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I don't really listen to music when I brew or perform magic. Muggle technology never worked inside Hogwarts so I didn't pick up the habit.

Seriously?

Man, if I was there, I would've cracked the system. No iPods? No PlayStations? I think I'd last a day in Hogwarts.

The magic won't let the muggle things work. It's impossible for them to work better - but I'm sure that if anyone could it would be you, mister technology.

Your faith in me. (︶ω︶)

They said no tech at Camp Half-Blood. Cabin 11 proved them wrong. Guess whatever bunk I'd be staying in would be able to wave that banner proudly, too.

You really need some tunes to brew to, H.G.

... I have no idea what that's supposed to be, but it looks strange.

Muggle technology can't be used inside the school, so says 'Hogwarts: A History', but I'm not sure why. I think the magic of the place must damage the electrics somehow, considering all the charms and enchantments and everything inside that's going on, constantly. Maybe I'll read it again to see if I missed something.

[ as if she might have missed something the first dozen times. ]

I did like the Weird Sisters, but I don't imagine you'll be able to get them. Wizarding music.

It's a cute face! An "Emoticon". It's an icon that emotes. (ॢ˘⌣˘ ॢ⑅)

You should. Where there's a witch, there's definitely a way to make her PlayStation work. You figure it out, I'll do the tech work — I can teach you how to make it work so you can be the coolest witch in school.

[ though, he isn't quite certain if he can teach her. it's what comes naturally to him. he just knows — like breathing. perhaps she'll just have to take him back with her ... ]

One day you will learn not to underestimate me, Hermione Granger.

I don't even know how you could even do that on these things. You're cheating, aren't you?

Honestly, though. I don't think even having a PlayStation would make me cool.

[ Whatever that is. She's a war hero but everyone had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts; that doesn't make her special. They're all war heroes. ]

I'll leave that for you to work on, then. Leave me in shock and awe.

A true trickster never reveals his secrets. ✾꒡ .̮ ꒡✾

But I will reveal one: I think you're pretty cool.

What if I asked nicely?

And, really. You're just saying that because I flatter you.

It depends on your idea of nice.

And F.Y.I. I don't really waste my time lying.

[ many would say he did lie, but is it truly the same as omitting things? is it truly a lie if he had shown his own disgruntlement toward the gods so plainly and obviously those who saw and heard him turned a blind eye toward him? ]

With a please and a thank you and a nice smile, maybe?

I didn't say it was a lie. I said it was flattery. Technically speaking they're two different things.

Lets make it a really big smile and I'll consider letting you in on one of my tricks.

Flattery's usually an exaggeration. "Oh, Luke, what big arms you have!" "Oh, Luke, your eyes are as deep as the ocean." I mean, really. You'd think Aphrodite girls would have better pick-up lines.

It'll be the biggest smile I can manage.

Well, you do have big arms. [ Wait. ] I mean, you'd think they'd compliment your personality. That's much nicer.

Well, I've got to admit, I'd take their pick-up lines over Kelli's any day.

[ boy, did she grind his gears. though he did like the attention from time to time, the kampê had made him incredibly uncomfortable. with her saccharine voice and her constantly hitting on him, he'd take an aphrodite cyclops over her any day. ]

I did get a lot of compliments for my French — and French-kissing — but I doubt that counts as "personality." It's like having a bunch of groupies always going on about how nice your brown eyes are or how your fingers are really nice and long and never really taking note of your big brain or anything.

Aphrodite kids make you kind of stupid. Like ...

[ he fiddles around for a moment to attach: ]

CRAZY.mp3

Stupid.

There are a dozen things more apt to flatter you with, surely. As nice as appearance is it doesn't mean anything if there isn't something equally as nice under it then what's the point? A nice mind and a good heart is better than a handsome face and a sour personality any day.

[ But, really. Does she want to know about the people Luke went around French-kissing? No, no she doesn't, and her nose wrinkles and her expression shifts. Thankfully, he can't see any of that and she just turns to listen to the music instead, her eyebrow raising. ]

And this song is an appropriate song for your love life?

I like Beyonce. I like all pop music — but maybe I should throw some old classics at you instead. The booty shaking sometimes doesn't do it for me, either.

My love life's like someone hitting the keys of a piano all at once.

[ a wreck. ]

No lemons for Miss Granger. I'll be sure to swat them away from you.

I think I mentioned that I never had much time to spend on muggle music, not with the way things ended up. It's nice to get a refreshing taste, especially if you can recommend me some more good things.

That bad?

[ Rather like her own, she supposes, with all the sourness and confusion and twisted emotions. ]

You're going to be my personal love life bodyguard, are you?

I'll keep that in mind. I like to think my taste is pretty good — I mean, I like Britney and Beyonce. How could anyone go wrong?

But, yeah. Pretty bad.

[ his problem is always going to be rooted with thalia. always. and given that she's here and he has no idea what to do with himself, his love life is complete shit. ]

Yep. Every guy's gotta go through me. I can be pretty scary. George even shakes when I'm near.

[ usually out of either laughter or anger, but that's neither here nor there. ]

If I knew who they were I would either celebrate you or judge you, but I'm afraid my knowledge is limited to Britney right now. I'll get back to you, though?

I could say the same for mine. I once charmed a set of birds to attack the boy I liked.

[ That makes her sound good, doesn't it? Sending birds to attack someone. Well, it's certainly not the worst thing she's ever done with her magic. ]

Then I'll have to tell you there won't be much to do with it. There's no one around here that's interested so you're safe for now.

Definitely. Can't have you not compiling all the songs you love and loathe without making sure you've had the entire scope of pop. I wouldn't have done my job teaching you about the wonders of Britney and the horrors of The Bieb!

[ it's too bad luke's laughter can't be recorded. ]

You're joking. I'm guessing you've never seen The Birds, either. Sometimes you make me question whether or not you haven't heard or seen half the sh — crap I like.

[ thankfully, hermione had never pried into the aphrodite girls. silena beauregard is the one girl he feels himself feel shame over whenever he thinks of her and her fate and what he had done to her. a set of birds? it's nothing. ]

Unless you've done a magic spell to guarantee that, I'm pretty sure you may be surprised.

You know, I really hope you realise that 'the Bieb' sounds like some kind of contagious disease. Are you sure you should be letting me listen to this kind of music, Luke Castellan?

[ An actual shame. She likes his laugh. ]

Not really? I spent too much time in the muggle world. Sitting and watching a film was far less important than reading up on spells that might be handy or getting ahead on next year's lessons.

[ There's still time, though... ]

Luke, really. All the people I've met are either twice my age or family. I'm safe.

I swear to you on George and Martha I will never link you The Bieb's crap. I like you too much to subject you to shit.

Just a question. Do you ever stop learning?

[ it's just endearing to him that the moment school finishes, she continues on. knowledge is power, and it's fun to unearth it, but most kids drop their books into the bonfire to sacrifice it to their gods as they sit and play the playstation with him. in comparison to her, he's boring. wasting his time away playing games instead of learning the world or even preparing for another class. his love for learning extended to being hands-on. while he loved books, it was for the adventures contained within them, not so much the theories. ]

You're like, what, eighteen? Nineteen? I know a few people in that age bracket. One of them has fish for brains, sure. But the Drabwurld's not full of just old folks.

I feel safer already. Keep the bad music away from me.

No? Why would I? If there is a book to read or a spell to learn then I'm going to do it. You never know what might end up being useful.

[ If there are more books to read and more classes, more education, then she's going to do it. She's going to go out of her way to make sure she learns as much as she can without any hesitation.

As for the rest -- honestly, she might start giggling. ]

Luke. I'm twenty-one. A little bit too old for the average teenager, I think.

Don't overload that big brain of yours. Guess that's why you've got me. I'm fun. ;)

[ and dangerous and a bit too fast, but — where there's books and too much reading, there's luke to smack it out of her hands or hold it high above her head to goad her into taking a break. there's such thing as too much preparation; life's just going to pass her by, and she'll miss out on the beauty of it. ]

[ he has. ]

Oh. With the way you talk about school … Guess you're set for college now.

Still. Point still stands.

You can try to take the bookworm out of the library, Luke...

[ But you can't take the library out of the bookworm. Literally, she carries most of her books with her. She can imagine Luke trying to make her leave, though, in the same way that Harry and her friends used to try and get her out. ]

That's not really how it works in the Wizarding world. We're considered adults at seventeen and that year, seventeen to eighteen, is usually our last year of school. I was eighteen when I had to abandon school to help Harry and that took a year, and then I had to wait another year for them to rebuild the school. Then I came here.

--- You're delusional.

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