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[wunderkind]

STUFF GOES IN HERE

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And a lot of lies.

[bitty_justice]

Obviously.

[Miles smiles, more confident. He didn't say anything weird - or not so weird that Sirius was weirded out, anyway - and now things are clear and out in the open. And he took a risk, and it paid off.]

It'd be stupid to end it just because of that. I hope there aren't people who actually do that.

[parumcanis]

Well-- there are.

[He kicks his heel against the bench, staring at the floor a moment. So far, he has had several dangerous thoughts, expressed a few dangerous opinions--and nothing has happened to him. It's with an air of decisiveness and daring that he looks up at Edgeworth.]

But they're stupid. It doesn't matter.

[bitty_justice]

[Sirius is looking at him a bit strangely, like this is some important proclamation; Miles doesn't know why, but he nods nevertheless, firmly.]

That's very stupid. [Still - ] But I think maybe I'll ask to be in Gryffindor, then. Just because it would be easier if we were in the same house.

[parumcanis]

[I might not be in Gryffindor, but Sirius can't say that aloud. He keeps that to himself, because he's ashamed that he's even thought, for a second, about being in Gryffindor. It's basically a betrayal to his family, isn't it?

Edgeworth's proclamation distracts him anyways, and he grins a little.]

Well-- you can't ask. It's the Sorting Hat that decides it.

[bitty_justice]

Um -

[Well, that's - Incomprehensible, honestly.]

What's the...Sorting Hat?

[parumcanis]

[Totally self-assured, he answers breezily, like this is a very obvious and simple fact of life. (Because it is.)]

The Hat decides what house you're going to be in, of course. There's the Sorting at the start of every term--they put the Hat on you and it chooses which house you'll be in. It reads things right out of your head and gives you a test.

And it sings.

[bitty_justice]

A - a test.

[The sudden stress on Miles' face is very, very clear. He wishes suddenly that he'd read more than he did.]

About...what?

[parumcanis]

Well-- you don't have to do anything.

[As a second year, Sirius will be all too ready to terrorise poor innocent firsties with tales of THE TEST. As a poor innocent firstie himself, Sirius is... less certain of what the test will entail.]

My cousin tried to tell me that they send you up against a dragon, but she's not a very good liar. It's a test in your head.

[bitty_justice]

[And Miles nearly droops. Then that means - ]

They're testing knowledge, then. How good you are. We'll be separated out into - knowledge groups, won't we? So we won't be in the same lessons.

[parumcanis]

Nooo--

[He peels open one of his licorice tongues, pulling a vague face at it.]

It isn't a test like that. It isn't about skills--it's about what you have. Qualities.

[bitty_justice]

Oh.

[Well, that's not so bad.]

So it sees if we're brave or that sort of thing? Is it psychic?

[parumcanis]

Not psychic. Psychic is a muggle thing. It's just--

[He frowns, quietly, unsure of how to define this.]

It just knows. It's been around for ages--since Hogwarts was founded, nearly. That's before Merlin.

[bitty_justice]

[Miles wrinkles his nose a little bit, because he doesn't really see the difference between psychic powers and magical mind-reading like they mentioned in the introduction to the Book of Spells. But if Sirius says no, then Miles believes him, especially when he has that thoughtful expression on his face.]

Well, could it know when someone wants to be in the same House as their friends? I mean - it seems like you should be able to go into a different House if you wanted to. Especially since it's not good if only people who are alike are collected into any given House.

[Miles nods firmly, because he has another little bit of Truth to impart:]

My dad says you should always seek out those who aren't like you and who think differently from you, because those are the people who will open your eyes to the truth and help you grow.

[parumcanis]

Your dad says all that?

[He scoffs--but his smile is more impressed than anything else. That is a great deal of wisdom bestowed upon Edgeworth; even if he's not sure of what it means, precisely, he can tell that much.]

I dunno. Maybe the Sorting Hat thinks the same as your dad. That sounds wise, anyways. But if everyone was different, they wouldn't get on. There'd be fighting in the houses.

[bitty_justice]

[Miles shakes his head, really very pleased by the turn this conversation has taken. Sirius calling his dad wise, and looking pretty impressed with him. If Sirius thinks Dad is cool, then Sirius is smart; that's just basic logic.]

Except that you can get along perfectly well with people who are different from you. I mean, we're pretty different, I think.

[parumcanis]

We're not that different.

[He says it dismissively, and only after he's said it does he realise how great a claim he's actually made, comparing himself to a muggle-born. His mother wouldn't be pleased by that. But his mother isn't here, either--and it's true, he thinks, stubbornly.]

Except I'll bet you don't know anything about quidditch, or anything good. But you'll learn. That doesn't make you different.

[bitty_justice]

[And Miles knows he ought to take offense at being told he doesn't know about anything good, but, well - he just is too enthused at having made a friend so quickly. And a friend like Sirius, at that - someone really fun, someone energetic and cool.]

And you'll have to come visit me and I'll show you cool stuff in the normal - Muggle world. Like there's a museum, this museum close to me, and they just opened up an exhibit on tornadoes, and they have tornado tubes. Really cool.

[parumcanis]

I--

[Wouldn't be allowed, that's the only way that sentence can be finished. Sirius will never be allowed in the muggle world, never allowed to fratranise with muggle-born students, let alone stay over at the houses. But he's too excited by the prospect, too pleased at having made a new friend--and so he shoves that thought away, as if tehre will be some miracle that will allow him to go round to Edgeworth's to see these things that he's talking about--

No, Miles, he corrects himself. If they're friends they can use given names.]

What's a tornado tube?

[bitty_justice]

It's - okay.

[Miles leans forward eagerly. It doesn't take much to make him warm to this subject - which is silly; he oughtn't be going on about science if he's about to be a wizard - but it's just too cool.]

So - all right, you know tornadoes, right? They have these tubes with mist and wind, and you can simulate a tornado - determine how fast you want the mind speed to go, determine the temperature, all that - to experiment with how to make a tornado.

[parumcanis]

[He squints, suspiciously. Miles might very well be having him on and he'd never know--because he's not been to the muggle world and seen such things.

Though now he wishes he had, if it is indeed true.]

Get out. Why would you want to do that?

[bitty_justice]

Well, out of scientific interest, of course...

[Which is the answer he knows he ought to give; here's the real answer, and he breaks and delivers it with a big grin - ]

And also because it's so cool. You get to see the colored smoke forming into a cyclone, and they do the sounds and everything -

[parumcanis]

[All right, yeah, that's cool. Science isn't cool, but coloured smoke and cyclones and sounds--]

D'you get to stand in it?

[bitty_justice]

[Miles grins and nods.]

Not in the ones that you make, but there's a big central one where you get to run through it, yeah.

[parumcanis]

Wow.

[He's openly impressed with that, and there's a moment as he just-- tries to imagine the full experience of running through a tornado. Brilliant.]

Is it in London?

[bitty_justice]

Mm-hm. That's where we live now - me and Dad. We're from America originally but moved here five years ago. Anyway, our flat is petty small, but you can definitely stay in my room. If you don't have a place to stay in London, that is. You're not from London, right?

[He chatters cheerfully at Sirius, quite pleased with this prospect for the holiday break.]

I have a pretty good ear for accents, and you don't sound like it. Plus if you haven't been around non-magical stuff much.