this book is terrible. [[open]]

[aubracex]

Castor had come to the library to read, which he supposed was a valid reason for being there, after all. But at this point, he had leaned back in his chair, ankles crossed and heels resting on the table in front of him. He was just looking up at the ceiling, his previous reading material resting on his chest, open, though he knew the librarian could come to scold him for potentially breaking the spine.

At some point in his reading he had simply lost interest, and had tilted his head back, used to seeing the stars decorating the ceiling of the Ravenclaw common room, though here in the library were just ancient wooden rafters beyond tall bookshelves. Castor's eyes were tracing over the shapes slowly. He seemed more interested in this activity than he had been in his book.

There weren't many students in the library at this time of day. It was beautiful outside, a rare occurrence, and only a few classes had scheduled tests or essays for the next day. Castor rarely needed to study, but he knew that most students there at Hogwarts tended to leave all the cramming to the last minute. On those days he would see entire classes of students in the library all at once, fretting over what they were supposed to remember for the following morning. It was a nightmare trying to get any pleasure reading done in the library then.

He finally moved to look back at the book he had nearly forgotten in his thoughts and tracings of the rafters above. As he read the first few lines of the page he had marked, he realized that he didn't even remember reading that much, and ended up having to flip back a few pages to find a place that he could start from. How he had managed to read three pages without internalizing a word of it was a mystery to him. Perhaps, he thought, this book wasn't worth his time.

[pandorah]

Peace and quiet was something she treasured when she got it, otherwise she just dealt with the noise that was mostly just below a dull roar. Her fellow housemates were thankfully on the lower side of the din of noise that surrounded Hogwarts most of the daytime. Having also been the type that liked to learn and read and were rather intelligent she found their company not displeasing. Though, if Pandorah was honest with herself, it wasn't like she actually knew any of them besides names. Personalities, likes and dislikes, or even things they excelled at eluded her simply because she was such a loner.

Having found her way to the library as soon as she had the free time she had been there awhile. There was a new book on Arithmancy that she had been taking notes from, soon planning on possibly trying to get her own published. It was after all her best and favorite subject, she was exceptionally good at it and could make predictions easily depending on the subject matter. The more in depth, personal or greedy the prediction the harder it was to get right however. Finally prying her eyes from the book she let out a huge yawn and scowled darkly at nothing in particular.

Pandorah stood and tucked the book under her arm as she brought her notes together and decided to go for a walk. It would be a good idea, her legs were stiff as was her spine and pretty much everything else from sitting for so long. On her way out of the library she thought she saw one of her housemates sitting and contemplating a book. One brow quirked and she gave in to that curiosity to go and see what it was he was doing.

Walking over to where Castor was, as she remembered his name the moment she saw his hair. Sure, it had stood out to her before and she often wondered if she were to touch it would it curl around her fingers. Yet, that was neither here nor there, she was trying to satiate her curiosity. She stood beside where he was sitting and peered down at him, her pale eyes showcasing that she was wondering what he was about and not a shred of her usual uncaring and neutral attitude. “Hello Castor, enjoying the dark confines and solitude of the library today?” She had been thinking of going out for a walk but sunshine and sunlight hurt her eyes when it was this bright. Here was a perfect reason not to do just that.

“Would you mind if I sat with you?” She did not wait for an invitation. The tall Prefect settled herself in a chair at the table he was at and settled her thick tome, with notes on top, on the table itself. “I feel like I have been such a horrid Prefect of our house. I don't even really talk to anyone. I want to change that and I honestly hope I am not going to creep you out. This is a bit, new.” She gave him a lopsided grin then and steepled her hands on the table top next to the book.

[aindi]

Another busy day it seemed with students and teachers constantly streaming through the library. The young blond was kept busy on days such as this just trying to keep the shelves up and trying to help people. He knew where most everything was, but still being proven wrong by some older teachers had gotten him that far. He was the librarian now and if anything he was going to be determined to be the best he could be.

Aindriu grabbed another stack of books that seemed to appear on the table just like all the others. It wasn't so much a matter of finding where they went anymore but so much as to getting them there. Some of the books and piles felt like they weighed more than he did most of the time and then trying to put them away was such a nightmare.

He managed to get the first into the shelf easily, thankfully, but of course the second book was on the other side of the library. The blond quickly made his way through the shelves and around the people doing quite well for once it seemed. Well then, maybe today was going to go well after all.

That was what he believed but the thought seemed to curse him as he tripped over his own feet sending him and the few books he was carrying quickly to the solid floor. Aindriu let out a sort of squeek as the one book went right into his stomach. Well, maybe today wasn't going so well after all. The young librarian flipped his hair back over his shoulder as he started to pick up the books. "Sorry," he said looking up at the two who were seated at a table together, now he felt like he was bothering the students with their studies again. Ah, maybe he wasn't good enough for this school after all.

[/justify]

[aubracex]

Castor's attention was drawn away from his book by a quiet voice he vaguely recognized. His eyes running over her quickly he realized that he was now faced with one of his house prefects whom he vaguely knew. "Miss Koenig," he said politely. "Is it really so dark? We have some light to guide us." He smiled at her, and was ready to offer his permission and an invitation to her to sit across from him, though she didn't give him a chance. She certainly had a way about her. She did what she wanted. As of yet she had never bothered him. But it took a lot to bother him.

"Don't worry," he said, setting his book aside without marking the page. He wasn't interested in it in the least. It was some retold fairy tale of their world, some young wizard who had to face an evil wizard who was trying to take over the world. Naturally there were all kinds of twists and turns and the epic lasted a long time. Castor knew the tale already. He had simply chosen the book at random as something to occupy him while he took some time for himself in the library. "You have a while to prove yourself as a prefect. The mere act of sitting and talking to me and opening up is proving that you are doing fine." He chuckled, sitting back, and shook his hair from his eyes. He had heard a few rumors from some closer friends that he was apparently known for his blonde curls. He couldn't imagine why, but it made him laugh.

"You aren't creeping me out in the least," he said. He wondered if she got that impression from other students she attempted to reach out to. The thought made him somewhat upset. How was one to make friends if the very act of greeting someone made them uncomfortable?

His train of thought was abruptly broken by the tumble of books to the floor, one of the stack actually skidding over the table in between him and Pandorah. He blinked and straightened to peek over the edge of the table at the one who had dropped the books everywhere. He cocked his head to the side. He thought he recognized him as one of the librarians, though he looked young. After another moment he stood to help pick up the books. "It's quite all right," he said, gathering the books closest to him.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[pandorah]

She remembered now, Castor was a polite young man. Not all of the Ravenclaw people were recalcitrant and standoffish, not like she was. Perfection and knowledge were her only passions so people had gone by the wayside. Her social skills severely lacking she came off as an elitist bitch and in some ways that was probably true. Yet lately she had decided on a change and had been trying to enact it. Pandorah was not planning on totally changing, but trying to just get to know her housemates a little better, perhaps make a friend or two from the student body as well. She had been curious about the male to female relationship but now was even more wary then before after the kiss her and Sirius had shared, and was now the talk of the school. Not a week later, hopefully by the end of the week it would be done.

“I find that I am so impertinent in the way I address people. I use first names like I know everyone. Though I don't plan on changing that I really hadn't noticed it so much before until I started talking to more people.” Her accent was not too thick that it could not be understood but it was very obviously there, the German lending a crispness to each syllable of speech. He got her to smile right off, his affable nature a nice contrast to how awkward and stiff she was feeling right now. The smile, not something seen on her face often if at all by most people, split her lips and was wide, transforming her otherwise dour face into something friendlier, and more feminine.

She grinned even wider and ducked her head a moment seemingly to place some hair behind an ear and out of the way. “Well then I am at least succeeding if I have yet to creep you out and I just started. My height and reputation put people off pretty easily so I do get used to others staring at me or wondering if I plan on eating them alive.” Pan sucked in the lower right corner of her lip and nibbled on it a moment thoughtfully. “Why are you in here though and not out there? It is a lovely day and you do not make me think of the type to shun social interactions or one of the last lovely days before the cold really sets in.”

No sooner had she asked him the question then there was a loud noise off to the side and she jerked her head around to look, her hand near her wand just in case. It appeared to be the pretty blonde librarian, the one with the enviable hair. Lots of girls loved his figure but Pan was not the type to want to be that thin, another thing that made her unpopular with other girls her age. She was tall, curvaceous and even had some nice musculature...why would she want to be thin? Pale gaze watched as Castor got up just when she had planned on it though he went for the books so she took stood and wandered over to the librarian. “You alright?” She held out a hand to help him up if he would accept it. Some people, especially adults, did not like to admit to needing help and she was not going to force it on him.

Here again was another side of her not often seen. She could be kind and considerate. Even she wasn't fully aware that it was possible, at least not when she thought about it. It just had to be done.

[aubracex]

Castor helped to stack the books again for the librarian, carefully so that they would not tip and fall again into some other unfortunate student's lap. He didn't know this librarian well, he thought perhaps he was new or maybe he himself didn't visit the library enough or stay for a long enough time to get to know any of the employees here. He usually just grabbed a few books and checked out before retreating to the commons or even the courtyard outside. What Pandorah had been saying about his personality not being one to shy away from social interactions was quite true. Though, even if he was in the position to be surrounded by people, he often took to reading one of his books instead, allowing others to instigate conversation similarly to the way Miss Koenig had just a few minutes earlier.

Watching as the librarian -- Mr...Nicolas? No, Mr. Nuckols -- headed away with the books once more held against his chest in a precariously high stack, Castor took his seat again, glancing at his book. No, he thought, he was having a conversation. He was making his prefect feel better about herself and her lack of social prowess, or at least her perceived feelings of awkwardness. He, at the moment, just found her to be rather talkative and self-centered, though perhaps not in a bad way. She did come to speak to him, and though he was perhaps one of the more outgoing of the Ravenclaw house, he still was no Gryffindor. He had few friends, honestly. He just preferred to treat people with respect.

"No," he said, his memory leaping back to the place where they had left off in conversation. "I don't find you impertinent at all. I believe some people find me standoffish for the way I speak to them. I believe that referring to people by their first names makes friends more quickly, or at least instills a feeling of familiarity..." He had picked up his book again but was simply closing it properly. He wasn't interested in the story anymore, or at least not for the moment. Perhaps he would check it out of the library and read it later, when he was alone or bored.

"The only reputation you have to me is being a prefect," Castor continued matter-of-factly. "And I don't see why your height would put people off." He himself was quite tall, standing at just over six feet on average, and was thin and lanky to boot. He came off as taller than he actually was sometimes, especially to shorter or stockier people. "No, as of yet I find you quite affable."

He paused at her next suggestion, considering the weather outside. "It is quite nice outside," he murmured, cocking his head to the side and his eyes slipping off to the side. "I just haven't felt the need to go outside much. After all, the summer just ended, and I spent most of it outside. Coming back to school is as much a release from summer as summer is from school. If that makes any sense." He smiled apologetically at her, if she didn't understand his analogy. "Today I just felt like a trip to the library was in order. Perhaps tonight I'll head out to the pitch before dark."

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[pandorah]

Normally she wasn't the type to instigate conversation unless she was about to berate someone for doing something they shouldn't. Why she had even stepped over to where Castor was she wasn't certain of but she had. Her housemates were only known by name and face to her, some, though a very rare few, she knew just a little bit more about. Castor was the type of guy, well no not guy but person, that she had begun to become more interested in. He was smart, attractive and talented. Pandorah was looking forward to furthering herself, and her position as Head Girl next year, so why not become more acquainted with those that could help her? It certainly could not hurt now could it?

Though really she wasn't doing this just to further her own self, she was genuinely curious about him, and other people but not everyone. The librarian too was an odd one, he looked so much like a girl and so fragile. Just looking at him tested her hunger, her urges that she tried to deny and keep hidden while here at Hogwarts. He screamed, 'abuse me', and she wanted to answer that call. However she only smiled, a look that never reached her cold eyes, as the pretty male walked away from her and Castor once more. What an odd one, maybe she would have to speak with him on her own sometime, simply to see what made him tick.

Pandorah was a normal girl, really she was, or so this is what she projected. Haughty and a bit full of herself, cold and distant at the best of times, walls of course. It was to keep people out, keep people from seeing inside, and to keep herself in. Though every single time she thought about it she felt cliched, which only angered her more and made her want to hurt someone, anyone with a greater fervency. Licking her lips she settled herself back down in the seat she had vacated to help the clumsy librarian and folded one of her legs underneath her. “It seems,” she began, putting her gaze back on him though it was obvious there was a change in her, “that many of our house have begun to receive such a negative association. I both want to see if that is true and perhaps change it some. Not to change others personalities but to help alter the perceptions of others.” Her lips pursed a moment and brows drew together before she continued on. “Too many people think just because the majority of us love to read and enjoy books that we are haughty and rude or even have a sense of superiority.” Pointer finger tapped her chin and she flashed a quick grin. “I may be like that, but I highly doubt everyone is”

Prefect. It was more than just a title to her, it meant something. People trusted her and had rewarded her with it, a sense of responsibility. Sure she didn't care what people thought of her but not everyone in Ravenclaw was the same, in fact a few of them were just shy but seen as being snotty because of it. House pride, she had it in spades, was always at Quidditch matches cheering loudly. That was the one time her loyalty really shone through.

She flipped open the heavy tome she had set down and put her papers inside of it, just for something to do with her hands and because the messiness was making her twitchy. “Affable huh? Yeah I can handle that. Much better than most of the other things I have heard.” Now she grinned, and this time it reached her eyes before slipping into a smirk and she relaxed back in the chair just a tad more, shoulders not so stiff. He was taller than her wasn't he? She didn't stand by people all that often to be able to tell but she knew she was taller then a lot of them.

One brow crooked upward as a random thought slipped through her mind. He was very neutral on things wasn't he? Polite yes but..no no, she was doing it again. Immediately trying to find something negative to focus on to dismiss him. She did it to everyone else and she was trying to stop that.

“Oh you spent most of your time outside? I spent most of mine inside. I study and do work even over the summer. Not to mention I burn very easily in the sun so I prefer not to bother with it.” All of that was true, she just did not give him everything else she was up to. No need to tell people everything right? “Do you practice often then? I confess I have no idea what goes on out there...I am not a big fan of flying.” Pandorah did not like to fly, at all. She was not afraid of it, or so she claimed. It just definitely was not one of her favorite things to do. Why be that high up in the air with some tiny stick shoved up between your legs?

“I'm sorry if I don't come across as very interesting. Even I seem to think I sound pretty damned boring.”

[aubracex]

Castor for once didn't have to work to keep his attention focused on his companion, as he looked at her and noticed a slight change in her. He was not sure what it was or even if she noticed it herself, but it was there and he could tell something had gotten to her and her mind was working over it whether she was privy to these inward activities or not. Even Castor couldn't pinpoint what exactly was different. It wasn't exactly a look about her, though now he noticed that, even though she smiled, she did not seem happy or amused, as if she was measuring each situation and putting on a painted face in response. In fact, it seemed that everything about her was particular. It was like she somehow had to hold herself back, or perhaps hide. From what, Castor didn't know.

Though she said she was observing and experimenting with perception, Castor could see exactly what other houses did in his prefect. Certainly, she was pretty, and kind, affable, as he had said. But that was outward, and as soon as he stopped to notice her little nuances, those things that made her different than -- and he hated to think this for a moment, because, honestly -- normal people, he began to wonder if she was just as cold and calculating as most other students thought all Ravenclaws were.

He did his best not to let his realizations show as he spoke: "Yes, I believe our outward appearance is not allways entirely correct, or maybe it is just skewed. But there are those in our house that perpetuate that perception. There are some Ravenclaws even I think are haughty and cold." His tone dropped slightly on those last few words and he recognized that he was trying to warn her, in a way. He wanted her to understand what he was seeing without saying it outright. Perhaps he could be too polite after all.

"Miss Koenig," he said, standing suddenly, his chair skidding back a few inches and making a louder noise than he intended or predicted. His height was quite a bit more apparent now, since he was not stooped or sitting and truly standing to his full height. "You have inspired me. Would you like to take a walk outside with me?" He smiled a little more than usual, as if he genuinely was amused now. "Compared to this book, you are considerably interesting and I can't think of another person I would like to spend my free time with. Perhaps I could give you a better idea of the rules of quidditch, if you are interested?"

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[pandorah]

How right Castor was, and Pandorah herself would be in shock to realize it. Perhaps she would even be frightened that a person had such an insight to her, especially when they didn't know her all that well personally. She was always hiding, holding back, keeping things at bay. This particular Ravenclaw was in reality a very bad girl, not nice at all and dangerous. She hid behind her cold mask, the books and her grades just to get through things. Oh, there were other sides to her but ones even she wasn't completely aware of. With her brother she could be a pain but also very affectionate and sweet. She liked to chalk all this up to teenage hormones and trying to find her real self, she wasn't loopy or anything but a normal girl. Normal, perfectly normal. Maybe she was too hung up on that idea but it was a good one to focus on.

She looked up quickly, her gaze almost cruel and quickly filtering to neutral nothingness. His words were pinpointed at her and she didn't like it. Even though she fully admitted that she was one of those that didn't mean she wanted someone else telling her who or what she was. “Yes, there are some of us like that, perhaps for good reason.” Her tone was sharp, she believed for the most part that she had a damn good reason. People in general were pathetic and ridiculous and she was a control freak who had ego issues. She knew at least this much about herself and was fairly honest about it.

Brows drew together when Castor stood and she stared upwards at him, farther then she believed any other male, in their house especially, that she had come in contact with. Suspicion was written plainly upon her face and she half expected him to tell her to fuck off, she was a bitch and he wanted nothing to do with her. Maybe it would be better if he did. But no, that was not the case at all. His words had her blinking several times in a row, the shock very evident, so much so that when she first began to respond back to him her voice came out as a squeak. “I am more interesting then that book?” Her face then flushed a rather fetching shade of pinkish red and she cleared her throat while shaking her head. “I, uh yes, thank you? Quidditch does seem interesting and I haven't been up close and personal with it as it were.” Well, what a way to recover she pondered her own tone and just tried not to laugh.

Now she stood up and flicked her hair back behind her shoulder before looking at him. He was taller then she was, an impressive feat considering she was an even six feet and taller then most people from what she had seen. “I think that going out there with you would probably be far more interesting than anything I had planned, which was subsequently nothing important.” Standing closer to him, to push her chair back in, she noticed even more so that he really was a looker and it made her smile in an entirely female sort of way. Spending an afternoon with an attractive male, who was from her own house...couldn't be bad right? “So, lead the way? You are definitely more knowledgeable on how to get there, and fast I would assume. Unless you would like that we take our time?” Did that sound flirtatious? Was she actually being cheeky now? Will wonders never cease.

[aubracex]

Despite how quickly Pandorah tried to hide the cruelty in her gaze, Castor caught it just before it filtered away into her normal look of neutrality. He heard the coarse tone and felt the conversation heating in a way he did not want. He was afraid they would get into some kind of match right there in the library. He was not a confrontational fellow, he was too polite, but had a feeling that he was about to ignite something in Pandorah that could mean bad things for him.

When he stood he saw the surprise on Pandorah’s face, like he had just scared a cat into that tense crouch. Like she would either run, or pounce. But his words themselves calmed her, perhaps actually surprised her even more, at least it seemed so by her tone of voice. He couldn’t help but think that her squeaky little response was cute, but he wouldn’t get too caught up in it, or in her. He was friendly, and that was the extent of it. Relationships did not fare well with him involved, he didn’t know why.

Still, her every motion now screamed flirting, at least in a Pandorah sort of way. It was still quiet and subdued, mature and not at all annoying or girlish, but he could sense it there nonetheless. “You’re much more interesting than a silly book,” he said, smiling at her, perhaps a little wider than his usual. He was glad the tense atmosphere from only a few moments earlier had diffused, and he was similarly happy that they were about to enjoy an afternoon in the sun.

As she stood, Castor realized what she had meant about her height. She was taller than many people he knew, only an inch or so smaller than he was. He rather liked it, that she was closer to his level, that she was a mature adult, that she was hiding something. Somehow, that intrigued him more than anything. He was a Ravenclaw, that much was true: he wanted to open her up like a book to discover what she was hiding, her secrets. He was curious, it was instinctive.

“Surely you know how to get to the quidditch pitch,” he said, offering his hand without thinking. “Haven’t I seen you at games?” He chuckled. “It’s up to you, Miss Koenig, as to how fast we walk.”

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[pandorah]

Briefly she wondered if this was a good idea. Her own housemate, someone she spent more time with then other people for the sheer fact that they were both Ravenclaw's, was going to spend alone time with her. Others may call it quality time but she had no idea what it was beyond the two of them alone. Would this be seen as something more by their peers? Did she even care? The truth to those was obvious. Of course it would be seen as something more, because teenagers liked to talk and gossip and did so often. Now that they knew she wasn't infallible, that Pandorah wasn't this cold hard bitch with no feeling or urges whatsoever, she was like live bait. Now, the caring part, no she didn't. She had very little care or worry with what other people thought about her beyond how obnoxious it was to be bothered with questions. At least, if she were to suddenly become associated with Castor, he was a much nicer male and definitely not the playboy type.

More interesting then a book, it was a compliment from one of their kind, or so she saw it as such. A different one then she had ever received and the pale girl decided she liked it. He was right though, and no ego was involved in this she just knew. Her mind, herself, she was complicated. A page turner full of suspense and unpredictable turns and twists that the author itself sometimes hard a hard time keeping a handle on. Wasn't that what these years were all about?

Tilting her head she noticed his smile, it was different, wider. He had a very welcoming sort of expression with it being as big as it was and it opened up his face more, turning his simple and cute attraction into something deeper. Pan had to admit that he also had a very soulful pair of eyes and she wondered what type of deep thoughts he had hidden inside that mind of his, behind the windows to his soul. Why was she thinking such things? The young woman decided to blame anything she could think of, this was one of those times she honestly didn't want to start thinking too deeply. Every time it had happened before she had ended up flip flopping in her emotional roller coaster without any type of restraint. It began to give her a headache when these things happened and she did not need that right now. Having fun, that would be nice.

“Of course I know how to get there, I go to every single game.” Though at first the words sounded snappish it was obvious by the time she was done that it was just a simple response. “I am very big on supporting our house in everything.” She stood straighter then, proud and knowing it. Pandorah had always been big on supporting the Ravenclaw house, ever since she was selected to be a part of such a wonderful place full of mostly like minded people. She was not deluded enough to think that people thought the way she did, then the whole world would be doomed to hell with no chance for redemption, much like she often thought she herself was.

Shaking her head to rid herself of those darker thoughts she nodded to Castor and took his hand on reflex. The only other person whose hand she had held was Sirius, the Gryffindor playboy she had recently been linked with by some rather nasty rumors. It was both reassuring and somewhat stressful to realize that the Black boy was not the only one who sent a shiver down her spine at this type of physical contact with her. Did this mean she found Castor more then just simply attractive, or was this going to be a normal reaction when touching others? Thinking on it she knew that the latter could not be true as there had been instances of other touching without this reaction. Both of her brows shot up then, realization dawning that she saw her housemate in a light not the same as the other males she associated with.

“Oh, now aren't you a gentleman.” Laughing quietly she pulled forward while holding his hand, not insistent but with enough force to get him moving with her, unless he balked of course. “Since I am not the flying type, I may just hem and haw and take a great deal of time to get there. Nothing wrong with dilly dallying in a persons presence if they intrigue you now is there?” Turning her head she fixed the young man with a slightly heated look then ducked her head and focused on having them at least leave the library. Whatever happened on the way to the actual Quidditch pitch was up in the air and entirely dependent on the two of them. Either way they would probably get there and Castor would get to see her in again a different light thanks to the whole flying thing. That and she thought a boy who endangered himself and did such a crazy sport, was far more attractive then one that sat around on their hind quarters doing nothing much at all.

OOC: Did you want to do another thread with them at the pitch? Let me know and if so perhaps you could start it and just PM me the link? Or PM me any other ideas you may have!)