By the Cover PV Xailah Finished

Seeming to overlook the shade of scarlet which touched her cheeks, Peri gave a short shrug, fiddling with his glasses as he admitted, "I'm not the only Pericles. There was a famous one in ancient Greece, and when I was born in Greece, my folks named me after him. He loved the arts, but he did die of the plague." The boy smiled vacantly. When asked about linguistics, disappointment touched his voice. "No. I wish I did. But I learned about languages in general- roots and dialects so I could identify them easier when I travel the world someday. I know a handful of lines in a few languages to help me along, like hello, goodbye, I need help, where is the toilet...." More interesting than generic lines of language was the meaning behind her name. It made his thin brows bounce. When permitted to laugh, Peri did no such thing, instead asserting in his casually content way, "I think it's a brilliant name. The first and the last, that is."

He had happily complimented the cat's name, too, though seemed surprised a second time.
You see, I don't think he can read very well.
It took a second to click. Then his nose scrunched, his eyes squinted, his lips drew back from pearly teeth to hiss a happy snicker. It was a dry but joyous sound. "If only cats could read! I wouldn't want to be an auror, I'd own a library staffed full of cats." Peri pet the cat with both hands for good measure, scratching his belly, behind his ears, insisting "You'll help us in your own way, won't you Schrödinger?" Soon the search was on. They wove through the towering halls of bookshelves, Peri looking perfectly pleased to be on an "expedition", though the description of the dolls provoked an unusual reaction. He had been all gentle smiles, vague disappointments, expressions ever mild. When he heard the dolls looked exactly like those who stumbled upon them however, his disturbance manifested as a blatant grimace. The thought was so unusual, so unexplainable, even the fact-spouting student was rendered quiet. He didn't even have the tongue to mention he was fascinated- if a little jealous- that her parents would bring her actual voodoo dolls.

Xailah's frustration was shared in at talk of Secrets of the Darkest Art. "Not likely," Peri mumbled wantingly. "If they did, it would definitely be restricted." Her last question earned an immediate answer. As much as he seemed to be the rule-chasing type, the "Yes" he gave was fast and firm. It came with another uncharacteristic expression, something grounded, serious, in the moment rather than day-dreamy. "I would read it. Knowledge doesn't make anyone 'evil', even if it is on a 'dark' subject. There isn't harm in knowing about a thing. It's what we do with our knowledge that really matters.... At least there's these." By then, the boy's "holding arm" was balancing as many books as his limb's length allowed. He turned to proudly present the pile to the two, nearly toppling it in the process, but he hoisted it under his chin and tucked both hands beneath. Carrying the treasure to his book fortress, Peri carefully slid the lot onto the surface before clearing them a space. He didn't have a spell which would flip the pages to exactly the information they needed, but fortuitously, that's what indexes were for.

Ah, but whats in a name? For those who are named after someone powerful- someone famous; are they expected to achieve greatness like those who carried the name before them? That was a question to ponder for another time. She admired the boys thirst for knowledge- his need to learn. But she would never had the heart to tell him that curiosity was a fickle mistress. She didn't have the heart to tell him that his lust for knowledge would come with a price.

It was a cruel thing to do- or rather, not do. Xailah cocked her head at the sudden change in Pericles poseur. The simple act- the strait forwardness of his answer, about her question concerning the book Magick Moste Evile; said a lot about him quite frankly. A soft smile began creeping its way across her pale face, as she tapped her temple with two dainty fingers. "You're too sssmart- or ssshould I say, you have been blessed with common sssense." His explanation made sense- it was reasonable, even.

They seemingly possessed similar views. She found nothing of interest in the book she had picked up. She let out a soft hum, before putting it back in the space she found it in. She followed the boy with the eggshell-colored hair, around to a table. "I really hope I can find what I'm looking for. I would hate to have to go to Griffith- but I'm afraid I might have to, regardless..." Morfran Griffith. The Care of Magical Creatures professor. The dolls were most likely in his possession still. She at least hoped that they were.

"-I don't think he likes me much." She said whilst taking the chair across from Pericles. She eyed the two stacks of books, that were on the table previously. Oh he can't possibly read them all. He'll go mad. "Anyways, lets see what we can find." She grabbed a leather-bound book, from the recent stack that the boy had brought over. Schrödinger took his place atop the table."You take half, and I take the other half?" She asked, her golden gaze glossing over the stack once again.

She would scan her select book; turning it every which way, as if it had something to hide. She would eventually open the book, only to find that it was very sticky. The paper liked to stick to the material on her gloves, causing her to make the occasional flick of the wrist- to unstick the delicate fibers. She came across a few pages that were dog-eared. "Mm. Hate that." She hummed; flattening the folded corner. "Never understood why people fold the pages, I sssuppose they are unaware of the fact that bookmarks are a thing."

Pericles was perplexed, unsure of how to take the comment concerning common sense, but after a stretch of pondering his freckled face appeared appreciative. "Thank you," he said through a smile. It faded at Xailah's mention of not being liked by someone specific. "...Professor Griffith?" He wouldn't attend Care of Magical Creatures for another two years, but he had seen said teacher when Headmaster Lear introduced the staff at Sorting. Professor Griffith was recalled as an exceedingly tall man with eyes like icicles, blue and sharp. Peri's thoughts strayed to his own father, who had a propensity for being intimidating to those not well acquainted with him. The former Auror was an intense sort, but the boy knew another side of him altogether. He'd learned not to judge a book by its cover.

"I don't see why he wouldn't. You seem like a good sort to me." With a shrug of shoulders he added as an aside, "Though it's alright if he doesn't like you, so long as he doesn't dislike you." That was where Pericles presently preferred to reside: in perspectival limbo, drawing neither positive nor negative attention to himself. He was constantly quiet in class rather than risk rambling to teachers. The boy had come to dread coming off as a know-it-all by expressing his educational enthusiasm at the wrong place and time.

She offered to take half, and in spite of his love for literature, Peri gave a short nod and a glad "Let's."

Those mistreated book corners earned Xailah's ire, so her study companion hummed a morose note of agreement. He shook his head and muttered simply: "Here." Between them both he set a small notebook. Several pieces had been peeled from the bottom of the first page. From this he tore a long thin strip, then another, pushing them into a pile with his finger. As Peri scanned the index of the first book for anything to do with dolls, doppelgangers, voodoo, hags, enchantments, totems, he would flip to chapters of interest and add a piece of paper. Eventually, the young wizard read aloud, "'A doppelgänger seen by a person's relative or friend was said to signify that illness or danger would befall that person, while seeing one's own doppelgänger was said to be an omen of death'. But those look like living copies, not dolls." Peri stuck a scrap of parchment in the section all the same before taking up a different book.

"Listen to this, from Romanian folklore: God gave Beldam Muma Pădurii the designation to stand for the forest. The Beldam is a spirit of the forest in a very ugly and old woman's body. Sometimes she has the ability to change her shape. She lives in a dark, dreadful, hidden little house'. That sounds like a hag to me. 'In time, the Beldam started to hate foolish people because they destroyed what she was trying to defend. She'- ah." Peri's mouth quirked crookedly, pale brows pinched. He set the book down and slid it across the table, tapping the page's illustration. "She eats the hearts of children like a hag as well.""You might think it silly of me to say, but there was a muggle book I read about a Beldam. She made dolls identical to the kids she wished to keep; to eat, that is." Peri hadn't looked her way since passing over the book, as if perhaps unwilling to see her reaction to all this noise and sound. Instead, he reached to start scratching Schrodinger again, voice softening as he spoke- addressing the feline himself- "There was a very clever cat in the book, too, who helped the main girl along the way to defeating the Beldam." He risked a side-eye towards the cat's keeper, keeping his head partway ducked. "But you said the dolls and the hag weren't related. I'm sorry, Xailah. I've gone on a tangent again. I try to draw lines where I can, but that doesn't always mean they're meant to connect. We'll keep searching."

She snorted. Griffith would argue her being good. She was nothing but trouble. She couldn't care less if Griffith liked her or not- it was just that he was a hard person to converse with, and him not liking her would most likely make conversations so much more difficult. "Thanks, but- well nevermind, its not particularly important." She waved the thought off. She didn't think much of Griffith- thought he was a absolute joke if anything.

Apparently Xailah was refusing to focus. The bent pages were just so distracting. When the boy presented the strips of parchment, she took one and placed it in to book- to appear as if she was being productive. Pericles wouldn't be able to tell if he looked; but she was starting to get antsy. She was ready to find some clues, but was starting to lose the patience to do so.

She listen to the silver-eyed boy, read the excerpt about doppelgängers. "If it helps, I was told that the dolls should not be touched- though I did talk to sssomeone who touched a doll and they sssaid nothing happened to them. They were alive and well, just like any other person" That someone, Illowy; had failed to add that you weren't supposed to touch your own doll. "But...I don't know, I mean they sssound an awful lot like those doppelgänger things."

"I'll have to look at that later. See if I can draw a connection-" Bored with her book, she placed it to the side before grabbing another one. It carried a thin layer of dust. All of her attention went toward listening to the boy. "Muma Pădurii sssound like a lovely woman." She spoke, her voice laced with sarcasm. She grimaced, at the thought that hags, and the related; ate children.

She could never imagine that humans were delectable. Well, had always heard the phrase; don't knock it until you've tried it- so what did she know? Craning her neck, she took a glance at the picture that Pericles had slid in front of her. "I-...well, I guess looks aren't everything." She let out sheepish snicker.

"Whats the name of this muggle book. I might want to check it out sometime." She questioned. If she phrased it right in a letter, there would be a strong possibility that her parents would be able to obtain the book for her. She rested her chin on her hand, as she watched the younger boy pet Schrödinger. "Don't be sorry. You've done nothing wrong. Anything helps, really."

She sat there, for a moment. She was silent. Her eyes fell to the picture of the twisted old woman once again. "Wait-" There was a flicker in her eyes for a moment- like the spark of a lightbulb. "You said that she is a ssspirit of the forest, yes?" The feeling of discomfort began creeping its way up her spine. She looked as if she was cold. "The dolls were found in the forbidden forest. I take back what I said before- I think the dolls ssshare a connection with hags, now- I mean it could just be a coincidence- but, still."

Peri merely donned that half-present smile of his. The young wizard had a curious concept on what was and was not important, but Xailah was spared his strange mutterings on that particular matter. He fell for her productivity ruse, "encouraging" her by pushing more stripped parchment her way when the pile became low, perfectly pleased all the while to have an investigation partner. A pensive hum was exhaled as she described the dolls. Despite all his eagerness to connect dots and draw lines, he couldn't have surmised the effect a doll might have on its lookalike, left lost by the fact that the student who touched them remained unharmed. Nevertheless, he perked when said partner said she meant to investigate that specific subject later. "I'll make you a list," Peri declared, trying to make the matter as simple as possible by jotting down the book title, page number, and paragraph in which the information could be found. Doppelgängers and their according text were at the top of the page.

The sarcasm almost slipped past Pericles. For a moment, he looked quite concerned when the beldam was called lovely, then the tone sunk in and he gave an almost uncomfortable grin. "Hags are..." he fumbled to find something tolerant to say, "...hunger-driven Beings, but Beings all the same. My father once told me he met with members from the Society for the Reformation of Hags. He said the meeting derailed when one specified she would never eat a child with birthmarks, and an argument broke out over whether or not those impacted one's flavor." The boy thinned his lips and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't imagine the Headmaster would let one live on the grounds. Not if he knew about it, unless there was very good reason."

For fear he had sent them off in an abstract direction, Peri took his time socializing with Schrödinger. The simple reassurance he received visibly set his mind at ease, and he nodded, the spark of a renewed smile teasing one corner of his mouth. "The book is called Coraline," he answered Xailah, releasing the cat to add that book to her "study" list. Tentative relaxation had begun to bud when he was halted by the way she spoke next. That light in her eyes and creeping pallor instilled in him an empathetic unease, the sort that stilled his hand and quieted his tongue. Peri stared for several seconds, processing this new information, then mutely noted the book regarding hags while he was at it. He wouldn't speak for some time, too preoccupied with the churning of possibilities in his head while he picked up the next book and tried to scan it the same way, only to find himself considerably distracted.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." She didn't like when people took over her responsibilities- but it wasn't like she was going to stop the boy. If he enjoyed making lists, then more power to him. "-unless you want to of course." She shrugged, her eyes now scanned the room for nothing in particular. She did feel bad, ever so slightly however- the boy was doing more work than she was. He appeared to be fooled by her false efforts of studying- or he simply did not care. He appeared to be content just with the fact that he had a book in his hands. What a strange boy.

Xailah found Pericles comment about the hags, quite intriguing."Interesting..." She would mutter. Nothing else would be said until he brought up the Headmaster. Now, she wasn't quite sure what to think of the schools Headmaster, but she was quite certain he wasn't a bad person. "Oh, I don't think he would let one ssstay here either- but you would be amazed at what mischief can go on, right in front of a person. Headmaster Lear has thousands of ssstudents to look after, one ssstepping out of line can easily go unnoticed. And I don't think the majority of ssstudents keep track of what is going on around them."

She raised a thinly plucked eyebrow. "Or they just don't care. Thats the sssad truth. Not their business, so why bother, you know?" Her lips pursed, as her eyebrows dropped into a more relaxed state. She watched the boy scribble down the name of the muggle book. "Thank you. I will look for it on my own time." By look for it, she mean't; I'll send a letter to my mother and father, so they can get it for me. A silence fell between the two children. She didn't find it awkward. Silence was silence; she had never understood the concept of an 'Uncomfortable Silence'.

She spent a lot of time in silence, so she wasn't exactly bothered by the lack of noise. If anything she was simply concerned, about how quickly a chatterbox of a boy, could be silenced.
She found his lack of anything to say, rather worrying- seeing he was spewing facts only moments ago. "Are you alright?" She placed another slip of parchment between the pages of the book she had, before gently closing it. "Does this upset you- because if it does, we can just ssstop here. I have no issue doing this by myself." She would be content with whatever this boys answer was. She had started this little mission on her own, and she would finish it on her own- if it came to that.

Peri looked up with a bounce of eyebrows, then an earnest smile, something light yet genuine. "It isn't any trouble," he insisted airily. "This is how I like to study. I'll go over a text, mark the best parts, and make a list so it's simple to read just what I need when it's time to actually learn. Making it easier for you to find is my way of helping." He spoke simply, as though this process were no more complicated for him than breathing air or combing his hair.

Further speculation on that hag had him listening raptly, lips fading for an unreadable line, eyes bright and expression much more "present" than previously. Headmaster Lear, with his gilded armor and booming voice, seemed like some superhuman figure. Yet Xailah spoke sense. The wizard was still just a human- as far as Peri knew- and many students were surely far too busy with their schoolwork to notice peculiar things such as this. It was a subtle reminder for the young perfectionist that he ought not be one of them, that he needed to take time to lift his head from his books and keep a keen eye on the world around him. What was more, he needed to break out of the mindset that the staff were omnipotent and he needed to be a model student at all times. "I hadn't thought of it that way..." came a wondering mutter, nigh a whisper, followed by a short pensive hum.

Pericles sunk deeper yet into thought. He mulled over the mysterious dolls, the potential hag on school grounds, the cryptic warnings. So steeped in contemplation seemed he that Xailah's question would register late. Belatedly blinking, lifting his head and resuming a softly surprised expression, Peri blurted "I'm delighted." He hesitated then, mouth quirking as he self-corrected "Not... not about the 'doom dolls', that is. I don't want anyone to be hurt." A corner of his lips curled for a crooked grin before the boy admitted "It's just terribly fascinating. Don't you think? Thank you, is I mean t'say, for letting me help. I do hope I haven't gone and sent you in the wrong direction."

You rock I just finished finals and am catching up on things, should be posting more frequently!

She peered over the slick black frames, of her glasses. Her eerie yellow gaze, lingering on her partner. The inky black pupils pulsed for a mere second, as if they possessed a mind of their own. She no longer knew what to think of the boy. He came across as naive, yet he somehow carried the strange aura of maturity. He confused her to say the least.

Her eyes narrowed into yellow crescent moons- contemplating, calculating. She clicked her tongue. "No its okay- I understand what you mean. Completely." A soft smile began creeping its way across her face. "People love things that are dark in nature. They can't help it, and many won't admit it." She shrugged, tapping a nearby book. "-If they didn't like morbid subjects, information on them wouldn't exist."

The smile began to fade, as quickly as it had appeared. "The dolls are dangerously fascinating." She folded her hands placing them on the table. She cocked her head to the side, scanning his Pericles face, with curious eyes. "Thank you for being nice enough to help me out- even if you only did it to pet Schrödinger." She would raise a gloved hand, if he were to deny the fact. "He's the only reason why anyone approaches me." She offered the younger boy a playful smile.

She grabbed the cats fuzzy, grey, paws, and pressed them together, making him look as if he was applauding. She cooed before adding; "I don't believe there sssuch a thing as a 'wrong direction'. So don't worry." She was fixated with the breathing lump of grey fur, at this point. "...Would you like to see the dolls?"

She peered up at the snowy-haired boy. As much as she wanted to avoid getting the boy involved in a situation that, could quite possibly go haywire; she couldn't help but wonder if he was at least curious to see the objects in person. "-We would have to pay Griffith a visit- to see if he still has them. Which I planned to do regardless..." She trailed off. She was a magnet for trouble. And she had a very bad habit of unintentionally dragging others into unfortunate situations.

Pericles stared in return, silvery eyes fixed, catching those subtle flares of her metamorphmagus nature. Questions compiled against the back of his teeth, but for the sake of politeness he bit them back. For now. Mature in how he was raised, naive in his utter lack of worldly experience, he wasn't quite sure what to make of her, either, beyond those feline bearings. And like a cat, Xailah had- albeit unintentionally- brought the boy a most unorthodox "gift". While some would sweep away the dead-bird-present of a macabre investigation, Peri had delicately scooped it up for safekeeping. It felt like the start of a strange yet mutual regard. On many occasions since his arrival at Hogwarts, the wizard had felt frankly misinterpreted, unable to express himself in a way which most understood. His overly proper presentation painted him as a blue-blooded elitist, whereas his passion for knowledge on all things magic made him sound like something of a know-it-all. Perhaps then this sensation was wistful thinking. Deep down, beyond the far-off stares and the intellectual babble, Pericles was much in need of a friend. Or, at the very least: someone who might make use of him.

"Exactly!" He gestured in emphasis towards the book which Xailah tapped, tacking on his agreement, at least looking a little more awake. "I should very much like to be an Auror someday. If I don't take the time to understand the Dark Arts as well as possible, how can I be expected to tackle them? If I didn't have these books, well... I dunno where I'd even start." The entire affair had placed him in an excellent mood. He dipped his head humbly when thanked, only for it to snap straight up again when it was implied he only really helped her along for Schrödinger's company. That wasn't true! Well... it was half true. Mostly true. But before he could manage much more than an "I-" her hand was up and his mouth was shut. It quirked with concern, only for a tentative smile to start creeping its way back as the cat "clapped" for him. Peri touched his palm to his chest and ducked his chin with a mock bow before exhaling another soundless snicker.

At first, when asked if he wanted to see the dolls, the boy believed the question was along the same line as the one about the dark book. He started to say he would have wished he could before Xailah's expression was caught. Peri paused, listening to her explain what it would entail, mute while he mulled for several seconds. His eyes awkwardly averted as he mumbled something which might have seemed out of context. "Professor Griffith is going to be the conductor for the choir I'm joining...." Which was, in a Peri fashion, his way of saying he didn't want to do anything which would give the man a poor impression of him. Yet curiosity quickly caught up with that sense of social caution, overwhelming it before she could comment. "But it couldn't hurt to ask." Or could it? He snuffed the worry in his spur of motivation. "I'd like that. Yes- I'll come with you."

She too, was in dire need of a friend. She had Meenauh- Meenauh was absolutely wonderful, but the circumstances in which they met were rather...bizarre. What Xailah really needed, was someone besides Schrödinger to care for. Someone to nurture. She needed someone that reminded her, that she was still human, despite her appearance.

Meenauh acted more like an extension of Xailah, like a part of her that had split apart, to form an whole new person- she was still an amazing friend nonetheless. And there was of course Kaegen, but she didn't know where she stood with him, in terms of relationships. Not to mention it was slightly depressing to hang around him. Friend making had always been a challenging task for the young Gryffindor- she was scared of it, to some degree. Reason being that many old acquaintances had a tendency to simply disappear. She didn't understand why, and had started thinking that, maybe she wasn't meant to have friends.

When Pericles spoke of his dream to become an Auror, Xailah only smiled. It was a sad one- well, almost sad. She came to the realization, that she never really thought much about the future- at least not her future. The young cub, had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She searched her mind for something to say- for some way to relate, but she couldn't really find anything, so she just sat there listening.

She sent herself into a spiral of things that she had never thought about before- but the thoughts were soon interrupted. Her tight-lipped smile, began to beam at Pericles bow. She let out a quirky little chortle, and wrinkled her nose in amusement. When she asked about him wanting to see the dolls, she was not given an immediate answer. A look of concern would begin to make its way across her face, but it would come to a halt when he finally spoke.

Choir? Pericles was joining a choir- and Griffith was the conductor? She gave the young Ravenclaw an attentive look. On the inside, she was trying desperately to keep from laughing. The idea of Griffith singing- or even taking part in a choir, was one that she found mildy amusing. "Sssplendid" She picked up one of the strips of parchment, and a nearby quill.

"Never would have taken you as a sssinger." She dabbed the quill on the lip of the inkwell. "You look like someone who would enjoy playing musical instruments." She stated. "Do you have an event coming up- if so, we can go a day after it has passed, if you'd like." She made a couple of bullet points on the parchment, so she could sort things out. She had someone else tagging along, and needed an idea of when it would be most appropriate to owl said person.