Room 203, Irma's Inhabitants

It was back. Mental collapse had returned. No news of Lance had come to him since the last trial. Lance had just somewhat disappeared from his radar, stopped talking to him, just didn't care anymore. At least that's what he thought. Who knew such a thing could cause agony and grief to betray Altair's unstable mind? He was always a kind soul; someone who always wanted to be the helping hand, the person to turn to.

He hadn't answered any owls his sister's had been sending him. They were getting worried, as well as his other friends. But he didn't care. He was changing. He wanted vengeance, or something equivalent. Could he kill? Possibly, and that was a risk he was willing to take. He needed the change, he was happy for it. He didn't need Lance, or anyone for that matter to make him feel loved. Screw it is how he'd say it. He was darker, scarier, ready to triumph a new chapter.

In the mirror, he saw his reflection. Was it him? His hair was tangled, some slicked back, some stray clumps to the side. He hadn't shaved in a week, so his beard was currently in full-fledge growth. He looked dark, dismal, thirsty. Not for water. But for revenge. Revenge on love's concept. On that feeling. Who could love him now? He wanted everyone to feel his pain. As he sat at his couch, his mind started going into all sorts of ways to mark his return to the outside world, and it started with Hogwarts.

Outfit

Kia stood outside of Room 203, her fist poised to rap on the door, and paused in apprehension. Altair had been calling in sick for several days now and her father had to cancel his trip to South America since Kia couldn't fill in. She didn't know what was wrong with him, but she hoped it wasn't anything that was going to keep him from work much longer, she didn't know how long it was going to take to make her father mad enough to fire him.

It wasn't that she was all that worried about his financial future, he was smart enough to get another position, but she wasn't happy about the prospect of her father being home this long. He still didn't know that she was becoming friends with the werewolf guy he seemed to dislike so much. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her he wouldn't be too happy if he knew.

If it wasn't for this fact, Kia wouldn't be there. Sure Altair was a friend, but Kia tended to leave people be when they wanted to be alone, which he obviously did. She tended to disappear herself when depressed, and felt intrusive and rude showing up at his door with a box of cookies her father forced her to bring. But it couldn't be helped, she was there and the cookies were getting cooler the longer she stood out there. Sighing, she knocked on the door lightly. After a moment, she took in a deep breath and knocked again, harder. "Altair... are you there?"

A map. He started drawing a map on the table in front of his sofa. He drew a large box, with an "X" on it. Hogwarts was location number one. His house, where his mother, father, and siblings resided was number two. His job would be number three. It was all slowly working together in his head. He knew who and where to go, and how to plot out his multitudinous revenge.

Suddenly there was a tapping on the door. And then a voice. Recognizable, easy to remember. Kia Ferris, his friend and boss's daughter, was outside his apartment. In the last two weeks, he'd neither seen nor heard from her. His many phone calls to work requesting off had probably caused Sean to hate him terribly, but Sean would meet his sure enough. At least he hadn't fired him.

Grabbing his wand from the table, he shoved it into his jeans pocket. He rearranged his slick hair into something respectable, and straightened out the dirty tank top he had on. Slowly, he walked to the door and placed his hand on the knob. Kia wouldn't know of this plan. He couldn't let her in, no could he strike at her first. He'd let her survive these first few rounds. Go for the closest last. Opening the door, he looked at her with sullen eyes. "Hello Kiana."

When he opened the door, Kia was faced with a rather disturbing image. Altair had always been so put together growing up, even when dealing with the most vicious animals. Maybe it was the whole 'homosexual men are cleaner' thing, but Kia didn't know any other guy who put as much work into their looks as he did. But here he was, looking not only tired, but dirty and even a little sick. His hair was greasy, there were bags under his eyes, and his clothes had seen better days. Tutting under her breath, Kia stared in horror at his state. What the hell had happened?

"Hello Kiana."

Her mothering instincts kicked in and Kia pushed past him, holding up the plate of cookies. "Hello Altair... Long time no see. You should come to work more... or at least let me cook you a decent meal. You look like hell." Straight to the point, that was Kia... At least, when she was with her friends. Putting the plate on the dining room table, she walked over to him and looked him over with a scrutinizing eye "You don't have to tell me what happened unless you want to, but at least tell when was the last time you ate..." Her nose crinkled as she added as kindly as she could "...and bathed."

As soon as he spoke, the body of Kia Ferris rushed past him carrying a plate of something. It was as if she was his mother, starting to clean up his mess and fix him something to eat. At first, he frowned, almost turning his wand on Kia and telling her if she didn't stop, he'd remove her from his apartment. But then he realized, Kia was one of his more favored people, and he was hungry.

"Hello Altair... Long time no see. You should come to work more... or at least let me cook you a decent meal. You look like hell."

He shut the door and turned around. "I'd be honored if you cook me something. Anything. And tell your father I'll be at work two days from today. Have to get myself ready." He spoke as if he was already cured, ready to go. He'd just had an epiphany, though rather disturbing and monstrous, but an epiphany nonetheless. "And I apologize for calling in a lot... uh, a death in the family has had me distraught for the past week. I've not bathed or eaten, save a piece of cheese or two." The lie was solid, at least he hoped.

"I'd be honored if you cook me something. Anything. And tell your father I'll be at work two days from today. Have to get myself ready."

Kia eyed him silently, a slight frown on her lips as she studied him. He seemed... off. Something was bothering him and Kia was tempted to ask what could possibly have made the usually chipper Altair so moody. However, she respected his privacy and kept silent, preferring to let him tell her on his own if that was his wish.

"And I apologize for calling in a lot... uh, a death in the family has had me distraught for the past week. I've not bathed or eaten, save a piece of cheese or two."

Ah... a death in the family. She did hope it wasn't Ainsley... after all, there had been several people hurt in the attacks during the Remembering Day ceremony and it had been at Hogwarts. Knowing his adoration for his sister, Kia could only feel sorry for him. Her sympathy, however, lessened a little when he admitted to only eating a little cheese. Was he crazy? Picking up a nearby magazine, Kia rolled it up and smacked him upside the back of the head "Are you stupid? Just some cheese? It's amazing you aren't dead."

Tsking in disappointment, Kia started to shuffle through Altairs fridge in search of something still good enough to make a meal out of. Finding some tomatoes and cheese, Kia kicked the door shut and begin to search the pantry for noodles of some sort. Coming up victorious with half a box of spaghetti, Kia went to work. As she chopped the tomatoes, she was aware of the silence in the room and felt that maybe she should at least try to cheer him up. It wasn't her strong suit, but she could try "So uh... Have you talked to anyone else about it? Lance maybe? I know you two were close..." Kia tried not to sound a little bitter when she said it. After all, Lance had been her one and only brief relationship.

The lie about a death in the family wasn't solid, but Kia bought it. Basically, the only person in his family who could get him this upset would be Ainsley, his favorite sister. It was sad to say he had a favorite, but he and Ainsley were closer than she was with her twin. If Kia asked, he could just say it was an aunt or uncle who he'd been extremely close to, yet never mentioned because he was a muggle or a squib.

Suddenly interrupting his train of thought, he felt a smack to the back of his head. Did Kia really just hit him with a magazine? He grabbed his wand from his back pocket, only to remove it after his temper flared down. He almost cursed Kia, and still felt a slight twinge that she hit him over food consumption, but at the same time, it was out of love, even if that love was small.

"So uh... Have you talked to anyone else about it? Lance maybe? I know you two were close..."

Almost as soon as he let his anger go, it came back. She brought him up. Him, who betrayed Altair. The man who brought about this mental breakdown for Altair. His wand was out, ready, and aimed at Kia. "Get out. Please, just go." His voice was monotonous. Scary even. "He's no longer a part of me. And if you don't leave, I may make you the same. You can tell your father I'm resigning tomorrow."

Kia felt the air drop several degrees right after she had said Lance's name and instantly regret bringing him up. Lance had always been close to Altair, regardless of whether Kia was or wasn't dating him. She also knew, or at least had an inkling, that Altair had unrequited (as far as she knew) feelings for him. She didn't know, however, that Lance had disappeared and had broken Altair's heart. Hence her shock when she turned around to see Altair glaring daggers at her, wand raised.

"Get out. Please, just go. He's no longer a part of me. And if you don't leave, I may make you the same. You can tell your father I'm resigning tomorrow."

Kia felt her own blood boil and her face flushed angrily. How dare he? After she had come all that way and even offered to spend time in his filthy apartment cooking him dinner he didn't deserve? After he forced her to spend the last several days taking his shifts after her own job because he didn't bother coming in? He had to be kidding! Her thick lips set themselves into an angry line and Kia abruptly slammed the knife onto the chopping block, lodging it into the wood. Before she could stop herself, she bit out nastily,

"You're pathetic Altair. Absolutely pathetic. Do you think your school boy crush on Lance being unrequited gives you the right to be a complete jackass to the one person who gives a damn about your health?" She snarled out coldly. Well aware of his wand, Kia had her own in her hand and at the ready, as well as her hand on the handle of the knife in case he tried anything. She hated to think that someone she considered a friend would turn on her like this, but then her mother always warned her that people couldn't be trusted "I have better things to do then to be threatened by you, like the job you neglected.... Cook your own damn dinner. Or starve, I don't care."

Angrily, she pushed past him and grabbed up the basket she had with her, refusing to leave behind anything made with love for such a prat. Calling over her shoulder before she stormed out, Kia added icily "Oh and don't worry about your two weeks notice, I will notify my father that you have been fired."