Child's Play

Maybe she thought he was cute.
 * 26782415.jpgNora Leanne Barbary: 17 years old/ Gryffindor/ Halfblood/ Playby: Lucy Hale
 * Lyle Henry Davenport: 17 years old/ Hufflepuff/ Pureblood/ Playby: Max Thieriot

Maybe she thought he was really cute.

Standing a ways off, Nora watched Lyle as he sat, propped against a tree, a quill in hand. He had several pages of parchment on his lap, and he was scribbling away, no longer taking notice of the world around him. She'd been watching him for a good five minutes, and he had failed to look up still.

She had potions with Lyle, and she'd even managed to sit next to him, starting up a conversation from time to time. He was friendly, if not a little reserved. He always seemed too busy thinking to interact with others. When she wasn't attempting to get him to notice her, Lyle spent most of his time alone, set apart from the class. Nora believed that it was because Lyle was smart--really smart--too smart to be troubled with the petty drama of Hogwarts. She wanted to prove to him that she wasn't like the others.

Taking a deep breath, Nora crossed the gap between them and stood just before him. It was a minute before Lyle noticed the shadow that had crossed over his apartment, and he finally looked up. His smile was slow-spreading, and it made Nora's heart trip over itself.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey, Nora. How are you?"

She tried to crane her neck a bit so that she could see what Lyle was writing about, but he seemed to notice, and he gathered the parchment up a little too close to his chest for her to read. Nora clasped her hands in front of herself, wondering what exactly it was she'd planned to do next. She couldn't remember.

"I'm--ah--doing well. And you?"

"About the same. What are you up to this weekend?"

"Well..." It was her time to strike.

Realizing this, Nora smiled broadly and sat down next to him without invitation. She was so nervous that she nearly sat on him, and she bumped his arm rather hard before she landed solidly on the ground. Her bump, however, jarred his grip on his papers loose, and one slid free. She picked it up for him before he could protest, but froze in the act of returning it.

She'd thought he'd been writing, but he'd really been drawing. The skull and snake on the page had been carefully sketched, and recognition hit Nora like a ogre's club. She'd seen the image in the History of Magic books, and it sent a chill of fear down her spine.

"Lyle, isn't this--?"

He snatched the drawing out of her hand. "It's called The Dark Mark, Nora."

"Why are you drawing it?"

She knew what it was, and she also knew what it had been used for: to brand the followers of Lord Voldemort, to symbolize dark power.

"You wouldn't understand, Nora."

"Try me," she said, her voice unsteady.

He gave her a critical look. "This thing going on right now--this seperation of magic and muggles, this oppression of muggleborns--it's just a milder version of what he was doing."

Lyle waved his drawing and then continued on, "So, is it evil? Or is it the way things are really supposed to be? Once, the ancestors of the wizards fighting for this division were fighting against Lord Voldemort, but now the heirs to their legacy seem to be agreeing with him."

Nora swallowed. She'd never considered it that way. Really, she had tried not to consider it at all. Most people noticed that there was a rift in the world, but most people also knew that it was better to ignore it. What could they even do about it? Especially two kids, like her and Lyle?

"What are you getting at?"

Lyle scowled. "What's the difference between good and evil, Nora? Perspective? The people in control now have a scewed perspective. I'm pureblood, and even I can see that. Even my parents are consumed by this supremist idea of blood cleansing. It's like they forgot all about him."

He held up his drawing, but Nora only glanced once at it and then quickly away. Even a sketch of the Deatheater brand gave her the creeps. She wanted to edge away from it, but that would also mean edging away from Lyle, and, as much as he was frightening her, there was something about his confidence that she admired.

"Okay. I see what you mean, but I still don't understand why you're sitting here drawing the Dark Mark."

Lyle pursed his lips. "I know a lot about Lord Voldemort, a lot about the war back then. Everyone here is so quick to forget the terror, but I'm going to show them that what they believe is evil."

"How?" Nora's voice was barely above a whisper.

"You can't tell anyone."

"I won't," she promised, automatically.

"I'm going to be the next Dark Lord of Hogwarts," Lyle said.
 * ATTENTION: If you are considering taking up Lyle Davenport as a character, then you will need to first contact Whittney by PM through the Golden Reign forum. There are some elements of Lyle not included here that you must know in order to play him and his Next Dark Lord plot.