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Tweak says, "I made u an orange but I eated"

Theodore Nott (naughtt) wrote in veritaserum_rp,
@ 2008-08-06 21:54:00

Entry tags:

padma patil, theodore nott

Who: Theodore Nott and Padma Patil
What: Doing as the bookworms do...
Where: Flourish & Blotts.
When: Wednesday afternoon, after work.
Why: He could feel his mind imploding after days of just not reading.

The smell of old paper, ink--or the smell of books beckoned Theodore into Flourish & Blotts even though he was just passing through Diagon Alley to withdraw money and to buy some supplies for his owl. Now why did he have an owl again? He didn't often contact anyone outside of work. He tried to remind himself why he went though the trouble of actually owning the animal as opposed to just sending messages through some commercial courier and billing it to the Wizengamot. Work. That was all he did now-a-days. If his father was still alive, he would've pointed out that Theodore had become very much like himself. Fully interested and absorbed in his work, leaving little for anything else. Not that there was much else.

Theodore scanned the tables situated in the middle of the store, picking up a volume from it, and inspecting it before placing it back on the display. Magical Fungi--it wasn't something that he could use right now as he had little time to brew potions or even gather or shop for any ingredients. It was actually quite sad--in his opinion at least. He had considered quitting several times, or asking for reduced hours, but then the next case would reveal itself and ensnare his attention and interest.

Perhaps he just needed to find something outside of work that interested him. A book would be a good start, he thought, picking up another and reading the summary upon the dust jacket.

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patilling
2008-08-08 01:19 pm UTC (link)

At his response to her apology, Padma narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. It had been an accident, there really was no need for him to use a tone on her. Surprisingly enough, she held her tongue in check as her gaze came back from the table to the man, arms folding across her chest lightly.

"Mister Nott," She replied after a moment, nodding her head just slightly. While she could have called him Theodore maybe, she didn't know him well enough to feel comfortable with that option. He would always be Mister Nott, no matter what, she the habit she'd fallen into in calling him such was going to stick. "Did you find anything interesting?" Despite her urge to roll her eyes or snark back something, the Ravenclaw within got a hold of Padma: she was always interested to see what others found, especially when it came to books that she herself hadn't gotten around to skimming through.

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naughtt
2008-08-08 10:06 pm UTC (link)

Theodore didn't quite notice Padma's reaction to his own reaction as his gaze has already returned to the books. Something that wasn't wholly unusual to him. He knew he was right since she didn't correct him for speaking an incorrect name. His thoughts were further confirmed by her question. Definitely a Ravenclaw.

He picked up another book, but looked up from it to answer her question. It was question that was worthy enough of being answered after all. "Nothing particularly useful and in turn interesting to me. I haven't the time to spend brewing potions and the like," he said with a shrug and sigh. It wasn't as bad as it sounded, but he did miss some things. He missed the sheer amount of time he had to himself while he was a student at Hogwarts. "I'm sure that there are a few good new titles under the study of Ancient Runes--it's about time that some of the researchers turn out something." He followed this research closely as his mother had worked in the area until shortly before her death. He was always interested in the cryptic symbols written on any and all types of objects back in the day.

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patilling
2008-08-16 10:57 pm UTC (link)

Ancient Runes-- a subject that Padma knew well. Having taken five years in the subject, she always found the topic quite interesting. Of course, she hadn't been at the very top of her class in that subject (especially since Hermione Granger had weaseled her way into the class as well which usually didn't give Padma a chance at getting to the top) but she knew enough. "I read an article not long ago that they'd found an interesting set of runes on old Norse graves that hadn't been explorded for quite some time. It seemed that they were lying, hidden, and the experts were trying to find some sort of hidden meaning with it." She flashed a light, brief smile. "I couldn't agree more-- it's an interesting subject that doesn't receive enough attention."

She shifted lightly from one foot to the other, her eyes falling on the shelves of books to her left. Padma was usually on the defense when she found herself in situations she didn't expect (a conversation with Theodore Nott being one such time) but being in the book store was comforting, helping ease the tension that she felt, melting it away until she could think a bit calmer than she may have before.

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naughtt
2008-08-18 08:22 pm UTC (link)

"Mhmmm," Theodore agreed with her without more words. "But for its cultural value at times, the research can seem like a waste of time." He frequently played the devil's advocate when he wished to learn of the true nature of people. To an extent his words rang true for him, as he had little time for what wasn't useful to him anymore, and while Ravenclaws tended to enjoy knowledge for the sake of knowledge Slytherins tended to like it for the sake of utility. While Ancient Runes had little to do with wizarding law, he enjoyed the trivialities of Runes and other such things for an unknown reason.

"Actually, it is fairly surprising that they bother to teach that at Hogwarts since there are very few occupations that actually require a detailed understanding. Not everyone's out to become a researcher or spell breaker at some Norse burial site." He shrugged, in what seemed to be a laid back manner and watched Padma. He wondered what she was thinking as he spoke, and hoped that his words would make it much clearer. He was fairly sure that she remembered that he was also in that class every year. He also didn't get the top score but marks had never mattered to him--and he was fairly convinced that although intelligent as she was he could've beaten Hermione in that topic area at the very least if he had put in more effort. (Yes, he can be that proud.)

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patilling
2008-08-19 11:01 pm UTC (link)

"Yes," Padma agreed, arms folding across her chest as her head nodded slightly, "but with further research, there could be more to uncover. If you look at things only at surface value, then that's all you see. But digging a little deeper never hurt anyone." Ah yes, a true Ravenclaw: research purely for the sake of it. There didn't have to be a reason for Padma to get hooked into something. Not everything managed to grab her attention but key subjects managed to cling onto her thought process, leaving her searching for more answers simply because she could find them. Or at least, so she could attempt to find them.

His last sentence had her frowning though as she tilted her head slightly to one side. "Who's to say the subject doesn't simply interest people though?" She questioned, pushing the line slightly as she pressed forth. "I mean, I understand where you're coming from but, while it may only seem useful in other subjects, the value of it could be far more important. Perhaps a student would want to take merely because the subject interested them? And who's to say that there can't be more done with the subject itself? I'm not saying that something will be done right away but, with the right amount of time, someone else could unlock more possibilities for the subject to evolve into different jobs in the field itself."

There was a rush that followed her words as she let out a breath, a light grin spreading across her lips if only for a moment. Padma always did enjoy a good intellectual conversation, which is just what Theodore Nott was giving her. Most people she talked with had a strange tendency to simply agree or have the same viewpoint; here she actually had a chance to do a bit of thinking on her feet and arguing her own point in a diplomatic fashion. Perfect.

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naughtt
2008-08-20 12:19 am UTC (link)

"However digging a little bit deeper would require the time and energy of the brightest of the Wizarding World, and that in turn will detract from more of the 'useful' research. Such as in wizarding medicine and the likes. For all we know, a cure for most of the world's poxes may be found if people just focus their efforts in healthcare." Theodore pushed again for the viewpoint of one who was particularly pragmatic. It wasn't his particular perspective, but he liked arguing from many perspectives. It was just how he was.

"And so we should pursue this just for the mere fascination of people? I daresay that most of the population doesn't give a silver sickle about the origins of Ancient Runes or its research--so its capacity to provide pure entertainment to the masses is fairly low. There is a possibility that possibilities will evolve from this, but that's merely a matter of chance and good intuition on behalf of the researcher--and it's a possibility, not something with a definite pay-off."

He spoke thoughtfully and shrugged, a grin that could be likened to that of a sphinx crossing his lips before he frowned slightly in thought. "But perhaps you are willing to risk something practical for the more mysterious? Even if it may not have as much to offer in the end?"

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patilling
2008-08-20 09:47 pm UTC (link)

"And who's to say this couldn't be useful research?" Padma argued in a polite, slightly clipped tone as she tilted her head lightly to the side. "There's so much we don't know about the subject of Ancient Runes that, like any subject, there could be more useful data hidden beneath what we already know. I'm not arguing to pull bright researchers from the health care field-" She smirked very lightly at this, using his example, "-but you also have to take into consideration that not everyone will be as skilled nor as driven to work in certain fields. So while you could have a driven person, their talents may lie in doing research for Ancient Runes and the same can be said of another though their circumstances may drive them towards, as you say, health care."

The answer to his final inquiry seemed obvious to Padma as she answered, with a very firm level of certainty, "Yes, I believe I would. Perhaps not in the field of Ancient Runes, for while I do love the subject I don't feel I have any useful skills to add to it already, but if I were given the chance to, well, take a chance on a new project I felt motivated towards, despite not having a set end goal nor certainty of the outcome, I would take it." She paused a moment before adding, "Would you?"

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naughtt
2008-08-20 10:20 pm UTC (link)

"Who is?" Theodore replied shrugging. "Perhaps the funding agencies that dole out money to these digs, perhaps the public who in the end--like it or not--will have to deal with the information that is given to them by the researchers." He paused for a moment to pick up and study another leather-bound book. "It's hard to pretend that all findings do not cost lives or cause more trouble than they are worth." He was familiar with the risk of those who studied Ancient Runes at the very least--and cursed tombs and the likes were a very real part of life. This is why she settled for desk work after her children were born after all.

He betrayed another small smile at Padma's reply. "The words of a true Ravenclaw. Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." Of course he heard the question coming from Padma, but wasn't inclined to answer it. No, he wasn't particularly interested in gambling, but gaining greater insight has always been his goal. He looked down at the book in his hands. It was a detailed guide on magical fungi, one of the first books he looked at earlier. "I think I'll get this one," he commented, holding up the book and looking around for the salesperson. "Good day, Miss Patil. It was a pleasure seeing you once more," he said with the slight incline of his head before turning to head off.

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