He might have gone back and gotten some of that invisible ink after they had combined forces to buy a cloak and he just might have used some of that to pass Remy a note right in the middle of class and feeling incredibly cheeky about doing so. The note had been an invitation to join him in the boathouse after their last class of the day. of course he could have just done so face-to-face and verbally, but this was more fun AND she had mentioned the whole spy thing...which felt on brand with some invisible ink.

While waiting for her to arrive, Atlas grabbed a paddle and began thwacking against the various wooden panels that made up the walls of the boathouse...and also the windows...drumming along like no one's business until one thwack was a bit too strong and the paddle went right on through the window and littered the ground with shards of glass.

Oh. Um.

...um...

Remy was the note receiving Queen lately. She didn’t send them, she just gets them. This one was particularly exciting because it was written in invisible ink from her partner in crime. At least, that’s what she hoped they’d be this term. So far, being back at school was pretty lacklustre and summer already felt like a distant memory. Not that she disliked being at Hogwarts, though… this was her favourite place.

Hearing the sound of glass shattering, Remy quickened her pace to the boathouse only to find her best friend beating windows down with a paddle. “You’re the most chaotic person I know.” She also wondered if he had an anger issue if he was breaking windows like this.

No pink hair today, at least. Although the pink beard was interesting in a total good way.

The blonde skipped closer to the broken window and gracefully pulled out her wand, tipping it towards the shards. “Reparo.” It would be embarrassing if this didn’t work since she maaaaaay be trying to show off just a little bit.

...um...um um um um UUUUUUUUUUUUM...

Funny thing about boat paddles was that they looked quite a bit like hockey sticks ...and he had broken a thing or two with those as well. Eyes wide and worried that the new grumpy pants groundskeeper may swing by at any moment, Atlas was currently debating using those to thwack all the broken glass pieces off to the side and under other things (out of sight, out of mind but NOT into the water because the lake creatures did not deserve that sort of abuse) when Remy entered with another profound compliment.

"Thanks, obviously not a flobberworm" he grinned in response, ears maybe reddening a bit as she took the practical and sensical route and fixed the window magically. Though, to be honest, he was likely to have blasted it clear out of the windowpane if he had tried Reparo because it was a little stressed right now. He gave a bit of a whistle as the window returned to its former glory and he tossed the paddle aside and out of the way...which then consisted of a clunk and thunk against one of the boats chillin' out of the water.

"So...I wanted to talk to you about something..."

Thanks. It wasn’t exactly meant as a compliment but it amused Remy that he took it as one, and decided not to argue it. Honestly, being chaotic was weirdly was one of Atlas’ endearing qualities.

Remy, on the other hand, was apparently not receiving compliments despite her quick and sharp wand work that she only did for attention purposes. She dropped her wand back into her robes and tucked a curl behind her ear, her eyes lingering on the fixed window allowing herself, at least, to admire the work.

“Once a Flobberworm, always a Flobberworm.” She smiled, jumping at the sound of the paddle hitting the boat. Her eyes lingered on the water and she wondered if Atlas planned on whisking her out on a boat because that would be totally romantic.

“Hm?” Talk to her about something? “Sure, what’s up?”

To him, she was telling him that he was not boring and that was one of the highest compliments he felt he could receive. So, yes, thank you. And he HAD whistled, like a cat call of admiration, at her spellwork!

But, anyway, there was a more pressing matter he needed to talk to her about.

Glancing around just to make absolutely sure she hadn't been followed down and that it was just them and the grindylows - he had seen one swimming around in the water not too long ago, so he figured at least one was hanging out here somewhere - Atlas took a hold of Remy's hand and tugged her towards the corner where they were hidden from view a bit more thanks to some rubber buoys and thick rope. "I want to use our cloak...and since it's ours I don't want to use it without you...so...I gotta make sure you're game for what I want to do with it." he whispered, still holding her hand and doing so earnestly now. "Remember the feast? And you blushing over my glitter beard? That was just a prototype...I've been working on them all summer with...varying degrees of success." The best maybe being one day in Diagon Alley when this older witch had touched it and he had dipped into QQS to avoid her rage. "I think I've perfected it...and I want to use it...on Professor Holden."

The secrecy of this meeting could only mean one thing in her head - it was finally happening. They were about to have their first kiss. RiGHT??? It only confirmed her theory when he grabbed her hand and took her off to the corner, which by the way, was making her feel more nervous. Somehow having their first kiss in a more public place felt better... but she wouldn't complain. She couldn't WAIT to tell Lisa.



OH.

Oh. Of course.

"I was not blushing." She had to clarify quickly, a little frown appearing on her face.

The poor Gryffindor had to shrug off these emotions of clear frustration and focus on what he was saying, and it was important since they hadn't really done anything with the invisibility cloak yet. "What prototype? What does it do?" Did he want to give Professor Holden a glitter beard? Because that sounded like the exact type of mischief Remy was looking to achieve with the cloak. She caught eye of their hands that were still attached and she snatched hers back to tuck another curl behind her ear.

He was a Gryffindor with a one track mind, okay? And it wasn't that he...didn't think of these things (thanks Aries for that quaint little chant last term) but the immediate agenda was on the cloak and keeping his promise to her to not use it without her. Because if he did then that would be being a bad one and also taking advantage of the fact that he had it in his possession in their rotation.

"You totally were," he replied easily with a grin. "I like when you blush. Especially when I'm the cause of it." It was NICE to have that kind of influence with someone else.

Though...maybe he needed to tone down the teasing because she seemed...really tense. And maybe even a little...mad? "Sorry...should I...stop pointing out when you blush around me?" Genuine curiosity because...he liked seeing it (as he had said) and he also liked pointing it out (because he liked to point at things and especially things about himself). "Oh...well...it's kind of a modified dungbomb...so there is a stink quality to it too if I add it. I did with one over the summer and it went well. Then it's glitter and slime that just gets everywhere. So..." His eyes widened a bit and gaze dropped as she pulled her hand away suddenly...only to play with her hair which, well, he suppose was fair enough. BUT...he was trying to have a super important and serious conversation with her...so as soon as she was done with the hair tucking, he reached up and took her hand back into his. This required FOCUS and if he wasn't holding her hand then his hands were going to be doing all kinds of fidgeting. He had also lost the train of thought he had been in, which was in deciding on the color and smell of the contents, but he pressed on anyway. "I thought...we could use the cloak together...to sneak into his office and set some off there..."

Remy fought with every ounce of her being to not blush even though he was talking so much about her blushing. We'll be honest - it was not easy, so she decided to mask it with frustration. "Plenty of people make me blush, thank you very much." PLENTY of other people... and that actually was the truth since her list of crushes was growing every term.

She was still frowning and had her arms folded for extra effect.

"I'd appreciate that." She replied simply, eventually unloosening her arms and dropping them into her robes pockets.

Her attention was more focused on the task at hand by this point, and she couldn't help but snigger at the prospect of letting off a stink bomb in Holden's office. He seemed like a great choice of victim. "I think that would be... HILARIOUS. We could get into SO much trouble." Why did getting into trouble sound so good? "I'm game." She agreed, so excited that she didn't even notice the hand holding that he had resumed. In fact, she started swinging his hand in excitement. "When shall we do it?" Her question created a sudden realisation of their hands and the recollection of how much she had wanted their first kiss.

Right on cue - MAJOR BLUSH.

You see that? You see that up there just above Atlas' head? Hovering like a nargle on mistletoe? Yeah. That was the point...or several points...several nargles...because Atlas was missing it. Them. It and them. All of them here nargles.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH.

"Are you saying I'm not special?" If only it were intended to be some sort of cocky little teasing maneuver. If only. It was a genuine and wide-eyed sort of question. Because, well, talk about a pin to his inflated balloon of an ego.

"At worst we'll get detention." Which, well, not entirely a foreign concept to this Gryffindor and he also had calculated, based on how Professor Holden dished out punishments with his classes, that even that would not be all that awful to endure. But it would be the two of them in it together...plus one. Maybe. Which led him to his next point. "Whenever." Like in the next ten minutes even. "Just one more thing...I think we need a third person involved...someone to play the role of asking Professor Holden a question so he opens up his office door willingly to let us in." No breaking and entry that way. "We can be standing behind them under the cloak and slip in when they're let in, chill in the corner for a bit, and then they can get Professor Holden to leave somehow. We'll already be in the office so it will be easy for us to get things into position while he is out." And then they could slip out after.

Easy peasy.

And he wasn't opposed to this whole swinging of the hand and arm thing, in fact he was even getting his body into it a little...like some sort of lopsided dance move since his other side was just chilling.

And she was blushing again...BUT APPARENTLY THAT WAS NOTHING SPECIAL SO HE WASN'T GOING TO POINT IT OUT ANYMORE.

Boys were such idiots. This was becoming more clear the older Remy got and the more she had to do with them.

She rolled her eyes but let her amusement overtake her frustration and laughed. “I suppose you are, but only because you’re my best friend.” Truth… being her bestie made him immediately cool. Although she suddenly felt insecure about revealing that in case she wasn’t his best friend.

Her nose turned up at the idea of involving a third person, but she supposed it did make sense when he explained. “But… who could we possibly ask?” Remy looked away through the now fixed window to think of Hogwarts’ best known troublemakers. People who were less likely to get in the way of Remy!Atlas quality time. “What if they tattle on us??”

GOOD Atlas for ignoring her blushing. It made the said blushing disappear much quicker than it did whenever he brought it up.

We see your point, but could we raise you selective idiocy? Atlas would argue that he was not a complete idiot and knew how to construct a motor with the base being a galleon and a rubber band. Idiots couldn't do that!

The validation that he totally had been that he hadn't been seeking was good, great even, and he couldn't help but straighten his posture a bit and inflate his chest. "You're one of mine too." He supposed he needed to explain that. "Aries, obviously, is one...but just don't tell him that. It's embarrassing." Admitting that he would go to the ends of the universe with his brother. "But...you're my best girl friend," he added confidently. She always had his back, even if she called him absurd things like a flobberworm, and he knew he could count on her for a lot - the praise and blushing were bonus benefits too.

"Well...I thought you might be comfortable with Lisa." He knew Remy and Lisa were close and was probably the only true mutual between them. "Do you think she would be lame and tattle on us?" He had a different impression, but he figured Remy would know better. "She is kind of a teacher's pet too...so Professor Holden likely wouldn't suspect her either. She has those BIG sparkly doe eyes that add to the whole effect too."

He might not SAY anything...but he was looking. With this eyes. Fingers were chilling right by his side.

Remy made a kind of accepting face when he mentioned Aries being his best friend, only understanding due to her own strong relationship with her sister. Although, Aries was still a little annoying, in her opinion. Still, it was relieving to hear that she was his best girl friend. “Good.” The blonde smiled. “And don’t worry - I wouldn’t want to inflate Aries’ ego like that.” Both of those Flamsteed boys seemed very egotistical.

Ummmm…

His suggestion of Lisa had her stumped for just a second. Remy ended up shrugging. “I guess Lisa would be a perfect choice… I don’t think she’d tattle on us.” Although she’d probably want to, Lisa was too loyal for that. Either that or she wouldn’t agree at all.

Did he just… say Lisa had sparkly eyes? Well, that certainly got Remy’s brain ticking. She was still gazing back and forth to the window where she suddenly caught her own reflection. Were her eyes sparkly, too??????

She turned back to Atlas, a very mischievous smile on her face. She was an actress, remember? “I’ve never noticed Lisa having sparkly eyes before. You don’t have a crush on her, do you??!” Her questioning was presented in a form of gossiping as opposed to raging jealousy, because no matter the outcome, it was information she needed to know to move forward with this dumb crush of hers.

To be fair, Atlas wasn't entirely sure Aries even had an ego. His brother was kind of too loosey goosey to really think about such things. So, maybe kind of sort of it was less about not inflating Aries' ego and more Atlas not wanting to share Remy. It was a whole complicated thing.

His smile widened a bit when she agreed to using Lisa as a decoy and he ended up taking both of her hands in his again - it was for emphasis on how BIG and IMPORTANT this whole thing was ... as well as a promise to follow through with the plan. "Great! I'll give her the details and we can go it after joint Transfiguration on Friday. I'll have several prototypes ready for us." He was practically bouncing on his heels while still holding on to her hands and had laced their fingers together too. "This is going to be gre----"

Was he choking on air? He might be choking on air. HOW WAS THAT QUESTION RELATED TO ANYTHING THEY HAD JUST BEEN DISCUSSION?! "Me? I mean...I like Lisa plenty...so I guess I don't not have a crush on her." Just as with Maya, he really needed to not speak in double negatives and just be more straightforward with his phrasing. But the truth was that he had not seriously considered any of this and therefore did not have a definitive response. "She lent me some books to teach me about true love's kiss though." And kissing frog, but Maya had honed in on that bit so the other part felt like it wasn't as important anymore. Honed in and told him he ought to ask Lisa out on a date. It had been a very confusing conversation. "Why is it a crush anyway? I mean...the whole entomology behind it. Crush is like...you know...the action of breaking or damaging something..." He was sort of all over the place and his trains of thought were leaping from one thought to the other while only getting halfway through the whole thing. "I mean...it doesn't hurt when I think about you...it feels nice. It's not a bad thing. I don't feel..." Looks down at their hands, his thumbs having started to move a little somewhere during all his ramblings. "...squished...or...damaged..."