Why Would I Smile? (( Sita ))

[rowen]

Rowen’s books were tucked safely under his arms as he made his way down the steps from the first year dorms to the Hufflepuff Common Room. He wasn’t exactly sure why he held them so securely. It would be easy to drop them, and let them fall down the steps and forget about his homework completely. Somehow being in this place was turning him into a good student, and he wasn’t quite sure he liked it. Before he ever came to Hogwarts, he use to make fun of all the boys and girls who carried the books tucked under their arms, the ones who always turned their assignments in on time and answered questions in class. Maybe they did have brains, but that was it. They made easy targets, and he could still recall walking by them and hitting the edge of the books, then not bothering to look back when he heard that faithful thud of paper hit the floor. Now he was one of those kids he use to bully. He was always on time for class, he always did his assignments, and he even answered questions. It was pathetic, but somehow it seemed all there was to do.

Tonight it was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which at least was a bit interesting. He related to it on some strange level. He even toyed with the idea that life would be easier if he was in Slytherin. He would have fit in there, or at least more than he did here. He wasn’t like everyone here. There were all happy and outgoing, and they all banded together with some extreme house pride. It was sad—they were the rejects from the other houses and they were happy about it. With brains like that no wonder the other houses didn’t want them. He found himself an empty table, away from the constant babbling of his house mates and opened his books, glancing down the pages on the leg locking and body binding curses. At least they were somewhat entertaining to read about, and studying was always an easy distraction.

[Sita Mehadi H7]

Sita tied her hair up in a yellow scrunchie to keep it out of the way. It was wavy and bushy today because she'd washed it last night and then put it in plaits whilst it dried. But she didn't really want black bushy curtains everywhere while she was trying to work so it was best to take precautions. Sita hugged the heavy Potions textbook, her notes and her parchment to her chest as she made her way down the stairs carefully. Doing that made them easier to carry, especially since she had her shoulder bag with her too. She loved the dormitory she had just left. It had a decent view over the Grounds even though the Hufflepuff Common Room wasn't situated particularly high up in the castle, and her quilt was yellow and black patchwork. Sita's duvet at home was yellow too, so it reminded her nicely of that. Hogwarts was her home from home.

Sita missed her parents sometimes, especially when something was seeming particularly daunting and there was no Dad to explain it away. But Ingrid was here with her and there was plenty to keep her busy. She might be struggling in some of her classes, but there were a few she was excelling in. Herbology, Muggle Studies for obvious reasons. And recently Potions had clicked too. Not the teacher, but other than that in any case. As her choice of books might suggest, Sita was doing Potions homework tonight. She regarded the prospect cheerfully - it wasn't so bad, after all. But the Hufflepuff Common Room was always busy and noisy of a weekday evening and she was forced to settle for a seat at the same table as Rowen Kerr. He was always somewhat abrasive, so she hadn't managed to get to know him well yet.
"Hello there," was all she said as she set her books down to the side of his on the circular table and took her seat, not expecting much of an answer considering who she'd just said it to.

Sita bent her head over her work and laboured quietly for a while until she had about half her Potions essay done. Feeling she'd earned herself a break, Sita took out her coloured pencils and her Muggle Studies textbook, glancing at Rowen curiously. He was still reading his book. "Do you ever smile?" she asked him as she started to shade in the bubble letters spelling out her name that she'd sketched into the front of the textbook earlier on.

[rowen]

He ran his finger down the lines of writing in his book until he reached the small section on body binding. It was an interesting spell at least, something he would have to keep in mind. Might prove useful one day when being in this house and surrounded by the rejects of the magical world irked him a bit too much to handle. After he skimmed over the chapter he pulled out a piece of parchment and scratched out a few notes about the Latin words of which the incantations were originally from. He was just setting his quill down when he heard something, or someone at least. He glanced up to see another Huff-N-Puff first year setting her books down on the table beside him and giving a bit too friendly of a hello. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he turned back to his books with out saying hello back. There were enough tables in this place; why couldn’t she go sit with someone else and drive them mental for Merlin’s sake. Thankfully the girl seemed to stay reasonably quiet as time passed. He continued reading the chapter in his DADA book, leaning over it a little more than usual to try and make himself appear even less friendly. The girl, Sita or something if he would remember correctly, but then he never really cared about names of people he didn’t really care to know, seemed to be working on her homework as well. This was fine, he could handle this. As long as she stayed on her side of the table and didn’t bother him, everything was just peachy.

He wasn’t exactly sure how long they sat there, focused on their studies before he heard a bit of extra noise coming from her direction. He tried to block it out. He didn’t even care what it was she was doing. His attempts were far from successful though, and after a moment she spoke. ‘Do you ever smile?’ That had to be the most pointless annoying question ever asked. He kept his gave focused down on his book for an extra second before he looked back up at the girl. “No, I don’t. Got a problem with that?”

[Sita Mehadi H7]

Sita continued to colour in nonchalantly as she waited for a reply from the other first year. Different shades of purple and pink graduated through the letters and drawings began to grow around them. Tennis rackets and balls, tower blocks (this was her Muggle Studies textbook after all!), books, bags, ballet shoes. She wasn't sure where they were all coming from but she left the drawings in black and white, adding a little shade to the simple lines she'd used to sketch the pictures. Sita never drew any masterpieces but it was fun to be a bit creative. She was focusing on her book again when he spoke and looked back up at him, her dark brown eyes focusing on him shrewdly.

"Have you got a problem with it?" she asked him back. Sita returned to her textbook and regarded the finished page proudly. She still wanted to be able to make the lettering sparkle though. She really needed to find someone who was good at charms for that because charms was not one of her strong points. More so than Transfiguration though perhaps. She hadn't the patience for that. Sita pondered for a moment before flipping that textbook with its heavy black leather binding closed and putting it aside. She took up her Potions essay again and commenced work on it once more, but only after having glanced at Rowen with a half serious, half amused look in her eyes and informing him, "My mum always said if you wore a frown too long it'd freeze on your face and being where we are some student has probably hexed the school to make that the truth."

[rowen]

He had hardly answered her when she asked his question right back to him. He rolled his eyes and didn't answer, instead he looked back down at his book, through she spoke to him again soon enough that he didn't have time to start reading it again. This time she commented on his face getting stuck the way it was. When she said that he looked up at her again, knowing that he wouldn't be able to work anymore, or at least not until she got whatever sort of childish chat she had in mind out of her system.
"My face isn't stuck this way, but I wouldn't mind if it did. It would make me life easier."

After a moment he laid down the quill he was holding. It didn't make any sense to keep doing so when he knew he wouldn't be able to get any work done. "So do you always listen to what your mum says? Because you might want to reconsider taking everything she has as truth. Comments like that smile thing, aren't exactly true."

[Sita Mehadi H7]

Sita met Rowen's eyes as he looked back up, a hint of the mischievousness she was currently experiencing showing through as hers twinkled just slightly. She didn't allow herself to smile though. Her eyes widened a little as they always did when she was discussing something earnestly, Sita replied, "What's the point of making life easier? The whole point of not smiling is the challenge of working to keep your face surly the entire time, surely? Having your face stuck that way would take the fun out of it." Sita looked back down at her work, not making any attempt to pretend not to care. She wasn't actually particularly bothered - she'd never found Rowen Kerr all that friendly and she hadn't expected anything else. So there was no need to pretend not to care. Sita dipped her pen in her inkpot, and after regarding her homework instructions once more, made a start on the second part of the essay.

Wait! He actually had something more to say? Sita glanced up at him while he said it and then looked back down at her work. She was in the middle of a train of thought and wasn't about to have it interrupted. About a paragraph was scribed before she gave her attention to Rowen again, this time smiling briefly to herself. She wasn't sure whether he had been waiting for her to say something, or thinking maybe he should go back to his essay, but she was fairly sure she had somehow (though unintentionally) managed to leave her reply to the most infuriating moment. For some reason that amused her, even though it shouldn't. But she'd go with the flow of what amused her, she supposed, the brief smile on her face now gone since it had been brought just by a moment of finding the situation entertaining.
"Sure I do," Sita replied, her tone of voice indicating she wasn't entirely serious there, before adding an example, "unless she's telling me it's bedtime. In which case I know she's wrong - it's never bedtime until there's nothing you can do left." Sita waited a moment, looking back down at her Potions essay again, before adding, "Why, do you always take your opinion as truth? It pays to be open minded - you're not always right."

[rowen]

He stayed quiet for a moment, waiting for her to put down her quill and answer him. He wasn't even sure why she decided to act productive now. She had been nothing but a bother since she sat down and now, once he had gone to the effort of pushing aside his own work, she decided it was a good time to work on her own essay. He watched her as she scribbled something across her paper, wondering if it would even be legible by their professor. Finally she answered, and he wasn’t surprised by it. Of course she would answer that her mother was always right, she was one of those types that never saw the reality in family. He was just happy he wasn’t burdened by that.

He shook his head at her as she continued asking him if he always believed his own thoughts and mentioned something about having an open mind. He had an open mind, but he wasn’t going to go around believing any random thing either. “I only take thoughts as truth when I know I’m right. I just happen to be right a lot.” He fell silent again for a moment, thinking again about having a open mind. His mind was plenty open. He wasn’t set in his ways about absolutely everything, only the important things. “You know there’s a quote by Oscar Wilde, the truth is rarely pure and never simple. Smart man in my opinion. Truth is subjective, and I just happen to prefer my point of view.”