[OPEN] Debate Club Debut

Cosmo Barbary was moving towards a point in his life that he knew he would look back on as the years he became a man. This summer had been a whirlwind. His father had always been looser with him than with his sister, less protective and more willing to give his son the lead on his own life, but this year, he let Cosmo take the lead, let him drink with his old friends, let him control his life. And Cosmo seemed to have passed the test.  He could see the way Heathcote looked at him. His dad could see himself in Cosmo, a miniature him with his wife’s eyes and nose. He didn’t care that Cosmo wasn’t a musician. Cosmo was going to be big, just like his old man.

A verified star.

Cosmo has never even questioned that he had work to put in to see this vision fulfilled, but it didn’t seem as though his parents had either. The assumption was that he would excel in whatever he did. He wouldn’t doubt that they thought he’d become Minister - and who was to say he wouldn’t? He had everything one needed - name, money, charm, and a few skeletons in the closet.

It would be this year that he distinguished himself. The prefect badge on his chest was proof enough of this, the fourth years who simpered after him ensured it. He didn’t need a broom. He didn’t need a keyboard. He was destined for something.

If he were a seventh year, he might have felt a little more panicked about it all. He had the Why, he had the What, but the How was remaining elusive. And he would have been more scared, had life not drilled into him that he could have anything he wanted. His scores were good enough that there would be few professions that would turn him away, and he found that he was, at minimum, decent at anything he tried his hand at. So when he figured it out, he’d have everything he needed.

For now, he’d saunter in the direction of greatness. Beginning, of course, with the brilliant idea that he had been hinting to all of friends about. Only a select few knew he planned to start Debate Club sign up sheet. Cosi and Dory knew of course, having been present for the conception of the plan, and the Headmaster had given him the go ahead. But now it was out there. His name was signed to it, Please Direct All Questions to Cosmo Barbary.

And so he sat at the Slytherin table, apart from everyone today, ready to answer questions.

Nick's life had become a stagnant routine so monotonous that if he were divine, his daily schedule could easily be displayed in a mosaic, stained glass, chapel window. As the days went on, Nick became more tired, more 'checked out of life', as the saying goes. His studies weren't particularly difficult, nor were they time consuming. He struggled to maintain interest in his old hobbies, and perhaps; unbeknownst to himself, a bit of human interaction might actually go a long way into improving his morale. It wasn't that Nick was a loner per se, but he was more kept to himself than the average individual.

It was why, when it was discovered that Hogwarts would be home to a new debate club, Nick raised an eyebrow at it, and thought no further of it. Just another pointless club that would probably fizzle out. Debate seemed like something more well suited for his brother Jess. Highly opinionated; and very vocal about it, debate would have been more than suited for the elder Potter brother.

And that's why Nick gave the debate club a second thought. It would be the perfect way to carve out his own niche and stick it to his older brother.

Nick was certainly intelligent, debate ought to be something he could handle on the intellectual side. It would just be the vocal side that would require some work.

So it was after some thinking that Ravenclaw found himself walking into the Great Hall, headed toward the Slytherin table he'd never sit at otherwise.

"Hi", he began. "Is this where the debate club sign ups are?"

Cosmo had been prepared for this, but of course it was that odd twist of fate that the first person to approach him was a muggleborn. Nick Potter was a good enough fellow, a bit extraordinary if Cosmo was being honest. He didn't speak up, or rock the boat. He didn't dazzle. But Cosmo hadn't taken his own leap into notoriety yet. The school was lacking in opportunities for students to prove themselves in ways that didn't involve beating each other into a pulp - even Wizard's Chess glorified violence.

No, his lance was his tongue, his quill as his sword. He was sure he wasn't the only one.

His smile widened at Nick's question. Already he had a chance to spar. "Technically you sign up on the flyer," he said, the smallest glint of a smirk in his eye. "But I can answer any of your questions. I thought we'd get some Ravenclaws in here."

Antonin made his way down a familiar hallway, as usual, with his thoughts fully buried in the complex design of sandcastles he had accumulated in his mind over the years. He had turned a corner where Peeves was waiting with an attempt to scare the living spells out of him, but Ant merely frowned in response and continued on his way, lamenting about the stupidity of not shutting that up for good. Hogwarts was generally satisfactory, but Ant thought that room left for improvement was considerably desired.

He didn't hesitate to share those thoughts with Constance, who met him along the way from where she came from - the Slytherin common room. Increasingly, the sixth-year preferred to spend her time in the safety of that space, quietly listening in on the conversations exchanged on the cushy provisions of luxury that decorated the room - provisions from past and present parents of Slytherin students whose convictions lie in privilege and entitlement. Apart from her Hogwarts obligations, the only person Constance could endure a trip out of the Slytherin Dungeons for was her brother. And this.

Upon seeing Cosmo at the Slytherin table, Constance grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him towards the familiar face. Ant wasn't sure he had more time to spare, what with his obligations for NEWTS and Quidditch. But he couldn't recall a time when he said no to Constance. Besides, Cosmo Barbary had personally extended an invitation when they found themselves both heading towards the same direction for class on the first day of the school term. His family was also fairly familiar with Cosmo's, and there was a level of comfort in that. Admittedly, Cosmo's aspirations piqued his curiosity.

Ant wasn't so sure about the other Ravenclaw he spotted at the table.

"Hey,'" he started, directing it to Nick and Cosmo, before sliding onto the seat next to his sister. Constance was more selective. Ignoring Nick, she had sat down first, placing herself directly in front of Cosmo. Then she curiously regarded the other boy.

"So ... what are we up to?"