Kittens: Cute or Evil? ((Zacharias))

[Myn Katrenya R2]

"Sleet! Sleet!" Myn sighed in annoyance, frantically checking under the beds of the dorm for her small kitten. How hard could it be to find a pure white kitten in the darkness? Extremely hard apparently since Myn had been searching for over an hour and still hadn't found the mischievous kitten. Sleet seemed to think that it was a great game to suddenly disappear and leave her owner searching for her for hours on end. The young Ravenclaw who was currently searching for said kitten found it irritating and a useless waste of time. "Ahah!" Myn pounced suddenly, grasping the kitten firmly and pulling her up to eye level. "You cause a lot of trouble for such a small kitten." Myn smiled fondly, unable to stay annoyed with her kitten - especially when the kitten was reaching out to bat at Myn's nose cutely. Sleet purred loudly, rubbing her head against Myn and nipping at her fingers. The last action was punished with a gentle tap on the nose and a mild, warning glare. Sleet jumped away, meowing in protest, and landed on a large pile of books. The tower of books wobbled dangerously before crashing onto the floor. The loud noise frightened the white kitten and made her run away to hide with a quiet meow.

"Sleet..." Myn rubbed her forehead wearily and closed her eyes in defeat. If the kitten wanted to play then she would have to find someone else to play with; Myn was tired of playing hide and seek. The fallen books were slowly restacked in smaller towers before she turned her attention to the mess she had made while searching for the kitten. Myn groaned quietly as she surveyed the room; books were scattered everywhere, the cover on the beds were rumpled and most were on the floor, papers (which Myn hoped weren't anything important) were ripped and strewn across the floor. "Sleet," Myn growled quietly, glaring at the door angrily before setting to work and trying to tidy up the dorm before the other first year Ravenclaws came back. It wasn't likely that they would enjoy seeing their possessions on the floor - most of them ripped or rumpled. No, it wouldn't be good to be caught.

After half an hour, the dorm was as clean as it had been before Myn's mad hunt for the missing kitten. Myn grinned to herself proudly, silently congratulating herself for doing so much work in less than an hour. The quiet sound of rain against the window only made her smile brighter and Myn dashed from the dorm, through the common room - apologizing to the many students she crashed into on the way - and down the corridors into the Student Lounge. The lounge was definitely the best place to enjoy rain, especially since most students were at dinner at this time. Myn curled up on the window sill, resting against the cold glass of the window and watching the rain fall. How annoying that it was raining during the summer but what a usual occurrence for Scotland. The steady patter of the rain droplets against the window pane almost had Myn falling asleep; her dark green eyes fluttering shut slowly and a hand lethargically raised to smother a yawn. Just a small sleep wouldn't hurt...not after tidying up so much mess. She deserved this sleep, Myn assured herself silently before being roused from her half-sleep by the slam of a door.

[zach]

Zacharias P. Domingart was absolutely livid.

No, he was beyond livid. He was....he didn't even know what he was. How could he have left a three foot essay in the rain? It was due soon, and what was he supposed to say? That'd he'd been careless? That it wouldn't happen again? Such mindless answers were unacceptable. He spent hours working on that essay. Hours! First, there was the research. That was painstaking work, that was. Then, he actually had to write the thing, and that was at least an hour for each five inches. Zacharias had been certain he'd get the top grade for that essay, and he'd been so proud of himself for writing it. It had to have been on at least a fifth year level, he thought. But, what was it now? It was a pile of mush and runny ink in his clenched fist----hardly top-grade material, there.

Sighing, he stomped into the Student Lounge, throwing open the door and pulling it back with a resounding boom. That felt a bit better, but it wasn't going to get the essay fixed. He sighed again. This would be another five hours of work. At least he had some peace and quiet, though. Everywhere else was full of noise and energy and annoying chatter. They were all distractions that he couldn't afford. He didn't need to act like an overly-talkative Hufflepuff. What he needed was to show Uncle Phin how good he was doing in school. He needed to prove that years of being a bookish little brat would actually get him somewhere, and he would begin with the essay.

Pulling up a chair, Zacharias glanced around, rather surprised to see a girl who looked to be around his age sleeping by the window. Or, she looked like she had been sleeping. He frowned. The last thing a genius needed was a distraction, and while he was not quite a genius (although he may have believed otherwise), Zacharias still didn't think having another person in his company during such a crucial juncture in his academic career would be wise. Perhaps he should tell her to leave? Surely she would obey him, but then, maybe not. She could be one of those stubborn types that always had to prove everyone wrong, no matter what. He didn't need one of those, so force was out of the list of options.

Zacharias grit his teeth, standing, his robes ruffling, the Slytherin crest practically gleaming from his small chest. "What are you doing in here?" He asked, rather rudely. Uncle Phin would have scolded about manners, but he was too tired and irate to try a softer approach.

[Myn Katrenya R2]

Myn just barely controlled a startled jump as the door banged against the wall before frowning and discreetly peering at the boy curiously. Really, did he have no manners? Students could have been in here working, revising for their exams, be them normal end of year exams or OWLs or NEWTs, yet this boy still strode in like he owned the place. Myn risked a quick rise of her head to check the crest on his robes before sighing in exasperation. Slytherin. Why was she not surprised? Really, Slytherins just seemed to be getting worse and worse lately! Weren't they supposed to be the house of cunning and wit? Certainly the house closest to Ravenclaw in personality. So what made this Slytherin forget his manners and enter in such a loud and uncourteous way? Myn leaned against the window in amusement, not dropping her sleeping act but keeping an eye on the boy all the same.

He settled into a chair and Myn nodded slightly in faint approval. Hopefully this boy would forget about his temper tantrum and pull out a book or some homework. Her brow creased slightly as his face struck a chord in her mind. Surely she had seen him around before. Hmm, Myn glanced at him discreetly, unwilling to incur another show of temper. A Slytherin, seemingly first or second year...Ahah! Myn grinned in triumph, happy to have remembered the boys name in only a few seconds. Zacharias Domingart. Of course, how could she have forgotten? Myn had probably seen him in classes but it wasn't like her to make conversation with people she didn't know. No, Myn was happy enough to be in the company of her friends but wouldn't reject someone if they were willing to be her friend. Friends were a treasure that Myn had very little of and she would always welcome more.

Myn uncurled her body slowly, standing up to match his angry stance with a defiance rarely shown in the young, calm Ravenclaw. "What am I doing here? I don't remember receiving the memo about the Student Lounge being off limits to anyone today. Neither did I receive the message about Slytherins dropping their manners today. So pay attention, Zacharias, because I will not repeat myself. Either speak to me with respect or do not speak to me at all. Understood?" Myn glared at him, anger sparkling in her green eyes. She was used to being shown proper manners and wouldn't accept any less. It wasn't normal for the young Ravenclaw to get angry but everything just seemed to pile up and add to the slow kindling temper. Sleet being mischievous, the mess of the dorm, having to tidy up said mess, being roused from what had promised to be a very relaxing sleep and being denied proper manners. Who did this boy think he was to treat her like that? Myn lifted an eyebrow challengingly, just daring him to go against her words and deny her the respect she demanded from everyone but her very closest friends.

[zach]

Zacharias snorted, reluctantly carrying himself over to Myn with his hand outstretched. Resisting the urge to tell her to shut her mouth, he said politely, "I see you already know my name. You can just call me Zacharias if you like. Domingart or 'Zacharias Domingart' becomes tiring after a while." He nodded, running a hand through his black hair, gray eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid I don't know who you are...." he muttered, doing his best to bite back all traces of sarcasm in his voice. It wouldn't do to anger the girl. She was obviously not going to leave, and he'd never get anything done with an angry Ravenclaw crowding around. The only wise way to go about this was to be polite and hope she left him alone. It probably wouldn't take much, seeing as she only wanted him to be respectful. He could do that, if he really wanted to.

"If you would excuse my previous, er, rudeness. You see, I've got this essay to finish, and I thought you might be a bit of a distraction, and you have been, ehm, but, well...."

Yet another testimony to the brilliance of Zacharias Domingart. He sighed, realising what an idiot she must think he was and trying to convince himself that he really didn't care. It wasn't working, of course. Zacharias was never very good at lying to himself. He was too clever. Perhaps things would be less uncomfortable if they had something to talk about? He wracked his brain for neutral subjects to create small talk with, but nothing came to mind. Indeed, all Zacharias could think to talk about was his essay and the latest curses he was trying to learn, but why would a Ravenclaw be interested in any of that? No one but him was interested in his schoolwork, and he was almost certain she wouldn't want to spend an hour discussing the properties of the Skin-Removing Hex and various other Dark spells. Why would she?

No, Zacharias was sure he had nothing interesting to talk about, so he kept silent and waited for her to speak. Girls were generally better at these socialising things, anyway, weren't they?

[Myn Katrenya R2]

Myn inclined her head politely and merely glanced at his hand before shifting her gaze away in disinterest. It would take more than a half-hearted attempt at manners to make Myn even half-way friendly toward this boy. Maybe without the rude entrance, it would have been easier for her to accept him but the past was the past and no one could change it. "No. You wouldn't, I suppose. Myn Katrenya. And to save you the trouble of acting friendly and then becoming angry when you find out my heritage, I shall tell you now. I'm a half-blood. Got a problem with that?" Myn lifted an eyebrow coolly, aware of the prejudice toward impure blood from most Slytherins. But really, what a stupid thing to base their friendships on. Some purebloods could be absolutely idiotic at times and sometimes muggleborns and half-bloods were clever and talented. Oh well, at least this Slytherin couldn't accuse her of hiding her blood from him. But if he had a problem with it then he could say it now. After all, duels were meant to be fun, right? Though Myn was sure that not many first years ever ventured to the Duelling Classroom.

"A distraction? Zacharias, Ravenclaws are supposed to be bookworms. Now, why would I distract you from your work?" Myn's gaze flicked to the crumpled piece of parchment before returning to Zacharias with deliberate slowness. "Though leaving it out in the rain might not have been the best idea." Myn smirked slightly, revelling in making a Slytherin stutter for only a few seconds before taking pity on the boy and returning to her previous seat on the window sill. "Don't worry," Myn grinned easily, "I don't think you're too much of an idiot. Heck, show some respect and I might even grow to count you as a friend. Unless of course, you think yourself too good to be friends with a 'tainted' half-blood." Myn added the last sentence mocking, despising that people copuld judge others by their blood and not by their personalities. Myn didn't really mind being judged by her house, Ravenclaw was a good house to be in and Myn was proud to be a Raven. But blood was different. Blood was hurtful.

"Right, come on then." Myn sighed and shifted to get comfortable before turning her attention back to Zacharias. "Which essay is it? Chances are, I've either done it already or have started it so I can help or we can work on it together. Two great minds should get a better mark than one, after all." Myn tilted her head expectantly, waiting for the answer that would determine whether she ignored the boy or continued her attempts to become friends with him.

[zach]

"You're a fine one to lecture me on respect," retorted Zacharias, indigant. He puffed his chest out furiously, his eyeborws raised. "Who said I had any prejudices against half-bloods or Mud---Muggle-borns? That's stereotyping, that is."

Of course, Uncle Phin was always saying that a half-blood was only worth as much magic as they could do, and Mudbloods were just . . . worthless, but Zacharias didn't think it would be wise to share that little bit of information with Myn. She would most likely take offence by it and think of him as another stuck-up little Slytherin with his head up his arse and his foot in his mouth. He wasn't overly fond of Mudbloods, for the simple fact that they weren't born into proper families and has no knowledge of who they were until they came to Hogwarts. Everyone ought to know about the Wizarding world, or there was no point in them joining it. They didn't know the history of wizards, the suffering of wizards at the hand of Muggles, that wizards existed---nothing. They knew nothing. No simple spells and hexes, no history, no pride in who they were.

Half-bloods were different. A half-blood had one wizard parent, and that was okay as long as they were of the respectable sort. Although, most wizards who ended up marrying into Muggle families weren't usually considered 'the respectable sort' by Pureblood standard. Zacharias supposed he could make an exception this one time and be polite to Myn. She hadn't done anything as of yet (besides accusing him of being prejudiced) to annoy him, and that was quite a feat.

"Potions," sniffed the boy, dropping back into his chair. "I have an essay do for Potions and it was left in the rain---my mistake, of course. It was rather long, and I don't expect you'd be very interested in it, but you can try to help me if you like."

It was quite an accomplishment, he though to himself, to be accepting a girl's help. Zacharias Domingart took help from no one. Well, maybe a bit from Uncle Phin, but that was different. His uncle was a genius when it came to the Dark Arts, and help from an uncle was alright so long as that uncle had his head on straight and knew what he was talking about, which Uncle Phineas did.

[Myn Katrenya R2]

"I have every right to lecture you on respect." Myn grinned in amusement at the way Zacharias puffed out his chest. Really, boys could be so idiotic at times. "You've just shown that you have prejudices," Myn pointed out gently. "You stumbled over the word 'muggle-born' which shows that you don't often use it, and I recognised the word that you were going to call them instead and I don't like it." Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully and a small smile touched her lips. Yes. This boy would be an amusing friend. "I don't care if you continue using it. My only request is that you don't call muggle-borns by that name around me. Agreed?"

"Potions," She repeated thoughtfully, trying to remember if she had actually done the essay yet or if she had set it aside to complete later. Ahah! Myn smiled triumphantly, recalling the details of the essay. Not that she'd be sharing all of her essay with him. He seemed smart enough to do it by himself anyway. Though it was rather a stupid thing to do; complete an essay and then leave it out in the rain. "So you completed it before it was left out in the rain?" Myn raised an eyebrow questioningly, having thought of a solution to the problem if that was indeed the case. Myn studied him discreetly, unwilling to trust that the boy had changed his personality that easily. Still, it was an amusing idea to consider that she was scary or intimidating enough to tame a Slytherin into watching his mouth around her.

((Meh, shorter than usual but it can't be helped, I'm afraid. Her very existence is being debated so posts will be shorter until it's sorted out.))

[zach]

"It's a matter of how I was raised, not my personal prejudices," said Zacharias stiffly, scratching out his name on a fresh parchment. The nerve of this girl! He was beginning to consider forgetting the essay and going off to his dormitory, where he might actually find some peace and quiet for once. Didn't she have sense enough to know that Mudblood was a common word where he grew up? No one said Muggle-Born. It was a mouthful and far too techinical. And that was what they were, wasn't it? Tainted blood. Muggle blood. He didn't hate them for it as some did, nor did he believe himself to be a great deal better than them; Mother had quashed that belief long ago. But, they were an inferior sort of people, Muggles. They just didn't know things, and that, more than anything else, was the reason Zacharias had no qualms about using the word Mudblood. Knowledge was something he prided himself most highly upon. It took the place of lacked intelligence in some people, and it gave power.

He thought for a moment, holding out the soggy pulp that was his prized potions essay. It really did need to be done, after all, and he never would get peace from this girl if he wasn't 'respectful' toward her. Of all things to want, Zacharias thought hers was rather odd. Respect? He would have chosen fear, intimidation---things like that. People didn't dare bother you when you were feared, but respected? Dumbledore was respected by many, but that didn't stop them nagging him all the time and writing things in the Prophet. It was the Dark Lord's fear of Dumbledore that stopped him attacking the school, not respect. He could have given a fiddler's fart about respect.

"I won't use it," began Zacharias slowly, as if it was a great deal difficult to say. "Around you. But, you're not stopping me speaking as I please annywhere else, and I can say what I want to in classes." His eyes narrowed, glittering gray. "Now, help me fix my essay as you promised. If I'm keeping my half of the pact, you've got to as well."

((No problem. Mine is a bit short as well today, as I have to go eat breakfast. I hope Myn stays though!))

[Myn Katrenya R2]

"I know," Myn sighed with regret. So many people would just throw that word around with no care, not realizing how much it could hurt someone. Yes, it was a common word in the wizarding world but that didn't mean that Myn had to enjoy hearing it. "But really, think about it. What does it matter whether a person has pure blood - which is a stupid expression in the first place - or whether they have so called 'tainted' blood - just because the person has muggle parents. Honestly, what idiot came up with the word 'muggle' anyway? It's derogatory and demeaning. Not to mention that it's a utterly idiotic word. Muggle. They have weapons that wizards and witches wouldn't have a clue about. If it came to a war then we might win but it would most certainly be a pyrrhic victory. We would lose too many wizards and witches for the victory to mean anything. And the likelihood is that muggleborns," Myn made sure to stress the word and glance at him pointedly, making a statement out of the short word, "and half-bloods, such as myself, would be tempted to return back to the muggle world. And could you blame them? No."

Myn's small rant had almost certainly achieved nothing but at least it made her feel slightly better. She had made some excellent points and yet she knew that Zacharias would take no notice of them. What Slytherin would? Ah well, it didn't really matter. She had made her point but she wouldn't force others to agree with her. Especially not a friend. Myn raised an eyebrow in faint surprise at her last thought. A friend? This Slytherin, this arrogant, annoying Slytherin who had disturbed her almost-sleep, a friend? The answer was clear after a small bit of thought. Yes. A friend. Sure, they were arguing but the words held no coldness, no anger. Actually, the argument seemed more like a vaguely playful banter. Over an issue that was important to Myn, and an issue that most of her other friends knew not to bring up unless they wanted her to glare at them, but a banter all the same. And a fairly amusing banter too, once the elements that were important to her were removed.

"That's all I ask. But if you insist upon using it in classes then you won't be sitting next to me. And I do expect my friends to sit next to me in classes on occasion. Perhaps in Muggle Studies?" Myn grinned impishly, shooting a quick grin to him. It was a remark designed purely to irritate Zacharias...Zach, Myn decided silently. Zacharias was just too long and too impersonal. It simply wouldn't do when she was planning to make this boy into a good friend. "I always keep my promises, Zach." Myn slipped in the new nickname casually, sharp green eyes watching for his reaction. She pulled the ruined essay closer to her and tried to make sense of the words, glaring at the few that were simply too water-ruined to read. "You can still read most of it so copy down the important parts and I'll help you to put together the actual essay. Agreed?" Myn raised an eyebrow sharply, making it clear that it wasn't a request. She would help but she wouldn't do all of the work for him.