Fancy Meeting You Here(Turrow Bros)

Aquila was happy to step into the warmth of the pub and was happy with the way his skin tingled with the added temperature.

Once he had defrosted slightly, the young Ravenclaw walked up to the bar and continued his usual bartering with the bar tender for a firewhiskey. As always, he was thwarted and had to settle for a butterbeer instead.

"One of these days," he muttered to himself as he skimmed the room for a familar face, specifically the familar face of his brother who was obviously - upon his skimming - not there yet.

"Ha, and he says I'm always late," he laughed to himself as he took a seat at a table where he could watch the door - and rub the fact that he's actually here first in his brother's face, of course.

Cepheus sneezed as he made his way through Hogsmeade, heading towards the Three Broomsticks to meet his brother. He glared at people that bumped into him - whether it was on purpose or an accident, he didn't really care - and tightened his scarf around his neck.

As soon as he opened the door, he sighed in relief at the warmth and looked around. Seeing his brother there, and eyebrow went up and he smirked. Would you look at that, he thought to himself. Aqui's finally first for something.

After buying a butterbeer, he made his way towards his little brother and sat down next to him, his bottle making a small clunk sound as he placed it onto the table.

"Hey, little bro."

Aquila gave his brother a cockly little smile as an impish twinkle came into his eyes, "I believe this makes you late. If I'm here first, that definitely has to make you late. The world revolves around me, as you must know."

He laughed and took a sip of his own drink playing around with the cup and the liquid inside it, pulling a mock face at it.

"One of these days," he repeated, a smirk growing on his face, "I'm going to get that bartender to give me a firewhiskey."

Cepheus snorted and shook his head. "There was a penguin listening to Muggle rock music in my way," He commented off-handedly, waving his hand around. A lie, of course. Since when did penguins listen to rock music? And when did they walk around Hogsmeade?

He looked at his brother as he mock-faced his bottle, the look on his face clearly meaning 'are you insane'? Cepheus thought the answer was 'yes'.

"Good luck, Aqui," Cepheus chuckled, shaking his head. "Maybe when you're of age you'll get one."

Aquila nodded his head, "Of course there was. I hate when that happens, so irritating. Someone really needs to keep those penguins under control. I thought they were all supposed be in the South Pole anyways."

He laughed and leaned back in his chair. He caught his brother's look but only smirked in response. Of course he was crazy, its what made him so loveable.

He sighed dramatically, "But then it would be no fun. No sense of winning at all. He had to give me the drink."

Cepheus shook his head in mock-sadness. "They didn't like it there - no rock music," He sighed but then turned his head to Aquila with a grin. "That's why they're here,"

Coughing to cover a slight laugh, Cepheus took a drink of his butterbeer, rolling his eyes at the same time.

"He still hasn't given you one," He pointed out dryly. "And he probably never will 'cause he could lose his job if he does."

"Of course the rock music, how could I have forgotten the rock music," the boy made an exagerated show of slapping his forehead, "Everybody knows that penguins can't get enough of rock music."

"Pfft, who would chose employment over helping this adorable face," the boy made a great show of blinking and trying to look as adorable as possilbe, "I mean, my undeniable charm mixed with theses great looks obviously make me irrisitable to anyone."

He took another sip of his drink, and as he set it back down the way his skin streached over his hand, and the light hit it was just right to make the white scar from that stupid book with stupid teeth stand out.

"Have you talked to Mum or Dad recently?" he knew the answer would be no, but it seemed like the easiest way to start into things, "They've been bugging me to transfer to Durmstrang you know."

"Of course they can't," Cepheus exclaimed. "They can't get enough of it!"

Cepheus hummed, pretending to think it over. "Everyone would choose employment over your 'adorable' face," He started bluntly, nodding his head firmly.

Looking down at his brothers hand, his brows furrowed in worry over the old injury, even if it was all over with. He hadn't been there and he felt bad about it, wanting to know how to make it up to his baby brother.

Shooting an incredulous look at Aquila, he shook his head. "I only talk to them when I need to, you know that," He told him. "I don't see how Durmstrang would be better for you, though. It's just as bad as Hogwarts. In fact, it's worse. They have dark artefacts lurking around every corner." He didn't feel comfortable with his brother going to a different school without him there to look after him.

He didn't want to loose his baby brother.

He snorted and then smirked at his brother's comment, "Don't underestimate the power of an adorable face."

Aquila caught his brother looking at the mark on his hand and slowly moved it out out of view.

"Don't make that face, it doesn't look very good on you."

He spun his drink around on the table and shrugged. Ceph, of course, made very valid points, but valid points weren't going to really help him this time.

"Oh but you forget Ceph," he gave a cocky little grin that did quite reach his eyes, "None of this is ever dear Aquila's fault. These things just merely happen to him. It must be because the enviroment isn't safe, nor the teacher responsible enough."

"If it's your face, I'll always underestimate it," Cepheus told him.

Frowning when the hand moved, Cepheus reached over and caught it, holding it in his own and then acting as though nothing happened, keeping his hold on the hand.

"Pfft, every face looks good on me," He snorted. "Better than you,"

Cepheus looked at his little brother sadly, a frown marring his face. "Hogwarts is much safer than Durmstrang, though," He said. "Yeah, you got hurt there but in Durmstrang they probably wouldn't care. You'd get hurt and they'd say 'get over it' or something."

Aquila laughed and stuck his tongue out in his favourite childish maneuver.

Quil started only slightly as his brother grabbed his hand, ruining his plan to affectively hide the offending mark - he really did hate that stupid thing, which was a disappointment considering how much he had been looking forward to a scare before the whole posionous fiasco - but aside from giving Ceph a mock glare he didn't really mean he let the whole thing go.

"You keep telling yourself that," he laughed.

"I think your underestimating Durmstrang just a little bit; I do believe some parents would be horribly upset if they found their children dead or seriously marred due to lack of help from Professors and the likes," Aquila started to reason, "And besides, who says I'm going to get into trouble?" He finished that statement with a joking smirk because, really, they both knew no matter where he went he would find more trouble.

"And that's why," Cepheus muttered.

He shrugged the mock glare off easily, ignoring it and keeping hold of the hand. It might not be doing much, but he didn't want Aquila to feel anything negative about the mark. It was just something to show that he lived against the poison. Or whatever.

"I will~" He replied easily.

Staring at his brother incredulously once more, Cepheus couldn't help but shake his head. "Fine. But I swear, if you die or something I'm blaming them."

Aquila nodded his head with a grin, "Good."

"Or something?" the boy teased easily getting uncomfortable with the serious topic, "What exactly is or something? Do you think they secretly do experiments on unexpecting english students?"

He laughed slightly, not as amused by his teasing as he normal would be. Using his free hand he took another sip of his drink.

"You know Ceph, I think we've been over this - You worry to much; I highly doubt that whatever they have for me to mess with at Durmstrang is going to kill me. I am finding that I am surprisingly difficult to kill," the boy strategically left out the fact if he had not gone to the hospital wing when he did last time, or been found by that girl, there was a far greater chance they wouldn't be presently having this conversation. "But please, if I do, you have my full permission to blame anyone that is not myself."

Which was who's fault it would most likely be.

Cepheus grunted, sending a glare at his brother.

"Yeah, or something is the best and wider range to describe the things that happen to you," He huffed, leaning his chin on his spare hands palm.

He squeezed his brothers hand, trying to reassure him that everything would be okay somehow through that one action, but he didn't know if it worked that well.

Pouting angrily at his brother, he shook his head in exasperation. "Of course I've got to worry! With all of the trouble you get into I have to worry before you hurt yourself too much. And if you do, I'm going to be such a mother hen to you that it's going to hurt and everyone'll make fun of you for it," He finished, glaring once more.

"And it'll probably be your fault that something happens, anyway."

Aquila smiled in the face of his brother's glare. Honestly, he smiled at everything, but this - this he was use to dealing with.

"See I'm sensing you aren't as amused by my exploits as I am," he quipped easily, "Really, I think you're looking at all these the wrong way. They're learning experences. Posionous books, I now know are a bad idea to touch. Not looking where you're going in the forbiden forest - hey you may fall down a hill. I'm not really sure what I learned from that tree thing.... but I blame Tobi for that anyways so were all good." He smirked and shrugged leaning back in his chair, satisfied with his arguement.

He smiled and gave a slight nod as Ceph squeezed his hand. It wasn't a whole lot, but still.

"You're going to hurt me because I've been hurt too much," he quirked an eyebrow as he smirked. "Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that arguement?"

"Tut, tut, tut blaming the victim. Poor form Cephie, poor, poor form. You know, why am I getting all the attention here? Please, Ceph, don't let me be selfish here. What is new with you?" He smiled innocently, enjoying the way he had enveloped a change of discussion to something he actually did want to know into a nice neat "self-less" little package.

Cepheus was ready to snarl at his brother but decided not to.

"Of course I don't like your exploits!" He flailed his arms slightly, careful not to knock over any of the bottles on the table. "They are not learning experiences. It's called Common Sense, little bro, and I'm beginning to think that you don't have any of it," He huffed, ready to act like a little child, cross his arms and pout. "We are not 'all good',"

Rolling his eyes, he stuck his tongue out. "Maybe it will teach you to stop being an idiot all the time. Maybe. Sometimes, I think you're a bit of a masochist. Don't know where you got it from seeing as dearest mummy and daddy are sadists in their own, sick little way,"

Smacking the back of Aquila's head, he replied, "Nothing at all is 'new' with me."

Aquila handled his brothers anger with a level expression. He did feel bad. He had some idea of what all his exploits put Ceph through, but he just couldn't help it. Whenever he tried to be safe (which he'll free admit he didn't do a whole lot) it just never seemed to work out.

"You're only starting to think I have no common sense," Quil joked, but his heart wasn't really in it.

He looked down at his lap as Cepheus continued to speak, for once actually feeling serious. He always thought he had some sort of problem - normal people didn't behave as he did all the time - but hearing names thrown around (even if Ceph might not fully mean it) made him really feel it.

"Do you really think that I'm that bad?" he asked in a small voice, looking up, "Am I really that messed up?"

He let out a yelp as his brother smacked him, "Uncalled for. And that is horribly boring. Way to ruin my attempts at bringing you into the converstation here. You need to get out more."

Cepheus wondered if it would be a good idea to hit his head against the table repeatedly, something he had considered doing a lot lately.

"I've probably known it for a while," He amended. "But I refused to believe it,"

Closing his eyes and sighing, Cepheus shook his head. He shuffled his chair closer to his little brother and pulled him into an awkwardly positioned hug, wrapping his arms tightly around Aquila.

"No, probably not," He muttered. "I'm just being an idiot. You're not messed up, Aqui, and even if you were I would still love you. It's just.. with all these situations you get into, I don't know, it makes me worry too much and I don't think I would know what to do if it went to far and you were to be permanently hurt or even died." He told him seriously, resting his forehead on the younger boys shoulder.

"It is called for," He told him imperiously. "And I do have a life, just not one outside of a castle. 'Cause we're never allowed out of it, most of the time."

"Well, I hate to break it to you Ceph, but I think you'll have to," he nodded sagely as if he was a doctor delivering bad news.

Aquila was pulled into the awkward hug, but for once didn't bother with his 'I'm too cool for this joke'.

"Sorry," he said seriously, though he didn't bother adding a promise to stop because those never really worked out for him. "And you're not an idoit... unless you don't think I'm just a sliver of messed up." He laughed a little.

Quil waved off his last comment, "Pfft. Rules who needs them. If you bent a few you'd have a wonderfully exciting life like me."

Cepheus chuckled, grinning at his brother. "I kind of guessed that, idiot," He said affectionately.

He was glad Aquila didn't pull away. Tightning his hold on his little brother, he sighed in slight defeat, just glad that he was with him.

Cepheus smiled. "No, you're not messed up," He told the younger boy. "Not even a little bit. If you are, then I'm even worse, Aquila." And it was probably true.

"I don't want a wonderfully exciting life like you. I quite like having all of my limbs intact, thank you."

"That is Mr. Idoit to you."

Cepheus tightened his grip on him, and Aquila smirked, "You're getting to gushy on me Brother dear. I am sure you are aware that this arrangement is conditional, and you are very close to breaking the conditions."

"Well if you think that I'm perfectly normal, then I have to say yes, you are indeed messed up too," he laughed. That was the wonder of Quil's mind, if he went for the right train of thought, he could laugh about something he was worrying about only moments before.

It was probably the quality that made him joke after near-death experiences.

"Hey I'll have you know all my limbs are perfectly in tact."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you want me to bow down and call you Lord Idiot instead?" Cepheus asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes but grinning all the same.

"Of course I am," He sniffed. "I have to be the 'gushy' brother, or who else would be? Definitely not you," Smirking at his brother, he asked "We made conditions? I remember no such thing,"

Huffing, Cepheus shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with being 'messed up' or insane. It makes life interesting,"

He looked at his brother blankly, shaking his head.

"They won't be for much longer."

"I like the bowing down and the lord... I suggest we leave off the idiot, and this would be my ideal situation."

He grinned impishly and tipped back his butterbeer draining the remain contents into his mouth.

"I made conditions and have decided you would have to follow them," he smirked, "And I could propose we would both survive with out a gushy brother at all... well actually, you might not, but I'd be fine."

Aquila frowned, but his eyes still twinkled with a dollop of mischief, "You're lack of faith in my ability to retain limbs wounds me Ceph-Ceph."

"Well," Cepheus huffed. "It's not going to happen 'cause I'm the awesome-er brother, so I get to be the Lord," His reasoning was crappy, he couldn't help but think, but oh well.

Sticking his tongue out, Cepheus followed his brother and took a sip of his drink, having not touched it in a while.

"When?" He peered at his younger brother curiously. "And I can't follow them if I don't know what they are," Shaking his head, he then added "There has to be a gushy person in the family, or we're doomed."

Cepheus patted his brothers back in mock comfort. "I'm sure it does, Aqui."

Aquila snorted, "Ignoring the fact that there is no obvious evidence that you are the awesome-er brother - cause we both know that's me - that logic still makes no sense."

"Well obviously Ceph, you were supposed to be able to read my mind. If you don't know what the conditions are you might have just failed the sacred rules of brothers... which I also just made up," he grinned impishly and again picked up his drink only to find it empty as he had drained it only moments before.

Aquila shrugged as he continued to look into his glass like his gaze would fill it, "I think we're doomed anyways."

"It does," Quil stated with mock petulance, "And now I think you need to make it up to me."