The Dungeons
This corridor doesn't seem to house much, except for a few
paintings here and there. There are no
doors to go in and out of, nor are there any windows. Like most of the castle, the area is lit by
torches attached to the wall. A small
flight of stairs will lead you down further through the hall, while light from
the Entry Hall pours in through the other end of the corridor.
Urg. Normally, he wouldn't be caught dead playing tour
guide, but since it happens to be for another Slytherin... well... he, like the
head of his house, tends to make acceptions in that rare case. So Draco leads
the way, Mad Hatter, but for purposes of this pose we shall call Belial
'Hatter' or 'Maddy' or something, following behind. He points out random
things, mostly doors, explaining what's located there or what class it happens
to be and who instructs it... all in that bored, uninterested drawl. God, this
is certainly a dull thing to do in the afternoon. He could be picking on
someone, but nooooo. Hrmph.
Mad Hatter looks most interested, though, despite the boring
tone of his tour guide. His oddly makeup-ed face only looks more weird by the
fact that he's beaming in the directions Draco points at. He, too, would point
at various objects, odd ones of the sort, and asks questions like "What is
that?" or "Where does it lead to?" and "Can you tickle
that?" or "What would happen if you threw something at that
statue?". All sorts random questions that don't prove to be of much use
but to annoy the guide. Hatty would, occasionally test his theories by bumping
into the few people walking by, purposely, to see if they'll fall through
random trapdoors he's heard about.
Ah, tsk, actually being somewhat helpful when you could be
calling people mudbloods or telling them off, or making sure that Harry Potter
knows how much your daddy could get him expelled? For shame! Cho just happens
to be down in the dungeons with another list of potion components that Madam
Pomfrey asked her to get from the Potion's Master. Nothing that she couldn't trust
a student to carry, so most of it is actually in the student cabinet itself. If
it's too volitile, she usually goes to get it herself. As she walks down the
hallway, she happens to notice the blonde haired Slytherin giving a tour to...
one of the strangest people she'd ever seen... And that's saying something. She
tries not to stare at the man(?) but instead says to the short Seeker,
"Hello, Draco."
You shoulda seen his first reaction when he saw the other
individual, whom he can't tell whether it happens to be a man or a woman. It
was a mixture between shock and amusement. He didn't know whether to start
laughing or to scream in fear. Hatter's random questions do get answers, but
only vague ones. Draco's doing this grudgingly, but will perhaps take the other
Slytherin through a few of the secret pathways maybe a little later, just to
satisfy that irritating curiosity. Then Cho shows up, being a welcomed
distraction... He'd brighten, but that'd be giving just a little bit too much
of an interested reaction. Instead, he just lazily looks in her direction with
a smirk. "Hello, Cho." A pause and a glance back to the inquisitive
one. "This is..." Maddy? Hatty? Hatter? Madder? Mad Hatter? Ummm.
"...What did you say that you wanted to be called, again?" He's so
rude, forgetting people's names.
One should be proud of what one is... Darn right Mad Hatter
here is proud scaring people or knocking people into confusion trying to decide
his gender. At least he's not one and people end up calling him the other. Anyhow,
he pulls his attention from what seem to be 'interesting stone cases' to the
voice of the girl who just spoke. A wide smile forms upon his face as he's
referred to... not showing any sign of hurt or seeming to mind. "That
would be Mad Hatter." He replies cooly, "... but what's in a name.
Hatty or Maddy sound cute." His eyes narrows as his smile widens, tipping
his hat at Cho. "Pleasure to meet you, miss."
Mad certainly explains a few things about this person... Cho
politely does her best to to stare, or laugh, or make any odd reaction, but it
still shows in her eyes any time she looks at him that she just thinks he's..
very strange. What is it? Is he some kind of strange creature that they're
going to have to battle in Defense Against the Dark Arts next week? But then
why would they have Draco (who can't even handle cats) show him around? Maybe
he's just... eccentric... "Nice to meet you... Mad Hatter." She can't
bring herself to call him Maddy or Hatty. "What brings you to
Hogwarts?"
Yes, mad certainly does, but with everything that's ever
happened here in Hogwarts, Draco has learned to quickly accept the strange
rather easily. Not to mention that although Mad Hatter's appearance was a
surprise, but certainly not one of the oddest things he has ever seen. Seeing
the world through the eyes of a ferret makes for good competition. Heh. With
Hatter's introduction to Cho, then it's only proper for Cho to introduce
herself, which she doesn't, so Draco, with a disapproving frown, sinks to
formalities and does it for her, motioning towards the girl. "Cho Chang.
Ravenclaw 6th year and seeker for their team." ... You may now return to
your regularly scheduled conversation.
Correction. Mad explains -most- of the things about this
person, but you don't need to know that, do you? Not yet, at least. "Miss
Chang.. why thank you, Mister Malfoy." He tilts his head slightly to smile
brightly, almost gratefully, at Draco. His diverted attention returns to Cho.
"Seeker! Another one! This sport... Quid-itch... has to be absolutely
fascinating..." How he managed to get the two linked ... and how his lack
of knowledge on the sporting event does not get Draco calling him horrible
names, remains a mystery. With that comment done, Hatty finally replies.
"The usual. Quest for magical knowledge... and perhaps a little more...
fun." Trust me, it's the latter.
At Draco's covering for her lack of an introduction, Cho
blushes in a furious fashion, angry at herself for getting so distracted by an
odd appearance that she couldn't even manage to return the introduction! She
gives Draco an apologetic smile, which turns thankful before she returns her
attention to the very distracting person. "Oh, yes, Quidditch is
wonderful. I hope that it'll be back on soon so you can see a game."
There's nothing more fun than playing Quidditch, watching it isn't that bad
though. If he'd said he was here for fun just a few days ago, well... she probably
would have looked at him odd, but she had a wonderful time with the snowball
fight last night, so she doesn't give that look. "Are you showing--"
him? Mr. Hatter? ... She changes her mind and restarts the sentance completely,
"Is Draco showing you around?"
This is probably the first time he's ever stood by and
watched a conversation between peers. Sure, it happens enough whenever he's
around his father, but with people his own age... it just feels odd... makes
him feel a bit out of place and wanting to leave. Kinda sucks that he did agree
to show Mad Hatter around, however; it's the only thing that actually keeps him
from walking off right at this moment. Cho's question gains a bit of his
attention, but the moment the sentence gets mutilated into something else,
Draco's off staring at absolutely nothing down the hallway, looking rather
bored and stuff. Yay.
Mad Hatter beams at the thought of watching an actual
Quidditch game. All he's seen so far are people flying on broomsticks in the
field... nothing especially fascinating after a few days. You get classes,
after all. He clasps his hands together like an excited child. "That would
be wonderful!" A pause. "You mean, it's been stopped?" Either he
hasn't been keeping up with the news or he didn't care enough to figure out
what happened in the previous year.. "What a pity..." But he smiles
quickly again, eager to answer Cho's question. "Oh yes, Mister Malfoy here
was kind enough to agree to show me around! Large place, this castle is..."
He looks around with obvious curiosity as he sidesteps quickly closer to Draco,
in an attempt to throw his arm over the boy's shoulder in a friendly manner.
"It was called off for a while, due to some of the
happenings." Missing students, Dementors, the works. "But hopefully
it will be back on soon." The missing students are back, the Dementors
haven't been seen for a while. It should be safe enough, yes? Cho certainly
hopes so. She's been feeling so... grounded this last month. It's been awful!
At the man's enthusiasm, her smile brightens and the blush fades, while it is
odd, she can relate to it a bit more. "That was very nice of you,
Draco." she addresses the blonde, trying not to giggle at the Mad Hatter's
attempt. And Very Nice in reference to Draco? Tsk. Harry would probably die of
shock...
Erk. An arm is thrown around his shoulders and within
seconds, the freak is a bit too close for comfort... but... rather than just
shove the weirdo away, Draco just silently suffers, mentally reassuring himself
that it will be over soon enough and not to get annoyed by such a gesture.
"Ah, yes. Very nice and stuff." Now, here's to hoping that he doesn't
appear as uncomfortable as he truly is. That just might be mad to give off that
sort of appearance especially when there are still impressionable people
present.
The owner of the arm seems to be rather pleased with where
it is. It's left there as Mad Hatter nods slowly, "Well... yes, I hope to
see some real action too!" Then he taps his chin with one of his free
hands, mind seeming to wander off elsewhere as he mutters, "I wonder if
they'll still have tryouts for the team..." Obviously, he has no idea if
First years are allowed to play or not. Did I mention he was a First-year?
Might as well add to his Weirdo Factor, for he looks around twenty or so...
give or take. Hatty returns to reality, only to pull Draco even closer.
"Oh, very nice indeed! I couldn't find anyone who was free to do so."
Or willing, as a matter of fact. "I'm sure Mister Malfoy would notify me
of any Quid-itch practices, if they should be coming, hm?" He looks most
enthusiastuc.... as though ... you're going ferret if it's a 'no'.
Oh, Draco will ferret anyway. It's what he does. And to be
quite honest, Cho isn't thinking that he's a first-year at all. In fact, she's
not even sure if he's a /student/. It's the whole fact that he looks older than
most students, even if he doesn't act it. "I don't know, some teams have
alternate try-outs all year long, in case something happens to one of their teammates.
You'd have to ask Draco though, he's the Slytherin's Captian. It's only for
students though..." Is he a student? She's honestly wondering that... but
then her eyes turn to poor Mr. Malfoy in the arm lock. Ah, what a sight this
could be. Draco with the arm of a guy in a dress and makeup over his shoulder.
The Daily Prophet might start wondering if perhaps Little Malfoy is swinging a
certain way. Might clear up rumors about him and the Ravenclaw Seeker!
You just had to mention that he happens to be the Slytherin
Quidditch team captain, didn't you? And... maybe he does swing a certain way...
you never know. e_e Not to mention that nobody's asked, so, hey. Draco scowls
almost immediately, then casts a bit of a side glance towards the painted one
who seems quite intent on keeping him in this friendly position. "Hatter
is a student." He didn't believe it at first, either. "There's some
sort of rule, however, that first-years aren't allowed to join the team...
unless, of course..." The young, blonde Slytherin gets a bit of a nasty
smile working its way across his lips. "Your name happens to be Harry
Potter, which immediately makes you an exception to the rules and exempt from
punishment for breaking the ones that do apply to you." Ooo. That was rather
bitter. If only rules applied to Potter.. then he might be actively trying to
get the boy in trouble... but they don't... and it makes him mad.
"You're team captain?!" Coming rather loudly from
Mad Hatter, and with that, his arm leaves Draco's shoulder so Hatty can raise
both of his hands to his cheeks in a dramatic pose of surprise. Maybe there was
something good to what Cho had said earlier. "You should've told me! But
well... anyway...." his voice drops when he hears about the rule.
"That's .... rather unfair, I have to say. Even if Mr Potter was the one
who caused the downfall of the Dark Lord--- wassisname again?" Double
Gasp! ... Perhaps one of the few who has anything to say against Harry (Well,
Hatty -is- in Slytherin for a reason afterall..) and he does not remember the
name of You-Know-Who. Weirdo, period. He looks at between Draco and Cho, with
what seems like -his- version of sad-puppy-dog eyes. "But .. I could still
go for a tryout, hm?"
First... year... By Merlin! Cho actually coughs a bit, trying
to cover up the shock as much as she can. That... certainly is a surprise and
even more is the young person's? reaction to Draco's revelation as team
captian. She can't help but sigh, it really is too bad that the Slytherin hates
the Gryffindor, but at least the feeling appears to be mutual! Just the other
day she listened to the other grumble about this one! And... he doesn't even
know the name that must not be named? Wow... For the moment, she's going to let
Draco answer, but the look certainly makes /her/ want to say yes. If he was a
Ravenclaw, and if she were the Captian.
Are you going to say the name of the Dark Lord or does he
have, to Cho? >.> Urg... "The Dark Lord's called V..." Nope,
couldn't get it out that time. Let's try that again. "Vo..." Must be
really odd, seeing Draco stumble over attempting to say something.
"V..." Help him out, here? Give the boy a sheet of parchment and a
quill? "Volde..mort." That probably sounded pretty funny, but like he
cares. You're not supposed to say that name outloud, but he was doing it for
someone else's benefit, so... And... thank god. Mad Hatter's no longer being
all friendly with him. There are such things as miracles! "You can tryout
if you want." The Slytherin team could use a few reserves, at least, but
there's no promises that one will make the team until at least their second
year. Bribes, however, are always accepted. Slytherins are notorious for not
playing fair.
"Ah..." is the only thing that comes from Mad
Hatter after Draco's attempts at the name. He mouths is quietly to himself a
few times, making sure he remembers it. However, he does not show any sign of
feeling odd or whatsoever, even though it is pretty well-known that Dumbledore
only opened up the school to students of other nations because the Dark Lord is
rising again. Perhaps Hatty here is taking being foreign as granted. Although
he may not look like it, he does have a small hint of that funny accent Japanese do when they try
to speak English. That done, Mad Hatter returns to his beaming. "Oh, how
kind of you, Mr Malfoy!" and you can swear he is about to pounce you,
ferret boy, arms already stretched out. But he stops abruptly at a thought.
"Though, I believe I should get a new broomstick of my own... the ones at
school are rather prickly." He winces at the thought, a hand moving behind
to be placed at his waist, yet his fingers tap a little above his bottom.
It is a little odd seeing Draco stumble over a word, but she
can understand when that name happens to be the word. Harry is pretty much the
only person she's heard who can just /say it/. Well, and Dumbledore. Cho raises
her eyebrows as it looks like the ferret boy is going to get pounced, but as he
mentions getting a new broom and stops himself... "They are rather
finicky. I'd recommending a Comet until you get used to them." That's her
broom, after all. "Though, I'm sure if you were good enough to make the
team, you'd have your own broom rather quickly." No, she's not bitter that
/someone/ got the Slytherin team Nimbus Two-Thousand-Ones... Not at all... Just
cause she had to scrape and save and do a bunch of summer jobs to get her
Comet, which is horribly out classed by the newer Nimbus and Firebolt models.
Well. It's not his fault that he was born into a rich,
well-known wizarding family and AHHHH!!! Don't touch him! >.> It was
difficult enough to get accustomed to Cho doing it, he's all right with his
parents, too, but anyone else... noo! He's too good for you! Do not lay your
filthy hands on the superior one unless he allows you to, not that he ever
allowed Cho, but she insisted on doing it so much that he's grown used to it.
Then Mad Hatter pokes a stone in the wall and falls through. o.o; Draco just...
blinks, then shrugs with a bit of a smirk. "Hatter'll find hi--" Her?
"It's way out, eventually." So there's no need to be concerned.
"What are you doing here, anyways?" Draco mutters, straightening his
robes and flicking from invisible dust from off his shoulder. If he contracts
some weird disease, he knows who to blame. >.>;
Oh good! She isn't the only one who has a question on the
Hatter's gender! Cho blinks and lets out a soft gasp at the sudden
disappearance. But since Draco doesn't appear concerned... she happened to fall
through a couple hidden doors during her first year herself, and she always
managed to find her way back, eventually. She does chew on her lip, debating
trying to find a teacher or someone to track down the old looking First Year.
"I-- all right. I imagine that... Mad Hatter will enjoy her-his--his? time
in the castle even without escourt." He seemed like the type that would
enjoy running around by himself. What is she doing here? Oh! "Just getting
a few more potion components for Madam Pomfrey. A couple first years came down
with flu and she nearly exhausted her supplies. It isn't anything major though,
she just likes to be well stocked." So, that's her reason. "Draco, if
you don't mind me asking, why was your father here?" She had to ask it,
didn't she?
Funny enough, he was expecting that question to pop up
eventually from the moment she greeted him while in the presence of Lucius.
"My father." He begins to say, importantly, "Works closely with
the Ministry of Magic and a few other councils in the wizarding world. He came
here as on business of sorts. Didn't tell me much else, though." While not
a lie, it's not exactly the whole truth, either, but Draco believes such an
answer should be sufficient enough. Must think of a way to lead the topic onto
other things. "..." D'oh. Way to go. "Why do you want to
know?" Yeesh. That's even better.
Well, at least that answer is better than what Harry was
sure of! Though it isn't exactly what she was hoping to hear. That becomes
obvious when Cho's main reaction is, "Oh," and she glances away to
stare at the wall a moment. As he asks why she wanted to know, she looks back
at him, opens her mouth, then casts a quick glance down the corridors. No one
in sight, but still she lowers her voice a bit. "I was just thinking...
that maybe you told him about-- you know, the letter? You did send him that
owl.. I was just hoping that you might have told an adult... So that something
could be done." Plus, Harry was going on and on about how he cries to
Daddy over every little thing, she figured he might have over major things too.
Not that she completely believed Harry. He's a little biased against the
Slytherin after all.
He certainly does go crying to daddy about a lot of things,
but sending his father letters, whining about his love life, whimpering about
things that he can deal with on his own... that isn't Draco's style. For
example... Draco alone could not get Buckbeak executed, so he dragged his
father into the matter. "My father knows nothing about that letter."
He says in a sort of grave, annoyed voice. "Nobody but you and I know of
it. He doesn't need to be bothered with matters which I can deal with on my
own." And that's it... that's all he says.
The letter had a little bit more to do with than his love
life. It was a cruel, heartless joke, and whoever did it deserves to be
punished. But Cho says nothing of this. Her expression does wilt a little as
she continues to stare into those eyes that were giving her that cold look the
previous day. Even when he says that she's the only one who knows about it. It
would be an honor, if she had any reason to believe that he would have told her
even if she hadn't been standing right there when he recieved it. "Have
you recieved anything else like it since?" She asks, not letting the
conversation move on quite yet.
Aw. Darnit. But, hey, he does happen to smile ever so
faintly, perhaps in relief. "No. Thankfully. Whoever sent it probably got
a big enough kick out of it, already. Even I know that a joke tends to wear
thin after the first time." This is why Draco never happens to throw the
same insult at someone twice, although reusing topics is good, reusing jokes
just happens to be lame. The funny thing is, he has to keep himself from saying
something like 'why do you care?', probably due to knowing exactly what that
might start between them, again... Last thing he needs is to be the one who
cries, again. Seems like they take turns, doesn't it?
Why would he start crying over the subject of why she
happens to care? Sigh. Cho nods, looking relieved as well. If they had happened
again, she would have to try to do something that would probably make him upset
with her, like tell a professor. Which one would be the question. She'd likely
tell Snape, since he's the head of Draco's house. But anyway... "I'm glad.
Though I honestly can't imagine how anyone could possibly take pleasure in
something like that..." She really can't. She understands some jokes, but
that one... that was just too cruel to ever be funny. "Are you planning to
do anything about it?" He said he could handle it, so does he mean handle
as in, ignore it, or handle as in, find who did it and-- well, not beat the
crap out of them, but something less violent.
Usually, whenever the topic of 'caring', 'compassion' or
'sympathy' comes up, it always results in a fight and ends with a sense of
upset in one or both parties. He's learned to curb a little of what he says
around the girl, just in case it may provoke another emotionally battering
incident. No, Draco's not fond of the experiences... more often than not, it
tends to be he who winds up in upset. So. There you go. "Not yet." In
a sense, there's no point of even trying to do something about it when he doesn't
even know who sent the bloody thing. First suspicion always points to Potter
and his little gang, but with what the boy had said the other day, it's like...
walking on thin ice. If he starts trouble, his father could wind up in Azkaban,
but then again, if this is the way it's always been, Potter always knowing,
well... It's just too bad Draco's mind doesn't tend to work that way often,
then.
Yeah, not to mention that two times, he's ended up kissing
her in some way or another, so probably best to avoid that situation. Cho
doesn't need any more confusion in her life. The snowball fight with Harry was
a welcome escape from the world, and it certainly helped. Too bad Draco didn't
join in, though considering the persons he was pelting with snowballs, it was
probably best that he didn't... Thin ice is one thing. No need to shatter it
needlessly, now is there? She nods slowly, trying to fight off a strange urge
to get closer to him and put a hand on his arm or something that might be
comforting. She's resisting because he doesn't want comfort... "Since your
tour ended unexpectedly, feel up to helping me carry some potion
components?" She doesn't want to milk the subject anymore, mainly for
worry that she'll get him angry with her.
It probably would, eventually. It's not the most comfortable
of topics. Let sleeping dogs lie. Aranea is dead and he just doesn't really
want to be reminded of it. It's not because it isn't important to him, but the
blonde Slytherin would honestly like to get on with his life and... when
looking back on it, considering how important it was to him at the time...
well, it's not something to be made a big deal of. He didn't harbor any special
feelings for Aranea, just felt a bit of a pull towards her, a sort of likeness,
similarities. She wasn't pretty, she wasn't the nicest person on the block, but
he enjoyed talking with her. Anyways. Draco frowns a little at the question. He
doesn't really want to be of any assistance, but there is no longer a Mad
Hatter who needs a tour anymore. Sorta leaves him stuck, doesn't it?
"Fine." The boy agrees, his tone sounding less than thrilled, but
hey, he agreed to help.
Not stuck. He could have said no and Cho would have let him
go about his business, but since he said that he would, even if he sounded less
than thrilled (Seriously, when does he /ever/ sound thrilled?) she's not going
to give him an out, by saying he doesn't have to. She walks right over and
tries to take his arm, turning on her warm smile and says, "Good. I was
going to have to take at least two trips. I don't have enough arms for all of
it." And while she could have easily just used her wand and charmed the
extra stuff to the Hospital Wing, the whole 'No magic in the corridors between
classes' rule kinda makes her think of a more physical way first. She already
broke enough school rules recently. No need to push her luck in the castle
where any professor or prefect could walk by and deduct points.
Erp. He wasn't exactly expecting the girl to step right on
over and take his arm like that, but she does and that earns a bit of a
surprised look. Excuse the boy for not sounding too thrilled. There isn't that
much in the world that can truly excite him, especially around Cho, mostly
because she isn't the type he can constantly insult and plot against Potter
around. "Oh, hooray." Draco replies with balantly expressed sarcasm,
the icy blue eyes taking a big roll upwards. Lead the way, captain!
Oh, come on! Her entire friendship with him is a big revenge
against Potter! He even admited it. Anyway... The obvious sarcasm earns a soft
chuckle from the slightly older girl and she glances over and throws a playful
wink at the fellow Seeker. Cho's still in a good mood thanks to the events of
the previous day, contridictory to the serious and not too happy tone a few
minutes ago. "I won't make you carry. You only have to accompany me for
the first trip." That should help him feel like he can get an out, but he
he offers to carry when the time comes, she won't say no, that's for sure. She
starts to lead the way towards the Potion's classroom, still holding onto his
arm as she does. Perhaps not the best idea, with the possibility of students
and other people walking by.
Geez, lady. You don't have to cling to him like that. The
blonde haired Slytherin starts to move as she does, though he does wind up
partially being tugged along as well, mostly because he unconsciously resists
it. That's Draco for you, not to mention the fact that he's not entirely
willing might play some small part in all of this. "Well. That's good,
then." He states. "I wasn't planning on sticking around for more than
one trip, anyways." Heh. Jerk.
Clinging isn't exactly what she'd call it, but his
definition is likely slightly different than hers. He'd probably think just
putting a hand on his arm would be clinging. Cho continues to 'pull' on the
arm, moving towards the classroom, smiling a bit at the resistance and the
attitude that he's pulling. If she expected anything more out of him... well...
she probably wouldn't have given him the out if she thought he would do it.
Why, oh why, can he be so nice sometimes, and such an asshole other times?
Sigh. "Well, it would only /be/ one trip if you'd help..." she adds
in softly, almost teasing, but it's not meant to convince him.
Another big roll of the eyes, accompanied by an irritated
exhaling of air in a haughty manner. "Don't even try to convince me. I'm
not helping. You're lucky I haven't just gone back." And that's very true,
she is lucky. She's lucky that Draco hasn't just tried to slip away right at
the moment... No. Instead of doing that, he just unconsciously resists some
more, putting up a bit more of a little fight against being pulled to the
potion's classroom.
Oh, you're no fun. Sigh. Cho continues to hold onto his arm,
but actually seems to loosen her hold, perhaps under the pressure of the
resistance. It isn't that, but it isn't important. "I'm not trying to convince
you." she corrects, but she doesn't continue on that subject and just goes
to the classroom. "And I know I'm lucky." She's lucky he's even her
/friend/. If one can call that /luck/. Anyway, as long as he doesn't pull away
with her grip loosened, she reaches forward with her free hand and opens the
door to the Potion's classroom.
Someone check to see if Hell has frozen over because Harry
Potter is sitting of his own free will in the dungeons. (Either that or he's
serving out detention.) However you look at it, he's sitting at a corner table,
potions books out and a cauldron sitting ready with his ingredients. At the
moment he's scribbling on a roll of parchment, taking notes for an upcoming
essay as well as studying for those dreaded O.W.L.'s.
Wow. Who would've thought that Potter might actually sit
willingly in the Potions room when there isn't a class happening? Certainly a
surprise, but anyways. The door to the classroom opens and there stand Cho
Chang and Draco Malfoy, who looks rather... not pleased to be here, the girl
having a hold on his arm and half-tugging him in. "You know you're
lucky?" Wha? Well, there's confusion that just washes over almost
immediately. What else is new?
The tugging continues, until they're more inside, Cho glancing
back at the Slytherin with a slight smile, "Yeah, yeah. We've gone over
this enough times." The last time, didn't end up well for either of them,
so she isn't going to ellaborate. Good idea too, cause as soon as she glances
into the room she sees... not alone. "Oh!" she gasps softly, but
doesn't let go of Draco's arm. After a few seconds, she recovers,
"Catching up on some work, Harry?"
Harry hears the door opening, then the unmistakeable drawl
of Malfoy's voice. Well, what did Potter expect sitting down in the dungeons?
This was the only place aside from Myrtle's bathroom for him to study potion
brewing hands on. Then again, Myrtle's bathroom is sounding inviting. Just
don't mind him while he gathers his things. He glances up, "Just some extra
studying for our O.W.L.'s." HOwever he could study until blue in the face
and Snape would still try to fail him.
Ugh. He recognizes that voice, but can't help it that his
head turns in that direction, perhaps hoping that what he just happens to be
wrong.
Cho starts a little as the arm is suddenly torn out of her
grasp, looking over at Draco and frowning for a second. It doesn't last long,
because she lowers her arms and steps further inside. "Extra studying
never hurts. They are rather difficult." She didn't do bad on her O.W.L.s
but she didn't do as well as her parents probably would have liked. But then
parents usually aren't satisified. "I need to pick up a few Potion
components for Madam Pomfrey." She glances back at Draco, as if expecting
him to bail now, which is why she doesn't say that he's here to 'help' her.
Harry instead of glowering in return, smiles at Malfoy. Kill
'em with kindness. Why should you feel like a fool with Cho on your arm? Like
you're going to find prettier in Slytherin or the rest of the school for that
matter. Don't worry, Harry will probably bail first as he doesn't want things
more difficult for Cho. As a matter of fact, he starts to roll up his
parchments then stack his books. "No, it doesn't and the studying helps
keep my mind off other things as well." And for once he doesn't want to
procrastinate too much.
Ugh. Don't smile at him. O_o; It's scary. Makes the boy
think that Potter has something up his sleeve, which isn't good, especially
with the dirt that he has on Draco's own father. Why can't he act, you know,
remotely normal and glare back or something? Freaky! And... he feels like a
fool because of what it suggests. There's enough rumors of their 'relationship'
spreading around this school and the last thing he wants is for more to just
magically sprout up. Sure, it'd be kinda nice to tick Potter off with it, but
there's that walking on thin ice thing... he doesn't know whether or not the
other boy will go immediately to the authorities with the information if he
gets annoyed, so Malfoy has opted to be somewhat civil (as civil as he can get
where it concerns the Boy-Who-Lived), at least until his father can make sure
that he won't be tossed in Azkaban or killed if Potter decides to rat.
Shouldn't be long before the blonde's up to old tricks. He already warned
Lucius, after all.
Yeah, yeah. There are enough rumors, but it's not like he
looked as if he was being dragged along willingly... Cho looks away from Draco
and crosses the room to the student potion cabinet, pulling out a parchment of
the components she needs to pick up. "It does serve as a
distraction." She responds to Harry as she starts to pull out a couple
different jars and put what she needed to get into seperate containers.
Oh but your father knows that Harry knows that he.. err..
yeah Lucius is aware of Harry's knowledge. Anyway, his smile turns on Cho as he
tips his things into his cauldron. Looks like he'll have to improvise on where
to study now, after a detour to visit the Auror. He does nearly voice that last
bit aloud just to give Malfoy a mild cardiac arrest, but he hasn't been
provoked into it. "Anyway, have fun, I'll see you around Cho."
Another look is shot at Malfoy as he gathers up his cauldron and heads out the
door.
Yes, Lucius is aware that Harry happens to have that
knowledge, but he was not aware that Potter was threatening to use it, which is
another thing entirely. Draco steps away from the door and clear out of the way
of the other boy, thankful for his departure and glaring over in that direction
with the biggest, most smug smirk imaginable just because it's natural. He
can't help it. Really. He draws closer to Cho by the cabinet, then, like the
snotty prat he is, immediately tries to grab her attention, to prevent her from
saying goodbye to Harry by asking with the sweetest of smiles. "So. What
ingredients were you planning on getting, anyways? You never told me."
Oh, how mean, Draco. Using that sweetest of smiles on her
when she rarely sees it! Cho had just opened her mouth, turning from the
potions to wish Harry farewell, when, low and behold, she gets distracted.
"What?" she blinks, more surprised by the expression than the fact
that he's questioning her. "Oh!" She looks down at the list and says
about five different things before she suddenly starts and turns around to see
if Harry's all the way out. That smile really threw her off. It's so...
weird... and she has an idea why he did it too. The jerk. "See you later,
Harry!" she calls out the door, then looks back at Draco, giving him a
very, very light glance. Using her to get back at Harry again, huh? Hrmp.
Grr. You're not supposed to just turn around and bid Harry a
nice goodbye. You're supposed to pay attention to him, succumb to his whims and
ignore the other boy just because Draco wants you to, because he knows that'd
it probably annoy Potter. The sweet smile darkens somewhat, the depths of his
eyes telling of inner irritation. They are the windows to the soul, after all.
"Is that so..?" The blonde Slytherin replies, sounding bored,
followed by reaching for one of the ingredients that hasn't been taken down yet
by the Ravenclaw.
Well, sorry Draco, but as soon as she realizes she was
ignoring Harry, she stopped doing it. Just need to distract her a little more
effectively next time! Cho nods, changing the glance back into a friendly
smile. He knows what he was doing, so she doesn't need to give him that look
again. "And there's a couple more too. You probably recognize this list."
She shows him the list at the bottom. Madam Pomfrey probably has an idea why
those particular potion components keep turning up missing, but she hasn't said
anything about it yet, so the Ravenclaw has been pretending that she wouldn't
have noticed. The lower list are all components of that sleeping potion that he
helped her figure out. After showing him the list, she goes back to collecting
together the right amounts.
Ha ha. How cute. That phony smile soon quickly transforms
into an amused smirk. "Why am I not surprised? Professor Snape probably
wouldn't of provided them for you, anyways, without good reason." He could
have helped a little more and retrieved a few for her when he asked about the
potion, but that would mean that Draco'd be lending a little too much
assistance to another. He just wouldn't be able to live with himself, then. The
Slytherin assists the girl half-heartedly, taking down some of the jars filled
with the ingredients, occasionally helping to measure them out, etc. etc. This
is fun. Whee!
Geez, talk about dank.
Sorata was just trying to get used to the very unusual layout of his new
'home', when what do you know... He ends
up in the dungeons. "Man," the
lanky youth murmurs to himself.
"This place gives me the willies." Now...
If he could just figure out where he /is/, in relation to everything
else... Hmm. Hmmm.
Hmmmmmm. Time to pull over and
ask for directions, looks like! Hearing
noises from the Potions classroom, the erstwhile - and rather lost - new
student opens the door and ambles on in without so much as a
by-your-leave. "'scuse me," he
says without noticing how many people are actually here... Which isn't too bad, since it's only
two! "Anybody know how t' get outta
the--" *crack* sounds the young man's head as it intercepts something
inconvenient and solid on the wall near the entrance, cutting off the rest of
his question. "...Ow." Now really, who expected a torch bracket to
be there?
Oh, we can't have that! Draco being all nice and helpful.
Pshaw! That's just wrong! Anyway, Cho continues to measure out the components,
putting them in bottles and jars and other such so she can carry it back to the
Hospital Wing more easily. As for Professor Snape... well, she could have given
him some good reasons to help her with a sleeping potion that happens to
influence the lack of dreams. Oh, she could probably get one from Madam Pomfrey
too, with less explaination, but the truth of the matter is, she didn't want to
give any explainations. Which is why Draco was the perfect person to help her
out. He doesn't care. Ahem. "I didn't expect you to be surprised."
she continues to give off her friendly smile-- only to have it fade at the
sound of a voice she's never heard asking a question, whic is cut off by a bang
and an ow. She quickly turns around, blinking at the poor new student.
"Are you all right?" she immediately asks. See? You're not the only
one who gets hounded by that question, Mr. Malfoy.
Darn rights he doesn't care, which is another reason why he
wouldn't go out of his way to help. Not only would that mean he's being nice,
but it would seem like he cares enough to do it, which the Slytherin certainly
doesn't. The measured ingredients drop nicely back into their jar as he leans
forwards, rather than back, looking past Cho in order to get a better look at
this unwelcome individual. Enter surpressed snort of laughter. "Stupid
git." Draco mutters with a bit of a nasty sneer.
Sorata follows up the ow with a brief muttering of some
ungentlemanly phrases, rubbing his forehead.
When Cho addresses him with a question, however, the lanky youth
straightens up, and just laughs it off.
"'course I'm all right. Just
a little bump on the forehead, is all."
Quite uninvited, Sora continues on into the classroom, peering curiously
at what's going on. "I was just
lookin' around the school, bein' new here an' all, an' I got kinda
lost." His dark eyes study the
other two students, and their measuring and so on, with an absent
curiosity. "What'cha doin' down
here, anyway? This place is awfully dark
an' unpleasant for just sittin' around bein' sociable."
There's a pause, as if Cho wants to follow up the question
with more, or get a close look and make sure he's not bleeding or anything, but
she backs off, looking towards the Slytherin. She isn't going to bet he's up
for another tour of the Dungeons, so she says nothing on that matter. She
offers the new student a smile, saying, "I'm sure you've heard this a few
times already, but welcome to Hogwarts. And this is the Potion's Classroom.
We're getting components for remedies to deliver to the Hospital Wing."
She would tell him how the Dungeon is hardly a place anyone sane would want to
be, but the person beside her is a Slytherin, and she avoids insulting people
knowingly whenever possible. Even if it's Draco, who often seems to search for
reasons to insult people.
Gee. You're tall, mister. 9.9 Taller than him, at least, not
that he's really all that tall, anyways. Nevermind... he can't control himself.
Draco begins to snicker immediately, cold, harsh and cruel, yes, but it at
least he can find something amusing in this world, though the origins are not
quite so good. These transfer students are just an absolute riot with their
idiotic questions. And... darn right he's not going to up for another tour. As
funny as the new kids are, they can be damn annoying, too. At least Sorata
isn't poking everything, trying to discover hidden trap-doors. "Got lost,
did you?" The blonde Slytherin begins right after the Ravenclaw finishes,
refusing to pass up the opportunity to mock the other male's stupidity.
"Did they not give you a map or anything when you came here? You won't
need one to get out of this room, I hope?" Now, if he had been surrounded
by other members of his house, they'd probably be howling with laughter, but
alas, he's probably going to get glared at by Cho, instead.
Well, if he KNEW there were hidden trap doors... But that's neither here nor there. Sorata nods, sagely, managing to appear quite
interested in what Cho has to say. He
then waits, patiently, for Draco to finish his mockery, before grinning affably
at Cho. "Sounds pretty important,
miss. Guess I shouldn't a' interrupted
your work like that." Very
inconsiderate. Putting his hands to his
hips, the tall young man continues.
"'course, if y' need any help gettin' stuff over there once you're
done, I could stick around. That way,
instead a' wanderin' around out there, I can just get outta the dungeons with
you an' your little friend, there."
Oooh, catty! Of course, Sora
delivers his offer and veiled insult with a cheerful, guileless tone. "By the way, my name's Sorata. Sorata Arisugawa."
Not a /glare/ exactly, but there is a glance towards the
blond boy as he says that, almost a disappointed 'are you even trying?' look.
Then Cho returns her smile on the student, shaking her head lightly, "It
is important, but there's no hurry. If you would like to help, I would be very
grateful." And she would. It would save her two trips since a certain
someone wasn't quite as prepared to help carry. "My name is Cho Chang. I'm
a sixth year here. Ravenclaw." But he might not know what that even means
yet, so she nods in the direction of the slightly taller (than her) boy beside
her. "And my 'friend'" she seems to be stretching the term, though
besides the glance, she is entirely 'friendly' towards him, "is Draco
Malfoy, fifth year Slytherin. It's nice to meet you, Sorata Arisugawa."
Though she has a very Welsh accent, she manages to not butcher his name /too/
badly. There are some miss-said syllables here and there though.
Draco can introduce himself just fine, you know, and he
would of, too, in the 'Bond. James Bond.' fashion, but nooo. She just had to go
and do it for him. The young man draws himself up proudly and with a touch of
arrogance as his name is mentioned, though considering that this new individual
is transfer, that much is easily to tell just because he has no idea where he
is, Sorata probably has NO idea what pride there is to go with the Malfoy name.
"Pleasure." He returns in a rather snotty and icy tone, not even
attempting to say the name, ignoring the glance from Cho. Bah. You're not
getting him for it, this time. Sorata isn't Potter, Weasley or Granger. He has
the right to be nasty in a civil manner, especially when it's returned, to
which he shoots a bit of a glare in the taller man's direction.
Sorata would make a much better Bond than Draco,
anyway. "S' very nice t' meet you,
Cho," a friendly, slightly roguish grin is aimed the girl's way. "Y' can just call me 'Sora',
though. Simpler all around." Whether he's particularly aware what distinctions
are being made between the other two students or not is immaterial. What IS material is what happens next, for
Sora turns to Malfoy, and smiles yet more broadly, full of companionable good
cheer. "An' it's a pleasure t' meet
you, Draco," eh, he pronounces it close enough, reaching out his right
hand for a friendly shake. C'mon, shake
his hand... You know you want to! Such a friendly boy, this Arisugawa is.
Oh, Cho already likes this young man, just because he seems
very nice. Not that she generally hates people on principle. She's spending a
lot of time around Draco after all... but that's not the point. "Sora it
is," she says with a smile, shortening his name, though she normally
doesn't give people shortened names unless that is what they normally go by.
Maybe it's because she can't really offer the same for her own. Can't really
shorten Cho much more, unless you want to call her C. As he offers the hand to
Draco, her eyebrows raise lightly, and she waits to see what the Slytherin will
do.
It's kinda weird... to be called 'Draco' when everyone else
but a certain Ravenclaw happens to call him 'Malfoy'. While Cho takes a bit of
a liking to the young man, Draco looks upon him with absolute disgust and
horror, especially when Sorata offers a gesture of friendliness. You want him
to shake your hand? How positively revolting! You might give him some sort of
uber genki disease or something! The Slytherin casts a quick glance to Cho,
then returns it to the other boy, followed by looking at the outstretched hand
before he lets out a little bit of a sigh, perhaps of defeat. Draco takes the
offer and Sorata's hand with his own for a quick and firm shake, hardly
friendly, more cold, but hey, at least he risked getting some incurable bug.
It's about to get worse for you, Malfoy. Still grinning broadly, the tall young man
tugs on the trapped hand o' Draco, aiming to pull the poor blonde-haired boy
into a big ol' friendly (and incurable) hug!
Yes, when all else fails, Sorata can always depend on violating personal
space to render unfriendly types uncomfortable.
Or, maybe he's genuinely trying to break the ice here, you never
know... It's certainly not obvious from
his body language which it might be.
Anyway, presuming success, he claps wee Malfoy on the back before
releasing him and stepping back, aiming a conspiratorial wink towards Cho,
before saying: "Well, s'good t' see
we're all friends here, now, ain't it? I
was awful worried I wouldn't get t' know anybody on my first day." Of course, if the slippery Slytherin manages
to avoid the Japanese youth's touchy-feelyness, that last bit doesn't happen.
Part of the reason she insists on calling him Draco, is
because calling people by their last names has always seemed far too impersonal
for her, especially where people her own age are considered. Adults, sure, she
can call adults by their last names (and in many cases, she'll insist on it),
but young people have another thing coming. Ah, Draco's gonna give it a try!
That's so nice. Cho smiles brightly as the Slytherin admits some defeat and
accepts the hand. As Sora tries to bring the greeting further, her dark hazel
eyes widen and a hand goes up to her mouth. Either to cover up a gasp, or stop
laughter. Either way, that's her reaction. Everyone's getting touchy feely with
Draco today! "I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends." she says
behind her hand, keeping her voice steady and doing her best not to show off
any of the amusement she's trying to hide. She's not going to laugh, honest! And
as for Sora's fears, she doubts someone like this would end up in Slytherin, so
the chances that he'll be shunned by his own house are unlikely. He'll likely
have friends within hours. Certainly seems the outgoing type.
AHHH! NOOO! EEEK! AIEE! HELP! He's had enough of being
touched by weird people, today! First it was Belial, throwing an arm around his
shoulder as though they were the bestest of friends and now this! The blonde
Slytherin goes all sorts of funny colors once he's pulled into an unwelcome
hug, the most noticable being that nice shade of green, looking almost the same
as what his clothing is decorated with, minus the silver. Enough with the
touchy-feely! He turns the ill face back into that of disgust and upon his
release, Draco IMMEDIATELY makes a retreat behind Cho. Must not hyperventilate!
Argh! "Yes, people'll just flock to you, eventually." He manages to
drawl out with obvious sarcasm. WAH! His personal space was cruelly violated!
Or something.
Folding his arms over his chest, the tall young man nods,
not a little smugly. "You're
probably right about that, Draco, an' it's mighty nice a' you t' say
so!" Oh yes, Sorata's having fun
with this. "'course, no matter how
many friends I make, here at Hogwarts, I certainly ain't gonna forget the two
people who were so kind as t' befriend me when I was new an' lost, my good
friends Cho Chang an' Draco Malfoy."
More broad, cheerful, friendly and guileless country boy grinning
ensues, before Sora turns - apparently - serious with barely a moment of transition. "Now, all this gettin' aquainted is
keepin' Cho from her work, so we'd better get back t' business." Turning to Cho, the lanky youth inquires: "What do we do next?" Yes, it's already 'we'. How could it be anything else? Though, getting him to do much more than tote
and carry just now might be a bad idea.
Hiding behind her? Cho glances over her shoulder at Draco,
trying desperately not to break her non-laughing clause. She tries to offer a
comforting smile, but it's just a little too amused to look quite right. She
returns her eyes to Sorata and can't help but give a soft chuckle. At the
sudden serious turn, she's forced to blink once, because it really did seem to
just decend out of nowhere. Her mind gets back onto the job at hand and she
looks towards the gathered Potion supplies. "We have all of them ready,
all we need to do is take them up." She reaches over and picks up the two
largest jars and holds them out to Sorata, "Would you mind carrying these,
Sora?" She looks back at the remainder, counting them mentally, then asks
the Slytherin, "Draco, would it be too much trouble to carry the
murkroot?" She expects his answer will be 'Oh yes it would be!' but no
harm in asking, is there?
How about you just stand over there and go bounce a ball in
the corner? Leave the work to the people who just so happen to know what
they're doing. At the mention of being the new transfer student's 'friend',
Draco makes a sort of indistinguishable noise, as though he were perhaps
gagging or choking on something. Please don't go around saying that to other
people. Hearing his own name catches his attention once more, causing the blue
eyes to just.. stare blanking in Cho's direction before he frowns. Yes. It's
too much trouble for him to carry that murkroot... but a quick glance at Sorata
makes him think better of saying such things aloud. If he refuses to help, the
boy just might pounce him again, an expression he can do without.
"Fine." And he reaches out for it quickly. Let's just get this over
with.
See how cooperative people can be, if you just show them a
little friendliness? Or, uh, something
along those lines, anyway. Sorata takes
the two jars held out his way easily, with a smile and a nod to Cho. Obviously, he doesn't mind at all. Moving out of the way with the two jars, so
as to let Cho and Draco both move past him on their way out of the classroom
with their respective loads, the tall youth doesn't seem to have anything more
to say to antagonise Malfoy... Wouldn't
want to overdo it, really. Instead, he
just waits for Cho to lead the way.
Despite the fact that Sora has the weight heavy jars, Cho
happens to be carrying as many as she can. She didn't want to push her luck
with the Slytherin Seeker. She figured if worse came to worse, she could
probably shove a couple into the pockets inside her robes and hope she doesn't
forget to take one out. Some of these one doesn't want to get caught carrying
around on their person. (Not only can they be considered not-appropriate for
some students, but they smell all chemical lab-like.) She offers a friendly
smile to them both, then leads the way towards the still open door.