18 Oct 2024, 02:05
The Fallout
Thread backdated to April 23rd, 2024.
Nat was devastated.
It had been the biggest let-down to be late boarding the train because Kenzie didn't show. Worse, Kenzie had presented no sign of her existence, period!
Nat had gotten very stressed out. She was only twelve and she didn't particularly know how to, nor did she want to attempt to communicate with her parents last-minute to change plans with her family just to stay at school for her friend. Besides, she was very homesick, and needed this break. She didn't want to be late and miss seeing her family, but she also didn't want to abandon her friend if she was running late.
Even once she'd gotten home, feeling guilty as Hell, there was still no letter, nor any other sign from Kenzie. Should Nat talk to her? She wasn't sure...Kenzie had had plenty of opportunities to send her a letter, was the aspect that was truly kicking her now. Owls traveled fast, and, therefore, letters did not take long to arrive. So, if something had prevented Kenzie's arrival home, why hadn't Kenzie alerted her to what happened? Was Kenzie okay?? If the letter hadn't made it, because Nat clearly never sent a reply herself, wouldn't Kenzie send another to be sure?? Owls couldn't have been that expensive, right? It couldn't have been that much of a hassle. Heck, Nat would rather Kenzie ask for a refund than not tell her at all! Maybe Nat was asking too much of the muggle-born who barely had any economy in the Wizarding World, but, nonetheless, she felt hurt all the same that Kenzie didn't even care to ensure she left some sort of sign. Nat wasn't sure what the sign would be, if it couldn't have been a letter, but at least something to indicate a decision.
Nat attempted to avoid pinning this on Kenzie, but, deep down, she had the creeping irritation of feeling it was irresponsible of her, or her family, to change plans last-minute, and to not inform her! If it was her family's fault, it still told something about how Kenzie would presumably act since she was raised by them. Nat knew that was being cynical, and kept trying to swipe it from her mind, but it was still in there, stirring.
Nat had managed to mostly turn her brain off for break. It was nice to be home, to watch her father mixing potions again, to talk with her brother, and to snuggle up after a long, relaxing day and unwind with her mother. She'd shown her anxieties and disappointment over the situation somewhat, but had managed to avoid the biggest questions from her family, and had had a mostly normal break. This was because, although Nat had sent a hasty letter home after Kenzie had told her her plan, she'd avoided the conversation at home as much as possible by shortly and simply saying that Kenzie's plans had changed, despite not truly knowing that.
Nat found herself in a state of being on high alert, barely catching sleep, upon returning to Hogwarts. She figured if Kenzie hadn't simply miscommunicated, then something atrocious had become of poor Kenzie! She was terrified to find out, either way! She felt like she'd done something terribly wrong, and didn't even know it, even if that was as simple as misspeaking or abandoning Kenzie in an hour of dire (emergency) need! For sure, now that she was back, all she could think about was Kenzie. It put the fear of freaking Merlin in her.
The first day passed without a sign of her friend. Nat felt equally badly about the thought of seeing her and about going another day without seeing her; she could not, for the life of her, decide which would be worse.
Finally, Nat spotted her, across the Small Hall. At once, she wanted to crawl out of her skin or turn invisible. Unfortunately, she had no such potion and no such cloak. So, she did the only thing the 12-year-old could think of:
Glare her way, immediately feel sympathetically badly, plus ashamed, plus frightened, and bolted (tip-toe-ran) on her toes down the hallway until she was amongst other students, mostly blended in, concealed behind people from Kenzie's line of sight.
You glared at her, you scumbag! Why should she want to explain to you now? Turn around, run back, talk to her!!
But Nat remembered that day at the Great Lake. Somewhere she suspected Kenzie hated her. From that odd interaction alone, tied with what had occurred over break, an odd sense of...disdain was creeping through her, a feeling she'd rarely had before. She didn't necessarily like the feeling itself, but she liked that she felt more powerful with this feeling within this uncertain dynamic.
As such, despite Nat's better judgement, she didn't turn back. Surely, if Kenzie wanted to talk to her and apologize, she'd do it herself, right? Nat didn't have to initiate. It was Kenzie's plan, and it was also Kenzie's failing to show up or explain anything at all. The joke (ahem--sorry, that's what this felt like to her now), the talking, and the apology were on her now, as far as Nat was concerned. Kenzie was tough; she wouldn't let a little glare from Nat stop her...Nat laughed incredulously (...nervously) to herself. Right?? That would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?
Interacting with @Kenzie Thatcher
19 Oct 2024, 20:35
The Fallout
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Date: 04/23/24 | Time: 19:30 | Speech: #900d09 | Thoughts: Italics
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─────Kenzie had a fantastic Easter break. It was truly some of the most fun she had had during her time at Hogwarts so far, and Kenzie was so confident and glad in her decision to stay at the castle instead of going home. After only three short days into the break, she had completely rid her mind of the turmoil and troubles she had been experiencing beforehand, and truthfully she was all the more better for it.
─────She was able to actually enjoy her time with Alex over the holiday, which had proven to be far easier than she had originally thought. The two girls had kept busy during their time off of school; they had a picnic by the Great Lake nearly every day, library study dates, sleepovers and all nighters in the Gryffindor common room (since they didn’t share a dorm). They found a step-by-step tutorial on how to make Flower Crowns (without magic) one day in the Library, so they spent a few afternoons roaming the grounds and gathering any and all blossoming flowers they could find. They made various crowns for each other of different colors and arrangements…which they then proceeded to wear throughout the castle until the flowers wilted and the crowns fell apart. They laid in the sun for hours reading, cloud-watching, and daydreaming. Kenzie told Alex about her love for painting as a hobby, particularly oil painting and watercolor, and the girls woke up rather early one morning to paint the sunrise over the mountains.
─────They spent their nights in the common room, lounging by the fireplace with warm mugs of steaming cocoa and a soft piano medley accompanying their echoing laughter. They gossipped, played various teenage girl games, and shared stories of their childhoods and lives back home. Alex told Kenzie stories of growing up in an all-magical household and introduced Kenzie to more information about wizard culture. Kenzie told Alex stories of growing up in the muggle world and explained the workings of a few (what she thought were) basic functioning objects.
─────Throughout the two week holiday, Kenzie was able to push away her sour feelings…but that didn’t mean she had forgotten about them completely. As break came to an end, all the memories and hurt feelings from before came rushing back. She spent a lot of time reflecting not just on the things Natalie had said the night before break, but all the similarly troubling things the Ravenclaw girl had said about Muggles over the past few months. Everything Kenzie had pushed aside for the sake of her very first friendship, every comment she had chalked up to Natalie simply not realizing the weight of her words, everything had been considered in this new light.
─────Why would she say those things, when she knows I’m a muggleborn? Has everything this far been a front? Has she simply been pretending to be my friend? Pretending to like me? Does she think I’m not good enough, or talented enough to be equal to her, simply because I wasn’t born into a magical family? How does she really feel about muggleborns? About me? About my family?
─────The thoughts racked her brain. Ransacked and took over every inch of her mindspace. It was literally all she could think about the day the students who went home for break were set to return. Alex had tried to help Kenzie calm down and relax her mind throughout the day, proposing different activities to keep her occupied. Quite a pointless feat, however, because nothing could ease the anxieties that gripped onto Kenzie’s soul.
─────So, as the sun dipped below the horizon that evening, Kenzie made her way down from the Gryffindor common room. Kenzie decided she was going to wait in the Small Hall and talk to Natalie as soon as she returned from Hogsmeade Station. She walked slowly through the stone corridors and down the lively staircases until she met up with Alex outside the Great Hall, and together they walked into the Small Hall. It wasn’t that long of a wait, thankfully. The sounds of happily chattering students began to echo through the room as hundreds of students walked through the large entrance door. Kenzie and Alex moved out of the way and stood against the wall, chatting. Alex had said something quite funny, to which Kenzie replied in the same capacity, and the sound of their laughter rang through the hall.
─────However, Kenzie's stomach dropped as more and more people filled the hall, and she dragged Alex out of the hall without an explanation. They went all the way back up to the dorm before she could be seen. She wasn't ready for that conversation, and she figured it'd be best to let Natalie adjust to Hogwarts life again before she bombarded her. So, she avoided her for days. If she saw Natalie walking down a corridor or sitting in the library, she would simply turn around and leave before Natalie could spot her. That is until one night Kenzie was walking back into the castle with Alex. They were returning from examining some outdoor plants for Herbology at the same time that a whole class of students were going back inside the castle from an Astronomy night walk. Kenzie stopped dead in her tracks as she spotted Natalie, among the students entering the castle through Small Hall.
─────Natalie hadn’t yet caught sight of Kenzie and there were simply too many people in the way for Kenzie to walk up to her. As the crowd cleared, however, and the girls locked eyes, a sharp pang of hurt shot through Kenzie like a bullet. Kenzie had been hoping to talk to Natalie about what happened, and she had expected her letter to bridge the gap and make it easier to navigate those feelings. She thought the other girl would be excited to see her, especially after the letter she wrote.
─────Only, Natalie’s reaction to seeing Kenzie was less than pleasant. She had simply glared at Kenzie, before blending back into the crowd of people and making her escape. “I-...wha-...” Kenzie stammered. She turned to Alex, “Did you see that?”
─────If Alex had answered her, she wouldn't have heard it. Her mind was too preoccupied by the short interaction to register anything the shorter brunette girl said. She didn’t understand what she could’ve done to prompt such a reaction from Natalie. Sure, she canceled plans last minute, but she had given an adequate reason why in her letter. Besides, if anyone had a reason to be upset, it was Kenzie. After what Natalie had said, Kenzie had a valid reason to be uncomfortable and upset. She, however, didn’t do anything to Natalie to earn that glare. It wasn’t like she didn’t tell her that she was staying at Hogwarts. So why was Natalie so upset with her?
─────She sighed, shaking the thoughts away. She looked at Alex, and remembered all the fun they had over break, and she shrugged. She was glad to have a friend like Alex, who doesn’t make her feel inferior for her blood status. If Natalie didn’t want to talk to her, then that’s that. She’s not going to force a conversation with her, nor try to repair a friendship that clearly seems to be one-sided.
─────“We should head back up to the common room,” she said, turning away from the crowd and closer to the corridor. “If she doesn’t want to be my friend, then I guess we’re not friends. Come on, I want to review homework before classes tomorrow.”
─────Alex smiled kindly and nodded. The two Gryffindor girls merged with the crowd walking back into the castle and made their way up the Grand Staircase to Gryffindor Tower. The rest of the night was spent just like the others before; filled with laughter, jokes, snacks, and pure friendship. They studied and gossiped the night away until eventually retiring to their own dorms for bed. There was a shift in the air that night, and the course of friendships and rivalries at Hogwarts had been changed forever.
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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alexandria Clark | @Natalie Anderson |
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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Alexandria Clark | @Natalie Anderson |
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OOC NOTE:
Co-written by and posted with the permission from @Alexandria Clark for Godmodding!
Her aura is made of poetry, roses, and galaxies
~Kenzie Thatcher~
Incendiarism Kenzie