conspire against the odds -- open

[ROBERT SHAY WAGTAIL-HOLDEN]

That holds all your memories. A lifetime of crushes and your broken dreams. To be anywhere but here. But baby anywhere is away from me.

No one liked break ups, and it wasn't as if it actually entitled him to any sort of special treatment as it was more a right of passage as to a life altering offence. It was strange how spring was the season of renewal, and also the season he found himself wondering how he could have let someone so close to his heart only to find it wasn't the same for her. They had been friends for years now, it had seemed like it could have been something special - but here he was, alone, when it had barely even been explored. In some ways Shay was feeling cheated on top of what he could only describe as heartbroken.

In typical Shay fashion the Hufflepuff had lingered around the Greenhouses between his classes...and during some of his classes - at least when he was able to avoid Professor Echolls, he wasn't looking for detention he just needed to mope about in the fresh air. Of course the sun had been struggling to catch a break in the rain clouds that day but Shay still found himself counting to return to the greenhouses throughout the day, and practically each time he had his ukulele with him.

Most everyone was on the free hour now, dinner would be served in a few hours and than everyone would be trying to make the last of their day before curfew. Shay himself was done with his classes, not that it mattered he had been neglectful of them all day. Teenage hormone induced whirlwind romance - that was what he planned to blame it on. The detentions would be well worth it, sometimes you needed to find your own way to deal with emotions.

Caught in a small down pour Shay had resorted to taking shelter in one of the safer greenhouses. Knowing a thing or two about working in the greenhouses Shay was hardly ignorant to the dangers that many magical plants could pose - if you were ignorant that is, he would never understand why wizards and witches constantly neglected their magical botany and ecology. Shay may his was into the Green house, it was warm - he liked that, the humidity you could find in the glass houses and that earthy smell that flooded your senses. Taking it all in Shay almost stumbled over some tipped over pots muttering a few obscenities to himself he bent down to tidy up the hazard as he did so he heard the door of the green house open and the downpour of the outside before it closed, his eyes moved from the pots to the footsteps and his gaze met that of the person who now joined him.

TAG: @ open

[Deleted]

Kat loved and hated spring time at the same time. The "love part" was because on some days, spring brought beautiful, warm weather. Kat was a big fan of nice weather. This was when she could chill by the Black Lake or talk some bloke into joining her for a picnic... or a snogging session somewhere. She lived for nice days. The "hate part" was because of the days when the weather was dreary and cloudy, and storms were eminent. That usually meant being stuck indoors, and Kat didn't want to stick around in a dungeon more than she had to. She loved her Common Room, and many who share it with her, but Merlin did she hate where it was located.

Today was a dreary day, and she was about to head downstairs to the Common Room when she said "screw it" and decided to use the free time to work with some of her current little projects in one of the greenhouses. Kat never really knew why, but she just had a knack for Herbology. She easily remembered plant names, she knew how to grow several of them already, even rare breeds, and she was even on the verge of making a hybrid plant. Most of all, she just really enjoyed the subject. It was really the only thing she read about when she didn't have to actually read it for homework or an upcoming exam.

Kat was working away with a Snargaluff plant when the downpour hit. The class had long stopped working with those some time before, but Kat developed a great interest in them. Maybe it was the danger of dealing with them, though Kat knew how to go about working with them without making them feel shew as being hostile, and therefore attacking her with their thorny vines. As she extracted a few pods from it, she looked at the downpour and sighed, hoping she wouldn't have to walk back to the castle in it.

She was just about to extract the last pod when she heard the noises from someone in a connecting greenhouse. It startled her just a bit, but then she collected herself and walked over to see what happened. She opened the door to the other greenhouse and saw one of the Puffs in her year cleaning up the mess on the ground. Kat found him quite cute, though she always found Puffs to be adorable. She smiled as she managed to pick up what she thought was a curse from him.

"I'd be careful what naughty words you say around these plants, love," she chuckled. "Some of them can get a tad bit offended and... well 'say a few things' right back if you catch my meaning." She wasn't speaking of the plants he had stumbled over though. They were clearly neglected and dying, something that greatly upset Kat. She bent and helped with the remainder of the mess. "Poor things. A little extra care here and there and they'd be thriving. Some of these students I tell you..."

ROBERT SHAY WAGTAIL-HOLDEN,

[ROBERT SHAY WAGTAIL-HOLDEN]

That holds all your memories. A lifetime of crushes and your broken dreams. To be anywhere but here. But baby anywhere is away from me.

It was just Nott. It wasn't that Shay knew Katricia personally but six years of classes together he knew of her, after all it wasn't as if she was one of those girls who kept a low profile. You'd have to be socially oblivious to not know who she was. Never the less Kat wasn't a threat so once Shay saw it was her he had no trouble dropping his gaze and returning to the tending of the pots so no one else would be likely to fall victim to their tripping threat.

"Huh?" Shay said confused for a moment as he looked around the greenhouse, not just by the plant remark but also because he had been surprised she'd heard him at all since he was sure he'd only muttered it to himself after nearly tripping over the pots "Think you got the wrong greenhouse, Nott, I mean I guess any plant could potentially take offence to something I might say but doubtful anything in this one is going to try and talk back - picked this one for that very reason you know, most boring house best place to safely wait out the rain." Herbology and Transfiguration, about the only two subjects at hogwarts that Shay Wagtail cared about. Sure music was fun but music class was just another class.

Setting the last few pots off the path Shay stood up to his full height of five eleven, at least now he didn't have to worry about tripping over the pots and potentially breaking them. Seeing being a student who favored walking around barefoot Shay was hardly keen to be stepping on broken pottery - especially since he currently was barefoot. Looking at her as she went on about the plants Shay found it a little strange. He loved plants and animals but you wouldn't find him fretting over a few plants that some neglectful students forgot to tend. Kat must have really liked plants. "Well, you can't really expect much from students that leave their pots a mess in the middle of the path, its a wonder there was anything more than dirt in some of those if you ask me." Still was Shay really the best one to be judging other students on their class habits? How many classes had he skipped today, let alone in the six years he had been attending this school?

Shay perhaps was hardly a chipper hufflepuff today, if anything he might have been verging on apathetic. Than again considering his situation it was understandable why he might seem off from the Shay Wagtail the school knew so well. Shay was an excellent herbology student; it was the back up plan just in case he some how failed to become the musician he knew he was born to be. Still, with his heart feeling as if it had been crushed in a vice Shay was finding it hard to feel the passion he normally had for one of the few subjects in school he actually cared about. Of course, it was temporary both the pain and the verging apathy - time heals all wounds after all. Too bad it means you have to suffer through it before it gets better.

TAG: @katnott

[Deleted]

Kat smiled and rolled her eyes when Shay reminded her of the condition of the plants in that particular greenhouse, and how they couldn't really take offense to anything. She stepped over and playfully ruffled Shay's hair.

"Oh don't get your undies in a bunch, Shay," she said. "Just trying to get a rise out of you. You look like you kind of need one... no offense." Along with thinking Shay was cute, she liked the bloke well enough. Then again, Kat got along with most students. It was actually the Blood-Purists in her own House that rubbed her the wrong way. They thought that because she was a Nott, and a Pureblood, and rich, and whatever else, she had to be a royal b**** to everyone who wasn't a special snowflake like her.

She then looked out at the rainstorm. It was a nasty one, and even though she wasn't a snooty, rich, Pureblood b****, she didn't want to mess up her new, expensive shoes.

"I think any place with a roof would be appreciated in this rain," she chuckled. "But as much as I hate to break it to you, if you and I are going to be in here a bit, it's not going to be boring. If anyone's annoying arse can occupy you, it's me."

Kat listened as Shay spoke about not expecting much from students who left their pots in the middle of the path, and how some of the pots barely had dirt in them.

"Well I definitely don't expect a lot from those who could give a rat's arse about Herbology," she said. "Still, it's not a pretty sight. I don't know, maybe it's just after I've worked so hard on my Snargaluff Pods next door, it just confounds me that others can't put in the same effort. Are they looking to fail the course or something?" She then sighed and chuckle. "I guess I can't talk though. It's not like I love all of my subjects. But then again, not all subjects deal with the care of living things."

Kat tried to calm herself over the situation, and decided to change the subject. She looked over at Shay and smiled.

"So, how are you, love?" she asked. "Aside from combating nature's fury of course. Classes going well? Life as a Puff? Life in general?" She then grimaced as she found a pot stuck together by old gum.

ROBERT SHAY WAGTAIL-HOLDEN,

[ROBERT SHAY WAGTAIL-HOLDEN]

That holds all your memories. A lifetime of crushes and your broken dreams. To be anywhere but here. But baby anywhere is away from me.

Shay was quick to brush Kat's hand away - he wasn't really a fan of being touched by just anyone, especially his hair. "Could ya not, Kat?" Shay tried not to sound too annoyed with Kat, it was just her personality but that didn't mean she could just go around messing up people's hair. Seriously did she just eat sunshine for breakfast or something? She was making him feel like he must have been the meanest huffflepuff in that moment, never the less it wasn't as if he had been in the best of moods when Nott had found him in the first place - her rather forward nature could rub the wrong way sometimes.

Still Shay couldn't help but sigh to himself. He seemed liked he needed to have a rise gotten out of him? Merlin help him. For now Shay bit his tongue and didn't press Kat with sass - he honestly feared what the end result of that would be. Still he couldn't help but remark in his own mind how he would take the rain over a greenhouse full of man eating plants. It wasn't a probable situation anyways. "No offence Kat, but - and I'm quoting you here now remember - do I really look like I need someone annoying me right now?"

In some ways Kat reminded him of his step sister - now she was an annoyance in his life. A part of Shay felt like Evelyn and Kat likely were acquaintances - Kat seemed like the sort of girl his step sister would try to surround herself with. kat wasn't like the typical pureblood, it wasn't a bad thing, seeing as she seemed to not care about blood status - but that wasn't exactly something that needed to be rewarded, it was 2025 after all.

Shay kept quiet and listened as Kat went on about her frustration with the neglectful younger years - she really was passionate about things that lived. Shay had to wonder if even he cared that much about plants and creatures? Music maybe but he didn't have the same fire Kat seemed to have so it was hard to agree. After all he was a lazy student and like she said who was she to even judge them? "I'd be happy if they just kept them out of the walk way at the very least...."

His remark was on the quieter side, he really didn't want to start anything over the plants, he just was starting it as it was what really bothered him at that moment. Big personalities could be a struggle for Shay sometimes. Maybe it was because he was so used to trying to have center stage and yet he was passive - a reluctant passive. It was hard to say just what it was - maybe it had to go back to his father. Or his mother. People who tried to hard, people who wanted everyone to like them. So much bothered him these days didn't it? It was a shame that he was undoubtedly projecting a lot onto others.

It was hard not to raise an eyebrow as she called him a puff, to his face. Too hard actually and he found he couldn't help it. "I'll never understand calling us that, even huffies is a bit much if you ask me. Makes us sound like we aren't the true brave English badger....not to mention puff...poof....ya know? Some of us just aren't too keen on how it sounds, its a good, proud name, Hufflepuff." Yes Shay had never cared for the shortening of his house name.

"Look, Kat, you're nice and all but - really you don't need to make me your little rain pet project that needs occupying...I'm not one of your little party lackeys - and its not the first rainstorm I've waited out so if you're doing this because you feel you have to, I'm fine. Really. All fine." No, he wasn't fine - there was a lot wrong. But Shay wasn't the sort to just open up on the spot, maybe if he was his family life would be a bit different.

TAG: @katnott
NOTES: omg I am sorry shay is such a grumpy butt! >.<