Closed And like a viper, she strikes

[Leda Strangewayes]

Professor Layton had practically descended from the professors table after lunch like a spider emerging from its web to hunt down its prey. Unfortunately, Leda's prey today were the Layton, Lagowski and Baros children. She'd promised various parents under various premises that she'd check in on them at her time at Hogwarts, and beyond sharing an office with her niece, she'd frankly done a poor show of looking out for them so far. She'd have nothing to report back to HQ (aka the living room) when she left the school.

"Susie!" The Hufflepuff was (unfortunately?) the first on the woman's list. Not because the Hufflepuff table was the closest, nor because she was the eldest nor the one she either favoured or disapproved of most of all. In reality Leda had had far too much juice with her lunch and as such had been returning from the bathroom when she spotted the third year. She paused behind the blonde, waiting for her to give some indication that she was aware she was there, and that she wasn't just another of the lingering students on the prowl for seconds.

 

[Susie Lagowski]

Susie licked the crumbs off her thumb and reached for another bowl of cheesy nibbles. She should probably eat some proper food - like, you know, a sandwich - but nobody had stopped her yet, and anyway, she was nearly fourteen, which was old enough to make her own decisions about what to eat, gastrointestinal consequences be damned.

Her hand froze an inch from the bowl. Spoke too soon. Slowly, she brought her hand back down to her lap, smiling at Leda. "No-one else was eating them," she said, guilt pressing her into an unnecessary explanation. "And it was only my second bowl."​

 

[Leda Strangewayes]

Leda frowned out of confusion as Susie claimed her innocence, looking at her with a face that had guilt written all over it. She glanced to the bowl of nibbles the Hufflepuff had been leaning toward, making the connection. "If you're going to be sneaky, there's no point telling everyone," she told her. No, it best she kept that kind of behavior under wraps if she didn't what anyone to know about it. Leda hated secrets herself, but there was a difference between withholding the truth from someone and letting the less than ideal traits slip under the radar.

"Besides I'm not here for your meal choices. I'm here to make sure you're getting through your classes without feeling the need to strangle anyone," she told her, running her eyes up and down the table at the other students surrounding her. She vaguely recalled being a third year, and while there wasn't much Leda could do about it if Susie wasn't having a fun time, she could at least give the girl the perception of consideration.

 

[Susie Lagowski]

Oh. Leda wasn't judging her for the snacks? Well, that was awkward. Susie smiled sheepishly, grabbing two slices of bread and the butter dish. It had been weird, seeing Leda around the school. Susie had thought it might get less weird over time, but it hadn't - she was still the fun auntie-not-auntie who played quidditch with them on holiday and told hilarious stories. Susie had to make a conscious effort to call her Professor Layton.

"You don't have to check up on me," she said, buttering her bread. "Did my auntie tell you to? Honestly, she worries way too much. Anyway, I don't need to strangle anyone - I hit bludgers at people twice a week. And like, I'm allowed. It's legal. Stress relief? Covered." She popped another cheesy biscuit in her mouth between buttering slices. "Did you ever play beater? Nibbles?"​