Brains Not Brawn pv F. Valois Ended

He seemed to be disheartened for a moment until she mentioned the war. It was almost startling how his enthusiasm burst from him, "I mean... I suppose its exciting in a way, but its also sad. I mean, a lot of people died because of this guy, my mom said I'm not allowed to say him name even though he's dead, but she called him The Dark Lord. I don't really know the whole thing about it, my mom doesn't really like talking about it either. She said it was the scariest time of her life and my mom's never afraid of anything." she explained.

The girl fell silent for a moment, "When you read about the war, you'll read about this one girl, Granger. She's a muggle born too." she then gave a shrug, "The story doesn't exactly put Slytherins in the best light though." she glanced away again, wiping at her lip once more and looking at the blood on her fingers before resigning to wiping it on the black robe, then quietly reached for another torn paper, finding her potions homework, "You'll understand better why everyone hates us."

Finn instantly felt guilt as she began talking about the tragedies of the war he had jumped in excitement for. He hadn't heard anything about this 'Dark Lord' before, but he sounded incredibly bad. He made a mental note to not view history as a fairytale, and instead envision it as a real, tangible thing that actually affected people. Thinking of her mother, specifically, being in that war stung a little - like she'd said, people going to this school had been personally influenced by it. He almost apologized, but then the girl began speaking again.

If he wasn't mistaken, he'd almost think that she was bringing up whoever 'Granger' was in an effort to make him feel more included... The thought made him feel warm and fuzzy in his heart in a way he didn't quite understand. Friendship was new to him. 

"You'll understand better why everyone hates us."

Finn visibly winced at that sentence. He also had no idea how much Slytherin's reputation affected them. His best friend was a Slytherin, too. He had barely considered the consequences of the rumors, and the gossip. Sitting in front of him, blood on her lip, was physical proof. "I don't hate you." He said genuinely. "I don't know why people classify the houses into stereo....." It took him a moment to find the correct word, "-types. I've run across some mean Hufflepuffs. We're all just people..." He huffed, feeling a new weight being put on his shoulders that he hadn't been aware of before. "I just want everyone to get along." He looked at her for a moment, pondering. "Actually, if you ever want to... hang out and read some time, I think it'd be really fun."

"I don't hate you..."

Illowy gave him half a glance out the corner of her eye. Of course he just wanted everyone to get along. He was a Hufflepuff after all. Fair, just and patient. He seemed to embody his own house in that moment. At least to her. All the same, she still found it hard to trust anyone outside of her own house right this moment.

Hearing his offer to hang out or read together, she shrugged it away, mauling the idea over in her mind if she even wanted to consider it. After a moment or two, she chose not to answer the question at all, gingerly tucking some hair out of her face, daring to reveal the part of her face that wasn't darkening with a bruise, "... I lost my wand somewhere..." she told him instead, swallowing hard, "The girl from earlier, she cast the knock back jinx at me and I lost it when I fell..." she didn't like admitting she was bested, and part of her was ashamed that she didn't think clear enough or fast enough to try to defend herself. Or at least have done something, anything, to have defended herself.

Instead she just took it all like a dazed pygmy puff.

Finn didn't press the girl on the matter of reading together another time - he was still reeling from the fact she was allowing him to be in her company at all. From what he could gather, she wasn't much of a 'people person'. That's something he'd heard his dad say to his mom before. "Your wand?" He echoed. How dreadful! Finn extracted his own wand and held it close to his chest. Ever since purchasing it he hadn't let it out of his sight. "We have to find it!" He cried determinedly. 

Without much thought or plan, he frantically began to search the bathroom. "If all of your other things were in here, the wand must be in here too..." He muttered to himself as he searched, cleaning up her other belongings as he went. He stacked all of her papers into one neat pile and handed them back to her, organized her books, and gently pushed every other odd and end toward her to be organized. A few minutes later, the entire bathroom was cleared out, and the wand was nowhere to be found.

"I can't find it," He stated the obvious with a look of dumbfoundedness plastered on his face. He would say 'bloody hell', but he wasn't allowed to yet. 

Illowy sniffed as the boy put aside his book to help her look. As he handed her soggy item after ruined item, Illowy stacked them all together by her back, deciding properly organizing it would be a task when she felt a little pulled together.

Follow Finn's lead, Illowy searched high and low for her wand, finally giving up when he announced he couldn't find it either, and returning to curl up once more in her corner with the rest of her things, running her hands roughly through her hair, "Bloody hell!" she groaned, looking around herself helplessly. Her eyes lifted back towards the boy, "I'm assuming you've not looked ahead yet to at least grasp the concept of the summoning spell, have you?" she asked, that spell wasn't to be taught to them until at least their fourth year, but what she would've given at have to least tried.

She'd heard of people managing to last Lumos without their wand in order to find it, but with little practice even with her wand, she doubted she'd be able to find the strength or concentration or skill to preform it without it, "I don't think my day could get any worse unless I was struck by lightening..." she muttered, dropping her head to her knees.

Finn leaned against one of the sinks, hanging his head down in shame and sighing. Her saddened state made him wish he had been there when the bullies had been - he would have taught them a thing or two about kindness! "Bloody Hell!" Finn blushed bright red. Had he been incorrect - was that a thing he was supposed to be saying? When she asked him about the spell, his blush only deepened. "I'm afraid I don't know any magic yet..."

He dropped down onto his butt and scooted closer to her, tucking his knees up to his chest and peeking at her from under his bangs. "Hey, good news is we're inside of a building so lightning isn't going to strike you." He took another glance around the room as if he would be able to suddenly see something he hadn't before, but it seemed hopeless. "Maybe we could ask around in the hall? What if someone saw it and is waiting for you to come get it?" Surely nobody would be cruel enough to steal another student's wand. Nobody besides Peeves, anyway, and he hadn't heard him in this hallway. Looking at the girl again, he felt an itching inside himself, discomfort at the idea of her being disappointed. "We're going to find it!"

"If it did though, it would be a mercy killing..." she grumbled, words slightly muffled by her knees. Thinking about him saying he didn't know anything about magic made her want to make a snap retort, questioning his own validity as a wizard; but throwing such harsh insults to someone who was only being kind and trying to her was too cruel, even for her sharp tongue, and she had to remind herself not to take her anger out on him.

Face emerging from her knees, she rested her chin atop them, "It wouldn't be in the hall, I dropped it in here. I know I did. I fell, I slid, and I let go of it somewhere in here." she insisted, her jaw tense and throat feeling as though she were trying to swallow a lump of glue as she tried to hold her tears back. He'd already walked in on the aftermath of her crying, and she'd sooner throw herself out the window that actually cry in front of the lad.

"You're a bloody wizard. For the love of everything decent, I read all about it, its not hard." maybe that was an over simplification, but she was hitting a desperate moment, "What's the harm of at least trying?" she begged to know.

Finn bit his lip. Perhaps she was right. After spending all this time researching magic, it might be time for him to actually attempt some of it. "Oh god, if I get detention for this..." He grumbled under his breath, struggling to his feet. He turned and faced away from Illowy, allowing himself to see the entire space in the room. He grasped his wand in one hand, trembling slightly. It might have been smarter to get a professor for this... Finn knew, however, that she would have been disappointed in him. For some reason, he needed her to look up to him.

"A-Accio!" He cried, his voice breaking a little.

Nothing happened.

He took a deep breath, jumping a bit between feet in an effort to rally himself up. "Accio, accio, accio, accio," He mumbled under his breath. He took a deep inhale, outstretched his arm, held his wand steady, and cried with as much determination as possible, "ACCIO WAND!" 

Nothing happened again. Finn began to put his wand away, preparing to tell Illowy that he had failed, when he heard something. His head whipping up, he noticed something rattling by the sinks. Before he could prepare for it, the girl's wand flew out of one of the sink's drains and lodged directly into his chest. 

Staggering backwards, a look of pure shock on his face, he gripped the girl's wand and held it in front of him. His eyes lit up. He pivoted around to face the girl, proudly showing her the wand. "I did it! I did it!"

Illowy followed him to his feet, "If you get in trouble, I'll take the blame." she assured, perfectly fine with that scenario if it meant she got her wand back. The Slytherin girl stood behind him a bit, swallowing hard, hoping he might actually be able to accomplish such a feat.

Nervously she pressed her lips together as he made his first attempt... and nothing happen, "Concentrate, Finn. You're commanding, not asking. Think about what you are ordering to come to you." she reminded, trying to talk him through it as he made an effort to pump himself up.

On his next attempt, she hadn't even realized how she was holding her breath as well. She exhaled with an air of disappointment when nothing happened right away... then a clanging echoed through the stone room from one of the sink grates as the intricately carved Mayhew wand rattled itself free from its prison and flew itself flat into the boy's chest.

Even Illowy had to color herself impressed as he held out the wand victoriously. Losing herself for a moment, the girl beamed snatching the precious item back before throwing her arms around him, "You silly Hufflepuff! You see what you can do when you actually try?" she laughed. Had anyone else who possibly knew Illowy walked in on the pair in that moment, they would thought one of two things:

Either Illowy was a totally different person all together
Or the child had completely lost her mind.

All the same, she didn't care in that moment.

Taken back for a moment, Finn's arms hanged lifelessly, before he felt giggles bubbling out of him as if his stomach had been cast with Bullarum Immortalem. He wrapped his arms around the girl, squeezing her tight and taking a moment to note how good her hair smelled. "I just needed a bit of your Slytherin dedication, I guess," He said sheepishly, a bit embarrassed by the positive attention. But he wasn't complaining. 

After a few more moments, he pulled back, tugging on his robe anxiously. "So, um, about reading together..." He glanced up at her sheepishly, allowing her the option to take or refuse the offer. Though, admittedly, he really hoped she would take it. If he was sure of anything, it was that she wasn't who she seemed. He'd already seen a few sides of her: distant, cold, angry, depressed, and happy. He was genuinely curious to figure out what more he could learn about the girl if they spent more time together.

Speaking of which..

"Also, um..." He forcibly coughed, hiding his face in his hand to cover up his burning cheeks. "What's... your name?" In all the commotion and excitement, he had never actually asked. It was a bit embarrassing - but then, it's not like she had asked either.