I'm Just Like You - You're Just Like Me

─────Kaito tilted their head, attempting to get a good look at the title of the book. They weren’t exactly sure what subject it was for, but considering they didn’t see anything like that while doing their own shopping, they sort of just assumed it was a second year requirement. They heard the girl say something but didn’t exactly process it as they were still examining the cover.

Once Kaito had made the decision that this book was for the second year of potions class, their head snapped up to once again look at the girl they had bumped into. She had a sort-of responsible seeming expression, which only made sense considering she was currently reading before the school year had even started. Perhaps this girl was in the house that Kaito had been told was the studious one. The smart people.

The first year obviously had not yet been sorted, but they knew they already admired the house of Ravenclaw. Those witches and wizards, from what Kaito had read, accomplished a lot in their time at Hogwarts. And while they did not sound like the friendliest people, neither was Kaito themself. They could sort of see themself in that house.

On the other hand, maybe the second year was a Hufflepuff. She seemed nice enough. Well, maybe not as outgoing as Kaito had read most Hufflepuffs were. They furrowed their brow, attempting to get an accurate read on who this girl was.

“I am a first year,” the shorter wand-holder confirmed “Kaito Dresden.” That was all the introduction they could handle right now. Especially considering the exhaustion that was still plaguing the back of their mind. If it hadn’t been for their interest in this girl’s books, they wouldn’t have said anything at all. But here they were. Oops.

“What house are you in?” Kaito all but demanded. They weren’t one for pleasantries in any circumstance. “And do you like it?” At this point, the interaction sounded more like an interview than an attempt at making friends. Perhaps in Kaito’s head, it really was just like an interview.

Dove didn't know how to react to Kaito. She found it quite too formal that they shared their lastname. But what was surprising her most was how they were talking, like they didn't really want to continue this conversation, like they were a bit forced to. This made Dove a little unconfortable, So she answered the same way they presented themself.
"I'm Dove Cullen, nice to meet you." She added this end of her sentence so she didn't seem to rude, or cold.

She was hoping they would add something, she didn't like to be the one ending a conversation, so she was just smiling, trying to act nice. Well, she didn't think Kaito would find her mean or something, after she wasn't, well she thought so at least. They didn't seem to be rude either, but she didn't know, she had the unpleasant feeling that she conversation shouldn't have started.

Her wish had been granted, Kaito asked in which house she was. Okay, that was a normal question, but what about the following one ? Maybe they were stressed about Hogwart's atmosphere between students. But it definitly sounded like an interrogation, and even if it was quiet awkward, Dove found the situation funny anyway.
"I am from Ravenclaw. And yeah, I'm so glad the Sorting Hat put me here, people are so nice there. Well, they're kind no matter the house."

She ended her answer with a smile, still. She didn't know where would the discussion lead to, but she realised that if it ended here, it would be a bit weird, well she didn't know, but she had this feeling.
"And uh, where would you like to be sorted ?" she asked. She figured out they were maybe stressed about well they could spend the next seven years of their life or something. And if it wasn't the case, she would like to know what they asked such questions.

─────When the older witch answered, Kaito couldn’t help but allow a small grin to appear on their face. It was always quite nice to be right, especially when it came to figuring things out about people. Typically, Kaito struggled a bit in getting to know people or even just finding things out naturally. That was why they were so blunt in every situation, really. Without the blunt questions and straightforward conversations, Kaito would never know who anyone really was.

It was pleasing to have happened to run into a Ravenclaw either way. Kaito wondered if everyone was really as nice as the girl- Dove said. Surely some of the witches and wizards at Hogwarts had a mean streak. Kaito believed that if kids at their old school had as much power as they assumed most wizards did, the bullying would be even worse than at present. They decided to take the girl’s words with a grain of salt.

They didn’t expect Dove to ask another question, almost appearing startled when she spoke up again. But this was truly an easy one to answer. Kaito had been considering it a lot since starting their journey to gather class supplies.

“Slytherin,” they answered quickly. “Or Ravenclaw. But Slytherin is my favorite. They make changes in the world and they stop at nothing to be successful” For the past few days in London, Kaito had been scouring a copy of Hogwarts, A History, enthralled by the deep past of their new school. It had mentioned many successful witches and wizards to come from the school, leading the child further down rabbit holes of history and houses. It was fascinating.

Kaito thought for a moment, trying to come up with something natural to say next. They didn’t want to seem overly enthusiastic about this, even if they really were. “I think I’ll be fine with anything. I look good in blue too.” With that, they supplied a real smile, genuinely pleased that they were making conversation at that moment. It was a lot of effort but so far, they were making progress.

Interacting with : [@Kaito Dresden | Date of thread : | 05/08/2025 | WC : 296/200

─────The next question caught Kaito slightly off guard, having not actually been asked that yet. It was a fair inquiry, though. They assumed that a lot of students at Hogwarts were some kind of legacy students, with their whole families learning at the same institution for decades upon decades. After all, the school was old enough to have taught whole family lines.

Unfortunately, all they could do was shake their head “I’m uhhh, muggle born,” it felt odd to use such a term for what Kaito had previously only known as “normal”. But they wanted to fit in, and if that meant using weird words, so be it. “I’ve lived in Ireland my whole life. So has my dad. No magic blood as far as I know”

It was almost crazy for Kaito to be talking this much with someone they just met. Typically it took them a good few days to warm up enough to talk about their own life. But things were changing all around, so why not make a personal change too? To many, this wouldn’t seem like a big deal, but the interaction had Kaito’s anxious mind racing anyways. What if the way they talked was weird? What if Dove thought they were stupid for asking questions?

Kaito pushed those annoying questions aside, attempting to focus on the actual conversation at hand. That was the first step in their brand new personal journey. Having conversations and making new friends. Maybe Dove could become their first actual friend at some point? Kaito didn’t have their hopes up, but they would certainly try.

Okay, two completly different feelings came to Dove at the same time. First, she was proud of herself to have guessed Kaito was a muggle born, and with her super technique. But then, she realised she might have made them unconfortable. Like, she assumed they would obviously have wizard parents, they might complex, or be afraid about it. Damn, she hadn't thought of it, she hoped they wouldn't feel bad or anything. She had to think of something, to make them know that muggle born, or anything didn't matter to her. Well, if they were a muggle born, it could mean they could maybe teach Dove some stuff about them. It was all the purpose of her question.

"Okay, that's cool I live in Ireland too, in Cork."
Yes, maybe Kaito could say her some stuff about muggles. But she also could teach them things about wizards ? They may, and must, have done researches about it of course. After all, it was a whole new world that just came into their life. It must have caught them off guard. "Hum, it you have some questions, or I don't know, some fears about Hogwarts, I can answer to you, if you're interested of course."

She had started her sentence full of confidence, and ended it with almost no voice that she didn't know if Kaito had heard it. She didn't want the discussion to become embarrassing, it had started quite well.