persxnatus:
âI mean I can quite easily imagine that. Thereâs something about you that does quite strikingly remind me of a house-elf. Maybe itâs how earnest you are about being able to do such a simple thing.â She grinned back at him, not being able to help laughing after only holding his gaze for a few moments. It was too much fun to be able to continue the ridiculousness.Â
âSo you wouldnât know? Thatâs very interesting.â She propped her head up in her hands, watching him with the attention a student might give a teacher. Provisionally interested in what he had to say, but more than willing to retreat back inside her own mind at the first sign of boredom. âI too am one of the legions of human who likes being complimented. But Iâm also not averse to bribery, as long as it involves a nice bottle of firewhiskey or at least the money to get my own.
Marlene sighed when the report returned negative, tracing the rim of her glass with an absentminded finger. âThatâs just too bad, really. I thought I might be able to persuade him to give me another bottle for free. He never has before, but itâs always worth the try.â She took a sip, looking around the pub before returning her gaze to Dedalus. âIt looks like you might be right. So, Eddie, tell me about yourself. Any interesting hobbies? You look like youâre a fan of knitting.â
It was fortunate that his ego was not easily bruised, give the current line of conversation Dedalus was sharing with the witch. "I didn't say that I was one. I simply quipped that I had the tolerance of one." He insisted, brow furrowing slightly. His lips pursed, struggling to keep the rather unimpressed expression on his face in lieu of one of amusement. "It's not my fault if you don't want to believe me!" "Do I look like someone who's needed to use bribery?" A spot of well-placed convincing, perhaps, but Dedalus had never needed to resort to more nefarious methods. "Although I can't see exactly how that is interesting." It certainly wouldn't have been before, but after the raid on Hogwarts... well, things like that change things. People become different. "Just a small spot of bribery then? It's comforting to know that I wouldn't have to go to extreme measure, should the need ever arise." He teased. Dedalus couldn't help but laugh at that. "Really? You hoped that you'd be able to get him to give you a bottle for free? Do you know him?" That was one of the most ridiculous things he had heard all day. A good laugh though. Dedalus shrugged. "I guess it depends on what you find interesting. Although I can tell you that my hobbies do not include knitting." What even could he count as a hobby these days? "I used to travel a lot, but I can't exactly do that anymore. Lived on the continent for a long time."















