Spending time in the courtyard
As impressive as it was, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry could be a very noisy and confusing place from time to time. Its classrooms, scary corridors, staircases that changed direction, and even the four different house common rooms could be so packed with people that students sometimes felt they had to get out of there. The courtyard was Leo’s escape from all that spinning and shuffling, he was a first-year student and not so long ago, he still didn’t really understand how the castle worked.
During his first week, when going to Charms he had taken a wrong turn and stumbled upon the courtyard. Once he had walked through the archway and out into the open air, the sounds of the castle were gone and in their place, one could hear the gentle rustling of the leaves and the soft whisper of the wind that was coming down the walls. From that moment on Hogwarts was his courtyard and not vice versa as it is, probably, with most of the students - quiet, bright and somehow less scary than the endless halls filled with the portraits that liked to comment on his every move.
The stones in the courtyard were comfortable to walk on, and their circular pattern naturally drew the eye to the gorgeous fountain at the center. To Leo it, however, no longer seemed to be a fountain at all, because it was not flowing with water but waiting to be discovered. He was very much into picturing the way it might have been if the water that the griffins sat on its base were coming out of the mouths of the animals. Even now, with the moss on their wings and with time having lessened their features, the griffins appeared to be living ones—alert, elegant and a tiny bit magical in their immobility.
During his unoccupied time Leo, with his schoolbag next to him, would put a roll of parchment on his lap and sit on one of the benches near the fountain. His mind was on the drawing the most of the time and he would try to capture the details of the courtyard with his pencil i.e. the way the Hogwarts crests were carved into the fountain’s roof, the way sunlight came through the arches and the stone was made to shine silver. Other times only, he would be simply watching pupils coming and going. Some were rushing on their way to class, but others were staying there to have a good time and talk, their voices being softly reverberated by the walls.
This leaf, today, was a manifestation of a very gentle cool autumn wind and it was among a few others that were circling at his feet. Leo leaned his head back and inhaled the fresh air deeply. The castle was still towering above and a bit scary but out here, it was not that way at all. It was like a home he was just beginning to understand—a place that even a first-year like him could find a moment of calm in the midst of the miracle and disorder of Hogwarts.
WC - 520
During his first week, when going to Charms he had taken a wrong turn and stumbled upon the courtyard. Once he had walked through the archway and out into the open air, the sounds of the castle were gone and in their place, one could hear the gentle rustling of the leaves and the soft whisper of the wind that was coming down the walls. From that moment on Hogwarts was his courtyard and not vice versa as it is, probably, with most of the students - quiet, bright and somehow less scary than the endless halls filled with the portraits that liked to comment on his every move.
The stones in the courtyard were comfortable to walk on, and their circular pattern naturally drew the eye to the gorgeous fountain at the center. To Leo it, however, no longer seemed to be a fountain at all, because it was not flowing with water but waiting to be discovered. He was very much into picturing the way it might have been if the water that the griffins sat on its base were coming out of the mouths of the animals. Even now, with the moss on their wings and with time having lessened their features, the griffins appeared to be living ones—alert, elegant and a tiny bit magical in their immobility.
During his unoccupied time Leo, with his schoolbag next to him, would put a roll of parchment on his lap and sit on one of the benches near the fountain. His mind was on the drawing the most of the time and he would try to capture the details of the courtyard with his pencil i.e. the way the Hogwarts crests were carved into the fountain’s roof, the way sunlight came through the arches and the stone was made to shine silver. Other times only, he would be simply watching pupils coming and going. Some were rushing on their way to class, but others were staying there to have a good time and talk, their voices being softly reverberated by the walls.
This leaf, today, was a manifestation of a very gentle cool autumn wind and it was among a few others that were circling at his feet. Leo leaned his head back and inhaled the fresh air deeply. The castle was still towering above and a bit scary but out here, it was not that way at all. It was like a home he was just beginning to understand—a place that even a first-year like him could find a moment of calm in the midst of the miracle and disorder of Hogwarts.
WC - 520
Spending time in the courtyard
After so much had happened, Nora finally had enough agitation (which means something coming from her) and needed time to process all that she had seen and experienced. She needed a moment to go sit in that place inside of her and revisit all the images, rehear all the words spoken, as she pictured all the faces quickly passing by in her head, one by one, like birds flying across the sky. That’s how she made sense of things. She mostly thought in pictures rather than in words, but the words had their place, just not on the front row. That was probably why she sketched more than she journaled. Even the words were more drawn than written in the notebook she carried around. The letters had movement and character; the way they were designed added meaning to them. One could easily tell if something was whispered or shouted, or if a word was spoken with a different meaning than its usual one. That’s how Nora registered her experiences and how she perceived the world around her, as moving pictures, even if the pictures were words dancing on the paper. Everything had a certain look, a way to present itself in her world, a way it moved around, in or out. Everything was very much alive.
One might have said that Nora lived with intensity. But that was probably not the right word… Depth and meaning would have been better. To balance things out, and to not drain herself, she stopped sometimes to think as she drew. She had her favorite spots to do so at home, but now, at Hogwarts, she had to find new ones. She needed a certain level of quietude and a little bit of comfort. The dorms at Hufflepuff were a bit noisy at that moment, so she left the cellar to explore, and it did not take long until she got to the courtyard. She found herself a little corner to sit, pulled her notebook out of her bag, and stared at the sky for a minute as the movie of the latest events passed through her mind. She drew candles, and a badger wearing a talking hat. She wrote names, each one uniquely decorated to match the impression each individual had made on her. She still didn’t know what many of those things meant, how they would unfold, what she would remember a year from now.
As she started drifting back into her less contemplative self, feeling ready for more, she spotted someone in the courtyard who also had pencil and paper in hand and walked toward him. Hi! I’m Nora. Nora Doyle. It’s okay if you just want to be left alone, but… if you would like to talk a bit… that would be cool!
One might have said that Nora lived with intensity. But that was probably not the right word… Depth and meaning would have been better. To balance things out, and to not drain herself, she stopped sometimes to think as she drew. She had her favorite spots to do so at home, but now, at Hogwarts, she had to find new ones. She needed a certain level of quietude and a little bit of comfort. The dorms at Hufflepuff were a bit noisy at that moment, so she left the cellar to explore, and it did not take long until she got to the courtyard. She found herself a little corner to sit, pulled her notebook out of her bag, and stared at the sky for a minute as the movie of the latest events passed through her mind. She drew candles, and a badger wearing a talking hat. She wrote names, each one uniquely decorated to match the impression each individual had made on her. She still didn’t know what many of those things meant, how they would unfold, what she would remember a year from now.
As she started drifting back into her less contemplative self, feeling ready for more, she spotted someone in the courtyard who also had pencil and paper in hand and walked toward him. Hi! I’m Nora. Nora Doyle. It’s okay if you just want to be left alone, but… if you would like to talk a bit… that would be cool!
Reducio
@Leo_Fenwick