2013. Saturday

 

She totally forgot to tell her friends she's staying the first week.

Only Corinna knows since they share a room, and Ake since she has to explain why she got so upset.

Lara points it out when they meet on their way down.

"You're not gone yet?"

Firstly offend, and little hurt, Clare then remembers that she's the one who said she won't be in the Academy for the holidays. So, she shakes her head and tell the younger girl that she'll be staying for this week-end and the coming week but would be gone by the next week-end.

"So, you're gonna attend the Ball?"

Right, now that she doesn't have a reason not to.

"You are?"

They run into Brice who's also walking to the main wing for the breakfast.

"Yeah, I think I will."

"What happen? I thought you were going home?"

She shruggs. "Change of plan, I will be going next week."

"Is your family the kind to prioritize new year rather than Christmas?"

Clara nearly sneer at the word family, she wonder if she's still part of it. She serves herself toasts with half-salt butters and a grapefruit juice (she's in the mood of sourness) before answering.

"Let's say that."

Then, she returns the question because she's too curt while her friend didn't do anything wrong.

"What about you?"

"Same. My mom has to work everyday to provide the two of us but since I attend Beaux Bâtons, we pratically never see each other so she made a point to at least spend the new year together. You know, for the new resolutions and all."

She doesn't know he only got his mother as family. Though, even if she has a lot of people in her family, it's barely considered as one.

"So, you're also going home next week?"

Brice nods while putting a load of bread in his plate and his own bottle of water, thing that never ceases to make her smile. Boys.

"Next Saturday evening. We could go together."

Meaning using the portal in the same moment, not really going together together.

"Sure."

"What about the Ball?"

"What about it?"

Clare is clueless. She already said she'll go, right?

"You want to go with me?"

Oh.

"Can't, she's going with me," Corinna answers for her.

She doesn't remember promising that and is still wondering how her friend doesn't have a partner yet when Corinna speaks up again.

"Don't worry, she'll save you a dance. Since you taught her and all."

"Of course, that's the least I could do."

Brice doesn't say anything but he doesn't seem displeased either so Clare doesn't think too much about it. Then, when she least expects it, Ake sits beside her.

The same conversation about her attendance to the Ball and her dance partner happened with the same outcome as her saving him a dance. Which is nothing special as she does give out the sign, spending equal time with the boys, she just never notice they got so attach.

As they're leaving the refectory, the poster of the ball's rule caught her eyes.

There's a site for extra information and even suggestion about how to transfigure their outfit so it won't be too constant for the seven hundred students, or even teachers.

Although she could do the homeworks, she choose to search about it while spending the time in the common room.

 

While she's talking about it with Corinna (as she's her partner, they better match their dress), someone enters in the common room to get the residents' attention.

It's about some poll about the profiling event and Clare recognizes him as the boy who direct her the phone box. He shot a glance at their direction and his eyes glow. Brice tsks next her when the boy leaves the room.

"Who was that?"

Brice shot her an incredulous look, which reminds her the same look he gave her when they first befriended.

"Aldric. The class representative, don't you listen?"

"He wasn't that present in the past two months," she tries to defend herself.

But truth is, she indeed didn't hear much in those few times when they were presenting. Big mistake, now that she thinks back.

Brice snickers. "No, just to remind the homeworks due in the groupchat and all the others info, like, everyday."

"Wait, there's a groupchat of the class?"

"Are you for real?"

"No, this time, I don't know about it either," Corinna says.

And this must be something only known by the sixth year, because Corinna know tons of things.

"Then, how do you do when the teachs give you homeworks?"

"We usually finish it the same day as we get what it was taught."

And also because they're kinda fluent in French when the lesson is in this language. Brice concedes at this.

"What about your mate? Isn't she a pure British?"

"Bridget is a Hufflepuff, she wouldn't miss a chance to show her hardwork even out of Hogwarts, which I think is the exact reason she's here."

The Italian boy pulls a face when they bring up the hogwarts house because he's still don't get it. Clare neither, actually, especially now that she talks about it to the Beaux Bâtons students, some concept of house are ludicrous.

(Mostly Gryffindor. But she won't say it to Teddy, of course not.)

"Ok, back on the groupchat. It's the only intranet allowed during school periods, besides Beaux Papiers. The school would give ID and password to all students when starting the school year, it gives you the chance to have the day's lesson in the language you're comfortable with and reminds you the homeworks. There are also notes for better understanding that could also serve as revision sheets."

Fair, how would the students all get their things if they don't understand the lessons, and with one hundred something (almost two hundreds) students, the teachers don't have the time to be behind each of them. SO, basically students have to get it together by their own.

"Well, maybe the intranet only concerned you people. I don't think I heard that from the seventh year."

Or from Teddy.

"Yeah, OK, maybe. Do you know about the students council, then?"

"Of course."

Corinna told her about it the first day. But Brice doesn't appreciate her condescending tone and raises a brow at her.

"Yeah, I do, there's the president, a seventh year, two vice-presidents that could inherit his place and a countable and secretary."

"No, the secretary does both the work of the countable and secretary."

Well, she gets the first ones.

"The students who were once class representatives could also claim to be president, because their role are basically to coordinate students' needs to teachers education. Also, each year has two representatives of both gender and a substitute delegate as there are way too much student."

Got it.

"What the class' guy representative just said then?"

Another look.

"He told us to give our opinion about the classification of different school, if so, the council could create something to differentiate the students."

"So, the class representatives answers to the council who can pass the opinion to the administration?"

"Basically. Or they could pass the new settlement directly if it doesn't interfere the school's education."

Cool concept, even if a little long, to be honest.

"Was he a pure-blood?" Corinna asks suddenly.

Brice is taken aback by the sudden question and shifts his mood when he gets it.

"Not really."

"Must you be one to be class representative? Or in the council?"

"Well since you can be in the council by being at least once a class representative, and that people tend to elect actual wizards rather than new bloods, they usually are pure. Through, everyone could present as class representatives."

Really segregrate, innit?

"Oh, right, did you tell them you're gonna stay there for the week?"

"Shouldn't I just tell a teacher?"

"Well, teachers aren't the one who keep track of the presence of the students during holidays as they're also resting. But members of the council take turns and put data for the chefs and superintendants to keep track of the attendance."

"Oh, OK. I had to go to their office, or...?"

"It's the one beside the phone box."

 

She goes to the said office about the time lunch comes. She goes it quickly seeing the office got some business and just has the time as the one behind the main desk is tidying his stuffs.

"Eh- hello."

Yves Delvaux is behind the front desk.

"Oui?"

Maybe to spite her, he speaks in French.

"Oui, désolée du dérangement, je voulais juste informer de ma présence pour la semaine qui arrive. Mais que je ne serais plus là la semaine d'après, à partir de samedi."

Is she rambling? Maybe. Is it because of the piercing look of the boy? Most certainly.

"Ce sera un départ à quelle heure?"

Good question, before or after dinner?

"Samedi après-midi, juste avant diner."

She could always buy something on her way to Switzerland.

"C'est noté. Merci de nous l'avoir informé."

"Merci à toi, de m'avoir accordé du temps."

She thinks about bowing, then does it because she did take his time before eating. She's at the doorstep when he calls on her.

"Tu participes au bal?"

"Oui."

Should she have report it too?

"Très bien, bon appétit."

"Merci, à toi aussi."

That was awkward. And stressful. She quickly makes her way to the refectory to lunch.

She still doesn't know who are the others members of the council and if her next conversation with them would be that mentally exhausting.

And also what to wear.