Only Joking (OPEN)

[lydia]

Lydia hated going to Hogsmeade. Obviously since wizards were vile scum, their dwellings were naturally disgusting. At any rate, Lydia danced or skipped her way toward the wizarding village. She lived with her parents a short distance away from the town. At the sight of the first building, Lydia stopped to recite a poem in Latin. It was a rather sorrowful song that strangely gave her courage. Lydia approached the town at a walk now, she seemed much less enthusiastic than before, but her father needed a new bottle of wand polish.

Lydia came onto the Hogsmeade street and went directly toward Ollivander's. She realized a group of wizards watching her from the entrance of a pub that she didn't know the name to. She felt threatened but did not look at them directly or she would have realized they had turned away from her. Lydia looked to her other side and saw a peculiar looking shop. She made for the entrance hastily. She opened the door and spun in gracefully. She looked out the window at the wizards. She had regained their attention by then because of her panicked escape, so she naturally assumed they had followed her every move.

Lydia groaned and turned, she was perplexed. She wondered who would actually buy a joke. It seemed a tad counter productive to bring business to fun. Lydia would have never thought of selling her talents or herself. She stepped in further, scanning the shelves open-mouthed and wide-eyed. She had never seen such a pile of worthlessness up for sale. "Only a bloody wizard," she pouted and crossed her arms in utter disgust.

[Melkor 'Alfie' Valenceus]

Alfie's father was notorious for his desire of young girls. Alfie's mother was twenty years younger than the father. Alfie was heading in the opposite direction that Lydia was going. Alfie smirked seeing her, the veela was one of his father's favorites. That was before she grew up, of course. Alfie would go to see his father and she'd be there. Alfie had dug through his father's house after he died. Alfie had found the agreement his father made with Lydia's father to register their veela family as wizards. Alfie had to scour every inch of the manor for such evidence of his father's crimes. Alfie could not be linked to such things.

When Lydia bolted into the joke shop, Alfie considered following her. He had vowed to continue to vouch for their half blood status, but he was not so innocent either. Alfie turned into the silly shop. He didn't care for such an ugly set of products himself, so he pushed everything off a shelf near the door as he entered. Though he did it more to get Lydia's attention. When eyes darted toward him, Alfie stepped on one of the boxes he'd knocked over and exclaimed mockingly, "Oops!"

Alfie sighed and focused on Lydia. She was looking at him, trying to look courageous but Alfie knew she would fear him after what he'd done to her. Alfie walked over to her and spoke low so only she could hear. "I never got to thank you for helping keep my appearance intact after my resurrection." Alfie stared at Lydia, wondering if he could make the same deal his father had. Though she'd be more difficult to control than when she was a child. And there was Rowena, Alfie shook his head twice. He looked down at the floor, this had to be some sort of trick. He gazed at the veela, "So- Sorry. I have changed, you know?" Alfie sighed and turned away. The relapses into the dark side of his mind happened often when Rowena was not around. Alfie turned back to Lydia and thrust a bag of galleons into her hand. "Tell no one. Or I'll kill- Just don't." Alfie knew Lydia was really the least of his demons from his short stay as a dark wizard. Several arrangements would have to be made in order to live quietly. Several people needed to be silenced. Gordon, more than any of them.

[starr]

Starr had been sauntering Diagon Alley the whole day and throughout the day, she did nothing except walking. The Slytherin did not even stop to eat. She just took a look around and stopped at some shops. She managed to buy a couple of new robes, a book, some new quills and ink bottles, a cute hat, and a new bracelet. After her real father, Napaleon Drago Law, died last month, her mother taking her life hours after and her fake father’s mysterious murder, she needed the break and she knew she deserved it.

After going through almost every shop in the aforementioned alley, she decided to go back to Hogsmeade or Hogwarts and maybe even seek company. She used to be reserved but she still loved company. The changes she noticed in her behavior disturbed her. She liked her former self, the one who was oblivious to the hideous facts that can only be found in her life. Back then, life was sweeter and a lot simpler. She did not have to hide anything and more importantly, she had family.

Moments later, she found herself behind one of the shelves in the one and only joke shop in Hogsmeade. She shook her head in disbelief. It was not that she did not like jokes, she did. She just did not pay any heed to prank items before. Maybe it was Michael Sparks rubbing on her. Some of the Slytherin’s were disgusted by the fact that that she lived in the home of ‘mudbloods’. She was busy contemplating on the effects of staying with a family of muggleborns when prank items tumbled down on her. “What the hell?!” She blurted out, vexed. However, it was apparent that he did not hear anything since he did not even spare a glance in her direction. In annoyance, she decided that it was the time to leave. Just as she was about to make her first step away, she heard the word kill and you in one sentence. Certain that it came from Lord Valenceus’ mouth and that it was a threat, she decided to eavesdrop. Maybe she ought to add him to the short list of people she accused of murdering Nathaniel Gnael, her fake father and the former baron's adviser.

[lydia]

Lydia looked around cautiously, hoping no one had heard her. She did not like attention very much. Especially not from wizards. She turned, hoping she did not draw too much attention to her. She remembered Alfie as soon as she saw him. She had been close to his father though he was a very dirty old man and he did eventually grow bored of her. She was very young then. Probably too young. Alfie had taken alot of her blood in a ritual a few years ago. Her own father consented to it and even watched. She had always been worthless compared to her dad's desire to be a wizard.

Lydia was already aware that Alfie was a coward, he made a big deal about not being the one to draw her blood. Instead it had been a wizard named Gordon who handled her during that sick ceremony. Although Alfie was clearly their leader, Lydia feared Gordon alot more. He seemed more eager to do evil. There was also the fact that she was Alfie's ten year old stepmother at one point too.

Lydia watched Alfie change from trying to be a fearful dark wizard to becoming a hungry puppy then trying to go back to inspiring fear in her again. She had heard rumour of Alfie's death. Some wizards had come to sell the veela family back overseas claiming that their master was dead, they underestimated her parents though. Lydia was hardly surprised he had brought himself back to life. That was the point of their ritual after all.

Lydia received the coins he handed to her. She did not want to give him a reason to try to harm her but she still glared at him with distaste. "I wont tell. You should leave before you give yourself away though." Alfie's father had employed this same remorse-trickery to get her to warm up to him too. Lydia was still young and she actually still belonged to the Valenceus family as a slave. She was not actually legally freed yet. Though her current master, Alfie was unaware of that because he had killed the man that looked after his father's harem.

Lydia worried he might do something when he glared back at her. He merely pulled her toward him and lifted her to force a kiss. Lydia was livid, she despised people forcing her to please them. Alfie let her go and turned away. He went to the door quickly and turned around. Alfie smirked at Lydia arrogantly. Lydia threw the bag of galleons at Alfie as hard as she could. But he just caught the bag with one hand even though it would have missed him. Lydia shrank and whimpered. Alfie tossed the bag back at her, it landed at her feet. Lydia turned away from Alfie, determined to ignore the gold. She imagined everyone was watching her now. Lydia glared in Miss Gnael's direction. Though she decided not to say anything.

[starr]

Starr Gnael, intrigued by the words she was hearing, started focusing on fixing the trick items that was now all over the walkway in the aisle where she was situated. She picked up her second box of ‘train-poop’ and placed it back on the shelf. On the outside, she seemed like a kind customer, concerned about the shop enough to help gather the products and put it all back in the proper places. But, on the inside, her intention to help the store owner was nothing compared to her desire to listen in on them. Keeping her senses open, she continued to help Lord Leroy, the owner of the shop, fix up his products.

Give himself away? Starr kept made a face that spelled concern about the products as she continued to reshelf more ‘train-poop’ boxes. Starr knew him as one of the few Hogwarts School Governors and as the subject of two rumors that had been circulating around for quite awhile now… one would be Lord Valenceus died and came back again and the gossip around the school that he was involved with the founder of the Ravenclaw house. Aside from those, she knew nothing else about him. So, she never even thought of suspecting him, until that day. Only a dark wizard could come back from the dead for bringing back the dead was one of the limitations of magic.

It was apparent that the blonde girl she had never seen before and Lord Valenceus knew each other. Maybe because he was influential… suddenly she wondered if they were related. If the two were, maybe she could befriend the blonde girl and get some information about Lord Valenceus. That line of thought ended when Lord Valenceus forcibly kissed the young girl. At this, Starr picked up her pace in reorganizing the stocks, she suddenly wanted to run away. But, doing that would be completely and utterly stupid after trying to pretend that she was not paying attention.

Starr did not know what just happened. All she knew was that if that was something big, she could be dead by tomorrow if she was not careful enough. She could end up like Nathaniel Gnael, who died less than a month ago, because of a secret that was believed to be known only by him. Well, at least that was what she had been suspecting. She watched the two, along with everybody else, thrust a bag of gold at each other. From what Starr could deduce out of the situation, Lord Valenceus was bribing the young girl to keep whatever his secret was. In a few moments, after following Lord Valenceus’ retreating form with her gaze and wondering if he knew that the former baron was hiding an illegitimate daughter, she noticed the blonde girl’s glare and Starr simply fixed her hair and started walking towards her.

[lydia]

Lydia contemplated leaving the scene. She was not so scared anymore. Being humiliated as she was, her former fears seemed insignificant. She moved to exit, hoping to make it home before nightfall though that was unlikely. She froze when the student she had glared at approached her. Lydia took a step back. She had never been very strong and that was why her father never cared for her safety. Also the blood loss from the ritual a few years ago still left Lydia fatigued at times. She was almost fully recovered though. Even so, Lydia would never stand a chance against a skilled duelist.

Lydia tried to look apologetic as she whispered, "I'm sorry about the look I gave you. I just want to go now." Lydia looked past Miss Gnael at the door. It seemed farther away than it really was. Lydia swallowed a lump in her throat and stared at Starr, unsure what to do. "You can have the galleons. I don't care for them." Lydia motioned to the bag Alfie had left, thinking the witch must be stepping forth to rob her.

[starr]

Starr was well aware that Lord Valenceus being involved in the murder of Nathaniel Gnael was kind of out there. She was not even certain that Lord Valenceus knew about the secret for him to care enough to ensure not to let it spill, even after the former baron’s death. But, when it came to Nathaniel Gnael’s murder, she was open to suspecting anyone if that was necessary to pin down the murderer. Lord Valenceus was influential just like the former baron and this made her wonder if he and the former baron were acquainted. As she approached, she noticed how beautiful and how young the blonde truly was. Starr realized that they were almost of the same age. At this, she could not help but harbor dislike toward the lord who just left.

Starr was unsure why she was approaching the blonde. Did the blonde know her? A lot of people knew her as the daughter of the former Baron’s adviser. The blonde’s reaction surprised her and she made her feel like a greedy giant who just threatened to devour her. “It’s okay. Relax.” She managed to say, disliking the feeling she got from the young blonde’s reaction. Starr, then, walked over to the bag of galleons, picked it up, and handed it to the girl gently. “I’m not interested in it either. It’s yours. Keep it.” She smiled at her. “I noticed what happened.” She stated the obvious awkwardly. “Does he treat you like that all the time? It’s rude.” She said, finally speaking her mind.

[lydia]

Lydia's anger was roused by Starr's pity. She knew she shouldn't make more enemies though. She had very few friends, though Lydia still found it hard to trust a witch. Lydia put her hand up to wave away the coins. "I wont need those. My husband was wealthier than that man could ever hope to be. And, no. Alphard's son is usually very nice. Alphard was like that though." Lydia shrugged. "I never see him much, maybe he was just excited to see me. It's not an interesting conflict."

Lydia thought she might look dodgy, as though she was lying so she swallowed. She spoke quietly, leaning her head close to Starr's. "His name is Melkor, though they call him 'Alfie' I hear. He used to be very well behaved and he even killed his father, my husband. But he seemed to change after that. As though a part of his father survived in him and became stronger. A few years ago, he and his friends used my blood in a ritual to preserve their ages and appearances. Now you know not to spread any gossip about us. They don't want people to know they're immortal, you see. So, best keep your mouth shut about the Valenceus family. And watch out for Grindelwald, a German I believe. Though he lingers around this area. He knows magic that is terrible and powerful. Makes Alfie look like a puppy, in my opinion. Especially since Alfie died and lost the Unbeatable Wand." Lydia nodded. Her motive was to scare everyone around her into not talking about her. Though she may have spread a bit too much information. She really didn't care about Alfie and his merry men. All she really cared about was getting to the bloody wand polish she was after and making it home before curfew.

[starr]

“Of course, well maybe we could just leave it here then.” Starr awkwardly placed the bag of gold back on the floor. Luckily, Starr knew how to mask her emotions or she would have literally jumped in surprise. From what she understood, the man, who just went out, was the young blonde’s stepson? Still could not believe it, she found herself asking. “That man is your stepson?” She raised an eyebrow, quite unsure; but, if she heard her correctly she might be right.

Starr eyed the blonde quizzically as she leaned forward. Then she started spilling secrets, a lot of secrets that made challenged Starr’s capability in masking her emotions. From the great deal of things she just heard from Lord Valenceus’ stepmother, she knew he was capable of murder. He murderer his father. In fact, Starr was kind of disgusted by the ritual that involved the Blonde’s blood. But, for some reason, she felt like he was not involved in her father’s murder. Suddenly, she had a hunch that he was a different form of evil beside the evil who killed her father. Starr knew she can’t be sure though but she was positive that Lord Valenceus was bad news. Everything the young woman said piqued her interest but her last statement sent a shiver down her spine. “Lord Valenceus died because of the elder wand?” She blurted out softly, unable to believe that that wand really existed. “So, who is the master of the wand now?” She asked without thinking. Her mind was reeling. She did not miss the fact that among all the evil the young woman mentioned, she said that ‘Melkor’ was a murderer and yet he was still a puppy compared to the Grindelwald guy. “Rest assured, my lips are sealed, um… what’s your name again, Ma’am?” She eyed the young woman meaningfully. If there was one thing in life that she was good at, that would be keeping secrets.

[lydia]

Lydia glowered at the Slytherin girl. She did not like the girl's prying questions. Though Lydia supposed she probably should have thought of that possibility before she was forced to wed a sociopath. "Right." Lydia nodded to the girl's question. She looked at the bag of gold, Lydia had never cared about gold. Her deceased husband had teased her about that and many things before. "I'd rather not talk about it." Lydia pretended to take interest in a deck of cards that turned into daggers. Lydia meant to use it to distract herself from other prying eyes but actually found interest in the product as she gazed at it. Lydia shook and taking a deck of cards in one hand, and bending to take the galleons. "Humans are such annoying beasts," Lydia whispered under her breath. She personally did not see the world the same way Starr did. Murderers was just an idea in her opinion. Anyone was capable of it. But then life was not as simple for Lydia as it was for pureblood children. As sick as he was, the only person to ever care for Lydia was a murderer. She really didn't care for classifying good and evil. There were only those who helped her and those who inconvenienced her.

Lydia sighed and pulled at her ear because of an itch. She swallowed and replied in her calmest tone. "I don't know why he was killed. I just heard that he was. I expected and was not surprised that he has returned. Though I doubt that wand is still in his possession." Lydia put her head on her shoulder and looked down at the floor as though with an expression of sorrow. "I am Lydia Valenceus. And I wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who caused trouble for me."

[starr]

Judging by the look on the young blonde’s face, she was lucky that she even answered her question. She just nodded at her answer, finding the blonde’s family weird. The young blonde obviously married a much older man than her. The blonde’s marriage was none of her business and neither was her stepson being older than her… the slytherin sort of regretted asking such a question. But then, she was not able to help herself, she was surprised.

Unfortunately, she did not get as lucky with her second question and her third question too. Starr sighed, knowing she kind of crossed the line without intending too. The blonde probably thought she was too prying now and that would not help her causes, both her causes, to befriend her to get some information and to just give her some sort of comfort because Starr pitied her situation. Starr stared at the blonde with wide eyes when she took the galleons anyway. She’s more twisted than I thought… Starr wondered what kind of person she was dealing with. She frowned when she heard her call humans beasts and it was only then that she put everything together. Her blonde hair, her beautiful face... She was dealing with a veela. When she confirmed the rumors about Lord Valenceus coming back from the world of the dead, Starr just nodded. “It’s good to meet you Lady Valenceus.” Starr said casually, knowing now that the young blonde was not to be crossed. Starr tried to think of a question that may help her solve her mystery if it was answered by Lady Valenceus, however, it was obvious that the blonde had grown impatient with her questioning, so instead of raising another question, she simply assured that blonde that she would not go around gossiping about the Valenceus family. Starr was not exactly a coward, but she knew how to preserve her life.