Exploring the Library CLOSED IC

Nat smiled in return to Kenzie. “I’d love to tell you all about it! I’m sure we’ll have all the time in the world.” She grinned, excited at the prospect of educating her new friend on the magical world, and her friend educating her on the muggle one that she, thus-far, had but a small taste of. “It was!” Thinking up a few of the biggest differences, Nat added, “We had many books on magical subjects, and we used magic to sort books on the shelves!” She smiled as she heard Kenzie explain her jealousy. “I’ll have to tell you about what it looked like and how it felt, then,” she replied enthusiastically.

Nat smirked. “That’s fantastic! We can be like those two friends who gang up together because we come from a similar place–despite different families,” she said, mostly being silly. “We’ll really complement each other!”

Nat glanced up when she heard a third girl’s voice. She smiled widely her way, enthusiastic, if nervous, about meeting another new classmate. Feigning confidence, she exclaimed, “Hi! I’m Nat! It’s nice to meet you!” She glanced at Kenzie with a sort of questioning look, wondering if, and hoping that, it would be okay with her if they include this new girl; quickly, she turned her head back to gaze and smile warmly at the girl. She didn't want to come across as rude or snobbish.

☼ My smile brightened when I heard the new girl speak. I felt more comfortable now, being in a lively conversation, and, truthfully, I was excited to have someone else join. If Mum and Dad could see me now; making not only one, but two potential new friends? Amazing!

"Hello, Laurie! I'm Kenzie! You're welcome to sit down and join us, if you'd like!" I said, smiling brightly.

The scene around me was exciting. Books were magically floating to their homes on the shelves around us, and with the flickering candlelight casting dancing shadows on the walls, it felt truly whimsical. I looked back at Laurie, who had taken a seat beside me at our small and cozy table, and at Nat, who shared my facial expression of cheeriness. I found myself studying the

"So, Laurie! It's really great to meet you!! If I remember correctly from the Sorting Ceremony, you were sorted into...Slytherin? Is that right? Are you excited for classes? What brings you to the Library?" I had to stop myself. Yet another rush of red on my cheeks indicated that I was embarrassed for asking so many questions. I adjusted myself in my chair and cleared my throat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bombard you with so many questions. I tend to start rambling when I'm excited, heh."

I looked down at my fingers for a moment, letting out a nervous chuckle. Hopefully, my eagerness doesn't drive away the two girls in front of me. A nagging dark thought began to creep its way into my mind, which made my smile falter. The thought of going through Hogwarts, surrounded by people just like me, and still not having any friends was...upsetting, to say the least. This is supposed to be my fresh start, and I think the worst thing that could ever happen to me is to end up exactly how I was before I came to Hogwarts. Then, I straightened up in my chair, clearing away the negative thoughts from my mind, and regained my smile once more. This is my shot, and I'm not going to throw it away. ☼

Laurie smiled as she listened to the girls. This was the exact reaction she had hoped for. One big opportunity to make friends was beckoning to her and she must take it. After both of them had introduced themselves, she said in a smiling voice-
“Hi Kenzie! Hello Nat! It is really nice to meet both of you too. I feel so lucky that I met you both, I was starting to think I didn’t belong here. Hogwarts really is a wonderful place, but I have never been so far from home until now…”
Laurie finished her gush of words with a deep breath. She did not want to startle anybody. So, she took on answering Kenzie’s questions.
“ Yes, I was sorted into Slytherin , quite unexpectedly though, as I hardly possess qualities of my house. But of course, the sorting hat knows best. What about you too? Nat, I think you were in Ravenclaw, and Kenzie you are in… Gryffindor, right?[/reducio]” Both girls nodded as Laurie spoke.
“ Yes, I really am excited about classes. I am extra excited for Charms. I came to the library because of the peace and quiet. It was crazy crowded out there. I just came after a visit to the owlery. I have an owl, her name is Bella. Do you want to meet her tomorrow? I would be glad to introduce you.”
Laurie smiled as she finished. She was usually a shy girl, but she was really comfortable talking to these two. These three girls… They sort of fit in. Who knows? They might even become best friends in their days. It certainly was enthralling.
“ What are you excited about?

Nat nodded in enthusiastic agreement when Laurie mentioned Hogwarts being wonderful, and smiled reassuringly at her as she kept talking. "Same here, actually. I haven't been far away from home for this long! It's actually so calming to know there're others in the same boat, you know?"

Nat felt excitement bubble within her that this brand-new person was asking to meet up with her and Kenzie again! She felt grateful to Laurie, as she was shy and probably wouldn't have thought to set up a meeting. This was especially because she assumed people wouldn't want to talk to her and she hated hosting things. "Ooo, I haven't seen the Owlery yet! I'd love to visit." Her voice sped up as she excitedly began rambling: "I feel almost like I've been missing out so far that I don't know how to manage owls, seeing as they're our close companions a-and messengers! Some people in my family have owls.--Uh. I'm wizard-born," Nat explained, internally facepalming because she knew she should've started by mentioning that seeing as she clearly had this much knowledge about owls and witches from somewhere. "But, my immediate family doesn't have any." Getting to her point, she added, "I would really love to say hi to Bella, and to talk to you again." She smiled pleasurably, happy at the prospect of getting to know the owl and having a reason to hang with Laurie and Kenzie again.

"As for Charms, oooh, me too! It sounds like so much fun! I'm a bit excited about Potions too, because my dad works with potions for his job. I want to see how much I know a-and if I can replicate even a hair of what he's done, or, you know, see if I've, uh, picked up on anything from him," Nat giggled. "Honestly, if I wasn't a little bit interested in his potions-crafting, I probably wouldn't have picked up anything. I like potions, but, oh boy, I am not practical in the slightest." She blew a raspberry and laughed, shaking her head sheepishly. "Not thinking about my dad," she added, realizing she should think about her own interests as well, "hmm, for first-year classes, I guess I'm excited about Transfiguration and Charms mostly?! I looove the idea of Transfiguration; transformation in general is exciting to me!" She grinned. Rolling her eyes upwards as she craned her neck as a jest, she said in a silly voice, "I suppose I'm a bit of a freak for that." She stopped talking before she said something else utterly ridiculous and glanced at Kenzie, whilst smiling with her mouth closed, wondering how she would answer. She was looking forward to finding out what her other new friend was excited about.

☼"I'm quite excited for Astronomy! My father and I spend a lot of time together, looking at the night sky." I say, then I laugh. "Sometimes, if there's a cool Astronomical event happening after I've gone to bed, my father will wake me up and we'll go outside with the telescope to see it. My mother doesn't know, though. She's not a fan of me staying up quite so late."

I listened as the other girls talked. The energy and eagerness of my smile faded into a softer smile. I leaned back into my chair, playing with the hem of my skirt. I was beginning to feel less confident and more awkward, or perhaps I was just growing tired after such a long day. It was clear that Laurie was also born and raised in the magical world, and suddenly I felt...out of place. I did not have the knowledge or experience they did. Mrs. Agatha had told me some things to prepare for Hogwarts, but I still had so much more to learn.

"Owls? Wizards keep owls as pets?" I asked, suppressing a yawn. "I think a visit to the Owlery would be fun. We could go in our free period after classes tomorrow? It is getting quite late, and I'm sure curfew is sneaking up on us."☼

“I suppose your dad’s liking of Astronomy is not unlike my dad’s for Potions. I like eclipses, so I definitely think Astronomy is an interesting one,” Nat mused. “Perhaps we can watch a sunset or the stars sometime? If we can do so before curfew, of course! Maybe when it gets colder, and it’s a bit darker earlier? I know they adjust the curfew somewhat–right? But, not that much!” She definitely didn’t want to force it, so she made her tone sound very much like a suggestion, nothing more. She was only encouraged to do so because Laurie had already suggested the girls visit the Owlery, meaning she felt a bit more comfortable with asking the other two to hang out since they obviously wanted to.

“Indeed they do!” she giggled. “I have a loooot to teach you about the magical world, eh? I'm looking forward to it!" she added with a goofy wink, to be clearer on her stance and jesting nature.

“I like that idea!” Nat conceded. “I’ll let you know my schedule in a hot minute; we can go down and retrieve ours, if that’d make it easier on you guys!” Some students didn’t have their schedules on them at present, and they were to be placed down with their luggages. “We’ll have to stop near the Great Hall where the luggages are sorted by year a-and House, right? Is there a First-Year section, or are our belongings freshly sorted into our Houses?” she questioned, feeling like an idiot for genuinely not knowing and wondering if one of the other two paid more attention than she did. A voice murmured in her head, somewhere between her mother’s and her own, but with her mother’s way of speaking toward her at times. You’re not home anymore, Nat. You need to start paying more attention!

@Kenzie Thatcher @Laurie Holmes Letting you guys know I posted here so we can hopefully wrap up this thread It's okay if you can't post soon, I just wanted to double-check you guys saw this

Kenzie yawned again.

"So, the Owlery after classes tomorrow? I like that idea!" she said, covering her mouth to try and hide how tired she actually was. While waiting for the other girls to respond, she gathered her things back into her bag, a silent signal that she was ready to go to bed.

They were near a window, one of the few windows in the library, and through it Kenzie could hear the howls of the wind outside. There must be a storm coming she thought, and wrapped her cloak tighter around her as a chill swept through the shelves. After realizing that she had gotten lost in her own little world, yet again, and that she had been openly staring at the girls, yet again, she refocused into the conversation. Biting back another yawn, she smiled with tired eyes at Nat.

"Do you want to walk back to our dorms together, Nat? If I remember correctly, the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers are right near each other, at least the entrances are, so we have the same route through the castle for a while!" she said. "Or, of course, you can stay in the library if you want! I think I'm going to head up to bed, though. It's getting really late and I'm a bit worried about missing curfew."

She stood from her seat, smiling kindly, and nodded to the other girls. "Goodnight!"

And with that, she made her exit from the warm confines of the library, and began her long journey up to Gryffindor tower. There was only one thing on her mind the entire trip. I'm so glad to have made friends. Hogwarts is going to be so much better than I have ever imagined!