Parselmouth by Day

“You can stop staring now. Ze rumors are true. I do wear my enemies ears as jewelry. Run along.”

*❝Wissen Sie. . .Ears are not the beste choice for jewelry. Teeth vould be more practical.❞

❝It iz my favorite time of year, the air iz so crisp. It does make me feel homesick.❞

“.. right, and why would anyone show up to class that early?” Barty added. Then again, the Slytherin wasn’t too keen on attending these courses anyways. Glancing at her homework, Barty shrugged. He wasn’t a fan of the subject; he wasn’t a fan of anything.  “You must love the astronomy tower, then.” 

❝That section of students apparently. I see the same cluster in every room. Are they always the first to show up?❞ Niko offered in reply tilting her head in the direction of a small group of Ravenclaw students.  ❝Ja, at least vhen I manage to get the space to myself. Do you vander up there often?❞  

Barty slid the drink towards her, ignoring the dizziness he felt from the liquor. He shook his head, trying to focus, adding, “… a friend is mad at me, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” 

Dorcas laughed, “you make a valid point, Niko. Honestly, they should ease up on the homework if they want fully awake and attentive students. The higher up you go by year, the more work and exams that await.” 

❝Durmstrang piles mountains of class vork on us from the first year. You vould think ve vould be used to it by now.❞ She sighed with a shake of her head, clearly the answer to that was no. ❝It’s exhausting. It’s a miracle ve keep up.❞

Barty didn’t react to her apology, even though he was glad to have received it. He was frankly getting tired for always adjusting to these foreigners – yes, they were the guests of honor but he did not like being snapped at for no apparent reason. Besides, the sit had been rightfully his now. “There’s not enough room to squeeze three entire schools into one castle. I don’t know how they expect us to accommodate, especially in class.” He supposed that had been another viable reason to skip those courses altogether. Upon her question, Barty shrugged. He wasn’t really the studying type, but some homework had to be done. Barely enough to keep him from failing, that is. “.. a little bit of both. And yourself?” 

❝It doesn’t seem like a very well thought out arrangement. If you aren’t one of the first in class, finding a seat is impossible.❞ It was just further confirmation of what he had been saying, there were just to many students for the castle. ❝Astronomy class vork. Though I enjoy astronomy so I suppose both. It got lucky this time.❞ Nikolina nodded with a slight smile.

“S’why you have to keep drinking,” Barty clarified, reaching for his glass again. The taste wasn’t getting any better, or perhaps he was simply getting number. Either way, he pointed his ( now empty ) glass at her, wondering, “.. you going to join?” 

❝Messe Punkt. Sorry, that’s a fair point.❞ The girl said with a soft chuckle as he threw back another glass. It was all to clear that the dark liquid was not getting any better and yet still he continued. Cognac eyes blinked questioningly at the empty glass as it wiggled before her. ❝Sure vhy not. Vhat’s the occasion?❞ Nikolina questioned as she took up a seat next to him.

“… relax, s’not going to kill me,” Barty confirmed. He took another gulp of the bitter alcohol, cringing at the taste. It would definitely take a few more sips before he began to enjoy the drink. Not that he minded; not at all. 

Finished, she had finally finished . . . Nikolina had been buried under a mound of classwork, so much that she hadn’t moved in hours. How did they expect anyone to finish so much in a night? Especially with the tournament closing in to occupy their minds. It had taken her awhile to find a free space to even sit herself. With a tired sigh Niko began yet another roaming tour, nearly reaching a point to where turning back seemed the only remaining option. As the witch turned on her feet something caught her attention, the clink of a glass landing heavily on a table. Generally she wasn’t the nosy type but bored times called for desperate measures. ❝ Might not kill you in theory, but the taste doesn’t seem to agree with you. ❞ Nikolina mused in an observing tone as she found the source of the noise.