ERRAND Starborn Wonders mass thread The Lyrids Meteor Shower

As deeply woven into the nightsky as she was, it was only sensible to find Elena eagerly awaiting the opportunity to witness a rare event, occuring once every half-century. Once the thought of sharing her excitement with other kindred spirits had settled into her mind, she had gone straight to Kitty, carrying a pile of crumbling parchments and a carefully laid-out idea. A few weeks later, a rather odd assortiment composed of Helen, Taros, Kitty and herself were gathering students in the Great Hall. Though doing her very best to appear composed and serene, the small prefect was overjoyed, spending great amounts of energy into preventing herself from hopping everywhere.

During the ride, Elena could be seen quietly walking alongside the group, remaining close to Kitty, attentive to Taros' occasional comments and explanations. She would greet the ones she knew, help those who asked, offer water and eventual snacks to the most desperate, and answer whatever question aimed at her regarding where they were heading, or what they were about to see tonight. Upon reaching the platter, she would be ready to assist anyone having trouble with setting their tent correctly, whether wizarding or muggle ones.

Once night time had fallen, and the bonfires had been lit, she would pick one and settle beside it, inviting any curious soul to join her. At the foot of a roaring fire would be scattered countless books about astronomy, free to be picked by anyone. After diverse greetings, offering snacks to roast and exchanging casual conversation, she would turn more serious, a passionate spark igniting her eyes as she would pivote to face the sky slowly covering itself in ink-black hues.

"So! The meteor shower we are about to witness tonight is called the Lyrid Meteor Shower, occuring once every sixty years. Most meteor showers are caused by debris from a passing comet, in our case the Comet Thatcher, discovered in 1861 by A. Thatcher. The Lyrids have been observed for more than 2600 years, making them the oldest meteor shower ever recorded continuously throughout history! The outbursts — what we are about to see tonight — happen because of the planets’ reshaping of the long trail of comet debris left behind by Comet Thatcher in its long orbit. The debris is what intercepts Earth’s orbit yearly to create the meteor shower. Tonight, we might see 10 to 15 Lyrids per hour. The Lyrids are known for common surges that can sometimes bring rates up to 100 per hour!"

If asked about the mechanics of shooting stars and meteor showers, she would nod, open one of the many books laying at her feet, and show various illustrations. "Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When comets come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them. Every year Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky. Astronomers first spotted the comet in 1851, around the time of its last perihelion (closest point to the sun). It takes roughly 415 years to go around the sun once. Comet Thatcher is now far away, reaching its farthest point from the sun around 2070, and begins its return trip to reach its next perihelion around 2283."

If someone were to ask about where they would spurge in the sky, she would point at a precise location in the sky, between two constellations, while explaining. "What you mean is called their radiant – the point in the sky from which the Lyrids appear to come – is near the constellation Lyra, the harp. Lyrids appear to radiate from the area near the star Vega, the brightest star in this constellation. Helpful Hint: Vega is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and is easy to spot in even light-polluted areas. The constellation of Lyra is also where we get the name for the shower: Lyrids."

If any other questions were to be asked about tonight's event or astronomy in general, she would eagerly answer them, or look for the answers within the books at her feet. She would also train whoever would ask to spot the various constellations, stars or locations of planets regarding to where they stand. At midnight, Elena would extinguish her bonfire, and the whole group would be invited to lay comfortably, and gaze at the sky, waiting for the stars to crumble from the sky.

This post is meant to give more informations regarding the errand from Elena's point of view, as well as to give anyone who would like to interact with her some material to work with. Feel free to interact with her!! You can mention her saying / doing anything written in the post just above. You can either tag me or not, as you see fit. I will probably hop in to reply to those interaction, but you can also do your own thing! However, please do not directly make her say or do anything that I haven't written! Ie., if your character has a question, you can say she answered it, but do not specifically invent her answer. If you have any questions, feel free to owl me. Have fun everyone !!

PART I – THE TALE ౨ৎ
𝒜 story always has a beginning, and for the tale of Helen Aletheia Doukas, that was Hellas, the land where modern-day constellations had been conceived. Born innocent and loved, the part-veela had been raised under the stars. As a newborn, she would be carried outside in her mother’s arms, the galaxy embracing her presence. As Helen grew older, she would look at the stars every night, and it was held to great importance that she was taught the constellations and the myths behind them. Every night, one chapter, one new word added to her dictionary, her blue eyes gazing up with wonder. Astronomy had always been a big part of her youth, and it had taught her so much, and was one of the things that grounded her later on.

Life had been perfect in Greece, but as they say, perfection never lasts. Not long after her first instance of magic, her childhood split into two separate chapters. As the first had been Greece, the second was England. Helen’s signs of magic had led to her elders deeming her impure from their veela bloodline, and her being lodged with a nanny in London. When moving to England and leaving that chapter of her life behind, she never lost that part of her soul, however. As much as she was broken, the constellations were one of the things that held her together, giving her the feeling that at least someone could understand, human or not. After all, Helen wasn’t fully human either, being the part-veela that she was. The child would go to South Downs National Park and Hampstead Heath, among other such parks, to lie down upon the damp grass and watch the night sky often, and once a month she would even be brought to the Royal Observatory. This was – and would always remain – a connection to her past, present and future that connected her with each chapter shed or awaiting its release, and her inner self.

Then came Hogwarts. As she settled into a new home once more, home to those that her parents had deemed impure: wizards and witches, just like her, that ritual did not come to an end. From the very beginning, Astronomy had always been one of her favorite subjects, the branch of science that studies celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole. It became a way for her to gain peace during the constant gossip – both by her and about her – and chaos of school life, clearing her mind and halting reality just for a moment. It was almost like meditation, the way she spoke to the stars as if they were her closest friends, a diary she could pour her heart out to.
Home.

Even after graduation, when it would seem like the buzz of everyday life and new endeavours would sweep away all previous habits such as this one, she didn't give in to the seemingly endless rush of work and travelling and all. On the contrary, at night she would always spend at least five minutes looking up at the stars, naming the constellations and reciting stories to herself, like a young girl who had committed a picturebook to memory. Occasionally she would fall asleep under the moon's calming gaze, searching for answers on how to stabilize her life at last, until she finally found the answer: Hogwarts.

After being appointed Hogwarts Librarian, Helen continued to pursue her passion for stargazing and astronomy through books and occasional visits to the astronomy tower; the part-veela had never lost interest in the subject, and it tied all of the different chapters together into one story woven through constellations and their stories. From the beginning to the end, the stars had stayed with her, a loyal companion, forever and always.
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PART II – THE ERRAND ౨ৎ
𝒲hen Elena had asked her whether she was interested to join her on a field trip to watch the Lyrid Meteor Shower with interested individuals, Helen naturally agreed and was glad to come. She had been planning on watching it herself on her own time before receiving the young bird’s invitation, but hadn’t thought of the prospect of so many students being interested, until the idea was passed on to her. When Helen herself had been a student, she had cherished Astronomy deeply, and had watched the Lyrid Meteor Shower every year since her birth, either with others or on her own. She took pride in the fact that she had never skipped it, not even once, and the prospect of sharing that tradition with young souls was an exciting prospect.

The event would be organized with three others: Elena Clark, Kitty Townsend, and Taros Quintero. Elena, one of Ravenclaw’s current prefects, had come up with the initial idea for the event, being the moonchild that she was. The second year had then asked three staff members to come as well. One of these was Kitty, professor of charms and close friend of Helen. It was nice to know a friendly face between all of the attendees. The other was Taros, the current groundskeeper, who had been staff for almost exactly a month longer than Helen had.

To prepare, the part-veela had donned a black blouse for the occasion, with a spring jacket and blue wide jeans. She had styled her nails as well, a pretty pattern with stars done specially to match the purpose of the excursion. Finally it was time to go, and with her bags packed for the night and everything being prepared and in order, Helen met the crowd of attending students and Elena, Kitty and Taros in the Great Hall. Everyone was quickly rallied together and before long, the castle was but a shadow behind them, the night's adventure awaiting ahead.

𝒪nce arrived, Helen listened as Elena gave her speech, commending her for remembering everything she wanted to say with ease, as if Astronomy was a fluent language to her. Once the prefect had finished speaking, Helen would sit down at her own campfire and say her piece, more from the soul than from the mind, but that didn't mean she hadn't practiced it at least once or twice before directing it to the students themselves.

“Hello everyone, thank you for coming with us all this way! Tonight we will be watching the Lyrid Meteor Shower, as Elena said. I’ve personally watched it every year for my entire life, and am very excited to share the experience with you all. Hopefully you will all enjoy it as much as I always have!
Understanding the science behind what we will be seeing tonight is very important of course, but what I will be sharing tonight, are the mythological stories behind the constellations and stars to be seen from our location, among many others. Feel free to join me around the fire, and happy stargazing!”

With that, Helen gestured for those interested to sit down, unpacking her books with illustrations of the stories she would be telling the attendees tonight. At the end of the day though, the point was to watch the stars, not the images in books that had been read over and over again by a certain part-veela for 27 years as of January first. The story she would begin with was the Lyre of Orpheus.

“Once upon a time, an Olympian by the name of Hermes was born. He had created a magical instrument from a tortoise shell as a young child and gifted it to Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. Later on, this instrument called the Lyre was passed down to the legendary musician Orpheus, whose music charmed both living creatures and inanimate objects…”

This post is split into two parts, part one being the tale of Helen's background regarding her connection to astronomy, and the second meant to give more information regarding the errand itself from Helen's point of view, as well as to give anyone who would like to interact with her some material to work with. Feel free to interact with her! You can mention her saying / doing anything written in the post just above. If you'd like to interact with me, please tag me in your post so that I know to include you in my reply, but this is not necessary if you're merely mentioning any of the above statements for rp purposes and don't wish to be included in my replying post. I will probably hop in to reply to those interactions, but you can also do your own thing! However, please do not directly make her say or do anything that I haven't written. Ie., if your character has a question, you can say she answered it, but do not specifically invent her answer. Furthermore, Helen will continue to tell the story of the Lyre of Orpheus, among others, but as it hasn't all been written out in the above post, please don't invent her words. You can, however, state that she continued to tell the story. If you have any questions, feel free to owl me. Have fun and happy stargazing!!

When Elena came to Kitty with the plan — a carefully organised bundle of parchments, detailing a lovely field trip out on the Hogwarts grounds — Kitty had trouble conceptualizing why anyone would ever say no. An opportunity like this, the lyrids, with such high visibility in such a lovely place; that did not come everyday. Astronomy had never been Kitty’s forte when she was a student, the subject far too academic and hands-off for someone who enjoyed the boots-on-the-ground aspect of any work she did… but what could be more boots-on-the-ground than chaperoning a camping trip out to see the stars?

Besides, she had faith in the young miss Clark and any project the girl brought to her. That faith was fully justified, too: the sign-ups were posted in a timely manner, and Elena was quick to assemble the rest of the people involved, ensuring plenty supervision for a bunch of kids spending the night outside. Kitty was happy to see both an unfamiliar and familiar face among the faculty about to take the kids out camping: the first, of course being Taros, the groundskeeper. Kitty had yet to make his acquaintance, but was incredibly happy to get the chance to finally do so now. The second, of course, being Helen. The castle’s librarian was a friend Kitty had made quickly after her arrival at Hogwarts and was more than grateful to have with her, confident that Helen would be the perfect addition to the trip, with stories to tell and myths to share.

With all the kids who had signed up corralled into the great hall and counted, it was time to begin their journey through the picturesque views that the Hogwarts grounds had to offer. Taros provided information and insight into the views; Kitty was half-listening and half-making sure she could see all the students, walking further towards the back to keep an eye out for anyone lagging behind. If anyone spoke to her, she would respond with her usual gentle tone and bright smile.

Soon, they had reached their designated spot, the sun moving to hide between the horizon, painting the sky in purples and oranges. The terrain they had ended up choosing for the campground was beautiful — a flat that sat a little bit above the rest of the mountains, with good visibility and plenty of space to lay out both magical and muggle tents. It was the kind of area that made Kitty question why she hadn’t come out to the grounds more in her few months of tenure at the castle, really.

While the students went to pick out their tents, Kitty made sure to assist anyone nearby who needed it; she had set up plenty of both muggle and wizarding tents in her twenty five years, and liked to think she was pretty good at it. The April weather was perfect, remaining warm even as evening turned to night, and allowing Kitty to enjoy the time spent helping the kids pitch their tents.

After the sun went down fully, and the sky turned completely dark, Kitty did not take a seat at any specific bonfire like her colleagues did. Instead, she meandered between each of the three: laughing, cracking jokes, and maintaining a lovely atmosphere. If anyone needed anything, they were free to ask, and she would do her best to try and help out, though for now, things remained calm. Once the casual conversations tapered off, and everyone began to speak on their topics, Kitty turned quieter than she usually was. Instead of continuing to banter with both the students and her colleagues, she was now doing her best not to interrupt any of the facts being relayed or any of the stories being told — just making sure everyone was having a pleasant (and safe!) time.

“Everyone doing alright?” Kitty would hum slightly every so often, moving from bonfire to bonfire and ducking her head to glance at the students gathered there. She would help with keeping up the bonfire flames as needed, or answer any of the more general questions or requests for help that the students might have had; and when her assistance was not needed anywhere, she could be found sitting down for a few moments to listen to Elena or her colleagues speak, and even sneak a marshmallow or piece of fruit.

This post is meant to give more informations regarding the errand from Kitty's point of view, as well as to give anyone who would like to interact with her some material to work with.

You can mention Kitty saying / doing anything written in the post just above, such as chatting with students, checking in on bonfires, and sometimes sitting down for a snack. You're also welcome to interact with Kitty, as well, and I don't mind being mentioned in posts. If you want me to reply to yours interactions in a post, please owl me so that I don't miss it; I will try my best to reply, but I will be communicating as my activity fluctuates.

Please do not directly make Kitty say or do anything that I haven't written! You are free to say she is generally watching over the bonfires, cracking jokes, or even sneaking some snacks from the pile, but do not invent any dialogue or more specific actions for her. If you have any questions or something you would like to run by me, feel free to send over an owl!

Have fun, and happy writing! We hope you love the Lyrids.

Taros loved the natural world, and it never ceased to impress him time and time again. Astronomical phenomena in particular had a way of making the world feel so magical, even without wizardkind playing an active role in that. He followed those things closely, enjoying observing them. So, when he heard that a certain Ravenclaw prefect wanted to plan an event around the Lyrid meteor shower, Taros eagerly offered to help before he was even asked. It was a lovely idea, in his opinion, and he was very excited for it. He wanted to make sure that everything went as smoothly as possible, and lent a hand with anything he could. Naturally, being the Groundskeeper at Hogwarts, the outdoors was also his domain. If children were going to be out here overnight, it was best for him to be there to make sure that they would all be safe.

The early evening of the 22nd was a fairly cool one. Taros arrived at the meeting spot of the Great Hall ahead of time, dark eyes shining brightly as the group began their journey. “Welcome, everyone! For those of you who don’t know me yet, my name is Taros Quintero, and I’m your Groundskeeper. The four of us are so glad that you decided to join us on this little adventure. We’ve prepared some relaxing activities for you later, but first we need to get to the campsite! In the meantime, I’ll tell you a bit about the area we’re walking through and the creatures that dwell on this same land. Who knows, maybe we’ll even see a few!”

The information Taros was giving would be broken up over the course of the walk, explaining more about whatever was most relevant as they passed through different areas, raising his voice to make sure he could be heard by all who wished to listen. He talked about the different plants and the history of the land, as well as non-magical animals such as deer, foxes, red squirrels, mountain hares, and many types of birds. He also discussed some of the magical creatures that lived in the Great Lake, Forbidden Forest, or could generally be found in the region of the British Isles more broadly. This included Augureys, kelpies, the Giant Squid, merpeople, Grindylows, Dugbogs, Bowtruckles, Acromantulas, Thestrals, Hippogriffs, and unicorns, among other things.

He would additionally offer encouragement to anyone who lagged behind or seemed tired, having small conversations with anyone who chose to engage with him — whether they were asking more about something that he had said or talking about anything else. Smiles were given out without hesitation, and he spoke warmly, showing genuine interest in anything that the students had to say and giving them his full attention for the duration of their conversation.

Once they arrived at the area that Taros, along with the other organisers, had set up earlier, he grinned. “And this is where we reach our destination! You may choose a tent to sleep in tonight — we have plenty of wizarding ones with extra room and comfort, or we have unenchanted ones for those of you who would like a bit more of a challenge and a chance to connect more deeply with the earth. We have some treats you can eat, and you can join us at our individual bonfires. We’ll put the fires out around midnight so that we can all settle down to watch the meteor shower. Have fun, and be sure to thank Elena for her excellent idea to share this with you all!”

At the beginning, Taros made himself available to anyone who needed help with their tents or anything else, offering a hand if someone seemed to be struggling a little too much or if they approached him to ask. Taros then made sure that his bonfire area was all set up, and listened to the introductory education that Elena was providing, sending her a smile that was both encouraging and congratulatory if he managed to catch her eye.

After Elena finished her initial speech, Taros took the opportunity to speak too, drawing attention to his own bonfire area. “If anyone wants to learn more about magical or Muggle creatures, plants, or the planet we call home, feel free to join me!” he said, loudly enough to attract people but not so loud that he should disturb Elena and Helen or their listeners. “I can also show you the best technique to roast marshmallows,” he added with a laugh, tone jovial. When Kitty came around to check on people, Taros smiled. “Yes, thank you,” he responded to her question. He would cast Hot-Air Charms if anyone (at any point) expressed that they were cold, and otherwise mostly answered questions and told stories, content with the setup that had been created.

This post is meant to give more information regarding the errand from Taros’s point of view, as well as to give anyone who would like to interact with him some material to work with. Feel free to interact with him! You can mention Taros saying / doing anything written in the post just above. You are encouraged to tag me if you want to interact, or owl/DM me (@kaizper on Discord) to make sure that I know you want me to include you in a reply, and I’ll do my best to respond (I can’t promise for certain that I will be fast, though).

Taros always wants everyone to feel special and cared for, so you are welcome to say that he took interest in your character (within reason), smiled, helped them with whatever they needed help with, answered questions about nature, etc. If you want specific dialogue not detailed in this post or more specific actions, please reach out to me!

Enjoy the event!

The stars were like lamp posts, only smaller and harder to see from the window of an inner city flat. Perhaps that's why Maisie had never spent too much time studying them. They were far away and foreign, separate and distant from whatever happened to be on the mannequin in the Gemmell studio at the time. Despite this, an errand was an errand and there was something rather adventurous about spending the night out of the confines of Ravenclaw turret. And Maisie always did enjoy adventure.

And that was how she ended up beside Adeline and Robin, two fellow duellist who had quickly become fast friends over the course of the year. It also helped in any excursion that they were wildly more capable with spells than Maisie might ever deign to be. And so, it was clear: they were to have the very tent for this viewing one could imagine.

But they had to get there first. It was a long walk through tall grass that would have made her mum worry about midges and other insects. But Maisie knew this was par for the course as her father would say; her fingers held taut to the satchel on her shoulder that held one of her father's old beat up cameras. She wasn't entirely sure what her friends had brought with them—food would have been good, come to think of it—but she trusted them to take care of themselves. She just had to get them to the top, to scope out the best spot...

"Let's Forage!" Robin had announced as Maisie let out a sigh as she turned around. The trail was cool, yes, and maybe they could find something neat and yes, food was a good idea. But first things first! Gently, she offered Robin a bargain: she could have first pick of activities after they got all settled in. Robin seemed amused, epitomized by her stuck out tongue, which Maisie took as an acquiescence. For all this time that Maisie and Avis had tried to get Mylo to have more fun, Maisie also believed that there was an underlying logic and a kind of social contract that laid the foundation of fun. Like peeling back an onion, you had to do these things carefully and thoughtfully—measured risks.

The remainder of the hike seemed relatively uneventful, which was fine. It meant they could get to the fun Robin wanted more quickly. As they continued along, it occured to Maisie that she really didn't know anyone on staff leading this expedition—except Elena. The moonchild was effervescent as always, and Maisie was glad to see her, even if their relationship was just an acquaintance. And she had no relation to the librarian, the groundskeeper, or the new Charms Professor. It was that last one that bothered her slightly. She had just begun to open up to Professor Fresnel about her inability to do anything useful in duelling despite her talent for Charms. And she could still remember the way her former Charms instructor had told her that just getting up on the dais was brave, even if it didn't feel all that brave most (or any) of the time. Now, seeing her replaced created a strange nagging feeling for something lost. Instead, she'd stay close to her (capable) friends.

"Phewf," she let out as they reached the top and she re-adjusted her bag on her shoulder. Raising her hand to her brow, she took a moment to take in the view before agreeing with Addie. "Makes sense to me," she said as she started to walk in the direction Addie was pointing in. Dropping her bag on the ground, she asked, "This good?"

Interacting with @Adeline Spinks & @Robin Marie, both of whom have granted permission for dialogue and godmoding.

Date April 22, 2026 Time (evening) Location Surrounding Wilderness, Hogwarts Grounds Tags (see below) Reducio mentioned and slight godmodded @Corrine Aelina with permission; interacted with @Katherine Townsend under specified guidelines; interacted with @Helen Aletheia Doukas under specified guidelines; mentioned other participating staff members under specified guidelines

Reducio Any color-coded text (red/blue/green/yellow) is intended to represent the speaking/thinking character's house or former house, other characters or characters with their house unknown to me will be grey. Colored italics are thought; colored "quotations" are spoken. Uncolored italics are usually books or songs etc., while uncolored quotations are usually meant to emphasize the included word or make it sarcastic.

Robin didn't want to consider going on a camping trip at all. His parents, mother, specifically, had took him camping very often when he was a kid. Though people might say he still is one, Robin is now in the phase of not wanting to do everything his parents decided for him. Just like how Myrcelle's rant of magical creatures took away his ability to see them as a lifelong passion, her constant hiking and camping trips made him dread the activity.

So, Robin was reluctant when Corrine urged him to come see the meteor shower. He did, however, decide to give the announcement a look out of respect towards his friend. That's when he saw that one of the staff members would be sharing myths behind constellations. Robin wouldn't say he's interested in astrology or astronomy or any of the sort, but he does enjoy mythology a lot.

The inclusion of a mythos storytelling experience was enough to convince him to sign up on the spot, Corrine was overjoyed. They won't be walking together though, since she has her own tent-mates to hang out with. Robin was perfectly fine with that. He can use some alone time before the main event.

Robin arrived at the Great Hall where participating students were gathered and counted. The swarm of kids and teens then walked in an organized manner under four staff members' leadership towards the surrounding mountains where they will make camp in the night.

The path wasn't too advanced to hike. There was a slight incline but it was friendly to beginners. Like established before, not that Robin's any stranger to hiking, but as someone who gets tired walking up and down the Owlery or even the Ravenclaw tower, this route was especially benevolent.

On their way to camp, Groundskeeper Taros Quintero introduced the various plants and creatures existing in this forest. Robin flinched when Mr. Quintero mentioned deer. On a particular hike with his mother, he got separated with her and encountered a red deer with intimidating antlers—that scared the heck out of him. How scared, you ask? Scared enough to awaken his magical talent. Yes, that was Robin's first instance of magic. Not a great one, though nonetheless memorable.

Students split up into groups when they got to the campground. Some of them rushed to claim a specific tent, others leisurely walked around exploring their environment. Robin was of the latter. He decided to join pretty last minute, so he didn't have time to look for tent-mates back in Hogwarts. He needed to join one on the spot.

Luckily, there were other boys in the same situation as him, one of them being his childhood friend Noah. The small group, all being introverts, quickly picked a spot near the boarder of the camp. Robin had the most camping experience in this group, but his mother often used her setting up the tents as a bargaining chip to increase his willingness to go on those trips with her—plainly speaking, Robin wasn't used to pitching a tent himself. Professor Katherine Townsend seemed to see through their awkward motions. She walked over to help and the tent was miraculously good to go in less than a minute.

"Thanks, professor." Robin bowed his head slightly with gratitude. Before Professor Townsend went on to assist other struggling groups, Robin thought back to the start of the month when she was bothered by pygmy puff fur. "Uh . . . professor, have you been getting better? The allergy, I mean." After hearing her response, Robin nodded silently and stepped into his tent to unpack some things. The small group of boys then each went on to mind their own business, a couple walking around while the other two rested in the newly-made tent.

Some more time passed, darkening the sky and lighting the fires. Students gathered around and listened to the staff members making their speeches, mainly for the purpose of introducing their expertise and what they will be talking about in their respective subgroups.

" . . . what I will be sharing tonight, are the mythological stories behind the constellations and stars . . . " Robin turned around to see the Hogwarts librarian sit at her own campfire, words confidently flowing out like a natural stream. "Feel free to join me around the fire, and happy stargazing!"

Robin followed her gesture, along with a group of other interested students who gathered around Ms. Helen Aletheia Doukas to hear the stories she has to offer. Robin's eyes locked onto the books she unpacked, filled with illustrations of mythical stars.

"Once upon a time, an Olympian by the name of Hermes was born . . . " Ms. Doukas started narrating the story of the Lyre of Orpheus. Robin was familiar with Orpheus and Eurydice, but he wonders what they might have to do with the constellation? Are there different versions of the tale?

Wide-eyed Robin adjusted his glasses to a more comfortable position in order to better concentrate on the lyre's story. He might've even been a bit too excited, as he eagerly slipped in a slight pause in the narration to raise his hand: "Ms. Doukas, are there mythological explanations as to why or how the constellations were formed? I understand the myth itself, but . . . " Robin carefully picked his words, "how did those specific stars get connected with Orpheus's lyre? And in the ancient Greeks' opinion, how was it that the lyre appeared in the sky?"

Erast Yan and Giovanni De’Luca.

Two seemingly unconnected names, yet joint by an undoubted similarity: the two people who had sent Archer gifts when he was wasting away in the depths of the psychiatric ward. He had not forgotten their unexpected shows of kindness — two boys he would never have thought he would seek as much solace in.

Yan, an acquaintance of complete chance, was first encountered on one of his regular trips to the Astronomy Tower, a breach in his usual routine, yet one that would prove to be a welcome one. From their initial misunderstanding stemmed an odd endearment and their shared passion for the stars and their mythologies. In eyes ones a cold gunmetal blue, Archer found a soft comfort he could fall asleep in. In the depths of his first few days’ undoubtable depression, Archer had awoken to a basket of mandarins, apples, and other assorted fruits on his bedside. He had allocated one to be eaten each day, a small reminder of the life he would savour once he broke free from his mental and physical prison.

De’Luca, slowly creeping his way up to friend, was a boy Archer owed a part of his heart to. Their first interaction during a particularly drowsy afternoon Potion’s class was no arbitrary one, for Archer had, on complete, ridiculous accident, revealed a side of himself he had poured the utmost effort into hiding — long sleeves pulled low even in the boiling room of the dungeons’ many stoves. As he slowly adapted to the environment of the hospital, his conversation with a similar mind was broken through as he was informed he had received flowers. Expecting to find a name tagged with Prat, Maxi, or even his grandmother, he was surprised to find it be Giovanni’s, accompanied with a heartfelt letter at his inpatient predicament.

It was only natural that, when announced the Lyrids meteor shower would streak through the night skies of the Scottish highlands, that he invite both to join his tent in the late night activity, not just out of gratitude, but a desire to share the more beautiful facets of life after they had seen him through its uglier sides. He was only obliged to ask them to accompany him on his search to find the rainbow after the storm, and no better place than under a sky where wishes could finally be made and hopes fulfilled. How many shooting stars would he catch in time to ask for yet another impossibility, just to watch it slip through his fingers, like sand out of his swiftly running hourglass.

Keen eyes would search for these two figures as they were collected in the Great Hall, and if successful in finding their company, make brief introductions of them to each other. Conversation would stray in unpredicted directions, yet remain a source of comfort amongst the world’s ever-spiralling chaos. Caught between the company of two people he surprised himself to call favourites, a smile hanging at the side of his lips, there was nothing ore he could ask for. Archer offered the both of them fond glances as they trekked, making jests of offers to carry them if they were to complain of the long distance. He may have been the best prepared of the group, in hiking boots and adventure gear, yet he could kid no one when it came to his incompetency of strength. Laughs would be shared along the way, and almost, just almost, Archer was returned to the depths of his childhood, into a memory he would both kill to relive and ache at remembering at the same time.

He was seven again, his small, pudgy hand held in the calloused and weathered one of his mother’s. He was seven again, walking down a trail in the Isle of Skye, a short few miles away from home, where dinner awaited. He was seven again, and he could laugh without wandering what snarky response she would have had to the joke. Because, as he looked up into those same eyes of hazel — brown flecked with a universe of golds, he could almost see the reply taking form, metamorphosing into one made just for him. No, as he looked up into those same eyes of hazel, all he could see was a well of love from a woman who had so much to give. So much to give to a boy who had not realised it then, and had not held her close when it mattered the most.

He was seven again…. And everything was perfect.

But no, he was fourteen, and he had almost moved on, before the memory had struck. He was already fourteen, and everything was not perfect. But it was not too bad either.

Archer Duncan was surrounded by two friends, birds who flew close to the nest of his heart. He was wandering through the familiar routes of his backwater explorations, taking note of each little detail of the world, half absorbed in his own as he noted down the tiny displays of beauty, from the scrambling wild animals to the overbearing pine trees. A gentle flower petal caressed his hair as it fell down to bestow a kiss upon his head, and as he retrieved it, he attempted to distinguish the species. When he could not, he still held it close to himself in his chest pocket, and reminded himself to stick it into his notebook afterwards. It was in the smallest things, these reminders that this cruel life was worth living, but he, bound by melancholy, was glad to savour them to their fullest. And Archer thought, in that moment, in every moment, that he would break free from his chains, because he was happy, and he would strive to be happy. Life was to short for any otherwise — out of the many things he owed to himself, this was one he would fulfil. Perfection was no goal, these fleeting moments were.

When they finally arrived at the area designated for the meteor shower, a flat plateau in the higher areas of the mountains, Archer immediately chose one of the outliers of the tents. It had no magical embellishments, but was the plain ones he was more used to. With minimal help from the group mates he had deemed to be clueless in the matter, he set up the tent with little assistance, grateful for the camping trips of his past. If he had nothing to flaunt for, at least he could secure that there was something above their heads for the night.

He surveyed the ateliers scattered about him. Fire always a deterrence of his attention, he steered clear of the populated area of marshmallows and students, keeping one vigilant eye and a wand on hand, tense as his mind drifted to the worse of possibilities. Yet he allowed himself to wander, stopping briefly to listen to his favourite librarian’s station of mythologies, lending an ear to the groundskeeper’s station of tales. Finally, he reached the station of someone he would not deem as a friend, yet not an annoyance either. Lena he greeted curtly, with the mere nod of the head. Yet he lingered at no station, and offered none of them his attention for more than brief minutes. He did not need this embellishment.

Instead, he returned to his tent, whether he would find his mates there or not, and reclined onto one of the sleeping bags, watching the sky through its transparent mesh.

No, he was content with just this, and could require nothing more.

@Giovanni De'Luca, @Erast Yan | banner by Adeline Spinks