Liam grabbed Mina's hand, his eyes not yet taken off of his girlfriend, praying a fight wouldn't happen. He didn't know what he would do.
"Come on. Let's not stay here any longer. I'll get you to the hospital wing."[/size]