Shooting Stars Finished

It was another night at Hogwarts and Dorian was anywhere but in his own bed, as was his usual routine since getting here. The last time he had stayed an entire night in his dorm could be said to be a distant memory, maybe a dream. There was always something else to do, something else to see. Take tonight for example. Tonight's exploration of the Scottish castle brought him to the Astronomy tower. He had heard it was one of the best places to get a good view of the castle grounds and the stars high up in the night sky. He wasn't much for stargazing, nor was he much for enjoying the view, but it aligned with his interest to see everything the school had to offer before he no longer had the chance to. And so the decision made itself really, and here he was on his way to that place.

Reaching his destination, Dorian took the few steps that would bring him to the terrace but paused when he saw the silhouette of a tiny figure sitting on the ground. The echo of a light tap resounded in the room, the suddenness of it having caught Dorian off-guard. Just a little. He crept closer, wanting to see which other student had been brave enough to come all the way up here in the dark of night. They were still a shadow, but he noticed when the person's head moved and they looked up at the sky. He followed the gaze and saw what must have been so fascinating. The three shooting stars were a marvel to behold, but even they were not enough to truly grasp his interest for long. It didn't help how fleeting their appearance had been. Leaning over the figure, he noticed that they were writing something in a book. The words as far as he could make out, read You must be my shooting star. Everything I’ve wished for, is everything you are.

Intrigued, Dorian sat next to the person, crossing his legs and turning his entire body to face the person's side. He hadn't noticed the journal that his derriere was now getting intimately acquainted with, instead focusing on the person's features. There was a certain pull that he couldn't explain, and it made him want to know more. "Who's your shooting star now?" Dorian couldn't resist teasing. The boy, from what he had now noticed, was too easy to read as he literally wore his emotions in the pages. Words such as those did not come about because one was feeling idle. "Don't get me wrong, it's actually kind of good, but don't you think it would be better to just tell her how you feel?" Considering she may never see the pages, the girl he was writing about would never know how he felt until he manned up and told her.

Dakota breathed out softly, but right after he found himself abruptly stopping his writing, the young boy hearing the echoing of steps. He looked frightened at first before cautious, wanting to see if whoever was walking in his direction would say something first or not. Over the past few months, he had began to feel....better in a way. He wasn't as scared as before and was sure that the person wasn't one of his brothers-after all, they got beaten up pretty badly by the Gryffindor prefect. Yet that was one time and there was sure to be more whether it was now or later... 

Dakota didn't even notice the other student after all, believing that he had went the other way. His eyes didn't adjust to the dim light as well, no matter how hard he tried. Hopefully, he wouldn't need glasses later on. He then jumped when he heard the sound of someone sliding down the area beside him, the Gryffindor letting out a yelp in surprise.


He swiftly turned his head to look at the taller boy, his cheeks turning a bright red as soon as he did. He felt highly flustered that he let out such a girly sound, the boy gasping softly for a split second. He was also shocked that the other had actually wanted to talk to a squeamish person like him, the back of his neck beginning to grow hot as well. He quickly closed the journal and looked back at Dorian, his eyebrows furrowing in slight frustration. "N-Nobody! And what are you talking about?" He breathed out, his heart rate beginning to increase, "I-I'm not talking about a girl, I was saying the book, it's my only escap-" He cut himself off before he even had the chance to ramble on about it, Dakota now feeling extremely embarrassed. "Plus, even if I was, no girl would want me." Dakota didn't tell the fellow Gryffindor on how the girl may want a real man, not wanting to talk about that.

Instead, he sighed out, his voice rather high-pitched and sheepish-sound, "U-Um, anyway, what are you doing here? I'm not saying you can't be here, I'm just....um...I'm D-Dakota Parker." His cheeks were still tinted red and for some reason he couldn't stop stuttering, the boy having to force himself to avoid staring at the other.

His reaction had Dorian grinning. The high-pitched sound in the otherwise still silence and inky darkness was more comical than creepy, and the boy's disinclination to make eye contact with him had Dorian feeling the strongest urge to tease him. It was no wonder he wanted to find out who the figure of the boy's affection was. Whoever she was, she didn't know she had a budding poet that coveted her. Slightly taken aback by Dakota's deflection and self-deprecation, Dorian could only maintain his silent stare, still trying to make out the boy's features in the dim light. His self-esteem could use some work, and his timid mien wasn't going to win him any favors in this game of love. Deciding on a course of action, Dorian reached out to take the boy's smaller left hand in his own, shaking it firmly yet not enough to inflict any form of pain.

"Well D-Dakota Parker, I'm Dorian Gray. From now on you will address me as Sir and look up to me as a mentor." That was...strange, to say the least. They had only just met and already Dorian felt he needed to lay down ground rules and name himself as something he was not. It was only fair, however, as he decided to take time out of his busy schedule to help the boy build confidence enough to pursue love, even at such a young age. Dorian was no expert, mind you, but he was an extremely precocious youth, wise beyond his years. He may not be able to speak from personal experience, but his worldly nature qualified him in more ways than one to undertake this task. He released his hand and leaned forward, crowding the boy's personal space.

His once small grin evolved into a full-blown smirk, showing rows of white teeth and a faint outline of dimples, as much as could be seen at least. "I think your codename will be Baby Bird. It fits nicely. Like teaching a bird to fly for the first time." It would be like a project for him, one that he would see through to the end. "First order of business. Don't ever let me hear you make another negative comment about yourself." His smile had faded fast and he was now giving Dakota a pointed look as if to warn him against it. "Second. I want you to keep using that" he pointed at the journal "to write your poetry and make it good enough that whoever reads it can't help but want to know who wrote it."

Dorian shifted in place, only then noticing the book that he had been sitting on when he heard the ripping sound coming from a page being half torn. Retrieving the thing, he stared at the ruined page and shrugged, ripping the thing fully out of the book and crumpling it into a ball that he laid to rest right next to him. He considered the book in his hand and wondered. "I take it this is yours? Sorry about the page, but hey! At least now we can do this together." Already he was formulating a strategy in his mind, getting a feel for how best to approach the situation. He didn't even stop to observe that maybe, just maybe Dakota didn't want him to help with anything. Maybe the boy wanted him to leave him in peace. Sadly, Dorian knew not the meaning of words like relent and personal space, which brings us to what he did next. He got even closer to the boy, sitting right next to him facing the same direction. Their upper arms were now touching even though Dorian's size over Dakota's was still very evident.

He snatched the pen out of Dakota's hand, not in the least bit surprised by the fact that it was not like the quills they used in classes, or that it was a splash of edible-looking colors. Having grown up around Muggles and never having known that seclusion that most wizard families maintained, he knew more than most about their ways and the things they made. He uncrushed the paper that had been torn from the book and began to scribble on it.

Work on self-esteem and image. Pummel him if he so much as thinks negative. Find out who this shooting star is and help him make a move. Ask a lot of personal questions and get all the personal details about him. Enjoy being called Sir all the time.

Dorian wrote on, only pausing at this point to think about what else they would be doing. He had written everything in plain view for Dakota to see. The jottings were like a reminder for himself of what it was that he sought to accomplish and the other boy would be his project for this bit of community service that he wanted to undertake, free of charge. Looking at Dakota again, he frowned a little, a thought just crossing his mind. "I just noticed Baby Bird. I don't even know what House you're in. Anything but Hufflepuff. I beg you!" If he was a Hufflepuff, which were decidedly his and Max's sworn enemies, then this entire thing would have to be called off and he would have to find a new project to undertake.

Dakota remained quiet as Dorian spoke, his face getting hotter by the second. His peachy skin had turned noticeably red, a nervous expression appearing on his flustered features. He couldn't stay still so he fiddled with his thumbs, looking down every now and then. He had no idea why he felt so...weird. Why hadn't the other left already? He had just came here to be alone, and now he found a bunch of orders being thrown at him. Of course, he didn't feel angered by this, but he was surely intimidated by everything that Dorian was saying. Was he only saying this because he honestly thought that he was writing about a girl?? 

Even if he was, it for sure wouldn't be on here. Not only could his roommates go through his journal and blackmail him, but why would there be need to write down something that he would never show to the girl anyway? Plus, he hadn't gotten the slightest bit of attraction for any girls here, it wasn't because he brought himself down about the topic but for some reason he just didn't feel appealed to them. Perhaps it was because he was still young but even when he was in Muggle school, he had never crushed on any females. While he found them beautiful, for now his heart didn't feel any desire for them. 

In fact, this was the first time his heart actually raced when he was around someone, the boy smiling sheepishly and shaking the other Gryffindor's hand lightly. "Well...alright Sir, if you say so." he responded softly, agreeing to whatever Dorian was planning. Maybe this could be fun?...He never had a mentor before. Once he saw Dorian's smirk, he had to look away for a moment, feeling more intimidated than before now. His head moved downwards and he inhaled deeply, quickly thinking of a way to...prove his...worth? While the redness on his cheeks didn't disappear, he formed the confidence to look up once more, his eyes narrowing with determination.

"Oh, well I like that name a lot! T-Thank you, Sir. And alright, that shouldn't be to hard." Dakota responded softly, before suddenly squeaking when he saw his change of expression. It reminded him of his brother, Allen's face when he threatened him while others weren't looking. He looked shocked for that split second and as if he had just seen the devil himself, his eyes quickly becoming watery. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Be manly, be manly, be manly. He sniffled and breathed in heavily, before distracting himself by the mention of poetry. "Poetry? Oh, I'm good at that, I can teach you if you wan-"

The boy then got cut off by the ripping sound, realizing what it was-yet again he didn't look angered or saddened. He just looked worried, thinking that his mentor would criticize him on not being safer with his things. He then let out a sigh of relief when he heard the apology, Dakota simply nodding. "Ah, it's now worries really! I wasn't planning on using it but if you'd like you can." Dakota was sure that he wouldn't have a say in the act anyway, it wasn't like he could punch the heck out of Dorian if he tried. When the pen was snatched from him, he simply flinched, Dorian's quick movements having to be one that he had to get used to in the near future.

He watched silently as Dorian wrote, not protesting one bit to anything that he wrote down. He quietly examined the crossed out words and his thoughts, before looking up, his eyes going to Dorian's features. He examined him for a moment, mentally making himself remember how he looked in case he saw him around Hogwarts again. Once Dorian looked back at him, he looked away, not used to the sudden eye contact. "Oh, no no, no...I'm a Gryffindor, yeah a Gryffindor. I know that I'm not as confident as others, but-" Don't talk bad about yourself...

"I mean...Gryffindor suits me perfectly so there's no reason to deny my position in the house one bit!"

What had he been about to say? Something about teaching Dorian how to write poetry? Whatever the case the ripping of the page had interrupted that topic and now they had moved to what house the small boy was in. He was grateful he had been officially offered the book, not that he had any intention of returning it seeing as he had used his precious bodily resource, or his buttocks for short, to incubate the thing. It had belonged to him from the moment he had sat on it, so Dakota's 'offer' could be seen as a bit redundant. That was alright though. The boy was cute making his offer, and in general, that Dorian could almost feel himself physically restraining the urge to reach out and pinch his cheeks.

Instead of doing any such thing, he waited patiently for Dakota to name his house as he had asked him to do. For a dark moment, Dorian looked as if he was about to strangle Dakota when he almost let slip the negative things that were no doubt on his mind, but just as the other boy had quickly caught himself and amended, so too did Dorian's expression shift back to one of neutrality. It quickly became a smile once again to compliment the sunny outlook the boy had given in his response. "That's the spirit!" he said rather loudly in the otherwise silent tower. The echo was against him, but thankfully he wasn't about to be chased by nosy Prefects who had nothing better to do with their time.

Noticing a few stray strands of hair that got into the boy's eyes because he kept looking down so much, Dorian gently brushed them aside and, continuing his invasive gesture, he held the boy's chin between his thumb and index finger and urged him to look up at him. The taller boy turned Dakota's head from left to right, looking at him closely in the dim light of the full moon. "You actually have a pretty face and really nice skin. That's already a plus in your corner." The compliment on Dorian's part was stated innocently as a basic observation. He had to admit that the boy had some very delicate, innocent features. "Makes one wonder why you're so intent on putting yourself down so much." A thought struck him after he uttered these words, the possibility seeming very plausible now that he considered it.

"Is it a bully? Does my Baby Bird have somebody pushing him around? Just tell me who it is and I'll teach them to pick on someone their own size." Pushing aside the journal he had taken with Dakota's blessing, he got into a kneeling position before the boy, looking down at him with a serious expression, willing him with his eyes to open up to him. Yes, they had only just met, and Dorian had to admit that if he had been in the boy's position he might have questioned the intentions of the friendly stranger that felt the need to intrude on a personal affair and just keep talking about all sorts of random things. Being who he was though and knowing of his own intentions, it was safe to say that they were pure of nature. He wanted to learn about this boy.

Dakota found himself flinching yet again from Dorian's loud tone, his eyes going wide briefly. Wow, this guy sure could change moods easily-not that that was a problem. The boy refused to judge anyone just on their personality, and he for sure wasn't about to insult someone who's been so nice to him. However, if Dakota did slip-would Dorian actually...yell or punch him or something? After all, his brothers and their friends had taught him that this was the only way to straighten people out. And to Dakota, Dorian seemed like the type who wasn't afraid one bit to engage in a fight...or risk losing one.

He stayed silent once more, unsure of how to actually...act with Dorian being his mentor now. He got the Sir thing down, but what was he...Wait, did this mean he had to tell Dorian...everything? Of course, the fellow Gryffindor seemed nice and enough, nor picked on him for his small stature....
It was at least a try to open up his big, innocent heart to someone who showed signs of already accepting him the second he walked into the tower. What he wasn't expecting however was for his head to get lifted, a soft gasp escaping the boy's pink lips. He had never had this kind of positive physical contact before, the boy becoming speechless for those few seconds.

To stop himself from being so selfish, he forced himself to speak, his voice becoming shaky. "Haha, well thanks! B-But I don't think I'm pretty-more like handsome right? Cause only girls are pretty and I'm definitely not a girl-right?" Dakota's voice got even higher in panic and those tears returned, his eyes becoming all watery. "Oh no, I shouldn't look pretty! Darn it, now people won't take me seriously and I'll get picked on-oh jeez!" He squealed out, before bursting into tears right after, now looking quite embarrassed. Dakota sniffled and trembled lightly, puling back from Dorian to wipe at his brown, watery eyes.

Through sobs, Dakota managed to catch his breath, a hurt look in his eyes. He was sure that Dorian didn't mean to insult him, but he found the compliment pretty offensive due to him knowing that males weren't commonly thought of as pretty. He looked down for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing and head turned to the side. "Well...I trust you so...to be honest...I...My older brothers and father just...they just don't like me. And I know the reason....I'm just..not fit enough for their family, I'm not a manly man like I should be." He breathed out in disappointment, "I just want to be strong and tall and attractive like you, but....I just can't help but think so negatively of myself. Before coming to Hogwarts, I had bruises all over my body, and I still have some scars. I'm not even sure if I want to return home to break, I can't stand getting mistreated anymore!"

Wow. Dorian hadn't been expecting the flood of tears that followed his little comment about Dakota being pretty. It wasn't a lie that Dorian found the word 'pretty' to be a better descriptor for the small boy rather than handsome. It was also the first word that had come to mind. If he had known it would cause the boy to feel such distress he would have given it a second and third thought and came up with something else. Twisting his head in every direction in the empty tower as if expecting someone to shine a light on them and scream "j'accuse!" Dorian frantically gestured with his hands in a lowering motion as if urging Dakota to dial it down some.

"Okay I take it back! You're handsome. Handsome not pretty. It's just the lighting that made you seem that way but now that I take a better look you're extremely handsome and stuff," he hissed. He was still looking around warily until he heard Dakota's sniffle, feeling awful that he had made the little guy cry. He reached for his little piece of scrap paper with the pen and began writing:

Extremely sensitive. Watch what you say or he might start crying.

Dorian hadn't intended to insult him; that was probably the last thing on his mind. At least now he knew to steer clear of making further comments along those lines. But one thing that became quite evident was the fact that there must be something dark and cruel in Dakota's past to elicit such a reaction. Had it been something someone had said or done to him that made him feel so strongly against the word pretty? It wasn't even a negative descriptor, but he apparently didn't like it. He didn't have to wait long to hear an explanation, Dakota covering the bullying problem as well as what was possibly where this disfavor of the word came from. Dorian listened with unwavering interest, a hot rage bubbling inside him as he digested the meaning of all that was being said.

It took a while for Dorian to say anything or even move after Dakota had said his fill. He knelt there looking through the boy, his mind far away as he retold the story to himself in his mind and tried to find some kind of justification to explain away the father and brothers' actions. Being an only child, he had not had to endure the burden of siblings and the misfortune they tended to bring, but he did have cousins, and they were just as bad if not worse than Dakota's brothers, so with this, he could empathize. He had gone through pretty much the same thing with them, but for totally different reasons. Eventually, he had toughened up and they no longer bothered him; were afraid of him even. So having some understanding of what Dakota must have gone through, and was clearly still going through, he wanted to punch something. He was reacting strongly in favor of the boy he had only just met for the reason of bafflement that anyone would wish to bully someone so...innocent.

Then a thought struck him, causing him to look back at the young Gryffindor with what was probably the friendliest smile he had ever shown to anyone ever. "Why don't you come stay with me for the summer? My mo- My dad would love to meet you, and we could get up to all sorts of fun. My family always goes on trips during the holidays and I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem if you came along." He would, of course, have to run this by his parents, but he was certain his father would agree without hesitation. He had wanted Dorian to make friends, after all, had even told him to invite some of them over sometime. His mother was an unknown variable. He did not how she would feel about Dakota or how she would react, but he was sure his dad could convince her to agree.

Dorian couldn't help but add "your brothers and father sound like complete assholes by the way. No offense but I hope something horrible happens to them." He was sorry, not sorry for the comment. Deep down Dakota must love his siblings and his father, or maybe the feelings were only skin deep, but regardless such a brazen loathsome comment might not be the most prudent coming from Dorian, a perfect stranger in this setting. He would not take any of it back, however, convinced that if he were to meet the brothers he would most likely get into a brawl, and if he met the father he would probably have some choice words for the man. Without thinking, he reached out yet again and this time patted Dakota on the head a couple of times gently and smiled.

Dakota inhaled deeply and rubbed at his eyes swiftly, even after Dorian apolgized. He had to bite down on his lip hard to lower down his sobbing noises, the words still lingering in his head however. While he had been called far worse, hearing the word 'pretty' had a different affect on him. It dodged his mind completely and instead went down to his chest. The words reaching his heart felt like the large, beating muscle literally got stabbed, and there was nothing to do to fix it. What helped was knowing that Dorian didn't mean to hurt his feelings purposely, for if he did, Dakota would probably have ran out at full speed.

It took a long while until he finally managed to catch his breath, although his words came out quite shaky. “Oh...alright, I understand that the lighting c-could cause some mistakes.” He stated softly, the boy defensively pressing his knees back up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He tapped his foot against the ground in an attempt to calm himself down, it gradually working as time passed. His eyes then closed momentarily and he sniffled hard, not wanting to show any of his tears. Fournately, he didn’t see what Dorian wrote, or else he might have bursted into tears once more.

 Dakota still didn’t meet Dorian’s eyes, although he began to noticeably shiver, possibly because he had became overwhelmed. Now that he had admitted his struggles, could Dorian really stand to mentor such a boy who didn’t even complain when he was annoyed by someone else? Who the teacher had to ask twice to speak up in class? How could’ve Dorian not had given up on him by now? After all, he seemed like the type of person who would just continue on his merry way after realizing that a person like Dakota didn’t show much improvement in becoming a total opposite of themself even after a long period of time. He raised his arm briefly to wipe away tears, revealing some bruises on it, which actually seemed quite fresh. He quickly pulled down his long sleeves afterwards, knowing that he had more than just a little injuries under his clothes. 

 His tears began to dry when Dorian then flashed him that warm, cordial smile of his, Dakota slowly feeling comfortable again around the other. When he heard his  offer however,  his eyebrows rose in shock, it taking a second for Dakota to process the words he was hearing. He then frowned, his lips curving downwards, his heart slowing down. “As much as I would love to Sir...I..I can’t. My father will be furious in me! He also studies and works with dragons so what if he sends one to burn me to ashes?!” Dakota began to hyperventilate as he spoke, his heart going back to pounding against his chest, “And my brothers would be even more harsher to me, I don’t want to get pushed off a roof again!”

Dakota sighed out softly, and his head hung low, hesitation visible in his dark eyes. He shook his head slowly, not sure on how to protest more in all honestly. Realistically, he wanted to be around Dorian  more, he wanted to be able to hang out with him for the entire summer. The potential days of laughter and joy they could have if Dakota agreed to the offer seemed endless. He didn’t lift his head to respond until he felt the comforting pats, a sheepish look on his features. “I’d love to stay with you Sir, but if you gets hurt or threatened I...there’s nothing that I can do about it..” Not wanting to sound selfish, he added, “I mean I can but...I may get beaten so badly that I won’t be able to protect you.”

"Again..." Dorian had repeated under his breath, an infinitesimal sound that would go unnoticed while Dakota explained to him all the reasons why he wouldn't be able to join him for the holidays. If the boy was to be believed then his brothers had sent him flying from the roof before, and Dorian could only begin to guess at how often this had happened and how long all this physical, psychological, mental, emotional...all the abuse really, had been going on. And for the life of him, he couldn't understand why. Dakota didn't seem like the type who gave much trouble, ever got in your way purposely or otherwise, and he didn't even seem to know how to raise his voice and say a mean thing about anyone. So what could compel three people, immediate family members, to treat him the way they did?

In Dorian's experience, he knew it didn't take much to elicit hatred or jealousy from other people. If they wanted to see you suffer for one reason or another then they were going to do it regardless of how great or small the incentive may be. Pushing someone off a roof though. That one was new to him, and it was all he could do to maintain a poker face as he listened to Dakota lay down his burdens. Sighing heavily, a sound as if he had been holding his breath without meaning to, he looked at Dakota with a mixture of pity, grief, and annoyance. He was annoyed not by Dakota's inability to fight back and speak up for himself, but because of the fact that this all had been going on for a long while considering how deeply rooted the trauma was. His grief was in answer to the boy's shaky demeanor that made him flinch whenever Dorian moved to touch him. He had noticed the slight recoil everytime he made the attempt.

And then there was the pity he felt for the boy who had been through more than anyone his age should ever have to go through. Having a family that hated you was the absolute worst. He would know given that his mother hated him, though he didn't know why. Her discontent with him gave implicit permission to his aunts, uncles, and cousins to do what they pleased with him. Sure he had learned to stand up for himself, but not everyone was capable of grasping the methods involved as quickly as he had. "What they're doing to you isn't right. You need to tell an adult what's happening or it's only going to get worse." At this point Dorian had yet to see a single one of the bruises on the boy, otherwise he might really do something everyone would regret later down the line.

"We're not done talking about this, and I'm taking you with me this summer, no discussion." He wanted to make it clear that he wasn't worried about Dakota's father or brothers. Dorian's family had some powerful friends, the Averys being one of such, not to mention the Grays were a powerful family in their own right. He was certain that he could convince his mother and father to do something about Dakota's bully of a father. Maybe then the boy would feel at ease and could live his life the way he wanted without having to constantly peer over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't about to pushed off a roof. Dorian still found that bit hard to believe. "Let's change the subject." He was getting upset and didn't want to be just then.

Pointing to Dakota's notebook that had been nearly forgotten during their little heart to heart, he decided to continue on his original path of helping the boy to do what he had promised to do as his mentor. "Here's what we're going to do." Dorian readied his own journal as well, seating himself properly so that he would be able to write comfortably. "We're both going to write a little poem about love. We have five minutes to complete the poem, and once those five minutes are up we have to stop writing and read aloud what we have. It can be as cheesy or as romantic as you want it to be but it has to be good." He wanted to lighten the mood again with something that Dakota seemed to enjoy doing, and this would be a good way to see the boy's mind stray from the topic of his awful family. "Don't worry. I'll admit it if yours is better than mine. On the count of three... Three!" Dorian instantly started writing, setting his internal clock to alarm when the five minutes was up. He would keep this fair.