| Details for Madness |
| Summary: | Angelus comes in acting bold and arrogant and demanding, trying to goad people into fighting. Madeline talks reason into him. |
| Date: | November 5, 1939 |
| Location: | Gryffindor Common Room, Hogwarts |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Stretched out the floor of the common room, Madeline has her Transfiguration text book - and a collection of small stones. She studies the book, then looks at the stones, then back to her book again. "Avifors," the girl attempts - with no luck. She doesn't look surprised by this.
Angelus enters the common room from the portrait hole, glancing carelessly around as he strolls towards the comfortable seating. His head angles upward, self-importantly, as he strolls toward the armchair, eyeing the student already occupying it. Shifting the book strap from his shoulder, Gel smirks as he tilts his head lightly. “I’d like to sit down, so if you don’t mind,” comes the boy’s polite request, even if his tone sounds more like he expects the other student to move. Except that the boy - a year younger than Angelus - looks up stubbornly. “Sod off, Eibon. I’m here.”
Angelus lets out a sigh, lifting his fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Well I could just force you. Haven’t you heard? I’m not against pulling my wand out.”
The boy in the armchair sets a daring look on Gel, who stands, shifts on his feet, and returns it with a sharp stare of his own.
"Avifors," Madeline tries again - and is rewarded when one of her rocks turns into a wren and starts flitting about the Common Room. She lets out a squeal of delight, while other kids groan in protests.
"Really, Evans? In here?"
"It won't last long!" she answers. She pushes her up to a seated position, turning around - and just now noticing the stand off between Angelus and the third year. "Uhh," she says uncertainly. "Is something wrong, Banes? Eibon?" she asks - now ignoring the bird she loosed on the room.
The sudden fluttering of wings, not to mention Madeline’s squeal, distracts Angelus. His gaze shifts, trailing after the bird briefly before he lets out an impatient sigh. “You’re instantly allowed to use magic and you start making a nuisance of yourself?” He rolls his eyes, shaking his head in disapproval. The question brings his focus back to the boy in the chair, but it’s Banes who speaks up first. “Eibon’s just being a git.” Angelus’ lips curl in contempt, tipping his chin lightly. “You deny an Eibon what he wants?” He flicks his hand out in the air in front of him, and then shoots an ill-tempered look to Madeline. “Oh, don’t let us distract you from all that catching up you need to do.” He smirks, and he circles around the armchair.
Madeline lets out a frustrated sigh. "Why are you trying to make people hate you?" she asks. "Just leave Banes alone." Her eyes go back to the bird, following it with her gaze for a moment, and smiling as she watches it circle, looking for somewhere to land. "Don't worry about the bird, though. I'm not very good at this spell, yet. It won't last long!"
As Angelus circles around behind the chair, his royal blue eyes flick towards Madeline as he lifts his head, sneering. “Please. Everyone loves me. Anyone who is important anyway.” He snorts, shifting his gaze back to notice that the third year has twisted about to eye Angelus sceptically. “I’m going to count to five. One,” Gel starts, bringing his hand to his shoulder, just dipping his fingers into his robes. “Two,” he counts, moving his hand a little further. Banes shifts a little uneasily, glancing towards Madeline briefly, clearly having second thoughts. On three, Angelus hand has all but disappeared into his robes. “Four-“ As he starts, Banes suddenly loses his nerves and hops out of the cushion for the sofa instead. Before Angelus can bask in his success, however, an older boy steps up with a superior look to match Angelus’.
“Banes, go sit back down in the armchair. Eibon, stop being a prat or get out of here.” Angelus frowns, his hand lowering from his robes as he turns to look at a far wall of the common room. Inhaling sharply, he snorts as he brings his gaze back. “You dare talk to an Eibon like that?”
"Eibon, we're all gonna talk to you like that," Madeline answers. "And why are you telling Rosen lies about drawing your wa-" THUD. The bird stops fluttering, turns back into a stone, and falls to the floor in the common room. Madeline winces - maybe she shouldn't be using stones.
"Uhhh. Right. Why'd you tell Rosen you tried to leg-locker me? You never did." Madeline takes a casual seat on the back of the couch - glancing over at the stone that's now on the floor, then back to Angelus. Good thing that stone never hit anyone.
Angelus turns to smile smugly at Madeline, tilting his head coolly. “Well you had better learn how to speak to a noble pure-blood or you’ll be finding yourself very miserable.” The youth inhales again, eyes closing as he turns his head away. He only opens his eyes again when a hand is laid upon his shoulder, and the blonde haired Gryffindor lets out a hiss as he shrugs his shoulders out of the older boy’s hand, stepping away. “Know your place!” His gaze shoots a look back to Madeline, snorting out a laugh. “What, oh, stop that! I don’t need your protection, Evans. You know I pulled out my wand and uttered the incantation. Next time it might not be a fail.” He rolls his eyes, and then turns, his fist squeezing the book strap as he steps over to set it down on a table.
Madeline exchanges looks with Banes, and the fifth year, but she gets blank looks and shrugs in return. No - none of them have the first notion what's going on with Angelus. She makes her way closer to the puzzling boy, lowering her voice in the hopes the others can't hear her. "What're you doing?" she asks softly. "Are you okay?" And yes, somehow… despite everything, there seems to be real concern lurking in her tone.
Angelus can't seem to unbuckle the strap. He hitches his breath as he tries, his tongue slipping out to touch his bottom lip. But Madeline's voice, so near, just brings out a frustrated hiss and instead he steps back from the table, only turning his head to Madeline. There's just a hint of a glassy look in his eyes, but he snorts and shakes his head and snaps, "What?" Before he looks away. "I'm just trying to claim my rightful spot above in society. Isn't that what's to be expected?" Gel approaches the table again, lying a hand down on the books in the strap.
Madeline shakes her head. "No. I don't think it is," she answers quietly. "People just want you to be a teammate. A housemate. Umm… Do you want me to see if I can get it?" she offers - after he struggles with the buckle, keeping her voice low. She glances towards him, but then down at the table - it feels awkward being so near him. Why is she even trying?
With his head bowed, Angelus is just silent for a while, angling his head lightly as if he were listening to something super quiet. He closes his eyes as he rests a hand against his cheek, right next to his ear. At the offer to help, Gel opens his eyes and swiftly lifts his head, plucking the strap up off the table quickly and flinging the books over his back as he shoots Madeline a warning stare. “Certainly not. You step out of your place.” A laugh escapes him as he tilts his head back. “Oh, but I am in this House, which makes me a housemate.” His voice rises as he looks around the common room. “So sorry to disappoint - I’m in Gryffindor.’” Chuckling lowly and shaking his head, he turns and starts walking off to the stairs. “Since I can’t get rid of an annoying insect that keeps buzzing around me, I’ll take my work upstairs.”
"Ain't that what I just said?" Madeline answers, rolling her eyes. As he starts to move off, though, she trots after him, using her quiet voice again to asks softly, "You sure you're okay? I, uhh… maybe Dashur's upstairs, I could… send her over?" she offers. "Or Megan?"
Angelus stops before he reaches the stairs, frowning and becoming stiff as he turns his gaze to Madeline. “No,” he says on a whispered laugh. Since the ‘no’ is unclear to what is being answered, Angelus snorts and adds in, “I think it’s very-“ He cuts off, shifting on his feet, and then turning to look at to a wall. “Look, just, back off,” he says as he swings his gaze back to Madeline. “Can you not take a hint? Why are you so insistent to follow after me when all I do is hurt you?”
Madeline's not entirely sure of the answer to that, truth be told. She bites her lower lip as she considers her answer. "I, umm… 'cuz… it's like you're hurting yourself," she answers softly. "That's how it seems, at least. 'n I don't wanna see that either. And 'cuz I'd really like it if our house c'n get along.
"I c'n go check on Megan and Dashur for you. Since you can't go up to the girls' rooms. If you want."
A chuckle escapes him before it cuts off suddenly, replaced with a snort. Angelus shakes his head. “I don’t think Celes wants to talk to me. And don’t you even think about going to my sister.” He lets out a heavy sigh, lowering his head to eye the floor. “Evans,” he says, bringing his head up to fix his blue eyes on her. His voice drops further, trying to be sure no one can overhear. “Just go along with it, me casting the spell. Just let me get into trouble.” He frowns at her, cocking his head. “I don’t know how we’re ever going to get along, sorry.” He jerks his hand, pointing with a finger up the stairs. “I’ve wasted enough time not working on schoolwork.”
"But why?" Madeline asks, genuinely confused. "I already told Rosen you didn't. She said she was gonna go talk to Pettigrew. I know we're not gonna be friends - but we could get on. At least… be civil. Make peace. That's why I took the bracelet, to try to make peace. I am sorry if I hurt your feelings, I never meant to."
Angelus pauses with one foot against a stair and his hand against the banister. He turns his head, looking to Madeline in silence as he considers, and then turns to look down at the step in front of him. “Losing my wand doesn’t feel like discipline enough. Perhaps with more…” He trails off, hesitating, shifting in his position and lifting his other foot to set it down beside the other, the step increasing his height a bit as he turns to lock his gaze on Madeline. “I don’t blame you.” He shifts on his feet. “I wish you just hadn’t taken it, then. I can’t expect forgiveness if I can’t forgive myself.” He releases a heavy sigh, shaking his head and turning to face the ascending staircase. “…And I don’t know how to get it.”
His fingers tighten around the handrail, tapping a single finger against it, before he sighs and turns again to face Madeline. Dropping his book strap against the side of the stairs, he steps down and moves towards the seating again. It looks as though Banes has taken the armchair again, and Angelus looks towards the fifth year who’s been keeping a wary eye on Madeline and Angelus. “I thought we were supposed to be bold,” says Gel as he raises his voice, “and yet no one’s going to take a swing? Or are you actually afraid of striking an Eibon?” His smile flicks out with arrogance.
Confusion wrinkles Madeline's brow. "You want to be punished… so you can forgive yourself?" she asks. Angelus goes on to antagonize the students again, she lets out a frustrated sigh, marching over to him again to grab him by the wrist, and haul him back off to the side so they can talk. "This is stupid. You're being mean, so people will hurt you, so you can forgive yourself for being mean? Just be nice to people, and let 'em know you're sorry, and earn back their trust. It's gonna be hard, but at least it c'n work," she insists. "This just makes it worse!"
The third year boy in the armchair only glances at Angelus for a second before lowering his gaze, nervous as though he didn’t know what to expect from the fourth year. The fifth year simply rolls his eyes, and mentions that Angelus just head upstairs now. Gel’s lips part as though he was about to speak more, but all words are cut off when Madeline seizes his wrist and he flicks his blue eyes down to her hand. He does follow her to the side, though a look in his eyes told that he was considering otherwise. The youth snorts, eyeing her as his lips twitch. “My apologies don’t matter, right?” he returns. “And apparently they make some uncomfortable,” he says, giving her a pointed stare.
Madeline releases her grip on his wrist once she has the boy off to the side again. "Yeah," she answers. "But it's still nice to try, isn't it?" She crosses her arms across her chest, squeezing herself tightly to try to contain her own emotions, her gaze drooping down to the side. "You wobble back and forth so fast - I never know what I'm s'pposed to think. You gotta… pick a course and stay on it. And stop picking fights. It was nice of you to give me the bracelet. And Rena says I should just hold onto it, and maybe next time I look at it I won't mind and I'll wanna wear it. But I don't see that happening if you're still causing fights."
Angelus blinks, staring at her in deep consideration before he sighs, looking away. “I don’t fancy picking fights,” he admits quietly. He lifts a hand to brush his fingers across his forehead, giving a curl a little flick before he rests two fingers to his temple. He thinks, his eyes staring at the wall without really seeing. When Gel blinks he suddenly shifts, as if realising where he was, and lowers his hand to give Madeline a look with a frown. He nods his head slowly and extends a hand to her. “To civility. Perhaps never to be friends, but to peace.” He tilts back his head, his hand held out for hers.
Madeline looks at the hand, then at Angelus - and then smiles. "Yes," she agrees. "I'd like that." She raises her voice a little to include the rest of the room as she adds, "With everyone, though. Okay? The whole house."
Angelus’ blue eyes lift to take in the room, frowning over to where the third year rests, to the fifth, and he lets out a sigh. Looking shameful, as he drags his gaze back to Madeline he tries to hide that look with a smile. “Right,” he murmurs out, leaving his hand extended.
Madeline's smile widens a little and she frees her arm from behind wrapped around herself, to take Angelus' hand, giving it a good pump. "Great," she says brightly. "It's a deal. And I said it before - and I meant it - if any of my friends aren't keeping to the peace, I'll take care of them. I'm worried about Gabriel, umm, playing nice after that… Salazar Slytherin thing, so… I'll kick him in the shins if I gotta."
Angelus shakes her hand, followed by a nod. He considers her as he takes his hand back, frowning to the mention of Gabriel, and ends up shaking his head. “It’s my fault,” he murmurs out. His frown deepens. “Ward has always been a good fellow. It’s with Flint’s control and my… mistakes that he’s began to act out. I am sorry.” He turns and makes a gesture to the stairs. “I’ll be upstairs,” he says on a sigh.
Madeline nods, though she does think it might be a good idea to at least talk to Gabriel. Before things can get back out of hand. "Do you want me to send Megan or Dashur - if they're upstairs?" she offers. "I can go check."
Angelus glances back at Madeline, his lips twitching weakly. “I’d talk to Celes, if she were around.” And then he’s headed up the stairs.
"I'll go check!" Madeline answers, promptly bouncing up the stairs - to knock on the appropriate door.