WHO: Geoffrey and Ananda Hooper. WHEN: Saturday. WHERE: Hogsmeade SUMMARY: Geoffrey has a rare moment of sibling bonding with Ananda and doesn't quite know how to deal with it. RATING: PG for language. STATUS: Complete!
“Hey loser.”
“Hey stupid.”
This was the Hoopers’ way of saying hello to each other.
Geoffrey raised his head up from the copy of the Quidditch magazine he was perusing, giving his sister an assessing look. “What do you want? Money?”
“No.” Ananda wrinkled her nose. “I just want to say ‘hi.’ Why do you think that I always have an ulterior motive? Merlin.” A beat. “Although a few extra sickles would be nice.”
“I knew it.”
“Whatever. You don’t know everything about me, Geoffrey. It’s not like you’re Professor Trelawney or anything, or that you bother to say ‘hi’ more than, like, once a year.”
“Trelawney’s a fraud.”
“She is not. You just don’t understand Divination. You always say that something is stupid when you don’t understand it.”
“I didn’t say she was stupid. I said she was a fraud.”
“Potato, pot-tah-to.” But Ananda’s scolding lacked its usual bite. She altered the strap of her purse, seeming as though she was deliberating about something. In spite of himself, Geoffrey became curious. “Sooo…”
“Sooo what?”
“Don’t be obnoxious, Geoffrey.” Ananda chewed at her lower lip, somewhat dislodging the lip gloss she had applied with liberation that morning. “So, did you actually tell Brian Finkley off over the journals the other day? When he said that it was good Neville Longbottom’s parents died or something.”
“He didn’t say it was good that they died,” Geoffrey clarified. “He said that Neville should know better because of his parents or something. I don’t even know what happened to his parents. All I know is that he lives with his Gran. Your friends always exaggerate everything.”
“Oh, and like you never do,” Ananda scoffed. “So, did you?”
“I didn’t argue with him or anything. I just said that bringing up Neville’s parents was a low shot and that he could make his point without it. That’s all. It’s not like I’m joining the Saint Potter brigade. Merlin.”
“Okay.” Ananda nodded to herself, seemingly having got what she had came for. But still she paused, glancing over her shoulder to where a trio of her housemates were clustered around a shop display. “That was good. I mean, he shouldn’t talk about other people’s parents like that. Especially now that he’s a prefect. I’m just saying. You did the right thing.”
Geoffrey blinked. What had just happened? Oddly, he felt his ears begin to heat up. “Whatever, Ananda,” he managed, shoving his hands in the depths of his coat pockets.
“Yeah. Whatever, Geoffrey,” Ananda retorted, but again there was that strange look of - perception, perhaps - on her face. One of the girls gave a shout in her direction, a good naturedly exasperated hurry along urging. “Anyway, I better get going. It’s not like I’m not going to see you all through the holidays, unfortunately.”
“Hey,” Geoffrey called after her. “Now you can go out with Jack. And not break your ‘no prefects’ rule. Merry Christmas, huh, Ananda?”