Speaking Words of Wisdom, Let It Be

Jack strode down the steps of the castle, feeling as though she were escaping the claustrophobic confines of some looming monster. She did not think of Hogwarts as a monster- maybe the people inside- but not the school. The school, in a lot of ways, was her best refuge. But sometimes the stone walls seemed to trap her and she needed to escape.

Usually, she would go fly, but she was still sore from all of her other practices, though the option was always open. She had the keys to the broom shed and could easily spend the afternoon doing that. But after a long, tiresome week, the best way to kick off the weekend was relaxing.

So she found a nearby tree, centrally located between the Great Lake and the pitch- in case she decided to trek to either- and flopped down, laying on the ground and pulling her bag full of its usual "necessities"- basically a small prank shop of its own- onto her stomach and she let out a sigh, closing her eyes and trying to keep the demons out of her head. If she was quiet enough, she could pretend she was somewhere without people who grew close and tore away, who took your friends, who made your life a hell. If she could just pretend for long off.

"You're done. Go back to your dorms and clean up. And no more Whiz Crackers in the Hallways, or next I will not offer you the ear muffs." Two, shaggy-haired young wizards shuffled out of the Herbolog greenhouse, clothes soiled with the dirt and sweat of planting mandrakes for several hours. The foolish boys had earned themselves detention for breaking the rules and delivering to themselves a week of punishment for repeatedly skipping class and setting off annoying firecrackers throughout the halls.

All supplied by one red-headed teenager, no doubt. James honestly had no idea what to do with Jack Dylan. The Seventh-year was clearly at the end of her rope, being the Champion of Hogwarts, and a prominent member of the PA. With her notoriety within the group, and her liberal usage of the Room of Requirement, Jack was probably their leader. But James had no reason to give her detention- not without a solid case to prove.

In that sense, being the Imperium Squad, effectively acting as a Prefect of the school, James felt limited.
Still, he did not abhor Jack's existence. Rather, he had grown accustomed to her childish mannerisms in the attempt to assimilate with the Student Population of Hogwarts. A group that he, under normal circumstances, would have been content with ignoring. But he needed to be in the loop, and found being helpful, if only for study, a rather pleasing activity.

But this was not to say that he would proffer his assistance to anyone in particular. He was not one for social interaction, though he actively studied it throughout his interactions with his fellow students. He was the silent brooding type, the kind of boy who was content with ignoring those around as they would of him. Being in the same room as Jack Dylan, however, did not offer such a luxury.

And then... he found Jack. Crying, of all the selfish things. For what reason did she cry? Had socializing with everyone, creating such an impression that she was dependable, strong and courageous, that it was all crashing down upon her. It fascinated James, but it irked at the same time. If anyone needed their crying time...

Then again, Jack always put on a brave face. The possibility persisted that she was only holding onto a hollow facade to ease the passing of her days, just as James once did.
Except that James gave that up once puberty began to kick in, and his first "crush," if such a term was applicable to the Beauxbatons girl he had met one fine summer, quickly turned him down. At that point, Alan stepped in and quickly took the boy back to "their" apartment and began James' regiment of training. James would later find himself too bashful to mention the whole "crush" thing until she left.
Mostly, James was glad to be rid of her. Now that two years had passed, he had learned to seal that friendship away. He had changed, naturally- perhaps Jack Dylan needed to too. Well, not like James, of course. Too drastic. But she needed to be more... selfish?


As James considered the possibilities, he saw the girl in question lounging about on the field, lying beneath the shade of a tree. James stepped up to her prostate form and asked,
"Everything well enough for you, Ms. Dyllan?" leaning over her head so she could clearly see who he was.

Jack was struggling between musing and keeping the demons at bay. She was trying to forget everything that had been bothering her, but it was hard to ignore them as well. When she decided she would allow herself to brood, her mind set up barriers. When she decided to embrace these defenses, her mind launched into a torrent of frustrated thoughts. Finally, she let out a sigh, and with it, all attempts to try.

She heard a voice above her and her eyes flicked open and she saw James Wake peering down at her. She smirked up at him. It seemed he always found her when she was least expecting to be found at all, always at the times when she thought she could just sit back and... wallow? Was that the word? Jack was not emotion, and therefore not a wallower. No, it was when she had her defenses down and was not putting on an act. His timing was impeccable.

Jack grinned up at him. "I suppose you could say that." She then remembered their last conversation and realized a few things were in order. A thank you. An apology. She smiled softly up at him and sat up, pounding the earth next to her and turning to face him. "Here, take a seat." She smiled.

"I am afraid my timing varies. If this another consultation such as the in your meeting room the other night, then by all means proceed. If this one of your little sheninagans I would prefer to keep my pants dry. The dirt of Hogwarts is surprisingly difficult to clean with just one's wand." James remained standing as Jack sat up. He was surprised by Jack's urgency for another "talk." He almost preferred her usual behavior of latching onto his hand and declaring their friendship to be a tangible relationship.

Which it was most certainly not.

James watched Jack for any behaviors that seemed "un-Jack-like." James could not say that he knew much about Jack as a person. He knew more about her as a subject- an idividual prosecuted for her manipulative, distracting and if not, disruptive behavior in class and outside of class. But as person, Jack was an enigma to the boy who studied for a living.

Jack looked up at him and tried to grin. "For once, it's not shenanigans. Fine, you won't sit..." She pushed her bag off of her stomach and pushed herself up, standing in front of James. One of the things Jack hated was feeling smaller or insignificant. Her short stature had never helped her with that, though years of acquiring a big and bad attitude always managed to balance it out. Still, she hated seeming lower than people. She had learned it to be a survival skill, keeping the playing field even.

She wiped her hands on the sides of her jeans, bending down to flick a clump of wet grass off of her sneakers, trying to stall. Jack sucked with manners and was even worse with admitting when she was wrong or when she had needed someone's help. She had lived her life contrary to that. Her life mottos were she did not need anyone and she was always right. So this was understandably difficult.

She straightened up and sighed. "Look, about the night in the Room of Requirement. Thank you, for the advice and the kindness." She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "And sorry... You were right about me judging you too soon and being mean. You did not deserve that and I feel really bad for being mean after you were... well, yeah. I'm sorry." She finished lamely. She was not the most elegant speaker.

Ah, she was apologizing. Admirable, yes, but unnecessary. James would have kept that conversation a secret, whether he like it or not. His job was only to ensure the rules, not get involved with someone else's personal life. This was a test for James, like a quiz. How was he supposed to remember, and how much was he supposed to forget? James listened respectfully to Jack as she gave her heart felt apologies for what had occurred in the Room of Requirement. She quickly ruined an admittedly sweet apology when she get messed up over a few words. She was no orator, but James was surprised that she was willing to quell her facade long enough for this honest confession.

Or was this another act?

James smiled, almost effortlessly as Jack rambled a bit, and replied "I recall correctly, Ms. Dyllan, I believe you asked me not to discuss the events. But regardless, your apology is accepted." James paused to consider his next words carefully. He quickly diverted to his formal stare and meaningful expression of stoney-faced James, the boy who filled in as Alan Wake's apology machine.
"Thanks."

Jack was not sure she had ever seen the boy smile... ever. Maybe once on the Quidditch pitch, but she could not remember more than that. She knew that this was a rare occurrence. He had seen her cry, she had seen him smile. A nice little exchange in her opinion. "Well... still... I really needed to say that, I think." She rocked slightly on her heels.

You know those random thoughts in your head. Piece them together. There you go. Now form them into words, open your mouth, and make noise. "You know you can call me Jack, right?" she said lightly. Atta girl. This is what we call, 'social interaction.' It will get easier the more you work at it. She tried to keep herself from berating herself- which may be taken as, oh, you know, insane- and focused on James. "So, how are you?" She remembered what he had said, about people caring about what you felt rather than how you are and she grinned. "How have you been feeling lately?"

James, ever the "socialite," responded to her act rather negatively, his face dropping to its natural, emotionless position. How was James feeling? Well, perhaps a bit more spritely with Alan gone, but it took the form of a less stressed person. Nobody noticed his distinct fear of the old man, and he preferred to keep it that way.
He would probably need to man up at some moment and respond to the man's force with equal or greater force.

James sighed. "There is no need to exchange pleasantries with me, Ms. Dyllan. And yes, I do so insist to call you Ms. Dyllan, and I stress its formal use in open company. One night is not sufficient for the dynamics of relationship to change so drastically that we can engage in such minimalist conversation. If this all you wish to discuss, I would prefer that you utilized your time in a more constructive manner." James considered leaving at that point, but he remained still, in hopes that she would at least react to it. It would prove, after all, that she heard it.

Jack watched him and felt her face fall slightly. She had not been trying to make petty, small conversation. She really was not good at it anyway. But ever since the Room of Requirement, she had felt that she might actually know one person in Hogwarts that would give her existence a little more than thought everyone else who just saw her as this unbreakable figure who managed to do what everybody else wanted her to.

She crossed her arms and felt the familiar sharpness that she viewed everyone else in Hogwarts with return into her eyes, preparing to defend herself as she had learned she would have to do, because no one else would. "Actually, I was asking a legitimate question. You know, my track record may not be perfectly clean, but I'm not really a terrible person. And I'm not some stupid airhead. I am capable of human emotions and I wanted to know how you are feeling. If you do not want to answer, that is your choice. I just thought it might be nice to hear some actually ask. If I'm just bothering you I could leave." She felt the deadened expression start to take over. That expression that always took over when she had tried hard to relate to the people around her and found that no one else cared to bother to want to know her.

"What do your crimes against the school have to do with what I just said? I respond in this manner to everybody," James replied, surprised (slightly) by her reaction. "And of course, I have noticed that you are not an airhead, or anything else that can be defined by a broad term. You are simply you. You act upon what your impulses tell you to. I was basically stating that there is no need for you to force a conversation when there was none to be had. Does the concept of 'Peace and quiet' elude you?" James took a moment to regain his composure. He had personally affronted the girl.

He had denied her attempts to be something she was not. Negative reinforcement would only force her to defend herself and seal herself in further. Just as it did with him. It certainly would not end well, especially when she would be leaving Hogwarts and entering the real world. The worst mistake one could make in the real world is isolating oneself. It was a foolish and terrible thing to do, as nobody in the world beyond Hogwarts would ever even try to befriend a loner.

He looked back up Jack. "Sorry. I am not used to that question, it is true. I rarely have the patience for conversations that stray away from more... pressing subjects." He took a moment to clear his throat. He rolled his next sentence over in his mouth, judging his pitch, his tone, his inflection. Finally, he asked her, if in a slightly robotic inflection, "I am fine. How are you?"