In the quiet of night...

The blonde was just trying to make his life difficult, Elijah decided. Actually no, she probably wasn’t. She did say she wasn’t doing anything especially for him. Elijah threw his legs up onto the couch and leaned back against the pillows, a lazy smile on his lips. Elijah looked at the blonde carefully and picked his words before voicing them. He ran his hand through his hair and mussed up the dark locks. He pursed his lips before parting them and speaking.

“I wouldn’t dare think I am special, dear,” Elijah said toxically, glaring at her. He’d been told his whole life that he was special. He was aware just how much he wasn’t but that didn’t stop the vain thread of hope from winding around his brain. What if he was special, you know? Wouldn’t that be nice? He wasn’t special though was he? He was just this kid who had been in over his head for so long he had no idea how to get control over his life. He was losing control if control wasn’t already lost. What was he? Was there anything left to call Elijah?

“For you’re right aren’t you?” He ground out. “I am just like everyone else, if not something less.”

Piper was not used to people just accepting what she said. It was a human fault that everyone thought they were worthy of the last word, so she usually had to walk away to prove her point- by proving her point, she meant leaving before they could have a chance to disprove it. Especially now, when she was telling the Golden Boy that he was basically nothing, she had expected a fight.

She raised her eyebrows at his first words of agreement but she quickly recovered, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes on him. When he said 'something less' she ticked her head in agreement, a smirk on her face, feeling as though she had won. However... why had she won so easily. What was going on here? Her paranoia about humanity was not going to let her simply accept this victory.

"No one is as special as they like to think," she quipped. Mentally, she could not believe the statement. One part of her assured her that she was not special, that if she died, few would mourn, and more would be relieved. But the hope that she had some distinctive features... that appealed to her. She glanced at Krum and turned away. "At least you know."

Elijah didn’t know how she’d managed it but somehow she’d provoked him. His eyes had narrowed and he’d brought his hands up to his temples. Elijah could feel the headache brewing and a quiet growl rumbled past his lips to make his frustration vocal. Elijah pressed his fingers against his temples and rolled them clockwise in an attempt to dispel the oncoming headache. He looked up and glared at Piper. She was not the fountain of wit and wisdom she appeared to think she was. She had no knowledge of him and therefore had no right to pass judgment. The fact that she did annoyed Elijah.

Rising to his feet, the agitated Slytherin stormed over to the dwindling fire. He bypassed getting his wand out; he just lifted a log off of the hearth and dumped into the fire. Sparks flew and Elijah felt oddly pleased with himself. He exhaled and rubbed his hand across his face. Then, Piper spoke again, prompting Elijah to give a quiet groan. He dropped his hands and looked over at the irritating blonde. He glared again and leaned against the mantelpiece.

“It is just whether or not you know,” Elijah spat. He didn’t know why he was so irritated with her, just that he was. “You are not all knowing, Piper. Who says I think that highly of myself?”

When Elijah stood she could not help but tense in her seat, getting ready to flee or attack, but he was merely adding wood to the fire. Piper could not help it. She was not safe anywhere. How often had she been cornered here? It seemed that most of her time in the common room was spent pressed up against a wall, trying to escape; blocked on the couch; pinned in an armchair. Every time, beneath the gaze of a greedy boy with bad plans for the school shrew. Fortunately, Piper was not helpless anymore. And most of them still had trouble walking.

He turned and glared at her and her lip curled as she glared back at him. Had she not been used to the feeling, she would have pondered the burbling feeling of hatred in her chest. But that hate did not leave her. She felt it for everyone, save for a select few in her family, and it naturally intensified in the presence of males. After awhile, once you get used to associating hate with guys that messed with you, it just stuck to guys in general.

"Our opinions are our truths," she said. "That's just how it works. My thoughts are my reality. I'm not special, and I have no reason to think so." She glared at him. "You exude confidence, you've been with half the girls around here. You must think yourself worthy of all of them."

Why did that constantly come up in conversation?

Elijah pursed his lips and ran his fingers through the front of his hair. He'd slept with a fair few girls in his time and a nice amount of those still attended Hogwarts. The untameable shrews feminists had made him their number one enemy and frankly, Elijah couldn't care yes. He could read women, or at least he liked to think he could. He knew what they were like and they definitely held grudges longer than men of his calibre did or, well, men in general.

Exhaling, Elijah looked over at Piper and voiced the question he'd been wanting to ask someone, anyone who brought his escapades up in conversation.

"Why is that necessary? What does that have to do with anything?" He asked pointedly, pursing his lips when he brought them together again. "Why do girls such as yourself insist on bringing it up?"

"Look, bud-" she said rudely, standing up and dropping her arms to her side, keen on giving him the attitude adjustment every girl in the school wanted to give Krum. "You're not as subtle as you think. We're in the dungeons. It's not warm. What guy sits around shirtless? What guy asks for an age before a name? What guy thinks we can't notice him looking us over. We know what it looks like. What guy? You're kind."

Before he could ask what that was supposed to mean, she said, "The kind of guy who likes women so much he's sort of a danger to us. You might have thought that all those girls got away unscathed and they might think so too. But we're young. And the way you and all those other guys treats us never really leaves. Slowly by slowly we're not people, but women. Breeders. Nothing more."

She shrugged and sat down. "Maybe I'm being judgmental. Maybe I'm being selfish. In the long run, doesn't matter to me. I'll be fine. So will you. It's merely a precaution. You're a potential threat to what I've spent so long working on so if it's okay with you I will be as judgmental and selfish as I wish to be, thank you."

Biting back a scathing retort, Elijah remained silent, keeping his tongue trapped firmly between his teeth as he stared at the blonde with disdain. She believed she could read him. Elijah had had no provocative intentions. He'd simply been warm. He didn't like excess clothing and certainly, the cat didn't. He was quite happy to indulge it. And besides, he'd been in worse cold than this. He'd endured one of Paris' worst winters as well as countless Bulgarian ones. He knew cold and this wasn't it.

"I am not like 'my' kind of guys," the words fell past Elijah's lips and he smirked at the blonde.

He didn't feel pressured to elaborate, he merely waited for Piper to finish her bit before throwing together a few sentences together in response. He had nothing to say to her - not really. She could think what she liked because she was entitled to an opinion. Of course, in Elijah's own opinion, her opinion of him was wrong. He adored women - when did that ever mean he was a danger to them?

Elijah pursed is lips and snapped back,

"Well I am sorry if I do not want to sit and take your 'opinions'. You have no right to be judgemental because you do not know me. You are a little girl. What am I a threat to exactly? Feminism? Those girls used me as much as I used them so it's a win-win. What do you know about petty, little rumours and no doubt less than accurate accounts? Go back to your homework, sweetheart."