East Meet West

Louis and Lanae both sat down by the lake, their eyes wandering over the lakes glassy surface and the forbidden forest near it. They had been out here for 15 minutes already and had not spoken a word. Louis looked over at his sister, his eyes curious and knowing at the same time. She looked over at him, smiling somewhat reassuringly while her right hand came from around her legs and went over his left one. They moved closer hugging and leaning their heads on the others head.

"Louis...we have to get on back to our classes soon enough. Come on." Lanae stood slowly, her hand reaching for his and pulling him up slowly. As the two walked up the slope to the castle the two twins called out Louis's name, waving for him to come over. Lanae saw their brother Ron with the two and the boy Harry. Her eyes narrowed as her body tensed into a lock. Louis waved them over, Lanae and him coming to a stop.

"Louis! Hey! Um, Louis's twin!" Fred grinned cheekily and rubbed Louis's head as Louis swatted his hand away. Ron and Harry were laughing behind the two when Ron suddenly turned his eyes on Lanae.

"You! Why aren't you inside huh? With your Slytherin friends?" Ron's eyes furrowed in anger as he glared at the emotionless face of Lanae. Her brown eyes mearly stared at him, her lips pressed lightly together. She seemed almost dead, the purple circles under her eyes making them look sunken and dead.

"Hey Louis, come on with Harry, Ron, Fred, and I on down to the Quiddich field after classes! Let's see if you can play it. Well it's off to class! See you around Louis!" Fred and George both turned and went up toward the castle. Ron stood his ground, Harry looking a bit nervously as he tried to get Ron to move.

"Come on Ron. We're going to have to go to the Dorm and get our Divination supplies. Come on, you can do this later. Oh, Louis, come on also." Harry turned his eyes to Louis who nodded and moved to help Harry drag Ron away from his glaring at Lanae. As the three moved up the slope, Harry turned his head back to see Lanae staring at them, a strange emotion in her eyes before she fell back slowly into the grass, her arms out. He shook his head as the three moved on into the castle.

~2:40pm, after 1st class in Afternoon

Lanae went straight from her Herbology class with the Ravenclaws toward the lake, her eyes sparkling with mischief. As she came to a stop at the edge of the lake she began to slip off her robes and setting them to the side. As she took off her shoes she saw people coming out of the school in the corner of her eye. Gryffindors among them. She smirked slipping her pants off and setting them aside. Her black bikini underwear covered her along with her simple white bra after she threw her shirt off. Closing her eyes she stepped up to the lake before stepping in, the water chill about her feet. People began to yell and look at her as she went into the lake, half naked save for her underclothes. A laugh squirmed its way out of her mouth as she waded farther in, only able to laugh nearly hysterical like. People stopped and stared, shocked at the sight.

"Lanae! What the hell are you doing?!" Louis's voice rang out as Lanae waded in up to her waist, turning and grinning.

"Swimming. You can join me if you like." She giggled swimming farther in and diving under. She rather loved swimming even if she did swim less than graceful like. She heard people chattering and among the voices, the familiar voices of the professors. She popped her head up above the surface, her hair hanging stringy like about her face as she paddled. Professor Snape, McGonagall and Hagrid all pushed through the throng of students crowed at the edge of the lake.

"Ms. Juneau! Come out of there this instant!" McGonagall looked over her glasses with a stern look at her. Lanae mearly threw her head back and laughed.

"Why? I'm just taking a little dip. Never heard that I couldn't do that." McGonagall raised her wand as Lanae ducked under the water, swimming as deep as she could hold her breath which wasn't much. A sudden jab of pain wracked her body as she gasped, her precious air bubbling out of her mouth. She clenched her eyes shut and swam for the surface, her lungs seeming to compress and beg for air. Bursting above the surface she took in deep breaths of the cool air.

"Lanae! Come on! Get out!" Louis stepped ahead of the three professors, his hand out as he looked at her desperately. She shook her head no, giggling and leaning back to float. The three professors all gasped as she rolled onto her back revealing her swimming attire before she ducked back under.

"Ms. Juneau! If you do not get out this instant I will be forced to call your grandfather down here!" Professor Snape stepped beside Louis and raised his wand. Lanae giggled and nodded yes as she swam toward shore. Pausing about a foot from shore she lay a level gaze on everyone there.

"What am I supposed to dry off with when I climb out?" A few students laughed softly as the professors mearly stayed silent. Shrugging she climbed on out of the lake, dripping wet with her white bra nearly see through now. Louis shook his head taking off his robe and wrapping it around her. Smiling she nodded to him before sweeping over and picking up her clothes. As she rose back up onto her feet she noticed everyone was still staring at her.

"Hey! What the hell is all you guy's problem? So I took a swim half naked, big deal! Go about your little lives!" She swung her left arm in a wide arc while her right hand held the robe shut about her body. Louis shook his head tugging her on up the hill. As they went on up a small clapping of hands and a whistle pierced their ears. They both turned slowly to see Fred and George grinning and clapping as they whistled.

"Sheesh...Fred, George." Louis smiled nodding as the two slipped on up into the castle. Louis led Lanae on up to the Gryffindor tower, saying the password before they went inside and on up to his dorm room. Lanae sat on Louis's bed, slipping the robe off and rubbing the water out of her hair. The two really didn't care if the other was half naked like this as it wasn't big.

"Thanks Louis. Hell if I didn't have your robe I'd be naked by now and running the halls of Hogwarts. I mean-"

"Why did you do it?" Louis cut Lanae off making her turn her head shocked slightly at his question. Shrugging she leaned back against one of the bed posts.

"Because I felt like swimming. Not my fault if no ones done it before. Sorry Louis if I embarrassed you. You know I didn't mean too." Louis smirked and handed her a change of his clothes, a plain black shirt and cargos. She glanced down at the clothes then up at him, quirking an eyebrow.

"What about underwear? Can't I wear a pair of your boxers?" Lanae pouted slightly, her lower lip jutting out slightly. Louis shook his head digging out a pair of plain black cotton boxers and handing them out to her. She smiled hugging him and heading off for the showers connected to the dorm room. Once she shut the door Louis laid down on his bed, his arms folding behind his head. The water started up in one of the showers masking the pounding of feet on the steps.

"Lanae Lanae...what to do with you...?" Louis mused outloud, his eyes closing slowly. The sudden slamming opening of the dorm door snapped him both awake and up into a sitting position. Seamus, Dean, Harry, Ron, and a few other boys all stood there scanning the area.

"Louis! Where's your sister Lanae?"

"Oh damn. Louis did she really swim in the lake half naked?"

"I'm telling you it's all a fake tale."

"Shut up Ron."

The questions piled upon Louis only made him blink before he stood and picked up his wet robe. Taking a breath he placed it over the chair beside his bed.

"She's in the bathroom right now taking a shower-Seamus get away from the door!-and yes she really did swim in the lake half naked." The teenage boys at the door save Harry and Ron all clambered toward the bathroom door, ignoring Louis's warnings to stay away. Seamus slowly turned the knob, grinning cheekily to the others. Without warning the door was thrown open making Seamus and the other boys fly back. Steam poured out of the bathroom behind Lanae who stood there in Louis's black shirt and boxers. The cargo pants were in her hands as she hadn't had a chance to get them on. A scowl was etched deep into her face; her eyes were dangerous slits.

"Who the hell just tried to peek in on me?" She said, turning her gaze upon the pile of boys before raising her eyes to Ron. The two stared at each, the tension between them familiar, much like the tension between Ron and Malfoy.

"It was Seamus Lanae. And don't touch him." Louis stood up, his eyes locking with his sisters. Their eyes never wavered as they moved toward each other. Once they were an inch apart they both raised their hands and locked them onto the other's shoulders.

"What the hell are they doing?" Seamus untangled himself from the rest of the boys as they watched the two twin's brows furrow in unison. Both pairs of hands tightened on the others before Lanae opened her mouth.

"Fine. I won't touch him. But I will come back tonight to talk to you." Lanae unhooked her hands from Louis's shoulders as he did the same. Louis then sat down on his bed looking over to Harry and Ron. Lanae ignored everyone and slid on the cargos, then her socks and boots before she headed down the stairs from the dorm with a short, 'Ja Ne' to Louis.

-Dinner Time-

Lanae sat down in her dorm room, her arms crossed behind her head while she laid out on her bed. Her eyes were closed as she went through her thoughts. The sudden opening of a door and the pulling back of the drapes about her bed made her snap open her eyes to see the intruder.

"It's time for dinner Juneau." Pansy said before she strode away out of the dorm room. Lanae stuck her tongue out at the door before she heaved herself off the bed and into a small heap beside the bed. Raising up onto her elbows she crawled on over to her trunk before standing up fully. Second day at this school and already she had rumors circulating about her.

"Damn lousy people. Shoulda told mum and dad I didn't want to go." Lanae grumbled more to herself as she stumbled on up to dinner. She had scheduled a talk with Louis later and she didn't really want to go to dinner...but she was a little hungry. As she stumbled down the hall, an old tune she had heard long ago when her parents had taken her and Louis to Ireland went through her head. She stopped and leaned against a wall, sliding down to sit as the memory went through her head.

They had attended a party in an old forest grove and were celebrating the victory of Irish's Quiddich team over Britain when the music started up. Lanae and Louis's parents had jumped up and began to dance with the crowd while the two twins stood back and watched. They were both only a tender age of eight but they knew when to stand back and watch. Suddenly people began to clap as a man in elfish grab jumped up and began to play a flute sort of instrument. People were spinning around in circles before separating and stamping back in. It was a mixture of muggle and wizard alike joined together in the spirit of dancing. Other children their age stood back and clapped or stamped, some were even spinning in their own little circles. It was almost magical, like the old dances people held in groves long ago when they prayed to long dead idols. Lanae and Louis caught up in the magic had joined hands and spun together in their own dance. The music flowed in and out of them, stampeding through their veins and to their feet as they stamped them in beat with the music. The two then began to sing in their own little language to each other. It was their own little language of twins. They sang about the magic, the moment, the moon, the stars, everything. Spinning faster and faster they had moved into the circle of adults and were the only two children swinging about the small bonfire before they fell into a heap.

They had attended many dances like this with their parents and had danced with all sorts of muggles. They had watched people drink as they danced before they fell into a drunken heap. They had heard songs about men who loved to drink and would till dawn with their friends. They had loved the dances, the songs, and just everything about Ireland. But when they had gone to Scotland, the two nearly went mad with delight. There were so many wizards that they stayed with and went to parties with. That was they loved most about their parents. They had explored their homelands so thoroughly and had danced with everyone they could.

"Lanae? What are you doing sitting in the hallway here?"

A sudden voice broke into Lanae's memories as she lifted her head off her chest sluggishly. Her eyes fluttered several times before she recognized the figure before her. It was her grandfather Dumbledore. He stared at her, his eyes concerned through the half moon spectacles.

"Um...thinking?" She grinned a bit crookedly as she slid on up to stand, shaking her hair from her eyes with a flip of her head. He shook his head before nodding and moving along on his way. Lanae looked around, putting her hands in the small of her back and stretching out the kinks in it. She took a glance at her watch before she turned and ambled on down the hall back toward the Slytherin room. As she bumped into walls along the way, she let herself fall deeper into her thoughts. So much happening...tomorrow there was going to be double Care of Magical Creatures with Gryffindor. Which meant she had to look at Ron for the entire afternoon. She sighed shaking her head and going into the common room.

-Later that night, Gryffindor 5th year boy dorms, 12am-

Louis was just drifting off to sleep when a sudden crash near him and yelling awoke him. He fumbled out of bed falling through the hangings and raising his head to see Ron with his wand pointed at a figure in a black cloak. The rest of the boys in the room all fumbled out of their beds also and clambered for their wands. Louis saw Harry, Ron's close friend fumbling for his glasses on his face.

"Who the hell are you?! Show your face!" Ron took a step toward the defiant figure who took a step back. Louis stepped forward to grab the figure when they spun and kicked his outstretched hand away. As Louis fell down Ron took the chance to hit the figure with the Expelliarmus charm. The figure flew back into the wall, a small gasp escaping them as they struggled to stand back up. Ron fired the spell again making the figure fly back into it again. The hood finally fell off their face showing Lanae's strained face.

"Lanae?!" Louis stared shocked at his sister who breathed rather heavily as she stood up, her eyes flaming a deep black in anger. She slipped her wand out of the cloak, throwing her own Expelliarmus charm at Ron who flew back into his bed post. He leapt up right away, his own eyes flaming in anger.

"Stop! God damn it!" Louis stepped between the two, knocking Ron's wand out of his hand. He knew that Lanae wouldn't use her wand unless Ron did so thus in his mind he thought if he eliminated the cause the effect of Lanae fighting was low.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry did his own charm knocking Lanae back into the wall. Louis spun to him, anger in his eyes. He very rarely got angry and when he did one had to watch out.

"Harry! What the hell was that?" Louis crept forward, gritting his teeth at Harry who stared back, unafraid. One must remember that Harry had seen Voldemort rise so this wasn't really scary.

"I knocked her back as she was going to hit Ron again."

"Little brat." Lanae stood slowly, picking up her wand in the process she turned and threw a balled up letter to Louis before she went out of the dorm. Louis struggled to grab it but Harry caught it first with his snitch catching reflexes. he scrambled away on his bed already unfolding the letter.

"Hey! That's my letter!" Louis scrambled for it, Seamus leaping on him and tackling him to the floor. The two began to wrestle as the tenseness that was there before was dispersed quickly.

-The next day, Care of Magical Creatures, After Lunch-

Ron stood with Harry, Hermione, and Louis talking to Hagrid about the lesson. Harry had introduced Louis to Hagrid who smiled and nodded.

"Ay. I remember you. Nice quiet little fellow. Unlike your sister. Loud obnoxious American brat." Hagrid grinned as Ron nodded at his description.

"She's not always like that...she's a lot nicer than you think." Louis looked at the group around him, noticing their smirks. He narrowed his eyes at them preparing to shoot a remark back when a sudden cry made him look toward the castle.

"Hate you...Hate you...HATE YOU ALL!" The group spun to see Lanae screaming, her eyes squeezed shut as her chest heaved with each scream.

"Lanae! Lanae!" Louis ran forward reaching for her, his hand touching her shoulder. She stopped screaming at his touch, turning and staring at him, her eyes dead looking. Not at all filled with the fire of anger that was usually there after she was screaming. He noticed her long sleeves, his eyes narrowing. He hadn't felt any pain last night...but maybe there was spell to counter act the link between twins.

"Louis...class is starting. You better go over with your friends...I'm going to...work alone. I like being alone." She trudged away from him, ignoring his cries. He finally gave up and went back over to the group of Gryffindors. Ron and Malfoy were already going at it although his eyes were on Lanae who leaned against the fence post, leaning her hand over to touch the centaur that Hagrid had brought out of the forest for them to study. The centaur amazingly enough let her let it's back and neck. A small smile crossed her face as she leaned farther over to touch it.

"Alright! Break it up! Lanae! Get away from the centaur!" Hagrid's booming voice instantly wiped the smile from Lanae's face as she got off the fence and stared gloomily ahead. She kept tugging her sleeves over her hands, trying to hide her arms. Malfoy saw her as he grinned sliding over to her as Hagrid explained the lesson.

"Juneau. I happened to hear a remark about you by our teacher. Would you like to hear it?" Malfoy grinned as Lanae shrugged her eyes lowering to the ground.

"Sure..." Her voice had a sort of dejected tone in it, almost the sound of someone who has given up hope.

"Well, I heard our teacher over there call you a loud obnoxious American brat. Kind of pisses you off doesn't it?" Malfoy smirked as Lanae shrugged turning away toward the patch again. A frown crossed his face as Malfoy strode away toward Crabbe and Goyle. Lanae made sure no one was looking as she raised her wrist to her eyes, quickly wiping the tears that had sprouted to her eyes away.

"Alright. Now we can all go in and meet them. Be careful though." The class all trundled into the patch, Lanae trailing behind. Everyone instantly began to crowd around the centaurs, Lanae going over to a lone one in the back that resisted everyone else.

"Shh...It's alright. I understand. Terrible people..." Lanae stepped closer, reaching her hand out toward the centaur. It snorted once before allowing her to move forward and touch it. She talked to him, her voice soft and slightly choked as she kept her tears back. She was just getting to pet its head when a sudden voice called out to her making her turn.

"Hey Lanae! Why are you hogging that centaur to yourself huh? Looking to try and ride us down with it?" Ron stomped over to her, Louis, Hermione, and Harry in tow. She stared at him, not saying a word as she continued to pet the centaur.

"Oh I see. Well at least one of the teachers here agrees that you're a loud obnoxious brat like Malfoy!" Ron smirked, sounding in a way much like Malfoy. The group could tell that had hit a nerve as Lanae's eyes starting to shimmer with unshed tears. She turned and stalked away from them, jumping the fence before running into the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid tried to call her back, the class falling quiet.

"Lanae! Get back here!" Hagrid grumbled slightly under his breath as the centaur that Lanae had been petting earlier jumped into the forest also. The class all went out of the patch as the other centaurs followed the first's path and jumped back into the forest. Louis turned back to look at the forest before turning fully and running into it. He struggled to find his twin, wanting to talk to her...calm her. A sudden pain slashed across his left wrist making him grasp it in pain. He tugged the robe back to look at his wrist, his eyes widening when he saw no mark. In that moment he knew Lanae had cut her wrist or hurt it somehow. Running with new found energy he pounded into the forest calling her name.