You made a splash

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo was sat on a wooden bench outside the Hufflepuff Common room, Charms book on her lap as she was already studying for her third year classes, which she knew were going to be even more fun that the previous. This year was going to be twice as hard as the two prior, given that she would taking nearly twice as many subjects this time round, but she still had a few firm favourites, even if her list of loves were soon to grow. Turning the back of her book, she was startled from her thoughts at the sudden sound of gushing water, and her head shot up in the direction of the Common Room entrance, her blue eyes landing on a very wet looking student.

One of her hands clapped itself over her mouth as the third year realised what exactly had just happened. Clearly whoever they were, they'd miscalculated the password into the Common Room, and no doubt their clothes and hair would smell like the contents of a fish and chip shop. Geo closed her book, setting it to the side and quickly getting up to help the student out. "Hey" she began as she quickly jogged to their side, removing her wand from her pocket. "Scourify" she enunciated clearly, wand pointed straight at the student. She wasn't going to let them continue walking around like that, and if they were, as was most likely, a first year, they wouldn't have known the spell yet anyway. She glanced the student up and down, trying to determine whether they were a member of the Badger gang and not an imposter. "Do you know the code?" She asked finally once they were cleaned and dried, wondering whether they'd simply forgotten.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel knew how to get into the Hufflepuff common room. He'd been shown how. So how he ended up soaked in vinegar was beyond him. It was also extremely humiliating - a matter not eased by the arrival of an elder student, who was most likely finding this whole thing hilarious. Worse still, he recognised her from Maggie's Dungeons and Dragons game. Arvel looked down at his feet as she performed some sort of cleaning spell on him. "I thought I did."

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Once the student was dry, Geo realized she recognized him, although still wasn't entirely sure if he was a Hufflepuff. Had he been at the table that day before the game began? "You're a first year, right?" She asked, looking him up and down. They'd all been new once, and she could understand that sometimes with everything changing around them, it was hard to keep up with what they had to remember. "Arvel?" She questioned, hoping she'd recalled his name correctly.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Merlin, Arvel's day just got better and better. She recognised him, too. Even knew his name. "Yeah," he mumbled, still without looking up. He couldn't bear her to see the blush on his face. "So, um... thanks for... yeah. I don't know your name." The last thing Arvel wanted to do was make conversation, but he was too embarrassed to ask the girl to let him into the common room.

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

"Or should I say, Cytri the Passionate?" Geo teased, nudging him with her elbow. "I'm Geo. Third year." She introduced herself, but forgoing the usual polite mannerisms and shaking of the hands. She proceeded to spend the next few minutes making sure the boy knew how to get into the common room, giving him a tip, especially since unlike other houses, their entry never changed. "So, have you made any friends yet? I mean, apart from the board game geeks" She said with affection and out of curiosity.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel tried and failed to dodge the nudge. "Yeah - if you want," he said, though really he wanted to say, "No. No, absolutely not." He looked on with a heavy sense of mortification as she taught him once again how to enter the common room, committing the code firmly to memory so that he wouldn't end up in this awful situation again. Sadly, it wasn't over after that. "I guess. I mean, not really. I don't care that much about making friends." Especially not with the people he'd met so far. "Are you going to tell everyone about this?" he asked, referring to the vinegar.

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo was surprised by the tone in his voice. It was as though he didn't even want to make friends at all. She couldn't understand it. Her friends were everything. "Well, you wouldn't care if anyone you knew got into trouble?" She asked, wondering how he could think it didn't matter. His second question also confused her a little. "Why would I?" She didn't need to tell anyone, and it wasn't as though telling anyone would bring either party any benefit.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel finally looked up at Geo, almost incredulous. Clearly she had lower standards than him when it came to choosing friends. "Not really..." he said, wondering why it was even such a big deal. Being alone wasn't so bad. Certainly less hassle. Less false pretences. He shrugged. "I don't know. People do that kind of thing. I guess it's funny."

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Most people in Hufflepuff were friendly and outgoing, and it was unusual to find someone as seemingly content in their own company as Arvel seemed to be. Wondering if it was a façade for an alternative thought, Geo didn't want to just drop the subject. "What about your friends from Primary School. Do you still talk to them?" She pushed on, unaware once again as to whether or not she was overstepping boundaries. "It's not funny" she added very seriously. It was just unkind to spread such gossip.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel couldn't help wondering why Geo cared so much about his life - and what made her think she had any business prying into it. "I didn't really have any," he said tonelessly. "People don't like me that much." It was a fact he'd come to terms with, and which didn't really bother him as much as it used to. After all, it wasn't as if there were many people he wanted to be friends with. People were annoying. "Well, most people think so." Most of the people Arvel had known, anyway.

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo crossed her arms over her chest. She could see why with that attitude. She had hope for the boy yet though, and wasn't going to give up easily. It wasn't as though she didn't have any experience changing the minds of the most grumpy. "You should get involved with the clubs. I'm sure there's something you'd like there. And you'll find people you have things in common with" She tried. Of course she could be friendly herself, but he needed friends his own age too.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Though joining a club might mean socialising, Arvel did have to admit that wasn't such a bad idea. "What kind of clubs are there?" he asked, trying not to sound too interest, lest his pride be dented.

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

"There's the Student Defense Association. The Wild Patch" They were the ones Geo was part of at least. "You could join the Brotherhood" She added, keeping her opinions to herself. "Or Hogwarts Monthly?"

 

[Arvel Ayers]

The Defence Association sounded risky, the Wild Patch... well, wild, and the brotherhood too friendly. But at the mention of the Hogwarts Monthly, Arvel's ears pricked up. "Is that the school paper?"

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo nodded "One of my best friends is a reporter for the Hogwarts Monthly." She said, "I guess it gives you an excuse to go to events and talk to people, and you can wrote all about your experience" Geo didn't like writing unless she had to, but Sophie seemed to enjoy it.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

"Oh," Arvel said, what small amount of excitement he'd mustered disappearing in an instant. "Never mind, then." If he had to go to events and talk to people, writing wasn't for him. He wanted to work in the background, by himself, with nobody to bother him. "I... I have to go. Thanks for letting me in."

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo sighed, not really knowing how else to help if he didn't want to get involved with anything. She just nodded, letting him go about his day in peace, allowing the third year to return to her Charms book. She would never tire of meeting and talking to new people, but her homework also beckoned.