The Library: Between The Stacks

Pansy rolled her eyes slightly when Marlene said she was always into it. She nearly made a comment in her head about how the girl must obviously not have any friends, but she didn't have many either, and she only really hung out with Draco anyway, so she brushed that thought away. Turning the page, she couldn't help but agree with what Marlene said. "Exactly." She was quiet for a few seconds, before she felt the need to expand upon her thoughts. "Who's to say we'll always have someone there to watch our backs? People depend on others too much. I'd bet money most people at Hogwarts won't make it two weeks on their own after school."

Marlene never gets too close. You only lose people when that happens, so friends would only bring her down in the end. She's stopped acknowledging the fact that she doesn't know how to get close to people a long time ago, drowning it out with the insistence that she doesn't want to. She snorts quietly. "You're giving people two weeks? Generous. I'll bet most of them will be dead before they ever learn not to trust everyone they meet. It's like they all seem to think that everyone means well, and the world is just going to be one big sandbox where all the kids play nice together." She flips the page with an almost vicious flick.

Pansy smirked a little, resting her back against the shelf of books behind her. "I figure they might blunder their way through survival for a while, you know, get by completely on dumb luck." She sniffed, turning the page. "It'll catch up with them eventually. Nothing can last forever." And when she said nothing, she meant absolutely nothing. Not friendships nor success nor life nor love. Nothing. Her belief in forever had been destroyed when her hopes of marrying Draco had been cut down and mangled into tiny little pieces. "But then there are the few like you and I. We'll be the ones the others come crying to when they're in trouble." Pansy smiled confidently, picturing her nice little home by herself, just her and a good dog, nothing much to tie her down. "Then its our turn to laugh."

"What's that saying?" Marlene smirks. "'Only two things you can count on; death and taxes'? It's going to be a hard lesson for some. Suppose a few have to get lucky though." They'll just have a harder fall, she adds silently. Then she shrugs again, knowing that if someone came to her for help, she couldn't refuse. She's almost certain the darkness will win out, almost as certain as she is that she's not going to survive the war, but she has never even considered not fighting. When she passes over to whatever the hell happens after this life, she's not going to face her murdered relatives and tell them she did nothing to avenge them. "There's definitely those of us who are going to be ready for whatever the world tries to bitch-slap us with. Who knows, maybe if they're really lucky, anyone who comes crawling will learn a few things for themselves."

"Maybe. That's assuming they've wised up by then and realized they should pay attention and actually learn something useful other than who's dating who and how long they can make out without having to take a break for breathing." Pansy shut her eyes and shook her head for a second, then turned her attention back to her book. "As for some of the others, I don't see much hope. Like that Parvati girl. I give her two days without that boyfriend of hers. Hate to admit it, but I might just shake the hand of whoever gets that one." Pansy was practically snarling into her book now at the thought of that girl. "Dumb bitch won't ever learn how to fight on her own."

Marlene makes a small noise of disgust; it's a sad commentary on their peers that they all seem so completely bogged down in their own little dramas which nine times out of ten, does involve who is snogging who this week. "It's pathetic, the way people are so caught up in that and they never really see what's actually important. They have nobody to blame but themselves, it's like they're certain that all the violence and mayhem out there would never dare break their perfect little bubbles," she says, shaking her head. "Parvati...?" she frowns in thought. "Oh, wait - I think I know who that is, she's got a sister in my House too. Don't tell me - I've heard it before - it's that whole 'you'll never hurt us because we're together' type bullshit?" She laughs at the thought. "Might as well put a big neon sign over her head: my boyfriend is my weakness, get one and the other falls too."

Pansy laughed appreciatively once Marlene realized who Parvati was, and nearly hit the nail on the head. "Pretty much. Dating him makes her better than me, because I'll never know real love, apparently." She shook her head, not wanting to start in on that, a story she didn't particularly want to share with strangers who didn't already know about it. "We're seventeen for crying out loud. There's time for those sorts of things after we make sure we don't get ourselves killed fresh out of school." She paused, then mumbled darkly. "Death Eaters have no limits, I know first hand." She thought back to the time she'd followed Draco to his meeting, stupidly got caught, and was tortured in front of her father and boyfriend. She grew up much more quickly after that.

"You have to be shitting me," Marlene says simply, then laughs far too loudly for someone in a Library. A third year at a nearby table sends a filthy look down the aisle at them, Marlene scowls back and the younger student goes back to minding her own business. "Yeah, guess there really is no hope for some. Whatever, natural selection and all that. Maybe they won't breed too much before it happens," she snorts, because there really is nothing stupider in Marlene's eyes than bringing a child into a world like this. Her expression turns a little guarded, her eyes fall back to the page. Marlene was thirteen when she hid in the closet while Death Eaters murdered her aunt and uncle, she's seen first-hand what they're capable of and being confronted by someone who has clearly seen it too is a sharp reminder. "You too, huh?" is all she says, and turns the page.

"Yeah." Pansy kept her gaze pointedly on her book, pretending she was still reading. She could still remember it like it was yesterday. And though she would have liked to think she had been strong and stood there and glared at them after they were finished, a crucio was too much for a seventeen year old girl her size, especially when performed by someone like Lucius Malfoy. But Pansy had crumpled to the ground, refused to move should they decide she wasn't finished yet. Thankfully they had quickly forgotten about her. "I just didn't want him to be alone." Her voice was hardly a whisper, and she wasn't sure if she was talking more to herself or Marlene anymore.

[You're kind of godmoding right now by saying Parvati said something to her since I never knew that section of the forum could be IC...and Parvati has never said a word to Pansy, she doesn't even know who she is IC. JS>.>]

Marlene stops reading. She doesn't know the particulars of what Pansy's situation is, but in a way she doesn't need to. Because this she understands. The moment of harsh realisation, whether you want to recognise it or not, that life is hard and unfair and lonely. That everyone is alone in the end. "We're all alone. Doesn't do any good to pretend otherwise," she adds, even though she knows it's unnecessary. "How you going with that chapter, anyway? Does it live up to the hype?"

[I wasn't aware of where the line was drawn for it being IC or OOC, and it seemed inconsequential anyway and it's not like Pans and Marlene are going to do anything that will affect Parv's plot in the least. It was just making conversation. I won't do it again. Sorry.]

Pansy was staring at the book blankly now, not even bothering to pretend to read anymore. She sighed and shut the book when Marlene asked about it, holding it out for her to take. "See for yourself." Once the book was taken from her, she picked up another one, flicking through it absently. But she couldn't concentrate anymore, and she sat it aside again. The conversation had gotten much deeper and more painful than Pansy had expected, and she didn't think she could handle sitting through it much longer. Standing up, she started to leave before turning to Marlene first. "Hey, it was nice meeting you. I just... I'll see you around, yeah?" Before her face could betray her, she turned to walk out of the library. She needed to be alone for a while.

Marlene takes the book, and although she has almost no social graces, she does Pansy a favour and does not look at her face. It almost never happens to Marlene anymore, she doesn't allow herself the luxury of feeling often, but every now and then everyone slips and shows a chink in the armour. No point making a big deal about it, she figures Pansy will go and put herself back together. What else can they do? "Sure. Thanks. See you around, Pansy." Alone once more, Marlene flicks open the book Pansy had passed her and begins to read the chapter, firmly pushing all distractions and threats of grim thoughts from her mind.

Vee wandered in between bookshelves, looking for a book that would entertain her during summer holidays. She found a few that looked alright and slid to the ground, starting to read the first page, which turned into another, and before she knew it, she was engrossed in the romantic tale.

Teddy is here, looking for a book. I can only assume.

Dominique entered the library and headed to the bookshelves to get a book. Shocker. She spotted Teddy and instantly grinned. Since he clearly seemed to be looking for a book, Dom grabbed a random one off the shelf and gently tossed it at him. "Oops?" she said with a grin as it lightly hit him and fell to the ground. "Was that what you were looking for?"

Teddy picked the book up off the floor and looked at the title, "Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks?" He read, "I don't think so. I'm not a wacky warlock." He shrugged, putting the book back on the shelf before he turned to Dom and grinned, "Good to see you alive and well, Dom. Al and I were actually worried for a little bit there. I suppose you were just off throwing books at people, though."

"Hmm, I'd consider you a wacky warlock," she grinned in return. "And alive and well?" she repeated with an amused expression. "Well yeah, why wouldn't I be? I've just been ridiculously busy with studying. After all, the library is definitely my favourite place, especially so that I can throw books at unsuspecting people. How have you been though? I feel like it's been ages since we've talked which is absolutely ridiculous."

"It has been ages. I've been studying tons, too, it just takes up so much time. Funny I haven't seen you around the common room, though. You have been sleeping in your own bed, haven't you?" He grinned, his tone teasing, "I wouldn't want to have to tell your mother that you've been slutting it up." Teddy was sure this wasn't the case, but he could resist the joke.

"Oh yes, you've got those glorious NEWTs coming up," she grinned, thinking of all the horror stories that she had heard about them. "And damn, you caught me. I've just been so busy spreading my legs and hoping into the beds of strangers to be around the Gryffindor common room," she sighed dramatically. "Please don't tell mum though, I don't fancy having to deal with those temper flairs she sometimes gets," Dom added.

"And you have those glorious OWLs coming up." Teddy nodded, "Which is why you should be in the library studying, and not throwing yourself at random people." He smiled, "Honestly, Dom. I never thought you would turn out to be the slutty one." He turned back to the bookshelf and continued scanning the rows of books. Finally he found the one he had been looking for and pulled it off the shelf.

"Hardy har har," she replied before rolling her eyes. "You'd think it would have been Victoire. Not little innocent Dominique," she said, watching as he searched for a book and then took one off the shelf. "But really, I'm not throwing myself at random people. I've got much more class than that. I've just been interested in this one person and we've got a date this weekend in Hogsmeade," she grinned.

Teddy looked gaze jumped from the book in his hands to Dom when she mentioned the date, "This weekend? Really?" He realized that this made it sound like he was surprised she could get a date so quickly hurried on, "Do I know him?"

"Yes this weekend," she said, rolling her eyes once more. "You know, I am capable of getting a date believe it or not. And err...well you see, it's....it's not really a him. It's a her and I don't think you've met her, but I'm sure you've heard of her," she said slowly, realizing this might be a bit to process. "Her name's Melanie... Melanie McCann...Claire's sister."

"Oh," Teddy said, suddenly not in a very jokey mood anymore. "Sorry, I didn't even think that it might be a girl. I have met Melanie, though." It was slightly after the last time he had seen Claire, actually. And they had been talking about Claire. How awkward. "She seems like a nice enough girl. Very pretty. I like brunettes." He trailed off on the last part, almost unaware that he had even said it.