Power of Three (Tripletes)

[Linette "Linny" Sanders]

Linette remembered that they had agreed and that she had promised no guys this weekend. Inside she deflated. Jonesy and Chip were such cuties though!

"So how have you two been?" Linette asked Jonesy and Chip as she took a sip of pumpkin juice. She didn't particulary like eating in front of guys (she was a bit of a messy eater). So she settled on drinking pumpkin juice until the boys turned away, and if it turned out that they spent the rest of dinner with them, Linette would just mosey herself down to the kitchens later that evening.

[Chester "Chip" Gardner]

Chip nodded. He was generally a laid-back sort of guy and he didn’t take offense at Callie’s attitude. In fact, he sort of secretly admired the girl for her fire, even if he would never say it to her face.

“Yeah, man, it’s cool. We’ll check it out for you and tell you all about it later; how’s that sound?”

The triplets were easily the most fascinating girls in the school, each of them so different, even if they looked the same. Callie was the one with the attitude, and Bobby was sweet as pie. And then there was Linette… She was his favorite. As she began to talk, his lips curved into a smile.

“Oh, you know. School. Same old. But hey, I got some new muggle records, if you wanted to check them out with me some time….”

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Callie was really annoyed. Not more than 5 minutes ago, Linette had been lecturing Callie about eating properly. Now, here she was, demurely sipping on pumpkin juice instead of eating, just because a couple of guys insisted on talking to her. Why did Linny think it was necessary to change her behavior just to impress a guy? If a guy was so shallow and superficial as to be impressed by such things, then he wasn’t worth impressing at all. When would Linny learn that?

She rolled her eyes at Bobby, then began to eat a little faster. If she wasn’t allowed to read at the table, then she bloody well wasn’t going to stay any longer than she had to.

[Roberta "Bobby" Sanders]

Bobby sighed, catching Callie's eye roll. And of course, now, all the boys' attentions were on Linette, who was flirting with the best of them. She could never compete with that.

"Here we go," she whispered, leaning into Callie and rolling her own eyes.

Catching the way her sister was eating so quickly, and her own sudden loss of appetite (and the fact that Linette was lost to them for now), she smiled. "Well, boys, looks like I'm not so hungry afterall. We'll see you later, okay? Be sure and tell me about the Shreiking Shack."

She nudged Callie, letting her know she was giving her an out as well.

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

The trouble was, Callie was starving. It annoyed her that she couldn't just stay and eat and mind her own business without being subjected to all kinds of unwanted attention, and being forced to witness Linette's shameless flirting. This was one of those times when she wished she wasn't a triplet. If it was just her, if she was just one girl, she could easily sit there alone and eat in peace. But boys always wanted to flirt with the triplets, and even if Linette was usually the one that got all the attention, the sisters were usually treated as if they were a single unit.

She paused with a forkful of macaroni in her hand and gave Bobby a sort of helpless look. It would be entirely believable if she said she wasn't hungry right now. "Just wait five more minutes and I'll go with you. I have to start studying for that Charms test."

[Roberta "Bobby" Sanders]

Bobby sighed, giving Callie a look of exasperation. She lost her appettite already, and now she was forced to endure sitting her stupidly while Callie ate and Linetter flirted shamelessly.

She sighed. "Tell you what, I'll meet you in the common room." She couldn't handle it, not today. Sometimes, she was right there with Linette. Sometimes, not as much.

She leaned over and put her arm around Linny's shoulders. "I'll see you," she said, giving her sister a quick kiss on the cheek before getting up from the table and heading out.

[Chester "Chip" Gardner]

Chip frowned as he saw Bobby getting up to leave. It was pretty much expected that Callie would try to leave, but Bobby could usually be counted on to hang around and flirt a little... maybe not as obviously as Linette, but she was always a lot of fun.

"Aw, Bobby, you're breakin' my heart. You don't have to leave, do you? Just stay with us a little longer. The table won't be the same without you."

He gave her his most charming smile, hoping this could convince her to stay.

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Callie was unable to hide her eye roll this time. Bobby was apparently in a mood... and really, only one of them could be in a mood at a time. Usually, Callie was the moody one. But something was bugging Bobby now, and it was her sisterly duty to find out what it was.

She didn't really want to eat the salad or the tuna that Linette had convinced her to take. But nothing was going to make her give up the macaroni and cheese, so she scooped it into an empty bowl and picked it up, along with her books. She was about to get up and follow her sister when Chip called after Bobby, trying to get her to stay.

Hesitating, she looked back at Bobby and waited to see what she was going to do.

[Rabastan Lestrange]

Rabastan, the master at the art of good timing, happened by the Gryffindor table just as all of this was taking place. He glanced at Bobby, who had turned around to face her friends again, and he stopped up short, next to her, and put a hand on her lower back.

"You're leaving?" he asked, his voice sugar sweet. "And I just got here... I'm going to have to work on my timing, it seems. Everything okay?"

He should be an actor, really. The way Bobby looked at him almost made him grin.

[Roberta "Bobby" Sanders]

Bobby stopped, turning to face the table again. Her eyes met Callie's, who looked ready to get up and follow Bobby, despite saying she was going to finish eating. Bobby loved her for this.

Then she looked at Chip, and the others at the table. When Chip talked to her like that, she could feel herself softening instantly, and it was so hard to say no. Even when she really wanted to.

And then it happened... she felt a hand on her back, and turned to see Rabastan Lestrange at her side, and she swore her heart gave a little flutter. She tried to hide it, knowing that Callie would give her grief, of course.

Sighing softly, she answered, "No... I'll... I'll stay for a bit."

[Linette "Linny" Sanders]

Linette felt conflicted. Immediatly, she felt that something was wrong with Callie. It wasn't so quick to think that it was her and her flirting, but she knew that something was wrong. She wanted to go with her sisters and make sure Callie was alright.

On the other hand, it would be rude to quickly start a convorsation with Chip and Jonesy and then suddenly up and leave. And if there was one thing Linette Sanders was not, it's rude.

Her decision though, came when Rabastan Lestrange approached Bobby and placed his hand on her back. If Bobby was staying, then Rabastan was staying, which meant Linette would stick around to keep an eye on them both. She wasn't going to leave them alone, not a chance.

She shot a quick look over to Callie, hoping she knew what it meant. Help me out with these two...

[Rabastan Lestrange]

"I was hoping you'd say that," Rabastan replied, practically feeling the heat from the look he knew he was getting from Callie, and he glanced up and gave Linette a little wink.

He had three options here... invite himself to sit at this table, which he knew was not a good idea. Too many people would give him death glares and that just wasn't condusive to romancing a girl.

He could invite her back to the Slytherin table, which she would probably love, but her sisters probably wouldn't stand for, or he could play it cool.

"I'm going to eat at Slytherin... but maybe we can catch each other for dessert?" He smiled and without much coaxing from anyone else, or an answer from her, was on his way.

[Jonesy Duggan]

Jonesy raised an eyebrow at Rabastan when he approached their little group that had formed. This wasn't the first time the Slytherin had stepped in while Jonesy was hanging out with any of the Sanders sisters. Jonesy was beginning to see a pattern that he didn't particularly like.

"Nice to see you too Lestrange," Jonesy said, not really intending for him to hear. He sent Chip a sideways look, obviously saying what was that about?

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

If looks could kill, Rabastan Lestrange would have dropped dead in that instant from the heat that was coming from Callie's eyes. It was a lucky thing for him that he decided not to stick around, because if he hadn't, Callie was prepared to launch into the Slytherin boy with all the venom of an over protective sister.

It was bad enough that Linette had dated Rabastan, but at least Linny had known what she was getting into from the start and was able to end it on her own terms. But Bobby was too innocent, too eager. He'd break her, and Callie was not going to let that happen.

"That's right, Lestrange," she said. "You're not welcome here. Just go back to the Slytherin table and leave us alone."

She turned her gaze back on Bobby. "Are you OK?" she said worriedly.

[Roberta "Bobby" Sanders]

As Rabastan walked off, seemingly oblivious to the remarks from Callie and Jonesy, Bobby turned her attention back to the table and smacked Callie's shoulder. Kind of hard, at that.

"Don't be rude. Merlin."

She sighed and sat back down at the table, back in front of her still untouched plate of food. "And I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

It wasn't like someone had just come in and tackled her or anything. Rabastan said something nice and they were all acting like he'd made some big offense.

And Bobby was blushing a little.

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Callie didn't care if it was rude. In fact, she had no shame whatsoever about being rude to Rabastan Lestrange. He was poison, as far as Callie was concerned, and she was not even going to pretend to be polite to him. Why should she?

"I'll be as rude as I have to be to make sure he gets the message," Callie said angrily. "He is not welcome here, and I don't care if it's rude to say so."

Now she was the one who had lost her appetite, and she shoved her bowl aside in disgust. If she had just left with Bobby when she wanted to, then the whole incident wouldn't have happened.

It was a lucky thing for Bobby that Callie's own cheeks were flushed with anger and she failed to notice that Bpbby was blushing over Rabastan's words.

[Linette "Linny" Sanders]

If they weren't with a group of friend, or in front of the whole school, Linette would probably smack both her sisters upside the head. Callie for being so stubborn, and Bobby because was it not 10 minutes ago that Callie and Linette had expressed their great dislike for Rabastan?

Linette looked over to the Slytherin table where Rabastan had taken a seat and shook her head. It was a mistake, she knew now, dating him last year. And though she never really talked about it much with Callie and Bobby, she didn't think any girl deserved THAT as a boyfriend. Linette hoped desperatly that Bobby would learn that on her own, because she knew Bobby would not listen to her sisters on this matter, no matter how hard they tried.

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

Now Callie was the one who wanted to leave desperately. The whole incident with Rabastan, while seemingly innocent, left a bad taste in her mouth. Maybe I'll see you for dessert? Really? Surely Bobby was smart enough not to fall for a line like that, right? Didn't she know that dessert was code for sex? It was, wasn't it? Surely Callie wasn't the only one to read into his remark.

"The nerve of that guy," she grumbled. "I swear, if I ever catch him over here again, I'm going to hex him so badly his great-great-grandchildren will feel it."

[Roberta "Bobby" Sanders]

"Merlin, Callie, stop it. He didn't even do anything."

Figures, Bobby thought. The first guy to show any kind of interest in Bobby, and Callie starts being rude. She didn't know if it was a protective thing, or if her sister was just, God forbid, jealous, but it bothered Bobby. She didn't think she got a lot of attention like that. It all went to Linette, because she was the girly, flirty one, or to Callie because she was the challange, and Bobby was always in the middle. So what was so wrong with letting Rabastan flirt with her a little bit?

[Callisto "Callie" Sanders]

If Bobby thought that Callie didn't want her sister to be happy, she was wrong. Callie wanted the best for both of her sisters, and that meant she wanted Bobby to find a really great guy who would treat her the way she deserved. But of all the boys in the school, Rabastan was probably the worst possible guy for Bobby. Why couldn't Bobby see that?

"Just promise me you won't fall for that dessert line," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.