Strawberry ice-cream ((Kia))

[gaenor]

Gaenor took in the common room before him with one glance and he stopped for a moment on the lowest step of the steps and thought. He had wanted to come to the common room but now that he saw the number of students around he was starting to rethink that. He could always go back to the dormitory and study some more, but he had just spent 2 hours over Potions and 2 over Charms so Gaenor had no real wish to return to the books. Nodding in greeting as a fellow 7th year looked in his direction Gaenor started moving again wordlessly slipping out of the common room with one glance to his watch to make sure how careful he would have to be. Gaenor didn’t wish to be caught by Filch nor by his psychotic cat. Taking a small detour to avoid them would destroy many less nerve-cells. Yet he didn’t really have to worry about that now as there was still a good hour until curfew. Making no effort to hide himself Gaenor walked through numerous hallways and took a couple of stairs upwards as the Slytherin common room was positioned under the Hogwarts lake. It was a much more pleasant setting than one could expect as that meant that the common room was large and no one but Slytherins dared to roam freely in the dungeons that were wide. The fact that the common room was cold enough so that a fire was constantly kept blazing in the hearth was just a minor set-back of the situation of the Slytherin common room. Though true – it didn’t pay to be a Slytherin and claustrophobic.

Gaenor strolled down one more hallway stopping before the painted bowl of fruit. His finger glided over the pear on the painting and Gaenor was able to grasp the door-handle only a few moments after repeating the motion. Entering the Hogwarts kitchens Gaenor glanced around the room noticing with some pleasure that the fire was burning in the fire-place near the sitting area hear as well. Good, it would help his hair dry faster as Gaenor had just came from a shower so his hair was still a bit wet. Not dripping wet anymore, but not really dry either. “Can I help you?” came the voice of an house-elf and Gaenor glanced down at the small creature before his feet. Eyeing the big ears flying around the bobbing head of the house elf thoughtfully for a moment. “Strawberry ice-cream with chocolate covered straw-berries on the side,” Gaeron ordered calmly and headed towards the seats in the corner of the kitchen while the house-elf disappeared from his view as it rushed to fulfill Gaeron’s order without a doubt. Choosing himself a seat before the fire Gaeron reached out his legs, leaning them on the chair next to the corner-couch he had sat upon. Opening the cuff buttons of his white dress-shirt – that was casual wear for Gaeron, especially with the simple tan pants he was wearing – Gaeron turned the sleeves up a little bit. He had just managed with it when the house-elf he had been talking to before – or at least Gaeron thought that it was the same house-elf as he didn’t see much difference between the creatures – reappeared with a big bowl of the ice-cream and a plate of chocolate covered straw-berries. Positioning both dishes on the table the house-elf left again as Gaenor picked up the bowl.

Resting the bowl of ice-cream lightly on his stomach Gaenor took a bite of the cold sweet, enjoying the taste. He enjoyed eating strawberries so he enjoyed strawberry ice-cream as well. The only problem with this sort of ice-cream was the pink colour but that didn’t disturb Gaenor’s nerves, he decided with a small smile as he observed the pink ice-cream on his spoon for a moment before swallowing the bite. Gaenor heard the kitchen door open again and he glanced over curiously to see who had entered. A noticeably younger girl than he himself was. Gaenor observed lazily how she talked to the house-elves, but was too far away to understand the girls words. Reaching one of his hands out Gaeron picked up one of the chocolate covered strawberries and bit the treat into half as she waited for the girl to turn and notice her. Gaeron was rather sure that she wasn’t a Slytherin however. She didn’t that have the distinctive SLytehrin… aura around her.

[Kia Brightstar]

"You'll be fine. Don't worry about it, just do your best." Kia grinned at a younger Gryffindor easily, ruffling his hair with a familiarity that came from spending quite a lot of time with him. Befriending the younger students was a fun way to spend her time, especially since Kia didn't seem to have grown up since her first year. She still had that craziness and love of fun that had often gotten her into trouble but had lost some of the innocence that now seemed so precious in light of the recent attacks. A sad sigh escaped as the attacks came to mind and Kia closed her eyes wearily. She had only received a small injury and that didn't concern her, she had often gotten worse injuries from just playing with her younger sister, but many others had been severely injured and while Kia hadn't known many of the injured students, just remembering the horror of the attack made her shiver. How could anyone be so evil, so heartless, as to attack a school of innocent children? Alright, so the Headmaster was involved in the war and so were some parents of the students but why did the students have to get involved? They had done nothing and many of the younger students didn't even have sides in the war, Kia herself didn't. No matter which side won, people would still be ruled over and prejudices would still exist; deaths would still happen. And was it really worth it? What reward could possibly come from killing, injuring and maiming innocent people, innocent children?

Kia slipped from the common room quietly, no one noticing her exit from the crowded common room and started to wander along the corridors aimlessly. No thoughts were crowding the young Gryffindors mind; indeed she was trying hard to clear her mind of everything and succeeding considerably well. Only the occasional thought entered her mind and it was banished almost immediately. Thinking did nothing, thinking wouldn't heal the injured students of their mental scars about the attack and thinking certainly couldn't erase the menacing figures that still haunted her dreams, although admittedly not as often as they used to. Kia shook her head determinedly, stopping to lean against a wall and rubbing her temples exhaustedly. Ice-cream. The thought popped into her mind suddenly and produced a smile from the Gryffindor. Ice-cream could help; ice-cream always helped. Whether for injuries, not feeling well or just because, ice-cream never failed to soothe her. Or her sister actually; maybe it was a Brightstar family thing. Or maybe not; maybe it was just a girl thing. After all, how often did one see a boy drowning his sorrows or his anger in a bowl of ice-cream? Certainly not as often as one saw a girl drowning her emotions in ice-cream. Kia grinned, her usual good humour revived by the promise of ice-cream and started to walk, navigating the seemingly endless corridors unsurely. She didn't often visit the kitchens and had only discovered them earlier this year. Kia flushed slightly at the memory, how embarrassing. A first year showing her the kitchens after she had only been there for a few months and Kia hadn't found them in two years. Although Kia hadn't exactly been interested in finding the kitchens. It wasn't really a high priority but it came in handy at times when you just needed ice-cream.

Kia bounced into the kitchens excitedly, grinning at the house elves and placing her order cheerfully. "Chocolate ice-cream please and some blackcurrants." A strange mixture to some but an almost daily order for Kia when she was at home. The house-elves in her house had soon gotten used to the girls weird tastes in food and could hand her the order without her even telling them what she wanted. Kia took the bowl of ice-cream and the plate of blackcurrants and smiled at the house-elves in silent thanks before turning around. Kia stopped and blinked in mild surprise as she surveyed an older boy already sitting down. She hadn't noticed him when she had first entered but could vaguely recall seeing a blurred figure in the corner of her eye, when she thought back. How strange that she hadn't noticed him properly, Kia usually noticed a lot of things and so to overlook a persons presence was a rather strange event for the young girl. Kia observed the boy discreetly as she took a seat opposite him, not a Gryffindor that was for sure. He didn't hold the carefree attitude that most Gryffindors had and Kia didn't recognize him from the common room. Eh well. Kia ate a blackcurrant before looking at the boy curiously. "Hello." She greeted him calmly, leaving the decision of a conversation to the older boy.

[gaenor]

Gaenor observed the girl with absent-minded curiousity. She didn’t seem to be a complete stranger to house-elves. Either she had some at home or she visited the kitchen’s frequently. Gaenor didn’t really know for sure as he didn’t come to the kitchen too often. He didn’t enjoy it overly much, yet if he missed dinner-time for some reason or needed something special he didn’t hesitate to come here. The surroundings here nor the house-elves were enough to destroy his appetite. Nor did the rumours running around the school. Death Eaters had attacked. Gaenor knew it as well as anyone, yet no Slytherin had been touched. Sure there had been some trouble with the Graas-boy but he himself hadn’t been touched as Gaenor had seen him in the common room. Then again the boy had rather clearly stated where that he would oppose Death Eaters. Gaenor couldn’t see him joining the Aurors really, but not joining the Death Eaters either. Yet even he hadn’t been touched. There were plenty of potential new followers in Slytherin too turn too many against themselves so the house was relatively protected. Even if the rumours circling the school were wrong as most people managed to avoid being clearly marked. Surviving was a necessity, so who had the right to blame Slytherins for saving their hides?

Yet this girl wasn’t hiding away despite not having that sort of protection as Slytherins had. Was she just stupid and suicidal? Or was she naively hoping that lightning wouldn’t struck twice in the same place? Gaenor observed calmly how the girl approached her and after some hesitance took a seat and greeted him. It was almost too easy to read curiousity out of her eyes and face. Body-language could give away so much. Gaenor glanced at the chocolate the girl had picked. Chocolate by the looks of it. Was she trying to get over some girl problem? “Lost, little girl?” Gaenor asked with a deep rumble of his voice as he gathered a bit of ice-cream on the spoon and ate it. Licking the spoon clean Gaenor peered curiously at the younger girl feeling almost amused by her courageous approach to him. “Because I most certainly don’t remember inviting you to sit at the table I’m at. And I’m far from wanting to hear whatever worry you are trying to bury under heaps of ice-cream. So be a good girl and run along now, will you?” Gaeron smiled at the girl almost pleasantly. “You wouldn’t want to stay in the company of a big bad Slytherin now, would you? Who knows, I might even drag you on the wrong track. Put some unforgiveable curse on you or burn the Dark Mark on your cheek while I’m at it?”

[Kia Brightstar]

Kia restrained a glare at the boy's words, feeling her hot temper bubble up inside her and fighting to control it. No good could possibly come from fighting with the boy, especially since he was older and undoubtedly more powerful. Though reporting him to Professor McGonagall for hexing a younger student certainly seemed to be a tempting prospect. If only she could get him to do so. "Lost? I don't think so. This place certainly looks like the kitchens, it definitely smells like a kitchen, oh and look! It has house-elves, just like the kitchens. So no. I don't think I'm lost." Kia smiled sweetly, masking the biting undercurrent of her words with her smile but fuming silently. Alright so this boy was a Slytherin, that didn't mean that he was better than her! Indeed, shouldn't it mean that he had manners since he was undoubtedly a pureblood? Kia scooped up some ice-cream and ate it, feeling the calming coldness of it slide down her throat and letting it cool her temper. Whatever gave the Slytherins the idea that they were better than everyone else? So all Slytherins were purebloods, big deal. Kia herself was a pureblood but she didn't think herself better than everyone else. Heck, Kia knew that there were a lot of smarter, prettier and stronger girls than her. Yet, being a pureblood didn't seem to mean that the Slytherins treated her any better than a muggleborn. So weren't the Slytherins contradicting themselves by treating purebloods like muggleborns when they claimed that they only enjoyed the company of purebloods? If that was true then Slytherins would be interacting with most of the school since most students were pureblooded.

"I wasn't going to tell you 'what worry I'm trying to hide under my ice-cream'." Kia quoted the boys words back to him curtly. "I wouldn't waste my breath or my energy when you most certainly would not be sympathetic nor caring." Kia scowled coldly, turning her attention back to her ice-cream. Had she wanted sympathy then she would have gone to one of her friends and let them lie to her, let them tell her that everything would turn out alright. But she didn't. Kia had wanted to be alone but instead, Kia had been cursed with yet another arrogant, self-absorbed, conceited, irritating Slytherin. What fun this was sure to be. "Big bad Slytherin?" Kia rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Don't flatter yourself. Slytherins don't scare me so you can hide behind the Slytherin name and pretend to be intimidating as much as you want. It doesn't bother me nor does it scare me." Why did Slytherins seem to believe that they were the scariest thing around? If they wanted to see scary then they should visit the Gryffindor common room during a party. Or see Kia and her sister together. Now there was a scary combination. Kia had the craziness and daring to pull off whatever scheme her younger sister would think up and her sister had the brains to think up the scheme. A small smile touched Kia's lips; Hogwarts would have to be careful when Kia and her sister were in Hogwarts together. "If you cast an unforgivable curse then serious consequences would happen. Headmaster Dumbledore would be down here like a shot, are you really so stupid as to believe that he wouldn't have some way of alerting him to illegal curses? Especially after the attacks. And the Ministry would be after you as well. Not even Slytherins are that stupid."

[gaenor]

Gaenor felt half amused by the girls attempt to be witty and amusing as he listened to her rattle on about the things that showed her this was a kitchen. Gaenor had half a mind to see what she would do if Gaenor mentioned to her that this could just be an illusion spell cast to trick her mind. But then he decided it wouldn’t really matter. “What do you know, the little lion-cub tries to bare her teeth,” Gaenor commented with a wide grin while scooping up some more of the ice-cream and licking it off his spoon. He wasn’t afraid of the girl – what harm could she really do to him? She should rather be wary of a Slytherin because if Gaenor were someone else she would have been hexed severely already for her attitude and words and for just being her.

Gaenor didn’t react in the girl’s next words in any other way rather than smiling even more widely. He wouldn’t be caring enough? Gaenor felt the urge to laugh at these words. Why should he care for someone he didn’t even know? Gaeron smirked lazily in the direction of the girl before actually laughing out loud as she tried to scowl at him. Lowering his spoon back into the ice-cream bowl Gaenor sincerely laughed at the little Gryffindor. “Oh my, now that scowl was the top,” Gaenor let out between chuckles as his eyes gleamed with amusement towards the Gryffindor. Was that expression supposed to scare him? This thought sent Gaenor into another burst of laughter as he looked at the girl not making any effort to hide the fact he was laughing at the girl.

“Not flatter me? But who else will do it, if I don’t?” Gaenor asked with amusement not commenting on the other words. If the girl didn’t think Slytherins were worth their reputation then that was her problem. She would get her lesson in attitude soon enough, but Gaeron would enjoy the free entertainment before. It was so amusing to watch the girl actually trying to stand up for herself, without ever realizing how pitiful and failing her attempts were. “True, maybe not an unforgivable. But I have been wanting to test my memory charms. Could I cut out the right moment? Or would I damage your brain irreversibly. Quite an interesting question, don’t you think?” Gaeron asked before throwing on smaller chocolate covered strawberry into his mouth.

[Kia Brightstar]

"Little lion cub?" Kia raised an eyebrow sharply, her lips curving into a small smile. What was so bad about being a lion when lion's were considered to be 'king of the jungle'? What a shame that this Slytherin didn't know that he had just indirectly complimented her. Kia toyed with the idea of telling him that but discarded it as unimportant and insignificant."For a start, I never said that I was a Gryffindor. So be careful with your assumptions, you might not be so lucky next time. Secondly," Kia glared irritably, her temper rising rapidly at the boys arrogance, "don't judge me by my house. I might be a Gryffindor but that gives you no right to assume that I'm as reckless as some other members of the Gryffindor house." People who judged others by their house had always annoyed Kia and this boy was no exception.How dare he presume that Kia was practically a carbon copy of every other Gryffindor? She wasn't particularly brave nor reckless and the only people she would even think about risking her life for were her family and friends.

Kia rolled her eyes at his laughter, completely unembarrassed at the fact that he was laughing at her. "So I don't scowl continuously at everyone I see. Big deal. I prefer to smile. You should try it sometimes, along with an attempt to actually be nice to a few people. I highly doubt that it would kill you but we can only hope I'm wrong." Kia shrugged carelessly. People laughed at her all the time; was the laughter of a Slytherin supposed to make her run and hide in a corner? If so then he would be sorely disappointed; Kia didn't like to run from anything or anyone. It just wasn't her nature. "Are you quite finished with your childish amusement?" Kia demanded, feeling an urge to laugh despite her annoyance. That was the thing Kia hated most about herself. Seeing other people laugh, even if they were laughing at Kia herself, made her want to laugh; a tendency that earned her several strange looks from many people.

"If you want flattery then get a girlfriend. If you can, I mean." Kia insulted his appearance easily, not caring that he probably could get a girlfriend if he wanted to. He was handsome enough but the attitude and personality that he was displaying would put any self-respecting girl off in a second. Unless, of course, said girl was desperate or just didn't care that he was an arrogant jerk. Kia finished her ice-cream silently before turning to her plate of blackcurrants and putting one in her mouth, closing her eyes and savouring the taste. The Slytherin could have hexed her while her eyes were closed but Kia reckoned that he wouldn't. Most Slytherins had too much pride to curse a person while their eyes were closed, in Kia's experience. They probably considered it to be cowardly and Kia had to admit that most Slytherins certainly weren't cowards. "Most definitely an interesting question," Kia agreed calmly before smiling in amusement. Slytherins may think themselves intimidating but to Kia, this one was merely amusing with the slightest hint of danger that made Kia keep a sharp eye on him. "Yet, a more interesting question is whether you would be stupid enough to try it under Dumbledore's nose."

[gaenor]

Gaenor watched with some amusement as the girl argued about her guessing her house. True, the girl hadn’t stated her house. But now that Gaenor thought about it, he had said it almost absent-mindedly himself as well. Gryffindor had felt correct he supposed. “It was easy enough to guess. Slytherins would have known me. Ravenclaws would have been smart enough to ask for permission to sit here or they would have figured out something. Hufflepuffs would have been either too polite or too cowardly to sit here. Only you GRyffs are rude enough to come and sit down and start chattering,” Gaenor replied with an easy shrug. He was known well enough in the Slytherin house by younger students to recognize a fellow Slytherin. Even if Gaenor was mainly in the shadows in the background. But he had chosen that position for himself out of his free will, because sometimes being too known or too powerful could hurt you a bit too badly. Gaenor simply smiled quietly as she watched the expressions on the Gryffindor girl’s face exchanging and listened to her tone of voice. She already sounded irritated, so she had just proved that she was just as reckless as practically any other Gryffindor in this school. Gaenor raised an eye-brow and sent a chilling look towards the girl waiting for her to understand it herself.

Gaenor placed some more ice-cream in his mouth, letting the cold sugar melt on his tongue as he observed the Gryffindor girl. Be nice? Gaenor was. At least by Slytherin standards. Grandfather had made sure that Gaenor deserved everything he had and Gaenor had been taught to behave. Heck, he still raised himself when a respectable woman stepped into the room! The type of Southern-gentleman like his grandfather originally was. Gaenor had been taught to be the same. Why on earth should he display his upbringing and manners so fully to those who didn’t seem to deserve it though? Gaenor had been polite to her so far, more-so than most others had been. Yet this girl was practically begging for a lesson and if it came to it Gaenor wouldn’t hesitate to give it to the girl. “So cruel. Aren’t you Gryffs supposed to be helpful and sacrificing yourself for others? Someone who make mistakes and then live heroically with the regrets? Or are the members of Hogwarts “bravest” house merely little lying actors and a disgrace to mankind?” Gaenor asked as he looked at his fingers holding a gentle chocolate covered strawberry. He knew what regret was, perhaps better than anyone else knew. Grandfather did. Gaenor had once yelled it in the old man’s face before storming away. Grandfather had never touched the topic then but sometimes the two looked at each other with that one conversation raising higher from the back of their minds. Gaenor still remembered how white and old his usually regal grandfathers face had been when Gaenor allowed the old man a peek into what was going on in his heart once. It had caused the old man who cared for him no matter what only pain so Gaenor regretted that momentary burst when he had lost control over himself.

Gaenor merely shrugged one shoulder and ate the strawberry before calmly looking at the Gryffindor in the eye: “And barely after a two minutes you bring my girl-friends into play. Why, so desperately wishing I would be interested in any way in you? I will settle down with someone I choose in my own time, but I can assure you that it won’t be you. I don’t rob the cradle.” Gaenor smiled calmly. Sooner or later some girl would come around. Maybe not someone he would love above everything else, but someone with who he could settle down and sometimes talk. Someone with who they would have a bit friendship like relation, that was all Gaenor demanded for himself. Gaenor watched how the girl closed her eyes and reached for his wand. For a moment Gaenor pondered as he held his wand pointed towards the girl before averting the point of his wand and mentally using the charm while flicking his wand towards the blackcurrants. Tucking his wand back into it’s place Gaenor picked up the spoon again and scooped some more ice-cream into his mouth. The blackcurrants looked exactly like they had before. It was the matter of transforming the insides – Transfiguration lessons did come handy sometimes. The blackcurrants were pretty much little timed bombs now. Once you touched one it would turn into the metal hiding under the cover of the berry-skin with small sharp pikes that could draw blood if you weren’t careful enough. “You are completely missing the point. If I use a memory charm, then how would Dumbledore ever learn of it as I’m not about to drop my memories into his pensieve?” Gaenor asked almost curiously as he ate his ice-cream and waited for things to unroll.


((I know you had a bit of a long wait, but I hope I made it worth while. And I told you not to tempt Gaeron. He may be calm, but he's hardly a saint.
EDIT: Fixed for you dearie. - Izy))

[Kia Brightstar]

"Chattering?" Kia raised an eyebrow in faint disbelief. "I said 'hello'. That cannot be considered chattering. That would be considered a polite greeting, not an attempt to chatter." Did Slytherins really think that a simple greeting was chattering? Honestly, it was a wonder that most of the Slytherin students were still alive if all of them had the same attitude as this one. Did they just not talk to each other or were Slytherins more easy-going around each other? Probably the latter. After all, wasn't it said that people relax around people like themselves? Kia aimed a mild glare at the Slytherin before averting her gaze helplessly. How could a third year - and a third year who never really paid much attention in class unless she had to - fight against an older student - probably sixth or seventh year, Kia guessed - and stand a chance of winning? It simply wasn't possible.She could practically feel her previous belief that not all Slytherins were arrogant and irritating crumbling around her. Yet a little, tiny bit of belief was still there. After all, judging the whole house by a few people was exactly what Kia fought against. To judge all Slytherins by this one would make Kia a hypocrite and that was one thing that she wasn't prepared to be. The title of annoying Gryff, she could put up with; being called a little lion cub, she could put up with but not without a fresh wave of anger crashing over her. But to be called a hypocrite...that was the worst thing anyone could say to her.

"There you go again, judging me by Gryffindors reputation as a house. Some Gryffs are helpful; I'm helpful to my friends but not to everybody. I'd sacrifice my life for a few people but not for everybody. I don't think so anyway. I make mistakes; a lot of mistakes and I'll live with whatever regrets that mistake might cause. Sure, I might complain to my friends every once in a while if the regrets get too much to handle but that's alright. They're my friends. But being heroic...that's just not me. I'll set a good example for my sister - I try to anyway - by being good and sweet and helpful and all other attributes of the Gryffindor house. And in doing so, my sister will never see the real me. She'll see this golden girl, a girl who makes no mistakes. And one day, she'll learn the truth and I'll deal with it. That will be my mistake and I'll 'heroically live with the regrets', as you so charmingly put it." Kia sighed and ate some more of her rapidly diminishing ice-cream slowly. That was yet another mistake that she had made; showing her emotions - and to a Slytherin no less! He would undoubtedly use it as more ammunition to tease and taunt her with. But that was fine, that was alright. Because all mistakes caused regrets and regrets reminded people to not make that mistake again.

"Oh yes, hadn't you noticed? I'm simply wishing for you to lean over the table, kiss me and then carry me away into the night on a black horse." Kia answered sarcastically, shooting a dry glare to the Slytherin boy. Were all Slytherins so full of themselves, so conceited? He...he was old! Well, older. And he'd been nothing but mean to her since he started the conversation. Though he did have a point; Kia should have asked permission to sit down first since the boy had been there first. Kia reached for another blackcurrant absent-mindedly, keeping her gaze fixed on the Slytherin. A small prick against her skin didn't attract her attention, simply putting the small sting down to a stalk left on a blackcurrant. But when something scratched against her palm and something else seemed to be poking her finger, Kia switched her attention to her bowl and blinked in a mixture of shock and horror. A pike was sticking into the tip of her finger and her right hand was covered in small scratches. Kia grimaced painfully as she pulled the pike out and dropped it into the bowl calmly before asking a house-elf to take the bowl away and replace it with another bowl of cherries. Showing how upset, shocked and in pain she was would only cause the Slytherin to congratulate himself on a job well done. No, the best way to handle the situation was to remain calm and not show her shock. Though, Kia shuddered slightly as she accepted the bowl of cherries and ate one cautiously, she didn't think that she could ever look at a blackcurrant the same way again. No longer did the berries seem innocently appealing; they now appeared to be dangerous and rather terrifying. Another house-elf brought over a wet cloth and Kia accepted it gratefully, wincing as the stinging sensation increased when she swiped the wet cloth over her hand to clean the cuts. "Nice trick." Kia commented coolly, flicking a faintly disdainful look at the boy before picking up another cherry and eating it.

((No one would expect him to be a saint, especially not when faced with an annoying Gryff like Kia. Though I must admit, I really adore the idea of changing the blackcurrants into pikes. Yet now Kia will never look at a blackcurrant the same way again...oh well. ))

[gaenor]

“Oh, of course,” Gaenor sent a long suffering glance at the Gryffindor, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t understand that you consider all the long speeches I’ve been the victim off during the last minutes have just been your way of saying hello. Do you always tell people about your distaste of Slytherins and comment on their personal lives while you great them?” Gaenor glanced into his bowl of half-melted ice-cream and decided that in melted form the pink of the ice-cream disturbed him just a little bit more than in solid form. Gaenor wondered briefly what was put in the ice-cream to make it look so pink, before scooping some more of it in his mouth. In the end ice-cream was ice-cream after all and Gaenor was rather fond of the “sweet snow”. He rather enjoyed taking a piece of freshly baked apple pie and home-made vanilla ice-cream and eating it while admiring the sunset while standing on the back porch of his home. Sometimes grandfather would come out as well and then he would cough and harrumph and tell about his own youth, how he had worked as a curse-breaker for a while and sometimes Gaenor old nanny would join them as well and she and Gaenor’s grandfather would start arguing. His nanny had been in the service of the Maydell family for over 50 years already so she had earned the right to treat family-members as a near equal. She had watched over Gaenor’s father and Gaenor since they were mere toddlers. Even if it sometimes meant that when the old nanny got carried away she could tell quite a number of embarrassing stories from his childhood.

Gaenor smirked at the girl knowing fully well that he was only agitating her further with pretty much every word he said. “I never I wasn’t prejudiced against the Gryffindor house. However I am willing to admit that you have a point.” Gaenor smiled and deliberately slowly scooped some more ice-cream into his mouth and after letting it melt in his mouth for a couple of moments before swallowing the bite and looking innocently at the girl. “That 5th year prefect of Gryffindor. Salah wasn’t he? For a muggle-born he knows how to keep his mouth shut and he has a clear enough head on his shoulders I suppose. And the Weasley twins. While they seemed to prefer to go for the cheap thrills they did have some amusing ideas. The rest of the house is just the same boringly hotheaded crowd.” Gaenor rubbed his forehead tiredly as the girl launched into yet an other long monologue about how much of a golden hero she was for her sisters. Dear lord, didn’t the Gryffindors ever get tired of hearing their own voice? Sometimes Gaenor wondered how they managed to tolerate each other. Really, Gaenor had seen some Gryfifndor cry when her bloody pet had died! And the girl just had to make a scene of it in the Great Hall. What happened to mourning in privacy where you didn’t bother others? If you were hurt you wanted to be with yourself and settle matters inside you because who else could do it for you? For that you needed some space as you very well couldn’t have someone holding your hand during nightmares if you didn’t handle yourself.

Gaenor looked innocently as the girl winced and shuddered as she got pricked nicely enough with the small pikes. Hopefully she’d learn her lesson from it. It would do only herself good. “Trick? Are you accusing me of changing your berries?” Gaenor smiled and tried to look innocent as he smirked with some amusement towards the Gryffindor, “What on earth makes you think I did anything? Did you see my use some spell or pour some potion on the berries?” Gaenor observed the girl as he played with his eyes in his head. He most certainly didn’t want to kiss a child. But why not give the girl a small thrill that would be good for a laugh later on in the common room? Gaenor picked up a strawberry and ate it just to stall some time so that he could complete formulate his rather wicked idea into a fully-fledged plan. Slytherins were known for being able to think on their feet after all. Putting the ice-cream bowl on the table Gaenor stood and started slowly walking towards the door stopping about midway to it and the girl. “I’m afraid I don’t have a black horse. But would you have the courage to come with me anyway to see the stars? I’m even willing to leave my wand here if you are worried that I might use some spell on you,” Gaenor couldn’t stop his lips in quirking upwards in a smile even if he had wanted to so he just smiled towards the girl as he reached out his hand to the girl and waited to see if she would take the subtle dare or not.

[Kia Brightstar]

"You started the conversation. Not me." Kia glanced at the Slytherin in amusement, noting the suffering look that he sent to her. If her talking was irritating the poor boy then surely it would only be polite to stop. Of course it would be polite to be quiet and let the Slytherin-boy have some peace. But that was presuming that this boy hadn't regularly insulted her, judged her and annoyed her ever since she set foot into the kitchens. And since this Slytherin had done all that...would it not be an excellent idea to continue chattering about nonsensical subjects? "You're completely and utterly right," Kia nodded and smiled sweetly, pitching her voice higher than usual to gain a voice similar to that fingernails-on-chalkboard effect. "Fluorescent pink would go with your complexion so much better than the fluorescent orange that I was considering. You should certainly think about going into the fashion industry! You just have the knack for picking out colours in a second whereas I just cannot." Kia lifted her eyebrow slightly, silently wondering exactly what had possessed her to pick such a strange and unrelated topic and pondering over the likelihood of it annoying the Slytherin. The chances of him getting annoyed were very high really; with the high-pitched voice and the strange yet amusing - amusing to Kia, at any rate - topic of conversation. If he didn't become annoyed then the boy must be a saint - and saints didn't judge people before knowing them or knowingly irritate people for no reason.

"Of course. All Gryffindors except the ones you mentioned are all boring and hotheaded. And you know so much about Gryffindors that you can instantly recognize Gryffindors and judge them all as the same. I rather wonder exactly how many Gryffindors you talk to since you know so much about us." Kia grinned openly as she noticed the Slytherin rubbing his forehead. Oh dear, was the Slyth getting tired of hearing the lion-cub growl to herself? The grin faded slightly at the remembrance of being called a lion-cub but brightened again as Kia reminded herself that lions were king of the jungle and all other animals were below them; and that included snakes. Being a lion was nothing to be ashamed of. The Gryffindor house represented bravery and courage, and of course the reckless attitude and pride that stopped Kia from simply standing up and moving to a different table. Which she really should have done when the Slytherin had first threatened her with branding her cheek. He wouldn't be stupid enough to use an illegal spell but he would know other, legal spells that could cause just as much damage - whether physical or mental. Testing the patience of a Slytherin was a dangerous thing to do and Kia was only just realizing that as she observed the boy. Sitting down at the table had seemed to be a harmless decision yet Kia was rapidly discovering why others spoke of the Slytherins with fear and awe.

Smirks really didn't help the image that the boy was apparently trying to project. Innocence and smirks...no, they most definitely didn't go together. "I didn't see you change them, no. But who else could possibly have done it? Unless you would like to blame it on the house-elves. Because I'm sure that they have a wish to harm me when I have done nothing to them." Kia tilted her head slightly, curious as to whether the boy would try to come up with another excuse or just admit his involvement in the berries turning to pikes. Kia almost choked on one of her cherries when the boy stood up and spoke to her. What was this madness that he was proposing? A trick, Kia identified the motive behind the words easily but couldn't figure out the end plan. What could the Slytherin possibly gain from this trick? A quiet laugh in the Slytherin common room perhaps but wouldn't the joke be on him? For the Slytherins would surely not appreciate him kissing a Gryffindor; even if it was a trick. Kia opened her mouth to refuse with a smart comment about not going anywhere near a Slytherins mouth but quickly closed her mouth when she realized exactly how clever the plan had been. It was a dare, subtly worded but a dare all the same. If she refused then she would appear to be a coward, scared of Slytherins. But was accepting the dare a much better option? She could not be called a coward for accepting a dare but she would be called a fool. In the end her pride decided for her, making Kia rise to her feet and place her hand in the hand of the Slytherin. "I always was interested in Astronomy. "Her answer was calm and collected despite the thrill of fear that she was currently experiencing.

[gaenor]

“It’s a magic school. I most surely can’t explain everything that happens in this castle. Can you?” Gaeron replied before he was forced to suppress an urge to laugh out loud as the small naïve Gryffie actually accepted the dare. Such a silly little head. Well, she would know better soon enough. If she had any brain. Hopefully she’d learn her lesson and stay out of Gaenor’s way at least. Gaenor pulled open the kitchen door and took a calm step back to let the Gryffindor walk out first. Stepping out after the girl Gaenor closed the door behind himself before bending his elbow and offering the crook of his elbow to the Gryffindor. A true role-model of a gentleman. The role was easy to slip into because manners had been repeated to Gaenor until they were pretty much inscribed onto his skull. The only thing spoiling the charade right now was the fact that the girl didn’t know his name. Not that Gaenor was planning on telling it to her anymore. Not after he what his mind had cooked up. Grand-father would be proud. Glancing at the girl Gaenor allowed his lips twitch into a smile again: “It’s a talent, my dear. But I’m glad if it amuses you. I’ve heard that it’s suppose to be the same thing with criminals and people watching after general order. A criminal knows a guardian of order from sight and vice versa. Quite a curious concept, don’t you agree?”

Gaenor breathed in slowly and would have blocked out the girl if he could have when she started talking on an annoyingly high voice. Was she trying to shatter his ear-drums? Especially after Gaenor had acted like such a gentleman? Yet Gaenor had heard worse in his times. Seen worse, heard worse, experienced worse. It took more than this to upset a Slytherin. Especially with a Slytherin with a goal to reach. “Fluorescent pink?” Gaenor asked and scratched his chin while pretending to be in though as he peered down at the girl, “I suppose my choice of ice-cream was completely correct then. I’ll be sure to keep your suggestion in mind. Maybe I could get myself some pink dress-shirts on my next Hogsmeade visit?” Gaenor turned the corner making sure to keep his steps short enough so that the Gryffindor could easily keep up with him. Nothing to make her feel uncomfortable right now Gaenor repeated to himself mentally: “But, do tell me what colour you will be wearing then? I couldn’t really pick a colour that would clash with your choice, could I now?”

Gaenor led the girl to the Great Hall and then turned into the nearest hallway with classrooms. Stopping before a classroom that wasn’t used as Gaenor knew, he pulled out his wand and flicked it towards the door while muttering a spell to unlock it. Alohomora didn’t work so Gaenor tried a bit more complex one which resulted in a satisfactory click of the door that opened for them. Pulling the classroom door open Gaenor once again took a step back to let the girl enter the classroom first. Closing the door behind him Gaenor walked across the classroom and opened one of the windows before sending a charming smile over his shoulder to the little Gryffie. “Astronomy is a noble science. Centaurs have the most fascinating abilities in reading the stars. But let’s go and see what they tell us, shall we?” Puling himself on the window-sill Gaenor crouched there for a moment before jumping out of the window. Gaenor landed gracefully on his feet before he straightened out and looked at the window he had just came from. He was pleased to see that it wouldn’t be overly easy to climb in from one of the rather high windows without any help before he smiled again and took a step closer to the school once again reaching his arms upwards to help the Gryffindor up. “The castle doors are locked too heavily, but don’t worry. I won’t let you fall. Most certainly not before our little adventure begins. Unless you have changed your mind and decided to go back to the familiar confiding walls of your common room?” Gaenor waited to see what the girl would do. She would most likely get down by herself as well, even though it would be easier if she allowed Gaenor to help her. Quicker most surely. But would she even have the guts to follow?

[Kia Brightstar]

"Of course I can explain it. It's called magic, Slytherin-boy. Hence the description, magic school." Kia walked through the door calmly, hiding the fear that would cause her body to shudder and her knees to shake if she let it show. What had she gotten herself into? This was possibly one of the most stupid things that Kia had ever done. The boys earlier words about mistakes and regrets suddenly came to mind and elicted a soft scowl from the young girl. Certainly it was a mistake to go with the Slytherin and an even bigger mistake to allow her pride to stop her from leaving but would these mistakes truly have consequences that she would regret for a long time? Kia hoped not; life was much easier without regrets from stupid mistakes. Kia took his arm without hesitating, curious as to where this mistake would lead her but not too absorbed in her curiousity to notice that the offering of his arm would generally mark his as an honourable gentleman. What game was this Slytherin playing? "Certainly a curious concept," Kia agreed easily, eyeing the Slytherin warily. What exactly was his plan and why did he make it so obvious that he had a plan? Even if Kia hadn't caught on before then she would have by now, alerted by his almost alarming mood change. "If that concept was applied to Hogwarts, which house would be the criminals and which would be the watchers?"

Kia glanced at the Slytherin in faint shock when he ignored the deliberately annoying voice and merely responded to the slightly less annoying topic before pulling herself together and replying calmly. "Excellent choice in ice-cream, unfortunate that it was strawberry ice-cream." Kia wrinkled her nose distastefully. She abhorred strawberries and made it no secret to anyone. How anyone could enjoy the sickly taste of strawberries was beyond the young Gryffindor. Surely the sharper taste of blackcurrants was more delightful to the taste-buds. "Oh of course, pink is definitely your colour. How anyone could mistake the perfect colour for you is beyond my understanding." Kia played along with the topic she had started but kept a sharp eye on her surroundings. It wouldn't be good to escape the Slytherins grasp and then get lost while making her escape. Yet this Slytherin was most definitely keeping up his appearance of being a perfect gentleman - even keeping his steps short so that Kia wouldn't have any trouble keeping up with him. Undoubtedly a pretense to lure her into a false sense of security but a pretense that Kia was sincerely grateful for. At least she didn't have to stretch her legs to keep to the pace that the boy had set. But there was one thing that marked his act of being a gentleman as an act; he didn't give her his name. Which would be useful if she had to report him to a professor for whatever cruel plan he had cooked up.

Great Hall, turn into corridor and then into a classroom. Kia repeated the directions to herself silently, still planning to escape at any time possible. Was curiousity really worth putting herself in danger? Kia inclined her head toward the Slytherin politely as he stepped back to allow her to enter first, once again. The quiet slam of the door closing made Kia tense slightly, ready for whatever plan the Slytherin had made to begin. But apparently this wasn't the case, unless he was planning to throw her out of the window. "Into the Forbidden Forest, most likely." Kia murmured to herself quietly at the mention of centaurs. A dangerous place to be and even more dangerous with a Slytherin with a plan to harm her. The boy jumped out of the window and Kia stepped backward, reckoning that now would be the perfect time to escape, before stepping forward once more as the boys voice drifted up to the classroom. "I'm coming." Kia affirmed quietly, walking up to the window and estimating the drop. It was a fairly big drop but Kia would manage it. It would be hard and rather slow unless she allowed the boy to help though. But was it safe to trust him with the knowledge that he had a plan? Obviously the plan isn't meant to start just yet, Kia argued with herself silently, painfully curious about the adventure in front of her. Kia sat on the window-sill unsurely, still debating whether to trust the Slytherin and jump into his arms or to just climb down herself. The end result was a compromise between the two options; Kia reaching over to place a hand on the boys palm and jumping down, using the boy to steady her. Kia bent her knees to absorb the shock of jumping before straightening up and smiling at the boy challengingly. "Lead the way, Sir Slytherin."

[gaenor]

Gaenor half-expected the girl to flee now. It would have only been common sense for her, yet she sat on the window-sill. Almost smelling the weariness coming from her Gaenor simply smiled and continued holding up his arms to offer support to the girl while she climbed down from the window. A moment later she even did reach out a hand towards Gaenor’s before jumping to the ground. Gaenor caught her under the elbow with his other hand and waited patiently until the girl had straightened up again before offering his arm to her once again. “As you wish, Lady Gryffindor,” Gaenor replied with a smirk to the girl’s words heading towards the Hogwarts lake in a slow pace. Was that a hint for him to reveal his identity? Gaenor suppressed a snicker as he avoided the hint or a subtle question before considering the girl’s previous words.

Which house in Hogwarts portrayed criminals, which guardians? Well in Gaenor’s opinion Gryffindors with their thoughtless actions that got others into trouble along with themselves were the worst sort of criminals there ever were. Yet the bigger part of the magical world seemed to be on a different opinion. Gryfifndors being the heroic ones while most people were convinced that every Slytherin was a young Death Eater in training. That wasn’t true. Yes, many Slytherins would become Death Eaters. But not everyone. Besides what choice did they have? It was either bow once and live or die without ever having even a chance to acquire anything good in your life. Loudly stating once position towards he-who-must-not-be-named was a death warrant for a Slytherin, especially if you decided to choose the side He wasn’t on. Yet this girl surely knew the majority of opinions just as well as Gaenor did. Gazing at her thoughtfully for a moment Gaeron chose a more diplomatic way out: “If there is strength in good, then there is strength in bad, because the followers of good and evil need food and rest in exactly the same way. The difference between good and bad is only knife-blade thin and entirely the matter of perspective. Perhaps the ways in which I was disciplined as a child would seem simply cruel to someone. Yet I know that compared to some of my friends and acquaintances I got off very easily with everything. How do you define good and bad in a certain way?”

Gaenor stopped at the lake edge and gently slipped away from the Gryffindor’s arm reach, taking two more steps towards the lake. “It’s a matter of taste. I rather enjoy the subtle, yet refreshing scent and taste of strawberries.” Gaenor looked up at the stars for a moment before turning to face the Gryfifndor once again as he pulled out his wand. Waving it lazily towards the castle Gaenor murmured a locking spell to tighten the window they had exited the school from. Still holding his wand up Gaenor smirked towards the Gryffindor, “The stars are lovely, aren’t they? Even though the view isn’t the greatest right now as the clouds are already gathering. The weather broad-cast did foretell rain for tonight and tomorrow after all. Ah, I think here the rain even comes. “ Gaenor reached out his left hand feeling one more droplet of rain fall onto his palm before he mockingly bowed towards the girl. “However as neither of us brought cloaks, I think I’ll retreat to the Hogwarts castle. I would hate to catch pneumonia after all, but I’m sure a brave Gryffindor like you would never let something as mild bother you. Filch opens the castle door at about 6 in the morning, yet it’s shameful that someone sneaked out of the castle, isn’t it? Maybe if the professors are in a good mood you will even manage to get away with only a detention.” Squeezing his eyes shut Gaenor murmured a spell that sent a simply blinding flash out from his wand and then slunk away to the shadows fully hoping to get far away under the cover of the night before the girl’s eyes recovered from the harsh attack of light. Trying to move soundlessly Gaenor slipped through the shadows with ease until coming to a far end of the Hogwarts castle. Raising the ivy Gaenor let his hand glide along the wall as he walked forward fro a minute before finally coming to the opening of one of the secret passages of the school castle, that led into the dungeons. Which were Gaenor’s as a SLytehrin’s home. Chuckling quietly Gaenor slipped into the passage moving through it while placing a charm on the opening to hide it if the Gryffindor girl by some chance would know where the passage was. Without a cloak to be out in rain for a night – that was still quite cold, even if it spring was here - would perhaps be enough of a lesson for her to learn how to keep her distance. The broom sheds were locked for the night and even if she did find some rare open window then climbing in through it would still be quite a task. And the girl had so easily let herself be lured out of the castle, only to be stranded there for a while. Gaenor laughed out loud and headed the shortest way towards the Slytherin common room for a game of chess.

[Kia Brightstar]

Lady Gryffindor; Kia smiled slightly, finding that particular title much less irritating than little lion-cub. The boy might still be judging her by her house but it was still infinitely preferable. Kia rolled her eyes in slight annoyance as the boy evaded her subtle demand for him to reveal his name. A smart move - since Kia knew, well...suspected, that he had a plan involving her - for him but a sincerely annoying move for the young Gryffindor. The net of danger in which she had placed herself by being foolish enough to accept the dare was slowly drawing closed around her and Kia didn't like it. She had demanded that she be judged upon who she was rather than her house but here she was, living up to the foolish and reckless reputation she had tried so hard to lose. For the first time in a few months, Kia wished that she had the creativity and knowledge of her sister. For surely her younger sister would have had the sense to ignore the dare or had a plan to escape if she had been foolish enough to accept the dare.

Kia tensed as the Slytherin brought out his wand, suddenly growing more nervous than before. The appearance of the wand made the threat to her safety, which Kia had already believed existed, more serious and real. What had possessed her to repress her instincts that were telling her what a bad idea following the Slytherin would be, and to let her curiousity overcome her? Stupid, stupid, stupid. The mocking bow of the Slytherin merely made her anger grow and Kia snarled silently, berating herself for trusting the Slytherin boy when she knew he had a plan. "That's right, you run away and hide like a good little Slytherin-coward," Kia muttered to herself bitterly, shifting her body slightly in order to follow the Slytherin. If he was expecting to get inside then surely she could use the same entrance. Unfortunately for Kia, the bright light that came spiraling out of the boys wand temporarily blinded her and made her cry out in a mixture of surprise and pain, throwing a hand up to her eyes in a poor attempt to shield her vulnerable eyes from the harsh light attack. When the black dots caused by the blinding light finally disappeared, Kia looked around to see that the boy had also disappeared. "How easily the weak can be manipulated," Kia sighed helplessly, her shoulders slumped over in defeat. For she had been weak to be manipulated so easily, especially when she knew that she should be wary around the older boy and foolish enough to ignore her instincts. But still, the Slytherin hadn't counted on Kia being so determined to not give into his plan. So it was with an extremely painful smile that Kia pulled her robe tighter around her body and settled underneath a tree, leaning against the hard trunk with a grimace but closing her eyes firmly. She had been stupid to let herself be lured out of the castle so easily but complaining wouldn't change that fact. It was simpler easier and surely much more mature to just accept the consequences of her foolish actions without complaints.