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nikolas vaisey doesn't need a broom to fly (besserwisser) wrote in wished,
@ 2010-02-03 11:53:00

Entry tags:

!1998: 02, !incomplete, millicent bulstrode, nikolas vaisey

Who: Nikolas Vaisey & Millicent Bulstrode
When: 3 February, Wednesday. Afternoon, once classes have let out
Where: Quidditch pitch
What: Getting Millicent ready to play Chaser...and talking about secret societies.
Rating: TBA, low, maybe some language?
Open/Closed: Closed.

Nikolas had actually considered skipping out on his classes today. As far as he was concerned, there was too much on his mind this week. It had been hard enough to focus after Sunday, and now he'd made plans with both Millicent and Lucy to meet up and discuss the latest developments. The more he dwelt on this thing with the Headmistress, the more confused he found himself becoming, and he didn't like it.

If it weren't that Millicent and Lucy had been among the other seven students, Nikolas wasn't sure what he was going to do. Tell McGonagall that he'd changed his mind? That was the last thing he wanted to do, especially after she'd praised his improved performance in classes lately, and all but told him she thought this might really change how things turned out for him. Maybe that was why this was bothering him - scaring him, even - as much as it did. Why couldn't he just brush this off, go with it as it happened, like he did almost everything else?

Taking to the air on the Skybrush Millicent had given him for Christmas, Nikolas felt his spirits lift a little. Flying was always a good way to clear one's mind, and the conditions today seemed perfect. A quaffle tucked under his arm, he hovered low, waiting for Millicent to arrive.

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headlocked
2010-02-03 06:19 pm UTC (link)

Classes lately had left Millicent more tired than ever, though not weary. Ever since the headmistress' invitation, she'd been pushing herself harder than she ever had, going above and beyond in any way she knew how, testing her limits and breaking them. She had to prove herself worth of this, and she had to strengthen her endurance level. After all, if normal classes exhausted her, how could she ever hope to succeed in a crash course in animagic?

As it were, then, she'd been seeing even less of people than usual - which was probably better for all involved, since she'd been so scared out of her mind for her mum lately that anyone could set her off. That said, she felt like it'd been ages since she'd been on the pitch, and she made her way out with her own Skybrush, nodding at Nikolas in acknowledgment. "Rides smooth, doesn't she?" she broke the silence, half-smirking.

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besserwisser
2010-02-04 03:21 am UTC (link)

"It's incredible," he agreed. "I think they really made a difference, last game, for me and the Beaters anyway."

It was true; the Skybrush was superior to any broom he'd had in the past. Though he'd never been one of those who simply had to have the latest models and modifications, Nikolas knew a good broom. These handled a bit differently than the ones he'd become used to, but he'd gotten used to it quickly enough.

"But," he added, tossing Millicent the quaffle with a sharp chest pass. "Next game, we'll have four out there. And hopefully a Chaser who can stay on her game."

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headlocked
2010-02-05 02:59 am UTC (link)

She smiled and nodded. "Well, unlike some, I can't quite outfit the whole team. But good to hear it's working for you." Catching the quaffle, she tucked it under her arm as she lifted off. "You can count on me, Captain," she assured.

Steadily rising, she wondered how this was going to work. Would they practise, then talk? Was he going to bring up the subject while they were in the air? "Where do we start?"

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besserwisser
2010-02-05 05:42 am UTC (link)

Nikolas leaned forward, resting his hands on the broom handle. He was glad he'd opted to wear gloves after all - it was colder up here than he'd thought at first. And windier, too. Millicent's confidence and eagerness made him grin. Half the time he wondered just how enthusiastic the team was after he'd taken over.

At least, he sometimes suspected that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were constantly muttering amongst themselves during practices. And Zabini obviously didn't think much of him, although that seemed more tied to his relationship with Daphne. Now with this matter of benching Harper...well, it was just nice to have a player who didn't have some sort of grudge to hold against him.

"It's up to you. I know we probably both want to talk about McGonagall's...class. But I do want to start getting you trained up for this new position, too," he said easily. "Hm. Maybe we should talk first, then practice. Otherwise we might both get tired out and not really be up for chatting?"

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headlocked
2010-02-05 06:02 am UTC (link)

Coming to a steady hover, Millicent lightly bobbed the quaffle and caught it again, just for something to do with her hand. She felt the chill in the air, though the gloves Nikolas had gotten her for Christmas were helping.

Well. The man had a point. She nodded, switching the quaffle to her other hand. "Good idea. I know I wouldn't want to talk much after practising, especially something like this... assuming I even had the breath left for it."

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besserwisser
2010-02-05 06:57 am UTC (link)

Nikolas laughed. "Exactly. I don't want to have to go easy on you for the sake of polite conversation," he teased. "Here, come on down."

Tipping the Skybrush downward at a slight angle, Nikolas began his descent to the grass. The noise of the wind was too much to talk over at length. That, and up in the air they were much more likely to catch the eye of unwelcome guests. Who, at the moment, meant anyone but himself and Millicent.

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headlocked
2010-02-05 07:31 am UTC (link)

"What?" Millicent joked, leaning in as if she couldn't hear Nikolas over the wind. She got the point, anyway. Nevertheless, she tipped her own broom down and started to land. When her feet hit the ground again, she gathered her bearings and set the broom down, then began to toss the quaffle from one hand to the other, back and forth.

She waited until Nikolas came down, and lowered her voice a bit. "So. How'd she rope you into this?"

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besserwisser
2010-02-05 07:46 am UTC (link)

The whipping wind was doing a number on his hair, and Nikolas attempted to brush it out of his eyes once before deciding it really was a lost cause. He crossed his arms and stood near Millicent, leaning his head in to hear her. To an onlooker, they probably looked quite conspiratorial. But if anyone did approach, they had a perfectly valid excuse.

"It was possibly the weirdest experience I've had here," he admitted. "I thought maybe I was in trouble for something, but all she did was congratulate me on the game, and say I'd been doing better in class.

And then she kept going on about how I'm not very close with most of my housemates, and possibly didn't share all of their views on certain subjects, and then wham," Here he snapped his fingers sharply. "She told me what was going on."

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headlocked
2010-02-05 08:06 am UTC (link)

"Oh, I hear you loud and clear," Millicent nodded knowingly, glancing around quickly before leaning in. As if someone was going to randomly come over and eavesdrop, of course, but she wasn't taking chances. "It was like that with me too, only I thought something bad had happened to--" Immediately she cut herself off - she was dangerously close to giving it all away.

"Anyway. She just started out telling me she was impressed I finally made the team since I'm a girl, and said she felt like I could handle anything thrown my way, and that it must have been hard in Slytherin, keeping... secrets... and..." She hated tiptoeing around things, and now that she thought about it, Nikolas wouldn't likely care. With another glance over her shoulder, she came out with, "Oh, sod it. My mum's a muggleborn. My real mum, I mean."

She fixed her eyes on the ground after that, kicking the dirt. "But, er, yeah, it ran basically the same way. I s'pose we needed reminding that we didn't fit in to go along with it."

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besserwisser
2010-02-05 04:54 pm UTC (link)

Though he'd been growing increasingly confused by the evasive nature of some of Millicent's answers, Nikolas wasn't about to pry. It wasn't so much that he didn't care, but he figured that if there was something she didn't want him to know, then it was really none of his business and that was fine with him. He had enough to think about.

Which was why, when the truth about her mum suddenly came up - her real mum, because apparently she had two of those, now? - he was not prepared to answer.

"I - Oh," he said after a beat. "I didn't, well I had no idea. Obviously. Since you never said it. Not that you should've had to."

Nikolas felt awkward. That was quite a bomb to drop. But after all that had happened thes past few months, and the things he'd found out about some of his friends, he found he wasn't very phased. He thought about pursuing the topic, but it seemed like Millicent was eager to move away from it, so he shrugged.

"Yeah, right? It was like she needed to make sure we felt like we're 'different', or whatever. I'm fully aware that I don't get along with half the people in this house, she didn't really need to beat me over the head with it." He frowned slightly. "I guess you were pretty open to the idea, though? If you mum's..."

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