Lousy Hiding Places

[Reuben Pendleton]

Reuben had looked everywhere. The library, the great hall, the kitchens - even the antiquated lavatory! Whilst he was willing to admit he'd come on a little too strong with their last prank, it wasn't like Rudolf to avoid him altogether.

By the time the young Hufflepuff traipsed into the student lounge, he'd all but given up hope of finding his twin. If only they'd been sorted into the same house, all of this hunting-him-down business would have been unnecessary. They would have shared a dorm, woken up together, sat at the same house table. Reuben released a heavy sigh and slumped down into an armchair by the window. He was just considering placing a bounty on his brother when- "Ruuudolf!" Reuben sprung back up with renewed energy and practically galloped across the room. When he reached the chair in which his brother sat, his demeanour changed quite suddenly. He sat down haughtily on the arm and leaned over Rudolf's shoulder. "Whatcha reading, loser?" he jeered, squinting down at the page.

 

[Rudolf Lagowski]

Everywhere Rudolf went, Reuben seemed to follow. It was like having a second, almost identical shadow. He didn't mind the company as such, but Reuben was a brother best taken in small doses. To say that he was irritating would have been the biggest understatement of the century. Buzzing flies were irritating. Reuben was in a whole new league of his own.

So far, the student lounge had proven to be a good place to hide. It was where kids studied, so despite the fact it was on his house floor, the chances of the Hufflepuff turning up were slim to none. Unfortunately, the chances of being an identical twin were also slim to none, and the odds did not tend to swing in Rudolf's favour. The Gryffindor groaned audibly and face planted his book. When he re-emerged, Reuben was hanging over his shoulder like a bad smell. "I am not a loser," insisted Rudolf indignantly, blushing to his roots. "And it's The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. I have History of Magic this semester, remember? You know, the class you flunked."

 

[Reuben Pendleton]

Reuben scowled, but did not admit defeat. Okay, so he flunked one class. History of Magic was a useless subject anyway. Who cared about what a bunch of ancient old wizards did tens of thousands of years ago? Did people not know how much ice cream there was to be eaten? How many games there were to play? There simply wasn't enough time to study the past.

"Are too a loser," he said again once Rudolf had finished trying to bore him to death. "I mean, you couldn't even get a blind girl to take you to the Yule Ball," he pointed out gleefully. Phoebe was the Gryffindor's weak spot. Usually his tread around the matter was a little more sensitive, but today he couldn't have cared less. If Rudolf was going to avoid hanging out with him, he was going to get payback. "But hey, don't worry," said Reuben, patting Rudolf's shoulder with false sympathy. "One of us has to be the handsome brother."

 

[Rudolf Lagowski]

Rudolf's jaw almost dropped into his history book. His burning cheeks were now the colour of ripe cherry tomatoes. Oh, he did not just go there. The Gryffindor slammed his book shut, receiving momentary satisfaction at the thought of Reuben's head being squashed between the pages. But despite his perceived anger, he felt smaller than ever before. It was true. He was a loser. Maybe if he hadn't been such a teacher's pet, Phoebe would have let him take her to the dance. He wasn't cool - not like Reuben. Sure, if back chatting and causing trouble were Olympic games, Rudolf would have won himself two gold medals, but he could never seem to get girls to give him a second glance.

The Gryffindor's expression suddenly contorted with confusion. "We have the same face," he said, shaking his head in exasperation. Then Rudolf frowned, remembering something. "And anyway, I didn't see you taking any girls to the ball." It was a valid point. Rudolf folded his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrows, awaiting Reuben's lousy explanation.

 

[Reuben Pendleton]

Darn. Rudolf had a point. He was good. After a flicker of uncertainty crossed Reuben's face, he shrugged his shoulders loosely and lay back against the chair. "Because I didn't ask any," he said, as if it were obvious and Rudolf were a dunce. "I could get a girl if I wanted one, easy," he added, nodding with an air of confidence he didn't know how long he could keep up.

Worried that his word alone would not be enough to convince his twin, Reuben sat up straight and scanned the room with his glinting hazel eyes. When they settled on the back of a girl, he tapped Rudolf with his hand. "Look, watch this," he said, slipping off the arm and sauntering across the room like he was modelling his Hogwarts robes for the Witch Weekly. As he reached the girl he cleared his throat and flicked his hair out of his eyes. It was supposed to look endearing and suave, but in truth it was easy to mistake him for having cramp in his neck. "Hey, babe," he said in his deepest voice, puffing out his chest. "I've got some candy in my pocket but it's not as sweet as you." The Hufflepuff shoved a hand into his pocket and produced some half chewed, lint covered sweets. "Want some?"

 

[Saveli Pendleton]

An A in Defense Against The Dark Arts? Saveli couldn't have been more upset. Perhaps she was being hard on herself to distract from her almost nonexistant family, or from the fact she'd be stuck moving schools. She'd spent her Holiday with her potions teacher but hadn't the heart to tell him that his favorite student (at least she was sure she was his favorite) wouldn't be back the following year. With all those things on her mind she was in no mood to do anything but read and relax with her tea. She set the beverage aside on the table and was just getting into the second chapter of her History of Magic book when she was approached by some student. She was standing, ready to move before the person even spoke when they addressed her as babe. Babe?! Saveli wasn't going to hit him, she was so sure of that. She turned and looked a bit down on the boy, who was nearly six inches she'd guess shorter than herself.

It wasn't until he showed her the candy that Saveli lost her cool. She tightly grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the candy and smacked him with his own hand twice, the candy sticking to his face. "Vermin." She spat at him. "How dare you address me as anything below a term of respect. Who do you think you are? You're lucky i don't turn you into a rat so the outside matches the in. What do you have to say for yourself?"

 

[Reuben Pendleton]

Ow. Who knew rock candy could be so painful? Reuben stood shamefully as the girl berated him for his less than flattering pick up line. After the speech was over he prised his sticky hand away from his face and wiped it clean on his robes. What was the problem with girls? Even when they were approached by handsome, clearly available young men, they hissed at you like angry cats. In Reuben's opinion, the blonde would have been lucky to date such a charming gentleman as himself.

Oh! Suddenly Reuben thought he understood. She was playing hard to get! Now that he had unearthed this supposed revelation, Reuben was back in the game. He was vaguely aware of Rudolf approaching his side, but the Hufflepuff wasn't the slightest bit threatened by his presence. This girl was his, and a loser like Rudolf wasn't even close to being in her league. Reuben shoved his hands on his hips and grinned, nudging his twin's ribs with his elbow and leaning into him. "I think she wants me," he said assuredly, not bothering to lower his tone.

 

[Rudolf Lagowski]

This was never going to end well. Before Reuben had even strutted across the room, Rudolf had been nursing a bad feeling about the whole thing. He shook his head and buried his face in his palms, barely daring to watch as his airhead twin offered a third year girl half eaten candy. The kid was out of his mind. Still, that hardly came as a surprise. Though Rudolf didn't consider himself smart per se, he was certainly wiser for his twelve years than the boy who now had candy stuck to his face.

The Gryffindor rolled his eyes, supposing he really ought to go over and provide backup if necessary. He didn't seem to be hurt, but the day was young. Besides, whilst Rudolf had been out of earshot of their conversation, it didn't take a genius to realise Reuben was getting on the poor girl's nerves. If nothing else he could drag the Hufflepuff away and apologise for his stupidity. But when he reached his twin's side, Rudolf heard something come out of his mouth that was even more stupid than anything he'd ever heard him say before. "Yeah," he replied sarcastically, rubbing his ribs. "Arrested." Rudolf turned to the girl he'd been pestering and gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry about my brother. He hasn't quite grasped the meaning of the word seductive." He pulled at Reuben's arm, attempting to tug him away. "Let's go," he said, the 'before she kills us both' implied but not spoken.

 

[Saveli Pendleton]

Saveli had to admit that she got a sick satisfaction out of putting someone in their place. If she'd been in a better mood she'd probably not have witnessed the red on the boys cheeks, or the way candy scratched the surface of his face. It was lovely to know she'd probably taught him a lesson. As the brother walked away she stood with a raised blonde eyebrow and arms crossed. Ridiculous. He wasn't even going to apologize? He wasn't going to walk away without doing so.

Saveli grabbed the boy arm and yanked him away from what she assumed had to be his twin. At least he had more respect. "Oh no, sorry about your luck, but I've not gotten my apology from the worm." She spoke, letting go of his arm and looked at him with hands on her narrow waist. "Well?"

 

[Reuben Pendleton]

Reuben was less than thrilled at being dragged away, but on this occasion, he decided it was probably for the best. If the blonde - he made a mental note to find out her name - was going to play hard to get, then so could he. The Hufflepuff surrendered to Rudolf's grip and had just begun heading back to the armchair when suddenly he found himself face to face with the girl once more. She looked really angry now. Reuben swallowed nervously, glancing at his twin for support. Nothing. Thanks a bunch!

Indignant at being spoken to in such a manner, Reuben frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "Shouldn't you be the one apologizing to me? All I did was offer you candy!" he said. Girls could be so rude.

 

[Saveli Pendleton]

If Saveli could kill with only her cold glare, Reuben and anyone in a ten foot radius would be dead. There was a brief moment in which the kid looked like he may apologize, but it was fleeting. The tips of Sav's ears burned a bright red, thankfully covered by her blonde locks. "Excuse me?" She questioned, her crisp tone raising an octave, the Irish accent becoming more noticeable the more upset she became. "You've offered me nasty pocket sugar, after addressing me as babe! I am ma'am to you kid! I ought to punch you but I might get some of your disgusting candy on my hands. No use ruining my manicure over a weasel."