Muggle Studies

 Errand  National Pride  PV Heather   Closed 

Tagging: @Heather Blair Moretti

Flags?

Decorating?

...Art?

Sure, an essay on countries of origin or a presentation, she could have handled. But doing a work of art in order to support a country(ies)? Ack. Miranda had never been what you'd call "artistical". She prefered reading - even writing! - to putting a pencil on a blank page and making an artwork of images instead of words.

But then it had been announced that there was a Flag-making event going on, and Miranda had been intrigued. She was, after all, a very prideful person when it came to her heritage and race. Then again, that still didn't solve the main problem - with her skill, it wouldn't end up as anything other than a complete train wreck.

It was for that reason that the Ravenclaw second year decided to ask for help, and luck was with her. One of the people she'd met in her adventures at Hogwarts and had enjoyed talking to, even if Miranda didn't know her all that well, had agreed to lend a helping hand.

Heather Moretti - or just Heather, as Miranda preferred to call her. The one who'd said she seemed like a star the last time they met, on that fateful evening trip that had gone far astray of any original intentions, though not in a bad way (unless you count the bloody nose Heather got).

Miranda entered the Muggle Studies classroom, not really paying attention to any of the other students that were already there, either chatting or working on their own flags. The only two things she noticed were processed at the same time. One, the all of the tables had been pushed together to form several large tables. And two, these tables were covered in blank white pages with a large black rectangle outline on them. Interspersed with the scattered papers were pencils - a writing utensil Miranda tended to avoid in favour of quills and pens. Mostly pens, if she had to be honest. Quills were unwieldy sometimes.

Without anything else to do, Miranda made her way to an empty space of table and picked up a pencil and a paper, holding them loosely as she glanced back toward the door. Hopefully Heather would arrive soon, and could offer some helpful bits of advice. Miranda was no doubt going to need it. Sure, she had the creativity - but the skill? Nada.

WC: 417/1000
Incomplete

 Errand  National Pride  PV Heather   Closed 

Taking a last glance towards the mirror, Heather gave her own reflection a closed-eye smile. She seemed... fine. And, not only she looked better, but she also felt better. Thankfully, the blonde managed to sleep almost seven hours last night, so her dark circles weren't as noticeable as usual. Though, for precaution, she still covered them up.

Taking her bag full of different materials she supposed she'd need today, Heather put on her shoes, and soon, she was out of her room, making her way towards the Muggle Studies Classroom. Why would she go there after the classes? After all, while she put some effort into her grades, it wasn't like the Ravenclaw cared too much about her academics, and certainly not about Muggle History. She didn't feel the need to learn in school something she had lived on her own skin.

Heather was going back to the class thanks to a school project, a school project whose goal was to celebrate all the heritages and personalities residing at Hogwarts. Their Muggle Studies professor, Maya Galim, was going to supervise the students while they would be busy creating their own interpretation of the flags, which would serve as decorations for the classroom afterwards. It was a fun and considerate idea, Heather thought. And she decided that she would take part in it, hopefully together with someone else.

It was later on the same day when the project had been revealed when Miranda Everest, her friend, had approached her in the Ravenclaw common room, asking for help. While Heather had been surprised at first (she didn't expect to find a partner so fast), she was happy to team up with Miranda. Of course, she was no rare prodigy, but if she were to say, her paintings were quite pleasant.

Following some other kids who were going in the same direction as her, Heather arrived in the class without any trouble. Greeting the teacher and the students that were already there, the tall child started searching for her friend. No more than a few moments later, she spotted the blonde sitting on an emptier side of the table. Heather made her way there, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Ciao, Stellina! How was your day?"

As she sat down on one of the chairs next to her partner, Heather placed her bag on the backrest, not before taking out her muggle notebook and a small portion of her collection of coloured pencils and glitter pens. "How we should approach this project? Would you like to do one flag together, combining both of our personalities, or do you think that making them separately would work better?" Placing the objects in the middle of the space between her and Miranda, Heather folded her arms. Glancing at the Ravenclaw, she let out a grin.

"So, I guess we shall start then? I think that, for now, we should work on the notebook. You know, so that we can thoroughly plan even the smallest details. Do you have anything particular in mind or any idea you want to try out?"

Heather knew that Miranda was kind of... hopeless in regards to creative arts. But, no matter how much she thought she lacked any real talent, she must have had at least a mental image of the flag. And the bubbly blonde was set on helping her friend unleash her inner artist. Personally, the taller blonde had already envisioned a mental image of how the final product could turn out, but she didn't want Miranda to feel like she hadn't had anything to say in that matter. They were, at the moment, a team, so they both had to come up with their own little twist.

Word Count: 622 /1000
Incomplete

 Errand  National Pride  PV Heather   Closed 

Miranda looked up in surprise at the sound of a familiar voice, and her face broke into a smile at the sight of Heather. "Getting better," she replied, patting the seat next to her as a gesture for her friend to sit down. "A bit worried how I'm ever going to managed. I don't think you've ever seen my art attempts...but it's not pretty."

She gaped at the sheer amount of artistic utensils Heather upended from her back, along with a notebook. Perhaps it didn't look like too many to most, but for Miranda, who generally avoided such things, it was a lot.

"Do a flag together?" she echoed, her expression one of surprise. "That sounds...unique. But I wouldn't want to mess up your work with my...uh, less than stellar art." Miranda met Heather's grin with a small smile of her own, though she looked a bit resigned. This was going to be an...interesting project, no doubt. Whatever happened, the results of her flag would be a sight to behold. The only question was whether it would be so in a good way, or a bad way.

"Working in a notebook sounds like a good idea...and as for planning...no, I didn't really think about that much." She sighed. Obviously there were many things she hadn't thought through first. "Although, my family has roots in England, France, and Canada. So I can probably include stuff from all of those...but what to add?" Miranda paused, thinking it over. Visions of maple leaves and stars came to mind, but first she had to think of a way to put those together so it looked nice, and was at the same time simple enough for her to do without making too much of a fool of herself.

"I also like reading...so maybe books? Something like that." She shot Heather a sideways glance. "And what about you? Do you have an idea for your flag?" It was obvious that Heather had planned her artwork much better than Miranda had, because she'd thought to bring so many things Miranda hadn't even considered.

WC: 417 + 354 = 771/1000
Incomplete

 Errand  National Pride  PV Heather   Closed 

"I don't think you've ever seen my art attempts...but it's not pretty." Cracking a smile, Heather dismissively waved her hand in the air. "Nonsense. To you, it might look bad. But I'm sure that it's not that you lack any talent, it's about the fact that you didn't learn to use it to your advantage yet!"

Noticing her friend's surprise at seeing her supplies, Heather bit the inside of her cheek. Should she tell Miranda that what she brought here was only a small part of her whole collection? Better not, it already seemed like the girl was feeling like her place wasn’t there.

Hearing the Ravenclaw’s reply, Heather nodded. "Okay, then. We'll both make our own flag, so we don't have to worry about how we should fit everything in one collage." Taking her notebook, the girl ripped out a blank paper and gave it to Miranda, and then she turned the pages until she found another empty space. With a pencil in hand, she scribbled on both papers the outline of a rectangle, and after that, she gave her partner another sideways glance.

"My family has roots in England, France, and Canada. So I can probably include stuff from all of those...but what to add?" The blonde asked, seemingly in a dilemma. "I also like reading...so maybe books? Something like that." Nodding slowly, in deep thought, Heather cleared her throat. "So you have a starting point, after all. First, we have to establish what you're going to add to your project. So, how about you note down, hm, let's say, ten words, the first words that are coming to your mind when you think about yourself, about your family, about your roots." It was a rather logical approach, and while Heather rarely used this method in her art, she supposed that Miranda could work better if she had a clear goal.

"And what about you? Do you have an idea for your flag?"

"Hm?" Heather asked, suddenly paying attention once again. Noticing Miranda staring at her with curiosity, the girl rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Ah, sorry for that, Stellina. Yeah, I do have something in mind." Putting her pencil down on the piece of paper, Heather stared writing while she spoke.

"I was thinking of drawing something Italian-related. Maybe some dishes, like pizza, spaghetti, some tiramisu; or maybe trying to recreate one of the narrow, colorful streets that were in my hometown? I could try and draw even the sea-" Stopping, Heather pondered her decision. The same sea that killed her father, should she draw it? "-or better not. From Scotland, I don't have many memories worth mentioning, maybe just the ones with my best friend. Oh, I could also include something ballet-related, too. I guess these are the main points. If something else comes to my mind, I'll add it later."

Word Count (Not including my partner's replies): 428 + 622 = 1050 /1000
Completed

 Errand  National Pride  PV Heather   Closed 

"You're right about me lacking any talent," Miranda muttered, possibly too quietly for Heather to make out properly. However, she stopped protesting further, and instead moved to poking through the artistic items her friend had brought.

Miranda accepted the page of notebook paper that Heather offered her, and studied the blank expanse with a worried expression, then set it down and set her hand on top of a nearby pencil, drawing it closer to where she sat.

"Words?" Miranda echoed, her expression brightening. "That sounds better than drawing. Even if it's just planning." She picked the pencil up properly and set it on the paper. There was a pause as she thought, then started to scribble down words as she listened to Heather list her ideas aloud.

When she finished, it looked something list this:

-Magical Creatures
-England
-Books
-Canada
-France
-Nature
-Watching Sunsets
-Explosions
-Trees...especially cedar ones
-Reptiles

Miranda stared at the list for a moment, frustrated by how unconnected all of those things were. How was she supposed to put them all together to make a flag? And on top of that, what kind of flag was she supposed to make? One for France, where her family came from, on for England, where she lived at the moment, or one for Canada, where she'd been born? It was very confusing, at least for her.

A few ideas chased themselves through her head, but she dismissed them all quickly. Sure, Miranda thought she was pretty creative, but some of her ideas were either too outlandish, or beyond her ability. It was a difficult decision, no mistake about it.

"What if...I put all of the things I like, and stuff, and put them in the shape of a mix between an English and French flag? Like, I'd color the items that go in red areas red, then color things that go in blue areas blue." Miranda paused, wincing at the lack of eloquence she had just displayed, then turned to glance at Heather, wondering what she thought.

Reducio

OOC: Apologies for the short reply! I got hit with writer's block halfway through the amount I meant to write, and decided to just submit it

WC: 417 + 354 + 335 = 1106/1000
Complete (barely)

 Errand  National Pride  PV Heather   Closed 

Running her eyes over Miranda's list, Heather listened closely to the girl's words. "Yeah, yeah," she replied, although she wasn't sure how her friend was going to fit so many different things in one drawing. She had to agree, it was quite a chaotic selection, but after all, human were complex characters, and it wasn't unusual to be interested in such a large variety of things. And, the taller Ravenclaw realized that she had the chance to find out more about Miranda! For example, she never thought her friend would be into Reptiles! And... Wait a second, did she read that correctly?

"Explosions?!" the taller blonde exclaimed, maybe a bit too loudly. "How come you are passionate about them?"

Leaning back on her chair, Heather pressed her lips into a thin line, absentmindedly moving her fingers across the words. Still, she perked her ears up when she heard Miranda speak. Nodding slowly, the Ravenclaw let out a smile. "That's a great idea. I mean, the flags kinda share the same colours, so it won't be hard using them. And, do you have any plan on how to combine the usual things with the... more risque ones?" Giving Miranda her piece of paper back, Heather moved closer to the table, and, taking her notebook, she wrote her own list. Under it, she drew a rough sketch of the flag. Pleased with her work, the girl turned her notebook towards her friend.

"What do you think? Look, I drew some ballet shoes in order to separate the page into three sections. Y'know, so it has the same contour as the Italian flag. Then, in the green section, I drew many Italian foods, and down here I added some buildings. I won't use only green, but nonetheless it's the main colour. In the white section, I drew art-related things: a ballerina, a canvas, and some ice skates. And, finally, in the red area, I drew many, many books, and some wizarding objects." Putting her pen down, Heather turned the notebook towards her once more, biting the inside of her cheek. "It might be a bit too much, though. Maybe, I could draw green, nature-related things. Maybe the Scottish hills? What do you think?"

Heather then took the blank paper they had to draw on and, after some time spent in silence, finished her own, personalised, flag. It wasn't something spectacular, but she loved it nonetheless.

Word Count: 374 + 1050 =1424 /1000
Completed

Reducio

Final flag