Closed Missed Connection PV Mateo Reopened 02.03

By this point in the year, Mateo had nicely settled into his role at Hogwarts. He enjoyed it for the most part, he'd gotten to meet a fair amount of the students and staff, and his English had definitely improved. Life was pretty good. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be going back to his family this summer, but at least he'd gotten used to Scotland (and the weather- weather in Scotland was very different to home).

He knew that there had been some staff changeovers since he'd been around, but eventually he'd lost track of it. He stuck around the Library most often, so he hadn't fully had a chance to meet everyone just yet. But he'd try to eventually.

The Library was always a bit quieter in the evenings, as Mateo prepared to finish up for the day. So he wasn't expecting to here a gentle greeting from behind him.

"Just a second."

He finished up stacking some books, handing them to one of the house-elves, before turning to greet the new arrival. They seemed pretty tall, but still looked young, so he wasn't too sure if this was one of the older students or even a new staff member (after all, he wasn't too old himself).

"Hi, how are you? Are you looking for a book? Well, obviously you are, that's a pretty silly question to ask, but anything specifically? I'm sure we can find you something here, though hopefully it won't be something I just put away." He joked casually, smiling. The kid (well, they might've been an adult, but Mateo wasn't sure) seemed incredibly nervous, and he hoped it wasn't anything about him that was off-putting.

WC: 278| Interaction: @Emery Featherstone

When working and assisting people in the hospital wing, they were a lot less nervous than they were right now. This time it was important what the librarian thought about her, not about her healing skills, something she was a lot more confident in. They could work on their knowledge and improve their skills in healing, while it was a lot more complicated with social interactions. "Just a second." Just those three words were enough to have Emery spiral down. It was very possible that Mateo was working on something important and she had just disturbed him. Maybe he didn't have time for her at all and she was just being annoying. The house elves would have been a better option to ask about the books. Mateo would probably just find them annoying because they interrupted whatever he was doing.

Now it was too late to run away, she had already greeted him. They had to stay there, waiting until he finished whatever important thing they stopped him from doing. Her blue eyes followed the stack of books that were given to one of the house elves. If only they could also disappear like one of the books in the stack that was just going away. After Mateo turned his attention to her, the nurse looked into his eyes for less than a couple of seconds. Dark hazel, pretty. They quickly looked away, not wanting to seem weird by staring into his eyes.

He greeted her, asking her how she was doing. Hi, I am good. The words echoed through her mind, in preparation for being spoken out loud. But before they were able to speak them, Mateo asked her another question. Why did everyone ask so many questions in one go? Trying to make sense of everything he had just said, the seer was quiet for a second. Were they supposed to answer every question or could she skip the how are you? Or maybe he would consider that rude. Would it be polite to also ask him how he was doing, or was that weird?

It sucked. She cared too much about this interaction. It had to go well. They couldn't mess it up. It would be horrible if she had to write her sister about this failure. When the librarian commented about the book she was looking for being in the pile that was just put away, Emery became even more nervous. What if it was!? They didn't want to be too much trouble, maybe they should just forget about the book. The fact that he had meant it as a joke went right over their head. Usually, Emery was pretty good at reading people's expression and their intention. However, this time she was way too nervous for that. Also, in order to read people's expressions, you need to see them. At this moment, Emery's eyes were looking everywhere but at Mateo.

"I am sorry," she apologized just in case the book was indeed just put away. "And hi, I am doing well. How are you?" They looked up while asking the question. Their sky-blue eyes were looking at the other staff member as they straightened their back, trying to look more confident. In the hopes to come across less nervous, they also smiled, showing the little gap between their teeth. The smile wasn't what she had hoped for as it looked pretty awkward. However, the poor nurse wasn't aware of this and kept smiling. At least, she was trying.

"Also, yes I am looking for a book," she said as she remembered the other question the librarian had asked. In their mind, they ticked off an imaginary box with the question. It was quiet for a few seconds before she realized, she had to tell him what she was looking for. "I am looking for a book with recipes for baking," she informed the librarian. Her eyes drifted off to her hands with which she was fidgeting. "I love baking," they added randomly, which they regretted right away. Her voice had become more steady and they tried to mask their nervousness. Waiting for a response, they wondered if they needed to introduce themselves or not.

The silence after Mateo finished speaking was almost deafening, it made him doubt what he'd said. And he rarely ever had many, if any, doubts about his social interactions. Not that he was necessarily a confident person, but he'd never much struggled with making friends. But he was beginning to doubt that, now confronting such a bold silence that stared him in the face alongside the adult.

He was growing increasingly more sure of his conclusion that this individual was, in fact, an adult. Somebody that tall (which there was nothing wrong with, he might want to add) could only be an older student at least, and he doubted an older student would look this nervous entering the Hogwarts' Library, a place that should be familiar by this time in their journey here. So, in Mateo's mind, they had to be an adult. Furthermore, most likely a new staff member at Hogwarts.

However, with the end of the day drawing closer, it took Mateo a little time to reach this answer, leaving him staring at the person (and them with wandering eyes anywhere but on Mateo) as he pieced the riddle together in his head. To someone observing, it may have looked a little odd, with one desperately avoiding eye contact at all costs, and the other staring directly at the person, as if trying to see into their soul.

The next words from them were an apology. Mateo, having been on a momentary high from managing to solve a simple riddle, would be brought back into real life, and (perhaps stupidly) let out a small laugh.

"My apologies, I've just never had a friend start a conversation with an apology before. At least, not since my school days. And those conversations were often related to broom racing, heh. But otherwise, I am doing pretty good, the day wasn't the worst one I've had."

He hoped the small chuckle hadn't put them off, he'd hate for that to get misinterpreted and for the person to think he was a bully or mean. To try and amend that, he'd quickly return the smile with one of his own as they would finally place their request.

"Ooh, a fun ask." As he continued speaking, he turned his back slightly to rummage through some of the stacks he had pre-organised before the other's arrival. "I can't say I've ever been particularly good with cooking myself, but I've had to learn the hard way. A lot of badly cooked rice for a few weeks."

He chuckled to himself at the memories of moving out and living alone the first time. When he'd been travelling and helping communities teach, he'd mostly stayed with host families who'd been more than generous with offering him a place to stay, as well as fresh meals. He'd helped out in kitchens before, but with more simple tasks, like preparing vegetables. As a result, he'd somehow managed to scrape by until much more recently, when he actually found himself on his own. Thinking back on it now, he was incredibly lucky to have such kind hosts.

"Mi abuela My grandma would've been so disappointed in me to know how many times I burnt even a piece of toast." He would conveniently leave out that his last burnt toast wasn't so long ago. "She was always such a good cook, she'd be tutting over everything in the kitchen when we'd prepare big family meals and be adding an extra chilli to everything. From her, I would believe that being a good cook was an amazing magic in itself."

Clicking his tongue, Mateo straightened, calling over a house-elf. "I don't think we have any cooking tomes behind the desk, would you be able to fetch some for me? Specifically, baking. If you can, a variety of sweet and savoury options would be preferred. Thank you!"

He returned his attention the the individual, if they were still there and hadn't been scared away by his ramblings. "Sorry about the wait, hopefully it won't be too long. Do you have any nice cooking stories? I feel that almost everyone has a warm story related to cooking. Though perhaps that is just from my family, we do have a strong love for food and cooking."

As the house-elf returned, Mateo would smile gratefully as he thanked them, take the books, and spread them out on the desk in front of the baker. "Feel free to take your pick from these, all kindly hand-chosen by this good house-elf. And, I'm sorry, but I don't think I quite caught your name? I've said so much about me and I didn't even ask your name until now, that was incredibly rude of me, I apologise."

WC: 785| Interaction: @Emery Featherstone

Only when she had spoken up, did Emery realize that they had now greeted the other twice. First to get his attention and now again. In her mind, the blame was given to her nerves, they had prevented her from thinking straight. The fact that he had said a million things in one go also didn't help. Hopefully, he hadn't noticed the weird greeting, or he maybe didn't mind. Despite not being a big deal, it did feel like that to the nurse. The little chuckle made them even more self-conscious about it. At least Mateo apologized for the laugh. Well, that's what Emery assumed he meant by my apologies.

A friend? The awkward grin was washed away by a surprised expression, just like a wave washes away footprints in the sand. Eyebrows slightly lifted, she stared at the librarian with her eyes a tad wider than usual. It was a subtle change, showing only a small snippet of how surprised they really were. What did that mean? It could have simply been a reference to one of his old friends that started a conversation with an apology. Or did it mean Mateo saw them as a possible friend? Her whole heart hoped it was the latter. A soft smile appeared on their face as they realized there was a chance to become friends with the librarian. She just had to make sure not to screw up this amazing opportunity. They couldn't come across as weird. They needed to be friendly. But not too talkative, that might scare him away. So much pressure.

Unsure of what to answer, they gave Mateo a small nod to show they had listened to him. Her shoulders relaxed a bit as he voiced his approval about the book requestion. The librarian seemed to be a lot better at small talk than she was. The conversation was carried by him, something Emery greatly appreciated. A soft giggle left their lips after Mateo's comment about badly cooked rice. Growing up, Emery had helped her parents a lot with dinner, so they knew their way around the kitchen really well.

One of the rare times she took the lead was in the kitchen. Whether it was cooking dinner or baking their favorite cake, the seer could be found telling the others exactly what to do. Just like in the hospital wing with the healing interns, they made sure to explain why and how certain things were done. Besides her mother, the only person in her family that was just as capable in the kitchen as she was her older brother. They would always bake birthday cakes together for the many birthdays in their family. It had always been a great bonding experience for the two. Her twin sister was quite the opposite and the few times she had tried to cook, the kitchen had not been free of accidents.

Mateo mentioned his abuela, who sounded like a lovely lady. If her memory served her right, it was the Spanish word for grandmother. They took a little note in their mind, making sure to remember it for a later. The librarian turned his attention to one of the house elves, whose little legs carried him closer to the two staff members. He treated the creature very politely, but still, Emery felt guilty for the extra work she was giving the house elf. Especially when he was asked to bring a variety of sweet and savoury options, they felt like a burden. The only thing on their mind at that moment was the poor small elf carrying a whole stack of books, trying not to drop them. However, she didn't say anything about it and just nodded gratefully.

Now that the house elf was on a quest to get the books they had requited, Mateo and Emery were alone and the nurse was all out of things to talk about. Maybe it would be a wise thing to do some research on good conversation openers to avoid awkward silences. Luckily, the librarian started up a conversation about a topic she felt safe with. Talking about herself wasn't something she enjoyed doing, but she could tell stories about her siblings. The only question remaining was, which story? Due to them spending so much time in the kitchen, they had a lot of stories. If they were entertaining enough, Emery didn't know. "Uhm," she started, trying to think of the best story. "One time, my sister accidentally set a towel on fire?" It sounded more like a question than her telling a story. Mateo probably hadn't meant a warm story as in people setting things on fire. "Oh and me and my older brother baked a lot together. We would always make the birthday cakes for our family," she added quickly.

His hands were filled with a pile of books, as house elf returned to the two adults. The books were then spread out, so Emery could easier pick one. However, the seer had already spotted a special book they wanted. The yellowish cover looked really familiar to her and she soon realized it was the same version of the Bewitched Baking book her mother used to have. Years ago, the book was lost due to the recklessness of one of her siblings. Young Emery had been quite upset about it since there had been a ton of recipes they had still wanted to try. However, she had never shown her disappointment, not wanting to be a burden to her parents. So within seconds of spotting it, her hand reached for the book.

However, before they could pick up the book, Mateo asked their name. "Uhm." Her hand floated in the air, as she was unsure what to do with it. Should they shake the librarian's hand or would that be weird? They had already had a conversation and usually, people shook hands at the start of the conversation. "I am Emery Featherstone," they introduced themselves, hand awkwardly floating above the books. "School nurse."

It finally seemed that the visitor was beginning to warm to Mateo, as they began to share some familial memories from their past. As sad as it sounded, Mateo hoped that they'd managed to convince her to stay for just a little while longer. He'd been pretty starved for good conversation for some time, and whilst they may not have been the most talkative right now, Mateo had created a challenge in his mind that he would get her to open up.

"That is very cute," he replied, resting his elbows on the desk as he lay his head on his hands. "What is it like having a brother and a sister? I have no sisters or brothers of my own to do these cute family activities with, but I would often spend a lot of time with my cousins when I was back at home. It would often be mi madre y mi tias y mi abuela my mother and my aunts and my grandma that would be in the kitchen preparing the meals, but they did like it if we helped out. However, I cannot imagine that we were the most helpful - we would often just run around and cause more mayhem than there already was. I imagine that your family's kitchen must be a lot calmer, if your family is anything like yourself."

The kid (Mateo was still going with that for now until proven otherwise) seemed to have backtracked into awkward silence again as they awkwardly let their hand hover over the book they wanted, quickly giving their name and role at the school. Whilst Mateo would've loved to comment on the fact that he hadn't been sure if they were a student or staff at Hogwarts, he could see her discomfort, and wouldn't have wanted her to feel any worse.

"It's nice to meet you," he replied, smirking as he glanced down to her hand which was just held over the baking book. "I am Mateo Sáez, Hogwarts' Librarian. Clearly, I would like to think."

With another short laugh, he fist-bumped the hovering hand, before taking the book and making his notes on who had taken it out. "Here you go."

He offered the book out in return, hoping he'd presented himself amiable enough that Emery would want to stick around for a little while longer.

WC: 384| Interaction: @Emery Featherstone

Previously unsure if their stories had been worth sharing, Emery relaxed when Mateo shared he thought it was very cute. It was unlikely he was talking about her older sister setting a towel on fire, so she assumed he meant the part about her brother. Nodding in agreement, she thought back at the many hours the two had spent in the kitchen. Noticing how relaxed Mateo seemed, they forced themselves to calm down. Trying to copy some parts of Mateo's body language, they relaxed their shoulders and unclenched their hands. It would be strange for them to copy his behaviour completly, but she still used it as guidance. He seemed relaxed, indicating he felt comfortable, quite the opposite of how Emery was feeling.

The concept of an only child wasn't new to the nurse, but she still found it strange. Being the middle of seven children, they were used to always having a sibling around. Their house used to be in utter chaos 90% of the time. Emery had a hard time imagining how quiet Mateo's house must have been growing up without siblings. Seven kids were a lot and Emery was sure she didn't want that many. However, she couldn't imagine growing up without any of their siblings. Their parents were often busy, so it was nice to always have a sibling around when she needed them. At least Mateo had been able to spend time with his cousins. The librarian mentioned something in Spanish again and Emery tried to use their limited Spanish knowledge to figure out what it meant. Her cousin Mila would always talk about her Abuela when talking about her grandmother of her mother's side of the family. Based on that knowledge, Emery concluded he must be have been talking about his mother, aunts and grandmother. The only reason she could think of that he mentioned them in Spanish is that he had a Spanish heritage, or at least his family was from a country where they spoke Spanish. Their aunt was from Colombia and her children often spoke Spanish with her. Maybe Mateo had a similar story.

As Mateo spoke of his cousin, they could imagine a bunch of little kids running around in the kitchen, trying to help. It had been a familiar sight in their home. The assumption it was calmer in their kitchen back home threw Emery off. With a family of nine, their kitchen had been everything but calm. Emery's personality seemed to be the biggest reason for the librarian to make that comment. The words about her family being like her echoed in her brain. They didn't know what to make of it, unsure if the other meant it in a positive or negative way. Uncomfortably, she shifted her weight to her left leg and looked down at the floor. Emery was probably the quietest in the family, often overlooked when growing up, as they weren't as vocal as their siblings. So the assumption made sense adn they did spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Mateo had asked a question a bit before but then continued talking so she hadn't been able to answer the question. Was she supposed to answer that question before replying to his current statement or would that be weird? Maybe she could reply to both things in one go. "My family is quite different," she replied. It was true, she had always felt like the odd one out. Even though she had a twin sister, she still felt different then most of her family. The fact that she and Maria were so different had probably made it worse. "All of us are really different," they explained. "I have 6 siblings, so growing up the kitchen was never really calm." Not a single room in their house had ever been calm until the siblings hit adulthood and started moving out. Being left in her childhood home as the last child, Emery had seen how much quieter the house had gotten over the years. "We divided chores and tasks in the kitchen and around the house, but it was still quite chaotic," they explained. Thinking back to their childhood created a wave of nostalgia. Being back at Hogwarts, where she had spent many years, made the feeling even stronger.

Just before they could get the book, Mateo fist-bumped her hand that had been floating in the air as she was trying to decide what to do with it. Well, at least her hand had now been floating inthe sky for a reason. Did he really think it was nice to meet them, or did he just say it because it was polite? Trying not to worry about it too much, Emery picked up the book to check if it was indeed the same one as her mom used to have. After that Mateo took the book and made some notes. "Thank you," they said, excited to try out some of the old recipies. Maybe she could even improve them. One of the recipes from this book was her twin sister's favourite. Emery had made it so often for her siblings she knew it by heart and had been able to make some improvement over the years. As a special wedding gift, Emery had made them for her twin. The thought of Maria reminded her why they were really here; to be social. "You mentioned your abuela, are you Spanish?" she asked, trying to restart a conversation, hoping it wasn't weird they sticked around now they got the book.

English | Spanish

"Oh, you know Spanish?" Mateo brightened. It wasn't often that they came across other Spanish-speaking people at Hogwarts, so finding anyone made him feel a little bit more at home.

"My father was Bolivian and my mother was American, but they both met in Brazil, where I was born. We moved back to the family village not too long later though, since my parents thought it would be better to raise me around family. Though, on my travels before I achieved the position of Hogwarts' Librarian, I picked up a few other languages as well. I'm not too sure how well I'd be able to remember them all now however," he chuckled.

Of course, he'd done what he always did and jumped to the conclusion that poor Emery, by understanding one word he'd said in his native tongue, could thus understand the language in full, hence why he'd reverted back to his Spanish roots and begun to converse in said language. However, he didn't want to make them too uncomfortable, so he changed back.

"Do you know any other languages? And how did you come to learn Spanish, if I may ask? Do you have any Spanish-speaking family yourself? Maybe this might just be in my opinion, but I think being able to speak other languages is a really cool skill personally. I am always amazed by others that can speak in languages I cannot."

On that point, he was reminded of his snake Buddy, who he could converse with in Parseltongue. Another ability he was incredibly grateful for. Maybe Emery would like to meet him? It couldn't hurt, especially since he was running out of other things to say.

"Would you like to meet my pet, Buddy? He's very friendly, and I'm sure he'd love to meet you as well."

WC: 301| Interaction: @Emery Featherstone

Unsure about why Mateo suddenly seemed so excited, Emery's eyes filled themselves with a glimmer of panic while they tried to figure out what the other had said. At first, she was convinced Mateo had talked really fast and she just didn't understand him. Only when he continued speaking, did the nurse realise he was actually speaking Spanish. The panic only grew when they realized Mateo thought she knew Spanish. Except for the very few words and phrases some of her family members used often, they knew nothing. The rapid pace at which the librarian spoke the foreign language made it even more impossible for Emery to understand anything.

They could feel the stress rising inside as the colour disappeared from her face. Emery had always had a pale face but now they looked like a nervous ghost. Their brain was working on full speed as they were trying to figure out what was the best course of action. Obviously, she had no clue what Mateo just said but she could just give awkward nods so he wouldn't know. As long as he didn't expect an answer from her or wanted her to talk in Spanish. That way he would think they knew Spanish and wouldn't be hurt or embarrassed. However, that also meant that he would keep talking in Spanish. Despite knowing that was a stupid thing to do, Emery was very tempted to do so. That way they could avoid confrontation, something she absolutely. She didn't have to correct the other person and potentially ruin this possible friendship. She could just be who Mateo wanted her to be, or how he thought she was.

Trying to gather the courage to speak up, Emery took a deep breath and held it longer than healthy. Only when Mateo switched back to English, they could relax again. As the breath escaped, a bit of the panic disappeared from her eyes. English was a language she understood, not that social interactions went super smoothly in that one either. Still, it was an improvement. Now more used to the millions of questions asked in one go, Emery took small notes of what to answer.

“I know English,” they answered awkwardly. Emery tried really hard to hide their embarrassment, however, her smile was a bit too uneasy and voice unsteady. “Some of my family speaks Spanish, my aunt is from Colombia,” she explained, trying very hard to ignore the growing panic inside of her chest that slowly crept up to their throat. So far she hadn’t told a lie. Hopefully Mateo hadn’t said anything important when he was speaking Spanish. “It is very cool,” the nurse agreed, seeing an opportunity to move the conversation away from them. “Do you know a lot of languages?” It took her quite a lot of effort to fight the urge to run away and hide in their room, far away from this awkward interaction.

A pet sounded nice, at least it wouldn’t want her to speak a language she didn’t know. Mateo also said the pet was friendly so maybe she could pat him. Something cute and fluffy would be very helpful to calm their nerves. “Sure, sounds good,” she replied, not knowing cute fluffy Buddy was a snake.

English | Spanish | Parseltongue

"Ah." Mateo blinked, his enthusiasm not completely gone, but the vibrancy dimmed slightly. He didn't want to offend the poor person in front of him, not at all, but he had been excited to think he might have another Spanish speaking friend at Hogwarts. Alas, not yet. "That is very cool, I have not had the chance to visit Colombia before, but I have heard that it is a very beautiful country."

"I know some that I have picked up from my time travelling, such Giant and Gobbledegook, and then some from my time at school, though I have had less of a chance to use those. I picked up a little little bit of certain languages from across the world when I was teaching English, but unfortunately I have had not much use for them since, so any proficiency I had in them has gone."

When Emery agreed to meet Buddy, Mateo perked up once again, the smile already on his face growing even more. "Hey Buddy, do you want to come and say hi?"

As his friend slithered out, he outstretched his arm and allowed Buddy to take a position on his shoulders, with his head resting in his left hand. "Emery, meet Buddy."

WC: 206| Interaction: @Emery Featherstone