The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished

The train has just stopped. It has finally arrived. Rose felt her heart racing faster as her excitement was growing up.
Everyone got off the train gathered before they started walking.

Rose was wondering where because she couldn't find any castle around.
To be fair, she was fairly nervous to be surrounded with so many people she didn't know. She looked around her to take a quick look at the people directly near her, only to see a boy quite a bit ahead from her. Due to the darkness she couldn't discern well his features but she could tell he had light brown hair highlighted with blonder strands. He was quite skinny but seemed to be strong for his age.
Suddenly the mass of students stopped and she almost bumped into him as she didn't realise the students were not walking anymore.
She sighed from her clumsiness and look in front of her only to see a lot of small wooden docked boats. She internally hoped they didn't have to take it to go anywhere -she hated it-.

Of course, as expected. This thought made Rose grinned. She couldn't hide her dislike more.
Again something to make me even more nervous she tells to herself.

She saw everyone getting on boats including the boy who was in front of her.
He seems to be nice she thought.
So she decided to go on the same boat as him. She didn't know if finding him nice was a real reason to be on the same boat as him but let's say she mostly has found a reason to force herself to get on that boat. She takes a deep breath and carefully got on the boat but as her foot step on the bottom she almost fall over. Narrowly avoiding a small incident she quickly sat next to the boy.

Finally everyone -including Rose- succeed to get on board without any obstruction. The mooring ropes were cast loose and the boats went off the lake.

Even though it was dark, crossing a lake could have been scary but strangely it felt exciting.

Suddenly lights could be seen in the distance. Rose leaned a bit forward to discern in the darkness the imposing shadow of a castle.
She thought she saw the boy turning his head towards her but she didn't dare to look back and face him. She was too shy and kept looking in front of her.

"Hogwarts" she whispered.
The boats came nearer, the view got clearer. It felt unbelievable, the lights of the castle made the castle even more magnificent than it was. The view was breathtaking.
@Zephyr Deakin
Last edited by Rose Pearce on 2 Dec 2025, 14:21, edited 4 times in total.

“She looked towards the dark, starry sky wishing she could drown in its vastness, the way one drifts in the deep, endless ocean.”
The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished
The train’s whistle was heard one last time before coming to a stop. Zephyr pressed his hand against the window and only saw steam and darkness outside. His heart was pounding so hard he could almost feel it in his throat. We’re here. He grabbed his bag from the seat beside him and mumbled at the girl ‘see you later’ as he stepped into the corridor. Zephyr followed the flow of people toward the exit minding his steps and careful not to get in anyone’s way.

The air outside was cold and fresh as soon as he stepped down from the train. It was already dark. Quickly, he joined the crowd of first years and later on heard a sound of sighing behind him. He glanced back for half a second, but it was too dark to make out her face. Up ahead, a row of small wooden boats waited at the edge of a black lake. We’re riding boats? They don’t have to do anything as it will move on its own. Zephyr’s eyes widened. Magic boats. He had never been on one before, in fact, he’s never ever been in a normal one. His dad would have loved to see this. He climbed carefully into one of the boats near the front. A few others followed, and then a the girl stepped in after him. Her balance must have been off slightly causing the boat rocked. He reached a hand out automatically, ready to help her if she fell, but she caught herself and sat down quickly. He gave her an encouraging grin, though he wasn’t sure if she noticed in the dark.

Once everyone was settled, the boats began to move on their own. He gripped the edge and glanced around then he saw it. Lights in the distance, the outline of towers and walls rising up from the darkness. His mouth fell slightly open. It was bigger than he imagined, grander than any picture his dad’s stories had painted in his mind. The girl beside him whispered Hogwarts, voice full of awe. Zephyr turned his head, “It’s magnificent, isn’t it?” This is the start of something new.

@Rose Pearce
Last edited by Zephyr Deakin on 15 Nov 2025, 23:41, edited 1 time in total.

Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished
The sound of a voice came to Rose's ears.

"It's magnificent, isnt' it?" It was the boy's voice next to her. At these words she widely smiled as her eyes lighted up even more with awe.

"Indeed, it is. Coming straight from a fairy tail" she softly answered while quickly looking at him.

There were not just one words to describe how splendid the castle looked. Rose was so much in awe a shiver ran through her body. She could sense a lot of magic was in the air.

The boats finally arrived. A slight bump could be felt as they stopped and docked by themselves. Students were getting off the boat. Rose carefully stood up and tried to not fall in the water or onto someone. She reached the ground and sighed of relief.

And again they started to walk towards the castle which was looking more and more impressive as they were getting closer. While walking Rose found herself again a bit behind the boy of the boat. She thought of going up to him and introducing herself. As she was doing to do the mass of students stopped. They found themselves in front of a huge black cast iron door.

Suddenly the door opened giving the view on a beige stoned hallway and stairs. They were large lights all along the wall giving the inside a warm and cozy atmosphere. The students entered in and went up the stairs. Rose quickened slightly her pace to catch up on the boy. Thanks to the light she could now see his features better. His skin was light but more tanned than hers. She could also discern some freckles on his face, but his eyes were not to be seen yet. She shyly approached him when the students stopped at the end of the stairs in front of another huge door. As it wasn't opening when they arrive to let them in, Rose took the opportunity and slightly turned towards him.

"Hi, we were on the same boat, if I'm not mistaken. I'm Rose Pearce!" she softly said with a shy gentle smile.
@Zephyr Deakin
Last edited by Rose Pearce on 16 Nov 2025, 06:17, edited 3 times in total.

“She looked towards the dark, starry sky wishing she could drown in its vastness, the way one drifts in the deep, endless ocean.”
The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished
When the girl beside him answered, Zephyr turned his head just enough to see her face lit by the reflection of the castle’s lights. “A fairy tale… that’s a good way to put it.” He commented in agreement. The boat rocked gently as they neared the shore. He could feel the breeze from the lake brushing his face. He had never seen anything like this in his life, the huge castle, the boats moving without oars, and hundreds of kids just like him staring with wonder and awe in their eyes. Back home in Wales, his nights were very quiet, he could only hear the sound of sheep, night crickets, the wind, and the rustle of grass on the hills. Life there was very simple and not overwhelming.

He didn’t grow up around much magic. His dad was a pureblood, but he didn’t use his wand after marrying his mum who was a Muggle. They lived on a small farm near Swansea, where he spent most of his time helping with chores so seeing all this now where there’s real magic everywhere, he was a mixed of everything! The boat bumped against the dock, which woke him up from his daydream, and he reached for the edge to balance himself. Everyone started getting off one by one. The girl stepped out ahead of him this time, careful and quiet, like she didn’t want to cause a scene.

Zephyr followed the crowd and spotted the girl again, a little behind him. The one from the boat. Then everyone came to another stop. They were in front of a huge black iron door. He stared up at it, feeling small all of a sudden. The door opened on its own. Again, he followed the group through the stone hallway, jade eyes moving from torch to torch. Everything smelled like old stone and polish, and their steps echoed off the walls. When they reached the stairs, the girl turned to face him and introduced herself to him. “That’s right. I’m Zephyr. Zephyr Deakin.” He was still a bit awkward since he was new to the place and meeting different people all at once. “Nice to meet you, Rose.” He was not sure what else to say, but he added nevertheless, “It seems we’re both starting fresh, are you excited? Nervous??”

@Rose Pearce
Last edited by Zephyr Deakin on 15 Nov 2025, 23:42, edited 1 time in total.

Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished
The boy's name was Zephyr. Rose looked at him while thinking.

Such an uncommon name.

"Nice to meet you too Zephyr!"

Rose didn't know whether she should share her thought or not but before she even could decide her mouth had spoken already.

"Your name too sounds like coming from a fairy tail." she dreamily said while widening her eyes and covering her mouth, quite ashamed when she realised what she had just said. She didn't know that boy. Plus she didn't answer the questions he asked.

Panicking inside she quickly let out a soft quiet uneasy laugh and looked down to avoid Zephyr's gaze.

"My nervousness is slipping out." she quietly said while looking back at him with a small laugh.

"Though I'm nervous I can't wait to discover this whole place and learn new things. I'm so excited to finally be able to use magic." she enthusiastically said.

She hoped Zephyr wouldn't find her weird, it was mostly clumsiness. Since she was shy it was easy for her to become nervous and lose her composure when surrounded by so many people in such a new place especially.

"Do you have any house preferences and expectations here?" she curiously asked him.
@Zephyr Deakin
Last edited by Rose Pearce on 8 Nov 2025, 15:30, edited 3 times in total.

“She looked towards the dark, starry sky wishing she could drown in its vastness, the way one drifts in the deep, endless ocean.”
The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished
Zephyr smiled in return but before he could reply to her, she spoke again about how his name sounded like a fairy tale too. Not expecting that, he was speechless for a few seconds thinking he misheard her. If the girl didn’t move to cover her mouth in embarrassment, he would have stayed frozen in surprise. Once he recovered, he chuckled, it was not mean at all, but sweet. “Thanks, it’s the first time I heard someone describe my name as such. I never thought of it that way. My full name is Zephyrus.”

His mom adore his name and shared with him what it meant so he did the same for the girl’s reference. “In a general sense, a zephyr is a gentle, light wind. How about your name Rose, is that derived from the flower or is there a special meaning other than that?” Most people back home had thought his name was strange too. His mum picked it, she liked how it meant west wind. His dad joked that it suited him because he was always outside, running across the fields and climbing the hills like the wind itself.

The girl admitted her nervousness was slipping out, and he quickly shook his head in understanding. “It’s okay. I think we’re all a bit nervous. You’re just braver for saying it out loud.” Her excitement about this new life was something he can relate with, his chest warmed at that. It reminded him of when his dad used to tell him bedtime stories about Hogwarts and its moving staircases, ghosts, enchanted ceilings, and how every student will wear colors of their house with pride. He used to think they were just stories until the day his Hogwarts letter came. Rose’s question of whether he has house preferences pulled him out of his thoughts.

“My dad used to tell me about all of them, but he never said one was better than the others.” It’s more about the people than the name. “He was in Hufflepuff, said they worked hard and looked out for each other.” A small grin appeared at his lips. “So maybe that one? Hufflepuff house.” It’s his turn to ask, curious now. “What about you, Rose? Do you already have a house in mind?”

@Rose Pearce

Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished
Rose sighed relieved Zephyr understood her.

He told her his name was actually Zephyrus.

After a small silence she was going to add something when Zephyr explained her the meaning of its name confirming Rose thought.

She chuckled.

"Now it does make sense why it seems to be coming out of a fairy tale. Zephyrus sounds like a king name from the Ancient Times." She said with a teasing smile.

"I like your name and its meaning. It is giving a sense of freedom to me."
"Zephyr" she repeated.
"I'll make sure to remember it." She added with a gentle smile before continuing.

"About my name, well... It is not a Scottish name and both my parents as well my brother have Scottish name. Then I used to wonder why not me." She sadly smile at her past thoughts.
"One day I asked my mom about it. When she was pregnant of me we were on vacation in the countryside. It was the end of may ans spring season was over in a few weeks. My mom was taking a walk in a garden when she saw an early beautiful rose fully grown up. It was uncommon for that time of the month. In Scotland roses usually grow from June to August. As she was soon due she took it as a sign of good fortune. Her baby coming to life earlier -because I came a bit earlier than planned- and standing out before the others like this rose did. Plus she liked Rose as a name, the sound of it." Rose explained and gave Zephyr a smile.

She was quite surprised and also glad Zephyr asked about her name since no one before him asked her. "Rose" as a name isn't strange, uncommon or doesn't make people wonder where it does come from. Rose was starting to get lost in her thoughts when she was brought to reality by Zephyr's voice. He told her his father was in Hufflepuff who told him about this house. It was making sense he might want to be in the same one. Zephyr asked the same question to Rose who could see him full of curiosity.

"Hmm...It's a good question. All of the wizards from my father's family were in Ravenclaw including him and my brother whereas the wizards of my mother's family didn't have a predominance for one house. My mom was a Gryffindor but it did fit her. Even if I wanted to be in the Gryffindor House like my mom I couldn't be. Then I guess I would like to be a Ravenclaw like the other part of my family." She told Zephyr thoughtfully.
@Zephyr Deakin
Last edited by Rose Pearce on 9 Nov 2025, 16:28, edited 1 time in total.

“She looked towards the dark, starry sky wishing she could drown in its vastness, the way one drifts in the deep, endless ocean.”
The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished
Zephyr chuckled when she tease him about his name sounding like a king from ancient times.
“A king name, that’s a first, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Though he accepted it casually, it made his ears warm. Nobody back home would have ever called him that. He will always be the boy who smelled like hay and came home with mud on his boots, not someone with a name fit for a storybook. Hearing her say she liked his name and that it reminded her of freedom, he knew he will never think of him that way. Back home, freedom was something he already had plenty of with fields all around him, the open sky, and peaceful nights under the stars. But Hogwarts was different kind of freedom. A chance to discover who he was outside the farm and outside his small world. “Freedom… I like that, maybe that’s what my mum was thinking when she picked it for me.”

Her story painted a picture in his mind, “And it fits you. My mum was the type of person to believe in signs like that too. She says names carry meaning, that sometimes, they tell who you’re meant to become.” Realizing something, he chuckled once more, “The wind and the rose….maybe we’re meant to be friends, don’t you agree?”

Rose explained her family’s history with the houses. The way she spoke about her parents told him she must be close to them. Her father and brother were in Ravenclaw, “You must be the curious type..” He voiced his thoughts. “If it’s where most of your family’s been, it probably feels familiar. But maybe Hogwarts will surprise us both. The Sorting Hat might see something we don’t yet.” Before he could say more, a sudden hush spread through the group. It was time to go inside as the door to the great hall opened. Zephyr straightened, grinning at her. “Good luck!”

@Rose Pearce
Last edited by Zephyr Deakin on 15 Nov 2025, 23:44, edited 1 time in total.

Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished
As Rose finished to explain where her name was coming from Zephyr's remark about him identified as the wind and her as being a rose made her chuckle. It was indeed a good way to put it and offering a future friendship.

She then chuckled once more and looked at him while saying.
"The wind and the rose that's a good way to put it. Indeed, we should take it as a friendship sign!"

Suddenly a thought came to her mind. Rose liked teasing people.
Though she was quiet and shy when she was getting comfortable and starting to appreciate the other person she liked to show it through some teasing. She wasn't sure whether it was right or not since she met him not so long time ago and she already said to much what was on her mind about his name. However she thought it couldn't be that bad.

Therefore she smiled maliciously at him before saying with a shyly teasing tone.
"Doesn't the wind damage roses? I hope this wind is gentle and special that it can even protect roses."

She hoped for the tone of humour to be heard and more importantly understood by Zephyr and not taken as a rejection or a defensive reserved answer.

She neither didn't want to seem a killjoy when she wasn't at all and especially in front of someone who could actually become her friend.

Not so long time after the doors finally openeda professor finally arrived and she heard Zephyr wishing her good luck while smiling at her. She smiled back and got just the time to answer him "Thanks, you too!" before they start going in.

As soon as Rose entered in what's appeared to be the Great Hall her heart sped up and her eyes lighted up of amazement and joy. It was a large and magnificent beige stoned room with big windows and imposing chandeliers. She was finally there. She saw for large tables aligned to each other in the middle of the room at which the current students were seated while chatting and looking at the newcomers. She felt quite impressed but couldn't feel any better.
Rose smiled at Zephyr without even being able to speak on how she was amazed. Before realising they all suddenly stopped as they had reached the end of the lane to find themselves in front of a stool on which the famous Sorting Hat was placed.

"Let's see where we will be." Rose quietly said more to herself than for someone to hear.

@Zephyr Deakin
Last edited by Rose Pearce on 16 Nov 2025, 06:19, edited 3 times in total.

“She looked towards the dark, starry sky wishing she could drown in its vastness, the way one drifts in the deep, endless ocean.”
The Lake Crossing PV Zephyr Deakin - Finished
Rose’s agreement about the meaning of their names puts him at ease easily. Having grown up in a farm, they were usually isolated from the rest of the world and making friends was not something that came easily to him, but with Rose, it was not forced at all. She’s a very nice girl. Looking at her again, she noticed the smile she’s sporting, as if she’s plotting something crazy. But it was not as severe as he quickly assumed, she just teased him about the kind of wind he will be, if he’s meant to protect or destroy the rose. “You’re forgetting the meaning behind my name is gentle or light wind. It’s meant to protect, not hurt anything or anyone. If I imagine it myself, it’s the kind of wind that feels peaceful, that can make someone feel sleepy and calm.” Then he chucked and added for her own enjoyment, “I’ll try not to blow too strong don’t worry, ” he said playfully. “I’ll have to be a careful wind.” Her teasing didn’t bother him at all, in fact, it made him like her more. She reminded him a bit of his cousins back home, quiet at first but full of humor once she got comfortable. It was nice to see the same thing from a person he just met here.

He turned toward the Great Hall and the moment he went inside, his eyes widened. The ceiling reflected the night sky, stars scattered across a black background, like a real night sky and then there candles floating above the tables. He heard stories about it from his dad, but seeing it for himself was completely different. He glanced at Rose, who was smiling in pure awe. Seeing her reaction made him smile too. He didn’t say anything and just enjoy the moment of wonder. Whatever happens, I know we’ll both end up where we belong. He said internally with a hint of smile.

End RP.

@Rose Pearce

Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5