Spring, 1879 — Evening on a Hogsmeade Visit Day — Hogwarts Castle

Eldritch Morgan was drunk on adrenaline — and, to be fair, perhaps a little bit on champagne, too. He hadn't had so much to drink, but he wasn't used to drinking much of anything, so he was still feeling giddy when they left the party in Hogsmeade. It was a party neither of them had been invited to, but there hadn't been anyone at the door to check invitations, so Morgan had convinced Basil to sneak in with him. Doing so had been no simple feat, but Morgan was up to the challenge. He headed off the questions about what if we get caught and made grandiose promises about ensuring a pleasant outcome. He couldn't have actually followed through on any of them if things had gone south, but fortunately they hadn't. They'd blended in to the sea of party guests and the hosts had never realized they were there. It helped that the party they'd crashed had been in Bartonburg, where they weren't likely to run into their parents, siblings, or old family friends. Morgan had even danced with a girl who looked a year or two older than him (he hadn't asked her age — he'd been too worried she would return the favor and wonder what a fifteen year old was doing at a party).

When they'd finally left they'd had to run part of the way back to the castle in order to make it back before their freedom for the Hogsmeade weekend expired, but now here they were. They'd slipped through the gate under the disapproving glance of one of the house matrons and had now reached the front steps of the castle. Morgan was out of breath and red in the face, but he was smiling, too. "Come on, that was fun," he said to Basil, reaching over to poke him in the ribs. "You have to admit it was fun."

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Basil Foxwood

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   Basil Foxwood

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Basil could feel his senses spinning. From excitement, to alarm, to a full-fledged adrenaline high - the assortment of emotions he’d felt his system undergo tonight was one for the books, surely. He still didn’t know how Eldrich had managed to convince him to go along with this harebrained scheme (but possibly it had something to do with those big hazel eyes and gorgeous smile). Basil tried his best not to think about that as he followed closely on his friend’s heels, the both of them rushing to make it back to the castle in time.

Tonight had been an adventure. From drinking much too much for someone who had little, if any exposure to alcohol, to oogling and engaging with many new faces, Basil had learned he was much less socially inept when under the enchanting influence of one: his best friend, and two: this magical liquid they called champagne. He had actually moved with some ease from conversation to conversation, running much too hotly on the taboo of having snuck in and been loitering somewhere he ought not to be.

As the pair finally made their way to the front steps, Basil was huffing and puffing. He doubled over, a laugh escaping him between haggard breaths. Then, jostling away from Eldrich as the other poked him in the ribs, Basil shook his head still beaming. Alright,” he conceded. “I’ll admit only that it was enlightening as an experience.” The look on his face gave away all truth however as he continued to huff and grin and puff some more.

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Eldritch Morgan

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Morgan's grin widened. "An enlightening experience is Ravenclaw for fun," he declared. He hadn't really expected Basil to agree (at least not out loud), but the expression on his face was telling enough. If things had ended up differently he may have had a much different impression of the evening, but since they were back at the castle safe and sound, with no harm done to their reputation or their detention-free status, all was well. Morgan climbed a few stairs in silence while he thought what to say next. He considered bringing up the girl he'd danced with at the party, but decided against it. He hadn't seen whether or not Basil had danced with anyone, and he didn't want to make it seem like he was bragging about it if Basil had been too nervous to ask anyone — or worse, asked and been rejected (were women even allowed to turn down dances if men asked them at parties? Morgan wasn't sure; he'd never heard of it happening before and it hadn't explicitly been covered in etiquette lessons).

"I don't want to go back to the common room yet," he said instead. "How much time do we have left before curfew? Maybe we could hang out in one of the empty classrooms."

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Bemused, but perfectly alright with pretending to be affronted, Basil huffed. “And I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything more from a Slytherin,” he replied. “Breaking any modicum of rule is The only way to have a thrill.” He grinned again, teasing. In all truth, Basil had absolutely enjoyed himself tonight, more than he’d care to admit. He didn’t make a habit of breaking the rules, or sneaking into places, but Eldrich did seem to have a way of bringing out his more ...audacious side.

Climbing the steps after his friend, Basil pressed a hand against his cheek. It was cold from the wind, but undoubtedly red and telling. He thought about mentioning the school-work he ought to get a jump on before morning - or that new Transfiguration text Professor Thompson had leant him! - but he wasn’t quite ready to head up to the dormitories yet and leave Eldrich to his own devices. Call him needy but ever since the odd… split, he supposed, with Atticus - there had been a part of him that craved the close affection of another, knowing that one day all such relationships were due to end. He knew that growing apart was a natural part of life and that one day even Eldrich would move on without him, but Basil wanted to take advantage of every second he had in the meantime.

Luckily, it seemed Eldrich also had a similar thought. Humming his agreement, Basil nodded. “I’d say a half hour?” Not much time to get into anything else, which Basil was grateful for. His head was feeling a little bit fuzzy from the party still. “Perhaps the library?” he suggested. At least in the library they could reasonably excuse their presence lest someone approach. But also, it was his favorite place. “It should be pretty sparsely occupied at this time on a Hogsmeade weekend.” Why he’d felt the need to mention as much, Basil wasn’t sure.

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Eldritch Morgan

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   Eldritch Morgan

"But we'll still have to contend with the librarian," Eldritch pointed out. Basil was probably right about it being sparsely populated, because most people who'd gone out for the Hogsmeade visit had probably gone back to their common rooms after they'd returned, but as long as the library was open the librarian would be wandering through it like a specter. Morgan didn't care for her, though no one else seemed to have a problem with her. Partly it was self-consciousness, because aside from Basil she was the only person who probably noticed how much time he spent in the library struggling to keep his grades up, and he didn't like having that level of exposure; it was like she'd have some sort of power over him, if she ever decided to exercise it. Partly it was her role as disciplinarian — he spent more time than the average student in the library, but goofed around just as much as the average student, so he found himself not-infrequently on her bad side when he broke the library rules.

Despite his protest about the librarian he'd already started off in that direction, the moment they'd reached the front doors. He didn't feel strongly enough about avoiding her to try and talk Basil in to anything — the party was enough of a stretch for one night, he thought. Now it was time to slip back into their comfort zone for the remaining thirty minutes of the night, and the library was definitely their comfort zone.

"But no talking about homework," he directed as they walked through the halls. "It's still a holiday until you go to sleep, and we'll spoil all the fun if we end it by writing essays."

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Basil had forgotten Eldritch’s distaste for the librarian. It didn’t make sense to him, really, being the ~model~ student he was, but he didn’t protest further. Apparently the last time the librarian had come down on him, Eldritch had lost Slytherin five house-points. Basil hadn’t been there himself, but boy had he heard about it! He couldn’t help but snicker a little bit.

They seemed to still head in that direction however, and Basil was quiet. He supposed Eldritch was right; it was still a holiday and he wasn’t sure he would be able to keep them from devolving into class things if they ended up in the library. Maybe they should sit near the back, close to the restricted section. Madam Librarian only did her rounds about once every hour? “Alright fine,” he conceded. “But if we lose Ravenclaw any house-points, I won’t forgive you,” he huffed.

Changing their trajectory, Basil instead began to lead them in the direction of the Astronomy tower. He knew from Thompson that the staff were out for their own Hogsmeade visit this weekend and their curfew was a bit later than that of the students. Also, the astronomy tower had been closed off this weekend to students because the professor had headed into London rather abruptly. It was the least likely spot for them to get caught out after hours. And they said being a teacher’s pet didn’t have its perks.

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Eldritch Morgan

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Morgan had been resigned to the library (and not even that put out about it, honestly), so Basil's next words came as a surprise. It was a pleasant surprise, though — maybe Morgan was more of a bad influence than he realized, if Basil was willing to entertain the idea of losing house points in order to spend more time with him! Morgan looped his arm through Basil's with a grin, following where he lead. "You only get in trouble if you get caught," he pointed out under his breath. They weren't doing anything wrong yet, so no need to alert any nearby prefects or professors that they might be about to. Morgan didn't know exactly what Basil was thinking, or even where he was going, but he couldn't imagine his friend would come up with anything that would be too much for him to enjoy, so he was along for the ride.

"I think [name] is doing rounds tonight, anyway," Morgan pointed out, referencing the female fifth year prefect for Ravenclaw. "She wouldn't dock you points. And if she tried to dock mine..." His grin turned wolfish. "I bet I can talk my way out of it."

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Basil pulled a face he wasn’t quick enough to hide as Eldritch insinuated talking his way out of trouble. That had never been a skill Basil himself had mastered. He usually made a habit of not needing to, anyway, but for some reason the very thought of Nee flirting his way out of something just wrankled at the Ravenclaw. Pushing the thought away, he shrugged. “Come on, this way.”

As the two made their way through the castle, they were lucky enough to not pass anyone as - still arm in arm - Basil dragged Eldritch up towards the Astronomy tower. He felt giddy, like they were on some grand escape through the corridors. Maybe it was the champagne still bubbling through his veins, but he felt bolder than usual. They made quick work of scaling the various levels, only once having to pause and wait for footsteps to fade before continuing on. At last they reached the door to the Astronomy classroom and with a quick flick of his wand, Basil unlocked the door. He grinned over his shoulder at Eldritch before pushing the door open and gesturing for the other to follow.

“Not a bad spot, eh?” he asked, preening a little bit. “Thompson told me that Professor [name] is in London for the weekend so it should be a pretty safe bet. As long as we don’t make a ruckus.”

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Eldritch Morgan

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Morgan had been up to the astronomy tower before, of course, since it was a required course. He had even been in the middle of the night, when they had to do observations of various celestial bodies in motion. Regardless, this felt different. Maybe it was that it was only the two of them coming up here, and not a whole group of students trudging up from the common room in a herd. Maybe it was that all the lights were off and Basil had to use a spell to unlock the door. Maybe it was the champagne he was still a little tipsy from. In any case, it felt like they were doing something exotic and daring — at least as new and exciting as sneaking into the Bartonburg party earlier tonight.

"It's delightful," he pronounced, unlinking his arm from Basil's so that he could take a turn around the empty space. He flung his arms out dramatically, making a show of how alone they were. "But by now we must have nearly run out the clock on curfew," he pointed out. It had taken some time to walk from the castle door to the top of the astronomy tower, particularly given that they'd slowed down a few times to avoid being seen by anyone who might ask them where they were off to.

"Are you offering to break the rules to stay up with me?" he asked with a grin. His tone was teasing, but actually he was a little bit touched. Breaking curfew together might have been no big deal for some people, but from Basil he recognized it as a mark of a particularly strong friendship.

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Basil was pleased with Eldritch’s reaction. It was definitely in part the alcohol making him so brazen, on all accounts, but he couldn’t help laughing as he carefully shut the door behind them. He didn’t want to think about curfew right now. Instead of admitting as much however, he just nodded and walked over towards the other before popping a squat on the floor.

Basil had always liked the Astronomy classroom. He wasn’t so very much into the study of astrology itself, figuring it was a waste of mental capacity since it was all memorization (and it was so basic a muggle could do it), but he liked the idea of astrology. The space was aesthetic, at the very least. Star charts and golden telescopes, floating spheres and glistening models all inhabited the room, some reflecting back his big eyes as Basil turned blue-grey irises to his friend.

Eldritch had just queried him in what was probably meant to be a joking manner but Basil couldn’t help himself. “Anything for you,” he replied. The words were out, floating away from him amongst the stars, before he could catch them. Basil blinked stupidly at Nee, once then twice. Well, that was now said and out there. Fantastic. He leaned back on his palms and glanced up at the ceiling pretending the hair on the back of his neck wasn’t standing on end. It was funny how the cracks in the stone suddenly seemed so very fascinating.

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Eldritch Morgan

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So, I just kind hybrid’d the two rooms from here and here, figuring the former had a staircase that led to the latter on the top of the tower? I just figured it might be cold if they were outside. Let me know if this works though!

  

At first Eldritch assumed it was a joke, because that was the kind of thing people said often when joking, but one glance at Basil's face and his reaction to his own words told him it wasn't. Morgan's throat tightened slightly. It was a hell of a thing to say. It gave him a jittery feeling in his stomach. He thought he felt the same. He couldn't think of anything he wouldn't do for Basil (short of murder, maybe, but he also couldn't imagine a scenario where Basil would want him to murder someone), but it also wasn't something it would have ever occurred to him to say out loud.

It was also a big responsibility: being worthy of that sort of devotion. Eldritch was no stranger to being saddled with outsized responsibility — see, for reference, being a small child named Eldritch — but he felt the weight of it settle on him regardless. It was a lot of pressure, but he'd work at it with the same tenacity he kept working on not disappointing his parents, or keeping his grades up. Basil was worth the effort; he was the best friend Morgan had ever had or ever expected to have.

He was also clearly embarrassed to have said that out loud, and in deference to that feeling Morgan didn't intend to remark on it. Instead he took a seat on the floor, mirroring Basil's position leaning back on his hands. He lined up the bottom of his shoe against Basil's and started a gentle push and pull between their feet, in the same absent way girls might play with each other's hair while chatting.

"What'd you do at the party while I was dancing with that girl?" he asked, his tone carefully crafted carelessness.

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Basil didn’t know why he’d said that. He knew he should feel awkward about it, and likely some part deep down inside of him buried under the invincible feeling of alcohol probably did. Still, the Ravenclaw couldn’t bring himself to fully regret telling Nee the truth. That was his best friend, and Basil would likely do almost anything for him. (Maybe not loose Ravenclaw the cup, but short of that?)

Brushing aside the lack of propriety he’d shown, Basil glanced at Nee as the other sat and lined their feet up. He let out a short breath he hadn’t realized he’d sucked in. They were going to pretend that hadn’t just happened; perfect.

Humming a little, Basil dropped his head towards his shoulder and gazed absently at one of the little orbs, pushing back gently on Nee’s foot. “Which girl?” he replied. “If I recall, you turned a few heads,” he grinned. “The brunette with the pretty hair seemed nice. Is that the one you asked to dance?” Thinking back, Basil actually wasn’t sure he even saw Nee dance with a girl. He’d been too preoccupied himself admiring all the unfamiliar butts faces and trying to make less than socially inept conversation with a blonde. She’d seemed impressed by his knowledge of Transfiguration, so there was that!

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Eldritch Morgan

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Morgan grinned at Basil's remark, but shook his head. He thought Basil must have been misremembering, or at least viewing things more charitably than he should have. Ritch liked to think that he was charismatic enough when it came to his normal social settings with other students, but he'd felt too out of his depth at this party tonight to be suave. If he was turning any heads, it was probably because people were wondering if he was really old enough to be at this sort of party, or what his relation to the host and hostess was.

"Yeah. I was nervous," he admitted. "Even though it's just a dance and it's not like it'll lead to anything, it still seemed different from just dancing with someone in etiquette class. I don't know why. Maybe just the idea that it could lead to something if I was older and wanted it to, you know?" Morgan tilted his head as he looked at Basil, not sure whether his friend would be following his train of thought or not. He didn't want Basil thinking that he did want to do anything with young women he met at parties. At least, he didn't think he did — there were conflicting tugs of the current on this, because Morgan knew from his parents and governess and teachers that proper young gentlemen did not dally with young women before they were in a position to marry... but he also knew, from conversations in the common room or around the table in the Great Hall with other boys his age, that popular boys kissed girls. So was it more important that he give Basil the impression that he was proper, or popular? Maybe it didn't matter — he had the feeling that Basil would see through either.

"I wouldn't even know what to do if I had the chance," he admitted, glancing at the ceiling and pushing back against Basil's foot.

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Nee, nervous? Now there was something Basil had a hard time imagining. His friend was ever the confident one, gallant and charming as he was. It was something the Ravenclaw had always greatly admired about him and, truth be told, probably what attracted him to Nee in their first year to begin with. Basil knew he had a hard time engaging others in conversation that wasn’t strictly academic; he’d always struggled a little bit with the limelight of being anyone’s center of attention, especially strangers. But Eldritch was a natural. He was so unobtrusively charismatic.

Basil thought about the brunette with the pretty hair. He supposed this party had been different than just dancing with a classmate. Here there had been an unsaid understanding, much like Eldritch was implying, that these interactions could have gone somewhere if either of them had wanted it. At that Basil’s brow furrowed. He didn’t see himself wanting to further an aquientece with anyone he’d spoken to tonight at all. Maybe he was a little obtuse in the area of romantic relationships too, but Basil also had a sinking feeling that Nee was referring to more than just furthered aquitneces.

Tapping against Nee’s foot, Basil nodded. “You’re telling me,” he replied quietly. “I don’t think I even know how to talk to girls about anything other than school… How are we expected to one day actually entertain one, or even marry for that matter?" Basil frowned again, this time more pointedly. He was frustrated with the idea of failing at something that should come so naturally, or was expected to come naturally. He knew his father had expectations of him, even if they were lesser than those he had of Atticus, and Basil knew - already - that he was destined to disappoint on that front as well.

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Eldritch Morgan

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He let out a breath, relieved to hear he wasn't alone in this. Morgan hadn't really expected that Basil would try and claim he was some sort of Casanova, but he'd still felt a little vulnerable admitting to his own discomfort on the subject of what to do with girls, so it was a comfort to hear someone else felt the same way. Probably lots of people did, come to think of it, but whenever the subject came up with the other teenage boys they all seemed to know what they were talking about (or at least they pretended to) and the seeming ubiquitous nature of it had contributed to Morgan's nerves when thinking about how his own skills (or lack thereof) might compare.

"Well, I can at least talk to them," he teased with a chuckle. He tapped Basil's toe with his own several times in quick succession. "But I wouldn't know what to do after that. I mean, kiss them, I guess. But I don't know how to do it. And it's so hard to get alone with a girl in the first place that it's like — if you're going to kiss a girl there's a lot of buildup before you even get the chance, right? So there's a lot of pressure, and then what if you don't even do it right?"

Morgan had been spending his whole life trying to avoid disappointing anyone's expectations, but at least in most areas he had skills and tools available to him to help. In this particular area he seemed set up for failure, because no one taught kissing in etiquette class.

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Childish though it may be, Basil couldn’t help but stick his tongue out at Nee playfully. “You know what I mean,” he pretended to grumble.

As Nee continued on to talk about ‘after that’ though, Basil felt a laugh of alarm bubble up in his throat. He bit it back, not wanting the other to think he was laughing at him, but… there was zero chance there would ever be an ‘after that’ for him. Basil wasn’t sure he even wanted there to be, honestly. Women in general seemed like a lot of work. That said, he knew it was the expectation of him and he had the same fears that Eldritch was vocalizing.

Basil nodded. “I’m only good at things that I can read out of a book and practice first. I can’t imagine what I’d do if I ever had to kiss someone on the spot without practice!” He balked at the very idea.“There’s probably a secret to it,” he added, pensively. “Maybe it’s not as hard as we think it is?”

Basil had very limited experience with the topic of kissing and relationships. He knew…biologically they were wired to feel something when it happened. It was supposed to indicate compatibility of some kind he guessed because usually people who married also kissed, right? He’d never spent much time reading about it and now he wished he had. Maybe he could have shared something with Nee that would make the both of them feel better.

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Eldritch Morgan

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