Three schools each were competing for eternal glory; each student willing to stab another in the back to get to that point where they could lift the Triwizard Cup high over their heads. Elijah felt as if he was behind a window and was merely looking in on what was going on. He’d dawdled behind the rest as the schools made their way up to the castle. He’d lingered outside to have a cigarette and finally he’d managed to make it inside. But what he saw irked him somewhat. The Durmstrang students were sat at the Slytherin table, naturally, and the Beauxbatons students had wandered to the Ravenclaw table leaving the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs to their meal. As they all sat and mingled idly with each other Elijah wished that he could use Leglimens to figure out what they were planning. He didn’t care but to be one step ahead of the rest always felt great, especially when it was a plan to get one over on someone else.
Elijah had no plans to sit down and enjoy any meal being served. He wanted to avoid the Durmstrang students as much as possible so he lingered in the shadows of the door way, leaning up against one of the pillars holding bowls of burning oil. He was eyeing the uniforms scattered among the green, silver and black. He knew where his was. Not at Hogwarts obviously but in Bulgaria at the back of the wardrobe filled with moth-eaten clothes. Elijah rarely returned there now, favouring Paris over his inherent home. But he knew where the uniform was, he knew that it wouldn’t fit even if he’d wanted to have a nostalgic moment. He’d been such a tiny fourteen-year-old; he could have passed for seven any day of the week. Such changes two years made.
The schools seemed to be getting along amicably with Hogwarts but Elijah wasn’t ‘feeling the love’ so to speak. He wanted Durmstrang gone. He could tolerate Beauxbatons but only for so long. There were too many bad memories present with the former. He couldn’t imagine himself hiding in the Durmstrang library now but it had been the norm for him during his time there and the harassment had gotten worse for him before he’d ‘disappeared’. He’d sought solace in his art. This had been before Fauve, before he had someone he could trust fully without hesitation. He was all alone. Cecilia had been no help although she’d opted to go to Hogwarts. Marina and Viktor were in Berlin for most of the year...he was alone.
Perhaps that’s what made December 21st all the more tormenting for him. It had been, and still was, a reminder that he was alone. He still felt that way. He might have ‘friends’ and his children but Alice had been the other half of him. She was gone. Nothing could fill the gap she left and he knew this but it didn’t stop him trying. That was why he did what he did because if he could distract himself long enough then he wouldn’t have to think about her. He wouldn’t have to think about how much it hurt, he could ignore the ache in his chest.
Durmstrang had been too rough for him. He could charm someone out of anything he wanted from them and had confidence in spades but that was just a layer. He couldn’t hack it at that school. He’d been a target for the same reason people were at Hogwarts – because he was weak. Because he was the kid that cried himself to sleep at night, the kid that avoided the gaze of anyone looking is way and the one that buried himself in school work. Now, he was the opposite of that but the first of his ‘weaknesses’ hadn’t quite left him. He still cried at night but only because it was in his subconscious that he had no choice but to think of her. He was meant to be strong. Everyone he’d come across in his life had applauded him for his strength or reprimanded him for not having enough. He was weak, sensitive and vulnerable just like everyone else but for his own sanity, Elijah hid it.
Swallowing, Elijah pushed himself away from the column and wandered over to the Slytherin table. It was clear in the way he was clenching and unclenching his fists that he didn’t want to be there. He didn’t want to have to sit amongst them and play happy families – for lack of a better comparison. He spotted Julia easily but unfortunately for Elijah she was speaking to a Durmstrang student. He knew he should have unloaded his prejudices and actually tried to get to know them but he couldn’t, not for the life of him. Elijah took an empty space opposite but one where Julia was sat and poured himself some pumpkin juice. He tapped the chalice with his wand and the colour changed from orange to ruby, signifying the transition between flavours of juice. Elijah detested Pumpkin juice and he could only just about tolerate Raspberry.
by Narrator Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:20 am
