Susan returns to Hogwarts (Open RP with closed bits in)

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

Well, the school had clearly not caught fire or blown up in her absence. Susan permitted herself just the tiniest tinge of unseemly regret at this fact and then, choosing to be entirely inconspicuous, she made her way to the room she shared with Emma.

Her roommate wasn't in when she arrived, for which Susan was sorry; she found, to her surprise, that she'd rather missed Emma, who'd been inexplicably absent in the weeks before Susan's own holiday in any case. She unpacked her new clothes, put her books back on the shelf, and sighed.

Well. Nothing for it. I'm back. Might as well get my mail and find out from Stephen what's been going on.

She took a deep breath and, fighting the urge to stay invisible, made her way to the Potions office.

((Anyone who wants to should feel free to interact with Susan as she heads down to Maturin's office. She will not read her mail until after she gets it from him.))

Comments

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

Susan discreetly moved a small stack of paper from the guest chair, placed it carefully on Stephen's desk, and sat down. "Thanks for receiving it. Hopefully there wasn't too much." She sighed. "I expect it was too much to hope things might change much in a week. I'm given to understand there have been some ... interesting new arrivals."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen retrieved a small and not particularly orderly sheaf of sealed messages from a desk drawer and handed it to Susan. "Interesting, yes. A sentient six-legged treecat, an inebriated iguana, Judas bloody Iscariot ... nothing one should not expect to come across in the Sorting Room, really. Also, two of the Malfoys have emerged from their popcorn chrysalis, as has Minerva McGonagall."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"The usual chaos, then." She flipped through the messages, recognising Psyche's and Logan's hand on the addressing of two ... the scratchy hand of the third (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/533696.html?thread=25888704#t25888704) gave her pause. Curious, she cracked the seal and ... "Oh dear." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, things are just as I left them. Oh gods."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen, who had been stirring his tea, looked up in concern. "I hope nothing terrible has happened. I have heard of nothing untoward concerning you, at the least." A thought crossed his mind. "Oh, is it the business with Mr Echolls? I swear, I have always been opposed to flogging, but the boy needs some sort of discipline. I'd pay his rantings no mind if I were you."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

The corner of Susan's mouth twitched slightly, as she recalled Logan's comments about Stephen's displeasure with him. "No, nothing to do with Echolls." She considered her words for a minute, and said, "I suppose you've deduced that I have behaved rather foolishly of late. I am attempting to rectify it, but I wonder sometimes if it's not simply digging me any deeper."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen could have said a great many things, had he been more voluble by nature, or had Susan been closer to him than she was. Were she Jack Aubrey, she would long since have had an earful. On the other hand, there was the fact that Stephen himself had been behaving foolishly as well -- but at least not with anyone who wanted to kill him, and that made a significant difference!

Instead he resumed stirring his tea and said, "Yes."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

She exhaled slightly, relieved that he wasn't inclined to pry any further, and mildly ashamed of being so relieved. She wondered, exactly, what part of her statement he was agreeing with: the foolishness, or the digging-deeper. Probably both. She couldn't blame him, in either case.

"Well," she said presently, "Thanks for taking care of this --" she indicated the mail, "-- at any rate. You've been well, I hope?"

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen sighed. "As well as can be expected," he said.

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

Susan arched an eyebrow. "That good?" she said dryly. Attempting a mild joke, she said, with a smile, "No duels or potions accidents, then."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

"Actually, I have challenged Dr Cox to a duel, and am awaiting word from Ryuuji on the terms and arrangements, as Ryuuji will serve as my second," said Stephen, matter-of-factly. Talking about dueling was much more comfortable than trying to explain either the whole business with Sarah or developments with Lupin.

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"...oh." Susan looked a little blank. "Oh dear. Does -- er -- does Cox even realise he's been challenged? He doesn't appear to be the duelling type."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen also looked blank. "The man called me a 'cradle-robbing torturer,' dashed his glass to the ground, and left. If that is not an open provocation, I do not know what is."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

Susan winced in sympathy over the insult. "I suppose so. Ouch. But how will you -- I mean, you can't kill him, not unless you're going to take a trip off-campus, and that wouldn't go over well at all in any case."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

When this question was posed, Stephen's expression, or lack thereof, might have been disquieting. "Those details will be worked out by our respective seconds, if he has even retained one. Never you mind; I have been out many a time before."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

Susan gave him a wry, mildly unsettled look. "Well. I hope it shall be resolved to your -- ah -- satisfaction. I suppose that's one thing to be said for duelling; it gets the matter overwith in one go."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

"That it does, provided there are no untimely delays." Stephen thought Cox, being a coward, might try to impose such delays. He stirred his tea. "Let me think: what else of note has happened during your absence? Morfin Jones put up another of those secrets boards. The fallout was, as usual, spectacular."

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure whether those things are a blessing or a curse. One does occasionally learn things of use, but more often than not --" She broke off and sighed. "As you've not mentioned anything that I should worry about, I'll assume that I escaped unscathed this time. I hope none of the 'spectacular fallout' touched you and yours."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

"I did look to see whether there was anything concerning you" -- or Teatime was implicit -- "and could not find anything, but as you know, these things can be rather obscure. I did not come off quite unscathed myself, truth be told," he admitted, frowning at his tea. Well, he did need to talk to someone about these things ...

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" Susan's tone and expression were concerned, but neutral, inviting further discussion if he wanted it, but not prying. "Nothing too awful, I hope."