(Untitled)

[prof_odwyer]

Week Name/Date/Time: 'Under Your Spell' / Sunday, 18th September 2005 / 11 a.m.
Location: Hallway
Open to: Any
Involving: Genie, William Sparrow

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[williamsparrow]

Skipping meals, as usual, was Slytherin's current prefect, taking the time offered by the lack of students in the hallways to follow familiar trails beaten down these old hallways, always searching for something new. Something to add to his growing mental map of the school. If the boy paid as much attention to his studies as he did the secrets of the school, he'd be top student in no time.

Alas that his priorities were a little...different.

Regardless, he was in the hallways now, without many students to glimpse as he turned the corner into the next corridor, but...

Oh.

Well that wasn't a student, to be sure.

Will's dark stare turned curious as he caught sight of the woman so finely dressed, making her way down this particular corridor as well. Unfamiliar though she was, Will figured it was the least he could do to lift his hand and wave slightly. Yes, manners always, particularly when he had a feeling she might be that professor he'd heard about...

Maybe. Perhaps. A possibility. But just a hunch.

[prof_odwyer]

Professor O'Dwyer's lip quirked as a boy sort of waved at her. Ah, Slytherin. Despite it not being her own house, she had an admittably fancy for those who were lucky enough to go there. Though he didn't look particularly familiar.. hm.

She'd be carefully, and not let house placement alter her opinion of him (once it was formed, of course) until she knew better.

"Excuse me," she said politely, voice soft despite an obvious Irish lilt. "Haven't been here in years, dear. Might you point me towards the Great Hall?"

[williamsparrow]

Click. New. More than likely they one they HAD been talking about. O'Dwyer. He loved being right, sometimes, but he hid the smugness he felt rather well, all things considered, settling for an innocently helpful expression instead, brows lifting at her inquiry. "Ah! The Great Hall, ma'am?"

Ma'am. Ugh. He always nearly choked on that word. Such a waste formalities could be, but maintaining image was more important than his personal comfort...at least in situations like these.

He lifted his hand again, this time to point behind him, the way he'd just come. "It's actually right over by the dungeon entrance...I could show you, if you liked," he volunteered, though not enthusiastically. Just sort of leaving the offer open, if she liked it or didn't.

[prof_odwyer]

"Oh, please," she replied, batting her hand at him with a smart smirk. "No need to call me ma'am. Makes me feel old, which I am, but I'd rather not feel it." With a wink, she offered him her hand. If she was to be escorted by a fine young man to the Great Hall, she'd rather do it in style.

"Tell me, dear, what is your name?"

Immediately, she sized him up. Was that a prefect's badge he wore? Excellent. It was her personal observation that Severus tended to pick the more.. ah, delightful children to serve as his prefects. Once she had his name, she'd have to think on that - perhaps he was from a nobel family? If so, then she'd be sorely disappointed in herself for not contacting him ahead of time. However, the fact that she hadn't was almost a sign to her that he was not, in fact, destined to be one of her more favoured pupils.

[emiliahawthorn]

Emilia was wandering the corridors in search of Ophelia when she spotted the two conversing. Intrigued as to what they could be discussing, she went to join the pair. "William, Professor," she said politely, nodding at each of them as she did so. "I don't suppose either of you have seen Ophelia, have you?"

She'd received an owl from Prof. O'Dwyer late last week but wasn't certain if William would have known about it. Deciding it was better to play safe, she kept quiet about it and stick to small talk and other such pleasantries. You could never be to careful these days, after all.

[williamsparrow]

There was little that went on, least of all amongst the Slytherins, that Will didn't know or couldn't find out in a hurry. Emilia wasn't fooling anyone, but it wouldn't do to let her know that.

After all...his greatest asset was that no one thought much of him being around.

So Emilia's appearance didn't phase him in the least...in fact, it wasn't until after he'd addressed O'Dwyer that he appeared to notice her at all. With a disarming smile, he bowed his head lightly, politely, and spoke up with what seemed proper introduction.

"William Sparrow at your service...Will works just as well, though. Less of a mouthful. Don't think I've seen you around, Miss....?"

Blink blink. Aha, Emilia this way comes. Best to look mildly surprised by her appearance, an expression that came naturally to his rather guileless face. "Ah! No, sorry, I'm afraid I haven't...gone missing, has she?" he inquired innocently.

[opheliaballard]

Ophelia was feeling a tad out of sorts this Sunday. Far too sunny and nothing to do. Breakfast had been very disappointing, as she'd had to live on butter and butter alone. No jam or lemon curd or anything, she'd almost bludgeoned a first year for mentioning strawberries...

Oh! A gathering! Ophelia skipped over to Emilia and grinned at the two others.

"Why, who's gone missing? No one I know?"

[prof_odwyer]

"O'Dwyer," she answered him. Well, wasn't he a charming boy? Surely he had to be one of the few she had come to seek out.

No one else could be so charming.

"Genevieve O'Dwyer and," pausing, she nodded to Emilia. "Emilia, good to see you. No, I've not seen Ophelia, and we were just headed to lunch. Care to join us, dear?" And then, speak of the devil. It had been a while since she last saw Ophelia.. she had grown a few inches, definitely, but she noticed that the girl was a Ballard by the way her looks favoured her parents long before she realised that it was, in fact, Ophelia. "Ophelia, I believe it was you who was missing?"

What a grand crowd she had drawn around her!

[emiliahawthorn]

"Opheeelia!" Emilia said gleefully. "I was just looking for you. Needed to talk about a man and a dog and," she mouthed silently "a howler." Not, she was certain, that there was any need for surreptitious behaviour around Will and the Professor but nonetheless it was better safe than sorry. And besides, she didn't fancy answering any questions about the destination of said howler.

"And lunch sounds marvellous, thank you," she said graciously. Her manners, though usually lacking, were impeccable when faced with someone of Professor O'Dwyer's standard.

[williamsparrow]

Standards which Will could hazard a guess at. Better to keep first impressions open and approving of such a matter, if they were to think anything at all.

"Ah! So you're Miss O'Dwyer. I heard a thing or two about you coming in, here and there, but I didn't realize it would be so soon," Will replied in a tone that perhaps betrayed a little inspired awe. "A pleasure, to be sure!"

A puzzled blink accompanied Ophelia's arrival, and ha, what a meeting this was! ...a meeting, Will thought, a lot of young men wouldn't complain about, but that was another matter entirely.

"Ah, so lunch for the four of us, is it? Heh. I end up getting dragged into the Great Hall after such a long while by three pretty faces." A silly grin crooked his lips. "What a way to go. Shall we, then?"

[opheliaballard]

Upon realizing it was Genevieve O'Dwyer who spoke to her, Ophelia clasped her hands behind her back and stood up straighter. "Oh, hello! Professor." She grinned sweetly and swung back and forth on her feet.

"Lunch, is it? I am famished!" Not a day at Hogwarts yet and she was offering her food! Oh, yes. She gleefully spared a mock-wink for Will before turning to Emilia.

Dropping her tones into those of a loud whisper she replied, "Quite. Certainly." She grinned ever broader and patted the pockets of her robes, which seemed to be somewhat full.

[prof_odwyer]

As Emilia spoke to Ophelia in their ah.. cryptic manner, or what have you, Genie batted a hand at the two, smiling. "If you two need to run along to talk, feel free to join us once you're done. Can't expect to have the world stop for me, can I?" And she seemed like such a good natured woman as well, what with that kind, yet slightly amused smile, and the way her eyes twinkled just so.

Oh, but she had plently of talks about 'a man and a dog' before in the past herself, and hoped that theirs was the type that could rival her own. Wouldn't that be a great way to see two of her soon-to-be favoured students kicking off her first week there?

She then turned her attention back to William, giving him a wink. "Lucky lady," she replied, definitely not afraid to play along with him. "You'll have the lot of blokes around us envious beyond all measure!"

[emiliahawthorn]

Emilia paused. She wasn't entirely sure if it was the best of manners to waste time conducting illicit deals when she'd been invited to lunch by the likes of Genevieve O'Dwyer. Besides, from what she'd seen Ophelia still had plenty of howlers to go around so there wasn't any chance of her missing out.

Shaking her head she replied, "No, no, that's quite alright. We can discuss it later and besides, I'm quite sure Ophelia wouldn't forgive me if I lost her the chance of a good feed." So desperate was she to make a good impression on the woman, it was all Emilia could do to prevent herself from curtsying after she'd spoken. Instead, she settled for her best upper-class smile followed by a surreptitious wink at Ophelia.

[williamsparrow]

"Probably...but well worth their scorn for the company," he replied rather light-heartedly. Unlike Emilia, who indeed seemed desperate to impress, Will had often found that simply remaining relaxed yet polite fared far better than any act he could produce.

And the girl's behavior had him curious, truth be told. It seemed fair enough to assume they really didn't think much of him being there, the patronizing winks were enough of a clue. So perhaps he might find out more about the very lovely Professor O'Dwyer yet.

Folding his arms behind his back, he waited quietly til the girls had finished deciding that, yes, lunch was the best plan for now, and that devious plots concerning men, dogs, and howlers could be saved for another time.

"Whenever you ladies are ready," he prompted once silence had fallen, eyebrows lifting. "You've got me actually feeling a bit hungry, now."

[opheliaballard]

Ophelia looked innocently from Emilia to Professor O'Dwyer and smiled.

"Oh, I think our dogs and men can stand still for lunch. Otherwise, what's the point?" She stated, in what seemed a perfectly logical tone. Howlers she had aplently, but the promise of something other than butter and slightly over-cooked bread? Could most definitely not pass up on that.

She grinned toothily at Emilia and copied the older girl's posture. Ophelia hadn't the slightest notion of making a good impression, but when had she ever? She had always liked Genevieve O'Dwyer enormously, even more so now she got invited to luncheons.