Here for the holidays again on Crotalus Commons

Oliver Abbott

January 10, 2010 8:00 AM

Here for the holidays again by Oliver Abbott

Having received a rare letter from Julian, informing his siblings that he would be away skiiing with some friends during midterm, and that their parents hadn't hired any extra hands for the holiday because of the poor revenue last year, so they were working almost all hours and excessively grumpy inbetween, Charlie and Oliver had both taken his advice and decided to stay at school over the midterm holiday. Charlotte had been a little disappointed, because she'd been hoping to snag a last-minute chorus role in a ballet, as always, but Oliver had talked her out of it by reminding her that nobody would be able to drive her anywhere, and she should set her sights higher than the parts they hadn't been able to encourage anybody else to take.

Himself, Oliver didn't mind too much that he was staying at school. The weather here was nicer, he had his own room, anyway, and he could play Quidditch. Right now he wasn't playing Quidditch, but he was lounging in a quiet corner of the commons, reading a Quidditch magazine. Cirrus had a new broom out at the start of the year, and Oliver was fantasizing about owning it. His own broom was new and worked perfectly, of course, but Oliver was going to be the next Chaser for the Chimeras (an idle dream he had no intention of persuing) he would need a new broomstick for each new season. The extra cost would be nothing, as he would be a national star.

Turning the page, Oliver's daydreams faded with an article about how WAIL had disrupted a friendly between the Florida's Helipaths and Falcon teams because of the majority of players now being women. What a ridiculous - there just weren't even words. Women could play Quidditch just as well as men, and it blatantly had nothing to do with sexuality - look at Charlie. Oliver frowned; although his sister hadn't technically had a boyfirned in over a year, or so she'd said, which was practically a record, she seemed to have a reputation as the class flirt. That wasn't something he would like to encourage, being the protective older brother. At least she couldn't get into too much trouble over midterm - most students did tend to go home.

Turning the page again, Oliver was part-way through reading an article about new charms to prevent Snitch-tampering when he became aware of someone else's presence. "Oh, hello," he said, automatically readjusting his glasses. "You staying for midterm, too?"

0 Oliver Abbott Here for the holidays again 99 Oliver Abbott 1 5

Lutece Anthony

January 11, 2010 4:53 PM

But what's a holiday without your bffl? by Lutece Anthony

“Duh,” Lutece said, flipping over the back of the couch and landing partially on Oliver. She straightened herself after a moment. Her dress was, as usual, casual—pink babydoll tee with a heart on it that changed colours sort of like a mood ring and pre-ripped jeans—because it was Midterm and Lutece didn’t see the point in wearing boring old drapy robes anyway. The neckline of the t-shirt was appropriately daring for the sixteen-year-old, and it revealed a small blue-green gem set in gold, on a slim gold chain. Lutece thought it was very pretty; Liss had bought it for her as a sort of ‘sorry I never see you because our parents hate each other’ early Christmas gift.

“I mean, it’s not like I want to go spend the holiday with whatever Vulcan my dad’s dating now,” she added casually, propping one arm on the arm of the chair and examining Oliver with her blue-green eyes. “I’ve been thinking about bangs, though. Do you think I’d look good with bangs?” On that, Lutece was rather unsure. On the one hand, the bangs would ‘soften’ her look (according to Liss and Young Witch Magazine) but on the other hand bangs could be a daring move. The sixth year was kind of torn between the risk of changing and the boredom of staying the same.

Lutece had actually been reading Oliver’s magazine over his shoulder for the past two articles. She never ceased to marvel at the fact she had once been dumb enough to believe WAIL. Seriously, hadn’t she had a brain when she was twelve? Apparently it had been absorbed by all the teenie-bopper lipgloss she used to wear or something. Now of course, she wore adult lipgloss, and even lipstick sometimes. To be honest though, Lutece preferred the lipgloss. Today she was wearing Warm Vanilla Spice (her favourite flavour, and perfect for the winter) and she was quite happy with it.

“WAIL is so stupid,” she said idly, shaking her head and letting her light brown hair sway as she did. “I mean, seriously,” Lutece continued with a roll of her eyes. “It’s not like I’m a lesbian or something like that. There just aren’t that many cute guys—“ well, that earned Oliver a sidelong look before she went on. Not like Lutece had cherished a crush on him for like, her entire school career or anything. That would just be humiliating. And stuff. “Okay, cute, straight, single guys,” she amended her statement. “at Sonora. It’s a problem. We should import them or something.”

0 Lutece Anthony But what's a holiday without your bffl? 100 Lutece Anthony 0 5

Oliver

January 12, 2010 10:02 AM

Um... peaceful? by Oliver

But of course Lutece would be staying, too. Oliver didn't blame her; her family was crazy. No question. And of course she would want to interrupt his reading time and practically land on him as she came to sit near him. Tossing the magzine onto the floor - it was a lost cause trying to read now, and he'd covered most of the interesting bits anyway - Oliver turned his attention to Lutece as she moved the conversation swiftly from her dad's dating habits, to a potential new hair style.

"Um," Oliver replied, not sure where or not he was supposed to reply. His initial reaction was yeah, she'd look hot with bangs. Not that she didn't look pretty hot already. No, brain, no thoughts like that. But when did his brain ever listen these days?

WAIL is so stupid," Lutece said then, changing subjects so abruptly again that Oliver started to wonder if he'd been spacing out and missing large parts of conversation. Wait, what - had she been reading over his shoulder or something? How long exactly had she been there, anyway?

"Import them?" Oliver repeated, his expression slipping into a one-sided smirk that he usually wore when responding to Lutece: it vaguely translated as 'are you even from this planet? It doesn't matter; you're making me smile. Please carry on, but be aware I might make fun of you.' "We are a rare breed," he replied. Oliver readjusted his seat on the couch, curling his legs up beside him and tunring to face Lutece. "Cute, straight and single? Hm." Well Charlie didn't seem to be having any trouble finding enough of those to amuse her, but closer to Lutece's age group, Oliver had to admit she might be right. Not that he really thought of other boys as 'cute' of course, but he did notice some looked better than others. He wasn't oblivious.

Now Talen usually looked presentable, but Oliver had strong suspicions he didn't meet one of Lutece's other requirements. Jae ... well, sure, he was chatty, but probably not Lutce's type. In the year above, Oliver suspected the Santoro twins were pureblood and players, and he'd definitely have to step in if Lutece tried dating either of them - for her protection, of course. "What about Josiah?" Oliver asked, and he was maybe teasing her a little bit. Lutece's fellow prefect met all her requirements, as far as Oliver knew; he just also happened to flirt with anything that moved.

This wasn't quite how Oliver had planned to spend his day, but so far it wasn't working out too badly. As long as he could stop letting his eyes drift towards the neck-line of Lutece's top then everything would be fine.

0 Oliver Um... peaceful? 0 Oliver 0 5

Lutece

January 13, 2010 7:03 AM

Why have peace--you can have me! by Lutece

“You did not just say Josiah,” Lutece responded with a grimace, glaring at Oliver. Josiah Ashwell was the most well-known flirt in their year. In fact, he might have been the most well-known flirt in the three upper years combined—and that was kind of saying something, because she was counting both Santoro twins as one person. And she wasn’t going to lie, she did think José was kind of cute, but he was also a pureblood and he was also older, and he also probably didn’t know she existed. A few problems with that scenario. Even if Oliver insisted on dating stupid girls (read: girls not named Lutece Anthony), at least he knew she existed. “Let’s amend the list. Cute, straight, single, and not a creeper.”

Seriously, Josiah? He would probably make out with a hippogriff if it let him. Gross.

But really, there was a distinct dearth of boys in her year. It was rather depressing, because although Lutece was officially Sweet Sixteen, she had yet to be kissed. Not that she would ever let on to something like that. It was embarrassing, really. Almost as embarrassing as having a crush on the same guy for basically her entire life. It so wasn’t fair. Oliver was nice, and sweet, and cute, and he was dating that Hannah girl. Lutece wasn’t particularly opposed to any of her yearmates as people, but she Did Not Like the Teppenpaw on principle.

Fiddling with her necklace, she thought a moment. “Yeah, see, I’m out of ideas.” The brunette stuck her tongue out at Oliver. She enjoyed being right, even in something as depressing as this, because it was Oliver she was besting. Stupid boys and their good grades. “Our year stinks.”

0 Lutece Why have peace--you can have me! 0 Lutece 0 5

Oliver

January 15, 2010 4:48 AM

... is that an offer? by Oliver

"Let’s amend the list. Cute, straight, single, and not a creeper," Lutece ameneded. Yep, that would do it - totally cancel out just about every person Oliver had ever met, let alone just the small population that was the upper three years at Sonora.

"Picky, picky," Oliver replied with a grin, but he did sort of feel bad for Lutece. He'd not really considered how crap it would be to have to be stuck in a boarding school without a girlfriend. One very good reason Oliver didn't lament the lack of boys: if choice was plentiful, there's no way he'd score with someone like Hannah. She was so out of his league and Oliver was still amazed she liked him. Of course if there were more guys about, Oliver would probably have more friends than just some of the girls in his year and a couple of kids in the year below. If Brett hadn't left it might feel more normal, or if Lucas hadn't been so peculiar, or if Talen wasn't such a ... girl. Oliver liked his yearmate well enough, but there was only so much time he could spend with someone like that.

"Come here," Oliver patted the back of the sofa next to him, indicating Lutece should scoot over for a comforting hug. Oliver was firmly telling himself - like he would tell anyone who asked - that it was a brotherly-type of comfort being offered to a friend who needed cheering up. He was forcibly ignoring the fact that it would give him a very good view. "Where'd you get that necklace?" he asked, allowing the thought to distract him from where his mind ought ot to wander.

0 Oliver ... is that an offer? 0 Oliver 0 5

Lutece

January 17, 2010 11:00 AM

I would say 'limited time', but that would be a lie by Lutece

Of course, Lutece could have always dated a Muggle. The thought had always lurked in the back of her mind, but somehow the girl could never manage to get around to it. There were all sorts of problems dating Muggles, of course. For one, now that she was living in Baltimore with her dad, she didn’t know anybody. For another, all of her old friends had stopped talking to her after her third year or so. So now all that was even left of that opportunity was the creepy kid down the hall in her dad’s apartment building who looked about ten and watched her whenever she was around. Lutece wasn’t sure if she was upset that she had missed the figurative boat on dating a Muggle.

But then Oliver invited her over for a friendly hug and Lutece very willingly scooted over to lean into it. Oliver was rather warm and even though the commonroom wasn’t too chilly, Lutece appreciated the warmth. She grinned, rather pleased at how this was turning out. Pushing thoughts of a certain Teppenpaw out of her mind, Lutece instead decided to enjoy the moment. After all, they were just friends. Oliver had a girlfriend. That Lutece was not going to be thinking about.

“Oh,” Lutece blinked as her attention returned to the actual conversation at hand. “Uhm, Liss gave it to me,” she said, leaning her head against Oliver’s shoulder. “Sort of a ‘sorry I never see you because our parents hate each other’ present. She’s in college now, so I guess things are a little bit different than living with Mom,” Lutece’s mother and younger sister hadn’t really been in contact with Lutece and James since they had chosen to stay at Sonora and live with their dad. It bothered James a lot more than it did Lutece. After all, Grace was his twin and they had been close as anything until James had been sent his Sonora letter. It was kind of depressing, but whatever.

0 Lutece I would say 'limited time', but that would be a lie 0 Lutece 0 5

Oliver

January 20, 2010 10:30 AM

I'm flattered by Oliver

Oliver pretended to inspect the necklace Lutece was wearing as she leant her head back on his shoulder. It was nice, he thought, that they could get along these days. First year he wanted to msaim her; second year the feeling had only intensified. That they could now sit together and chat comfortably was definitely a bonus.

"It's nice that she thinks about you like that," Oliver said in reference to Lutece's older sister. True enough his own brother had been kind enough to tell him that he and Charlie should stay at Sonora because their parents were crazed, but he hadn't sent any gifts. Which he really should, becuase it was probably his fault their parents were mad anyway. "Julian's causing a fuss 'cause he didn't go to college," Oliver shared. "He was going to get a job then go traveling, but he got bored of the work then couldn't afford to travel." That was just Julian all over. Oliver used to look up to him so much - it was weird to think of that now. Julian wasn't much of an inspiration to anyone these days.

"So what are you doing after school?" Oliver asked. He hadn't meant to have a serious conversation, but it was Lutece's fault for bringing up college. "Going to study to be a Potions Mistress?" he teased her, poking her lightly in the ribs.

0 Oliver I'm flattered 0 Oliver 0 5

Lutece

January 20, 2010 11:37 AM

Flattered is as flattered does by Lutece

“Yeah,” Lutece agreed, not moving her head from its position on Oliver’s shoulder. She did appreciate Liss thinking of her. It was nice to know that she had a normal family member who didn’t completely hate her just because she could do magic. It was interesting to find out that Oliver’s older brother wasn’t going to college though. Lutece had been under the assumption that her friend’s entire family was as blindingly intelligent as he was. But even Liss was going to Towson, which beat not going to college at all. “I’m sorry about Julian though,” the sixth year said honestly, turning her head a bit to look up at Oliver with blue-green eyes. She knew how much Oliver had looked up to him, even when they were firsties and Oliver hated her for some dumb reason.

“Euegh,” the girl made a face at the mention of what she was going to be doing after school, then squeaked and squirmed away from Oliver’s poke. “Not nice!” Lutece gave Oliver a mock-glare, now sitting up on her own . She was and always had been spectacularly ticklish, which wasn’t usually a problem because James wasn’t the sort of brother to tickle her anyway. Of course, her dad had when she was younger, but that had mostly stopped.

Anyway, that was beside the point. What was she planning on doing with her life? Was she going to go to Sapienti, or go to a Muggle university? Lutece wasn’t entirely sure, but she got the feeling that she did want to stay in the magical world. After all, she had friends (well, she had Oliver and Talitha, anyway) and some of the stuff they learned was really cool. And no, she wouldn’t mind going into Potions. After all, all good cosmetics were from the wizarding world, and those were mostly based in Potions and Charms, right?

“That Potions thing is totally all your fault,” Lutece said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms and shooting another mock-glare Oliver’s direction. “I’m going to end up some batty old Potions mistress or something in some dungeon somewhere and have twenty cats and eat students and it’ll be all your fault.” And with that, she leaned forward to remove Oliver’s glasses, placing them on her own nose and pretending to examine him like a batty old librarian in movies. She thought she did the impression rather well, actually.

0 Lutece Flattered is as flattered does 0 Lutece 0 5

Oliver

January 24, 2010 6:39 AM

....huh? by Oliver

Tickling Lutece and making her squirm had been funny, but Oliver was sort of regretting it now it meant she wasn't leaning against him anymore. His shoulder felt cold without her head resting on it. Oliver shifted again on the sofa, swinging his legs back over the edge to feel more comfortable again, but still leaning back against its arm to face Lutece, who'd moved away to blame Oliver for her aptitude in potions.

He wouldn't deny it was his fault she'd paid attention in potions - at the start, anyway. He'd been adamant she should give it her best shot in their first few years, but after that it had been her call. He took no blame for her getting good CATs grades in the subject - that had nothing to do with him at all. So when she claimed to have nothing in her future but a love of cats and an acquired taste for human flesh, he felt he ought to defend himself against those charges.

"I don't deny you're going to be batty," he smiled at Lutece - or in her general direction, at least. He couldn't see well at all without his glasses, but she'd gone record time before taking them off him, so he decided to let it go just this once. "But I don't see how it's my fault."

He hesitated a moment, before adding, "Actually I don't see anything much right now." Neither could she, if she was looking through the lenses. Oliver couldn't be sure - he could tell that the specs were on Lutece's face but his vision was nowhere near could enough to determine how she was wearing them. It wasn't like he needed to see right now, so providing she wasn't going to run off with them, Oliver let Lutece keep hold of his glasses for now. She'd get bored soon enough and give them back.

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