(no subject)

[wunderkind]

STUFF GOES IN HERE

Comments

[parumcanis]

You should write him, as soon as we get to Hogwarts, and ask.

[He leans forward, eagerly--and if they go from Hogwarts, his parents won't ever find out. He can go and see the muggle world, and the limousine, and no one will ever know.]

You don't think he'd mind?

[bitty_justice]

[Miles shakes his head, though his voice is dubious.]

No, he wouldn't. He...wouldn't get it, I think, because he sort of thinks all things like that are a bit stupid, but he wouldn't mind at all. He likes when people expand their horizons.

[And he's quite certain of this last fact, so this he says with confidence.]

And he'd like you a lot.

[parumcanis]

Really?

[If Miles is dubious of the actual trip to the limo, Sirius is dubious of-- well, the rest of it.]

Even though he doesn't-- know me?

[bitty_justice]

[Miles wrinkles his nose; he'd never outright say that's a stupid question - or, at least, not when he's thinking about Dad, who taught him good manners - but he's definitely thinking it.]

Well, he'll know you once he meets you, won't he?

[parumcanis]

Well-- yeah--

[Truth be told, this is his first time of meeting people he doesn't know already--or really, more accurately, people that don't know him. The unknown is strange to encounter, and--he's not nervous. He's fairly likable, probably, he thinks. But still.]

If you say so. I s'ppose it would be okay. D'you think they'd let us go back to London? From school, I mean.

[bitty_justice]

Well, for breaks.

[He frowns a little bit, trying to remember the term schedule.]

I don't know about for weekend trips and the like...Perhaps not. But there's no harm done in asking permission...

[He looks up and brightens.]

But of course it would work out for breaks, wouldn't it? You're in London anyway. You'd hardly have to travel at all to get to my place.

[parumcanis]

[Oh. Sirius' shoulders slump a little, and he looks down at his hands.]

I'm not allowed to--to go into London, at home. My parents wouldn't let me go. [He scowls, faintly, bunching his fingers into fists--and then he looks up at Miles again, determined.] But if we went on the weekend from school, they'd never know--

[bitty_justice]

You're not allowed to go?

[Miles frowns at that, uncertain.]

Well...What if they met Dad first? So they would know he's trustworthy and that you'd be safe.

[parumcanis]

[A worse idea yet. Sirius folds his arms over his chest, hunching his shoulders a little.]

We could just go from school.

[bitty_justice]

[And Miles stares, confused and a little bit alarmed by Sirius' clear reluctance. And then, finally, he understands - ]

Do your parents not like...science?

[...almost understands.]

[parumcanis]

[He's reluctant to say this, to go on at any great length about this--because it could ruin things a little, and he knows that--]

They don't-- they don't like anything, to do with muggles.

[bitty_justice]

[Miles' brows draw together a little bit. That's...strange to hear, and he doesn't fully understand.]

They...don't? Why not?

[parumcanis]

We're purebloods.

[He says it flatly, without the usual manic pride that comes along with it. He doesn't know what it is to be ashamed, nothing so strong--but he's reluctant to say more than that, to offer an explanation that will drive a wedge between Miles and him--the beginnings of shame, maybe.]

Only witches and wizards in my family. That's superior.

[bitty_justice]

Superior.

[He tries out that word like it's a new candy; by his pursed lips he doesn't like the taste of it.]

As in, you're better at magic? That sort of thing?

[parumcanis]

At everything. Magic, because it was ours first, but-- really, just better.

[He hesitates--glancing at Miles, first, tentatively, and then jerking his gaze away once more, almost guilty.]

That's what they say.

[And he doesn't know why he couches it that way, exactly, why he takes it back.]

[bitty_justice]

I...see.

[And Miles frowns a little bit at that, troubled. What would Dad say? That's not hard: Dad would say that there's no one who's superior automatically, that some are born with certain skills and others are born having to work a bit harder but that in everyone there's a capacity for greatness. Or something like that. Miles isn't a hundred percent sure, but he thinks that sounds a lot like racism - which is weird, because that oughtn't exist...

But - that's what they say, is what Sirius said, which means that he shouldn't be really worrying about it because that's not what Sirius says.]

But I bet you anything that I'll get better marks than you in history class. I'm always at the top of my class in history. So you're not superior there, are you?

[And Miles offers a tentative grin, hoping Sirius will return it, hoping that Sirius won't suddenly start hating him.]

[parumcanis]

[He was unwilling to look around at Miles, worried what he would say, worried what he would think--and he knows that this is wrong, too, that he ought not to be worried what a muggle-born thinks of him--because he isn't anyone worth worrying about.

But he is. He's a friend--and despite the little touches of haughtiness that occasionally govern Sirius' behavior, he wants, beneath all of that, to be liked.

He looks around in surprise at Edgeworth's words, catching just the end of that grin.]

Maybe.

[It's a joke, he realises, and he begins to smile, just a little--]

But I don't care about history, so maybe it won't matter.

[Not in terms of superiority or inferiority, there. Just in terms of Miles and Sirius.]

[bitty_justice]

[Miles replies cheerfully - more cheerfully than he feels, a bit, but he's encouraged on by that uncertain smile - he wants to strengthen it.]

Well, of course it won't matter. It doesn't actually matter who gets better marks in what thing or who's better at what. What matters is whether or not you're kind and whether or not you bring positive changes to the world - that's what my dad says.

[But then, with a grin:]

Bet I'll do better than you in Transfiguration, too, though.

[parumcanis]

[Oh, no. The first bit, he's not sure of--that's not the way that he's ever heard anything explained, and he's wary of seizing onto it or even considering it too much but-- at that last bit, Sirius just laughs. That is outright ridiculous.]

You will not! There's no way, 'cos I'm already good in Transfiguration--I've accidentally done it loads of times!

[bitty_justice]

That just means you haven't got good control. The third chapter in the textbook talks about that a bit. I'll have good control, I'll bet you anything.

[But that's friendly, affable - teasing, really, more than taunting. Just a bit of needling to get Sirius laughing again.]

[parumcanis]

Too much control, maybe. That's not what magic is. You have to have a bit of control, yeah, but there's more to it than that. It's not neat and tidy.

[He says this with great confidence and authority--and already his mood is improving. It's easier to discuss topics like this, topics where he can tease back and not talk about anything too serious.]

[bitty_justice]

What is it, then? Because the book says you need...focus, and you need to have a solid understanding of all the principles...

[parumcanis]

Yeah, and you just have to be good at magic.

[He shakes his head, like he can't believe this one fact has been overlooked so easily.]

You have to know how to do it and trust yourself to do it right. If it was all about books and things then anyone could do it.

[bitty_justice]

Trust yourself.

[Miles smiles a surprised, curious smile.]

Is that really part of it?

[parumcanis]

Well, yeah! If you don't, then you won't be able to do the spell properly, because you'll be questioning yourself. You'll lose faith. All magic needs it.

[He nods, sagely. He would know, right? Wizard born and all.]