To Be Found Waiting Closed

Ellaine found that a smile had made their home on her face. She couldn't help it, but her new friend (and Merlin, if that thought didn't put her heart at ease) was endearing. It seemed as though she had trouble speaking as well, and suddenly Ellaine felt a bit less nervous for her own difficulty as she thought over the questions.

Yes! I accept? No, wait, I would love to be friends with— but that did not sound like her.

“Of course!” Ellaine said softly, and she slid her right thumb over into the wrist of her left, feeling for the pulse. Its beat was constant and steadying. Ellaine pulled away. “I, well, wasn't expecting to be able to make a friend so early on, but, I mean—”

Oh… that sounded awkward. Ellaine wanted to bury her face into her hands. “Yeah. We're going to be living in the same castle, anyway.” Ellaine still couldn’t imagine how it would be, to wake up and be surrounded by endless hallways and corridors (maybe not, but the sentiment still stands), and magic at her every step. Quite a turn from her life, surrounded as it was by modernity and non-magic-ness.

Just in case, Ellaine reached for the book sat by her side and held it out for Artemisia to see. Admittedly, she had done this because she wasn’t quite sure on what to do now. Maybe… she should ask what House she would like to be Sorted into? Ellaine glanced at Artemisia for a moment. That seemed like a normal thing to do. And Ellaine did want to know what her new friend would like to be.

“It’s my first year too, yeah.” A pause, and Ellaine went over her question hastily, almost too quick to hear. “Which House would you want to get sorted into?”

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‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ @Artemisia Blackthorn‎

Slytherin or Gryffindor? thought Ellaine. Her eyes crinkled. It fit-- she rather thought that ambition and chivalry would suit her well.

“Me myself…? I’d probably end up in Hufflepuff.” This time, her answer came quick.

Gryffindor was out of the question. She was not daring, nor chivalrous, and her sense of morality and justice, though present and fully functional, didn’t really move her into action. Ravenclaw... Ellaine knew she did well in academics. Her parents had once constantly praised her grades-- that was, until it became an expected occurence. Ellaine liked learning things that interested her, yes, but she didn’t really do it for the sake of knowledge itself. She wouldn’t "thrive" in Ravenclaw. Nor Slytherin! Ellaine really wanted to be in Slytherin. Perhaps not the most traditional of choices. Her mother certainly hadn’t seemed that eager when she herself had spoken of the Houses, though to her credit she had hidden it well. But-- but! They were shrewd, pragmatic, and ambitious. Willing to do whatever it took (well, not all). She admired them. And she knew that hell would sooner freeze over before she’d ever get Sorted into Slytherin.

That left Hufflepuff. Ellaine did not consider herself hard-working, but-- as her brother had repeatedly tried to remind her, much to Ellaine’s consternation-- she did concede the point that she tended to spend longer hours for things that piqued her interest. Maybe that counted as hard-working? Patience, and loyalty, well; Ellaine certainly had those in spades.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with the others,” added Ellaine hastily, hands fiddling with the pointed edges of the book, “--I quite like Slytherin myself. It’s just-- just as you said.” Ellaine felt foolish to parrot her words, but that was the truth. “I don’t have what it takes to really be a Slytherin. And, well, I think you’d be great in Slytherin,” she added earnestly.

Sorry… I keep on forgetting to @ you… @Artemisia Blackthorn