Declan McLaggen can kick your ass (declanation) wrote in thispurgatory, @ 2011-05-02 08:16:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! 1998-march, ! complete, ! log, cecilia barbary, declan mclaggen, hugo beery, molly carmichael |
WHO: Declan McLaggen, Molly Carmichael, Cecilia Barbary and Hugo Beery
WHAT: Cece and Hugo get the wrong idea.
WHERE: Corridor in the dungeons.
WHEN: Monday morning, after Double Potions.
RATING: PG, bordering on PG-13 for language
STATUS: Complete
Whoever thought it was a good idea to set Divination right after Potions deserved a good kick in the head, Declan decided. How on earth was he supposed to head from the dungeons to Trelawney’s tower in fifteen ruddy minutes when he had moving staircases and Peeves and other annoying obstacles in the way? No wonder the old bat always marked him for death whenever she set eyes on him on a Monday morning - he always felt like death himself.
And his current mood didn’t help things, obviously.
Bracing himself, he grabbed his bag and left the classroom as quickly as he could, hoping against hope that he’d have an uneventful journey.
Like every other thing in Declan’s life, that was a vain hope which would turn out to be unrealised. Molly hadn’t been content with how their last (and perhaps final?) talk had turned out, but things were getting more complicated and she didn’t have room for any wavering and undecided loyalties in her life. Elisabeth had got in trouble for being friends with her – and she was Goyle’s cousin! Molly still didn’t know how to deal with that. She was descending down a slope with her and the Merry Men’s efforts – as small as they were – against the school, and several months ago she had realised that she had gone beyond the turning point.
The simple fact that was Elisabeth was someone she held in high regard and who always made the sensible, “right” decision where school policies were concerned, she felt that she could no longer hold Declan in high regard, to take him seriously, while he was dating someone as obviously revelling in the status quo as Barbary. Still, that didn’t mean that she no longer cared for him, or had lost all her regard towards how he had been trying so hard to break away from the trap of his purist upbringing. And while she had respected Declan enough to try not to sway his decision one way or the other, she had secretly hoped that he would come right. Somehow all she had worked towards with the pamphlet had come to rest on whether or not the Gryffindor boy would do a complete turn from the attitudes he had grown up with. He had been so close...
Even when things had been more cordial between them, they had still not openly acknowledged their friendship in respect to the strained climate in school this year. So once Declan had gathered his things up and slouched out of the Potion’s classroom, Molly slid a folded piece of parchment out of her bag, placing it on top of her books, then continued out the door after him.
“McLaggen,” she called out. “You dropped something.”
Declan stopped on his tracks, his heart skipping a beat at the sound of Molly’s voice. She had hurt him more than he could have ever imagined when she decided to sever their friendship, which had become one of the most important things in his life in the past few months - perhaps even more than Cece during their angry breakup. And besides, he was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t as over her as he hoped (though he’d never admit it to Cece, not after all the things she had accused him of), and it made him uncomfortable to be near her. Whenever they had classes together, he made an effort to sit as far away as possible from her and to avoid any sort of contact, verbal or otherwise. It was just too painful.
However, it was impossible to avoid her when she was calling out to him. No matter how much she had hurt him, he couldn’t bring it upon himself to ignore her under such circumstances, no matter how much he wished to get far away from her.
Warily, he turned to her. Now that she had made him acknowledge her presence, he wanted to snap at her, to ask what the hell she wanted, just like he would have done back when they were unable to exchange a word without resorting to insults. However, he lacked the energy. He just hoped against hope that she hadn’t found out he and Cece had broken up. He didn’t want to have her pity, and neither did he want to hear a mocking “I told you so.” And he especially didn’t want Molly to think it happened because of her and all those horrible things she had told him.
“What?” he asked.
“This.” She handed the scroll to him, which had been copied over from the DA pamphlet on Patronuses without anything incriminating that could be led back to the group. “At least I think it might be yours. Have a look through it later, like once you’re back in your dorm.” Declan wasn’t an idiot, and that would clue him into there being something suspect from the pamphlet, though really there shouldn’t be a law against learning something that was purely a defensive spell. She paused and eyed him thoughtfully for a moment. “I just don’t want anymore people getting hurt. That’s all.”
He looked at the scroll, which was definitely not his, but which Molly clearly wanted him to read. His instincts told him he shouldn’t ask straight away what it was, in case his duties as an IS member would force him to get her in trouble. Would it be another pro-Muggleborn pamphlet? Considering what happened after he had read the last one, he thought to himself, he should just hand it back and tell Molly to piss off. Then why wasn’t he? And why was she going through all this trouble when she had given up on him?
His confusion increased as she looked at him and said those final words, and Declan felt tears threatening to get to his eyes. Fuck. How did she do this? One look at her, and the floodgates had to open? He forced himself to look impassive, reminded himself that those were just empty words and she wasn’t really concerned about his well-being, not after everything she had told him, but knew that it was too late, and that she must have noticed it.
“Yeah, thanks,” he managed to say with the coldest voice he could manage before turning his back on her and resume his march.
Molly was not unaware of the tears that had built up in Declan’s eyes, but what could she say to them, really? That she was sorry that things weren’t working out with someone he shouldn’t have been involved with in the first place? That her standards with her friends included who they dated and how that person acted? Giving him a stilted nod that concluded the conversation, she turned away and headed off to catch up to a group of her housemates who were clustered ahead.
Cece didn’t like cutting Ancient Runes but she really wanted to hash things out with Hugo in private and going to Slytherin dorm when most of their friends were in class seemed like the best idea. She pretended during History that she was feeling headachy, sighing a lot and putting her hand to her head, knowing that Binns wouldn’t take any notice or question whether she was faking as some of the other Professors would.
So as soon as it was over, she said she really needed to lie down and asked for someone to take notes for her before she and Hugo set off for the dungeons, Hugo carrying her books as he’d asked previously.
“I recommended you to Professor Carrow for the IS,” she said to Hugo as they walked down the stairs, referring to their previous journal conversation. “She was wondering why you hadn’t joined so I think it’s a good thing that you do.”
She was about to say more when they turned a corner and saw all the sixth years leaving Potions. Cece stopped walking to wait for them to pass and idly watched them. Then she saw something that made her eyes narrow. Carmichael and Declan were standing together and she was handing him something. Immediately her suspicions were roused and her hands curled into fists, fingernails digging into her palms.
“Well, then I’m a shoo-in, are-” Hugo stopped mid-sentence as Cece halted in her tracks. He didn’t even need to wonder why they stopped, especially as his eyes spotted the familiar head of the bastard that broke Cecilia’s heart - and with the very person Hugo suspected to have been conspiring with him.
“I knew it,” Hugo muttered, holding onto Cecilia’s curled fist, as though to calm her down. He was surprised he was calm himself. He was about ready to do something to Declan when Cecilia broke up with him. But then having Cecilia see what was happening between Carmichael and Mclaggen made him feel somewhat triumphant. “Carmichael seriously doesn’t even know how to stop, does she? She’s already attempted to get to Heath. And now that she has her chance, she’s finally swooping in to get Declan,” Hugo said with narrowed eyes, refraining from speaking too terribly about Declan. He had just reconciled with Cecilia; he wasn’t about to ruin it by going off about how Declan seemed equally at fault.
Cece couldn’t hear what Declan and Molly were saying, but in her eyes Declan was looking at Molly in a odd way that she took as longing and Molly’s thoughtful expression appeared calculating. It only served to confirm Cece’s belief that Declan’s claim he’d moved on from his crush was a lie and Carmichael was all too aware and exploiting it. Hurt stabbed at her and she swallowed, blinking against tears. “She’s such a conniving cow,” she muttered in a strained voice and then turned away. “I don’t want to see them, Hugo - get me out of here!” she whispered urgently. Cece refused to give Molly any satisfaction of seeing that she was upset and she certainly didn’t want Declan to see she was still affected by what he felt for Carmichael.
Hugo didn’t even need telling twice. With a narrowed and hateful glare at Carmichael and Mclaggen, he wrapped a comforting arm around Cecilia and began to lead her away. Cecilia didn’t deserve to see this, especially after what had just happened. And yet, as he lead them back to the Slytherin Common Room, he couldn’t help but feel as though it was right for her to see how he’s been seeing Mclaggen and Carmichael all along.
He knew then that neither of them would just let this little encounter go, especially Cecilia. Something was going to be done about this.
There was no one else more conniving than Slytherins, after all.