Ladybug or Ladybird?

Being compared to a fossil wasn't exactly inspiring. Pippa couldn't help but pout at the comment. She brought her hand up and touched her face, anxious in case there were wrinkles appearing that had not been there before. When her skin was as firm as it had always been, Pippa let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't vain -- far from it -- but she didn't want to get old before her time. With all that frowning she was doing though, it would be unavoidable.

"I can do far more than they can!" Pippa exclaimed, quick to defend herself, her voice filled with determination. She'd done a fair few things in her life that were, in a Muggle's opinion, far more exciting than they had. She'd gotten a number of trophies and such for her sports and certificates for her photography. She was rather accomplished for her age and she didn't take kindly to someone, even if it was her favourite Professor, telling her that her replies would turn her into a wall-dwelling fossil with nothing to talk about but students acting inappropriately.

When the man elaborated, Pippa felt less insulted. She nodded in consent, understanding well enough what he meant. She wrung her hands together and brought them underneath her neck as she watched the tiles appear and disappear as she walked. Whether she needed to apologize or not, Pippa felt she had better. Still, she kept silent, unsure of how that would go down. Instead she bit her lip and kept her apology to herself. It probably was unnecessary but she'd be quick to supply one if need be.

Her peculiarity didn't bother the man as much as it did others. Even Dexter, who was incredibly weird himself, seemed put off by the oddity that was Pippa Bennett. She would smile, place a kiss on his cheek and flit around until he did as he was told. She annoyed him, badgered him to no end, and wouldn't stop until she got her way. Dexter was wrapped around her little finer but only because she adored him so.

Still, he did think her odd and that did upset Pippa sometimes. Only sometimes though.

"No one wants to be alone forever though," Pippa murmured, pulling her sleeves down over her hands. She was about to say something else when he patted her on the head. Pippa lifted her head and narrowed her eyes, a smile teasing her lips. "How rude," she remarked, a giggle shortly following. Pippa covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggles but it did little good.

When the Professor stopped and made his query, Pippa did the same. The bubble of giggles disappeared and she averted her eyes, unsure as to how to respond. He seemed...concerned. That was nice. Pippa managed a small smile when he started talking about his own experiences. He was brief, returning to the topic of protection. At that, Pippa made a face. She didn't want to be followed around by someone.

"They haven't hurt me, sir." She said firmly, smiling still. "I don't even think any of them know who I am." His offer was kind and she nodded. She did know where the office was, indeed. When in doubt, that was where she'd go. She wasn't entirely sure who the Hufflepuff Head of House was anymore. Were they so fare underground that they'd been completely forgotten?

Advanced Defence against the Dark Arts. That was an offer that Pippa couldn't, under any circumstances, pass up. She loved the subject. It interested her a great deal and she wasn't going to miss out on a chance to know more.

"I would very much..." She replied, nodding hastily. Her smile widened and she ducked her head as she flushed pink. "I think I could do it." She added, a spark of quiet confidence in her voice.

''No one wants... that is true. But, when you are peculiar, you have to work hard do avoid loneliness'', Wilson replied shortly after continuing to walk. Her reply made him calmer. He was glad to hear she hadn't been hurt. The bloody critters were running around the school so rapidly that even the three of them couldn't control all of them.

''I do hope they haven't. I do not know about their exact activities, but do watch out. If anything happens, please, do not hesitate to find me... but you can also turn to professor McCoy or even the Headmaster, although you should be more careful with him, but he is a nice person if he grows fond of you'', he replied shortly. They walked for some time until they finally came in front of his classroom. The room had been sealed so only he could open it. He never liked people going through his personal space, especially his work space.

''You know, as a Fifth Year, you still aren't qualified enough to master everything, but if you have the willpower, I am sure you will be able to master it in time. Shell we?'', he asked, pointing to the door.

Loneliness. Pippa had, to a degree, gotten used to that feeling. She'd accepted the fact that being lonely was just a part of the Hogwarts experience. Hufflepuffs weren't thought much of by the pupils (and often the teachers) and her house mates didn't think much of her. She hadn't had much of a choice of friends. If anything, Pippa had to barge into people's lives, throw a smile onto her face and try to befriend them. It was usually quite successful - the biggest success so far being her friendship with Dexter. He still wasn't exactly the company Pippa enjoyed, though. He was far too quiet and often, too boring.

"I understand that," She acknowledged quietly. "But I suppose I could just - I don't know - get a pet or something?"

Upon saying that, Pippa smiled secretly to herself. She only just managed to stifle her giggles. She'd asked Dexter if he'd get a dog with her. His answer had, predictably, been a no. She hadn't quite given up on that dream yet though and was just waiting for an excuse to go into Diagon Alley or even to a Muggle pet store to buy one.

"They haven't been doing anything to other students have they?" Pippa inquired. "To students I mean. I haven't heard anything."

They approached the classroom and Pippa shook her wand, cancelling the little beam of light that was on the end. She'd always treated Lumos as something like a match and for some reason it worked. She hated using Nox so she just waved out the 'flame.' Pippa tucked her wand behind her ear and looked up at the Professor.

"If there's a will then there's a way," She smiled and nodded. "Sure."

(I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry... I hope you'll still continue)
''Getting a pet is a temporary solution. It will die sooner or later and then you will have to get another one and it all goes around in circles. It's silly. You have to have someone that will be there for a longer period. I don't expect to overachieve Flamel or Dumbledore, but I suppose I could live a normal human life with the people around me'', he said.

He opened the door of his classroom. The moonlight managed to make some of the desks visible, but he still waved his hand in order to turn on the lights. The room was beautiful empty. Clean, empty and silent - the most beautiful of descriptions you'll find for a classroom. But, sadly, it's main purpose was to be just the opposite, so he enjoyed these rare moments. He waved his hand once again and put all the desks aside. He showed Pippa in and went to his desk. ''Sadly, they have. The three of us are doing as much as we can, but we can't control each and every corner of the castle. We have managed to stop some of the incidents, but still... bad things happen. The Headmaster is doing something about it, though. Don't worry about that'', he said while walking, not facing Pippa.

He sat down, closed one of the drawers and looked at her though his circular glasses. ''You are right. So, to ask you... do you have anything particular you want to learn or shall we start from the beginning?'', he asked.

Pippa nodded. He had a point but she liked animals. Half the time they were better company than humans could ever hope to be. She understood what he meant though. Humans were social creatures whether she liked that or not. Humans depended on the companionship of one another which was why people got married and had children. Pippa knew that she could never just be content with a cat or a parrot or even a dog. Still, they were all good replacements until something a little more permanent came around.

“I like pets,” Pippa said with a shrug. “Sure half of the time they’re too fluffy and get fur everywhere but they love you and until you find someone that will be there for a longer period, something else will have to do.” Pippa managed a smile and folded her arms over her chest as the chill started to set in.

Pippa was grateful when they came upon the classroom. She lingered, bouncing on the balls of her feet, as the Professor turned the lights on. She scuttled inside when directed to do so and managed to drop her arms upon finding that the classroom was far warmer than the corridors could ever hope to be.

“I trust you,” Pippa replied quietly, looking about the classroom with fresh eyes. There was something strangely wonderful about it at night. There was something calmer, and more welcoming about it. She snapped back to attention when he spoke again and shrugged, unsure. “I don’t know...the beginning is the best place to start in a book so...why not there now?”

''I never said they can't be used as a permanent solution, on the contrary, remember?'', he said, winking. ''You read books from the beginning? Now, isn't that strange..'', he said with a smile. He then remembered what had happened on their last DADA lesson and pulled the wardrobe with the Boggart inside in front of his desk. He went on its right side and rested his arm on its top. ''I presume you remember this one well. After seeing what happened last time, I think we need to go through this first. A good defense can only be established without fear... you have to destroy that fear... otherwise, all of this won't go as planned. So, are you ready? Remember... I am here for you'', he said.

Pippa poked her tongue out at the Professor. She whipped her bear hat off of her head and placed it on one of the desk. She was glad to find that Stephan’s jumper stayed where it was. She was hardly dressed for wandering around the castle, or for being in a Professor’s presence but Pippa had been in worse get-ups. At least in this she could get away with looking mildly sane. She didn’t, however, think that that corn-on-the-cob suit in her trunk would have gone down quite as well. She was content in both though. She knew how mortified her mother had been to find her daughter selling cookies and cakes to children while dressed up as a vegetable. Still, it was a great memento.

“I only read books backwards when the librarian is looking,” Pippa smirked. She ruffled her hair a little and looked up as she heard wood scratch against wood. Her whole body came to a stop as she set eyes on the wardrobe and she took a step back. The tabletop grazed the backs of her thighs and she hissed, whirling around and kicking the table in frustration. Pippa scowled at the tabletop and turned back around again, biting down on her lip as she considered trying the Boggart again. Pippa sighed. She knew she had to face this. She had to face Stephan dead. She could do this. She could. Well, she could try.

“Okay,” Pippa all but squeaked, bringing her wand into the air and stepping forward. She didn’t even know if she could do the spell but she was confident in her spell work. She could do this. It was do or die, literally it seemed.

''Yes, you have a good point. I used to put it down when she started staring at me. It tends to get annoying'', Wilson replied. He then levitated the wardrobe in front of Pippa, standing beside it. ''Now, you know what awaits you when this thing opens. You have faced it once and you failed, but now you know what awaits you. Remember, it is just an illusion... and I am here for you. Also, when you use the spell, remember, you will laugh at what you see'', he said, giving her a sign to prepare herself. He then opened the old door, allowing her boggart to exit and step inside his classroom once more.

Yes, Pippa knew what awaited her behind the innocent door of the wardrobe but that didn’t make her anymore willing to encounter it. He was right, last time she’d failed. Pippa didn’t understand how this time would make a difference. She closed her eyes, desperate to block out the scene that was to come. She heard vaguely the sound of the Professor opening the door and she peaked out to see her brother stride out of the wardrobe, a confident grin on his face. Then, his eyes fell on her and it was just like what had happened before. His grin twisted into something much more playful and Pippa was once again forced to watch the light die in his eyes as the bang resounded overhead.

Emotion was raw within Pippa. She held her wand up and waved it, whispering the spell. She could only do but watch as her brother hopped up from where he was lying, oddly wearing a banana suit, and grinned at her again before taking a bow and bouncing back into the wardrobe. Pippa’s face broke out into a smile despite the tears that she’d unknowingly let fall. It was a spell she had to get right and she did it. She’d done it without fail.

Pippa watched as the door of the wardrobe clicked closed and it was then that her knees buckled out from underneath her. She sank to the floor, letting her wand drop once more. She didn’t care to look to where it had rolled to. Pippa buried her face in her hands, the picture of her brother dead behind her eyelids, haunting her.

It wasn't pleasant to watch, surely, but the both of them had to endure this moment. Her brother entered and died the same way as before, but this time, there was a difference. She managed to whisper the spell he had instructed them to use in class, and her brother made a comical gesture before returning back to the wardrobe that had kept him guarded for all this time. He levitated the wardrobe back to its place and observed the little girl.

He walked over to her, gently, with the sound of his shoes echoing throughout the empty classroom. He picked up her wand along the was and put it into his pocket. He did not bother to get her up as he was rather tall and she was tiny. Instead, he decided to sit down on the floor. The height difference was still visible, though. He raised her head from her palms gently and smiled at her. ''You may not even be aware of it, but you have succeeded'', he said, gently.