26 Jan 2025, 20:06
Anything You Can Do
Date: January 26th, 2025
Interacting/Mentioning: @Prat PassSpeaking: #ba8759
Thoughts: #a0785a
Translations:
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ "I am only brave when I need to be, being brave doesn't mean I go looking for trouble"⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆There wasn't much that Siobhan didn't think she could do academically. She excelled in writing, her figuring and arithmatic were excellent, and she had a knack for logical puzzles which helped whenever her assignments required an outside perspective. Now that she was pursuing her education at Hogwarts, she had opened her academic report card to factoring in charms work, which allowed her reading and analytic mind to soar- herbology, which she was dare she say, leading the Second Years with and potions which allowed her to practice her math and brewing skills. All to even out to a very acceptable report card which she was only too pleased to share with her parents.
However.
There had been a particular thorn in her side that had begun to crop up every couple lessons or so. Someone who would attempt to challenege her position as head of that specific class by answering before her- even daring to just call out the answer without a raised hand. A true academic hooligan and she would prefer to have exactly nothing to do with him, thank you very much. It varied from class to class but it set a fire under her that drove her to study harder, to pursue more advanced topics and read ahead just so that she could prove she belonged at this school too. She was eleven years late to the party but after almost two years with magic, she found herself quite on par if not above some of her classmates.
It wasn't bragging per se. Just... announcements that anything the purebloods and halfbloods could do she could do as well if not better. Her friend Astra was quite terrible at Herbology and while she had been kind to the Slytherin girl, she couldn't help but feel a slight emphasis of pride over the fact that her green thumb was simply... better.
Though for lack of a better word, she felt as though she was drawing her own brightly coloured target on her back. As if to say "I'm the best! Knock me off my high horse!" She'd started to notice that even though she was being featured as an example by her professors, and was recieiving Straight O's with the occasional E, that there always seemed to be someone or something lurking just out of view- causing a slight edge of paranoia to exist in the depths of her mind. Though she was likely just exhausted from studying and probably hadn't had enough water to drink. And she lectured everyone on water- She couldn't let people find out that she herself was lacking in sufficient hydration intakes.
Today however, was a Library excursion. After a particularly drivel lesson in History of Magic, she had found herself wanting to borrow a book about magical treasure from the library to help her wake up for the rest of her lessons after her free period. If she was going to spend a blocked amount of time in the Potions lab, she needed to be awake lest she send herself to the Hospital Wing for a potions accident. She was far more responsible than that and she refused to end up like some of her more foolish classmates. She'd heard their stories about goofing off and getting sent to the Hospital wing. It was just plain rude. Why make more work for the Nurse? Yes it was in the job description but it didn't mean that her classmates needed to injure themselves willy-nilly and burden her with fools.
She sounded like a cartoon villain. Fools- what an amusing word. Siobhan found herself giggling quietly as she thought about her favorite storybook villains who used that word.
After setting her belongings down at her favorite table, overlooking the Forbidden Forest, she set off into the myriad of shelves to look for something a little fictional. Though it was hard to find fiction nowadays since almost all her childhood fiction stories had come true. Magic existed- Fairy's lived across the globe but were still mischevious creatures- Even unicorns! And she desperately wanted to see one. They seemed so wonderful in her fairytales and the pictures that were drawn in the textbooks she had seen only heightened her excitement. She knew that once the next year started and she was able to take Care of Magical Creatures, that she wouldn't quit the subject until she was able to see one in real life.
She sighed as she entered the section of the library dedicated to quests and logic puzzles. She felt as though perhaps this was a good area to start in for something enjoyable to read. Her cream colored fingers trailed across the spines of some ancient texts as she mused over which title would scream out at her. She wanted something daring- an adventure perhaps that led to an unlikely treasure but perhaps friendship was the treasure that they found along the way.
After quite some time, Siobhan found a book that seemed to appease her and she went to remove it from its selected area on the shelf. She didn't however, expect to be met with resistance as she yanked the book from its spot and watched as a rather grubby and grabby hand stuck it's arm through looking for what it was that she had just removed. Without thinking- she smacked the hand with the book, illiciting a gasp from her and muttered words from the other side where the hand had retracted to.
Feeling apologetic, she advanced to the other side of the shelf in order to apologize however her apology died in her throat when she noticed who it was. Prat Pass- a Slytherin second year who had moderated her last duel and announced her as "disqualifed" in front of her team leading to her removal. She closed her eyes, willing her inner conscious to give her strength as she searched for a polite and appropriate apology.
"Oh- Sorry Prat. I didn't realized your hand belonged to you, otherwise I wouldn't have smacked it with the book." She started politely, only to spit out a followed phrase of: "But you shouldn't shove your arm through the shelves grabbing at thin air. What if you had caused someone to scream in this quiet haven? Disturbing those around them? You ought to know better."
She clutched the book to her chest as if staking claim over it in case he tried to retort with frustration. Which she expected as she felt her own face contort into a slightly turned up look. She didn't often look upon others with frustration- but tensions were still running high from how her last duel had ended and she just couldn't help herself.
sta 6 | eva 8| str 7| STATS | wis 7 | arc 5 | acc 7|
I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream- Sleeping Beauty
9 Feb 2025, 20:14
Anything You Can Do
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⊷─────────────⋄•Lovely Creature in Effect•
@Siobhan McCarty
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Prat strolled through the bustling corridors of Hogwarts, his past at this esteemed castle was a collection of academic triumphs and conquests. He felt a sense of pride as he reflected on his recent report card, boasting a flawless string of Os. Shimmering against the parchment like stars in the night sky.
DADA, Charms and Herbology, his true loves, came naturally to him, as if the spells and methods were simply waiting for him to pluck them from the very fabric of reality and mold them to his will.
But he didn't limit himself to a few subjects; no, Prat had a thirst for knowledge that encompassed all corners of the magical world he could grasp into his grip. His skill, whispered among his peers and acknowledged by the professor.
They all acknowledged the promising young wizard he was shaping up to be. It was all so... easy for him. Being the heir to a prominent wizarding family had its perks, and he reveled in the opportunities and expectations that came with said legacy.
The words of admiration and awe that followed him served his ego greatly, this only carried him higher and higher on the wings of his own self-satisfaction. He was not only one of the best in his class but also the dueling captain for Slytherin.
Prat approached the doors of the Hogwarts library. The scent of aged parchment and ink greeted him like an old friend. His eyes scanned the vast collection.
Searching for that one book that had eluded him for so long. After a brief moment of contemplation, he decided to forgo the usual study spots and venture into a different section than his usual work.
The shelves stretched on forever, a veritable maze of knowledge that seemed to call him deeper into its embrace. He weaved through the aisles, his eyes scanning title to title.
Finally, his gaze fell upon a book, its title barely legible to him. Prat felt as if this was the book that would entertain him for the week.
Prat's eyes widened with astonishment as the book slipped from his grasp and a sharp pain shot through his hand. Was this book's power? Manifesting the very instant his fingertips grazed it? He had never anticipated such a swift and hostile reaction.
His thoughts reeled, trying to make sense of the sudden assault. Who dared to interfere him. The audacity! His hand smarting, he watched as the shadowy figure retreated, the book clutched protectively to their chest.
"Hey!" he murmured through gritted teeth, his hand stinging. "That's mine!" The thief was too quick for his eyes to fully discern, but he caught a glint of them before they disappeared.
Prat's curiosity grew tenfold; not only did he want the book now, but also he had to know who had the gall to just hit someone and run away. He took a step forward, whispering a string of curses under his breath.
As the figure emerged from the side, Prat's eyes narrowed in recognition. It was Sio, the Gryffindor second-year who had shown such a disappointing performance during the duel he had moderated.
To him she looked as if she knew she had overstepped the boundaries of propriety. How dare she, even with her evident lack of focus and acumen, lay her grubby oily hands on his book.
It was akin to a mere mortal attempting to wield Excalibur; she was not worthy. "Sio," he murmured, his voice a serpentine whisper, "What do you think you're doing with that book?" The challenge in his tone clear as the day.
Prat's thoughts remained unkind as he regarded Sio. "Focused," he mused internally, "how peculiar for one so... pedestrian in her dueling endeavor." His gaze flicked to the book she clutched, it was the one he attempted to claim for himself.
Prat watched with irritation and fascination as Sio clung to the book. He reached out with a deliberate calmness, his fingers wrapping around the book, as he applied a gentle but firm force, attempting to wrestle the book out from her.
Something slipped from the book's pages, fluttering to the floor between them, A map, by the look of it, its parchment brittle with age and intricately inked with symbols.
This was no longer merely a case of a less read book; it was something deeper, something that had drawn him to this very moment, to this precise location within the library, or so he believed.
With a sudden jolt, Prat realized that he no longer wanted to rip the book from her grasp; he instead wanted to know why she had sought it out in the first place.
His grip loosened, and he took a step back, his eyes never leaving hers. "The map," he murmured, his voice low, "What do you know about it?" He wasn't asking to assert his dominance, but rather to invite her into a pursuit.
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⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
| Prat Pass - Slytherin | |
Sta: 7 | Eva: 10 | Str: 6 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 13 |
Sta: 9 | Eva: 15 | Str: 0 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 5 | Acc: 15 |
15 Feb 2025, 03:55
Anything You Can Do
Date: January 26th, 2025
Interacting/Mentioning: @Prat PassSpeaking: #ba8759
Thoughts: #a0785a
Translations:
- N'fheadar: I wonder
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ "I am only brave when I need to be, being brave doesn't mean I go looking for trouble"⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆Siobhan's eye twitched as she looked at him with an aggravated smile. The absolute nerve of this boy. How dare he comment on her dueling? He hadn't seen her during her previous duel. She had come out completely unscathed and the last man standing- even managing to land several hits on the members of the opposing team. She was just going through some personal issues that resulted in her involuntarily sacrificing her sleep over something completely out of her control.
And also like she had already decided; THE ABSOLUTE NERVE. She had found the book first, she had been in the library first, and it was her book. There's no way that he truthfully wanted the book and was likely just waiting behind the shelf, watching for whoever went for one of the fiction books gracing the shelves. It was just Siobhan's luck that she had fallen prey to his weaseling.
She sniffed and turned her nose up at him, rescinding her apology and following it up with the words "They don't allow grubby people to check books out you little weasel. I managed to pull this book fair and square. Are you always so stupid? Or do you simply show off when I'm around?"
That was an insult her brothers would have been proud of her for. Her sleepiness and general moodiness were causing her mind to work overtime and produce far too many insults for her brain to handle. They had been slipping out far too often and all the coloring books and meditation in the world weren't helping her out. Thankfully, she had revitalized herself by reading and taking quick thirty-minute power naps a couple of times throughout the day before she
She should have just left right then and there but then he mentioned something that had fallen to the floor near her feet. Whatever it was, it must have slipped from between the pages of her book (might she add for anyone who was still confused.) She watched as he scrambled for it like the rabid weasel that he was. With a slight sneer, she took a good step away from him as he scrambled to stand up and speak to her. Her facial expression changed from a look of disdain to a look of confusion.
"Map? What map? It's just a scrap of paper. Have you resorted to playing pretend when you can't think of a satisfactory comeback?" She said as he continued to interrupt her asking if she knew anything about it. She didn't she had just seen it for the first time as well.
'Breathe Siobhan... Breathe... Just because he annoys you doesn't mean you need to snap at him every time you open your mouth.' She reminded herself as she voiced a far more polite conversation continuum. She gently shook her head and relaxed her stature as she moved the book away from her chest and stepped closer to the weasel-like Slytherin boy he unfolded the paper and the two of them looked at it curiously.
It was a wildly intricately drawn map of the winter night sky. The stars were intricately placed and it seemed like they were directing something but she couldn't fully make out whatever it was that the stars were trying to convey. She would need to consult her star chart but if she was right, it should be depicting the sign of Aquarius, the Water Bearer.
Maybe the map was a secret message about a fortune or something.
"Well- It looks as though it's leading up into the castle somewhere. N'fheadar..." She mused as her eyes turned to look out the window next to the bookcases they were standing between at the Astronomy tower on the other side of the castle. She never really went up into the astronomy tower but it would be interesting to see what this map was about. It was incredibly detailed with its depictions of the stars in the sky.
As consistent as she was with Defense Against the Dark Arts and her knack for Herbology, she wasn't strong enough to survive if she came across something dangerous inside the forest. So thankfully they were staying within the confines of the castle. If it was somewhere they were barred from exploring such as the Forbidden Forest, there was always the possibility that they could be killed- or expelled. She had heard what happened to those who got their wands snapped. They roamed the world magicless and separated from the other half of themselves.
And she couldn't bear to be forced back into the mundanity that was muggle life.
The stars swirled around in her mind. Something eerily familiar about the way they were positioned on the map made her itch to start exploring. She wondered if maybe they held some answers about whatever it was she had been chasing within her mind and behind her eyes as she slept.
sta 6 | eva 8| str 7| STATS | wis 7 | arc 5 | acc 7|
I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream- Sleeping Beauty
20 Feb 2025, 19:41
Anything You Can Do
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⊷─────────────⋄•Lovely Creature in Effect•
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"They don't allow grubby people to check books out you little weasel. I managed to pull this book fair and square."
Prat's cheeks flushed with indignation as the words "little weasel" came out the rotten creature's mouth. His eyes narrowed, and his grip tightened around the worn book that had been the object of their argument.
"You know," he said, his voice icy, "now that your... your slimy, grubby animal-like hands have been laid on this book, I'm not sure it's fit for civilized perusal." He shot her a sideways glance, his thoughts a mess. 'How dare she? Who does she think she is, i got to this book first' He continued, "It's practically ruined!" He couldn't believe she had the audacity to accuse him of something so underhanded.
"Are you always so stupid? Or do you simply show off when I'm around?"
Prat's anger bubbled over as he spat out the words, "How can I possibly show off when the stupidest girl to be ever born is standing right in front of me?"
His inner voice a mix of of contempt and disbelief. 'Does she really think she's clever? Insulting me for no reason, clearly at place she doesn't belong to.'
He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady as he continued, "If there was a competition for the world's most stupid person, you'd come in third. Not because you're smarter than the other two, but because you're too stupid to even win at being stupid."
The library's silence was pierced by their scathing remark, and for a brief moment, Prat felt a twinge of hesitance at this exchange, only for her to double down on it further.
Prat's eyes flickered to the paper that had fluttered down to the floor, and his anger momentarily subsided as curiosity piqued. "What's this?" he asked
his voice filled with contempt and intrigue. An unspoken momentary truce settled between them. 'Could this be something of actual value?'
He turned to Sio, the smugness returning to his features. "Do you know what it is?" He waited, eagerly watching her reaction, hoping she'd be as intrigued by the paper as he was.
Prat's eyes narrowed further as he studied the paper. It was definitely a map, an intricate one at that, with a series of symbols and markings that looked like they could lead to something of great value.
"Map? What map? It's just a scrap of paper. Have you resorted to playing pretend when you can't think of a satisfactory comeback?"
"Are you blind as well as stupid?" he spat out, unable to contain his sarcasm. "This scrap of paper is not just any scrap. It's obviously something. No one keeps scrap in secret books !!"
He held the map up to her face, the corners of his mouth turning up in a self-satisfied smile. "Do you have any idea what this looks like, or do I have to spell it out for you?"
"It's a map" was all he said, what he stopped in his mind were the words 'you imbecile! And if your pea-sized brain can't recognize it, that's hardly my problem!'
His voice now dropping to a low, condescending tone. "You're so zoned, you can't even recognize an opportunity when it's right under your nose!, sounds a lot like the duel you had."
Looking at the map, Prat wasn't sure if he wished to tackle this one alone, nor if Siobhan would just let him have it.
"Well, since we both found this, i suppose we could put aside our... differences for now," he said, the words sticking in his throat like a mouthful of ashes.
"How about we go to the Astronomy Tower after class and see if we can find anything else related to this?"
He tried to keep his tone friendly, but it was clear to both of them that this was a proposal of convenience rather than a genuine offer of camaraderie.
Prat's inner thoughts raced as he studied the paper further.
'Could this be it?' he wondered, his excitement growing. 'The key to some hidden secret of the castle !!'
His eyes darted from symbol to symbol, trying to piece together the cryptic puzzle. "We could be on the brink of something incredible or something very stupid" he mused, his mind already racing.
Turning to Sio, he began "I suggest we keep this between us," his voice low and serious, doing his best james bond impression.
"We wouldn't want the wrong people getting their hands on this, would we?" He waited to see her nod , the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. "Let's meet after curfew. We'll need to be careful."
The tension between them had thinned, but not disappeared. This map could lead to fame, fortune, or perhaps even trouble, but for Prat, this newfound allure of discovery was too great to resist.
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⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
@Siobhan McCarty
| Prat Pass - Slytherin | |
Sta: 7 | Eva: 10 | Str: 6 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 13 |
Sta: 9 | Eva: 15 | Str: 0 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 5 | Acc: 15 |
27 Feb 2025, 02:35
Anything You Can Do
Date: January 26th, 2025
Interacting/Mentioning: @Prat PassSpeaking: #ba8759
Thoughts: #a0785a
Translations:
- N'fheadar: I wonder
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ "I am only brave when I need to be, being brave doesn't mean I go looking for trouble"⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆She grumbled to herself as he called her names. God, he was such a-
a-
A PRAT.
His mother had made a wonderfully astute decision in naming him as such. Of course, she knew that people didn't keep "secret" scraps in books but it didn't mean that it wasn't just a useless piece of paper. Sometimes she lost her bookmarks and a spare piece of parchment would work perfectly fine. Not everyone could afford multiple bookmarks because sometimes pocket money just wasn't easily findable (or available to be given.) She'd no doubt left her fair share of scraps in the books by accident as she perused and devoured book by book, day after day. She wouldn't be surprised if, by the end of her time at Hogwarts, she had read through every book cover to cover.
Barring the restricted section. But that was an adventure for another day. If she was able to convince a professor to go ahead and allow her to pursue her reading prowess in the restricted section. Sometimes she would just go over and look through the gates at the second forbidden forest to her. Couldn't go in the real one and couldn't go in the fake one. What an annoyance.
Despite him trying to make peace with her, she was tempted to continue being snarky back to him just because he was calling her names. He had technically started this entire issue by trying to take her book when she had so clearly gotten to it first. And then he had had the unmitigated gall to call her uncivilized. Whyever should she allow herself to follow him on some rash, terrible idea that could land them in a world of trouble if they were found out?
Though apparently, it didn't matter to her conscious as she found herself nodding and agreeing to his peace treaty. It wouldn't do well to go around making enemies so late into the school year. Especially since they still had five years of schooling left together. They couldn't possibly fight in every nook and cranny of their meetings. It simply wasn't fair to themselves or the others around him. She also supposed it was time to leave the library seeing as Prat was beginning to draw attention to themselves by not keeping his voice to a minimum, as was expected in the library. Out of courtesy- though it seemed that he had none to spare.
His suggestion of heading to the Astronomy tower after class seemed simple enough- if their schedules aligned. Otherwise, he would just need to meet her there. She wondered if perhaps he would entrust her with the piece of paper. She supposed not though, seeing as he believed she was "too stupid" to know what it was. It had fallen out of her book and she wasn't so petty as to claim it was hers. He had spotted it fair and square. After her soapbox about things being fair- she had to let him live out this ridiculous James Bond impression he was attempting to create as he tried to swear her to secrecy about the paper.
Yeah right, who was she gonna tell? Matthew? No, she couldn't bother him at the moment. Uri? He'd all but disappeared. Maybe Astra if Prat annoyed her enough. She was vaguely aware of the redhead's distaste for her fellow housemate and she supposed it wouldn't hurt to complain about him to her. After all, Astra was her closest friend.
It was beside the point and she assumed to herself that she should probably stop inner monologuing as Prat was staring at her intently, waiting for an answer to come out of her mouth. She'd better say something before he called her another name.
"After curfew tonight? You must be mad. And I madder for agreeing this" She said, placing her hands on her hips and looking down with a shake of her head as she couldn't believe this was what she was agreeing to. Unfortunately, curiosity won out and this cat was as good as caught in the crossfire.
She held her hand out for the paper, trying to prompt him to hand the paper over so that she could observe it for a moment. She hadn't seen the details of it since he had opened it and started to make his observations.
If it was a riddle that led them into the stars she may be able to decipher it with the help of the star charts she had been making in her free time. She could also consult her books and her dream diary. With her weird dreams lately, she had been obsessively sketching the night skies, night by night, to try and make head or tails of whatever it was they were trying to explain to her. Her family believed that dream interpretation was the least accurate form of scrying. She had to try it though-
sta 6 | eva 8| str 7| STATS | wis 7 | arc 5 | acc 7|
I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream- Sleeping Beauty