Passing The Time pv: Max Kenneally Vidler

Interacting with: @Max Kenneally Vidler
Wc: 482

At his mention of the technical differences between playing dirty and cheating, she pondered it for a second before realizing that in a way, he was right, she just didn't want to admit it. If everyone's on the same page, nobody's really getting hurt, it just raises the stakes a little. Not wanting to concede to his stance, she maintained the indignant demeanor as she shook her head. The change of topic towards houses was a better one, though she didn't like the insinuation she'd be in Hufflepuff... that was easier to agree with.

"I think everyone should care about fairness. How would anything get done if everything is unfair?" She grins, pulling on the bottom of her shirt as she leaned forward to put her elbows on the table, "not a purely Hufflepuff trait. I think my mother is fair and she was a Slytherin. I don't think my brothers are, but that's because they're brothers, not because they're Slytherin... Do you have siblings? I don't remember asking that". She furrows her brows to try to recall any mention or insinuation of having siblings. She'd talked a whole load about her siblings, but she couldn't immediately recall him doing so.

They both got to work on the surplus of sandwiches between them with Max very fortunately taking the roast beef that she disliked while Concetta took a minute to decide between the fish paste and Max's ham before ultimately deciding on the ham. It was a day of new things after all, and it would be against the spirit of the day to not try the ham first. As her teeth sunk into the bread and masticated the ham, she leaned back to decide what to make of it. It was a palatable amount of salty and a little sweet in a savory way. She shrugged in acceptance of it. "Tell your mum... the ham was the best I've ever had", she says before chuckling at the irony of the statement. Everything was the best you'd ever had when you've never had it.

As Max answered her question, she leaned back and deeply rolled her eyes. What an obvious answer to an obvious question! It's as if she'd forgotten why they're even on this train in the first place, they're wizards! "Yes... yes, magic", she groans, slightly embarrassed that she asked before thinking about it hard enough to come to that conclusion herself. "I don't think too much about it, I guess. I don't go in the kitchen too much. My mum says we'll eat when she makes a meal, and if you're hungry, you wait... Though I do love muggle technology. It's so... fascinating how people get on without magic. That's why we have a refrigerator. They make this weird hum all the time, it's freaky! I suppose I've gotten too used to it." She tries to chuckle off the embarrassment of the previous assumption. "Your parents are good wizards!"

Banner by Julia Evans

Interacting with:———@Concetta Poisonwood
Dialogue:———————#770B08
Date:—————————01.09.25
Date:—————————Lunchtime
Words:————————317

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He happily let the sports debate rest as they moved on to house traits and family. Nodding in agreement with her statement. It made a lot of sense said like that. «Then it’s weird that it is listed as a house trait!» He declared before nodding again. «I have a twin sister, but you won’t find us being fair to each other either» He added with a bit of a chuckle. They were more often friends than not, but someone almighty help Max if he ever treated Drew unfairly. Which he often did, and she did in return.

Pondering a moment he warily added «With older brothers, was it lonely when they left? For school I mean. Of course you had friends and stuff, but did the house feel empty?» That was his biggest fear leaving for Hogwarts, that his sister would be lonely. Just the thought that he wouldn’t see her at the end of the day to tell her all he had experienced and learned had his stomach tightening with a combination of dread and nerves.

The roast beef was pure heaven. Taking big bites the sandwich was gone before he knew it. Leaning back a bit he patted his stomach. «That is the best thing I have had in like… forever!» He declared. He needed a breather before attacking the next one. His grin widened at Concettas compliment. «She’ll be glad to hear it.» He gestured at the sandwiches between them. »She always loves it when we brag about her food!»

After declaring the thing about magic, he grabbed a new sandwich as he listened. Nodding eagerly he sped up his chewing to respond. «I don’t really go in the kitchen much either, it usually ends in disaster» He got a little red at that, but powered through. «Hum? Like singing? That is funny!»

Interacting with: @Max Kenneally Vidler
WC: 426
OOC: Thanks for being so patient with me, I've been busy

"You have a twin sister? How come you're not with her then? Where is she?" Concetta asked, leaning her elbows on the table in a way that definitely would have gotten her scolded at home for lack of manners. She'd known a few sets of twins in her lifetime, but weirdly enough, she'd never known just one twin. It was always both, so it was never something she had to find out later. Focusing on the intent of his statement instead of harping on the twin thing, she replied, "yeah, I mean I'm not too fair to my brothers either. I share enough with them already. Like parents and a house... but you guys share a birthday. I wouldn't wanna share anything else either".

The question about her brothers and the loneliness in their absence made her think for a second. It was complicated because on one hand, it was great to have some quiet, but it also made her realize how much she'd previously taken their company and presence for granted. "A little..." she starts contemplatively, trying to think back to when she was much younger and not just one, but both brothers were gone to Hogwarts for the first time. "I felt left behind a little. It gets annoying when they're always so loud, but I also missed being able to sit in their room and gossip. I would never tell them that, of course", she chuckles. That was a huge upside weather she wanted to admit it or not—She could actually see her siblings more often than in the summer and holidays.

Concetta wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she finished off half of her sandwich in one big bite since there just wasn't enough to ration out two separate ones. She nodded at his praise of the roast beef as she worked on chewing up the large lump of bread and meat before swallowing it in a painful gulp. "Your mum cooks a lot, then? I think my daddy's a better cook than my mum, honestly, but she does most of the cooking in our house because she doesn't have a job", she says as she picks up her water to wash down the sandwich, her voice reverberating through the metal walls before she takes a few generous gulps.

At the topic of the refrigerator's hum, she laughed. "A bad singing. Like if saw a choir and everyone sung the same exact range. If I could learn a charm to make it actually sing, that would be funny".

Banner by Julia Evans

Interacting with:———@Concetta Poisonwood
Dialogue:———————#770B08
Date:—————————01.09.25
Date:—————————Afternoon?
Words:————————439
No worries

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Max leaned a bit back in his seat as he was asked about Drew. He could feel the guilt for leaving building up. «Uhm, yeah…» He dragged on the words a little. He knew why the situation was as it was, but how to make someone else see it without thinking him a horrible person? «Her name is Drew. Actually, I think it’s Charlotte or something? But we only ever call her Drew. My Da says it’s because she’s as sharp as a screwdriver!»

He cut off the ramble before he could continue. She asked why Drew wasn’t there, and nor for a lesson on family names. «Anyway…» He hesitantly picked it up again. «She wasn’t invited I guess? You know how when you’re angry or scared or something, magic just suddenly happens? That really doesn’t happen to her…» He shrugged a bit. He didn’t really have the language to explain it properly. The concept of being a squib could be difficult enough. It was definitely hard to explain without the term.

He looked closely at Concetta for her reaction. His mum had made sure to tell him that not everyone in the wizarding world saw people like his twin as equal. Someone have mercy on the person willing to show it! Because Max would certainly not have any.

He listened as the conversation turned to missing siblings as he brought it up. He missed Drew already. «Did you write each other?» He questioned her. «Did it make you miss them less? Or feel less left behind? I promised I would write, and I will. But I think getting letters from home will be hard enough, you know?»

The topic turned to the minor feast spread in front of them. «Lots!» He confirmed between bites. «My Da doesn’t cook as much, but he has more work too, like yours» Max explained as best he could. His mums work was more seasonal, so the home always smelled of something delicious cooking.

He didn’t really get what was so funny about muggle technology singing, as she all but confirmed that it did. Nevertheless he put on a chuckle to cover the confusion. «Yeah, that would be funny!» He agreed a bit too enthusiastically. The mere idea sounded exhausting to him. Then he furrowed his brow. «But since you live in a house, do your folks cook in the garden? We usually prep in the tent, then cook over the campfire» He explained. His parents insisted it was the best way to keep things and food clean. Not as many bugs found their way into the stew if it was prepped indoors.

Interacting with: @Max Kenneally Vidler
WC: 876

Unaware of the situation behind Max and his sister, Concetta tapped the backs of her shoes against the wood of the seat under the table, allowing him to talk. His hesitation didn't particularly stand out to Concetta as her being invasive or prying. Talking about family was pretty standard early on in small talk, and they were past small talk anyways. Although she had just met Max that morning, they'd shared a game of cards together, so in her mind, it felt appropriate and she awaited his explanation.

Learning Max's sister's name, she nodded and filed that away for later just so if he ever mentioned her again, there'd be no issues in recalling. Charlotte was a pretty name. Drew was easier to remember though, and it seemed to be what she preferred to be called. "That's clever of your dad! Does he give you nicknames as well? My dad doesn't even call me by my name at all!" She commented, also thinking back to the clever nicknames her own dad would give, but she quickly pushed that thought away to not start with being homesick just a few hours after leaving.

Concetta listened to Max speak about Drew, slightly raising her eyebrows in surprise. She knew squibs exist, of course, it just seemed like a distant problem. Squibs were very rare, and most families didn't even have one. By proxy of that fact, she didn't personally know any and frankly didn't want to. She couldn't organically produce any reasons why, but it was what she was raised to believe, so she uncomfortably looked to her hands, then out the window at the passing Midlands landscape. It wasn't something she wanted to delve too deep into, despite the curiosity about if 'less magically inclined' people like how her mother and father spoke of them. "That's very rare," she said, attempting to keep a neutral stance on the matter. "My great uncle is... the same way, I think. He's an anthropologist at the University of Birmingham," she followed up. No matter how she felt, that's still his sister, and it took a different kind of person to insult someone's own family to their face. She just hoped she didn't look too uncomfortable with the conversation. It's never been a conversation she'd had to have with someone.

The conversation shifted just enough to alleviate some of the guilty feelings she had around her prejudice, which was enough to make her let out a little of the breath she was holding. He asked about her brothers, which made her have to think for a moment before responding: "They write me sometimes. It feels like they went to Hogwarts and grew up and I stayed little, so we have nothing to talk about now. Unless something huge happens, I won't write them and they won't write me... Good thing is, your sister can't outgrow you; you're twins," she chuckles, rerunning what she said in her head before listening to what he said. "Does your family have an owl to send letters? I think they have some at Hogwarts you can use. I like owls aside from their jobs with mail. I think the muggle postage system is also very fun. It's almost better than an owl. Too bad that's not an option", she sighs after her slight tangent. "I'm sure they'll find a way since they love you!" She assures, nodding her head and following the progressing of topics.

They continued to eat and talk between chews, sometimes leaving a pause to finish bites. The only downside of sandwiches was the bread getting resistant against the hard palate of your mouth and having to scrape your tongue across to free it. She nodded at the confirmation that his mom did most of the cooking, sparking another question. "What's your dad do for work then? Is it why you guys live outdoors so you can come with him, or is it unrelated and just a uhh... family custom? My dad's dad was a traveler, I think."

The question about cooking made her slightly chuckle, not at the root of the question, but the relevancy of it. "Rarely... but we all had to help my dad put a grill together this summer, and it was very backwards because it was a cheap grill, but we did still cook with it. We make brisket and smoked salmon on the grill sometimes when I ask. I hate eating meat, so my mum will make it for me if I ask nicely", she nodded. "I'm afraid of the coals, so I don't wanna help with the grill or fire. Then I'm also gonna smell like coal and wood and smoked meats!" She furrows her brows. Just the prospect of the situation was aggravating. The smoke gets in your face, eyes, clothes. Freeing for some, but terrible for others. Her reaction made it seem a lot bigger of an issue than it is, though. "Does your mom let you and Drew help cook too? If so, she'll be a chef when you get home", she jokes. The apprehension still lingered in the back of her mind, and she was unsure if it was out of fear of upsetting Max, or the realization of the unfairness in her beliefs.

Banner by Julia Evans

Interacting with:	@Concetta Poisonwood
Date:	1st of September, 2025
Date:—————————	Afternoon?
Words:	966

I am so sorry for how long this took! Will try to respond in a more timely manner next time =)

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Nicknames were something ofits own world. He nodded eagerly before pondering her question a bit. Max was his nickname, he did know that. But his full name was so long it was a pain just trying to remember. «Well, Max sort of is my nickname, you know?» He hesitated a bit before shrugging and telling the rest with a bit of a laugh. «My actual name is so long nobody ever uses it. I’m not even sure I can remember it! Maximillian or something even longer.» He waved the last part off as he spoke. «What does your dad call you then? Concetta isn’t really the easiest thing to shorten» He laughed a bit. «Cetta» didn’t really seem to suit her, at least to his impression so far.

Prejudice was far too common, he knew that from being told so often enough. Only problem was he didn’t really know how to recognize it. He got that it wasn’t the sort of thing people admitted like it was nothing. But only bad people thought less of others. That was how things were in his opinion at least. And bad people couldn’t just look like everyone either. How else were others supposed to know they were bad? No, there had to be something about their appearance. Maybe they grew a long nose when lying, like the wooden toy from the story his father so often told. Having not really had the time to consider this before now, he decided that this must be how it is. So as he finished talking, he kept a close eye on Concettas face, looking for the smallest hint of it changing.

He agreed without twitching. Everyone was special, and therefore rare, in their own way. He already knew that about Drew. The great uncle did get his interest though. «So he did alright for himself? As far as you know at least?» The fancy job title didn’t tell him much, if that was even what it was. He hoped it was a good one though, for Drew’s sake.

The guilt over leaving her behind was still sitting low in his stomach, urging the option of calling it all quits and return home before dark. So he had asked about writing letters. It was a given that not all families worked the same as his, at least from how Concetta described hers. «Yeah, I guess she can’t do that…» He thought it over anyways. He hadn’t even thought about that. Not only could Drew outgrown him, but he could outgrow her. But he tried to let himself assure by her statement nonetheless.

«Yeah we have an owl!» He gestured a bit as he spoke. «Mum usually needs it for work though, so she isn’t around much.» He shrugged a bit. As much as he would have wanted it to be around more to play with, he didn’t really mind. There were always other animals that could be found in the many forests they stayed in. «Yeah, Da told me as much. He said there were plenty too! And as funny as the muggle post system sounds, he says it takes dreadfully long He put on a bit of a deeper voice to imitate on the last words, before smirking slightly. «I don’t really get why they chose to handle it by hand instead of just sending owls, but I guess it’s their business.»

The sandwiches were great. Granted, it had been a few hours since he last ate, but he felt as if he could eat an entire horse and leave no crumbs. His new friend certainly had better table manners than he did, but he didn’t really notice. He swallowed as much as he could, before talking through the rest. «My Da makes potions!» He declared proudly. Not that he knew if he was any good at it, but judging by the amount of time he spent in his workshop he should be. «So it isn’t really related, but we do harvest a lot of ingredients from around where we are staying. We have even managed to find some rare ones once in a while!» Max wasn’t let anywhere near the actual brewing, but harvesting he knew well. «I don’t really know why we live as we do, I guess it’s just… normal?» He shrugged a bit before lighting up. «But your dad traveled? Where? For how long? I bet he has so many stories to tell!» The questions blurted out as he imagined the tales that could come from that type of profession.

He had only known how he and his family lived. Sure, he talked to other kids. But they usually just ended up laughing and pulling away when he asked things like «Aren’t you scared the roof will collapse while you sleep?». But thankfully his new friend seemed to be different. He listened intently as she spoke. On the comment of smelling like wood and smoke he got a bit confused. That smell could stick to people? He tried to inconspicuously smell his shoulder just to be on the safe side. He couldn’t smell anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it just happened to people that didn’t do it often? What Max failed to pick up was still there though. Not strongly, but a faint smell of burned wood.

»Yeah, she usually does» He nodded. There was no reason to share that he had been banned from stepping even close to food being cooked. Sharing that he got to cut up vegetables just didn’t sound cool. «Drew is way better than me though, so maybe you’re right!» He laughed. His sister was truly a master at it. Probably because her attention didn’t jump around like a toddler on a sugar high. «How about you, do you get to help?»

Interacting with: @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler
WC: 1.07k

Congrats on prefect! Tysm for being so patient with my slow responses

As he relayed that Max was his nickname, she tilted her head a little in intrigue. It made sense; Max was a name akin to Sam. It could be standalone, but oftentimes not. Maximillian was a mouthful, but not hard to remember verbally. In writing would be another situation. "Do you ever misspell your own name on accident?", she asks out of curiosity. She had more than a few run-ins with a misplaced vowel or dropped consonants when writing quickly, and her name wasn't as long. "Max is a predictable nickname. You could be Max-A-Million... or Max-chameleon!" She giggles, putting her chin in her palms, fingers curled in with nails against her cheeks as her elbows stayed on the table to prop her up.

Concetta's light eyes followed Max's hand as he waved it around before focusing on his face as he asked what her dad calls her at home. She cursed herself for a moment. It wasn't the brightest to bring up a topic she knew would embarrass her since they were pretty unorthodox. "Well, a lot of things..." She starts, taking a piece of her black hair between her fingers. Her eyes flick upward to the ceiling at the perfect line separating it from the wall, then out the window to the grassy hills. "Anything my parents call out, I will respond to. Sometimes they come up with random objects to call out, and I know they're talking to me." She explains, rerunning it in her head before adding, "I get sprocket a lot... or puffskein.. or Serpensortia like the spell. None of them ever shorten my name. It feels weird when I get called my name, actually, because I never hear it at home. My brothers just call out 'hey!' usually" ,she chuckles, slightly inclined to open the compartment door to find them. It would be weird for them to be so close and accessible during the school year after so long only seeing them during the summer or during the holidays.

The question about her uncle was innocent but somewhat loaded on her end at least. Doing alright on what standard? She took a deep breath to think, her brows angling down so subtle Max would miss it if he weren't studying her face as the soft crease became a temporary fixture above her nose. Her jaw tensed visibly at the temple and cheek on one side at a time as she swapped them, making sure all her teeth made contact with their respective bottom rows. "I'm not sure", she settles on, still grinding her teeth in thought about how they'd each measure that. Her family didn't think he was well off, but magic wasn't everything to Max's family, it seems. Ignorance was better than lies.

"Bloody mums, taking the owls away", she says, matching his disappointed expression by crossing her arms, but she perked up at the description of the muggle postage system. "Dreadful" was an amusing description as an outsider to the world of muggle postage. As intriguing as it was to her, she had no reason to ever send a letter in the mail, so his dad's description, even if negative, was amusing to her.

The journey was starting to feel long and arduous at this point, so she took a sip of water before denouncing any more food or water. It was the time of day now where she would come home from school, have a snack, then take a small nap. She wasn't tired, but the rhythmic movement and chug of the train was lulling, so she let out a yawn before bringing her feet up on the bench close to her chest. Another glance out the window quelled the childish fear of a dragon before she focused back on Max. Part of what was so interesting about Max was that him and Concetta seemed to have nothing in common but hearing that his father makes potions was a huge something in common. "Mine too! You must get some amazing ingredients out there without having to go to the shop! Does he sell them? My parents have a potion business." She couldn't help the slight boast in her tone as she went on. The polite part of her wanted to tone it down, but the excitement overrode that decision.

"My grandparents on my dad's side... No, my great grandparents on my dad's side were travelers, but they had to stop because of the war in the muggle world. They didn't care for the muggle world or wizarding world over another, they just enjoyed being out there. My dad is Romani, so his family travelled... I guess for cultural reasons. I'm not sure exactly why. We don't go places often except to fairs nowadays", she shrugs, trying to recall if she was effectively retelling the information. "He has tons of stories, but he's old and it takes him forever to get the story out!"

"During the summer, my mum makes us all cook dinner once a week. I do Wednesdays and my brothers do Monday and Thursday and she does Tuesday. I can make... brisket, mashed potatoes, lasagna, vegetables..." she trails off, feeling it tedious to name everything she can cook. If you could make a brisket, it was assumed you can also make basics like eggs, so no need to bore with names of foods. "I can't bake though. I tried to make brownies, and they came out like sand! I'm unsure how. Maybe you can outdo Drew in baking if not cooking? Then you complement her." She nods, before having a sudden thought. She's known 3 pairs of twins now—or more like 2 sets, and Max—and some liked to tell stories of their younger years when they had their own way of communicating that their parents and others couldn't understand. It's intriguing in the same way magic is. Being a single child, she wouldn't have any way to know except to ask. Maybe with Drew's absence, he would answer honestly. "Do twins actually develop their own language, or is that a twin in-joke that people just like to say? My friend's said that they have their own language only they can speak because they're twins"