& this is only the beginning (Darko+Open)

[antontarasov]

*Rules to thread: I want Darko to respond, but anyone can join in. I'd just prefer that they wait awhile and jump in at a good time. *

The corridor was seemingly empty; occasionally a few students passing through the hallways, but not so much that their voices buzzed and echoed. Anton preferred it this way. Total silence was somewhat of an annoyance and hard to work with, but trying to concentrate while constant uproarious noise surrounded him was not ideal either.

On the floor, up against the wall, sat Anton Tarasov, surrounded by a few books. It was interesting how so many of his fellow students thought him idle when it came to academics. With a brilliant mind and clever knowledge when it came to things of the dark arts, he truly did have the potential to rise to become one of the heads of his class. But there was something missing; it was as if he only put half the effort into it. Of course, this half effort got him exceptional scores, but with his mind, he could do far better. He seemed to care more about other things than homework. His studying for exams got pushed aside, he openly would rather socialize than work on assignments, and he took the idea of reading his material casually; yet he always seemed preoccupied with something. This was no different.

True enough, Anton liked to have a good time. Laughing, doing things of adventure and often times risk, and just plainly conversing with other individuals were things he openly preferred over much labor. But it was his mind and whit that had cast him into Ravenclaw, so obviously there was something within him that desired more knowledge. In fact, Anton loved to learn, but simply the things he actually wanted to know. He didn't have much patience when forced to study something he deemed uninteresting and irrelevant. And now, he was currently undertaking a personal project. This often occurred, as he found himself thirsting for knowledge that could not be attained through the coarse of school study. His object of study: Tom Riddle.

It was amazing, with how much Tom Riddle had been involved with the school, Hogwarts' records had so little about him. After reading the obvious facts "Tom Riddle grew to become the Dark Wizard known by his follows as Lord Voldemort." and "Tom Riddle opened the chamber of secrets," he struggled to find more. He didn't want the obvious, if he was after that, he wouldn't have even bothered launching the project. But it was as if the young dark wizard's past was purposely being hidden from the public eye, the details of his personality along with it. These were very dissatisfying finds.

Anton came from a dark, pureblood, wealthy family. In the long years prior, this would have translated into devotion to the "Dark Lord." But Anton's experience was quite the opposite. His father, Viktor Tarasov held much power in the Swedish government by the time Voldemort had taken power in England, and ultimate victory of Voldemort could have possibly lead to the loss of his father's own power in his own land. During the time of Voldemort, Viktor had been against him. Besides, the Tarasovs, although purebloods with every intention of keeping the family clean and pure, did not carry the same vendetta that the British purebloods seemed to have with muggleborns. He couldn't picture his mother, being such a proper and elegant woman, ever uttering the word "mudblood." It seemed so out of place for people of wealth to use fowl and unintelligent language.

Despite all this, as Anton began to find more details about Tom Riddle's past, he couldn't help but compare himself to the young man. They were both driven, good at hiding their true feelings, and bigger than the worlds they lived in. There were also large differences ,which he acknowledged, but Anton also saw the similarities. At this moment, Anton thought about what he was going to do with the rest of his life, for it seemed he always thought about his temporary arrangements (which he had planned out in detail) but his goals were not in permanent terms. Everything seemed to revolve around Dark Phoenix, but admittedly Anton didn't know where that would take him...in the back of his mind, he too wanted power like his father...perhaps he'd follow in his father's footsteps and try to gain power in another country...like Russia...

But these subconscious thoughts were pushed aside as he resumed his work. On his knees, he balanced a large book containing Hogwarts statistics from the years Tom Riddle attended school, with a few pieces of parchment on top at which he was jotting down information. Directly to his right, up against the wall, was his ink; placed a little in front of that was another book with a brief description of events surrounded Tom Riddle's opening of the Chamber of secrets. And to his left, was a book that contained Hogwarts records. He was currently trying to compare the books to find a common denominator and put more information together.

At this moment, Anton's thoughts were far from his duty to Dark Phoenix. But at any moment that could possibly change...

[Alessandro Darko]

He was back, but he was different.

Even though it had only been a couple of days since his personalities were reintegrated, he was finding it particularly frustrating, trying to get back into the flow of his life. He had total recall now of every event that had passed since the memory wipe, even the ones experienced through his alter ego's Darko, and Orion. However, his friends seemed reluctant to talk to him after he had more or less alienated himself with his bizarre behavior. All he really had at the moment was to focus on reviving his drastic dip in academics. O.W.L.s were important to him, and he was good at focusing on studies. Perhaps it'd be best if he kept a low profile for a bit. Talking to Keaira at the Valentine's Ball was difficult, especially in the presence of a one Zane Lucifer Bishop. Although Alessandro did owe his life and a portion of his gratitude toward the Slytherin Prefect, he didn't necessary like him. After all, it was Zane who had shown him the first signs of animosity, wasn't it? Wasn't it all about Wysteria? About how he failed to protect her? How he abandoned her. But he didn't abandon her, in fact, there was very little he could do before his memory was blasted into fragments. Zane was mixed up about him, and Alessandro was sure about it. He didn't understand why the two of them just couldn't get on.

He was absentmindedly walking around the corridors while reading a text that he believed had a direct correlation to the shadow wars. If anything, he could deluge himself with research on the topic, as he had been out of commission for quite some time. And then there was the question of his elemental Orb. He had yet to find out if the other masters (the ones that he knew of) had found theirs yet. In the early stages of his Visions developing, they had sort of manifested as Prophecies, he would hear a voice in his head in an altered state of consciousness. "Elemental Master of Fire, whose flame grows cold and dim, Salvation is the hearts desire, the orb of fire within." This had been a most perplexing riddle that Alessandro had put out of his mind for a time, but now was as good a time as any to resume the search.

Reading while walking, he read on and on about ancient wizards battling forces of darkness, believing that certain qualities of the elements enhanced their abilities to conquer the evils they faced. Of course this was most likely a variant on the tale of the Shadow Wars, Yin Vs. Yang, but as within most folklore, there lies truth. Alessandro was searching for that one fragment that may jump out at him, crying out "THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!"

He rounded the corner and looked up from his text only to see a familiar face that he'd seen around school. His name was Anton Tarasov, he was fairly sure of that, for they were on the same House and Quidditch team. He had taken the role as Seeker, while Anton, a Beater. They never really spoke much due to the gap in years, but as Alessandro drew closer to him, he caught sight of some of the titles of the tomes he had scattered around him. He had been immersed in research earlier that year about dark wizards, one in particular, a Tom Marvolo Riddle, or more fondly known as Lord Voldemort. It was that subject that paved the path that got him mixed up in the shadow wars, leading to the discovery that he was born to be the Elemental Master of Fire.

Not usually being one to approach an older student and strike up conversation, he closed his tome, and tucked it under an arm and stood before the older Ravenclaw. "That's an interesting subject that I see is prominent amongst these books..." He said casually, arching an eyebrow with a subtle smirk on his lips. He wasn't trying to sound arrogant, or presumptuous, but found it amusing how he had been doing the same thing earlier on in the year. He wondered how the older student would respond to him, hoping that he wouldn't be offended or get mad. As he eyed several of the titles, he realized they had been books he had combed through in the library, trying to find information on Horcruxes, but, the school library was not such a place that he would find the likes of that information. Borgin&Burkes would be his better bet.

[antontarasov]

His mind working at a rapid pace, jotting down pieces of information as quickly as possible, it took him a second to place what he was hearing; a voice; familiar, friendly, and curious. But there was something more to this voice, something that he knew he should be identifying immediately. But his mind was at loss, who was speaking to him?... But it only took a slight glance for him to realize what luck he’d come upon. It was Alessandro Darko.

As his head looked up and confirmed who the said person was, his internal thought process exploded. Inwardly, he was fighting an extremely difficult battle to suppress his intense feelings of victory and glee, or at least hide them from the person of interest. He fought back the urge to grimace, and brought out all of his self control to merely hide the feelings from displaying themselves in his eyes. Guilty pleasure swept through Anton, but he had to fight it off. The entire reason he was so pleased was that this was a golden opportunity, and if he showed any over excitement, he could possibly blow everything. So, fighting all inward feelings, Anton forced his physical appearance to take on a more casual look. He couldn’t suppress an amused smile, but he tried hard to make it appear as if Darko’s comment had amused him; not his mere presence. His eyes looked relaxed, not revealing his feelings of guilty pleasure.

It was perfect. He was happily in shock of how great this opportunity was. Ever since he had found out the identities of some of the lightfighters, he’d been trying to find out how to approach his task of discovering more identities. It had not taken a while for him to conclude that he was going to single one of them out; try to befriend them and get closer so that he could be around enough to subtly detect the signs and clues that lead to more identities. He had quickly chosen Alessandro Darko; after observing the Lightfighters for awhile he found working with someone who was recovering from the alienation of his friends and some sort of perceived emotional drama, was more ideal. Like the great ones said, common sense and emotional instability never went well together….

He’d started by trying to…behave himself better when at Quidditch practice. He knew that the team captain, Cooper, was Darko’s friend, but didn’t exactly approve of his tactics when it came to other players. True enough, Tarasov hadn’t been the nicest of persons to Knightswood, the first year, but it was all in good fun and he’d never really meant to hurt her feelings, she was just so amusing…However, even though he’d not really laid off of her, he’d been a little less troublesome and shown Cooper more respect. He’d made that his start. After all, patience with people seemed to always be beneficial for him…But Anton had made plans to eventually approach Darko…and thereby begin his quest of finding out the other lighfighters. But what he had not expected was for Alessandro Darko to approach him, which was even better than all of Anton’s plans to strike up a conversation with him. If Darko was the one who was first to speak, it made Anton look initially less interested…even if later down the line he was the one to pursue their friendship more heavily. But that was what was so important here; the appearance of casualness. With an amused, friendly, smile, he looked Darko straight in the eyes and analyzed his facial expression. His eyebrow was raised, revealing interest…but that was obvious, he wouldn’t have approached him if he had not been interested…

“Interesting…to an extent, but I'd call it more or less intriguing. ” He replied, still sporting a casual smile. He put out an aurora of confidence that was typical of him, although trying not to seem entirely conceded.

As far as his next comment went, Anton found himself in a dilemma. He did not know where Alessandro Darko stood on matters such as Tom Riddle and such. Of course, he probably considered the Dark Wizard a villain, but as far as how he would react to someone studying about him, he did not know. Some would find the thought of Anton Tarasov studying the Dark Wizard quite offensive, probably simply due to Anton’s personality traits anyways. Others wouldn’t mind, especially Ravenclaws, understanding the need to look into an intriguing subject. But Anton quickly realized that Alessandro himself had recognized the books, and understood the link between them…probably meaning he had studied the subject himself…How interesting. Anton wouldn’t risk assuming so in their speech, or at least, not at the moment. He would test the waters first, and find out more about the target’s personality. He would ask, not simply act as if he already knew.

He once more made eye contact with Alessandro before making his next statement, “You’re quite observant, I would think that you’ve studied these books as well?”

[Alessandro Darko]

It surprised Alessandro, by the manner in which he was received. Anton flashed him an amused smile, implying that either something he had said or done struck his Ravenclaw house mate as funny. He was often able to evoke such a reaction from his closer friends, Keaira, for one, always seemed to greet him with the same amused smile, making him feel like he had taken a load off of her shoulders by simply showing up. He knew that this was not necessarily the case, but the more he thought of it, the more he yearned to talk with her again. Things were not the same now, but he was desperately clinging to how things were and willed that they would return someday soon. His eyes meeting Anton’s, he internally disassembled his words and actions since he popped into the hallway so as to deduce what could have been construed as amusing. Perhaps it was the sheer mention that the books were an interesting topic? Anton seemed to be thinking intensely about something, but Alessandro thought he could be working through a response, or even considering ignoring him, hoping he would go away.

However, his reply to the 5th year was something as confident as a knight in battle. Intriguing, yes, the subject of Tom Riddle couldn’t be described as anything less. If not intriguing, mystifying was definitely one of the words in Alessandro’s lexicon that he would attribute to the various texts he had studied. Learning about the late Dark Lord’s past as an orphan, all the way to his years at Hogwarts, and then consequently his toils as Lord Voldemort. Truth be told, he wasn’t researching for sheer passion. He had been researching things that the Dark Lord had accomplished which may have led directly to the war between Dark and Light. Yin and Yang. Of course, he had absolutely no inkling as to what he was searching for, being solely compelled by some invisible force guiding his thoughts and willing him to delve deep into the research of dark magic, and darkness itself. He went from Tom Riddle, to Lord Voldemort, from Horcruxes, to studying the Elements in Elemental Magic. It was then when D’rorah had correctly identified his flicker of fire that had shown in his eyes and claimed him to be the Elemental Master of Fire.

It was difficult to believe at first, he was afraid of fire. Deathly afraid. He remembered how he had worked with the Room of Requirement to somehow connect with his psyche and bring forth a latent memory that had perhaps been improperly obliviated. It was mystifying the way the Room knew exactly what was in one’s head. Materializing everything perfectly to memory, Alessandro was able to recall that he had an incident with his Elemental Powers manifesting in his youth, to which his dear mother and father locked that memory away deep within him, and then fabricated a story which would petrify him from all things fire-related, thus, ensuring he would never realize his duties as Elemental Master. It was unclear to him how much his mother and father knew about the Shadow Wars, presumably not too much, but he had a hunch that his father knew more than his mother. Being M.I.A, he would never be able to ask his father such a question unless he miraculously popped into his life without warning.

He had come far from such a long journey since the inundation of events that pertained to the Shadow Wars. People have died, people have learned to properly defend themselves, and people have gotten hurt; emotionally and physically. The gravity of the situation they were all in was unfair to impose upon children, for that’s what they were. They were kids still learning how to properly perform magic, and here they were all involved, Masters, Warriors, and every other student present within the magical walls of Hogwarts, they were ALL involved. No prisoners would be taken, that much was clear as the Mage showed that she relented not against taking innocent lives, such as the life of Mongol. It was a sad day for everyone. Alessandro quickly brought himself back to reality, and cleared his throat, absolving his memories and bidding them to flee far from his conscious mind.

”Yes, you would be correct. Earlier this year I spent a great deal of time mulling through texts and tomes pertaining to the late Dark Lord Voldemort. Tom Riddle was a milestone in Hogwarts history, and a great wizard at that. Many wouldn’t say so out loud, for fear of being associated with the late Deatheaters, however, I am no Deatheater. A wizard so powerful and cunning, anybody would want that power, would you not agree? It’s just a shame that he chose to go down the path he took. Imagine the great things he could have done…”

[antontarasov]

Anton’s eyes did not stray from the fifth year Ravenclaw as he awaited a reply. Analyzing his facial movements, Anton attempted to take mental notes on how Darko was reacting to him. He was first struck by the difficulty of such task, giving the younger Ravenclaw a mental compliment. His thought process was not easily read, as so many others’ were. Of course, this ability would probably develop with dealing with such elemental powers, Anton reminded himself, but it was rather impressive regardless. Anton had been developing and using his talent of reading people for as long as he could remember; particularly coming into full swing when he began his short-lived experience at Durmstrang; and Darko was no easy case. However, where was the fun in simplicity? If the task was to be simple, Anton would not have started it to begin with. Although some claimed Anton lazy, he took full enjoyment of psychoanalyzing complicated individuals; in that case, the hardest work was the most rewarding. Perhaps that was why he had chosen Alessandro Darko to begin with…

However, this quick compliment lasted only half a millisecond, for as more time passed after his question, Anton concentrated harder on Alessandro’s facial expressions. Yes, hard work indeed. The first few seconds he could get rarely anything, clearly Alessandro was in a deep thought process yet Anton struggled to read it. However, toward the end of the silence, he sensed…sorrow? Anguish? Regret? Something along those lines….Interesting how a mere question involving a subject of study could invoke such feelings...Not to give the Dark Lord any discredit in his lingering terror, but Anton sensed more behind these vague feelings he was attempting to analyze in Alessandro Darko. Yet quickly, Alessandro was speaking, and Anton was hanging on every word, taking it all in, thinking of a response. The words provoked his more somber side, sincerely stirring up his thought process.

“Yes.” He responded firmly, in such a way that it nearly sounded as if it were a whisper. “I can imagine...” His eyes starred back at Alessandro, but not the way they had been before. Still, there was internal confidence within them, but now the feeling was being out drowned; overwhelmed by intensity. His eyes had darkened, yet his usual shade of blue-hazel was hidden; a crystal blue color taken control. However, only a second after making this statement, his complexion lighted a bit. Now, however small the change, he took on more of a casual look. “But that kind of power is too much. It… does things to people.” He let out a sigh and revealed a small smile as he looked away for a brief second. But this smile was not of amusement, this was more or less a symbol that he was beginning to enter a deeper intellectual thought process which he enjoyed. He finally looked back up at the younger Ravenclaw. “Power twists people; derives them from their original intentions. And with Tom Riddle being born in such a way…” He let his statement hang. “I unfortunately find his outcome inevitable.” Getting caught up in his own words, Anton nearly lost himself to his thoughts. But he quickly caught himself and concluded his statement. “But truly, I believe you nearly correct. Most would want such power…nearly everyone; tragically oblivious to the consequences.” Anton stopped himself at this point, hoping he hadn’t warded off Alessandro with his borish, insightful, thoughts. He attempted to change the subject, at least, slightly. "But did you happen upon any luck when researching him? These books offer vague information except for the widely known facts."


However, the truth was, even subconsciously, Anton did not agree with his own statements. Thirsty for control, Anton truly had the potential to one day abandon Dark Phoenix and set out on his own to gain power. Such thought would seem ridiculous to him in the present, as he was convinced that he was “the best”, of the Mage, but subconsciously, it was always there. One who dealt deathly with authority, Anton was always scheming; always trying to be in control of himself, thus trying to control his surroundings. Although whit and creativity ruled his heart, there was dangerous ambition there was well. But at the moment, Anton’s mind was simply focused on his current mission; befriend Darko, and find out who the other lightfighters are. The rest would come later.

[Alessandro Darko]

Power corrupts.

True, and not. Alessandro believed whole heartedly that in Lord Voldemort’s case, his power did corrupt him. It made him think that he was better than everybody else, and those that surrounded him were mere insects compared to himself. He had read that the late Dark Lord possessed a slew of rare magical gifts, including the ability to communicate with snakes; he was a Parselmouth, a gift that would imply that he was a direct descendent of Lord Salazar Slytherin himself. As Tom Riddle had discovered his gifts, he also discovered that he was the Heir of Syltherin, one worthy of great power. Thus, this is what probably caused him to take the path he did. He was a possessor of great power, related to a great wizard.

On a completely different note, Albus Dumbledore, once a Headmaster to Hogwarts, the very school that they attended, was also a possessor of great power. His was a name that was prominent throughout history books and the like, having been a recent figure that died not terribly long ago, spoke volumes of his impact. He chose to guide those misguided children toward the path of the virtuous, and where he only failed with Tom Riddle, he succeeded with Harry Potter, another possessor of great power that was a benevolent force to be reckoned with. It only goes to show that the path of the righteous is a road long and hard, but at the end, therein lies success and fruits of labor. All of Voldemorts attempts to stamp out Harry’s life, all in vain, because Tom Riddle didn’t experience the one thing that Harry was chock full of. Love and compassion for those around him.

While Alessandro himself was blessed with a great power, the power to control every aspect of the element of fire, he still had yet to realize his potential. Now that he was back in the game, memories restored and all, he remembered that he had conquered his fear slowly, but surely, with the help of his light fighter allies. Now he would hone his elemental gift as best he could. There would be no more room for weakness in his mind, he would have to train and sharpen his skills so much so that they would be sharper than a ginsu. He would not be fooled again, he would not be taken prisoner, and next time he would fight. He would fight like he had that day that Zane and Darko engaged in combat, though he felt he would have better success while being in control over his mind completely, instead of being driven by a hedonistic mad-man.

”Any luck? Loads. Though, they may have gotten rid of most of the material that I had the pleasure of reading due to recent developments. I’m sure you’ve heard of all this nonsense about ‘evil’ in the Forbidden Forest. The Dementors that have escaped Azkaban. Well, it’s got a lot of parents upset, including my own…” He gritted his teeth during the last three words of his sentence as he felt his fists clench. They had withdrawn him from school a month ago, only to tamper with his mind again. The damage they had wrought this time around was the cause of the split in his thought process, courtesy of Hewlett’s poorly crafter Obliviate charm. Now that he was back in order, he didn’t know how to handle them. They didn’t know he had successfully regained his memories, nor that he was attacked and nearly killed. He was beginning to question their alignment in this war, and that scared him. ”That’s what prompted me to take up researching dark magic and the likes of Lord Voldemort, or Tom Riddle. It just led me to other areas of research involving some crazy legends and lore…” He said, shooting Anton a furtive glance as he barely touched on the fact that he had discovered the Shadow Wars, and found that he was the Master of Fire. ”Anyhoo, if you can produce a proper Patronus, it’ll help you loads. I’m sure you know it wards off the ‘freakies.’” Alessandro said with a funny face as he imitated a Dementor.

He wondered if Anton knew anything about the Shadow Wars, the reason that the Forbidden Forest was attracting dark beings, such as the Dementors. It was a very dangerous place to be as of late, as it had become a nexus of dark energy and magic. The epicenter of the mage’s operations. Well, epicenter, gateway, whichever. He’d have to be very careful with offering up too much information, as Alessandro was infamous for being a bit liberal with his tongue, as his classmates would know his answers are usually a bit verbose and full of facts.

[antontarasov]

“The Dementors that have escaped Azkaban. Well, it’s got a lot of parents upset, including my own…”

Ah, yes, the dementors; naturally good, light, rule-abiding citizens would be concerned for their children’s protection in the current situation. But the thought seemed so far out of place for Anton’s own parents to worry a lot about it…well, perhaps Elsa, his mother, who liked to keep tabs on Anton…but it would not be about his protection from them, more or less she would be concerned with the depth of his involvement and curiosity of the creatures. After all, they were in the Forbidden Forest, a place of focus for the Mage. But Anton didn’t know how much his mother knew about the Mage’s dealings at Hogwarts to begin with; the roles of his parents in the whole ordeal differed greatly from his own. But Anton did not have much time to ponder such subject, for he sensed some sort of controlled anger coming out of Alessandro Darko; particularly on the line referring to his parents. There lied a bitterness there, controlled and not fully emerged, but detectable in Anton’s case.
Ah, the parents. Note to self; bitter feelings. Anton thought. The information would probably be very useful in the future, especially when trying to establish some sort of close relationship…it was also a topic he knew now to be careful of and to be approached with caution.

But Anton appeared casual and light on the outside; sporting an interested, but relaxed face. He smiled as the younger Ravenclaw made his comment about crazy legends and lore…thinking it ironic how the details of the Shadow Wars would probably fall into such category. Anton could have taken the small pause Alessandro used at this time to make a statement himself, but concluded to let the younger Ravenclaw continue speaking. Patience was everything…
Anton was actually surprised by Alessandro’s humor in his last statement, reacting with a laugh and somewhat of a grimace as Darko mimicked a dementor. So, this wasn’t just going to be serious and somber? Good. Anton was starting to like the younger Elemental Master already…and that would make it easier when befriending him. Now Anton knew that he at least didn’t have to suppress all of his fun-loving characteristics and personality aspects. He could at least show some of them, although he’d still have to be careful and not go too overboard…

He laughed a little before making his next statement, “Ah, yes, dementors….” A few seconds passed as Anton deliberated how to reply. Anton could produce a partronous; it took the form of a hyena, not the most desirable of animals to most but Anton was proud of it as it truly did reflect his personality. Devious, carnivorous, and smart; a good summary of his own characteristics. But this was not a conversation he particularly wanted to share with Alessandro. The less Darko knew about his real personality traits, the better.
“I hear back in the day they were assigned to protect the castle, kind of ironic, no?” He smiled, “But when you think about it, they really are fascinating creatures…Their mere method of existence is incredibly unique…although…” Anton took the next two seconds trying to find the right word…His face changed into an expression that looked as if he was being forced to eat a disgusting sort of food, “it’s very…odd.” It took him a few seconds to get back into his casual, confident tone.“Also very strange, how muggles can’t see them, but perhaps that is some sort of luck. It reminds me of thestrals, another dark creature but I think has proven itself useful.” He sighed and took a second to sit back before trying to find the right words to push the conversation in the direction he was looking for.

“You know, I did some research a little awhile ago on muggles; their unexplainable tendency to be unable to see things that belong to our world…and then their reactions to their brief encounters with magic fascinate me. You know, their so called witch trials and myths of how to slay vampires. It’s interesting how they are so aware of the magical world yet are completely oblivious to it all at once. Things that they simply brush off as crazy legends and folklore really are true…” He paused before making his next statement. “It makes me wonder how much we simply mistake as myth…”

[Alessandro Darko]

IT WAS NO SHOCK to Alessandro Darko that conversations as of late seemingly all had dark tones to them. Considering that the general safety around Hogwarts wasn't exactly what it used to be in the era of peace after Voldemort's demise, naturally there would be murmurings of dark presences nigh, and paranoia would be widespread. Anton didn't seem like the clueless type, therefore Alessandro could assume that he wasn't paranoid. In fact, the genre of his research suggested to Alessandro that he may be hot on the trail to discovering information on the Shadow Wars. Therefore, Alessandro would tread carefully over the information inquired.

"Yes, it is strange. In fact, I was just thinking of Thestrals the other day. Not everyone can see them, until their eyes witness death. So, perhaps muggles can't see the Dementors based on the same principles." He mused as he gazed out the nearest window. He was ready for Spring to take hold. True, his favorite seasons were fall and winter, but he did observe desirable qualities about the warmer months. The fact that sunlight was more abundant made him yearn for spring. A good dose of sunlight was great for morale, to bring up everyone's spirits, which was what he felt everyone could use lately. As he thought about sunlight more and more, he recalled looking over a potion in his book that was said to produce sunlight-esque visions to the drinker. He mulled over whether he should attempt to make it, but then realized, if wrought by his own two hands, it would probably cause asphyxiation, or induce blindness, or something equally debilitating.

Alessandro shifted uncomfortably as Anton alluded the fact that perhaps myths weren't so mythical after all. The way he trailed off at the end, it was sort of implicative. Did he think Alessandro was hiding something? If so, he would be correct. Whether or not Alessandro would clue him in on current events would be dictated according to how well they got to know each other. If Alessandro would be able to deduce whether or not Anton was a threat, or not, he would surely fill him in on all of the gaps, yet if Anton were to be a direct threat, or any threat at all, he would have to be dispatched swiftly. Alessandro did not relish the thought of having to take action against a fellow student, much less, a fellow Ravenclaw. Although Anton was a 7th year student, who may be able to out spell Alessandro in a regular Wizarding Duel, he would certainly be no match for Elemental Fire Magic. If Anton ever got on Alessandro's bad side, he would surely burn, like the witches he spoke of during the Salem Witch Trials.

"What exactly do you suggest by that last statement...?" He queried with an arched brow, an intrigued look upon his face.

[antontarasov]

His statement had done its part. He now knew where Alessandro was when it came to trust-related issues. Now all Anton had to do was get out of a somewhat tough situation and try to smooth things over, hopefully without having already done too much damage. It would take subtlety yet directness. He hoped that he had not already sabotaged his plan; the younger Ravenclaw was proving to be a lot more intelligent than Anton had previously anticipated.

What a shame that Alessandro was so causious...to live one's life in such a way that you couldn't even carry on a conversation about myths without having to check about the other person's motives first...What a way to live one's life...And for a second, Anton felt a twitch of sympathy for the younger Ravenclaw...Anton lived his own life trying to psychoanalyze the others around him; but never having to worry about the intentions of those around him being truly dangerous to his ownself. Perhaps it was the fact that Anton was indeed overly confident with his abilities. But Alessandro Darko's motives for second guessing people were very real...with a very real point behind them. Even now, here Anton was, trying to mislead him...correction; befriend him.

But this thought process did not continue long. Anton merely found himself taking more of a liking to the younger student, more so out of respect than anything else. He hoped that he could play this out as long as possible; not meaning the conversation, but the friendship ordeal...but that was if he could smooth talk his way out of the current mood of the conversation...

Anton's reaction to Alessandro was quick, but not over-the-top. A mere second after Alessandro had spoken, Anton was behaving as he would naturally (that is, if he did not have any real reference behind his previous statement). His arched his brow a bit, his face portraying a look as if to say "Um... isn't it obvious?" He allowed a few seconds of mild awkwardness to pass, as if he was struggling to rationalize why Alessandro had even asked him the question.

"Um...you know, myths? Like stories we believe to be mere legend...How to deal with lethal vampires, the Loch ness monster, the Legend of the Mirror of Erised..." He took a quick pause, "But perhaps they could have some truth to them, although we have no proof...like the Chamber of Secrets, for example. For centuries most individuals thought it was a mere myth, until it was discovered to really exist within the school..." The slight awkwardness of having to explain his thought process was evident on his face. "I mean, I'm not mad or anything. It's just kind of odd to think about it..." The awkwardness turned into a look of inquiry, as to wonder why Alessandro had asked such a question.

[Alessandro Darko]

The look that Anton had given him calmed him down. It was a look of slight confusion, like Anton had expected Alessandro to follow his train of thought, which, he was, but he couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious about exactly which myths Anton was speaking of. Lately, being a lightfighter was a dangerous work. Nodding as Anton began to explain in depth about what he was referring to, Alessandro saw no threat and moved on.

"You are right. Certain legends have some truth to them, but others are completely fabricated." He said nodding. Anton was a clever boy indeed. Hopefully not too clever. "Yes, The Chamber of Secrets is a perfect example. Thank goodness it's been sealed off though. Wouldn't want another Tom Riddle to come along and start killing mudbloods again." After he had said it, he felt a twinge of guilt twist at his insides. He had said the word 'mudblood'. He was no pure-blood supremacist, and disliked those who were. He never had really used the word in conversation before, and as he heard it come out of his mouth, he found himself feeling shameful. Looking quickly at Anton, he apologized.

"I'm not on that whole pure-blood kick, actually, I apologize if your parents are muggles, or whatnot. I don't really use that word a lot...it's just plain rude." Alessandro said, feeling his cheeks become flushed, and hot with embarrassment.

"Anyhoo, I feel that we're digressing from the subject. What were we talking about....Tom Riddle...Legends and Lore, Dementors...ahh...yes, the dementors. What's your take on why they're out there? I had a nasty run in with them several weeks ago. They're bloody repulsive, smell like death...make you feel like it too." He said, his face contorting with disgust, and his body writhing with displeasure. He gazed out a nearby window into the Forest. It was one of his favorite places to dwell. The creatures within it didn't really scare him that much; he knew a variety of spells to ward them off, but the Acromantula's are a different story. He practiced the Arania Exumai jinx long and well before boldy venturing too far in.

Feeling tired of standing with his bag over his shoulder, he dropped his bag to the ground and took a seat on the floor, opposite Anton as he awaited his reply. It was odd how one made friends, as Alessandro felt that their conversation may transpire to acquaintanceship, or even friendship.

(ooc: terribly sorry for the delay!!)

[antontarasov]

(OOC: That is completely fine )

Anton felt a twitch of relief run through him as Alessandro seemed to pass through his moment of suspicion. But there was no time for him to dwell on such thoughts; Alessandro was already moving on with the conversation and Anton knew that it would do well if he followed along closely; locking away notes of the younger Ravenclaw¡¦s words in the back of his head for future use. But Alessandro¡¦s next words seemed to strike a silent chord with Anton, the mentioning of the idea of ¡§another¡¨ Tom Riddle emerging again and killing off muggle borns. It was as if the idea was comparable to his current situation, with Dark Phoenix; and although Anton found the idea of murdering students simply due to their family blood status meaningless, the thought of himself opening up the Chamber itself and stepping foot into it felt surprisingly grand. Anton, although having been in the middle of researching the young Tom Riddle, had never consciously came to this conclusion before, and only now that Alessandro Darko was deeming the idea of re-entering the chamber horrible, was Anton defensive about it. But this defensive thought had to be put aside, as Alessandro himself now looked shameful.

"I'm not on that whole pure-blood kick, actually, I apologize if your parents are muggles, or whatnot. I don't really use that word a lot...it's just plain rude." Ah, so it was about the word he had used¡Kmudblood. Ironically enough, Anton hadn¡¦t even noticed it, simply taking in the sound as he was far too preoccupied by the general meaning of his statement. The Seventh Year Ravenclaw was a pureblood himself, coming from a long line of Wealthy Witches and Wizards¡Kparticularly on his mother¡¦s side; belonging to the Hilden family of Sweden. Throughout Anton¡¦s life, he¡¦d always been raised along side purebloods; that was just how things were. Everyone Anton had come into contact with were purebloods, it sounded odd for there to be anyone not so. His mother had been particularly proud of her heritage, raising Anton in the ways of pureblood Hilden family, trying to pass on proper behavior and etiquette. But she never let any foul word escape her tongue; it was simply un-lady like. And it also seemed unnecessary for such words to be used as well, since no ¡§mudblood¡¨ was even in close proximity with Anton and his family life.

Perhaps it was because of these reasons that Anton was not very prejudice of muggle borns, although he respected the opinions of those that were. His grandfather had also spent a great deal of time with Muggles themselves, and although the man had died before Anton was even brought into the world, it affect Anton¡'s father as he didn¡'t show very much disrespect to the "other race" of Witches and Wizards. This was perhaps another reason. But finally, perhaps it was just the fact that it seemed illogical. Anton could get amusement and entertainment out of any sort of person; whether pureblood or not, so why limit his own choices?

Anton nodded in response to Alessandro¡'s apology. The younger Ravenclaw obviously didn't know of Anton¡¦s background and family connections; good. Things were better that way. His father, Viktor Tarasov, was a powerful figure in himself and the fact that Anton was so closely tied to him could present some major roadblocks in Anton¡'s goal. In addition, his mother¡"s side of the family was perceived as very dark¡Kand since Anton was actually dealing with a lightfigher here, it would probably to avoid family descriptions for now. The less Alessandro knew about Anton¡'s family life the better¡Kalthough he wasn¡'t going to risk sounding as if he were withholding information on purpose in any way. "Yes. But I'm pureblood anyways, so no worries." He spoke with the hope that his family roots would have as less emphasis as possible, trying not to be perceived as one of those individuals obsessed with "pureblood mania."

As Alessandro resumed talk of Dementors, Anton felt a twist of curiosity inside. He truly wanted to ask Alessandro about the encounter, wanting to know what it felt like to have the happiness drained from you, but refrained from doing so. It would be better to keep the conversation casual and not delve into the chilling concepts of the Dementor¡'s food of fear. The Seventh Year Ravenclaw made an uncomfortable face, as if the thought of an encounter with a Dementor truly would be very undesirable. He even sighed a little, portraying a sound of slight disgust. "Well, I suppose I can only guess they're here because they feed on our fear. Perhaps Hogwarts has become a breeding ground for such feelings? That's a nasty thought. Or just simply there is enough of it that the Dementors can sense it? You know, like how animals can sometimes sense the smell of prey from miles away? I can't imagine why there would be so much of it here though, makes me kind of nervous myself." He sighed, smiling a little to himself. "But then again, I don't see any reason why any of us should be. As far as I'm concerned, I'm safe if I stay alert and don't go wandering into the Forbidden Forest any time soon."¨ He laughed a little at his last statement, supposedly just remembering that Alessandro had already said he'd had an encounter with the creatures. "That is, if I don't have a good reason to." It was said more or less in a joking matter.

[Alessandro Darko]

Alessandro let a breath of relief go as Anton shrugged off his usage of such a foul word that exists within the ranks of the purist Wizarding Community. He was shocked that he had let it slip, though, he was referencing it in casual conversation and not maliciously using it as some sort of slur against another, he still felt bad. Frowning as Anton revealed his blood status to him, he nodded slowly as if Anton had just reprimanded him on using the word, although he had just simply informed Alessandro that he was of pure blood. He wondered what resentful wizard might have coined the term in the first place, and how long it had been in verbal circulation, causing many muggle-borns distress throughout their lives. While he didn't believe in blood supremacy, he did feel a little bit proud of his pure heritage, having come from a long line of purebloods himself.

He looked at Anton as he answered his question about the dementors stationed in the Forbidden Forest. His brow furrowed a bit as the facts that Anton were describing were particularly inaccurate. While dementors weren't a topic of major study at Hogwarts, Alessandro deduced that Anton was perhaps confused about exactly what it was that attracted a dementor to its prey. "Actually, Anton, I think you might be a touch confused. Dementors feed on the happy memories and thoughts that we harbor, and it forces us to relive our worst memories and fears as they suck the happiness from us." Alessandro shuddered as he remembered how horrible it felt to be in the presence of many at once; that time in the forest with Caity, Jacques, and Zane, before any of them were involved. Memories of Keaira, coming valiantly to their rescue as she had returned from China. That was the night his patronus had done something strange; Instead of being comprised of the standard silvery light, it had erupted from his wand as a fiery embodiment of his familiar. His small smile that had graced his features slowly turned into a frown as the reality of his situation between Keaira and himself came into his thoughts.

He closed his eyes momentarily before neutralizing his face and moving on. "You shouldn't go into the forest for any reason, Anton, unless you have a death wish. I know I'm younger, and you probably think I talk a big game, but there are things that are going on here that are very dangerous that I have seen come to pass..." As he trailed off with his sincere efforts to prevent innocent students from being viciously torn to shreds by the shadows which dwelt amongst the shade of the Forbidden Forest, his mind alerted him that he was forgetting about censorship. Perhaps he was saying too much. [blue]Careful...you don't want to say too much now, remember?[/blue] He cautioned himself mentally as he strengthened the look he gave Anton. It was true. He didn't want any more casualties to occur. Having almost died himself, he knew that things were serious. Students were not only amongst the ranks of the lightfighters, but there were those that were in line with Dark Phoenix, and for that, he needed to be careful with his liberal tongue, and the information he retained.

[antontarasov]

Anton’s internal reactions where that of slight shock as Alessandro proceeded to explain to the Blond Ravenclaw that he may be confused about the actual identity of Dementors; and it was in these quick moments that Anton quickly felt apprehension take over him as he had recognized for a brief second, that when he had made such comments about dementors, he had subconsciously forgotten to whom he was speaking. One thing about Anton was his taste for digging deeply into matters, studying seemingly random topics with specific fever. Usually, he recognized that most weren’t on the same page as him about the same subject, but sometimes…such as times as these…he’d forgotten. And that was a dangerous notion. He was simply in awe that he allowed himself to forget such things.

It was true; dementors were known as creatures that fed off happiness and forced their victims to experience moments of pain and fear, to such extent of sometimes even forming a Dementor’s Kiss. But Anton Tarasov had taken an interest in Dementors early in his life. Upon his research, he’d come across a particularly intriguing pattern…in the cases he’d found recorded, Dementors had oddly taken a great interest of victims possessing a great about of emotional pain, anguish, and fear. It had seemed odd; why should that be? Surely creatures that fed off happy memories would be more compelled to individuals that possessed more memories of happiness…It would seem more logical for such creatures to prey on individuals in the primes of their lives that would offer more happiness. Therefore, it had taken him a great deal of time to analyze these accounts. Perhaps it wasn’t necessarily true? Perhaps such drastic cases were only recorded more often because people that possessed more painful memories simply just experienced more horror in dealing with the dark creatures? Another important observation was that in such instances recorded, it seemed like numerous dementors regularly flocked together and the dark creatures were very numerous against the fearful victim. …Finally, Anton came to the conclusion that Dementors truly were indeed attracted to people possessing emotions of fear and personal anguish. The accounts were confusing, but they had led him to that conclusion. Now, whether or not Anton had reached the correct verdict was something to be disputed, but that was what the Older Ravenclaw thought of the matter. So, in essence, the Dementor’s fed off fear…attracted to places of great emotional strain. Such encounters provoked them into having more drastic effects and taking a liking to such individuals.

Now Anton had a dilemma: should he explain such thought process of dementors and theory to Alessandro? Was it better to look unintelligent or overly obsessive and analytical? Surely, whether or not anyone agreed with Anton’s verdict, it could perhaps come across quite odd as a result of over analyzing. That was not what Anton wanted. On the other hand, his pride would be wounded to think that the younger Ravenclaw would now at least subconsciously think himself smarter than Anton…Well, perhaps it was better to come across as not so much as a threat as in not so much on the intellectual playing field, and the young, half-Russian scholar could prove his intelligence to Darko later in the future…However, Anton couldn’t refuse displaying a look in clear rebellion of Darko’s statements; although it wasn’t hostile. It was simple, open, and honest rebellion, portraying a look that something else was on his mind that he would not express; not anger, something else. But that was all that Anton would give away.

Anton quickly noted the change of Alessandro’s expression after the older Ravenclaw had jokingly suggested going into the forest…
"You shouldn't go into the forest for any reason, Anton, unless you have a death wish. I know I'm younger, and you probably think I talk a big game, but there are things that are going on here that are very dangerous that I have seen come to pass..." It was not surprising; Alessandro’s comments. Anton knew as well as Alessandro that very dark things were happening in the forest. But Anton’s reactions would represent feelings all to the contrary.

His eyebrows slowly went up, as if apologetically skeptical and startled by forwardness of Alessandro’s wild claims. His jaw was awkwardly still, as if in between forming a word and simply staying quiet. He finally took a large breath, his brows now burrowing and his eyes focused on Alessandro. He leaned a little back. At was almost as if one could read his mind.
“death wish”?
“very dangerous that I have seen come to pass….”?
Perhaps you’re crazy? I hope not…but then again, if you weren't, what exactly would that mean?

He didn’t say a word. But he definitely responded.