well, damn [CALI]

[Harry Potter]

date: 23 september 2005; friday

[/b][/size]is own groan was the first thing Harry heard when he came to.

Lying still for several more minutes, he waited impatiently for the rest of his brain and body to catch up to his ears. He'd learned that it rarely helped to try and force the waking-up process along when the reason for unconsciousness was not simple, safe slumber. All it did was frustrate him, and when he got frustrated, he got cranky. Patience was a virtue he practiced only in specific circumstances.

His nose was the next thing to wake up, and he could instantly smell the familiar clean scent of the hospital wing. That was no surprise; he'd realised he was there as soon as he noticed he was feeling sluggish. All right, so he was doped up on some sort of potion. That wasn't any cause for immediate concern. All it likely meant was that he was taken down by a hex that left him wired rather than sedated. That was usually the reason he ended up in Pomfrey's care anyway, since he was generally as hardy as a horse and rarely ever fell ill. It seemed to fit the memories that were starting to trickle in... turning a corner to find two Slytherins and a Ravenclaw harassing a couple of kids. Small flashes of red and yellow... a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor. He didn't know who the kids were, but they couldn't have been more than second or third years, and their bullies were most definitely a few years older. Gods, what was wrong with people?

Never able to ignore such torment, he'd caught one of the bullies with a full body bind and grazed another with a Stupefy before the third turned to him and fired a spell back. Dodging that gave the second one a chance to recover from his momentary imbalance, and there had been a flurry of spells after that. He knew he took one of them down, saw him hit the wall and crumple, but what happened to the third one? And who had brought him here? Were the kids all right?[/ul]

[Cali Cole]

Cali had been sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing when Harry had been brought in by a professor. She had jumped up to get Madame Pomfrey as she had no idea what to do because no one knew what had happened or what he had been hit with, it had been a pretty bad curse though. Madame Pomfrey had rushed out and given him a multitude of potions and afterward had explained everything she had done so that when it came time Cali knew what to do. She had also had her assist in making a multitude of potions to administer to Harry once he had woke up.

There hadn’t been many people in the hospital wing today just a few getting pepper up potions, which Cali had given them when they came in. She loved giving those out because she loved seeing the steam that poured out of peoples ears once they took it, she thought it reminded her of a train and often times made her giggle. She hated taking them herself though because she found it most unattractive and a little uncomfortable. But, overall it had been a pretty slow day so when Harry had come in Cali got excited as she was actually going to learn about something she did not already know. She did not care that it was a Slytherin or that he probably would not like her when he came to, the only thing she really cared about was helping people. That is why she wanted to be a healer so bad, she knew when she got older that it would affect her family life and she would in turn be like her mother who was rarely around. But, that was a sacrifice she had to make in order to pursue the career that meant so much to her. Cali was by far a people person and loved people for who they were not by what they were. This made her quite a bit different from most other people she knew, but she did not mind.

As Cali saw Harry start to stir she got up and collected the first potion Madame Pomfrey told her to give him, ‘Right upon waking or else it won’t be as effective.’ So she walked over to Harry and said, “Good Afternoon!” She smiled down at him and continued on, “You are to take this potion as soon as you wake up according to Madame Pomfrey.” She told him as she set it on his bedside table waiting to make sure he actually took it. Many times she had given a potion to someone and they would not take it when they were supposed to and she would get into trouble, so sticking around had become quite the habit for her.

[Harry Potter]

date: 23 september 2005; friday

[/b][/size]ooking up at the cheery voice - far too cheery for his current state of Not Entirely Coherent Yet - Harry grimaced slightly as he made a quick assessment. He vaguely recognized her from around the halls, but all he really knew was that she was a friendly Gryffindor in a different year from himself and even the blokes who didn't like her bubbly demeanor generally considered her one of the most attractive girls in the school. Objectively, he could see the aesthetic appeal, but it really did nothing for him.

Turning his gaze from Cali to the potion, his expression switched from a grimace to despair. "Is that the one that takes like piss and vinegar and feels like swallowing slugs?" he asked, recognising the look of the potion and hoping desperately that it was not the one he was thinking of; considering it had also been forced upon him immediately upon waking, however, it was likely the hoping was for naught. He'd taken it once before and threw it up twice before he was able to keep it down on the third try.

Harry decided that in this case, he was not above begging. He turned back to Cali with wide, bright eyes and an imploring gaze. "Really, unless you really want to clean up my vomit, please don't make me take that sh-- stuff."[/ul]

[Cali Cole]

Cali smiled looking at the potion and said, “Of course it is not.” She was lying and made it very clear that she was. She knew it was a dreadful potion and that most people did not like to take it and it often times resulted in vomiting which she had become very good at cleaning up with magic. She hated that it was so bad to take, but it was a common potion and lots of people had to take it all of the time.

Cali giggled a little as he half begged her not to take it and said, “Sorry, but it’s required that you take it.” She nodded and said, “As far as throwing up, I’m used to it. When you work here you get a lot of that and I’m actually very good at cleaning it without ever having to touch it at this point so throw up all you want.” She smiled down at him waiting for him to take it.

“If you wouldn’t be getting yourself into trouble you wouldn’t have to take the nasty potions. What happened anyway?” Cali asked a little curiously, “We could not figure out how you ended up hexed in a corridor alone.” She commented as she looked at him.

[Harry Potter]

date: 23 september 2005; friday

[/b][/size]ali's smile indicated the nature of the potion even before her obvious fib did and Harry groaned the groan of a dying man. He was no baby about pain and would suffer any shot in the name of good health or any sting or burn for stitches or healing spells or diagnostics, but being forced to swallow something so damn vile was a whole different story. "Whoever invented this was a sadist," he declared adamantly but reluctantly reached for the potion on the bedside table. He held it up but didn't uncork it yet, instead giving it a glare of worthy of Magnum.

"I don't envy you your work," he told Cali honestly. "Needles and bodily fluids and maladies and wounds... sometimes I think Healers are even braver then Aurors. You definitely need nerves of steel." With that, he uncorked the potion, held his breath, and put it to his lips to down the atrocity.

Before he could complete the motion, however, he paused as the rest of her words sunk in. He shot Cali a dark look. "Alone? Dammit!" he swore. "That means one got away..." He lowered the potion again, put off by the foul odor in the delay of his distraction. "Two Slytherins and a Ravenclaw were terrorising a couple of kids in the hall. I body-binded one of them and knocked out another, but the third hit me with something that made me black out. I guess I missed," he sighed. That, or they simply recovered faster. He grimaced uneasily at the idea, knowing they would probably seek vengeance on him in the near future. He hadn't been close enough to catch their faces, having been behind them and then distracted by the flurry of spells, but no doubt they knew who he was now - and Slytherins never forgot a slight.

Fortunately, in the wake of Bad News, the wretched potion no longer seemed quite so daunting. Forcing air to stop passing through his nose, he swung the potion back and downed as much of it as he could without tasting it. A disgusted shudder wracked through his body at the filthy sensation of slugs, slugs, slimy, nasty slugs! gulping down his throat, fighting the bile that threatened to rise up from his stomach.[/ul]

[Cali Cole]

Cali smiled as he told her that he didn’t envy her work, “It is not the prettiest job most of the time, but someone has to do it and for some reason I love it!” She said enthusiastically. She did love being a healer, her own mother was one and she had seen her do it for all of Cali’s life. Cali had grown up knowing that she wanted to eventually become a healer. “Sometimes you do need a lot of nerves, people are not always happy about ending up in here or about the potions and such they have to take.” She smiled at him and said, “It’s not normal we have someone in here who thinks about what we go through.” Most of the time when people came in they were mad and did not want to think of anyone but themselves. That made things complicated because Cali never liked to upset people, but she had to on many occasions as to make sure they did not hurt themselves even worse.

Cali looked down at Harry still waiting on him to take the potion, “Oh I hate when people bully others.” She did too, she saw students come in all the time who were bullied by others. People her age could be so mean, Cali herself had never seen the point in it and had always thought that bullying was childish. It was rare that she saw the occurance, but common that she saw the outcome and she never did like the results. “At least you tried to help though instead of just walking away. Most people would not have stopped to help.” Cali said this casually although it was the truth. Most people would not help if they saw someone else get bullied, instead they would walk off and act as though nothing had happened.

After Harry took the potion Cali handed him a small vile of something and said, “Take it. It helps the nasty feeling go away.” She nodded, it was something her and Madame Pomfrey had come up with lately to help with that particular potion. They had used it countless times and everyone always said it helped settle their stomach and make them feel at least a little bit better and they rarely ever puked if they drank it right away.

[Harry Potter]

date: 23 september 2005; friday

[/b][/size]aking the second proffered potion without a moment's delay - anything to get rid of the foul nature of the first one - Harry downed it instantly. It was almost too late, but he could feel the new potion neutralizing the last one high up in his throat and breathed a sigh of relief as he waited for his body to settle back down.

After he was fairly certain the bile was but a distant memory, he gave a deeper sigh and sank back down against the pillows. "Sadist," he repeated emphatically before finally responding to their conversation. "But that's stupid. It's not your fault people end up in here. You're just trying to help them get better - in some cases, when they don't deserve it," he couldn't help but add mildly. It made him angry when criminals were treated for health conditions on tax money, especially when some of those conditions were injuries sustained while fleeing from the law. He believed everybody had a right to good health and to be helped, but that only went so far... people without money still deserved to be able to see a healer, but criminals were a whole different story. Going to their own personal doctors and paying out of their own paycheques was none of his business, but at the cost of innocent citizens ?

He shook his head. That line of thought wasn't of any use at the moment. They were just students, and this girl was just a student helping other students. From past experiences with the nice, friendly types, they believed even the most wicked deserved to be saved.

"Most people are cowards," he opined instead, getting back to her comment about how most people would have walked away. It was true and he knew it. Granted, in his particular case he had been perhaps a little bit hasty... but there had not been time to go get help, and Harry couldn't ever justify walking away from a scene like that. "Some of my friends would not agree with us, though. Something about recklessness, being outnumbered, uh, suicidal tendencies... misfiring spells... getting a teacher, blah blah blah," he drawled, rolling his eyes. What a load of bollocks. As if there was time for that.[/ul]

[Cali Cole]

Cali smiled and said, “That’s a newer potion Madame Pomfrey and I came up with because we got tired of always cleaning up puke.” She nodded as she took both vials and threw them in the trash not far from where they were at. “You will have another one to take in about half an hour. It is not a bad one though, people have actually said it goes down rather smoothly.” She said and gave him a small smile as she walked back over to continue talking to him.

Cali nodded her head in agreement as he talked about how it was not her fault that people ended up in the hospital wing, “I agree with you they really do not have a right to get mad, especially since I am obviously not the one who hurt them.” She shrugged and continued on, “But, they seem to like to take it out on whoever is closest to them and most of the time that happens to be me.” She sighed a little and said, “But, every job has it’s ups and downs that is just one of the things we deal with to do what we love.” It was true, every job had it’s ups and downs. There were many great things that came with being a healer, helping people and making them feel better was a big one for Cali. She loved that she could get people going again and take them out of pain. It was something she loved and never wanted to give up.

Cali agreed with Harry most people were cowardly and could not stand up for others, this was one thing she did not like. “I agree, most people are too scared to help others out when they see them in trouble. I do not blame you for what you did I probably would have done the same thing.” She nodded thinking about it. If she had come up on the same type of scene she would have helped the students being bullied to, but that was just how she was. “Most people would not agree with us, but that is only because most people are selfish and do not care about others.” Cali stopped herself she should not be talking so freely while she was working.

[Harry Potter]

date: 23 september 2005; friday

[/b][/size]t Cali's initial pronouncement, Harry stared at her in surprise. Not at the idea that he'd have another potion to take - that was old hat for being in the hospital wing, he was used to it - but that she had helped make the potion to combat the Phial of Filth. "You made it ?" he asked in surprise. "Merlin help me, I can barely brew the potions assigned to us in class. Aren't Gryffindors supposed to be shite at the subject?" The last question was asked what was obviously a cheeky drawl, since it was clearly a stupid assumption to make. Yes, potions generally called for a certain finesse and attention to detail that brazen Gryffindors were not typically known for, and yes, Snape was notorious for hating the lions, but it wasn't as though one's house actually dictated the subjects in which somebody excelled. Hermione was top of the class in pretty much everything, after all. "If it weren't for 'Mione, I wouldn't even pass potions."

He shook his head, still floored by the idea of being a student and inventing - or helping to invent - a new, effective potion. He could see the Weasley twins buckling down to work on a potion that would turn their peers glittery gold or something - pouring it into Hogwarts' water supply, maybe - but in general, the idea was still shocking. It was the general reaction he had to anybody who was good at the loathsome, tedious subject. Then again, if she had the patience to deal with patients' fits, it made sense that she'd have the patience to brew. "You're very reasonable. I don't think I'd have the tolerance for it. The first time a patient woke up and took it out on me I'd put him back in a coma," he snorted. It was an exaggeration - maybe - but not far off the mark. He had a temper and knew it; he just didn't always see a reason to try and reign it in. As far as he was concerned, it only came out in situations were a bit of hotheaded anger was fully warranted. Who the hell care if he blew up at an asshat ? Besides, it wasn't always consciously his fault. Even after being at Hogwarts for a few years, he still sometimes let off bursts of uncontrolled magic when he was really worked up. His mother worried that he wasn't controlled enough; his father was convinced he was simply a storehouse of magical power. Personally, he was inclined to believe the latter, if only because his control in most areas of his life was perfectly fine, and his offensive attacks already tended to be something to behold.

Getting a better grip on the uncontrolled magic, however, was still probably a good idea. He didn't want to develop a reputation amongst Aurors for being dangerously volatile. "In five or ten years we'll probably see a lot of each other at St. Mungo's - whether I'm in the hospital bed or putting someone there," he grinned. "If that's where you're aiming to end up." It was always possible she'd go for private practise, of course, but as far as he'd seen, those were usually reserved for service to the wealthy elite; generally St. Mungo's was the safer bet. It was stable, respected, and had the resources to provide general services to all. The British wizarding world was small enough that one major hospital seemed to be enough. Then again, he hadn't spent much time in St. Mungo's himself. "What do you want to do after Hogwarts, become a Healer ? Mediwitch ? Nurse, specialist ?"

Her free tongue in speaking of the cowardices in others didn't bother him at all, and he didn't think twice about it. He was almost always perfectly blunt with his own opinions, after all, as were Ariana, Hermione, his father, Tonks... his mother and Remus were generally the ones with the softer temperaments. Then again, when either of them were angry... ouch. People shut up and listened. It was always the quiet ones, eh ? He wondered what... this girl's... temper was like. "Don't stop yourself; I'm completely on your side. I'm housed with a bunch of wary serpents," he reminded, gesturing at his Slytherin tie. "Selfishness and looking out for number one is a lifestyle for them. What's your name anyway ?" he asked. "I know you're in 'Mione's house, but I don't think we've met."[/ul]

[Cali Cole]

Cali smiled awkwardly as Harry stared at her once she mentioned helping to make the potion. She nodded after he asked about her making it, it had been her idea she just needed Madame Pomfreys help to make sure that she did it right and that it would be safe for people to take. She nodded and said, “Most are and my marks do not reflect how good I am at it. Professor Snape, as we both probably realize, is not as fair as he could be. I am actually pretty good at that subject, my bad subject is Divination that’s why I gave that mess up.” Cali had hated Divination and had spent most of her time in that class making things up, the rest of the time she had spent catching up on sleep. After the first year of taking it she dropped that class it was not as if she needed it to become a healer anyway. “‘Mione? Do you mean Hermione, the fifth year in Gryffindor?’” She asked curiously. It seemed odd that this boy was wearing a Slytherin tie and so far had been nice then on top of that she was in Gryffindor. It seemed different, but then again it could happen.

Cali laughed a little as he talked about putting a patient back into a coma, “It is not very often I feel like doing that, most of the time I just smile and give them nasty potions. If they are nice, like you were, I will give them something to make the nasty feeling go away. If not…” Cali trailed off for a second, “Lets just say they have to deal with it.” She smiled it was not often that she did this type of thing, but there were certain people who were accident prone that deserved it. They would get upset every time they got hurt and they were in the hospital wing more than they were in class, so once she got to know them she knew weather or not to help them or just ignore them and give them the required potions and nothing that would help any more than that.

Cali smiled and said, “Well hopefully I just see you putting people there and not ending up there all of the time. I hate to see the people who are working for the good side getting hurt. So what is it that you want to do?” Her father was a ministry official and she had seen him get hurt before just because he was doing his job. She did not necessarily like the fact that her father had dangerous work, but it was something that she grew up with. “After Hogwarts I would like to work for St. Mungo’s although I am not for sure what department yet. Most of them are just so interesting.” She had been thinking about it a lot lately and wondering which department would suit her best. It was a hard decision but once she was a healer if she did want to switch departments it would not be too hard.

Cali smiled as he pointed to his tie and said he was housed with wary serpents. She had noticed he was Slytherin, but her being who she was those kinds of things did not bother her as she gave everyone a chance. “I’m Cali, Cali Cole. What is your name?” She asked curiously. She had seen the boy around but she was not for sure who he was and had never asked because it was just odd to walk up to someone and ask their name. She had not ran into him yet, but she knew that eventually she probably would. It seemed to be that way especially when you worked in the hospital wing, you ran into people a lot weather it be for a pepper up potion or being injured or even hexed. It would be more odd if people did not ever run into her as she was extremely friendly and worked in the hospital wing.

[Harry Potter]

date: 23 september 2005; friday

[/b][/size]cowling instantly at the mention of Snape's house prejudices, Harry began fussing with the edge of the blanket resting over him. He preferred to show solidarity with Slytherin house, but that preference did not extend to Snape. He'd hated the man since long before he ever reached Hogwarts, and that hate had only strengthened as he got to know the man as his professor and head of house. "That's stupid," he stated flatly. "Snape should be grading you fairly, regardless of your house. He's a bloody teacher, for Godric's sake ! I can't figure out why he's even here when he obviously hates everyone." He could guess why Dumbledore kept him here, of course - to keep an eye on the filthy, nasty Death Eater - but he could only imagine the situation would get precarious once the Dark Lord started coming back. For all anyone knew, Snape was lying in wait for Voldemort's return so he could assassinate Dumbledore and go running back to his master like the sick little servant he was. Foul bastard.

Needing to re-center himself again before continuing with the conversation, Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Snape got under his skin and infuriated him more than any other - more than even Malfoy. At least Malfoy was just annoying and distractingly gorgeous; Snape had no redeeming qualities, and his vendetta against Harry in particular only made things worse. But left to his own devices, he could rant and rave about the greasy old git for ages, and poor Cali didn't deserve to have to sit through that. "Yes, that Hermione. First new friend I made at Hogwarts, and my best to this day." He had other friends, of course, but Hermione was the only one he'd have gone mental without. "Do you know her well?" he asked just to be polite, even though he was already well aware that Cali probably didn't. He knew of all of Hermione's near and dear, as few and far between as they were.

He smirked at the idea of Cali withholding potions from misbehaving patients. "That's got to be breaking some sort of ethical code of healers," he reminded, although it was teasing rather than critical. He would do the same, after all. "It's surprisingly vindictive of you. I wholeheartedly approve." It wasn't as though he was a rampant rebel, but he always did have a problem bowing down to people he didn't like. It was one of the many reasons he didn't get along with so many of his housemates, after all; too many of them thought they were better than him, and he disagreed. To be frank, they could shove their pureblood prides up their arses. Fortunately, a few of them were decent folks, and these were the ones he stuck to, even going so far as to keep the friendships quiet to save face for them. He didn't like being anybody's dirty little secret, but he didn't want to cause trouble for them, either.

Personally, Harry did not think working at St. Mungo's would be very interesting. Well... interesting in terms of seeing constant disasters, yes, and at least wizarding ailments were a far cry more diverse than Muggle ones, but still - something about the cold sterility of hospitals, of being constantly around people who were suffering, did not sound like his idea of a good time. Then again, his own professional aspirations weren't exactly enjoyable, either. "I'm going to be an Auror," he stated simply. There was no "I'd like" or "I hope" about it; he would become an Auror. He just had to get his bloody potions marks up... but so long as he hauled ass and crammed for the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, Snape couldn't fail him for those. They were Ministry exams, after all, rather than being entirely of his own design and jurisdiction. "I'd rather be taking down evil than fixing them up," he added with a wink. "But good for you. St. Mungo's is always short on decent healers." Between his prankster father and godfather and roughhousing with the Weasley brood growing up, he'd certainly seen enough of the staff of the hospital, after all. "Anyway, Harry Potter," he continued, holding out a hand to shake. Formal, sure, but you could tell a lot about a person by their handshake. "Pleased to meet you, Healer Cole. Admittedly, I'd probably be more pleased," he amended as he looked around them at the hospital wing, "under different circumstances."[/ul]

[Cali Cole]

Cali nodded in agreement as Harry mentioned how Snape should grade her fairly. “I think he does grade me fairly, the problem is if I ever have a question about a potion I cannot ask him. I think it is unfair and not right as well because if you are a teacher you should at least like your job and want to do it fairly.” Cali shrugged a little and then said, “I mean don’t get me wrong he is brilliant at potions and if he was nicer I would probably look up to him but that will not ever happen and I cannot see a nice Professor Snape anyways.”[/color] She giggled a little thinking about it, a nice Professor Snape was just crazy. She knew it would never happen and was not for sure if he even had it in him, although she often tried to see the good in everyone she had a hard time seeing it in Professor Snape.

Cali smiled as Harry mentioned Hermione and how she was the first friend he made at Hogwarts, “That’s so cool, most of the time the first person you meet does not end up being a really good friend due to people being in different houses. I’m glad you two were able to stay good friends when one of you is Gryffindor and one is Slytherin. I think house prejudices make no sense anyway, but I know it’s hard.” She knew it was hard because of her own relationship with Geminus, they were on again off again all the time, but still were always friends. But, they were in different houses and it was sometimes hard, she could not just go to the common room and see him and hang out with him. It was difficult, but they made it work when they were on again. “No, I do not know Hermione very well, but I do know she is brilliant at most subjects and is constantly getting house points for us.” She knew very little about the girl as she was a year below her and the other girl was not overly outgoing and talkative as Cali was.

Cali smiled a little as he mentioned how she should not hold potions from misbehaving patients, she knew he was not being critical but still mentioned, “I only withhold the ones like the second one I gave you that makes you not want to throw up and makes things easier. I always give them the required ones, but I do not necessarily feel like giving them the ones that are going to make them more comfortable than they deserve.” She smiled a little and said, “I’m glad you approve though. I do not often try to be vindictive, but sometimes I just cannot help myself.” It was often that she met with people who did not want to behave or were mad because they were stuck in the hospital wing, sometimes they would not even let her get a chance of giving them a second potion as they would get up and leave. There was only so much she could do if they did that she would always have to inform Madame Pomfrey and they would have to hunt them down. It was always scary to see her hunting students down and when she found them it was even scarier. Cali shook her head a little trying to get that thought to go away.

Cali looked at Harry rather impressed, “An Auror? That is very cool, so I will probably see a lot of you then when I end up working for St. Mungo’s.” Cali could never be an Auror, it was not that she was not good enough at magic or her marks were not high enough, in fact they were plenty high enough. It just was not something that ever interested her, to constantly be in danger and have to worry about someone wanting to attack you. It just was not the job for her. “It is not the bad guys I want to help they just come with doing the job. I more so want to help accidental magical issues such as the accidental magical problems that happen with children who cannot control their magic.” Accidental magic had always interested Cali and she loved the stories about it as they generally made her giggle a little. Those people generally were not as mad either because it was an accident and no one cursed or hexed them. Cali smiled as he held out his hand and gripped it firmly and said, “Cali Cole nice to meet you.” Cali nodded and said, “Yes, it is not the ideal circumstances but it’s as good of time as any. Think about it this way, if you had not been injured you would probably never had met me.” It was true, she usually met people this way. They would get injured and she would meet them in the hospital wing.

[Harry Potter]

date: 23 september 2005; friday

[/b][/size]ven as the idea of a nice Snape made Cali giggle, it made Harry frown. Nice... he'd heard of Snape being nice, a long, long time ago. The stories had always gone ignored, overwhelmed by his dad's and Sirius's continued dislike of the man, but they were still there. They were just so hard to believe... but his mum had good intuition about people, and she did used to like Snape quite a bit. "My mum used to like him a lot," he admitted, having absolutely zero respect for Snape's privacy. "They were best friends, when she was little. But he was always a complete git to my dad and his friends, following them around the school and trying to get them in trouble... obviously, he despises me by extension," he drawled. Everyone always told him how he looked just like his father. It drove him mad sometimes. He loved and respected his father but he was still his own person, dammit. "Anyway, he turned on her, too, so he's just an evil, bitter bastard now, no matter how nice he used to be thirty years ago." It was all Snape's own fault anyway. He'd chased away the one person who'd loved and tolerated him, insulting her and going against what he'd always said before. Wicked, nasty, filthy bastard.

Anyway.

Harry nodded in agreement with Cali's view on house rivalries. "They make sense, I suppose," he admitted, "for creating smaller groups within the school and forming a sense of community and competition." Well, sort of... Slytherins weren't really a "community" in the loving, generous, protective sense, but they certainly guarded their own and stuck to themselves. And they had the competitiveness down pat. "If we didn't have houses, we'd have something else to create division. But I think it boxes us in when those houses are based on personality traits of eleven year old children-- growing up trying to fit into certain roles and traits, being told you belong with certain people you may or may not actually get along with." And causing rifts between families and friends. "Sometimes I think house sortings are self-fulfilling prophecies," he half-joked. Some people obviously walked to the beats of their own drums, but others who could go one way or another... he could see the sortings steering children in a certain direction, and that was a bit of a scary thought. "Anyway, yeah, 'Mione's great. Great student, great friend, a walking talking personal encyclopaedia. A bit of a nag sometimes, but usually in a good way. She doesn't have a proper respect for Quidditch, though," he mourned sadly. Personally, he couldn't see how anyone wouldn't like Quidditch, unless they were fusty-dusty heliophobes or something. "People are always asking why she's not in Ravenclaw, but she's got morals and determination to die for. For instance, she would not approve of withholding potions," he added with a grin, "even if the bastard deserves it, and even if it's not a required one. She's just like that." Neurotic to the point of being slightly crazy sometimes, sure, but he loved her anyway for it.

Cali's optimism made Harry stifle a laugh. He wasn't sure meeting someone really made injuries and disgusting potions worth it, but what's done was done and he did find himself liking her. She was a bit too cheery so he imagined he'd get tired of her company before too long, but she was also playful and slightly vindictive, and he definitely liked those traits. Yeah, she passed. "If we could turn back time I'm not sure I'd gladly volunteer myself up for being hexed and dosed with nasty potions, but it's always nice to meet a decent Gryffindor who doesn't hate my guts for the bit of fabric around my neck," he drawled. Granted, it wasn't as though he couldn't be accused of having some of the ingrained prejudices in him as well. He just chose to not act on them. But meeting a new Slytherin or Gryffindor almost always put him on his guard, meeting a Hufflepuff almost always made him feel a little bit disdainful, and meeting a Ravenclaw always raised his respect. "Anyway, accidental magic would be fun to work in," he agreed. He did like children, after all, when they weren't being monsters. "Especially Muggleborn wizarding children. Really, Obliviators must have some of the best stories."[/ul]

[Cali Cole]

Cali's mouth fell open as she listened to Harry talk about Professor Snape and how he used to be nice and the fact that Professor Snape had once fancied someone was astonishing to her. She had a hard time believing that someone who could be that mean and cruel to student who just wanted to learn could have a heart. It did make sense of course as everyone had those types of feelings from time to time, but it was surprising to her non the less. "I cannot believe that he would just turn on someone who liked him so much. Do you think he was maybe mean to your father because he liked your mother?" Cali had dealt with things like that before of course, due to her being a half veela most boys in her life felt the need to compete even though she thought it was quite silly and there was no need for it. Due to the competitiveness of trying to win her over they often became enemies of each other despite that Cali had never liked that in a guy. That was one thing she really liked about Geminus was that he never felt the need to do that or go to those types of lengths.

Cali nodded in agreement when Harry began talking about house rivalries, "I agree, also I like to think of it as if there were no houses. If there weren't houses students may not feel the need to cling on to the beliefs or values of the house and may have a better chance of exploring other beliefs and values. Like myself when I was eleven I fit into Gryffindor perfectly, but now that I am a bit older I find myself being more like a Hufflepuff due to being a hard worker and loyal. But, anyway I just do not necessarily believe in the house separation. Although there would be separations anyway." It was true there were times when Cali wondered why she was not a Hufflepuff, but due to her matching every trait given to Gryffindor it made more sense this way.

Cali smiled a little and said, "I love watching Quidditch, but as far as competing and me actually flying I am not a big fan." It was true Cali did not like the thought of flying and she did not like the instability of it either. It just was not for her, "I am sure there are quite a few people who do not approve of me withholding certain potions even if they are not required, but until they take the abuse of these certain patients I could care less. There is only so much any one person can take."Cali smiled a little thinking about it, after having three or four potions thrown on you, cleaning up vomit for an hour, and dealing with someone complaining non stop that was about her breaking point.

Cali smiled a little and said, "Being an obliviator would give you some pretty fun stories. I thought about that for a while, but some of the things you would have to do I just do not think are for me. But, accidental magic is always fun because you never know what you will have to deal with, in a way it is like a mini adventure every day." Cali always tried to look at things that way as it made day to day life more fun. If you could think it was going to be a good day full of fun stuff to learn and do then you would usually have a good day.

[Lakin!]

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