Nobody can seperate a boy and his...skull? (Active, Open)

[notthatharry]

Name(s): Harry Dresden, Bob, Anyone who overhears them
Location: A empty classroom
Week: Week 39
Time: Late in the evening
Rating: PG-13 for Bob

Comments

Curiosity... Will probably embarrass the cat. XD

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Catty was sneaking back upstairs (after having snuck into the kitchens to gra a few late-night snacks), being a quiet as she could. She really didn't need a professor to see her with some leftovers. Not again, anyway.

She stopped, though, when she heard voices coming from one of the rooms she was passing by. Unable to help herself, she pressed herself against the wall, listening in. It sounded like... Harry. And somebody else. Not a voice she recognized.

Shrugging, she opened the door softly, poking her head into the room. "Harry?" Catty had to blink a few times, her eyes quickly scanning the room. No other body. Had Hogwarts finally cracked the poor guy?

[notthatharry]

"Somehow I don't think the rest of the student body will be as understanding as you two." Between Catty grinning like that, and Kazumi leaning like that, Harry's brain felt like it was going to over heat. "I, uh..."

For his part, Bob was shifting between all three people present, his permanent grin somehow expanding. "So, is this the part where you convince him with a threesome? Cause I've seen this movie."

"BOB!"

[sakeofthescoop]

"Oh, you think so," Kazumi asked, suddenly interested in Catty's possible plan to get Harry to give Bob a tour. She didn't see what it could hurt. So what if it was a perverted skull, it wasn't like it could act on said perversions.

Kazumi did turn a little red at the suggestion of a three some. Okay, so maybe the skull was a little too perverted for the general public. "I don't think so," she replied, laughing a little nervously.

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"Even if the student body isn't as understanding, it'd be a perfect prank." Ever a Gryffindor, Catty was.

"I definitely think so." She was ready to give a voice to her idea, but Bob had to ruin it. There were definitely some people who... Would react in violence if Bob said something like that to them, and what did she know about the things the skull could do to others?

Tilting her head a tiny bit, Catty gave a nervous giggle, rolling her eyes at the skull. "Sorry. I was raised as an only child. I don't do well with sharing, I'm afraid."

[notthatharry]

Bob looked as disappointed as a skull could, but perked up at Catty's words. Winking by flicking the light in his left socket on and off, Bob said, "Ah, I get it, you want my boss here all to yourself. Well say no more, I can understand wanting Harry here for a private study session."

For his part, Harry was utterly speechless.

"Close your mouth boss, flies will get in. Anyway, like Harry here said, I'm Bob, I've known Harry since he was ten years old, and I'm a repository of more magical knowledge than you can possibly imagine."

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Kazumi was about to say something about tutoring Harry all the time but stopped herself because she realized very quickly that the skull was not talking about academics.

Instead she sighed, getting a grip on her imagination that was starting to squeak closer to images she didn't want to think about right now.

"Knowledge you say?" As a Ravenclaw this certainly perked her interest, "and is only Harry privy to this knowledge or can just anyone ask you for it?" There was a slightly dangerous glint in her eye that someone close to her might notice.

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Even though she was used to stuff like this, Catty still had the grace to blush softly, shuffling her feet and managing a crooked smile. This was becoming more awkward than she imagined, and she nibbled on her bottom lip as she glanced away. She wouldn't answer Bob. She definitely wouldn't allow herself to even think about what he was saying.

"More magical knowledge than I can imagine. Sounds fun. And dangerous." She grinned.

[notthatharry]

Leaping at the chance to redirect Bob's attentions to slightly less mortifying topics, Harry said, "That's right. Bob's kind of a magical database, he can remember whatever he's exposed to perfectly, and can then draw up that knowledge whenever he needs to. It's probably the only reason he hasn't ended up on the wrong end of a sledgehammer

[sakeofthescoop]

Kazumi grinned, glancing back at Catty, "I agree with the skull, they usually are one in the same thing."

"A price you say?" At first she was a little anxious, even though she had sort of seen that coming. However, when Harry went into a tirade about 'romance' novels' she started to get an idea about what sort of price he was asking for. Suddenly she pulled out a notebook and focused her attention on the skull, "Maybe not on campus, Harry. So, Bob, what kind of romance novels are you interested in? I can probably get my hands on just about anything if you give me the time to send an order by owl." Kazumi had gone into information gathering mode and now there would be no stopping her.

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Catty shrugged lightly, grinning all the same. "Not all of the time. Not all dangerous things are fun. Not all fun things are dangerous. It's the combination that makes things far more interesting."

Perking up, she laughed, turning to face Kazumi. Trashy romance novels? Catty didn't really think she'd need to buy any information off (or she hoped not), but she could definitely help the Ravenclaw out. "Hey, don't bother placing an order. I can send an owl out to my mom later and ask her to ship me the ones she has at home," Catty offered.

[notthatharry]

"I don't know, I think I've had my fill of danger," Harry replied, completely ignoring the fact that he kept rushing into it on a almost weekly basis.

Oh hell, this was getting out of hand fast. Not only did Bob have access to all sorts of knowledge that would be insanely dangerous in the wrong hands, he knew something far far worse. He knew about Harry's past.

"Uh, ladies, maybe we sho-"

"Oh man," Bob exclaimed, cutting Harry off, "You girls are the best. Okay, well, in general the steamier the better of course, but more specifically, if you've got one with a spy seducing girls left and right, or oh, maybe one with pirates in it, that would be great! Of course, what I'd like depends on what you want to know, I wouldn't want to cheat such beautiful girls."

Harry just sighed again, and made a mental note to tell Bob exactly what would happen to him if he told the girls anything about Harry's past.

[sakeofthescoop]

While Bob gave his preferences Kazumi jotted it all down. She could probably work with that, after all, if she was going to be doing business with the skull it would be good to know what he was looking for. At least he was reasonable though.

She closed the notebook and tucked it away again, how she always managed to produce her camera or a notebook was a magic all in itself, "Thanks Bob. I'll get on that." She paused, looking thoughtful for a moment before smiling, "What I want to know is another matter entirely."

Kazumi was a little surprised by Catty's offer though and blinked, "Really? You'd do that? Thanks." Kazumi tapped her chin for a second, "Maybe I should offer you some info too Catty. Is there anything or anyone in particular you're interested in finding out about?"

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Catty glanced at Harry, mulling over his words. She didn't intentionally seek danger. It just stalked her. And a wonderful stalker it turned out to be, if she was being honest to herself.

She listened to Bob's preferences, nodding as she checked off what she could remember of Kendra's stash back home. She could supply the skull with so much "romance", he'd be very content for a long time.

"Well, yeah, of course!" Catty smiled. "I mean, why let you waste your money if I can get if for free, right?" She clicked her tongue against her teeth as she thought about how long it would take an owl to get to her mom. "A trade for information?" She glanced at Harry again.

She wondered how rude it would be to ask Kazumi for information on the other Gryffindor.

[notthatharry]

Where Kazumi got her notebooks and cameras out from would forever be a mystery Harry wasn't totally certain he wanted to solve.

Seeing that between the skull and the two girls he had no chance at all, Harry just rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "Bob, while you're making your deals, do you mind telling me why exactly Ebenezer sent you?"

"Oh, well, he heard you were struggling with your classes, and decided to send me to help catch you up! Justin may been a powerful wizard, but when it came to teaching he really-"

"Bob," Harry snarled, his voice suddenly deadly serious. "Not now, okay. Focus on your novels."

"O-oh, right boss, sorry, I forgot."

Harry fought to keep his composure, but he knew the girl's could probably see his clenched jaw and the tenseness in his posture. He just hoped they couldn't see his shaking hands to. The girls in the room may have been two of Harry's closest friends here, but some things about his past he wasn't ready to talk about, even with them.

[sakeofthescoop]

Kazumi caught the glance Catty gave Harry. She sighed, giving Catty a small smile, "Don't worry about it right now, we can discuss details later if you like."

"Hm?" Kazumi blinked in surprise at Harry's sudden change in composure. This was different from his previous irritation at Bob, this was serious anger. The name "Justin" must have triggered it, she realized. Kazumi looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing at Harry from the corner of her eye and looking just a tad concerned, if not worried. Justin...a powerful wizard...and teaching. Kazumi put a few pieces together and knew better than to ask Harry for confirmation.

Kazumi decided to try to give Harry a moment to compose himself again. She could tell from his posture and clenched jaw that he was extremely upset. "Well, I've been helping Harry with some of his classes. We're in the same year and share a lot of the same subjects after all. He's been improving a lot," she informed the skull, the former humor gone from her voice.

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Catty nodded, happy that Kazumi got her general drift. "Sounds good."

She blinked in surprise at Harry's snarl, having never heard such a serious tone from him. She knew that he was the brooding type, but he was pretty easy going as well. Her gaze drifted to Bob, back to Harry, and then at Kazumi. Catty could feel the shifting tension in the room at the mention of this Justin guy. She knew relatively little of Harry's past, and even though this seemed to be a dark subject, she couldn't help the insatiable curiosity starting to burn inside of her.

"Um..." Harry's body language was so obvious. Part of her wanted to pick that skull up and toss it out of a window. Instead, she remained silent except for the tiny noise she made, unable to think of anything else to say.

She probably now knew how Harry felt when he was asking her about what was bothering her.