After the Library Meeting
So far the night had proved very interesting. Not only had she secured Severus's aid to help her discover who had sent the poetry to her, she had also found out just how huge a crush Regulus had on his housemate. That was definitely a tasty morsel of information. She was lost in thought as she exited the library, and so wasn't watching where she was going as carefully as she should have. Unsurprisingly, fate decided to remind her as she suddenly bumped into someone and let out a soft "Ooof!" Looking up, she saw it was Peter she'd bumped into. She blushed, the red racing to her cheeks. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to knock into you like that." she apologized.
Peter glanced up, taking a step back. "Er. Excuse me." He tried to remember the girl's name. He knew he knew it, his mind just wasn't co-operating. "Wasn't really looking where I was going. Did you drop anything?"
CC looked around and noticed a couple books askew, and one flat on the ground. "Sorry, neither was I. You're Peter, right?" she asked, looking up at him as she bent down to pick up the book.
"Yes...You have the advantage over me there, I believe. You're Evans' friend, right? I think I've seen the two of you talking."
"Right. Lil's my best friend. I'm Cecelia Doyle, call me CC if you'd like." She picked up the wayward book and stood, extending her hand out to him with a smile.
"CC?" He shook her hand a bit uncertainly, with a faint smile. "What miserable assignment are you studying for today?"
"Nothing miserable, really, more an avenue of independent investigation. You never know when a good piece of information might come in handy. How about you? Were you coming here for work or pleasure?" she asked him.
"Just trying to stay ahead rather than fall behind." He grinned cynically. "I thought I might get extra credit for that paper on nixies if I mentioned undines and rusalkas as well."
Oooh! That was interesting. "Not many people know about the drowned spirits. Have you studied them very extensively?" she asked, curious now. Rusalkas and undines were both very rare creatures and not widely known outside their own localities. "And are you going to include more physical creatures like selkies and kelpies too?"
"Not that extensively." He scratched the back of his head. "Selkies don't fit because they don't purposely lure passers-by into the water, and they're ocean creatures besides, not river-dwellers. That would let out sirens too. Kelpies certainly can be found in rivers and try to drown people, but not by seduction. I think glaistigs fit, though, I need to read up on them more."
"I'd lay odds on you getting max points with this assignment, with all the effort you're putting in. It sounds like a very well thought out piece." she told him.
"I'm making it sound more impressive than it is. I'm just doing a comparison." He looked down and away.
"Really, it sounds wonderful. I'd love to read it over when it's done. That is...if you wouldn't mind too much." she said hesitantly. She knew some people didn't like having their works read by others, and wondered if that was why he seemed a bit put off now.
Peter glanced at her oddly. "Why would you want to read someone else's essay?"
"Because the subject interests me. I wouldn't ask to see it before you turned it in of course!" Or maybe he thought she wanted to cheat, which was the furthest thing from her mind.
"It's not as if it were a book or anything, though...I mean, I'm not a writer."
She smiled kindly."Really. I'd like to see it. And who knows? Maybe you have more talent than you give yourself credit for."
He shook his head and laughed a little. "It's your time. If you want to waste it reading my essay, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't. Once I get my grade for it, it's not of any more use."
"Thank you. I will read it, waste of time or not." she said with a smirk.
He shrugged, grinning cynically. "I could just give you the bibliography, so you could go right to the source material."
"You could, but then I'd miss out on the best part, wouldn't I?" She retorted.
Peter shook his head again. "You're making an enormous assumption."
"Then you have my permission to charm me to bray like a donkey if I agree with your assessment afterwards." she replied with a grin.
"I think you'll be braying enough with laughter. I'm really not a very good writer; I just try to do well enough to get decent marks."
"That's what we all do I think. But in a lot of respects, I think it's what you have to say that's a bit more important than how you put it into words."
"You don't think the quality of writing matters?"
"I think it matters, yes, but I don't think it's the most important thing. Being able to write well, in an engaging and clear manner facilitates understanding and communication, but if you don't have anything interesting to say, dressing it up in pretty language isn't going to do a bit of good now, is it?"
"I wouldn't want to read something pointless that was elegantly written, but I wouldn't want to read even the most interesting subject if it was badly presented."
"Well, there is that. I guess the best course is to try and strike a balance. Have something to say, and say it in a manner that doesn't put people instantly to sleep...like professor Binns does." She said with a chuckle.
He shrugged again. "I'm not really harboring dreams of becoming a writer, so it's not that important."
"Sorry, I do tend to ramble on." she said with a blush. She hoped he didn't think her the world's biggest geek now. Sometimes she just couldn't seem to shut up about things.
"It's not important." He smiled a bit nervously, starting to wonder if there was some other reason he was talking to her.
He was starting to look a bit restless, and CC wanted to kick herself in the head! Here he was, trying to go to the library to actually work on his paper, and here she was standing about, keeping him from it! What a wonderful first impression she must be making! "I should let you get on with it." she said, nodding back to the library. "It was nice meeting you, especially without the rest of your gang around."
"Yeah, well. That's not so rare anymore." He bit his tongue, immediately regretting having said anything.
She caught the tinge of bitterness in his words. "You seem upset. Is there something wrong?" she asked him.
"No, everything just... is. I'm not upset, why?"
"Just the way you said what you did...it made it seem like you were a bit pissed off at someone."
"No... I'm not pissed off at anyone." he said.
"My mistake then. But I am glad we got the chance to talk." she said with a smile.
"Er. Why?"
"Because I enjoyed it. Because I liked how you didn't treat me like a silly ninny for rambling on so much, Because you weren't eyeing me like a piece of meat the way some boys do. It's very refreshing to find someone I can just share my thoughts with and who has interesting ideas to share with me too." she replied.
"I, um. I'm glad, then, I suppose." Peter gave her another nervous smile.
"So am I. This was really nice." she said with a bright smile in return.
Peter glanced up, taking a step back. "Er. Excuse me." He tried to remember the girl's name. He knew he knew it, his mind just wasn't co-operating. "Wasn't really looking where I was going. Did you drop anything?"
CC looked around and noticed a couple books askew, and one flat on the ground. "Sorry, neither was I. You're Peter, right?" she asked, looking up at him as she bent down to pick up the book.
"Yes...You have the advantage over me there, I believe. You're Evans' friend, right? I think I've seen the two of you talking."
"Right. Lil's my best friend. I'm Cecelia Doyle, call me CC if you'd like." She picked up the wayward book and stood, extending her hand out to him with a smile.
"CC?" He shook her hand a bit uncertainly, with a faint smile. "What miserable assignment are you studying for today?"
"Nothing miserable, really, more an avenue of independent investigation. You never know when a good piece of information might come in handy. How about you? Were you coming here for work or pleasure?" she asked him.
"Just trying to stay ahead rather than fall behind." He grinned cynically. "I thought I might get extra credit for that paper on nixies if I mentioned undines and rusalkas as well."
Oooh! That was interesting. "Not many people know about the drowned spirits. Have you studied them very extensively?" she asked, curious now. Rusalkas and undines were both very rare creatures and not widely known outside their own localities. "And are you going to include more physical creatures like selkies and kelpies too?"
"Not that extensively." He scratched the back of his head. "Selkies don't fit because they don't purposely lure passers-by into the water, and they're ocean creatures besides, not river-dwellers. That would let out sirens too. Kelpies certainly can be found in rivers and try to drown people, but not by seduction. I think glaistigs fit, though, I need to read up on them more."
"I'd lay odds on you getting max points with this assignment, with all the effort you're putting in. It sounds like a very well thought out piece." she told him.
"I'm making it sound more impressive than it is. I'm just doing a comparison." He looked down and away.
"Really, it sounds wonderful. I'd love to read it over when it's done. That is...if you wouldn't mind too much." she said hesitantly. She knew some people didn't like having their works read by others, and wondered if that was why he seemed a bit put off now.
Peter glanced at her oddly. "Why would you want to read someone else's essay?"
"Because the subject interests me. I wouldn't ask to see it before you turned it in of course!" Or maybe he thought she wanted to cheat, which was the furthest thing from her mind.
"It's not as if it were a book or anything, though...I mean, I'm not a writer."
She smiled kindly."Really. I'd like to see it. And who knows? Maybe you have more talent than you give yourself credit for."
He shook his head and laughed a little. "It's your time. If you want to waste it reading my essay, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't. Once I get my grade for it, it's not of any more use."
"Thank you. I will read it, waste of time or not." she said with a smirk.
He shrugged, grinning cynically. "I could just give you the bibliography, so you could go right to the source material."
"You could, but then I'd miss out on the best part, wouldn't I?" She retorted.
Peter shook his head again. "You're making an enormous assumption."
"Then you have my permission to charm me to bray like a donkey if I agree with your assessment afterwards." she replied with a grin.
"I think you'll be braying enough with laughter. I'm really not a very good writer; I just try to do well enough to get decent marks."
"That's what we all do I think. But in a lot of respects, I think it's what you have to say that's a bit more important than how you put it into words."
"You don't think the quality of writing matters?"
"I think it matters, yes, but I don't think it's the most important thing. Being able to write well, in an engaging and clear manner facilitates understanding and communication, but if you don't have anything interesting to say, dressing it up in pretty language isn't going to do a bit of good now, is it?"
"I wouldn't want to read something pointless that was elegantly written, but I wouldn't want to read even the most interesting subject if it was badly presented."
"Well, there is that. I guess the best course is to try and strike a balance. Have something to say, and say it in a manner that doesn't put people instantly to sleep...like professor Binns does." She said with a chuckle.
He shrugged again. "I'm not really harboring dreams of becoming a writer, so it's not that important."
"Sorry, I do tend to ramble on." she said with a blush. She hoped he didn't think her the world's biggest geek now. Sometimes she just couldn't seem to shut up about things.
"It's not important." He smiled a bit nervously, starting to wonder if there was some other reason he was talking to her.
He was starting to look a bit restless, and CC wanted to kick herself in the head! Here he was, trying to go to the library to actually work on his paper, and here she was standing about, keeping him from it! What a wonderful first impression she must be making! "I should let you get on with it." she said, nodding back to the library. "It was nice meeting you, especially without the rest of your gang around."
"Yeah, well. That's not so rare anymore." He bit his tongue, immediately regretting having said anything.
She caught the tinge of bitterness in his words. "You seem upset. Is there something wrong?" she asked him.
"No, everything just... is. I'm not upset, why?"
"Just the way you said what you did...it made it seem like you were a bit pissed off at someone."
"No... I'm not pissed off at anyone." he said.
"My mistake then. But I am glad we got the chance to talk." she said with a smile.
"Er. Why?"
"Because I enjoyed it. Because I liked how you didn't treat me like a silly ninny for rambling on so much, Because you weren't eyeing me like a piece of meat the way some boys do. It's very refreshing to find someone I can just share my thoughts with and who has interesting ideas to share with me too." she replied.
"I, um. I'm glad, then, I suppose." Peter gave her another nervous smile.
"So am I. This was really nice." she said with a bright smile in return.