Prelude to Mischief
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dialogue: #588F45 ──mentioned: @Leo Noxley
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It was only by Merlin’s grace that she stumbled onto the third floor in time. She quickly slipped into the classroom behind the last student and fixed her gaze on the nearest empty desk. Worn out by her sprint, she trudged over and slumped down into her seat, landing with a soft thud that startled a few students nearby. Her chest rose and fell as she steadied her breath. Cecilia one, grand staircase none, she smirked proudly, oblivious to the state of her appearance. The ends of her hair were sticking up — clearly dishevelled from her running — and her hat was now lopsided, though it still sat firmly on her head.
The scent of warm beignets wafted through the room, taunting her for missing breakfast. Cecilia let out a frustrated sigh, then promptly sat up. Refusing to lament over her hunger, she idly drummed her fingers against the desk and searched for a distraction. For a moment, she admired the dark purple flowers that complemented the large candle holders, but she instinctively looked over her shoulder when a student laughed a little too loudly. That was when she noticed the familiar figure sitting on her right. “Leo?”
Her eyes lit up as soon as he turned. “Fancy seeing you here,” Cecilia beamed as though she hadn’t looked half as lifeless as the wooden skeleton on her desk a moment ago. Finding familiar faces at Hogwarts was expected, but having this friendly one sit next to her was a welcome surprise.
Cecilia glanced at his plain robe — the blue adornments, particularly his tie with swirls of black, caught her eye. “I see that Ravenclaw has claimed yet another Noxley,” she remarked, her tone laced with playful disappointment. Though she never needed an extra hand to stir mischief, Leo proved to have potential as an accomplice. "A shame, really. It would have been nice to share a common room."
"Your family will be pleased, though," she mused and propped her left elbow on the desk to rest her head on her hand. For a split second, her eyes darkened as thoughts of her grandparents' inevitable disappointment crept into her mind. She quickly brushed it off and maintained her smile — now was not the time.
"Tell me," her eyes gleamed with curiosity, "What do you think of it so far? And will I be seeing you in any sports?"──
──notes: none
Last edited by Cecilia Merrick on 5 Nov 2025, 01:50, edited 4 times in total.
Prelude to Mischief
Being that it was the first day of classes, Leo woke up with the sun and was ready to go by the time they were allowed to leave their dorms. Donning his new Hogwarts uniform and robe, he ate breakfast and was quick to leave to find his first class of the day, Charms. He knew he didn’t want to be late for the first class of the school year and especially not Charms since he was excited to get to learn a lot in that class. His siblings did say he would probably like the professor as she made the class fun as well.
After maneuvering the moving staircase, Leo managed to make it to the Charms classroom, the first one to arrive. This worked in his favor though because he could pick out a seat before anyone else and could relax before the class started without worry. Students began arriving little by little until the class began to fill up as it got closer to the time for it to start.
Leo set his textbook on the desk, laying his notebook to the side of it, ready to take lots of notes. He opened up the textbook to the first chapter to look over it as he waited for the professor to officially start the class when someone raced into the class and hurriedly stumbled into the seat beside him. Not paying much mind to them, he just kept his head down and nose in the book until he heard his name.
Who could possibly be calling me? He thought to himself as he looked up confused to find out the voice came from the girl beside him that had ran in at the last second. A girl he soon realized was the daughter of one of his father’s friends, Cecilia. It had been a while since he had last seen her but vividly remembered the funny chaos she would always cause at the more formal functions their families were at. “Cecilia! Wow, it’s been a while.” He said to her as she smiled, trying to hold in a laugh as he now took note of her appearance.
As she pointed out his uniform he nodded, rolling his eyes a little before chuckling softly, “I guess they got their wish after all.” He replied and noticed she had been placed in Slyhterin herself. “It is too bad we didn’t end up in the same house, would have been nice to have a familiar face around.”
He paused for a moment as he thought about her question, there certainly was some good so far but it was only the first full day of classes so there was a lot that could still happen. “It might be too early to tell, ask me again when the day is over or better yet after the week is done.” He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. “I might try out for the house quidditch team, but for now, have to focus on studying of course.” His answer was definitely meant more to please his family than himself since he wanted them to be proud of him at the end of the day. “How about you though?” He asked her, holding onto the textbook and thumbing at the pages as they talked.
Leo Noxley — pc ency
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Nadira Bakari — inpc staff ency
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Sakura Hirano — inpc ency
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| STA. 5 EVA. 5 STR. 5 WIS. 5 ARC. 5 ACC. 5 |
Metamorphmagus Year 1 |
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| —————————————— | —————————————— | —————————————— |
Prelude to Mischief
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dialogue: #588F45 ──mentioned: @Leo Noxley
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“Is there something on my face, Noxley?” she asked, arching one brow as she tapped her index finger on the desk. She sounded more intrigued rather than irritated. Although she was fairly certain that she had not fallen victim to any practical jokes, one could never be too sure.
Cecilia then grinned when he rolled his eyes. She could tell that Leo was not buying into her dramatics, but appreciated that he entertained it with a laugh anyway. “I suppose our houses will have to make do with only one of us,” she sighed dramatically in response to his remark. Cecilia would not admit it, but she was flattered that he shared her sentiment of being in the same house and took it as an affirmation of their friendship.
“Tell you what, I’ll ask again in a month. By then, you’ll have plenty to say about Ravenclaw,” she suggested with a smile. Truthfully, she was curious to see how he would fare, and that seemed like sufficient time for impressions to form. “But you’re right, it’s only the first day of classes,” she agreed with him before leaning in.
There was a glint of mischief in her eyes as she spoke. “Which is why I think we should take the initiative. You know, roam around the castle, maybe pull a trick or two before we’re buried in assignments,” her voice softened, just loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough so that no one else could.
She then leaned back into her chair and hesitated for a moment. Though she wasn’t forcing his hand, she almost felt guilty for trying to pull Leo away from his studies. Almost. Besides, this seemed fairly tame; she hadn't even suggested exploring the dungeons after curfew.
“Quidditch, hm? That should be fun,” she nodded in approval. “I can’t promise to cheer for a rival team, but if you take too many losses against Slytherin, I could offer you a consolation prize,” she joked, providing moral support in the only way she knew how. “...Though, someone as capable as yourself probably won’t need it,” she admitted sincerely in a gentler tone.
“You won’t see me on the pitch, though. I’m going to join the Viridian Vipers,” she proudly proclaimed, but paused as it dawned on her how distant that prospect felt. “...Sooner or later,” she muttered under her breath and began twiddling her thumbs.
Cecilia’s gaze then fixed on Leo’s notebook. He seemed well prepared – not only was he reading up on the charms before class began, but he was ready to make further notes. How studious, she thought before glancing at her own notebook, knowing that it was going to be filled with more doodles than words. She was hardly surprised, for she had heard that the Noxleys were a diligent lot whose skills were on par with her own family's. However, she respected that Leo was trying to live up to that, unlike her. Cecilia’s focus was fickle, and only unusual circumstances seemed to motivate her.
That was when an idea came to mind.
“If you find that Quidditch isn’t challenging enough, we could arrange some friendly competition – practice duels, a bit of wizard’s chess or something along those lines,” she offered. Cecilia wasn’t sure if she would join the duelling team, but part of her felt that she would enjoy challenging herself regardless. Perhaps it was best for their friendship that they would not compete directly against each other. But upon noticing how studious Leo was, she couldn’t help but feel like she could learn a thing or two from him.
“Unless… You’re afraid of losing,” she teased and propped her elbow back onto the desk, resting her chin on her palm and smiled as she waited for his response.──
──notes: permission received for the first paragraph's light godmodding
Prelude to Mischief
Leo smirked slightly at her question, obviously she was oblivious to the current state she was in but others were not so he decided to help her. “You look like you just rolled out of bed, or fought with the bed maybe.” He chuckled softly and pointed to her hair that was a giant mess at the moment. “You might want to hurry and fix that before the professor starts class.” He said, glancing around the room as everyone was settling in for the start of class.
As she spoke he listened carefully and sat back in his chair, feeling more relaxed now than before. He nodded in agreement when she said to let her know in a month, “Alright, deal, I’ll let you in on all the Ravenclaw news and drama.” He said back to her, chuckling softly.
Her voice softened a little more as she continued and Leo leaned a little more to that side so he could hear her better. At her suggestion Leo was a little worried but intrigued. It would be fun to go and explore the castle some more, but he also didn’t want to cause any trouble and risk his parents finding out. Nevertheless he decided that it would be worth the risk to get to check out maybe some interesting places around the school, especially after he had read and heard so much about Hogwarts before coming. “Okay, tonight during free time then? Explore the school?” He offered up in return to her idea. It would be fun and there wasn’t going to be much they needed to worry about for the first night of classes as far as studying.
“Even if I don’t get on the team, Slytherin won’t be winning against us.” He said with a cheeky smile on his face, happily boasting about his house now. The two weren’t super close before but now that they got to talk again he definitely felt comfortable around her and could see them getting to spend time together. Hearing her response he was almost disappointed, a little friendly competition between the two old friends since they were in different houses would have been interesting. But his disappointment was soon gone as she had another suggestion for the two of them to have some fun little competitions themselves. “I think,” He started to say and paused for a moment. “I think that sounds like an offer I can’t refuse. But just so you know, I won’t go easy on you just because we’re friends.” He chuckled and noticed the professor was about to start class so he spoke softer. “But we should definitely meet later first to go explore. You know have some fun first before I kick your butt.” He smiled and held in a laugh as he started writing some notes.
Leo Noxley — pc ency
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Nadira Bakari — inpc staff ency
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Sakura Hirano — inpc ency
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| STA. 5 EVA. 5 STR. 5 WIS. 5 ARC. 5 ACC. 5 |
Metamorphmagus Year 1 |
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| —————————————— | —————————————— | —————————————— |
Prelude to Mischief
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dialogue: #588F45 ──mentioned: @Leo Noxley
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“Gah! You should have said so sooner,” she panicked and whirled away from him before he could notice the heat that crept into her cheeks. Furrowing her brows slightly, Cecilia raked her fingers through her loose waves in an attempt to tame them. She smoothed some stubborn strands with more force and tugged at her collar in an attempt to restore her dignity. Though she claimed to hardly care for how others perceived her, Cecilia firmly refused to walk around unkempt – a quirk that stemmed from pride rather than vanity.
Once she felt satisfied with her efforts, Cecilia drew a steady breath and turned back to face the dark-haired boy. With her chin lifted, her eyes narrowed slightly as she scanned his face for any trace of amusement. She noted how his dark brown eyes lacked malice and allowed her shoulders to relax slightly. Cecilia had not expected someone so disciplined to appear this easygoing.
When he nodded in response to her suggestion, her gaze softened, and his next words drew a small yet genuine smile from her. His offer to share information meant that he had either read between the lines or seen right through her. The latter would typically unsettle her. However, she was amused by both possibilities, for they reaffirmed that she had chosen the right wizard to involve in her schemes. Leo was every bit as quick-witted as she hoped.
She gave a firm nod in response to his proposal to meet later. “Sounds like a plan,” she said, lightly brushing off a speck of dust on her sleeve. “We should be finished in time for dinner, ” she reassured Leo with a light tone. She did not want to overwhelm him with a risky endeavour that could earn them a reprimand. However, she hoped that it would be daring enough to retain his interest in future escapades.
Upon hearing his boasting remark about the Quidditch teams, Cecilia tilted her head and smirked. “Hm. We’ll see about that,” she replied, twirling her silver-tipped quill between her fingers. Cecilia did not doubt that Ravenclaw had a formidable team, but she chose to believe in Slytherin. She needed them to triumph. She needed to know that she stood among those who relentlessly pursued their ambitions.
Cecilia then caught his pause as he weighed her offer and bit her lip lightly. For a brief moment, she was filled with uncertainty. Was Leo not keen? Had she overstepped? Her teasing often landed well, but it would occasionally rub people the wrong way. He then finished his thought with the same casual tone, dissipating the tension in her chest. She continued listening as he spoke.
“Oh, really now? You’re going to kick my butt?” she scoffed, arching her brow before laughing softly. The confidence Leo carried amused her. She leaned back in her chair, relaxing her posture once again. “Well, I think that you’re going to eat your words, Noxley,” she proclaimed in a hushed voice, smirking as she met his gaze.
As the hum of chatter began to fade, the classroom fell into a more orderly silence. Cecilia followed suit as the faint scrape of chairs and the flutters of parchment filled the air. Though the professor spoke with infectious enthusiasm, her mind began to wander within a few minutes. She was far more interested in plotting. They needed to meet at a reasonable place – somewhere convenient, but not dull.
Reaching for a blank parchment, she tore off a small corner and dipped her quill into the inkwell. Its silver nib caught the light as she tapped it gently against the rim to keep the ink from blotting. Cecilia twirled a strand of hair around her finger as she transcribed her thoughts. Setting her quill aside, she neatly folded the parchment. With a subtle flick of her wrist, Cecilia tossed the scrap onto Leo’s desk, landing beside his arm. Feigning concentration on her non-existent notes, she did not look up, but the faint curl of her lips threatened to betray her.
Scrawled on the scrap of parchment were the words – ‘Meet up in the corridors?’──
──notes: none
Prelude to Mischief
Leo couldn’t help but laugh softly as Cecilia frantically tried to fix her hair. She really must have had a rough start to the morning to have come in like that to class, the thought making him chuckle even more. He twirled his quill around with his fingers as he waited for her to finish restoring herself back to normal.
With their plans set for after classes, Leo was admittedly nervous but also excited to get to explore the castle. Although he was pretty sure that she was cooking up a million schemes for them as they spoke. He wasn’t opposed to having fun, not by any means, but he also had to make sure to be careful to not get caught and risk his family finding out. With her promise to be finished by dinner he felt slightly reassured. He hoped that they would get to have some fun adventuring around the castle and chose to push those memories about her somewhat mischievous nature out of his head. Besides he enjoyed her company, even the brief moments so far that morning were entertaining so it would surely be an interesting time and maybe a story he could brag about to his siblings later.
As she butted back to him saying he would kick her butt, Leo’s smile grew more as he thought of them getting the chance to actually duel or play some other game against each other. It truly was an offer he couldn’t refuse honestly since he was pretty competitive himself and wanted to uphold the Noxley name as well with some accomplishments, big or small. As the two locked eyes, he smirked playfully and shook his head, chuckling softly. “I guess we shall see, won’t we? Maybe we will have to set some fun wagers.” He said in a hushed tone back to her as he began focusing more on his notes.
With the students quietly listening to the lecture, Leo looked back and forth between his notes and the professor. He thoroughly was going to enjoy this class, like his sister had mentioned, with the professor having such a very cheerful and fun personality that was infectious and made the lecture somewhat fun. After looking down at his notes again to write, he noticed a small folded piece of paper had landed next to his arm. He took it and carefully opened it, laying it down on his notebook to look less suspicious while reading it.
‘Meet up in the corridors?’ It said and he knew his initial thoughts were right that Cecilia had passed this note to him. He glanced her direction and saw her with her face down towards her notebook, although not writing anything down from the actual lecture. He rolled his eyes at her before glancing up at the professor then back down at the note. Quickly he wrote down his reply to her, ‘I’ll meet you there!’ Waiting for a moment, he slid the note back to her before continuing to write notes down in his notebook. This was definitely shaping up to be an interesting first day of classes if things kept going how they were now.
Once the lecture was over, Leo packed up his things and turned in his chair towards Cecilia. Shaking his head and pretending to be disappointed, “Did you even write anything down or just day dream throughout class?” He chuckled as he stood up from his seat, “I will see you later then, don’t forget!” Smiling as he spoke, he held his books close to him before making his way out of the classroom to head to his next lesson.
Leo Noxley — pc ency
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Nadira Bakari — inpc staff ency
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Sakura Hirano — inpc ency
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| STA. 5 EVA. 5 STR. 5 WIS. 5 ARC. 5 ACC. 5 |
Metamorphmagus Year 1 |
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| —————————————— | —————————————— | —————————————— |
Prelude to Mischief
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dialogue: #588F45 ──mentioned: @Leo Noxley
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“Wagers?” Cecilia repeated slowly, raising her brows in disbelief. She wasn’t sure what startled her more — the fact that he suggested it rather than her, or how it was almost as though the boy had read her mind. Once her initial shock dissipated, her lips curved into a wide grin that reached her eyes.
“Merlin's beard, Noxely, I never knew you could be so bold,” she marvelled in a hushed tone, clearly impressed. “Count me in,” she said with a firm nod, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she stifled a laugh. She was still processing this new side of him, but was rather intrigued. “But be careful – you reap what you sow,” she warned him playfully.
The idea seemed thrilling, especially if she stood any chance against the boy. However, she was not overly concerned about the severity of the stakes if she were to lose. Given his nature, Cecilia felt confident that Leo would not suggest anything outrageous. That was her forte. However, she would need to tread carefully and not bite off more than she could chew. A single miscalculation could lead to dire consequences. With that in mind, she turned back to her desk once more, quill in hand and parchment in sight.
She tensed slightly when the professor raised the importance of concentration – something that Cecilia notoriously struggled with. There were days when she could focus for hours, and on other days, she could barely last a mere five minutes. Fearing that today might be the latter, she gripped her quill tightly. However, receiving gentle encouragement from the older witch allowed her to relax her fingers slightly. The words pulled her in like a current, and soon, the girl found herself entranced by the lecture. She hardly noticed Leo shift beside her, his hand evading her gaze as he passed the note back. It was only after her wooden skeleton was mended and dancing with its companions that her attention drifted to the folded parchment piece lying on the corner of her desk.
When did he place that there? She furrowed her brows confusedly and glanced at the boy, who was now absorbed by his notes. Carefully, she unfolded the parchment, and her lips twitched into a smile as she read his response. Finally, someone was on the same page as her. She did not expect it to be Leo Noxley, but perhaps that was what made it more entertaining.
She then pulled out a larger piece of parchment and crafted a much-needed reminder for her future self – corridors after class, finish before dinner. Feeling satisfied with her writing, she leaned back into her chair and slowly imprinted details of her surroundings onto the medium. For whatever reason, this seemed to help her pay closer attention as the professor continued to speak.
Once the session drew to a close, Cecilia stood up and began gathering her belongings. Her head turned when she heard Leo mockingly berating her. “I’ll have you know, Noxley, I did in fact write something down,” she said in a faux-serious tone. After a brief pause, she slowly lifted the parchment to show him her handiwork. “Nothing relating to our lesson, though,” she added, brandishing a knowing smirk. In one fell swoop, she collected the last of her belongings and promptly made her way towards the door.
“See you soon. Don’t worry, I won’t!” she added, glancing over her shoulder while she raised her hand, lazily waving her new accomplice goodbye. Her grin lingered as she slipped into the corridors. Though their opportune meeting was owed to sheer chance, it was enough to lift her spirits. With a hop in her step, the bright-eyed witch made her way to the next class. and her mind filled with endless possibilities regarding their promised adventure.
Perhaps her luck was not so rotten. And with a little mischief, it might even turn.──
──end of thread