| Details for Of Casts and Castes |
| Summary: | Talk of politics, sacking, gardening, and broken arms abounds. Andromena and Alphard come up with cutesy nicknames, while Alphard sets an ominous meeting with a fellow seventh-year Slytherin. Gus and Evie inch closer to reconciliation, while Lara agonizes over the academic instability of late. |
| Date: | 1938-11-20 |
| Location: | Great Hall |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Coming from the Library were none other than Andromena Rowle and Alphard Black. The Ravenclaw carried with her a book, and at some point during their trek to the Great Hall had looped her arm through the Slytherin's own. In so doing, the pair of them were walking exceedingly close together. Which was not altogether surprising because the two of them had been doing a lot of that the past few days. It was food time, because Black was a growing boy and (so it appeared to Andromena), needed almost constant nourishment in order to keep him going. Oh, she wanted a muffin or something, too.
Gus is sitting at the Hufflepuff table tucking into lunch, which seems about half-gone, by now. Apparently someone was nice enough to cut his food into bite-sized pieces for him, since his right arm is in a cast under his robes. Somehow, it was broken last night, though exactly what happened isn't entirely clear.
While Alphard gets all the food he wants, Andromena cannot help but take notice of poor Augustin. Her own food-fetching can wait for the time being, and she detours from Black to make her way over to the Hufflepuff table. First Myrus Lowe with a broken hand, and now Augustin Rouseau and his broken arm. "Hey, Rousseau, don't tell me Quidditch?" Asked in a friendly, albeit condoling manner as she indicated his injury.
"Quidditch?" Gus repeats. "Me?" He laughs a little. "Stars, no. Trophy case," he says cryptically. He glances around and sees Black, whom he noticed her enter with. "You two dating?" he asks curiously.
"Dare I ask for further explanation?" Andromena says, holding up her hands. Her gaze follows his to Alphard. "Yes," and was their a glint of satisfaction as she said so? Oh, let's not be coy. There was. Because Augustin was the first person to ask her! Allow her this moment. "Will your arm take very long to mend?" This asked from a more academic stand point. Andromena had really been considering using what free time she had to learn a particular spell…
"I was reaching for a key, a couple of others were levitating the trophy case, one of them slipped, it came down," Gus explains quickly. "A week in the cast," Gus says. "Another week in a sling. Then good as new. One of my housemates is Muggle-born. He said when his brother was ten he broke his leg and it took /six weeks/ to heal. Poor bloke." He looks just a bit like he's tasted something bad when she confirms she's dating Alphard, but Gus doesn't actually say anything.
A look she naturally assumes is meant for the bit about taking six weeks to heal a broken leg. "Sheesh," she comments with a pained expression of her own. "How terrible." Then she adds, "Sorry about the arm all the same, though. Two hours in a cast would be too much for me let alone two weeks." Part of her wants to ask after his own romantic affairs, or lack thereof, since she had last seen him. However, Andromena does not want to be crass. "Key to what?"
"My trunk," Gus says. "Has an anti-summoning charm on it." Standard security measure, really. What's the use of having a key if just anyone can Accio it out of your pocket, after all? He leans a little bit closer to her, glances to make sure Alphard isn't close enough to overhear, and asks, "Black treat you alright?" He really sounds concerned, and looks it, too.
Alphard wasn't one to hold back once his stomach said that he needed more fuel. To his defense he was a pretty active boy who was still suffering spurts of growth, getting both taller and broader with every few months passing by. So when he filled up his plate, he really filled up his plate. Balancing his greedy grab in one hand, having a glass of apple juice in the other, he looked around to see where Andromena had vanished to.
Andromena gives Gus an, "Ohh," of understanding. What a horrid way to get a broken arm - by simply trying to open up your trunk! When he leans in, Rowle cannot help but subconsciously do the same. When the Hufflepuff asks his question, she blinks, then begins to laugh. It's a soft laugh, warm and friendly. The sort of laugh people might like to hear as opposed to some sort of horrendous hyena's cackle. A hand comes to rest lightly upon the shoulder of his uninjured arm. "He does, actually." Andromena leans in once more, keeping her voice conversational. "I thank you for your concern though…Really." A quick look Black's way. "Has he treated girls badly in the past?" Andromena was not so much concerned for her own well being as she was just being outright curious.
"Not girlfriends as far as I know, but plenty of girls. Ask him," Gus says. "And if he says no, he's lying. Others will tell you." He sees Alphard looking for his girl, and he stiffens a bit under Andromena's hand. "Your boyfriend's looking for you," he informs her.
Alphard started to move towards Andromena and Gus, taking their close proximity to each other as an invitation. Because obviously there weren't anyone who would ever not want his company, right? Even the ones who claimed to loathe him secretly wanted his friendship. That was how he figured it, anyway. "Hey there, Rousseau." While Meanie just got a wink and a smile. "What're you all talking about?"
Andromena felt Gus go tense beneath her touch. Did…did he worry about reprisal from Alphard because she was being companionable? She withdrew it. No reason to cause any trouble where there need not be any. Besides, Rouseau seemed like a right okay guy, even if he did claim to be having his own girl troubles lately. "I was just asking how he broke his arm. Save me a seat while I get my food?" Weren't they just the picture of student body friendship? Someone pull in a Gryffindor! No doubt several of Gus' Hufflepuff house mates were groaning as Black neared.
Indeed, Gus's Housemates - not all, but many - see Black coming and squish closer on the benches to be as far from him as possible without actually leaving the table. Many of those he's bullied in the past keep their heads down. A few just outright leave. A low murmur starts up. As for himself, Gus simply gives Black a frosty sort of nod and goes back to eating, like his plate is the most interesting thing he's seen today.
"Oh. Well that's a bad bit of luck," Alphard said with companionable sympathy. As soon as he had freed up an hand - by placing his plate down onto the table next to Augustin - he slapped the other boy on the shoulder. The uninjured shoulder. "How'd that happen? You try your hand at Quidditch? Or just got piss drunk and fell over? We've already seen how much you enjoy that, eh?" Chuckling he nodded to Andromena, letting her know that he'd save a seat! He followed with her eyes as she moved away, unable to help himself. "So how're you doing, pal? You gotten over your heartbreak yet?" Of course Alphard ignored the groaning Hufflepuffs as if they weren't even there. Which was just as well. Or he might've said something nasty.
Andromena is getting her food, and Alphard has joined Gus at the Hufflepuff table, while they're both given a large berth by the rest of the Huffs at the table. Gus doesn't look very happy to have Alphard joining him. He scoots away a few inches. "Since when are we pals?" he asks bitingly. He doesn't answer either of the other questions.
It would appear that Andromena was actually much hungrier than she had originally believed, because when she came back to Gus and Alphard it was with an actual plate of food. Not a snack, not a piece of fruit or just a drink. There was food. Granted, it hardly compared to the small meal-mountain Alphard has procured for himself. Naturally, while she is away she completely misses out on the fact she has not done Augustin a service by being concerned about his injury. It would appear the Ravenclaw is rather wilfully ignorant to the fact others might not want to sit next to Alphard Black. On her return, just after she puts down her plate, Andromena takes a seat in a most curious place: the decidedly small space that had opened up between Gus and Alphard when the Hufflepuff had inched away. "Thanks," she chimes happily to the both of them. Oblivious.
"We've been to school for five and a half years together." Alphard pointed it out quite casually as he dived into his food. "I don't recall there being any reason why we wouldn't be pals." After all, he couldn't really remember having ever made Augustin part of his notorious bullying crusades. Though the boy might've been caught up in some of them. Plus there was the roof incident. "So?" About his questions. When Meanie returned and made a point out of seperating them, he just shrugged and slide a little the other way. Giving her some more room, even if she wasn't exactly someone who demanded a ton of it. "You're welcome.
"Oh, you can't, can't you?" Gus says. He stands up. "Typical." He maneuvers his legs over the bench and starts walking away, leaving his mostly-empty plate behind for it to be invisibly apparated back down to the kitchen. Like that's some kind of signal, many of the Hufflepuffs at the table get up and leave too, some of them almost tripping in their haste not to be sitting next to Alphard Black, any more.
"Maybe I should have taken the seat on your opposite side…" Andromena said, watching Augustin depart with a small frown. Well, they were both there now, food before them, no reason to get up again when what she really wanted to do was eat. "Somebody dropped a trophy case on his arm," she informed Black, intuition telling her that, some how, Gus had not the chance to tell the Slytherin. At Alphard's whisper, Andromena just…looked at her plate. "Okay," she said, picking it up. "Lead on, my darling."
"That was a pretty mean thing to do," Alphard told her with a frown at Augustin's back. After his little whisper in her ear, he was up to his feet, bringing his food and his drink with him. Without the excuse to sit besides their departed 'host', there wasn't any reason to hang around by the Hufflepuffs anyway. He led her across the hall, around the tables until they reached the Slytherin one, on the side where it was close by the Ravenclaw table. That way she could sit almost next her own, while being with him. His usual crew gave them a look, then found other things to talk about. Just as well. "Darling, is it? As long as you don't try something like 'kitten' or 'sweetie'." He'd heard those sort of things before between dating couples.
"You don't call the man kitten," she insisted lightly, reseating herself beside Alphard. "You could call me kitten. Anyway, if you have something you prefer over darling, you'll have to let me know." She daintily set about cutting up her food. Bite. Chew. Wait to swallow before talking again. "Mostly I just wanted to try it out." See how it sounded, you know?
"I like Meanie. Though I guess lil kitten wouldn't be too bad of a nickname." Alphard had mastered the extremely difficult skill of eating both quickly and efficiently, and yet still somehow both keep a conversation going and look fairly dignified while doing it. "Well.. You can always just call me 'handsome'." His sly little grin was wide enough to bare his pearly white teeth at her. "Accurate and does have a rather nice ring to it, doesn't it?" "So who dropped the thing on his arm, anyway?"
Sitting at the Ravenclaw table, her back to the Slytherin, its not terribly surprising to find Eibhlin. The redhead more poking at the food on her plate than really eating it, but over all making a good attempt at it looking like she is. Alphard and Andromena's move to the Slytherin table has her looking back over her shoulder as they take a seat behind her however.
"That it does," she agrees with a decidedly big grin. Unlike Alphard, Andromena eats much more slowly. One might say she savors her food. However, that should not be confused with the notion she takes a long time to eat, because she does not. "Meanie is one thing," said after she has a drink of milk. "I even accept Meanie now." Whereas before she had fervently prayed he would just stop. "But I like 'lil kitten,' too." Further down on the Slytherin table an older student snickers, muttering something beneath his breath to the fellow beside him. None other than the Beast. He was the type of guy that had looked seventeen at twelve, and now looked twenty-five. Rumor had it he could grow a full beard in just three days. The Beast cast Alphard, and subsequently Andromena, a meaningful look before chortling with other Seventh Year boys. All this Andromena missed, because she was too busy trying to get Eibhlin's attention. "Hey - Shine!" And, should the other girl look, Andromena would give a cheery wave. No reason the other girl should sit all by her lonesome…as lonesome as one can be surrounded by their House mates.
"Only 'accept' it?" Alphard asked, diging Andromena a playful little bump with his elbow. He leaned towards her, and murmured into her ear in a laughing tone: "I bet that's what I call you in your dreams. When you swoon and sigh." Wearing a sardonic smile, he leaned back again. The Beast.. well. He met that meaningful look of one of his own. Even he would probably've tried to stay away from the big Seventh Year's fists, since they were as good as a promise of getting your teeth knocked out. But on the other hand, Alphard was pretty sure he could out magic the bastard. So.. TRY ME, was his squinty eyed challenge. "Oh, hey Shine." Since Andromena was so enthusiastically waving at her.
"Hey," Eibhlin returns the greeting of both with her own, somewhere between the enthusiastic of the girl and the monotone of the boy. A smile is sent towards Andromena as well, though its a much more flat look that's turned towards her companion. "You two sound like you're getting along quite.. well."
It's annoying not having two hands to work with. It just throws everything off. And of course, having a tense confrontation with someone you don't like very much does the same. And so it is that Gus left his wand at the table. It's only a few minutes before he realizes it, and he's back in the Great Hall looking for it. Once retrieved, Gus is about to go again, but sees Eibhlin. For a few seconds he looks like he's having an internal debate, and finally decides to walk toward her.
"You would just love that, wouldn't you?" Andromena asks in response to his claim that she even dreamed about him calling her by that, let's be frank, hideous nickname. It was only endearing at this point because he refused to say anything else. Andromena could either let it drive her insane or make it into something better. Besides, at least his second option wasn't 'Meanie-Kitten,' or some other equally ridiculous pet name involving the first. "Alphard and I get on swimmingly," said to Eibhlin with a smile. What was with everybody? Did she need to worry about the other Ravenclaw pulling her aside later and asking the same sort of question as Gus? A sidelong glance went Alphard's way. Came with the reputation, she supposed. During all of this, the Beast seemed content to let Alphard challenge away, in fact, he sent some mealy-mouthed looking first year up to Black just to say, "He wants to talk to you later," before scurrying off. Apparently, the older student felt he was just too far away to bother shouting such. "How are you doing today, Shine?" Came Andromena's next utterance. Oh, and she spotted Augustin as he tentatively approached. Very nearly waved to him, too. But…he had stalked off just a bit ago.
"Don't see how that has anything to do with love, Meanie." Or perhaps it did, but that connection didn't immediately hit him. Mostly because he considered anyone who fell in love to be general emotional idiots. "It's just a fact of life." There was no denial from him when it came to getting along swimmingly, either. And if he noticed the neutral-ness of Eibhlin's tone when it came to him, well, he really didn't seem to care. Probably because he wasn't exactly giving her warm and brilliant smiles in return. He turned back to his meal, letting the two Ravenclaws talk while he chewed throgh half a shank of something.
Can see were Alphard wouldn't be such a bad guy for the right person, Eibhlin however is not such a person, but there's no need to Andromena wonder about questions later. Well… maybe. "I'm glad he gets on with someone," she notes pleasantly enough, "Looks like he might be in need of a friend later," she continues nodding slightly in the direction of The Beast. Yes, she's well aware that Alphard can hear her, but since he's ignoring her she'll do the same. "Well enough Rowle, yourself?" Augustin she hasn't yet noticed.
"Shine," Gus says by way of greeting. "I never got a chance to thank you, earlier. For staying around until Spleen made you go. That was jolly decent of you." He pauses. "So… thank you."
Emotional idiots. That was basically any teenager in two words. "It's a fact of life I dream about you, or…?" Andromena could not help but pursue that line of inquiry. Mostly because he had started her to thinking about the last dream she could remember. Had something to do with blood and brains…"Hm?" Andromena queried, following Eibhlin's line of sight down towards that hulking creature she literally only knew as the Beast. Then she looked to Alphard, who was currently just eating and not looking all that concerned. For the moment, Andromena let it be. "I'm alright. Even better now that I've gotten some food." Andromena trails off as Gus strolls up. Time to pay more attention to said food!
"That you dream about me, cooing soft little 'Meanie, oh Meanie' into your ear. Ick. Probably while wearing some ridiculous costume like on your book covers." His nose wrinkled with disgust. He did in fact continue to ignore the Beast now that he had received the notice of a later 'meeting'. Would do no good to look at all nervous, which of course he wasn't. He would just have to have his wand at the ready. He kept eating. "Didn't you come back fast," murmured in Gus' direction. "Miss us already?" Snark.
"Better is good," Eibhlin agrees simply, offering a smile to the other girl before it partially fades at Augustin's arrival. He knows about that then. Right. "You're welcome g-Rousseau," she corrects quickly, "It- I figured someone should keep an eye on you." A glance spared in Black's direction, but otherwise pointedly ignored.
Gus ignores Alphard. He smiles a little bit at Andromena, politely, you know. "Thanks," he tells Eibhlin again. He stands there, somewhat awkwardly for a few moments, as if trying to decide if he should go or not.
Andromena just rolled her eyes at Alphard's casual summation of her dreams. "You will be the first to know if I have just such a dream," the Ravenclaw tells Alphard dutifully. "But only if you let me know when you have any dreams where I faint in your arms because you're so overpoweringly manly and full of raging testosterone." Is she kidding? Only just barely.
"So.." Eibhlin starts after a roll of her eyes for Alphard and Andromena's discussion. "How's your arm? Aside from the obvious," she clarifies. Nope, no awkwardness here. Not. "Hopefully it heals up right soon."
"Ah, it'll be fine," Gus says. "A week in the cast, another week in a sling just to be on the safe side, you know. Then I'll be good as new." He shrugs a little. "It itches, sometimes, but I just poke a hanger in there and scratch at it."
Eibhlin nods a bit as Gus explains. "Sounds like its good as can be expected then," she replies. "Just be careful with that," she adds at mention of the hanger. I'm sure Spleen'd give you a hard time about it if you hurt yourself worse." Yep, all Spleen, nothing to do with her.
"Er, yeah, thanks," Gus says. "Well. I'm gonna go. Once again, thanks." He gives her a little nod, glances again at Andromena and Alphard, and starts to make his way off, more sedately this time.
When Augustin heads on his way, Eibhlin isn't quite sure what to do. Ask him to stay? Leave him go and go back to mushing food around her plate? Go with him? None really seem right. She casts a look towards Andromena, help? In the end chances are she won't eat any more and she moves from the table, "Rousseau, wait up."
Gus stops and turns back, kind of confused. "Yeah?" he asks, slightly cautiously.
Andromena and Alphard spend a little longer just generally saying goofy, frivolous things to one another before Black finished up his meal and then said he had to go. Andromena, not wanting to be alone at a table full of Slytherins who were now all giving her the stink eye (at least she thought of it that way), got up for the second time that meal hour and made her way over to Eibhlin. "Hey Gus, no need to rush. Stay and talk a while?" Surely her offer would be all the more tempting since her notorious partner had excused himself. She shared a look with Eibhlin, showing a quick bit of finger crossing for the attempt.
A fleeting glance is sent after Black as he leaves before Eibhlin turns to mouth a silent 'thank you' to Andromena for her suggestion. "She's right," she agrees, "You could stay. Sit for a bit?" If nothing more than a suggestion, she tried.
"At… the Ravenclaw table?" Gus asks. "Weren't some Slytherins just docked House Points for that just the other day?" He glances dubiously up at the teacher's table. Then he scratches his head with his good arm and perches on the bench, obviously poised to shoot to his feet at a moment's notice and run.
"That was for bad behavior as far as I am aware," Andromena counters. "Besides, Black and I already sat and two different tables and nobody has said anything to me."
Eibhlin nods her agreement to what Andromena said. "Exactly. They were 'causing a disturbance' or some such," she adds. "You can always blame it on me," it was her idea in a way even if the other girl was the first to voice it. She does seem somewhat pleased that he does sit at least.
"Nah, I'll just run," Gus says, still a tiny bit nervous. Somewhat automatically his hand goes to his arm to scratch, but finds a cast there. Rolling his eyes he fishes around in his pocket for the coat-hanger, which is sort of rolled up so as to fit in his pocket. He sticks it between his knees for stability and starts using his good hand to unroll it more slowly than he'd obviously like.
"Run if you get in any trouble or run because you don't want to stay…?" Andromena looks to Eibhlin, silently cuing her to throw the dreaded pout look with her towards Augustin. How could any one man resist when it was leveled at him by not one, but two girl!? "And really…a hanger? That looks like a disaster waiting to happen. There has got to be a better solution." Offered helpfully to Gus.
Eibhlin tilts her head just slightly, looking up at him with those blue eyes of hers. Really Gus, run away? She sighs as the hanger makes its appearance. "She's right," she agrees with her housemate. "I'm sure we can come up with something better than that."
"I mean I'll run if the teachers start giving us funny looks," Gus says. All the while they're talking and he's just unbending that hanger, until finally it's straight enough to slip into the small space between his arm and the cast. "Ahhh…" he sighs, relief spreading across his face.
Lara sleepily wanders into the hall, drawn perhaps by the sound of voices. She looks around at the various faces, stifling a yawn and trying to smile.
Andromena was glad to see that this time Gus was more inclined to stick around, though she did hope it had more to do with Eibhlin and less to do with Alphard. She had been aware of the, hrm, situation between the pair of them and while Andromena was no match maker, she certainly did not completely understand why the pair was currently separated. They had seemed to get on well! "Maybe there's an anti-itch spell…" Andromena mused aloud.
Eibhlin just shakes her head at Gus. Really man, it can't be that bad. Its been a day in the cast? "You'd think," she agrees with Andromena about the idea of an anti-itch spell. "And if anyone could find one I'm sure it'd be Rowle."
"That would be nice," Gus says, scratching away with a hanger down the cast on his right arm. It had a little loop bent into the end so there's no chance of him hurting himself. He's sitting next to Eibhlin and Andromena at the Ravenclaw table, and it's dinner-time. "It would be nice to have an anti-itching spell," he agrees.
Lara tilts her head a moment, thinking carefully. "Have you tried wrapping the hanger in some itchy cloth?" She looks around the group. "Someone's got to have a miserably scratchy scarf somewhere." Looking towards Gus, she offers a wry smile. "I figure, it has to handle the itches better than smooth metal."
Andromena looks right pleased with Eibhlin's comment, folding her hands together on the table before her. She had actually finished eating some time ago, and her plate was spirited away in the usual fashion. "It's settled, then," she informed them. "I'll check it out." But only after she read the passage marked by Alphard in the book she had checked out from the Library. Because…she was actually itching to have that all done and put aside. Pun totally intended. "I think I saw a little firstie running around with a glaringly obvious: Aunt Myrtle sewed this for me scarf not too long ago…" Said to Lara.
"Thanks Rowle," Eibhlin replies to the other girl with a smile, "If you need help…" She'll certainly be willing to lend a hand left unsaid. Her lips twist just a bit in thought at Lara's comment, "I don't know that that would work so well as you might think.."
"The hanger works alright," Gus says. "But thanks," he tells Lara. He gives Andromena a sideways look. "I'll not confiscate some poor little first-year's scarf for the sake of my itching arm." He starts to pull out the hangar. "Besides, don't know if that would fit."
Lara gives a little shrug again. "Well, as long as he's careful not to lose the stuff in there, or to make himself bleed." She moves around, scrounging a bit of bread from one of the remaining baskets. "Is it just me, or has homework been taking longer lately? It seems like every time I turn around, there's something trying to distract me and keep me from finishing."
Is Black started to really rub off on Andromena? "That- that wasn't how I meant it," she blurts with a laugh, holding her hands up in mock self defense. "Merely that they might be relieved to have it taken off their hands. There's a difference." Like asking, instead of…shoving them to the ground or something. A few more bubbles of laughter escaped her at the thought. "A little, Lara, yeah," Andromena agrees when the other student comments on homework. "I feel all out of sorts with DADA. Merrythought gone, Flint teaching for the week…he picked up from a totally different place from her and so I've been doing my best to sort out the differences." Andromena rests her chin in the palm of her hand, blowing a sigh that's just strong enough to puff an errant lock away from her face. Eibhlin gets a quick appreciative look for her offer to help if need be.
Eibhlin laughs, "There is a difference," she agrees with Andromena. A nod follows to Lara's remark as well, "Exactly my thoughts on DADA. And just, what, last month Black took over Runes." Two new instructors in a matter of weeks really throws a wrench in the realm of homework.
Gus turns an appreciative look at Lara, like he's seeing her properly for the first time. And appreciating the view. Not too smarmily, though. "I agree," he says. "It takes forever. The five-foot essay in Transfigurations last week had me sweating." He shakes his head sympathetically over the DADA class. "I can't believe they fired her simply because her politics were different. It doesn't seem right, somehow. Isn't this England? Aren't men and women allowed to speak their minds?"
Lara gives a cute little wrinkle of her nose. "But haven't you heard," she says in a deliberately light and sardonic tone. "There's a war out there, and if you don't do what you're told, you're failing the government." She exhales, one hand waving away the smoke. "They're in charge and if you don't agree, bad things happen." One shoulder lifts in a quick shrug again. "Nothing new there, just that we're getting old enough to see it happen."
Great, politics came up. Andromena does her best not to look like she wants to slither down in her seat. "I agree that she should not have been fired, but I also try to see things from both perspectives. In any case, nobody seems to be able to say anything about anyone comfortably these days." Gus, why are you looking at that other girl? There is a girl here that needs you to be looking at her. Another red head, to be exact! "Professor Black has been great in Ancient Runes, though," she tells Eibhlin. "Flint was good, but Black is not nearly as much of a grump."
Eibhlin nods, "I don't disagree," she replies. "Steps taken might not be what everyone thinks is right, but it's what happened." And they don't have much say in the matter. Politics. Sigh. A frown settles on her lips when she sends a look in Gus' direction to find him checking out Lara. It lasts little more than a second before she nods again to Andromena, "True enough," adding a quick "Sorry," for the boy as in shifting towards her friend her foot hits his shin.
"Yeah, but that's just the thing," Gus says. "England isn't par/t/ of the war. And even if we //were, Grindelwald and What's-His-Name are Germans. They don't get to tell us what to do. It's not //righ/t/." He shakes his head. "Eh, Black isn't my favorite," he says neutrally. "We'll be adults inOUCH!" Gus winces when Eibhlin kicks him under the table. But she apologizes immediately, so he just nods unhappily, forgiving her. "If I keep hanging around you, Shine, I'll soon die of my wounds," he jokes.
Lara half collapses into a seat, turning so that she can prop her elbows behind her on a table. "I'm not saying anything for or against either side," she explains. "Just pointing out that this sort of thing has been going on forever, and we're only seeing it now because we're getting older. We're not first years who can barely find their way from classroom to common room." She tilts her head back for a moment, looking up at the ceiling, relaxing her eyes for a moment. Then, eyes opening again, she turns her face back towards the others and half smiles again. "Ok, who fed me the meloncholy blues berries?" She gives Gus a nod. "True enough. That's their fa-la-la, and they need to keep it over there." She reaches up and adjusts the tie around her hair, ensuring it's secured. "So, the new teachers - think we can use this for our advantage?"
"Nonsense," Andromena says to Gus on Eibhlin's behalf. "This girl is the picture of what it is to be gentle!" Oh, but she knew. She knew in that way of girls who are friends with one another knows something a touch instinctively. As Lara seats herself, Andromena chuckles. Melancholy indeed. As much as she might love to debate, this particular vein of conversation was taking up so much of everyone's time lately that she was getting rather sick of it. "How do you mean, Lara?" As yet, there was no new teacher announced to replace Merrythought. Nor had Julian's petition, as far as she was aware, done anything to reinstate the woman back to her former position.
"Your arm is your fault," Eibhlin points out. "I told you it was a terrible idea." He just had Myrus on his side to help coerce her into it. He might have been joking, but apparently it rubbed her just right today. A look goes to Andromena, a silent thanks for her assistance. "You have a point," she agrees with Lara, "we're old enough to realize now, but no, I don't think there's any way we could even if we wanted to."
"Heh, I remember my first year," Gus says, fondly nostalgic. Then he shakes that off and gives Lara a curious look. "What do you mean by 'our advantage?" he asks. He raises his good hand and leans slightly away from Eibhlin. "I know it was my fault," he says. "I was just joking. Sorry."
Lara shrugs again. "Andromena just said, Flint is in a different spot from before, which perhaps maybe… can we figure out a way to use that somehow? I don't know.. point out that we were doing something different, and get him to cover stuff we need more help on, without seeming like we're trying to get extra help?" She sighs again, smoothing out her skirt. "Just seems like there should be a way to help us get ready for finals or something, instead of having to jump around and then end up with someone else teaching, and then turn around and do something completely different, so that by test time, we've all in sixes and sevens with dribbles of this and that in our heads, instead of a full lesson." She bites her lip and looks at the other girls, her eyes showing some confusion, perhaps asking for understanding of what she couldn't quite figure out how to say.
"Oh, oh," Andromena says, eyes alighting with understanding. At least, her understanding of it. "You'd like Flint to tell you where he expects you to be as far as class is concerned?" Andromena looks to both Gus and Eibhlin to see if they were on the same page as she. After doing so, she continues on. "It's my personal opinion he'll just give you some high handed answer rather than actually help. I think it would be better to wait for the new instructor to come in, and, if you really feel you need it, find someone willing to tutor you." Andromena, surprisingly, was only painfully average in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Something she resented.
Eibhlin hmmms, "Oh," she comments coming to a similar understanding as the girl beside her explains. "Probably best to wait and see what happens, and really I'd rather not push anything right now." Who knows what pushing the wrong button might cause now. Better to just take the time to see where its going first. "Sorry Rousseau," beat, "I.. didn't mean it like that."
"If the Ravenclaws can't figure it out," Gus says, "Than what hope have the rest of us?" He only shakes his head. "I completely agree with you, Stuart," he says to Lara. "Maybe we could ask for tutoring from a seventh-year?" he suggests, rounding out Andromena's suggestion and nodding at her. He gives Eibhlin a bewildered look. "I'd take it very kindly if you explained what you did mean, then," he says quietly.
Lara fidgets with the nap of her skirt again, cutting her eyes over towards Gus, before looking at the other girls again. "I guess I just don't like it when I don't know exactly what the teachers want from us." She sighs softly. "At least it's not a change up in herbology. Or…" she gives a wry chuckle, "perhaps that's exactly where I need them to have one. I don't like that class at all," she nearly moans. "I'm going to fail it if I'm not careful." She holds up one hand and makes an exagerated grimace. "See, it's a black thumb!"
"Well, it would be different if Flint were going to remain the professor of DADA," she states simply. Her eyes dart between Gus and Eibhlin, as though she is trying to determine whether or not she ought to step in. For now, she waits, because she doesn't want to make the prefect feel as though she can't answer for herself. "I'm not too bothered by Herbology," Andromena comments idly. She even did a little of her own gardening on the side to help out with her understanding of it all. Which was only to further her knowledge in Potions…no matter what Alphard said about having house elves to do it for you. "I think things will turn out just fine, Lara. You can always come to either of us," she and Eibhlin, since they share the same House. "With any questions."
"I mean I'm sorry," Eiblin says to Gus, the words coming out a bit more sharply than intended even in her soft reply and likely blowing her attempt to apologize. "That I didn't intend to hurt you," she tries with a sigh. A comment which carries perhaps more than one meaning to those in the know. To Lara, "If you need help with Herbology talk to Rowle," she notes having dropped the class this year herself. "But if you'll excuse me, I'm not feeling very well," the redhead adds as she moves to stand, pausing a few seconds before heading on her way.
You give Lara a cookie.
Lara rises to her feet, smoothing back a wisp of hair and smiles at everyone again. "Well, I'm bone tired, so if I'm going to get any studying done, I'd better get myself to my room. We can all gripe again tomorrow night, if we've time."
Gus catches Lara's glance. "I don't blame you," he says. "If you need help with Herbology, I can do that," he offers. "My family grows wine grapes, I've grown up gardening." He totally misses Andromena's darting eyes. When Eibhlin speaks to him, he turns sharply to look at her. Somehow, despite not being a Ravenclaw himself, he understands her layered apology. "I know," Gus says gently. "I… take responsibility, anyway. It was my fault. All of it." He sighs when she rises, and gets to his own feet as well, hanger in hand. "Later," he tells them all, and makes his way out.