SS: Wild Uncharted Waters

[Chelliephone]

Overview
The very first year of boarding school always promises uncharted waters to be explored. And thankfully for them, Gillyweed and Mandrake Beery are pretty ready to don their captains hats and grab their compasses and see what life at Hogwarts has in store for the twins. Follow the Slytherins as they embark on adventures throughout the years, both as a pair and with their friends alongside them.

Characters
Gillyweed Beery - Zoe
Mandrake Beery - Chelliephone

Scenes
Scene 1: Under the Sea Lake
The coolest thing about Hogwarts and being in Slytherin? The view into the Lake. Whenever he can, that's Drake's favorite place to hang out with Gil and play how many creatures and plants can you name.

This is a CLOSED RP exploring the school years of twins, Gillyweed and Mandrake Beery. Other characters may be added by invitation.

[Zoe]

With the sun shining above ground, it was the perfect day to be near the windows of the Slytherin common room. Gillyweed was certainly taking advantage of such a moment, though it was here that she usually could be found if she wasn't in the library or the greenhouses. The curly-haired first year had taken the liberty of perching herself right by the window. She had brought one of their textbooks to read, but that was set aside when her twin joined her.

"Grindylow," she announced matter-of-factly, pointing a finger at a clump of weed that the pale-green creature had just emerged from. While her facial expression was neutral, she was rather excited by the sight. She had only read about them and seen pictures of them in books. So it was kind of a big deal that she was seeing one in person, albeit with a thick sheet of glass between them.

Brown eyes tracked the water demon as it darted after a fish and latched onto it with its long fingers. Just as it opened its mouth and revealed all those sharp teeth, she casted a glance over to Drake. "They're quite aggressive, but easy to repel."

[Chelliephone]

While Drake had suggested the game, it was usually just a front for hearing Gilly share her knowledge while he kept his eyes peeled for any sighting of the Giant Squid. Or a kelpie. Kelpies were cool, even if he would be terrified to meet one, and he quite hoped there was at LEAST one in the Great Lake. "Is it the Great Lake or is the Black Lake? I heard a few people call it both and now I'm SURE I'm saying it wrong." Mainly because in conversation it was The Great Black Lake. Which was a silly name, since it wasn't THAT great and lake's always seemed more green than Black but .. who was he to judge.

Hearing his twin mention a Grindylow, he quickly turned to find the creature - wincing a bit as it caught onto a fish and began to enjoy it's snack. "Those teeth look REALLY unpleasant. How do you evade them?" He'd probably learn it in DADA eventually, but he also could just ask his sister now.

[Zoe]

Her brother's question was one that even she didn't have a clear answer to. She too had heard the lake be called by both names. In her opinion, both names sounded a bit unfitting. The lake was pretty and everything, but it wasn't that big (in comparison to other lakes she knew of) or really black. She did, however, have theories. "I'm pretty sure it was originally called the Great Lake. As for it being called the Black Lake, it could have something to do with its murky depths. But there also used to be a headmaster who preferred calling it the Black Lake because his last name was Black."

She shrugged, making a mental note to find a more concrete answer by pursuing the many tomes in the library. If she had any luck, she would also find out heaps of information about what all resided in the lake beyond the giant squid, merpeople, and grindylows.

The expression that became apparent on Mandrake's face did not go unnoticed. Gilly also didn't enjoy the sight of the grindylow chomping on its meal, but she understood that it was all part of the circle of life. "They have brittle fingers, so breaking their grip is the key. I've read that the Revulsion Jinx, Relashio, is quite effective."

[Chelliephone]

Aaah, he did somewhat remember there being a Headmaster with the last name of Black. "His name was... Finegullus or something, right? The black family was one of the 13, right?" Which as far as he remembered, majority of the 13 had questionable ideals about other families. So if it was the Black Lake in honor of some of the earlier members, well then he felt pretty decent about settling on the Great Lake instead. "I think we should propose a new name for it. Both of those seem terrible options."

The answer on how to get away from a Grindylow was nearly as concerning to him as the sight before him now, which he gladly turned away from as he looked over at Gil. "Does that hurt the Grindylow though?" Were they like.. breaking it's fingers to get away from it? Wasn't there a more humane way?

[Zoe]

"Phineas," the girl with the curls gently corrected her brother. "Phineas Nigellus Black. And he would be from one of the twenty-eight families that were considered fully pure years ago." The tone in her voice indicated that particular detail was anything but something to be proud of. She was aware there were still people with thoughts like that today out there, though she was glad times had drastically changed.

A quiet laugh sounded. "They certainly are terrible." The lake wasn't black at all, and it didn't need to be named after an old headmaster's family. As for the lake being great, she was sure there were great things in the lake to see, though the size of it in comparison to other lakes just did not do it any favours. "Maybe the merpeople or the Giant Squid have a different name already." In her mind, it made more sense for them to name the lake, considering they resided there.

Drake's question floated about in her head for a while before Gilly spoke again. "I imagine it might hurt a bit, depending on the strength of the spell." It probably wasn't the most humane, though she figured certain actions had to be taken when it came to survival. "What would you do?" she asked, picking at his brain.

[Chelliephone]

His little nose scrunched up, deciding that name was decidedly way too much of a mouthful. Not that Finngulus was a GOOD name either, but at least it was shorter. Or… at least only one thing to have to remember over three different names. “He was mean about the pure blood thing too, wasn’t he?” He was pretty sure everyone part of that particular lineage was up until Sirius and Andromeda and maybe later in life Regullus Black. THOSE were the names he felt were more necessary to remember, even if none of them had been previous Hogwarts faculty.

See, this was one of the many, many reasons Gilly was the smart one of the pair of them. He wouldn’t have even considered that the Merpeople and Sir Bartholomew Henry would have better names! “Do you think maybe the Great part is actually more in regards to the Depth of the lake instead of the area of it?” He stood up, standing even closer to the window so he could press his face against the glass and look down as far as his eye could see. “It DOES seem pretty deep. Though I don’t know if all lakes are super deep. This is the only one I’ve ever really seen under.” They were more of sea people too so he probably had more random facts stored about that. “We should ask the creatures, regardless.”

He didn’t much like the idea of using anything that would potentially hurt a creature, so as necessary as it would probably be… he’d much rather not have to use relashio. As for what he’d actually do…? “You think if I just swim around in a circle really fast while it’s holding on it’d get dizzy?”

[Zoe]

Seeing her brother's face scrunch up at the mention of Black's full name resulted in a bit of a smirk playing on her lips. She knew that look all too well. If he thought that name was a mouthful, then she really wanted to be present when he learned the full name of the headmaster who had been around during Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts. But that would have to wait for another day considering the next question Drake asked. "Proud, yes. Mean? I guess that's a matter of perspective, considering there were people who were far worse about blood status."

Gilly could go on and on about the complexities of all of that, but she was more than happy to return to a much lighter topic: the lake. Her brother's words were something she had assumed well before he had stated them. "I imagine that would be the reason why. It would make the most sense. Though how deep the lake goes, I don't know either. But talking to the squid or the mermaids is an excellent idea." She had a long list of inquiries if the opportunity to converse with them ever came up.

His response to her question made her giggle. "Oh, Drakie. The odds of you getting dizzy in the process would be high. And even if you managed to swim away, I'm sure the grindylows would catch up to you. You're a great swimmer, but they're quite fast."

[Chelliephone]

He considered her answer, thinking on it for a moment more before still giving a tiny shrug. “I think even if there are people who were worse, that doesn’t make any of his actions that hurt other people any less mean. It’s like… how one type of pain doesn’t negate another. If one person felt less than because of any potential remarks he might have made to them, doesn’t that still make it mean?” Evil was a little bit different. Maybe he wouldn’t go as far as evil for the previous Headmaster, while he certainly would have been for any of those that had started revolutions with the intent of making those without magic disappear.

“I wonder if any of the Professor’s know the actual depth… if we couldn’t talk to Sir Bartholomew Henry,” Another long name but because he was a giant talking squid, he was forgiven for it. “Or the mermaids… maybe Professor DeVries would have some insight?” He wasn’t the first Professor to come to mind, but as Herbology AND the Grounds were under his realm of authority… he certainly was who made the most sense to the young snake. And if he DIDN’T know, maybe he could give the kid’s a way to safely find out themselves! Deep sea diving in the not-so-great-not-at-all-black lake, anyone?

It didn’t cease to make him feel the littlest bit proud whenever his sister laughed. Gil was always so serious, it was nice when she was showing external signs too of having a little fun. “Hmmm… but if I got away, isn’t there a spell that conjures ropes? Maybe I can use that too to keep them distracted! Do you think that would work?” Was that spell feasible underwater?

[Zoe]

She considered Drake's words, especially now that they were getting quite philosophical. "I suppose 'mean' is a loaded word. Though he, like all people, is a shade of grey." Gilly shrugged. "But you do bring up a valid point about his actions likely making others feel less than. His snideness and known favouritism toward pure-bloods can't be swept under the rug."

Asking one of the adults about the lake, especially their Herbology professor who just so happened to be the groundskeeper, was something that she had to admit she hadn't considered right away. "It wouldn't hurt to ask. And if he doesn't know, he might be able to set us up with a meeting with Sir Bartholomew Henry or one of the mermaids." Otherwise she was certain that somewhere in the the library was a book with the information. Or, assuming what her brother was thinking, they could go for a swim in the lake and just find out for themselves.

"Casting spells verbally under water can have different effects as far as I know," Gillyweed informed her brother before considering rope conjuration. "In theory, it might work on a few of them if you do manage to conjure ropes, but then you'd be leaving them behind tied up and unable to fend for themselves. Plus, by that point, you'd likely have a horde of grindylows coming at you from all directions."

[Chelliephone]

Maybe it was the simplicity in the way he tended to think, but to him mean didn’t seem so loaded. He could easily agree people could end up being in a shade of grey - not particularly good, not particularly evil - but when it came to mean, actions and words were enough to establish a judgment to him. Mean was something someone could grow out of, in his opinion, so perhaps that’s why he was more decisive with applying it to people. “I wouldn’t think people DO try to sweep it under a rug but also… leaving one of the Hogwarts trademarks named after him might be iffy. Unless it’s not actually HIM and one of the other family members.” Wasn’t there an Andromeda and Sirius who’d been okay? Maybe other astronomical themed names?

… Oh Gilly was SO SMART. Why had Drake not considered the possibility that the Professors could actually have an open line of communication with the inhabitants of the lake!? “Maybe even if he DOES have an answer he can still set up a meeting.” He’d like to meet them both regardless. The library was a good idea too, but not nearly as fun as conversation and discussion and simple exploration. Even if the sight of Grindylow and the other matter of how poorly Drake would do with escape was a very compelling reason of why water exploration would be a terrible idea.

“....There really is no good way to deal with a grindylow without putting it at risk, is there?” He asked, now a bit despaired at how abysmal all his ideas had been. “Don’t suppose a simple ‘please don’t hurt me’ negotiation would work?” The weakest of his ideas, but one could hope.

[Zoe]

Perhaps she just was overly complex in the way she thought. Like people had layers to them, so did the way humans could be mean. Regardless of one's mean actions, they were still harmful, but she did acknowledge that some actions were more severe than others. "True, though we don't know for certain why they call it the Black Lake. People could have been calling the lake that before Phineas, and he could have spun things to be about himself and his family. Something to look into."

Now that was a thought she nodded in agreement with. Regardless of whether there was a definitive answer or not about how deep the lake went, a meeting with the Giant Squid or one of the merpeople would be delightful. She had heard the squid was a splendid conversationalist, and she also wanted to practice the Mermish she had learned so far. "Then we'll need to ask Professor DeVries the next time we see him."

"When it comes to defense, not really," Gilly replied with a shrug. The suggestion negotiation tactic made her giggle before she returned her gaze to the window. "The only thing that I can think of that would cause the least amount of damage would be a Shield Charm. Or you have bigger underwater friends that'll scare them off."

[Chelliephone]

She did have a good point that they had no evidence. But as for something to look into? His face scrunched up in a look, not entirely looking forward to the notion of holing up in the library to research into it. "I think I'll stick with asking the Professors. They've probably already researched it, right?" And while sure, there was something to be said about the importance of doing one's own research... Drake did not have the desire to spend all his time on something that he wasn't really THAT invested in.

However, the idea of conversation with the inhabitants of the Lake WAS something he could get excited about, and his face immediately perked up again. "Or we could go find Professor DeVries now?" Was he impatient? Absolutely. Though considering he had no idea where the Groundskeeper could currently be, that would be quite the task to try to find him now.

Hm.. maybe he should just.. avoid grindylows then. That seemed like the best idea that he could come up with. Although at the mention of finding a sea creature friend bigger than them, he couldn't help the small laugh. "Then that seems even a BETTER reason for us to befriend Sir Bartholomew Henry! Aren't grindylows also afraid of merpeople or something?" Maybe not afraid so much as they just knew how to handle the creatures better than a wizard or witch like themselves would.

[Zoe]

That look on her brother's face did not go unnoticed by Gilly. She rolled her eyes as a little smile tugged on her lips. Of course he had no interest in looking into their current topic of conversation using methods of research. "Professors don't know everything, believe it or not, Drakie," she told him. "But they wouldn't be a bad place to start." If anything they'd get to learn their thoughts on the matter, and she would search for information from one of the library's tomes if she wasn't satisfied with their answer.

While she too was excited by the possibility of conversing with the lake residents, she was being a little more calculated on when they should bring up such a thing to the professor. "Now I'm starting to see why the Hat went with Slytherin in the end instead of Hufflepuff," she commented, trying her best not to laugh at her twin. "I'd say our best bet is to speak to him during breakfast or after a lesson. He could be tending to the grounds or relaxing right now."

Maybe if they said Sir Bartholomew Henry's name enough he'd make an appearance, or, at the very least, they'd catch a glimpse of a kelpie or hippocampus. Her brown eyes remained at the window, hoping to see one of those swim by, as she pondered over Drake's question. "I think merpeople know how to domesticate them, which might not be the most ideal thing from a grindylow's perspective." Now this thought made her wonder why merpeople would want to do that. Were grindylows basically pets, like how they had their half-kneazle Lotus as a pet?

[Chelliephone]

While Drake was usually happy to accept Gilly's words as absolute fact, her statement that Professor's didn't know everything earned a look from him of disbelief. "If they don't know everything, why are they allowed to be Professors?" Weren't they supposed to be experts in their fields? Bryony's mum certainly seemed like an expert and like she would know everything, at least in regards to Care of Magical Creatures. And he was willing to accept Professor DeVries word as law as well for when it came to Herbology.

At her comment, his face scrunched up a bit, though he was a bit pleased even if she was only joking. They'd all expected him to be Hufflepuff, but since Aryan AND Gilly had been placed in Slytherin, he'd begged the hat to let him too. It had tried to dissuade him, but eventually it must have seen enough of the traits that it decided to grant his request. And thank goodness for that! While he'd been excited about the prospect of the cozy common room, it had been sharing the dorm with Aryan that had been the best part. Being separated from the rest of them would have been... way too sad. "... You have a good point. I guess we shouldn't bother him in his personal time." He begrudgingly agreed, even if he still really wanted to. "Maybe tonight at dinner though we can ask if he's there?" He perked. That was technically still considerate and it didn't mean he had to wait a whole day.

If that would work, Drake had no qualms about sitting at the edge of the lake and yelling it all day long. A grindylow? Domesticated? Drake's head tilted to the side a bit as he considered that, before he couldn't stop the slow giggle that escaped. "I wonder if they sit and cuddle in front of the fire with their grindylow like we do with Lotus." It seemed like a funny imagery - though of course he knew it was impossible considering fire was not exactly an under the lake type of thing.

[Zoe]

This time there was no way she could stop herself from giggling no matter how hard she tried. She knew her brother's question wasn't intended to make her laugh, so she didn't mean to burst out like that. But she did have a serious answer for him. "While they are meant to be viewed as experts, I'm certain professors are continuously expanding their knowledge and sharing it with us. They're more facilitators of learning."

Unlike her brother, the Hat hadn't done much persuading. If anything, it just muttered to itself for what seemed like forever, debating whether Ravenclaw or Slytherin was the right place for her. She wouldn't have minded either way, but she ultimately agreed with the choice that had been made in the end. "I always have good points," Gilly beamed. As for speaking with DeVries at dinner, a simple "if we must" was given in response with a shrug. It wasn't like the professor, merpeople, or the Giant Squid were going anywhere any time soon.

"Cuddling with a grindylow would be ... quite a choice," she mused as she continued peering at the underwater world beyond the glass panes. So far nothing too out of the normal was swimming buy -- just a few fish. "If anything they might give good massages." Her fingers were wiggled, representing tentacles, in Drake's direction.

[Chelliephone]

While the laugh might have generally offended Drake, he was far too perplexed by the unexpected information that Professor's could not be experts and still teach to truly show how much so. "But... isn't that odd? If they're also expanding their knowledge and not actually experts, how do we know they're teaching us the correct information? Are you telling me that we could be learning things wrong?" He'd been so willing to accept any Professors words as law, finding out that maybe he shouldn't do so was such an alien thought he would need a moment to absorb it.

Truthfully, Drake had fully expected Gilly to end up in Ravenclaw. The house just seemed so.... her. But the more he learned about Slytherin and the different qualities his housemates were assumed to possess, the more he supposed he could see how this was also very fitting for his twin sister. If anything, he still felt a bit like the atypical one of the group - as Hufflepuff had truly seemed to be what would have aligned as his people. But he was also quite glad that the hat had decided to give him this shot. And he did look forward to seeing better how he fit in with everyone. "True. It's not uncommon for you to have a good idea. It's kind of annoying sometimes. But also not because your brain saves me every time!" Thank you for that, by the way, sister.

"A weird choice." Drake replied, his face scrunching up before it relaxed again when he giggled at his sister's antics. "I think Sir Bartholomew Henry is really the one though who would be an A+ masseuse. And he could do like... 4 people at one time!"

[Zoe]

"Odd? That's a matter of perspective," Gilly commented with a shrug. "Though there is the whole mindset of being a lifelong learner. You may be incredibly knowledgeable about something, but you're constantly gaining new information and practicing skills over time. So, at least in my opinion, no one can ever truly be an expert in something." Not that was going to stop her from trying. "I'm not saying they're teaching us the wrong things. They have plenty of knowledge based on what they've learned. I just meant that they're also probably still fine-tuning their craft day by day."

She accepted the acknowledgment that it was common for her to have good ideas. Her brow did, however, raise at the mention of it being sometimes annoying, though the look was soon followed by a grin. "Well, if being annoying sometimes is what keeps you from floundering, then so be it. It comes with being the voice of reason, I suppose."

Her attention momentarily shifted from the window to her brother. "Indeed. One that I would advise you not to try." The words had to be said, just in case he got any impulsive ideas. She did, however, laugh at the thought of the Giant Squid being a stellar masseuse. "Either that or he'd easily be a hit amusement ride." She wouldn't engage in such a thing personally, but she could imagine plenty of kids, her brother included, who'd be thrilled by such a thing.

[Chelliephone]

The whole idea of their Professors not knowing everything was far too perplexing to him. And the idea of lifelong learning? That sounded miserable, if one was to ask Drake. He wanted to know everything about Herbology as quickly as possible so he could be an expert about all the plants. And then instead of learning about other things, he wanted to be the one breeding plants and creating and discovering other things. Which would make him even more of an expert! "But... fine tuning their craft still sounds like maybe we shouldn't really trust them to be teaching us." He countered, though he didn't really have any further evidence to stake to this claim.

"Do you think there'll ever be a time where I become the voice of reason?" If Drake was to offer a serious answer to the question, it would probably be no. But that didn't mean a boy couldn't dream that someday, someway, perhaps he'd be the one with the kernel of knowledge to save their bums.

He COULD be impulsive this was true, but at Gilly's words of caution he just looked at her and blinked. "I promise I'm not that silly!" Every creature might deserve a cuddle, but he at least had the sense to know he was not necessarily the boy for the job in every situation. Drake's eyes went WIDE at Gilly's comment, before he was bouncing in his seat again. "Do you think we could convince him to do that!?! With eight hands he could take ALL four of us and then maybe some other first years!" Imagine the FUN they could have!

[Zoe]

Scene 2: Skuttlebutt
It is a relatively normal day at their home in London. Gillyweed naturally has her nose buried in the depths of a book, while Mandrake has caught wind of a tale so intriguing he can't help but make waves. Is it just sea shanty, or could there be a trove of truth hidden beneath the surface?

Despite the nice weather outside, Gilly was curled up on the sofa in the living room, a place in the apartment she had made her sanctuary for the day. While their mother had suggested that she enjoy some fresh air, the book she had started the day prior was calling to her. With the beginning of their secondary school days on the horizon, surely the information in Magical Water Plants of the Highland Lochs would come in handy.

So far, her mind had absorbed everything the book had to say about willow toadstools, moonlite lilies, kelpies' cradle, serpentine seaweed, and frostfire ferns. If anyone happened to ask, she could easily recite numerous facts about these underwater flora and even draw diagrams of them. But that would only occur after going on a lengthy spiel about Mermaid's Veil, the elusive underwater plant she was currently reading about.

Quote:

The Mermaid's Veil is shrouded in mystery and protective magic. It is said to serve as a natural boundary, concealing the entrance to an ancient underwater cavern believed to be a sacred haven for mermaids. The silver tendrils act as a magical barrier, safeguarding the secrets of the mermaid realm from the prying eyes of the uninvited.

Ancient tales speak of mermaids weaving their songs into the very fabric of the Veil, creating an invisible symphony that resonates through the water. Only those with pure intentions are said to hear the melodic whispers

She wondered (and hoped) such a thing could be found in the depths of Hogwarts' lake.

[Chelliephone]

While reading was not Drake's general preferred past time, this break he'd found himself at a loss of what to do with himself. He'd already done some gardening outside but it wasn't quite the right weather for majority of the plants. And he'd flipped through his picture books on magical creatures, but he'd done so so many times at this point that he could recite the table of contents from memory to anyone who had asked. And well.... there was nothing else Drake usually liked to do with himself, not when their friends weren't around to spend time with.

So he'd found a random book and picked it up and began to actually read through the words. He wasn't sure where the book had come from but considering Gilly's preference tended to be non-fiction, he was certain it was something that was 100% accurate and not at all made up for the entertainment of a reader. Because books weren't that entertaining anyways, were they? Not even bothering to look at the title carefully or the author's name, Drake simply began to read. And the more words he devoured from the page, the more enraptured he was and excited - until he couldn't stand it any longer and just had to tell Gilly.

Flinging himself off the chair he'd been curled up in, he went running for his sister. "Gil! Gil!!" Where was she hiding??

[Zoe]

Her brown eyes continued to trail along the page, one line at a time until it was time to start again at the top of the next page. While many probably wouldn't have found this particular book entertaining or worth diving into, Gilly happened to be quite enthralled with its contents about the Mermaid's Veil. How was it even possible to not be captivated by such a thing?

She had just started reading about how witches and wizards should approach the mysterious aquatic plant when she heard her brother's voice calling out her name. She blinked, wondering if she could sneak a few more lines of reading in before her solitude was completely gone. But it was the sound of his footsteps, that indicated he was fervently searching for her, that brought her reading to a halt.

"I'm in the living room, Drakie," she called out to him. "What is it?"

[Chelliephone]

While he was unaware of what type of book Gilly was currently flipping through, as he skipped his way excitedly into the living room, Drake was still quite confident the thing HE’D found would be FAR more interesting. Which was perhaps a stretch, especially if he knew she was reading about certain plant life BUT it truly was astounding what he’d discovered from the book in his hand.

Plopping down near her, he waved the tome around, the title “Howl’s Moving Castle” seen stretched across the front cover. “Did you KNOW that there is a castle that MOVES? It sounds like… like it’s Hogwarts sized! And it’s run by a fire that talks. And when I say it moves, I don’t mean just the staircases! It like… travels!” How cool was that?! “Do you think we can get Professor Winterbottom to make Hogwarts travel? If there’s one talking fire there has to be another!”

Could they use incendio to create one? Was it maybe like… an Ashwinder where it would appear?

[Zoe]

In the amount of time it took for Drake to dash from wherever in the apartment he had been to right there on the sofa beside her, the curly-haired girl had managed to put her bookmark in place and close the book. Odds were high that whatever her brother needed was going to take a while, which meant her desire to know more about the Mermaid's Veil and the aquatic flora that followed was going to have to wait.

There was no way she could guise the look on her face when an actual book was being waved before her. It was honestly quite surprising to see her twin with one at hand on a day like today. She honestly was expecting anything but pages bound together and protected by a cover. Furthermore, she was utterly flabbergasted by the words that were coming out of his mouth. A castle that moves and is run by fire? As absurd as it sounded, such a thing wasn't impossible with magic. Though she was certain she would have already known about such a place.

Without saying a word, she grabbed hold of her brother's book and cracked open the cover. It only took her a few sentences to pinpoint the genre. "Drake, this is a fiction book," she informed him before adding, "But the idea of a moving castle does seem a little interesting." To her it seemed mostly impractical, but Gilly supposed there had to be a couple advantages.

[Chelliephone]

He didn’t remind her enough, but Gilly truly was top tier of sister’s. It was true his opinion was biased, but he’d still fight for it to the death (or more likely until he cried). He knew how important reading and learning new things was and how easy it was for her to get into it - and yet the fact she was willing to put it aside for him spoke volumes to the boy. But he was too excited about the other thing to get properly mush about that at the moment.

Maybe later.

He was truly SO excited and that euphoria just continued to grow as the look on her face. Had he found something she hadn’t known already? Drake wasn’t used to being the one to contribute to the shared knowledge. He opened his mouth to keep going about the things he’d read in the book (including the names of places that he hadn’t heard of before - like… where was the Waste?) until she had the book in her hands.

Wait… fiction?? A reader, he was not. And while it was true he proooobably could have figured out there was some things written in books that weren’t TRUE it wasn’t a thought he consciously had. Like… the whole Professor’s not having ALL of the knowledge thing. “.... Why is it in a book if it isn’t true?? That seems like false advertising!”