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DaniDiNardo · #1 (**permalink**) 12-04-2018, 01:01 PM

Further down the fifth-floor corridor awaits a statue of a rather large bald man with several chins. If you know your potions or history well enough, you will be able to identify this medieval wizard as the inventor of Gregory's Unctuous Unction. Though a fine wizard, he is credited for worming his way into King Richard's confidence and making a fortune by administrating his BFF-in-a-vial to the former Muggle ruler.

While Gregory the Smarmy's story may be interesting to some, you might find what he is hiding to be more your scene. Looking closely behind the large man, you just might see a slight opening of a secret passageway. Few, however, have access to the passage and know exactly where it leads because not very many people know how to get the bulky statue to move aside. Trying all of the random passwords you know will result in failure and wasted time. Perhaps you need to take a leaf out of Gregory's book and find a way to excessively flatter him. Good luck.

Felixir · 01-28-2021, 04:15 AM

Gregory the Smarmy. What a guy. Far from a hero of Nem's, but someone they'd read about with a certain level of interest at one point in their life. He'd managed to con one of those old muggle kings, you know - Richard Lionheart, that's right... always spoiling for a fight - and naturally such a thing had grabbed their attention even all those years ago.

Nem had chosen this spot to do some extra studying. The library was pretty dull, and out in the corridors they could at least keep an ear out for anything significant, be it an actual display of student idiocy - again - or just whisperings of rumours. Multitasking.

With their legs stretched out in front of them, Nem sat on the floor of the corridor and... actually did no reading at all. The book they had with them was one of their own, which had survived the ransacking of the dormitories, and one they'd read enough times now that they didn't actually have to go through it all yet again. But it was nice to have on hand.

ArianaBlack · 01-28-2021, 09:37 PM

Stalling for time was something that Kinsays usually did best. Not that she tried to dilly dally on purpose. It just came to her naturally. In part, this meant she really did enjoy roaming around the castle whenever an opportunity presented itself. There was something new to discover each time and it was all very exciting. She was determined to find all the landmarks that her parents had described in their stories. There were a lot of those. Lots of stories too. Kizzy always asked for them. Unfortunately, however, her great exploration of Hogwarts had to come to an abrupt end at the start of this year.

With hooded henchmen around every corner, Kinsay quickly learned that she'd much rather explore the safety of her own common room instead. It wasn't all that easy though. There were still lessons to attend, meals to eat, and friends to see... But anytime she wasn't doing one of these things, she was zooming from place to place as fast as her long legs could manage. It was the opposite of stalling.

Take right now, for instance. If she were to walk any faster, she'd be running. And Kizzy did think about running sometimes, but she also thought that it might draw too much attention and seeing as attention was not what she wanted, she refrained. No running. Just walking. Very, very fast walking. Until she wasn't even doing that anymore. Because.

Kizzy came to an abrupt stop just in front of the Slytherin's outstretched legs to SQUINT in proper disapproval. This was a safety hazard. And she was just about to say as much before she realized who the legs belonged. !!! Nem !!! As such, all disapproval quickly dropped from her features. "Hi," she managed bashfully, feeling a little embarrassed for whatever reason. Hi. Had she said that yet? Because. Hi. She wanted to ask why he was reading in the middle of the corridor, but um. She couldn't. For whatever reason. Hi.

Felixir · 01-29-2021, 01:27 AM

For the last few minutes, Nem had taken to eyeing Gregory the Smarmy, directly across from them but a little to the left. The book stayed open on their lap, their finger ostensibly marking a place on the page, but otherwise they stared up at the statue, avoiding the chins and focusing on the eyes.

Did he really look so smarmy, as in, back when he was alive? Or had the sculptor taken creative license in order to make him look as suspicious as possible? Seemed counterproductive if so, like they were trying to teach kids that they would be able to see who was untrustworthy on sight. If Gregory was so cunning, would he have really allowed his appearance to be such a giveaway? Were people - muggles - just especially lacking in the brains department back then?

As an aside, as much as Nem found competence and villainy grounds for attraction, it was still nothing without a certain amount of aesthetic appeal. For example, R-

They broke off the thought as someone approached, and looked up to see the limpet they'd interacted with in the Big Man's first lesson of the term. A James. "Hi," Nem said back to her, and gave her a small but friendly smile, making a mental note of her demeanour. "Kinsay James."

ArianaBlack · 01-29-2021, 05:55 PM

Did Kinsay have places to be and people to see? Maybe. Did that stop her from sitting down in the middle of the corridor just beside Nemesis Upstead? No, no it did not. All concerns of horrible hooded figures were long gone (or rather, no longer at the forefront of her mind). Nemesis would protect her if they came. She was sure of it.

Either way, the second year wiggled a little bit, adjusting her posture and moving so that she had her legs folded beneath her bum. Hi. She didn't even know what she wanted to say to Nem. She just knew that she wanted to be their friend. AND. Nem knew her name, which made Kinsay feel all the MORE bashful and embarrassed. "What are you reading?" She finally asked, plaiting a small section of her hair just so that she had something to do with her hands.

Kizzy didn't have problems with personal space, so she inched her head close to try to see the book for herself. She didn't recognize it though. Maybe Nemesis could tell her about it? Story time?

^__________^

Hi.

Felixir · 02-01-2021, 05:08 AM

James the Third could sit. That was fine. Nem wouldn't even particularly care if she reverted back to her limpet ways, it was really neither here nor there. Would she have any valuable intel? Unlikely, but hard to say for sure, and unwise to dismiss her. Not to mention her older siblings. At the very least, Nem wanted to keep the sister on side - Gryffindor upperclassmen seemed the most likely to get stuck in - but both would be beneficial. They'd get nowhere if they upset this little one.

Anyway, it was sort of amusing to have a shadow. Sometimes. If Nem were the type to keep minions, James the Third might have been a great candidate. But that was not their style.

They held up the book to show her the cover: Mind Over Magic. "It's a bit of a misnomer. About the impact of the mind on magic - thoughts, feelings, intent, that sort of thing - but also about magic on the mind." Nem had taken if from Jake's office way back at the start of summer, and just opted not to return it. The jury was still out on whether it would be at all useful to them at Hogwarts, but it was the most interesting they'd read recently, bar the occasional psychology research paper they'd been able to get their hands on. That wasn't the kind of thing they carried around school with them, however. "Not very cool, doing extra study in my spare time, I know."

ArianaBlack · 02-01-2021, 06:00 AM

Kinsay wiggled some more, trying to inch her way even closer. Not for any particular reason other than she just wanted to. Nem was so nice. Nice people had a gravitational pull about them. It was facts and among the long list of things that Kinsay Cassandra James just knew in her heart of hearts. She watched with starry eyes as Nem lifted the book even tilting her head slightly to read the cover. "Mind Over Magic," she read the title out loud. Maybe just to let them know that she was a fast reader or maybe because she felt a little antsy and wanted something more to say. Kinsays didn't usually talk so much. Definitely not with older people. Nemesis didn't make her feel uncomfortable though. Just a little nervous, but Kizzy was trying to ignore that feeling (harder than it looks).

"Oh," the gryffindor nodded very knowingly (despite not entirely understanding what any of this meant). She was good at pretending though. Maybe. She just didn't want to look silly. "Did you know hazel wands reflect their owner's feelings? And it affects the magic? Does your book talk about that?" Kizzy chose not to say that she only knew this because her wand was hazel. It sounded much more impressive without the context. It was also really the only thing she could think to connect to the topic and she wanted to flex her knowledge a little bit. Just so that Nemesis would know that she's smart, even though she's younger. These things were important.

Kinz was going to ask another question, but she didn't know what it was yet. Fortunately, Nem saved her from having to make something up on the spot. Huh? Not very cool? Kizzy shook her head very adamantly. "I think it's super cool," she replied in what she thought was her most reassuring tone because she didn't want Nem to think he was uncool. "Smart," she added as an afterthought. "Is that how you're so good at magic?" She remembered from class. Nemesis did all the spells perfectly. Kizzy was even sure Nem did nonverbals. And nonverbals are the hardest kind of magic. Kizzy knew.

Felixir · 02-08-2021, 04:45 AM

This one was a fidget, but Nem showed no sign of irritation over it. They lowered the book again once James the Third had read the title, and let it settle in their lap, full attention on the second year.

"I think I've heard something along those lines," Nem said, giving a little nod. Actually, they'd definitely heard maybe every established thing along those lines. Incessantly. "Not from this book, though. My little brother, he was obsessed with wandlore for a while, talked a lot about it. You end up absorbing information without really intending to." They didn't bother suggesting that maybe James knew the brother in question, despite the fact that they were around the same age. Ez did not exactly have a wide social circle, though Nem knew he kicked around with this one's other half from time to time. Cambridge. "That's impressive, though, that you know something so niche. Most people aren't up on that kind of stuff."

Yes, yes. Very impressive. Drink it up, kid.

Nem's lips twitched into another smile, which momentarily widened into a grin. "Thank you," they replied, with utmost and oh-so-genuine politeness. They thought about a false modesty claim, but discounted it almost immediately. The kid knew they could do magic well. "I suppose so. I get very bored very quickly, so I've been dealing with that by pushing myself. It just works out well that it also means I end up staying on top of school work."

No need to get into how things went when that ceased to do the trick.

ArianaBlack · 02-10-2021, 05:59 AM

The attention made her wiggle a little more. Just because. No particular reason. Maybe. She was still a little nervous, but only the normal amount!

At the mention of Nem's little brother, Kinsay held her head a little bit higher. "Ezra?" It wasn't actually a question. She knew Ezra must be the brother Nem was talking about. Emm had mentioned him before and Kinsay wanted to flex her knowledge again just so that Nem knew she paid attention to these things. It was important for reasons. "You really think so?" The praise made Kinz all the more bashful. She could even feel her face heating up a little bit. "I like learning about all sorts of things." If Nemesis thought it to be impressive then that really meant something. He was one of the most impressive people Kinsay had ever met (in her whole twelve years of life).

Also? That smile?

It was a nice one.

She felt a little proud knowing that something she said could make him smile like that and she hoped she could say even more things to make it happen again. Though Kiz didn't know when this became a goal of hers, it was officially a goal now. "Wow," consider Kinsay James dazzled. "Does it help make the boredom go away?" If not, Kinsay would be glad to offer her services. She knew lots of fun games.

Felixir · 02-22-2021, 02:24 AM

If Nem didn't know any better, they might have thought that this fidgeting was a Gryffindor trait, given how many they knew who simply could not keep still. But they did know better. In fact, they knew best, about ~~a lot of things~~ everything, and were aware that while there was a lot of overlap, it was not a trait confined to that particular house. Not to mention, some Gryffindors were almost calm, or manifested that restlessness in other ways, if it was even there to manifest in the first place. Nem had a cousin who'd been a Gryffindor, and was one of those quiet, solitary, angsty types; the only fidgeting he did was in constantly making those stupid little doodles. Those aside, he was relatively tolerable. On occasion.

Anyway. Speaking of relatives. "That's the one." So Limpet knew him, or at least knew of him, and Nem was inclined to think the latter. Ez did not have friends that Nem didn't know about. They nodded in agreement to that next question, and smiled again. "We have that in common, it seems."

They thumbed the pages of the book while they spoke to Limpet, keeping the book mostly closed so the corners flipped with a soft rrLrrLrrLrrLrr sound. "Sometimes. Depends on the day. Do you get bored very often?" Genuinely curious, as it happened.

ArianaBlack · 02-22-2021, 10:44 PM

Nem probably did know best. He was smart and smart people usually knew best about things - Teddy sure did. That's why Kinsay wanted to learn everything she could. So that she could know best too. It was still a work in progress, but she already knew plenty. Except for when it came to magic. She was still lagging behind in that department. That wasn't her fault though. Last year was rough. This year was even rougher. But maybe if she asked Nem real nicely, he'd be willing to help her with magic sometime.

She pocketed the thought for now, tilted her weight from side to side and smiling her best smile. She nodded silently, elated that Nem thought they had things in common. That stuffs important. Also! "Can I ask you something?"

The sound he made with the book pulled Kizzy's attention for only a few seconds and she looked over just because she was curious. "Um, sometimes," she shrugged, feeling a little bashful. "But I'm really good at making games. Even when I'm by myself." It helped when Teddy and Fifi were away at Hogwarts and she was still back at home. Sleepovers with Emm helped too, but sometimes Emm was busy and Kizzy had to find alternative means of creating fun.

Felixir · 03-04-2021, 01:55 AM

"Yes, of course," Nem replied, thumbing the edges of the pages once again, idly wondering what this second year could possibly want to know. She'd asked plenty of questions in this short interaction already - Nem was aware that Limpet was big on asking questions, based on the last year-and-a-bit - and yet only now fell into that strange habit so many people had: leading into certain questions by requesting permission to ask them. Nem had caught onto this widespread phenomenon relatively early in life, and steadily worked it into their own style of conversation. They knew, in theory, why people did it, but they'd never found much sense in it.

Nem twitched their lips into a little half smile then. "Sometimes those are the best kind." They were almost certainly talking about different things here, but that was fine. Limpet didn't need to hear it.

ArianaBlack · 03-05-2021, 04:52 AM

Only special questions required permission. Kinsay James was nothing if not incessantly polite, of course. And... This question was a little embarrassing. That's what set it apart from the others. She wasn't planning on asking it yet either, she really wasn't. Except, she hadn't ever been any good at practicing patience and there weren't a lot of chances to talk to Nemesis. Only in classes sometimes. But that was rare. And. She wanted something else to talk to him about.

Plus he was a good person to ask because he always listened. She could tell.

Kiz wiggled a little bit, tugging her hair over her face in a bashful sort of way. He made her a little nervous for some reason, did he know? "Could you maybe..." She could feel the heat rising to her face. "Teach me some spells sometime?" Immediately after asking she felt a whole rush of regret. Did this make her look silly? Oh no.

Even his small smile didn't put her at ease. Even though it was a nice one. Did she say that already?

Felixir · 03-15-2021, 06:34 PM

"Oh," Nem replied, shrugging, and smiling properly. 'Properly'. "Sure I could. Anything in particular you wanted to learn? If I know it, I'll teach you." They remembered, from that Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, Limpet's reaction to their helpful spell-casting advice. It was like she'd never been able to cast magic before that moment, though Nem knew that wasn't true. "Were you thinking a one-off, or something more... regular?"

Merlin knew, if Nem was so inclined, they could rake in some galleons from a few tutoring jobs, but they held off from even suggesting any kind of payment right now. Sometimes the only reward was helping one's fellow students.

Out of the goodness of their heart.

:)

ArianaBlack · 03-16-2021, 04:37 AM

Kizzy was still worried. Just a little bit. Even when Nem smiled proper. It was such a nice smile. asdfasdf. Did he know? Maybe she'd tell him sometime, but not right now because she couldn't do that. It'd be weird. Maybe. And she also didn't want to because.

Because was usually a good enough reason not to do the thing you didn't want to do.

Her whole face went on a journey when he replied though. An entire journey. One that started with "Really?!?" before shifting to a big smile, and then finally settling somewhere in between. "Um. Well. Sometimes I have trouble even with the simple stuff." Wait!!! NOT BECAUSE SHE WAS STUPID. Feeling the immediate need to clarify, she quickly added, "My wand doesn't like to listen." It was the wands fault, obviously. They were still going through a bit of a rough patch, Kizzy and her wand. Even with her over-the-summer come to Circe moment with Victor, the nice wandmaker, it was still an uphill battle. Kinsay hadn't yet forgiven her wand for being so temperamental and her wand clearly had not forgiven her for the mean words she said about it. (Victor said wands could pick up on these things. It's the worst.)

"I know you're busy," she actually didn't know this, but she assumed. Nemesis probably had way more important things to do. "So I don't want to take too much of your time." Actually, this wasn't the all-the-way truth, but she didn't want him to think she was greedy (so it wasn't lying either) (technically).

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