Silent Interruptions

She gave Jet a look of gratitude. "That'd be great! Molly can look them over and tell me what to look for. Or maybe Johnny can. Yeah, I'll ask Johnny," she said, speaking to herself, remind herself that if anyone was going to be as worried about OWLs as she was, it was going to be him.

She glanced at Evan, who seemed a bit reproachful about the whole Christy/Kace thing. She shrugged. "That's what I said, but they started airing their dirty laundry out on the comm. I tried to change the subject and they doubled down. Point is, the very state of Young Love seems to be in jeopardy." And, apparently, she was the only one who cared.

But she had their attention. She could work with that. "Which time," she said, sounding a bit thrilled. "She and Matt Lestrange duked it out in Dueling Club, and rumor has it they fought again. At least one day his black eye and her fat lip looked better and the next they were worse. AND THEN, in Care of Magical Creatures, Godric Malfoy (y'know, that new kid from Durmstrang? Christy's cousin?) came in and was all, 'ha ha Ariel is a dog and should be in the pound' or something. And then Jack was like 'okay you bitch' and I was like 'professor, uhhhh" and the professor was like 'no more' and Godric was like 'no you' to Jack so Jack was like 'okay dude' and tried to hit him."

(Holy run on sentence batman, I tried to stop her!)

Trust a Ravenclaw to ask the pertinent questions. Jet was impressed, actually, that he'd voiced what sounded like an objection. A good one, too.

Ravenclaw stereotypes went out the window at Margo's next words. She couldn't mean Johnny Murray? Her suggestion that actually, maybe Molly was the better option never made it into the open as Margo barrelled on, unfurling the school's gossip records and announcing them- annotations and all- with the relish of a town crier.

"The Head Boy?" Jet wasn't one to take much notice of gossip, but she couldn't help darting a glance at the Ravenclaw as though to check that she wasn't alone in her slight surprise. She was bemused more than anything because both were her classmates and she seemingly hadn't noticed. In fact, wasn't the new kid also her classmate?

The surprise (not surprise, exactly, because Jack Dyllan was still the common factor) faded as quickly as it had arrived, and she only lifted her shoulders in a shrug, expression contemplative.

"Huh."

What else was there to say? The news that as well as purism (she generally tried not to make assumptions, but for this Malfoy it seemed a fair one), anti-werewolf prejudice was still making the rounds at Hogwarts was unfortunately no surprise. It was an ancient fear, rooted in age-old legends and beliefs, and Jack's attempt to (literally) combat it with fists was going to be ineffective. Not for lack of trying, obviously. She'd tried to hit Godric, apparently, which was enough to earn a detention, but not enough to feel like like it'd been earned.

"Did she hit him?"

The more Margo went on (and she was going on and on and on...), the less interested Evander was becoming. Not that he was really that interested to begin with. He glanced between Jet and Margo as they continued their exchange, waiting for a second where he could interject. The real question was, was there anything for him to even comment on anymore? The two of them pretty much had the conversation under wraps and he would only be giving dumb little tidbits that no one really cared about.

At least, that's what he thought.

He couldn't day he wasn't interested anymore, though. Especially when he learned that Jack had even fought with the Head Boy. He wasn't surprised, she seemed to get into fights with the least indicated people and by now it was hard to really think that she wouldn't pick a fight.

The one thing he didn't like about everything Margo was saying, though, was the bit about Ariel being a dog (he hoped that it was actually said like that and Margo wasn't just phrasing it differently, because that was worse). "Please say she did, Malfoy deserved that."

Evander could actually feel anger building up in his usually calm body. He tried to ignore it though.

It was special feeling, being the keeper of information of interest. It wasn’t often a role she took on but when she did, she held onto it.

She cocked her head, leaning her cheek on her fist, her eyes still shining with the thrill of divulging secrets. “She was aiming for his face it looked like. He dodged, so she got him on the ear, I think. It went fast. And then Ariel got there! It was a freaking soap opera, I’m tellin’ ya.”

She switched gears. “And yeah, she even got the Head Boy wrapped up in it. Not that Matt is your classic Head Boy. He’s pretty easy to rile - at least Jack has always been pretty good at it.”

There was a bang as the door burst open, followed by a whispered "Sorry", then loud, quick footsteps covering ground to the stack containing the small gathering, where Johnny skidded to a stop and grinned over at Margo.

"Molly told me you were here," he explained, directing a friendly greeting to the other Ravenclaw, a less certain nod at the Slytherin. "Alright, Evander? Er...Jet?"

Ok, he couldn't ask Margo if she'd seen both his tie and his textbook in front of the other students without sounding like a complete idiot, so he fished around for another harmless piece of news to offer, something he'd have mentioned anyway, but with less of the relish his friend employed.

"Have you heard about Cosmo Barbary's new club? Some sort of... clever discussion thing. I just heard him talking to Dory about it. In the courtyard."

Jet took that as her cue to leave, hopes of a quiet study session abandoned. With a perfunctory "Good luck with that essay, Margo", a nod at the Ravenclaws, and nary a look back, she headed to the table and began packing her books and scrolls, the faint shuffling and snapping shut carrying across the room.

Johnny looked between Margo and Evander in alarm. "We had an essay?"

He couldn't help but be grateful of the clumsy entrance of the Hufflepuff, as well as be amused by it. Evander had heard the doors burst open and he couldn't help but think that Jet was going to off on the other boy for the noise he'd made. She didn't seem interested in him or the two of them anymore (not that she really seemed to be from the beginning) and decided she'd leave.

Evander had wanted to say a goodbye to the Slytherin, but his voice seemed to catch in his throat and nothing came out. Instead, a nod back was all she received from the Ravenclaw.

"...debate club."

He belatedly corrected Johnny, feeling his eye twitch from what the younger boy had called it. Evander had only just joined it, not that it had been around for long, but he was hoping that joining would break him out of the awkward shell he was trapped in. So far it seemed like he was only able to become more assertive and less immersed in the background, when Margo was around. She seemed to bring out the more aggressive side of him, though it wasn't much of a difference from his normal self.

"And Margo's is a make-up one, right?" He glanced at the girl. "But, yes, technically."

Margo knew how to make an entrance. Johnny never tried to make one but he might have been better at it than she was, though she doubted he'd be proud to hear it. He seemed to run out of steam the moment that he caught sight of her companions and she felt her lips begin to part in amusement, stunned that she knew him well enough that she could actually see the gears in his head going backwards and trying to find another way into the conversation.

But it was soon overtaken by confusion. When did he know the hot goss' before her?

"Clever discussion thing?" she echoed. Jet took that moment as her cover but there was no escaping Margo. "Right, love ya, babes!" she called after the Slytherin's retreating back, earning shushes from multiple sources.

She nodded at Evander's clarification, "Yeah it's a pre-make up essay, but you went with me to get those so... yeah it's due in a few days. But, wait, what's this debate club thing? Like... you just... argue with each other?"

"Right, yeah, debate club," Johnny's repetition of Evander's words was a reflex, the knee-jerk reaction a product of years' worth of corrections and admonishments, conceding to others' expertise easily because he lacked any faith in his own. He didn't begrudge Evander the superior knowledge; the fact that his explanation had at least been in the ballpark was the most he could hope for. Johnny was ever aware of his mistakes. The disappointment was that they always required other people's corrections.

His eyes widened a fraction at the mention of make-up essays- which he hadn't forgotten, honestly, just... left to marinate- but that was another topic he didn't want to explore in front of Evander, who should probably be saved any more evidence of his incompetence.

"Oh, yeah, 'course, those essays," he nodded, putting on a show of nonchalance. Johnny wasn't sure if Margo's interest in this debate club was genuine or FOMO, but he figured as the messenger his job was simply to deliver the goods.

"Sounded like. Cosmo was talking about a proposal or something, like he'll give an opinion and then get people to argue with him. But it's not his opinion." He wrinkled his brow, not entirely sure he followed the explanation himself. And it wasn't a proposal, it was- "A proposition!" he corrected belatedly, finger shooting up in triumph, grin stretching his lips. Both gestures were quickly retracted, a hand reaching to scratch the back of his head as his eyes darted questioningly to Evander. "But yeah, I dunno how it works really."

"Arguing with each other is the.. less refined way of putting it." he retorted, not really happy with the way she made it sound, though he supposed she couldn't help it if she didn't really know what the club was about.

"I'll admit, arguments can break out when two people refuse to see the other's side to the topic. But," he paused momentarily. "It's more meant as a way for people to be able to get their opinions out and have others see their view on things, while they get to see other people's views." The debate club was literally that, a debate club. There wasn't much else to it, at least not in his eyes. It was as simple as it could get.

"..so I guess you had it half right." Evander nodded to Johnny. The Ravenclaw wasn't sure he was the best person to even be describing the club since he barely participated in it as it was. He tried, really he did, but it was hard for him to get his thoughts out into words without feeling like he made himself sound unintelligent.

"But yeah, it's not that hard."

Margo's eyes widened as Johnny burst with understanding, and she gave him an impressed look, proud of him for such a good sounding word. Her smile flat-lined, however, at Evander's correction, and she stared at him seriously, lips twitching along with his words as she tried to fully absorb his explanation.

"Isn't that what I said?" Margo said, glancing at Johnny. "One person has one opinion, one has another, and they argue about it until someone wins. I watch television. I've seen debate clubs on shows. It's arguments but with fancy rules. In fact, I think a less refined way may be better since it puts the ideas at the front, rather than... the rhetoric." Also a word she had heard on the telly, but it didn't stop her from turning towards Johnny, grinning triumphantly.

"If it's not so hard, I suppose you'll have no problem going against me, Evander," she said, looking towards the other Ravenclaw. "'Cos Johnny and I are signing up."