| Details for Swimming with the Snakes |
| Summary: | Down at the lake, Brand gets a bit more than he bargained for after splashing Antonin. |
| Date: | 20 June 1941 |
| Location: | Hogwarts Lake Shore |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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It is a warm and sunny afternoon on the Hogwarts grounds, Summer fully setting in on the area surrounding the castle. With classes mostly a review after exams, students have plenty of time in the afternoon to have fun, since they don't have to study. Today, the Black Lake has been opened for swimming, monitored closely by a squad of Prefects that recline comfortably on the bank in the shade of a tree. Many students splash about in the shallows, or swim in a spot of deeper water. The more Mischevious of them sneaking up and splashing water on those who are easily snuck up on. Antonin Dolohov is wearing a pair of shorts and a simple T-shirt, and is currently camped out on a wide flat rock, his legs dangling down into the water at the edge.
Yet another free from exams finds her way to the lake after hearing rumors that other students were headed down there to swim. Dressed in a red and white polka-dot swimsuit covered by a wrap 'dress', Xylina has arrived with one quiet shadow in the form of a dark siamese feline slinking along behind her, jumping upon a rock here and there, and yet stopping far enough away from the water to be certain that no accidental splashing might hit him. It's there the feline sits to watch the antics of the students, blue eyes icy and watchful. As for Xy, well, she's got a smile upon her lips, and is ready to have some fun.
Brand hasn't been out here long and he's already been splashed three times. Despite his impressive - at least in his own mind - skills on a broom, the Gryffindor's swimming ability leaves a lot to be desired. He's now looking for revenge and the fact that he isn't at all sure who splashed him first isn't going to keep him from getting it. Antonin, sitting on his rock, looks guilty enough, and Brand doesn't stop to figure out if the boy's clothes are dry before swimming up and shoving a spray of water up at him.
Mouth dropping open in shock as the wave of water splashes up and douses him where he sits, Antonin's gaze darkens and his hand is quick as a flash, pulling his wand from where it is stowed inside the waiste of his shorts. "You!" he growls as he points it at Brand where he floats in the water. His visage is murderous as water drips from his hair down to run in streams across the tip of his nose, and his breathing heavy. The loud calls from the other children seems to draw his attention and he remembers where he is. "What are you thinking?!" he demands hatefully, his wand slowly dropping, yet still clasped tightly in hand.
Nearby is Xylina, setting her towel and all aside, and undoing her wrap when the splash happens. But it's the growl that gains her immediate attention and has her stepping forwards, perhaps quickly, "Hey.. likely that we're here to have some fun?" An attempt to soothe ruffled feathers is made by the fourth year with a bright smile given to the Slytherin on the rock, "We're not in class, nor are we on the Quidditch field.."
Brand's eyes go wide when the older boy draws his wand on him. He throws his hands up in front of him. "Wait!" he cries. "Don't!" It looks like he picked the worst possible person to splash. When it seems like Antonin isn't going to instantly curse him into oblivious, he lowers his hands. "I don't know. It's just water. Anyway, you splashed me earlier. Didn't you?" He glances over at Xylina for help.
Snapping his head around to take in Xylina, Antonin's brow furrows further and he says angrily, "What is your point? I did not come here to be splashed by some first year." Narrowed eyes turn back toward Brand, and he seems pleased at the younger boy's uplifted hands. "No," he growls angrily at the boy, his wand tip still dancing as he half lifts his wand for emphasis. "I did not splash you earlier. I have been sitting here this entire time, fool."
Shifting her position closer to the edge of the water, Xylina looks to Brand and shrugs, "I didn't notice anyone in particular splashing you. There's a lot of it going on though." A gesture with one hand is made to the group off to the side who are horseplaying around, splashing back and forth, and even ducking the occasional person under the water. All in good fun. Turning back to Antonin, she still offers him a smile, "I think it's safe to say that if you don't want to get splashed, you might want to consider sitting further back from the edge of the water… just to be on the safe side, hmm? Wouldn't wish you to get hit with another splash of water again by someone just looking to include you in the fun that most of us are looking to have."
Xylina begins to say something more, but another student comes down calling her name, waving a note from a professor. Seems someone needs to speak to her! A glance to Brand is given, to make sure the younger Griffindor is going to be okay before she hurries off, hopefully to return soon enough.
"Oh," Brand says to Antonin. "Well, sorry. I thought you had. Maybe it was someone who looked like you." He isn't about to argue with someone brandishing a wand, which his eyes watch nervously. He nods emphatically at what Xylina says. "Exactly," he tells Antonin. "I was just having fun. I didn't mean any harm by it. I'll even let you splash me back if you want." He holds his arms out wide.
Walburga makes her way down to the shoreline in a robe, a few girls following her. Pausing as her bare feet touch the water's edge, she looks at the other students having fun. "Take my robe." she says, and one helper does which lets the Black stand at the edge in her suit. It's a bit old-fashioned, maybe. Her arms cross over her chest as her eyebrows begin to frown.
Antonin turns his head as the familiar tones of Walburga behind him reach his ears. Signaling her, he jerks his head toward the Gryffindor in the water beside him. "Black," he intones. "Can you believe this little runt splashed water onto me?"
Great, now there's two of them. Brand looks over towards Walburga and is about to swim away before any further trouble happens, but then Antonin calls him a little runt. Despite the older boy's wand, Brand speaks up. "What did you just call me?" he says. "You wouldn't be acting half as brave as you are now if you didn't have your wand on you. Idiot."
"Apparently that's what water does when it's not boiling or being frozen." replies the Black in her deadpan tone. She looks between Antonin and Brand then back to Antonin. "Dolohov, the boy says to splash him back so do it. An eye for an eye, a splash for a splash." She looks back to the younger boy with narrowed eyes as she has the water to her ankles now. "You're a brave thing to be picking a fight with Dolohov. Lets see here, unkept hair, airs of bravado, most likely rambunctious….I'd peg you for a Gryffindor. I'll give you a free bit of advice, never tangle with serpents when there's a den of them." She glances back to Antonin, "Wand away, it's not yet graduation. Settle things in a …sportsmanlike…manner."
Antonin outright growls at the boy in the water. He stands quickly and peels his shirt off of his lean frame and tosses it down onto the rock that he is sitting on, tossing his wand on top of his shirt and then leaps into the water. He pops to the surface, longish hair plastered to his face and there is murder in his eyes as he begins to slog through the water toward the little first year Gryffindor, "What did you call me?" he growls in a deadly tone.
Brand puffs his chest out at Walburga's remarks, clearly thinking that being pegged for a Gryffindor and being brave enough to take on a couple of Slytherins alone is something to be proud of. But he quickly deflates when Dolohov jumps in the water with him. He swallows and glances around for somewhere to escape to. "An idiot," he reiterates as he backs away until he runs out of ground to stand on and has to tread water. "What's your problem? It was just a little splash."
Walburga is 'swimming', her ankles are submerged. She's observing the tiff between Antonin and Brand, arms still crossed. When Antonin is lumbering towards the younger boy, her brow raises in surprise when Brand repeats the name calling. "I heard that when the Sorting Hat can hear a breeze blowing between the ears of the head it's resting on, that they're automatically sent to Gryffindor."
Catching the professor up on the lawn, Xylina makes quick tracks back to the lake. So, the older Griffindor returns, just in time to see the two Slytherins picking on the poor first year. Her footsteps lead her back to the water, her towel and bathingsuit coverup set aside, "Hello, Brand… having fun?" Pretending that tension isn't in the air, perhaps?
"That's right. It was just a splash. And you will just be drowning when I get my hands on you, runt," Antonin growls as he continues to slog through deeper and deeper water toward the retreating boy. "So much for the brave lion," Antonin taunts as he follows the boy. "You are running just like any other coward in your house. You must be related to that snivelling Anson!"
Walburga glances towards Xylina who returns. "Your beau is about to get some good sense washed in that head of his. I'd suggest you give him helpful pointers like simply saying sorry."
"And I heard that it picks Slytherin when it finds a block of wood in there," Brand retorts, though his eyes never leave Antonin. "Trying to!" he tells Xylina when she returns. "Only I think I might be the only one." He continues to swim backwards, his arms and legs working to keep himself afloat, but at Antonin's taunt he stops where he is. "I'm not afraid of you," he says, though the slight quaver in his voice betrays him. As if to back it up, he swipes his hand around and sends another shower of water at the older boy.
Walburga hears the Gryffindor boy try saying something to her and she smirks, "Your attempts at sarcasm are found lacking. I'd have thought having an empty head might help you all do well in quidditch, but you even lose at the one thing you're supposed to be good at. It must feel terrible being so lost, even Hufflepuffs are good at digging plants up..that they'll probably eat later." She pauses, as Brand and Antonin begin to clash. "Don't they teach you all that there's nothing wrong with falling back and regrouping later? Why do you all insist on doing things like that?"
As the water comes toward Antonin in the large sweeping wave, Antonin launches himself forward, feet pressing himself off of the bottom of the lake where he stands chest deep. He bursts through the spray of water arms extended straight outward as he comes down in a rush toward Brand. His hands angle for the smaller boy's shoulders seeking to grab and thrust the boy beneath the water's surface. He grips hard, his hands dunking the boy and attempting to hold him down. "Oh yes," he calls back, plastering a sick smile to his face as he gazes back at Xylina. "We are having fun. Just horseplaying with my new friend here."
Xylina doesn't even bother trying to correct Walburga's assumption that Brand is anything more than a Housemate. Nope, her voice rises as Antonin launches himself at Brand, and holds the boy under longer than one might for a mere dunking under the water, "I think that's long enough!" Dare she attempt to get the attention of a Prefect or two who are watching nearby from the shade of a tree? Already, she moves into the water, uncaring whether or not she plashes Walburga in the process, intending to give Brand a hand if Antonin doesn't let him up soon. "Unless you mean to try and DROWN him!"
Antonin's sudden surge catches Brand by surprise, and though he tries to get out of the way he can't move quickly enough. He lets out a shrill yelp as the Slytherin takes him by the shoulders and shoves him underwater. He has the sense to close his mouth as he goes under, but he didn't get the chance to take a new breath. He twists and turns, thrashing about in a panicked attempt to free himself from Antonin's grasp, using his hands to try to pull the stronger boy's arms off of him.
As Antonin is dunking the boy, Walburga is counting to herself. She gets to about thirteen and says "Alright Dolohov, we want him to live so he can learn from his mistake. Let him up, I'm sure the kitten will be a bit wet but smarter for the mercy."
Antonin stares hatefully back at Xylina as he continues to press the younger boy under the water, his dark eyes indeed murderous, almost seeming lost in the moment as he holds that sickening smile as he feels Brand begin to thrash beneath him. His wet hair from the younger boy's splashing is plastered to his face and he shakes his head violently, sending it flying with a spray. His breathing has quickened with the frenzy of feeling the boy's fingers scrabbling at his hands, attempting to pull his grip free and still he stares daggers at Xylina… maybe, he really does intend on drowning the boy. And then his eyes flash to Walburga and he regards her as if from very far away. He shakes his head and then hauls the boy upward even as he had pressed him down and shoves him back toward shallower water.
Xylina wades out, her gaze holding Antonin's own murderous gaze as she gets closer to he and the struggling Brand. "Let him go." Her voice is quieter than before, yet firmer, chin lifted just a touch in Griffindor bravedo even as he seems to finally make the decision on his own to pull the poor first year up and shove him towards shore. "Perhaps next time, if you don't want to be splashed, you shouldn't come down here." The usually quiet Xy gives him a glare then turns her attention to Brand, "You okay?"
Brand comes up gasping for air, no longer fighting now that he's free. Then with a flash of fear and another strangled cry, he realizes that the Slytherin might have brought him up only to push him under again. He scrambles to get away, splashing wildly, but then he finds his footing in the shallow water and realizes he's been let go after all. He stands unsteadily, turns to make sure that Dolohov isn't chasing after him, and then looks to Xylina and nods wordlessly, breathing fast.
Walburga doesn't smile, she just watches the going ons. "There, no harm done and we're all here at Hogwarts learning valuable lessons. Isn't that nice." in her flat tone as the boy scrambles to the shore and is collected by his house-mate. "Antonin, you showed very good restraint. The best thing is to have control, to allow them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Sometimes this takes a few repeats but generally even the dense ones get it."
"Maybe you should teach your first years who it is wise and who it is unwise to call an idiot," Antonin spits back toward the older Gryffindor, before turning still hateful eyes upon the little first year. "Besides, we were just horsing around, right? You splashed me twice, and I dunked you. I don't know about you, but I had a wonderful time." He marches back toward the bank, not even bothering to make a wide birth around the pair of Gryffindor as he heads past, but rather will just shoulder right past them if they don't move out of his way, chuckling as he agrees with Walburga. "We will see how well the little Lion learns," he says dangerously.
Xylina stands her ground, and if Antonin wishes to bump into her, so it will happen. Only once he's passed her will she turn and step closer to Brand, giving him a quick once over before nodding her head as if to say - you're alive! She barely keeps from rolling her eyes at the two Slytherins, but doesn't comment further to either at the moment.
Brand, seeing the hatred in the Slytherin's eyes, is convinced that what just happened can't be chalked up to "just horsing around." Still, he doesn't want any trouble. He shoots a quick look in the direction of the prefects, hoping they hadn't noticed anything untoward going on. Then he nods his head. "Right," he says. "We were just playing." Not nearly as brave as he was feeling just moments ago, he all but launches himself out of the way as Antonin makes his way past.
Walburga approves how Brand says publicly that it was all just playing. "Maybe there's some hope for him yet." she says as she moves a foot in the water. "I think I've had enough swimming for a summer. You heading back to the commons, Antonin?"
Antonin's shoulder collides with that of Xylina, hard, the boy pulling no punches as he shoves through and continues slogging on toward the bank. He makes a beeline first for his shirt and wand, and then nods toward Walburga. "I have had my fill of fun for the evening, I believe I am going to head back in," he says in a friendly enough voice toward the female Slytherin. He casts one last glance toward the two Gryffindor and then heads on his way.
Rocked by the bump of shoulders, Xylina at least keeps her feet, staring after Antonin before turning back. She waits for the pair of Slytherin to leave, then offers quietly to her House-mate, "You truly okay there?" Making sure he didn't swallow too much lake water or something. Again, she gives a glance over her shoulder to the two leaving, a look that has her nearby cat twitching his tail tip.