(Untitled)

[cameoclarke]

Week Name/Date/Time: “Duelly Noted” / Monday, November 27th, 2006 / 8:45 pm
Location: The Library
Open To: Agis
Currently Involving: Cameo

Comments

[agis_yule]

Agis was just wondering why anyone would think that it would be okay to shelve Ancient Greek Brotherhoods of Wizards in the S section when Cameo approached him. He had quite forgotten about the clamorous Gryffindor, having had to deal with her type on numerous occasions throughout the day already. The only way to cope was to forget. His middle name really should have been Tolerance.

He hadn't noticed her until she spoke, her familiar voice immediately causing him to look up. He internally grimaced. Cameo Clarke always made him feel out of kilter. He suddenly realized that the library was mostly empty. He looked down at the book she held, interested in learning why she was showing him something as mundane as The Interrelations of Doxies and Trolls. Cameo was usually seen with something that had a bit more substance.

But she continued, and he was somewhat happy to find that what she was holding was a great deal more meaty then what it appeared to be. "The Journal of Edmondo De Luca," he said, recalling the title. "You've been searching for it for quite a while now, haven't you?" He himself had mostly given up. They had tried everything they could think of to locate it, so when everything failed he figured a student must have taken it out without permission or something along those lines.

He was excited enough about the find to smile a little, but not quite excited enough to forget that the young woman who was holding the journal was one which he often tried to avoid without seeming obvious about it. He swallowed. "So, how did you find it? Don't tell me you resorted to looking through every book in the library." He turned as he spoke, motioning for her to follow him back out to the front. He had left his wand behind the checkout desk, tucked into The Life and Works of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim as a bookmark. He would need it to rebind the book into something more befitting its innards.

[cameoclarke]

Cameo was oblivious to the fact that the young librarian tried his best to avoid her, but she never believed that he would especially want her there, either. Her firm impression was Agis thought of her as any student; to help them when they ask and leave them be when they don’t. The thought that he, that anyone, would go out of their way to not speak with her would never occur to her simply because she was never particularly obnoxious or cruel- the breed of people she avoided. The only people she expected it from were those who resented her for being muggleborn, and she believed Agis did not know that and would not care if he did.

“I have wanted to read it for over a year now, but I only really started looking here last May... I think I asked you about it for the first time this year, though.”

She followed him to the front of the checkout desk, listening to his question. “Not every book,” she gave a sudden grin, her fingers moving swiftly to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I would just look in sections I was interested in, for books that don’t belong. I would never expect a book comparing doxies and trolls to belong next to books on isopsephy or gematria,” she had been interested in doing a little outside research for arithmancy class, preparing early to get that ‘O’ she so deserved on her NEWTs the following year.

She rested her hands on the desk, skimming the titles of a few books ready to be put back. “So, in the end, maybe half the shelves?”

Cameo watched carefully as he took out his wand, as she had never seen a book being magically rebound; and just in case the occasion came again- she wanted to remember at least the basics. Unlike the Gryffindor girl, she trusted his capabilities. Not only in finding books, but in performing spells like this flawlessly.

[agis_yule]

Agis was feeling very uncomfortable. The reason why he tried to avoid her as much as possible without raising anyone's suspicion was something he didn't want out in the open. That he wanted to be around Cameo in a completely non-platonic way was a perversion that would probably get him dismissed from his position as librarian if it were ever found out. But even though he could, on an intellectual level, understand why his impulses were improper, he didn't think it was fair that he was made to feel like a dirty old man at twenty-four. Couldn't she have been born two or three years earlier?

It didn't help the situation at all that the entire ordeal forced him to feel very differently from what was the norm for him. He wasn't supposed to care this much. He should have been able to shrug it off. It was just... uncomfortable. He wasn't a huge fan of the feeling.

He listened as she talked, trying to ignore the way she reached up and touched her hair to move it behind her ear. He tried not to wonder who had taught her to move that way. She was a Slytherin though, so he supposed she must be from some old refined Pureblood family. It was time to stop thinking.

He smiled a little when she finished, rolling his wand in between his fingertips. "Oh, what, only half?" His voice was quiet, as usual, but a tad friendlier then it normally was when addressing her. His guard was breaking down. Could one really resist enjoying another's company?

He studied the book for a moment. He had no intentions of trying to find the actual The Interrelations of Doxies and Trolls. If it were even still in the library, some riotous comedian probably put it in the cover of The Muggle Encyclopedia, Vol. 5. So, since the book would probably never be reunited with its cover he figured he might as well use it.

He tapped the end of his wand against the cover, transfiguring the pale green long-stitched paper binding into dark blue hardcover leather. Another tap and more began to shift, changing imprinted words into gilded lettering. It now reflected the proper title - The Journal of Edmondo De Luca. He had been forced to transfigure many new covers for books over the years, and he always felt it was a shame. Many of them were antiques, so he lamented a little inside every time a student came in with a coverless book. Apparently they had a tendency to go missing.

"There." he said, looking down at the journal. "I'm not sure about the lettering, though. Maybe something like calligraphy would look nicer." He had chosen something akin to Times New Roman.

[cameoclarke]

She touched the cover hesitantly with the first two fingers of her right hand, and this time it was her full smile that showed. A full smile did not come often on her, only a handful of people had seen it in the past month, but the cover seemed so correct. The cover should never had been another color; the lettering should never be something too fanciful.

Yet, Cameo had the sudden desire to tell him that the lettering was horrible, completely inappropriate for something as important as The Journal of Edmondo De Luca. If that would hold her here even a minute longer in his presence. However, opinions were facts to her, and she could never openly lie to Agis Yule. “Calligraphy can stay on the covers of romance novels,” she said, “because this is just right. Perfect.”

Her words quieted a bit at the end, again, this time not because she was nervous, but because she had realized another thing. His hands had been the last pair, the only pair, to ever touch the journal’s new cover. She had noticed his hands in her fifth year. They had a certain strength not akin to any she had seen before; not the strength of someone who had gone through rigorous quidditch training or the strength of a gardener. No, they were the strength she cared about. The strength that said they knew what they were doing- whether shelving books or binding covers.

She slid her hand up to touch the gilded letters. Just the right amount of proper. She had the intense desire to never return the journal, so that no one else would ever touch it. But Cameo realized she was being silly. She would have her time with the book, probably nearly memorizing it for any guidance it might give, and then she would return it, where it would be shelved. Later down the road, someone would check it out, and the best Cameo could do was hope that person wanted to read it rather than having it be a piece of material grudgingly skimmed for an essay.

“Would you mind telling me the spell you used?” She hadn’t caught it, and guessing he said it nonverbally. She was still a bit confused when it came to nonverbal spells. “Just in case I need it after Hogwarts.”

[agis_yule]

He laughed a little when she basically told him calligraphy was completely inappropriate for The Journal of Edmondo De Luca. If she thought the lettering was suitable as it was, he'd accept that. She probably had more of an eye for these things then he himself did. Agis had never much cared what the binding of a book looked like as long as it stayed together long enough for him to finish reading it.

He watched her for a moment, not saying anything as she admired the journal. He had read it once while he was in school, the knowledge it contained still locked away in his mind. Agis was glad she would have a chance to read it. That's right, she'd probably use it to complete a few assignments, because she was a student. He tore his eyes away from her slender fingers, finding the tracing motion much more enthralling then he should have. Cameo could probably sneeze at this point and he'd think himself lucky enough to have been visited by Aphrodite herself. When she asked him about the spell he had used, he ignored it for a moment in lieu of more pressing matters.

"Have much experience with romance novel, do you?" he asked, lifting a brow and giving her a look that clearly expressed interest. He immediately mentally kicked himself. While it was fine to tease other students about things like that, he had to keep Cameo at a professional distance. He went on, not giving her time to answer. Outwardly, one would never be able to tell by his composed appearance that he was trying to change the subject as fast as possible.

"I used a switching transfiguration spell. It's actually somewhat rudimentary, most students learning about it in first year, but most tend to ignore its uses because it's such a simple spell. With practice it can become quite handy." Agis gestured towards The Journal of Edmondo De Luca. "There isn't any incantation, as I'm sure you know is the norm for most transfiguration spells. One just clearly pictures in their minds what they would like an object to be switched into. It's very easy when all you're doing is making minor adjustments to the original object. I started out with a book binding and ended up with a book binding, I just changed small aspects like material and coloring."

As he finished talking he silently congratulated himself at being able to snap back into a proper subject. He could innocently talk about transfiguration with her all day. Conversations about romance novels would do best never having been started in the first place.

[cameoclarke]

Her earlier mention of romance novels had been completely in passing for her, the idea of actually reading one was... appalling, to say the least. She knew their raunchy covers by walking past them in bookstores on her way to the nonfiction section, or noting them a few times in her mothers’ hands. However, she would make it a point to answer any question Agis could think to ask of her. Especially, when he raise his eyebrow as he did. She thought her lungs may have melted, and had to take a deeper breath.

No, to Cameo, just because he passed the subject on did not mean he still would not like an answer. She took it that he would just like to continue with two subjects, instead of one.

Her nose wrinkled a bit in distaste as she answered him, “I most certainly do not have much experience with romance novels. Though my mother told me she learned quite a bit about sex from them, which is as close to ‘the talk’ as we ever got. But, I can’t imagine them actually being romantic.”

Taking his cue, she continued onto transfiguration with only so much as a tiny pause to place the stubborn hair back behind her ear. She had found herself a bit annoyed when he implied she should know the spell from first year.

“That would make sense, though I haven’t forgotten switching spells. I happen to have worked hard for my ability in transfiguration, I just lack the ability to read your mind,” she said, a little irritated. “I’m rather good at using switching and patching spells. And of course, as you know, with certain materials the wand movement changes or the time spent focusing on each detai...” She realized she had snapped at him, and with that her mouth snapped shut.

“I am sorry,” she said sincerely, if not a little embarrassed, “I took that a little too personally.”

He would probably be telling her to leave soon, so that she could get back to her common room before curfew, and the last thing she wanted was for him to make her leave earlier over her little outburst. Only around fifteen or twenty minutes had passed since she found the book, but he always seemed to make entirely sure she had left with plenty of time. In fact, thinking of curfews, she was almost a little sad she had found her book. Before it had given her an excuse to stay just a little bit later.

Cameo found herself looking down for a moment before glancing up, giving him a tentative smile. Behind it her thoughts were saying in repetition, "Please don't make me leave, please don't make me leave."

[agis_yule]

Agis held back the urge to wince when Cameo carried on with the subject of romance novels, and he almost paled a little when she said the word 'sex'. A covert look around the library showed him no one was within hearing range, so he was able to relax a little. No one would hear him discussing sex with a student, so there'd be no chance for fanciful rumor to take flight around the castle that the two of them were having illicit meetings in the restricted section. This job was one of the few things he passionately cared about, so getting sacked just wouldn't do, and he was sure Cameo's reputation would hold up poorly under such scrutiny.

He felt he was out of the woods when she went with his change of subject, but the feeling of relief was momentary, as she seemed to be offended by what he had said. She was very right to be a bit annoyed with him. There was more to a switching spell then what he had provided her with. He felt a little silly, really. He had tutored more then a few students in transfiguration, so you'd think he should know how to explain its theories fully, but he always had his notes and a study guide with him when tutoring. Even today, the act of teaching someone was something he had to work at, just like learning during school had been something he had had to work at.

"It's quite alright." he said, smiling a little. "I'm not brilliant at transfiguration. If you want proper instruction Professor Reed would be the man to go to." He felt the craving for a cigarette begin to nag at him, as it usually did towards closing time. "I'm really only able to teach students who are struggling in a subject, but since you have ability in transfiguration I wouldn't be of much help." That wasn't entirely true, but he wasn't about to tell her that he'd be perfectly willing to spend hours with her explaining things like wand movements. He was perfectly willing on some level, but he knew that it would lead to problematic situations if he gave in to impulse.

"Now, I'm assuming you'll want to borrow The Journal of Edmondo De Luca?" he asked, moving behind the counter as he spoke to pull out a large tome used for record keeping. He also remembered to take out the waiting list to put that Gryffindor girl down for Nutritional Values of the Ruminant Mammal, but he found that he couldn't concentrate enough to remember her name with with Cameo standing on the other side of the counter.

He had to stop conversing with her. She had to go down to the Slytherin common room. But he was reluctant to speed things along the way he was, but the ball was already in motion. She'd take the journal and leave, right? Then he could finish up the night without walking on eggshells. She wouldn't be around anymore to ask him questions that tempted him into setting up a way to spend more time around her. Maybe this offsetting feeling would leave him if he were able to go outside and have a smoke. Maybe he'd stop thinking about that light colored lock of hair of hers that refused to stay in place.

[cameoclarke]

Illicit meetings in the restricted section? The thought had not yet reached her mind. At this point, Cameo was just thrilled to be within ten feet of the man. Close enough to see emotions, so hard to interpret, flicker across his eyes. Or perhaps those were just from the library’s old lighting system. Close enough that if she reached over the counter she could touch his hand. She would not, but somewhere her mind registered that if she had the nerve- she could.

Cameo listened to his explanation, relief flooding through her veins. She should not have worried he would get angry with her for such slight subordination. Her eyes caught momentarily on his neck, her memory playing instructions learned in muggle school for where to touch in order to feel a pulse. Her fingertips tingled. Hoping he did not catch her glance, she swallowed and watched herself rest the book gently on the desktop, denying her grip to loosen.
“I’m sure I’d be able to pick it up if need be, though I’m hoping I’ll be fortunate enough never to need to rebind books,” she smiled briefly, her face thoughtful. “I’m actually doing rather well in transfiguration. My main concern is Ancient Runes. I chose the course because it interests me; but I doubt it will actually intersect with my career.”

She stated the last sentence as if it were a full explanation for why she would be having difficulties in the class. Cameo enjoyed Ancient Runes, but it was the unfortunate subject at the bottom of the priority list even if she wanted to spend more time on it. Besides, she reasoned with herself, there was no one to go to for help. None of her friends, or acquaintances, took the class, and she was not comfortable enough with the professor to stay after class. Since she was not doing terribly, however, she would never want to waste Agis’ time.

Cameo raised her eyebrows when he asked her politely if she would like to borrow the journal. “Yes. Actually, that is one of the very reasons why I have been looking for it since May,” she teased. When her hair fell again, she left it rather than fight a losing battle.

After watching him withdraw the records, she asked, “Do you remember if there were many calculations or formulas?” She flipped softly through a few pages near the middle looking for numbers. He had told her once, when she first brought up the subject of The Journal of Edmondo De Luca, that he had read it when he was in school. It had not been that long, so he must remember much of it. “Or did De Luca prefer descriptions? I’m considering getting a notebook to write down information that might be necessary, though not just from this book. It will be easier than keeping track of parchment notes. I’m just curious which I’ll be writing more at the beginning.”

Luckily, she was talking to a librarian rather than a fellow student. That she was looking forward to a Hogsmeade visit, if ever again allowed, in order to obtain a journal would tempt many of her peers into taunting. Their time was better spent procuring joke items and candy.

[agis_yule]

Cameo didn't seem intent to leave at the moment, and Agis couldn't muster the will to tell her it was getting a bit late. The library was located on the fourth floor, and from what little he knew about the Slytherin common room he could only assume it was located in one of the lowest locations of the castle. It could take her quite a bit of time to make it back down to the dungeons. He had never had any problem with telling other students to get lost, but some selfish part of him wanted Cameo to stay around longer. None of the other students really talked the way she did, and none of the professors held his interest quite like she did. At this rate, she'd earn a detention for being out past curfew.

Against his better judgment, Agis continued the conversation instead of ending it. "And here I was hoping that you might have been so reverently searching for it out of some great love for this library." he said with a sigh, a faux hint of hurt in his voice, but his eyes and the way he almost smiled revealed that he was just kidding around. He tapped the page of his logbook in a few places, slots becoming filled with the information that one Cameo Clarke had borrowed The Journal of Edmondo De Luca on Monday, November 27th, 2006. "It's due back in two weeks." he said, touching the tip of his wand briefly against the cover of the journal so as to inscribe the inner card with the information. He remembered visiting Muggle libraries as a child, and was somewhat glad that he didn't have to go through the trouble of having to pull everything out and writing everything down by hand.

He had listened to her question while making the records, and was now prepared to answer it, calling upon his memory of the journal. "In the beginning of the book, De Luca seemed intent on easing his reader into the subject rather then immediately bombarding them with calculations and formulas. I suppose this kept people from closing the book just as soon as they had opened it." He smiled a bit, recalling some of his roommates who hadn't been very apt at anything too complicated. "De Luca had a knack for fooling people into enjoying the subject of space travel before they realized it might involve something somewhat difficult to comprehend. The calculations and formulas are more towards the back, if memory serves correct. All the beautiful detailed descriptions more towards the front."

He thought for a few seconds after he finished speaking, hoping she didn't take what he had said the wrong way. He hadn't meant that she might find anything in the journal difficult to comprehend. She had always seemed an intelligent person, certainly diligent enough in her studies to work hard at comprehending the knowledge she came across. He admittedly didn't know her very well, but if his impression of her was right then it would explain somewhat why he felt so drawn to her. She had qualities about her that one didn't often see in someone her age. He could only imagine what she'd be like in five years.

He only let a few seconds pass before speaking again, hoping to avoid a situation like before with the transfiguration spells. "If you don't mind me asking, what career are you after? It seems to me that if you're interested in ancient runes, then you should find a career that involves the subject so as to best hold your interest." He himself had immensely enjoyed ancient runes during his school years, and he found that he sometimes came across them in his duty as librarian, in untranslated books and the like.

[cameoclarke]

Other than a mild dreading of when he would tell her to go, Cameo was hardly aware of the time, having long ago misplaced her internal clock. She slept only because it was necessary, and felt as if there were more important things she could be doing. She watched him attentively as he teased her, noting with curiosity the way he never seemed to smile completely around her, even when his eyes spoke of happiness.

Just as meticulously, if not more, she listened when he spoke of the book. She was in no way offended, as her mind was focused on which would be of greater importance. “So if I am going to be able to finish it in two weeks,” she winced a little at the short time allotted to her in comparison for how long she had been searching, “then I should try to skim the front.”

She was quite thankful for this information, as otherwise she would have read every entry De Luca made in painstakingly detailed fashion- perhaps not even getting to the most useful parts! While considering this, he raised the subject on her career. Agis should have been well aware that breaching the topic of a Slytherin’s ambitions was risking a lengthy description of ‘why’ and ‘how.’ Luckily for him, she would begin simply with the ‘what.’

Cameo slid forward, resting her elbows on the countertop, a sly grin on her face telling him that what she would be saying was good. “De Luca reached the moon, Yule, but I’m going even further.”

The words might sounds silly coming from any other girl, but each syllable she spoke was crisp with no hesitation lingering in any of her words. The message was clear and unquestionable: she intended to do this, and there would be no stopping her.

“This book,” she said, with a little less intensity and a softer smile, “is not exactly required reading. I’m only requiring it of myself. And, while I enjoy understanding Ancient Runes, it just... cannot compare...” Her blue eyes sparkled at the celestial thoughts. “I’m only sad that there never seems to be enough time to both prepare and learn Ancient Runes properly. It takes me far longer to comprehend the subject than it should, and I'd feel uncomfortable asking this Professor for help.”

Usually, she had no problems asking a professor for a bit of further explanation. She had occasionally gone to Professors Reed and Askes for clarification, for she would hate to learn something incorrectly. Yet, for some reason, his explanations on Ancient Runes never matched the way she learned. Cameo knew it was no ones fault, it was a simple matter of different thinking patterns.

[agis_yule]

Agis quelled the impulse to take a step back when Cameo leaned onto the flat surface of the desk, desperately wishing that Hogwarts was a dangerous enough of a place to warrant warding spells around the counter to keep students firmly behind it. He had heard once that Durmstrang implemented such tactics, most likely to repel the unsavory sort that were schooled there. The place was supposedly a haven for Death Eaters' children, who are not exactly reputed as the most cordial of people. But instead of keeping brats experienced with the dark arts at bay, he simply wanted one thin Hogwarts student to be kept at a distance.

But he won over the impulse and stood his ground, his inner turmoil not outwardly apparent. Noticeably distancing her would only be suspicious. He had to treat her just like anyone else. What was it that he had he learned on the playground as a child? You never let on that you were even the tiniest bit interested in a girl. Of course, this usually involved going out of one's way to harass and annoy her, so perhaps the chapters on how to deal with his current situation shouldn't be lifted out of his sixth year of life.

He quickly snapped back to reality and listened to her response, becoming somewhat amazed by her answer to his questions. Slytherins truly were an exceedingly ambitious group of people, but this was certainly a first. Very few had accomplished what De Luca had, so the mere notion of surpassing him was otherworldly. Literally. But her voice left no room for questioning, he felt. She was serious, and he was slightly convinced she just might accomplish her goal.

"That's quite a career choice." he said quietly, thinking over what she had said. A small part of him was concerned. Space travel was difficult, dangerous. Imagining her going out of her way to experience something like that was a little hard for him to grasp. But he was a Hufflepuff at heart, a person perfectly content to serve. Slytherins were a completely different breed of people. "If it will help you, I could bend the rules a little and let you keep the book for another two weeks after your first two are up. I'm supposed to put things back on the shelf regularly to keep a handful of students," Usually Ravneclaws. "From monopolizing resources, but it's not like this book hasn't been missing for years already." And he somehow doubted that kids would be scrambling over each other for the chance to borrow The Journal of Edmondo De Luca.

Ancient runes- Agis has tutored a few students in it. He really enjoyed the subject, so he usually really enjoyed teaching it. Cameo seemed to be in need of someone to explain things fully for her, but she wasn't exactly his normal desperate, pathetic, struggling student. But he hated the thought of her missing out on anything because the provided instruction didn't mesh well with her learning style. He was tempted to offer tutoring her, but there was the tiny issue of his stupidly inappropriate attraction to her, which certainly wouldn't shrivel up and die given more Cameo exposure. Hadn't he been trying to keep his distance from her this whole time?

Agis had never been gifted at thinking on his toes. He needed time to think, to mull things over. So, of course, he blurted out what his gut was telling him to, not being in the situation to mull things over for hours before he was forced into action he really didn't want to take by an inconvenient feeling that he really just wanted to gouge out with the blunter end of his wand.

"If you'd like, I could tutor you." Agis said. To him, the words had seemed drawn out, in slow motion. But in reality they had simply been spoken like his words normally were. Soft, a little slow but certainly not molasses on a cold winter night. It was common knowledge that some things just happened in slow motion like this, horrible things like car crashes. But this catastrophe was already made. He could only hope now, looking across the counter at Cameo, brown gaze meeting blue, that the girl had enough sense to refuse. Shouldn't some instinctual drive kick in, warning her to keep away from predatory males? It was common knowledge that the worst of males were the ones who came bearing ancient runes lessons, right?

[agis_yule]

((Oh lord, that's long. I exceeded the character limit and had to snip some things off here and there, haha. Why yes, I do enjoy writing novels at three in the morning! Sorry if it's a burden to read.))

[cameoclarke]

Cameo was not the type to giggle and prance around in front of a boy, twirling her hair, but even she had difficulties holding back a smile when around Agis. The perfect control she exhibited over her body in ballet, in classes, in such simple tasks as walking down the halls must have vanished sometime before she reached the library. When he spoke quietly of her dreams, she had to bite her bottom lip in order to keep from grinning like an idiot. She took “quite a career choice” to mean that he was at the very least a little impressed; which could not have surprised her- even while it did make her elated. Modesty of her goals was never a strong point of hers, therefore she believed anyone and everyone should find them as wonderful as she did.

He continued the good news by telling her she could keep the book an extra two weeks if necessary. “Oh, that would be terrific,” she said graciously, “thank you.”

Immediately, she felt comforted. Three to four weeks was the perfect amount of time for a sixth year intent on getting ‘Outstandings’ in every class to spend on an outside book. She would be able to indulge in the journal as a personal reward after finishing with her homework, without having to take an action so blasphemous as skimming. It amused her to realize she was treating The Journal of Edmondo De Luca as a hybrid between the Bible and a dirty magazine.

So thrilled was she to have him know her plans and get two extra weeks, she could have sworn she had heard Agis offer to tutor her. But of course, that would be far too marvelous to ever happen. Except... he was looking at her as if waiting for a response. As if he had offered to tutor her. Never before hearing voices inside of her head that were not her own, Cameo registered the offer was genuine.

Not wanting to appear dull just standing there for a minute, she rushed to agree. “That could be very helpful. Yes, I’d like that,” her words as soft as they ever were in the library, “if it doesn’t interfere too much.”

Her mind volunteered memories of him tutoring other students; often sitting beside them to reference the book sitting on the table. Her skin surrendered pleasantly to goosebumps, imagining sitting next to him. Closer than she was now. Close enough to brush shoulders.
Most likely, he was just being kind, or maybe he felt a little sorry for her troubles, to offer, however, so she would hate to bother him during a busy time. Trying to remember what days were quietest in the library, she recalled that Saturday was the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw quidditch game. “I have Ancient Runes first tomorrow morning, so any night this week would work well for me except Wednesday, when I have Astronomy. Are you planning on attending the game on Saturday? I only go when Slytherin is playing, so if you weren’t planning on going- maybe then?”

((Nonono! I don't mind at all. Consider it my favorite novel, please continue writing it ;D And you should get AIM! I don’t care if your username is lovemesomeporcupines47, it will be fun, I promise!))

[agis_yule]

Agis' calm facade was in great danger of cracking and breaking into thousands of bitty little pieces. His mind had worked up a mantra of 'Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.', the chanting doing nothing to help him keep a hold of himself. Had she really just agreed to the tutoring? Yes, and not only had Cameo agreed to it, but she seemed happy, if he was reading her subtle expressions right. That she was happy at the prospect of tutoring made him happy, but at the same time an overwhelming feeling of dread was consuming him. Feeling such wildly different emotions at the same time was strange, to say the least. He wished one could just win out over the other, so he could stop contemplating jumping out the large window on the other side of the room while grinning madly the whole time.

The close physical proximity to a student that tutoring brought on was never something he was unaware of, but it never particularly mattered. On occasion a few of the students would look up at him under heavy lashes and giggle at something he had just told them, like the third rule of exponential transfiguration theory, but it had never mattered because he saw those students as nothing more then students. On occasion he had had to comfort a crying student, the girl plagued by something like being unable to forget that the reason she was struggling in History of Magic in the first place was because her boyfriend had dumped her. But now, thinking about it, Agis realized that even though he was attracted to her there'd be little risk involved in this tutoring business because Cameo wouldn't bat her eyelashes at him and she certainly wouldn't cry on his shoulder. She obviously didn't harbor some girlish crush on him, he reasoned, as she was always the height of studiousness within the library, obviously unconcerned with anything else around her other then her books. His unrequited feelings, therefore, posed little harm.

It wasn't like he was going to force himself upon her. He could barely bring himself to smile at her. Relief washed over him as he realized that his attraction meant nothing as long as he was able to keep it in check, and he happened to be the king of nonchalance. Agis could keep strong emotions perfectly hidden. He rarely became angry or incredibly happy, but the few times he did he was able to internally cage the emotion. Why should something as inconsequential as an attraction be any different? Even if he immensely enjoyed being close to her while tutoring, being able to discuss with her at length something that they both enjoyed, he'd be able to keep control. Everything in his actions towards her would be appropriate and innocent.

He suddenly stopped feeling like doomsday was upon him, letting happiness take over just a little bit. Good, the window would stay intact. "It's not an interference. My duties as librarian are rarely constantly called upon, so I spend a lot of time idling." he said, his voice now unburdened by his previous worries, his note a hint lighter then it was before. He played with his wand as he considered scheduling, twirling it about his fingers absentmindedly. He still felt like a cigarette, but at least now it wasn't because he was stressed. "I never go to the quidditch games" Agis admitted, somewhat amused by how grumpy that probably made him sound. Not even to support the Hufflepuff team, even if they so dreadfully needed it. "Saturday would be fine. Around ten?" Agis knew full well that the majority of the women he knew liked nothing more then to sleep in, so perhaps Cameo was one of them. Surprisingly, the thought that the library would most certainly be empty while the game was underway hadn't crossed his mind.

[cameoclarke]

There was little reason for her to feel quite so excited, Cameo’s mind stressed. She had met with Chen Takurai last Friday, and had not felt such anticipation regarding being tutored then. Of course, it had turned out much better than she could have expected, getting along with the boy on a friendly level and having an excellent conversation expanding far beyond the nonverbal spells they had began with. Still, she had to remind herself not to expect the same from Agis. For while she might not be able to think of anything more pleasant than going over the meanings of ancient runes with him, listening to his calm voice speaking to only her... she had to remember that, to him, this was an obligation. One certainly could not apply for the position of Hogwarts Librarian without knowing fully well that they would be expected to tutor students. Because, to him, she had to remember she was just a student. One out of several hundred. Really, she should be happy that he remembered her name... even if she only knew by his placing it in the records. She could not remember the last time she had heard him say
it.

She wondered vaguely why he never went to the quidditch games, as perhaps they had something else in common. Cameo chose not to go anymore since she lacked that brand of competitive spirit. She did not see why the strengths of others in comparison with your own was supposed to matter so much, or why anyone could expect her to feel particularly strongly about people she did not even know competing. The only competition she saw point in was the competition against one’s self, focusing on improving. That was why, when she had considered playing, it was only in the position of the seeker. That position was about your speed, agility, and focus rather than about the opponents. She went to the Slytherin games now, partly out of curiosity and partly to support Illi, who was their seeker.

“I’ll be here by ten, then,” she answered as she walked over to the table where she had left her belongings. While gathering everything, she thought perhaps she would be able to get some dance practice in beforehand, and head to the library from there. She would just have to keep in mind the word “obligatory” would be associated with her that day, and give him the least trouble possible. Meanwhile, she would have to try not to think about this Saturday during the tedious History lesson on Thursday, the moments before sleeping, or if she passed him in the library throughout the week. She would have to concentrate on anything besides the minute, highly improbable possibility his hand might brush over hers to point at a figure. Cameo would have to be gracious she would be learning from him, at all.

While she yearned to stay longer, she knew she would be cutting it close to curfew as it was. She began to walk towards the door, but stopped back at the counter where Agis still was standing. “Thank you, again,” she smiled, feeling rather than seeing the emptiness of the room against her clothes. She lingered a moment, her hands feeling anxious; waving would be too awkward a gesture, but they felt like they should be doing something. She let one of them brush her hair back, then both held unnecessarily onto the strap of her bag. “Well, goodnight, Yule.” She made to leave.