Odd Behaviour ((Lita))

[Jackson Collins G5]

It was odd to find Jackson within ten metres of the library, let alone actually within the library. Actually, a few people doubted whether he even knew about the existence of the library and, if he did, whether he knew what purpose it was there for. Not that he was stupid. Quite the contrary, he was smart and was aided by a slightly-photographic memory. The reasoning for believing that Jackson was clueless about the library was, of course, that he appeared to be one of the people who thought studying or reading was a waste of time. That was quite untrue, and definitely an unjustified belief, but who was there to argue to the contrary? Jackson had long ago stopped caring what other people thought and he had no friends close enough to argue with anyone insulting him without appearing stupid for having no proof or the back-up from Jackson.

Keeping all that in mind, who would expect the boy to be in a dark corner of the library. Not reading, or even looking for a book. Rather, he was sitting on the floor, his legs drawn up to his chest and his chin had long ago dropped onto his knees. His ever-present smile had given way to a blank expression, conveying nothing but despair and depression even through his oddly lifeless hazel eyes. If anyone cared to look closer, there was just the glitter of pain deep within his eyes as he mourned for the parents he couldn't remember and the past he would give anything to forget.

Jackson behaved in this manner only once a year; the date of his parents death, the day he had been sent to the orphanage. In the years before Joshua had adopted him, he hadn't known of the date and so it hadn't bothered him. It was like another, ordinary day to him where he would be bullied by the more boisterous children of the orphanage and saved by the boy he had once considered an older brother. However, since his sixth birthday, he had known the date and what it stood for. First Joshua and then Mieko had helped him to understand the significance of the day and then helped him through the withdrawal he had forced himself into. Even when he had entered Hogwarts and no longer had his guardian or 'sister' to support him, Jackson had taken comfort in teasing Nadine more than usual to distract himself. But, with his beloved avoiding him like he would set her on fire if he even caught sight of her, his withdrawal had occurred once more.

Tomorrow, he would be the boy everyone knew him as. Lively and loud and slightly cruel but always charming. But tonight, just for tonight, he would mourn for the family he would never know and never have, even if he compensated by building his own family of friends.

[Lita Hollows R6]

It was a depressing thought, that was certainly true. After all the work she had put into making the friendship work - pushing past her own pride, not to mention Gaenors, and whatever other obstacles had gotten in the way - Gaenor was leaving at the end of the year? Her efforts were going to go to waste? Hah. Lita frowned, almost ridiculously annoyed by the idea. She was a Ravenclaw, not a stupid Gryffindor. Her efforts would not go to waste. If she threw herself into something then it had better damn well last, thank you very much. Her parents weren't quite the people she thought they were by the looks of it but she was every inch the daughter they had raised. Smart, quick-thinking, sarcastic and irritatingly stubborn, if not a bit spoilt. If she wanted something then, by Merlin, she would get it and right now she wanted to ensure that she hadn't put her time, energy and emotions into something that was going to end in a few months.

But what could she do? Her smile turned sad. Her parents wouldn't tolerate a Slytherin in the house - they barely stood Adrian being in the house and he was their own son - which ruled out seeing him during the summer and it wasn't as if she could meet up with him in Hogsmeade. She just had to face up to facts. The friendship she held in such high-esteem and the friend she trusted so much was going to essentially disappear when the school year ended. A sad thought but there it was. No use in fooling herself into believing something else. Lying to others was something that would never worry Lita - if they were stupid enough to believe her every word then it wasn't her problem - but she wasn't going to lie to herself. If didn't help and only hurt more, in the end.

She didn't want to be coddled and asked what was wrong. That was why she was wandering into the library with the intent of sitting near the back with a spellbook and letting her mind focus only on learning the spells listed in the book. Her mind was too ruffled and chaotic to come up with anything reasonable right now. Even a dimwitted Hufflepuff would be able to see that something was affecting her. So Lita most certainly did not want to be around either Adrian or Gaenor, both of whom would not only sense that there was a problem but probably also know what it was just from watching her. Dana might have been good company but it was humiliating to admit that she would miss someone after knowing them only a year.

"Its all Cleo's fault," Lita grumbled to herself, not noticing the figure curled up at the end of the bookcase she was walking by. "Cleo and Kris's. And Dana's. And even Morrigans. Just because." She probably would've ranted more, getting more and more nonsensical with every word, had she not tripped over the boy sitting down in the shadows and promptly ended up sitting on his lap. "Ah." Lita blinked, a bit too shocked to think of anything witty to say. "Hello."

[Jackson Collins G5]

If anyone had asked Jackson how he had ended up with a thankfully light young girl sitting on his lap, one hand pressed against his chest in what he presumed was both an attempt to stay balanced and not get too close to him then his answer would have to be 'she fell from the sky'. A ridiculous thought, certainly, but was it anymore ridiculous than actually having such a girl sitting on his lap without knowing where she had appeared from?

The last he remembered before being assaulted by this strange creature was berating himself for being so weak as to mourn for what he would never know. Had he not built up his own family? A family of mismatched and awkward people who needed each other to feel like they fit in with this world. Did he not have the girl he knew he wanted to marry within his sights? A wonderfully quirky redhead who both delighted and angered him. But of course, the heart does not always obey what the brain tells it. No matter how he rationalised the matter within his brain, his heart demanded the right to hurt over something that had happened while he was too young to remember it and the consequences that had come from his parents deaths.

"Ah." Jackson mimicked the blink, equally as shocked and surprised as the girl on his knee. "Jackson Collins," Jackson offered his hand politely, his polished manners taking over in the face of his mind-freezing shock. "Fifth year, currently maudlin. Not the best company at the moment but I won't tell you to go away if you wish to stay." Jackson frowned slightly, examining the girls face expertly, noting the lingering sadness, anger and hopelessness in the dark depths looking up at him. "Especially as you seem to be having troubles of your own. Misery loves company, right?"

It was rather odd, Jackson thought, vaguely amused by the circumstances. This strange girl-child with the far-ranging emotions struggling to be shown in her eyes and the hopelessness written clearly across her face reminded him of himself and for that reason alone, he was willing to let her stay. He couldn't help himself out of his misery so he certainly couldn't help her but something pushed him to try. Because, despite the conflicting emotions shining in her eyes, there was also innocence and he didn't want to see that innocence be destroyed. This kid had obviously lost someone important but, unlike himself, she wasn't going to go to pieces over it. He simply wouldn't allow it. One of him in the world was quite enough, thank you.

[Lita Hollows R6]

Her rather bruised ego was curiously soothed by the look of equal shock on the boys face. At least she wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed the situation she was going to put them both in by tripping over him. Though really, in all fairness, it was rather stupid of the boy to be sitting in such a place anyway. It was, however, rather amusing to see the startled look claim control of his features, chasing away the depression that had previously resided there. How odd that Lita, who generally despised strangers because of the shyness she felt around them, felt the urge to make sure that she never saw such depression on his face again.

It wasn't overly hard to see what sparked that feeling within her though. This boys features were more suited to laughter, his eyes held a light within them that was lacking in the eyes they reminded her of and his personality was slightly more open to strangers; all in all, he was easy to read. These differences were just skin-deep though, and easily seen as differences in the way the two had been brought up. This boy was most certainly not her brother, but something in him, perhaps the dark look lurking in the back of his eyes, was almost identical to Adrian. Odd indeed. Was he perhaps one of their distant relatives, kept deep within the shadows so as not to ruin the reputation of the Hollows family? Had someone from his branch of the family done something quite that bad?

Of course not. Lita frowned to herself, rolling her eyes at the leaps and bounds her imagination had taken. Just because this lighting made him look similar to Adrian did not mean she was related to him in any way. How many times had she examined the family tree? No Collins existed within their family. "Lita Hollows," Lita inclined her head politely before taking his hand. "First year, Ravenclaw, currently plotting rather desperately. Rather doubt I'm going to be the best company either but I'll take up your offer to stay. Anything's better than being alone right now." Lita frowned, realising rather belatedly that she still hadn't moved from her spot on his lap. "I might move though."