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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 4, 2007 21:37:25 GMT -5
Dylan had been awake all night. Not being able to find even a trace of peace-of-mind had resulted in a complete lack of sleep. Having been awake for about twenty-seven hours straight, albeit not doing much, he looked an utter mess, and this was not even to mention the previous week of three to four hour sleeps each night. The shadows under his eyes were prominent, along with his expression of complete grief. His eyes remained unfocused, appearing to look into the fire that had dwindled hours previously.
The clock chimed to announce six in the morning, and his eyes flicked up to the face briefly, seeming to drift through space along the way. His head returning to its original position, he willed this day to stop and never come, despite the six hours that had already passed in it. He heard a vague set of movements behind him, but they didn't entirely register within his mind.
Sighing with barely a sound, he knew that he had to get ready. Make himself look presentable. If not for himself, then for the family of his foster father. He owed them that much. He was ready to get up, but the main problem right now was that the rest of his body would not listen to his cloudy brain.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 4, 2007 21:44:43 GMT -5
D'rorah came into the common room, hustling about a bit as she finished getting things into place for the trip with Dylan. She had a small travel bag with her and was headed to place it by the door in preparation for what she thought was an imminent departure. She stopped short when she saw Dylan sitting listlessly in his favorite chair. She made her way over to him.
"We should leave soon," she said quietly. "I arranged to take the train, remembering that you did not particularly care for apparation." She also knew that, in his present emotional state, the last thing he needed was anything which would make him more disoriented. She placed a quick kiss on his cheek and reach out a hand to help him up. "Come, you must prepare to leave... and you may sleep some on the train," she added, concern in her voice at his appearance.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 4, 2007 22:00:10 GMT -5
Nodding absentmindedly, Dylan took her hand and knew that she was right. He needed to prepare. Glad somewhat that he didn't have to worry about Apparition or Floo Powder, he rose from the chair with the aid of D'rorah and shuffled over to his dormitory stairs. Coming to rest at the base of them, he looked up them drearily and sighed. Putting one foot ahead of the other, his heavy footfalls echoed on the stairwell as he made his way up to the fifth door.
Pushing it open without much notice of the force he used, he moved over to the bathroom and soon found himself in the shower, the scalding temperature and impact of the water putting him at ease. After a quick clean up, he got out, slightly refreshed and put on some average, travelling clothes. His loose jeans and a white t-shirt being quickly adorned, he towel dried his hair quickly and put on some shoes.
Normally having to rush his packing, as he often left it until the last minute, he was accustomed to the hasty process and was soon back down the stairs and in the common room. Looking to D'rorah with hopeless eyes, he nodded to indicate that he was ready and made to leave Ravenclaw House.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 4, 2007 22:06:46 GMT -5
D'rorah took Dylan's arm and led the both of them from the common room, down the stairs, through the building. She did not speak as they walked. She typically found that early morning was not a time when she cared to speak. More than that, however, she rather thought Dylan would simply need to be alone with his thoughts a while longer. It had been somewhat difficult to get a dispensation to leave the grounds early, but having promised that she would wait for daylight to do so, she was pleased to see the sun peaking over the horizon as she stepped out into the courtyard.
She led the way to a waiting carriage, much like the carriages which ferried students in from Hogsmeade station at the beginning of the year. She had briefly considered the possibility that the two of them would walk. However, seeing Dylan's emotional state on this morning, she was particularly glad she had decided to secure the carriage for transportation. "I hope this is acceptable," she remarked quietly as she held the carriage door for him. She stood quietly, waiting for him to board the carriage so they might make their way to the train station.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 4, 2007 22:17:27 GMT -5
Allowing himself to be led through the castle enabled his mind to process what was about to happen. Having attempted to delete this day from his future memory, he'd failed miserably and only managed to dwell on it more. The last funeral Dylan had attended had been that of his fathers; not a pleasant memory from his history.
The sun suddenly hitting his eye and causing him to squint, he realised that they were in the courtyard already. Hopefully the rest of the day would float past as quickly, though his optimism wasn't on the higher side of the scale. Seeing the carriages and Thestrals before them, he was glad that walking wouldn't be a big part of his day as he climbed in. Not having spoken all morning, he didn't plan on starting now as D'rorah commented briefly.
For a moment, in an effort to distract himself, he wondered what it might be like to arrive at Hogwarts and see the carriages pulling themselves. He'd heard the exclamations of his classmates during their first visit of the carriages at the beginning of his second year, but hadn't known what all the fuss was about at the time. For him, it had simply been a skeletal creature pulling them along. For most of the others, it had been a quite different case altogether. He knew the trick of the Thestrals; he'd read numerous texts on them despite not having learnt about the horse-like creatures in class yet. He supposed that fourth years and under were too young to be taken into the forest, and his hopes weren't high for being allowed inside it this year due to the current infestation of evil creatures.
Finding that the carriage had stopped, he opened the door and stepped out of it, his feet landing on mud. Not even noticing, he made sure D'rorah's hand was in his as he began towards the train.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 4, 2007 22:30:24 GMT -5
D'rorah gathered their travel bags, placing them both over her shoulder before disembarking and taking up Dylan's hand. She could clearly see that he was in no mood to talk, and she respected that completely. She paid little attention to the thestrals as she carriage lumbered off. Her sights were set on the train ahead. Even though they were only running a few minutes behind where she had wished to be, they seemed to be in plenty of time for the train. She gave Dylan's hand a slight squeeze and led the way to the door.
She handed the tickets to the conductor, who barely glanced at them before tearing the stubs and handing them back to D'rorah. Without a word, she led the way onto the train and selected an empty compartment. She placed their bags in the overhead rack and took a seat beside Dylan. Now that they were settled in for a bit, she wrapped her arms around him protectively in a silent show of her love and support.
Only a few minutes later the sound of the conductor's voice rose in a last boarding call and the engine began to slowly churn to life. They jerked forward a bit as the train made its first move toward leaving the station and they were finally off. Hogsmeade Station began to slowly slip past the windows.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 4, 2007 22:45:24 GMT -5
Feeling the small squeeze of her hand, he reciprocated. Dylan barely even glanced at the conductor as they made their way through the carriageway and into a vacant compartment. Sitting purposefully beside the window, he felt D'rorah's arms wrap around him and he sighed sadly. "Thankyou, Dee," he said quietly, finally breaking the unintentional silence that he had held over the course of the morning.
Hearing the familiar call of the conductor and the beginnings of movement from the train, he leaned his head against the padded headrest on the couch seat and slipped an arm around the back of her neck, holding her close for comfort. His other hand took up one of her own, giving it a quick squeeze as Hogsmeade faded, to be replaced by ceaseless rolling hills and countryside.
As the monotonous rhythm of the train began to come into play, he found his eyes shutting for short period at regular intervals. Finally, the exhaustion conquered him and he fell into a light slumber in her arms.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 4, 2007 22:56:05 GMT -5
D'rorah smiled as she saw Dylan finally make his way to sleep. It may not have been the deep sleep that he truly needed, but she was certain it would help at least somewhat. She could see by looking at him that he had not slept at all the night before. She kissed his hand softly and finally allowed her own eyes to close, taking the opportunity to rest as well. Her long nights of research and translating had been catching up with her of late. She figured it would be a good time for her to get ahead of them again. Knowing they had quite a distance to travel yet, she rested her head against his shoulder and took a deep breath as she began clearing her mind, working her way towards sleep.
She was thankful that the train was relatively empty. It was nice that they had a compartment to themselves, that they would not have to deal with another traveler who might perhaps wish to talk or make their acquaintance.
Some hours later she was awakened by the sound of the lady pushing a food trolley down the corridor. Realizing that neither of them had eaten anything yet that day, she quietly slipped from Dylan's arms, hoping that he would not wake from the sound, and purchased a pair of egg salad sandwiches along with two bottles of pumpkin juice and some chocolate frogs. She hoped the selections would be alright... the lady didn't seem to have any french toast for sale. Setting the purchases nearby, she returned to her seat next to Dylan, intent on slipping her arms around him and resuming their light nap.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 4, 2007 23:13:23 GMT -5
His light doze eventually deepening to a solid sleep, his reenergising quest was unhampered by the passing trolley or the slight jolt of the train every now and then. His mind was awash of terrible images and thoughts; the things his conscious mind refused to consider but his subconscious wasn't strong enough to deny. The nightmares finally causing him to wake, he felt only a little less drained despite a good lot of hours devoted to sleeping. Seeing that the sun was nearly completely set, his eyes moved to the woman in his arms and he shut his eyes, resting his head on hers once more.
Noticing the food lying nearby, he knew she must have woken for the trolley and purchased it while he'd slept. Feeling extremely thankful, the two solid days without food had weakened him considerably. Oddly enough, he still didn't feel hungry. Knowing he had to eat if he were to be able to function another day, he carefully, so as not to wake her, reached for his own portion. Having learnt about the strengthening value of chocolate in his first attempts to create a Patronus, he quickly consumed a pair of chocolate frogs, some energy returning to him immediately. Washing them down with some of his favourite beverage, he then started on the sandwich.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 4, 2007 23:26:15 GMT -5
D'rorah's eyes slowly opened again to the sight of Dylan eating his sandwich. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. Seeing the late hour, she knew they would soon reach their destination. She reached for her own sandwich and pumpkin juice, famished for the first time in days. Apparently neglecting her meals at school was a rather bad idea, but then, she supposed that really didn't come as much of a surprise to her, even though she was rather bad at implementing the knowledge.
Not knowing what to talk about she simply remained with Dylan, sitting next to him quietly as she slowly ate her own sandwich, occasionally taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. She had left her texts at home for this trip, fairly certain that she would not have time for them. Besides, she did not wish for them to be a potential distraction. She was here to support Dylan, which she would not be able to do if she allowed herself to become immersed in her texts. "We are nearly there," she remarked quietly after she finished the last of her pumpkin juice.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 4, 2007 23:48:25 GMT -5
A small, quick uplifting at the corners of his mouth was the only sign Dylan gave that he had felt the soft kiss on his cheek. Finishing off the sandwich, he grabbed a few more frogs and consumed them in quick succession, washing them down with the last of his drink.
Nodding at her comment, he exhaled loudly, his body tensing slightly as the train began slowing. Finally coming to a halt, he felt the greatest urge to simply remain where he was until the train began back towards Hogwarts. It'd be exceptionally nice to simply skip the interim. Resigned to the fact that it was completely and utterly unrealistic, he picked himself up slowly and gathered their things from the overhead compartment. Leading the way out of the compartment, he exited the train quickly.
"Do you know where we're going?" he asked her quietly, turning to face her.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 5, 2007 0:00:21 GMT -5
D'rorah watched as Dylan gathered their things to head from the train. "No," she replied with a small shake of her head. She had absolutely no idea of exactly where they were going and whom they might see. She caught up to him and grasped his hand. "I will follow you," she remarked quietly as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. She headed with him through the station, stepping out onto what appeared to be a small main street. She looked around for a moment, wondering in which direction their destination lay. She knew very little about Alconbury, other than that it was a rather small town just northwest of a somewhat larger town known as Huntingdon.
She found herself wondering how far they were from Dylan's house and wondering if she should have perhaps ordered a car for them in advance, as there didn't seem to be any taxis around. Of course, she realized as she looked around, there were probably no cars to be had here anyway. Assuming Dylan would have mentioned something if someone were going to meet them there or if the distance were too far to walk, she prepared herself for a short walk, waiting for him to lead the way.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 5, 2007 0:35:57 GMT -5
Leading the way out of the small station, they emerged onto the small street from which it stemmed. "Not far," he muttered quietly. Slightly unhappy about having to walk, he focused on that thought, intent on keeping out the others that had so dominated his mind lately. Turning left down the footpath, he traced the familiar path to his house. They passed the small, neat cottages that were dotted on the outskirts as well as the rolling hills inbetween each home. Passing this series of housing within about ten minutes, they finally reached the main centre of the village. It had grown considerably since Dylan had begun his education at the wizarding shool; new buildings had been formed, more people had moved in.
Soon found to be ascending a small hill, the pair made their way up it, Dylan's footfalls slowing considerably along the way. Finally coming to a halt before a large, decadent house, he waited on the front step, breathless. Looking to her with pleading eyes, he only wanted to go back to Hogwarts.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 5, 2007 0:51:34 GMT -5
D'rorah followed along, her eyes taking in the scenery as they passed rolling hills and patches of small cottages. The place had a very clean, wholesome feel about it. She found herself reminded of small towns she had visited with her father throughout the world. While they had mainly gone to larger cities, she was no stranger to small towns... indeed, most of the world was covered with small towns and such. She noticed that Dylan's footsteps began to slow as they ascended a small hill. She looked over, concerned that perhaps the journey was proving too taxing for him. However, when they came to a stop in front of a large, finely appointed house, she watched as his eyes sought hers with a pleading look.
"Dylan..." she said his name softly, pulling him into a tight hug. "I will by your side, whatever happens. I promise." She kissed his cheek and pulled back, looking into his eyes. "We will face this together. She watched him for recognition, puzzled by the new emotion that had come over him. She could only assume that coming home and preparing for the imminent funeral had suddenly brought home the reality of the situation in a way merely reading a letter had not. She knew that, for him, he was losing a father figure for the second time in his life and could only imagine what that particular sort of loss might be like.
Hugging him tightly again, she whispered into his ear. "I love you Dylan Cooper. We will get through this together." She stood there with him wrapped in her arms protectively, waiting for a sign that he was ready to continue.
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Post by Dylan Cooper on Oct 5, 2007 1:35:19 GMT -5
Reveling in the embrace, he allowed his head to rest on her shoulder as she spoke. Dylan offered a tiny, weak smile at her comments, one that by no means affected the slight desperation and incredible sadness in his eyes. Closing his eyes as she hugged him again, he rested his head once again on her shoulder and took a few deep breaths. "I love you," he replied simply. "Thankyou," he said in a small voice, before releasing her and turning to face the door.
Knocking gently three times, he waited, hoping his mother was home. She had said in her latest letter that she would be, and he had no idea where else she might go right now, so assumed she was and continued to wait. Hearing footsteps approaching, his body tensed and he quickly slid his hand into hers, giving it a small squeeze.
The door opened to reveal a relatively short-statured woman with long, dark hair and Dylan's eyes. Her taut face became less burdened as she saw her son before her and she quickly moved forward to give him a firm hug.
Pulling back, a tear in her eye, a smile rose onto her features and she noticed the woman standing beside him for the first time. "Oh Dylan, hello dear. And you must be D'rorah," she said in a gentle voice, smiling at her. "Come in! Come in!" she said, suddenly coming back to reality and motioning for them to enter the house, leading the way through to the sitting room. The house was larger than it first appeared from the outside; the massive entranceway steering into a large, elegant sitting room.
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