Joke's on you (Max)

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Last year Shaun hadn't come down to Hogsmeade since he had been trying to do all the homework on his electives and if he was honest, let it get to him. There was also still so much to explore in the castle. Just last week he'd tripped and ended up going through a not door. It had disguised itself as a door, but it had actually just been a sort of alcove. Maybe it had felt bad because it didn't really go anywhere? This year however, he'd learned how to sort of organize his time better. That, and he really wanted to get a look at the town. Okay, maybe it was because he was actually out of that sugary goodness known as chocolate.

On his way he was distracted by the joke shop. Who wouldn't be with some of the things they had up in the window displays! Naturally, the boy had to go in and check it out. Who knows what kind of neat nick knacks they might have. So, Shaun had gone in and started to browse with wide eyes. Then he saw a spider. It was as big as the spider he saw in Okinawa and caused him to freeze in terror eyes as wide as they could go as he kept his gaze on it as it walked up the wall.

Guest

With a Hogsmeade weekend here, Max knew he would be heading down to the village to pick up some more things he'd need. His tree house was kitted out now, so anything he found would be over and above the things he would need in there. His animals needed some more supplies, though, so that would definitely mean a stop at the pet store.

Then, of course, he'd have to stop at Honeydukes to get some candy for Prim and himself to share later that evening.

After that, well, Max wasn't really sure what he would go and get, but it left him free for the afternoon.

However, as Max was moving down the streets, Zonko's window stood out. Now, Max was not a trouble maker. Not in the usual sense, but pranks were kind of cool. Primrose wasn't here to keep him in line, and with a quick check up and down the street to make sure his girlfriend wasn't around, Max slipped in to the joke shop and started to peruse the aisles.

His eyes widened at some of the pieces, most especially the spiders that had been put up in the shop. They were quite realistic, and truthfully Max wanted one. His feet were still carrying him when Max's body collided with someone. Turning to see who it was -- and arms reaching out to steady the person, Max saw Shaun and a grin spread across his face.

"Shaun! How're you doing?" Max asked, clearly happy to see his friend. They hadn't spoken enough -- Max took the blame for that -- but it could be fixed.

Guest

Shaun had been covered in fine sheen of sweat unable to take his eyes off the spider hoping it would stay away. It was almost with gratitude that his gaze was torn from the thing when a body collided with his own. When he'd reached out to grab onto the person when they too tried to do the same to keep him from falling, Shaun's grip was tighter than one would normally use due to his fear. Hearing the friendly warm voice of someone he knew, he'd glanced at the other before hurrying looking around for where the spider went. Shaun wasn't aware that Max was now in between him and the eight legged terror.

Swallowing thickly, Shaun had to know, "Where'd it go?" And if his voice squeaked a bit, he didn't care one iota. He could always say it was his voice cracking as it did at the worst times. Belated realizing he'd not let go of his friend's arm, he reluctantly did so.

So much for supposedly being in the house of the courageous. Yet, the teenager couldn't help it. Those things scared him witless! He'd seen spider bites and knew you could die from them. He hated the creatures!

Guest

The grip on Max's arm was so very tight, it brought a frown to the older Gryffindor's features. He didn't try to pull away, though, the emotions of being scared were quite the animal ones, and Max knew animals well. Instead, Max put a hand on his friend's arm, trying to calm him in that moment because he didn't understand what was spooking him.

The question from Shaun, though, made Max look over his shoulder, trying to decipher what had freaked him out so badly in that moment. "Where is what, Shaun?" Max asked gently, almost as if he was talking to a child, but catching himself before he went fully paternal on his friend with the voice of worry.

"There's nothing in here that can hurt you..." Max added, trying to get the boy to stop looking so frightful. It was a joke shop, after all, it was all for fun. Nothing in here would leave anything permanently damaged, even Max knew that much!

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Shaun shuddered at the thought of the spider loose in the store, his eyes kept darting around looking for it but loosened his hold on Max. Glancing back at his friend he gave a sickly smile. "Sorry." After another look around, he rubbed at the back of his head knowing his face was probably red from embarrassment. That was better than being white as sheet from terror though right?

"There was a..." the teen swallowed and mustered up all his courage. After all, this was Max. It wasn't like he'd use Shaun's fear against him. And he really did owe the older boy an answer. He'd handled an Ashwinder no problem along with all other kinds of animals and creatures, but spiders...

"A sp-" Oh, he couldn't say the dreaded word! Instead he sighed and got out, "An eight legged creature!" He really really hoped that Max wouldn't laugh at him.

Guest

When Shaun fell over an explanation of the problem, Max knew what 'sp' was going to come out as. The alternative -- describing what a spider looked like, rather than saying the word -- brought a smile to Max's features. His friend, it seemed, was terrified of one of the most beautiful beings in the world.

Highly misunderstood creatures, Max believed, but he had sympathy for Shaun, because he'd obviously had a bad experience with a spider to make him so very scared of the things.

Turning slightly, Max looked around for the spider, before seeing it with a number similar that were boxed up. "Oh, now that's a good imitation!" Max said, without really thinking about the implications of those words, before he turned back to Shaun. "It's not a real spider, buddy!" He added, his smile reassuring as he took Shaun by the arm and pulled him off towards a different aisle so that his fellow Gryffindor could relax a bit.

"Have you found anything you like, yet?" Max asked, trying to keep Shaun's mind occupied, rather than have him concentrating on the imitation spider.

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Paling about to look where the other boy was staring, Shaun heard Max try to tell him that those things weren't real, but it sure looked real to him! It moved just like them, and all those eyes! He shuddered again. Oh, he wasn't feeling so good now. The back of his neck prickled and despite Max's best efforts, Shaun was still feeling a little jumpy and wanted to be sure that there were no real spiders by mistake.

"Um..." Trying to focus on the other boy rather than those monstrosities, the teen shook his head. He hadn't found anything before he'd freaked out. Instead something else came to mind and he nearly smacked himself. Since he really didn't know subtle anyways and it would help him think of something else, he asked, "What about you? Oh, and I have something for you in the dorms. I kind of forgot to give it to you before. You know for helping with the Ashwinder."

He'd found it while he was wandering the castle and he thought it would appeal to Max as well. Shaun had thought it was funny when he found it. Of course he still wanted to find that rubbish painting of that lousy knight. Almost as an afterthought he blurted, "What do you know about dragons?"

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Max shook his head at the question of whether he'd found anything he liked. He'd not really had a chance to have a proper look after running in to Shaun so early on in the trip. Not that he minded, seeing his friend was a welcoming sight, even if the younger Gryffindor was seemingly petrified in the moment.

The fact Shaun had something in his dorm, though, was something Max couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at. "What do you mean? Merlin's beard, it better not be another Ashwinder, Shaun, that's dangerous!" Max insisted, his eyes widening in that moment because he certainly would not put it past his friend to have brought such an animal in to the dorms, again.

The question of dragons that came a moment later, though, had Max's attention turning to the thought of the beautifully majestic beasts that Shaun was talking of. The grin on Max's lips denoted that he was over the moon with such a question, too. "What do I know about dragons?" Max echoed, before shaking his head because that was a completely redundant question. "What breed? Because, each and every one of them is different to one another, which means asking such a broad question is... well, it's like asking me..." Max trailed off, not knowing what it was like, because his mind was too focused on dragons.

"What do you want to know?" Max asked instead, his excitement radiating off of him as he waited for Shaun to explain himself.

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Raising up his hands quickly and shaking his head even as a grin split his face, Shaun laughed and reassured the other, "No, I swear, it's not another Ashwinder!" He'd learned his lesson with that when he'd gotten the other boy involved and set his bedding aflame. It would have been in poor taste to get Max an Ashwinder as a thank you for helping him with the last one. Which reminded him, he owned Max a set of bedding. While he knew that the school usually paid for such things, it was the least he could do. Who knew, maybe Max would want something other than plain sheets for home?

It seemed however that asking about dragons was a way to distract Max and Shaun laughed at his friend's enthusiasm and obvious love for the fire breathing creatures. When Max seemed lost for words, Shaun couldn't help laughing again and quip, "Like asking you what kind of creature is the best?"

It hadn't escaped his notice how Max was during Care of Magical Creatures class. He was sure that if he could get away with it, that Max would take up living in the Forbidden Forest until he'd met every single creature that lived in it.

"I guess, I should have first asked you if you know about that Sir Cadogan guy." After his little run in with the painting, he'd gone and actually read about the man. It seemed he'd been an actual wizard once back in the day when there were knights and things.

Guest

The assurance that Shaun had not found another Ashwinder made Max give a small nod to show that he understood that point, instead his attention moving very quickly on to the subject of dragons. How Shaun could have been so short sighted to ask what he knew of dragons was beyond the Gryffindor prefect, but he digressed.

"The best creature?" Max asked increduously, giving Shaun a playful shove. "Don't you dare try asking me such a question!" Max insisted, because that would be a dead end, or, a very long essay-like conversation on the pros and cons of each individual creature with the ending being something ambiguous so that it could never be said that Max had a favourite.

Because he didn't.

"Sir Cadogan..." Max echoed, trying to place the name. It took the Prefect a moment or two, because this was history, and not a subject he knew very well, before he remembered the Wyvern of the Wye, and, of course, the knight who had supposedly slain it. "OH!" Max exclaimed as he placed him. "You mean the awful man who killed the Wyvern of the Wye?" He asked, shaking his head in disgust.

"I know his story, yes. Why..?" Max asked, thoroughly confused with what this had to do with the thing in Shaun's dormitory that he'd gotten for Max. To Max, there was simply no connection, but he'd never been the brightest spark in the bulb!

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