Blades And Bruises PV Matthew Campbell Finished

“My balance is perfectly fine, thank you,” Avis replied with mock indignance, nose in the air as she wobbled along. She couldn’t help the giggle that rose in her throat at his use of the phrase she’d said earlier. “Say that phrase once and you’ll be stuck repeating it for the rest of your life, mark my words, Campbell,” she joked in response.

After she finally got to ask her question, Avis chuckled at Matthew’s reaction to the mention of his House. She too had rolled her eyes many times at any mention of the snakes to be sure but seeing a Slytherin echo her opinion was a foreign feeling. Perhaps her stubborn prejudice about the House was mildly misplaced? After all, she had met one good one.

And as much as she wanted to hear that the Slytherin common room was a dark, damp cave home to rats and spiders, Avis couldn’t help but listen in wonder to Matthew’s majestic description of his home away from home. She could tell he truly admired it and briefly wondered what the eye roll at her question meant if he could describe the room with such bliss in his eyes.

Glancing down at her skates, which were slowly gaining a sense of sure-footedness, Avis sighed and tried to picture the glass windows and serene tea area he’d described.

“Sounds absolutely smashing. Definitely different from Ravenclaw Tower but… in a good way,” the girl said bregrudgingly. She secretly wished to gaze through those grand windows and the curiosity was killing her. Maybe someday she’d find a way to sneak in…

Avis looked up as Matthew began to slow down after an exasperated and frankly tired sigh escaped him. She furrowed her eyebrows in concern at his darkening expression and wondered if she’d touched on a sensitive topic somehow. Did he dislike his own House that much?What might’ve happened to seemingly be causing him so much pain?

Her thoughts were interrupted by his voice, describing his friends and foes in Slytherin house. The two older students sounded unfamiliar to the girl and her curiosity piqued even more when he mentioned that last year “got really bad.” Avis bit her lip to keep an insensitive question from slipping out. She wondered if that was the reason his demeanor had changed so quickly.

“You seem to have some… complicated relationships within your House. Must be exhausting,” Avis sympathized. Suddenly she felt an overwhelming rush of gratitude for the members of her own house. A smile lifted her lips fondly for a moment as she thought of her best friends amongst the birds but it faltered as she heard the sadness grow more prominent in her friend’s voice. He sounded desperately lonely for a hint of a second before anger hardened his tone as he spoke of Colin McCoire, a snake she’d met once before in the Courtyard over a game of hopscotch. Avis didn’t know what to think of the strange boy in the kilt at the time but now, now, her opinion towards him hardened as Matthew ranted.

The Ravenclaw shook her head at his apology, fully understanding how rage can overtake oneself if you weren’t careful. The girl took quiet note of the ring he was constantly reaching for as well but glanced up when he whispered something just out of range of her hearing with a frightening look on his face.

“Hmm?” she hummed absentmindedly but an easy smile had already replaced the tortured expression from earlier as if his frustrations had never existed. Avis grinned at his outstretched hand, grateful for her friend’s slightly concerning yet amazing ability to turn troubles into laughter, as if he’d done it a million times before.

She laughed at the way he stumbled over “obliviator” and instead of taking his arm once again, Avis turned towards the castle behind them with a cheeky glance in the boy’s direction.

“I’ll tell you all about Obliviators and even let you ask an extra question if you beat me in a race to that stone over there,” Avis said, a playful challenge entering her tone. She pointed with a mittened hand at a gleaming white pebble a few meters away. Instead of waiting for a response, Avis gave Matthew a last sly look and suddenly blurted out,” Ok go!”

With that, she sprinted forward, which in reality looked like a fast shuffle, but nevertheless, the girl was determined to get to that pebble first, terrible balance and all.

Date: January 30th 2025

The ability to turn his storm of emotions into something light and fun was exactly the medicine he needed and Avis provided it like she was born to. Now wasn't the moment but at some point he reminded himself to tell her that, appreciation was something people failed to offer far too often and it was important. Letting someone know that you eased their suffering even for a second was important.

Sometimes in life a small moment of happiness burned away all the darkness, you just had to be willing to see it, to experience it and hold onto the cherishing feelings. Times could be bad but there was always light in the darkness if you just sought to find it, Avis today brought that light to him. Matthew may have been the one who offered her his hand but she had been the one to pull him from the wreckage of the last month and though it may not last, for now it did and that was enough.

Whatever he had said to produce her laugh he was immensely glad for it, it was more of a cackle really but it lifted his heart and tugged at the corners of his mouth until he was smiling once more. Then came the playful challenge that she knew Matthew would be totally susceptible too, if she thought she could outplay him by starting their race seconds after suggesting it she must have forgotten that where Raven's had intelligence, Snakes had cunning. Matthew had set off with an equally lethal smirk the second she had keeping neck and neck.

Matthew had never been a particularly competitive person given his ineptitude with sport but something about her challenge and potentially the fact this was the only chance he may have to beat her at a sport had him flinging himself at the ice full speed. Frankly Matthew didn't care what state he was in when he got to the pebble only that he did in fact get there. Slicing through the ice with once sharp movement he managed to keep his composure and actually got such a knack he managed to place his other foot perfectly to catch launching him into a stride. Unlike the shuffle of his companion the boy slid into a real skate finding rhythm in the fluidity guiding him straight towards the stone at record speed.

The elation was incredible but unfortunately no one had quite informed him of how to stop properly once you had begun so as he reached the pebble he skidded straight past eyes wild with hilarious panic. There would be no control in his stop instead he dug his heels down into the ice and found himself go horizontal as he slipped falling towards the ice. With wand still in hand he desperately screamed "Spongify" softening the frozen ice right before he battered into it. Small crystalised cracking noises began to echo from his thud but the ice remained intact for the most part.

Howling with laughter he watched as Avis was clutching her stomach in laughter, likely from the reminder this was the second time he had had to perform such an act. His failure to dismount was becoming a terrible trend. Just as he was about to let himself collapse into the hilarity he noticed that Avis had almost shuffled towards the pebble so drawing his wand he shouted menacingly though all in jest, "Nope, I don't think so Greymond. Nive Percutio" Suddenly all around them the soft fluttering of snow began to float up collecting together into snowballs that launched an assault on the girl as he crawled his way along the ice to the pebble.

Ending the spell as soon as he had made it he smiled from the ground below him in a completely self-satisfied smirk, "I win! Now what's an obilibob or however it's said and why are you still standing it's much safer down here."

Interacting with @Avis Greymond

Avis’ eyes flashed to her left in surprise as Matthew zoomed past her, cutting the ice beneath her brother’s skates with ease. She scoffed, her competitive spirit taking hold, and attempted a faster pace. Her heart shot to her throat as she started to tip too far one way but clumsily caught herself, knees buckling underneath her. Avis grunted in frustration and straightened, only to see Matthew fly past the stone and somehow end up spread eagle on the ground after a quick Spongify.

The girl couldn’t stop herself. Spurts of laughter came out of her, despite her determination to make it to the stone and she bent over in a flury of giggles, Matthew echoing her own amusement across the ice.

As she began to breathe normally again, Avis realized this was her opportunity. Obviously her counterpart was much more adept on the ice but not if he was flat on his back at the moment. She grinned and continued her shuffle forward, attempting to glide a bit more with each step. In her excitement, Avis made a crucial mistake.

“I think I’m getting it!” she exclaimed, eyes bright, only to shut her mouth with a soft clop. It was too late. Her announcement had alerted the Slytherin boy to her plan and she watched as he pulled out his wand once again and pointed it in her direction. Merlin’s Beard. The slightest trickle of fear ran down her spine at the brandished wand in front of her but Avis trusted her friend enough to know that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. She cocked her head in the split second it took for him to call out a spell. On second thought, she had almost killed him once…

Not even a breath later, a barrage of snowballs came flying towards her and Avis shrieked, half out of amusement and half out of surprise. Desperately throwing her arms over her face, the soft snow hit home and she wobbled precariously as Matthew’s ammunition put a stop to her progress.

Spitting out snow, she narrowed her eyes menacingly at the boy as he pronounced his victory. Without a second thought, Avis scooped up a ball of snow and launched it at his defenseless form.

“How’s that for safer!” she shouted with a laugh and made a move to shuffle towards him once again when suddenly her skate caught on a slight nick in the ice and before she could utter a wizarding curse word, Avis was on the hard ground, another small crack spiraling across the ice towards Matthew, whom she landed next to.

“Merlin, I need to learn Spongify,” she groaned, resting her head against the cold surface beneath them and shutting her eyes. “Now that I’m down here though, an Obliviator is a Ministry worker who makes sure Muggles stay sane and keeps us wizards hidden, at least that’s what Da says,” she answered, her eyes opening to a view of the clear blue expanse above them. “They wipe any memory of magic or strange happenings from their minds so we can all go about our business,” the Ravenclaw continued.

Truthfully, Avis hadn’t thought about the concept of obliviation much in her past 11 years of life but now that she was explaining what it was, she wondered deeply what the rules were and how it worked. Would they wipe every memory away, even of people? If someone was obliviated, would they remember it? If not, how did she know someone hadn’t obliviated her before? Was she missing memories? Avis blanched at the rush of concerns flying through her head. She turned her head towards the comforting presence next to her in an effort to staunch the overthinking.

“I suppose I don’t really like the concept of wiping memories, n-now that I think about it…” she said in a small voice. “I want to remember everything, even if it’s confusing or sad or- or frustrating,” Avis continued, an echo of doubt in her voice.

Date: January 30th 2025

From the far more safe icy ground they now lay the pair were able to strike up conversation once more. Though as soon as Avis had explained the pair both seemed to tense slightly in the presence of such invasive magic. The thought that simple strokes of a wand that had just elicited such joy from them with snowy delight could be used to erase the very foundations of a person. That it could be used to alter and remove memories that did not belong to the caster. It added a chill to the conversation that even the ice below could not match.

Matthew's mind ran adrift to the thought of such magic being used on his own family. Muggles blessed with the knowledge only because of his connection to it, muggles who otherwise would have been denied such a right. Such thoughts always wielded a double edged blade, Matthew was lucky for his magic for it opened him up to the magical world but it also was a reminder that in order to fulfil that luck, he would have to renounce his muggle side. Matthew would never be able to share his new life with those of the muggle world or he may too have his memory erased. At least such punishment now questioned in his mind.

What happened to wizards who revealed the truth? In the thousands of years of wizardry it was surely impossible no one had ever tried, so where were they, what was there story. It chilled him to his core to think that such knowledge had once existed and was simply erased. It scared him more to think that one day such a thing could happen to him. Would this memory be taken from Avis' mind, would she remember him if he slipped up and revealed too much. Would he even be a footnote in anyone's story. In the frosty air his tears began to crystalise on his eyes before they even fully formed.

Turning towards her he pulled the young girl into a hug and holding her close he whispered into her ear, careful to not reveal the extent of his worries, "I hope we never forget this memory nor any of the ones we create in the future. I want to remember every laugh and cry and even the bad stuff. It makes us who we are." Then after a deep breathe and a small chuckle he pulled away and chuckled, "Even if that makes us bad skaters!" Resting his eyes on her he saw the girl that made him smile and laugh. Her face still glistened with the light dusting of snow the spell had impacted her with and it shone in the soft winter sun.

Avis was a true friend and although his mind still tricked him into negativity, she had pulled him out just like before. Seeing her was a reminder of the goodness the magical world was capable. Someone so different from him in history but a perfect pair in heart and soul. She mirrored his worry and he wished beyond anything that he could help her like she did him but apart from his personification as her muggle dictionary he couldn't grasp how. So instead he just smiled at her with all the radiance he could summon, a smile of warmth and friendship, for the tears and worries evaporated under her glow. Like the appearance of the sun on a cold winters day.

Interacting with @Avis Greymond

Avis watched her breath float out of her mouth and touch the freezing air in a cloud as her mind drifted away to memories she'd hoped would never be taken away from her. She glanced to her side. Surely it must be more difficult for Matthew to think about. After all, he was part Muggle. And his family were Muggles. And she supposed his old friends were Muggles too. What if they had to forget about him? She shuddered for a moment. It wasn't a comforting thought and she regretted even bringing Obliviation up in the first place. Stupid big mouth.

Concern crossed her face when she noticed tears rising up above the edge of his bottom lids, his hazel eyes darkening. Before she could say anything, however, he turned and pulled her into a rough hug. She blinked in shock for a moment before curling closer, giving him a comforting pat and glancing up, his eyes still far away. She swallowed as he leaned in to whisper something, hardly feeling the chill of the ice melting into her thick sweatshirt. Something about his words made her feel very warm and a small smile broke across her face at his light joke.

"Don't worry, Campbell. I don't think I could forget even if I tried," she replied softly. Her face took on a solemn expression as she thought about all the memories she had with her father. She thought about all the times she wished desperately to forget, because she'd been so miserable that he was gone. But now, hearing Matthew's words, she realized she wouldn't forget for the world. After all, the memories of him were all she had right now and that was more precious than forgetful bliss could ever be.

She took his hand and squeezed it briefly, returning his bright smile with a grateful look. "And you've made me realize how grateful I am for so many memories with my Da, especially because he's gone now. Thank you," Avis said, gratitude filling her tone. She also hadn't realized how good it felt to finally tell someone about the biggest trouble on her mind, even if it wasn't much. It was almost as freeing as flying... or trying to skate for the first time.

Date: January 30th 2025

A day on the ice had never been something he had particularly considered as proven by how terribly he had faired at first. Yet as they became more comfortable both on the hazardous surface and with themselves it proved to be exactly what was needed. The topic of obliviators had made him terrified, after all if memory could be taken that easily how could he possibly know his own hadn't been altered, yet the boy was no conspiracy theorist and he would just have to trust in the wizarding world that it was only used for emergencies.

Still he was glad Avis could educate him, on athleticism and wizardry. They were born in different worlds but from those worlds they could share snippets of the blossoming nature of both. Intertwining their knowledge in a union of harmony. Something he wished the majority of wizard kind would get behind. Though in truth he wondered if the only reason why wizards were seen as the villains for ideas of blood purity was because the muggle world was blind to it all. Throughout history humans both muggle and magical alike have proven time and time again that anything different is to be treated with at least suspicion and distrust if not far more horrible things. Perhaps hate was just a factor of human nature.

Though he couldn't believe that, not really, for here he was with a wizard born and raised and she was no different than any other friend he had ever had. They both had their fair share of problems but none of that was cultural. At the end of the day they were all just human, capable of great beauty and harm. It was memories like this he knew he would always cherish and he hoped the new year would bring them even closer. Avis would be a second year and he a third. How time would fly, and hopefully much more steadily than his broom flying, although he did have an excellent teacher. Matthew wondered if Avis was aware of how terrific she truly was and if she wasn't he made a solid decision to make sure she would in the future.

With the bitter edge of late afternoon wafting in and a sharp wind cutting through the massive protrusion of winter clothes he had donned he smiled warmly at the younger girl, the kind of smile that was all heart and adoration, "We should probably head inside before we freeze to death, but thanks for taking my mind off things, and for sharing about your da. Those memories will always be with you, even if he can't be."

Matthew has exited the thread | Interacting with @Avis Greymond