these are the lies. | magnolia

The question, coupled with the way she asked it, had Isaac leaning forward laughing loudly. Loud enough for the librarian to shush him from across the room, daggers in her heavily lined eyes, and it just made him laugh more. "Is that so hard to believe?" He countered as he caught his breath. "That is very judgemental of you, you know." Isaac's smile reached all the way to his eyes as he spoke. "You do not see me making assumptions about you, do you?" Square, never had a boyfriend, clingy, a gossip,. The words started to fill his amused thoughts as he claimed to be a saint, and Isaac laughed again.

"Oh no," He said with a shake of his head and leaned toward her again. "Duncan's lucky he made it to the seventh year, and Allison... well," He scratched his head, looking for a delicate way to say something cruel, but went with his first instincts instead, "She applies herself in other ways." Isaac set his elbows back on the table between them, a grin still floating on his features, "Jae and Fi are pretty smart, though," Isaac thought he was the smartest because of course, he did, but he left that tidbit to himself.

Initially, Magnolia couldn’t quite figure out if he was laughing at her for believing him or for assuming the worst so when he laughed, her eyes drifted from him to the librarian shushing him, then back to him as she waited for an explanation. She certainly wasn’t laughing. The girl was starting to feel that she didn’t like this whole Isaac feeling like he had the upper hand here, but she wasn’t about to own up to having misjudged him. “Just a first impression is all, not like you’re in class participating and trying to prove us all wrong,” she defended herself. At least in the classes they shared, she couldn’t remember the last time he had willingly participated in classroom discussion. If she really considered it, it went well with his bad-boy persona. “Go on then, you can tell me what your first impression of me was too, get even if you’d like,” she offered, though considering how many times he had called her boring or a square, she figured that would be at the top of his list.

But hearing that Duncan and Allison were just like she figured made her feel relieved at the very least. Her radar wasn’t completely nonfunctional after all, but apparently, with Isaac, it had gone a bit haywire. Magnolia could start to conclude why but she willed the thoughts away, it wasn’t the time for that. “Of course, Fiora is brilliant, she’s a Gryffindor,” she said proudly. “And well Jae, that’s obvious too,” she added as an afterthought. Even if the house wasn’t particularly intelligent in the sense that a Ravenclaw would be considered intelligent, Magnolia found that most of the Gryffindors were studious. She had simply been the odd girl out. “Anything else I ought to know about you before I judge you some more? Might as well set the record straight while you've got my attention."

"I believe you already know my assumptions of you," Isaac told her; the teenager assumed she remembered the words he'd used even better than he did, and so he continued. "Still waiting for you to prove me wrong, though," The Slytherin absolutely hated being proved wrong, but in this instance, he thought it would be worth it. Maybe Magnolia was more than one she seemed. She was certainly more irritating and more interesting than he had imagined.

Isaac rolled his eyes when Magnolia stood up for her fellow Gryffindor, but he smiled too; they were all like that, it seemed. Maybe being ridiculously loyal was some prerequisite to belonging to the red and gold. He was glad Slytherin didn't have such requirements; he'd never made it. Shrugging with one shoulder, Isaac gave her a grin. "Are you saying that you want to get to know me?" Isaac wiggled his eyebrows at her with another laugh. He liked to think of himself as a bit of a mystery, but he was like most teenage boys in that way. He shifted a little in his seat, almost unnoticeably so, when he heard Allison's heels hitting the library floor headed their way.

"Because there are easier ways to do that, and they involve far less talking," Isaac kept eye contact with Magnolia as Allison and Duncan walked by. He was aware of how close they were as they passed by, but Isaac was thankful when neither of them stopped. That was pretty standard; they weren't the 'wait for you at the end of class' type of people, and neither was Isaac.

And oh how she wished those assumptions had been focused on her rare, but very real, positive qualities. Magnolia knew what he thought of her, he had made it clear more than once and had not really budged when she insisted he had gotten it all wrong. Whatever sort of mysterious allure the girl had hoped to display had turned her into this awkward and very boring person around him, a total square. Naturally, all of that talk was starting to give her a bit of a complex about herself, which only pushed her in the direction of wanting to somehow impress him with her character. Not that it mattered in the grand scheme of things. She wanted a list to tell her what his opinion of her or his friends’ even if deep down she knew they probably didn’t even think of herself outside the realm of how to tease her for fun. “You might be waiting for a very long time,” she said in an attempt to sound like the sort that never compromised, pretending that she was as authentic as they came. In reality, she had probably sounded incredibly stubborn.

She wanted him to like her but she wasn’t really sure why. Well, no, she knew why but had been spending all of her free time denying it or distracting herself with other things. Of course, she wanted to get to know him, “I do not,” she said instead, not wanting to give him the pleasure of assuming that he was right about everything (and he was right about most things).

“Does that line actually work on girls, Isaac?” she asked, looking up at Allison as she passed by, a little nervous that the girl would say something for getting her into trouble. Regardless of what Allison or Isaac was, it certainly did feel like a relationship when one considered how much time they spent together. “Even if I did want to get to know you better, which I do not,” she emphasized, “you’d be the last boy I’d ever do anything of whatever you’re suggesting with,” she waved her hand in his direction, a mysterious gesture for whatever that was, even if she was rather aware

“You might be waiting for a very long time,”, Isaac scoffed at her words, but he didn't argue them. He looked behind them, to the magical clock ticking away on the wall after Duncan and Allison had exited the library. Not much more time was left in the study hall, not that Isaac was counting or anything. Smirking as he returned to Magnolia, Isaac's smugness was heavy on his features.

"It works enough of the time," He told her honestly, not that the Slytherin had much experience in striking out. It was probably more because he only tried with witches he knew he could get a yes from, rather than because he had as much charisma as he thought he did.

His smile didn't falter when she went on to very specifically reject his offer, and he nodded. "You say that now," Isaac began as he leaned forward, his mouth close to her ear, and whispered. "But if you ever change your mind, I suppose I will have to stop calling you a square."

Magnolia wondered exactly how many witches it had worked on and if it said anything about their character or his. He obviously didn’t find her special in the sense she’d like to think she was, how would he react if she just took him up on his offer one day? Would he turn around and tell her he was playing? Would he push her to see if she actually meant it? A part of her was curious but a bigger part of her made her nervous about how things might turn out. One day, she promised herself, she'd be bold enough to say yes.

Her shoulders tensed when he leaned in closer, and she could already feel the tips of her ears burn hot when he did indeed whisper in her ear. It felt weird, but she wasn’t really sure if that meant good weird or bad weird, but before she put too much thought into it, she put some space between them. Well if that line didn’t work on all the witches, surely that move did wonders. “You mean with someone else?” she smirked a little, “Sure, I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop when I’ve ventured off and gotten myself that kind of reputation,” she added. Magnolia would never, but she also didn’t like him thinking she was a square because of her inexperience. She had to at least stand her ground.

“Pretty sure I’m going to fail Astronomy cause of you, thanks a lot, Isaac,” she added, realizing study hall was coming to an end, bringing her that much closer to the deadline but not any closer to finishing. Even so, there was very little anger in her voice if any at all. And she wasn’t really sure how to feel about that either.

Pulling away from her as the smug look on his face grew, Isaac laughed at what she had said. "Do you plan on getting a reputation then?" He asked, his head tilting to the side as he looked for clarification he didn't need. He was pretty sure he knew what she had meant, that it specifically wouldn't be with him, but he had to poke anyway.

It was a strange way to have a conversation, but this seemed to be pretty standard for them. Friendly turned to insult in the blink of an eye; charming, frustrating, and funny all mashed together.

"You are welcome," He said, shrugging one shoulder playfully. "I could be persuaded to tutor you if you want?" Isaac smiled brightly now, knowing she wouldn't take the deal but having to offer it anyway. "But seeing as you are failing what, all? of your classes, you will have to make it worth my while."

“You’d like that wouldn’t you,” she frowned at him, only partially disgusted by what he was insinuating but no not really. In fact, if anything, his tone sounded like more of a challenge than anything else and at the very moment she wanted nothing more than to get rid of that smug look on his face. Obviously, she would not fall into the track of trying to get herself a reputation to rub that in her face. She would think about it but, she wouldn’t actually go through with it, that felt like very Allison-like territory.

“I’m not falling all my classes, just most of them,” she retorted bitterly, flipping her hair over her shoulder as if it were something to be proud of. She wasn’t proud of it but at least she’d pretend she was, she wasn’t the brightest witch at Hogwarts but at least she’d own up to who she was. “Anyway, I’m in Advanced Arithmancy, you know,” she noted, again, very proud of her accomplishment (though it was all Mavis’ doing, the witch had sat her down to study more times than she could count). Not genius in the making but that one advanced class had to mean she wasn't awfully bad at everything.

“Sounds like you just want to spend more time with me, Isaac,” she smirked, leaning over just a little to nudge him with her shoulder. Just enough to hopefully make him uncomfortable. “But if making it worth your while has anything to do with my reputation then, no thanks,” she said. Not that she’d be terribly offended if rumors about her and Isaac started floating around, though she wouldn’t want to explain them.

"How did you manage that, exactly?" Isaac asked; he had been shocked when he saw her in the Advanced Arithmancy class. He'd had a hell of a timing passing the class last term and securing his seat in the advanced course. And while he knew Magnolia was a bright witch, Isaac did not get the 'dedicated studier' vibe from her. Studying was required for a class like arithmancy. Still, it would be a lie to say he wasn't impressed by the fact that she had gotten in. It made him wonder if there was more to her, if she was holding back in classes in an attempt to be 'cool,' or if she was just some kind of strange arithmancy savant. Some people were just good with numbers, he supposed.

Isaac smiled as her shoulder bumped into his, knowing her rejection was imminent. He didn't say things like that because he thought she might take him up on it. Truthfully, if she surprised him by agreeing to one of his little propositions, he probably wouldn't know how to react. Well, he would know what to do, of course, but he wouldn't know how to feel about it. Returning her gesture with a bump of his shoulder into hers, Isaac spoke again. "It could be our little secret?" He doubled-down. If anyone had a thing for secrets, it was Magnolia, or so Isaac had assumed.

“Must be my good looks and incredibly charming personality,” she teased, not wanting him to make a big deal about her academics. She felt even more uncool when he asked, even though she knew it was supposed to be an insult. Either way, Magnolia had worked hard to get into the class (with Mavis’ help) but wasn’t completely over the moon with the associations it came with. “How did you end up in it, square?” she smirked, wondering if she might be able to use this against him. But it had been obvious from this conversation and others before it that Isaac was a bad boy on the outside but surprisingly good at school? It was a conundrum she could not yet figure out.

His response to her playful statement surprised her for a second, but it really only took that much time to know that he was kidding. If she reacted, he’d call her bluff and make fun of her. So, the only choose Magnolia had was to follow along. “Oh I dunno, Isaac, sounds risky,” she shrugged it off, her eyes on the librarian as she walked from one end of the room to the other observing the students. “Plus if I’m going to ruin my reputation it’s not going to be with you but that Ravenclaw over there,” she nodded in the direction of the boy in the furthest corner. She didn’t even know his name which made him an easy target.

“But you are also welcomed to help me with my classes out of the goodness of your heart," she added, "if there is a heart under there somewhere."

"I got in by studying and actually finishing assignments on time," Isaac informed her dryly, avoiding mentioning just how much he had struggled to make it into the advanced class. Isaac was intelligent; plenty of subjects came easy to him, but he wasn't a genius, and he wasn't all that great at Arithmancy. It probably had something to do with his lack of faith in the subject. Isaac hated the idea that anything was fated or already decided, he was in control of his own destiny, and subjects like Arithmancy and Divinations bothered him. Predicting the future was baseless. Either a person followed the prediction, becoming exactly what the stupid teacup foretold, or they fought against it, but their motivations were corrupted. Were they only changing their fate because it was their fate? He didn't want anyone, not even some future version of himself, dictating his actions.

"Had I known I could cheat and get in based on being beautiful, I would have tried that first, though," Isaac said sarcastically, a smile playing off of his features. The teenager hadn't realized he, in a backward, 'teenage-witches-hear-what-they-want-to-hear,' kind of way, that he had just complimented her. "Wait, not Horus," Isaac said as he turned around to see the hulking Ravenclaw she had pointed to. "Bloke is named after an Egyptian bird-god," Isaac stifled a laugh at the poor Ravenclaw's expense and continued, "Who names their kid that shit?" Isaac laughed this time, not even pretending he wasn't, and silently thanked his mum for giving him a perfectly ordinary name.

"Magnolia Lane Hawkins," Isaac began, giving her an incredulous look, "Are you trying to see what is underneath my uniform?" He teased, winking at her, even though he knew that wasn't what she had meant.

“Don’t want to burst your little bubble princess but I’d stick to academics if I were you,” she replied, giving him a once over and pretending like he wasn’t as attractive as she had found him to be the day he had approached her on the train. Though it was safe to say that he was significantly more handsome when he smiled, but really only because dimples on a boy had to be the most charming thing ever. “But,” her smile only widened, as she interpreted what he had said to just the right degree and came to her own conclusions. “I appreciate you for noticing how beautiful I am, you wanna repeat that one more time?” she added teasingly, knowing he probably had not meant it that way. Regardless, she was going to milk the compliment (real or not) for all that it was worth. Magnolia was getting better at reading in between the lines here, and for that, she gave herself a mental pat on the back.

When she heard the Ravenclaw’s name, however, she couldn’t help but to snort in laughter, almost knocking her quill and ink over onto the table but saving it just in time. The librarian gave her a look of anger or disappointment or something that told her to watch herself. The next warning would probably come out in the form of her name and detention. Then, she’d have to find a way to drag Isaac down with her but for now they were safe. Either way, she couldn’t stop snickering, “That’s bloody awful,” she whispered, “Oh I feel so bad for him, maybe he’s got like a proper middle name? Like Tom or Jack,” she offered. “I s’pose we can call him Rus for short,” she added. Magnolia watched the boy for a moment, wondering if he had heard anything they had said and had just chosen to ignore them.

But the thought didn’t last long before Isaac’s voice grabbed her attention again. “Well, well, you know my middle name, too, had your friends do a little digging?” she suggested, raising an eyebrow in his direction but really. She gave him another once over, “It depends, is there anything worth seeing under that uniform?” she replied. “You know,” she added, turning to look at the librarian again, “usually the ones that talk a lot never have anything to show for it,” she added, resting her feet on the chair across from her before turning back to Isaac again. "But do you have a heart under there? 'Cause my curiosity can overlook all your other shortcomings if necessary, for the sake of research you know."

Shaking his head, Isaac laughed when she called him princess, but he didn't believe her words for a second. Isaac knew he was attractive, for more than poor Horus, and he wasn't apprehensive about it. Realizing he'd called her beautiful, he smiled again because she was mocking him even for that. It seemed like no matter what they were talking about, at least half of it would be making fun of the other person. Not that he minded. She nearly knocked over her inkwell when he mentioned her future husband's real name, and Isaac snorted before reaching for the pot. He caught it at the same time she did, his hand over her's for a second before he pulled away quickly.

"You can call him whatever you want; you are the one who wants to date him," Isaac replied with a shrug; maybe he had a typical middle name, but considering who his parents must have been, he doubted it. "He probably has no less than four middle names, honestly," He mentioned, laughing again; some people were so silly when it came to names. It was just a name—nothing special about it.

"I know it because you write it on everything," Isaac said flatly, the smile still lingering on the corners of his mouth, and pointed toward the cover of her Astronomy textbook where she'd written her name in sparkly ink. Who steals an astronomy textbook anyway? Sometimes he thought Magnolia was a total square, that she spent more time reading romance novels and gossiping with her girlfriends than she did in real life. He thought that she had zero experience when it came to wizards, or witches, in general. And then she said something that surprised him and made him think that maybe he had been wrong. Either that or she just talked an excellent game because Magnolia sometimes knew precisely what to say to counter his nonsense. No one challenged him anymore, not like she seemed to do so quickly, she didn't put up with his bullshit, and she had a response for everything.

"Meet me after Study Hall; I can show you exactly what is under here," He dared her, an exciting look in his eyes. He doubted she would take the offer, and it wasn't like he'd do anything if she did, but it was fun to think about. Tricking her or pressuring her into anything wasn't Isaac's style; if she wanted to see what was under his robes, he'd show her, but only if she wanted it. "Or maybe I will just leave it up to your imagination," He finished, his dimples showing as he smirked.

“I do not,” she insisted, looking around to make sure that nobody had heard that because the last thing she needed was for someone to start a rumor that she was trying to get with the Egyptian bird-god or whatever his name was supposed to mean. “I just said he was cute, don’t get so jealous, Isaac,” she smirked, feeling like she was in control of the court once again, “It’s not a good look on you,” she noted casually, smiling at Horus when he did turn around, though, from the look on his face, it was hard to tell whether he was shocked that Magnolia was acknowledging him or if he was disturbed by it. Probably a little bit of both.

Magnolia couldn’t really see herself dating Ravenclaw but only because they were a bit too serious about studying for her liking, all work, and no play, and apart from a handful of people she did like in the house like Barbie and Billie, they were all pretty dull. She turned to Isaac, looking down at her textbook and rolling her eyes at him for assuming she didn’t realize that already. In truth, she had completely forgotten. “Yeah whatever, you obviously love it considering how many times you say my name,” she teased, not completely loving that he always had a retort for everything but also not completely hating it? Magnolia didn’t know, boys were totally confusing.

“Want me to write my name on your stuff, too?” she suggested, taking her sparkly quill in her hand as if she was ready to do it as soon as he agreed to it. Not that she was projecting or anything, had he looked through the pages in her textbook, he’d find his initials in there somewhere. She’d never admitted to it though, way too embarrassing to admit to but really it was only because her cursive I’s and H’s were the prettiest in the entire alphabet, and it only made sense to write those letters as many times as possible to keep up her skills.

She wrinkled her nose at him, giving him a look of disgust. “You must think I’ve got a lot of free time, I’m a busy girl, if you’re interested you’d better book an appointment,” she shrugged it off, trying hard to maintain a serious expression on her face but finding it hard to keep the smiling from pulling at the corners of her mouth. “On second thought, no thanks, I’d never survive the disappointment,” she added.

When she smiled at Horus, Isaac couldn't help but get more irritated than he should have; he didn't want to watch her make googly eyes at some other bloke. Wait, did that mean he wanted her to look at him that way? Whatever, stop. "Watch out Horus," He said softly, only loud enough for Nola to hear, and scoffed out a half-laugh. "She is already planning the wedding," Magnolia seemed like the type of witch who had her dream wedding all figured out, right down to the seating arrangements and the floral schemes, and Isaac laughed at his own joke.

"No, do not touch my shit," He told her, realizing she was coming at him with that ridiculously big sparkly quill and needing to be at least ten feet away from it in that second. Isaac was not trying to have her girly writing all over his textbooks. Luckily, he remembered, he hadn't brought anything she could write on over to the table. Relaxing a little, he laughed at what she said next. Booking an appointment, she really thought highly of herself; it was admirable. Most girls melted when he talked to them, or maybe he just told himself they did, but Magnolia didn't seem to fall for any of his charms.

"Disappointment?" He pretended to be offended by what she said, placing his hand on his chest, but the charade was short-lived as he shook his head. "Wait, does that mean you have a lot of knowledge to compare it to?" He asked, always prying but still assuming she had had zero romantic interaction with the opposite sex.