An Open Book ((Zoey))

[Trinity Bleu]

"Rex Carter, you are the most childish boy in the whole year." Trinity's blunt tongue lashed out at her fellow fifth-year Gryffindor as they sat opposite one another at the house table in the Great Hall. "I think you've taken the meaning of 'prank' too far. You need to know when to stop." Trinity ignored the irony in her dry piece of advice. "You're not even half of half of Fred and George Weasley. Not even you and Billy combined would make one whole Weasley twin." Rex attempted to defend himself against Trinity's teasing, but she ignored his efforts and ploughed on. If there was anyone Rex could not charm with his dashing looks and charisma, it was Trinity Bleu. They'd known each other since their first year, and could have been siblings if they were any closer. And yet, they were completely different when you observed them closely: Rex was the outwardly mischievous playboy with a viciously guarded past that hid a darkness within him, and honest and down-to-earth Trinity was uncaring to the general population yet was actually much more open than Rex could ever be.

"Rex, just give up before McGonagall expels you - for good," Trinity concluded with a heavy sigh and a roll of her darkly mascaraed eyes. She of all people could understand the brunt of the Headmistress. After all, she had received hundreds of detentions from her former Head of House in the past for breaking the rules. Yet, Trinity had a grudging respect for Minerva McGonagall. And, despite the fact she never concentrated in class, McGonagall was a decent teacher. McGonagall could also tell that, deep down, Trinity was harmless. She was daring and rebellious, but she was no Rex Carter - he was looking for trouble, whereas Trinity always seemed to find herself there... "I want to graduate with you," Trinity told Rex firmly, reaching for a chicken leg. "So does Harmony Chan, right?" She ignored the look of surprise on Rex's face.

"What, did you think I wouldn't notice?" Trinity smirked. "You underestimate me, Rex Carter. You're an open book to me. No new girl latching onto your arm every week. Less Billy-and-Rex pranks. More whining from Castlerock girl. Practically stalking Harmony Chan." Trinity looked at Rex pointedly, before grinning at his baffled expression. "Whatever. She's good for you, Rex. Keep you under control, that's what. Though I never figured you would go for her type... She must be braver than she makes out to be." Trinity had never really noticed the Hufflepuff girl; she was so quiet and almost insignificant. Not until Rex started pursuing her constantly (and, he thought, secretly) and Billy and Stacey had began acting strangely, had Trinity been pointed out to the quiet, reserved Chinese girl. Then again, Harmony was hard to miss when she was related to the daunting personality that was Ariane Chan, Seventh Year Prefect. Trinity had been caught by said elder several times and she could be merciless. She was especially renowned for her anti-social, hardened persona. Trinity thought her odd, but she respected her for one thing: she didn't give a damn about what her classmates thought about her.

"Bye," Trinity called as Rex made a hasty exit. He evidently wanted to avoid the topic of Harmony; that and he was rather unsubtley following her form from the Great Hall. Trinity smirked to herself. Rex could be so transparent sometimes. She hoped, though, for Rex's sake, that Harmony would 'fix' him. He was a damaged boy, more than anyone seemed to comprehend; more than she herself could understand, she was sure. Trinity was not much for empathy and undersanding. She continued to eat her meal in comfortable silence; she had joined Rex before so it expected he would finish before her. Trinity was at ease with company as well as being left alone to her thoughts, so when someone sat in Rex's seat, she welcomed them with a nod. She noted the dark hair of a younger student, and after a few seconds she kicked up conversation. "Hey kid, what's your name? Third Year? Fourth? I haven't seen you around much. I'm Trinity Bleu, Fifth Year. I don't understand the meaning of 'shyness' and I like being horribly blunt. Nice to meet you."

[zoeyshay]

Zoey took a bite of a chicken thigh quietly, glancing to her far left, where two people down, a boy, his name Rex from what she heard, was being not yelled at, but scolded, by a blonde girl. She heard the mentioning of the Weasley twins, and she smirked when she thought of the pranks they pulled off. They were legendary to the Gryffindor house, maybe even Hogwarts, for being the best pranksters ever to walk the halls of the huge castle. She then remembered that she had recognized the boy from trying to be as good of a prankster as them. She shook her head, her black curls trailing behind her head while plucking a chunk of meat off of her chicken. Listening more closely, as this was getting more and more interesting; she just about choked on her bite of chicken when she started on the topic of him ‘stalking’ Harmony Chan. The only reason she found this funny because she knew Harmony was Ariane Chan’s, the Gryffindor prefect’s, little sister. She smirked to one of her fellow third years across the table, who she knew was listening also. He hastily swallowed his bite of steak so he wouldn’t choke on his silent laughter. Zoey was playing the scene in her head, of if/when Ariane Chan found out that her little sister was being practically stalked by a fellow Gryffindor. She could just imagine a nasty jinx or a hilarious charm being placed on his as soon as they entered the common room. She mentally shook herself out of her thoughts so she could concentrate on listening into the scolding again.

She looked up at the grinning boy in front of her as she took a sip of her pumpkin juice. “This is entertaining, eh?” she mentioned to him before smiling at the mention of being expelled from Hogwarts by McGonagall. Zoey highly doubted that McGonagall would expel a student for doing some pranking, but yet again, she didn’t know McGonagall very well because she was much of a troublemaker, and she had never been sent to her office, so she wouldn’t know for sure the punishment and consequences that would be given. The poor boy started to look a little pale and worried as the blonde girl continued her wrath and she giggled quietly as the boy in front of her continued to watch. He put a finger to his lips and she shut up obediently before leaning over the table to watch some more. She made a mental note to herself to a) try to avoid that girl as much as possible so she wouldn’t get caught up in an embarrassing ordeal like the poor Rex boy was, or b) if she is forced to talk to that girl, than to never make her agitated or mad. She nodded and continued to watch.

Her aquamarine eyes became wide as she saw the girl finish her wrath and walk over this way. The boy shoved the rest of his potatoes in his mouth and gulped down his pumpkin juice before walking out of the Great Hall. Zoey rolled her eyes and took the last bite of her chicken. The girl sat down in front of her where the boy had been just a few seconds ago and she looked up at her. The girl introduced herself as Trinity, and said that she liked being blunt and wasn’t up for shyness. She could tell that Trinity was blunt just by watching the conversation she had just given the boy, Rex, down the table. She took in a breath. “Zoey Shay, third year.” She nodded, sipping the last of her pumpkin juice and wiping her mouth with a napkin. “And I guess I’m just…er,” she paused, looking for a word to describe herself. “I guess I’m hyper active.” She nodded, tapping her fingers against the wood of the table. She was wondering if she should ask why she had just put the Rex boy through hell down there, but she wasn’t sure she should get herself into that mess. She didn’t care. She had a question, and she wanted, or rather needed an answer. “So what’s up with you and that boy over there?” she asked, pointing her pale chin toward the recuperating boy, or at least, where he was. She saw he wasn't there anymore, and she looked toward the exit of the Great Hall and smirked when she saw him leaving. Trinity was a genius. She made a mental note to herself: If you need someone to just leave you alone, call in Trinity Bleu.

[Trinity Bleu]

Trinity nodded when Zoey introduced herself. "Enjoying your third year?" she asked with a knowing grin. Her own third year two years ago had been interesting, as had every year. Trinity missed those days - the days when homework was scarce, atmosphere light and the only thing you knew was relaxation and fun. Nowadays it was study study study for OWLs - persistent parents, stressed peers, pushy professors and mountains of homework. It drove Trinity mad. She didn't value studying and education as much as most people did. She worked to her own standards - she would never over-work herself like the way some of her Ravenclaw classmates seemed to be doing. What have they got to be stressed about? They're meant to be the geniuses. Trinity felt rather envious of the first, second and third years. Their lives were so devoid of any pressure at the moment. Now that Trinity was at this stage in her education, she couldn't wait for it to be over. She didn't hate school, but she didn't enjoy all of her classes - especially History of Magic, which she spent more time sleeping in than making notes or listening to the boring, droning voice of the only ghost professor, Binns.

Trinity cracked a grin when Zoey described herself as hyperactive. "You don't look it," she said bluntly, sipping her drink and observing Zoey intently. "But nothing wrong with being hyperactive. Rex is hyperactive. Or at least, he pretends to be." She shook her head disagreebly without explaining to Zoey who Rex was. Trinity had a bad habit of talking to herself or about other people when it was not at all relevant, and then not explaining herself, thus confusing people. She wasn't at all fussed about enlightening them either. If Zoey hadn't asked her about Rex, she would not have mentioned him again. "That was Rex," she explained with a wry grin. "Rex Carter. You must have heard of him. Biggest prankster in the School. Doesn't know when to stop. That time the bathrooms were all flooded? That was him. And Billy too. Rex and Billy are unseparable partners in crime." She rolled her eyes, recalling some of the ridiculous things they had got up to in the past five years. Trinity had approved of barely any of them. They were pointless but if that's what Rex wanted to do... she couldn't stop him. "One day," continued a little grudgingly, "Rex is going to do something really stupid and get himself into hotter water than before. He practically lives in McGonagall's office."

Trinity shrugged off her irritation and worry about her friend and looked at Zoey over her plate of food. "Rex is just a friend," she clarified. "I was teaching him rationality." She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "I'm not the most sensible of people, but even I can see what Rex does is just plain ridiculous. I'm not scared to say it: he's a moron. And Billy is too, for following him and letting him do it. Can't blame him, though. Rex is unstoppable. Nothing gets through to his thick skull." Trinity wasn't one to sigh, but if she was then she would be sighing very heavily right now. "He lives in his own little world. Stuck." Realising she was trespassing into darker territory about Rex Carter, Trinity waved the topic away with a chicken leg in hand. "Anyway, kid," she addressed Zoey. "What subjects are you choosing next year? Let me give you some advice: if you can't stand perfume and chance, don't take Divination. If you want thorough lessons, don't take Care of Creatures or whatever it's called. If you don't want to work your ass off, don't take Arithmancy. If you don't like What Ifs, don't take Ancient Runes. That basically leaves muggles, and if you were brought up normally, like me, then what's the point?"