It was silent in the Entrance Hall as Adrienna sat on the Grand Staircase, nose in a paperback copy of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.  The book itself was very difficult to read, though Adrienna knew Shakespeare was an adulated poet and writer, and Adrienna respected him.  Only, she would have jumped over this book had she been choosing what she was reading.

Her father had sent the book by owl (or rather her mother did so since he detested much of the wizrding world) and had asked her to read this Shakespearian tale.  He had always believed that she needed to read ‘non-magic’ books every now and then to ‘get a well-rounded education’.  She had lost count of how many times he had used those two phases with her in the past.

She turned a page in the book, reaching the end of Act I, Scene I.  She had found it to be a bit perverted in some parts, but beautiful in others.  Romeo was lovesick because the woman he loved wished not to be in love.  She had heard the story was sad, but she didn’t realize it was this way from the beginning.  Just for fun, she had imagined that this took place in the wizarding world, and how much more interesting would the fight have been!

She turned another page, the quiet pressing hard on her ears, and continued to read.

Leaving the Great Hall, finally, after eating a bit too much for his liking, Leon headed towards the Entrance Hall. He planned on going straight to bed; he had finished his homework and said his goodnights to everyone already. What was the point in staying up? He was rather sluggish, opening the door and yawning. His feet felt heavy and wanted him to just pass out on the floor right then and there. Rather than climb several flights of stairs. But the floor was no place for a respectable teenager to sleep.

Leon began to climb up the main staircase before something caught his eye... A girl reading a Muggle book. Not JUST a muggle book... A Shakespeare book. His heart fluttered and he stumbled upward on the stairs. Rather flush, he straightened himself up and turned to the girl. He stared down at her, trying to think of his question without sounding like a creeper. 'Do you like it?' Any girl would give him a horrified look with that question. "U- Umm... Is it good? Your book... I mean?" Leon bit his lip.

"I, personally, really love Shakespeare..." His middle name was Othello. He was born to love him. "Just... Saying..." He was embarrassing himself. The girl was pretty. Well, beautiful in Leon's opinion. She was a Ravenclaw... But Leon could hardly think of her name.

She was just reading the first line of the second act when a boy appeared at the base of the staircase.  He seemed surprised to find her there, and she didn’t even bother to finish her current paragraph before shutting her book.  Later she would realize she had lost her page, but right now she wasn’t thinking about that.

The boy stuttered a question, asking her if her book was good.  He seemed rather nervous, though Adrienna had no idea why.  It was she who was slightly panicked.  After all, the boy was rather good-looking, and he wasn’t a Slytherin (extra points for that).

“Oh…” she hesitated.  “So far.  I’ve only read a few pages, see.  But the words are… beautiful.”

"I, personally, really love Shakespeare..." he paused, his cheeks pink. "Just... Saying..."

Adrienna was silent for a moment, trying to think of something to say.  Why did her brain have to fail her at moments like this?  She was smart enough to pass her classes with all O’s, but she couldn’t even speak to a boy.  It was a bit embarrassing, really.

“So you’ve read it, I assume?” she inquired, gesturing to the book in her lap.

“So far.  I’ve only read a few pages, see.  But the words are… beautiful.”

Oh... She answered back? Leon gave her an awkward smile, "Yeah... Romeo and Juliet is... Er... Lovely." He wasn't about to admit that he kept a copy in his trunk and read it every time he saw a cute girl with potential. Though everyone knows, well... Mostly everyone knows that the book is completely perverted and Romeo just wanted to get into Juliet's pants. The book is only three days! Day one, they meet. Day two, they're married. Day three, they're dead. By gosh, Romeo, Leon thought, this is what you get for being greedy. Leon stared off a bit, "Oh, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." His eyes flickered back to the girl, "Er. Sorry..." Could he really be so embarrassing?

“So you’ve read it, I assume?”

Leon was so tempted to say 'No, I never read a word. I just find Shakespeare attractive.' But rather be rude to the girl, he nodded slowly, "As you can tell... I sort of... Memorized it." Oh, Leon. You should run away now. This girl doesn't care about your stupid chatter of a dead guy. Leon nearly offended himself with this thought. He was a great man! Just... Misunderstood. Just like Leon himself, only... A bit different.

He scratched the back of his head and looked down at the stairs, "Mind if I sit down...? Next to you?" What could she really say? 'No. Sit down away from me.' That's never really happened to him before, but he worries. The again, he also worries that the house elves are hiding cucumber in his meals, which he is allergic to. But who really cares? Cucumbers were nasty, dirty things, and he didn't want to eat them. He'd rather eat his carrots and glower at the bowl of cucumbers rather than... Eat the bowl of cucumbers.  Leon could nearly taste them in his mouth again before he bit his tongue. Instead, he tasted that gross copper taste. He wasn't bleeding, but it lingered there.

The boy looked rather surprised at her response, "Yeah... Romeo and Juliet is... Er... Lovely."

He sounded a bit sarcastic, and Adrienna figured he was thinking about the fact that Romeo and Juliet was pretty impious when it came to love.  She could tell that much just by reading the first act.  She really hadn’t meant that the meaning of the words were wonderful, just the language.  Hopefully he hadn’t thought otherwise.

It was quiet for a moments as Adrienna stared at the cover of her book, where Romeo was halfway inside Juliet’s window, kissing her lightly on the lips.  Her arm was laced gently over his shoulder, his hand over hers.  They looked so serene yet so mischievous and secretive, attached by the lips at her bedroom window sill.  Vines were scattered about them, over the columns and archway above.  And it was as she studied this that the boy began to speak.

"Oh, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

Every part of her froze, especially her heart (that was what she noticed most), as he finished speaking.  She hadn’t come across the quote yet in her book, but it meant that the asker wanted a kiss.  She wondered if he quoted that particular line on purpose or if it was the first that came to mind…

He looked at he again, blushing, "Er. Sorry... As you can tell... I sort of... Memorized it."

She blinked once, trying to recover from the brilliant yet completely unexpected quote, “No.  It was wonderful really.  Ask any male in this entire school to quote anything from Romeo and Juliet – or any book at all for that matter – and you’d be tough competition.”

"Mind if I sit down...? Next to you?"  the boy asked, looking at the space of stair right next to where she was sitting.

“Oh,” she said subconsciously, glancing needlessly down at the place, as if she needed to make sure it was there.  “No I don’t mind.”

She shifted a bit where she was sitting, her heart becoming restless again. ::Calm down:: she thought over and over.  ::It isn’t a big deal.  He only wants to talk.::

“No.  It was wonderful really.  Ask any male in this entire school to quote anything from Romeo and Juliet – or any book at all for that matter – and you’d be tough competition.”

Leon shrugged at this compliment, "I don't know... I'm sure there's another... Zoey McAdams seems to be very in depth with reading." He then realized he was trying to snake his way out of saying thanks. Leon gave an awkward grin "Thanks, though..." Of course a Ravenclaw wouldn't shy away from a quote from a book. But, it was still nice hearing someone actually compliment his abilities of memorizing so much. All those years of practicing finally paid off. "Shakespeare has been a favorite of mind my whole life... I've probably read Romeo and Juliet more than anyone would believe." Great literature just can't pass Leon that easily.

When the girl agreed to let him sit down, he did so timidly and crossed his arms over his chest. Now that he was closer... He kind of recognized the girl. "Were you on the Quidditch team at all?" He would HAVE to know this girl then. Leon was, after all, the new captain of the team. Her name still escaped his mind, but he knew this girl in some way. If she was on the Quidditch team last year, maybe this could give Leon a head start on tryouts this year.

"Sorry... You're just... Familiar..." Leon murmured, still grinning a bit stupidly. If Leon had a nickle for every time he acted dumb around a girl, he'd probably have about three dollars and fourty-five cents. Just to be exact. Leon's eyes stayed glued to the step below him and he occasionally glanced back up at the girl. "I didn't catch your name did I?" He finally piped up and turned to the younger student. It must of been awkward to watch, since he was so reluctant to do it.

”Were you on the Quidditch team at all?” the boy asked her as he studied her for a moment.  It was an odd question… well, no, not odd.  Just unexpected.  Most of the time people asked her if she did ballroom dancing or something delicate like that, and then she would blush and admit that she couldn’t dance if she were hexed to and that she would much rather gallivant about on a broom.  ”Sorry… You’re just… Familiar…”

“Oh, it’s alright.  And yes,” she nodded to his question, some spark of recognition crossing her face.  “You’re on the team, too, aren’t you?”

The boy pointed out that he didn’t know her name, and Adrienna realized for the first time that she hadn’t even bothered introducing herself.  Though she didn’t know why.  Normally, her name was the first thing to pop out of her mouth.  One would never know her mother had taught her manners if she didn’t use them.

“Oh, my apologies,” she said quickly as she blushed.  “My name’s Adrienna Hayes.  And yours?”

A door clicked shut somewhere on the upstairs corridor, and Adrienna turned to see who was coming.  But of course, it was only her nerves making her a bit paranoid.  Whoever it was, they were not coming this way, and even if they were, what would it matter?  Embarrassed she turned back to the boy.  She hadn’t jumped too much and she hoped he didn’t notice.  He’d think her some kind of lunatic, leaping at such innocent sounds…

“You’re on the team, too, aren’t you?”

Leon nodded, quickly, and grinned, "Uh, yeah... I'm sort of the- Errr... Captain this year." He shrugged. He really didn't feel like explaining how he was the rebound Keeper for three years and that they picked Delilah Maddox over him, then her brother was the Captain for a while, so Leon really wasn't surprised."I'm the, uh... Keeper. I was kind of a reserve Keeper for the last few years." He shrugged.

"My name’s Adrienna Hayes.  And yours?”

"Leon Monroe." He have her an awkward grin. Leon was usually better with manners, but under these circumstances it was quite strange that he would have remembered to begin with, since he was practically attacking the girl over a book. A good book, though. "It's nice to meet you." He finally said, softly, and he sent another smile in her direction. He scratched the back of his head and stared around the hall, hopefully not coming off as creepy as he thought he was.

"We- Umm... Have Quidditch tryouts coming up soon. Well, not really... We. More like, you." Leon bit his lip, "And I'll sort of be judging... Err... Them. Since I'm captain." And stuff. Leon blushed, slightly, at how uncomfortable he felt. He wasn't used to talking to girls that weren't tomboyish or Waker Nolan. But it wasn't like he hated it, talking to girls was actually something Leon could be quite the gentleman with. He just didn't quite know if he was coming off as the "cool, intellectual" he was trying to be, or if he was just "flamboyant and lonely".

"Uh, yeah... I'm sort of the- Errr... Captain this year.  I'm the, uh... Keeper. I was kind of a reserve Keeper for the last few years."

Adrienna simply nodded.  Although being captain was impressive, she wasn’t sure whether Leon considered that accomplishment good or bad so she didn’t want to offend him either way.  In her opinion, just being on the team was wonderful.  He seemed embarrassed by the fact that he was on reserve, but it wasn’t as if anyone was going to beat out Maddox. 

She then took the liberty of introducing herself, though it was a bit delayed considered they had been chatting for few minutes now.  Still, it was better to have manners late then to have none at all.

"Leon Monroe.  It's nice to meet you."

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Adrienna replied automatically.  But she really did mean it.

After a few moments Leon mumbled something nearly unintelligible, but Adrienna got the general idea of what he was trying to say.  He was so nervous, but she had no idea why.  Of course, she was also anxious, but having talked so much to her brother in the past, it was easy for her to communicate with boys.  Other people, she realized, couldn’t tell the speech of the opposite gender from Japanese.

Remembering long chats with Andrew, she suddenly felt much more confident in her social ability, and she smiled to herself, “Mr. Monroe, if you don’t mind me asking, are you always so nervous around girls?”

She didn’t intend it as an insult or a tool to embarrass him further.  She was simply curious, and besides, it most likely embarrassed her more to ask the question than it would for him to answer it.  She was never so forward with acquaintances, but she was trying to imagine she was talking to Andrew to calm herself down.  Their conversations had always been truthful and to the point.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,”

Leon smiled at her for a few seconds before turning his gaze to his hands. Was it really? Leon couldn't help but continue to grin like a dumb ass. He never felt himself as being a great person to meet. He was shy, reserved, and a total know-it-all. But if the girl say something in him, who was he to say such things about himself? If such a nice girl liked meeting him, then maybe he wasn't so strange. Leon liked himself, of course, but he never knew that others liked him. Well, clearly, they did.

“Mr. Monroe, if you don’t mind me asking, are you always so nervous around girls?”

Leon's smile faded and he looked back up at Adrianna. Was it really that obvious? He took a moment to think it over before nodding. "Well... Sort of," he told her, honestly, "I'm used to... Umm... Girls that aren't so... Girly," Leon admitted and looked back down at his hands. He must have sounded like a moron. He didn't feel cool and intellectual anymore. He felt like he was a lonely, creepy old guy that was getting nervous around a young girl. Leon wanted to go back to his dorm and read. Perhaps something happy. Or, maybe, he could start rereading Wuthering Heights. He just didn't like the uncomfortable feeling that sprung up into his gut. He looked back up at Adrianna... She must have thought he was socially retarded.

"I'm sorry... I'm just..." Not smart when it came to girls, like every other nerd in the world, "Do you like reading about plants? I do," Leon blurted out and then immediately looked down at his feet, red creeping up his face. He felt like an idiot. Hadn't he done enough damage? He expected the younger student to get up and run away like he was a weirdo. Which he felt like he was.

"Plants... Are... Useful... And... Help... Us... Breathe," Leon began telling himself to shut up in his head. He just wanted to change the subject, not speak gibberish! "Sorry," he said again, his cheeks now completely flushed red and his bottom lip began quivering. Should he leave now? Or would it be ten times more awkward than if he stayed? What was he going to do!?

”I’m used to…Umm… Girls that aren’t so… girly.” Leon said nervously.

Now that was something new, Adrienna thought.  She was normally the one getting called the tomboy, but that was only when people realized what a quidditch fanatic she was.  Of course, she loved being girly just as much as she loved playing quidditch.  Some people didn’t grasp that.  Apparently Leon did.

“I understand,” she replied.  She didn’t really understand at all, though, and she hoped she wasn’t making Leon uncomfortable. 

”Do you like reading about plants?  I do.”

Yes, she was making him uncomfortable.  She didn’t really know how to respond, especially since she didn’t think she had ever read a book about plants unless it was her herbology book.  And if she were to generalize plants books strictly from that, she would have had to disagree with Leon. 

"Plants... Are... Useful... And... Help... Us... Breathe.”

“Um…” Adrienna blushed, embarrassed for Leon.  She honestly didn’t think he was strange, though she was sure anyone else might have got up and left by now; she had things to do and Romeo and Juliet to read, but she didn’t want to leave.  Something was making her stay there on that step.  Maybe it was curiosity or perhaps simply the pleasure of being in someone else’s company, but she wasn’t going anywhere until Leon did.

”Sorry.” he mumbled, blushing.

Adrienna smiled weakly, “It’s alright.  Erm… plants are lovely, yes.  I especially like roses, particularly lavender, but roses in general are fine plants.  Don’t you think?”

Of course, girly to Leon would be someone like Adrienna. A girl who was sweet, read romantic novels, and... Well, Quidditch was both a woman's and a man's sport. Leon had always thought that. Because it was, wasn't it? Leon Monroe wasn't sexist, prejudice, or judgmental. Sure, calling Adrienna girly wasn't that extreme, but still. It was a compliment, wasn't it? "Um... I don't know... If you do... But, thanks for trying," Leon hesitantly smiled. He knew people well enough to not understand what he was saying.

Of course Leon then made her feel uncomfortable with all his talk about plants. His face was completely flushed and he couldn't find himself to even glance up at her after witnessing the total horror in her face (Or, what seemed like horror to Leon) and he thought about leaving. And pretending none of that ever happened next time he saw the younger Ravenclaw. Reintroduce himself and say "Oh, hey, I'm cool and suave and I don't talk about plants". Not that there was anything wrong with plants... But... Still.

“It’s alright.  Erm… plants are lovely, yes.  I especially like roses, particularly lavender, but roses in general are fine plants.  Don’t you think?”

"Yes. Roses are nice. Did you know the plant Amorphophallus titanum is known for smelling like rotting flesh and being shaped like a giant pen--" Leon's eyes grew wide and he shut up. He didn't want to finish that sentence or that word. He wanted to smack himself silly for even bringing up the giant... Corpse plant. A pure look of horror was stuck on Leon's face. He was known for his logic and his fun facts... But this was the first time he really ever felt like he said something completely wrong.

"Before I say anything else... Stupid... I think... I should... Go," Leon nodded, slowly, speaking his words carefully and making sure he didn't say anything that would embarrass him any further. "Roses are nice. And so are you. And I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Leon then picked himself up off the staircase. He nearly forgot where he was going before he stopped to speak with Adrienna. Was he going to study? Or hide in his dorm for days? Perhaps the second choice was best.

"See you... At tryouts?" Leon asked with a deliciously awkward smile. Who would want to be on his team after everything he just said?