welcome to LA

[rosemary arlene oldham]

Immediately after lunch, she stomped away to the Library and picked up six different books on the Draught of Living Death, the potion they were currently working on in class, and shoved them into her bag, making the bag weight a ton, but she didn't care. She was too upset. What did Hector exactly mean by, "Maybe it should be you with the book." Was she not studying enough? Had she not been applying herself as much as she should? She didn't know, but she knew someone who could help her. Ivan. He was completely brilliant at potions and had been helping her with it specifically since the beginning of third year. If anyone knew she was slacking, it would be Ivan. She just couldn't believe Hector had been so rude to her. She wasn't trying to annoy him, she was just being polite. Anyone who knew Rose knew how sensitive she was to others feelings, and they knew not to tease her too much. Because, like now, she was taking his rebukes seriously.

She really was just trying to be friendly. She didn't get why he was being so rude to her. What had she ever done to him but be kind? She had only tried saying hello and he literally flipped out on her. She just didn't understand what she had done to hurt him. He hadn't said he was disturbing her or annoying her, but it was clearly shown on his face. Mormally she knew when she was over--stepping her boundaries, but she supposed at lunch it was different. She didn't know, she just knew she had to study. So, not only had she picked up the seven books on the potion, she picked up a few books on the defense she was learning in DADA, a book about inanimate to animate transfiguration, and a book on divination as well. So besides her bag, she had at least eight books to carry in her hands. She would do whatever it took to prove she wasn't lazy. She didn't like to think of her self as a slacker and if that's what everyone else thought, she had better do something to fix it.

She stormed through the portrait door and thundered up the stairs as fast as she coon with fifteen odd books with her. She briskly walked pass the chattering girls in a huff and opened the door to her dormitory. She slammed the books down her on her bed, which made it bounce a little, and then threw the books out of her bag. She then took off the tie she had to wear as a part of the uniform, as it felt like she was being strangled, from breathing so quickly, and then threw off her sweater. As long as it layed near her bed she didn't care, she was too frustrated, only she was too angry she was having trouble with her buttons. "Bloody brilliant, Rose, what will you think of next?" She muttered silently to herself as she ripped it off her sweater and flung it somewhere. She didn't care. Then she grabbed for a book and began to read, only she was too frustrated to think straight so she slammed it shut and threw it on her bed again, and began to pace, yelling for her familiar, hoping he'd hear her, wherever the bloody hell he was, "IVAN!"

[ivan bentley oldham]

Ivan hadn't been woken up this morning and so had totally missed the conversation that had gone on between Hector and Rosaie. Thinking that he hadn't been woken up because he hadn't been needed, Ivan spent most of his morning in his natural dog form, getting pampered by a couple of Gryffindor girls who had a free first lesson. After they'd decided they'd have to go to the second period of the day, Ivan had escaped outside to harrass professor Beatie in the grounds by peeing against the white washed wooden frames of his greenhouses, making sure to mark every single one before sitting on his hind legs and waiting for the runt of a man to make it outside to see what he'd done. As soon as that'd been done and he'd been cast out of the herbology boundaries, he spent a good hour and a half playing ball with the grounds keeper, Abercrombie who had been busying himself with clearing the leaves off the main path leading up to the main Hogwarts building.

As soon as that'd been done, Ivan retreated back to the Hufflepuff dormitories where he crawled under the bed, still covered from paws to belly with mud from dashing about outside. Minutes soon turned into hours and Ivan soon fell asleep under Rosemary's bed where he usually did inthe day time so the artificial lights didn't keep him awake. His rest was soon shattered though as someone started pacing about the bed, chucking something on it that made it dip so far that the springs underneath nearly hit Ivan on the head. Never the less, although he was wide awake, he chose not to move, knowing it was Rosie and that she was in a bad enough mood without finding him covered in muddy with a slobbery snout. His plan to stay hidden was soon foiled as Rosie pretty much screetched his name out.

"Hey! How many times have I told you not to shout?! You're going to make my ears bleed one day with your screetching!" Ivan said as he slid out from under the bed, making sure he came out in a place that wasn't too close to Rosie's feet, too make sure she wouldn't tread straight on him by accident. "I'm going to guess by the look on your face, you're morning didn't go swimmingly..." Ivan said trying to draw attention away from the mess he was in by talking to the girl.

[rosemary arlene oldham]

Ivan was right to say that Rosemary was not in a good mood; in fact, that would be an understatement. She was now feeling really stressed out because she had loads to do if she wanted to get a handle on this whole potions thing, plus her other subjects, plus the fact her friends would not be letting her study this weekend--they'd already warned her that weekends were for playing it cool and not for school. However, she felt like she had wasted too much time as it was already. She had slacked off, and Ivan had let it go. No, she couldn't blame Ivan, he was only there to help when she though she needed it or when he thought she needed it, more like nowadays, but she did blame herself immensely. She thought she had been so stupid. She felt like she could be a whole lot better. She felt that she was almost a failure, even though everyone around there knew for a fact that she wasn't. Rosemary was a smart girl, and had a sense of fun. She was the nicest girl anyone could meet--she never did anything to intentionally hurt someone unless they really deserved it and unless she had proof that they deserved it.

Her back was turned when Ivan made his appearance known, making her jump a thousand miles in the air. She turned around at him and gave him a mean stare, clearly letting him know that she didn't care even if his ears did bleed and that him being disgustingly gross was not a thing to be praised. "Merlin Ivan, this is not the time to go rolling in the mud! Helga, I need your help but we have to waste even more time cleaning you first. Damn." She walked away from him and moved to her closet, figuring she could probably get dressed in something a bit more casual than her uniform. She pulled out her favorite jeans and her favorite Quidditch tee-shirt. "No," She replied, it hasn't been a good day at all! I need your help now Ivan, and the rate we're going, we'll have to clean you up and eat dinner before I can get anything done!" She turned to him and gave him another disapproving look. But his deep brown eyes were making her feel guilty of course. She could never stay mad at him for long. She knelt down on her knees and forced a smile.

"You went into the Herbology fields again, didn't you? I bet Professor Beatie had a field day with that." She rubbed the top of his head, giving him a gentle noogie, and sighed. She was already exhausted She didn't want to have to go and get him a bath. But she had to keep proper care of him, and so that was they'd do. She couldn't believe the state he was in. There was mud everywhere. She shuddered to think what the house-elves would have to clean tonight. She hadn't even notice the paw prints of mud tracking up to her room, she'd been so angry. She tried to calm down, but in the back of her head, all she could do was worry about how she was doing in school. Was she really thick, did she really not apply herself? Did she really not like some of the classes because she didn't do the work properly, or was it a just a natural dislike of the class? She had to study, she had to read, at least half of those books before classes resumed in the morning. She had to show everyone she could be the best that she could be.

[ivan bentley oldham]

Ivan felt as though it probably would have been safer to stay under the bed and for a moment as Rose gave him that glare, he nearly did. He keep his big furry ears pricked never the less, well as much as he could until she mentioned the word clean. Ivan's ears drooped, as did the rest of his expression. "Can't you just do a cleaning spell pleeeeease?!" He pleaded before giving a very doggy whine and laying down on the floor, resting his head on his front paws. His eyes stared up at her, if there was one thing Ivan hated more than cats, it was baths, water always got in his ears and Rose always forgot to dry under his collar which made it rub uncomfortably but Ivan felt he couldn't tell her since she took the time to do it al for him rather than telling him to get in human form and figure out how to do it for himself. In that respect, Ivan was probably abit too reliant on Rosie but hey, she'd made him this way, she owed him!

"If you just use a cleaning spell it's only going to be five minutes of wasted time, not half an hour and no stupid vanilla smell and poofy fur. Oh pleeeease!" Ivan pleaded again. The last time he'd been given a bath and towel dry, Rosie had really made his fur poofy, so much so that when Ivan had taken his human form, all the hair on his head pretty much stood on end making half the Hufflepuff house burst into laughter whenever they'd seen him for the rest of that day. As Rose got down on her knees and rubbed his head, Ivan lifted it to her touch, his face giving a small doggy smile, his tongue lolling out of his mouth for a moment now Rose looked as though she wasn't as angry with him, and was no longer giving him death glares.

"So tell me, what are we working on today? Can't be transfiguration again, we did that yesterday I'm sure." Ivan said though he wasn't going to ask too many questions. He'd learned a long time ago that when Rose was annoyed, it was usually better to just play along rather than arguing. He let his head flop down on his paws again, his eyes looking anywhere but Rose's face as she asked if he'd been annoying professor Beats again. "Maybe... but you can blame Abercrombie and his never ending supply of tennis balls for the mud." Ivan said honestly.

[rosemary arlene oldham]

She covered up a grin as he whined about having to take a bath. She knew he hated baths. She didn't blame him really, she always hated it when her mum gave her one. She much liked doing it herself, but seeing as he was a dog first and foremost, she'd have to wash him. She stood up, and smiled. "Nope. You need a bath anyway. There's dirt everywhere. Do the crime, pay the time, as mum says." She walked away to her closet to grab a towel and threw it in his direction. "You won't have to smell like vanilla....how about strawberry?" She had just gotten some new shampoo before coming here this Summer. She loved it when he came out of the bath tub all fluffy and clean. And maybe he'd cooperate and listen about her morning instead of squirming and splashing water everywhere like he usually did. She sighed. She really didn't feel like giving him a bath though. She was pretty good with the Scourgify charm, but she was still too upset to be able to cast a good enough one to make every part of him clean. And if he wanted to sleep in her bed tonight, he'd have to be clean.

She got the leash from the top of her trunk, and her change of clothes and the towel and snapped it on his collar. She took a deep breath in as she asked him what they would be working on. He was smart in not arguing about helping her. She needed him. She didn't need to fight with him, but she'd try to skirt the real reason for the many books she'd carted up here and the reason she was so stressed out. "Potions. We're doing potions. We have to read all of those books on my bed by Saturday morning." She spoke firmly, making sure he knew there were no if, ands, or buts, this time. They had to study. She yawned. It was only two in the afternoon and already she felt like she had run a marathon. If only she were the one to transform into a dog. She could be worry free like Ivan was. He didn't have to worry about making friends because he couldn't talk normally to people, and everyone loved his dog form. He could go rolling in the mud and have a right time while she was in classes and getting hurt by older classmates.

She tugged on his leash and made a move for the door, signalling him to follow. "Don't make me drag you, I'm in no mood today." She warned. She still couldn't believe how much of a mess he had gotten into. But his explanation made sense. Those balls were his favorite toys, and rolling about in the mud was his favorite activity. It just couldn't happen now though. She had so much on her plate, so much to do. She wondered what her friends would say if she refused to go out with them on Saturday? Would they be too mad? It was up to them if they wanted to have fun, but she couldn't afford it now. Maybe she was overreacting, and maybe she wasn't, but she had to focus on one thing at a time, that was what she knew. Get Ivan cleaned, eat, and study. That was the plan. She could do this right? She could. She had to.

[ivan bentley oldham]

Ivan didn't move from his place on the floor besides Rosie's bed as she threw a towel at him. He let it hit him in the face and simply shook his head until the thing sat in a heap on the floor besides him instead of hiding his eyes from the world. It was times like this that Ivan wished he was more human than he was dog. If he was more human he'd be allowed to decide on his own whether or not he wanted a bath. "Strawberry is even worse! Don't you have any man type stuff in there?" Ivan asked hoping that the bathroom would be full of girls - if it was then Ivan wouldn't be allowed in there and he'd have avoided his fate but even he knew at two in the afternoon there was no way it was going to be full of people. He let out a lazy sigh as Rosie clipped the lead to his collar, she knew if she didn't Ivan would make a dash for the door before she could blink.

"Ah potions, my favourite." Ivan said though he wasn't keen on the idea of reading. Needless to say his reading skills were alittle behind that of Rosie's not that he'd ever let up that he was strugling, with anything like that since she already knew he couldn't write to save his life. "By Saturday though, ever think you might be over loading your brain ever so slightly? I mean I don't think i've even seen a Ravenclaw revise as much as you do Rosie." Ivan said as he initially resisted her tugging his leash.

"If i was a boy right now you wouldn't do this" Ivan said making his final protest before deciding that Rosie probably didn't need to hear it. He soon lifted himself off the ground though and bit the towel, picking it up off the ground in his mouth, his tail between his hind legs. "And if I was a boy right now, anyone walking in would think you have some kind of fetish!" Ivan thought to himself, thankful that Rosie couldn't hear what he was thinking. The door to the dorms clicked open easily and the two of them made their way practically in silence to the bathrooms where Rosie and Ivan were greeted by one or two familiar faces. Ivan wagged his tail but couldnt even give a greeting bark considering the towel in his mouth, Rosie was in such a rush though that it didn't matter anyways. She'd let whoever it was give him a quick pat and then amake sure they were on their way again as soon as possible.

"Not to late to do a spell instead." Ivan reminded as the door clicked open to the bathrooms and Ivan dropped the towel on the floor. It was then that it occured to him that if he really wanted to get out of it, getting into boy form would be his best option. He did so as soon as Rosie's back was turned. The shirt and jeans he'd been wearing when he'd initially changed into dog shape some time during the previous day. Those clothes definitly had to go in the wash. Ivan was forever thankful that Rosie had an older brother who was about the same size in clothes that Ivan was, meaning that he got all the hand me downs he needed for the few times he bothered with his human form.

[rosemary arlene oldham]

She walked as fast as she could, keeping a tight grip on the leash as people gave him a pat. She made sure they were on their way quickly. She couldn't not give him a bath. He was dirty. End of story. And she didn't feel like casting a spell that wouldn't work all the way. If there one thing Rosie was, she was thorough. She got that from her mum. He'd have to get clean one way or the other, and since he could do magic, she had to clean him. [/B]"By Saturday though, ever think you might be over loading your brain ever so slightly? I mean I don't think i've even seen a Ravenclaw revise as much as you do Rosie."[/B] She shrugged, still dodging him and what she was really feeling; what the real explanation was behind their sudden desperate need to study Potions. She was too frustrated with having to bathe him and with having to deal with her friends when she possibly couldn't go out to Hogsmeade on Saturday. She didn't need it from Ivan too. Maybe she did study too much, for a Hufflepuff, but maybe she studied too less than all of her other classmates. Maybe she did need to do more.

"If i was a boy right now you wouldn't do this" She hummed loudly over his comment. If he was a boy he could wash himself, if he was a boy, he would be in class and not traipsing about getting himself grossly disgusting, if he was a boy he wouldn't be with Rose....No, don't think that. You don't have time to think about that. Focus. She tugged him a little bit harder though, giving a polite, "Leave us alone smile," to people they met. It was her recent thought that someday when she graduated Ivan wouldn't have to be with her anymore. Ivan was already a grown man, even though his reading skills were lower than those his age and he couldn't write at all. But would that stop him from leaving her? Dad had always told her he'd outgrow her. And she was definitely not looking forward to the day he had enough of her.

She opened the door and let go of the leash, and then turned and closed and locked it. She turned around to see Ivan in his human form, his clothes completely caked with mud. She crossed her arms and glared at him, straight in the eyes. "You have three choices, Ivan, because I am not not not in the mood today. One: Wash yourself, and I'll stand guard outside. Two: I'll wash you in your human form, but that might be a bit gross. Three: You get back into your dog form and I will wash you. Whatever happens you are getting a bath and you are getting clean and you will do this for me because I have a lot on my mind and I need your help. Hurry up and pick, I don't have all day to wait." She tapped her foot on the floor, waiting for him to respond. She wasn't happy. It wasn't that she was mad at him, she was still mad at Hector and mad at herself, and she was taking it out on Ivan. It might not have been fair but that was what she was doing. She felt tired and hot and she needed a good shower herself. But Ivan came first, since he was most messy.

[ivan bentley oldham]

Ah the guilt card, Rose often played it without even realising that she was. Ivan turned his eyes to the floor, instantly sorry he'd even tried to play games with her when she was so obviously in a bad mood. The way he thought about it, playing games should have made her happy cos it made him happy but it wasn't quite like that for normal humans, only for dog familiars it seemed. All these humans were far too serious about pretty much everything, even the Hufflepuffs who were supposed to be all fun could be boring to Ivan.

He made one final whining sound as his options were listed to him. Of course he liked none of them but the third one would be the best, anyone would say that so without uttering a word, Ivan passed Rose, pulled off the mud encrusted shirt and trousers, slinging them on the floor as any child would and shrunk back down into his dog form, sitting on his hind legs for a moment and totally unphased that Rosie might have just seen his bare human backside. "Ok, let's get it over with then." Ivan said as he picked himself up, ignoring the fact he'd left the towel by the doorway and his shirt and jeans on the floor as well.

He paced around the bathtub, a thing of porcelain beauty with gold legs that held it an inch or two off the ground. There were many like this all in seperate cubicles, the boys one was laid out very differently too this but Ivan didn't think that Rose needed to know that and so had never told her what he'd found when he'd been in there to pee because he'd found himself too far away from the grounds to make dashing there for relief an option.

With a little hesitation, Ivan put his front paws over the edge of the bath, waiting for Rose to turn it on. "Take my mind off it about though, tell me about your day or something, anything." Ivan requested as he looked over his almost matted fur covered shoulder to where Rose stood behind him, his ears pricked waiting for her to start talking.

[rosemary arlene oldham]

Honestly Rose didn't know how she dealt with him when he was like this. He was behaving like a ten year old! It wasn't that, she was just so hurt from what Hector had said, and she felt she had to keep her hands moving, she had to study, she had to do better in classes. Yes, she liked things perfectly done---why waste you're time if you don't do it right first? She revised things more than usual, but this wasn't about revising an essay. This was about making a change. She had to get good marks in Potions to be a Healer. If she slacked off anymore than that she could kiss that dream goodbye. She was a crowd pleaser, she often did things she didn't want to do just to make someone happy.If her studying could make Hector more cheerful again, then why not study a little harder? If dressing up and pretending to like things she didn't would impress Ackey, then she'd do it.

But lately she felt like she was stretching herself thin. She was taking a butt load of courses, she was studying until late hours of the night, she was the first one to raise her hand in class, she became more and more tired at the end of the day, and she felt doing anything was better than sitting around and doing nothing. She had to do well. She had to. She had to prove it to her classmates. She had to prove it to Ackey, and to the jealous Gryffindor girls who wanted him but couldn't have him because of a stupid Hufflepuff like her. She grinned as he turned into a dog, not before turning and taking his shirt and trousers, flashing his butt before the fur appeared again. "Nice arse." She muttered, as she stripped herself of her blouse as well. She was not going to take off her skirt or stockings though--those would just have to get wet until the bath was over.

She leaned over him and turned on the spicket, making it fairly warm but not too hot. She poured a little of the soap in, so that he could have some bubbles. "Take my mind off it about though, tell me about your day or something, anything." She put a hand through her hair and gave a deep sigh. Anything. Which meant she didn't have to talk about her morning, even though she knew he wanted her to. He wanted to know what was up? She never usually studied this much. He was right--fifteen books was a lot to read before friday. She was just going paranoid. "Um, oh, I heard the Gryffindor's are playing us today. Ackey told me at Charms." She helped him in, knowing the tub was five times bigger than he was, even though he was growing to be pretty big too. Ackey was talking all about sports today, that seemed to be his topic. He hadn't asked her one bit about her days have been, or if she was even free this weekend to go out. Nothing. Even though she had tried to look even nicer than usual. She'd have to ask Angela what to do about it later, knowing Ivan wasn't all that good with the girl kind of stuff she needed to know.

[ivan bentley oldham]

"Ok there are some things you probably shouldn't say to you're familiar, I think that's definitly on the list of them!" Ivan said bursting into a short fit of laughter for the first time since Rosie had screamed out his name this afternoon. Of course they were so close and Ivan didn't really get the whole nakedness is a bad thing anyways. Rosie had seen him starkers and drenched before and he had seen her change for bed before, ok so it wasn't like they'd stared at eachother or found the experience to be something they'd happily repeat regularly but it happened and neither of them minded, after all dogs dont tend to pay much attention when their owners change... or do they?

Never the less, the warm water around Ivan's legs was far from reassuring. His tail went as far between his legs as it could really and his head drooped, sniffing the water as though he had reason to believe it was habouring something more than bubbles and stawberry scent. "Uh huh." Ivan simpy said as he tried to make a circle in the tub but got stuck half way having to back up until he was standing the way he'd started. Needless to say Ivan and Ackey were far from close, infact most times he saw the guy, Ivan would give a good long growl, human form or not.

"Well If Ackey said it then it must be fact." Ivan said in a sarcastic tone, once again proving there was no love lost between the two males. Ivan was literally Rosie's closest friend and it annoyed him that she couldn't see right through his charm. She was more intelligent than to be taken for a fool and yet he always managed it. Of course being just a dog, Ivan had never really felt the way Rose felt about Ackey, except when he'd seen that Afghan Hound in Hogsmeade that time, but that had been different, not 'love'.

"Spoken to anyone else today?" Ivan said not particularly wanting to hear anything that had come out of Ackey's mouth today since the boy always had a knack of talking about the most uninteresting things. That was one of the bad things about being a familiar, the only two ways Ivan had of telling someone too shut up was though Rose or just to bark and walk off. In dog form that would be ok and understandble but like I've said many times before, for a boy to bark and walk away might seem somewhat odd. The older Ivan got, the more he became aware of how, with his mostly human mentality he was actually cut off from people. Ok so he could communicate with other dogs but they had a simpler way of thinking of the world than he did and most weren't worth trying to talk to. Humans were far more interesting and yet all Ivan could do was listen to them and nod or shake his head, that was it. He was like a mute, he had to be because if he opened his mouth all the other person got was an earful of incoherant whining and barks that only Rose could interpret to them. It saddened Ivan to think that although he coud look just like one, act like one even, he could never talk to one and never have one feel about him the things that Rose felt about Ackey.

When you looked at it like that, being a familiar sucked, being a normal dog would have been far more simple. Ivan never told Rose that but he was sure she knew he felt he was missing out on something big. He also knew she thought he had it easier because he was just a dog. But that wasn't true, if he was just a dog the way Rose sometimes thought of him, then yes, she would have been right but with the complex array of emotions that had started to develop in him since he'd met Rose in the 'Stone Field', Ivan had been no ordinary dog. It was his inability to talk that made him seem so incredibly shy as a human, it wasn't his nature to be silent and blush because he couldn't answer, it was something that was thrust upon him and for that, most people preferred Ivan in his dog form, even they could see the look in his eye that said he couldn't handle not being able to talk to them like he could talk to the other familiars and Rose. Eventually Rose would see it too. Until then, her problems came above his own.

[rosemary arlene oldham]

Rosemary let her hands get warm with the water before filling her hands with soap. She watched as Ivan tried to turn a circle around in the water and laughed as he got stuck. He was still a little puppy even though he looked twenty in human form, she had to remember that. He was on her side. She had to remember that too. She began to rub his fur, scrubbing his shoulder blades and his upper back. She was usually very talkative around Ivan. She told him everything. She felt a lot freer to say things, even curse words, around him than her other friends. He knew her better than anyone, even her older brother. He knew when she wasn’t telling the truth, he knew when she was trying to hide something, he knew when she was upset. He knew how much being a Healer was important to her. He knew that pleasing everyone was a definite weakness she always had. But she hated fighting, which is why she tried to please everyone. It was better to make a compromise than hex a person, even though she could do a fair Bat-Bogey hex.

She rolled her eyes at his comment on Ackey, taking his front right leg and scrubning it gently. “He doesn’t lie to me, Ivan. At least, not all the time. He said he was sorry. “ She defended her boyfriend. He had cheated on her over the Summer but had said he was sorry and she had taken him back, much to the protest of Ivan. Ivan hated Ackey, she knew he did, but she didn’t know why. Ackey was a good guy, dedicated to his work when he wanted to be. He was brave, flying about in the air all the time. She hated flying. Heights were one thing she was very scared about. He had taken her flying once and had scared her, so much that when he finally let her down, she had run as fast as she could away from him. But she did love him. She loved his laugh and his smell and his deep voice. She wasn’t sorry she had forgiven him, and she wished Ivan could get along better with him, though it didn’t seem like that was going to happen anytime soon.

She drew a deep breath in. She might as well get it over with. She had put it off for awhile. She leaned over, getting a bit wet, and began rubbing his lower back, making sure to get all the dirt off him. “Yeah, erm….remember Hector? Hector Waltimore, he’s a seventh year Hufflepuff. I was just setting down to lunch and I thought it would be polite to say hello. I don’t know what I did to set him off really, but if you think my glares at you are murderous, you should see his. He was really rude, I didn’t even get to finish, eating, and his tongue was so sharp.” She told him, making sure not to stop cleaning him so that she could get done bathing him as soon as possible, for both of their sakes. She needed to get to studying and he needed to be dry so he could help her. She shifted a bit on her knees, wishing she had remembered a pillow so they wouldn’t hurt so much. She looked at his eyes, wondering what he would say, if he remembered when Hector had been cheerier at all. Maybe he knew why Hector was in a rotten mood.

[ivan bentley oldham]

If it had been anyone but Rose trying to bathe him, Ivan definitly would have put up more of a fight, but it was Rose and all Ivan could do was stand there and take it. You know how weird it feels when someone else washes your hair? Well imagine that over your whole body and you have how Ivan felt when Rose started going over his paws, making sure every fleck of dirt came off of them and into the bath that was soon turning a horrible crappy brown colour, leaves, twigs and all kinds of other debris that had been caught in his coat on his underbelly now floated helplessly on a sea of warm water and bubble masses.

Perhaps Ivan didn't like Ackey because he was jealous, sure all the girls would pet him from sunrise to sun set and all the guys loved playing ball games with him but that was only because he was a silly little dog, not a heart throb that could make a girl weak at the knees with one glance. Of course Ivan couldn't really understand the jealousy he might of felt because it was just abit to human for this child minded pooch to grasp just yet but that was probably the reason he tried to bite the guy's hand off everytime he tried petting him. The way Ackey swept his hair back and gave those cheeky winks made Ivan want to chuck up his left overs but soon Rose had the decency to move on and let Ivan focus on something more interesting.

Hector Bue Waltimore. "Well word on the street... well not street but hey ho, the word is that he's back after some kinda personal rehab thing... whatever the heck rehab is, and he's still getting over the fact he's gotta retake half a year whilst his boyfriend - yeah boyfriend - The legendary Crispy Ripple is off at university... whever that is." Ivan said repeating what he'd heard about that certain puffball. "So that's probably why he's narky with you." Ivan added as he lifted his head to look at Rose. "But to be fair, he's never so much as played ball with me either so I don't think it's anything personal." Ivan added before huffing a big ball of air towards a heap of bubbles that was trying to float towards him with all their strawberry goodness. The little snippet of information proved that although Ivan couldn't say a thing, he coud hear and understand everything and people seem to forget that in dog form, that doesn't change. They talk about anything and everything as though he's just a dumb dog that doesn't understand. If only you knew half the things Ivan heard (most of which he didn't understand the magnitude of) whilst on his travels round the school.

[rosemary arlene oldham]

Rose cupped her hands under the water and let it run down his fur, rinsing his body of the soap. All the scum was finally coming off of him, and she silently hoped he wouldn't get this dirty for a couple of days at least. It wasn't exactly her favorite chore either, but she didn't mind doing it. It gave her something to care for. She was in love with Ackey, but she had seen him more than once look over at a Gryffndor girl around them, winking suspiciously. She trusted him to be faithful, but what if he wasn't? Did anyone genuinely love her in this place, besides her brother and her professors, and of course, Ivan? She had dated Ackey in the first place to prove to her Hufflepuff friends she could be in a relationship, and as always, if she was going to do something she was going to do it right, and as Ackey was pretty easily one of the most possibly hottest guys in their year, she had picked him to go after. Now she wasn't so sure she should have.

She listened carefully as Ivan explained Hector's predicament. No wonder he was upset! Long distance relationships had to be tough. She had thought it weird for him to have a boyfriend, but she supposed that was just the way it happened sometimes. She scrubbed his underbelly a bit and gently picked up his hind legs, one after the other. She was used to doing this, and had her way of doing it quickly and efficiently, aand she was glad she was almost done, so they could snatch something to eat and get to work. "Oh. Well that explains it I guess. University is where I hope to go after I get out of here....it's a place to learn after you're finished Hogwarts, for adults. And rehab...rehab is a place that helps people cope with different drug or alcohol addictions, or other problems." She explained rinsing his backside, and double checking to make sure every area was clean. She didn't want to do this only to see a brown spot later.

"It was just...he was really rude, Ivan. He seemed to be doing some work, so I asked about what it was, and he said he thought I should be the one with the books, not him, since I don't do well in Potions, in particular. It was clear he didn't want to talk to me. So I left, but I got to thinking. Maybe I am slacking off. Maybe if I just worked harder at it I wouldn't dislike potions so much. Anyway, we're almost done, boy." She told him, knowing he'd be just as happy as she was when they finished. She reached for the conditioner and rubbed it all over him, and made his fur all silky smoothe. The worst part would be the drying. She knew he hated being towel dried, but the girls would have a fit if there were wet puddles all around the corridors to their bedrooms.

[ivan bentley oldham]

Ivan couldn't help but give a shudder as the water rand down his back and all through his fur. He hated the feel of it, not because it meant he was clean, being clean was fine, it was the tingling sensation that went with it. Never the less the dog endured it and stood there with his head bowed looking at all the junk that had come off him so far. Eventually Ivan lifted his sad little face and rested it on the edge of the bathtub, his eyes looking around, still wishing someone else would come in and perhaps tell him to get out of the tub right this second - even thr worst of it was over by then.

"Ah so basically you're telling me that once we've managed to get through all this school work, you want to go on and do more of it. Fantastic!" Ivan said with another hint of sarcasm in his tone as he faultered while Rose lifted up a leg he hadn't been paying attention too. Yup it was definitly easier to be cleaned in human form, Rosie's mum had proved that back at home, she had no poblem washing the naked human form that Ivan had, the expression on Rose's face said it would no doubt be a different story with her, that she wouldn't feel quite right washing a body that looked like it should have belonged to a twenty year old man - even if it was a rather nice body to say the least. Well at least she hadn't gotten water in his ears this time, she'd managed that last time and Ivan had walked around shaking his head for the rest of the evening trying to get it back out again.

"Slacking off?! You're joking yeah? I mean you work so hard that I have to slack off for the both of us just to balance it all out!" Ivan said playfully. "Seriously though, no, I don't think you are, and of all the people who should know that, I know it better than anyone else. I know you don't get Os in potions everytime but come on, everyone has to have a subject they can't do right? Or they're be the freaky Ravenclaws that even the other Ravenclaws don't want to hang around with. Which is the way you'll be going if you don't give the books a rest every once in a while. Like Tanya says pretty much everyday, no one likes a smart arse." Ivan said letting his bottom jaw drop into a funny sort of grin, his tongue lolling again though totally by accident as he put a paw on the edge of the bath next to his head. "Any chance of getting out now?" Ivan asked knowing the fun bit that he actually liked - getting towelled down had yet to come.

[rosemary arlene oldham]

She laughed when Ivan commented on her desire to go to University. It probably didn't make much sense to him, but if she wanted to be a Healer, she would go to Duskwood. She wasn't exactly looking forward to doing more school work. And the whole idea that University was for adults scared her. Next year, she'd be a legal adult in the wizarding world. School wouldn't be a joke anymore, not like she had ever acted it was. It wouldn't be kiddie stuff she'd have to learn. It was going to be harder, because they expected a lot more from people, especially Healers. She would need Ivan, but she wondered if Ivan would try to do something of his own. In human form, he had the body of twenty year old, that was a second or third year at Duskwood. Surely he'd try to find a job somewhere. Surely he would not want to hang around her forever. And the day she would no longer be with Ivan would be the day that she was most terrified of her whole life.

She let him rest his head against the tub, and double checked everywhere for dirt or leaves or small twigs, just to make sure she had gotten everywhere. She hadn't gone anywhere near his ears this time, remembering how much he had hated it last time. They weren't too dirty. She laughed at his advice, the last of his sentences making her giggle a little more. She turned off the water. Smart arse, like he wasn't one. Ha. He always knew how to make her feel better. Maybe he was right, maybe she was overdoing it. Then why did she feel like such a failure after talking to Hector? Did he always have that affect on people? She hated potions. She felt like she was constantly being watched. She was always very stiff and uptight. Maybe a tiny bit of studying wouldn't hurt. Maybe it would help her to relax a bit about the whole thing. She wished people would stop kidding that she was turning into a Ravenclaw. She was a Hufflepuff, the hat sorted her a Hufflepuff, and just because she started taking things seriously this year, didn't mean that she didn't like to have some fun everyone now and then.

"Yeah, I think it's time for the towel. Come on." She helped him get out of the big thing, and immediately wrapped the towel around his middle, rubbing up and down to get him all dry. "I guess you're right. I just felt so guilty, like, how was I supposed to talk to him about relaxing, if I can't myself?" She continued the discussion. She felt like she was always moving lately, always doing someting, never letting her hands take a break. If she had done all of her homework, she was revising it to sound better, or she was walking Ivan around the lake or hanging out with friends, but she was always doing something. And she felt like she was stretching herself thin, like she didn't have enough butter to spread over her toast. She wanted to get out and play, but she honestly didn't remember how to have fun.