The Thunderbirds Meeting #1 Closed

Cormac was in utter need of academic help. In Charms, all his attempts to lift a feather had resulted in various explosions and detonations. Just the other week, he had accidentally dismembered a mouse while trying to turn it into a glass for Transfiguration class.

Joining a Study Group seemed like the most reasonable option given his state of despair. Normally, he wouldn't be one to open his books with time ahead of the exam; much less get into an actual study club. But he could already envision himself failing every subject and he didn't quite fancy the idea of brining home a report card filled with T's.

And so, after lunch, he had gathered his books and headed to the Boys’ Lavatory. That was an odd place to meet at. Asides from the stinking odour, he guessed it made a fairly quiet study room.

As he was about to enter the Lavatory, he heard laughter and chattering coming from the inside. Some people had already arrived, it seemed. He thought he'd heard the name ‘Harry Potter’ being mentioned as he pulled the doors open.

“Harry Potter?” he said, as he reached the center of the room and his eyes fell upon a group of boys sitting on the floor. “One hell of wizard, indeed. Speaking of which, I'm flunking everything unless somebody lends me a hand with this,” he gestured towards the pile of books he carried under his left arm.

Out of the four boys, he only recognised two. He had seen the Ravenclaw kid at the Common Room a couple of times and he had also met Rafa, the Study Club founder, who had very kindly invited him to join. He sent a nod to each of the four and a 'pleasure to meet you’ to the two he didn't know.

He settled himself next to the Hufflepuff and started going through the papers on his lap.

“It smells like dragon dung in here,” he commented and twitched his nose, “Anyway, I'm Cormac and I'm doing so poorly in class, I'm starting to think I might be a Squib. Now, where were we?”

interacting w/ @Rafael D'Spacito, @Cormac McCarthy, @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine & @Emerly Pine

“Oh, yeh, Harry excelled in defense against the dark arts, but he did in charms, too, you know. They’re joost as important.” He jabbed his wand at Rafa, almost like a warning, with the way he raised an eyebrow and all. He dropped the act when he heard a small voice behind him, lifting his head towards the speaker. A little ravenclaw, one he’d seen wandering around the common room– were their beds next to each other? Huh.

“Good thing yer here, then,” Gem muttered, sitting across Cormac, sticking a hand out to shake. “I’m Gem Stuart, pleasure ta meet you.”

“Right, so you fink you’re a squib. You’ve never had a magical breakthrough, aye? Noffin’ happened to ya that you joost haven’t been able to explain?” He tilted his head, a bit of sympathy for this little guy. He wouldn’t know what to do if he didn’t have magic in a magical world, he’d probably die. He always had some kind of sympathy for... well, squibs.

“Why don’t we practice one, huh? How about wingardium leviosa?” He prodded, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a sickle, placing it on the floor in front of their new study buddy. “Go on, give it a shot. Wingardium leviosa, an’ joost wave yer wand nice and light.” He watched him silently, maybe a bit out of anticipation. If there was one thing Gem loved, it was watching his fellow students succeed at his hand.

@Emerly Pine @Gem Stuart @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine @Cormac McCarthy

“Harry Potter?” a new voice said. Rafa abruptly turned, taking sight of a new person – a Ravenclaw with a smiling sort of face. “One hell of wizard, indeed,” he told everyone. “Speaking of which, I'm flunking everything unless somebody lends me a hand with this.” He sort of gestured to his books, sitting next to Tim. “It smells like dragon dung in here,” he added them, a foul look on his face. “Anyway, I'm Cormac and I'm doing so poorly in class, I'm starting to think I might be a Squib. Now, where were we?”

He had met Cormac before – most likely in the halls, when he was setting up posters or something. But, then again, he had met lots of people. Though they had talked before, this felt like the first time he had actually met him. “Nice to see you, man,” Rafa said with a grin, waving a bit. Then, Gem introduced himself, and seemed to take control of the situation, talking to Cormac about squibs. Now, Rafa didn’t know exactly what a squib was, but he had a generally good idea. He had been called a squib by some of his school friends, mainly because he was so terrible at casting spells. It had never really fazed him, though. He always got them down in the end.

“Why don’t we practice one, huh?” Gem finally asked. “How about Wingardium Leviosa?”

At the mention of spell practice, Rafa pulled out his own wand. Maybe Gem hadn’t been talking to him, but he would go ahead and practice anyways. He hadn’t actually learned this spell in class yet, though he was definitely intrigued by the idea of making things fly. “Go on, give it a shot. Wingardium Leviosa, an’ joost wave yer wand nice and light.”

Whispering the spell to himself, he waved his wand in front of his books… and sighed when nothing happened. It was to be expected, really. But nonetheless, he gave it another try. When his next few attempts failed, he looked at Gem, a funny look on his face. “A little help, man?” he asked, a bit humorously. Maybe he wasn’t doing the movement right, or maybe he was just plain unable, but whatever the case, he would still attempt to put his best foot forward. After all, it was a study group, and to hell with him if he wouldn’t give it his best try.

interacting w/ @Rafael D'Spacito, @Emerly Pine, @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine& @Cormac McCarthy

Gem usually liked being the one taking control of a situation, and because Rafa seemed like he was having a bit of trouble, he was happy to turn his attention over to him. He could use it as an excuse to get all close to him, since he happened to be finding a lot of excuses to get close to him lately, anyway.

“Well... your wand movement, it’s a bit off,” Gem explained, looking up to make sure he was paying close attention. “You joost wave it lightly, but make sure yer makin’ right eye contact with it, so...” he moved while he spoke, getting the other boy’s DADA books, setting it in front of himself so he could demonstrate.

“Wingardium Leviosa,” he raised his eyebrows, and up the book went, higher and higher until it was up to Rafa’s face. “See? It’s sort ov simple, you joost have ta focus. Don’t try an’ use it on people, only their clothes. Right? Right. Okay.” He grinned, suddenly quite excited for going and attempting to teach any of his friends new spells– or ones they didn’t quite get it yet. Nonetheless, he liked being someone who could help, no matter who it really was.

Though he shied away from returning the Hufflepuff's handshake, and Gem took it instead, he smiled close-lipped to show he wasn't altogether closed off to the idea of getting to know him better. At any rate, he wondered why he was still there, as technically he tried to avoid hanging out in such places as much as possible, but... maybe it was the cat. He liked cats.
He pulled a quill out of his robes and held it above the animal, waving it around like it was a toy. His maternal grandmother had a wild, young blonde tabby that acted a lot like a lion, always outside, named Knight. He liked playing with it, but one of his paternal aunts got him after his grandmother passed. He watched as someone new entered the area, a Ravenclaw that was somewhat short in stature, introducing himself as Cormac. The Hufflepuff was Timothy, then there was Gem. He looked curiously at the Gryffindor, wondering what his name was. He sighed, realizing that this was a nice little group it seemed. If only the place could get fixed up a little. Gem managed to get rid of a crack in the wall- surely it was possible? "Actually, does anyone know something that can clean this place up a little so it's not so... um... uh..." he reached for a kind way to put it, "difficult? In here? Hey, we might as well try, I might stick around as well if this is a study group." he mentally prepared himself as it appeared a few of them were about to start practicing a few things.
Well, it wasn't just the cat. To be honest he kinda figured it would be nice to get to know some other students. He was only here for so long, he might as well make memories if he could!

@Emerly Pine @Gem Stuart @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine @Cormac McCarthy

Rafa was happy to see Gem’s eagerness – it made him feel okay, knowing that his inaptitude wasn’t bothering anyone. He listened to Gem’s words tentatively, trying to absorb everything the other boy told him. He also scooted up a little closer, raising his wand in front of his DADA books. To copy Gem’s movements better, of course – not that there wasn’t another reason. He waved his wand in practice, before noticing the stiffness in his casting arm– he took a moment to pop it, relieving some of the stress. “Swish and flick, yeah?” he asked Gem, giving him a little grin. “Okay. Wingardium Leviosa!” he abruptly cast his spell, his hand moving smoothly.

The books in front of him shifted just slightly, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. “Yeah, man!” he exclaimed rather excitedly, his face split into a massive grin. For any other person, this might be disappointing – Rafa saw it as a start. “Smart as a doctor, you are,” he told Gem jokingly, nudging him with his shoulder. Well, partially jokingly. “Maybe a little more application?” he wondered aloud. Then, he turned towards the books, casting the spell again. The books shifted again, this time the top right corner lifting off the ground.

It was around then that he noticed that the Slytherin Boy had said something about repairing the bathroom. “Possibly, man, though I’m not sure how much I can do.” He waved his wand in a gesturing manner. “Haven’t really learned any repairing spells.” Damn, that cat really liked the kid. Rafa stifled a small laugh, messing with his wand a bit. He realized that he didn’t actually know the Slytherin boy’s name. “Don’t think we ever introduced ourselves,” he said. “I’m Rafael. You can call me Rafa.” He offered a friendly type of grin, waving his wand again in front of his book. The edge lifted again, but not much more happened. “Aw, dammit,” he sighed.

@Rafael D'Spacito @Gem Stuart @Cormac McCarthy @Emerly Pine

When Gem first made the comment about ‘Wingardium Leviosa’, Tim felt a pang of anxiety – the last thing he wanted to do right now was take out his wand. Terrible things happened when he started waving his wand around – he was just starting to like these guys. It was better if he didn’t scare them off. I think I’ll avoid DEFCON 5, thank you very much.

He gently tucked his wand out of view, tentatively listening to the conversation going on. Rafa had scooted up to one of the Ravenclaw boys – the one with the black hair. Gem. They seemed a bit occupied, so Tim turned to the one who had introduced himself as Cormac. “You’re a Ravenclaw?” he asked, a good-natured smile on his face. “What’s that like, then?” He had always imagined himself in Ravenclaw – he was pretty bright himself. For some strange, strange reason, the shoddy hat put him in Hufflepuff. Not that he wasn’t a nice person, of course. He was nice enough with people – he just talked too much sometimes. Oh, and the Hufflepuffs got the worst of the stereotypes . Oftentimes Tim found himself being sorely underestimated. At least the others have some kind of skill – we’re just nice.

Tim shook the thought out of his head. It wouldn’t do him any good to think about it any longer. He was a Hufflepuff, and he should be proud. He regained his focus, taking in the scene in front of him once more. Immediately, he noticed the corner of one of Rafa’s DADA books gently floating – or trying to float. Rafa’s wand was at the other end. He felt a pang of pride go through his chest. “Bloody hell, mate! You did it!” he said with a grin.

@Timothy 'Tim' Blaine @Rafael D'Spacito @Emerly Pine @Gem Stuart

“Go on, give it a shot. Wingardium leviosa, an’ joost wave yer wand nice and light,” Gem spoke, placing a sickle in front of Cormac.

He pulled out his wand from the inside pocket of his robe and cleared his throat. He'd tried the spell a hundred times already, not once obtaining a somewhat satisfying result.

“Wingardium leviosa,” he said, flicking his wand.

Then, all of sudden, the sickle disintegrated right before his eyes.

“There you go. That's it,” he exclaimed, waving his hands around. “Someone must've tricked my wand or something. This is ridiculous.”

As he muttered and cursed under his breath, he remembered to apologise to Gem for his lost sickle and promised to pay him back.

He received some chuckles and encouragement to try again from the boys sitting beside him. The Slytherin lad whose name he didn't know, had suggested to use magic to clean up the place and Gem had actually managed to vanish a few cracks on the walls. He was now giving D'Spacito instructions on how to properly cast the Wingardium Leviosa spell. Cormac turned his attention to them and made sure to listen closely. That Gem boy seemed to know a whole lot about charms. When Rafa managed to somewhat lift his book from the ground, Cormac decided to try again himself.

He placed a quill in front of him and carefully pronounced the spell. The feather seemed to shift slightly. Despite the tiny magnitude of the movement, the Ravenclaw was taken aback. He gave it another shot and watched, astonished, as the quill came to float a good three inches above the ground.

The Study Club had surely been quick to pay off. Fifteen minutes in and he had already managed to properly cast a spell he had been struggling with for weeks.

Excited and in high spirits, he felt confident enough to try the repairing charm he had been researching for a class paper.

“Reparo!” he aimed his wand at a mirror that had a few cracks on its top corners.

The moment he flicked his wand, the sheet glass was broken in half and a dozen shattered pieces fell on the sink below.

“Right, no. I'll get back to my quill,” he mumbled.

Just then, the Hufflepuff boy who was sitting by Cormac's side, turned around and asked him what being a Ravenclaw was like.

“Well, some people are wicked smart, that's true. Not everyone is, though. They've got me, for instance. To be honest, I don't really get why I'm in there. Out of the four houses, I was certain Ravenclaw would be the worst fit for me. Academics, hard work... Not really my thing,” he spoke and scratched the back of his head, “but there's mostly nice kids in Ravenclaw. I'm not complaining. What about your house? Hufflepuff, right?”

James was lost again, half-walking half-galloping through the twisting Hogwarts halls, as he cursed under his breath. He felt like they should have presented each of the students with a map on the first day, the non-nonsensical thousand-year-old layout of the old castle made about as much logical sense as throwing cooked spaghetti onto a sheet of paper and basing your design off of that.

Wizards. He thought. They were brilliant in many ways, but in others they were just mad.

All the boys were already present when James made it to the make-shift hideout of the Thunderbirds.

He managed to just barely catch the end of a conversation.

"...Out of the four houses, I was certain Ravenclaw would be the worst fit for me. Academics, hard work... Not really my thing,”
Out of the four houses, I was certain Ravenclaw would be the worst fit for me. Academics, hard work... Not really my thing,”

"It's not just Academics," James said as he appeared at the door of the Boy's Lavatory, puffing a little from his failed attempt to avoid tardiness, "They let nerds of all shades in, creative people, curious folks, those who think quick on their feet, plus a huge helping of freaks and weirdos, that's how Gem got in," he nodded coyly over to his best friend.

"Hey, maybe there's more to you than even you realize. I'm James by the way." he said as he stuck out a hand to the Ravenclaw boy offering him a kind smile.

"And this must be the Thunderbirds. Why are we meeting in a toilet?"

Interacting with: @Cormac McCarthy @Timothy 'Tim' Blaine @Rafael D'Spacito @Emerly Pine

Kerry slipped into the boys' lavatory in a panic. He had just had the most amazing experience in his life but he was officially freaked out. How had he not been more prepared for this? He had read about the paintings and studied them extensively before coming to Hogwarts. But to have one of them talking to him... one that was... a relative... It was a very weird feeling. He inhaled deeply as he stepped into the lavs, closing the door behind him and leaning his head back against the door. He took a few deep breaths before looking around, taking in his surroundings.

In all stances it was a normal bathroom like any other. Toilets, showers, sinks, nothing he wouldn't expect to find in a room such as this. But he could hear muttering and talking from somewhere in the bathroom. What was going on? Had he stumbled into some sort of candescent secret society? He hadn't read about any such things...

Kerry began knocking on the stalls in the bathroom, figuring he might as well make sure that the source of the voices was okay. He was just that way... protective in nature no matter what the situation.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he asked as he continued to knock, having no idea what he had stumbled on.