The Finishing Touch PV Maisie Gemmell Closed

Snow on the Hogwarts grounds always seemed to call out to her, whether to a gentle walk or a photography escapade. There was something calm and easy about wintertime here in the Highlands that felt different from the winters in her native Glasgow, despite the proximity.

Her black school robes trailed behind her as she walked about the grounds with Mischief situated comfortably in her satchel as usual. She kept a sweater in there buried to give him some extra warm, and of course some carrots and treats. It was imperative that he enjoy winter strolls just as she did.

While they were out, taking in the sights, she noticed a girl, flamboyantly dressed, making very, very large snowballs. But quickly, it became clear: this was a snowman to be. And from the way the girl, who looked about her age, tried to hoist one very large snowball on top of the other, it was also clear she was struggling. "Hey!" Maisie called out, "Do you need help with that?"

Walking towards the girl, Maisie carelessly ignoring the facts of her small stature and limited strength. She was never one to shy away from a challenge. Besides, how hard could it be? Perhaps the snow today was particularly wet and heavily, but Maisie didn't know that and she was quite happy to try and help a fellow student. Placing her satchel on the ground so Michief's head just barely poked out of it, she suggested, "Maybe you can take one side and I'll take the other?" One arm extended as though to take her position in the snowman effort, she added, "I'm Maisie by the way. I don't think we've met."

@Emilia Roberts

Emilia rested her hands on her knees in a bit of exhaustion. Could she maybe use magic? Would Windgardium Leviosa work here? But she hadn't exactly mastered it yet. Just then, she heard a "Hey!" and she peeked her head up to see another girl, dressed in her school robes, running towards her. She froze a bit, cheeks a bit flushed from embarrassment and the cold. Did she look a bit out of place in her pink coat? Either way, it was warm, so she didn't really want to think about it. "Hello," she responded, unsure what to do about this girl, who clearly had lots of energy and seemed extroverted. "Actually, yes, I would love some help, it's quite heavy!" she said, a bit exasperated at this stupid snowball.

As the girl positioned herself on the other side, Emilia could see her a bit more clearly. She seemed to be a Ravenclaw, based on the crest on her robe. she peered over her shoulder to see a very little bunny poking out of the other girl's satchel, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. She wanted to pet it very badly, but first thing first. Mission: Get giant snowball on top of the other giant snowball with the help of this new friendly girl. "Emilia, nice to meet you Maisie," she said, trying to sound like she wasn't freaking out a little bit. She had to get over her shyness, but she could already feel her hands getting clammy. Or was it because of the cold?

She took a deep breath and then looked at her snowball nemesis. She, with a bit more confidence this time, positioned herself across from Maisie, and placed her hands near the bottom of the snowball. "Alright Maisie, let me know when you're ready," she said, bending her knees for leverage. "One, two, THREE!"

@Maisie Gemmell

It was a quiet 'hello.' Despite this, the other girl seemed willing to accept help. "It certainly looks it," Maisie agreed. The snowfall had been heavy and wet—perfect for snowmen and snowball fights.

"Alright Maisie, let me know when you're ready."

She nodded as Emilia counted down, and when she got to three she took the little strength she had and pushed. Maneuvering this part of the snowman was far from easy, but with the strength of two they could do it. Several seconds of huffing and puffing passed as Maisie's expression shifted into one of relief.

A beat passed. "Okay, let's finish this little man, yeah?" she suggested, "I think the head will easier to get up there." At least, that made sense to her weight-wise. There'd be a new part of the equation that might complicate things: height. But she decided to ignore that for now as she began to build a snowball that they could roll into something bigger.

As she did so, she tried to make a little conversation: "Do you come out here often? I just love walks in the snow. It makes everything look different." This was true and the reason she'd so enjoyed coming out here with a camera or even just for walks. She could only assume her new companion might feel similarly.

@Emilia Roberts

A small, "Hup!" could be heard from the girl as she and her new companion hoisted the medium snowball up on top on the other. It was definitely heavier than she thought, but with the help of Maisie, they succeeded! She felt like jumping for joy, but she wasn't about to embarrass herself like that. The girls, both red in the face from both the workout and the chill, were silent for a beat.

Emilia nodded at Maisie's comments, with a small smile on her face. "Goodness I sure hope so, I'm only eleven but if we had to do that again I would throw out my back!" She said with a faint laugh, clearly too out of breath to feel her shyness. I mean, this girl was nice! And she had a rabbit, who doesn't love rabbits? She shuffled through the snow to look for some sticks as Maisie started the snowball, there had to be some around here somewhere! Luckily, there seemed to be two pretty good sticks for the arms. She could put those aside for later.

As she was placing the sticks down near the snowman, she looked up at Maisie and nodded to her question. "Actually, yes I do! As much as I love the warmth of summer, winter always feels calm to me. Plus, it's fun to sketch once you find a cozy place to sit," she said, a warm smile crossing her face. It was very true. She loved to draw whatever nature was around her, and although winter was known to be barren, there was lots of life to it that Emilia enjoyed. Especially foxes, if she was able to see them, their red coats always stood out so brilliantly against the snow.

"So our next challenge is...height." Emilia said with a slightly worried tone. Both the girls weren't exactly tall enough, so how would they do that this time?

@Maisie Gemmell

"....but if we had to do that again I would throw out my back!"

A little chuckle escaped her. That comment sounded like something one of her grandmothers might say. But there was no denying the snowman's pieces were heavy. This last one would be the least so but it would be heavy still she anticipated. As she rolled, she noticed Emilia pick up some sticks. "Those look great for arms," she commented.

"Sketch?" she asked curiously. Maisie considered herself somewhat artistic, but her ability to draw was pretty much limited to dresses. And while she enjoyed sketching designed it seemed a far cry from sketching a landscape as Emilia seemed to imply. "That sounds like a good past time—calming," she admitted.

"So our next challenge is...height."

"Yeah," Maisie agreed. Looking at the snowman, she added, "It'll just need a big push. How do you think this looks?" The snowball she'd been rolling had gained snow, but it probably wasn't as large as Emilia's. If the other girl wanted to take a turn at packing it in, Maisie would gladly let her. It was her snowman after all.

But she'd be ready when they wanted to lift it up. Getting into position, she would echo the call, "On the count of three?"

@Emilia Roberts

"Those look great for arms,"

Emilia grinned at the other girl's words. "Thank you, they both seemed about the same length to me," she said, putting her hands on her hips proudly. Good sticks! When Maisie commented on her pastime, she nodded. "Mhm! Sketching is a way to keep my hands busy, plus of course I enjoy it and it's calming. Do you have any hobbies Maisie? Or anything you do to pass the time," she asked, curious about the other girl's preferences. She hoped she wasn't asking too many questions, she would hate to be seen as annoying! But considering how nice the other seemed to be, she highly doubted that she would think that way.

Emilia nodded seriously, looking at their (almost) masterpiece. "A big push would do, do you think we need to combine forces?" she inquired, looking at the other girl. It was a bit funny how serious Emilia was about this freaking snowman. Plus, it was fun to make something with a (hopefully) new friend. She peeked over at Maisie's snowball head and gave her a thumbs up of approval. "Perfect, splendid, one of a kind," she said with a nod.

The girls shuffled into position, making sure they had enough leverage. "On the count of three." Emilia said, agreeing with the other girl. "One, two, three!!" Emilia pushed with all of her might, getting up on her tippy toes.

OMG @Maisie Gemmell I am so so sorry for the delay! I got very sick and forgot to report my absence I'm so so sorryyyyyy

"I sew and crochet. Any kind of craftworks really, though some are better than others," she explained in response to Emilia's question, "My mom and I make dresses. Or she makes them and I help." Of course, Maisie prefered to think of the former as the truth. She was well on her way to becoming her own creative force one day, she believed. That's why working with Reyna on that dress earlier in the year had been such a high.

But the simplest things—like sketching or building a snowman—were joyful too. Her new friend seemed to know that well.

With a nod, she acknowledged Emilia was right: they would certainly need to work together to get the snowman up correctly. At least, so far, everything seemed to be looking good. But it could all fall apart—literally—if they did not do this correctly.

And then, the moment of truth: "One, two, three!!"

As she planted her feet into the snow and the ground, she pushed up as hard as she could (which admittedly was not very hard). Her fingers stretched up into the snowball as she reached. "I think—"

And for a moment, it looked like it might wobble.

Her held her position.

And with a sigh as she looked over to Emilia as the snowball seemed to stay in place. Gently, she lowered her hands, waiting for the worst, but it didn't come. The exhale was long as she watched it. "Okay," she said with a smile, "I think this guy needs a face now." Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a carrot as Mischief smelled it, extending his little nose towards her hand.

@Emilia Roberts