Declan loved Charms. There was a kind of understated difficulty to them. There was intricacy, and awe in certain Charms. Sure, Declan was aware of the appeal of the more flashy kind of Charms. All that bang and sparks was eye catching but he liked the unassuming sort, like the kind he was trying to perfect at the moment. With the portals, the missing students, the curfew, the danger of his siblings disappearing. It all reminded him of something he had read on Hogwarts, A History.

A Caterwauling spell had been used on Hogsmeade to detect any movement outside its perimeter. Declan wanted to create that same effect on a smaller scale. In theory, it seemed easy. Execution wasn't so much.

He heaved a sigh after his third failed attempt. He had heard of the saying third time's the charm and this was definitely NOT the charm. He rubbed his forehead with his hand roughly and groaned before deciding to take a tiny break. Maybe if he had a snack he would figure out what he was doing wrong.

Declan reached for a large sized cookie and bit down on it.

"I should have asked Levi for help."

If you had asked Rooney a few months ago, then he would have been completely in favour of his magical talents being able to woo another wand as greatly as his last one. Snapping that one had been a a big, if not the biggest mistake of his life. So any free time he had was spent trying to get on a friendly basis with his new wand. He had five and a half years of history with the old and mere days with the one currently in his holster. He usually found the Charms practice room perpetually empty and Charms were one of the strongest forms of magic Rooney was capable at and so he was sure he'd feel more comfortable there.

Alone.

... Or not alone.

As he closed the door behind him, he spotted one of his year mates and moved quietly to a book shelf. He would just find help in a textbook instead of a practical method. If that had been easy enough for him since February, then it would be easiest for him now. Right? "Never ask someone else for help with your magic. They'll either be better or worse than you. Much more rewarding to manage it by yourself." Still just looking at these textbooks.

Declan looked over at the sound of a familiar voice. He might have cursed inwardly. Something had to be done about his shoddy memory. For now, he would have to continue as he always did--pretending he knew names and faces all along. "Is that the Ravenclaw way of studying?" he asked with a small smile.

Really? So what did he make of classes? Did he find Professors' a hindrance to his satisfaction?

"Anyway, sometimes I think getting someone else's input on a problem can be refreshing. They might be able to see the puzzle better from where they're standing," he explained. "You know, like sometimes you're standing too close to see the outer laying areas?"

Once engaged in conversation, Rooney found that he had to turn and look at whom it was he was talking to. Textbook in hand, he shrugged. "More so mine than that of an entire house." He hated to think of anything as actually being uniform for members of a house. Stereotypes bugged him and often, the Bronwyn boy would call people out on them. However, this whole...conversation thing was hard on him right now and he chose to look down at the book in his hands as opposed to seeking and maintaining eye contact.

That was effort that he didn't have right now.

"Sharing the credit, though. Much more in it to do it yourself." Or was it perhaps that the only person he had ever wanted to share credit with before now...was not a part of his life? Ugh more effort.

"Ahh," Declan said suddenly feeling enlightened. He was a lone-wolf kind of guy. He was suddenly reminded of his sister, Althea, except his sister wasn't so shy about eye contact. Was that shyness at all or did he simply have something to hide? Declan cleared his throat and moved towards the books he had pulled out earlier, deciding he might as well go over the theory part of the charm he wanted to execute just one more time.

"I guess, if that's what you're after," Declan agreed. He leaned his backside on the table, preferring to stand rather than to sit entirely as he frowned down at the book. "Some kind of legacy." His family was his legacy but he didn't think everyone agreed with that. "For my part, I just think it's fun to see what you can create with other people. Everyone has their own specialty. For example, my brother Levi, is very good at healing."

He dreaded to ask the question but it was nagging him and it felt like it was a huge naked pink Elephant in the corner of the room, waving noisily some maracas at him. Declan sighed.

"Are you alright?"

"I think my legacy will live on stage instead of anything educational." Because that was the goal, wasn't it? To have such stage presence that he was remembered forever. He could retire whenever he felt like and survive solely on peoples memories of him. "Developing talents in all fields is something all of us should aspire to, I think." What if you had one specialty and that didn't work out? What were you to do then? Wilt? Die? Get snatched by a portal and pee yourself before throwing up over the Head Girl? The more the merrier.

"Each to their own." He shrugged. "People only ever know about one person, though. Strive to be that person." Not the background team that got no recognition.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand there it was.

Finally, the sixth year looked up from the book in his hands and raised an eyebrow. "I'm reading. Is there something on my face? A fire behind me?"

What? "What?" Declan repeated. His legacy was going to live on stage? He looked up from his book to raise a quizzical brow at the Ravenclaw. That was the most un-Ravenclaw thing he had ever heard. Guess they really broke the mold with the one guy before him. Then he said something a little more Ravenclaw like. Declan chuckled. "Yeah, true. Although if you focus on trying to do too much you end up being slightly above average in a lot of things and not a master of anything."

Declan was not a master of anything, and he was a dabbler in a lot of things. He probably thought he should focus on one thing and was sounding very hypocritical for saying what he did.

"But I get what you're saying. I kind of agree." Mostly, he was just greedy. He wanted to know about everything and be able to do most everything except people had their limits.

"Why?" Declan asked again, seriously confused. This time he shut the book he was holding closed. "I don't crave attention that badly. I like my life low-key, thanks. It's bad enough I attract attention as it is." Seriously, if he could stop having weird dreams and hearing whispering he would be the happiest boy at Hogwarts; normal and maybe slightly mediocre like a lot of the students.

"No fire, and I guess that must be how your normally look," Declan with a shrug of his shoulders. Who was he to judge? "I was just wondering if something made you sound this bitter and depressed or are you just like that on the regular."

"What?" What was the kid 'what'ting? Goodness gracious, other people were infuriating when you didn't spend much time with them anymore. Rooney was wanting to take this textbook and go, but knew that involved a visit to Professor Marchand to get permission to take the book back to his dorm and that was everything he did not want to be doing right now. He'd just came here to practice and to be alone and away from Ravenclaw tower. 1. He wasn't alone. 2. He now wanted to be back in Ravenclaw tower.

Roo did however scoff at the comment about being average in a lot of things. "I don't do average." It wasn't a lie. Rooney could sing, act, was working on his dancing and he was a whizz at pretty much all of his classes. But that was because he was dedicated. He had a timetable. He had a schedule. And holy heckle did he stick to it and work his backside off. Free time was something that Roo had very little of. All in all...average, he was not.

Face straight, the sixth year pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. "I think the kid that was missing for five days and stuck in the hospital wing for three attracts much more attention." You know...if they were having a little competition about attention and all. But apparently the other boy didn't enjoy the attention, so he wouldn't want to be taking the bulk that Rooney was now subjected to on the daily.

"Yeah, I was a stroppy kid and the wind changed. Mum always said I'd be stuck that way." Kidding. Could he tell?

Declan wasn't asking. He watched the other boy and just shrugged as a response. I don't do average. Okay? He chuckled, finding himself strangely amused by the confident person taking up space in the room. "Okay," he replied with a lopsided grin. "You win this round of the pity Olympics."

Kidding or not, Declan thought his statement had some truth to it.

"Well, I think you'll be alright," Declan said from where he sat with his book. He smiled broadly. "You seem to love yourself just fine even stuck like that."

??????

Love himself? Rooney laughed. "I'm just sure of my career path in the future. If I loved myself, I doubt I would be putting off every role I'm offered to complete my education." That was a lie, of course. He'd considered taking the latest one, but it was his mother who insisted that he reconsider finishing out his seventh year. Mothers.