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Ernie Macmillan is frustrated by prejudice. (ernestpuff) wrote in wished,
@ 2009-10-16 21:46:00

Entry tags:

!1997: 10, !incomplete, ernie macmillan, susan bones

Who: Erine Macmillan and Susan Bones
What: Relaxing, and Ernie needs to do some explaining.
Where: Room of Requirement
When: Friday at six!
Rating: PG maybe?
Open/Closed: Closed

Ernie walked along the seventh floor corridor by the painting with the trolls learning ballet three times with Susan, thinking 'I need a comfortable place to talk to Susan without being interrupted'. The door appeared, as expected, and Ernie opened it to a relatively small and comfortable looking room with a pair of squishy chairs, a window looking over the lake, and a little table. Absolutely perfect for their discussion and sugar quills.

Ernie flopped undignifiedly into one of the chairs, leaving Susan to take the other chair, before he said, "Thanks Susan. You know I'd never take a break if you didn't remind me." He smiled at her, because it was true, and he needed his friends to save him from himself sometimes. "Tell me, how was your week? Did you enjoy your birthday?" The question he didn't ask was 'did you like your present', which he wanted to say, but was just a little afraid to. Besides, he prefered this topic of conversation to the other one that he would have to discuss. He had promised.

[ooc: Ernie got something like this for Susan's birthday, except more real.]

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ernestpuff
2009-10-18 08:27 am UTC (link)

"And I wouldn't suggest it," Ernie replied, smiling slightly at her Pansy comment. "That girl can be vicious. I wouldn't trust any of the Slytherins in our year really, although I haven't spoken to several of them, so perhaps that is a bit unfair."

Ernie nodded. "Yes, those two. They are the prime suspects, and I think the Slytherins know it too. And I think... well, itching powder isn't in the WWW catalogue, so perhaps it was in testing and they weren't aware of it's potential?" Ernie didn't think they would try to hurt anyone unless someone was trying to hurt them. They weren't malicious people, and he knew that. Fiercely independent, trouble-making, all sorts of things, but not malicious.

Shaking his head, Ernie replied, "No! They're good at what they do, and I can't find any proper proof. Daphne destroyed her package, which is perfectly logical, but not particularly helpful now. She couldn't even describe the owl. Astoria never replied. There's no proof, so we can't act on anything." Ernie felt absolutely stumped, and frustrated.

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susy_b
2009-10-18 05:34 pm UTC (link)

Resting her chin on her knees, Susan was attempting to figure out a solution for him, or at least some encouraging words. "Nothing is more distressing then a guilty conscious, Ernie. I think that if you can't find evidence of them, maybe it's time to drop the attempts to find the suspect, and wait for the suspect, or suspects to come forward." It sounded so simple, but maybe Susan was on to something.

"Or, perhaps pin the blame on someone else, someone you know is truly innocent, perhaps then the real perpetrator or perpetrators, will come forward. If it is Ginny and Sam, knowing them, they wouldn't let someone else fall for something they didn't do, right? After all, they're not in Slytherin." Susan hoped that made sense, and hopefully he wouldn't think any less of her for thinking up something so devious, and sly. She wasn't exactly the most deceptive of people, but desperate times, yeah?

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ernestpuff
2009-10-18 09:31 pm UTC (link)

Ernie considered everything that Susan said. "You might have a point. I mean, we know what they are likely to do. Although it seems rather unfortunate to be blaming someone we know didn't do it. And what if the Slytherins decide to go after them?" He sighed. "But it might work, and I just want to solve this." The idea made a lot of sense, and it could work if they could make sure there was nothing that could go horribly wrong.

He thought about it for a little while longer. It was unorthodox, of course, but not any more than making deals with Slytherins anyway. But who could they blame that wouldn't hate them for it forever?

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susy_b
2009-10-18 09:56 pm UTC (link)

A smile drifted across her lips as Ernie actually supported her idea. It was certainly unorthodox, and might be a bit risky, but it might actually get them somewhere. "And perhaps, maybe try talking to Astoria, she seems like the more pleasant of the pair. I feel bad, I overheard a few of her classmates saying that her itching was so terrible that she was actually trying to rip her skin off." Shaking her head, Susan might not have approved of Daphne's decision to have the squid removed, but that didn't mean the girl and her younger sister deserved to become a victim of itching powder.

"If that itching powder came from Fred and George's shop, I can hardly imagine what they would be making it for. I mean, to have an invention be so itchy it makes someone want to scratch their skin off? That seems dangerous not funny." Shuddering slightly, Susan picked up the rest of her sugar quill from the table and bit off a piece.

"Don't worry, Ernie, my aunt used to say that when things look bad, just think how much worse it could be." A reassuring smile was given to the boy before she went back to nibbling on the sugar quill.

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ernestpuff
2009-10-18 11:24 pm UTC (link)

"I should try to get in touch with Astoria," Ernie agreed. "She actually opened her package, so she might have noticed more about it than Daphne did." Whatever he felt about the squid, the vengence was totally uncalled for - and he couldn't see why going after Daphne's sister would be reasonable.

Ernie definitely agreed about the reaction. He didn't think Fred and George wanted to hurt people, for the most part, which is why he could only imagine that the severity of the reaction was an accident. "I know," he said, "it's odd. I can't recall them ever doing something to delibrately hurt someone. I think they just used an experimental product and didn't realize." It certainly matched what he had heard about the many flaws of the early Skiving Snackboxes.

At Susan's encouraging words, Ernie smiled. "Thanks Susan. That's always true." Picking up his forgotten sugar quill, he began to bite bits of the end off again.

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susy_b
2009-10-19 01:04 am UTC (link)

Susan allowed silence to fall between them as she studied the last few bites of her sugar quill. Popping the rest into her mouth, she savored the lingering flavor of blueberry. "Whatever you decide to do, Ernie, I will stand by you, and I know our friends will as well. You need to stop doubting yourself, and give yourself more credit. You're smart, Ernie, and brilliant," Susan wanted to add that he was perfect but she bit her tongue and just swallowed the rest of the sugar quill down.

Quickly averting her gaze she looked out the window which was overlooking the lake. The empty lake without a single ripple breaking it's glassy reflection. "Who's going to save the first years when they fall over the boats now?" Susan wasn't really posing the question for Ernie, it was more in general.

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ernestpuff
2009-10-19 08:11 am UTC (link)

Despite still feeling a touch pessimistic and slightly stressed, feelings which he had accepted were just not going to go away, Ernie felt much better for having talked to Susan. "Thanks Susan," he said, smiling, "It's brillinat to know that I have you all as the best friends anyone could ever want. You especially. Listening to me complain about life. I don't know how you do it, but I'm grateful that you're so amazing."

Ernie watched Susan for a moment, while she turned to look at the lake, turning toward where she was looking when she spoke again. "I just hope we don't need to find out," he replied.

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susy_b
2009-10-19 10:34 am UTC (link)

Oh Merlin, cheeks flushes a bright crimson at the compliment. Tilting her head down just try and hide that blush, Susan just smiled into her knees. Compliments were one thing she never took very well, the girl was modest, and hardly thought anything of herself when it came to helping her friends. "Well, that's what friends are for, yeah? I don't mind listening to you talk, or any of our friends." She said quietly, the girl was suddenly overcome with shyness as she tried to control that blushing. It wasn't that she was ashamed, she just didn't think it was that big of a deal.

"Do you think he's happy, the squid, wherever he is? I don't think the Ministry would send him anywhere horrid where he might get hurt." Gaze finally lifted from her knees to look over at Ernie once more.

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ernestpuff
2009-10-21 09:11 pm UTC (link)

Ernie knew that Susan didn't take complements well from years of knowing her, so when she blushed crimson, he just smiled. He meant every word of it, and Susan deserved to hear it. "That's what friends are for," he agreed, "which is why you're a good friend to have." He was not going to let her brush the compliment aside completely, because as far as Ernie was concerned, it was a big deal.

Considering the Squid, Ernie was much less certain. "I think he's doing alright," he replied hesitantly, "and I don't think he'll be hurt." He wasn't sure, but that's what he heard from so many sources that he was starting to beleive it too, although he didn't place quite as much confidence in the Ministry.

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