just a butterbeer? (tag Jessica)

Fionn sighed as he pulled a certain blond to the Three Broomsticks. "come on Jess, you need to get out! you used to love the Three Broomsticks! nobody's got better butterbeer, remember? come on, just one?"

"Butterbeer's butterbeer no matter where you buy it," Jessica groaned, though she willingly allowed Fionn to drag her inside. "Just one? For this blatant kidnapping attempt, Mr Causer, you're buying me two. I'd offer but y'know, leprachauns stole my gold..."

"the only butterbeer I care about is the Three Broomsticks" he grinned. "it's not blatant kidnapping it's a healthy reminder the rest of the world outside the library exists, Jess" he clutched his chest in mock shock "two? you're killing me...fine, two. when you finish the first, though" he winced. falling randomly into brother mode wasn't the best idea. whatever. "so, how have you been?"

"Blatant kidnapping," she insisted, though she couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, dad, I'll wait until I've finished one before the other."

The look on Fionn's face told her that he hadn't intended to sound so old when he'd say that, but it made it all the more hilarious. When he asked how she had been, Jessica shrugged slightly.

"Same old, same old, study, sleep, minor classroom duellings. These things happen. How about you?"

He laughed. “why do you insist on calling it kidnapping everytime I pull you out of the library? You need more than books to live Jess” he scratched his neck as she laughed. It wasn’t getting a response. Fionn did, however, raise an eyebrow at her when she listed what she’d been up to. “find time to eat in that schedule?” he also wondered how much time exactly she’d been sleeping. Knowing her, not much. “it’s a good thing I grabbed you then. Honestly Jess” he smirked and rolled her eyes.

Jessica blinked innocently. "Eat? This is a concept I don't understand. You must train me in your ways, young warlock." She noticed, though, that Fionn looked mildly concerned despite his humorous words. She smiled reassuringly. "Really, it's all been fine in my little world. "Well, how about you then? That was the first time I saw you in the library, I suppose you haven't been studying then?"

Fionn scratched his cheek and sighed. “Jess…” he smirked. “studying? Never heard of such a thing. I’ll teach you the art of eating if you teach me the art of studying” he snickered. “actually, been in there a couple times. Finally jinxed Molly into a dress and dyed hair, like she’s been doing for years. Kept telling her I’d get back” he grinned slightly. “and then Madame Pince’s kid put me in roller blades” he nodded decisively. “and it all happened in the library”

"Sounds like some pretty useful life skills, I guess," Jessica said, nodding in approval. "Transfiguration with the hair, homely skills with the dress, espionage skills with the rollerblades... it's a wide range of skills. Are you prepared for a life as an effeminate double agent posing as a Transfiguration teacher?"

She looked around for a moment impatiently, looking for someone to take their order

Fionn laughed. "sounds like one of those comic books my brother reads. nah, I'll stick to being a secret agent by night and a violinist durning the day. I like transFiguration, but I don’t see myself teaching it. I’d probably join Filch in his quest to get Dumbledore to allow corporal punishment again” he shrugged, then pitched a salt shaker at one of the waiters lounging around. When the kid turned to look at them, angrily rubbing his head, he quickly changed his tune and came over, giving a nervous glance at Fionn cracking his knuckles. “c-can I take your order?” Fionn nodded. “yea. Fish and chips and a butter beer” he looked at Jessica.

Jessica frowned disapprovingly when Fionn threw the salt shaker. He knew just how to ruin a perfectly good moment. She jumped slightly when she noticed the waiter and Fionn looking at her, waiting for her order.

"Same as him," she muttered, waiting until he had left before she looked back at Fionn. "You could've just called for him. People don't like stuff being thrown at them, you know?"

"eh, I've had beef with that one for years" he sighed. "look, I'm sorry alright? next time I'll just shout....but I recommend you plug your ears. I apparently have bull horns for lungs" he chuckled, looking apologetic. well, almost apologetic. "it's not easy to be peaceful when you're constantly fighting with people. offense is a habit, sorry"

Jessica still didn't approve and pointedly looked down at the table, twirling one of the forks provided. She looked up after a moment and saw Fionn's face, quite sincerely apologetic. To her chagrin she couldn't stay mad much longer and smiled.

"Fine. Just so you know, I've never had to use a salt shaker in a fight. Maybe it's another one of those skills that'll be useful as a double agent?"

"oh, haha. you've never dealed with my grandmother. she's sinfully paranoid and...can't remember the word...but she goes berserk if you do stuff like stepping on a crack, picking a fourleaf clover on a hill during the full moon, throwing salt.." he'd never really talked about his grandmother. it was an uncomfortable subject. "it's the only way to get her attention sometimes, mean as it sounds" he shrugged. "but...I guess it could work, as a double agent skill. though how I've got now clue" he chuckled. "what about you? you could be a very good secret agent to, Jess. book reading and quick thinking is very important, you know"

"Ah, the older generation," Jessica said, nodding, though truly she had no idea what on earth he was talking about. What did stepping on a crack have to do with anything... "Please, a spy? I'd be crap at it. Reading might be useful and all but I wouldn't have a clue how to keep a secret for that long, I'm a bit of an open book I think."

he smirked. he had a feeling she didn't get it. "she's a little loony" and that was that on his grandmother. "well....I think you can. you've never told about my violin, and you've had plenty of opportunities over the years" he smiled. "also, you don't really talk about home life that much. so you might be open, but only partially. I think it's a good trait in a spy, lull the enemy into a false sense of security with how much you really know. very useful" he grinned as the food was brought. "thank you Charlie" the kid looked like he'd seen a ghost and bolted as soon as the food was one the table. Fionn looked at Jess with an eyebrow raised.

She smiled lightly at this. He seemed to have been taking notes over the years.

"I'll think about it then," Jessica said as the waiter placed their food in front of them. "If you really think I'd be so good at it then you'll have to be on my side. Personally, I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of me," she added with a grin before looking at the way the waiter- Charlie- scarpered. She laughed a little despite herself. "And by the looks of things I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of you either. What'd he do to you, anyway?"

Fionn smirked. “you’d never get on my bad side, Jess” he realized it came out of his mouth a little too late and he blushed, beginning to eat. “well, Charlie decided he was going to begin annoying me because I was a muggle-born and started making my trips here hell. Stealing my books, tossing me out of here, ambushing me whenever I was alone, usual stuff. Never one to back from a fight, I locked him in the shrieking shack with me and began terrorizing him” he shrugged. “it was a few years ago now, guess you could say he was what first got me into beating up other kids. Doing it to them, before they can do it to me” he chuckled and gestured at himself “not that anyone would want to take me now but you know”

Jessica paused for a moment, looking at Fionn. Thinking about it now seemed a little strange, but she did vaguely remember a time when he would disappear into a corner, or leave the common room quickly to avoid contact. She hadn't thought much of it at the time though she knew that there were people attacking his blood status. She supposed there really was a need to fight back now. Even if no one provoked it.

"Well," she said slowly, sticking a fork into the fish and resting it under her finger tip like it was a flag pole, "if that's the case... I would have thrown the pepper as well."

He blinked, then grinned. She understood his reasons, to a point. He knew she would, but still… “why? I like pepper on my chips. I’ll use it later as his tip” he snickered. He loved talking to Jess, especially now. She was a little more open than she had been. “I know I’ve got a problem with violence. But it’s easier to fight than run, better chance of getting rid of the people who won’t leave you alone” he shrugged.

Jessica laughed but nonetheless shook her head. "Whatever you did to him in the Shrieking Shack, that's enough. I think he's learnt his lesson." She poked the food around her plate as she processed his words. "You can't fight forever. It isn't always just a fight or flight sort of deal. Sometimes you've just got to believe in karma, I guess."

He flexed one of his hands unconsciously as he ate. “it’s a learned habit. I was never proven wrong about those two options being the only options in situations. And what I did to him? Heh…did you know jackalopes can create illusions? The more frightened they are the more dangerous the illusions can be. I…’borrowed’ the jackalope from the forbidden forest” he shrugged. “fine, I’ll be nicer. But I’m not going to feel sorry for tripping him down the stairs while he was being assaulted by the jackalope”

The fork clattered to the table again when Fionn said this. A jackalope? A frightened one at that! Jessica had assumed that Fionn's methods lay in more physical violence, considering the effort he had made in bulking up. She looked down at the table, quickly picking up the fork again.

"Definitely learnt his lesson then," she said, her voice coming out oddly high pitched. She cleared her throat quickly before forcing herself to speak again. "Yes, well, thanks again. It's really nice fish..."

He winced at her reaction. “you know how thin and weasily I was in second year?” of course she did. “why do you think it was so easy to pick on m then? After that though, the sight of that…well, I decided I preferred sight of people getting physically beaten up, not…not that” he shrugged. He still did regret using the jackalope. “yea, it’s good fish. One of my favorite places to eat, you know” he gave a strained laugh. “what I did was stupid and cruel, I know. I shouldn’t have used it, but I was just so tired of getting bullied like that”

She still felt uncertain, but tried to ignore the details he had given. Though she hated to admit it, Jessica really didn't want to let herself dislike Fionn. He was one of the only people nowadays to treat her... well, normally. She looked up and stuck a chip pointedly in her mouth, smiling.

"I've never been in the Shrieking Shack, you know," she said, chirpy. "Heard a load of rumours about it. Ghosts, dead bodies, werewolves, all sorts. I haven't got an extensive list of hexes to use on any of those."

She still wasn’t ok. He shouldn’t have talked that much about it. She’d never like him if she kept getting scared off. “well….most likely werewolves. It was ripped up like that. I didn’t see any dead bodies or anything. And didn’t see any ghosts either. Just a bunch of broken furniture and molding pictures. Although there might have been a boggart in the seachest. It was rattling like that, but I didn’t have the guts to go look” not to mention he hadn’t known the spell then to get rid of them.