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[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie had been told she shouldn’t attend the Valentine’s Day feast, with it so early in the semester her parents didn’t think it was a good use of her time but Minnie disagreed, it was a good use of her time and though she spent most of the events alone she didn’t mind nearly as much as she figured others might. Minnie had always been quite good at being alone. The ravenclaw had gotten dressed in a good outfit, nice but still relatively formal. She wanted to look good but also still be respectful which she hoped the dress did. If her parents found out she’d gone at least she could pretend to be respectful in how she was dressed rather than not. The ravenclaw had gotten ready while also finishing off a book and a piece of homework, if she didn’t get it done she knew she couldn’t go to the ball and she had arranged everything else in her week to ensure she could. The girl also knew that she had the time before the dance to go give back to library, so once she was ready she headed out of the dorm and towards the library. She wore little kitten heels not quite at the level of the much larger heels that some of the other people wore, but enough that they made her feel a little grown up. She walked slowly enjoying her walk down to the library, walking through the fourth floor slowly as she approached the library. She would soon be able to go enjoy herself at the dance. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric had no intention of going to the dance today, as he thought school dances were lame and the Valentine's Dance was especially lame. It was just dumb, and he didn't understand why everyone was so obsessed with this day. The rose event was dumb too, though Eric did save the rose he had gotten from Connor. It was a girly gesture and he didn't approve of it, but it was still nice that his brother had thought of him. He remembered last time at the Yule Ball that he had gotten caught doing something against the rules, but he still thought the dances were a good time to get up to mischief. Most of the professors were down at the Great Hall, as were all the prefects. He just didn't know what to do, but wandering around and looking for something fun to do at least felt better than hanging out in the dormitory by himself. He had grabbed a marker in case he found a good place to write something, but he also didn't really awnt to get in trouble again. He was tossing it into the air idly as he walked, catching it every time. He frowned when he heard someone approach, looking up to see Minnie walking through the corridor in a fancy dress but also holding a book. It was clear she was dressed up for the dance, but heading to the library as well. Eric snorted. "Did you just pick up your date, Minnie? I don't know if books are any good at dancing." He told her, looking from her book to her dress with a sneer. "But I guess for you they're good company."

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie rolled her eyes the moment she heard his voice. Of course. Of course she’d run into him, of course he wouldn’t go to the celebration. She turned to face him properly, noting he wasn’t even dressed for the event. He didn’t understand of course why she had the book. He didn’t understand that the remark that books were good company to her was true, not matter how he meant for the statement to hurt. ”I’m handing the book back,” she said needlessly. ”Unlike some I was making sure all of my work was done and up to date before having fun,” she told him, it didn’t matter that she technically hadn’t been allowed to go by her parents, that they didn’t believe it to be the good sort of fun for her to have. Eric didn’t need to know that Minnie was technically breaking some of her parents rules. ”I guess you aren’t going at all? Can’t annoy people over the sound of the music? Or just worried that seeing everyone else have fun will make you feel left out?” Minnie didn’t particularly want to linger around, she hadn’t worked as hard as she had to then not go enjoy herself. He wouldn’t stop her having a good evening, no matter what he said. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric rolled his eyes. "So you just assume my work is not done and up to date?" He asked her with a slight smirk. "Kind of rude, you don't know that. Maybe I'm all caught up." He shrugged. It was true that he wasn't as on top of his homework as Minnie was, but somehow it irked him that she assumed so without knowing. He snorted at her words about the party. "Please, all you're going to do is stand on the sidelines and wish you had the courage to dance." He told her with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not going because dances are dumb. I'm honestly surprised someone who is supposed to be as smart as you is wasting her time on one." He said dismissively. "The Valentine's dance is especially dumb. Who cares about Valentine's Day anyway? The roses are dumb too." He tilted his head slightly. "Did you get any roses?" He asked her, a slight mocking smirk lingering on his lips.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie thought it was laughable that he was all caught up, he might have done the homework, or some of the reading but he was not caught up like she was. ”even if you were, which I doubt, you and I are not at the same level of caught up,” she retorted. He spat words at her about the dance and how she was at it, admittedly it wasn’t untrue, largely she tried to avoid getting her picture taken, the yuleball was fine but the rest of them now, not so much. She didn’t feel as hurt with his words because she knew she did it and because she knew why she did it. Something she was sure if explained to him he would find hilarious. ”At least I don’t go sculking around the school looking for people to annoy,” Minnie wasn’t surprised when he said he found the dance dumb, that he didn’t care about the celebration and that the roses too were dumb. He asked a question, where she felt like he already knew the answer to. ”No, but that’s because I don’t have time to have friends,” the retort came out more quickly than she had wanted and definitely didn’t have her in a very positive light, playing right into his hands. She attempted though to sound like she wasn’t bothered by it, that having no friends because she was so busy was a good thing. ”Did you?” she hoped he hadn’t but he always seemed to be hanging around people, maybe he had, she would be pretty sad if she, who had worked hard to be friendly had no roses and he with his stupid face and cruel comments ended up with a rose. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric rolled his eyes at Minnie's words. "Yeah, well, no one is your level of caught up. Maybe a third year." He scoffed. "It's ridiculous. You know it's not necessary, right? I doubt many of the teachers give a crap how much extra work you put into things." He told her, leaning against the wall of the corridor as he regarded her. "I didn't look for people to annoy, you just happened to be here." He joked, tilting his head slightly. "I was just looking for something interesting, but I haven't found it yet." He said dismissively as he looked at her again. He was surprised into silence by her honest words, as he hadn't expected her to admit she had no friends. To be honest, he had assumed she probably had some nerdy Ravenclaw friends he just wasn't aware of. Somehow, the honesty made him a little uncomfortable. "That's... sad." He said, meaning it genuinely for a moment. He was glad he could tell her he had gotten a rose, something he had over her now. "I did, a yellow one." He said, not bothering to add that it was from his brother. "Even I have friends, Minnie, believe it or not." He was aware of his reputation and the opinion many had about him. But even though neither Nova nor Kas were the type to send roses, he knew they had his back.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie rolled her eyes at him, she was just caught up to a level that was acceptable to her parents. ”It doesn’t matter if its not necessary, it’s what is expected of me,” She told him, she knew he wouldn’t understand family pressure, he wouldn’t get why she had to do it. He wouldn’t get that while she felt the need to be perfect it was because her parents wanted her to be perfect. Because if she wasn’t they would be disappointed and she didn’t want to disappoint them. ”Something interesting? What do you find interesting?” she couldn’t understand what Eric might find interesting, so far all she knew that he liked was annoying her and pretty much any one else. Minnie did regret her own honesty towards Eric, it was written all over her face, and she just looked away from him. She could believe that he had friends, they had to be as cruel and dumb as he was, but Minnie was definitely one of the only people who didn’t have any friends. ”I don’t need friends,” she lied, Minnie had never had friends before, her parents had never approved of any of them, so why would they approve of the Hogwarts ones either, ”Are your friends as bad as you?”​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric frowned at what Minnie said. "Expected by who? The teachers will live if you don't die trying to study everything at once." He informed her, wondering what exactly was pushing Minnie so much. He had thought she enjoyed studying and nerdy crap, but was now starting to wonder if she resented all the work she did. But then why do it? Eric didn't get it. He shrugged when she asked what he found interesting. "I dunno. Cool secret passageway maybe. Or someone messing with things while the professors are busy." He smiled a little with fake innocence. "Not that that has crossed my mind, of course." He added. "But basically anything is more interesting than watching older students make sappy faces at each other and dance." He pulled a face. Eric was about to feel even more bad for Minnie when she insisted she didn't need friends, but then she had to insult both him and his friends and he got annoyed again. "They're better than you." He snapped at her. "Nova is my friend, and she's in your dorm. Are you always this rude?" He scoffed. "No wonder your only friends are books." He muttered.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie rolled her eyes at him, ”Expectations don’t need to come from teachers, don’t your parents expect you to not get kicked out of school?” she replied, she knew his parents probably didn’t expect the same as her own parents expected of her, but they had to expect something of him. The things he found interesting, admittedly even to her were kind of interesting, but it wasn’t things she had the time for. She had a schedule to stick to and if she was up late looking for a secret passage way and not sleeping or studying then she’d fall behind, but he didn’t seem to get that the dance could be enjoyed just for the fun that could be had with friends, ignoring all of the older students making sappy faces at each other. She was a little surprised by his loyalty to his friends, she didn’t know Nova particularly well and wouldn’t even bother if they were friends with Eric. ”Where are your friends then? Are they at the dance?” she couldn’t help but ask, half out of curiosity and half to move off the idea that her friends were books, she certainly didn’t need that thought in her mind. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

Eric scowled. "My mother does expect me not to get kicked out of school. But there's a difference between being kicked out and being the best at everything. Do you think you get kicked out if you don't get an O for anything? Or do your parents?" He hoped she wouldn't ask about his dad, but he didn't even like people assuming he was around. He wasn't, and that was simply the truth. He didn't deserve to even be considered a parent to him and Connor as far as Eric was concerned. "My mum wants me to have fun... make friends, do what I like to do, and yeah get decent grades. But she's not going to get angry if I get an A instead of an E for something." He told her, wondering now what Minnie's parents were like. Eric shrugged at her question. "Maybe. Dunno. I think they all think its pretty lame too." he said. "But they can go if they want." He added. It was clear that Minnie already thought the worst of him, and somehow he didn't want her to think he was a bad or controlling friend.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie rolled her eyes at him, of course all his parents expected of him was to not be kicked out of school. She knew that his situation was far more common than hers. His mother seemed to just want him to have a good time at school, not being concerned about what they were getting as grades. If her grades dipped she knew her parents would want her to be homeschooled, and she didn’t want to get homeschooled, it helped that she also wanted to do well. She wanted to do perfect but she realised that she wanted it because her parents had always pressed it to her that she was to get nothing less than an O. ”Well that’s lucky for some,” she retorted but there was little bite to her tone, almost a half tone of jealousy that that was all that was expected of him. She wondered what he might think of the fact that she was attending this event against her parents wishes, that half the desire to go was because she had so little time to just have fun. At least in all of the ways in which Eric was the worst, he let his friends do what they wanted. She sighed a little and felt her resolve against him vanish, she just wanted to have fun. ”You know my parents told me I couldn’t go, they’d agree with you more, that it’s pointless and time could be better spent elsewhere. But I’m going to go, and I’m going to have fun, even if it is alone,” Minnie told him with an honest tone, she even smiled at him a little before she turned on her heels and then began walking away, heading towards the great hall, she wouldn’t waste her whole night with him. ​

 

[Eric Holland]

The way Minnie was looking at him made it clear that she still saw him as trash, and it was very frustrating. The tone of her voice made it clear she thought he was being ridiculous, and Eric scoffed. "Yeah well, my mother cares about me and not just what I can achieve." He snapped at her. He didn't know what Minnie's parents were like, but it was starting to sound like they were the ones putting the high expectations on her. He was surprised to hear her parents had actually forbidden her from going to the dance. His own mother had had the opposite view, and had tried to encourage Eric to go to school events. He hadn't, but that was because they were lame. He couldn't really imagine his mum not letting him go to something he wanted. He opened his mouth to retort, but Minnie had caught him off guard with her tone and her smile. He blinked, then closed his mouth again. He didn't really have anything to say to that anyway. While Minnie was annoying and the ball was super dumb, he was glad she was going if she wanted to. "Yeah, whatever." He muttered, mostly so he wasn't standing here completely speechless. He snorted, then turned away from her to continue his search of something interesting. But he couldn't help thinking of what she had said. Her not having any friends and having parents like that did suck, but it wasn't his job to deal with that. Minnie was still annoying, and she should get her own friends and stop listening to her parents so much. But he guessed that that advice wouldn't be appreciated if it came from him.