Misery Loves Company, so does Gossip PV Dymph

@Hjørdis Jensen

The blonde felt like a coward, hiding between the bookshelves of the library. The graduation party was a disaster and while she wasn’t the main cause, she couldn’t help but to feel that she had in fact aided it. By dancing with Erin who was known as a school bully. The whole mess was technically her fault. Dymphna wouldn’t have gotten so upset with her fellow Ravenclaw for bumping into them on accident.

Dymphna wiped at her face with her hands. At least she had stopped crying but there was still a nervous feeling in her stomach. One that she hoped would go away but knew it likely wouldn’t until she was able to speak with Reid about what happened. He had to know it was an accident.

Her party dress hadn’t been ruined but that was the least of her concerns. What if Reid didn’t want to be friends anymore because of her mistake? Who was she to study with then? Even if she and Phaedra were to begin studying together, it wouldn’t be the same. All of the snacks stashed away in her school bag were ones that Reid liked.

Her cheeks were still blotchy red when Hjørdis found her but already, she was a little more put together than when she left the party. After a while, she stretched her legs out in front of her, willing her body to stop being so tense. With a sigh that sounded loud inside the quiet library, she spoke, “I’m an idiot.”

Dymphna frowned. That wasn’t right. She most definitely wasn’t. “I feel like an idiot,” she corrected herself. The explanation that her cousin seemed to be looking for at the party was on the tip of her tongue so she let it bubble out. “That boy bumped me. I was dancing with Erin and everything seemed to be alright, but he bumped me and she got mad.”

She didn’t miss that Erin seemed to think that they were allies in all of this - throwing a thanks Dymphna’s way as if she’d jinxed Reid on purpose. “She clobbered him,” referring to her fellow Ravenclaw who’s name she didn’t know. “You know Reid, he’s protective.” Impulsive, her mind added but she didn’t say so. “I don’t think he even knows that boy and he still tried to help him.” Didn’t that say something about his character, that he would lend a helping hand without even knowing them?

Dymphna thought it was an admirable trait, even if it did get him into trouble at times. Her cousin probably thought of it differently, considering she was an adult and also a member of staff, a double whammy in this situation. “Guess we’re both in trouble now,” she replied sheepishly. She had reacted impulsively too. At least Erin was in trouble, after what the Ravenclaw thought of as her having too many chances: maybe now she would finally be expelled.

  

Hjørdis sat quietly beside her younger cousin. It took her a few moments before she opened up. But she eventually got there, claiming that she was an idiot. The head of Slytherin quirked an eyebrow slightly as she listened to the girl. Dymphna corrected herself, it would seem. Patiently, she waited for the young Ravenclaw to continue talking. She went on to explain the events that took place in the ball, adding slightly more detail to the situation.

It would appear that Erin Ryan and Dymphna were dancing before everything kicked off. That led to some more questions, "Do you know Erin well?" She asked, wondering if Dymphna was actually friends with Miss Ryan, which would be a little concerning given how the Slytherin had behaved earlier today. She did not seem to be the sort of person that Hjørdis wanted her cousin to be friends with.

She went on to talk about Reid. Hjørdis could not help but quirk her eyebrow yet again. It did not go unnoticed that her words about Reid were a lot more positive than the other two. The Head of House did not know him all that well, despite her cousin's words. She had, sadly, the opportunity to meet him in a rather awkward first encounter when he almost set her table on fire by throwing a burning book towards it. Reid was an idiot, by her standards. But even she had to admit that he acted protectively today. "You're not in trouble," She corrected her. Neither was Reid, despite the fact that they were both going to have a detention. Dymphna's detention would be this, whilst Reid's required some planning. Hjørdis did not blame either of them, however. They were not in trouble per se but they both did need to learn a lesson. 

"Do you think Reid shouldn't be in trouble?" Hjørdis asked, wondering what Dymphna's stance was on his act. It sounded like she thought he ought to be excused for being protective. The Professor would have agreed with that but she also thought he required knowing something and wanted to see if Dymphna had noticed that too or if she was being biased towards him. 

It took her a little while to get used to referring to the students by their first name but this conversation was a bit different than her usual in Hogwarts. She was talking to Dymphna a little more like a cousin would, rather than like what a Head of House would. She opted to drop the Miss and Mister for now and refer to students by the same way that her cousin did, echoing it back to her than by their surnames.

PV @Hjørdis Jensen

The blonde shook her head fervently. "I'd never be friends with someone like that." It was almost offensive that Hjørdis would think so. "All I know about her is that she's cruel. She's disrespectful to professors and bullies my friends, but I thought she'd grown up some. I wanted to give her a chance but I guess people can't change." Even so, Erin was almost too clever for her own good. If it weren't for her mean spirited ways, Dymphna could see how she could get along with her.

At her cousins words, her body relaxed. Dymphna wasn’t one to break the rules, or rather she wouldn’t without good reason. If it broke a rule to protect her friends, she would make sure to be there for them. It was the same if she could learn something from it, such as the times she spent during first year breaking curfew to stargaze. At the question, her brows furrowed. How was she supposed to answer that?

“I think we both acted impulsively but it wasn’t meant to hurt anyone.” Dymphna cringed, remembering how she had accidentally jinxed Reid. He didn’t seem to be physically injured by her spell but it seemed like his pride might have been. “Spend a bit of time with him, won’t you? He’s a good guy. I don’t understand why he gets targeted more than others.” With a huff, she added, “I don’t think he should get into trouble for what Erin started, but instead because he acted rashly. He's been in dangerous situations before so it makes sense for him to act the way he did, but I don't want him to get hurt anymore."

Even though Reid tried to hide it, she saw an anger within him. Who wouldn't be angry if someone was constantly targeting them, as well as their friends? There was something else going on with him too, something that he didn't trust her with. It made her sore to think that he couldn't (or wouldn't) tell her but what sort of friend would she be if she pressured him into it?

"What's my punishment?" It was only fair for her to be punished as well. Reid wasn't the only one who acted on impulse at the party. It was strange being in trouble with someone who was both family and a Head of House. "Does Mamaí have to know?" While her mother was a little more strict, her father might be proud to know that at least she could somewhat take care of herself when it came down to it.

  

Hjørdis nodded, accepting Dymphna's response. She was clearly not friends with Erin Ryan by her reaction. Erin was one of Slytherin's most troublesome students. Well, this was one of the first times that Hjørdis had actually witnessed it but it seemed that the young Miss Ryan had a habit of getting into detentions. Perhaps she just enjoyed them. It was interesting to see Dymphna's reaction to the whole thing. Despite her negative thoughts about Ryan, the young Ravenclaw believed in change. That people could change. It was rather nice. Hjørdis was not sure how much she agreed to that philosophy. She had stopped trusting people could change. Then again, her experience was mostly with adults. Children could still be shaped and evolve over the years. That was perhaps why her job here was rather important.

The Slytherin sighed as she listened. She was not sure if it was naivety or niceness to have trusted Ryan but it came from a good place, nonetheless. Smiling softly, Hjørdis put her arm around her cousin's shoulders and pulled her in for a side hug. She was not very touchy-feely usually. But things were different when it was her family. They saw a softer side to her than most did. "Very astute of you," She replied. Hjørdis had seen the same thing about Reid Kovacs. He was a good guy. A fool, no doubt but his heart was in the right place. He needed to think before he acted sometimes but that was something most people could benefit from, "Mister Kovacs will be fine," She added to comfort her cousin.

"More than that... You seem awfully concerned about him," She continued with a small smirk playing on her lips, wondering what their relationship was. Hjørdis looked at the shelves of books in front of her, resting her head against the bookcase behind her and looking over them, "What do you think is a fitting punishment for you then?" The professor asked, wondering what she would say. Dympha had been able to assess Reid's situation well - the same way Hjørdis did - but she was curious to see what would happen if she attempted to look at herself.