(Untitled)

[rileymcgranahan]

Date/Time: Saturday, May 13th, about 3 PM
Location: The Lake
Open To: Professor Delame
Currently Involving: Riley
Warnings: None.

Comments

[corps_et_ame]

Michel, on the other hand, was in a rather good mood, if entirely confused. It had, in theory, all been sorted out this morning, but he knew they'd both be thinking about what it might actually mean for so much longer. He thought the best way to think this out in a calm, relaxed manner, because he was, was to get a book, a cigarette and head down to the lake. It was, after all, where he'd spent a lot of his time as a student, enthused with history.

He grabbed the nearest book, a tatty old piece literature for a change; The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol, which wasn't nearly as boring as the title suggests. He crammed his brand new pack of cigarettes in his pocket and set off down to the lake. When he was a fair enough distance from the castle, he balanced one between his lips and lit it

[corps_et_ame]

He laughed, partially because he knew the real reason, partially because there had been points in this last week when he had felt seriously nauseous and she was just a bit too close on the head there. "Nah, just the usual Saturday lie-in." Michel shook his head, "I don't think they're specifically worse. Every house has it's horrible people, don't think it isn't true. The problem with Slytherins is that they're expected to be horrible people, so it's a self fulfilling prophecy." He took a drag and vehemently denied what she'd just said, "Absolutely not. History has absolutely nothing to do with numbers. And fine, you enjoy your strange formulas or whatever you do. I still think it's weird."

[rileymcgranahan]

She shrugged and let that go. It wasn't as if it was any of her business anyway. "Oh I know they were raised to be what they are, but if I was raised to be that way and I turned out fine. Rather quirky, but fine. What's their excuse? You can always fight to be the exception to a rule. Saying a Slytherin has to be horrible is like saying a gay bloke has to flail around shrieking fabulous." She shrugged. That was one of the many issues she tended to care far too much about. "Then why was I memorizing dates for five years? I happen to like my formulas very much. You're the weird one." She stuck her tongue out at him in a moment of sheer immaturity, then laughed at herself.

[corps_et_ame]

He shook his head, realising he never really expressed himself clearly now, "I wasn't really saying that. I was saying that there's a general assumption by most people that Slytherins will be horrible people. Surely you know about that? There's exceptions to every rule, sure, but even if they're not horrible people, its easy for a reasonably okay person to feel victimised and thus, they're driven back to the old, stupid ideology because not many people give them a chance to be people." He shrugged, as he was actually quite an optimist when it came down to it. He liked to see the good in people, which only served to make him feel worse about himself sometimes, but he felt guilty for not trying to see where other people, including those he couldn't stand came from. He laughed there, "I don't know, as history's about everything but the dates. Dates are nothing but a silly irrelevance. You can have your formulas, I like my letters in words, thank you very much." He blinked when she stuck her tongue out, but ended up rolling his eyes with

[rileymcgranahan]

"Yeah, I know about that. It's the silliest thing I've ever heard," she said with an eye roll, taking another drag. It was why she couldn't get along with her cousin's boyfriend, after all. And why she had so few friends. "I still say that if I can deal with all of those thoughts against us and still keep my ideals, so can they. They just don't want to try." Or they didn't share her ideals, which also worked. Merlin, she did not understand the majority of her fellow housemates. "Well, you can tell that to my former professor. Aha! History and Arithmancy are related through x. I told you," she teased with a grin.

[corps_et_ame]

He took another drug off his cigarette and shook his head, "You do have to understand that not everybody is you. Not everybody wants to, or considers themselves capable of rebelling." He looked over at her, "It's admirable that you do stand up for what you believe in, and many of them are just doing the same. You just cannot expect everyone to live up to the standards you set yourself." Michel was strange, this he knew, as although he was staunchly an anti-purist, he did take the time to wonder what was running through their heads. And often found himself an answer, after all, it would take a lot for him to condemn his own mother as just another horrible person. "I would tell him that. We could have a long discussion about historiography and no formulae could save you then."

[rileymcgranahan]

"I know everyone's not me. If that was the case, the world would be a horrible place to live," she said with a smirk. "But I can't understand why they'd chose to be what everyone hates about their stereotype. It's just me though, I'm sure." Riley had spent a lot of time trying to understand the blood-purist way of things. Especially as she'd thought that she would have to live that life. But she simply couldn't see that side. It was ridiculous, and she could never even pretend to believe it was true. "Bugger. I'll make sure to be out of the area when that conversation happens."

[corps_et_ame]

He laughed, "It could be worse, everyone could be me." Might as well join the self depracating train whilst it was in town, "I don't think it's just you. And I think it's because they feel threatened, afraid, perhaps." Michel shrugged with a smile, trying to explain why he kept sticking up for people who had opinions he really couldn't stand. The truth was, he didn't want to hate the people, even if he hated the opinions, because that was a little too close to home. "Maybe I just want to see the best in people." He couldn't help but laugh at her next comment, "Oh, shush. You know I'd kick his arse anyway. Numbers don't count for anything." He smirked to himself and brought his cigarette back to his lips for a long drag.

[rileymcgranahan]

"Oh hush," she said, rolling her eyes and giving him a small smile. "It is scary, yes, but you have to do what's right. Better to live on your feet than die on your knees, and all that. I don't know. I'm odd." Riley didn't want to hate anyone either. But after over seven years of those people...she really couldn't help it. "There's nothing wrong with that." She smoked some more then flicked some ash off of the end of her cigarette. She really couldn't help but feel more relaxed now. "It'd be hard, as he's a ghost, but alright." She laughed again, shaking her head.

[corps_et_ame]

"And they'd probably tell you the same thing. They're not all that different from you, really. You just have wildly different opinions on some things." He shrugged, trying to be diplomatic and fair, then taking another drag off his cigarette, carefully inhaling the nicotine, then exhaling it, "Metaphoric arse. Historians couldn't kick anyone's arse. Ever." He smirked, knowing it was true, but still funny.

[rileymcgranahan]

"It doesn't really matter, though. They're all going to hate me even more, come summer. And I don't particularly mind that fact," she said with a smirk and took another drag. Though at the same time, that fact could be more dangerous than amusing. "Neither could a scrawny Slytherin Arithmancy geek. I think you could kick my arse if you had to."

[corps_et_ame]

"That's true, I suppose. Although they're not the sort of people I'd really want hating me..." He shrugged and knew they probably hated him anyway, but they were students, so it didn't make too much difference to him. He took another drag off his cigarette, "I don't think I'd have reason to kick your arse, to be honest."

[rileymcgranahan]

"It's generally not a good idea to have those people hate you, but if having them like me means being something I'm not...I'll pass," she said nonchalantly, trying not to make it seem like a huge deal. Because it wasn't, really. Well, having her house hate her wasn't at least. "Good. Because I don't like the idea of explaining to my friends that I was bested by a Frenchman."

[corps_et_ame]

"Well, thing is, not everyone's going to like who you are anyway, no matter who you are. So you might as well be what you like as plenty of people will like it." Or something like that, he thought. He wasn't exactly sure how much sense he was making, but it didn't particularly matter, "I'll have you know I can blame a lot of things on being French. My inability to fight? Is just mine."

[rileymcgranahan]

Riley grinned. "I'm used to being disliked. I'm sure it won't bother me all that much," she said with a laugh. It did make sense. You couldn't always please everyone. So Riley did what she thought was best for the people she loved, not necessarily what would please them. "It's alright, though. I'm not a fighter, I'm a bleeder. Basically, I'm an embarassment to my stereotype. I'm supposed to drink and fight. I do neither. At least not well."

[corps_et_ame]

"And I can assure you, you're not the only one. It's good not to let it get to you. But there's no use forcing yourself to ignore it if it does get to you." He took a drag off his cigarette and exhaled with a sigh, "Stereotypes are very stupid things really. No need to adhere to them." He shrugged and gestured to himself, "Take me, I am pretty much a French stereotype all over, but I'd be this way no matter where I was from."