[OPEN] Resonance

[Desmond E. Krum]

There was never an unplanned moment. Never a period of time to which wasn’t thought out down to the very last second. Never lulls in the day to which nothing was occurring. His schedule was always filled to brim up until the very last minute. His schedule was always, always busy. And, above all else, it always had to get completed and according to plan. He was Desmond Krum, multi-tasker extraordinaire!

Anyone who knew anything about Desmond knew that there was never a spare moment with him. From the moment he set foot on the grounds of Hogwarts, his life became busy busy busy. With his load of class work and studying for N.E.W.T.s as well as being captain of his house team, there was hardly time figured in for sleep. But ever the successful planner and enthusiast that he could do anything he put his mind to, he practically put his name on any extracurricular activity he could get his hands on. Dueling club, study groups, being a prefect, simply working out at least 6 times a week… it was all meticulously planned and successfully juggled.

But Merlin forbid anything in his schedule get messed up. If that were to ever happen, the whole foundation to which he prepared his day for would crumble to tiny pieces and leave nothing but dashed hopes and dreams. Everything had to go according to plan. Everything had to be timed perfectly; else… he’d suffer the consequences of missing out on one of the many things he enjoyed so thoroughly. And Desmond just couldn’t have that. He was work oriented, and successful at it. He couldn’t stand to ever have a dull moment unless it occurred during the hours he had allotted for sleep. He always, ALWAYS had to be doing something. Whether it be quidditch or making time to be with his family and close friends, he had to be moving. Business was almost an addiction for him, if anyone were to ever sit down and look at it.

And with every addiction comes its down sides. And for Demsond Krum, that simply meant exhaustion. A person could only go so long with minimal sleep and a full schedule such as his. In a matter of days he would be burning the candle at both ends, and weeks later he would be the weak little nub of a candle trying with all its might to stand and burn proudly. And all too soon he would become a puddle of wax, a shadow of who he once was, bogged down by fatigue and unable to finish anything as perfect as he planned. Settling for less than 150%.

Two weeks in to school, and Desmond was reduced to said puddle. Exhausted and tired, his body begging for a day or so of sleep to make up for lost time. He couldn’t help it. Sleep was just not feasible for him. He was the perfect student! And he had to continue to be if he ever wanted a successful career. There was time for fun and sleep later in life. But now, despite the waves of dizziness pushing heavy footsteps forward, was the time to be productive and make a better future for himself and his unknown family.

It didn’t help that he had already been reduced to said puddle before he had arrived. Summer vacation should have been a time for relaxing and having fun. But for him, it was filled with activities to keep himself and his mind busy. He couldn’t help it. Any down time usually meant that his mind wandered to her, a she that will remain nameless. She had been his everything for the better part of half a year… rivaling quidditch on his scale of importance. She had been his first love… the only girl amazing enough to make him feel… so… so… completed. And yet, she apparently didn’t feel the same. Her reasons for dumping him like a rock had been inconclusive, a cluster fuck of ‘ums’ and ‘ers’ that guarded the true reason for her leaving him. He just wasn’t good enough. He didn’t stand up to her expectations of the perfect boyfriend, just a shadow of the person who truly belonged to be with her. And while he acknowledged the fact he was being over dramatic, nothing stings more than your first love stealing your “break-up” cherry with unannounced reasons. Was he truly expected to just bounce back and pretend everything was okay?

Blinking back the little floating bubbles that invaded his vision in hopes of deterring him off his path, Desmond continued to walk the empty halls. His heavy foot falls resonated off the stone floor beneath him, a warning to any student not in bed. As much as he hated the lethargicness of the situation, he couldn’t help but let it drag him down. He was an overachiever if he ever knew one, and with that engrained in him, practically hardwired, he HAD to take the extra prefect rounds that were offered to him. Passing them up and shirking them off to someone else would have been a flaw in his character. But in taking them, he was also seriously over working himself.

He wasn’t going to let this situation get the best of him though. She might have ruined his summer, but she wasn’t going to ruin his last year at Hogwarts. He had to get over it. And the best way he knew how was to just go about routine, and leave no time for his exhausted brain to think about the ‘could haves’ and ‘would haves’. She was gone and she wasn’t coming back. The sooner he accepted that the sooner he could get back to normal. The sooner he was back to normal, the sooner he could be the ever ambitious Ravenclaw he always was and tackle his final year at school like the Champion he would no doubt be. This catastrophe was just a blip on his radar, soon to be forgotten for better and brighter things, if only he could persevere.

Shaking his head in an attempt to jolt him awake, he turned the corner. Normally nothing eventful happened after hours. Kids were either following the rules, or doing a damn good job hiding the fact they were out after curfew. So he hadn’t been expecting things to be any different. It was just supposed to be a boring night of rounds.

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tagging OPEN counted at 1074 words. muse the music in my head wearing school robes. lyrics from secret by maroon five! credit r a w r it's e m m a ! of caution. notes notes!

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[Jeanne A. Renard]

POP THE CHEAP CHAMPAGNE WE'RE GOING DOWN IN FLAMES

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Summer had been full of parties, bonfires, sleepovers with friends, and what was a good time without a little drink? Most would argue that one did not need alcohol to have a good time, and they would be absolutely right, but one could certainly have a good time with it as well. A butterbeer here, a shot of whiskey there, mixing things and making tasty concoctions, it was all a riot. Of course when you mixed the wrong person with alcohol things could go terribly terribly wrong, but that was what stunning spells and burly men were for, crowd control.

Spending summer single had its ups and downs, flirting and teasing had been entertaining that was for sure, but having no one to steadily chat with, no one for cuddle with and no one to go on long walks with. The lack of physical relations was a major downer as well, but what was done was done, and it could not be undone. Alcoholism did not run in the Renard family and no one had ever accused any of them of it, but two out of the three children had a taste for liquor that no other family member could seem to relate to, and where the middle child got her taste for fruity froo froo girly drinks, one could only guess.

It wasn't the wisest of things to do, sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night. The simple fact of docking house points and risking losing the House Cup was enough to deter most students, let alone the incredibly harsh detention one was bound to receive, and the guaranteed lecture from the Head of House, along with the contempt of your housemates and the overall shame of it. The cons far outweighed the pros in the ordeal and it was generally agreed that once it was after curfew you should be smart enough to just stay in your dormitories and go to bed.

Jeanne never did claim to be the smartest of girls.

She knew the risks, she knew the consequences would be dire if she were to be caught, but the rewards of success were too sweet to pass up. After all who would give up the chance to trade in plain old firewhiskey for raspberry infused vodka? Not this girl. Possession of alcohol drastically increased the severity of the punishments she would receive if caught, but now that she was halfway across the castle it wouldn't make sense for her to turn back, she was only around the corner from where she was supposed to meet her friend for the tradeoff.

Dodging patrolling professors and prefects had been nerve wracking, but the excitement and the adrenaline of it all had given her such a rush, she didn't let the gripping fear of being caught stop her, countless people had crept around after hours and not been caught, why should Jeanne worry? She was careful, she was stealthy, and she had made sure not to wear heels, the distinctive click was sure to give her away and thankfully she'd thought of the fact before she'd left the common room. Regrettably this brought her height down to the puny five feet two inches she had been graced with from her mother. The ballet flats on her feet made only the faintest of scuffing sounds as she crept down the hallway, a pink cupcake patterned bag slung on her shoulder and tucked securely under her arm. Her other hand held her wand at her waist, keeping the floor illuminated and ensuring she didn't trip over anything.

So close to her destination, so close she could taste the raspberry on her tongue, and she just had to hear footsteps coming from that direction. Backpedaling, the thought crossed her mind that it could be her friend come to deliver the goods and make the promised exchange, but she was too afraid to continue down the corridor and around the corner. Damn it all to hell, she would have to wait for the footsteps to either stop or pass her by, she figured if they stopped it was safe, if not she would have to run her ass back down the hall quicker than a Firebolt could take off. The only thing to do now was wait with baited breth, pressed against a wall and peering around the corner of the archway she'd passed through not three seconds before hand. The adrenaline this time was greater than ever, and she swore on Merlin's beard it echoed on the stone walls of the castle. A knot in her gut formed, and she couldn't help but bite her lip and grin, she shouldn't be having fun with all of this nonsense, she should be scared out of her wits and even more so she should be in bed snuggling under her blankets. With a quick whisper her wand was put out and pressed to her chest. She didn't honestly expect to have to use it, but it put her mind at ease. Who wouldn't brandish their only means of defense in a dark hallway in the middle of the night with something unknown coming in your direction?

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credit for this rokkin thread template goes to PUNKY, that's right, I made this, be jealous
credit for lyrics go to the awesome COBRA STARSHIP