The Nialle Story

[Rue]

Suzy walked into the Common Room. Was the boy even going to show up?  Maybe he had been lying. Her mother was the only wizard she'd ever known who was interested in Greek mythology. "Sisyphus" had sounded like a Greek name but, maybe the boy just made it up.
 
She curled up in one of the humongous arm chairs and thought back to From A to Zeus which the boy had taken by accident.  Did she remember reading about Sisyphus?  The name seemed vaguely familiar.  If she had he must have only been mentioned once or twice, unlike Athena or Hercules, who each must have taken up more than a quarter of the book.  
 
He suddenly walked in, his voice betraying his silent feet. “No, I’m busy right now. I’ll talk… later.”
     
Two boys followed him into the room.  

"Hey, Nialle," said the shorter of the two as his eyes met Suzy's.  "You're meeting a girl at night."

"Yeah," agreed the other.  "Is this a date?"

"No" said Nialle matter-of-factly.  "If it were a date, I'd present her with flowers.  Will you please excuse me?"

They giggled.  Nialle stood up straight, pointed the mythology book in his hand commandingly at the dormitory room door, and raised one eyebrow.  The small fan club giggled again and hurried off to their dorm, whispering excitedly.  
 
“Um… sorry ‘bout that.” he said, rubbing his forehead and sitting down in the armchair across from Suzy.  
 
She noticed the slight flush on his cheeks. “It’s okay.”      
   
He cleared his throat and handed her the Greek mythology book. “I… ah... read it.  It’s a nice version. Sisyphus is in there."  
 
Suzy accepted the book, "Not much in there on him though, is there? Mostly about Athena and--"  
 
He interrupted, laughing. “I loved how they made Athena sound!"  
 
“Powerful,” Suzy agreed, “wise, and…”    
     
“A smart-alec.  Rather like McGonagall, huh?”      
   
“But… McGonagall just seems so… regal.”  
     
“Oh!”  He leaned forward in his chair.  “But Athena’s regal too; especially when she chopped her way out of her father’s head with a sword.”
     
Suzy giggled.    
     
“My favourite’s Prometheus.” Suzy said in a barely audible whisper.      
     
“Yeah,” he nodded. “How he stole light from the Gods and brought it to man, making himself suffer in the process. Brings up all the ethical issues of breaking rules, even for a good cause."    
   
"Yeah," Suzy nodded, "Can there ever be a truly good reason, or is it just something we fool ourselves into believing to make us feel better?”    
   
Sparks snapped in the fire.  Students left for bed.  More sparks crackled. Around 4 a.m. Professor Flitwick put out the fire with a “pop” and sent the last students, two first-years, to bed.    
     
“Good-night, Suzy.”  
     
“Night, Nialle.”    
 

~~~~~

   
Suzy skidded to a stop a few feet away from the door to the classroom.  She tried to catch her breath, then straightened her back, caught some more air in her lungs, and walked inside.  
 
McGonagall's face was stern.  
   
"Sorry," she managed to gasp, trying to breath through her nose, making her nostrils flare and a light coughing noise escape her mouth.

[Rue]

"Miss Prongs."  McGonagall looked up.  "You are late."    
     
"I-" gasp- "I know professor.  But-" gasp "I was just-" long nose flare "just-"
   
Nialle stood up. "Just getting my homework I left in the Common Room, which she offered to retrieve for me."  
 
Suzy was stunned, but reached into her bag and handed Nialle the first papers she laid her hands on, never taking her wide eyes from the blonde boy's face.    
 
McGonagall frowned.  "Very well. Please take your seats, in which you will remain after the lesson, so we may proceed with the class.”    
   
Why had Nialle done that?  She had just met him!  
 
McGonagall's stern voice spoke out.  Suzy could feel the bespectacled eyes flick over her. "Please pass your homework forward."  
 
She grabbed her homework out of her bag and passed it to the boy in front of her. Then what had she given to Nialle?  Hopefully just a blank piece of parchment, but-  She rooted in her bag, placing her quills and ink on the desk, skimming through everything hurriedly.  Only blank parchment.  Was there something written on one of the sheets she gave him?  
 
Nialle's head shot up and whipped around, (from his seat four rows ahead and two to the right,) to stare at her.  Her mind started to pound with panicked thoughts. What had he read?  How much of it?  What was it?  What could it be?  She fiercely shook her head and mouthed one word: please.  
 

~~~~~

   
The class filed out of the room.  A few of them gathered their books and quills slowly, trying to linger long enough to hear the beginning of the punishment.  After McGonagall glared at them over her glasses, they soon followed the others.    
 
Nialle slumped slightly in his seat. He looked at the front of McGonagall's desk for a moment before moving his gaze to her face.    
 
Her eyes were on him.  "Mr. Sylvan," she said slowly. "I'm disappointed in you.  On the second day of class you fail to live up to the standards I have set."  Nialle hung his head.  "I will be deducting three points from Ravenclaw.  You may go."  
 
He stood up, said in a clear voice, "Yes, Professor,” and walked slowly to the door.  Her voice stopped him.  
 
"Sylvan."  
 
He turned and looked into the usually stiff face, now somewhat softened.  "I expect you will do better in the future."
 
He nodded and walked out the door.  
   
"Miss Prongs."    
 
She'd made Nialle lose house points!  He hadn't even done anything. Well, he had covered for her by his own decision, but she was the one who should have lost the points.    
 
"Miss Prongs."  McGonagall's voice was sterner than before.  
 
Suzy looked up.  "You must heed the rules also; you must consider your own academic welfare.  But it was kind of you to help another student, and brave to do so at your own risk.  I will be awarding five points to Ravenclaw because you thought of another before yourself -- a useful skill for a witch or wizard to have.  You may join Mr. Sylvan."

~~~~~

[Rue]

McGonagall bent her head and started grading papers. Suzy stood up, stunned, and then hurried out of the room.      
     
Nialle was slumped against the wall outside the classroom, with his forehead resting on his knees.  
     
"Hey," Suzy whispered.      
     
He glanced upwards. "Hey."      
     
She sat down facing him, leaning her side against the wall, her arms hugging her legs.  "Um...could I have those papers back?  The ones I handed to you in the beginning of class."    
   
"Yeah."  Nialle reached into his bag and handed back the parchment.  
 
It was significantly less crumpled than when she had handed it to him.  Suzy looked at the first line.  "Dear Sopherythrys, I found out the boy's name today- Nialle." She gasped.  "You didn't read it, did you?"      
 
"Only the first two lines. After reading the first, I figured I shouldn't be reading it, but by then my eyes had already finished reading the second.”  He grinned and recited, "A pretty name, don't you think?"
     
She smiled back.  “You know you do.”
   
"Course.”    
 
Suzy fidgeted with her hands, not realizing that Nialle was twiddling his thumbs.  "You shouldn't have covered for me," she blurted out.  
 
Nialle raised an eyebrow.  "If you hadn't been talking to me until four in the morning, you wouldn't have slept in."  
 
"Yes, but I chose to talk to you."  
 
Nialle paused, and decided to change the subject.  "So, a...what'd Professor McGonagall say?"  
 
"Well, something about me covering your back, me having useful skills, and me getting five points for Ravenclaw."      
     
Nialle blinked and stood up slowly.  "That's bloody brilliant!  The way she simultaneously reminded us to consider the rules and yet encouraged us to make exceptions when necessary.”   He stopped, "Suzy, I have to go the library, urgent, I’ll talk to you later..."  He started walking down the hallway, "Brilliant!  The way she…”  
   
Suzy shook her head and went to the Ravenclaw Common Room.  She'd need to finish her Transfiguration homework in case Nialle was in the mood for another talk...possibly about teaching methods.

~~~~~

[Rue]

Notes between Suzy and Rue Filch swept up in the History of Magic classroom, put in order for your convenience.

Hello Chicita.

Um… hi.  Chicita?

Yes.  It’s Spanish for “little girl.”

Ah.  You sure you’re not “little-er?”

Shush!  You are the little one because you look all cute in those pigtails.

I’m not cute!  And I don’t usually have them, I just felt like it this morning.

I know.  I was only joking.  But you look cute all the time so you are the chicita.

What?!  But… but…you’re the one with the gorgeous thighs…Gorgeous.

You’ve never even seen my thighs.

I have an over-imaginative imagination.

And you use it to imagine what my thighs look like?

You’ll never know.

Yes, and I’m not sure I want to.  You’re looking especially “innocent” at the moment.

You don’t want to know. Oh, you definitely don’t.  Did you ever wonder why Professor Binns always stares at that one spot on the wall while talking?

Maybe he hates watching the boredom on his students’ faces.

Or the notes flying across his line of vision.  ‘Till tomorrow?

‘Till tomorrow.

~~~~~

[Rue]

“You have to meet this girl I met.”  Suzy took a bite of her sandwich.

“Really?” Nialle asked. “What’s she like?”

“Well, kind of shy and drawn in at first, but once I started writing her notes in History of Magic, she sorta opened up.”

“You were writing notes in History of Magic?  When?”

“When you couldn’t keep your eyes off Professor Binns’s mouth!  You probably didn’t see because we sit in the back, and you sit all the way in the front.  We even threw them instead of just passing them.”  She took a big slurp of soup.

Nialle mock-glared at her, taking a neat sip of his own.  “But Professor Binns was talking about Grindewald.  It was intriguing.”

Suzy took another bite of her sandwich.  “Anyway, she also has these beautiful eyes.”

“Beautiful?” Nialle echoed. “You sure they’re not just pretty?”

“They’re gorgeous.”

Nialle laughed.  “I have got to see those eyes.”

“She’s probably eating lunch right now.”  Suzy stood up on the bench.  “Ah ha!” she pointed a finger at Kyra.

“See that girl near the front of the Hufflepuff table, sitting alone, staring mournfully at us?”

Nialle kneeled next to her, nodding.

“That’s her.”

“Her eyes aren’t beautiful,” Nialle said.  “Maybe pretty, but not beautiful, and definitely not gorgeous.”

“What?!” Suzy poked his arm.  “That’s just because you’re not close enough.”

“I’ll check in History of Magic, okay?”

Suzy shook her head, grinning.  She picked up her soup and goblet, polishing off the sandwich.  “Grabf fbood anfd fbollow me,” she said through a mouthful of bread, getting up and starting to walk away.

[Rue]

“You know we’re not allowed to eat at the other houses' tables,” Nialle protested even as he grabbed his own bowl of soup and goblet, following behind Suzy.

She gulped down the last of her sandwich, “We’re not going to.”

Kyra had noticed them approaching.  She sat up, watching them uncertainly.

“Hey, Chicita,” Suzy said as she stood in front of Kyra.  “This is Nialle.”

“Hi,” Nialle muttered, still glaring at Suzy.

Kyra gave a slight smile, “Hey.”

“Damn,” Suzy breathed, her eyes resting on Snape’s body quickly making its way in their direction. “Grab your food and follow me.”

Suzy had already started to walk away.

“But…” Kyra began.

Nialle shrugged, following Suzy.  Kyra did the same.

Suzy ended up plopping herself down in the far right corner of the room, near the Hufflepuff table.

“¡Buen Apetito!” Suzy took another big slurp of soup.

“You mean Bon appetite,” Kyra grinned, sitting down next to Suzy.

“Bonum orexis,” Nialle said, closing off the gap.

~~~~~

[HPFan_is_back]

Cool story Rue...
and I hope you dont mind this but it's Foreing Language Correction Time:
Chicita is actually spelled Chiquita
Bueno Apetito is like saying "Well appetite." It shoild be Buen Apetito

[Rue]

Thanks, HPF.   ;D  

Gen translated the "Well Apetite" thing because I don't know any Spanish.  I'll go and modify that now.  And the Chicita is what Suzy calls me IRL (my story is filled with inside jokes.  I'm so evil for putting them there and trying to give them some form of explanation to the people who don't get them.) and since she spells it that way, that's the way it'll be spelled in the story.

But thanks again.

[HPFan_is_back]

no biggie.
and if we dont get inside jokes ir doesn really matter, we'll think it's just another part of the story.
so, when're you gonna continue?

[Rue]

*checks* I posted some in March, then May 20th, then May 25th, and then today.  It takes me forever to write these and have people edit them.  So I probably won't have anything for a month or so because I'm super busy working on something else right now, like, working on it 8 hours a day busy.

I'll try to get one section done a week though I have no idea how well that'll go over.  My two editors are currently taking breaks and the next section really needs their approval before I'd feel comfortable posting.

[HPFan_is_back]

it's a good story... and I just remembered that (at least where I live) we say 'buen provecho'