Post by tanith on Aug 28, 2011 23:20:37 GMT 1
Tanith Malfoy had developed two fairly serious addictions during her time at Hogwarts. One of them was an impressive smoking habit that left her wheezing for breath on half a lap of the Quidditch pitch and with a constant cold from huddling in corners of the courtyard during bitter Winter weather for sneaky mid-afternoon fags. The other, which was less harmful to her health but admittedly even more of a guilty pleasure and more uncool - was Gobstones. She blamed Severus Snape for the Gobstones one - well, partly for both because he also smoked and she found to her surprise that cigarette breaks were more frequent and (though she'd never admit it) more enjoyable with a partner. But mostly for Gobstones. A shared bout of insomnia over a year before had initiated the weird night time game sessions, although Tanith hadn't expected that a year on, along with a lost bet and more bickering than pleasantries, the unofficial Hogwarts Gobstone Society (which had only two members) was still going strong. Well, still going, which was surprising enough. There was sometimes blips, during which one or the other, or both of them, sulked and abandoned the game to swap sneering jibes instead which happened more often than not.
But bickering or not, it was much more enjoyable than spending the night shivering in the freezing January nights, listening to her roommates' snoring and the dripping pipes and counting sheep or doses of sleeping draught or sodding Hippogriffs in her attempts to nod off. Tanith had been inexperienced at the start of the Gobstones gaming sessions and her odd not-quite-but-wait-is-it-maybe-a-friendship with Severus, both in terms of social interaction and gaming prowess. But she'd improved, she liked to think - possibly more on the Gobstones front than on the social interaction front - possibly on neither at all. It was part of the original agreement, that he would give her lessons, but nonetheless Tanith liked to think that she he had cultivated her own natural talent with the help of a few magazine articles and strategy books. She was still, unfortunately, not as good as Severus, by far, but could sometimes distract the conversation enough to negotiate a slim win (but more often a slim lose or a draw). That was the strategy tonight at least.
A veteran of late night amblings by now, Tanith was already waiting on the sofa near the empty grate - absently poking at it with her wand to try and light a fire in vain. It was absolutely bollocking freezing, despite her two jumpers with woolly pyjamas and socks. Really Tan was mostly concerned about the cold numbing her fingers. That would be a double advantage to Severus, if she wasn't nimble enough for the game, nor able to smoke (or rather, coerce him into lending her fags so she could smoke). It was best to play fair after all - otherwise that wasn't a friendly game. It was okay to have friendly bickering, but cheating was another matter, surely. At least, that's what she was idly thinking to herself as she tried to lodge a piece of folded parchment under one of the legs of the coffee table to that the Gobstones board she had taken the liberty of setting up was tipped ever so slightly in her favour. Well, that was hardly cheating - he had an unfair advantage from experience. Besides, she always arrived before him, and Tan doubted Severus would notice tonight. His thoughts were evidently elsewhere lately seeing as he was apparently (well, most of it was boasting, surely) getting a bit of attention from the ladies these days.
Settling down again against the saggy sofa, Tanith decided to use that distraction to her gaming advantage as well. And then she quickly decided to stop thinking about the whole boring issue at once and covered the involuntary derisive snort she had made with a small cough as she waited for the other half of the Gobstones Society to arrive.
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Word count: 676
Notes: I'M BACK BBBYY =D
Outfitandthat: put in later 'cause it's taking ages and it's superfluous anyway 'cause yaay post.
But bickering or not, it was much more enjoyable than spending the night shivering in the freezing January nights, listening to her roommates' snoring and the dripping pipes and counting sheep or doses of sleeping draught or sodding Hippogriffs in her attempts to nod off. Tanith had been inexperienced at the start of the Gobstones gaming sessions and her odd not-quite-but-wait-is-it-maybe-a-friendship with Severus, both in terms of social interaction and gaming prowess. But she'd improved, she liked to think - possibly more on the Gobstones front than on the social interaction front - possibly on neither at all. It was part of the original agreement, that he would give her lessons, but nonetheless Tanith liked to think that she he had cultivated her own natural talent with the help of a few magazine articles and strategy books. She was still, unfortunately, not as good as Severus, by far, but could sometimes distract the conversation enough to negotiate a slim win (but more often a slim lose or a draw). That was the strategy tonight at least.
A veteran of late night amblings by now, Tanith was already waiting on the sofa near the empty grate - absently poking at it with her wand to try and light a fire in vain. It was absolutely bollocking freezing, despite her two jumpers with woolly pyjamas and socks. Really Tan was mostly concerned about the cold numbing her fingers. That would be a double advantage to Severus, if she wasn't nimble enough for the game, nor able to smoke (or rather, coerce him into lending her fags so she could smoke). It was best to play fair after all - otherwise that wasn't a friendly game. It was okay to have friendly bickering, but cheating was another matter, surely. At least, that's what she was idly thinking to herself as she tried to lodge a piece of folded parchment under one of the legs of the coffee table to that the Gobstones board she had taken the liberty of setting up was tipped ever so slightly in her favour. Well, that was hardly cheating - he had an unfair advantage from experience. Besides, she always arrived before him, and Tan doubted Severus would notice tonight. His thoughts were evidently elsewhere lately seeing as he was apparently (well, most of it was boasting, surely) getting a bit of attention from the ladies these days.
Settling down again against the saggy sofa, Tanith decided to use that distraction to her gaming advantage as well. And then she quickly decided to stop thinking about the whole boring issue at once and covered the involuntary derisive snort she had made with a small cough as she waited for the other half of the Gobstones Society to arrive.
--
Word count: 676
Notes: I'M BACK BBBYY =D
Outfitandthat: put in later 'cause it's taking ages and it's superfluous anyway 'cause yaay post.
