By And By It Will Strike PV Max Avery

It was almost odd to be back in school after his time off, Max thought, his eyes tracking over all the new faces. There were so many people he didn't know, and now that he was older the first and second years looked so... young. Had he been that baby-faced and nervous-looking when he was in first year? He liked to think he wasn't, but judgement of yourself from the outside was difficult. Even introspection gave little away since you couldn't judge what people thought you were thinking. They could only judge by the outside.

This was why he'd avoided speaking to anyone outside of his group about where he was and what he'd been doing. Who you were to everyone that wasn't yourself was all about your image. The face you presented to the world and the things you made people believe about you; those were what really mattered. As someone who'd been in charge of a form of media at one time, he understood that very well. Which is the reason he was immediately interested in the girl who'd suddenly approached him with an interesting statement.

Alexx Sevérin. Naturally, he'd heard of her. No one in any position of authority eluded him of their identity, and as Head Boy he'd kept an eye on all prefects. Even if they hadn't actually met, he couldn't recall ever having to take disciplinary action or even guide her. She'd been good at her job, and if she was now Editor-in-Chief for the entire school paper, she must have at least some ambition. Her eyes confirmed it, and a slow half-grin grew over his face in answer to her smile. Best of all, she was a pure-blood Slytherin.

"Gorgo," he said softly when the cat let out a low growl and took a step towards the Slytherin girl as if she was prepared to attack. The cat's ears straightened from where they'd been flattened and she gave him an inquisitive look before flicking her tail dismissively and returned to her watchful place beside his right foot.

"I apologize for her, Alexx," he offered, forcing away the urge to laugh. "She's quite a careful cat. It can be hard to gain her trust." His tone was nice enough, but it was clear it wasn't only the cat he was talking about. As much as he needed to make connections throughout his school years, you could never be too careful with someone working for the newspaper. Anything was fair game to go on record.

"Yes, I've heard of you, of course. You've made quite the mark on this school as Prefect and now head of the entire newspaper. You ought to be proud; you've done a good job." It was rapidly becoming a force of habit to lead with sincere compliments to someone who was a prospective ally. Not to mention it took some of the pressure off of him to speak of himself. This conversation was filled with potential landmines. "I assume that, like most people who approach me out of the blue, you're looking for something. But before that, how was your summer?" It would be dangerous to let her take the flow of this conversation. He had to get it onto at least equal footing.

Skin and bone arms raised in defense, her sleeves shimmying down to her elbows. The cat had her taken aback; caught off guard. Wasn't there some sort of saying that if an animal doesn't like someone it means that they are a bad person? Or did that only apply to dogs? Alexx would like to think that she was a good person, just a little nosy and ambitious was all. She had many character flaws, but most people did. So she assumed that the idea that animals can detect when someone was bad must either only belong to dogs, or Max was telling the truth.

Nodding, Alexx offered him yet another polite smile. "Quite alright. Only doing what a good pet should, I suppose." She left it at that, seeing as though she did not know how to be offended over a cat having issues with her.

Something that startled her, however, though it was pleasant enough, was Max's praise, along with his invitation for a casual and friendly conversation. Alexx was so used to business affairs by this point that she forgot there were individuals who would rather carry out a conversation that had nothing to do with anything. Max Avery was asking about her summer.

The question at hand now was whether to tell him the truth. "Oh, well, my parents divorced and all so I went to America and couch surfed with my brother before my obnoxious family made me come to England to celebrate my birthday, which only irritated me because I can celebrate my birthday but they can't provide me proper shelter in my time of need. Anyway, how was yours?" No thank you. That was absolutely not going to be spoken to Max. To unlock that side of Alexx, one would need to have at least three deep discussions with her. Otherwise, that was being peacefully tucked away in a box, building pressure overtime before it explodes. Because, you know, angsty teenagers are just the best!

Coming down from her shock, her eyebrows flicked up and then immediately back down as she sought a response that was polite. No one wanted to hear a sob story, so a white lie wouldn't hurt him. "Er- Alright, I suppose. No grand affairs or anything." She casually replied, hoping that her response would not raise an eyebrow. She didn't want to appear as uninviting, but he really did ask her the worst possible question. "Since we're on the subject, how was yours?"

Vivienne Séverin was not on the list of people that Alexx would listen to, or at least even respect. The same could not be said about her brothers or Uncle Jean, but seeing as though her brothers were teenagers and Uncle Jean lived in New Orleans, someone had to teach the poor girl some manners. That "someone" happened to be her mother. And while Alexx would absolutely, under no circumstances, would listen to or agree with her mother, she was at least grateful for the skill set. Merlin knows that Tex or Mikey would have made her out to be... Well, interesting. Not ill-mannered, but certainly not a charmer.

"I do appreciate the praise. I am afraid that I am a bit of an over-achiever." That statement was true, at least. Alexx did anything and everything for the sheer fact that she could. Was she going to be the best dueller? Unlikely. The best Quidditch player? Equally unlikely. The best Prefect? Absolutely not. But if there was anything at all that she would dominate, it was the position of Editor-in-Chief. That was something that belonged to her, and she would carry with pride. Not that she wanted to be cocky, but really, could anyone do it better?

There was a big ego inside of the small girl, so unknowingly, Max had done miracles for her self esteem, which had been dwindling ever since she stepped down from Prefect. Hearing the word in a positive light made her feel as though she were on cloud nine. The mysterious thing about most purebloods is that they always knew just was to say, and Max was no exception. Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't going to bite her in the ass.

There seemed to be a slight pause in the time Alexx considered his question and words, as if he'd caught her off-guard with them. He filed that information in the back of his head for later, affecting a grin as he listened to an answer that was clearly not the full truth. You didn't hesitate or stutter when asked something trivial if it was something you answered truthfully all the time. Whatever had happened during her summer was something she wasn't truthful about to most people, then.

"Good to hear," he said in a voice that erred on cordial but kept a kernel of familiarity. The nicer you were to someone, the more they didn't want to slander your name. Talk to someone like a stranger and they'd always remain a stranger, talk to them like a friend...

"My summer was pleasant." It hadn't been, not in the slightest. After all these months he still bolted up in bed, screaming to a little girl's voice whispering 'Arabella?' Even in his waking hours, he sometimes saw her standing there in the corner of his eye. Pale face, a blonde fluff of hair around her head like a halo, her hands twisted into a nightie the colour of freshly-fallen snow. Reading in the library once, he'd been sure he'd felt her lips beside his ear as she whispered the name with the horror only a little girl could have. "I was simply - "

His eyes had only left her face for a second but when he looked, she was staring at him. It took everything he had not to take a step back as he instead reached up to brush a knuckle into each eye. When he opened them, Alexx was herself again - yes, she was also small, pale, and blonde, but beyond that there was nothing else similar. That's right; Alexx was the ambitious Slytherin Editor-in-Chief for the newspaper. This was here and now. He had to focus.

Trying to play off the sudden pallor of his face, he tucked his thumbs in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, keeping everything about his posture casual. "On a trip," he finished easily, looking up through his lashes so his lids were lazily lowered. "With Alisdair - my father - of course. As for what it was about, well..."

He leaned forward conspiratorially as if he were about to share the big scoop. She'd said she was an over-achiever and that she appreciated the praise, so it seemed like he was off to a good start. All he had to do was keep the momentum going enough to get to know more about her. At that point he'd decide whether this was a relationship worth pursuing or not.

"It's a story that's almost certain to bore an ambitious Slytherin looking for a scoop for the school newspaper." He may as well come out with it now, the fact that he was in on what she wanted. "As is the one about my whereabouts last year." That had come off as rather blunt. He was still shaken up about the split-second mirage and so wasn't at his best. He needed to do better - he needed to be better.

"I assume that's what you're here for. To be honest, I respect the fact that you directly approached me - it's ballsy - but you're not going to be getting anything out of me regarding that." It was time to get straight to business, since he'd already gone and ruined the friendly atmosphere by allowing his tongue to get the better of him. "It's better for us not to stand here and waste our time going about things like I'm going to offer you a scoop. Instead, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? I'd very much prefer knowing about a member of the Séverin family instead of trying to come up with lies about last year. In return, I could offer you a more personal account of who I am. What do you say, ma chère?" The last words were a teasing addition that Max couldn't help; despite everything, he still a penchant for mischief.

Ballsy. What a word to describe Alexx! Should would certainly need to remember that one. She couldn't even be vexed by Max and his lack of compliance, simply due to the fact that she took his words as a compliment. Alexx was very many thing, and "ballsy" was one. It was a title that the French girl would wear with pride. It certainly would nullify all hopes of her being a good, conservative little pure-blood. Or perhaps she was just on her way to working for the Daily Prophet. Whatever the case, she was happy with her new found title.

Very few people had uttered the name "ma chère" in the direction of the Slytherin. To say that she was unloved was an understatement. Deprived of all or most affection, even though she knew that the words were meant in a teasing manner, her body almost constricted; freezing. It was not something that she would expect to make it past the lips of someone who she more or less idolized, or at the very least was infatuated with their presence. Not so much was it for who they were, because Alexx knew next to nothing about the Gryffindor (as he had made apparent), but simply for the echoes of knowledge she had gathered. Ones that radiated throughout the halls; anyone who was anyone would be unable to miss it. Spending a good bit of her time, up until the present day, as a fly on the wall made Alexx much like a sponge. She absorbed knowledge that wasn't hers to possess.

"I see some things must be kept a mystery." She declared, cautious of how she was proceeding. Who was Max? What could he use against her? Was he the type to do that? He didn't seem to dislike her, but Alexx knew better than to instantly trust people. Least of all someone she had, quite literally, just met. She was torn by her need to be guarded but her want to be polite. Instinct would eventually take over, the gears would shift, and she would retreat again. It would appear that she was her own problem. And what a paradox! Wanting to be liked but afraid to do all that would come with it. She was ashamed of herself.

For now, however, she couldn't exactly decline his offer. What would he think of her if she did? Would he consider her to be rude? That certainly wasn't the way to be liked. So, impulsively, she agreed. "Alright, I suppose." She nodded, diverting her eyes from his. She hadn't mentally prepared herself for a "get to know me" session. She came in chasin a story, but now she just felt like she was in something akin to a therapy session (which Merlin knows she had, by this point, had enough of those). But this interaction was a bit more soothing. That didn't mean that she wasn't tense, because she absolutely was, but she at least knew that she wasn't alone in concealing details. Max was honest and straightforward, and that much she could appreciate.

"I can assure you, there isn't anything interesting about me. My presence is defined by my title, whether that be Editor-in-Chief, reporter, ex-prefect, pureblood... You name it. I'm an open book, I guess." She shrugged, releasing a sigh. It wasn't far from the truth. Alexx, unlike many of her friends, fell very flat. Little to no dynamic or depth. It was all right there; what you saw is what you got. A cocky girl with big dreams but no confidence.

Itching to at least interest Max a little bit, she continued on. "I come from South-Central France, quite specifically not far outside of Chavaniac." She bit at her cheek, stopping herself there. Change the subject. "I'm currently seeking revenge on Professor Vernatis, but that is irrelevant." A giggle escaped her. Good transition.

She kept searching for more, but couldn't seem to find anything. She didn't have time for things like hobbies or a personality. She hardly had time to have friends. These were the things that Alexx longed to have, but they felt so out of her reach. Spending the past three years finding who she was, deciding that she didn't like it, trying to start over, failing miserably, and then trying again was a pain in the ass. Which mask was she to wear in front of Max? Which one did he want to see? It was honest and raw of her to admit that she was in some sort of weird middle phase between hating who she used to be and killing off that person to become someone else. It wasn't her favorite answer in the world, but she really couldn't think of anything else.

And if anything, Alexx was not used to talking about herself. It wasn't until she began meeting people and making friends that she came to the realization that... no one had bothered to ask. Before all of this, she was a background character in her own life. No one cared what she was up to or who she was. The fact that Max was even bothering to ask her, whatever his reasons, took her off guard even more. This whole interaction was like she had stepped into some weird, alternate dimension and was facing her fist demon. But Max Avery did not look like he was capable of being a demon. He was more of a side-villain. A quest that one would overcome. Unless the tables flipped, and she turned him into an ally. That, however, was still to be determined.

She also took the liberty of not question Max. Whatever it was that he was going through, she knew better than to drag family matters into the paper. She knew what the fear of that was like, and as cruel as she was, Alexx wasn't going to do that to Max. There was no reason to make him her enemy, even if she did know what his deal was. Quite thankfully, for her own sake, she did not. Alexx spent most of her days worrying about the business of others. As strange and new as it was, there was something refreshing about not needing or feeling the need to be involved.

"If there's anything specific that you want to know, I surely have answers. But I suppose I just view myself as bland." It wasn't far from the truth. There might have been something interesting about Alexx; something deep down inside. Most people had something that made them unique. But Alexx was less inclined to view herself as humble or anything like that. It would be humble to call herself the Average Joe. Even though that is exactly what she just did, she wouldn't admit to herself what that said about her. Whether or not Max took it like that, she couldn't be sure.

Tilting her head, Alexx began to do what Alexx did best. Shifting the conversation. "If not, then that means that it is your turn." She reminded him, shooting him a playful wink, much in the same manner that he had called her that name before. Two could play at this game.

It was a relief to have Alexx resign trying to worm information out of him so quickly. As pleasant as he was acting, his mood could change on a dime based on the slightest mishap in a conversation. It wasn't exactly new, this rapidly changing mood, but since getting to school it had been harder to control. There was something about not being with his father constantly that was changing him yet again.

"I appreciate the openness," he said with genuine relish, his posture losing some of its tension. Curiosity was getting the better of him and he focused in on listening to her rather than making his next move in the conversation. Every conversational move with another pure-blood was like a game on a chess board, but you occasionally had the pleasure of sitting back to observe your opponent's strategy as they came up with it. He'd made his move and now Alexx was making hers, so all he had to do was watch.

'Nothing interesting' seemed to be quite a bit more than the surface expression revealed. Anyone could claim a title, but the story behind it was where the real face of the person came in. Her list already revealed ambition, work-ethic, leadership, and an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of business. Whether you were a student or an adult, holding a position of power had the same basic concepts. He'd already decided before she spoke next that she'd make a good ally.

Still, he could tell she was holding something back. Most people would use the image of their home place to conjure up quaint images of teas with parents, chubby children skidding across the floor, and laughing at the large family table. Whether it was the truth or not, small talk made it almost a necessity to paint it as such. Max himself had, on occasion, schmoozed with high-class women his mother wanted to work with by droning on about the quality of their draperies. Alexx had offered the name of a place and nothing more; it was intriguing.

As was her revenge plot. Max was ever the young businessman until the boy took over, and that brought the boy out enough for his grin to turn mischievous. "Oh? I happen to have quite a history with revenging on Professors myself. That's certainly something I'd like to hear more of." Not only was it a safe topic for the two of them to discuss; it played to their inner children. There was nothing more whimsical or (often intentionally) hilarious than playing jokes on adults who thought they were above the stage of 'children.' The anger they reacted with was telling, allowing you to glimpse either a true maturity or a childish frustration.

"Bland is a word for cooking, not people," Max said, crouching to pet Gorgo as she let out a plaintive mew. "You've made choices in your life, haven't you? Let's take something as simple as being Editor-in-Chief. Had you not chosen to do it, someone else would've. That simple change means the entire newspaper could be different, and the majority of the school reads the newspaper. If it was different, it could affect public perception, which could in turn change more lives. It'd have a domino effect, and before you know it your one simple choice would suddenly lead to different paths for people on all walks of life. If that's just from one choice you've made - and you make hundreds of smaller-scale ones every day - how on earth could you possibly be bland?"

It took him a moment to realize he'd just gone off on a philosophical tangent, and he straightened from where he was petting Gorgo with an apologetic shrug. "I've seen the power a single choice has," he said by way of explanation, leaving it at that.

"From my side, I'm a methodical researcher. My family name means just as much as it doesn't to me. I have very specific views on bloodlines, however they're sure to anger both sides of the coin so those views aren't public. My titles used to include Head Boy, Prefect, Writer-in-Chief for the GryffGazette, and... school bully, likely." It came easier than he'd expected, talking about who he was. Of course, his words were cryptic and mostly public knowledge, but... Alexx was cautious. She knew the stakes of the game. She probably didn't expect much in the way of personal talk, just as he hadn't expected much from her since they barely knew each other.

"And for the last fact... I love Hogwarts much more than I ever expected to. I'll protect this school regardless of the consequences. I imagine that when I'm older people will forget about that one, but it's true. Whatever I do, I do for the good of witches and wizards." It wasn't like he'd let his guard down, but he felt the need to say something painfully raw and truthful to solidify this as a genuine session of becoming allies. He resisted the urge to briefly wince at the thought of his future, instead smiling tiredly and offering a slow wink in return. "That was quite serious, wasn't it? We ought to get to your revenge plot."

The way that Max spoke reminded Alexx much of her grand-père. Not in a boring way; she could never see Max as boring after what he had just said. Instead, he appeared to be wise, and full of other-worldly knowledge that so clearly was no possessed by the Slytherin girl who stood before him. For someone who held herself in such high regards, thinking of herself as ahead of the game, and even, at times, above her peers in some aspects, she found herself feeling rather small. There was a greater presence in front of her. One who had seen a different side to the life of titles. Whether he was carrying the burden of pain and hurt, or if it was just a lonely life that was condemned to solitude and forever misunderstood by his counterparts, she couldn't tell you. But ask, and she would agree that Max was troubled. Perhaps not in the sense that he had issues that would drive others away, but enough for her to almost feel as though she was reaching some sort of deeper level. A pit that existed past Max's eyes and into his soul. She didn't want to assume anything, because it wasn't her place to diagnose Max with any particular problem (she was the least qualified if there was anyone who could stomach such a task without feeling the same as Max may or may not have). And she did pity anyone with the proper skillset, whose tasks were to deal with these issues because the problems of purebloods always seemed to be rooted beyond the one person. These problems stemmed from the bloodline, dating back years and years. However, this was all just assuming that Max had a problem. She could easily be wrong.

The two were tiptoeing around one another. It was like a dance, almost. A tango where one would never meet the other. At that point, the act itself could hardly be called a dance. Despite all of the caution signs, the two managed to make it flow. Perhaps it wasn't beautiful, but maybe it wasn't meant to be. If there could be beauty in it, it would be that this was not an eloquent affair. Neither family had pushed the two together, begging for an alliance. This was something they had formed on their own, proving that this generation of children was much more capable than adults might give them credit for. Alexx would admit, she was pretty clueless, and certainly not as well versed as Max in their own culture, but she had a gut instinct that drew her to certain things.

In the midst of being amazed at Max and his outstanding presentation of himself (regardless of if there was any truth to his words), she had not had the time to plan her response. "Serious, yes, but not boring. I found that to be quite interesting. I suppose I hadn't taken the time to think all of that out. Then again, you seem to be much more familiar with these things than I." Than I. She had used the nominative correctly. Her mother would be proud. That sickened her. If there was anything in this world that Alexx hated, it was living up to the expectations set by her family. The thought alone made her want to die.

While she was thinking of Max and how he continuously amazed her, the mere fact that he was willing to protect the school took her by surprise. Sure, he was a Gryffindor, and they did that sort of thing. A Slytherin... Well, it depended. Alexx would protect herself and her friends first, but maybe not the school as a whole. Total strangers... What did she owe them? Nothing. Nothing at all. But her friends, well... She may as well owe them her life. The same couldn't really be said about Max, as they were more or less acquainted and not particularly friends just yet, but she would keep him in mind. He certainly held a (so far) decent spot on her list of candidates when it came to people that she might risk herself for. But that was based on one interaction alone, and she'd better not make any final decisions just yet. She knew better than to trust too soon.

"I wish that I found the beauty and significance in it the way that you do. To me, it's work, work, work. Not that I mind it, but my life is far too consistent for me to question the 'what if' aspects. I set deadlines. I boss people around. I write articles that people either love or fall asleep to. I am sure that I have pissed many of people off, but that is just the life of an authoritarian. Had it been anyone else... Well, some have made it clear that Delilah was preferred to myself, but I haven't got time for confidence issues." That was a lie. Alexx had all the time in the world, and too much of it was centered on her lack of confidence. Teen angst that ate at her, but never stopped her from being at the top. But she did hope that Max didn't see that, because she would surely die on the spot if he (and him specifically) called her on this.

But she could see where Max was coming from. What if Delilah remained in charge? What if the position had gone to someone else? How would lives be changed? Where would the paper be today? She wanted to puke in her mouth thinking of the disaster that easily could have become of her pride and joy. What a shame that would be. Luckily for them, she had the next four years after this one to remain as Editor-in-Chief, which will make five years and one month. What an accomplishment that would be! She would be the longest-running Editor-in-Chief at Hogwarts. The only way that one could beat her is by starting in their first or second year, and what were the chances of that happening? Especially when she re-introduced the role of second-in-command. There would almost, without a shadow of a doubt, be no way. That was also assuming that this kid didn't resign. Essentially, this all meant that Alexx would hold a record. That was a bragging right. Something to be proud of.

Back to what he wanted. The revenge plot. "Anyway, right. I hate Professor Vernatis for... Well, existing. He has a son who is simply adorable, however, but you didn't hear that one from me! Anyway, I hate his guts. I attempted to expose him in an article that I ran for the Headliner, but sadly he didn't give me anything that I could use against him, and he caught me as I was spying on him. I've been looking into getting an invisibility cloak, but galleons don't grow on trees." She explained, gesturing her hands as she did. It wasn't something that she meant to do. It was simply a force of habit. Whenever Alexx got passionate about something, her hands moved almost as fast as her mouth. If there was one thing that she was passionate about, it was slander.

"Essentially, my plan is to slander him to death. I don't hold power outside of my words, so I want to use that to my advantage, and I am certainly counting on the fact that no one could possibly replace me as Editor-in-Chief." She didn't mean to sound cocky, but it was the truth. Delilah was Editor-in-Chief for what, a total of three weeks? Ami, Alexx's Secretary, certainly wasn't qualified. Marla might have been a Prefect, but Alexx would never put the paper into the hands of the likes of her. With that, all of the potential candidates were used up. It left them with Alexx.

The fact that she had received the position, well... She would like to have been surprised, but she wasn't. Alexx was notorious for being lucky. Either that, or she was just over-qualified. So, naturally, the Hogwarts Headliner fell right onto her lap. There was no question about it. What was that one Muggle song that she had heard over the summer? In the garden of evil. I'm going to be the greatest. If any words could ever describe Alexx, outside of Max's now-famous description of "ballsy", it would be those. She didn't know whether or not she would be this great out in the real world, but this felt like a dream. Alexx was on cloud nine, and wanted to be there forever.

Max recognized the instant Alexx slipped into formality for a moment, and he filed it away for later food for thought. While most purebloods were formal, wealthy, and somewhat prejudiced against the non-magical, there were still some families who were as open and happy as any Muggle family. The Weasleys came to mind for that particular category - based on what he'd read about them, they'd been the opposite of what an 'ideal pureblood' was considered. Great witches and wizards, but informal nonetheless. All this was to say that Alexx's slip said more about her family than she'd spoken aloud; it appeared familial expectations was another thing they had in common.

"I suppose it all depends on your point of view," Max mused, wondering if he'd sounded too idealistic. But idealism wasn't it; no, he'd just seen how short life was. And when it was over, what did someone leave behind? Their belongings could go to someone else, their money could be spent on things they didn't believe in, and their pain just disappeared right out of the world. Beyond memories that would fade away when their peers passed on, people left a legacy. No matter how minuscule the change, it was that which would be their contribution to forging the future. Humanity was built on the bones of the choices long-deceased people had made.

Snapping back to the conversation, he wondered what life would've been like had Delilah gotten the paper. He didn't know her overly well - he'd seen her in a couple of classes - but things probably would've been quite different. People who hadn't applied previously might've applied with her at the helm, and people who applied for Alexx might not have. Everything would be different.

He, for one, was glad Alexx got the paper because the latest issue had been phenomenal. It was everything a good newspaper should be; funny, gossipy, intriguing, and beautifully designed. You could tell the amount of work that had gone into it had been crazy, so it was clear she was good at motivating people to work and at organizing a team. That was a rare skill to have; teams could be messy at the best of times, so to deal with all the conflict of being a team lead on top of putting out a good quality paper was an admirable trait. If she ever looked to journalism in the future, there was no doubt in his mind that she'd do a great job.

"So you hate him because he caught you doing something wrong while you were attempting to slander his name in the paper?" Max arched a brow, hiding a smirk and looking thoughtful as if considering whether this was appropriate or not. "Fair. Slandering him in the paper is all well and good, but you ought to start rumours just with your peers too. He takes Polyjuice Potion because he's a former Death Eater, he has a mysterious past because he killed a student at his last school, he has a wife but he's fooling around with Solomon Lear... If people hear about that from the students and then the paper confirms it, it'll be fact."

It was wildly amusing to picture the chaos it would cause; whether the professors would try to talk the students down from writing such things in a paper or whether they would have to allow it because of the whole 'free speech' rule. Either way, there was sure to be some entertainment in it, and Max wasn't against starting mischief for the sole purpose of entertainment. "Words are everything. If you ever need my help, let me know - the professors oftentimes creep me out, so I'd be happy to sabotage a couple for no reason at all."

She could almost stammer. Max had hit the nail on the head, perhaps even unintentionally, and yet it was the truth. It made the poor girl feel as though her hatred for the charms professor wasn't justified enough. Perhaps she wouldn't have despised his existence, deciding promptly that she would never take him seriously, had he not caught in red-handed. Sure, she didn't like him to begin with, but the loads of personal questions that came with her interview also bugged her.

"Well, yes. And as a consequence, he asked me about my personal life. Tried to dig deep and see 'what's wrong with me', or something to that effect. Any professor who makes it their mission to get involved in my personal affairs is not an ally of mine." That was probably the most truthful thing that she had said in this entire encounter. Professors, or anyone, who made an attempt to dig deep inside her and find the things that she hated about herself were on her list of "lives to ruin at the nearest convenience". She wasn't always keeping score, but there were a few up there, students scattered in with them. Not to mention all the other reasons that one could make the list.

Blue eyes lit up, and Alexx looked up (to a rather uncomfortable angle, given Max's height) to the Gryffindor, idea-stricken. "I-... I clearly hadn't thought of that myself." She blushed, promptly looking back down. Sure, Alexx had the vibes that screamed "ready to start a revolution right before your eyes", but it became clear that Max was better at strategy. Emotion driven, Alexx did the first thing that she knew she could do. She used her resources. And she was quite good at utilizing her powers, so it wasn't all for nothing. But Max seemed to have plans. It was almost as if he was born ready to ruin lives. That was something that Alexx could admire. Take no shit.

The mood lightened, at least on Alexx's end of the room, when she giggled at his last bit. "I am sure that claiming that he's fooling around with Professor Lear will grab the attention of my audience!" She remarked, nodding her head. She would have to save that idea for later. Death Eater, Polyjuice Potion, all topics that people heard of. There were whisperings of Professor Jensen and Professor Risa plotting to conquer America and rumors of Lear's various Pygmy Puffs being sent to spy on humans, but Hogwarts very own scandal to a scale that Max had mentioned would turn heads for sure. That was Daily Prophet material!

She couldn't help but beam up at Max. "Actually, yes, I would quite like your help. Everyone I know... Damn Hufflepuffs... Far too nice to start beef with adults. Besides, two can work faster than one." As much as Alexx loved her friends, she knew that it was beneath them to slander someone. In the paper, where it was all fun and games (or could be perceived like that), they might have turned a blind eye to it, assuming that there was no harm done. But Alexx was out for blood, in some fashion or another. She wouldn't dream of dragging any of her friends down with her, if she could even call them that at the moment, because they were all too good and pure to find themselves in the trenches. Max, on the other hand, though she wasn't sure that they were on the level of "friends" yet (but she might be a potential candidate if she played her cards right) seemed unafraid of the consequences. And what was the worst that would happen? They would receive detention? Alexx wasn't afraid of scrubbing the toilets or whiping down the tables in the Great Hall. She had watched over plenty of detentions, and by now, she knew both what to expect and how to get the job done quickly. So the punishment that was likely promised was not one that she would fear.

"Ah," Max answered with a half smile, noting that she'd already given something away by openly revealing how much she disliked personal questions. Professors usually tended to be the do-gooder types despite their penchant for not noticing true trouble in the school, so it got annoying when they tried to help the 'troubled' kids. They weren't able to change lives the way they highly and mightily believed they were, and once the students went home whatever progress a professor had made would be gone anyway. Alexx's frustration was easily understandable, even if it was seemingly fear-based.

She appeared embarrassed that she hadn't come up with the same idea as Max, and it revealed yet another facet of her personality that was potentially useful in an ally. Wanting to have already thought of ideas others had - regardless of the fact that you'd had a different upbringing and your unique experiences would lead to a unique idea - meant she probably liked to be the smartest person in the room. People like that had a natural competitive streak which often pushed them to be ever more ambitious and go to ever further heights. If she truly was as smart as she projected, she'd be able to go far. A powerful ally for the future, so he needed to impress her now before she grew into that power and became more untouchable.

His smile faded into thoughtfulness as she asked for his help, and half his mind was dedicated to coming up with ways to do just that with the meager amount of power he currently held after being away for so long. The other half of his mind was still reveling in the analysis and chess-game conversation they were having. Chess... he had to consider this problem from the perspective of a game that relied on cold logic to get the better of your opponent. That's right; Vernatis was the hand on the black side and Alexx the hand on the white.

Vernatis's pieces had to be the punishments he could hand out and the support from the other professors that he would get. Alexx's pieces were the staff of the newspaper, most of them rooks or bishops because they could only move one way. If Max was putting himself on the board, he'd have to be a pawn due to the fact that he could only move so far. The goal of the game was not only to get rid of as many of Vernatis's pieces as they could, but for Max to get to the other side of the board where pawn turned to something better.

"We cut off half of Vernatis's support if we keep anonymity," Max said, his mind tripping leaps and bounds ahead of itself. "If he's aware that you're angry with him, any overt attempt to sabotage him on your part can end in punishment. You have to seem as far away as possible from all of this, which is why you have to wait until you hear whispers in the halls about these rumours. Once that happens, you can't be the one to write the article either. It needs to be someone distant from him and you, not a close friend of yours and preferably someone from his former House just to add that extra bit of bias that he won't want to take points from his own House."

Gorgo, who had been sleeping, cracked one eye open to stare at Max with gratification as if she could hear the inherent enjoyment he was getting from plotting against someone. While it wasn't active sadism, there was nothing more satisfying than dominating your opponent and wiping more than a third of their pieces off the board before they even knew they were playing.

"In the same paper issue, you should write an article praising free speech. It's subtle, but if Vernatis has a brain in his head he'll realize it's been you playing him all along because getting students riled up about free speech will completely tie his hands behind his back. Checkmate, you've just gotten to his reputation with minimal to no losses on your side. All you need is a pawn to begin the rumours in a way that's untraceable - a position which I am, naturally, quite happy to fill." It was a precarious place to be considering the consequences that could be had if Vernatis found him, but that was precisely the reason Max took it. There was no point in gambling if the stakes weren't high, and with a little finesse everything would go according to plan.

"Unless, of course..." It would seem like a petulant, thoughtless thing to say all in the spirit of the competition purebloods drilled into their children, but Max's next words were carefully crafted so he could gauge Alexx's reaction. Little by little, he'd grasp bits of her personality until he was able to piece the real her together. "You have a better idea?"