A Curious Mind PV Cassidy Fraser Closed

@Hui Ming

Cassidy had visited the library once in her week at hogwarts — she was too caught up in her new studies as she didn't know much about them. The first year had swallowed up anything her mum told her about magic, but there was so much to tell, she still had some surprises through the days. For instance, she bumped into a house elf on her way through the library and got quite a surprise.

The one subject she had a little knowledge on was transfiguration. Her great aunt Alice Fraser was an animagi and specialized in the subject and when her mum had gotten her her book she had written for her birthday, she happily read it until the pages were close to dust. This had sparked an interest in transfiguration and she was anticipating her first class like a pet waiting at their bowl of food — desperate and hungry for more.

Cassidy, being so occupied with exploring her new lifestyle, hadn't thought to let her parents know she hadn't died on the express or crashed into the whomping willow on a broomstick. They — especially her father — could be quite worrisome parents. She thought she had ought to let them know what she was up to and what her views on Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry were so far.

This leads to the present time. Cassidy had a small leather bag slung around her shoulder she had packed with a black quill and a bottle of ink she had closed very tightly, for if her bag had been coated in glistening ink her life might just end. She also had some parchment with her and a pencil to write the words first, because God forbid if she had to start again. She loved using quills and ink, perhaps because she had already been taught at home how to work with it, but also because it was something different and she felt like she was a woman from the 19^th century writing to her spouse who had died, unbeknownst to her. She had written that little dark tale about quills and ink before Hogwarts, and now she couldn't stop thinking about it when she used a quill which was often. She often wrote stories with a dark twist, but never revealed them to her parents because they hated her thinking about death despite it being a big part of everybody's lives.

When she was told she had to use a quill she was mildly disappointed. The Wizarding world had figured out teleportation, time travel, even mind control and splitting one's soul, yet hadn't worked out how to make use of a pencil. She was hoping they had this amazing pen that wrote whatever you thought or one you didn't have to even touch. Apparently not, now she was stuck with a dipping pen.

Her black robes lined with an unmistakable blue flowing behind her like a cat's tail and leather bag rattling as its contents were bounced around, she manoeuvred the library; past the wooden shelves stacked with books upon books, some looking as if they could be placed in a museum; past house elves ordering the books into what she would assume was alphabetical order; past tables with students sat around, their belongings scattered around it's surface.

It looked as if the library was busy, and a low hum of whispering hung in the air. Cassidy seated herself across from a boy who didn't take up as much room as other students and slung her bag off her shoulder onto the table to empty its contents. She neatly placed her bottle of ink beside her quill and lined up her parchment with her, posing her pencil to begin to write. She almost hadn't noticed the Chinese boy writing with a muggle pen until she took her quill out — she had grown up using ʼnormalʼ pens and pencils. Perhaps he didn't have one yet.

She begun to carefully address her parents on the parchment, and began telling her tales of armour, house elves, candles and ceilings that weren't quite ceilings. It wouldn't have taken her long if she didn't have to go over it in ink, but it would've taken her ages if she had made a mistake with it. She lifted her quill and admired her work, wiping off the ink with her finger and placing it on the table. Cassidy decided to browse the shelves while the letter dried, so she slipped out of her seat and examined the books behind the boy she was seated across. A lot of the books were non-fiction, probably for studying. As she walked up behind him, she snuck a glance at his work and due to the neat handwriting she made out a few words that certainly weren't related to anything taught at Hogwarts.

“Sorry to interrupt. Is that physics?” Cassidy asked him. It was very out of character for her, but she loved the subject and was hoping he, too, enjoyed it. Why else would he be doing muggle work at Hogwarts?

Interacting: @Cassidy Fraser
Mentioning: -

English | Mandarin | French | Quotes

So absorbed was the Slytherin boy that he had not quite realized that another person had taken up a spot at his table without asking for permission, or he would have objected. He single-mindedly focused was he in finishing his assignments, that he was oblivious to the girl having walked around behind him.

“Sorry to interrupt. Is that physics?”

The boy quite literally jumped in surprise, before whirling around and brandishing his weapon like some manner of knife. What damage he could possibly do with a pen had not quite entered his thought process, only that he needed some weapon to protect himself from whatever danger had decided to manifest itself to him.

It took him a moment to realize that the sound had not, in fact, come from a malicious source; but from another student. A blonde-haired girl. Hui Ming sighed and lowered the pen, his muscles relaxing; even as he critically eyes the aggressor the newcomer. She wore the blue trimmings of Ravenclaw, and gave every appearance of being an innocent student. With some reluctance, he replaced the pen on the table.

"I apologize, Miss." He said slowly, "I was rather startled at being addressed so abruptly."

He considered her, then. She seemed like nothing special to him. Just another face in the ocean of students that made up the school. He school uniform was satisfactory, and her face was average. Her interest in him was suspicious, though he could hardly be discourteous to her based on vague suppositions and paranoia..

"I am indeed working on an assignment of physics," he decided to answer her, uncertain if it was the correct choice. He had not expected that anyone would recognize his work, between the apathy of the wizards and the general uninterest of the muggleborns that he had met thus far. "How did-?"

He caught himself. That was not the best way to start. Perhaps he should attempt something just a tad bit less aggressive. Ravenclaws were meant to be curious and studious - and though he was perhaps living proof that not all members of the houses were embodiments of the purported values of the House itself - there was no harm in tacking this conversation to a potentially more cordial tone.

"Are you interested in Muggle education as well, Miss?"He tried, uncertainly; the smallest of smiles on his face. "Or has the Transfiguration Professor been scaring other classes to understand the natural sciences as well?"

Interacting: @Cassidy Fraser
Mentioning: -

English | Mandarin | French | Quotes

She seemed to be studying him just as he studied her. For an absurd moment, a part of his mind wondered what she saw when she looked him over. Did his posture tell her anything of his upbringing. Did the careful pronunciation pf each word? His neat attire spoke to some people, while the quality of the material spoke to yet others. Fewer noticed his eyes, sharp and calculating. But then the moment passed. She would likely just see a rich Chinese boy, and assume pureblood. Too many did.

Grey eyes met misty blue, and he realized that she was as tense as he. She held herself ready to fight or flee, should the situation call for it. He would know, he had seen the same tension in several of his housemates in the Common Room. That did not make sense though. Why would a student of the house of intellect need to be ready for unexpected threats? Ravenclaw did not have the likes of arrogant Schneider or odd Miss Ashwood amongst their ranks. Ravenclaw did not posses a student who had murdered another with their bare hands. Ravenclaw did not possess Dmitri Jones, terror and awe and judgement all rolled into an unfathomable force of nature.

Or did it?

He was driven to distraction; he had assumed that the loud and dangerous ones were in red, and the quiet and dangerous ones in green. From the cues he was given by this girl, each house had its own snakes. Perhaps he needed a closer look at the houses, and the internal dynamics of each of them. Curious indeed.

His thought process was brought to a grinding halt when the girl in blue confessed that she had studied physics before. And had actually enjoyed it! How odd. He had thought himself fairly advanced for his age, and even he was barely starting the fundamentals of the subject.

Perhaps she is more experienced than you? It would not be an impossibility. A snide voice whispered in the back of his head. It was true enough. While he worked hard to project the image of the unflappable student, he was hardly naturally gifted and made up for the difference with diligence and preparation.

The girl proceeded to turn his question back on him, and his serious façade gave way to the smallest of chuckles. No bristled defensiveness. No shows of superiority. No posturing or barbs. How odd. He might enjoying the company of this one!

"Scared by studies? Oh, perish the thought!" He replied, almost offended by the idea that mere studies or work would be enough to overwhelm him. "I will go to Muggle university after Hogwarts, and I'd have to be proficient in several subjects to make that possible."

That sounded acceptable, right? It also had the benefit of being true. That he had skirted around the problematic issues, but that was only the polite thing to do. After all, what he could hardly say this is the only way my parents would allow me to attend a public school. Or worse I refuse to magic my way into Muggle degrees, as suggested by several Professors.

I am having some difficulty in properly grasping the subject though." He added, hoping that the girl would be nice enough to perhaps help him. Professor Jensen had suggested that he go to any of the professors for help in the Muggle subjects, but he was not exactly enthused by the encounter.

It was then that he realized that he had yet to introduce himself. Oh my, what she must think of his manners!

"Oh! I'm Hui Ming, by the way." He said, quite awkwardly. "Slytherin first year, at your service."

Interacting: @Cassidy Fraser

English | Mandarin | French | Quotes

The Chinese boy took the offered arm in a firm handshake. In his almost-forty day (had it been that long already!?) experience of staying within the walls of Hogwarts, this was but the second time that he had been offered a handshake, and it brought him some comfort in the familiar.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Fraser." He said formally, before adding on. "I had actually hoped to end in Ravenclaw myself. The Hat had other plans, alas. And now I find myself in a pit of vipers instead of a nest of eagles."

The smallest of sniffs followed, a dismissive gesture. As if he had not just called his own House a pit and hers a nest. When the girl offered help he nodded gratefully, skating over his previous comment altogether.

"Could you? I would be grateful for any help I could get." He turned back to his notes, and beckoned her over. His copy was . . . odd. The page on the left-hand side held notes: neat and immaculately written. Some of these referred to terms, such as resistance or current or voltage, it was in bullet form and the language was concise, clearly written with great care to be easy to skim through in a pinch. The page on the right was a stark contrast. While the circuit diagram in (pictured below) it was neat enough, the page was heavy with numbers and a slew of half-written, abandoned, or crossed out mathematical calculations.

"As you can see," the boy said sheepishly, after allowing the Ravenclaw girl several moments to observe and absorb the contents of his notes. "I am currently starting my studies on electronic circuits. And the content overall has been rather challenging."

A moment's hesitance, even with his eyes firmly set upon his own notes, Ming paid careful attention to any auditory clues the girl might give hi for him to try and assess her reaction to being thrown into the deep end in her attempt to aid basically a stranger.

"What I am struggling with presently," he continued on after a moment. "Has been the series and parallel circuitry in general. In this case, for example, how much would the current and voltage be at various points along the circuit?"


He looked up at the girl questioningly then. Perhaps she had some insight into how to tackle this particular issue. The books that he had had only talked about a series circuit or a parallel circuit in isolation; and he was hard pressed to find a parallel circuit with varying levels of resistance.

OOC Apology Notee
Note 1: Sorry for the delay in posting, replies should be more frequent now. IRL has not been nice
Note 2: Short reply, didn't really know what to say. Will attempt to be less bad with replies henceforth