All work and no play [Rasalas]

[nathanmerrick]

Nathan Merrick slowly entered The Three Broomsticks Inn. As he walked through the door the smell of butterbeer filled the room. He had never been too fond of butterbeer, yet he liked the smell. Looking around the pub he could see that there was only one empty table. Nathan made his way to the available table. As he did he looked at the diverse characters that inhabited the place. It had been a while since Nathan had been to the inn. In fact, the last time he had been there, it was before his mother died, and before all the horrible events that happened because of Voldermort. On the short journey to the table, he got some unsavory looks from the patrons. He couldn't understand why. Perhaps it was because he was wearing the well known Slytherin colour scheme in his outfit. He doubted it though, not everybody disliked the Slytherins.

It had been so long since Nathan had been off the Hogwarts grounds during term time. Many of his Slytherin housemates came up with the idea and wouldn't stop pestering him until he agreed to come. However when he got the first possible chance, he sneaked away from the crowd. He couldn't stand most of the people he came with so he felt like he had to get away from them all. While they all went to Honeyduke's Sweetshop, he decided it would be best to go to The Three Broomsticks.

As he sat down at what was now his table. He continued to look around the pub, still getting scowled at by the customers. Normally this would bother him, but today he wasn't in the mood for a confrontation. Surprisingly he wasn't even in the mood for a drink. All he wanted was to get away from all the students that he came with. And in that respected he had succeeded. The inn was filled with wizards from all over. A diverse range of accents filled Nathan's ears as he looked down at the table and tapped his fingers on it. He hadn't really thought this through. What was he supposed to do now? God, some of the people in here seem so pathetic. How on earth did I end up here? he thought to himself. However, he had to stay in the inn or risk getting seen by the students he's trying to avoid.

As he sat at his table he softly yawned. He was going to be here for a long time. After being there a few minutes he crossed his arms, his wand up his sleeve just in case there was any trouble. He tilted his head down and closed his eyes, listening to the ambient sound of the busy pub.

[Rasalas Jones]

Ras had been sitting in the pub for a bit when she looked toward the door a young man entered. She smiled as she could tell he was a Slytherin from the colors of his outfit. Her eyes followed him but she noticed that people were scowling at him. She shook her head then picking up her drink she took a sip, she wondered why the boy was alone. She took a deep breath as she thought about the many times she was there.

A few moments after watching the boy she picked up her drink she stood then walked over to him. As she was walking over she noticed he had closed his eyes and tilted his head down. Once she got close to him she spoke. "May I join you?" She smiled at him as she waited his answer. She hoped he wouldn't think she was some creepy lady hitting on him. She just wanted to see how the school was in a student's point of view. She bit her lower lip then looked down. After taking a deep breath she took another sip of her drink, "Slytherin, right?" She asked hoping to keep everything friendly.

[nathanmerrick]

Nathan opened his eyes, slightly startled as he heard somebody speak to him. For a split second he worried that the students he wished to avoid had found him, but quickly realized the voice was that of someone slightly older. He looked up at her and smiled politly, "Y..yes, of course" he said as he extended his hand, offering up one of the free chairs. He was surprised that somebody had approached him, but was pleased to see that she appeared friendly.

As he waited for her to take a seat, he was intrigued to see what she wanted. Then she asked if he was a Slytherin. "Oh, yes I am. I'm surprised you came over knowing that. By the looks of things in here people don't take to kindly to us." he said. He tried to work out why she would talk to him knowing he was a Slytherin. They didn't have the best reputation of the four houses and a few wizards in the past hadn't exactly helped it's reputation. Nathan wanted to know more about this new person that had come over. If anything it would kill some time before he had to go back and mysteriously reappear to the other students.

"I'm sorry, my name is Nathan Merrick." he introduced himself, trying not to sound too formal. The fact that she came over to speak to him impressed Nathan. Considering that most of the others in the pub simply gave him vicious looks. However he was still curious about her motives. It was just in his character to be slightly suspicious of everyone. After what happened in his past he has learned not to trust anyone. To him, everyone has ulterior motives. Even though he was wrong about this on nearly every occasion. But he would rather be wrong all the time when it didn't matter and right when it did than be right when it didn't matter and wrong when it did.

[Rasalas Jones]

Ras smiled as she took the seat he gestured to, "Thank you." She could tell he was surprised she had even spoke to him before he even mentioned it. "Ah, but you see, I was once a Slytherin myself." She told him, she was actually proud that she had been a Slytherin since she had learned her father had been one. She smiled at the thought of having been in the same house as her father.

The boy's voice jerked her back to reality. "It's nice to meet you, Nathan, I am Rasalas Jones, but a born Black." She held her head up when she spoke of being a born Black. "A lot of people think Slytherin's are all evil and killer wannabes." She rolled her eyes, her father may have started out following Voldemort but something made him see he was on the wrong side. He died for that, though she was glad he died for a good cause she still hated that he had died.

"How's old Professor Snape doing these days?" She asked with a grin, she looked around the place and thought about how it was her second time being back to Hogsmeade. She looked back at the boy but as always her eyes avoided looking him in the eyes. She had only looked one person in the eyes in her life and that had been her uncle, Sirius Black.

[nathanmerrick]

Nathan smiled and nodded in approval upon learning that she had been a Slytherin. "Ahhh..no wonder you didn't mind talking to me." he was surprised that she used to be a Slytherin. From his first impression of her she seemed to nice to be a Slytherin. Although Nathan just thought that if anything she had just grown out of the average Slytherin persona that most of them had at Hogwarts.

"Nice to meet you Rasalas. Yeah, I've noticed that whenever I've talked to people about Slytherin. We don't exactly have the best history to argue with though". He halfheartedly laughed as he joked about a slightly risky subject. Of course, he would never that one of his parent's followed Voldermort until her death. He thought about her for a moment and then wondered if her original surname was any relation to the Sirius Black from the recent legends of Harry Potter's defeat of Voldermort. Then came back to the conversation as he heard Rasalas ask about Professor Snape. "You know Professor Snape, still the same old moaner as usual. Although I think recently he's loosened up...slightly." he said. Nathan didn't have Severus Snape teaching any of his classes just by the coincidence that he didn't teach any of the classes that Nathan picked. Nathan would have liked to have him teach the classes seeing as he was the head of the house.

"What have you done since you left Hogwarts? I have no idea what I'm going to do when I leave that place." he asked, he didn't really speak to may wizards that didn't go to Hogwarts. Rasalas seemed like she hadn't been out of Hogwarts for too long so Nathan could get a relevant answer, and not some lecture like he did from the professors at Hogwarts.

[Rasalas Jones]

“I've never been like other Slytherin's but everyone still treated me like I was evil in training. I mean my brother was a Gryffindor and he didn't treat me that way.” She shook her head at how ignorant people could be, it seemed even though Severus Snape had been on the good side everyone still hated Slytherins.

Rasalas smiled, “That is true, most of my family was Slytherin. My uncle, though, was a Gryffindor, first and only one in the family too... I must be confusing you. I recently found out my biological father was Sirius Black's younger brother.” She gave him an apologetic smile, she was still getting use to having two different families. She rose her eyebrows at hearing Snape had loosened up a bit. “Really? Severus Snape? Loosened up? I can not believe that, is he still favoring Slytherins over the others?” She might have to owl him to see if he might want to meet up some time.

“Well, I was going to be an Auror but when my grandparents passed my brother and I inherented their farm. My brother didn't want it so I took it over, so for right now I am unempolyed and taking care of the farm.” She sighed, “though I wouldn't mind a job I just don't know where I want to work.”

[nathanmerrick]

Nathan smiled at her. He wasn't going to tell her how in Hogwarts he usually lived up to that image. Alot of students were scared of Nathan because of how he has acted at school, even more so after his mother died and his personality drastically changed. None of them know what he's going to do next, he could be the nice civil person that he is being now or he could threaten the younger students. Nathan didn't know how he wanted to act. There was an inner conflict inside him and it seemed both sides were fighting for overall control of him.

"That must have been quite a shock, finding out that information and even more so that he was related to somebody pretty famous in the wizarding world.". He wasn't entirely sure what part Sirius Black played in the Harry/Voldermort legends. His mother and father had always told him not to take interest in Harry Potter. Even when Harry was at Hogwarts and doing the amazing things he did. Nathan paid no attention to it because of the conditioning by his parents.

"I wouldn't say he's completely loosened up. He's still Professor Snape through and through. After everything that happened with Harry Potter, he doesn't seem quite so...I don't know, he's just different now. I can't put my finger on it. But yeah, he's still head of the house so to him Slytherin's are his number one." he said with a laugh. He listened as Rasalas talked about her farm and how she didn't have a job. "I know what you mean, I feel like...well...a muggle who has just finished school and doesn't know what to do. There's so many options and yet none really seem suitable for me. It's a tough decision and I don't have long before I have to make that decision".

[Rasalas Jones]

"My biological father is dead, I was adopted when I was young. I had happened to run into Sirius and he saw my father's ring," she picked up the ring to show him the ring, "he told me who my father was but he didn't know who my father was or is." She wasn't going to tell the boy that her father had died by trying to right a wrong. She had been meaning to write to Harry and hope she could get to know him, or if he would want to get to know her. She wasn't even sure if he would even want to see her even with Sirius being her uncle.

The boy's voice jerked her out of her thoughts. "I didn't think he would completely change his ways." She was kind of relieved that he hadn't completely changed his ways. "Well, all I can tell ya is follow what you're good at. Like if you are good in potions, get a job that has something to do with that, or whatever." She shrugged, she didn't need to say anything as she still didn't have a job and she was twenty.

[nathanmerrick]

Nathan sympathized with Rasalas. He knew what is was like to lose a parent. However, he had lost his mother more recently and couldn't imagine what it would have been like growing up in the same circumstances as Rasalas. "I'm sorry to hear that. I've not seen my father for years. He wouldn't want to see me, I'll spare you the details and my mother...well she's not with us any more", Nathan's fists clenched as he briefly thought about his mother and father. The only reason Nathan's father wouldn't want to see him is out of fear of what Nathan would do. Ever since his father disappeared he has secretly sworn to get his revenge, no matter what the cost.

He shook his head, clearing away the thoughts that had just filled it. Now was not the time for it. Rasalas was a stranger and there was no point in thinking such things while he was there. He smiled as they got back on the subject of Professor Snape. "Yeah, I don't think Professor Snape could ever fully change now, he's pretty much set in his ways. Hogwarts wouldn't be the same without him." he said smiling. Professor Snape was pretty much the only Professor that Nathan liked for a reason. Because he seemed different from all the others working there and Nathan respected that. Not to mention he was the head of Slytherin as well, so he's always help Nathan the few times he's asked for it.

"It's a tough decision. I'll just have to leave my options open. This world has a funny way of dropping bombshells on you whenever you set your plans in stone. So the only way to get by is to not make anything certain until the latest time possible".