Can it be worse?, closed : Aster Gardinier ( and to whom he might invite or not) Options

[Tara Katz]

Floading with water dormitories....Tara woke up that morning swimming. That was an overstatement, but she liked to exaggerate. Grimmacing she got dressed in her wet clothes, wore her wet socks and took her...Merlin make them books and got out of the comon room, in search for some place where she could just get dry or find someone to make everything dry. In each and every footstep Tara was leaving a trail of water behind her.

Se hated that..."It sucks to be a first year you know" she said looking at some painting that were laughing at her state. "And you shouldn't laugh. I might get the flu cause of this..." she continued swearing the person that managed to cause all that. Bloody kid was a menace! A ravenclaw menace unleashed! Tara looked around and remove her cape. It wasn't only the fact that her clothes were wet...it was the fact that they were heavier in that state.

Walking and walking she arrived outside the trophy room. Perhaps she should hide in there, find somehow a bed and stay there till the ravenclaw common room and dormtories are perfectly fine again. She took a few steps towards the doorknob. BUT then - mind you she was clumsy - she tripped over her untied shoe laces and fell with her butt on the floor, making around her now a small pond of water AND managing to spill the rest of her ink on her satchel and on the floor. "Okay i get it...i ll just stay here till someone fix me up." Tara gave up.

All this gathered bad luck...was just TOO much for the little ravenclaw.

[Aster Gardinier]

His fingers lightly traced over the plaque hanging from the wall in front of him. It had been a while since Aster had been here: not since first year, he recalled, when he had been doing something quite similar. Things had changed since first year, Aster was certain, and yet what he thought would be the dream of all dreams suddenly no longer looked as appealing as it had to a first year desiring another steps up the ladder rungs of achievement.

Prefect.

A step above your peers; a step above your siblings.

There was no doubt in his mind that, within a year, his mother would be swooping in from her travels -- wherever she would be by summer; it was difficult to tell with only a letter and small parcel at most -- to survey her firstborn's Hogwarts letter for the added weight she expected of him. It wouldn't be enough when he slit the envelope open and found only two slips of parchment explaining the books required for the OWLs he had already been preparing for since third year. It wouldn't be enough when he went back to school with only a Slytherin crest upon his lapel because that simply couldn't be enough. It hadn't been difficult to want something that was wanted for you, but it had become harder to try.

His ears perked up for a moment and green eyes flashed away from the plaque. "Hello?" he murmured, hesitantly taking a step back. Aster's fingers clasped the doorknob and for a brief second, he only breathed before allowing the dim light from the corridors inside.

"Hello there," he finally said, crouching down to the floor in front of a small girl. She looked no older than perhaps Dahlia, a second year, but there was nothing familiar about her to imply her age. "Best to get that cleaned up... Scourgify." Each puddle shrank into itself until they both disappeared, and Aster flicked his wand a second time with a murmured incantation to dry the small girl's clothing. "Now, how did all of that happen?" he asked as his wand swept over her books and began to pile them up.

[Tara Katz]

Blah....she was doomed. Tara had covered her head with her hands. There was nothing - and emphasizing on NOTHING - that could make things worse or better for that matter. The ravenclaw grabbed a wet...fabric made handkerchief and wiped her eyes. Great.. She was there about five minutes or so, staring at her own disaster. At her own piece of floor artwork made of ink. If she was a muggle probably she would have gone to an art school, although honestly she sucked at drawing.

Feeling sorry for herslef and the mess around her, Tara didn't realize that in this corridor, behind the mystery trophy room door there was a guy. It was her marvelous ability of getting lost in her own world, without paying attention to what was going on around her. It wasn't untill she saw something getting cleaned and a spell being muttered that she looked up to face...someone familiar enough and goodlooking enough and slytherin enough and older enough for Tara to blush red, change a couple of red-ish colors and being unable to talk properly.

"Tha....thanks...i doo nnn't suppose you could d rr yyy those too now can you?" she said trying to force a smile on her face. She felt hot...literally...red cheecks, embarrassed in front of an older student...please earth open in two and swallow me... How did all happen....Tara didn't knew from where to begin...Taking a few seconds to think.. - because mind you she had to say something - she moved her fingers towards the other side of the corridor, pointing the water trail at the boy... "If it isn't dry yet...you could follow it up to the ravenclaw common room" wow...her speech was back to normal.

"Someone.. don't know how he or she did it, floaded the dormitories...ALL of them. And it's not only the books...it's the clothes as well...see... i am like a bloody walking mermaid that leaves trails of water so she wont get lost ...." Tara wiped her eyes again. "So naturally...i ve slipped." the girl looked down towards the floor. It seemed pretty clean to her. Great Job. " And well i was about to stay right here forever...because honestly i just can't take more of that kind of things..Thank you for saving my ...life and my clothes. And by the way you kinda look familiar..." added Tara to the rest of her..storyline.

[Aster Gardinier]

The look on her face that so closely echoed Evelyn's the first time they had met brought Aster to raise a brow slightly, chucking to himself as he nodded and flicked his wand back toward the pile of books. The pages began to wrinkle for a moment and the Slytherin's eyebrows momentarily furrowed in confusion until each page had stretched itself back out to its previous condition. "Better," he sighed, relaxing his shoulders and slipping his wand back into his robes' pocket with an added, "Not a problem."

His eyes fell to the floor and then up the corridor to where a trail of water tainted with drops of murky ink turned and most likely lined the rest of the way upstairs to the seventh floor as the young girl had said. "I'm not all too sure I can dry that for you," Aster commented, gaze scanning the floor back to Tara, "but I'm sure there's somebody in the room who can. For now, I would recommend staying clear of the floor." Aster straightened his knees and paused expectantly for her to stand up, biting the inside of his cheek before finally reaching out a hand for her to take.

It was likely that she had at least had a run in with one of his siblings, but odds were slim that the meeting would have been the most pleasant and Aster only inhaled deeply to stop the exasperated sigh from escaping his lips as she commented on his familiarity. "Siblings," he confirmed with a small nod. "Five aside from myself in the school, so it would be easier for both of us if you assumed that was why." He ran his fingers through his hair for a moment and gave a shrug, hopefully satisfying the girl to the point that she wouldn't need any name aside from his own.

"Is there any place you're meant to be?" asked the Slytherin, taking a step away from the Trophy Room door and adjusting the weight of the satchel on his shoulder. "Not a class, I presume."

[Tara Katz]

Tara's eyes widened in delight seeing her books back to normal. "I should build you a statue!" said the girl grabbing her books, gently holding them into her arms. Her mood was back to normal almost, and even if this boy couldn't do anything more for the water that was in the ravenclaw dormitories, he did save her for the moment. "Yeah..there must be...after all we are supposed to be smart and clever...someone must be capable enough to clean the mess..but thank you again."

The little girl, looked at the boy again. This time she took her time to watch his mouth, his eyes, his figure...Deja vu! This was incredible. "Five i can't even joggling two!" commented Tara astonished that there was a family with at least 5 kids...."Nevermind...yeah i was planning...to ....wait what was i planning" the last sentence was a mere whisper. With all the watery fuss...she had forgot where she was planning to go.

A quick look though at her satchel made her remember why she was here. "Ah! yes library...i need to return...these..hope you are around in two years...then i will be able to at least buy you a butterbeer for helping me here" said Tara giving a quick smile at the boy. "Sorry i don't wanna hold you longer from whatever you have to do, i am fine thank you." she continued blushing this time. Now this face she will have to remember. "I am Tara, Tara Katz by the way.. pleased to meet you even under these circumstances." the ravie extended her hand.

Mental notes...build a statue for the slytherin boy, Archie and the other slytherin prefect down at the lake...Great...i don't really like slytherins and i owe them my life twice already....amazing....thought Tara while still looking bewildered at the familiar face in front of her.

[Aster Gardinier]

He was certainly used to the surprised expression that came from the explanation of his siblings, but usually that came after each of the thirteen Gardiniers were seen in the same room. "Try twelve rather than five," Aster commented lightly, a half smirk stretching the corners of his lips in dry amusement as Tara continued to speak. It would seem that a lapse of memory had occurred and the Slytherin waited only for her to pipe up about where she had to be before he gave a small nod. "You'll see me around by then, I'm sure," he replied with a quiet laugh. "I'm fine. Do you need the way to the library or have you got your sense of direction down pat now?"

It might have been surprising to even himself that he was offering this girl a hand up to the library had he paused to look away, but the sight was almost too much for Aster to walk away from. A favour out of pity, perhaps, but a favour nonetheless.

Another small laugh nearly escaped his lips and Aster stifled it as Tara outstretched her hand. A bit proper for an eleven year old, but at the same time he pursed his lips as he recalled himself at that age: nearly the same boy, but with a sharper tongue than he had developed by fourteen. He humoured the girl and took her hand in his for a brief shake before dropping his own to his side. "Aster," the Slytherin commented lightly, tongue in cheek for a moment as he considered his options before adding decisively, "Gardinier."

He hardly paused to survey her reaction before crouching to lift her books from the floor and hand her half of the pile, tucking the other few into the crook of his arm. "My pleasure," Aster murmured, more instinctively than anything as he took an expectant step down the corridor and waited for the sound of pattering footsteps behind him. "Coming?" he asked.

[Tara Katz]

"I have never lost my sense of direction....i have lost my patience to endure stupid accidents that include....liquids...water..paint...or spiked pumpkin juice that made me wanna cry why i wasn't born a boy." confessed Tara. The ravie stopped staring FINALLY, and was more than amazed when the boy said the magic number twelve... "Yeah...well...good luck with the army platoon. Bet you are the oldest?" asked Tara finding her usual self. It was so strange that she was capable enough to have a conversation with an older boy and she couldn't have one with her fellow year mates. Yes even if they had nothing in common, at least he was polite enough to not dismiss her quickly. Something Tara appreciated.

When he however introduced, after the handshake that felt awkward, Tara knew why he was so...familiar. "You are Ash's brother! I love your brother...no i mean...no i don't love him love him...i mean i like him yes that's much better. He is...hm...funny." said the girl trying to hide the red cheecks by running her fingers through her hair. She would definitely had to work this blushing. It wasn't cute...she was like beetroot. Not cute. Self calming wasn't always easy to achieve. The girl needed a few minutes...and that meant that Aster would see those red cheecks. Oh well..she was embarrassed enough for today....a bit more wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Yes i am comming, thank you. You are...the fifth decent slytherin i have met. Yes i am counting. Wish i could enter your common room to study you slytherins more." and yes there was no point in saying this to Aster. Actually she had no idea how all of the sudden she started talking again. Walking down the corridor with an older boy..was so strange. Like going on a detention. She had to get over those small awkward situations. She didn't like to feel awkward."So may i ask where you going? I would hate to be the reason for keeping you from your destination"