Susan had just left the library with a book on herbology she'd managed to find in a very dirty and dusty corner. It would be easier to be more of a help with some of the newer hybrids that Neville was cultivating if she picked up a little more on the soil compositions.
Or at least the scientific names of the plants they were working with.
Not paying attention, but certainly on her way downstairs to the common room with Topper in her arms as well as the large book (he deserved a some time to explore and she'd been letting him out and about more often when she left her and Terry's rooms), Susan rounded the corner toward the stairs and crashed directly into a mass of person.
She'd not meant to yelp (rather loudly, actually... how embarrassing) in surprise when she saw his face, but she couldn't help herself.
She'd not been expecting to see this face again. Ever.
Charlie stepped back a pace, clearly startled. And not just at the surprise of having a woman run into him, but by the odd sound she made, and it's volume relative to the situation. He rubbed his ear gingerly, peering at her with consternation, and a little bit worry. "You alright? I haven't trod on your foot, have I?" He assumed he had. "Oh bullocks... can't help my big feet. Just get in the... oh hell."
It was the girl. Or more specifically, the lovely one from the... no. Couldn't be. The teacher lady, the one who'd been with the Botanist chap he'd meant to tell Neville about, but never got 'round to because he'd taken a bit of a holiday.
"Oh, here." He bent down, picking up the large book she'd dropped. It weighed more than he expected it to, but he didn't hand it over right away. "It's... Um. Name starts with an 'S', right?"
"Susan Bones." Susan carefully extracted the cat nails from her shoulder, as Topper had dug in quite deeply when she'd reacted to the person she'd bumped into. The cat yowled in protest. "I also wasn't watching where I was going."
She peered at him and tried to recall the name. "Paul? Patrick... no... No it was Peter, wasn't it?"
There was a brief pause as she realised, that he, like Michael. Like Hermione. Like herself now. All of them carried second names to keep themselves safe.
"But it's not Peter, is it? And I guess now it makes more sense..." Her eyes flicked to the red hair. "One of the Weasley brothers?"
He tucked her book under his arm, and offered his hand. "Charlie. The handsome one." He smiled, but it faltered when he realized that he probably wasn't much to look at in the state he was in. He gaze found his hand. It was filthy, his nails black with grime, the lines of his palm creased with dirt and dried blood. He hastily took his hand away, before she could touch it.
"Eh... cute cat you got there, Ms Bones. Doesn't seem to like me much though." He laughed a little, but it sounded stale, so he stopped, filling the space with a nervous silence. "Didn't know you were a witch." He offered lamely.
Susan offered a smile and patted Topper's head. "He's just upset that I jostled him and then didn't let him climb down my back."
And she had to chuckle at his last comment. "Neither Terry, nor I realised you were a wizard. It's nice to really meet you, Charlie, not Peter."
Taking a step to the side; he must have been going somewhere and judging by the state of his hands and clothes she guessed perhaps the shower. "There are some empty rooms down the corridor that way." Susan pointed in the right direction. "And there is a bathroom with a shower at the end on the left if you're looking for it."
He smiled gratefully. "I'm looking for it. Cross-country travel isn't really compatible with basic hygiene, I'm afraid." He rubbed his palms ineffectually against his grubby shirt, suddenly very self-conscious. Susan was so... clean, and he was anything but.
Trying not to touch it too much with his hands, he handed the book over, and nodded to Susan, then Topper, who was busy batting at her hair. "Nice to meet you again, Ms. Bones. Have you met my friend? Tonks, I mean." He gestured to the stairs, where the aforementioned was just ascending the last of the steps, taking her time.
"Yes, we've met. Terry and I have been here since just after they moved from the castle down to Canturbury."
Susan smiled brightly hoping she hadn't embarrassed him at all. "And don't worry... you should see me after working in the greenhouse with Neville. Dirt and grime everywhere. It's not pretty."
There was a moment pause. One of those lulls in conversation that always manages to creep up.
"I don't think Hermione has left to do anything today either so she might still be around. Either in the Library or her room." Susan pointed directly up. "She claimed the attic... I haven't seen Ron around yet today..."
"On the train... from Paris to London. Terry and I shared a compartment with him."
"Small world." Susan scritched behind Topper's ears while she spoke. She glanced at Charlie, remembering that last leg of the long, very long, trip from China.
"For about the eighth time." He laughed, "I've been gone a long time, and reading is sparse when you're trying to avoid anything larger than a tollbooth, much less a library."
Speaking of...
"What sort of collection have you accumulated? I take it Hermione's taken the bookish part of our operation under her wing? There's a thing or two I'd like to discuss with her, if that's the case."
"Small world," she repeated, mostly to herself. What had he be doing in Paris?
"You'd better claim a room and clean yourself up a bit before we drag you off to the library. You aren't likely to get a very warm welcome from Hermione if you ruin any of her books."
Or at least the scientific names of the plants they were working with.
Not paying attention, but certainly on her way downstairs to the common room with Topper in her arms as well as the large book (he deserved a some time to explore and she'd been letting him out and about more often when she left her and Terry's rooms), Susan rounded the corner toward the stairs and crashed directly into a mass of person.
She'd not meant to yelp (rather loudly, actually... how embarrassing) in surprise when she saw his face, but she couldn't help herself.
She'd not been expecting to see this face again. Ever.
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It was the girl. Or more specifically, the lovely one from the... no. Couldn't be. The teacher lady, the one who'd been with the Botanist chap he'd meant to tell Neville about, but never got 'round to because he'd taken a bit of a holiday.
"Oh, here." He bent down, picking up the large book she'd dropped. It weighed more than he expected it to, but he didn't hand it over right away. "It's... Um. Name starts with an 'S', right?"
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She peered at him and tried to recall the name. "Paul? Patrick... no... No it was Peter, wasn't it?"
There was a brief pause as she realised, that he, like Michael. Like Hermione. Like herself now. All of them carried second names to keep themselves safe.
"But it's not Peter, is it? And I guess now it makes more sense..." Her eyes flicked to the red hair. "One of the Weasley brothers?"
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He hastily took his hand away, before she could touch it.
"Eh... cute cat you got there, Ms Bones. Doesn't seem to like me much though." He laughed a little, but it sounded stale, so he stopped, filling the space with a nervous silence.
"Didn't know you were a witch." He offered lamely.
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And she had to chuckle at his last comment. "Neither Terry, nor I realised you were a wizard. It's nice to really meet you, Charlie, not Peter."
Taking a step to the side; he must have been going somewhere and judging by the state of his hands and clothes she guessed perhaps the shower. "There are some empty rooms down the corridor that way." Susan pointed in the right direction. "And there is a bathroom with a shower at the end on the left if you're looking for it."
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Trying not to touch it too much with his hands, he handed the book over, and nodded to Susan, then Topper, who was busy batting at her hair. "Nice to meet you again, Ms. Bones. Have you met my friend? Tonks, I mean." He gestured to the stairs, where the aforementioned was just ascending the last of the steps, taking her time.
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Susan smiled brightly hoping she hadn't embarrassed him at all. "And don't worry... you should see me after working in the greenhouse with Neville. Dirt and grime everywhere. It's not pretty."
There was a moment pause. One of those lulls in conversation that always manages to creep up.
"I don't think Hermione has left to do anything today either so she might still be around. Either in the Library or her room." Susan pointed directly up. "She claimed the attic... I haven't seen Ron around yet today..."
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"Don't mind Charlie, he's always like this. Except of course when he's Peter Marten - who you've apparently met somehow?"
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"Small world." Susan scritched behind Topper's ears while she spoke. She glanced at Charlie, remembering that last leg of the long, very long, trip from China.
"You had a book. Did you get it finished?"
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Speaking of...
"What sort of collection have you accumulated? I take it Hermione's taken the bookish part of our operation under her wing? There's a thing or two I'd like to discuss with her, if that's the case."
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"You'd better claim a room and clean yourself up a bit before we drag you off to the library. You aren't likely to get a very warm welcome from Hermione if you ruin any of her books."
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