Post by Alice Swann on Feb 28, 2010 14:57:30 GMT
"Declan O'Malley? He's in Slytherin, right?" Kitty asked as they walked side by side down the corridor. Alice nodded her confirmation, expression blank. "I don't think I've spoken to him once," Kitty continued with a slight frown. "What's he like?"
"No idea," Alice replied, curling brown hair behind her ear, and smiled at her sister with her eyes. "I haven't spoken to him either." Kitty laughed, and they shared in the unsaid private joke, amused (because if Kitty hadn't spoken to him, of course Alice hadn't either, being the quieter of the two). "This is our first meeting," Alice went on to add.
"Good luck," Kitty said with sincerity, hand gently clasping Alice's arm before she drew away. "I'll see you later." Kitty departed, leaving Alice standing alone in front of the Student Lounge. Face falling into its usual expressionless, dreamlike state again, Alice went in, and finding that Declan wasn't there yet, went to sit at an empty table. She began to spread her work materials out, waiting for her partner to show up. They didn't always do pair work in Transfiguration, and it was even rarer to be told who to work with rather than choose (obviously Kitty and Alice worked together when such occasions arose), so Alice had been somewhat surprised when she had been told to work with someone other than her sister. However, she was not at all intimidated by the thought of a stranger; she just wasn't leaping with joy at the idea. Not that she did that at all for anything.
Alice didn't know Declan O'Malley. They'd never spoken, barely seen each other despite being in the same year, and they operated completely different social circles (well, Alice assumed he did, she never saw him when she was with her friends). She only recognised him from some of her classes, and he wasn't the most talkative person either, so he wasn't particularly outstanding. In short, Alice knew nothing about Declan, besides the fact he was in her year in Slytherin. That alone might have put some people off - especially Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs - but Alice wasn't afraid or wary, just curious as to who this Declan was; if he would be a diligent work partner, competent at teamwork, or a selfish glory-seeker, or even a distracting procrastinator who didn't do any work.
Alice never sat around waiting; she always carried a book with her, and once she was ready and still looking for Declan to surface, she delved into her bag and withdrew a novel she was halfway through (and had only started the previous night before bedtime). She flicked it to the bookmarked page and began to read, and only paused when a shadow fell over the table minutes later. She looked up to see Declan, and immediately closed her novel and placed it back into her bag. "Hi," she said calmly, gesturing at the seat opposite her. As she waited for him to set up too, she observed properly for the first time the short dark hair, the boyish features of his face, and wondered if he, like everyone else, would call her 'Kitty' instead of 'Alice'. She wondered if he even knew who she was at all.
"No idea," Alice replied, curling brown hair behind her ear, and smiled at her sister with her eyes. "I haven't spoken to him either." Kitty laughed, and they shared in the unsaid private joke, amused (because if Kitty hadn't spoken to him, of course Alice hadn't either, being the quieter of the two). "This is our first meeting," Alice went on to add.
"Good luck," Kitty said with sincerity, hand gently clasping Alice's arm before she drew away. "I'll see you later." Kitty departed, leaving Alice standing alone in front of the Student Lounge. Face falling into its usual expressionless, dreamlike state again, Alice went in, and finding that Declan wasn't there yet, went to sit at an empty table. She began to spread her work materials out, waiting for her partner to show up. They didn't always do pair work in Transfiguration, and it was even rarer to be told who to work with rather than choose (obviously Kitty and Alice worked together when such occasions arose), so Alice had been somewhat surprised when she had been told to work with someone other than her sister. However, she was not at all intimidated by the thought of a stranger; she just wasn't leaping with joy at the idea. Not that she did that at all for anything.
Alice didn't know Declan O'Malley. They'd never spoken, barely seen each other despite being in the same year, and they operated completely different social circles (well, Alice assumed he did, she never saw him when she was with her friends). She only recognised him from some of her classes, and he wasn't the most talkative person either, so he wasn't particularly outstanding. In short, Alice knew nothing about Declan, besides the fact he was in her year in Slytherin. That alone might have put some people off - especially Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs - but Alice wasn't afraid or wary, just curious as to who this Declan was; if he would be a diligent work partner, competent at teamwork, or a selfish glory-seeker, or even a distracting procrastinator who didn't do any work.
Alice never sat around waiting; she always carried a book with her, and once she was ready and still looking for Declan to surface, she delved into her bag and withdrew a novel she was halfway through (and had only started the previous night before bedtime). She flicked it to the bookmarked page and began to read, and only paused when a shadow fell over the table minutes later. She looked up to see Declan, and immediately closed her novel and placed it back into her bag. "Hi," she said calmly, gesturing at the seat opposite her. As she waited for him to set up too, she observed properly for the first time the short dark hair, the boyish features of his face, and wondered if he, like everyone else, would call her 'Kitty' instead of 'Alice'. She wondered if he even knew who she was at all.
