Woe to the Failed [w/Ritual Lobotomy]

[Noctis the Devious]

There were two, semi-important things Raina wasn't good at: cooking and potions. Though in the case of cooking (fuck she could practically hear her mother clicking her tongue in disappointment everytime she got one thing wrong, even by a smidge), one could argue she never really bothered with getting better (and perhaps started fucking up on purpose everytime her mother made her cook) to spite her mother. Potions on the other hand? Raina wasn't quite sure why she was so terrible at it.

But seeing as she actually wanted to be an Auror (because Raina could make literally nothing easy on herself) it wasn't like she could stop giving a shit, and even if she did, potions class was taught by one of the most annoying professors in this school yet. Usually when a student showed no talent for the class they were moved to the back or something, leaving the professor free to focus on the students worth their time. But no. Professor Hildegard, for whatever reason, just had to meddle. Why? Who the fuck knew. Maybe because she was a pureblood and he wanted to get on her family's good side? It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened.

Whichever the reason the professor had for caring so much about a failing student, it still left Raina meeting some random peer who was apparently good enough to tutor her peers at the professor's... insistence. To be frank, this was utterly humiliating. As the captain of the Hufflepuff duel club it was usually her giving out pointers and advice, and even helping out some students with DADA (for a small fee of course). Raina never thought she'd be at the other end of these arrangements all because her potions professor was meddlesome (and she actually lacked talent in an area).

Was this what the walk of shame she's heard so much about felt like? Her professor told her where to go to meet this asshole, didn't really give her much of a choice in the matter, and now she approached her destination with growing annoyance and dread. Potions was not fun for her. Was it even useful? Probably, just not in Raina's hands. Now that was standing in front of the door she had to enter, a thought occurred to her, I could have fucking asked August. August was good at this sort of thing and it wasn't like he was going to mock her for not being good at something (the fact she was pretty certain of this... was not something she was going to further think about).

Too late now. She was already here. She huffed and threw open the door, kicked it shut behind her, and took stock of her surroundings. Of course, rationally, she knew it was just her meeting up with another student and it was not, in fact, some trap. Fuck did she hate situations she had no real control over though.

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

GLESNI CARROW

Interaction: Raina Summers - @Noctis the Devious

When the girl had insisted on getting some extra work, tutoring some random dunce was not what she had in mind. But, as it always was, professor Hildegard had already made up his mind long before he had invited her to - as he put it - give her the good news. He had a very particular vision of positivity. But, after receiving a negative ten points for complaining, Glesni had found that arguing her way out of it was not going to work out. He was still unsure whether to admire Hildegard for his dedication and firm principles or dread them.

By the time she had arrived at the spare classroom professor Hildegard so generously offered for the session, she was already mentally exhausted. What was she expected to do even? She couldn't possibly drill the hole into someone's thick skull and pour all her knowledge into it. That's why she was better than anyone else in the first place! She exhaled helplessly as she unlocked the aged wooden door. They squeaked open in a manner that had Glesni convinced layers upon layers of ancient dust were execting her on the other side. Preemptively, she protected her mouth and nose as she pushed the door all the way in.

The small classroom looked like any other classroom on an average day, minus the students. There were no thick layers of grime she had expected, and windows were nicely opened, letting in some fresh air.

"It's something," she sighed, closing the door and proceeding into the room. As expected, the other party was obviously late. Unless they had an unexplained need to waste her time and play some hide and seek.

"Hello?" Glesni still called out, placing a heavy pile of materials on the desk. "I suppose I am talking to myself? It wouldn't be the bloody first time either."

She was. She was absolutely talking to herself. Disappointing, but non-unexpected. After all, if one struggled to master the absolute basics of an exact science of brewing, she had no place believing they would even appear on time. Let alone earlier.

"Rule number one: manage your expectations," she mumbled, one of several golden rules presented to her by her aunt. Nonsense. How come nobody ever had the need to live up to her expectations? Some of them may or may not have been easier said than done, but punctuality was hardly too much to ask for.

She waited patiently. As patiently as she could and definitely more patiently than her annoyed expression suggested. By the exact time of the meeting, Glesni had already finished her own homework, crossing over to revise the information she was expected to share with the one in need. All of that work could have been done if only they were on time.

After a while, Glesni - already forehead deep in her books - jerked upright when the wooden door swung open with haste, hitting the wall. Remaining in shock and disbelief for the next few moments, Glesni eyed the girl that walked in demonstratively, kicking the door back into their place, and looked around. It was funny how they both had the same idea to survey the room, although possibly for an entirely different reason.

By the time her eyes locked with the girl's, Glesni's resting face had returned.

"I imagine that is a customary way of handling doors in your own house as well, so I will not say anything," she spoke up. "But being late is just rude, don't you think?"

 

[Noctis the Devious]

Late? Late??? Fuck, miss priss was one of those people who thought early was on time, wasn't she? If that was the case, Raina should've stopped at her dorm and changed if she was going to be like that. Wouldn't make much of a difference, now would it?! Raina didn't see fit to offer a response to any of the other's smart remarks - her house in it's entirety has seen worse than Raina's temper; afterall it lasted through both Celeste and Selene, but like this random chick needed to know that - mostly because she was this fucking close to snapping.

Actually no, she did have one thing to fucking say, "Blame this giant fucking castle and my last class being on the other fucking end of it. But no, my bad your majesty, I should've ran. Whatever to appease you." She dropped her heavy ass bag by a chair but before taking a seat, she untied her hair and combined it out with her fingers. She really should've stopped at her dorm.

Yes, having hair as ridiculously long as her's was, was impractical. But taking care of it was the one thing she could put her focus towards that wasn't either destructive or a means to an end. It was solely for her and, well, as dumb as it was, managing it calmed her down a bit. She had a long day, okay? She flipped her hair down to tie it in a high bun because fuck if she was going to catch it on fire, then settled down with a huff. To think it was such a nice day today and she had to spend the rest of it over a bubbly cauldron and whatever. Hell, after this she was going hot and unreasonably irritated.

"Look I don't know if you did something to piss off Professor Hildegard or if you're just caught in the crossfire of his unrealistic optimism, but I'm just going to lay it out for you; I have no patience for this. I always cut things wrong or crush them when I'm supposed to cut, stir things the wrong way, handle the ingredients wrong, or something or another, and yet Professor Hildegard has in his head I can some how pass his class. Honestly, I'm more likely than not too violent of a person for this but sure, let's give a one on one a try," her tone grew sharper with annoyance and more theatrical the more she spoke (because yes, she did talk a lot but this was supposed to be a study on potions, not unpacking whatever Raina's deal was).

No, if she was being complety honest, she wanted to sink in her seat with exhaustion, maybe take a nap by the window. The only thing stopping her was, somehow, someway, she got it in her head that perhaps she wasn't a lost cause and this poor girl will have to suffer her for it (fucking potion professors).

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

GLESNI CARROW

Interaction: Raina Summers - @Noctis the Devious


A small heads-up from professor Hildegard before their little rendezvous regarding the girl's temperament was appreciated. But it seemed that neither he was aware at how soon into the engagement it would manifest.

It usually took at least five minutes of coping with Glesni for the other party to tap out. Summers had to be an all-time record. Better yet, Glesni barely even warmed up. The Slytherin student sat upright, calmly looking at the girl. The incoming lash made the smirk of amusement all the harder to contain, but after a close call, Glesni took control, subduing it into neutrality.

"Well," Glesni spoke up when the opportunity presented itself, rearranging the study material across the surface. "Seeing how I am what stands between you and failing this class miserably, I'd go on a limb to say: yes. A bit of appreciation doesn't hurt."

While openly self-centered, Glesni's response was surprisingly civil. She was stuck there with a purpose. Having at least one emotionally balanced out person should theoretically lead to a faster resolution.

Glesni sat through the speculations of her motives to be present, taking some notes out of the book. Expectedly, Summers seemed to have the need to be the final period after every sentence. Therefore, her response came right on time.

"I have no patience for this," were Summers' words that provoked a light scoff out of Glesni.

"Is that so? Couldn't tell, quite honestly." It had occurred to her that, perhaps, her sarcasm against aggression could have been the exact reason why professor Hildegard thought it would be - in his words - an exciting combination. Indeed, he fully trusted his judgment but couldn't help but wonder how much of it was just for fun. With the Potion Master, it was always difficult to tell.

Allowing the girl to express her disdain towards the entire idea, Glesni waited on another opportunity to respond.

"Perhaps," she commented on the notion that Hildegard might have expected too much. "But the man is as intense as you give him a reason to be. You can't state your ambitions to him and wish him not to hold you up to standard. Especially when there are more of us looking in the same direction."

As competitive and as ambitious as she was, Glesni did not quite like the idea of sharing her knowledge with those that could potentially run for the same position. On the other hand, she was flattered.

"If you want something, then you work for it. Especially if you hate it as much as you hate everything about this. After all, you will likely go against me with your career choice, and you better know your stirs and crushes in order by then." A brief mischievous smirk danced across Glesni's lips as she pushed a list of neatly listed notes to the girl.

"It's a list of chapters and units you will have to revise for the exam. Mark any you need help with, and I'll see what I can do. No promises, however. It all comes down to you."

No pressure.

 

[Noctis the Devious]

After all, you will likely go against me with your career choice, and you better know your stirs and crushes in order by then.

Well, as the half-bloods and muggleborns would say, the cat was out of the bag. It wasn't like Raina's long term goal was some big secret or anything, but she never really made a point to boast about it. Aside from August, she normally kept to herself outside of school and activities. She might of let it slip to the professor that she wanted to become an auror at some point, or he over heard it from somewhere. Really, who knew with him? Either way, this girl just implied she both wanted to become an auror, and saw her as competition.

Raina herself never considered the position of Auror to be something to compete for. The lack of accepted persons didn't come from lack of positions available, it came from the lack of qualified prospects. They could go years without accepting anyone. Even if it was limited somehow, she doubt she could have so much faith in another to hold her to as high of a standard she held herself. Yeah, she was a competitive person, no question about it, but in this regard? The only person Raina was truly competing with was herself.

Though, if it was competition this girl wanted, why not humor her? The only person she'd be failing here would be herself, and that was not even an option. Could be interesting, and give her another reason not to replace potions with another class.

"It's a list of chapters and units you will have to revise for the exam. Mark any you need help with, and I'll see what I can do. No promises, however. It all comes down to you." Raina had to suppress the urge to look around and make sure she wasn't spontaneously thrown into a musical when the girl started rhyming.

"Sure, just don't go breaking out into song, Ms. Rhyme and Reason," she snickered, accepting the paper and procuring a quill from her bag. Yeah pens and pencils were making their way into the school and curriculum but - call her old fashion - there was something satisfying about using an ink and quill. Though, as she went through the list, the more humiliating this felt. It wasn't really the amount of things she needed help with that she found embarrassing- well, maybe that too - but it also felt like she was was willy nilly handing over a list of weakness to an enemy. This girl did announce herself as Raina's direct competition afterall.

When she finally handed the list over, more than half of it was marked off. It took everything she had not to hesitate. Fuck if she was going to show weakness to some random chick she just met.

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

GLESNI CARROW

Interaction: Raina Summers - @Noctis the Devious

"What do you mean?" Glesni squinted her eyes at the girl, her hand still lingering mid-way after the Hufflepuff accepted the parchment. The girl's snicker confused her, even hurt her ego, if only for a bit. Albeit, the latter she wouldn't admit.

"Ah. Funny," the Slytherin mumbled, quickly going over her words, understanding the joke. A fantastic start to a potentially very frustrating tutoring session. The feeling was only fortified further as she observed the girl marking down the notes as requested.

"Oh wow," it escaped Glesni even before she fully retrieved the piece of paper. Studying it briefly, she huffed and rubbed her temple. "For you to reach all the way to the O.W.L preparation without knowing these things is... Honestly quite impressive."

There was no bloody wonder why professor Hildegard did not give her an option. Choosing whether she wanted to deal with it or not would hardly have been a matter of discussion. She would have said no. Then again, a bit of challenge was always welcome. Getting over the initial shock, Glesni dragged out her copies of Magical Drafts and Potions and One Thousand Magical Herbs and Funghi. Both books were well-preserved but evidently used many times, if countless sticky notes peeking out of it were anything to go by.

"Let's just start from scratch, yes?" she suggested, following up with a rhetorical question. Undoubtedly, the basics of the first three years were as dull as it got, but so was every foundation ever. A basic, boring slab of concrete that supported some very fascinating buildings. Pour it the wrong way, and regardless of the work you do on the house, it isn't going to hide the fact that it was crooked and breaking.

"We have a couple of months to have you memorize all of these brews, so we better make sure it sticks. Starting with the first to the third year," Glesni proceeded, going through pages while preparing two blank pieces of parchment.

"If you take this one seriously, for once, you will at least be able to identify potions properly if not brew them. Which is enough for Acceptable." While Glesni had no personal interest in assisting anyone, the benefit of being on Hildegard's good side was tempting. If anything, it was an excellent opportunity to revise the basics that could prove themselves tricky when least expected.

Swiftly, she wrote down three columns per paper, on one, healing potions, buffs, and offense potions, and on the other, poisons, debuffs, and protective potions. Along with the two books, they were pushed towards the Hufflepuff.

"All the content is already labeled by the yearly curriculum. Starting from the first year, track down all the ingredients, and write them down in columns they belong to. We will just ignore the brewing process for now. It won't do you any good to know the amount if you're brewing with the wrong ingredient," Glesni pointed out what seemed to have been common sense, leaning against the table.

"When you learn to recognize which ingredient most certainly doesn't go with what sort of potions, you will increase the possibility of making it through even if you don't know the exact recipe in question. Feels like a waste of knowledge, granted, but I am sure you can do at least as much. Not all of us can be good at everything," the girl smirked mischievously.

"Feel free to ask for clarifications. If needed."

 

[Noctis the Devious]

"Ah. Funny." It took her a minute but once she got Raina's joke, she didn't seem all that amused by it. Ugh, she was probably one of those types that took herself too seriously but whatever. Who cared if this chick thought Raina was funny?

"Oh wow-" Her eyebrow twitched. "For you to reach all the way to the O.W.L preparation without knowing these things is... Honestly quite impressive." Well fuck you too. It wasn't like she wasn't trying or deliberately failing! Yes, she understood that many people didn't struggle with potions the way she did, but why did this girl have to make it sound like Raina was a complete and utter dunce with no two brain cells to rub together?! "Let's just start from scratch, yes?"

Raina forced herself to take deep breath; she breathed in for four seconds through her nose and exhaled for four seconds out through her mouth. It was a breathing exercise Selene had taught to help manage her temper and stress. Right now, Raina wasn't which one was more prevalent. The explanation and following task seemed simple enough. Just a quick review to make sure Raina actually understood the basics. It's what she would've done in her position. One has to start a foundation before building upward.

Telling herself this didn't make this whole thing any less embarrassing however.

Raina accepted the parchment and the book, looking over and all it's sticky notes curiously. It was quite thorough and a system she herself could benefit from. "Feels like a waste of knowledge, granted, but I am sure you can do at least as much. Not all of us can be good at everything." Do not break your quill. Do not break your quill. Do not break your fucking quill.

"Oh fuck off!" she snapped. "You and that pedestal of yours!" Was it her tone that suddenly made Raina so defensive? It was something about those words that made her feel personally attacked. Maybe it was the fact that was the whole point, wasn't it? She had to be good at everything or else what could she possibly amount to? If she couldn't achieve an Exceeds Expections in potions then--

She grounded her teeth, shot a glare at her tutor, and got to work on the assignment she was given. The room was still and, save for them, vastly empty. The open windows provided some fresh air at least, and allowed the stray sound to filter in. A bird call here. A voice of student or faculty there (fuck knows if they were a live or not). But for someone who grew up in a house with four other siblings and parental figures who were constantly at each other throats, before the older sisters were, it wasn't enough. In fact, the silence put her on edge.

"Why the fuck do you want to become an auror anyway?" It was a simple question but with her emotions running high all the time, it likely came off as an aggressive snap.

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

GLESNI CARROW

Interaction: Raina Summers - @Noctis the Devious

A fleeting smirk escaped Glesni as she kept her eyes down in the book in front of her, very well aware of her words. They meant to poke and jab. All in good fun, of course. At least for her.

"Oh fuck off!"

Ah. There it was.

Glesni cleared her throat, looking up at the fuming tutee.

"Pardon?"

"You and that pedestal of yours!"

"Oh, wow," the Slytherin commented calmly. Granted, she honestly didn't expect the frustration to spill out in such a manner, but again, she barely knew the girl's nature in the first place. It was interesting. She looked up at Raina, seemingly as unbothered as she would be watching paint dry, allowing it to simmer a bit. Bright piercing eyes stared Glesni down for a notable moment until she spoke up, drumming her fingers against the table.

"I will not take offense to that. If that's what you're waiting for," Glesni smirked. "We may as well be here the entire day."

Surprisingly, the girl had nothing else to say, and Glesni took note. There was nothing more exciting than banter, but there was also nothing more anti-climactic than dominating a dead argument. Pointless. Instead, Slytherin let her fellow student get back to her task. It was, after all, the primary and only reason why they were even there.

Glesni waited patiently, leaning against the chair. She now stared through the window across the room. For someone with a tight schedule, it was an unusual state. As if she had all the time in the world to just sit in silence. As if she had no need to hurry each waking moment along. The truth was, there was plenty to think about without the ability to do much about it. Ravena indeed took her time getting back at her, almost to the point where it would concern if anyone else was in question. But her otherwise impatient niece knew better than to pry, regardless of an impossibly strong drive to do so. So she did the next best thing - kept herself busy. Even if it meant doing charity.

The period of silence didn't last remotely as long as she had hoped for. Soon, the Hufflepuff felt the need to resume the conversation.

"Why the fuck do you want to become an auror anyway?"

Why indeed? It was a simple question with a tragically complex response. Some days, Slytherin would have a clear answer to it in her head and articulate it understandably. Other days she struggled to understand her reasons herself. Today seemed to be the latter, as the question seemed to have caught her slightly off guard. Emerald orbs blinked a couple of times, buying her a few illusory moments to think her approach through as her attention hovered back to the conversation.

Attention? Personal challenge? Or maybe it was a straight-up rebellion and a desire to prove a point. All valid responses, but all of them begging for further clarification leading into a pit she did not want to gaze into.

Stubbornness, anger, pushing the limits...

"Tradition," came out of her chest with an exhale, insecure at first. Yes. She was sure it was a valid response and far from a lie. "It is a tradition in my family," she repeated more confidently.

"We all seek to be better than the rest. And if you're already there, you might as well go all in, aiming for a notable career, no?" Glesni hummed quietly, going through the book in front of her. "I suppose it's a boring life on the pedestal. Rivalry is the only thing that never gets old," she referred to Raina's comment with a jest. Quite frankly, the premise wasn't wrong. Either of them. She was on the pedestal as much as she was bored of it.

"And what about you?" Slytherin returned the ball to the Hufflepuff's side of the court with a charming smirk. It couldn't hurt. "What do you want to be when you grow up? Surely something related to potions," she chuckled.

 

[Noctis the Devious]

Tradition. Raina's eyes snapped up to her. "It is a tradition in my family." And weren't those dangerous words for a pure blood to say? Raina should know. It was probably the only other thing the two had in common outside of them both wanting to be aurors. "We all seek to be better than the rest. And if you're already there, you might as well go all in, aiming for a notable career, no?" Raina reluctant agreed with that sentiment and returned her focus back on the assignment. Being an Auror was the best way to prove exactly how much better you were than everyone else. It was definitely much more substantial that blood purity.

"I suppose it's a boring life on the pedestal. Rivalry is the only thing that never gets old."

"If you don't like being on your pedestal so much then blow it to pieces." Of course, that was Raina's solution to everything. Blow it up, smash it, bury it under until it was no longer deserving of thought. It was easy for Raina to say, when she herself hadn't entirely completely escaped her family or their expectations, but she'd be damned if she fucking resigned herself to that position. That perch.

It was a fragile thing really. Celeste became the poster child of their family and was taken in by Rowan as the prime example of what a pure blood should be - on the right side of crazy and absolutely delusional with ambitions of grandure. Selene, the one auror of their family, was cast aside as a failure because she stood on the side of their late father and his ideals. The old matriarch's gaze was now set on Declan and Raina, and there wasn't much either of them could do about it unless they wanted Rowan to take custody of Kyler away from their mother and send him away somewhere none of the siblings would see him again. Their mother would let it happen too.

She still held on to her little acts of rebellion, but too far in the wrong direction? There was only so much of fate she was willing to tempt. And with her being the age her mother was when she was betrothed to her late father, there was now that fear hanging over her head of one day waking up and finding herself betrothed to a pure blood on the otherside of the fucking world.

"And what about you?" Raina was confused for a hot second before she clarified. "What do you want to be when you grow up? Surely something related to potions."

Raina's quill snapped.

Getting people to talk to fill the silence was nothing new, but somehow she wasn't prepared to have the question thrown back at her. There were people who just wanted to see the world burn. She was one of them. There were days Raina could fool others, even August, even herself, into thinking her anger was finally under control and managed, but then there were days, like today, that reminded her that her anger was never not simmering just below the surface and all it took was the wrong step in the wrong direction to ruin something spectacularly. To hurt someone to the point of being unforgivable. She was destructive by nature, responded to stress violently, and it made her to sharp, too much for most people to deal with. If they were wanted to, to begin with.

And yet here she was, wanting to become an Auror, because it allowed her to be the opportunity to not let what happened to her, happen to someone else.

She glared down at her broken quill before throwing it to the side and digging out a spare.

Right, the other had asked a question didn't she.

"You wanna know so fucking badly, you patronizing asshole?! What I want to be is better than you, your precious family, their name, and then some", she growled out, slamming her spare quill down on her desk, seething. She wasn't expecting the topic to piss her off so much. No longer was her temper listless, but had sunk to something darker and richer, and now she really wanted to blow something up right now.

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

GLESNI CARROW

Interaction: Raina Summers - @Noctis the Devious

It was easy. So easy, in fact, that Glesni began to wonder why it amused her so much watching Raina attempting and failing to contain her anger. She chuckled internally, behind a resting face, observing the two parts of the quill.

"Ah. What a shame," Glesni sight and cleared her throat. "I suppose you have some to spare." Point taken. Miss Summers had no time nor nerves to crack jokes or even identify one. A blessing in disguise was, she figured was that this time it wasn't her nose that snapped in two. Two for two, she realized. That only left someone from Ravenclaw and her own house to piss off and round it up to a perfect score. She was an over-achiever, after all.

She kept quiet as Raina indeed grabbed the spare. For a moment, her mind drifted back to the girl's response. Pedestals. While they didn't agree on anything else, Hufflepuff's hate for norms spoke to Glesni. Quite frankly, she rarely gave any pure-blood names with connections to her father any thought. Such opinion made her curious as much as it made her wary.

"You wanna know so fucking badly, you patronizing asshole?!" Sudden lash out coming from Raina shocked Glesni most peculiarly. Initially widened, green orbs glinted with amusement, and she let out a loud scoff before she managed to contain it by partially covering her mouth.

"No, please. Do proceed," she encouraged the Hufflepuff, although it seemed the girl didn't need any.

"What I want to be is better than you, your precious family, their name, and then some."

Glesni merely blinked at Raina, slapping the table angrily, as she drummed her fingers.

"Speaking of pedestals. You've built yours rather sturdy." It was a breath of fresh air. The ambition was a tool that could open many doors and close just as many. Hufflepuff seemed to have a lot of drive but no proper direction to steer it in.

"Valid ambition. But not like that," Glesni smirked knowingly, drowning it quickly. "You will need more than self-ignition to make yourself relevant. Trust me. I've tried." It was a bitter jest based on a painful truth made relatable. But if the girl's life was anything alike, she certainly understood

"...And basic knowledge, of course. And. You know. A sense of humor wouldn't hurt."

Merlin's beard. If Ravena was to hear her, she would most certainly burst into a fit of laughter. But there was progress, except for in successfully inserting it into a conversation, it seemed.

"See," Slytherin proceeded candidly. "I understand your position. Perhaps better than anyone, believe it or not. We will likely go head-to-head in the future, but my only business here today is to help you. So," she shrugged. "What else do you have to shout at me for, so we get that out of the way?"

 

[Noctis the Devious]

"Valid ambition." Raina blinked. The anger threatening to explode over just... didn't, as if it was a pot of boiling water that had it's heat source cut off. It was still there, bubbing and roiling, but without the heat it was starting to die out. She eyed the Slytherin warily as if waiting for the psyche. "But not like that." Raina's expression fell flat. "You will need more than self-ignition to make yourself relevant. Trust me. I've tried."

"Relevancy? Relevancy?! You think I'm aiming for relevancy?! What the fuck is relevancy going to do for me? That's not something to strive for, the fuck?!" In her mind, relevancy was something like a reaction. Something had to happen first before that, which meant the other had to be asking her to do something first? What the hell was asking of her then??? "How about we take it one step at a time and I go usurp the duel club captain? Is that relevant enough for you?" She was planning on doing that anyway. She hadn't succeeded (yet) but it's the closest thing in her mind to being comparable to an auror. As a student anyway.

"...And basic knowledge, of course."

"No! Fuck you, I'm not dumb!" Raina had her strong suits! And while she preferred dramatic, explosive magic, she was good at other types of magic! She even took Divination with August and she wasn't half bad at it! The only real magic she didn't have handle on, risked rebounding, and perhaps never will given the type of wand she had, was dark magic. Her wand counted jixes and curses counted among then and through a hissy fit every time and fainted on her. But why the fuck should it be everything she was bad it, which, in her humble opinion, were few are far between, that defined her so much???

"And. You know. A sense of humor wouldn't hurt."

Her eyebrow twitched. "You-- you're the one not finding my jokes funny! The fuck?" Acting as if Raina didn't have a sense of humor, the chick didn't even know her! Yeah she had anger issues and a mean temper, but at least she wasn't grumpy or broody! She knew how to laugh! She even got August to laugh every now and then!

"See, I understand your position. Perhaps better than anyone, believe it or not." Raina shot her another wary look. Yeah, it was inevitable given that they were around the same age and cane from all-too similar backgrounds, but it was still a little unnerving to hear. We will likely go head-to-head in the future, but my only business here today is to help you. "So," she shrugged. "What else do you have to shout at me for, so we get that out of the way?"

Raina opened her mouth as if she had something prepared but nothing came out. Deciding she wasn't the kind of person to yell and complain on command, she settled felt scowling at the other before glancing down at the paper in front of her. Right, she was supposed to be categorizing shit. She could already feel a head ache building between her temples - stress headaches Selene calls them.

"Look, I'm done, happy?" She held up the sheet of paper as proof. "You know, just because you may be better than me at potions, doesn't mean I can't wipe the floor with you in a duel." It kind if just came out with her really meaning to say that.

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

GLESNI CARROW

"Look, I'm done, happy?"

With her head resting against her arm over the table, Glesni merely hovered her unbothered gaze from Raina's fuming visage onto the parchment filled with scribbles as instructed. It was encouraging to know that the girl wasn't all growl and no bite after all.

"Very," Glesni responded with a nod. Whether Raina's results improved or not did not concern her much. However, Professor Hildegard's image of her as a student with a good perspective successfully made up for her initial disinterest in excelling in the given task. If she wanted to have any base in asking the man for any recommendation, she would take any task given and overachieve. Virgilius Hildegard only passed a handful of recommendations throughout years of teaching, and some generations even went on without a single one. Glesni would be damned before allowing a slacker to stand between her and the Holy Grail of parchments. Looking at the finished assignment, she had found that there was still hope to be had, but there was just as much work to do.

"You know, just because you may be better than me at potions, doesn't mean I can't wipe the floor with you in a duel." Being in the middle of writing on a second parchment, Glesni offered only a glance of Raina's way before returning to the job at hand. "Oh, I have no doubt you're handling your wand just fine," Slytherin responded coolly. "And that is why we are here to revise your potion knowledge, not combat knowledge. No need to mend what isn't broken, no?" she let out a light chuckle. "Besides, I don't see how the two are connected in this... case," her voice drifted away with realization. The method any sensible student would have used to memorize anything clearly would take too long and be questionably effective in Hufflepuff's case.

"Actually," Glesni mused out loud, laying down the quill. "I think I know how this is going to be less of a torture for the both of us," she smirked, opening the potion book and contemplating her plan momentarily. "Yes. This may work," Glesni nodded, rising from her seat. "Well, you wanted to duel. Let's duel. But there's one catch," she pointed to the open book on the table. "We will start with a few potions. You will read through and memorize their ingredients and preparation. Then we duel," she explained, unsheathing her wand.

"I will then name one of the potions and ask you for a part of the preparation or a list of ingredients. If you make a mistake, I get to cast at you. If you answer correctly, you can cast at me. But here's the good part," Glesni proceeded. "You seem not to like me all that much. Fair enough. So once your turn is done, you can name a potion and ask me a question about it, to which I will respond. If you identify a mistake in my response, you may, once again, cast your spell. If you fail to notice it, you skip your turn, and I ask again. The faster you respond, the sooner you'll get to teach me a lesson instead. How's that sound?"

 

[Noctis the Devious]

"Oh, I have no doubt you're handling your wand just fine," Slytherin responded coolly. "And that is why we are here to revise your potion knowledge, not combat knowledge. No need to mend what isn't broken, no?" she let out a light chuckle. "Besides, I don't see how the two are connected in this... case..." Raina gave a huff. Of course they weren't connected. She merely felt as if she was dragged out of her depth just be poked at and provoked. In response she needed to reiterate that was, in deed, good at something so she didn't feel entirely incompetent. Did she do something to Professor Hildegard to warrant this?

"Actually," Raina perked up at her tone. "I think I know how this is going to be less of a torture for the both of us." The explanation she gave had Raina invested to say the least. Memorizing and then repeating what she memorized or she got zapped? She could do that. The rules Carrow laid out were simple enough, but the more Raina concidered them, the more she found them to be too simple. The way she described the exercise made it sound like blocking or defending yourself wasn't an option. This was fine with her as there was a type of duel that followed the same setup in duel club, and in this situation, as long as she was correct she wouldn't have to deal with being turned into a personal punching bag.

But with the lack of rules on the actual dueling side of it, it left a lot of room for something to go wrong. "I can accept that. As long as you agree to some simple dueling rules too. For instance, no aiming for the face. In fact, let's keep it the torso area, neck down. That also means no aiming for the legs either. There's also some spells that have to be agreed to or are banned entirely from duel club. It'll take too long to go over them but let's just rule out all jinxes or hexes. In fact, all dark magic is off the table. It's a study exercise but we should still aim to keep it light hearted." Not that she assumed Carrow was going to immediately bust out a spell to remove her mouth or slice and dice her, but Raina didn't want to deal with the possibility either.

She pulled the open book toward her and took the time read over it, trying to ward off her excitement in the meantime. It wasn't like she had to make them, so how hard could this possibly be?

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

GLESNI CARROW

Glesni acknowledged Raina's additional requirements with a steady, resting gaze. In almost every aspect, she had believed herself to be well-accustomed to Hogwarts rules by now, except when it came to the fact that so many restrictions and regulations that were in place around here - that was common knowledge to its students - felt overly restrictive. However, familiarizing with the social climate within the school made her begin to understand why that was. To some students there, she wouldn't even allow the consideration of casting.

"Well done on taking all of the fun out of it," the Slytherin jested about the rules. "But, I agree. Let's keep it down on the educational level." She believed her dueling skills to be nothing to be scoffed at. Nevertheless, she acknowledged that it may have been for the best. The last thing she wanted to deal with was an aggravated fellow student who also duels for fun in her free time.

The idea seemed to have encountered positive feedback from the Hufflepuff. For the first time since the start of their study time, Miss Summers eagerly took the book and began to hold onto her part of the bargain. This may work yet.

Pleased with the outcome of her suggestion, Glesni nodded in approval and ascended from the desk, careful not to disturb Raina's blitz preparation for the first question line. As she walked towards the center of the room with hands behind her back, she went through all the spells she would have at her disposal after the rule implementation.

"Take all the time you need," she instructed, pacing slowly, observing classroom walls filled with shelves and endless trinkets. "Whenever you're ready, choose one potion, and we can begin."

 

[Noctis the Devious]

While her focus was on the book, her head still tilted in Carrow's general direction and her hand twitched as the other girl seemed to move behind her. She did not like that all but sooner or later she was gonna to have to get over these "overreactions" to every minor thing that happened around her. Having someone stand behind you was normal. The Slytherin wasn't even looming either.

"Take all the time you need," she instructed, pacing slowly, observing classroom walls filled with shelves and endless trinkets. "Whenever you're ready, choose one potion, and we can begin."

Raina took a breath to calm her fraying nerves before getting up. "The Girding Potion," she decided. Though a glance around had her uncertain on where she should stand. She was used to more room to duel in, even if it was usually on the duel table, and decidedly empty walls. Everywhere she looked there seemed to be something breakable. She at least tried to stand where there seemed to be less things for her to break if she happened to somehow miss Carrow, or send her flying. She took a bow and settled on her usual dueling stance since it would feel weird not to, wand in her non-diminate hand, not really expecting the other to really respect all of the dueling practices.

For Raina, it was important to show some amount of respect to her oponent even if there were those that found it foolish (and even after her sister, Selene, decided to cheat and attack her while she was trying to show respect).

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

GLESNI CARROW

It was undeniably exciting to feel able to intrigue another. Even though she would never admit to it, Glesni had truly hoped the idea would appeal to Miss Summers. She was eager to know what Raina would begin with, and when she had made her choice, Glesni nodded in approval.

"Girding potion, it is. Good choice."

A sleek blackthorn wand slipped from its holster and laid itself comfortably in Glesni's hand. She observed Hufflepuff's movement across the room with subtle curiosity. While she was no stranger to dueling in general, she gladly allowed the girl to take the lead in initiation as the one more adapted to the process. Simultaneously with Raina, Glesni took a few steps back to make use of the limited space they had found themselves in. Following along, she smirked and bowed in response, turning slightly sideways, wand resting comfortably against her side.

"First question," she spoke up once they were both at their respective spots and ready. "How many different creatures will you need to make the Girding potion?"

 

[Noctis the Devious]

She was pleasantly surprise when Carrow followed suit and bowed back, only to become wary. Was she being mocked or... Probably doesn't know what it meant and went through the motions. Whatever. "First question," she spoke up once they were both at their respective spots and ready. " How many different creatures will you need to make the Girding potion?"

"Three. No. Fuck-- four. It's fairy wings not-- you know what, just shoot me." Raina was already over it. The potion used Fairy wings and dragonfly thoraxes, not both parts of a dragonfly. If memory serves, every part of the potions seemed to come from a creature. She just had to remember how many ingredients there were. If only she could remember they all come from different creatures. Unless one of them, like doxy eggs, was something like eye of newt, which wasn't even literal... it was just mustard seed or something to that effect...

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

GLESNI CARROW

Glesni couldn't help but chuckle with amusement. "Oh. Almost," she smirked, lifting her wand. "The answer is four."

As much as she found a dose of excitement and childish expectation in Raina's wrong answer, The fact that Hufflepuff corrected it immediately was promising. There was hope for her yet. Sure, tutoring others while she could be working on her own progress wasn't the ideal way of filling up the schedule, but if she ought to do it, Glesni preferred not to waste her time.

"Dragonfly, seahorse, doxy, and fairy," Slytherin listed the ingredients as she motioned her wand to cast the spell. The sleek blackthorn wand slashed forward, and an emerald green glow of Verdimillious charm lit the space between them as it rushed towards Raina. It left a trail of fantastic green sparks in its wake.

"Is this the correct order in which the ingredients are added to the cauldron?" Glesni asked the second question as the charm connected with Hufflepuff. "Come on now," she smirked, cocking her eyebrow teasingly. "I am practically giving this one away. You only need to know the correct first step of the process to answer this."

 

[Noctis the Devious]

"Dragonfly, seahorse, doxy, and fairy.". Yeah, Raina remembered after she-- Green sparks?! Carrow just chucked a spell usually used to blind or distract at her which had her quickly shielding her eyes with an arm while she was shower in warmth. It made her all more thankful she ruled out headshots. What was the goal here anyway?! "Is this the correct order in which the ingredients are added to the cauldron?" She lowered her arm and for long moment, stood staring at Carrow with a twitching eyebrow.

"That spell is supposed to be aimed up for a reason! Do not even know that much?! ," she blurted. It wasn't really a damaging spell, but causing any sort of blindness any dregree of blinding shouldn't be taken lightly. Yet here stood a Slythern slinging it around without a care in the world. Fuck wait, the quizz. The order. The order. The order. Dragonfly, seahorse, doxy, and fairy. No that wasn't right. Even if Raina forgot the wings and the thorax came from both a fairy and a dragonfly, and not just one, the order would still be wings, eggs, thoraxes, then the seahorses. "And no, Fairy wings are first, and seahorses are added last. The order should be Fairy, doxy, dragonfly, seahorse." In fact, she was so confident in her answer, she was already slinging a tried and true "Expelliarmus!" Though decided aimed at Carrow's chest and not at her wand. Lucky for her Raina was aware they weren't in the duel room so the force of impact would simply be enough to send her stumbling back. If she she got knocked back on her ass even better.

"What potion needs to be stirred seven times clockwise, seven times counter-clock wise, and, before the last ingredient can be added, simmered for seven minutes?" The rules Carrow laid out said Raina could name a potion and then ask a question for her turn. She never specified she had to name the potion out loud. This one in particular was stuck in Raina's head because of how picky it was.