stupid arithmancy... (open)

[ASTORIA GREENGRASS]

Astoria groaned, scratching out another sentence and replacing it with a new one before dropping her quill and rubbing at her temples. Why she ever thought it was a good idea to take Arithmancy as an extra-curricular class she’d never know! All those stupid numbers were confusing her. She’d been trying to complete the class’s homework for the past two hours, but all she’d really achieved was giving herself a headache and frustrating the hell out of her.

She was a fairly intelligent girl, she should’ve been able to figure out the stupid problems! Sighing, she picked up her quill and attempted to do the next problem. Astoria was just as successful with that as Daphne had been when trying to convince Astoria to dye her hair a vibrant green.

Sighing, she set her quill and parchment down beside her before hugging her knees to her chest, resting her chin on the top of her right knee. It was so frustrating! No one else seemed to have any problems in that stupid class! And it wasn’t as if it was her fault! The numbers just got so jumbled up in her head, and no matter how hard she tried to straighten them out and learn the different formulas and methods, it just didn’t stick!

Astoria looked across the lake, smiling as one of the Giant Squids tentacles drifted lazily above the surface of the water. She briefly considered going in for a quick dip, but dismissed the idea almost as soon as it had formed. The water was sure to be freezing. Astoria was broken away from her thoughts at the sound of approaching footsteps, she warily looked up.

[CASSIDY CLAWFORD]

Cassidy had been up in the library reading a book on magical folk medicine her mother had given her during the summer. Honestly, although nothing had been said directly, Cassidy was getting the impression that her parents were rather hoping she'd follow in their scholarly footsteps once she graduated from Hogwarts. Cass knew, well, hoped her father wouldn't mind her taking her own path but her mother... well, let's just say Meara was a quietly determined witch. No matter how many times Cassidy told them she was hoping to go on to teach History of Magic (although with the war who knew whether this was even a possibility) they persisted in asking her what she planned to do after she was finished with school. With a sigh of exasperation, Cassidy had stowed the mostly unwanted book in her bag and headed out into the grounds with the intention of reading instead either a Herbological book on obscure plants and mosses or a book detailing various Wizard-Goblin skirmishes over the centuries – these were more her cup of tea.

The day was bright and sunny but there was a faint nip to the air that hinted at the coming autumn. It felt good to breathe the fresh, clean air having been cooped up inside all morning. Cassidy was lost in thought, thinking if she were at home she'd most likely be at the beach with Waverley and, on a day like today, she would ride him through the water or perhaps even dismount to paddle about in the rock pools.

Just then Cassidy realised that, while she had been watching the giant squid with her thoughts running 100 miles per hour, she had all but stumbled across a Slytherin student. For a moment fear prickled Cass's flesh. With the new regime at school, some of the Slytherins (particularly the prefects) were making the lives of the students from the other houses hell. But then Cassidy realised she was looking into the bright blue eyes of Astoria, a sixth year Slytherin student. They had never really spoken but from what Cassidy had gathered Astoria wasn't obnoxious and hateful like many of the other Slytherin students could be.

“Sorry I was lost in a world of my own...”

Then Cassidy noticed the Arithmancy notes at Astoria's side.

“Oh! You take Arithmancy? You must have a good head for numbers.”

Cassidy offered a nervous yet friendly smile. If she tells me to keep walking, Cassidy thought, then that is exactly what I'll do.

[ASTORIA GREENGRASS]

Astoria’s eyes narrowed as the girl approached, she’d never seen her before, but that wasn’t a surprise, she didn’t pay much attention to anyone that was not Slytherin. This girl obviously was not, she had on yellow robes after all. Astoria stifled a giggle, Draco absolutely loathed Hufflepuffs! But since she wasn’t exactly speaking to him, (in her mind he had snubbed her at breakfast that morning, resulting in the giving of a cold shoulder), and she knew that nothing would get him more infuriated than if he heard she was talking to a Hufflepuff, of all people!

She thought for a moment, wondering whether or not it was really a good idea, before giving in. This girl was obviously smart, she had those bloody awful books with her, the ones that usually worked as a mind numbing drug for Astoria. So maybe if she was nice to her, Astoria could convince this other girl to help her finish the arithmancy homework? Astoria smiled, blinking slightly at the older girl.

“Hello,” she said, looking down at the pile of notes that lay beside her before returning her gaze to the other girls face. “Not really, I’m only taking it because I thought it would be easy.” Astoria glowered at the notes once more. “Turns out it’s a bloody nightmare.” She grumbled, picking up her quill and stabbing at the textbook with a rather ferocious attitude.

Sighing, she dropped the quill once more and reached into her sweater pocket, withdrawing a bundle that was wrapped in wax paper. Astoria peeled back the paper, revealing colorfully decorated gingerbread men. She picked one of the top and offered it to the girl.

“Do you want one? They look a bit funny since I haven’t really gotten the hang of icing things yet, but they’re really fresh, and albeit popular belief taste pretty good.” She asked, smiling slightly.

[CASSIDY CLAWFORD]

Cassidy was surprised, and delighted, by the friendliness of the Slytherin girl. Any previous experiences she had with Slytherins had tended to be negative, so much so that Cass tended to do her best to avoid them where possible. It was a sad truth but Hufflepuff was often seen as the weakest house as it was the most inclusive and, generally speaking, the least competitive. This view seemed to be taken particularly strongly by those in Slytherin. However, Cass was not one for judging a person by anything other than their actions and Astoria had been nothing but nice to her so far.

Cass had nodded in understanding as Astoria told her of her Arithmancy woes. Cassidy took the subject but, like Charms, it was something she found she had to work hard at. Work hard at it she did though and, as a result, she managed to maintain a good grade. As Astoria unwrapped the beautiful, colourful gingerbread men Cassidy's eyes lit up. If there was one thing that Cass truly appreciated it was home-baked goods. And when Astoria then offered her one, Cassidy responded brightly.

“I would love one, thank you!” she smiled warmly as she took the gingerbread man, “You're Astoria, right? My name's Cassidy, it's lovely to meet you.” Cass sat next to the Slytherin girl, gracefully folding her long legs underneath her and adjusting her robes. Once settled, Cass took a small bite of the gingerbread man, gazing out at the lake for a moment, before looking back to Astoria. “Well you certainly know how to bake, this is delicious!”

As Cassidy continued to nibble she glanced over at Astoria's notes and charts, frowning thoughtfully as she took in the furious crossings-out and amendments, “I'm afraid I'm no Arithmancy genius but I manage to get by. Would you like me to take a look at your work?”

[ASTORIA GREENGRASS]

Astoria tilted her head to one side, a small smile gracing her pale lips. Cassidy was a year older than her, so they had never really had any classes or interactions prior to this. Hufflepuffs had never been Astoria’s favorite type of people, as the ones she had met tended to apologize every couple minutes for things they couldn’t have stopped. Her eyes flitted over the other girls face, attempting to figure out whether this Hufflepuff would be any different. Astoria inwardly shrugged; there was no point in scaring her off now. Besides, she might be able to help with her arithmancy homework, (something none of her friends could do.)

Smiling, she nodded. ”I have no idea why I thought it was a good course to take. You don’t even need arithmancy to become a healer!” As she fumed, she pulled the wrapped cookies from her pocket, offering one to the other girl before taking one herself. ”That would be me.” Astoria nodded, taking a small bite of her cookie. ”Thank you, most of my friends are too scared to try anything I bake!” She chuckled, picking a small but of icing off her cookie and popping it into her mouth.

Baking had always been a favorite hobby of hers, but when at home, her parents had never allowed her near the kitchens. They believed that it was a servant’s job to bake, not refined young ladies. That was why she tried to bake as much as possible when at Hogwarts. The house elves were always happy to help if she had any troubles and get her the different ingredients she required. However, her friends hadn’t completely warmed to the idea, and would often not taste anything she made in fear that it would be horrible.

Astoria tilted her head, looking back down at the different piles of parchment that were scattered over her lap before swiftly shoving them to the ground. Leaning over, she carefully stuffed them back into her notebook. ”That’s okay, I’ll probably just ask the professor about it when my next class rolls around…” She trailed off, pulling her knees to her chest and looking out over the lake.

She turned her head so that she was looking at Cassidy, ”What brings you out this way?”

[CASSIDY CLAWFORD]

Astoria seemed like such a nice girl. Cassidy smiled and gave herself a mental pat on the back for having the uncharacteristic courage to a.) strike up a conversation with someone she didn't know and to b.) strike up a conversation with a Slytherin student. Maybe Slytherins weren't as bad as she had thought them to be (well, some of them at least - some had always been, and always would be, completely unbearable). Still, it pained Cass to think that she had been prejudiced towards those wearing green robes all these years.

“Oh wow, a Healer?” Cass echoed Astoria. A sudden thought came to her just then and, swapping the remains of her cookie over to her left hand she flipped open her bag and rummaged in it with her right, drawing out the book her mother had sent her, “There's a chance this might be of some interest to you, it's a book on magical folk medicine. My parents are forever sending me books like this.” Cass shook her head almost imperceptibly, an indication of her agitation at this bombardment of books, and then lowered her voice and added confessionally, “Between you and me, it's not exactly my cup of tea, but it might be of some use to you. Here, you're welcome to have it.” Cass held book out to the Slytherin girl, a friendly smile on her face. It pleased Cass no end to think the book might find a home where it was actually wanted and might be of use. As long as it was in Cassidy's possession she would feel that she was required to read it, it was surely her duty as a 'Good Daughter', but she had decided a long time ago that this wasn't an area of study she wanted to pursue.

Turning her attention back to the cookie, Cass smiled and shook her head disbelievingly, “Well, your friends are missing out - these are out of this world!” Cassidy nibbled thoughtfully on the cookie, thinking about how much she missed baking. It was something she often did at home and, previously, used to do at Hogwarts on occasion. Sneaking into the Hogwarts kitchens to bake had been the pinnacle of her mischievousness (after all, she was much more straight-laced than either dear Caitria and Tristan) and she would do it all by hand – it seemed much more therapeutic, soothing and satisfying that way. But Cass hadn't baked at all this academic year, with the ways things were the risks seemed much too high. That said, Cass was pretty sure Tristan had been wandering off to the kitchens in his spare time (where else could he be going?) and it was going to be Cait's birthday soon enough. There was no way on this earth Cass would let her friend's birthday pass unmarked by one of her baked creations. Cass made a mental note to speak to Tristan about when would be best to sneak out and get a cake baked and, more importantly, what kind of cake they should make Cait this year.

“I came out here with the intention of reading. I had been up in the library and, as much as I love it, I was in desperate need of some fresh air,” Cass tilted her head thoughtfully, “After all, I figured I ought to make the most of days like this – soon enough the rain and hail will have us all cooped up inside. But what about you? What brings you out here today?”

Cass then turned her attention to what Astoria was doing, watching the Slytherin girl gather up her notes, “Are you sure? Professor Vector isn't exactly the most approachable person in the world... and you know, I'd be happy to help.” And Cass meant it, helping other students brought her a very real, and rewarding, sense of joy.

[ASTORIA GREENGRASS]

She smiled, brushing a loose curl from her face behind her ear. Astoria had seen the older Hufflepuff student around the school before, but had never bothered to talk or get to know her. It wasn’t something she was prone to doing, talking to older students. The seventh year Slytherins were all rather moody, and she didn’t fancy getting hexed or being yelled at for interrupting them. But Cass seemed quite different, and fairly nice.

Astoria tipped her head to one side, watching as the older girl began rummaging in her bag, a soft smile appearing on her lips. ”Yup, I’ve wanted to be one since I was a little girl…” Her smile turned into a small frown as her thoughts drifted to the opinion of her parents. They were very old-fashioned, and believed in the old custom that women were to be housewives and take care of their family instead of busying themselves with a job. Cass’ voice jolted her from her thoughts. She grinned, grabbing the book and flicking through the pages. ”Thanks so much! I’ve been trying to find a book like this for ages, but the library doesn’t have any on natural medicines!” Astoria beamed, hugging the book to her chest. She gently placed it in her bag, pulling out the rest of the cookies and offering them to the Hufflepuff. ”Do you want the rest of them? I have a bunch more in my dorm room, and you really deserve them!”

The cookies had been her latest baking attempts, and had turned out rather well. Better than her fruitcake, at the very least! Astoria certainly wasn’t an expert baker, (the black lump that was supposed to be the fruitcake was evidence of that), but she was fairly good at the simpler things. She smiled, happily taking another bite of her own cookie. ”I like baking; it’s a great way to pass the time! Back home we have a huge kitchen… the house elves always let me in in the middle of the night so I can bake.” She paused, motioning towards the cookies, ”do you bake at all?”

Cass was right, the weather they’d been having was quite nice, especially for that time of year. The air was cool enough that you would need a sweater, but not cold enough for a pair of mitts and a hat. Fall was definitely one of her favorite seasons. She loved the crisp air, the sound of the leaves under her feet as she walked and the whirlwind of colors that dotted the ground and trees.

Astoria motioned towards the pile of notes. ”Trying to understand the more complicated formulas.” She wrinkled her nose, focusing her eyes back onto the sheet of notes she’d taken during her last class. Not that it had helped her much. The scribbled steps to each equation were gibberish to her, and she could honestly have cared less if they’d fallen from one of the castle windows. Smiling slightly, she nodded. ”That’s okay, I’ll muddle my way through the course like I did last year, and this time I’ll actually remember not to tick it off so they’ll put it on my class list!” She giggled, taking another bite of her cookie.