“I should smash your violin for that,”

She was joking, or at least, he hoped he was. Her voice indicated that she was but Daniel instinctively tightened his grip on his violin. Brigitte could be unpredictable at times. Like the time that she had stood up on a desk and announced that it was lovely outside, nobody was listening to Professor Binns (which nobody ever did) and that she was going to have a picnic for anyone who wanted to join her. Daniel thought that maybe four or five people joined her. Binn never stopped talking as if this mini revolution hadn't taken place in his classroom.

“Why would you do that to yourself?”

Because my mum smothers me. She acts like I'm going to accidentally kill myself on the stairs or I can't do basic things by myself. Every time, he filled a glass at the table, his mother would make this sharp little intake sound like he was going to overflow his glass any moment thus flooding the tale. Or at least, that was what Daniel was thinking. There was no way that he was going to tell his classmate that.

"You make it sound like I just announced I was shaving my head and getting a ring through my nose. I like music and it's not like Hogwarts is known for it's music program," Daniel told her with a shake of his head. They had pretty much the glee club and since Daniel was a lousy singer, that didn't really work for him.

“Never wanted a puppy. It was kittens for me. Still is. Trying to talk my brother into letting me get another.”

Daniel laughed over Brigitte's comment of his brother. When they were younger, the two had been thick as thieves. A small part of him felt a twinge of guilt over laughing at his brother's expense but his older brother had made it quite clear a long time ago that he wanted nothing to do with Daniel. Yet another reason Daniel spent his summers at the music school. Merlin knew, the Christmas break was bad enough.

"Kittens are cute and everything but they grow up to be cats. Having an animal that knows full well it used to be worshiped would get tedious. My mum claims she's allergic to fur. What are your brother reasons?" he asked shaking his head.

“Not at all. Too much work. I listen. That’s good enough for me.”

"Fair enough," Daniel commented simply with a shrug. He wanted to say that if something was important enough, it was worth hard work. Yet, Brigitte was an acquaintance and not a close friend. She probably wouldn't care for Daniel sticking his nose into her business. It was hard work. He had spent countless hours sliding his bow back and forth across the strings, sometimes with disastrous results.

Well, when I get the chance I do. My brother took away all my records this summer. Seemed to think it would make me behave better.”

Daniel frowned and shook his head. At the conservatory, cassettes and albums were collected, traded and hoarded with such a fervor that Daniel was quite sure that most of his fellow musicians would give up food in lieu of the newest album. To not at music would be torture indeed.

"Is he going to give it back?" he asked.