Cooperation II Sophia Nelson PV Prodigal

--- Date: --/--/-- || Time: --:-- ---

Outfit: School robes

Sophia was disappointed in herself.

School had been in session for a while, and she'd hardly gotten any potion-brewing practice, other than learning a single potion for the sake of impressing an upperclassman. She'd fallen behind on her hobby of studying for the sake of studying, and she genuinely felt shame at the notion that she was slacking so terribly at the one class she didn't struggle in.

So there she was, eager to catch back up and rushing through the corridors, holding her cauldron with both hands. Inside her cauldron was her copy of Magical Drafts and Potions, her wand, a few vials, and some random ingredients she'd scavenged throughout the week.

She had no idea what she was going to practice brewing just yet. Her intention was to reach the Potions classroom, open her book, and browse until she found something interesting.

Instead, when she reached the classroom, it was already quite occupied by a very familiar student. Hunter Argentum, her friend/foe/rival from her first year was already preparing the ingredients for something. While Sophia recognized the ingredients at a glance, she didn't know offhand which potion the boy was planning to brew, and she was quite nosy.

Silently tiptoeing through the classroom, Sophia went from shelf to shelf and grabbed the various ingredients to match Hunter's. When she was satisfied that she'd grabbed them all, she snuck up behind him and peeked at his textbook.

"Mandrake Restorative Draught, eh?" she asked from behind him, breaking the silence and her stealth. He'd already been in the process of adding the Moondew extract, so she followed his example, turning her own textbook to the recipe and carefully measuring 12 ounces. She then added it to her own cauldron, heating it to a simmer as he had.

Luckily, she didn't seem to be too terribly far behind.

"Hope you don't mind the company?" she asked with a friendly smile. Sure, just mere months ago, she'd been dead set on preventing Hunter from poisoning other students, but despite their disagreements, she did consider him a friend. Plus, he was the only friend she had who shared her interest in potions, and - if what he'd said about why he was poisoning students was true - he even had some interest in learning to be a healer.

They had a lot more in common than she'd thought when they'd first met, so she was eager to bond with the boy and learn more about him.

...plus, after his questioning of Hanako last year, Sophia was a bit concerned given a certain rumor she'd heard regarding his family and werewolves, and - given her close friendship to a certain werewolf - she couldn't deny her own vested interest in the matter.

Humming thoughtfully, she reached for a nearby knife and began to dice the mandrake while her cauldron heated. It was a bit tougher than dicing onions as she'd done as a muggle, but the general technique was the same.

"Oh, right! I forgot to say 'hello!' Heya, Hunter!" she said with a grin as she kept carefully dicing the mandrake.

Notes:

Reducio

yay, sophia tried to pull a little sneaky on you!

Interacting:

@Hunter Argentum

Mentioning:

Hunter looked over between his journal and his copy of Magical Drafts and Potions, recording and copying the recipes for himself while making his own few tips and points that he would notice along the way. As he wrote he was about to make a comment about the smell of diced mandrakes till a voice popped out of nowhere, "Mandrake Restorative Draught, eh?".

Hunter couldn't help but jump, immediately taking instinct to cover up his journal to hide whatever other content was hidden inside. His heart flew and almost skipped a few beats, surprised and fearful of who just spoke. The tone was familiar, and as Hunter turned his head he couldn't help but realize who he was talking to. Sophia Nelson, another potion prodigy of house Ravenclaw. She seemed different, but Hunter couldn't quite figure out what it was. He had a bad habit of not recognizing faces, even those close to him. Sounds and smells were more familiar, but something about Sophia certainly seemed different this year. He adjusted back towards his journal without immedietly responding, and flipped to a list of students he met during his first year at hogwarts. Notes about there personalities, potential strengths and weaknesses, and basic descriptions. Hunter looked over Sophia's description, still noteing he left her "clumsy nature" inside; he also eventually found what he was looking for. Without turning his head, eyes still fixed on the parchment of paper inside his journal, he spoke rather monotoned as he crossed something out, "I see you changed your hair Ms.Nelson."Hunter was still a polite person with the habit to call others with honorifics and by there last names. It was the only way he was really taught to speak with others, but it also allowed him to keep a distance. To call people in such ways was unfamiliar and odd, if anything people would keep a distance from him as well.

The two of them did have history, as both were prodigies and of the same house. The reason Hunter respected Sophia was because of her interest and strong skills in potions as well, but it was very hard to say if he considered her a friend. They were 100% friends when they shared Gregor's Unctuous Unction togethor, but afterwards it was different. Hunter would like to be friends with the young girl and so he welcomed her company, but there was a piece of him that would always keep a distance. He already put trust in students before, but it either resulted in being used or in worse case scenarios end up in violence. Perhaps that was why near the end of his first year he started to not care about poisoning students for his own benefit. It was true that Hunter had poisoned three students the previous year, but he found it to be necessary and rather helpful in gaining all sorts of facts. However, there was always an outside variable that would interfere with his work. That variable was Sophia, and even though she became apart of Hunter's schemes, he couldn't help but wonder why he'd allow her to be involved.

He always gave it thought, and over the summer he came up with at least one theory on why he allowed Sophia to be one of the few people he hadn't poisoned but allowed to be involved in his work. It wasn't becase she was good at potions, it was her personality. Kind, trusting, quiet, and optimistic. She reminded Hunter of himself before he came to hogwarts.

Hunter became a bit lost in thought, and flinched a bit before coming back to reality, and responding, "Oh, right. Hello, S0- Ms.Nelson." Hunter was becoming quiet again as always. He was questioning the trust he had in Sophia, and if anything he was possibily afraid he would someday betray or take advantage of her kindness. The difference between the two of them was rather clear and Hunter took note of it. It could be described that if they were both able to find a cure for something like dragon pox, then Sophia would do so in a kind manner that put no one in harms way with limits. Hunter on the other hand would be willing to try anything no matter the cost. His heart was cold and meek, while hers was warm and outgoing.

Eventualy Hunter rememebrd he was still brewing a potion, and as he looked over at his diced Mandrake, he added 7 ounces of it to the cauldron. Next was 3 measures of Standard Ingredient to the cauldron. He waved his wand, and would have to wait for 60 minutes to go by to move on. Luckily he got a copper pot before having come back to Hogwarts this year. He sighed, wondering what to do. He wasn't quite sure what to say or do, till a reminder came to his head. "Ah, that's right. Someone told me your birthday had occured during the summer. A lion, or perhaps a snake I think. Can't recall there looks, but would you like another potion?" Hunter reached into his satchel awaiting Sophia's answer.

@Sophia Nelson

--- Date: --/--/-- || Time: --:-- ---

Outfit: School robes

Sophia felt pretty guilty when she saw Hunter jump at her arrival to his spot. She hadn't meant to startle the boy. She'd only been trying to peek at his copy of Magical Draughts and Potions to see what he was working on. It was just professional curiosity!

So to see him jump made Sophia feel just a tiny bit bad, but the fact that he jumped to close his journal so quickly made her a bit suspicious. In her experience there were very few reasons to close a journal that suddenly, and she was far too Catholic to even consider one of them, so she figured it had to be suspicious in another way. Maybe it involved his little 'side projects' with the poison?

Well, maybe not. It wasn't like he necessarily tried to hide those from her anyway.

While her eyes jumped between Hunter and his journal, she realized he was staring at her in a peculiar way. Finally, he commented on her hair. She was actually quite flattered that he'd even noticed. He didn't seem the type to notice things like a hair cut or recoloring, even one as drastic as hers.

"Thanks, Hunter," she said with a smile, reaching up and fiddling with her moderately short locks. "D'you like it?"

Returning to her freshly diced mandrake, she added 7 measures to her fancy copper cauldron she'd gotten as a birthday gift from her grandma. Next, she added 3 measures of Standard Ingredient - which she had a tendency to keep on her person at all times given the common usage of the ingredient - to the cauldron and fumbled for her wand on the table, giving it a decent wave over the cauldron.

To her surprise, Hunter seemed to be lost in his own world, but he soon snapped out of it, returning to his cauldron and offering a proper greeting. And not just any greeting. Unless Sophia was mistaken, Hunter had almost called her by her first name. It would be the first time he'd done so, so that much caught her attention rather well. As he added his own diced Mandrake and Standard Ingredient, Sophia returned the greeting with a playful grin.

"We've both been basically covered in Bubba's vomit. I'd say we're a bit beyond 'Ms. Nelson' and 'Mr. Argentum,' wouldn't you, Hunter?" she asked slyly.

When the boy brought up her birthday, it was a pretty decent shock. She hadn't even celebrated her birthday amongst family, since she was at the summer camp. Though, to be fair, no one had come to one of her birthday parties since her parents died, so it wasn't like she'd have wanted another party anyway. She'd just have been left alone in a well decorated backyard filled with balloons and cake.

Strange that it was Hunter who remembered. Or, well, someone else had remembered and told him. Still. The thought counted, and Sophia just wanted to hug the boy. She wouldn't, because she suspected he didn't like hugs - at least, not without a warning. Instead, she'd happily agree to a potion trade.

"Hehe, it just so happens that I have something pre-tty special in my bags, Hunter," she said with a playful flourish of her arms. They had sixty minutes to kill as the potion brewed, anyway, so she figured a bit of playfulness couldn't hurt. She reached into her own satchel and pulled out a vial filled with a dark red liquid.

"I'm positive you recognize this potion," she said with a grin. "How 'bout a trade?"

It's the Befuddlement Draught

Notes:

Reducio

Lemme know if you'd be interested in an OOC trade

Interacting:

@Hunter Argentum

Mentioning:

@Colin McCoire

He gave it some thought. His thoughts of course went to more logical thinking such as how shorter hair was less likely to end up being caught on fire, be covered in flobberworm mucus, and be an overall drag with potions, dueling, or quidditch. Perhaps a small blush occurred on the boy's face if one was close enough, but he nodded and whispered: "It is rather nice." To which the 60 minutes had ended up, with the mandrake supposedly being fully stewed. Hunter began to chop the fluxweed, eyes focused on the task at hand rather than shifting his eyes towards Sophia as he continued their conversation, "It's... it's just a habit is all." Was his response as he added 3 measures of finely chopped fluxweed to his cauldron. It was the answer to Sophia's question about naming. It was a habit that Hunter had and stuck with despite what others had requested him not to do so. He always showed respect and it only felt natural for him to call others by their last names. The only time he called someone by their first name was either by mistake, because they had requested him to, or because Hunter was rather close to them. His mind wandered to his crush/date Judith Cohen being one of the very few people he called by their first names.

Hunter had called Sophia by her first name as well, but he was under the influence of a potion. In fact, he got a bit curious back to that sort of subject, "Actually that reminds me," Hunter said as he added 2 sprigs of lavender and began to stir the cauldron counter-clockwise 3 times, and then once clockwise: "Did you..." He stopped himself, no matter the situation, Hunter always had keen eyes and they happened to land on the potion professor present in the room. He leaned in a bit towards Sophia and whispered, "So who exactly did you use the Unction on? In fact..." His eyes wandered to the potion Sophia held, surprised she was willing to brew such a nasty potion: "Who did you use that potion on." Hunter emphasized his tone when he said "that," of course, he recognized the befuddlement draught. A nasty potion of its own accord that he already practiced and learned on his own. Why on earth did Sophia have such a potion, it was so unlike her. So many questions, but so many answers and points of knowledge that Hunter was excited to hear.

When Sophia offered the potion, Hunter gave a curious look. Perhaps the heart in him finally broke free of his mind and decided to give an unbeneficial answer to the girl: "No, no it's fine. Here," Hunter reached into his bag and took out a vial of Murtlaps Essence, "Since you enjoy helping people, I got you this. Also, I said it's a birthday gift, not a trade. Free on the house. If you wanna give me a potion, then wait till my birthday." A trick statement on its own. Hunter had never revealed his birthday to anyone at Hogwarts, and there should have been no one who knew the answer. He wasn't sure why he rejected her offer, but his heart clearly told him it was wrong to take advantage of the situation. He handed over the Murtlap Essence and began to move on to the dragon liver. He chopped 1 ounce of the liver into small pieces, added them to the cauldron, and began to wait for the ingredients to dissolve over time: "Care to play a game while we wait?"

The boy asked innocently, but one could feel off by the request. Like a smirking shadow was looming behind him. "It's called two truths, one lie. We each tell each other two truths and a lie about ourselves. Whenever one of us gets it right, we have to answer any question our opponent gives truthfully. Sound fair?" An innocent game to get to know one another better. However, no action Hunter committed was for nothing. He was planning something, but what?

--- Date: --/--/-- || Time: --:-- ---

Outfit: School robes

Sophia beamed under Hunter's compliment. She was quite proud of her hair. She'd never done much with it before, but after being teased and made fun of - admittedly lightly - for her red locks, she'd decided that a bit of change was in order. Blue'd seemed the natural direction, since it was one of her favorite colors.

She hurriedly reached to grab his hand with both of her own, shaking and squealing in glee and merriment.

"Oh? Y'think so? I only wish my eyes were blue to match it. Still, I kind of like the green, to be honest... Maybe green would be a cool hair color next?"

She let go of Hunter's hand reluctantly, since she assumed he'd be uncomfortable with it. Being unaccustomed to compliments - she was quite the plain, boring, non-eye-catching girl - she'd lost herself in the moment. With a blush, she muttered a soft apology and began to chop the fluxweed finely alongside Hunter, nodding at his answer.

Habits were quite hard to break. Having grown up as a Catholic girl in the rural United States, she'd developed quite a few herself. She still found herself having intrusive thoughts of gender roles and conundrums regarding sexuality and morality, and she often had to squash them down. She'd be quite the hypocrite to believe that women were meant to serve the household and that being gay was particularly heinous and reflected on the people.

"Uh, I understand if it makes you uncomfortable, but if you ever want to just call me 'Soph,' you're totally welcome to. 'Kay?" she asked with a smile.

Sophia measured out 3 measures of the finely chopped fluxweed, adding it to her cauldron and quickly grabbing 2 sprigs of lavender, adding them as well. 3 counter-clockwise stirs, and a single clockwise stir later, Hunter's question regarding the Unction brought a fond smile to her face. Ah, that'd been quite fun, brewing it together. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Uh, actually, nothing came out of that yet... I have this, uh, friend - You probably know him? Kim, uh, Kim Aoki? Kim Sato, but he goes by Aoki to hide his family name - and he has a bit of a, uh, crush on someone. I thought it would be funny to trick him into giving this person a healthy dose of Gregory's Unctuous Unction, y'know? Maybe get them to get along a bit better for just a while. Otherwise, they're usually quite mean to each other," she said, giving the Befuddlement Draught in her hand a light shake and smiling.

"I'm actually pretty proud of this one," she said with a grin. "I may or may not have gotten involved in your line of work. A, uh, a third year Gryffindor - I don't know if I'm allowed to give her name, but she's super cool, and charming and elegant and... sorry. @Regina Miller- asked me to brew one for her, and - in return - she's going to help me become a better duellist. Her only conditions were basically that I can't ask questions and that she'd make sure I wouldn't be held accountable, but to be honest, I don't think she's going to do anything too bad with it... right?"

Well, now Sophia was a tiny bit worried, but what was the worst that could happen? Someone would be a bit reckless in a practice duel? Nah, it wasn't too terribly worrying when she thought about it, but still. Sophia thought back to the overwhelming presence the Gryffindor had held in the entire stall when they'd brewed it together that night. She'd been a bit uneasy, but she was nervous around older students anyway. Especially ones who'd practically saved her life on the train...

As Sophia told the story to Hunter, she began to chop the dragon liver - Lord, she'd hate to be one of the ones in charge of harvesting that ingredient - into itty bitty pieces. As she finished chopping, she reluctantly, but gratefully, accepted the Murtlap Essence from the boy. That'd been so sweet of him.

She wasn't sure if he'd truly given it to her because she enjoyed helping people or because of her usually clumsy reputation, but she was thankful all the same. Still, something didn't sit right with her...

"How'd you know my birthday?" she asked with a slight pout. "That doesn't seem very fair. You know mine, but I don't know yours. What is it?" she asked, knowing even as the words spilled out of her mouth that it was a bit of a longshot that he would share his birthday so easily.

She added the dragon liver pieces to her cauldron and heated the cauldron to high, noting the time. She had somewhere between 2-4 hours until the ingredients dissolved. Given her copper cauldron, her assumption was around 3, so they had plenty of time.

"I'd love to play a game, but don't forget to raise the heat to high on your cauldron," she said with a smile. "I've actually played this game before, with Hiro. I'll start."

She pondered the statements she wanted to use as bait briefly before smirking.

"My highest grade for my muggle homework is in Science class. I'm left handed, but I can use my right hand just as well for everyday things. I'm horribly lactose intolerant, and my grandma hasn't made a meal with cheese since I moved to Ireland."

She crossed her arms and offered a smug grin to Hunter.

Sophia mentally wished him luck, and she was curious to hear his guess, but she was honestly more interested in learning about him. This was going to be great fun.

Notes:

Reducio

Interacting:

@Hunter Argentum

Mentioning:

@Colin McCoire

Hunter was caught very off guard as Sophia held his hand, and he did feel slightly uncomfortable by it. He wasn't used to physical contact with people outside his family, so hugs and random contact threw him off a bit. Perhaps it was also her exciting nature that made him a bit more confused too, did people his age always care about their hair so much?

Hunter raised the heat to his cauldron and checked his stopwatch to adjust for the minute that had passed. The boy's lack of sleep really was becoming a problem, and he needed to fix it soon; otherwise, he'd be falling asleep mid-brews at the rate he was going. He was curious and wondering who this mentor of hers was, but he wasn't gonna question it too much. If she had a secretive deal, he'd only have to do a little snooping to find out the answer. In fact, if this person came to Sophia for potions, it could be only a matter of time for them to possibly find Hunter.

"As I said, a lion or a snake merely told me your birthday had occurred during the summer. As for my own, you don't need to know that. If you want it to be fair, then go find a lion or snake who would know mine." The boy stated in a monotoned and slightly annoyed toned voice. He didn't feel like sharing so much about himself, as information and knowledge are key tools for later use. As the bubbles began to slowly rise from his cauldron, he looked at Sophia with a curious and debating look. Hand placed beneath his chin, he began to debate a bit about what she was saying. There were bits and pieces to take from her statements. For starters, she had muggle homework. So Hunter was actually able to learn that Sophia isn't of a pure bloodline. Next, if she was ambidextrous then Hunter would need to keep note of that if he ever had to raise his wand to the girl. Finally, the mention of her grandmother and not her mother seemed a little odd for such a comment about being lactose intolerant: "Your grandmother? What about your mother?" If only the boy knew that such a question would be dark to ask, but of course, he didn't and he needed to. Still, he gave it thought and came out with an answer that was shuffling towards an educated guess, "Since your decent with potions, I'll presume muggle science hasn't been a big issue. Although, your previous mentions of having issues with charms make me debate how you feel about homework in general. In the end, though, I'd say you being lactose intolerant is the lie." Hunter gave back just as much of a smug look to Sophia, but instead of crossing his arms he perched one arm on the table (elbow against the tabletop) and held his head up with his hand: "As for your turn, I know the name of a werewolf student here at Hogwarts, I know the name of a part-goblin here at Hogwarts, and I can speak Kiswahili fluently."

@Sophia Nelson

--- Date: --/--/-- || Time: --:-- ---

Outfit: School robes

"Sorry!" Sophia apologized as sincerely as she could when she noted Hunter's discomfort at her grabbing his hand, but she had trouble truly feeling sorry. She was sharing in her excitement with a friend, so that was always time for excitement. Sure, Hunter was misguided at times, and sure, he'd made some questionably decisions, but he wasn't evil, by any means. She still considered him to be a friend.

Surprisingly, he let her comment about her little plot with Regina slide without asking anything else. For someone like Hunter who was obsessed with knowing things, she'd expected him to pry. Maybe it was better that he hadn't, though. If he tried one of his stunts on Regina as he had with Bubba or Hanako, it could only go badly. She was known for her mercilessness when it came to revenge.

"I, uh, don't know very many people outside of my friend group," she admitted with an embarrassed blush. "Some people are super good at making friends, but I'm not. I have a few people I hang out with all the time, but those are basically the only people I hang out with. I know, it's pretty pathetic."

She hated her lack of social skills.

She'd only had a few friends as a muggle before moving to Ireland, but she'd later found out that they weren't friends at all. When her parents had died, and she'd been shipped off to live with her grandma in Ireland, she hadn't received a single call or text - or even email! - from them. Her first true friend, as it turned out, had been Sage on the Hogwarts Express. Making friends was certainly not a gift of Sophia Nelson's.

As her mind wandered to a self-deprecating place, Hunter's attention seemed to hone in a a peculiar piece of wording. Her grandma.

Strangely, after an entire year at Hogwarts, Sophia had managed to avoid telling even a single person that her parents had died. No one had asked, and she was glad. It was much easier for her to just pretend it hadn't happened. If she told people her parents were dead, it would just make it even more real. So, when Hunter honed in on that little detail, Sophia had a momentary panicked response, her breath catching slightly and her eyes widening.

She stomped the response down as fast as she could manage, before quickly returning her go-to response.

"Uh, m-my Mom is in the U.S. with my Dad," she said mechanically.

It wasn't technically a lie, since that was the location of their graves, but Sophia still felt a bit dirty about saying it.

She was a bit relieved as the focus returned to the game and away from such an emotional topic. She hadn't even spoken of her parents' death to her grandma, so she really wasn't ready to open up that can of worms.

"Um, that's right. I love grilled cheese and mac n' cheese too much. I'd probably die if I couldn't have it," she joked with a nervous chuckle. She was still a bit rattled about the mention of her mom.

She didn't bother pouting, because Hunter was quite good at reasoning away her lies and truths. It was part of what made the game fun.

"Well, I can totally get behind you knowing a werewolf's name. You were pretty focused on figuring that out last year with Hanako, and I can't see you giving up on something like that when you make up your mind. I've also, uh, I've heard rumors about your family. I'm not believing them, because I know how ridiculous rumors can be, but I know there's some connection between you and werewolves," she said while tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"I don't even know what 'Kiswahili' is, to be honest. I know, I know, dumb American and all that. The fact that you do know is a decent indication that you at least know some of it, so I can totally believe that you're fluent, but still... I know you've shown interest in werewolf identities, so the thought of you trying to figure out the names of some part-goblin students isn't inconceivable..." she trailed off. This was hard. He was very good at this game.

"I think the lie is that you're fluent in Kiswahili."

She didn't cross her arms or act smug this time, because she certainly wasn't confident in her answer. Hunter'd always been quite mysterious, especially compared to her.

Sophia watched her cauldron boil as she waited for his answer.

Notes:

Reducio

Interacting:

@Hunter Argentum

Mentioning:

@Colin McCoire

Hunter was a bit surprised by Sophia's comment about having a lack of friends. The girl had a very bubbly and giddy personality he expected her to have a large friend group here at Hogwarts. He whispered something beneath his breath, a cry of slight jealousy as at least Sophia was capable of crafting a group of friends. Hunter's social skills were atrocious at the start of his first year. Originally quiet, scared, and unsure of how to approach anyone. He tried a couple of times, but it never worked out well or in his favor. Eventually, he just developed a more aloof and distant personality. His fear developed into more of an annoyance and slight arrogance. Of course, very few would always notice that and just believe he was the quiet nerdy prodigy of house Ravenclaw.

That's what he was bound to be and he both enjoyed and disliked the thought. For one, it was a veil so very few to nobody would bother getting involved with his plans or suspect his misdoings. On the other hand, it meant he was only going to be seen as possibly just a quiet prodigy making everyone underestimate him. To be underestimated though was what Hunter would use to make others see their own downfalls.

"They're in the U.S.?" Hunter was a bit surprised to hear Sophia's parents were so far away. Since the boy valued family a lot, he considered it very sad to hear Sophia wasn't with her parents. She still had her grandma, which was a good thing as Hunter saw that as something they both had in common, "Well, I've spent more time with my grandma if that makes it any better. Honestly, she's cooler than either of my parents." A slight lie that Hunter conjured to help ease Sophia. Hunter still found his father to be the coolest out of the adults that lived in his household, but his recent absences were making Hunter's opinions of him start to change. Yet, something felt off about her answer. Perhaps the girl was missing her parents, and Hunter knew what that sort of feeling was like. His parents were alive but were only available every so often. His grandmother was always home and prepared to teach the boy all sorts of potions, basic mannerisms, and normal home school subjects as well. It could be a question of who had it worse, but Hunter wouldn't delve down such a hole. He would assume Sophia's parents were alive, and set aside the look in her eyes as a look of sorrow and longing to see them again.

"Asiyekosa hayupo" There is no one who does not make mistakes the boy said with a look of victory and a small grin on his face. "I suppose some people refer to it as Swahili, but Kiswahili would be the more accurate term as that refers to just the language." Hunter's accent was a strong Scottish with a slight African accent. He spoke English and Kiswahili fluently, but his Scottish was surprisingly the most difficult one for him. He could understand most of Gaelic and be very familiar with the Doric accent and terms used all around. He just had difficulty pronouncing and using such words himself. "I am interested in knowing a Werewolf student, but I actually don't know the name of any." His grin diminished swiftly though. He was taken a bit back by Sophia's statement that she had heard the rumors about Hunter. There was a mix of truth and fiction and painted him and his family in a certain light that many would or didn't agree with. "As for the part-goblin student, I found out merely on a whim. Not because I was intentionally trying to. The clever deduction you have is rather impressive, ever considered being a detective?" The boy's slight smirk of a smile arose at his joke and complimentary statement.

During their game, it seemed time was flowing by quickly, but the few-hour mark hadn't been met yet and the liver wasn't fully dissolved. Hunter debated a bit about what question should he ask Sophia. Should he request to see if she knew the name of a student who was a Werewolf? Or, should he ponder and question more about that look in her eyes when her parents were brought up? The boy sighed and gave a slight whisper of, "Jaza ya ihsani ni ihsani." The reward of kindness is kindness It would be at this point Hunter would realize that he considered Sophia to be a friend more than an acquaintance. A friendly rival who he was glad to have met: "How about one more shot? I plan to go to the fall ball alone. Is that statement true, or false? As for my win, do you know any werewolves who are students at Hogwarts, Sophia? I don't need a name, just whether you know one or not." Hunter gave a look and smile as he gave Sophia another chance, but it became grimmer as he asked his winning question. He waited, listening to the young girl and the bubbles churning in both their cauldrons.

@Sophia Nelson
Apologies on the late response

Which he did, he listened, joked, commented, and made fun with the girl. Hunter actually enjoyed the conversations and games the two had during this session of brewing. Whatever was to be said or made, he wouldn't let others know... yet, he knew it wouldn't be able to last forever. As much as Hunter enjoyed the thought, he couldn't help but sigh feeling that it wasn't exactly right. Hunter's antics of poisoning and potion testing were mischievous and harmful to many. They caused trouble for Sophia, who he sometimes called upon to help keep him within his limits as a person. Yet, that feeling of needing to go further and find his true potential had to be met. He sighed disappointedly in himself that he would make such a choice. He had to break off Sophia, if he didn't then he would always be held back by her kindness. Hunter's kindness was growing dim, and it felt like it was at its lowest at that very moment. Eventually, all he did was listen, stopped talking to Sophia, and focused only on his potion.

3 hours had gone by of boiling, and the dragon liver was fully dissolved. As such, Hunter added 1 fluid ounce of Essence of Wormwood to his cauldron to stabilize the reaction occurring inside. Immediately, he added three Murtlap tentacles and stirred five times in quick succession with a clockwise motion. Another 15 minutes went by, and Hunter waved his wand to finish the potion. He looked at the potion, satisfied and happy with the success he had. He looked towards Sophia, and bid her adieu noting to her that he didn't wish to continue brewing with her, nor should she ever intervene in his antics again. It was a warning, and as such Hunter left without even bottling up the potion he had brewed.