Who: Mandy and Shawn Randall (American Duel Team member) Where: by the lake When: Oh, Thursday, late afternoon. What: Mandy has another patented "open mouth, insert foot" moment. :D
Shawn was a still figure at the lakeside, eyes following the strange dance of the giant squid as tentacles were raised lone and partnered, breaking the surface of the lake and winter's contemplation of the Hogwarts grounds. He was quite impressed with the school, though found himself more comfortable in conversation with the professors than the students, whose society seemed incredibly divided. Cupping his hands in front of his mouth, he breathed hotly into his palms, banishing the chill, eyes moving yet with the seeming gestures of the squid.
A good portion of the trousers of Mandy's Quidditch uniform was covered in mud, testament to the immense mess the ground the Quidditch stadium was. However, determined to milk every last moment of daylight she could, she found herself traipsing over the grounds. Not bothering to worry if the ends of her cloak were edged in mud as well, she held the ends close around her, conserving as much heat as possible. She paused; it was still odd seeing strangers around the school. She had no doubt that by the time she actually got used to seeing them, they'd be gone and she'd have to readjust. Her hand slipped into her pocket, searching for the apple she'd put there after lunch, only to remember that she'd eaten on the way to Quidditch. No matter. The squid would live without an apple. She came upon Shawn, and paused, watching him watching the squid. "Sometimes, if he's in the mood, he'll throw objects back. I nearly had a concussion once, from an orange."
Surprised at the company, though certainly not displeased, Shawn grinned crookedly, observing squid and girl both. "Tomorrow I'll have to test his temper." He did not recognize the girl, though the uniform he noted immediately, smile broadening. "My brother plays second string for the Fitchburg Finches."
"He's got the arm of a beater, if not the aim." Fingers curling into the edges of her cloak to combat the chill of the breeze by the lake, she shifted slightly. "Fitchburg... that's in the States, right? What position does he play?" Mandy tried to not sound derisive of American Quidditch, but the few teams she'd seen hadn't been all that good.
"Chaser, and yeah." Shawn had tried out several years for the same position, to no avail. He had the build of a Keeper, broad shouldered and solid, though not the skill for it. "You, ah, practicing?"
"Just finished." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, towards the pitch. "I'm Keeper for Ravenclaw." She'd always known that she looked more as if she should be Seeker, but that position had already been taken, by Cho. Small for a Keeper, yes, but she'd been told once that what she lacked in actual size, she made up for in speed and sheer fearlessness on a broom. After that, she'd exercised a bit of caution. Just a bit. "Do you play?"
Shawn shrugged, his grin sheepish. "Poorly." A tentacle slapped violently against the lake's surface, the sound almost like a laugh. He cut his eyes across to her, hand thrust suddenly forward. "I'm Shawn."
Mandy found herself grinning in turn, examining her hand to make sure she hadn't gotten mud there before grasping his firmly. "I'm Mandy." She paused, still grinning, not sure why.
"And a Ravenclaw?" He grasped her hand firmly before releasing, his own seeking again the warmth of his pocket. "What does that mean, exactly? I just see red striped tie, green striped tie, red striped tie, blue striped tie..." Though he and Elizabeth and Kyle had been thoroughly briefed about the school, he admittedly found the descriptions a bit vague.
She jerked her head toward the path that circled the lake, wanting to at least move if she was going to talk. "You possibly asked the wrong person. My House is known for... er. Knowledge, intelligence. That sort of thing. If you wanted the short version, a Gryffindor probably would have been better to ask." Mandy paused, taking a deep breath to get herself back on track. "Hogwarts is over one thousand years old, and it was founded by four people: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They obviously valued alliteration." A grin. "Each Founder valued different things -- Gryffindor bravery, Hufflepuff hard work, Ravenclaw intelligence, and Slytherin cunning. These are, of course, generalisations."
She paused to gather her thoughts. "Each House tends to have characteristics based on these values, but they are by no means meant to be limited to each House. Up until last year we had a Gryffindor that would have fit nicely into Ravenclaw; she's absolutely brilliant."
He followed, nodding emphatically as she spoke. Shawn considered himself something of a diplomat. "How do you know which House you'll be in, then? If you're smart and cunning, or brave and hardworking?" It seemed rather complicated, if charming.
"Oh! That's the fun part, if a bit nerve-wracking. We're Sorted, you see. When Slytherin left the school, over a difference of opinion on who should actually be taught, the Founders -- Gryffindor especially -- developed the Sorting Hat, and every year, on the night we arrive at Hogwarts, we have the Sorting Ceremony. It... hm. Well, it's been years since I've read the particular charms involved, but in essence it reads not your mind, but your heart, to see where you should belong. I nearly went into Gryffindor."
Shawn considered this, brows knitting above steel framed glasses. "Well," he shrugged, "we've got the ghosts in common, at least. Sarah Good's no Sir Nicholas, though."
Mandy laughed. "It would take a good bit to be anything like Sir Nicholas. I much prefer Ravenclaw's ghost, The Grey Lady. She's very quiet, but she's got a brilliant sense of humour." Idly, she kicked a stone out of the path. "Who was Sarah Good, when she was alive?" Finally, she was able to put voice to her intense curiosity about the other schools -- well, at least one of them.
"She's a bit mad, really. The only real witch among those hanged during the trials in 1692, though she got a nasty hex there at the end. One of the Ministers died of hemorraging." Shawn's voice held little emotion as he spoke, though his restraint was clear. "She's got a temper, as you can imagine." The squid had retreated entirely beneath the surface of the lake, and the wind picked up, the cold paling against his exposed face and neck.
As he spoke, a spark of memory from a long-ago History of Magic lecture returned. Her mouth dropped open as she remembered vaguely. "I remember." She shook her head slightly. "From History of Magic, that is. Vaguely. Binns even made the Salem Witch Trials boring, which is so very sad. I might have gone on to N.E.W.T. levels with it if he'd been interesting."
Shivering, she pulled the collar of her cloak closer about her neck. The legs of her trousers, still slightly wet, felt like icy patches against her legs. "What part of the States are you from?"
"Colorado." His tone was slightly questioning, as though he were not sure if she'd be familiar with the state. "And you're from... somewhere in England, I'm guessing?"
It sounded familiar, but nothing more. "A bit north of Manchester, yeah. But Colorado... that's nothing more than a vaguely familiar place-name. What's it like?" A bit of the wanderer resided in her soul, as well as an inability to simply let silence reign.
He pointed, head tilting slightly, at the mountains in the distance, snow rimmed. "A little like that." As he lifted his arm his eyes grazed the face of his watch, stopping him. "I've got to practice." He seemed shocked at having forgotten.
"Then what are you standing here for?" Laughing, she grabbed his arm, turning him around and marching with him towards the school. "Honestly, I know I'm pretty, but not enough to forget practise." Immediately she blushed, letting his arm go. She opened her mouth to remove her foot from her mouth, but found that her words had deserted her.
Shawn was surprised, and wondered a moment if he had been staring. When he observed her embarassment, however, he grinned, hoping to ease her discomfort. "Smart, too, right?"
"There are times, yes." She covered her face with her hand, giggles bubbling from her now. "I'm sorry, really. I just... yeah, don't think a great deal and thereby disprove the stereotype that my House is full of super-intelligent individuals. And in the process, make myself look like an idiot."
He shrugged, clearly not in the least bothered, as he was hardly an easy talker himself. "If your Sorting Hat acts as you say it should, I'm sure you've nothing to worry about." He smiled as they reached the gates, more brightly than he had previously. "Thanks for, ah, the chat. It's nice not to feel so foreign even when, well, you are."
"I'd probably be crucified for this if anyone heard, but good luck in your duels today." She smiled at him for a moment. For now, it was time to transform back into Mandy-the-student. The remaining distance to the doors of the school was crossed quickly, the better to escape the dropping temperatures. "See you, Shawn. And, you're welcome." Leaving him in the Entrance Hall, she took the stairs to Ravenclaw Tower, still wanting to hide a bit from her embarrassment.