| Details for Brooms, Clubs, and Stones |
| Summary: | Eoin is out on the grounds, finding something to do, while Adam joins him along with Ludae. Melody stops by on her way to Hogsmeade, and then Gareth appears, too. |
| Date: | January 16, 1940 |
| Location: | Campus Grounds, Hogwarts |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Eoin is bundled up warm as he walks outside, carrying a shallow bag with him. The end of classes has just let out and many of the older students are getting ready to head into Hogsmeade. The curly haired first year, of course, can’t go, so he busies with himself by keeping an eye out over the ground. The bag is already pretty heavy now with stones, and occasionally Eoin stops and bends down, picking up another stone that he examines before dumping it into the bag.
Adam, being only a second year student, can't go to Hogsmeade either. He wanders the grounds in his ill-fitting clothing, his school robes drawn close around him and his arms wrapped around his chest. Spotting his first year housemate up ahead, he veers in his direction. "Collecting stones?" he asks. "Found any interesting ones?"
Ludae comes walking down the path from the castle, still in her robes as she had just left class. She's holding a couple of books in her arms, casually hugging them to her chest as she walks. She seems distracted at least, and chews on her lip, not really paying attention to who's around her at the moment.
Eoin’s deep green eyes lift to glance towards the approaching second year. He offers a faint smile and a slight, easy bob of his head in greeting. “Hello,” he greets calmly, but friendly before looking to the ground again. As he searches for more stones, the young boy lets out a wordless sound as he contemplates before he answers. “I think so. Look,” he says, his tone eagerly cool as he selects a stone that he holds out toward Adam. It’s a smooth stone, but with a cool looking pattern swirling around on it. His eyes flick off to catch Ludae’s approach, and the young boy offers the redhead a nod of greeting even as he shies away. He wouldn’t want to bother an upperclassman, after all.
Adam scans the ground for any interesting-looking stones as well until Eoin hands him one of those he's already found. "Neat," he says, grinning as he takes the stone from the younger boy. "Good choice." He glances over his shoulder when he notices Eoin looking off at someone, and he offers Ludae a quick smile when he sees her. Then he turns back to Eoin and hands him his stone back. "Here. Don't lose it!"
Ludae blushes a little as she catches the attention of both the younger Hufflepuff boys. She gives them both a friendly smile, though. "Hello," she greets them, and her steps slow until she comes to a stop. She glances between Eoin and Adam for a moment. "You're Melody's younger brother, aren't you?" she asks Eoin, "How are you finding Hogwarts so far?"
Eoin smiles feebly as he nods to Adam. “Thank you,” he responds politely. The stone, once given back to him, is returned to his bag. “It’s not my favourite one, but it’s pretty neat. I’ve got one that looks like it could be a moon stone.” He lets out a quiet sound as he ponders, and then says, “It’s just a rock, of course. But with its crevices and rough edges,” he explains as he pulls it out of the bag to hold it in his palm, “it kind of looks that way.” Eoin blinks as he turns to Ludae, a little taken aback that she decided to spare a moment. His small smile is there though, friendly, as he nods his head to her. “Yes. I’m Eoin,” he supplies. His fingers wrap around the stone he had just pulled out, unconsciously flicking his thumb against the rough, misshapen granite. “Mhmmmm,” he murmurs out as the redhead’s question is thought about. His green eyes look away briefly, studying Adam before he looks to the ground to check for another rock. “It’s going close to what I expected now, at least,” he finally answers, his gaze lifting up to Ludae. It seemed like a good answer, staying truthful, and not bringing up how the year started off.
"Really?" Adam says. "Can I see that one? I've never seen anything from the moon before." He grins, knowing that it's probably not from anywhere remotely near the moon. But he falls quiet when Ludae approaches, letting her talk to Eoin and only offering a friendly "Hello" in return.
Ludae gives a nod of her head to Eoin, smiling. "I thought I saw you at a few of the club meetings," she says, "I'm Ludae. I'm also in the dueling club and the broom club." She offers him a hand, and then smiles to Adam as well. "I don't believe we've met, either," she says, offering her hand to him as well. "Are you both first-years?" she asks, curiously.
Eoin’s gaze briefly returns to the ground, giving it another look as he moves along an inch, but keeps an eye on Ludae as she speaks. He certainly doesn’t want to appear rude, even as his mind wanders to the stone collection. He blinks as he glances over to Adam, looking down at his hand, almost surprised as if he had forgotten that he was grasping the rock. “Oh, yes, of course,” he answers, holding out his hand to Adam, where he’ll place the rock in the second year’s hand. “It’s not really from the moon, of course,” he informs, even though he does smile at the thought. He bobs his head slowly, but somehow with the enthusiasm that he shows in his eyes as he looks up to Ludae. “I’ve been going. I thought it would help me learn some spells better if I can see them in action.” He blinks, looking to Adam again. “Well I am.” He pauses, looking to the second year and then up to Ludae, allowing the older boy to answer for himself.
"Thanks," Adam says, taking the rock from Eoin with a smile. Then he palms it to his other hand so that he can shake Ludae's. "Nope," he says, grinning at her. "I'm in my second. I'm Adam." He glances down at the rock Eoin handed him. "Wow! This really does look like it came from the moon." He holds it up to the sky as if picturing it hanging there and beams at it. Then he hands it back to Eoin. "Nice find." Then, turning back to Ludae, he says, "Hold on. There's a broom club? Maybe I should join that now that I've got a broom."
Ludae smiles and gives a nod of her head. "It's mostly quidditch players, but there are a few other students like myself who just like to practice their flying. I wasn't very good at it after my first year, but I've gotten much better since." She grins a little. "We'd be happy to have you if you're interested in joining, I'm sure." She quirks a brow at Adam, though. "Second year, hmm? Have you been considering what electives you want to take next year?" Of course, the Ravenclaw girl is thinking more about school than anything else. Well, almost anything else.
Eoin nods his head once, a smile twitching out. “Thanks,” he says, but eyes the stone carefully as he thinks. Lifting his gaze to Adam’s face, he shrugs as he brings up a hand - not to take the stone, but to gesture that he hold onto it. “Why don’t you keep it? I’ve got plenty,” he decides. He glances at Ludae briefly, letting her speak as Eoin finds another rock in the grass, picking it up to examine it and place it in his bag. He brings his gaze to Adam, staring at him with a look of excitement. “You’ve got a broom? Wow. Which one do you have?”
"I'd love to," Adam says to Ludae. But he shrugs at her question and scratches the back of his neck. "Oh, no. I hadn't really thought about it yet. I'm more worried about passing my current classes. Um, what did you take?" He grins at Eoin. "Really?" he says, looking down at the not-moon-rock in his hand, grinning, and tucking it into his pocket. "Thanks! Yeah, I just got it this year. It's a… Cleansweep Two, I think? I don't know much about brooms yet."
Ludae glances at Eoin as he picks up some more rocks. Her answer is to Adam, though. "Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures. The first because, um." She pauses, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "Because my mother is a muggle, and I wanted to know more about them." Though if either of the boys pay attention to gossip, there's word that Ludae fancies the teacher. "Care of Magical Creatures is what I'm really interested in, though, so that was a natural selection. I would recommend taking a course that you're interested in, and if none of the others catch your eye, just take the ones you know you'll be able to do well in."
“You’ve got a Cleansweep Two?” Eoin pipes up eagerly. He closes his mouth quickly when he realises he’s gaping, and shifts on his feet. “That’s a really good broom,” he says. And expensive! “Did you get that as a Christmas present?” he asks. “I want to play quidditch, if they’ll have me, but I’ll probably just use the school brooms. They work well.” He nods, a smile touching his features. Certainly he’s been in the air during Flying class already and even in the club. He gives Ludae a bewildered look, staring up at her curiously as he tilts his head, but if he notices the reaction he doesn’t comment on it.
"Yup," Adam says, grinning at Eoin. "It's very nice, yeah. Er, I'm not sure why I got it actually. Haven't been able to figure that out. Someone gave it to me, but it was in the middle of November. Was really nice of him though." He looks back to Ludae. "Oh yeah!" he says, his eyes lighting up. "Care of Magical Creatures! I'm definitely taking that one. I don't know about the other, though." He glances around and then lowers his voice. "No point in taking Muggle Studies, though. My family's all Muggles." But then he looks uncomfortable at having admitted that, and he goes quiet.
Ludae's eyes light up a little bit at the mention, despite Adam looking uncomfortable at that. "Really? That must be very interesting," she says, "Do you have any other magic-users in the family, or are you the only one?" She tilts her head a little, smiling. "My father is a wizard, but my mother is a muggle. It's all muggles on my mother's side, they don't even know about the wizarding world." The Ravenclaw girl doesn't seem at all uncomfortable discussing it; unlike an awful lot of people in the wizarding world she harbors no prejudice against muggles. She smiles at Eoin, though. "The school brooms aren't bad," she says, "I didn't get one until the end of second year, when my father bought me one for my birthday. It was an old Comet 140, I've got a 180 now though."
Having bowed his head while the other two spoke, Eoin peers into his bag to idly count the rocks. They jiggle together as he moves them, granite on granite, but blinks as he looks up and to Adam. “That was an awfully generous gift,” he intones. “He must be a very good friend.” Eoin smiles, shifting on his feet to drop his head again to his bag, to check over his rocks, though he looks up to look at Ludae as he nods to her. “A one eighty - I knew it was a good broom, but…” He crouches to the ground, setting the bag down as he pulls out a stone. “Wow. I hope that doesn’t ruin my chances at making the team eventually if I don’t own my own broom.” He sets the stone on the grassy ground and pulls out another to set it down beside it. He glances up, studying Adam when he speaks, and considering quietly. Pulling out rocks, Eoin works at making a circle pattern with them, saying softly even as he works, “No one should feel uncomfortable of who they are.”
Adam looks up at Ludae in surprise. "Really?" he asks. "You think it's interesting?" He smiles and shrugs. "I'm the only one I know of. My friend Maddie has an uncle who's a wizard, but there's no one like that in my family. Just me." He peers at her. "What was it like growing up in a magic family?" He no longer seems uncomfortable talking about it now that he knows Ludae isn't a Muggle-hater. That is, until Eoin's comment - at that he shifts his feet and looks embarrassed. "He wasn't my friend," he tells him, going back to talking about the broom he got. "He made that very clear. He's not my friend."
Ludae tilts her head a little, and taps her chin in consideration as she looks at Eoin. "You know, I still have my 140. It's a bit old, and not as fast as some newer broomsticks, but if you want to borrow it until you get your own, you're welcome to it. I don't use it at all anymore, it's just sitting in my closet at home." She smiles again, and then looks at Adam again, giving a nod. "Sure," she says, "I didn't see a lot of my mother's side of the family, they lived a lot further away from us, so I don't have a lot of exposure to muggle culture. There were some things, I guess, that were easier, but from what I understand it's a lot of the same stuff. We aren't one of those rich wizarding families you hear about, like the Malfoys, after all. My father works for the Ministry, though, so I spent a lot of time with my mother when I was younger. I suppose my upbringing was very muggle-like for a witch, since she couldn't do magic herself."
Eoin continues to work at laying out the rocks, looking rather thoughtful as he keeps an ear listening to both Adam and Ludae. He blinks as he looks at Adam with bewilderment, letting out a non-verbal sound as he wonders. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he says slowly, biting his lip worriedly. If that’s an issue for the second year, he certainly doesn’t want to bring it up, so he leaves it at that. Looking up from his arranging again to Ludae’s words about her broom, Eoin gapes at her before he realises and closes his mouth. “You’d… You’d let me borrow it?” His smile is small, but appreciative. “Thank you. Er-“ His brows furrow, looking down to pull out more stones from the bag, and after a moment of thinking he asks quietly, “That’s allowed, right? Riding another student’s broom in their first year?”
"Sorry for what?" Adam asks, glancing at Eoin. He grins at Ludae. "Oh, good. I mean… Well, I don't hate the Malfoys or anything, but it's nice that there are some decent wizard families out there. Not that the Malfoys aren't decent!" he adds quickly, again glancing around the grounds. "So, er, what does your father do? At the Ministry. Is he an Auror?"
The notes of a song drift on the wind nearly a minute before Melody is actually seen, walking slowly from the gardens toward the school gate. Her intent is to take advantage of some time in the village, but some familiar faces, one in particular, have her path veering toward the small group. Her flute comes down from her lips as she approaches, giving her usual wide, toothy smile around. "Hallo," she greets them, eyes landing on Ludae and Adam a second each before settling on Eoin. "D'you want anything from the village? I'm going in for a bit, I'll bring you a treat back." She steps over to him with the offer and gives his hair a fond ruffle, before looking back to the other two. "Are you going to the village?"
Ludae smiles and shakes her head to Adam. "I'm not going to get into who's decent or not," she says, shifting her weight and the books in her arms to something more comfortable. "I just know that the majority of the student body could do with a little more tolerance towards muggles." She smiles at Eoin then, and shrugs her shoulders. "I don't see why not," she says, "They're not like wands, they don't really get picky about who rides them. It's just sitting there gathering dust, I may as well loan it to you so it doesn't forget how to fly." She grins a little bit, a sideways half-grin. Back to Adam, she replies, "My father works in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, on the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee. I'm hoping for an internship in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, myself." Ludae's brows lift at the sound of a familiar voice, and she turns to Melody after she greets the three. "Oh, hello, Melody," she says, smiling at the other girl, "Been a while. Have you been well?" They haven't, after all, had very much contact this year. "I was on my way to Hogsmeade, yes," she affirms, "I need to stop by the herbology shop to pick up a few things, and see if another order of mine will be ready for, um." Her cheeks flush a bit as she hesitates. "For tomorrow," she finishes.
Eoin looks up from the stone pattern to blink at Adam. “Mhm? What?” he asks, looking perplexed as he tilts his head. When he recalls that he had just mentioned that he was sorry, he lets out an, “Oh,” and chews on his lip again. “Um.” The boy shrugs a little uncomfortably. “It didn’t sound like it was any of my business. I didn’t mean to bring something up if there were issues,” he answers, dipping his head lightly only begins to arrange more stones when he looks up to Ludae. “Well, thank you,” Eoin says again, smiling softly. When the tune reaches his ears Eoin again lifts his head, blinking as he looks around the grounds searchingly. When Melody comes into sight, an eager grin spreads over his face. “Melody!” he calls out in a happy greeting. He looks thoughtful at the question as he glances down, and then after moving another stone into the pattern, lifts his head up with an, “Oh yes. How about another chocolate frog?” A sparkle of excitement flickers in his eyes.
Adam shrugs at Eoin, smiling at the first-year to show he took no offense. He nods at Ludae. "I want to work for the Ministry one day. I want to be an Auror! But I also want to tame a dragon and explore cursed tombs. I don't know what I want to do first." He looks around as Melody shows up and waves at her, recognizing her as one of the older students in his house. "Not me," he says. "I'm not old enough yet. Still don't get why third-years can go, but I can't."
"I'll walk in with you, if you like," Melody offers to Ludae, although she seems in no particular hurry to actually be on the way to Hogsmeade. Her lips press for a moment, brown eyes going to Adam, "I'd forgotten." Which would likely surprise no one, as Mel isn't really one for keeping track of anyone not in her year. "I'll bring you a chocolate frog as well," she adds with more brightness. She looks down, a look coming to her face as if she'd just noticed she's still holding her flute, and she slips it away into her cloak, freeing her hands up. Although they just wind up clasped in front of her. "Was I interrupting?"
Ludae shakes her head to Melody. "No, you weren't interrupting," she says, "I was just telling your younger sibling that he could borrow my old broom if he wants, since I haven't use for it, until he gets one of his own. He's interested in quidditch, as I understand it, and it wouldn't do to be using one of the school brooms, would it?" She smiles brightly, and gives a nod to Adam. "Might be best to do those other things, first," she says, "Can't go running about on adventures while you're working for the Ministry, though I would definitely focus on courses you need to become an auror if that's what you want to do." Again she smiles at Melody, and nods her head. "I wouldn't mind the company," she says, "It would be nice to catch up. Is there anywhere you're headed?"
Eoin gives Adam a quiet nod and a smile, returning his gaze downward to pull out the last of the stones. “Hmm,” he lets out as he studies the pattern. The stones have been arranged in a circle, with an arched line in the middle and slanted slightly. He glances up with an eager grin, looking from Adam to Melody. “I wish I could just go,” he says, nodding in agreement with Adam. “But we can have fun on campus.” He pauses for a moment as he looks back down at the stones, beginning to re-arrange the middle part of the pattern. “I’d like to see your broom, Adam.” Eoin, of course, wouldn’t be allowed on broom without being watched, but he could at least admire the second year’s broom. The boy looks between Ludae and Melody, waiting for the redhead to be finished speaking before he informs, “Not that there’s anything wrong with the school brooms.” But a Comet 140? Yea, he’s totally interested in trying it out.
"Good point," Adam tells Ludae. "I hadn't thought of that. I think I'll go for the dragon first." He grins at her and then looks over at Melody, who's apparently offered to bring him a chocolate frog. "Really? You will? Thanks! I can't wait till I'm on a chocolate frog card one day. It'll say 'Adam the Amazing!'" He beams at Eoin. "Yeah, sure! I'll show it to you any time."
Melody shifts her weight from foot to foot as the stands with the little group, her eyes downcast to whatever her brother is doing with the stones. She's no need to question it, she's seen him doing it often enough. Her attention shifts to settle on Ludae, although there's a dreamy quality in her eyes, as if she's only partially there. "Nowhere in particular. I wanted a walk, and now I'm going to the sweet shop, I guess." She appears perfectly fine with the shifting plans, as usual. Mel focuses on Adam a moment, curiously asking, "Amazing for what?"
Ludae giggles softly at Adam, and grins at Melody. "Amazing for being the first to tame a Horntail, obviously," she says with a wink to Adam, "Though, don't go getting yourself eaten. Can't have your own card if there's only half of you left." She grins broadly. "I might join you at the sweet shop for a bit," she says, "There might be something interesting worth trying to replicate."
When the stones in the middle are piled beside the circle, and even the bottom of the circle is broken slightly, Eoin blinks as he glances up again. “It would be impressive to make it onto a chocolate frog card,” he says, nodding to Adam. As to his opinion if it would be possible, he doesn’t voice it. He glances back down, turning the circle of stones into a half circle before he starts to return only a few of the stones to the bag. When he stands, he haphazardly dusts off his lower robes even he hardly manages to get off all the dirt and grass. “Oh, the broom club,” Eoin says with a small smile. “You’ll bring it to a meeting, won’t you?” He’s treating it like Adam has already joined the club, of course. He shifts on his feet, blinking and grinning. “If you end up taming a dragon, what will you name him?”
"Exactly!" Adam says, beaming at Ludae when she answers Melody's question for him. "And for discovering all those rare artifacts in the center of the earth and for being the best Auror the Ministry's ever seen. The list goes on, of course." He looks at Eoin and thinks for a moment. "What'll I name him? Uh, that's a good question. I haven't thought of that yet. But yeah, I'll bring my broom to the club sometime, if that's what people who go to the club do." He then rubs his hands together. "Anyway, Adam the Amazing's getting cold and is going to go inside now. Have fun in Hogsmeade! See you later, Eoin."
Gareth wanders down from the castle, an overstuffed schoolbag on one shoulder, and his arms filled with books. He's not in his school uniform, however, but in regular civilian robes, dark green with gold accents, though his top hat is deep purple. As he makes his way down the path toward the gates, he notices some other students lingering about and pauses to greet them. "All right, everyone?"
Melody's brows lift at Ludae's answer, and she looks a bit uncertain for a moment before she nods and says agreeably, "Oh yes, of course." She doesn't seem to be paying much attention to her brother going on about brooms, but she does absently flap her hands at him in an attempt to help him brush the dirt off himself for a moment. One of those hands then lifts to wave as she calls to Adam, "I'll see you when I get back from the village." She does have a treat to deliver, after all, to both the young Hufflepuff boys. As Gareth nears those left, Melody looks at him a moment, then nods, with a casual greeting, "Hallo Carrow." It's not that the pair know each other, but Gareth did garner some bit of celebrity around school for having returned from the whole 'Durmstrang Situation'. Her eyes do stay on all the books he's carrying. "Do you need some help with all that?" she asks, her tone mild, and curious.
And Eoin starts thinking about good dragon names. He idly drops a hand into his bag after slipping it over his shoulder, clattering the rocks inside as he fiddles with them. His mind is only half focused on Melody’s assistance to brushing off the dirt, blinking as he glances down even as he shifts on his feet. “Needles could make a good name for a horntail… Thank you, Melody.” His suggestion for the dragon name slurs right into a thank you, even as he flushes at the help from his big sister. He nods to Adam as he mentions leaving. “Bye.” And then Eoin is glancing down to the ground, turning around and looking around until he picks up a stick. He gives it a swing in the air before he looks up, deep green eyes locking on Melody. “Do you think I could pick up juggling? It sounds interesting.” He turns his head to Gareth when the seventh year approaches, and he nods politely to the older boy even as he remains quiet. Like he did with Ludae, he gives Gareth the choice whether or not he wants to associate with just a little first year.
Gareth looks Eoin over with a bit of wrinkle to his nose — a Firstie, and Hufflepuff to boot. Giving the boy a slight nod, he turns to Melody. "Help? Oh no, thank you though. Just a little light reading for the weekend. Are you headed to Hogsmeade then?" He glances again to Eoin. "Why would you name a Horntail anything? Horntail is already a perfectly servicable name. It's highly unlikely you'll encounter one though. Very few Hungarian Horntails in Britain, so far as I know. None, in point of fact."
Melody looks at her brother, pausing as if carefully considering her answer to his question. Finally coming to a decision, she nods. "It's kind of like a puzzle, keeping them all going like that. Yes, I think you could." There's barely a breath before she looks at Gareth, more curious than confrontational. "But you're a boy, and no one just calls you Boy. You've a name." It seems to be a rather fleeting thought for her, because almost immediately her attention wanders again and her toothy grin is back for Ludae. "We should go before it gets too late, so we can stop at the sweet shop and the herbology shop." Her last words are for Eoin, "I won't be too long. Study a bit, and maybe I'll have an extra frog for you." As if he'll listen, but she tries. With that she turns, and starts off, more wandering than purposefully, alongside with Ludae.
Eoin nods, grinning eagerly for a moment as he thinks. “If I could find someone who can juggle it would be easier to learn. I wonder if there’s anyone…” It’s almost just a general question to himself, voiced allowed, before he blinks and looks up from his bag. He nods in agreement with his sister’s comment about being a boy and having a name, and then when there’s an opportunity he adds in, “Adam’s planning on taming a dragon, though I suppose it doesn’t have to be a horntail. It could though. He could bring one to Britain, maybe.” He lifts his shoulders in a shrug, and looks to Melody, his lips moving into a pout. “I guess I’ll find you later,” he says with a nod to his sister. He grimaces, but nods anyway to studying. “I’ll do my best.” He shifts on his feet, looking down to the stick in his hand before he starts swinging it through the air again. “I should learn how to sword fight, too.”
Gareth wrinkles his nose again, tossing a quick nod to the girls as they wander off, before turning his attention back to Eoin. "Taming a dragon or bringing one to Britain would be a violation of the law, I believe. Hazardous in any event. You and Adam should both tread very lightly in such an area, especially in these dangerous times. The last thing you want is to be on the wrong side of the Wizengamut. Now why should you need to learn how to juggle or fight with a sword? I should think learning to defend yourself with a wand should be more than sufficient."
Eoin glances down to the stones he left lying on the ground, beginning to prod one at a time with the stick, sliding them around over the grass. His lips pout when occasionally the stick slips off a stone instead of moving it. “If it’s against the law than why are their dragon handlers? Mmhmm,” he lets out as he thinks, green eyes watching the rocks as he moves them, slowly forming a square. “Maybe he’ll work with a common Welsh green. Though travelling to work with a dragon in another country would be fun,” he decides, “even if you couldn’t bring it here.” He looks up from the stones - the top and sides done on the square - and blinks at Gareth. “Juggling would be an interesting skill to learn, especially if I could keep challenging myself by adding more.” He glances down again, moving the stones with the stick, thinking about what the seventh year says until he says quietly, “There a plenty of fun things to do that doesn’t involve a wand. Besides, we can’t soften the blow of a spell like we can cushion a sword.”
Gareth snorts indignantly, lifting his chin. "There is nothing common about a Welsh Green," he insists, feeling a surge of patriotism. "Of course, the Welsh Red is far more rare now, thanks to the efforts of Saxon and Norman wizards. But then, we can't really expect too much from foreigners, can we?" He glances at the stones, brows furrowed in confusion, but brushes it off. "What would be the point of fighting at all if you plan to cushion your blows? You might as well engage in pillow fights, which hardly require any special training. As for juggling…I really don't understand the point of it myself, though I suppose it can be entertaining. Personally, I would learn to play piano instead, as it would be far more useful for entertaining the right people."
Eoin glances up quickly to Gareth, looking at him in bewilderment before his eyes return to the stones. He lets the older student go on uninterrupted about the Welsh green and red and all that, pushing the stones around until he completes the last line of the square. A wordless sound escapes him as he thinks, tapping the stick against his leg lightly as he looks up to Gareth. “It wouldn’t be about the fighting,” he answers, shifting on his feet a little. “Just enjoying a sport - like quidditch,” he adds, smiling faintly. He nods to learning the piano, looking back down and kicking the rocks around with a foot to start moving them into another shape with the stick. “I would like to learn the drums, if I were to choose an instrument.”
Gareth shudders just a touch, giving his head a quick shake. "Ah, sport. Yes, I see. Well, I find the Duelling Club to be quite vigorous enough, but to each his own, I suppose. As for drumming, that would be a valuable skill, if we are indeed to join Britain's war effort. One can never tell what the future holds, can one? But we should all hope it doesn't come to that, and we should certainly hope that the war ends long before you're old enough to participate. Nasty business, war is. Everyone says so." He shifts the books a bit in his arms, doing a little juggling of his own to keep the stack from tumbling. "But if you'll excuse me, I should be getting to my cottage before the sun sets. I do hope that blasted elf remembered to sweep the place out this time."
With a curious glance at Gareth, Eoin keeps quiet and simply lets him speak. He doesn’t input though as he slides stones over the grass, except when he glances up briefly to offer a nod to him. War definitely isn’t any fun, but he’s also not going to pretend that he understands what’s happening. Again, his lips pout as Gareth excuses himself, though he nods understandably. “Have fun in Hogsmeade,” says the young first year, his eyes flicking back down to the stones.
Gareth gives a small, knowing smile. "You'll be old enough for Hogsmeade soon enough," he says, not unkindly. "Until then, you'd do well to take these opportunities to keep up with your studies. Trust me, schoolwork is far more important than any of the frivolity that occurs in the village. I'm hoping to take advantage of the peace and quiet of my family's cottage to study this weekend. These Hogsmeade trips tend to leave even the most studious of Ravenclaws rather loud and boisterous, when they return to the Common Room. Too much butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, I suspect." With another nod, he turns and continues down the path, humming softly to himself. Something…Wagnerian.