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Post by Dastan Cross on Jul 18, 2010 21:03:00 GMT -5
"So what you're saying is that you can't do it because it tells you how to do it?" Dastan said, arching an eyebrow at his friend. Well, that was certainly different. "Well, what if I showed you how to do a potion without following the rules that it sets forth in the book?"
It would be difficult, but Dastan figured he had enough experience between himself and Lord Alex to do this. He'd simply ask for tips and pointers from the man and then figure out a way to teach them to Astin. He already had a few pointers he could give him on the upcoming potions, and maybe, if they could be partners for the class, he'd be able to help him in the process of making the potion. It was simple, really. "We could even share cauldrons," he said, "Since you don't have anymore."
Dastan rolled his eyes at that. He couldn't believe that Astin had exploded not one, but multiple, cauldrons. It was crazy. Was it even possible to be that bad at following rules? But, then again, it was Astin. He was an exception to a lot of things.
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Post by Astin Descartes on Jul 18, 2010 21:16:11 GMT -5
"Well, what if I showed you how to do a potion without following the rules that it sets forth in the book?"
"That... might work," Astin admitted, "But you have other things to do than teach me how to do every class I have." He smiled, an attempt to let Dastan know that he wasn't too worried about it. "I mean, it's just Potions, right? I'm doing pretty okay in everything else."
"We could even share cauldrons," Dastan said, "Since you don't have anymore."
Astin blinked. "Now you want me to blow up your cauldrons? Do you have a death wish, Cross?" He wasn't sure where the last name had come from. Maybe it was talk of tutoring again. The last time they'd tried it, they were barely on familiar terms, so that could have been part of it. Hadn't he only called Dastan by his last name about four times in all of their years at Hogwarts, though? Ah well... he wasn't very well going to take the slip back now. Dastan had called him Descartes plenty of times, anyway. "Besides, it's no big deal," Astin said, a smile back on his face. "I can handle it. Just worry about your own work, okay?"
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Post by Dastan Cross on Jul 18, 2010 21:27:28 GMT -5
"I can handle it. Just worry about your own work, okay?"
Dastan snorted, and then sneezed after that, "I don't need to worry about my own work. I'm well past most other students in our Year. And for the record, you won't be able to blow up my cauldrons because I'd stop you before you put a damn caterpillar in it. Besides, we spend almost all our time together anyways, so why not add in a few potions study sessions while we aren't doing anything else?"
Dastan wrote a few more sentences in his potions essay almost without thought, each one coming quite easily. He'd slipped into Arabic a few times on the paper, but a quick erasure spell fixed most of those mistakes, and so he didn't have to worry about it. "Speaking of Potions," Dastan said as he dipped his quill once more, "don't you have to write your essay, too?" A yawn punctuated his words, but he didn't let his sleepiness get in the way of his work. He never did. Why start now?
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Post by Astin Descartes on Jul 18, 2010 22:26:44 GMT -5
"I don't need to worry about my own work. I'm well past most other students in our Year." Well, that was true enough. But Astin was doing damn good in everything else, considering the sorry state he'd started things off in. "And for the record, you won't be able to blow up my cauldrons because I'd stop you before you put a damn caterpillar in it. Besides, we spend almost all our time together anyways, so why not add in a few potions study sessions while we aren't doing anything else?" That was true as well. But Astin still felt bad for monopolizing all his time, when he could have been studying or doing something else productive.
Astin frowned. "Fine. But you already know I'm a crap student." That was all the warning Dastan was getting. If he believed that he could somehow fix Astin's failure and inability to follow directions, he was probably mistaken. But Astin wasn't going to prevent him from trying.
"Speaking of Potions, don't you have to write your essay, too?" Dastan said around a yawn.
Astin groaned. "Yes. I started it," he reasoned, "If you consider my name and the first two words a start... which you probably shouldn't." He sighed. "Potions is just stupid. I don't like it."
Astin glanced at his books. He was not in a hurry to get started on this. Still, he grabbed the parchment and quill that appeared suddenly on the table, half-stole Dastan's inkwell, and set to work. He got as far as his name before staring at the blank parchment dismally.
"I need a Potions essay," he announced to the room. Nothing happened. "Yeah, didn't think so," he muttered. Sighing again, he cracked open a book. Time to get down to business.
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Post by Dastan Cross on Jul 18, 2010 23:03:38 GMT -5
Three feet of the Potions essay later, and Dastan hit his limit. He dropped the quill and sneezed, quickly moving to intercept the sneeze with the sleeve of his robe. After that, he groaned and cradled his head in his hands, feeling like hell warmed over. He didn't even know what time it was.
Pulling out his wand, he quickly said, "Tempus!" and the time appeared.
Dastan blinked, then wondered if he'd done the spell wrong. It couldn't be that late. It couldn't possibly be...but it was. He'd spent forever in this room, hoping to sleep, failing, and doing his homework. "Shit, we have to do rounds don't we?" Dastan said, casting a wide-eyed look at his friend. "Like, an hour ago, even."
Dastan hurriedly pulled himself to his feet, shrugged off the pains his body sent through him at the sudden and unwanted movement, and then went about grabbing up his things. "Curse the day that crotchety old geezer of a Headmaster picked me for Prefect," Dastan said, wondering what the old man had been thinking. He wasn't exactly a well-meaning student. He hated most everybody. True, his grades were above par, but since when did grades make someone a good prefect?
"You coming?" he asked Astin once he'd grabbed up all his things. If possible, he felt even more like shit. He hoped he didn't fall over somewhere in the corridors; that would be embarrassing. But still; Dastan took his duty seriously, whether he liked it or not, and so he would finish this round, no matter how awful he felt or how desperately he needed a long night's sleep.
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Post by Astin Descartes on Jul 18, 2010 23:21:36 GMT -5
Astin didn't look up when Dastan cast Tempus; in fact, he didn't even notice. He'd been staring at the book, absolutely baffled. But then Das exclaimed, "Shit, we have to do rounds don't we? Like an hour ago, even," and Astin looked up.
"It can't be that late already," he said, but Dastan was already gathering his things.
"Curse the day that crotchety old geezer of a Headmaster picked me for Prefect,"
Astin snorted. "He was doing drugs when he picked this year's Prefects. He picked me, and I'm even worse than you; not only do I get into trouble, but I was only barely passing my classes for a while." True, he was a lot nicer to his younger Housemates (and the kids from Slytherin who were too afraid to confront their own Prefect) than Dastan, but that wasn't the whole job.
Astin stood, stacked the books on the table, gathered the embarrassingly tiny essay he'd written, and was ready to go.
"You coming?"
"Oh, I was hoping you'd do my rounds as well," Astin said sarcastically, already on his way to the door. "Let's get this over quickly. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to head to bed."
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