Meeting Someone New PV closed

Anna took in the spring breeze bringing the smell of flowers to her nose. It was a lovely smell. Even though she hasn't been in Hogwarts for so long, Anna already missed the scenario of the garden back home, but this new view was nothing bad. Although she would usually prefer to read books inside a quiet library, today she felt like being out in the open for a bit. She was sick of doing homeworks either way. The nature was something she would always admire, no matter when. She thought of maybe looking around the place, stretch her legs a little, meet the school she would spend most of her next 7 years in. "Just the thought of it makes me miss my house a little", she thought. But it was necessary to further her education. She eventually was taken over by her thoughts. Would her family be thinking of her? Without her there, who would read books with her father Jacob? Under the many responsabilities that an Auror has, would her mother remember to water all the plants? Would her little brother miss her? "At night, I'll write to them and make sure they know I miss them...I'll remind mommy to water the plants...I'll ask papa if he's read any new books recently...I'll ask if granny is doing alright...", she thought, her eyes distant as she fidgeted with her penguin plushy, Aoibheann MacGilleFhaolain.

She wandered for a bit. Lost in her thoughts, she ended up not actually paying much attention to the surroundings she should have been analzying, not until a sound made her snap back to reality. She looked forward. She was standing just a few feet away from... a cat, meowing, curled lazily at the feet of a Ravenclaw girl under the shade of an oak tree that Anna was standing a bit behind of. Anna didn't know that girl, nor the cat, but she very much knew how to recognize a content cat. She silently walked towards that Ravenclaw, but didn't crouch to pet the cat nor greeted the girl. Instead, she looked at the girl and pointed at the cat.
‒Is this your cat?

@Ophelia Northwell

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March 23rd, 2025 • date great lake • location meeting someone new • thread

Ophelia looked up, a distinct feeling in the back of her belly telling her that she was being watched. But there was no one in front of her. There was no one beside her. Oh well, perhaps it was just one of those false alarms. She looked back down at her novel and continued to read, her eyes scanning the words and taking them in greedily. How she loved to read, the sensation of falling down into another world.

But soon, the sensation of being watched washed over Ophelia again, and she looked up once more, though this time she was better rewarded. There was a girl who stood close to her spot near the tree. She could've been anywhere from first to third year, in the Ravenclaw's mind, though the way in which she stood made the possibility of first year seem the most prominent. Having just thought moments ago that she would be welcoming if anyone chose to approach her, Ophelia gave the other girl a smile.

"Oh, yes. She's mine. Her name's Dove, but I call her my little Dovey or Doveling sometimes." The pet names were silly and a little stupid, but Ophelia had always done the same thing with her little dog back home in Dublin, Galleon, and she couldn't break the tradition now. "I'm Ophelia, by the way. I'm a second year from Ravenclaw." She tilted her head slightly, the smile still playing on her lips. "I don't think I've seen you before. What's your name?" She eyed the little plushy that was in the girl's hands. She'd never been a plushy-loving girl herself, but she knew that others were sometimes very attached. She nodded to the thing. "And does your little friend have a name?"

interactions • @Anna Blackberry mentions • @ stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 7

246 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

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Anna crouched down next to the cat, looking attentively at it while Ophelia spoke, but didn't interact with it. After Ophelia finished talking, the shorter girl turned her head to the Ravenclaw and let out a little smile... And didn't answer immediately. That was a lot of information to process at once, and Anna preferred to take her time to fully understand it rather than become a stuttering mess trying to respond to all the information given. Not taking her eyes off Ophelia, Anna responded.
—Ravenclaw... It's a fine house. Intelligence and creativity are very admirable traits.
Anna turned to the cat. "Why is her cat named Dove?", the hufflepuff wondered. "Maybe it's because 'Dove' sounds very cute, and the cat is very cute, too..."
Anna wasn't sure if that answered the question, but Ophelia had requested the first year to introduce herself, too, but Anna then realized she doesn't remember the last time she introduced herself to someone on her own. Her parents had introduced her to many people, but it's strange to acquaint herself with someone without being prompted to. "I should just do what my mother taught me..."
Anna stood up and made a flawless, exquisite curtsy, holding out her school robes as an immediate substitute for a dress.
—I am Anna Blackberry, the daughter of the Rune Translator Jacob Blackberry and the Auror Bethany Blackberry. It is a pleasure to meet you.
The hufflepuff stood up straight again. That was the same dialogue she had used time and time again, since she was eight, whenever her parents wanted her to introduce herself to their friends or coworkers, so the words came as naturally as breathing.
—I am a hufflepuff in the first year of Hogwarts.
Anna went back to making unbreakable eye contact with Ophelia and raised her plushy to the height of Anna's own eyes. Aoibheann was a realistic-looking, small, but relatively heavy for a plushie, weighing 2,5 kilos (5,5 pounds), and had a small purple hat attached to it. It had black fur with white spots on its black button eyes and round belly. Anna held its wings far apart and lowered the penguin's belly, as if to make it curtsy, too.
—And this is Aoibheann MacGilleFhaolain. He does not have parents because he's a plushy, but don't worry, that's not really a touchy subject for him. He would be a Slytherin, but unfortunately, I don't think the Selective Hat would let me try to find out the truth.
She un-bent the penguin and held it tightly next to her chest and looked at Ophelia to see her expression.
(@Ophelia Northwell)

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March 23rd, 2025 • date great lake • location meeting someone new • thread

Ophelia kept the eye contact that the girl made with her. She seemed nervous, a little, but also like she was preparing herself. To do what, though? Speak? Was she also shy like Ophelia? Perhaps they had that in common.

But soon enough, the girl opened her mouth and began speaking. And speaking. And speaking. She talked a lot more than Ophelia had. Not shy, then. She started off by commenting on the fact that Ophelia was in house Ravenclaw-- the wisest, most intelligent amazing house ever. Then she moved on to introducing herself as Anna Blackberry, very formally, as Ophelia might add. She must be one of those purebloods, coming from some fancy family with a long history of magic. Being the half-blood daughter of a half-blood mother, Ophelia had grown up pretty much isolated from magic, but she, along with her younger brother Felix, were told about magic when she had her first instance of magic a few years ago. Then the girl, Anna, as she called herself, told Ophelia that she was a Hufflepuff and, like the Ravenclaw had guessed, a first year. Finally, she ended with telling her the name of her plushie friend, also very formally.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Anna." Ophelia gestured down to the floor beside her. "Would you like to sit down? You can play with Dove." The kitty in question had slowly gotten up, having realised that they had a visitor, and now stared curiously at Anna. If the girl chose to interact further, the kitty would surely pounce, ready for any opportunity to play.

interactions • @Anna Blackberry mentions • @ stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 7

248 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

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—Huh? Your cat lets people touch him?
Anna tilted her head, but didn't wait for an answer.
—Okay!
She quickly sitted down criss cross applesauce next to Ophelia, with a smile on her face. Anna had her earmuffs resting on her shoulders.
—It's nice to meet you too, Ophelia and Dove.
She put Aoibheann on her lap and extended her hand to Dove, to let him smell her hand first.
—My cats back at home usually let strangers even get close to them. I think Rose is a bit more open to others interacting with her than Milo, though.
Anna Yappish McYapper person has, once again, began to talk, to never stop again.
—Milo's very skittish. He also hunts more than Rose, and brings me and Oliver many of the things he hunts. My father hates it, but I think it's cute he's trying to give us food. Well, that's what I think he's doing, at least, maybe he's threatening us or showing us things we should have hunted or paid attention at, instead of him. He's so smart and cute. Cats are so cute! And your cat is so cute too, Ophelia!
Anna reminisced fondly and rather loudly about Milo, her little black cat. He was smaller than Rose, and much more reserved. Rose was prideful and sly, and loved being patted, and would be the perfect match for the reserved hunter Milo is... Well, that's what Anna thought, at least. They never had any encounter that resulted in whatever cat romance could result in, but Anna still imagined they were in love.
Anna's little brother, Oliver, also didn't particularly care for whatever prey Milo had hunted, but preferred to keep that to, especially when his sister was so excited over Milo being caring... Or... whatever Anna imagined he was being. —Oh! I know! What's your favorite animal?—Anna asked suddenly with an excited smile. —Is it cats, or do you also like other animals? Do you have any other pets? You look like you enjoy cute pets.

(@Ophelia Northwell)

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March 23rd, 2025 • date great lake • location meeting someone new • thread

Ophelia let out a little laugh at the surprise in Anna's voice when she asked whether Dove let people touch her. She knew cats were notorious for their hate of, well, people. But little Dove wasn't like that, which was probably why Ophelia had felt her calling out to her in the Magical Menagerie over a year ago when she went to get a "replacement" pet. Dove was a ball of sunshine and energy, and always craved attention. She was a bit lazier than Galleon, and a lot more loving of naps and the chase game, but she could practically be his sister, was she not a kitty.

"Oh, yes. Dove's a people-kitty."

Ophelia listened to Anna's little speech about her own kitties back home, a pleasant smile resting on her face. She seemed like such an animated, sweet person, and the Ravenclaw was glad to have bumped into her during her reading time. It was nice to interact with people instead of paper for once, meet real humans rather than characters that would always be just out of reach.

"Oh, Rose sounds just like Dove, if she was older. My kitten gets so worked up and excited, she's like a toddler." That image in Ophelia's mind made her laugh again. "Hm, my favourite animal? You know, I love all animals. When I was back in the Muggle world, I thought I wanted to become a zoologist, and I even studied my little dog, Galleon!" Oh, thoughts of those times always cracked the Ravenclaw up. Her mother would always have tears in her eyes by the end of the story retellings, she'd have laughed so much. Thoughts of little baby Ophelia studying Galleon... just imagining made her crack a smile. "But my favourite animals are definitely peacocks. Or peafowl, whatever you'd like to call them."

Ophelia smiled, her hand going to Dove's back as she smoothed the kitty's fur. The kitten laid down, her tail resting on her nose. The girl turned to Anna with a smile. "What about you? What's your favourite animal?"

interactions • @Anna Blackberry mentions • @ stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 7

261 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

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Anna's mouth remained slightly open while Ophelia spoke, revealing slightly big front teeth, and kept permanent eye contact, and listened intently to the Ravenclaw's words. "If Dove is just like Rose... I wonder if they could be cat friends. Rose needs more cat connections aside from her boyfriend Milo. The second year continued to talk about how she wanted to become a zoologist when she was a child. The thought of a little Ophelia studying a little dog would be adorable. Despite Anna's home having all sorts of animals, from cats to swans to fishes and birds, they didn't have any dogs; as a matter of fact, Anna never even touched them, but just thinking about Ophelia scratching a dog's fluffy fur, trying to investigate its every trait and writing it down was already enough to make Anna smile with more fondness.
Upon hearing that Ophelia's favorite animals were peacocks, the hufflepuff tilted her head.
—...Peacocks are loud... But also so beautiful... I can see why you'd like them.
But when Ophelia asked what were Anna's favorite animals, Anna opened her mouth to answer...
Only to be silent. Her smile vanished as if by magic. Although Anna believed she already knew everything about herself, it had only just occurred to her that she never even thought what was her favorite animal. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, her mind working the maximum it could to try and pull some animal she particularly liked.
—I...I like swans... A-and fairies... A little bit... —She stuttered, unsure of herself.
Anna had a couple of swans who lived in the lake at the back of her house. She took care of them, and always thought they must've been one of the most beautiful animals she had. She also thought fairies were very interesting creatures, and some sometimes they came to the Ballyboley forest near their home, so Anna could see them from time to time, but could they really be considered Anna's favorite creature? She had given much thought to plants and books, but never defined a favorite among her many animals; they were part of her life like her family. So the first year decided to change the subject quickly, and would make sure to give it better thought later.
—...Do--doesn't matter! You say you were back in the muggle world? Did you came from there...? —Anna gasped, and her eyes glowed in excitement. —Did you grow in the muggle world?! Are you a muggle born?!

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March 23rd, 2025 • date great lake • location meeting someone new • thread

Ophelia waited patiently as Anna tried to figure out what her favourite animal was. It seemed it was taking the girl a while. That was a bit weird, considering that everyone that Ophelia had ever asked that question to had answered in a second. But everyone had the things that they'd never thought about. Maybe this was it for Anna.

"Swans are beautiful indeed." Ophelia agreed. She loved all animals, of course. "Hm... I don't know if... if fairies count as animals. But I do love fairies. The thought of mystical creatures is really exciting." Ophelia had always been a story lover, ever since she was little. She'd read plenty of fairy tales.

Anna seemed really nervous about speaking of favourites, for some reason. Ophelia opened her mouth, but closed it, deciding she shouldn't push it. She decided instead to answer the question that Anna asked her. The girl seemed curious about Ophelia's life. Perhaps last year that would've freaked the Ravenclaw out, but she'd grown a lot from back then. Now she could speak to people without getting really afraid. And she was okay with people approaching her like Anna had. And, she could approach others too now.

"Yeah, I did grow up in the Muggle world, but I'm not a Muggleborn. I'm a half-blood. But my parents hid the whole magic thing for a while." She shrugged. She didn't know Anna well enough to know whether that would change the girl's opinion on her. But she really hoped it wouldn't. She seemed nice.

interactions • @Anna Blackberry mentions • @ stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 7

200 • word count xxx • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

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As soon as Ophelia finished talking, Anna clasped her hands together and smiled widely.
—That's still... Wooow...
Anna giggled.
—I never even met a half-blood before! This is amazing...
Meeting a person under normal conditions is not usually what people would consider exciting or "amazing". However, for the hufflepuff, it absolutely was, as she was born and raised within the walls of her family's houses, and her only knowledge of the muggles was only about what her parents told her and what she's read in books.
—So you must know a lot about the muggle world! Is it true their photos stay still all the time? Do they really use their elek-tri-cikky for everything? What do they do when they can't find something or lose their stuff? And, and! When they're in a real hurry, how do they go to work without a floo powder? How do they send letters to people? They don't really use birds, right? What do they do?
As a matter of fact, curiosity has always been a trait of Anna's, so she could not stop herself before excitedly bombarding Ophelia with many questions at once. The black haired was now leaning towards the Ravenclaw with wide eyes and a questioning expression.
—And! Why would your parents hide magic from you? Is it because they didn't know you were a witch?! Why wouldn't they tell you that?
It was the first time Anna had met someone who wasn't pure-blooded, and Anna had great interest in Ophelia's life and experiences, an interest which she showed excitedly. And rather loudly.

@Ophelia Northwell