[Vanitas Burke]

Vanitas loved the choir. It was the closest Hogwarts had to a theater club. They loved to perform and shine with people. But perhaps they were shining a little too bright today. Standing in the back of the line up couldn't hide it. The conductor snapped his fingers and cleared his throat. “Mr. Burke-” V didn't respond as per this year they decided not to hear that calling. It didn't feel right, it didn't sound like they were the one being called. “Mr. Burke- Vanitas!” With their first name being called V finally looked into the teacher’s direction with the sweetest and most innocent smile.

“Yes, sir?” As they spoke a very stubble pink color shone on their lips and a slight shimmer graced their cheeks and eyelids. Much less than most girls would wear in terms of make-up but it still had been terrifying to wear it outside of the dorm for the first time. Their hair was platinum blonde to shoulder length but with a slight curl at the end where the tips turned lavender. Nails painted in the same shade.

They could feel the conductor’s eyes on them, frowning and judging. “If you’re going to wear that badge, you’ll have to set an example and follow the school’s dress code.” Immediately V felt tense as a lot of people might not have noticed but some heads definitely were turned. Biting the inside of their cheek, Vanitas tried to prevent breaking face. The choir was supposed to be their little safe place where arts were celebrated. “I thought it would be nice to do costumes to add more to the performance. Though I must say I was hoping we’d do a little more than this,” they started before taking a deep breath and contemplated if the next thing they were going to say was a death sentence.

“But, sir… I’m not breaking any rules either. The dress code says boys have to wear pants and girls have to wear a skirt. Nowhere it says you can’t wear both at the same time.” Which was what they did now; wearing the school uniform skirt on top of the school uniform trousers. Technically they would wear neither as they weren’t a boy or a girl but… That was a statement they weren’t comfortable making yet. Maybe in some day and age.

“I-I cannot be the only one who thinks costumes will really sell the songs. Right?” They tried to look around, hoping others would tune in and move the attention away from them.

Gavyn Howell
Note: sorry for the long first post I did so to try and get a feeling of V in this setting.

[Gavyn Howell]

Over the summer Gavyn had shot up in height, standing at an impressive five foot ten. It was great to lord over his younger siblings during the summer months! Now that he was back at school he was pretty average among his peers. It was not the only thing that had changed over the summer either. he had brought records from home back with him and had found himself branching out in terms of attraction. It had been hard on his parents when he had told them, not understanding when he had tried to explain himself.

In the end, the topic had been pushed to the side with a simple 'it's just a phase, Cariad'. Gavyn always knew not to press the issue when his mother resorted to using the Welsh term, and given his father's frown it was likely for the best he not bring it up again. These thoughts were in his head as he hummed the bars of the song they were going to be practising. At least until the Professor started talking to Burke. It was very hard not to notice Burke this year and as they spoke up his eyes went to them.

Platinum blonde with lavender tips aside they had painted their fingers too. It was...nice, actually, it was a look most others would be too afraid to take on and after his summer he wanted very much to ask them about it. If they had more in common than just choir he'd be thrilled to have met someone he could talk to. "Oi, I think costumes are brilliant." Gavyn came to Vanitas's defence, not wanting them to be standing alone against the norm. It was hard to express oneself especially when the older generation was a stickler for everyone acting the way they wanted them to.

"Come on then, let's make it a proper good time. It will be a lot like David Bowie!" There were some odd looks tossed his way when he said that and he remembered the Muggle musician was not likely well known. A terrible disservice he was hoping to rectify throughout the year. Some of those present had to know the musician right? Nervously he shrugged his shoulders, at least hoping his outburst would take the heat off of Burke. "Not one of you plonkers knows who that is? Blimey I forget how isolated some people are."

Vanitas Burke

[Vanitas Burke]

Oh gosh this was terrifying. Being courageous was not their style. Gryffindor had never been an option. Vanitas tried to keep their emotions in check as their toes curled in their shoes. While they had gone better at controlling their morphing, extreme emotions still brought out change in appearance. Staying calm when they were nervous and scared was the most important task as of now.

Then Gavyn spoke and V’s control broke. Not in a bad way though. Their hair turned lemon yellow out of enthusiasm, eyes shone a bright orange. A little ray of sunshine stood in the back now. Their smile was contagious. “Yes! Yes! This guy gets it,” they beamed as they checked the reactions of everyone else. “We sing in Latin right? And we have the toads… Maybe we can dress as toads in Roman robes? Everyone would look so elegantly cute!”

While V wasn’t sure if the Hufflepuff was throwing them a bone for a way out or actually liking the idea, they appreciated it. Their arm extended to tug him on his sleeve. “I would like to learn about this David Bowie,” they said softly with a small smile. Their parents made it hard to get in touch with anything that wasn’t dark arts, the colour black and gloom. This might be a chance to discover something new.

V wouldn’t have even gotten their hands on any make-up if it weren’t for their sister sending the stuff she got from her husband but didn’t like. Sylvia being outside of Knockturn was strange as she was much more of the classic fit than they were. Well she did always dream of being rich and the man she married seemed to be well off. Vanitas wondered if she married him for the money instead of love.

Gavyn Howell 

[Gavyn Howell]

He was watching the Ravenclaw's hair turn to a lemon yellow right before his eyes, which was the most brilliant thing he had seen in his years here at school. Even after six years in the magical community, there were still things he didn't know were a thing. And there was no way that was magic, it had seemed too natural and fluid, they hadn't even lifted their wand even a little. Gavyn made a mental note to ask about it later, for now, he was much more into supporting them and the idea they had to make the Choir a bit less stiff.

"Roman toadies." The idea had a grin splitting his own face because, really, standing in regimented lines and standing all stiff while singing was boring. Honestly, the whole wizarding world seemed decades behind the Muggle one it was hard to adjust sometimes. His home life during the summer holidays was all music and tele, going out to muggle sports events and growing tomatoes over venomous tentacula. It was like living two separate lives which was difficult to explain to some people who lived only one way.

As Vanitas tugged at his sleeve he gave the other his full attention. As far as he was aware he had not really had the chance to talk a lot with the year younger Ravenclaw, not aside from brief instances here at choir or in the halls. But their interest in David Bowie made his eyes glitter with delight. Anyone interested in David Bowie was fit to get an earful from him about how amazing the musician was. "Really? Brilliant! I brought some records to school this year, would you like to meet up later to give them a listen? I have loads of others too if you'd be interested in more than Bowie."

Vanitas Burke

[Vanitas Burke]

Gavyn’s presence was such a relief. V never really had a chance to get to know the Hufflepuff but they took it upon themselves to approach him after class. This might be the first time someone else wasn’t ashamed of being different and speaking out their opinions. It made them feel less alone. Most of the choir were probably rolling their eyes at the thought of dressing up as Roman Toads. Imagine having fun! The horrors!

This Hufflepuff boasting about his interests was perhaps the type of person they needed to be around. So Vanitas nodded enthusiastically. “Oh! Yes please! Let’s-” They beamed when they were broken up by a sharp clearing of the throat. “Arehm. Howell, Burke please we’re here to practise. Actually we are deciding on the solos today so if either of you want to stand a chance, I suggest you participate,” the conductor scolded them.

“S-sorry, sir,” V immediately apologised as they definitely wanted one of the solos. “How about after practice?” They whispered to Gavyn before fully putting their attention on the teacher.

Note: do we want to skip to after the practice?

Gavyn Howell

[Gavyn Howell]

"Sorry Professor." Gavyn said with a slightly abashed smile, at least have the good sense to act like he was sorry. In truth, he was excited to share his records with someone who might really appreciate them. Maybe even someone he could find a sort of kinship with, not an easy thing here at Hogwarts or even out in the Muggle towns. To him, things would never change unless people spoke up against the voices telling them they didn't deserve to exist. Or voices raised in telling them who they were was not natural.

"After practice would be wicked, we can meet outside the door." The whisper was sent back to Vanitas hurriedly and with obvious excitement. His eyes might have been on their Professor but he was already mentally deciding where the best place would be to play the records. With no electricity, he had to charm the player from home to work without it. At least until he remembered there were record players at Hogwarts that seemed to work just fine. Either way, he had to wait until after choir, and he had to focus on hopefully landing a solo piece.

---

As soon as practice was over he had thanked the Professor for the opportunity and made his way out of the room. He had not landed a solo but that was alright, it gave others a chance to shine. Being in a group he rather liked having his voice blend and meld with theirs. Sure things were a bit old-fashioned but it still sounded good. Instead of lingering over that he leaned against the stone wall next to the door, humming to himself lightly as he waited for Vanitas to exit too. As soon as he spotted them he grinned wide and stopped humming.

"Hey! So I was thinking, there's an empty classroom a floor up we can meet at. We wouldn't be in anyone's way or get in trouble so I can run and grab the records really fast if you want to meet there?" The Hufflepuff common room was not far from here after all so getting there and up to the first floor would be no effort at all. That was all considering if Vanitas wanted to go that far. he was fairly sure no one in Hufflepuff would bat an eye at bringing them into their common room. "Or we could give a listen in my common room, though it might be a tad loud there."

Vanitas Burke
(Skipping to after sounds great!)

[Vanitas Burke]

Choir practice had ended. Vanitas didn't get the exact solo they wanted but still got one. So they couldn't complain at all. As they walked to the door to meet up with Gavyn, V tried their best to ignore the whispers around them.

‘Did you see what Burke was wearing? What were they thinking making someone from Knockturn a perfect, they're all crazy there. But for real Gavyn? Does Burke even know that he is a mudblood?’

Vanitas caught some of it but decided to act like he did not. Instead they approached the Hufflepuff with a big smile and wave. It didn’t happen often that they met someone who wasn’t immediately weirded out and put off by their interests. They listened to the options, holding their index finger and thumb to their chin as they thought of the best way to go about this. V definitely didn’t feel comfortable alone in a room where bullies could easily find them. Even if they were a prefect now if there were no witnesses, what could they do? “I’ll go with you to pick it up and then we can go to the empty classroom together. It probably is good I see the common room since I’m a prefect now in case we’re missing a student at night I know where to look,” they said. The latter was just an excuse but it sounded pretty solid.

[Gavyn Howell]

By now Gavyn was used to people not liking him because of his blood status. Words like 'mudblood' got slung around a lot but he really didn't care to fight with them about it. He was here not because he had come from a long line of wizards but because he had exhibited magic in the same way everyone else had, magical accidents. Besides he had more than proved he was a wizard through grades and abilities. There wasn't a spell he'd worked on that he had not been able to produce.

Humming a Bowie song under his breath as the choir room cleared out he was happy, and a bit relieved, that Vanitas actually approached. It was one thing to say they wanted to hear the music and quite another to go through with it. Their big smile and wave got a sunny one from him and he raised a hand in greeting. The way they put their thumb and index finger at their chin was cute too, wasn't it? A thought he kept to himself because he wasn't sure how that would be received.

"That sounds brilliant, and being prefect I can see knowing where the common room is. Students come and go from places they shouldn't all the time it seems like!" Pushing off the wall he led the way, making sure he walked at a comfortable pace for the both of them. The Hufflepuff entrance was not to far from here, really, past the kitchens and down a staircase until they reached a wall with barrels. None of them looked particularly different to the others.

It was here that he tapped the barrel in the middle of the second row in the tune of Helga Hufflepuff until the lid opened and expanded to reveal the warmly lit circular common room, plants and cozy places to sit littered the room with rounded doorways leading to the dorms. Near the left wall sat the record player that was not being used. Plucking it up he turned to Vanitas with a smile, part of their goals completed.

"Here it is, knew it wouldn't be in use. Not a lot of people know how so no one will complain if we take it. Now we just have to grab the records. You want to come with?" Gavyn wanted to be sure because some people would rather wait in the common room rather than follow anyone to their dorms. But he figured it would do no harm, it wasn't as if their rooms were much different. Five post beds per room and year, boys to the left and girls to the right. "I can just go grab them quickly if you'd rather wait here, promise no one bites. Or, well, there might be a venomous tentacula here somewhere and that might."

Vanitas Burke

[Vanitas Burke]

“Oh you bet! Lot’s of secret sleepovers for snogging and party purposes,” they grinned. Perhaps they were made a prefect because V did all those things themselves. The best person to catch someone breaking the rules was someone who knew how to break the rules and get away with it. The thought of ratting out their classmates was a bit iffy though. So they’d have to come up with a nice middle ground, they realised just now. V wasn’t going to make a target out of themselves.

Vanitas followed the Hufflepuff to the badger den. “That easy, huh?” An eyebrow raised as Gavyn tapped the correct barrel to open the entrance. “The eagle has us solve riddles before we’re allowed in.” This seemed a lot faster. A couple of heads turned and V quickly assured everyone that nobody was in trouble.

They returned the smile with a cheerful grin as Gavyn completed the first half of the mission. Trying new stuff was exciting. Going into the dorm of someone they didn’t really know seemed a bit odd and risky. Gavyn seemed like the guy who didn’t have any ulterior motives. But still V knew they had to be careful. “I think I’m go- A what?!” They jumped up, freaking out. Both their arms clung onto Gavyn’s right arm as they tried to look for the poisonous plant. Growing up in the big city they weren’t accustomed with nature stuff.
Gavyn Howell

[Gavyn Howell]

A bright laugh left him upon hearing that there were a lot of secret sleepovers. It didn't surprise him, ever since puberty had onset for the students it seemed like they all had only one thing on their minds and Hogwarts had plenty of places to hide away in. Gavyn liked that best really, as he had found he liked both men and women he had to be a bit more subtle with the former than the latter. People were more than judgemental and it could be downright dangerous to let others find out, something he found especially true these days.

"Yeah. I hear getting into Ravenclaw can be difficult. Do the riddles get harder the older you are or are they all pretty standard?" Gavyn could never imagine having to solve a mystery every time he had to get into the common room. Imagine trying to solve a riddle after a full day of school with Prefect duties and exhaustion? Nope, he was perfectly happy with the jaunty tune that opened up the Hufflepuff entry thank you very much!

"Oh don't worry too much, the head of house doesn't allow us to keep really big ones. But I know there's one kicking around here that's teething so it's been pretty grabby. It should be pretty easy to spot." Another laugh left him and he reached up to gently pat Vanitas's back, trying not to be too weird about it. The room was full of plants but most were harmless overall. A seventh-year had brought in the tentacula to study last year and had simply left it.

"You can come with me instead if you like?" He said this as he headed to his dorm room, letting Vanitas choose between letting go of his arm or following him. Regardless he walked down the hallway towards the sixth-year dorms and pushed open the door to head in. The dorm was a bit of a mess between plants, Quidditch gear, and laundry but one bed space was tidy. It was Gavyn's bed, all neatly made and everything put away right, which was clear as he walked right to it. He opened the trunk at the foot of his bed and rifled through until he could take out four records, all David Bowie. "Here we are, now we just have to get to the classroom."

Vanitas Burke

[Vanitas Burke]

“It is more based on if the eagle is feeling cranky that day or not. If you’re rude, she’ll also make things more difficult. I actually think it is quite funny how petty she is,” they told him with a slight giggle. It was amusing to them but maybe they had just been lucky that the eagle liked them enough for it to never have happened to them. “It does give me a lot of extra work. Especially when the little ones panic when they can't solve the riddle.”

They tried to smile but their unease shone through by their changing hair colour. “Sorry, I'm still learning that not all plants have to be used to harm people,” they mumbled as their eyes shot down. Their mother was very good at making poisons and for that she needed all kinds of plants. Growing up in Knockturn made them look differently at things. The pat on their back made them look up at the Hufflepuff again.

V weighted their options. Going alone with someone to their dorm was always a risk even if it was a Hufflepuff. People tended to be two faced. So they made sure they had their hand on their wand despite following Gavyn.

“Urgh boys.” It escaped their mouth before they could stop themselves upon laying eyes on the mess. V quickly bit their tongue, hoping Gavyn wouldn’t catch on. After all they were supposed to be one of the boys themselves. “Glad to see someone knows how to keep his place tidy,” they quickly decided to compliment where due and push the attention somewhere else. “Do you want me to help carry some stuff?”
Gavyn Howell ,

[Gavyn Howell]

"Really? That is pretty funny, the way into Hufflepuff must seem pretty boring in comparison." Gavyn suspected that was the biggest difference between the houses, the way they got in. They were strange at first but somehow incredibly fitting for each one. He could also imagine that new first years could get flustered and panicky when they couldn't figure out how to get into their houses. Poor kids. "I can imagine, our first years can sit out here for a long time just tapping away if they don't pause and take a breath. And that's just a funny little tune!"

That was a concerning statement and he found himself worried about what plants were being used to hurt anyone. Hopefully not Vanitas or even anyone at school. Uncertain if he should even ask he instead decided to focus on the music, that was a safe topic and could bridge them into a new friendship. After all, no one was about to spill all their secrets to someone they barely new right? Them being in choir together gave them a sort of roundabout knowledge of one another but that was hardly the same as being super close friends. "It's okay, our head of house allows a lot of things but super dangerous plants aren't one of them."

A bright laugh left him immediately upon hearing the reaction to the dorm room. This wasn't even the worst he had seen it, but he was not going to say that despite how funny it might be to see any sign of horror on their face. Deciding that he was in fact very curious he said it anyway. "You should see it on a bad day, this is nothing." With the records and the player he probably should have helped carrying things, and since Vanitas had offered he didn't feel awkward in asking. A win-win. So he wrestled the player under one arm and offered the four records to them. "Sure if you could take the records I'll heft the player. And with that, we just need to get to the classroom!"

Vanitas Burke

[Vanitas Burke]

“They weren't lying when they selected creativity for one of Ravenclaws’ core values,” they signed and chuckled softly. “Doesn't the pattern ever change? We get a new riddle almost every time and I believe Gryffindor changes its password now and then.” Sometimes Vanitas was certain these ‘security’ systems didn’t actually work that well and were just put in place to make the students feel safe. As a prefect they couldn’t say it however. At least not until they knew Gavyn better to judge if he could be trusted or not.

Even with the reassurance that the Head of House wasn’t allowing super dangerous plants, V decided to stay alert and close to Gavyn.

They pulled a face when Gavyn revealed it was usually a bigger mess. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m sorry you have to deal with this.” V could never. While they weren’t the most tidy person ever, they liked to keep everything at least clean.

When the record albums were placed in their hands, the mess around them was forgotten. Even Gavyn’s voice seemed very distant. The people on the covers were unlike anything they had seen in the wizarding world. Men wearing makeup, people looking this androgynous. They were mesmerized. Uncontrollably, their face started morphing to match the cover. Vanitas needed a moment to take this all in. “Are all muggles like this?”
Gavyn Howell ,

[Gavyn Howell]

"I guess not." A soft smile lit his face then, perhaps because he was getting a chance to chat with Vanitas more casually after all this time. He had always been a quiet sort until he had gotten older. Two years ago most people likely wouldn't have even noticed his presence and then last year he shot up many more inches and gained a sort of down-to-earth confidence. Or perhaps he had just finally figured out who he was and had thus been able to just latch onto that.

"Oh, no, as far as I know, it's been the same ever since Helga Hufflepuff implemented it. At least I heard from Prefects when I was a first year that it's always been that way." Gavyn was entirely sure that Miss Hufflepuff had been a trusting and lovely witch who had made the password fun. Whether it was true or not didn't seem to bother any of the others in his house, but he was curious now if there was any written evidence of that somewhere. A subject for another time.

A little chuckle left him as Vanitas offered their condolences when it came to the dorm room usually being much worse. He couldn't say if all boys were this way but it did seem the norm for some. For him, he liked things a certain way and his roommates at least respected his space. When he looked up to answer he noticed the other staring at the record cover and their face changing. He had only seen this change subtly on them a few times but this was different.

"Not all of them, but there are quite a few. Things are changing and people like David Bowie...they're helping with that." Gavyn knew it was still hard out there for queer people of all sorts but things were beginning to change, slowly, subtly, and there was an increasing number of people who wanted to be free to live as who they were. He happened to be one of them who wanted not to be afraid. "I can show you, I have magazines with interviews and stuff about his music. And activists, a lot of people are letting themselves be, you know, themselves."

Vanitas Burke

[Vanitas Burke]

Helga Hufflepuff seemed like the type to welcome anyone based on what they read about her in the history books. It almost seemed she just did this because all other heads of houses installed password like entries. “Well I suppose Hogwarts should be safe enough that nobody with ill intents can enter,” they said, almost as if they were made to say this line to keep their prefect badge. V had their serious doubts on Hogwarts security despite Hogwarts being known for the most safe place in the wizarding world.

“I see…” Vanitas nodded slowly as their black painted thumb nail traced over the edges of the cover. Their hair was a flaming mullet at this point, blazing with a new perspective. These were dangerous thoughts to have as a pureblood. But V couldn’t help but wonder if they could discover who they were in the muggle world. The wizarding world was very traditionalist and left no room for individuality. They were already an oddball amongst Knockturn as it was. “This is amazing!” They tried to hide the beaming smile on their face by hiding it behind the LP’s. “I-I’d love to see more,” they admitted, their heart beating rapidly. This was dangerous and could potentially ruin their future. Yet the feeling they were experiencing, right now. The curiosity… It all couldn’t be ignored.

Gavyn Howell ,