30 Mar 2020, 19:18
Blazing Blunder
Date: 3/24/20
Text Color: DAA520
Ross adored Charms. It was one of the few classes that he found himself amazed with. Every little part of it was interesting to him. It did not require specific measurements like Potions, and it did not require extreme patience like transfiguration. It was something he could figure out through trial and error and not have to be worried about how horrid the outcome was.
That was why when he was paired up with a young Gryffindor girl in class by the name if Riona Murphy, he was more than happy to go along with it. She seemed friendly enough at the time, and Ross did not know many Gryffindors whatsoever so he felt it would be a decent experience to finally get to know one. Then again, last time he got to work with someone for the first time of another house he ended up getting blackmailed.
Even so, the girl even looked friendly. Her ginger hair reminded her of another Hufflepuff he knew well. Her sparkling blue eyes reminded him of a charismatic Slytherin he had befriended in potions. It was enough to trust her well. When Ross had first noticed her, he felt that perhaps she might not understand the charm well. This was later confirmed due to the fact that the class was already done before they even moved past the first few steps. Still, he understood. It was not a difficult spell, but it could be if one was to do it wrong.
Ross himself had been struggling with it, so it was not as if she took the majority of the blame. The recent months had been a stressful time for the boy, from blackmail, confronting much smaller girls in the rain, walking two days in the snow to get to a wizarding shop, to finding out his parents were having another child. The boy was exhausted, and every time he seemed to be getting back on track, it seemed to spiral downwards again.
For now, Ross waited in the classroom. On his right hand, there was a ring with a sheep engraved onto it that he tended to wear whenever he could. He wore his Hufflepuff robes, but there was not much of a point. It was much more of a formality, as it was currently free time. He had made a promise to the girl that they would meet here to get the spell down. Ross himself had been blessed with a decent wand, having a Phoenix core and Beech wood outside it was quite fun to figure out how to control and what would work. He felt his meeting would be short, quick, and would give them a head start if they could figure out how this spell was done.
Even so, he anxiously looked at the door as he waited for the girl to arrive through it. The room itself was rather empty besides a few other students trying out spells, mainly upper-classmen, so it would be easy to notice a first year with such fiery hair. He fiddled with his ring while he watched, until the girl's footsteps finally echoed throughout the room. Ross immediately jumped into action as soon as she got close. He vigorously waved as she approached.
"Arriona! Ah gee, that isn't right, is it?" he inquired, internally facepalming himself. "Rhiana? Ianna? Ah gee erm... Riona! Riona, right? That's right, isn't it?" he inquired, pretty confident he had the name down now.
With a short pause, in between, Ross could not bare the few seconds of silence and found himself breaking it as soon as he possibly could. "Sorry, sorry! Erm, How've ya been?" he inquired, hoping to bring the topic off of how poor he was at names.
It was such an awkward moment to forget a person's name, but it was not like Ross ever completely understood the name to begin with. He had not been able to fully hear it over all the ruckus from the other students. Still, he had only nodded and introduced himself as well as Ross. A name that was pretty difficult to mess up, as his substitute teachers always said it right when he was at home.
"So, we're doin' the 'Wand-Lighting Charm!It should be pretty simple, though we did do pretty poxy in class." he remarked, grinning in order to show it was not an insult to her but more of a joke instead. "I actually practiced in my lil' dorm. My Hufflepuff common room got actually tiny dorms! Sure they're small, but they're pretty neat." The boy sounded oddly proud of himself.
He was determined to get this right, and it was blatant he was nearly asking for permission to show off the spell first with how excited he seemed. If he had not been controlling himself, he would have been jumping off the walls.
Interacting with @Riona Murphy
Last edited by Ross Stephens on 31 Mar 2020, 19:49, edited 1 time in total.
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7
31 Mar 2020, 01:38
Blazing Blunder
Charms was definitely not her best subject. That much was obvious, considering Riona was struggling to cast even a simple Wand-Lighting Charm. The fact that she wasn't alone in that made her feel slightly better, but it still was a hard hit against her self-esteem.
The Gryffindor girl made her way down the corridors to the Charms classroom, where she was to meet a Hufflepuff named Ross Stephens who had been doing similarly terrible with the spell. Having someone to practice it with surely meant that they could easily master it, no matter how poor they'd done in class. Yes, Riona was confident that she'd master the spell by the end of this short meeting.
She entered the Charms classroom, her eyes surveying the room for her practice partner. There were few people in the room, and she spotted him easily. Smiling, she started walking over to him, almost laughing at the intensity of his waving.
The Gryffindor girl made her way down the corridors to the Charms classroom, where she was to meet a Hufflepuff named Ross Stephens who had been doing similarly terrible with the spell. Having someone to practice it with surely meant that they could easily master it, no matter how poor they'd done in class. Yes, Riona was confident that she'd master the spell by the end of this short meeting.
She entered the Charms classroom, her eyes surveying the room for her practice partner. There were few people in the room, and she spotted him easily. Smiling, she started walking over to him, almost laughing at the intensity of his waving.
Now she was struggling even harder to keep from laughing. Well, that's embarassing. Poor guy."Arriona! Ah gee, that isn't right, is it? Rhiana? Ianna? Ah gee erm... Riona! Riona, right? That's right, isn't it?"
Still trying to contain her laughter, she decided not to speak. Instead, she did a vague hand gesture that loosely translated as yeah I'm alright and if I speak now I will burst out laughing. It was hard not to laugh; his energy was so contagious."Sorry, sorry! Erm, How've ya been?"
At this point, she had stifled the impulse to laugh, so she spoke normally, her first words yet. "You practiced?" she repeated, smiling. "Go ahead then--show me what you can do." She crossed her arms in a non-condescending way and nodded, smiling, a nonverbal cue to go ahead. Seriously, he was so enthusiastic she found it hard to not smile."So, we're doin' the 'Wand-Lighting Charm! It should be pretty simple, though we did do pretty poxy in class. I actually practiced in my lil' dorm. My Hufflepuff common room got actually tiny dorms! Sure they're small, but they're pretty neat."
Last edited by Riona Murphy on 31 Mar 2020, 12:03, edited 1 time in total.
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, will not be cake.
31 Mar 2020, 04:05
Blazing Blunder
The boy brushed off how much she wanted to laugh. It stung a little to not be taken seriously, but it was not exactly like he was trying to be taken seriously in the first place. The only thing he really felt was serious was the assignment, so the brown haired boy brushed off the laughter the girl had.
Not only that, he was slightly embarrassed due to the whole name deal. Needless to say, it brought his mood down quite a bit. He had been increasingly self aware these past few weeks. In response to this, he continued to wiggle his sheep ring. It was easy to get in one's own head, especially when confronted with the possibility of messing up; however, charms was one of the few classes that he had felt any minor success in. Even so, there was on e thing he seemed to be forgetting in the current moment.
One should always try to find themselves emotionally stable when casting a spell for the first time, as magic relied on many factors. The way you say it and how you wave the wand could completely change. Emotions could be a factor, even if it was a cause and effect relationship. A flick of the wrist or perhaps a fragment of a word exclaimed too loud could ruin everything.
The boy nervously laughed, which was a contrast in tone than his original. "Alright, alright, will do!" he exclaimed, now sounding a little uncomfortable in a way.
Taking his hand off of his sheep ring, he pulled the wand off of his side with his right hand. Lumos was supposed to be an easy spell, so he supposed it would be quite simple to work with. The boy took a deep breath in as he remembered what he learned.
The boy pointed his wand forward, making sure to point it directly in front of him. His arm was not exactly stiff, but it was more of exact if anything. It made sure to be exactly where it needed to be. Carefully, he traced the air. It started off low, but raised into the air into a hoop and down once more. It was just as he had practiced.
"Lumos" he stated, sounding almost forceful with his voice.
The wand began to light up, and Ross felt his heart skip a beat. It seemed to be simply so easy; however, something bugged him.
It was dull.
It was darker than it had been in his closed compartment of a room. Perhaps he needed to concentrate more? The boy closed his eyes, clenching them shut. All he could think about was light at first, but soon enough his mind began to wander. It wandered to his life at home. What was he to do? No, no. He needed to concentrate on the matter at hand, quite literally? As it drifted back to light, the sudden memory of losing his journal hit him. He clenched his hand around the wand tighter and tighter, until he felt it.
Warmth.
The boy opened his eyes, a steam now fogging up his glasses.
His wand was on fire
The boy let out a terrified yelp, and dropped it to the ground in haste. Unluckily for the girl next to him, it brushed her arm on the way down. The boy's eyes widened as he watched the wand begin to burn.
He concentrated too hard.
He hastily got to work, grabbing the fiery wand from the non-burning side.
"NOX! NOX!" the boy exclaimed, his heart practically running outside of his chest.
The warmth began to disappear as the wand's normal form came back. The fire was gone, but at what cost? In all the panic, the Hufflepuff had not even realized what had happened with the poor girl in front of him.
Noticing the burn on her arm, he practically stopped breathing. He directed his attention to her as soon as he could. All of the events had simply happened so fast. What was he to do?
"Are ya' alright? Do you feel okay?" he inquired, his words blurring together as he began to question the poor girl standing in front of him.
Interacting with @Riona Murphy
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7
31 Mar 2020, 06:42
Blazing Blunder
It had all happened so fast. The boy had been concentrating on the charm, and then his wand caught on fire--
He had dropped it in reflex, and the flames had kissed her arm on the way down. But it wasn't a loving kiss--it was a painful one. Like an army of tiny goblins had all stabbed spears into her arm. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out.
The boy was panicking, too. "NOX! NOX!" he shouted, having carefully picked his wand up again. The flames subsided. But the stabbing on her forearm didn't. She shut her eyes tightly, whispering three words beneath her breath, over and over again, a mantra to fight the pain. "I'll be fine, I'll be fine, I'll be fine--"
She heard the boy's voice, asking if she was okay. "Are ya' alright? Do you feel okay?" he said, the concern clear in his voice. Her initial instinct was to nod, to shrug it off. Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me. But a different part of her, a vastly more intelligent part, made her shake her head instead.
"I think-- I think I should go to the hospital wing." She opened her eyes, daring to take a look at the burn on her right forearm. Already it was turning red, and the army of miniature goblins swapped out their spears for chainsaws. "Yes, hospital wing, definitely."
He had dropped it in reflex, and the flames had kissed her arm on the way down. But it wasn't a loving kiss--it was a painful one. Like an army of tiny goblins had all stabbed spears into her arm. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out.
The boy was panicking, too. "NOX! NOX!" he shouted, having carefully picked his wand up again. The flames subsided. But the stabbing on her forearm didn't. She shut her eyes tightly, whispering three words beneath her breath, over and over again, a mantra to fight the pain. "I'll be fine, I'll be fine, I'll be fine--"
She heard the boy's voice, asking if she was okay. "Are ya' alright? Do you feel okay?" he said, the concern clear in his voice. Her initial instinct was to nod, to shrug it off. Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me. But a different part of her, a vastly more intelligent part, made her shake her head instead.
"I think-- I think I should go to the hospital wing." She opened her eyes, daring to take a look at the burn on her right forearm. Already it was turning red, and the army of miniature goblins swapped out their spears for chainsaws. "Yes, hospital wing, definitely."
Last edited by Riona Murphy on 31 Mar 2020, 12:04, edited 1 time in total.
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, will not be cake.
31 Mar 2020, 07:23
Blazing Blunder
Guilt rushed through the boy's veins. He felt horrid for what he had just done, and much less for messing it up. Still, he had technically done the spell. The pride he would feel if it had gone successfully was shoved down though, as this girl had gotten some sort of severe burn. It looked bad. Of course, not as bad as it could be. As a child raised in a bakery, Ross would get small burns all the time. Even so, he had no clue if there was such thing as a difference between a magical burn or a normal burn. It seemed there would not be, but Ross felt too much guilty to really comprehend fully what was happening.
"Ah gee i'm so sorry! Here er... at least let me take ya there or somethin'. It's probably not a good idea to go alone i er.. let me make it up to ya!"
Ross had just failed at one of the things he was confident in. If baking taught him one thing, it was to try again; however, what if another attempt hurt someone? It would be horrid, yet there was no time to think about what happened now. This girl needed to get bandaged. The project and Ross' self confidence could certainly be put back to a little later.
"It's quite close, It's right outta the class and a few turns. No need for the stairs or anythin'! Do ya' know how to get there? He was now pestering her with questions, now feeling obligated to make up for what he had just done.
He was astonished at how calm she was remaining. If anything, it would seem Ross was the one injured in the predicament. Still, he lacked too much curiosity in the girl. Now all he needed to do was make it up to her, and he swore it would all be okay and she could be okay
Interacting with @Riona Murphy
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7
31 Mar 2020, 08:36
Blazing Blunder
Riona had read a study once, about how redheads were more sensitive to heat-related pain. If her hair had been any other colour, then maybe her arm would feel a lot better than it did, and she would have been confident enough to traverse the short distance to the Hospital Wing herself. But she was a redhead, and her arm did hurt like hell, and there was no way she could say no to this panicking Hufflepuff who had offered to escort her.
"It's quite close, it's right outta the class and a few turns. No need for the stairs or anythin'! Do ya' know how to get there?"
To be quite honest, no, she did not know where the Hospital Wing was. There had been no need to visit it before today, and she had been confident that she wouldn't be visiting it any time soon, so she had just... not payed attention when anyone else pointed it out. This time, she knew, she'd memorise the location. But before that...
"Um, can you--can you take me? I--" She bit her tongue as the goblins drove their weapons into her forearm again. "I don't know where it is and--" She bit her tongue again. "Please."
"It's quite close, it's right outta the class and a few turns. No need for the stairs or anythin'! Do ya' know how to get there?"
To be quite honest, no, she did not know where the Hospital Wing was. There had been no need to visit it before today, and she had been confident that she wouldn't be visiting it any time soon, so she had just... not payed attention when anyone else pointed it out. This time, she knew, she'd memorise the location. But before that...
"Um, can you--can you take me? I--" She bit her tongue as the goblins drove their weapons into her forearm again. "I don't know where it is and--" She bit her tongue again. "Please."
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, will not be cake.
31 Mar 2020, 19:48
Blazing Blunder
Now committed to this idea, he began to attempt to reason. He did not expect to stay with her through her little visit, as he knew there had to be a simple solution. This was the wizarding world, not the muggle world. He was certain they had something to deal with it, so perhaps he could just take her there and head out.
"Alrightie alrightie, follow me!" he added, still panic lacing the tone of his voice.
He began to rush to the door, before looking back at the girl who was clearly in pain. Sure she should be able to keep up, if not be faster than him. Fight or flight kicking in would make it easier to be much faster with a sign of comfort or safety. He shook off the thought of him needing to go slow, but right before he took off he decided to add something to his case.
"It should be fine, y'know? Just a lil bit of Burn Healing Paste should do you good. I shoulda brought some on me, but i guess the medical wing should do fine." he remarked, hoping that somehow the few words would comfort the girl enough.
Allowing her to catch up, Ross slowed his pace slightly and continued to walk out of the room with the girl.
This mistake would certainly not leave his mind
Finishing interacting with @Riona Murphy
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7