[detention] lost in the madness. [nola]

Starting to wonder how long he could sit over here before Duncan or Allison started to get the wrong idea, Isaac's eyes kept drifting back toward their table. The same table they had been inhabited since what felt like the first year. Some things never changed, but some things did. If someone had told him three months ago that he'd be sitting at a detention table with Magnolia Lane Hawkins (definition: square) and that they would be talking about muggle music they liked, he would have laughed right in that person's face, or asked what they were high on. Or both. It was weird to think they had been in school together for four years and up until this past September, he'd known absolutely nothing about her other than the nonsense that breezed through their classmate's gossiping mouths.

Isaac's eyebrow rose as she explained the genre of music,. less aggressive, it was a strange way to classify a record, but he also kind of felt like he knew exactly what she meant. He almost smiled, almost commented on what she was saying without an ounce of snark, but then he stopped himself. Or rather, she stopped him, by beating him to the sass. "Mainstream is for nerds," He told her, even though he didn't entirely feel that way. He listened to whatever he liked, regardless of whether others liked or did not like them. He wasn't one of those types.

"You would not ike the music I like." He said definitively, offering nothing more, and scowling across the table at her. Internally he planned to look up this record she was talking about, just to see how awful it was (naturally). They could have found common ground with music, could have maybe even had a real conversation, but it never seemed to work. Leaning forward Isaac tapped her textbook again, that annoyed look crossing his features once more, and spoke, "Are you going to finish this or what? I am sure you have six other assignments overdue, and I do not have all day," Isaac was being rude to her again, acting like he didn't want to be here, but his words contradicted himself as he accidentally signed himself up to help her with more than just this task.

Of course, Mr. I’m-too-cool-to-relate-to-anyone would think there was something wrong with mainstream music. It was popular for a reason and Magnolia wasn’t going to go out of her way trying to dig up the names of some obscure, experimental group for the sake of showing how in the know she really was. And yet, Isaac was obviously not asking her to prove herself worthy of his attention at all, if anything he seemed mildly interested in what she had to say at best. However, at this point, Magnolia was having a difficult time convincing her that engaging him in conversation wasn’t worth it, that she wasn’t supposed to care what he had to say because he wasn’t even on his radar. Even so, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t intrigued.

Magnolia took his statement as an invitation to ask for clarification but she declined, feeling so conflicted by her own thoughts on the fact that they were actually talking that she couldn’t step away from it to have a civil conversation with him. “Probably not,” she shrugged it off, “Or you can tell me what it is anyway so that I can actively avoid it,” she added, smiling a little as she continued looking at him, finding that she much better liked to smile at him when he scowled. It made her feel superior, above all the ridiculously conflicting thoughts in her head.

That triumph was short-lived, however, as he pointed out that she still needed to finish her assignments. Was that his way of cutting the conversation short? Did that, in turn, mean that he really didn’t want to be talking to her in the first place? Did it even matter? It was her turn to furrow her brow just a touch, returning her eyes to the textbook and parchment a moment later. “I do not,” she insisted but he was probably right. Falling silent and feeling terribly awkward she shifted in the uncomfortable chair, fiddled with the necklace around her neck, and continued to write, pretending that he wasn’t there staring at her. 

Getting frustrated talking to Nola was sort of like a resting pulse now, and he knew she was just as irritated by him, or at least, he thought she was based on the looks and the way she sounded when she spoke to him. He should have probably just cut his losses and stopped talking to her, but something always pulled him back in. He didn't want her to tell anyone about his mum, that was still true, but it wasn't like it was an end of the world kind of secret. Isaac would get over it, he was sure of that, so why was he still hanging around? Today he'd told himself he was going to bother her because she got him detention, but he'd of been here anyway, and it wasn't like he was innocent. Every day it was a different reason, it seemed.

He huffed when she informed him that she would actively avoid anything he suggested, and he believed it; she was quite possibly the most stubborn person he had ever met. Other than himself, of course. "Nah, I am good," He said instead, giving her a shrug like he could care less about telling her the sort of music he liked. That was the furthest thing from the truth. Isaac was rude, he was dismissive and distant, but he lived for good music. And everything that came along with it. If they were going to find anything that the Slytherin could have a real conversation with her about, it would have been music, and in truth, he was disappointed that the subject and come and gone so terribly.

Tapping her book Isaac took a breath, growing anxious sitting here with her, especially if she wasn; 't going to finish the work she was supposed to be doing. Her assurance that she did not have more projects to work on did nothing to sway his assumptions. Isaac's arms slid into the pockets of his black uniform slacks as his eyes rolled at her. It would be another minute or two before the weird silence between them finally broke the wizard. He had been slouching in his seat, stretched out with his legs forward, but with a loud huff, he sat forward again and put his arms back on the table.

"Linkin Park," He said slowly like it had pained him to give in first and tell her what he was so desperately wanting to tell her in the first place. "Have you ever heard of them?" Sitting forward, he brought his brown eyes to hers, watching her face for clues, as his expression became one of mild interest instead of annoyance.

Magnolia was not sure whether his refusal to give her the information she so desperately wanted was genuine or just his way of pushing her to ask further but it felt like a loss to the witch, one she was not pleased with whatsoever. Although in the grand scheme of things the type of music he liked seemed irrelevant, the girl liked the idea that it would reveal information about him that had, until that very moment, remained a mystery to her.

It was almost like he would open to her and they would become almost friends, and surely that had to be better than the strange relationship they had now. But calling it a relationship in the first place made her feel a certain type of way she was not at all pleased with. The girl assumed that maybe he simply liked a band so obscure or so strange that he felt embarrassed to discuss it with her. Or, more interestingly, maybe he was a closet Britney fan. Now that would be interesting.

And then there was this silence between them that made her anxious, making her bounce her knee lightly under the desk for something to do. She couldn’t really look up because she felt like he was staring at her but then again, she wanted to know what he was thinking and thought that looking at him might give her some insight into that. All of this was very confusing as the Gryffindor girl had trouble understanding how to read people the way they were to be read rather than the way in which she read them. As she wrote another sentence, which probably made no sense considering the topic of the paper, she thought about what she might say to make the situation more comfortable for the two of them. Just as she was about to suggest he go back to his group again; he made a noise that grabbed her attention. At least now she had a reason to look at him again.

“Ah—” she said after a moment, so that was his style, now that she considered it fit perfectly. She could think of a few other artists he might like, “Of course,” she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Magnolia had a record with one of their songs on it but was hardly an expert. But she had liked the song and the lyrics, “Yeah they’re cool,” she shrugged it off, pleased that they had something in common, though seemingly insignificant. “Suits you,” she said after a moment of consideration though there were no hard feelings behind her words. “What’s your favorite album?”

"Suits me? What is that supposed to me?" Isaac asked her quickly, assuming she was judgemental in some way rather than anything polite. She had said she thought they were cool, but now the wizard was beginning to wonder if she was sarcastic about it. Had she even heard of them before? He couldn't help but wonder. Why he had to know was beyond him, but he had to. "Have you heard their music before?" He asked her, an eyebrow-raising as he did. And then he moved on to answer her question, his mood changing instantly, and as abruptly as always.

"Hybrid Theory was good, but Meteora is the best," Isaac informed her. "It just came out in March, but I have probably listened to it a hundred times." Saying more words at once than he probably had all afternoon, it was clear that Isaac was most comfortable (and least rude) when talking about music. "Most albums I only like one or two songs from, but Meteora is good to start to finish," He nodded before finally pausing and taking a breath. "You know?"

“That it suits you,” she repeated, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth just slightly, feeling like she was in control of the situation even if only for a moment. People were like music, or better yet genres, and while she probably top 100 written all over her face, Isaac seemed more of the alternative type, and she figured maybe that was his biggest appeal. That he wasn’t typical at all and yet, the unexpected seemed to match him perfectly. “I have,” she stated proudly, even if it had only been one song. At least one song was better than nothing.

But when he started to go into details about the albums she felt a little out of her element, and strangely so, at a loss for words. Rather, she watched him closely, only really half listening to what he was saying, and a little too invested in how his mood had seemingly shifted for the better when he talked about the things he liked. It felt like progress. “I know the feeling,” she responded just in turn, making a mental note to owl Rheya asking for a copy. If he liked it, then maybe it was worth listening to? No. This had nothing to do with him as much as it did with the expansion of her own musical knowledge. One could never listen to too much music, after all.

“I can’t really say I love an artist unless I can listen to their entire album and like it,” she said. “But don’t think I’ve heard that album in particular, what’s your favorite song?”

Despite how 'social' he was with his group of friends, Isaac was not the sort that quickly opened up. He was untrusting, had a hard time relating to other people, and generally did not care about their lives or struggles. He didn't have an empathetic bone in his body. But talking about music was so different, and so was Isaac while doing so. He was more agreeable, less argumentative, and could go on for hours.

"Agreed," Isaac replied about liking an entire album, though he would never say he loved an artist, to begin with, he understood her meaning. "That is the thing, every song is good. I could not pick a particular favorite." Isaac had been more than impressed with the newest album. "All of the songs, in the specific order that they are in, is what makes the album so great." Each song was good, but all together, they were perfection in the teenager's mind.

"Do you have a favorite song?" He asked her abruptly, "In general, I mean,"

“Is it like a story?” she wondered, now much more intrigued to give the album a listen if she could get her hands on it, “like you know Tommy by The Who, from start to finish it’s like a novel, I heard it goes with the movie but I’ve never watched that one,” she explained. Even classical rock felt a little too mainstream where Isaac was concerned but if he was as big of a music buff as she was, Magnolia figured he’d know what she was talking about. “Or is it like thematic? I think Pink Floyd’s done stuff like that too,” she added as an afterthought. There was so much to know where music was concerned, and of course it was that much easier to get invested when it was her one hobby.

“I have so many favorites,” she added, her mind racing from one song to another, trying to figure out what she had been listening to lately that she really liked and to what degree she liked it. There was the classic stuff but also the alternative, she’d been listening to a lot of r&b lately but it didn’t stop her from also appreciating things like harder rock n roll. Magnolia wasn’t a fan of metal but she knew a few milder bands that could be described as such. She stayed away from country but was open for convincing, and 2002 had been a great year for country in the States as well. “But lately, I guess I’ve been loads into Kylie Minogue,” she explained.

The artist was mainstream, extremely popular with girls her age, and probably someone too pop for someone of Isaac’s refined alternative tastes (cute the eye roll). “Do you know who that is though? Probably not underground enough for you? She’s got that song, And everything went from wrong to right, And the stars came out and filled up the sky, the music—“ she continued, tapping out the beat the musical measures with her foot. Magnolia was definitely the sort to break out in song and dance, wasn’t shy about that sort of thing at all, so it seemed very natural for her to give him a little snippet of the song as it came to mind. The professor in charge, however, was not impressed.

“Miss Hawkins!” he all but hissed and she stopped, her voice tapering off as she sunk a little into her chair, muttering a small apology in the man’s direction. Some middle aged men were so moody lately. She rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, I’m really into Wilco, too, Ashanti’s got some great song as well, and then there’s Oasis, of course,” she added counting off some of her favorite artists with her fingers, “Do you have like a guilty pleasure sort of band or group? Like someone nobody would expect you'd like but you really do?" she wondered. It was probably a question he wouldn't want to answer but it didn't stop Magnolia from trying to dig a little.

"Yeah, kind of, it does not tell a story, but there is a cohesion to it if that makes sense?" Isaac tried to hide the fact that he was impressed by her musical knowledge. The fact that she was throwing out the Who and Pink Floyd in casual conversation like it was any other topic was insanely interesting to the music-loving Slytherin. He had not expected her to know who any of those bands were. "Kind of like Wish You Were Here, the lyrics are not explaining the exact story, but you can follow along with the vibe and get the meaning." Isaac loved that album, too, more even than The Wall. He could lay on the roof and listen to Shine On You Crazy Diamond pts 1-5 and 6-9 for hours and just let his mind wander.

Isaac nodded, completely understanding have so many favorites that it was hard to choose just one. If he really thought about it, he'd feel the same, but he also had an obsessive sort of taste in music. When he found something that he liked, he could listen to it over and over on constant repeat for weeks until it was the only song in his head. He snorted when she finally answered, "Kylie Minogue?" He repeated, knowing he'd heard of her on the radio, but he couldn't pick out a specific song he knew was hers. It was poppy though, dance music he thought, and not exactly his taste. Isaac was about to shake his head and tell her he didn't, but then she began to sing, and his smile grew. She was crazy, singing and tapping her foot in the middle of detention like she didn't have a care in the world, and it made him laugh. When the professor yelled her name Isaac had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing even louder. "Maybe if you sing it again, I will recognize it," He said between laughs and finally moving his hand from his mouth.

Scrunching his nose up at her when she asked for his secret music interests, Isaac thought about lying or just not answering the question. Still, it wasn't like she didn't have plenty of ammunition against him already, and she hadn't told anyone his secret. Besides, he was actually enjoying this conversation, which was rare for the two of them. He wasn't even annoyed with her nosy antics right now, surprisingly. "Hmm. I guess I like some less... alternative stuff?" It wasn't really an answer, but he was trying to think of an artist he wasn't proud to be a fan of. Isaac wasn't against pop music on principle; he just typically didn't like how it sounded, like how some people hated Opera or Country; it just didn't suit him or his moods. "Oh, I got one you would not expect," Isaac said with a smile, leaning forward but keeping his volume normal. "Mary J. Blige, have you heard of her?"

“Yeah I get what you’re saying,” she nodded in agreement, very aware that this was probably the first time that the two had agreed on anything or had managed to have a decent conversation about something without getting into a fight. Magnolia wasn’t really sure how she felt about it at the moment but it certainly was a strange feeling. But no matter how she wished to be as contrary as she could be, going against anything he said just for the sake of doing so, she couldn’t deny that he had a point about music. “I love that album,” she added, it was more of a comment to be taken in stride to what he was saying but Magnolia couldn’t deny her infatuation with Pink Floyd, they were one of the big classics after all.

The Gryffindor had not felt remotely concerned by her little musical display but based on the expression on the Professor’s face at the front of the room, it was obvious that she should have given it a little thought. The man seemed to be struggling on whether she deserved another detention or not, which didn’t even make sense because she had said sorry. “Listen, you don’t have to try so hard to get me stuck in detention to spend time with me, ugh” she made a face and rolled her eyes but how was he supposed to take her seriously when she had that stupid smile on her face the entire time, the one that turned everything into a little joke? A private joke between them.

“Mary J?” she scoffed, offended that he’d suggest she didn’t know, “of course I know who Mary J is, Isaac, we do live in the modern world, musical geniuses like me appreciate good music regardless of genre,” she emphasized, “Personally I like some of her older stuff, she’d intense,” she said, emphasizing the word, but not in a bad way, “the lyrics are genius, the music is so good, literally own everything she’s made, I really like her older stuff though,” she confessed. “I guess your tastes in music aren’t as ridiculous as I’d expected, golden star for you, Hackney,” she added with a smug expression on her face.

The fact that she knew which album he was talking about was impressive enough, but Isaac smiled when she told him she liked the album. Maybe they had more in common than he thought, which was nothing, so now they had one thing in common. Talking about music was more fun than bickering with her, which was surprising to the Slytherin because making her angry or embarrassed quickly became a favorite pastime. She knew her records, and that was a lot more than... well... pretty much every other witch he knew at Hogwarts. It was certainly something.

Laughing at her, Isaac shook his head, "If I wanted to spend alone time with you, I would ask you out," He lied, smiling at her in that way that proved he thought he was ridiculously charming. Isaac sat back in his seat, wondering how much longer they had in this detention hour and if Nola had finished even a portion of her assignments yet.

The teenager sucked in a loud, annoyed breath when she went off on a tangent about Mary J. Blige, but honestly, he agreed with everything she had said. Well, he might not call Magnolia a musical genius, but she hadn't proved him wrong on that front yet either. "Oh, gold star? Do I get a prize?" Smirking again.

Magnolia took what he said in stride, though it did open her mind to the curious idea of what going on a date with Isaac might be like. She had a feeling he’d want to do something like go to Spinners and listen to music there, it felt weirdly romantic and completely in her territory which made it even more vivid in her head. “And I’d say no,” she retorted, not wanting to linger long enough to make him think that she liked him because then he’d be wrong, but the Gryffindor knew he’d never let her live it down.

“Because I am so not interested,” she added for good measure, making sure she had that never-in-a-million-years expression on her face so he’d buy her story. Magnolia realized that she was probably not doing a good job at selling it considering how googly-eyed she’d gone as soon as he had started explaining the homework assignment to her because he was pretty attractive when he acted like a know-it-all even if she’d deny it should he ask, but was trying her best regardless.

“Your prize is that you get to talk to me,” she said, giving him a wink then returning to her homework, deciding that maybe the gesture had been much too flirty after all. She needed to save face as soon as possible, so she moved on to an easier topic, “Much better than talking to your mates, isn’t it?” she ventured, glancing over at his group of friends briefly, they looked bored. “You should show me that little musical cauldron later, for reference,” she offered. She wasn’t trying to see him again or anything but figured she’d benefit from seeing what an mp3 actually looked like instead of just writing about it.

Magnolia said that she would decline the date, and then she reiterated the point, but Isaac was undeterred. The way she said it, he knew he was supposed to believe her, but he never believed her. She was way too good at deflecting and better at lying than she probably knew, and Isaac wondered why she had ended up a Gryffindor. The way she acted, she would have fit in just fine with the snakes. He asked for his prize, assuming there would be one and clicked his tongue when she told him the award.

"If by better you mean more annoying, then yes, much better," Isaac teased, finding her little wink amusing, and especially when she turned away right after. She was so strange; he couldn't get a read on her. He said something rude, and she responded by mocking him; it was frustrating but also impressive.

Isaac's eyes had followed hers to where his friends were still sitting, Allison was doodling, and he was pretty sure Duncan was asleep, and the Slytherin rolled his eyes. She was more interesting than them, but there was no way he would tell her that. She would never let him forget that he'd said it. He might not have known much about Magnolia, but he knew that.

Turning back to her, he smiled at the mention of the musical cauldron and couldn't resist correcting her. "Mp3 player, Magnolia," He informed her, a quick nod, but he liked her name for it better. It didn't work very well at Hogwarts, something about the magic in the building disrupting the electricity, but Isaac didn't mention that. Leaning toward her, Isaac invaded her bubble again and teased, "Seems as though you are the one looking for reasons to spend time together."

“You think this is me being annoying?” she asked, pointing to herself to make sure that he understood exactly who he had just called annoying, “Oh boy, aren’t you in for a surprise when you realize that I can do much worse!” she stated proudly, finding much happiness in being able to turn the entire thing around onto him rather than to feel insulted by what he said. She was in too much of a good mood now to let him ruin it, no matter what he said.
m
This had nothing to do with the fact that it was him, or anything but more with the realization that detention was almost over and she’d be able to get out of this hell hole and never look back. Of course, Isaac had made it a little more tolerable.

“Yeah mp3 player, musical cauldron, whatever,” she shrugged it off, knowing that as long as she got her point across none of that extra stuff really made much of a difference anyway. “But no, I can just send Killian to fetch it for me, since he’s Prefect now, maybe I’ll even suggest he give you a few extra detentions for your trouble,” she teased, though it was obviously a half-truth.

So maybe she did want to spend a little more time with him but she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, because she hadn’t even said anything and here he was, in her face having a good laugh. In challenge, she leaned forward as well, “Read my lips, not interested,” she reiterated, before leaning back in her seat again before he got any silly ideas.

Somehow Isaac knew she was legitimate when she threatened to become even more annoying. If anyone could do it, he knew it would be her. And the threat was mildly intimidating if he was honest. He wasn't sure how much more he could handle. "I am scared now," he said, holding his hands up like he was backing off, but of course he wouldn't. He could be irritating, too; he was quite good at it, actually.

"To fetch it? As if he could," Isaac said with a narrowing of his eyebrows. The last thing he needed was Killian Buckley, knowing he had an Mp3 player in school. It wasn't like it was against the rules or anything, there was no law prohibiting muggle items at Hogwarts, but Isaac didn't trust anyone not to find some reason to confiscate it anyway. Isaac didn't quantify this threat by responding any further because if she got the music device taken, he would find an equally cruel way to pay her back.

Instead, he did what she instructed, and his eyes moved to her lips as she spoke. He barely listened to the words but smiled anyway, "Sure," He nodded, "Keep telling yourself that," Isaac had no intention of actually dating her or even spending that sort of alone time with her, but it didn't stop him from teasing her with it. She always had a response to his flirtations, and he found them amusing, even more than when he was purposefully pissing her off.

As the clock above the board clicked across the twelve and signaled that the detention hour was over, Isaac looked from the sleeping professor back to Magnolia. Collecting her books so that he could carry them (and force her to walk with him), Isaac spoke again, "Last chance for that alone time," He offered, winking as she had done earlier.