Quote:
Originally Posted by
FearlessLeader19 
Ary was starting to wish he had taken the initiative to bring a jar. His Conjuration skills were a little subpar - something which he aimed to fix before his OWLs. He definitely was not about to try making one appear now that there was an approaching company. Especially when it turned out that said company happened to be a firstie. As a fifth year, Ary was supposed to appear cool and all knowing.
He laughed, finding the comments highly humorous. “You sound like an expert on collecting slugs. Well, in ways that don’t involve this pit.” His gaze wandered to the pit once more. He’d just Summon them if needed; at least THAT was a spell he had mastered. “Nope, no thanks. I’ll stick to Mooncalves, Hippogriffs and Dragons. These fine little creatures here are much too slimy for me.” Handling dangerous creatures, yes. Handling slimy ones, no.
“Hi, Alaric. I’m Aryan but everyone calls me Ary. Okay, but how do I know you aren’t truly a giant slug disguised as a human?” The fifth year smirked, playing right along with Alaric’s hilarity. “Sorta. I have a friend who likes slug and was thinking of taking one to her so she can care for it. I forgot to bring a jar though.” Oh well. The boyfriend's sister would just have a slug-surprise another day. “What brings you here? Did you forget the way back to our Common Room?”
Alaric nodded as Aryan introduced himself, a polite smile crossing his face. "
Nice to meet you, Ary. I’ll admit, it’s a bit unconventional meeting someone over a pit of slugs, but it certainly makes it memorable."
His grin was brief but amused as Aryan laughed. "
Expert? Not quite. But I’ve learned enough to avoid stepping into something... regrettable." He cast a wary glance at the pit, his expression somewhere between curiosity and distaste.
"
Dragons or slugs... tough choice." Tilting his head, his gray eyes flicked between Aryan and the pit as though weighing the two options. "
Dragons could burn you to a crisp, sure, but at least it’s over quickly. Slugs, though..." He wrinkled his nose. "
You’d feel like you’d never be clean again. I’m not sure which fate is worse."
The mention of disguises earned a faint smirk. "
If I were going to hide as something, I’d like to think I’d aim higher than a giant slug. But I suppose blending in would be easy." He shifted slightly, keeping a polite distance while remaining engaged.
"
A gift slug, though?" He raised an eyebrow. "
Interesting choice. I’d have thought sweets or something less... slimy would be safer."
At Aryan’s question, Alaric gave a slight shrug. "
No, not lost. I like seeing where the corridors lead—you never know what you’ll find." He gestured faintly toward the pit. "
Although this wasn’t quite what I had in mind."
A small pause, then, "
You’ve been here before, then?"