Drabble the second
It's amazing how slow going a few hundred words can be *snort*
What Others See
"What are you reading?" Vincent heard the curious voice from over his shoulder, and he scrambled to cover the book he'd been trying to decipher.
He shot the brat behind him a look, but didn't recognize her. Some annoying little Ravenclaw, just like the one who'd jeered at him when he'd come in, saying she hadn't realized he knew where the library was. "Nothin'," he muttered, snapping the book shut, realizing only too late Dangerous Spells and How to Cast Them scrawled across the cover hardly hid the nature of what he'd been looking at.
It should have been enough to make her go away, but instead she plopped down in the chair beside him, trying to get a better look. Vincent scowled, which was usually enough to get girls to cower and leave, but she was barely even paying attention to him. "Ooh," she sounded excited, basically pulling the book from his grasp and stroking her fingers over the cover, "you must have got this from the restricted section. I tried to sneak in there before but Madam Pince caught me and gave me detention. Haven't tried this year - I've heard what those Carrows do to people who get detention."
"I go in there all the time," Vincent boasted gruffly, even though he hadn't ever read a book from there before in actuality. Professor Carrow had given this book to him after Defense Against the Dark Arts the other day, and told him he might find it interesting. Vincent hadn't quite understood what he meant, but had known that meant he was supposed to read it.
"What are you reading about?" She asked, beginning to flip through the pages.
He really didn't know why she wasn't leaving. Girls always left when he came to sit down, and they never came willingly most of the time to his side anyway. Pansy maybe, but that was only when she was trying to get Draco to drool after her. And besides Greg, no bloke really ever came and sat with him either, unless Draco wanted something. It was probably that book, she was just here for the book, and he didn't want to admit he couldn't really understand any of the spells in it. But Professor Carrow had asked him to learn some of them - not Greg or Draco even, so that had to mean something.
"All of them, can't decide which one I like best," that seemed a safe answer.
The girl had stopped on a page that seemed to radiate heat, her hand stroking it reverently. Vincent leaned forward, trying to see what it was, even as she said in an awed tone, "Fiendfyre, I've heard of this. It's really dangerous! I don't know anybody who can cast it properly, even in Ravenclaw - I mean our head boy and girl have mastered pretty much everything besides."
Vincent spoke before thinking. "I can," he blurted out.
He hoped she wasn't going to ask for a demonstration because he hadn't even made it to that page yet, and he didn't think he could cast any of the ones on the pages before anyway - but the girl just looked up at him, a certain amount of awe in her eyes. "Really?" She breathed, focused on him now even more than the book.
Vincent felt that like a punch to his gut. Nobody ever looked at him like that. Fear, yeah, they all felt that. Or they hated him, not that he really minded. Though there were a few other instances when they seemed to think they were so much fucking better than he was, like he was so stupid, and that made him angrier than anything. Nobody looked at him though like he was something, like he wasn't just a big dumb lug, and he found he really, really liked somebody else thinking that about him beside his mum.
"Oh yeah," he sounded more confident when he shot her a small smile, "I mean, it's hard, but I can do it."
Well, or at least he would.
Requestor: the_rainbow_jen Prompt: Perspective.
I'd really considered doing this stoatshead_hill compliant rather than JK compliant, though I went with the latter...still not sure if I made the right call, lol.
What Others See
"What are you reading?" Vincent heard the curious voice from over his shoulder, and he scrambled to cover the book he'd been trying to decipher.
He shot the brat behind him a look, but didn't recognize her. Some annoying little Ravenclaw, just like the one who'd jeered at him when he'd come in, saying she hadn't realized he knew where the library was. "Nothin'," he muttered, snapping the book shut, realizing only too late Dangerous Spells and How to Cast Them scrawled across the cover hardly hid the nature of what he'd been looking at.
It should have been enough to make her go away, but instead she plopped down in the chair beside him, trying to get a better look. Vincent scowled, which was usually enough to get girls to cower and leave, but she was barely even paying attention to him. "Ooh," she sounded excited, basically pulling the book from his grasp and stroking her fingers over the cover, "you must have got this from the restricted section. I tried to sneak in there before but Madam Pince caught me and gave me detention. Haven't tried this year - I've heard what those Carrows do to people who get detention."
"I go in there all the time," Vincent boasted gruffly, even though he hadn't ever read a book from there before in actuality. Professor Carrow had given this book to him after Defense Against the Dark Arts the other day, and told him he might find it interesting. Vincent hadn't quite understood what he meant, but had known that meant he was supposed to read it.
"What are you reading about?" She asked, beginning to flip through the pages.
He really didn't know why she wasn't leaving. Girls always left when he came to sit down, and they never came willingly most of the time to his side anyway. Pansy maybe, but that was only when she was trying to get Draco to drool after her. And besides Greg, no bloke really ever came and sat with him either, unless Draco wanted something. It was probably that book, she was just here for the book, and he didn't want to admit he couldn't really understand any of the spells in it. But Professor Carrow had asked him to learn some of them - not Greg or Draco even, so that had to mean something.
"All of them, can't decide which one I like best," that seemed a safe answer.
The girl had stopped on a page that seemed to radiate heat, her hand stroking it reverently. Vincent leaned forward, trying to see what it was, even as she said in an awed tone, "Fiendfyre, I've heard of this. It's really dangerous! I don't know anybody who can cast it properly, even in Ravenclaw - I mean our head boy and girl have mastered pretty much everything besides."
Vincent spoke before thinking. "I can," he blurted out.
He hoped she wasn't going to ask for a demonstration because he hadn't even made it to that page yet, and he didn't think he could cast any of the ones on the pages before anyway - but the girl just looked up at him, a certain amount of awe in her eyes. "Really?" She breathed, focused on him now even more than the book.
Vincent felt that like a punch to his gut. Nobody ever looked at him like that. Fear, yeah, they all felt that. Or they hated him, not that he really minded. Though there were a few other instances when they seemed to think they were so much fucking better than he was, like he was so stupid, and that made him angrier than anything. Nobody looked at him though like he was something, like he wasn't just a big dumb lug, and he found he really, really liked somebody else thinking that about him beside his mum.
"Oh yeah," he sounded more confident when he shot her a small smile, "I mean, it's hard, but I can do it."
Well, or at least he would.
Requestor: the_rainbow_jen Prompt: Perspective.
I'd really considered doing this stoatshead_hill compliant rather than JK compliant, though I went with the latter...still not sure if I made the right call, lol.