queen of the underworld | rae

November-ish 1920

Thank bloody Merlin, she was there.

Evan was late to class. About seven minutes late, to be exact, but that shouldn't have come to a surprise to anyone who knew him. What was surprising was him rushing to try and find just the person who might be able to get him out of his bind. And as long as it didn't include cleaning up after a mess, he put much of his trust on Ruth Elliot as he had since she'd told him to Sssshhhh with a finger to her lips when they'd entered the dungeons the first time after their sort all those years ago.

She was seated on one of the sofas, and by seated he meant sprawled out and taking complete ownership of it while she weaved her wand about. Typical. She didn't mouth any of the incantations, which meant she was just passing the time working on her wand movements. Evan rolled his eyes once he noticed her and, as his steps crept louder and closer, he wondered when she might exactly notice him.

"What do you need, Evan?"

That froze him in place only for a moment, enough time to pause and blink and smirk. Had she even had to look up before knowing it was him? He almost laughed but held it in as he basically jumped onto the other end of the couch, forcing her feet to retreat before getting caught in his landing zone. Her face, as always, was priceless.

"Your help, 'course." He held out the sheet of parchment, one of their homework assignments that he had left mostly incomplete.

"This was due... about ten minutes ago in Charms. And this is well beneath your skill level." He held out the sheet, the one asking several questions about different charms he could hardly accomplish and yet she'd been able to do in her sleep for years now. It's why they didn't share the same Charms course, not all the time anyway, and it wouldn't cost her much effort to answer them.

The only cost would be extolled by her.

"It's just asking to explain what happens when you use each of these spells. Bet you already know."

Rae was getting better at her silent casting. Already, she'd been able to start effortlessly casting the spells that required little skill and was working her way up her arsenal. One by one, the Slytherin girl chose to spend her nights--and the occasional free moment during the day, such as this one--furthering that transition. Her goal was to be able to cast most, if not all, the spells she knew silently by the time she got to her fifth year. She didn't know whether it was actually allowed, but imagine how impressed those examiners would be to see her walking in and passing her OWLs without ever uttering a word?

It might have been an ambitious endeavour, especially for the girl who'd gone out of her way to learn as many spells as she had, but Rae had never been one to back down from a challenge, not even the ones she imposed on herself.

So there she lay, her entire body making a statement that she'd prefer to be left alone, while she repeated the wand movement for 'carpe retractum' over and over. As she did, she tried to focus, hoping the rope would shoot from her wand and latch onto the chandelier that hung above. What was her plan, should it actually work, and the spell suddenly yank her toward the ceiling? She didn't have one. Seldom did she get the spells silently so soon after her practice began.

This was probably fine.

Rae caught the movement from the corner of her eyes, having always been one who remained aware of her surroundings. It used to be the difference between survival and a bad day. In the latter years, it had become a habit she hadn't shaken even after being removed from the streets. It took only a flicker of her gaze to uncover her company.

Evander Whistler, now there was an interesting boy if there ever was one.

"What do you need, Evan?" she asked, her gaze once again locked on the chandelier.

Further movement, faster and more obtrusive. Rae barely got her feet out of the way before the boy lunged, planting himself in a spot not meant for him. "Oi," Rae protested, not at all surprised by his antics at this point. He was as incorrigible as the rest. Someday, she might get better at choosing her company, and what a dull day that would be.

"Your help, 'course."

Rae plopped her feet into his lap, never one to sacrifice her comforts for the sake of accommodation. "Go on." There was always something with this one.

"This was due... about ten minutes ago in Charms. And this is well beneath your skill level. It's just asking to explain what happens when you use each of these spells. Bet you already know."

It didn't take long for her to burst out laughing, dark eyes scanning the parchment containing the assignment she knew all too well. "Merlin, Evan," she said when she finally stopped laughing. Even then, her eyes continued to dance with mirth. "You should know better." How long had they been friends now? "I never did that. The empty parchment's still sitting on my nightstand." She nicked it from him, marvelling at his determination, albeit after it was needed.

"Are you really thinking of getting it done?" She reclined into the cushions, adjusting her legs. "When you could have a fun detention with me?"

Unsurprisingly, the two fit into each other's rhythm with the ease of perfectly fit gloves.

There weren't many people who seemed to understand his nuances the way Rae had. Four years now of being able to both build each other up and pick each other apart. She took his judgmental looks with a laugh, his mean jokes with a sense of embarrassment for him and was quick to put him in his place when he was growing too much into himself that it was ruining the time for everyone. He was lucky to have her and not just because he'd never have passed the last two years of studies without her.

Sitting there, her legs stretched over his lap, her laughter filling the space around them. It was comforting to know that while a lot had changed since they'd entered Hogwarts, some things stayed the same.

"You didn't finish it? Of course not. Why would Miss Prefect even bother?" He sighed, knowing full well that he'd have to march right back into Charms without his prize. What was another Troll effort when it fell in with the rest of his?

He was almost about to throw her legs off of him when Ruth pitched words that he'd most assuredly have said himself before.

"You know what," Evan took back the homework assignment. Looks like he wasn't heading back to the Gryffindor Tower anytime soon. He gave it one quick glance before crumbling the paper into a tiny ball. Indeed, what was one more detention and poor grade when you had these sorts of friends and all the time in the world.

(Some people might call them enablers, but they were most likely very, very envious.)

The paper ball was tossed high in the air and Evan expected her to put her wand to good use.

"If we're missing Charms and risking detention, we might as well make it worth our while. You weren't planning on laying here all day, were you?"

"You didn't finish it? Of course not. Why would Miss Prefect even bother?"

Rae snorted. Her foot nudged him lightly, her nose wrinkling at his jab. "I didn't badge myself. Never said I'd be the beacon of responsibility for Slytherin either." She was a simple girl filled with exceedingly simple desires. She wanted to do what she wanted; she wanted the freedom to pursue her own ambitions. Perfect hindered neither of those. On the contrary, now she no longer received detentions for not being in her bed when curfew was long past. It was a blessing in what might have been a curse had she actually been forced to act like a figure of authority around the castle.

The girl with the attitude of live and let live was likely not the best candidate for "crime stopping". Unless the actions were egregious, Rae was likely to ignore them and equally as likely to be doing them herself.

And then he began to speak her language. Rae perked up as the boy took the parchment back, already anticipating a favourable turn in the conversation. It was good to know the conviction he'd walked in with was already waning; the work to be done wasn't stronger than his impulse to have a good time.

While crushing out flobberworms for potions, repotting mandrakes, and straining troll boogers (as the professor liked to have the students do) wasn't her idea of a good time, that she would be doing it with Evan in the pursuit of that good time certainly was. Company made every detention pass more quickly, and the memories gained in earning them were an important treasure to be held onto. Some day, they'd ride the boats back across the black lake and take in the castle for the last time. Then, they might be scattered to the wind like many of her already graduated friends and those who'd chosen not to come back after the truth about the headmaster had been uncovered. Rae didn't want to spend her afternoons on inane tasks.

She wanted to indulge and be indulged.

"If we're missing Charms and risking detention, we might as well make it worth our while. You weren't planning on laying here all day, were you?"

"It might surprise you to know," the girl said, feigning a tone of superior detachment meant only for teasing, "but I wasn't lying around. I've been working, silent casting practice." Rae knew she didn't have the reputation of a good student, nor did she want it. The girl studied as she liked.

"In fact," she said, reaching over to poke his cheek with the tip of her wand. "You're just in time for the next part. See that chandelier there?" she continued, nodding up for his benefit. "Wanna see who's stronger?" It would be them against the ancient castle fixture. Two against one. The odds couldn't have been better.

"Might as well get in some practical charms work." As his friend, she practically owed it to him. A saint, really.