The Art of Persuasion

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 3, 2015 3:07:10 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2015 3:07:10 GMT

The common room was slightly cold as Archer Haynesworth relaxed on a couch. The usual girls that accompanied him were nowhere to be found, instead he was waiting for a different one. It had been several days since the chat he'd had with @shealone, Hogwarts resident 'Ice Princess'. Earlier that morning, he'd approached her during breakfast telling her to meet him in their common room after classes. True to his word, Archer was planning to help her arrange a few business deals of sorts with various members of the school.

He was slightly giddy at the thought of seeing her one-on-one again. It disgusted him. Unfortunately, there was something about her that intrigued him. Rosalee had more of a brain than most of the girls in their year. Her presence demanded the respect that Archer often times wasn't willing to give. After their conversation in the common room, it seemed almost as if they were becoming friends.

Archer's eyes flickered around the common room, searching for the blonde head he was expecting. The dark haired boy was planning to take his companion to the library, a place full of members of all the houses. He expected they would start with a Ravenclaw, perhaps a Hufflepuff. He was determined to get the girl to break out of the barrier that she'd enclosed around herself and her family. She could have so many more opportunities to advance if she became a little more willing to interact with the other houses.

He watched the portal, expecting her to join him in the luxurious home of the Slytherins at any moment.

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 3, 2015 7:39:50 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2015 7:39:50 GMT

Her new friendship with Andrea had opened her up to a whole new way of life (and wardrobe) and despite the fact that she would hiss at anyone who called them 'besties' they were practically sharing a closet now. Forgoing her usual perfected uniform for a tight black jumper to go with her plaited grey skirt, her hair had been pulled up into a pony tail as Andrea had said looked well on her. People were noticing of course, mostly of the male persuasion, and Rosalee was not used to the attention. She had spent years creating a cold fortress of solitude that had a very large 'Keep Out or Else' sign on the front of it, and now with the slightest addition of lip gloss, people suddenly could no longer read the sign. She had already taken to being vocal about her displeasure by telling three Gryffindors and two Ravenclaws to kindly 'Piss off!' just that morning.

The library would be her new fortress, at least until all the hype died away. She mentally contemplated scolding Andrea for forcing her into this getup from the beginning. Just a party indeed. Her cold blue eyes fell on a familiar, permanently smug looking face and Rosalee let out a sigh of frustration. "Sweet Salazar, you actually know where the Library is?" She raised a slender brow. "Color me barely impressed."

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 3, 2015 15:14:29 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2015 15:14:29 GMT

Archer's eyes widened slightly as he caught site of her. he couldn't help the way his eyes trailed up and down her once again, though he tried to stop it. She was wearing different clothes that kept her from looking quite as stuck up as she had before. Her hair was pulled back revealing more of her face, which look softer without the stiff uniform she usually wore. If she had been attractive before, now she was outright beautiful.

"Nice to see you too, Ice Princess." he stood up to meet her. "Quite the get up you have on today. Tell me, where is your usual ensemble?" Archer raised an eyebrow. "Not to say it doesn't look good." he gave her a wink, not able to help the flirtation from rising to the surface. He twisted a piece of her hair between his fingers. "This will do quite nicely, for today's purposes."

He wondered how her cousin reacted to her new appearance. Everybody knew Rosalee and Scorpius Malfoy were incredibly close. He couldn't have taken kindly to her change, though Archer personally loved it.

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 3, 2015 16:51:20 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2015 16:51:20 GMT

"Nice to see you too, Ice Princess." She stared at him for a moment, certainly lacking in the enthusiasm that he greeted her with. "You as well, Prince Not-at-all Charming," she smirked and made her way toward a table to set her book bag down.

"Quite the get up you have on today. Tell me, where is your usual ensemble?" Rosalee rolled her eyes at him, adjusting the hair tie keeping her golden locks out of her face. "Well it's not at the foot of your four poster, if that's what you're getting at," she scoffed. Clearly she'd been handed several pathetic pick up lines already that day.

When Archer reached up and touched her hair, Rosalee briefly flinched and set her eyes hard on him as though preparing for an attack. Merlin, were all Americans this overly familiar or did it have something to do with his lack of breeding standards? "And what purposes would those be?"

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 3, 2015 18:17:14 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2015 18:17:14 GMT

Archer followed her to the table she chose, hardly fazed by her nickname. "Ripping your clothes off." he answered her question rather bluntly, gauging her face as he did. "Jeeze Nott, get your mind out of the gutter. I'll only be teaching you how to make friends." Archer fully intended to maintain his side of their deal, he only hoped she did the same. "You simply look more approachable like this."

Archer slid into a seat at the table, crossing his arms and waiting for her to do he same. His eyes surveyed the library, observing people to see who would make the best target. He'd promised no Gryffindors so his eyes merely passed over the scarlet clad figures. There were several Hufflepuffs and a gaggle of Ravenclaws. He rolled his eyes at the Hufflepuff's idiotic behavior, turning to the equally annoying Ravenclaws. "Take your pick." he gestured to them.

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 4, 2015 1:28:55 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2015 1:28:55 GMT

Rosalee scowled at his joke and then winced as he reprimanded her for not being able to take one. She sighed, wondering how exactly she'd been given the same genetic makeup as Isaac and Posy and yet they'd all turned out so differently. Isaac had a sense of humor and a social life. Posy had friends. What the hell was wrong with her?

When Archer directed her to the rest of the Library, Rosalee frowned at the sight of the robes lined with blue and yellow, purposely ignoring the red as she had earlier requested no Gryffindors. She pouted, genuinely, actually pouted. "Do we have to do this?" She whimpered softly, letting her walls down in his presence, which was a miracle in itself. She would later blame the makeup. Or the hair tie. It was probably cursed. "I can smell the idiocy from here," she said gesturing to the members of other Houses. "You pick one," she huffed. "I'll attempt to be... friendly," she said with a frown. It was one thing to manipulate by flirting alongside Andrea, but Archer was wanting her to be nice to other girls in addition to the boys she considered potential 'victims' as Andrea had so aptly put it.

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 4, 2015 21:12:23 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2015 21:12:23 GMT

Archer glanced at her, taken aback by her unsure demeanor. His eyes softened slightly. "Look Rosalee, we aren't making actual friends here. These are...pawns. People we can use to get where we want to go. See that guy?" he pointed to one of the Gryffindors, this one older than the two of them. "In first year I needed a book from the Restricted Section, but did I want to get caught trying to find it? No. All it took was a few words and he did it for me. I'm not against doing the work myself, but why should I when they can?"

Archer's eyes flickered back to the badgers deciding he should start her off on one of them. While idiots, they were the easiest to trick. They were all too kind to say no and to dumb to think of a logical explanation not to do something. His eyes landed on a girl in their year. She was a little on the larger side making it much easier to playon her insecurities. He gestured to her. "You're a pretty girl. One with more of a status than her. Go compliment her. She'll be flattered you're sparing any attention to her and practically bow down."

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 4, 2015 22:16:29 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2015 22:16:29 GMT

She listened intently to Archer speak, trying to shove down the large part of her that was incredibly bitter that two people from her own House were needing to educate her on how to speak to the general population without causing a brawl to break out. She did however pay attention, and inwardly grinned when Archer labeled her new potential 'friends' as 'pawns'. Rosalee had a better word for them: house-elves.

She turned and spotted the little Hufflepuff that Archer was pointing to and took in a slow deep breath. She could do this. She could do this. She held her head high, and then when she realized she would come across as snobbish simply by her posture, she relaxed a little and made her way over to the table of badgers.

"Hello," she greeted with what was considered a smile among the majority of students. "I think you're in my Charms class," she pointed at the girl who seemed to be looking up at her in mild horror and shock at the same time. Rosalee Nott didn't just randomly speak to people unless she was simultaneously glaring.

"Yes?" The girl replied nervously.

"Have you finished that essay on the Banishing Charm?" She asked, trying to make the girl feel as they were on equal footing, reminding her that they attended the same classes and had to complete the same homework. Give her a sense of relaxation.

"Oh... umm... not yet," The girl said with a smile and then looked to the empty seat next to her. "If you want to sit down, maybe we could work on it together?" She offered.

Rosalee's eyes flashed with amusement as she looked up at Archer. "I'd love to," she replied and took a seat with the Hufflepuffs. "By the way, that hairpin you're wearing is adorable," she grinned and forced the bile back down her throat as the sweetness of her own voice threatened to poison her. "Where did you get it?" She asked.

"Oh you like it?" The girl grinned. "There's this gorgeous little boutique in Muggle London where.."

"Nope!" Rosalee stood, her character breaking instantly as she kicked herself away from the table, hissing as she stormed away from the Hufflepuffs who sat wide-eyed in shock as the blonde furiously made her way back to Archer, her ice blue eyes narrowed. "This is insane!"

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 5, 2015 12:10:58 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2015 12:10:58 GMT

Archer watched as she marched up to the Hufflepuff. She was doing good. The girl warmed up to her quickly, though Rosalee looked sick. Still, if there was one thing Hufflepuffs were, it was nice. Rosalee was invited to take a seat, Archer quite impressed. He hadn't expected her to get that far without cracking. She might have remained there, but the moment he heard the words 'Muggle London' he knew Rosalee wouldn't leave.

Archer almost laughed at the Hufflepuffs' shock. This behavior was more characteristic of the Slytherin, it was her prior behavior that should have been worrying.

Crossing his arms, Archer gave Rosalee a look. "You had her! What happened?" That was a table of Hufflepuffs that was now ruined for any and all manipulation. Archer wouldn't stand for that. He sauntered up to the badgers' table.

He slid into Rosalee's empty seat, much to the horror of the students she had just abandoned. "I'm sorry about her. You see, I'm trying to teach her how to make friends." he told them, putting extra emphasis on ensuring he said the word 'friends'. "She's dreadful at it, but she means well." Archer stood again, not giving them a chance to respond. "That is quite the pin" he gave the girl he had sent Rosalee to a charming smile before making his way back to the blonde.

Archer made his way into the shelves of books, gesturing for her to follow. When they were far enough in that Archer could be certain nobody was listening, he finally spoke. "They're Hufflepuffs, Rosalee!" his voice was in a whisper, cautious of the Ravenclaws he was sure were now intrigued by their behavior. "You just have to put up with their bubbliness and their tendency to get over-excited. When it comes down to it, they'll do almost anything for you if you're what the consider a friend. "

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The Art of Persuasion Jan 5, 2015 17:12:31 GMT

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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2015 17:12:31 GMT

"Oh sure, and next you'll have me making friendship bracelets for a Weasley!" Rosalee hissed very quietly at him, still feeling her skin crawl after having to play so nice with the little badgers. She watched then with cold eyes as Archer went to clean up her mess and play public relations manager for her. She slowly rose a brow at the sight and held back a smirk. Certainly she was terrible at getting Hufflepuffs to play house-elf for her, but Archer was already proving quite useful to the blonde. Her smirk faded instantly when she saw the way he grinned at the girl, and the Hufflepuff in turn blushed up at him.

"Fine," she conceded when he returned to her side. "Perhaps next time don't just throw me to the..." Wolves? Hardly. "I'm better with hands on demonstrations I suppose," she admitted and then threw him a cautionary glance. "Don't you dare read into that."