Questions Needing Answers ((Mary))

[Jack Rendel S5]

Sweat prickled down his forehead and into the electric blue eyes. It was that hot. And Jack was never sweaty. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. The humidity made it wet almost instantaneously again. It was a losing battle, he knew this by standing five minutes in the Grounds. He would be inside today if it wasn't that special case where everyone was inside. Even in the stone walls of Hogwarts, the crowds body heat would make it just as muggy in there as out here. Anyway, he got the outdoors to himself, and that was a one in a lifetime thing. Never was the Grounds empty. The lake never looked as wonderful as it did that moment. Jack eyed it with mounting longing until he just had to go near it, at least. He didn't much fancy his clothes getting soaking wet. Although it would wash the sweat away....He shrugged and ambled off toward the lake, his eyes on it and nothing else.

The grass was hard and pointy. It was almost like tiny needles, pricking his arms and neck as he lay down near the bank of the lake. A small breeze lifted his mop of brown hair. There was always at least some breeze off water, and that included magical ones too. He sighed in relief and sat up so the grass wouldn't get to him. His back was already sore; no need to aggravate it more. His eyes roved over the deserted grounds once more, resting on the blue sky. It was so blue it almost hurt his eyes and without any clouds, it looked bare and bland. His eyes glazed over from the heat the sun was getting off. If it would just go away for a little. He bit his lip. He could almost hear the heat around him, buzzing. Or maybe that was just the bugs trying to find shelter. They would be disappointed though, for there was none. The dragonflies and water bugs skimmed the water, hoping for some relief, just as Jack was. If Hogwarts was without it's body of water....He smiled bitterly and took of his shoes and socks. It would feel good just to stick his feet in. Muggle doctors had a theory that stated something about how feet cause what you feel. If your feet are cold, then you become cold. Jack didn't really care for muggle remedies and such, but for now he would try it out. The water was just as cool as he expected. It felt wonderful and Jack almost dived in. Restraining this particular desire, he waded quietly, listening to the heat make its noise. Everything was quiet until Jack heard a shuffling of grass. He didn't pay attention to it; probably just some bug or animal seeking shade.

[Mary Evans]

Mary sat on her bed under the lake and fanner herself with a book – it must be at least 100 degrees out. If she took a bowl of water out of the lake and laid it in the sun she bet it would start to boil in a matter of minutes. Speaking of the lake… Mary hopped out of bed and yanked open the topmost drawer of her dresser. First bathing suit she saw was the forest green bikini she was wearing when she first meet Pyro. Oh how he had annoyed her that day – she had wanted to pour the jug of pumpkin juice on his head right then and there. Come to think of it… most their first meeting she wanted physical harm to come to him… She giggled remembering the older guys he had been annoying that got covered with that slime. Hopefully today would be as eventful… but then again that’s not always a good thing. Mary put on the bathing suit and wrapped a beach towel around herself before finding a pair of high heel strappy sandals – even though she couldn’t wear boots did not mean she was not going to wear heels. As a matter of fact… Mary didn’t even think she owned shoes without high heels.

Quickly Mary left the dorm and went all the way up to the front doors. She pushed them open hoping someone would be standing just on the other side again but sadly no. It didn’t matter she reminded herself – she was out to go swimming and entertaining herself that way would only keep her out in this oppressing heat longer. Further down the grounds Mary spread out her towel and removed her shoes. She sent a wistful glance to the forest remembering how she used to go in there to meet up with Dana and Kris. She hadn’t been in there with either of them this year because of what happened. Kris was in the hospital wing still but at least he was up again – he had given them all quite a scare. Mary had gone up to visit him a few times… But now was not the time to think of that.

Mary walked slowly into the lake revelling in the freezing temperature of the water. Her skin tingled with goose bumps and she shivered visibly. Nobody was around though so Mary was fine with these outward signs of weakness. She tired of it quickly though and simply ducked under the water so she would get used to it faster. Mary floated on her back a little ways before she saw someone near the shore. She sighed and considered going back to where she came from when she noticed who it was. Mary floated just a wee bit closer not sure if he saw her or no. “Hey” she said before reaching into the water and splashing water at him.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack leaned back, relishing the cool breeze that reflected off the water. The sun still poured all it's heat down on him; he wouldn't be surprised to see his scalp burned the next day. He closed his eyes against the powerful rays. Only for a few moments, however, did he have some leisure time. Water was thrown on him, drenching him. Jack jolted upright, looking for the source. The water was colder then he had expected and he shivered a little when it came through his clothes and touched his skin. The cause was right in front of him in the water. Mary. Should he be surprised? He smirked at her, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Why, hello there Mary. I'm not sure if I should take your greeting as a pleasant one or not, but it was certainly refreshing." He laughed slightly and looked down at the water to his reflection. It swimmed in the water a bit, blurring his vision. Flickering his gaze back at Mary, he smiled. "I haven't seen you for a while. Was your summer any good?" He cocked his head slightly to the side as he watched her float. He knew that Kris had probably effected her summer very much, or the beggining of the school year. And - what with the Samantha Driscoll girl's release from Askaban - rumors had been flying that she was insane. Hadn't Mary said something about the Driscoll's before? Jack couldn't recall what it was she had spoken about. He shrugged it off. It couldn't be that important anyway, could it?

((Sorry for the shortness. Haven't had much inspiration for Jack lately. ))

[Mary Evans]

((No problem at all Length isn’t anywhere near as important as content in my mind at least ))

Mary smirked as Jack started at the touch of the water. She had spoken first and given him fair warning – no need to feel bad. Not that she would anyways but… She let out a slight giggle as he looked down on her and pulled his feet out of the water and knees up to his chest. Too bad she could have pulled him in – that would have been amusing. “Take it as you will I suppose. That’s what people tend to do anyways.” She replied dryly with her smirk still in place – rather cocky for someone down in the water true but it was Mary and so she felt she had every right. “Summer. Well it was better than expected. And worse in it’s own way. Certainly ended with a bang though, eh? I would be hard pressed to believe you didn’t hear about Kris? He’s up and talking again. Gave us all quite the scare for awhile there though.

“But for the most part my summer was ok. I told you that my cousin was coming to stay with me did I not? Well he was a right pain as expected at first but in the end he was ok. I still think we are better off up here in Hogwarts than down there in Durmstang though no matter what he says. Was an eventful year though. And how was yours? Miss your Gryffie girlfriend much? Or did you get to go see her in Diagon before it was shut down?” Mary teased with a snide smirk bringing back their very first argument ever. It was true he hadn’t been seen with the girl in a long while and Mary used to have the reputation of friendships with non-Slytherins too but that didn’t stop her throwing people’s past intercessions in their faces.

[Jack Rendel S5]

(( ))

"Of course they do. Most people at the moment, would be getting up and leaving, rather then staying here and talking to a very cynical Mary." He replied with a teasing sparkle in his eyes. Mary did have a reputation with people unworthy, or of dirty blood. He hadn't bothered to hear exactly what that reputation was, but he had seen some of it, and it wasn't the prettiest sight to behold. He smirked at Mary, pushing himself farther from the edge in case she tried anything sneaky on him. "Ah, no. What was it I was supposed to hear about Kris?" He asked sarcastically with a smile. Mary was his friend, but that didn't mean he had to be so nice it was sickening. "Of course I heard about Kris. I had a little chat with him in the Courtyard the other day. He seemed to be coping well with his new disabled self. Surprising, really, but Kris always seems to come out on top. Then though, I don't think he was supposed to be outside. I think he was still being held back in the Hospital Wing for most of the time. He didn't exactly say that, but it's the impression I got." He shrugged. Jack had never been good at 'reading' people, so to speak. He often misinterpreted what was happening to that person, or what they were thinking.

"An okay summer? What is that supposed to mean? It had it's ups and downs? Mine didn't go as well as I had been hoping. Padme's been having trouble with her side of the family, and she wasn't feeling good during the summer. I think she's up and going now though. She's never been stopped by anything before, even illness." Illness was definitely not what Padme had suffered from, but Mary didn't need to know the real reason that Jack had guessed. Padme would never tell him if he was right or not, so he just went with his theory on things. "I saw the Holden's over the summer. Mack and Dixie, actually. Some of it wasn't pleasant. I also saw Maddie and Fiona. That's all the people I can think of at the moment..." He tapped his chin for a bit before giving a little lift of the shoulders to say he wasn't sure. "Oh yes. Your cousin. Weren't you so excited about it on the way home?" He smiled, remembering Mary hadn't exactly looked forward to the idea of spending some of her summer with her cousin. He smirked as Mary asked about Bridget. "No. She's old news now. I got bored with her and put her in the recycling bin. She was of no use to me. Not that she ever was." He gave her a glare, thinking of the past argument over her. It had been their only argument ever, which was something good.

Jack thought about the past few weeks. Yes, the summer had ended with a bang and certainly lots of smoke. Dixie coming into his house looking like a pitiful creature. Kris becoming blind. Padme going into a deep depression, coming out a few weeks later looking so dirty it burned the eyes to merely look at her. And the rumor of Samantha Driscoll, Slytherin Queen, that she had gone clearly insane. Jack knew Mary had some connections with the Driscoll family, and it wasn't just faint either. He tilted his head slightly to the left as he surveyed her in the water. "I suppose you heard about Samantha?" Leaving at that, in case it was a touchy subject, Jack began to pull up the grass around him for something to do with his hands.

[Mary Evans]

Mary gave an exaggerated pout as Jack described her as cynical, which turned into a shill laugh. He was rather smarmy about Kris though and Mary did not appreciate that. There were many things to joke about but her big brother’s condition was not one of them. She decided to ignore him in that though because she was in the water on a warm day and thus in a relatively good mood.

She then listened to him speak about his summer and the girl she had heard was his sister; Padme. She had never meet the girl personally but rumour had it she quite the temper even for a Slytherin. Nothing wrong with that in Mary’s mind – everyone had their traits. “No, I was not overly anxious for his visit you are correct. Your summer sounds much more fun than mine though. I managed to see Kris and of course Pyro then Jeremy and Charlie but that was without my parents’ knowledge or consent otherwise I never would have been able to see him. I was even deprived of my shopping because I was not allowed to leave Evans’ property in case I left Jeremy somewhere. Thankfully it kept me out of Diagon while the attack was taking place but…” Mary then shrugged as he talked about the girl she had been bothering him about – her interest in that was minimal at best to be honest – she only brought it up for the fun of antagonizing him.

Mary swam a wee bit more though not going far away from him. When he spoke she stopped dead in her tracks and glared at him; if she could shoot daggers from her eyes she would. “Yes of course I heard about Samantha; but what would you know about it? Leave her alone I am warning you. I swear to the high heavens if you or anyone around you does anything against the Driscolls…” She warned knowing as she did that it was pointless – of course she couldn’t protect Charlie from everyone and she doubted he would want her to try – but she had to. And it wasn’t like threatening Jack would help much anyways – there was the whole rest of the school too who she could do nothing about. Still she would protect Charlie as well as she could no matter if it was possible or not… one of her less Slytherin traits that she tried to keep hidden.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack's mouth thinned as Mary mentioned Diagon Alley at the end. "You're really very lucky to have missed that. It was nearly as traumatic as the Hogwarts Express attack. Although nobody was blinded, there were deaths in Diagon. None that I knew though. That Pennington girl was a real loss however...." Jack had never met the girl but he still felt a small rift of sadness and rage toward the evident killers. She would have done nothing to the Death Eaters. The girl had been - after all - in Jack's year. He couldn't get through one Death Eater, let alone a few more. There had been no reason to kill her, yet they had. Why? Jack glanced at Mary to see if she felt the same as he about the attack. Then, there was Kris too. He could have been a possible threat on them. Jack wasn't sure how Kris had managed to get in their way; he was a Slytherin and probably had something to do with Death Eaters. But why would they attack him with a nearly fatal blow? Jack shook his head, making the whirlwind of thoughts fly from his mind.

Raising an eyebrow, Jack was clearly amused, as Mary threatened him. What would he do to the Driscoll's anyway? He didn't pose a threat to the Driscoll's, especially one of the Queens. Jack suppressed a chuckle at Mary's loyalty and gazed at her with a small smile. "Don't worry. You won't have to spend your time watching me in the halls. If anything, I would watch out for older Slyths that knew Samantha as she was before going to prison. They might not exactly greet her with open arms now that she's....ah....different." Jack didn't mean to attack Samantha like he had at the end by saying she was now 'different.' He knew that Mary wouldn't let that slip, but he was interested in seeing what she would do to him if he stepped into Mary's protective veil over her friend. "Just out of curiosity, have you ever met Samantha? I know you're wonderfully good friends with that Hufflepuff boy. Are you just protecting her too, because your loyalty to her brother or have you met her in person?"

[Mary Evans]

Mary raised her eyebrow as Jack mentioned the fatalities of the Diagon attack. “Umm, weren’t the only ones who died some Hufflepuff’s aunt and another’s mother?” Mary asked him. “I mean aren’t they the type of people the Death Eaters usually go after? So you can’t really be all that surprised. I am actually rather shocked that in all this time with two attacks there has only been three fatalities.” Mary brushed the whole thing off. She by no means supported the Death Eaters but she was certainly not surprised by their actions. Mary was slightly frustrated at what happened to Kris of course and she did blame them for what happened to Charlie and Samantha but she wasn’t going to go expressing that just then.

Mary bit her lip so hard it actually hurt when Jack mentioned Samantha being “different” and other people’s reactions to that. It was true… she could do nothing. That of course didn’t make her any less willing to threaten anyone who so much as mentioned Samantha in anything less than a flattering way.

More to buy time than anything else Mary got out of the lake as Jack asked if she had actually ever talked to Samantha. She let out a sigh as she lay back on the grass and instantly felt the water begin to lift off her body in the heat of the day. Rather than answer immediately Mary took a moment to just feel the grass prickle against her back and her hair cling to the back of her neck as she closed her eyes. “And just what is that supposed to mean Jack? Wonderfully good friends with that Hufflepuff boy? This coming from the boy who was dating a Gryffindor. A muggleborn at that.”

Mary waited another moment as if she wasn’t going to answer his question – she actually seriously considered not answering too. But in the end she decided to answer… after a moment. “Not that it actually matters but no, I have never had the opportunity to speak with Samantha. But what affects Samantha affects Charlie. End of story.”

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack raised an angry eyebrow at Mary in clear disdain. "For your information, I wasn't dating Vreeland. I wasn't even friends with her three quarters of the time. She was just a puppet in my game." Hotly said and to the point, Jack glared defiantly at Mary, who had finally gotten out of the blasted water. Jack's eyes bored into her until he became bored, searching for a different subject of conduct. He was about to say something aside from the subject when Mary finally spoke. Yes, it was what he had thought before. He gave a brief nod, mostly to himself and not Mary. Turning back to her, Jack hostility rose as he leaned back on his elbows.

"I'm afraid the story just doesn't end like that. Especially if you want it too." He sneered flicked his hair out of his eyes with pure arrogance. "But you're right," he drawled out lazily."It doesn't matter. Only to the people like myself. But let's not dwell on it now. I was just curious about your multiple intentions and why you were doing them. Nothing to be angry about." Jack's face became softer as he thought about Mary's situation. It must be hard for her to see her friends suffering around her because of a group she had probably supported. Jack wasn't about to point this out to her, if she didn't know already. Death Eaters always spelled death or suffering. Jack would know. He glared at the ground in haste to get his eyes away from Mary. Instead of proffering a sorry, he said this: "Charlie must be a better Hufflepuff then the others if he befriended you in such a manner." He settled uncomfortable but met Mary's eyes defiantly. He had commented something good on Charlie and something of Mary and her loyalty, although it slacked some there. That was all he could give. He sat up and stretched out his legs. "So, let's talk about better things. How's your year going?" Maybe that wasn't a good subject. Jack shrugged and reached for a nearby stone, skipping it across the smooth surface of water beside him.

[Mary Evans]

Mary rolled her eyes as Jack went on, overcompensating in her opinion, about how he was not ’technically’ dating that Gryffie girl. She let it pass though – she bothered him enough about that – and knew she would never let him forget it. Mary smirked for a moment with that in mind – she would never let Jack live that down. Even in their seventh year she would remind him of his slip-up in the Gryffindor house. A moment later that was over and she sat bolt upright as he so brusquely declared that was not the end of the story. Of course that was the end – what more could there be? How much more self-explanatory could the situation get? She glared at him as she sat now resting on her arms, which were pin straight – her palms resting on the grass supporting her whole upper body. “Only to people like yourself? Multiple intentions? What on earth are you talking about Jack?” Mary spat at him – sure it was all well and good for him to say it was nothing to get angry about meanwhile he had been fuming at her but moments ago.

She listened to Jack seemingly calmly but almost sputtered indignantly when he was talking about Charlie being different from the rest. She didn’t know how to respond to that… Were it a year before it would have been easy… Were it a year before she would have snapped on him for making such judgments of Hufflepuffs… But it wasn’t a year before and now… She just didn’t know what to say to that. It didn’t matter though because she did know how to respond to the second half of that statement and she just raised an eyebrow and continued to glare at him. “Befriended me in such a manner? What is that supposed to mean Jack? Just what are you implying here?” The sheer gall of that… Mary couldn’t stand it. She stood up and jumped back in the lake for no other reason but to get away from Jack. She ducked her head under the water which felt freezing once more before resurfacing.

Jack then decided to change the subject for which Mary was rather glad. Though her year hadn’t been great it wasn’t she who chose the subject so she couldn’t exactly complain about it so she decided to sneer. “Well let’s see… My year started getting in some argument with a bloody self-righteous Raven. Then getting off the train to find out Kris is in a coma. Missing the feast to spend with Kris, Dana, and their grandparents. Going to class worrying about Kris almost every moment. The he got “better” but now he’s blind for Lord knows how long… Homework is of course available in abundance. And that’s about it. How about yours?” Mary asked ending in her best fake cheery voice with the most obnoxiously false smile she could muster.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack raised an eyebrow lazily as Mary continuously asked what he meant. He sighed and flicked grass up in the air, letting it land around him in great musters. He took a while to answer, letting his thoughts merge into one before daring to say, "many things, but none of which I'm going to tell you." He smirked at her loftily, daring her to object to his statement. After a moment, Jack couldn't bare to stare straight into Mary's eyes. So he sullenly watched wisps of clouds move by in the blue sky. A noise alerted him back to Mary, who had jumped back in the water. His surprise was overtaken by amusement for her action. Was she just getting baking in the sun, or was she attempting to get away from him? A flicker of a smirk crossed his lips, but he didn't comment on it.

"Raven's," Jack said with an arrogant glance at Hogwarts, "aren't worth anyone's time. Some of them can be rather enjoyable, like Kris's cousin, but others can be book-worms of the worst sort. I suppose this Ravenclaw was the same? Or maybe she was the law-abider?" Jack sniffed haughtily. Raven's were another annoying, gagging aspect of Hogwarts. He had been trying to accept this fault in his haven all this years, only to find out it wasn't worth it. Hogwarts wasn't a haven, but a madhouse, eventually going to be taken over by Death Eaters. Even Dumbledore could do nothing about it. Hogwarts is just as safe as Diagon Alley. "I'm sure they'll find some sort of cure for Kris in the up-coming years. Until then, I'm afraid he'll have to deal with it. Once he does come out of it though, he might just be a better person from the experience." Jack chewed his lip, thoroughly doubting this. He shrugged again, which seemed a normal gesture to him. "Same as you. I was surprised from the attack, got uneasy and upset about the result, dealing with homework that's bombarded onto me, fretting about my friends and how they're doing, and much more." Jack stayed silent for a second before adding in a false casual way, "Did you hear about Dixie?"

[Mary Evans]

Mary glared at Jack when he refused to answer. “None which you will tell me? So you are willing to imply things to me? You are willing to play around with things yet you refuse to come right out and say them? Some big tough man you are. What’s wrong Jack? Scared of me? What did you mean Jack? Tell me.” Mary dared him with a sneer.

She floated in her back a little while as Jack talked about Ravens. After Kris Dana was her best friend but then Jack made her an exception so Mary had no reason to flip on him. “I don’t know what she was like beyond covered with nail polish. She kinda upset me a little so I may have dumped her nail polishes all over her shirt.”

Mary ducked under the water as Jack said Kris would just have to deal. “Come out a better person? A better person, are you serious? And just what does Kris have to improve on Mr. Rendel?” Mary raged – Jack was really starting to get on her nerves. Was he purposefully saying things just to upset her? As if he didn’t know Kris was perfect.

“Dixie? No actually. Mack told me a little something but not much so I don’t really know. Care to share?” Mary asked in a bored tone. Though Mack had told her bits and pieces she knew nothing truly substantial.

[Jack Rendel S5]

"I'd rather not, Mary." Jack replied with an arrogant smirk. Her dare had surely shaken him, but he wasn't about to tell her his feelings on the matter. "You can decide for yourself what you think I'm feeling on the subject." His smirk widened on his face until it became grotesque, and by that time he had forced himself to look down. Just by Mary's words he could tell that she was on the edge with him. Jack liked to get on people's nerves, but Mary was a person who could be far more deadly if she cared to be. Jack knew this by the chat they had over Bee and by seeing her torture that one kid Mack had kissed before. He blinked and cleared his face completely before looking up again.

"Covered in nail polish?" He asked in return with a snort of amusement. Sometimes, he felt sorry for the people that met the Slytherins' wrath. Sometimes. But the mudbloods deserve it after all, for thinking they actually belong in Hogwarts as an equal. A small gust racked Jack's hair and made it appear even messier then usual. He pulled it down and attempted to straighten it before answering Mary. "Settle down." He sneered coldly. "Kris could do with a few bonus things. After all, he has to get over his blind state and - when he does - he'll have to let go of the cruel demeanor he apparently picked up from being disabled." Jack leaned back softly and chewed his bottom lip, wondering how to answer Mary.

"Dixie," he said slowly, trying to sort his words right, "is no longer the person she used to be. She's - well - lost her mental stability. Right now, Dixie's in a mental institution. Something happened to her when her father left or something, I'm not exactly sure. She came to Padme's house one night with all her bags packed. You can imagine how confused I was when I saw her, for Padme wasn't home and Tessa was out doing....something. Anyway, she reminded me of a two year old. She was rocking back and forth at the end. Almost as if she was in her own little world. She went to the mental place soon after, I think." Jack splashed water around, deliberately avoiding the topic of his fight with Jamie. "She left Hogwarts after the train incident, if I heard right."

[Mary Evans]

Mary splashed at Jack angrily as he told her to make up her own mind but didn’t bother with anything more aggressive. She always made up her mind on how people felt and things anyways but in this case she honestly didn’t know what he meant all she knew was that something was telling her she should be offended. “Yes covered in nail polish. She was being annoying. She said I should “make myself useful and do her manicure” so I helped her compare her colours to her shirt. I was being helpful.” Mary said with a smirk.

“Cruelness? Are you saying Kris is unnecessarily cruel, Jack? Are you saying that Kris has become some sadistic freak? Honestly Jack, are you just trying to offend me today? Are you really that upset that I splashed you?” Mary asked her anger turning into a smirk as she asked if he was trying to annoy him. For some reason she was amused by the idea of him trying to bother her rather than upset.

Lying back on the water once more Mary listened to Jack’s story about Dixie. She really didn’t know what to say. No wonder Mack hadn’t been jumping to talk about it. “So… Do they know when she’s going to be let out? I can’t imagine just having your father leave do that to someone. Who’s Tessa?” Mary asked everything that came to mind. That’s incredible. What could possibly be so horrific as to do that to Dixie?

[Jack Rendel S5]

"Ah," Jack said with a fresh smirk as Mary described in limited detail her run-in with the Ravenclaw. It sounded like Mary alright; he had no doubt that her story wasn't true. Mudbloods and other Houses were always carrying the brunt of the force of Slytherin. He covered his eyes as another wave of water was directed at him by Mary. He squinted as the water dripped from his hair into his eyes and down his face. Wiping the water free, he wrinkled his nose at Mary, although the spray had felt somewhat good on such a hot day. "No, I'm not saying that Kris is a freak with a bad attitude. I'm saying her could brighten up a bit. Honestly, Mary, you always seem to jump on to the bad side of peoples' words." He smirked at her. "Kris is a better Slytherin then I, but he should still be more like the Kris before he was blind."

"Dixie...I'm not sure when she's going to be let out. I'm not even sure if she's in St. Mungo's or some other place for the invalid. All I know is she's not right in the head any longer, and she could be gone for quite a period of time. As for who Tessa is, she's my mother. Long story short," Jack said, not sure whether he had told Mary about his family or not. "my father - Roger - literally kicked Tessa out of the house, causing her to run off with this other man....Cameron I think. I never heard from her until Padme came along. Padme is Roger's daughter - Tessa was pregnant with her when she was kicked out - and she somehow found out about me and contacted me - rather rudely - via owl." Jack shrugged. "It's really confusing, but I wouldn't want to bore you with my own family affairs." He smirked at Mary, wondering if he had somehow snagged her attention on the subject of the Rendel's. He hoped not, but if she had he could always answer what he knew about everything. "I don't know how Mr. Holden did that to Dixie - apparently it was something more...or so Jamie thinks." Jack muttered under his breath, hating Jamie with his whole being. Stupid kid; thought he was better then Jack just because of age and experience. Jack scoffed silently as he remembered the little fight with him. Horrible kid...Jack narrowed his eyes but brought his attention back to focus on Mary in the water.

[Mary Evans]

Mary genuinely smiled as Jack said she had a way of taking the worst from people’s words. “Only some people, Jack.” She said before letting out a small laugh. “Maybe it’s just something about you.” She added with a wink before another little giggle. Ok maybe it wasn’t just him but it certainly wasn’t everybody… Perhaps it was because their first conversation had been… well not quite an argument but it certainly wasn’t a friendly chat. Oddly enough, though Mary automatically took the worst of what Jack said the majority of the time, she really didn’t think of him in bad or unfriendly terms. “But you are right Kris is a better Slytherin than you.” She added. “Kris is a better Slytherin than any of us. Kris is perfect. And sure he might be a little… grumpy lately but… who can really blame him? If you just lost your sight – perhaps permanently – wouldn’t you be a little more than upset?” Mary asked her whole body relaxed again.

For the second time Mary got out of the water as Jack talked about first Dixie and then his family. She had never known it was all so complicated – not that she felt pity or anything but it certainly mustn’t be nice for Jack. Then again he would have only been three when his mother left and so though it’s complicated she doubted he felt overly bad about it. Mary stretched out on the ground once more and twisted a long dripping strand of red hair around her finger. The drops coming out and landing on her shoulder ticked, especially as they slipped down wetting the portions of her shoulders which had just dried in the heat of the day. Mary was actually shocked Jack hadn’t gotten wet yet beyond his feet and being splashed considering how warm it was that day.

Heat was always better than cold though. Last Christmas was actually the first time Mary had ever spent Christmas break in the cold. She hadn’t been overly fond of the cold but the trip to Weinig Zug with friends was much better than sitting on the beach with her parents. Last Christmas had been fun, Mary mused her thoughts having moved on from what Jack was saying – even though she was technically listening. It was rather odd though that Mary no longer spoke to most the friends she spent last Christmas with. “Funny how quickly people can drift apart, eh Jack?” Mary asked seemingly out of nowhere. It didn’t matter if he thought she was random – she kind of was.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack considered his thoughts and feelings on what Mary said about Kris. "You're right. Kris can't be blamed for his newly established attitude. I would certainly be just as mean as he is right now and if not, possibly worse. I couldn't stand hearing things without seeing them." Jack gave Mary a small, tight smile. Being blind was a horrible misgiving. Kris hadn't deserved what had happened yet he had gotten it. The only worse possibility was for Kris to be mute, deaf, or crippled. Jack would probably die if he saw someone - anyone - in a wheelchair. He didn't feel an abundance of sympathy for Kris. The only reason was Kris could take care of himself - proving it thoroughly with his kitten - and doesn't need sympathy. Anyway, what can sympathy do for a person? It won't take away their handicap. Jack blinked as Mary spoke again.

"Yes. It's strange how people can drift apart like that. I consider it as ignorance and greed. They don't think of other people before themselves - thinking that the only people that could possibly suffer from their actions is themselves." Jack shook his head and glanced at Mary. He had hated and loved his mother for her confidence for defying her father. If she hadn't - he would have a mother at this moment, possibly sending him a letter. It had cost him much pain to think of his mother as dead for five years, for indeed she had vanished from his life entirely. Then, Padme appeared, seemingly a ray of hope. Jack's understanding of this statement had changed over the period of time he had known Padme. She definitely wasn't a little ray of sunshine.

"You should meet Padme sometime." Jack said with an amused smile. "It would be interesting." He wasn't sure if Mary would like someone such as Padme, who had a huge attitude for such a young child. She thought of herself as royalty and acted in that fashion to, showing other people - even Slytherins - that they were just as low as mudbloods in her opinion. Indeed, on their first meeting, Padme had received a slap from a very irritated Mack. He smirked at the memory before turning his attention back toward the lake. It looked appealing now that he had been simmering in the heat all this time. Peeling off his shirt, Jack dove into the water, savoring the feel of the cool water against his sticky skin. Surfacing, he shook his hair out of his wet face. "It's quite nice in here. Especially since I am now the one to splash you." He grinned and splashed as much water as he could on Mary.

[Mary Evans]

Mary turned her head and watched Jack curious as he spoke about drifting apart – his thoughts obviously very different from her own. In fact, the people she was thinking of had drifted apart from no fault of anyone’s – just the passing of time. Now though… if they suddenly came back wanting to be friends again… she would very likely not be able to get close to them. “In some cases I guess. Though it is human nature to be selfish. People who don’t think so are just fooling themselves honestly. If everyone simply looked out for themselves than nobody would be slacking or need the help of others and things would even out. I guess that’s why we were put in Slytherin rather than Gryffindor.”

Not all friendships dissipate at the fault of one person or another though. Sometimes things just happen – sometime you just don’t see each other – other times you just have nothing to say to each other. It all amounts to the same though doesn’t it – you no longer have them in your life.” Mary said watching Jack the whole time. She wondered what could have happened to make him so jaded. Not that she was overly optimistic or anything but there seemed to be a bitterness about Jack when he said that surpassing even the average Slytherin hostility.

Mary smirked as Jack said that she should meet Padme. It was actually a bit strange that she had not yet run into the young girl considering they had been sharing a living space for the most part for about 2 months now. Then again she never really conversed with the younger children and so it’s not like she ever went up to a group of first years and asked their names or anything. “You really think we would get on so well?” Mary asked Jack with an amused little smile. From all she had heard of Padme she didn’t think they would ever really best friends though she had somehow won Dixie over.

Just then Jack jumped into the water and Mary smirked, heat must have finally overtaken him. She let out a shriek as the cold water splashed on her finally dry and baking skin. It was freezing – and what’s worse it was so cold on those areas the water landed but she was still warm everywhere else. Mary sat bolt upright and glared at him for a moment before standing up. “Splash me will you?” she asked before jumping into the water herself trying to make as big a splash as possible – hoping some would land in his eyes. As soon as she remerged then Mary started flailing her arms sending as much water as she could in his direction.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack crossed his arms over his chest sullenly. "You're right, but there's other reasons we are Slytherins and not Gryffindors. Many different reasons too." Jack glared at the tree closest to him instead of Mary, noting that he too, was very pampered and self-centered. He rolled his eyes to mentally push the thoughts away before splashing water around at Mary's next words. "I suppose you are right in a way. Some things just happen in time but other times it's just foolish self-centered people deciding their life would be better without that person." Jack shrugged, pretending that it didn't matter to him when people drifted apart but it did. It really did. Jack splashed more water around just to busy his fingers before glancing up at Mary.

"Well, I don't know. Padme's...very...ah...how do you say it? A brat. She's very self-centered and selfish but yet she hasn't been pampered with anything. Anyway, Mack has disliked Padme ever since they first met - which eventually resulted in a slap from Mack. Padme somehow befriended Dixie and now Dix is her idol or something. I don't think any of her dorm-mates really think of her as the same class...which adds to her disrespect for others. All in all, I really don't know what you would think of her. You would just have to meet her yourself." Jack smiled before adding, "and tell me what happens if you do talk to her." He smirked at Mary with a humorous glint in his eyes. It would truly be interesting to see the two together...then again it might not be exactly...good. Jack shrugged it off mentally with a blink before stepping back as Mary suddenly jumped in.

"Argh!" He cried as water came at him quickly. Mary was like a machine gun firing so fast he didn't have time to retaliate. He held up one arm to guard his face while splashing water in her direction as best he could with his right hand. It worked out well, but soon he got tired. Backing away from the fight, Jack made sure he was out of range with Mary before letting his guard down. "That was very fun and all, but I really don't want to ruin my eyes from your splashing. After all, glasses wouldn't look exactly pleasing with my features."

[Mary Evans]

((So sorry for the major delay. I haven’t been able to post for a bit ))

“Of course there are other reasons. Such as the fact that we are better than them.” Mary replied with a smirk. It wasn’t a lie… Even the most despicable of Slytherin were marginally better than the best of Gryffindor – even if the hat was joking when it placed them in Slytherin at least they got in. Was Jack trying not to look at her when he talked about people drifting apart? Apparently there was something there then… when you add that to the hostility. But she wasn’t going to press – if it concerned her she would know already and if it didn’t then he could tell her if he wished but it didn’t really matter.

She smirked as she listened to his description of his sister. She didn’t sound too unique to the house beyond the never having been pampered thing. Mary couldn’t imagine living life in squander – in other words anything less than she had. “Well Jack… I can honestly say I don’t know what I will think either. All first years are brats honestly. Second and third years too if you ask me. If I do meet her though I will be sure to tell you the first opportunity I see fit.”

“Would anything look pleasing with your features?” Mary asked with a smirk as she ceased splashing when Jack backed off. She won – she was pleased.