The hourglasses were a feature of the ground floor that were often ignored. The reason being, while the race for the House Cup was fun and worthwhile, it also had the disadvantage of killing morale. Yes, killing. For the first time since taking on the role of Gryffindor Head of House, Seren was confident the Lion's had a legitimate claim to the House Cup. This year, might in fact, be their year.

Pausing on her way back out to the greenhouses, Seren took the opportunity to admire the Lion's rubies and was pleased to see they had a few more of them, than the Snakes had emeralds. Still, it was early enough in the year, there would be no complacency on her part.

She remained standing, admiring for a moment longer. By the time she left it would be a sight she wouldn't forget.

Kevin had been running down the staircases from the Gryffindor Common room. He had some free time and instead of wasting it with homework he could do on other days he was going to regret this later he had decided to spend some time on the Grounds.

He jumped the last few steps and walked through the ground floor, passing the hourglasses. The second year stopped in his track as he realised that the person who was checking the hourglasses his Head of House. He looked at the big front door and then back. His curiousity to know what she was looking at was stronger so he changed his direction and walked towards the hourglasses as well.

When he actually saw them up front, the Gryffindor grinned when he realised that THEY were in first place. Slytherin was close at the second place but THEY had more red stones in them. "We're awesome right?" he grinned as he folded his arms over each other. "....What kind of stones do we actually have?" He had always called them *red stones*

In the moment that she had been staring at the hourglasses, she'd somehow drifted off into a daydream about all sorts of wonderful things. Gryffindor winning the House Cup, the Gobstones Cup, nobody dying, nobody getting hurt, nobody aging, not needing to worry about detentions or parent contact... just a blissful and easy journey that was this imaginary year.

On could hope, no?

Kevin's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she couldn't help but look a little smug with satisfaction. "Absolutely," she replied, raising her hand in a gesture of a high five... he wasn't going to keep her hanging, right? She could be cool sometimes. "And well done Kevin, you're still on our leaderboard, I have to say, I'm impressed."

"We have rubies, then the others are emerald, sapphires and diamonds." Each of them beautiful and valuable in their own right.

Kevin raised one eyebrow as he looked at the raised hand. Did she want a high five or something? He had wanted to keep her hanging because high fives were so not cool anymore. At least, not when an older person did it. But this WAS his Head of House so the Gryffindor unfolded his arms and after looking around if no one was there he high fived her. There. Happy?

He was on the leaderboard? At the mention of this, the second year actually groaned. "Aw really?" it was clear in his voice that he didn't like it. "But i don't wanna be a nerd!" Honestly, this school was weird. When he tried his best he didn't even come close to the leaderboard but when he didn't care he was a top student. Wait, she was impressed? Kevin looked at her "wow, this is the first time someone said they were impressed by me..."

Looking at the houglasses, he listened to the stone types each house had and when she was finished talking the Gryffindor sighed. "I really don't care about the stones of the other houses" he said truthfully. "But rubies are cool i guess...can i steal...I MEAN ..have a few?"

Hanging... he was leaving her hangi---- he high fived her!!!! If she didn't look smug before, she certainly did now. It was official, she was cool... and Kevin was her home-boy or homie-g or whatever the terminology was. Either way, they were on the same page for the time being.

Of course, had you asked her a year ago if she thought she'd be congratulating Kevin on being on the leaderboard, and that she was impressed with him, she'd have said it was a work in progress. But here they were, he seemed to have learned to respect others, enough at least to get by without having to visit her office again. And on top of that his studies must have been coming along rather nicely considering his points contribution. "Yes really!" he confirmed, brightly at that. It was a good thing. "It doesn't mean that you're a nerd, just that you're driven... and that's not something to groan about." But that... that right there... nobody had told him they were impressed with him before?

...

...

Seren dearly wanted to hug him, her arms were itching to envelope the boy, but she figured her wouldn't appreciate the gesture, so she kept her hands to herself for the time being. "Well I'm not impressed easy," she started, a small smile on her lips, "but you've settled in quite nicely, and I see a great deal of promise in you." So yes, colour her impressed.

She could agree with his sentiment, the other stones didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, so not caring for them was... fine by her. She blinked a few times as she processed Kevin's question. Say what now? ..

....

"Mmmm.... no." No rubies for him.

It was a understatement that Kevin felt embarrassed when he high fived her. He scratched the back of his non-itching neck and he just hoped that no one had seen that. But as he looked around he was relieved to find that they were the only ones looking at the hourglasses so he pretended like nothing had happened.

Well, being driven certainly had a nicer ring to it than being called a nerd so he nodded. Yes, if he said so himself , he had been quite ..nice... NOT. He grinned to himself as the Professor seemed to think that he was being respectful and nice towards others. But it was the complete opposite. Just ask Angel when he had put bugs in her hair...and Lux being a spoilsport and helping her out, mweh. Or Donny who he had threatened ...ah good times.

WAIT....go back... did she just say she saw GREAT deal of promise in him? This was the time to grin right? And so the Gryffindor did and he bit his lower lip before he said; "Can you say that to the Potions Professor and then tell me how his face looked like!" he laughed. "Cause i would LOVE to know!"

And no rubies for him. The Gryffindor's laugh vanished and he folded his arms again. "And why not? There are like ...infinite rubies in there!" mean!

She wasn't sure what all was going on in Kevin's head, but he seemed to be processing things, so she could only assume that all was well.

Turning her gaze back to the hourglass, she grinned to herself one more. There was so much hope for this year, she might have even been tempted to start crossing her fingers now. But again, it was too early, anything could happen.

Hhhmm? Seren turned back and considered Kevin for a moment as he spoke agian. Tell Cosgrach? And then report back on what his face looked like? "Eeerrr..... I suppose I could," she replied, and really, she hadn't been down to that part of the castle since last year. Now was as good a time as any. "Things still not good between you two?" she asked, wondering if perhaps that would be the source of the boys amusement should she tell Cosgrach about his promise and great potential, not to mention how well he'd been going so far. In fact. This was a good idea, and she could ask for the Potions Masters take on the matter as well.

Kevin's persistence with the stealing rubies thing received a disapproving shake of the head. "It belongs to the school, not to you... and there's nothing more to be said on the matter." Because couldn't he just imagine the chaos that would ensue? If he received one, or two, or a few... then ever other student would be out for the same. It was hardly viable.

If things were still not good between them? Kevin actually laughed at this. It wasn't a real laugh though and he shook his head. "Ah no" he said. "He just ignores me which is actually pretty funny" he grinned now as he looked away from his Head of House and towards the hourglass of the Ravenclaws. "I do love the class though" he said, not taking his gaze off of the hourglass. "Potions i mean, i think it is my favourite and i'm pretty good at it" if he had to say so himself.

Realising what he had just confessed, the young Lion snapped his head to look at the woman and instead of his eyes widening , they narrowed. "Don't tell him THAT though, i don't want him to think he won...whatever this is..."

Kevin dropped the matter of not getting any rubies as she seemed to be really firm with her decision. Maybe he should come back another day when it was more...quiet? Because when Kevin wanted something, he got it. A misschievious smile played on his face before he cleared his throat. "Hey, is there anything FUN to do around this place?" he asked. "I had wanted to try out for the Quidditch team but now that Quidditch got cancelled i'm bored again" seriously...boooored.

Ah no? That didn't sound particularly convincing... but still, it was better than a yes. And though she couldn't anything funny about being ignored by the Potions Master, at least Kevin didn't seem to mind the interaction - or lack there of. "You do?" she asked, perhaps mildly surprised, all things considered. It was at least a silver lining to the dark cloud that had stormed into her office last year. The boy liked potions, and was content with being ignored. Good things, no? "Well I'm glad you've taken a liking to it, and that your interactions with Professor Culloden haven't impacted negatively on your experience with the subject." Kudos to Cosgrach there.

As for not telling the man, Seren shrugged. "I can keep secrets," she replied after a brief pause. It was of no consequence to her whether the boy liked potions or not, and it really wasn't necessary for her to tell Cosgrach the boy liked his subject. Whatever the two were doing, it was working. She hadn't heard a complaint, Kevin was liking the class and doing well in his studies... who was she to ruin that?

It was the question of whether there was anything fun to do that took her attention away from the house points, and she nod her head, content that the boys boredom could be cured. "Have you considered trying gobstones?" she asked, "Or perhaps make use of the dueling arena..." ahem... she may or may not have heard rumours in that department. That aside, he could... do study-relevant things.

The familiar tinkling sound of precious stones filling the hourglass could be heard, causing her head to snap back to attention.

....

.....

The Snakes were leading?

......

"I think we have a war on our hands... we ought to rally the troops." Or something to that effect.

Kevin shook his head as he chuckled. Was it that weird he liked a subject from a Professor he disliked? "Yeah duh" he said. "Just because i don't like HIM doesn't mean i have to dislike the subject right?" He liked what he liked and disliked what he disliked. There was no inbetween. He was very easy in that sense. "It doesn't matter who teaches it, i would still like the subject even if the previous Professor had been teaching it was still here and i heard rumours she had set someone on fire!" His eyes twinkled as he said that. "Did that REALLY happen?"

When she had promised not to tell the man, the Gryffindor grinned and held up his pinky finger. "It isn't a promise until you make a pinky swear" his mother had taught him that. She wasn't going to leave him hanging, right?

"Ugh, gobstones is so boring!" he whined. "I wanna do something ...adventurous! not throwing a stone" Why anyone liked that was a mystery to him. "I would rather risk my hand while feeding Fanged Geraniums than playing gobstones." speaking of which. "CAN i do that once in a while?" And as for dueling, the Gryffindor got a bit uncomfortable. He scratched his nose before playing with his fingers. He wondered if she knew about his duel with a Professor. Wait a second, she was a Professor so she must know a thing or two right? Kevin looked up again with that grin of his and misschievious glint in his eyes. "This might sound like a weird question, but do you know some weaknesses of Professor Flamsteed?" he NEEDED to know. "I mean, apart from that he's totally crazy" oops, that part had slipped, he didn't care though.

.....War.....Rally the troops? What?

Kevin too looked at he hourglasses and saw that the Slytherins were ahead of them as they had just gotten some points and he got what she had meant with that sentence. "You sound like an auror preparing for battle!" he laughed. "Wait...you aren't an auror right?" he cocked his head to the side and frowned as he looked at her. "Are you an auror in disguise as a Herbology Professor?! are you? that would be soooo cool!" You see what boredom does to him? He links things together that aren't probably even there. "How many bad guys did you catch? oooooh how many did you let escape?!" QUESTIONS

Logic. The actually had it. Seren was definitely impressed now, because it was clear that Kevin was capable of thinking rationally... always a good thing to have in a student. "Right," she confirmed, no arguments here. Of course she let him continue, seeing as he was rather passionate about the topic, and passion was always interesting to observe. Lafay and setting students on fire... "Yeah, it happened..." but she was not going to go into it. After all, it was before her time here, so she was hardly credible enough to tell the tale. Instead she slipped her hands into her robes pockets, and crossed her fingers in the hope that the questions would end there.

She hadn't thought to keep her hands out and accessible, and when Kevin insisted a promise wasn't a promise without a .... pinky swear?... she was baffled and mildly amused. But, if that's what he wanted, then so be it. "Pinky swear," she repeated, curling her little finger around his and shaking briefly. She was not one for lying or misleading, a promise was a promise, regardless or finger wiggling.

Gobstones was perhaps a little pedestrian compared to some other pass-times, so she wouldn't argue this matter either. "I'm thinking of holding some flesh-eater workshops, so if you find risking your hands to bites entertaining, you're more than welcome to come along." She wasn't going to stop him, and there might be some nerdy extra credit in it for him too. Ahem. The sudden change of topic seemed odd to her. Flamsteed? What had he done to earn the boys keen interest... in his weaknesses no less. "Eeerr... I would say, lint, creases, and anything to do with his pet rock..." was that answer enough? "And he's not crazy, just eccentric... you need to learn the art of manipulating your words if you don't want to seem rude." Just saying. But Airey did have his moments of madness, endearing madness, but madness nonetheless. He was loud.

Deciding that the hourglasses were too frequently changing for her liking, she opted to ignore it, and pretend that Gryffindor was winning, whether that was true or not was irrelevant for the time being. She wanted to be in a good mood. "I do?" she asked, not at all minding the sound of it. It did sound rather exciting. "I wish I could tell you I was, but an undercover agent doesn't reveal their identities," she decided, though her tone was clearly of a joking manner. "With all my flesh eaters, who's to say anyone could escape?" Hhhmmm? It was just a thought, something that might fuel his imagination and keep him from being bored a while longer. Innocent enough, no?

Kevin gasped out loud when she confirmed that the setting a student on fire incident had happen. It wasn't a shocked gasp but one of pure amusement. He wasn't going to lie he would have LOVED to meet that Professor. ...Did that make him a horrible person?

With his pinky finger in the air, the Gryffindor smiled as his Head of House wrapped her finger around his as a sign of promise. "Now its a deal" he said and as he untangled his pinky finger and listened to what she was saying about a flesh-eater workshops and then immediately grinned. "We do get extra points for that right?" he asked. But even if they didn't he would have come because it just sounded cool and like an adventure!

Siiiiigh. "I already know about all that" he answered after a long and exaggerated sigh that probably sounded rude when she began to list the weaknesses of the Astronomy Professor. He wanted something new but it seemed that either she didn't know anything else or she was really good at hiding it. And as for him having to be careful about his word choices, he shrugged his shoulders. "But what if i WANT to be rude? It's so boring being nice to everyone...and i don't even know fancy words. I mean, i KNOW them when you say them i'm not that stupid but having to come up with them like that...too much effort man" Just plain and simple words for him.

At the sounds of the hourglass rinkling, the Gryffindor turned his gaze like the Professor towards the hourglasses and he squinted his eyes. "We're tied to Slytherin..." he muttered more to himself than to the Herbology Professor though and he looked back again.

An undercover agent doesn't reveal their identity. Kevin grinned and shook his head. "I can't believe you actually played along" he said because he had heard the playful tone and knew that she wasn't one. "It would have been cool though right?" The boy looked in to the distance with a vague smile on his face. Ah to be an auror would be so cool~ He sighed as he got back to now. "But i would make an horrible one" he's probably be a double spy. And not a good one either.

He rolled up his sleeve to check his watch. "I'm going now, i want to get outside for a few hours before dinner. And yes i've done my homework" Which was a total lie of course because he hadn't.

Gasping? He was gasping? ... Merlin that was never a good sign. The fact that Kevin didn't seem to act any further on the matter was of some significance in settling her nerves .

The pinky swear exchange was actually rather cute, all things considered. She wouldn't have picked him for one of those students up until now, she was rather amused - but didn't let it show. No need to go discouraging such things. "Excellent, though, so you know... I always keep my word." So pinky swears weren't at all necessary. The fact that Kevin was asking led her to believe he didn't mind earning extra points, and why would he? Points were great! "Well of course, hard work and a keen interest in the subject will always be rewarded."

How Airey fit into conversation she didn't know, and the more he spoke, the more she was convinced she didn't want to know. Perhaps though, she would ask the Astronomer later, if curiosity was going to kill her, then she may as well find out what for. "Well that's all I can tell you," she mused when her original pointers weren't enough. As for wanting to be rude? "Not being rude doesn't mean you have to be nice, it just means you're not rude." Simple. But she didn't want to stand and squable, nope... not when the Lions were winning, or so she kept telling herself, still unable to look at the points again ince they last changed. "Either way, you'll get used to words, vocabulary is something that comes with experience, just keep an open mind about it." Meaning, try, not to be rude. Please.

They were what?!

No. Nope. She would just continue thinking they were winning. La la la. Not listening. Sorry Kevin.

Playing along with the idea was no difficult feat, and if anything it was amusing entertaining the idea... it's not as if anything truly exciting ever happened at Hogwarts. Pfft. "I can play along with things," she replied matter-of-factly, "I might be old but I can still have my fun." And yes, old, that's what she felt though not to the same extent as last year when she virtually had a foot in the grave already. "It would I agree, I suppose that's one of the nice things about having the Aurors and Hit Witches and Wizards around the school... they bring an element of excitement." Or so she thought. Still, they seemed to be doing a good enough job of hanging around and looking scary. Whether or not they were actually investigating anything she didn't know. "You might not. It takes training and dedication, it's not easy... but you might make a decent one." Might. She didn't really know.

Seren spared herself a quick look at the hourglasses through sqinted eyes. She didn't want to see things properly, clearly, she liked her ignorance. It was comfortable. "Oh... yes... of course," she noted, checking her pendant watch too. "Good good, just don't go catching a cold, it's quite chilly out." And speaking of entering the great outdoors, she needed to head back to the greenhouses.

Hufflepuffs were in third place. Eh. Maybe if he did his homework more often ....

Biting off from the apple in his hand quiet obnoxiously, the second year wondered if he would actually REALLY care that Hufflepuff was his house. And that he should get in to the whole house spirit thing by now. And not rage about the fact that the sorting head put him in Hufflepuff - which seemed to have happened like a hundred years ago.

"Seriously dude. You just have to stop." He told himself outloud, eye rolling and all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samia

Hufflepuffs were in third place. Eh. Maybe if he did his homework more often ....

Biting off from the apple in his hand quiet obnoxiously, the second year wondered if he would actually REALLY care that Hufflepuff was his house. And that he should get in to the whole house spirit thing by now. And not rage about the fact that the sorting head put him in Hufflepuff - which seemed to have happened like a hundred years ago.

"Seriously dude. You just have to stop." He told himself outloud, eye rolling and all.

Zahra was actually a frequent visitor of the House Point counters these days. Usually just to gloat, but also to remind herself that she needed to make sure she put MORE COUNTERS IN than she got taken out.

The struggle.

TODAY there was a Hufflepuff there, too! A Hufflepuff that was talking to himself.

Zahra smacked him in the back of the head on the way by. "Could be WORSE, Puffy! Could be last!" hahahahahahahaha

....hahahahaha

The chewed on apple bits in his mouth sort of spluttered out his mouth when someone so graciously smacked him on the back of the head.

What the-?

Wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his robe, the Hufflepuff turned to look for the culprit. AND there she was. Cackling and going on about house points. Eh?

He HAD seen her around. In classes and just generally prancing about.

"Not cool, dude. Not cool." he muttered. "I could have choked and died!" SERIOUSLY. Some piece could have gotten stuck in his wind pipe and he would have died - "died - knowing I was a Hufflepuff"

Oh the tragedy. Oh the horror.

"Watch out everybody!" Zahra called, her hands cupped around her mouth, "WE GOTTA DRAMA MAMA OVER HERE!" hahaha

Zahra snorted and propped up against the WINNING, RUBY-FILLED Point holder. This was the pose of WINNERS.

"A Hufflepuff hasn't died in a while. Headmistress Bunz is against Puffs dying. Everyone knows it." SO KEEP YOUR PANTIES ON, PUFFY.

Now that he wasn't coughing, and making sure his throat was clear. Noel actually LOOKED at the girl - hand on his hip and all. Just because she was a lion, and he was a badger - it didn't mean he wouldn't stand up for himself.

AGAIN with the dying talk. Was he the only hufflepuff who didn't know about the 'hufflepuffs die a lot' thoery.

Anyway. Back to the older gryffindor.

"I see. You are a bully."

Yes. He went there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samia

Now that he wasn't coughing, and making sure his throat was clear. Noel actually LOOKED at the girl - hand on his hip and all. Just because she was a lion, and he was a badger - it didn't mean he wouldn't stand up for himself.

AGAIN with the dying talk. Was he the only hufflepuff who didn't know about the 'hufflepuffs die a lot' thoery.

Anyway. Back to the older gryffindor.

"I see. You are a bully."

Yes. He went there.

Zahra blew a raspberry at that idea. "Am not. You're a name caller, so sniff on that for a while." She squirmed a little at THAT though, that accusation. Like she was in trouble or something, but there was only a baby Puff there.

"Maybe you're the bully," she tried, lamely.

"Noo. I am not." he shook his head, arms crossed and all.

"This thing that you did. SMACKING me on the head, and being well - you, those are the traits of a bully." Noel said, all firm.

His mama had told him all about these bullies when he was in muggle school. Somehow he had never really imagined a girl being a bully. Was that him stereotyping again? It probably was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samia

"Noo. I am not." he shook his head, arms crossed and all.

"This thing that you did. SMACKING me on the head, and being well - you, those are the traits of a bully." Noel said, all firm.

His mama had told him all about these bullies when he was in muggle school. Somehow he had never really imagined a girl being a bully. Was that him stereotyping again? It probably was.

"That was a.... I didn't HURT you... it was a ... you know... a greeting. Just letting you know I was here so you didn't get scared and cry into your Hufflepuff handkerchief. Or something." She hadn't meant to SMACK smack him.

IF SHE HAD MEANT IT, ZAHRA WOULD HAVE USED A FIST.

Pfff. This Puff was entirely ruining the Gloating Vibe. "You don't know me." SO. SO SHUT IT. Zahra crossed her arms RIGHT BACK AT HIM.

How did she KNOW she didn't hurt him? He ALMOST choked, didn't he?

Tsk. Tsk. She was doing it again. "See. THAT - the way you talk. That is not how nice people talk, okay?" That is how bully-people talk.

He could SEE her getting little uncomfortable. It was cause she was guilty. WASN'T IT?

"EXACTLY. I don't. The way you don't know me. BUT did I walk up to you and smack you in the head?"

Did nobody tell this girl she had bully symptoms?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samia

How did she KNOW she didn't hurt him? He ALMOST choked, didn't he?

Tsk. Tsk. She was doing it again. "See. THAT - the way you talk. That is not how nice people talk, okay?" That is how bully-people talk.

He could SEE her getting little uncomfortable. It was cause she was guilty. WASN'T IT?

"EXACTLY. I don't. The way you don't know me. BUT did I walk up to you and smack you in the head?"

Did nobody tell this girl she had bully symptoms?

Zahra really wanted to dunk this kid's head in a toilet. Like, had there ever been a better candidate for a swirly? She bonked this kid on his gob of a head as she passed by and he was like taking it to the Wizengamot over there.

SIGH.

"If you HAD? I wouldn't be crying about it right now." Like SOME people.

SOME people got sorted EXACTLY right. She rubbed at her nose, still uncomfortable. "You're killing the mood. I just submitted a REALLY good essay about beans and poots and I'm doing extra credit for Creatures and I expect to be a BIG CONTRIBUTOR HERE," here, the House Point Counter, "and you're really.... REALLLY ruining this area with your baby talk. Maybe you should move on."

"Now I know which house I am glad I wasn't tossed into," Yes. He WENT there.

Someone had to stand up to this girl. Noel imagined her stomping around being herself to other kids. Oh the horror. Noel SHUDDERED.

When she went on about the essay she had written. Noel sighed. "Good for you." Really. He didn't care. He didn't care about his own house points. Why would he care about hers? He was just a lazy fella.

"But." WHY SHOULD HE?

Sigh.

"So stubborn."