Death of Me [Gaunt Family]

[LORELAI GAUNT]

Just a few more days until New Years. Was it so odd that a family get together and have dinner? Perhaps it was, especially for siblings absent of parental guidance while in boarding school. All throughout the summer vacations, students could eat at a family at home. However, once the school year started, it seemed that the idea of family became obscured. It seemed to almost disappear. It was easy to forget who one's true family was and to adopt new friends and family from within their houses and class. The Gaunt's, however, were still attempting to remain quite close. For this reason, they were now having dinner together at Hogsmeade.

However, Lorelai was certain that tonight's dinner could contain quite a bit of animosity and rancor, particularly between Archer and Adrian. The two of them would likely be going through some kind of grudge. This would likely be due to the recent changes in the family line. The title of heir had shifted from Archer to Adrian just before the school year had begun. Of course, Lorelai couldn't be sure. Maybe Archer had gotten over it. Maybe they'd get along splendidly. Regardless, Lori had no sympathy for either of their titles, especially considering that she was most suited for the heir position anyway.

Lori sighed as she sat, cross-legged, at her table. She wasn't dressed for winter. Not at all. Silver mini-skirt, white stockings, mary janes, and a cotton jacket with the slytherin emblem on it. She wouldn't be cold, however. She had her ways to stay warm, after all.

It hopefully wouldn't be long before her brothers showed up at the table she had reserved. Lori certainly wasn't the most patient girl in the world.

[ARCHER GAUNT]

The family was gathering. There were always interesting exchanges of sorts when this happened. Especially the last time that the family was together, when his title as heir was stripped from him. He embraced it as a test. A test to see how he could handle it.

At school, little had changed. He still held the admiration, respect and fear of his peers. A title meant little when you held such a high stature of notoriety through your achievements and your skill. He cared little for his younger brother, Adrian. He cared little for anyone other than himself, and perhaps his father. No... not even his father.

All of his life, he had respected and obeyed his father diligently, as was the proper duty of a loyal son. His thoughts drifted to Adrian as they did so more than usual these days.

He remembered that night as if it were only yesterday, the night his brother would change for the better. It was for his own good. He detested the passionate little child that used to run around the place, protecting and caring for his siblings. He remembered the giddy excitement that had taken over him that night. The thirst and urge that took hold of him over what power his own father held, he wished to have it too, and perhaps even surpass him. If only he were to have left the picture before stripping him of his rightful inheritance.....

Thinking about his brother's progress filled him with a sense of pride for his family name... yet with a subtle yet stinging bite of bitterness... all of this carefully hidden underneath the cold and exterior shell of utter indifference. Adrian only thought that nobody knew of his secret research, but Archer had been well aware of everything for quite some time.

As head boy, he had access to everything, and he watched everything like an ever stalking predator, and his ears were always vigilantly listening. His hunt never ended, for he too was doing his own research, and as he was Head Boy, he had far more available resources than most. Even if he was no longer heir, he was still the greater and more accomplished one, and would always be.

He entered the room and there sat her younger sister. He could feel the air of impatience about her, and saw it ever so clearly in her posture. The girl was dressed for the occasion, as was Arcamedis, though a bit more well dressed than she. He wore a formally fitting thin white sweater with a white button up shirt underneath, the collar neatly tucked under the collar of the sweater. The tie he wore was green and bore a a silver and black King Cobra symbol on it. This appearance was normal for him. Archer maintained a well kept appearance at all times.

He gave Lorelai a charming smile with a cunning twinkle in his eye, but he never said a word to her. He looked away, yet his smile remained. He sat in his seat and his eyes closed as if in a meditative state. He concentrated and released his bitter thoughts and sore pride. He certainly wouldn't want any negative thoughts or comments from his family members to get the better of him.

[ADRIAN GAUNT]

How he detested to be called away from his studies. From his books, and from his reclusive seldom.
It was something different when it was to talk to a teacher or to act the office of Prefect. But it was entirely unwelcome when it was about his family.

One would think that an heir should care.

Only that there was not a lot of love among the Gaunts.

They were all fake and smiles, cunning and beasts, like serpents. And he'd been made into one of them. Sometimes he even wondered why he'd been made heir in the first place. Was it his father's little game to see him break?

Ever since the night that played in his older brother's mind, Adrian had been a Gaunt from the books of old. Slytherins had ambition. Ambition was something that contradicted values such as love and care.

He didn't care for them.

He didn't love them.

Maybe he had. At a naive point of his childhood. But his father had changed that.
These days, it felt as so much as a pressure on his shoulders. To sit still, and sit tight, while his brother conducted his own research.

It was foolish to think that Adrian's game would go unnoticed.

But he noticed too, that his game couldn't be hidden.

Not from his older brother, of all people.

So much as comon sense told him that.

A king's cobra could bite. Would bite. If only one looked away for the split of a second, if only one did not pay tribute to the royal animal by becoming lost in the captivating terror its venomous kiss displayed...
A cobra was a snake. But not every snake was a cobra. Hadn't Arcamedis made this enemy's sign his own for a reason. For a hissed message?

Adrian believed so.

When he thought of the situation between him and his brother he often pictured it as a nightly scene; where they stood on a grave yard. They had not drawn their wands. But the shadows of the night were surrounding them. About to catch up on them. Who would draw their wand first? Who would lose their self control?
Adrian wouldn't draw first.

Entering the room, Adrian revealed his own choice of wear. A look with which his siblings were no doubt familiar. After all, Adrian was a being of stability, and he saw no need to change his fashion often. Each year, he got clothes to fit his school robes. The only things that changed each and every year was the size, whenever he'd grown an inch or two.
Once his heavy coat and green scarf had come off, neatly placed on a hanger, he took the remaining steps that were left into the center of the secluded room in the Three Broomsticks.
His blazer remained on his form, and closed, revealing below its black fabric, a white, sleeveless pullover which acted like a vest over the fine material of Adrian's button up shirt. The collar was high, though folded. It almost accented his chin, and channeled the cold in his look as though the stature of his shoulders were a magnifying glass.

A Weasley could be attacked for their looks alone.

A Gaunt would never even show an opening such as this.

Then again, some of it, was a question of money.

The policy for the dinner would be no other than his policy for the year in Hogwarts; passive observation. His brother would be gone at the end of the year. There was no point to fight a snake that was relocating itself in a couple of months.

There could be no doubt, that in two years, Adrian would be in his brother's position; Head Boy. He was only a Prefect at the current time.

He had the time.

He had to take it.

Or else it would all collapse before it could ever begin.

Other families were probably a happier lot with butterbeer, scones and tea before the first bite of the meal had even been taken, cheerful and happy.

But not the Gaunts.

Catching the dying look of his brother toward their sister, Adrian corrected himself behind the thousand and one walls that protected his most inner core, secrets, and motivation.

He would draw first.

But only.

At the point, where darkness had already surrounded them all.

"Arcamedis, Lorelai."

Snakes weren't all about size, however. Perhaps it was the small snake with its venom, that'd take down the older breeds.

Who could tell.

[JULIAN GAUNT]

This was supposed to be some sort of super official family gathering. It involved eating supper and… well, that was about the extent of what Julian knew. If there was any other sort of importance behind this he was not aware of it. All the boy knew was that his brothers and sister would all be there and they were all supposed to eat together for once. That sounded nice…

Poor Julian’s winter break had been just dreadful, the whole not getting to go home situation had really upset him for a while. At least winter break was almost over, then he could finally forget about missing any sort of real Christmas.

So here he was now, at some restaurant in a place called… what was it? Some place that Julian normally would have been too young to go to, given the school’s rules against it that a student had to be in their third year and with parental permission. But instead it was winter break and, well, his older brother and male prefect of the fifth year Slytherins had brought Julian along with permission granted. Oh, and the youngest Gaunt’s choice of clothing had been no better than his usual casual overalls and long-sleeved shirt… until Adrian had warned him to wear otherwise to this outing… so instead, the boy was dressed a little better than usual.

Despite his discomfort with the clothes, Julian took a seat at the table with a smile on his face.

[LORELAI GAUNT]

It wasn't long before all four of the Gaunt siblings were seated together. Julian sat to Lori's right. Her brother Archer across from her. The seating arrangements were fine. Lorelai was somewhat pleased to have dinner with her family. She enjoyed feeling as though they had a family. It was something that they didn't get to feel very often at Hogwarts and was also something that she always looked forward to during the summer.

"Good afternoon," she greeted them all at once. It was funny that with all four of them at a table, no one had said much of anything. Even Julian was quiet. Adrian had simply stated hers and Archer's names. It really wasn't much of a conversation starter. This made Lori, of course, think that it would likely be left to her to start this off. Otherwise they would all simply sit here bored, no doubt.

"I took the liberty of placing all of your orders in for you already. They should be up soon," Lorelai said. After all, this was why she had gotten here first. Why not save her brothers a bit of time by ordering their food for them. She had already asked them what they would prefer earlier.

"So, Adrian... has father found you a future bride yet?" Lorelai curiosity was killing her. Now that Adrian was to be the family heir, there was no doubt that her father was still looking to arrange his marriage, just as hers was. She only wondered to whom it would be. Certainly a pureblood. But whom.

[ARCHER GAUNT]

"Why, thank you, Lorelai."

Archer nodded at his brother's greeting and repeated his name likewise. Someone had to give in to the rising tension sooner or later, not that Archer minded it much, but it would never have been him. For some reason, he thought it would be Julian to do so, but he remained the quietest of them all, perhaps it was due to the discomfort of his attire which would no doubt be both unusual and uncomfortable for the boy. Lorelai, the most curious and prying of all of them, questioned Adrian on the matters of his future bride. Such were the inquiring minds of the adolescent. Although it was an important matter for most pure blood families, the topic of marriage did not interest Archer. The eldest son greeted Julian as he sat down.

"Surprise, Surprise," he said as he took note to compliment Julian's attire speaking in a rather cheerful manner, his slick voice never betraying his insincerity (though by now his own family would be accustomed to his speech patterns), "I never thought I'd see the day where my baby brother was dressed at his best. I reckon there is hope for you yet! Adrian's doing I take it?"

Lorelai wouldn't bother with Julian, the only other culprit would have been Adrian. The affair which happened to be on his mind was Julian's flying. He had given the boy a tip or two right before the Holidays began. His flying skills were an embarrassment. Being the Captain of the Slytherin quiddich team, he excelled in the craft, and so he took the caustic initiative to teach the boy how to fly properly.

What was taking father?