| Details for Common Room Connections |
| Summary: | It's just another night in the Hufflepuff Common Room, when people collide and common interests, talks of blood and books help while away the time. |
| Date: | 1939-01-14 |
| Location: | Hufflepuff Common Room |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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It's the evening, but not too late. There are still a few hours, before the good old curfew hits and turns all students into pumpkins. Or not. But curfew is not happening any time soon at least.
Tarquin is currently sitting on a couch, his face serious, his gaze following the letters on a book he holds in front of him. A novel, from the looks of it. Yes, the young man enjoys reading. Every now and then, a page turns as he follows the story and every now and then, certain emotions register in his clear, hazel eyes. Curiosity, amusement, excitement. His features show little, but his eyes betray everything.
Pajamas. What? It's close to evening and Adorabella is the kind of person who has well, they're her pajamas and they're awesome. They're also mostly pink, with fluffy white sheep from head to footsies because yes, her pajamas have feet in them, too. It gets cold!
That could be why she was rushing as she made her way back in from the bathrooms; her hair still damp where it clung down her back and Mister Bubbles in her arms. The toad currently just as squeaky clean as she was.
Adam walks into the common room covered from head to foot in snow. It's in his hair and it's in his ears, but mostly it's plastered to his robes. He hurries across the room towards the fireplace, his cheeks flushed from being out in the cold since he finished dinner, and his eyes bright and excited from whatever fun he had. He all but jumps into the couch Tarquin is sitting on, showering the nearby area in flecks of white powder. "What're you reading?" he asks the older student.
"Dora," Tarquin says, just as the girl rushes by. His eyes remain on the novel, but a faint smile touches his lips. He is still wearing his uniform, albeit without the robes. "I see you you're getting ready for the evening already," he glances at one of the windows.
"I should probably—" He doesn't finish his words. Rather, he snaps the book close, to prevent the flecks of snow from falling on the pages. Then, with a finger flicks some of the white powder off his shoulder. He offers an indulgent smile to Adam, the kind you give to an amusing pet. "I -was- reading a novel. A tale of intrigue and betrayal, the adventures of the infamous curse-breaker, Jebediah Thorne. Book twenty one."
The only rushing Dora had done had been to get back to the common room. In there, of course, she's quite comfortable as is perhaps apparent. "OOo, is one of Diderot's books? He writes the most amazing stories, you know. I think you'd like them. Very…action packed, very..well, I just think you'd enjoy them." And Diderot was famous. A little handsome too, perhaps but that's not the kind of thing that she would certainly ever say outloud.
"Anyway, I like him." Dora quipped, sitting the toad down and spilling into the couch on Tarquin's other side. Adam got a little smile for his snowy appearance. "I like snow. It's always so pretty and fluffy and white and clean."
"Oh, sorry!" Adam says when he notices that he got snow on Tarquin. He gives the older boy a sheepish grin and then tilts his head to the side as he tries to dig the snow out of his ears. He pauses, his eyes growing wide. "Oh, wow! A real curse-breaker? And you're on book twenty-one? How many are there?" Forgetting about the snow, he cranes his neck to try to get a good look at the book's cover. Then he looks over at Dora and grins at her. "And fun!" he adds. "Don't forget fun!"
"It is," Tarquin confirms for Dora, smiling at his cousin. When she sits down on his same couch, he sets his book away and pats the spot next to him, inviting her to sit closer, if so she wishes. "I was hoping to run into you. I was wondering if you wanted to partner up for that Transfiguration assignment," he asks of the girl.
His gaze travels to regard Adam, when the boy speaks again. "Well, as real as imagination makes him, which can be very real. People say Jebediah's adventures are based on real world curse-breakers, though," he notes. "There are thirty books total." If Tarquin was annoyed by the snow, he isn't anymore. A brow rises when Adam leans in closer, perhaps too close and gently Tarquin uses a finger, nudge the boy back a bit. He does seem amused by the exchange.
"I'm hoping to become a curse-breaker myself, after I graduate."
"Yes fun," Dora agreed of the snow, before wiggling into the spot next to Tarquin and folding her legs one atop the other, cross-legged. 'Tran-ooh. Wood to ivory?" Dora parrotted, bottom lip tucking in between her teeth. "We can, if you want. I haven't got a partner yet," quietly admitted, as she reached up to tug her fingers through her hair, absently brushing it.
"My brother's going to be a Curse-Breaker too," she chimes in happily. "And he's in seventh year. Mostly," she confides to Adam, as if Tarquin couldn't hear her stage whispering right in front of him, "I think Tartar's just trying to be like Uly." Wink.
Adam withdraws when he's nudged, though he still tries to get a look at the book. "Me too!" he says to Tarquin. "I want to be a curse-breaker. And an Auror, and an explorer, and a magical-creature trainer! Are there really thirty books? I want to read them! Are they in the library?" Now that he's in the warmth of the common room, the snow is starting to melt quickly, making his robes, his hair, and the part of the couch he's sitting on damp. "That's terrific!" he says to Dora, beaming at her. "Curse-breakers are so amazing!" He pauses. "What do they do exactly?"
"Excellent, we can be partners then," Tarquin offers, and there is enthusiasm in that usually stoic expression of his, both at Dora's response and as she scoots over to sit closer. The smile he offers her is warm, that is until she starts teasing him. He remains amused, but grows serious in that way he always does.
"While I approve of Ulysses' ambitions, my desire to become one is motivated by something else entirely." A pause. "And I'm sure I'll be a much better curse-breaker than he is," he chuckles at this, playfully poking at Dora with his elbow.
"That is a lot of things you want to be," Tarquin observes to Adam, with a bit of a frown. "Quite ambitious as well," he notes, but doesn't elaborate. His expression softens as Adam goes back to the adventure novels and he nods. "You can find the first five volumes in the library, I think.
As Adam reveals that he really has no idea what a curse-breaker is, Tarquin takes a deep breath and again offers an indulgent smile to the boy. "Curse-breakers work for Gringotts. They are similar to…" he tries to find a word, and looks at Dora. "What is it that Muggles call them? The ones that break into tombs and the like for historical research?" He shrugs and looks at Adam. "In any case, curse-breakers do that, but they look for artifacts and treasure, and a lot of times, such things are protected by curses that must be removed."
"If you say so," Dora giggled, those big ole dark eyes full of amusement when Tarquin poked her. An absent squirm followed it and her nose wrinkled. "We'll see. I think Uly's going to be pretty amazing in his own right," the girl murmured, before watching Mister Bubbles make his way across the floor. Penseverus Bubbles the Third had only three legs and a tendancy to gurgle and well, blow bubbles when he croaked. Dora loved him to bits.
"Basically," the girl surmises, "They're going to get hurt a lot and when they do, I'm going to put them back together."
"Well I want to be something amazing!" Adam says. "Wizards have so many interesting jobs." But as he listens to Tarquin explain what curse-breakers do, his eyes go wide once again. "Oh, wow," he says. "They're treasure hunters! I want to be a treasure hunter! That'd be the best job ever!" He looks at Dora, curious, and asks, "Oh, are you going to be a doctor?" But he's soon distracted by the toad, and he leans forward with his arms on his knees. "Nice frog!"
"If you say so," Dora giggled, those big ole dark eyes full of amusement when Tarquin poked her. An absent squirm followed it and her nose wrinkled. "We'll see. I think Uly's going to be pretty amazing in his own right," the girl murmured, before watching Mister Bubbles make his way across the floor. Penseverus Bubbles the Third had only three legs and a tendancy to gurgle and well, blow bubbles when he croaked. Dora loved him to bits.
"Basically," the girl surmises, "They're going to get hurt a lot and when they do, I'm going to put them back together."
"Well I want to be something amazing!" Adam says. "Wizards have so many interesting jobs." But as he listens to Tarquin explain what curse-breakers do, his eyes go wide once again. "Oh, wow," he says. "They're treasure hunters! I want to be a treasure hunter! That'd be the best job ever!" He looks at Dora, curious, and asks, "Oh, are you going to be a doctor?" But he's soon distracted by the toad, and he leans forward with his arms on his knees. "Nice frog!"
"I know a treasure hunter. He's my brother, actually. Always wearing jackets for some reason. I tell him constantly that leather is out of season but does he listen to his little brother? He doesn't." The musings of a one Kaiden Sykes can be heard a few seconds before the young Hufflepuff quidditch star appears and has a look around, offering every in attendence a smile, "What are we talking about, now?"
"You doubt me?" Tarquin asks, but he does so playfully, again flashing a warm smile in her direction as he reaches out to try and ruffle her hair now. "I'm sure he'll do very well," he says in way of a peace offering. "We are going to need you yes, I fully intend to take you, everywhere I go," he assures the girl, before he glances over at Adam.
"You're quite the impressionable one aren't you?" Amusement plays on his lips.
"Ah, Sykes," he greets the Quidditch Captain, then offers a small shrug. "Mostly, about curse-breakers, and boys that want to be everything when they grow up," he side-glances at Adam at that last little bit.
"I don't know what a doctor is." Dora repeated, frowning, though that frown turned into a playful huff when she reached up in an anttempt to straighten her hair. "Aww, Tartar, stop it! I just got it clean! One of the shrieking violents got scared in herbology today and the whole entire pot came crashing down on my head. I thought I'd never get the dirt out!"
She had though. And that she'd found herself an accident wasn't much of a surprise, either. Dora was one of the most bumbling people there ever was. Of course, when Kaiden came in, the girl went a little pink and a lot quiet and decided that now was suddenly an awkward time to be sitting on the couch in pink footie pajamas with sheep all over them.
"They help sick people," Adam tells Dora. "And put them back together." He's sitting on a couch along with Tarquin and Adorabella. The first-year boy's hair and robes are damp from the snow he dragged inside with him, and so is the part of the couch he's sitting on. He twists around in his seat to grin at Kaiden. "I'm going to be a curse-breaker!" he says. "I wanted to be an Auror too, but I think curse-breaker sounds even more fun. We're both going to be curse-breakers!" He beams at Tarquin as though delighted to have something in common with the older student.
"A curse-breaker, huh? Well, I imagine only the smartests of students get to be those, so you'd better make sure that you keep up with your schoolwork. Can't have you going around and activating a fire rune on accident." Kaiden smiles and moves to have a seat in an empty chair. He gives Dora a once-over and says, "How embarassing. You know, I almost wore the same thing out here." He grins and leans back, resting his head against the back of the chair.
"We call those healers," Tarquin gently, but somewhat firmly corrects Adam. Smiling at Dora he adds, "And I think Dora here will be one of the best," his words are sincere. Noticing the change in her, he glances over at Kaiden, before he looks back at her. He shakes his head once.
"So I intend to be a curse-breaker, Dora a healer, our friend here a curse-breaker and Auror and many other things," he smirks at Adam, before glancing at Kaiden. "What about you, Sykes? What are you planning to do when done?"
"Oh right." Dora murmurs, both for Adam's explination and Tarquin's direction although she does amend, "I don't want to take people apart. I just..want to help them get back together. And animals. Sort of…basically, my ideal future involves a house that's home to strays, of all varieties, where people can bring animals for help or people, who can't afford the bigger shops or St. Mungo's. So Tartar and Uly are gonna have to make an awful lot of money curse-breaking to afford my dreams." Cheeky grin.
It lasted about as long as it too for the seventh year Sykes to comment on her clothes. Ohmygosh, he was talking to her, her ears were turning red. "You..ah..you like sheep? I'm glad to see you're okay, by the way. I…" and then her voice turned whisper soft, "I heard about the party.. I would have told you sooner too, only you're well, I don't see you very much." Gulp.
"I will!" Adam says to Kaiden, nodding his head up and down. "I'm going to be the best in my year! What's a fire rune?" He looks round at Tarquin and Dora. "Oh, yeah, healers, that's what I meant." He sits up in his seat at the question Tarquin poses Kaiden. "He's going to be a famous Quidditch player, obviously! I'm going to be one too. I want to join the House team!" Adam knows who everyone on the Hufflepuff team is, even if they don't know him.
"I was…actually away at the time. Never had the patience for high society get-togethers." Even as he blows it off, a certain fire burns in his eyes, but it quickly dissapates as he jumps back onto the other question, "Oh, yes. Sheep are delightful. You ever touched one? Dreadfully soft." He takes a quick breath, almost like he's pushing something back deep down inside of himself and smiles over to Adam, "The world's first curse-breaking quidditch player. Now that would be a sight to see."
"And Auror, can't forget that," Tarquin muses as he glances over at Dora as she goes on about sheep. He offers her a silent questioning glance, but doesn't say anything out loud. Looking over to Adam, he tilts his head to the side. "Your first few years, you'll have room to explore what you want to do with your life. I suggest you put them to good use, because you'll want to narrow your focus just a touch during your later years at Hogwarts."
Dora gives Tarquin a blank look to his questioning glance, for all that it somehow translated in her head into something to turn even pinker over. The girl sunk a little lower into the couch and the protection of his shadow, while she tucked her legs in up to her chest and hugged her arms around them.
"Well I like sheep. I think they're soft and fluffy and cut. I collect pictures of them. And the little goats, the ones that stay sideways up on the mountians. Are you ignoring my cousin on purpose, Kaiden?"
"And Auror!" Adam says, laughing. "I'll be the first and the best!" He grins at Tarquin. "But there're too many incredible things to choose from! How'm I supposed to figure it out in just a few years?" He smiles over at Dora. "My uncle has sheep at his farm. They're really neat. It's really fun watching the dogs round them up!"
Kaiden looks up at Dora and then over to Tarquin and says, "Dreadfully sorry, friend. To answer your question, as the young lad suggested, I /do/ want to be a professional Quidditch player like my sister, though substantially more talented." To Dora's ramblings of the sheeply variety he responds, "I don't think I've ever gone to those lengths to appreciate sheep, but I can see where it might be appealing."
Seeing his cousin sinking lower into the couch, Tarquin finds himself gently and protectively putting an arm on the couch and over Dora's shoulders. He offers her a reassuring smile, before he turns to the other two.
"You'll figure it out, I'm sure," he says to the younger boy. "A farm. How quaint," he also finds himself saying, before his eyes find Kaiden and he waves a hand to dismiss the apology. He nods at the response. Smiling at Kaiden's words to Dora he adds, "You do look rather cute covered in sheep, though, cousin," he sounds sincere, and not teasing at all.
"Aww, I bet it is. I've been able to visit the farm in Hogsmeade a time or two but…I think it'd be kinda fun to live on one, honestly." Humble dreams, weren't they? Simple, much like she was. Though she flashed a brighter smile Kaiden's way, when he finally answered Tarquin.
"It's very dangerous, quidditch. My little brother's play, but only one of them is on the house team." The girl offered, before peering up at Tarquin at his compliment. A fresh was of color tainted her ears.
"Told you!" Adam says when Kaiden confirms his desire to be a professional Quidditch player. He nods his head at Dora. "Yeah, it's great up there! The animals are really neat, though none of them are magical, of course. And there's a lake! Not a big one like we have here, but it's still fun to go swimming in! I get to stay there every summer. Except for last summer, because I was in trouble." He squirms about in his seat, tugging at his robes, which are starting to get a bit uncomfortable. "I heard there was a farm in Hogsmeade. I can't wait to go there!"
"Cute is the applicable word, yes," says Kaiden in conjunction with Tarquin. On the topic of Quidditch he says, "It can be dangerous, but I'm sure their of hearty stock. And hey, if they ever need some tips, just send them my way. I'm more than happy to help." He leans forward and slides off his robes, folding them neatly and draping them over the arm of the chair.
"Perhaps," Tarquin concedes to Dora, regarding the farm. He flashes her a smile, and the smile remains as her ears take on that color. "Perhaps you could look into caring for magical creatures then," he suggests to Adam, with just a mild tone of teasing in his voice. "Add it to the list as it is," he smiles at the boy.
"I admit being a fan of the sport, watching it from afar, but I have no desire to play myself," he notes on Quidditch, with a shrug.
"Did he just mean I wasn't cute?" Dora whispered up to Tarquin, the look of confusion on the girl's face suggesting she wasn't sure if she'd just been insulted or not. "Oh we can't swim in the lake here,' Dora sighed, focusing on Adam instead. "Not unless there's a faculty member or a Prefect present. All the people in it, you see." Because merfolk were people too! "But your farm sounds like it's wonderful.
It was easier than trying to talk about Quidditch. "I watch it. But I wince everytime that horrible bludger hits someone and I always end up feeling sorry for everybody by the end of it. It's very brave of you to play though and I'll be sure to Elric and Leoric that you'd give them some advice. I bet they'll never believe me," she grins. "Imagine that, willing advice from an upperclassmen."
"Oh, good idea!" Adam says to Tarquin. "I can't wait to learn more about magical creatures. I hope I get to see a dragon one day!" His face falls when Dora reminds him of the rule against swimming in the lake, but only for a moment. "I know! It's not fair. I'm a really good swimmer too!" He turns to Kaiden, his eyes growing wide. "Will you give me tips too? I've only been flying once. I can't wait to try again! And I want to learn how to play Quidditch properly! I know all the rules already."
Kaiden smiles broadly at Adam, "Of course! I've got to have somebody to hand the torch off to, after all, right?" He runs his hand along his robe, looking at Dora's whispering to Tarquin with a raised eyebrow, "So, a healer, huh?"
"I think he was just agreeing with me," Tarquin tells Dora. "And even if he wasn't, you are rather cute. It's just one of those things," he assures her. "And don't feel too sorry for them. They join the game knowing quite well what the possible outcomes are, cousin."
He smiles and reaches to ruffle her hair again. "Oh, my mother sent you a letter. Why send it to me and not you, I have no idea." He shrugs.
"Oh." Dora blinked and readjusted her arms to settle overtop her knees instead as Mister Bubbles came over to the couch and tried to hop up. He couldn't, of course. The poor toad only makes it about halfway, before he slides back down again.
It's that which has Dora uncoiling so that she can pick the poor creature up and cradle him in her lap. The look he gaves the masses is one of perpetual displeasure. "I know they know it's going to hurt, but it still always -hurts-," she replies to Tarquin before looking back to Kaiden.
"And yes, I would like to be a healer. But, not at Mungo's." Though Tarquin's mention, when coupled with his hair ruffling at her ducking her head down and wrinkling her nose at him. "Tartar," Dora whined, "You're going to make it messy. What did your momma have to say, anyway?"
"Yes!" Adam says, jumping up from the couch with excitement. "I want to be the best player Hufflepuff's ever seen! What position d'you think I'd be best at? You're a Beater, of course, but they have to be really strong. I bet I'm strong enough though! Or I could be a Chaser, I'm really good at throwing. Especialy snowballs! Or what about Seeker? Or Keeper?" He looks at Kaiden eagerly, momentarily forgetting the others.
Kaiden ponders Adam's question for a little while and says, "Well, I'd have to see the way you are on a broom first, Adam. Though, you seem to have a Seeker's spirit." He smiles and stands up, stretching his arms over his head and offering an affirming now to Dora, "Yes, I was agreeing that you are cute." He scoops up his robe and drapes it over his arm, before looking around, "I suppose I shall retire for the night."
A faint smile touches Tarquin's lips as he sees Dora picking up the toad. "I'm not sure I'd say always, but most of the time, yes. Well, always, if you go around getting hit," he considers for a moment.
"You're going to sleep soon, don't you think that'll mess it up too?" He smiles. "I don't know, it's your letter, I didn't open it. Don't make me go get it, though. I'll give it to you tomorrow during class. But, I think it's fair to assume she's doing the usual checking on you, and asking you to make sure I'm not getting in any trouble," he seems amused by this. Since it's very unlike Tarquin to get in trouble.
As Kaiden announces he's retiring for the night, he offers the other young man a nod. "Good night, Sykes."
"No!" Dora defended, even if Tarquin was right. She still reached up to attempt to straighten it anyway. "Oh, so basically you're asking me to lie about your whereabouts and your behavior," Dora surmised of her cousin's assessment in a playful tone. "I'm not sure I can do that, Tar. I'm a terrible liar."
And dreadful with compliments too, apparently because the girl turned beat red at Kaiden's words and offered him the world's most bashful smile and then proceeded to focus very intently on Mister Bubbles until the boy had left with a half squeaked, "Goodnight!"
Adam grins as though Kaiden's just paid him the highest compliment. "Seeker, yeah!" he says. "Bet I'd be a great Seeker! Oh, you're going to bed? Good night!" He hesitates. "Wait! When d'you want to see me fly? Tomorrow? The day after? The weekend? Or, no, how about all of them? I bet I'd be amazing really quickly with a lot of practice!" His eyes are excited and hopeful as he watches Kaiden.
"I would never ask you to do such a thing, Dora. You make it sound like I'm such a horrible student," Tarquin sounds somewhere between offended and amused. More the later. He nods to her. "That's one of the things I like about you the most, your inability to properly lie," he assures her. "It makes you my favorite cousin."
"Suggestion," he calls out to Adam. "Find the practice schedule for the team and show up to it, each and every time," he nods to the boy. "Show your dedication."
"Oh Tarquin, you know that you aren't," Dora assured, leaning into her cousin and burrowing beneath the crook of his arm. "You're only mostly horrible," the girl teased, a tiny half giggle following as she reached up to protect her head incase he tried to ruffle her hair again. His mention of her inability to lie made her pout though and she responded with a sigh.
"I know, I know. I took in a weasel over the holidays and Uly found it gnawing on the postern of our grandparents heirloom bed…he wasn't…very happy," she admitted, voice gone small again. Though as her eyes drifted back towards Adam, she laughed.
"Oh I'm sure they'll pick you. Oh! Or maybe you could practice with Elric and Leoric too? I'm sure they'd be glad for the company."
Adam wanders back to the couch, grinning from ear to ear. "Great idea!" he tells Tarquin, excited all over again. "I'll go to every one, promise! I can't wait!" He falls back into his seat on the couch and beams at Dora. "I hope so!" he says to her. "Oh, that'd be amazing! I'll ask them!" He twists about in his seat, peering around the common room to check if they're anywhere he can see.
"Mostly?!" Tarquin protests, but his arm wraps around his cousin protectively, drawing her close. "I should so ruffle your hair until it's all messy, you know," he threatens, narrowing his eyes at her, but does nothing of the sort.
Amusement fills his expression. "What did he do?" He can't help but ask. "It's endearing, Dora, I assure you," her inability to lie is. Glancing at Adam he arches a brow. "You are far too excitable," this is said mildly. "But you show drive. The question is, can you follow through? You'll face many trials during your time at Hogwarts. More than some. It's important that you learn to stand up to them."
"It's already messy!" Dora whined, for all that she laughed; tucked in and half squirming against her cousin's side. "Ruin it and I'll tell Uly you tired to kiss me," the girl threatens, narrowing her eyes and attempting to look the part. It fails. Horribly. Dora's toad is more intimidating than she is.
But for Tarquin's question about what happened, Dora doesn't answer and instead, turns her attention beyond her cousin, to Adam. "Well I don't think you're too excitable. I think you're just right. Only..," she saw him looking around trying to spot one of her brothers, "I don't think they've come up yet from dinner, to be honest."
Leoric happens to be on his way down, truth be told, carrying a book proclaiming itself the definitive guide to the art of the Tarot reading. He doesn't seem completely convinced as he leafs through it, for one reason or another.
"Sorry," Adam says, his cheeks turning red. He sits on a couch along with Tarquin and Adorabella. His robes and hair are damp from the snow he was playing in earlier, as is the part of the couch he's sitting on. He smiles at Dora. "Really? Thanks! Oh, well I'll try to find them some other time. I hope they won't mind!" But then he peers up at Tarquin, uncertain. "What d'you mean?" he asks. "What sort of trials? D'you mean the bullies?"
"Is that so? Maybe I am wrong, and you're a little liar in the making," Tarquin teases Dora, as he leans against her. He notes the avoidance about his question, but doesn't push it. At least not now. Rather, he just remains there, close to her, arm around her shoulders.
"Speaking of," he does say, when he spots Leoric. A pause and he looks at Adam, considering for a moment and turning serious. "The bullies, yes. And your blood, will cause many to judge you. They will expect more of you, some of the teachers too," he offers this mildly. "And it'll be up to you to show them differently. Don't let that take over you, though. Be yourself, understand your limitations, your strengths, and you'll be fine."
"I don't lie," the little Selwyn replied proudly, almost primly as she lifted her head stuck her nose in the air. The expression was almost comical and moreso by the fact that she had in fact, just threatened a lie. But that little leaning hug made everything okay and then she fell quiet, listening to her cousin advise the lower classmen in the best ways to navigate things and his advice was honestly probably better than anything she could have given, mostly because Dora's advice involved being nice to everyone and forgiving…absolutely everything anyone could possibly do.
"Speaking of whom?" Leoric chimes without looking up as he finds and claims a seat, thoroughly buried in the controversial tome. "Me, I suppose. How did I come to be the topic of conversation? Irving? Is this your doing?" There's no accusation in it, just a curiosity, detached from the investigation into the muggle fortune telling manual.
Adam's smile fades and what excitement he had left drains away. He sighs. "It's always about my blood," he murmurs. "Why does everyone always to remind me that I'm different? I just want to learn magic!" He looks round as Leoric wanders over. "Oh, yeah!" he says to him, some of his excitement returning. "Will you teach me to play Quidditch? Kaiden already said he'd give me some tips, but I want as much practice as possible. I want to join the team!"
Tarquin opens his mouth to reply to Adam, but one look at Dora and he finds himself glancing over at Adam. Rather than say what he was going to say, he falls silent. "Cousin," he greets Leoric.
"He is excitable," he tells Dora then, pausing and smiling adds. "But I suppose there's nothing wrong with being excitable," he concedes there. Then there's a deep breath and he relaxes, leaning more into Dora.
"It's okay," Dora says to Adam, ignoring Tarquins look. "It could be worse. You could be the short one." And Dora was short. Incredly so. Her younger brothers were taller than she was at a whopping four feet eight. But it did make things like curling in 'neath Tarquin's protective wing all the easier.
"Hullo, cousin, sister," comes the reply, the boy's eyes still on the book. "You probably want to ask Elric to teach you the sport, Irving. I play because he does. I've no particular passion for the sport beyond the challenge of it. Have you a reliable broom?" He doesn't comment on Adam's excitable nature one way or the other. "And blood is rather the hot topic, after the events over the holiday."
"You're not short!" Adam tells Dora. "You're the same height as me!" Of course, Adam's only eleven, so that's about average for kids his age. His face falls when Leoric doesn't seem that interested in teaching him, and he shakes his head. "No, haven't got my own broom. I'll try asking Elric then. Thanks." He glances at each of them, suddenly afraid. If the conversation is turning to blood and the party, perhaps that means he's no longer welcome. "I need to change out of these robes," he says, standing up. "Bye!" He flashes them a brief, uncertain smile and then rushes off to the boys' dorms.
"Oh hush, Leo, nobody cares about blood here unless someone's spilled it on their clothes and you'd think, with as often as I end up hurting myself I'd have learned a charm to get it -out- but I just haven't yet." Sigh. Poutyface. A look of confusion in Adam's direction. "The school has brooms that you can borrow. They tried to teach me to fly on one. Only, that didn't work out so very well." Because her accident prone nature and heights without guard rails had just been asking for trouble. Of course, reassurance from an eleven year old about her height didn't help either and Dora just…blinked after Adam when he made her escape. And then, she turned a frown in Leo's direction. "You should be nicer. He was being so sweet!"
"Poor thing," Tarquin says as Adam bolts, with a certain amount of sympathy in his voice. "I hope he listens to my advice," he goes on to say, thoughtful for a long moment. But then, he adjusts his tie. He looks between Dora and Leo. "He is a nice boy," he has to agree. "It's refreshing to see such enthusiasm. It's good he aims high, but he'll have to learn to deal with the limitations, and the expectations."
"Huh?" Leo finally pries his face from the book, blinking owlishly as he takes in the actual positions of the others in the room. "How was I being unkind? He was the one brought up blood, and I didn't comment on his. And I meant what I said, he'd do better to ask Elric for lessons. I don't really care much for the game besides as a challenge. I don't think I'd make a very pleasant teacher. What should I have done to be nicer?" He seems more than a little puzzled- not unusual for just after emerging from bookspace. "What limitations do you mean?"
"We all have limitations," Dora said, with a little frown. "I am never going to be taller than five feet. Do you know how that's going to look when I get married? I'm going to have to have a step stool, to kiss my husband." Poutyface. Though in the wake of her complaint, those big ole eyes slid on to Leo. "Well, you could have put your book down to talk. It's not nice to read while other people are talking to you, it makes them feel like they aren't worth your time to look up at. It's just not nice."
Tarquin lets Dora instruct Leo on how to be nicer. "You'll look lovely, that's how you'll look," he says to the girl and seems to mean it, his tone reassuring. "We all have limitations, but his heritage, or lack of it, means he'll face challenges that some of us don't," he simply says.
"His apparent good nature and outlook of life, will serve him well then." A pause and he leans over to give an affectionate kiss to the top of Dora's head, and then works on getting up. "I suspect I should go get ready for rest myself."
"That's not a limitation, Tarquin. Ellie, she's limited because she's tiny and she couldn't get taller if she got tossed on a rack. Other people's prejudices are not a limitation on a person- that's an obstace."
Dora smiled, just a hint of pink on her cheeks. "Thank you, Tartar." Of course, then she burrowed in a little more deeply into the couch and hugged Mister Bubbles, who sat there giving the world the kind of serious look that brooked no questions and no judgments while Dora shuddered. "I don't want to be tossed on a rack. It'd hurt!" Croak~ "But the bed wouldn't. I should go to bed. Mister Bubbles needs time to soak."
"Obstacle, limitation. Prejudice or belief. We can call them whatever we want, in the end, they amount to the same," Tarquin says, in a matter of fact tone. He looks in the direction Adam left. "But, he seems to be a good kid, he'll figure out how to navigate things in Hogwarts, I'm sure." Glancing at Dora he adds.
"Don't worry, nobody is going to toss you on a rack," he says, determined. "And yes, you should go to bed. And so should I, so, good night, both of you," he smiles faintly and then turns to make his way to the dormitories.
"Night cousin. We can discuss the semantics another- or not." Leoric waves his cousin off to bed. "And you as well, Ellie. Did you enjoy your evening?" Ohhh, but his voice as that fragile, insincere sheer that says someone's given him reason to bring down the hammer of pranky wrath.