After talking to Riley about what a neglectful sister she'd been, Kay decided to make a conscious effort to talk to Scorpius more and was going to spend her Sunday bonding with him. But that would require actually being able to find him first. She clearly didn't know him as well as she thought she did, as she'd looked in some places and hadn't been able to find him - she'd even gone into the library and he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Kay couldn't think of any of Scorp's friends she could ask so she had resorted to just wandering around the castle for at least an hour. By the time she thought to look outside, she was mildly grumpy and when she saw him sat by the lake with all his books, she couldn't help but roll his eyes. Of course he was studying all by himself. That probably meant he wouldn't welcome the interruption, but with all the time she'd spent looking for him she wasn't going to be put off now. "Hey bro, nice to see you studying for once," she said sarcastically, plopping herself down next to him (after doing a spell to make sure the ground wasn't wet).
Scorpius had tried going to the Library to study, but Owen was in there with his friends, and he'd beat a very hasty retreat before Owen could spot him. He was not eager for a follow-up to their last conversation. If he could just make it through the next two years without speaking to Owen, that would suit him just fine. Then he could leave Hogwarts, and get a nice lonely job without any co-workers, and spend the rest of his life by himself. This thought distracted from his studying so well that he was staring out at the Lake, wondering whether the mermaids or grindylows would get you quicker, when Kaelyn strolled up next to him. He blinked up at her, confused. Had one of their parents died? He thought even Kay wouldn't be sarcastic in that situation. "I'm not a Hufflepuff for nothing," he said mildly, and kept on looking at her, waiting for her to explain her presence. Maybe one of their parents was ill. Or one of their grandparents.
Kay could sense Scorpius' confusion, but she was going to choose not to address this and just barrel on with a conversation. Maybe he'd get the hint and not talk about the Hippogriff in the room. "True, you're just making me look bad. I'm the one in my final year y'know, and I don't study nearly as much as you." She resisted the urge to call him a nerd, thinking this might get them off on the wrong foot. She stretched out, settling into her spot. "So, how's it going? Are classes okay? Everyone in your dorm being nice to you?" Merlin, when did she stop knowing what to say to him? But if he said someone in his dorm wasn't being nice, she'd punch their lights out.
Scorpius should probably be relieved that their family was okay, but he was busy being hit by the horrible realisation that Kaelyn wanted to have a conversation with him. Merlin. He would almost rather that one of their family members was sick. Preferably Grandfather Lucius. "I like studying," he said, resisting the urge to point out that she should probably be studying more. NEWTs were named that for a reason, after all. Most of the seven years were walking around looking shell-shocked, which was making him very nervous for next year. "Classes are fine. My dormmates are fine." This was very similar to what he'd be putting into a letter for their parents later. Maybe they'd asked her to investigate and check he was okay. That was a depressing thought, when he invested so much energy into sounding fine in his fortnightly missives.
"Merlin, I wish I liked studying." Kay made a face. Even when it came to her favourite subjects, working was still a chore. But she was glad Scorpius liked studying - it would probably mean he'd do really well. She looked at him, wondering if he'd describe anything as something other than 'fine'. "That's good. What's your favourite class this year? Trying to work out if I can ask you for any help, you smart cookie," she said with a smile, poking his leg gently. She wanted to build up to asking him to properly meet Riley, which felt like the next step, but wanted to be in a less awkward place with Scorp first.
