Chapter Text
Simon
Baz is sneering at me from across the dining hall. This is par for the course with us. Baz has a habit of sneering at me, usually as a result of me glaring at him. Which I’ll admit to often doing. It isn’t my fault that he is evil and evil people should be glared at, so they know they aren’t getting away with hiding their evilness. Baz thinks he is the master at hiding his plots.
So I glare at Baz to inform him that he isn't fooling me with his perfect hair and perfect grades, and how he always seems to know everything about anything, or how good he is at football. I know his true nature, and I feel it is my duty as the Hero of Mages or whatever to remind him of this constantly. I can’t have him thinking I'm getting complacent.
“Simon.” I hear Penny’s voice seconds before I feel her poke me in the side. Hard enough to make me drop my scone. I stare at the scone crumbled on my plate before lifting my head to meet her annoyed stare. “Have you been listening to me at all?” she asks.
I shrug. “Sure.”
She does not look convinced. “Then repeat the last thing I said.”
“Umm,” I say, worried, until inspiration strikes (as it rarely does with me). “Have you been listening to me at all,” I quote in my best Penny voice, and give her a toothy grin.
Penny looks even more unimpressed with my reply. “Don’t try to be witty Simon you know you’ll end up cutting yourself on the words.”
Agatha hides a laugh into her tea. She’s my girlfriend shouldn’t she be on my side? And doesn’t that mean she can’t laugh at me? I shoot her a look.
Agatha gives me a fond look in return. “Just because we’re dating Simon doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to laugh at you sometimes.”
I frown. Am I always that predictable? Do I wear my emotions on my sleeve at all times?
“You’re an open book Si,” Penny confirms my unspoken thoughts.
This makes me frown deeper. I pick my scone back up and take a bite.
Now Penny’s lips are turning up again. “Don’t make that face. It’s endearing.”
I raise my eyebrows (or I try to anyway). I can never manage to raise them properly. My entire forehead comes with them, so I always end up just looking confused. Baz can raise one eyebrow, and he never looks confused (the bastard).
“Anyway,” Penny says, interrupting my eyebrow woes. “Now that I have your attention.” She gives me a look. “I do have your attention, right?”
I’m trying not to roll my eyes. I know that I can go off into my head sometimes, but she doesn’t have to be rude about it. Penny is constantly talking, and sometimes I can’t keep up, so I end up tuning her out. She knows this about me, and she usually isn’t too bothered by it. Penny once told me I'm like her soundboard. She’ll tell me all about her ideas because hearing them said out loud helps her think, even if I am not fully listening. Penny claims she can hear the faults in her logic easier or something. For my part, I find her voice soothing. It calms me down and lets me not think for a while. It works for us.
So this must be important if me not paying attention is making her so disgruntled. “Yeah Pen I’m listening,” I answer.
“Good because this kind of concerns you,” Penny tells me.
Agatha snorts and somehow the sound isn’t unladylike. I’m not sure how she does that. “What doesn’t around here?” she mutters and adds another sugar cube to her tea. She’s already added three, and even I think four is a bit much for one cuppa.
Penny ignores her. “Have you heard anything from The Mage recently?” she asks me.
I shake my head. “No, not since first term.”
Penny’s expression shifts a little, but whatever feeling that inspired it is gone before I can register it. “Right well there have been reports lately of magicians losing their ability to speak with magic.”
“They’re losing their voice?” I ask, and I can’t help but glance over at Baz. He tried to steal my voice in fifth year. I know this even if I can’t prove it. Baz doesn’t look up to meet my glare as he is too busy adding another sugar cube to his tea. He adds even more sugar than Agatha does. I’d be willing to bet he already has four in there. He drinks his tea disgustingly pale and sugary. You’d think with his whole vampire evilness he’d drink it bitter and black, but Baz lives to be contradictory.
Penny shakes her head. “No, they aren’t losing their voice, Simon. I’d have said that if it were the case. I said they are losing their ability to speak with magic. Whenever they cast a spell, it doesn’t land.” She looks grim but also has that layer of curiosity that always preludes one of our missions. I feel a sense of resignation overcome me. I didn’t think we'd manage to go through a full year without some sort of crisis, but I was hoping to have one semester of peace. Guess I should be thankful we lasted as long as we did, all the way to third term this time. That’s a new record.
Agatha, in contrast, looks apathetic though she tries to appear interested. “In England?” she asks.
“Yes,” Penny answers. “My dad has been called in to take a look. They think it has something to do with the Humdrum.”
Agatha begins to butter a croissant which means she has fully checked out of the conversation. I’m not sure what her deal is lately, but ever since last year, she’s been less inclined to listen to any topics regarding my grand destiny. I can’t say I blame her. I’m getting a bit tired of it all too.
“Right,” I say when Penny stops talking and starts staring at me. “What?” I ask when several seconds have passed.
“You know what,” Penny says. “We need to figure this out.”
Why can’t we leave this to the adults for once? Is what I want to say. Instead, I say, “Yeah I know. Let’s meet up in the library after class.”
Penny is satisfied with this, and she turns to poke Agatha. I dunno when Penny decided that poking her friends was an okay way to get their attention. Her nails are too sharp for that. “Are you coming with us Ags?” she asks.
My girlfriend shakes her head. “I have homework,” she excuses. “Maybe tomorrow.”
Penny is clearly unsurprised by this as she is already turning to face me. “I’ll see you in class then. I have that essay for Magic Words due today that I wanted to look over before turning in.” She picks up her dishes and stands up. “Start thinking of theories,” she calls to me over her shoulder.
What theories? I’m not sure what exactly she thinks I will come up with, Penny is the smart one. I just hit things with a sword.
Or go off
I shake my head to clear it before shoving the last of my scone into my mouth and standing up. “Want to take a walk around the grounds before class starts?” I ask Agatha as I pick up my dishes.
Agatha finishes off her tea and smiles at me. “Sounds lovely Simon.”
We put our dishes in the proper bins and head towards the doors. I take Agatha’s hand as we pass by Baz’s table.
Baz meets my eyes briefly. I give him one last glare for good measure as I leave the dining hall.
I can feel his eyes on me before the door cuts them off.