You can always learn something ((Tristan))

[dana]

Dana entered the student lounge with a book in her hands. For once it wasn’t a book from where she could learn – O.W.L.s were coming and even people outside Ravenclaw were starting to prepare for exams. But today Dana was going to take it easy and not worry about studying.
Scanning the rather crowded room Dana saw that the armchairs and couches in front of the fire-place were all occupied and so were most of the tables. Shrugging, not really bothered by it, Dana moved to the side where there were a couple of chess-tables.

Sitting down on one high-backed chair Dana looked at the game. She had sat behind black pieces. She knew the basics of the game, but couldn’t really say he knew the game.
Dana smiled and opened her book, slipping into the land described there when someone approached her.

[Tristan MacCay]

"Argh!!!" Tristan cried, hurling himself around a corner to escape the nasty slytherin sixth years that were chasing him. It wasn't his fault his owl molly had attacked a slytherin. It was in self defense anyway; they had corners her.

Tristan looked back. He had lost them he thought. Out of breath he entered the first door on the right; The studend lounge. Panting slightly he took a seat at one of the chess tables. He sat for a few moments, catching his breath before he nociced he sat opposite a girl. She was also in raveclaw and had sleek black locks which cascaded down into a thick leatherbound volume she appeard to be reading.

"Oh!," cried Tristan jumping up in surprise, "I'm not interrupting you am I?"

[dana]

Dana took in the appearance of the boy – a third year probably – who had sat down opposite of her. He was panting and seemed tired. Even slightly scared?
“No, you aren’t interrupting,” Dana said calmly observing the boy over her book, “I’m almost finished with the book anyway. Mind if I ask who you’re running from as you certainly look as if you’ve been running?”<br>
Dana could actually guess rather good who the boy might have been running from. Slytherins scared a lot of the students, even though Dana herself rather liked some of the members of the house. Some of her best friends were Slytherins, but most certainly some bullies were behind this guy running..

((As for the pic, click on your profile and under the link of your picture there are such fields:
Custom Avatar Width:
Custom Avatar Height:
fill them in and you can resize your pic. I have 90 and 100 in them, if it helps you.))

[Tristan MacCay]

((thanx Dana! I changed your hair colour in the post ))


A few Slytherins are on my tail. I think I've lost them now. I have a few friends in Slytherin, like Mary Evans, but these guys... *he shook his head* I don't even know their names. So what are you reading? It doesn't look like a course text book."

[dana]

“SLytherins. You have to know how to handle them,” Dana stated calmly glancing over his shoulder as some fourth year Slytherins entered the room. Dan’s and the guys eyes locked for a moment, before the Slytherins turned their eyes away first and the two guys huddled together in a corner talking silently about something, “You know the saying, you can never show fear to wild animals? The same fact pretty often hodls against Slytherins as well. Event hough having a cousin who can beat them up wwith out any problem, should they try to come after me doesn’t hurt either.”<br>
Closing the book Dana leaned back, placing the book next to the chess-board: “It’s a muggle book. The life of cardinal Richelieu. Rather interesting actually – for me at least.”<br>
((Mary told me to tell you that you guys aren’t friends. You have spoke OOC, but Tristan and Mary have never posted together ergo, they don’t even know each-other))

[Tristan MacCay]

((I was just showing how there are friendly slytherins too ))

"I don't know much about the guy, but yes it does sound interesting" Tristan replied. He had his breath back now and he relaxed a little in his cair.

"Say," He said, "Do you play?" Tristan pointed to the chessboard.

[dana]

“Do I play? Hard to say. I know the rules and how the pieces move and I have played a couple of times with my grand-father or cousin, but I usually loose rather quickly,” Dana grinned brilliantly, “Obviously I wouldn’t do well as a general. Why? You going to challenge me to a game?”<br>
Dana lowered her eyes to the chess-board eyeing it apprehensively: “I liked Richelieu. He knew what he wanted and knew what to do to get it. He seemed to have enough mind to know that women aren’t only helpless little beauties and that not every one of them is too shallow, so he used them as spies. Not very many politicians or men in the World history have had the guts on logic to do that. I’ve learned both muggle and wizarding history and I pretty much have my favorites from both.”<br>
((I know, not all SLytherins are bad. But I can have my SLyth bully you some, so don't go telling to Slyths that they are nice. ))

[Tristan MacCay]

"I'm not sure if I'm game enough to chanllenge anyone. I'm not a fantastic player" Tristan said.

At that moment the slytherins who had been chasing Tristan entered the student lounge. Tristan spotted them and sank down in his chair. He explained to Dana that those were the slytherins who had been chasing him and asked her if she had any bright ideas.

[dana]

“Good, then we can play. You have the whites, so you get to start,” Dana said with a smile towards Robert, before using the window to see the SLytherins who had Tristan running from them.
“Those guys? No problem. They won’t bother you until you’re with me. I have a certain reputation among Slytherins for a quick wand, when rubbed the wrong way. Duels with Goyle and Perseus have only helped it. And of course having a cousin who would kill them should they move a hair in my head, doesn’t hurt either.”<br>
Dana shrugged and concentrated on the game: “We have the same way towards the common room later and Slytherins are too thick or lazy to try to hunt you for too long. Go ahead and start the game.”<br>
((Easily. We just converse over the game. You don’t have to state your every move – I certainly don’t plan to. It just gives us something to talk about.))

[Tristan MacCay]

((Great!!))

Tristan breathed a sigh of relief that the slytherins wouldn't harm him. He was very greatful to Dana.

"Now," Tristan said after a short silence, "Shall we play? You can choose a colour. I don't mind, but remember white moves first..."

Tristan hadn't played chess in a while and he was a bit rusty, but it would be fun he thought. He watched as Dana selected her colour...

[dana]

“Considering I’m already sitting behind the black pieces, I’ll go with these ones,” Dana said with a shrug, “Just start. Have you played often? I know you said you aren’t very good in this game, but still? Where have you played? With who? I’m curious, as you already know I have played with my cousin, my grand-father and our gardener. I loose gloriously to each of them.”

[Tristan MacCay]

"I used to play with my grandfather before he past away. since then I've never played, but i remember the basic rules." Said Tristan

He decided to start now. after all there is no time like the present. He move his queen foreward a few squares tentatively.

Dana was a nice person, Tristan thought. It would be good to get to know he better and this game of chess seemed the best way to do it.

"So," said Tristan, waiting for Dana to make her move, "Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have a little sister called Gwen back in Barnsley [yorkshire] "

[dana]

((If you just started the game, then you can’t move with your queen still. The pawns are on the way))

Dana watched as Tristan made his move and started building up her defence, using her pawns. The first pawn to be moved was the one in front of her queen.
“Little sister? I have always wanted one. How old is your sister?” Dana asked with a warm smile appearing on her face, “I am an only child theoretically. I have a fifth or sixth step cousin though. My grand-parents are his legal guardians – and he is as close as a real brother. I count him as my brother and best friend. He goes to Hogwarts as well. A fifth year like me. Slytherin.”<br>
Dana smiled at Tristan. He was a rather nice company right now: “But tell me about Gwen. Any other family? Cousins, some aunts or uncles you are really close to?”<br>

[Tristan Wardle R3]

((whoops))

Tristan then moved his queen a few spaces across the board. When Dana asked him about his family he was only to keen to speak. Talking alot was a gene he had inherited from his mother. Tristan spoke of his aunts in Devon, his uncles in Cheddar, his cousins in Holland and his grandparents on Wales. Tristan had a large family. Espescially on his father's side of the family in Holland. He had many stories to tell. most were folkstories, but some were stories from his childhood and his family's life. Dana seemed a good listener and Tristan wandered if she was this good at talking..Tristan loved to talk but he was surprised at how much he had said already. His throught was becoming dry and he pulled his wand out from the fold of his robes and conjured a glass of water to sip.


Moving pieces here and there around the board wnet on for a few minutes without talking before Tristan spoke,
"So are your parents muggles or wizards? Tell me a bit about your family."
Tristan was interested to learn about Dana''s family. He loved learning about peoples families. It was great to know someone's background. Their values. Their Tragedys. Their Triumphs...

[dana]

Dana listened to Tristan’s family life without interrupting the boy. He had a large family and he seemed to be close with most members of his family. Dana wondered silently what it would feel like. Sure, she had tons of relatives, but she wasn’t close to them. She barely even knew the names of most of her relatives. But Tristan’s family sounded great. Moving her pieces Dana thought about different families and blinked surprisedly when Tristan asked about her own family.

“My parents? My mother was a witch, who ran away with a muggle, so actually I’m a half-blood. But as my parents are dead I live with my grand-parents who are pure-bloods – we have a very long line of pure-bloods behind us – so I have been brought out knowing the wizarding world a lot better. Even though I have drivers-license for example and I did go to a muggle elementary school,” Dana stated, thinking what to tell Tristan, “My grand-parents are absolutely awesome. Then I have that cousin, who I myself count as a brother and our servants are almost like aunts and an uncle for me. Other than that – I have tons of cousins and aunts and uncles and who knows what kind of relatives, but I’m not really close with any of them. I have never even seen some of my relatives, as they are spread out over France, Italy, Sweden and some are in Germany. In summers I go home to France as well.”<br>
Dana shrugged – she wasn’t entirely sure Tristan would want to know more – if he did, he would just have to ask: “What about you? Were your parents muggles? And if yes, then were you surprised when you got your Hogwarts letter?”<br>

[Tristan MacCay]

Dana's family life sounded mixed. Her parents were dead. Tristan was so sad to hear this as he loved his parents dearly. Having servents sounded quite good though. And at least Dana could live with her family.

Tristan answered her questions,
"My Mother is a witch from a pure family and my father is a muggle so because my mum was magic it wasn't too surprising that I was. Of course there were doubts. I didn't show any signs of magic until I was nine when I was blowing out my birthday candles and I ended up blowing the house down." Tristan laughed inwardly here. These situations were so stranged that when you looked back on them you had to laughed.

Tristan thought about Dana's reply to his question. Her cousin sounded interesting. Tristan wandered who he was,
"What was your cousin's name? Would I know him?"

[dana]

“Blowing the house down? That must have caused the Ministry officials to come by,” Dana said with a grin, “I’m curious, but you can just tell me that it’s not my business if you want. What did your father think, when he found out your mother was a witch. And that you’d be going to Hogwarts as well?”<br>Looking at the board Dana grimaced as her pawn was taken, but moved her knight. The sacrifice had been necessary, because now she would be able to take either Tristan’s spear or tower the next turn. It would depend on Tristan’s move which, but one of them would be taken down.

“My cousin? Doubt you know him unless you make a habit of making friends with Slytherin bullies ad since he is a fifth year, I doubt he’d be walking around becoming friends with you,” Dana commented off-handedly, “He would kill for me, but I’m the only person he counts as a friend outside his own house. Kris Graas.”<br>

[Tristan MacCay]

Tristan listen intently to Dana's question before answering it as best he could,


"Well my mother told my father after they had been dating for a few weeks. At first he didn't believe her. He thought she was pulling a joke in him until she took him home to her house. Any more doubts he had were abolished." Tristan chuckled here, "As he entered their kitchen he copped a frying pan in the face becasue my grandmother was putting the just cleaned dished away using a levitation spell.
He was a little freaked out at first, but as he grew to know my mum and her family better he became fascinated by the wizarding world and now magtic is part of our family life.
Dad was so proud of me when I got my letter. We had a party that night. The whole of mum's side of the family threw this huge party and I had a great time. So did dad. He loves witchcraft and is trying to learn now. It's basically impossible now, but if his family had a witch somewhere in it once he may posses enough magic to do small tasks."


Dana had forced Tristan into a bad position. He was going to loose one of his pieces nomatter what he did. Just then Tristan saw another move. He used his other bishop to take Dana's knight and now she couldn't take either of the pieces that were in danger.
Tristan was thinking about Dana's cousin. He didn't sound like the type of person one would like to meet in a dark alley, but Tristan repected the fact that family was important to Kris. Family was a string part of Tristan's life. When he wasn't at hogwarts Tristan would see his family at least once a day and every holiday Tristan and his family spent a week in holland visiting hyis father's family. Tristan knew a little dutch from these visits so he was able to speak to his ducth family in their native tongue. He asked,
"Dana do you see your family much? I meen apart from Kis and your grandparents..."

[dana]

Dana chuchkled lightly as Tristan talked about her parents. It sounded amusing. Briefly Dana wondered how his biological father had taken the news about his wife being a witch? Dana didn’t really know, but then again – she didn’t even care. For Dana herself her grand-parents were her parents.
Glancin at the chess-table Dana grimaced as his knight was shattered. Shrugging Dana moved her queen and took Tristan’s bishop with it.
“My family? Who says I see my grand-parents much? They live in France, so I only see them during winter holidays and summer. Kris is the only relative I see regularly thanks to he goes here as well,” Dana said with a shrug, “Well, I see my relatives form time to time. There is a family reunion held every summer and naturally I’m forced to attend.”<br>

[Tristan MacCay]

((I did say how my father took the news of her being a witch. Its in the first large paragraph... It's the first speech I used))

Trisan frowned as Dana took his bishop, He bgan mving his pieces into a position where they cornered teh queen.

"Forced to attend?" Said Tristan. He wandered why Dana didn't seem to want to go to these family reunions. where her family mean to her? Tristan would have loved to get to know his relatives a bit better. He knew many of them, but there were so many more that he didn't know. He grabbed a notebook and pencil out of his robes and wrote down,

suggest a family reunion to mum and dad

before placing them back into his pocket when a strange noise rang through the student lounge and tristan glanced up in surprize...