3 PM


With a dozy sway and slumberous smile, Miles Faraday released a heavy tome into the hands of a pint-sized second year who seemed far too weightless to be devouring such heavy books. He could hardly remember being assigned such things when he we twelve, but then time had a way of morphing his less memorable memories. The best ones, he reasoned, would always be etched there in his mind, and that was more than good enough for Miles. Leaving the underclassman with her comically huge book, the Hufflepuff ambled off in the direction of a cluster of armchairs that seemed slightly more inviting than the worktables that were currently swamped by sedulous Ravenclaws.

Miles fell easily into one of the seats, slouching with a posture that his mother would undoubtedly criticize before doting upon him with soda bread, jam, and butterbeer. He snorted in quiet laughter, thinking fondly of the woman, and decided he probably owed her a letter very soon. Mrs. Faraday had written him three times that month already, and Miles had not had the chance to reply as he usually might. It made him feel sort of guilty, because was a mother's boy as surely as he was his sister's favorite sibling and a girl's best friend.

Rather than extracting a textbook from the depths of his black school bag, Miles pulled out a copy of a secondhand muggle encyclopedia Trine had owled him after her most recent scrounge of London shops. Miles had been reading it, hoping to gain some insight to supplement his next Muggle Studies assignment, and perhaps also (more importantly) to impress Lola. The bit he was currently reading was on musical instruments. Most were certainly not any different from the instruments found in Wizarding culture, except for the ones that were plugged into electric speakers. Miles found them absolutely mind-blowing. Bands like the Weird Sisters simply used magic to amplify their rock n' roll. Miles already had a plan to collect a few muggle records in the coming summer-- mostly because those strange "compact discs" and even audio tapes could not be played on a phonograph. He would start that letter home as soon as he finished this section, he reasoned with himself.


clothes

The green colored skirt swished lightly as Adelia entered the Library. The aviators on her head were completely unneeded in this scenario, but there they laid upon her brunette hair. They were one of her father's many pairs and well, it was something she kept with her at all times to keep him close to her when she was at school. After all, Fauna could never be allowed to see the family photograph with him clearly in it, waving and laughing as Addie was making faces that a typical five year old would. She was clearly being eyeballed by a few boys, including some first years. "Take a photograph. I last longer that way," was her reply as she looked at them rather annoyed by it all.

Her eyes looked everywhere to find a spot, but alas, nothing. It was evident studies were getting either harder or her fellow comrades were slacking more. Either one or both seemed likely as she continued to walk on as she kept on tugging at the satchel, checking to make sure her button that her younger uncle, AJ, was still there. And of course, it was. How silly of her to worry over a button, right? The toffee was in the satchel, all for Miles, that is, if she could find him. Grandmother had made it for him to begin with. NO Miles meant all the more for her.

Eventually, she found the lad she was just thinking of. A blush crept up to her face and in reaction, she darted behind the bookcase shelf nearest him for a moment to regain composure. No, he was only a friend, a brother. Never a lover since him and Lola were much happier and the last thing Addie wanted was a war between the three of them. Pulling the glasses off her face, she made the attempt to sneak behind him and put the glasses over his eyes, but then opted out of that. It was just better to scare him by simply sneaking.

Her eyes caught what he was reading and grinned widely at it. He was educating himself about the Muggle World? That was cute, or at least by her standards. Anything to impress, right? Her mind began to wander as she thought of the first time he had come to her house over the breaks. Her hand shot over her mouth instantly to cover up the giggle to avoid his eyes and ears. Eventually, she was standing right behind him and within a few moments, she gently placed her hands on his shoulders all creepy like.

"Dear knight, I've come to take thee to the Underworld. You hath refused to pay thy debts. Thou art damn'd."


outfit

Caught up in a paragraph that attempted to summarize the already-explained concept of "electricity" in a mere four sentences, Miles did not immediately notice the library's aviator-clad newcomer sneaking between the shelves. A harmless yawn escaped the Hufflepuff before he could mutter something about plugs and cords, or properly visualize them in his head. He easily overcame the urge to pull out a quill and start jotting in the book's margins. He would save that formality for later when he was trying to sleep (granted, sleep was never much of a problem).

Miles' eyes settled on a black and white photograph of an electric keyboard just as a pair of small hands met his shoulders. Rather than jumping like a cat, as many students might do in such a situation, the boy looked left, then right, then straight upward and back, his upside-down line of vision catching a perfect glimpse of the "offender"... who was not the least bit offensive, but rather someone who made the surprised boy smile.

"Lady Adelia of the Underworld, pray tell, would this be the same place known as Hufflepuffland, located in the underground of Hogwarts?" He asked, neck still craned pleasantly. He raised a hand from his book and gestured nowhere in particular, but in his own Miles-like way meant to note the dungeons and Hufflepuff common room several levels below them.

Bringing his head back into a proper, right-side-up position, Miles gave his honey hair a quick rub of his palm, followed by a wet-dog shake. He turned in his seat, his shoulder now digging into the (luckily cushioned) side of the library armchair, and raised his brows at Addie. "Those are some mighty interesting shades you've got there. The Underworld must be very bright." Or, you know, fiery. The boy elbowed the arm of the vacant chair some three inches from his own. They had a supposed knightly debt to discuss! "Care to sit before my damning ceremony?"

The reaction of Miles made her reassure that he was charming and could play the parts she assigned him all too often. "Aren't you sweet?" she replied to him, sticking out her tongue as she headed to the other seat next to him. "As for Hufflepuffland, you know that's trademarked and you could likely get us into trouble for that," she commented, putting the satchel down onto the floor, crossing her legs, letting the skirt dangle off the chair.

When the mentioning of the aviators were brought up, she pulled them off and hung them in front of Miles' face to where it was like he was wearing them. "Just as I thought. I'll have to let Dad know you want a pair - you look grand in them, dahling," she said, the last word dripping off her tongue like a Parisian or Nawlins woman. "Yes, the Underworld has been rather bright lately," she tried to say but found herself giggling at the thought of their common room unusually bright. Hm.

The damning ceremony was an interesting choice of words as she reflected upon it and simply grinned at him, eventually going to playfully punch his shoulder, hoping he wouldn't dodge or worse, her miss his arm completely. He seemed rather happy today and that pleased her greatly. It made her feel better in knowing he was in good spirits. After a few minutes of looking at the cover of the book, Adelia reached for her satchel and pulled out a package wrapped in rather fanciful paper.

"For you, m'liege. It seems that Grand-mère misses her adoptive grandson. I've resisted the urge to open it and was about to eat it myself," she commented, placing the package into his lap with a grin. "Go on! Open it, goose."

"I'm already in debt and apparently headed for a lifetime in a less comfortable place, so I might as well," he laughed lightly. Being sued for trampling over Hufflepuff's trademark seemed hardly plausible-- as he was sure Addie knew-- but Miles played along, enjoying the idea. "Do you think we could campaign for air-conditioning in the Underworld?" And liberty for all damned kind?

Miles grabbed the sunglasses being held in front of him, examining them as close as he might bring a spyglass or magnifying lens to look at whatever new and particularly minute thing happened upon him. He then tried them on properly, looked toward Adelia, and nodded coolly, like some sort of faux wizarding rockstar, before taking them off and holding them back over the girl's head. "But I'll have to get your dad something in return," he reasoned slowly, though jovially. "I don't suppose he'd like a muggle encyclopedia?" He asked, giving his book a half-hearted lug and a wave.

Pretending to be quiet afflicted by Addie's punch, Miles opened his mouth in a silent scream, clenching his eyes so that they were barely open. He then winked and smiled, leaning back into the armchair's cushy spine with expert leisure. "It must be Spoil Miles Day," he announced, accepting the package with genuine curiosity. "I'm beginning think your family loves me more than my own." Grinning, he unwrapped the parcel and to discover a very nice package of delicious toffees-- a favorite of the Hufflepuff's. Miles brought a hand to his heart and lifted his head with eyes closed, like a soldier giving an impassioned speech. "Give her thanks from Miles and his cholesterol," he said fondly, and then focused intently on opening the sweets.

He pulled out two generously portioned pieces of toffee and handed one to Adelia. "Does this cover my debt? Does it count if it's from you to me to you, like hot potato?" He bit into his own piece, and smiled sideways before closing his mouth to chew. "Thank you, too, Addie," he added before swallowing.

Her hand snatched immediately for the toffee, savoring in the confectionery that her grandmother had made. As for him saying it was 'Spoil Miles Day,' it was as she nodded her head. "You are spoiled and loved, Mr. 'I'm beginning think your family loves me more than my own.' They think the world of you and you know that, so don't you dare think otherwise. As for the debt paid, I vote 'aye' so I'll have to let the Badger King know you've avoided his death sentence once more."

Addie's thoughts trailed off to her father's recent letter, finding it rather amusing he had lost it but then again, his job being a mainstream artist kept him busy. Of course, his works were different than most but she loved that he enjoyed it. After all, she had helped once with one mural artwork two summers ago. Looking at Miles, the blush tinge rose in her face and for that, she looked away, dissolving into giggles.

Soon enough, Addie was regaining her composure, looking at Miles' 'Muggle encyclopedia', causing her to shake her head. "Why would my father need that if he, himself, IS a Muggle, silly boy? What are you looking at anyway? Is that a cassette? Talk about what my dad would say is...." A pause. "Old school?" was the addition before snickering. "He's so weird, but I think that's why I like having you around. You remind me of him."

Continuing to enjoy the toffee bestowed upon him by Adelia's oh-so-generous family, Miles smiled sideways, his lips tugging toward a sharp cheek. Smiling and devouring sweets at the same time was a much more accomplished talent than people gave it credit for! But he couldn't help doing both: the candy was delicious enough for the Faraday boy to completely ignore any library rule about not eating near the books, and Addie had a habit of making him laugh. He swallowed, reached into his school bag for the pint-sized water bottle he usually kept, and took a swig of Pumpkin Juice. The sour flavor didn't exactly compliment the candy, but sugar was sugar. He gave it a little shake, offering it to his housemate.

"Badger King sounds like Burger King. There's a muggle place called that. They're all over Dublin," he laughed. He was sure she knew, but he sometimes got ahead of himself talking about all things muggle. It was an interest that had only been further perpetuated by Lola's fascination with non-magic culture. "But ahh, now I owe you another thanks for sparing my soul! Hope your man the king is well. Send him my best, anyway," He added at length, looking quite sincerely at Adelia and nodding. "I didn't want to say anything, but I don't think I'm quite ready to leave this life." Now was as good a time as any to wink again.

Miles covered one eye in a light smack. His mouth and brain weren't always working in conjunction. "Dunno. Maybe he's run short on them?" He offered, trying again. He laughed silently and sank a few inches in his chair, leaning his neck against the edge of its back. His long legs jutted out lazily before him, making the walking space between their chairs and the next group of tables a bit more narrow. As long as the librarian wasn't around to scream, Miles felt there was no harm done in a good old slouch. He held the book more properly toward Addie, allowing her to examine the pages. Who wouldn't adore a spare encyclopedia fished out of a dodgy secondhand shop in London?

"A cassette, yeah! Deadly stuff. Do you have any?" He had barely sunk into his bad-posture lounge before he found himself sitting up again, leaning over the arm of the chair to study the pages with Addie. "Old school like Celestina Warbeck? No one could be that old." Certainly not cassettes! Still grinning, Miles considered her comment. Being called weird was the epitome of a compliment, and he felt glad to remind her of someone she cared about. "Except I'd be more like a brother than your dad if I joined the family. I should be writing this down before the adoption papers are signed." He made another play for his bag, as if he were about to drawl a quill, but at the last moment Miles' hand dove for the toffee and he took another wonderful chunk. "So what brings you to the library, aside from the official Underworld business?"

_{{sorry if it comes out crappy - sinuses have hit me head on}}

Talks of Burger Kings and Cassettes and such things made her head spin a bit as she could not keep her mind set on one subject. Perhaps the toffee was making him hyperactive or something like that. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down there, buddy! You're talking a mile a minute. I can't comprehend half of what you're trying to tell me." The sorrow in his voice to leave "this life" was what? Hogwarts? Hm. "Yeah, Hoggie's all too good towards us, but you know, if you think about it, I'll be 17 soon and you could visit the house. We can do magic," she said, squealing with delight at the thought.

A pause as she thought about it truly. "Then again. I'd have to watch myself."  Her parents wouldn't mind, not too much, but Monks Crescent was already a place where Muggles were already suspicious of.  Wizard families and a few families like her own lived there, but adjusted to using appliances and other Muggle nick nacks. The questions about cassettes reinforced her thought process again. Didn't he have some? Hm.

"So what brings you to the library, aside from the official Underworld business?"

"Nothing really. Just wanted out of the Common Room. After all, it's getting nearer tests and whatnot. Maybe even to see you, my buddy and brother." The smile on her face arose once more but it was slightly pained deep within, knowing he was with Lola and she always accepted that fact. "The cassettes? I think he does. I'd have to see."

Miles grinned. He was generally the one telling people to slow down. But it was true: when he started on certain subjects, it was often impossible to follow his line of thought... mostly because the rumble and tumble of his mind tended to pour out of his mouth in a similarly mixed-up fashion, albeit usually slightly more sluggish. "Sorry," he noted sincerely, but casually, still smiling in a way that seemed entirely blameless. (He would be lying if he claimed he weren't aiming for that winning sort of smile). He tapped the side of his head with two fingers, as if that explained all. Then, leaning away as if to study the girl through a camera lens, he raised his brows, impressed.

"Seventeen, hmm? And yesterday you were only this tall," he sighed, rising a little from his seat and holding a hand up to more or less her exact height. He sat down again, laughing lightly and jovially, he added, "Are you ready for your Apparating License? You'll have to try that, too." He paused, seemingly to think fondly of his own (relatively recent) Apparition experiences. It had taken Miles twice to pass the test. The first time, he'd left not only a shoe behind, but an entire foot in Hogsmeade while the rest of him went on to catch a lovely glimpse of Liverpool. "We can have Apparating Musical Chairs at your party." There had to be a party. It was a must!

Resting his arm on the chair's arm, and his chin atop that, Miles now stared upward at the girl, reflecting. "But you can still have fun, watching yourself. Just don't go chasing any muggles... or dogs."

Lifting his head, Miles nodded understandingly at the girl's reasoning. It was nice to step out of the Common Room every so often, even if they were both Hufflepuffs tried and true, and fairly easy to get along with. "Me? Oh, really?" He asked with the smirkiest smirk he could manage-- which was not entirely smirky in the way that so many of his Slytherin peers could do it. "Toffee receiver and special library guest. I'm on fire today! But not in the Underworld way," he laughed. "Next you'll be burying me in cassettes, Miss Addie."

Miles' eyes darted to the librarian, whom he'd just seen lurking around a nearby aisle. He could tell by the look on the book curator's face that laughter and food were not only unacceptable, but sinful. "Maybe we should go for a walk," he suggested in a loud whisper. The Hufflepuff stood and stretched, so that his lean, boyish tummy and skivvies were momentarily visible in that space where his skinny black trousers usually met his striped shirt-- when his arms weren't reaching for the sky. He leaned down again and picked up his bag, slinging carelessly over one arm and slipping the toffee inside. He gestured with a tug of his his head for the girl follow, and then finally collected the book,  drumming his fingers on its worn, hard cover. They could loiter in another section of the spacious room if they were lucky. "I'm very inconvenient," he confessed apologetically. "The spies always know where I am."

She grinned, giggled even when he teased lightly about her height and such. It was perfectly all right to hear it from him; anyone else would have been scolded and yelled at. "I'm ready for the Apparition thing, yeah. I've been reading on it ever since Uncle Augustin got me the booklet on it a few months ago. Of course, attempting it is rather difficult, most especially when you giggle too much. Uncle got mad and swore he'd stop teaching me, but you have to blame AJ, his brother, for that."

A party? Oiy, wasn't he already one for the blast? She hadn't even been able to convince Grandmere to do it. A hand went to her face immediately as she thought of that. She had to write to her soon enough about that - after all, May was rolling around but the party would have to wait until Summer holidays rolled about. "Me? Chase dogs and Muggles? I'm not five anymore, Faraday," she teased with a large grin. "I only chase prats such as yourself to annoy."

The librarian had also caught Addie's eye and so, when Miles suggested to leave, she was all too eager to do so. She didn't want to hear screeches of what they were doing was illegal - eating toffees. If only the woman knew half of the things students did in here ... A sigh escaped for only but a moment as she stood up, grabbing her own items before nodding her head. "You pick the place, mate. I'll follow."

"If you can't laugh, it's not worth learning." Miles nodded slowly at his own 'profound' philosophy. Merlin knew that learning how to transport one's body from one place to another in the blink of an eye certainly required the courage of laughter, too. It was sort of terrifying, if one dwell on it for too long. Not that concentration was bad, either-- if he'd concentrated harder the first time, Miles probably would have gotten his license earlier. "Tell your uncle to relax and have a cup of tea. It's always good for the soul." It was true. A nice cuppa with lots of sugar and a splash of vanilla (to sweeten it, ahem) was always a mood-brightener. It went great with toffee, too! "Sounds like AJ's got the right idea, no? And maybe I can help translate the booklet into human," he added, laughing lightly. 'Human' meaning conversational English, of course. Those Ministry guides were always so stuffy.

Staring bemusedly at the girl's expression, Miles wondered what exactly she had in store (or didn't) for her summer birthday. He would have to wait and see-- and maybe give the whole plan a little push in the right direction when things got closer. Parties weren't allowed to be boring. "Chase me, huh? I'd better start training with the Quidditch lot. My feet are feeling a bit lazy," he lamented, grinning a bit wider. Miles was more of the lounge-and-sleep type of boy, never too hard to catch for his friends, although running was good fun when on an adventure.

Miles aimlessly ushered his friend for a moment, unsure where they should relocate. Maybe a legitimate walk was in store. When they were halfway toward the Restricted Section (which of course he had no reason to enter), he remembered something and swung a sharp left. "There's a new man out in the corridor. A painting. I chatted with him a bit this morning. I'm sure he won't mind a bit of toffee nibbling... on our part." A stroke of excitement was evident in the Hufflepuff's mild voice. The piece of art in question was a portrait of an old inventor, a creator of wizarding gadgets and gizmos that had been deemed more or less entirely useless-- but they still fascinated Miles. He led Addie through the library doors and into the spacious hall. Many steps toward the corridor's end, and they were standing in front of a gold-framed canvas painting with a red curtain background and... "It's empty," the boy muttered confusedly.

Blinking, Miles backed away from the painting as if it might provide a more enlightening view. He tossed his back onto the floor against the opposite wall. The elusive two-dimensional inventor was still missing. "Well, he'll come back soon," the boy suggested, turning to Adelia and seeming entirely unbothered. He backed up a few more paces and slid down the wall beside his bag, gesturing once more for her to join him. "I think I learn almost as much from these guys as the professors. Which one is your favorite?" He was, of course, referring to the thousands of animated subjects in the paintings and sculptures that decorated the school.