| Details for Secretive Little Ravenclaws |
| Summary: | Secret research, secret planning, secret training. Its all about the secrets with Ravenclaws these days. And then there's Maddie… |
| Date: | 1939-09-09 |
| Location: | Hogwarts Castle, Library |
| Plot: | Headmaster from Hell |
| Related: | Loss of Control |
| Characters |
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Hattie comes trooping in through the library doors, little bits of wet grass stuck to the tops of her shoes. Her satchel hangs over her shoulder, as she cranes her head from side to side, looking for the librarians on duty.
As has become his habit after dinner Gabriel dashes straight up the stairs and into the Library. In his hurry to go directly to a specific section on a specific shelf, as shown to him by the new assistant librarian recently, he misses noticing Hattie's presence as he pulls down a book entitles, 'The Animagus Transformation: Dangers and Benefits' then he disappears into the stacks. Finding a nice secluded table he starts going to nearby shelves and pulling down all sorts of other books then uses them to build a wall around himself so people can't see what he's reading from afar.
Hattie raises an eyebrow at the Great Wall of Gabriel being erected. Because her own trajectory into the stacks takes her to a section built around transfiguration charms… ergo, quite close. Everything looks so solid. And she can't help herself— particularly because she wants one of those books— she reaches out to touch it's spine, right by the author's name. Plink.
Emerging from a corner of the library where she'd been having a hushed conversation is Madeline. She glances around - and spots the book she'd been reading not too long go, hurrying over to it to pick it up. This puts the girl conveniently close to Gabriel and his towering stack.
Gabriel's head slowly comes up over the edge of his walls'o'books until only the top of his head and his eyes can be seen. Looking left, then right, then at Hattie he asks, Hark! Who goes there!? Friend or foe?" in what comes out as only a half joking tone. An observant person might also have noticed him taking his dreaded M.U.D. book and using it to cover up 'The Animagus Tranformation'.
Says Wilkins, "Friend, I think, Ward— but I… er…" The Fifth year trails a bit as though trying to think of something to say. She isn't even trying to see what the young man is reading, after all. "I don't think your head is going to fit all of these in one go. I'm here to make sure it doesn't explode. This one? This one is definitely too much content." She pokes it again. More quietly, quieter than Hattie's regular quiet even, she asks, "Can I sit with you?"
"Ooo! I'm a friend," Madeline supplies - perhaps a bit too loudly. She looks embarrassed as she sidles up to Gabriel, opening her mouth as if to ask something, then closing it again and looking uncertain. What do you say to your friend who just volunteered up to be a victim of pureblood bullying.
She hunkers down with the book she'd pulled off the shelves earlier. "This spell sounds fun," she says instead, showing it to Gabriel. The Trip Jinx. Of course it sounds fun!
Apparently Hattie /is/ considered a friend after all because Gabriel gives her a big smile, moves the M.U.D. book off to the corner again then uses a finger to poke the book Hattie is trying to get to, pushing it halfway out of the 'wall' and making it so if someone pulled on it fast enough the other books on top of it should just fall straight down into the hole. "Please do. How are you?"
The same smile is turned on Madeline as she joins the table. Partially getting up from his chair he peers over his wall at the book Maddie is showing him then tilts his head to the side, "I haven't seen this one before… It does look interesting but it seems it only works on people that are in movement." Fast reader…
The trip up the stairs has done wonders for Elspeth, letting her breathe in and out to calm herself. However, for some reason, she seems to walk a little taller, her head almost high as she glances around, scanning the library. The wall of books definitely catches her eye, and she advances. - Do not worry, Evelyn. Headmaster Flint's days are numbered, he will fall like all tyrants before him. And when he does, Gel will find out exactly what kind of hole he as dug for himself. - her fingers move quickly to her friend as they walk.
And with a test of speed and finesse in the library and Harriet to take it on, what could possibly go wrong? Hattie takes a seat as she considers the protruding book in the formation. She glances over her shoulder, and to her side, at Madeline, and taps the shaft of her wand against her lips thoughtfully, producing it from her sleeve. "Accio 'Untransfiguration: Arithmetical Solutions' by Horace Pulsifer.'" she tries.
Still fuming, Evelyn nods along silently to what her friend says in sign-language to her. She rolls her eyes. - What gets me most is that he's trying to use friendships and family against me, when it's his own insecurities that are causing him to say what he says. - She sighs heavily. - I want to get him back. He needs to learn that what he says and does has consequences. -
"Well, yeah, but it'd be real good for Auror work, right?" Madeline suggests. "'Stop, the-' oh, Auror's don't do thieves. 'Stop, unforgivable curse user!' It doesn't have the same sing. But the jinx would still make them fall on their face until I catch them."
The book flies out of its stack in from of Gabriel and smacks neatly into Hattie's hand. The rest of the stack just thumps down into itself, leaving Gabriel with a crenelation in his wall. "Ooooo… Nicely done, Wilkins. I can't wait to learn Accio…"
The new crenelation has the added benefit of letting him see the new people coming in. Elspeth he trusts, Evelyn he doesn't know that well so the M.U.D. book once again is slid over 'The Animagus Transformation' as Gabriel comments to Maddie, "It would definitely be useful for an Auror. And it doesn't look too hard to learn. So Wilkins, haven't seen you since the train ride. How's it going?"
Hattie tucks her exceptionally swishy willow wand away again, beaming as though she didn't actually expect the summoning charm to work. The book is laid open in front of herself. "Not… my favorite term, actually," she says, tightly. More helpful in tone, she says to Madeline, "We learned last year in DADA that thievery could be involved— of free will? Do you think that counts? Then, you could say, "Halt, Brigand!" like in the … no, no, never mind."
Spotting Gabriel's head in his fortress, Elspeth nudges Evelyn and walks over, shaking her head and wrapping up the signed conversation on the way - Don't let him do that to you. He will suffer even worse consequences for his insecurity. I am sure of it. - "Ward, Wilkins," she greets with smile as she comes around to the little group. "Evans," she adds, glancing down. "What are you really studying, Ward?" her voice lowers with an undertone of amusement, because she knows there is no way he is actually studying his M.U.D.
"Oh, you mean Imperius?" Madeline asks curiously. She's a Jr Auror! She had to learn about all three Unforgivables! "I do like the word brigand," she agrees with a smile, as she settles in next to Gabriel, glancing aside at him, then leaning in to whisper a question. "Hey… Gunny? What's more important - protecting a friend from getting their feelings hurt, or protecting The Cause?" she asks in her quietest voice. "Hypothetically."
"Brigand! That's a capital word!" Gabriel beams at Hattie for a moment then Maddie is whispering in his ear. In response to her he just says one, mumbled word, "Cause." And then Elspeth and Evelyn are on them. After a moments hesitation he sighs and slides the M.U.D. book off the book he's really been reading, The Animagus Transformation: Dangers and Benefits.
- I can't make any promises, Elet. - And Evelyn seems quite serious in that, too. She wants to do something. Approaching the table, she nods along to each of the people there, but remains quiet for the moment. She does, however, take in the book that Gabriel has been reading. She tilts her head, curious, eyeing it cautiously.
Hattie winces at even the sound of the curse's name. "Shhh," she cautions, sotto voce. "Even talking about that isn't a good idea. All it takes is the wrong person tattling, and they'll have you out on your ear as a proximate threat. And you, Ward— they'll get you on destruction of school property, or high sneakery, or something." She raises her eyes to Evelyn and Elspeth, smiles more broadly, and nods.
Madeline takes in Gabriel's answer with a nod, watching him for a moment she lets her attention be drawn to Hattie. "Do you really think so?" she asks in surprise. "But… I'm an Auror! A Junior Auror, anyways. And that's the sort of stuff Aurors're supposed to worry about. I wasn't threatening anyone…"
"Wilkins is being right, Evans," Elspeth says with a sympathetic purse of her lips. "If it was being told to the Magijugend or to Flint… they would not be saying that you were being concerned because you are being a Junior Auror. They would be carrying a tale of you saying you were wanting to use in on pure bloods, or some other rot." The book of Gabriel's draws her eyebrows upwards. "Well, that is being ambitious."
Taking a seat at the table, Evelyn places her book back in front of her and takes out her Charms book. Letting it rest there for a moment, she lets her attention drift from person to person, listening to the discussion. It's news time for her, finding out what everyone has to say, and throwing in her input if need be.
Gabriel nods in supports of everyone else's comments to Madeline, "We need to not talk about things that could be bent around to hurt us." Tapping the book in front of Maddie by reaching over his wall'o'books he adds, "But this one? This one could be useful and won't get us in any real trouble." Maddie's book details the Trip Jinx and Gabriel is clearly trying to deviate attention to it instead of his Animagus book, even if Elet does get a saucy smile for her comment.
"Well that's just… stupid," Madeline says. But then lots of things are stupid right now. She sighs dramatically. "Okay. I'll try to be more careful about what I say." She turns the book around then, to show everyone else the jinx she found. "Does anyone know it?" she asks curiously.
Hattie dully says, "If that lot were interested in the truth of things, then so very much would look different just now." She drops her face nearly into her own book. "Not I," she says of the jinx. To Elspeth, she asks, "Anything for me?" vaguely.
One shoulder raises at Madeline's claim of stupidity, while a hand reaches out to ruffle at Gabriel's head. "I am not, but it is not looking too difficult," Elspeth says in regards to the jinx. She starts to shake her head to Hattie, then stops. She tilts her head to the side, looks at Evelyn, and considers. "Maybe," she finally says. "I will be seeing you in our room later tonight. Maybe I can be helping you then."
Gabriel's eyes track back and forth between Elet and Hattie, sensing something there. But for the moment he turns to Madeline with a smile and says, "See, I knew it didn't look that hard. Maybe we can try and get it to work during the next Duelling Club practice." Turning the smile to Elspeth and Evelyn he asks, "So where the two of you coming in for some really learning too?"
Madeline nods in agreement with Gabriel's suggestion. "Someone might even know it." She pulls out a bit of parchment, then scribbles out the title, whispering to Gabriel, "I'll see if Elise'll check it out for us." See - there's another one of those 'stupid' things.
Hattie nods her head, saying, "I'll look for you there, then. Take care." She lifts up the book she had borrowed from Gabriel's wall o' learning, as though trying to figure out how to get it back into formation. … And decides on the non-magical method of just putting it there. "You know to be careful with all that, right?" she asks him of the disguised book.
An idea is formulating for Elspeth, and she chews the inside of her lip. When Gabriel speaks to her, she blinks once, then looks over to him with a grin. "I was thinking about it, but now I am thinking I have other duties that must be attended to." She nods to Hattie, then she taps Evelyn on the shoulder, leaning down to say something quietly. "I will be seeing you in the Common Room, Ward," she adds before she gives a wave and leaves the Library.
Gabriel waves in response to Elspeth then reads his book until her and Evelyn are out of earshot. Once they are he looks back up to Madeline and Hattie, focusing mostly on the fifth year girl, "What are you and Elspeth planning? It was pretty clear you were talking about secret things… Are they real secrets or can we help?"
"Wait - there's secrets?" Madeline asks, looking between the pair. And she missed it? "I'm good at keeping secrets," she offers eagerly, in a quiet voice. "And helping!"
The timid Wilkins girl looks taken aback, and answers Gabriel while shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Its a personal problem that's cropped up for me with a classmate, that she's helping me to mitigate a bit. And I don't know what she's come up with, so I can't say."
Hattie adds, "Its embarrassing."
Gabriel tilts his head a bit to the side considering Hattie for a few moments before smiling a tiny little smile,"I apologize if I embarrassed you. But if you need help with anything, especially if it has to do with the Magidunderheads, just let us know. That's what the Pirates are all about, helping."
Hattie says quietly, "My little brother is very interested in them, you know. He's ashamed of our mum. Wishes he were a pureblood so that he could… get on."
"Well, last year they took halfsies," Madeline murmurs quietly. "But this year…? Flint kicked Dashur right now because she weren't pure enough. But I think she's better off."
"Once they know something you want, or don't want, they use it to turn you all around. Hurt you with it. Anyway, he's just… vulnerable. And doesn't know it." Hattie rubs her forehead. "I just hope he keeps a cool head."
Gabriel nods grimly at Maddie's comment. "Yeah, I don't think any of the new members, if they even accept new members, will be anything but Purebloods." With a sigh he starts to pick up his wall of books and starts walking over to the shelves to put the books back, "But that still doesn't change anything. If we can help you, we will. If you want us to help him, we will… If he'll accept it. Can't help someone that just doesn't want it…" Hattie's last comment makes him pause in thought. After a few moments of thought he says, "That sounds like a tactic they would use… I guess then it turns into a matter of what's more important. Our morals and the principles we choose to live by or our desires…"
"Well - can't we help him find something else he wants?" Madeline asks uncertainly. "I think being a pirate is better, personally… But maybe we could just get him really into Quidditch?" Says the girl who doesn't like Quidditch. "Or something like that."
Hattie looks between the two younger students, and quotes from some dusty book or other, in this library or some other. "When your enemy is SURE he has you, that when they are most vulnerable to cunning attacks." And with that, she stands herself up and tells Gabriel and Madeline, "I will let you know if you can help. … And I'm grateful for the offer. Its just the tactics right now favor the long game." She lays her satchel back over her shoulder. "I'll see you at breakfast," she murmurs, airily, as though distracted by other thoughts, and takes her leave of them.