Brand New Badgers PV Liv Hartley Closed

This was all so surreal. She was a witch, she was going to learn real magic, and she got to have a new beginning with other witches and wizards. A fresh start. Here she wasn't the postman's daughter or the poor kid who pushed her companionship on others. Here she was whoever she wanted to be. A blank canvas. Nobody had any preconceptions of her other than what she presented to them. Everyone started out the same, as young and eager as the next person. There were no advantages here that she wasn't privy to. Money wasn't a factor here. Everyone dressed the same and started at the exact same place. Well, theoretically people with magical parents had a slight head-start, but that hadn't exactly provided her with much. Her dad was pretty useless where magic entered the equation; he might as well have been a muggle for all the practical help he could provide. More than that though, he didn't remember much about his time either, so he couldn't even give her much information or useful pieces of information to share. Perhaps she was already on the back-foot all things considered.

If he had any guidance for his daughter, he might have reminded her to leave the Sorting Hat on the stool she had found it, and not left her to wear it half the way towards the House table before realising they were waiting for her to return it. The stares were indication enough if the audible whispers hadn't been. She had flushed red, hastened to return it and then hurried towards the Hufflepuff table. She was now a Hufflepuff. That was both interesting, exciting and terrifying all wrapped in one neat bundle. As she knew nothing about the various Houses, she was amongst the few with no preconceived notions about where she wanted to be placed. Just somewhere she felt comfortable and could call home. A child who had never truly felt at home, she was hoping she felt justified in feeling at ease in this House. Her fellow students seemed friendly and welcoming enough though, and did her best to placate her very evident nerves and anxiety. At least they hadn't made her relive her embarrassment ten times over, which was already helping to settle any nerves she may have had. It gave her hope that she might form some long lasting friendships here.

Perhaps once everyone forgot her minor error with the hat... So in a few months time, maybe. It was likely the reason she was now spilling her entire life story to the whole table of students. Obviously this was not how she had anticipated starting out at a new school, but here she was and now that she had started talking, she wasn't entirely sure how to curtail it. As it was right now, she would probably be regaling people about her parents and their childhood before the end of the feast. So when she felt a dig from her side, far from being bothered by it, she smiled brightly, grateful to have another direction to direct her attention. "No no, it's totally fine! Please, don't worry about it." she beseeched. "I'm Liv Hartley. Sorting Hat borrower. Half-blood, but I might as well be muggle-born with how useless my dad is!" she shared, shaking her head slightly. "You actually did me a favour. I get on these tangents sometimes and can't stop myself. It was pretty perfectly timed!" she laughed before remembering she hadn't paused to breathe for a while. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

There was good news and bad news. The good news was that the girl he had just jabbed in the stomach wasn’t angry or anything and quickly accepted his apology. The bad news was that she was now talking to him. A lot. Was it something in the air today? Was this a magic thing? To be incredibly friendly and tell a lot of personal information to complete strangers?

The girl with the blonde hair just kept going. She didn’t even breathe properly because she just kept talking. What was that about hats? Was that supposed to be important? Why did that need to be the first thing she said about herself? And why mention her dad being a terrible wizard? That seemed like a rude thing to say about your family upon first meeting someone. Then she seemed to insinuate that she was glad he had elbowed her ribcage? Because she had been on a tangent? What was that supposed to mean? And she was laughing. Why did everyone seem to think he was funny? Finally, she paused just long enough to ask him for his name.

Reynolds didn’t answer right away, he was still processing what was happening. The headmaster was still calling names of first-years to be sorted and he could hear the Sorting Hat continue to belt out house assignments. Should they be talking during this? Sure, lots of other people were kind of loud whispering across the table while the sorting was going on, but did that mean he should? He would love an excuse to not talk. But that didn’t really seem to be an option.

“I’m Reynolds. Reynolds McNeil,” He started.

Unfortunately, just as he was in the middle of introducing himself, the Sorting Hat announced another new Hufflepuff student and the entire table exploded in noise. The sudden shift in the atmosphere of the table and the loud noise made Reynolds cringe. After the girl who had just been sorted took a seat, everything shifted back to the quiet focus as the headmaster called out the next name, followed by loud whispering amongst the students while they waited.

Reynolds turned his attention back to the girl, Liv Hartley, he supposed he should start thinking of her with her name instead of just “the over-sharing Hufflepuff girl”. He opened his mouth, not sure if he should say something else, or if she had even heard his name. The last time he had continued a conversation on his own he had told Aly that her hair was big and she had laughed at him. He didn’t want to repeat that. Especially if Liv was going to laugh as loudly as Aly.

Instead, he closed his mouth, hoping that Liv would either stop talking to him or carry the conversation by herself. He thought he probably knew what was going to happen though so he braced himself for an onslaught of small talk.

There was a lot of whooping and hollering around them but for the most part she had successfully tuned it out, more intent on making an impression on a seemingly willing audience. It was rare that she had people who were prepared to listen and so she had resolved to keep hold of their interest for as long as possible. The problem was, every time a new House was announced, attention briefly drifted towards the new student as they all applauded and cheered for the respective student and House. Whilst that was lovely and welcoming for the incoming students, it didn't effectively lend itself to a flowing conversation whereby both parties participated. It certainly wasn't for a lack of trying on her behalf. She was content to share her name, her family situation, her blood status, her lack of ability at present or knowledge of the wizarding world. Others seemed more intent on exchanging names and discussing what they might soon be eating but that wasn't her style.

It wasn't that she particularly wanted to divulge intimate details about her life, albeit that she had. More that if she laid everything out on the table from the start it gave people any excuses they might need from the jump if they wanted to walk away. There were no nasty surprises waiting to fall out and expose her as a fraud, and an unworthy friend. It wasn't possible to reject her if she rejected herself first. From experience, if people didn't want to be your friend then they wouldn't be, and would find the slightest excuse to walk away from a potentially beautiful bond. She didn't yet know people here, so for them to reject her now it wouldn't be so painful as halfway through the year when she was bonded and invested. Indeed, it seemed as though the boy was somewhat taken aback by her and wasn't sure how to process anything she was saying. It almost made her want to backtrack and apologise for her approach, but she wasn't sure how to approach it any differently.

Why wasn't there a friendship manual - Chapter 1: How to make friends? It would've been on her nightstand and studied avidly before bedtime each night. Hogwarts was where she was supposed to meet lifelong friends, but she'd almost settle for someone right now. Just one friend. That wasn't asking for too much surely. Maybe this boy as her Housemate would become her new friend? Unfortunately the hat shouted out at precisely the wrong moment and concealed the exact timing of his name reveal. Neil? Did people call their children Neil these days? Still, who was she to judge someone else's tastes? It was just a rather old sounding name for such a young person. Maybe he was named after a relative or family friend. "Nice to meet you, Neil! I'm sure we'll be firm friends before too long." she grinned, hoping this ceremony didn't go on for too much longer.

"I can't wait to dig into the feast - I wonder what we'll be eating tonight! It's going to be so strange not eating my mum's food...she's not the best cook, but she's determined to master one of Nigella's recipes one of these days. Maybe she'll manage it while I'm at Hogwarts." The idea of her mum learning how to cook made her smile, and Liv could just imagine the kitchen being filled with shepherd's pies as her flustered but stubborn mother determined she would perfect it even if it meant subjecting her father to the same dish every night for a month. "I bet the Common Room is pretty awesome too! I wonder what our beds will be like. Do you think it's always this noisy at the House tables, or is it just because of the Sorting?" There was so much still to uncover, and so many questions she didn't know the answers to. Maybe Neil could help her to figure some out.

As he had feared, the shouting had interrupted his introduction. Neil? Reynolds wanted to smack his own forehead. Should he correct her? She was already moving on so quickly! Was there a point in backtracking now? Was it too late? Reynolds sighed. Oh well. His name could be Neil so long as it spared him embarrassment. She would figure it out eventually, right?

He tried to listen carefully to what Liv was saying over the talking of other people. So much personal information. Had his mother cooked? He couldn’t remember anymore. He hadn’t thought about what his room would be like, or how loud it would be. Would he have to room with other people? He hadn’t shared a room with anyone since Will had moved out to stay at Hogwarts during the school year.

“Surely it can’t be this loud all the time,” Reynolds said. “It’s just because of the ceremony.”

To punctuate his point another cheer went up as someone was sorted, he wasn’t even sure which house it was that time. His jaw clenched a bit at the sound of everyone yelling. Did they have to be this loud? It was stressing him out.

As the noise died down he looked at the table, his stomach quietly rumbling as he too thought about the food. “I haven’t had a home-cooked meal since last Christmas.” He hadn’t even really meant to say it out loud, it was mostly to himself.

All around her cheers were erupting, and loud congratulations were being shared. New members from each House were exchanging pleasantries and discussing their wants and hopes for the upcoming academic year. But it was loud. Not exactly deafening but still. When someone like Liv, who prided herself in being able to talk up a storm, found it too noisy, there was something...not exactly wrong, but equally not exactly right. Maybe it got this rowdy on a regular basis. There were four Houses after all, and they all convened for meals so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that they would forever have to contend with the sound reverberating around them. She wasn't used to so many voices around her, or the various conversations all happening intermittently, losing meaning in the translation as she attempted not to jump in and respond to several people at the exact same time. At home, it was company of three, and there was one thread of chatter to follow. There was about 3003 going on around her at the moment and threatening to overwhelm the new Hufflepuff.

To give him credit where he was due, Neil hadn't moved away. Hadn't looked for another place at the table despite how crowded with new students it was becoming. She had yet to unnerve him enough to prompt movement, that was progress! Perhaps it was just her who was struggling to maintain a tangible thought amidst the cacophony that had erupted in the Great Hall. And this was only the first night, imagine if it got worse throughout the year! The blonde resolved that if that were the case she would wait in the Common Room for the heat to die down before taking her meals. Sure, she might be hungry, but that was a small price to pay for her sanity being kept intact. Plus, there was bound to be some fun activities to occupy herself with. Comfy sofas, perhaps some board games...a pack of cards? She had entertained herself many a time with a simple pack of cards. She'd also promised to send letters to her parents and had to figure out this sending them via an owl malarkey. She never had to worry about posting letters typically, considering her dad was the local postman, but things were very different here and owls replaced the job her father had made his own.

It seemed as though Neil agreed about the sorting being responsible for most of the commotion. She hoped they were right! Idly she wrapped her fingers around her cutlery as if willing the food to appear. She didn't even know what she hoped they would have, just something delicious. As she considered her mother's potential future culinary habits, she just about caught her new companion's slip in the conversation, and didn't know whether she was supposed to ask him about it, focus on it or completely overlook his having mentioned anything. Would he be upset if she didn't even acknowledge he had said anything? Maybe he wanted her to bring it up? "You're not missing out on much if my mum's attempts are anything to go by! Her favourite dish is a chicken casserole but she always burns it. Beef hotpot she always gives a good go but can't get that right either. I mean...they're passable, she's not completely unfortunate. But she won't be winning any cookery awards anytime soon!" she confided, her uncertainties compensating by encouraging more mindless mutterings that betrayed her mum's shortfalls.

"If you haven't been eating anything home-cooked since December...what have you been eating?" she asked quietly, hoping to detract any attention away from them. Was everything alright there? Was he living at home? Were his parents in his life? Suddenly she felt a swell of appreciation for her parents, annoying as they might be, that they were always a constant presence in her life. They might not be flush with cash and able to afford the finer things in life, but she had a source of food, a roof over her head and two parents who made every effort to support her perhaps not in the most constructive of manners, but they tried their best. Her mind suddenly pondered all the things Neil might have been eating for food for the past almost year and she had to repress a shudder hoping his situation wasn't as dire as she was envisioning. Merlin, this was only day one and already she had fallen headfirst into something that was perhaps bigger than herself. For once, the usually verbose Liv Hartley had nothing to say.

Reynolds thought maybe he was in the clear when Liv didn’t say anything, maybe she didn’t hear him above the noise. But she was soon on another one of her - what had she called them? Tangents? More about the food her mom made. Chicken casserole was something he was familiar with, but he was pretty sure beef hotpot wasn’t something he had ever eaten before. He could figure it out from the name, and the thought of the beef made his stomach growl again. He seriously needed some protein.

He had a sudden craving for eggs. He remembered sometimes his mom would make these eggs for special occasions when he was a kid, they were cut in half with a mixture in the middle topped with pepper and seasoning. He hadn’t thought about that in years, he wasn’t even sure what kind of eggs those had been. Just listening to Liv go on about her mom’s cooking was dredging up these strange memories. He moved his arms around his stomach, partly because the memories made him uncomfortable and partly to stifle the sound of his stomach.

“What have you been eating?"

Reynolds blinked, it wasn’t often that he zoned out so much that he wasn’t listening to someone who was talking to him. He didn’t really want to be talking to Liv, but he felt guilty for being rude anyway. Apparently, she also had heard what he said. He pushed his lips to the left side of his face before answering, a self-imposed punishment for opening himself up to questions.

He shrugged. “My dad brings home food from places a lot, or if he’s not home then I just make a sandwich or put on some soup. He’s not a very good cook I guess, I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve seen him try to cook even once.”

Hopefully, that would put the matter to rest. Reynolds glanced back up at the group of first years, there were only a few left. They would eat soon. He clearly remembered it going much faster while he was waiting to be sorted but now that he had gotten done it seemed to be taking forever just to finish the last of the group.

Food was generally a safe topic to discuss. Nobody got offended about food. Everyone ate it in some shape or form and used it for energy and fuel for the day ahead. She was willing to discuss the various snacks she had gorged upon on the train up but didn't think that would be particularly welcomed right now. Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties... She didn't indulge in wizarding candy often, with her dad rarely taking her into the wizarding world due to her mum's evident disapproval of anything remotely linked to magic. Thus, when she had the opportunity to splurge, she couldn't help but do so, buying up far too many treats for her slender frame to handle. It was fine, she could just stash the rest in her dorm. She was bound to want a midnight feast at some point and when that happened she had tasty goodies to bring to the group. That was if she didn't share them out amongst her housemates before that ever became a reality which was much more likely considering her resolve.

The weather was the other conversational topic she was assured wouldn't upset anybody. She was used to it being slightly warmer in London, so as the train progressed further north and the cold settled in, she found herself wishing she had packed some more sweaters for the cold nights. She could almost hear her mother's chiding tones as she recalled having insisted the blonde bring more than the three she had assured her were plenty. If she packed too many there would be no room for pretty decorative ornamental pieces to sit atop her bedside cabinet and upon the comforter of her bed. Being away from home was daunting enough for the young girl without depriving herself of the very home comforts that made it remotely bearable. If that meant she had to suffer a few nights, she was sure she could snuggle under the covers and make do with what she had at her disposal. Failing that, she was going to have to go on a shopping spree - terrible affliction, but someone had to bear it.

Listening to Neil respond made her cringe inwardly though she tried not to be too demonstrative in front of him. "You're lucky you don't live at mine...my mum doesn't let dad or I have snacks in between meals! 'You'll spoil your appetite!' she always says." Liv exclaimed, doing her best to imitate her mum's accent, waggling a finger at the same time. She had always thought it a little irritating, in the past, when her mother had refused to let her eat what she wanted, when she wanted. Now she was looking at the same events in a completely different light, grateful her mum was so meticulous in ensuring she ate a proper meal. Admittedly, they might not be the best meals, but she put the effort in to ensure her daughter wasn't fending for herself or eating anything processed, and for that she couldn't exactly complain. "You're going to have to come home to mine for the holidays - maybe the Easter break if you get a Christmas dinner at yours. By then mum should've got a few dishes right so you can have a few warm meals in you that someone else has prepared for you! I'm sure you'd be welcome on Christmas Day, too, if you want to pop over - I'll make sure to give you my home address and tell mum to cook extra. Dad would help if she let him do anything. He's worse than she is!" she grinned good-naturedly, hoping to have smoothed over any potential awkward feelings that may have arisen.

Things seemed to be getting very intense very quickly with Liv Hartley. She was inviting him to her house for Christmas? Wasn’t that a little...hasty? She didn’t know him at all, she didn’t even know his real name! Which was partially his own fault but still. Reynolds searched the girl’s face to try and determine how serious she was being but he came up empty. He was generally a very observant person when it came to that sort of thing but the truth was he just didn’t know this girl well enough to tell if she was being genuine or not.

Surely she couldn’t be. She was just being polite and friendly because now they were stuck in a conversation together. As soon as the sorting was over and the food was delivered she would probably jump at the opportunity to turn her attention to something else. Maybe that was why she was talking about food so much. She was trying to establish that she was hungry so that when she started eating she would have an excuse to stop talking to him. It was a good strategy. Maybe one that he should replicate…

But this Christmas thing was distracting him. Where did this girl even live? How did she know she lived close enough for him to just “visit”? There were so many flaws in her plan - if it was a real plan at all.

“I mean I do get to do pretty much whatever I want,” Reynolds replied, not mentioning that “whatever he wanted” was just to sit in his room and read or play music. “But I don’t think my dad would want me to go visit someone else for the holidays.”

He held in all the comments he had about the possibility of travel and staying with a complete stranger, though he supposed they could get to know one another better before the holidays. But did he want to get to know her? He had never really had friends before, sure there had been people at his old school that he interacted with but he never saw or talked to them outside of school. And he had kind of liked it that way. No pressure.

“But um,” he trailed off awkwardly. “Thanks for the offer.”

All her life she had felt suffocated by her parents despite their best intents, and longed to be like the other kids in her class. The problem was, she was nothing like them. They were materialistic and put property over being a decent human being. She couldn't relate to them with her strong moral backbone and ethical core. Perhaps she was naive with her attitude, placing a higher value in someone's personality over their monetary status, but she wanted a true friend, not a fair-weather one who disappeared the instant someone more interesting came along. She knew it concerned her parents that she had yet to bring home a friend of her own, but she also knew they'd be disappointed on her behalf should she suddenly find herself alone once more. It was easier to hold off for someone supportive and friendly, someone who listened and indulged her at the appropriate moments. She spent more time with her parents than any child her age, but those were the ones who made their appreciation known.

Social cues were learned via trial and error, but unfortunately she had had no opportunity to learn the correct way to converse with others. Instead she threw herself whole-heartedly into everything giving more of herself than she really ought to. It was important she made friends here. She couldn't go another 11 years with her mum and dad the only people who wanted to spend any time with her. School lasted seven years, and she fully intended on finding someone who would make her time here bearable, and perhaps even fun. Someone who would explore and adventure with her. Someone who didn't chide or mock her at every turn simply because she wore second hand robes and her family weren't the most affluent. It didn't seem to be asking too much. If dieties did exist, hopefully they were listening to her fervent prayers each night before bed and would deliver her a friend in human format. Someone she could write home about and allay some of those concerns.

Yet as he took in her offer, she could sense he was slipping away. She had never found it easy when others declined things, but to be rejected by someone she barely knew was a pain she felt more acutely than any of the others. There had been some promise, however small, with Neil. Some potential for a future friendship to be nurtured and develop in time. "He can come too!" Liv suggested, nodding as if compounding her statement. "The more the merrier. I live in London, but if that's too far you can always get a port! Or just appear." Her knowledge of wizarding terminology was limited but that sounded almost correct. "Invite whoever you want. Christmas is about sharing and being with family and friends! That, and a turkey dinner. I'm not a fan of brussell sprouts though! Those things should be illegal. My parents will subject you all to the Queen's Speech though - it's a thing muggles insist on watching on Christmas Day!" Now she had extended an invitation to..pretty much whoever Neil wanted to spend the day with, perhaps she had salvaged things after all. She didn't know why it mattered so much that he didn't pull away from her, considering that was all she knew; he hadn't immediately dismissed her the way so many others had which endeared him to her. She needed him to be her friend at this point.