Bruised ego and bloody bandages; [Tag: Alexander clan +1 Kristopher Bell]

Jasper stirred in his sleep, his family's nurses had already come and gone and it seemed that he was actually able to manage to get a bit of rest. His eyes fluttered open weakly and his dark hues began adjusting to the dull light of the Hospital Wing. Once entirely focused, he sat up, groaning a bit as the muscles in his shoulder continued to falter and prick him with a dull burn of uncomfortable tension. But considering the events of last night, he was in pretty good shape, and was thankful to be alive. He glanced over to Kristopher, who was still sound asleep and shook his head, all because of him. Well it was clear his parents had been informed and he was waiting for a number of owls to be throwing parchments of worried scribbles at him for the next few days, he groaned at the thought, how irritating. Jasper rested his back against the head of the bed once more, delicately dropping his head to the stone wall and closed his eyes for a moment, he was thinking about the other students and teachers who had been there, why it was Laura, who happened to be Kristopher's sister that had been chosen to kill him.

He glared suddenly, clenching his jaw as an instinctive growl passed his lips. Why exactly was he selected anyway?! He was a damn good Death Eater, loyal and brave, he never had a problem with his assignments and usually finished them with time to spare and the results were nothing less of a perfect masterpiece of chaos or death; sometimes both if he was in a good enough mood. But if this proved anything; Jasper Alexander would not go down as easily as one would think, his lips twisted to a smirk. He was a plague and he wouldn't vanish until the world knew and feared him. Such a lovely thought, he hummed quietly in content.



[ I could not for the life of me find a good title for this -_- ]

Angela Alexander had practically ran to the Hospital Wing when one of the professors came to inform her of her brother's condition. Her heart was racing and worry plagued her every thought. When she finally did reach the Hospital Wing, she cautiously stopped outside of it, just staring at the door and catching her breath. He was in there... hurt... she was shaking now. No, no she had to calm herself down. She couldn't just rush in there with tears streaking down her face and shaking like a wet kitten. She took a few deep breaths and hastily wiped at her eyes. He was hurt, but he was okay. That's what she had to remind herself. He was okay.

When she finally composed herself, she tried to stand up straight - she had to appear proper, of course. That was how she was raised. She made sure her clothes were straightened and that her hair was sticking every which way. Exhaling a long breath, Angela slowly pushed the doors open before folding her hands delicately in front of her.

It took everything for her not to run to her brother's side. Jasper was on the one end, next to another professor's bed - though she paid no mind to whomever it was. She tried to regulate her breathing when she saw all of the bandages. Why? Why would this happen. She bit her lip, keeping it from trembling as she bowed her head ever-so-slightly and tried to gracefully walk over to her elder brother.

Quietly, she sat herself down in the seat next to his bed. "Brother," She greeted him softly, looking up at him with her blue eyes. She couldn't hide the worry that was etched in them. "Ar-," She stopped herself, feeling her voice tremble... never show weakness, that was what she was taught. She took in a deep breath and exhaled quietly. "Are you... okay? Wh... what happened?" She placed her small hands on the bed, leaning forward a bit as she asked him.



[haha, I hate it when that happens. But I think your title is really good! x3]

Once hearing the door open, Jasper's eyes opened up quickly as he slowly pulled his head from the wall. It was Angela, he should have figured that someone would have said something to her, although this caused a frown to deepen the features of his face, his business would not be thrown around this castle's walls so freely, he would see to that. But he wouldn't blame Angela. As she approached him he had to admit that she seemed quite put together about this entire thing, in the back corner of his mind he had expected her to completely lose it and come flying into the hospital with tears racing down her cheeks like two powerful waterfalls showing no signs of stopping. In fact, the vision of her in this manner almost brought the hint of a smile to his features, now that was an Alexander.

Jasper kept his eyes on his sister as she sat down in the chair beside him, staring at her silently for a moment. His shoulder was properly bandaged, he had to remove his jacket for this and he couldn't find it comfortable to attempt to put it back on so instead remained in his black, sleeveless turtleneck that was usually just the first layer of his clothing and he felt a bit naked with just it on. He scoffed quietly to himself, if he taken the time to put all his usual layers on then perhaps he wouldn't have been so bad off last night, lesson learned. Also, much to his displeasure he had to remove his pants to get his thigh and knee wrapped, so where the arrows had pierced his pants the white of the bandages were visible. He had small bandages on his eyebrow, under his lip and on his cheek. But these were all flesh wounds now, he was only sore around his knee and his shoulder.

He nodded silently to her question regarding his condition.

"I am fine, the wraps make it look more severe than it actually is."

Jasper said with an almost cocky tone, trying to make himself seem more invincible than he was in hopes of regaining his place at the top, since being saved and promptly getting his ass handed to him by a student brought him back down to the bottom in a matter of moments. He sighed, looking over to Kristopher to make sure he was still asleep yet lowered his voice just in case he was faking or one of the damned nurses were spying.

"The Dark Lord requested a curse be set on the a selected group of people from the school, a few students and a couple of teachers. Apparently they were given missions and it seems I'm either being tried or tested since I was suppose to be killed last night by a girl named Laura Bell."

He didn't want to go into the embarrassing details of being surprised, attacked and tortured so he quickly sped up the story.

"She was going to use a forbidden spell to finish me off when that blockhead --"

Jasper tilted his head to Kristopher.

" -- jumped in front of me and took the pain for me. Then she seemed to snap out of it and here we are."


[Thanks<3 ; by the way, Kristopher says you're adorable. // Sorry for the wait, my mother needed my help with cleaning for a moment.]

As she sat, it literally took all she had to keep herself composed. Whenever her thoughts began to turn, she'd yell at herself to keep up appearances. That was always her weakness, keeping up appearances. That was why her mother beat her all the time. That was why she was often reprimanded; she was so weak when it came to her emotions or sometimes lack thereof. She bit her tongue, as if to bring her back to reality and what her brother was telling her. She forced a small smile on her face. At least he seemed like he was okay... he was acting like his normal self. This allowed her a breath of relief.

Angela's eyes widened when Jasper mentioned the Dark Lord. She couldn't hold back her emotions this time as her hands gripped tightly onto the blanket. "W-w-what?" She asked breathlessly, her breathing a bit more shallow. Why would the Dark Lord do something like that? The Alexander's had always been high up with him, and Jasper had been especially well liked... or so she thought. It must have been some messed up test... she hoped it was for her brother's sake. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall at the thought of Jasper lying dead here in the bed instead of injured.

Slowly and as discretely as she could, Angela looked over her shoulder at the professor in the other bed. Her lips were parted slightly, trying to wrap her little head around everything. This man had saved her brother? Why? Why would someone do that? She was grateful yes, but confused. People acting out of kindness (or more) simply confused her. She was hardly ever bestowed such actions that she wasn't sure how to understand.

Angela turned back to Jasper, sniffling slightly. "But you're... you're okay now... and... and it's over? The test?" She whispered the last bit. "Nothing else will happen?" That was what worried her. Voldemort was unpredictable and that frightened her. Look up at her brother and the small cuts on his face, she just wanted to reach out and touch him, but she knew better than that. He didn't like it when she did that and that would be much too forward for her. No, instead she kept the edge of the blanket on the hospital bed tightly in her grip.

[You're welcome~ Awww, now I'm blushing. ^//////////^ // That's okay, I understand~ I had to help my brother with something myself. :3]

As Angela looked over to Kristopher, he found himself doing the same, it was odd, he couldn't take his eyes of the blonde in the bed beside his. He knew Angela was thinking the same thing he had thought over and over again, even now he still didn't understand why, but he would shake his head, no point in taking it personally, he was sure he would have dove in front of anyone who was in that moment. But anyone who had that much kindness in the spirit . . . clearly had something wrong with their head.

As Angela spoke up once more he could hear her starting to break down, and shook his head a bit, he knew she couldn't keep it up forever. For some reason she lacked the trait that made the Alexanders such a family, the blank face and threatening eyes, to be shrouded in mystery and for emotions to never reveal themselves. In a way, although it was slight and almost nonexistent, he thought about what it was like to not be able to control his emotions, last night he had done pretty good for the situation, but imagining himself crying that he was about to die didn't sit well.

"Well, she hasn't come back to finish me off yet, so I think, at least in her case she's finished."

He scoffed with a false sense of irritability, as if challenging a cursed Laura to come back in and try to finish him, although really, at this moment, the thought of that sent shivers down his spine and made his stomach knot up in anxiety.

[ She so is though! <3 // Sorry, bad post. ]

Angela did not pay any more attention to the unconscious professor. She'd probably mumble her thanks to him later when he was awake, but he was not why she was here. She was here for her brother and she would give him all of her attention. She didn't need to dwell on things that confused her - the acts of kindness - for it might just confuse her even more.

Angela nodded. If she were the type to get angry and confront people, she probably would have done so to this Laura girl - even though she knew it hadn't been her fault. However, she wasn't and would sit quietly next to her brother's bedside instead. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, hoping that Voldemort was done for now... she didn't want any more bad things to happen. Yes, she was a Death Eater herself, but more because she was forced into it than anything else. She didn't particularly have any sorts of views on people... they were just people and she didn't like to interact with any of them.

"Have... uhm... Mother and Father come... or written... yet?" Angela attempted to ask calmly, though there was the slightest, tiniest hint of fear underlying in her voice. She wondered silently to herself what was wrong with her. Why couldn't she hide her emotions as easily as the rest of the family? Why was that such a problem for her? Merlin knew she tried so, so many times. When she was much younger, she thought that she had been adopted because she had acted so differently, but the similarity in physical features was too great to ignore. She was definitely an Alexander, just an odd one out. And although she loved her brother, much more than any sibling ever should, and knew they cared about him, she did not fancy seeing her parents anytime soon. She couldn't imagine what life with them would have been like had he... died. A shiver ran up her spine and she tried her best to hide it.

["clearly had something wrong with their head." <- I laughed much harder than I should have xD
and thanks~ I try to make her as adorable and innocent and naive as I possibly can, haha. ^^]

Jasper bit the inside of his cheek when she mentioned their parents. He hadn't sent word but when he called for the nurses he was sure they passed it along, and for that he was already regretted having called them. The last thing this school needed was their parents storming in because their son was hurt . . . he was twenty-five and he knew the moment his mother burst through that door that she would be treating him like he was a small child once more. He could only hope that they would send a letter first so he could tell them he was fine and wouldn't worry about them coming.

"Not yet, no letters either. . . I swear if they --"

He grumbled, shaking his head as the image filled his mind once more. Out of frustration he pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly to calm down before running his hand down his face; the horror, the sheer horror. He could tell by the look on his sister's face that she too wasn't looking forward to seeing their parents if they decided to come. It was strange, there wasn't a lot that the two had in common, but they clearly felt this emotion flawlessly together.

"Here's hoping they won't bother and a letter will be all they need."

Angela looked up, watching curiously as Jasper grumbled. She blinked for a moment, tilting her head to the side slightly as she cast her gaze downward. It was interesting, she though, how they both seemed to have similar feelings about their parents, though for completely different reasons. Jasper hated the way their mother babied him - no matter who was around - and Angela hated the way their mother beat her whenever she didn't do something right - which was more often than naught.

"Yes," Angela agreed quietly, "let us hope for that." She looked upwards once more, placing a small, somewhat strained smile on her face. She studied Jasper's face for a moment before looking back downward. She would often cast her gaze away out of respect, plus, keeping eye contact with someone for too long really unnerved her.

There was silence for a few moments. She could hear the breathing of the professor in the bed behind her and it seemed to grow louder and louder in her ears to the point that she needed to say something just to make it quieter. "S-so, uhm. I... haven't talked to you since Christmas..." a light pink blush crossed over her face. "H-how was... I mean... aside from getting attacked... uhm... coming back here... how was it...? A-are you glad to be back?" Small talk was not her thing. She felt suddenly embarrassed and wanted to just shrink back into her over sized black turtleneck and just die. But, this was still much better than talking about their parents.

[awkward Angela, away~]

Jasper returned his back to the wall and sat contently in the silence, closing his eyes quietly. Silence was a virtue that he oh so enjoyed and it never seemed to happen long enough for him to be satisfied. The only sound he could hear at the moment was Kristopher's light breathing, but he figured that wasn't the most annoying sound in the world at the moment. But as his sister suddenly started to talk he reopened his eyes and lowered his head to look at her directly, as a gentleman would.

He listened to her as she stumbled through her words and rose an eyebrow, was talking to him so difficult? He shook his head, no, she was like this with everyone, the poor child was raised in a high class family and couldn't small talk , it really was a shame. Jasper bit the inside of his cheek as he glanced away for a minute, he had been less than impressed with the differences, because there seemed to hardly be any at all.

"I'm shocked that nothing has really changed at all . . . besides the teachers. . . but its all pretty much the same. Its boring."

- -

And as if on clue Gregory Alexander stormed into the Hospital wing. A scowl painted on his aged features as he looked around and immediately saw his two children sitting together. He stepped aside ever so slightly, moving out of the way for when his wife would see the state that her son was in. His arms were placed behind his back as he walked, and from the moment he walked in Jasper narrowed his eyes slightly, this man was the only thing keeping him from being in charge of the family, and his very presence was always a burden to his son. Gregory walked to the far side of his son's bed, staring at the sleeping teacher with a raised eyebrow.

"Well --"

Gregory scoffed.

" -- aren't you a sight."

He said blandly but it made Jasper frown. Gregory then looked to his daughter, giving her a quiet nod as a greeting. Gregory was a tall man, around six feet and four inches, just barely standing above his son, which irked him. He had tanned voice and shaggy dark hair that made him look mysterious, and honestly handsome for his age. He had dark aquatic hues and it was clearly where Jasper had gotten them. He had a judgmental frown lines along his face and an aura that made you doubt yourself at all times like you were walking on eggshells.

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

Angela bit her lip and nodded. Of course, she should have expected such an answer. Hogwarts hardly ever changed and the only thing different was he was now a teacher and in the position of command - not that he didn't do much commanding as a student, or so she was told. She was about to awkwardly ask something else when the door to the Hospital Wing opened. She turned around to see who had entered only to see her father.

Her face visibly dropped for a moment before she regained her composure. She bit her lip, almost hard enough to make it bleed. When Gregory nodded at her, she bowed her head back. Her father could be a very intimidating man, but that was not what feared her the most. If her father was here that must mean...

The doors, which had closed for a split second, were thrust back open as Theodora Alexander rushed into the Hospital Wing, clearly distressed. Her shoulder length blonde hair was pinned up neatly and her grey-blue eyes wide as she bee-lined it straight for Jasper's bed. Her baby, her poor, poor baby had been hurt! How could such a thing happen?

Theodora didn't even pay her daughter any mind, pushing past her as if she didn't exist and leaning close to inspect her son's wounds. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, Jasper, look at you! This is so horrible! Who would ever want to hurt you, oh my darling baby," she announced. Normally, she was a very composed young woman, but all bets were off when it came to her only son. She leaned down to gently hug her son before looking over at the chair that Angela was apparently occupying. She stopped, mid hug and just blinked at her daughter.

Theodora straightened herself up and frowned. "What are you wearing? You're in public, you should be ashamed of wearing that ratty old thing. Honestly, Angela, I don't know what to do with you. You're brother is hurt and you're just sitting here, making us all look bad," She huffed. Angela shrank back.

"I-I'm sorry Mother," She said in barely a whisper. Theodora shook her head and turned back to her son. She reached out to fix his Jasper's hair.

"This is horrible. You've hardly started the term and you've been hurt. I think you should come home; it's much safer there. Don't you agree Gregory darling?" Theodora asked, turning back to her husband.

[[Only admins are allowed to see this image]]

Jasper flinched when he heard his mother throw open the doors, grinding his teeth slightly, he loved the woman, don't get him wrong, but he hated how she treated him like a small child.

"Mo-- . . . Moth-- . . . Mother! . . . Mother, I'm fine, really."

He said quietly as she pulled him into a hug, sighing quietly, he knew there was no stopping her now. Although it was must against Angela's luck he was relieved when their mother turned away and gave him the slightest hint of a break before turning back to him. He flushed slightly, absolutely embarrassed by his mother's actions even though there was hardly anyone around, and it wasn't anything the family hadn't seen before. At the thought of being dragged home by his mother like a child he frowned quickly and shook his head, grabbing his mother's hands.

"Mother, please. I can assure you this was an accident and it is not one that will happen again . . .I can't leave this position, what would it say about the Alexander's family? We're a bunch of weaklings and quitters? I couldn't ever."

Gregory had already decided that there was no way his son would be coming back home, he was twenty-five and needed to be out on his own and not smothered his by his mother's love, so it was best to keep the two separated so that Theresa would learn to detach a bit from Jasper, but in the end it always came back to this. Once hearing Jasper mention it would disgrace the name, he decided he'd play that card, as it was always a safe bet.

"Not if he plans on disgracing our name Theresa. He's an adult now, let him handle his own minor problems here."

Theodora let out another sigh and clasped her hands together. She knew her son was right; he always was. He'd have to stay here and carry out his position just like he said. "Oh, yes, I suppose you're right, but honestly how could this happen?" She turned to look down at her son, a more stern look on her face. "What happened." She needed to know every detail as to why he got attacked (and not even by magic, but by arrows!).

When Gregory spoke up, she simply ignored him. That was just how she was. She'd ask him things, and then ignore him. It wasn't as if he'd do anything to her; she was enough of a match for him. She didn't even turn to look at him when he spoke, but stayed focused on her son, awaiting answers.

Angela took this time to breath; her mother back to pestering Jasper. She bit her lip and wondered if she could get away with sneaking out of the Hospital Wing and hiding somewhere, safe. She knew, though, that she'd never get away without being noticed. Her mother noticed everything... well, just about everything. There was really only one thing she didn't notice, and that was between Jasper and Angela... and for that, Angela was relieved.

So, instead of running, Angela pulled her legs up close to her, wrapping her arms around them. She tried to make herself as small as possible, and let her hair fall in front of her as if no one would be able to see her then.

There were noises and words being uttered and speak respectively. Most of them he wasn't exactly sure of but some he could pick out clearly. Kris couldn't help but think himself mad when he blinked his eyes, coming to ( once more) to the world of the conscious. His body still ached but his throat felt a bit better. Less raw from his previous ordeal.

Now there was something to be said to seeing Jasper's bed encased by a crowd of people. He couldn't help but smile at the sight, no matter how blurry they were currently. He felt glad that he'd saved someone that obviously meant a lot, if the crowding was anything to go by. There was almost a twinge of jealousy, even if he was so happy for the fellow professor. He'd expected Laura to come but she never did. Was what happened broke their bond forever? He hoped not but still wore that stupidly dorky smile even as his heart ached for a bit of loving comfort he'd never feel.

Then the blond looked away. The scene was too personal for him to look at. His bit his lip, morphing the smile into something more awkward. He -almost- tried bearing himself under the covers but decided to sitting up and running the muscles of his forearm. They felt tight and aches and no matter how much the tired blonde wanted to ask if Jasper was okay... He wouldn't break the all too famial scenes.

Jasper groaned, he was quite tired of telling this story as often as he had told it, and found it to only get more humiliating when he did. A heavy sigh broke through his lips as he looked up at his mother's stern features.

Gregory was interested also in the story behind his son's injuries. But once he explained, well his edited version since he spotted Kris moving and was surprised to see that he was awake again already, and a bit relieved too. At least he didn't die over night, for some reason he kept worrying about that, if he was dead or not, or if he was going to die, it was strange and not welcomed, and he didn't approve in the slightest. But what he did approve of was Kris, yes, this was brilliant, surely his mother would get off his back if she had something else to pay attention to, and hopefully Kris would work his magic and accomplish just that.

"I saw saved by that man."

Jasper finally finished the story before tilting his head to Kris innocently. He could only hope his mother would take the bait.

Gregory turned to face the blonde, raising an eyebrow at him as he silently made his judgements. The male seemed to play the physical appearance of a someone who would save another's life, kind eyes, soft features and a masculine build.

"Oh, is that the case?"

His father said in a voice that caused Jasper to snap his eyes and narrow them sharply towards his father.

"That's what I said wasn't it?"

Gregory ignored his son's actions and his words before going to the other side of Kristopher's bed, extending his hand hopefully before his wife could get to him.

"Gregory Alexander, I'm Jasper and Angela's father, I suppose I owe you a sort of thanks."

Angela turned her head once more when Jasper mentioned Kris. She blinked a bit, noticing that he had woken up. Jasper had definitely played the right card - their mother would be all over Kris instead of them. Their mother's eyes widened a bit at the story before turning to the young man in the other bed. She walked past Angela, whispering something to her about sitting up like a proper lady, and made her way over the the blonde man. Angela did what her mother said and tried not to be in the way of everything.

"You saved my son?" She questioned even though she knew the answer. She ran her eyes over him, judging him quite obviously. She couldn't tell much from his appearance other than he was quite adorable for one so young. She noticed the same things her husband did, the kind eyes and soft facial features. Obviously this was something he would do, but she was grateful for it. Without him, she supposed she'd be childless - well, there was Angela, but there was hardly much hope there anyway.

"Oh, Gregory, we owe him more than our thanks, honestly. He saved our son's life, stop being so heartless," it was rather ironic to hear those words come out of Theodora Alexander's mouth. Angela closed her eyes and shook her head to herself. "Where would we be without this young man? Thanks are definitely a given, but is there anything else we can do for you? We can offer you some money, if you so wish. Do you need money?" She questioned, raising one of her eyebrows delicately. Giving away money like this wasn't much of a throwaway, they had plenty of money and would hardly be dented by such a thing. Plus, answering such a question would tell her a lot about Kris' character and wealth status... and the latter meant quite a deal her.

Angela bit her lip at her mother's antics. She glanced back at Jasper for a moment. Where was Madame Pomfrey when you needed her? She kicked people out all the time, kicking out the Alexander parents would be nothing for her. Angela slowly got up; maybe she could find her and hint that Jasper or Kris needed their rest and that the two adults were preventing such a thing. It did not go unnoticed. Theodora looked up at her daughter and frowned.

"Angela Naomi, where do you think you're going? This is a family crisis. Do you not care about your brother? Sit back down," She told her. When Angela sat back down, she returned her attention back to Kristopher. Did she not care about her brother? She mentally rolled her eyes. If only she knew.

"I was saved by that man."

Kris didn't miss it, he was honestly trying not to eavesdrop on the conversation. It was kind of hard not to either. Whether or not Jasper's parents knew they were boisterous was beyond him but he tried to sheepishly duck away from to praise he knew would come (even if he secretly *not so secretly* enjoyed it). He couldn't help but tense as he felt the eyes on him. Should he look and say something? No, they were pure blood parents. You didn't speak unless spoken to. He remembered that much about growing up with his father's friends. He heard foot falls besides him and Kris knew to turn his head and give his infamous smile. A hand extended as the man introduced himself.

"Hello, sir. My name is Kristopher Bell. I'm the Charms Professor here. T'is a pleasure to meet someone of your standing. I do hope Jasper is well currently?" He asked hoping to get an answer to his perpetually asked question while shaking the father's hand. All before the topic jumped away from him. Or before Jasper's mother got to him. Unfortunately the latter happened first.

"You saved my son?"

"Yes ma'am, well I didn't save him... he still did get beaten. I should have gotten there earlier, ma'am." The blond looked at the pretty blond woman as she doted on the thoughts of her son. He almost wondered if his own mother would have been like that...

"Where would we be without this young man? Thanks are definitely a given, but is there anything else we can do for you? We can offer you some money, if you so wish. Do you need money?"

Kris's eyes widened as he shook his head quite quickly trying to say no without saying no. When it didn't seem to work ran his fingers through his hair.

"Ma'am, I don't need compensation for doing something that had to be done to save another." Plus it didn't help he had the Bell fortune to his name when his father died. He'd be set for life... he didn't need this doting mother's money. Not at all. He did, however, tried to shrink away from the woman as she yelled at her daughter (Angela was it?).

Gregory Alexander took a moment, the firm handshake as well as the reply held with the proper respect almost impressed him, but this man was never fully impressed. But he seemed to take a liking to Kristopher already, perhaps it was because he was flattered, the boy was clearly raised by someone with a level head who knew their place.

"Ah, Charms, now that is an important fundamental to be teaching the students here. . . What was it you teach again Jasper?"

Gregory asked, his voice trailing off as he looked over to his wounded soon with a lack of appeal, nothing like he had looked to the blonde that stood before him. As Theodora quickly raced to the man's side, although it wasn't far from her son's, Gregory could only roll his eyes. Not that he wasn't pleased with Kristopher had saved Jasper, he was his next of kin after all but he knew without a doubt that when it came to their son, or as she would put it, 'her' son, there would be no silencing her. Perhaps it was a twinge of jealousy that the man who had once owned her heart had it stolen by a small child, but Gregory would never admit to this, he would just sigh, roll his eyes, scoff at his wife's actions and shake his head, day after day.

Jasper huffed quietly, still burnt out over his Father's words, glaring daggers into that old bastard's head, biting his tongue from mumbling for him to just die already. He sat in the bed, fuming, but relieved at the same time, as long as Kristopher kept this act up, Angela and himself would remain invisible, and for once the Alexander children wanted the same thing. He ran his hand down his face, sighing softly into his palm, he forgot how draining these two were, between his mother's overwhelming affections to his father's critical stabs into Jasper's being, almost as if he was trying to unravel to his wife and Jasper that he wasn't as perfect as the thought, but of course, that would never be true for the two.

Upon hearing that Kristopher would so shamelessly decline his wife's offer of financial compensation, Gregory took a moment to stare over the blonde once more, thinking much like the two Alexander children had; why would someone do what he did? With no regard of reaping a reward but minor praise that he would embarrassingly turn down and imply that he did what anyone would have but in fact if that was the case then Jasper would be in a body bag by now. He turned to look at Jasper again, the same lack of appeal in his eyes that burnt Jasper down to his core, and to clearly see his son's hatred over his clarity of his imperfection, Gregory was simply not amused.

"Well, Jasper, it seems you're in good company here, although I'd try not to make yourself too much of a burden on Kristopher, he can't be saving you all the time."

Jasper ground his teeth in a method of silencing himself, twitching as he felt a rage starting from the tips of his hair and burned down to his toes as the digits curled along with his fingers to desperately grasp anything he could to keep from losing his cool and therefore making a fool out of himself and his family's name. But at this moment, even he found it hard. It would only be until his mother started shouting at Angela would he find the means to cool down. He was never quite sure what to think of this, he had never received such treatment but Angela did not act the way that he did, it felt a bit much at times and he found himself almost willing to say something, but he knew his mother was doing it for her benefit, if she was more like them then she'd be less like her, she'd be stronger, she'd really be an Alexander by spirit, not title.

Gregory however, would roll his eyes at his wife, he looked to his daughter and gave her a quiet nod once more, indicating that she may leave if she chose to, and he would deal with Theodora. After all, Jasper was fine, he wasn't dead, so there was no reason for them to hover over his bed all day. The thought of having to pry his wife's fingers from their son caused him to shake his head, it would be a long day and even after, it would be all he heard about.


[Oh, hello there muse, welcome back. Pft.]

"But he is not dead, therefore, you saved him," Theodora claimed. Yes, he had gotten hurt and she incredibly upset about that, but she couldn't even imagine if he had... oh no, she couldn't even bear to think it! Who would take care of her in her old age? Without Jasper, the money would probably be squandered away and the Alexander name would fall to ruin. In reality, Kristopher did much more than save her son, he saved their family.

Theodora blinked, just as confused as the rest of the Alexander family. She narrowed her eyes slightly, pursing her lips as she examined him. Why save a man without even a though of compensation? All the sorts of possibilities as to why ran through the blonde woman's head and really, some things just couldn't be said out loud. "Well..." she drawled out, standing up straight, "if you insist." Perhaps she felt slightly insulted. She offered money and he had refused it. She did not have much else to offer and felt horrible for not being able to give him anything.

Angela bit her lip, silently glancing over to her brother as she watched him fume. She really hoped that their parent's stay would be few. She was sure that, given the opportunity, her mother would probably move into the castle and make it her own. She'd oversee everything her children did and she'd never part with her dear son ever again. Thank Merlin that would never, in a million years, happen.

"I would very much agree," Theodora stated. "Kristopher, you seem like a very good man." Though she was inevitably curious about his lineage. "What is your last name, if you do not oppose of me asking. I would just very much like to thank the family who produced such a man." Obviously, she had an ulterior motive. If he was from a pure blood family, then there was a possibility that she had heard of them. If this was the case, he would be perfect to be friends with Jasper. Too bad she couldn't set up play dates anymore because the thought was there, in the back of her head. Theodora then turned to her husband and gently gave him a slap on the shoulder. "Hush now, Gregory. Jasper is never a burden."

Angela's blue eyes once more traveled over to her brother. He was seething, she could tell from the little implications. She had studied her brother so often she knew what most of his movements meant. All she really wanted to do was reach out and calm him down. She understood, she did, and she wanted to make him happy. She didn't like to see him upset.

When Gregory nodded to her, Angela bit her lip. Was it really a safe idea that she should leave? Her eyes flitted from every person in the room, landing more times on her mother than anyone else. She'd wait for a moment until Theodora was distracted - because even though her father had allowed her leave, her mother was something more to fear. When she was distracted, Angela silently got up and moved as quickly, quietly, and efficient as she possibly could. She wasn't leaving though; she wouldn't leave her brother to deal with the craziness that was their parents.

"Madame Pomfrey?" Angela asked quietly as she entered Madame Pomfrey's office. The old woman sat with her glasses hanging off of her nose, a book in hand. She glanced up at Angela and raised her eyebrows.

"Yes deary?" She questioned, placing her book down and making sure that the bookmark was in the right place. She hadn't looked injured, so she was curious as to what this young girl could want.

"Uhm... it's just... the people... who're out there... the, uh, the two professors... they seem to be... really, really tired... and... their, uh, visitors don't seem to be helping..." Angela finally got out after many pauses and attempts to think of what to say. Madame Pomfrey sighed and stood from her seat, mumbling something about visitors and always being a bother.

Madame Pomfrey exited the office and walked over to the small group, Angela hiding behind her until she could get back to her seat. Madame Pomfrey put on a large smile. "Hello. I'm sorry to inform you that these men should really be getting their sleep. Plus, it's just about time for Visitor hours to be up."

"Excuse me?" Theodora turned to the woman. "That's my son. He is injured."

"That's all very well and good, ma'am, but unless you want him to get worse, I think you should leave." The two women stood there, both standing in defiance. Madame Pomfrey, however, would not back down, but then, Theodora would not either. It was a battle over who was more stubborn, and a battle like such could last for days.

[Gregory. Control your woman.]

Kris sheepishly nodded, neither would be swayed to the fact he hadn't saved him completely. He'd only saved him from death, which seemed to be more than words could describe in a good way to Jasper's mother the man's father on the other hand seemed less impressed by his child. Pure bloods seemed to do that more often than not. The Charms professor just smiled and tried to hope the conversation would be less about trying to compensate him for a deed that he wouldn't take back. sure, if was beyond painful but Jasper would have died.

Jasper simply couldn't die, it would ruin their game, ultimately.

And then it continued. Jasper's mother spoke wondering about his surname. That wasn't actually odd. She might be planning to make sure he was an okay party to even be near her son. He only wished his name was a bit well known to British families. The Bells were large in Norway and Sweden. Britain? He wasn't too sure.

"Yes, ma'am. It's Bell." He replied, almost nervous about passing the woman's expectations. There was a little too much activity going on though, it startled him when Madam Pomfrey started chastising Jasper's parents. He tried to shrink away from the mental battle going on through the women.

The blond couldn't help but look over at Jasper and mouth, "Is it always like this?"

Greogry felt as if his wife didn’t understand what was important here, yes, Jasper was safe, Angela seemed to be behaving, although he never could remember a time where she “acted” out. He rolled his eyes slightly at Theodora, over the years he had found ways to make it more and more subtle until it was hardly noticed, but when she mentioned Jasper wasn’t a burden, he couldn’t help it. Look where he was, he had heard rumors whispered by the fellow cloaked Death Eaters about how this came to be, the fact that Kristopher had saved him was nothing short of a small grace of luck at the last minute. But it would give his son time to straighten up, if Voldemort really wanted Jasper to die he’d make sure his son wouldn’t tarnish his name in filthy blood.

He shook his head, shaking the thoughts as he noted Madam Pomfrey making her way over to the crowd. His dark hues of aquamarine darted to his wife as he felt the tension ever growing between the two. It was thick in the air and he felt as if he was suffocating, damn it Theodora, control yourself. Greogory placed his hand on his wife’s back, leaning against her to keep his voice hushed yet demanding.

“Theodora, my love, Jasper is fine, he has air in his lungs and bones in his body. Let him rest, if anything that is what he truly needs, we can visit him tomorrow before we leave, understood?”

Jasper had watched his sister take off while she could and was thankful for the action, hoping her mission would be successful, and with the appearance of one Madam Pomfrey , he sighed quietly in relief. Although this slight bit of hope was tarnished when his mother refused to leave. He groaned, did this woman not know how to handle the high class purebreds, you couldn’t just tell them to leave, it required finesse, it required elegance and a fearless stance to make them back down; not quite fearless enough apparently. As his father spoke to his mother he bit the inside of his cheek, there was where he had learned his manipulation skills and he was sure that Gregory could make his mother leave if he set his mind to it, he could make her do anything, as long as he was willing to put in the mental work.

He didn’t give her an option in the manner; he wouldn’t be embarrassed by an overprotective mother of a nearly full grown man. Gregory then turned to look back at Kristopher with his judgmental gaze, looking him over one last time before a smirk, much similar to the one that Jasper sported when pleased, spilled onto his features, revealing the strong but disliked, if one asked Jasper, family resemblance. He turned to Jasper and narrowed his eyes in a threatening gaze that demanded he straighten up his act and to make sure the family would never be called here again for this sort of thing.

“Besides if anything were to happen I’m sure Kristopher could handle it.”

For some reason, those words hit Jasper like a burning knife; the harsh reality that his father pointed out his flaws and found Kristopher to be a better man just rubbed him wrong. And yet, he almost didn’t care for a brief moment, looking over to the blonde with a silent and blank face, he had saved his life after all, no matter how much Kris tried to play it down, right now, even in Jasper’s opinion, he was flawless. The dark haired male jumped slightly as he noticed the blonde’s lips moving and rose an eyebrow as he attempted to understand, chuckling quietly under his breath and nodded a bit.

“Always.”

He stressed silently as a playful smirk played on the corners of his thin lips. Almost as if to play the part and ensure that the two would be left alone soon, Jasper leaned back onto his bed, laying his head back onto the pillow and gave the illusion of suddenly heavy eyelids.


[This sucks, it hurts physically and emotionally how bad this sucks. I apologize, but there it is.]

"Bell, huh? Bell," Theodora repeated silently to herself. It had seemed familiar, but not enough that she had committed it to memory. Perhaps she'd look it up later; she was bound to find something interesting, that was for sure. She needed to do all the research she could in order to find out if he was worthy enough, aside from saving her son, to be friends with Jasper. She was just worried about his wellbeing, of course.

Angela had moved away from Madame Pomfrey, closer to Jasper's bed in hopes of staying out of her mother's way while the two women had a silent stand off. She bit her lip, hoping that this would all work out. Though, she knew in the back of her mind that she'd have to be kicked out as well, but that was okay... so long as she managed to make Jasper happy by making their parents leave. That was all she needed.

Theodora, with her lips pursed tightly, glanced at her husband. She truly didn't want to back down, not from this stupid woman, but she knew by the hand on her back that it was over before she could even begin it. "Yes, fine," she said tightly. She turned to her son, still obviously tensed with anger. "Jasper, darling, we shall see you tomorrow." She offered him a loving smile. "We love you dear." She wasn't even aware of her embarrasing nature; she was just a doting mother, that was it and that was how she precieved herself.

Madame Pomfrey smiled, obviously glad over her small victory. "Yes, and please keep in mind the hours," she smirked, before offering to show them out. She didn't care who they were or what type of blood they carried. She treated everyone the same and there was no stopping that.

Angela couldn't help but pick up on her brother's brief anger towards their father, but she didn't move or say anything. No, perhaps if they had been alone she might have dared to utter something about it... but that itself was a huge maybe. She loved him and hated if he were upset, but sometimes pointing such things out only made it worse.

Theodora glared at Madame Pomfery before turning to her husband. "Darling, let's go, I'm starting to feel fatigued," she stated, her nose in her air as she turned away from the aging woman. If only Dumbledore was a sensible man, then perhaps she'd convince him to fire the old bat, but he was just loony as half of the staff he hired. Honestly, Hogwarts was going down the drain more and more so every year. At least this year they had Jasper, that should hopefully help the school out greatly.

Angela watched silently; she'd wait a moment after her parents left before she would. She would hate to be stuck out there with them. Perhaps Madame Pomfrey would give her a minute's time to say her own quiet goodbyes before leaving. She turned a bit, only catching her brother mouthing the word always. Something rose in her and she stole a glance at the blonde. He may have saved her brother, but what was with the playful smirk. Why did he get to recieve one of those? She bit her lip, fighting back the green eyed monster so despearately.

Ange then noted that her brother had laid his head back onto the pillow. She composed herself a bit. "Brother," she said in her quiet and timid voice. She bowed her head as if to say goodbye, her eyes cast downward for a small duration. She brought them to look back up at him. If he needed her... wanted her... he knew where to find her. All he had to do was send a letter or anything and she'd meet him, where ever, whenever.

Angela then turned to look at Kris, her lips forming a small thin line. She wasn't one for smiling anyway, so it wasn't expected that she were to give him one. She gave him a small, curt nod, her mind still wondering why he got a playful smirk from her brother. She'd leave now, making sure she had ample time inbetween her parent's exit, but not before glancing back at the two men. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was about to change... and she wasn't sure if she was going to like it.

[not as much as this sucks. .3. I apologize as well, hope you will be able to forgive me~ <3

but can I say I kind of like the start of Jealous!Angie and cannot wait for more. >3> haha]

Kristopher wasn't a shy man by any means. Humble, maybe, but definitely not shy. The way the Alexander patriarch was talking about him though caused him to want to turtle into an invisible shell just to remove the focus from him. Of course, he was used to being the main guy, the leader, the one everyone looked to... but watching the man almost insult Jasper with his eyes was degrading in its own sense. He didn't want those eyes giving him any kind of look over if it was capable of such disgust to his own flesh and blood. Sometimes the blond couldn't stand pure-bloods for this specifically.

With a glance thrown at Jasper, he got his reply. Really? He dealt with this...? Respect rose for the man a bit more. Kris would've left home... and gone to America. Would have been easier over all then deal with that kind of mother? Were all mothers like that? He didn't even know.

The Charms professor watched the bodies of the retreating parents, leaving Angela and Jasper to speak. It was a family moment, something he wouldn't disrupt like he ultimately had by waking up. He should have just stayed asleep, it would have been so much easier than dealing with this...

The blond looked up, watching Angela give him a less than pleased look. Kris just looked a bit confused before turning to Jasper. Did the History of Magic teacher so something rude or mean to his sister? He tried not to think about it. Families had family things. Siblings seemed to really never get along with one another. Usually the younger one idolized the elder one while the elder one couldn't care to give any amount of care to the younger. That was purely speculation. His hadn't been an older brother for... 10 years? No, had to be less than that... but ten years seemed right. He wondered if Laura would even be able to talk to him after this...

With a weak smile the blonde looked away from his colleague and towards the walls, shoulders sagging a bit. When he caught the moment on his part the blonde Charms teacher leaned back onto his pillows staring at the ceiling. What could one even say without being mean? Was there anything he could say without coming off as a complete and utter jerk?

"I respect you. I think that's why I did it." The words felt... oddly right in his mouth. If this scene was anything to go from, Jasper had to deal with being the most loved and the most hated. The one and off of love from his parents had to be hard. It was probably how he steeled himself from his previous questionary probing. The stupidly high, already, respect bar seemed to rise a bit more. Leaving with... that...

Well, he was surprised that Jasper turned out to be as okay as he was.

[[ You assholes make my replies look like shit. ]]

Gregory didn't say a thing, he let his wife speak for the two in behalf of Jasper, which he was actually sure he wouldn't feel the need to accompany his wife for when vising tomorrow before their leave. He bowed his head respectfully at Madam Pomfrey, as a gentleman would do before exiting the room, quietly promising his wife a nice cup of a tea to settle her down and perhaps a sweet or two while they would be staying in Hogsmeade, for old time's sake.

Jasper on the other hand merely shook his head, grateful for their leave and felt an entire atmosphere be lifted from his shoulders, it was marvelous. He took in a breath and looked to Madam Pomfrey as if she were his hero now instead of Kristopher, she had done what very few could ever do, banished his mother. He loved the woman, but she did get overbearing. . . more often than not and now that he wasn't a small child anymore he found it a pain. He turned to Angela, he knew she was just as relieved, their mother was painful to her as well. As Angela called to him, he sat up a bit, resting up on his elbows before flinching at the pain he felt in his shoulder and pushing himself up fully once more. He nodded his head to her silently in return, he understood his sister without words and as she turned to leave, he paid no mind to the look she gave Kristopher.

Ah, the beauty of silence again. He laid down once more, staring up at the dimly lit ceiling. It seemed that the blonde didn't quite understand the silence, or rather, he didn't see the beauty of it the way Jasper did. The male looked over to the blonde in the bed beside him, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, playing it over again and again in his mind. He respected him? And that was why he thought he did it? Out of respect for a man he hardly even knew?

"I suppose that makes you a bit less bat shit crazy than we expected."

He said under his breath and without much care. It was hard to believe that he could be one to be respected by someone who didn't know his position as a Death Eater, his dark deeds were what had made his family proud of him, everyone expect his father at least, he never seemed to impress him, no matter how many missions he successfully completed or lives he took. Jasper turned his head over to the Kristopher to stare at him.

"When you're ready to go talk to Laura . . . let me know."

"I've known people who've died for less." Kris replied, staring at the ceiling. He moved this arms to reside under his head. He frowned a bit, lips turning to distort his usually jovial looking face. Blue eyes tried to focus on the stone that covered the worn ceiling. How many students and teachers alike had looked up at these stones? Wondering how longer they'd be restrained here before returning to their classes and friends?

"When you're ready to go talk to Laura . . . let me know."

Kris tilted his head, eyes moving a bit to witness Jasper speak those words. Sometimes he wondered why Jasper would even bother with him about this. His sister had just tortured him... yet he was willing to stay with the Charms professor to find his sister? It was... nice. Kris wondered if there was an ulterior motive... then again with most people there usually did have less than good intentions for things they did to help one another.

"I guess... when you are well enough we'll go. I doubt she'll be that hard to find... but containing her will be an issue." Kris's head turned back to face the ceiling. Sometimes people confused him, just like now with Jasper's clearly illogical desire to help find his sister. There had to be another reason behind this.

But for now he'd stare at the ceiling until nurses wanted to discharge him.

Jasper turned his head to lay upon the pillow beneath him, keeping his aquatic hues on the ceiling, even though they craved for the blonde once he spoke of someone giving their life up for something less. He couldn't fathom it, your life was your chance to make something of yourself and very few could be considered important if they did for less than measurable causes, in fact, he could barely remember past Death Eaters who had fallen for Voldemort, their names and faces rotted away like their flesh and bone beneath the soil, never to be uncovered or cared for again.

For once Jasper didn't question his own methods, he was doing a simple but oh so rare kindness, but then again, he couldn't ever recall someone saving his life before . . . so he wasn't sure what to really do. Helping the blonde find his sister didn't seem too other worldly, he was an elder brother too, perhaps after he got a moment to himself he'd see what a kindness it really was, he had thanked him, his parents had praised him, and now he was doing a kindness, for a moment it was almost if . . . there was a pain in his chest, was this? . . . it couldn't be. . . could that shriveled heart still beat? He shook his head and shook the thoughts from it as he did.

He turned his head to face Kris, despite his earlier fight to keep from doing just this, but after hearing him mention Laura being hard to catch and capture he bit the inside of his cheek. Jasper was certainly wasn't in the mood for such a struggle, and he was Kristopher was with him with that, perhaps they should let her be alone with her thoughts a bit longer, he silently decided that this was best. Jasper closed his eyes for a moment, drained and weakened still to the point of irritation, he could only imagine how Kristopher felt . . . then again, he was different, so built and such, perhaps he recovered more quickly than the frail Alexander. The thought caused him to frown and he quickly sat up, hissing as his body rejected the movement by sending a fire through his veins and throbbed the muscles that were already damaged. Regardless, he pushed himself up from the bed and onto his shaky feet, stumbling a bit with the first few shuffles before he ran his fingers through his hair to appear more composed than he actually was.

"I can't lay here any longer."

He said quietly to Kristopher, as he fought against the limp that his leg begged for. Jasper looked to the blonde with a hint of what might be described as mischievous grin, as he had an idea on how to better make use of his time.

"I've got something that might do us a bit of good in my classroom . . . "

He started before eying the nurses who poked their heads from their busy work to stop and take notice to the Professor forcing himself to walk already. Their beady eyes then moved to Kristopher's body, small twinkles of excitement at the thought of being able to push that chest back down to the bed . . . for his own health of course!

"Unless you'd prefer to stay?"

Jasper clicked his tongue, if Kristopher was anything like him, which he hoped he was, the sheer option would be just a part in their game and he would be up following him in no time. Even if he chose not to follow, Jasper brushed his cape behind him with the hopes of shielding the damned limp a bit more as he made his exit.


[ Since we decided it was in my classroom right? Haha. I told you, two paragraphs turns into . . . this! ]