Idle Hands/Devil's Playthings (open)

[Samantha Montgomery]

Recognition flared through Sam like a torpedo and she was taken back to her first few years at Beauxbatons. She would never forget Charlotte Monroe. Merlin she had been so horrible to the girl...so very horrible, and yet she was only doing what the girl probably would have done to others to stay on as top dog. Still it was enough of a shock to wipe the faux-innocent look of bewilderment off of her face temporarily as her eyes shot up to the blonde on the stairs.

True bewilderment entered her eyes, and then curiosity would Charlotte expose her? No, how would she? There was no proof of her previous activity and she was after all Samantha, Slytherin Champion and all around nice girl...she was trying to be anyway, she wasn't going to let Charlotte destroy that...not even through the guilt that Sam felt.

"Charlie Monroe." she answered in a firm voice.

[Charlotte Monroe]

Charlotte wasn't the most innocent of Slytherins in fact Slytherin females knew her to be quite the...witch, and males took her to be seductively dangerous, she knew her own importance and ruled her own group of friends quite nicely. She was a paragon of the slytherin female, you didn't mess with Charlotte Monroe.

And yet the look, the almost fear you could see in her eyes as she blinked at Samantha was bewildering. Charlie Monroe afraid? Afraid of...Sam? How? Why? What?

But it was there all the same. Charlie wasn't ready for Sam, she had left Sam behind her...what the hell was she doing here?

[Seth Inophen]

Seth watched the interactipon between Sam and the girl Sam called Charlie. It didn't exactly look like the reconnection of old friends. WHY Were so many people from Sam's time at Beauxbatons here at Hogwarts now?

"I see you two know each other," Seth decided to say the obvious.

[Samantha Montgomery]

"We're old ...friends." she said hesitantly adjusting to this development, that was right...Charlotte had transfered to Hogwarts after Beauxbatons way back when...Merlin it seemed a lifetime ago.

Getting back in control of herself only took a moment, she was still bewildered but she didn't let it show, "Charlie, how have you been?"

[Charlotte Monroe]

Memories assailed Charlotte and she wanted to run and hide and never show her face again, that's why she had left. She couldn't stand to be at Beauxbatons and watch Sam rule, while she had been so brutally destroyed.

Charlotte watched, with the amused fascination of a fly about to be eaten by the spider going through dejavu, Sam, as she straightned out her smile and quickly gained her composure back and even managed to threaten lightly oh not that it was obvious no, but Charlie had learned to listen to Samantha and read between all the lines that weren't there to begin with. Sam was warning her and only she knew that it was a warning to play along. If she wasn't so startled she would have told Sam to go to hell...or she might have meekly done what was asked of her.

But she was stunned so all she could do was answer, "Well." she said but she trembled as she repeated the question, "And you?"

[Samantha Montgomery]

"Oh just keen really." she said her manner light, " It's been a long while, it's funny running into you I forgot that you transfered as well...a few years back." it was perhaps wrong of her to mention that time but she was just as thrown as Charlie seemed to be.

She nodded, "As you see me...I was lucky enough to be chosen House Champion for the tournament."

[Lyra Newbury]

Lyra watched the conversation, if you could call it that, between Charlotte and Sam. It was better than going to the theatre, the facial expressions they were making in order to fool the others into thinking there was nothing wrong. Lyra could tell they were both hiding something. She had spent years toying with people and learning to read them when they were trying to maintain their composure. Or perhaps they were just doing an extremely bad job of it. Reading people came so naturally now it was hard to tell which it was.

[Samantha Montgomery]

Sam's facial expression had quickly remedied it was Charlotte who still looked like a lost lamb and Sam was silently willing the girl to snap out of it, hell she thought that Seth could probably even tell something was going on.

"Please Join us Charlie." she said plesantly as she maneuvered around the setting to get to the girl and give her a friendly hug, "Pick up your jaw dear." she whispered barely audible to Charlotte herself so no one else would hear.

[Charlotte Monroe]

Charlotte was still dazed she tried to snapp out of it, was still trying, and then Sam was speaking again, and then Sam was moving towards her, if it was possible she paled another color shade whiter as Sam hugged her.

She blinked at Sam's order and as if pushed into action she recovered her resolve and smiled.

"How lovely a reunion this is." she said with a grin that stretched from ear to ear, "It's been too long. she was acting now, definitely on autopilot as her mind adjusted to this surprise.

[Lyra Newbury]

The others seemed to have fallen silent when the two girls started their little show. The air had a very strong sense of unease. Lyra chewed on her lip for a moment then spoke. "How was your holiday Char? I had forgotten where you were going." Perhaps someone else speaking would clear the air a bit. She almost wished to go back to being alone and bored senseless, compared to the awkwardness in the common room now.

[Charlotte Monroe]

"Wonderful Lyra." she answered swooping into her own delicate calm and poise. She caught an approving glance from Samantha and almost choked on the anger she was now feeling, but she was wise enough to curb it. " I do enjoy the islands especially during the colder months, it's nice to get away." she said with a plesant smile. "How have your classes been going? Anything..." she glanced at Samantha and then back again, "New?"

[Samantha Montgomery]

While Sam was wishing that Charlotte and her could have been reacquainted privately instead of this ridiculous spectacle she had to settle for what was and try and uphold her dignity, but she became suspiciously quiet.

[Lyra Newbury]

"Oh, just about the same, here. A few new substitutes and an odd number of transfers," her eyes flickered to Sam and then back to Charlotte. "You missed the oddest lesson in Transfiguration." She looked at Rystain who had been in her group along with Sam during that strange class. But she felt as though she had been ignoring the boys since Charlotte's timely return, so she looked to Rystain only. "Apparently once we graduate we are expected to end up on an island. Well, I guess you had something similar while you were away, Charlie." She laughed. "You should see if Professor Long will give you credit for that."

[Charlotte Monroe]

"Oh I'll have to talk to her then." she smiled nodding and agreeing making with the social scene. She wasn't like Sam to be prim and propper at all times, Charlotte made mistakes but she held her own, and she was comfortable. So comfortable with how her life was now that she dreaded what was to come, would Sam destroy her again?

[Lyra Newbury]

Lyra smothered a yawn behind her dainty hands and then smiled. She couldn't remember the last time so many of them had sat down for a chat like this. Where there was no real reason for any of it other than to enjoy each other's company. And while Lyra was quite certain Sam and Charlie weren't enjoying all the company, they seemed happy enough.

[Aubrielle Newbury]

Aubri came down the stairs from the girls' dorms, unaware of the little gathering of Slytherin students below. She was just restless, and thought a walk through the halls would cure it, at least for tonight.

She was met, in the common room, however, by them and she paused. "Oh. Hello, everyone."

[Samantha Montgomery]

Samantha glanced up at the girl who had arrived. It was a break from the underlying tension and she was happy to have it, even if she didn't know who the girl was. She had seen her around in her dorm and what not but still wasn't too aware of her, yet.

Putting a smile on her face she said hello in return.

[Lyra Newbury]

Lyra looked toward the stairs, her sister standing there. "Hey Aub." She turned back to the group without further acknowledgment of her little sister and continued with the group's prior conversation. "I don't know what crazy things Professor Long will have us do next. She's so strange."

[Samantha Montgomery]

Sam laughed at that but shrugged, "Well I don't know, it's better than having your nose in a book all day, studying wrist transition, unless you're a ravenclaw and enjoy that sort of thing." Sam did not, in fact she had had about five lifetimes over enough of studying, it didn't stop her from continually studying at all, just that she was almost happy to see a teacher do something new. Aside from which she loved competitions and she wanted to win whatever silly tournament that teacher had perhaps as a foreshadowing of the upcoming house tournament, eh, Sam could hope.

[Aubrielle Newbury]

Aubri sighed, and thought that she should probably just go on with her walk, but she hated being dismissed, so she walked over instead and sat in the only empty chair left in their circle.

"I kind of like Professor Long. Her classes are fun."