The Tortoise and the Hare

[Persephone Van Helsing]

"Hmmm...," Persephone hummed, her expression thoughtful as she feigned being contemplative. "I do believe that I can think of someone," she started after a moment, turning her head to reciprocate his smirk, "but I cannot be certain of his willingness to assist me." She looked at him innocently, attempting to be subtle, but most assuredly failing. Persephone was not confident about his abilities as an instructor, but if there was any person she'd turn to for Flying advice and assistance, she felt that August would be the best person to consult. She also supposed that her cousin Immie would be another good, experienced person to seek the advice of -- and perhaps was a more proper alternative -- but a part of her was excited at the thought of August teaching her how to fly.

Persephone cringed at the sound of her first name, both delighting and dreading it coming from his lips. It was not that she disliked her name -- in fact, she rather enjoyed how well her first and last name flowed together -- but it did not sound right coming from his mouth. It sounded too formal for August who was decidedly laidback, and she had to wonder why she had not been affected by his referring to her by her proper name back when she had requested him to.

"Well, then," she said, smirking at him resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him like a child, "I suppose that I'll just have to prove that I am not a frail, little weakling." Stuffing the outline of her Ancient Runes essay into her bag, Persephone stood up, prepared to leave. [s]So much for studying...[/i], she thought with a mental roll of her eyes, but she had to admit that their challenge was a far more intriguing task to pursue, and her blue eyes shone with delight.

"An empty classroom, perhaps?," Persephone suggested at his inquiry of where they should start practicing. She would have proposed the idea of beginning their practice out of doors, but it was far too cold for such an endeavor, and Persephone did not much fancy catching an illness of some sort because her intellectual pursuits drove her to insensible decisions. Suddenly, however, before she could further ponder their location situation, a thought occurred to her, and she gestured for him to stay where he was before scampering off in the direction of the Charms section of the library, her conscience whirling with different book titles that she believed would assist them in mastering the Patronus Charm. If they were going to delve into this field of study, Persephone wanted to ensure that they were doing it correctly.

After selecting a few large volumes from one of the bookshelves, Persephone made her way back towards August, her arms laden with books, which was a strange sight considering her petite build. "Come, we haven't got all day!," she said excitedly, eager to begin, frantically gesturing towards the entrance of the library. "We've got until dinner time, and I don't want to waste a single moment!"

Words: 529 | Tag: August | Outfit: School Robes

  

[August Lynch]

Were they having a standoff to see who would cave first? The innocent look on her face didn’t fool him [possible benefits to having loads of sisters ruining his life over the years] and August merely shrugged as if he was completely clueless to who Persephone was suggesting teach her. Even if he was maybe just a little clueless towards whether he was right or not. “I don’t see why anyone would have anything against teaching you.” August knew he would never have any qualms against teaching her. Though the thought did give him a moment of internal panic as August couldn’t help but fear how awful of a teacher he’d probably make. What if she fell off her broom? Then again he could always just catch her if that happened. But in the end was flying really that hard? Blushing a little at the images his imagination was coming up with, August did his best to stay composed and not look like a complete weirdo thanks to the faint flush on his cheeks.

When Persephone suggested an empty classroom, August instantly felt like an idiot because it seemed like such an obvious answer for where one would go to practice spells. Thankfully it seemed he was being spared of any teasing as suddenly the petite blonde was off in a dash towards the million sections of books. What in the world could she possibly be doing? The thought was quickly answered as she eagerly returned with a stack of books and was encouraging him to hurry up.

“Wait!” August easily caught up to her thanks to his height providing him with a much larger stride than her small frame could ever attempt to keep up with. “You’re as bad as February.” The words were mostly mumbled as August scooped the books out of the young girls arms. Not that he actively was Febs pack mule or anything, it just didn’t seem right when small girls were carrying their own weights around in old textbooks. “Also, if you think we’re mastering this spell by dinner then you’ve gone bloody mad.” August whispered the words hurriedly [as if the pair of them walking around together wasn’t already head turning enough for the overly gossipy students] and looked down in a state of concerned perplextion at the idea that achieving this spell was going to happen before dinner.

Word Count: 405

  

[Persephone Van Helsing]

Persephone continued briskly walking as August ran after her, feeling slightly giddy. Learning how to perform the Patronus Charm and discover her “inner animal” was one of the endeavors she was hoping to accomplish before her years as a student came to an end, and even if August could not quite comprehend the reason for her eagerness, being one step closer to achieving one of her goals was an exciting prospect to her.

“You should be nicer to your sister, August,” Persephone stated teasingly, turning her head to look at him as he caught up to her, reluctantly handing over the multitude of books into his care. It was not that she distrusted him with the books, but she had never had someone offer to carry them for her, and so was a bit surprised as well as grateful when he had scooped them out of her arms. She also noted that he seemed to frequently compare her to his twin sister, who she felt it was an honor to be compared with, for it seemed that Miss February Lynch was a bright young woman with the determination to be intellectually accomplished – Persephone saw no shame in being considered to be the same, despite August’s obvious mocking tone.

“You’re mad!,” Persephone said softly, laughing, looking up at him with amusement in her eyes. “To accomplish that spell in three hours would be a remarkable feat, but definitely not one I’m willing to test.” Upon recognizing one of her usual hideouts when the Slytherin Common Room was too rowdy, Persephone tugged on the sleeve of August’s black school robes, pulling him into the vacant classroom where a few desks and chairs were scattered about and a chalkboard stood empty against the wall.

Retrieving the books from the man’s arms, Persephone laid them upon one of the desks, choosing one at random and opening it to the correct chapter before turning to August, her blue eyes shining with both excitement and mirth. “So,” she began, trying to seem innocent, pulling her handsome (in her humble opinion) wand out of her pocket, “are you prepared to be outshone, Mr. Lynch?”

Words: 359 | Tag: August | Outfit: School Robes