1995-03-26: Investing In Excitement

Participants:

Antigone_icon.gif Jackson_icon.gif Kelti_icon.gif

Scene Title Investing in Excitement
Synopsis Dinnertime at the Hufflepuff table.
Location Hogwarts - Great Hall
Date March 26, 1995
Logger Jax

[HGW] - Great Hall

Full of aureate light and gilded gleam, the Great Hall of Hogwarts is both strange and splendid. Thousands and thousands of white taper candles float in midair, their inextinguishable flames casting dancing light down over four long tables, laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. Were one to stand at the door looking in, members of Slytherin house would be seated at the far left, followed by Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and then Ravenclaw along the right wall. At the top of the hall is another long table for the teachers, perpendicular to the House tables. Set along the wall beside the head table, an unobtrusive doorway leads to a much smaller room. The appearance of the ceiling above varies with the weather and time of day, as it has been bewitched to look like the sky outside. Most would agree that the effect is startlingly realistic, making the Great Hall seem to simple open on to the heavens.

Evening-time at Hogwarts means dinner — and /Sunday/ evening means dinner while a lot of students hurry to catch up on all the homework they've neglected doing all weekend. Jax is one such student, the tiny Hufflepuff firstie sitting at his House table holding his quill in his left hand and his fork in his right. He frowns at his parchment, a half-written essay for his History of Magic class penned on it, the textbook open beside his plate. The homework doesn't hold his attention long, though. Dinner is much more exciting, and so he turns from the parchment to his plate, munching on the vegetable pot pie he has in front of him.

Antigone, no doubt, also has homework she should be doing, but she isn't even going to pretend she's capable of focussing on it during dinner. She's hit or miss in her focus in a silent, locked room, so a hall full of people and interesting conversation, well, that's right out. And despite the pile waiting for her back in the dorms, she seems in no hurry to get through her meal and dash away. Reaching for some potatoes, she nearly knocks over her goblet of pumpkin juice with the trailing sleeve of her robes, catching it just in time; good thing it'd been half empty, or Jackson might be out one half-finished essay. "Woah! Close call there. Sorry about that," she apologizes, wide eyed and grimacing with contrition. Much more carefully, she draws her arm back.

Coming late into the Great Hall yet another Hufflepuff makes her way to the long table. Kelti stifles a yawn with one hand and carries a book with various papers stuffed inside in her other. Quite literally flopping into a seat the older student ends up across from a homework doing first year and herself proceeds to pull a quill, miraculously unbroken, from her pocket to look at her own homework. The food quickly catches her attention now and she pours herself a big cup of pumpkin juice and starts to grab food, her book and papers pushed aside.

Jax grins brightly at Antigone, clearly grateful for a distraction from his work. His hand waves to indicate that her apology is unnecessary. "Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure this essay's complete rubbish anyway. I can't for the life of me remember a /thing/ Professor Binn said on Friday." He puts his parchment away in between the pages of the heavy textbook, reaching for the pitcher of pumpkin juice instead once Kelti is done with it and flashing a bright smile at her, too. "The pie's delicious," he informs Kelti, "/way/ more delicious, I bet, than all those papers you've got."

"Well, yeah. It's hard to really listen when you've been lulled to sleep," Antigone points out with an easy grin, moving her goblet out of the way before she reaches for the potatoes again, whether or not he'd miss his essay if it were pumpkin-juiced. "History of Magic, though. That's brutal on a Sunday," she sympathizes, wrinkling her nose a bit, before looking over as the older girl joins them. "Gosh, they sure are piling it on these days, aren't they," she remarks, upon seeing more work appearing at the table. "Though guess that means the end is in sight, at least. Darkest before the dawn and all that rot."

Looking up towards the first year boy Kelti raises an eyebrow, "someone made you eat papers lately?" She asks in a rather serious tone, though a wink is added to show her jest. Stretching out her back as she straightens from the hunch position she was in to work Kelti nods towards Antigone, "Yeah just a little bit more then summer's here again. They're going to work us all hard until exams." She looks over at Jax's paper, "I always fall into a lull when I'm in Binn's class. Best bet it to just read the book, I always had to for essays."

"Oh, yeah," Jax replies cheerfully to Kelti, "I mean, you never /know/ what crazy things are gonna happen in Professor Moldavia's class! Paper-eating would be the /least/ weird thing to happen recently." He takes a gulp of his pumpkin juice, legs swinging beneath his seat. "S'my own fault," he adds, looking back at Antigone, "I saved the worst for last 'stead'a getting it through and done with. — Anyway, they work /you/ guys hardest, what with your O.W.L.s. M'glad I don't hafta worry about /that/."

Antigone sighs and makes a face, though her mood doesn't dip for more than a moment, just long enough for her to moan, "Ugh. OWLs. Don't remind me." She gives her head a little shake, rolling her eyes, and then smiling wryly. "At least I'll be through them soon enough, for better or for worse. Probably for worse, but being done is the important bit, if you ask me." She serves herself up some potatoes before setting the chafing dish back down. "And yeah, it's hard sometimes, not leaving the worst for the last. There's so much better stuff to be doing."

Kelti swollows her food and nods towards the 5th year, "Oh once they're done it's like some crazy weight lifts right off you, it'll be the best summer of your life. Well until your parents start in about your future." She shakes her head and grumbles, "Mine started right away." Poking the Pie she grabs upon suggestion with a fork, she finally cuts off a forkful and tries it. Making sure to swallow completely she smiles to Jax, "Good choice, they are delicious."

"There's totally better stuff to be doing — like right now I could be enjoying delicious dinner and talking to people!" Jax's nose crinkles as he grins widely. "— You know, just what I'm doing now. 'cept /without/ worrying about whether or not I'll get this done." He taps the handle of his fork against his textbook. "What /do/ your folks want you do to with your future? Mine haven't said anything in particular about my future, yet. I guess they're waiting a couple years."

"I just keep telling them I'll probably take on the family business. I don't know that I actually want to, but being the oldest and all… Anyway, it buys me some time," Antigone replies with a smile and a little shrug of her shoulders, not bothered by this open-ended fate. "You have an answer like that at all? It helps. But yeah, I'm looking so forward to this summer. I don't think I'll even try to think during it." Not that it would be especially hard for her, some unkind souls might suggest. "And yeah," she goes on, looking back to Jackson with a grin, "You've probably got some time. Enjoy it if you can."

Kelti shrugs and swallows the pie in her mouth, "Well I just keep saying I don't know. I try putting them off with suggestions that I'll join the ministry, but then they want me to pick a department to work towards. No clue at all." Kelti picks up the glass of pumpkin juice and downs half of it in a fell swoop, "At least this summer I'll be able to use magic and I plan on taking the apparition exam right away."

"Cool!" Jax chirps and then leans forward to confide, "Though apparition kinda scares me a little, I hear people lose body parts and stuff! Brooms seem much less likely to — uh. End up with half of me." He finishes the rest of his pie and leans back in his seat. "What's the family business?" he wonders of Antigone.

"Yeah, it's a bit scary, but that's why they make you take an exam in it," Antigone points out. "Still, I am rather fond of all of me," she goes on to agree with a grin, taking a sip of her drink. "Really, though, let me know how it is, yeah?" she asks of Kelti. "I think I'll be all right when the time comes, but sometimes if I get flustered…" Oh well, best not to worry about it. To Jax, she just gives a small shrug. "Investments." She doesn't sound horribly interested in it for someone who's going to take it on after graduation.

Kelti raises an eyebrow towards the other girl, "Investments? Well that just sounds um…fun-filled." She makes a face and nods her head, "Yeah I'll tell you all about it once I get to take it. I can't see it being to hard though, alot of wizards can do it. and you rarely hear of missing body part." she shrugs showing her apparent confidence in her own abilities.

"Well, good luck," Jax says to Kelti. "Hopefully you won't end up sploonching yoursef. I have the attention span of a ferret so I don't know about being able to concentrate enough to get where I'm going." He shrugs, gulping down some more of his juice. "Investments like banks? That sounds like — well," his nose wrinkles apologetically. "Not the most fun ever."

"Yeah, but I'll probably the one to remind everyone how horrible it can go," Antigone notes, though she's chuckling slightly as she says it, so perhaps her confidence isn't really that low. "Sounds like you're well set for it though. Good luck, yeah. As for the investments, they're … well, they're not really fun, no," she has to agree. "But the family's been doing it for generations, so, you know. Maybe I'll marry someone brill and they can handle all that boring stuff." She glances over at Jackson with a conspiratorial wink. "Not got much of an attention span either."

Kelti looks towards her books which have been set aside unattended, "Apparently my attention span has shrunk tonight." She giggles lightly and pulls the book over towards her again with an audible sigh, "But yeah I guess I'm ready, but I admit it does make me a little nervous." Towards the 5th year she smiles, "I like that plan, go find a nice Ravenclaw." She winks.

"Or you could find someone super exciting an' daring and marry /them/," Jax suggests cheerfully, "and forget all about investments and run off together instead to have grand adventures."

"Yeah, I guess being nervous is to be expected. Still, I'm sure you'll do grand. And then I'll be horribly jealous," Antigone teases with a grin, before glancing to Jackson and laughing outright. "Well, say, there's an idea too. Though I don't know if I could keep up to someone too exciting!"

Kelti chuckles at Jax's suggestions, "that would work too, though not as much parental approval with that plan." She admits and picking up her quill again taps it on the book, "Or just outright tell them you think investing is boring, though a lack of approval with that plan altogether."

Jax's lips purse thoughtfully. "You could take your parents on grand adventures /too/, to show them how much more exciting it is than investments so that they'll want to run off and have some of their own," he says eventually with a decisive nod. "Then they'll be sure to approve!"

"I'm not sure mum'd mind, so long as he was handsome," Antigone replies, after considering this a moment. "But dad'd be hurt if I called it boring. Bad enough he didn't have a son to take it on, you know? Not that he claims to mind." But she knows how these things work. To Jackson, she laughs again, shaking her head. "But then there'd be no one left to mind the business," she points out, as if this were a bad thing. "You two are just set on getting me in trouble, I think," she teases with a grin.

Kelti tries to put on an innocent face towards Antigone and smiles wistfully, "I would never /try/ and get you in trouble, never." She reiterates and opens the book to the page marks by a bright purple paper, "I get myself in enough trouble so no need to try and drag others into it."

Jax laughs and shakes his head. "Only if by getting in trouble you mean having boatloads of excitement!" He downs the last of his drink and starts collecting his things. "It's our duty as your housemates, y'know, to make sure your future includes /the maximum/ amount of fun possible." He grins playfully and adds, "— Trouble might just be an /occasional/ side-effect."

Antigone just laughs at them both, rolling her eyes good-naturedly at Jackson. "Oh, well, glad I've got someone watching out for me then," she replies, clearly finding this quite amusing indeed. "Though I daresay I'm good enough at getting myself into trouble! Not sure I need the help." Glancing to Kelti, she wrinkles her nose at the sight of work attempting to be done. "So what is it you're working on tonight, anyway?" she inquires curiously.

Raising her eyebrow again Kelti shakes her head at the young Hufflepuff boy, "You sure you're not trying to get her in trouble. You seem a little to enthusiastic about your plan." She gives his a wag of her finger before giving another wink. She glances back down at her work and tilts the book up so others can see it's an advance charms text, "I heard well be going over a few new charm tomorrow so figured I'd read up on them now. Just to keep one step ahead." She drones like a good little student.

"Cool!" Jax chirrups, leaning over to peer at the book. "S'always good to be prepared. I bet by /your/ year you're working on super amazing stuff! — Anyway, I'm enthusiastic about /everyth— well. Almost everything," he amends, eying his History of Magic text.

Antigone laughs again as Kelti playfully chides Jackson, equally amused by his response. "Nothing wrong with being enthusiastic. Just try not to get yourself into too much trouble, all right? So you want to have a future full of exciting deeds and daring-do?" Her gaze flickers back to Kelti's text and she nods a few times. "Yeah, that's very, uh, pro-active of you. At least it's Charms. That class is usually fun without being, you know, deadly."

Kelti nods her head, "I don't look to far ahead in my Defence text books, don't want to try anything that could cause a racket or someone to loss an eye." She jabs Jax history of Magic book with her quill, "Oh I'm sure there is lots in there to be enthusiastic about. You got talked about the goblin wars yet? I always found the witch burning to be interesting myself."

"Oh, the /material/ is fascinating," Jax agrees easily, "but the Professor has a real special talent for taking it and making it — less fun. Maybe it's some sorta magic he's perfected." At Antigone's last comment he laughs, head shaking. "Y'mean like Potions class lately? It — well, I haven't been tempted to fall asleep it it, that's something, at least, right?"

Antigone looks a bit skeptical that even the material for History of Magic could be described as fascinating, but she's really not a scholar. "You think he was always that bad, or did he get worse when he died?" she muses, her thoughts moving straight on to Binns instead of his yawn-worthy subject. She doesn't dwell on it too long, grinning instead at Jackson's comment. "Teaching through terror. Maybe it's a new technique they're trying," she suggests with a wry grin.

Antigone looks a bit skeptical that even the material for History of Magic could be described as fascinating, but she's really not a scholar. "You think he was always that bad, or did he get worse when he died?" she muses, her thoughts moving straight on to Binns instead of his yawn-worthy subject. She doesn't dwell on it too long, grinning instead at Jackson's comment. "Teaching through terror. Maybe it's a new technique they're trying," she suggests with a wry grin.

Kelti taps her chin with her quill free hand and considers Antigone's question, "I'm guessing he got worse when he died. Nothing seems to phase him now, don't even bother asking questions in some lectures." She shrugs, "Maybe we should have headless Nik or the Bloody Baron tell us their versions of the history of magic, they might be able to scare peeps into listening more."

"Probably just been around so long he got kinda — set in his ways." Jax shrugs. "Sir Nick's way too polite to be proper terrifying. Does the Baron even talk? If he did he could tooootally scare everyone into listening. After poisoning everyone an' having a not-really-murderer pretending to be her in class — well, I just wouldn't put terrifying-ghost-lessons past that teacher."

"Yeah, you're probably right. He doesn't really seem to need us there. I guess it's nice that it keeps him busy though," Antigone grants charitably, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "But yeah, I dunno that I'd want to take a class from the Baron! He doesn't even need to talk to be scary. He could just stand there and glare. Or, well, float there, I guess," she corrects.

Kelti chuckles, "He could float around the room pointing at your book. I know that would make me read faster." She starts to get up and slowly gathers her book and paper, "But yeah, I better get back to the dorms, I don't want to be caught with to many surprises tomorrow." She smiles politely and starts off out of the great room after picking up her glass and draining the rest of the pumpkin juice.

Jax wrinkles his nose. "Aw. Now she's going off to do work and making me feel all guilty about not doing mine." He flicks a glance towards his empty plate. "And I don't even have food to dawdle over anymore!" With a sigh, he picks up his book, hugging it to his chest. "I bet the Baron would be /exceptionally/ good at glaring," he adds as an afterthought. "Maybe I'll keep that image in mind an' it'll prod me to focus on this essay!"

Antigone offers a wave to Kelti as she heads off to do her work, and then returns her attention to the first year. "You guys are starting to make me feel guilty! Though not so guilty that I'm going to skip out on pudding," she says with a wry grin. "Good luck with your essay though. If I see the Baron, I'll send him along to glare," she teases.

Jax laughs brightly and curls his fingers in a wave. "That's mighty thoughtful of you. If you /really/ want to be even thoughtfuller you could eat /two/ servings of pudding cuz I skipped mine and need one in spirit." He grins, hugging his book tightly as he turns to scurry out.

"I'll see what I can do!" Antigone promises, calling after the lad with a laugh, and tossing off another wave. Now left to her own devices, she turns her attention to the spread, trying to decide what to sample tonight…


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