Camera Click
Cassandra didn't like being in her common room. She found it always either too cold or too warm, there never seemed to be an in between. And obviously, she was attempting to avoid some of her more overbearing housemates. So, she liked the Courtyard.@Aurelio Diaz I actually yapped quite a bit in this, apologies. I don't usually write this much
The Courtyard served to be her outside time when class ended. It was a similar schedule she had made for herself after a while; first classes, then she came out here in the afternoons before locking herself in her dorm to do her homework. By now, it was practically her ritual (can she say that? Was there some kind of stigmatism with rituals and wizards? Was that a stereotype?).
Today there was something new though.
Usually, she was out here by herself, practicing spells she had learned in class or reciting lectures from History of Magic, attempting to imitate the professor's speech under her breath (this was not done in contempt, as Cassie has no bad blood with her teachers). Sometimes she watched the birds that landed in the trees by the edges of the stone wall, making up stories for them. Pierre, the robin, was hopelessly in love with Annabelle, the sparrow with the spotted feathers, but he didn't have the guts to go up to her. They didn't chirp the same way, didn't look the same, and he was terrified of the thought of Annabelle misunderstanding him.
Today, the birds did not come.
Or rather, just one, rather large bird.
That was Cassie's internal attempt at a pun when she saw the Ravenclaw up in the tree. He was a young boy, most likely a first year such as her. At first, she didn't pay much mind to him. She didn't know what to think of Ravenclaws yet, hadn't met too many. She continued on with her normal routine- talking to herself, getting her steps in, wondering why it was called "Ravenclaw" when its mascot was an eagle. She supposed Hufflepuff didn't make much sense either. Her thoughts had kept her occupied until she spot something in the boy's hands. A nice camera.
It couldn't have been battery or electricity powered, because that would've stopped working when they had gotten onto the train. That was interesting to her. What was more intriguing was the fact that he seemed to be actively taking photos. Maybe he enjoyed creative processes like that. Or perhaps he was into scrapbooking, or maybe-
Her train of thought was cut off when they accidentally made eye contact.
Had he been pointing the camera at her?
No, that was weird. Why had that been her first thought? Maybe she should self reflect, because that was vaguely self-centered of her-
The bastard did it again.
OOO-kay, then, that was really weird, and not on her end. This guy was trying to take photos of her. At least, she assumed so. Maybe if she asked, he'd tell her that no, that was a misunderstanding. Or hopefully, if he was taking photos of her, he had a good reason. Maybe he wasn't taking photos at all. Cassie didn't know much about cameras.
It wouldn't hurt to ask, right?
(She did need some more people to talk to.)
So, bracing herself, she walked up to the tree he was sat in. How he climbed up there with the camera in his hands was a mystery to her. She had also climbed her own list of trees every once in a while, but she knew there was no way she could do it with her hands full. Maybe this guy was a wizard.
...hah. She snorted at her own joke.
She walked up the base of the tree, looking up. "Hey, uhm. That camera's really cool. Whatcha taking pictures of?"
It was her not-very-subtle way of trying to figure out if she was just a blind bat who couldn't tell what other people were looking at, or if this guy was actually a creep. She was still curious either way.
"But magic is neither good nor evil. It is a tool, like a knife. Is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is evil."
Camera Click
It was a fine evening. Classes had finished for the day, for which Aurelio was insanely grateful. He had managed somewhat successfully to avoid conversations in class. Surprisingly, playing the part of a shy boy helped massively in his quest to avoid speaking. No one would judge a shy firstie if they didn't reply in a full sentence, excepting some of the Slytherins.
Aurelio's reason behind his quiet was simple: he didn't know much English. When it came to small, pleasantries he did quite well. If he chose to speak about the present or the past, he would do alright. The future tense, however, was catastrophically horrid.
For this reason, the courtyard had become Aurelio's safe haven. A place of refuge and calm, far away from the busy bustle and chatter of other students. On this particular day, Aurelio had found a way to climb a tall, oak tree in the courtyard. It was the perfect perch for the boy to take pictures. He carefully pulled the magical camera, which was a gift from his cousin, out of a brown, worn satchel and began looking about for a subject. As if on cue, he spotted a girl with long, charcoal-colored curls and the dark, jade Slytherin robes. His dark, brown eyes widened perceptibly. The first thought that entered his quick mind was one of surprise and awe."Mierda, ella es bonita." Without thinking clearly, he angled the camera towards the vision and clicked the shutter.
He quickly regretted his rash action when he noticed that the pretty girl was now approaching. "¡Me va a matar!" He muttered under his breath sharply and considered hiding in the tree. As soon as she asked about his camera though, he paused. He seemed to be wondering what to say. Finally, he spoke. His voice was clear but with a very heavy Spanish accent. "I took pictures of the trees. And one of you, too. I am sorry. You looked very pretty." The boy's fingers fidgeted with the camera strap nervously. He hoped his honesty and simple explanation would make up for his actions.
OOC: Translations:
Mierda, ella es bonita: Shit, she is beautiful.
Me va a matar: She is going to kill me.
Aurelio's reason behind his quiet was simple: he didn't know much English. When it came to small, pleasantries he did quite well. If he chose to speak about the present or the past, he would do alright. The future tense, however, was catastrophically horrid.
For this reason, the courtyard had become Aurelio's safe haven. A place of refuge and calm, far away from the busy bustle and chatter of other students. On this particular day, Aurelio had found a way to climb a tall, oak tree in the courtyard. It was the perfect perch for the boy to take pictures. He carefully pulled the magical camera, which was a gift from his cousin, out of a brown, worn satchel and began looking about for a subject. As if on cue, he spotted a girl with long, charcoal-colored curls and the dark, jade Slytherin robes. His dark, brown eyes widened perceptibly. The first thought that entered his quick mind was one of surprise and awe."Mierda, ella es bonita." Without thinking clearly, he angled the camera towards the vision and clicked the shutter.
He quickly regretted his rash action when he noticed that the pretty girl was now approaching. "¡Me va a matar!" He muttered under his breath sharply and considered hiding in the tree. As soon as she asked about his camera though, he paused. He seemed to be wondering what to say. Finally, he spoke. His voice was clear but with a very heavy Spanish accent. "I took pictures of the trees. And one of you, too. I am sorry. You looked very pretty." The boy's fingers fidgeted with the camera strap nervously. He hoped his honesty and simple explanation would make up for his actions.
OOC: Translations:
Mierda, ella es bonita: Shit, she is beautiful.
Me va a matar: She is going to kill me.
Last edited by Aurelio Diaz on 27 Apr 2026, 19:40, edited 2 times in total.
Camera Click
Reducio
Out of Character: Aurelio is very Jonathan Byers-core if you know that character.
"Oh."
So, he did take a photo of her. But he didn't seem nearly as creepy as she thought he was. Maybe it was truly meant as a compliment rather than nefariously.
The boy seemed awfully shy, perhaps that was the Ravenclaw trademark for first years. Cass wondered what she would be like if she was sorted into that house. Then her mood soured ever so slightly at the reminder of what her actual house was. She decided to shove that thought down before it affected the quality of her day.
Cassie offered a small smile, looking up at as she leaned against the tree trunk. "It's fine. What are you taking photos for? Are they saved in the camera?" She paused before internally face palming herself. "Wait- that's a stupid question. Obviously, it stores the photos. How'd you make it work in Hogwarts? Most things powered by electricity stop working on the Express. How'd you get it to work? Is it powered by magic?"
Because of the speed of her words, she failed to realize the fact that she was most likely losing the boy. She just went on and on, not giving him the chance to answer, despite the fact that she was the one asking him questions. It was a bad habit of hers, nonstop chattering. Her volume was also a problem, as she sometimes accidently projected her voice at inappropriate times.
It had also seemed that because of her rather dense demeanor- putting it plainly-, she had failed to notice his accent.
It had gone on for a solid minute before she paused, like she suddenly realized how bothersome she must've been. "I mean- never mind. Sorry. I'm guess I'm just- uhm, really interested in your- uh, camera."
Great work, Cass. Now you're the creep.
She attempted to recover from her social blunder by acting cool about it, leaning further against the tree.
"But magic is neither good nor evil. It is a tool, like a knife. Is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is evil."
Camera Click
The boy's soul practically left his body, listening to the dark haired girl ramble. His usually sharp mind felt rattled as he struggled to decipher the words that tumbled out of her mouth. "¿Qué dijo ella?" His tanned skin paled at the very thought of being expected to not only decipher, but also to reply.
After she finally paused to take air, Aurelio did the only natural thing his limited training in the language could offer. "Excuse me. Could you repeat that, please?
As soon as the words left his lips, he turned quite pink with embarrassment. Out of complete frustration, he sighed heavily. "Estoy tan jodido.". Fidgeting with the camera, he was struck with a revelation. "I don't know your name. What is it, please? Mine is Aurelio. My family call me "Lio."
After a short pause, he lowers his precious valuable down near the girl's hands. Gesturing towards his camera, with an air of shy anticipation, he adds, "You can look at the pictures. Only if you want, of course. I took some from here, at the train station and the stores at Diagon Alley, I believe."
He bites his bottom lip nervously, as you begin to scroll through the photos. "I also take pictures of food. I like cooking a lot. My mother has the best recipes."
Translation:
Que dijo ella: what did she say?
Estoy tan jodido: I'm so screwed
After she finally paused to take air, Aurelio did the only natural thing his limited training in the language could offer. "Excuse me. Could you repeat that, please?
As soon as the words left his lips, he turned quite pink with embarrassment. Out of complete frustration, he sighed heavily. "Estoy tan jodido.". Fidgeting with the camera, he was struck with a revelation. "I don't know your name. What is it, please? Mine is Aurelio. My family call me "Lio."
After a short pause, he lowers his precious valuable down near the girl's hands. Gesturing towards his camera, with an air of shy anticipation, he adds, "You can look at the pictures. Only if you want, of course. I took some from here, at the train station and the stores at Diagon Alley, I believe."
He bites his bottom lip nervously, as you begin to scroll through the photos. "I also take pictures of food. I like cooking a lot. My mother has the best recipes."
Translation:
Que dijo ella: what did she say?
Estoy tan jodido: I'm so screwed
Camera Click
"Oh! Uhm, my name is Cassie."@Aurelio Diaz
Word Count: 200/200
She carefully clicked through the photos on the camera, fascinated by the resolution and lighting of the scenes captured. Her knowledge of photography was- again,- lacking, but she could find herself appreciating the clear skill put into the art. Like he said, there were photos of the train station, Diagon Alley, and various other locations in Wizarding London. There was also pictures of food, which Cass most definitely did not complain about.
"These are really good. Do you print them out? Or can you even do that with this type of camera?"
Click, click, click. She went further, going through photos taken in Hogwarts, the halls, locations even she hadn't seen before. Some of statues, structures, and of people. One person in particular caught her eye.
"Is this the photo you took of me?"
She raised up the magical camera for him to see the screen. It was merely from a few moments ago, but she almost couldn't recognize herself. The angle served to make her look different than her form really was, the lighting hit her face just right, and she couldn't have imagined a photo taken of her that was higher quality.
"But magic is neither good nor evil. It is a tool, like a knife. Is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is evil."