The Reciting Continues

[Tristan Howard]

February 7, 2008
7:07 P.M.
Empty Hallway
After leaving the Party of the Gryffindors

The party started at 7 P.M, but as it started Tristan left the party to leave on important matters. Graduation was only a few months away and there was so little time left. More visions and more frustration came Tristan's way. The Project T was failing so that was outta here. But, he still wasn't going to let down his plan. He was ready. As he got to a empty hallway, he pulled out Loveless.

He then started to recite some of the quotes, he even pulled out his wand ready to practice.

[[Very Much Open]]

[Henry Lordings Jr.]

Henry walked back through the halls of the dungeons, relief flooding him, he had retrieved golden heirloom, intact, from the kitchens, and was, even as he walked, tying the pocket watches gold chain to his belt loop. He checked the time, it read 7:09 P.M., then he closed the door of the watch and tucked it safely into his left jeans pocket as he turned the corner.

As he rounded the corner, he heard what sounded like a voice speaking, echoing down a hall off of the one behind him. Part of his cursed his curiosity, and he turned, and moved to the end of the hall from which the voice was issuing, and peered around the corner discreetly. He could see a tall, blond somebody standing in the empty hall, appearing to recite quotes from a book. Henry didn't bother the man outright, if he wanted to notice Henry, he was sure to do so.

[Tristan Howard]

As he was reciting more of the play, he sense something nearby, like a normal human being could. Learning someone was near him, he stopped and held the book open in one arm, and said something.

"He is guided by hope that the gift will bring bliss, and the oath that he swore to his friends," he said to the person behind him.

He then looked back to see who it was. He laughed momentarily. "So, what business comes residing here, Henry?" he asked him, with the book still resting on his right hand.

[Henry Lordings Jr.]

Henry blinked twice. He hadn't met Tristan more than a dozen times in the four years that he had been at Hogwarts, and he had mentioned his name on those occasions only twice; Yet now, Tristan, whose name Henry knew by sheer virtue of the fact the man was a Prefect, Tristan recalled his name with little or no trouble. Henry had to confess to himself that he was surprised.

"Tristan?" said Henry, he was sure it was him, but why a Gryffindor Prefect was hiding down in a side hall reciting quotes from a book was so incredibly unusual that Henry was struck mentally dumb; He continued with an inflection of curiosity and an unwilling rudeness: "What are you doing here?"

In truth, Henry had very little right to ask such a question of a Prefect, who by all rights could have stood there till the end of time and not be beyond his station, but the oddity that was now standing before Henry had numbed him to the rules, not that he had ever done terribly right by them.

[Tristan Howard]

"Tristan? What are you doing here?"

He smiled evil. "Well, may I ask you the same question, Henry? You should be at the party. I didn't throw the party for anything," he said snickering. He then closed LOVELESS and placed the book in his pocket. He then started walking towards Henry. "Though you are my housemate, I have to trust you to know what I am doing," he said.

"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return," he told Henry.

"The gift of the goddess will come to me," he said.

[Henry Lordings Jr.]

Henry cocked his head slightly and squinted at Tristan for a moment before stepping out into the intersection of the halls, and stuck his hands in his pants pockets casually. He looked around, then said.

"Well I was just getting my pocket watch from the kitchens." He hooked the index finger of his left hand around the golden chain, then pulled the watch out of his pocket, shaking it a bit in mid air a moment before replacing it in his pocket and continuing. "On the other hand...seems an odd place to be reciting quotes..."

Henry simply stood there in the corridor, his right hand fastened around his wand in his right pocket, which he had turned into a wand holster on the inside. He didn't like what he was hearing, in truth, and he wouldn't hesitate to stun Tristan if he felt that Tristan might attack him.

"...So, I realize it was a quote, but what exactly will you be returning from?" asked Henry offhandedly as he looked around, hoping that there might be someone around, but no one seemed to be present.

[Tristan Howard]

Noticing his hand inside his pocket started look like he was holding something. He nodded. "I'm not going to attack you or anything. I'm not evil. You mistaken me of a Dark Wizard or such. No, I'm just like you," he said to him.

"...So, I realize it was a quote, but what exactly will you be returning from?"

He laughed as if he were best friends with Henry. "It's just a quote. Nothing more. It's for my amusement," he lied. Of course, it was a good lie, but actually it was more the truth. The play was really for his amusement, nothing more else.

[Henry Lordings Jr.]

Henry looked Tristan up and down for a moment, then cast around at the adjacent corridors again and pulled out his watch, checking the time for a moment before replacing the watch in his pocket. He looked over at Tristan and said.

"Just like me huh?...How so?"

Tristan's actions betrayed his words, amusement it might have been once, but one doesn't simply start using quotes from something that is simply amusement as one's regular speech. Henry's hand did not loosen on his wand as he stood there, there was something foreboding about Tristan's behavior, and Henry wasn't going to be caught off guard if Tristan had lost it.

[Tristan Howard]

"Well," he said as he threw Loveless in the air.

"Maybe I'm not like you. But I am the same race as you. The same alignment. I'm not your enemy. But if you want to it be that way. That's fine with me," he said as he let his hand up and caught the book. He then walked past him and headed to leave the area, he then stopped for a second.

"Just remember, I still believe in you, Henry," he said as he walked off.

[Henry Lordings Jr.]

Henry stared after Tristan curiously as the man went. Without really thinking, Henry reached up with his wand and tapped himself smartly over the head with it. Instantly, he felt something cold trickle down his face, and neck, and soon after, his whole body. When he was satisfied the disillusionment had taken full effect, he followed after Tristan as quietly as he could go.

Just remember, I still believe in you, Henry.

What on earth was that supposed to mean? Something about it rang as ominous in Henry's mind. Henry checked the gold pocket watch for the time as he walked, glancing down for only a moment; Oddly, the pocket watch didn't change in hue one bit, it remained just as brilliantly gold as ever. Deciding it would be a poor lookout if he had something glinting on his person if Tristan turned, Henry disconnected the golden chain from his belt loop, and dropped the whole watch, chain and all, into his left pocket. He looked up, and followed Tristan through the darkening corridor.

[Tristan Howard]

"So your following me eh?" he said but turning to him. Tristan then put his hand in his own pocket and equipped his wand and suddenly pulled it out to point at Henry.

"Ha! Fake wand," he said as he threw the fake wand gently towards him. 'Hehe, how'd ya like that joke?" he said as squatted down. He then smiled and looked at him.

"Hmm... He is suspicious. Gonna have to leave this area soon," he thought in his head.

[Henry Lordings Jr.]

Henry broke the disillusionment charm, and stepped forward; As his skin and cloths returned to their normal color, Henry said.

"You want to be careful." he indicated the wand "What if I wasn't as restrained as I am?"

He had indeed raised his wand to defend himself, certain that Tristan was going to attack him, only to watch with confusion as Tristan cast the wand down upon the floor. Again he stepped forward, wand held at his side, however loosely, and looked Tristan full in the face.

"What is all this anyways?" said Henry, not indicating or elaborating upon what he had meant "Hiding in the dungeons reading some book? What's it all about?"

He had heard about Tristan's...unusual behavior of late from several other Gryffindors that knew him, and perhaps a Ravenclaw here and there, but this was his first time witnessing the behavior, and he had to admit, it disturbed him.

"For instance...that...joke? Did you call it? It could've cost you a lot more than a laugh..." said Henry "...I admit I don't know you as well as some others do, but I'm fairly certain this is a new development." In truth, Henry knew nothing of the sort, but he was playing to a guess, and he would stick to it. "Why don't you tell someone what's going on eh?"

[Tristan Howard]

"For instance...that...joke? Did you call it? It could've cost you a lot more than a laugh..."

He sighed in digust. "I'm outta here," he said walking off. Not really wanting to hear any of Henry's complaints. He could still hear Henry in the back. He grunted, but still kept walking on. "Geez, it was just a joke," he said under his breath so Henry couldn't hear him.

But then his stopped, and turned around. He laughed like the old Tristan. "You won the game. You actually stood up to me," he said. He then sat on a nearby bench.

"Is it gone?" he said to himself. He looked up to Henry. "You did it!"

[Henry Lordings Jr.]

Henry's brow furrowed itself in spite of him; He looked around as if expecting to see someone who would explain this bizarre behavior to him. When no one materialized from thin air to offer up explanation, he turned his attention back to Tristan, who was still seated on his bench, and was looking at Henry, waiting for his response. Henry opened his mouth a bit, closed it, opened it once more, and closed it again, evidently completely lost for words. After a few moments, he found himself once more, and offered up the only thing he could, a question.

"I did what?"