Wake Up and Drown

3 - Achlys

By the time the carriage made it's descent back onto land, the mood inside hadn't lightened in the slightest. Rosier's bird was still stiff as a stone, Zabini was still flipping through his book in an idle way that meant that he was about to boil over, and Regulus was still attempting to tactfully skit around the two of them. The whole compartment shook with the force of their landing, Rosier's bird's cage falling from his lap and rolling to the door just as Rosier shot up and exclaimed "Merlin, I fucking hate you!" and yanked Zabini's book.

"You hate everything, Rosier."

"No, that's you. You bloody blinkered ass-hat, what the bloody hell is your bloody problem?" Rosier was enraged, yanking Zabini up by the hem of his collar as the timed door magically opened. They'd landed in a secluded area, thank god, and Regulus's eyes followed the descent of the cage as it clanked down the steps and onto the grassy floor. Leave it up to Rosier to forget the original cause of the argument. 

"I'll.. get that." He muttered, ducking between the two older boys and reveling in the cool autumn breeze outside. There was a grunt next to him where he supposed horses would have been, and just as he remembered the cage he found it pressed into his hands.

"You dropped this," A soft voice intoned from in front of him, and Regulus looked from his hands to the fingers that were suddenly overlapping his. The Caecus boy was in front of him again, and Regulus glanced around before settling on the boy's face, wondering where exactly the kid had come from. There weren't any other carriages around, as if the thestrals driving the carriage had gotten confused and landed them somewhere else. The castle was largely visible though, so they couldn't be too far off. Green eyes stared back, flicked down to their hands and Telum Caecus withdrew his hands as if burnt. Regulus felt a slight shove against his chest as a small ball of indignation buried itself there. How dare he.

"...Thanks." Regulus nodded, tilting the cage over in his hands. The bird was still petrified, eyes glassy and feathers rumpled from the fall, and Regulus sighed before turning back fetch his 'companions' who's argument only grew louder and louder.

"W-Wait, Zabini." The boy's uneasy voice called out behind him, and Regulus almost laughed. Zabini? Caecus thought that he was Zabini? He turned around slowly, a small smile playing on his face. Anything to postpone breaking up the two bitching boys in the carriage. Opportunity, opportunity. 

"That's not my name, Caecus." Telum tilted his head again (it seemed to be a habit, Regulus idly noted;) expression shifting as if he hadn't really thought so either. He paused, opened his mouth, paused- and Telum straightened his head only to tilt it again in the opposite direction. Regulus had to wonder what exactly it was that the boy was thinking about, mouth pursed and eyes blinking owlishly like they were; and it struck him that perhaps he was waiting for Regulus himself to offer up his name. Regulus shrugged. "You don't get something for nothing."

"Oh, I know." The response was instant, instinctual, and Telum continued tilting his head to and fro as if he hadn't noticed he said it. Then his gaze went up, and he turned around and walked away without another word. 

What the bloody hell. 

_______________

Telum frowned as he padded through the forest. There was a slight shade that had caught his eye, something that wasn't there in his time circulating around the air- rippling among the Slytherin students and letting out hollow screeches as it approached the castle. He would talk to the other boy later, right now he had to follow it. If it wasn't there in his time, then that would mean that he was meant to dispose of it now... right? Maybe that was why he was here. 

He followed the shade all the way over to the castle, dodging past kids and teenagers assimilating to the great hall and to the back through the quidditch pitch. The grass was wet against his shoes, and for the first time he realized that he had gotten.. smaller. The once fitted uniform draped over his frame and extended much past his wrist and ankles, feet slipping around his shoes and trousers barely holding onto his hips. Shade momentarily forgotten, he drifted towards the locker rooms and peeked into the musty changing room. There was a run down mirror reflecting honey-colored light, slightly corroded along the edges from substances that he couldn't name (and didn't want to), and Telum frowned at his reflection.