Backdated to early on the morning of Nov. 1st

[dinos_eat_man]

Ellie was curled up in an overstuffed chair in the Ravenclaw common room, resting a hot cup of tea on her knees. Normally bubbly and outgoing, this time she was trying to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible. A letter and a photograph were tucked into the folds of the over-sized sweater she had thrown over her ball gown. She drank

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[ian_ma1co1m]

Ian Malcolm came into the common room from the dorms and made straight for the bar. A short petting session had been required to calm Fractal down after the events of the Halloween party, and he'd left the kitten sleeping soundly in his room.

He fixed himself a large gin and tonic and carried it, a bowl of pretzels and a handful of cocktail napkins over to Ellie's corner.

"Pardon me. Is this seat taken?"

[dinos_eat_man]

"That depends. Are you sure that the Invisible Man isn't here?" She stole a few pretzels out of his bowl. "I wouldn't be surprised if I found myself sitting in his lap one day."

[ian_ma1co1m]

Ian groped around the empty chair seat with his free hand. "Seems we're safe enough for now. That being the case, may I join you?"

[dinos_eat_man]

"Yeah. Knock yourself out. Or did Alan already do that for you?" Ellie gave him a half-smile.

[ian_ma1co1m]

"Eenh. Not so bad this time. Last time I ended up with a bruised kidney. Of course, that time I hugged him, so it was a case of the punishment fitting the crime."

He sat and balanced the pretzel bowl on the arm of his chair between them, in easy sharing reach.

"Quite a party, wasn't it?" Smile. "See? I can do understatement. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

[dinos_eat_man]

"You hugged him! Why? Are you sure you got away with only a bruised kidney?"

Ellie grabbed a few more pretzels and made a makeshift bowl out of some folds in her sweater.

"Oh, I never doubted that you could," she said. "But what happened in there?"

[ian_ma1co1m]

"A spell, of course, or something similar. It was in a Sorting, the woman got to me first, and after Grant decked me she turned her attention to putting the whammy on him. Which distracted both of them long enough for me to squib her and make good my escape."

He smirked slightly, debating whether to tell Ellie how Queen Marisoo's spell over Grant was broken. No, probably a sore subject, under the circumstances.

"I'd say a spell hit the party as well. Turning people into their Halloween costumes, I suppose. An entertaining concept, but the execution still has a few bugs." He took a sip of G&T. "I take it you've retired from the evil mistress business entirely now? How are Grant and Laura handling it?"

[dinos_eat_man]

Ellie pulled her knees closer to her chest. "The whammy? How do you put the whammy on someone?" A frown crossed her face. "I'm just not picturing the whammy on him."

She took a sip of her tea. "Well, I'm only evil for my husband." Ellie set the cup down on the floor, and looked Ian in the eye. "So, magic can really do that, huh? Mess with your mind, make you think you're someone else, and do things that you don't want to do."

[ian_ma1co1m]

"The whammy...it's difficult to describe. That woman was like one of the Sirens. Voice like music, intensely amethyst eyes...it was like hypnosis. Grant was more resistant to it than I, but it did affect him to some degree."

He sighed and sipped at his own drink. "Yes, magic can do that. I found that out my first few days here, when I drank a cup of spiked punch. But, Ellie, so can other humans. Remember the early teens? Falling under the sway of a charismatic teacher or a bad boyfriend or girlfriend? Until we learn to approach the world with an appropriate level of caution we're quite vulnerable. And in this world, those cautions and the dangers we need to guard against are vastly different from what we're used to."

[dinos_eat_man]

"But Ian, pheromones or hormones aren't going to make you kiss someone you hate, or try and kill someone! We're rational adults, and in just a few seconds we were running around like children. What if it hadn't worn off in time?"

She sighed. "Do you feel that you have the appropriate level of caution?"

[ian_ma1co1m]

"I think so, yes, but then I've never been entirely risk-averse when it came to something I wanted to learn about - in this case, magic. There's risk in everything in life, my dear, but some things are worth it."

He frowned. "Wait. Who hates whom, and who kissed whom? I'm confused. Which incident are you asking about, tonight or the Sorting I mentioned?"

[dinos_eat_man]

"Is that why you've stayed here so long, then?" she asked. "I've been thinking of leaving."

"Sorry, I got carried away. Consider it a hypothetical example. Although.." She cocked her head in thought, then smiled mischievously. "Well, never mind. That's a mental image one was never meant to have."

[ian_ma1co1m]

Ian pulled a felt-tip pen from his jacket pocket and began doodling equations idly on a cocktail napkin.

"That's part of it, yes. Also that I've met people whose company I enjoy here, and...I don't think you'll understand this, but I'm not considered strange here. That is something I've never, ever experienced before. Everywhere else I've ever been I've been considered brilliant but weird, or weirdly brilliant, or some combination of the two. It's had a decided effect on my personality; perhaps you've noticed."

He smiled back. "Well. I can't exactly discourage you, as you've people to go home to and I do not. But I'd be very, very surprised to see you back away from a challenge, Ellie. As for that mental image - never say never, my dear. Is that what's bothering you, that Milan kissed Grant?"

[dinos_eat_man]

"You're not the only one who's strange, Ian. Some people just hide it better than others. But I can see why you'd want to be in a place where you can fit in."

"I don't see it as a challenge, Ian, I see it as a threat. What if I stay here, and something happens that hurts me, or my family?"

Ellie dropped her gaze back to the floor. "The kiss was the kind of 'something' I was trying to avoid."

[ian_ma1co1m]

"Oh, I've come to realize that over the years of teaching," he replied, and sipped at his drink. "Most have some kind of a haven where they could feel normal, with family or friends, and I never quite did.

If your home is where you feel that way, then of course it should be your priority. But Ellie, this place and the things that happen in it don't have to be a threat. As best I can tell, magic is all about mastering energies, and you achieve that through knowledge and mastery of yourself."

He took another sip and added a few notes to his cocktail napkin.

"When Milan kissed Grant, did it stir up old feelings? Or is it simply the fact that it happened at all that troubles you?"

[dinos_eat_man]

"Maybe it's just the culture shock talking. Maybe, after I've been here as long as you guys have, I'll be comfortable with spells that affect your mood or potions that change your age. Then I'll be able to tap in to those energies of yours and learn magic. I'm already signed up for a class. I might be more open to it after I've gotten my toes wet."

"Things have been dead between Alan and I for years," she said, "but I'm afraid of accidentally rekindling an old flame."