CHAPTER TWO
NEW BEGINNINGS
JUNO BAPTISE SAT ON THE BENCH, STARING AT HIM AS HE ENTERED THE CHANGING ROOM. The last time a girl had waited in the changing rooms for him, he had gotten kissed, and then love potioned, so you could see why he was slightly on edge about the whole thing. Girls were confusing creatures even on their best days. They could snap and bite, even if they were smiling.
"Juno," he greeted as he slammed his uniform down by his place.
Practice would start in a few minutes, he was late as it is, seeing as there were no more classes for the next week. The Christmas holidays were approaching meaning that Professors had been kind enough to postpone classes until the new year. He didn't exactly need Juno to chew him out over something stupid for him to miss his last Qudditch practice of the year.
As well as this, he wanted to avoid Rosier as much as possible, so by being late automatically made Augustine and Rosier clean up afterwards, apparently one of Bunnys punishments just for Rosier after they kicked him out, and if you were late, you had to clean up with him.
The feeling he had towards Rosier was a mixture of guilt, at taking his spot within the Knights, and a feeling of doom, of what would happen to Augustine, he'd be Rosier. He didn't want to be Rosier cleaning up after everyone.
"August,"
"Augustine," he corrected as he neared forwards, "what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to congratulate you, sober this time." She eyed him, looking him up and down. Her tone complimentary and when she smiled, Augustine thought for a split second that she was pretty.
"Thanks? Is this the part where I say I'm sorry for avoiding you or something?"
"Bingo girl killer". He winced a little at the nickname before replying, "well, I'm sorry then." Liar. He thought suddenly. He didn't know why he was lying. It wasn't as if he really cared about hurting Juno's feelings.
"Apology accepted, now please come down to the black lake later? We miss you," she meant herself, Sai and Ivan. Though he couldn't say anything, he barely remembered the pair well enough to miss them. Juno had been the only one to actively make an impression on him.
"Fine. Now can I get changed?"
"Of course girl killer, see you later!" She called before spinning on her heel and exiting the changing rooms.
....
After practice, Augustine raced to the black lake, as per Juno's request. He had told Bunny all about it once he had stopped yelling at him for being late, Bunny had then been quite overjoyed, even giving him tips on how to bag Juno.
He found Juno where she said she would be, sitting crossed legged with both Sai and Ivan.
He approached them awkwardly, he was going to announce to them that he'd arrived like an idiot when Juno perked up, "hey August! Come sit!" She tapped the open seat besides her, they were sitting on someone's blanket to avoid the soggy ground.
He nodded, sitting down besides her, the two boys stare at him oddly before Sai spoke up, "are they vampires?"
Augustine looked at him confused, "excuse me?"
"Riddle's boys, are they vampires?" He repeated a little irritated.
Ivan opened his eyes, obviously interested in this idea.
"No, no they're not."
They both looked rather unsatisfied with his answer, Sai frowned and Ivan re-closed his eyes. It made him feel guilty, for some weird reason.
It was odd sitting with them, talking to them about who knows what, he found himself laughing at Juno's jokes, not the same sort of jokes Bunny would make, no, his jokes were more crass and lewd, but here they were rather the fun kind, the ones that caused him to clutch his sides when he walked back to the dormitory an hour later, still the pain in his sides ached as he found his way to his bed.
Bunny was already there, staring up at the ceiling as he stretched out on the floor, his chest rising and falling softly, he was asleep.
With his eyes open.
"Don't you dare," a voice said from behind him, Augustine had been edging closer to him, to see if he wasn't dead
He spun on his heel to see Abraxas, reading his book on his own bed.
"If he wakes he'll hit you, I don't want you injured for the initiation process," he added in a drawl, the whole thing bored him terribly.
So Augustine nodded before he exited the dormitory, the rest of the boys were downstairs in the common room. Augustine would rather hang out with them rather than a sleeping Bunny and an irritable Abraxas.
....
Later that night, Augustine pulled the covers of his quilt up to his chin, willing himself to sleep. It didn't last long of course, seeing as someone was trying to get into bed with him .
"Bun get out," he ordered instinctively, his eyes shut, then he opened them a peek, seeing as Bunny didn't respond.
A flash of blonde hair indicated that it wasn't Bunny. "Abraxas?" He asked into the darkness.
"Yes, now move up will you?"
He thanked the fact that it was dark, as his face reddens. He'd gotten so used to Bunny that he thought it was always going to be Bunny, and now, realising it wasn't , it embarrassed him, so dependent on the other boy.
"Um, why are you here?" He whispered as Abraxas shuffled around, making himself home besides Augustine.
"Initiation obviously, act one — me."
He turned to him in the dark, he could just make out Abraxas' face, his straight nose, his unnerving blue eyes.
"Okay, so what do I do?"
"Easy, don't lie." He retorted irritated, he'd always been irritated in Augustine, ever since he'd met him.
"Lie about what?"
"My questions, firstly I'll tell you a secret or a truth, then I'll ask you questions, but you have to be truthful, or else you end up like Rosier, okay?" He explained quietly.
"I guess."
"I hated you the moment I met you,"
"I thought we were doing secrets?" He asked annoyed by the process already. "I already knew that, you still don't like me Abraxas," he exclaimed.
"I'm just saying, I hated you, but I don't now, do you know why I didn't like you?" He asked causally as if he wasn't talking about how much he'd hated Augustine.
"No? Why?"
"Because I didn't trust you." He let the words hang in the air for a moment before he continued, "Tom had been going on about you joining the school nonstop, saying how you killed your girlfriend, of course I didn't trust you," he explained truthfully.
"Then, I found out you killed her because you were bored of Beauxbatons, how can you just kill someone because you were bored? Couldn't you do something else to get expelled? Like arson or something?" He asked even more madly. Augustine was afraid he'd wake up the whole school if he went on.
"Because I wanted to know what it felt like, killing someone," he responded suddenly, not waiting for him to actually ask him anything.
Abraxas was quiet for a moment, letting the words sink in, "what did it feel like?"
"Like all the weight had lifted from my body, like my heart had just started to work."
Abraxas audibly gulped, "you're not scared of me , are you?" Augustine then asks.
"Yes, yes I am, I find you unpredictable and reckless, you're like Bunny without any muscle and steroids."
"He uses steroids?"
"Of course, you don't think he's like that because he isn't on something do you?"
Augustine shook his head, he knew something was up with Bunny, he didn't know exactly what.
"How did he find them?"
"His father, his father gave them to him, his parents want him to be the best Quidditch player ever so," Abraxas didn't say anymore on the subject, Augustine knew though, that much pressure, of course he would resort to drugs to be the best. He hoped Bunny didn't do anything stupid though, he feared for him, for his life.
"Oh," he replied simply, and they sat in silence for a moment.
"Right! Next question," Abraxas said changing the subject. "This one's a good one, you fancy Tom don't you?"
Augustine almost choked on his salvia, "Merlins beard Brax, I don't know!" He slammed his hands down onto the quilt a little harshly, he felt Abraxas jump besides him and it caused a grin to stretch across his face.
"I feel something towards him, I don't know what exactly, if you can't tell I'm not exactly a loving type,"
"Well you better find out soon," Abraxas warned, "because you have other admirers —somehow."
"What?" He raised a brow, no he didn't. No one else liked Augustine, well apart from Olive but that didn't count.
" Bunny definitely does," Abraxas didn't sound like he was joking, he sounded pitying.
"What? No he doesn't," he felt his face reddening again, he wished he didn't blush so much.
"Why did he kiss you then?"
"He told you?"
"Well yeah, we have been betting on when he would make his move on you, Reinhardt won, the prick,"
"Oh," Augustine replied, he really did not like this part of the initiation.
He had thought about the kiss a lot over the past few weeks, of how warm his breath had been on him, the kiss wild and savage. He didn't realise how much he yearned for it. Then he immediately felt guilty, guilty for the false relationship he'd crafted inside his head with Tom.
"Can I ask you something?" He questioned suddenly trying to find Abraxas' face in the darkness.
"Sure,"
"Do you fancy Tom?" He asked nervously. He didn't want to fail the initiation by asking the wrong questions, but it had been eating him up. He'd seen the way Abraxas was. The jealousy was something Augustine knew well. He could see it often on him.
Silence. His heart started to beat quicker. He was going to fail him he knew it.
"I used to," he finally said. Augustine raised a brow, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. he knew Abraxas couldn't see it but he still did it anyway.
"But then I knew it would never happen, Bunny told me that."
"Bunny?" Augustine asked in disbelief. For some weird reason, Augustine never thought of Abraxas and Bunny as friends. Sure, they hung out with the same people, but they never seemed to get on .
"Well of course," he said, as if it was obvious, "we've known each other since we were kids, we tell each other everything."
He opened his mouth, trying to think of words. Anything. But nothing would teach the tip of his tongue.
"I thought . ."
"You thought what? I wouldn't be friends with the great big slob? Kind of have to, he was my first kiss."
That wasn't something he'd thought he'd ever hear. He stared at him. "What? No."
"Is it really a surprise? He'll kiss anyone, and I needed to know. If you know . . ." He trailed off, Augustine knew what he meant. If he was into men or not. Bunny was an excellent choice.
"So, you do?"
"Yes. But you can't tell anyone, or I'll rip your tongue out and then feed it to you — understand?" He warned sternly, though his voice trembled with fear. Augustine knew the fear well.
"I understand," he nodded softly. He would never tell. Even if Abraxas had outed him.
"Lastly, would you kill again?" He said changing topic. His tone back to its mean self.
Augustine thought for a moment, would he? Of course he would. There was no doubt about it.
"Yes, I'd kill again, of course I would." He said firmly, the familiar hunger took hold of him. He would. He'd do it all in Toms name as well, just like he did with Jasper .
"You've passed," Abraxas said finally. An exhale escapes Augustine in relief, before disappearing out of his bed, leaving Augustine to sit staring into silence, wondering about what Abraxas had told him, about Bunny, about himself, about another kill.
an/ yes I've added more to this I had to add abt Abraxas bc it's necessary for the next couple of chapters as they start to become friends bc of it !!!