SS: Dormmate Dynamics

[Lottiepot]

These boys started school together and would likely graduate together. But will the perils of being a teenage boy affect the connections between these dormmates?

This is a closed RP exploring the relationships between these third year Slytherin boys:

• Aryan Atreyu-Rehman (FearlessLeader19)
• Mandrake Beery (Chelliephone)
• Elias Greenwood (Lottiepot)
• Jansher Grunt (Charely Potter)
• Wade Milburn (Harron Peasley)

[Lottiepot]

Elias’ opinion on his dormmates was much the same as it was about most things. He tolerated them, co-existed, understood that they were there to stay and there was little that could be done about it. Initially he had absolutely loathed the idea of sharing a bedroom with total strangers, he and his siblings had always had separate bedrooms and he didn’t do well amongst others in enclosed spaces. He had gotten used to it over the preceding years to the point that they were now. He kept his space to himself, didn’t touch others things and expected them to respect his boundaries too. He wouldn’t call the others friends but they were acquaintances and he didn’t hate the idea so much now.

The third year was the first to arrive back in the dorm that night which was the way that he liked it. He craved the solitude and quiet that being alone gave him before the inevitable questions and small talk came his way. He’d already got into his pajamas and shaken out his swooshy locks, a single strand falling in front of his eyes and causing him to constantly flick it out the way. He’d changed his look a little in a small act of rebellion against his family but it was causing him more of hindrance than sending shockwaves through his elders. They had yet to discover the black nails he had opted for although the paint had chipped away so much now that his fingers almost looked bruised. If anyone had asked he would say that it was intentional.

The thirteen year old dropped onto his bed, folded his legs crossed underneath him and leaned back against his headboard to engross himself into the work of fiction he was trying to get into.

[Charely Potter]

Jan liked to think of his dorm as safe haven #3. Obviously, his parents and godfather's homes were in the top. He was used to sharing a room with his brother, though he was promised his own bedroom for once the next summer. So going on third-year of dorm sharing was no big deal for him.

After a messy class with Care of Magical Creatures, Jan went straight to the bathroom to wash up. It always took ages to for his hair to dry without risking a heat charm from erupting his hair growth process. Maybe he and Drake could work out some solution for that, since they were on a similar hair journey.

Exiting the bathroom, with the towel in hand as Jan gently patted parts of his hair. He stopped momentarily at the site of Elias. Maybe it had to do with his growth spurt over the summer, or how close he got with his friends. But Jan felt nothing more than a little surprise to see him now. Their usual encounters were on the shaky side, as nice as he attempted to be.

"Hi," Jan said shortly, before sitting on his own bed. Towel in one hand, the other rummaging the drawer for his comb. Now where was it? As he took out some stuff to find it.

[Chelliephone]

Forever a badger in a snakeskin, Drake counted the interactions he'd had with each of his dorm mates as being positive enough to consider them all friends, even Elias who it was certainly harder for him to get a read on. It felt to him like his presence was more tolerated than enjoyed by that particular dorm mate, but Drake was learning to not be offended by that. It took a LOT of hours, but his sister was the smartest person he knew and she had assured him plenty of times in the past that he couldn't be everyone's cup of tea, just as they weren't his and that was a-okay. Besides, he didn't think any of his dorm mates outright hated him and that seemed blessing enough.

That day he was a bit later heading back to the dorm than usual, having decided to spend some more time in the greenhouses and trying to get to know the new Herbology Professor. He was missing Professor DeVries already, but no teacher could stay forever so he wasn't wallowing at the loss of his favorite. Besides, Professor Phlour seemed fine and he'd probably like her better in time as well. Pushing open the door to their dormitory, Drake smiled at Elias and Jansher who were both already there, before plopping down on the foot of his bed. "Hi guys!" He greeted happily, not even considering that he was probably already entirely ruining Elias' quiet for the evening. "Do you need any of my hair supplies Jan?" It looked like he was on the hunt for some, and Drake knew exactly where his were and was happy to share if his friend needed.

As for figuring out better routines together? He would absolutely love to. He relied entirely on his sister for the time being, but he couldn't bother Gil for questions or recommendations all the time. Plus, imagine if he could help her?

Glancing around, he looked at Ary's bed beside his as well. "Anyone seen Ary?"

[FearlessLeader19]

Aryan and Elias may not interact much but they did, at one point, have something in common: they hadn’t been eager to have sleeping arrangements that involved multiple students. In his own case, that had changed when he met and befriended Drake. Other than that, he had pretty much left his dormmates on their own for a great while as he got used to their presence. This still applied for Elias, but the difference between then and now was that Elias seemed to like keeping mostly to himself rather than socialising.

Jan and Drake, on the other hand, were two persons Ary was rather close with. He and Jan had been through some rather interesting adventures last term and over the summer while he and Drake could always count on each other to get into some sort of fun shenanigan.

It was quite a stark contrast, the latter relationships Ary shared compared to the first. Not that he was begging for friends.

But just where had this third year been? Out at the barns saying hi to the creatures. He wasn’t feeling his best in terms of mood so he had cut his visit short before trekking slowly back to the dorm. He made it back there just in time to hear a mention of his name. “I’m here,’’ he mumbled. A half hearted finger wiggle-wave was thrown at random - this was meant as a greeting to everyone - as he moved to his bed. Ary flopped down tiredly on his back, and fell into a contented moment of staring up at the ceiling.

[Lottiepot]

Elias was trying hard to disguise the disgruntled expression as his peace was promptly disturbed. His face had the unfortunate habit of portraying exactly what his mind was thinking and even when he wasn’t in a mood, his lips and eyes sort of settled into that permanently judgemental look that screamed intimidation. For that instance he genuinely couldn’t help it, he was born with it.

Poor Jan was the recipient of that initial stare as he entered the dorm. Not that the fellow Slytherin had done anything wrong other than arriving at the room he had every right to be in. In their first year Elias might have used his obvious intimidation to warn Jan away but the years and the close proximity to one another had softened the third year a little. Instead he replied to the greeting with one of his own. “Hello.” His eyes darted over to watch what he was doing, concerned that whatever mess he was creating on his bed would eventually spill over to HIS side of the room.

The awkward silence from Eli’s observations and Jansher’s apparent lack of organisational skills was broken swiftly by the arrival of another dormmate. Drake would be absolutely right in his thoughts that Eli merely tolerated his presence but there was no hatred on his behalf. The discussion turned to hair products of which with his new longer hair the Slytherin was mildly interested in listening in to although he was pretending not to be. It had become a slight hindrance to have his swoopy fringe constantly flop in front of his eyes. How he was supposed to be constantly vigilant he did not know but otherwise he was enjoying the look.. or rather he was enjoying not being as traditional as the elder Greenwoods wished he would be. “Perhaps shaving it all off would solve your problems” he commented nonchalantly whilst turning the page of his book. He was scarily adept with the instant scalping hex too if they wanted to find out?

He wanted to make a sarcastic comment over how he didn’t make a habit of keeping tabs on the whereabouts of his fellow students when the boy in question entered the vicinity. “Two words, tracking charms.” With the way that the three had bonded so closely with one another, he was surprised that they hadn’t thought of that already. As for the finger wave, well that caused the thirteen-year-old unnecessary annoyance and he couldn’t really explain why. At least Ary wasn’t engaging in some frivolous conversation however.

[Charely Potter]

If there was any other moment for Jan to feel vulnerable is when his hair was starting to dry out. His hair tend to soak up the water in record time compared to some of his mates. While his eyes were focused in his drawer, he could feel the stare. It was pretty regular at this point. When he was younger and shorter that stare was enough to cause some restraint him. But now? "Enjoying your book?" He asked tentatively. Since he did get a hello back and all. Some old feelings didn't fade fast enough, but he wasn't feeling so scared anymore.. and awkward silences weren't his cup of tea.

At least the towel kept the moisture in a tad longer. Just enough for him to find his comb once his friends arrived, "Hi Drake," Smiling as he heard the offer whilst immediately combing through his own hair, "Oh, yes, I am getting low on the Sleekeazy vial again, so I'd love some," It helped keep his hair feeling softer than a pillow. Perhaps shaving it all off would solve your problems. He might've paused for a moment, then remembering what someone told him about people who say such suggestions. Maybe he was jealous or trying to be very helpful but not saying it quite right. "...You think so? Well, I could probably donate some of it to you then since you could use the extra length you're working on." Helpful dormmates, right?

Jan didn't know where Ary was, but didn't have to say it since the door opened again. "Hey Ary," Jan said. He was usually chirper, but not so much now. He was quite tired it looked like. "Busy day?" Did he need a nap or maybe some alone time. Then there was Elias again with the 'helpful' suggestions. "You know how to do a tracking charm already?" The fourteen-year-old was curious and all.

[Chelliephone]

No sooner had Drake asked the question, it seemed then his best friend was making his way into the room - which always caused a smile to light his face, even brighter than that he'd worn previously. Except the downtrodden moods he seemed to be experiencing lately dimmed it slightly, for no reason other than concern. Drake wanted to ask if everything was alright, but he didn't imagine asking someone as private as Aryan in front of all of them, friends or not, would make him comfortable. So instead, Drake just kept the smile on his face, sending his own wave his direction even if his friend couldn't see it. "Were your ears burning?" An attempted joke, though he wasn't certain he used the saying correctly.

Wasn't that something people said when they'd been talking about someone and they appeared??

In the mood for conversation, Drake in the momentary silence just looked from each boy, uncertain what to say but also hoping someone else would say something. Elias was the next to speak, and at the suggestion Drake's dropped open slightly. Shave it??? But.... then they'd have to keep it short or have to deal with the grueling process of letting it grow back and keeping it healthy. While he couldn't speak for Jan, that was absolutely not something he would entertain for his own hair. (Although for pure curiosity sake, he would have been interested at Elias' skill with a scalping hex. Where did that come in handy?) At Jan's agreement to potions, Drake dove for his own trunk, quickly grabbing the small bag he kept product in and pulled out the requested potion, standing to carefully pass it over to Jan. "Here you go! My mum sent an extra bottle so use as much as you need. Or you can keep that one until you can restock." It didn't bother Drake either way!

Because he had been distracted earlier, he didn't hear the tracking charm suggestion, but once it was brought round again Drake blinked a bit. "Why'd you already learn the tracking charm?" While it had been suggested for use of friends, Drake didn't think that was something he'd ever be comfortable doing. A) his charm work left something to be desired, so if anyone was casting something on another person, the safest bet in his book was Aryan who was far more proficient. B) It seemed a bit of a violation of privacy to do that to someone - what if there were times they WANTED to not be found? Of course, the comment could have been said in something that was not a serious tone but... Drake took words at face value, so he hadn't considered as much. "How did you all already get so good at Charms by the way?"