hh_mirror | flowers and kittens and nothing exploding ((closed, Rory and A))

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flowers and kittens and nothing exploding ((closed, Rory and A))

Rory was settling in, more or less. He and Amy and the Doctor had all found the Gryffindor dormitories eventually (the staircases moved, why would you build staircases that moved?) and there'd been a good few days of not having to run for their lives from anything, which left him more able to share their enthusiasm.

So here he was, out for a walk in the grounds. Someone was singing in the distance, and not having any other destination in mind, he followed the sound until it led him to a garden.

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Rory calmed down again, giving A a rueful half-smile. "Yeah. Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"He's not very polite sometimes." It felt a bit disloyal to talk about a friend behind his back, but it was true. "But he knows a lot of things and isn't afraid of bad people."

This made what Rory had been about to say rather more awkward, but he'd have to explain why he'd brought the subject up now. "...and he can do that spell without a wand, can't he?"

A shrugged, then nodded. "Probably. I, I never tried to learn to cast spells without a wand." Not that he intended to tell everyone he met that he had a pretty useful alternative ability.

"I've - sort of got first-hand experience," Rory admitted. "He was at my Sorting. I didn't realise you knew him."

"I don't know everyone," A said thoughtfully, "but I meet people. And I talk to them, and learn things. I've been here a while, so I've met a lot of people."

"This must be an amazing place for that." Rory wondered whether they ought to drop the subject of Mello, or whether he needed to own up to what he'd meant by 'first-hand experience'. He couldn't quite think of a way to phrase the story that sounded better than 'he called me useless and I tried to thump him'.

"Oh yes." A grinned. "You, if, if you go to sortings and spend time where other people are, you will meet people and have the chance to learn new things too."

"Kind of makes up for not having the Tardis," Rory commented, and then realised he hadn't mentioned that to A. "That's the Doctor's... spaceship-slash-time-machine-slash-interdimensional ...box. He'd be driving us mad otherwise, being stuck in one place and time."

"A time machine?" Even here, that was somewhat unusual. "That, it sounds like you could see so many places."

"Anywhere and everywhere," Rory agreed. "And it's impossible and amazing and..." He gave another wry smile. "It gets exhausting. Honestly, I'm glad we're slowing down for a bit." Even if it was at an interdimensional crossroads with magic and giant squid and mad exploding demons (this last had become Rory's mental shorthand for all the unspecified threats of Hogwarts, by now.) "But don't tell Amy I said that."

A's smile was gentler now, with a modicum of understanding.

"Things are not always peaceful here, but as long as you are cautious there are always places to rest."

"Like here?" Rory said, with an admiring tone. "They're underrated, you know, resting places."

The praise made A smile again, lowering his eyes modestly.

"I had just started learning about plants and I, it was so nice being outdoors and I started a garden. And now..." He waved a hand at what was becoming not so much a simple plot of flowers and herbs as a Botanical Garden complete with picnicking spots. "And most, most of the things I grow can be food or medicine. There are many plants that can be used for both, depending on preparation."

Rory nodded. "You were going to show me some of them? Er..." He looked at the sleeping cats. "If we're allowed to get up yet, that is."

Slowly and gently, A lifted Wishbone from his lap, setting him down on the ground. The sound he made was odd, the product of a sleeping dog's brain coming from a cat's mouth.

"There might be complaints, but we'll be forgiven," A said in an extremely earnest tone.

Rory would have smiled at that, but stopped himself, hearing A was completely serious. He stood up, moving Schrodinger carefully. "Lead the way, then..."

"It was Mello's idea, to put in a greenhouse," A told him, stepping out of the gazebo and between two lushly blooming rosebushes. "I got Mr. Turlough's permission, of course." And was keeping his word not to tell anyone that Turlough had asked for a tree of his own.

"...Mr Turlough?" Rory blinked. "Wow. Small world." Universe. Whatever.

"You've met him?" A smiled. "He was groundskeeper then. That was why I asked him first before putting any of it. Except the mangosteen grove, that was unexpected."

"Yeah, he's the first person I met here, and it turned out he, er, knew the Doctor from way back." Rory paused, frowning slightly. "Or forward, I suppose."

"It can be complicated," A mused. "People. Knowing people, and then the people you know know other people. It introduces all manner of uncontrolled variables."

"That's - one way of putting it." One rather unnerving way. Poor A. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised if people all know each other here, anyway."

"Not everyone. There are a lot of people here, and new people arrive often. But you meet people, over time."

"How long do most people stay for?" That was something else that had been bothering him, a little. Not that there was any real reason for it to.

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