(1938-10-11) Now You See It, Now You Don't
Details for Now You See It, Now You Don't
Summary: The three friends leave the Great Hall and are having a laugh before lessons when a rude half-blood interupts them, then other half-bloods turn up and it just isn't the same anymore.
Date: 11 October 1938
Location: Entry Hall, Hogwarts
Related: Unwritten Rules and the Grand Alliance
Characters
AlphardGeraldMedusaArianGageNiko

"Isn't she a half-blood?" Alphard asked with a wrinkle on his brow once the two of them -finally- reached him. His shoulder lifted, then artfully rolled in a dismissive shrug. The Black didn't tend to look twice at half-bloods. It was really quite sad how limited his pool of potential interesting females was. Couldn't be halfblood, could certainly not be mudblood. Couldn't show any sort of mudblood sympathies or have families which did. Absently he ran a hand through his hair, then started padding out of the Great Hall.

"Isn't who a half-blood?" Medusa wasn't paying attention, her thoughts having drifted elsewhere. "Beatrice? No of course not." Wait, are they talking about another girl? Her booted feet beat out a staccato rhythm on the stone floor as the three of them leave the great hall. "There are no half-bloods in Slytherin." Apart for that evil firstie nobody speaks to because he is CREEPY.

"Not Beatrice," Alphard replied with an exasperated sigh and an eyeroll. Did she think he was stupid?! He clarified: "Caitlin Connor. The one who keeps crying about how you ruined her life when you started hiding out in dark corners with MacMillan."

"Oh! Yes, she is. And she is a whinging cow. Frankly she is better of going with some kind of wet blanket like Denholm. He'd hold her hand and daub at her tears with some special handkerchief given to him my his muggle grandmother." There isn't even a need for a sneer in Medusa's voice, just a droll delivery of sarcasm.

"There you go, then," Alphard informed Medusa with a shrug. "She'd never think you stole -me- away. Since.. you know.. Unlike MacMillan I don't make it a habit to schmooze around with that kind. Gives the wrong impression." He stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked, a nonchalant stroll. His notebook he carried by trapping it between his arm and his side. Her mention of Denholm made him snort, a dry little sound of humor. "Ugh. Let's not even talk about him. It might summon him. Hey Cornfoot.. did you finish your potions work yet?"

Medusa sniggers at the mention of summoning the annoying Niko. She makes her way towards the doors. "How long left until lessons?" Important people like Medusa Malfoy, the Queen of Slytherin, clearly do not own watches. "I have herbology after lunch on Fridays. I love watching Beery, he's hilarious."

Gerald just walks, next to the blond of course. Naturally his 'uniform' is worn improperly. The robe is left open so he can sink his hands into his pockets…his tie undone because, well..NOOSE! He offers small grunt to the conversation, though he offers nothing up with the roll of snide remarks. After all, HE is still a decent person.

As Black addresses him, Gerald nods lazily, "Of course I'm finished," as though the very idea that he wasn't proved how very little Alphard actually knew. "What kinda of dimwit doesn't finish their work?"

"And -here-, we see the -wonderous and fantastical- Puffapod!" Alphard had a flair for acting out impersonations. Usually it was done with the cruelest intentions in mind, but when he spontaneously broke out into the full on task of duplicating the Herbology Professor's flamboyant teaching, it was just done in fun. Even Alphard wasn't a jerk all the time. He puffed up his chest, and reworked his features until he had a spot on version of Beery's enthusiastic smile. He swept his arms out dramatically, as if beckoning the class to take in the plants in question. A deep breath swelled his chest, before he went on a one minute lecture about the qualities of the Puffapod as he vaguely remembered it. He didn't even crack a little bit the whole time.

Medusa's hands come up to cover her mouth, smothering the laughter that Alphard's impersonation of the Herbology professor has inspired. Her entire body shakes with the effort of not laughing. As he goes on her breath catches in her throat and she gasps as if she cannot breathe. When he reaches the end of his mini lecture she is doubled over, crying with laughter, unable to hold it in any longer.

Even Gerald doesn't keep a straight face at Alphard's little show. A hand slips from his pocket, reaching to cover his face as he chokes back a laugh, "Oh hell, Black. You messed up my bad mood.." Who knew Alphard Black could make a day a little better. Completely by accident of course.

"If he taught another subject perhaps.." Alphard said at last, Beery's impression leaving and opening up space for a crooked smile to steal in. There was an innocent pleasure in his eyes for having watched them crack up at his antics. No ulterior motives anywhere. "But ugh! I hated Herbology.. it always felt like the sort of job I'd just hire someone to do for me. Still.. he is kinda funny." For a half-blood. But even that unvoiced sentiment didn't come across very harsh for once. "Anyways. Could I look at your notes? And no, I'm -not- a dimwit.. but I -do- have three extra curricular activities, you know!" And he was obviously -invaluable- to all of them. It ate up on his time!

Wiping the tears from her eyes Medusa says, still a bit breathy, "I know what you mean about herbology." And yet she is still taking it. "But then a lot of what we study doesn't make sense. I still maintain that knowing how to transfigure a table into a chair and then back again is pointless. You should have just bought a table and chair to begin with."

Gerald snorts, but he does offer over the notebook. After all, Alphard ASKED, not demanded. The other boys words however earn a roll of Ger's eyes. As does Medusa, though he does it with a small hum of agreement. "I agree to some degree, but just think. My house wouldn't have had that big mystery to obsess over last night. P.S. The 'lion' scraped the floors up something hideous." Still, he looks smugly amused.

Medusa looks at Gerald, "You know, I heard about that. I wonder who did it." She slips her hands into the pockets of her over robe. "Must have been someone very good with transfiguration." Unlike Medusa, who everyone knows is gawdaful at it. As the two boys share class notes she glances at the counter. "Strangely enough I care so little about house points this year."

"I don't know.. learning how to Transfigure is useful. Not -that- particular example, perhaps, but it does build on your understanding of how things work. That's when you can modify and make your own spells." Alphard, Gerald and Medusa were walking together. Currently Gerald was letting Alphard borrow his notebook for some quick potions readup. "Hrm? I don't know. I like having the Trophy in the Slytherin Common room where it belongs. But it's not really high on my list of priorities either."

"I wonder indeed." Gerald chuckles, offering the girl at his side a small grin, though it's gone just as quickly as it came, followed by a nod toward Alphard. "I know…it never really meant that much to me. I'm all for house spirit, but in the end it's going to have so little effect on my life outside the school. Having the cup isn't going to make my career any easier. And frankly…" Have you met his housemates? Some are awesome..some not so much. "I'm mildly concerned I'm going to be bored with absolutely everything next year."

Medusa strokes her chin thoughtfully, a soft expression on her often harsh face. She turns to look at Gerald, an insipidness adopted in her stance. "If you really try hard, Gerald," she says softly, but also in a deeper voice, "I think you will see that you can get along with everyone." Again she strokes her cheek, then her chin. "Afterall, the muggles and half-bloods like me are pretty nice, right? We'd make a good team, you an — I can't even pretend to be Denholm without wanting to kick him. How does he live with himself?" She sneers, "Insipid fool."

Alphard threw his head back and laughed when Medusa did her Denholm impersonation, his laughter both merry and cruel at once. His left hand assaulted his right's wrist, like he was trying to hold it in check. "See? I'm having to fight down the urge to pull my wand out and hex you into hell!"

Arian is strolling through the entry hall, minding his own business, and juggling. Then the sound of cackling distracts him from the task at hand. One of his red balls hits the floor, where it goes rolling across with a mind of its own towards Medusa. Arian chases after it, hopeful to catch it before it draws him into some sort of social contact, but he's too late. The ball softly rolls to a stop against Medusa's foot, where it lays, waiting to be picked up.

Gerald sighs at Medusa, but Alphard's words earn a louder noise, "Oh come on now, Black." Bit much for him to take. "Don't be an ass." He frowns still. No he's not friends with the other, but really the simple fact was..Ger's a nice guy. "As nice as you are to people, I wouldn't walk around throwing the word 'hex' around." He seems ready to keep going, but as the ball makes its way into his line of sight, Gerald stops..and sighs as he spots the other. "Ah hell…" Naturally.

The offending juggling ball which is touching Medusa's foot gets a look of scorn which would terrify many a small student. She doesn't even bother to pick it up, that would mean bending down. Her head lifts and she looks for the owner of the toy, spying Arian she arches a brow and glares at him. "Nosy Ravenclaw boy." Oh dear, she remembers him. "Does this," a finger points at the ball touching her foot, "belong to you?"

"Whatever. Really? *I* am the ass?" Alphard asked with a haughty toss of his head, matching Gerald's frown with a derisive scowl. "We were just having some innocent fun. You're the one whose panties are all in a bunch. Ruining the mood, Cornfoot. Tsk tsk. It's just bad form. Next time just try and be in the moment. You'll feel better." With his attention focused on Gerald, he didn't even notice the ball until Medusa was addressing the Ravenclaw. The tall Slytherin boy's dark and superior gaze was leveled at Adrian.

Arian has scuttled over to the ball and is half-crouched when Medusa points at the ball. He glances at it, wanting to just pick it up and run, but something tells him the Slytherin girl isn't going to let that happen. "Um, yes, that's mine," Arian says, straightening. "I was just… juggling and… it got away from me." He casts another wistful glance at the ball. These things have drawn him into more unwanted conversations than he can count. "So, if you don't mind, I'll just be taking that back…" But he doesn't move, instead waiting for Medusa's approval. After all, he doesn't want his hand stepped on.

Collect it? As if she would let Arian do that. Medusa kicks the juggling ball away and reaches for her wand. "You should be more careful with your possessions," she warns in an icy tone. "It wouldn't be nice for you to mistakenly miss place one, now would it?" Arian has seen her use this spell before, only last time she was helping to banish a flock of maniacal birds, now it is a simple juggling ball which…disappears. With luck he'll find it again somewhere before graduation.

"You take things too far." Gerald narrows back toward Alphard, though already his eyes have begun moving toward the confrontation between the younger student and the pale haired girl at his side. As Arian speaks though, Gerald's own gaze dims, his eyes lowering toward the ball at the Malfoys feet. He sighs again especially when he watches the toy vanish. "…." Just like that, he's back to brooding! "I need to go to class." He decides as he steps away from the group, reaching to pat the small boy on the shoulder as he passes, "You'd do good to do the same, kid. Don't let her work you up." Sometimes..you just have to walk away!!!

"Please, I'm the model of restraint." It was said straight faced and without even a hint of irony. Like Alphard really believed it. Without offering even a token protest, he let Gerald start on his departure. When someone was being a spoil sport, really, the best thing they could do was leave! A sideways look flew in Medusa's direction. "You've really got that one down. Been practicing?" Like the key issue here -wasn't- that she'd just made Arian's ball vanish, but that she'd done it so effortlessly!

Arian is forced to watch helplessly as his ball vanish, and his expression turns quickly from one of meekness to a frown, then quickly to a scowl. "Hey, you had no right to do that!" he says angrily. "It's not like it hurt you, you know. It was just a ball." He looks around, expecting the ball to appear for a moment, but when it doesn't, he glares at the Slytherin. "Bring it back, or I'll tell Pringle that you were using spells in the halls." Arian knows how much Pringle hates that; after all, he's been in trouble multiple times for violating that exact rule.

If anything it Gerald's reaction which surprises Medusa. But she accepts it as it is, knowing her friend well enough by now. Arian is ignored for a moment as she instead focuses on lapping up Alphard's praise. "Thank you. I do very good wandwork, you know." She's just no good explaining it in an essay. With a roll of her eyes as the whining Ravenclaw brings up Pringle, Medusa looks over at Arian at last. "Go right ahead. Who here is going to support your accusation?" She waves her wand menacingly in the direction of the much younger boy. "In case you hadn't noticed, wart, you are outnumbered and outclassed. Now scram before I banish you too."

"That's to be expected. I mean.. you are a pure-blood. It's what we were born to do. Still, it was nifty business." Who said it was always all about Alphard? He could give compliments on occasion! Mostly he had been ignoring Arian from the start, like he was wont to do with younger students from different houses and lesser backgrounds. Like Arian didn't really exist, or if he did, then he probably should've had the decency to cease. But when Pringle was announced, that drew his eyes immediately. "Spells? I didn't see a spell. All I've witnessed is me and Malfoy and Cornfoot having a good time, when some filthy little brat came and made a nuisance of himself." He glanced at Medusa. "And don't you just know Pringle -loves- it when younger students waste his time with false accusations."

Hiding and staying out of things. That's what Gage has been up to, for the most part. There's a light on in the broom closet, which the door is actually not completely shut. The boy is quite focused on the book he's reading by wand light, at least he was. After whispering the spell to turn off the light, the lays the book with its pages down and pokes his head out from the closet, scowling as he looks around to see what's going on.

Arian considers backing down at first, but then he stops himself. No! No more kneeling to the Slytherins. "So what if I'm outnumbered? It's not like you can ACTUALLY banish me without drawing some real trouble." As for Alphard's comment, Arian just rolls his eyes. "You're just a bunch of talk. Which is all you've got, considering your face looks just short of a troll."

As the door to the broom closet creaks open Medusa's hand goes to her pocket. The folds of her over robe hiding her wand which is slipped away. "I think we should just go right to the Headmaster, Alphard, what do you think?" Sneer on her face, the Malfoy, girl dismisses Arian with a look. Once she has determined there is no one of interest in the closet she gives her attention to Alphard. "I think Headmaster Flint would like to be informed of the aggressive and disrespectful nature of this little…what is he? Mudblood? Half-mud?"

It is lunchtime and most everyone is in the Great Hall still, the two Slytherin and the small Ravenclaw are near the door to the courtyard.

Niko was heading out of the great hall, to head up to . When he suddenly heard someone shout, he turns and moves towards it, his Amber hair falling down in his face, as he tilts his head curiously. Seeing the Ravenclaw he had dinner with the other night, his gazes moves towards the Slytherins, seeming to give him a hard time, walking in front of Arian and putting his arm out in front of him, "Really?" he asks, his face straight for once, "A Fourth Year?" he says sounding more shocked then anything else, he actually looks annoyed this time, the warm smile and warmth in his tone gone, "Back off you two." he says looking especially at Alphard, "Really Black? I honestly thought better of you." he says shaking his head.

The transformation was immediate and complete. From one moment to the other the scion of House Black went from just having some casual fun at the expense of a younger student, to oozing cool aggression. Physical tension crackled in the air as he took a step forward, and it wasn't his wand he was going for. Instead he was closing his big scarred-knuckle Beater fist into the promise of violence. Competing with his anger - anger that some little half-blood filth -dared- to be lippy with him - was an eagerness. Borderline sociopath. "When I'm done with you, you'll wi—" but Medusa's words were sinking in. A glance quickly went towards Medusa's suddenly empty hand, then the broom closet.. and then to the fact that they were in the very public entrance Hall where someone might come by at any time. He drew in a shuddering breath, visibly having to regain control. His look said he realized that perhaps right -here- and -now- was the best place to settle scores. So he'd take the lesser satisfaction. Even if when Niko barged in it was -twice- as hard to keep his hate down. "Mud and mud. Let's go," before he did something stupid. It wasn't over, though. No. That look he gave Niko and Arian? It said this wasn't close to being over.

One look at who's about and Gage reflexively starts to crawl back into the closet, even as his scowl deepens. His grip tightens temptingly around the wand in his hand, but he grits his teeth as he resists the urge. Dealing with Pringle does not sound like a fun idea. Instead, he pulls the string at the end of his wand over his head, his hand dipping into his wrinkled robes. But he pauses when the Gryffindor steps in, and thus sits back on his heels with a snort.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure the headmaster wants to hear about how you got your feelings hurt," Arian snickers at Medusa's comment. Then Alphard gets a look in his eyes like he's going to do something serious. Arian tries to tell himself that he wouldn't do anything too drastic, but he can't help take a step back. It's all Arian can do to keep from heaving a huge sigh of relief when Niko shows up. "Yeah, you should leave."

When Alphard begins to react to Arian's petulant comments Medusa reaches a hand out to her friend, lightly touching his chest. Her look of scorn lifts from the taunting Ravenclaw to his new Gryffindor defender. "Funny, Denholm, your midget friend here started it. We were on our way to lessons when he came out here taunting us. Throwing out insults. Maybe somebody dared him to do it. Whoever they are, needs to be spoken to." She lets her hand slide down Alphard's chest to find his arm, "Alphard, you were going to escort me to class, remember."

Niko nodded, "Yeah, mud and mud. So why don't you go a head and leave before you get your robes dirty Black." he says softly shaking his head, "You want to come after people, come after people at least your age." he says shaking his head softly, "But a Seventh Year and Sixth Year against a Fourth Year?" he says shaking his head, "That's…" he says stopping closing his eyes for a moment forcing a smile, "If you want to go to the Headmaster, go." he says softly, "Yeah and I am sure you both are completely innocent in this Malfoy." he gestures for Arian to leave, "Even if that is so, we are suppose to conduct ourselves as examples as Upperclassmen." he says shaking his head.

As they depart, the Slytherins to the courtyard and the little Ravenclaw down the corridor only the closet-reader and Niko are left but there is still the impression that whatever happened before the later two made their presence known is not over.

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