Why Shouldn't I? Open

@Jack Burnett

"Eagle, I'm betting I know Fangs a lot better than you do," he chuckled. "We do share a dorm, after all. And 'niceness' is subjective. Just because someone might seem nice to you doesn't mean they are. "I'm curious now, though...what did he do or say that makes you say he's nice?"

"Well, they were very generous. They offered me money after I told them about my parents. They also seemed to genuinely care about everything I had to say." said Penelope. She said it not unkindly, but tried to show that the subject was closed. 


"Your dad...fell off his broom," he repeated slowly. "And your mom...died of the shock from finding out that your dad died...?"


"Here's the whole story." She said, taking a deep breath. She wouldn't cry, not now. "Dad was always traveling around for the ministry. It was his job. He hated being away for the holidays, so he took a shortcut  over muggle traffic. He was going too fast on his old broom. He was drowsy too. He tipped over, and lost most of his luggage. After that he lost his balance and fell. He was brought away to St.Mungo's, and the ministry had a good time cleaning up his stuff scattered everywhere. Mum truly thought dad would be alright, and knew that she didn't have a chance without him. He was bringing in all the money, and my brother was in Azkaban. When my brother was released, he brought me to the Leaky Cauldron. I was worried, but I thought everything would be alright. Then, the ministry wizard knocked on the door. They told us dad was dead, and mom had died of grief and shock. She had collapsed on her way out the door. I was devastated. I only have William left now." She said. She truly hoped this boy believed her. She was telling the truth, although he did not seem to think so. Her eyes welled up, and she turned around quickly and wiped them. When she had collected herself again, she turned back around. "I'm sorry, this probably isn't of any importance to you at all." She said.

"What is in this? It's kinda heavy. Am I not allowed to read the note?" Then, his grin broadening, Jack added, "This is quite a lot for someone you just met once. Are you sweet on him?"

Penelope blushed. "You can read the note if you want. I gave him all that because he's the only friend I've made at Hogwarts, and my best friend back home doesn't talk to me much anymore. She has started hanging out with the popular crowd, so all the money I would usually spend on her went into this. And no, I do not fancy him. Why aren't girls allowed to have good friends that happen to be boys?" She said. She didn't have a crush on the first boy she met at this school, that would be absurd! She didn't want to be a cliché, but could she really help it? Yes. She could. She did not fancy this boy.

Jack blinked. "Er...'they'?" he repeated. "Is 'he' a 'they'?" He'd heard some people went by different pronouns like that, but he'd never heard Selim tell him so. Perhaps this girl wasn't sure if he was male or female...? Or Selim didn't mind either way? "Oh...huh. Yeah, I guess that's pretty nice. Kinda weird, though, since offering someone money isn't the first thing I'd think of if someone told me their parents died..." He understood the 'genuinely caring about everything she said', though. The snake certainly seemed to enjoy studying other people. Jack just wasn't so sure he thought of them as people.

When Penelope divulged her whole story regarding her family, the redhead blinked again. "Oh," he said, trying to take it all in at once. So not only had both parents perished, but her brother had spent time in one of the worst wizard prisons he had read about. I didn't know people could actually die of shock and grief, he thought, considering this. "No, that's all very...it's definitely important," he assured her. "Otherwise I wouldn't have asked. Sorry I had you recount all that. Er...while I'm still prying, though...may I ask what your brother did to get locked up in Azkaban?"

The girl's blush only fueled Jack's suspicions of her feelings for Selim. Even if she was only red out of embarrassment, it was entertaining enough to have something to tease her about - not to mention his dormmate once he gave him the gift. He read the note idly, but once Penelope mentioned the word 'friend', Jack looked up with a bit of a sheepish smile.

"Oh, no, girls are totally allowed to have good friends that are boys," he told her. "It's just that...well, Fangs doesn't strike me as the friend-making sort." Tilting his head at the Ravenclaw, he asked, "Did he...acknowledge that you two were friends? Because I hate to break it to you, Eagle, but I think your little friendship or crush or whatever it is is probably only one-sided. Just because you guys talked once and he seemed nice to you doesn't mean he wants to be friends."

@Penelope Alexander

"Er...'they'? Is 'he a 'they'?" asked Jack. Penelope hadn't even noticed she had said that, she didn't usually call people 'he' or 'she' because it didn't matter what gender they were. She responded with, "Well, I never really talk about people's genders much. It doesn't really matter. They are both equal. I guess it's just habit, nothing to get into." said Penelope. 

"Oh...huh. Yeah, I guess that's pretty nice. Kinda weird, though, since offering someone money isn't the first thing I'd think of if someone told me their parents died..."

"Well.. it was a nice gesture. Although I do admit, it was out of the blue, I appreciated it." said Penelope. 

"Oh, "No, that's all very...it's definitely important," he assured her. "Otherwise I wouldn't have asked. Sorry I had you recount all that. Er...while I'm still prying, though...may I ask what your brother did to get locked up in Azkaban?"

"It's alright, you'd have to find out somehow. My brother was put in Azkaban because he used an unforgivable curse one night. On another person. I'm not sure which one, but I believe it was 'avada kadavra'. He doesn't recall the night to anyone." said Penelope, smiling. She didn't know why, but every time she mentioned her brother she became happy. It was most likely because that he was out of Azkaban after all these years. She added, "I love him though. He's really kind, but can really get angry." said Penelope.

"Oh, no, girls are totally allowed to have good friends that are boys, It's just that...well, Fangs doesn't strike me as the friend-making sort. Did he...acknowledge that you two were friends? Because I hate to break it to you, Eagle, but I think your little friendship or crush or whatever it is is probably only one-sided. Just because you guys talked once and he seemed nice to you doesn't mean he wants to be friends."

"I swear it is not a crush. The only thing I significantly liked about him was his apple cider that he gave me. That's it. Promise." She said. She held her hand up and crossed her heart. She didn't want Jack telling Selim about her talking about him at all, because that was awkward. She lowered her hand. "He never acknowledged we were friends, but-uhm- whatever." She said, crestfallen, although she was hiding it well. The only thing that could show that she was partially sad were her eyes. "I guess we aren't friends. Nevermind, about the present, too. Just please don't mention any of this to him. It would be weird." She took the present back from the boy and hastily shoved it back in her bag. She didn't want to be in a foul mood, so she just tried to forget about Selim altogether. 


"We've talked about me a lot, what about you? Have any siblings?" asked Penelope. She had false cheer written all over her face.

Shrugging off the other subjects about gender and Selim's gesture of offering money (which Jack was almost positive the other Slytherin had done in the hopes of obtaining something else in return), he considered Penelope's comment about her brother. Although he was muggle-born, he enjoyed history far more than the average person and he was fairly certain he had read about what was known as the 'Unforgivable Curses'.

If he remembered right, the one this Ravenclaw mentioned was also known as 'the Killing Curse'. It was supposedly considered one of the most powerful and sinister spells known to Wizardkind, but Jack thought it sounded pretty stupid. It caused instantaneous and painless death, and while killing someone was, of course, a crime, that's all it did.

The results seemed uncreative and boring compared to other magic and spells. In fact, a plain old muggle gun probably caused a more interesting death than this curse. He wondered what Penelope's brother had wanted with it, but even if he asked and she answered, he wasn't sure he would have understood. It wasn't as if he knew her brother or her family, after all.

It made Jack raise a brow to see the brunette smile as she talked about her brother murdering someone and going to jail for it, but he didn't bother questioning that, either. Maybe she had a sadistic side like Selim seemed to.

At the mention of Selim's apple cider, both the redhead's brows shot up in astonishment. He hadn't realized the other boy had gone around giving his family's drink to just anyone, but he supposed if the raven-haired boy had as much as he'd said he did, he wouldn't have minded being generous with it. Generosity just struck Jack as an odd trait for someone like the snake to possesses.

"You can't promise that," he chuckled when she told him the only thing she liked about Selim was his apple cider. "That's a lie. Or else you wouldn't know what to get him," he added, holding her gift up, "Or know he liked science. Or tell me about how he offered you money or was comforting when he heard about your family."

Regardless, the girl took back her gift and told him not to worry about it, clearly trying to change the subject when she asked if he had any siblings. Mouth twisting at Penelope's behavior, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Hey, don't give up so soon. Just because I claim to know more about him doesn't mean I do. If I told you he was the worst person ever, would you believe me just because I said so?"

Spreading his arms, he continued, "Maybe he could consider you a friend. How would I know? It'd be a shame for you to have gone through all that trouble only to change your mind so easily just because of something I - a practical stranger to you - started questioning."

Leaning toward her, he met her gaze with grave intensity. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear about other people; only what you learn and experience for yourself. You can't trust second-hand information. I thought as a Ravenclaw, you would know that much, at least. Or do you let your emotions cloud your judgment?"

@Penelope Alexander

@Jack Burnett

"You can't promise that," he chuckled when she told him the only thing she liked about Selim was his apple cider. "That's a lie. Or else you wouldn't know what to get him, or know he liked science. Or tell me about how he offered you money or was comforting when he heard about your family."

"Fine! He's a good "friend". That's it. I always knew what to get my best friend back where I used to live and I wasn't in love with her! I don't like Selim Faust. I don't like like Selim Faust, he is just a random person I met in the library." Said Penelope. She was getting tired of explaining herself to this boy.

After she told him to forget about the gift, he crossed his arms and said, "Hey, don't give up so soon. Just because I claim to know more about him doesn't mean I do. If I told you he was the worst person ever, would you believe me just because I said so?"

"No. I wouldn't believe you. But as you said, you are his dorm mate. And maybe you do know more than him than I do. Whatever the situation, I have decided that it would be better safe than sorry." said Penelope. She didn't want to embarrass herself, but she already had. She hated being embarasssed.

"Maybe he could consider you a friend. How would I know? It'd be a shame for you to have gone through all that trouble only to change your mind so easily just because of something I - a practical stranger to you - started questioning." This boy was really getting on her nerves now. She breathed in, trying to stay calm. She didn't want him to see she was angry, so she looked at him, her eyes blazing with defiance. She kept her calm, and said:

"Well..." she said slowly, choosing her words wisely. "It does seem weird that I am giving an entire christmas present, through a 'stranger', to a boy I just met in the library. Don't you think? Actually, I don't care what you think. Your opinion doesn't affect me. Maybe I will still give it to him. You wouldn't know. Because none of this is your business." Penelope said the last few things slowly, wanting this subject to be over. 


"You shouldn't believe everything you hear about other people; only what you learn and experience for yourself. You can't trust second-hand information. I thought as a Ravenclaw, you would know that much, at least. Or do you let your emotions cloud your judgment?"

That was the last straw for Penelope. She started to talk very slowly, as if Jack were some dumb creature who couldn't understand what she was talking about. "But feedback is the most important key to success. No author or writer has ever ignored what everyone else thought. Sometimes taking in advice can be good. No one can learn everything, but you can learn from other people. If everyone on earth, including muggles, got together and shared their knowledge, we would be almost indestructible! And no, I don't let my emotions cloud my judgement. I lead with my head, not my feelings. I'm not some weird touchy-feely girl." This, was almost a lie. She could get pretty weird, and she did like to hug others, but that wasn't exactly the point. She took another breath and said, "Ravenclaws don't always have the answers! They're just smart enough to figure them out! Without the help of Slytherins." She said this, casting a look at the crest on his robes. "Also, since I'm such a wise and witty Ravenclaw, I think I would know what's best for me. And this gift, is definitely not it." She said firmly. She walked over to the nearest stall and flushed it down the toilet. The wrapping paper slipped away, and the pages of the book slipped out. The cardboard box started to rip, and then out when all the beakers and such. She flushed again. After there were only a few broken beakers, some strange powder, and the pages of the book. She turned back around to Jack. "So, let's forget about that, shall we? So... ever think of adding a bit of green or silver to your hair? Maybe show a little bit of Slytherin pride?" she said jokingly. 

Sensing the girl's exasperation, Jack allowed her some respite from his harassment with a dismissive wave of his hand. But her comment about preferring to be 'better safe than sorry' only earned a contemptuous smirk.

"Oh, no, it's too late for that, I'm afraid. There's no more safety for you to return to now that I know you meant to give him that." He held out his hand. "So do yourself a favor and hand it over before I tell him about it and he comes looking for you himself."

Jack appeared undeterred by the blazing defiance in Penelope's large, brown eyes. In fact, if anything, he only seemed spurred on by it. "Well, for better or worse, it's become my business now," he told her. "You were the one who asked me to deliver it to him. And if you didn't care what I thought, you would stop second-guessing yourself and go through with the plan you originally had before I said anything. Because if I only spoke up to test your resolve, you're making a rather poor show of it."

When Penelope began to speak slowly, Jack had to bite back a laugh, certain that his words had gotten to her. Even so, he listened carefully, nodding and smiling, until she was completely finished.

"Feedback is good, yes, but it's not the same as advice," he countered. "The term 'feedback' implies you already know the first-hand information and are just getting a second opinion. As for getting advice, all advice should be taken with a grain of salt. Or haven't you heard that expression?"

The insistence that she wasn't 'some weird touchy-feely girl' caused Jack to snort in amusement and put a hand over his mouth for a minute to keep himself from bursting into laughter.

"If that gift isn't the best for you, O Wise and Witty Ravenclaw," the boy retorted, plainly mocking her, "Why did it take you up 'til this point to decide that? Why did you buy it, wrap it, write a cute little note, and attempt to get it delivered to him as fast as possible through his dormmate?"

As he watched her walk over to the nearest stall, his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as she proceeded to try flushing the wrapped gift down the toilet. He dashed forward, attempting to shove her aside to see what he could salvage before it was all gone.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jack cried out, his voice high in pitch and volume as he cut his hands trying to fish out what he could of the beakers. "Even if you weren't going to give it to him, you shouldn't just waste this! Especially books!" The color had drained from his face as he gaped at her, livid at what Penelope had just done. "What's wrong with you?!"

@Penelope Alexander

Grace was going to her dormitory when she remembered that her book was in the abandoned toilets, she ran to the crusty door with the “Out of order” sign and went in, then she heard somebody yelling: "What the hell are you doing?!" It sounded high-pitched but Grace could tell it was a boy "Even if you weren't going to give it to him, you shouldn't just waste this! Especially books!" Grace gasped at the same time as the boy. Grace jumped out from her hiding place and she and the boy yelled "What's wrong with you?!" Grace clasped her hand on her mouth “Sorry” She said, embarrassed “But that book wouldn't happen to be “Hogwarts, A History”?” Asked Grace “Because I left it here for a pretty long time and only remembered when I’m supposed to sleep” then Grace noticed the girl that the boy was yelling to was Penelope Alexander, a girl from her house. Grace took her hair out of a ponytail because her head was hurting but not because of the ponytail, Grace had a extremely bad headache and felt like she was going to die because of it, but she didn’t die she fainted for about 5 seconds and when she did she saw a figure walking up to her with sharp teeth. Grace stood up from that pain, head spinning “Who WAS that?” Grace thought. Grace looked around the bathroom, many broken toilets and a rusty door, the sink was looking very old and bad. “No wonder this place is out of order, it’s horrible who would come here!?” Grace thought, then remembered she comes here to study.

@Grace Mint@Jack Burnett

"Oh, no, it's too late for that, I'm afraid. There's no more safety for you to return to now that I know you meant to give him that. So do yourself a favor and hand it over before I tell him about it and he comes looking for you himself."

"No." she said plainly, her eyes flaring for a second. "Well, for better or worse, it's become my business now. You were the one who asked me to deliver it to him. And if you didn't care what I thought, you would stop second-guessing yourself and go through with the plan you originally had before I said anything. Because if I only spoke up to test your resolve, you're making a rather poor show of it."

Penelope realized he was completely right! What was wrong with her today? She was usually rapid-fire with her questions but she had been caught on a very bad day. Usually she would've had a million other witty remarks and fast-paced comments. She was getting herself into dire trouble. So, she took a minute. She made her face look as if she were speechless, but what she was really doing was thinking of something to say. Very similar, but not quite. She needed to talk faster and come back! She said, "Ok. You win. Fine. Can we stop talking about this?" She said, as if she were giving up, then she added, "I'm not giving the book to him." she said it with finality. 

After she walked over to throw her book in the toilet, Jack yelled, "What the hell are you doing?!"
"I don't know, Jack. This present doesn't feel right. I'm giving him something else and this," she indicated to the ruins in the toilet bowl "Is going away. I don't need it." Then, Penelope realized there was a girl's voice. She was saying, “Because I left it here for a pretty long time and only remembered when I’m supposed to sleep”

Penelope walked out of the stall and over to the girl. She was a Ravenclaw, and Penelope recalled her name as Grace. Their beds were close in the dorm, but they didn't talk much. Penelope walked right over and said, "Come on in over here, Grace. That is your name, right? Me and Jack were just flushing books down the toilet, fun right?" she positioned herself so that Jack couldn't see her face and then mouthed to Grace: I'll tell you in the dorm. She hoped Grace understood.

Jack straightened up, his hands bloody with cuts from the glass and his thick brows narrowed. He glared viciously at Penelope. "Just because you don't need it doesn't mean no one could use it," he shot at her. "You ruined some perfectly good books and supplies. I hope you're proud of yourself."

Just then the Ravenclaw who had entered the toilets before when Snow had been there showed up again. Grace, Jack remembered her name was. Great. Just great! Exactly what I need, he thought furiously, running his hands through his red hair in exasperation. When Penelope left the stall to go talk to her, the Slytherin followed close behind. He'd had enough.

"You were flushing books down the toilet," he snapped, making his way to the door. "Who the hell does that? Some intelligent Ravenclaw you are. I'd have thought you, of all people, should know the value of books. Not to mention beakers and all the other valuable equipment you just lost."

Jack shook his head disdainfully at the Ravenclaws, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. "I'm sure Fangs will love to hear about this. Maybe he'll think twice about offering money to random girls when he finds out how wasteful they are with it."

@Penelope Alexander & @Grace Mint

"Come on in over here, Grace. That is your name, right?“ Grace nodded ”Me and Jack were just flushing books down the toilet, fun right?" Penelope said, Grace couldn’t believe it her anger was rising but she hid it “F-flushing books down the toilets!? Why? Books are valuable and perfect, why would you do that?” Grace half-yelled. Penelope mouthed what Grace assumed was “I’ll tell you in the dorm” Grace just nodded “So, what book was that?” Grace asked again, her voice shrill "You were flushing books down the toilet," The boy that Grace remembered was named Jack "Who the hell does that? Some intelligent Ravenclaw you are. I'd have thought you, of all people, should know the value of books. Not to mention beakers and all the other valuable equipment you just lost." Grace couldn’t stop herself and screamed “LEAVE HER ALONE!” Grace couldn’t believe it, where ever did she get the courage? “Sorry, Sorry, Sorry” she said over and over again “I didn’t mean to yell” she half-whispered loud enough for them to hear her. Grace blushed and sat down, shaking her head in her hands “I need a book” she went to grab Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them she was still embarrassed about screaming. Grace rubbed her temples, she gets many headaches, then for some odd reason an owl dropped a letter on in her book. Grace noticed it was from St. Mungo’s Hospital, she was scared to open it, her aunt Heather is already in St. Mungo’s. Grace opened the letter and read it, she gasped “No, no, no” she whispered. The letter said: “Dear Ms. Mint, I am very sorry but you mother Iris Mint is in the hospital since she has an unknown injury. You cannot visit her yet but she is alive. From, St. Mungo’s Hospital” tears blurred her face but she wiped them “Sorry” she said