How Prudence Became Imprudent (closed)

[Prudence Campbell]

You would only be at peace with murderers if you are a murderer yourself. He did not seem like the murdering type so it made sense. Everything is not what it seems. Another warning rung in her head. She knew all of those things already but she could not help but remind herself. The Sorting Hat couldn’t be a fool. She knew the most intelligent of the founders created it herself. Nah, Lar is so not a murderer… is he? She quietly asked herself, hoping that her multi-talented new friend was not gifted in Legilimency as well.

She could not help but chuckle when he winked at her. She wasn’t sure if it was the timing or the way the act looked on him. It seemed like he did not wink a lot. “I would never know for certain if you would have done better in Slytherin. I can give you a couple or more insights though.” She paused to collect her thoughts. “I think Slytherin would have developed your ability to plot. Being in Slytherin would have helped you become a more cautious individual.” She smirked at him. “Slytherin would have made your desire to be a hero diminish if not disappear for good. Meaning your mother wouldn’t have gotten a premonition about your death.” She sighed, maybe he would have done better in Slytherin after all. She did not say anything though, wanting him to decide for himself.

She just smirked at him when he commented on her being sorted to Slytherin. His line about the unknown struck her in a way that was different from when she heard a similar line for Professor Ambrosia. Before she tried to figure out what the professor meant exactly. Now, she knew exactly what he meant. “Yeah, some things are supposed to remain unknown.” She muttered in agreement, thinking about the potion and the peculiar glitch with her bracelet.

Her smile when he told her he would make the pill taste like heaven disappeared when she heard what he said next. “Whatever event changed you from the evil person you claimed to be can’t certainly be tiny.” She commented, trying her best to keep an open mind. She couldn’t just abandon him after promising to help him… You can’t help evil. Helping evil makes you evil. She reminded herself. She started having bad suspicions about him in general when she heard about the sorting hat’s wish to put him in Slytherin. What he said just amplified her suspicions and the fact that he knew too much about how evil ticked. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the matter at hand and said, “Yes, I do want to know what kind of person you were before.”

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[alariclarsstouner]

Lars studied her expression; apparently he knew that what he actually said was disturbing her. He sighed; he realized that whatever impression he made with her crumbled suddenly. He could not do anything about it and he felt the need to reveal a bit more about himself. “I guess your perception of me changed when I said those things,” he remarked. “You are right, there is more to me than what meets the eye,” he added. If only he knew Legilimency, he would have looked into her mind however he knew that he wouldn’t give a care about it.

“I guess I am very bad when it comes to winking. Apparently my eye muscles do not want to move the way I want,” he then said, realizing that he indeed looked awfully weird when he winked. He merely listened to her insights about him if he was sorted in Slytherin. After she finished speaking, he merely nodded, not saying a word. He knew that everything she said was right after all. He would’ve been more calculating, shrewd and mean and he would’ve been involved in matters that seem very undesirable in the wizarding world. He knew all of these things; after all he was like that before. He knew that there were some things that are best left unsaid yet he realized that if he wanted to get away from his past, he would have to talk his way through it.

He took a swig of butterbeer and sighed. He knew that it was now the time. “I know that everything I have just said made you change your impression of me and I guess I couldn’t do anything. All I can do is to justify your suspicions about me after all,” he finally said, breaking his painful silence. He sighed again and prepared to tell his story.

“I was a reckless person, someone whose only desire is to know everything. I was obsessed with my desire to know a lot of things that is why I dabbled into the Dark Arts. I was learning curses and brewing potions even before I went into Hogwarts. My parents gave me the means so that I can satisfy my pursuit for knowledge.” he related. “I was not exactly evil; I just knew how they think because I was once in the company of such people. They knew that I was intelligent and they often consulted me on how to do things. I did not mind if I was cooperating on doing evil things, all I cared about was that people were recognizing my abilities. However, one night I saw them carrying out an attack on a muggle family and I realized that they were implementing the plan that I suggested. I was absolutely horrified and I realized that I knew too much. Before long one of them found me and he was about to kill me when I had no choice but to defend myself, and I ended up almost killing him. That's when I realized that too much knowledge predisposes you to do evil things. I ran back to our house and I promised my parents that I will never use my knowledge to hurt people."

[Prudence Campbell]

She chose not to speak, not wanting to say anything she might regret later. Their new friendship was at stake at that moment. It was curious that they met again so soon. Everything happens for a reason. Last night, she learned about her ability and his prophesied death. He even gave her a very special and super customized watch last night… Tonight, she learned about his great potions skills and he said he would help her fix her potion. He didn’t do anything wrong and she felt like a judgmental person who was angrily pointing her forefinger at the face of an angel. Even if the angel himself admitted that he was more than all the things he’d been showing she still felt pathetic.

She sighed and eyed the empty plate before her. There sat a slice of a delicious cake not very long ago. Deciding that eating would help her think clearly, she ordered a slice of chocolate fudge cake. She was still astonished as to how the night unfolded. They were just having a nice and long light talk until he admitted to being evil.

She was on the edge of her seat the whole time he was telling her about his trip to evil island. “Now I know why you’re in Ravenclaw.” She muttered unconsciously, keeping a poker face as the weight of his words sunk in. Not really knowing what to think now, she consulted her inner self, the one who was always with her intuition. She heard no warning bells setting off so she knew he was telling the truth about his conversion. “Thank you for telling me the truth.” She sincerely said, giving him one of her rare small smiles. “It must have been hard on you when you found out about them using your plots to attack people.” She said sympathetically.

Prue knew she must be a little more cautious. She must not let her guard down and become imprudent. She believed in giving people second chances but the cold hard truth was that… second chances aren’t like the first. Hoping for the best, she decided to just do what she always does when events like this came up. She shrugged it off and tried to forget it. People change and she was certain he already did. “I’m glad you were able to realize your mistakes and do the necessary steps to fix it.” She said after a moment of silence. “But I can see you’re still greatly affected by it. You must move on Lars, if you truly want to change your life.” She eyed him, eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall down.

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[alariclarsstouner]

Lars watched her and he immediately understood everything; how she was concerned with him and everything. He knew that ever since their accidental meeting at the towers that they would have to understand each other and even though there are secrets that surround them, they must learn to accept each other despite everything. He sighed and he immediately felt like he was being in the hot seat. He did not feel any anger even though she threatened to judge him. He knew that it would be hard to have second chances at this point.

“I know that I have every right to be judged, now that you know that there was evil blood coursing through me,” he said slowly, as he was leaning back on his chair and looked at her. “However, I just hope that you would still trust me despite everything that you’ve heard from me tonight. I didn’t mean to trick you into thinking that I was like a saint or something. I just wanted to show you how much of a flawed person I am,” he then added, sighing loudly. He felt his hands shaking; it was quite unnatural for him to be nervous like so.

He merely listened to what she had to say about him being affected by the past events of his life. “I know and I already tried forgetting everything that I did because I knew that it never was part of the real me.” He then noticed that there were tears that threaten to fall from her eyes. He felt ashamed of himself. “Tell me, why do you care for me so much? For a wretched guy like me?” he then asked as he pressed his hand onto hers from across the table.

[Prudence Campbell]

“What?” She asked hotly. “Who said anything about judging?” She felt like she had been slapped in the face. The whole time she tried to keep an open mind and she succeeded. She believed that he was a new person, a person that was different from the person he had been before. “I was not judging you. How can you even think that?” She asked, hurt was clear on her face.

Maybe she had been a bit judgmental but she had the right to think to herself. No one would have listened to a story like that without thinking anything that fell into the criteria of judging others. Well no one unless the person he was talking to is God. Well last time I checked, I’m not God. Her fuming sarcastic self rolled her eyes and justified her actions.

“You’re just going to have to get used to me. I have little control to my emotions. Maybe my regular use of my intuition tied me to them in a way that is bizarre. I’m a very compassionate person, Lars.” She told him, her eyes staring directly to his soul. “I’m emotional, when I heard a sad story, I cry. And when I’m freaked, all I got to say is that I’m freaked. Remember last night when you scared the heck outta me?” She shook her head slightly, remembering how her heartbeat went crazy.

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[alariclarsstouner]

Lars just stared at her and he immediately realized that she was absolutely offended with what he said. He immediately withdrawn his hand from hers and placed it on his lap. He was absolutely shaken. Then again, he knew the reason why. “Ever since what happened, people around our circle started judging me in terms of everything; and everytime I had to take certain actions, they would scoff at me as though they are mocking me. They would tell among themselves that I couldn’t be trusted and all that,” he said. “I’m sorry if I thought of you that way, I know that you were only concerned of me that’s why you thought of it,” he then added, his head slightly bowed.

He then listened as she explained on how her emotions usually get the best of her. He merely nodded; he knew that there are some people who were deeply affected by what they feel; however he did not know that it was quite tied to her keen intuition. He could remember how his mother used to be so touchy and that she either laughs loudly or anguishes too much. “I know from the very start that you are a kind and compassionate soul,” he said, looking back at her. “I know that you were also affected by what I revealed about myself and you have absolutely every right to do so, since you have to know me more so you can help me better,” he commented. “Sorry if I scared you back there, I’m really just a defense-minded person and I guess it’s just pure instinct on my part.”

He downed his drink again and realized that the bottle was empty. However, he got hungry that is why he then called the waiter for a slice of banoffee pie. He picked the slice with his fork, although he really wanted to eat it, his mind could not make him slice a portion and eat it. “And now, I’m losing interest in food. I guess my normal bodily functions keep on disappearing one by one,” he said, smiling.

[Prudence Campbell]

“I know you’re sorry.” She sighed, covering her face with her hands and shaking her head slightly. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been behaving.” She removed her hands from her face to focus on him. The last few minutes were not her best moments. She was confused, bewildered, upset, sad, annoyed and totally imprudent.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. Fate led the both of us to this place tonight and I think we both know what the reason is by now.” She gave him a small smile, reached for his hand across the table and gave it a squeeze. He was such a nice person, it was tragic that he became enslaved to knowledge and ended up a wreckage that was currently in rehabilitation. She hoped he would be able to heal himself sooner than later. She hoped he would not die without recovering from his past’s ugly head. “And you need not apologize for scaring me. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have an example to cite.” She winked then chuckled.

Then a thought smacked her full-on in the head. He spoke of other people judging him like it was still happening. She felt bad for him. Being judged was never easy. “Lars, when did all this happen? I mean, when did you decide to change?” She asked, really interested. She needed to concentrate on his past now. If his friends before had the ability to kill, maybe his murderer to be was from his past. “Lars, do you think there is a possibility that any of your ex friends harbors any grudge?” She asked, realizing it was vague, she said. “Toward you, I meant.”

She eyed her cake for a while. It was truly an eye candy. She paused to think if she still had enough galleons to pay for it. She ate a hell lot more that night compared to what she ate all day. Realizing that she can pay for it, she took her fork and started eating.

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[alariclarsstouner]

Lars couldn’t help but feel apologetic for whatever emotional turmoil he caused her. “I’m sorry if I’m making your emotions go all over the edge,” he said as he offered her a handkerchief. “I really did not mean to cause you that much trouble, I’m not really used to the attention,” he then added as he speared a portion of his pie and ate it. He then focused his eyes on her, studying her expression. When she reached for his hand then squeezed it, he felt the warmth of her personality on him and for some reason, he felt good about it.

“Being enshrouded in knowledge makes you think that you can do anything that you desire, and that for me spelled my downfall,” he then said, referring to his past. “And ever since I made that promise to my parents, I resolved to change my ways and to use my knowledge to help others,” he added, as the memory became fresh again in his mind. “I stopped corresponding with my ex-friends ever since it happened and I guess the word spread out among their families that I was a sissy and I could not be trusted. However, I guess they wouldn’t kill if only they knew about what happened to the other guy.” He chewed the pie slowly, and then washed it down with some butterbeer.

However, what she said about them having any grudge at him made him wonder about it. “No, I don’t think they will risk dueling me or something, they knew that I am more than capable of handling them. No worries, my past can’t haunt me anymore, I am more than prepared to meet them if I had to,” he said, slowly pondering on the possibility of revenge on him as a possible cause.

[Prudence Campbell]

Prudence knew that he did not mean it. She made hand gestures to wave his apology off. “I’m afraid I would just have to learn to control my emotions. If I’m going to help people, I should be able to handle revelations such as yours.” She smiled genuinely. “Thank you for being honest again, I really appreciate it.” Prue loved him for coming clean with her. Loved?! What the hell… She took a deep breath and shrugged it off. Just a bad analogy… I couldn’t be this imprudent in just one night.

“That’s nice... using your knowledge to help others. We would make a wonderful couple.” She stopped and blushed, realizing the possible implications of the word couple. Fudge! “Combo, I mean. You see the past, I see the future. Dan darrun darrun and we help people.” She rambled, not knowing what she was saying half the time. What the hell? She wanted to scream at herself. He just revealed he was currently putting his evil past behind him and she had to go say idiotic things. She stuffed a rather large chunk of the cake just to have an excuse to keep her mouth shut. She flushed as she recognized the signs of choking. Grabbing her mug, she drank deeply and felt her face grew hotter and hotter by the minute.

She was nodding up until the part when he stated some other guy. “What did you do to the other guy?” She blurted out. “Sorry, I… um… what happened to the other guy?” She blushed but still managed to asked sheepishly.

She couldn’t be happier that his past seemed to name no threat at all. She wanted to nail down his murderer to be but somehow identifying him/her today was too fast for her liking. The fact that she was new to all this didn’t help their situation. If he had a more decently trained seer to back him up, maybe that night was the right time to name his possible murderer.

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[alariclarsstouner]

Lars couldn’t help but smile when she appreciated his effort in coming clean with her. For some reason, different thoughts started dancing around his mind and for some reason, he felt really good. He knew that whatever he was thinking right now, it was something that he could not describe, all he knows was that the feeling was something he never experienced before. Before the thoughts invade his mind, he took a swig from his bottle and sighed.

His eyes then focused on her when she suddenly reacted on saying the word couple. She reacted as though it was a really dangerous word. However, something tells him that she must have realized the implications that the word might rub off on him. Immediately, he felt something was amiss with it. “You know, I couldn’t help but be curious about it. You seemed to react to the word couple like it was something allergic on you. Something tells me that there is something amiss,” he then commented, as he picked a slice of pie and ate it in such a way that he was displaying his elegance on her. He then drank from his bottle in such an artful manner that he knew was impossible to resist looking at.

“I guess I have to ask this but…are you afraid of falling in love?” he then asked. He knew that she would deny it yet her face was a dead giveaway. He had seen her blush a lot of times and apparently, he knew she was thinking of those things. “I mean, you just can’t deny it; your face for example is a dead giveaway,” he added, smiling at her. “I mean we’re more of like partners right? Just like a couple really. I bet we can help people with our abilities.”

“Well, I did tell you before that I almost killed the guy. He was in coma for almost a month, he’s okay now but he couldn’t use a wand anymore,” he answered. “I injured him too much beyond. I guess I wrecked his life and I kind of regret it,” he added, his voice becoming more uncertain by the minute. “No worries though, I’m not really in a hurry to find out my mystery murderer. Maybe it would be better if I just prepared myself,” he said, clenching his wand on his hand. He then fixed his eyes on her and smiled.

[Prudence Campbell]

Relieved that she would not have ‘choking on a chocolate fudge cake’ as the words written in the ‘cause of death part’ of her death certificate, she breathed a sigh of relief. Eyeing the window, she saw that the snowfall ceased and that the sky still promised more of it to come. She was snapped out of her musings when she heard of his suspicion about the word couple. “That’s riddiculous, Lars.” She chuckled, surprising even herself. What the hell is he doing now? She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at him, her head slightly inclined to her right, as he drank like he was advertising butterbeer.

She did not know how their conversation turned from a normal light chat, to the mysterious potion, to his evil past and finally to her views on love. Again, she did not know what had gotten into her for she found herself laughing again. As in genuine laughter not some fake high-pitch annoying girl laughter. He just asked her if she was afraid to fall in love and she laughed. Who said butterbeer doesn’t contain alcohol?

Then, she turned serious and said. “You amuse, Lars. Really. For a second there I thought I was starting to figure out what makes you tick. Apparently, I’m not even a tiny bit close to it.” She remarked with a lopsided smile, deliberately avoiding his question for she did not have an answer. She liked the way he tried to predict her reaction though, she sucked at denying so it was not an option in these kinds of situations. “And, you’re right. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us as partners in charity.” She winked. Why did he even care to ask her questions like that? Her mind reeled, bewildered.

“I’m glad he’s still alive and well.” She told him honestly. If he had died, surely Lars would be in a greater pit of darkness than where he was right now. Killing was not something you got away from unscathed. There was a reason why there were laws against killing. It just might drive you over the edge.

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[alariclarsstouner]

Lars looked through the window and saw that the snow had stopped falling. Yet, he knew that it was just only the start of more snowfall. He sighed and realized that the more it snowed, the harder it is for them to get back to the castle. However, much as he would like to get back, he knew that he had every reason to stay behind for a bit. It was indeed getting interesting for the both of them. “I guess the snow is threatening to fall again at any minute,” he commented. “I guess we’ll have to stay a bit longer here and wait for it to pass. Don’t worry, I’ll treat you to butterbeer and food if you want,” he added, smiling at her.

He knew that she deliberately avoided his question and judging from the look of things, he would just have to respect her decision in doing so. “I guess I was rude in asking such a difficult question to you. Too bad, I would’ve love to know the answer yet I think it’s for you to know and for me to find out,” he said, as he picked again on the pie and ate it. He just couldn’t think straight at this point and he was already thinking that the butterbeer he was drinking was real beer after all. “Man, I guess butterbeer does contain alcohol isn’t it? I was supposed to order some firewhiskey but I guess being drunk would be scary.”

“Honestly I would have loved to know the same thing about you though,” he then added as she told him about not even getting close to what actually makes him tick. “I mean, we’re here with each other, talking to each other, yet we both hold a puzzle within ourselves that is nearly impossible to decipher.” He then remembered the first time they met and until now, there was still the air of mystery. “I just know that everything that happened with us is for a reason.” He finally said.

Lars could not imagine the possibility of killing the person who almost attacked him. “After all, I wasn’t even at Hogwarts yet when I did that so I guess there were still certain limits about it,” he answered. “If I would’ve killed him, what would I have become now?” he asked.

[Prudence Campbell]

She glanced out the window for a moment before looking back at him. “You’re right. I just hope it won’t get too deep.” She sighed and took a sip of butterbeer, not really sure about a lot of things right now. She was uncertain that she would be able to make it back to school safely. Also, she was unsure whether or not she would even be able to have energy to walk back. The fact that there was a possibility of getting in trouble did not help. Her head was starting to hurt and she knew it can’t be anything good. “You don’t have to worry about that. It’s fine, I’m prepared.” She patted her silver handbag on top of the table, smiling.

For me to find out? Wow he is curious. She smirked at him. “I’m sorry I did not realize just how curious you are.” She teased then winked. “Why the sudden interest on my views on love anyway?” She asked casually, drinking once again. HE can’t drink. She was surprised to hear a warning that sounded a lot like her own voice. Fortunately, she did not sputter. Not tonight. The voice continued and she shivered, maybe they were really going to be in trouble. “Yeah, being wasted would be scary. You, of all people, can’t risk not being yourself.” She told him, serious.

“Yeah, well everything happens for a reason.” She shrugged and fixed her hair. “All I can say is that, I think the reason why we met is the fact that I’m a seer and you’re an innocent in danger and the fact that I need your help as much as you need mine. Thanks again for helping me out last night” She told him honestly as she ate another piece of cake. “And, I think it’s fun. You know the cloud of mystery? Without mystery, the world would be boring. There would be no problems to solve and it would just be boring. Very, very boring.” Realizing she was rambling, she shoved a piece of cake to her mouth.

He almost killed someone when he was not even in school?!?! What the?! She chose not to dwell in her astonishment and moved on. “You would have been driven over the edge.” She answered for him, the faces of the Viktor and the Arithmancy professor flashed in her mind.

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[alariclarsstouner]

“But I insist on paying,” he then said to her, as he glanced at the window again. Snow was beginning to fall again, and it was depositing a couple of inches on the road. He sighed, thinking that it would definitely take forever for both of them to get back to the castle. “Man, a couple more inches and I guess we’ll have to sleep out here tonight,” he commented. “Well of course, I couldn’t sleep so I guess it’s pretty useless for me to worry.” He then ate the last piece of pie with gusto.

He laughed when she commented on his curiosity about the subject of love. “Well, it’s just something that crossed my mind, that’s all. I’m not really forcing you to answer anyway. I think it’s kind of a sensitive thing for you,” he said as he gestured for the waiter and ordered two more bottles of butterbeer. “And a glass of firewhiskey, if it’s okay,” he added. The waiter then reappeared with the bottles and to his delight, a glass of firewhiskey. He thanked the waiter, and then he took a sip of the firewhiskey. “They serve me this because I look much older than my age,” he then said, as he took another sip. It burned his throat but he didn’t care.

“I guess, I’m pretty much a reclusive person by nature when I first went here. My classmates in my other subjects branded me as the ‘floating cloud’ because I did not really want to listen to anyone. I’ve yet to find the sky in which a cloud like me can move freely,” he then said as he placed the glass of firewhiskey on the table and sighed. “If I managed to kill the guy, I would’ve just ended up being a killer myself and I would’ve sided with Viktor,” he added. He was starting to feel warm, probably due to the firewhiskey.

[Prudence Campbell]

”Okay, if you insist.” She shrugged. “Sure it’s useless for you.” She grinned. The guy seemed to be a nocturnal. Maybe he was part owl part human. She cringed at the thought. I’m going crazy. She eyed her glass of butterbeer, she needed another drink. She asked the waiter for a glass of water. Maybe that would help her think straight. At the moment, she only knew one thing, she had to convince him to go back before the sun rises.

“Wow, that is a pretty big assumption. Don’t you think?” She raised an eyebrow and smiled when he stated that love was sensitive subject for her. “But I do thank you for respecting my privacy.” She said regally and thanked the waiter as she got her glass of water. Sighing deep within, she observed him as he drank firewhiskey. “Okay, apparently I can’t stop you if you want to drink. All I can say is that… drink at your own risk and well, try not to puke on me, please.” She said, sounding like someone who knew better.

“Well, floating cloud, you are obstinate.” She informed him, gesturing wildly towards his firewhiskey. Well, siding with Viktor was never a good idea. And, so is being murdered by him… She sighed again, he was screwed either way. How do you tell people they are screwed? Answer? You never tell them unless it’s an emergency. “Well, at least you have your brain intact now and you aren’t evil.” She blurted out.

“I know you don’t mind staying here but I would have to go in an hour or so.” She told him, glancing outside. Judging the lighting, it was about four in the morning. She had to get to the dorm before sunrise.

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