Do it better next time, she says. Do it better? Next time? Plymouth's mind was stuck somewhere between his ego being hurt and wondering how exactly he'd gotten to the position of there being a remote chance for a next time. She was practically demanding a next time... ? Right? Did that mean...?


.... Plymouth had unintentionally gotten himself a girlfriend? He gaped. If he could read minds he would have certainly agreed with Anna, that indeeeeeed, he should have brought Copernicus.


On the other hand.. HE HAD unintentionally gotten himself a cute little girlfriend: A girlfriend that smelled like candy, took care of his earhair without making him feel like a leper, and that he was sure his mum would approve of.

And she had declared him handsome. Deal sealer.

So, as Cela engulfed him in a big hug, he decided that it WAS a good thing. Plymouth wrapped little Cela up in a hug in return. "Umm.... well... I guess now I walk you to classes and carry your books and stuff." That seemed simple enough. "Buy you stuff," he'd need to get that galleon back from Copernicus, "and apparently "do it better next time"," Plymouth grinned.

Anna glanced around and around the garden area, trying desperately to appear as if she was out in Neverland and not listening to anything going on behind her. Why oh WHY had Copernicus Kettleburn not come along? Maybe she could ESP Copernicus here, or something like that. "Copernicus, if by some weird, odd, and confusing chance you hear me now, could you please come to the student gardens?" Anna thought to herself. She then cracked up laughing at what appeared to nothing, when really she was laughing at her own silliness. It'd be something if Copernicus actually showed up now. It was Cela who broke Anna out of her thoughts and brought her focus back on the conversation going on behind her. "What happens now?" Oh, geez. She had a lot to teach Cela...and maybe Plymouth, too. So this is how things were going to be, huh? Cela and Plymouth were going to form some crazy, wild relationship, and she'd be Dr. Anna throughout it all. Maybe if Copernicus showed up, he'd be Dr. Copernicus right alongside her.

Anna sighed and got back to plucking the weeds out of what felt the eight-hundredth plant. She jumped when someone suddenly, from out of nowhere, sat down beside her and started talking. "I don't know," she truthfully said. She really didn't know what was going on behind her, and quite frankly, she didn't think Plymouth and Cela really did either. "There's not much left to weed," she added, nodding to the potted plants she and Cela had been working all morning on.

Was it spying to be here? He was just looking for Plymouth to make sure he'd followed through, and he certainly hadn't expected to walk up and find Cela and Plymouth in a loving embrace. So here he was feeling completely awkward... and wondering if he could inch away before anyone spotted him.

Spotting a way out, Copernicus crouched on Anna's other side and immediately dug his hands into the soil. "This seems a private sort of moment."

Celandine just found herself nodding into Plymouth's shoulder, having absolutely no idea what just happened. She needed to be calm and not panic... but then, "I can carry my own books, I usually levitate them or shrink them. You can buy me candy though, if you like."

She pulled away from the hug and looked at Anna -and Barry and Copernicus; who had somehow appeared from nowhere- uncertainly.

"Yeah; better next time." She answered Plymouth. Cela figured now was probably a good time to blush, so she did. "I'm going to... go... now..." She took an uncertain half-step backwards, looking at her feet.

Plymouth nodded obediently at Cela. She was probably the owner of many, many heavy books anyway. "If you change your mind though, you know, just say the word." Plymouth's hands found his pockets immediately after she stepped away from him and there they stayed for safe keeping. "I guess... I'll see you at dinner.. or in the Common Room. Or something." ERMM... right.


Copernicus had not exactly been thorough in his explanation to what exactly poetry and flowers would mean. Plymouth had some just acquired himself a girlfriend? Or something a whole lot like one. Heart and all.


So.. now what?


Ohhh... Copernicus! Thank Merlin. "Hey, Step-Brother! Fancy seeing YOU here," Plymouth winked wildly at Copernicus and shimmied away from the girls. Around Anna, around Cela and safely to the other side of Copernicus. "We have GOT to talk," he whispered urgently.

After she'd explained what she new about Plymouth and Cela (which wasn't much) to Barry, Anna had gotten right back to the weed-plucking she was currently distracting herself with. There were literally no additional weeds to pluck, but since Anna's presence was apparently required, she had to busy herself with something. Even if it was just pretending to weed. "It sort of is a private moment, Cop----COPERNICUS!" Anna half-whispered, half spoke. Hadn't she just ESPed this boy here? Whoa. "I just...I just ES---oh, nevermind. I am beyond happy to see you here," she said, giving up on the weeding and simply sitting indian-style on the ground near Copernicus. "Jelly Slug?" she asked, pulling some candy out of her bag and offering it to him. "You know, we never did get around to actually eating many of these on the train..."

"No, you were too busy throwing them at me," Copernicus grinned and took a handful of jelly slugs. He offered half of them to Cela, who was definitely going to need a sugar fix after all that emotional nonsense. He couldn't help but ignore Plymouth for the moment, although he realized he wasn't really being fair. Who could stop true love, anyway?

"I told you the poem would work," he smiled crookedly at his step-brother. "You've got a gift, my brother. Don't waste it."

Don't waste WHAT? Merlin. MerlinMerlinMerlin.


"Um... I think... I have to write home. Like, right now. They got spare owls up in that big place right?" Plymouth didn't dare look at Anna. He'd have to just never look at her ever again - EVER. The end. Never.


Plymouth swallowed loudly, yanked at his puffy hair, and started walking backwards towards the castle. "Bye... um.. Anna, Pern... and Girlfriend.." Plymouth waved at them and gave Cela a little extra winky thing (that wasn't cheesy but actually kind of cute - as cute as winks get).


When he was far enough away, he took off running to the owlery.

"Heeeey, if I remember correctly, I wasn't the only one throwing them," Anna remarked, grinning right back at Copernicus. Anna's mind wandered back to the Hogwarts Express and the train ride to school, and she wondered if those thrown jelly slugs were still plastered to the walls of that one compartment. She wouldn't doubt it. She and Copernicus had thrown them pretty hard.

What an afternoon this had been. It started out as a simple garden weeding, and then a full on relationship between Cela and Plymouth had blossomed. Anna took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Cela was inching away step-by-step, and Plymouth had pulled Copernicus off to the side for a little pow wow. Anna grabbed the Herbology book she'd borrowed from Cela, ready to take it with her back to the Common Room and attempt a mini tutoring session. "Hey, Plymouth...I need to talk to you later, 'kay?" Anna asked. Her question fell on deaf ears, though. Plymouth had taken off...for Merlin knew where...before Anna could even turn around.

"Apparently our presence was unwelcome," Copernicus turned the dirt carefully to aerate the soil. "This is all very surprising to me, you know. You think you know someone so well and then they just... do something completely out of character." Copernicus's little brain was totally boggled.

"I think they're just going through that...awkward stage," Anna replied, glancing up at both Cela and Plymouth, who'd darted off in what seemed to be pure embarrassment. "You're not unwelcome," Anna fussed, grabbing Copernicus' hand and slapping another jelly slug into it. "There...have another jelly slug." Candy always made her feel better, so maybe it would help Copernicus feel more welcome, too. Too bad they couldn't throw the slugs the way they'd done on the train. Nooooo, throwing slugs in the garden just wouldn't do. A, they'd end up in detention; B, they'd lose points; and C, Anna was a prefect and wouldn't dare get caught tossing jelly slugs in a garden. "So, Copernicus, do you ever do anything out of character? I mean, besides throwing jelly slugs on a train?"

"Maybe throwing jelly slugs is exactly in character for me," Copernicus insisted with a small smile. "I don't think I fit easily into any one mold, although typically I am polite and academic in nature. It was hard to really try to be anything else at Beauxbatons when I was under such scrutiny."

Hmm. "Maybe it is," Anna said, shrugging and then popping the remainder of her jelly slugs into her mouth. She moved to sit down on the ground once again and then leaned up against a potted plant display for support. She stretched her legs out in front of her, showing no sign of moving any time soon. "Copernicus," she began, staring off into the nearby trees. It felt odd to be looking at him right now, while she was about to ask him such a personal question. "I've always been the smart girl...or the bossy girl...take your pick. I've always been the girl to do the right thing. I know this is going to sound pathetic, but I've never even lost house points before this school year. Do you think that's alright? Do you think I'm just scared to live a little?" Anna slowly moved her eyes away from the woods until she was looking up at him once again. "Is that how you are, Copernicus? Or have you learned to live a little the way I haven't?"

"No," he said carefully, his focus on the dirt in his hands. "I've always been very careful too, but I don't think that not getting in trouble equates to a lack of living. Who says that you can only live by taking chances in ways that break the rules? Aren't there emotional and physical chances to take that wouldn't earn anyone's ire?" He peeked at her a bit. "Aren't you supposed to be brave?"

Anna watched Copernicus as he focused on the dirt in his hands. She wondered if he was just absentmindedly doing that, or if he was one of those people who couldn't talk about something personal while looking someone in the eye. Figuring out Copernicus Kettleburn had suddenly turned into Anna's newest ambition. "I'm taking an emotional chance now," she answered. "I don't talk about my feelings much...to anyone. Is it odd to you that a Gryffindor...a prefect...feels the need to wear a mask most of the time? I mean...," she said, suddenly finding herself staring down at her own handful of dirt, "does anyone really know the real me? The one whose more afraid of making a bad grade than facing a Chinese Fireball? Or the one who likes to throw jelly slugs on the walls of trains?" she asked, laughing softly. "Am I brave, though? If bravery is thinking outside of the box, then yes, I am; but if bravery is going out and accomplishing something wonderful...something heroic, then I guess I've never had that opportunity, Copernicus."

"Everyone wears a mask. It's just that some people aren't smart enough to realize it," he let the dirt slip through his fingers before sitting back on his heels and looking at her. "I don't think it's a matter of being yourself around everyone, but about feeling free to be your real self around the people who matter. But I guess it also should be a work in progress that you become more and more comfortable with who you really are so you can eventually just be one complete person."

He rocked on his heels lightly. "Do you feel brave?"

Barry let Anna and Corpernicus talk. It wasn`t his place to intrude. Cela on the other hand... well first things first. He walked over to her and whispered "Cela be truthfull, do you love him? or was it an accident?" Barry wasn`t sure what she`d say or exactly what answer he wanted. He withdrew a few jelly slugs from his pocket "Here" he said giving them to her.(he always carried candy for Cela).

Celandine found the ground easy to stare at, and a blush a whole bunch easier to maintain than what she was used to. She nodded as Plymouth spoke. "At dinner. Or in the common room." Cela echoed, still staring at her shoes. What had just happened?

Celandine took the offered jelly slugs almost automatically, popping one in her mouth immediately and sucking on it somewhat speculatively. She looked up at Copernicus precisely once and looked as if she was perhaps about to say something; but filled her mouth with another piece of candy instead.

Wait... what?!

Girlfriend?!

Is that what this was?

Cela let out a somewhat startled little eeep! and tucked her chin down in consternation at the little wink Plymouth shot at her.

In her own world while Copenicus and Anna talked, Cela's hand snaked its way to her hair and she twisted it about her finger again.

She looked up, startled as Barry talked to her; moments passing before she was able to process his questions. "Lo... Acci... eeep!" Celandine half turned away, paused and took the jelly slugs before fleeing without another word, her hair streaming behind her.

"Cela? Please don`t run away" he said. Ah now he was going to have to run. And he`d have to try and comfort her. He felt guilty for what he did, and agreed that she hadn`t quite gotten over all the anti-love, anti-angst thing. She wasn`t ready or she didn`t want to face it. It was what he had pictured happening if someone told her they loved her, but he didn`t think it would ever happen. He quickly nodded to Anna and Corpernicus and left to think. Cela needed alone time then he would approach

As Copernicus talked, Anna continued to watch the dirt slowly pass through her fingers. It was calming her until Copernicus happened to mention the word smart, the stereotypical Anna quality she was trying to rid herself partly of. She turned her hand upside down and let all the dirt fall to the ground at once. "There's that word again---smart. I'm just starting to fear that points and classes and homework are all I'll be remembered by after we've all graduated and moved on," she said. She glanced up at him, taking in everything he was saying and trying to apply it to herself in some way. "You're right, though. It takes a great deal of bravery to feel comfortable in your skin, and that sort of bravery isn't something a lot of people possess."

When he asked her if she felt brave, she narrowed her eyes, feeling the need to silently ask herself that same question before speaking the answer outloud to him. "Do I feel brave? I didn't," she said. "What about you, Copernicus? Tell me something about you that I don't know...and I don't mean your favorite color or favorite potion to brew..."

"You didn't feel brave, but you do now?" He found a weed someone had missed and tug around the roots with his fingers. "Not to offend, Miss Anna," he was always formal when he was uncomfortable, "but I'm not sure I know you well enough to trust you with my secrets. Does that offend you?"

"That's right," Anna replied, staring out towards the trees once again. She waited a few moments before replying, trying to gather her thoughts together to make sure they came out as coherent as possible. "I get this way every now and then to be honest with you. I don't even know what prompted it earlier...or what possessed me to share all these thoughts and feelings with you. I guess sometimes I allow myself to be my own worst enemy."

She blinked and glanced away from the trees, looking at Copernicus once again when he took on a formal tone. "No...it doesn't," she answered. "I don't know you well, but I know you well enough to believe that you wouldn't be the one to purposely offend me." She laughed a bit and then threw a green jelly slug at him---not to him---and then shook her head. "Copernicus, why do you always speak so formally? Is that just you, or do I have to throw a few more jelly slugs at you to break down your walls?"

"I think perhaps we consider people more trustworthy if they have no agenda of their own in conversation. I am honored that you think me to be a good listener, and I will endeavor to be more forthcoming with you as well," Copernicus pulled the small weed free and set it to the side.

He playfully batted at the jelly slug, which clung to his dirty hand. "I was raised in the embassy in France and most of my childhood was on display. It wasn't bad, but it sort of made me overly cautious about what I say all the time. And cautious about who I say it to, considering that for so long my classmates were more than willing to report bad behavior to the press."

Anna shrugged slightly, figuring that Copernicus was right about people having no agenda to their own conversations. She smiled when Copernicus, in his trademark tone of voice, ensured her he'd be more open with her. He seemed like a nice, trustworthy boy, most unlike some of the other boys she'd encountered in her school years. She wrinkled her nose when the jelly slug stuck to Copernicus' hand. What was it with Copernicus, Anna, and jelly slugs? The candy had become some weird sort of conversation must-have for them...or at least for Anna. Sooner or later, she'd have to start calling Copernicus "Slugger."

"Wow," was all Anna could say when she heard about Copernicus' childhood. She couldn't imagine constantly having to be so careful about what she said. It sounded like some weird spin-off of Cooper's and Belle's Schools. "I see...and I understand," she added. She suddenly laughed softly, a gesture that would probably seem out of place for the conversation they were having, but she'd just had a random, funny thought. "Copernicus, what do you think of Cela and Plymouth? Do you think they know...what they're getting themselves into?"

"I don't think either of them are likely to get into a relationship lightly," Copernicus placated, although... he wasn't sure. Plymouth did a lot of things without thinking them through. "To be frank, I thought Plymouth had designs on someone else, but he wouldn't have kissed her if he didn't mean it. And she wouldn't have let him if she didnt like him, right?" He made a face without realizing it.