Nov. 8: I'm Standing By: Emmeline

[Arnie Peasegood]

▶︎ if you want to,

we could throw the game

lose the crowd and change our names

"I go around in circles, but always straight ahead. I never complain, no matter where I am led. What am I?"

"Criminy, it's too late for this. Just once, can you just once - "

"I go around in circles, but always straight ahead. I never complain, no matter where I am led. What am I?"

"...you win. A wheel. Let me in."

Arnie entered the Tower on soft and practiced feet, as one did in the middle of the night. Would be a waste to get caught not while out, but on return, wouldn't it? He and Benji could've figured out a way to sneak into the greenhouses during the day - they'd done it before, one of them distracting, one of them quick with a spade or shears - but he'd woken, restless, and gone for it. He had a pajama pocket full of squill bulbs to show for it, another addition to their growing stock of Felix Felicis ingredients. Most were hard to come by and would require breaking into Slughorn's stores, but thanks to the artificial environments of the greenhouses that did them favors from time to time, slowly but surely they'd gather everything they needed to give the potion a try.

A little time alone was helpful, honestly, even if it was found at an hour that was making his eyes hurt. The victory party a few nights back, he couldn't get it out of his head. Well - his time with Emmeline, more than anything else. Was he reading too much into it? Everyone had been there to have a good time. Yeah, so - so they'd flirted a bit, and danced, and she liked how he looked leaning on the railing. He talked himself in circles about it, and his friends were just as inexperienced in such matters as he was, and the worst thing that would happen if he asked her out would be a no. He could survive a no. It wasn't that big of a deal, it would mean that he was trying, and if he wanted to spend more time with her, which he did, he needed to make up his mind. Being caught staring during breakfast would be better if she said yes. Far worse if she said no, but better than this middling business...

Alright. It's happening. Gonna lose your window if you dally much longer.

A wide yawn stretched his jaw and he descended the stairs with fewer cares, not realizing until he was far too close to the base that he wasn't alone. The fire was low, but needed in the cool of the Tower, and Arnie suddenly wished he wasn't in muddy boots, a festive jumper, and last year's pajamas - the flannel much softer than this year's, but too short at the ankle. Nevertheless, he grinned at his luck. "Stayed up waiting for me? Nice of you, Vance."

[Emmeline Vance]

She wasn’t sure what time it was, other than some ungodly hour, as she finally rolled out of her comfy bed and pulled on a jumper over her shirt, finding her slippers as she moved quietly through her dorm. If Helena was awake - which she doubted, given that her best friend hadn’t struck up a conversation or commented on Emmeline’s spiral of thoughts - she didn’t move in her bed, and Emmeline was well-practiced on leaving her dorm at odd hours without waking roommates. This was how her life had always been, sleepless nights where her mind wandered, and eventually, she gave up on the idea of sleeping and went to the common room. Which was where she was headed now, yesterday’s Prophet tucked neatly into the pages of the latest book on Astrology she had found. If she was going to be awake, the least she could do was put her mind to work. She passed Pandora Nott on the stairs, nose deep in a book, and exchanged their regular hellos before she entered the common room. As needed in a magical castle, the fireplace was lit but low, and she found the sofa closest to the fireplace to sit on.

Capricorn - That's the risk of Venus retrograde speaking to Jupiter in your property sector — things that you do, you may slightly think that you will receive back in return, but maybe not. This can be a setup for disappointment. So when you love, love without expecting anything in return, and let things happen organically. She snorted, although admittedly what had been keeping her up tonight very much had to do with the party a few days ago. She’d had enough to drink to pass out that night, but since then she had been wondering about Arnie Peasegood. Flirting with him at the match had been such a spur of the moment thing, but finding him after, flirting all night, the urge to kiss him before she left to sleep, that wasn’t spur of the moment. He was cute, and a little nerdy, and she felt weird things in her stomach when she thought about him. She didn’t get crushes, not really. She dated sporadically, and no one for very long. She didn’t know what she was looking for, and it was her last year at school. She was busier than she’d ever been,

The sudden sound of someone speaking to her caused her to drop her book, and she turned to see Arnie Peasegood standing there. How had she missed him coming down the stairs? She took him in, in his muddy boots and festive jumper, and a smirk pulled on her lips.Organically, huh? She leaned down to pick up her book and the Prophet, before shifting her feet from the rest of the sofa to the floor. “Well how else am I supposed to get you alone?” she asked teasingly, before holding up the paper in her hand, “What’s your zodiac sign? Yesterday’s horoscopes are quite interesting.” Patting the sofa next to her, she waited for him to join her. Whatever he was doing outside of the dorm at night was really what she wanted to know, but they could work up to that question. Maybe she’d find some insight through the brilliant minds that ran the paper’s horoscope section.

[Arnie Peasegood]

"Should've warned you, I'm notoriously hard to track down," he laughed, although the opposite was true and the ease in which Emmeline asked him sent his mind whirring about unhelpfully.

You've wanted to get me alone? Or are we still joking around?

    You love joking around, and you're doing it right back.

Won't get a direct answer if you don't ask a direct question.

    Later, we just got here!

It can't get much later than it is. Why is she up now, anyway?...

Had the seventh year really been thinking of him as much as he'd been preoccupied with her? He found it hard to believe - grand girl like her could have her pick - but nevertheless, here they were, both up in the dead of night and she invited him to stay. He wasn't fool enough to go back to his dorm now. While he didn't feel like his sharpest self at this hour, he should surely take any time with her that he could get, especially that which was stumbled upon unexpectedly. Arnie held up his hands and made them into pincers, making a clicking sound with his mouth as he demonstrated. Never been more attractive, Peasegood. "Cancer. Lay it on me, let's see how right they were. How did yours rate?" 

Arnie joined her on the sofa in the newly-opened space, unlacing his boots and carefully depositing the bulbs inside of one. Waste of a night if he lost them to the sofa cushions! He pulled a pillow behind his back and sat cross-legged in sock feet, askew to fit, although with his long legs he didn't quite fit - one knee up against the cushions, one hanging well over the air - as if nothing was amiss. As if he regularly came and went as he pleased, on his own, returning with various treasures and dirt under his nails only to casually join the girl he'd become moony for to talk about their latest horoscopes. Casual. What do you usually do with your hands? He eventually linked them together over his ankles, leaning closer to peep at the pages she held. "You're..." The lad cocked his head, considering. "Fire - no - earth, an earth sign?"

[Emmeline Vance]

You are undeniably cute, Arnie Peasegood.

The thought was unhelpful and helpful at the same time, as the bloke seemed surprised she might have been looking for him, but also he so easily slid into joking with her. And she liked that, the fact he seemed a little intimidated but kept his wits about him. She supposed she should expect nothing less from a fellow Ravenclaw, and she let another laugh tumble out of her as she watched him mimic a crab, sounds and all. “A Cancer then, I can see it,” she said, eyes on him as he came to join her on the sofa. Her interest in his sun sign wasn’t just for the fun of reading horoscopes, it would allow her to do secret astrology research. She knew perhaps it was silly, but if magic was real - and it was very, very real, then perhaps there was something to studying the alignments of the planets and how they affected their universe. Though it was a little strange to her, that she was so invested in finding out how compatible Capricorns and Cancers were, when she was telling herself she was not developing a crush on the lanky boy trying to make himself comfortable on the sofa with her.

“Mine was…insightful,” she said with a smirk to him, scooting closer so that he could better see the paper in her hands. He guessed her element pretty quickly, which surprised her - most boys did not care about astrology in the slightest unless they were Leon - and she shot him a grin, “Capricorn. I’m only a little stubborn, but it could be worse. I could have been born a Taurus.” Scanning the paper, she located the section for Cancer, giving it a scan before she gave him another smile and read it aloud. “Warmth and laughter characterize your love life, with today's astral configuration. If you are looking for a new relationship, then the more jokes and anecdotes you have up your sleeve the better, but preferably no rude ones. If you can rustle up the occasional metaphysical quip, topped off by a few pieces of scintillating and wise conversation, you could be very successful.” It was on days like this when a horoscope just seemed to fit a little too perfectly, that Emmeline was a very strong believer in the power of what they didn’t know about the universe. But she couldn’t just assume Arnie liked her because she thought he was cute. And it wasn’t the sort of thing she’d ask Helena to snoop on, although undoubtedly her best friend already knew things Emmeline didn’t.

Setting the paper down on the table in front of them, she nodded to the bulbs he had carefully placed into his boots, “Late night gardening adventure? Didn’t know you were so passionate about plants. I don't mean to brag, but you should know I’m quite good with plants. I have this fake one, and it’s never died on me.”

[Arnie Peasegood]

"Yeah?" Arnie asked, shooting her a grin half out of relief - Thank Merlin, she laughed. - and half at her assessment. "Drat, this bleeding heart give it away?" He brushed at the sleeve of his jumper in mock annoyance and got settled in, brows raising in curiosity. Emmeline's horoscope had provided her insight, which he hoped meant something good. Helpful. Thought-provoking. It meant she took the words to heart too, at least a little. Signs and horoscopes weren't something he had a great love for, but from what he could remember of Pan's exemplary off-the-cuff lecture when he'd expressed an interest - there was something to them, whether or not you chose to believe. So for tonight, Arnie chose to believe. Even if it meant running the risk of hearing how moody and broody he could be. Always have the "good for a laugh" part right - she's moving - practically on your cushion -

"Only a little stubborn, noted," Arnie laughed, happy he'd been in the right sector on his hunch. Not bad for a one out of four chance. Bless you, Pan. Em occupied herself in finding his reading, and rather than follow along on the paper he watched her look for it; while she shone on her own, the fire backlit her in the softest amber and how did he have the most striking girl at school sitting here with him finding his horoscope? He smiled quickly as she looked over to him in her victory, but the reading...

"Hold on, hold on," Arnie drawled, good natured disbelief coloring his words as he leaned in to see for himself. It was - it was too good, it was too him, it was too what he felt about them. He was laughing with her like she'd been one of his pals for ages, and that didn't - that didn't just happen to him with people he didn't know. She'd seemed to like what she read as well, Em had, and that was doing everything to his squiggly insides. "You're reading it word-for-word, no changes?...Tall order, that. I suppose I've got to work on my metaphysical quips and scintillating and wise conversation if I'm gonna have a shot." If that's what you're into, he added, eyes on hers as he tried to read them. "What d'you say, want to get into the essence of time...sometime?" 

He followed her eye to his boots, nodding as she began and outright snorting a laugh as she finished. "Better give Sprout some warning that you're after her job," Arnie grinned, not sure if he was more in disbelief at the accuracy of the horoscope or at the absolute marvel of a girl beside him. Why've we missed out on this for so long? "More like...late night harvesting adventure. I don't think I could keep a fake plant alive - good thing I've got you for that, and Benji for the rest. He and I always have a few irons in the fire, these will help with one of them. Couldn't sleep, figured I might as well take advantage of the sleeping castle. Would've set up shop here if I knew you were coming down to read." He stretched for the paper, fingers tapping it in rhythm as he looked her way. "Fair if I read yours? Insightful..."

[Emmeline Vance]

Emmeline admittedly didn’t know Arnie Peasegood very well, and she had to wonder why they’d never had an extended conversation before the party the other night. They were in the same house - and had been for six years - and she knew almost all of the girls in the next two years below her. She count probably count on one hand the things she actually knew about Arnie. She knew he had siblings, she’d seen them join the Ravenclaw table for breakfast sometimes - older than him, if she had to guess. She knew he was often with another Ravenclaw, whose name she thought was Benji, and she knew that she didn’t believe Arnie had a mean bone in his body.And now you know he’s a Cancer, so you know what you’ll be researching later. From what she could remember, a Capricorn and a Cancer were a fairly decent pairing, but she knew she shouldn’t be giving so much power to words on a paper. “What can I say, I just have a thing for water signs,” she teased him as he came to sit with her.

While she was certainly one of the more stubborn individuals in her family, she felt that she got that more from her father than her sun sign. If she really wanted to dive into it, she’d do a whole birth chart for Arnie, but it felt intrusive to do without his permission. No matter how much or how little one believed of astrology, some personal things could come up with it. Like while she was an earth sun sign, her moon sign sign was water, and she was far more emotional than many people realized. She was good at shutting them down, but Cancer ruled her moon sign, and she thought it was intriguing that it would be a Cancer that kept making her heart flutter in her chest as she scooted to be closer to him. She watched him from the corner of her eye as she read his horoscope, amused as he interrupted. “Word-for-word, cross my heart,” she said as she turned her head towards him, taking in his words. Could he tell her breath caught as his eyes caught hers, and the flirting was so intentional that she wanted to drop the paper and kiss him. That would certainly get her feelings across. “You, me, starry night, long talks about manipulating time - sound’s like my kind of date,” she chanced, hoping it was direct enough statement he wouldn’t doubt that he had a shot, if he would take it.

The way he snorted when he laughed, made her laugh, and she hoped he knew she wasn’t laughing at him. She didn’t know a lot about late night harvesting adventures, she tended to avoid the greenhouses unless she was in class. And the only reason she’d even been talked into N.E.W.T. level herbology was the promise of getting to see more dangerous plants. That and it rounded out her potion abilities nicely, which made her wonder if irons in the fire were potions. She almost missed the way he had her, and it made her smile. While she didn’t know Arnie, it felt like she did, sitting here with him. “Well if I’d known there as adventure in store, I would have stopped trying to sleep earlier. I spend a lot of late nights in front of this fire,” she admitted. Letting him read her horoscope was only fair, as she had just assessed him. She wondered what he would think of it, and if he would know she had been checking her horoscope to see if there was anything about a relationship in her future.

“Go for it,” she said, picking up the other cushion from the couch to hold it as she watched him read. Her thoughts were on the book in her lap, wanting to dive deep into all the knowledge she could. She’d always been into astrology, but lately it had become her fixation. It was healthier than her last fixation, which had been reading muggle horror tales that then left her unable to sleep because she was scared. There were only so many times she could wake Greta or Helena and ask to share a bed with them because she’d read another ghost story about the Hellfire club. And she lived most of her year in a castle- with ghosts, and a poltergeist. “What do you think, less planning of my life and more organic living?”

[Arnie Peasegood]

"Lucky me then," he quipped as he sat down, recovering from the surprise of seeing Emmeline enough to fall into more of an ease. They had a chance to find their rhythm in this first moment alone, with nobody listening in but the books. For the first time in a long time, Arnie really did want this kind of time alone with a girl. Not for - well, not that he hadn't thought about - he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about - he was curious about what made her tick, that's all! He knew her as well as anyone could know someone that they were in...distanced proximity with for a handful of years.

She was friendly with loads of their Housemates, extra tight with those on the House team, had some pals in Gryffindor, mainly those who played Quidditch too - plus Mary Macdonald, which he only knew from seeing them together while Benji was hung up on the redhead. He knew her laugh from when she and her friends would be around this very fire in the evenings, he and his mates just a few arms lengths away. It was bold, infectious, always made him smile and wish he'd been in on the joke. She'd gone for Captain last year, lost it but stayed with the team, gained it this term. But she liked to say now that Greta and her were co-Captains. That was so telling of who she was, wasn't it? Loyal and determined, a fierce friend, truly a team player. And a few years back, hadn't that been her chasing a Niffler through study hall? Arnie'd never heard the story there, but was desperate for it now, if just to hear her tell it. And she had a Bats patch on her satchel, didn't she? Ireland, from Ireland with that glorious accent, but the exact whereabouts he hadn't a clue...

He had to wonder what she'd picked up about him over the years - there were few in their House who were casual observers, far too many active minds neatly cataloging this and that - but it felt like enough, on both of their sides, to sit rather comfortably together now. Emmeline wasn't just some bird he'd seen once in London and asked out. Haven't asked her out at all, mate. She'd been in the background of his Hogwarts stories, just as he'd been in hers. If they were on board to try out the what if of featuring each other in the foreground...he could only formulate arguments for it.

Especially as she did his reading, and he felt encouraged enough to be a little bold, and the look in her eye as their gaze met almost literally propelled him forward into her. "Yeah? How's your Friday look?" he asked, caught in the in-between of his palms starting to sweat and him losing his nerve. "You, me, starry night, long talks about manipulating time." Hell yes, I can do that. He could nick some food from the kitchen, they could sneak up to the Astronomy Tower, put some warming charms on and set the telescopes up just right to see what there was to see... 

"We'll coordinate next time," Arnie promised, head tilted as he took in the shift in their moment. The jovial undercurrent that had run through most of their exchange had cracked, revealing something...not more true, but differently true, and he didn't want to fumble in catching it. Was it too soon to ask what was keeping her up at nights? "If you ever want company," he chanced, smile softer, "I mean, it is nice to find a moment's peace, rare to come by around here - you know the door for my year? Just crack it open and lob a shoe at the the first bed to the right, and I'll come down, bother you into interpreting my dreams."

He took the paper up, having to reread the note for Capricorn a few times in an attempt to understand - Retrograde. Property sector. Which planets? - before deciding to soak in the latter half instead. She said it was insightful...and it's all about love? Looking back up to her, his heart quickened. Pillow and Astrology book in her lap, Emmeline seemed alert, ready to pounce into something. He chuckled at her question and adjusted his seat, foot stretched down to the floor. "Well, that depends," he grinned. "Do you usually do a lot of planning? I find it helpful for some things - " He waved towards his boot, trying to gather his words properly. " - but I don't think you can plan  - er - a connection to somebody, or predict the how or the when. It's more just got to...start with a chance, a feeling, and you choose to go from there."

[Emmeline Vance]

Late nights like this, where the common room was quiet except for the crackling of the fire, were the best kind of nights for late-night talks. While she had expected to read until she dozed back off, she couldn’t pass up this opportunity to have a conversation with Arnie where no one else was present. She could be a flirt, and she’d gone on dates before, but she’d never really been in love with anyone. Not the way that Leon talked about Viola. Her best relationship had been with Dorcas Meadowes, it had been cute and short-lived and she’d gained a great friend out of it. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was thinking about love, and how she’d like to experience it one day when she was sitting with Arnie Peasegood who she barely f*cking knew. It had to be her horoscope, making her brain all weird. There was no denying Arnie was attractive, anyone with half a brain could see that. But he was also a little nerd, which she found endearing, and he was charming and funny. He’d had no problem keeping up with her quips, and sitting here with him just felt so easy. Like they’d done this a million times.

She was curious to know more about him, what was his life like outside of the walls of this castle? He had siblings, but what were their names, what were they like? Jake was half of her heart, and while they were all still hoping he got a Hogwarts letter next year, it hardly seemed likely. Was Arnie as close to his siblings as she was to Jake? There would be time, later, to ask all the questions brimming in her mind. Right now, she was hoping that the look she gave him in the dim light of the common room was enough to get him to ask her a question, and she grinned widely as he did. “My Friday isn’t busy at all,” she answered, eyes flicking from where she held his gaze to his lips for a moment, before she looked back to him. “It should be a good night for it, if the weather stays clear.” Are you f*cking talking about the weather when he just asked you on a date? Merlin, Em, this is exactly why you don’t date. It was hardly her fault though, that she’d been thinking about what it would be like to kiss Arnie since the party.

There were a lot of things that kept her up at night, and she was thinking she’d tell Arnie about them if he asked her. Which was weird, because she really kept a lot of her thoughts between her, Helena, and Greta. They knew she was frantic about an anti-squib law that was trying to be pushed through, that she hadn’t fully decided where she wanted to work after graduation. They knew she felt completely unprepared to leave this castle she’d called home for so long. Still, here was this person she didn’t know offering her the option of waking him up at any hour of the night, just so she wouldn’t have to sit alone in the common room. “I appreciate that. And I am pretty good an interpreting dreams, I was a pleasure to have in Divination,” she said with a small laugh, very glad she’d dropped that class when she’d gotten the chance.

She studied him as he read over her horoscope, watching his face for anything in his expressions that might tell her something. Mostly it was just an excuse to stare at him without trying to be sneaky about it. She was a little in love with the way his hair fell in his face, and the look in his eyes when he looked back up at her from the paper. Fucks sake, get a grip. She listened to him answer her question curiously, nodding with his words. “I’m not much of a planner. I mean, I plan some things of course. Kind of just riding it out though and seeing where life takes me,” she shrugged, “But I do think I’ve been chasing a feeling. I don’t know, maybe it’s just a hope. Think I like my chances though.”

[Arnie Peasegood]

"Really?" Nothing about Em in this moment could fairly make him question if she was joking or serious - she was serious about this, he knew it, that beaming grin of hers had him going dizzy - but Arnie couldn't say he'd actually expected her to add on like this. At this rate, he and Benj could trash their Felix Felicis plan, because lady luck seemed entertained enough at being on their side for once. He didn't miss the way her eyes roved over him, and felt a grin quirking up by the time she met his eye again. For all of his teasing assertions, he didn't have much of a clue about what girls looked for, as it hadn't ever seemed like they were looking for him. But there was no misinterpreting this, and the jig his stomach saw fit to dance. "Grand! Grand, Friday it is, we could head out around nine, ahead of rounds?" he continued quickly, words at risk of tripping over each other in their haste. "If it's cloudy, well, we'll just have to rise to the challenge. I'm in." 

Are we talking about the weather? Seriously?

    It's a practical consideration!

Oh yes, and practicality is romantic as hell.

Arnie hoped she wouldn't think his offer was too odd, surely she already had friends she could wake if needed, but felt unusually bold in offering, and veritably relieved that she didn't seem put off by it. His grin returned and he knocked her knee with his own playfully, keeping them leaned against each other. "Yeah? Did you go the doom and gloom route with her? Hasn't failed for me yet, just predict the worst and Trelawney will take it from there," he chuckled. There were enough challenging courses to justify the blow off one - not that he didn't believe Seers existed, but their professor, and his classmates, and himself, none of them had the Sight, so what could they do but pretend? And an opportunity to come up with stories tragedies with his mates? Too good to pass up.

Paper in hand, Arnie really did try to focus on the words of Em's horoscope, try and understand what the meaning was behind the astronomical phrasing - but he felt his neck getting red. Her eyes were on him, and the fire wasn't helping, and she had to like what she saw, right? Since she kept looking? Gracie and Wes hadn't taken all the family looks before he came along, even if it felt he was still growing into his nose, and his legs, and his feet, and that he needed a haircut. Whatever insecurity he nursed went to the back of his mind, though, when they spoke. He folded the paper in his hands and listened, leaning her way, and full-on grinned as she finished. "That feels like how I roll," he admitted, chuckling, and wondered if that would serve them for good or for ill if there ever was an "in the long run" for them. Calm down, sparky. "What - er - " Don't chicken out now! "What feeling are you chasing? I bet you're right, and your chances are good."

[Emmeline Vance]

You are too cute, Arnie Peasegood. Em mused at his surprise at her agreement to a date Friday night. She didn’t know why at this moment, as she was surveying him, her mind made the connection in the last name to one of her friends, Wes. Brothers, they had to be. She’d always appreciated her conversations with Wes, and she did know he had a younger brother. It seemed Arnie was every bit as funny as his older brother was. And while Wes was conveniently attractive, she had to love the nerdiness that came with Arnie. It was adorable, and she grinned at him as he started to set the plan in place, “Nine is perfect, I’ll knick some snacks from the kitchen for us to take.” Okay, she was definitely going to be waking Helena up for this after she returned to her dorm, and maybe Greta. She was sure they had questions given the flirting they’d seen thus far - well, Greta probably had more, unless Helena had filled her in on Em’s thoughts about Arnie over the past few days.

He was being so sweet, offering her his ear if she ever needed it. He was easy to talk to, she was finding, and good at keeping up with her quips while giving them right back. She knew that he was kind, she’d seen that enough from his friendship with her favorite cousin. She’d never doubted Xeno would find his place in Ravenclaw with her, it was nice to know his dorm mates found him as endearing as she did. “Oh, she loves a good doom and gloom. Who did she say is going to die this year? I’ve never had the honor of being the subject of one of her predictions.” So far, no one had actually died that she had heard about, but she did enjoy the year the Medusas had been the subjects of particularly gruesome sights from their professor.

Even if he was only amusing her, she appreciated his interest in reading her horoscope after she had read him his. And in the conversation that followed, she was glad he was sticking around to talk. She laughed at his question, not ready to give it all away yet. They had a date set, and she did hope he viewed it as a date. She was pretty good at making herself clear when she was interested. “Oh, I can’t give away all my secrets,” she said, realizing just how close they’d both moved toward each other on the couch. Yeah, she was pretty sure her chances were good. Not wanting to return to her room yet, and hoping for an excuse to talk more, she nodded down at his boots. “What kind of iron in the fire are those for?”

[Arnie Peasegood]

"Right then, it's a date," Arnie declared on the tail of Em's addition to their plan, and the lad could not stop grinning her way. In their overlapping years at Hogwarts, he'd watched as his sister and brother got out there - really too bad it hadn't worked out with Gracie and Bill, that year had been a laugh that he still hadn't quite forgotten the sound of - and had long wondered when it would be his turn to have something to share when they got into their stories. But he hadn't ever had his eye on the right person, someone who might feel something back for him, and he'd started to wonder if maybe that wouldn't happen for him at school. Maybe he was supposed to come upon someone after graduation, when he'd grown up and into himself a bit more, when he had become someone who could impress a girl.

Being here with Emmeline Vance now, in last year's soft but too-short pajamas, as they almost cozied up to each other on the couch in front of the dying fire, having the kind of late night chat he'd thought about but never actually had with a girl he fancied - he found himself oddly relieved at its novelty, despite the nerves that came with it. There was no way he could come across as practiced, disingenuous, as he hadn't done this before. And this memory would belong to them, and whatever happened after this - Arnie knew he wouldn't be able to forget the growing warmth of her eyes, the itch in his arm to tuck wayward strands of hair behind her ear, how quick she was with a joke even at this late hour. 

Not one to be fully lost to such musings, the sixth year had to laugh as Emmeline asked about the dreary predictions of their Divination professor. "Probably a good thing she never targeted you, she's never got a good thing to say. I'm not certain what he did to her to deserve it, but she has got it out for Regulus," Arnie went on with a sly grin. "Predicts a new catastrophe for him each term, and if we include him in any of our work, it's an automatic passing mark. Pretty sure it's giving him a complex, but he can afford to get knocked down a few pegs." 

As talk returned to horoscopes, as he held the pages in his hands and he chanced at digging, as Em gently pushed back with a laugh, he met her eye with an even wider grin. She was close, and eyes that he'd thought were blue had flecks of green and gold and he followed her nod to his boots and hoped he hadn't been caught staring, and if he had, that she didn't mind too much. "Give you a hint - ever wondered what it'd be like to have a perfect day?" 

[Emmeline Vance]

It was a date, and Emmeline felt giddy the more she thought about it. She’d told herself that she would find someone one day and that maybe in her last year of school, she should just focus on herself. But her feelings for Arnie were different than previous people she had fancied, and she hadn’t truly realized that she fancied him as much as she did until this late-night chat. Sure they had been flirty at the party, but she hadn’t really been thinking through her feelings that night. She’d been more focused on drinking, flirting, and dancing. Celebrating their fantastic win against Slytherin, and making sure it was a night to remember. But this night? This was also a night to commit to her memory. She’d spent many late nights by herself in front of this fire, and it was nice to share these early morning hours with Arnie.

A laugh tumbled out of her as Arnie filled her in on the doom that was apparently going to happen to Regulus. The younger Slytherin was actually an alright guy, but he kept questionable company, especially in his dating life. Bronwyn seemed nice, but they all knew how cruel she could be when she was around the other Medusas. “Oh he definitely can get knocked down a few pegs. Maybe his complex is why he helped his team lose the match. Would be fantastic if they keep losing. I’ll help you come up with some tragic story about him sometime.” Was her offer because of the desire to knock Regulus down, or because she wanted to spend more time with Arnie? She was thinking it was the second because this just seemed so easy.

It would be so easy for her to lean in and kiss him, and she wanted to with the way he was staring into her eyes. But there would be a time for that urge, as she doubted their scheduled date would be without them sharing a kiss. To distract herself she asked about his late-night adventure and grinned widely at his response. “Felix Felicis? Remind me to get you to tutor me in potions, that is bloody brilliant. What are you going to use it for?”

[Arnie Peasegood]

Merlin, he loved making her laugh.

It filled her, shook her, poured out in the most contagious way, unabashed, and he wondered if they'd be up the rest of the night, getting the other to laugh and not wanting it to end. What was one tired day when he'd waited years for a night like this?

Arnie grinned as she added on about Regulus, and maybe his "doomed" classmate was starting to take their professor's antics to heart, since he didn't seem to be doing much but digging himself into holes lately. But he'd be fine at the end of the day, Arnie was sure, and if Regulus being on the downswing meant good things for the Ravenclaw team? All good things, really, and Reg would be on the up-and-up again before long. "That's got to be it," he chuckled, "if anyone knows how to get into somebody's head, it's Trelawney. And if even I start having vivid dreams about his demise, well, that'll just confirm that she's right. We'd better make it a good one if he's going to believe it." Em wanted to help him with his Divination coursework? And wanted his help with Potions? Maybe they were just reasons to spend time together, but still - the sixth year was floored. If he'd known that all he'd need to do to start spending time with a great girl like her would be to not make a total arse of himself at a party, and show up to the common room in the middle of the night, they could've been at this for ages!

"You've got it, and happy to help - but you know what, that's a really great question." Arnie pushed his hair back and laughed at himself, wishing he had something far cooler to say to her very fair ask, and hoping this wouldn't discredit him as a tutor. It'd really be something if he had some kind of grand plan, wouldn't it? The potion took half a year to brew, so he and Benj would have time to figure out the perfect day to try having a perfect day once they got started...They wouldn't waste it on exams, they'd earn what marks they got, but neither of them were all that prone to flawless days. Was it enough to just want to have one day go perfectly right? "No promises on delivering it properly, from what I've read so far it's a tricky bugger, and we're still finding what we need to find. But really, I just - I just want to see if we can do it, and we're sure to have a good laugh when we take it. We'll save some for something more special, I'm sure, have a while yet before we need to nail it down exactly. Usually we've got a prank or something in mind when we get a potion going, but this one seemed like a solid challenge to try while we have time. Wouldn't mind using it on a day that's too nice to waste in class, you know? Get off scot-free?"

If he took it here, Arnie could see himself taking chances he hadn't had the guts to take before. If he knew he could give advice and it'd be well received, he could give Doc or Hestia the kick in the pants they needed to stop kidding themselves. He could get a straight answer out of Binns about some of the mysteries of the castle that he eluded to so frequently, but never held onto a train of thought long enough to finish the story. They'd have to hold each other to some boundaries, he and Benji, to keep themselves in check - but even if it ended up that they stole a day in Hogsmeade and didn't receive detention, that'd be a win.

[Emmeline Vance]

She would be tired in the morning, and probably not very awake for her first classes, but Emmeline didn’t care to go to bed just yet, if it meant they could keep talking. There were many things she was wondering about Arnie, but there would be time to pick his brain on the many mysteries of life. While she wasn’t one to assume things about dates, Emmeline felt that this first one they had would go well. They got along splendidly, and he made her laugh so easily, and he was just incredibly dorky in an attractive way. The more time they spent talking, the more Emmeline felt that whatever this was between them currently was so easy, and that was different than other times she tried to date during school. She clicked with Arnie in a way she hadn’t with others before.

Plotting the demise of Regulus perhaps was a little mean, and the younger Black brother really wasn’t all that bad of a person as far as Emmeline could tell. Just poorly influenced, and that wasn’t his doing either. Being sorted in Slytherin seemed to just be poor luck for Regulus. “Oh Trelawny is excellent at getting in people’s heads, but I do think some extra bad luck nudges from your dreams would seal the deal. Perhaps a Quidditch accident, given his most recent loss.” While she could use the help in potions - the measurements always confused her - it was also an excuse to spend more time with Arnie, and Emmeline found that she was looking for other reasons that they might have to spend some time together.

Emmeline grinned as Arnie laughed, finding that she found his laugh infectious. They were making the luckiest potion that existed, and they didn’t have an idea what they were going to do with it? It was amusing, and she listened intently as he summarized the ideas he had for using the potion. “Well for starters, what else do you need? I’ve been known to do a bit of thieving in my days,” she teased with a laugh, “I think the idea to skip classes on a nice day is a good way, it’s always so depressing being stuck inside when the weather is beautiful. Or perhaps even going to Hogsmeade and getting away with that! Without having to consult anyone on secret tunnels.”

It was getting late, or early she supposed, and while she wanted nothing more than to keep talking, the exhaustion was starting to take over. Tomorrow would be a long day, but perhaps there would be some good that came of it. “You know you should join us for breakfast in the morning, you and Benji. You can listen to Leon’s dramatic reading of the Prophet he does for us.” It was hard to trust the Prophet to not have a bias and was one of the only sources of the outside world they got within the walls of Hogwarts. But that didn’t mean they were unaware of what was happening in their world. Leon made light of it, and it made them all laugh as he chose different voices for each reporter.

[Arnie Peasegood]

"Oof, I think that'll do it," he cringed and grinned, quill hand itching to ink misfortunes befalling the Slytherin Seeker into his journal already. While he was a tad embarrassed to admit that he and his best mate had no concrete plan for the lucky potion, and while he may have come up with something cleverer in daylight hours, Arnie couldn't complain. Emmeline was offering her help - and some enticing information. "Emmeline Vance, potioneering thief," he declared with glee, pointing the words out in the air before them as if they were lit up in a marquee. "Didn't know you had such a history - we're good company," he continued in tease, hoping Benji wouldn't mind terribly if he added another to their plan. But it wasn't just anybody. It was a girl, the girl, he'd been mooning over - Benji would've done the same, if it was his fox from the masquerade, he was sure of it. "We need some eggs from Sluggy's stores - I wager we could use that excellent impression of yours, somehow."

She went on and his grin spread, relieved that Emmeline didn't seem disappointed by his rather simplistic goal. But a perfect day didn't have to be anything extraordinary - it could just be that, a perfect day, everything gone right and nothing gone wrong, shared with his fellow potioneers. Tonight, nothing really seemed better than that. Except... "D'you - d'you know where any of them are? We've been knocking on statues and asking portraits for years," he admitted with a laugh. "It's settled - perfect day in Hogsmeade, we'll get there this spring."

Arnie's tired eyes lit up as she extended another offer - breakfast? with her and the other seventh years? - and the boy felt a squirm of excitement in his gut. Sure, they had a date set for Friday - and now they had breakfast. With their friends. If he had the potion now, would he take a sip in the morning to make sure it went right? Both of you chatting, half-asleep, and it's working out. You can do breakfast. "That's what all those voices are," he said with a chuckle. "Brilliant - breakfast, you're on. Morning's, er..." He leaned his head back to catch a look at the clock above the fire, letting out a low whistle. "Morning's coming up pretty quick. What do you say we try for some shut eye and meet downstairs in a bit?"