Hal had been minding his own business, curled up in a corner of the couch, his new Charms textbook in hand as he enjoyed the peace and quiet that was the solitude of an empty common room. His shades sat on the small table beside him because they tended to obstruct his reading, though the task wasn't necessary. Still, he was compelled to get through the book as soon as he was able to get a head start over the other first years.

That didn't seem likely today.

A loud greeting and unfamiliar touch yanked his attention from the pages, and he jerked away as best he could in the close confines, more than taken aback at the strange familiarity currently assaulting his personal space. The fuck? She may have the wrong person, but at least this...girl couldn't be a total stranger, as she seemed more than familiar with his brother, though that in no way clued him in to her identity. Brows furrowed in an calculating stare, he peered up at her, noting the wide smile stretched across her face, before finally speaking up, quietly cleared his throat. "If you're looking for my brother, sorry to disappoint, but he's probably still passed out with the other Gryffindors, so I doubt anything's happened, no." He was having a hard time imagining Dirk hanging around someone so obtrusive, but seeing as they rarely spoke, he had room to doubt his own judgement.  "Unfortunately for us both, I'm Hal, and you've interrupted my studies.  Hello."

Alright, so it was apparent she wouldn't be extracting herself any time soon. With an internal sigh, he closed the book and tucked it between the couch's arm and his side, shifting uncomfortably under the blonde's amiable embrace. He could get through this, she was bound to leave eventually. Thankfully, her rambling gave him another moment to assess her and the situation, only interjecting when she finally took a breath of pause. "If my robes are any indication, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say I'm a Ravenclaw, and no, it's not that hard to style now that I've been doing it for years."  At this, he paused.  It'd be in his best interests not to appear rude.  "And you are?"

In truth, she did remind him of Dave a little bit, what with the way she seemed able to go on endlessly on any available topic.  The comparison made it a little less irksome than it'd been initially, though he still prepared himself for another verbal onslaught.

Oh thank god. Hal's posture visibly relaxed once his personal space was restored, and with a small nod, he accepted the handshake. "It's fine, I get it. You're not the first to mix us up." Of course he wouldn't mention the resemblance was entirely his intention, that'd seem weird and probably a little sad.

He took a mental note to remember her name. She didn't seem as bad as his first impression of her, just rather bumbling and enthusiastic, he couldn't blame her for that. Besides, that blush suited her rather nicely. "Alright, Roxy." A nice name, if Hal cared about such things. "...So it's pretty evident you know my brother well enough."

Lucky for Hal, he was too awkward to try anything, anyways, let alone too young to genuinely harbor such thoughts.

He started to reply, but faltered for a moment when he realized just how intently she planned on listening to him. What the hell? The sudden attention threw him off guard, and it took him another moment to start again, once more clearing his throat. "Dirk and I, ah, don't really talk much," he confessed, inconspicuously toying with the inside hem of his robe's sleeves. "Though you could say that again, dude's a total tryhard." Says the one mimicking him like a hopeless puppy. That's expected of little brothers, though, right?


"And, uh, he might've mentioned you once or twice, I probably just wasn't listening." 

Yeah, go get them, baby. Hal's got your flower.

To become so invested in this girl's interest was Hal's last intention, but it was something that happened so rarely to him, he found himself wanting to bask in it. Too bad he'd never allow himself. His eyes flicked to the stairs when he heard the door open, and while he'd normally move along once people came in, he didn't particularly care today. He was, god forbid, actually socializing with someone, and a second year at that. Who's the baby first year now? Spoiler alert, still Hal.

He nearly snorted at the play on words, the smallest hint of a grin threatening to break past his facade, but damn him if he were going to let it. "Oh, you can count on me for that, he's the biggest Dirk in all of Scotland." It was surprisingly easy to warm up to her, and although unfamiliar, Hal didn't find it unpleasant. "It's embarrassing really, how cool he tries to be. I'm not sure how I've dealt with him this long, but props to you for sticking around him. Lord knows he needs it.  Bro can be as friendly as a broom handle." Oh Hal, shush. You have no room to talk.

Hal was simply flattered by the attention. No dokis over here. Nope. None at all. Conceal, don't feel.

So she was muggleborn. Huh. Alright, then. Is it normal to find someone snorting cute? "Maybe to you, at least." Okay, so he could see how Dirk could befriend a girl like her. Not that he'd let him know that. Or that he'd even spoken with her. Dirk didn't need, or seem to particularly want, to know any of his business, anyways.

...And there it was, that deadly question. With a quick shrug, he tried his best to appear indifferent. "Eh, not really. My classmates aren't particularly interesting, but I expected that much." And it wasn't a lie, he hadn't encountered anyone worth mentioning. That was, well, until this morning, at least. "Not that it matters really, people just aren't my thing."

What. What. Hal's breath caught in his throat as Roxy leaned in closer, eyes widening unintentionally as he stared at her, baffled. A small puff of breath escaped as he relaxed once more, only to be halted yet again as she fixed her gaze solely on his. Holy crap. Wow. She's got, um, pretty eyes.

His brain actually starts working again once she lets her focus drop, and though the encounter was hardly more than a few seconds, it certainly didn't seem like it. The poor boy nearly had a doki heart attack. A twinge of jealously pierced his chest at her praise of Dirk, but he did his best to stifle it. Of course she's going to say nice things about him, they're friends, after all. "Oh, well...thanks." He didn't say anything cliche like 'I'd like that,' or 'That sounds really nice." Just a simple thanks. It wasn't often Hal was at a loss for words.