Name: Wade Barnes
Age: 16
House: Gryffindor
Blood-Status: Pure-blood
Sexuality: Bisexual.
Favorite Subject: History of Magic. I enjoy learning how things came to be, the origins of our life. I also find the fact that the professor of that class being a ghost enhances the subject. He has been there, he was alive during a lot we cover. Most wizards find him dull but I enjoy his class.
Favorite Professor: Well, definitely NOT Snape, I'll just put that out there. I don't know if I have a specific favorite. A lot of them are decent, some I like more than others, but I can't pinpoint a favorite.
How do you feel about the other houses? Well, I have friends in both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw and I rather enjoy their company. Hufflepuffs are adorable and super sweet most of the time and Ravenclaws can be stuck up at times but are overall rather nice. It's the Slytherins I can't seen to get along with. They're all, for lack of a better word, mean. And there's the whole Slytherin-Gryffindor rivalry that's always been there. It's hard to imagine a Slytherin and a Gryffindor getting along. Or a Slytherin getting along with anyone outside their own cave, really.
How do you feel about YOUR houses stereotypes? Gryffindors are typically known as courageous, right? That's what this house is about. I can't argue too much with being called brave but I also don't really care for the bickering about how I'm supposed to be brave all the time. Even the bravest have their demons that terrify them to their core. No one person can be completely courageous.
~~~
Name: Jeremiah Woodward. I go by JP typically, though.
Age: 14
House: Hufflepuff
Blood-Status: Muggleborn
Sexuality: Umm, can I not answer this? I'd rather not answer this one..
Favorite Subject: I actually love charms. The spells are fun and I'm actually a halfway decent student in that class. It's just classes like Defense Against The Dark Arts that scare me. I don't like the dark side to magic, it scares me. I like the side that won't hurt anyone or get me hurt. I find Charms to be a fun class.
Favorite Professor: Professor McGonagall. She's always been so nice to me and has been looking out for me since first year. She's also been quite nice when finding me wandering the corridors at night. I think she looks out for me at this point instead of leaving me to be found by someone like Filch or Snape. I'm rather thankful for that. If it was either of them, I would be getting much worse detentions much more frequently.
How do you feel about the other houses? Well, Ravenclaw has always been a really pleasant house to be around. I like them, they have helped tutor me in the past in some subjects. I really appreciate it. Gryffindor: well, I don't really know anyone in that house besides the guy that I had detention with. He was sweet, offered to help me sleep at night, a promise I'm not sure he'll keep or not, so he's a good guy. Slytherin house scares me, in all honesty. They're all so mean and they bully me just because of my house and who my parents are. I can't help that my parents don't have magic and I do.
How do you feel about YOUR houses stereotypes? Well, what even are Hufflepuff stereotypes? Loyalty, friendship? I don't know, I guess that's a good thing to be known as? I mean, we're also supposed to be the weakest house and cowardly and that's not really true for most people in my house but it certainly is for me.
~~~
November 7,2003
11:23 PM
It took quite a bit time but eventually the four students made it out of the forest. JP couldn't stop shaking in fear and his grip on Wade would not let up even a little bit. The kid was hurting his arm but he didn't care at the moment. Keeping JP in sight was more important to Wade than the bruise that would definitely be there in the morning.
Once the four students found their way out of the forest and let Hagrid fuss over them for a while ("Where the devil have you been? Been worried sick, I have."), they were finally allowed to head back up to the castle to bed. ("Don't delay and try to steer clear of Peeves. Don't want any of us getting in any more trouble.")
Patrck and Gar walked ahead of the other two, obviously trying to pretend nothing happened in that forest and avoiding each other at all costs. JP and Wade, in the other hand, walked much slower. Wade was trying to prolong his time with the younger, whilst JP was trying to avoid having to go back to his dorm.
The closer they got to the castle, the more nervous JP became. He wasn't tired, he knew this would be another sleepless night. He wanted nothing more than to avoid going back to his room where he'd be forced to lay in his bed, tossing and turning the whole night through, thoughts torturing him and the darkness of the room practically suffocating him. It happened often, too often. The feeling was familiar to him at this point and yet, he still was not used to it. It wasn't something he could ever get used to.
"W-Wade?" JP asked just before the two reached the castle. He practically cursed himself for stuttering but he couldn't help his discomfort. He didn't want Wade knowing his actual thoughts, especially considering how tired he must be. But the older hummed in acknowledgement before letting out a silent yawn, confirming JP's thoughts. "Y-you can leave me here to go back to your room. You don't need to walk me all the way back, I know the way. And besides, you need your sleep."
Wade stopped in his tracks once that was said, pulling JP with him. The older studies him for a moment, making JP squirm. He did want him to see the true meaning behind the comment. He just hoped Wade wouldn't be able to see it. JP knew he wanted to help and he may have been grateful for that but he also didn't want to deprive the older of sleep and become a burden.
But evidently, Wade was too observant, even in his tired state, because after a few moments, he let out a sigh and said with an exhausted air to his voice: "I have a better idea." Before he grabbed the younger boy's arm and started dragging him into the castle.
"W-where are you taking me?" JP stuttered out again, hating that Wade wasn't just leaving him to himself, but also relieved that this guy actually was showing him something that no one has before (aside from his parents): concern. This guy who barely knew him was concerned about his well-being and putting JP before himself and the younger was flattered, but he also didn't want to see Wade give him all that attention when it wasn't worth the effort. He knew he would just be a nuisance.
"Somewhere I can keep an eye on you where we won't get caught out of bed." Wade grumbled, rushing up the staircases until they reached the seventh floor, quite a ways away from any dorms and where Peeves was not likely to be since he usually caused his nightly chaos near the dorms (usually Slytherin, which is in the dungeons.)
It didn't take long for Wade to pull JP to a stop in front of a large, empty wall. Normally, the younger wouldn't have thought anything of this wall, just a blank canvas he passed by every day for classes, but Wade stared up at it like it was the most important wall in existence.
Slowly, Wade turned, catching JP's curious eye and sending him a slight smile before begin to walk again slowly. Wade had his eyes closed now, evidently focused. His pace was slow, cautious even. Almost like he was on a tightrope above a boiling caldron of lava. JP was mesmerized by his movements and he didn't even know why.
Once Wade got to the end of the wall, he turned, heading back the way he came, movements just as slow and cautious. He repeated this action a few times, three to be exact, before suddenly, almost as if sprouting from the wall itself, a large, beautiful, yet slightly ancient door appeared across the wall. It nearly covered the entire space with it's gorgeous textures and elegant designs that mimicked the lay of the rest of the school. Wade seemed pleased as it appeared, a wide smile spreading.
"We'll be safe in here, not many people knows about this room." Wade confirmed, holding his hand out for JP to take before reaching out his other to open the large, wide door, leaving a silent air in it's wake instead of the loud screech the younger expected.
Beyond the door sat a room, a rather large one. Though the scale of the room seemed to intensify due to the emptiness of it. JP would have thought it was completely empty if his eyes hadn't immediately landed in the large, king-sized bed, very similar to what one may see in a suite at a muggle hotel. It looked comfortable as hell and that just made JP even more nervous.
Next to the bed sat a little chair. It made JP think of his mother, how she used to sit in a little rocking chair by his bed when he was little and sing him to sleep. Those were much simpler times, before Hogwarts, before magic, before any of this..
Before his insomnia took hold.
JP has so many questions, so many things he didn't understand about this situation, but only one seemed to break through and spilled from his mouth almost immediately.
"What is this place?" Wade let out a chuckle.
"It's called the Room of Requirement. Most people don't know about it but that's just because they don't have a need for it. I've been here a few times, and I know a few others know about it because I have walked in on people looking for a quiet place to get away. Usually it's a quiet Ravenclaw by the name of Molly, she and I have gotten to be friends a bit in the time we've been here. She's probably my closest friend at the moment and we only really see each other in here when we happen to run into each other." Wade paused, letting out a slight, sad chuckle, scratching the back of his neck. He glanced up at JP, catching the younger staring at him in deep interest and thought before looking back down, a small blushing making it's way into his face for reasons that were unknown to him.
"The room will provide the person with what they need in that moment in time. For example: we needed a place for you to sleep where I can watch over you and do what I can to help you get a good night's sleep. Hence the bed is for you, that chair is for me." JP opened his mouth to protest but Wade was quick to cut him off. "Before you object, think about the last time you actually got a good night's sleep. Think about how long ago it was since you could lay in a bed and just drift off without laying awake for hours on end only to finally find yourself in a shallow sleep that leaves you more tired than you were when you went to sleep. I'm worried about your health here, JP."
"Y-you don't even know me.." JP practically whispered in response, feeling his own cheeks turn a deep shade of red, looking down in embarrassment. "You should take the bed, I'm a hopeless case."
Suddenly JP felt a presence coming closer to him and a hand slip into his. His head snapped up in enough time to see a smiling, tired-looking face beaming down at him that made him feel even more guilty.
"Come on," Wade said quietly. "Let's get you to bed."
Neither of the two ended up getting any sleep that night.
~~~
November 11, 2003
11:56PM
JP and Wade barely spoke since that first night they met. Wade has certainly been keeping a close eye on the younger from a far. He could see the younger wasting away from the lack of rest he has been getting. It was obvious, everything about him was becoming slow and the kid himself was really getting pale. Wade was concerned, to say the least.
It was almost midnight at the time JP left the Hufflepuff common room to roam the halls like he hadn't done in a while. He just started aimlessly walking, wondering where his feet would take him.
JP eventually found himself on the seventh floor corridor Wade took him that night. A small smile crept into his face as the door appeared in front of him and a soft humming could be heard from outside.
Slowly, the Hufflepuff let himself into the room, seeing Wade sitting next to the same bed that was there before in the same little chair as before. The older noticed him enter and flashed him a cheery smile that made JP's lips turn up softly.
"I had a feeling I'd see you tonight." Wade said quietly, standing and making his way towards JP.
JP didn't say anything, just let the older student approach, letting him inspect him from up close.
Wade quickly noticed how deep the bags under the younger's eyes had become and how pale his flesh was. He couldn't help but lift a hand to lightly stroke JP's cheek, his skin hot, yet cold at the same time. If Wade didn't know better, he would say JP had come down with some sort of disease.
After a moment, Wade let out a soft, concerned sigh before grabbing JP's hand in his own and sending a small grin his direction.
"Come on," Wade said, just as he did the last time they were here. "Let's get you to bed."
~~~
November 15, 2003
12:43 PM
It was lunch time at Hogwarts but Wade wasn't in the mood to eat, especially in the Great Hall. It was too crowded and his mind was too occupied to deal with anyone in there.
JP had been on the older student's mind since they met. It was driving him insane and making him sad at the same time. He couldn't stand seeing JP like that all the time. He wondered what the kid would be like when he wasn't so tired all the time, when he didn't constantly look like the whole universe was out to destroy him. He wanted to see a genuine smile, hear a genuine laugh, but most importantly (as creepy as it may sound), get to watch him have an actual good sleep. The last time they met, JP managed a good twenty minutes of rest before waking up in an intense state of panic due to a nightmare. Wade ended up climbing into the bed with him, struggling to calm him down, but just holding him to his chest the rest of the night once he finally did. It was not a pleasant experience for either of the two.
Now, suddenly, Wade was finding himself make his way up to the seventh floor, hoping to catch a friend he knew came up here some days during lunch.
Wade didn't see anyone upon entering the room at first glance, disappointment filling his senses. But then a voice rang out. It just wasn't the voice he was hoping for.
"Hey," a familiar voice rang out across the room. Wade glanced in the direction of the voice to see the Ravenclaw kid from the Detention that brought him to JP. "Wade, right?"
"Uhh, yeah. Gar?" The guy nodded and Wade instantly relaxed.
"What bring you here?" Gar asked a bit awkwardly.
"I was hoping to talk to a friend. I take it she's not actually here at the moment." Wade admitted shyly. Gar let out an amused chuckle.
"I hear ya, I came here looking for someone to talk to as well. I don't understand, she's usually here at this time." The two guys both froze when he said that and gave each other a knowing glance.
"Molly?" The two guys asked at the same time before nodding with amused looks.
"Of course." Gar chuckled again.
An awkward silence followed, the two just standing there staring at each other, thinking long and hard about what each of them had in mind. Each of their problem and they guys they each could not stop thinking about.
Wade was the first to break the silence. "Ya know, since neither of us can really talk to Molly right now and we both obviously need to talk something out, we could talk to each other?"
Gar pondered this for a moment, thinking it out. Eventually though, he agreed.
The two stayed in that room for many hours just talking. Wade talked about JP, his worry and everything that has happened since that detention. Gar brought up Patrck and his frustrations with that. As soon as the Slytherin was brought up, Wade couldn't keep the smirk off his face, causing A large blush crossing Gar's features.
The two managed to skip the rest of their classes for the day, talking about guys for hours on end. Any teenage girl would have been proud of them. Before they knew it, it was approaching dinner and they figured they should go get something to eat since they both skipped lunch.
But either way, they both knew a blooming friendship would come from this experience. They knew they would become close after that day.
~~~
November 16, 2003
1:15 AM
"Hey Wade?" JP asked the older quietly, glancing over him. Wade was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed.
Wade hummed in acknowledgement at JP addressing him.
"What are you afraid of?" JP asked quietly. It was quite a random question, but JP was curious. He had been laying awake for hours, fears running through his mind. It was eating at him and he felt like he had to bring it up.
Wade sat up at the question, looking over at the younger in confusion and concern, yet not really questioning it out loud. He just leaned back once more, eying JP as he spoke.
"I'm afraid of dying." Wade offered softly, trying to be truthful. "Not just myself, but those I love. Just the thought of one day, losing someone and just never getting to interact with them again in this life is a terrifying concept."
Silence followed closely behind Wade's statement. It wasn't awkward though, more desperate than anything. Comfortable, but dastardly desperate.
"I'm scared of darkness." JP stated softly. This caused Wade to sit up once more, staring at the Hufflepuff with interest this time. "Anything can hide in the dark, mostly death. Maybe it's just the unknown aspect that makes me freeze like it does. But there's comfort in fear, I guess. The darkness also calms me down, it's why wandering in the darkness of the castle is what I do when I can't sleep every night. Maybe it's just the prospect of something being able to jump out and kill me at any moment that I find so appealing. That's also what I was terrified about during that detention, the dark. It's almost as if being in darkness on my own is more appealing and less terrifying than being with other people."
JP stopped and Wade was left speechless. It's a wonder how so much wisdom can come from someone so fragile and innocent. It was a mystery to Wade, but one he wasn't sure how to question or if he even wanted to.
He just accepted it as the two sat in silence the rest of the night, neither realizing as JP drifted into his first comfortable slumber in nearly two months.
And this is the night Wade decides he really wants to get to know this mysterious kid. Maybe a friendship can form from this.
Or maybe Wade just doesn't want to admit the truth behind this attraction.