We Have Both Light And Dark Inside Us //Open

[ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER]

Albus stood in front of the mirror in his dormitory. He was tired and stressed out. Of course, this was his O.W.L. year, so the teachers were quite harsh on the students. He ran a hand through his untidy brown hair. His blue eyes looked tired and upset, and even a bit sad. As he untied the green and silver tie that hung around his neck and tossed it on his bed, he still felt that pang in his heart. Ever since that day, he felt as if he was a disgrace to his family. Nobody else had been put into Slytherin. Just him. Although his parents had been fine with it, he still felt like he missed out on a lot. There were always so many inside jokes going between all of his cousins that were in Gryffindor. He felt left out at times. Of course, he still had a great connection with his family, but it just wasn't the same as it used to be.

He stopped staring at his reflection and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his white shirt and walked out of his dormitory. He still wasn't used to the green and silver decor instead of red and gold, which was often found in his own house. Even his nursery had been read and gold. But now his room was a plain and boring shade of blue. He liked the color, but there was no reason behind it. Lily and James both had the freedom to design their rooms, but Albus refused. He picked a color, and then decorated the rest with posters of Quidditch teams. A few of his friends greeted him with 'oi's' and such, but he just waved them off and exited through the portrait hole. Outside, the air felt cooler on his skin. Well, of course it did. He was in the dungeons...and it was always at least twenty degrees colder there. He must be immune to it by now.

Walking up the stairs to the entrance hall, and making sure to step over the trick stair, he saw how nearly empty it was. He sauntered over to one of the benches and sat himself down on it, propping his elbow on his knee, and placing his head in his hand. He ruffled his own hair, and rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes. He looked up as he heard the distant sound of footsteps echoing through the hallways. Dinner couldn't be starting already, could it? He turned his head this way and that, but didn't see anybody. He groaned and banged his head against the wall softly, just resting it there. He pushed up his sleeves to his elbows and ran a hand through his messy hair.

[CORDELIA ANAIS WOOD]

Cordelia's eyes were fogged over as she tuned out the Transfiguration Professor. How she had recieved an O.W.L. in this class, Cordelia had no clue. It was almost like a miracle since most of her studying habits consisted of cramming and talking to her friends. Perhaps with all the stress and fear her parents would grow beyond angry helped her actually study. Well, the O.W.L. year was over and Cordelia was thankful she was only taking four classes: Transfiguration, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, and Arthimacy. The latter had to be her better subject. There was something about numbers that Cordelia liked and she had received her only O in that class. The other three she had barely passed in. It was good enough for Cordelia, as long as it was a passing grade. Professor Kent finally finished up the lesson with some homework and Cordelia had to look at the notes the person next to her took. Scribbling down the notes real quick, Cordelia would decipher the notes later when she was more in a concentrating mood. All she could think about was the upcoming Quidditch game that was Ravenclaw against Gryffindor. She needed to start thinking about what their strategies might be and make a list of the players on each team so she could take notes. Yes, Cordelia actually took notes during the game, but it was for Hufflepuff's own good. She could usually be seen with a pair of Omnioculars as well. Way before Cordelia and her siblings were born and even before her father married Cordelia's mother, Mr. Wood had bought a pair of Omnioculars when he went to a Quidditch World Cup. Originally given to her older brother, Cordelia had "borrowed" them. Never really knowing if he noticed them missing or not, Cordelia wasn't about to give them back. Plus he was in St. Mungo's from the dumb accident so Cordelia wouldn't have to worry for quite awhile now.

When class was dismissed, Cordelia strode out of the room and began to make her way to the Hufflepuff common room to change out of her clothes. The tie, button up shirt, knee skirt and knee high socks weren't exactly something Cordelia liked to chill in all the time, but it could be much worse. Not sure what worse was when she thought about it, Cordelia descended the stairs. She couldn't wait to throw on a pair of jeans and a long sleeves. It was that time of year when the Hufflepuff common room grew cold because it was near the ground. It couldn't possibly be as cold as the Slytherin common room and Cordelia wasn't jealous of them one bit. She was now on the ground floor. Just a few more minutes and she would be arriving in the yellow and black colored common room she's spent so many years in. Skipping the last few steps, her feet made a loud slap against the stone flooring. It was oddly quiet for this time of hour, but most still had another class to go since they were a bit more intelligent than Cordelia was, but Cordelia wasn't complaining. She knew what she wanted in the future and a bunch of classes didn't need her to get there. She needed skill and connections. She already had the connections from her father, she just needed to prove she had the skills when the people actually came.

Cordelia was going to keep walking straight, but something caught her hearing. It was a slight clunk like a heavy object against a wall and Cordelia turned around quickly. Thinking that it might've been a Slytherin behind her ready to sneer and jeer, Cordelia didn't see anybody. Walking a few steps to the right, Cordelia wanted to make sure nobody was getting beat up either. She may not be a prefect, but Cordelia couldn't stand bullies or fights. They were utterly absurd. When she did catch sight of something, to her surprise, it was only one person. It was someone that she knew all too well and a smile reached her lips. Walking towards him, she felt the smile fade from her face and into a frown. Albus didn't look too well when she was within talking distance. She kept approaching him and knew that he needed some cheering up, or at least someone to comfort him. Cordelia was glad Albus and her had gotten to know each other. She wasn't sure why he was a Slytherin when he clearly belonged in Hufflepuff. The guy was quiet and was nothing like his cousins and brother and sister. It was simply beyond Cordelia's imagining what his family must really think about him being a Slytherin. Cordelia adored him either way, that was certain. "Why the long face?" Cordelia asked as she sat next to him on the bench. She would've ruffled his hair, but his hands were already amoungst his brown hair, so Cordelia refrained from it.

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[ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER]

Who really knew what was going through Albus's mind at the moment. It was much too fogged up with Transfiguration and Potions lessons. Apparently he had inherited his paternal grandmother, Lily Potter's, natural talent for potion making. He really did like Potions, but recently it was getting so much harder. This week, he was supposed to learn how to brew both Felix Filicis and Draught of the Living Dead. Oh, how he hated these two. They were the only potions he had ever really had trouble with. That gold colored potion, Felix Felicis, was practically torture in a cauldron. Sure, once made, it's one of the best potions you'll ever see. Before it's made, you really learn to appreciate the person who discovered this...and then hate them for creating it, and making you learn how to make it. He shook his head internally, dropping his hands back to his lap. He leaned forward resting his arms on his legs and staring down at the tiled floor beneath him.

A familiar voice spoke up. Albus couldn't help but let the smile cover his face. One of his best friends had just sat down next to him, and he knew that he could always turn to her when he needed cheering up, or even advice. She was a lot like an older sister. He would go to Lily, but she was family. It was harder talking about this stuff with actual family members. They never understood. They could say they did, but it was obvious that they didn't. None of them were all that good at giving advice. He would often go to a family friend, Rosalie, for advice. She was super sweet at times, as long as she wasn't around Fred. Then she was devious. And around Hugo, she was pretty much a stuttery mess. "What long face?" he asked, giving her a small smile before leaning back against the wall again. "Shouldn't you be in class?" he asked another question, turning to face her.

((Sorry it's short -.-))

[CORDELIA ANAIS WOOD]

As soon as she saw the smile creep up onto his face, Cordelia knew he knew who it was. Granted the blonde hair probably gave her away a bit and her voice as well, but Cordelia still liked to think she was pretty sneaky when sitting down unexpectedly. He replied to her lame excuse of a greeting. When he leaned back against the wall, he spoke again. "Shouldn't you be in class?" Albus asked her as he turned to face her on the bench they both sat on. Cordelia laughed. Cordelia was not studious at all. Last year during the year Albus was going through, she passed four classes. One she passed with an O and the rest she barely passed. Transfiguration had surprised her when she found out she actually passed. Of course she did study for that class because she knew that it would come in handy, even if she was going to become a professional Quidditch player after she graduated from Hogwarts. She looked down to her wrist to look at the watch she had on, but remembered she doesn't wear watches. They looked gaudy on her wrists and she wasn't much of a bracelet or watch or anything on her wrist-wearer. "I only have four classes and if I'm reading my watch correctly, I have this hour off."

[/color] Cordelia replied as she tapped her pretend watch. Even if this wasn't her off hour, she didn't mind skipping. She could always get someone she knew in the class to give her the notes and quickly summarize what had happened.

Cordelia was always good at making up excuses. She could say that she needed a nap and accidentally sleep through the class. She hadn't used that one yet on her Transfiguration professor yet and she hoped that it wasn't her Care of Magical Creatures class she might be missing since she's used that excuse on him at least five times. All joking aside, Cordelia was still a bit worried about him sitting on a bench alone. The alone part didn't bother her so much since Albus was a bit of a loner due to his predicament with his family being in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, but the fact that he looked too stressed out with his head in his hands worried Cordelia. "Seriously though. Something must be bothering you, Al."[/color] Cordelia redirected, giving him the 'Tell-me' look as she tilted her head down a bit so her eyes had to look through her eye lashes. She often gave this look to her older brother before his accident. It was used for many things to either get her way by using her look or to get juciy information out of him. It never worked on her parents since they knew better, but she inherited the look from her father since he thought he knew everything. He would tilted his head down at her - since she was shorter than him back then - and wouldn't say a thing. He just stared her down until she broke under his gaze. It was very effective and Cordelia found it to be just as effective for her as well. "And don't tell me it's just because you're tired."[/color] Cordelia added knowing that that particular excuse was used too often to get out of letting things off your chest. Cordelia had to admit she used it her fair share of times, but Cordelia was a hypocrite so she wouldn't let Albus off the hook with that.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER]

Ablus couldn't fight the grin on his face, as of right now. Cordelia was always one of those people that he could turn to with a problem, or even just wanting to talk. He knew that she would make time for him, and in return, he would always be there for her. Whether it be a shoulder to cry on, or anything like that, he was there. Plus, even though she was a year older, he tended to be a bit protective over her, treating her like a younger sister at times. He was actually a bit more protective over Lily, but still, Cordelia was definitely like a sister to him. He rolled his eyes playfully at her comment. "Of course. It seems to me as if you're always off," he said, making air-quotations around the word off. He chuckled softly, knowing that she could be skipping. He also knew, that no matter how hard he tried, she wouldn't go back to class. She would just refuse, and say that she already knew what they were learning that day. "Don't let your grades suffer," he scolded her, wagging his finger jokingly.

"No idea what you're talking about," he said softly. It was a blunt lie. He knew that she knew, and it was just going to be stupid. She had always been able to read Albus like an open book, and it would probably happen again. He folded his hands in his lap, looking down at the girl in front of him. He was only slightly taller, but still taller, nonetheless. "Do I look that bad?" he asked quietly, looking down slightly, his always-messy hair falling in front of his face. He looked up at her shyly. He hated being a Slytherin. It kept him isolated from his family, and he wasn't even like any of the other Slytherins. He was the shy type, who could be seen sitting in the library by himself, or maybe just flying solo on the Quidditch pitch. She recognized the look on her face, and was about to say something, but she had cut him off. "Now, would I say that, Cordlia, dearest?" he asked, slightly joking. Honestly, that was exactly what he was going to say. "I guess I'm just a bit stressed out. Right now, I'm really...upset. I miss my family," he admitted. Although his family was really just a a bunch of flights of stairs above him, it felt as if they were miles apart.

[CORDELIA ANAIS WOOD]

Cordelia just smirked at his comment. She may be a Hufflepuff, but she was never one to stick to the rules all the time. This was when her siblings influence took over. Most of her siblings were in Gryffindor besides her youngest brother. He was a Ravenclaw and like Cordelia in a way. She was the only Hufflepuff and he was the only Ravenclaw in the family. Her family was nothing like the Potter's though. The whole Gryffindor Tower was just crawling with Weasleys and the few Potters. "Oh don't you worry. I have my resources."

[/color] Cordelia said with a mater-of-fact tone as she stuck her nose in the air. She had seen many Ravenclaws stick their noses in the air like she did just now, but Cordelia was just mocking them. She decided that when the next bell would ring, she would check her schedule to see what she had left for the day. She already attended Charms for the day and knew that she had Care of Magical Creatures soon, but she did have a feeling that she was missing Transfiguration. Oh well, Cordelia thought. She'd get her best friend Mia to let her see the notes she took in that class. It wasn't like this was a new things for the two girls.

Cordelia had a sixth sense for knowing when someone was lying and she knew Albus was lying. Cordelia knew what Albus might be feeling. It wasn't that hard to figure out guy feelings since Cordelia knew how feelings worked. The Weasley's were considered blood traitors back in the Second War and now that they have kids, those same ideas were passed down to their kids that Muggles are just as equal to a pureblood. With Albus being the only Slytherin in his family...ever, he must be confused. Cordelia sighed feeling bad for the kid. She knew she'd have to break out the advice on Albus eventually today, so it might as well be sooner than later. A little bit later couldn't hurt though. She'd let him express things first instead of jumping right in and bombarding him with her detailed list.

And then the 'ah-ha!' moment came when he said he missed his family. Cordelia slung her arm around his shoulders. Albus was the black sheep of the family and even his extended family. He had no one to turn to in the Slytherin common room if he needed someone. It was a good thing Cordelia was near the dungeons just incase Albus did need her suddenly. "I know you do. There's a reason you were sorted into Slytherin. Obviously being a Slytherin doesn't mean your a vile person, you just have that cunning trait. Like a fox. They're cute and cuddly on the outside, but they know how to get the things they want.[/color] Cordelia offered, trying to give an example to try to make it not seem as bad. Letting that sink in, Cordelia had a feeling it didn't help much. He needed a solution to get his cousins to understand better about his situation. Scrunching up her nose, she tried to think of the best way to say the next part. She had no intention of belittling the Weasleys or Potters, but they all seemed so extreme with everything. Some of them - and she wasn't going to name them - needed a chill pill. "You have a large family, Al. Pick a few to get them to understand. If I know anything about your family, its that a secret doesn't stay a secret for very long."[/color] Cordelia chuckled. Cordelia was from a large family as well even though both her parents were only children, so she didn't know what it was like to have cousins. She could assume what it might be like, but Cordelia had four other siblings to worry about.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]