(1939-05-13) Quiet Time in the Great Hall
Details for Quiet Time in the Great Hall
Summary: That quiet time in the Great Hall before curfew is used to its fullest extent by a few students.
Date: May 13th 1939
Location: Hogwarts - Great Hall
Related:
Characters
SoleilGeraldMadelineGresham

It is a spring night. The weather is cool and drizzling.


Braziers that hang by chains from the beaks of griffin gargoyles that line the walls where they meet the high vaulted enchanted ceiling offer warm illuminating blazes. Four long tables are evenly spaced with the heads of the table at the north and south of the room. Each table has a cloth runner down the center and a plush rug underneath of the different House colors indicating to which house the table belongs.
The most westerly table is the Slytherin table. Beside them is the Ravenclaw table. The Gryffindor table is then between the Ravenclaw table to the west and the Hufflepuff table which is the most easterly table. One other table along the northern wall up on a dais for the Professors to sit at and look over all four of the other tables. Also on the dais is one lectern gilded in gold with an owl spreading it's wings at the top of the lectern. Candles line the tops of the owl's wings to illuminate anyone speaking at the lectern. A stool like protrusion comes out of the lectern as well as that's where the first years sit when they are sorted.
There are three sets of doors in the Great Hall. The main exit and entrance that leads to the Entry Hall is a large set of double wooden doors carved with vines and flanked by high stone pedestals each set with a small brazier above the stony 'H' carved in the pedestal. On the eastern wall is a much smaller door just next to the dais that's attached to the antechamber the first years come up from the lake through. Lastly one other door is set into the northwest corner behind the High Table.
As always high above within the obscured stone and wood cathedral like buttresses and crockets the outside weather is reflected in an illusion with all the sound and visuals of the weather, just without the actual effects of it.


After supper, but still plenty before lights out, finds the Great Hall a rather silent escape from the crowded and noisy common rooms. Some students, like Gerald, just can't quite find their peace in the chaos. Seated on the Gryffindor table, his foot tapping out a slow rhythm on the bench, he flips lazily through a book. Taking a quiet bite into an apple, he sends a skeptical quirk of a brow toward one of the pages before turning it. Whatever he's reading, he's hardly amused by it.

Soleil was passing by the opened double doors of the great hall and spotted the familiar form of her Ex. Since it's quiet she comes in to enjoy it herself. Taking up the bench next to him she peeks over his shoulder to catch a glance at what he's reading.

It's nothing Gerald has any business having. A muggle book of herbology. Laughably even. He sighs at the image on the page, aged and weathered. It's clearly an old book, and one that he seems at the most, slightly bemused by. "Muggles are weird." He decides aloud, perhaps to the girl who he suspects is more curious of the book than the boy reading it. "And very…very boring." His brow wrinkles but just a touch. "How are you? Not still cros with me then?"

Soleil rests her chin down on his shoulder and nods, "Yes, they are." Then she shifts her face so her cheek rests on his shoulder so she can look up at him. "I was only cross with you when you were acting like a Dark Wizard Wannabe." She pokes her tongue out at him and then takes a deep relaxing breath. "Pass me an apple?" She looks past him towards the fruit snack bowl on the table that is closer to him then it is to her. "Why on earth are you reading that book? Where did you find it more pointedly."

Gerald laughs. "I was never a dark anything. Just…curious. Not that I want to revisit that particular conversation /ever/ again." He allows her to lean however she so feels, but he does as asked and offers over an apple before taking a bite of his own. It earns her a few seconds of silence before he swallows it and moves on, "It's Evie's. I was bored, it looked interesting. I was wrong, and should never again be permitted to decide what looks interesting." He sighs, perhaps for effect alone before closing the book an setting it aside. It leaves him the ability to lean lazily against his knee. His apple is eyed before it's lifted to his lips again, "Also, I am hardly capable of being a 'wannabe' anything. To want to be something, one must first have the energy to exert even a little effort, which I could hardly be bothered to do." Case in point, one cannot rise to dark power if they spend every free moment sleeping!

Soleil lifts her chin to give him a very light and friendly encouraging little kiss to the cheek. "You Gerald can be anything you want to be. Which is why I was worried. You got mad at me the last time I forbade you from doing something you thought looked interesting." She's teasing and gives him a wink to prove so. "Do you still plan on becoming a Hitwizard or even an Auror?" It's curiosity that fuels the question, not judgement. Seems like she's just trying to get to know him once more. A bite of her apple is crunched and then munched to give him time to think about the answer, or eat his apple, or both.

"There' s the problem. I don't respond well to being bossed or forbidden to do much of anything. You know this, woman." Gerald is also teasing. Mostly. A bite is taken from the apple again, and this time he takes his precious time with it. All the more time stair thoughtfully into the wall across from them. Eventually he nods. "I think so, yes. Why throw away all this work? I've busted my arse for ages on the marks. Plus..I'm half decent at it I do believe." He smirks, sending her a glance before he sighs. "Why?"

It's after supper, but still plenty before lights out, finds the Great Hall a rather silent escape from the crowded and noisy common rooms. Some students, like Gerald and Sunny, just can't quite find their peace in the chaos. Seated on the Gryffindor table, the two stumble lazily through conversation as they munch on an apple each.

Gresham ambles into the room… or glides. Yeah, glides. Black whisps of smoke curling around him, a cloud settling around his feet, moving with him. He's the master of his own perfect pureblood world, where Slytherins rule, and all other houses tremble in abject fear at his presence.

And in the real world, Gresh makes his usual nonchalant entrance, heading toward the Slytherin house table, casting a glance to Soleil and Gerald. He offers a curt nod of acknowledgment to the former, pondering the latter for a moment before returning to his own needs. Food, drink, and reading.. Out comes a textbook on Potions, and between the pages goes Gresh's nose.

Madeline skids in just after Gresham. She pauses, peers under tables, and then marches herself towards the Gryffindor table - and Gerald. "Have you see Adam?" she asks quietly and urgently. "Did he come in here?" All the while she's talking, she's peering this way and that, as if searching for her friend.

For all her usual proper British dignity it's very hard to look poised and lady like when nomming on a popped off bite of crisp tart apple. There is that sparkle in her eye that Gerald knows well enough that mischief and teasing at his expense is brewing in her mind. So when she speaks after swallowing it could be shocking that it's completely harmless and in fact maybe sweet. "Because I was hoping you would. I feel exactly the same way. She's about to take another bite. "No, but maybe he was turned into a raven again and he and your bird are off in the owlery making a nest." Cue dulcet smile.

Gerald can only blink as the two new faces appear. "Uhm…no.." he manages toward Madeline. The other Slytherin he doesn't know, so instead Sunny gets his glance. "Oh, well..there it is then. So happy I haven't disappointed." Pushing to his feet, the Gryffindor give a small yawn. "On that note however I'm afraid I need to get ready to turn in. Of course, it was a pleasure." Again, this is offered to Sunny. And of course, it drips with amusement. "I'll see you in potions tomorrow."

"Well, that's unnecessarily mean-spirited," Madeline answers, planting her hands on her hip. "Just a no would've worked, you know."
She turns her attention to Gerald adding, "If you see him, could you let him know that I was by no means whatsoever anywhere near the green house at all at any point tonight?" she asks cheerfully. "That'd be dreadfully helpful!"

Soleil nods to Gerald. "Potions tomorrow. Remember it's stir stir stir, not stir bap shake." Then she blinks at Madeline. "How was that unnecessarily mean-spirited? I happen to think black birds are terribly handsome creatures. It was a fanciful suggestion for where he could possibly be. I'm sorry if it offended. Only being playful. I've been told I need to be much less serious." She looks pointedly towards Gerald as he gets up to head to bed.

Gresham stretches, shuts his book, packs up, and skulks back to the boys' dorm.

"Oh," Madeline answers Soleil, watching the girl with a dubious expression for a moment. "Well - less serious is good, it's just- well. The boy who turned Adam into a bird wasn't trying to be nice, and it scared Adam something terrible, and the whole thing was just terribly unpleasant," and /he/ was a Slytherin, too! "So… so it's just not funny. Joking about that. You see?"

Soleil takes another crunch out of the apple and nods as she's given explanation about it. A hand lifts up to cover her mouth, trying to be lady like as one can be. Once the bite is swallowed she gives one more nod to Madeline. "I see, I was under the impression that he was asking to be turned into the bird and was quite excited about it. Foolish of me to take what I heard as complete truth. You have my apologies again Miss. I do hope you find him and if I do see him, I shall let him know immediately that you have been no where near the Greenhouse as of late. Good luck and good night." Seems it's her bed time as well so she stands up, smooths herself out and with a friendly enough smile heads for the door.

"He asked for antlers - you know. The antler jinx? And got turned into a bird instead. And then he got immobilized. It wasn't nice at all," Madeline explains - but her solemn expression brightens. "Gosh, that'd be awful helpful of you. Make sure you tell him I was no where near them /at all/, aaaaall night," she says emphasizing the words and drawling them out to ridiculous proportions. "Thanks, and goodnight!" She beams, then spins in place, studying the room. She finds a small nook, next to one of the pedestals by the doors, and slips a small wooden carving into place there without any explanation.

Soleil comments in a whisper as she passes, "Pringle is sure to find that there. You should hide it in the Slytherin Maze. Just don't get lost. Good night." With that bit of upper classman knowledge passed on to the younger generation she strides out with a bit of a smirk curling her lips.

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