[C] Hard at work

Aeker left the potions classroom with a few books bundled under his arms and a pouch of vials as he headed up the stairs toward the library.

Professor Snape was only new to the school but the man was proving difficult to please.

He knew Alchemy would not be an easy subject choice but it was only the beginning of the school year and already he could see himself spending most of his free time studying.

Still, he found a quiet corner to huddle away in as he cracked open his books and unloaded the potions he was to study up on and decipher what ingredients it took to make them based on their effects.

The library was somewhere Aodh usually wasn't seen much. Not unless there was some pressing piece of homework that he really needed to do and didn't have the knowledge for himself.

This was one of those unlucky days.

The young man grumbled to himself as he searched the shelves high and low for the Potions book he needed.

Eventually he found it and hurled himself back into a large chair in a little nook. "Fucking Snape," he grunted to himself as he flipped open the book and began skimming over the contents page.

Snape was a real bastard of a teacher. Probably revenge. Aodh could quite clearly remember his earlier years in Hogwarts when Snape was still a student. He'd been bullied left, right and centre. Especially by the Maurauders.

Man, what he wouldn't have done to have gotten in with those four.

Aeker stiffened as the immensely loud being that was the Gryffindor Prefect stormed into his section of the library and threw himself into the seat beside him.

He rolled his eyes, seems he wasn't the only one struggling with Snape.

"Shh."

Aeker scolded, tossing a piece of crumpled paper over at Aodh, hitting him square in the head.

Aodh's years of playing seeker in home games with family and friends were enough to have Aodh catch the ball lobbed at his head before it made contact.

"What's got you in a rut, Rozen?"

Aodh dropped his book into his lap and stretched out on his chair, throwing his arms over the back of it as he relaxed.

"Usually I have to do a lot more than cuss out a professor for you to get pissed off enough to throw something at me."

"Somehow, you're a Prefect, you shouldn't be cussing out a member of staff to begin with, let alone in the library."

Aeker pointed out.

"I have Professor Snape for Advanced Potion Making and Alchemy this semester."

It was obvious by the pile of papers and books in front of him that he already had an immense amount of homework to do even with it only being the first week back.

"I have to reverse engineer these three unknown potions then work out the alchemical composition for the ingredients of them."

Aeker gave a slow exhale and turned to Aodh.

"So I need to focus and your cussing isn't helping."

Aodh snorted loudly.

"I knew you were a masochist." Who would take extra classes with Snape? Not anyone with half a brain cell.

"What field are you planning on going into that needs Alchemy?" He began flicking through his book again, seraching for what he needed.

Aeker's lips pursed a little, his passion in life was uncovering hidden truths. Alchemy let him do that, he could deconstruct something and build those components into something else.

The possibilities to it were limitless.

"I want to be an Unspeakable."

He admitted, where better place to discover new things about magic and how everything worked than in the Department of Mysteries?

"You? Why bother taking potions?"

"I enjoy making potions."

And this year they touched briefly on potions for Werewolves. Something that he wanted to memorise everything about. At school, Alek had Snape to brew potions for him, but at home he needed someone, too. Aodh wanted to be that person.

"Hmmm, maybe I can make a love potion for your sister..."

"Wiggentree twigs, castor oil and extract of gurdyroot."

Aeker rattled off, unfazed by Aodh's pondering about slipping Alexis a love potion, those ingredients were exactly what you needed for a love potion antidote and he knew where he could acquire some.

"Some of this Fungiface potion might just slip into your breakfast."

He added, picking up a vial viscuos purple liquid and giving it a little shake as his eyes scanned over the notes in his book

Aodh rolled his eyes. "You're no fun."

A pout formed in his lips for a moment before he smirked, leering at Aeker with bright green eyes.

"You'd miss my incredible good looks if you gave me Fungiface. You wouldn't want to lose seeing this beauty, even if only for a minute."

"Didn't come to the library for fun."

He replied, when Aodh spoke again Aeker tilted his head toward him, looking up at his classmate.

A bright smile spread across his lips as he gave the man a sweet, charming look.

"I'm sure I could manage."

"You say that now."

Aodh gestured into the air, then clicked a couple of times. "How does that phrase go...? You don't know what you have until you lose it?"

The Seventh year smirked widely as his eyes met Aekers; challenging the boy to deny it.

"We all know I'm too sexy to resist."

"No, you think you're too sexy to resist. Your vivid delusions don't cause it to be everyone else's reality."

He replied with a smirk of his own.

"Personally, I've seen some much better looking guys around, no offense."

"Oooh, ouch. Claws away, kitty cat."

Aodh pouted again, but the expression only lasted a few second before he was back to smirking.

"Non taken. Just because there are other hot students around the school, doesn't mean I'm not irrisistably sexy." Aodh fluffed his long red hair; a pinstraight length of hair that cut off at his mid chest, with a feathery fringe that was just short enough to stay out of his eyes.

"What ever helps you sleep at night Aodh. Not all that irresistible, I don't see everyone throwing themselves at you."

Aodh needed a reality check.

Aeker started doodling in his book as his face changed into a far-off stare.

"Not like that guy from Slytherin, now he's good looking, and has plenty of people throwing themselves at him. Heard that he is still single through."

"Plenty of people throw themselves at me."

And they did. He was popular, a twin, a prefect, sporty and funny. It was something that got him a lot in his life so far.

"Yes, that one male student in Slytherin. I know exactly which one you mean." Aodh arched his brow and waited for Aeker to reveal which Slytherin guy he was currently making a puddle of drool for.

Aeker tapped his pencil to his forehead as he tried to think.

"You know who I am talking about, I can never get his name right. He's Russian, blond, like seven foot tall, kinda hard to miss."

He had always glanced at him from afar but never gotten around to speaking to him at all.

"Ali...Alo...sha?"

"Alyosha?" The shock seeped into Aodh's tone was unmistakable. "Really, Alyosha Belov does it for you?"

He hadn't expected that. Yeah, he supposed he could admit that Alyosha Belov did have looks about him. But he just wasn't... He wasn't what Aodh expected would be Aeker's type. Aeker was the very definition of book worm. Alyosha was the very definition of badboy. Those two just didn't go together.

Outside of people's fantasies, they didn't, at least.

He sniffed. "He's only six foot four." Aodh knew because every time the sixth year had a growth spurt, out came the tape measures.

Aeker knew that might get a rise out of the man.

"Over six foot, muscle clad and the badboy air about him, who wouldn't be into that.

Plus that jawline and those cheek bones."

Now he was just trying to rile Aodh up, though it was nonetheless fairly true.

"And you sound shocked, should I be insulted, what kind of guy should I be into?"

He asked, tilting his head.

"You should see that jawline covered in spots during the summer because he can't be bothered to clean up," Aodh grumbled.

Aodh would plead guilty for sabotaging Alyosha because he was jealous.

He was an asshole.

"Not badboys like him," he huffed, turning a page a bit more roughly than was necessary.

Aeker gave a dismissive shrug and turned back to his book.

"That doesn't bother me at all."

A few spots never hurt any one.

"Oh I'm sorry Mother, I'll go find a nice, quiet, boring bookworm to date then."

He replied, rolling his eyes, one of those in a relationship was enough.

Aodh lobbed his book at Aeker.

"Do I look like your mother?"

Aodh gave a deep huff. "You really shouldnt go after him. Alyosha isn't as perfect as everyone wants to believe." He leaned over to pick up his book. "He's violent."

He was worried for Aeker's safety. He liked Aeker and as Alyosha's friend, he knew just how violent the man got with his partners. He didn't want to risk Aeker suffering that.

Aeker gave a yelp and dodged the book, glaring up at Aodh with a huff.

"He's violent?! You're the one who just tossed a book at my face."

Alyosha was just a fantasy, everyone had that one person who they daydreamed over, it wasn't like he was about to go throw himself at the man. At the moment he didn't have time to worry about such trivial things anyway.

"You don't have any bruises."

Aodh picked at a dogeared page of his book, tearing the feathered paper slightly.

"Next time you see Rich, his sort of boyfriend, take a good look at him." See all the bruises and scars.

"So what's your sister doing this weekend?"

"You don't need to worry about me, Aodh, do I look like someone who has their priorities set on dating?"

No, definitely not. Aeker had a pretty face but he wasn't trying to impress anyone, his waist length hair was tied back into a loose pony tail, strands falling out in front of his face which were promptly tucked back behind his ears.

Usually he wore his sweater which hid most of his frame and his glasses masked his eyes.

"Going shopping into Hogsmeade, I suspect."

That was what she usually did when she had any amount of free time.