Early Morning Ritual, {open}

[Matt Roberts]

Matthew Roberts was up early that Saturday morning, he usually did every Saturday. He would leave Sundays to sleep in. His parents would always send him a letter on Thursday night, he would write his reply over the next day, and send it off the following Saturday morning. It may seem strange that he kept in constant contact with his family but he found nothing abnormal about it. His father never said too much in the letters, just things about following in his footsteps and becoming an Auror...but he'd been talking about that since Matt was about three years of age. So he had eventually just began repeating himself, never saying anything new or different. He loved his father though, he'd always respected him deeply. He has and always will be a momma's boy, he just can't help it. Even though his mum was a Slytherin and they were very different from one another, they just got along extremely well. He didn't know if it was because he was her first born or something like that.

After he had gotten dressed in his school robes, he looked around at his dormmates. They always seemed to sleep in really late but that was just Matt's opinion. They probably thought that he got up far too early. He snatched the letter off of his trunk and made his way swiftly down the stairs. He was surprised that there were more than five people in the Common Room, normally most were still asleep and there might be one or two occupying the room. He glanced at them, they were all huddled around a table and looked about the same age. He assumed that they were studying for their OWLs, they looked about the right age. He tore his gaze away from them and exited the Common Room, heading straight for the Owlery.

The steady rhythm of his shoes on the stone floor filled his ears as he walked closer to his destination. His mind was running with thoughts of Alana for some reason. He hadn't seen her in a while, which was strange because the two were best mates. She was probably down in the dungeons brewing her next concoction in the Potions lab. He chuckled, he was probably right. He toyed with the thought of going down there to see when he was done but then realized that most would view the time as an ungodly hour to wake up and she probably was still resting. He very well couldn't burst into the girls dormitory in the Slytherin Common Room. Not only was it impossible but he was cringing at the thought of having to be around so many Slytherins. He was certain that it would be far from a pleasant experience.

His thoughts carried him all the way to the Owlery, he hadn't even realized that he had already arrived. He scanned the room for his large tawny owl, it looked almost like one of the school owls but it was much older, he'd had it for quite some time now. He grinned when he saw Spartacus, his trusty owl, and beckoned for him to come, holding up his letter for the creature to see. It ruffled its wings importantly and soared down towards him, landing on his shoulder. He tied the letter onto his outstretched leg and then dug in his pocket for an owl treat. He finally found one and held it in his palm, offering it to Spartacus. He gladly ate it before soaring out into the wide open sky.

Matt went over to the window and leaned on the windowsill, watching him fly off until he was no longer in Matt's line of vision.

[Evangeline Wells]

Evangeline liked waking up early; it was something she made a habit of if only to hear the birds chirping without the chattering voices interrupting the beautiful melody. That beautiful song happened to be her makeshift alarm clock. She hated the infernal blaring that came from the room in the morning, the noise that always made her jump because she was lost in her thoughts. So it was a cherished moment when she managed to rise when the sun wasn’t risen in the sky just yet, it’s rays still trying to peak out over the horizon.

Evangeline decided to send the usual letters to her family, each one getting their own personalized piece of parchment. She didn’t like having to write five different letters, but each bond was different. Evangeline didn’t want to tell her father about any type of boy she may have met and she certainly didn’t want to tell her parents about the new pranks people were pulling or the ‘illegal’ joke products she could send to the house in secret. She didn’t even know why she bothered with one of her brothers; he never read his letters anyway. Evangeline doubted that he even opened them; she could probably find them all neatly piled in the garbage. He hadn’t always been so indifferent, but he had changed over the years, becoming the unsocial jerk that no one wanted to even talk to. He was too busy criticizing all of them and listening to his non conformist music.

She frowned lightly as she walked up the steps, wondering where their relationship had gone. Time seemed to always change everything and she hated it sometimes, she hated how it took her brother away and turned him into a stoic, uncaring person. She quickly shook the thought away as she entered the Owlery, the letters clamped tightly in her hand, almost crumpling from the pressure. Her eyes quickly searched for her owl, the one thing that always reminded her of home. It didn’t take her long to spot the barn owl among the other owls. It didn’t have striking features but was just normal, an average owl, but its fiery personality made it stick out like a sore thumb. At the moment, it seemed to be in an intense battle with another owl and was attempting to bite its foot off. Evangeline laughed nervously before quickly scurrying over to the bird. “Jasper, stop that.” She chided the bird, petting him softly, even though it could spell disaster. He was known for having a bit of a temper and for drawing blood. He regarded her coldly, glancing at her from black eyes, scrutinizing her every moment. Evangeline frowned lightly, before reaching into her pocket and waving a treat in front of his face, which he attacked greedily, making a small noise in approval. “You’re such a princess.” She murmured, before attaching the letters and letting the bird out the window, smiling as he opened his wings, the wind ruffling his feathers.

Evangeline had been oblivious to the other person in the room, until she actually opened her eyes and took a good look around. “Hello!” she said brightly, not giving away the fact that she had not gotten that many hours of sleep.”I'm surprised you aren't sleeping like everyone else. You don't need your beauty rest?” she asked with a small smile, finding it odd that someone else was actually awake. Usually she was the only one that could be found wandering the halls in the early hours, hearing nothing but her own footsteps echoing off the stone floors.

[Matt Roberts]

Matt watched Spartacus until he could no longer see him. Then he was distracted by the beauty of the day, it was relatively warm and the sun was shining, a pleasant breeze brushed his face. He knew that it would only get better as the day went on, the temperature would surely rise. He smiled brightly, inhaling deeply, trying to smell every scent that he could pick up. He could only smell owl droppings unfortunately. He crinkled his nose in disgust and immediately wished that he hadn't done such a thing. He let out an inaudible sigh as he ran his left hand through his somewhat messy hair. He had been too lazy to fix it properly that morning.

He was too distracted by his own thoughts that he hadn't even heard someone else enter the owlery. They were only brought to his attention because she had spoken to him. He quickly turned around, wondering who on this good green earth was up just as early as he was! It was a girl, one who looked around his age, he smiled brightly at her. "Hello there," he replied, giving her a small wave. He felt slightly awkward but didn't let it show - he wasn't all that great at socializing with people, unless they understood his sense of humor. If they didn't, well he was pretty much doomed. He chuckled at her comment, "I could ask you the same thing! On my walk up here, I didn't even hear anyone breathing. I'm just up here to deliver a letter to my parents, I do this every week," he replied casually, not at all embarrassed that he kept constant contact with his family. In fact, he was rather proud of it.

He smiled at her, "I've never really been one who likes to sleep in though," he added. He shot her a look of curiosity, "What about you?"

[Evangeline Wells]

Evangeline smiled faintly when she could only hear the light scratching of the owls and their soft bickering, nothing more, nothing less. It was nice not to be bombarded with the constant gossip of what’s-her-face and what’s-his-name, nameless people and faces that never came out clearly, but were always blurred. Evangeline sometimes felt like her ear might just fall off from all the torture that her ears had to endure, the constant chatter that fell from people’s mouths. Gossip was something that could be entertaining in small doses, sometimes she perked her ears to hear, but other times she just didn’t care about that girl caked with make-up who was on her eighteenth boyfriend this month and was complaining yet again. Really, people needed to find better hobbies.

The lingering quiet was broken momentarily when the boy spoke, pulling Evangeline from her thoughts, the ones she would probably revisit when her roommates woke up and found nothing in their closets. She liked him right away, glad he wasn’t one of those loud mouths who had to talk decibels louder than normal or one who had a scathing attitude. So far, so good. “Well, you must have heard someone breathing, unless you don’t need air.” She pointed out, knowing that he was capable of making his own noise. Evangeline took comfort when her feet would patter across the floor in the still morning, making her feel as though the castle wasn’t completely dead. “I’m here for the same reason, a letter for my parents and my brothers. They all demand a letter at least once every two weeks and if I don’t they give me the cold shoulder when I come home for holidays.” She replied with a small laugh, finding them to be childish, but reasonable at the same time. Evangeline didn’t know what they thought was going to happen, it wasn’t like she was planning on burning down the school or anything. “They would love you then, if you write one every week. Want to write the letters for me?” she asked, even though she really didn’t mean it at all. She was hoping he wasn’t one of those stiffs who took everything way too seriously.

“I never sleep in either. Once in a blue moon I might wake up late, but not usually. I like it better this way though; I don’t have to wait for the bathroom and can just think about things.” She said feeling comfortable around him, realizing that she was like this around most people. As long as she wasn’t in a group she usually didn’t freeze up and turn into someone else.

[Matt Roberts]

Matt took note that she was a rather attractive girl. He'd seen her around before but for some reason her name was something he couldn't remember. Not even her last name. He knew that she was either a year or two underneath him, he was at least fairly sure of that. He also knew that she was a Hufflepuff, that he was positive of. He chuckled at her comment, "Well yes, I meant other than myself," he replied. He had meant that, of course he had meant that. He just thought it was implied. But maybe he was wrong. He shrugged his shoulders, he didn't really know. He sat for a moment trying his hardest to think of her last name, it still wasn't coming to him at all. He was becoming embarrassed of his memory, it had never failed him so miserably before. He laughed at her next comment, she was rather entertaining. "My family is the same exact way. But that only happened once, I learned right after that that I did not like getting the cold shoulder," he replied with a small smile. He rolled her eyes at her next comment rather dramatically and then laughed, "Oh yeah, I'll just write some to the family I don't know," he replied sarcastically, winking at her to let her know that he was only joking.

What was her bloody name? He felt like it was on the tip of his tongue. Nope, nothing. Evie? Something like that? He was pretty sure it started with an E. Other than that though, he was lost. He didn't want to ask her though in case she knew who he was. But if she didn't know who he was, then he ought to introduce himself. Boy was he in a pickle. He nodded at her comments, "I'm the same way," he replied. He decided that he needed to get the introduction over with or he'd be freaking out about her name the entire time. He smiled and extended his right hand, "Matt Roberts by the way and you are?" he asked, hoping that she wouldn't be offended for some reason that he didn't know who she was.

[Evangeline Wells]

Evangeline decided quickly that he was nice enough, up to par to be considered a friend, even though she didn’t have casting calls for friends or a list or qualifications for that matter. Anyone that was willing to put up with her antics would be granted partial custody of her, the other going to her family. She liked his personality, it didn’t conflict with hers, and it didn’t cause any shouting matches yet. The main basis of a relationship for her was personality, their true colors, not the beauty face they had. Please, if they really wanted all they had to do nowadays was a spell of go under the knife. It wasn’t that hard to change appearances, but changing an attitude, an outlook on life was almost impossible.

Evangeline gave him a brief glance, the first thing she noticed was his hair; the brown strands were askew, giving the look of just rolling out of bed. Evangeline wondered why most guys had the exact same hair, she wondered if any guy actually brushed it, or even looked at it in a mirror. She wasn’t asking for a bunch of pretty boys walking around, and as much as she liked the bed ridden look, she wouldn’t mind a few decent hair groomers. Evangeline could have sworn that she had seen him before, she would have remembered him and that hair, but nothing came to mind. “I’m just a bit forgetful, so sometimes I don’t send them on time. It’s not my fault that there’s so many things to think about. And they’ll usually talk to me if I talk about something magical; they’re all suckers for that stuff.” She said with a grin, not hiding the fact that she obviously wasn’t a pureblood or a half-blood, just a muggle born. Not that she minded at all, but others had a problem. “Would you really? It’s not that hard. You only have to write five of them and for one all you have to write is that you're doing fine.She said with a smile, picking up on the sarcasm but acting oblivious to it anyway.

“Evangeline Wells. I should have said something earlier so you weren’t talking to a complete stranger, but too late now.” She said with a nervous laugh, grabbing his hand with her own. The name did sound familiar, but so did a heap load of names that she heard throughout the day. But his name did stick out from the usual ones used for gossip and insults, maybe her roommates had commenting on him or something. Or maybe it had something to do with his family; names were always a big thing at Hogwarts. Last names always carried so much weight around, either a whole legacy of dignity or a whole curse. Evangeline was glad that she didn’t have that problem, but also a bit upset that she didn’t know a thing about the people here, even though they were the ‘big’ families.

[Matt Roberts]

Matthew was generally rather picky with those he chose to consider himself friends with these days. To him it seemed that people nowadays believed that it was better to act like a face in the crowd, be someone who acted one way in order to gain approval but in fact was really someone entirely different. He tended to make these sorts of judgments on people within the first fifteen minutes that he meets them. Usually, if he was going to be completely honest, he didn't befriend Hufflepuffs all that much. He tended to view them as their stereotype, nothing set for greatness, just someone who didn't really fit in the other houses. But he was getting older, he needed to stop being so closed-minded to something as simple as the house they were sorted into. If he could be friends with the dark Slytherins who sometimes turned out to be Death Eaters, he could certainly befriend a loyal Hufflepuff. She seemed nice enough anyways and didn't seem like she was trying to be someone who she wasn't, this was always a big plus in Matt's books.

He was still trying to figure out when or where it was that he had seen her. She looked familiar. Of course she wouldn't have been in any of his classes as he didn't think that she was his age, he knew most of the people in his year. He knew quite a few sixth years as well but not many Hufflepuffs. He must have just seen her in the Great Hall or just around the castle randomly a few times, it was the only thing that made any logical sense to him anyways. He thought that he would have probably talked to her if he had seen her, she was friendly looking and just seemed incredibly approachable. But of course, he could have been busy or heading off to class or something of that sort. Oh well, it didn't really matter anyways. He wasn't sure why he was making such a big deal out of something that really wasn't one at all. He laughed, so she was a muggleborn eh? It wasn't that people couldn't be his friends if they were muggleborn but he did have that slightly twisted way of thinking, he did believe in Pureblood Supremacy to an extent. Of course he was nothing like You-Know-Who, he would never do anything like that. He just figured that Purebloods did have a slight upperhand, was it so bad for him to think that way? It didn't stop him from being friends with anyone. So he figured it wasn't really a problem, he figured she would probably have a very different opinion on the situation. He shrugged his shoulders, "I reckon they probably would be very interested. At least you know the trick on how to get them to talk to you again, I'm sure thats very useful," he replied with a bright smile. He chuckled, "Oh well its just that easy is it? Of course, I'll get right on it," he teased. He was glad that he didn't have to write separate letters...of course it was only to his mum and dad, his sister was at Hogwarts with him. It just made things all the easier for him.

He laughed and shook his head, "Oh no, don't worry about it," he replied, shaking her hand before taking his own back. He thought for a moment, trying to remember what he had heard about the family Wells. Then he remembered, she was a muggleborn. He probably wouldn't have heard anything about them. His mum wasn't incredibly well known, she only worked at the Werewolf Registry at the Ministry of Magic. His dad however was incredibly well known, one of the best Aurors of the day. Matthew was extremely proud of his family. He couldn't help but wonder what her parents did, since they were muggles and everything. "So what do your parents do?" he asked casually, hoping that he wasn't prying into her personal life too much.

[Evangeline Wells]

Evangeline suddenly found herself wondering what he was thinking, wishing that she could develop the power to read minds. It could probably get messy because she definitely didn’t want to know what some people thought, her face would probably turn a permanent crimson color. Some people couldn’t get their minds out of the gutter, she could understand some crudeness, but when people lived there it was a little disgusting. She didn’t think that Matt was like that, but she was known to let her thoughts take her to odd places if she didn’t control them. It wasn’t that she thought he was a bad person, it was far from that. He didn’t seem like any of those annoying people who drove her to madness, but someone who was laid back. It was just the fact that most people were apprehensive when they heard of what kind of blood ran through her, even if it was the same color and perhaps even the same blood type. Most people weren’t extremists like their green clad brethren, but still had a bit of the idea planted in their heads. Evangeline had always been open about her heritage and it constantly came back to bite her somehow, people always throwing around those nasty insults that made her want to give those people two black eyes and a bloody nose the old fashion way, even though she hates fighting. It never really made sense in her mind, she never felt she was less worthy because her parents didn’t have wands and didn’t know about Hogwarts or even about chocolate frogs. If anything, it made her feel more special to know that she harbored some power within herself that wasn’t traced by blood but was all her own. “Yes it is, that doesn’t make me manipulative does it? It really benefits us all so I’m not really harming anyone…plus I don’t like when people use other’s weakness for their own sick uses.” She said, hoping she didn’t qualify for that position. Sure, she did it, but it was only to make up with her family and secure the closeness they once had, not destroy it to gain something in the process. “Thanks, my hand was starting to cramp up. If you want I’ll write yours for you when you don’t feel like doing it.” She said with a smile, knowing how it wouldn’t be the same if her family received letters from some random person. They would probably recognize the mistake in a heartbeat and then call her out on it, ending in a very long lecture about her being a terrible and ungrateful daughter. Gosh was she tired of hearing that, even if they just said it when they were angry.

“Well, you may regret it now. Sometimes it’s easier when you don’t know someone; I hope you’re willing to deal with me.” She said with a grin, amusement dancing in her eyes and joking was tangled in her tone. Evangeline always felt the need to warn people about her for some reason, even though she didn’t think that she was an awful person. When the question of her parents came to mind, she felt herself clam up for a moment. She was proud of them, but it wasn’t like they had adventurous jobs like most did, they were muggles after all. They couldn’t go after rouge wizards or work in the department of mysteries or anything like that. It sometimes made them seem dull, like they had no life to them, but they had so much energy and character it was almost overwhelming. They were always planning something crazy or talking about what they did in the good old days. “My mum is a teacher; she works with muggles our age. You should hear all the stories about them. And my dad is a cop, which still aggravates my mom to no end. She’s afraid that he’s going to get shot.” She said, realizing that her family wasn’t that much different from others, they just didn’t have the magic involved. “What do yours do?” she asked, feeling like she had heard their name before but couldn’t place it.

[Matt Roberts]

He wondered for a moment what it would be like to be a muggleborn. They were usually persecuted, it did seem unfair. Matt never voiced his opinions on the matter, he really didn't know how to change the way he thought about them. It wasn't that he thought they shouldn't be at the school or anything like that. He just thought that Purebloods had the upperhand. And that was true. They entered into the Magical world when they were born, muggleborns had to wait until they were eleven. But he still felt that Pureblood held a little bit more power than the rest of them but that didn't stop him from being friends with muggleborns at all. He thought they were all good people, they were magical but just had gained it randomly. He was thinking too much about the subject, he normally didn't do that. He respected her for not trying to hide it and stating it proudly, he was sure that had been a mistake at some point or another for her. Luckily though, he wasn't one of those crazy Purebloods, he just had his own quiet opinions. He chuckled and nodded his head, "I dislike that as well. It only shows that the person who is attacking other's weaknesses is a weak person themselves. I don't like people who feel the need to belittle others just for their own self esteem. Self esteem can be gained in many other more productive ways. And as for your first question, I don't think that makes you manipulative. It just helps you avoid bad situations I reckon," he replied, shrugging his shoulders at his last statement. He chuckled, "My parents will certainly know that its not me. Plus, they talk about really boring things. My dad will only talk about his job and how he can't wait for me to be an Auror with him. While mum just likes to talk about the most random things in the world. They are sometimes interesting though," he replied with a smile on his face. She really was a nice person, he liked that they were getting along well. He normally didn't associate with many Hufflepuffs but she seemed less clingy than the rest of them.

He flashed her a sheepish grin, "I'm sure I'll be able to handle you just fine. But will you be able to handle me? I do tend to have quite the ego sometimes," he replied mischievously. That was an understatement. He had an ego the size of Australia. But he felt that he had good reasons for having such high self-confidence. She didn't need to hear about all of that at the moment though. He was sure that she would figure out with time. He looked at her suspiciously, "Is there a reason why I wouldn't be able to handle you though?" he asked, amusement showing in his eyes. A cop? What was a cop? He looked at her confused, "I know what a teacher is but what do cops do? I've never really heard of them before..." he replied, his voice trailing off towards the end. He hated it when he didn't know things. He smiled, "Well, my dad's an Auror as I mentioned before. My mum works at the Werewolf Registry at the Ministry," he replied, wondering what she would think of his mother's profession. It wasn't one that many people heard of before.

[Evangeline Wells]

Evangeline liked the fact that she wasn’t a pureblood, in her mind it made everything better, although more than half the wizarding population would have probably given her an odd look if she had voiced that opinion. She didn’t have to worry about those silly ideas that were instilled in some families, rules that had to be abided by or they would be locked in the basement or denounced. There was a certain freedom that came along with being born to muggles, she didn’t have to worry about being chained down or even being forced to marry against her will. Evangeline had heard the stories of some families and couldn’t believe that arranged marriages still slipped through the cracks, even after they proved ineffective and loveless. It would be easy enough to just off the spouse so they wouldn’t have to deal with them, even though she would bet most people would attach themselves to a dull marriage where there was no passion but only business. If that ever happened to her, she would have been on the first train to Switzerland or even the States. Even though certain people taunted her, she couldn’t help but feel pity for them when she actually thought over their lives sometimes, the lack of control they actually had. Although, she doubted Matt was tied down, his family seemed like a more modern and logical one. “I know! If they want to make themselves feel better, go do something worthwhile, not something that is only going to hurt someone.” She said, knowing that doing any little thing could reap big benefits. Just smiling at someone and starting a conversation to someone who looks down can prove to be fulfilling. “I’m sure they aren’t boring. I wouldn’t mind listening to some of that Auror talk, although if I heard it all the time I might go a little nuts. And randomness is what makes the world amazing if you ask me. I like when someone blurts out something completely irrelevant to what the topic was. It’s better than my brother who goes on and on about symbolism he found in this novel he’s reading or when my other brother complains about my parents. But my all time favorite is when my third brother actually writes a letter and rants about how I’m a conformist and how I’ll never get anywhere.” She said with a small laugh, finding all of them actually quite funny, even if they didn’t seem all that interesting. They did all have their quirks and qualities that managed to shine through the letter that made them more personable than they did when she explained them.

“I should be okay. I’m pretty good at deflating people’s heads when they swell to enormous sizes, although you don’t seem that egotistical to me.” She said, wondering if she was really did have an ego. Confidence was always a good thing, it showed strength, but she hoped he wasn’t one of those people who made it annoyingly so. She didn’t want to have to pop his head every five seconds…that would get tiring. “Hm, I don’t know. I suppose if I kept a list it would be pretty long and I would get carpal tunnel before I would even be close to finishing. I’m just all over the place.” She said with a shrug, not really knowing how to explain herself. Every time she was asked to explain herself in one word, she was always one of those kids that sat there with a blank look on her face while the others chattered on. It was too hard to think of one word, or to even explain what she was about. She was just her. “A cop is kind of like an Auror but without the magic component. They spend their days either patrolling neighborhoods or working on specific cases to track down criminals.” She said, scrunching her nose lightly. It was weird when she was explaining something she was so used to being around; she just knew what a cop was. “Really? What does she do there?” Evangeline asked, curiosity lighting in her eyes. It was something she always wanted to know about, werewolves were interesting and so was the ministry. There were so many mysteries that people didn’t feel like sharing, so many things that Evangeline didn’t know.

[Matt Roberts]

All this thinking about blood made him think about his parents and the ideas that they had instilled into their children's heads. Both were slightly Pureblood Supremacists, only believing that those with Pureblood status deserved a higher ranking in the wizarding world. But his parents obviously didn't agree with the war or treating muggleborns like scum, his father was an Auror after all. His mother was a little bit more stronger in her beliefs but she wasn't anything like most Pureblood families were. They weren't considered blood traitors or anything, they were just very moderate and more open-minded than most. His sister was the odd ball in the family, she didn't find muggles exceptionally amazing but she was interested in them, unlike the rest of her family. Matt didn't mind people who had magic in them, Muggleborns, but he knew nothing about muggles and he really didn't mind it. If that made him a closed-minded person than so be it, he just didn't feel like having to learn about a culture that was so different than his own and one he would probably never have to be involved in. He hoped that didn't make him a bad person. "I agree with you completely. But I don't think theres anyway to change someone like that. Somethings are just there for life, no matter how hard they try to change it. Malicious people will more than likely always be malicious," he replied, nodding his head once for emphasis. Its what he truly believed and nothing she or anyone else said would probably ever change his mind. He chuckled, "Yeah, its interesting for a while. But since hes been talking to me about it for as long as I've been able to understand, you could say that it drives me up the wall sometimes. Yeah, randomness is fun sometimes but other times, I don't like to know what my mum is thinking about. And your brother sounds interesting, what sorts of novels does he read?" he asked curiously, forgetting for the moment that her rbrother was a muggle. He probably wouldn't know about anything that he was reading. It was all good though, he knew what genres were. Maybe she would only go that far into depth and would leave out specific titles of books. That would make it less confusing and embarrassing for him. He looked at her curiously, "And why does he call you a conformist?" he asked. He didn't like conformists at all. He didn't see her as one himself but then he had only known her for about fifteen minutes.

He gave her a sly smile, "Yes, but you don't know me all that well yet. I'm only egotistical when it comes to studying and intelligence, which I reckon most Ravenclaws are," he replied casually, shrugging his shoulders. He only got egotistical about other things when he knew the person well enough to know that he wasn't just trying to be an ass. But even then, it was normally about his intelligence and he felt that he had every right to be cocky in that area. He was one of the top, if not the top, student in his class. He chuckled, "Well, I wouldn't want you risking your health because of it. I reckon that I'll just figure out with time then," he replied, giving her a small wink. He liked people who were different, he doubted that he would have a problem with her unless she was an awful lot like the stereotype of her house. Then he might find her slightly annoying, he wouldn't voice this opinion out loud however. He gave her an impressed look, "Looks like our fathers are pretty similar then. I always wondered how muggles kept things in check," he replied with a rather bewildered look on his face. It was amazing how muggles figured out how to live without magic. They were incredibly inventive in his opinion. He smiled, "Well, she says its mainly paperwork. But its just to make sure that the Ministry knows about every werewolf around, trying to keep everyone safe, you know?" he asked her rhetorically, he thought it was a pretty interesting job. Nothing that he would want to do for a living but his mother seemed to like it well enough.

[Evangeline Wells]

Evangeline looked toward the ceiling, mainly to hide the confusion that had taken refuge in her eyes at that moment. She didn’t want to transfer the emotion to him or need anyone to question the quick change of feelings. Girls were complicated enough; she didn’t need to give Matt more reasons to put on the list that was probably growing. She was used to the list; her brothers kept one and would rattle it off whenever she would do something that was considered especially girly. It was actually really annoying that people noticed so much. The thought of Pureblood and supremacy had gotten her thinking of the war, the one thing that hadn’t reached them yet because of the magical surroundings, the big iron fence that surrounded the castle, but it wasn’t like they didn’t hear things. Evangeline knew a lot of people were after the muggleborns, feeling they had no business even being associated in their world, had no right to even breathe the same air. Evangeline found it stupid, the air was technically polluted anywhere you went, so it wasn’t like a few more germs were going to make a difference. Plus, germs built up the immune system. She knew that she was making light of the situation, but if she thought about it too much she would get frustrated and the emotion might shine through a little bit more. “I know, I just wish it wasn’t like that. People usually don’t change, even if they say they will. I really wish I had the power to do something about it, but I can’t meddle in their life, unless I want to get caught up in their maliciousness.” She said, agreeing with him even though she didn’t want to. Evangeline always did try to look at life realistically, not just paint a pretty picture to make the world full of rainbows. “I can imagine, but I guess that’s what he’s passionate about and he seems really excited about you joining him in the field. It’ll be like a father-son team, a bonding experience. Do you want to become an Auror?” she asked, wondering if that’s what he truly wanted or if he was only following the wishes of his parents. She wouldn’t want him to be stuck in a job he didn’t like, especially if he was putting his life on the line. “My brother mostly reads a lot of classic novels; he spends most of his time highlighting pages and writing down themes and symbols. He then sends the books to me, which is always…interesting.” She said with a small laugh, not knowing how to approach the topic. Sometimes she enjoyed the books he sent and other times she nearly fell asleep or threw the book across the room. It really depended. “I am a conformist because I’m not like him. Seriously, just because I don’t wear black, have a nasty attitude, and aren’t supposedly fighting the ‘man’ makes me a conformist. He makes it seem like because I’m not like him then I’m a conformist, but that would make me a conformist anyway. Gosh, he is so annoying sometimes.” She said with a sigh, rolling her eyes. Evangeline hated how his logic because it made no sense. All he and his friends were, were conformists in their own way, they all conformed into one little group.

“So basically you’re just a know it all.” She stated with a smile, her words containing to harshness whatsoever. There were people who prided themselves with knowledge, who had intelligence and liked to show it off to the world. Evangeline couldn’t blame them; it was their natural talent, ability. If she had a high IQ she’d probably be flaunting it all the time, shoving it in the faces of those that had that holier than thou complex. “Yeah, I’m sure you will. It’s not like I’m going to change my personality any time soon, unless there’s some type of money involved.” She said, drifting off into space for a moment, even though she wasn’t serious. Money was nothing to her, just some bits of paper. “It’s kind of funny how similar muggles and wizards really are. I’m not saying that they are the same, but it’s not like they’re a completely different species.” She said with a shrug, hoping that she wasn’t crossing the line by saying anything like that. It wasn’t clear where Matt stood on the issue so she didn’t want to pressure her ideas onto anyone else. “I see, it seems like a really important job to make sure everyone is safe. They are pretty dangerous creatures.” She said simply, even though she always did felt a twinge of pity for them. Evangeline never believed it was their fault, so she hated how they were discriminated, but she understood why they need to be registered just in case anything went wrong. It was just to make sure everyone was safe.

[Matt Roberts]

He watched absentmindedly as she looked up towards the ceiling. He thought maybe something interesting was happening with the owls up there so he craned his neck and looked up. He searched for something out of the ordinary but found nothing. He shrugged his shoulders and returned his gaze towards the Hufflepuff. His thoughts returned back to Pureblood Supremacy. He wondered for a moment even if he believed in it to some extent but didn't act on it, did that still make him a bad person? Even if he never vocalized his belief? He liked to think it didn't, it may have made him slightly prejudiced, but he never showed it. It shouldn't really matter then should it? The thought of being a bad person upset him greatly, he wondered why he'd never thought of it before. He continued to try to talk himself out of the belief that he was a bad person, he was a good person, right? Right. He was going to become an Auror after all, he had to be a good person. He thought for a moment that he would probably be killing people, even if it was for the good of everyone, was it still wrong for him to kill? Even if it was for good reasons? He shook his head, his father was the greatest person he knew, in no way shape or form was his father a bad person and he was an Auror. That was all Matt had needed to do to convince himself, he was just like his father who was an amazing person. He was not a bad person. He wasn't sure about the Pureblood Supremacy stuff still, if that made him a bad person, but he tried to bring his mind to think of something else, anything else. His thoughts wandered to Mallory once again, it was strange how she was usually the first person he thought of when he was trying to clear his mind. He wondered if that was a bad or good thing, was it there because he cared about her or he was worried about what kind of mischief she was up to? He mentally shook his head - shaking the thoughts away with it - he was debating the roots of good and evil far more than he should. He tore his attention from his internal battle and focused his attention on Evangeline, nodding his head solemnly at her words. It was all too true. "You're right about that, some people can't change, even if they want to sometimes. Its really quite pathetic and at the same time sad, I'm not sure how its both things at the same time though. Usually if something is pathetic I don't get sad about it, I get more pissed off than anything," he added the last comment casually, it was true. If someone was just being pathetic or doing something pathetic, he got angered at what he deemed their own stupidity. He didn't know what Evangeline would think about that comment, he wasn't going to lie about it though. He chuckled, "Well, when bonding with your son, you can switch it up every once in a while. But yes, I do want to become an Auror when I graduate. I was unsure of it for a while but now I know its definitely the path for me," he nodded his head once for emphasis. He ruffled his hair with his left hand, smiling, "Classics eh? I probably wouldn't know any of them sadly, I should probably look at muggle books more often," he replied, wondering if he would know the titles. He did like to read and if there was any side of the muggle world that he dabbled in sometimes it would be their literature. He still doubted he knew anything outside of a select few British novels. He hadn't read that many. He gave her a half-smile, "But they symbolism, I can see how that would get tiring, but I can't really blame him. I do that stuff all the time. Granted, I never make anyone else read them," he added with a smile and a slight shrug of his shoulders. He laughed, "I love that phrase, 'fighting the man.' It makes me laugh everytime. But thats funny that he thinks you're a conformist because you don't do that sort of thing. He doesn't think that being a witch makes you a noncomformist?" he asked with a small chuckle. That should be enough for her brother to leave her alone in his opinion. It was different than all muggles obviously.

He laughed, he wasn't use to anyone but Mallory and Alana being so blunt with him, especially Mallory. He grabbed his chin and tapped the side of his face with his finger, "Yes, I suppose you could say that's exactly what I am," he replied, smiling brightly and dropping his hand from his face. He laughed, "I'll make sure to keep that in mind. So if you really annoy me, I can just pay you to change then?" he asked her playfully, giving her a wink. Matt shrugged his shoulders, he wish he knew more about the muggle world so he could talk to her about it and sound educated but he obviously do what he usually did in situations where he didn't know what he was talking about. Normally, he would just make something up and everyone believed him just because he was who he was. Being known as the smartest kid in the class had some benefits, he didn't see any drawbacks. Sure, he got called a nerd or something equally lame, but how could that bother a Ravenclaw? It surely didn't. At least not him. He shrugged his shoulders once again, "Yeah, I guess it is pretty important. She just likes to make it sound dull and boring, just to complain. My mom likes to do that a lot," he added with a laugh. It was true, she was either out of her mind happy and just acting weird or she was complaining...about everything.

[Evangeline Wells]

Evangeline slid her eyes over the room, silently searching for something, anything that would catch her attention and cause her mind to go off on a tangent. Thinking about blood was becoming tiring, making her want to pull out her hair or scream to the heavens. Sure, that was dramatic to some degree, but it was just so frustrating, not knowing what to do when someone gave her a glare or snickered under their breath, tearing apart every thing she cherished, the life that made her who she was. She tried to put herself in their overly priced shoes, trying so hard to understand their mentality. And what scared her is the fact that she could find a bit of logic, it made perfect sense. They always prided themselves that they had special powers, they were different, they had a secret and then ‘normal’ people began invading, making their secret insignificant. It was sort of stupid, but Evangeline understood. These people must have felt a bit threatened knowing that anyone could be a wizard or witch nowadays; being born to magical parents meant nothing anymore. She knew that she wasn’t a threat, she couldn’t even hurt a fly and she definitely wasn’t trying to undermine anyone. But maybe they had a different outlook, one that broke every argument she had, even if they were only spouting about her tainted blood. Evangeline didn’t know how to answer people anymore; she just had to smile and brush it off or throw in her own sarcastic comment, but it wasn’t like they were going to change. Harsh words weren’t stopped with more cruel words. Evangeline wondered what path she would have taken if she was all magical, not just some impersonating muggle as some thought. Would she have been the one to frown at the muggles? Everything within her wanted to think that she wouldn’t, that she would be supportive, but would she really? Evangeline shook her head slightly, realizing all her thoughts were just making her head hurt. She could feel the slight pounding already. It happened every time she started on her ‘what if’ rant. “I’m not too fond of pathetic people either. Sometimes they can’t help being that way, but when they get whiny and just sit there than they deserve it. I will feel bad for them, but they need to get their act together instead of hoping that things will happen for them. Of course my heart gets in the way, making me feel guilty for thinking that way, but I can’t help someone who doesn’t want help.” She said with a small sigh, thinking of people that were like that. They acted helpless and had whiny voices that made her want to knock some sense into them. The people that were actually helpless, knocked down by life would gain her sympathy, but not people who were just lazy. “Well I’m glad you’ve found your calling in life. Most people aren’t that lucky and are just lost.” She said with a small smile, knowing she fell under that category. When it came to the future, she could barely look into the next day, let alone choosing her whole entire life now. She was constantly throwing ideas around, sometimes changing her dreams every other day. Evangeline shrugged lightly, thinking back to the book sitting on her bed. “If you want to read any muggle books you can sift through the huge pile in my room. I think my brother went a little overboard. They could barely fit in my trunk.” She said with a small laugh, remembering that she had to carry the damn trunk down the stairs, resulting in it leaving a dent in the floor. “It is very interesting, but sometimes I just like to read for enjoyment, not trying to look for themes. But most classics always have some hidden meaning, so it almost becomes a game, whether or not I will understand what the author it trying to say.” She said, knowing that enjoyment could come with other books, ones that were merely written to tell a story. “Yeah, he uses the word man all the time. I sometimes lose track of who the heck he’s talking about since the man seems to be everyone in the world, not just the government or anything. He’s a bit indifferent to the whole witch thing, probably thinking I’ve joined some kind of magical cult.” She said with a roll of her eyes. Evangeline would be the last one to sign up for any type of cult, but some people had a different view of magic.

“Well at least you’re honest. Most people deny it when they get called a know it all. Hey, sometimes being smart can be nice, it’s better than being dumb.” She said, knowing that he probably wouldn’t get on her nerves. It was amusing watching people who always had an answer, especially if they were ever stumped. Some just acted as though they were just pretending not to know, but who were they kidding? “Of course, as long as it’s a good price.” She said with a smile. They had just agreed that some people couldn’t change and never would, but here she was making a promise of change. It was a bit hypocritical, but she doubted she could truly change, just act. “I doubt it’s that boring, especially when werewolves are involved. Complaining can be fun when someone is complaining with you. I usually don’t mind that much, as long as I’m not getting complained about.”

[Matt Roberts]

As the two sat in silence for a moment, Matt's thoughts ran to his father, whom was off doing something for the Order. He obviously wasn't allowed to know what his father was doing, it was a secret he wasn't even sure if his mother knew. She had wanted to join the Order as well, even if she had been a Slytherin, she still had the right idea about the important things. His father wouldn't let her though, insisting that someone needed to stay at home, that someone needed to be there for himself and Mallory. He mentally scowled at the thought, he would soon enough be joining his father, she should be allowed to join if she wanted to. But then he had the horrible image flash before his eyes of his mother cold and dead on the ground, he immediately decided to take his father's side. His mother nor Mallory should be allowed to fight in what would soon be an all out war. It just wasn't a necessary risk and it certainly wasn't one that Matt or his father was going to make. He was pretty sure that Mallory didn't want to fight in the war anyways, she was more pro-muggleborn than anyone else in the family and was almost as handy as Matt with a wand, but she just didn't want to fight. She had told him that herself. He wondered if that was because she didn't want to do the schoolwork necessary to become an Auror and he had a strong feeling that was why she had chosen a different career path. That was probably it. As brilliant as she was, she was downright lazy about her schoolwork; of course, she wasn't lazy when it came to flying around on a broom and throwing balls at people. Sometimes he wondered if his sister had her priorities straightened out. How had he gone to thinking about Mallory again? He remembered her taunting words from the other day, that she was going to get him with a good trick. She didn't say things like that and not act on them; Matt should be worried but as it was extremely early on a Saturday morning, he had a good feeling that he was safe. He leaned casually against the stone wall and looked at Evangeline, he needed to escape from his own mind for the moment. He was glad to see that she had agreed with him, for the most part anyways, at least she didn't think that he was heartless for not feeling a whole lot of pity for the weak. He nodded his head firmly, "I suppose there are some who can't do any better, who are doomed to be pathetic. However, most of the time, I find only those who whine about it, those who just settle for the pathetic things they do. Its those sorts of people that make me angry, those who settle for being pathetic," he replied with a disgusted tone and a scowl on his face that did not suit him. He just hated people who were pathetic, it was something his father and mother felt strongly about as well. He gave her a half-smile, "Oh I know the feeling of being lost alright. What about you though? Do you have any idea what you would like to do after school?" he asked her. Normally he was able to pick out the sort of careers that people would choose once they graduated, even if he hadn't known them for very long. He couldn't think of what she would do once she left, what she would want to do. He was incredibly curious to see what her plans were after school. He laughed at her comment, "Well, I may have to take you up on that offer sometime. Which ones are your favorite?" he asked casually, putting his hands behind his head as he continued to lean against the stone wall. He was trying to remember one of the books that he had read but for some reason or another all of the muggle titles were flying out of his mind. Maybe one of the ones that were her favorite would stir up his own memory. He nodded his head, "I can see why that would get annoying, if everytime you read them you had to look for something deeper, but sometimes thats half the fun," he replied lightly, "At least for the books you've read more than once," he added with a small shrug of his shoulders. Matt gave her a look of curiosity, "So the man is not just the government? That's funny. Its also funny that he thinks you've joined some kind of cult, our world...a cult," he replied, his voice trailing off towards the end with a sort of bewildered look on his face. Well that was just absurd.

He chuckled, "Honesty is one of my favorite qualities for someone to have, you seem rather honest yourself. And yes, being smart is leagues better than being dumb. Although, I reckon that it can get rather annoying at times," he replied, shrugging his shoulders once more. He laughed, "Of course, I would imagine that would run at a high price," he responded, knowing full well he would never pay someone to change. Well, at least not her. He would probably pay to see some Slytherins change, like that Alecto Carrow. She was just rotten to the core. He nodded, "Yeah, I can't see how it would be boring, dealing with werewolves. Of course, they're perfectly normal when its not a full moon or they haven't just been bitten. I can see why someone like my mom might find it boring I guess. And complaining is fun when its something fun that you're complaining about. What is it that you like to complain about?"