Poking, Prodding, & Such

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah breathed out a long sigh as she reached the third floor. She wiped the sweat off her brow, blubbering her lips as she let out yet another sigh. She stood up tall now, brushing off her robes, and running her small fingers through her hair.

She was just by the Lake, and for reasons unknown to her, she had the sudden urge to go to the Third Floor. She had overheard some of the older boys talking about odd Muggle things in some of the rooms up here.

Curious, seeing as she's only ever known Magic, she was on a search. For what, she wasn't sure, but she wanted to explore, and maybe run into some mischief along the way.

Delilah walked down through the hall, letting her hand brush the stone walls, and peered out the window whenever there was one. Spring was rolling around, and she was eager to almost be done. But she wasn't quite done exploring Hogwarts. Funny, she'd been here for so long, yet there was always something new to uncover.

Without looking, her hand bumped into a doorknob, which seemed to unlock itself. This room seemed to beckon to her, calling her into it. Without much thought or hesitation to what may be in said room, she waltzed right in.

She held her wand out steady, [glow=green,2,300]"Lumos."[/glow] She whispered, lighting up the semi-dark room. She held her breath. There were all kinds of strange odds and ends in this room. She shone her light onto a wad of grey paper, and picked it up to examine it better. Her light ran across pictures... but oddly, they weren't moving. Not one bit. "Strange..." She thought. It looked like a newspaper, but not like any newspaper she'd ever seen in her life before.

Delilah replaced the newspaper and continued on with her little adventure. Her light both guided and dragged her onwards, right towards a copper, pot/sphere type thing. It was sitting atop a large cube... It all looked so old.

She prodded at the copper thing with her wand, wondering what would happen if she set it aflame. [glow=green,2,300]"Incendio."[/glow] She whispered. Suddenly, and despite the oldness of the square box under the copper thing, a small fire was not ablaze beneath the sphere.

Delilah now stepped back, as the sphere was now whistling, and she didn't have a clue as how to make it stop. She looked to the door, hoping no one was there. She stepped back up to the now whistling sphere, and touched it.

She bit her lip, holding back a yelp and looked down at her fingers, which were now all red, and starting to blister. She knew she should probably go back to the Hospital Wing, but she couldn't just leave this thing whistling.

What to do next, was beyond her.

[vi]

Vi found herself desperate for adventure. There didn't seem to be enough going on in her life, no fun at all. Every day was filled with the usual ennui, same old same old, stick to schedule or burn. Deciding that her essay on...uh...whatever it was supposed to be on was less important than adventuring, Vi ditched the Slytherin Common Room to explore. She shuddered as she reached the third floor. It was unfamiliar here, new territory. The young snake never really liked this floor and would never say why. It just gave her the creeps. She walked through the hallways and stared through the windows, the world blooming in pastels and green. It was a lovely sight, as if all the world decided to come back to life.

It was a deserted hallway. Not a soul could be found ambling around the floor. A downtrodden Violetta turned to walk away...but then heard something awfully funny...

"What?" She heard a tea kettle whistling in the distance, in a room. To her knowledge, no classes were going on in this floor. No one should have been up there...

The first year dashed to and fro through the rooms, hoping to find a kettle. She finally entered a room where a dark-haired older girl was gripping a whistling tea kettle, a flame underneath from a stove. Her confused expression turned to one of horror.

"What do you think you're doing? Are you insane??" Vi grabbed the girl's fingers and pulled them off of the kettle. She grabbed her wand out of the back pocket of her skinny black jeans. She quickly muttered a spell under her breath, a simple extinguishing spell, and then stowed the wand away. "Are you seriously that stupid?" Vi was angry, but there was a hint of worry in her voice. As dumb as the girl had acted, if she was seriously hurt, Vi would have to act fast.

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah heard another voice suddenly beside her. To her surprise and astonishment, a younger girl was holding her now burning hand, and she looked slightly concerned. The whole stupid comment made Delilah think that this girl must've been from Slytherin. Was she stupid? Perhaps... but not knowing what any of this stuff was, it seemed peculiar that she got the things caught on fire in the first place. Insane?

No, just bored.

Delilah furrowed her brow at the girl, her green eyes ablaze, trying to be mad, but her body just wouldn't let her forget the current pain she was in. "I had no idea what this thing was." She tried to explain herself. She knew that really wasn't a very good excuse, she could've just left the stupid thing alone. But her pride wouldn't let her say, Oh, I was just bored and decided to set things a flame and see what they did.

She looked down at her hand which looked like it was about to start blistering.

[vi]

Vi took one look at the girl who was genuinely confused and sighed. She dropped her hand, letting the girl nurse to it as necessary. "Listen, this," she pointed at the copper kettle, "Is a tea kettle. You put water inside of it. You then turn this on," she motioned to the stove, "Which will heat up the kettle using fire. The water inside the kettle will boil, and when it's boiling it will whistle to let you know that the water is ready to be used for tea. Then one would turn the stove off. That's it." She looked at the girl and studied her for a second.

"You probably shouldn't go around setting things on fire. It's pretty dangerous. Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing or see someone about your pyromania." She said with indifference. The girl was going to be okay...she'd burn a little bit, but it wouldn't kill her.

"I'm Vi Lumley, by the way."

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah listened to the girl with great interest as she explained what the thing was. Being from a wizarding world, and simply warming up water with a flick of her wand, she'd never seen a... a tea kettle was it? In her entire life. This girl probably thought she was a complete and total moron now. Delilah smiled at the small girls pyromaniac comment though, and had to suppress all the laughter that was dieing to come out.

She looked back to her hand now, figuring it would be just fine, and she'd been through worse. "Pleasure." She said, putting her hand down and raising her wand still. The room was terribly dark, and without it, they'd be blinded. "Delilah," she added, grinning, "Pyromaniac at your service." She said, pointing with her wand to the way out.

[vi]

"Very nice." Vi said, lightening up a bit. She wanted to know more about Delilah, the resident pyro. She had never met her before, and certainly hoped that she wasn't one of those air-headed Hufflepuffs or those all-too-brave Gryffindors. She didn't think that this girl was all ditz, though. There had to be an unknown level of her, a deeper one, maybe more sinister.

"What house are you in?" She asked absentmindedly in the dismal darkness. She hoped that she had stumbled in the path of a fellow snake. It would make their meeting even more meaningful. Above all the houses, Vi found that she favored her own and found it to be even a bit better than the rest. Most would call that rude and egotistical, but those who understood would know it to be a pride in the House, something admirable.

She could tell that Delilah was an older girl, too. Maybe she knew more about the school than Vi did, and could help her on her escapades...

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah smiled warmly and nodded. She tried to size this girl up, but she just didn't know. She had the attitude of a Slytherin, and the directness of one too. For someone so young, Delilah found it odd to notice these attributes right away. Delilah was grateful that Vi came along though, without that, she'd still be just standing there, staring at a tea kettle, and looking like a dope.

"What house are you in?" Delilah grinned, "Slytherin." She said, not with pride, but she didn't mind being in the house either. At times she did despise it though, and longed to be in Hufflepuff, her father's house. But she was a Pureblood, and mostly Slytherin. And though not proud of her house, she knew it was a part of her, and she was ready to embrace it, and anyone else who belonged to it. "You must be in the same house." She ventured on. She thought she'd be right, but one could never really tell these days.

"Second Year?" She tried again, not so sure this time. Delilah knew better than anyone not to judge how old someone is by how they looked. Delilah, being very small for her age, was often mistaken for a fourth year. People were stunned and often couldn't believe, that yes, she was a sixth year.

[vi]

"Slytherin? Of course." Vi said happily. Being a snake was something extremely important to her. The other girl, Delilah, really didn't seem that enthusiastic. She let it slide however; most people have their reasons for things, and Vi wasn't about to pry quite yet.

"Second Year?"

Vi smiled. "First Year. You were pretty close though. Everyone seems to think I'm older than I look." It's always happened, an inevitable event. It wasn't detrimental to her though. It always helped Vi get around her old neighborhood and into the ever-interesting restricted areas. Most thought the 11-year old to be 15, or even 16. To her old, withered grandparents, she was nearly 20. It humored her and kept her good-natured. It was something that always caused Vi entertainment to even the smallest degree.

"And you're a Fifth Year?" Vi asked slowly. She wasn't normally horrible at assuming things, however it wasn't something she particularly enjoyed doing. She liked to figure things out mentally, put facts together, before saying anything stupid.

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah was actually quite delighted to finally meet someone in her own house. "You're the first Snake I've met in a while.'' She said, grinning. "Perhaps I'll see you around the Common Room some time." She ventured on, in her mind, really hoping that this would indeed happen. It could get quite lonesome in there. And seeing everyone else happy as ever to have someone to talk to, made her jealous at times. Even just someone to wave to as they went on with their own business would be nice.

Delilah noted the Slytherin girl's happiness and being called older than she really was. "Sixth..." Delilah said, still grinning, "you were close also, most others think I'm a fourth year... Sort of degrading really." She finished off. Delilah was happy that Vi didn't guess fourth, that would really put her into a bad mood right about now. She sighed, wondering if this conversation was going to go anywhere. Not that she wasn't enjoying it, just that usually after introductions were made, an awkward silence usuall followed, and the newly aquainted went on their way, forgetting the other person in merely an instant. Delilah really hoped that wouldn't be the case this time around. Especially with a fellow house mate.

[vi]

"... Sort of degrading really."

"I could see how that could get annoying." She replied. If everyone had thought her to be younger, she wouldn't appreciate life as much as she did now. It probably would put her in a permanent foul mood wherever she went. Delilah, however, seemed to be an outgoing individual and very friendly, someone Vi would often ignore completely, or even despise a little. This wasn't the case today, though. Something about Delilah was inviting and Vi felt like she couldn't hate this girl if she tried.

"Well then..." Vi drifted off, trying to find a link in conversation. "What do you like to do for fun, other than playing with fire, of course?" She asked with a smirk. "I don't believe I've ever crossed you in the Common Room, which is really weird. I thought I knew most of the snakes." And when she said most of the snakes, she meant the snakes that really mattered, who had influence: Connor, Emeric and Tal, to name a few. She also had the misfortune to meet some of the rather obnoxious ones too, like Guinevere, Claire, and Trixi. A shiver went down her spine involuntarily when she spoke that girl's name. The last two just seemed like the kind of people you wouldn't mind throwing off a cliff.

Yes, Delilah was definitely a friend, but their friendship might be an unexpected one. It would be a good one though, Vi could already tell.

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah nodded, "It is really annoying." She said, "Especially when I have a bunch of fourth years asking me why I'm not in any of their classes..." She said. Delilah didn't add any of the responses that processed through her mind when asked such stupid questions, at least not yet. Delilah smiled though, happy to actually have someone she could share this with. Not very many people were so easy to talk to, yet, Vi seemed to have a very good vibe around her, and Delilah was eager to be here.

Delilah laughed, she really was going to be known as the Slytherin pyromaniac wasn't she? Ah well, better to have a name, than not be known. She was so tired of not being known... "Er...," she started. What did she do for fun exactly? She didn't have friends, didn't like classes, didn't have many hobbies... "well I suppose you could add breaking things as a hobby, and quite fun." She finally said, hoping she didn't sound too pathetic at this point.

She nodded, "I think I've seen you," Delilah said, "I tend to keep to myself though, and go unnoticed. I'm not someone you need to know." She said, not trying to put herself down, or fishing for a compliment, but she didn't need to be known. Simple as that. She wasn't a Prefect, or Head of House or anything, but she liked to think that people wanted to know her, not someone that people needed to know and be aware of. That was great with her, she didn't really want to be known to everyone. Where was the fun in that? You couldn't get away with much if everyone knew who you were.

[vi]

Vi found herself chuckling as Delilah elaborated on her plight with the Fourth Years. She liked the way Delilah took what most would call annoyances and turned them into something to laugh about. It was entertaining.

"well I supose you could add breaking things a hobby, and quite fun."

"I won't disagree with you on that." Vi laughed coldly. "I've done enough of breaking things" Rules, laws, bones, boards... "for the both of us, believe me." She reminisced to the muggle world, that plain world outside of the Hogwarts walls, to where everything was made to be broken, even hearts.

She snapped back to the present, to the lovely conversation she was having with Delilah. It was turning out to be stimulating and interesting. Vi didn't think Slytherins were able to share so kindly about themselves without giving some sort of bite at the end. She hoped that Delilah wasn't one of those sweet and innocent types who'd then turn around and become vicious. Actually, that was a lie. That was exactly what Vi was hoping. She was hoping to meet someone like herself, but perhaps the vicious part could happen to someone else.

"I tend to keep to myself though, and go unnoticed. I'm not someone you need to know."

"Oh." The statement took Vi aback and right into the defensive. It was as if the girl was reading her mind, her thought process. She...she knew. She probably knew all along that Vi was the type who would scavenge for power. It wasn't that Vi wanted to be an overlord or anything, but knowing the right people always comes in handy, especially with this Deva arising to power. She knew little about what the Deva meant to the world, muggles and wizards alike, but the wisest thing to do would to be prepared. She stood up a little straighter and looked Delilah in the eyes with the most sympathetic look she could muster.

"Why wouldn't anyone notice you? You're so nice. You don't seem shy to me at all." That wasn't a complete lie, but it felt like a forced truth. They were true things about the girl, but it was like she was complimenting to get something out of it...and for once in her life, Vi didn't like it. She hid her displeasure behind a half smile.

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah smiled when Vi laughed at her meeting with some fourth years. She was always delighted when she got the chance to make someone laugh, or even just smile. Delilah raised an eyebrow at Vi's next statement though, it left Delilah wondering and wanting to know just exactly what it was she was breaking that could be enough for the both of them. "Ah, I see," she said, showing an expression of interest, "might be fun to see where both of our breaking shenanigans take us." Delilah smiled at herself. What a strange word, 'shenanigans'. She heard her father say it once in a while, and it amused her. She hoped it would have the same effect on her fellow house mate.

"Oh." That's all that was spoken from the young girls' mouth. It was peculiar really. Anyone who didn't have something to hide usually said more than that. And judging from the look Vi was giving her, and the half smile that was present, it wasn't hard to tell something was up. Delilah didn't distrust Vi, at least not yet. She hoped that it wasn't something she said either, but one could never be too sure what someone else was thinking. Delilah could read eyes though, and Vi's said that something other than Delilah being nice and not shy, was going on in that pretty little head of hers.

Delilah smiled genuinely though, her green eyes sparkling a tad. "I never believed myself to be shy," her eyes watching Vi very carefully. She knew what she said could make or break Vi's next reaction, she seemed tense now, "I just don't particularly feel like I'm someone worth knowing.'' There, she had finally said what was on her mind. Hey, there was always a first time for everything. Delilah smiled still, hoping that this bit of honesty could put Vi back into the state she was in. "And thank you," she added, "for saying I'm nice." Delilah still wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. Nice was such a general, and somewhat blah word. Still, it was better than most other words. She also wondered what it was that made her seem this way. Maybe it was a lie on Vi's part. Or maybe it was just how she appeared, but looks could be so deceiving.

[vi]

She couldn't let herself ruin this perfectly good conversation...it was going so well.

Just stop freaking out and try to be yourself...for once. Her conscience demanded. Vi shook off her strange demeanor, leaving only a hint of insecurity. She replaced her half-smile with a genuine grin and tried to change the subject. Awkwardness sort of lingered in the air at present.

"You are. You're probably the nicest person I know." She didn't really know that many nice people, or rather she only knew people who were nice on the inside. Most people she knew held up tough fronts, trying to intimidate. In fact, Vi found herself falling into that category.

Her eyes flew to Delilah's hand. "Do you think it's going to be alright? I could walk you to the Hospital Wing if you'd like." For some reason Vi felt a little guilty, but for what she couldn't say.

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah smiled, "You've only known me a short while, but once again, thank you." She said with a lot of happiness in her voice. She was glad that she could be called nice by someone she had just barely met. She was sure she'd come to find Vi nice aswell, or maybe someone better. Vi seemed genuine so far, maybe they could both keep this up. Delilah hoped that whatever Vi was feeling before, was gone now, and that the awkwardness would go away soon.

The Slytherin girl looked down at her still tingling hand. "Oh, no, it'll be fine, I've had much worse." She said, looking back up, still grinning. What she said was truth. She'd fallen off a broom two stories off the ground, crushing her whole arm. And this wasn't the first time she'd done something dumb with muggle items... and boy oh boy, Potions were a disaster... Delilah grinned at herself, and rolled up her robes' sleeve, showing a good sized scar starting from her elbow, to mid arm, covering half of her forearm. Delilah shrugged, she only tried to prove that she had indeed, had worse.