Devils' Play (Zach)

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Hiromi hated the sunlight. Being a half vampire made one do that. However, that day had an overcast and the air was moist and cool. Still, Hiromi wore her sunglasses and had her black parasol with her as she always did out in the day time. She had just arrived in the Viaduct Courtyard and was sitting on a bench with her arm extended out. Crawling about her arm was her pet tarantula Gagoze. He was named after a demon-like character in Japanese Folklore, his naming a testament to how wicked Hiromi herself was.

The spider would not bite his mistress, but she knew he was hungry for blood. She looked over and saw a small mouse moving about and minding it's own business. With a wicked smile, she had the tarantula crawl down and toward the mouse. One quick bite and the mouse was paralyzed. Hiromi then watched as its blood was consumed, then extended her arm again so the arachnid could return back up her arm. She then placed Gagoze inside his cage and opened her Arithmancy book. Bloody exams. With her recent meetings regarding membership in the Black Army, she would hopefully not have to worry about exams again.

@zach

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Zach was taking a walk around the castle. He liked to keep active. Often that involved running, or push-ups, or strength work, but sometimes it just involved going for a walk to keep his body moving. He found that his mind felt clearer when he was being physically active - when he was sluggish and didn't do much, his mind felt slower and less active as well.

He also liked routine. So he often went on the same route when he went for his walks. This particular walk took him past the Viaduct Courtyard, where he saw someone sitting on a bench, appearing to be studying. She also appeared to be very comfortable with a tarantula crawling over her - a very unusual thing for girls, in his experience. Or anyone, really - most people hated spiders. Zach wasn't a big fan of them either, but had enough control over his reactions that he could mask any discomfort he felt from them. Then when she turned her head slightly, Zach recognised the face. Hiromi Yen. She was a Ravenclaw, but not a typical one. From what he knew of her, she was quite aggressive and hostile, particularly to foolish people. Which Zach approved of. She might be someone worth acquainting himself with, he thought, as he walked over to her. "Curious choice of pet," he commented idly, leaning against a nearby stone wall.

@hiromi

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Hiromi had just began reading when she heard the voice of the boy. When he spoke of her tarantula being a curious choice of pet, Hiromi scoffed and didn't even look at him at first.

"Yes, I should have a typical pet like a cat or a bloody owl like damn near everyone else in this school," she said. "Is that what you mean? Well, I'm perfectly happy with Gagoze and anyone who takes issue with that can bugger off."

She then looked up at the boy. He was a Slytherin... and a handsome one at that. A closer look and she recognized him... Zach Rosier. She had only seen him a few times, but did so enough to know he wasn't a Hogwarts sweetheart by any means, and she appreciated that. Hiromi quickly changed her tune and smiled a little at him.

"Well, are you going to down or not?" she asked. Hiromi was somewhat involved with Alec, but she had no qualms about chatting with other guys. Besides, Alec acted bloody weird and she had second thoughts about her wanting to hook up with him. "I'm Hiromi Yen, but considering I know who you are Zach, you probably knew my name as well."

@zach

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Her snapping at him didn't intimidate him at all. Zach wasn't put off by things like that. He didn't bother giving a reply to her comment about pets, either, as by the time she looked at him she had decided to change her tone. That was wise.

"I think I will, actually," he replied when she asked if he was going to sit. "Of course I know who you are. But too often people forget the manners of an introduction. Catching up on some study? I would have thought you would be entirely prepared for finals by now, if you being a Ravenclaw is anything to go by." Ravenclaws were generally bearable. At least, the ones who could get their noses out of their books for long enough to actually speak to someone.

@hiromi

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Hiromi just nodded a little as he sat down. She fixed her sunglasses a little as the sun was coming out from behind the clouds. She noticed how good Zach smelled too. Slytherin boys seemed to always know how to smell good, and least to her. She laughed a bit though as he spoke of having manners and introducing oneself.

"Bloody waste of time if you ask me," she said. "What's the point in introducing yourselves to one another if you already know who each other is." She then gave him a wicked little grin. "But having said that, I've gotten wind of your reputation. You have an edge and that's always a good thing. That's one thing I've always liked about you Slytherins. You have that edge that separates you from those morons in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

She then decided to close her book as Zach brought up her studying. The hell with it. She'd rather talk to him.

"Who says I'm not, but we Ravenclaws are well known for our study habits," she said. "Never hurts to give the books one last look." The truth was that while she had been focusing on some courses, Hiromi had neglected her Arithmancy. But she wasn't going to tell Zach that. Instead, she let her ego come into play. "I suppose you're going to ask me to help you study. Well for you, I might make time. I doubt you'll drive me mad asking questions."

@zach

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Zach was surprised by her disdain for introductions, but paid no mind to it. He was glad that she knew about his reputation, and she made clear her view on Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. For a moment he scrutinised whether she was doing this to try and assure him that she felt the same way she did, or just because she felt like saying it. He wasn't quite sure which. Zach didn't really care if she thought he had that 'edge' or not, though - he hadn't been given any reason he particularly had to impress her. "I've heard you're quite the feared one in Ravenclaw, as well," he commented in response. Whether that was something he approved of or not, he didn't make clear - just observed.

He watched as she closed her textbook. "I wouldn't waste any time on books once I was set for the exams. Which I am, by the way - your help won't be necessary, despite your egocentric assumption," he said drily. Classic Ravenclaw, looking down their nose at people because they think their intellect surpasses all. Zach did fine with his studies, even if they were of minimal importance in the scheme of things. "You seem like you could have easily been sorted into Slytherin," he observed after another moment. That was as close as Zach often came to giving a compliment.

@hiromi

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For a while, Hiromi didn't like the reputation of being feared. She loved being part of the social scene, and wanted to continue to build upon that by being respected and admired. But as the darkness of her father's side of the family became more and more an influence on her, she began to enjoy the feeling that she could inspire terror in others.

"I suppose I am," she said to Zach. "But I suppose it's in the nature of the inferior to fear someone above them. As much as I try to be a good role model to others, one can't see to ignore than undeniable fact."

Now Zach was calling her out on her ego. Normally, she HATED when someone did that, but the vibe in Zach's voice... it was.... well it was delicious. She grinned at him, another "lady devil" grin.

"You're a very naughty boy, aren't you, Zach?" she said. "Naughty enough to have a few drinks with me some time?" She then gave him a new look. Hiromi was a half-vampire, and definitely knew how to turn up the sexy when she wanted to. And the hell with Alec. The goodie good had his chance with her and blew it. She needed to be with someone like the guy beside her.

She then shrugged when Zach said she should have been sorted into Slytherin. She honestly wouldn't have minded that. On the pecking order, Slytherin was just barely beneath Ravenclaw in her mind. Only a mere flaw here and there kept the House to being equal to her own, and Zach seemed to not be one of these "mere flaws".

@zach

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The inferior fearing the superior, yes, Zach could agree with that. Power was obviously a crucial factor that inspired fear. "It does seem like it would be undeniable in Ravenclaw, yes. It makes sense you've risen to the top there." She was clearly stronger and firmer than others in that house, and if they feared her for that, well, rightly so.

He raised an eyebrow as she called him naughty. Katelle had tried to seduce him once, and it hadn't worked. He wondered briefly if Hiromi had similar intentions, or if for her it was just flirting. Either way, he felt like it would be a good thing to acquaint himself further with Hiromi, if nothing else to keep tabs on her to some extent. And there wasn't any particular reason why nothing could happen between them, if he ended up being open to that. "I suppose we could do that. Did you have any particular place in mind?" he asked her.

@hiromi

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Hiromi drank in the praise like sweet blood. Yes, she could safely say she liked this Slytherin.

"Indeed I have," she said. "But I do try to help the other Ravenclaws achieve some amount of greatness. Like your own House, ours has a fine reputation to live up to, and you and I both know the sheer horror of falling below Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs on the school pecking order. I'd probably die before that happens. Stupid Gryffindor and it's braggin rights just because one of them stopped the Dark Lord a hundred years ago. So sick of hearing the Potter story."

When Zach agreed to the drinks, Hiromi knew of the perfect place.

"The Hog's Head," she said. "I've had enough of the Three Broomsticks and their silly Butterbeer. I hear the Hog's Head serves their drinks strong. Ugh... and I could go for a firewhiskey or two right now."

Hiromi had practically dove into sin and vice as of late. She was drinking and being a lot less pure than what her mother wanted to be. Again, it was the vampire side of her nature at work. Not only that, she had recently agreed to join an elite group that opposed the Ministry and was set to meet with it soon.

"So... shall we go?" she said.

@zach

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He gave a slight nod. Ravenclaws weren't all she built them up to be, but they were a few steps above Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs at least. "I know. The Potter story is so overplayed. It's like it's all any Gryffindor can talk about." Zach's grandfather had died for the cause of opposing the Ministry and supporting Voldemort - so the thought of Potter defeating the Dark Lord angered Zach.

"The Hog's Head sounds good," he agreed, for similar reasons to what Hiromi stated. "Yes, let's go." He got up and stretched his arms over his head, cracking his back a little as he stretched. "So why the sudden interest in getting a drink rather than enjoying your riveting study?" he asked her drily.

@hiromi

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Hiromi smirked at what Zach said about the Potter story.

"Well it's all they have," she said. "Merlin knows the House hasn't had anything else to boast about ever since. Give it time, and they'll finally fade into obscurity."

Hiromi was glad Zach was up for the Hog's Head too, and so they made their way towards Hogsmeade. She shrugged when Zach asked about why she wanted a drink.

"Why not?" she said. "In all honestly, I'm tired of being all goodie good, or at least as much as I'm supposed to. I'm tired of living by the rules of this school most of the year, only to come home and realize that I have to bow like a loyal beast before the Ministry and its stupid laws. My father would have spat in the Ministry's faces if they had forced him to do as they demanded. Why should I do no less? I'm royalty, you know? My father is a Japanese prince." A Japanese vampire prince to be exact, and what Hiromi didn't say was that many saw her father as more of a monster than a respected authority figure. But as Zach had said about Hiromi earlier, he was feared.

Soon, Hiromi arrived at Hog's Head and walked in. Despite the stares, she walked in as she always walked into a room... as if she owned the place.

@zach

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Zach gave a hollow laugh. "Gryffindors are able to hold onto one stupid thing for longer than any other group I've seen. We just need to force that event into obscurity by covering their supposed success with a new failure." He felt it was almost time for him to be able to join the Black Army - that had been the plan for a while but it hadn't happened yet. He was very ready for that.

Zach hadn't expected the rant from Hiromi, but he got it anyway. "Royalty, eh? Curious. What brought you to Hogwarts?" he asked. Surely there were wizarding schools in Japan? Or if she was royalty, there may not even have been a need to go to school at all, as she could be taught from home. He could see her obvious distaste for the Ministry, and he nodded in agreement. "The Ministry are trying to rein us in, to control us. All it does is create more unrest and more opposition."

They entered the room and went straight up to the bar together. "Firewhiskey, then?" he confirmed with Hiromi.

@hiromi

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Hiromi grinned at Zach, and it was another wicked one. Zach was delicious all around. He also didn't seem like a guy looking for a specific relationship, but Hiromi had nothing against casual snogging with such a guy.

"Oh they'll have it," she said. "One of my sources has told me that Ravenclaw and Slytherin have top points for the House Cup this year. That will at least shut those Gryffindors up for a while regardless of which of our Houses win. Slytherin is the only House I wouldn't mind being second place to."

Hiromi frowned when Zach asked about how she came to Hogwarts.

"My mother," she said. "She abandoned my father because of all these stupid assumptions about him. We moved to London and she sent me here to embrace my witch side over my vampire side. She thinks I'm going to grow up and conform to magical society. I suppose I love my mother, but she's been so bloody miserable, and she had robbed me of my title. But when i leave here, I fully plan to go back to Japan and find my father and reclaim my rightful position." She then nodded and scoffed at the mention of the Ministry again.

"They'll pay for their foolish laws... and very soon," she said coldly.

Hiromi nodded as they ordered firewhiskey. She was already feeling better around Zach though. The booze was a bonus.

"So from what I hear about you, Zach, you're not one to be held down by a relationship," she said. "What about casual snogging?"

Yes... Hiromi was forward.

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Zach raised his eyebrows. "Your sources? You mean going into the Great Hall and seeing the house points in there?" he asked skeptically. Finding out who was ahead in the House Cup wasn't an overly challenging feat. He also didn't care about who won in the House Cup anyway. "Either way, the House Cup is fairly irrelevant. It's a way for prefects to feel more important, ultimately it's worth nothing." He avoided buying into the house competitiveness, generally, unless it was just picking on Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs to put them back into their place.

When she explained about her mother, and mentioned she had a vampire side, Zach noted that curiously. He hadn't had any idea about that. "Vampire side, hey? So you plan to go back and claim your position... are you the heir to his position or something?" That sounded quite powerful, even if it was a long way away in Japan. He hadn't realised that she was in line for a position of power like that - it suddenly made her quite a lot more interesting to him.

Her forwardness then was also quite a surprise to him. He hadn't expected that at all, and he hadn't been intending to get any closer to her at this stage. "That's an interesting question. I wouldn't say I'm opposed to it," he commented non-committally, with a slight smile. Perhaps getting closer to her would be a wise move, if her family was as potentially powerful as they seemed.

@hiromi

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Hiromi darted Zach a look when he called out her sources.

"I don't have time to view that stupid list," she said. "I have others do that for me." Over time, Hiromi had collected a number of First and Second Year minions to do things for her. The poor kids thought it would help them go somewhere.

She then shrugged when Zach downplayed the House Cup.

"In the long run, it doesn't matter," she said. "But if it means humbling Gryffindor, it does to me now."

Hiromi honestly didn't know if her father would accept her. Her mother told her that her father wanted Hiromi dead for being a half witch before the girl was born, but Hiromi refused to believe that.

"I don't quite know if I'm a heiress or not," she said. "But why wouldn't he put me on a throne? I mean... it's me."

When a guy said he wasn't opposed to snogging a girl, in Hiromi's mind that meant he wanted to. And really, unless you were someone overly nervous like Alec, who could turn down a snogging session with Hiromi Yen?

"Well then... I'll keep that in mind after you and I have had a few drinks," she said. The whiskey arrived and Hiromi sipped it. She was already feeling it's affects and it was wonderful.

@zach