Even though he had a great group of friends, Richard found himself avoiding them at all cost. The Twins, Reagan, or 'Rae', and Reggie, were always together, and had actually cornered him once to find out what he'd been up to, and he'd quickly made up an excuse about being busy with homework. The red-haired tom boys were pretty scary when provoked, especially Reagan. She was infamous for sneaking into your dorm and shaving off your left eyebrow when you didn't show up to the 'group gatherins'. Reggie was pretty level-headed compared to her, but she was still no princess. Richard, however, had grown up with the pair of twigs for girls, his father having been in the Order for so long as well as so close to the Potters and Weasleys. The twins were only a year younger than him, Fourth Years this year, so he'd had plenty of company while his father had been in meetings and at work. In Quidditch, they played a pair of killer Beaters.

Damon Anglin was his best mate, and being the only two males in the group they had bonded. A Muggle-born, he was sometimes a bit excluded because he hadn't 'grown up in the Order,' but he fit right in anyway. He was the brain of the group, for the most part, and who everyone went to when they needed help in DADA. Damon played Chaser.

And then, of course, there was Parker Williams. A Sixth Year, she was a year ahead of Richard, but out of everyone he was closest to her. She was the group's mother, the voice or reason, and the one who reminded them where their morals were or if they were going over the line. The Twins called her a 'Party Pooper,' but she had probably saved them from being expelled numerous times. Long brown hair, deep green eyes, a Quidditch fanatic, Richard had fallen in love with her nearly the day he laid eyes on her but she only ever saw him as a little brother. It was probably this that sent him into his 'dating spree,' where he made out with nearly all of the girls within two years of him in any house. He was renowned for dating a new girl every few weeks, and Parker was there for him no matter who he brought out. No matter how many times he drank himself to the point where he could no longer stand.

Sawyer Ashbury was the oldest, though she wasn't exactly the most responsible. She'd be Quidditch Captain this year, and today was an important day for the Lion Quidditch Team: try-outs. Training for Quidditch was one of the only way to get his mind off of everything these days. Of course, it also meant seeing Sawyer and talking to her, but she was the only other person in the group to have lost someone, and that made things a bit better.

Looking around, Richard let out a sigh. There were hardly enough kids to fill up a team, let alone make things interesting. Four people were trying out for Chaser, one for Keeper, a couple for Beaters, and of course there were two hopefuls trying out for Seeker. Wesley Potter was one of them. He was every bully's perfect target: unruly black hair, glasses, and his nose shoved into a book every time he wasn't on the pitch. Richard personally looked after him as much as he could - they were the same year, but up until Patronus Acadey they had never been in the same house. Wesley was a Ravenclaw who had been sorted into Lion house. Richard and Wes had sort of grown up together as well, and they had been there when each of them had learned that their father had been killed. Then again, they were four when James Potter died, but it had still been hard to her. And if his nerdiness weren't enough to attract the bullies, the fact that his mom was a professor didn't help. She was the Quidditch Professor, but everyone always said she'd be better off teaching DADA. A retired Auror, she'd come to Hogwarts to teach after her husband had died. Wesley had lost his brother in the Hogwarts attacks as well.

The other person was Avery Cromwell, same year as well. Another Order kid. Personally, Richard was going for Wesley - Wes was wicked fast, and deadly silent, while Avery was always so loud about when he caught the Snitch. Since Sawyer was the Captain, she was guaranteed a Chaser spot. That meant that after Richard, who was too tall and skinny to be a Beater but not quick enough to be a Seeker, there was only one spot left. Richard, however, did have one thing going for him: he never missed a shot. He hadn't missed a single shot since his third year, other than any time that a foul was called. He was fairly certain he'd get that second spot, but he still worked his hardest to prove to the others he wasn't getting by on good looks.

In the end, the team had been narrowed down to him, Sawyer, and a girl name Isabella for Chasers, while two fourth year boys took the Beater spots. Avery made the team - but as their Keeper, and Wes was hailed as their Seeker. He stayed after with Sawyer to mess around for a little bit and to catch the Bludgers, but Sawyer soon left, making an excuse about going to Eternael - PA's version of Hogsmeade, only less cheerful. He didn't leave, however, but stayed and worked out some.

After his laps, he lay in the pressbox, hidden behind a wall, letting something similar to sleep overtake him. It was a daydream like state, though he was vaguely aware of his surroundings. When a few blokes made their way onto the Pitch, Richard did his best to stay silent. He didn't feel up to wearing that mask of his, and pretend that everything was okay when it really wasn't. Half of his family was gone. Forever. How he continued to put up a front and pretend that he was fine was beyond him sometimes. But the one of the voices reached up to him. "Hey, have you seen Parker anywhere?" It could only be Reggie, he'd know hat voice anywhere.

"No. I haven't. But you know how it is around this school. Only now have we met up and everything. I'm sure she's around here somewhere." The second voice was also unmistakable. Damon. Richard thought about this for a few moments during their pause. It was Damon and Reggie, someone of the people who had had his back for years, and here he was, hiding from them. How could he tell them about his family? He couldn't take the looks of pity, but then again he couldn't deal with them not caring. "Hey, er... have you heard from Richard any? He didn't reply to any of the owls I sent him since the attack." There it was. So maybe they did care. It was as if the man upstairs was sending him a message. Of course, he would eventually have to go down and say hey. He hadn't seen either of them since the attack, though he had known they were both alive. Damon's owls had been numerous, but he hadn't even been able to bring himself to open them, and he would have most definitely read about it in the paper if a Weasley had been killed. The press had already had a field day with William Potter, Wes's younger brother.

Grabbing his broom, he leapt off and zoomed around and back up to them, the most convincing grin he could on his face. Just as he neared, Damon passed the Quaffle back and like the trained Chaser he was, snatched it from him. "He's right here you prat," Richard said as he turned his broom sharply. As he neared, he found it easier and easier to pretend. Maybe one day he wouldn't have to pretend at all. "And was that your bloody owl? We thought he was a stray," he added in a teasing manner. "I can't believe you two were gonna scrimmage without me. Really, I'm hurt." Though both of them would know he was kidding, would they know why? Would they understand that he was trying his hardest to pretend as if nothing was wrong?

Richard's tone was light and casual as he spoke, though there were times he was afraid that his eyes would tell him the truth. Damon was especially good at reading eyes, so he knew that it was only a matter of time until they saw it. The zombie look that most students had, or at least the ones who had lost them. The look of grief. "You dick. You bloody well know what my owl looks like," Damon replied, causing Richard to let out a hollow laugh.

"What? You have an owl, mate? Bloody. Didn't know." But it was true - Richard had ignored Damon's owl on purpose. He hadn't even let himself open the letters.

"I guess the stray didn't deliver that message did he?" Reggie asked, causing Damon to glare.

"You two are right bastards, you know that?" Damon asked, and Richard's stomach knotted as he was painfully reminded of his father.

"Oh shove off," he told him, attempting to keep up his little charade. If only he could keep it up for a little bit longer, maybe it would start to get easier and easier...

"What a lovely entrance by the way, mate. Were you just waiting until we mentioned you?" Reggie asked. Richard quirked a brow playfully.

"You two were talking about me? I mean, I know I'm devilishly good looking, but I'm reserved for ladies only," he said, and sent a grin at them. "Sorry boys." Reggie didn't take the fact that he was calling her a boy bad at all. She was just as tough as any of them, and didn't care too much for the opposite sex unless it had to do with Quidditch.

"So where's your flavor of the week?" Damon asked curiously, and Richard laughed. He was about to reply with something snarky and very inappropriate when Reggie opened her mouth.

"Please. Playboy's dated just about every decent molly around, aside from the sick and twisted ones anyways... and even then you've dangled that fine white line, my friend."

"Hey!" he replied, almost defensively. He might have tried to deny it - if it wasn't true. "You're just jealous I get to them all before you do. But I was thinking about having my way with Frost - any tips, Damon?" he asked for the sole purpose of picking on him. "And believe it or not, Pretty Boy Wonder is actually single." Richard sent a wink they boy's way. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach he knew that there was something off about Isis Frost - not off like the rest of those twisted sickos were, but a different kind. He didn't know what it was yet, but he was determined to find out.

Damon flew a bit closer. "I'd be careful, I wouldn't want my dick to fall off," he advised the Lion.

"Yeah? Oh bugger, I heard she got you, mate. But really, it'll be okay. There's support groups and everything for that kinda thing. Hey, do you want me to say a word for our fallen comrade?" he asked, almost somberly.

"Just make a list so we can keep track of the names," Reggie added, causing Richard to grin widely.

"He's gonna need a lotta parchment."

"Yeah, because I don't want to be around any of those girls after you've had a turn, playboy." Richard just shook his head at this jab.

"Well I s'pose if you didn't spend all your time wanking off over Frost then maybe you'd catch one, wouldn't you Damon?" he asked, his eyes lighting up almost convincingly. Good one. He knew he might even get a punch for this so he dodged, moving towards Reggie a bit.

"So, how about a bit of one on one on one?" he asked, ready to start playing and stop chatting in case one of them decided to bring up Patrick.

"Bring it Pretty Boy Wonder."

"They don't say 'Wonder' for nothin', mate." So Reggie was ready, and Richard was ready. That just left Damon.

"You two just better be ready to lose. I practiced my scoring all summer. Set up some muggle hoops back at home and had my way with 'em. First to five?" Richard laughed, but knew that in the end it would be either Reggie or Damon to win. He hadn't practiced all summer, giving both of them the upper hand. But Richard still had the Quaffle.

"You betcha, mate." A grin on his face, he tore off towards the goal posts, not even having to look behind him to see that both boys were hot on his trail. As he passed it, Richard made an attempt on the goal, and hopefully neither of his mates blocked it. Since they would both beat him, it would be nice to have called the first shot.

Here it was: Opening Night at the Theatre Donnohan. Richard Donnohan, playing himself as a normal teenage boy. Pretending as if his father had been on speaking terms with him before he was killed in the last raid. Pretending as if the loss of his brother wasn't consuming him. Pretending as if he still had a mother that cared about him. His whole family hadn't been taken from him, but it sure did feel like it. Taking a deep sigh, he entered the pub. The Frisky Mermaid, a place he had been to more times than the others knew about. Slipping inside, Richard began to build up the walls. Reagan wouldn't notice if something was wrong, but the others were not as oblivious. Parker and Damon knew him too well, and Reggie wasn't an idiot. While he had seen the twins around school, and had played Quidditch with Damon not too long ago, he hadn't really seen Parker since the attack, and had been looking for her head brown hair at what Rae had designated as "their table." She wasn't there, at least not yet. She had written him, telling him not to worry that she'd be there soon and how sorry she was for him and was there anything she could do? He had gotten a lot of letters like that over the break, none of them had gotten a reply. Not even Parker's.

A grin slipped onto his face, half forced, as he greeted the group. "I decided it wasn't worth Lefty again. And by the way, Rae... 'Mermaid' only has one 'e'. 'Frisky' doesn't have one at all. I really think you're the worst speller I've met in my life," he said, getting the attention away from himself as soon as he could. Of course, this earned him a good punch on the shoulder.

"Whatever, mate," she said dismissively. "I'm a great speller!" Rae tried to defend herself, but it was no use. Everyone knew that she couldn't spell to save her life. It never really had been that important to her - not as important as mud pies or flying.

Reggie just nodded and snorted and rolled her eyes at the conversation between Richard and Rae about spelling, though she did mutter, "Well, pretty boy 'as got a brain after all."

He bumped into her as he took his seat, sliding past Damon. He avoided looking at the only other male in the group, preferring to keep eye contact with Jo, Rae, or the table. They were the only ones who wouldn't call him out, ask him if he was okay. He didn't know how many more times he could say that he was fine and say it convincingly. "If you don't mind, could you bring me one too, Jo? You're a doll, you know that?" he said, winking at her. Josie, the bar maid, would flirt with him, but the second he laid a hand on her Jo would be all over him and he would definitely regret it. No one messed with Jo. Not even Pretty Boy. His hair was styled perfectly, as always, and he wore Muggle clothes - some designer shirt and dark jeans, as well as his favorite leather jacket. It had been his brother's, and it was kind of infamous. Now that it fit his broadening shoulders, he saw no reason why he shouldn't still wear it, along with the leather string around his neck, tucked into his shirt and out of sight. Little reminders so that he would never forget. Not that he ever could.

"Well, if it isn't the Rat Pack themselves." Sawyer. She was the one who had nicknamed them that back in his third year.

"You mean 'brat'," Reggie corrected fro her seat next to her identical twin Reagan.

"Anyone heard from Parker yet?" Sawyer asked, looking around, but just then the 'mum' of the group showed up.

"Hey guys. What a sheer surprise to see you all here. An odd coincidence, isn't it?" Parker. Richard's stomach instantly twisted, like it always did when she caught him by surprise. Slipping her warm hands under his jacker, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, kissing his cheek. Richard slung his arm around her shoulder, pulling her a bit closer for a second.

"Yeah, not as anyone invited us all or naught," Reggie bit off dryly.

But Parker hadn't heard. She just looked up at him, and he worried for a moment that everyone else would do the same. "Why has it taken the threat of shaved eyebrows for me to see you?" she asked, almost as if she were hurt. His arm was still around her shoulders, and he hand remained under his jacket. "I don't know, Parker. It's a big school, I guess," he said. It was a cop out, and they both knew it. But just then Josie arrived with their drinks. Rae and Sawyer had Firewhiskies, while everyone else except for Parker had a butterbeer. He looked away, taking a long sip of his Butterbeer.

"Parker!" Rae shouted, a grin forming on her silly face. "You're lucky. I was about ten seconds from shaving off lefty. Y'know, I think it'd actually look good on you. No doubt bring all the boys 'round," she said, missing the interaction between Parker and Richard completely. Everyone knew that they were kind of like a pair. You didn't mess with one without the other jumping in to defend them. Of course, nothing beat out the Twins, but they came close. Richard found himself zoning out for a moment, his eyes meeting Parker's. His stomach dropped again. How come she always manage to see right through him?

Damon laughed loudly. "Yes, all the boys. The one eyebrow thing really gets me going," He drawled out in an overexaggerated tone. Winking, he chuckled again. The general mood of the table was lightening. Everyone was back together for the first time since... Richard's mind steered away from the thought as quickly as he could. "So, since the band's all together again... what's on the agenda? I vote for drinking games," as Damon said this, he smirked. Those were his favorite. Whether they were muggle or wizard ones, there was nothing like a good wizard game to make drinking even better for him.

A little sinister smirk stretched Reggie's lips and she settled into the booth, holding the butterbeer out in front of her. Rae was the drinker of the pair, but that didn't mean Reggie couldn't keep up. "Well," she said, a little playful challenge in her voice, "best be getin' us somethin' stronger then. 'Ey Richie, maybe you should stick ta butterbeer. I'm not about ta carry your arse home."

"No," Parker said, not without a grin. "That's my job." While she had taken care of him almost every time he'd gotten drunk in the past two years, Richard didn't consider it her 'job.' She grinned up at him, obviously meaning it as a joke.

"Looks like it'll be a good night." Rae nodded in agreement to something that Damon had said, sipping her butterbeer. "Methinks you lot will be up there dancing afore midnight," she told them all. This meant that it would be a busy night for Jo and the others who helped her run the bar.

"Iono, sis. PA's a right ghost town. I 'aven't set an eye on 'ardly a familiar face since I got 'ere," her twin chimed in. Reagan just shrugged at her words.

"Dunno, sis. Buncha kids don't wanna come to a new school. Buncha mummys are too worried about their tykes. But not us, eh?" Rae replied, nudging her sister. "Buncha twits ya ask me. Cowards they are, abandonin' the school like that." And that was her declaration, made with another stolen swig of butterbeer and a sharp click of her tongue. Reggie had a way of speaking that suggested whatever she said was law, and her mind was about as easily swayed as a boulder. She also wasn't an idle talker like her sister, not seeing the point of commenting on every solitary thought that might pop into her head.

Richard, however, was beggining to feel the walls closing in on him. Only Parker seemed to notice, looking up at him odd. "'Scuse me," he said to them, "need to make a break for the loo." Parker moved out of the way for him, but when Richard exited their overcrowded booth, there was only one place he had in mind - and it wasn't the restroom. Pushing past the gathering crowd, he made his way past the flashing lights and out the back door. It swung shut behind him, and he breathed deeply the night air, filling his lungs as though they might burst. He ran a shaking hand through his hair, trying to compose himself. He couldn't go back in there. He couldn't pretend anymore, not tonight, at least.

The door opened again, and he turned to see Parker's concerned face looking up at him. She quickly moved over, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Richard, I'm so sorry. I've been so worried about you, after you didn't write back, you had no idea how worried I was," she said softly in his ear. Richard let out a sigh, wrapping his arms around her to return the hug.

"I'm fine," he told her, even though the words themselves made his stomach churn. She looked up at him with those eyes of hers, the way he thought she be illegal. It gave him crazy thoughts, made him want to kiss her, or something of that nature. But Parker was off limits, the only girl who was. He pulled away from her crushing embrace. Richard knew that she was only trying to help, but he couldn't handle help right now - at least, not without breaking down. "Tell the others that I forgot something in my dorm," Richard told her, shoving his hands in his pockets as he began to move away. He'd make up another excuse for why he didn't come back.

"Richard."

He stopped in his tracks, turning his head as if he were going to talk to her over his shoulder. "I don't want to talk, Parker. There's nothing to talk about, least of all to you." He knew that he would regret this later, but it was the only thing he could say to get her to leave him alone. Parker would follow him all the way up to the castle if he didn't stop her. A part of him thought that if he told her about his brother, every single thing he had ever felt for her would come tumbling out as well, and that was just too much to handle.