You Can't Take Me

@caerus | Outfit

He knew that he couldn't mope forever. He knew that he was going to have to try and come to terms with everything sooner or later, but he had a feeling that it was going to be later. At this point, he was going to have to try and find some way to make it through the holidays, without really hating every single moment of it. Because he didn't want to ruin it for everyone else, but he also knew that it was going to be hard. There was no denying that he was going to have to try and work around the fact that his ma was dead. He didn't even really know what he could do to not think about that. Could he not think about that? He thought that he might have a shot of not thinking about it, at least until they started decorating the school for the holidays. This was Hogwarts, after all, and the elves and the professors alike, tended to go a little overboard when it came to the decorations for this place. He was sure that it was going to look wonderful, and that anyone that wanted to be in the holiday spirit was going to love it. He just didn't think that he had a shot at being one of those people, not this year. And this year was his last year in this castle. It was the last year that he was really going to have to try and fake it like that. From here on out no one was really going to care. It wasn't going to matter who, or what, he wanted to celebrate, because he didn't think that he was going to have to stay put much longer. 

LJ knew that he wasn't going to go far. But a flat in the city might be better than that house in Cambridge. He knew that he couldn't keep imposing on his aunt. Especially once the twins were born. She was going to have her hands full with two new babies, and he knew that she had her own kids, and Pippa, that she was looking after too. He knew that he was going to have to fend for himself, and that was okay. He could have gone to the Graves', he knew that his godparents would have taken him in too, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to burden anybody anymore than they already were. He could handle being on his own. And maybe he'd go to Lufkin. Maybe he'd get an apprenticeship... He didn't really know. All he knew for sure was that he was going to have to not live in that Manor. Convincing Dad of that was going to be a feat. He was sure that his dad would have something to say about them all living together, but LJ thought his argument was solid. If Nick and Ana both didn't have to live at home, neither did he. And he thought that Dad would realize there was more to it than just him not wanting to be the only one still stuck at home. If it was just Dad, things would have been different. But Dad, and Orion, and Issa... That was a lot, and he didn't think that he was going to be the best company in the world over Christmas. Let alone him coming back full time next summer. 

Shaking his head he made his way through the halls with Gotti on his heels. The dog wasn't allowed in actual classes with him, but he was still there, hovering outside the door, waiting for him. He was always there, and LJ was just grateful that Dad, and Lady Bulstrode, had gone to bat for him having the dog with him in the school. He needed him, and really, he knew that he could probably have survived, but he didn't want to have to try. He thought that this was fine, and as long as no one was complaining, he didn't give the Headmaster a reason to take away the privilege that he had been granted in having the dog in the castle. Pushing the door to the Prefects' Common Room open, LJ thought that there was less of a chance that anyone was really going to bother him in there. Seeing that it wasn't empty though, surprised him. Most of the time it was, people always seemed to busy with their lives to want to hide away in here where no one could get to them. But who he did see, made him chuckle. "What are you doing in here Nott?" The other seventh year was one of his best friends, and he thought that if he was going to have company, he was a good person to have. Well, he or his cousin, but LJ didn't think that Sera had any reason to con her way into this of all rooms in the castle.

YOU CAN'T TAKE ME

OUTFIT

If there was one plus side of being at Hogwarts, it was the fact that there was always some witch nearby that he could charm into his bed, or a broom closet, or the prefects’ bath, or… really anywhere, if he put his mind to it. It was the best way to keep himself having some kind of fun at this school, even if he tried to be just a little bit subtle about it. Sometimes. It wasn’t as if he was shagging every witch with legs. He had taste. But when he did want a witch, Caerus was glad that he didn’t have to go all that far to find one. It kept things interesting here, to say the least. There was a Gryffindor that he currently had his eye on, simply out of curiosity. She had a crush on him… it was the right for it, because there was blushing involved when she was around him, and she got flustered. Caerus knew the signs, so he knew that she was very clearly interested. He was still trying to decide about her. She was an Ollivander, that had recently been found out. She was a pretty thing, that was true. Decent at Quidditch, but clearly not passionate about it. Past that, he didn’t know very much about her. Caerus knew that he could pretty easily find out more, but for the time being, that wasn’t really… necessary for him.

He had plenty of witches to keep himself busy for now. He thought that he could probably get Alois into bed with him again if he really tried—they hadn’t ended on the best note, but a challenge was always fun. He had Aileas, if he ever really needed her… the Gryffindor was fun, and she seemed to be on the same page as him when it came to the avoidance of actually dating. It just wasn’t necessary, when they both wanted the same things, and shagging didn’t require dating. It didn’t need to be mutually exclusive. There was always Remy too, but Remy was… Remy. They usually ended up shagging when she stayed with him during the holidays, but at school, their eyes were more often on other targets. And she was his friend. But it was always good to know that option was there—it was always a very tempting one. Freya… he thought that he could find more out about her, and see what he thought then. Dating could be his thing, at times, but not really in the long term. She seemed to be the type that would like dating, though. Caerus could sense that type from a mile away, not that there was anything wrong with that. If he liked a witch, he would date her if he felt like it. It just didn’t last that long.

For now, he didn’t have much of a reason to track anyone down. He didn’t actually feel like being around anyone, so he’d decided to go to the prefects’ common room instead of hanging out in Ravenclaw Tower. There was a benefit to only having twenty-six students know the password for the prefects’ common room—there was a far better chance of getting it to one’s self when they really wanted it. Once he’d said the password and walked inside, he saw that he had gotten his wish, and the room was indeed empty. Tossing his bag to the other end of the couch, Caerus dropped down onto it and rolled up his sleeves. Then loosened his tie. There was no reason not to get comfortable now that he had nothing else to worry about tonight… except assignments, but those could wait. He had barely had a chance to even get comfortable before he heard the door opening again, and he would have rolled his eyes, but then he saw who it was. LJ, and that worked just fine too. The Ravenclaw was probably his best friend, so obviously he didn’t mind that he was in here. In fact, he wasn’t surprised to see him in the slightest. LJ liked to be on his own sometimes, and these days, who could blame him? “Getting away from the madness. You?” It felt better than dealing with the Ravenclaw common room, for a little while at least.