Hiding in the dark

It was one of those restless nights for Andrei, which meant he wasn't going to bed anytime soon. He had tried of course, just for the sake of his own amusement, but again proved that he was only wasting his time. Everyone else was asleep of course, which gave Andrei no other choice but to lounge about in the common room. Who knows, he might even read a good book or catch up with his homework while he was awake. In all honestly, he probably wouldn't. Chances are, he would spend the night trying to finish his latest prank project and probably fail a few times over, before the sun rises.

Just as he got used to being alone, he heard a strange noise coming from the doorway. Obviously, someone had a long night. The door was opening slowly for the sake of not making loud noises, at least that was what he guessed. Andrei chuckled to himself and gazed at the door with an amused grin on his face. The night couldn't get any better than this. For what could be better than catching a first year old coming to the dorms past curfew hours? Torturing the pour young soul would give him plenty of time to entertain himself. For the first time, Andrei was witnessing a crime in action without him actually being part of it in the first place. Now that alone was a cause for celebration.

"It's a bit too passe, sneaking in the common room after hours. Wouldn't you agree?", Andrei said out loud before the person could even come into the room. He wanted to make sure his presence was known from the start.

Audrey was terribly exhausted. Her cheeks flushed as she hurried through the castle, anxious to return to her own house. She had spent the entire evening working on spells for Potter's Army. For some reason, she thought it might help her be accepted with her more judgmental peers. They'll probably just think worse of me if I'm advanced. Who knows where I learned it, right? She thought to herself, and rolled her eyes sarcasticly.

As she scurried toward the dungeons, she embraced the thought of the empty Common Room. The one place she may be able to find peace and solace in this bloody castle. As she approached the painting, she whispered the password and entered breathlessly, thankful she wasn't caught. She was all too ready to sit by the fire and have some time to just think, when she became aware of someone there with her.

"It's a bit too passe, sneaking in the common room after hours. Wouldn't you agree?" a male voice called to her, and she could almost hear the smirk in his voice. She froze. Of bloody course. Of all days for someone to actually be in the common room after hours. She angrily thought to herself, as she turned the corner, read to face whoever was there.

When Audrey saw the man's face, she nodded to him slightly. She recognized him as Andrei Dolohov, another sixth year. They'd had classes in the past. And of course, by her luck, he was known for tormenting anyone around when he got bored, and she was sure that she just gave him a perfect target. "Just a simple stroll. I obviously wasn't the only one that had trouble sleeping." she said to him, as she inched her way toward the dormitories.

Andrei was rather surprised to see a girl around his age enter the room, and not another silly first year old. Which of course to him was quite a disappointment. Tormenting the new students gave him a special kind of pleasure, but obviously he would need to work with whatever he has. Examining the girl's face, he realized that he did know her from before. Probably from classes they have attended together in the past. But besides her name, Audrey, and a bit about her family, he really didn't know much else about the girl.

"Miss Montague, is it?", he asked with a kind smile, quite certain that was her last name. The pool of pureblood families around England wasn't that wide, so Andrei had an advantage knowing a bit about all of them. It was a knowledge his mother had insisted upon, claiming that he would desperately need it in the future. The truth was however, that for now at least, Andrei didn't use that knowledge for anything else but his own games and little schemes.

He imagined being a Montague wasn't all that different from being a Dolohov. They were both certainly raised in a similar way. Growing up with tutors and constant training in magic defense and spells. Let's not forget the balls, the etiquette and the 'proper way' of doing things as his mother had called it. Andrei was sick of all of it naturally, but he didn't have much of a choice. That was just how things worked for him.

"A stroll? I highly doubt that. I'm surprised you haven't learned to be a better liar by know. It's a very useful skill you know", said Andrei with a smirk, who was always keen on improving his own lying skills as often as possible. "Now let's see - out past curfew hours and scheming about the castle. That would give you a few weeks worth of detention, don't you think? Of course they might add a few weeks more if I admit how deeply shocked I was when someone disturbed my sleep by waking me up and making a mess around the common room. Might add up to a month in the end", he said with a grin.

Audrey sighed, and began to realize that Andrei had no intention of letting her be on her way. This might be a very long night. she thought in utter exasperation. She brushed it off and shrugged to herself, and went to sit by the fire instead of her original hope of retreating to the dormitory. She appreciated the warm of the fire against her back, and let herself calm down.

As she calmed herself, she took a moment to study Andrei. Oh yes, she knew him. More by name than by meeting though, surely. The Dolohov family was respected, so all the pureblood families should know them, even just by name. And she was sure that he knew her name as well. They both knew what was expected of the other, there was no getting around that.

She was much calmer know, after she assessed quite who she was dealing with, and got a chance to collect herself. She crossed her legs and smiled up at her tormentor. "Oh, Mr. Dolohov, how much trouble would I really get into when the complaint is coming from you? The professors would be quicker to thank me for bothering you enough to keep you from your usual tricks around the castle, than to punish me." She smiled teasingly, remembering the many times Andrei's tricks caused chaos in the common room, and ultimately around school as well.

Andrei frowned at her words and had to admit, only to himself though, that she did have a point. His reputation wasn't exactly squeaky clean to say the least. In fact, he was know as a troublemaker especially among the staff, a tittle Andrei proudly held. Until now that is. She seemed to have analysed her situation quite well. but he wasn't going to let her go that easily. He wasn't about to give up on this little game of his just yet. "Ah. Well played Montague. But still - are you truly willing to take that chance. Because I'm sure you'll be surprised at how trusting some professors can be. Ask our head of house! He's a family friend you see and I'm sure he'd find some time to hear of my troubles", he said with a smirk, completely bluffing it.

Their head of house actually despised him for the many incidents and inconveniences he has caused her throughout the years. He didn't blame her thought and was just glad she wasn't too hard on him detention wise. Perhaps that was because she knew he wasn't going to show up anyway. "It's your choice my dear", he finally said with a chuckle, hoping that she didn't caught up on his first lie.

What interested him now thought was the reason this girl was out this late in the first place. From his experiences it could be two things, a boy or something against the rules. Perhaps it was both of these things together, she could easily be dating a Gryffindor. Or what a horrid thought. Or maybe she was up to something sneaky. "What were you doing so late anyways? If you tell me, I might just spare you. Depends how entertained I am with your words", he stated, letting his curiosity get the best of him.

Audrey looked at him for a moment, and then let out a laugh. "Does he really think I'm that stupid?" she thought to herself, still laughing. She remembered her last detention with a new found fondness. The Head of House spent the better part of an hour ranting about Andrei and his last scheme. She winked teasingly "I think I'll take my chances." she replied, letting him know how clearly he saw through his bluff.

She continued laughing to herself. Even if she hadn't been in that detention, it was her duty to know the relation between families, as it was for every young pureblood. Even family friends are almost always commonly known. She shrugged to herself, but her thought process continued. The more she talked to Andrei, the more she realized how unused to a challenge he was. She felt smug in her own way. He seemed like someone who usually gets what he wants. Well, she was nothing if not a challenge.

The more she thought, the more confident she got. She realized she shouldn't really be worried about a detention. It was so much preferred over the many other punishments possible. It was almost strange for Andrei, being a Slytherin. He should know as well as, or better than, anyone else what exactly a Slytherin values. Detention? That's nothing. What matters most is respect. Without respect, you have nothing here. Really the more normal fear between Slytherins, especially a pureblood, is in regard to disgracing yourself, disgracing your family, and not living up to expectation. Detention seems pitiful in comparison to what would happen if one of those things were done. She shivered at the thought, maybe Andrei thought she was a better girl than she was, if that's all he could threaten. She stifled a laugh at that alone.

"Anything else you'd like to threaten me with, love? Or are we done here." she said, half teasingly.

Surprised by her resourcefulness nature and snarky comments, Andrei couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle of his lips. He wasn't use to being opposed like this, but he certainly enjoyed it. It brought up a competitive side of him he had almost forgotten. More often than not, people let his mistakes slide by simply because of his name or reputation. Which was rewarding at first, but soon it became rather boring. He had to find other ways of entertainment since classes certainly weren't doing it for him. Trouble was mainly his calling, as it diligently followed his side wherever he went. Not like a bad thing, but more like a partner or enhancer of his mood. And when it did not follow, Andrei did his best to stir up something by himself. It seems that this time, he wouldn't even need to lift a figure. It came to him by itself.

"Are you sure we are not related?", he asked through a playful smirk that was on his lips. But now that the fun was over, the true game was about to begin. "No I don't think I'm done with you yet. Let's play a little game, shall we? And see who wins.", he challenged her in a way he knew she couldn't refuse. Slytherins were too proud and vain to let someone else beat them without a fight, even if it was in the most silliest things such as this one. But in order to win, he would need to use his knowledge again.

Being a Dark Follower certainly had it's perks. Beside the reputation it brought, it also gave it's members a large database of files and knowledge that was stored. Obviously, information about people who were possible treats and traitors were kept diligently. From their family, to their personal interest to their love life. Andrei wasn't part of this intelligence gathering team thank Merlin, but those who were did their job quite damn well. Now if he could only remember something about her. Montague, Montague..... There must be something about her, since her name seems familiar from more than just family balls. And then with a grin on his face it finally came to him. "It's quite a burden, being born into families such as ours. Don't you think? A privilege of course, which some take for granted, but a burden nonetheless. How is your family, by the way? I haven't seen your mother and father in a long time. Hope they are doing well. Must be quite disappointing with you though - or do they not know how far you have fallen? Their precious little girl, having been raised the right way, still chose a delusional group of Potter's followers instead her family legacy. Guess that's their sanity off through the window. Makes for many awkward Christmas dinners, don't you think?"

Audrey smirked at him as he chuckled, smug with herself for lightening the mood sufficiantly. She was sure that she was that much closer to going back to the dorms, and pretending like this whole dreadful day never happened.

"It's quite a burden, being born into families such as ours. Don't you think? A privilege of course, which some take for granted, but a burden nonetheless. How is your family, by the way? I haven't seen your mother and father in a long time. Hope they are doing well. Must be quite disappointing with you though - or do they not know how far you have fallen? Their precious little girl, having been raised the right way, still chose a delusional group of Potter's followers instead her family legacy. Guess that's their sanity off through the window. Makes for many awkward Christmas dinners, don't you think?" Andrei said, and she felt his joy from here. She couldn't tell if he was bluffing this one. Her world stopped and her heart practically fell to the floor.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him into a corner of the common room, with her wand pressed to his chest. "Who told you that? No one knows that." She snapped harshly, her cheeks flushing with red and tears swelling in her eyes from utter frustration. There is no way he could no this about her. Only one person in the world knew her dirty little secret, and here was this stranger before her, spewing off Audrey's biggest secret in the world.

Andrei was the worst person to find out as well. With his alliances so clearly tied. It's a pity, he was starting to like his company. She was used to being challenged as well, and he made for good conversation. But that was all a faint memory as her hand started shaking with anxiety, while the other was firmly holding her wand. She glared up at him, through the tears forming. Of course. I'm crying. Bloody brilliant. she thought, in utter despair. But she wouldn't show that now. Her tears, currently at least, were only from frustration and exasperation.

He felt Audrey's strong pressure and before he knew it, he was shoved into the corner. This girl was physically stronger than he gave her the credit for. But her force didn't worry him, neither did the wand pointed at his neck. She wouldn't dare do anything to him, not now when he knew her secret. "Miss Montague, if you wanted to get me alone you just had to ask", he said with a provoking grin on his lips. He knew he was pushing his limits, but right now he couldn't control his tongue. It was just too sweet to see the frustrating gaze in her eyes. "Oh come on, I don't want to win already. We have just started playing!", he exclaimed with a disappointed sigh.

But then, he seemed to underestimate the girl's sensitivity to this topic. Andrei understood family pressure and expectations more than anyone else, it was jut part of his life. But he figured Audrey would have been used to disappointed the people around her the moment she picked being a part of the Potter's Army. What did she think? That her family was going to welcome her with open arms? Perhaps in a fairy tail of some sort that might happen, but in the real world this was nothing but fantasy. "No one? You need to get a grip on reality. The Dark Followers have been keeping tabs on you since the beginning. On all of the Potter Army members in fact. A lot more people know that you think. They have been keeping their mouth shut because they have an order to and that is saving your reputation"

Soon, shaking of her hand started followed with tears. Andrei was the sort of guy that could deal with anything but a woman crying. He hated to admit it, but it disturbed him in the most unusual ways. He sighed and shook his head at Audrey. She was a clever girl, pleasant to talk to and fun to challenge. Definitely more capable than most girls her age. He put his hand on hers and lowered her wand. No matter how much amusement he got from this a second ago, he couldn't see her like this anymore. Was he really becoming this weak? He took her by her wrist and made her sit down on the couch. "I don't know what you expected would happen..." he started. "Let's try again - where were you this late tonight?" he asked once more.

She felt a sick sort of humor, in his first words. Hell, moments ago, she had actually found him quite attractive. She always had a soft spot for guys that could show her a challenge. But now? That was the last thing on her mind, and she was in no mood to tease.

She walked slowly, dragging her feet as he led her to the couch. After she sat, she curled up her knees and hugged them close. She was not a vulnerable girl, but this... this was her worst nightmare being realized..

"I didn't choose this you know... I'm a good Slytherin. I'm more bad than good anyday.. But what the Death Eaters do, I can't a part of. I can feel other people's pain like it's my own. I can't cause someone the pain that the Dark Followers do on a daily bases, that would destroy me. I want to help people, not hurt people.." She whispered, scared of anything that could come from her words. "I couldn't just be a house wife. That's a joke. I don't fit the role. Besides, with my developing gifts, I have to be involved. I can't make myself do what they want from me. So I went to the only place I could. I thought maybe Potter's Army could teach me how to be good. Or at least put me around people that at least somewhat care whether I live or die.. So far, I was brutally wrong.." she thought back to the Gryffindors that were harassing her for the past several nights.

She pleaded with her eyes, "I'm strong, but not that strong, Andrei."