wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure

[alittlemirror]

To say Jade is displeased would be an understatement. It's not that he cares about this detention tarnishing his record, no. He doesn't really care about his record. What he does care about is how it cuts into his studying time. He had just come across a particularly fascinating snippet on the nature of death and the soul...

(And besides, those Hufflepuffs had started it with their incessant chattering. They're like a less annoying version of Saphir, and nobody had ever really objected when he hexed Saphir. And it's not like he used a serious hex; he just sealed and removed their mouths. Easily reversible, if they knew what they were doing - and knew how to use nonverbal spells.

After all, what kind of first-year doesn't know how to use nonverbal spells?)

But someone had taken offense to his hex, and now he finds himself trudging to Professor Rammsteiner's office, growing increasingly irritated at the loss of his study time. From what he's heard of detentions, they usually entail doing useless, mundane tasks easily accomplished with a little creative wandwork. He's thought about ignoring Professor Rammsteiner's orders more than once, but he's also been told that it would just lead to more detentions and thus a bigger waste of time.

Oh well. He's here now. With one last irritated sigh, he raises his hand to the door and knocks.

"Professor Rammsteiner? This is Jade Curtiss."

Comments

[canicide]

Eichel? "He's a—" —total creep, Heine wants to say, but it's not like he has any room to talk, does he? Pausing, he presses his lips together.

"Just wondering." If it means Jade won't be coming around late at night to practice wandless magic and... other things, he should be happy. He shrugs awkwardly and crosses his arms. "What else is he teaching you?"

[aseptic]

"He's a...?" Jade prompts, ignoring Professor Rammsteiner's question. He doesn't really want to talk about how Professor Eichel is teaching him the Dark Arts. He had passed the First Task with flying colours, but his use of Fiendfyre had attracted some dark mutterings and suspicious glances.

It doesn't upset him, really. It's just irritating. And with the interviews coming up, he foresees all the rumours flying around to grow even worse.

[canicide]

"I know him." He shrugs again. The name brings unpleasant memories, of the years spent in this school that felt nearly the same as her home.

"What's he teaching you?" What had Eichel taught as a subject? Heine frowns slightly. "Dark Magic?" There's no judgment, despite his words. He'd learned it too, after all.

[aseptic]

"Yes," he confirms, a guarded look in his eyes. Professor Rammsteiner doesn't seem like he's about to chastise him. Maybe that's not a surprise - he knows how to conjure Fiendfyre as well, after all. He must have some knowledge of the Dark Arts.

Briefly, his thoughts flash to the scar that ran along Professor Rammsteiner's back. He never managed to figure out the significance of it, did he?

He doesn't ask about it now. He's here to cut ties. Instead, he asks: "How did you know him?"

Another thought occurs to him. "Did you study here?"

[canicide]

"Yeah." He'd never talked about it, largely through the simple desire to avoid his past as much as possible. But he's not about to lie about it or try to avoid a yes or no question when asked so directly.

"With Professor Eichel, do you..." Trailing off, Heine can't think of a better way to phrase it. "...do it as well?"

Have sex, that is. His expression doesn't outwardly change, but there's a steady burn of apprehension in his throat. He wants to hear no for an answer. But is that really only because he wants Jade to stop sleeping with people fast too old for him? Or is it also jealousy causing the problem, an emotion he's certainly denying?

[aseptic]

"Have sex?" He can't think of what else Professor Rammsteiner could be trying to get at. He wonders why Professor Rammsteiner is skirting around the topic, though; after what they had done...

No. There's no need to wonder. He knows why, and it makes him annoyed all over again.

"Yes." The word comes out sharper than usual. "It was part of our bargain."

As far as he's concerned, he's getting the better end of the bargain. Jade smiles, humourless. "I hope that doesn't bother you."

[canicide]

Heine shakes his head in response before Jade can pick at a lack of reply. Eichel... Heine remembers him, like he'd said, and more than that he remembers how on the edge Eichel had seemed, even all those years ago. He decides to keep an eye on him before remembering that he's not supposed to care. Not after they've already fucked—moreover, right in this very room. Though he wants to tell Jade that he shouldn't, that it's not a good idea... Heine had been the one to encourage him in the first place. He'd—fuck, he'd taken Jade's first time. He has no right to act like he has Jade's best interests in mind.

A sigh slips out of him before he realizes it.

"Is that all?"

[aseptic]

His smile doesn't budge.

"Yes."

And that's it, he supposes. Professor Rammsteiner got the message. He's accomplished his purpose here.

So why does he feel so dissatisfied?

Frowning, he turns to leave.