May 12, 1888 — Magical London

Carius was not an obscenely rude child, but neither was he particularly sensitive. He spoke him mind, and though he never made any attempts to come off as harsh or offensive, ten-year-old boys weren't known for being particularly subtle. In this case, it was more his curiosity that took a hold of him rather than accusations as he stood face-to-face with a girl his mother had mentioned was on the cover of the Prophet.

"So you and your sister... snuck onto the ship? Why?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head. There was no judgment in his tone; it must have been exciting to be out at sea for even just a little while. Still, it had been enough to cause Miss Bénet and her family some issues, so he was mindful enough not to praise her.

Claire Bénet

  

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Mama was still mad. Would she mad till Cele and Claire left for Hogwarts? Claire hoped not. Papa on the other hand seemed quite amused by the whole situation. Was he just being nice, or was this very amusing to him? Claire hoped that it was possibility number two. But whatever her parents felt about the whole situation, they were at least happy about her sign of magic. At least she had finally shown one. She was going to Hogwarts! If they allowed her, that is.

Looking at Mr. Bulstrode, she smiled eagerly at getting to reveal her big adventure. “We did indeed. It was for the adventure, the mystery, the wonder. That, and to see a sea monster if we had the chance.” She stated with a proud rise of her head. Even at a distance, she could hear faint grumbling from her mother. That is, before both her and Mrs. Bulstrode began some kind of conversation that Claire had no interest in.

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Magic by Bee!

French is mixed into her accent due to French parents and household staff

Carius' brows shot up to his forehead skeptically. In it for the wonder? The adventure? Why did she need to go out to sea to have adventure when there was the entirety of Britain the explore?

"You should be glad you didn't end up wondering what the afterlife was like. You could have died, you know, out there on the boat with complete strangers," he pointed out. Not that he'd have really cared if she perished; while he considered her a situational friend (i.e. they played when they were stuck together), there wouldn't have been any emotional weight if the newspaper's headline had been different.

  

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His reaction was not the one that she had been expecting. Oh, he was only being close minded, she was sure. Adventure was the real heart of everything, and it had been worth it. Other than the sea sickness, it had been wonderful.

“Well, the ship was a wonderland. The possibility of seeing new places that none of Britain have been to before would be worth the risk. Isn’t that why the sailors go? Why they explore? For the unknown thrill?” She responded. Wasn’t that logical? And if worse came to worse, she could have always come back as a ghost. Didn’t that happen all of the time?

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Magic by Bee!

French is mixed into her accent due to French parents and household staff

No, it was certainly not worth it.

She was being stupid with her evaluation, and her idealism was surprisingly bothersome for the typically-easygoing Carius. It seemed like everything she was spewing was far from logic, which was concerning since she wasn't a baby.

"Okay, but you're- what? Ten? Eleven? You can't just — run off." he responded incredulously. "What if they hadn't found you? Were you going to forgo your education? Completely miss Hogwarts?"

  

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His facial expression said so much before he even got a word out. There was not approval, and his face was no where near the expression of admiration. How sad, no imagination, no vision. One would think that his youth would keep him in natural wonderment, however it seemed that some people grew to be old people at a young age. It was tragic, really.

Thinking for a moment. "If I hadn't gone, I might have never experienced my first sign of magic." She stated. Once more thinking, her eyes widened. "Perhaps adventure cures squibs of their lack of magic! Of course, they would have to be young still." She said thoughtfully. Yes, a strange theory, but one fit for those of wonderment and, of course, magic.

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Magic by Bee!

French is mixed into her accent due to French parents and household staff

Carius raised both his brows in an expression of doubt. "So you're telling me you expected to be a squib? I've never heard such self-deprecating words," he responded dryly. Twins were unlucky, though, he reminded himself. (Though he would have been less surprised if the Bénet twins's "magical adventure" had managed to scar the magic out of them with how stupid the idea had been!)

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Shaking her head slightly, she probably should have explained better. "No, I didn't expect that. I'm sure if I was a squib, Cele would have been one to. And she is certainly not. She had her first signs of magic at age seven. Mama thought I'd be a squib, and had continuously said it so often that it started to stick with me. You know, her words almost ruined my eleventh birthday for me, but this nice lady helped me find a bunny and Mama and Papa allowed me to keep that." She said. Perhaps she said more than he needed to hear, but her life was exciting, and she wished to share that excitement.

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Magic by Bee!

French is mixed into her accent due to French parents and household staff

Carius stared at her with wide eyes and furrowed brows.

"I still think you need to sort out those priorities," he commented. "You could have died."

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Huffing, it didn't seem as though she would be able to get through to him. "That's the point of adventure. Going up against death and coming out of the fight as the winner... at least that's how the books portray it. Well, in my experience, I feel that this is accurate. You'll never understand until you have a real adventure of your own." She replied.

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Magic by Bee!

French is mixed into her accent due to French parents and household staff

Carius stared at her as if she had two heads. "Maybe I don't want an adventure. Maybe I just want to, you know, survive. Have you not any sense of self-preservation? Would your mother enjoy burying you at eleven?" Merlin, he hoped all girls weren't this dumb. Narcissa wasn't.

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Mr. Bulstrode simply didn't understand. "Self-preservation keeps one alive during an adventure. I'm smart enough to stay alive during an adventure." She replied. It seemed that no one would understand.

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Magic by Bee!

French is mixed into her accent due to French parents and household staff

Carius was...not convinced. Not at all.

"It seems like we'll have to agree to disagree." There would be no wild adventures into the unknown for him—not any time soon, at least. He was perfectly comfortable venturing just far enough away from home to where he could find his way back, and to remain under the watchful eye of someone that could ensure his safety. For now.

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