A Dance with Snakes PV: Bridget Finished

@Jackson Valentine

It had been a little over a week since her first duel of the season, and frankly, she wasn't particularly proud of it. Her very first duel a year ago had gone better despite the less desirable outcome. She preferred winning, of course, but winning wasn't quite so enjoyable when it had nothing to do with your own skill. She had what, one spell that actually hit its mark to show for? Santario had done most of the damage and at the end she'd basically won by default.

She was disappointed in herself, naturally, but she was determined to at least not mope about it. Her poor performance was something she could fix before her next duel and fix it she would. She just had to work harder, practice more.

There were other things she had to do, naturally. Her homework wasn't going to do itself, but she was plenty used to juggling homework and sports. After a short trip to the Library to return a few books and check out a new one, she had expected to head straight out and off to the Slytherin Common Room. She certainly hadn't expected anyone to talk to her, especially not someone she didn't know.

She stopped as she heard the voice and saw someone moving towards her. Try as she might, she couldn't put a name to his face. He'd never talked to her before, she was sure of that much. She nodded as he said her name as a sort of question, confirming that she was who he thought she was. It didn't really catch her off guard anymore to have people know her name, having been a part of the Quidditch team last year and the duelling team now.

The why for his approach, though, had her curiosity peaked, though she wouldn't have to wait long for an answer. He looked pretty young, likely a first year, so chances were, he knew who she was through duelling, not Quidditch. What he said confirmed that. He was... complimenting her performance in her duel? "Oh. Um, thank you."

Well, she was proud of her Shield Charm, at least. She'd had to ask someone after the fact if it had actually worked since she coulnd't see anything with the blindfold on and had been happy to hear it had. It was one of the few things that had actually worked for her, which was a little weird since it was a fourth year spell, meaning it was more difficult to cast and a spell she'd had less practice with.

Enough thinking back on her duel, though. It was unlikely someone she didn't know had went to the effort of finding her just to compliment her duel. She might as well start by addressing the first problem of not even knowing who he was. "I don't think we've met before. You know my name, obviously, but what's yours?"

@Bridget Collins

"Call me Valentine," he replied straightforwardly, offering an open outstretched palm in greeting.

As the light pierced through the thin layer of stained glass window that shielded them from the outside elements, the juxtaposition of his dark velvet Gryffindor streaks against the deep green hues of her Slytherin cloak became clear as day. A renewed tension may have found itself winding around the two of them, but for the ignorant (apathetic) muggle-born boy, the passions of house pride that set off a competitive spirit were in many ways, absent.

"I was hoping I could make a friend," he exclaimed to the older student, studying her expression closely. "Where I'm from, most the girls I've met are buried too deep in their makeup and dresses to see what's really happening around them. I think it's pretty cool that you're in the dueling club."

Cool was an understatement. The young Gryffindor longed to be a part of it one day. Ever since the day he had been ripped from his unsuspecting muggle life and told of his unfathomable gift, his sense of reality had been flipped upside down. Sometimes at night, he would lie down and contemplate just what exactly he was doing. Not about any particular moment, but with his inherently miserable life and life in general. Dueling (watching people duel) served as a distraction for him, something to keep his mind occupied from the voices that haunted him. That begged the question.

"So," he began, playing with the sibyllic noise as it rolled off the edge of his tongue. "What made you decide to become a duelist? I heard from some of the Gryffindors that you were a Quidditch player last year."

@Jackson Valentine

He introduced himself as Valentine, extending his hand. She accepted the handshake; she wasn't a huge fan of them, but leaving his hand suspended in the air would be much weirder. She briefly puzzled over why he'd only introduced himself as Valentine and whether that was his first or last name, but decided it didn't matter. It was clearly what he wanted to be called.

He got right to his point. Frankly, Bridget didn't know quite how to respond. He wanted to be... friends? She appreciated the directness, but that had not been what she'd expected him to want. There were plenty of people she liked that she wouldn't call friends. The word had always had a lot of meaning to her; a friend was someone she cared about, someone she would fight for, and that applied only to a select few people. Not to mention that it took quite a bit of time before she would call someone a friend. Hearing Valentine say what he did caught her off guard.

"There are plenty of other girls in the duelling club," she said finally. In other words, why her? She was far from the only girl not caught up in the things he'd described. She supposed she could give him a chance, though. She couldn't promise friendship, but that didn't mean she wanted nothing to do with him. Plus, he seemed interested in duelling and that was something she could discuss pretty easily.

He continued to talk, moving on to ask her about her switch from Quidditch to duelling. It was true, she had been a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team last year. First-string Beater. And she'd had every intention of trying out again this year, but then duelling had become an option and she'd made the decision to switch sports. Valentine was asking for the reasoning, the motivation behind that decision. It was... complicated. A bunch of different reasons threaded together with guilt. She had loved flying, and she still did. That wasn't to say she didn't like spell-casting, because she did, but the choice to join the duelling team had more to do with being able to protect herself, her friends. To rid herself of her own incompetence so something like what had happened to Victor Moore never happened again.

It occurred to her that she'd been staring at a spot somewhere past him for a little too long and should probably answer. Pulling herself out of her own thoughts and memories, she gave him the simplest response she could. "I guess my priorities changed. Being able to defend myself became more important." Studying his reaction, she wondered how much he knew. The school wasn't safe and despite being a first year, she doubted he could have missed all the talk about the balls, the hags. The cursed black veins of her right arm, mostly hidden by her sleeve, were evidence enough of the threats the students faced. Still, she wasn't trying to scare him. It was really only a matter of time before he was thrust into this whole mess, so he might as well enjoy whatever semblance of safety he had now.

@Bridget Collins

It was unbeknownst to her at the time, but Bridget hadn't been the only duelist he had approached; not even the only girl. He had gone through a whole list of individuals whom he had come to admire after their performance in the recent tournament, seeking advice and open exchange of ideas. This, of course, did not diminish her value as a person to him. Just like everyone else on his little list, she stood out from the rest in extraordinary ways. Like Mars T'ien and Damion White, it was her clever use of tactics that had drawn his attention.

As a First Year, it was exceedingly difficult for him to find opportunities to represent his house in the things he was passionate about. There were few enough First Years in dueling, to begin with, and there was good reason for it. Older students objectively had more experience and better-conditioned minds and bodies. To compete against older students from other houses, one had to be prepared to perform above what was normally expected of a student at that age.

But narratively speaking, as evidenced by her thoughts, the stakes were a little higher than that.

"Why?" he inquired simply. Contrary to what she might have assumed about him, the boy had spent most of his first few months at Hogwarts coming to terms with the new reality of his muggle to wizard lifestyle; an experience likened to the effects of puberty multiplied by a mid-life crisis. The hags, the trial of Potter, the rage of Rafael D'Spacito, much of it went over his head in the early parts of the school term.

Even if he did somehow see the black streaks on her arm, he'd likely think very little of it. She was right in what she thought. There was blissfulness to be found in ignorance.

@Jackson Valentine

Just that one word was all she needed to gauge what he knew. Or rather, what he didn't. It seemed Valentine was still unaware of the dangers of the school. It was a little surprising that he hadn't overheard anything; the balls and attacks could be something of a sensitive topic for all the trauma they had left behind, yet they were certainly still talked about. At the same time, he had likely been quite busy adjusting to Hogwarts. It was probably best he had nothing to focus on but his classes and making a few friends right now, as knowledge, spells, and allies would prove invaluable once he inevitably stumbled upon a threatening situation.

How should she word this? Bridget wasn't going to lie to his face, nor did she think it necessary to dump everything on him right now. There had to be a way to land somewhere in between. "There have been several... incidents here. The balls, for example, have a tradition of going down in flames. So long as you're careful, you should be fine." Well, there was no guarantee caution would keep him out of danger, and it probably wouldn't, but trying to stay out of things had to be somewhat safer. It was a shame she'd never take her own advice; she was already so caught up in the mystery of everything she doubted she could stay out of it. "Though learning as many spells as you can is a good idea. Particularly Extinguo."

Wait a minute... it seemed like Valentine was interested in duelling, and duelling was a great way to practice the spells that could be used to defend oneself. After all, it was this extra motivation and focus on spell-casting that had made duelling appealing. "Valentine... you seem pretty interested in duelling. Have you considered joining your House's duelling team?" She glanced at his robes, which helpfully displayed a nice red color, labeling him as a Gryffindor. His House hadn't done very well in the first stage, and Katrina had mentioned they hadn't had many trying out at first. She didn't assume any of them were quitters, but it was possible a bad first performance could see someone leaving, which would mean an open spot. Besides, she'd heard something about one of the Gryffindor duellists targeting a teammate, and while unsure of how exactly that would be handled, she doubted it would go completely unaddressed.

"I have no idea how long Gryffindor's waitlist is, but at some point, a spot will open up. Of course, as a first year you're at a disadvantage--you have fewer spells, less experience--but if you want, or even if you just want a bit of help with a spell sometime, maybe I could help. Only if you want." Bridget was half-surprised at her own offer. Valentine was practically a stranger and yet she was offering him what, spell tutoring? Maybe she just wanted to keep someone safer after Victor Moore had demonstrated just how disastrously things could go. Maybe she wanted to see if Ileen was right and she really was good at this teaching thing. Either way, she definitely had a pretty good grasp on first year spells and if Valentine really was looking for a friend, this was a way she could get to know him better.

@Bridget Collins

Her subtle warning to him went over his head (as she intended?). It was met with an internal Oh. He didn't know what to make of that. Well, Hogwarts was an established school, so it probably had fire extinguishing equipment, right?

When asked about his ambitions to join the dueling team, he responded with a curt nod. But unlike her, he wasn't so optimistic. The Gryffindor dueling team consisted purely of second and third years. Valentine had a feeling that it was to make up for their lack of fourth-year students to counterbalance the weakness of the overall roster, but it was mostly speculation. At the end of the day, whether or not he was admitted would come down to the strength of his mettle and his capability as a wizard. As such, he was always seeking to improve himself and grow stronger. It was one of the principal pillars that formed the prism of virtues that was Jackson Valentine.

Upon her offer to help him, however, his eyes lit up; so much so that Bridget could probably have sensed the violent transition of his aura from calm to excited. Did she really mean what she said?

"But how?" he asked. Students were forbidden from dueling outside of the dueling club and as a non-duelist, he wasn't allowed to access the dueling club facilities either. If he could, he wouldn't be standing here prying knowledge from his schoolmates. If he could, he wouldn't have approached the dozen other people he had spoken to for help (with little success to show for it). He would have taken matters into his own hands and developed his skill on his own terms. That was his way as he had always known it.

That didn't mean that Bridget's offer didn't at least tickle his heartfelt ambitions. In fact, it sent quite the tremble across his soft cranium. What exactly did she mean by 'a bit of help with a spell'?

"They won't let us students practice anywhere," he explained. "Not if we're not members of any of the House dueling teams."

@Jackson Valentine

Her inquiry about his interest in joining the duelling team was answered with a nod. He didn't look particularly excited, though. It was possible that duelling just wasn't the sort of thing that made his eyes light up--there was a difference between interest and passion. Or maybe he didn't think it possible. If that was the case, at least he was being realistic. Most teams were less likely to recruit first years unless they were abnormally talented for the simple reason that anyone else, regardless of skill, had a wider arsenal of spells.

Or maybe duelling did spark his interest, and his reaction to mention of it had simply been dampened by his hopelessness towards securing the role of duellist, if the transition in his countenance after she'd made her offer meant anything. Her own expression, often kept fairly neutral, couldn't help but break into a smile at his excitement. There was an odd sort of sensation that came with a few words, a simple offer, making someone so happy that she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was probably just related to finding someone with a shared interest.

Her smile faded at his question, replaced with a confused look. What did he mean, how? Thankfully, he elaborated, stating non-duellists had nowhere to practice. She supposed it might make sense that they couldn't use the duelling facilities, though she couldn't recall whether or not such a rule existed. If it did, she'd probably deemed it unnecessary to commit to memory since it didn't apply to her. But even if he couldn't use the Duelling Club, there were other places to practice. Classrooms, for example, or one of Hogwarts' many mysteriously empty rooms. She was practicing spells long before she'd made the duelling team. In fact, it was unlikely she would have made the team if she hadn't had that practice. And she wasn't the only one; she'd seen plenty of other students practicing where they could. The school rules certainly limited magic use outside of class, but while she couldn't recall the exact wording, she was pretty sure it mostly prohibited fighting with magic. She at least trusted her younger self, who'd had much less to worry about at the time, to have made sure she wasn't breaking any school rules. Not to mention she'd never gotten in trouble for it.

She shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure there are places you can practice. If you want, I can go find the exact wording in the school rules, but I've practiced in empty classrooms plenty of times before."

@Bridget Collins

"Oh."

Oh indeed. In an instant, the Gryffindor's expression morphed into a blank stare of disbelief. All manner of childlike playfulness left his visage as his disbelief gradually turned into incredulity.

"How has nobody told me that before?"

His voice conveyed frustration in a way that suggested the question was not one that was meant to be answered. It reflected on the journey he had made, only to arrive a single step further. Inwardly, he grimaced. Not because of any one thing that Bridget had done, nor at his own ignorance, but the lengths he had gone to as a result of his ignorance. He remembered his awkward and arguably hostile run-in with Santario, whom he admired up until that point. He remembered watching the sunset with Raine Sage in what was one of the most emotionally tense and awkward moments he had ever forced himself into. He remembered meekly seeking the aid of his senior Gryffindors, many of whom just didn't see any interest in helping him. Thus, when such crucial yet simple advice came from the lips of a Slytherin girl, he almost didn't believe it. But from what little he had seen from Bridget, she didn't seem like the type to manipulate him just to get a kick out of it. Even if she was, he wasn't in any position to reject any help that others were willing to give.

Still, the bitterness of having to endure so much only to learn of something so useful so late left a foul taste on his tongue. If he had learned of this at an earlier date, he would never have had to humiliate himself in front of others just to find his footing. In due time, even without Bridget's help, he would have mastered the spells on his own. Trial and error was the name of the game, and he always had his personal notes from the tournament matches to refer to.

He noticed then that his expression had taken on a dark complexion, whether it was the weathering of his eyebrows or the sudden intensity of his focus, he immediately made corrections to soften it.

"I- Sorry. . ." he spoke softly. The tension in his muscles declined rapidly, and he began to look at the Slytherin girl, rather than through her. "Thanks for telling me this, Bridget. You don't know how much you've just done for me."

He let out a shaky breath, his mind clearing in a passing moment as the thickness of reality enveloped him once again.

"If you'd really like to help me, I would be honored to have you as my teacher."

Apart from the theoretical aspect of dueling, Valentine knew very little about how he would go about improving himself. In due time, he would figure it out, just as all reactions would reach an equilibrium. However, the process would be slow and painful. Bridget could be the catalyst he needed.

@Jackson Valentine

The full range of emotions crossed Valentine's expression. The revelation that he did, in fact, have places he could practice spells seemed to carry quite a bit of weight for him, which made sense. He was clearly interested in duelling and well aware of his chances of actually getting on the team, so learning that weeks where he could have been improving his skill had been wasted was naturally frustrating. It was almost a little weird to be able to see so clearly what someone was feeling; maybe she'd just been spending too much time with her own housemates, since Slytherin had a thing for keeping one's emotions private.

"Of course." She was a Slytherin, but she didn't believe in withholding information. Far from it, actually. Bridget valued a certain degree of fairness, even if life was innately unfair, as well as honesty. Perhaps odd coming from a Slytherin, or at least the stereotypical view of one, but really, dishonesty tended to cause more problems. And even if Valentine ended up being some phenomenal duellist, her own competitiveness wouldn't go so far as to rob him of the chance to compete at all.

As for offering to teach him, well, she had the feeling it wouldn't be exclusively beneficial to him. Sure, he was a first year, but that didn't mean he couldn't teach her anything, and fresh opinions were always useful. Regardless, it would give her more opportunity to try her hand at teaching, which had caught her interest after Ileen had commented on it. Though she was still only a third year, time had a way of passing by far too quickly and it couldn't hurt to start experimenting with different things to see where she might want to land after Hogwarts.

"I would. I have to warn you, though, I'm pretty busy, so I may not be able to help you frequently, but I can definitely find time for it. Besides, you can make plenty of progress on your own and then I'll be able to help you work out any difficulties." She tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Hmm... You could always find my during meals, but owls might be the easiest way to communicate."

Well, it seemed they'd pretty much covered what they needed to. And with that, she should probably get back to her homework. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to do itself. Hopefully he wouldn't mind her departing. "It was nice to meet you, Valentine. I have to go--homework--but I'll see you around."

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