Closed At Your Peril

[Malachi Ryu]

Malachi stumbled out of his first History lesson in an apprehensive daze. He hadn't anticipated just how difficult it would be to keep up with his professors, and it was fast becoming apparent that he was going to need to make some friends in all four houses if he was going to get through his lessons. It wasn't so bad when Emmy was around - he could always ask her what a word or phrase meant - but without her he was treading water in a vast and unfamiliar ocean.

Spotting the boy he'd sat next to in class, Malachi hurried after him. Luxen was his name. The professor had made him introduce himself before she'd asked him to hand out the homework papers. "Luxen!" Malachi said, when he'd caught up and slowed to a normal pace. "Hello. I have a question. What is peril?" Professor Sword had put a lot of emphasis on the word, so he thought he ought to find out what it meant. If he could make a friend while he was at it, all the better.

 

[Luxen Silverback II]

Luxen was still annoyed with having been asked to hand out papers as he left the classroom alone. Other students were walking in two's or three's but he was not like other students. He was halfway down the corridor when he heard someone call out his name. His first instant was to ignore them and if he had been at his old school he probably would have. He turned around and saw one of the kids that had sat next to him walking fast towards him.

"What can I do for you? Luxen said in an overly cheery voice. He had better things to do than be seen with some nobody. He didn't know all of the students in his house but it was apparent by the boy's demeanor that he was not in Slytherin House which meant he was likely a Hufflepuff.
From what he'd overheard the last few nights, Hufflepuffs were considered the weakest of the four houses. 'I don't know what I would have done it the hat had put me in Hufflepuff' Luxen thought to himself.

He listened to the boy's question and suppressed rolling his eyes. What a stupid question to ask, even if the boy wasn't from an English speaking country it wasn't hard to find a dictionary that would translate. He thought about how he might answer the ignorant child's question.

He could tell the truth which was no fun but would likely help him leave the child behind. He could ignore him and just walk away, however this child was likely going to follow him and continue to pester Luxen until he answered. Luxen could also lie and perhaps amuse himself with the child using the term incorrectly and thus make himself look even more foolish than he already was.

In the end, Luxen was in no mood to toy with this child. "It means doom, destruction, your permanent end Luxen explained with his tone changing from positive to dark as he made the statement clear to the child. He figured this would be enough to satisfy the child's curiosity.

 

[Malachi Ryu]

Malachi's expression shifted with the tone of Luxen's voice. He'd inferred that the word must be bad by the context, but he hadn't been expecting it to be quite so chilling. Hopefully Professor Sword had only been exaggerating. Yes - now he thought of it, he was pretty sure she'd said that. "Oohh... Cool," he added, not wanting Luxen to think he was scared by his explanation. "That makes sense. Professor Sword is nice. Did you like the lesson?" From the bits he'd understood, Malachi still wasn't sure if he was going to enjoy History or not, so he was curious to hear Luxen's stance.

 

[Luxen Silverback II]

"cool" Luxen responded after the Hufflepuff boy said it. What a simple response from a simple mind. It seem apparent that the boy either didn't quite understand what Luxen said or didn't have the comprehension to respond in a more sophisticated manner than uttering a simply word.

Either did not bother Luxen as it might someone else since it merely reinforced his own superiority among the rabble of this world. He listened as the boy began talking about Professor Sword and how she was 'nice'. "It's a class with 'some' value, enjoyment doesn't play a factor" Luxen responded.

This statement of course was not true even for himself. Enjoying a lesson meant the difference between how well one succeeded at it. Luxen was sure to succeed at Defense Against the Dark Arts because he enjoyed everything about the lessons. This was obviously not going to be the case for all of his lessons to include History of Magic. "I'm assuming you enjoyed the lesson then? At least the parts you understood" Luxen asked simply.

 

[Malachi Ryu]

Malachi found Luxen utterly fascinating. He had never heard somebody his age speak so well, so clearly, with such confidence. The Hufflepuff suddenly stood a little straighter. "I think so," he said, before realising that was a weak answer and quickly changing it to, "Yes. But I think I will like Charms more. Or Transfiguration. What classes do you have?" He couldn't remember seeing any other lessons with Slytherin on his timetable, but he was ready to suggest they sit together again if he'd simply overlooked one. "I'm Malachi, by the way," he said, flicking his hair out of his eyes.

 

[Luxen Silverback II]

Luxen could see the change in the boy's posture and the correction to his speech. It was something he could appreciate if nothing else. "The only other class we have together is flying" Luxen responded simply. He felt that this was what the boy was getting at. "My name is Luxen Silverback the Second" Luxen replied.

He thought about the boy's comment in regards to classes. Luxen hadn't begun Transfiguration or Charms but felt that they would be better subjects than History of Magic and especially Astronomy. "You seem to have subjects that are more valuable for your future prospects, would you mind showing me some of what they are currently teaching you?" Luxen asked figuring he could at least get a heads up on the more important lessons he would need for his own future.