![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
perfectworrytitle: A Little Clarification
fandom: Harry Potter
character: Alice Worthington (← original character)
rating: K+
notes: wrote this a long while ago, just getting it around to posting it.
Alice sat on her bed, shuffling and reshuffling a back of cards and humming softly in concentration. She made a bridge with them as Daisy sat on her own bed, watching her best friend. One by one, Alice lay the cards down in front of her deliberately then, with the same focused intent, flipped them face-up, still humming.
"I thought you hated divination, darling," said Daisy.
"I do," agreed Alice cordially, but without looking up.
"What d'you call that, then?" Daisy put her feet up on the headboard of her bed, combat boots clunking against the mahogany.
"Clarification," said Alice, with feeling. "Muggles do tarot too, you know."
"You mentioned."
When it had come time to pick classes for their third year, Alice had originally agreed to take Divination with Daisy, provided Daisy take Arithmancy with her, because as a young girl she had played with her mother's tarot cards and believed class couldn't be that much different than the Muggle way.
Alice had been, perhaps for the first time in her life, quite wrong.
Tarot she could do; a system of predetermined gestures and studied symbolism was a very Alice thing. Once they got to tea leaves, which all looked like shapeless blobs to her, and crystal balls, where all she saw was fog, Alice realized she was in very much over her head.
Alice had, perhaps for the first time in her life, failed an exam.
She had not continued Divination the next year, nor had Daisy continued Arithmancy. However, she had kept her tarot cards and occasionally liked to fiddle with them to help herself think more clearly.
"So, love," said Daisy after a long pause during which Alice looked up cards and jotted down meanings. "What're you clarifying?"
The blood rushing to Alice's face answered more immediately and fully than anything she could stammer out: Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and what Alice had seen them doing
"I should have known." Daisy wrinkled her nose. "I can clarify that for you, Alice, m'love. It means dream boy Lupin's a ponce. Sorry, darling. I know you fancied him."
"Fancy," Alice corrected, automatically, and then laughed a little.
"Right. Not that it's going to do you any real good now, is it?"
"Maybe he'll come 'round?" asked Alice, looking up the next card - the Hanged Man - with a small frown.
"This isn't the sort of thing you come 'round from, Alice," said Daisy. "I don't suppose you're going to come 'round from liking blokes, then?" Alice shook her head. "That's what I thought."
"What do you like?" asked Alice, suddenly.
"Both," said Daisy, with a shrug. "Either."
"Oh," said Alice.
"Doubt Lupin does, though," added Daisy, before Alice could get any ideas. "Seems like the strictly monogamous type, too. Too much of a goody-goody to go pussyfooting around, hm?"
"Probably," Alice said, gloomily.
"Never known you to be upset about people following rules, dear."
Alice laughed and Daisy smiled up at the ceiling. Mission accomplished.
fandom: Harry Potter
character: Alice Worthington (← original character)
rating: K+
notes: wrote this a long while ago, just getting it around to posting it.
Alice sat on her bed, shuffling and reshuffling a back of cards and humming softly in concentration. She made a bridge with them as Daisy sat on her own bed, watching her best friend. One by one, Alice lay the cards down in front of her deliberately then, with the same focused intent, flipped them face-up, still humming.
"I thought you hated divination, darling," said Daisy.
"I do," agreed Alice cordially, but without looking up.
"What d'you call that, then?" Daisy put her feet up on the headboard of her bed, combat boots clunking against the mahogany.
"Clarification," said Alice, with feeling. "Muggles do tarot too, you know."
"You mentioned."
When it had come time to pick classes for their third year, Alice had originally agreed to take Divination with Daisy, provided Daisy take Arithmancy with her, because as a young girl she had played with her mother's tarot cards and believed class couldn't be that much different than the Muggle way.
Alice had been, perhaps for the first time in her life, quite wrong.
Tarot she could do; a system of predetermined gestures and studied symbolism was a very Alice thing. Once they got to tea leaves, which all looked like shapeless blobs to her, and crystal balls, where all she saw was fog, Alice realized she was in very much over her head.
Alice had, perhaps for the first time in her life, failed an exam.
She had not continued Divination the next year, nor had Daisy continued Arithmancy. However, she had kept her tarot cards and occasionally liked to fiddle with them to help herself think more clearly.
"So, love," said Daisy after a long pause during which Alice looked up cards and jotted down meanings. "What're you clarifying?"
The blood rushing to Alice's face answered more immediately and fully than anything she could stammer out: Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and what Alice had seen them doing
"I should have known." Daisy wrinkled her nose. "I can clarify that for you, Alice, m'love. It means dream boy Lupin's a ponce. Sorry, darling. I know you fancied him."
"Fancy," Alice corrected, automatically, and then laughed a little.
"Right. Not that it's going to do you any real good now, is it?"
"Maybe he'll come 'round?" asked Alice, looking up the next card - the Hanged Man - with a small frown.
"This isn't the sort of thing you come 'round from, Alice," said Daisy. "I don't suppose you're going to come 'round from liking blokes, then?" Alice shook her head. "That's what I thought."
"What do you like?" asked Alice, suddenly.
"Both," said Daisy, with a shrug. "Either."
"Oh," said Alice.
"Doubt Lupin does, though," added Daisy, before Alice could get any ideas. "Seems like the strictly monogamous type, too. Too much of a goody-goody to go pussyfooting around, hm?"
"Probably," Alice said, gloomily.
"Never known you to be upset about people following rules, dear."
Alice laughed and Daisy smiled up at the ceiling. Mission accomplished.
