Orion found himself lounging rather lazily in one of the boats he hadn't actually rode in since his first year, when him and the rest of his year mates had crossed the black lake in them. It was a little more than six ago, but for the Slytherin, he could still remember it like it was only yesterday. Then, he had been but a foolish little boy, hanging on his father's every word and wanting nothing more than to bring pride to the elder wizard, like a son was supposed to.

Never had things been both more clear and murky at the same time for the teen. It had never been more apparent to Orion that there was a distinct difference between being a man, and being a father's son. And that line between the two for a pureblood such as himself was gradually drawing thicker. He knew at some point a decision would have to be made as to exactly which side of the line he would stand once and for all. Which was why he currently had his fingers trapping a bottle of whiskey in his hand as he took an educated shot straight from it.

He had been hiding alcohol in the boathouse for the last two years running, and so far, the stash place had worked perfectly for the Slytherin male. His liquor was never missing in quantity, nor quality, for that matter. Orion wasn't about the cheap stuff. If he was going to drink, he would be drinking the best. End of story.

So with the thoughts running through his head as changes came at him from all sides, the boy had taken to the drink after dinner that evening. He was far too tolerant of the alcohol to be any kind of buzzed or tipsy with the amount he had already consumed, and he wasn't planning on getting sloshed. But if he didn't slow down anytime soon, he might end up that way.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, another form seemed to take shape in the rather dark boathouse, and outline of a person made its presence known. "And here I thought this was the one place away from all the annoyances." He said in his bored drawl by way of greeting, taking another drink straight from the bottle and all but ignoring the newcomer other than that.

The castle was always abuzz with idle chatter, some days he could take it better than others. But with all the recent stress mounting on him he was slowly losing his grasp on being able to keep his temper under control. He wasn't stupid by any means and the whispers about not only him but his cousin had skyrocketed and Leyton was not going to take it. Screaming at a bunch of Ravenclaw girls in the middle of the main hallway had earned him another detention that morning. So to say that his attitude was less than to be desired was an understatement.

All he wanted was to be left alone, just for one single day. To not have the whispers and the stares follow him every where he went. Granted most of it was his fault, not only for his actions but because of his last name. The only person who could change it was him, no one else. But he didn't care, or did he since every single time he exploded on someone. Maybe it was that he cared a bit more than he would ever let on. It wasn't as if he had someone he could turn to. Draco's attentions were always elsewhere, and Luca couldn't have cared if he walked off the dock and into the Black Lake to be squid bait.

So with every thing building up inside of him it was no surprised that it built up until it exploded like a volcano of rage. The days rang together anymore with that day being no different, he spent the day skipping class, hiding out in the dorms and common room and only coming out for meals. Dinner was no different than breakfast, a giggling group of four year girls pointing at him like he was some sort of carnival side show. So he pushed up from his spot on the as soon as dinner was over and took off through the castle trying to clear his head.

His feet found themselves on the path to the boathouse before he could even correct them and he figured he would have the place to himself. That was until he heard a voice arise from one of the boats, and he immediately knew whose it was. Orion and himself were not friends by any means, simply tolerating one another because they were in the same house.

"Yes well you keep to yourself and I will keep to me and we will not have a problem, alright." He really was not in the mood for a fight. All he wanted to do was relax before he had to wake up the next day and do the same damn thing over again.


( I did not go too much into detail with the time frame because I was unsure of where we would be placing this so if you need more let me know)

Orion recognized the voice and tone before he managed to get a look at the face that only confirmed what his ears had told him. It was indeed, Leyton Lestrange who trespassed on his current alone time. He hadn't come face to face with this particular twin since that day in the common room when he had found the older snake with Swiper in a very compromising position. And while the older boy hadn't seemed phased by his threat then, Orion was proud to note he had kept his distance from Swiper since.

Which was probably for the best, if the sixth year were being honest with himself. He would never back down if it ever came to a head with the older boy, but neither did he think either of them would come out alive once all was said and done. Orion was known widely for being champion of verbal sparring matches, but there wasn't anyone who really knew the kind of damage he could deal when wielding a wand. Like many who came from families like his, he had a dark side and mean streak a mile wide.

Not unlike the twin who seemed to have had the same thoughts on seeking solitude as he had. Oh, Orion knew Leyton had a dark side. Everyone did. The older snake hardly kept it a secret these past years with his foul mood and ways. That was the real difference between him and Leyton. While he had excellent control of his emotions and keeping himself in check, Lestrange had none. Perhaps it was a family trait. Whatever the case, Orion had to count his blessings. He would take a Lestrange over a pair of snogging Hufflepuffs at the moment any day.

"And the annoyances keep on coming." He replied, the words falling easily from his smirking lips as if second nature. "Thanks for the advice Lestrange. Never would have occurred to me to keep to myself when I came here for solitude." He added on with sarcasm so smooth one would have to be well acquainted with it to hear it in his tone.

With a small shake of his head, the Slytherin brought the bottle back to his lips to take another pull, icy blue eyes watching the other with a calculating look. "What's got your nuts in a knot Lestrange? Or rather, should I say who?" his words were delivered with that same bored drawl of his as he held out the bottle in offering to the older boy, asking the question for about as many reasons as there were possible answers to it.

It was a rather strange move for Orion, but a lot of things were strange lately, and if the older boy was anywhere in the same back vicinity of thoughts as he was, then he could probably use a drink. After all, life as a pureblood and a Death Eater's son was never easy.

Leyton should have known as soon as he went to the boat house that it would hold nothing for him but trouble but all he wanted was a moment where the taunts and whispers ceased. Orion he was sure had a barrage of taunts all line up for him. Nothing was held back when it came to the verbal lashings he was so often quick to hand out and Leyton did not forget the threats the younger boy had dispensed towards him. All because he had attempted to have a moment of fun with the nut job of a witch the boy had his eye on. To each his own though and his currently love life, if you could call it that, was fucked up beyond all repair.

Running his hand over his head he stepped further down the dock even as the boy shot off the barb he had been waiting on. "Yes well its the least I can do," he responded with a roll of his eyes. "I could always push you in the water, then you can be alone all you bloody wish," he muttered darkly crossing his arms over his chest as he come to a stop beside the boat the boy was in.

Letting out a deep breath he stared down at the boy with a cold look, "As if it is any of your bloody business Ramellien. You act as if I would share any of my problems with you. More ammunition for you to throw back in my face."

He did not miss however the bottle that was held out to him. Snatching it out of the younger boys hand with more force than necessary he lifted it to his lips drinking for a long moment before pulling it back down. It would take a lot more than one bottle though to calm his frazzled nerves. Leyton would be the first one to admit though that when he drank it very rarely lead to a good outcome.

Orion merely arched one perfectly sculpted brow as the older snake approached the side of the small boat he was currently sitting in, looking as cool, calm and collected as ever in all his arrogant confidence. He was too used to the typical overdramatic flare this particular Lestrange possessed to be in any way threatened by the older male, and in any case, Orion was not one to be easily, if ever, threatened.

It was generally known that the sixth year was much too clever and cunning to get himself caught in any situation he could not handle, and the boy was always too in control to start any fight, but he could always be counted on to end them. Most of the spats he ended up in were usually of a verbal nature, and Orion was king of that bullpen. His knowledge about others was extensive, and it allowed him to give the verbal lashings he dished out whenever he so pleased. It never failed to amuse him that people so often found it a good idea to go up against him in a sparring of words.

"Yes. Push me in the water. I am sure that is exactly what 'keeping to yourself' means Lestrange. Do you even think of the things you say, or do you merely speak to hear yourself talk?" He replied with that derisive tone, his icy blue gaze ever mocking as he watched the older boy take the bottle offered with a good deal more force than necessary and chug from it, his smirk telling that he was clearly not phased by his current company's presence, words, or cold stares. Unlike many people around the castle, Orion was not in the least intimidated by the older bloke.

"Lestrange, if you're going to open that trap of yours at least have the decency to speak sense so that those of us who have to hear you don't suffer your idiocy." The teen replied cooly, looking mildly amused at his fellow Slytherin's words, subtly waving his wand to silence the area so as not to be overheard. He was not stupid, and such topics were not to be overheard. "Also have the decency to not treat your audience as a fool. It does not take a genius to put two and two together, so it I believe I am safe in assuming your current sour disposition is either due to one of three people, those being the Dark Lord, your cousin, or your dear brother, or you are attempting to channel our impeccable Head of House and all his shinning glory. I also believe I am safe in assuming it isn't the latter."

Orion spoke in a bored drawl, as if this was common sense a two year old could put together and the entire conversation was hardly worth the effort to speak, and he pretended to examine his cuticles with interest that apparently couldn't possibly be given to whatever troubles his housemate spoke of or hinted at. "As for throwing them in your face, well, I have no cares for the despicable actions you and your cousin carry out together, and as we both know, I come from a similar background as you. It is only logical, if your brain can muster any logic that is, which yours seems not to be able to, that being called into the Dark Lord's service is not a notion I am unfamiliar with considering. Nor one I amuse myself with taunting anyone about."

After everything that he had experienced as a young boy and everything he had bottled away there really was no surprise that his anger exploded out in less than desirable ways. He was often cruel and demeaning to those around them, but it was a result of a defense mechanism to keep anyone from getting close enough to hurt him again. The result was everyone in the school pretty much assuming he was crazy among other things. That worked for him though, as he was often left alone. These days it was getting lonelier and lonelier to live that way.

It also left him striking out, more and more craving attention, craving love. As always he was going about it in the wrong ways and methods leaving him feeling more than worthless most days. He was spiraling down a path of self destruction and if he continued down it the chances of him seeing his eighteenth birthday as a free man were surely dwindling. For years he had found solace in the fact that he was better off alone but now he could not handle it anymore. But because he had destroyed so many relationships it left him with nothing. Most of the castle feared, if not hated him.

Rolling his blue-green eyes at the boy in the boat next to him he fought to control the anger that was already beginning to boil up inside of him. Some days he could control it easily and other days all it took was a word or a certain mannerism to set him off like an explosion. Orion liked to push his buttons though, that much was obvious, it was also obvious how much he enjoyed doing it just to see which reaction he would get that day. Leyton was not stupid by any means and he knew that the younger boy was well versed in dishing things out and being able to handle the consequences that followed.

"When do I not have a sour disposition as you so have put it. It could be any number of things that could cause it. In fact, simply being at this school could be the cause of the scowl upon my face as it is the result of many a persons scowl in this place." It was a lie of course, one he spoke easily especially when the cause of his mood was in fact all three.

"Well I can assure you that my brother is not the main cause of my attitude, and why would he be. Luca and I barely associate with each other and when we do it is only in passing. Two, the past relationship with my cousin, is nothing to be discussed as it is just that. A mistake in my past. Last but not least the Dark Lord. There are many things that could be said about him but none of them will ever leave my lips. I know what is expected of me and whether or not I will follow down the path of my father before me is no one's business but my own."

Even as he said it he tried to force himself to think of anything but it. Taking another long pull from the bottle he thrust it back towards the other boy before he managed to finish it off.

Orion could only smirk that victorious and superior smirk of his, lips curling in a knowing way as the blue eyes gleamed with intelligence. Every word the older boy spoke only drove home the point that, as per usual, he had hit the nail on the head. Or the several nails, as may be the case. People like Leyton Lestrange, well, they were always so transparent to the sixth year. So easy to read, once one took the time to learn how. It was true the older snake was generally in a bad mood and with a foul disposition, but unlike the rest of the castle, Orion wasn't prone to assuming it was just because he wanted to be, or just for no real reason, such as being at school.

That was a load of crock, maybe even two loads. The castle served as the last thing standing between people himself, Lestrange, Malfoy, many others, and the Dark Lord. The parents of such boys as them had never stood between them, having given up that right the moment they had joined themselves. It was expected of the next generation to join the ranks. It was expected for the new generation to serve the man, and to help him rise to power. It was expected for them to succeed where their parents before them had failed. And males like themselves, well, they were born and bred to not only do what was expected, but to exceed those expectations.

It was the life of a pureblood male. To be the best. To appear to be in control of everything. To look up to no one, and look down at everyone. To continue the family lines to the next pure generation. To put the family's name and prestige before one's self. And above all else, to always do what was expected from them. To deviate from that was cause for many a repercussion, such as disownment. Being casted out of the very prestigious world to which one was born and accustomed to. To be nothing but a smear upon what is considered a good name and a family that is more or less royalty in their world. Or in the case of the Dark Lord, it could ultimately mean death.

These were the choices males such as himself and Lestrange all faced. And Orion would be the first to admit that they didn't sound nor look much like choices at all. Men like them were not born and bred to stand against the tides as many a Gryffindor did. But their parents seemed to have forgotten that snakes bred snakes, and a snake was a cunning, cold, and calculating devil of a creature. A snake could always be counted on to have it's own best interests at heart, and the truly cunning ones, like himself, never found themselves on the loser's side. And it was becoming more clear that that might not be the Dark Lord's side.

They were true survivors, and as such, they made their decisions with care. "I would be more likely to believe that, Lestrange, if it weren't such a lie. Being at this school, as you put it, may be reason enough to scowl, if it isn't the last thing standing between you and a certain Dark Lord." Orion replied with that same bored drawl, sounding as if he were merely humoring the older Slytherin by saying things they both knew out loud. While the sixth year was prone to call many people, Leyton included, idiots, it did not mean he forgot they had brains, and occasionally exercised them. Lestrange was, after all, a Slytherin, and Orion knew it was for good reason. Keeping that in mind was why he so often had the upper hand when going toe-to-toe with him and others of their kind.

"Ah, so Luca is not the main reason for your sour disposition. But, by your own words, he is partly to reason. And as I said, I care not about your relationship with your cousin, but as you continue to bring it up, I have no choice but to conclude that it too, is also partly to reason. Perhaps because it is now, what was it you said, a past relationship? After all, I'm sure that it being such was not your choice." Orion's eyes gleamed knowingly as he spoke with that same bored tone, easily drawing conclusions as the older boy gave so much away even while he tried to give nothing. "As for the Dark Lord, well, I expect we'll all know sooner rather than later where our loyalties will fall. That is to say, if we actually have loyalties other than to ourselves."

Taking the bottle back with a mocking smirk, he pointedly used his shirt to wipe off the top, where the older boy had drank from. "I'm sure you won't take offense, considering where your lips are rumored to have been. I have no desire to taste your cousin."

Staring at the other boy for a moment with a long hard look he shook his head and looked away bottling back up all of the emotions that bubbled too close to the surface.  Orion was craftier, cunning and more calculating than most gave him credit for.  Leyton often forgot just how observant the other snake was and that was why he was currently in the situation that he was.  Because he let it happen.  He had no one to blame but himself for the current situation was in, because he couldn't grow up and let the past be the past and move on and start living in the present.

Turning his stare back to Orion with a cold glare he simply shrugged his shoulders.  "For all I know the Dark Lord will find me lacking and not worthy enough to serve him and to be honest that would not bother me in the least bit.  Being in his service hardly scares me.  If it happens it happens."

Pacing away from the boy after he handed back the bottle he made no other remark about his cousin, he had nothing more to say on that subject.  All it would do would add more fuel to the fire and that was the last thing he needed to do.  It was all ammunition that could harm him and he could do enough harm to himself without anyone elses help.  "What is done is done." he muttered without turning around.  "You are about to taste lake water if you keep running your mouth, so keep it up."  He knew he wouldn't do it but still he let the empty threat hang in the air.

Orion shook his head a bit, smirk curling his lips as it so often did when he found someone to be mildly amusing in their idiocy. Granted, Leyton Lestrange was often mildly amusing in his idiocy. The older boy was nothing more than a joke. A court jester amongst the royalty. There for their amusement, cruel as it often times was. "The pure blood in your veins is wasted on you Lestrange." He commented, letting his disdain for the other male to color his tone.

Like most purebloods, and all the elite ones, the sixth year was prideful. Arrogant. Confident. And with every right to be. Blood lines like theirs...they were legacies. Legacies that they were groomed from birth to continue on. Despite the hypocrisy of it all, it was something to be proud of. After all, a sense of pride was built into the male wiring. In Orion's opinion, Lestrange had no pride. He certainly never showed any. And for that alone the sixth year considered him as lowly as the Weasleys, and a traitor to his blood.

The older snake was a weak, pathetic sod. Always brooding and whining about his life and how no one knew how hard it was instead of doing anything to change it. Letting his emotions control him and cloud his judgement. He was an academic failure with no connections or prospects. He took no pride in being a man, and instead, failed at being one. And on top of all that, Lestrange was as foolish as they came. It was more or less how Orion saw Potter, and why the Slytherin male would never respect either of the two.

"We both know what happens to people who are deemed worthless by the Dark Lord. So here's to him finding you as worthless as you really are." Orion replied smoothly in a cruel tone, tipping the bottle to the older boy in a salute to him before taking a swig and then capping the bottle off. He set the bottle back under the little sitting bench in the boat and proceeded to climb out of the floating apparatus, a dark chuckle escaping him as he did.

"Lestrange, when will you realize that your empty threats fall on deaf ears? There may have been a time when some might actually have feared you. But that time has been long over. You're nothing more than a disgrace and a laughingstock." His bored drawl echoed over the small area in a condescending manner, and there was no wariness or worry about the older boy's threat as he turned and headed back up to the castle.

There may have been a point in time when Orion had begrudgingly respected the older male in some small amount, but that had been years ago. When the twin had been more than just angst all the time. For now, it just wasn't worth the time and effort to get involved in any way with the Lestrange who seemed only too happy to stay the pathetic sod he was. And Orion had better things to do.