Where's that damn trolly lady! [O P E N]

The last of the train rides. Elian was a sentimental type and had begun to head to the back of the train when he arrived. He had to say good-bye to his family, though only temporarily – especially given his family’s strong ties to Hogwarts… and that his baby sister was entering her 6th year as well. Unfortunately, he found himself dangling by his ankle due to a couple of foolish pranksters. It wasn’t like Elian would attack them back as revenge. He simply dusted himself off and left – but that wasn’t the end. He was already hatching revenge plots. However, he wasn’t simple – he wanted to scare them out of their skins. It was harder on Gryffindors but actually not too bad if he knew their personality enough. Images of dead relatives – make it realistic, easy. Sadly, it sometimes got him in trouble and he wasn’t a troublemaker.

Regardless, he made his rounds to his friends and near the middle of the train ride he slowly made his way to the back. There was one person he wanted to check in on he had yet to see – and well he knew exactly where she would be. He stopped by the trolly who was about a train car away from the back and bought a few sweets, before heading to the last compartment.

“Anything off the trolly?” Elian pitched his voice to try to copy the trolly lady, but he wasn’t good at impressions so it was pretty obvious it wasn’t her. Plus, his voice was fairly deep and pitching it up made him sound like a squeaky little child sometimes. “Now, now Aconacia, if you play nicely I could share.” He gave her a stare and then shook the sweets he had bought – which included chocolates, toffees and a few others.

tag: Aconacia Romola Lupin

Elian rolled his eyes slightly as a tiny smile appeared on his face. Sure, he wouldn’t call her his best friend – that was reserved for Lestrange. But he did enjoy his time around her. She did beat around the bush or pretend not to get angry at him for being a jerk. That was what he enjoyed about her – the honesty of her emotions. Unlike that Lindsey girl. She was surely hiding something. No one could be that nice without an agenda of her own.

“You’re almost as bad as Delilah.” Elian flopped onto the seat across from Romola and offered a chocolate. “I’m sure no one else would think that voice belonged to an old lady. Maybe a prepubescent boy, but not the trolly lady.” He cracked open one of his chocolate frogs and took a look at the card. Dumbledore. Eh, he had plenty of him. He tossed it gently so it landed next to Romola. “You can have that.” He knew if she didn’t want it she’d just toss it. Then he wouldn’t have to toss it himself. It was a win on his part at least.

He looked up from his frog and to Romola and gave her quick blink. “This could be the last year we see each other.”

tag: Aconacia Romola Lupin

Grimacing, Elian quickly nibbled on the frog, enjoying the sweet taste while a bitter one began to form in his mouth. He loved his father – but his father held grudges. Elian knew why. He agreed with his father when he told him the stories. He would’ve hated those four as much as his father did if he were in that situation. But he wasn’t in that situation. Romola was cool – she didn’t stand around if someone was picking on him (thinking of which he probably should not tell her about the prank incident earlier on the train). She didn’t hide between sweetened words, she was plain and told him what she was thinking.

But would his father agree with that? Sure his mother already supported this friendship he had with Romola, his partner in crime, but his father never mentioned it. If Elian mentioned her, he could see his father stiffen up and fall silent. He’d act as if Elian didn’t say a thing and continue on without a mention of the name. “Of course not. I’m my own person. However, after we graduate we will go our own ways. Create lives for ourselves. Who knows if a connection will survive?” He was also a bit of a pessimist. Obviously. It was hard for him not to be when his father was always pessimistic. It was just something he supposed he inherited or learned from his father. However, he still hoped for the best, and expected the worst. An interesting combination to be sure.

Elian scoffed. "Me? Trouble? Never." That was, of course, a lie. While he was in the good graces with most of the professors as he did whatever they asked of him in order to keep in those good graces, he didn't exactly keep himself clean of all trouble. Most of the time he was worried his father would be upset if he got detention. Hell, if he got detention from his father he would be very worried. Not because his father would yell at him, but because he knew he would have disappointed him if it ever came to pass. This was why anytime trouble came his way he hid it very well from the eyes of adults.

"If anything I have to keep an eye on you for trouble." Elian smiled a little finally. "But who knows if you'll have time for owls. Or if I will. A lot of Hogwarts friendships don't last too long." He was particularly thinking of his father, who only really had one big friend left from Hogwarts and that was his mother.

He rolled his eyes once more and shook his head. "Pessimism and realism are easily confused, as you did just now." He pursed his lips and looked at the Honeyduke's bar. Those Lupins and their chocolate. It wasn't like there was a dementor around. However, he wasn't one to refuse something delicious like this and so he began to unwrap the chocolate carefully and folded the cover up and slid it carefully into his pocket. It was one of those odd habits he had - wrappers and things like that he didn't just throw wherever, he folded them and discarded them once he found a bin. He wasn't sure where he picked it up, but it was one of the odd things about him he did without thinking.

"If you expect the worst, then whens something nice happens you'll be pleasantly surprised. Expect the best then when things go sour, you feel sad. I'd rather pleasantly surprised."

He shook his head at her insistent optimism. Sometimes people were like that, and while he didn’t agree with her, he knew when he was arguing with a brick wall. It just meant they would have to see – and if he was wrong, then he’d be pleasantly surprised.

“There’s rarely a good side to reality.” Elian said, ending his side of the argument and letting it stand with whatever she wanted to end it with. He sighed and leaned back, looking out the train car. His mind drifted to his father and mother – his father primarily, but his mother as well. His father was always so strict, and Elian had these almost imaginary expectations he held himself to in order to please his father without even talking to him about said expectations. His mother was sweet and much different than his father and he felt he could talk to her about his failings far easier than with his father. Some people already commented how much he seemed like his father – and to be fair, he could see the similarities. He didn’t mind the comparison. He loved his father despite all his faults. But… he thought he was a bit more emotional than his father, at least when it comes to showing said emotions. Regardless he sighed as his eyes seemed to drift far away.

“Do you think our parents are proud of us? I mean, yours obviously are so really just my parents.”

Elian snorted ruefully at her response and shook his head. “I dunno, maybe your father wanted that. My father doesn’t seem to respond if I ever mention you. Once my mother joked about us getting together as a couple and my father just… left the room.” Elian shrugged. Severus Snape was the type of person who kept grudges going longer than they should. While Elian understood, none of that happened to him. To be fair if he saw Romola’s father, he’d probably be cold to him too after everything he heard. People change and his father didn’t really care about that too much.

“He’s gotten better over the years of course, but he still doesn’t seem comfortable when it comes to you – and the Blacks and Potters and Pettigrews. Either that or he gets upset because I’m growing up and he’s not ready for that.” He added that last part with a slight chuckle.