top secret important mission [lip/marin]

"Well, he wasn't in the common room, I asked one of the first years to check, so he has to be here," Wini said to Marin as they walked into the library. The shelves were tall and the spaces between filled with a still silence interrupted only with the turning of pages and the scratch of quills on parchment. A lot of the tables were empty, but students were scattered about. Some in groups pretending to do work and some by themselves actually doing work. Wini was not here to do anything but research, but she didn't need books for that.

"Ah, there he is," she said as she spied his familiar form and tugged Marin's arm as she made her way to him. She dropped into the seat next to him with a sunny smile and a "hey there" glancing over at what he was working on, not that she could read it for the first few moments. His writing was really atrocious. "Oh the Potions essay?" she said wrinkling her nose. "I haven't even started it, but I bet you're done with it, aren't you?" Wini asked, the question directed at Marin with a knowing look.

"Don't mean to interrupt you if you're busy," she started, even though she didn't really wait for him to answer and wasn't going to not bother him even if he did say he was trying to focus. The Hufflepuff glanced at Marin and then back at Lip. "But me and Marin have a question for you, but you have to keep it kind of secret." She perked her brows and nodded, waiting for him to agree.

@Phillip Donnelly @Marin Clare

“Mhmm.”

Asked one of the first years? Marin didn’t comment but he did raise his eyebrows a hair’s width in response. The Hufflepuff doubted that she’d simply asked a favour; the first year was probably one of her many little minions – Winions – running around doing her bidding. As far as he understood it, the blonde had quite a little network of underclassmen. He couldn’t help but admire how diabolical she was.

As soon as they were in the library, Marin immediately noticed a second year eating crisps in the corner. He pursed his lips disapprovingly, glancing over as Winifred tugged at his arm. There he was indeed, he thought. He didn’t feel less disapproving heading over to where Lip was sitting, but his disapproval wasn’t aimed at the Ravenclaw. Wini sat beside Phillip, so Marin sat on the other side of the table.

“Almost,” he responded when Winifred asked about his essay. It was finished, really, it just needed a final look-over. “I’ll help with yours,” he added unnecessarily, but he didn’t think she heard him. Winifred was already launching into what he was sure would become a little spiel. He especially appreciated the way she asked her question: But me and Marin have a –

Me and Marin? It was Marin’s question, too? Equally? He gave Lip a terse smile, linking his hands together in front of him on the table.

The library was one of the few places left that Phillip felt like he could find some solace. It was quiet, people rarely spoke to him, and even though technically he was supposed to be mentoring his second year right now, even she kept her distance. He could hear her angrily eating more prohibited snacks in the corner, but Phillip was good at ignoring such things. The Ravenclaw continued to work on his essay, diligently citing sources that no one would ever be able to read when he was interrupted.

Phillip looked up from the open textbook and scattered notes on the table, and gave Winifred a frown. She had something that they wanted to discuss, but he would have to keep it a secret? Phillip's eyebrow raised, she must have known by now that he didn't care for gossip, but he sighed. "Okay... what is it?" While he hadn't meant to sound terse, it was the teenagers resting state these days.

Winifred was a good friend, and Phillip was still feeling weird about everything that had happened over the summer. He had completely failed at making her feel better when she needed him, but Marin had come in and saved the day. In a small way, he felt like he owed both of them something. The least he could do was listen.

"I'll need your notes, please and thank you," she told Marin sweetly with a smile regarding the Potions essay, glad that he offered them even though she would have bugged him for them either way. Potions was still her worst subject, she wasn't going to turn down help no matter who it came from and Marin was much better at keeping his notes organized than she was.

Lip, however, seemed less helpful. Or at least outwardly. Maybe she had caught him in another one of his moods. She wondered where Billie was. He always seemed at least a little less grumpy when she was around. Maybe if she brought up his girlfriend, it would turn that frown around, but his easy agreement made her a little surprised. She was expecting a bit more of a fight and instead of second guessing or delaying, she launched right into her mission before he could change his mind.

"So you know Marin and I have this bucketlist going, right?" she asked, giving him a look. She had mentioned it a few times, but she wouldn't be surprised at all if he hadn't been paying attention, not to mention the fact that she had tried to get him in on the bucketlist idea and he had adamantly refused. What a spoil sport. It was a good thing she had Marin on her side to do fun things with. "So! Lots of our ideas are pretty easy right like sitting together in the boats after we graduate and mentoring younger kids to leave a little legacy behind, but there's one thing on our list that we're not really sure how to go about," she explained, shooting a nervous but excited look at Marin.

Then she glanced around to check that the librarian or other students weren't nearby. She didn't want anyone overhearing this. She leaned closer and whispered, her eyes bright. "We need to know how to get a detention."

Marin knew he wouldn’t have to say much at all from here on out. As per usual, Winifred would do the talking; he was here for, like, moral support or something. He found a shallow groove in the wooden table, scratched intentionally by a dry quill or similar, and ran his fingertip across it absentmindedly. Then he found his gaze drawn to the quiet crunching sound he’d heard earlier, making sure to look disapproving in its direction.

He glanced at Winifred belatedly when she glanced at him, then he looked at Phillip, making sure to look agreeing this time. There was more than one thing, really; she was trying hard to get him on a date with someone, but he didn’t think she really knew how to go about that, either. He didn’t want to imply there was discord between them though, at least not in front of other people – at least not in front of Phillip, so he just nodded instead, pressing his fingers into the uneven texture on the table. Detention. Yay.

It wasn't as if Phillip could ask them not to sit at his table, he knew Winifred would join him either way, and if she entered, then Marin would too. Instead, he sighed, closing his book and watching them take their seats. Phillip turned to Winifred as she began to tell him about their bucket list, and the Ravenclaw nodded. He remembered her bringing it up before, but Phillip wasn't the kind to participate in those sorts of things. She hadn't pushed the issue, and it was quickly forgotten about, so the fact that she was bringing it up again now had Phillip curious. "Yeah..?" He said apprehensively, an eyebrow-raising at his Hufflepuff friends (?)

Winifred continued, and Phillip continued to follow along, wondering where she was going with all of it. The Ravenclaw's eyes slid past the Hufflepuffs and toward the little Gryffindor in the corner when Winifred mentioned mentoring, but he said nothing. She paused, and Phillip followed her eyes, she was shiftier than expected, but Phillip wasn't worried. Winifred and Marin didn't break the rules; they were good prefects, he had never seen Marin in a single conflict, and he was reasonably certain that Winifred was made of sparkles.

And all of that made her admission that much more surprising. "Wait. What?" Phillip spoke before hunching over a little and returning his voice to a 'Library Level,' "You want to get yourselves into detention?" He was confused. No one asked for detention. Why would they put this on their little bucket list?

"Shhhhhhh!" she said immediately as her Ravenclaw friend spoke louder than normal for the library and she glanced around worriedly hoping the librarian didn't come over to interrupt this very important conversation. When she was satisfied the no fun police weren't going to come over and investigate, she leaned closer to the Lip and nodded.

"Yes, it's on our bucketlist. We've never gotten detention, figured we should do that at least once before we graduate," Wini told him quietly with a smile getting bigger. She knew it was an odd request but she was pretty sure she had told Lip about this bucketlist and some of the things that were on it. This couldn't be the strangest one, could it? She glanced at Marin for support. "We need some ideas, like not anything bad bad that will get us expelled, but just something medium bad that will get us a detention," she explained further, sure that this would clear up the confusion.

“Medium bad?” Phillip repeated Winifred, the look on his face a mix between confusion and irritation. His eyebrows pulled together as he mulled it over before shaking his head. Hufflepuffs were weird.

“Pass notes in class?” While Phillip had never been caught passing notes, not that it was the sort of thing he did (writing in the journal linked to Billie’s didn’t count), he had seen others being reprimanded for it.

“But you have to do it in Potions or something; if you do it in Charms, Professor Flitwick will just give the note back after class.” Phillip rolled his eyes, though the charms professor was easily one of his favorites. “Ajay would ask you how your feeling,” He frowned at the thought; Flitwick was definitely his favorite.

Wini nodded and then nodded again, blinking at him with a genuine earnestness that she knew he found absurd. Sure, no one usually asked for detention, but she just wanted to experience all of the things before they graduated. It keenly felt like time was running out and she wanted to stop the clock. Or at least shove as many experiences and adventures into the last few months they had left, and drag Marin and Lip along with her for the ride. She didn't want to look back and wonder 'what if'.

"Oh!" she sounded as the thought hadn't even occurred to her. "Yes, good idea. Flitwick wouldn't give detention for that. Maybe we should like target a professor who's more likely to give us a detention, then? What do you think Marin?" she asked as she glanced at him.

"Maybe if we get caught out after curfew? Then again I'm a prefect and you're head boy so they probably think we're out doing rounds. Unless it was really late? Is that enough to get a detention though?" she asked both of them. She was really at a loss. "I suppose it wouldn't really be in the spirit of things if we asked for a detention right?"

 â€œI don’t think you can ask for detention, Winifred.” Phillip gave her a look, and then his eyes slid toward Marin, who he was having trouble believing was keen on this plan. Signing up for detention sounded like a bad pun to a worse joke, but Winifred wanted to experience everything, and Phillip knew better than to get in her way when she had her mind made up. He figured Marin had come to the same conclusion.

Shrugging a little, Phillip put away what he had been working on; it was clear he wasn’t going to finish it now anyway and looked back at his friends. “Most professors only give detentions when you screw with the lesson plan.” Unfortunately, Phillip was a professional when it came to this. He was an intelligent wizard, rational, and a quick learner, but Phillip had never figured out how to keep his mouth shut. He thought back on the most recent detentions he’d served, and while he still didn’t think he had done anything wrong, he did remember what had been written on the slips.

“Interrupting the teacher, derailing the lesson, and correcting a professor are pretty sure bets.” Phillip wondered if either of them had it in them to tell a teacher they were wrong, though, but continued anyway. “Doesn’t matter if you can prove it; they always think they’re right.” He rolled his eyes; if he had to count on his hands how many Hogwarts professors were on powertrips, he’d run out of fingers.

"I know, I know," she said, agreeing quickly. Asking for a detention wasn't exactly in line with the goal of the bucket list. She wanted the full experience including the guilt and shame of earning the detention. Hmm. She would really have to think on this. She could be strategic if she had to be. And heck, if she was going to get detention, might as well do it the right way. All rebellious teenager with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove. Or something?

Wini nodded as Lip brought up a good point. "Hmm, you're right. Ok good thought. Marin, maybe we should take notes," she said with a glance at the other Hufflepuff. "Speaking out of turn and interrupting and maybe being a little rude?" she asked, glancing between the two boys. "Think I can pull it off?" She wasn't sure at all. She would probably end up chickening out more than anything. Then she sat up a little straighter. "No, I can do it," she said in the next second, encouraging herself. She could be rude and insolent and talk back. And then write a three page apology letter explaining the whole thing after she got detention.

Then she glanced at Marin. "Well, what are you going to do?" she asked with a raised brow. They both knew full well that Marin would probably rather die than speak out against a professor in class so publicly. "Hey," Wini said, her brown eyes lighting up as an idea popped into her head. "Maybe you two can get in a fake fight or something!"

Marin was only half listening; the crisp-eating happening somewhere behind him was driving him crazy. It was like all the other sounds dropped away, and the crinkling of the packet and the crunching of crisps were all he could hear. It was annoying, and there was a part of him that was ready to go all Head-Boy on the twelve-year-olds who were doing it. Eating in the library! Honestly!

Crunch. “What?” he asked, his tone a little clipped as he glanced at Wini. This whole thing was ridiculous. Rude in class? Target a professor? He shrugged, his irritation growing.

Marin glanced at Wini when she suggested a fake fight, his eyebrows raising just a fraction. He glanced at Lip, who looked about as into it as he felt like he was. Well, at least they were on the same page. Crunch, crunch. How many crisps could fit inside one packet, anyway? “Maybe we should just call it off and skip this list item,” he suggested, pushing his chair back and getting to his feet in one smooth movement. “Excuse me for a moment,” he told them, before turning and heading towards the annoying crunching sound.

"Don't give me that look," Wini said as she caught Marin's signature raised eyebrows look. Yeah, yeah, she knew this was a little.. out of the ordinary but it was their last year! "It's on the list," she said as if in explanation or defense of her idea, but there was also a firmness to her tone too as if to make clear that they were not skipping it.

Clearly Marin didn't get the hint. She rolled her eyes and slouched a little as he wanted to call it off. "But Marin--" he was already interrupting and excusing himself. "What are you--" Oh. She saw he was headed toward an underclassmen. Uh oh, did she have crisps? Wini almost smiled in amusement at him for how serious he took his Head Boy duties.

Her gaze drifted back to Lip and she flipped one of her books closed, giving up on the pretense of doing schoolwork as she unceremoniously shoved all of her belongings back into her bag. She'd organize it later. Or not, whatever.

"Maybe you and I could have a fake fight," she suggested with a little smile that grew wider as she looked at him. "It'd be more believable," she added, considering Marin would probably do anything other than fight publicly with someone and the two of them had had their fair share of real fights over the years anyway. If it would get her a detention so she could mark that off her bucketlist, she would at least try it...

“A fake fight with the Head Boy, yeah, that sounds like fun,” Phillip already knew he would be the only one who ended up in detention. And not because Marin would sell him out (maybe slightly because of that) but because any professor who looked at them side-by-side was guaranteed to blame Phillip automatically. That was how the world worked; Phillip had learned that lesson a long time ago. Marin got up to leave abruptly, and Phillip looked back at his book when Winifred was distracted. He was pretty sure this whole get-a-detention thing wasn’t going to work out in her favor, and he didn’t want to deal with the nuclear fallout.

A fight with Winifred was at least a whole lot more plausible, but Phillip shrugged his shoulders as he looked up at her. “What would we fight about, though?” He asked, but the realization that there were probably way too many quickly found ideas made him sigh. He could already see it on her face, or maybe he was just paranoid, and he expected her to have something to say right away. “What, I’m easy to get along with.” Phillip defended himself, but it was feeble, and even he knew it was a total lie.

Wini narrowed her gaze at Lip. "A fake fight with the Head Boy, so fun," she repeated, her tone high, mimicking him before she stuck her tongue out at him. Neither of them had been very helpful today and she could tell with the mood Lip was in that it wasn't going to get better anytime soon.

She stood up from the table, pushing her blonde hair over her shoulder as she frowned down at her bag where things were threatening to spill out. As she started to shove them back in, trying to zip the zipper around the multitude of items so nothing escaped, she found herself smiling in amusement. "Oh, gee, I'm not sure," she told him, taking just a little hint of his sarcasm and using it against him. What would they fight about? Almost anything, she imagined.

The blonde ducked her head through the strap so that it rested on her opposite shoulder and met his gaze, laughing easily as he joked. Except he wasn't smiling or laughing either so she had a moment of doubt of whether he meant it as a joke. She could never really tell with him.. Skating the edge of indecision, she decided to just give him a wide smile and a "sure, you are, Lip. Want to get lunch? I'm hungry." When in doubt, distract with food.