not a drop of venom wasted
The school year had come to an end, but Basil didn't feel like an adult yet. He was waiting for the morning where he suddenly woke up and felt like he had a handle on everything and it hadn't come yet. He was still settling some of his affairs at home before he left with Dieter to travel and learn everything the older man wanted to teach him. He was a dry sponge, parched for knowledge. He knew it, too. He knew that he wouldn't really grow up until he left this house, but he was loath to leave this life behind. It seemed like such a big change, like such a big deal. He still wasn't sure how to handle it. That was just one of the smaller problems Basil was currently dealing with, though.
Things weren't official yet, they wouldn't be until the ring ceremony, but Basil had been told that he was set to marry Rosaline. This didn't come as a surprise to the Slytherin necessarily. He had known that it was in discussion for months. Rose was a perfect match for him. They got along. He fancied her. In a lot of ways they were two heads of the same snake, and that was even symbolized by their near-matching dark marks. Basil felt his through his sleeve and sighed a little. He would've been happier about this if he wasn't feeling so unsure about himself, and so
guilty.
Basil had done something bad. He had done something very, very bad. He felt disgusting about it, unclean in the worst possible way and unsure that he would ever be clean again. He'd finally lost his virginity, in the last month of his school year. To a boy, no less. Alone, that wouldn't have bothered him. Basil always knew he was bisexual. Before Hogwarts he used to routinely kiss boys, his friend Cabhan included. He'd always found other guys attractive and it had never really bothered him. It might have bothered him more if he was actually
gay, but because he still liked girls he could still
pass as straight.
No, the problem with his partner wasn't in the other's
gender but in his
blood status. Jimin was a muggleborn. He was absolute
filth, and Basil had kissed him hard, had touched him, had done a lot more than that. He felt so disgusting, now. He was a blood traitor now, just as filthy as anyone he'd ever scorned. It was lucky they couldn't have kids! They'd have halfblooded monstrosities. Ugh, he felt a little sick. What would Rose think? What would Violet think? What would anyone in his family think if they knew what he had done? He did everything he could to make sure no one would know. He hadn't so much as sent the other a letter since the summer began, and as bad as he felt about that, he knew it was for the best if he never saw Jimin again.
That was harder than it seemed, really. Basil
missed Jimin. As much as they never talked or anything, somehow being physical with him had made Basil fond of him, kinda. He wanted it to happen again, despite himself, and he felt moderately attached. He knew that was just because he had been a dumb virgin before they slept together, but it was still a very real factor that Basil needed to consider. Every time he thought of his intended, he thought about how he had already betrayed her by being with someone else. Once, he and Rose had nearly given themselves to one-another. He hadn't been saving it for her, necessarily, but now that he no-longer had it to give to her, he felt like he should have.
Basil was trying to forget all of that, though. He was busy trying to catch up with his cousin, Aster, and playing with both of their new pets. It seemed their families found it fitting to get them each a runespoor around the same time, and so of course Basil had immediately set up a play date between his girls and Aster's boys. Of course, Basil didn't realize this would end up with him watching the other's runespoor all summer. Basil adored his girls, more than anything. If anything had kept him together the past few weeks, it had been them. They immediately took to him, and he treated them like princesses. He even let them sleep in his bed, especially when he wasn't in it. He stayed up talking to them for half of the night every night, and she began following him around the house, everywhere he went.
It had taken longer for Basil to charm Aster's boys. In general they were pretty grumpy. Basil clearly favored his girl, and it showed a little despite how much he tried to be careful. Aster's runespoor was just visiting, though, which made it difficult. He didn't want to grow too attached and not want to give him back to Aster when the boy returned for him. Sure, Basil had the whole year ahead to watch him, but after that the boy would be gone and it would just be him and his three lovely ladies: Clothos, Lachesis, and Atropos.
He was trying his best to keep Aster apprised of what the serpents were talking about while also trying to talk to the other about how he was enjoying summer camp at Academy Anansi. “So, what have you done so far this summer? Meet anyone interesting? Do anything fun? I didn't feel like going after last year, and I mean,.. I'm getting a little old for it anyway, you know?” Sure, there were a few other people there who just graduated, but he always thought that was a little silly. It was time to grow up and get a life, not lounge around like you were still a kid.
