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Post by justinlaw on Mar 7, 2011 15:48:22 GMT 1
It was already half past midnight and Justin was still sitting by the windowsill of his dorm room. His eyes glazed over, his mind blank, he knew that what he was right now is a mere shadow of his usual vibrant self. Ever since the fateful event happened, his life stopped. He stopped coming to classes, he stopped caring for his appearance, he often shows up at mealtimes clad in only a white shirt and pajama bottoms, regardless of the time. People were started to be alarmed by what happened and offered him some consolation, but he politely declined, knowing that people were only pitying him. He knew that because of what happened, he will never get a chance with Helena anymore. He knew that she was hurt immensely by his betrayal and he could not forgive himself for doing so.
As if someone slapped him on the face, he was suddenly jerked awake from his trance-like state. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew that he couldn't be moping around like this. He needed to get a grip and move on for doing so will lessen the pain he was feeling. As if on cue, he slowly stood up from his position and went to his closet. He then took out a crisp blue polo shirt and black pants and a pair of black rider boots. He stood there staring at the closet for a few seconds before he reached into a far end of the closet and took out his saber. He knew that a few practice swings would help him. He then fixed himself and after a few minutes, surveyed himself in front of the mirror. When he assured himself that he looked sane, he then made his way towards the forbidden forest, saber and wand on hand.
After a few minutes of brisk walking, he finally arrived at his chosen spot. He then sighed, took out the saber from its case and inspected the blade. He then pressed his finger on the blade; and he winced slightly when he felt the pain and his finger bled. He then smiled, for he felt the pain and he felt alive for the first time. He then got up, swung the saber and got into a offensive position. As if on instinct, he began his exercise. He then swung his blade in perfect form and he managed to cut down low lying branches. He then concentrated on thrusting the saber on the tree trunk when a burst of sudden movement startled him. He instinctively lowered his saber and looked towards the direction of the movement.
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Post by starr on Mar 7, 2011 16:59:56 GMT 1
Starr stared at nothing in particularly. She might have been doing nothing except that for hours by then. It was not like she cared. She had no more family. Not a single member was left and she still could not feel anything. Since the day her mother took her own life and left her alone and in the dark, she hadn’t shed even a single tear. Despite her deep sadness for her lost, the feeling of being abandoned by her mother just held the tears back. It was not until that fateful day that she realized her mother did not care enough for her to stay alive and outlive the baron. She felt numbness envelop her and inside she knew she changed. And, she had no idea if it was for the better.
It was a good thing she knew how to show put on a good face and smile on stage. If it weren’t for her composed facade, everything her mother and as she believed her fake father worked for would be going down the drain faster than she could say the word Slytherin. Also, if it weren’t for Shane Sparks’, her godfather, hospitality, the wizarding government would have taken her in to their custody and who knows what would happen if her birth certificate landed on their hands.
She closed her eyes and tried to clear her head, knowing that thinking of that particular secret was not going to do anything but tire her. Everything was so quiet and she could almost say the ambience was relaxing until the tree she was leaning on lost a branch. Her sleepy eyes became wide and alert in an instant and suddenly she was standing ready to fight off whatever threat the stranger posed. She saw a thing that looked like a saber glisten and she had to cover her mouth in order to control her scream. The fact that she had been suspecting that her father, the one who turned out to be fake, died because of knowing the very thing she knew at that very moment shook all of the sleepy feelings she had away. “Hello?” Her voice rang in the forbidden forest, her heart beating so fast she could hear her blood pounding in her ears. When the saber was put down, she stayed put, squinted her eyes and tried to identify the person behind the tree.
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Post by justinlaw on Mar 8, 2011 1:50:02 GMT 1
As he gripped the handle of his saber, Justin knew that his movements disturbed whoever it was. He looked around and saw branches of all sizes around him. He then directed his gaze on the tree at the far end of the forest clearing and saw a figure standing there. When he heard the figure speak, he took a deep breath and walked towards the direction of the sound. After a few steps, he was now face to face with the person. Apparently, it was a female student, and judging from her robes and appearance, she came from the same house as his, although he was not able to encounter her in the common room before.
He then sheathed the saber and looked right at her. He studied her facial features and he was genuinely surprised for he saw something on her that was vaguely familiar. Where could he have seen it? He then casted a glance on his family ring and for some reason, he felt the need to remove it. He auspiciously placed his hands on the back, struggling to remove the ring. When he finally succeeded, he placed the ring on his back pocket. “I’m sorry for scaring you, it’s just that I am practicing my skills with the sword and I unintentionally disturbed your peaceful solitude,” he said, as he lightly touched his saber, smiling shyly at her. “Anyway, what are you doing here in the middle of the forest?” he asked, knowing that it was really dangerous at the forest at this time.
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Post by starr on Mar 8, 2011 14:26:46 GMT 1
Starr drew her wand out of her pocket and prepared for a fight, if ever the person attacked. The Slytherin was not going to turn her back and run away from the stranger for this might be her only chance to finally identify the murderer. She held her breath as she heard footsteps. It was apparent by then that the stranger decided to approach. After a couple more steps, the light hit the stranger on the side and from where she was standing, she recognized him. Justin Law. This made her lower her wand.
Starr observed him as he placed his saber back in its sheath. Did he know how lucky he was? He had nothing to hide and he was living life like the world was his… She internal shook her head, her facial expression blank. She raised a delicate eyebrow at him, observing him as he struggled with something. Was he removing the blasted family ring? She pretended like she did not notice what he did as she scrutinized him from head to toe discretely. He looked like the former baron and she did not know whether to find it delightful or annoying. “It’s fine. I’m okay.” She said, actually sounding a little comforting. She was so good with pretending. She usually end up fooling even skilled legilimens for, more often than not, she end up deluding herself. “I was merely having a moment of solitude, as you just said.” She returned his smile, straightening up and putting her wand back in her pocket. Truth was, she wanted to walk out on him… but, that would be suspicious so she decided to stay. “You usually practice with your saber here? In this hour?” She raised an eyebrow, looking curious.
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Post by justinlaw on Mar 20, 2011 8:29:23 GMT 1
As he fingered the handle of his saber, Justin continued to stare at her. There was indeed something about her that was oddly familiar. Was it her face or the way she looked at him? He was not so sure, although deep inside, he could suddenly remember how his father looked right at him all the time while he was still alive. Although his father did not really show his affection directly at him, the way he looked at him was already an assurance that he was proud of his only son. Only son? a voice then said right at him. Are you sure you’re really an only son? the voice asked. He was apparently disturbed by what he heard. He then wondered whether at some point in time, his father committed some form of infidelity or maybe he had an affair before he married his mother. He then tried subconsciously to shake those thoughts from his head. No, my father loved my mother very much until he died! he screamed internally at the voice inside his head. He then willed to refocus his gaze at her.
“I’m glad that you were not harmed in any way,” he then said, relieved that she didn’t get hit by falling branches or something. Although he could feel once again that she was hiding something from him. He was surprised for there were not really many people who can actually make him feel like that. Apparently, it was only his father that actually made him feel that way and here was this lady who elicited the same. He then wondered who she was anyway. “Not really, I usually don’t but I guess I decided to do so, to clear my mind and help me reaffirm my value system,” he then replied to her question. “You see, I’m not really myself lately, with all the events that had been happening,” he added, his gaze never leaving her. “Sorry I may be intruding but may I request the privilege of knowing your name, fair lady?” he then asked, bowing slightly at her. He badly needed to know at all costs who she really was.
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Post by starr on Mar 21, 2011 14:05:04 GMT 1
On the outside, Starr was merely looking quizzically at him. But, on the inside, she was not liking the way he was looking at her. Truth be told, he was making her nervous. Up until that very moment, she had not considered the small possibility that Justin Law, if this person really was Justin Law, was aware that he had an older half sister. Were the Law family actually looking for her? What if he recognized her? What would happen then? No, he wouldn’t, she decided. She looked too much like her mother to be recognized as someone related to the former baron… And, the Law family wouldn’t go looking for her after all this time. She listed Justin Law’s mother beside the number one on her suspected murderers list. “Why are you looking at me like that?” She raised an eyebrow casually, managing to sound confused as she tried to put a stop to the weirdness. Once again, she eyed the student in front of her. Was he really Justin Law, the only living person related to her? Maybe he was the former Baron’s nephew or grandson…
“Yeah, me too. I advice that you be careful next time. You would not want to hit someone.” She replied kindly, a lopsided smile playing on her lips. Deep inside, wanted to mock him upon hearing the words ‘help me reaffirm my value system’ come out of his mouth. Surely the former Baron’s son did not have any values to reaffirm. The former Baron practically abandoned her and her mother. Justin Law was probably a selfish womanizer too. That is, if the student in front of her was Justin Law. When he said something about the events that had been happening, she completely understood what he meant and nodded automatically. “I’m no seer but I can feel some sort of a dark time ahead of us. A lot of murders occurred this month… both inside and outside the school.” She told him calmly, feeling bitter on the inside as she remembered Nathaniel Gnael’s mysterious death. The politeness of alleged Justin Law made her nervous. He was acting like he was Justin Law… “My name is Starr, Starr Gnael. How about you?” She said the biggest lie in her life, her name, so casually.
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Post by henrycozart on Mar 23, 2011 6:45:12 GMT 1
It was already a quarter to one in the morning, but Henry Cozart still stood proudly on the highest branch of the pine tree, surveying the surrounding area. In a few moments, he knew that the full moon would begin to wax significantly, something he quite dreaded a couple of moments before. Yet, he realized that it would just be another night for him to have some freedom. After a few moments of looking, he then sat down on the branch and reflected. He began to think of the preparations he did like hiding extra clothes and food inside a bag he dropped into a hollow place into this very tree. Suddenly, he then remembered the first time he transformed into a werewolf...it only gave him an immeasurable amount of pain that he couldn't even quantify. In addition, his mind was only equipped with a raging killing intent so he then ended up killing quite a lot of people in the forest. After he transformed into a human again, he realized that he had to start training himself to stop harming people hence he began to improve and grow into the strong young man he was now. He then sighed, as he suddenly remembered how his mother and older brother disappeared after he killed his father, whom he blamed for turning him into a werewolf. He wondered whether he might still be able to see them again. Suddenly, Henry felt pain radiating through his shoulders into his spine and throughout the rest of his body. He knew immediately that the hour has come. He could then feel that there would be something else that would happen during the transformation. He then struggled to lift his face to see what was going on. To his surprise, the moon shone as bright as ever and he could see that it was significantly larger than usual. Gritting his teeth in pain, he realized that he would not be able to keep himself lucid if the moon was this powerful. He quickly shed off some of his outer clothing, until he was only clad in trousers and he then made the drop, about twenty feet below, transforming in the process. -------- After falling from over twenty feet above, the brown wolf landed gracefully into the forest floor and began sniffing out targets. After a few seconds, it began to run fast, having smelled its potential targets. As it was running, it began picturing in its line of vision that he was about to run over two humans, a man and a woman. The man was armed with something sharp, probably a steel sword or saber. The wolf then realized that it must be careful in dealing with them, with the man in particular.
As it sniffed once more, it became aware that he was already approaching his two targets. Immediately, it jumped stealthily from the bushes and is about to bite the target on its immediate line of sight.
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Post by justinlaw on Mar 23, 2011 7:21:54 GMT 1
Justin continued to gaze at her, still perplexed at who she really was. How could she be able to elicit that dreadful feeling in him? He knew that he could elicit such feelings also, when assuming his position as the Baron, among his subordinates and personnel. However, he inherited his mother’s good nature fully that is why he wasn’t exactly the type of noble who could instill fear and terror among his constituents. In fact the people loved him and they were glad that such a wise and innately good person replaced the equally wise but very cold Baron before. Going back to her though, he knew that there was something more to her than what meets the eye. “Sorry about that, it’s just that you just looked like someone I knew…” he trailed off, willing himself to look away from her. He knew that he was beginning to be very suspicious with her identity.
“I am really sorry about my recklessness with my saber swinging, I promise to be more careful next time,” he then answered as she advised him to be careful in swinging his saber. For some strange reason, he suddenly remembered that the saber he had right now was the saber that was being passed on through many generations of the House of Law. And what was even strange was that he was thankful that she did not see the seal of the House on it. He then wondered as to why he was having such paranoid thoughts. Who could she really be? Could it be that she was possibly related to him in some way? When he heard her introduce herself, a part of him sighed with relief as he knew that she couldn’t be possibly related to him in some way. He sighed in relief and said, “Nice meeting you Starr. Once again I apologize for my intrusion and rudeness. My name is –“ he then stopped abruptly for he had seen something about to approach Starr’s direction and to his immediate horror, it was a werewolf. As though by instinct, he unsheathed his saber and pushed Starr roughly sideways. “GET AWAY!” he then shouted, and winced, as the wolf, with Starr out of the way, hit his body, sending him flying straight into one of the nearby trees.
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Post by starr on Mar 23, 2011 14:07:29 GMT 1
The young Slytherin continued to eye him quizzically, hoping he would stop eyeing her that way. If anyone else subjected her to their close scrutiny, she most probably would just flip her hair and not mind at all. But this guy was obviously related to the dead baron. He looked too much like him not to be. When he finally came to his senses, at least enough to dignify her question with a response, Starr hid her shock expertly with a laugh. “Oh, well, a lot of people tell me that. I guess my face isn’t that unique.” Starr smiled at the younger Slytherin, happy that she was not busted.
Starr smiled when he decided to take her advice. Seriously, what he had been doing not long ago could kill an innocent. She shivered as she pictured her head being cut off by his saber by accident. That would have been a worthless way to die.
The sixth year, deep within was sort of troubled, but on the outside, she looked like an average person who just introduced herself. Did he know that her half-sister’s fake name was Starr Gnael? All of a sudden, Starr had the desire to take back her fake name and make up another fake one. After a moment, she realized giving him her authentic fake name was better. It would create less suspicion. Thus, there would be a lesser probability that he, or anyone else, would be interested enough to investigate. She fixed a stray lock of hair as she waited for his reply after her brief introduction, if giving a false name was introduction to you at least.
Starr never liked animals. She feels itchy near them and, to her, they all smell bad so when she heard some kind of animal made its way toward them, before Justin even had a chance to say who he was, much to Starr’s dismay, she turned around, wand at a ready, to face it when suddenly she was forcefully shoved aside by Justin. Starr regained her balance only to find herself screaming in terror as she realized that it was not some random animal that lived in the forest, it was a werewolf. She screamed when Justin was sent flying to a nearby tree. In her panic, she raised her wand and muttered the first spell that came to mind. “Incendio.” Starr successfully created a long line of fire to keep the werewolf out for a while and she hurriedly put her wand down as she realized that it was getting bigger. She almost ran like crazy for her life, but then she realized that alleged Justin was with her… So, she run over to where he was and started helping him up. “We have to go now. Come on.” She hastily tugged at his right arm, trying to get him to stand up.
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Post by henrycozart on Mar 23, 2011 15:57:21 GMT 1
As the wolf lunged forward at its nearest target, it was surprised to see that it was about to collide with another one, and upon closer inspection, it was the man with the steel saber. The wolf willed to focus all its strength into the collision. It then bared its fangs as it surveyed the human. It then casually approached the other target when suddenly, a long line of fire stopped its tracks. It roared loudly as its fur was singed by the fire. It then stepped off the line of fire and climbed up a tall tree. From there, it jumped on the nearby trees and finally found itself down the path which the fire blocked. Baring its fangs, the wolf casually approached the two humans, apparently enraged with the woman for conjuring the line of fire.
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Post by justinlaw on Mar 24, 2011 4:19:22 GMT 1
Justin winced in pain as he was knocked over by the werewolf. It was a good thing a tree broke his motion or else he would've been flying for several kilometers already. Another good thing was that he was not bitten or else he would have to live being cursed for the rest of his life. He struggled to get up but the pain was terrible. He felt that his left wrist broke from trying to break his fall. He tried to shake off his pain and got up gingerly. His right hand was still gripping his saber, still poised to attack. He was surprised to see a long line of fire blocking the wolf's path. He then knew that it was Starr who must have conjured the fire.
He then felt Starr's hand urging him to move. Much as he tried to move, the pain was still overcoming him. He weakly held on to her arm and tried walking. Suddenly, he then felt her freeze on her position. Not knowing what was going on, he tried to turn his head and was apparently shocked to see the werewolf about to approach both of them. Now, it seemed very enraged for being attacked. Now facing the possibility of killing it or being killed, he felt he had no choice; although his left wrist felt useless for now, he still had his saber and his right hand. He then gingerly stepped in front of Starr and raised his saber. "You did very well in conjuring this line of fire. I am very impressed. However, allow me to fight this werewolf using my blade. This creature almost rendered me useless earlier, and now I must deal the coup de grace on it," he said, breathing hard. He then remembered that he still had his wand on him and that he could still use it should he fail with his saber. He then took another step towards the wolf, although he was still distancing himself. He knew that what he was about to do was suicide on his part but he had to try.
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Post by starr on Mar 25, 2011 9:06:58 GMT 1
Starr felt her heart beat faster as she helped alleged Justin get to his feet. If the werewolf found its way through the fire, the two of them were so dead. The young Slytherin have been keeping an eye on the werewolf and when it jumped from the tree to their side of line, Starr froze. Her heart stopped as she saw the way it gazed. Apparently, she angered the thing by conjuring the fire and that possibly singed its fur. Starr was busy strategizing an escape plan for both of them when suddenly, alleged Justin moved.
The next thing Starr knew was she was standing behind alleged Justin. His saber was raised and he looked like a hero in a school play. “Do you have a deathwish?” She asked, her voice rising. “You must have hit your head harder than I thought.” She grabbed him by the arm, to drag him to safety, but ended up grasping thin air. The fool just took a step toward the werewolf. Starr gaped at him. At the moment, she wanted whack him on the head with a charmed branch. Maybe that would knock some sense into him. Starr knew that it was a very bad idea though, so, she decided to buy them both some time by pointing her wand, a much better weapon than a saber at that point in time, at the werewolf and saying. “Confundo!” She hoped the werewolf would be confused long enough for the two of them to escape. She knew the effect of spells to werewolves were different. Starr then focused on her fellow student. "Come on!" She grabbed his forearm and started pulling him toward the school.
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Post by henrycozart on Mar 26, 2011 3:26:40 GMT 1
As the wolf casually approached the two humans, it kept its gaze focused on the woman, since she was the one who conjured the fire. The smell of singed fur permeated the air and the wolf was very angry with what happened. Suddenly, the man approached him, brandishing the steel saber. The wolf growled angrily and took a step towards him. The wolf knew that in a matter of seconds, it would be able to rip him into shreds. However, a spell suddenly hit it and this left the wolf apparently confused. It circled the path and rolled on the ground in confusion.
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Post by justinlaw on Mar 29, 2011 6:07:11 GMT 1
As Justin raised his saber, he was already estimating the distance on which he would be able to strike the werewolf fatally. However, he knew that what he was about to attempt would be really dangerous, and that one wrong move will cost his life. Since his left hand was already rendered useless, it would mean that once his attack with the saber fail, he would have to drop it by all means and resort to attacking with his wand. In his mind, he knew that dying would only mean one thing: that he would be free from all the despair he was experiencing. He was ready to give up his life in fighting the werewolf and he would never regret doing it so. Although, he could not help but realize that he would never find out Starr's real personality. Even so, he was glad that he was able to know her even though only for a brief moment. He then heard her ask him if he had a death wish and that if he must have hit his head hard, he just shook his head and smiled. "Well, I guess I do have a death wish. Maybe I was hit hard on the head. But I guess I just wanted my despair to end. My life is nothing without her," he said, thinking about how Helena was hurt by his betrayal.
Suddenly, he was shocked when the wolf keeled over to the ground, apparently confused. He did not know how did it happen until he turned around and saw that it was Starr who casted the hex. Suddenly for some weird reason, he felt something different. He was vulnerable and that someone was actually protecting him, not the other way around. He then let himself be dragged by Starr into safety, apparently he was at a loss on what to feel anymore.
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Post by starr on Mar 29, 2011 9:02:25 GMT 1
Starr looked up at the heavens and prayed that the stubborn slytherin listen to her. If she failed to convince alleged Justin to run away before he managed to kill himself, she did not know what she would do. The recent deaths that she dealt with were more than enough. She did not want to add one other person to the people who died list. Not even annoyingly foolish alleged Justin. The sound the werewolf made when it collapsed on the floor made her spare it a glance. Apparently, it was confused and Starr could not help but be happier. If worse came to worst, she knew she would have to kill that thing.
When alleged Justin admitted into having a deathwish, Starr almost whacked him on the head with a branch. She wondered who he was talking about, however she knew it was not the right place and the right time to discuss the problems he had in his life. If they did not get moving, he would not have life to talk about anything. When Justin regained some of his senses back, Starr couldn’t be more relieved. As the two of them ran, with her a few steps ahead of him, she turned to Justin and asked. “How long does that spell last on a werewolf?” She hoped it lasts long enough for them to escape for when that spell wears off, the werewolf would surely even be madder at the both of them. And, that would bring them farther from the end of their problem.
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