first steps [edric]

[LYRE CAELIUS DE VILLE]

It was a cool Sunday evening in October when Edric had scheduled a time to show his friend the basics of dueling. While they technically weren't supposed to be using magic outside of the classroom and homework, it had been a mutual decision to meet up to practice somewhere safe. Lyre had told Edric to meet him after Quidditch practice on the seventh floor's corridor. He wouldn't disclose where it was they were going, however, and he knew that he must have caused some concern in his newfound friend who probably didn't understand what he was up to.

Lyre was in his uniform and black robes- he was always proud of the material of which they were made. He enjoyed the flow and elegance that the fabric gave him as they fell across his lithe frame. It seemed to be common in the De Ville men and women, however, seeing as they all had daintier than usual appearances.

In truth, Lyre was incredibly nervous about what awaited him today. He was unsure if this would be the correct course of action to get him over his reluctance to duel. After all, something could still go horribly wrong and he could end up expelled from Hogwarts or, worse, injuring his friend gravely. He looked at his wand which was tucked safely into the pocket of his robes and mentally begged it to help him focus his magic so that it would not harm anyone today.

People continued to pass him as they walked through the halls, but they ignored him as was usual. He sighed and gazed down at the floor, just biding his time until Edric showed up. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do other than reading, and even that was starting to become a bore. He was beginning to look forward to his encounters with his new friend and their conversations over the occasional meal. Edric Vosper was an interesting individual, much more than he could say for the majority of Hogwarts.

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TAG - Edric
WORDS - 421
SONG - None
MUSE - A little shakey to start out with!
NOTES - Sorry it's short. I just wanted to get something started!
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[EDRIC ARISTON VOSPER]

Edric Vosper was a young man who was quite accustomed to rushing his way through the stone corridors of the castle. He liked to keep himself busy, and between classes and extra-curricular activities, meeting friends proved to be a challenge at times. Today was no exception.

He had agreed to meet Lyre – a boy he had shared a room with since his first year, but never actually spoken more than a few words before a couple of days ago – for a lesson at duelling. The other complained that his command over magic was too chaotic to actually be allowed to practice within class. Since Edric never missed a chance to perfect his skills, he volunteered to aid Lyre with his. How bad could the boy be, after all?

Since Quidditch practice had to be prolonged due to some of his teammates slacking off in the beginning, the Team Captain found himself to be a little short on time. He had almost considered foregoing the showers in order to be on time, but decided to jump under the cold stream of water in the end. After all, he didn't want Lyre to wrinkle his nose at him if he had to get physical with him in showing him how to move his wand, for example.

Making his way through the halls hastily, Edric couldn't help but wonder why the other boy had set their meeting at that particular point of the castle, near the Gryffindor tower. When he offered Lyre to practice duelling skills with him, the question of where they should do it arose. It had to be a secret place, somewhere where they wouldn't get caught by passers-by or, even worse, teachers. He had suggested going outside and perhaps finding a remote place somewhere outside Hogwarts grounds, yet Lyre said he knew just the perfect place within the castle itself. Since the boy couldn't be persuaded to give out any more information, Edric had to trust the oblique description. Anyway, he would find out soon enough.

Lyre wasn't very hard to spot among the other students, with his rather delicate build and fondness for rather exquisite robes. In the past, when Edric didn't know the other, he had one or two laughs at likening Lyre to a girl because of that. Now, thinking back, he was slightly ashamed of such childish behaviour. Not that the comparison was faulty... just the manner was disrespectful. Now that he had gotten to know Lyre a little, he found that the person behind the rather feminine appearance was an interesting and intelligent individual, worth every ounce of his and other's respect.

It seemed Lyre hadn't noticed him yet, so Edric made a point of approaching him quietly. Standing next to him, he towered somewhat over the other, which wasn't to say that Lyre was small. Edric was simply taller than most other students. He tapped Lyre on the shoulder lightly. ”Good day, Lyre... I hope I didn't keep you waiting. Quidditch practice took more time than expected, I'm afraid,” after offering Lyre a small apologetic smile, he looked around. ”So are you proposing to raid the Gryffindor girl's dormitories as practice? I wouldn't have thought it was quite your style...” he teased.

[LYRE CAELIUS DE VILLE]

A tap on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts of books, dormitories, and the sanctioned peace of the library. Lyre turned to face his taller companion with a soft smile at his greeting. "It is quite alright. I was not sure how long it would take, and I see that you took the time to clean up after practice, to which I cannot object." It was very good manners of the other boy to take into consideration his appearances to others. Though, he supposed, some might argue that the site of an out of breath, sweaty, handsome quidditch player was a good thing. He wasn't sure how he would respond to such a sight, so he didn't continue to dwell on it.

The next question, the teasing, however, caused a blush to stir under his pale cheeks. "N-no! Nothing of the sort! Why would such a thing like that be considered fun to me?" it was teasing but true. Lyre didn't seem to have any outward sexual urges at all, much less that of the female variety. And considering his reserved nature, it made the comment all the more absurd, teasing or not he was bristled just thinking about the implications. "The perfect place is here..." he turned and started to walk down the corridor, slowly so that he could still chat with his friend.

"There are perks to being unseen and unheard of in Hogwarts. When you take a moment to listen rather than speak, you can learn all sorts of secrets," he, himself, had proven this to be true with his knowledge of Great Britain's recent wizarding secrets. Rumors of disappearances and deaths that would incite panic should the vast majority of the population open their eyes to it. The Ministry was doing a fine job at quelling suspicions thus far, but how long that would last would depend on how violent and gruesome discoveries become. So far, though, it was quiet on that front, with seemingly unimportant, uninteresting people falling victim.

Lyre stopped before an odd looking door. It was a door that was never there- if Edric had just passed the hall, it wouldn't have given him a second glance. "It gives you what you need most..." the boy said as he grasped the handle and turned, slipping into the room quietly, waiting for Edric to follow. What lay inside was a nicely planning dueling room, one that one would use to practice in for the sports. "This room is quite odd, is it not? The last time I was here, it was a beautiful study with a calm fireplace and relaxing armchair." he laughed softly under his breath. "Will this be adequate?"

His calm words betrayed the loud heartbeat in his chest. This could go so very wrong so easily. One misstep and he could lose his new friend. Edric seemed to not heed his warning, but Lyre knew how destructive his magic could be when it was not properly contained. But, he hoped that his affection towards the other boy would prevent him from bringing real harm to him. As long as he was able to remain calm, all should be well...right?

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TAG - Edric
WORDS - 648
SONG - None
MUSE - :3 Getting better!
NOTES - Yay! I think this post turned out much better than the first!
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[EDRIC ARISTON VOSPER]

A soft laugh escaped Edric's lips at how the other boy got unsettled and even embarrassed by his teasing. It had achieved it's desired effect, suprisingly enough. The dark-skinned boy thought his little joke about raiding the Gryffindor girls' dormitories was quite harmless, as he was accustomed to much harsher and lewder humour from the company he usually kept. Yet Lyre blushed even at this... the colour in his cheeks only accentuated his girly features. It was a rather adorable sight to behold, yet Edric chased the trail of thoughts away quickly.

As the other started leading him in the direction of the mysterious place he had planned for them to practice in, Edric nodded and followed, keeping his pace and walking next to the other. ”Secrets, eh?” he echoed his friend's words without adding much of his own opinion to the subject. The wizarding world had many secrets: old and new ones. One tended to lose sight of that when one got acquainted with a fraction of it and started to concentrate on it. It had happened to him, somewhat, he supposed. His life here in Hogwarts was that of active participation rather than listening in on murmurs, even if they held great information. In that sense, the two Slytherin boys were very different.

Perhaps this was what made their budding friendship so exciting. Edric didn't have anyone quite like Lyre among his friends; the long talks they had shared so far were very interesting and enriching for the quidditch team captain. And furthermore, talking to Lyre seemed easy, their conversations seemed to flow naturally, one topic followed the other without awkward pauses. Although it had only been a short time, Edric was already glad to spend more and more time with the other boy.

One of these ways was practice. Lyre came to a halt in front of an inconspicuous door and as he walked inside, Edric follower. His brown eyes widened at the sight of a perfectly furnished practice room. He doubted even the regular school facilities were as good as these. ”This is... I'm speechless, Lyre,” he looked at his friend and burst out in a little astonished laughter. ”I guess this 'listening rather than speaking'-business paid itself off, and with benefits at that!”

Over the next couple of minutes, the tall male walked around the room, checking the equipment and giving the other one an almost childlike smile every now and then. Magic... it was truly amazing, even to a boy that had grown up with it. Finally, he upright in the middle of the roo2m and took out his wand. ”So tell me, what do you know about duelling already? His dark eyes rested intently on his friend. Now that they were finally here, in this perfect room, there was no reason to waste more time not practicing.

[LYRE CAELIUS DE VILLE]

"I am pleased you find it suitable," Lyre had not expected the room to give them something as grandeur, yet simple as this. Grandeur for all of its amenities and how nicely it was laid out compared to common practice rooms, yet simple- it only gave them what they would need for their lessons and nothing more. If people at Hogwarts would just take a moment to quiet down and listen to the world around them, they would be able to discover secrets as well.

But now wasn't the time for him to judge his peers. He drew his wand hesitantly, gazing down at its mavelous engravings. It was a beautiful wand of Alder wood with a custom handle that bore his family's crest. Initials of his Great Great Grandfather were carving into the side, as it had been his original wand, but now it was Lyre's. The core of Acromantula web was illegal in the wizarding world, but so far none had been the wiser as to its participation in the creation of the masterpiece. Lyre did not like using magic with a wand, for it never seemed to want to channel his own.

"I can indeed perform basic spells and such, but..." he trailed off, not finishing those words. It could be very difficult to get spells that required much more staying power in his grasp. "That is not what you are here to teach me, now is it?" He twisted the wand in his palm nervously. Despite having bonded perfectly with it, and despite the fact it obeyed him, he did not have control over the forces the wand was supposed to channel, and therein lay his problem.

"Are you certain you want to do this? We can back out if you would rather," he said in a soft voice. He was worried that Edric wasn't entirely sure what he was in for, perhaps he thought Lyre was exaggerating when he continued to warn him about his unstable magic. "I would not be offended in the slightest... we could grab a nice meal..." it wasn't that he was a coward, but if Edric saw this side of him, would he still want to be his friend?

Lyre had hurt those he cared about and himself before with his magical abilities. Hogwarts, of course, had helped him hone his skills, but there was still something about it that made it hard for him to rightfully take hold of the learnings and full get his magic under his control. So many other students did not have a problem with it, so why did he suffer from it so harshly?

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TAG - Edric
WORDS - 552
SONG - None
MUSE - :3 Getting better!
NOTES - Hope this was good! Excited to see them train!
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[EDRIC ARISTON VOSPER]

”We can begin with simple spells, if you feel you need help in that department, too,” Edric reassured his friend calmly. It seemed that Lyre was quite hesitant to start actual training, despite showing some signs of excitement when they had first discussed the option. But talking about things and actually doing them were two different matters altogether, he supposed, especially for someone more accustomed to less physical activities.

”Now now, Lyre, we didn't make our way to this great hall just to make dinner plans, have we?” he spoke in a slow, assuring manner and used his friend's name to make him feel more at ease. Even if he didn't necessarily look the part, Edric was actually quite apt at handling people that were afraid or uncertain. Having to lead an entire quidditch team full of personalities that more often than not didn't mix quite well together, he had to learn some psychological tricks to get them to refocus on their common goal.

In hopes that his towering presence might have some assuasive effect on the other, he lowered his wand and walked over to Lyre. Since his friend was so anxious about the lesson, he would have to curb his own enthusiasm for duelling this instance and instead choose a more careful, slow-paced approach if he were to teach the boy anything. ”You've mentioned you weren't allowed to duel or perform more powerful spells in class. Why is that? Is it your wand?” he offered Lyre a good-natured smile and darted his eyes to the long fingers clasping the beautiful wand unassertively. ”It is beautiful, but I haven't seen such carvings in the more recent works of Ollivander...”

Since their conversations were always so seamless, Edric figured engaging Lyre in one would be his best shot at calming him. After all, one of the most important conditions for successful spell-casting and thus, duelling, was calm confidence. They wouldn't get far if they started out with Lyre being this tense. Besides, with systematic questions, he could get information on how bad the problem was before he actually let Lyre try to disarm him or the likes.

[LYRE CAELIUS DE VILLE]

When Edric inspected his wand and asked if it was the source of his troubles, Lyre couldn't help but laugh softly, that sweet, melodic sound that escaped his parted lips. "No... it is not my wand. This wand originally belonged to my great, great grandfather. Rather than being buried with him, he asked that it one day be used again. Before getting me something custom made, my parents let me try the heirloom wands we have in our possession... this is the one that ended up choosing me." What he said wasn't a lie. However, there was more to the story than he let on.

He could tell that Edric was trying his best to get to the root of the problem to come up with a solution, something he saw more common among Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Still, it was an admirable trait to possess and not at all ugly as not acting in a rational manner. Lyre could not say the same for himself. Sometimes he let his emotions get the better of his actions, but it had not happened in a very long time since his training to quell his feelings began. Some might consider it a sad life to not be able to experience the extremes of happiness and sadness. Lyre was content or disgruntled, but never did he let himself live to the fullest.

"Since this is in the name of helping me learn to duel... you must know that the problem is within my magic itself." he began slowly, not quite sure how to tell Edric that he was dealing with something unstable. "That is why I am afraid I will hurt you. It's happened before... Usually I hurt myself more," he tried to smile at that, but it didn't quite reach his eyes and his voice betrayed the upward curve to his lips. It seemed it pained him a great deal to talk about it and admit it, but Lyre was a Slytherin and he had immense pride. To admit he had these short comings was nothing but humiliating, even to a close friend.

He took a deep breath and continued, clarifying what he meant. "My wand is loyal to me, yes, but I fear that when I become frightened or panic, my magic wants to work on its own. Terrible things have happened before, that is why I do not wish you to take this assignment lightly. I do not think you would, but it is more than just helping a friend learn the basics. Perhaps, with your help, I will be able to perform other spells as well... my mother believes my magic is too powerful for my wand and that I should concentrate on wandless magic. To be honest, I do find that I enjoy the complexity of it more, but wandless magic is about intricate rituals and curses rather than the quick draw of the opponent in duelling. If I were to face off with another wizard, I could not sit around waving my hands. I would need to know this."

It was a long speech, but Lyre felt he had explained himself well. He just hoped that Edric would understand and sympathize.

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TAG - Edric
WORDS - 639
SONG - None
MUSE - Goody!
NOTES - Long post was long... @@
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[EDRIC ARISTON VOSPER]

Edric nodded when Lyre told him the story of how he got in possession of his wand. Coming from a traditional pureblood household himself, the dark-skinned Slytherin was quite familiar with such a process and the Vodric family, too, had a number of wands that were passed down through generations. His grandfather had one that dated back a few centuries. Yet when Edric's invitation letter to Hogwarts arrived, he wasn't allowed anywhere near the family heirlooms, but had to pick a wand up at Ollivander's.

In the end, it all worked out, he supposed, casting an affectionate glance to his wand. Even if the dragon heartstring hidden in its core was traditionally more befit to a Gryffindor, a fact he kept well hidden from other students, the wood it was made of was one of the best for charms and duels. When Edric had first found out about the Silver Spears and their exclusivity to wands made of aspen, he felt the swell of pride in his chest and a fuzzy feeling of being something special around his heart. And to think that this long, elegant wand had chosen him, a boy who thought so little of himself at the time it did!

He continued to listen to his friend carefully when he explained his faulty magic. ”If it's any consolation, the fear of doing something wrong is a fairly common phenomenon, many are suffering from it,” Edric spoke finally, after some consideration. ”Yet in most cases, when the witch or wizard is scared or otherwise unsteady, the magic refuses to yield to the commands. You must be one of the rarer cases when the magic actually chooses to backfire,” he smiled a little and touched Lyre's shoulder. The quidditch team captain did his best to not let his voice betray that the thought of his friend's magic taking a life of it's own actually terrified him a little.

”Shall we begin with the dummies?” Allowing his hand to slide a from the top of Lyre's shoulder to his shoulderblade, he started guiding his friend toward the human-sized doll with armour and a wand in it's hand. After hearing the story, he most definitely wasn't going to risk being hurt by doing something as stupid as duelling Lyre at their first meeting. That kind of practice will have to be saved for later appointments.

”The fear of being frightened is what's holding you back, mainly, as far as I can tell. That fear isn't giving you any chance to prove yourself by crippling you from the start. You have to learn to let go of it.” Once they were at a safe distance to the dummy, it was Edric's turn to give speeches as he started his lesson. ”Some people like to imagine a certain place that calms them, or a person that they like to fight for, in situations like this. You have to find something that gives you that inner source of calmness and remember it when you feel anxious.”

[LYRE CAELIUS DE VILLE]

"I suppose that is a nice luxury for the people who are able to afford it," Lyre conceded. A place that was peaceful and familiar? A person to fight for? Lyre had never thought of it that way. He had never had something or someone that he wanted to protect, that is, until he met Edric. But he wasn't quite sure what it was he felt for his companion. If anything, it would seem like he should be the one needing protecting, not the Quidditch Captain and Master Duelist. It was a nice thought for him to think of that, but that didn't make it a reality. In truth, Lyre didn't value his own person enough to even fight for himself.

He sighed and slumped his shoulders dejectedly, twirling the delicate wand in the palm of his hand. It was a powerful weapon, and why it had chosen him to be its wielder he knew not. It would have seemed that it would have chosen someone with power and self-control. He, himself, had the power but not the self control and discipline. Or rather, he had discipline, but instead of harnessing his power he suppressed it. Edric's words made sense to him in some way, though. He would just have to find a reason to better himself... though perhaps he already had one. He wanted the other Slytherin boy to like him. It was... different for him. He never cared what a person thought, so why was Vosper's opinion of him so important?

"What do you think of, Edric?" Lyre asked him, gazing up at him with his wondrous silver eyes. It wasn't that he was trying to put Edric in a difficult position, but he was looking for calmness and reassurance that his friend could give him. However, his thoughts started to wander. What if there was a young maiden Edric had his eye on, a fair creature he wanted to protect and keep safe from harm? What if she was unaware of his affection and took his presence in her life for granted?

His fingers curled tighter against his wand as he forced himself to remain calm from the thoughts. Why did he feel his heart clench at the thought of that? It was as if his skin was on fire and he couldn't breathe properly. How he remained calm in his cold as ice exterior was unfathomable to most. But most people would register the emotion as jealousy.

Unfortunately, Lyre had never experienced jealousy before, and it was new and frightening to him. He couldn't quite understand why he felt as if he was going to cry and Edric had not even spoken and responded to his question.

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TAG - Edric
WORDS - 553
SONG - None
MUSE - Goody!
NOTES - Not as long as before, but still good I hope!
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[EDRIC ARISTON VOSPER]

„It's about achieving a certain state of mind, really,” Edric continued explaining after Lyre's comment. It wasn't an easy matter to get a good grasp on at first, especially for a person that was as apprehensive about it as De Ville was. He had offered a couple examples, but perhaps getting more into the mechanics of the matter would help a bookish mind like his friend's. ”I've always seen duelling as a twofold effort. First of all, you have to be calm and confident enough to wield your magic in the most powerful way. Yet that can be said of most magic. Second, you have to be just the right amount of reckless to lose sight of what consequences the wrong spell or faulty timing could have for you. You have to give into the moment, let the adrenaline wash over you. It will aid you in staying in the moment and reacting as quickly as possible.” Edric hoped this theory of his would help his friend.

When Lyre inquired about his own method of putting himself in the right mindset prior to a duel, the tall male took a breath and parted his lips slightly as if to say something but finally, no sound came out. He had stopped himself. Truly, the question shouldn't have been surprising in the least, given his explanation that preceded it. The surprise Edric felt was more due to how easily he almost let the truth escape his lips. The two boys had only known each other better for a relatively short period of time, even if they had been roommates for all of their joint time at Hogwarts. Was that reason enough to entrust him with information that Edric had till then kept to himself? He let his glance slide from his friend and into the distance for a short moment as his mind worked.

On the other hand, it wasn't that great of a secret, really. ”It's a bit of a weird trail of thought, really,” he spoke finally, with a somewhat unsure smile upon his lips, so unlike the Vosper heir. ”Macabre even, some might say,” the small smile grew into a more confident grin as he made a decision. Edric trusted Lyre. Even if they hadn't been friends for long, even if he wasn't sure where this lightness in sharing his thoughts with the other stemmed from. He decided to go with his gut and see where it took him.

”I think of death. Of the impermanence of the physical world. I imagine myself dying in different ways, and my body withering away,” another small smile followed his words. ”I realise it's a rather uncharacteristic thing to think about, and I am certain people wouldn't imagine me of all people lingering on such matters, much less drawing strength from it. But I find it does calm me...” There it was, out in the open. Edric looked at his friend, awaiting his response.

[LYRE CAELIUS DE VILLE]

Lyre listened to Edric's words with rapt attention. They made sense to the young boy, at least, the explanation of his calmness did. Wielding magic in a powerful way... Lyre had no trouble putting power behind his spells, but direction was another story. It wasn't that spells wouldn't obey him perse, but they often came with too much force and destructive natures. Still, he chose not to focus on that and more on the fact Edric had just confessed that imagining his own death was comforting.

"I do not think it strange," Lyre said after a moment's contemplation. "Why should I? I am sure I have thought much worse..." What would be his calming force, he wondered? Something that would keep him grounded in reality. He did not think that Edric's way was for him, even though it made sense. If you could imagine the worst possible outcome, then what was there to fear? But Lyre couldn't fear death, not in the way that others did. Death was a release from the hardship of life, and he did not find that he had much to live for these days.

Quite a depressing thought to be sure. "It does make sense, however..." he paused, choosing his words carefully. "I will keep this in mind," this would require some deep reflection on his part. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face the dummy, his mind reeling with the possibilities. The fear of hurting those he loved had always kept him calm, but Lyre wasn't sure who he really loved in the first place. His parents had never been overly affectionate or supportive of him, and he had no close friends, no siblings, no extended family to grasp on to. He wasn't an animal person, so there wasn't even that, and he did not care of himself, so he couldn't even justify his own protection.

What a sad, pitiful life he led. But then, it all became so clear. It was as if the fog clouding his mind had lifted. He did not have to think of his fear- he could think of his hope. "I will try to imagine a better life. One filled with kindness and love. I would like that some day, you know? If I were to die now... I could not achieve that, even though it all feels rather pointless," he tilted his head down in shame. "I do not know if I ever will... but there has to be something better than there is now. I could accept my own death- at this moment I would, but I... want to be a person who fears it rather than passively accepting my fate. To have something I could fear losing in my life, that is what would bring me peace and happiness."

He finished speaking, gazing back up at the target. His eyes were glossed over with tears that wouldn't fall, and he wouldn't meet Edric's gaze due to it. He was ready to begin his lesson, he just hoped he wouldn't lose the one thing he thought he might have worth pursuing.

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TAG - Edric
WORDS - 635
SONG - SNSD - Top Girls
MUSE - Goody!
NOTES - :3 Hope it's oki-doki!
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[EDRIC ARISTON VOSPER]

As hard as Edric had tried to tell himself it didn't really matter what Lyre had thought of his little confession, he couldn't that a wave of relief has rushed over him when his friend didn't dismiss it. Not only didn't Lyre think his trail of thought was strange, he had said it made sense to him. And that, in return, was of great personal importance to Edric. It meant that the other could actually relate to him, and to a part of him that he didn't completely understand himself at that.

He didn't mention anything to Lyre, no words of gratitude he felt were expressed. In stead, the tall male left his friend to his thoughts. It was an important topic, too, nothing to be airheaded about and he was glad Lyre was taking it seriously. During the moment of silence, Edric stood next to the other Slytherin in an upright manner, a small smile playing upon his lips as he was in his own thoughts about their small interaction and its significance.

When Lyre finally spoke, Edric turned his head and gave the other his full attention. He was a little surprised at how profound Lyre's words were. Which didn't mean he didn't think the other capable of such emotional depths, quite the contrary. But the direction his friend's thoughts took came unexpected to the dark-skinned boy. There was a curious mixture of hope and sadness in Lyre's words and tone of voice, something that lingered as an aftertaste within Edric, making him think about his own life quality and ideal future scenarios.

”I understand...” his voice trailed off somewhat, changing into an encouraging smile. He meant what he had said. Who if not the boy constantly fighting a lost battle for his family's recognition could empathize with the thought that life could – or should – contain more good things than it did at the present? Yet truth be told, even if Edric could very much relate to the thought, it came somewhat as an epiphany to him. With striving for the said recognition, he hadn't really thought of the kind of life he would want to lead, outside of the pureblood ideal. ”That's a very positive image to hold on to, I believe it will serve our purposes well,” he concluded with a light touch on Lyre's arm.

Turning to the dummy in front of him, Edric sighed. ”With that in mind, the practical part of the lesson may begin, I believe.” There was a shift of energy within the tall boy. He had seemed broody and mellow before, but now, with the prospect of engaging in one of his favourite activities, he came to come to life, positively glowing. It was clear he felt very much in his element. ”We should start with the disarming spell, I believe, as it is one of the basic and most useful ones in defensive martial magic. Allow me to demonstrate,” and with that, he turned to Lyre with a smile and a wink before drawing his wand, pointing it in the dummy's direction and shouting ”Expelliamus! decisively. A red flash appeared, blowing the wand out of the dummy's hand and throwing it forcefully up to the farthest wall of the great hall. It all happened in a matter of a split second, or so it seemed.

Relaxing from his tensed yet elegant duelling position, Edric turned back to Lyre. ”That's the jist of it,” he smiled and whispered another command to retrieve the wand under his breath. After placing the wand back into the dummy's hand, he made his way to stand next to Lyre. ”Your turn.”

[LYRE CAELIUS DE VILLE]

They seemed to have a mutual kinship about them- Edric was just as polite and understanding of his mind as he was the other's. Truly, it was a great misfortune that they had not met each other earlier than their sixth year at the school. Total, they would have roughly two years to form a bond. After that, it would be up to both of their wills to keep the friendship going. Lyre wasn't sure what life beyond Hogwarts would hold for him. He had spoken with the Slytherin House Head about possibly pursuing a career in studying ancient witches and wizards- something akin to a curse breaker, though he thought that it would be lowly to work for a place such as Gringotts- who wanted Goblins as their boss? No, he wanted to work on a personal level with private collectors... perhaps even performing some of those great rituals for burials and new life to curse and protect.

The red flash of light sent the dummy flying back against the wall with a thud. Magically, it was picked up and reset as if running on some sort of magical cog wheel. This room had exceeded even his expectations of it. "Don't say I did not warn you..." Lyre gave Edric a hesitant smile as he took his stance.

Expelliarmus was one of the basics of the basics that everyone had learned in second year. A lot of duelers seemed to like spamming it on their opponents. Of course, professional duelers would have more skill to block it and more dignity to not rely on it, but if he was going to learn how to duel, he needed to re-learn the basics. Luckily, Expelliarmus was a spell he knew well enough. Taking a deep breath, he asked his wand to help him not hurt his friend.

"Expelliarmus!"

Everything about the spell had been performed correctly. The swish of his wand, the pronouncing of the word, and the force behind his voice. The red light burst violently from his wand and hit the dummy in the chest, causing it to explode in flames. The loud noise made Lyre scream and cover his head, dropping his wand. Two of the nearby mirrors burst from their frames, causing the glass to rain down and litter the ground in front of them. Luckily, they were too far away for any physical harm to come to them.

Lyre dropped to his knees, hands still over his head, eyes tightly shut as he took deep breaths. This was why he had been hesitant to do anything of the sort. His own fear had gotten the best of him in the end, and his reluctance to fight had created dissonance. Perhaps he was a self-fulfilled prophecy, but it didn't matter... Edric would be afraid to teach him further.

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TAG - Edric
WORDS - 572
SONG - Lacuna Coil - Heaven's a Lie
MUSE - Pretty good!
NOTES - D: Well. Lyre warned him?
CREDIT made by flyy~

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[EDRIC ARISTON VOSPER]

Keeping a safe distance of a couple of steps from his friend for safety – he didn't wan to underestimate the threat of Lyre's magic -, Edric watched the technique closely. It didn't seem faulty and hence the explosion that hit the dummy with such violence came as a true surprise, making the body of the quidditch team captain jump up at the blast. ”Bloody hell...” an atypically crude murmur escaped the young aristocrat's lips as he watched the flames consume the human-shaped figure wide-eyed. And then there was a scream...

As much as he blast was against Edric's expectation, what he saw next to him was even more so. His jaw dropped a little at the sight of Lyre dropping to his knees and covering his head, and his hand extended itself to his direction almost automatically. After whispering some spells to diminish and finally extinguish the flames, he stepped towards his friend with a little bit of hesitation. What would he say? What could he say? Obviously this upset Lyre very much, and he could understand his fear better now, if these were the kind of results he got with his magic. If he had to suffer through similar experiences, perhaps Edric would be as afraid, too.

Stepping towards the crouched figure over broken glass slowly, he went through a couple of sentenses to console Lyre in his head, but all of them seemed a bit void of meaning at the sight of what had happened. But didn't it always feel like this when dealing with long-time trauma? ”Lyre... he whispered softly, having dropped to his knees to be at the same level as his friend. Putting his arm over the other's shoulders, he tried to catch the other's eyes, only to find them shut. ”It's alright, you can look up now. It's... not so bad,” Edric started stroking his back gently as the room clicked and creaked, setting itself in order again. ”Now we know what we're working with. Where we stand... We can only progress from here, don't you agree?” The tone of his rather deep voice had a more uplifting note now.

He stayed in the position until Lyre felt ready to stand up again and flattened with his palm his fine robes upon straightening up. ”Now, I don't want you to be discouraged or to further dwell on what has happened, so I'm going to ask you to perform the spell again,” his voice seemed soft yet resolved now, but he seemed to search for something in Lyre's pale eyes with his intense gaze. Was this really okay? How would his friend react to being pushed more? While Edric was quite confident about his methods, but he was a bit unsure about how Lyre would take it.

[LYRE CAELIUS DE VILLE]

Lyre remained in his crouched, cowering position until Edric dropped to his knees beside him and began to comfort him. He wasn't sure what he had expected of the other boy. Edric had proven himself to not be the type to be merciless and cold towards his friends- little did Lyre know that he was also a special case. Edric seemed to treat him with gentleness and kindness, a shoulder to lean on when he couldn't be strong.

Gripping his wand, he looked up, giving Edric an almost-smile when he tried to tell him that it wasn't that bad. Of course it was bad, but the fact Edric was being so kind to him brought a smile to the other boy's face. "You don't have to lie... I know it is quite bad," he looked around at the mess, sighing. He'd attempt to clean it with his non-verbal magic, but he didn't want to post the risk of another explosion, even though those sorts of spells were rarely beyond his control.

"Are you certain?" the surprise in Lyre's voice couldn't be easily masked. "Well... I suppose..." If Edric still had faith in his ability to teach him, what could Lyre say? He had seen the destruction that his unstable magic brought about, and yet he still thought it wise to press on. Lyre wasn't entirely sure he agreed with the decision based on what had happened, but he wasn't going to dispute it either. He had asked for Edric to teach him the basics of dueling, and it seemed the other boy took his duty very seriously, something that Lyre had to admit he much admired about him.

He allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and faced the dummy again. Practice seemed like it dragged on for hours. Many dummies were destroyed, but each time with Edric's consoling, he was able to improve by just a bit, and by the end of their session Lyre was able to use the appropriate amount of force to disarm his opponent and knock them back rather than blasting them apart.

The final spell brought a smile to his face. Even he could see the improvement. Perhaps it was Edric who had contributed most to the equation, though. Lyre had grown comfortable and more at ease around him which allowed for him to calm his nerves rather than worry about the damage he would cause. Edric seemed intent on sticking beside him, something he was far too grateful for. And, after they were done, Lyre pocketed his wand to mark their success and turned to Edric with a smile. "That was most invigorating... I really learned a lot thanks to you," he was positively beaming as he spoke. "But I am quite famished. Would you like to accompany to the great hall for a meal?"

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TAG - Edric
WORDS - 591
SONG - None today!~
MUSE - Great!
NOTES - I'm so tired omg. ;~;
CREDIT made by flyy~

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