A Forgetful Winter ;;Liander;;

[quinn]

“One. Two. Three. Four.” Scar’s eyes scanned the window pane that towered before her. The pane was starting to fog up from her hot breath on it, but she didn’t mind. It wasn’t the Grounds that she was looking at anyways. Her eyes were slowly going over the icicles that had formed on the top of the glass. She held her head slightly tilted upward; it was uncomfortable, but it seemed to give her the best view of her targets. It was funny the way that they formed; like strange daggers that threatened to fall from the ceiling at any point in time. She frowned slightly. Daggers. She didn’t like that idea in the slightest. It made her rather uncomfortable.

She snapped out of her little trance-like state and blinked a couple of times. She would have to remember not to spend too much time looking at icicles. Apparently they were distracting. She spun around in a small half-circle and then looked around the rest of the entrance hall. It was relatively empty. Not that strange, considering it was one of the coldest places at Hogwarts. The doors were constantly being opened and closed by students and faculty alike, and no one wanted to catch a cold during this chilly February.

Well, no one except for her. Normally, she would have been found in the Slytherin Common room, attempting to become the center of attention by telling everyone stories from her summer in Puerto Rico, but today was a different story. This was one of the only times in her life that she had sought out solitude. And why? Because she had forgotten to do most of her homework.

Normally, Scar was good about keeping on top of all her school work. She wrote down what she needed to do and generally did it. But this week seemed to be something else entirely. She had forgotten every assignment in virtually all her classes. Except Divination, in which she was supposed to ‘Think about her feelings’ and ‘Meditate on the tea-cup exercise’ that they had done in class. That stuff was easy. But the 12” essay that she had due in a couple of days for Potions? The 10” explication essay for DADA? Oh no. Those had yet to be started and sat collecting dust in her bag. She chalked her forgetfulness up to the cold weather for some reason. She firmly asserted that it made her forgetful, “Bollox,” She muttered to herself, knowing full well that it was about to be a very long afternoon.

And so, without another moment delay, she slid her back down the wall and crossed her legs. Some of her brown hair fell into her face and she puffed her cheeks and then exhaled quickly, trying to banish it from her eyes. She reached into her leather satchel and drew out one of her pieces of parchment and a quill and tapped it on the blank page, waiting for something of interest to cross her mind about the effects of sunlight on vampires.

[Liander Hughes]

Liander had spent much of the day doing... nothing. Sitting in the library mostly and pretending to do work. H had a couple of essays that he needed to finish off but he just couldn't seem to get himself focused enough to actually do them, so it had been something of a wasted day. He just couldn't stop thinking about the 14th. There was going to be the school's first Valentines Day Ball and... Liander just didn't know whether it was even going to be worth turning up to it. He wasn't much of a party person anyway, but add to the fact he didn't, and couldn't, get a date? What was the point?

Well... he probably could get a date with some girl or other if he asked but he wouldn't enjoy the ball. He just wasn't into girls. Guys? Guys were more his thing... not that he could ever really tell anyone that. It just... sucked. There were so many times he wished he could just be normal and not have to be even more of the outcast than he already was but that didn't seem to be an option for him.

So... homework just really wasn't working for him today. So many hours had been wasted just sitting there and staring out of the window, letting the ink from his quill drip onto the parchment in front of him. Eventually though, Liander conceded that it was time to call it a day. Maybe a change of scenery would help him clear his head?

The winter weather was still covering the grounds outside and the snow didn't seem to want to budge. British weather... you couldn't trust it. He had to wonder whether things would be the same if the school was... in London or somewhere, rather than the top of Scotland. It always seemed so much warmer down there...

Liander wasn't really paying attention to where he was walking and found himself staring at his feet. He thought he knew where he was going automatically but he seemed to be following the markings on the ground more than he realized because he seemed to have drifted a long way to the left of the main doors. It was only when another pair of feet appeared in front of him that his head snapped up and he realized just how far off his target he'd been.

He stared at the girl sitting on the floor and for a few long moments, said nothing. It was a bit of an awkward situation seeing as he didn't know her and he'd just appeared here in front of her completely out of the blue. "Erm... Nice shoes." Mental face palm time. What kind of nonsense was that to say? Sure they were nice shoes and all but, really? It was then that Liander noticed the green badge of her robes and he sighed. Great... A Slytherin.

[quinn]

The thought had just come to her and she was about to write it down. There was no way that Vampires could possibly be any more tan than a piece of translucent glass, right? Their skin would practically be like wax paper upon bone and blood from lack of sunlight. Therefore, there was no physical way that they should be able to move with such speed an agility...Thus--She paused, taking a mental inventory of everything that she was thinking before she forgot. Thus, Vampires mustn’t be completely affected by sunlight and must have developed some sort of resistance over time. She smiled, now that was something that would give her an ‘O’ in Defense Against the Dark Arts if ere she saw it. Her quill touched down on the paper, hurriedly scribbling away in her loopy handwriting. Often, she found it wonderful that she was so-

She realized that someone was about to trip over her feet and she immediately drew them back with a yelp. There was no way that she was going to get trampled on, ”Hey! Watch where you’re-”

[/b] She stopped as she looked up, slightly confused by his next statement. He was complementing her...shoes? What an odd thing for him to say. She slowly shut her parchment inside of her book and placed it back into her bag. So much for doing her homework today; this was quite possibly more interesting. With a small laugh, she pushed her back against the wall, slowly inching her way to her proper height.

When she had finally managed to make it up, she stared at him. Hufflepuff. A year ahead of her. Name? She couldn’t quite remember. All she knew was that he wasn’t a Quidditch Player. In her mental address book, she could tell you just about anything you wanted to know about the other Quidditch players. Anyone else in the school? Not a thing. Perhaps a last name. She frowned slightly, realizing that she was being incredibly rude, just staring at him...But then again, he was doing the same thing; his eyes seemingly stuck on her Slytherin Badge. With a slightly cough, her fingers pulled at the edge of her robe, straightening it to let him know that she was aware of her own house.

She looked down at her feet and smiled slightly; finally acknowledging his shoe comment. They were italian made, custom leather oxfords. Black leather oxfords. Not exactly the standard trainers that most of the people around Hogwarts seemed to be wearing these days. Only someone with a true love for fine italian things would recognize them. She paused, not sure he had even recognized the high quality at all, he had simply been searching for something to say.

”Forgive the rude welcome, Mr. Hufflepuff. Italian shoes, by the way. Custom made in Milan.”[/b] She said, kicking her foot up so that she could show him the sole of the shoe. It was imprinted with the name of a shoe company. Making sure he saw it, she dropped her foot and raised an eyebrow, extending her arm toward him, ”Scar Blackwood, at your service.”[/b] A friendly giggle escaped her lips, one that wasn’t supposed to be there. She was supposed to be a ‘proper Slytherin’ these days, ”Who’re you?”[/b] She asked, a little more harshly.[/blockquote][/justify][/blockquote]

[Liander Hughes]

There were a few long seconds of awkward silence before the Slytherin spoke again. Liander hadn't known what to do. His shoe comment had been so random and out of the blue... he hadn't even meant to be over this way anyway, he'd been heading outside. If the silence had persisted even a second longer Liander was sure he would have just ran away without saying another word. Talk about making a fool of himself..

The girl went on to give him details on her shoes - the very one's he'd just complimented in his loss for real words. Now, Liander wasn't a huge shoe person, but he recognized the name of Oxfords when he heard it. His sister had been obsessed with that brand of shoe too, and as far as he knew, she probably still was. He didn't speak with any of his siblings all too often though.

"They look new. Or at least very well kept." Urm... faced with a Slytherin that probably wasn't the smartest of things to be saying. The few Slytherin's he'd had run in's with over the years had all jumped at the chance to start an argument over the slightest wrong comment like that. Liander was half expecting a glare from her, not an extended arm and a name.

Scar Blackwood... Had he heard that name before? Probably... but Liander and remembering names didn't really go together. He could remember faces a whole lot easier than he could names - which was just quite frankly annoying sometimes.

Liander shook the hand offered to him with a slight smile. He still wasn't too sure how to react to being face to face with a Slytherin like this, at least with one he didn't know. "Liander Hughes."

Now what did he say? He needed to get some kind of... judge of character but he wasn't sure what to make of her yet. She hadn't completely flipped out at his comment about her shoes like most greens would have jumped at the chance, though he hadn't meant what he'd said in any sort of negative way.

"I'm sorry... did I disturb you? That looked important... homework?"

Small talk... not exactly one of his strongest points in conversation.

[quinn]

Scar laughed a little. It was a hollow laugh, however, one that she had worked on keeping carefully trained when she needed to. It was something that she had picked up from her brother. He often told her that she should never let your guard completely down around someone you’ve just met, lest they take advantage of you. And he seemed to be sizing her up as they spoke, looking over her robes. However, as she stood staring back at Liander Hughes, she couldn’t think of a reason that he would want to take advantage of her. He seemed just like the average run-of-the-mill kind of guy, no matter what house he was in, ”Not new in the slightest, been mine for a year and a half now. But, of course they’re well-kept,”

[/b] She clarified as she ran her hand through her brown hair.

Then she just decided to hell with the whole Slytherin-tough-girl-facade; she might as well have a little fun if she wasn’t going to do her homework, ”My mum says she’s not going to buy me another pair until my feet stop growing.”[/b] She said with a small, genuine smile. She was going to have to make their pair last: which was why she had spent weeks in the library looking up protective enchantments to keep them from getting scratched up. And, judging by Hughes’ reaction, they had done their job to perfection. She was sitting pretty with a pair of shoes that looked like they were fresh out of the cobbler’s door.

”That means these little beauties are going to have to last me at least until the end of the term.”[/b] She looked down at her feet and playfully clicked her heels together. Then she went slightly pigeon-toed, and finally her feet settled down and rested together, in a slightly more formal position than they had been before.

She noted his smile at the introduction. Alright, that meant he had sort of figured out that she wasn’t all bad. Perhaps he would be just as willing to accept a different type of snake as she was to accept almost any raven, lion, or badger that passed her way, ”Pleasure to meet you.”[/b] She said and let go of his hand so that she could give him a quick curtsey. Then she giggled.

She rocked back and forth on her feet, slightly nervous for no reason. It still felt like he was trying to figure her out and she felt like she should be trying to size him up too, but she found nothing that she could complain about. He seemed normal enough, friendly enough, and well-dressed enough. Perhaps even nice enough to listen to her constant chitter chatter about the latest Italian fashion trends. Her brain was running too fast to dwell on any of those thoughts for too long.

”No, no, no,”[/b] Scar said as she shook her head adamantly. She gestured to the books and parchment that were messily stuffed into her leather satchel, ”Well, yes. That was homework but-”[/b] She grinned a bit wider, ”There’s always time for work. Perhaps not enough time for play. I’ve done enough tiresome analytics of Vampires for the day, which means-”[/b] She looked up at him and grinned rather wickedly, ”It’s time for me to enjoy myself.”[/b] She reasoned with a shrug of her shoulder. Then she cocked her head slightly to the side, ”I’m sorry, where were you headed?”[/b] She asked, confused. He surely hadn’t been aiming for her shoes when he set out on his walk through the castle. She wondered where else he might be going on a chilly day such as this. [/blockquote][/justify][/blockquote]

[Liander Hughes]

"A year?" Liander was quite genuinely shocked. Her shoes looked no more than a couple of month old. "The longest I've kept a pair of shoes looking that nice is 6 month - and that's because I only wore them twice!" Okay well... Maybe he'd worn them more than twice, but a bit around the house to wear them in didn't really count. He'd worn them once for a wedding, and once for a christening. No wait, three times... He'd worn them once to a part where someone had spiked his drink and he woke up the next morning to them scuffed as hell.

Something about the girl in front of him seemed to change, and she no longer showed that cold exterior that most Slytherin's knew, and instead she suddenly seemed to come across more... genuine? Was that the right word to use?

Liander laughed. "If mine didn't buy me new shoes every now and again I'd look like I was wearing hand me downs. I don't know what I do to them or how I do it, but my shoes don't last very long at all." And, if there was one thing Liander hated, it was shoes that looked bad. He'd grown up being told that your clothes can look as scruffy and terrible as you like, if you have nice hair and good shoes you'll pass any first glance test. Whether that was entirely true or not, he didn't know, but he always made sure he didn't look a complete mess. "Except my All Stars... I pretty much don't wear them just to make sure they stay in good condition." He just wished there was some sort of magical way to protect his shoes.

He watched as she clicked her heels together and laughed again. "Hey ho, Dorothy." He grinned and then realized the muggle reference he'd just made. Damn... She might seem alright and all, but she was still a Slytherin, and generally, they didn't like anything muggle.

The two of them shook hands and Scar gave a curtsy, followed by a giggle. Liander grinned and curtsied back with a laugh of his own, instead of a more formal bow or whatever. He tended to do weird things like that sometimes... "Nice to meet you, too."

Liander had to wonder whether he'd been disturbing her from doing something important, and he asked as much. Scar stated adamantly that he wasn't disturbing her and that she'd had enough of working anyway. Liander couldn't help but grin again at the mention of the home work. He'd had to do that last year too, which only proved that this particular girl was a 5th year after all.

"Word of advice? Mention that different blood groups have different properties and that blood group O-, while the universal donor in humans, quite controversially, is not, in fact, the best match for a vampire based on it's lack of antigens and that AB+ is a much better fit." He winked. That particular bit of scientific genius had got him an 'O' on that paper, with the professor adding a lot of '+++++' to the end and a note saying he wished there was a higher grade he could give. Quite a proud achievement on his part. It seemed his parents actually thought so too. An outstanding grade and comments like that had actually made him look slightly less of an outsider to his parents - maybe the lone Hufflepuff outcast child wasn't as useless as they'd thought after all?

Liander waved a hand towards the door. "Just... outside. No where in particular really." He glanced at the distance between where he was and the door. "I might have veered slightly off track while looking at my feet though..." He looked at her with a lop-sided grin. "I'm a bit of a shoe person."

[quinn]

”Merlin forbid you wear hand-me-downs.”

[/b] Scar joked and pretended to shiver. The thought of hand-me-downs did scare her a bit, only because she had never once worn something that wasn’t completely new. She could only imagine what it would feel like to wear something that had already been worn by a previous owner. It was disgusting to her. Scarlet rolled her eyes. For someone who claimed to really like shoes, he seemed a little dense on the fact that magic could protect what you loved most...especially shoes, ”You know...”[/b] She reached down and untied her shoe and pulled it off of her right foot. She held it up and grinned, ”There are ways to protect shoes, Mr. Hughes.”[/b]

She pulled her wand out of her pocket and cast a simple fire spell that seemed to consume the air around her black oxford. And yet, nothing happened to the fine leather shoe. It sat there as if it was still on her foot. No marks appeared and nothing melted like it should. She grinned wickedly as she stopped casting and turned to look at Liander’s reaction, ”I would have thought you’d have figured that out!”[/b]

Except my All Stars...

She racked her brain to try and remember what those looked like. She was sure that she had seen a pair around town...probably on countless Hogwarts students. But she couldn’t exactly place them with a matching picture, ”Are those the kid with the-”[/b] She made a shoe like shape with her hands and then tried to show a cover over the toe, ”You know-”[/b] She wasn’t really making any sense, ”White part at the toe? Lots of laces?”[/b] She bit on her lip slightly to hide the smile that had appeared. She knew she was making a fool out of herself, but that was just the way that she was...a little quirky.

”Who’s Dorothy?”[/b] Scar asked when he called her by a different name. She thought for a second that he had forgotten who he was talking to...perhaps the boy was a little insane. She cocked her head slightly to the side; there was no way that he could have forgotten her name in a matter of seconds, right? He must have been making some sort of reference to something she didn’t understand.

She raised an eyebrow when he curtsied too. What a curious young man. Curious enough to make her want to know more about him. She was always had a fascination with the strange and inexplicable and she thought this definitely fit under that category.

Scar let her mouth fall open in surprise. She hadn’t been expecting that one. Apparently, Liander Hughes was every bit as much of a bookworm as she could be at times. And what he had just said was absolutely brilliant, ”I hadn’t even considered muggle blood types.”[/b] She said as she drew out her parchment. She scribbled a small note to herself, reminding her to look into what he had just said. She hadn’t ever really had her blood drawn for muggle purposes, and she wondered what it was like. Did they do a lot of tests? How did they figure out their blood type? Liander seemed like he knew a lot about these bloodtypes, ”Are you muggleborn or something?”[/b] She blurted and then felt suddenly ashamed of herself, ”Merlin-”[/b] She blushed profusely and threw her papers into her bag again, ”I mean that in a good way of course. You just seem to know a lot more about the muggle world than I do.”[/b] She offered him a grin, hoping that he wouldn’t take offense. Scar knew she wasn’t like most Slytherins in this respect, but she wanted to make sure that he knew too.

His last statement struck her odd. A shoe person? She didn’t know many men who were interested in shoes. At least...none that she could think of off the top of her head, ”Let me guess-”[/b] She smiled at him and began walking around, circling him like a hawk, ”You’re also a watch-the-morning-sunrise-wrapped-in-a-blanket kinda guy. With a love for-”[/b] She paused when she reached the spot she had previously occupied in front of him, ”Breakfast in bed?”[/b] She was just being playful; picking the corniest things that she could find on the top of her mind.[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Administrator]

OMG HOW AM I ONLY NOW JUST NOTICING THAT I POSTED USING THE WRONG ACCOUNT!? SERIOUSLY!? I fail... :S

Liander laughed. "I'm not the biggest fan of hand-me-downs myself. I've had a few of my brothers old things dumped on me before but..." He shrugged. "They're not really the same, are they?" He had the feeling, though, that there was a little bit of truth in that shiver, as she didn't look like someone who would accept hand-me-downs for squat.

He watched in amusement and the Slytherin untied one of her shoes and held it up. He raised one eyebrow and couldn't stop the bemusement that crossed his face. "To minimize scuffing, sure, but even they don't help my shoes." He'd browsed briefly through books and found the spell in passing, but he'd never gone out of his way to look for a way to keep his shoes safe. Perhaps he should have, but he never really considered it an important enough matter.

Flames engulfed the shoe that was held out, and yet... were the flames even touching it? It certainly didn't look that way, that was for sure. That definitely looked like a nifty trick... He could do with that on his All Stars so he could wear them without worrying. "Sweet... So if you ever die in a freak fire we'll be able to identify you by the completely untouched shoes that are left where your feet once were?" He grinned and shook his head, knowing that he came up with some really weird and messed up things sometimes. "I take it that it works against general wear and tear and water damage too?" He could definitely do with learning that charm... Knowing him he'd test the charm too far and still end up wrecking his shoes.

Liander mentioned his All Stars - his prize possession shoes he loved more than anything at the moment, and he could practically see the cogs turning as girl in front of him tried to recall what they were. She struggled over her words trying to describe them but Liander could kind of follow her gestures. "Yeah, and they usually have the badge with the blue star on too." He'd wanted a pair for years but his parents would never get him any. Not until he stopped destroying shoes in a matter of minutes at least. Why them got him some when they did he had no idea, but he was definitely taking as much care of them as he could.

As he should have expected, Scar had no idea who Dorothy was. Was this the point when he found out she was just another pureblood fanatic? "Erm... Wizard of Oz? Girl from Kansas? Ruby slippers?" He shrugged and sent her a lop-sided smile, yet still a bit cautious to how she was going to react. "It's a Muggle thing, mostly."

There was a hint of a smirk on Liander's face when he saw the surprise that crossed Scars. His bit of vamp knowledge seemed to surprise her as she quickly scribbled it down as a reminder to write about later. "Surprised to find that not all Hufflepuff's are dimwitted airheads?" He grinned at her. He was from a long line of Ravenclaw's after all, so he should hope that he at least had a few brains to live with.

Liander was a bit surprised at her next question, but before he had a chance to answer Scar had continues. He laughed. "Not Muggleborn, no. But you might be surprised to hear that we're really not all that different from Muggles. Blood is blood, but we don't need to worry so much about the technical blood groups and such because we have magic to test it, and potions to replenish it. If someone did take our blood, from someone in a pureblood lineage, they'd have a blood group too, just the same." So... Slytherin's generally didn't like to be told that they had anything at all in common with Muggles, but so far Scar wasn't showing herself to be a complete blood fanatic like a lot of Slytherins were around here. So maybe she wouldn't take that bit of information the wrong way - which would be a relief. He didn't need to start making enemies now.

Maybe he should start being more careful about what he said if he didn't want to completely out himself and his secrets within the first ten minutes. There probably weren't many guys around and about who would call themselves shoe people, and saying it seemed to strike as curious and a little bit odd. Scar circled him and Liander felt a grin growing. "Over the lake, you missed that off. A sun rise should always be watched over the lake with a cup of hot chocolate in hand... Same with a sunset."

He came out with some strange things, didn't he? But, he was being truthful. He did like those things. Even the breakfast in bed part, not that that ever really happened for him. Besides, he was rather amused with where this conversation was heading.

"I take it you're speaking from experience here? Blankets and sunrise? No doubt a fan of soft music and candle light too?" He grinned. Who'd have thought this day would end with him talking to a Slytherin like this, of all people? They usually ignored him, being a Hufflepuff and all.

[quinn]

”Never the same,”

[/b] Scar nodded her head, agreeing completely with him. Her tone was mock seriousness, but he seemed to be picking up on the fact that she had never had a hand-me-down in her life. She was glad that she had found someone that shared similar sentiments to hers. Perhaps the pair of them could be friends.

Laughter flew from her lips. Alright, so he was right, the use of fire to show just how danger-proof her shoes were was probably a little far fetched. She couldn't help it, though, it was just the first thing that had come to mind. She shrugged her shoulder, completely unsure what to say to him. It was true though, her shoes would remain untouched by fire, ”They are one of a kind. So it wouldn’t be too hard to ascertain who they came from.”[/b] She said as she grinned. She took her shoe and put it onto the floor, trying to force her foot in without using her hands. She didn’t really want to bend over and fix it, so she just let half of her foot hang out the back. She looked ridiculous to say the least. Rather like a lazy child.

”Works to protect against scuffing, scratches, fire, water, and the occasional Potions spill. And it call all be yours for - drumroll please!”[/b] She patted her hands against her thighs to simulate the sound of a snare drum, ”Zero Galleons.”[/b] She held her hands up in the air and smiled beautifully, ”No need to thank me. I’ll be here for two more years.”[/b] Her hands fell back to her side and she reached into her bag. She pulled out a small piece of parchment and scribbled down a few incantations, ”Guarenteed to hold up for at least 3 months. Then you just reapply the spell.”[/b] She held out the parchment and offered him another grin. ’Anything to help a fellow shoe-lover’, she thought.

”Wicked.”[/b] She said when he clarified exactly what All Stars were. Of course she had forgotten the star in her struggle to define the shoes...that was after all what they were most famous for, she supposed. Why else would they have the word star in their brand name? She bit down on her lip, completely absorbed in the thought for a little while. She knew a lot about shoes, but mostly custom made...the Muggle brands she was completely unfamiliar with. These were the days when she wished that she had grown up with at least a little connection to the Muggle World. It seemed like such an interesting place.

”Ruby slippers-”[/b] She paused for a moment and put her finger up to her mouth. Those. Those sounded fantastic. She would have to remember to tell her mother that she wanted a pair of Ruby Slippers for the upcoming Valentine’s day Ball, ”The Muggles are so-”[/b] She put down her finger and grinned, ”They’re so fascinating.”[/b] She practically yelled. It was true. Everything they did had little quirks to it that wizards never seemed capable of coming close to. Their books were more interesting and after hearing about this Wizard Of Oz and his Ruby Slippers, she assumed that their view of wizards was vastly more entertaining than their actual lives.

”What?”[/b] Scar was slightly confused by his statement. She didn’t think that Hufflepuffs were dimwitted or air-headed in the slightest. In fact, up until the day that she had been sorted, she thought that she was going to be a Hufflepuff. There was just something about the way that they carried themselves that always appealed to her. They were free to be who they wanted, ”You know, if it weren’t for my bloody temper, I probably would’ve ended up in the house of the badger.”[/b] She raised both of her eyebrows, curious to see how he would take this recent development. Perhaps he would be surprised. Or perhaps he would be insulted. She wasn’t quite sure about anything at the moment.

She had never given much thought to the fact that they were the same as Muggles...only with magical abilities. She guessed that it made a lot of sense, what he was saying, ”I have a feeling even if you did try and tell most purebloods that, they would have their head too far up their arse to even notice what you’re implying.”[/b] She shrugged her shoulders. She wondered what Lance would think if she went off spouting the information that she had just learned. Interesting. Perhaps she would have to talk to him about it; considering that they both had the same essay due in a couple of days, ”I bet I’m-”[/b] She looked down at her finger, wondering what her blood-type would be, ”A. Or B. Or C. Perhaps I’m a C.”[/b] She guessed and then laughed, wondering how many combinations of blood-types there were. If there was one for every letter of the alphabet and then combinations-

She stopped. That was way too many numbers for her taste.

”Hot chocolate!”[/b] That sounded delicious right about now. Especially with the draft that seemed to be constantly coming from the door to the grounds, ”With the little mini marshmallows too?”[/b] She pulled her cloak a little closer around her body.

”Soft music, yes. I only became a fan of candlelight very recently. I was alway afraid the fire would burn my shoes.”[/b] She winked and leaned slightly back on the wall behind her. She liked him. Liander Hughes was an alright guy. Someone that she was glad had almost attempted to scuff her oxfords, ”I do wish I could say that I was speaking from experience, but it just seems like guys lack that type of class these days, wouldn’t you say?”[/b] She rolled her eyes. Most men were a tap and run kind of guy as of late.[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Liander Hughes]

Liander watched as she half slid her foot into the back of her shoe. "I take it that it protects against that as well?"

[/color] He grinned. He always used to do that with his shoes and the backs of them used to be wrecked in no time. I drove his mother up the wall. She used to threaten to put spikes on the backs to stop him stepping on them, as a joke of course.

Another amused look crossed his face at her drumroll and dramatics, followed by a laugh. Before he could say anything she reached into her bag and scribbled something down on some parchment and handed it to him. "You are officially amazing."[/color] He grinned as he took it, reading over the spells quickly. "If this means I can wear my All Stars without risk I'm forever in your debt."[/color] He tucked the piece safely in his pocket to try out later when he got back to his dorm. If the spell worked he'd probably never have the shoes off.

It had taken a heck of a lot of convincing to get his parents to even consider the shoes at all seeing as they were a Muggle make, but when Liander had pointed out an off duty ministry official wearing some in Diagon Alley, they'd reconsidered. It was crazy what it took to get his parents to look at anything muggle. They were complete fanatics like some, but they weren't too keen on the muggle world either.

His was thoroughly baffled by Scar's outburst. "Fascinating?"[/color] He shook his head and laughed, "Hun, are you even wearing the right uniform to day? Green is so not your color."[/color] Most Slytherin's he'd been around had such negative views of the muggle world... none of them would never admit to even a brief second thought that muggles might not be all bad. Yet, here he was faced with a Slytherin who had just practically shouted that Muggles were fascinating...

"They are... definitely. This might sound crazy to you, but have you ever been in the second hand shop at the bottom of Hogsmeade? There are surprisingly quite a lot of muggle things down there - books, music..."[/color] Liander used to sneak in there all the time and he'd bought loads of muggle books and things. He had no idea where they came from or how they got there, but it was fascinating to read a muggle perspective on things.

Liander raised an eyebrow. "You possible are the strangest Slytherin I've ever met, and I mean that in the nicest way."[/color] He shook his head slowly, watching her with slight disbelief. House pride was a massive thing for the greens, and it was scarce that you ever heard one considering another house to have been a possibility. If any, they said Ravenclaw, but for them, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor always seemed to be completely out of the question.

Liander nodded. "Most don't want to hear anything that would link them to Muggles in any way. They'd have you arrested for insanity or something."[/color] He'd made the mistake of mentioning something like that to his parents once and his father had nearly hit the roof. He'd yelled for an hour about how Liander shouldn't believe any of the muggle nonsense that he read because it was all lies and foolishness, and not of it was true. At Scar's next comment though, he snickered a laugh. "Yeah... It's a lot simpler that that, I'm afraid. There's no blood group C, you've only got A, B, AB, and O to chose from."[/color] Imaging how complicated things would be if they were done like the alphabet? Minimum of 26 blood types? Those poor muggles... that'd be hell for them... It had been in one of the books he'd bought and read - it had gone into detail of how the blood groups worked and what made them what. Interesting, yet complicated.

"Yes! Hot chocolate without marshmallows is like... a tart with no treacle."[/color] He loved those things. "You make me want one now..."[/color] He looked over his shoulder to where the corridor branched off towards the Hufflepuff common room and the kitchens. "Has anyone ever shown you how to sneak into the kitchens before?"[/color] A lot of people knew how to get in, but there were a lot of others who didn't. Heck! There were people who seemed shocked to be told that Hogwarts even had kitchens at all. Being right next to the common room, most Hufflepuffs figured out the way in early on, but it seemed that there were significantly less people from other houses who knew the way in.

He couldn't stop the laughed that followed her comment. "And now you only have a bit of wax to worry about."[/color] Now there was a thought... the spell protected against water and fire and such, but did it repel mud and other grime like that? Well, that part of the conversation was behind them so he didn't bring it up, but he made a mental note to test the spell on an older pair of shoes rather than risk his All Stars.

Again, he chuckled at her comments. "I'll say... It's all about notches on bed posts these days."[/color] This was the part of the conversation where he really needed to be careful about what he said. They seemed to be branching into slightly dangerous territory, and while she seems like a 'good' Slytherin, he'd still only just met her. He searched for something to say that might steer the subject clear, but what came to mind would probably only make things worse, but the words were out before he could stop them. "I take it from that that you don't have a boyfriend then?"[/color] [/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

[quinn]

Scar smiled, of course her incantations protected against the simplest of wear-and-tear, her laziness absolutely included. She wouldn’t have done it if she knew that it could hurt her darling Italian Oxfords, ”Spin me ‘round and call me lazy,”

[/b] She shrugged her shoulders as she looked down at the back of the shoe that was taking her full weight. She flashed him a grin to let him know that she was only being silly. Strangely enough though, she thought that he probably had already figured that out on his own. Liander seemed to get her in a way that most of the Slytherins didn’t.

Scarlet flipped her hair over her shoulder and then flashed him an award winning grin, ”No need to thank me. Anything for a fellow shoe lover.”[/b] She placed her finger on her lip as he said that he was in her debt. Now that she could work with. However much she was a Hufflepuff at heart, she had still been sorted into Slytherin, which meant that she could be manipulative when she wanted. If he wanted to be in her debt, then that was fine. She was sure that she could come up with something that he could do for her eventually, ”Make sure you don’t lose that, y’hear?”[/b] She said with a grin, ”I can’t have my secrets floating around Hogwarts like that. Someone might catch on to the fact that I’m not some air-headed Slytherin Quidditch player.”[/b] She shrugged her shoulders. Most people thought she was an idiot. But she wasn’t...she was just very easily distracted by the world around her. Who could really fault her for that? The Wizarding world was a place of intrigue.

‘Hun are you even wearing the right uniform today? Green is so not your color.’

”Tell me about it,”[/b] Scar shoved her hands into her robe pocket and pulled out her wand again. She waved it over her uniform and turned the Slytherin Crest a yellow color. It still had the snake on it, but now it was butter yellow, rather like the one that was on Liander’s chest, ”There. Now it’s a bit better. I suppose this means that I’ve got my own house now-”[/b] She said and smiled slightly. In all honesty, she wished that they didn’t sort the students into houses. It promoted disunity and discord from the very beginning. Everyone else thought that they were better than the other houses and she couldn’t stand it. If Hogwarts was really about joining the Wizarding community together than shouldn’t they have everyone be...equal? She frowned and then broke out of her thoughts, ”I’ll call myself a Slytherpuff.”[/b] She winked at Liander. He probably thought that she was a freak, but she couldn’t care less.

”I’ve only ever been in their once.”[/b] She said as she thought about it. The second-hand shop was a brilliant idea. She had seen books and movies, records and clothing that she had never seen before. The Muggles were always coming up with the newest and latest, ”Lance-”[/b] She paused, unsure if Liander even knew who Lance was, ”My brother doesn’t like me doing anything that even remotely reminds him of Muggles.”[/b]

”Thank you very much, good sir.”[/b] She noted his look of disbelief. A lot of people reacted that way when they really got to know her. She wasn’t the normal run of the mill prejudice Slytherin that people always seemed to think she was. She cursed her temper for placing her in that light. She had to work twice as hard to get people to see past the green on her uniform. She looked down, strangely sad to see that the yellow she had cast on her crest was beginning to fade, ”Can’t hide from the truth forever.”[/b] She mused and then bit on her lip.

She nodded adamantly. She was sure that if her parents ever got word that she was a muggle-sympathizer or that she was comparing herself to the muggles, she would have hell to pay. They would call her home without a second thought and she wouldn’t even get to finish her schooling. They would immediately being Muggle detox of sorts and force her to relearn everything. It had happened once before when Lance had let on that she was befriending Muggle-borns her 2nd year. She drew herself out of those thoughts with the realization that muggles did not use the entire alphabet. She felt rather sheepish, ”Ah. No C then. That’s unfortunate.”[/b] She managed to grin slightly, although she still felt rather embarrassed by the whole ordeal, ”Then I’m going to guess O. Because that’s what I’m going to get on all of my OWLS this year.”[/b]

Sneaking was not one of Scar’s strong suits. She wasn’t very good at being quiet when she walked, especially since she loved hearing herself talk way too much. Some of the other girls would sneak out to the kitchen late at night, but they never took Scar, just promised to bring her back a pumpkin pastie from the kitches, ”I’m afraid that I’ve lacked the honor of sneaking into the kitchen.”[/b] She said and raised an eyebrow, curious to see where this was going, ”Do you mean to tell me that you know how to get in?”[/b] She didn’t mean to sound so surprised, she guessed that she should have known that this Hufflepuff was different than the rest. He didn’t seem so average after all.

Scar raised an eyebrow, ”Boyfriend?”[/b] She questioned. Was Liander asking because he wanted to know or because he wanted to ask her something? She bit down on her lip, strangely confused, ”I mean I-”[/b] She was almost at a loss for words at the moment. Instead of continuing down the awkward path she was headed, she back-tracked and pulled out a smile, ”Suitors, yes. Boyfriend, no. Why? You looking?”[/b] She said with an over exaggerated wink. She wasn’t sure that anything could work out between them. He seemed a little too-

She paused. Unsure of what she was thinking. What was Liander a little too much of?[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Liander Hughes]

Liander sent a wink and a grin in her direction before slipping the piece of parchment safely into his pocket so that he wouldn't lose it. He couldn't wait to test it out tonight. He watched her reaction to when he said he was in debt to her for it, and he was feeling a little cautious. The way she reacted seemed like she was actually considering taking him up on that, and that just slightly worried him. What would she come up with?

With a laugh, Liander gave a salute. "Yes sir." He tapped his pocket before pulling the zip on it. Jacket pockets out of the question, he slid his hands into the pockets in his trousers instead. "Then your secret is safe with me." An air headed Slytherin? Yeah right, that wasn't in the job description of being in green.

Once again, Scar was full of surprises when she charmed her color of her uniform yellow to match Lianders own. He grinned. "Minus the snake? That'd look just about perfect."

At Scar's wink, Liander laughed again and shook his head. "I'd say I'd join you in your lonely house of one, but there's no Slytherin in me. If there should be anything, there's my families Ravenclaw side... I could always become a Huffleclaw." Annnnd if such a thing existed, it'd still not be enough to make his parents happy. They'd been disappointed like nothing he'd known before when they found out he'd broke the family tradition of being in Ravenclaw, and really? All he could do now was disappoint them even more for just being himself, should they find out the truth about him.

She mentioned her brother being disapproving and it reminded him a lot of his own siblings. "Brother... I'm assuming Slytherin, too. Older brother?" Not a 6th year though, he was pretty sure there was no one called Lance in his year, but then, names weren't really his strong point, were they?

He raised an eyebrow. "Logical... I like it." To a point of course, the chances of her being right about her blood type? Probably not so lucky - but it was a good way of thinking of it. He didn't know his own blood group, but he wasn't about to guess O based on her theory. He'd got a couple of O's in his OWL's last year, but he didn't expect his NEWT's to be the same. NEWT level work was getting hard, fast.

"Of course I do!" Grinned and sent another wink in Scar's direction. She was surprisingly easy to get along with and talk to, and she had a quirky, weird edge to her too. "Access to the kitchens is part of being a Hufflepuff..."

Scar seemed to stumble a little over her words at mention of a boyfriend before she managed a proper reply. And, despite his attempts to turn things around and away, it had somehow ended up with him more under the microscope than he'd been before his terrible attempt to divert things.

"Err..."Liander had absolutely no idea at all how to respond to her question. Was he looking for someone? Sure, he wouldn't mind a relationship. With a girl? No. A guy? He could hardly go admitting that, could he? But if he just said yes he was looking, she'd take that to mean for a girlfriend, and he'd then feel like he was lying or something. And things could only get messier from there... He was in a bit of a catch twenty two. "Soooo... about that hot chocolate?" He made his own over exaggerated gesture in the direction of the corridor that lead down to the Hufflepuff common room and the kitchens. No answer? Just change the subject altogether? Would it work? Probably not, but he really wasn't to keen on the idea of spilling his secrets to a girl he hardly knew.

He wanted to trust her, but could he?

((Yey museless days... It was the best I could muster right now...))

[quinn]

She laughed nervously when he said that there was no Slytherin in him, but let him finish before she said anything about it, ”I think there’s a little Slytherin in everyone. It’s whether you choose to acknowledge it or not,”

[/b] Scar breathed and was taken-aback by her sudden attempt to be deep. Sometimes things like that just spilled out before she could stop them. She blushed a little and then nodded her head, ”Better be-”[/b] She tried to imitate the Sorting Hat’s distinctive tones, but she sounded like she was stuffed up from a nasty cold of sorts, ”Huffleclaw.”[/b] She pointed her wand at his chest and transfigured his crest to be blue like that of a Ravenclaw. The pair of them were certainly an unlikely combination: A Slytherpuff and Huffleclaw.

“Pureblood Ravenclaws, then?”[/color][/b] Scar asked, more interested in his family life than she had been before. She supposed she had never thought that pureblood families would want to be in Ravenclaw. She thought it was a mandatory Slytherin requirement: If you were pureblood, you sought after Slytherin. But she supposed that not all pureblood families were as elitist as the ones that her family hung around, ”How do they feel about you being a Hufflepuff?”[/b]

”Older? He wishes.”[/b] She scoffed slightly at the thought. Lance was barely older than her by two minutes. Two minutes was nothing in the grand scheme of things, but that didn’t stop him from trying to control her and bossing her around as of late. Especially now that she was starting to show signs of being a ‘muggle-lover’ as he called her, ”Twins actually. Lance technically is older. But only by a few moments. Not nearly enough to warrant the type of stuff he pulls.”[/b] She pointed to the scar that was on her left cheek, ”See that? He gave it to me when I was 8. Thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world.”[/b] She wasn’t sure how he had done it, but Lance had most definitely left a permanent mark on her face, one that she had never gotten fixed. The healers did what they could, but they said that she would always have a scar. And that she did: A forever reminder of her brother’s brutality and need to be in control, ”Pure Slytherin, tried and true.”[/b] She rolled her eyes, knowing that no matter how much she complained about Lance, she loved him...and was terrified of him.

Scarlet laughed at his wink. Liander was extremely idiosyncratic when he wanted to be. And undeniably intelligent too. He seemed like a pretty amazing companion for the day, ”Well-”[/b] She smiled widely, just the thought of food making her go a little stir crazy, ”I say that as an honorary Slytherpuff, you show me the way to the kitchen as a sort of-”[/b] She leaned against the wall and folded her arms across her chest, ”Right of passage as it were,”[/b] In her eyes, it was a pretty good bargain. Even if he turned her down, she would still be having fun.

She blushed profusely when he seemed to be startled by her asking if he was looking. She wasn’t sure why this felt so awkward, but something in the back of her mind kept nagging at her like a bee to honey. Then he changed the subject.

She was startled at first, unsure of what to say as she stared at him. No one just changed the subject like that if they weren’t trying to hide something. She narrowed her eyes, ”Hot chocolate sounds wonderful, actually.”[/b] She managed to say, although her voice was slightly higher than she had anticipated. Her eyes scanned his face, taking in the expression in his eyes and trying her best to read it. Was he nervous about something? Confused? Sure, they had just met, but this was a little strange, she would have to admit it. She broke eye-contact with a shake of her head and then started marching in the direction that he had pointed.

When she reached the corridor, it seemed to get smaller, making her painfully aware that he was nervous about it, ”So-”[/b] She said, trying to be as casual and nonchalant as possible. Her eyes looked around, trying to determine how many people were around. Right now, she could see two in the corner, but they looked as if they were about to leave. One of them nodded toward Scar and Liander and then they moved on down the corridor, out of earshot. Perfect, that would give Scar time to confront him about whatever he was hiding. To hell with it, She thought and stopped in front of him. She turned around and put her hand on the wall, so that she was blocking his way. He couldn’t move without pushing her out of the way, ”What was that all about, Mr. Hughes?”[/b] She raised one eyebrow and smiled at him, trying to figure it out. It was like a mystery to her. One that desperately needed solving.[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

OOC: I’m not sure mine’s any better either O.o sorry, lover

[Liander Hughes]

"You're probably right." Weren't Slytherin's, in part, known for being manipulative and sly and cunning? Wasn't he, in some ways, showing those same things too by hiding his secrets from his parents? Doing odd little things or twisting the truth just enough to make them believe that he was normal? Didn't he find ways to steer the conversations away so that he didn't have to talk about the things he didn't want them to know? Wasn't he living a lie by not admitting to them? There probably was a little bit of Slytherin in him... "There's probably a bit of every house in everyone... which would explain why the sorting hat takes longer with some than with others..." Interesting theory...

Scar mimicked the voice of the sorting hat before transfiguring his robes blue. He felt a sliver of unease run through him at the sight of it. This was what his parents had wanted... expected... it was the reason he was even less to them now than he'd been to them before... But, this was all just a joke - a bit of fun, he reminded himself of that and pushed thoughts of his family from his mind.

No sooner had he thought it, Scar asked him about them. "The whole lot of them... through endless years of history..." He'd looked through the family tree once... There was blue, blue, and more blue. Occasionally, they married someone not blue, but the kids? All blue. "They... pretty much hate it. I wasn't like... golden boy of the family to start with, and I've dropped even lower in their opinion since." As with a lot of families, the first born son was the one that got the attention. His father doted on his older brother like nothing else, and the rest of them? He wasn't so fussed. His mother? She swooned over the youngest of the bunch. The twin girls and Elliot. That left Liander and his older sister as the left overs of the family. They weren't important to either parent so to then be a Hufflepuff on top of that?

The tables turned and it was Liander asking about Scar's family now. Well, he'd been right in thinking there was no 6th year Slytherin called Lance, which meant maybe his memory of names wasn't all so bad after all. "Sweet. I've got twin sisters. Ravenclaws, wouldn't you know it." He rolled his eyes as he said it, then listened while Scar continued. She pointed out the scar on her cheek. "Seriously?" At 8 years old? Slytherin true indeed... though, Liander probably shouldn't stereotype like that... "Can't they just magic it away?" There were spells and potions that prevented scarring, but to remove one at a later date? He didn't know about that.

”I say that as an honorary Slytherpuff, you show me the way to the kitchen as a sort of right of passage as it were,”

"Once again, your logic is undeniable." He grinned. It wasn't like they kept the way into the kitchen a secret or anything, so Liander had absolutely no problem with showing her the way. Before he got the chance though, the conversation had turned to relationships. He hadn't known how to respond to Scar's question so he'd avoided it completely and used the first thing he could think of as a cover. The kitchens.

She was suspicious, he could tell, but she started towards the direction he'd pointed in and Liander thought that that would be the end of it and she wouldn't question him on it any more. He was wrong.

They headed into the narrow, but, to Liander, familiar corridor and there were very few people around. Those who were disappeared further down the hallway out of the way. Talking about something more private, he presumed.

Liander's attention was focused more of the people who'd just walked out of sight than where he was walking himself, so when Scar stopped suddenly in front of his and turned he almost barreled straight into her. She blocked the corridor with her arm.

”What was that all about, Mr. Hughes?”

Liander swallowed hard. "What was what about?" He knew exactly what she was talking about, but right now he wanted to buy some time to work out the best way out of this conversation. Truth be told, he just didn't like admitting it to anyone. There were a few people that knew. Some had taken it well, others, such as his older sister, had freaked out and not spoken to him again. He didn't know how to judge people's reactions. "...Wh-" He searched his brain quickly for something else to say. "What happened to chocolate? Wanting hot chocolate?" He spoke too quickly and stumbled over his words. Was there even a way to get himself out of answering her now? ...He didn't want to lie, but he was worried about telling the truth...

[quinn]

Scar tapped her finger on her chin, thinking about the Sorting Hat a little bit more. It was true, however, sometimes it just knew. She supposed that there were those who were pure of one house, automatically destined to be in the one that suited them best. And then there were people like her, whom the Hat wavered for a few minutes before ultimately putting her in the house of her heritage. She assumed that Liander had been the same way, but he had ended up in the house that was better for him, not for his family. With a puff of air, she sent the hair in front of her eyes upwards so that she could see better. It was all up to luck, really, ”I think they should abolish houses. If we’re going to promote wizarding equality, might as well do away with the house structure as well.”

[/b] Bold statement from a pureblood witch, she thought with a smile.

She smiled at the mention of his own twin sisters and then laughed when he made the clarification that they, too, were Ravenclaws. Poor Liander. Stuck out in the middle of the land of the badgers all by his lonesome. She imagined that was how it would be if she had been the Hufflepuff she always thought she was supposed to.

She furrowed her brow, ”Magic doesn’t work on the scar.”[/b] She muttered under her breath. It was probably the one thing in her appearance that made her uncomfortable. Her fingertips reached up and brushed over the raised skin. It was an ugly thing, one that she had never fully gotten used to. The healers had tried for days to get the scar to go away and by the end of that week, they were convinced that Lance had learned some sort of spell that had enchanted her wound. Of course, he had denied it and her parents had denied ever letting Lance near a book that would give him that sort of power, but Scar knew better. Lance was a powerful wizard, one who was smart enough to figure something like that out on his own. It wouldn’t have surprised her if he did indeed bewitch the wound to forever haunt her face.

She stood strong in the middle of the corridor, being sure to keep her hand fully extended so he knew that there was no escape. She wasn’t letting him get away with this one so easily. He had been acting funny and now she was demanding to know why. Perhaps she was going about it in a bit too curious and prying manner, but Scar had never exactly been subtle with any of her actions.

”You know what I’m talking about.”[/b] She countered and then took a step toward him, trying to intimidate. Although, being slightly shorter than him, rather baby-faced, and unable to keep a straight face for more than a few seconds before showing hints of a smile, she was sure that she wasn’t doing a very good job. Who would be intimidated by a girl that looked as if she-

Scarlet paused and then flexed her arm muscle as it pushed against the wall, being sure to show him that she was pretty strong. If he wanted out, he was going to have to buck up and tell her the truth. That was the game that she was playing now and he could either take it or leave it, ”We can get hot chocolate-”[/b] She let her arm relax for a moment, then tighten back up again, ”As soon as you tell me what’s going on.”[/b]

She thought the worst at the moment. Perhaps he was a murderer. Or an LSD addict. Perhaps he was an alien. She was sure that she had read something about extra terrestrials in one of the magazines she had picked up in Hogsmeade, ”Are you-”[/b] She paused and looked up at him with her eyebrows drawn together, ”Are you an alien?”[/b] She practically whispered into the air between them, suddenly a little freaked out by the prospect, “Because it’s okay if you are! I’d just rather know before you-”[/b] She furrowed her brow even deeper, “You know-”[/b] She shook her head.[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]