intellectual pursuits [open]

[regulus arcturus black]

Regulus sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. Was it this early in the morning? The clock read half past nine, the morning dew was still forming on the tiny windows of the common room. Being down in the dungeons meant that natural light was a luxury, thankfully although the common room was rather blacked out but all student dormitories had a selection of small windows to help subdue the feeling of cabin fever. He pulled himself up and got himself dressed in no particular rush. Since when would people hurry around on a Saturday? Regulus knew to take his time. His week was already so busy with very little time for himself, he tried to make his weekends as relaxing as possible.

He made his way to the great hall to have his breakfast at the hands of the schools house elves. Regulus always appreciated their hard work, the Black family house elf Kreacher was a loyal and hardworking addition to the family, thus Regulus never treated what house elves accomplished lightly. He sat down and enjoyed a helping of scrambled egg on toast with some ketchup and pepper to add seasoning. The tables weren’t as busy as he expected, Reg imagined many people were still enjoying the start of a new life away from parents to kick them out of bed. He couldn’t complain, he had found a rather secluded section of the table to be alone with his thoughts and was in and out in good time.

Thankfully he hadn’t managed to be stopped by anyone asking about homework or whatever pitiful excuse the girls might have to flaunt with him. But no, Regulus was free to follow his own pursuits today, something he had been looking forward to whilst stuck in classes he already understood. He wandered along the corridor, usually against the flow of the trickle of students heading towards the great hall. Hogwarts made him homesick at times, as fantastic a spectacle it was, it wasn’t his room that was filled with newspaper clippings, and it wasn’t his parents praise and home cooking. He sighed as he came to a protruding window with a ring of seating and took a spot against the glass. He pulled out a book from his jacket pocket, of course he wasn’t going to wear robes on the weekend. He made himself comfortable and started reading, indulging in his own academic interest beyond the comprehension of most other students in the school.

[marlene cassia mckinnon]

Mornings were not her friend. No, they were not at all. Marlene certainly enjoyed the reprieve from her mother’s strict household, but months of waking up early were hard to shake off. A shame that even in school she could not slack off by sleeping in on the weekends. She simply rolled out of bed, showered, dressed, slung her bag over her shoulder and headed down for breakfast in the Great Hall. Jeans and a t-shirt was as fancy as she was getting for today, which was freedom to her. Was it bad that she longed for Hogwarts more than she did for home? Marlene certainly missed her father and mother, but her father was a complete pushover towards her dearest mother when it came to the running of the household and raising two daughter. Honestly, she was counting down the days until she came of age and she could move out.

Until then, Marlene would have to enjoy freedom through her imagination. Eating breakfast was a ritual in which she would carefully lay out a napkin over her lap out of sheer habit and eating her eggs in the most ladylike manner she could manage. Merlin, she hoped her sister at least was able to break these excessive table manners. Either way, she was happy to simply fill her empty stomach and drink more than her fair share of coffee to completely chase the sleepiness from her. Waking up early did have some perks, though. She did not have to fight with anyone for the last piece of bacon or last mug of coffee. Now there was the question of what she should do this morning. Marlene instantly wanted to race up back to her dormitory for her broom and head to the Quidditch Pitch, but the more sensible side of her knew she would be finishing her Potions essay.

Perhaps later this afternoon she could practice, or she could simply wait for Potter to call for another practice from hell. Marlene winced just a little at the thought before pushing away her empty plate and folding her napkin neatly over it. It was easy enough to maneuver away from the older students coming into the Great Hall, but not so much when the younger students were racing through the corridors without looking. A second or third year plowed into her after her attempt to dodge the first one. Marlene nearly yelped when her bag slipped from her shoulder and a few of her things escaped to scatter along the floor. “Bloody hell,” she muttered with a scowl. It was times like these she wished she had been made a Prefect just for the satisfaction of docking points. Sighing to herself, she bent down to pick up her books and her rolled up essay.

[regulus arcturus black]

There were few places in Hogwarts where you could be alone with your thoughts in the peak of the day, especially on the weekend. But Regulus had found a few locations that offered only momentary interruptions and were the least invasive to his activities. As small a nook or cranny you could find in the library, by midday the place had filled up so much that nowhere was private anymore. People would even take to sit at your table if that pressed for space, hadn't anyone ever heard of privacy? Regulus found it amusing that people would associate the library with the ability to work hard when the same could be done at any quiet place in the castle. Regulus only wanted to have a good selection of books to choose from.

He felt his point about minor distractions was about to be proven as lightly slapping footsteps could be heard down the corridor building gradually in volume, accompanied by screaming and wailing of young children. Evidently they were still exploring the castle in their first month at the school, or simply playing a game that he felt would be much better suited to the outdoors. What if they hit one of the sets of armour or one of the paintings? The portraits would hardly be impressed. Regulus wondered if any teachers were around to put them in their place, he was hardly going to do it. It was hardly his responsibility, plus it would be far more amusing if they got into trouble and maybe then they would actually learn.

What he hadn't expect however was the cluttering and yelling of a slightly older voice after the kids ran through. Only then did he peer up from his book to see a gryffindor girl bending down to pick up her things that he assumed had been knocked loose. "Isn't that what we have magic for? Picking things up?" Regulus mused aloud to the girl as he looked back at his book, he thought to himself how magic could have also been on hand to stop the kids running around in the first place.

[marlene cassia mckinnon]

Marlene really disliked younger students right now. The urge to shout obscenities at their retreating backs was quite strong, but she ignored it. She had better things to do with her time and there were worse things that could happen. At least her bottle of ink had not been broken, since that would not have been a fun mess to clean up. Her Potions textbook was shoved back into her bag, but she paused when she heard someone speak. Blue eyes darted upward to spot a fellow student she had missed with the younger ones nearly knocking her over. Marlene recognized him as the younger brother of her fellow year mate and housemate Sirius Black. Well, this was certainly embarrassing with someone to actually witness it.

“I suppose, but I don’t need magic just to pick up a few of my things. Now if my ink bottle had broken, then I would be using my wand,” she replied with a slight smile. It was somewhat surprising that he was conversing with her. Marlene tended to avoid the students of Slytherin outside of the classroom, but she was not as adverse to them like some of her fellow Gryffindors. A fair share of the relatives on her mother’s side of the family had been sorted into Slytherin after all. If they did not bother her or her friends, then she was content to mind her manners. “I am sorely tempted to hex those prats next time I see them in the corridors, though.” There was little use in denying that urge now.

Marlene placed the last of her things back into her bag before slipping it over her shoulder a little more securely. Now the awkward pause where she should go on her way, but she was curious to what he was reading in the middle of a corridor. “Anything of interest that you’re reading, Black?” Certainly more interesting than her Potions textbook. She enjoyed the subject well enough, but Transfiguration was to her preference.

[regulus arcturus black]

Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. His concentration had been ruined by these nefarious younger kids and a bumbling gryffindor who couldn't keep a hold of her things. He knew very well that he was known for judging people, how could you not when the strength of pureblood status immediately put yourself above others in terms of magical abilities but he had to wonder if other elements of your personality experienced an enhancement from coming from magic. He sighed, he knew that any research done on the subject would be unorthodox and an outrage to muggleborns and half bloods. They have probably infected half the ministry by now.

"We have different standards of what requires the use of magic." Regulus noted in a very dismissive tone, he knew people could be different but that's what made them seem so unappealing at times. He didn't want people who were carbon copies of himself, where would the fun in that be? But was it so hard to ask for someone who was a little level headed to have a decent conversation with without them messing something up? "Hmm, well would you stow your wand if they were in the presence of a teacher?" Regulus asked, still not looking up from his book as he had returned to try to find his place again.

Regulus heard some more commotion in the form of the girl sorting herself out, putting books away, maybe checking her hair or something. He wasn't too sure. He expected her to be on her way, she evidently had some work to do if she was carrying so much around on the weekend. At her question, he raised an eyebrow and looked over at her. "Well for me to give it the time of day it's got to be interesting." He stated plainly as he marked a page, not knowing how long this little distraction would take. "It's a book on dark magic, some really complex stuff in here. I'm not even sure Dumbledore knows half of this." He said, gesturing to the book. Of course, it was from the restricted section. Regulus learned long ago how to sneak inside to feed his lust for knowledge.

[marlene cassia mckinnon]

Marlene felt slightly amused that she seemed to be such a nuisance towards the younger male. Was her presence that much of a hindrance? Then again, she could empathize with being annoyed from interruption while reading a good book. That feeling escaped her right now, since she did not feel like reading her Potions book. Her expression turned somewhat pensive at his remark, but she merely shrugged her shoulders. Yes, she would suspect someone like herself would have different views on magic compared to someone like Regulus Black. It sometimes had to do with how one was raised and whether they accepted the views their family presented to them or not. Marlene was aware her father’s side of the family were considered blood traitors, but it had never bothered her before.

“Everyone has different views on the uses of magic. I prefer mine and you prefer your own. Agree to disagree. It’s how I get by with most of my family,” she admitted with another shrug. It was not a well kept secret in her family, and she would admit it freely. A slightly devious smile crossed her lips soon enough even if Regulus could not see it. Would she stow her wand in the presence of a teacher? The logical response would be to do so, but her temper had been known to get the better of her on more than one occasion. “The point is not getting caught, and sixth years begin learning nonverbal magic. What better way to practice than in an actual scenario where it has to be beneath someone’s notice?”

Marlene leaned back against stone wall and watched him with an open curiosity. Would he admit what he was reading, or politely ask her to shove it and find someone else to bother? “Not necessarily. I have little interest in History of Magic, but I force myself to read the textbook anyway.” The easy humor in her expression faded as she became more serious. Marlene would certainly give him credit for being honest about his reading material. “I’m sure dark magic is a complex subject matter. I think Dumbledore may know of it, if only to know what is available to his more inquisitive students.” No doubt it had been nicked from the Restrictive Section of the library, since she did not know of any teacher that would sign a permission slip for that sort of book.

[regulus arcturus black]

Regulus wondered if the girl recognized him and if that was what made him appealing to talk to. Rumor mill already had a field day when he got to Hogwarts, his older brother had notoriously been sorted into gryffindor and people were surprised enough at that last year. But then to have a true Black emerge and be sorted properly, people had to wonder what could cause such a family divide to be expressed in house allocation. And now with the news of Sirius' departure from the family household had set those rumors off again. Regulus had been told by his parents not to talk about it, as far as they were concerned, they only had one son.

She spoke her mind so freely. Curious, Regulus had merely expect a smart remark about how lazy he was. People weren't usually so accepting of his judgmental tongue. Or this girl merely avoided confrontation. "Preference is one thing, whats the right way of doing things is another." Regulus offered as a condemning thought. His inflection towards the end hinted to his own amusement at the discussion. As far as he was concerned, he had already won the discussion. Nothing would change his mind. Nonverbal magic? That's one way he supposed, but none of it was ever very direct or effective at early stages, and it seriously lacked in comparison to five years of wand magic that proceeded it. "When you find a suitable spell, let me know." He said in a disinterested sigh, figuring that it would take her a while to track something down and lack the skill to cast it. It wasn't anything personal against this girl, Regulus thought the same of everyone.

Did she seriously think this was school work? Regulus hardly gave the teachers his attention during class, so why would be humor them even further in his spare time? "The difference is, i don't waste my time on textbooks i read years ago." He shrugged openly, he'd already read over NEWT textbooks last year, all he ever did was read. "Oh its complex all right, but i doubt Dumbledore would want people getting their hands on it." Regulus said, shooting the girl a look to see that she was now leaning against a nearby wall. was she going to be here a while? He turned the page onto the new chapter on Horcruxes, he already knew the basics about this dark magical practice.

[marlene cassia mckinnon]

Marlene knew a little about the strife in the Black family, since rumors always ran wild in Hogwarts. It was hardly any of her business, though. She listened to things that caught her attention and filed the information away if it proved noteworthy for another time, but she did not really indulge in gossip that often. Her mother had raised her not to speak of the business of others so openly. It was far better to observe and keep silent until the most opportune moment. It hardly seemed like the Gryffindor way to do things, but what did it matter? Not everyone matched the house they were suited into perfectly. Marlene was content with the person that she was, though.

“All in the eye of the beholder, I believe. What I think is right may not be considered such a way to someone else,” she replied. Her lips curled into a small smile as she glanced upward. No doubt he had some very different views she would not agree with in the least. Marlene was sure he would think he was right and she would think her own views were right. “I’ll let you know. Practice makes perfect.” The first few lessons had been difficult, but she was beginning to grasp the mental discipline needed to successfully cast a nonverbal spell. Perhaps those younger students would make perfect targets for practice.

Well, he was certainly upfront about things. Marlene enjoyed reading herself and liked to read ahead on certain subjects, but History of Magic was not one of them. Blue eyes flickered to the book in the younger male’s hands. She had always been curious, and she did wonder what sort of dark magic had him so engrossed in his book. Marlene was hesitant to ask, though. It was a subject matter she disliked quite a bit, but there was a difference between speaking of a topic and actually following through with the matter. “I’m sure with good reason. Complex magic can be disastrous if it falls into hands that don’t understand it.” Marlene took care to make sure her tone was not judgmental. He could understand it very well for all she knew, but there was no denying that magic could backfire horrifically if not performed right.