Cheater Cheater, Pleased to Meet Ya PV Ami Procoppio Closed

One of the more surprising fun facts about the anomaly that was Ami Procoppio was her undeniable prowess in Transfiguration. It was a well-known and widely-acknowledged fact among her friends and even her acquaintances that she was not necessarily the brightest tool in the drawer, and she struggled in most other classes. But Transfiguration? Between her passion for the subject, her love for Cypresse and her teaching style, and her natural affinity for Transfiguration spells, she truly shone in this class. She legitimately enjoyed the class, even if Cypresse no longer taught it, and looked forward to it with an eagerness that was hard to spot elsewhere in the Hufflepuff's life at Hogwarts. Certainly, it seemed odd that such a self-proclaimed "dummy" would be so good at one of the most difficult and complex branches of magic, but this was a world where pigs could literally fly. Anything was possible.

Today's lesson, regarding Beetle Buttons, was a bit of a snooze. She had hoped that they would be covering the Cauldron to Guitar spell in class today, as it would've been a fun prank to pull in Potions at a later date. She had even read ahead in the textbook in preparation, as she had been so sure that they were going to cover it today. But it appeared that her rather lacking Divination skills would prove to be incorrect, as it seemed that they would be delving into the world of fast and convenient fashion in the form of insects. Not that she was complaining, it was probably an incredibly useful spell to know, especially in the fashion industry, but... guitars. Still, she paid close attention to the professor's words, making sure to jot down everything they were saying. Most students probably had no interest in turning beetles into buttons, and Ami was in the majority- but good notes were the key to doing well on homework, which in turn reflected well in her overall class grade. Her pencil (because quills were for losers) flew across the parchment, and the blank space slowly filled up with her cramped handwriting.

As the professor asked questions about the material, Ami's hand would shoot up into the air in a Hermione-esque style milliseconds after the words fell from their lips, and if she was called on, she'd nail the answer in a very casual tone, never once looking up from her note-taking, or she'd answer remarkably cheerfully and casually with a wide, happy-go-lucky smile on her face. Look at how easy this class is, her demeanor screamed, Look at how easily I'm answering these questions! It was all rather pretentious of her, and it was an act that she only put on during Transfiguration, but maybe she was allowed to act all snooty every once in a while. Especially considering that she usually sat alone during Transfiguration, there was very little to keep her entertained during a mundane lesson like this. Answering the professor's question with vigor was the only thing keep her hyperactive mind focused on the task at hand.

After answering yet another answer correctly, Ami's jaw clenched slightly and her eyebrows furrowed. She could feel someone's stare trained on her, or at least someone's gaze repeatedly returning to her. It was a sensation that made her skin crawl slightly, and she looked up warily from her note-taking to glance around the classroom. Most of the other students had their heads bent dutifully over their parchment and textbooks, although there were obviously a few who had deigned it time to nod off or to daydream. But not spotting the creeping creep who had been staring at her, her head bent dutifully back over her notes, continuing to pay attention to the lesson, tuning out the environment and students around her.

"Ow!"

Until, of course, a UFO nailed her in the head. It didn't actually hurt, of course, it was just parchment. But the suddenness of it had certainly caught her off guard. Rubbing the back of her head slightly, Ami turned to the direction in which the projectile had come from. The sight that greeted her was a relatively unfamiliar one- she didn't know Falentra very well, or really at all. They'd been in classes together, of course, and they'd certainly passed each other in the corridors, but she couldn't recall ever having a one-on-one conversation with her. But apparently, that would change today.

"Uhm. These questions- mega easy ain't they? What you got for yours?''

Before she even had a chance to respond to the first question, a second was fired at her, and Ami hesitated in order to process what was being asked of her. "Uh... I mean, I guess they're pretty easy," she said quietly with a shrug. Glancing up to the front of the classroom where the professor was talking about something on the chalkboard, the Hufflepuff grabbed her parchment and slid over a seat so that she was sitting next to the dark-haired Slytherin.

"For... which number? Number six? Yeah, I just wrote some stuff down about like, how it could technically be possible to create an alternate incantation if you based it off a different root language other than Latin, although it would probably be a bit more difficult-" Ami gestured to a large paragraph on her paper that certainly contained more detail than the verbal explanation she'd just dumped on Falentra, before pointing out a very hastily scribbled bullet points in the margin and adding, "That was just my brainstorming by the way, I'm not sure if they're right or not..."

Pausing once more, Ami offered Falentra a gentle smile, grinning at her like a golden retriever. Never once did it occur to her that the Slytherin might've been using her for answers, as she still donned the rose-colored lenses of a naïve child. "Did you get the same thing?" she asked earnestly, nodding at the other fourth year's paper. "I think comparing answers is really smart, you know... like yeah, most of these have a right answer, but there's always a little wiggle room for opinion and evidence, ya dig? I like hearing about other people's opinions and stuff when it comes to Transfiguration, I just think it's super neat...

"Oh, I guess we've never really met before, have we? I'm Ami, Ami Procoppio."

@Ami Procoppio

Well, she was not expecting that! The Hufflepuff had pounced in the seat beside the Slytherin with a burst of energy she was not prepared for. It hadn't even been two minutes and the girl was talking to her as though they were friends. She spoke with confidence, maybe too much. She was either extremely good at the subject and had a strong passion for it, or was one of those people who could talk to anyone or anything without hassle. A envious skill Falentra craved to be able to do deep down.

If it wasn't for the girl catching her off-guard, Falentra would have probably been listening to what she was saying instead of watching her lips move at ten miles an hour. It was only when she saw them stop that her eyes would flicker up to the others, her brows now raised in disbelief. ''What di-...'' She stopped herself mid sentence. But really... what did she just say?? It all happened so fast and so Falentra had to come up with something just as quick before looking like a compete tool. ''....Yes.'' Was that right? Her heartbeat increased as her mind ran through different words to blurt out next. She had no idea what the girl had said to her, but once her eyes dropped to the papers she held with an encouraging nod, she figured it had to be about response to the question she had originally asked about. ''I mean. Yeah. Same... I got the same.''

Falentra casually brushed off her own papers to the side, hiding them away from Ami without trying to make it too obvious. Transfiguration was a subject she loved and held a passion for, but seeing the girl beside her talk so freely on the subject made her question her own ability. She wasn't one for wanting to be better than everyone, not by a long shot, but this was the only subject she craved to learn from and wanted to have some knowledge on. Her homework was always handed in on time, she never gave attitude to the teachers and she more often than not didn't drift off into another world of boredom. So...if Falentra was to think positively of this outcome, maybe Ami could be of some use to her.

Like in those movies were the popular kid would use the good-two-shoes for their homework. Falentra planned on following in the exact same footsteps. Putting aside her intentions, the girl beside her seemed kinda nice. As in had anyone took her for granted? The slytherin thought carefully how she was to go about this. Slow and less obvious or just fuck it and be a bitch?
The first seemed more ideal. She couldn't afford drawing attention to herself in the only subject she behaved in.

The Hufflepuff soon followed by introducing herself cheerfully, and while Falentra sat with a blank expression listening, she had just then clicked on to the accent. She wasn't from around here, surely. She sounded like an American. ''Procoppio? Now thats a tongue twister of a last name.'' A chuckle would follow to ease the tension she thought she may have created. Ami seemed like an easy-going kid with a good heart so maybe she tried her best to push aside the creepy vibe Fal always gave people. ''Your accent... where you from? Sayin' super neat like that.'' She paused, raising a brow once again in the process. ''Never 'eard that bein' used round here.'' Did that come across harsh? ''Like...totally wasn't expecting it.'' She quickly added to her question to try and make it more fun and light-hearted, almost attempting to match Ami's vibe and accent. It was a tad uncomfortable, but she wasn't mocking her, only trying to 'fit in'.
Only then did she realize she had drifted off topic and completely blank out the rest of what she asked. ''Falentra Black. And no, we haven't met before.'' Unlike Ami, she lept her responses short and to the point. There was no given opportunity for Ami to really add to that. She didn't give her anything to go off. Maybe her last name, but that was old news and everyone, in there year at least, that Falentra was not related to the famous Blacks.

''Anyway, give us your paper. Please. Somethin' don't look right on it, so let me chec- help you with it, yeah?'' The manners were forced but she wanted to make sure her real intentions here weren't shoved under the rug. Making a friend here wasn't the mission... was it?

After making up from her fight with Scott, Ami was making an effort to be a nicer person, and to be more aware of other people's boundaries. To her credit, she was doing a relatively good job with it, too. However, right now, in this moment, she was doing an absolutely terrible job, as Falentra's surprise at her eagerness flew right over her head. Again, she didn't know much about the Slytherin, not even some of the rumors that flew around the school. Whether it was because Ami was a little air-headed or because she simply listen to gossip unless it was printed in the Headliner, she wasn't exactly the most aware of the reputation Falentra had in their year. Honestly, she just thought she was quite pretty, even if she seemed a tad bit aloof.

"I mean. Yeah. Same... I got the same."

Ami tilted her head to the side with a wide smile. "The exact same? Wow, we're so in sync!" If anyone else had said that, it would most likely be interpreted as sarcasm, but Ami's words were genuine. She couldn't believe her luck— who knew there was a Transfiguration enthusiast who followed her train of though sitting right by her, all this time?

Her response seemed a little vague and out of it, but Ami was delightfully distracted by Falentra brushing her parchment away. Anyone else with even a drop of common sense would probably read the action as suspicious, but Ami was not anyone else. Rather, she was delighted because, to her, that meant that Falentra was genuinely interested in talking with her, and was brushing aside her homework to pay more attention to Ami and their conversation. And who was she to deny attention from a stranger? She beamed as kindly as she could at the Slytherin, as if her teeth alone could make Falentra her friend.

"Your accent... where you from? Sayin' super neat like that."

Ami's whole face lit up as Falentra inadvertently gave her a prime opportunity to start raving about one of her favorite topics in the whole world. "I grew up under the Bean— Chicago, in America," she said proudly. If life were a cartoon, she certainly would've puffed her chest out by now. "I guess I just never lost the accent," she added with an offhanded shrug. Her American citizenship and roots were very important to her, and she felt pleased that Falentra had picked up on it.

"Anyway, give us your paper. Please. Somethin' don't look right on it, so let me chec- help you with it, yeah?"

"Oh! Er..." Ami bit her lip hesitantly, glancing at her own work with a worried expression. Was she... was she wrong? She could only assume that Falentra knew more about this than her, as she knew that most Slytherins were quite clever. She bristled slightly at the implication that she might be completely and utterly wrong, especially after Falentra had just agreed with her, but she assumed that she was just looking out for the Hufflepuff. After all, she seemed so sweet and genuine!

"Okay," she affirmed, nodding after a bit of deliberation. Too trusting, too naive... there were worse traits to have, as Scott would attest. Ami hadn't been lying earlier when she said she liked to compare answers, but normally, she would compare with Scott. Falentra seemed keen on Transfiguration as well, though, and it certainly couldn't hurt to get a new opinion on her answers. "Just... let me know if you spot something wrong!" she said quickly, pushing her papers toward the Slytherin. "Some of these questions were a little weird, no cap, so if you spot something a little funky, I'd love for you to explain it to me!"