(1939-01-09) Ars Teneprat
Details for Ars Teneprat
Summary: Three students discover that the East Wing isn't as deserted as they may have hoped.
Date: 1939-01-09
Location: East Wing
Related:
Characters
AndromenaCedricLucretia

It was just after dinner and Andromena was standing before the statue of Gregory the Smarmy, a thoughtful expression upon her face before she gave a shake of her head. Pointless musing. Held against her chest are two books; one for Glamers and another for Conjuration. Whether she was coming or going is not readily apparent, though one could safely guess that Andromena was going somewhere since the East Wing had little else to keep a student lingering for very long. Tucking a lock of hair behind one ear, Andromena heaved something of a sigh, and turned away from the statue.

Well, Conjuration is something Cedric is interested in, alright. But tonight he appears to have a sort of mailbag containing his books and an assortment of other reads that were either temporarily pilfered from the library or were bought with his own money. One of them has an obscure name, such as, 'Ars Tenebrae, I' and a cryptic skeletal ouroboros eating its own bonetail. Of course, who he didn't expect to /see/ here is Andromena Rowle, so one must forgive the great pause he takes upon spotting the Ravenclaw.

Well, it was not as if Andromena Rowle was ever really known to venture far away from her common haunts outside of class; the Ravenclaw Common Room or the library, so Cedric Avery's surprise was almost understandable. Having turned away from Smarmy, Andromena is equally given pause, her footsteps coming to a halt and her eyes growing a little wide. He had startled her, and Andromena only just barely managed to conceal that fact by drawing her hand up and pretending to yawn. (Real smooth).

"Aahhh…oh, Avery. Hello." Gryffindor, Seventh Year. Distantly related in some way she couldn't quite yet recall. That was the extent of her knowledge of the youth. Andromena made to walk past him, though the ouroboros caught her eye, as did 'Tenebrae.' Curse her bookish leanings.

And just as it glimpses into her sight, Cedric hides it away by pushing the book deeper into the pile, blue eyes finding Andromena's and trailing after her as she passes by him. "Andromena Rowle, hello. I heard you have acquired permission to be an assistant at the infirmary. Good on you," he states, still watching the girl.

"But I am curious; what brings such a well-behaved young woman to an almost deserted place. Well, save for our armored company, of course."

Absolutely none of your business. It was on the tip of her tongue. Indeed, even her posture seemed squared away to give such a bold answer. But…Andromena had yet to attain such a brazen attitude. More, he had just congratulated her, so what did it gain her by being sharp?

"Thank you," a slight dip of her head that allowed her to once more try to glimpse the book he'd done well to shuffle out of sight. Alas! "I got lost in thought," which was an out-and-out lie. Yet she said it so plainly, and without the least bit of hesitation that it would be hard to suspect otherwise. Simple lies were often the best, often all. Despite her innate curiosity, Andromena did not ask why Cedric himself was there.

Oh, but he likes the feisty answers. It makes his own become more acidic in return, her reply like melody to his ears in that way that she says it. Still, when her stance shifts back from the extreme, authoritarian defense to the latter, he has to stop his own game. For now.

And as though provoking her when her head dips to sneak a peek at the book, he pats the container of the books. Cedric has to make a reply to being 'lost in thought', however, "Not a terribly good place to find yourself lost in such things. Was the library closed?" She does have the fame to be a bookworm, doesn't she. "Or were you looking to have a clandestine encounter with someone?"

Andromena's cheeks flush. She cannot help it. Her head lowers again, but this time in order to hide the crimson hue that so betrays her. "I- I wouldn't. Here? Not very clandestine, is it?" No doubt he knows who's girlfriend she is. Indeed, upon her slim white neck is the necklace he'd given her for Christmas; a silver chain with an onyx pendent depicting a raven in flight. Despite that, however, the union between Alphard Black and Andromena Rowle was said to be a very muted one. Yes, they sat next to one another and, yes, they held hands and walked closer than propriety called for, but…No one had ever seen them indulge very much in the way of affection. A few whispered words of chaste cheek kisses, little else.

"If- if you were hoping for such an encounter, well, you needn't worry about me. I'll be going." Of course, there was always the off chance Cedric wasn't talking about a romantic meeting done in secret, but it was clear that was where Andromena's mind had gone.

"Funny, you say no, and yet your cheeks seem to agree with my assumption. However, that is not what I am here for, no. I needed a place that was quiet and out of the way." Cedric replies, before noting, dropping the bag on the floor carefully as to not spill out its contents, "And I find it cute that you can still blush at all of this when you are dating Alphard Black. One would think… well, the world is a wonder, is it not?" He made her blush, and now he's making her pay for it. Maybe this is something he enjoys doing; but her reaction being the best for all his pointed remarks.

He stops after a moment, to turn towards her again, enough that he is only a step closer, "But if I was," he murmurs, "this would not be a good place, I agree. There are parts of the Castle that are all but forgotten, after all."

"That- that is hardly true," stubbornly argued, though she's still blushing. "I can hardly be expected to do aught else when someone makes assumptions like that." Besides, had he not already made note of her natural good behavior? Andromena scoffed, turning back to Cedric to face him more fully.

"Alphard is a perfect gentleman," she very nearly stomps her little foot when she says that, too, but refrains. No reason to give the prat any further excuse to poke fun at her!

"Now, there's no reason to talk about such things, really." Time to change tack, since Andromena is not yet ready to flee down the hall. "Tenebrae? Shadows, isn't it?" Because she was not going to fall for the bait by asking after those 'all but forgotten' places.

"Or Darkness." Cedric agrees, "According to this dictionary anyway." And lo and behold, he produces a smaller, thicker book than the volume she had been espying. "But yes, I am sure he is a perfect gentleman. You wouldn't be blushing or protesting it so vehemently if he wasn't. No, you'd be here crying. Not that I think that wouldn't be quite the pretty sight by itself," he notes, "but I prefer to see girls smile." Even if he might bring them tears later, anyway. Such is the way of this Avery. "I suppose I can let you take a look at it later, when I am done with it."

Lucretia walks around the corner in the corridor that leads back towards the main body of the castle, a violin case tucked under one arm and a sheaf of music clutched in her opposite hand. She'd really not expected to see anyone up here, and that there is causes her to hesitate. Since it'd look like pure guilt to turn on her heel and walk back down, she advances at a slower pace and, once closer, offers the pair an awkward smile. "Andromena. Avery."

Andromena opens her mouth, and then she closes it. She looks at Avery, the book in his hands and in her expression is open suspicion. The Ravenclaw had heard about his conduct, but had never really paid much attention to it because…really. Rumors. It's only the arrival of Lucretia Black that prevents Andromena from saying whatever she intended. Indeed, one might say she looks a little relieved.

"Ah, Lucretia, hello." Was the awkward smile over the fact that there had yet to be any word or move to come from either she or Alphard? The memory of it flickered to life in her mind's eye, but that wasn't really her concern just then.

"What is it even about?" The book. No, she isn't going to comment on…anything else he's said! Because to ignore it will make it go away, right?

"Some mysteries. The mindset of people who perpetrate horrible things. An insight to their thoughts, applied to magical theory." Cedric replies, and then drops the book back into the sack. Lucretia approaches them and the former topic is forgotten in favor of warmly greeting the Black girl with, "Black, hello. I trust things are going well for you." Still, the presence of two people in a room he previously thought empty unsettles him, apparently, because he closes his bag and starts to drift in the overall direction of the door. "I'd like to hear you play at some point, Lucretia Black. It must be quite an experience. And I will see you later, Rowle."

"Hello. I wasn't expecting to see anyone up here," Lu says, hitching her violin case more comfortably under her arm. Her music gets switched to her other hand to free up her left and she smooths hair back from the side of her face where it falls in thick waves. Despite her obvious disgruntlement at not finding solitude, when Cedric comments on her violin a warm smile lights her face. "I would love to perform something for you sometime, it'd be a pleasure." No hesitation, no embarrassment, just acceptance of her oh-so-obvious expertise with Bernard.

"I hope not," Andromena mutters, quite under her breath as Cedric departs, just before lifting her arm in a wave and offering a sickly sweet smile. It's only once he's gone that Andromena regards Lucretia, arms folded. "I guess I should have asked him about his purportedly 'secret' spots around the castle, since apparently the East Wing has become the newest hang out spot." A light sniff. "Not that I was seeking out such, personally. Just taking a walk, you see."

Eyes on Cedric until he's disappeared, Lucretia then turns back to Andromena. "I sometimes find a corner on the roof, or lose myself in the Serpentine maze. Its not often I come here myself, though I used to a lot more. Its nice to look down on everyone from such a height." As she says that, she turns and leans over the balustrade, her elbows needing to hitch a little to pull herself up since they're constructed to be of a height to prevent horseplay allowing a fall. A pause. "Are you mad at me for the party, Andromena?"

Andromena shrugs indifferently. "No," she answers, somewhat tonelessly. "I would have been mad if I'd been a victim, but such was not the case." Looking down on people? Andromena moves to do just that, though it's a bit of a pointless effort considering the winter sun had already set. Her hands clasp behind her back and she remains quiet for a heartbeat or two.

"Have you been chastised by Alphard or something?" Indicating that the couple may have not talked about it.

A smile tugs the edges of Lu's expression and she pulls her focus back to Andromena. "He's too busy accepting the accolades of being an hero," she says. "I would love to have actually seen him capturing the attacker, but I'm pretty glad I didn't. It must have been the worst thing imaginable to have been there during the attack." She lifts herself on tiptoes and looks back over the balustrade, peering the whole seven floors down to the depths of the entry hall below. "I suppose I'm not surprised that Angus and me sabotaging his party isn't top of his list of priorities. Still. I'm shocked he's said nothing. He really hasn't mentioned it?" If anything, there's the smallest edge of disappointment to the younger girl's tone. Pranks aren't pranks if nobody gets mad.

"Mm…no, nothing." Andromena's eyes slide over towards the younger girl. More talk about…that. Well, it's not really any surprise. "He is a hero, but you're right in thinking it's for the best you weren't there." There wasn't much else she wanted to say about it, though. Pushing herself away from the self-same balustrade Lucretia had come to rest against, Andromena fetched her earlier abandoned books.

"I should be getting back, however." So Lucretia would receive the solitude she had been hunting for! "If I happen to see Alphard," and she would. Of course she would. They practically had all of their classes together. "Would you like me to tell him anything?"

Lucretia shakes her head. The nods it. "Tell him…" A pause. "Tell him I think he's wonderful," she says eventually, a smile that causes her eyes to crinkle warming her features. She makes no reference to any apologies or otherwise for his party prank, but leaves it at that.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License