| Details for Study Hall |
| Summary: | A Study Hall becomes a study in Purist Politics more than Academics. |
| Date: | October 1st, 1938 |
| Location: | Great Hall, Hogwarts |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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What time exactly it is, has been lost on Gerald. Sitting at a table, he takes a moment to mouth something to himself. His books are stacked next to him neatly, his arms folded across the table as he leans on one, drumming his fingers with the other. It's a stance of someone very much absorbed (and zoned out) with their work.
Outside the doors of the hall the faint sounds of footsteps and chatter from passing students. Life moves on for the academically content, but for those striving beyond…it seems to have stopped in its tracks.
Gerald pages: well..that sucked
Studying and Medusa usually do not go hand in hand but that was last year when she had no exams. Now she has NEWTs looming on the horizon like an old smelly aunt ready to pinch her cheeks and lean in too close for a bad breath kiss to the cheek. That and the desire to not rock the Malfoy cart too much see the seventh year attending study hall for the first time this school year and, truth be told, for the first time since her OWLs. A small Slytherin first year trails in her wake, struggling under the pile of books Medusa has made him carry in. "Put them there," she gestures to an empty space at a table and then waves the boy off. "Shoo."
Several spots down from Gerald comes the soft snoring that he's rather familiar with, as he shares a Dorm room with the Gryffindor boy that's face-planted and drooling all over the open book he's on. It seems that Study Hall should be called Nap Time for one Colton Higgins.
Surrounded by younger students, Briar is giving pointers on how to best trim a small boxwood that is swinging and living up to the boxing part of its name. "After you are all comfortable with the boxwood, then Beery will progress you onto whomping willow saplings."
Over at the Ravenclaw table behind her thickly lensed too big for her little nose glasses Akilina watches the boxwood tutorial, all on her own, off and away from everyone else, the shy little mouse keeps to herself and absorbs the lesson, just from a distance.
Soleil is showing a bit of a lack of House segregation as she's sitting rather the other side of Gerald from Colton, helping out another Gryffindor with their Potions work at what's the Gryffindor table during meal time.
Just so much happening. And yet Gerald's attention span, fragile a thing as it is, wavers in the face of his NEWT courses. The occasional look says it all, 'what did I sign up for' though those looks are far and few between. For the moment that touchy attention span is settled on the boxwood, his eyes watching the small bush bob and weave, though the entrance of one aptly named blonde does draw his eyes, and hold them, for a few moments time. Until of course Sol is spotted, and he's force to act out by thumping a ball of paper across her work. "My robe smelled like a girl rolled around in it." He jokes toward her lowly a few clicks later, "Do you know how much grief I took for that?"
Before she settles down Medusa does a circuit of the hall. It is equally important to be seen as it is to do work - it isn't that she is procrastinating at all. Not one bit. Long slim fingers trail across the tops of the table and occassionally across the back of a student she deems worthy enough. When she reaches Briar and Gerald Medusa opines, "As if anyone would expect a girl was rolling around in your robes."
Soleil rolls her eyes, picks up the wad of paper and gives it a toss back. Of course it completely misses the intended target and smacks Colton in the face. He wakes up with a snort and wipes at his drooly mouth as he looks around, hopping a little on his seat as he does. Like a startled awake dog, he slowly realizes what happened and takes up the wad of paper and opens it up to see if it's a note for him.
Meanwhile Soleil just rolls her eyes again and primly snorts. "They were probably just shocked silly that you of all people had interaction with a very nice smelling girl." She sneers at him, but it's not a true sneer. She's not a master at that facial expression as say, Medusa is. But her housemate does receive a little wave. Soleil being one of the few Slytherin's that didn't rake the girl over the blood traitor coals that happened last year. "Gerald was actually quite the gentleman and helped me in a predicament after potions class yesterday. He's just trying to make sure I don't fall madly in love with him by being aloof today." She defends the lad from Medusa's scorn, granted they said about the same thing, Sunny knows that Medusa actually meant what she said.
"Afternoon to you too." Is Geralds only real response toward Medusa. Indeed, his skin is thick…or his care is little. One or the other. He does roll his eyes toward the blond, but the look ends up on Sol. "Next time you can walk back alone." He drones toward her, "I'd also given out conversation farter thought but..never mind." He grins, glancing back toward his books again (and toward the boxwood of course). Those things are neat! "Thank you for returning it though."
Medusa looks at her nails, holding her hand up in the light coming through the windows. She hmms quietly to herself then glances at Soliel and Gerald, looking between them. "Sunny, Sunny, Sunny, you can do so much better. I mean really? A Cornfoot? It sounds like a disease." She gives Gerald a withering look and starts to move on again.
Soleil gives a little immature sneer at Gerald again, she really is just moments away from poking her tongue out at him. "Be nice, or I won't defend you." Speaking of she gives her own withering look to her Platinum haired 'friend'. "Do be nice to him, at least he's Pure-blood. Which is a step up from those you were buddying up to last year." Alright, she didn't rake Medusa over the Blood Traitor coals… until now.
"You don't have to defend me at all." He states simply, his gaze moving between Medusa and his 'friend', "Judgmental people are a dime a dozen, but it doesn't really amount to much. She's not bothering me." He even offers her a small smile, no larger than the one he offers Sunny, though his eyes manage to shift, just a little, as he glances to her. "…." Okay, so he can't bring himself to defend Medusa, but hey…he doesn't chime in. Instead he looks back to his book again. Women, geees.
Medusa stiffens where before she was standing with a casual nonchalant elegance that comes to her innately she now turns the full force of her gorgon's glare upon Soliel. "Infiltration is a time honored battle tactic." As is retreat. Her nostrils flare slightly and she turns on her heel to walk over to her books.
Briar is close enough to overhear what's going on at the other table. Sarcastically she mutters under her breath, "A fabulous tactic when you don't wear a proverbial big red sign saying as much. Hi, I'm a Spy!" A few of the younger kids that hear the mutter giggle but then they all get back to their work pruning the boxwood.
Soleil leans over to whisper at Gerald, "Alright, I won't. You're not the only one that doesn't stand by and watch people get bullied though." So there! She then turns to the bewildered looking Gryffindor she was helping and apologizes and helps her with the next problem she's facing.
As if she were above it all, which of course being a Malfoy she is, Medusa sits at the Slytherin table at her large pile of transfiguration books. The subject is her worst and it is fairly well known. The first book is drawn over to her and opened. The blond girl straightens her shoulders and opens the book then reaches for quill and parchment.
"That wasn't bullying. That was harassment." Gerald jokes, though he does watch as Medusa makes her way back to her books. "I guess, thanks though." He seems..conflicted about the whole thing though. "Kinda sad it keeps getting thrown at her. It was a year ago..I'm sure she's done something horrible to someone this year." He's been in the room with her for ten minutes and he already things little of her, imagine those that have contact with her daily! Still, he offers a faint smile over toward the pissy blonde before his gaze roams back toward Sunny. "Also, it's nice to know I'm not the /worst/ person you could be talking to."