Bored, Bored, Bored.

[Inky]

Dominique Weasley was restless.
She was stuck there, slouching on an old armchair in the common room. Sitting in while the stormy weather raged on outside was never fun - she couldn't go out and practice Quidditch, take a walk in the grounds - or anything else in the grounds for that matter. She would have of course have liked to have gone to Hogsmeade, but alas, she was still too young. She hated the way her sister always teased her by describing the mouthwatering butter beers served down at the Three Broomsticks.

She sighed noisily - luckily the common room was empty - and gave out a rather loud groan in an effort to convey her feelings. Startled by the noises coming from her owner, Ipsy, her cat, jumped up into her stomach and meowed in response to her mistresses cries. Dominique giggled - Ipsy always cheered her up - picked up her cat and sat up, folding her legs underneath her, rather like a cat actually. She rhythmically began stroking Ipsy's back, to which the cat purred in acknowledgment, and stretched out happily on her lap.

Dominique tilted her head back, resting it on her chair. Staring at the rather ornate ceiling she realized something.
Her life was boring. Boring, Boring - hey, wait a second... she lifted her head up again - what was that mumbling outside? Her brow furrowed as she tried to listen to it - and then the common room door opened - she slid further down in her seat, picked up her cat again, and placed her on her chest, concealing her face quite well. Her hair however... well, it was a noticeable as ever.

She waited, eyes peaking though the cat hair, wondering who had come in.

[Gebo]

A male voice was droning on and on, and he seem to be talking two somebody. It suddenly became apparent that two people were entering the commons. One was a prefect, the other, a pale first year with blond hair and dodgy grey eyes. They were dodgy only because the young student was looking around wildly. He was nervous.

"No need to worry," the prefect was saying. "You'll get the hang of it. The trick to answering the riddles is to not look at it too closely. Sometimes, the more obvious answer is the right one." The prefect looked a little uncomfortable and sauntered away without saying anything more.

Scorpius, indeed, should have been with the rest of the Ravenclaw first years as they had climbed to the tower and learned how to enter the common room. He was in denial, however. He did not expect to be in any house but Slytherin. No one else expected it either. Were you not supposed to be in the same house as your family. How could this have happened to him?

Down in the Great Hall, the moment the hat had made his decision, Scorpius' stomach had filled with dread.

Ravenclaw.

The word echoed dumbly in his brain as he slipped off the stool, his eyes fixed on an empty seat at the Slytherin table. The table he should have sat at. But instead he mad his way for the blue-clad Ravenclaw table. What an embarrassment. Seeing friends that he had grown up with, those from good, pure-blood, and wealthy families, move off to Slytherin to be welcomed there. And then there way him, awkward and out of place.

After dinner, he had trailed the rest of the Slytherin first years to their dungeon, hiding amongst his friends until they had reached their common room. But he had been caught. Nobody would forget that the Malfoy boy wasn't a Slytherin.

So here he was, standing beneath the be-starred ceiling of Ravenclaw Tower, shaking. What would his father say? His mother? Goodness, his entire family would be deeply ashamed. Would they disown him? Was it his fault?

Scorpius suddenly became aware that he had not moved from the spot right in front of the entryway. He was still standing stalk still there, staring wide-eyed at the statue of the famous Rowena. Then he her a creaking of furniture and he looked around. A patch of reddish-blond hair was poking over the top of an armchair. Scorpius stared at the hair, unsure of what to do.

[Inky]

She peeked out again from behind her cat, who was fighting againest being held so inhumanley.
She eyed him carefully - A first year it looked like...blondish hair...quite small... he looked like someone she had seen before, but she couldn't place him.
She released her cat, who scrambled away indignatly with a yowl, and sat up again in her chair. She cleared her throat, and blushed, embaressed. After all, it was pretty obvious she had beeen spying on him.
"Hi - You must be new here?" she ventured a question in his direction... he didn't seem much of a threat. Maybe he was just nervous or something, the poor kid was shaking like a leaf.

[Deamon]

Ari Knu started down the stairs from his dorm, clutching The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three. He reached the last few steps and heard someone talking. He cautiously stuck his head out and saw the unmistakable face of Scorpious Malfoy, and another kid that he couldn't remember. He guessed she was a second year; a year below him. Ari sulked out of the stairs and headed towards an empty table, not wanting to be caught talking to people like them. In his pocket was a letter from his father, who wrote at the start of each term, reminding him what a disgrace he was that he had been chosen for Ravenclaw and not Slytherin.

Ari bent his head over his book, determined to master theImpervius spell before the next Quidditch match. He couldn't help overhearing the coversation, and a moment later he turned to face them. Ari bit his lip to keep from snapping out a mean reply. Instead, he said, "Hi, I'm Ari." The thought of the letter in his pocket was making him confused, but since the end of last year, Ari decided he wouldn't let what his parents want get in his way.

[Gebo]

Scorpius turned his pointed face towards the other boy.

"Ari..." he repeated softly. He squinted at him, having not realized that he had completely blown off the girl. "I... I know you," he said, recognition coming over him. "I've met you before. At a..." He glanced quickly at the girl, remembering she was there.

"I'm Scorpius. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy." Abruptly, he turned his back on her and walked over to Ari. "Do you... remember me? My father, Draco... He works at the ministry?"

[Deamon]

Ari began to nod. "My father does, too. He's an Unspeakable," Ari said. It was the only bit of information about his father that he admired. Ari threw the girl a glance, suddenly realizing who it was. She made no effort to join in their conversations, though. Ari looked back at Scorpius, smiling slightly.

"Are you a first year, then?" He asked.

[Gebo]

Scorpius pulled out a seat at the table and sat down precariously. He did not attempt to get comfortable.

"Yes, I am." He glanced up at the starry ceiling and shrugged. "I was very excited to be coming to Hogwarts this year. My parents too. I mean, that was until...." He trailed off. What was he going to tell his father? He would be so disappointed in him. It would be a terrible thing to behold. His gaze held for a long moment on Ari. Did he not come from a long line of Slytherins as well? Was Ari in the same position as Scorpius? What had he done when the sorting hat had put him in the wrong house?

[Deamon]

"Until you were placed in Ravenclaw?" Ari asked quietly, looking at the other boy. "You're family has been in Slytherin for quiet some time, if I'm not mistaken." The letter seemed to burn in Ari's pocket. He looked up at the ceiling for a second.

"My parents were outright mad when they found out, and each start of term I get a letter... I've learned to deal with it, though, and be proud of who I am. I think being in Ravenclaw makes me a better student," Ari said, his voice soft. The Weasley kid (Ari couldn't remember her first name for some reason) was still sitting there; if she was listening, he couldn't tell.

[Gebo]

Following Ari's gaze, Scorpius saw the blonde girl that had spoken to him earlier. He turned around to face her, and fought to keep the humiliated blush out of his pale cheeks. She had surely heard what Ari had said about his parents. He was slightly angry that Ari had blurted out such a thing, but mostly, he was angry at the whole situation. And he treated his anger and self-pity the only way he had ever learned how.

Straightening his back and sticking his nose in the air, Scorpius spoke again to the girl. "Who are you?" His tone was snotty. "Did your parents teach you not manners? It is rude to stare!" He ended on a volume that was much higher than intended, so it sounded more like a shout. He only hoped that the light in the commons was to dim for either of them to see he was blushing.

[Inky]

Dominique was listening, how could she not? She recognized that other boy - Ari, wasn't it? Yeah, he was on the quidditch team, like her - he seemed to think he was the best on there though. A little conceited, if you asked her.
She heard the remark about Slytherin, and disappointment he had bought to his family - she felt a little sorry for the new kid then. All that feeling disappeared quickly enough though, when her turned to address her. How dare he? Her eyebrows raised involuntarily, and she blurted out " Pardon? Did your parents not teach you how talk to people? because If you think you can speak to me that way, You can think again."
He had her all riled up now - that was rare. Here sister had always been the one to fly into a rage quickly, Dominique could usually keep her cool pretty well.
But this squirt - well, he obviously though himself something special.

[Gebo]

"My parents taught me how to talk to people that are... lower than me," he snapped back. Forcing his shoulders back a little more and his chest a little higher, he tried to look important. Just as his father had done.

But in reality, there was a battle going on inside him. He felt as if there was an angel and a devil sitting on either shoulder. The devil, who looked extraordinarily like his grandfather, Lucius, just snickered. The angel constantly screamed at him, "Stop! Stop! Stop this!" He gulped, blinked, and tried to regain his composure.

"You never answered my question...," he went on. "Who are you? What is your name?"

[Inky]

She laughed, high pitched and dainty, like her mothers. Her? Low? This boy was lower than the dirt on her shoes, in her opinion.
"And pray, tell me, why would I want to answer to the interogations of a snot nosed kid who tries to insult me?" she hit back.
This wasn't like her. Not at all. But oh boy, was she annoyed - and this kid was making it worse.

[Deamon]

"D-Dominique," Ari said slowly, looking between the two. The last thing he wanted was a fight. "Don't start fighting..." He looked down at his hands, which were shaking slightly. His mind went once more to the letter is his pocket.

[Gebo]

The little devil on Scorpius' left shoulder suddenly poofed out of existence. A little tremor went through his body. He did not want to fight, and besides, he knew no magic. If this little brawl turned into a duel, he would be just short of helpless and then perhaps expelled. If his father would be angry now, what would he say then?

His shoulders sagged slightly and he turned to look at Ari, blinking hard. "Boy's dormitories.... they're up that way?" He tilted his head towards the staircase he figured led there. Then, without waiting for an answer, he said, "I'll be going to bed now." Spinning on his heel, and avoiding eye contact with Dominique, he strode off.

[Deamon]

"Hm," Ari said, glancing at Dominique. "Interesting sort of a fellow, no?" He half turned back towards his books, wondering if Dominique had anything to say to him. He had watched her play seeker on the field, sometimes forgetting his tasks until the last second, when he usually ended up making stupid moves that were actually considered good plays. He thought Dominique was a great seeker; just as good (and maybe even better) than that Lupin kid. Now that kid thought he was hot shit.