Tarantulasaurus Time Pet

The succinct invitation from Erin both surprised and somewhat intimidated Jack, though he had to smile at it. As much as it could have easily been interpreted as a thinly-veiled death threat, even now, he still couldn't help thinking its direct bluntness sounded cute. His smile became sad when he recalled their last encounter, filled with regret and unspoken words on his part.

He'd meant to write her a letter since then, but he could just imagine her tearing or burning up the envelope before even opening it. Of course, perhaps she was different now if the pendant she'd given Oliver Hart had not been returned to her yet, but...if that was the case, he had no idea what to expect now. It just seemed wrong to try to explain himself in a letter rather than face to face. Then again, it was his face that had gotten him in that whole mess in the first place and he didn't want to risk making things worse for himself by involving it once more.

For all that might have been said about him and his actions, the Welsh boy knew he was a coward at heart. He kept putting off going to see her, unable to bear the thoughts of his own actions even though he'd technically never lied. Erin, even the logical, emotionless version, seemed to believe that he'd intended to deceive her...which had not been his main goal. He'd simply allowed it to happen. If he didn't correct her, however, and continued to lead her on, in the perspectives of many others, couldn't that have been thought of as just as bad? Maybe even worse?

Guilt wrenched at his guts as he tried to reason with himself, but it did no good. If Erin thought ill of him, it made no difference how he tried to justify his own actions. If she was still willing to meet with him, however - to wash her spider or otherwise - maybe there was still hope of reconciling with her; of changing her mind about him. Besides, Jack had always liked spiders. It was why he'd rescued one from becoming potion ingredients in Knockturn Alley at the beginning of his first year.

Come to think of it, a spider really seemed to suit Erin in some ways. She terrified a lot of people - not because of her looks, but through her words and actions. Intimidating though she might have been to those who didn't know her - and perhaps even more to those who thought they did - Jack still couldn't help but find her innocently adorable in a great many ways. Perhaps it made more sense than he realized that he found Erin cute...not that it made her any less dangerous.

With a heavy sigh of trepidation, the Slytherin second year finally steeled himself and resolved to meet Erin in the classroom she had requested him to in order to...cleanse her arachnid. He couldn't imagine she actually meant to bathe it in soap and water like a cat or dog. What did she mean by 'wash', then? Was it a special kind of spider?

He tried to keep his thoughts on the idea of the pet instead of its owner before realizing that just because she had invited him, it didn't mean he had to come alone. It was for this reason he asked a new dorm mate of his along - Leonard Oaksworth, the kid he'd met over summer vacation - in order to complete the pet-grooming errand for a few rewards. Maybe he wasn't aware of Jack and Erin's history...but that was probably for the best. Jack doubted it would have done the other boy any good.

Besides, what reason might Leonard have had to fear Erin when Jack was around for her to seek vengeance on? If anything, the redhead guessed the fourth year might have been pleased to have a peer of his around so she could make sure someone was there to bear witness to his utter humiliation and suffering if not his death.

A part of him hated himself for still not having the courage to meet his upperclassman alone. Maybe if this errand went well, he could manage to do so in the future. For this occasion, however, his sense of self-preservation wouldn't allow him to encounter her with a spider he knew next to nothing about. Besides, if the spider was there, it wouldn't really have been considered talking to her alone even if Leonard hadn't come along...right?

The sight of the girl when she came into view within the classroom caused him to do a double-take. He hadn't even realized it was her until he caught sight of her ridiculously lovely part-Veela face. His jaw dropped.

"E...Erin?" he gaped. No, that wasn't right; he had no right to call her by her first name anymore. Swallowing, he tried again. "R-ryan, what...what happened to your hair?" It was a stupid question, no doubt, but it fell from his lips before he could think to stop it. A part of him had been convinced she'd been born with purple hair, though no human - magical or not - nor veela, so far as he knew, had ever sprouted such tresses naturally. It was so strange to see her without the purple dye. But, then again...it wasn't as if that was the girl he'd known, anyway, since the one before him seemed no more passionate than she'd been at the ball after removing her pendent.

Well, that was probably a good thing considering the effect it had seemed to start having on her other than the 'gift' of emotions. He wondered if she'd realized it.

"Tarantulasaurus...?" he repeated dumbly, trying to wrap his mind about what she'd said to him as he continued to stare. Before he could fully grasp the meaning of her words, though, the eight-legged bug jumped at him.

"Whoa - !"

It startled him about the same as a pouncing kitten might have startled anyone else while they were distracted. He scrabbled to try to catch it out of instinct, unsure what kind of spider it was other than a jumping one, but he had little time to think. No time to wonder whether or not it was venomous or if it might bite. He just didn't want it to miss landing on him and accidentally get stepped on or come to harm upon impact with the floor, sturdy though spiders usually were.

@Erin Ryan & @Leonard Oaksworth

Leonard had always been fairly neutral to pets. Exceptions were made, of course, for the particularly aggressive types with particularly aggressive usages of their jaws, but those at Hogwarts seemed fairly friendly. At the very least, friendlier than their owners. And none of them had been the type to sink their fangs, beaks, pincers, whatever, in his unexpecting skin. All these thoughts he consoled himself with, most likely in vain, as he approached the classroom.

He'd been invited by his not-quite-friend and fellow Slytherin to wash an animal that was left undescribed. He figured it would do no harm, for even if he did end up with a scar or two, the rewards were handsome enough for him to want in with minimal regret. And the washing of a maybe-feral animal might end up becoming a fun bonding activity between him, the slightly intimidating bronze-haired boy and whoever the owner of the pet in question was.

Off topic, he wished dearly that his other dormmates would also participate in the errand. They fit all the criteria: animals who desperately needed to be washed.

The Slytherin knocked at the open door, for no reason other than to extend the time where he need not interact with a human being. He'd been prepared enough for it, learning more about habits of the animals likely to be there for bathing and how to break up a fistfight. Much more potential for the latter to happen than anything else, even without the added variable of a ball of fluff or scales. Or both. Hogwarts always was unpredictable.

"Hello," he said, waving at the familiar redhead and the unfamiliar blonde. The girl was even more intimidating, clearly older than both him and Burnett. His eyes searched for the beast he'd need to hold down in soap or brushes, landing on the eight-legged creature currently near the hazel-eyed. "Am I late to the party?"