Rain, Sun and Flying Fun

Eli shrugged. He didn’t spend a lot of the time in dungeons because he didn’t have to. “I usually sleep in the Room of Requirement. My art supplies are in there.” Not to mention a few bottles of expensive French wine Eli thought ruefully. Why did he tell her that though? Was he inviting her to join him? No probably not but it sounded like that. Eli smirked a little to himself and shook his head. He was being an idiot. She was a Potter for goodness sake. He was an artist that could be ruined in the blink of the eye. Of course he hoped and prayed it wouldn’t happen but it still could.

“Fifth.” Eli answered easily. He took his wand out of his pocket and flicked it at the broom, shedding the mud off of the travel mechanism. “Your father’s?” he asked, gesturing to the Nimbus. Eli didn’t really use store bought brooms. His were made for him.

Lily blushed at the sound of his sleeping arrangments a little curious to how he knew where the Room of Requirment was. Lily only knew because her mother and uncles had told her. Instead of exersising her curiousity, Lily said. "Well my brothers would kill me in a slow and painful manner if I slept anywhere beside my dorm bed." She said with a small laugh at the thought of her brothers expressions if they caught her with a guy, any guy, let alone a guy like Elijah somewhere late at night. Lily would pay to see that one.

Lily was pulled out of her amusing train of thought when Elijah used an unfamiliar spell to clean her broom. "Thanks, I really should learn that one." She said before shaking her head slightly and answering his question. "Nah, I wish. He's Nimbus was bashed up by the Whomping Willow in his third year. This was a present from my mother" Lily explained with a wistful tone. Even though she had the sentimnet of being the only biological daughter of the family, her brothers seemed to get most of the few remaining inherited items of her fathers. Of course she'd never say that out loud.

The room of requirement was no secret to the Weasley and Potter clan. Eli knew that probably all of them knew about it as well as the famed descendents of the original Dumbledore’s Army. He knew it wasn’t exactly a well kept secret but it was one that seemed to still be that of myth to those who hadn’t explored the seventh floor. It was curious really. He was a Krum and probably powerful enough to usurp the eldest Malfoy and claim the title of Slytherin Prince. It certainly wouldn’t take him long to plant roots in the very fabric that lined the common room; the same fabric that Lord Voldemort had walked on years and years before.

“Ah yes,” Elijah nodded. “But they only have your best interests at heart of course. I would probably worry about my sister if she were doing the same. However, rules are meant to be broken. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have rules.”

The broom, the Nimbus 2000 that had been battered by the Whomping Willow. Yes, Eli did recall his father talking about it once. He mentioned how the Firebolt never really worked the same way but it guided Potter well enough. He knew that if you sat in the tree without being killed then you could find pieces of the old Nimbus. Eli had, had to do the same when one of the Bulgarian brooms went out of control. He planned on sending the pieces back in a letter to his father but he was finding Nimbus pieces instead of the handmade Bulgarian broom that he’d been given. “That you should.” Eli agreed. “I suppose it was meant to have some sort of sentiment.” He said thoughtfully. “No Quidditch player would ride a Nimbus 2000 anymore.”

"Yeah well I never claimed to go with the crowd." Lily said with a small shrug as she fingered the top of her broom in a slightly compulsive manner. She also wouldn't say out loud that Elijah was making her nervous. Not because he was being intimating or scaring her or anything, it was because she really didn't know what to expect. Most people she had learnt to read over the years, and Lysander had helped her understand the male perspective on situations but Elijah was a whole other story. It made Lily nervous because she wasn't use to not knowing what happened next, like in a book she'd already read.

"But it's not really about the broom, it's about the flyer. If you can't fly it doesn't matter what broom you have, you'll never be able to improve without natural talent to guide you." Lily said as she gazed back at Elijah. She wasn't sure whether it sounded as defensive as it did to her own ears and she wasn't sure whether she wanted it to or not. She felt so unsettled. Lily hated being unsettled as she blushed at nothing in particular.

“Perhaps it’s better to stand out from the crowd.” Eli said thoughtfully. He didn’t know how unusual she was but he had plenty of time to figure it out he was sure. The redhead was interesting, shy and had a lot more depth to her than he would have originally thought. His mother didn’t hold the Potters in high regard. He wasn’t sure but he figured that one of them had snubbed her in the past. It made sense, of course. Elijah chose to ignore her more than ever when the subject of other families came up.

“Very true, very true.” He nodded. “But it’s nice to have a broom made with love and care, not one reproduced for sales purposes.” He remembered the women up in the hills of Bulgaria that would slave for hours on end over the minuscule details on the brooms that had been ordered. He remembered being there when his was being made and he loved every minute of it. Nachash enjoyed herself to. He even got to help out. It was brilliant at the time but thinking back now, they only spoke to him to keep him happy. They didn’t want any unpleasantries getting back to his father.

"Standing out in the crowd means you're remembered." Lily said with a beaming smile. Lily knew from experience that because of her family history that by gaining a bit of attention they remembered Lily Potter, not just the Potter part. That frustrated Lily to no end being compared to her older brothers. She didn't mind being compared to her parents as much but never felt worthy for that sort of praise.

"Well this broom had has been through many amusing incidents." Lily said with a laugh as she thought on the many times she'd nearly crashed into different objects and such. "I tend to run into other people and objects a lot on it." She explained embarassed. "I'm actually suprised I haven't smashed the thing yet because of it."

“Yeah unless you’re Wilson which means you’ll blend in yet be remembered because you’re forever in a bad mood.” Eli quipped, wondering why the man disliked him s. He’d never actually done anything wrong but that was probably the point – the fact that he’d done nothing. “Uhuh.” Eli smirked. “Maybe you need to revaluate your flying skill then.” He laughed and shook his head. “Maybe I could help you with that?” He was being crafty, sly and completely and utterly Slytherin. What was life without adventure though?

Lily giggled at Elijah's jab and then blushed at his offer. "Well I don't know, I don't think I'd want to endanger that pretty face of yours." She said then wished she could take it back. She'd just admitted she found him cute. 'Nice going idiot.' Her mind scoffed in a fit of never ending annoyance.

"I'm not so bad in the air, I suppose, it's more landing and taking off. I can't seem to agree with solid ground." Lily caught herself admirably though still blushing furiously.