Percy Dervish had fallen off the radar even further than usual.  His entire ordeal at the New Year's party had been a catastrophe, at least in his mind.  It seemed like Percy's little Ravenclaw heart had been crushed unintentionally by a certain young blond squib.  Before that...there had been a couple of girls that had shown interest...but he had been humiliated by his "foolish" actions while under the influence of an enchanted pastry and then rather almost stalked unwittingly.  Percy's luck with the opposite sex had been perhaps better than the oblivious young Ravenclaw realized, but he'd never been able to capitalize and truly form a relationship.  It was true that he had made a few strides this year...but switching from prescription lenses to contacts seemed to be the most obvious change.

Percy was constantly second guessing himself whenever he entered the social arena, and especially when it concerned those of the female gender.  But books...books he understood.  Books...he was comfortable with.  Sadly, Percy was retreating back into his comfort zone.  On a beautiful, sunny afternoon after classes had ended...Percy was huddled beneath a shade tree with his nose in a book.  It was a book on obscure ancient magical artifacts and Percy found it fascinating, but...hoped to remember not to mention that if he were asked.  He still wanted to "play it cool" if the situation presented itself.  At least his education had been solid and he'd learned a great deal...If he could only conquer his anxiety, communication, and interaction skills...then Percy would certainly be unstoppable wherever he chose to go!  But that was a very...very big "if."

Percy began to absently smack his lips from dry mouth.  He began craving a butterbeer as he fingered through the pages of the massive volume  that rested upon his thighs as he leaned back against the tree trunk which supported his back.  He thought about groaning for a moment from frustration...not with the text, but thinking about social status and loneliness.  That seemed to be about the only thing that was able to shake his focus on a subject...that and a supreme lack of confidence.

The weather was finally warming up, Naomi even threw on some shorts because the sun was out, of course she still was wrapped in some coat of some sort, and her brother was still as loving as ever. She had done something, )she hadn't exactly figured out which something it was,) and her brother threatened to rat her out to their parents if she didn't help one of the 5th year Ravenclaws with some "girl issues," whatever that meant. But since Demont didn't let up when she started to bully him, as per usual, she figured it was semi-important enough to agree to, and that it was better than going home and getting a sticking charm to the ceiling, or a chair.  Again.

So Naomi, with a box of some sweets and snacks under her arm, went on the hunt for Percy Dervish, a Ravenclaw who had to be properly described to her for her to remember before she put her Ravenclaw hunting skills to work. Blake was always quick to find and Demont was a little harder, but if Percy was a run-of-mill Ravenclaw she figured could find them like all the others.

Sure enough, to the Slytherin green witch spotted a sulky bookworm hiding in a corner of the courtyard. Perfect, less effort on her part. She took a roundabout detour towards the tree the older boy had settled at, making sure to approach from his back, before she finally planted her boots beside him and stared. She had an extreme dull look on her face, mostly because hadn't acknowledged the boy himself, just what he was doing: something really boring.

Naomi hooked the heal of her boot on the cover of the book and knocked it shut, "Demont said you gotta stop sulking," she rolled the book to a patch of grass next to him and then sank on top of it as she plopped her box of goodies on her lap, "or something." Yeah, she knew that wasn't what he said or meant, exactly, but that was her interpretation of it.

She pointed across the field to some blonde Hufflepuff talking with friends, "Look 'dere, she looks...," Naomi twisted her lips before she thought of something, "nice you should go talk to her," she yanked out a chocolate frog from her box and began to unwrap it casually. She seemed to be completely unaware of how strange it was she was taking time out of her day to be somewhat friendly, casual, and do something for her brother rather than torment him and any other Ravenclaws he might be around.

Even after classes were done with for the day, Percy hadn't bothered to change out of his formal school attire.  Yes, that meant robes, tie, and all!  He was not near so casual as Naomi who so flippantly approached him and began what he could only ascertain to be yet another Slytherin harassing him.  It had been awhile...and Percy had hoped he was done with being bullied, but this was a girl no less!  Percy turned his big brown eyes up toward the girl who had...booted his book closed.

Percy tried not to make it a habit to know too many snakes as a general rule...but this girl obviously knew him, or of him at least.  Percy recognized Naomi vaguely, mostly through attempts to avoid her and her brood of vipers...but nevertheless...he had to deal with this situation.  He breathed in slowly, trying to collect himself and organize his thoughts before speaking.

"I'm....I'm not sulking.  I'm studying."

Was she...sitting on his book?

"Why....exactly are you sitting on my....book?"

Percy blinked a bit, but Naomi seemed determined.  She pointed toward a rather lovely Hufflepuff girl across the way...and Percy suddenly felt incredibly choked up.  Was he being sent in to be humiliated?  Why would Naomi do this to him?  What had he ever done to her?  He'd probably never said but...exactly two sentences to her before!!!

"Wh-what?  Wh-why?  I don't....She doesn't know me...Why would I do that?"

The dark-skinned girl idly bit away her chocolate frog as Dervish just went on with questions, finally responding to his excuse. She swallowed her frog, "What?" her voice dropped deadpan, "'Dat's backward. You'll never know no one if you don' go an' talk to 'dem," she bent her eyebrows critically, as if it were like picking out glumbumbles from billywigs.

"I'm sitting on yer book ''cus Demont said you had some girl and talking problems," her tone grated bitterly, "was very persuasive," she relaxed her face and she continued matter-of-fact sigh, "Otherwise I wouldn't care."

"'Sides," she crossed her legs at her knees and looked back at the girl across the courtyard, as she pulled out a colorful twist of crunchy coated gummy strands, "Is somet'in wrong wit' her? Not for blonds?" she un-knotted a strand from her yarn of candy, directing it at the girl before looking back at the Ravenclaw boy like devil may care, "I 'cin make her a brunette from here."

"Back...wards?"

Percy blinked a few times, puzzling over Naomi's statement for a few moments.  He then attempted to reason everything out.

"Well...obviously, I understand one has to speak to someone in order to get to know them...but what I'm stating is that without her knowing me...why would I talk to her?  There has to be a reason I mean!  It would be...completely out of the blue for me to go up and initiate conversation, you know?"

So Demont was behind this eh?  Hmm...and here he thought Demont liked him!  Well maybe he did.  Percy wasn't sure just yet.  However, Naomi redirected Percy's attention yet again to the Hufflepuff girl.

"Huh?  Wh?  No no!  I wasn't....I don't care about her hair color!  That's not the issue here...I still don't understand why you want me to go make a fool of myself?  Is Demont cross with me?"

Naomi rolled her lips distastefully as she eyed the older boy with lowered lids, "...Yes," she finally responding as she began to shake her head, "-'initiating conversation out of the blue'," she mimicked in a matter-of-fact British accent, "impossible," her tone bobbed back to Patois as she rolled her eyes, "crazy even!" Because clearly, she hadn't just done that same thing.

"Can't you not make a fool of yerself?" she leaned her head back and looked at him like he were hopelessly lost in a whole other dimension, "I know yer doing a pretty good job about it right now," she held up the candy in her hands as if there were more, "but you can't be like that all the time." Because it was ridiculous, by Naomi's standards.

"I'm just suppose to get you to talk to girls--you're suppose to be really bad at it," she finally took a bite out of the untangled strand of candy and gave a nod as she swallowed. "I'd 'ave t' agree," since he hadn't even gotten up and done anything yet, and just sat here and... theorized, while she sat there completely oblivious to her gender in relation to Percy's problem, "Have you ever jus' stopped t'inking? You do too much of it."

Percy paused and quirked his brow quizzically as Naomi answered him...every word dripping with sarcasm.  He gathered the irony, given how the two of them had traded several retorts out of nowhere with no real introduction.

"Well...that's different.  You're the one that initiated the conversation.  I didn't.  When I do...it's...it's just...not...a good thing."

The bookish young Ravenclaw lowered his eyes a bit with a sigh as his shoulders lifted then slumped.

"Do you think I get nervous on purpose?  Like anyone could enjoy being socially incompetent!"

Percy huffed, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest.  That was about the most gumption that he'd spoken up with before.  Percy realized that himself...and that even his voice didn't quite sound like...his own?

"Well...what do you suggest I do?  You make it sound so easy."

When Percy proclaimed himself socially incompetent Naomi smiled and turned her head away, giving a short snicker before it erupted into a light throaty chuckle. Then he asked her what to do and she stopped and she arched an eyebrow at him.

"What?" she said with a final chuckle, "I don't know, never talked t' her 'fore," she went on, assuming he was referring to the girl in question. Naomi hugged a shoulder towards her cheek as she gestured her wad of candy toward the other girl, "'Most people start wit' hello..." her voice lightened with a suggestive air. It was an honest response from the dark-skinned witch, but neither lacking in any of her normal amount of sass.

"Jus' get her talking so you can just sit 'dere and look interested," she finally said dismissively, "And catch t'ings you can talk about, and..." she pursed her lips and nodded her head, "...talk back." Yes, that seemed, basic, easy to do. Naomi never found any of it so difficult, (as long as she wanted to talk,) so simplifying the whole thing seemed unnecessarily odd. Of course, having the conversation go smoothly was an entirely different issue altogether, but she was going to tell Percy that.

Though Percy doubted himself and his social skills immensely...Naomi made everything sound so simple.  Percy paused for several moments to dwell on Naomi's words.

"So...'hello', get her talking, look interested, and talk back about the things I can talk about..."

Percy pushed his tongue at the inside of his cheek, nodding thoughtfully as he stared off a bit...perhaps a few seconds too long.

"I'll do it!"

The bookish Ravenclaw then looked toward the Hufflepuff he was being "aimed at".  Dervish cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, before making his way to the blond girl.  He approached the "Puff" and began going through his mental "notes" that Naomi had instructed him with.

"Hello there."

The girl smiled faintly, but quirked a brow at Percy's stiff mannerisms.

"Hello...?"

"So you're a Badger right?  What do you think about being sorted into the Hufflepuff House?"

"Uhmm....well the badger is probably my least favorite of the mascots.  Well, other than the snake.  I hate snakes!"

"Me too!"

"But the Hufflepuffs are pretty nice.  I think I fit in pretty well with the lot of them actually."

"That's wonderful!"

And now Percy had to think of what to say next...

"Well...do you like yellow?"

"Uhmmm...yes?  Is this some sort of student survey?"

"Hmm?   No..."

"Then why are you asking me all about Hufflepuff?"

"Oh.  Just trying to make conversation.  Like...how do you fancy Quidditch?"

"Oh I LOVE it!  What about yourself?"

"I...uhm...I can't really follow it.  Too much going on.  It's a bit chaotic.  And some of the players are a bit...liberal with the rules."

"...Yes.  I suppose that's true."

"Err...any other hobbies?"

"Sorry, but...what's your name?"

"Percy Ar-....Dervish.  Percy Dervish.  5th Year Ravenclaw."

The girl chuckled and shook her blond head of hair as she looked down.

"What?"

"You sound so formal....Percy Dervish!  5th Year Ravenclaw!  Student-1st Class, Sir!"

"Oh...I didn't mean to."

"It's okay.  I'm Kathryn Kittridge.  Pleasure to meet you Percy."

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Kathryn."

And suddenly...Percy was stuck.  He began to panic, while trying to think of what to say next.  He didn't want to look foolish though and decided it was best to retreat before making a bigger fool of himself.

"Well...I'd best be off.  O.W.L.S. coming up you know?"

Kathryn quirked her brow again and nodded somewhat.

"Okay...well, good luck studying Ravenclaw."

Kathryn waved a bit as Percy began to turn.  He waved as well, taking a few steps before bumping into a tree with his cheek.  He bit his bottom lip and waved again, turning as his face flushed completely red as he returned to Naomi.

"That...was...HORRENDOUS!"

Percy collapsed on the grass face first and groaned.

"Nnnh!"

Then Percy went on to talk to the girl and Naomi shrugged, thinking that it was all that easy--the Ravenclaw talked to a girl, mission accomplished.

Then he came back burying his colored face into the grass and the Jamaica couldn't help but laugh at him, again, "You came back in one piece, you t'ink 'dats horrendous?" obviously Percy hadn't actually had a truly 'horrendous' conversation with a girl before, otherwise Naomi was sure they'd be in the hospital hut.

"Looked fine to me," she gave out a last huff of a laugh, "talked to her didn't you? Smiled didn't she?" the girl tried pressing away a smile behind her thick lips, but just managed a wry smirk, "So why you dye-in your face so red?"

"Brutal.  Simply brutal.  I was uncomfortable.  She was uncomfortable.  We'd need a whole room of pillows to comfort that conversation."

Percy peered up from the grass.

"I did survive...but girls don't normally...attack me?  I've never had those sort of problems."

The Ravenclaw shrugged faintly.

"Well yes she did smile a time or two I suppose...but...I lost her somewhere in there."

Still smiling she shrugged at" I'm sure th' Universe has more t'ings to do than revolve around one awkward conversation, Dervish,"

"Jus' do it 'til you feel better wit' it, like a spell," then Naomi considered Percy was a Ravenclaw, and corrected herself, "Better yet, math." The whole method of numbers could feel like a second language at times, if one wasn't use to it, especially with the various ways wizards did it. And so, with that dull concept, Naomi started to feel a rush of boredom overcome her, and she hoped her job, whatever she was actually doing, was done.

The witch put her box of goodies aside, and crossed her legs, as she mustered up enough courtesy to actually try and understand the 5th year, "What were you hopin' for anyway, melt her into a puddle or somethin'?"

Percy Dervish cleared his throat and shifted his chocolate brown eyes around a bit.

"Well...I suppose you're right there, but I hardly see how that's relevant..."

However...Naomi suddenly had him pinned down with her next train of thought.  Percy bit his bottom lip at this.

"Well...that does make...sense.  Not that I'd know if it works, but...interesting theory.  'Practice makes perfect' and all that."

The Ravenclaw stared at the grass below him thoughtfully.

"...like a spell...like math..."

He nodded and then looked back to Naomi as she questioned him, clearly missing her play on words.

"Ah.  I hadn't hoped to use transfiguration...no?"

Naomi's lips pursed again as her hazel eyes rolled to look at the grass, "Okay..." she trailed off from Percy's comment.

She nodded her head and looked back at the Ravenclaw, "How about, why dyou want t'be so perfect wit' talking to girls?" she sat up straight, attentive, because clearly the boy spoke a different language than her, or he was having a much more challenging issue, other than being capable of a conversation with the fairer sex.

Percy blinked at Naomi and considered her question.  It seemed like such an obvious question.  He quirked a brow slowly, as if there was a deeper level that Naomi's question possessed.

"Well...so they'll find me interesting...charming...attractive?  It only makes sense that if the conversation is successful...then I will have better chances doing well with the girl in question?"

Just what was Naomi getting at?