𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖋𝖎𝖛𝖊
pretty odd (abandonment)

✦

PART OF MAIA wondered who she was more like out of her parents. If she had gotten her hair from her mother or father, her smarts and love for reading from them or had Nadia just ingrained it into her, and her eye color. She wondered who gave her the crooked smile she always dawned and who passed on their need to bite their lip when they were nervous.

          She wondered if they would even like her name, since obviously it wasn't the one she was born with. She wondered if her true birth name was better and had more meaning to them than the one that Remelda had given her on the fly. And she wondered who they truly were as people.

          Remelda had said they were bad people and that's why she was keeping it a secret, it would only hurt them if they knew the truth, but Remelda had also kept this information from them. She couldn't trust Remelda or Nadia or anyone else in her family. Well, not her family. The only person in her family that she knew about was Leo, but even then she didn't know his birth name either.

          And Leo was boring. He was a muggle and he liked muggle things and he didn't care about her magic. He was a disappointment to their true family and he was the reason they were going to be killed by their father. Yes, that was terrible, but if he didn't exist she would still know her birth parents...

          No, that was a terrible thought. Apparently, the life she had now was much better than the one she would have had with them. The pressure, the expectations...they would have been so different and worse. Really, her father was willing to kill them and start over because Leo didn't show any signs of magic.

          So it was better. Maybe. Probably. But that didn't mean she still didn't wonder about who they were and what she inherited from them. She knew that she would never know; there was no way she would ever actually talk to her father and her mother was dead – the only thing she could think of was using an Ouija board but everyone knew that you never talked to the person you actually wanted to. Plus, Maia had a fear of demons and she didn't want to invite them into her life.

          If ghosts existed – and could truly manifest in their world – demons weren't far-fetched and she wasn't taking any chances. Some days she already felt haunted enough and she really didn't need to be actually possessed or anything.

          And she wondered if they liked Potions, because Maia certainly did not. It just wasn't the class for her and Snape didn't make it any better. Snape didn't mind Ravenclaws, per say, he treated them much better than Gryffindors (who were the self-proclaimed 'mortal enemies' to all Slytherins) and Hufflepuffs (who Maia thought he viewed as weak), but that didn't mean he treated them well.

          It was clear to see who he favored the most and she knew that it would never be her because some people put too much into the house system when really all it did was designate where they would sleep and their values. And none of the houses' values were bad, per say, it was just how people viewed the values were bad.

          If Remelda was telling the truth (though Maia still thought some parts were unlikely), her parents were Slytherins. And the old Potions professor before Snape was a Slytherin as well, so they probably favored Slytherins so they probably did well in the class even if they didn't like it. At least, they probably did much better than Maia.

          She wasn't terrible at Potions, not really, she just wasn't close to being the best. It just wasn't the class or skill for her. She liked Transfiguration and the mystic qualities of Divination more. Maia didn't exactly believe in Seers, or even Trelawney's abilities, but she thought the idea of seeing into the future and predicting it was fascinating. It was one of her favorite classes even if it wasn't the most logical.

          But Potions infuriated her. The way Snape demeaned and degraded everyone made her blood boil. He thought he was so much better than them because he was a master at Potions, thought everyone should be as talented as him even though they were still learning – they were his students, he should know this!

          So as she left the classroom, face red with anger and gripping her books tightly, she walked around the castle now that it was her free period. Emilia had art – which the girl loved and Maia could never do in a million years – so it was just her.

          She began walking up to the Ravenclaw tower, going up the staircase when she looked around and saw a girl. She looked like a student but Maia had never seen her before. It wasn't like she was a first year either, she looked much too old for that, so it was weird that Maia had never seen her.

          Obviously, she could be someone from a different house, but that wouldn't explain what she was doing in the staircase of the Ravenclaw tower. It was common for people of other houses to go to the common rooms of their friends, but this was not the usual time. It was during the time and the gatherings usually happened at night, so that couldn't be the explanation either.

          "Excuse me," Maia called out to her, thought it didn't grab her attention, "Hey, you!"

          This time, her calling worked and the young girl looked back at her. Well, the girl wasn't young, she looked roughly around the same age as Maia or a little older (it was a bit hard to tell), and she looked at Maia with a far off expression.

          "Are you okay?" Maia asked her, stepping up the stairs a bit more to meet her, "Do you need any help?"

          It was the least she could offer the girl. She looked confused and lost and Maia liked to think that she had a pretty good idea of the castle after so many years of attending Hogwarts, but as she looked at the girl more she couldn't help but find her...familiar, in a sort of way.

          Maia felt as though she had seen her before, or making a picture of her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Something was...off. Not right. She looked so familiar yet so different.

          "No," the girl finally replied after a moment, her voice wispy just as her persona, "No, I'm alright. I think...I guess."

          Maia raised an eyebrow, "You guess? I'm sorry but if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

          The girl looked around, as if not even knowing where she was, "Oh, I guess I just found myself here. I was wandering around and my feet just carried me here, I guess."

          A frown appeared on Maia's face as she continued to look at the girl. "What exactly were you looking for? I might be able to help you, I have the time right now. I have this period free so I have an hour before I need to get to Muggle Studies."

          The girl avoided her eyes, a sort of mist covering her own, as she looked around at the tower. Her hand hovered above the railing, not resting just laying right above it. "I don't know what I was looking for. I just...felt drawn to come here. I don't know why, yet here I am."

          "Okay..." Maia let out, the frown deepening on her face. The lost expression the girl was wearing before grew stronger as did the recognition of the staircase and her surroundings. Yet, at the same time, it felt completely unattached and distant, as if she was recalling it from many years ago and not in the current moment. "Um, what's your name?"

          "My name..." the girl frowned, her gaze going to the ground as her hand returned to rest near her body, "My name is...it's Lucie. My name is Lucie."

          Maia slowly nodded at the girl, though not really believing that her name was Lucie. It seemed as though she was making it up or if she truly did not know her name at all. It intrigued her more, but she didn't know if she could get any more answers out of the confused self-proclaimed Lucie.

          "Well, my name is Maia," she told Lucie, "I'm a Ravenclaw – this is our tower. Or, the staircase up to the tower."

          "I know," Lucie surprised her with the quick answer, "I remember this place. I've been here before, I know I have."

          And the frown returned to Maia's face. "What do you mean? I mean, you aren't a Ravenclaw, are you? I've never seen you here before."

          Lucie looked at her, almost in alarm, before saying, "I don't know. I think...I think that I am, but I'm not exactly sure."

          Maia continued to look at her, growing ever more curious at her words but also concerned for her. She opened her mouth to say something else but Lucie just smiled at her, "I think I'm going to head somewhere else. It's nice to meet you, Maia."

          And before she could say anything more, Lucie went down the stairs until she disappeared out of sight. The frown never left Maia's face as she looked to where Lucie had gone. It was only a moment later she continued up the stairs, into a gust of cool wind that wasn't here before, and into the common room. That was...odd. Too odd, even for Hogwarts.

          Weird.

✦

          As the weeks passed, Leo's friendship with Thea grew. Theodosia, who told him the second day of school to call him Thea because only her parents called her by her name and it was weird to hear it anywhere else, was absolutely the best thing at his new school. The classes weren't different and neither was the focus of the school. There was no one else to talk but to Thea and that meant she was the light on his life at the moment.

          Really, just being able to go to school was a light in his life, which was sad. It was so nice to get out of the house, to be away from the definitely haunted 12 Grimmauld Place and the eerie silence. Everything about the house creeped him out.

          Which is why he tried to stay away for as long as he could after school. He did anything he could, and Thea was willing to go anywhere. She didn't like being home either.

          "My parents are rich so we live in a huge mansion. My brother's off in university so it's just the three of us plus our servants," Thea explained to him one day, "It's too big and lonely for us. Too quiet for me."

          And after that, Leo never asked about her house or family ever again. It was clear that she didn't want to talk about it and in return she didn't question his. It's not like he could explain to her that he was currently living in a haunted house that his mum's ex-boyfriend and his aunt grew up in because it was 'too dangerous' to stay at home. Or that it was confirmed that he was adopted and now he had met the ghost of his birth mum who was way to judgmental and degrading of muggles.

          Nancy was trying, in her own special way. She was definitely getting better at accepting that Leo went to a public school and he actually liked it. She was understanding the concept of how muggle courses were different than the ones they teach at Hogwarts. Where he had math and science, they had Potions and Divination. So it was different and that was a shock to her, but they were making progress. As slow as it was.

          So when Thea invited him out one Friday night, Leo didn't even think before agreeing. She had just smiled at him and told him to wear some dark colors ("No Hawaiian shirts tonight, okay?" she told him sternly) before telling him to meet her at the coffee shop they had been to a couple times after school for a small treat. It made him feel bad that she always paid for him, but she waved it off.

          "My parents are drowning in money, they won't miss it," she assured him.

          Which is how Leo found himself in a pair of dark wash jeans and black shirt that he had gotten months ago because Nadia had insisted that he needed some plain tee shirts instead of Hawaiian ones. He had pouted the whole time they shopped but now he was grateful for it because he had this to dress into.

          He checked the clock in the room he was staying in, seeing that he had ten minutes until he was supposed to meet up with Thea, so he left the room and went downstairs. He knew that an Order meeting was going on the dining room, which was why the door as closed, which was great for him.

          Of course, Leo knew that it was wrong to just leave without telling anyone. They would assume the worse and become paranoid and he would never be allowed to leave the house ever again, but it was a risk that he was willing to take. He never did things like this, so what's the real harm?

          He made sure to be quiet going down the stairs as not to creak them or wake up the portrait of Walburga, which was sure to grab their attention and not allow him to get out of the house. And once he made it pass their without any problems, he unlocked the front door and slowly opened it before stepping out and closing it.

          Once outside, he let out a breath and then promptly breathed in the fresh, no dust air. God, that was nice.

          He started to walk down the street, going at a leisurely pace but a bit faster than others. He did have someone to meet and he didn't want to keep Thea waiting. Soon enough, he reached the coffee shop and sat inside at one of the front tables near the door.

          A couple seconds later, Thea walked in and smiled when she saw him. She had a backpack slung around her shoulder and motioned for him to stand up, so he did. They didn't waste time before leaving the coffee shop and once outside again, she said, "Glad you could show up. I got worried when you said that it'd be hard to sneak out."

          Leo shrugged, "They didn't even notice me."

          "Nice," Thea commented, leading the way to their mystery destination.

          "So where exactly are we going?" Leo asked her, "And what are we doing?"

          Thea gave him a wicked smile. "Why, my dear Leonard, we're going to vandalize something."

          He almost froze in his tracks as he gave her a shocked look, not even comprehending the nickname (or long name because it wasn't a short version of his name), "We're going to what?"

          "Vandalize something," Thea repeated herself, giggling at his expression, "There's an abandoned jewelry shop we can do something in. It's around here but a bit more secluded so we won't get caught."

          "No, no, no," Leo shook his head, "We are not doing that."

          Thea rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on. Live a little. We won't get caught, if that's what you're worried about. I've done this before and nothing's happened."

          "Yeah, but what if we do?" Leo asked her, "I can't let that happen. I can't – my mum would freak and probably kill me."

          "Stop being so dramatic. We'll be fine," Thea assured him, "Plus, it's fun. There's a certain rush to it, you'll love it."

          "Um, no. I don't think I will. Can't we just, I don't know, catch a movie or something? You know, something that's not illegal and won't get us arrested?" Leo suggested.

          "Nope," Thea decidedly said, "It'll be fun, really. And on the off-chance that we do get caught, I'll have my parents bail us out and your mum will never even have to know."

          "I think she would."

          "Don't contradict me," Thea glared at him, turning the corner as he followed, "And look, I can already see the jewelry shop. We don't have to stay here long, but at least give it a try."

          He looked ahead and did see a sign for a jewelry shop that looked abandoned. The window was broken in as well, causing him to gulp because it cemented that they were in a bad area. And Thea was fine with this. She was more than fine, actually.

          But they were already there, as she had said, and there was no convincing her otherwise even if he tried really hard. "Alright," he conceded, "But afterwards, we're going to a movie and you're paying."

          Thea nodded, "Alright."

          "And we're getting popcorn and drinks," Leo added.

          She rolled her eyes but nodded anyway, "Okay, okay. We'll do it. Now, come on!"

          She began to sprint and Leo chased after her. The window that was broken clearly showed that the break came from the outside to go in, which Thea used to her advantage as she climbed into the building. Leo hesitated for a moment, not wanting to go through with his promise, but he thought it would look bad to just be waiting outside. Anyone could turn the corner and see him if he didn't follow. So, he climbed in as well.

          There was shattered glass on the floor that Leo tried hard to avoid, following Thea to the back of the building. "This is my favorite place to come when I wanna express myself," she told him, "I found it a couple months ago when I saw someone else breaking in. Of course, I didn't follow them, but I did come back the next day with my spray cans."

          Speaking of those, she opened up her backpack to reveal her stash. Leo looked around at the graffiti, seeing all her work and couldn't help that he was impressed. It was good, much better than anything he could do.

          "Why are you bringing me here?" he asked, "I mean, obviously this place is special to you."

          "Because you're my friend," Thea answered as if it was that simple, "And I feel like you need a place of expression, too."

          "But I'm not an artist – at all," Leo weakly protested when she handed him a spray can.

          Thea's expression softened, "Neither was I when I started. I was shit and just wrote out my feelings instead of expressing them with a small picture. It's all about getting your emotions out in any way. So come on. I promise I won't look."

          She pushed the can towards him again and he took it this time. She went back to her bag and got out another spray can for herself, going to the other side of the room to start spraying. Leo, though, started down at the can and thought about what she had said.

          He didn't know what he wanted to express. He had a lot to say, a lot of bottled up emotions that he never let out because no one would listen. Or at least, that's what it felt like. He didn't feel important enough for anyone to give him the time of day and it was obvious that those he tried to communicate with didn't care.

          He tried to share his life with Maia, his own twin, but she didn't care at all. She was obsessed with magic and the fact that she was a witch, she didn't care about his muggle lifestyle or anything attached with the notion. She held herself so high that he was afraid she would one day fall. Like Icarus, one day she would fly too close to the sun, he knew. And he didn't like it.

          And Calypso tried to understand, at least she liked to listen to him and try out the things he mentioned, but she didn't. She didn't understand and she never would. No one understood but his grandfather – and even then there were things he couldn't express. Things that happened to him and him alone.

          He just...he felt abandoned. Like the lone wolf of his father, the outlier. He was different from all of them. And even though they didn't mean to, they left him behind in the dust. All for the grandeur of magic and the wizarding world.

          After all, he was only a muggle. A squib. A boy born out of magic yet had none of his own to share. He was the outsider of his own family and it isolated him. He was weird and no one liked him. Everyone could sense that he was different.

          Muggles thought he was too different from them and wizards never wanted to understand his kind. He was the outlier and every way. And it hurt. He was just like this jewelry stop, left behind in the dust, no one to care for him.

          So, with the red spray can, he went to the empty portion of the way and wrote it out, hoping that one day it wouldn't feel this way. That maybe one day he would feel included, like he was beginning to feel with Thea.

          ABANDONED.

authors note
wow am i terrible at updating this story. i'm so sorry that it has taken me two months to update this and write for it but i was so busy during school and just didn't have time. and lately i haven't been really inspired but i hope that i'm getting over that a little so expect more updates soon. i missed writing for leo and maia.