closed To Clean, or Not to Clean PV | M. Campbell Detention

Halloween had on all accounts been a resounding failure. Not only had he found himself caught in the act of trying to sneak around but he had lost his opportunity to test out the theory that would have him wait an entire other year to repeat. It was beyond infuriating so when Matthew also had a detention forced upon him the aggravation had reached new levels of peak. All that being said the girl who had issued his punishment had been kind to him and that was not worth nothing, in fact for a Slytherin it was practically a miracle so he started his climb to the Owlery as instructed with relative glee at the thought of getting to see her once more. Circumstances be damned he garnered a soft spot for those that treated him kindly.

It took around less than a millisecond for that built positivity to falter under the now cold indifference of her stare and dismissive tone. Whoever this Koko Riddle he now was witnessing was anything but the sweet elder student who focused more on his safety than his stupidity. Truly every time he thought he knew a snake they were ready with the venom to teach him a lesson in return. Matthew's bright smile however remained, she could be as cold as she liked it had taken all his first year but he was resound in his beliefs that the only opinion that mattered was to be his own. He wasn't going to allow her bad mood to impact him and plus despite his initial disappointment perhaps the older girl truly was in a stale mood for other reasons. It was wildly unfair to judge.

His warm in comparison to her cold was palpable but he simply walked over to the buckets swiping one up and making his way to the first of the birdbaths. There was something rather peaceful about cleaning, growing up with an artist as a father and no other figure to share the burden he found himself often fixing his father's messes. It was cathartic and despite the smell being rather putrid on some of the worser areas being surrounded by owls all day seemed like a relative blessing. Matthew even found himself giggling remembering the confusion he had with the creatures delivery system that he was now well acquainted with, he'd never have the familiarity to this world as purebloods did but it gave him a rather wonderous glow in his brown eyes whenever he was around it.

In response to the girl he merely spoke a little at first, "Understood, the owls have always been one of my favourite things about the wizarding world. I hope one day I'll have one of my own so I better get used to this either way!" Despite his upset that she seemed totally uninterested in conversing with him he kept his tone jovial and made sure every time he felt anger fluster up to calm himself with soothing breaths. Not everyone had to like him, he knew this well, but it certainly stung a little more when their initial meeting had been so much kinder. Coughing slightly after a particularly nasty stain he considered scourgifying off if he wouldn't have gotten in trouble, he whispered to himself absent minded, "Honestly I think she's as angry as whatever Owl suffered from this." unable to not laugh at his own joke but stifling it hoping she hadn't heard.

Matthew had never been a fan of puzzles and even less so when he felt he was involved in one without his knowledge. Thus eventually whether she had heard his comment and gotten angry or whether she simply persisted in the annoying state of indifference he would find himself staring her down and with a confused tone ask her, "Have I done something to annoy you?"

Word Count: 630 | @Koko Riddle

This thread is a detention thread private to @Matthew Campbell

Date: 9 November 2024
Time: Just after lunch
Location: Owlery

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It was very rare that students entered a detention with a smile on their face. The sight was almost amusing, and although Koko was glad he wasn't too put off by the detention, she still couldn't shake the worry that someone would know, would find out that she wasn't as perfect as she seemed. She couldn't even bring herself to talk much out of what was normal, trying to keep the indifference.

But... it didn't seem like Matthew cared. Perhaps it should have been obvious — he was just a kid, just here to do the detention and get it over with, as she had been. He reacted warmly, very warmly, making her eyes widen minutely — was he not upset about this entire situation? — as he proclaimed he loved owls and would like to own one someday. Her expression softened slightly as she thought about her own pet. Yes, for someone so seemingly good-natured, she could imagine he would fare well with an owl.

Koko watched, somewhat intrigued, as Matthew cleaned. Really, one day she would learn to bring some form of entertainment when she had to monitor a detention, but, well, she'd done this one to herself. She had enough of a sense of honour left in her to respect that. Despite her general discomfort and worry, the sound of feathers rustling mixed with the noise from cleaning, as well as the cooing of the owls made the rest of the coldness melt away until she was just there, just existing, hardly herself. She could recall when she used to come up to the Owlery rather often, during her first year, when she had been more comfortable around the owls than the students. She could not help but wonder what had changed — perhaps nothing, truthfully, she decided, gaze catching on the face of a barn owl who had stretched its glorious tawny wings.

The sound of laughter distracted her from her surveillance of the owls. Koko slowly turned her head to see Matthew laughing, but she didn't fault him for it. All the better to him, really, if he could find detention a joyous enough task to spark laughter. She stared at him blankly, brow slightly furrowed, saying nothing, betraying nothing more. She could see nothing funny, but granted, she was not the one cleaning. Perhaps he had found some coins.

Koko blinked when Matthew asked if he had done something to annoy her. 'I'm sorry?' she asked initially, brow only furrowing further. She pursed her lips, thinking, almost having to process the question before she could figure out what to say. Only after a few seconds did she realise that, oh, she really must have worn her feelings on her sleeve. 'No, not at all.' She would do her best to continue to soften her expression — he really was just a kid, after all; it wasn't like her misdeeds were his fault, after all — as she internally wracked her brain for words. 'It's not you. Have just been thinking too much.'

What more was there to say? It wasn't as if a kid she gave detention to would want to hear any more, and if she were honest with herself, sharing her thoughts, her feelings, was not something she wanted any part of. But the easy, resting smile came back to her face, even if her expression remained uncanny, her eyes not as bright as usual. 'Sorry.' She did not like apologising. The word rushed over her tongue like vinegar, forced out but true. 'Is the cleaning, is it going okay? Do you need another bucket?'

First impressions meant a lot, and she didn't think she would be able to fully play off the annoyance she had shown earlier. She was still unhappy this entire situation had come to play, of course, but perhaps a better way to go about the issue of her being out so late was to save face — to be nice, because if she were kind, then he would have no reason to complain about having seen her out so late. And the thought came back to her once again — what if she had been overreacting? What if Matthew really was just a nice kid?

Yeah, she did feel bad after thinking that. As much as she knew no nice person deserved mistreatment, as much as she knew most people, including Matthew, were hardly focused throwing others under the bus, she still couldn't help but wonder, what if they were?

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@Matthew Campbell

You're done with the OOC portion of the detention, but we can keep RPing if you would like.

As the question breached his lips he almost wishes he could swallow the words for almost immediately what was once an ice queen thawed and he worried that he was right all along. Often Matthew's mind led him to conclusions that were simply illogical but he found himself trapped in his thoughts spirals unable to escape and this was such a moment. Likely the senior girl had far more important things to be upset about than a second year in detention.

Then in an even more bizarre twist she has actually apologised to him, the entire situation seemed completely misread but truly he had no concept of why. The girl reminded him slightly of Illowy in that way holding up a mountain of thoughts with no one to help them, it was a shame how many of the upperclassman were effected as such.

The wizarding world was certainly capable of beauty and joy the owls proved as such but there would always be dirt and problems just as there was in the Muggle world. It only seemed a shame that so many of his senior students suffered the burden of these problems. Confusion turning to genuine sympathy he tried to speak again, and while Matthew hated pity and condescension he would walk the border of them in conversation masterfully sure to be more comforting than invasive, "You don't need to apologise to me, you didn't do anything wrong. I was just worried you were angry with me, but now I see you're just going through things. I'm sorry your thoughts are weighing on you, I know the feeling!" In his bright warm smile he wrapped a sort of calmness around them that glinted in the flecks of gold that sparkled in his eyes.

Accepting graciously the offer of another bucket he tried his best to remain warm towards the girl no matter his reaction. Her instant thawing had made him belief that truly she was the friendly natured girl he had met the other night and it had stilled his nerves greatly. Perhaps a little too greatly as he found himself now shifting them towards her instead. Life was a heavy enough burden in many cases but doing it alone was even harder. No one ever deserved such a sentencing and so despite some major trepidation he found himself pausing his cleaning once more and softly speaking trying to not sound prying, "Not that you have to but my da says a problem shared is a problem halved. What's said between the owls stays between the owls! It's not like I'd have anyone to tell anyways."

There was a solemness to his final words, Matthew had made some friends in his time at Hogwarts but he seemed almost naturally gifted in messing it up. Like no matter what he was destined or doomed, perhaps more appropriately, to always misinterpret things and shoot himself in the foot. It was a strange feeling to be talking to such an older student about things but Matthew was no stranger to deep conversations having matured more quickly that most from necessity. Maybe Koko would feel comfortable speaking or maybe she wouldn't but wasn't giving someone the option at least something , "Choice is yours, but I don't really have a right to judge given I'm the one in detention!"

Whatever she chose Matthew would get back to work scrubbing with all his might on the bird baths. There was something wholesome about the way the birds would toot and bow there heads at the act that made him wish to seek out the job again in the future. Perhaps detentions were worth more than he gave them credit. Watching as they swooped gracefully over to the fresh water was a miraculous sight and he found himself fulfilled in heart even if his companions remained heavy.

Date: 9 November 2024
Time: Just after lunch
Location: Owlery

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She couldn't explain it — the way the boy reacted to her words, with a warm smile and kind words, made something in her chest tighten, her breath catching in her throat. He was so nice, innocently so, and simply being around him made her expression soften further while she swallowed a thick lump in her throat. By Merlin, he reminded her slightly of when she was younger, always trying to be kind despite it all. And it was honourable, really, to see in someone else, even if she'd hardly stuck with it well enough.

People like that, who really could remain kind throughout everything, they did not deserve anything other than kindness directed at them. It was only fair.

'I know the feeling.'

She remained silent, his words weighing on her, all while he continued to clean. She wrung her hands in front of her, knuckles whitening and then reddening, before she spoke. 'It's fine, not your fault. But I'm sorry to hear that you've dealt with it, too.'

He was so young. That he had dwelt on his own thoughts so much made Koko frown, gaze slightly unfocused as once again she nearly became stuck in thinking. It had been wrong, she decided, to have scared him the other night. That it had taken her so long to come to that decision reflected poorly on her and would need to be rectified. But for now? No, for now, being stuck in a cycle of thoughts would not be helpful.

She pursed her lips slightly as Matthew's next words washed over her. 'It's not like I'd have anyone to tell anyways,' he said. It probably wasn't true; as nice as he was, Koko doubted that he lacked friends. (sprint start) And, of course, while he might not tell anyone, her telling him would make it worse. If he hadn't mentioned it yet, then clearly it wasn't an issue — right? And then there was once again the issue of guilt: stacking her problems on a sweet kid that much younger than her? It wouldn't have been kind at all. 'I think it's okay now.' Softness etched itself into her tone. 'But thanks. I guess I could keep that in mind. And same to you, ah, if you're ever similarly stuck in your thoughts.' She would offer him a small smile if he were to look.

She really did wonder how he felt about the detention. He seemed like a good kid, after all — a good kid who'd found himself in the Forbidden Forest! It was certainly something she was curious about, but she wouldn't pry. Not after how kind he was, and especially given that it really was none of her business. What was her business, however, was the safety of the students of Hogwarts. Her old sense of duty began to settle down over her shoulders, and she adjusted her lean against the wall of the owlery. 'Now,' she started, 'I don't expect to be prowling around the Forbidden Forest myself anytime soon. But if you are, just promise me you'll keep an eye out for your safety. It's not a good place, and I don't want you to get hurt. But if something does happen, just know — and I'm sure you know this, really, but — that it's better to ask for help and risk getting in trouble than to get hurt.'

She didn't know how far her words would go. She had kept her tone relatively light as she spoke, but there was a kernel of solemn truth to her words that she hoped the boy would take to heart. Perhaps it was a good thing she had been out there, however hypocritical it might have been. Who knew what might have happened if either one of them had been out there alone and hadn't been spooked enough to return to the castle?

Koko's gaze caught on an owl cleaning itself, and she took a deep breath, surprised at how calming it was. It was as if she were letting go of all of those heavy thoughts with each second of the exhale. She focused on where Matthew was amongst the birds and noted that he, too, seemed at least content — good. But she did have to be sure. 'You are doing okay up there, no?' Her eyebrows lifted a minute amount. 'I hope this wasn't too bad. The detention, I mean. I don't like to punish for the sake of punishment, if that makes any sense.' She let out a small laugh. 'If it counts for anything, at least the owls are nice to be around.'

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@Matthew Campbell

Koko was far more intriguing to Matthew when she was warm and open and he felt that in total it was a more honest depiction of herself. While she hadn't wished to share her troubles she hadn't shut him down aggressively either and that made him happy. Just watching her softening expressions he found himself more at ease that the girl would manage through whatever storm brewed in her mind. Clearly she was a big thinker like him and it made him ease a little at her presence unlike he had in the past, not that she had known as such. Despite their growing friendliness Matthew still found himself pulling his face away from her to focus on the job at hand wondering how much to reveal himself but bravely he processed their interaction and her wish for his safety and decided to proceed.

"I actually considered coming to you last year about a lot of things but I guess I just found it easier to avoid Slytherin in general. It's not exactly the most welcoming place in the world for someone like me. Guess the hat was having an off day when it put me there, or it's a masochist I go back and forth!" There was a nonchalance to his admission that came with an acceptance he was far too young to have but spoke of a long history of not being welcomed that he had just become accustomed to the fact. Many would have let sadness inflect their words at such a reality but Matthew didn't know any different so no such emotion came. "Perhaps had I known you like this then I might've but I'm told not to dwell on the past." His fathers voice echoing in his head brightening his face with a warm smile in a confusing juxtaposition.

Last year Matthew had no little share of trouble with his housemates and prefects were there for that very reason but the Slytherins had thoroughly convinced him of their abject horror to his existence and place in their house and why should their prefects be any different. It was a negative brain process he was gently trying to reverse engineer. Judgement over others was exactly what he hated about those ignorant few and doing so himself was nothing more than hypocrisy. He couldn't prevent his former self from having had those worries but he could certainly adapt his present self to the reality. Koko along with likely all other staff would never be put in authority with views like that.

The young Slytherin then found himself giggling slightly with her next questions. Apart from some particularly gruelling smells and tough stains he had thoroughly enjoyed the day. Being around the owls he had gotten to pet a few that had come close enough and even relieved an owl of a twig stuck in its feathers. Not to mention that there were plenty of secrets up here in the owlery, initials scribbled together of past loves he hoped found their happy ever after, rumours from all ages and even the occasional knut or sickle. Not that he would take any of the money it wasn't the Campbell way.

Turning back to the girl the golden glints in his eyes glimmered in the sunlight that broke between the owl holes of the owlery giving them a wonderous quality, "I think I might have to get in trouble more often if this is the punishment." His childish giggle continued as he climbed down to join her on the bottom floor carrying a now empty bucket. "I think your punishment was very reasonable. I can't in good conscience say I'll never try to go in again because I don't want to lie to you but I will be careful. I just wanted to see a Thestral again but it was silly." Allowing the softness to leave him vulnerable he had spilled a piece of information that had been clung to his chest and he felt his face reddening deeply.

Thinking quickly on his feet and stumbling on his words he found that suddenly his tongue was too big for his mouth, "Anyways I promise to be safe is all I meant. Now if there's nothing else I should probably get going you know classes and homework and such. Thanks Koko." Collecting his belongings like a frantic animal escaping a predator he felt himself wiped of breath but would flee, practically throwing himself down the steps of the owlery unless stopped.

@Koko Riddle