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Well, it seems like he was able to catch her attention, and she even put a bookmark into the book she was reading. Ooh, this was serious business. It was a running gag in the Slytherin house that you couldn't distract Csuri from a book, yet here he was, Vikram Bhattacharyya, getting her to put a bookmark into her book. Score another win for him. He put a mental tally on the scoreboard between him and Csuri... then mentally erased one of hers because calling him annoying was actually a compliment. A smile crossed his face and he turned ever so slightly to look over at her and her bubble of space. Meanwhile he was surrounded by people, those he called his adoring fans. "Actually, I think it'd make me more annoying, right? I can zip around the castle much faster and nimbler than the charity case you got there." He was, of course, referring to the broom he'd secretly helped her win the year prior. But he knew that she absolutely hated charity and anything seeming like help to her. But oh boy, it would be fun to see the reaction on her face...

Vikram chuckled at Csuri's response since it was such a Csuri thing to say; she deflected his jab at her free broom with "facts". Psh... of course she'd chuck the broom in the trash if she learned that he'd probably helped her win it last year. The tickets he'd won from the obstacle course, as well as several he purchased himself, had all been put into her name instead of his. He didn't need to win a broom, he bought himself a new one every year. "Of course that's something you'd say; you wouldn't know a good broom if it hit you in the face." He continued smirking, thinking it funny to be insulting the girl you had a crush on. Hearts were weird, weren't they? She'd definitely punch him if she knew he had a crush on her, but such is the way. You gotta pull on the girl's braids to let her know you like her, right?

Csuri's defense of her broom was weak and he was sure that everyone else at the table knew it. Even her jab was weak. But Vikram knew something about her that many of the others probably didn't and that came from watching her in class and attempting to manage things in Quidditch as Brianna's vice captain. Before he even knew it, the words were leaving his mouth in his traditional whip-like fashion. "At least I can do basic math. C'mon Curry, what's five times ten? Without counting on your fingers then, luv." He felt bad as soon as the words had left his mouth, but what was done was done. He had to keep a smirk on his face otherwise people would know he felt sorry for what he said. Vikram had to win this otherwise his reputation would feel the effects. And Csuri would never let him live it down if he turned around and apologized for saying something. Of course, it might hurt his chances with her, but he was convinced the fact that she engaged in his verbal jabs meant that she cared something about what he said. So maybe this wouldn't absolutely sink his chances with her...

The teen watched his opponent as she struggled not to count on her fingers, then she got overly flustered. She declared that she didn't have to prove anything to him, which drew a laugh from him. No witty retort, no quirky comeback, not even a mean name, just his last name spat at him. It was hard to make Bhattacharyya into an insult, especially given what it meant. He considered telling her that she was complimenting him and calling him smart by trying to use his last name as an insult. But then he thought, best to coast through on the victory of watching her hide behind her book like a defeated kitten. She'd tried to pounce on a tiger and got her nape nipped. He clasped his hands behind his head and would have leaned back if there was anything to lean against. He would take this victory. Mentally, he added another tally to his name on the scoreboard in his head.

God, the end of this day could not come soon enough! Sure, it had started out as great as any day. It was time to return to Hogwarts, which meant that Hesperia could see her friends again and she was especially excited to see her boyfriend again. She'd worked hard all summer at her grandparents' shop so that she would have money to do all sorts of things with him. After breakfast with her grandparents, her mother had woken up to join them on their trip to the train station. Hesperia had felt bad for her mother since she'd been sick for a about a week now, so she was glad that her mother was feeling well enough to join them. However her bad feelings quickly evaporated when her mother shared with them that she was pregnant and, of course, she didn't know who the father was. Hesperia was going to be a big sister! Normally that kind of news was good news, but not for her. Mostly because her mother still acted like she was a teenager and that meant that her grandparents would be raising the baby like they'd raised her. And it also meant her mother would expect her to babysit on breaks because she couldn't be arsed to act like an adult. Why had she waited until the platform to tell them all of this?! Hesperia had been so angry she practically screamed! Without even saying goodbye, she'd stormed off and boarded the train, steaming the entire time.

Her train ride back didn't help at all either because her best friend, her boyfriend, and a majority of her other friends were Prefects which meant that she'd been riding alone. And probably because of the pissed aura she was giving off, no one had joined her in the cabin. So she'd stayed by herself, steaming and grumbling about how pissed off she was. At least when the train got to the station, Kasamir had found her to escort her off the train. But even then, even after the long trip from London to Scotland, Hesperia was still pissed and she might have been a little rude to her boyfriend, who just seemed happy to see her. Sitting at the table with her arms crossed over her chest and a red tinge to her cheeks, Hesperia finally huffed and sighed. "I'm sorry," she said to him, finally turning to look over at her boyfriend. "I... I had a really bad experience today... I don't... I'll tell you later, okay?" She didn't want to think about it anymore. Being angry for so long was tiring. At least she didn't punch anything because she doubted Csuri would be there to fix her wrist again. And metal probably hurt way more than wood. "Damn, I wish I had a lolli right now..." She hated that she craved... blood when she was angry. But all her blood lollipops were in her trunk because she hadn't planned on needing one for the train ride. While the Sorting feast was going on, Hesperia began to gnash her teeth together, waiting anxiously for the food to arrive.

Sometimes Hesperia hated how angry she could get and she blamed it on the half of her that was, in her opinion, a monster. It would probably take her a few days to cool off completely, and she was definitely not talking to her mother for a while. But Kas was coming to her rescue as he produced a package of the lollipops in question from his jacket pocket. Without hesitation, she tore into the pack and popped one into her mouth, crushing hard on it to break it apart so that she could get some instant relief. Then he spoke Greek to her, which was sweet, even if his Greek wasn't the best. "Fank you," she said with the lollipop still in her mouth. Swallowing what she was crunching on, she flashed a small smile, then responded to him in Greek. "Tha ekplageís, Vóreio Astéri mou. Boreí na eínai tóso kakó." She huffed a sigh, then scooted a little closer to Kas and laid her head against his shoulder before stuffing another pop into her mouth. This one she savored, rather than immediately crunching into it. Today was already too long...

{OoC: Translation: "You will be surprised, my North Star. It can be that bad."}

Well that had been a very invigorating practice! Vikram was quite happy with his performance there, having blocked at least five attempts at his goals. That was something that had made his teammate and good friend Hesperia a little steamed, but to be fair, he was unstoppable and she wouldn't have to score on him during the game! While most people wanted to go shower or something after practice, Vikram had other ideas and his stomach was ruling right now. Lunch first, shower later. The teen walked over to the Slytherin table and joined a group of his friends sitting together. Conversation quickly turned to Quidditch, since he was still wearing his practice clothes and Vikram was more than happy to oblige that conversation. After all, he was still riding the high from a very successful practice and maybe he loved to boast about himself a little. He shared about how well he'd done at practice and about how confident he was about this season. At least he'd be doing his job, he knew that much. Unfortunately he did have to count on other people doing their jobs for a victory, since he alone couldn't carry the team. But that was beside the point. Vik made himself a plate of food, but every time he tried to eat, someone asked him a question, delaying him sating his hunger.