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Post by james on Jan 16, 2009 16:41:30 GMT 1
…His Magical Butt
The only thing that was meant to come out of one’s arse was just what Starke was meaning to dispose of. He felt relaxed, sitting alone in the stall of the boys’ lavatory. Not just out of necessity to get his business done, but because he would not be disturbed – hopefully, at least. It was interesting the places people would go and the boundaries they would pass when they were immensely curious. He was finding that out, upon his return. It had not been long, only the day of classes, where he might have been the professor – what with how so many eyes were turned upon him. Few had yet to speak to him, not for a lack of interest, but because he was so eager to avoid them all.
He had little reason to be embarrassed. At least, as far as what had happened to him was concerned. But the time away had been so draining that he hadn’t the energy to deal with people in the same way that he had before. He was short with people now, and had less concern for others’ feelings. So much had always been placed on him; perhaps this break had really been a blessing. It was said that all things happened for a reason.
Though he would later have to wonder just what the reason for what happened next was. He had lost focus on what he was there to do, his mind wandering in its solitude, and everything happened so fast that he forgot entirely where he was. There was only a momentary vibration from his throne to signal a reason for concern, until he was thrust through the stall door and onto the cold floor of the bathroom. Bits of porcelain toilet flew through the air, cracking the mirror on the other side of the room, and catching him in the face.
The cut on his cheek was the least of his concerns, as the exposed plumbing shot up a geyser of water. Scrambling to his feet, Starke slipped about in the sudden downpour, trying to pull up his pants and he made his way for the door. One hand holding his unzipped pants up, he yanked the door open with the other and jumped out, forcing the door shut again to hold in the quick flooding.
Thoroughly drenched, Starke took a few moments to comprehend what a spectacle he looked.
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Post by ashley on Jan 16, 2009 16:57:14 GMT 1
Ashley had just said goodbye to Ryan, having spent some time with the Slytherin to try and cheer him up – not that it seemed to be helping, then again, little did these days – and only parting ways because the older boy had insisted he needed to go back to his Commons and finish his homework. A load of crap, if you asked the Hufflepuff, but he wasn’t about to start an argument when he knew that his friend needed him now more than ever.
Turning a corner in his wheelchair, he saw that the very place he wanted to visit was blocked, by none other than Starke Diggory. He didn’t know much about the kid, other than that it was Ryans cousin and that his friend had been thoroughly worried when the Gryffindor disappeared. Normally he would say hi and enter the lavatory, but the boy was soaking wet, and there was water spreading around him, not just from the soaked clothes but also from the very room he had been about to enter.
Arching an eyebrow, Ashley gave the other boy a tentative smile, not knowing whether mentioning something was the right way to go. Then again, he could hardly ignore the fact that Starke was standing outside a bathroom, dripping wet, with his hands clinging to unzipped pants. It made for an interesting situation indeed. ”Something exploded in there?” It was a casual inquiry, this was a wizarding school after all. Lots of things tended to explode around Hogwarts. |
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Post by james on Jan 16, 2009 17:38:04 GMT 1
Starke held the knob of the door to the bathroom tightly, until he was sure it was latched enough. Not that it mattered; the gushing water was probably going to keep it closed with the force, sooner than open it. It was just the principle of the matter. If he could contain it, he felt a little more in control of the situation. Which he was clearly not. As if the appearance of him wasn’t enough to exemplify that.
His fist gripped the front of his soaked jeans tightly; though the way they clung to his legs hardly posed threat of falling now. He sniffed, as he looked up at his bystander… or down, rather, and took a moment to comprehend the question. It was not that he did not understand it, but he had to take himself out of the ordeal enough to be able to talk. Though the puddle he stood in proved very distracting.
“Erm…” He sounded stupidly. Perhaps his brain was affected too? He glanced at the door with a dumbfounded blank stare, and then looked back at the young man. He knew him from reputation only. But then, how many kids in wheelchairs were there around Hogwarts? Come to think of it… how did he get about the school? Surely he didn’t use the stairs. “Yeah, the shit just blew up out of nowhere.” He said with slight exasperation, as he pushed his matted hair from his forehead. |
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Post by ashley on Jan 16, 2009 17:47:01 GMT 1
Ashley nodded, wondering whether or not Starke was okay and whether or not he should ask. He decided not to, finding that, had he been found in a similar situation, he probably wouldn’t want people to comment on it too much. ”Good thing it was just water then” Or there literally would have been shit blowing up from out of nowhere. Which was only amusing as long as you weren’t the person covered in it.
”Do you need some help cleaning up?” Starke himself, that was, because Ashley doubted it would be a good idea to enter that bathroom right now. Not unless he was willing to get wet, and even then his wheelchair wouldn’t agree with too much water. It wasn’t creaking any longer, thanks to the small charm that Jake had put on it, but enough water slash rain slash icky snow and it would soon be back to its old state.
The water was distracting him too, the small droplets hitting the ground at an alarming pace which really made him antsy for a bathroom break. Ryan had helped him get onto the Sixth Floor by hovering him up there, and he wasn’t sure how he’d make it back down unless he went all banzaii on the stairs. Which...though again, amusing, didn’t sound like a smart idea. |
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Post by james on Jan 16, 2009 19:18:20 GMT 1
Without really noticing, the front of Starke’s hair stuck straight up in a funny manner after he pushed it away from his skin. It was hard to comprehend that the toilet he had been sitting on should randomly decide to combust. Though it did not occur to him immediately, he presumed it had to be a practical joke. It seemed the most likely, even if he was hardly in the mood for one. His sense of humour had been practically sucked out of him with the rehabilitation process he had gone through at St. Mungo’s over the last two months.
He had not even thought about how disgusting it would have been if he had actually… well, he didn’t even want to go there now. Buttoning and zipping up his fly, he wrung the excess water out of his t-shirt. The water dripped into the puddle, the splashing making sufficient noise to keep his delayed answer from seeming awkwardly so. “I certainly hope not.” He sighed, though he was not entirely sure. His own being was betraying him since his incident, and it was as though he did not even know his own body.
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Post by ashley on Jan 16, 2009 20:04:14 GMT 1
Starke looked positively miserable, and Ashleys heart went out to the older boy. He had been wondering, like everyone else, why the boy had suddenly disappeared from Hogwarts, but he knew that he wouldn’t want people asking him questions, had he been in the same situation. And wasn’t he? In a lot of things, he could understand what it was like to be taken away from a regular situation, to have to learn things anew. Of course, even if the boy would understand, it would require Starke to open up to him, which he seriously doubted would happen. It left him unaware of the others turmoil, with only the boys face to read.
”Are you okay?” So he had asked. Ash had tried not to, but he couldn’t help himself. This wasn’t your everyday situation. If his memory was correct, the Gryffindor was a Seventh Year, a Prefect even. Surely the boy wouldn’t need his help. But he looked so lonely, his mind reasoned, lonely and lost. Ash just wanted to help him somehow, to be there for him without making the other boy talk about everything that bothered him. Maybe Starke would let him. Maybe they could just...hang out for a while? |
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Post by james on Jan 18, 2009 19:40:14 GMT 1
He was not totally oblivious to the fact that his powers were beyond his control right now. He had worked very hard to even be able to perform magic again, but as far as he knew that was the extent of the problem. He had not encountered the possibility yet that he was not entirely in control of his magic. He could perform nearly one hundred percent now, when he needed to, but his powers apparently had something else in mind. Even if he didn’t know it yet. If he did, he would have to wonder if that something in mind was total and utter humiliation.
“Ye…” He started to answer at first. He was always one to be okay, to act okay, even if he wasn’t. But he had no energy to finish the lie this time. Gradually, after fallen silent and just staring at the door, he shook his head slowly and laughed a little at his own pathetic condition. “No. No, I’m really not.” He let out a long sigh and looked to Ashley again. Well… his situation really could be worse, couldn’t it? He really should not go down the road of self-pity; he’d seen how ridiculous people were when they took that path. But he could not help lament what had happened to him… he was turning into a freak.
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Post by ashley on Jan 19, 2009 16:46:25 GMT 1
Ashley nodded as he heard those words, as if he’d been expecting the answer, and in a way he had. It wasn’t that he had necessarily expected Starke to open up to him, but sometimes...people just needed someone to talk to. And, often, talking to strangers was easier. They didn’t know who you were, who you had been and who your friends still expected you to be. They just took what they saw at face value and worked with it. The blonde wasn’t sure what Starke was like, which was probably a good thing, all things considered.
”Is there anything I can do to help?” Was his next question, the boys voice still friendly. He didn’t want to offer a shoulder to cry on in case the other felt like it was none of his business. Asking whether or not he needed help was less intrusive and insulting.
”Mind you, I’m not that good with magic, or at least, not since the car accident, but if you’re not afraid of say...another exploding toilet, then I think we’re good.” Ash gave the older male an amused grin. It wouldn’t do any good if he sat and sulked over the things he couldn’t do any longer. It was so much more beneficial if he focused on the things that he could still do. |
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Post by james on Jan 20, 2009 8:03:04 GMT 1
Starke made a slightly skeptical look when Ash asked if there was anything he could do for him. He probably looked quite comical at this point, but he still had his reserves. Such as keeping his personal affairs to himself. He was not offended by the idea, just not the type to go pouring out his heart and problems onto a perfect stranger.
Though Ash seemed to have more to offer than Starke initially presumed. He was about to decline when Ashley revealed something that intrigued him very much. Knitting his brow, he made the connection between the car accident and the disadvantage in magic. Could his situation be similar to Starke’s?
He considered this for only a moment; leaning in slightly, as though sharing a secret, Starke asked, “Because of the accident? How long ago was that?” He asked without hiding the tone in his voice that indicated a motive. He had a very reason for asking, and a hope that his accident was fairly recent.
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Post by ashley on Jan 20, 2009 19:13:10 GMT 1
Ashley smiled when Starke asked about the incident, leaning in as if anyone could overhear their conversation. Even if there had been others in the corridor, he doubted they’d be inclined to eavesdrop on something that was by no means interesting or embarrassing. Yeah, it had happened, people could try and make a big drama out of it, but that was just not his style. Of course, when he had woken up the first time he’d been terrified and angry, but it was all so long ago.
”The accident happened a few days after my Sixteenth birthday. My parents took me out to dinner and some asshole decided it would be fun to drink and drive. In a truck.” If his voice sounded all matter-of-fact it was because dealing with his parents death was still hard for him. Especially dealing with the knowledge that he had watched them die, something that he only realized later after the nightmares had begun.
His birthday had been in March and he had spent the next four months in a coma, waking up to a completely different world. ”I didn’t regain consciousness until half July. When I woke up...well I couldn’t even tie my own shoelaces. Magic or otherwise. Hogwarts is letting me repeat Fifth Year but really, if I had to be graded now, I’d probably not even make it through the Third Years exams.” |
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