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[ They were paired up in transfiguration class in order to split up the houses. Ravenclaws and Gryffindors working together to promote cooperation between houses or some such nonsense. Jake wasn't really that concerned about who was paired with who. He was far too distracted trying to perform this charm and transform the hat on top of... well... he didn't remember what the guy said his name was! But on top of his partner's head!

So with a little flick of his wand and some mumbled words there was... a huge flash of blue light!

Oh, that's not what was supposed to happen at all. ]

[ It was pretty much all but completely and utterly appalling for him to see realize who he'd been paired with. Normally, they were always allowed to pick their own partners and predictably like he did every year, he'd picked his twin and lounged in the back with his impassive, too cool expression and generally stopped her from making her grades turn to shit with her occasional glitch in judgement.

But this house unity business apparently extended into forcing communication amongst the houses, and he's been stuck with none other than Jake English, the bane of his otherwise boring, but perfectly acceptable school existence. He's not impressed.

His arms are crossed over his chest, and with that flash of blue light, the tittering laughter around them, and the slight tingling to his scalp and decidedly not the hat on his head, he can tell something is horribly, horribly wrong. In a voice with forced calm, but with definitely warning all over it, he's glade for his shades and how they hide his ever mounting panic behind the anger and calm ]

What, English, did you do?

[ Jake stares in silent horror, his jaw going slack for a minute as he realizes his mistake. Really, this is a pretty simple one all things considered. He didn't do any permanent damage (for once), and nothing lit on fire (also for once)! The problem was the spell hadn't quite worked out the way he intended and... well...

Maybe it was better if his partner hear didn't know about the mistakes he'd made on the spell. It was something that would hopefully wear off given a little time, and it was a lovely shade of blue as it was!! ]

Nothing really. It looks like a botched spell, nothing came out of it!

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[That is pretty much the lamest thing he's ever heard in his life]

Which is it, the botched spell or nothing happened? [The more people are laughing around him, the more he wants to permanently harm Jake English. It was bad enough that he'd been paired with the boy who, he'd sort of followed with his eyes his entire school career, the dorky jock who inexplicably charmed everyone into like him, but to have the embarrassing result he'd been expecting not be him and his crush, but Jake? It's a little disappointing to find out that the fit the jock stereotype too, because there is no way he's assuming this was unintentional.

He's pissed the teacher decided to take a moment to leave the room, and whips the hat off his head with the attention of grabbing at a strand of his hair and pulling it to eye level]

English!

[ Why can't it be both? Nothing's to say that he preformed a spell and it was botched because nothing at all happened! Of course, more often than not if you wave a wand at something and light comes out, the likelihood that nothing came out of that is pretty slim.

It's not like he really has a chance to argue that case though, because it looks like D- whatever the frig his name was is not discovering exactly what he did wrong.

Quick, English, think of something to make this better! ]

It's a very flattering color on you!

[ Oh... you blew it, man. ]

Colour?!

[He yanks so hard on his air he winces a little around the eyes, not that Jake can see it, and he immediately clenches his jaw and hands in anger. It's blue. His hair, perfectly looked after, normal and not causing him to stand out, is...]

You think blue is flattering. [Flat, deadpan, and most definitely not a question] I wouldn't say nothing had happened, Jake English, are you interested in the particulars of why?

[Don't answer that, he doesn't care why. And the calm totally cracks as he's slamming his hand on their shared work space and leaning threateningly forward to shout] Because my hair's fucking blue!

[ Jake cringes at that outburst, leaning back as the now bluely colored boy leans forward. ]

It's nothing dangerous though! Nothing that can't be fixed easily enough. If you'll give me a minute I'm sure I can figure out how to turn your hair back to normal!

[Oh hell to the no, and he's making a move for Jake's wand immediately]

If I let you at my hair with your wand, my head is going to look like a frozen tree. All of the nice, incorrectly seasonal colouring of my follicles are going to end up on the ground. The natural conclusion I could draw from this, is that I could see Madam Pompfrey, or I could continue with the lesson.

I value my education, English. The transfiguration spell is quite similar to one used to inanimate objects for tasks, such as...Biting. Your glasses are awful close to the top of your head.

I think we should leave my hair the way it is, don't you?

[ Oh... hey that's his :C Wiggling his fingers around now that he has nothing to hold onto.

Also it doesn't take long for him to realize that Dirk is making threats and oh shit... OH SHIT! Lunging for his wand again. ]

I think it's best you give that back and go see Madam Pompfrey right away!

[He's leaning back in his seat to avoid him, and he's twirling it between his fingers, all smug anger. He can't use it, it's not his wand and who knows what sort of results it would yield, but he's not giving it to him either for a variety of reasons]

No. I don't trust you to try anyway. I think I'll see her after class, and owl it to you later.

[ Just because it's not his wand doesn't mean he can't try to use it. Jake's done that before when he's gotten into scrapes here at school! Admittedly one of those attempted ended him in the clinic for quite a few days, but that's really neither here nor there!

He's making another grab for it, all but crawling on top of Dirk to snatch it back. I'm sorry, does Dirk have a sense of personal space he doesn't want invaded? OOPS too bad. ]

You can't keep my wand!

[Yes, but Dirk behaves a lot more intelligently, most of the time. That's exactly what he has, Jake and he's leaning back farther, the skin at the base of his neck flushing a little.

Oh...Oh god, why did he have to do this on top of the rest of it? He'd done so well, up until now, hiding his crush on Jake]

I'm not going to keep it, if you'd been listening! I'll owl it.

[The free hand he's got is planting flat on his chest to start pushing him back] You might want to calm down, before you earn the both of us detention and I'm not scrubbing trophies for your stupidity.

[ The clear discomfort this guy seems to be feeling, and the hand on the chest aren't exactly doing anything to stop Jake. He's just fighting against it, pushing closer, making another grab for that wand.

Suffice to say, he's pretty much literally in Dirk's lap at this point.

...

People are staring. ]

Give it back and I assure you I will!

[Losing his cool, just a little and he's trying to wrangle out of his grasp a little more, without resorting to using his own wand.

He'd been so successful at getting people to leave him alone, at being nothing more than just acknowledged for being Roxy's brother]

Get off me!

[ Well, people probably aren't going to forget one boy straddling another in class for a long time to come. The original accident itself was bad enough and would generate some buzz, but the way Jake is on top of him at this point? Yeah, nope... Sorry, Dirk. It'll be a little bit before rumors die down. ]

I already told you what to do if you want me to leave you be! Just had it over!

[You know what, Jake? You want your wand so bad, how about he just shoves it right up your nose and then gives another huge shove to his arm to try and topple him off sideways.

Hopefully with less resistance this time. He is seriously considering swapping schools at this point]

There, happy?

[ Great success! Because down Jake goes, falling onto the ground, having already let go of Dirk the moment a piece of wood was jammed up his nose and falling with a loud thud to the ground. That would all be painful enough if not for the even louder bang that followed as Jake's grappling at his face wiggles his wand around in an unfortunate way while still lodged up his nose and a massive red cloud fills the air around him, complete obscuring him from view.

The good news is that he's still coughing, so he's probably not dead. The bad news is he's probably not going to have a chance to answer that question. ]