Got My Eye on You FIN

@Rebecca Lark

At one point in his Hogwarts career, Pericles would have balked at the thought of telling a younger year plans to break school rules. Now, he confided in this near-stranger nonchalantly, as if cracking open the Restricted Section was as much a rite of passage as the looming OWLs. He took a moment to ponder his intention. There was no specific book, he realized, as if he'd heard of one he wanted, the pureblood likely had the resources to seek it out. He'd recently managed to get his hands on a copy of Moste Potente Potions, despite it being kept in the Restricted Section at school. Like many teenagers afforded an allowance and free rein, he was inevitably bound to get up to trouble. "I think I'll know it when I see it," he concluded, smile oozing ambiguity.

As if misconduct wasn't already an interesting topic of discussion, they went on to debate the conditions of an eyeball stakeout. "A... a bed? For the eye?" Peri appeared mystified, as if Bex had introduced so staple an aspect, he was surprised with himself for not considering it. "I hadn't thought about it. Maybe I'll suspend it in something not so dry. Aloe might do the trick, I'd imagine.... Definitely not milk." Magic was an integral part of the young warlock's daily life. He especially enjoyed discussing the theoretics of it, and was more than happy to share his joy of the arcane, oblivious to the girl's struggles with it. As much as he appreciated textbooks, the less likely he was to find an idea in one, the more valuable it was. There might be a book on the proper storage of eyeballs, though it surely lacked the ingenuity of building one a terrarium.

With both Ravenclaws' eyes back in their rightful places, magically resituated and perfectly functioning, Peri was perfectly content. He nodded on hearing Bex felt fine, affirming that it looked just the same as before it got the flying kite treatment. "I'm sorry that sucked so hard-" he had decided the connotation was, indeed, negative "-but you were brave about it." The praise was earnest. He went on to accept the ring with a gracious tilt of his head, saying "Pleasure, Bex. It's always nice to meet a new Ravenclaw. If you're ever looking to test run unusual artefacts, or need to be alleviated of an eyeball for awhile, come and find me." The upperclassmen framed the offer with a hint of humor that suggested his help wasn't exclusive to those two things; despite having stepped down from prefectdom, he retained a soft spot for helping new students, especially young birds. 𓅪

⋄ January 13th, 2024 | Great Hall ⋄
⋄ Interactions: @Pericles Dralt | Mentions: None ⋄

𝓦hen she would look back on it, this would be the event she'd hone in on, pinning it like magazine clipping on the cork-board of her memory. This was first time that she could remember where magic for the sake of magic had been source of joy rather than stress for her. For a long time, brooms had been the one and only concession to the magical world she was willing to make, the sum total of magic she trusted, even in the abstract. Brooms felt like they were detached from her, in a way, something magical all on their own, alive with or without her influence. She wondered if Pericles' ring felt accessible to her because it was something similar; not alive, in the same way brooms and other semi-sentient magical objects were, but running on a magic all it's own, something not dependent on her own magical power.

It wasn't much, but it was a start. A crack in the wall she'd built between herself and her own magic. Sure, she'd never be able to drink milk again after this, but it had been a small price to pay. Despite having a working understanding of the phrase that Pericles lacked, the two of them had come to very different conclusions in regards to the connotation "sucking hard" had in regards to the preceding events. For today at least, Bex could only conclude that sucking hard was a very good thing indeed.

"It was nice meeting you, too. I think I'd like to keep my eyes in my head, though, if that's okay. At least for a couple of weeks, I'm not sure taking them out too often could be good for them. But if your sister sends you anything else cool in the post, I'd like to see it. If that's okay."

She'd send him one last wave over her shoulder as she made her way out of the Great Hall, headed back towards Ravenclaw tower and the warm bed waiting for her. Eye-spying had been hard work, after all, and she hadn't been kidding about wanting to go back to bed. With any luck, she'd spend the rest of this Saturday morning asleep.

Leaving the thread, thank you, Peri