All Downhill From Here | Bae & Avryn

Monday, February 20, 1923
7:45 PM

“Katie, it really doesn’t have to be that serious.”

The persistent tug on his sleeve and pointed stares his little sister was bestowing upon him did nothing to move Benji from the very comfortable position he’d found himself in. Legs sprawled across the wood floor and back perched against the information desk, it was the usual position he took when he was saddled with a library shift.

He’d never asked for this job, as he reiterated to everyone time and time again, but his lovely mum continued to task him with it anyway, so here they were. It was a wonder really, that in this battle of wills his mother hadn’t given in yet, but Benji Henry Cuddrun was in this for the long haul.

“If you want to check books out, be my guest.”

There was a long line forming at the desk, exasperation on their proprietors’ faces. How ironic that the two least-helpful library assistants had to be on the same shift. A brother and sister duo that were equally useless in their own ways.

“Cmon, Benji! I haven’t got all day!”

“You know your sister’s not going to talk to us!”

“All she does is stare, and I need to find a book on temperamental salamanders!”

Benji glanced up at his sister, ignoring the mutterings and complaints. “Where’s your little boyfriend? Isn’t he on shift today? Go fetch him. I’m sure he’d looooove to prove himself the best assistant.”

His own girlfriend was around here somewhere. He’d probably earn an eyeroll or smart comment for her, but it was worth the nap that was quickly sneaking up on him.

There were too many irresponsible students in the library that day. Kathryn had had her fill of them.

Teresa never returned the books to their shelves; Robert scuffed the edges of the pages while he read as if they were personal property to be subjected to his foul practices, and Beatrice had already left one too many smudge marks along the covers of books because she refused to stop snacking while she read, crouched in a corner like she thought the library assistants had calcified eyes and little more than cheddar cheese between their ears.

All stood before the front desk now, all trying to check out books against the stony refusal of the little girl. It didn't matter that her mother had told her she wasn't allowed to deny students the books they needed. This was in service of the library itself and the books that resided within it. If they continued the way they were going, there would be no good books left for her to read during the designated reading time or anything to study when Avery insisted there was need.

What would they do if the books needed for herbology were tucked beneath a table because Teresa Beckford didn't understand either common courtesy or the Dewey Decimal System?

Kathryn was, in her own little way, emboldened by the presence of her older brother. He wasn't standing on principle or trying to protect the integrity of the books, but his refusal carried more weight and the ability to hide hers beneath it.

“Where’s your little boyfriend?"

Hm?

"Isn’t he on shift today? Go fetch him. I’m sure he’d looooove to prove himself the best assistant.”

Impassive blue eyes shifted from the growing crowd of disgruntled library goers. When she'd tugged at him, it was for him to make them go away, not for him to speak in riddles. Boyfriend? Whose boyfriend? The passivity and silence of the girl might have been enough to have others infer she wouldn't or couldn't understand. It couldn't have been helped by the blank look she spared her brother. Boyfriend? She knew what those were. Benny had called her mother Mr. Maddox's before they announced the marriage. Her brother happened to be that very thing for Ruth. Donovan Anders belonged to Laura.

Her understanding faltered at the way it had been linked to Avery Calder Hale.

If he were her boyfriend, she would know about it, wouldn't she? It didn't seem like a secret the boy would keep. There wasn't a thing on earth that he could keep. The other Ravenclaw showed no objective behaviours either, forcing her to conclude:

I don't have a boyfriend.

Benny should already have known that. She tugged his sleeve again, a little more insistent as she turned her eyes back to the students who hadn't yet figured out that they should go away.

Oh for the love of Merlin.

Rae turned the corner, books tucked against her chest and her ears begging for the sweet release of death. In a series of truly unfortunate events and poor scheduling, the girl had found herself completing her library duties at the same time as the Ravenclaw motor mouth. The hospital wing wasn't enough. Having him make several complaints about her to the healer wasn't enough. He decided that he needed to be a nuisance right then and there after what had already been a long day of classes and other responsibilities.

The cart's wheels echoed against the stone as the boy pushed it behind her. He spoke about Melvil Dewey and the 'revolutionary way' he'd changed the way libraries worked. Something about castles as old archives and the men who used to have to travel by candlelight into the dark, poking around in hopes that the last person returned the tomes to a reasonable place for recovery. Each time she turned into an aisle, there he was behind her, waiting for her to add more books to his load.

Was this her punishment? Had the universe decided that having Kathryn deliver a dead rat wrapped in a pretty box to Kaitlyn was a step too far? One would think the staircases would've been the lightning rod for any retribution she now faced.

It was hardly the worst thing she'd ever done.

Turning back out of the aisle, Rae saw the growing line by the front desk. It took only one glance at who sat behind it to figure out why.

The Slytherin let out a long-suffering sigh, convinced she really would have to do everything herself. Between those two, it was a wonder anything got done – albeit for different reasons. Benji was flat out useless in any sort of role that required him to provide aid to others. Kathryn, bless her, could sometimes be a little too literal and fixated for the good of anyone but herself. It wasn't a problem so long as she was simply hunting down books and returning them to their shelves. That wasn't the case when she sat behind the front desk. The sentiment worsened when she happened to be with her incorrigible brother.

Rae made her way over, the cart and the yapping boy still in tow.

"Alright then, what's all this?"

Something told her she didn't want to know, but with two other assistants already...so...unhelpful, it became her job to do something about it. The title was beginning to feel less and less worth it every time she had to clean up someone else's mess or smooth over someone else's problem.

For a girl who found it difficult to trouble herself over the plight of others, it was a tedious and draining task.

"And that's why its clever, you know, because Mister Dewey didn't have to know where every single book was," Avery carried on, pushing the cart behind Ruth Elliot as he educated her on the history of library cataloguing methods. It was fascinating stuff really, and despite his outward dislike of Ruth Elliot, he figured since they were on shift together, they may as well make the best of it.

Any librarian or library assistant worth their salt had to be properly informed and at least somewhat familiar with the Dewey Decimal System, and for all his complaints, he had to admit that Ruth Elliot was the better of them. It earned her the slightest sliver of respect in Avery's eyes. While she was rude and mean and made for a terrible leader, she was at least dedicated and that was more than he could say for others who had taken on the coveted assistant role.

"Because if you remember the numbers, then you don't have to remember all the books, and there really are loads of books. Infinite probably. Not too many for a library, obviously, because that's the point, but too many for one person to remember without going a bit insane." The boy took a long deep breath as he pushed the cart merrily along, not taking heed of the fact that Ruth Elliot hadn't seemed enthusiastically engaged in the conversation.

He continued.

"Did you know there's a really fun library game you can play with the Dewey Decimal System? It's called 'Book Race' and - "

"Alright then, what's all this?"

Hmm? Avery stopped jabbering for a moment as they returned to the information desk, his head cocking slightly to the side to see such a long line forming. Odd. They'd left behind Kathryn and her dope of a brother to manage things. It seemed to have been a poor management decision in delegation.

Ruth Elliot's fault, probably.

Avery let go of the cart, his eyes falling with exasperation on Benji and Kathryn, as he shook his head in derision. Merlin, he really did have to do everything himself when it came to this school. He'd graduate valedictorian without even trying.

"I've got it Ruth Elliot," he said, marching his way behind the desk, stepping over Benji with a long stride of short legs. He nudged Kathryn slightly with his elbow to remove her from his way, before taking his place, a long smile stretching across his lips.

"Hello, welcome to the information desk. I'm Avery Hale and -"

"Yeah we got it, Hale. Just tell me where the bloody salamander section is!"

"Alright then, what's all this?"

Ah, his hero. Heroine. Whichever. Benji popped an eye open at the sound of his girlfriend's voice, gesturing lazily to the information desk he'd propped himself against. The tugs his little sister had continued to impose upon him had done nothing at all to dissuade the boy from his rest, and rather solidified his resolve to do absolutely nothing about the growing line.

He understood the exasperation written on Rae's face, but wasn't sure if that was because of him or the incessant squacking that was pulling up the rear with her cart. Avery Hale was one of those kids that Benji was sure got his ass kicked every other day, and if he hadn't yet, it was probably because his voice box was so powerful it made the ears bleed of anyone who got too close to him. It was amusing in a way, his silent sister somehow finding a friend in the kid who talked enough for the whole of Ravenclaw about things nobody but he seemed to care about.

And Benji had thought Cassian McCormick could go on a damn rant.

"I've got it Ruth Elliot."

Benji smirked up at his girlfriend as the little scientist stepped over him, ready and eager as ever to prove himself the best brown-noser the library had ever seen. "There ya go, Ruth Elliot. Crisis averted."

"Yeah we got it, Hale. Just tell me where the bloody salamander section is!"

Ah, peace in the world once more. Benji reached for his girlfriend, shrugging off his little sister's hand now that Avery Hale was the boss of everything, wanting to pull her into his lap for a good nap.

It would certainly make his shift go by faster.

"Alright then, what's all this?"

Ruth.

The day was saved. Kathryn understood how...optimistic she was being when she'd silently tried to enlist her brother's help. He was the sort that didn't get things done unless you could show him with pie charts and graphs exactly why it could become his problem. Even then, sometimes it was a risk he was willing to take. She couldn't say whether he'd always been like this or whether it was the softer life of Arundel Castle that had stolen his urgency, but she knew that the moment he kicked his feet up onto that desk, everyone else's chances grew slim. In some ways, that still worked for her. Between the two of them, all they really had to do was ignore everyone standing on the other side of the front desk until they grew sufficiently frustrated and left.

When the older Slytherin showed up, that contingency was no longer necessary. Ruth would take care of them. She would lay down the law and inform them that they had been banned from—

"I've got it Ruth Elliot."

Sigh.

Avery Hale.

If anyone would hand books to the undeserving, it was him. The boy who chased praise like a dog chasing a bone liked to be told he was helpful. In such a situation, where the alternatives were stubborn her and her lazy brother, the boy would come out the other end smelling like roses. That wasn't her gripe. It was February, and Kathryn was no more inclined to take into account the opinions than she had been in September. She couldn't understand why she should care. What she did care about was him coming in with scant regard for the line she was trying to hold.

And his insistence on introducing himself .

Was there a soul in the entire castle that didn't know who Avery Calder Hale was? More than herself, his reputation preceded him. Groans greeted them when he walked into certain rooms – though he never seemed to care. Too busy with his facts, too insistent he be the smartest one in any room with the most to say.

She had to stop him before he decided to 'help' here, too.

Kathryn nudged at him, trying in her own way to remove him from the front desk and back to wherever he'd been plaguing Ruth.

We don't need help. They were just leaving.

He could go away.

Make it stop.

Just...make it...stop.

She was seconds from losing her mind. Where did anyone find so many things to talk about, especially when there was a lack of reciprocation involved in the 'exchange'? In some ways, Rae blamed Kathryn. Indulgent as the younger girl unwittingly happened to be, she entertained Avery's nonsense. There were times on hospital shifts when his mouth ran 10 miles per minute while she silently absorbed it all. Meals, in the corridors, sometimes as it neared time for her patrol, and the majority of the castle began making their way back to their common rooms. One 'shut up'. Rae was sure that all the boy needed to finally recognise the problem was a well-timed and sharply delivered rebuke from the girl who might as well be mute to show him the depths of aggravation that he brought to others.

Alas, Kathryn seemed content to just...be there listening. Hearing those words from people who were already hostile toward him would certainly make no difference.

"I've got it Ruth Elliot."

She...didn't remember asking him to. Bad enough the boy had appointed himself her shadow. Rae shot Benji an unimpressed scowl when he repeated the Ravenclaw's words. Her boyfriend was far too amused for her liking, just like he was far too comfortable. She shoved his feet from atop the desk, forcing him into a more upright position before turning to see the note Kathryn had written.

She ignored whatever little antics the two were getting into, deciding it was none of her business how a pair of weird children related to each other. Instead, she read the words once.

"Leaving?"

Rae turned back to the exasperated group. They didn't look like they were leaving. "Circe sake, Benji. You're telling me you couldn't have held things down at the desk while I was gone?"

Stupid question. That was exactly what his actions had said.

"Salamanders are in the fourth aisle on your left, in the creature section that you never seem to remember to check before bothering anyone. Sub-section 'amphibians' ring a bell?" Brown eyes shifted to the next. She nodded her acknowledgement. "And what do you want?"

Why did everyone feel the need to talk over him? Avery Hale was perfectly capable of handling library duties on his own, and yet here came Kathryn and Ruth Elliot to try and steal his job. It was incredibly rich coming from Kathryn who had had plenty of opportunity to handle the desk herself while he'd been off helping Ruth Elliot. Figured now she'd want to take over, to prove she was better than him.

He ignored the hostile salamander boy to instead glower at Kathryn when she nudged him back.

Apparently no one was happy because now Ruth Elliot was yelling at Benji, though he couldn't exactly blame here there. Kathryn's brother had proved himself to be useless in just about every way Avery could fathom. How he had been promoted from one year to the next - and been awarded Prefect - boggled the younger boy's mind. It didn't seem possible, unless professors were merely promoting him to get him out of their hair.

Actually, Avery thought, he may want to look into this phenomenon more. "Hey Benji," he began, turning away from the line in front of the desk to turn his attention back to Kathryn's brother.

"Salamanders are in the fourth aisle on your left, in the creature section that you never seem to remember to check before bothering anyone. Sub-section 'amphibians' ring a bell?"

Ruth Elliot was incredibly rude, but she was efficient, God bless her. It gave him the leeway to focus on more important matters.

"And what do you want?"

When Benji's eyebrows raised at being addressed, Avery pounced. "I was wondering if you might let me pick your brain a bit. It's fascinating really, how you managed to survive all this time with seemingly little ambition to do so." Avery grinned wide. "Maybe I could follow you around for a week or so. Take notes. Study you in your natural environment. A controlled study, I guess you could say. Or maybe not controlled, since you'll be free-range," not unlike a chicken, "I could pay you with the allowance I have."

Benji Laurence seemed the type to accepts bribes.

Sooo...she wasn't going to be taking a nap with him. Benji groaned when Rae shoved his feet down, lurching him forward in the chair. She was never any fun. If it wasn't working in the hospital wing and taking everything incredibly seriously, it was the library.

The library had a librarian for a reason. His mum would be fine. She was paid to do this job. They were not.

"Circe sake, Benji. You're telling me you couldn't have held things down at the desk while I was gone?"

"I held this chair down," he said cheekily, his grin reaching his eyes as he rocked back and forth, the furniture creaking below his efforts. "Come on, pretty. No need to make this afternoon a drag." He stretched his arm again, grabbing her by the wrist and tugged, even as she gave her attention to the line that had formed.

"Hey Benji."

Warily, and against his better judgment, Benji felt his gaze turning towards the kid who never knew when to shut up. He sighed visibly, his shoulders dropping as he nodded for Avery to go ahead. The afternoon had been peaceful and easy, aside from the complaining line. His sister, Rae and now Avery all sought to ruin that for him.

Why? What had he ever done to deserve this?

"I was wondering if you might let me pick your brain a bit. It's fascinating really, how you managed to survive all this time with seemingly little ambition to do so. Maybe I could follow you around for a week or so. Take notes. Study you in your natural environment. A controlled study, I guess you could say. Or maybe not controlled, since you'll be free-range."

Benji blinked. Free....range? What the fuck did that mean? The boy instantly turned skeptical, his expressions twisting to reflect such as he stood from his chair, ready to remove himself from this proposition. The last thing, last thing that Benji needed or wanted was Kathryn's little yappy boyfriend following him for Merlin knew what.

"I could pay you with the allowance I have."

Then again.

"How much?" Benji asked, and when Avery answered, he nodded. "Yeah alright then. Not in the bathrooms." He held out his hand, pocketing the galleons Avery deposited there. He turned to Rae who was busy barking at the salamander kid. "You wanna get outta here? Let Kate handle the rest of them. Julia will be back soon."

Ruth was on the case, as she knew she would be.

Kathryn—in her own solemn way—basked in the authority and efficiency that her brother's girlfriend exuded. If only it weren't working at cross purposes with her own desire. No one was meant to get any books, but there she was cutting through the small group to find out what they wanted. It shouldn't have mattered what they wanted when they were incapable of basic care for the books.

There was another problem.

Just how many of her family members did Avery Hale think he had a right to impose himself on? First, the boy had developed a seeming infatuation for her mother—at the very least for the compliments she insisted on paying him. He rambled on about his desire to corner the 'elusive' charms professor, and while she felt no particular claim toward Mr. Maddox, she wasn't in the mood to share him either. Let him continue being the black cat that slept atop the barn or beneath her mother's desk as long as it kept him away from Avery. Now, the boy wanted to consume all the free time her brother had.

Was nothing sacred?

Apparently not when it came to the other Ravenclaw.

Her lips twitched their disapproval, though they didn't quite manage to dip into a scowl. Offering Benny money to treat him like one of his farm animals. Just who did Avery think her brother was, and why did he think that he would want to spend his afternoons being watched or jabbered at? Also, if he were yapping incessantly into Benji's ear, what would she do with her free periods between dance and the hospital wing?

It was just like him, unconscionable when he got excited about something, willing to throw caution—and, more importantly, schedules—to the wind, heedless of whoever else it might affect. She couldn't have expected any better, not from Avery, but it would be quite the inconvenience.

It didn't matter; Benny wouldn't go for it. He didn't have time to entertain silly little boys who wanted to compare him to chic—

"How much? Yeah alright then. Not in the bathrooms."

Kathryn blinked up at her brother, quietly appalled that he too had fallen into Avery's trap to be spirited away. Of all the poor decisions she'd seen him making, this one had to hold a respectable place near the middle of the list. Someone would have to speak sense to him. Not their mother. She had already fallen.

Maybe Mr. Maddox.

"You wanna get outta here? Let Kate handle the rest of them. Julia will be back soon."

Did he hear that? Kathryn turned expectant blue eyes toward her housemate, wanting to ensure he understood that her brother had just, essentially, left her in charge. The situation had become salvageable. It was her word that had become law, and he would have to listen.

It didn't change many of her grievances but it would do.

Astronomy.

The next student was looking for something related to astronomy. When had she become a walking directory for the library?

"The hell am I supposed to kn—"

"Come on, pretty. No need to make this afternoon a drag."

Rae had every intention of ignoring him, deciding it was left to her to hold the line. Her resolve held, remaining strong right up to the point at which he pulled her into his lap. Ever the predictable boy, she didn't need further explanation to know what he had on his mind. As it so happened, she happened to be amenable to his unspoken proposition. There was just the matter of the students who remained at the desk, their impatience rising with each second that they were made to wait.

"If you'd just help, we could be out of here faste—"

"Hey, Benji."

Rae groaned despite not being the one Avery had addressed. As if the lecture on the library system wasn't enough, it sounded like the boy was gearing up to launch into another one of his rants. How Kathryn survived these without losing her mind was something the Slytherin decided she would never understand. The girl was probably a saint under all the silence. As for her, Benji's offer was suddenly sounding like a much better use of her evening. Rae got up as Avery launched into his campaign, taking Benji by the arm to pull him away before they could become trapped.

She didn't know what he thought he'd be studying or what he hoped to accomplish from the boy he'd already deemed to lack ambition, but she wasn't about to share her boyfriend with an 11-year-old. The many girls Benji refused to rebuff within the castle were enough.

"Let's go."

"How much?"

"Benji," she groaned again. Why would he encourage him?

"Yeah alright then. Not in the bathrooms."

...Unbelievable.

He asked whether she was ready; she answered by walking away. The idiot had doomed them to the invasive species that was Avery Hale. There would be no peace. He was a fucking duke, or would be someday, he didn't NEED the boy's allowance. Why would he sign them up for purgatory? No. He signed himself up. She would be avoiding him every time she saw him with his shadow. Benji choosing a life of suffering didn't mean she had to be involved.

Kathryn could be in charge if he wanted. She was going to go see if they needed any extra hands in the hospital wing.

"Twenty quid!" Avery smiled brightly, and when Benji agreed, he dug into his pocket, depositing all his allowance into the older boy's hand. The bathroom restriction wasn't one Avery needed much convincing of. While those certain habits were certainly beneficial to observe in the wild, when it came to Benji Laurence, Avery figured that was one area he was happy to leave undiscovered.

He briefly noticed Kathryn's lip twitch, but paid little mind to it. She was always fussed at him for something or other, why not add one more thing to really round out the day?

He grinned as Benji collected Ruth Elliot, apparently determined to lead her out of his vicinity - how magnanimous of him - giving a little salute. "We'll start tomorrow then. I'll meet you outside your common room!" At eight in the morning sharp. It didn't matter if the Hufflepuff wasn't punctual to the time Avery hadn't verbalized. His likely tardiness would just be another little behavioral quirk to catalogue in Avery’s ongoing study of Benji Laurence in his natural habitat.

"Let Kate handle the rest of them. Julia will be back soon."

Kate? Let Kate - as in Kathryn Barlowe - handle the prestigious job of library assistant? When she didn't speak and just stared blankly at people?

Avery quickly scribbled a note on the back of his hand to add to his field journal later. How very irresponsible the boy was and how poor his judgment skills had been cultivated over the years.

He glanced up at Kate as the other two wandered off. "I'm in charge, Katie. Let's get that straight, first off."