A Shared Shelf
The towering shelves and hush of the library made it feel like sacred ground. When Alaric walked through the door he was hit with the smell of old parchment, and he sneezed twice at the dust he could see flying about through the light filtering in through the high windows. The stone floor felt cool through the soles of his shoes, and all of it culminated in a feeling almost like home. He likes it in here, he decided.Date: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Time: Late morning
Location: Hogwarts Library
Weather: Slightly overcast skies outside
ReducioAlaric is searching for a spell theory book and trying not to look too much like a lost firstie.
@Maisie Gemmell
Doing his best to project confidence, Alaric stood tall, though he tilted a bit with his over-full satchel, and he couldn't get his robes to stop hanging crooked on his gangly frame. Now, was it Practical Foundations of Hex Theory, of Foundational Practices in Hexing that Theodora told me to read, he mused silently to himself. He startled as he felt people brush past him and realized he had been standing still in the doorway for several minutes. He blushed and hurried forward, keeping an eye on the labels on the bookcases to see if anything stuck out to him.
Alaric browsed the shelves, scanning titles at random, hoping to find what he was looking for. He'd written home to his older sister, who, by her own admittance was a bit of a swot during her school days, to ask the best book to get a handle on the theoretical aspects of spellwork. While it was primarily about hexing, Theodora had told him it still had sound theory. Oh, if only he'd brought the letter with him. He noticed a book left sloppily on the shelf, likely by a lazy student, Alaric looked at the spine and shelved it correctly, moving along down the aisles.
As Alaric walked, he hoped he didn't look too much like a first-year. It wasn't that it was shameful, of course not, everyone started this way, but he didn't like looking like he didn't belong. He wanted Hogwarts to feel part of him already, and he a part of it. The library feeling so comfortable was a great start, but he had seen older students navigate the halls and classes with an ease that Alaric feared would never be his. Finally, with a stroke of luck, Alaric remembered his sister mentioning that the best books were always hidden behind the boring ones - an old Ravenclaw trick to hide them for yourself when you had checked out too many books to take out another one.
Oh! There it was, finally. Alaric reached out to take it when his hand bumped into another. He flinched slightly, pulling back with a quick, "Oh, so sorry," before he even looked up. His heart jumped a little, not necessarily fear, but the knowledge that he wasn't alone and hadn't noticed it until now. Without looking straight at the other person he stood a little straighter, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Um, I've been looking for that one...well, one like it." He mentally kicked himself for letting himself sound uncertain. They certainly weren't going to give him the book now, were they?
After a moment of silence, Alaric hesitated a moment further, then, awkwardly, he offered: “I don’t need it long...unless you really wanted it first. I mean, of course you probably did. That’s fine too.” He gripped the strap of his satchel tightly, trying not to fidget. "I just, um, I just needed something about spellwork theory. I'm sure I could find something else, even. Don't worry about it!"
Words: 578
“I’d want to know if I were wrong - so why shouldn’t they?”
A Shared Shelf
Coach had been helpful in her first year with her practicing on the dummy, but it was ultimately...a dummy. Not withstanding a very advanced Transfiguration spell, there was no changing that. There might, however, be a way of changing Mylo's mind. That is, a way to practice on a live target like in an actual duel. But to achieve this goal, she knew it would take work—responsible work.
And there was no better place to be responsible than the library. That was probably why it was such a common place for Ravenclaws to hang out. Maisie made her way there after breakfast with her hair in a typical single side plait and a spring in her step. After all, she wouldn't be here long—just long enough to convince Mylo that she was completely, totally, absolutely ready for the next step in training for duelling.
She eagerly wandered the shelves looking for something on combat magic. It wasn't something she normally would be looking up, but how else was she supposed to improve? Her fingertips had gently perused a few titles on charms and transfigurations until she saw something a little more juicy: hexes. And it even had something Mylo was sure to like: theory. Yeah, theory would sound smart.
But as she reached out to grab it, it seemed like someone else did too. His hand pulled back before she could see his face, but from his apologetic tone alone, she could guess he was a first year; that and the rambling. "Oh, no worries," she said, "You can have it. I just need something I can quote for like five solid minutes so I can duel something with an actual brain cell." Her eyes drifted upwards to glance at the spines. While the boy didn't seem necessarily to want this one, he probably needed it more than she did.
Still, as she was skimming an idea came to mind: "You have a copy of Magical Theory, right? Or you want something more specific?" The addendum came as she realized he was probably smart enough to look at his own textbook. "Anyway, I'm Maisie," she introduced herself as she handed him the book, "I think I saw you in the Common Room, yeah?"
@Alaric Smith
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A Shared Shelf
Momentarily surprised by the older girl's easygoing response, Alaric takes a moment to catch up. He's left scrambling internally as he glances up and registers her reply. He wasn't sure what he expected, maybe tension or rejection, but certainly not friendliness. With a blink, shocked at the fact that she handed him the book, Alaric was still playing back the conversation in his head while she had already moved on, talking about dueling. The book's spine under his fingers was rough, the leather old and wrinkled. Soft torchlight flickered across the books lining the shelves, and he heard the distant creak of chairs shifting and the turning of pages from elsewhere in the library. This was not going how he had expected, especially since he hadn't thought the conversation would last long past his initial 'sorry'.
Stammering a bit, Alaric finally got his bearings and clears his throat, taking the book handed to him. "Thank you," he replied, a bit stiffly, but still polite. He cringed when she mentioned Magical Theory, and tried not to sound defensive. "Ah, oh, yes. I've got that one. It's fine. I just...I kind of wanted something with more in-depth explanations. My sister told me the book I'm looking for will have better explanations about the theory in a way that might make sense for me, instead of just saying some words and flicking my wand around." Alaric fiddled with the strap of his satchel while speaking, still a little tense. He wasn't used to talking to anyone but his family, not really, but it didn't make sense why it was harder talking to a second year than staying awake in History of Magic.
When Alaric realized that the girl wasn't laughing at him, nor was she walking away, he gained a little more confidence. He heard the librarian cough quietly in the distance as he continued. "I’m not really… doing anything practical yet. Mostly just trying to understand why spells work before I try them." He opened the book and flipped through the pages carefully, eyes scanning quickly. The parchment had a musty, familiar scent to it, and the cover was heavy. He stopped on a promising chapter, Intent and Invocation: Shaping the Will Into Spellwork, and tilted it forward slightly in invitation. "You can look, if you want. I don’t mind sharing." Finally realizing that he never introduced himself - he had to quit doing that! It was so rude - he inclined his head slightly, still a bit stiff, and said, "I'm Alaric. First year. Ravenclaw." A pause. "You probably guessed that." He gave her a small, slightly awkward smile, trying not to overthink things.
Stammering a bit, Alaric finally got his bearings and clears his throat, taking the book handed to him. "Thank you," he replied, a bit stiffly, but still polite. He cringed when she mentioned Magical Theory, and tried not to sound defensive. "Ah, oh, yes. I've got that one. It's fine. I just...I kind of wanted something with more in-depth explanations. My sister told me the book I'm looking for will have better explanations about the theory in a way that might make sense for me, instead of just saying some words and flicking my wand around." Alaric fiddled with the strap of his satchel while speaking, still a little tense. He wasn't used to talking to anyone but his family, not really, but it didn't make sense why it was harder talking to a second year than staying awake in History of Magic.
When Alaric realized that the girl wasn't laughing at him, nor was she walking away, he gained a little more confidence. He heard the librarian cough quietly in the distance as he continued. "I’m not really… doing anything practical yet. Mostly just trying to understand why spells work before I try them." He opened the book and flipped through the pages carefully, eyes scanning quickly. The parchment had a musty, familiar scent to it, and the cover was heavy. He stopped on a promising chapter, Intent and Invocation: Shaping the Will Into Spellwork, and tilted it forward slightly in invitation. "You can look, if you want. I don’t mind sharing." Finally realizing that he never introduced himself - he had to quit doing that! It was so rude - he inclined his head slightly, still a bit stiff, and said, "I'm Alaric. First year. Ravenclaw." A pause. "You probably guessed that." He gave her a small, slightly awkward smile, trying not to overthink things.
Words: 443
@Maisie Gemmell
“I’d want to know if I were wrong - so why shouldn’t they?”
A Shared Shelf
The boy seemed surprised. Maybe he was just quiet—or, dare she suggest it, responsible. Better to wait and see before making any determination. So, she listened as he explained that he wanted something that could better explain the theory. "Well, seems like you have more use for this than I do," she suggested, motioning towards the book. As a Ravenclaw, she had a certain respect for genuine desire to understand something. That was surely more noble than her wish to manipulate Mylo into teaching her something useful enough that she wouldn't end up in a body bag at the end of a duel.
His interest certainly seemed genuine as he cracked open the book and began working through the pages, until he stopped on one chapter. Craning her head, she tried to peak at what had garnered his attention: intention or something. He was still reading when he suggested sharing. "Oh, I'm good. You go ahead," she said as she turned her attention back to the shelf to look for something else that might help her convince Mylo to take her duelling to the next level. But all the spines seemed to blend together. Her eyes drifted towards his face. He seemed to know what he was doing. "Do you, uh, have any suggestion for a book on maybe theory of magical combat? Or at least that sounds like that?" she asked him, hoping he would speed up this process. Ideally, she wanted to check in with Avis later today.
As he offered his name, she extended a hand in response. "Welcome to Ravenclaw. How are you finding it?" she tried to make conversation. If there was one thing she had learned, it was that the house took all kinds. Hopefully, he'd find a home there in any case.
@Alaric Smith
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