Hogwarts: Staircase, early evening

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

If anyone's walking around the castle in the early evening, they might come across Rhys, sitting in a lovely squishy armchair on a staircase landing and sipping a cup of tea. There's an empty portrait frame next to him- if you're fast, you might notice a flurry of movement across the other paintings nearby. The girl in the picture's shy, you see.

And you've interrupted their chat. How rude.

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[reincarnshaman.livejournal.com]

Veena jumps onto Rhys' shoulder and darts after the flurry of movement, swatting at the paintings as they go by, her tail up in the air as she does so. The poor cat hasn't figured out that she can't get into the paintings just yet.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

Rhys raises an eyebrow as the cat uses his shoulder as a launchpad. "Kitten, that really won't work very well."

[reincarnshaman.livejournal.com]

"I've been telling her that for years, but she nae listens to me," Trever says, coming down the stairs his heavy mud caked boots making solid thumping noises. He's dressed in worn muggle clothing looking more like he's ready to go work in a barn than school.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"That's probably because she's a cat." Resigned to being interrupted, Rhys leans back and takes a sip of his tea. "But she's causing a wee bit of consternation among those paintings there."

[reincarnshaman.livejournal.com]

Watching Veena jump up and down, pace, spin and swat at the paintings, Trever can't help but smile.

"Oh aye, aye, that she be doing. Sometimes they tease her back, so it only be right."

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"I think the paintings around here are a little well-behaved to deserve that teasing." This part of the castle is rather old, the witches and wizards in the portraits all in medieval dress- what you can see from where they're cowering from the dread beast, anyway.

[reincarnshaman.livejournal.com]

Trever leans on a railing and looks out. "Yes, but she is, as pointed out, a cat and wouldn't let that stop her. I'm sure she'll get bored in a moment and try to drink your tea," he says.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"I am suddenly reminded why I hate cats," he observes dryly. "They think they own the world and act on that assumption, rather than behaving like any reasonable being would."

[reincarnshaman.livejournal.com]

"I think she's got some kneazle in her," Trever offers helpfully.

Veena has gotten bored with the paintings and is now wandering back over to see what her human has gotten up to.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"That's even worse." Rhys snorts, eyeing the cat with disfavour. If she tries to get at his tea, there will be trouble.

Or he'll Transfigure her into a spoon-rest.

[reincarnshaman.livejournal.com]

Trever wouldn't take to kindly to his cat being transfigured into a spoon-rest. For her part, she arches her back and rubs against Rhys' legs before flopping hard at his feet.

"I think she's got some bit else in her too. She's an odd one." There's a shrug. "I've never known her to be much of a talker." He means the painting now. Or at least the person who was in the painting.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"She's not, but we were acquainted when I was at school. Since I've been gone so long, I thought it only polite to come back and visit." He ignores the cat at his feet, waving his wand to conjure up a plate of fruit tarts and nibble one. "I hope your hell-beast didn't frighten her much."

[reincarnshaman.livejournal.com]

He eyeballs the tarts and ponders taking one, but decides against it. He's not his brother, who filches.

"Kale said you were charming, I guess you must be to get l'Violet to speak with you." He ignores the hell-beast comment.

The indicated hell-beast ignores both of them content to groom herself meticulously.

[will_scarlett]

Will's returning from the library before dinner as he's got a paper to write that's not going well.

He smiles when he sees Professor Owen, as someone who spends a lot of time in the Muggle world, he appreciates the way Rhys teaches, "You've found a nice place to sit, professor."

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"I get to meet all the interesting people as they wander about," Rhys answered, nodding politely to Will. "And how are you doing on this fine evening?"

[will_scarlett]

"I'm trying to get a good start on an essay and I think its going to defeat me,"

Will's a good student but does better in practical lessons. Essays have a way of making him feel rather stupid.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"Sit. Have a cake." Rhys waves his wand and another squishy armchair pops into existence across from him, and he holds out the plate of cakes that was sitting next to his right elbow. "What's your trouble?"

[will_scarlett]

"Its for Transfiguration and explaining the theory behind inanimate to animate transformations. I know how to do it but whenever I start trying to write about it, I sound like I don't,"

The seat appearing makes Will smile and he sits down and grabs a cake as he carefully sets his pile of books down.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"It would be so much easier if someone would create a quill that would write our thoughts in the blazing glorious way that they appear in our minds, wouldn't it?" Rhys selects his own cake and leans back in his chair, thinking.

[will_scarlett]

"I'm not even sure if that would help. Sometimes it seems like I can almost describe what I need to but then I think about it and I don't,"

Even though he's not failed any classes, Will still doesn't consider himself a strong student. He knows how to do things but he feels far more confident when he's doing than writing. Its one reason that while he enjoys Hogwarts, he's not always sure he belongs.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"I've had that problem before. It took me a long time to figure out how to write things so I got decent marks on essays." Of course, when he was at Hogwarts, all essays were in Latin, which made life even more interesting. He taps his fingers together thoughtfully, pondering the problem at hand. "How have you been trying to write this essay? Just straight through or have you been brainstorming and outlining and such?"

[will_scarlett]

"I'm trying an outline. They don't always work for me but as there are different parts of the spell, it seems like that might make more sense,"

He's constantly trying various things because some things works better than others depending on the topic.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"Try a brainstorm? Write down everything you can think of to do with the spell. It can help get your brain working."

Poor Will. Writing essays is No Fun, and Rhys sympathizes.

[will_scarlett]

"I will. I want to do well on this one because Transfiguration does make sense to me,"

Will likes Professor Owens, he seems to know so much and understand how complex the spaces between the Muggle and Wizarding worlds can be to live in.

[fortunatestory.livejournal.com]

"Transfiguration is by and large one of the more logical branches of magic, in my opinion. It seems to be more consistent than Charms."

Rhys has spent a long time wandering between both of them and watching them develop, watching the gap between them widen. It's a strange place to be.