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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 18:58:42 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Aug 24, 2022 20:53:10 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Aug 24, 2022 20:53:10 GMT -7
come over here and sit next to me She gave him a strange look and then removed her glasses, digging through her bag for something until he realized it was a small mirror. Why would she need a mirror? He looked curiously but didn’t say anything. And as Juniper carefully inspected her face in the mirror (for Merlin knew what reason), Rhys realized he’d never seen her without her glasses. It was like they’d been permanently charmed to stay on her face until now. Her eyes were light like his but also darker and more subtle. Her face was more visible now. She certainly wasn’t that slightly dorky and bossy girl from a few years ago. Well, at least not dorky anymore. Realizing he was staring, he forced himself to look literally anywhere else. But she hadn’t seemed to notice.
But then Rhys heard what was quite possibly the longest string of compliments he’d ever received at the same time. ”Um—I think so.” Rhys muttered in agreement. He was sure they did. As his goal was to work in the Ministry, he’d signed up for just about everything. But then he rolled his eyes, feeling a little defensive. Well, that nice warm fuzzy feeling was nice while it lasted. ”I don’t get into fights on purpose.” It irritated him that people thought he walked around with his fist out, ready to punch someone in the face. ”I tell them—and everybody else to leave me alone but…” Even he could see how stupid it looked in hindsight. ”The things they say…I just get angry.” Six years later, he still wasn’t used to it.
Before he could spiral into his own thoughts, he heard something hit the floor but didn’t see what it was. It didn’t sound heavy nor shatter, so it hadn’t been that mirror. ”No…I’ll look.” Rhys never needed glasses, fortunately. Though who knew if he would by the time he graduated if he got hit in the head hard enough? Standing from the bed, he tried to stretch, but parts of his midsection were not yet ready for that. This is why she kept him overnight typically. The potions took time.
Rhys felt awkward but took a few steps around the edge of his bed and surveyed the floor. The last thing he needed was to find out whatever punishment she had in mind for stepping on her glasses. Since he didn’t see them, Rhys assumed they’d fallen under the bed. So he knelt next to the middle of her bed and carefully looked under, one hand on the frame to balance himself. How far could these glasses have gone? ”Where the f—there.” Rhys mumbled to himself but finally spotted them near the wall. When he retrieved them, they had some dust on them, which he tried to brush off clumsily. ”Here.” Still kneeling, he held them out to her.
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juniper minerva mcgonagall
HOGWARTS ALUM TRANSFIGURATION MASTERY ANIMAGUS WITCH TV SCREENWRITER LIFE PROFESSOR
402 posts
played by Colin
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last online May 5, 2024 12:24:40 GMT -7
HOGWARTS CAMPUS STAFF
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Aug 25, 2022 6:55:14 GMT -7
Post by juniper minerva mcgonagall on Aug 25, 2022 6:55:14 GMT -7
▲ Juniper started to think that maybe she didn't truly understand what the fights were about. Or at least what it meant for Rhys to get into them. She knew it was because of his lineage and what he was, and how there were some students who couldn't help themselves when it came to werewolves and Greybacks. There was generational trauma packed tightly in there for quite a number of people. But it always came to back what she was thinking about earlier: Rhys had never showed the type of aggression that was notable from his father, aside from apparently trying to defend himself. But who wouldn't fight for themselves? She watched him as he looked around and under her bed for the glasses, thinking of how to carefully choose her next words. "I'm sure you've tried ignoring them..." she offered the obvious. There was always the option to do it her way: where everyone disliked being around her because all she cared about was doing class work and not letting anyone get in her way. Apparently Bagman and his cronies had been perfecting their punching bag routine on Rhys's face for years now, so they were only going to stop once they graduate. One year free of them sounded okay to her though. "Thanks," she squinted down at him as she gently took her frames from his hand. Slipping them back on comfortably, she realized she was staring at him again, and Merlin, those eyes. Maybe that was the reason he kept getting beat up! "You're not intimidating enough. Like sure, you could beat any of them in a duel if you wanted, but your eyes are soft and you're half the size of Bagman." Hogwarts didn't have a gym or anything, so she didn't know if there was even a way to exercise aside from conjuring weights and using the Quidditch Pitch or an empty classroom. "I don't think I would take you seriously if you got angry at me either."MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0
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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 18:58:42 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Aug 25, 2022 7:37:49 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Aug 25, 2022 7:37:49 GMT -7
come over here and sit next to me Despite her missing glasses and the assumption that she could not him very well Rhys gave Juniper a look. The same ‘really?’ Look he had given Madame Pomfrey earlier and one he gave to his friends often. As if some didn’t already think so little of him. Of course he tried to ignore them but then that rage built up like this heaviness in the pit of his stomach until there was a point he couldn’t hold back. It wasn’t easy to describe, but Rhys hadn’t found that line yet of where he could still control it or not. As she put her glasses back on she seemed to blink a few times at his presence before speaking again. Well, so much for those compliments earlier. With an eyebrow raised he slowly stood and sat on the edge of his bed.
”Forgive me if I’m celebrating not being the size of a troll.” The sarcasm flowed easily. While he hadn’t enjoyed being feet smaller than those goons at least he wasn’t comically funny looking. Well apparently except for his eyes, according to Juniper. Continuing on that note he let out an annoyed sigh. ”My eyes are soft? What does that even mean?” Honestly, he didn’t know what that meant. Personally he didn’t find them so, but Rhys had also first encountered them in a far different context than his classmates. And here I thought you liked them.” Rhys spoke, his tone flat. He didn’t actually care if she liked them or not but this entire conversation had left him wondering which way was up.
”You’re impossible…” Mumbling under his breathe he looked around the large Hospital Wing. It was never full in here, which was likely a good thing. But then again, Quidditch practices had yet to begin and Rhys or the other bullied kids were the usual visitors here. But her last comment did bother him just slightly. Was he really not that intimidating? On a scale from one to Sarah where did he land? Not even the growth spurt from the previous year had seemed to faze anyone. Except for Nell and Sarah asking if he had used some charm to stretch himself out to reach his current height of just a few inches shy of six feet. Though Rhys merely shrugged rather than admit the Orphanage wasn’t exactly handing out protein shakes to the growing teenage boys. ”I didn’t think you took me or anyone seriously.” Now he was just feeling a tad defensive, or perhaps it was just angst. Either way he still had no idea why she had landed on him as a choice for anything.
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juniper minerva mcgonagall
HOGWARTS ALUM TRANSFIGURATION MASTERY ANIMAGUS WITCH TV SCREENWRITER LIFE PROFESSOR
402 posts
played by Colin
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last online May 5, 2024 12:24:40 GMT -7
HOGWARTS CAMPUS STAFF
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Aug 25, 2022 9:21:28 GMT -7
Post by juniper minerva mcgonagall on Aug 25, 2022 9:21:28 GMT -7
▲ "Trolls are a lot bigger than Bagman. And ugly. You're not ugly," Juniper pointed out. Bagman was fairly ugly though. She'd often wondered how many bludgers he'd caught with his teeth, because those things were way too white to be real. Either that or he ate rocks as a main food group. Rhys could've been on to something by saying the older boy was part-troll. Now she was starting to question if he actually was. As for what she meant about his eyes, that was a bit easier to explain. "That was a compliment. Even though you could kill anyone you wanted once a month, you don't. And it shows in your eyes." Plus she sort of liked staring at them. Juniper immediately wondered if they were the kind that glinted at the slightest bit of light, or could be seen in the dark. It brought back the earlier thought of how his werewolf effected them. She wanted to know if others like him had similar eyes. Getting up close and personal with Sarah, the only other werewolf she knew of, definitely wasn't going to happen though. That would be a fast return trip to her Hospital Wing bed. She didn't respond to his comment about being 'impossible'. She knew she could be difficult. That was just how she was. Changing that would be a total tonal shift and she was scared that it would change too much of who she was if she attempted that. Being nicer to people was possible though... "You know what I meant," she countered. "Then how about through next year too? Since we'll both be in Potions again." That was pretty serious. Potions partners two years in a row was a big commitment. Especially for her. "Make it a long term sort of thing, you know?" And then she could stick it to Nell and Sarah. They were going to have to learn to play nice together. MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0
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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 18:58:42 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Aug 25, 2022 10:20:19 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Aug 25, 2022 10:20:19 GMT -7
come over here and sit next to me This was by far the strangest conversation he’d ever participated in. And his social circle wasn’t large and they weren’t extraordinarily popular or anything. Nell would often chat about various wand materials and things like that while Rhys focused on making sure the volume of her voice wasn’t too loud in the library. Conversations about wands were easily taken out of context. Again, he looked unsure. Some statements didn’t exactly sound like compliments when they were spoken so frankly. And when Bagman was the comparison. He suppressed a sarcastic comment for the moment.
But her next statement caught him a little off guard. Rhys frowned a little for a second as he contemplated the weight of those words. Well, first, there was the Wolfsbane potion. That helped with everyone’s safety, including his own. Rhys had seen enough carnage before the age of ten to last a lifetime. Second, Rhys was terrified of crossing that line accidentally or otherwise. So he did what he could to ensure it didn’t happen. Opening his mouth to speak, Rhys closed it as he wasn’t sure how to respond to that. His eyes merely lingered on the girl for a few seconds. Finally, he just shook his head and almost wanted to chuckle before looking away. ”You are not what you seem, McGonagall…”
Sure she’d done the usual bossing him around all those things, but it was still not the interaction he’d expected with her. But she was still giving him a headache. What in the world was she going on about? Rhys looked around for any signs of Madam Pomfrey, her staff, or anyone. The lingering headache hadn’t faded with that last potion, but then again might explain everything. ”What does—“ Incredulity crept into his eyes. ”What the bloody hell does Potions have to do with anything?” Leaning his head back so it rested against the wall, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. ”Merlin, I must have a concussion…” Letting out a sigh he didn’t move. ”That must be it. Just a concussion…” That plus the earlier pain potion must be why his eyes felt like crossing permanently.
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juniper minerva mcgonagall
HOGWARTS ALUM TRANSFIGURATION MASTERY ANIMAGUS WITCH TV SCREENWRITER LIFE PROFESSOR
402 posts
played by Colin
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last online May 5, 2024 12:24:40 GMT -7
HOGWARTS CAMPUS STAFF
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Aug 25, 2022 14:31:58 GMT -7
Post by juniper minerva mcgonagall on Aug 25, 2022 14:31:58 GMT -7
▲ She was confused by his statement. Of course she was what she seemed. He even admitted that she was blunt just a few moments ago, so it was strange that he apparently now thought otherwise. Everything she'd said had been fairly factual based on what she knew of him and werewolves, as well on Bagman and the inner workings of how they were all paired up in Potions class. It would be so much easier having someone that was sort of competent than the two goof-offs that put her here in the first place. Nell was smart but she just wouldn't stop talking about wands sometimes. Everyone knew that all of this was a waste of her time, but being forced to listen to it wasted all of their time too. Juniper disliked her for that and that alone. The confusion only got worse when it was apparent that Rhys had no idea what she was talking about. Potions had everything to do with it, after all. Opening her mouth to start to explain it all again, he continued, saying that he must've had a concussion. Merlin his face hadn't looked that bad. Or was it her talking? She knew she wasn't good with any of this, so it was possible she'd simply talked for too long. Sinking into her pillow and staring straight across the room, she let out a long exhale. "If you don't want to be Potions partners, it's okay. I get it." Whether or not he was faking a concussion didn't matter. Juniper understood that she overstepped her boundaries and tried to force teaming up as a punishment when he wasn't at fault to begin with. It felt weird because she never put herself out there like this. Looking back at him after a moment of quiet reflection, she noticed he had his head leaned back and was holding his nose. "Wait, you were being serious about the concussion? I can call Madame Pomfrey..." Juniper stammered while immediately trying to swing herself out of bed, only remembering she was down a leg once both feet were touching the floor. She stopped herself short though, right leg hovering mere inches away from taking her body weight on it. "Madame Pomfrey!" she called loudly, forgetting that Rhys had just told her he might have a concussion. MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0
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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 18:58:42 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Aug 25, 2022 16:32:28 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Aug 25, 2022 16:32:28 GMT -7
come over here and sit next to me Potions partners. Of course. Rhys stayed with his eyes closed for another few moments. Leave it to him to completely mishear something. But he had to think, and the difficulty made him wonder if one of his injuries was a concussion. Before he could do anything about it Juniper began yelling for Madame Pomfrey, which made him jump a little. ”I’m fine.” Rhys insisted through gritted teeth. ”Will you stop?” At that moment, he couldn’t decide if existing as a walking punching bag was more embarrassing than completely misunderstanding what Juniper had meant by ‘partner’. Talk about missing the context.
Through sheer will, he forced his face to remain typically pale and not let his ears burn like before. Rhys crossed his arms and worked up the nerve to look at her. It seemed there was only one thing left to do. But before Rhys could open his mouth, he saw the stoic face of Madam Pomfrey glaring right at him as she marched down toward their beds. Rhys wished he could have sunk and hidden in his bed. ’What is all the yelling about?’ She did not appear pleased and looked at both of them suspiciously. Going somewhere Ms. McGonagall?” With hands on her hips, she looked at Juniper, whose leg was off the bed instead of resting. Her eyes then sharply turned to Rhys. ’Mr. Greyback?’
”I—erm—my head still hurts…” Rhys managed to mumble. It was true, but he also just needed to say something. ’Hmph. I’ll be back.’ Her eyes lingered on him for an extra second, as if he was obviously guilty of something. But while it made him feel like a small boy, Rhys was also used to those kinds of looks from his Professors. She finally walked away, though Rhys waited until he heard a door close to finally look at Juniper. ”I’ll be your Potions partner.” That was certainly easier than where his mind had jumped, and he felt a little stupid that it did. Rhys wasn’t some girl-obsessed boy as some of his dormmates. Finally, he looked at his neighbor. ”But one condition.”
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juniper minerva mcgonagall
HOGWARTS ALUM TRANSFIGURATION MASTERY ANIMAGUS WITCH TV SCREENWRITER LIFE PROFESSOR
402 posts
played by Colin
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last online May 5, 2024 12:24:40 GMT -7
HOGWARTS CAMPUS STAFF
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Aug 25, 2022 19:13:33 GMT -7
Post by juniper minerva mcgonagall on Aug 25, 2022 19:13:33 GMT -7
▲ Juniper ignored Rhys when he said he was fine. He didn't look fine to her and it was better to have someone that actually knew medicine look at him. Concussions were no joke. It didn't take long for Madame Pomfrey to come back to where they were seated, and also start in on the lecture about having her legs swung out the way they were. "No...sorry. I almost forgot..." she responded to the older woman, looking down at her feet before sliding herself back to the position she was in before. She had forgotten about her own encounter with Madame Pomfrey over the course of the conversation she'd been having with Rhys over the last several minutes. After all the whining she'd done earlier while being treated, she wasn't on the best of terms with the nurse currently. And Rhys coming in all bruised probably didn't help either. Being lumped together with a repeat visitor was just what she wanted. Rhys explained that his head hurt and was told by Madame Pomfrey she'd be right back. There was a long glare between the two of them before she turned to leave, and neither of them said anything as she headed towards her office. The echo of her shoes against the marble flooring reminding her that it was just the three of them there. As soon as the door closed though, Rhys confirmed that he'd be her Potions partner. That was great! Now she didn't need to guilt trip him further to make up for his friend's gaff. "Okay, what's the condition?" she answered, still excited that she scored someone with more than two brain cells finally. Once his grades for practicals started going up with her help, he was never going to want to go back to his other friends. MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0
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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 18:58:42 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Aug 25, 2022 22:45:16 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Aug 25, 2022 22:45:16 GMT -7
come over here and sit next to me She hardly questioned anything after he’d accepted his new post as her Potions partner. The next thing that popped into his head was wondering how he would break the news to Nell. Maybe he would just conveniently stand to the side, so when Juniper approached, it seemed like he was stuck. Or he could say he did it, so she wasn’t in trouble? Or perhaps the truth that he was somehow to blame for all this and now had to pay his penance. Rhys’ headache was certainly not getting any better, and he actually hoped that Madame Pomfrey would return soon.
The condition wasn’t anything dramatic, but a thought had popped into his head. If Nell and Sarah were to blame for this whole thing, Rhys knew his friend would be a nervous wreck. Nell Ollivander wasn’t a troublemaker. She didn’t end up in fights, detention, or class incidents. That was typically Rhys or Sarah while she shook her head from a distance. In fact, Rhys was surprised that Nell hadn’t already run through the door to check on Juniper and find her way into her good graces. But if not now, then soon. ”Nell.” Rhys began. ”She’ll want to apologize.” It didn’t seem like a big deal, but he would explain why in a moment. ”If you don’t accept her apology, she will keep apologizing until you do.” Ever wondered what having a shadow that could speak was like?
It wasn’t a bad trait. Rhys often marveled at how she carried her anxiety compared to his own. Even if they were simply classmates, Rhys knew that Juniper was a special type of stubborn. Why simply accept an apology when you could tell that person precisely what they did wrong? ”Oh, and if I’m not in class for whatever reason…you’re better off partnering with her because your other choice is Sarah.” He looked to the side casually. While Sarah was a good friend of his, someone who understood the complexity of living as a werewolf—he knew how she was. After that, he merely waited for some acknowledgment from her. His eyes scanned her face for any signs of annoyance with his request.
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juniper minerva mcgonagall
HOGWARTS ALUM TRANSFIGURATION MASTERY ANIMAGUS WITCH TV SCREENWRITER LIFE PROFESSOR
402 posts
played by Colin
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last online May 5, 2024 12:24:40 GMT -7
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Aug 26, 2022 8:36:59 GMT -7
Post by juniper minerva mcgonagall on Aug 26, 2022 8:36:59 GMT -7
▲ Juniper had assumed that she was going to be bombarded with apologies from the Ollivander girl. She already had, and the remorse was fairly obvious because such an accident had never happened in any of the classes she'd had with Nell before. Accepting an apology would at least remove the annoying habit the girl had of incessantly talking and freaking out about it. Maybe it would also keep her from talking about wands all class and instead focus on whatever the task at hand was. Juniper turned away from Rhys for a moment as she thought about how she would probably end up dealing with the other girl. "I guess it was an accident...a stupid one, but okay," she relented. Whatever made her prolonged suffering end faster, really. If she was going to be stuck with the color green on her leg, she preferred to get the apology part done and out of the way. The last thing she wanted was Nell trying to say sorry every time they saw one another for their final two years of school. Because she probably would. She narrowed her eyes at him as he also asked her to partner with Nell if he happened to be absent from class. That was more than 'one condition'. Would that really be a good idea? Considering Nell was a mess because of what happened today, there was no telling how inefficient she'd be if the two of them paired up for a class. On the other hand, if she was completely useless and still trying to apologize at that point, how different would it be from every other partner over the last few years where Juniper did the lion's share of the work? "I'd rather work on my own at that point," she said slowly. That wouldn't fly with the professor though. Everyone had to be in pairs for safety reasons (which completely failed today). She wanted to say no, but with the other option only being Sarah, she really didn't have much choice. And the way he was looking at her with his eyes...there was no way Rhys knew how intriguing they were. "Fine. I'll pair up with her if you aren't there. She's not going to make it a huge deal if the two of us are together, right?"MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0
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rhys alexander greyback
HOGWARTS ALUM WEREWOLF CURSEBREAKER ECHO
1,174 posts
played by vanessa
the air around me still feels like a cage
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last online May 5, 2024 18:58:42 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Aug 26, 2022 9:19:25 GMT -7
Post by rhys alexander greyback on Aug 26, 2022 9:19:25 GMT -7
come over here and sit next to me Rhys now really wanted to know what had happened in class that day. Nell was probably pacing a hole in the common room floor by this point, though Rhys wasn’t there to simply nod his head as she talked and talked about the same thing. But fortunately, Juniper relented. For a moment, Rhys wondered if she would say no, but in that case, he would have happily rescinded his acceptance of the Potions partnership. Juniper could have probably just casually accepted the apology and not make a big thing of it, but Rhys had been friends long enough with Nell to know how she’d react at this point.
It was likey Rhys could spend another entire day here, depending on how he healed up and just observing in case he did have that concussion. While he had been kidding before, now that he thought back on the fight—that hard wrestling-like shove into that suit of armor had been a little intense. Not to mention that the suit of armor was against the very solid castle wall. But he was still at least able to give Juniper a look as she resisted his, technically, second condition. ”Probably not.” Actually, he wasn’t entirely sure, but eventually, everybody would settle down.
The door opened again, echoing in the empty wing, and the sound made him jump a little. During all these visits, he never quite got used to that echo. Madam Pomfrey made her way down, surveying the two suspiciously. She didn’t trust teenagers and their stories most of the time. Then again, students sometimes gave her the wildest excuses to try and cover their misdeeds. Rhys had learned quickly as a first year to just tell her he had gotten pushed into a wall, and that’s why his nose was gushing blood. She wordlessly handed him a potion and then looked at her other patient for an extra few seconds before leaving them again. Rhys knew this potion and knew the second he took it that he would be asleep within the hour. Well, he was staying overnight for sure, then. He drank it. It wasn’t as bitter as the other potions but a little sour. Grimacing, he placed the empty container on the side table. But he was tired nonetheless.
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