| Details for Who Can You Trust |
| Summary: | As the feast at Hogwarts winds down, a few students linger. Even in the new year there is forever disagreements. |
| Date: | January 4, 1940 |
| Location: | Great Hall, Hogwarts |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Well Angelus simply hung out in Hogsmeade for the day and met the train at the station when it arrived, dressed in uniform and ready to take the self-propelled carriages onto the grounds. As dinner winds down now - Angelus having enjoyed a very delicious pie - the youth has taken out a board game, shaking a hand to clear away some of the clutter on the table - which he rolls his eyes and sighs impatiently, moving the things himself. When he’s in charge of the school, more servitude will definitely have to happen. Placing the chess set on the table, he gestures across the table for an opponent. “Sit. Play. And please,” he says with a roll of his eyes, “give me a challenge.”
Madeline had also been in Hogsmeade, rather than taking the train - staying with her uncle and flying her 'new' broom (new to her, anyways. Perry had given her a used broom for Christmas). She comments to one of the other Gryffindors sitting beside her, "I know! I was shocked too! Soon as I read it, I ran out to show my mum and dad what it said."
Megan has sought out her dorm-mates to sit with them in their usual spot at the table, though she's been quiet, listening to what everyone has to say about recent events, and occasionally inquiring for others' viewpoints, rather than voicing her own opinion, since she would prefer to avoid drawing further attention to herself for her controversial beliefs. The best she can do is to appear neutral about blood purity when in public.
Angelus eyes the board before he orders the pieces to set themselves up, and lifts a hand to his mouth. Smirking, he nods and flicks out two fingers, glancing over at his opponent. “You get first move,” he offers, smiling across at the boy smugly. His blue eyes shift down the table briefly, lips curling lightly as he catches a couple faces before he drags his gaze back to the game.
"Well - they didn't seem as excited about it as I was," Madeline admits, in response to a question from one of her friends. "And they said that I'm probably not allowed to tell anyone yet - something about talks, I don't know. You think we will know when we are allowed to, though, right? I can't wait to tell Asher and Saul and Miriam about what I really do!"
"You're not worried about how the muggles might react to finding out about us?", Megan inquires of Mads between bites of a bread roll. "I admit I don't know much about muggles, but everything they think they know will be called into question… What if there's a mass panic? Wouldn't it be like everyone, everywhere finding out their beliefs are invalid, all at once?"
Angelus’ fingers rest lightly against his lips as he watches the board, grimacing and shaking his head and making tut-tut noises when his opponent starts to move his hand over the pieces. He hides his satisfied smile behind his fingers when the other boy falters, but lowers his hand as he smirks when the fellow actually makes his move. In turn, Angelus moves instantly at first - having a plan in mind - but as the board starts to take shape, his responses take a bit longer as he gives it more thought. His eyes flick down the table, lifting a brow, glancing at Megan and Madeline, but for now he holds his tongue.
"Well, I dunno," Madeline admits a little uncertainly. "Some might. But not my neighbors. They got good heads, mostly, and of course they'll know me and most of 'em know my uncle Perry, too, so I think that'll help," she points out. "Plus, well, think about how happy they'll be when they hear about even little stuff like Pepper-Up Potion?"
Megan's lips curl upward at her friend's enthusiasm. "Presupposing that pepper-up potion and such things have an effect on non-magical people," she comments, lest Madeline get carried away with the possibilities. "The cultural divide has existed for so long, that I doubt anyone alive today knows how potions will interact with muggle metabolisms—there might need to be testing first to determine whether potions are even safe to administer to muggles."
His turn again. Angelus eyes the board, sliding two fingers along his mouth and looking briefly across at his opponent. Pausing with a finger extended, lips poised as though he were about to give an order, he turns his head to glance down the table again and smirks. Back to the game, the boy gives out an order, watching his piece move. Before the Knight can finish its L shape, however, Angelus rises from the table and dips his head lightly. “Excuse me,” he says, and clasps his hands behind his back as he walks along the table. Stopping behind Megan, who he lowers a hand to rest on her shoulder, he flicks out a hand and looks to the student sitting next to her in a silent request for him to move over before he simply sits down as though he owned the table, wrapping an arm around behind his sister. “Right, so, stop talking to her,” he says quietly - though not so quiet that Madeline can’t hear. “The only thing that you can trust of her,” he says, sneering as he glances at Madeline, “is to pin every pure wizard up as a bad guy and let misbehaved hooligans run around.”
"Well… of course they'll work on Muggles," Madeline remarks, sounding surprised by Megan's suggestion, and wrinkling her brow in thought. "When we're brewing potions, we put the magic in them, so it's just like a spell in a bottle. You can use spells on Muggles and animals and stuff, so potions should be just the same." Even as Angelus sits and speaks to Megan, she continues on as if nothing has happened. "Oh! And besides. Can't you take cats and such to a healer if they're sick and get them a potion? Why would it work on non-magical animals, but not work on non-magical people? That'd be silly."
"Well, true, but the human nervous system is rather more complicated than that of a cat," Megan says. "What if a normal dose of 'dreamless sleep' has a permanent effect on muggles because their bodies are more sensitive than ours? No one will know until it's tried—" She goes quiet when her brother places his hand on her shoulder, and cants her head slightly when he interjects. Over the next few seconds, her face belies the anger welling up inside her, and then in a minor incident of accidental magic, the glass at her side shatters, spilling water on Angelus' clothes. Startled, she stares at the broken glass, takes a few breaths, and finally relaxes. "I'm aware of your opinions," she says in a calm voice, not wishing to make more of a scene than she already has.
Angelus startles when the glass shatters, freezing in the process of giving Megan a kiss on the cheek. Instead he lets out an ‘ack’ and jumps, reflexively tossing out a hand to stop the water from landing on him - which of course does no good whatsoever, splashing over his hand and robes. It leaves the youth - blinking - rather dazed and confused for a moment before his lips twitch, smirking, and he inclines his head, moving his head a little closer to his sister, continuing on where he left off as if nothing had happened. “Yes, you do, and as I’m here to protect you, I cannot allow you to speak to Evans. She’s dangerous to our kind.”
As the glass shatters, splashing Angelus (and herself, a little), Madeline can't help but giggle, though to her credit she tries to stifle it, and hides the expression behind her hand. When she has her amusement under control, she gives Megan a grateful look before responding to her thoughts. "Well. It's always best to be careful. But I bet it'll work just the same, and that Healers already know if it won't or not. Anyways, there's loads of stuff wizards can do to help Muggles, and Muggles can do to help wizards. Do you know about telephones? You're gonna love telephones!"
Megan's eyes dart to either side, noticing other students have taken an interest in their conversation. She closes her eyes and raises her fingers to the bridge of her nose. "If you want me to respect your opinions, it might behoove you to comport yourself like the refined upper-class wizard you wish to present yourself as, by not being so blatantly rude to my friends while in my presence," she says flatly. "And by not embarrassing me by virtue of imposing your beliefs upon me so publicly. We shall save this discussion for closed doors." She sighs, and returns her attention to Madeline. "I apologize for my brother's lack of tact."
Angelus briefly shifts his gaze onto Madeline, his chin tilted as he regards her coolly. His lips give a little quirk - the expression could be anything really - before he turns his attention to Megan. “Actually, I’m going to escort you back to the commons now,” he says with a point of fact edge, reaching out an arm to wrap back around her shoulders and draw his hand in with a snug, lowering his voice as he dips his mouth closer to her ear. “Because I care wholeheartedly about your well-being and you can’t trust her.” He frowns, turning his head to kiss her cheek. “You aren’t just my sister, May, you’re my best friend. Leave her and come with me now.”
"Your brother?" Madeline asks. "Did Noalan do something?" Seeing as Madeline has decided that Angelus doesn't even exist - not like he could lack (or have) tact. "Anyways - I enjoyed the Christmas break - didn't you? But I'm glad to be back at school, anyways. I think we're going to learn a lot more exciting stuff this year!"
"It was a happy Christmas, and yes, it should be an interesting term indeed. I have something to give you later, but something tells me I'll be late getting back to our dorm tonight. Please excuse me while I'm escorted away by your favorite persona-non-grata. It was nice chatting with you," Megan replies to Madeline while turning her head to look into Angelus' eyes meaningfully. With that, she turns, swings her legs over the seat, stands up, and begins walking toward the large double doors, but doesn't get ahead of Angelus because she knows he'll want to drape his arm around her.
Angelus shifts his gaze over to Madeline with a very smug look, a little twinkle in his eyes before he looks away. With a tiny little smile against his lips, he rises from the bench, fingers lightly pressed against the surface of the table as he scans along it quickly. Instead of following Megan right away, he strolls coolly towards where he had previously been, calmly picking up the pieces and the board. “Sorry, Leopold, our game will have to be postponed. I’ll make it up to you.” With his head lifted, Angelus smirks as he eyes the boy a moment, and then turns to follow after Megan.
"I'll see you upstairs," Madeline agrees cheerfully. "Have a nice stroll, Megan!" She pushes herself up to her feet after the other girl leaves - then starts across the hall at her usual bouncing pace. "Adam! Let's go fly our brooms!" she calls to her friend, before running out into the snow with him.