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nikolas vaisey doesn't need a broom to fly ([info]besserwisser) wrote in [info]wished,
@ 2009-11-25 00:35:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:!1997: 11, !complete, lucy elkins, nikolas vaisey

Who: Nikolas and Lucy
What: Hanging about the Astronomy Tower to discuss Lucy's Animagus studies
Where: Astronomy Tower
When: Tuesday evening
Rating/Warning: TBA

As he made his way toward the Astronomy Tower, Nikolas had to wonder what exactly had gotten into him.  This felt almost...silly.  Since the game on Saturday, and his resulting injuries, he'd been very reluctant to do anything outside of the Slytherin Common Room unless he was required to - classes, unfortunately, and meals.  As a result, he'd been lazing about for the past few days, struggling to pay attention to his assignments and completing most of them half-heartedly.  As much as he was pleased to be the new team Captain, he was beginning to feel it might be a bit more trying than he would have liked.  That, and he strongly suspected ulterior motives on Malfoy's part.  At the very least, he had a feeling the former captain would not make the transition easy for him.

Looking for an excuse to get out of the dimly lit Common Room and entertain himself with something a bit out of the ordinary, Nikolas decided that perhaps paying Lucy Elkins a visit while she worked on her Animagus efforts wouldn't be such a terrible idea.  As a matter of fact, when she'd consented to allow him to join her, he found that he was rather excited.  He didn't know of any other students that were studying it, and he knew that Lucy enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures as much as he did - she seemed like an intersting person to talk to.

So, wincing a bit at first, he climbed the spiral staircase that led to the tower - where, he noted with a sense of amusement, he'd spent a bizzarre evening drinking and playing cards with Daphne barely a month before - Nikolas anticipated something genuinely enjoyable.  Upon reaching the top of the stairwell, he was greeted by a door closed almost all of the way, left open just a crack.  For the sake of politeness, he knocked, not wanting to just barge in and possily startle Lucy at a crucial moment.  "You up here?  It's Nikolas."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-25 06:00 am UTC (link)
Lucy often found herself quite unsure of where she could study without being disturbed. Between Peeves reeking havoc with her books or Filch passing through the halls, Lucy did her best to study in a different classroom every night. Although Hogwarts was very large, this was sometimes a difficult task. Mostly, she favored the Astronomy Tower. It was quiet and she generally went undetected.

It made sense that people were often sneaking up here to snog.

At the moment, Lucy lay flat on her stomach, her legs up and crossed at the ankle. A pair of spectacles lay perched on her nose as she held her chin up in her hands. Three books were open in front of her, each open to various diagrams of half-human and half-animal creations.

At the sound of the knocking, Lucy looked up, pleased to hear the sound of Nikolas' voice. They hadn't always been so talkative, but she found that he was a rather interesting bloke.

"Right here," she said, before pulling herself up off the floor. "Just doing a little brush up."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-25 06:17 am UTC (link)
When Lucy answered in the affirmative, Nikolas opened the door fully and stepped through to enter the Tower proper. He smirked to find her climbing up from the floor. He'd never found his stomach to be the most comfortable position from which to study, especially now that he sported a plethora of bruises in that general area. As Lucy stood, Nik tilted his head and took in some of the books that lay scattered on the floor where she'd been - the diagrams were both startling and extraordinary.

"Hey, thanks for letting me join you. I've been bored out of my mind the past few days." He strolled a bit further into the room, moving delicately in an attempt to avoid any unnecessary pain. "How are you?"

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-25 06:33 am UTC (link)
Wearing only a pair of slim denim trousers and an over-sized sweater that tended to fall off her shoulder, Lucy straightened herself out as Nikolas entered the room. She pushed her glasses back and smiled at the boy. However, she couldn't help but notice the slow, deliberate movements he took as he came closer. Her brows furrowed.

"I'm alright," she told him, her head tilted just slightly as she watched him for a moment. "Are you, though? You look like you're in a bit of pain."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-25 06:49 am UTC (link)
Nikolas shrugged, then decided that had been a terrible idea. His face registered this briefly, but he grinned anyway. "I've been better, truth be told, but it's certainly much better than it was. I'm sure I'll be feeling more myself by the weekend."

Not really wanting to dwell on the fact that his first day as Captain had ended with him coming in and out of consciousness on the grassy floor of the pitch, he approached he spot where Lucy had been just before he had entered the room. "So, what have we got here?"

His gaze wandered down to one of the books now at his feet.

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-25 07:01 am UTC (link)
Lucy watched him carefully, noting the momentary pain fleeting across his face. She knew he must not be feeling very well, but Lucy couldn't be sure that Nikolas would want any sort of help from her. Some boys were like that, you know? They could take care of themselves. She returned the smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I do hope so," she told him. "Otherwise Madame Pomfrey didn't do a very good job of fixing you."

She shifted in her spot for a moment as Nikolas approached the various texts on the floor. She followed him to the spot, momentarily crouching down to pick up a particularly large one - it was a collection of journals documenting various transformations.

"It's important to understand how easy it is for things to go wrong," she told him before pointing to a particularly strange diagram. "This one is of a silly bloke stuck between human and eagle. See the way his left eye is all black and beady? A bit creepy, isn't it? Apparently it took St. Mungo's months to sort him out."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-25 07:08 am UTC (link)
"Oh...wow." Nikolas stared at the image Lucy had indicated, rather disturbed. That certainly made any of his problems seem right mundane. At least he was still fully human, everything where it ought to be. His hand moved to the back of his neck and he put the other to his hip. "That doesn't look like a very good time."

He had to credit Lucy with some guts - she may be a quiet girl, but he had to feeling many people would balk at the thought of possibly becoming stuck as some half-human half-animal monstrosity, even temporarily. He wasn't even sure that was a risk he'd want to take, not that he considered himself especially brave. No wonder Animagi were rare!

"Does that...happen often?"

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-26 03:45 am UTC (link)
Lucy's eyes lingered on the rather grotesque image for a moment. Truth be told, it was all rather frightening. There was so much that could possibly go wrong. Sometimes she wondered what possessed her to go through with all of this. She looked at him, a wry sort of grin tugging at her lips. He looked absolutely bewildered by the whole idea.

"It does," she told him, nodding her head. "So many people often try without really being ready. And often, this is what could happen. Your mind gets trapped between your animal form and your human form."

She closed the book before biting down on her bottom lip.

"I'm a little weary, I'll be honest. It's like, how do you ever know you're ready to do it?"

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-26 05:10 am UTC (link)
Nikolas gave an understanding nod, and when Lucy closed the book he moved to sit atop one of the larger desks toward the front of the room. He found that sitting was much more comfortable for him right now. Besides, it wasn't as though he'd planned to sit the whole time. He rolled up the sleeves of the t-shirt he was wearing, and noticed that one of his shoelaces was untied.

After a few moments of considering Lucy's question, he shook his head a bit. "Don't know. Perhaps it just eventually clicks in your head? The human element and the animal elements incorporate, or something?"

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 01:45 am UTC (link)
Lucy bent down to retrieve the rest of the books scattered about the floor. She piled them up in her arms before dropping them down near her bag. She had spent more time reading than she had planned to. Pulling up the sleeve of her sweater, she leaned against the desk opposite Nikolas.

"Hopefully," she told him, before shrugging her shoulders slightly. The sleeve of her sweater fell back down. She ignored it in that moment. "You know, no one has ever been around while I was studying before."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 01:57 am UTC (link)
"Oh, well," Nikolas said, tilting his head and glancing vaguely at her shoulder. "If it gets to be distracting, or annoying, or anything, let me know and I'll head out. I've just been going insane the past few days with everything that's been going on, and being stuck largely in the Common Room."

He stopped speaking and looked back at her books again. "Did you get all of those at the school library? Or did you have to order some specially?"

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 02:36 am UTC (link)
"Oh, no," she told him, waving her hands in front of her. "Please, it's actually rather nice - to have the company..."

In fact, he was one of the only few who knew about her studies in the Animagus field and the only one who wanted to see what it was like. Most of her other friends were somewhat supportive. They didn't think she had a lick of a chance, though. She smiled at him.

"A little bit of both," she said. "A few I took out from the restricted section, thankfully with Slughorn's permission. But the rest I ordered from a shop in Diagon Alley."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 03:09 am UTC (link)
"Professor Slughorn's good like that," Nikolas replied with a bemused grin. "So long as you show some sort of potential to be famous someday. Or do well in his class."

He laughed shortly; he'd done fairly well in Potions in the past, more so when Professor Slughorn had taken over. Nikolas had pondered once or twice mentioning the prominence of his mother's family to the professor, with the hope of getting an invitation to one of those dinner parties, but had in the end decided that to do so would be silly. Anyway, he'd probably have lost interest in attending them soon enough. He could only take so much of watching other people's posturing.

"That was clever. I guess not many people would just have books about this sort of thing in their homes, unless maybe they had a parent interested in it."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 03:16 am UTC (link)
It was almost surprising to Lucy that Slughorn had actually granted her the access. Considering her family was of no noble birth within the wizarding world or the Muggle world, for that matter, she had to think that it was maybe her skill with Potions. Well, that was what she hoped for.

She pushed herself up on the desk, her legs swinging slightly.

"No, well, my father isn't much of a reader," she told him, shaking her head. "He's very intrigued by the whole process, though. I write home about it all the time. Makes him feel a little bit more included in things."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 03:30 am UTC (link)
If Nikolas was to be honest with himself, he had to admit he was somewhat flattered that Lucy had permitted him to sit in on her study session, especially since it sounded like this was something she liked to keep quiet. He imagined that a lot of other people who had it in their minds to tackle becoming an Animagus would tout it all over and use it as evidence of their superior skill. Lucy's confidence and discretion were refreshing.

Still sitting on the desk, he attempted to settle back a bit without moving the wrong way. Having satisfactorily repositioned himself, he nodded slowly. "Ah. I don't know how my parents would react if I told them I were thinking of studying this. They'd probably say it was a distraction from my schoolwork and that I ought to save it til after I'm done with formal schooling." Not that I'm exactly tackling most of that with any enthusiasm.

"Was your father in Ravenclaw, then? You lot seem to be more open to the more esoteric sorts of magic."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 03:53 am UTC (link)
With her hands folded neatly in her lap, Lucy thought back to the first time she brought it up in front of her father. Truth be told, she wasn't sure he even understood. Turn into an animal? Isn't that something you all should be able to do anyway? You're magical, afterall. She had almost rolled her eyes at the time, but knew that her father was only trying to be supportive. It wasn't his fault that he didn't understand.

"With my mom gone and all, my father does his best to be supportive," she told him before she brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.

His question startled her for a moment. She had never told Nikolas she was Muggleborn. But how could she? Him being in Slytherin, she wasn't sure how he would react. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she quickly thought of something to say.

"My father didn't go to Hogwarts," she told him. "He went to a small school on the South African cape."

She wasn't lying, exactly. Prior had spent quite a bit of time schooling there, just not exactly at a wizarding school.

"What about you? Your family mostly in Slytherin?"

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 04:11 am UTC (link)
"Ohh, all right. That's funny, my mum didn't go to Hogwarts, either. Her family's all up in Sweden, actually...they all either went to the wizarding school in Kiruna, or else to Durmstrang, which is where she went."

All this talk of his mother, Nikolas paused and realized he'd forgotten that Lucy's mum wasn't in the picture. He was fairly certain it had come up once before in one of the occasional conversations they'd had during casual meetings in the halls between classes, or on walks back to the castle from Care of Magical Creatures. He'd never asked how she'd died, as he didn't think it was particularly polite, and now didn't seem like the time either. Not that it even really ought to matter.

Instead of dwelling on this and letting the silence become awkward for no reason at all, he continued. "Buy my dad's family, yeah, there were a fair few Slytherins. Always a few odd ones out, of course, but I guess there is something to be said for these things running in the family."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 04:17 am UTC (link)
"Must have been interesting to see Durmstrang during the Tri-Wizard Tournament," she mused, not really sure if it was interesting for him or not. She, on the other hand, was completely enamored with the other schools during their stay at the castle. Silly Lucy was even surprised that there were other schools than Hogwarts.

She nodded her head in response to Nikolas continuing on. It was a curious concept. Most families tended to stick within the same houses, she knew that. She always wondered about it. If Grayson had been able to be sorted, she knew without a doubt he wouldn't be a Ravenclaw. She shrugged inwardly.

"That Sorting Hat is a curious thing. I'll never understand it, really."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 04:28 am UTC (link)
"It is strange sometimes, you're right." Nikolas agreed, with a bit more enthusiasm than he intended. "I mean it does make sense that families might pressure their kids to be in the same house as their parents, keep it in the family and all. Especially Pureblooded families, for some reason, as though the blood weren't enough. But I know lots of people who've said the Hat thought about placing them elsewhere."

It had happened to Nikolas himself, even. He remembered when, as an over-eager first year, the sorting Hat had debated whether or not he would fare well in Slytherin as opposed to some other house. Strangely, it hadn't actually said where else it would have considered placing him. This was something that had bothered Nikolas for a while, until he decided that he'd been well-placed after all. Slytherin was a good fit for him, in his opinion, even if most of his housemates were rather annoying.

"Seems more divisive than anything else, sometimes. Gives people an excuse not to interact with people from other houses."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 04:39 am UTC (link)
At the moment, the idea of studying had completely flew Lucy's mind. She was having far too nice a time just chatting with Nikolas. It was rare that she could actually sit and be so comfortable around another human being, but she generally chalked that up to her socially awkward troubles. She chuckled softly as she remembered her time under the Sorting Hat.

"That hat wasn't on my head for five seconds before I was sorted," she told him. "Suppose I wouldn't do anywhere else."

At his comment, Lucy found herself completely in agreement.

"It's more trouble than anything," she said. "You should be able to deduce how you feel about another person based on themselves, not on what house they're in."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 05:00 am UTC (link)
It occurred to Nikolas that he had come up here in part to find out about what Lucy's studying had taught her, and to perhaps learn a bit of interest himself. Yet, after barely a few minutes of staying on the topic, they'd both managed to go off on a completely different vein. Not that he particularly minded, as Lucy was an interesting person to talk with. He found it amusing that he always seemed to gravitate towards Ravenclaws when given the option - perhaps that's where the hat had considered placing him?

"It must be a good feeling to know that that is exactly where you were meant to be," he observed. "But it's a bit of a shame, because I would say that some of my better friends I've had here haven't been in Slytherin. And I think that if you're too much around the same 'types' of people it only takes those traits to an extreme. House loyalty is all well and good but it gets to a ridiculous level."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 05:12 am UTC (link)
Lucy had an inkling that he might have been talking of her when he mentioned his better friends, however she knew that he was particularly friendly with Dingle. Now he was a curious boy. Rather strange, but always an interesting conversation. She always did get along with the boys better, but she figured it had more to do with growing up in a house of boys than anything else.

"I think it's rather nice, you being able to think outside of your house," she said. "We see the same people everyday! We live with them, eat with them, take class with them - it's all a little daunting after a while. It's as if you're expected to just be this giant mass, all dressed in the same colors and whatnot..."

She took a breath. Perhaps she was going off on too big of a tangent right there.

"But um, yeah. You get my point, I think."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 05:24 am UTC (link)
Nikolas smirked and chuckled a bit at Lucy's small tirade. "Well, to be fair, I think a lot of it is just because I find a great deal of my housemates to be incredibly irritating, so I sort of have no choice but to look elsewhere. I mean Harper and Urquhart are all right, and Millicent Bulstrode's pretty great. But I don't really find my housemates very...pleasant to be around. Most of the time."

His mind settled on Daphne again, and how that situation, of all things, was one of the most troublesome that he currently associated with his house. Admittedly, they'd been getting on quite a bit better lately. They certainly weren't glad of their families' agreement, still, or even friendly to one another. But they had at least been able to interact civilly, and Daphne had even done him a favor the week before with that potion. Progress, right?

"But I do understand what you mean, absolutely. I'm just glad it's only a year and a half until we finish here, and we can start our careers or do whatever it is we've been working towards."

Nikolas made a teasingly apologetic face. "Actually, I've been counting down the days until we graduate on this calendar I have since last year. I hope that doesn't offend your studious Ravenclaw sensibilities."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 05:39 am UTC (link)
"I understand you, there," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not sure you would enjoy sharing a dorm with the rest of the girls in my year. So much talking Mostly I keep my curtains closed and a silencing charm around my bed..."

She sometimes felt very bad for blocking the rest of the girls out. But keeping herself out of it was much better for Lucy. Partly because she didn't quite hold an interest in all the gossip and partly because she couldn't keep up. How could she? She had much bigger things to worry about than Mandy and Michael hooking up in the Astronomy Tower or some such things.

The idea of Nikolas marking down the days until their graduation made Lucy smile in a weird sort of way. It was a weird concept, wanting to leave a wizarding school. But she supposed it was because this was something she hadn't been used to all her life.

"Well I think I'm supposed to disapprove," she said, scrunching her nose. "But I mean, there is only so much you can learn within these walls."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 05:48 am UTC (link)
"Right. See, I figured this out my third year or so. And I don't think this reasoning could really apply to everyone but this is what I thought."

Nikolas stood as he began speaking, having grown weary of sitting and feeling the need to move. Besides, he was explaining himself, might as well do it the right way. He paced a small trail down the aisle of desks. "There's an awful lot of things we can learn here, and no possible way we can learn all of them. Add to that the fact that only certain bits of the things we learn are going to apply to what we do when we graduate. Obviously some people have to take specific classes to be able to have the careers they want, but I for one don't have that problem. It might be lazy of me, but as my future is all but settled, I don't see much point in putting a lot of effort and stress into a full schedule of classes...and now I'm just rather bored of the whole thing."

Nikolas stopped speaking when he realized he had probably just made himself sound like a self-entitled prat. Which he wasn't, at least he didn't think so. Still, he had a point, right? What did he need with trivia like Divination and History of Magic when he'd known what he was going to do for over half of his life?

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 06:03 am UTC (link)
Lucy stay in her seated position on top of the desk, her legs swinging back and forth and her hands propped behind her as she watched Nikolas begin to pace back and forth. Her eyes followed him, taking in his appearance and the expressions that flickered across his face. There was something slightly mesmerizing about him when he talked. Especially so passionately.

She tended to agree with him. Although she was fairly certain she wanted to teach, she wanted to teach Care of Magical Creatures. But how could she ever know what she was talking about if all she ever did was read out of a book? She needed to get out in the world and see them for herself.

"What exactly do you want to do with your life, Nikolas?" she asked him after he had finished with his small speech. "Or, um, what about your future is so settled?"

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 06:25 am UTC (link)
Still a bit embarrassed by the fact that he'd gotten a bit carried away with himself, especially when it pertained to a matter that most people tended to disagree with him on, Nikolas settled back on the desk he'd been sitting on before, this time simply leaning back into it. He sighed heavily and gave a slight grin as he looked over at Lucy.

This was one of his favorite topics to talk about, even if he would, again, be talking about himself. Could you blame him for being excited about it? At least he liked what he was going to do when he graduated, which he figured was more than he could say for some.

"Oh. My mum's family is quite...well-known in Sweden and a few of the other Scandinavian countries. They've been breeding and dealing in magical creatures over there for several centuries. Anyway, it's a big business but it's been passed down over the years and my mum's said she's going to pass it to me when she retires from it."

He cleared his throat and flicked his eyes up to Lucy's face to see if she was still listening. "So when I finish here I'm probably going to do sort of an apprenticeship, under her, learn everything I haven't already." Now would not be the time to breech the subject of his arranged marriage. Not many people outside of his house new about that, and he wanted to keep it that way. The whole thing seemed ridiculous.

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 06:40 am UTC (link)
She caught sight of him as he grinned. Now, that was something she didn't see him do very often. Not like Nikolas wasn't ever happy, but grinning - well, it seemed a rare thing for him to do. She pulled her legs up, crossing them in the Indian position as she leaned forward, her chin propped on the palm of her hand.

"Merlin, I admit, I am impressed," she told him barely able to suppress the envy she was sure was emitting from her face. "What's your mother's maiden name? I feel like I've heard of something along the lines of your mother's business now that I think about it."

She knew she had, truth be told. She had made a list of places she had wanted to visit once she completed her time at Hogwarts. Every known place of magical creatures that was open for exploring, and some that were not. This was one of the reasons she just couldn't wait to get out of Hogwarts.

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 06:50 am UTC (link)
"I'm quite happy with it, I'll tell you that," he said, thankful that he wasn't the sort who had a hard time accepting compliments. Nikolas raised an eyebrow, positive that he'd detected in Lucy's expression, if briefly, some sort of envy. "It's Flygt. They're the ones with the flying reindeer."

He snickered. "It's funny, those are the creatures that first got the family their reputation, but now they aren't even really used as they were meant to be anymore. They're sort of a novelty now. Luckily we've got some others to fall back on."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 06:54 am UTC (link)
Flygt. Yes. She had certainly read something about the business before. Come across it in one of the magazines she subscribed to. It seemed a bit too good to be true, she had thought at the time. A trade and breeding place for all this magical and animal? But it had been added to her list. It was a funny coincidence that Nikolas just so happened to be connected to it.

"Can I tell you something a little silly?" she asked him.

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 07:01 am UTC (link)
Nikolas was already surprised that Lucy had heard of his mother's family. Though they were a commonly known name in Sweden, outside of that area most people didn't know very much of it, unless they were particularly up on cryptozoology or magical creatures. But then he remembered that he was talking to Lucy Elkins, and that she was probably one of the best students in his year when it came to Care of Magical Creatures.

Still, when she asked him is she could tell him something silly, he balked. Blinking in slight confusion, he nodded. "Guess so."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 07:09 am UTC (link)
She suppressed a small giggle at the look on his face and moved on to tell him something that not even Branwen or Su knew.

"Ever since I was about 12 years old, maybe 13, I've kept this list, yeah? Every single known place for having a magical creature indigenous to it, or those breeding farms for dragons in Romania, anything really - they're on it," she told him. "When I've finished my time here, I won't have a job lined up. I doubt it. So I plan on going through that list. And your mum's business, well it's on that list."

Well. That felt rather good to get off her chest. Huh.

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 07:18 am UTC (link)
He wasn't really sure how he was supposed to react. Flattered, first of all. And perhaps slightly amused. She was very candid about it, and Nikolas had to admire her ambition. If he didn't have this already lined up and waiting for him, he wondered how he'd be feeling as he graduated without any real plan. Lucy didn't seem bothered by the fact that she wasn't sure - actually, she seemed positively excited by the opportunity to test the waters by traveling the world.

Automatically, Nikolas smiled again and he tried to imagine Lucy seeking a job from his mother. Well, if Lucy was still as smart as she seemed to be now, he figured she had a good chance wherever she went. "That's...well, actually, that sounds brilliant. Especially the traveling bit. I'm sort of looking forward to that myself. It'd be sort of funny if you wound up working for my mum. But you know, eventually, you'd be working for me."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 07:26 am UTC (link)
Lucy had originally imagined that Nikolas wouldn't be so impressed. Though, she wasn't exactly sure why, now that she thought of it. If there was anyone that could understand, it would be him. He was the only other one she had known who had such an interest in it all - discounting Hagrid, of course. But he wasn't exactly around any longer.

She shrugged her shoulders, offering him a rather cheeky smile.

"Now imagine that," she said, shaking her head in bemusement. "Me calling you boss? But I mean, the business is rather infamous. A job there would be fantastic no matter who I was working for."

She had mentioned it to her dad once. He seemed more interested in the fact that flying reindeer were actually real. Silly man.

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 07:36 am UTC (link)
"Ohh, well then. You would be lucky indeed," he agreed, a tone of mock pomposity in his voice. "Don't worry though, I wouldn't make you clean the stables or anything. Maybe just once in a while."

He looked over his shoulder at the door, and winced when he realized his neck wasn't quite up for turning that way yet. Maybe in a few days. Nikolas turned back to face Lucy and looked at her for a few moments. She really did care about this, didn't she?

"Hey, since we're on the subject of silly admissions. Want to hear another one?"

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 07:45 am UTC (link)
She scrunched her nose in response to Nikolas' slightly veiled threat in stable cleaning before laughing softly. Who was she fooling? In all fairness, she would probably do it. Well, maybe if it was only once in a while. For the sake of the animals, of course.

She watched him, her brows furrowing in curiosity.

"I made you listen to mine," she told him, a rueful tone to her voice. "Go on."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 07:59 am UTC (link)
Nikolas looked from side to side, a conspiratorial look on his face, and he left his perch on the desk to join Lucy near hers. Drawing up next to her, with a disregard for space that usually came when one considered someone a friend, he gave a sly smirk. Honestly, he was probably being a bit overly familiar with her, and if Nikolas didn't know himself better he'd say he was almost flirting with Lucy.

She was just interesting, that was all. He was enjoying this talk, and she seemed to be, too.

"Actually, it's not all that silly. I don't think so at least," he began, sitting comfortably against the desk. "I figure since I'll be breeding these creatures, I could probably eventually come up with something completely new. It'll take a long time, I'm sure, but it could be worth it. Make something useful."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-28 08:14 am UTC (link)
When he hopped off of his desk, she had assumed he would begin pacing again. It seemed like something he did when he had a lot to say. Instead, he came and sat beside her. She bent her head down, a small smile forming on her lips. That wasn't what she expected. Her hands gripped the edge of her desk as she turned her neck to look at him. He looked so secretive.

And that something silly he had to say wasn't very silly at all. It was rather intriguing. The complete nerd in her was actually completely interested. Could you imagine? Creating your own animal?

"That isn't silly at all," she told him, before raking a hand through her hair. A few tendrils fell and framed her face. "I mean, if you could do that, Nikolas, that would be amazing. You'd very well end up in a book, or something."

As if that would be the coolest part.

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-28 03:52 pm UTC (link)
"You're right, I suppose I could."

Nikolas rather liked that thought. He didn't really care much for fame, although admittedly he supposed that eventually he was going to have his name out there, and that people would know who he was. Still, getting some recognition for something he himself had done, rather than something that he'd inherited, would be a nice bonus. Absently, he rubbed at an especially sore spot on his shoulder, before the thought of ending up in a book made him realize something.

"Ahh, Merlin," he said suddenly, looking at Lucy seriously. "This has been a distraction, hasn't it? You've been studying and since I've been here I don't think you've gotten a single thing done. Sorry about that."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-29 10:39 pm UTC (link)
Although Nikolas had made her realize how much time had passed, Lucy wasn't really in a hurry to start working. She had been at it every night previously, not spending too much time being social. This was a nice change for her, to be able to just talk - and without a real reason. She stretched back for a moment, her arms above her head.

"It's alright, honestly," she replied, laughing softly. "I don't mind taking a little bit of a break, but I suppose this hasn't been very exciting for you."

He had wanted to come and check out the studying process. But this wasn't much like that. Though, if she had to be honest, until she could really transform, the studying process wouldn't be very exciting either.

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[info]besserwisser
2009-11-30 01:16 am UTC (link)
Well that wasn't true at all. Boring was what he'd been doing all week; like Lucy, Nikolas was finding this to be a pleasant change, being able to talk to someone that wasn't in his house.

"Actually I think I needed something like this. You know we've talked a lot of times before after classes and all but I never really got to speak to you beyond that. I'm enjoying it," Nikolas said honestly. He gave her an appraising look. "You've actually got something interesting to say."

Besides, he thought, I could always come back some other time for the studying bit. He wondered if that was his previous boredom talking, or whether this really was something he was invested in. It was new, at least.

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-11-30 06:04 am UTC (link)
A small flush crept into Lucy's cheeks. She certainly hadn't expected that. In fact, she had thought he was positively bored to death sitting up in the Astronomy Tower with her. She let her legs drop down from underneath her small frame.

"I'm glad you think so," she told him, shaking her head in bemusement. Though it was true. They got on well in class and chatted every so often, but they never really hung out. It was nice.

"The feeling is certainly mutual. It's nice not having to talk about who's snogging who."

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[info]besserwisser
2009-12-01 12:56 am UTC (link)
Even in the fairly low lighting of the Astronomy Tower, Nikolas could see the faint pinkness that rose to Lucy's face at his last comment. Well, he certainly hadn't meant to do that. He'd only meant to assure her she wasn't boring! Unless, perhaps she was just one of those people that blushed easily.

Choosing to ignore it, Nikolas responded to what she said about her usual companions with a quiet laugh. "As riveting as that topic does sound, I'm glad we haven't had to resort to talking about people snogging, too. Oddly enough, I think there may be better things to discuss."

Nikolas stood up from where he was leaning on the desk and slowly tested how far he could stretch his right arm, then his left, without straining anything. Pleasantly surprised with the results, he turned to face Lucy again, hands in his pockets.

"Well, this has been fun. But I'm beginning to feel a bit tired, which means that soon you probably won't want to hang around with me anymore because I'll start acting like a grumpy bugger." He considered the next bit before continuing. "If you'd not mind, though, maybe we could do this again? With a bit more of the Animagus stuff next time?"

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-12-01 02:19 am UTC (link)
Lucy hopped off of the desk, her hair bouncing slightly. She smoothed herself out, looking to Nikolas with a smile. Time had certainly gone by rather quickly. But she found that it was a much more fun evening than she anticipated. That was always a pleasant surprise.

"You? A grumpy bugger?" She looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. "I sincerely doubt that, Nikolas. But yes, next time, definitely. Having company always helps to pass the time."

She grabbed her books off of the desk and began to fill up her knapsack.

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[info]besserwisser
2009-12-01 06:28 am UTC (link)
"Trust me," he said, giving her a warning look, "I'm fully capable of being highly unpleasant when sleep deprived."

It was hard to believe Nikolas when the next second he was grinning again. "All right." He wandered over to where Lucy was filling her bag and grabbed a stray book that had fallen to the floor, proceeding to hand it to her.

"Well, have a good evening, then. And don't go turning yourself into a half-giraffe half-human."

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[info]lucyelkins
2009-12-02 05:15 am UTC (link)
"I'll believe it when I see it, Vaisey," she said teasingly before distracting herself with her books.

Lucy was staring down at her stack of books, counting them to make sure she had all of them. She counted six, she had brought seven. Her brows furrowed as she scanned the floors. It took her a moment before she looked up to Nikolas and saw the seventh book in his hand.

"Oh, thank you," she said, a small laugh accompanying. "Well, I'll try my hardest. Hopefully I won't turn in to a giraffe. That wouldn't be very useful."

She laughed again.

"Have a good night, Nikolas."

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