Finished Mokes aren't Donkeys PV

Mari, though she had spent most of her first few weeks at Hogwarts wandering the halls, embracing her misery, knew the corridors themselves quite well. What she did not do, however, was take in the details of the halls, instead only logging their generic appearances in her brain. It was much to her surprise, therefore, that she realized today that a bulletin board existed in the small hall and that board, in fact, actually had announcements on it!

She had to thank the boy who was reading the leaflet pinned to the board, of course. It was highly probable that if she had not been passing at the exact moment that he had been reading its contents, Mari would have not realized the board existed at all. Although a regular, sociable person would have interacted with the boy or waited for the completion of his reading, Mari took the path that only Mari would: she tried to read behind his shoulder. 'Course, this meant that Mari was standing on her tip toes and could only read the top few lines while she breathed hot air close to the back of the boy's neck...but Mari didn't know how to behave any other way.

She let out a large breath when the boy began talking. She wasn't certain he had noticed her and now did not know if she should run with his words and announce her presence. He seemed to be talking about some sort of creature. Mari wasn't sure; she really could only read the first line while the boy spent his time reading himself, which merely said "R.O.A.M." Before, Mari had been hoping that the boy would randomly crouch so she could learn more, but his words piqued her interest. Care of Magical Creatures had always been an interest of hers, especially after her mum had said that classes took place outdoors. Outdoors brought her great joy, and she considered Herbology classes a place of refuge. Care of Magical Creatures, however, had always seemed like a class that Mari would enjoy more. What was this "R.O.A.M" thing, anyway? Was it a way to bypass the third year rule for the course? Mari would do anything to start her lessons sooner.

While in her reverie, the boy decided to move. Mari jolted; she was far too close for the boy to move. Had she not moved backwards as he turned nor been so short, they surely would have locked lips. Nothing could be more embarrassing than this. She looked sheepishly up at the boy, resigned to the fact that she had to speak, now, and inquired, "What was that flyer about?"

Gold speckled eyes scanned over the walls of the small hall as a fairly small girl roamed the school, an astronomy text book tucked into crook of her right arm. Marla didn't have many friends, nor acquaintances, so in her free time she opted to explore what the school of Hogwarts had to offer.

Doing this seemed quite aimless in the ginger's eyes, since she could have been studying, but Marla was never one for academics. However, she was beginning to think that walking around the halls was paying off, since she noticed that there was a small crowd around a bulletin board on the wall. Interesting. Marla had never been in the small hall before now, so curiosity filled the girl from head to toe. She trudged over towards a boy and a girl, taking a quick glance at the two. It seemed as if the girl was breathing on the boy's neck. Marla stifled a laugh at the sight as the vertically challenged first year stood on her tippy toes, desperately trying to get a glance at a piece of paper.. Marla squinted and saw that it was something called "R.O.A.M".

Weird.

As Marla approached the board, she was immediately captivated by the varying announcements and events happening at Hogwarts. Clashing colors of parchment danced on the panel. Advertising, advising, the wall had it all. She was especially interested by the quidditch posters, whatever that was, but sighed in dismay when she saw that it was only for second years and above. Right before Marla was going to make her exit from the hall, the boy and girl that she was standing next to moved awkwardly between each other and sparked up a conversation. She took a deep breath. It wouldn't hurt to try to make some new friends, right? Or at least actually talk to someone. Marla turned around and approached the two as she overheard the girl– who she just acknowledged was a Hufflepuff as she looked at her robes, ask what flyer the boy was looking at.
"I'm actually quite curious about that, too..." Marla remarked as she slightly tilted her head, "...what's a R.O.A.M?"

Alan was shocked when he suddenly head a voice behind him and quickly whirled around in a matter of seconds, eyes wide and widening further in surprise when he saw two girls. He had not noticed them sneaking up on him like that, well of course there often were people stopping by the bulletin board, but he was not prepared for them asking him something. But they were asking about something and he did not want to deny them an answer.

”Oh...”, he breathed out and blinked lightly as his heart rate calmed down slowly. He took in the two girls, that were now standing in front of him like that. With a soft smile tugging at his lips, he decided to reply to them, not knowing how they have not heard about R.O.A.M yet. It was awesome and something no one wanted to miss out on.

”Yuu have heard about Professor Griffith, right? He opened up a program called Research Opportunity for Aspiring Magizoologists, short R.O.A.M”, he explained lightly, his whole body relaxing just by the topic he was talking about, a topic he was fairly comfortable with. ”So yeah... he introduces us to mostly harmless but interesting creatures so that we do not have to wait until third year-”, he added just to give them an idea about what it was about.

Click if Interested

Man, there were a lot of red haired people at Hogwarts. Mari wondered if redheads were just immediately accepted into Hogwarts as she listened to the new girl inquire about R.O.A.M. herself. Not many people looked like Mari here. She was secretly quite grateful for the Gryffindor Head of House, though she had never spoken to her. It was nice to know that someone at least resembled her slightly.

That was besides the point, however. Red 2.0 (as Mari had already deemed a Ravenclaw "Red" - seriously, there are a lot of redheads, here, Mari kept thinking) had seemingly saved Mari from being the only awkward person in the room. The Gryffindor boy (his hair seemed to have a reddish tinge to it... (I actually really can't tell what color Alan's hair is lol and even looked to your encyclopedia for an answer, but if this is a stretch it's not going to be vocalized anyway, don't worry) Mari made a mental note to consult her History of Magic book to see if there was something about red-haired wizards in it) seemed flabbergasted at the fact that his reading was interrupted. Not just by Mari, though, but by Red 2.0 as well. What. A. Miracle. Mari found herself quite often in awkward situations, but usually she did not have a companion to the awkwardness.

She was pleased, though, that the boy had offered information so willingly. Mari knew many people who would ridicule a fellow human for being unknowing or ill-informed or...awkwardly stepping up behind them...but this boy seemed nice. She noted how his body relaxed as he stated information about the club, and her eyes began to glow in excitement, partly because the boy seemed so interested in the club, partly because Mari herself was quite interested. She loved the outdoors and her favorite class was Herbology; however, she eagerly awaited the moment that she could begin Care of Magical Creatures. Mari longed to not be confined to a greenhouse, breathing in the fresh air, with magical creatures whose abilities stretched beyond her wildest imagination. Sometimes she wished she could speed up time and just be a third year, herself.

Her only hesitation was the Care of Magical Creatures professor, one Professor Griffith. Mari was scared of most professors and would never dare to interact with them unless absolutely necessary, but he seemed particularly scary. Mari had heard whisperings that he wasn't nearly as old as he looked, but he seemed unkempt, at the very least. Scars littered his body and seemed evidence to the fact that he had experienced a great lot in his life. And he was tall. Mari was short. She feared that if she angered him he would just take one of those muscled arms to wring out her neck. 'Course, that wasn't typical behavior of a Hogwarts professor, but you never know...stranger things have happened.

This boy seemed nice enough, though, to not judge her for the question that was inevitable if she were to sign up for this club. Mari took a deep breath and asked innocently, "Erm...is Professor Griffith nearly as scary as he looks?"

She wanted to elaborate but just thinking about him made her nervous all over again. Surely the boy would give her the honest truth. If he was a part of this "R.O.A.M." business, he would be able to give her an accurate answer to if Griffith really was the type to frighten small children such as herself.

Marla was quite relieved that she was accompanied by another student in asking the second year questions. She absolutely loathed awkward conversations, which made it a miracle that the Hufflepuff was there too. She seemed like a nice enough person, and it wasn't half bad that she was almost as short as Marla, at least someone in this school wasn't towering over her.

Either way, Marla felt a bit guilty since it seemed that she startled the second year. He looked as if he were out of breath, but got a hold of himself quickly. The girl was quite relieved to see him smile and talk passionately about R.O.A.M. Maybe she'd actually find that club entertaining? There weren't many extra curricular activities for first years compared to everyone else. She'd never interacted with many animals, but Marla always wanted a pet. Marla found herself forming a small grin on her face without even realizing it, and turned a light shade of pink as she reverted back to normal, clearing her throat.

After the Gryffindor was done speaking, the Hufflepuff asked if the professor was as scary as he looks. Marla let out a small laugh at the question, " I've never met him, but I heard that he's one way or the other. Really mean or really nice. I mean, you never know 'till you talk to him yourself, but.. " Marla trailed on her sentence and played with the hemming on her robes, hoping that she wasn't being very bothersome.

Sorry if this is a bit rushed/plain, I've been having major writers block lately

[quote]Alan's eyes widened. ”He's not mean or anythin', Professor Griffith scared away some upper years that were being mean to me once!”, he explained to the two girls. ”I mean the way he talks and acts is a bit scary sometimes, but he means well of that I am sure!”, Alan would not sugarcoat and say that Griffith was always nice, he meant well but the way he looked and acted could intimidate anyone, probably he could be scary for the scariest people in the world. He had however never seen Griffith cast magic, but he guessed that the job he was doing, taking care of creatures, would require lots of strength and willpower. Alan would probably need to improve a lot on that if he wanted to take this career path at one point and he was sure that that was his biggest dream and he would fight anyone who thought he was not suited for that task.

”Really, you will know he is nice when you meet him, just don't take his comments too seriously and you will be fine!”, he explained kindly to the apparently unsure first years, but he remembered him feeling anxious when he first saw Griffith in the Great Hall at the professor's table. Yet he did not see him there often, but that was not that uncommon, some professors preferred to eat in their chambers or out in Hogsmeade.

She flushed when Red 2.0 let out a small laugh at her question. It was a valid one, after all, even if Mari wasn't a complete coward. Griffith was scary; there was no way around that fact. He didn't seem to like children, and especially as she was not a third year, Mari hadn't seen him once. She longed to explore her interest in magical animals, but it was not as though the Professor made exploring those interests easy.

Either way, she remained silent as she listened to the girl. Mari was a pacifist, blaming herself for most conflicts, and would not argue in support of her question. Perhaps Red 2.0 knew something she did not. Thankfully, the boy, who seemed the expert in all things creature- and Griffith-related, added his own opinion. Mari still appeared visibly uncertain, even though she trusted the boy. He even admitted that he talked and acted a bit scary; how was he so certain that he "means well of that"?

But still...Mari did really have quite an interest in Care of Magical Creatures. She loved the outdoors, she loved (to her) normal creatures, and she adored Herbology, which was quite nearby. Maybe, just maybe, if she had this boy lead her and introduce her to Griffith, he would be much more understanding of this inquiring mind enclosed in such a tiny, innocent body. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable and might be the best thing the scary professor had to a "friend," in terms of students. And her mum would be quite pleased if Mari was seeking out extra educational opportunities. Against her better judgement, for she was still quite fearful of the professor, she inquired, "Do you think you could perhaps help us meet him? Maybe he won't be bothered to meet us if we are with someone he knows."

She thought further of the statement and shook her head hastily as soon as the last word emerged from her mouth. "I'm sorry," she blubbered quite hastily, "That's a ridiculous question. I don't even know your name and you seem quite busy and I'm sure he's quite busy being a professor and all, and he especially wouldn't want to see a young first year like me outside of class hours, that's insane. And I don't know if you-" she nodded to the girl, "-want that either, it was quite ridiculous of me to assume."

Mari was speaking too much, too fast, once again. It was as though she should just wear a sign around her neck that declared she was a blundering idiot. There wasn't much chance of redeeming herself besides solving one of the issues she presented and introduce herself. Chuckling quite uncomfortably, she muttered, "Well, my name's Mari Haynes. I'm sorry for all that and for imposing, but I do quite appreciate you answering my question, sir."

[quote]Marla felt quite relieved when the second year defended Professor Griffith, he did seem a bit scary, but appearances were, in fact, deceiving sometimes. She was still a bit unsure, especially since the girl had never spoken to Professor Griffith before, but the Gryffindor was very insistent. Some third years she'd overheard in the hallway one time even said that the professor was crazy, so she was a bit biased from the beginning. Even then though, Marla had always been intrigued with animals. Her family wouldn't even let her near the family cat, afraid she would do something. What was an eleven-year-old going to do anyway, though? Give the kitty too much food? It was stupid. And it was also stupid to let some dumb rumors get in the way of Marla learning about completely amazing creatures. How could she pass up learning about unicorns or werewolves over a seemingly "scary" professor?
"Do you think you could perhaps help us meet him? Maybe he won't be bothered to meet us if we are with someone he knows." The Hufflepuff asked. A smile crept upon Marla's face. What an excellent idea! She'd love to meet Professor Griffith, especially if what the upperclassman was saying was true. But only seconds after, the girl apologized and took back her question. Why would she do that, anyways? The question was valid, even though it may be a bit challenging to meet any professor outside of class, especially one you don't have yet. Even if asking that could come off as rude to the boy, he seemed nice enough and Marla was sure that he wouldn't mind.
"I don't think it's a half bad idea, actually," she argued, giving the Hufflepuff a small smile,"as long as you aren't busy." She reasoned, pointing to the second year. Marla honestly didn't care if she met Griffith or not– but it seemed that the Hufflepuff was too nervous to ask firmly herself, so the girl decided to push it a bit more. What did she have to lose? A few seconds after babbling, the Hufflepuff introduced herself as Mari Haynes.
"I'm Marla Quinlan. It's nice to meet you both." She added in a hushed tone, as not to disturb the quiet atmosphere around them.

Alan was not all too fond of their plan, however he would encourage them to meet them on their own. ”Well, you know I do not want to bother him, but he had his office and a lot of kids go there! I am sure you can ask him stuff there and actually talk to him if you so please!”, he explained the two students, with a soft smile. He was nervous and did not want to bother a professor for something simple like that. And they were better off without him anyway, because he could not appear at his door every day.

When the one girl called him Sir and introduced herself, he got a bit embarrassed. She could not be that much younger, so why would she call him that? ”Uhm... p-please just call me Alan,”, he offered nervously. ”We both are kids so calling me that is not necessary...” Alan would feel rather weird to be called such stuff, so he just hoped that the girl was okay with him calling her Mari as well. The other girl introduced herself as Marla, making Alan nod. He would just have to remember their names now, which would probably be the toughest task; it usually was.

”So... see you around? And seriously go pay Professor Griffith a visit, he isn't as mean as people say!”