| Details for Oh Captain, My Captain |
| Summary: | Ripley and Theodore discuss Ripley's replacement of Theodore as Captain. |
| Date: | Nov. 27, 1937 |
| Location: | Slytherin Common Room |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
  |
===================(\|/)==================
Common Room Hogwarts Castle
Tue Nov 27, 1937 ((Wed Nov 07 02:57:19 2012)) (Slytherin House)
The Slytherin commons room is a low-ceilinged, dungeon-like affair illuminated during the day by a multitude of greenish lamps and a roaring fire which also works to partially ward of the perpetual chill of the dungeons. The common room is filled with low-backed, black and dark green leather sofas and armchairs accented with buttons that create dimples deep in the upholstery. For the decorative carvings of the dark wood cupboards, the columns, the mantelpiece, and other architectural details of the room run strongly towards snakes and skulls motif. All these details combine to create a quite grand atmosphere with a touch of spooky and cold. Day or night the enchanted windows are filled with an eerie green glow from the water on the other side. Occasionally the Giant Squid and other residents of the Black Lake will swim by the portals. Over all the common room has a sunken ship feel, though is oddly enough also gives a strange cozy sense as well.
---------------—-
Ripley is settled at one of the desks in the middle of the room and is faced towards the door. He's got a couple books in front of him. Two on Quidditch and one on Sweden as well as his Transfiguration textbook. At the moment, he's in the middle of getting a wand movement right without speaking any words behind it to send the spell off. Just gestures in the air.
Theodore steps into the room from the dungeon. He's wearing his workout sweats and a wife beater. He glances at Ripley, watching the wand movement, but doesn't recognize it, so he just grunts and keeps moving, heading for the dorms. His ferret bounds a few steps behind him, following.
Ripley looks to the ferret and chuckles a little, "I didn't know you had a ferret." He remarks and watches the little guy go running across after him. "What's his name?"
Theodore takes a few more steps, and he sighs, turning back to face Ripley. "Grimm," he says, flatly.
Ripley places the book down and looks to Theo, "You know we need to talk about it." He states, "Especially with the match so soon."
Theodore furrows his brow, "About my ferret?" Jock.
Ripley blinks a bit, "About me being Captain." He says and lifts a brow.
Theodore's expression doesn't really change. "You won, Ripley. There's nothing else to talk about." He turns to head to the dorms once more.
Ripley sighs, "So what ideas do you have about the match?"
Theodore stops walking once more and turns to look at Ripley. "You're the Captain. You tell me what to do."
Ripley stares, "Whatever happened to we are all brothers?" He leans back and props his feet up on the table.
Theodore shakes his head a little, "You burned that bridge." He folds his arms over his thick chest.
Ripley narrows his eyes, "How? Because I would really like to know."
Theodore unfolds his arms, and his tone is almost pitying towards the other boy, "Then you're dumber than I am, Ripley." He bends over and picks up Grimm.
Ripley sighs once more, "Because I threw my name in for Captain? Because I want to make myself better? Because it shouldn't just be given to you if you don't work for it. I am as surprised as you are but I am going to do the best I can with it and I expect you to do the same. I'd be behind you if you won. It's about the game. About the house. Not about pride."
"You're right. It should have been about the game. This shouldn't have been a popularity contest, but you made it one." Theodore shakes his head, "You get handed everything. You didn't gather the team together to get to know one another this season. I did. You didn't do ANY work for this, so don't act like you're better than me now." He scoffs, "I'm just a chaser. I'll do what you tell me, but I'm not your friend and I'm not helping you be Captain. You wanted this. So step up and do it."
Ripley draws in a deep breath and shakes his head, "It wasn't a popularity contest. Merlin's beard. I was fairly sure you'd get it right back but obviously someone sees something in me. I want to do this right but if you are just going to hold resentment over it then how can we work together?"
Theodore rolls his eyes, "I'm the best quidditch player on our team. We all know it. Hell, Ripley, I'm the best player in the school. Everyone says so. If this was about the game, I would still be Captain. You swept in with your smooth talk and battering eyes and wooed the team." He shakes his head again, "I told you, I'm a chaser. I'll do what you tell me. But I'm not figuring it out for you."
Ripley clicks his tongue against his teeth, "The word went out and I said nothing to any of the other players. There was no campaigning at all. Theo. I'd bet you that sea re equals out there. I can't have you thinking I am some kind of asshole on the pitch."
Theodore tilts his head a bit, a little surprise disbelief at what Ripley's saying. He simply responds, "I don't think you're an asshole on the pitch." His brow lifts a little, and he says again, "I'm the Slytherin chaser. I'll do what you tell me."
Ripley draws in a deep breath and just nods until he speaks, "But I would like to keep my brother on the pitch as well." He holds out a hand, "Come on. Let's go into this as friends. Okay?"
Theodore makes crazy eyes, and flails his arms a little as he talks in a high-pitched, goofy voice laced with sarcasm and silliness, "Oh, well, then, I guess all is forgiven!" He drops his arms, leaving Ripley's outstretched hand there unmet, and in his normal voice, he says, "You know, I had the worst day of my life yesterday. And you know who helped me?" He points at the floor, "A Ravenclaw." He shakes his head, "We aren't friends, Ripley. We certainly ain't brothers."
Ripley keeps the hand out there, "All I did was throw my name in the hat. Just like I did with the goblet." He looks to Theo and shakes his head, "All I can say is I still consider you a friend and that I am here if you need someone to talk to or anything… I didn't do it to hurt you, Theo."
"Here's some advice then," Theodore says, adding bitterly, "FRIEND." He still doesn't shake the hand. "Having what it takes to be Captain means knowing your team well enough to anticipate everything they do, including - no, especially - how they'll react to things YOU do." He scruffs his ferret's head, and once more turns to go to the dorms.
"Okay. So Theo will be a total jerk about this." Ripley nods his head. "I gotcha."
Theodore sighs, and once more turns around, though this time he's at the door to the dorms. "If you got me, we wouldn't have come to this," he says flatly. "I'm not being a jerk. I'm just tellin' you how it is."
Ripley shake his head, "Then enlighten me there, Theo."
Theodore holds his finger up, "Don't call me Theo. My name is Theodore." He pets his Grimm, "Understanding your teammates is part of being Captain, Ripley. I already told you, I'm not doing that for you."
Ripley rubs at his forehead, "So you expect me to know it all after I just became caption. Go on, do your thing Theodore. I'm sorry for this ruining anything we had. I didn't mean to." He shakes his head, "I know my teammates, Theodore. I just never thought you would be like this. That is for sure."
Theodore tilts his head a little, "How did you THINK I would react?"
Ripley shrugs, "I knew you would be a little upset but to this degree? But you should know me well enough to know that I didn't go out and campaign against you. I didn't actively go out to make this happen. I simply put my name down as anyone should that wants to do something great. I would think that you would know me well enough to know that I didn't go into this to make you any sort of problem."
Theodore's brow lifts just a little, "Wow… Okay." He exhales slowly, and looks down at Grimm, nuzzling a bit with the animal. "Good luck, Ripley." And again, he turns to go.
Ripley sighs a bit and looks to Theo, "Good luck, Theodore. I hope we win…"