Dorian & Trent Vignette
Dorian was in the middle of a rare and coveted day shift, and for once, he felt wide awake as he patrolled the first floor of the castle. Though there was already another Auror stationed within, Dorian had taken to doing a loop through the library as a way to break the monotony of endless corridors. He had been strolling up and down each stack, scanning the crowd of students, when he spotted a familiar face.
His eighteen-year-old brother, Trent, was situated at a table towards the back of the library near the restricted section. With several books open and spread across the table in front of him, Trent was busy scribbling down notes on a piece of parchment and did not realize he was being watched. Dorian, who had been toying with the idea of getting to know his brother for months now, seized the upcoming Christmas break as the perfect opportunity to do so and called out.
"Trent?"
Trent lifted his head, searching for the source of his name, and met Dorian's eyes. If he was taken aback to see his brother, Trent did not show it, nor did he say anything.
"How are you? Dorian asked.
For a moment, it looked as though Trent wasn't going to respond. Then he said, "All right." He did not reciprocate the pleasantries.
Well, I'm the one that wants something, so I might as well carry the conversation, Dorian thought grimly. "Right," he said, as he tried to get back on track. "Er, are you going home for Christmas?"
Trent seemed to bristle at the question, and Dorian suspected he knew why. It had been a poor choice of words; their parent's house had never felt like "home" to either of the brothers. "No," Trent replied.
"Yeah, me neither," Dorian replied casually, as though this wasn't the first time in months that they had spoken. "But if you were, I was thinking I'd pop by." Trent still said nothing in response, and if Dorian hadn't been watching his brother intently, he might not have noticed the slight eyebrow raise. Dorian ploughed on. "But, seeing as you're not, would you like to meet up over break, maybe grab a drink with me?"
"What for?"
"'What for?'" Dorian repeated indignantly, raising his voice a little louder than he had meant to.
"Ssh!" admonished a voice nearby. It was a student, who looked between them and then blushed furiously at the realization that she had just shushed an Auror, and buried her face back into her book.
Dorian groaned and ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. When he caught sight of Trent's expression – lips twitching as though he was trying not to laugh – he felt the mood lighten. He tried again. "Trent…"
"I've gotta get to class," Trent said abruptly, rising to his feet.
"Yeah, okay." Dorian acquiesced with a sigh, raising his hands in surrender as he watched his brother gather his belongings. Trent moved quickly, but calmly as he shoved books and writing materials into his bag. It was as though Trent was completely unruffled, and Dorian watched with increasing frustration, not knowing how to reach his brother.
Fully packed, Trent slung his bag over his shoulder and looked up at Dorian, who stepped aside to allow Trent to exit the library. As he passed, Trent paused for a moment to say, "I'll think about it."
"All right," Dorian replied. His tone was offhand, but as he left the library a few minutes later, he was smiling and feeling more hopeful than he had in a long time.
