Echoed Voices Closed

Leigh had been fascinated by the chocolate frogs ever since he tried some and finally, after asking some friendly older students of the Hufflepuff house, he found where he could get some. The poor thing was always a bit lost. He lacked attention during classes and would always be too absorbed into drawing or reading about the magical beasts.
His worse class might just be Defence Against the Dark Arts. He's too soft natured and a bit clumsy with some spells. He does better in History of Magic.
But right now, he was going to savor a chocolate frog! With a wide smile he walked down the halls, carelessly fiddling with the box. It actually looked quite beautiful for a candy packaging. The muggles treats were way more plain.
He ventured around the school, thinking of going back to his dorm but then the paintings caught his eye. They were so intriguing. Never in his entire life would he have thoughts paintings could actually move! Or at least follow them with those oil painted gaze. Was it oil paint? He took a closer look, almost forgetting about his chocolate frog as he started looking at every single painting.

Now that he thinks about it, he never went to see the other levels.. Driven by curiosity he decided to check out the floors. He heard about the ballroom. Or more like he overheard some girls chatting about it. They left with awkward looks when they noticed their conversation caught a boy's attention. Talk about uncomfortable. Well if he goes up to the fourth floor he shouldn't across anyone at that time.
He continued to examine the royal blue box with golden colored prints, placing it on his sketchbook and carrying it like it was a tray for the treat. As he was absorbed into his observation he tripped on the last stair, bumping his chin with a loud thud and taking a few minutes to realize what happened. His head snapped back up and his eyes went wide. The box was opened and thre frog wasn't in it anymore. Hurriedly he stood and gathered everything he dropped.
With a little wince and rubbing his chin tearily he glanced around and noticed the chocolate treat leaping away and in front of the ballroom door. "Get back here!" The kid jumped forward to catch the croakoa treat and instead ended up bumping into the door. A bit teary and upset et looked at the small creature escape by the space between the floor and door. He had no choice but to get in to get it, pushing the door open slowly, holding onto his sketchbook with one arm.
His eyes scanned the area for the frog and the moment he saw it he jumped forward, dropping everything and trapping it under both hands followed by a little victory scream that echoed embarrassingly loud throughout the impressively large ballroom "Gotcha!"
A dark blush crept on his cheeks as heavy silence was disrupted by his loud voice, his hands not letting go of his prize as he looked up and saw someone else was there.
" Ah.. Hum.. Hi and sorry."
Leigh smiled a bit awkwardly, chin red and eyes glossy, hoping he didn't disturb the person that was already in the room before him. Dammit why did he have to be such a Klutz...

@Leigh Nightray

His peace and quiet admiration for the space was disrupted as he spun and something caught his eyes at the bottom of the door.

Sen was confused to see... Something, come from under the door and jump around. What on earth was that? Another weird Wizard thing, he guessed.

There were too many strange object within the wizarding world, and he really thought his head was going to be crammed with strange things he found out about.

He was especially even more confused as the door opened and a boy jump to the ground to catch the thing on the floor. He slowly blinked as the other boy greeted him and apologised, obviously a tad embarrassed.

"...Hi and sorry."

"Um..." He furrowed his eyebrows, lips turning down into a confused frown. "Hi?"

This had to be the most bizarre way of meeting someone yet. Sen glimpsed the crest of the badger on the boys clothing, a Hufflepuff.

"It's alright... But why were you trying to catch...that." He gestured to the object in the Hufflepuff's hands.

He didn't know why he asked, he kind of did not want to know if he was being honest to himself and wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

He was too confused at the moment for this.

It's totally fine, I wasn't sure if it was okay for me to write a reply ^ ^' I hope you're okay with it (:

"...Hi." Leigh repeated in reply, a bit more awkwardly this time around, even though he already said it. He glanced around at the ballroom that was once again dead silent until the other boy spoke up. Upon closer inspection he noticed by the crest adorning a raven that this one was a Ravenclaw, the boy looking the same age as Leigh so most likely a first year too.

"It's alright... But why were you trying to catch...that."

The Hufflepuff boy looked down at his closed hands, feeling his treat try to escape as he looked back up at his interlocutor and tried to keep the chocolate frog in his hands while slowly kneeling. Judging by the tone of voice and his own always present awkwardness, he could conclude that he was most likely looking like a 'weirdo'. Word he could think about with a laugh but was said to him often enough by other kids. Well he did come into that room with a lot of echo screaming Gotcha! and jumping on the floor. It didn't seem to matter what he replies, he could stay silent if he wanted to and simply get out of that situation. But then, he was curious what the Ravenclaw boy was doing in the ballroom. "Nothing much... It tastes good and it's fun to draw. I can't just let that chocolate frog run away. Why are you here?"

Leigh smiled shyly after replying, looking away and finally standing up while trying to keep the chocolate frog in his hand. He then went and tried to pick up his sketchbook, stopping midway and grimacing as he felt the treat melt a bit in his palm. He was hoping he could draw it, but that one seemed to move a lot. If it weren't that it was leaping allover the floor he would have eaten it already, but now the idea sounded a bit unappetizing. Especially when someone just saw him picking it up from that said floor. It was a shame though to think of throwing away that candy.

@Leigh Nightray

He had heard the wizard sweet, Chocolate Frogs, from passing conversations of other students every now and then. If he recalled correctly, he saw some on the trolley during the train ride to Hogwarts.

"Why are you here?"

Sen tilted his head slightly and put a finger to his chin in thought. He then shrugged, a bit unsure himself, he had been walking around and tada! Two large doors in front of him and not many students around. Plus curiosity.

"I'm here because I was looking for somewhere quiet that won't have many people, and I just stumbled across this place. It's quite a wonder how big Hogwarts is, inside and out, and how much of nothing muggles would see the castle as."

The Ravenclaw gestured with his arms to the grand, spacious room before noticing how the chocolate was melting slightly onto the Hufflepuff's hands.

"Have you learnt the Charms spell Wingardium Leviosa yet? I've only read up on the spell - I haven't learnt it in class yet, but if you have you could use it on the frog to stop it jumping everywhere and melting in your hands." Sen tilted his head curiously.

Sen felt that the spell could be of some use to the Hufflepuff - with keeping the frog under control and all that - however it would be easy to lose concentration if the other was going to draw it with his dominant hand - and drawing it in general. Especially if the other boy hadn't used the spell before.

@Sen Leaf
No need to apologize ^ ^ Thanks for letting me rp with you

"I'm here because I was looking for somewhere quiet that won't have many people"

These word sounded to Leigh like something he could relate to. On his side he heard about the ballroom and figured it could be a good place to go and try to sketch his chocolate frog. He could relate to the curiosity of being in a castle as huge as Hogwarts. That must be the most impressive school there is out there, in his opinion. "Hogwarts sure is huge... Nothing compared to the schools from where I come from. I heard of the ballroom on the same level as the lavatory and wanted to see it. Since apparently students rarely go there except when there are events. There sure is a lot of echo here."
Leigh thought for a bit as the other boy spoke about the Wingardium Leviosa spell, his brows meeting in a little frown. "I got the theory of it down... But I never saw it in class yet either. I think I would have to keep my wand out while drawing. Seems like a hard thing to do." The Hufflepuff boy looked at the frog that he held in his hand, rubbing his painful chin with the other as he contemplated his options. There wasn't much he could do. That spell sure would have come in handy, if he could keep his focus not to let the frog drop while he is drawing. He opened his hand when the moving treat stopped trying to get away, having melted a bit too much and now barely moving. "Aaw man... Oh well I have a general idea of how it looks like." He reached into his pocket, finding an empty candy wrapper and putting the now slightly melted chocolate on it that he then set down over his sketchbook. Hand going back in the pocket to get a clean tissue to wipe his palm. "Oh, I'm Leigh by the way, and you are? Sorry for the awkward presentation, I guess it's a talent of mine to find myself in.. hum.. peculiar situations."

@Leigh Nightray


"I'm Sen Leaf. I'm a first year Ravenclaw - if you couldn't tell." He smiled in amusement, "it's quite alright, although I have to admit this is quite the interesting encounter." Sen let out an airy chuckle.

He smiled, and plopped down onto the floor beside the Hufflepuff boy - Leigh - and watched him draw. He'd tried drawing before, and was quite alright at it for a seven year old in his opinion.

But after some time of drawing and sketching there were... Complicated events that caused him to second guess himself, before he dropped it entirely. It was not pleasant, and he would not wish it upon anyone else.

Picking up something you greatly enjoy, if not loved, and then forced to scrap everything was harsh, especially for a seven year old. He could only briefly remember what had transpired, but even now he could never find the courage to pick up a pencil and some paper and start again.

If he forced himself to try, he would always end up sitting at his small desk and stare down at the white with trembling hands before he would stand up and leave the room - when he was calm he would re-enter and never once glance at the desk.

His head dropped onto the Hufflepuff's shoulder as he fell into a light slumber from the strokes of pencil to paper. But, he fell deeper into sleep, soon enough he was caught in another nightmare.

@Sen Leaf

After cleaning his palm and neatly folding the tissue so it wouldn't stain the inside of his pocket, planning on throwing it away later, Leigh plopped down and opened his sketchbook. For a moment he fiddled with the metallic binding of it, taking out the pencil he stuck in it with a piece of eraser. Easier to transport that way and the two things he needed to just do sketches.

"I'm Sen Leaf. I'm a first year Ravenclaw - if you couldn't tell ... it's quite alright, although I have to admit this is quite the interesting encounter."

The Hufflepuff boy gave Sen a timid smile, chuckling a bit and scratching the back of his scalp with bashfulness. "I noticed, the blue Ravenclaw badge. Not that one's house really matter that much to me. I mean, a lot seem to often pay attention to that. I just really like the design of it. The crests we all wear on our uniforms, even though they are four different houses, the design is the same for at least two houses. There is two designs with variants of color and animal depending on the house. The Ravenclaw and Gryffindor have a similar design while the Hufflepuff is similar to the Slytherin one. That would almost make the houses crest buddies." Leigh rubbed at his reddened chin slightly as he started rambling, stopping himself with a faint blush and fiddling with his pen a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry, you were looking for somewhere quiet but here I am going on and on about random subjects. I'll remain silent and won't disturb! So, do you mind if I hang out here too?"
Without really waiting for a response, he focused on the few lines he made on the blank page in front of him. For a moment he focused his gaze on the crest of the Ravenclaw boy, the few lines he made slowly becoming a wing then a bird's body.

He had fallen silent, a faint blush on his cheek when he felt a head rest against his shoulder. He wasn't used to such proximity with a comrade, but the other seemed comfortable napping so he didn't dare wake him up or move away. He kept drawing, torn between trying to draw a raven or an eagle like on the Ravenclaw crest. Sometime looking at Sen's crest for reference.

He drew so many birds, from observation outside or from pictures. He was getting pretty good at getting the lines right for these flying little fellas. Practice makes perfect. The more he practices drawing similar creatures the better he gets. He stopped sketching when the boy beside him seemed to be agitated in his sleep, most probably from a nightmare. Worriedly he put his sketchbook and pencil down, a hand reaching for the Ravenclaw's shoulder and giving it a careful squeeze. He looked to see if that one seemed to calm down, ready to wake him up if it seemed like he was having a nightmare.

@Leigh Nightray

Sen found the observation of the crests interesting - he'd never actually noticed it before. Sure he looked at the Hogwarts crest a few times, but he never really observed it close enough to notice until Leigh pointed it out.

"Now that I think about it, yeah you're right," he put a fiver to his chin in thought. "That's actually kind of strange."

It was dark. Pitch black with absolutely no lights. His voice didn't echo, he couldn't feel anything, or hear anything but his own voice.

His eyes darted around, trying to see something - anything - but the dark persisted. The lack of his senses terrified him. Here, all he had were himself and his thoughts.

It may as well be his worst nightmare.

The sounds and whispers in his ear he thought was real, the darkness which obstructed any and all forms of light, not even able to feel his own body or any type of surface - it was all disorienting.

He jerked what he thought was his arm away - or at least he thought he did, it was hard to tell - as something touched his shoulder lightly and squeezed it.

His eyes opened and he shot up off the Hufflepuff. His eyes frantically dashed across the room and despite his eyes hurting from the sudden lighting, they were wide open.

He breathing was laboured as if he was just drowning moment ago and was having his first few fresh breaths of air.

His eyes landed on Leigh, and it took a moment for him to realise who it is, and immediately calmed down, at him as if nothing happened.

"Sorry if I disturbed you," he apologised. "Sometimes I get nightmares whenever I fall asleep."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

@Sen Leaf

Leigh hadn't dared try to wake up Sen, in case that one would panic getting abruptly woken up from a nightmare. His own couldn't compare. Only bad dreams that come around once in a blue moon. He actually almost never recalled his dreams once awake. Since they were sitting close and he had been sometime looking at the Ravenclaw crest while drawing, it had been easy to notice even slight changes.
After taking hold of his shoulder, he let go when Sen jerked his arm away. He scouted a bit further away when that one finally woke up, leaning forward to peek at his face without having to move in front.

"It's fine, I just noticed it seemed like you were having a bad dream. Are you feeling okay now?"
The Hufflepuff frowned slightly with worry, sitting back properly and reaching for his pencil and sketchbook. For a moment he tried to think of something to say. Anything that could be relevant. He could only think of that one phrase he heard so many times from adults, saying it word for word without taking the tone an adult uses when addressing a child. That might be good. "Do you.. want to talk about it?" Leigh hesitated, trying not to make it sound weird. He wouldn't want the Ravenclaw boy to take it badly, as if being treated like a child. His tone was a bit awkward and shy but it was clear he was trying to be nice. Ready to listen if there was anything on Sen's mind.

For him talking to someone when he has something on his mind always helped. If he is to talk to others about his fears and worries, it was only natural to do the same for others and listen when they need someone to. His pencil hovered over the paper where he had drawn a bird, unclear what specie it was but definitely posed like on the Ravenclaw crest. He glanced at Sen and waited to see if he would talk, not minding stopping drawing to listen but not wanting to be impolite by looking away from his interlocutor.