» Sibling Rapports, private

[Valeria Lestrange]

Valeria left her wand and all other items in her trunk inside her dormitory. She slipped out of the common room and past all the prefects she spied on her way up to the seventh floor hallway. She picked the location because it was obscure from the prefect's nightly patrols. Valeria had shown up early to their rendezvous spot, and now all that was left was for Cassius to show up. She stood, somewhat hidden behind a statue until closer to their meeting time. The girl folded her arms over her chest in an unladylike manner and rubbed her temples. What would she say to him? What could she say to him? It was true that she wanted to mend what was broken in their relationship. But where could she start?

The sixteen year old placed her head against the cold stone walls of the seventh floor. It was warmer than the cool, dampness of the dungeons, but nevertheless the stone felt refreshing to the touch. Hearing footsteps, Valeria righted herself and looked. She didn't think she saw her brother. Fear struck her. Was it a prefect? What would she say? Valeria doubted she could get away with a lie saying that she was lost. She was no first year. But how could she lie about being all the way on the seventh floor? Oh she hoped her eyes lied to her and Valeria pleaded to Merlin that it was Cassius who was ascending the last few stairs to the seventh floor.

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[Cassius Lestrange*]

Cassius Lestrange:I feel like, I would like to be somewhere else doing something that matters and I'll admit here, while I sit here my mind wastes away and my doubts start to gather

  Cash didn't like pining after Eli. He knew the little things about his best friend, but now he was in tune. Cash loved to make Eli smile, although he hadn't been doing much of that lately. He loved how Eli always seemed surprised when Cash discovered something under his bed he hadn't needed for years, and how Eli wanted them to hang out and have it not be weird, and how he never referred to Cash's cat by her name.

He hated pining, though. Pining sucked. Because he could never, ever, achieve any of what he was hoping for. Even if he told Eli, it would probably blow up in his face. The meeting with Valeria was going to be a welcomed distraction.

He vaulted down the stairs from Ravenclaw tower and slowed down when he got closer to the designated meeting place. He took the last few steps two at a time. "Valeria?" he called. "I'm here." He hoped that she was, and just out of sight, because if a prefect came and spotted him he had no good excuses lined up. (And if they had heard him, they would know that he hadn't 'gotten lost on his way to the bathroom'.) Damn. Cash peeked around the corridor.

[Valeria Lestrange]

Turning, she saw her brother. Valeria almost smiled at the sight of her brother despite their rather tumultuous and violent fighting. Despite their stormy history, Valeria was going to put her best foot forward and she offered a hand to her brother. “Your birthday is coming up, isn't it?” Valeria hesitated. “I'll send you a letter and some chocolate from Honeydukes, maybe.” Her voice was soft and she suddenly clenched her hands into tight fists to where her thin, long fingernails dug into her palms. Her thin frame rippled with anticipation at what she had planned to say which was now rushing down far away from where she was standing. Valeria felt her plans run down the staircase not to be caught by her thin fingers.

Looking up to the ceiling briefly, Valeria inhaled deeply. Nervousness had washed over her body like a flood and her emotions had to even out before anything happened, this the sixteen year old knew. She forced herself to calm down and in doing so she submitted to her greater defiance and smiled at her brother. “Are you doing better, Cash?” she asked. “I'm sorry for snapping at you in the library. I can not say that I did not deserve that bruise I got from where you hurled that book at me. It has been quite a rough few weeks between us, has it not?” She had to mend things with her brother. They were never quite close, but Valeria sought the rapport that the two had been missing for quite some time. Valeria was changing and she could not change that now. Change was speeding through her veins. It was unstoppable. She would have to accept it.

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[Cassius Lestrange*]

Cassius Lestrange:I feel like, I would like to be somewhere else doing something that matters and I'll admit here, while I sit here my mind wastes away and my doubts start to gather

  Cassius gave a small smile. "I'd like that," he said, swallowing the ball of nervousness that was forming in his throat. He had his own words, some of them things that really needed to not be said out loud simply due to the fact that they could get him killed, some of them things that could be said. But Valeria was going first. And that was more than okay with him, as she had initiated the letters, she was older, and his words weren't quite formed yet.

"I'm," he said, "okay." He was okay, he was friends with Eli and that ought to have been enough. They had one the Quidditch cup. He ought to have been brilliant. It was really a shame that he wasn't.

"I'm sorry for throwing the book at you," he admitted, "I shouldn't have lost my temper." Regardless of whether or not she had deserved it, it had not been the best of decisions.

Cash sighed and studied his sister for a moment. "We haven't had a very good year," he admitted. They could only go up, though. "I think we can... fix it, though." Deep down, Cash was an optimist. And that was what they were there for.

[Valeria Lestrange]

Valeria watched her brother. They were so close in age that it frustrated her that he would soon be sixteen like her. She noticed that he gave a small smile and seemed to be cooperative. This was a good sign, a very good sign. She took a few steps closer towards him as Cash apologized. “I understand,” she replied. “I got carried away, too. You’re the family scapegoat whether you like it or not.” Valeria told him. It was the cold, honest truth to the Lestrange ways. If there was something to be blamed on someone, it was usually Cash unless the true culprit was apprehended or confessed, which was, indeed, a rare occasion. She listened to her brother’s confession and suddenly grabbed him tightly. Valeria embraced Cash like she had never done before. In truth, she had not hugged him since they were very little and it suddenly felt good to embrace her brother. “Only one way to go now, Cash; up.”

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[Cassius Lestrange*]

Cassius Lestrange:I feel like, I would like to be somewhere else doing something that matters and I'll admit here, while I sit here my mind wastes away and my doubts start to gather

  "Yes, I guess I am," he said. He didn't like it and he didn't appreciate it, but someone had to be blamed for everything. If he had been more of a martyr, he would have thought 'at least it isn't one of the kids'. Instead, he was resentful.

He melted into the hug, returning it after a moment of shock. He beamed at his sister's words, and, when the hug was over, felt somewhat lighter. "So," he said, "what's new with you?" Might as well start somewhere.

[Valeria Lestrange]

Valeria was almost surprised that Cash returned her hug, but she welcomed it nevertheless. “I’ve been better,” she said breathily. “I have been feeling quite alone, Cash,” she whispered. The girl broke eye contact and moved to sit on a stair. Even emotionally drained and physically exhausted, Valeria still managed to sit down on the stairs with a sense of grace that she had never really thought about. She stared at all the portraits and thought to herself briefly. “Cash,” she finally said. “Does love always hurt?”

And for the first time in a long time, Valeria sounded weak to herself, not just to the empty air and Cash that was only feet from her. Her eyes flitted around the tall walls looking briefly at every single painting that was nailed to the walls or held up by magic or whatever the case was. She then proceeded to look over at Cash. “I have never felt so weak or felt so in pain before, Cash. Maybe you have, because you are a boy. I have no idea…” Valeria’s words faded and she looked away. Fiddling with her gown made more sense to her than sighing to her brother anyway.

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[Cassius Lestrange*]

Cassius Lestrange:I feel like, I would like to be somewhere else doing something that matters and I'll admit here, while I sit here my mind wastes away and my doubts start to gather

  Cash was alarmed at his elder sister's words, but kept his face straight and refrained from asking questions as he sat on the stair next to her. "I feel like it does," he said, thinking of all the things that had happened between him and Eli over the last few months.

"I'm," he said, deciding to go with words, "I'm so tired, Valeria. All the time. And-" he paused, realized there wasn't really an and, and changed tactics. "Love is awful." He hated pining. He hated knowing he could be executed for his thoughts. He hated all of it.

"What do you think happened to us?" He knew none of their relatives that had ever felt this way. What had gone wrong?

[Valeria Lestrange]

Cash thought love was awful. Valeria thought it was pretty damn bad, too. She looked at her brother that she knew she should have be closer to. Reaching out with a thin hand, Valeria rubbed her brother's arm in the gentlest of ways. Her fingertips barely brushed against her brother's clothes. She wanted to tell him that she would be there for him even though she had not been there for him in a great many years. “We...” she paused, “just separated. There is no excuse on my end. We drifted apart. It was probably because you are in Ravenclaw and I am in Slytherin. But I think why we drifted truly is because you and I are so similar we turn to being so completely different.”

Valeria stopped talking and licked her lips briefly. “Cash,” she started, “I love the temptation of loving something you shouldn't. No, I'm not attracted to women if that's where you are headed, Cash. I love someone closer to us than you could ever realize.” Valeria clenched her hands into tight fists and placed them in her lap. “I want to be close friends again, Cash. I want to confide in you and I want for you to confide in me. We need this, Cash.”

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[Cassius Lestrange*]

Cassius Lestrange:I feel like, I would like to be somewhere else doing something that matters and I'll admit here, while I sit here my mind wastes away and my doubts start to gather

  "That sounds about right," he said, while inside his mind something thrummed with happy. Valeria thought they were similar. That was good.

He listened to Valeria and just barely resisted the urge to start guessing. "I want that," he said, "I need it, too." Because I am attracted to men, and someone needs to know, he thought. Besides, he did doubt that Valeria was going to get him killed.

"If we're going to share, though," he said, "we should maybe go somewhere less..." he gestured to the hallway. "I don't want to end up in the Prophet." Because it could get him killed very, very easily.

[Valeria Lestrange]

Nodding with approval, Valeria rose to her feet. “Where though?” she questioned, her voice soft to hopefully hide from the possible eavesdroppers that could be hiding in various parts of the corridor the siblings stood in. They were mending their relationship, which was very good on the middle Lestrange's part. Valeria remembered of something she had heard rumors about. “There is apparently a hidden room that comes to those who need it on this floor,” she whispered. “Maybe we can try to look for it. We certainly need it, dear brother.”

Cash and Valeria were mending their relationship. Finding the hidden room would guarantee their success in fixing the wounds that had separated the two since Valeria had attended Hogwarts. Their being Irish twins almost ensured that they would be close. They were friends at one point in history. Valeria wanted that bond back. Cornelia and Seneca would have to understand. Tiberius and Claude should understand that request. “Come,” she said. “Let’s go!”

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[Cassius Lestrange*]

Cassius Lestrange:I feel like, I would like to be somewhere else doing something that matters and I'll admit here, while I sit here my mind wastes away and my doubts start to gather

  "That sounds good," he said, curiosity piqued. Cash's Ravenclaw senses were tingling. He loved finding new things, and while that was not their main concern here, he would like to know where this magic room was.

He followed her, peering around for a door. Of course, being Cash, he was distracted by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. "You know, I've never understood why they still have this thing," he said, running his hand over one of the ballet dancing trolls. "I mean, it moves, but... Meh." He was not impressed by the crazy man with the giant trolls. Not impressed at all.

He turned to Valeria. Distraction time over, they needed to find the room. And he needed to pay attention to her, because she was probably better at finding it than he was.

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PLAYED BY BEANIE | SET BY MJ | PROFILE | POST LOG

[Valeria Lestrange]

Travelling through the corridors with her Irish twin in tow, Valeria focused on the task at hand until Cassius stopped walking and started chattering. Intrigued by the Barnabas the Barmy’s tapestry, Cassius was rambling on and on about ballet dancing trolls that baffled the older Irish twin. Grimacing, she stopped, turned around, and stood behind him, she, too, staring at the tapestry. She rolled her eyes and strutted away, goal within her grasp, she could feel it. “I can feel that we are getting close, Cash,” she breathed looking around. “I think it is just a little more down this hallway. When we approach it, we need to think of a place that is someplace to hide so we can talk freely. Chairs and tea would be a nice touch,” Valeria muttered, knowing full well that there was no way that could be possible as she continued heading off a few more paces thinking of what she needed.

A doorway soon appeared as she turned back and took a few steps. “Oh my Merlin,” she exclaimed. “Cassius!” Valeria hissed, “here it is!” A shocked expression formed rather quickly on her face as she stepped to it, ushering Cash to follow. The sixteen year old did not know how long the door would remain present to pass through, but she entered the room. Two chairs had appeared next to each other and an even more bewildered expression crossed the teen’s face. Blinking a few times, Valeria looked to her brother. “Well,” she whispered. “Sit down.”

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[Cassius Lestrange*]

Cassius Lestrange:I feel like, I would like to be somewhere else doing something that matters and I'll admit here, while I sit here my mind wastes away and my doubts start to gather

  Cash turned backwards at Valeria's summoning, spinning automatically. If he was feeling smug, he would have said it was seeker reflexes. He whispered at her, "Wha- oh!" Oh, was right. He wondered if the Room they had uncovered would ever come in handy. He wasn't sure what for, as, well, the common room itself was great for just about anything he did, but.... It was good to know it was there. Maybe. Whatever - as a Ravenclaw, Cash liked to know everything that was going on at all times.

The place itself was weird. It had chairs in it, like it was sentient and had understood what they wanted. Cash squinted suspiciously at them and sat down in one. Well. It certainly hadn't tried to kill him yet. That was... good? Yes, that was good, it meant that the room was trying to help them in the only way a room could. By giving them a safe place to talk - and chairs to sit in.

He was almost afraid that if he started speaking all the words would just tumble out, but he took a breath and managed to refrain. "Do you want to go first, sister, or shall I?" Because politeness totally mattered in this situation. Also, he didn't want to give her a heart attack or something.

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PLAYED BY BEANIE | SET BY MJ | PROFILE | POST LOG

[Valeria Lestrange]

Valeria sat in one of the chairs as Cash, too, sat down. Her heart was racing. Where would she start? Where could she start? Valeria blinked and stared at Cash when he asked her whether or not she wanted to start. Manners made everyone oblige that she accept for it was common for ladies to go first in just about everything. Valeria clamped her hands tightly together and thought about whether or not she wanted to go first. She did, truly, and so Valeria nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’ll go first.”

Taking a deep breath, Valeria looked into her brother’s eyes. “I think I am in love with Tiberius…” her voice faltering and weak at the core. “Please,” she breathed, “tell no one that I think that. This is our secret between you and I. I do not know if I want to admit these feelings. But the things that I have felt and the things that I have thought about are almost perplexing in everything I have done that revolves around Tiberius. It is so damaging,” Valeria paused to breathe. “I have no words for this. It is terrible. This pain about emotions is terrible. Love is terrible, Cash.”

Valeria started to gnaw on her lower lip. “I think that is everything, but maybe it is not. Please, Cash,” Valeria fought tearing up, “you should go. I hate this. This is so painful to think and talk about it might just be best for me to listen for a while. I have done way too much talking for the day, I think.”

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