|| the light begins to fade || open

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

I CANNOT HOLD ON, I WILL NOT LET GO

SILENT I GO UNDER, I AM NOT AFRAID
i can see the daylight shine and slowly drift away
SAFE TO SAY IT'S OVER, SINK INTO THE GRAVE

Alexandre had never been to a fancy event before, save for the times his grandfather had brought over some of the family friends for company. And even then, he'd just sat there quietly and nodded or shook his head whenever a question was asked of him, giving the least amount of verbal response possible. He made a very cliche recluse vampire, he realized, as he thought about it. Anyways, he wouldn't have been caught dead at the Halloween ball on any occasion. Unless he happened to be dared to go, because Alex couldn't refuse a well-placed dare, that felt like giving in. Unless dared to do something stupid, such as go and make out with a random girl, which he wouldn't even do, his pride wouldn't let him refuse a challenge. And so, knowing that it would infuriate him greatly, when one of his dormitory mates had put him up to it, Alexandre had reluctantly agreed to attend. Now, he had made conditions of course. The second partner in this dare was also going, though Alex would make no contact with him. And Alex would be allowed to choose what he wore. He'd used this situation to his utmost advantage, and planned to go completely concealed. And maybe then, not worried about what others would think of him behind the mask, he could talk to people. He didn't plan to make friends, of course not, but he didn't want to spend the entire night playing the loner wallflower. That would completely defeat the point of taking up the dare in the first place.

Since it would most likely be dark in the Great Hall to add to the spooky effect of Halloween, Alexandre wasn't too concerned about his hair. Many males in the school had hair in a similar style to his, and he wouldn't have to worry about blending in with the crowd. He just had to make sure that no one caught sight of his strange eye color. He'd rifled through books to find a solution, and finally, he had it. He discovered an odd muggle invention they called 'contacts', which were the same as their invention of glasses, except they were virtually invisible once placed on the eye. Not only that, but certain contacts could change the color of your eyes. To be safe, he chose a shade of dark emerald, so there was no way it could be confused with his own eye color. He immediately regretted the decision afterward, because the contacts irritated his eyes to no end, but he was determined to go through with this. Also, he didn't want to risk using a spell on his own eyes, because that had the possibility of going wrong and potentially blinding him. Blinking several times to get used to the awful feeling, Alex scowled and mentally cursed his fellow Slytherin for forcing him into this, then cursed his pride for not letting him back out. But at least the rest of his costume was relatively simple. Vampire. He didn't even have to do much. Just dress in dark robes and such. He already had fangs, which he kept hidden with complex spells during the day. Sitting alone in the common room, most of the others having gone down to check out the ball, he carefully undid all of the charms and checked his fangs in the mirror. Satisfied, he smirked to himself and departed, headed for the Great Hall.

Take that, he thought, stopping to nudge the Slytherin in question to signify his arrival. Winking slightly, smug that he had found a way to outsmart the other boy, he vanished quickly into the crowd before another word could be spoken. He quickly found the refreshments and snacks and took a few chocolates, relying on a sugar rush to get him through what seemed so far to be fixing up for a boring night. He wondered if someone interesting would come along soon, but if not, he'd just stand here and enjoy the candy. At least he'd get something out of it other than proving that he would be subject to a little fun once and a while.

TAGGED?! Open
LYRICS?! Hopeless - Breaking Benjamin
LISTENING TO?! Hopeless - Breaking Benjamin
WORD COUNT?! 692
COMMENTS?! Yeah, consider Alex doesn't do formal but I REALLY wanted to be a part of this, I had to come up with a random excuse for him to be there XD Keep in mind it's not obvious that he's a Slytherin and he doesn't care what house anyone's in so long as they don't irritate him.
CREDIT?! Myself.

[lucyboo]

What on earth was she doing here? Social events were certainly not the best place for Lucy. Well, maybe that was why she showed up. She did like freaking people out, after all. It was one of the things she was best at, aside from Quidditch. Even though she knew that she would probably have an awful time and not enjoy a minute of it, Lucy had put extra care into making sure her makeup and such was just right. Just because she had a unique sense of style did not mean that she was sloppy. Well, sometimes she was sloppy, but that was her choice and very deliberate, not because she didn't care. Lucy, of course, had not consulted her sister or any of her other family members in her choice of attire for the evening. She wasn't like all the other girls, who flocked in teams to the dress stores and jewelry shops. No, Lucy's process had been very independent. In fact, her gown was one that she had purchased a while ago and had been working on embroidering, just as a pet project. She finished it in due time for the ball, which was terrific. It was gothic, certainly, but stunning all the same.

Lucy took her time getting dressed, because she wasn't concerned with being on time. In fact, the more dramatic her entrance, the better. Even though it wasn't always a good thing, Lucy liked called attention to herself. Sometimes it was negative attention, and that she didn't like. But tonight her aim was to attract envy or fear, if she could. She wanted people to recognize her as an actual person, not that Weasley in Slytherin. It had taken her so long just to rid herself of the Weasley name among her housemates. At least that wasn't a problem now. She was Lucy, not Lucy Weasley. She liked it that way. Her family was a bunch of goody two-shoes anyway. What part did she want in that? None. She wanted to be an individual, not a part of the conglomerate Weasley name. She hated stereotypes when they didn't suit her. Stereotyping was a way for humanity to cop out of making any actual decisions. Lucy also hated cop outs.

Lucy pulled on her gown first. It was completely black and form-fitting, clinging to her curves exactly. True, Lucy didn't have many curves, but this dress made it look like she did. The embroidery around the bottom she had done herself, and it included clear sequins that caught the light to add glitter to the dress. It looked like she was wearing Astronomy class. It was sleeveless, so her pale shoulders gave contrast. Her hair fell loosely in curls around her shoulders, adding to the effect. Lucy had recently darkened her hair from its natural dark brown to a brown more closely resembling black. It was decorated with a headpiece that she'd bought quietly during Hogsmeade weekend. The lace part clung to her forehead, casting a small shadow across her eyes. Her eye makeup was rather heavy, as she'd applied liquid eyeliner in black and thickening mascara. A necklace of huge black beads adorned her neck, with matching earrings. She hadn't included her lip ring but had painted her lips in bloody red.

Pleased with her appearance, she arrived at the ball slightly late. Part of her regretted that she would not have a grand descent down the staircase, but appearing mysteriously from the dungeons would suit her just fine. She melted into the crowd with ease, barely noticing any other faces or outfits. She was not there to socialize. The people seemed to part before her, staring at her, just as she'd hoped they would. Her gown trailed for a couple of feet behind her, and Lucy was certain she would hex someone if they stepped on it. Her wand was tucked into a special fold in her dress, concealed but ready in case she needed it. She drifted her way over to the concessions. She wasn't really hungry, but she was at a party, and you were supposed to eat at a party. She hoped for a moment that there would be firewhiskey, but she doubted it. She poured herself a small glass of the butterbeer that was available and one chocolate.

She noticed one person standing next to her that she hadn't seen before. She doubted he would recognize her, either. It was possible of course, but she probably wouldn't guess that she was the fifth year Chaser from Slytherin. She looked a couple of years older all dressed up, anyway. She didn't really address him, just cocked an eyebrow and smirked before sipping some butterbeer and looking toward the dancing throng.

TAGS: Alexandre Gryffin Blackthorn
WORD COUNT: 790
CREDIT: Moi

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[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

I CANNOT HOLD ON, I WILL NOT LET GO

SILENT I GO UNDER, I AM NOT AFRAID
i can see the daylight shine and slowly drift away
SAFE TO SAY IT'S OVER, SINK INTO THE GRAVE

Seeing a girl approach the concessions table, Alexandre knew immediately that she was either a Slytherin or from one of the other houses but with a very bad temper, judging by the expression on her face and the way the crowd almost seemed to part for her. A light, almost challenging smirk played it's way across his dark features. He'd like to see her and try and get him out of the way. With the make-up on, it was hard to tell who she was. There was a slight familiarity, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it, and didn't care much anyways. He had came here to prove something, not to chatter with people. That was just something he'd do if the moment was right to pass the time. He had an entire night to kill, after all, and he wasn't in the mood to spend it standing there with a dull expression on his face. The chocolate was good though, he admitted to himself as he took another one and popped it lazily into his mouth. It had some sort of raspberry cream inside of it, and he savored the taste for a long moment before swallowing. The girl had raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, and he met this expression with a cool stare, looking away a few moments after she did. Was that a challenge he'd seen in her expression? To the seventeen year old, anything like that could be seen as such, given his competitive nature.

Alex was still sure that he knew her from somewhere, and now it was starting to bother him. She was shorter than him, but many people were, he was over six foot himself, of course. But given the height, and supposing that it might be average, he deduced that she was at least a year younger, perhaps two or three. The costume and make up made it hard to judge anything past that, plus he was trying not to stare, only casting the occasional glance when her eyes were directed elsewhere. He didn't want anyone, especially the girl herself, to think that he was interested in her. Sure, he wasn't recognizable thanks to the muggle tricks, but he didn't want any awkward moments tonight. He didn't deal well with uncomfortable situations, his discomfort tended to stack up and harden into anger, which acted like the match to his very short fuse. Giving up on trying to identify her at last, Alexandre decided that she was most likely in his house. He surely didn't know of any Ravenclaw's with a demeanor that cold. And there was still something familiar hidden behind the costume.

Alexandre grabbed the closest available bottle of Butterbeer, opening it with a lazy flick of his thumb and not really giving a damn that the cap clattered to the ground. The noise would be undetectable to the crowd, thanks to all the chattering, but his sensitive ears heard it faintly. Sadistically, he almost hoped that someone slipped on the intruding object, because at least that would entertain him for a while. He was getting increasingly bored with this whole scheme, and debated leaving the Great Hall, until he felt the gaze of his fellow Slytherin on him from across the room. Ah, the guy he shared a dormitory with wasn't going to let him live it down if he didn't survive the entire night, like he'd agreed. He gave the other boy a cool nod, just to inform him that he was aware of being watched, and slipped partway through the crowd, further down the table where there were more treats. Not just chocolate now, but some tasty looking pastries that smelled quite fresh, no doubt made by the house elves. He took one of the bite-sized things and nibbled lightly at the edge, then returned to his earlier section of the table. He was provided with a better view of the crowd as a whole, over there.

Seeing that the girl was still there, Alexandre finally decided to address her. "Came alone?" was all he guessed, his voice quiet and emotionless.

TAGGED?! Open
LYRICS?! Hopeless - Breaking Benjamin
LISTENING TO?! Hopeless - Breaking Benjamin
WORD COUNT?! 687
COMMENTS?! blah XD I failz. sorry I couldn't quite match your word count my muse is failing me today
CREDIT?! Myself.

[lucyboo]

Lucy stared benignly at the dancing people. Some weren't bad; others jerked around like chickens with their heads cut off. It was quite pathetic to watch, actually. It seemed that these people who couldn't dance were the ones who were doing the most of it. Did they know that they were humiliating themselves? Lucy bet not. That's why she was probably not going to dance at all tonight. It wasn't that she couldn't; she was actually probably very good compared to some of the losers out there, but she did not plan on dancing unless someone she deemed not to be embarrassing asked her. No, she wouldn't dance with just anyone, though she might give props to anyone who was brave enough to ask her. She was quite intimidating, after all. That was her goal, of course, but it turned away the gutless. Still, Lucy was all about dignity. It was something the rest of her family didn’t seem to have. Dancing didn’t seem like something that would preserve her dignity. Lucy would never admit it or recognize it, but she actually got this from her father. Percy was notorious for sacrificing fun for image, and Lucy was doing much the same thing.

People-watching was one of Lucy's favorite hobbies. She loved mocking them in her mind, and she sometimes even did it out loud. For instance, at the moment she was observing one couple slow dancing despite the up-tempo music. The girl seemed completely oblivious to the fact that her date was secretly checking out other girls on the dance floor. She seemed perfectly content. Lucy wondered if it would all fall apart tonight or later on. For the girl’s sake, she hoped it was tonight. Her eyes scanned over to another couple who looked perfectly miserable together. It was kind of funny, actually, that two people would come together when there was no chance they would even have fun. Maybe the boy had felt bad for the girl or had only asked her because she was the only one left. Though she wasn’t doing it now, Lucy would usually make snide comments about or to those couples. It wasn’t like she had anyone who liked her anyway, so she wouldn’t feel guilty about it. Why try hard to make people like her when she didn’t like them? It was just pathetic, really, those people who tried so hard to make people like them. It was overrated in Lucy's opinion.

It was true more often than not that she tried too hard to make people not like her, but in all honesty, she didn't like making connections. Connections could be easily broken, leading to heartache. She'd been down that road before. She'd put her faith in her family and they'd betrayed her. There were only a few she could actually stand. And those few she still didn't hang around with on a regular basis. When she was with them, people clumped her with the Weasleys. Lucy did not like clumping. So if she ever did meet up with cousins that she liked, it was when no one was there to see it. Lucy was very good at being sneaky when she wanted to be. Really, she was more of an independent being. She hadn’t always been like that, but she’d kind of been forced into it. Now it was more part of her than her old, cheerful self had been. Lucy didn’t even recognize that girl anymore. She was a stranger. Lucy could see no link between that young, perky girl and the person she was now. They were polar opposites, really. Maybe it was because of her house and the commotion that her sorting had caused, but she felt that she was more a Slytherin now than she had been when she first arrived at Hogwarts.

Lucy continued to sip her butterbeer, people-watching and occasionally rolling her eyes at the frivolity of it all. She questioned why she’d even come. She still accumulated some stares as new people arrived and stared at her, but the thrill of it had worn off faster than she’d expected it to. It was really very disappointing. She was seriously considering going off to make someone angry (preferably a Weasley) and then leaving. This wasn’t quite as fun as she’d hoped it would be. She rolled her pale shoulders back and stood straighter, and she was just about to leave again when the boy who’d been standing next to her addressed her. She hadn’t really planned on talking with anybody tonight, unless it was to upset them, but she couldn’t exactly ignore him. At his words Lucy gritted her teeth briefly. He had better not be getting ready to pick me up, she thought irritably. She might hex him if he did. But she answered the question anyway. She looked up at him briefly, just a quick flick of the silvery eyes, before looking back at the crowd, not really seeing anything in particular anymore. “Hell yes,” she said in answer to his question. “I’m not a freaking masochist.” She didn’t know it, but that last statement wasn’t true. Lucy often caused herself pain on a regular basis without realizing it was her fault. But here she was only referring to the apparent misery that everyone else with a date seemed to be suffering so far this evening. She didn't mean to sound rude, because she had no grudge against this random guy. But Lucy's general tone was pretty sarcastic and cynical. It turned most people off, but for some reason she got the impression from this guy that he wouldn't really care.

Tags: Alexandre Gryffin Blackthorne
Word Count: 895
Credit: Moi

[/blockquote]

[ALEXANDRE GRYFFIN BLACKTHORN]

I CANNOT HOLD ON, I WILL NOT LET GO

SILENT I GO UNDER, I AM NOT AFRAID
i can see the daylight shine and slowly drift away
SAFE TO SAY IT'S OVER, SINK INTO THE GRAVE

Alexandre smirked slightly at her words, slightly amused. He was in much more of a Slytherin mood tonight, dark and mysterious, than he usually came off as. When he was trying to avoid attracting attention so that people didn't try to make friends (or enemies), he came off as quiet and brooding, still an obvious Slytherin, but not cruelly so. Now, as his eyes played across the crowd and his lips pulled into a sneer, he had much more of a dark, hateful appearance about him. His Slytherin mates would have been proud. Flicking his dark hair back from his face, he gave her a cool nod, understanding what she meant as he fixed his gray stare on a dancing couple who were no doubt a few hours from that painful break up stage, and then swept his eyes over another pair who looked incredibly awkward. Just by looking at them, he guessed that they had been very close friends, and had decided to try their hand at a friendly date, which wasn't working out so well. It was his observation that half of these attempted relationships ended in tragedy -- the girl ended up with a broken heart, the guy with a bitter jealousy toward anyone who wanted to have her afterward. And then the friendship slowly dwindled and faded away into nothingness. That was why Alexandre didn't make friends. Friends had every possible capability of hurting you if you weren't careful around them. It only took a few words, a couple rumors, an errant strand of mindless gossip, and that cute kid you used to hang around with with became that cruel bitch who back stabbed and used you for her own personal gain. Or his, depending.

Now, Alexandre had cut off ties with his friends due to his parents' random and mysterious disappearance, but he didn't blame them. He knew that his mother and father would not have left Amerie behind, if they were planning the runaway. Alex knew that for them to leave willingly without their children was an impossibility, especially since it had been drilled in him as a kid that family always came first, no matter what. He wondered if this cold, calculating girl had any siblings for whom she cared. Alexandre was a completely different person around Ami, protective and caring, trying to be the best role model he could despite the absence of the main authority figures in their lives. He didn't want his sister growing up under the harsh hand of their grandfather. As soon as he graduated Hogwarts, he planned to use some of the trust fund left behind from his family in Gringotts to buy the two of them a house somewhere, get away from the Blackthorn Manor and all of it's unhappy memories. He would not feel comfortable with his life until both he and his younger sibling were safe, and away from all that could interfere with them. Amerie's blood held no temptation for the young vampire, his blood ties with her nullified the feelings of blood thirst and intense discomfort he felt around most humans. She would not have to live with his curse, but if he ever did fall for that stupid thing called love, or even if he didn't, so long as he started a family of his own, his firstborn son would have to be turned.

Alexandre wouldn't have bestowed vampirism on anyone had he been given the choice. He'd actually hated his father for a month or two after the change, unable to control his thoughts and emotions around anyone that wasn't his family. He had felt like a monster, a recluse and an outcast, and he'd sworn to himself that he would never pass on the feelings to his son. But now, months later with both of his parents gone, Alexandre knew that he would, because it was his family's wishes. Alex was obedient to the rules of the household name, even if he didn't like them. He'd been raised to be, after all. The stage of teenage rebellion for him had been short-lived, and had been pushed into action by a third party cause. Had his temper not have been enhanced by the desire for blood and loathing for Shane, Alex never would have went through it at all. He didn't know how Amerie felt on the subject, as he always felt too uncomfortable to breach it with her, but she was not a teenager yet anyways. He hoped that if she did go through a stage of defiance, that it wouldn't be for a few years yet. He didn't take well to playing the role of a parent, and wouldn't know how to handle it.

Bringing himself back out of his thoughts and continuing to survey the room, Alexandre noticed with irritation that people kept glancing at the girl. The expression on one boy's face as he sat by his girlfriend (though didn't pay any attention to her at all) was irritating Alexandre to no end. He couldn't stand idiot males who went around sleeping with a bunch of girls just because they were attractive. And some of them had the pure audacity to refer to such disgusting habits as love! That was another reason the vampire didn't raise beliefs in such idiotic notions. Sex was exactly as it sounded, nothing more and nothing less. The thought of the act actually repulsed him a little, considering it was all over nothing, a pointless attempt at unachievable happiness. He didn't understand marriage or religion, either. The idea of some higher power dictating the happenings of Earth was simply laughable in his eyes. If there truly was a divine being, no matter what the believers themselves said about humans bringing evils upon themselves, then he or she would take better fucking care of the circumstances in pure folk's lives than they did. And people like Alexandre would most likely be struck down without mercy. The thought brought the crude smirk playing on his lips again.

TAGGED?! Open
LYRICS?! Hopeless - Breaking Benjamin
LISTENING TO?! Hopeless - Breaking Benjamin
WORD COUNT?! 1004
COMMENTS?! wow i rambled a lot >.< apologies
CREDIT?! Myself.

[lucyboo]

This whole thing was getting boring fast. Lucy was definitely starting to doubt her motives for coming here. Was getting stared at for a few minutes really worth it? She wasn't sure anymore. It seemed that people were starting to find her old news. They would stare for a few minutes with disgust or whatever emotion they should choose, and they'd go back to their boring old lives because it was just Lucy. It was like she could never win! First she was just a Weasley: bad. Then she'd worked hard to be known as Lucy: good. Now she was just Lucy: very bad. What was the deal with people? Why did they think she dressed and acted the way she did? Lucy leaned back on her hands against the concessions table and frowned. These people had no idea how lucky they were. It was Lucy's secret that she would really love to be normal, to be happy and smiling and loved. But she wasn't. She wasn't loved, all because she was a stupid Slytherin! The worst part was that she couldn't change it. If she could, though, would she? She didn't think so. She actually liked being a Slytherin, which was something most people could never understand.

It had been Lucy's choice. She could have chosen to renounce her house, to live in it but not be part of it so that her family and those close to her would accept her, or she could have chosen to stay among the people who finally understood her. Lucy had chosen what meant the most to her. She sometimes questioned her choice, of course, but more often than not she cursed the fact that she'd been forced to make it in the first place. The worst part was that her family never took any of the blame for what had happened to her. Lucy was the black sheep, she was bound to lose it eventually. That was basically their attitude. Well, they didn't know just how bad she'd lost it. Even in this room crowded with people, and standing next to this guy with whom she was sort of having a conversation, she felt totally and completely alone. She might as well be in a black hole for all the positive emotional attachment she held toward anyone in that room.

Lucy saw the other boy nod in understanding, but her lips remained in a violently red, tiny frown. Her eyes were emotionless, as she was practiced at keeping them that way. This other person beside her seemed to echo some of her feelings at the moment: moody, angry, typical Slytherin. She didn't recognize him, but he was most likely in her house. And he was definitely older than her, there was no question there. She wondered vaguely, without betraying anything facially, what his story was that he could project his mood in the same way she was. Was it as tragic as hers, or more so? Lucy wasn't stupid; she knew that some people had it worse than she did, but it was really easy to forget that in the crush of her day-to-day life. She didn't think it was any of her business to try and guess what his story was, just like it wasn't anyone's business what hers was.

Even though there wasn't really a need to proceed the conversation, Lucy needed to. The loneliness was beginning to crush down on her like it often did, and she wanted to keep it away. So she spoke derisively about the people still attempting to make an awful night into a good one. "Look at them. They're so stupid. I bet most of them will leave crying tonight," she said, motioning with one pale hand to the dancing mass. She didn't even care. Not even those faces in the crowd that might belong to her cousins aroused any sort of caring emotion in her. Sure, there were one or two that she didn't mind, but even if they did leave crying, Lucy wouldn't even think about it. That was their fault, not hers. So she shouldn't invest emotions in problems that weren't hers. After all, she had enough problems of her own.

Tags: Alexandre Gryffin Blackthorne
Word Count: 701
Comments: bleh, word count FAIL!
Credit: moi

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