An Awkward Interruption
"He spun around and found that a girl had entered the room."
4th Year, September 2025
Simon placed the slimy frog on the windowsill and took a few steps back, his wand tightly gripped in his trembling hand. The creature sat perfectly still, except for its throat pulsing rhythmically with every breath. Simon stared the frog in its unblinking eyes, feeling mocked by that mindless expansion and contraction of skin. The frog waited patiently, and the longer Simon hesitated, the more his confidence faltered.
He had been determined not to fall behind in Transfiguration this year. Since he excelled in almost every other subject, it was humiliating to be the worst in the class in this specific discipline. He simply couldn't do it. And it certainly didn't help that Professor Kāne had such an intimidating physical presence. Simon was used to being the tallest boy in his year and more physically developed than his peers. But under Kāne’s observant, predatory eyes, he felt smaller than he ever had.
Simon took a deep breath in (which wasn’t very pleasant, since the air tasted of rust and stagnant sewage) before snapping his wand and commanding: "Vera Verto!"
Nothing happened. What was supposed to turn into a water goblet remained a green, slimy, and ridiculous-looking frog.
"Damn it!" he barked, before trying again.
Still nothing.
He felt a total absence of power in his wand; he was nowhere near performing any magic. It was as if his wand completely disobeyed his intent.
Come on, Simon, he told himself. Focus. Remember the technique. Think about your intent.
He tried to apply every tip he had ever received from classmates, and his previous professor.
"Vera Verto!"
The frog gave a small, pathetic hop. That was all.
For a fleeting second, his rage peaked, and he nearly snapped his wand in half.
"Damn this thing!" he shouted, as much at the frog and his own wand as at the subject of Transfiguration itself. The intensity of his own anger surprised him.
A creaking noise from the door interrupted him. He spun around and found that a girl had entered the room. A Ravenclaw. Since he didn’t recognize her, he assumed she was one of the new ones. She had noticeably large and brown eyes with a gaze so sharp it seemed like it could penetrate and read everything. For how long she had stood there, he did not know. For a moment, he froze, unsure what to say or do, before lowering his wand.
Last edited by Simon Tilia on 1 Apr 2026, 09:32, edited 2 times in total.
An Awkward Interruption
This was... weird.
I had just walked out of Herbology, and even when I used the gloves, some weird liquid I still don't know somehow managed to get to my skin. It wasn't poisonous, nor something I seemed to be allergic to, but still... I hated the texture, the feeling, the smell of any liquid over me.
And thinking of how I hated this texture in general, I took the stairs without looking at where they took me to. And I swore I had ended up in the fourth floor...
But why did the toilets seem so... lonely?
Then I noticed. This was not the fourth floor. This was the second floor.
And these were the Abandoned Toilets the portraits kept talking about.
I was just about to turn around and leave when I heard a voice.
'Vera Verto!'
Oh.
Quietly, I took a look, opening slightly the door.
A ravenclaw. One of the older ones, I deducted. Probably third or fourth year.
He tried the spell again and cursed. He seemed... frustrated.
But that disgusting feeling was still in my hand. And I would not take the risk of taking the stairs, Saints know where they'd leave me.
I took a deep breath, and he turned around, surprised. That's when I saw him well.
The first thing I noticed was his blue eyes. And the dark hair.
You don't see a lot of people like that nowadays.
I had to say something. Act normal, for once in my life.
I bowed my head respectfully, not meeting his gaze again.
"I-I'm sorry." I stuttered out.
Come on, Hendricks. Is this your definition of normal?
Slowly, I walked towards the washbasin, praying to all the Saints I knew there was still water running through it.
But I was aware of his gaze looking at me through the mirror.
Say something or do something, but now. Saints, this couldn't be any worse, right?
But my dam mouth had another plans. It worked before my brain could even process it.
"You're shaking. That's why it doesn't work."
I had just walked out of Herbology, and even when I used the gloves, some weird liquid I still don't know somehow managed to get to my skin. It wasn't poisonous, nor something I seemed to be allergic to, but still... I hated the texture, the feeling, the smell of any liquid over me.
And thinking of how I hated this texture in general, I took the stairs without looking at where they took me to. And I swore I had ended up in the fourth floor...
But why did the toilets seem so... lonely?
Then I noticed. This was not the fourth floor. This was the second floor.
And these were the Abandoned Toilets the portraits kept talking about.
I was just about to turn around and leave when I heard a voice.
'Vera Verto!'
Oh.
Quietly, I took a look, opening slightly the door.
A ravenclaw. One of the older ones, I deducted. Probably third or fourth year.
He tried the spell again and cursed. He seemed... frustrated.
But that disgusting feeling was still in my hand. And I would not take the risk of taking the stairs, Saints know where they'd leave me.
I took a deep breath, and he turned around, surprised. That's when I saw him well.
The first thing I noticed was his blue eyes. And the dark hair.
You don't see a lot of people like that nowadays.
I had to say something. Act normal, for once in my life.
I bowed my head respectfully, not meeting his gaze again.
"I-I'm sorry." I stuttered out.
Come on, Hendricks. Is this your definition of normal?
Slowly, I walked towards the washbasin, praying to all the Saints I knew there was still water running through it.
But I was aware of his gaze looking at me through the mirror.
Say something or do something, but now. Saints, this couldn't be any worse, right?
But my dam mouth had another plans. It worked before my brain could even process it.
"You're shaking. That's why it doesn't work."
OOC: 343 words.
Mentions: @Simon Tilia
Mentions: @Simon Tilia
An Awkward Interruption
Interacting with @Mikaela Hendricks
Godmodding Mikaela with consent"I-I'm sorry," the girl stuttered in a low voice that barely echoed, a stark contrast to his own swearing that still seemed to linger in the room between them.
"No, it's okay." He still didn't know what to say. Should he explain himself and what he was doing? The most embarrassing part wasn't his incapability of transfiguring a frog, nor the fact that he was doing it in an abandoned toilet of all places, but rather the fact that someone had seen him lose control. And Simon rarely lost his temper, except on this rare occasion. It didn't at all reflect his average mood and demeanor. Sure, last year had been tough on him, but Simon was coming back strong and healthy this year, feeling happy and renewed. Something this poor little first-year (who almost witnessed him break his wand in half) knew nothing about.
Before he got a chance to continue, the girl wandered off to the sink, avoiding his gaze. It was as though she decided to pretend he wasn't there, perhaps out of courtesy.
Simon realized she was about to turn on the water and was just about to stop her when she spoke again:
"You're shaking. That's why it doesn't work."
She turned on the tap and the calm rippling sound of running water filled the silence. At least, the tap didn't snort out a jet of oozy yellowish water, soaking her robe. Simon closed his mouth. It was weird to receive a tip from someone standing with their back towards him, and even weirder to receive it from a nervous-looking first year who had barely had her first class in Levitation.
"Maybe so," he said, frowning, before clearing his throat. "Actually, I wouldn't do that if I were you. The bathroom is... out of order. No one really uses it, which is kind of why I'm here, just... doing my homework. But those taps can be quite treacherous." His voice was now deeper and more steady, as he pointed towards the sink. "The pressure is very unstable. I'd stay back if I were you, unless you want to end up soaked."
He felt much more comfortable shifting focus from him, taking on the role of mentoring this younger student from his house.
An Awkward Interruption
I shrugged.
"Yeah, I know. The portraits won't shut up about this place and how bad the aqueduct of Hogwarts is."
And, by listening to their conversations, I also found out that it took exactly 57 seconds for the water to start soaking in a weird color. I'd hate that.
But I knew what he was doing. He was trying to avoid the thing, to act almost nonchalant about it. A great acting, I must admit.
And I knew it was awful for an older person that someone younger reminded you of your mistakes. Dad always told me so.
And I knew I should've let it be, I knew he probably wanted some privacy and I was the last person he wanted to see, but...
As always, my mouth had another plans.
"If you hesitate, your wand will notice, and it's not gonna do anything to help you. Show it who's in charge."
I mean, seriously? He had been in here longer than I, and I learned how to take control over my wand since, exactly, day seventeen of class!
Twenty seconds. Thankfully, that weird, disgusting liquid had disappeared entirely from my hand. I turned off the tap before it started doing weird noises, finally looking at him through the mirror.
"Yeah, I know. The portraits won't shut up about this place and how bad the aqueduct of Hogwarts is."
And, by listening to their conversations, I also found out that it took exactly 57 seconds for the water to start soaking in a weird color. I'd hate that.
But I knew what he was doing. He was trying to avoid the thing, to act almost nonchalant about it. A great acting, I must admit.
And I knew it was awful for an older person that someone younger reminded you of your mistakes. Dad always told me so.
And I knew I should've let it be, I knew he probably wanted some privacy and I was the last person he wanted to see, but...
As always, my mouth had another plans.
"If you hesitate, your wand will notice, and it's not gonna do anything to help you. Show it who's in charge."
I mean, seriously? He had been in here longer than I, and I learned how to take control over my wand since, exactly, day seventeen of class!
Twenty seconds. Thankfully, that weird, disgusting liquid had disappeared entirely from my hand. I turned off the tap before it started doing weird noises, finally looking at him through the mirror.
WC: 214 words.
Mentions: @Simon Tilia
Mentions: @Simon Tilia
An Awkward Interruption
Interacting with @Mikaela Hendricks
"If you hesitate, your wand will notice, and it's not gonna do anything to help you. Show it who's in charge."
"Well, thank you for that... advice," he said, as politely as he could, considering whether he should let her know that he knew that perfectly well already, or simply let her believe that her newly gained knowledge was helpful to him – after four years of struggling in the course.
He decided to let it pass, though. After all, Ravenclaws were intellectuals, and it was in their nature to want to solve problems and use their knowledge to help others. This new student was just another proof of that. However, Simon knew that it was not always popular among other students, especially from the other houses, to give unwanted advice. He hoped, for the girl's sake, that she would keep that to a minimum during her first time at Hogwarts. But it was not his place to tell her that. Not here and now, at least.
"You are absolutely right," he added, in a rather encouraging tone. "You must have been paying good attention in Professor Townsend’s classes then."
As the girl seemed to have washed her hands successfully – without any nasty incidents – Simon turned towards the windowsill and realized the frog was now gone. He looked around the room but it was nowhere to be found. Probably for the best. After all, who would want to be caught and held captive in a stinky bathroom only to be turned into a water goblet? With that, he accepted his defeat and decided his homework session was over for now.
An Awkward Interruption
I frowned, tilting my head.
"Actually," I said, turning around to face him, but not meeting his eyes. " I've only had three classes with the Teacher Townsend. And yes, I've put attention. But I also read, a lot."
Would this be a good moment to mention that I read almost half of the books of Hogwarts before the classes started? No, don't be that weird.
I cleared my throat, as I lifted my arm to look at my watch. It was a cheap, brown, little one my mom got to me from Italy in one of her travels, and I had the weird habit to wear it backwards, with the clock in my pulse point. It was easier for me that way.
"Anyway, I have class in thirty minutes. You should really focus on your shaking hand. Just don't shake it. It will all be easier that way."
Finally, I looked at him in the eyes. They were weirdly, extremely blue. The kind of blue that would make anyone feel weird in its presence.
"It shakes because you lack confidence. Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. You'll save yourself a lot of problems that way. The spells, to begin with."
"Actually," I said, turning around to face him, but not meeting his eyes. " I've only had three classes with the Teacher Townsend. And yes, I've put attention. But I also read, a lot."
Would this be a good moment to mention that I read almost half of the books of Hogwarts before the classes started? No, don't be that weird.
I cleared my throat, as I lifted my arm to look at my watch. It was a cheap, brown, little one my mom got to me from Italy in one of her travels, and I had the weird habit to wear it backwards, with the clock in my pulse point. It was easier for me that way.
"Anyway, I have class in thirty minutes. You should really focus on your shaking hand. Just don't shake it. It will all be easier that way."
Finally, I looked at him in the eyes. They were weirdly, extremely blue. The kind of blue that would make anyone feel weird in its presence.
"It shakes because you lack confidence. Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. You'll save yourself a lot of problems that way. The spells, to begin with."
Wc: 207 words.
Mentions: @Simon Tilia
Mentions: @Simon Tilia
An Awkward Interruption
Interacting with @Mikaela Hendricks
Note: For any animal lovers, rumor has it that the frog made its way back to the grounds, and is safe and sound."Actually, I've only had three classes with the Teacher Townsend. And yes, I've put attention. But I also read, a lot," she said, still refusing to look at him.
He could tell she was a bit odd. Apparently, it was very important to her to demonstrate her intellect and present a tidy, composed impression.
“That’s good,” he said, figuring he did best with a diplomatic response, even though he suspected the girl could probably do with getting out more.
As she went on, insisting on lecturing him on the fundaments of spell-casting, Simon became so overwhelmed he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. This girl didn’t mess around. Clearly, she must view Simon as a complete failure of a wizard.
On the one hand, it bothered him that she’d got the wrong impression of him – mainly because his struggle in Transfiguration wasn’t representative of his hard‑working nature, or his accomplishments for that matter – but on the other hand, asserting himself to a first‑year felt like a desperate move. He certainly didn't need her admiration or approval. Not that he had anything against first‑years. To him, they were a merry lot whose curious, nervous energy reminded him of his own first term at Hogwarts, which didn’t seem all that long ago, now that he thought of it.
She finally looked him in the eye, a move that seemed to have taken a great deal of effort.
“Will do,” was all he could say, while nodding and trying his best to look serious. “Anyway, I shouldn’t take any more of your time. Good luck in your class. I’ll head back to mine. See you around.” He left the bathroom, and went right in the corridor.
As they went their separate ways, Simon shook his head and smiled. Well, that was an odd and unexpected meeting, he thought to himself. But rather than annoy him, it left him oddly disarmed, and for reasons he couldn’t quite put his finger on, he felt a little lighter than before, realizing his frustration over frogs and Transfiguration spells had completely worn off.
