...
With Daphne and Blaise gone for the Yule holidays, Rodrick found himself waking up to more free time than he'd accounted for.
Particularly due to the fact he'd already finished half of his holiday assigned work the previous night. Having accidentally kept one Theodore Nott awake in the process. The boy, the only other from his dorm to stay for that matter, had decided to try to match him on his quest to finish early; to unfortunate circumstances. That been oversleeping with frankly not much to show for it.
Evidently, besides the more practical subjects, the boy was very behind in everything school-related.
Still, aside from staying up far past his usual bedtime- his grandfather wasn't the most agreeable person during this particular time of year. A tired Rodrick found himself rather looking forward to what the day held for him.
With that in mind, he'd promptly set himself up on one of the many dungeon sofa's, a mug of hot chocolate in his hands, despite the stares it seemed to receive from the upper years around him, and what was supposed to be an outdated book on magical theory in front of him.
Why it was considered outdated, he wasn't sure.
Still, he'd made plans to enjoy his drink and read about one particularly stubborn Dark Witch whose only crime that blacklisted her as the aforementioned stereotype amounted to trying to resurrect her dead husband. Though whether she was the cause of said death, remains to be seen.
At any rate that was the point one Tracey Davis, with a look of complete determination, promptly snatched said book away with a resounding no that seemed to echo around him. Figuratively speaking of course, though it certainly felt that way.
"Nope. You are not wasting your first holiday here on studying!" The girl remarked, idly reaching into her pocket as she withdrew what looked suspiciously like a set of cards.
"But-"
"The only thing you should be worrying about is having fun!" She added on, pointing a finger at him.
"N-"
Tracey crossed her arms, pinning him with a glare.
He, given he figured she was joking, mock-glared back.
She promptly grabbed his hot chocolate and threatened to give it to the squid housed outside the castle.
He sighed in response when he realized she was been completely serious.
The failed excerpt on Necromancy was evidently going to have to wait.
Almost as if she could read the acceptance on his face, the girl gave him a beaming smile as she sat on the opposite side of the table, idly placing the deck of cards between them.
"Now, have you ever played Battledraw before?"
"..." He refused to answer the obvious question, merely raising an eyebrow in response.
"Right then, these are the rules! So pay attention- hey, look's like you're going to learn something after all!" The girl had the gall to say to him with a straight face.
...
"A lady's realm is a cause worth fighting for!" The King's playing card, in Tracey's hand, remarked as its image drew up a longsword.
Meanwhile, on his side (hand) his own King's card stared at him through narrowed eyes, its picture's gaze moving between him and his opponent.
"Boy, you best be thinking with your head, lest I set my men on you for treason."
It was admittedly surreal getting threatened by a playing card. As magical as it was.
The difference in said cards' reactions to both of them on the other hand was clearly premade.
By who? He didn't have a clue.
He doubted the shop they had come from would willfully antagonize half of it's potential customers.
The game itself seemed simple enough to understand. Each player started with a king's card, meaning that the total number of players could go up to four- The extra kings were of course removed from said deck as each player was only allowed one. Each turn, one was allowed to draw one card- with the choice of whether they wanted to immediately place said card on the table been up to them.
The rules themselves dictated they can only place one unless they held multiple of the same number, suit or it followed a certain order. Meaning one could theoretically draw up a number of cards, and hold off playing any until they had enough to win in one turn. Provided those cards were in a set order, for example, the numbers five, six, and seven, one could place all of them in a singular turn. They could also play multiple cards of the same suit and/or number.
Or, as he'd elected to start with, they could play any singular card each turn.
The goal of the game was to set up seven cards in total, barring the starting king, at which point the game promptly ended regardless of whether the other had reached the same number of cards. The card total was then counted based on the numbers shown with the Jack and Queen been equal in value to the highest numbers on the field(regardless of the owner of said card), once again barring the king.
The one with the higher score, not necessarily the number of cards, was declared the winner.
And whether it was by divine luck or not, Rodrick found himself with a rather tough starting line up to beat.
In that, he'd somehow successfully drew four Queens and three Jack's within his first seven turns.
He had a feeling Tracey had forgotten to shuffle the deck.
Not that the girl had agreed of course, given she'd blamed it on 'beginner's luck.'
...
"Forgive my insolent men for failing you previously! Whence we reach our foretold victory, I shall have them hanged!" Tracey's King roared, the image this time drew hundreds of ropes behind the disgruntled leader.
"That's not really necessary..." Tracey deadpanned, staring at her card in a new light.
Much like the first attempt, Tracey had found herself losing her second. This time, however, she'd somehow forgotten to actually count her total before she'd decided to prematurely end the game in his favor.
...
"You are clearly a worthy adversary! But a thrice fooling shall not be permitted!" Tracey's King, this time, turned it's gaze as it spoke directly to a very amused Rodrick.
He very much doubted that.
By the fourth turn, Tracey found herself with a startling realization she was about to lose as she counted all of the aces in her hand.
...
"Perhaps my queen was wrong, for fortune clearly favors the realm of men..." Tracey, in response, unceremoniously flicked the speaking card onto the table, earning a harrumph out of it.
After that particularly go, the girl had questioned him on potential cheating, effectively saying so by asking him to keep his wand on the table and in sight at all times.
...
"...Do you require help with strategy? For you clearly seem to lack any." Tracey's King stated, its image almost unmoving as the girl holding the card twitched in response.
It didn't help.
Mostly because said king's advice didn't account for one's luck.
...
"...Men... Prepare yourselves for another defeat." Tracey's King remarked morosely, the color tone of the card taking on a darker outlook.
Rodrick felt tempted to let the girl win following that one.
Alas, fate it seemed refused to agree given the fact he'd kept on receiving the higher end of cards.
He doubted the girl would feel all too victorious if she won because he chose not to place a single card on his side of the field.
Out of common courtesy, Rodrick offered to shuffle the deck for her.
Tracey, in very little words, and some very vigorous shuffling, didn't seem to agree.
...
"Girl, you have wasted more of my army than an attack against a high ground-"
"And that's enough of that! Merlin, luck or not, you are ridiculous to play against, you know that?" Tracey pouted as she promptly started collecting her magical deck, earning a sheepish expression from him in the process.
"Breakfast?" Rodrick questioned in response, his own King currently too busy celebrating his victories; judging by the intoxicated expression on his face.
"I doubt that's still being served... Though going there might be for the best. Before I rip up my dad's gift out of frustration."
"Would you feel better if I'd let you win?"
"...Not if you told me that you let me win."
His luck however seemed to choose that moment to come to an end, given the Slytherin Prefect that had shown up to their side of the dungeon. The Prefect that came with an order from the headmaster himself. The man evidently wanting to see him again for some reason or another.
And after asking said Prefect for directions to the man's office, directions the sixth year was willing to give, he wasn't entirely sure what the wizard had meant with the words 'Sugar Quills.'
Still, Tracey to his surprise chose then and there to prove herself a true friend as she offered to delay her intake of food in favor of accompanying him to the figurative dragon's den.
Even if a small part of him firmly believed the girl just didn't want to go to said lunch hall alone.
Not that he could blame her of course.
According to word around the dungeons, said headmaster had, in a... confusing attempt at unifying the houses, more or less forced all of the remaining students to eat together on the same table.
By quite literally vanishing the other three.
It certainly didn't help that the majority of the students staying behind during the holiday happened to be Gryffindors.
..
Hope You Enjoyed! Don't Forget Feedback!