Pulling Back Those Curtained Suns (Elijah)

[Deleted]

All was safe, all was good. Life was moving in the way he had wished it to; apart from the riptide of mischief that Ash had seemed to enjoy diving himself into, the warm smiles of his friends had begun pouring in, and the casual conversations were the balance that he could harbor his certain realities in. No ambivalences, no contradictions.

Sauntering into the House basement, his senses tingled pleasantly at the familiar sight: an ardent palette of yellow and black; plush armchairs and velvet quilts placed in a triangular shaping, and the sun, the sun whose slanting rays broke and tessellated through the circular windows; the entirety of the sight that could bring a smile without meaning to. Just another day in his life, trapped in a sensible environment for someone to fall in love with, especially Teo.

Sitting by the window decorated with lively greenery, a group of friends were chatting on; occasional laughs and excitement broken through. Teo recognised them at once, smiling and chuckling to himself as he listened on in: "No, tell me who that girl is or I'll make you the world's biggest ginger!" Their voices grew louder as Teo stepped closer and sat himself besides Eli, one he liked spending time with, perhaps because he thought Eli was a little like Ash; or what Ash would be like once he grew up. But deep down, Teo knew that even with his current issues, Eli was a good friend. Of course, one of these days, hardly anyone could afford the luxury of having no issues. But through it all, Eli was one of the rare gems who you could depend on; either for help or, simply, for hearty laughs. 

As the enthusiasm faded, crowd thinned and the evening slowly sank, only Teo remained, and so did Eli. Looking at him, smiling warmly, Teo asked in a slightly lowered tone, just enough to avoid peering ears. "How goes your training with Professor Rossi?" A look of concern touched his features, adorned with his smiling brown eyes. "Hope it's doing you some good!"

it's wonderful

ELIJAH LEONARDO REYES

^.^

THANK YOU MALIA TATE FROM ADOXOGRAPHY

[ELIJAH LEONARDO REYES]

The common room was lively today and as always, it looked spectacular and gave off a happy, optimistic aura. At least it did to Elijah anyway. He had his first private lesson with Professor Rossi the other day and although it started rough and it was mentally difficult, it left the Hufflepuff with a new sense of accomplishment and a spark of hope that he may actually be able to control fire. More importantly, he may even be able to learn to control his freak out episodes. It was a start and that was all Eli could wish for.

He sat with a group of friends on the window ledge, basking in the sunlight and interrogating Nathan, one of the members of the crew, about a girl he had been seen snogging behind a tree on the grounds. "If she has any friends, feel free to let us know, mate!" Eli smirked and laughed. He hadn't had a decent relationship yet with anyone and secretly, he was eager to have one. He nudged Nathan and nodded before Teo took a seat next to Eli. "Hey Teo, how's it going?" he greeted him. He had always been fond of Teo and they had some pretty fun adventures over the years. He always had such a great attitude and although he could be a little awkward, it made everything so much better. It was always a great time when Teo was around.

The group of friends sat around talking a bit more before slowly they went their separate ways until it was just Teo and Eli. He asked about his training with Rossi and a slight feeling of unease came upon him. It was no secret that he was having private sessions, after all everyone in the class knew he had struggled a bit. It was even more apparent to those who had known him for a long time, like Teo, they he had some issues but it made Eli feel better that Teo never judged him or pried for information. "It's going good, I actually was able to make a flame for the first time!" he nodded excitedly, appreciating that Teo was respecting his privacy by keeping his voice down. "I think it'll help a lot." he replied, being vague on purpose. "How are you? And what about Ash?" he asked about Teo's little brother who happened to have a little spark of trouble making in him as did Eli.

[Deleted]

^{"The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart."}

ELIJAH LEONARDO REYES

----------------------------------------------------

Though grinning unrestrainedly with each excited nod, the half-werewolf could sense a trifle of uneasiness in his friend. Perhaps it was his instincts taking over; or perhaps it was because of the many uneasy moments they shared together, just like the moment when Professor Bennett began perusing through her weighing scales and glass of phials ..

---

"Hey, Eli, you alright? It's come again, hasn't it?" Teo caught him just in time, outside the dungeon's entrance. He was already striding forward, oblivious to his calls; once again whisked away into the night's great outdoors. Teo watched him cautiously, quietly from afar, like the brother that he was; because he understood that at times like this, loneliness could be your only best friend.

The next morning, Teo sneaked a cup of powdered moonstone out of the Potion Master's inventory of ingredients. Not a troublemaker without the maker, he kept telling himself as his nervous hands measured an exact amount of the magical dust. No room for exploding cauldrons this time, Teo.

"Here.. It might not help after it fades, but meanwhile, it should.. Calm you a little from yesterday," said Teo, his right hand extending a phial of the Calming Draught to Eli ..

"Teo! Where'd you get it from?"

---

Still, gladdened by the unexpected new-found ability of his friend; Teo felt a little surge of relief washing over him. It would have pained him to know just how traumatizing those frightful scars were. "I've been good, though things have been.. stagnant for a while, don't you think?" He chuckled knowingly. Ever since that Potions incident, one that blessed him with his first detention; Teo had been sneaking around more expertly nowadays. Perhaps the daredevil's blood really coursed through our bloodlines. Though with Teo, he would never risk detention without knowing what he was getting into.

"And Ash is fine, besides the fact that that brat had just found another secret dungeon and called it his 'lair'. That child can drive me nuts. You should visit him someday, Eli, knock some sense into that little head," he smiled.

Leaning back in the plush armchair, he whistled a tune from 'Londonderry Air' softly; pulling the velvet quilt to cover his lap, occasionally looking warily at the empty recess that once was a fireplace. No, not tonight.

"So.. how goes you with that dainty Prefect?" He stopped to look at Eli, examining his countenance as his friend recalled those memories. There's gotta be a blush, a flush, a quickened heartbeat, a sudden increase in temperature, a nervous reply. His tune changed to something chirpy, airy and full of good-natured mischief. "And don't tell me you're looking at being friends." 

He carried on whistling, thinking of that girl he accidentally bumped into at the library.

♥
careful child, light the fuse and get away
'cause happiness throws a shower of sparks

[ELIJAH LEONARDO REYES]

For some odd reason, Teo always knew whenever Eli was feeling particularly uneasy, and he was actually the only one who ever helped him get through it all. He thought back to the time when Teo had even stolen a phial of calming draught from the Potion Master's personal inventory, and how at first he was thoroughly embarrassed, but once that stuff kicked in, he was extremely grateful- even after it wore off. Elijah grinned with a mischievous twinkle in his warm brown eyes as his friend spoke. "Oh, very stagnant...we need to cook something up to stir things up a bit." he agreed, knowing exactly where he was going. "Perhaps when we go to Hogsmeade we can stock up on our supplies and plan something great for the end of term." he waggled his eyebrows, already brewing ideas in his head.

"A lair, eh?" The Hufflepuff chuckled in response to hearing about Ash. "Perhaps some dungbombs will do the trick." he raised an eyebrow with a grin, already coming up with a plan to pull a small trick on the young Slytherin with Teo's permission. The younger students always produced the most hilarious reactions once they fell victim to the impish duo. As soon as Teo asked about the girl he had met down at the boathouse, Saeren, his cheeks became red, his heartbeat quickened a bit, a small smile found its way onto his lips.

"Er...Well I need to find a way to speak to her more without being too weird. You know?" Elijah let out a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. He was known for being a flirt around school and he had some crushes on girls before, but this was the first one that actually caused his cheeks to go red. It was simply that feeling he had around her- how unusually at ease she made him feel. Plus she was absolutely beautiful- despite being a Prefect. "Oh what about you, mate? I saw you in the library with a pretty blonde Snake- oooooh!" he smiled bright, nudging the other Hufflepuff with his arm playfully.