(1938-12-09) Borrowing
Details for Borrowing
Summary: Andromena and Eibhlin discuss riddles, and a cunning plan gets interrupted by Firstie Madeline.
Date: 1938-12-09
Location: The Silent Corridor
Related: The Pixie Attack of 38, Sweets Shop and Secrets, Elder Futh-argh
Characters
AndromenaEibhlinMadeline

Andromena was milling about. It was…sort of obvious that she was doing so, too. Under her left arm was tucked a notebook, and slung over her right shoulder was her book bag. Free of any books. It was after dinner, classes were done and over with for the most part, and Andromena could have been doing just about anything. Every so often she'd peer towards a particular door, but then shake her head and pace forward a few more feet, expression one of deep contemplation.

Eibhlin makes her way down the stairs, leaving off at the fourth floor. Her bookbag hangs over her shoulder relatively empty compared to usual as well, though it does appear to have at least one book inside. "Sorry," she apologizes as she comes across Andromena, "I got caught up at dinner."

"Don't worry about it," Andromena said in a friendly voice. They were the only two students there at the moment; others had gone their own way some moments ago. It left Andromena and Eibhlin to talk in relative peace. "I wanted to tell you I was, well, that is my cousin helped me…" One must give credit where credit is due. "To decipher the runes on the first door, which I'll show you in a second. I was just thinking - Alphard and I were sort of talking about it - that place could be full of pests. We ought to brew some potions for Doxy bites and…" Here she gestured towards the nearby storage closet. "I thought maybe there might be some Doxycide we could, ah, borrow." Andromena's voice had dropped to a whisper. There was no telling if someone might just show up, not to mention nosy portraits or roaming ghosts! She had no desire to be caught.

Eibhlin nods. "Makes perfect sense to me," she agrees about the idea of searching out some additional 'tools' for their next trip. She glances towards the door as well when the other girl points it out. As for the runes, "Its a start at least, and I'd be happy to help if you'd like," she adds as she steps towards the closet door.

Andromena isn't ready to be a borrower, yet. This is probably the first time in her young life she has ever done something so…potentially rule breaking? Instead, she opens up her notebook, passing it over to Eibhlin to inspect. "Alphard agreed I could ask Tony for help, but he doesn't want him knowing. We're going to just keep it between us. The fewer that know, the less chance someone will try to ruin everything." Anthony just knew that Andromena was working on a project and that she couldn't share much more with him yet. He was a good guy, and hadn't pressed her for any further information.

Eibhlin reaching to accept the notebook as it's handed to her she takes a moment to look over the translation. A nod follows, "I completely agree," she replies about the fewer people know the better, "But.." she sighs lifting her gaze from notes to the other girl. "I had to tell Gus," she admits.

"Does Alphard know?" Came her immediate question. It was very important that Alphard was always kept in the loop! Especially concerning this, because Andromena could only imagine Alphard's indignation whenever they ventured there next and Augustin just so happened to appear. Not that Andromena blamed her friend, since Gus was her beau, it only made sense that she'd want to tell him. If Alphard hadn't been with her at the time, she most certainly would have run back to tell him, too. "Anyway, what do you think of that riddle? I've pondered it off and on throughout the day. And…I really need to see if the library has anything on that Herbert Lestrange." Slowly now, closer to the closet door. No one had yet to come upon them.

Eibhlin shakes her head at the question of whether Alphard knows. "No, I haven't had a chance to catch him yet," not anywhere that she could say anything about it at least. "Its not that I wanted to so much as he found out about the pixie thing," she explains with an idle wave towards the place the blasted thing bit her. "And he was asking about it," and she wasn't about to lie to him. A look back to the paper and she studies it a bit more, "It could be alot of things…" But as for the man in question, "I remember hearing about him before."

"I've my suspicions," Andromena says, absently biting at the corner of her lip. They're set aside in order to ask Eibhlin what she knows of Herbert Lestrange. "It's funny, but I can't recall ever hearing about him." It was embarrassing, really. Maybe she had just read so much that her brain had ejected him from its files…but no, that implied her brain couldn't effectively store indefinite information! And Andromena was sure her mind was quite capable of that. "I'll mention it to Alphard if you like? Anyway, what do you know about Lestrange? You don't think that's his…well, you know." Castle.

"Yeah?" Eibhlin inquires, turning a look up from the page again. "What's your theory?" on the answer to the runic riddle of door number one. A nod follows for her offer, "He might take it a little better coming from you…" They both know she and Alphard aren't exactly the best of friends after all. As to Lestrange, "No," she shakes her head, "I don't know," that's one thing that's hard to say for sure a this point. "He was a Dark Wizard, a murderer. He was caught oh… forty? fifty years ago? and died in Azkaban."

"The sun," she said. "Or light. But that's only a guess. For all we know the others might compound upon that." Dungeons, after all, received little to no light. But if her family vacation to Turkey that one year had proved anything, it was that the sun could be devilishly cruel. Nothing like how it was here in Scotland. Andromena leaned up against the door, one foot kicking backwards as well as she folded her arms across her chest. "Really? Huh…maybe he doesn't actually have anything to do with it, but there's no harm in learning what we can about him. You ready?" To borrow!

"That was my first thought," Eibhlin agrees with Andromena's thought on the sun. She shrugs again at the thought about one Herbert Lestrange, "Hard to say at this point." He may, he may not and she's not about to write it off completely just yet. "Ready," she agrees, handing the notebook back to the other girl.

Andromena is leaning against the storage closet door, talking to her fellow Ravenclaw and friend, Eibhlin. She's only just taken back her notebook, and it holding it close to her chest. Whatever it is they're discussing is being said in voices little above whispers, so that any student or faculty that might chance upon them wouldn't have over heard very much. It's after dinner, and no one else it around but the two girls.

"You keep watch, and I'll go?" That as what her empty bag was for. "I guess…just talk loudly if someone arrives?"

Eibhlin nods slightly, taking up a place beside the door to keep a look out as if waiting for someone. "Will do," she agrees to keep watch.

There's no chance that the girl crashing in on their private conversation has overheard a word - not over the rumbling down of the stairs shifting. Shifting stairs that throw the significantly smaller girl off-balance, and have her tumbling of the stair's rail, to tumble to the landing directly below her.

She's lucky it wasn't further.

She lets out a groaned ow, rubbing her rump where it impacted the stone, and then looking up to find the two upperclassmen standing above her. "Umm. Oh. Hi!"

Andromena suppresses a groan. So much for that idea. At least for the moment. Looking down to Madeline, Andromena attempts a neutral smile. Maybe the girl would go on her way.

"Hello," said she. "Haven't hurt yourself, have you?" Oh, perhaps she had. She could go to the infirmary! What a boon that would be. For Eibhlin and Andromena, not Madeline, that is. Since the girl is obviously only in her first or second year, Andromena extends her hand to help the youngster up. "Andromena Rowle. And you are?"

Better now than a few seconds later. "Are you alright?" her questions is asked about the same time as Andromena's. Perhaps its the sight of the much younger girl or something else entirely that reminds her but the redhead sighs, turning an apology to her companion. "Shoot, I completely forgot I promised Marcus I'd help him practice his charms," she comments, turning a bit of a frown. "I'll catch up with you later though and we can compare notes?" she suggests, waiting for the reply before offering a smile to the pair. "Later then," she says with a bit of a wave before slipping off.

"Oh, only fell on my head is all," no she didn't, "so nothing important hurt. Should be fine!" She accepts the hand up, putting weight on her right leg - and wincing. "Okay. Yeah, that'll bruise. Grew up climbing trees and stuff - not used to any of it moving! It's a /great/ challenge. Umm, Madeline Evans. Hello! It's nice to meet you!" She even offers a cheery wave to the departing girl.

Andromena waves goodbye to her friend. There's another inward sigh. And she had had such high hopes as that plan came into fruition. Slowly her gaze turned back to Madeline. Climbing trees? Well…

"That was Eibhlin Shine." Since the red head hadn't the chance to introduce herself. "What brings you this way, Evans?" Andromena remains leaning against the door, a finger idly twirling her hair about with a finger.

"Well - the stairs, of course!" Madeline beams at her own wit, and rubs at her haunch where it's sore. "Can they just magic bruises away?" she muses to herself. "Is that a thing?" Louder she adds, "Anyways. I've been meaning to try climbing the stairs by the banisters all the way up to the top, and all my friends, they keep telling me it's crazy, but I just couldn't get the idea out of my head so I had to try! Made it almost to the fifth floor."

Suspicions confirmed. Andromena eyes the first year, and then the stairs, sceptically. Pushing herself up from the door, the Ravenclaw pads over to a nearby bannister and looks down, then up. A fall could be fatal. Why in the world would anyone want to waste their time climbing the stairs that way, besides?

"No, it is not a thing to 'magic away' bruises," she tells Madeline. Her voice is just this side of monotone, with a slight flavoring of: I-can't-believe-I-have-to-say-this. "If a professor or prefect catches you, you'll likely be docked points for your reckless behavior." Who knew if that meant anything to Madeline, but Andromena figured she had to give some kind of warning a child might heed other than, 'you'll splatter your brains out!'

"Docked points?" Madeline asks, her eyes widening just a little. "Do you really think? Oh, the house would be furious with me!" Yes. That's much more frightening than splattered brains. She looks up the stairs, and then back down again. "I wouldn't want that," she muses with a faint frown. Then she's going to be /secret/ about this! But if she tries it after curfew - well! That's docked points /for sure/ if she's caught!

"There are better ways to stretch your limbs than by trying to climb the bannisters of the moving stairwell," said with a chuckle and a shake of her head. "You could join the Athletics Club. I'm sure they have all sorts of stuff you'd enjoy doing, without risk to points and limb." Not that Andromena saw any particular use for it. She was slim, pleasingly so, and preferred books to something like…ugh, running.

"There's even Quidditch. It's not the same as climbing, but if you're after thrills…?"

"Oh, but I'm only a first year, and there's no way I'd get a spot on the team, plus I never really cared much for team sports, but then again I've never really tried, so maybe I should, I might like it." Madeline talks fast, her words tumbling out over one another in their rush to get out - but she pauses now, as if to consider everything.

"….but it just wouldn't be the same," she adds in a quiet lament, her eyes going to the banister.

Andromena shrugs. In the end it hardly mattered to her what Madeline may or may not do. She was older, she didn't really feel the same about physical activity, and well…to be honest she was rather preoccupied with thoughts about something else. So long as Madeline was safe on the ground, uninjured, and not attempting the stairs ago, Andromena had no cause to be concerned.

"Just some suggestions. You might find something else to your liking. I strongly advise joining that club." Some people just liked to get in trouble, it seemed. That or put themselves in danger for absolutely no apparent reason that she could surmise.

"Well, yeah, I guess I could look into it. I mean, it could be fun and all. Do you think they go-" The girl cuts herself off. It probably isn't even worth asking. The strange looks she gets when she brings up game shooting from the others in her house has told her, again and again, that it's not something that makes sense to witches and wizards. "Nevermind. They probably don't."

No, Andromena wouldn't have gotten it. Not only is she a pure-blood witch, she's in no way inclined to 'sportiness.' It's an awful bore to her. She can only just find reason to get excited for her boyfriend coming all sweaty from the pitch. And that was only after talking to some girls who were just all about sweaty guys being omigosh the hottest thing ever! Andromena still had her doubts, but it was Alphard. So it counted for something.

"What? Oh, I don't know what they do. I've never really paid attention." She just knew that it existed.

"Oh, well, it's just something I do with my da sometimes," Madeline responds a bit evasively, poking her toe at a groove in the stonework. "I get the impression it's not very popular around here." And she's gotten the impression that it isn't always a good idea to let people know she's muggle-born - at least, not when her friends aren't around.

Silly child. Andromena knew you were no pure-blood simply by introductions. The only thing she was as yet unsure of was if Madeline was a half-blood or a muggleborn, though she had strong suspicions. It was the way in which Madeline spoke, or talked about things she liked. Asking about the bruises had been a hefty indicator as well. Luckily for Madeline it was just the soft-spoken Ravenclaw Rowle that was around, and few else of people she tended to keep company with. Andromena was content to keep things to herself, whereas others, one in particular, would relish the chance to rile up another.

"Keep it as something you can cherish with your father?" Andromena returned to facing the younger student, slipping her notebook into her empty book bag.

"Yeah, I guess," Madeline responds with a hefty sigh. "Except now it has to be months and months between seeing him, so it's months and months between our little… well, /adventures/, too." She kicks at the groove now, but then almost immediately forces a smile back onto her face, and looks up at Andromena again. "But I guess it'll have to do. I'm so looking forward to the holiday! Aren't you?"

Andromena gives a genuine smile. "I am," she tells Madeline. "Are you going to be able to spend time with friends and family?" Her holiday was going to be so busy she was actually getting physically nervous. There were two big parties, one of which she was supposedly helping to plan - it really, really felt an awful lot like she was just an agreeable hanger-on. And she had more people than ever that wanted her to spend time with them. It was as nice as it was overwhelming. At least she had gotten all of her gift purchasing out of the way, though truth be told Andromena still fretted over whether or not her most important present was even good enough.

"Oh, yes!" Madeline responds eagerly. "I'll be going home. And I just can't wait to tell everyone all about Hogwarts! And all my friends, and all my classes, and /everything/ - even falling off the stair! Mum'll have a fit! And Uncle Perry will be there, too, you!" No. Andromena undoubtedly does not know, not that that would phase Maddie.

"But you know," and here she sobers, "One of the first year boys, he isn't going home, he's just going to be staying here at Hogwarts all winter break, and isn't that just /awful/? I really ought to do something for him, but I'm not sure what."

"Tell everyone?" Andromena asks with an uplifted brow. This was decidedly a problem with muggleborn students. How could anyone control or police what they did? She was sure adults whose business it was to deal with these things had better answers than she, but currently Andromena saw it all as a rather grave oversight to just…let them go back home. But what was the alternative? Round them all up?

"Who's that?" Asked about the first year boy. It did sound a little sad, but Andromena wasn't ready to hang her heart out over it just yet. "If you're friends, then just let him know that. It counts for a lot."

"Well - mom and dad and grandma Evans and grandpa Evans and Uncle Perry. That's practically everyone!" Madeline explains eagerly. Who else could she want to tell. "And Sally, but I don't think she'll tell anyone. She's my dog. Last I checked, they still didn't talk, but I'll bet there's a spell…!"

As for the boy - Madeline shrugs her shoulders. "Oh, it's just Cecil. We're not really /friends/, exactly, but we're not /not/ friends, if you understand, and it just seems like, someone who's going to be stuck here when everyone else is gone, well, it doesn't even matter if your friends or not, you ought to do at least /something/ nice for them."

Andromena wondered what sort of uncle category Perry fell into, but Madeline was a little too young to get in to that discussion with! She supposed the girl couldn't avoid telling her parents about the bloody school they had to know she was attending, right? There was no comment for the notion of a spell to get her pet dog to talk. Cecil, however…

"He'll appreciate you effort, I am sure." The boy, like many first years, was not known to her. Maybe she would have recognized him by his last name, but as Madeline did not supply it, he was rendered as: Cecil, the boy that has to stay at Hogwarts during break. "Maybe make him a card or get him some chocolate?" Damn, but she really wanted to get into that closet.

"Or I could do both! But- I dunno. Just chocolates, it doesn't seem like much, but it's not like I have a whole bunch of money." Madeline lets out an over-exaggerated sigh. "But I guess it's better than nothing or - HEY! What if I tried to get /everybody/ to write him a card in secret wishing him a Happy Christmas?!" Madeline suggests eagerly. "Would you write him one? Just a quick one? A little note? I bet that would do it!"

"You'll have to tell me his last name," Andromena informs Madeline. "Actually - why don't you make a nice card for him first, and then get people to sign the card. Maybe as you go around with it, there will be somebody that invites him to spend the holidays with them? If I didn't know about it, I'm sure plenty of others don't as well." The way Andromena 'made' things was to get someone with more talent to put her idea into reality, since she had absolutely no bloody artistic capabilities. This either meant winning them with charm or paying money; she was fine with either for the most part.

"Oh, but'll be much better everybody makes their own cards, and I can give him a whole /sack/ of cards! Or if I don't give them to him, and they just keep coming, and coming, and coming. Either way!" Madeline is now - quite literally - bouncing on the tips of her toes at the thought of her idea coming to fruition. "It's Jones. Cecil Jones."

BUT WHAT ABOUT ANDROMENA'S IDEA!? The door is just right there and she couldn't dare risk this excitable first year blabbing on the off chance someone with any sense overheard her and came to investigate it. She holds in a sigh, a very big sigh. Eventually Madeline would have to move on, and she'd just do it without anybody to watch her back. After all, it was just them ever since Eibhlin left, so Andromena didn't really worry about that many more people barging through.

"Very well," Andromena acquiesced. "Have you any spare parchment?" Her notebook was full of very important research. Couldn't possibly rip anything from it. She does withdraw her quill, though.

"Well - not /on/ me!" Madeline had just been climbing the banister, after all! Who'd be crazy enough to do that, weighted down by a whole bunch of /stuff/? That's just silly! "But you could make something later and send it to me, right? Then I can put all the cards together and give it to him - just a little note'd be fine, too!"

"Alright," Andromena says, returning her quill. Cecil Jones. She'd remember the name. "I'll see that it reaches you." Maybe she could ask Fiona to get it to the girl. That or Elise. Maybe Elise, even if the other girl was less than pleased with her because she felt Andromena was just some sort of terrible bigot. Really. She'd just have to get over that. "On your way, then?"

"Sure!" Maddie agrees brightly. "And thanks! Ask your friends to write something too, if they have the time!" The girl waves cheerfully, and goes back to the stairs. She puts one hand on the banister, and raises one foot a little hiiiigher than one need to if they're just going to walk up the stairs normally - but she seems to think better of whatever she has in mind, and simply plods her way up. Her butt hurts too much for banister climbing just now, anyways.

With Madeline gone, and no one else around, Andromena inacts her cunning plan!

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