Around 5:30, Mon. Oct 6 - Eve and Padma
Who: 'Eve and Padma
What: Discussion of the previous day, getting to know each other
When: About 5:30 PM, Monday Oct. 6th
Where: Ravenclaw common room, Seventh year's girls' room.
*'Eve*
'Eve climbed the stairs up to the Ravenclaw common room, her bag slung over her shoulder. She had thought Potions would be disheartening since she knew she was miserable in the subject. She'd had to borrow a book from the classroom so that she could follow along in class. Luckily for her, though, she'd picked one that already notes scribbled in the margins and those had helped her not completely screw up her brew. She'd even won ten points for Ravenclaw. She stepped into the library-like common room and spotted Padma sitting by the fireplace. A smile spread across her face as she crossed to the seventh year, banishing at last from her mind all the awful memories that had been floating around since her meeting with professor Snape.
"Hey, Pads," she said softly as she fell into the chair across from Padma.
*Padma*
Padma blushed a bit and looked over at 'Eve with a smile.
"Hello 'Eve. How's your day been so far? Finding your way around? Recovering from last night?"
She fidgeted slightly but kept her hands clasped in her lap, trying not to betray the fact that her mind was racing. She chewed her lip thoughfully for a moment.
*'Eve*
She nodded. "I'm doing okay; I think I finally go the last of the firewhiskey out of my system," she admitted. "Detention wasn't too bad; I got to meet Alex and explore the library a bit. Some of the books were a bit viscious, but I suppose it could have been worse. I've really only had Potions today, and it wasn't too hard to find the dungeons. Slughorn's class was ... interesting." She watched Padma carefully. "How are you doing?"
*Padma*
She smiled.
"Good, I'm glad everything'd going well..." She smirked. "So you got to meet the famous Alex, eh? How'd that go?"
At the mention of potions, she perked up.
"Yeah Slughorn's a strange one.. He started class off by hiding as an overstuffed chair... and then we made love potions! Mine came out really well, for once... And then Slughorn asked me and Harry to join him for dinner... Very strange..." She carefully omitted her time spent with Anthony. "But other than all that I'm doing fine thanks..."
*'Eve*
"Oh, good, I won't be going alone," she replied. "He invited me, too - kept going on about my mum and her potions-brewing." She made a face. "We worked on Draught of the Living Death," she said, "and surprisingly, I didn't ruin it. It actually turned out pretty well," she blushed slightly, neglecting to mention her new book. She wasn't sure what the school's policy on it would be, and she didn't want to risk losing it - it was the only thing that would ensure that she might pass this class. "He pulled the armchair prank on your class, too? Nearly gave me a heart attack." She shifted in her seat. "Alex was nice... very agreeable. We talked about you a bit," she teased, smiling slightly.
*Padma*
"Oh, you're going too... Might actually be enjoyable then." She smiled. "Draught of the Living Death? Isn't that a tough one? I think we did that once..." And then she blushed furiously. "What... What did you and Alex say... about me..." She looked mortified.
*'Eve*
"Nothing terrible, I promise," she smiled. "I think I did most of the talking, actually." She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked across at the prefect. "It's good to see you," she said quietly. "Yesterday was such a whirlwind, you know?" She smiled briefly.
*Padma*
She snorted.
"Sounds a lot like the conversations I used to have with him."
She blushed a bit at the 'good to see you' and smiled softly.
"It's good to see you too... Yes, yesterday was very hectic, a lot of things to do and see..."
*'Eve*
"Detentions to get," she quipped. "Speaking of..." she blushed slightly, remembering how she'd been caught when the Aurors had busted the party. "I know we kind of talked about things last night after we got back, but..." she trailed off and looked around the room. "Maybe we could go up to one of the dorms where there aren't so many curious ears?" She glanced significantly at a group of fourth years who seemed determined to eavesdrop on them.
*Padma*
She smirked at the mention of detentions. And then 'Eve suggestion caught her slightly by surprise.
"Oh... Sure.. Right... We can talk, definitely... I don't think there's many 4th years about, if you want to head up there..."
She glared at the 4th years imperiously.
*'Eve*
"Sounds good to me," she said, smiling as she stood and tossed the bag over her shoulder. "I can drop my books off on the way." She passed the prefect's chair and touched her shoulder lightly.
*Padma*
She smiled at the familiarity of the touch and she sat up and headed up to her dorm room, making sure that everyone was out. She kicked a few stray pieces of laundry under the bed and smoothed down the blankets, before sitting down. She absentmindedly smoothed her hair down waiting for 'Eve.
*'Eve*
She dropped her books on her bed, scratched her cat's ears, then headed up for the seventh years' dorm. She opened the door and crossed to Padma's bed. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked with a light tease in her voice, pointing to the spot next to the older Ravenclaw.
*Padma*
She laughed.
"Of course not, make yourself comfortable."
She stopped playing with her hair and put her hands in her lap.
"So... Ummm.. What do you want to talk about?"
*'Eve*
She sat down heavily and pressed her arm up against Padma's. "Nothing," she grinned, "I just wanted to get you alone... or at least where I could actually get to know you a bit. You know, that didn't involve a dare?" She winked at Padma. "I realized that I really hardly know you, I mean, not properly."
*Padma*
She smiled and relaxed a bit.
"I know it's true, we didn't do a whole lot of talking last night did we... I was hoping we could get some time alone together today... I barely know you... But I want to get to know you better."
She blushed a bit.
"Ummm... so... anything in particular you want to know?"
*'Eve*
She smiled at Padma and suddenly a flood of questions came to her mind. "Everything," she said simply, laughing. "Where are you from? Do you have any other siblings besides - it's Parvati, right? What do you want to do with your life? What's your favourite colour?" She giggled a little. "Do you prefer marmalade or strawberry preserves? You know, all the usual things."
*Padma*
She grinned at the attention as she quickly fired back answers to her interrogation.
"My family lives in London, but my mother and father moved from India when they were younger, so my family is pretty new to England... It's just Parvati, the two of us were so much trouble my parents never wanted any more... I haven't got a clue what I want to do with my life aside from be a smashing success... Favourite colour is purple... And orange marmelade..." She grinned.
"Ok, now your turn, tell me about your family and where you're from and Beauxbatons and France and all that..."
*'Eve*
She grinned at Padma's rapid-fire responses. "I was born in Paris, my mum's a witch and my papa's a Muggle. He taught at the Sorbonne - head of the mythology department - and my mum worked for the Ministière as their top potions brewer. She really had an unnatural gift for the subject," she smiled sadly. "I had a little brother, too, named Edouard. He was just over a year old... They were all killed, though, about a month ago? It was at our manour in Brittany..." She looked exceedingly sad, remembering. She bit her lip.
*Padma*
Her face fell and she rested her hands on the other girl's legs leaning forward.
"Oh my gods... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to bring it up... Oh gods 'Eve... That's terrible..."
*'Eve*
"It's okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "It's... it's good for me to talk about it. Helps with the healing process and all that rot." She smiled shakily at Padma. "But France is a wonderful country. I miss it, though it really doesn't hold much for me. I grew up in the city - gaie Paris - and actually went to a Muggle school until I got my letter for Beauxbatons. My father insisted. He wanted me to be able to move smoothly between the two worlds."
*Padma*
She smiled softly.
"'All that rot', eh? You're fitting in already. I would like to see France someday it seems very nice... You actually went to muggle school? How was that? It must have been quite a shock when you got to Beauxbatons! What are muggle children like?"
*'Eve*
She laughed. "Must have picked that one up from Alex this morning. I am a natural with tongues," she said, winking. "Muggle school... well, they taught us regular - rather, Muggle - history, maths, some science, letters... it was a small school, very proper. The kids could be horrible," she said, remembering the way she'd been teased and ostracised, "but overall I wouldn't have traded the experience. I think kids anywhere can be horrible. At least these ones didn't know magic and couldn't steal an older sibling's wand." She shifted slightly. "Beauxbatons wasn't too much of a shock, as I spent a lot of time with my mum's side of the family. We had house-elves and whatnot at the family manor, so I grew up with a lot of magic around me. Just couldn't use it at school, you know?"
*Padma*
She laughed along with her, allowing her mind to wander slightly on the subject of tongues.
"That's good... How very strange... Parvati and I were rather sheltered, I guess.... There's not so many middle class wizards in the city... And, well, you're looking at a good percentage of the school's Indian population right here in front of you... So we amused ourselves or played with neighborhood kids until we were whisked away to Hogwarts..."
*'Eve*
"At least you had some friends growing up," she said, smiling. "I really only had one - a Muggle at my school by the name of Natalie. She's fantastic, and usually helped fight off the bullies. I used to get in trouble with my parents a lot, though. A bunch of kids would turn up covered in papercuts or all their shoe buckles undone and no one could figure out how it happened." She whistled innocently. "Of course, my folks would know straight away, especially since Natalie and I somehow managed to escape from all of those incidents unscathed." She grinned wryly. "I wasn't very good at covering my tracks. Got a lot of stern talkings-to about misuse of magic."
*Padma*
She laughed.
"Well, I suppose... Didn't have any really close friends until I got here and met Cho and Jade and Marietta. That's when I really made some friends..."
She listened attentively.
"So they French version of the Ministry didn't send out notices or anything? Ours did. You were absolutely not allowed to do magic outside of school. They haven't checked up on that in the past couple years though... Not since You-Know-Who came back and all... More important things to do, I guess."
*'Eve*
"No, no notices. Or maybe they did, and that's how my folks knew," she frowned. "I was usually forced to do chores without the benefit of magic or assistance from magical objects as punishment. I'm really brilliant at buffing wood floors," she added with a smile.
*Padma*
She laughed.
"I'll keep that in mind if I ever get some wood floors that need washing... I was such a goodie two shoes as a kid, I never got into much trouble... I got a little sassy sometimes but never in fights or anything..."
*'Eve*
"I tried to stay out of trouble, it just seemed to find me. Not once I got to Beauxbatons, though," she added. "I was pretty quiet there. I tried to stay off the radar as much as possible. I studied a lot, made a few friends... at least I fit in there."
*Padma*
She nodded.
"That's good... I used to hear a lot of nice things about Beauxbatons. How peaceful it was and how studious people were... I was kind of jealous, I always wanted to get a transfer... "
*'Eve*
"It was lovely there; lots of great electives. I was studying diplomacy and defense with a focus in magical languages before the destruction. There's not really any transferrable classes here that match up, but that's okay. I kind of miss my mermish classes, though," she said wistfully. "And riding the Abraxan winged horses."
*Padma*
She smiled soflty.
"Magical languages? That sounds excellent. Diplomacy and Defense sounds interesting too... Ha, winged horses, that's madness... We never have fun things like that... Well, Hagrid brought in a hypogriff once, but it almost killed Malfoy... Pity it didn't..."
*'Eve*
"Malfoy?" she repeated curiously. "There are Malfoys here?"
*Padma*
She nodded.
"Yeah, Draco.. He's in Slytherin, the albino looking snobby kid."
*'Eve*
"Doesn't surprise me," she said with a slight snort. "The French branch - the Malfoi family - is rotten to the core. They're distant cousins," she added. "Mum wouldn't let me visit them. For that I suspect I will be eternally thankful."
*Padma*
"Probably for the best. No one liked Draco except his best mates, and they're dead and gone now... Well, Ginny Weasley likes him and we're not quite sure why... We think she just likes bad boys is all..."
*'Eve*
She nodded. "I met her briefly during Potions today." She smiled a bit and leaned against Padma. "The red hair was hard to miss."
*Padma*
She smiled as 'Eve leaned against her.
"I'm sure it was. It was probably a welcome sight after last night."
*'Eve*
She didn't know quite what to make of that. Was Padma alluding to her less-than-elegant encounter with Fred Weasley? Or just the inordinate amount of red hair at the party? Or was she reading too much into it? "Dunno about that;" she said with a small smile, "I was happier to see your dark hair, actually. Kind of surprised me, to be honest..." she took a deep breath. "I've been thinking more about you than anyone else," she confessed. Oh gods. There it was. Out there. She couldn't express herself properly in English, and now all that sprung to her mind were awful French phrases and she didn't know what to say at all. She blushed.
*Padma*
She blushed and turned away, smiling broadly.
"Don't tease me like that 'Eve... I know you and George got up to something last night... More than you and I did, that's for sure... What was it you said we were? Copines de lit?" She took a breath and turned back. "But I've been thinking about you an awful lot too... I was so confused this morning, I thought you were a 7th year and going to show up in class any minute..." She put her hand on top of the other girl's.
*'Eve*
"Well, I am 17; I just had a birthday. I've always been one of the oldest ones in my class." She smiled briefly. "And it was Fred, actually... he's quite charming," she said, mind wandering back to the night before. "I got caught up in the moment... I just wanted to forget everything that had happened the previous month. I didn't want to care for once." She stared at her knees, partially ashamed. "I'm not really that kind of girl," she admitted. "I just... there's an expression, I think. I needed to blow off steam?" She blushed. "I like you. I don't know you very well, but I like you. Enough to tell you all this right now... which is difficult and terrible for me to do."
*Padma*
Padma's smile broadened. Someone liked her! Someone chose her! She wasn't just a poor second to Parvati or Hermione or Cho or Adeline anymore.
"I always get those two confused. It's rather embarassing considering how mad I get when someone mistakes me and Parvati...." She paused for a moment, taking a breath before continuing. "I... I think I like you too... A lot, really. Last night was so strange and wonderful and new... And they way I feel about you... it's like the way I usually feel about boys... it's so confusing... I have no idea what I'm doing... Am I going mad? I don't know... I'm no good at this... I'm very straight forward analytical person usually... And romance tends to defy that at every turn..."
*'Eve*
She smiled cautiously. Someone liked her! But that someone was also confused - which was completely to be expected - but still! "Romance does seem to confound logic, doesn't it?" she said, squeezing Padma's hand gently. "It's okay for you to like me that way..." she said tentatively. "Attraction doesn't have to be bound by someone's gender. I like boys and girls," she said, trying to make it sound simple and easy, though it really was neither. "I don't think someone should have to limit themself just because someone isn't the 'right' gender."
*Padma*
She smiled softly as 'Eve squeezed her hand.
"I completely agree... but this is the first time I've ever felt like this for a girl. It's very strange and overwhelming to me.. But in a good way, I promise. "
She looked into 'Eve's eyes.
"I never even considered it. But everything seems so natural with you... I feel very relaxed around you... and I'm actually kind of an uptight person."
*'Eve*
She nodded, smiling. "If you... still want to continue... trying this..." 'Eve struggled to find the right words, "I'm more than willing..." she smiled softly, trying to mask her awkwardness. She took a deep breath. "It's odd, at first, when you first like a girl... feels so strange, and... well, at least for me... felt so right. It just... made sense, somehow." She shrugged helplessly, then smiled slyly. "You didn't seem very uptight yesterday," she commented, raising an eyebrow. "Of course, Firewhiskey helps that..."
*Padma*
She laughed.
"Yes, I suppose you got to see me at my least uptight in a while. I don't drink too often, so when I do it goes to my head...."
She sighed.
"I didn't even think about it until after... and then it felt odd... It was like, hey, wait a mo'... But it felt so right... and so natural.."
She blushed and said quietly.
"I think I'd like to keep trying this... if you can put up with me being clumsy and awkward and not knowing what I'm doing... and I can't promise that I won't freak out at some point... But I don't think it's likely..."
*'Eve*
She nodded slowly. "That seems reasonable. And you were quite good, thank you," she said with a small smile. "You were a bit timid at first," she admitted, "but warmed up quickly. I liked it." She met Padma's eyes. "I... I don't want to rush you at all," she said, pressing her forehead against Padma's. "So I'm going to ask before I kiss you..." she rubbed her nose shyly against the other girl's. "... May I?"
*Padma*
She laughed and smiled and then tilted her head slightly and pressed her lips against 'Eve's as a reply.
*'Eve*
She was almost caught off-guard by Padma's quick response. She pressed back carefully, sweetly, closing her eyes and enjoying the sweet smell and taste of Padma.
*Padma*
She closed her eyes too and leaned into the kiss, savoring it.
*'Eve*
'Eve opened her mouth slightly, slowly, testing the boundaries. She couldn't help the smile that threatened her face.
*Padma*
Padma continued kissing her, sliding her hands up the other girl's thighs to her waist.
*'Eve*
Her eyes opened at the movement of Padma's hand, surprised yet again by the forwardness of her fellow Ravenclaw. She reached up and touched the edge of her hand to Padma's face, lightly tracing her jaw. She pulled back after a moment and smiled.
"... wow," she said quietly.
*Padma*
She sat back and smiled.
"Was that good?"
She grinned back at 'Eve.
*'Eve*
"Yes," she said, smiling more broadly. "Definitely yes." She leaned in to kiss Padma again.
*Padma*
She leaned forward slightly, kissing 'Eve back.
*'Eve*
Feeling braver, 'Eve snaked her hand around Padma's back, kissing her more deeply. Her blood started to rush and she felt herself warming up and becoming flushed.
*Padma*
She leant into the kiss, losing herself in the moment. Her lips parted and she slid her tongue into 'Eve's mouth.
*'Eve*
She pulled Padma closer to her, returning the kiss. She rubbed Padma's back slowly, massaging.
*Padma*
She broke the kiss with a moan and pulled back slightly. She was heavily flushed and she ran a hand through her hair, smiling sheepishly.
"Well... That's still nice even when I'm not drunk..."
*'Eve*
She let a big smile spread across her face. "That's a good sign," she said with a wink, reaching up to return a stray hair behind Padma's ear. "Much better," she murmured. She glanced around, a thought striking her. "What time is it?"
*Padma*
She hopped up from the bed and went to look at the timepiece on her night stand.
"Just about six... so we have an hour to get ready for our dinner with Slughorn..."
*'Eve*
She sighed with a smile. "Too bad we can't just skip it and spend the evening here..." she said with a twinkling eye. Her stomach growled in protest. Her eyes opened wide in surprise as she touched her stomach. "I don't think my stomach would appreciate it, though!" she said with a laugh.
*Padma*
She looked in shock at 'Eve's stomach.
"Apparently so! I heard that from over here. Well... I'll see you at class... and maybe again after it?" She offered with a smile.
*'Eve*
She blushed. "We'll have all evening together... hopefully we'll be able to pass dinner with Professor Slughorn quickly. I'm looking foward to Animagus training, too... and I suspect we might bump into each other afterwards." She smiled, standing and crossing to the door. "Want to meet me in minutes? We can walk down to his office together."
*Padma*
She smiled and watched 'Eve cross the room.
"Sure, common room in and we'll go together... Now shoo! I have to hurry and get cleaned up!"
What: Discussion of the previous day, getting to know each other
When: About 5:30 PM, Monday Oct. 6th
Where: Ravenclaw common room, Seventh year's girls' room.
*'Eve*
'Eve climbed the stairs up to the Ravenclaw common room, her bag slung over her shoulder. She had thought Potions would be disheartening since she knew she was miserable in the subject. She'd had to borrow a book from the classroom so that she could follow along in class. Luckily for her, though, she'd picked one that already notes scribbled in the margins and those had helped her not completely screw up her brew. She'd even won ten points for Ravenclaw. She stepped into the library-like common room and spotted Padma sitting by the fireplace. A smile spread across her face as she crossed to the seventh year, banishing at last from her mind all the awful memories that had been floating around since her meeting with professor Snape.
"Hey, Pads," she said softly as she fell into the chair across from Padma.
*Padma*
Padma blushed a bit and looked over at 'Eve with a smile.
"Hello 'Eve. How's your day been so far? Finding your way around? Recovering from last night?"
She fidgeted slightly but kept her hands clasped in her lap, trying not to betray the fact that her mind was racing. She chewed her lip thoughfully for a moment.
*'Eve*
She nodded. "I'm doing okay; I think I finally go the last of the firewhiskey out of my system," she admitted. "Detention wasn't too bad; I got to meet Alex and explore the library a bit. Some of the books were a bit viscious, but I suppose it could have been worse. I've really only had Potions today, and it wasn't too hard to find the dungeons. Slughorn's class was ... interesting." She watched Padma carefully. "How are you doing?"
*Padma*
She smiled.
"Good, I'm glad everything'd going well..." She smirked. "So you got to meet the famous Alex, eh? How'd that go?"
At the mention of potions, she perked up.
"Yeah Slughorn's a strange one.. He started class off by hiding as an overstuffed chair... and then we made love potions! Mine came out really well, for once... And then Slughorn asked me and Harry to join him for dinner... Very strange..." She carefully omitted her time spent with Anthony. "But other than all that I'm doing fine thanks..."
*'Eve*
"Oh, good, I won't be going alone," she replied. "He invited me, too - kept going on about my mum and her potions-brewing." She made a face. "We worked on Draught of the Living Death," she said, "and surprisingly, I didn't ruin it. It actually turned out pretty well," she blushed slightly, neglecting to mention her new book. She wasn't sure what the school's policy on it would be, and she didn't want to risk losing it - it was the only thing that would ensure that she might pass this class. "He pulled the armchair prank on your class, too? Nearly gave me a heart attack." She shifted in her seat. "Alex was nice... very agreeable. We talked about you a bit," she teased, smiling slightly.
*Padma*
"Oh, you're going too... Might actually be enjoyable then." She smiled. "Draught of the Living Death? Isn't that a tough one? I think we did that once..." And then she blushed furiously. "What... What did you and Alex say... about me..." She looked mortified.
*'Eve*
"Nothing terrible, I promise," she smiled. "I think I did most of the talking, actually." She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked across at the prefect. "It's good to see you," she said quietly. "Yesterday was such a whirlwind, you know?" She smiled briefly.
*Padma*
She snorted.
"Sounds a lot like the conversations I used to have with him."
She blushed a bit at the 'good to see you' and smiled softly.
"It's good to see you too... Yes, yesterday was very hectic, a lot of things to do and see..."
*'Eve*
"Detentions to get," she quipped. "Speaking of..." she blushed slightly, remembering how she'd been caught when the Aurors had busted the party. "I know we kind of talked about things last night after we got back, but..." she trailed off and looked around the room. "Maybe we could go up to one of the dorms where there aren't so many curious ears?" She glanced significantly at a group of fourth years who seemed determined to eavesdrop on them.
*Padma*
She smirked at the mention of detentions. And then 'Eve suggestion caught her slightly by surprise.
"Oh... Sure.. Right... We can talk, definitely... I don't think there's many 4th years about, if you want to head up there..."
She glared at the 4th years imperiously.
*'Eve*
"Sounds good to me," she said, smiling as she stood and tossed the bag over her shoulder. "I can drop my books off on the way." She passed the prefect's chair and touched her shoulder lightly.
*Padma*
She smiled at the familiarity of the touch and she sat up and headed up to her dorm room, making sure that everyone was out. She kicked a few stray pieces of laundry under the bed and smoothed down the blankets, before sitting down. She absentmindedly smoothed her hair down waiting for 'Eve.
*'Eve*
She dropped her books on her bed, scratched her cat's ears, then headed up for the seventh years' dorm. She opened the door and crossed to Padma's bed. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked with a light tease in her voice, pointing to the spot next to the older Ravenclaw.
*Padma*
She laughed.
"Of course not, make yourself comfortable."
She stopped playing with her hair and put her hands in her lap.
"So... Ummm.. What do you want to talk about?"
*'Eve*
She sat down heavily and pressed her arm up against Padma's. "Nothing," she grinned, "I just wanted to get you alone... or at least where I could actually get to know you a bit. You know, that didn't involve a dare?" She winked at Padma. "I realized that I really hardly know you, I mean, not properly."
*Padma*
She smiled and relaxed a bit.
"I know it's true, we didn't do a whole lot of talking last night did we... I was hoping we could get some time alone together today... I barely know you... But I want to get to know you better."
She blushed a bit.
"Ummm... so... anything in particular you want to know?"
*'Eve*
She smiled at Padma and suddenly a flood of questions came to her mind. "Everything," she said simply, laughing. "Where are you from? Do you have any other siblings besides - it's Parvati, right? What do you want to do with your life? What's your favourite colour?" She giggled a little. "Do you prefer marmalade or strawberry preserves? You know, all the usual things."
*Padma*
She grinned at the attention as she quickly fired back answers to her interrogation.
"My family lives in London, but my mother and father moved from India when they were younger, so my family is pretty new to England... It's just Parvati, the two of us were so much trouble my parents never wanted any more... I haven't got a clue what I want to do with my life aside from be a smashing success... Favourite colour is purple... And orange marmelade..." She grinned.
"Ok, now your turn, tell me about your family and where you're from and Beauxbatons and France and all that..."
*'Eve*
She grinned at Padma's rapid-fire responses. "I was born in Paris, my mum's a witch and my papa's a Muggle. He taught at the Sorbonne - head of the mythology department - and my mum worked for the Ministière as their top potions brewer. She really had an unnatural gift for the subject," she smiled sadly. "I had a little brother, too, named Edouard. He was just over a year old... They were all killed, though, about a month ago? It was at our manour in Brittany..." She looked exceedingly sad, remembering. She bit her lip.
*Padma*
Her face fell and she rested her hands on the other girl's legs leaning forward.
"Oh my gods... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to bring it up... Oh gods 'Eve... That's terrible..."
*'Eve*
"It's okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "It's... it's good for me to talk about it. Helps with the healing process and all that rot." She smiled shakily at Padma. "But France is a wonderful country. I miss it, though it really doesn't hold much for me. I grew up in the city - gaie Paris - and actually went to a Muggle school until I got my letter for Beauxbatons. My father insisted. He wanted me to be able to move smoothly between the two worlds."
*Padma*
She smiled softly.
"'All that rot', eh? You're fitting in already. I would like to see France someday it seems very nice... You actually went to muggle school? How was that? It must have been quite a shock when you got to Beauxbatons! What are muggle children like?"
*'Eve*
She laughed. "Must have picked that one up from Alex this morning. I am a natural with tongues," she said, winking. "Muggle school... well, they taught us regular - rather, Muggle - history, maths, some science, letters... it was a small school, very proper. The kids could be horrible," she said, remembering the way she'd been teased and ostracised, "but overall I wouldn't have traded the experience. I think kids anywhere can be horrible. At least these ones didn't know magic and couldn't steal an older sibling's wand." She shifted slightly. "Beauxbatons wasn't too much of a shock, as I spent a lot of time with my mum's side of the family. We had house-elves and whatnot at the family manor, so I grew up with a lot of magic around me. Just couldn't use it at school, you know?"
*Padma*
She laughed along with her, allowing her mind to wander slightly on the subject of tongues.
"That's good... How very strange... Parvati and I were rather sheltered, I guess.... There's not so many middle class wizards in the city... And, well, you're looking at a good percentage of the school's Indian population right here in front of you... So we amused ourselves or played with neighborhood kids until we were whisked away to Hogwarts..."
*'Eve*
"At least you had some friends growing up," she said, smiling. "I really only had one - a Muggle at my school by the name of Natalie. She's fantastic, and usually helped fight off the bullies. I used to get in trouble with my parents a lot, though. A bunch of kids would turn up covered in papercuts or all their shoe buckles undone and no one could figure out how it happened." She whistled innocently. "Of course, my folks would know straight away, especially since Natalie and I somehow managed to escape from all of those incidents unscathed." She grinned wryly. "I wasn't very good at covering my tracks. Got a lot of stern talkings-to about misuse of magic."
*Padma*
She laughed.
"Well, I suppose... Didn't have any really close friends until I got here and met Cho and Jade and Marietta. That's when I really made some friends..."
She listened attentively.
"So they French version of the Ministry didn't send out notices or anything? Ours did. You were absolutely not allowed to do magic outside of school. They haven't checked up on that in the past couple years though... Not since You-Know-Who came back and all... More important things to do, I guess."
*'Eve*
"No, no notices. Or maybe they did, and that's how my folks knew," she frowned. "I was usually forced to do chores without the benefit of magic or assistance from magical objects as punishment. I'm really brilliant at buffing wood floors," she added with a smile.
*Padma*
She laughed.
"I'll keep that in mind if I ever get some wood floors that need washing... I was such a goodie two shoes as a kid, I never got into much trouble... I got a little sassy sometimes but never in fights or anything..."
*'Eve*
"I tried to stay out of trouble, it just seemed to find me. Not once I got to Beauxbatons, though," she added. "I was pretty quiet there. I tried to stay off the radar as much as possible. I studied a lot, made a few friends... at least I fit in there."
*Padma*
She nodded.
"That's good... I used to hear a lot of nice things about Beauxbatons. How peaceful it was and how studious people were... I was kind of jealous, I always wanted to get a transfer... "
*'Eve*
"It was lovely there; lots of great electives. I was studying diplomacy and defense with a focus in magical languages before the destruction. There's not really any transferrable classes here that match up, but that's okay. I kind of miss my mermish classes, though," she said wistfully. "And riding the Abraxan winged horses."
*Padma*
She smiled soflty.
"Magical languages? That sounds excellent. Diplomacy and Defense sounds interesting too... Ha, winged horses, that's madness... We never have fun things like that... Well, Hagrid brought in a hypogriff once, but it almost killed Malfoy... Pity it didn't..."
*'Eve*
"Malfoy?" she repeated curiously. "There are Malfoys here?"
*Padma*
She nodded.
"Yeah, Draco.. He's in Slytherin, the albino looking snobby kid."
*'Eve*
"Doesn't surprise me," she said with a slight snort. "The French branch - the Malfoi family - is rotten to the core. They're distant cousins," she added. "Mum wouldn't let me visit them. For that I suspect I will be eternally thankful."
*Padma*
"Probably for the best. No one liked Draco except his best mates, and they're dead and gone now... Well, Ginny Weasley likes him and we're not quite sure why... We think she just likes bad boys is all..."
*'Eve*
She nodded. "I met her briefly during Potions today." She smiled a bit and leaned against Padma. "The red hair was hard to miss."
*Padma*
She smiled as 'Eve leaned against her.
"I'm sure it was. It was probably a welcome sight after last night."
*'Eve*
She didn't know quite what to make of that. Was Padma alluding to her less-than-elegant encounter with Fred Weasley? Or just the inordinate amount of red hair at the party? Or was she reading too much into it? "Dunno about that;" she said with a small smile, "I was happier to see your dark hair, actually. Kind of surprised me, to be honest..." she took a deep breath. "I've been thinking more about you than anyone else," she confessed. Oh gods. There it was. Out there. She couldn't express herself properly in English, and now all that sprung to her mind were awful French phrases and she didn't know what to say at all. She blushed.
*Padma*
She blushed and turned away, smiling broadly.
"Don't tease me like that 'Eve... I know you and George got up to something last night... More than you and I did, that's for sure... What was it you said we were? Copines de lit?" She took a breath and turned back. "But I've been thinking about you an awful lot too... I was so confused this morning, I thought you were a 7th year and going to show up in class any minute..." She put her hand on top of the other girl's.
*'Eve*
"Well, I am 17; I just had a birthday. I've always been one of the oldest ones in my class." She smiled briefly. "And it was Fred, actually... he's quite charming," she said, mind wandering back to the night before. "I got caught up in the moment... I just wanted to forget everything that had happened the previous month. I didn't want to care for once." She stared at her knees, partially ashamed. "I'm not really that kind of girl," she admitted. "I just... there's an expression, I think. I needed to blow off steam?" She blushed. "I like you. I don't know you very well, but I like you. Enough to tell you all this right now... which is difficult and terrible for me to do."
*Padma*
Padma's smile broadened. Someone liked her! Someone chose her! She wasn't just a poor second to Parvati or Hermione or Cho or Adeline anymore.
"I always get those two confused. It's rather embarassing considering how mad I get when someone mistakes me and Parvati...." She paused for a moment, taking a breath before continuing. "I... I think I like you too... A lot, really. Last night was so strange and wonderful and new... And they way I feel about you... it's like the way I usually feel about boys... it's so confusing... I have no idea what I'm doing... Am I going mad? I don't know... I'm no good at this... I'm very straight forward analytical person usually... And romance tends to defy that at every turn..."
*'Eve*
She smiled cautiously. Someone liked her! But that someone was also confused - which was completely to be expected - but still! "Romance does seem to confound logic, doesn't it?" she said, squeezing Padma's hand gently. "It's okay for you to like me that way..." she said tentatively. "Attraction doesn't have to be bound by someone's gender. I like boys and girls," she said, trying to make it sound simple and easy, though it really was neither. "I don't think someone should have to limit themself just because someone isn't the 'right' gender."
*Padma*
She smiled softly as 'Eve squeezed her hand.
"I completely agree... but this is the first time I've ever felt like this for a girl. It's very strange and overwhelming to me.. But in a good way, I promise. "
She looked into 'Eve's eyes.
"I never even considered it. But everything seems so natural with you... I feel very relaxed around you... and I'm actually kind of an uptight person."
*'Eve*
She nodded, smiling. "If you... still want to continue... trying this..." 'Eve struggled to find the right words, "I'm more than willing..." she smiled softly, trying to mask her awkwardness. She took a deep breath. "It's odd, at first, when you first like a girl... feels so strange, and... well, at least for me... felt so right. It just... made sense, somehow." She shrugged helplessly, then smiled slyly. "You didn't seem very uptight yesterday," she commented, raising an eyebrow. "Of course, Firewhiskey helps that..."
*Padma*
She laughed.
"Yes, I suppose you got to see me at my least uptight in a while. I don't drink too often, so when I do it goes to my head...."
She sighed.
"I didn't even think about it until after... and then it felt odd... It was like, hey, wait a mo'... But it felt so right... and so natural.."
She blushed and said quietly.
"I think I'd like to keep trying this... if you can put up with me being clumsy and awkward and not knowing what I'm doing... and I can't promise that I won't freak out at some point... But I don't think it's likely..."
*'Eve*
She nodded slowly. "That seems reasonable. And you were quite good, thank you," she said with a small smile. "You were a bit timid at first," she admitted, "but warmed up quickly. I liked it." She met Padma's eyes. "I... I don't want to rush you at all," she said, pressing her forehead against Padma's. "So I'm going to ask before I kiss you..." she rubbed her nose shyly against the other girl's. "... May I?"
*Padma*
She laughed and smiled and then tilted her head slightly and pressed her lips against 'Eve's as a reply.
*'Eve*
She was almost caught off-guard by Padma's quick response. She pressed back carefully, sweetly, closing her eyes and enjoying the sweet smell and taste of Padma.
*Padma*
She closed her eyes too and leaned into the kiss, savoring it.
*'Eve*
'Eve opened her mouth slightly, slowly, testing the boundaries. She couldn't help the smile that threatened her face.
*Padma*
Padma continued kissing her, sliding her hands up the other girl's thighs to her waist.
*'Eve*
Her eyes opened at the movement of Padma's hand, surprised yet again by the forwardness of her fellow Ravenclaw. She reached up and touched the edge of her hand to Padma's face, lightly tracing her jaw. She pulled back after a moment and smiled.
"... wow," she said quietly.
*Padma*
She sat back and smiled.
"Was that good?"
She grinned back at 'Eve.
*'Eve*
"Yes," she said, smiling more broadly. "Definitely yes." She leaned in to kiss Padma again.
*Padma*
She leaned forward slightly, kissing 'Eve back.
*'Eve*
Feeling braver, 'Eve snaked her hand around Padma's back, kissing her more deeply. Her blood started to rush and she felt herself warming up and becoming flushed.
*Padma*
She leant into the kiss, losing herself in the moment. Her lips parted and she slid her tongue into 'Eve's mouth.
*'Eve*
She pulled Padma closer to her, returning the kiss. She rubbed Padma's back slowly, massaging.
*Padma*
She broke the kiss with a moan and pulled back slightly. She was heavily flushed and she ran a hand through her hair, smiling sheepishly.
"Well... That's still nice even when I'm not drunk..."
*'Eve*
She let a big smile spread across her face. "That's a good sign," she said with a wink, reaching up to return a stray hair behind Padma's ear. "Much better," she murmured. She glanced around, a thought striking her. "What time is it?"
*Padma*
She hopped up from the bed and went to look at the timepiece on her night stand.
"Just about six... so we have an hour to get ready for our dinner with Slughorn..."
*'Eve*
She sighed with a smile. "Too bad we can't just skip it and spend the evening here..." she said with a twinkling eye. Her stomach growled in protest. Her eyes opened wide in surprise as she touched her stomach. "I don't think my stomach would appreciate it, though!" she said with a laugh.
*Padma*
She looked in shock at 'Eve's stomach.
"Apparently so! I heard that from over here. Well... I'll see you at class... and maybe again after it?" She offered with a smile.
*'Eve*
She blushed. "We'll have all evening together... hopefully we'll be able to pass dinner with Professor Slughorn quickly. I'm looking foward to Animagus training, too... and I suspect we might bump into each other afterwards." She smiled, standing and crossing to the door. "Want to meet me in minutes? We can walk down to his office together."
*Padma*
She smiled and watched 'Eve cross the room.
"Sure, common room in and we'll go together... Now shoo! I have to hurry and get cleaned up!"