| Details for Bullies and Benches |
| Summary: | Novak is defended by a pair of feisty firsties. |
| Date: | June 04, 1939 |
| Location: | Great Hall |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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There isn't much to be doing in the Great Hall at this time, nothing major happening.. though, with the very few people that are gathered inside of the Great Hall they're huddled around a small table, huddling around a person who sits /very/ tall - his head protruding from the circle of the crowd.. yup, it's Novak. "You're such a f** idiot, Freak." chimes out one of the boys huddling around Novak in a circle, clearly referring to the giant. "Yeah, you don't deserve to keep staying here.. you can dodge your way out of a test, but can you dodge this?" Wait.. SMACK! A hand flies into the circle from the boy who dished out the threat, connecting an open hand directly onto the left cheek of Novak with a thundering slapping noise. There doesn't seem to be much resistance from Novak, there isn't being any people thrown overhead.. so it seems he's just taking it. "He's not worth it, let's go." calls one of the boys in the crowd, waving his hand over. The group leaves Novak but not before another boy gets his two-cents in, throwing a punch into Novak's left eye - the one he happens to be blind in.. no harm no foul right? Novak sits there rotated in his seat so he's facing outwards, his eye is puffy and his cheek is raw and red, he has an enraged look in his eye, watching as the group leaves.. chewing on an apple? Casual, but he looks as if he's about to kill.
Madeline enters just in time to overhear some of the vile comments, and it stops her in her tracks, mouth open. Seeing poor Novak get struck, however, seems more than enough to spur the fiery but diminutive girl into action. "People like /you/ are our disgrace to our school," she spits at the group of bullies. "Why don't you go /grow up/, huh?" asked the first year. "Hurting people is not funny. You ought to be ashamed - the lot of you."
Anemone arrives from Entry Hall.
The group of boys turn and fire back, "Yeah, how about you stop bein' such a mug-.." Bonk! Remember the apple that Novak was chewing on? It's just made it's way to that 'fellas head, "Ff-.." he smacks his hand to the side of his head and stumbles into the group of his foul-behaved friends, they grab him under the arms and walk out of the Great Hall, "Mudblood!" one calls in retaliation after he passes out the doors. Novak stands on his feet with his fists balled at his sides, oh-.. how he wishes they would come back and try swinging on him again. In his eyes a thousand-mile stare is present as if he's meeting his maker, he finally shakes his head and plops himself back down onto the bench in front of the table and rubs his swollen left eye.
Anemone slips in not long after Madeline, curious what all the yelling is about, she stops at the doorway when she hears the arguments then that word, she steps in having already drawn her wand she waits until they are the doorway and she mutters a simple water spell, from a fair distance just right above their heads, her face straight and her wand hidden by her arm. She is clearly trying to drop water on them as they leave.
"Oh, yeah, /that's/ being creative. Do you always go for the low-hanging fruit? Afraid of a challenge? Well guess what? I HOPE YOU HAVE A LOVELY DAY!" Madeline turns away from the group of bullies, and bounces over towards Novak, with a satisfied look on her features and a book hugged to her chest. "Always leave 'em confused," she remarks brightly, before her expression changes to one of concern. "Hey - Novak. Are you okay? We should report them. Physically assaulting another student…" For the moment, at least, she seems unaware of the mischief happening behind her.
SPLASH! The boys are doused in water, absolutely drenched.. they scream and dart off down the hall attempting to ring out their wet clothing, Novak looks over Madeline's shoulder and watches the whole thing happen - managing to crack a small smile. He turns towards Madeline still rubbing his eyes, "I'm fine.. don't report it.. it'll only make it worse - I'll deal with'em myself." Novak turns his head away, not wanting to look Madeline in the face out of pure shame of himself.
Anemone waits until all the boys scream and take off, before she busts out laughing "Maybe that will teach them to cool their tongues." she says plainly before wondering over "Icccee helps." she says softly before moving over to one of the tables for an apple from the bowl, munching it happily.
Madeline turns back at the sound of shouts and starts to giggle, before giving Novak a concerned look. "But - they're hurting people. We should really tell, Novak," she insists quietly. "It's not okay for them to do that."
Her expression of concern turns to a smile of welcome as she looks to the other first year and adds, "Hello, Anemone!" in a cheery voice.
"No!" he's stern, he doesn't want her saying /anything/. "I'll be the one hurting /them/ next time.." he says in a soft murmur, folding his arms over his chest - slumping downwards on the bench. He looks around for another apple, not wanting to get up and grab one from the table to get one from the bowl, but he finds a discarded one on the table behind him. He eats it quietly, focusing his attention upon nothing but mere chewing and swallowing.. "I don't know what they're mad about.."
Anemone frowns softly after she finishes her current bite, "It is because their parents are stupid." she says softly "Stupid blood prejudice." she bites into her apple again as she grabs a few more from the bowl stuffing them into her pocket.
"No!" Madeline echoes Novak, looking surprised and disapproving. "You will not! I mean - you're /better/ than that - better than /them/!" she insists. "Tell him, Anemone!" she adds, gesturing from the other first year, to the older student.
Anemone looks over with a soft smile, "Being half-blood, or muggleborn means nothing, I have seen muggleborns out perform a pureblood before." she says softly munching her apple again. She slowly rises and wonders over, "Fighting them back only stoops to their level though." she says softly, "Best to be careful, you do it right you can make them show their hand in front of a professor." she nods.
Novak slams his fist in anger upon the table, letting of his apple. "I'm sick of it!" he loudly admits in almost a scream, picking up the bench he was once sitting on overhead.. it's a freakin' heavy bench too. Swoosh! He sends it flying in the air, crashing down onto the floor - it holds up though due to it's construction. He huffs and puffs, not wanting to hear any of it.. "Maybe I have to stoop to their level to get a point across!" He's in combat mode, fists balled and everything - huffing air like a madman out of his nose. "I'll kill if I see one of'em.. send anyone my way!" he points towards the open Great Hall doors down the hallway at nothing but a pool of water caused by the spell, "You hear that?"
Madeline quickly back-peddles as the bench goes flying and Novak starts yelling, her eyes widening and her book clutched all the tighter. She breathes shakily, obviously frightened by the outburst, and maintains a healthy distance between herself and the older student. "Novak… Novak, calm down," she urges him quietly.
Anemone sighs as she does that same water spell over Novak this time as she steps back as well. "Settle yourself, throwing benches solves nothing." she frowns forgetting what seems to be her supper for the moment.
The giant is red in the face with his fists balled, seemingly trying to calm down but can't ease into it as he wishes too. SPLASH! He's easily knocked backwards by the copious amounts of water dumped from the air onto him, "Gah-..!" he shields his face with his forearm from any more water that might be coming, his head resting on the fallen black bench which is tipped upon its side, drenched in water he looks over himself while laying. Novak his head to cough some water up that managed to slip in.. he pouts and covers his face with his wet hands. Some Hufflepuff girls walk in chatting to each other, but quickly back out of the room after the sight of a drenched giant sobbing.
Madeline glances aside at Anemone, not fully convinced that drenching him with water was the best idea, then looks back a Novak, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. "Novak…?" she asks uncertainly. She sets her book aside, then moves closer to cautiously rest one hand on his arm. "Hey…"
Anemone approaches him now that he is down and much calmer, she mutters softly tapping the wand to the water and it seems to just suck it up, even pulling the water from the clothes. "sorry but you where out of control."
Novak lowers his hands from his face and turns his head towards Madeline, still teary-eyed as she rests his hand on his shoulder.. "I'm sorry.." he looks between the two and wipes his tears away with the tip of his pinky finger. "I don't know what's gotten into me.. sincerely, I'm sorry.."
"It's hard - when people are being mean," Madeline answers quietly. "I mean - I get some of it too. Being a little," she screws up her face, "'mudblood.' Ugh." She lets out a sigh before admitting quietly, "But you scared me. Please - don't hurt anyone. You'll just make things worse."
Anemone hands him a apple from her pocket and smiles, "She isss right you know, hurting things or people won't help you one bit." she keeps a fair distance letting Madeline get closer as it seems she knows him better. "You can always find me in the library if I am not in class."
Novak shifts his head onto her shoulder, taking the apple from Anemone with a small smile - saying, "She's right, always." He giggles under his breath and takes a chomp out of the apple, sitting it next to him on the floor. "Ugh-.. I was going to fight them right there and then, but my hand was asleep so I just rode it out.." he admits, shrugging his shoulders. "Enough about me, what's up with you guys?" he says, looking between the two.
"Fighting is a bad idea. If I catch you fighting anyone I'll… kick you in the shins," Madeline asserts. Never mind the inherent contradiction there. She gives Anemone an awkward look over Novak's back. It's… weird, comforting someone so much bigger and older than she is!
"I was just, umm… Gonna sit and study some more. History, this time."
Anemone nods and smiles "Dad used to do it all the time, so did mom." she nibbles on her apple again. "Ohh I was just hungry so I decided to come see what was still left out.
Novak chuckles, "That's about all you /could/ kick on me, since I'm a giant and all." He looks towards Anemone as she starts upon family problems, having enough of his own.. "Yeah, I came in 'ere for the goodies too." He takes a large chomp out of his apple and lightly touches Madeline on her ear with the wet and juicy wound of the apple, giggling.
"Agh!" Madeline exclaims, pulling back from the feel of the wet, cold apple. "Eww. Don't do that!" she protests, giving Novak a light push, and then plopping herself down to sit. She lets out a sigh. "I am sorry those bullies were being such jerks," she adds.
Anemone plops herself onto a bench and smiles, "They are cowards is all." she nods as she finishes her first apple, setting it on the plant. She grins as it vanishes where ever it goes. "I guess I could have stopped at the kitchen glad I didn't."
Novak waves it off with apple in-hand, "Don't be sorry, they're just close-minded and stupid.. it's the people who raised'em fault, not theirs." He sways to the direction he was pushed and recoils back to upright position, chuckling. "I got my staples, they had'em at request - look!" The giant bends his head way down so you can see the top of it, he parts his hair aside and clearly visible is two staples inside his skin.
Madeline eyes the staples - then makes a face. "They look like they hurt. I'd rather have the magic healing." She leans over then, securing herself her own apple and taking a bite. "I don't really understand why you don't like magical healing."
Anemone keeps quiet, as she nibbles another apple leaving in her mouth as she digs in her pockets before pulling out a book that suddenly grows back to its normal size, she sets it on the table and opens it up looking it over, it seems to be a book on potions.
Novak shrugs his shoulders, "Nor do I." He retorts, "They don't hurt once you've gotten a few of'em." He sits back and throws his apple in the air, catching it - taking a bite. "I don't understand why you don't like muggle medicine." he giggles.
"I don't hate Muggle medicine. I just- well. If you can fix it with the wave of a wand… Why wouldn't you want that?" Madeline asks. "I hear some of the healing potions taste teeeeerrible. But then, I've had some pretty terrible tasting Muggle medicine, too." She takes another bite of her apple, watching curiously as Anemone's book grows.
Anemone nods as she looks over her shoulder, "Most do taste nasty." she frowns at that "Then again mixing most potions are not designed to taste good." she says softly.
Novak shakes his head, "I don't want to rely on magic for everything." Novak says, still tossing his apple in the air. "You know, I've had muggle medicine before and I'd consume it any day of the week over potions.. blah."
"Accepting magic and relying on magic aren't the same," Madeline says blithely. "My parents can manage without magic - so can I. But snowball fights are /much/ better with magic."
Anemone eeks and jumps up off her bench and bolts out of the great hall suddenly. "I forgot." is all that is heard as she bolts through the doors nearly slipping on the puddle by the doorway.
Novak watches as Anemone leaves, standing up himself - his tall legs in the face of Madeline. "I should be heading off myself, stay golden!" He giggles and bends down, grabbing the heavy bench that he threw - replacing it in front of the table with a small grunt. He makes his way to the exit, almost slipping on the puddle himself.
Madeline watches Anemone's abrupt departure with a bemused expression, then turns her attention to Novak as he rises, as well. "Don't do anything stupid," she cautions him. "And we really /should/ tell the Professors, you know. I mean it."
Novak spins around on is heels, "We're not telling." He says before leaving the area.