Muggles Have Cool Toys Too! (Open)

The skidding of wheels across the stone floor reached even the farthest corners of the East Wing, echoing all around the quiet and particularly dark hall. The weather outside was cold and wet, so it left Emma with finding less conventional means of entertainment for the day, since studying was completely out of the question. As she started to lose momentum, and grew closer to the end of the hall, Emma got up off the wooden plank, laughing as she fixed her windblown hair. She couldn't practice for the next Quidditch game, so it was very lucky that her uncle sent her a skateboard- of all things - for Christmas! Around the hall, carpets, and various furniture had been pushed back towards the wall, or into corners, so that all that remained was the bare floor that provided the best surface for the board to glide across.

She giggled as she stepped back to the very end of the hall, where the door to the Grand staircase stood, and then ran into a sprint, with the board in her hand. When she soon got up to as fast as she could go, she fell forward, setting the board down to catch her as she literally glided on her stomach through the hall, just as she would expect. She started laughing as she sped along, though the few portraits that hung along the walls did not share in her enthusiasm. She had to play somewhere didn't she? It wasn't her fault they were all so boring.

Since she hadn't planned on riding the thing the way most muggles back home did, she didn't see the need of a helmet either, but it was cold throughout the room, as the rain crashed against the windows outside, so she did wear her jacket, along with a simple pair of jeans and her favorite pair of converse. Though other students may have thought it odd to act so much like a muggle, but school robes just wouldn't do, especially the skirt part. No, Emma was much more comfortable, and warmer, in these clothes!

On his way to the Ancient Rune classroom Jett was stopped by a sight he could not for the life of him discern. He was simply striding down the corridor into the East Wing, books held loosely in his hand, mind on the task he had set for himself that night, when something hurtled past him, low to the ground. The air behind the shape blew into him, ruffling his hair with its passage and causing him to turn his head to follow the progress of whatever had caused the disturbance.

A quizzical look fell onto his face, shadowing his stark features. Far down the hall the object in question stopped, having lost its momentum. With it finally at rest Jett could make out what it was, though that did nothing to alleviate his confusion. A kid? With...a piece of wood? Laughter reached his ears and he took a few steps away from his destination and towards whatever was going on down the way.

Whatever it was that other student was doing seemed to be dangerous, a nuisance and threat to others who were trying to be on their way in this part of the castle. Jett was of a mind to tell this person that, and to kindly ask them to take their nonsense outside, when he caught better sight of who it was. A girl, dressed quite casually and with a bright smile on her face. He was certain they had not met yet, but he was about to change that.

A few quick paces left Jett within speaking distance of the girl, and he held out his hand to her to help her up from the ground. As he waited, his charming smile plastered onto his face, he took in the contraption she had been using with a closer look. Yes, it was without a doubt a piece of wood, but with wheels attached. What could be the point of that, other than to transport something heavy from one space to another if one did not have the gift of magic? Had she made this, for some reason? Or perhaps her flight down the corridor had been unintentional and the thing beneath her some mind of accident? That had to be it; there was no reason for her to willingly fling herself at break neck speed down a hallway.

“Are you quite alright? I certainly hope you haven't hurt yourself.” Jett's voice was like a tropical wave, smooth and inviting.

As the skateboard unfortunately had to slow down eventually, Emma remained determined to stay in motion throughout this poor, rainy day. She was, at first, oblivious to anything around her, until she stood up from the board and had just about prepped for her next go. She just about jumped out of her pants when she turned to see the guy standing over her, towering at least a couple inches above her. She stared up at him, gawking for a moment, almost forgetting she had words she could use to respond to him. She wasn't an animal, after all. Still, her brain took longer still to tell her what to say.

So, the only unintelligent response she could muster was a, "Huh?" a pause, "Oh," She looked down at her board, which she'd unconsciously picked up off the ground apparently, "It's just uh skateboard." She thought at first to ask how she could get hurt in the first place, but it was possible, as with most of the hobbies she took up. When she realized she might have said something offensive, suggesting he didn't know what a skateboard was, she changed her tune almost immediately. Her eyebrow twitched, and quite abruptly she laughed, harmlessly punching him in the shoulder- a mistake that only rattled her nerves more, like any wrong word could mean he would hate her.

She looked down as her board hit the ground, and as she rolled it back and forth with her foot, she seemed to have smoothed over back to normal Emma. She glanced back with a grin as she told him, "I'm tougher than I look, just so you know." And it was generally true, you had to be tough to get into a game like Quidditch, the game that always roughs ya up at least a little bit. That and she had to deal with bullies every now and then, so compared to that, how scary could a skateboard possibly be? She thought for a moment, before realizing she did not actually know the boy that stood in front of her, so she held out her hand, smiling as she introduced herself, "I'm Emma, by the way."

Jett watched with mild amusement as the girl stumbled over her words briefly, taking in the way her eyes widened when she noticed he was standing beside her. Her innocent curiosity at his sudden appearance was endearing and he chuckled as she seemed to pull herself back together. He listened patiently and closely to what she said, even though it made little sense to him. He was about to speak again when she laughed, almost out of nowhere, and he felt a soft impact on his shoulder. What? Jett took an instinctive step backward as a quizzical look clouded his features. He looked from her to his shoulder, and then back again. She had most certainly just punched him, very gently, while laughing. Jett let his face calm back over, replacing the confused look with its usual slight smile. There were somethings Jett would just never understand about girls, no matter how much practice he had.

He turned his thoughts instead back to what she had called the thing in her arms. A skateboard? Jett had never heard of such a thing before, though its name implied simplicity. Either he was behind on the fads of the time, which was very possible considering his studies and interest in things far from pop culture kept his mind from such things, or this skateboard thing was an invention of the muggles. That seemed marginally more plausible; there were plenty of students at Hogwarts that came from muggle families and it would only make sense for them to retain some of their habits from earlier years. Deciding his deductions were correct Jett took one last look at the board in her hands and turned his eyes to hers while motioning to it with a free hand. “A muggle implement? Did you bring that from home? Is it broken?” He couldn't fathom a use of the skateboard that would do whatever it just did on purpose, so he assumed it must be broken.

As Emma introduced herself and claimed that she was not as fragile as her young girl look alluded to, Jett could only agree with her. She had nearly crashed into thick stone walls after pelting down the corridor; anyone who had the courage to do that either knew their limits (and was well within them) or was incredibly foolish. The girl looking up at him did not seem too foolish, though it was difficult to tell just yet, and so he was inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt. “I am certain you are more than you look, Emma, which is to say you must be quite a lot. It's a pleasure to meet you, one I am more than happy to have taken me by surprise. I'm Jett Winters.” With his introduction he gave Emma one of his best smiles, knowing just how the twinkling of his green eyes would shine off of the faint gray light pouring in through the windows. He was feeling in top form now, meeting someone new. He would be sure to let his easy and honest compliments flow freely to go hand in hand with his natural charm.

There was a stroke of panic as Emma watched him retreat from her- well, fist. She was afraid he would leave her company now, for acting so stupidly in front of him, and it was only as he regained his smile that Emma got her breath back. Of course he wouldn't leave- Jett wouldn't do that, though the logic in Emma's head failed to tell her that she didn't actually know what Jett would do. They'd only just met after all. In Emma's current state of mind, the details were all jumbled and irrelevant. What she could focus on though, was the skateboard Jett had taken quite the interest in.

"My uncle sent it to me-" Her voice lowered to a whisper, as though Uncle Tom was standing right beside them, "he doesn't know I'm a witch." She grinned as she stepped onto the board, taking on the more common position for riding, and giggled at the prospect of it being broken, "And no, it's actually brand new! See the wheels on the bottom?" She pointed down, just to be certain, "Muggles stand on the board like this, and then kick off from the ground like... so." As she demonstrated with a light kick off the ground, she rolled a few feet way. Once the board slowed down, she put her foot on the ground, and glanced back with a grin.

"A lot of kids back home use these for fun. I haven't learned how to ride properly yet, so I was laying on it instead- Uncle's supposed to teach me over the summer." She gave a light shrug as she rolled herself on back. A faint redness colored her cheeks as he flowered her with compliments about how she was more than she looked, and how he was so pleasantly surprised to meet her. She fidgeted with her jacket sleeves, nervously trying to figure out how to respond, but he saved her from the trouble as he flashed a brilliant smile, one that made her smile back.

Jett gave a small of satisfaction when Emma revealed the contraption in her hands was indeed a muggle invention. He had been right, of course. It was not a large leap to assume that she herself was a muggle born, as she spoke of her relatives not being aware of her magical ability. He must be sure to remember such information, in case it ever came up again. Perhaps the next year he could ask her how the lesson with her uncle went; she would be impressed he remembered, no doubt.

“Hm, certainly a clever mode of transportation, though it does still appear rather dangerous for the unbalanced. You seem to to have an aptitude for that, I see. It is quite a desirable trait, if one is focused on the physical pursuits; one I myself am lacking.” Jett gave a light hearted laugh that chimed pleasantly off the walls, “I leave that for those more suited to sports than I. I wonder, though, you must play for your house quidditch team?”

As they had been conversing Jett had been watching Emma and her movements, seeing the tell tale signs of someone who was used to physical activity. She seemed most comfortable when she standing on the board, or making her way back to Jett from across the hall. The easy way she moved, a certain type grace that he could imagine her growing into as she aged, was enough for him to guess that she was just as apt on a broom. He had yet to judge exactly which house team she played for, and he was a little disappointed in himself for not catching on to it right away. It was usually not hard for him to figure such things out; all it took was a little attention to detail. He would find out soon though. She was  no Ravenclaw, of that he was certain. While he waited for her answer he continued to focus only on her matching smile, keeping his in place as he stood very comfortably with his books still in hand.

She couldn't help but gaze into his face as he spoke for an extended time, and as he mentioned something about balance, she couldn't help but admire his sharp features, and the unwavering gaze he'd fixed upon her. How lucky she was to be speaking to someone so genuinely amazing, she thought, and it filled her with the brightest and indescribable feeling ever. And though she sadly had gotten lost amidst his graceful words, she did hear the form of a question at the end of his sentence. "What?" she tilted her head ever so slightly, as the intense look on her face turned to one that appeared rather absent, before finally processing the bit about Quidditch. As for whatever else he said, she shamefully hadn't heard a word.

"Oh yeah, I play for Gryffindor! How'd you know?" The smile reappeared on her face as they'd moved onto a subject she could very easily talk about, even in the state of trance as she was, "I mean, I hardly do anything half way through the matches till I spot the Snitch, but the view from above, watching the rest of the game is... amazing." She laughed, really not focused on what she was saying at this point- rambling, in other words, "I wanna go pro once I graduate. Could you imagine?" There was a pause, as she stopped talking to look at him again, and she laughed again, only this time out of embarrassment.

"Ha... um, anyways." She kicked her foot on the back of her skateboard so she could grab it and hold it in the crook of her arm, "So what do you do for fun?" She glanced at the load he was carrying, "Do you like reading a lot? Or is that for your studies?" Emma couldn't really think of a time anyone would catch her carrying books around, unless it was strictly for the class she was headed too. She was always wanting to stick to fun things to do, so of course Emma and studying didn't really mix. Besides, she did... well, okay, in... most of her classes.

Jett could of course feel Emma's eyes lingering on him, slowing her reactions and dulling her perception. Feeling a tingle of guilt he attempted to reign in his veela aura even more, keeping it close to him with some concentration. She was now comfortable; there was no need to over stimulate. He did, however, keep up his easy smile and air of confidence, but those were things that were natural to Jett that he could not keep to himself even if he tried. He therefore listened with much attention as Emma rambled on, telling Jett just what he wanted to know. Now that she had identified herself as a Gryffindor he was unsure of how he had not realized that at once.

“I have yet to witness your prowess on the quidditch field but the way you move lends itself to the assumption you do indeed play. Your goal is a lofty one, but one I am sure if you put your best into is within your grasp, Emma. Maybe you will have to show me how well you fly, sometime.” The invitation was a real one, though Jett was certain there were many other things that would be more entertaining to him than watching people fly around on brooms. He certainty would never be one of them; the few times he had to in order to learn were enough for the rest of his life.

Jett followed her eyes to the books in his hands as she spoke, inquiring about his hobbies. “I do enjoy reading, yes. These here are for my personal indulgence; books of history not quite covered in such detail in class. It is a pastime of mine, one I fully understand how boring it most appear to the majority of our classmates. Not quite as exciting as the daring stunts you seem to pull off,” he laughed, motioning to the skateboard she still held. While his studies might seem an over achievement to others, Jett knew such dedication would later pay off. It was worth it to him, the hours spent alone and quiet. Besides, he was not one to find too much amusement in letting himself be made a fool of by attempting things like those Emma did, knowing full well his skill level was more suited for casual sauntering and turning of pages. “I also enjoy meeting other interesting students, such as yourself. It is a good way to spend a rainy afternoon, wouldn't you agree?”

Again, Jett's fancy words were difficult to absorb for Emma, and it seemed the longer he spoke, the more lost she felt. It wasn't the first time a student far smarter than she was managed to make her feel so slow, and it begged the question, "You're a Ravenclaw, aren't you? You sure do talk like one." She hadn't intended it to be an insult, but being the sort to speak before thinking, it might have come across that way. After a few moments of processing through the rusty gears in her head, Emma replied, "Well as long as the weather's nice I'm usually on the field practicing. If you ever see me out there, you should come say hi! That, and I'm sure Gryffindor will be having a match soon, if you're into Quidditch."

His comment about interesting people oddly enough made Emma feel like she was being studied under a microscope, but was quick to shrug it off as she said, "Meeting people is always great! You can be at Hogwarts all your life and still run into unfamiliar faces." Emma grinned effortlessly as she fidgeted with the wheels on her board. "How good are you at Potions by the way? With Luke- er, Professor Brown gone, I've been afraid to ask the substitute for help."

Jett waited patiently as he saw the mask of confusion pass over Emma's features. It was not the first time that his words had proved too much for someone to fully comprehend all at once. His particular way of speaking, the use of words filling a vast vocabulary paired with the polite tones, often threw people off if they were not used to it. Emma seemed to grasp that his speech was in part due to his intellect and assumed, correctly, that he was a Ravenclaw student.  

“I am, yes. I believe I will take your comment as a compliment, if that is alright with you.”

Jett recalled the long moments that the sorting hat had been perched atop his head, debating his placement. He had very nearly been sorted into Slytherin until his own preference had left him in Ravenclaw. It was a much more suitable place, in Jett's mind. He would have had a hard time attaining the confidences and friendships of many of the students if he had been forced to live with the reputation of the Slytherin house. He doubted very much if he would be having a pleasant conversation with Emma if he was garbed in green and silver rather than the dark blue of his sweater.

When Emma mentioned potion's out of no where, Jett felt an association click into place in his mind. The image of the black board during his first potion's class of the year appeared, words still razor sharp burnt into his mind. He then recalled the disastrous event that caused a cauldron to spew its contents across the room, landing globs of sticky goo onto Jett's turned back and to stick solidly in his dark hair.  The sheepish face of a Gryfindor student surfaced in his memory: unknown at the time, but now belonging to the girl in front of him.

“I thought I recognized you, Emma. I believe in one of the first potion classes of this year you had a, erm... mishap with a befuddlement drought?” His words were chosen carefully, not wanting to make the younger girl embarrassed. He gave her another reassuring smile, just in case, to show that the incident was no more than a distant memory.

“While Potions is not my top subject, nor one I intend to use through out the entirety of my life, I do fairly well. It is advantageous to be proficient in at the very least the basics of each subject available here.” Jett did not like to admit that he was not as skilled at something as others may think he was, and so he left the statement as it was. He scraped by getting Exceeds Expectations on most of his potions assignments, though there were many more Acceptables received in that class than any other, excluding Herbology of course, which he had little use for. That did not mean he neglected his potion's studies, and in fact probably spent more time on them than most other students despite his indifference to the subject. Just because he did not care for it did not make it excusable to receive poor marks or remain ignorant.

The mention of the substitute teacher and Emma's aversion to him was an opening for Jett to offer his assistance to the girl, something he always enjoyed. “Ah, to be candid. I do not particularly enjoy Professor Austin's teaching style either. I would be more than happy to spend some free time going over any questions you may have about what is covered, or not covered, in class.”

It was all too easy for Emma to find herself back in that Potions classroom, covered in green slime and all her classmates' eyes on her. It certainly wasn't one of her finest moments, and it was one she'd sooner forget. She pretended not to remember, in fact, and simply shrugged like it was no big deal, "Right... Yeah, I would love some help wherever possible! I definitely know I could do better in that class."

"But if you were willing to do that for me, I gotta do something in return! What could I do for you- just name it!" Emma perked up at the thought of a fair exchange, as it would feel less like charity and more like a deal. She didn't want the embarrassment of being the silly 5th year getting lessons from a Ravenclaw, but if he could help her get better grades it would surely be worth it.