Ambitions and Hard Work PV Rafal Devereux

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It was almost pathetic how set Rafal was on getting to that Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson absurdly early. It wasn’t like there was anyone keeping score; nobody expected it of him. And being at what was arguably one of the most interesting places in the wizarding world, there were arguably so many other options for killing time.

Alas, Rafal was blessed with one of those mindsets that made it impossible for him to do anything, which one could constitute as dawdling about. He made his way down the hallway, satchel slung haphazardly over one shoulder and a slightly muffled expression on his face. He wasn’t terribly thrilled at the prospect of sitting in an empty classroom during what was supposed to be his break time, but he was still somewhat shaky on last time’s material, and going into a new chapter with doubts on the previous one could never end well.

What he hadn’t counted on, however, was the classroom already being occupied. Opening the door, Rafal stopped short at the sight of a fellow student already settled into a desk, seemingly engrossed in a book right in front of her. The green robes revealed her as a Slytherin, though not one Rafal was terribly acquainted with, apart from maybe seeing her around here and there.

"Uh, hey." So far, Rafal had never stumbled upon anyone who showed up at classes before even him. Until now, and he was definitely intrigued.

He debated briefly on whether it would appear imposing to join the girl at her desk, but decided it was likely preferable to him continuing to talk at her while standing in the doorway like an idiot. Or was it? There was a confusing moment where Rafal’s mind was split between the two options, and he did a sort of half-stumble forward, almost tripping over his own feet. Quickly righting himself, he tried his best to pretend it hadn’t happened and made his way over to the Slytherin girl.

Trying for an unfazed smile, he set his satchel down on the desk next to hers, but made no move to sit down yet. "Hey, fancy seeing you here so early."

Interacting with @Eira Cravensworth

A boy with curly blonde hair greeted at the doorway.

Eira kept an impassive expression as he stayed by the threshold. He looked as if he had an internal conflict, and for some reason, he half-stumbled from where he was standing, almost prompting Eira to stand to check if something had happened to him.

But it looks like he made up his mind as he let his earlier kerfuffle roll off his back and moved towards a desk right next to hers. He placed down his satchel on the table,

"Hey, fancy seeing you here so early."

"Oh, hello" came her less than eloquent response.

She blinked her light blue eyes and immediately tried to remember if she had met him, or at least known his name. Shaking herself mentally, she gave a polite nod, "I like being early for Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Gives me more time to practice the spells we have learned. A bit hard to practice inside the Chamb- I mean in the common room" she said, almost biting the inside of her cheek.

"Erm, my name is Eira by the way. Eira Cravensworth" she stated, "It's been a while since I have someone from our house talk to me other than the other boy from Charms. Anyway, how do you find our classes so far? Any favorite classes or subjects that interest you?"

She hoped it didn't make him feel she was interrogating him, just pure curiosity she guessed.

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Up close, the girl's eyes were almost impossible not to notice - a bright blue, so vivid they very nearly glowed. Nearly.

Since she didn’t seem to be keen on offering any sort of comment on him sitting next her anytime soon, Rafal just did it. Opening up his satchel, he started setting out his things for the lessons. "Oh yeah, same. Practice is very important - you know, nobody ever seems to get that." He turned and shot her a smile. Maybe he had found his kin.

What she said next was odder. She seemed to almost say that it was difficult to practice in a particular place, but changed it to the common room halfway through. Rafal went back to laying everything out on his desk, mind whirling. What could it have been? Chamb… Chamber? Yes, that must have been it. He didn’t remember there being any chamber in Hogwarts, but he hadn’t been here that long, after all.

Since Rafal had virtually no information on this, it was really the best route to follow up with another question straightaway. If he brought it up later on out of the blue, it would seem far more suspicious. Trying for a causal tone, he inquired, "You were going to say some sort of chamber, right? I don’t think I’ve heard of one yet, where is it?"

"I’m Rafal." He held out a hand for her to shake. "Charmed to meet you, Eira. And I’m glad to be one of the rare Slytherins to have had the pleasure of being acquainted with you."

"Classes are pretty nice, all these spells are super fun to learn about. " Having finished with pre-class preparations, Rafal rotated his chair so that he was facing Eira. "Any subjects that teach stuff like that are my favourites really, Charms and Transfiguration and… this one." He vaguely gestured around the room. "How about you?"

Interacting with @Eira Cravensworth

It was a simple, innocent question asked by a peer. Not a difficult riddle one would ask to enter a forbidden area (like the Ravenclaw Tower and Merlin knows how hard she tried to infiltrate that place), but somehow his straightforward query made her still.

Dark magic.

Snake speaker.

Instead of saying something foolish, Eira focused on his other line of questions, giving her more time to think of a thinly veiled excuse.

"Oh, uh, well, Charms and this lesson, like I've mentioned earlier. I'm not too keen on Herbology, though. I didn't inherit my mum's green fingers," she answered with a winsome grin. "According to Professor Lin, I shouldn't even be near a broom, but it doesn't bother me that much. I much prefer floo travel myself."

The young witch adjusted her position to fully face the male Slytherin, "I have heard some wizards are trying to make broom-flying safer by adding more supportive charms to keep a rider from slipping off, but I think I'll stick to floos and Apparition once I pass the licensure exam."

Unconsciously, she found herself touching the thin chain of her necklace as she mentally weighed the options on how to maneuver the conversation away from the chamber. Rafal did seem genuine but she's yet to discern whether he will react favorably with certain... requirements needed to find such a place.

"So Rafal," she started in a cautious tone, "What do you think of the lessons we have learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts so far? Any particular subjects you're interested in, like dark beasts and... dark abilities?"

She was already beside herself for keeping such a thing from her parents and the only one who knows is Sadie, but maybe, there is someone in her own house who won't cast judgment on her. Or because of her maternal family... despite her mum's decision to sever her ties with the Von Thaines.

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It was almost disappointing how obvious the girl's attempts to avoid his first query were. Rafal might have rather preferred if she’d actually given him a cause for doubt in his own speedy assertions, but as it was, the Slytherin was getting more and more sure there was something going on here. He made a mental note to specifically look for books containing information on Hogwarts chambers the next time he was in the library.

"Those are definitely fun subjects." Rafal nodded sagely. "I’m pretty neutral on Herbology myself, but flying is fun! Not that there’s anything wrong with not liking it, of course!" he added quickly. "There’s a reason magical folk invented floo travel and everything, after all."

He couldn’t help but notice Eira touching the thin chain of her necklace lightly, almost like she didn’t realize she was doing it. Rafal hadn’t paid much attention to the piece of jewellery before, hidden as it was behind layers of clothing - but now he did. It was odd. The material did not seem to be one he recognized, but was a most curious pattern. He put that into his 'for later' file as well.

Eira Cravensworth was becoming more of a mystery by a second. Looks like showing up so ridiculously early to all his lessons finally paid off after all - the girl was a most riveting character, and one Rafal couldn’t wait to dig deeper into.

"So Rafal," Eira suddenly started, "What do you think of the lessons we have learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts so far? Any particular subjects you're interested in, like dark beasts and..." Her tone was wary. "…dark abilities?"

Rafal abruptly stopped making up increasingly far-fetched theories in his mind. The boy was careful not to show it on his face, but he was a bit perturbed by such an inquiry. Dark beasts and abilities? Of course, it could just be a friendly question from one classmate to another, but from how the conversation had gone so far, as well as Eira's own rather suspicious behaviour, he doubted it.

He would have to take care what he said from here on. Rafal leaned back on his chair, his head tilted slightly. "I've read up on some." he said, trying to sound casual. If he was going to get Eira to spill, making her feel at ease was crucial. Like her housemate wouldn’t judge her, whatever she revealed. "They’re honestly all fascinating, and it’s pretty unfair how much some wizards shun anything they don’t fully understand."

Interacting with @Eira Cravensworth

Eira's lips quirked a bit at Rafal's words. She wanted to poke herself on the head on the brashness of her words; might as well use the Red Sparks Spell and have the sign that screams 'SUSPICIOUS' pointed right towards her.

She needs to learn how to wheedle out information without being obvious, maybe Harvey can help her with that...

"Well, I can see why others will get into a frenzy if they encounter something they don't understand. Fear is a powerful trigger, after all. Muggles have used it among themselves for centuries now," Eira said rather grimly.

While she is fascinated with Muggles and their technology, she can still remember Mr. Sheffield's lessons about the witch-hunt hysteria, from their paranoia to Wendelin the Weird's... curious pastime.

"It's a good thing everyone is more accepting now," she hummed nonchalantly. "But then again, there are some wizards who think dhampirs and other wixen that are mixed species are dangerous. Completely barmy, especially when they don't get to choose their ancestry, of course."

Feeling that she's bringing the atmosphere down like a dementor, she waved off her words and offered a soft smile, "Ah apologies for opening up such a dour subject. I'm curious about how others would view anything that has to do with the dark arts."

She held up the book she was reading to her classmate and said "In this book, there was a wizard who was labelled a dark magic practitioner during the 17th century for using the Imperius Curse on someone who was trying to smuggle unicorn foals but they didn't list the Au Pair witch who had secretly used various Transfiguration Charms to punish her students."

Eira placed the book on the edge of her desk, which was next to his, subtly giving him the option of picking it up if he pleased.

For a moment or two, she studied Rafal, from his wavy blonde hair down to his prone sitting form, and said in a soft voice, "I wonder how you would react if you find out I'm a dhampir or Part-Veela who's using an Allure on you right now."

Then gave him a sweet smile.

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Eira was messing with him. Rafal wanted to hit himself on the head. Should’ve known better than to underestimate a Slytherin - now, if she were a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, his whole move might have worked.

Well, it wasn’t like the first year could turn back time. Might as well go with it, and maybe there was some way to still get what he wanted. Rafal sat up straighter. "No no, don’t apologize," he cut in. "You’re only telling the truth. You would’ve thought discrimination against other species would have died off by the last century, but it’s still around."

Though the main purpose of his words were another attempt to get Eira to confide in him, Rafal did somewhat agree with it. Just not as much as he would rather the girl believe. It was simply that he wouldn’t normally be so open about more… controversial topics, nor really care enough about seemingly far-away issues to showcase indignation on the subjects' behalf.

Rafal picked the offered book up from the edge of Eira's desk as she spoke. Flipping through briefly, it appeared that its contents were an extensive list as well as information on known dark wizards and witches. Not exactly standard school material.

Ah, now she was definitely messing with him. The fastidious once-over, words laced with mystique, poisonously sweet smile at the end - Rafal couldn’t decide whether to be offended or amused. In a sudden whimsy, he returned Eira's gesture, lips crept up in a sardonic smirk.

"What if I’m the one doing it to you?"

Interacting with @Eira Cravensworth

Interesting.

Eira's mirth intensified as he flipped the question, trying to gauge any information depending on how she would answer it. Granted, his answer was somewhat vague about the nature of dark art within the wizarding world, but at least he wasn't someone so narrow-minded as to think that everything was black and white.

Then again- he's a Slytherin as well.

Not that they're all pathological liars, but it means that information isn't given freely for the sake of it. And now that she thinks about it, what if Rafal is a dhampir or Part-Veela? Or even a werewolf?

The first thought that entered her mind was 'Wicked!' before she composed herself.

Humming under her breath, she made a show of deep thinking before she answered, "Then I will be amazed, as I haven't met someone who is a dhampir or maybe even a werewolf. I suspect one of my friends is Part-Veela, but I know she will tell me when she feels comfortable sharing it with others. For brevity's sake, I wouldn't have any problems with it."

The fact that Hogwarts accepts students of different races is lovely- given what she is, she shouldn't be amazed at all. Even her own parents didn't know about it.

The classroom was still empty, a testament to how early they came in for the class. Rafal's appearance is a small gift, as no doubt, she would have gotten bored with skimming the book yet again and had a chance to meet someone new.

While her earlier slip-up with the chamber caused her to be more careful about what she shares with him, he proved to be a stimulating conversationalist, and he even kept her on her toes. She hadn't had this kind of talk with anyone else except with Mr. Sheffield when she asked him to teach her how he talked with suspects in active cases in his Auror days.

'Make them feel comfortable, lass' he said, 'Most of 'em will clam up if you act like a prowling wampus, and don't let them know that you're on to them.'

True, she doesn't think of Rafal as a villain, but he did make her curiosity rear up its head and sniff the air like a keen crup.

"Since we have interests in the same classes, have you thought about what career you'd imagine yourself in once we've graduated from Hogwarts?"

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Eira could be a magical half-breed like she’d insinuated, but he somehow didn’t think so. Yes, the girl was far from quotidian, no doubt about that. But Rafal felt no peculiar aura around her, no unnaturally unsettling feeling nor strong desire to please. He could think perfectly clear - of course, if his pervious assumption were incorrect, that could simply be part of the magic.

His dropped his gaze back toward the book of dark wizards and witches as Eira responded. Rafal almost wanted to laugh at her show of contemplation - she’d had her answer ready the moment he’d asked it, and they both knew it. He felt both frustrated and weirdly exhilarated. This was Slytherin as it was meant to be, all analytical shrewdness and sagaciousness, not just snakes and green and dark spells.

"Really?" Rafal's tone was apathetic, as he flipped through the pages of Eira's book in seemingly casual manner. "Is that friend anyone I might know?" He looked up again. "And by the way, would you mind if I borrowed this for a bit?" He shot her an ironic smile. "I enjoy a bit of light reading every now and then."

"Oh, and - " his smile turning slightly teasing. "Just so you know, I’m entirely human. Though I do appreciate knowing that you would stand by me if I had fangs." Rafal couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. Wouldn’t that sure be something?

It was a testament to both Slytherins' study ethics that they were still the only two occupants of the classroom. Rafal stole a glance at the clock. Still a while until the start of the lesson. That was good. He was far from done.

Careers. That was the next topic Eira drew focus to. It was an innocent enough question, but Rafal was paranoid by nature, even more so if there appeared to be actual reason.

"You know, I haven’t actually given it much thought." As he spoke, he watched Eira carefully for any potential signs or slip-ups. "But I think I would rather like to do something here, at Hogwarts. Like as a professor, or something. I want to learn everything-" he stressed that last word," -possible about this school. Its magic, all its hidden places, all its… secrets."

Oh, Rafal was a little menace all right.

Interacting with @Eira Cravensworth