| Details for Owls and Els |
| Summary: | Up in the Owl Tower, topics of discussion range from owls to El's as students come and go. |
| Date: | 1939-01-10 |
| Location: | Owl Tower, Hogwarts |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Its a little after dinner and students have a couple of hours before curfew hits. A chill wind blows through the battlements of the castle, but here in the owl tower its relatively sheltered. Owls roost in their alcoves and it is near one of these that Lucretia stands, her fingers gloveless as she ties a ribbon around the small rolled up parchment she's carrying. "Okay. This one is to my father. Its terribly important that you go straight there so no fluttering around with friends, stopping off for parties or getting lost on the way, alright?" Laying the scroll to one side for a moment, she reaches into the folds of her cloak and brings out a small battered box, opening it carefully to take the still warm corpse of a mouse from within. Gaston's been busy. She dangles it for the bird. "See? I'm a nice person. I give nice bribes."
Leoric says, "I'm sure the mouse is a great way to make a friend," came a voice on th stairs. Plain, if particularly wellmade, robes wrapped up the older Selwyn twin as he topped the stairs, a deep charcoal in color. "But the post-drop Charm would ensure delivery more easily." He paced forward a few steps. "Evening, Black."
Esther's stealing one last 'smoko' before she has to return back to the common room. And, to be honest, she was kind of hoping to find Douglas, as she begins to ascend into the Owl Tower with the smell of fresh cigarette still lingering. A group of letters held in one hand, her bookbag slung over her shoulder, she does at least have some real business here. Lucretia is given a smile - But Esther only looks a little bit confused at whomever Leoric is, offered a nod instead. Yes, you /do/ exist.
Lucretia turns, mouse still dangling from her fingers. "Selwyn. Perfect timing as ever. If I give you the mouse instead, would you be my friend?" She twitches a smile the older boy's way then turns back to the owl, swinging the furry corpse forward enough that it can snare it with its beak. It swallows it in one, and as it does she picks the scroll back up and holds it for the owl to take. "Its the composition I've been working on," she explains to Leoric. "I've altered it a little and I'd like my father's opinion. I'll play it for you sometime." A flutter of wings and the owl heads out and its then that she spots Esther walking in. "Hello Esther. Have you met Selwyn? He's in Hufflepuff and I've known him forever."
Leoric looks over as Esther enters. She gets the exact same look- 'huh, who's this person' in its purest essence. He does seem faintly surprised not to be recognized- pureblooded twins aren't particularly common, after all. still, he seems to take no offence, and nods right back. "Esther..?" A simple question fishing for a las name. "Leoric Selwyn- a pleasure." To Lu, he grins, stepping over and tugging on her hair lightly. "If I'm your owl, does that mean I get to hang about your house at night? I can see some advantages…" A beat passes. "I wouldn't have any competition for your library, for one!"
"Selywn?" Esther responds levelly, giving the boy an appraisingg glance. "A pleasure." The nicety is passed on, as Esther quietly and quickly begins to take to sending her letters. They're various, of course, in aid of building her home, thanking her grandparents for taking her in, all of that. Although she keeps a careful eye on the younger pair.
"Ow. Don't do that…" Lucretia say, batting Leoric's hand away, though not with any real conviction or determination. "… And this is Esther Lowe. She's a fifth-year in my house and a friend," she tells him, introducing the pair properly stepping away from the window, hands clasping behind her back. "You know that you're always welcome at our home, Leoric, though I'd not recommend roosting in the library. You're a little big for that and you might topple the bookcases." Her tone is deadly serious, though anyone that knows her might detect a hint of mischief lurking in the depths of her eyes.
Leoric says, "Lowe, then." A nod of thanks for the introduction. "That's a lot of correspondence for one evening. Miss your family?" The question is sincere, though a chuckle is the order of the day. "I want to read the books, not sit on them! What ! xact sort of books are -you- used to that are more interesting cushions than reading materials?""
Lowe then? Esther nods gently, before she goes back to carefully attaching mail whilst keeping an eye on the Hufflepuff and Lucretia. One of which she's strangely protective of.
"Oh Merlin's beard, it was a pun on your being my owl," Lucretia says, her nose wrinkling as she reaches out to push the flat of her hand against Leoric's shoulder. "I wasn't meaning for you, or anyone, to sit on the books. Some of them are incredibly rare and my father would make something horrible grow out of the ears of anyone that mistreated them." There's a small pause, a glance to Esther and a lowering of her voice. "I got a couple of Firsties really good earlier today. I'm quite proud of myself. Muggle-borns too." And she grins.
Leoric says, "LU!" Leoric sounds almost affronted. Almost. "Bad as my brother, you are. Go on, then, tell us about your prank. Let's see how many Els its worth."
Lucretia huffs a length of hair that's been dislodged to fall over her face, fallout from Leoric's tug on it. "You know that mudblood Evans? She and her friend Irving were playing in the snow and Irving threw a snowball at me. I even warned him not to, but you know how stupid mudbloods can be though. He was standing under some trees though, so I levitated the snow off the branches above him and let it all drop. He was covered." She grins. "I don't think that he'll be using me as a target again. Even managed to get Evans with some of it too." A breath. "So- not too many Els for that I don't suppose. It was funny though."
Leoric says, "Clever use of existing materials, amusingly poetic reprisal for previous actions, BUT slight collateral, no build up, and no real innovation… I could see maybe ten Els. You could have done better- wet robes don't for prank legends make, I'm afraid. Good effort, though."
"I'll take the ten," Lucretia says, her mouth curving into the most delicious of smiles. "Given it was spur of the moment, I'm pretty proud of that." Skillfully she winds her scarf around her throat, pulling her hair free once done so it skims her shoulders and falls down her back in rippling dark waves. "Where were you over the Christmas break? I didn't see you about town. I was on the verge of coming to hunt you down."
Leoric says, "Home. We don't get many chances to visit with Mother, so we made the most of the holiday. read about the attack, though. I feep horrid for the families affected." The threat earns a smile. "Oh, you missed me, did you?"
"Don't be so ridiculous," Lu says, a faint touch of pink just colouring her cheeks. "I missed all my friends that I didn't get to see, especially with the awfulness of what happened at the party. I wasn't there myself, which was lucky, but had I been then I'm sure that I'd have been okay. Both my grandfather and Alphard were there, and Alphard was such a hero. I expect you read about what he did, it was all over the Daily Prophet." A brush of her fingers through her hair and she walks over to one of the windows, looking out of it for a moment. "I think I'm glad to be back at school. It feels safe. Flint would never allow anything terrible to attack us here, though I worry terribly for my family, of course."
Leoric follows over to the window, staring out as well. "Mother is a shut in, more or less, so I don't worry too much there. My cousins could see some trouble… being so prominent but I was worried for friends, not family. I did read about Alphard, it's why I assumed you had gone."
Lucretia shakes her head, leaning out over the thick sill of the window, elbows folded beneath her chest. She has to stand on tiptoe to afford herself such a position, but the view to the grounds below must be worth it, for there she stays. "Nope. I was laying low after Alphard's party. Macmillan and me crashed it and we put itching powder in the guest rooms. I heard Meanie saying that one of the girls scratched herself raw and her mother was furious so I thought it'd probably be wiser just to stay away. How many Els was that worth? More than ten, if you're playing fair."
Announcing himself with a low whistle, the elder Macmillan makes his way into the owl tower, that whistle a signal for two birds to fly over his way. I say fly. One of the owls flies, while the other flies, misses, then waddles back in a circle and wanders off again, apparently having forgotten exactly why she was going that way in the first place, and Douglas has to whistle again for her attention and wave a mouse.
Leoric says, "I always play fair, Lulu. I just don't always let my opponents do so." He smiles, then tallies on his fingers. "Impressively covert, high impact, ironic impact- but low victims totalled. How about 19?" He looks over at Douglas as he arrives, Leaning on the wall beside Lu and waving. "Macmillan! Your owl needs a Remebrall, seems like!"
Lucretia considers her prank's worth. "That's fair." No hint of disappointment in her voice, she turns to look at Douglas and smiles. "Hello Macmillan. Daphne's still a little wonky then?" The owl having bumped up against her feet, she bends and gently turns it around, setting her off with a small push to her tail feathers in Douglas' direction.
"Gertie," Douglas corrects as he waves the mouse enticingly towards the little owl, squatting down on his haunches while the more sensible owl just sits on his shoulder, tilting his head. "This one's Gertie." A nod vaguely towards his shoulder. "And Horace, of course. Medusa's got Daphne now as a sort of pet, but… Gertie's a bit special in the head," he admits towards Leoric. "She had a bit of trouble when she hatched, and I didn't think she was going to survive."
Leoric says, "She seems resilient, Macmillan. Good on you to raise her through all that. I wouldn't know at all what to do with a bird like her. Except give it cuddles and food."
Lucretia stares after the wobbling off owl. "Oh Gertie. Not Daphne. How stupid of me." Straightening back up, she brushes hands briefly down her robes to knock off bits of feather, owl droppings and nesting material that the hems have collected before looking first at Leoric and then at Douglas. "I suppose it takes a special sort of person to have that patience, I don't think I have it, much as I'd like to. Its why I didn't take magical creatures as an elective. Macmillan, can I give Horace a mouse? I brought one with me for him." And she pulls out the box from her pocket that she'd only recently returned there.
"She's very sweet," Douglas defends his littlest owl, shaking the mouse in front of her to remind her exactly what she was doing, which finally prompts Gertie to eat it. "And aye, sure thing, Black." He shrugs his shoulder to shift Horace, telling him, "Lucretia Black." Horace is the one who's actually been responding to training, and at Lucretia's name, he swoops down from Douglas's shoulder to settle on Lucretia instead, nudging her expectantly for a treat. "Just don't put itching powder in his feathers, eh?"
Leoric says, "I imagine as long as Horace doesn't tell Black she can't attend his holiday bash, the roost is safe from powders, mm?" Leoric grins to himself, reaching up to work at the feathers at the back of the bird's neck. "Horace knows you! That's excellent, Macmillan! Doing a downright smashing job." He grins."
Lucretia's ears turn red when Douglas mentions the itching powder, though the look on her face is all innocence when she replies. "Me? I'd never." Taking the hint from Horace's impatience, she opens the box and peels a furry body from it. "Here you go." Pinching the mouse's tail between finger and thumb, she offers it to the owl and grins when he floats down off her shoulder with it. "He does know me, and he's got manners too. See? He didn't rip its head off on my robes." Its only a second or two later that Lu let's out a small yelp, a hand going to the back of her neck as a furious shake of her head is given. "Selwyn! Did you just put a spider down my collar?"
"I'm a Macmillan," Douglas points out with an amiable grin, fussing over Gertie as she manages to eat the mouse without choking on it, falling over, or being distracted by a shiny object. "I learned from the best. Still need to start looking at distance flights, though, and maps with him, but he's a smart bird…" and then there's an accusation of spiders and he just laughs. "Don't tell Horace or he'll go looking for it."
Leoric says, "I did nothing of the sort! My hand slipped is all." He listens to ye olde Macmillan and grins, then peers at Lu. "Wait. If I'm your owl, and you're making up stories about spiders down your blouse…" He squints at Lucretia slowly. "Just what do you want me to do here, Black?""
Lucretia scowls. "I don't want you to do anything. Merlin's eyebrows but you're twisting things to make me look stupid." Grumbling loudly, she turns on one heel and returns to the window, staring out of it with every angle of her body bristling, spikey and hard.
"You running messages for her, Selwyn?" Douglas queries as he straightens, amused. "Or just eating all her mice?""
Leoric says, "Offered me a mouse, she did, so I'd be her friend. But then she goes off like this… what do you think? Should I settle for one mouse?"
Lucretia exhales loudly. So loudly that it will be heard by Leoric and possibly even Douglas too. "You lost your chance, Horace had the mouse," she says, barely lifting her voice. Perhaps she doesn't even mean for her response to be heard.
Douglas grins broadly. "I'd hold out for at least a chocolate coated one, mate. If she loved you, she'd dip one in chocolate for you."
Leoric says, "I'd settle for an ice mouse, but- chocolate does sound good… I've decided!" Leo claps a hand to Lulu's shoulder. "I'll forgive you for giving away my mouse if you get me an ice mouse. Or a chocolate one. Deal?"
Lucretia twists around, dislodging Leoric's hand from her shoulder. "Get knotted, Selwyn. I'm not giving you a chocolate mouse, you'll get the wrong idea, and before I could blink, you'd be following me around like a lost puppy."
Leoric says, "weren't you the one looking for ME over holiday, Black?" Oh, the tease in that simple question."
"I'll have to let me wee brother know he's got competition," Douglas decides, shaking his head as he coaxes Horace back over towards him and digs in his pocket for a scrap of parchment. Apparently he did come up here for a reason, after all.