Where was Cutty Mordaunt?

Lux didn't normally stop by the Slytherin table, but she was in need of more Chocolate Frogs. Hogsmeade weekend was too far away, so the Slytherin was her best bet. She had bought them from him before, but had no idea where he was at this moment in time so she would sit here and wait... He had to come to the Great Hall for food sooner or later.

Cutty trickled into the Great Hall through the entrance nonchalantly. He might have gone unnoticed, by his tuck behind this person & walk at an angle of that person style of bob 'n weave if you weren't looking for him. He waited until he was about midway between the entrance and the Slytherin table before he dropped the trying to go unnoticed walk. Who was he trying to avoid? If anyone? Cutty was a boy of enough idiosyncrasies that it could've been the wind (or in other words, nothing at all).

He approached his house table and spotted the cute lil Hufflepuff girl. He crinkled his nose for a moment thinking that someone had left her there. How distasteful! He did not considered that she came there of her own volition.

"Carrington, what are yer doin' at the Slytherin table alone?" Like, didn't she know that someone (and we're not saying names here) might take advantage of that.

Since it seemed that she might end up waiting for a while until Cutty arrived, Lux decided to help herself to some of the food on the table. The house elves had been awesome enough to cook it all, and it would be a shame if no one enjoyed it. Plus she was often hungry and felt like a bottomless pit that somehow never gained weight.

Rubbing her hands together eagerly, she looked at the delicious spread before selecting some eggs, bacon, and toast. Yummy breakfast. She was in the middle of chewing on her first piece of toast when the very person she was waiting for arrived. "Hey, Cutty," she said after swallowing the mouthful. "I was actually waiting for you."

The look of confusion had dropped off of his face as Lux explained her business at the table. It was shortly thereafter replaced with one of patronizing conceit for he immediately thought that it was not candy she sought, but something else entirely. Nevermind that Lux had a boyfriend. Or did she? Cutty didn't know as he'd rarely seen her with any boys. Maybe she was a stealthy witch and knew how to keep personal matters personal. More props to her in a semi-secluded castle/boarding school.

"We're yer?" Pulling up next to her, Cutty took a seat and a strip of Lux's bacon. "What can I help yer with, Miss Carrington?"

Cutty had a strange look on his face, but Lux decided to ignore it because he could be an odd boy in general and she was used to it. Not that she didn't like him - because she did - he just could be strange.

Now he was asking her what she was after...as well as helping himself to her food. Well, that was okay she supposed since she had taken plenty of bacon and wasn't opposed to sharing with people so long as they were nice. "What you think I want?" She smiled at him, hoping that he would know what she was after.

Done with her bacon, Cutty reached across the table and reached his hand into the cherry bowl and plopped the mass of them onto his plate before him. "Yer want what everybody wants." And with this capital offense in self-indulgence, he picked up a two cherries still attached by their stems to one another and brought them to his mouth via a malalignment of hand to face.

Oooh, cherries.

Lux hadn't noticed them until now and it seemed Cutty really liked them because he had dumped the lot of them onto his plate. Well, if he took a piece of her bacon, she could take one of his cherries. Grabbing one, she placed it on her plate to eat later.

Nod. Cutty sure was right about that. Everyone DID want Chocolate Frogs. "So can you help me out?" Because he always had a stash on him. Honestly she had no idea where he got it all from because he never seemed to run out. Either he was rich or he was well connected.

Cutty's clearly disapproving gaze followed Lux's gracile hand as it reached from the cherries...HIS cherries. Bad badger. Eating a Slytherin's breakfast and taking from his plate. She was lucky at that point that he didn't put her ON his plate. He dug out his wand and rolled the handle between his palms.

"Course I can! Yer joost let me know whens good fer yer." He followed this up with an incantation and wandworked the cherry sitting on Lux's plate into a big ole pile of nothing. No cherries for you, Lux Carrington. Next time, they'd be turned into maggots.

Things were going well until... Cutty vanished her cherry?!

Pout. She had thought they were sharing. "Well, you took a piece of my bacon." Sharing was caring and she had shared with him. Not fair, Cutty Mordaunt. Not fair at all.

"How about right now?" Maybe he had just been mean to her, but this was a good time to do it and she wasn't sure when she'd next see him outside of class.

Cutty was about to explain how the bacon was in fact his, as she'd acquired it from the Slytherin table she was not a Slytherin herself, but he deliberated on whether or not her Hufflepuff mind would be able to coil around the concept of possession and the laws relating to.

Then she said it.

'How about right now?'

His face dropped as he realized the kind of girl Lux Carrington was. Party pooper. "Yer owtoff chocolate frogs, aren't yer?" Hahaha! No snogs for you, Cutty Mordaunt!

HAHA! He had no response to that because he KNEW that she was right and he was wrong. Maybe he wasn't used to sharing, but Lux was so she knew all the rules. Did that mean he would let her have another cherry??? She would just wait and see in case he decided to go weird on her again if she attempted to grab another one for herself.

Waaaait. What was he going on about? Hadn't they been on the same page for this entire conversation? "Well, yeah. What DID you think I wanted?" And he had better answer her or she was not doing the deal and he wasn't getting the payment. Hah.

"To snog me, Lux." He said, not missing a beat and in a tone that suggested he was soo totally serious. Say what we will of Cutty Mordaunt, there was nothing wrong with the kid's self-esteem.

A business deal, though, that wasn't a bad replacement. Not a bad one at all.

Of all the answers that Lux expected, snogging wasn't one of them. Her eyes widened though she appreciated the honesty. "You want to snog me?" Because why would he think that was what she was after unless he wanted to snog her?? This was just so unexpected and she definitely didn't want to kiss him. Obviously.

"Well, you know I have a boyfriend, right? Bay?" She liked Cutty a lot, so she didn't want to hurt his feelings. He clearly had thought she was single.

Cutty's expression melted from mellow into one of deep thought of the sort that caused others to wonder if his brain might break as Lux Carrington went on. And on. His brows furrowed as if he were being told something very complicated. He knew Lux had to have had a point somewhere in the mad onslaught of unrelated information between their snogging and her having had a boyfriend, but it was lost on the opportunistic Slytherin. It was kind of funny, purportless and endearing at the same time the things she was saying. Many Hufflepuffs elicited such reactions from him. And he liked them all the same.

"Nevehmind, Lux. I'm not in the habit of judging my patrons." He said opening his bag and digging out his supply. "How many will yer have?"

He was back to looking at her strangley and it was awkward. Did Cutty like...like her? He was starting to give Lux the idea that he did since he wanted to have a snog with her. Well, he would have to keep dreaming of the snogs because they would never happen.

But...what was this about judgement? "What would you judge me for?" Why was he confusing? It made her brain hurt, did he know? "Can I have at least a dozen?" She was greedy for Chocolate Frogs, okay.

"Nuthn'. And that's exactly the point, Lux. Confidentiality, yer know. It's professional." And in that regard he did seem to mean what he said. He never kissed and told, nor started a rumour that was TRUE. Secrecy was sacred amongst the snakes.

"Of course! A dozen is all? Are yer certain?" He asked, beginning to lay them all out neatly in rows for her.

Whaaa?? Cutty was seriously confusing Lux so she put her head in her hands. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Was he referring to judgement based on her not wanting to snog hom? Or on her having a boyfriend? And what was he being confidential about? Ugh, boys could be so strange. Well, besides Bay, but then he was perfect. "No one can judge me for dating Bay because he is perfect and attractive." So there.

The Chocolate a Frogs were brought out and they looked so yummy that Lux couldn't help but want more. "Maybe another dozen then." Yep.

Cutty was restraining laughter and in such a manner that he had surprised even himself. And he didn't think that was even possible. He was willing to bet that Lux was the sort of girl that, if he kept silent on the matter, she would just keep on offering up information. Cutty kept silent on everything save business.

"Alright. 24 at 8 sickles a package that'll be 11 Galleons, 5." He said doing the math quickly.

It was lucky for Cutty that Lux had chosen that moment to look through her bag for her wallet. If she had noticed the fact that he was trying not to laugh at her, the deal would be off and no profit for him.

Whistling at the price, she dug out enough money and handed it over to him. "There you go."

The metallic snickling sound came as Cutty piled the coins and counted them in his fingers. He then slid the chocolate frog packs over in front of Lux and tucked the money away. "Thank yew, Lux. Enjoy yer purchases. It was a pleasure, as always, doing busines with yer."

And with that, Cutty dumped the remainder of the cherries into his bag and departed.

The Slytherin table was not very crowded when Arden entered the hall. Since it was pre-breakfast time, that was not really surprising, though. Arden had large shadows under his eyes and he had not cared to comb his hair - another night of little sleep and much tossing from side to side. After hours he had given up trying to fall asleep and decided that a cup of pumpkin juice might be refreshing.

Finn was a growing man boy and growing men needed to keep in shape and have a good diet. So, naturally, when he arrived to his house table he grabbed himself a plate, glanced at his options. His hand reached for some sandwiches, chips, mashed potatoes and ice cream for dessert. Also, no need to judge him for grabbing two foods that are the same but cooked in different manners. *cough*

Nothing was wrong with that. Now, this man better be left in peace with his food. Eyes to people. Kidding, Finn couldn't give eyes to people. No eyes.

Agatha was still on putting-posters-up duty. It was only when her stomach grumbled that she realised it was lunch time and since she was near the Great Hall, she took her posters and fliers with her.

Walking further down the main hail, the girl studied everybody sitting there and decided to plop the posters at the table near a boy she didn't yet know. He looked alright and very non-Ravenclaw, which was always a good sign.

The ballerina made sure no food could be spilled on her posters before she started making her own plate, not exactly acknowledging the guy next to her in any way, except for a quick glance.

Ok.

Yes, it wasn't very hard to see the girl sitting next to Finn. He looked at her when she did with him, then turned his attention to the rest of the table. It was mostly empty right now, with a student here or there, so it made Finn wonder why the girl decided to sit next to him. Especially when she had the rest of the table to sit at. What's worse is that she had material on her. If he talked to her she might start going on by whatever project she had.

He stared at the girl for a long time, he'd seen her around, but he wasn't familiar with her, while she was getting her food, then tried to make it look obvious that he was directing her about the rest of the nearly empty table. As long as she didn't bother him much Finn would be ok with this. Maybe.