Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bazinga 
Minerva looked at him curiously as he let go of her hand a bit of a pout on her face, because she was not wanting to stop holding hands, but the pout suddenly changed to little school girl giggles and a smile as he pulled out his wand and conjured butterflies, “Oh Ethan.. I forgot about that spell.” She watched them flutter around and turned kissing his cheek. “Thank you, it’s just what was needed. Turning her eyes back to the butterflies she smiled more.
Minerva was trying to figure things out and think along the best lines of why things were the way they were, “I just don’t get way they need students to pay, but I guess they used knuts, because they didn’t want the students to pay to much, but just what was needed.” Even though what was needed seemed very odd for Hogwarts. “They really should have sent letters or something though, it should not have been this big of a shock for students. The poor first years faces when they saw it and didn’t have anything on them and the questions from some of them. I just hate them get this as their first impression.” It just wasn’t fair, they should be see Hogwarts as the place Min saw it as, not a dirty, run down castle, as it was looking. She then looked up surprised by his question, but she shouldn’t have been. They had been dating for a year and half and he knew all about her family. “Oh I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.” She did have enough at the moment even if she did give a bit to some first years, but for the entire term she would figure that out as the year went on she decided.
Chuckling a bit she leaned back against his arm, “Yes something that magic has up on muggles, cleaning doesn’t take as long. It still is going to be a job getting everything cleaned up the way it should be.” Plus with their class work and homework, seriously the professors were just going to have to step it up and be the parental units here and clean this castle. She gave a small smile as he asked what she had been up to, “Cleaning” well they had been talking about it. “I was helping Ella and Wade in the common room. I actually taught a first year a few cleaning spells so he could help out. Then I was in the girls dorm helping Laura, we did most of the rooms.” She then gave a interesting I did something else smile, “Plus I decided it needed something so I charmed the walls a bit.” That was allowed, right.. She wasn't too worried telling this prefect, she didn’t see him getting her in trouble.
Speaking of prefect jobs she frowned not liking that people were giving him trouble. That wasn’t very nice, some probably thought since he was a friend first they could get away with some things, then a guilty look crossed her face, didn’t she just have that same thought. “Well hopefully they calm down when they know they can’t get away with things.” Then she frowned more, “but it is not your responsibility for the way this place is. I don’t think the puffs are being like that. I really haven’t seen much of Oakey and Nessie, we cleaned without even talking to them first.” Maybe Ella and her were just to independent and didn’t wait to be told, but she figured that’s the way it should be. Give him a small kiss on the cheek again she smiled, “I think your guys are leading just fine.” Here him say about checking out books, she smiled knowing why, “So another year of studying for an exam, we don’t’ catch a break do we?” Since they started dating each year one of them had a big exam, but it was good that they had each other to help study.
Eyes still following the conjured butterflies trailing along the garden, Ethan grinned widely as he heard the excitement in Minerva's voice.
"They won't last long, but it will do for now." He watched them for another minute, smiling as she kissed his cheek.
"Well, I'm glad you like them.. they do help add a bit of cheeriness that seemed to have faded from here." Putting his wand away, he reached down and loosely took her hand in his again.
Ethan nodded slowly, thinking about Minerva's words and processing his own thoughts.
"Yes, I think you're right.. a knut really isn't much when you think about.. even for someone not well off. Though it will add up by the end of the school year." He took a deep breath and tried to calculate an estimated amount in his head while listening to what she was saying.
"Yes, that would have made things so much easier if they had sent a letter home or informed us somehow before we got here.. Or even just had us pay a few more galleons to come back so we wouldn't have to be so inconvenienced." Anything, really, to have prepared them for what was to come. He frowned a bit as she mentioned the first years, knowing she was right. Their first impression could not have been good. Poor kids, most of them being away from home for the first time and this is what they experience. He thought of his own experience that first night at the Ravenclaw turnstiles and how they had to scramble to work together to make sure everyone was able to get inside. The adults really dropped the quaffle on that one. Ethan took the hand that was in his and gently opened it so her palm was facing upwards. He dug in his pocket and placed a galleon in her hand, closing her fingers around it.
"Here.. I want you to have this.. it should cover most of the year for you to get in your dorm. Provided you can get change for it." Maybe he'd talk to his head of house or the headmistress about getting change stations set up.. or he'd just have to owl the bank..
As she leaned against his arm, he leaned his head against hers and chuckled a little along with her.
"It does make things easier.. but maybe I should check on some of the younger boys dorms to make sure they were able to use the cleaning spells properly." As far as he knew, there weren't any first year boys.. but were there second year boys? They might need a little help, the spells weren't
that easy. It did really annoy him that the castle was in such a state and that the students were expected to pick up the slack. Did he not have enough to do with his prefect duties, studying for NEWTs, Quidditch.. not to mention any free time he'd like to have? When was he supposed to find time for keeping maintenance on a castle?? He laughed a little when he asked what she had been up to and she told him cleaning.
"Well, I knew that.. doesn't sound like much fun though. You haven't been doing anything else?" Not that she had much time to get up to anything else. They did spend quite a bit of time together already and they hadn't been back all that long. Ethan wasn't sure what kind of answer he had been expecting.
"Charmed the walls?" he asked, slightly interested.
"To do what? Or just to brighten the color?" That could get rather interesting depending on what exactly you charmed it to do.
He laughed a little as talk turned of his prefect duties.
"Hopefully you're right.. I hate to have to be the bad guy.. but I will be if I'm pushed to it." The younger ones would learn soon enough. Ethan had a somewhat friendly and laid-back personality, but that didn't mean he was going to be walked all over. Then he nodded, frowning a little.
"I know it's not my fault.. but the younger ones do look to the leaders for guidance. And it's a little hard to provide that when we don't even know what's going on ourselves." He did have some good thoughts on the matter though.. or at least he thought and he planned on discussing things with the other two Claw leaders. But then he smiled at her kiss on his cheek, forgetting anything else for the time being. Then he chuckled at her words.
"Another year of exams.. I think I have my study schedule worked out though, thanks to OWLs. And I do hope you'll help out once in a while," he grinned, remembering the help she had given him during his fifth year.
"Don't worry, I won't be all about studying all the time. I think I have pretty good time management. I will make time for some fun for us too."