Video/Action

[just_displaced]

[The library's supposed to be quiet, but keeping quiet has always been pretty difficult for him, and now's no different, even if he's meant to be studying for something or another -- he's already forgotten what. So when he turns the video on, he's sitting there with his feet up on a table, absentmindedly pointing his wand at a stack of books and making them levitate.]

I'm pretty sure this about the only thing I'm going to get out of these books, anyway. I mean, sure, everybody's studying, but it's the weekend. Doesn't anyone want to do something other than study for exams?

[He stops paying attention to what he's doing for a moment, in favor of addressing the video directly, and the books clatter onto the table with several thuds that earn him a glare from other, more studious individuals.]

Okay, okay, I can't be the only one who's pretty sure they're bad at every single class, right? So maybe we can all get together and commiserate. Or go somewhere other than the library. Somewhere other than the library sounds great. Who's with me?

[[OOC: He's a 7th year Hufflepuff, and he's not all that fond of school. In fact, he'd rather be doing just about anything than studying. Who wants to help him slack off?!]

Comments

a bit of a placeholder while school eats me

[synanthrope]

[She comes into the study area where he is, and raises her eyebrows]

You'll never pass your NEWTS if you spend more time levitating your books than you do working.

Re: placeholders are good!

[just_displaced]

I'm not going to pass any of them anyway. I mean, I'm just not that great at school. Levitating books is the only use I'm going to get out of them at this point.

[instars]

You could just leave, you know. You're of age.

[just_displaced]

My dad would kill me. Maybe not literally.

[A long pause.]

Okay, maybe literally.

[instars]

Grow some balls, Ginsberg.

[just_displaced]

[Back to levitating books with an accompanying eye roll.]

You wouldn't be saying that if you knew my dad. And besides, what would I do if I left, anyway?

[instars]

Get a job?

[just_displaced]

I'd prefer that, but I mean, who's gonna hire the kid who dropped out of school in his last year?

[instars]

Pubs everywhere are waiting for you.

It would certainly keep you from levitating books I need in the library.

action;

[candothat]

[Chekov, a seventh year Ravenclaw and one of the more studious students present, slides over to Ginsberg's table, toting his own stack of books and a messenger bag with him.]

You obviously have levitation mastered.

Re: action;

[just_displaced]

Hi.

[Allow him to just levitate his own pile of books out of the way.]

Yeah, and if any of the exams were all about levitation, I'd be golden.

action;

[candothat]

[How kind!]

What are your exams in? I can help, maybe.

Re: action;

[just_displaced]

Well, uh, Charms, of course. That's about the one class I'm okay at. Well, that and Herbology. I've got those two down.

[Great, now he can't even remember what all of his exams are. How's he supposed to pass them?]

Astronomy. Which I'm really bad at, and have no idea why I'm still taking. And Potions, but let's not think about that at all. What about you? What're you studying for? Not that I can help, probably.

action;

[candothat]

Astronomy is my favorite subject! And Potions--I can also help with that.

[He shrugs. And, if Ginsberg looks, he might notice that all of Chekov's books are on Quidditch tactics rather than classes (except for the one on Arithmancy, but that one is just for fun.]

Eh, I have studied already.

Re: action;

[just_displaced]

Yeah, you probably don't have too much to worry about. You probably don't even have to study much at all, right?

[He finally stops levitating the small pile of books and brings them gently down onto the table.]

It's not that I'm bad at any of this stuff. I mean, I do okay in class. I just don't like studying all that much. Or going to class. Or homework.

action;

[candothat]

I study enough.

[Yeah, not much at all. But what he has in freakish amounts of knowledge he lacks in innate magical talent, so there's that.]

If that is so, then there is nothing I can do to help. You won't learn if you are unmotivated to do so... even if you are motivated only long enough to survive your classes.

Re: action;

[just_displaced]

What I'm most motivated by is the fact that if I fail any of my exams, my dad is gonna find out, and then he's gonna be mad. Actually, you know what? He won't even be mad. He'll be disappointed. And that's worse.

[A long-suffering sigh.]

So maybe I should study. I'm just kind of sick of hearing the whole 'oh, you've got all this natural talent for magic, why don't you use it?' thing from every single professor in the place.

[anunluckypenny]

[Penny, a 5th year Hufflepuff who is also doing her level best to not study, shyly picks her way over to Ginsberg's table after seeing his post (not that she was looking at stuff like that when she was supposed to be studying, of course). She doesn't really know him, but she's seen him around and they obviously have being bad at things in common, so this is a good time to be brave and talk to people.]

Is this the table for everyone who's bad at everything?

[just_displaced]

If I say yes, does that mean you're going to glare at me like those people over there who're obviously really good at everything, and leave? Or does it mean that you'll sit down and keep me company because you're bad at everything too?

[A pause, and then a shrug.]

Well, the answer's yes, either way. This is definitely that table. I'm the president of that club. If it were a club.

[aprettypenny]

Oh, no--I'm not so good with the glaring. You really don't mind if I sit here?

[Because she's going to stand here hugging her books until she knows that company is actually wanted.]

I mean, I'm bad at everything, too. You know, bad at school things.

[just_displaced]

Sure, have a seat. I'd say have more than one seat, to show you how much I don't mind you sitting here, but that'd be excessive and also uncomfortable, so you can just have one seat.

[Babbling? Him? Never.]

What're you studying for right now? I mean, supposed to be studying for? Because obviously neither of us are actually studying.

[aprettypenny]

One's good for me, thank you.

[No, the babbling is good! She's a babbler herself, so now she knows he won't mind when she goes and does it. Penny takes a seat--just one--and looks over her books.]

Um... Potions is the one that's really going to kill me. And History of Magic. And possibly all of the others. How about you? Is your badness spread out like mine or more concentrated?

[just_displaced]

Well, let's see...

[He pauses like he really has to give it some thought, but it's accompanied with a big, cheeky grin, because he already knows the answer.]

Potions is going to chew me up and spit me out. Astronomy might be even worse, but it matters less in the long run, because I'm never even going to think about it again after I graduate. History of Magic's an easy class to bullshit if you know how, so I'm not too worried about that one. It's kind of an overall badness. At classes and schoolwork, I mean. I'm good at magic. Really good, actually.

[And oh so humble.]

It's just that when it comes down to actually getting work done, or doing things the way other people want them done, well... let's just say I've messed up a lot of potions by trying to come up with my own recipes. Which, by the way, never works.

[aprettypenny]

Yeah, Potions doesn't give anyone a lot of room to be creative, you know? Everything has to be exact and you can't put a spin on it or you'll give someone a second head or an extra finger or something--not that I've done that! I mean, I did, sort of, but they both got better, so it wasn't such a huge deal.

[She's interested by this whole being good at magic thing.]

But you're really, really good at magic? That's something! Maybe it's not super useful here, but once you're out in the real world doing real things, you'll be great. That's something to look forward to.

[just_displaced]

You gave someone else an extra finger, too? I thought I was the only one. I mean, the way the professor was carrying on about it, I might as well have been.

[He grins at her, because clearly that's the appropriate response to hearing that they'd both accidentally physically altered someone in Potions class.]

Yeah, sure, in the real world that might matter a little bit. If I can get a job. Which relies on graduating. Which I'm not sure I will. There has to be something you're good at, too, though. I refuse to believe that, even though you're sitting at the designated Bad At Everything table, you're an across the board failure.