| Details for Cookery and Conversations |
| Summary: | Medusa and Lara concoct a spiced chocolate custard which they share with Morgana and Alphard, then Douglas arrives and the talk turns to other domestic issues. |
| Date: | 22 November 1938 |
| Location: | Outside and then inside the Club Room |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Lara is standing near a wall, her cheeks still showing the remains of a flush. One hand is turned so that her palm is striking her forehead over and over while she repeats to herself, 'idiot, you bloomng idiot.'
The sound of her boots announces Medusa's arrival long before she can be seen. Rather peculiarly the Malfoy girl is looking through a cookbook, which might be why she is in the same corridor as the club room. She stops seeing Lara and frowns, looking around and seeing no one else enquirers, "Are you alright?"
Lara starts and spins around, her face turning pale. "Oh, um…" She's stammering and her eyes flicker to the doorway near by before she moves further away. "I'm … fine. Just… " she stops, takes a calming breath and exhales slowly. "I just made a fool of myself, is all."
It takes Medusa about ten seconds to decide she is bored enough to care and then put on a concerned expression. "I'm sure it can't be all that bad." Tucking the cookbook under her arm she moves towards Lara and turning a shoulder leans in against the wall, standing near the younger girl. "What happened?"
Lara lowers her voice, lest it carry too far. "I just literally fell over a lad," she admits, with the same dire tone of voice that other people use to proclaim they've contracted some deadly disease. "Not only did I fall, but I managed to knock him down as well," she continues, cheeks flaring up again with the thought.
"A girl should always be memorable," offers Medusa with a teasing grin. "You've made sure he won't forget you any time soon." As a thought occurs to her she asks, "He wasn't bleeding or sporting a broken arm or anything was he?"
Lara's face whips towards the doorway to the club room, and her eyes get wide, before she stops and exhales sharply again. "Oh, no," she replies sheepishly, turning back towards Medusa. "I think he'd have mentioned it as he was helping me into a chair." She takes another slow breath, regaining something approaching calm again. "I suppose it's simply that I'm embarrassed by the sheer number of times I seemed to fall." She smiles wryly. "Caught my foot going into the room to start, which might have been less embarrassing if I'd melted through the floor."
"Accidents happen." Medusa glances at the door, following Lara's look. "Some happen to certain people more often than others." Turning back to the girl she says, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Boys like thinking girls need them. It makes them feel all manly. If you're really upset over it send him a note."
Lara quirks an eyebrow. "Um, yes… "Dear fella I don't really know. I'm sorry I fell on you and smacked your head. I promise to stay far away in the future. Sincerely, clutz."
"Sounds good," laughs Medusa. "What does the boy look like? I can probably help you narrow it down. I know just about anybody worth knowing." She says it more as a fact rather than with smugness. The whisper makes her laugh all the more. "Well then no need for a letter then."
Lara starts to giggle then, and turns a charming smile at Medusa. "Right. Sounds like a good time to leave well enough alone." She runs one hand over her hair, checking for fly-aways. "Ok, I need to get out of here, before I fall again. I'm already going to have huge bruises, I'm sure." She giggles again. "Shall we try to raid the kitchen for a drink?"
Pretending to consider it for all of a few seconds Medusa then nods. "Let's." She pushes away from the wall and walks into the club room leaving Lara to follow if she desires to or not.
Lara trots along on her heels, looking around carefully lest the butter attacks her again.
Setting the cookbook on a table Medusa begins rummaging in the cupboards labeled Domestics Club. "So what's your name?" The question is thrown over her shoulder towards Lara before the Malfoy girl begins to pull out a couple of cups and a pair of matching saucers. "There isn't much in here but things for making tea and hot chocolate."
Lara moves to help set things up, smiling in a friendly fashion. "I'm Laryssa, but everyone calls me Lara." She glances over the cookbook, trying to decide if it's a muggle style book, or a fancier version.
The cookbook is most assuredly not mugglish judging by the winking witch on the front who's eye keeps opening and shutting like she has something caught in it. "Which do you prefer?" Opting for hot chocolate Medusa sets the ingredients out on the counter. "Laryssa is a pretty name, but so is Lara. Thankfully your nickname isn't something like Frankie for Francesca."
Lara gives a little shudder at the idea. "I once had to do dreadful things to someone who tried to make it Larry, but I don't mind Lara. It's rather sweet, without being completely frothy." She nods towards the chocolate, chuckling softly again. "I think it took a week before he managed to get all the green out again."
"Hmmm, not really a problem I have ever had." But then Medusa wouldn't being who she is. "You're what…a fifth year?" Withdrawing her wand from her pocket she tries to make them both some hot chocolate using the instructions on the canister. Given how new she is to cooking this could go badly.
Lara rests one hand on her hip. "I'm a fifth year, and you're a seventh. I should tell you, I'm not one of those American characters, who thinks they're one of the men - wanting to look like them, dress like them, talk like them. I'm going to grow up and be a respectable lady, who can do what she wants while still being a proper woman." She lifts her chin as she talks, her gaze focused on the distance, looking at some unseen thing. Then, her body language relaxes as she turns back towards Medusa. "I've seen you around the school, of course, but…" She bites her bottom lip for a moment. "What name do you actually like being called?"
Somehow despite looking right the hot chocolate goes wrong and comes out lumpy and clumpy when Medusa pours it. "Bollocks," she mutters. Half distracted by her failure to make something so simple when she managed to bake a beautiful cake yesterday the Slytherin looks up, "Hmmm? Oh, Medusa is fine. Only my boyfriend gets away with calling me The Gorgon to my face." Talk of American women has her thinking, "Are they a bit loose? That explains Crocker." Briar Crocker is a seventh year Hufflepuff, American too.
Lara blinks as she looks at the lumps coming out of the pitcher. "Is…" she stops, swallows the rest of the sentence. "They say," she drops her voice, "That American women don't believe in knickers or proper brassieres."
"Looks awful doesn't it?" With a sigh Medusa dumps the hot chocolate lumps into the sink. "To be fair I can barely stand being in the same room with Crocker so I never checked to see if she lets her baps float freely or has no knickers." She very idea has her shuddering with revulsion.
"Oh!" She suddenly smiles as ideas pour out of her brain. "If it had tasted right, you could have strained it, and then pressed it together. Sort of a pudding then, perhaps? Or else, if it didn't taste very good, you could have saved it to dump into someone's dirty clothes, and made out that they'd been doing nasty things earlier."
Medusa laughs at that. "It did somewhat resemble that." She turns on the tap to rinse the clumps down the drain. "I'll try again, maybe it will be better. I did manage to make a cake yesterday." Turning the tap off again she asks, "So why aren't you running from me in fear, the great Medusa Malfoy, Overseer of the Magijugend?"
Lara ums for a moment. "Did you want me to?" She smiles once more. "You weren't mean to me, when you could have been. So, until you start being mean, I have no reason to run."
"It's all a bunch of nonsense really. I think Julian Edwards must be some kind of attention seeking nutter." Medusa begins to measure out ingredients again, one more go…one more try for this hot chocolate she is making. "I'm not mean to a lot of people. Just idiots, but they bring it on themselves - at least to my way of thinking."
Lara watches as Medusa tries yet again and leans, almost on tip toes to peer into the container. "Oh, I think that one looks better," she offers helpfully. "I think you're brave, for speaking your mind. Most all of us are horrible about not wanting to seem mean, even when someone else is being cruel to us on purpose." She sighs again. "I try to be nice, because a lady ought to be, but sometimes, it's terribly difficult." Her attention is caught by someone just in the edges of her sight and she turns her head to get a better look. "Oh, hello there," she calls out - warning, greeting? All the same.
The milk and drinking chocolate mixture are stirred together then strained. "I don't think it will work for hot chocolate, but maybe something…custard?" Medusa still needs to work on this cooking lark if she is going to be responsible for feeding three people in the future. "Being unkind is easy, I prefer to be clever about it. The best kind of cruelty is the one people cannot even understand as being cruel. It's far more amusing that way."
Lara can't stop another giggle. "An Irish girl I knew, before school, said her mother told her that the best people are those who can tell another to go to hell in such a way as to have the other person saying thank you." Her eyes twinkle again. "I don't know if I'm that clever, but I admit that I'd love to become that good with words."
"It is true." Medusa flashes Lara a grin, "That and I am one of the best people, but as everyone knows it I don't usually feel the need to speak of it." She taps her wand against the bowl she strained the liquid into and begins whisking in the clumps as it heats and slowly thickens.
Lara watches the 'cooking' in fascination. "Do you have any cinnamon in the cupboard? That's what the ancient Mayans added, right?" Her fingers twitch, as though she's barely holding herself back from trying to do something too. "Or… um, vanilla?"
"I don't know, probably." Medusa nods towards the cupboard indicating that Lara can check. It isn't as if Medusa is officially a club member, although she plans on it. Tired of whisking she swaps out the ordinary whisk for a magical one and taps it with her wand to set it in motion. This enables Medusa to lean against the counter and lick the other whisk clean.
Lara moves over to the cabinet and begins to inspect the items inside. Rummaging around, she finally finds some promising containers. "Oh, here we go. And some… clove?"
Looking over at Lara, Medusa nods. "Sounds good." She has just about cleaned the whisk with her tongue by then. Thankfully no pervvy boys are around to comment. "Add in what you think will be nice. Cooking is about experimenting, after all."
Lara brings the containers over and shrugs. "I'm sure the cinnamon will be nice, but I don't know about the clove. Though, it's awful good in pies, don't you think?" She gingerly sprinkles some of each into the chocolate mess and then leans forward to take a sniff. Making a face, she sprinkles in a little more cinnamon. "I think that should be good."
The self whisking whisk blends in the spices as Lara adds them to the slowly thickening concoction. "It looks a lot more like custard now." Medusa drops the dirty whisk into the sink and begins rummaging for spoons. Finding a drawer full of cutlery she claims a spoon for herself and one for Lara.
Morgana pokes her head in from the hallway to see who is around the clubroom before she enters. Because honestly, if it's boring she'll leave! But she spots Medusa.. cooking. Having wanted to speak with her anyway, the Head Girl slips in and walks over to where they are 'cooking'. "Making me a cake? You shouldn't have."
Lara was just dipping her spoon in to the 'custard' when Morgana makes her comment. She turns, a bit too quickly, and her spoon is a touch wobbly…
"Haha, funny," Medusa says to Morgana. "Didn't you get enough of my cake last night?" Since she kindly shared a piece of the cake she had made in Domestics Club. It was a good cake too, chocolate with nice chocolate icing and odd bits of candied toppings chosen by Medusa's cousin Beatrice. She dips her spoon into the bowl, "Grab a spoon, Morgana. Third drawer to the left."
"You know me, I'm always in the mood for your cake." Morgana replies in her dry tone, than slips over to the drawer to get herself a spoon and dig into whatever concoction they're making. "So you liked it so much last night that you came back for more?" Morgana questions, giving a nod to Lara while she chats.
Lara's spoon wobbles and the bite of custard she had begins to relocate itself somewhere else, but sheer panic enables Lara to aim it at a bit of open space, and not in the middle of Medusa's shirt. Her eyes are huge, as she moves quickly to start cleaning it up. "Oh, oh! Watch your step. I think the butter imps are after me again!"
Medusa rolls her eyes and just about has her own spoon to her mouth when she sees Lara go all wibbly wobbly. Stepping to the side she cannot help but laugh a little at the younger girl. "At least there are no boys around this time." Bravely Medusa puts her spoon in her mouth, testing to see just what their concoction tastes like.
The pale face of a rather notorious sixth year Slytherin boy appeared in the doorway of the Club Room, eyeing the occupants and what exactly they were up to. With a deep intake of breath his nostrils flared. Of course he smiled, next. He was a teenage boy and in the air was both the possibility of pilfering someone else's hard work, and filing a stomach that just never ceased to demand more. More. MORE! Looking his most innocent - which only actually worked on his dearest mummy - Alphard slithered in, hands behind his back. "Oh, hey. Fancy you all being here."
Lara looks at the doorway and exhales strongly. "I'm jinxed, I tell you! Jinxed!" She hides her face behind the cloth, forgetting for a moment that she'd already started to wipe up the mess. Lowering the cloth, she plaintively asks, "Doesn't anyone know a good anti-jinx hex or potion or something?"
"Did I miss out on a cake fight yesterday?" Morgana asks, watching the exchange between Lara and Medusa. She is however waiting for Medusa to taste the batter first, just in case it is.. not tasty. Turning to Alphard she'll raise her brow just a tick. "Fancy seeing us all inside of the castle in the same area? That doesn't sound like something that ever happens." She says drying, finally licking the spoon.
Whatever it is that she and Lara have made must be nice because the Slytherin Queen is going back for seconds with her spoon. Looking over at the sound of a familiar voice, "That's Alphard, he's just here for the food," Medusa tells Lara. She chuckles at Morgana. "No, there was no cake fighting. Myrus Lowe got humiliated at the hands of a rather flirtatious Gryffindor however. Also, Beatrice made him wear a hideously girly apron."
Alphard's gaze slipped off Lara consideringly, before bouncing over to Morgana. "Mhm.." came his sly response. "Fancy seeing you not patrolling the hallways looking your very grimmest. You know, I think you're starting to get a wrinkle right here," he point in the middle of his forehead, "from all your worrying. I despair to think of how many firsties are getting away with running right now, when they should be marching prudely along."
"I heard about Lowe." And yes, he kept moving closer to the cooking, eyeing it like he was just looking for an opportunity to steal something.
Lara straightens up, though it's hard to be dignified when you were caught cleaning the floor, and have custard on one's cheek. "Excuse me. We were quite fine in here without you, and if you've no more manners than a stoat, you don't need to bother her." Her nose lifts as she flounces to her feet. "And don't think you're going to run away with our snack." Brandishing her spoon, Lara defiantly pushes forward, cutting off his access and picks up another glooping spoonful.
"Well I am sure he deserved it." Morgana says about Myrus, going in for another spoon for, because it is super tasty. She may not at all be paying attention to just how she is licking the custard off of the spoon, but it may be in a way that shouldn't be done in mixed company. "I'm not always storming through the halls demanding everyone conform to the rules. I do occasionally stop and eat some custard." Turning to the other two girls, she'll smirk. "This isn't half bad, don't you have to bake it though?" She says before getting another spoonful.
When Lara defends her and their custard concoction Medusa chuckles. "I'll get Alphard a bowl of his own." A much smaller bowl just for boy cooties. "You should try and talk Andromena into joining the Domestics Club, Alphard. She can bake you little cakes then. Put cute iced kitties on the top." Teasing her friends is so much fun that Medusa almost forgets to get a little bowl from the cupboard, almost. Luckily for Alphard she remembers in the end and dishes him up some of the custard and finds him a spoon.
The tall dark haired boy eyed Lara dubiously, as if to ask who did she think she was, trying to block the likes of Alphard from doing anything at all. "You have something here," he murmured, pointing to his cheek. "Besides Rashley and I are old buddies. She'd feel sad and forlorn if I didn't at least tease her a little bit. Like I was ignoring her." And he'd continue his forward momentum, dancing around Lara if he had to. He had great experience at this sort of thing: Like keeping say a stolen diary away from the grasping hands of a crying student who desperately wanted his or her secrets back. Was Medusa teasing? Alphard must have missed it, because he thought it was a great idea: "You're right. I don't think she's in a single club, either, so it's not as if she doesn't have the extra time."
Lara licks her custard in tiny flicks of her tongue, almost like a kitten lapping up cream. She gives Alphard a sniff, before turning her back towards him, perhaps having gained strength by the presence of two strong females in the room. "I think it's just right, since she sort of cooked it in the bowl. The cinnamon, I'm glad I added the extra. It gives it something extra, though I don't know how to explain it right now." She peers into the bowl again. "Though, is there more now than there was earlier?" She pauses, trying to remember. She tries to check her face without making it obvious, though clearly she has no idea where on her cheek the spot might be located.
"It would be the end of it all if you ignored me Black." Morgana says in that same dry flat tone that she always uses with him. "I was in Arts club for a while but.. it was never this delicious. I myself just don't have time this year. Besides, if Medusa keeps this up, she can do all the cooking after school." Not that Morgana can't she just isn't the best. "Aww look, you get your own little bowl. Don't you feel special." She'll say to Alphard.
Medusa dips her spoon back into the big bowl, having given Alphard his own portion. "I will have to make this again." In case Alphard doesn't know who Lara is, Medusa offers an introduction, "Alphard this is Lara. I like her. Lara, this is Alphard, he's a good friend." In other words, be nice to each other. Medusa, has of course assumed that Morgana knows the names of the girls in her own house.
"I believe you." Because why wouldn't her world end if Alphard stopped paying her attention? With smug satisfaction he came to lean against the table, all the while taking it upon himself to sample the wares of the bowl he'd been given. "Mhmm. This is good." At Medusa's introduction he slid another semi-critical look up and down Lara. If she was somebody he had to have known her already, right? "Just Lara?" Then after a sigh and an eyeroll in Medusa's direction he added a: "Hi." See? He could be nice when he wanted to. Sort of.
Lara makes a point to give him an super sweet smile and adds in her own greeting. "Good day to you as well, master black. May your travels be smooth and your path be downhill all the way." She scoops up a little more custard and nods at Morgana. "I wonder if they ever thought to try to make the art edible? Or is that only in cooking type clubs? Still, can't you see making your own version of some fancy painting out of things that can be eaten later? And ice sculptures! They'd be massive piles of fun, if you made a point to make them out of things like lemonaid or something else extra yummy."
Morgana sets her spoon aside, having had enough for the moment, besides she doesn't want to spoil her dinner. "Yes you should make this again. Maybe I can get you into the kitchen when you come and visit over the holiday." Finding a clean bit of space on the counter, Morgana sits herself on it and leans back, shaking her head at Alphard. "I'm sure you do. You like to believe things girls tell you don't you?" Turning to Lara she'll shrug. "I didn't do much of the painting stuff, just the occasional music playing."
The idea of edible paint catches Medusa's attention and imagination. She gets that faraway look in her eye which her two friends will well know means she is somewhere else in her head. Flicking the tip of her tongue against the hollow of her empty spoon she licks away the traces of custard from it. Wherever her thoughts are she suddenly looks a little pink in the face and a bit warm.
"Let's hope not." The words were murmured in a mild and innocent tone. "Or at the end of that long journey downhill I might just end up bumping into you, Lara." Though he too wore a smile, sweet probably wasn't the word to describe it. Bottomlessly arrogant was more like it. He made a few more sounds of primal pleasure erupt from the back of his throat as he tasted some more. Unlike Morgana he was not going to stop until there was nothing left behind. Even then.. well.. like a ravenous wolf he'd probably just move on to the next source. "Medusa.. That's just wrong." What was wrong? Well, he had made connections between her faraway look, her licking, and her sudden pink face.
Lara's brow lowers in confusion as she looks from Alphard to Medusa and then over at Morgana. With a visible mental shrug, she ignores what she didn't quite catch. She nibbles a little more custard before she resigns herself to setting her spoon aside too. "I wonder if this would be good with a hot seasoning for a contrast," she murmurs.
Morgana leans over and waves her hand in front of Medusa's face. "Hello.. I have an appointment with Medusa, is she home?" She might have an idea why she got so spacey but, it would be rude to call her out on it. Looking over to Alphard an the way he's devouring the bowl she'll shake her head. "What is wrong is how you look like you're about to lick that bowl. I thought you were a gentleman?" She asks with a raise of her brows. She'll shrug to Lara, trying to not break the poor girls brain, over a custard.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about my potions homework." Of course you were Medusa. She eats another spoonful and looks between the other three. "What were we talking about?" Another mouthful and she is pushing the bowl towards Alphard, knowing he will eat it all up.
"Please, as if." He sniffed in Morgana's direction, even if that had been exactly what he had planned on doing. However with a new source on hand, he could settle for just taking the girls' bowl as well. Without hesitation he was back to lapping up the custard. "You. When did you join the Domestics club, anyway?"
Lara moves over to the cabinet, trying to see herself in a reflection. "Oh! I really do have something on my face," she exclaims with disgust. She shakes her head and turns back to the others. "Nothing wrong with being certain that one can feed oneself, no matter the situation." Oh, dear. Bet she didn't mean that to sound that priggish, by the expression on her face after she hears what she said.
"Oh right. Potions homework." Morgana says with a sly smirk. "And just how are those potions coming along? Or do we need to do more tutoring on the subject?" The smirk stays on her lips as Alphard goes for more custard. "Forgive me, I was wrong, you would have never done that. Medusa on the other hand realized that I can't cook, so she's doing her future roommate a favor."
"Oh, I tried Domestics Club years ago in year two. I can't remember why but I know it was boring after a while." Medusa carries her spoon over to the sink and drops it in. "But since I decided to do the traditional thing for my branch of the family and leave home after finishing school I thought it might be an idea to know how to do some kind of cooking so as well don't all starve." The Slytherin girl shrugs a shoulder as if it were nothing really. "It's all rather like potions and I'm not half bad at that."
"Yes, you have something on your face." He was still eating custard, which limited somewhat his ability to contribute to the conversation. He could still make chuckling sound when Morgana offered to tutor Medusa, though. "Good at that, are you?" He asked between mouthfuls, his dark eyes sparkling with sly mischief. "Anyways. They're not a bad bunch of skills to know, I guess. At least for a girl." Because he was going to have a wife or a house elf to do them for him, obviously. No cooking for Alphard Pollux Black.
Lara rolls her eyes, but ignores the source. "My mother said that every woman needs to know at least a little about how to cook and take care of a house, so that she knows if the staff is doing what they should be doing. I suppose that means we should all make a point to join the right clubs and such."
"Oh I don't know, there is something… fantastic about a man who can cook. My brother says it's how he's had most of the women he's been with." Morgana replies with a smirk, glad to be finished with the custard since Alphard is diving head first into it.. well spoon first that is. "I had just planned on eating a lot of take away when I moved out. It wouldn't be great for my vault but.. it would have been easier."
"That's me, Medusa Malfoy, known for her amazingly varied skills and talents." Medusa might be willing to cook but washing up is beneath her so she leaves the dirty spoon along side the other dirty dishes in the sink and moves back over to lean against the table, watching Alphard devour the remnants of the custard. She looks at Lara, "Your mother sounds very…proper." Morgana gets a smirk at mention of her brother, "Which of your handsome brothers would that be?"
The very last of the custard was finally devoured, leaving him with a clean spoon and a stained bowl. Of course dishwashing was far beneath him, too, so he just settled both bowl and spoon down onto the table for someone else to deal with. "We're all in awe, Medusa." So said and with a languid ripple of motion, he pushed himself off the table. With all the food gone, there really wasn't anything left to hold him here. "There's a bit of sense to that, though. It's like my papa." And yes, he used the most infuriatingly upperclass 'papa' version. "He insisted I learn finance on the side, because you can't trust accountants and moneymanagers to do a proper job if you're not ontop of it. That's how old money families become no-money families."
Lara sighs softly. "Oh, she is extremely proper. She's given me lists of things that ladies do or don't do, and I'm not to stray from the path of the proper lady." She nods in agreement towards Alphard as she continues, "Ladies need that too, to ensure the household money doesn't come up short. It's never good to waste your husbands money, or not have your accounts settled when he wants to look them over." She smooths out her skirt again, ensuring everything is tucked up just so. "She said that when I finish my schooling here, I'm to go to a finishing school, so that I'll be ready to manage a proper household and keep a happy husband."
There is something about what Lara says that causes Morgana to raise a brow. "There are schools on how to train you to be a wife? That's.. fascinating." She says, it as if it is the most disgusting thing ever. Turning to Medusa she'll smirk. "Eduard, the musician. He's the younger one.. Did I tell you he was coming to visit soon? I'm not sure when, but let him know when the Hogsmeade weekends are. You'll have to meet him."
Before she can forget or he can leave Medusa says to Alphard, "I spoke with Shafiq. He is going to befriend your cousin." Given there are others present the Malfoy doesn't go into anymore detail than that. "My aunt went to one of those, a wizarding finishing school." Medusa shudders at the very idea of ending up like her aunt. Thankfully Morgana gives her another, much happier thing to focus on. "Eduard? Is he the one that's single?" She waggles her brows at her bestest girl friend. "And no, you didn't tell me he was coming to visit."
"Seems like a sensible witch, your mother," Alphard said with an approving nod in Lara's direction. It was the first time he'd seemed genuinely friendly to the fifth year. "That's how it is done properly. Good luck with that." It was obvious that he was about to bail on them, though. It was only Medusa addressing him that held the boy back for a moment. "Good," was all he said, giving the blonde Malfoy a grin. "I'm looking forward to seeing how that goes. But I'll see you all later. I remember I had something to do." Or rather, there was no more good stuff to steal.
Lara laughs, softly. "Oh, it's more than just learning to be a wife. It's what to say to whom, and when, and how to hide one's true feelings, and … oh, a thousand other things that help one get along in society. Sometimes I wish we had those classes here, because I know I sometimes put my feet in a mess." She gives a small wave of her hand. "It's silly things too though, such as what corner of your cards to fold when you leave one somewhere you've gone visiting. Manners and all." She glances at the sink, looking to see if the dishes vanish on their own, the way it happens in the dining room.
Douglas pokes his head in the door, pausing there and jamming his hands into his pockets. He shifts aside enough to let people leave, but otherwise just lurks, lifting his chin to acknowledge those within. He's not about to enter entirely. He might get roped into doing dishes or something.
Somewhat amused by Lara's concern with manners Medusa cannot help but grin and look between herself and the fifth year. Aside from their actual appearance being different there is little about the Malfoy girl which speaks of propriety or manners, just look at her uniform! Lifting a hand from the edge of the table she is leaning into Medusa waves to Alphard, "Say hello to Andromena for me." Yes, she has just assumed that's the important thing he has to go see to. Not that she imagines he is actually seeing to the Rowle girl. It is easy enough to spot a familiar head behind Black. "Douglas!" In the grand tradition of girls who are useless friends when their boyfriends are around she all but skips over to the Gryffindor. "I've been practicing more cooking, but I didn't make a cake this time."
"I am sure it will be very valuable." Morgana says quietly, not wanting to fully express her opinions of what goes on at a school like that. "Good bye Black, have fun stealing someone else's custard." Well she at least got a bite or two. "Yes! Eddie is the single one. Perpetually single, must to my father's dismay. However he seems to enjoy it." Turning to Douglas when he enters, she'll smirk and wave him in. "I just heard from him the other morning, so I hope he will visit soon."
Alphard lifted his hand in a farewell gesture, and nodded to Douglas, then vanished.
Lara's face shows she realizes that the others all know each other well, so she turns with a grimace to the sink that didn't clean itself. Being the youngest, and least in rank, she clearly resigns herself to quietly cleaning up the mess.
Seeing as how her culinary promise has clearly stunned Douglas into silence, Medusa is left to notice Lara cleaning up. While a nicer person might offer to help sadly that nicer person doesn't seem to be in the room. "Did any of you see Alphard's opinion piece in the Prophet? I think considering how Edwards pulled a wand on him in the library a week or so ago he was quite restrained."
"I spotted it, but I didn't have time to read it over fully." Morgana says with a shrug, because she's honestly tired of all of these letters going around. Debating for the moment, she decides to hop off the counter and help to dry the dishes. The Head Girl can't be seen as useless after all.
"It was pretty reasonable," Douglas agrees, offering his arm to Medusa as she heads over to him. "I mean, it was objective. Which is more than most things that come out of that boy's mouth. You know he wants a career in politics? I think he'll do well, surprisingly." He looks around, raising a brow. "So, what, no cake today? I'm disappointed."
Lara gives Morgana a bright smile, as she quickly, but inexpertly, washes the few dishes. Thankfully it doesn't take long and for the moment, nothing is dropped, nor does Lara trip on anything. When she is done, she looks around, trying to decide what to do next.
"You don't have to tidy Lara, honestly. I'm sure some elf will do - actually they probably don't clean up in here since people are supposed to learn cleaning spells." Medusa looks up at Douglas, "You ate the last of the cake last night." She blinks. "Alphard wants to be a politician? I thought he wanted to be an auror? I even wrote my sister a letter asking to help him get an internship during the summer. That weasel." She takes hold of Douglas' arm and draws him into the room. "I got a cookbook out of the library. I thought I could try different things. See what is easy enough to do." Even she was amazed at how the cake turned out.
"Auror first," Douglas explains as he's dragged into the room. "Politics later. Once he's got a few years behind him so they take him seriously. So what did you make today? Other than dirty dishes for that poor girl to clean up? Hey, Rashley," he adds, lifting his chin. "You making not-a-cakes too?"
"Black ate the rest of the custard and I think he was very close to licking the bottom of the bowl." Morgana says with a smirk as she dries the dishes. "I don't know if I could see him as an Auror.. he might need to calm down that ego a little before he tried." She says thoughtfully though whens he is addressed she'll shake her head. "Nope, I don't want to burn the castle down."
Lara smiles nicely as she dries her hands having finished her part of the tiding up. "We turned a mess into a masterpiece, and you should be very sorry you missed out. Perhaps if you're nice, you can convince Medusa to try it again another day." She moves around the room, until she finds a comfortable place to lean - listening, but not being intrusive.
"Dear Merlin, imagine him as Minister of Magic?" Medusa shakes her head at the very idea. Releasing Douglas she picks up her long cast aside cookbook from the table she had been leaning on earlier and begins to flip through it. "Oh, this is Lara…no idea what her surname is." Vaguely gesturing between them, "Lara, my boyfriend Douglas. He's less crabby than Alphard. Better looking too." After pausing to look at a recipe for a pasta dish she muses, "Maybe what we should do is compile a list of what we each like to eat and then when there is something all of us like I can find out how to make that?"
Douglas lifts a hand. "Lara," he greets amiably, moving to perch on the edge of the table, generally getting in the way of Medusa's cookbook flipping. "What's with the sudden domesticity, anyway, Malfoy? Trying to get into Rashley's good books so she'll have you away in the broom cupboard again?"
"Aww, you still think we had fun in the broom closet with out you? You poor boy. I hope it didn't keep you up too late at night." Morgana teases, finishing her work and leaning against the sink. "No, no I do not want to imagine him as the Minister of Magic. That would be a nightmare for sure." Morgana says lightly before she shrugs her shoulders. "I think Medusa just doesn't want us to starve that's all.. and I am sure there is plenty in there that I would eat."
Lara considers her answer for a moment. "I like baked apples too, and I'll write home and find out the name of the pasta dish that cook always used to fix for us. It was exceedingly good."
"I was thinking of branching out, maybe inviting The Beast into the closet with me next time," jokes Medusa. "You know how Cuthbert is willing to batter people for snogs." She nods in agreement with Morgana, "That's what I was thinking. I'll cook. You can wash and Douglas can clean the toilet." Lara is given a grin, "Thank you, that would be very kind."
"Clean the… we are so getting a house elf," Douglas decides firmly. "Or you can go pee behind a tree. You said you could, you might need to prove it." He nods to Lara thoughtfully. "I like baked apples. Stuffed with that mincemeat stuff, aye? And with ice cream. Spot on."
"Arranging more snogging for me? Such a friend." Morgana says with a head shake. When the mention a house elf, she'll raise her brow. "Do you really think we can afford one? And no, I am not going to be urinating outside. You're going to learn to clean Macmillian." However there is some sinking feeling that she gets for a moment, so she goes a bit quiet while she thinks it over.
Lara looks confused for a moment. "Are they so expensive then? We've always had one but I didn't know it was unusual."
"I have no idea," Medusa says to Lara. "I've just grown up with them. We have several. Maybe I could just…take one and nobody would know? They're very good at popping in and out and to be fair they all look alike. My parents are old, especially my father. He might never even notice." She gives Douglas' leg a poke. "We'd need a bigger place for an elf."
"Nah, look, I can clean things," Douglas insists, poking Medusa with his toe. "My dad keeps owls, remember? That doesn't clean itself. He says it's 'character building'. Or something. We need to save our money, regardless. Did I tell you I got a rough price on a place in Hogsmeade?"
Morgana clears her throat, not mentioning that they do not have one at her house. "Good, you can be our house elf then. We'll even give you a tea towel to wear." However when Douglas says he has a price, she'll take in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Alright, lay it on me." She's wondering just how much of her saving this is going to plow through.
Medusa lazily drapes an arm over Douglas' knee as she flicks through the cookbook. "Mmmmhmmm, you told me. Remember, we were in the br- tell Morgana." She grins up at him and then laughs, hearing the Head Girl's joke. "He would look amazing in a tea towel. Did you see those legs when he was in his kilt?" Poor Lara is undoubtedly discovering Medusa isn't nearly so sweet an innocent now.
"It's not as bad as all that," Douglas insists, grinning. "Two fifty as a deposit, my contact reckons. We can cover that. And then look at a mortgage, but we'll need a guarantor, or proof of earnings or whatever." He grins at Medusa, waggling his brows. "You jealous of my legs now?"
Morgana blinks a few times. "Are.. you sure you can cover that?" Because her savings isn't quite high enough if she would have to cover her share. "Proof of employment will be difficult as well, since.. I won't have the job until we're out of here. It's not like I can even apply before my NEWTs are finished. And with you two opening up a business well.. there's nothing there yet to prove employment." And there it is, that stress headache that Morgana can't seem to shake these days.
"Of course I'm jealous, although mine are less hairy." Medusa's words have a sing-song ring of familiarity to them as if this is a common joke between the couple. "I can likely get one of my siblings to be the guarantor." She looks up at the pair of them, head turning from Morgana to Douglas and back again. "I have roughly four-hundred-and-fifty galleons and about thirty sickles. What have you two got?"
"I've got… uh… about sixty galleons, and really good legs?" Douglas hazards, grinning hopefully. "And a sound business plan, though, so I can probably get a loan off Gringotts."
"Ehm.. about forty." Morgana responds, slightly intimidated that Medusa has over ten times the amount saved up. "They really don't pay much at the summer job that I have.. and it looks like I'll be working over the break." She'll continue rubbing the bridge of her nose and shake her head at Douglas. "Yes. I am jealous of your legs."
Lara looks thoughtful. "I only have 17 galleons saved up. But, I still get an allowance, so if I'm careful, I'll have more when I've graduated."
"Don't spend it all on books full of naughty stories Lara," teases Medusa. She tilts her head laying it on Douglas' leg. "So we've enough to cover what we need and also to get the office set up," she says more the the boy and Morgana than to the fifth year. "But no elves. Maybe I can kidnap a stupid firstie and trick them into thinking they're an elf."
Douglas absently runs a hand through Medusa's hair, noting, "Which reminds me, Malfoy. Gus wants to borrow Bea's book. You know? The French one?"
"No, we'll have to live frugally for a while. At least until I'm done training.. if I get the job." Closing her eyes for a moment, she'll sigh deeply and push off of the counter. "I think I'm going to go drown myself in the Prefect tub for a while, than go write a letter to Madam Markin to let her know I'll be working this December. I"ll see you all later."
Lara smiles and waves goodbye, before taking the opportunity to slip out herself. "It was nice meeting all of you," she says, as she heads out.
Lara's departure is noted with a return wave, "Bye Lara." Returning to the topic of the lovelorn Hufflepuff, "Ah…Chatterly?" Medusa gives Morgana a meaningful glance. "I lent it to someone, but as soon as they are finished with it I will give it to Gus." Her cheek nuzzles his leg briefly before she sits up. "I can go find one of Sykes smutty books. She hides them under her bed in a hatbox." Just how Medusa knows this is best left undiscovered. "Give me thirty minutes and meet me at the usual place."
"You mean… in thirty minutes we'll both be tucked up in bed, like the good kids we are, right?" Douglas insists solemnly, giving Morgana a faint grin. "You know. Since the head girl's right there and everything."
"You'll have it in the morning." Morgana says to Medusa as she leaves. "And I heard nothing. La la la. I know nothing. Good night." With that she'll slip out of the club room and off to go soak to get rid of this damned headache.
"We should sneak into that bathroom sometime. I hear it is amazing." Medusa gathers up her cookbook and as she stands presses a kiss to his mouth. "Thirty minutes or I'll go find someone better looking," she warns Douglas.
"Good luck finding anyone better looking in thirty minutes," Douglas insists, reaching to pinch her backside. "Bring those nice pants."