| Details for Work That Charm |
| Summary: | After breakfast, Alphard and Andromena head to Charms class, where there is flirting, backstabbing and face-planting. |
| Date: | 1938-11-14 |
| Location: | Charms classroom |
| Related: | More Breakfast |
| Characters |
  |
"It's not Macmillan's job to make fun of you," Alphard had told Meanie after giving her the book. With a grin he then added, slyly under his breath: "It's my job." It was his way of accepting her gratitude without making too much of a big deal about it.
From there it was straight to Charms class, in a rush - as much as Alphard ever rushed anywhere - because breakfast had dragged and no Magijugend wanted to be late for a class run by Viridian. The Professor could be downright vindicitve, and he was not only Muggleborn, but even sponsor of the Mudclub. So if Alphard didn't run exactly, his legs sure stretched as far as they would allow and still be considered striding forward purposefully!
Which meant Andromean was running. Alphard had more than just a few inches of height on her, so there was no way she could possibly keep up just by elongating her stride. Maybe this was his way of proving his statement about being the only one able to make fun of her true. Running could be so undignified! When they arrived to class she was practically breathless, her hair, usually so perfectly tousled, flowing wild down her back and shoulders.
"Remember me," she all but huffed, cheeks reddened just from the exertion. "My legs," she panted, dropping herself into a seat and fully expecting him to join her. "Aren't nearly as long as yours." At last, her breath was returning. They had even managed to slip just in time. The professor hadn't even looked up from where he sat.
"You're looking like you're about to faint. Is this when I'm supposed to tear my clothes off so I can stand bare-chested while catching you?" It was like he had said before; just because he wasn't going to let Douglas mock her in front of the whole Great Hall didn't mean he couldn't whisper little teases into her ear as they arrived to Charms. "I know what we can do after classes today. You did say they were so engaging. Why don't we spend the evening with you reading the book for me? Every.. little.. detail." With a chuckle he pulled away, heading towards their seats.
It was just in time, too, because Viridian called the class into session. Today was all about the Puppet-Body-Charm.
"That's convenient. And we were just talking about fainting."
It seems her cheeks would get no rest today, for as Alphard's sly whisper slithered its way into her ears the girl was blushing anew. She couldn't! Knowing the sort of things that were in those books she could scarcely imagine saying any of it out loud! In her seat, Andromena buried her face in her arms and suppressed a terrorized groan. She knew he would not let her escape it now that he had suggested it, which meant she would have to think up a way to edit what was on the pages…or something.
"At least you'd catch me," she murmured, so as not to draw attention to themselves. "But I think you had better keep your clothes on while we're in class, I very much doubt Professor Viridian would care to lay eyes upon what must be a glorious physique." Having felt it once, Andromena was therefore allowed to indulge in such flights of fancy! Straightening up, Andromena brushed a lock of hair aside, plastering on a: I'm serious, we're in class now face.
"Have I told you that you're kind of cute when you blush?" Alphard kept his little stream of teasing comments going, though hushed now that Viridian had started making noise. This was his second best subject after DADA, and he felt ontop of it enough that he could split his attentions between being a terror and actually learning. "It even creeps up to the tips of your ears." Cue him extending a finger to brush his fingers into her hair and tucking those lucks behind it her ear. Revealing it to full view.
"Of course I would. I've always insisted that I'm a hero." Even if some Lowe cousins might disagree on that point if asked. Then Viridian's attentions landed on them, and he too did his best impression of looking straight ahead and being very focused on class!
The devil! A little shudder crept up her spine, enough for Alphard to notice as his finger was lightly trailing the gentle curve of her ear. Which was, as he had so glibly noted, crimson. He might be able to artfully split himself between two separate fields of Charm, but Andromena was hardly so fortunate. This was, after all, the first time ever a boy was giving her this sort of attention…while in class no less! (He had called her cute)! Her stoic features crack, her mouth apparently unable to decide if it should break into a smile or a frown.
"I've been doing some extra reading on this particular subject the past few nights," she tells Alphard as the class in general begins to dig in to their books and notes and whathaveyou. It could be said Charms was her best subject, so Andromena felt more than confident that today's project would go swimmingly. Nay. Perfectly.
As soon as the Professor's attention slipped elsewhere again, Alphard's lips were cruising with a smug smile. Not only was she rather cute when she was offbalance, but watching her reactions satisfied his sadistic side, too. Which, let's face it, was no small part of his personality.
"Slytherin's tail, I'm so far behind after all the time I spent preparing for the Sunday match." It was a rueful admission, but hopefully his natural talent would carry him until he had time to not only catch up, but get ahead. His book thumped open, and he did infact listen to Viridian explain the contents. When it was questions time, his hand went up. It was the sort of nonchalant lazy wave that said he was far too much the cool kid to fight for the Professor's attention.
Andromena, quite unlike her usual self, did not even bother to raise her hand for the first round of questioning. Instead, with her book open, she was already reading ahead. For the time being, Alphard did not appear eager to continue his psychological assault upon her delicate person. Somewhat of an exaggeration, yes, because it was not as if Andromena did not enjoy it. Indeed, as Andromena gave it some thought, pretending to read as she was, she decided that there was something deceptively fun about it all - what with being in class, that is.
After a moment, she glances up to see Alphard with his hand in the air. She looks momentarily perplexed, and it's then Andromena understands she was letting her mind wander. "What was the question," she leans to whisper into his ear.
"If we can list three spells; one that causes sleep; one that causes unconciousness; one that causes immobilization," Alphard whispered back at her, looking bemused that little miss smarty pants bookworm hadn't been paying attention in class. Of course that was the moment when he also let his foot play in a lazy little brush against hers. He'd slipped it free of his polishd black dress shoe.
It was just as the Professor looked at them: "Black, Rowle." Even if said Rowle hadn't actually raised her hand.
"Stupefy, Dormeo, Petrificus Totalus," Alphard called out. Thus naming all of them and stealing away Andromena's thunder. So naturally she just got a different question instead. Just because.
"Oh," came the small sound, just before two things happened at once: Alphard's foot (clad in silken socks one must wonder?), brushed against her ankle and Professor Viridian levelled, quick as lightning, his second question her way. It is utterly unrelated to that which he had asked Black, concerning the day's subject matter, and she managed to give the correct answer despite someone's foot tickling her!
"What are you doing," she whispered, but rather than sounding harsh the way she intended, Andromena instead sounded more amused. But she wasn't, damn it! Or…she was trying very hard not to be. If he did not stop any time soon, she would be forced to slip off her shoe in order to bat him away. That was, naturally, the only course of action that made any sense.
"It's called watching you squirm," Alphard murmured in response. And of course his foot was silken clad; there was no other way for a gentleman to attire his gentle nether digits. "I'm surprised you managed that one, though. It came out of nowhere." Grinning he languidly let his teenage frame sink deeper into his chair. His foot kept brushing against the side of hers, too. That old fashioned game of footsie. Even if she hadn't actually caught on yet.
The class continued cluelessly, of course. Alphard even watched and listened as Viridian kept going through the motions. Twice more he had to answer a question, but it wasn't particularly difficult. He even kept notes. They said:
'Book Project: Smutty McSmutterson and Damsel. Chapter one: Damsel in distress runs naked through forest, chased by wolves'. "What do you think? You're the expert in these things. Could I make a million galleons?"
The little shoe came off. This was war. Tap. Tap tap. Light and dainty motions. Firstly so she did not give anyone reason to look their way, and secondly because she was not some beastly heifer, clomping about and flinging her limbs as if they were clubs! Andromena's foot, not surprisingly, was much smaller than Alphard's own. And he was allowed to have big feet because he was a boy, a tall one at that; can't expect him to prance about on little cloven hoofs.
"Wha- " Came her amused blurt once her eyes alighted on Alphard's 'notes.' "It's not the best I've seen." Unfortunately, due to her unguarded bit of laughter, Viridian was once again focused on the pair of them. His, "Care to share, Rowle?" Left Andromena feeing cold. She had never been anything but the perfect student in class before today!
"Black's notes, sir," she answers sheepishly. Yeah, Alphard, you're the root of this particular problem, and she was throwing you under the proverbial bus. "He asked my opinion of them…and I noticed a rather silly mistake. Sorry for the disruption," and with that, a smug look on her features, Andromena scribbled across his parchment: Heroic Smutty, shirtless and blood-spattered, woos every woman he has ever come across. But damsel is different!
"What the hell?" Alphard muttered when she stabbed him in the back. Of course it wasn't as if he could complain to the Professor either. The man might demand to see what he had actually written in his notes, which would have been a great way to get docked a bunch of points. "That was low. Really low! Here I thought you and I were friends, and you slit my academic throat as casually as if you'd gut a fish." He sighed with dramatic suffering, and his foot promptly withdrew from the little tug-of-war it had been getting on with hers.
His took one glance at what she'd written, then shook his head. IT was hard to keep his stern facade, and a hint of a smile leaked out before he could scoop it back in again. Damn it. It was not funny.
"Did you want me to read it out loud?" Asked in a whisper, because she really did not need Viridian to zero in on them again. Once or twice might not arise any suspicions, but more than that? Andromena hurriedly returned her shoe to her foot. If he was that mad with her about something so trivial then she wasn't about to keep playing a game he had started. Her arms folded across her chest in that atypical expression of annoyance. Like it was Alphard's fault. Which… she sort of saw it as being.
Yet she only just caught sight of the smile, and that caused another to slowly bleed onto her lips. For the time being, however, Andromena did not seek to renew their shameless flirting, turning her attention to her school work. Finally.
"That was the only other option?" Alphard asked her with a quiet little snort. "I'm pretty sure you could've come up with something that didn't make me sound like an idiot." Because that was just out of line. He was never in the wrong, and when he was, he prefered nobody to ever find out. His foot slipped back into his shoe.
The rest of the class seemed to progress without incident. A few questions, some back and forth debate, with both of them contributing. Then it was time for the practical application and training. With his usual detatched grace, Alphard got up to his feet. He even offered a helping hand to Meanie, since she had worn her poor lil footsies out earlier. Plus it was the gentlemanly thing to do.
How it worked was: Viridian would cast an immobilization spell on half the class, while their partners would then puppet them. Afterwards it was all changed back around.
"I promise never to do it again," Andromena said to Alphard, voice tender and sweet. Her hands were clasped together in the semblance of prayer, and though it had not worked before, she was once again batting those thick lashes his way. Let it never be said that Andromena Rowle was incapable of turning a blind eye to another's plight.
The class progressed without further hitch, and by the time it came to the application of all that they had previously discussed, Andromena was fairly giddy with excitement. Magical theory was all fine and dandy, but the practical application of it was by far the more satisfying. Taking his hand, Andromena offered Alphard another smile. Why not? "I'll go first," she offered, stepping to the side to the classroom with the students that were to be immobilized. See! She was attempting to make up for shaming him by allowing Alphard to control her limbs; a potentially dangerous thing to do.
"Does that actually ever work on anyone?" It wasn't meant to be said with such a grin, but he didn't seem to have complete control over his facial expressions right now. Rolling his eyes, Alphard returned to the class. Of course if he had a bit more self insight, he might have realized that he did the same thing all the time. That 'innocent' act of his that nobody in their right mind ever believed. At least nobody who actually knew him.
He loved the way his wand felt in his hand. It was like an extension of his body, like it already kenw what he wanted to do before he did. Through it, he could change the way the very universe worked. With some small grating exceptions. His dark eyes fixed on Andromena with a predatory glint to them. He hardly needed to be told to start. Immediately his wand was up, and he was casting: "Mobilicorpus!" With just the right bit of twirl to his wand. Full control. He made her dance. Dance like a silly little puppet, arms andl egs flailing all about as she moved around the room.
There were a couple of crashes as some of the students completely failed. Once Viridian had sorted those unfortunate souls out, he called out: "Now we switch!"
Dancing and flailing are not usually described in the same breath…not unless the dance was very bad. Which, Andromena inwardly groaned, was exactly what the bastard was making her do. On the bright side, which was more like a very tiny, slim sliver of light, he was not making her do the famous Dragon Wriggle Down on some hapless student. Nor had he caused her to fling herself against a wall or desk, or completely fall on her face like SOME people. Still, this flailing would be remembered.
"Well.. wasn't that just aces, eh?" Alphard was still grinning smugly at Andromena when Viridian tapped her and removed the immobilization she had been under. Then it was his turn, suddenly stiff and unable to move at all. It was at that time, realizing that he was absolutely helpless to do anything to stop whatever nasty ideas Meanie cooked up, that he sort of regretted his earlier routine.. and how humiliated she migth have felt.
One has a lot of time to think when their body is immobilized and being controlled by another. What sort of nasty, or naughty, little daydreams was little Meanie Rowle entertaining just then? The stark truth might just surprise somebody that knew her! Because as she danced (read: flailed like a mad lunatic, a mad drunken lunatic), she turned Alphard's lacklustre tale of romance into something only a teen girl might possibly imagine. That or someone who indulged in just a little too much fantasy, but neither here nor there! A hero and heroine, each amazingly good looking - of course - brave adventurers, the man skilled in battle; chased by werewolves (the sexy kind), that wanted to RAVAGE- Alphard's control caused Andromena's hand to smack against her chest, right where her earlier pocketed letter was. Remembering it, she remained rigid even after the professor ended the spell.
Stiffly, she made her way over to where Black had been previously, giving an absent nod to his comment but otherwise not responding. On Viridian's cue, Andromena was slow to raise her wand. The incantation was all but mumbled, her eyes stared through Alphard. There but not, painfully so. The sound of a loud, very loud, THUMP snapped her back to reality. And there…to her great horror, was Alphard Pollux Black, face down on the floor.
"Oh- oh GAWD, Alphard!" Andromena rushed to his side, hands extended, but almost fearful to touch him. "I am SO sorry!" And everything from the horrified look in her eyes to the mollified tone of her voice said that this was true rather than a poorly executed method of vengeance.