Parchment and Fabric

Dexter's watch beeped as it was charmed to, every hour on the hour. He glanced down. Eleven o'clock. On a school night. Not the most Ravenclaw-appropriate behavior, but Dexter was never one to appeal to the norm of his social class. His peers would not accept him either way, late nights or not, so why try when Thoreau and Moliere were enough to appeal to him this late.

Dexter usually stuck to wizarding literature at night, but lately he had had time to pursue subjects that were more interesting. Thoreau was read for leisure, rather than for learning. Tonight, he was reading from Walden while pointing his wand at Duncan, performing small experiments with half his mind while he read. Flashing colors, longer tail, shorter teeth. Whatever came to mind.

Every now and then, Dex would sense the presence of Trowa, the only other Ravenclaw that would typically be found up late, indulging in his own passions. Dex did not find what was appealing about clothes, but if he could find insight in the beanfields of Walden, what kept Trowa from finding insight in the threads and fabrics of his dresses? It was not Dexter's call. And these late nights with Trowa... They were almost like having a friend. There was an unspoken agreement between the two. No judgment, only necessary of light conversation, favors when needed, but let the other do his thing.

It's all Dex had ever wanted.

An empty common room gave the artist the room he needed to create his master pieces. In the last few weeks, Trowa had gained the interest of a few wealthy women that had more money than they knew what to do with. They liked his designs apparently and had employed him outside of Gladrag’s and appeared to be his sponsors’ of sorts. Trowa had picked up the materials at the post office, received the annotated designs he’d sent them and was getting to work on the pieces they’d requested. Trowa had never seen himself as his own boss but apparently that was what he was now. Trowa had to admit it was a lot more flexible but he adored Gladrag’s. He wasn’t just going to stop working there because a few women had tucked galleons into his pocket.

Surrounded by fabrics, it was only Dexter that kept him company. The other Ravenclaw was always rather quiet; absorbed in his books just like Trowa was absorbed in his dresses. Tonight Trowa was pinning dress robes and a few day robes. The cogs were whirling in his brain, though. Biting his lip, Trowa looked over at Dexter. He sighed and took the pin from between his lips. Trowa pushed it through the robe material and pushed himself up from his knees, onto his feet. He leaned over and plucked an apple from the fruit bowl. Trowa released his lip and bit into the apple, tearing off a chunk and chewing it before swallowing.

“You wouldn’t, uh, happen to know a mood spell would you?” Trowa asked, finally plucking up the courage to ask Dexter what he’d been wondering since the boy had entered the room that night. Trowa gave him a smile and turned his eyes back to the robes. “I wanted to do something special with the lining...” He murmured, bringing the apple to his lips.

He had just finished the end of a chapter, when he heard a crunch. His eyes flicked upward to see Trowa biting into an apple and his eyes returned to the page, relatively undisturbed. Trowa only ever made noise when necessary, and the pinning and cutting of fabrics was never something loud enough to stir Dexter, so the little noise he made was always forgivable.

Trowa continued to draw Dexter away from his books with a question. Dexter knew that he must have really wanted an answer, because Trowa rarely risked getting Dexter cranky with too many questions. However, Dex had been reading for a few hours straight so he did not at all mind the interruption. He tucked two fingers in the crease of his book and closed it, turning to look at Trowa.

"What exactly are you trying to do? Enchant the dress to carry a mood enhancer? Or trying to achieve a certain mood with the colors and the lining? If it's the latter, it's a simple Transfiguration spell, you just need to have the artistic vision. the former is a little trickier. That require adding the appropriate charm to the fabric as it is sewn together." He paused. "What exactly are you trying to achieve?"

Trowa knew what Dexter was like. They’d sit in the common room together often, although it was not purposely done. They didn’t share much conversation but Trowa had picked up on Dexter’s character quite quickly and he knew that if anything, the other Ravenclaw was thorough. Trowa cleared his throat, unsure of quite how answer Dexter’s questions. He turned his eyes back to the robes hanging off of the mannequin and he sighed, tapping his lengthy fingers against his leg as he did so. Trowa rolled his lips across each other as he thought. Finally, he found his words and looked up from the robes. He met Dexter’s steady gaze and smiled a little.

“Maybe a bit of both,” he murmured, rolling the fabric between his thumb and forefinger. “I mean...like a mood identifier, like mood rings, then something that’ll put the colour back to whatever happy is in mood-language. I could make the robes the ‘happy’ colour too so the other colours clash when it changes so she’d,” Trowa laughed here, “So she’d actually have to be happy – constantly. She’d never wear the robes again.”

The Ravenclaw laughed again and shook his head, amusement lighting up his features. He bit into his apple again and tapped the non-blemished side against his cheek. Trowa hummed thoughtfully and looked at Dexter once more, quirking an eyebrow and silently asking ‘what do you think’? He smiled and swallowed the apple in his mouth.

“I mean obviously it would be subtle, like little nudges...nothing too apparent.” He elaborated after a moment.

This was what Dexter appreciated out of his time spent with Trowa in the common room, quietly slaving over their respective projects. Dexter was brilliant, it was true, he could figure everything out and analyze and come up with a combination of spells and the scientific equations to match. But he lacked the creative flair to help him.

Trowa, however, was full to the brim on creative flair. Here Dexter was thinking he wanted a mood spell for the dress to set off a certain mood, rather than mirror them. "Huh. That is more than I suspected. I imagine that would entail the variety of mood spells you want to cover, some sort of mirroring spell, color changing spells..." He began to scrawl some notes on a stray piece of parchment.

He glanced up at Trowa after he had followed his train of thought for a little while before looking up to address Trowa once more. "I think it can be done, but it will require a complex combination of spells and I'd need to take a look at mood ring to properly identify and copy its properties. Is it alright if I get back to you on it?"

Trowa wasn't entirely sure if any of what he wanted was possible. He just hoped it was. He didn't want to control the wearer, he just wanted to promote healthy emotions and the only way he was going to get that was by using mood spells. And if anyone was going to know them then it was going to be Dexter.

Not because he used them! Not at all! But because he was full of such knowledge...he simply had to know!

Trowa bit his thumb nail and bounced gently on the balls of his feet as he felt excitement well up inside of him.

"So you can really do it!?" He burst.

Dexter looked up at Trowa, who was displaying more excitement than he usually did. Dexter typically got his studious side, the diligent boy bent over swatches and scraps of parchment, occasionally mumbling, but mostly sticking to pinning, sewing, cutting... That sort. This was somewhat new.

And yet, Dexter felt sort of an amused expression come to his face, of course, still with a very superior glint. But the smirk was not altogether unfriendly either. Dexter nodded, saying, "Yes, with time and effort and the right research, of course. I hope you do not mind waiting a little. But I should have it soon."

Trowa would be willing to wait, and he was, if it would work. He really wanted the best for this client. Not only was she nice but she was also a high payer so he was going to do as much as possible to get a smile out of her. Plus, the owner of Gladrag’s definitely appreciated it when Trowa got more money out of the clients that came through the shop. If Dexter could do this then Trowa would give him some money out of the lump sum that Trowa got at the end of the month. Trowa grinned and returned to the mannequin. He took a few of the pins out from the waist and picked up his needle. He threaded the plum thread through the whole and began to sew up the waist. It would need to pinch, the woman was tiny. If he wasn’t careful then the robes would swath her. Hopefully not, though.

“So what would it involve?” Trowa asked, looking over at Dexter and smiling widely at him. “How much do you want in payment? It should fetch around a thousand galleons or more so what would you like? Or perhaps I could make you something?” Trowa smirked and raised an eyebrow at Dexter. “Or maybe I could buy you a Butterbeer in Hogsmeade or something?”