Wandering Open Closed

Avis wrang her hands together nervously as she stepped through the familiar door of the library. She hoped the panic wasn't too evident on her face, but it was quite justified either way. The girl had lost her wand for the second time that term. The first time she'd simply forgotten that she left it on her bed in the dormitory in her rush to get to class, but unfortunately after checking her entire dorm, it was nowhere to be found. Luckily, she hadn't done much this Sunday save returning a book back to the library earlier this morning knowing that she'd forget to do it later, so her wand had to be in here somewhere.

The grand room filled with books of all kinds was empty of the low whispers and shuffling footsteps it usually portrayed during the school week. This would give her plenty of space to search and hopefully the opportunity to avoid explaining to some stuck up student that she'd lost her wand... again. Strolling through the shelves she tried to recall exactly where she had gone this morning, but all she could remember was casually going through a few books in a few different aisles before checking one out and heading to breakfast. Avis groaned internally and suddenly froze when she heard the soft sound of a page turning on the other side of the shelf she was pursuing for her wand.

Curiosity beating her sensibility once again, Avis peeked around the corner to reveal a Slytherin boy her age nestled into a chair by a small table. He was deeply enveloped in a book and hadn't noticed her spying as of yet. An idea crept into her head. Perhaps he'd seen a wand somewhere and had returned it to a professor? Or maybe he'd left it there and simply knew where her wand was? Or maybe he hadn't seen one all together. She sighed to herself. Well, only one way to find out.

Avis walked forward and cleared her throat quietly, hoping she wouldn't disturb him too much.

"Excuse me," she said in hushed tones, "Any chance you've seen a wand lying about anywhere in here?"

@Ari Morozov
WC: 374
Outfit: X

Reducio

ooc: hope it's alright if i butt in (:

𝕽uth took hurried steps down the stairs, hand clutching her journal. She had been so busy stuffing herself of snacks and helping Jan that she had forgotten her third most important time of the day— Journal writing. (With studies being the first and Jan being the second, of course!) Reaching the double doors separating the rest of the castle from the library, Ruth had to ease into a brisk walk and slow down to avoid crashing into it. It was usually busy during the weekends—she couldn’t afford crashing students’ concentration from blasting through the doors.

A comical thought surfaced her mind as she entered the room and she had to stifle her guffaw. Looking up, Ruth halted in surprise. Well, darn. It’s real empty today. The only people she could really see were two students seemingly conversing to each other at the very end.Must have been due to the Christmas event happening in the Great Hall that caused the place to be less populated. Despite the trip up to her common room and back down to the library, her stomach was still stuffed with treats.

Oh, well. More room for Ruth! Settling her journal down onto one of the many empty tables, she too began to sit, only for her cloak to brush something whilst in the process. It rolled off the chair, sliding off onto the floor with a soft thud, like a pen would. Ruth glanced down. Under the somewhat dim lights and looming shadow of the chair, she could barely make out the cylinder-like shape. She swooped down, groping the floor until her hands laced around the object. Abandoning the table(and her journal), Ruth walked over to a nearby flickering light and held it up for a closer look.

A wand. It seemed to be the colour of golden tan, with the texture polished and smooth. Ruth traced the intricate floral carvings on the base of the wand, amazed. It wasn’t like hers, where the length was slightly longer than the wand in her hand. Ruth’s was plainer, too.

She glanced around, confused. Certainly someone wouldn’t leave their wand behind, would they? Seeing as though the table she had occupied was clearly empty, the owner of the wand might have done so. Oh, imagine their anxiety. They sure wouldn’t be sitting still.

The possibility of the owner being present at the scene was still possible. Hadn’t she seen two students a while ago? Ruth craned her neck from where she stood. Sure enough, there were still there. It wouldn’t hurt to ask. If neither of them claimed to have the wand as their possession, it was probably best for Ruth to find a professor as quickly as she could. She reverted her gaze back to her journal. It would have to wait.

Interacting with @Ari Morozov and @Avis Greymond

OOC:

Reducio

Just so you know, Ruth hasn’t approached the two yet

Date	Dec 1st
Outfit	XXXXX
EN/FR/RU	#oeac77/#008080/#6495ed

Settling himself in his chair, Ari turned his attention to the book in his hands. It was about something called 'Quidditch', something he had never heard of before. More precisely, the title read Quidditch Through the Ages, leading Ari to assume it was some kind of history book. At a glance, it looked like it was going to be some sort of boring read filled with facts about some sort of 'Quidditch', an idea of which he currently had no interest in. However, the moment he opened the book for the first time, his impression entirely changed. The table of contents was filled with titles and sections that didn't seem like the typical historical text his Muggle mind was used to; instead, it showed phrases such as "Ancient Broom games", "Rules", and "Quidditch Teams" among others.

Having looked at the table of contents, he turned to the sixth chapter, titled "Changes in Quidditch Since the Fourteenth Century". The chapter immediately caught his attention, as it not only explored the, admittedly slow, evolution of the game, but also went into the rules that governed it. As he read on, the boy soon found out that Quidditch was a much more compicated game than he had ever imagined. Additionally, the book included instructions about each aspect of the game, like the balls—the Quaffle, Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch—and positions—the Chasers, Beaters, and Keepers. For Ari, the role of the seeker was the first aspect of the game that spoke to him. Specifically, he resonanted with the overall solitude and potential independence that the position provided. However, he imagined that everything the book described at once would be a bit overwhelming.

Suddenely, from around the corner of the bookshelf, he heard a girl's voice. Therefore, naturally, he quickly flitted his vision upward toward the taller girl with dark brown hair and light blue eyes. Personally, Ari liked the girl's aesthetic, how her eyes matched her clothes, but, he'd never complement a stranger out of the blue.

"No, I haven't. Sorry." He paused for a few seconds, considering the possibility of asking the girl about Quidditch. He soon decided against it, unless he knew that she would stay. "Have you checked the front of the library?"

@Avis Greymond, @Ruth Fairchild

OOC: Nice to meet y'all

Avis sighed at the boy's response and shook her head sadly.

"No," she responded in a melancholy tone, "I haven't looked there yet. Maybe it-" Avis paused mid-sentence as she caught a glance at what the boy was reading. She looked back up to study his face, wondering if he too was an avid Quidditch fan, like herself. Taking a moment to admire his distracting mane of curly hair that reminded her faintly of sun rays, her lost wand disappeared temporarily from her mind as it had from her hand as well. "Are you a Quidditch fan?" she cut in eagerly, gesturing at his book. "Who's your team?" she added, hoping he'd say anything but the Magpies. If that happened, she might have to abandon the conversation all together.

As Avis waited for a response, she heard the slight creak of the library double doors in the distance and turned to see another girl walk in. Her first noticeable features were her short stature and her dark hair tied into a single messy braid. She noted the slim book in the girl's hand before turning back to the boy in front of her. She'd get his answer first and then head to the front of the library. Avis could never pass up an opportunity to gush about Quidditch even when the priority was obvious in this situation. Besides maybe the girl would notice something on her way in? It was a slim chance but Avis had to take it. Merlin, she really needed to keep better track of her things, especially in a castle as large as Hogwarts.

@Ruth Fairchild | @Ari Morozov
WC: 270

𝓗olding the celestial wand in her hand, Ruth made her way to the two. Now that she was closer, she realised they didn’t seem much older than she was. Perhaps they were First Years like her? Age was a trickier thing to tell. Some had youthful features while others grew too fast. It was possibly the only observing factor that Ruth never seemed to hit. It was a girl who was standing, the lad she had spotted from afar sitting and clutching onto a book. Was that Quidditch? She tensed, a rush of questions and emotions flooding her. If it was…Ruth placed a smile on her lips, genuine and excited, then fully intercepted their conversation.

Why? Well, one, to ask if the wand belonged to anyone. And two—if someone was reading about Quidditch outside of class, for instance, well, this has to mean something doesn’t it? It was either that they were interested in the aspect itself or was simply bored and browsing through. Either way, from looking at how his finger had thumbed through multiple pages, the boy liked it.

“Hello,” Ruth greeted them, holding up the wand she had found. “I found this wand on the floor, I was wondering if it belonged to either of you?” Probably not, since they both seemed to bore relaxed faces. Surely the owner was frantically looking for it?

Interacting with @Ari Morozov. @Avis Greymond

OOC:

Reducio

Nice to meet yall too I’m sorry this was so short I was low on ideas…

_{Mentions:@Ruth Fairchild}

_{Time: time given in thread}

_{Day: Dec 1st}

_{Outfit: Below in the Reducio}

Reducio

It was another trip to the library on this incredibly cold day of December. Even though it was not snowing yet, Andy could feel that the snow will start to fall around this week. Andy visited the library almost every day, and since this was Andy's free period, he decided to study more about Quidditch. He went to look for a desk that is not taken. He then saw a girl and a couple of other people in the section he was about to be sitting in. Andy just smiled at them and began to read his book "Quidditch Through the Ages" until he couldn't bare it no more. You see, Andy was a talkative little kid who always wanted to know everything about a person before he talks to them, and the only way to get a person to get talking is to give them sweets. And not just Any kind of sweets, peppermint toads. Hi guys, want some peppermint toads? They are my favorite candy, so agree while they last. Andy laughed at his own joke. What is going on here? What happened? The kids seemed to be in a very weird situation. Do you guys want to talk? Andy said at a specific girl who seemed to be a Hufflepuff, and she looked to be a first year too. Andy loved talking to people younger than him, because it always seems to him that the younger minds have better stories to tell. Well, what brings you here. Yeah, the Hufflepuff girl. You. Andy pointed her out of the lot, she did seem the most interesting out of the lot too. I'm in for a treat. Or a interesting story.

Date	Dec 1st
Outfit	XXXXX
EN/FR/RU	#oeac77/#008080/#6495ed

As the girl proceeded to ask him what his favorite quidditch team was, she practically confirmed his theory that the sport was still continued. However, the idea quickly brought him to question his own knowledge: if he never knew about quidditch before, what else could he know nothing about? Growing up in a world where both of his parents made sure that business and efficency took priority even over the supernatural, combined with his half-bloodedness, led him to consider the theory that he might have been a muggle who was mistakenly born in a wizard's body. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel like he belonged in the wizarding world—he knew he was meant to be here, or else he wouldn't exist—but more that he found himself disconnected from the large majority of traditions that seemed to be common knowledge to many others around him. The awkwardness was subtle but ever-present, randomly flaring up every so often to annoy him; it was a thought at which he subconciously bit his tougue. Regardless, Ari quickly pushed the thought aside for the time being.

"I-" He paused for a moment, taking the time to figure out how to speak the word based off of how the girl pronounce it. "I have no idea what quidditch is." He quickly flicked his vision back to his book, quick to assume that the girl would wander elsewhere to look for her wand.

A few seconds later, however, another girl appeared in front of the duo. She was a smaller person, who looked to be around Ari's own height. Her hair was jet black, yet her eyes held a fragment of Mother Nature's soul within them. Yet, if he was completely honest with himself, there wasn't anything that was truely notable about the stranger. However, when she presented the wand, Ari ended up half amused, as the first girl was missing her own.

'Just gotta let everything run its course.' He thought to himself as he continued to read the book, expecting the two of them to leave after the resolution of the issue.

Yet, he must've jinxed himself, as he witnessed the manifestation of a fourth voice approaching the trio; this time, however, it belonged to a boy. Almost immediately, Ari noticed that his outgoing nature was more than he would've like to handle as of the moment, leading him to hope that he would remain unnoticed while the others engaged with him in Ari's place. This was particularly important to him, as he was not in the right mindset to engage with such a lively presence as of the moment.

@Avis Greymond, @Ruth Fairchild, @Andy Loggins

OOC: Sorry for taking awhile, I'm starting to get busy with mid-term finals.

Ahh, must be Muggle born. Avis thought to herself, giving the boy another curious glance. She couldn't imagine what it was like to not grow up around Quidditch... or pumpkin pasties... or Floo Powder... or just magic in general. It really must have been so inconvenient.

"Oh! Well, that book looks a bit outdated so if you've got any questions, I'm a bit of a fan," she said sheepishly, realizing that she was probably oversharing at the boy's obvious attempt to get back to his book. Avis turned to leave, thinking she should probably go check the front like he'd suggested earlier when the girl she'd noticed before walked up, an inquisitive expression on her face.

"Hello," she said casually and held up an all too familiar wand. Avis' eyes widened. "I found this wand on the floor. I was wondering if it belonged to either of you?" the girl finished and Avis immediately stepped forward.

"Merlin's Beard, you're a lifesaver. I must've left it in here earlier because, yes, that's mine," she said, the relief evident in her voice. She took back the offered wand and smiled at the other girl graciously. "Thank you so much. My mam would've killed me," she gushed, pocketing her wand and patting its usual spot in her robe pocket. The anxiety that had been rushing through her all morning finally died down and she sighed happily, only to be interrupted by a fourth voice. Avis gave the new boy a poorly hidden side eye. This library was growing more lively by the minute and she assumed the poor Slytherin they'd all gathered around was most likely not looking for conversation.

"Erm... no thanks," she said, a bit startled by all his questions. He'd walked up so comfortably that she wondered if anyone else knew him and she glanced at the seated boy, mouthing a silent but obvious 'do you know him?' with a slightly confused expression.

Avis had her wand back and really had no reason to stay longer, but the slight rude tone in the boy's voice when he pointed at her ever so helpful savior stopped her for a moment, curiosity getting the best of her as she wondered how the Hufflepuff would possibly reply.

@Ari Morozov | @Ruth Fairchild | @Andy Loggins
WC: 392
OOC: All good! Best of luck on your finals!

𝕽uth grinned a sheepish smile as the girl in front of her thanked her generously. Pride bloomed in her chest and she exaggerated a bow, about to speak.

Before she got to, though, another presence alerted her and she turned to see another boy, this time looking slightly older than the rest of them. Wait, did he just mention sweets? Ruth felt her smile slip off her face as he asked if anyone would love some, though his joke was...slightly funny. But no, no way was Ruth going to let him eat in the library, a sanctuary for books. Though the rules hadn't stated anything like that, and this...kid, whoever he was, was technically in the right, Ruth couldn't take it!

But oh boy was he fast and getting from one sentence to another. She was about to let a reprimand slip, but he in turn had addressed her personally. "...in for a treat. Or an interesting story."

Ruth glanced at the other two next to her. The boy had yet to leave his seat, the Quidditch book opened and his eyes glued to the pages. The sight made her wince internally. He certainly wouldn't want any company. She had to take the conversation away, else she interrupted him even more. Ruth knew what it was like to be distracted from a book -- very, very annoying.

"I'm Ruth Fairchild, and you are...?" she made to extend a polite handshake, then retracted it, remembering the peppermint toads he had mentioned. Her gaze narrowed at the thought, and as someone with brutal, brutal honesty...she had to let it out.

"What brings me here? Well, I was under the impression this was a library, not a sweet shop. But clearly, you’ve decided it’s both," Ruth tried, desperately, to cover up her scowl. "Should I expect a full menu, or are you just here to disrupt the silence with your… charm? There's other places you can exude that, I believe..." Exhaustion fell on her and she waved her comments away. "Look, just...just no sweets in the library please, it'll attract ants. And..." she came between the girl and the boy standing, her back towards the other male reading. Dropping to a whisper, she mumbled " We shouldn't be talking here. It's a quiet haven. Come on, let's move somewhere else." she smiled at the girl, hoping she'd tag along. Ruth still had yet to ask her her name...

Interacting with @Andy Loggins, @Ari Morozov, @Avis Greymond

OOC:

Reducio

I second that! No need to apologise, tests are important.