Listen to many, speak to a few
a private Yaoi roleplay between Snowe and Extraordinary_Rebel_13

It was the first day of the new term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Thomas Black, a tall fifth-year Slytherin, was walking up the driveway. Dressed in black jeans and a forest green tee-shirt, he was a little cold in the night air. The other students were in the warm carriages that kept whooshing past him, but Tom had decided to walk from the train station to the school. In retrospect, he decided that that hadn't been quite the best idea. Tom pushed his black hair out of his green eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets. Bending his head against the light breeze, he continued trudging up the driveway. He heard something behind him- footsteps- and turned around, only to see...

The first day of term was always interesting. The sorting ceremony always provided dozens of new faces and of course, new targets. First years were always so easy and amusing to pick on. Though for the moment, Alastair Macnair had a different target, a more familiar one - Thomas Black, a fellow Slytherin whom appeared to be walking upto the school. Walking up the path to the school would be so.. troublesome, but it would be worth it, he'd make sure of it. So he passed on a carriage ride in favour of following the male up the path. The male was in his school uniform, like the rest of the students were - or should be. Tucking a piece of loose, raven hair behind his ear, the male started his trek up the drive towards the school.

Thomas soon seemed to realise he was being followed and turned around. With an almost malicious smirk, Alastair continued to approach him. "Hello, Thomas. Enjoy your holiday?" It was common knowledge that Alastair wasn't the nicest male around.

Great. Of all people Tom had to walk with, it was Alastair Macnair. Everyone knew about the rivalry between the two boys. In fact, it seemed more like entertainment to the others. In nearly seven years, both boys had sent each other to the Hospital Wing many times and had earned more detentions than either cared to count. Not to mention the many midnight duels that Snape always found out about, coming to break them up and give them both detentions. And yet... Tom had found himself watching Macnair a lot, during meals and classes. And not in that how-shall-I-curse-him-next sort of way, but in a... a different, unexplainable way. It sort of freaked Tom out, that he watched his enemy that way. And now this. Why was Macnair even bothering with conversation? Why wasn't he just whipping his wand out and cursing Tom? As the thought occurred to him, Tom reached into his pocket to grip his wand. "It was fine, Macnair, as if you even care," Tom answered coolly, although his holidays had been far from good. He didn't start walking yet, knew better than to turn his back on Macnair.

Sure, they were rivals, but their rivalry was a healthy one. They were constantly getting one another into detention or the Hospital Wing, but neither seemed to care. They were always ready for another round and spent most of their time thinking up new ways to get one another. The holidays were always strange as he was away from school and he had no Tom to pick on. So what had he spent his summer holidays doing? Not a great deal, if he was being honest. "No, your right, I really don't care. Couldn't care less, in fact." Stuffing his hands into his robe pockets, Alastair glanced ahead and noted the first of the carriages were approaching the courtyard. "Why on earth are you walking upto the school? Do you think too highly of yourself to lower your standards and get into a carriage?"

The rivalry between Macnair and Tom wasn't that bad. It wasn't like freaking Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, for example. Tom and Macnair had more in common than people thought, and had often talked for periods of time in the common room away from prying eyes. Tom had spent his holidays wishing to get back to Hogwarts, where he'd be able to curse anyone he wanted to. At home, well, he was the one getting cursed and beaten up on. He used to wonder if it was karma- the way he treated people at school was how he was treated at 'home'- but had since realised that he'd been treated as a scapegoat since before he'd started at Hogwarts. At Macnar's comment, Tom let out a snort of laughter. "Yeah, that's it, Macnair," he said, giving the other boy a side look. "I'm too good for the carriages... Same for you I'm assuming."

Alastair rolled his eyes at the male and looked around. He'd never actually walked upto the castle on the first day of term before, it was kinda strange. He was used to sitting in one of the carriages, talking with his friends and planning out which pranks to play on which students. It was all good fun, for him atleast. "Yeah right. Like I'd willingly walk to the castle. I'm only here now to make sure you don't get eaten by the nasties in the forest. Sheesh. And believe me, if I'm worn out when we reach the castle, your first night in the dorms is going to be hell." The majority of his summer holiday had been spent home alone as his father worked for the ministry and had little time to spend with him. Oh well. He had the large house to himself.. and nothing to do.

"Oh, how nice of you, Macnair," Tom answered sarcastically. "Watching out for little old me. That's so sweet." He rolled his eyes, head shaking slightly, and continued walking. "And thanks for the heads up. I'll make sure to sleep in the Common Room tonight." He rolled his eyes again. Both boys knew that Tom didn't intend to make good on that. Snape tended to check in the Common Room every couple hours to make sure everyone was in their dorms. Well, that and to make sure Tom and Macnair weren't causing their usual trouble. It was one of the reasons their midnight duels had been interrupted so often- Snape and his stupid checks.

Midnight duels really weren't all that fun, in his opinion, purely because he'd have to wake up and venture through the castle at such a late hour. He'd much rather sleep during the night and beat Tom at a duel during the day - though they'd end up with even more detentions, wouldn't they? "Watching out for you? Yeah right. I'm only watching out for you because if anyone's gonna get you, its gonna be me." Alastair had no intention of doing anything to the males bed tonight as he was far too tired to care. It had just been an empty threat.

"Oh, you're so threatening," Tom shot back. "Just lookit me- I'm tremblin'." Smirking, he glanced down at the ground. He kicked a couple rocks into the main road, but they were immediately run over by passing carriages. Tom muttered a certain four-lettered word under his breath and looked back up at the castle. The lights were getting a little closer now, but he was sure that by the time they arrived the Feast would be over. And they'd probably get detentions for walking up and skiving off the Feast. Not that Tom really cared about getting a detention; it was just that he was tired and wanted to get back to the one place he really called home- the Slytherin Common Room. He knew that Macnair wouldn't do anything tonight. But that didn't mean that Tom didn't have anything up his sleeve for the other boy...

Alastair rolled his eyes and said nothing more. It didn't take long before his attention started to wonder and he grew bored of their little walk. If Tom wanted to be stupid and walk all the way to the castle, missing the feast and the sorting ceremony, that was upto him - but Alastair had no intention of getting a detention on his first night back. "Well, whatever. I'll leave you to your little stroll, I can't be bothered to walk anymore." This he said after noting a carriage coming up behind them with two of his friends in and two empty seats. The carriage seemed to slow as it approached them and Alastair quite happily pulled himself up and in. "Still intent on walking the rest of the way?"

Tom glanced into the carriage. He knew the two other boys, but wasn't particularly friends with them. He turned his head and looked at the long twisting path up to the castle; then his eyes landed on the carriage again. Shrugging, he pulled himself up and took a seat across from the other three boys. His legs cried out with relief and, though Tom longed to massage their pain away, he didn't. He'd work on icing them down later, in the privacy of his bed with the curtains pulled. He pushed his hand into his pocket, gripping his wand- just in case.

The larger of the two males paid no attention to Alastair or Tom, he was always like this on the first day back as the thought of the feast was just too much for him. He'd get to stuff his face with as much food as he could eat! The second of the males seemed to smirk as Tom struggled to pull himself up onto the carriage. Alastair raised a brow in amusement as he watched the other. Nothing was said and once the carriage started moving, taking them upto the castle, he looked up ahead and watched the castle as it grew nearer by the second. Ah. He couldn't wait to head into the dorms, it would be so nice to sleep in his bed again. His bed at Hogwarts was much more familiar and much more comfortable than that he had at home.

Tom turned his green eyes upon the boy that'd been smirking at him. His grip tightened slightly on his wand, as he said, "Find somethin' funny 'bout what just happened?" His voice seemed tight, unfriendly; he actually came off sounding a little colder than he'd meant. But, whatever, it didn't matter. Tom had actually done stuff while locked in his room over the summer; he knew curses now, lots of them. Nobody would cross him this year, not even Macnair. Well, maybe Macnair. After all, life wouldn't be any fun without their ongoing curse exchanges and sparse midnight duels.

The guy still seemed to continue smirking, even after Tom had spoken. It seemed it was his usual expression. But yes, he had found something amusing about what had just happened. Instead of saying so though, he just seemed to smirk and look away. Alastair on the other hand, raised a brow and looked to Tom. "He finds it funny that you had trouble getting yourself up here. Especially since first years manage much better." He folded his hands in his lap. "Though you should know this is how he usually looks, ignore it if it bothers you." With this said, he looked back out at the castle. So close now. Only a few moments away.

"Oh, yeah, he's the one that can't speak for himself," Tom said. "Oh, wait- none of your accomplices can speak for themselves. You're too worried they'll say the wrong thing." He propped his feet up on the seat across from him, ignoring the fact that the tiny empty space was between Macnair and one of his cronies. He leaned his head against the window, staring out at Hogwarts. The huge stone castle was the only place he'd ever felt at home. Screw the place where he spent his summer, and occasionally Christmas, holidays. That place was not a home, it never would be. It was merely a place where he was hit and yelled at and cursed at; a place where, even if he wasn't locked in his room by the people that called themselves his parents, he's stay in his tiny room.

"Oh, he can speak for himself, he just doesn't want to waste his breath with you." Alastair replied, eyes not moving from Hogwarts as he spoke. "They all have a voice and they use it when they want. Just because they don't want to speak around you doesn't mean they don't speak at all. Your just not worth their time, thats all." Nothing like an insult or two on the carriage to Hogwarts. He hadn't been able to insult anyone like this in a very long time. "Mind you, I don't blame them for not wanting to talk to you, you are rather dull to speak to." Hands remained folded in his lap, though they were always on the ready to whip out his wand need be.