Afternoon

By this time Sunday, Casey was done with his assignments for the next week. Such free time would normally allow him time to further his schemes or to practice particular advanced magic. Though he had been keeping Dingy on the down low since the suggestion from last month that he was too reliant on the elf. No servant to hover spell targets then. Dingy was taking care of mother in the cottage when he wasn't available for chores at Doherty Manor.

But Casey did not want to loose something as precious as his bond with Dingy. Landis Morgan's accusations had a simple solution to get them resolved: avoid public interface with the elf because private moments were after all private.

Excluding the precision needed to maneuver the house elf issue, at this time Casey could be at work of any number of schemes; the Runic Armor with Alvis, how to match the level of the Tournament Champions, what to do with his Invisibility Cloak...

And while Casey was using his method of vanishing writing, to keep his notes secure by way of invisibility, he was not writing a scheme. More like observantions. Things that were buzzing around his mind that he couldn't deal with using Occlumency until he had some order or categorization to them.

Casey sat at one table, back against the underwater window with its filtered light, a position that allowed him the full sight of the common room. It started with those in his house but the list eventually expanded:

Thalia Pierce

~ Forgetfull
~ Talkative
~ Sporadic
~ Lackadaisical
Question: All an act? Why in Slytherin?

Gracie Slant

~ Sardonic humored
~ Gets under skin
~ Passive-Aggressive
~ Playful
~ Teasing

Naomi Foley

~ Aggressive
~ Tough
~ Harsh
~ Brutal
~ Blunt
~ Acidic
Note: These are masked with composure that is, at worst, the impression of indifference
Question: Observation suggests she is in knowledge of powerful magic not normally seen in students. What exactly?

Zoe Torret

~ Arguemntative
~ Know It All
~ Anti Slytherin (or just to me)
~ Inquisitive
~ Generous
~ Friendly (maybe not to Slytherins)
~ Caring (note free elf)

Juni Zamperia

~ Arguemntative
~ Know It All (typical Ravenclaw package)
~ Compassionate
~ Belief in Moral Superiority

Much of the list had automatically faded. Zameperia's name was starting to go as he pondered. This didn't even include the main members of the 'Aristocracy' yet and that would need its own damn list! Underneath all of this was a singular unanswered question.

What made them feminine?

Going by personality traits alone there was actually nothing he could strictly label as effeminate. And traits he had not expected to see we're visible in some cases. There was little overlap, if any, though most of that was from House values showing through. And they were still girls because of this. Was this proof that is was all down to appearance, there was no schema of male or female personalities?

Pausing, Casey massaged his forehead to aid deep thought.

It had been a neck-and-neck start to the school year.  First Ravenclaw, then Slytherin, and now Ravenclaw was in the lead once more.  It was clear that the rivalry that had been tragically ended by The Great Disaster in the Greenhouse had not died away over the summer. 

Noriko was certain that she had been permanently scarred by last May's events.  She had cried herself to sleep thinking about the loss at least seven times in the intervening months.  The brief, exciting moment of pure ecstasy at Slytherin taking the lead had not lasted nearly long enough; when her house had fallen behind once more, she had been so devastated that she had sworn up and down to her mother that she wouldn't eat for at least a week.  Her fast had lasted two meals, but that was unimportant.  She was still certain that her soul had been crushed.

But she had still had to return to Hogwarts this year, crushed soul and all.  The bad news was that Eirene hadn't stopped gloating.  The good news was that it was a new year and new term, which meant that Slytherin had a chance to redeem itself.  Since the school year had started, Noriko had appointed herself the unofficial guardian of her house's points; she had already talked to most of the first years about their importance, as well as whispering threats of retribution from Xavier Tawse, whom she was certain would be as outraged by dishonor to Slytherin as she was, if they dared to lose any.

It had taken Noriko an entire term to not start shaking every time she ventured into the common room; she had finally accepted the idea that the Giant Squid and other creatures who might swim by outside could not actually reach her through the enchanted glass.  She sometimes still jumped when something swam by unexpected, though, and she always kept a careful eye out for Heliotrope: she was certain that her fellow year mate ought to lose points for Hufflepuff if she ventured too close to another house's common room.

The common room was nearly empty.  Most students were probably in the library, or enjoying their last few hours of freedom before the school week began once more. But it was not entirely empty -- a familiar figure sat at a table, his back to the glass, writing diligently.

It was him.  O'Doherty.  Noriko scowled.  Word had traveled quickly as far as who had been responsible for Slytherin's loss last term.  Most of the upper year students seemed to have already forgiven their housemate; either that or they simply didn't care, which crushed Noriko's soul almost as much as their loss to Ravenclaw had.  She imagined that Professor Librarian Morgan must cry himself to sleep each night as well, so devastated must he be by how his students took so little pride in being proper Slytherins.

Noriko looked both ways.   No one else was around.  She had not dared to express her disapproval yet, but with Slytherin back in the running in this year's race for the House Cup, she didn't dare let O'Doherty think that everyone had forgotten his awful offense. Affecting the best Disapproving Look she had learned from Eirene, she stomped over to his table and slipped into the chair across from Casey, staring directly and pointedly at her untrustworthy housemate.

Casey hadn't expected anyone to sit next to him but a brief glance told him it may not be worth his bother. That one particular second year. He could imagine the list for her right now:

Noriko Wakahisa

~ Timid
~ Scardey-Cat
~ Worrywart
~ Outspoken (only occasionally)
Note: Best leverage ever is to mention the 'Cushioning Charm Incident' and watch her squirm!

He didn't write it down but he did concede to notice her. "Well done, Wakahisa, that's the closest I've ever seen you to a window. Finally convinced the dungeon isn't going to flood?"

Noriko twitched.

The dungeon wasn't going to flood, and she knew that.  She knew because she had asked, very nervously, and she had been here for a year already and it hadn't yet.  That didn't mean that there weren't still monsters out there in the lake somewhere.  She had heard vague rumors that Heliotrope had fought off some kind of awful underwater fire breathing dragon-horse once, and the Giant Squid still terrified her, but just because there were things out there that wanted to eat her didn't necessarily mean they could break in and get her.

Probably.

Hopefully.

She gulped.

"I'm not scared of windows," she whispered at Casey.  That wasn't helping her look disapproving though.  She scowled and tried again, though it was hard to tear her eyes away entirely from the glass behind him.

"I just," she started, in an unsure voice.  "Wanted to say.  I don't think you should lose us any more points.  O'Doherty."  She swallowed again.  This was not coming out nearly as menacing as she had intended it to be.  "Okay?" she finished meekly, risking a look at him.

"Of course you aren't afraid of windows," Casey said, amused. "You're just afraid of what is beyond them."

His quill did not drop in surprise but with controlled disconcertedness. Out of all the ways anyone would dredge up the events of last spring, it would be a second year to complain that he lost points. He had been this naive too, once, until finding out early that there had been a cap to his receiving points from professors that 'didn't want him to exhaust himself.' She would come to realize that outside of your first two school years the points don't matter.

It was lucky Wakahisa scared so easily, it would be how Casey got rid of her as an annoyance. "You believe that an expression of your opinion would stop me from loosing all of Slytherin's points one. By one. By five. By ten until it reaches zero." He let that chill her for a moment. "I've gained points and lost points, little miss, and you'll find that the glory involved with the house cup is not at all that satisfying. You'll grow up eventually."

Noriko stared back at the other Slytherin, her eyes growing wider and wider.  She could picture his every word coming to pass -- green emeralds rising back out of Slytherin's hourglass, one by one by five by ten, until there was such a mess of lost points, flying upwards through the air at breath-taking spree, that it seemed as if it were a green rain shower pouring in the opposite direction. 

But what he said -- about glory not being satisfying, about growing up eventually -- she knew that wasn't right.  Glory was satisfying.  She'd felt it in the few brief moments when Slytherin had taken the lead from Ravenclaw last year.  The fourth year had to be lying.

"No," she said, shaking her head violently.  "That isn't true."  Slytherins looked after their own.  Professor Librarian Morgan had told her so almost a year ago.[1]  She had never heard a less Slytherin-y statement than O'Doherty's claim.  Of course Slytherins cared about the House Cup.  Losing miserably and humiliatingly was never to their advantage.  And the knowledge that she was doing what she was supposed to do -- acting like a Slytherin -- made her feel bolder than she would have otherwise.

"If you lose us more points, I'll Tell."  The threat sounded a little weak, even to her own ears.  Eirene cared about Telling.  Casey O'Doherty, who didn't even care about House Points, probably didn't.  "Or I'll...I won't let you study."  An idea occurred to her, and she lifted her chin.  "I'll act so terrified of your house elf that Professor Librarian Morgan won't even let him in the Common Room," she threatened, her voice only wavering a little.  "And then you'll have to do things for yourself.  And I won't even care if you lose us more points after that!"

1.	Charisma Not Curses

"It's classic conditioning to get the students to do what the professors want." No different than similar practices he had experienced. "Reward points, threaten to take away points. It works the best on younger students but name five 6th or 7th year students that care about the House Cup."

Still, Wakahisa was staying resilient. Please, just what could she threaten him with?

That. Of course Slytherins practically fueled the grapevine. Timed to pull out the honed sarcasm. "Oh dear, you've got me on that one. Whatever shall I do? It will have to be more of what I am doing right now, with him not about. And even if I have to start doing things for myself, I can still loose the house points? Remind me how that reprimand was suppose to work."

This was almost considered cute if 'cute' had been a word in Casey's dictionary.

Casey didn't seem nearly as -- well, frightened as she had intended, but then, the older boy didn't seem to show emotion very well.  At least he seemed to understand what not having that awful house elf around would mean.  Noriko nodded, her courage visibly building.

"Yes, you'd have to do even more work!" she agreed, hoping she sounded menacing.  "And you could still lose points!"  Frightening Casey was not nearly as easy as it looked.  And everyone said that Slytherin were supposed to be bullies -- she ought to take lessons from the Gryffindors, at the rate that this was going.

That thought gave her hope.  What would Mairead or Keegan do in a case like this?

She aimed a glare at Casey, balling her hands into fists.  "And I'll -- hit you," she said, though the words came out sounding far closer to a question than she had intended.  Threats of punching always worked on her.  If she were in Casey's shoes, she would be dissolving into tears right about now.  "Or do something awful like inflate your bum.  And everyone cares," she added fervently.  That was what Slytherins did, after all!  They competed!  "Name five older students who don't care about the House Cup!"

"So wait, let me understand your terms. Even if I do not relent and you help get my House Elf dismissed from the common room, I'd half to do more work but I can continue to lose points? That doesn't sound like too bad of an offer. I just may take it." He smiled wickedly for how Wakahisa had left a wide open loophole in what she thought was a threat.

Or hit him. Casey, as weak as he was didn't expect her to hit all that hard. But what an outré moment it was when Wakahisa threatened you with the bum inflation. "You remembered how to do that? I was under the impression that nearly cost one of your dear little friendships." Although Casey knew the experience of having different sized hips so he didn't want to encourage that means of retaliation.

"Attwood. Sellaphix. Spalding. Deres. Tawse. Shall I continue?" So far that was two pranksters that did their houses more harm than good, a lazy Hufflepuff that seemed uninterested (which had to be an oxymoron) and the most criminal of the bunch in Slytherin.

It didn't take long for Noriko's expression to falter.  Her eyes grew bigger, and her lower lip threatened to wobble as she tried to reason out the logic in his statement.  He -- he would just keep losing points?!  The threat of public humiliation was more than enough to cow Noriko into tears; she couldn't wrap her mind around someone who would so blatantly threaten to take shame on out of spite.  Didn't he care what other people would think?

None of her strategies were working the way that they were supposed to.  Appeals, threats -- O'Doherty was acting like he just didn't care.  Noriko's heart was starting to race as she tried to wrap her mind around it.  What sort of person didn't mind if they made their house lose?  Why didn't he care about his housemates in Slytherin?

"They're -- they're --"  She sputtered.  She didn't even know of an Attwood or Spalding, though nearly everyone knew Figaro Sellaphix, the older Hufflepuff who was loud enough to make her wonder if he'd been cursed at birth with a permanent Sonorus charm.  Deus Deres, who seemed to spend most of his time sleeping or talking to pretty girls, might very well not care, but Xavier Tawse of the house Quidditch team was one of her favorite older students.  He definitely did.

"Most of them aren't even Slytherins!" she wailed, her face screwing up as if she were about to cry.  "And Xavier Tawse does care.  He's nice," she informed him in a hiss, as if this were the most damning piece of contrary evidence that she could muster.  "I bet more Slytherins care than don't care.  You just want to think that everyone is like you!"

Like a shark drawn to blood—or a wolf drawn to the plaintive baa’s of a lamb—Gracie suddenly appeared at Casey’s shoulder, grinning, having been drawn to the pair by Noriko’s wails. She’d only caught the tail end of the second year’s words, but after shooting a glance between them (-well, from the top of the fourth year’s head and back, really. At this rate O’Doherty was going to need a miracle to catch up with, say, Ny), it wasn’t that hard to guess what they were arguing about: House points.

Ah.

“Like him?” she echoed. Amusement was thick in her voice as she gave the boy a raised brow; the look on her face was good-naturedly disbelieving. “What a dreadful accusation, Wakahisa.”

Elbowing the boy’s head lightly, her grin widened. “What on earth would make him think that?”

Contrary to Casey’s words, more people did care than he thought. While the fiasco had been rather funny, to a certain extent, it was embarrassing to have their points cut at the knees like that—especially at the last possible moment. After the Cup had been awarded to Ravenclaw, a lot of people had stopped laughing.

Surprisingly enough, Gracie had found herself being one of them.

"You never specificed to find five people only in Slytherin, but that's proof for you that not everyone in school gives a billywig." Tawse was supposedly nice to the younger students though there were times he was a jerk.

"It could...Salazar's Shiny Pate! Slant!" How in blazing hell did she get behind him when his chair was literally inches away from a window?! His rating of the usefulness of Super-Sensory charms rose several notches on the list. He hobbled his chair away from her.

"If everybody were me things would be a lot more clear cut." Not really at all. People would have secrets to keep and would be searching for any means of leverage, but at least you could trust in the fact that everyone would be untrustworthy at some point. "People would stick to business and not waste time on unimportant things."

Noriko had been on the verge of tears before Gracie Slant had joined them.  At the sudden appearance of the older girl, she jumped, nearly looking like she wanted to dive under the table.  Gracie was smart, cunning, and so -- ...so Slytherin that the younger girl often felt star-struck merely being in her presence.  As it was, she stared at the older witch, her eyes wide, and barely managed to swallow a hiccup.

She wasn't sure if Gracie was on her side or not.  Noriko had been secretly hoping to attract the attention of one of the older students, but she had been hoping for one that she knew was nice, like Xavier Tawse.  Gracie was an unknown quantity, and she made Noriko feel suddenly self-conscious, as if she couldn't ever be as visibly in control as the older girl.

She looked timidly back at Casey.  "But everyone's not like you," she said meekly.  "They're -- they're --"  They were Gryffindors and Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and those were only the other Hogwarts students.  This somehow felt very important, but being able to articulate it into words or even coherent thoughts was beyond her.  Noriko swallowed instead.

"It's not unimportant," she said in a very small voice, trying to catch a look at Gracie out of the corner of her eye.  "And besides, I thought you liked winning points.  You used to brag all the time."[1]

1.	One Hundred Points to Slytherin!

Smoothly sidestepping away from Casey’s chair (-which was easy enough; you didn’t have to be exactly behind a person to be at their shoulder, after all), Gracie looked on with amusement as the pair continued; Casey, as usual, was mercilessly wielding his own brand of logic (which was made sharp enough by his own certainty). Noriko, two years younger and quite the opposite… wasn’t. And at that moment the difference between the two couldn’t be more obvious; as far as the sixth year was concerned, the argument’s outcome was nearly as certain as anything on NatGeo.

But only ‘nearly,’ however, because the second year was showing more spine than O’Doherty probably had expected. And that was enough to make Gracie regard her with new consideration.

After spending a moment on leveling the younger witch an even, unblinking stare, the look unfurled into a grin—another one—that was a touch different from the first.

“Unfortunately, winners can’t be winners all the time,” drawled Gracie, sighing. Above Casey’s head, she shot Noriko a wink—effectively turning that smile into something mischievous, though her tone reflected nothing more than lazy regret. “And when you lose in the most fantastic way, sometimes it’s easier t’ stop caring… or try.”

Looking down at the boy pointedly, she unsheathed her grin. “If everyone was more like you, O’Doherty, this House would be in real trouble.” Cooed, the words came out light, almost affectionate. “Not everyone finds your manner charming like some of us do.”

And then, quick as a blink, her hand suddenly shot towards him—only to grip the part of his cheek closest to his ear. Her smile widening until green eyes were practically slits, she pinched.

Hard.

But of course: this particular event of last year was going to be dredged up again. Wakahisa and Slant had covered both components. The day of momentary Slytherin victory and how Casey had single handedly shot that to hell. The second year's comment was a bit more humiliating. Casey was fit to redefine his former jubilation as 'naive third year gullibility.'

"Don't touch me!" Casey knocked Slant's hand away, then held the hand to his check. Lucky him, he might get a bruise from it. She had done enough with he guess of why Casey might not like getting house points anymore.

"Look what that got me. Interrogation from the former deputy head and a fight with one of the most viscous Slytherins the school has ever seen. That's not a complaint by the way," he eyed the two to confirm that he was not highlighting a weakness. "Anyone can earn house points. I'm the only one who nearly beat Morvin Sharp and talked my way out of the resulting inquiry. A much better marvel of my capabilities than house points."

"Besides, as I recalled I just about saved your life during that fight," he told Wakahisa. "Some thank you."