The fit of laughter that followed the little blonde's compliment hardly fazed Brody as he sent her a jaunty grin. Oh he knew he looked ridiculous in something that his parents would've worn in their youth, but the fact that he still had girls batting their eyelashes at him despite the hideous uniform kept his ego safely fed. Watching the sway of her hips as she entered the room, the young Irishman nearly missed the question she posed until the stretching silence caught his notice.

Okay, Brody, question. You arent exactly a guy who likes commitment, however if you had tae settle down with one girl from Hogwarts who would it be?

"You don't pull your punches, do you, blondie?" he asked wryly. The Gryffindor boy nearly winced at Modesty's inquiry, the idea of settling down frightening him just enough to have his grin falling a moment before he replaced it with a thoughtful expression. What good was finding one person to tie yourself to for the rest of your life when you could be a free agent? After all, the term settling down implied what the definition really was; settling. Why settle for something when you could keep living a life that pleased you? one that suited you?

Pushing aside the natural inclination to talk his way out of this particular question, Brody mulled over the names of several young women in Hogwarts to pull out for consideration. Lena Ridley was the obvious choice for him, at least to an outsider, but no matter how many times they pulled each other into a closet for a quick shag he couldn't see himself in a relationship with the Ravenclaw beyond being fuck buddies. There would always be that element of distrust with her, knowing that she wouldn't remain faithful even though she'd give him the same option to screw around. No, he wouldn't marry Lena, or really any of the other girls he'd dated in the past. Those that weren't dull were either too snooty or self-involved for his tastes.

He'd go with Lily Evans if red heads didn't evoke the irrational part of him that took superstition seriously, and that really left him with one girl that fit most of his criteria. "If I had to settle with someone at Hogwarts, it'd be the Dueling club VP, Jezebel Bain. She's pretty, fiery, and reliable to the extent that I wouldn't have to worry about finding some other guy's boxers under our bed. She'd keep life interesting and she's not someone I see wanting to have a house full of kids," Brody shuddered for effect, "So there you have it."