Strange Minds Think Alike

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie was bored. Her third year wasn't particularly interesting so far, even with the addition of electives. She had already finished her homework, so there wasn't even that left to fill the time. She had taken to aimlessly wandering around, hoping to see some interesting scoop for the paper. Perhaps something was about to happen, but she really doubted it. Eventually she headed outside, not to the great lawn but to the courtyard. She kind of preferred the courtyard, as it was less open and nicer looking in her opinion. It also had better places to sit and sketch, which she often found herself doing here. Not today though, as she had left her sketchpad in her dormitory.

Her eyebrows rose when she noticed someone familiar doing something odd. Though, she was starting to expect the odd from Isaac. He was sitting on the ground with his back against one of the benches, instead of just sitting on it like a normal person. She snorted, then headed over. She sat down on the bench so he was on the ground next to her feet and tapped the top of his head. "I see you've found a new way to distinguish yourself from the masses. Impressive." She said dryly.

 

[Isaac Kain]

With all his classmates seemingly in a flurry now that electives had been chosen and studying was becoming harder and more intensive, Isaac had apparently felt the opposite and their energy was pushing him in the complete opposite direction. There was only one class that was "new" on his schedule, and he'd managed to drop a few of the more boring subjects. Even then he still felt like he was doing too much work for his grades. He intended to pass what he could, and no doubt his parents would be badgering him about slacking off too hard, unable to get the job of their dreams, but what they wanted was far from his own ideologies, and what he wanted didn't need any magic at all.

Sat on the cold ground, his back up against the bench in the courtyard, absorbed in his craft. He had a small garden gnome in his lap and a marker pen he'd managed to scavenge when a Professor turned their back, adding details to the ornament in an attempt to amuse himself and as a distraction from everyone else's chaos. He didn't even notice when another student sat down beside him, and jumped out his skin when he felt them touch his head. His blonde head snapped up to meet the intruder, although his heart quickly began to slow once he realised it was Sophie. She was one of the only people that didn't get on his nerves in the same way other students did, and even though they'd not spent a huge amount of time together, they at least seemed to be able to relax a little in the others company. "That's disappointing , I thought I was blending in perfectly well" He added in a similar tone, turning his attention back to his piece of artwork. "Bored of studying already, Wilson?" He asked her, not bothering to move from his seat, no matter how uncomfortable he was beginning to realise he'd become.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Even though she had approached him purposely, Sophie hadn't actually seen what Isaac was so busy doing here. Once she take a good look at what it was he was focusing on, she snorted with a genuine laugh. "Wow, a garden gnome? What did that poor thing ever do to you?" She leaned down, peering at it. "What are you doing to it, anyway?" She asked him, eyeing it. "And where did you get something like that?" It was kind of hilarious, and Sophie wondered how he had come up with the idea. Isaac definitely wasn't blending in perfectly well, but she liked that. After a moment, she slid off the bench to sit next to him on the ground. "As if you're not bored of studying if you're spending your free time torturing garden gnomes." She commented dryly. "And I'm actually all caught up. Boring as that sounds. Now that I've dropped the stupid subjects, I have a lot more free time." She wondered what subjects Isaac was following, and if they would be in many classes together. She tended to sit with Elly, Caro or Geo. But maybe she could make an exception every once in a while.

 

[Isaac Kain]

Isaac turned his head as Sophie was peering over his shoulder, shrugging carelessly. "Where do you think? I found him in the greenhouses yesterday. Just figured he could do with a make over." he added, noticing her coming down to sit beside him. He supposed at least he looked a little less like a loner with her company, although he thought she would soon bore of him, it wasn't like he was particularly entertaining. He raised his eyebrows when Sophie mentioned she was already caught up with her lessons, although at least like him she'd dropped the most useless ones which would definitely help. "I have a few bits of homework but nothing that won't wait" He commented, not wanting to think about his outstanding pile of work back in his dorm. Isaac caught sight of one of their classmates walking through the courtyard, books held tightly to her chest, pink hair tied up in a high ponytail. A few feet away and walking in the opposite direction was one of his cousins, and although he could understand where Daphne was coming from when she said she didn't like magic, and least he tried not to fail his classes completely. He placed the gnome on the floor beside them, nodding his head in the direction of the third years. "You'd think some people around here are so obsessed with themselves they don't even notice anyone else" he commented. He may have been a shy student but at least he had his eyes open, and there were some people around the school who appeared to only care about what they were doing.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie snorted again as he explaiend where he had found the gnome. "So Professor Carter is crying hopelessly at the loss of his favorite gnome somewhere?" She asked with a smirk. Of course, she didn't really think that. But the mental image was too good to pass up. She nodded when he said he had bits of homework, as she figured that wasn't that odd. In fairness, she was mostly finished because she had rushed a lot of it. She didn't care enough to take her time, though she was aware this would come back to haunt her later. He followed his gaze to the two people in their year, her eyes widening a fraction at the sight of Geo. She wondered if she should wave at her friend, but decided against it. She enjoyed talking to Isaac for now. But she still felt the urge to defend her. "Well, the pink haired girl notices others, for sure." She said with a shrug. "A bit too much if you ask me, she's my friend. But she knows like, the entire school." Her gaze fell on the other girl. "I don't know her, though. She seems kind of shallow to me." The girl hadn't ever talked to Sophie, but that never stopped her from making judgments.

 

[Isaac Kain]

Isaac let out a small laugh at the thought of the Herbology Professor missing the thing, and even though the Ravenclaw was pretty sure he wouldn't notice it was missing, it was funny to think he'd panic at the idea of it's absence. He was surprised that Sophie knew the pink haired girl. He'd seen her around in classes sure, but he'd never bothered to talk to her since very few people had anything interesting to say these days. "I didn't know you had any friends" he teased, glancing in the Ravenclaws direction. She was outgoing though, at least in his eyes, and probably had a whole bunch of friends he didn't know about. Isaac more or less avoided speaking to everyone and as such was talking now to the only person he could consider in that category. He nodded though when Sophie mentioned the second girl and how self absorbed she seemed to be. "She is. She doesn't even want to be here. Much rather she were at home spending dad's money" he commented unkindly, but it wasn't as though it was far from the truth. His Aunt and Uncle had catered to her every need, and he'd heard her complain once too often that magic was too difficult to learn. "Think she wants to be a beautician or something vain" he added. He had nothing against anyone who wanted a career outside of magic, but the idea that they were going to just let their lives pass them by for an easier route didn't sit right with the third year.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie scoffed and gave the boy a light shove at his statement. "Stupid, we're friends, to start." She then flicked her hair back in a mockery of the sort of girls that would do that. "Besides, I'm wonderful and oh so friendly. I'm practically drowning in people that want to be my friend." It was a joke, but the truth was that she had a lot more friends than she had ever expected, even if it had felt like years since she talked to Jess or Leila. The two always were closest together though. Elly and Geo were definitely close friends of hers, for which she was grateful. Though a part of her was always waiting for the moment they would figure out she wasn't as fun and social as they were and would drop her. His description of the other girl made her raise her eyebrows. "That's specific. You know her." She said, as it wasn't a question. "Aren't vain people the worst? My sister is just like that." She sighed, looking out at the courtyard. Like the devil, Amber appeared as soon as Sophie mentioned her, though she didn't seem to spot Sophie. She walked past with a silly smile on her face and a pile of books in her arms. "There she is now." Sophie hissed, nodding at her. "Miss perfect, or miss prefect now. I guess." She rolled her eyes, already sick of Amber's new position. It wouldn't be so bad if she ever shut up about it.

 

[Isaac Kain]

The Ravenclaw smirked a little in Sophie's direction, guessing that they were indeed more than just classmates at this point. He could tell she was joking though when she pretended that everyone wanted to be her friend. Sophie didn't seem to be the kind of person to crave the attention of others, and he could understand where she was coming from. There were some around the school that liked to be noticed, and didn't seem to consider the benefits of minding their own business. "I do." Isaac replied, turning to look across the Courtyard. "Unfortunately. She's my cousin." He added, giving Sophie some context. He didn't really like to admit he was related to the Gryffindor in case someone thought they shared similar personalities, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. "Who's your sister?" He asked, before realising that Sophie had said spoken of her too many times and the prefect too was walking through the area. "Oh, her." He said with slight disappointment in his voice. "Apparently that's all Professor's care about these days. If you're good in class and can keep up your grades you can be a prefect, nevermind someone with actual ambition." He wasn't referring to anyone in particular, but it was clear the whole system was messed up when the most important thing to the adults was whether they could answer questions in a specific way.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie was glad Isaac didn't deny they were friends, as that would have been very embarrassing to the girl. She raised her eyebrows when Isaac said the shallow superficial girl was his cousin. It seemed like they had annoying family members in common. She was almost glad that Amber walked by at that point, just so he could see how annoying she was. "Well, Amber is not only good in class. She's the biggest suck-up you'll ever meet. She would deny it, but I think she's been aiming for that badge from the moment she stepped into the school." Sophie declared with another roll of her eyes. She really didn't want to be a prefect like her sister in two years, but she didn't think she was in danger of that happening. "But yeah, as long as you do what they want and are friendly and a rule follower, you get rewarded. Well, I wouldn't want that kind of reward." She scowled at the thought. "It would be such a bother to make sure others followed the rules. Like, who actually gives a damn?" She glanced at Isaac. "Unless you want to have that same badge in two years. In which case I suggest not associating with me." She added with a slight smirk.

 

[Isaac Kain]

Isaac wasn't sure what exactly the benefit was to being a prefect. It got you noticed and it gave you responsibilities and made you work harder than others, as a reward for already doing your best? It made no sense to the Ravenclaw. "Let her have it. Rather them than me," Isaac commented, his eyes still following his friends sister. He was sure he recognised her, although that wouldn't be surprising if she was as stuck up as Sophie said. He actually started laughing when Sophie mentioned that he might want one for himself. "Right, because I'm the type the Professor want others to look up to." He smirked, remembering how easy it had been to steal the gnome from under the Herbologist's nose. "I'd rather not waste my time on materialistic goals thanks." He knew she was joking, but he felt as though he would always feel the strong urge to push himself more into the background. "If I was ever going to be noticed, it would be for something I created, not just for the sake of it." He added, suddenly realising he was opening up to the girl more than he had anyone else at the school. His focus was broken for a moment, as he tried to push the conversation away from himself. "So, what are you going as for Halloween?" He felt like that was a safe topic of discussion, "Don't tell me it's something boring and typical like a cat or a vampire." he finished with half a grin.

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie grinned and shrugged when Isaac joked he wasn't the type the professor's would want others to look up to. "Maybe you are." She said with a shrug. "You never know. Also, I kind of doubt our head of house knows that much about us. He only sees us during first year. Bet you anything he picks prefects by blindly throwing a dart at a board of names." She joked, leaning against him just a little. She nodded when he said he would only want to be noticed for something he created, that was something she could get behind and understand completely. His question about Halloween surprised her, and she shrugged as she played with her hair. "So far I haven't dressed up, it felt kinda silly. If I were to do it, I'd try to do something unexpected I guess." She said dismissively. She had a vague idea, but wasn't sure. "What about you? I feel like you have to have some plans, if you bring it up."

 

[Isaac Kain]

Isaac looked across to Sophie with a dubious smile. There was no way. He could understand what she meant about their Head of House though. They hardly ever saw him, and Isaac would be surprised if he knew the students that were in his house. Though that could be said for everyone, and it was such a hard judge of character. If it were left up to the Ravenclaw, all the Professors from their classes would have a meeting to discuss it, since they knew them best. Regardless, Isaac wasn't the top in his classes either, and only did what he had to to please his parents. "It is silly. I haven't been to Halloween before but I went to the Valentines dance last year and that was just painful to watch." Isaac had managed to get into an argument with his cousin, although at least he'd made a friend out of Sara too. "I don't know. At least at Halloween you can pretend to be someone else you know?" It wasn't that Isaac didn't want to be himself, but he enjoyed dressing up and acting like another for the day. "I don't know who I'll be going as, if I even go. But I might get a costume ready if I at least knew I wasn't going to end up sitting by myself all evening." he replied, trying to figure out whether Sophie was going or not. He didn't want to be going alone, and at least if his friend joined him they could make an amusing time of it.