Closed Befitting the Stereotype

[Dorian Fitzwilliam]

Dorian generally liked to think that he did actually enjoy being outside, no matter how much Ezra would tease him about preferring to be literally anywhere where books were. The issue wasn't the weather or the plants or even the bugs really, the issue Dorian had with being outside was always other people. A factor he'd forgotten about in an attempt to get a change of pace as he tried to find a good spot to read in the lead up to the end of year exams; the common room, library, and great hall being all but uninhabitable the past few weeks with exams so close and all the older students entering some sort of study over-time as they tried to cram for OWLs and NEWTs.

Dorian's spot under the tree had seemed like a good idea at the time, close enough to the forest to hopefully ward away most other students, but he was still aware of other kids moving around him as he tried to read, having to stop and lower his book for an annoying sigh more than once whenever someone nearby was clearly (and audibly) having too much fun when he was trying to focus.

 

[Anisha Khatri]

Anisha didn’t need an excuse to go outside, as she always just loved hanging out outside and exploring the grounds, but her new scarf gave her a good reason anyway. She needed to test it out, after all. The weather wasn’t exactly cold yet, but it was slowly getting there as the end of the school year approached. Anisha couldn’t believe her first year was almost over already, she felt like she had barely done anything.

One of the things on her to-do list was to visit the forest, something she still hadn’t dared to do. She wanted to drag Raafe out with her, but she knew he’d be a little more reluctant. It was probably smart to check it out alone first, at least a little. That way, she could tell him with confidence that it wasn’t that bad. But as she approached the forest, she hesitated a little as the treeline loomed over her. It was pretty dark in there. Anisha slowly crept closer to the edge of the forest, squinting inside. Should she go in? Belatedly, she realized she should probably check if no one was around first. Anisha quickly scanned her surroundings, clicking her tongue in annoyance as she saw a familiar (and unwelcome) sight. Why did Dorian have to hang out here, of all places? She frowned as she watched him for a moment. Had he even noticed her? He seemed absorbed in his book. Anisha took a few steps to distance herself from him, but then a branch snapped loudly under her foot. She cursed silently, now he would definitely notice her.

 

[Dorian Fitzwilliam]

Dorian sighed again, frustrated complaint already half-way out of his mouth when he heard someone skulking around nearby now, apparently people no longer content to be a nuisance further away on the lawn. "Can't you see- Oh." Dorian considered Anisha coldly for a moment, frowning at her posture and lowering his book as he regarded her suspiciously. "What are you doing over here? You weren't sneaking around into the forest were you, cause that would be stupid," he said heavily, glancing pointedly at how close Anisha was standing to the boundary line and back with a raised eyebrow. He shouldn't be surprised to see Anisha here, only someone without any actual sense would try to wander into somewhere out of bounds in broad daylight, which did describe the Gryffindor perfectly.

 

[Anisha Khatri]

Anisha sighed when Dorian spoke to hear, annoyed that he couldn’t just pretend not to see her. She frowned at him, feeling a little annoyed when he guessed exactly what she was doing. “Good thing I don’t care about your opinion.” She said. “Of course I was going in the forest, why else would I be here?” She frowned, considering him. “Are you just sitting here in hopes of catching other students? That’ll make you popular.” She said sarcastically. “You know you’re not a prefect yet, don’t you?”

 

[Dorian Fitzwilliam]

Dorian felt his lips twist in distaste when Anisha responded, resisting the urge to fidget when she just brazenly admitted what she was up to. How she managed to get anything done with her terrible attitude and disregard for the rules was beyond him. "Well I don't care about being popular," he said shortly, staring down angrily at his book for a moment. "I'm not actually I'm here cause I wanted to read in peace for once and nobody's supposed to come over here. Because it's against the rules," he impressed. "Maybe not but I'm sure I can find a prefect if you're so insistent on going in there," he added with a huff, crossing his arms, the dare obvious in his voice. "Is that why you're skulking around here? Do you think it'll make you look cool and popular to do stupid stuff? Typical."

 

[Anisha Khatri]

Anisha couldn’t quite hold in the snort when Dorian said he didn’t care about being popular, even though it was unkind. “I mean, obviously.” She muttered. Anisha glanced at the forest and then back at Dorian. “Okay, but it’s not that big a deal, Gryffindors go in there all the time.” She said with a shrug. She was kind of nervous, but he didn’t need to know that. She rolled her eyes. “Why would you get a prefect? What do you care?” She asked him, annoyed. “It’s not like it’s hurting you in any way. In fact, I bet you’d throw a party if I got eaten by a werewolf.” She said with a slight grin. Her grin quickly dropped. “No, I don’t care about being popular either. I already have friends.” She said dismissively. “I just want to see the forest. Aren’t you even a little bit curious?”

 

[Dorian Fitzwilliam]

Dorian barely avoided scrunching up his nose in response to Anisha's rudeness. He should know by now to expect it from her and tried to do his best to keep his face as impassive as possible. It always came easier to him to simply not react, whether people took that for indifference or rudeness themselves was their problem not his. "And if all the Gryffindor's jumped in the lake I bet you would too," he said derisively. "I care because we're not supposed to go in there for a reason," he said shortly, finally giving up on reading and closing his book pointedly, unsurprised when Anisha seemed completely nonplussed by the rules being there to keep people like her safe. "You being eaten would certainly make things a lot quieter around here," he said with a sniff, "But I don't want anyone to get eaten by anything, and you shouldn't either. I'm perfectly happy reading about whatever might be in there," he said haughtily, tapping his book in his lap for emphasis.

 

[Anisha Khatri]

Anisha laughed at his comment about Gryffindors in the lake. “I’d be the first one in.” She told him with a grin, putting her hand on her hip. He was so stuffy, she wondered how anyone could live like that. It would be so boring. “Well, lucky for you, I won’t get eaten. I’m very fast and smart, and I’m pretty sure the dangerous things don’t live near the edge of the forest.” She told him with a shrug. “It’s probably not even all that bad, I think the teachers exaggerate to keep us out of there.” She said, shaking her head quietly when he pointed out he was perfectly happy reading about things instead. She loved reading, but it didn’t beat actually experiencing things.