Time (open)

Basil's eyes were trained on the lake outside. She tapped her fingers on the table as she drew her gaze away. She scanned the Great Hall, seeing nothing but a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw, she knowing neither. She sighed and slipped the core of the apple she had just finished into her bag. She takes another apple from the table and starts to eat that one. She watched as another Slytherin entered the Hall. Val. She yawned again and took a bite of the apple.

"And a remarkable beauty it is," he said with a nod and a smile. "Although..." He squinted a bit. "It could be better," he said, a slight teasing tone in his voice. "What did I say about beauty sleep, hmm?" Remington took a step back to take Val in fully. "You didn't get much sleep last night, did you?"

"Oh but you are. You wanted to know why I called you child. Curiosity killed the cat." She noticed Val enter and sit by the table but decided to stay quiet. If she wanted to talk she could start up the conversation for all Pumpkin cared.

She grinned and rolled her eyes. "No, but what do you care ?" With a teasing smile, she poked him in his ribs. "I don't think you got much sleep either. Tsk tsk."

He stepped into the Hall, his face set in a hard, grim line, always unsmiling. But secretly, he was smiling only that nobody could see it. He had finally gotten some sleep, he had been patrolling all the week before, he had barely had an hour to sleep. Forty, maybe thirty minutes. He mused to himself, frowning. He fell like a vulture upon those that were making too much noise. He had only woken up now, from the secret place in the trophy room that Lily had shown him. He was thankful to her for that, very thankful. He made his way towards his table, and sat down glancing around with his stormy, grey eyes.

Pumpkin saw the head boy enter and raised an eyebrow. He looked worse for wear. Shrugging she raised a hand in greeting. "Wotcher Hex!"

Remington turned back to Wynter. "Oh, but I'm not a cat." He gestured to himself. "Human. So I can't possibly be killed." He started to turn back to Val before remembering. "Oh, and you didn't answer the last part of my question. Your reasons. If your assessment of me being a child is to be held valid, I would love to hear it."

"Hey," he said lightly, rubbing his ribs. "Like I told you before, I don't sleep. I can't." He tapped his head. "Always moving, always hopping about in there." He wiggled his fingers to demonstrate his point. "So much time is wasted when you're asleep. Humans have so little of it, why should we waste it? Oh look, more people!" Remington waved at the boy who had just walked in, and the fellow Ravenclaw sitting at the table. "Good morning!"

"you will die if you never sleep, you understand that huh ?" She said with an eyebrow raised. From the corner of her eye, she saw Pumpkin, and she waved at her. "Maybe I should brew you a sleeping Draght.." An evil grin appeared on her face and she chuckled again.

"Ah I forget. Wizards are not educated in the muggle ways, and you pride yourself in being knowledgable. Pity. And I have told you, I call everyone child. The key word being everyone. No matter age or mannerism." She finished her coffee and poured herself some more. She saw Val wave and nodded back at her.

He lifted hand in a greeting when he saw Pumpkin and the other boy - judging from his robes, a Ravenclaw. He nodded to both of them raising his voice to be heard. "Hello to you both!" He said, crossing his fingers. He noted that the boy seemed to be unusually cheerful, he shrugged, trying to force a smile onto his face and succeeding. It was a moment before he realized Basil was here, and his instincts kicked in. He swore loudly and dived under the table hoping she hadn't noticed him. Other Gryffindor students lowered their heads under the table, giving him strange looks. He just placed a finger over his mouth telling them to shush.

She burst out laughing when she saw Hex dive under the Gryffindor table like his life depended on it.

She hadn't noticed Hex walking in. She had been to busy studying yet another apple before she bite into it. "Morning to you too." She said quite cheerfully. She smiled and took another bite of the apple.

"Perhaps I'm already dead," Remington said in a conspiratorial whisper before winking and laughing. "I jest, I'm not a ghost. And you would put me to sleep against my will?" Remington tutted, shaking his head. "Or would it be some grand heroic gesture to save the poor sleepless Remington from death?" Remington's mouth pulled up in a sort of half grin. "See, you do want to make people better. It's in your nature."

Remington looked back at Wynter, a twinkle in his green eyes. "I said I was knowledgeable about things that matter." He nodded. "And also, Wynter, I am aware of that particular saying. It's used often. I was being... how shall I put this... sarcastic?" He paused for a moment, mulling it over. "Indeed... child."

He stopped for a moment as Wynter burst into laughter. He looked over at the Gryffindor table, picking out the boy who had walked in earlier. He squinted. "Now, people don't usually dive under tables, do they?" he muttered to himself. The boy didn't appear to be picking up anything. "I wonder who he's hiding from."

She waved Zabini's comment off having lost interest with him. "Whatever floats your boat child." And continued to chortle over Hex's antics.

She narrowed her eyes. "What are you then, if you are not a ghost ? Are you a sparkling vampire ." Trying to keep her face straight, she sipped her tea. "and no, my sir. I don't want to make other people better. It would be better for the whole school if you slept. We don't want a dead body in thé Halls." She winked.

He put his index finger onto his mouth to Pumpkin clearly meaning: Shut up. He quickly shifted his position to the other end, on the ground, on all fours. He crawled down the end, hardly breathing at all and even if he did breath, he breathed very slowly so Basil couldn't hear him. He gulped down, a sheen of sweat forming on his brow, he wiped it away with the back of his hand. He felt eyes on him and he turned seeing the Ravenclaw boy. He mouthed. 'Look somewhere else.'

She saw Hex telling her to quieten down and bit down on her fist to stop herself from laughing out loud at the head boy. Her body trembled with laughter and tears leaked down her cheeks. She leaned heavily on Val her body still trembling fighting to get air back into her lungs.

"Hi hun." She grinned and patted Pumpkin's heaad. "Funny ?" Seeing Pumpkin laughing, made her laugh too.

These Muggle sayings really do not make sense logically, he thought to himself. And whether or not she called everyone "child", Remington did not care. He did not like how it was used with him, and he made a mental note to ask about it the next time they talked.

"A what? A sparkling vampire? There is no such thing, didn't you listen in Defence Against the Dark Arts?" Remington laughed. "I would love to see how long you keep up this denial. But bear in mind - there is a difference in making people BETTER, and making people WELL." Remington tapped his nose before returning his attentions to the Gryffindor under the table.

From where he was standing, he could make out the sheen of perspiration - nervousness, anxiety - and the words he was mouthing clearly indicated that he did not want attention drawn to him. Remington nodded, having made the conclusion in a split second. He did as the boy requested, smiling as though enjoying a personal joke.

She sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Don't you know about those stupid Muggle books, Twilight ? Maybe you are such a vampire. Lets make this clear: I am not making people better or well. I don't have time for the probles of other human." She poked him again.

She nodded her head furiously and clutched onto Val for support.

"Calm down Pumpkinny." She kept patting the girls head.

Remington tensed slightly. "I am a wizard, miss Prefect," he said, trying to keep his tone light. "I do not care for such Muggle... frivolities. And if they come up with such things as 'sparkling vampires', my point is proven.' He glanced at the offending finger.

She glanced around the hall, her eyes sweeping across everyones face. The Ravenclaw was smiling at something. She tilted her head to the side, thinking, then nodding when she had finally figured it out. She looked at the two Slytherin girls quzzical, wondering what in the world had they been laughing at so hard. She turned around looking, then she looked back at them, eyebrow raised.

He rolled his eyes at Pumpkin and Val, knowing now that they wouldn't stop laughing. Do they want to get me killed? He thought, frowning. He ruffled his hair absently while thinking of what to do. He nodded at the Ravenclaw, grateful that at least he understood. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, he drew his apple wood wand and pointed it at himself. He tapped the wand on himself and muttered the incantation of the disillusionment charm, he had used it many a times and it had come very useful. He had mastered it now, and he was as good as invisible as he lay there, blending in with the ground. He waited for Basil to leave the Hall or for some other distraction.