Peeping Tom (Anne and Dominik)

This was always an odd habit that Dominik had. For some reason, he loved to read books in the strangest of places. Over the years he had even managed to master reading upside down on the couch without getting dizzy from all his blood rushing to his head. He had even managed to figure out how to get onto the roof of his house to read (much to the dismay oh his family). It was just something fun he liked to do. School was no different. Sure, he could read in the library or common rooms like a normal person, but Dominik was always a bit odd. One of his favorite places was near the feet of giant statues. Something about it just made it seem great.

It wasn't all that amazing a spot to other students, but he couldn't care less. His feet stuck out in the position that he was sitting, and that caused problems. Usually he could just give them a dirty look to hopefully send them on their way. It was one of the perks of having a rather unusual eye color. Little did he know that the biggest problem of his day was to appear soon.

Dominik was wrapped up in reading a chapter in a book about forest monsters and wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings. One moment he was reading, and the next thing he knew he was staring at what was quite clearly a girl's panties. Talk about confusing. He was a teenage boy, he couldn't help but stare. He could feel himself becoming a tad flustered though he wasn't sure exactly what of the various things happening at the moment was causing it. He noted a dull pain in his leg where she must have fallen. Dominik found himself looking away from what he shouldn't have been looking at in the first place, and his eyes met a pair of green eyes from the blonde female on the ground. "Are you okay?" He found himself saying, though he still hadn't really moved from the spot.

It was funny that the girl seemed so focused on him, because at the moment he was focused right back at her. He did feel a bit bad. It was clear that the fall had done a bit of damage to her. The damage was minor, but it was still a shame to see her like that. Even if the look she was giving him right now gave Dominik the impression he might be murdered in the next minute, she was pretty cute. Though he tone was just as threatening, he took notice to the fact that she was one of the students that actually was from around here, thus making her foreign in his eyes. It was a shame she was so rude, or he might have actually enjoyed talking to her.

The way things were currently going, Dominik didn't even have the chance to get in a word edgewise to her thoughts. He couldn't tell if she just liked hearing her own voice or it was because she was legitimately furious with him. During points in that long ramble, he honestly didn't have a clue what she was saying. Trust the girl that had run into him to use words that he didn't even remember what they meant. At this point though, maybe it was better for him. The whole time, he sat there focused on her, gritting the back of his teeth to try not to irrupt. It seemed like forever before she stopped. She was clearly lying, she wasn't fine.

"Look, I don't think it is illegal to sit down here." It might have not been against any school rules, but it was common sense. He knew this, but he always had the 'I do what I want when and where I want' type of attitude in life. "Maybe you should be paying more attention to where you are walking. If you were looking you would have seen me like everyone else." Again, not entirely true, but it was only half a lie. Dominik stood up, brushing off his legs with his free hand. Well, is had been a peaceful day. So much for reading.

It felt a bit odd, being yelled at and threatened by someone shorter than him like that. He couldn't blame her, she was a girl after all. Dominik wasn't the tallest guy around by far, but he didn't blame her for being tiny. He noted that even when she straightened up, he was still taller. Even if he was getting very annoyed with her, he was trying not to show it. Attempting to his his emotions didn't work very well though. Dominik was trying to sound anything but rude. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly in frustration making it clear that it was just pretend. "Have you never heard of being lost in a good book before, Miss?" There was a hint of sarcasm to his voice, but it wasn't a complete lie. He found it easy to get lost in books and forget about his surroundings.

Yes, he still looked annoyed, but he gave her a fake smile. "Were you not aware that you also do not own the hallway?" The smile probably did nothing other than make him look a bit strange. An angry expression with a smile never seemed to leave the best impression on people. Dominik held his book to his chest, just giving her that look. He was right after all. He didn't won the hallway. Neither did this girl. "I guess I will just have to sit with my legs crosses next time." That would have been a little better, but he wasn't planning on enforcing this idea.

Did this boy take her for an idiot? Anne nearly snorted at his question. "Of course I've been lost in a book before," she rolled her eyes. "But that's hardly an excuse to block a corridor." She felt as if nothing she said was getting through the boy's thick skull and she grew increasingly frustrated. How was she supposed to reason with someone who was too closed-minded to even consider that she might in fact be right (which she was, of course). Goodness, it made her almost want to stamp her foot like a child until she proved her point. However, she refrained.

She ignored the peculiar expression on his face, pursing her lips and scowling back at him. "No one mentioned anything about owning this hallway. However, there's a different between owning and being respectful. Sitting in the middle of the walkway is hardly respectful towards those using it for its true purpose. I'd suggest that next time you find a proper chair," she sniffed haughtily.

"And besides," Anne added as an afterthought, "while my family doesn't own this hallway, they have made impressive contributions to this school. Place one foot in the wrong place and you can trust that my father will hear about this."

Clearly she wasn't understanding what he was trying to get at with this. She seemed stubborn, almost as stubborn as himself, not that he thought that last part. Dominik couldn't help but snort with laughter at her last statement. Really, did this girl take him for a coward? Even if he was a bit self conscious about himself, he didn't think he looked particularly cowardly. He wasn't even backing down in the least from this argument right now. Dominik wasn't quite sure where she was pulling this impression from. "Your father? What is your father going to do about it?" Really, it didn't matter how many contributions her family made. Her family wasn't here right now.

She was lucky she was a female, or he would have been far more aggressive at the moment. Then again, she wasn't really even acting like a girl at the moment. Girls were supposed to be polite and the blonde seemed far from it, no matter how pretty her face was. He might as well be arguing with another boy right now...

"I am sure that your father has more important things to do than deal with someone sitting in a hall." Dominik of course knew nothing about this girl and her family, but it was a fair deduction. After all, he could think of about one thousand other things more important in like than this issue.

"My family is very prestigious," Anne stated haughtily. She flicked her pigtails back, nose in the air. Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment as the boy laughed at her, causing the rage in her chest to swell. How dare he laugh at her! Why, if she were capable, she'd surely punch him square in the nose. It was a shame she wasn't that powerful, though she was definitely adept at spells and charms."They've made many generous contributions to this school, especially after the second war. Were you to... disrupt something, I'm quite sure he'd be informed. And he wouldn't be happy, I can promise you that."

"It's the principle of the thing," she waved it off, placing her hands on her hips. "You think you can sit anywhere without any regard to the general public and what happens? People get hurt." She shook her head, clicking her tongue against the top of her mouth. It was a shame self-centered people like him existed.

Under normal circumstances, Dominik might have actually been a bit impressed with someone coming from a family as important as she made hers sound. When he was younger he had read up on some important families to pass the time and if she was related to any of those people, she might be worth talking to like a civil person. However, this wasn't the case as all. They had met from an accident, and she was just plain rude and not very charming to speak with. In this case, he was just growing more amused and didn't believe her. There was still a playful smirk in the corners of his lips."Well, be sure to tell your father I said hello then when you tell him. At least I will know what I did wrong and who did it if I go missing or something." It sounded silly when he said it, but he way she was making it sound was that he father could simply make him disappear if he dared break a silly rule.

Dominik listened to he rest of her seemingly endless complaining of his actions. "Oh, right." he pretended to care for a split second, but the illusion quickly wore off as he continued speaking. He tucked his book under one arm, and gave her a careless wave with his now free other limb. "I will keep that in mind for next time." He brought his hands to above his eyes to shield them, and turned around to look up at the statue that they were standing near. "If it is so cruel to sit next to it, do you think I can get up on top?" Half of Dominik did this to irk her, half really wanted to know for future reference.

Anne shook her head, scowling deeply. "You don't understand, do you?" Obviously her name dropping was getting her nowhere. The boy must have been something akin to a muggleborn - or perhaps foreign. "Do you have any idea whom the Kirklands are?" She wondered, eyes narrowing in a scrutinizing manner. "Have you lived under a rock or are you just not from here?" She made a disapproving noise in the back of her throat. She had no problem with foreigners - it was merely their ignorance that bothered her. Personally, if she were to study abroad, she'd do all she could to find out about the culture, history, and people of the country she was visiting. It made no sense to her to not do that. Thus, when she came across people who did just as she wouldn't, her patience was severely tried.

She had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes at Dominik's comment, glancing at the statue he was looking at. "Hmn." She hummed, having nothing to say on the subject. She gave him a withering glance, conveying her thoughts along the lines of I Really Don't Give A Damn without outright saying so, because that would be terribly rude.

The looks he was getting from the girl with the pigtails really wasn't phasing him much still. Truth was that he didn't really understand what on earth Anne was talking about. Sure every school had its well known families in it, but only real jerks used that as an actual threat to another student. He really didn't know anything about the Kirkland family at all, nor did he really have any reason to. "No, I can't say that I am knowing of them. Sorry." His apology clearly wasn't that much of a real apology for any of his actions at all. He let out a small laugh as he looked back to her. "I am not from here, you are correct. I don't know what assumptions you are making of my home but I assure you that it is no rock." This time he didn't look as annoyed with her, and his expression was hinted with a little bit of amusement. He simply ignored the last part of their conversation. Dominik thought that maybe if he did, she would also drop it. If he really had wanted to get on top of that statue he didn't need a second opinion, and he was ninety percent sure that the floor was more comfy anyways.

Anne practically snorted at the boy's naivete. He thought she was making fun of his house? His ignorance, maybe, but hardly his home. She shook her head in disbelief. The boy was built like a brick wall - nothing got through him, it seemed. She held her tongue from voicing all her opinions on such matter, deciding they'd do nothing but get her in trouble (moreso than she already was).

"I'm hardly mocking your house," she stated," speaking of which, where are you from, anyway? Eastern Europe?" Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed him, trying to guess. He was paler than most, hinting that he wasn't from a warmer nation. His accent was peculiar, somewhere between Slavic and Romantic. She eventually gave up and crossed her arms, awaiting his response.

Dominik really wasn't as stupid as the girl seemed to be thinking. He was just joking about part of his statement. It was clear to him that this girl really wasn't making fun of his actual house. If he did believe that, she would be getting a far different reaction from the boy. That would be silly given that she had never been there in her life. For all he knew, she had never even been to the correct country where he was from. Judging by her answer, she actually believed that those were his thoughts which didn't make the odd little smile fade from his face in the least.

"You might not be good with threats, but you are good at guessing!" Dominik felt that he was just stating the obvious with the first part of the sentence. There was no need to bother her more on the subject. He wasn't particularly in the mood to be insulted more by a blonde haired girl with pigtails. "I am from eastern Europe, you are right. My home is back in Romania. I am just visiting here for school." Surely she had to know that, given the circumstances and the fact that there were so many other students in the same program as himself. She had to have noticed that. He was trying very hard not to say anything else rude to her since they had just been bickering moments ago. Truth was part of him liked arguing sometimes.

Something about the Romanian boy seemed peculiar. Anne studied him carefully as he spoke, her eyes slightly narrowed in a calculating way, though it was often mistaken for a semi-glare of sorts. It wasn't his face; that was relatively normal, albeit slightly eastern-European and admittedly attractive, if one was into that sort of thing (which Anne only noticed due to aesthetic purposes. Of course). His hair was long with a peculiar little hat and were those fangs? Yes, that was it. He had fangs. No wonder he seemed odd. Well, he did say he was Romanian. It would make sense. But what was the headmaster thinking, inviting a vampire to the school? Anne's postured stiffened slightly and she begun to eye the boy warily.

"I assume you applied and made it in to the foreign exchange student program, then," she noted with a slight nod of the head. As her brain processed the rest of what the boy had said, her eyes narrowed further and she felt vaguely insults. "Not good at threats? Please. I'm plenty good that them. And I follow through with them, as well." She gritted her teeth, trying not to lash out at this fool.

Though he was used to people staring at him for one reason or another in life, it never got any less irritating to experience. Really, though these two were on far from fantastic terms at the moment, at least they were no longer causing a scene in the hallway. There was no reason for the looks he was currently receiving. They were just chatting, even if it wasn't the most lovely and interesting conversation Dominik had in his life to date. Admittedly, the long stare and sudden change in posture did make him a little uncomfortable since he was a little self conscious. He was used to people poking fun at him for various reasons but it wasn't fun.

Dominik gave her a little nod in return. "Yes, you guessed well again. I am just visiting like the rest of the students. Trust me, it is just as much of a surprise to me as it is to you." The look he was getting was still odd, and it was clear she didn't think that he was all that intelligent. Truth was that Dominik was actually an intelligent boy. He just didn't show it well or act like it. Back in Romania he always got in trouble so he wasn't exactly expecting them to let him into another school. He couldn't help but smile at what was clearly a threat to him. It was funny how tough she was trying to be. He wasn't scared in the least. "Oh, I see. Well I will be on the lookout for any more of your frightening threats." This wasn't sincere, and he was still taking it as more of a joke. It was obvious by his expression.

To him there was nothing to be scared of. He was taller than her and he was ninety nine percent sure he was much more muscular. All he saw was a cute blonde schoolgirl, which was actually very rude of him to dismiss her like that. Even if he did still wish she would stop talking so she would actually be cuter, he was having a little fun. "I have to warn you though, I always follow through on my threats too." His tone was still playful, teasing almost, even if he was serious. He didn't back down from threats. It was just fun to watch her get all angry though.

Though the Briton supposed her starting was rude, Anne could hardly help it. Perhaps it was the fact he seemed vaguely vampiric, in which case she felt it was her duty as a Prefect to inform the Headmaster of what he had done, as she was sure someone as prestigious and all-knowing as the Headmaster had never once supposed one of his exchange students was of another magical and potentially dangerous race. But how was she to bring it up into conversation? She could hardly outright ask if he was a vampire. No, she'd have to be subtle. And yet, was there really a subtle way to bring up whether or not one's companion in conversation was a blood-sucking, souless deamon hell-bent on ruining the lives of others? Not that Anne would stereotype, of course.

"Well, if you were lucky enough to make it into the program I suppose you're mentally capable to be studying at this establishment," she drawled, giving him the benefit of the doubt, though she couldn't help but show off her own intelligence. Modesty, in some cases, wasn't her top priority. She pondered his words for a moment, pursing her lips and managing to appear bored at the same time. "Hopefully we'll be on well enough terms to where I won't have to threaten you..."

She raised her eyebrows, letting a silent but if I do... hang in the air threateningly, warning to him heed her words with great caution. She was a force to be reckoned with when it game to dueling with magic. After all, she was a Kirkland. She learned to be better than the best. It was what Kirklands did.

"Of course I am." he replied quickly with the smallest hint of annoyance in his voice. He hated when people questioned his intelligence and actually seemed serious about it. Though the girl in front of him didn't appear to be as angered and throwing around insults as when they first stumbled upon each other, she was still giving him that look. Dominik, of course, had no way of knowing what the girl was really thinking about when she stared at him so rudely. Given the current circumstances, he couldn't assume it was for any type of good or flattering reason. "If I was not, I am sure that they would have picked someone better than me to come." Though it wasn't a lie that he was intelligent, part of him did always wonder if they just wanted to get rid of him back in Romania.

"That would be nice. I have to tell you that arguing isn't on my list of favorite things to do in life." It wasn't on his favorites, but it seemed to be something that he tended to do quite often. All he really wanted to do right now was to continue reading the poor, abused, book that was still being held in his arms. The way she had ended talking though, Dominik couldn't help but snort lightly in amusement. "I guess we will have to see. It would be a shame to have to hurt that pretty face of yours." Once again, it was simply a joke, but he supposed it could work either way. He did have a horrible sense of humor. Though he might like to talk rudely when needed, he really didn't like being rude to females...unless they weren't even acting like ladylike in the first place. "Speaking of faces, is there something on mine?" Dominik removed a hand that had been on the book, patting himself on the cheek lightly. "I can't help but notice that you won't stop staring." Maybe if he pointed it out, she would stop and brush it off, he hoped.

Anne clicked her tongue, somewhat annoyed at the boy's tone. He appeared disgruntled and affronted by her words. He seemed almost defensive, too, about his position in the school. She even allowed herself an eyeroll. "That's what I said," she reiterated, allowing her annoyance to seep into her tone of voice. Let him be aware that this argument wasted her precious time. It would be rude to simply walk away in the middle of it (though it was rude of her to appear annoyed, however, she didn't focus on that part). "Consider yourself lucky. Hogwarts is a very prestigious institution. Some of the brightest minds in Europe have studied here." She paused. "Though, I hardly think any of them were in Gryffindor."

Her nose crinkled slightly at the word, house rivalry becoming apparant. Her expression was as if even saying the word Gryffindor left a bad taste in her mouth. She had been taught that the stupidly brave or bravely stupid called that house home. Nothing ambitious or worthwhile about them.

However, when caught staring, Anne's cheeks flared brightly. She stuck her nose in the air, trying to keep some semblance of dignity. He caught her staring! What if he taught she was, heaven forbid, interested in him romantically (though he was very attractive)? She blushed even worse.

"Your teeth," she admitted, deciding the truth was the best in this case. "They're. Well, pointy. You don't happen to have vampire blood in you? If I may ask, that is."

Perhaps Anne was lucky that she picked an insult that wasn't all that insulting to him at this moment in time. It was clear that there were ill intentions behind her words, but it didn't hit him the way it might have if he had attended Hogwarts from year one of his education. "Yes, I know that it is a great school. I wouldn't have bothered to come all the way here otherwise." This was somewhat a lie. He desperately wanted to get away from home for a bit and probably would have applied for transfer no matter what school was printed on the paper. "I am sure that there were great minds in all houses here, and I think that if you asked around, you would see that better ones were Gryffindors." With this, he looked at the nearest student walking by, then back to the girl, as if daring her to ask. Though he was new here, he knew that the house she was in had a not so nice reputation. Dominik himself honestly didn't care, something about that house fascinated him and even that strange hat he was forced to be sorted by his first day at school picked up this fact.

Like he had told her before, he wasn't an idiot. Dominik could tell instantly that his previous statements about staring had worked by quickly judging her facial expression. Even if she was trying to hide it, he could see the blush on her light skin. It was admittedly an odd reaction, but he didn't blame her. Call him egotistical, but he had always been told he was a handsome kid. Plus, it was kind of funny. At first, he had the same amused grin on his face that had been there since the start.

This time though, it was his turn for a bit of a surprise. He should have called it, seeing as this happened more often in his life than he could count. It was an odd thing though, since he learned people could be cruel about things people were born into and couldn't help. Dominik's expression faltered for a moment as he looked away and realized this was just another of those times. "Well, that is awfully rude to ask someone." came out with a clear grumble of annoyance. He would have much preferred she was just looking at him because she found him attractive or something. Dominik looked back to the other blonde. "Yes, I do if you have to be knowing everything. From my father, just in case you needed to know." He was just referring to the fact that she seemed to like to talk about families so much. "You have found out my plans. I get cute females to trip over me and then I drag them off." There was a small pause, then a little smirk made its way onto his face as he tried not to laugh at his own horrible joke at himself.

_{((...the later at night that I reply, the longer they get oops))}

"Better?" Anne's upper lip curled in distaste, her eyes narrowing. Her heart throbbed at a chance to argue once more and show this kid how very intelligent she was (and how much more right she was, too). "Hardly. You Gryffindors think you're so great just because you had Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter in your house." She wrinkled her nose. While she admired the two greatly, she'd never let on as such. It would be against her house, not to mention her family. Why, if her mother could see her now, chatting with a Romanian Gryffindor boy, she'd be whisked home in an instant.

Anne bristled at Dominik's cute little joke about vampires, her cheeks flaring once more, this time with anger. "I didn't mean it like that, you twit!" She harumphed, arms crossing defensively over her chest. "I'm not an idiot. Having vampiric ancestry doesn't necessarily make you a vampire. I doubt they would invite a full vampire into the school. That would be extremely dangerous. You're probably harmless," she assumed, "nothing but a pair of useless fangs and vampiric looks."

(That's okay!)

"You cannot deny that those are some great people. I doubt either of us would be standing in this very spot right now if it weren't for people like that." She couldn't be dumb enough to deny those facts. From what he had read, this school probably wouldn't even be in existence to this day, and the outside world would have been in just as much trouble. "So, that is leading me to believe that it is a bit better!" Dominik seemed a bit smug with his answer, just because seeing her expressions gave him an odd little satisfaction. Plus, feeling slightly important about oneself was always a nice confidence booster.

Dominik was a bit taken aback at first, since he was used to people just being mean to him about the issue at hand. "Well of course they wouldn't let that. You would be surprised how often people forget that vampires aren't considered wizards." Judging by the way this girl seemed to be pretty smart, he figured she would have known something as commonplace as that. So maybe she was right, he was just left looking odd with some obnoxious little quirks from that part of his bloodline, but he had to admit to being a little disappointed that his little joke didn't even seem to phase her. "Maybe, but they are not totally useless. Maybe you shouldn't test it, Miss Kirkland?" Dominik was giving her a little smile still. All he really meant was that it would hurt more if he was to bite someone as opposed to a regular person. It was at this point that he realized he didn't really know her name, which was always a horrible situation. It is bad to not know the name of people who might hate you. All he knew was her last name.

Out of sheer stubbornness, Anne didn't want to admit that Dominik was partially right. Had it not been for great people like Dumbledore Hogwarts wouldn't be standing. Her lips pursed and she almost hesitated to speak. "I suppose there were great people from each house. But let's not get ahead of ourselves and say that Gryffindor is better," she warned, not liking the smug look on the boy's face. If anyone was going to be smug it was going to be her, not a silly little Gryffindor (not that she was prejudiced, of course).

"It's stupid," she stated flatly, for once saying her views aloud (though it almost seemed blasphemous to say such things and be a Kirkland all at once. Would she be smitted? Was smitted even the proper word? Perhaps it was smote?) "To assume a being can't be magical merely because said being is of a different race. It's uneducated. Of course vampires are beings that can possess magic. They are, after all, a subspecies of human. To believe one is above another based on blood status and race is pure idiocy."

"Bite me and I'll hex you," Anne deadpanned, eyes sparking, daring him to try something. "Doing such a thing is unsanitary and vile. I shan't be testing your useless little theory because you want to appear dangerous," she snorted, rolling her eyes.

The smug expression only stayed on his face since he was feeling successful. Though she hadn't outright admitted that he was right, he knew that she realized it and that was good enough for him. Dominik just gave a small nod of agreement to what she was saying over the issues of houses. When she stated her views on the other issue at hand, he had to admit that he was a bit surprised. She seemed quite snooty and wouldn't have expected such from someone he assumed was like that. "Heh, yes you are correct. It is stupid." For once it seemed they were in agreement over something. Shocking. For a moment, he was intently looking at her to see if it was just a mean joke, but she seemed serious. "People really are idiots."

Then there was that expression again. "I don't have diseases, promise. Plus I actually wasn't planning on it. Please keep your hexes to yourself!" Dominik's eyebrows furrowed a bit as he looked at her, and he wondered if she really thought he was that disgusting. He found himself tapping his fingers lightly on the hard cover of the book he was still holding on to. It wasn't like he hadn't showered or brushed his teeth today. He was a bit paranoid that this girl was going to hex him sometime for no reason since she was so insistent on it. Maybe studying them all the time wouldn't be so useless on his end.

"Of course I'm correct," Anne sneered, arms crossing. "If we're going to be discussing superiority, it should be decided by nothing but merit. Who cares if you have a "better" skin color if you can barely read. Power shouldn't be had by the stupid." She shook her head, having met, on more than one occasion, a relatively dumb person who wielded way too much power. "I think humans are stupid by nature," she murmured, "as the majority seem to follow such a pattern." After all, not everyone could be smart. In fact, the majority of people Anne had met were increasingly self-involved and altogether uneducated (luckily this fellow wasn't too bad. Some of her classmates, though...).

"I don't care if you don't think you have a disease. You still could. There are hidden diseases, after all," She narrowed her eyes for a moment, watching him closely, deciding whether or not he was telling the truth. She let up with a sigh. He hadn't made a movement towards her, so it seemed alright. She had to keep her guard up, though, just in case. He did look rather fearful of her hexes and she had to suppress a self-satisfied smirk. Oh, how she had missed striking fear into people's hearts. Perhaps this fellow could do with a little fear. He looked a little soft, after all.