Closed Paper For You? PV

There was one way, she had learned, to be absolutely certain about what was happening at Hogwarts and that was via the Headliner. The paper was a beacon of information, which was actually really important in a school as big as this.

Maisie stepped into the Great Hall after class, ready to catch up on some reading—or sewing, whichever took her first. The tables were were they normally were and the hall was decently busy. Turning her head around, she tried to locate the paper, but couldn't recall where it was kept. She shifted across the room, but being short, her vision was often obstructed by taller students or objects.

Eventually, she did spot a copy: it lay beside another student who was, well, asleep. Maisie didn't want to wake her, but as she stood up on her tip-toes, she realized there might not be another option. Reluctantly, she wandered over and for a few seconds, simply stood beside her, not wanting to disturb. But then, with her index finger she gently poked the girl's shoulder. "Hi there," she spoke softly, "I'm really sorry, but I was just wondering where you got your copy of the paper?" Biting her lip, Maisie was 90% sure the paper was going to be somewhere embarrassingly obvious, but she was just a first year after all.

@Sage Willows

date- November 12th 2024 location- Great Hall time- after class

wc- 216 interacting/mentioning- @Maisie Gemmell ooc notes-

Good God, was she proud of this paper.

Who wouldn't be? Maybe someone who was not as invested in journalism, but Sage was, and she'd assume most others on the paper were, too. Just think of it, a band of students put together to put together long and polished newspapers, just like what the Daily Prophet was probably built of. It was just beautiful, really, for all that talent to be put together in such a wonderful way to publish those articles. And she'd been part of it. She was part of that little bit of a miracle.

She lifted her head upon hearing a girl's voice. "Oh! Sorry, dozed off. Just over there! Or you could have my copy, if you wanted? It's a grand article, but I might be a bit biased seeing as I worked on it." She pointed off to where the stand stood, and pointed with the other hand to her copy, and lifted it to over to the girl whose name she'd yet to learn. "You can sit if you want. I was planning to stay down for a bit, though, before going back to my common room. I don't bite, most times, you're welcome to join me!"

She scooted over to show the girl she was welcome. "I'm Sage."

Oh!

Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. She felt bad because it was coming: the really obvious answer to her very stupid question, which had caused this girl to wake up. Strangely enough, the older girl seemed pretty chipper despite the intrusion. In fact, she was all too happy to share her copy, which she proudly announced she'd worked on as she invited Maisie to sit. "Oh, thank you so much. That's nice of you," Maisie said as she took a seat beside her.

Reaching with one hand for the paper, she skimmed the headlines. "So, where should I be looking for your byline?" she asked, curious. That was, of course, the first thing she did when she got a copy of any new paper her father had contributed to. There were other good bits, sure, but nothing compared to seeing her Dad's name on a paper like that. She could only imagine it was more exciting if it was your own name.

"I'm Maisie," she returned the introduction with a smile. She'd had few encounters with older students thus far, but this seemed to be one of the more pleasant ones. "So, the papers are always there? Anywhere else in the castle in case I don't make it to the Great Hall?" she asked, wanting to ward against having this type of thing happen again.

@Sage Willows

date- November 12th 2024 location- Great Hall time- after class

wc- 239 interacting/mentioning- @Maisie Gemmell ooc notes-

Sage rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Honestly, she would have loved to lay her head down on the table and doze off and forget about all the stresses, but she'd have to deal with looking presentable for as long as she was talking to the girl, Maisie, she would learn her name was.

"Ah, actually I'm not one of the writers so you won't be finding my name anywhere in there," she explained. "I'm an editor, so I handled..." She pointed to the headlines of which she had reviewed.

Despite Sage's name not appearing in the articles, she was fine with this. She wasn't after fame or fortune, never was and hopefully never would be. The only thing she really wanted was to be a healer. Even that didn't come with fame nor fortune.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Maisie. I'm Sage, though I suppose I quite literally just told you that so, uh, second year, Hufflepuff, prefect, quidditch member, and Headliner editor, I suppose will do for a broader introduction." She laughed, a bit embarrassed she'd tried to introduce herself again. Thankfully she'd managed a decent recovery.

"To be honest, I don't come down here a whole lot to grab the paper, but I would assume you could usually find them here. Other students, such as myself, or the library might have some, too? I'm sure if you asked if somebody had a copy, they'd deliver."

It took a minute for the sickle to drop: she was in the presence of an editor. Her brown eyes easily followed Sage's hand as she pointed out all the articles she had worked on. It seemed like a great deal of work, compared to few articles. Although, perhaps an editor didn't have to struggle for the content the way her father often struggled to get access to the people he needed. "Do you like it?" she asked, "Being an editor?" She was under the impression that the relationship with an editor was a kind of partnership, but that it too could be fraught in certain circumstances.

As Sage re-introduced herself, it quickly became clear that Sage was not just an editor. She seemed supremely involved in just about everything a Hogwarts student could be involved in. "When do you sleep?" Maisie asked with a chuckle. Though perhaps the real question was 'when do you explore?' for Maisie would take an adventure over sleep any day. But semantics aside, it was no wonder the girl had fallen asleep here, doing everything that she clearly was deeply committed to. In contrast she explained, "I'm just a first year in Ravenclaw." It seemed very lacklustre, even if she'd signed up to just about every sport she could find.

Here or the library seemed easy enough. Delivery was even easier. She nodded in acknowledgement, sure that she would be getting the paper regularly.

As she turned the page, lingered on one of the recipes, she turned back up to Sage curiously. "So, of all those things you do, what do you think is your favorite?" It was a practical question. If she was going to leave time for adventuring with Avis, she had to know where best to spend her time. It seemed like Sage had plenty of experience with all the best Hogwarts had to offer; she was like a walking encycolpeadia on how to make the most out of your school career.

@Sage Willows

banner by Winnie Harper

date- November 12th 2024 location- Great Hall time- after class

wc- 386 interacting/mentioning- @Maisie Gemmell ooc notes-

Sage couldn't stop her smile from widening and her eyes from shining at Maisie's question. "I love it. Like, I'm not that great of a writer, but I can recognize how others' work may need to be improved. I get to read firsthand some great writing. Isn't that marvelous?"

Sage thought it was. She loved editing for the paper. Who wouldn't, being in such a fun environment where you got to read wonderfully fun articles and helping polish them? When the day came for her to leave school- which was very far in the future- and the Headliner with it, the Headliner and being an editor would be one of the things she missed the most. Maybe she could try an internship at the Daily Prophet- if she was eligible- along with healing internships. Sage knew how good it was to have backups, not just with work.

"At this point I'm convinced I don't," laughed Sage when Maisie asked about her almost non-existent sleep schedule. "But it's fun being part of so many different things."

A Ravenclaw first year, Maisie told her she was. Sage smiled again, like she was admiring a small naïve child. She was excited to tell Maisie more about what she could do at Hogwarts.

"That's a great thing to be as a first year, you still have, like, seven years before you graduate. That's so much time to accomplish things. I didn't do a whole lot in my first year, too. Just a brief stint on the Quidditch team. I didn't really find my footing until Summer Camp."

It was so odd how she could find her place against the headwind of one the hardest moments in her life.

She took a few moments to think of an answer to her question. Her favorite? Could she pick just one? She loved all of them so much, okay maybe getting hit off a broom slightly less, but they were all so special in her heart.

"I think... being a prefect is growing on me more than I thought it would. I mean, I haven't had a lot of leadership experiences in my life, but this position feels right. It feels like me. But I still love Quidditch and the Headliner! What about you? What's been one of your favorite things about Hogwarts?"

"Isn't that marvelous?"

Nodding, she had to agree, "Yeah, I suppose it is. It probably helps though if you've got writers you get along with. My dad has had some he's really liked and others that have been a real stick in the mud." It was kind of odd to think about it from Sage's point of view as an editor: correcting work and reading great work as she suggested. Maybe if you weren't a stick in the mud it could be fun. Sage seemed like she made it an enjoyable process.

She turned the page as Sage laughed at her question. "I'd like to be a part of different things," she mused softly. Not too many, but something besides classes. It was strangely comforting to know that someone like Sage had taken a while to feel at peace here too. Maybe that time was all she needed.

And then you got to a point, where you hesitated like Sage to determine a favorite. And she settled on something, well, odd: prefect. "But you're...nice?" she started surprised, "Not that other prefects aren't nice, but it just seems like a lot of, you know, doing things to do them." Biting her lip, she felt like she wasn't explaining this well. "I guess, do you ever notice the people who are in charge of things aren't always the nice people?" The paper seemed almost prophetic in her hands as she pondered all the times her father had broken some political story and tried to explain it. A lot of it went over her head, but one thing that made sense was that people in power didn't always care about others.

Shifting slightly in her seat, unsure how Sage might view her words. She took a beat to think. "My best friend Avis and I like to explore the castle. That's probably the best. We found a ghost in a suit of armor once," she recounted with a smile. "But I'd like to try a sport. I did a Starfish and Stick at the unofficial Quidditch match, and I did an unofficial duel too and I didn't get knocked out." She was particularly proud of the latter, even if she skirted the truth of not winning either. But against a real duellist, she was happy with the result. Now, it was just a question of which list might open up. "I guess everything is pretty competitive, huh?"

@Sage Willows

banner by Winnie Harper

date- November 12th 2024 location- Great Hall time- after class

wc- 456 interacting/mentioning- @Maisie Gemmell ooc notes-

Sage found it incredibly interesting that Maisie had a father in the journalism industry. If Maisie were to ever consider dipping a toe towards writing- or editing- for newspapers, Sage was certain she'd be able to have a great mentor with her dad.

"Your dad, he works for a paper? That's so cool! I wish I had a parent who worked in the industry."

Supportive as Cassie was of her enjoyment of the Headliner, she hadn't had the experience of writing nor editing for one. Still, it was nice to use her as an outlet for grammar questions.

Sage smiled at Maisie's comment of wanting to do different things. "You should if you ever get the chance! It's super fun, especially the sports teams." Okay, maybe the odds of getting hit by a bludger or spell weren't as fun but that wasn't the point.

Sage snorted. "I'm not always super nice. Had to yell at one kid for being a blood-purist once. The other prefects are super nice as well, some of them are a bit intimidating though, I can see that. I bet if you approached one with a question, they'd be nice enough to help."

Sage paused at the power comment. That was... oddly correct sometimes. "That's true... I guess the thought of being 'above people' gets to a lot of people. All those stories you hear about failed political people, it happens too often. I guess power has a way of twisting someone's motives."

Sage looked down to pick at her nails. "There's this stereotype, I guess is the best word for it, that people in power have to look and act this certain way, and if you don't meet that, you're somehow less... It's more than just their behavior, it's the way they look and think. I can't even think of a time I saw someone in power that was disabled. And when people are hidden away like that, it just alters the system to make leaders act and think in this certain way, makes them mean."

She stopped herself from all the more thoughts she had about it; Maisie didn't need to hear a five hour long rant about power, even if Sage had it in her.

Sage cleared her throat and smiled warmly, kicking the power thoughts out of her head. She thought Maisie was already racking up some good experiences at Hogwarts, memories to last lifetimes. That was the best part of the first year, finding your footing.

Sage raised her eyebrows at the dueling note. "That's impressive! Dueling seems like a great fit for you if you stayed in, even if it was unoffical! Who knows, one day we might be writing articles about you winning dueling tournaments."

It had never actually occurred to Maisie that someone might be envious of her father's job. To be honest, it seemed like a struggle—fighting to get pieces accepted and disagreeing with editor. And perhaps more to her mother's chagrin: going dangerous places. But Sage seemed excited by the prospect of it. "Yeah, it's cool. He writes for both muggle and magical papers so he does a lot of different stories. Political mostly," she explained. She didn't always understand everything he wrote about, but she knew that he tried to fight for the good guys and that was enough.

Sage's laugh seemed to quell the awkwardness she had felt at her earlier statements. At least prefects could have a sense of humor! (Even if some were, to her point, a little intimidating.) Her eyes widened a little at the idea of a blood purist. "I don't understand why being pure blooded makes you better than everyone else. And why they don't help other people," she said, still recalling how Saunders did absolutely nothing when their boat tipped over en route to the school. But if prefects could intervene in stuff like that, maybe they weren't all bad.

But maybe this was all wrapped up in something deeper: power. Sage seemed to understand that better than most, probably better than Maisie who nodded eagerly. As she listened, she was quickly realizing that Sage was one of those more approachable prefects and it seemed they saw eye-to-eye on many things.

Still, one thing stuck out: the mention disabled people. "I...don't think I can either," she admitted, genuinely struggling to pull a name. Still, it seemed like a specific reference, but just as important as blood purity or other discrimination. (Maisie has not noticed Sage's leg.) "I guess it's just anyone different. That's who they want hidden," she mused, feeling like she was on the edge of a larger thought that might just be a little too big for her eleven year old brain. Still, she felt safe talking about these things with Sage—no wonder she'd been appointed to prefect!

A beat passed and the mood seemed to swerve as they talked of sports. "Oh, wow," she said surprised. "Do you cover the sports like that?" she asked, thinking it would something more fun to cover than her father's work. Meanwhile the idea of being a duellist swirled in her mind. Honestly, she'd take any sport, but duelling felt like something she'd truly done on her own and that had been a high. "It was against a second year—the unofficial duel," she felt suddenly compelled to add, "There was this awful storm cloud with lightning she conjured—do you know that spell?—and her Flipendos really packed a punch." Somehow, as painful as it had been, there too had been a fantasy to it all.

@Sage Willows