Finished Screaming With Joy PV Ruth Fairchild

—Screaming With Joy—
𝓜eeting Matthew was like a fever dream. Ruth couldn’t possibly imagine herself being able to cope with boredom any other way. While Hogwarts was big and grand, all Ruth found herself doing was walking on the grounds (now snowy), going to the library (got to binge those books), and hanging out with Jan, Pam, Ira and Aurelia. It was a bit habitual, a bit mundane, maybe.

And bam, comes in Matthew Mischief Campbell, the boy whose perfume reeked of fun and trouble. How could Ruth resist a pact? A partner in crime? Besides, how bad could the pranks possibly be? Definitely not as bad as punching people for sure. However, was it detention worthy?

…Yes.

Ruth found herself questioning herself every single time they began executing each grand plan, but so far she couldn’t help but enjoy them all. Hey, she was 11. She could be responsible in the future.

As she began to decide which year it was that she seized the responsibility, she relaxed at the sight of Matthew waiting by the torchlight, an easy smile coming onto her face. “Yes, of course you silly,” though she conveyed the reply a little shakily. Mandrakes weren’t her best friends. She hated them terribly. Removing them in Herbology was a nightmare, but Matthew was here. With Matthew, she’d be fine.

This was going to be fun. I think.

She studied his hazel eyes, noticing how the golden was sparkling brighter than ever. A sign that adrenaline was running and he was geared up. Gosh, some of that confidence would help. It was ironic, seeing as though he was what she thought to be anti-social. Oh, but when it came to pranks. She shook her head, amused. Ruth gestured onwards. “Lead the way good sir, and relay the plan for me please.” It wasn’t that she couldn’t remember it. Being prepared was better than not, though.

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Date: January 10th

After so long of trying and failing to fit in it was nice to have met someone that just understood him and his experiences. Who he could have fun with without the need for tedious conversations and small talk or having to explain every Muggle reference he used. Ruth and Matthew just got each other from the second they had met and he was all the happier for it.

Despite the girls age she had no qualms breaking the rules or at least it never seemed as such. Yet when he asked her if she was ready there was a slight tremble to her voice that spoke of the beginnings of worries setting in and he couldn't have that. If he needed to relay the plan again for her sanity then that's exactly what he would do!

In truth Matthew wasn't sure where his confidence had come from recently, he was choosing to be bolder and braver for the sake of his mother but he didn't realise how quickly it would change him. The timid bit from first year paled away in comparison to the free spirit he was becoming and he couldn't deny how happy it made him.

Pulling closer to her he crouched low and whispered to her with all the reassuring vigour he could inspire, "We sneak into the classroom, grab the earmuffs so that we aren't affected as badly and then just un pot the mandrakes let them wander and whatever else they do when free. Simple really, what could possibly go wrong!" A lot, many, many things really but that wasn't the point.

Ever since his birthday chat with Illowy he was resolved to stop letting anxieties crush him and although his mind still boggled with overthinking and fears he refused to allow it to shape him any longer. Plans could go wrong in any number of ways but as long as they had fun there would be reward far outweighing the risk.

Hastily adding onto it invigorated with adrenaline he couldn't stop his hushed whispers from getting a little louder in the excitement, "Then we run and hide as quick as we can, it's foolproof and we Ruth are no fools." Undoubtedly untrue but still it would make for one hell of a memory! Leading the way he tentatively opened the greenhouse doors and held it open waiting for his partner in crime to join.

Interacting with @Ruth Fairchild

𝕽uth cocked an amused expression at Matthew, nodding as he relayed the plan once more. Simple, really, and suddenly the thought of commiting to the plan send a wave of exhilaration and anxiety through her. Gosh, she was going to get a stomach ache.

Or maybe that was from the afternoon's Kokoquid, an unofficial quidditch match she had attended.

"Seems easy enough," Ruth replied, putting on an eased front as she walked right in, not before nodding a thanks as Matthew courteously beckoned her in first. Ruth spun herself underneath the dome of the greenhouse, breathing in the subtle smell of petrichor from the dampness of the venue, allowing the plants around them to thrive. She enjoyed Herbology and liked Professor Toussaint very much. It was one of the many reasons she was starting to fidget between very-bad-idea and very-fun-idea.

She stopped spinning after a moment, taking a withering glance at the direction of the mandrakes. Oh gosh, when they whined it was terrible. Right now, though, they were safely confined under mounds of soil, probably in peaceful slumber within the pot. “We are definitely no fools,” she muttered under her breath, then grinned. Mischief time, no matter how foolish it was.

Ruth looped around the teacher’s desk to make a grab for the earmuffs, slipping one over her neck before walking closer to the potted mandrakes. It felt strange to the Hufflepuff to be so close to the screaming plants. All Ruth could remember the last time she unpotted a mandrake was the shrills that ensued across the room. The earmuffs were helpful, sure, but you could still hear their cries through them. While not knocked out that day, Ruth swore she felt a mild headache creeping up.

Gesturing the boy behind her to follow suit, she tapped at the earmuffs she had slung over her neck. “Let’s hope nobody finds us knocked out in the morning,” she joked as she secured the fluffy earmuffs over her ear, enjoying the warmth it provided, definitely welcomed in the winter. Now all she had to do was follow what her friend did and keep an eye on the door. What were the chances, right?

@Matthew Campbell

Date: January 10th

No matter the time of day or whether for class or leisure there was something undeniably calming about the herbology classroom. Perchance Matthew had simply developed a fondness for plant life due to his friendship with Siobhan or perhaps it was due to his natural inclination to succeed in the subject but something about being in here just set his mind at ease and slowed his heart beat.

In the waning light the plants looked as marvellous as ever. Vigour and stout they all stood proud having been maintained excellently by the student body under the care of Professor Toussaint. All around them expanded a world of colour green predominantly overwhelming the space but the closer you looked the more interesting natural vibrance you could find. Bursting yellows, graceful pinks and burning oranges lifted the greenhouse far beyond the world of muggle's. It was the most natural magical and it felt spiritual simply to be in its presence.

One plant, however, had clearly not gotten the memo and Matthew had had particular beef with the little gremlins since his first year when a fellow 'housemate' also known as a fellow ignorant prick, or some other word his father wouldn't reprimand him for, had removed his earmuffs causing him to fall unconscious. Yes, as far as this young Slytherin was concerned Mandrakes were the one and sole failure of the magical herbology branch. Every other species of fauna or flora while deadly had so much beauty but wailing potato babies were no friend of his and he couldn't help but feel a twinkling rise of delightful malice knowing he was going to disturb their sleep.

Suddenly he was no longer sure if the prank was really on whoever was unfortunate enough to find the creatures or simply revenge on the monsters themselves but either way Matthew would be satisfied. Following Ruth's lead he grabbed himself a pair of earmuffs and securing them tightly gave her a knowing smirk as he made his way towards the potted creatures. "Don't worry we'll only be here minutes but if we do it would be an easy route out of detention at least, say it was all accidental! We were simply in the wrong pot at the wrong time." Giggling to himself at the jest he placed on his herbology gloves and gathered around the first pot blazing mischief filling his eyes and illuminating the golden flecks within.

"Lets cause some chaos!" The words practically cackled out of his mouth as his two hands simultaneously dipped into two separate pots lifting out the mandrakes whose piercing screams filled the air only slightly muffled by his safety equipment. The sound of their unison screams was practically deafening but he managed to cut through it with a bellowing laugh of his own. Not letting a moment spare he shouted while running towards the next section, "Come on, the quicker we get them the quicker we get out."

Interacting with @Ruth Fairchild

—Screaming With Joy—
𝕾eeing Matthew so excited made her nervousness poof into smoke. Unable to contain the laughter in her throat, she let out a chuckle as she watched him run around harvesting the poor little mandrakes. Wait, did I say poor? Nah. She began to follow suit, tugging at the soils to reveal the potato-like babies. Their whines were piercing and Ruth couldn't help but grimace to herself, remembering her hatred for the plant. Glancing down the row beside her, Ruth found herself awed by the number of mandrakes in the greenhouse. Why did the school need so many of them? She didn't see their purpose besides annoying people and making them knock dead. Okay, maybe the school needs them for their healing properties, but there were plenty other less dangerous and actually pleasant-looking plants that would provide the same.

Of course, who was she to say, right? Deciding to ask her professor the next time she had herbology, Ruth went back to focusing on the task ahead-- making babies cry. Besides the wails that made her have a decent amount of flashbacks to when Ace was a child, letting the mandrakes run wild was surprisingly an easy task. That is, as long as you kept all hands away from their gaping mouths. She'd heard of a student back way long ago having stuck his finger into a mandrake's mouth, only to have it bitten. That didn't sound all too pleasant.

Ruth glanced up as she heard Matthew yelling from the other side of the greenhouse, something about quickening the pace and saying an excuse. "I'll try!" She shouted back to avoid her voice dying in the cacophony of screams. Ruth felt a bit miffed about the excuse. She wasn't entirely sure if it'd work, seeing as though there was nobody around but them. It'd have seemed like they'd done it on purpose. Ruth didn't raise her concern, letting loose a couple more potato babies. She'd much rather not lose her voice under the increasingly loud whines. In her work, Ruth took a lingering gaze at the closed door. How was it that they were yet to be caught? Weren't the sounds penetrable?

She shrugged to herself. Guess not.

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Date: January 10th

If Matthew had spent more than maybe 5 minutes on this plan he would have considered the fact that the howling cacophony of screams a collection of mandrakes would make would be enough not only to near shatter his eardrums but certainly to alert any prefects or teachers in the vicinity. Unfortunately for the dastardly duo he had done absolutely no such thing, in fact this entire plan had mostly been a spite job based on the previous incident with the creatures.

Such an academic brain seemed to completely falter at the presence of a prank and Matthew lost all wisdom, he supposed this was the true reason he wasn't placed in Ravenclaw. While the boy may have a notable wisdom and eager thirst to learn he was also conniving and petty and these little potato gremlins deserved to suffer for their crimes. The rather useless thought of what such a collection of mandrakes would be called filled his mind to drown out the incessant screaming, a patch, a wail, a whine? All excellent choices but he wasn't able to dawdle on the thought for long because the screaming was beginning to become completely unbearable. Practically screaming towards Ruth over the noise his voice growing hoarse from the effort he said, "All right I think enough damage has been done, let's get out of here I don't want to hear another mandrake for as long as I live."

Assuming that his companion likely felt the same with the ear-piercing screams he didn't wait for her response to head for the door, though likely he wouldn't have heard it either way. If the pair were to go deaf after he wasn't sure if it would truly be a blessing but holding the earmuffs tightly to his ears he managed to get a brief second of reprieve before he had to remove a hand to twist the handle. Peeking out between a mere crack of the door all blood drained from his face as Matthew's view was filled with the sight of a prefect marching their way straight towards them. Eyes a blaze of fury that Matthew had no intention of dealing with he quickly latched the door shut and incanted "Colloportus" The spell would be no match for the senior student but perhaps it would give them a fraction more time to plan.

Running full force towards the brown haired girl he gripped her by the shoulders and with eyes frantic and mind racing a million miles per hour words tumbled out from him, "Turns out that that life might not be very long, there's a prefect coming this way. We have to find another way out, I didn't really think this completely through if I'm honest, or really at all if I'm even more honest. Crap Ruth what do we do, we can't get expelled, we don't have fancy pureblood money to throw at the problem or connections or well anything we're screwed!" Panic was not uncommon for the boy who lived almost entirely inside his own mind for the last 11 years, in fact his ability to overthink a situation was near impressive, but this level was unhinged even for him. Words were spilling out of his mouth at such a rate he practically choked on his tongue.

No there must be a way, surely some way out of this. Come on he was smart and not only smart but cunning that was what the hat had seen in him and it was what he needed to be now. While his first detention had been a joy he couldn't rely on the fact that this prefect who's eyes practically set ablaze at the noise would be as forgiving. Think Matthew think, he told himself repeating it over and over while his brain ran through the many chapters of 'Hogwarts, A History' he had tabbed and annotated in his first year. Determined as ever he refused to let this be their defeat, then suddenly it hit him. Rumour had it there was supposedly secret tunnels all over the school and in a passage on the greenhouses there was a mention of caverns leading to secret locations. That was their only shot.

Eyes suddenly coming to focus with a mischievous yet calculated gleam in front of the girl he surveyed the room with all its magical plants covering much of the floor and glass. A passage could be hidden anywhere hidden behind vine and root so they had to combine their power and work as the perfect combination he knew they could be. Smirking at the younger student he said, "Wait! Ruth, I hope you know the Passage Opening Charm because I'm pretty sure it's our only way out and there's a lot of room to cover." Then without a second of hesitation or any explanation he began whirling his wand through the air screaming "Dissendium" as he went.

Interacting with @Ruth Fairchild

𝓘t was like a cacophony of voices that attempted to organise themselves into a disoriented choir. The more she pull at the more the noise grew, and the girl couldn't help but wonder what it'd be like to amplify the mandrake voices with a microphone. Perhaps that spell Headmaster Lear uses to talk to the school at the sorting ceremony...yes, yes. It was a pity Ruth lacked in such knowledge of the spell. The incantation was unknown to her, and the wand movement wasn't exactly fresh in her mind.

Gosh, wait. If an adolescent mandrake could knock someone out, would their amplified voices kill someone? Ruth wasn't sure how much worse an adult mandrake screech was as compared to a baby mandrake so she couldn't compare. Oh, whatever. She decided to take pity to the unsuspecting castle and make do with their original voices.

At least, she thought was unsuspecting. Ruth went around the rows of mandrakes she had offered to depot and sound wound up beside Matthew, who had finished the last of pulling the vile plants out. He turned to her and screamed over the noise of the mandrakes (which was saying a lot, since a whole lot of them sounded unbearable and very powerful) but it barely made a dent in the surrounding noise. Ruth squinted at him, her mouth parted and ready to ask him to repeat what he said, something about getting out, when he swiftly marched away towards the exit, his hands practically clamped over his earmuffs for double protection. Hm, did that help? It amused the young badger and she trailed after him, only for the boy to slip out his wand and mutter a spell. Ruth watched at the door's handle seemed to twist, as if locking. Her eyes widened just as his usually-sparkling-with-mischief eyes turned frantic. Moreover, she was not expecting the panicking grip as he began to tremble on the spot. Ruth wanted to laugh, but seeing Matthew nervous was a very, very bad sign.

Because it made her nervous as well.

Anxiety did not sit right with Ruth Fairchild.

She groaned, then began to pull the older lad away from the door. Getting caught was probably almost inevitable, but getting caught slower was better than getting immediately caught. Wow, that's positive. "Let's just try to find another way out," she hissed at him as the sounds of the mandrakes began to faint, thought it was still loud enough to need an earmuff. She swiped a whole lot of them off the teacher's desk, hoping it would buy them some time, then threw them off somewhere else. Glancing back, she realised her friend was deep in thought, his eyebrows almost knitted in concentration.

Almost as suddenly as he had started panicking, all disdain drained off his face and he began grinning again, rapidly talking before running away from her, his wand above his head as he started yelling an incantation. Ruth would have stood dumbfounded, having needed to take in what he had said, should the door behind them not have begun to rattle.

Welp. Ruth fished out her wand as well, hoping this guy jolly knew what he was doing, for he was heading straight towards a wall.

Date: January 10th

The exact wording of the passage had been vague at best but as his spells bounced off of every single surface in the greenhouse uncovering absolutely nothing he was beginning to wonder if it was more of a hypothetical than fact. If it was the two were entirely screwed as Mandrakes were literally flying about the place having been tossed by Ruth in a marvellously funny display.

Left with only one wall left that seemed as plainly simple as any other castle wall except for the ivy that ran up it, he scoffed at the obviousness of it, he was thinking like a muggle believing the thing to be obscured by human means but of course magic had no need to use such conventional methods. Aiming his wand at the wall and willing with every shred of magic that comprised his being and illuminated his soul he screamed "Dissendio!" Over the raging wails of the Mandrake screams the shifting of stone began to replace the noise, ivy curling back to reveal a narrow passageway they would have to crawl to fit in.

Some students might have used such a time to wear a smug expression or puff out their chest in a ridiculous masculine display but when Matthew turned back to Ruth there was nothing but pure elation on his face like a kid of Christmas day. There was a purity to the innocence of the boy when he performed magic that reminded him of how special it was and he revelled in the fantasy of it. Growing up believing that all this would forever live at arms distance in the carefully printed pages of literature he now took his reality for granted. A childhood wish had been fulfilled and moments of peace like this made him cherish it all the more.

Flinging his arms in mad eccentricity he signalled for Ruth to get in. While chivalry could be considered antiquated and ridiculous he had convinced her to come and if one of them was going to make it he would gladly take the blame. Eyes flitting towards the door he panicked as he noticed the clanging had stopped, whichever prefect it was now lay seconds away from breaching the greenhouse and catching them. If they were going to move it had to be now so refusing to wait for her command he grabbed the younger girl by the arm and rushed towards the exit screaming to "CRAWL!" Yet despite all the panic he couldn't help but roar out a thunderous laugh eyes creasing in the hilarity of the situation.

If they were to get caught then so be it for Matthew hadn't had such blissful fun in a long time. Perhaps the boy was entirely mad but as the Mad Hatter told Alice, 'All the best people are'. Once Ruth had squeezed her way through Matt threw himself in with all the speed he had mastered from duelling and not even looking back his wand flashed once more with a blinding light as he incanted "Finite Incantatem" sending wishes to Loki his favourite mischief god that it would be enough to ensure their escape.

Interacting with @Ruth Fairchild

—They escaped??—
𝕽uth had absolutely no idea what Matthew was doing. For all she knew his accuracy had gone haywire, and that he had just started casting ‘dissendio’ everywhere in mass panic. Yet, she had seen the glimmer in those hazel eyes of his and figured he was up to something and had a decent idea of what he was trying to do.

Else they were doomed.

Ruth genuinely didn’t want to get caught again. If punching someone had resulted in squeezing a few hundred oranges into a glass pitcher, she couldn’t even comprehend what the detention for setting loose several mandrakes would do. After all, if punishment for hurting one person was that bad, how much worse could affecting everyone else be? Very bad.

Gaaaaah what was she doing— Ruth ducked as one of Matt’s rebounding spells whizzed by, having almost grazed her cheeks should she not have dodged, missing it by a hair. “Matthew Campbell,” she called out, increasingly nervous as his attempts all failed, “you have GOT to—”

Her next words faltered as she heard a grinding sound overpowering the noise of the mandrakes (much to her surprise?) Ruth peeked out from behind Matthew and watched as the wall practically shifted, the ivy shying back to reveal the answers to their prayers. She exchanged a look with the boy before her, his of utter joy and hers amusement. She had never seen anything like it, that was for sure, and Matt, well. The look on his face told her how accomplished he probably felt, having casted a successful spell.

After a beat, Ruth sighed, feigning exasperation. “Alright, alright. Thank you, our saviour. Now let’s get a move on before goody-two-shoes catches us or we go deaf,” Ruth threw her thumb over her shoulder as emphasis, and gladly accepted his offer to leave the scene first, but froze as she heard the clanging stop. Before she could grasp the realisation that the possibility of getting caught was climbing at alarming rates, her friend had grabbed ahold of her arm and reeled her towards the passageway, his screaming order accompanied by that wild barking of laughter that just meant he was going utterly bonkers.

Despite the situation Ruth burst out laughing as his cackles resounded through the tunnel, making her laugh even harder as she got onto her knees and scrambled in, Matthew exclaiming another incantation that forced the walls to shudder, shrouding them in darkness. Ruth wiped her tears of laughter aside, her shoulders still shuddering as she heaved breaths to calm herself down, managing to mutter “Lumos” in the process. It flickered, a result of the girl being unable to concentrate on performing the spell. This she voiced out to her partner in crime, though there was the unmistakable tone of a smile in her complain (“Bloody hell, Matt, your laughter got my spell wavering.”)

They managed to crawl a few feet away, before the ceiling began to climb higher and soon they were both able to get onto their feet. “Lumos,” she incanted, then stopped to make way for Matthew to take over leading the both of them to…wherever they were supposed to go. “Another prank, an epic success,” she held up the hand not holding the wand up, grinning. If he made for the clap she’d pull it back at the last minute, then guffaw at his attempt before holding her hand back up for a real one. “Thanks for saving our backs, Matt.” In the luminous glow of her wand, she gazed up at him with a soft smile. It was one of gratitude and euphoria. With him, it was never boring.

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