3 May 2020, 11:11
Wrong Foot
Dealla was excited, which could be observed by the bounce in her step, and if you didn't look at her directly, just from the corner of your eye, she almost seemed to be vibrating. Well, okay, she was not quite as excited as she was for her first Potions or Herbology class, but she could admit that Charms was important, and a class that primarily focused on teaching them spells was pretty promising in the first place. Also, if you had high goals, you had to be excellent, even in subjects that were not your favourite.First week of school, first Charms class
Dee entered the Charms classroom among a swarm of other students, and, according to instruction, plopped down on a random chair in the front row on the left side of the room instead of sitting with her fellow Ravenclaws. Meeting new people was good, anyway.
She turned her attention towards appraising the classroom they were in. She liked it, she decided. It didn't have the typical desks-in-rows layout that most classes had, and all of the dark would made it feel homey, somehow. There was a light scent of cookies in the air.
Once everyone had come in and settled on a seat - there had been quite a bit of shuffling and switching around - Dealla turned to observe her seat neighbours.
The Gryffindor boy on her left seemed rather unremarkable, and she wasn't that keen on making friends with Gryffindors, anyway, but when she turned to her right, she was met with a whole lot of red hair. Red curls, almost as long as Dee's own brown locks, and they took a lot of what Dealla could see.
"Oh, your hair is so pretty!" she said, leaning forward to actually catch a glance at the girl's face. "Mine is kind of boring, but I guess there's worse than brown."
Next, she noticed the crest on the girl's robes, half hidden between red curls - a Slytherin! Dee was immediately a bit more intrigued.
She was still a tiny little bit vexed about not getting into Slytherin like she had expected, although she was making her peace with it - at the very least, Ravenclaw's blue and bronze suited her better than Slytherin's green and silver - but she was still determined to at least have Slytherin friends. And there was another candidate, right here.
"Hi, I'm Dealla Prince!" she greeted the girl enthusiastically. "But I'd much prefer it if you called me Dee, my parents calling me Dealla is bad enough."
@Alice Lemont
Last edited by Dealla Prince on 6 Jun 2020, 12:09, edited 1 time in total.
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
3 May 2020, 13:14
Wrong Foot
Charms! Exciting! Then again, Alice thought that pretty much any class that involved action instead of just listening to a lecture was interesting. But Charms meant all sorts of different spells, and that most definitely was something to look forward to.
Not paying all too much attention to where she was sitting down, Alice's eyes were fixed expectantly on the professor, wondering already what they would be going into in their first lesson, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. She was, however, quickly snapped out of her reverie by a friendly voice giving her a compliment about her hair. Alice turned to face the girl sitting to her left, piercing blue eyes accompanied by the blue patch of her robes. A bright smile slid onto Alice's face without her notice, happy to meet new people, and this girl looked nice.
"Brown isn't bad at all! I love how silky your hair looks," Alice answered smoothly, politeness taught to her from childhood, but the compliment was genuine. She had always trouble with the frizz of her hair, and the line between a tangled mess and her usual corkscrew curls was fine. It would take her forever to brush through her hair if not for the enchanted brush her mom had gifted her on her seventh birthday. Her fingers raised to toy with a curl without her noticing.
"Nice to meet you, Dee, I'm Alice Lemont!" she said, taking care to use the name the Ravenclaw girl had said to prefer. Dealla Prince… Dealla Prince… Alice was repeating the name to commit it to memory, trying to remember if she should know who this girl was – after all, her parents had taken care she knew of any established pureblood family. There were pureblood Princes, yes, but if there had been any of Alice's age and coming to Hogwarts, surely her parents would have made sure she was aware?
Her parents had told her exactly what to ask to gauge out if she should know who someone was, but didn't. Pureblood witchards tended to get upset if other purebloods didn't know of them, and it was best to not offend someone on the very first meeting. It gave a poor first impression, and at first glance Alice thought this Ravenclaw girl – Dee – was interesting, so she wanted to put her best foot forward.
"So, Dee, where is your family from?"
Not paying all too much attention to where she was sitting down, Alice's eyes were fixed expectantly on the professor, wondering already what they would be going into in their first lesson, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. She was, however, quickly snapped out of her reverie by a friendly voice giving her a compliment about her hair. Alice turned to face the girl sitting to her left, piercing blue eyes accompanied by the blue patch of her robes. A bright smile slid onto Alice's face without her notice, happy to meet new people, and this girl looked nice.
"Brown isn't bad at all! I love how silky your hair looks," Alice answered smoothly, politeness taught to her from childhood, but the compliment was genuine. She had always trouble with the frizz of her hair, and the line between a tangled mess and her usual corkscrew curls was fine. It would take her forever to brush through her hair if not for the enchanted brush her mom had gifted her on her seventh birthday. Her fingers raised to toy with a curl without her noticing.
"Nice to meet you, Dee, I'm Alice Lemont!" she said, taking care to use the name the Ravenclaw girl had said to prefer. Dealla Prince… Dealla Prince… Alice was repeating the name to commit it to memory, trying to remember if she should know who this girl was – after all, her parents had taken care she knew of any established pureblood family. There were pureblood Princes, yes, but if there had been any of Alice's age and coming to Hogwarts, surely her parents would have made sure she was aware?
Her parents had told her exactly what to ask to gauge out if she should know who someone was, but didn't. Pureblood witchards tended to get upset if other purebloods didn't know of them, and it was best to not offend someone on the very first meeting. It gave a poor first impression, and at first glance Alice thought this Ravenclaw girl – Dee – was interesting, so she wanted to put her best foot forward.
"So, Dee, where is your family from?"
3 May 2020, 13:59
Wrong Foot
Dee grinned and flicked her hair back over one shoulder with a flourish. "Oh, thank you! I have my dad to thank for that, my mum's hair is terribly frizzy, and she doesn't even have curls as an excuse." That was almost all of her father's looks that could be found in Dealla, so he had taken great pride in it and it had been a topic of constant teasing in her parents' house for as long as she could remember.
"Nice to meet you, Alice!" Dee echoed. Well, this was going great so far! Alice seemed nice, and interested in making conversation. How terrible would it be to sit between two people who did not want to talk to her?
"Ah, I grew up in Whitehaven? I don't know if you've heard of it, it isn't all that big or very interesting at all. But really, both of my parents' families are from London." Dee slipped into the story easily. It wasn't a big secret, and she wasn't ashamed of it, and she sure would not try to hide from her grandparents! So she might as well tell people about it.
"You see, my dad is a pure-blood, he is from the Creek family? And they are very big on keeping their line pure." She rolled her eyes dramatically, emphasising how she could not think any less of those stupid, old-fashioned pure-blood supremacist ideals. "But my mum's parents are Muggles, so my grandparents - my dad's parents, I mean, not my mum's - were not very happy about them falling in love. They even threatened to make it impossible for my parents to find jobs in London if they stayed together, can you believe that?" Dee sighed, a bit caught up in her theatrics, and looked up at the ceiling. She had gotten into the flow of the story, and was obviously enjoying herself. "So, instead, my parents left London. The sad part about it is that I have not been able to meet my Muggle grandparents very often, but I'm not interested at all in meeting my dad's parents. They're terrible." She sniffed and slumped back in her seat. "Not that they ever tried to meet me, but that's for the better."
And I'll prove them wrong, she added internally. They'll see.
"But!" Dee straightened up abruptly. "I have been talking so much, I'm sorry, you didn't ask about my entire family history. Where are you from?"
"Nice to meet you, Alice!" Dee echoed. Well, this was going great so far! Alice seemed nice, and interested in making conversation. How terrible would it be to sit between two people who did not want to talk to her?
"Ah, I grew up in Whitehaven? I don't know if you've heard of it, it isn't all that big or very interesting at all. But really, both of my parents' families are from London." Dee slipped into the story easily. It wasn't a big secret, and she wasn't ashamed of it, and she sure would not try to hide from her grandparents! So she might as well tell people about it.
"You see, my dad is a pure-blood, he is from the Creek family? And they are very big on keeping their line pure." She rolled her eyes dramatically, emphasising how she could not think any less of those stupid, old-fashioned pure-blood supremacist ideals. "But my mum's parents are Muggles, so my grandparents - my dad's parents, I mean, not my mum's - were not very happy about them falling in love. They even threatened to make it impossible for my parents to find jobs in London if they stayed together, can you believe that?" Dee sighed, a bit caught up in her theatrics, and looked up at the ceiling. She had gotten into the flow of the story, and was obviously enjoying herself. "So, instead, my parents left London. The sad part about it is that I have not been able to meet my Muggle grandparents very often, but I'm not interested at all in meeting my dad's parents. They're terrible." She sniffed and slumped back in her seat. "Not that they ever tried to meet me, but that's for the better."
And I'll prove them wrong, she added internally. They'll see.
"But!" Dee straightened up abruptly. "I have been talking so much, I'm sorry, you didn't ask about my entire family history. Where are you from?"
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
3 May 2020, 14:52
Wrong Foot
Alice watched with poorly concealed jealousy as Dee flicked her hair and it settled onto her back neatly, like it had been just combed. Absently she wondered about what conditioner she was using to get that healthy, glossy look to her hair, but her attention was quickly grabbed by Dee's recounting of her parents and family lines.
Whitehaven Alice wasn't familiar with, but when Dee mentioned the Creeks, her eyes lit up in recognition and she nodded with rapt attention. Yes, the Creeks she knew. Terribly self-important and conservative blood supremacists, her parents had told her. Easily offended and keep age-long grudges. Dee, however, made obvious how little she thought of the family line, and considering her story of the alienation her parents had faced for their love, Alice wasn't surprised that Dee hadn't either been allowed or her parents hadn't wanted her to carry on the pureblooded name. It made sense.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Alice answered slowly, uncertain how to approach the situation now that she knew Dee wasn't pureblood. Her parents had been so busy making sure she would not make a fool of herself in front of purebloods that Alice had no idea on how to proceed with someone who wasn't. Well, if there hadn't been any instructions, it must mean there was nothing specific to be careful about, right?
"It sounds terrible, not being able to see your grandparents or other family and missing out on all the stories and wisdom they'd have to share." Alice had no idea what sort of wisdom Muggle grandparents could share, but at least stories, right? Alice had heard about Muggle stories, and they sounded interesting, especially with their naive idea of magic.
"I've learned a lot from all of my grandparents and couldn't imagine not having them around. My nan took me to see Hippogriffs and Selkies when it was the season," Alice digressed, sighing as she remembered the beautiful Hippogriffs her nan only let her admire from afar in case they bit her arm off. They wouldn't have, she had sworn, but her best attempts at sneaking close to one without getting caught by the adults hadn't worked out.
Giving her head a little shake to get herself out of her reverie, Alice smiled at Dee encouragingly. She was satisfied that she had managed to react to Dee's story about her family in a nice, sensitive way, and patted herself on the back mentally for it. "Anyway, my family, the Lemonts, have a long history in Inverness, Scotland, dating since," dismissive handwave, "psht, forever. But magic only came into our bloodline in the 1700s, so in that sense we're quite new in the magical world. But anyway! I feel quite at home here at Hogwarts since the weather is pretty much the same and the landscape is quite familiar." She grinned with all of her teeth showing. Going for a teasing tone, she added, "How's it for a southener?"
Whitehaven Alice wasn't familiar with, but when Dee mentioned the Creeks, her eyes lit up in recognition and she nodded with rapt attention. Yes, the Creeks she knew. Terribly self-important and conservative blood supremacists, her parents had told her. Easily offended and keep age-long grudges. Dee, however, made obvious how little she thought of the family line, and considering her story of the alienation her parents had faced for their love, Alice wasn't surprised that Dee hadn't either been allowed or her parents hadn't wanted her to carry on the pureblooded name. It made sense.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Alice answered slowly, uncertain how to approach the situation now that she knew Dee wasn't pureblood. Her parents had been so busy making sure she would not make a fool of herself in front of purebloods that Alice had no idea on how to proceed with someone who wasn't. Well, if there hadn't been any instructions, it must mean there was nothing specific to be careful about, right?
"It sounds terrible, not being able to see your grandparents or other family and missing out on all the stories and wisdom they'd have to share." Alice had no idea what sort of wisdom Muggle grandparents could share, but at least stories, right? Alice had heard about Muggle stories, and they sounded interesting, especially with their naive idea of magic.
"I've learned a lot from all of my grandparents and couldn't imagine not having them around. My nan took me to see Hippogriffs and Selkies when it was the season," Alice digressed, sighing as she remembered the beautiful Hippogriffs her nan only let her admire from afar in case they bit her arm off. They wouldn't have, she had sworn, but her best attempts at sneaking close to one without getting caught by the adults hadn't worked out.
Giving her head a little shake to get herself out of her reverie, Alice smiled at Dee encouragingly. She was satisfied that she had managed to react to Dee's story about her family in a nice, sensitive way, and patted herself on the back mentally for it. "Anyway, my family, the Lemonts, have a long history in Inverness, Scotland, dating since," dismissive handwave, "psht, forever. But magic only came into our bloodline in the 1700s, so in that sense we're quite new in the magical world. But anyway! I feel quite at home here at Hogwarts since the weather is pretty much the same and the landscape is quite familiar." She grinned with all of her teeth showing. Going for a teasing tone, she added, "How's it for a southener?"
3 May 2020, 16:29
Wrong Foot
Dee's eyes widened a bit at Alice's descriptions of trips with Hippogriffs and Selkies, and she waved away Alice's somewhat awkward condolences about her family situation. She loved her parents, and she'd never felt like there was anything missing from her life. Sure, it would have been nice to see granny and grandda more often, but it didn't really bother her.
"Selkies?" she asked instead, fascinated. Dealla didn't know much about magical creatures, had never bothered to learn more about them, either, but taking trips like that must have been seriously cool. She combed through the very limited knowledge her brain provided her about Selkies. It was mostly from Muggle literature, her mum's old children books, to be honest, so she stuck to the safe side of it rather than make her fool of herself. "But don't they only live underwater? Did you go diving?" That sounded very exciting.
Dee squinted a bit at Alice's remark about her family being quite new to the Wizarding world, unsure if she was being made fun of, but shrugged it off. What did she know about what counted as new among pure-bloods? 300 years seemed a long time to her, but maybe it barely made the cut to be called a pure-blood. She didn't know, and didn't really care to find out, either. Blood status had never mattered to her, her parents had made sure of that - almost all of her childhood friends had been Muggles, and they had been no less interesting or fun to spend time with than the wizarding children she had met since coming here.
"I haven't taken many trips, or seen many things," she admitted a bit mournfully. "The only vacation I've ever been on was to Ireland, two years ago. But I had plenty of fun with the Muggle kids in my neighbourhood, and I love the harbour in Whitehaven - me and the others stole a fishing boat once, but sadly didn't make it very far out before they got us and took us home." Dee grinned at the memory. "My parents were terribly mad at me, but we didn't do any harm, really. We only wanted to go explore that little island off the coast! I am still sure we would have found something cool there."
The class had finally started quieting down, so Dee lowered her voice accordingly, but still managed to huff disdainfully. "I'll let you know that Whitehaven is actually quite close to the Scottish border! We are definitely in the Northern half of the British Isles - if only barely." She grinned, the mock-offense clearing off her face like a cloud disappearing to let the sun shine through. "But I have to admit that the landscapes here are impressive. I love the lake, it's so pretty! And it's supposed to have Selkies, too, did you know?"
"Selkies?" she asked instead, fascinated. Dealla didn't know much about magical creatures, had never bothered to learn more about them, either, but taking trips like that must have been seriously cool. She combed through the very limited knowledge her brain provided her about Selkies. It was mostly from Muggle literature, her mum's old children books, to be honest, so she stuck to the safe side of it rather than make her fool of herself. "But don't they only live underwater? Did you go diving?" That sounded very exciting.
Dee squinted a bit at Alice's remark about her family being quite new to the Wizarding world, unsure if she was being made fun of, but shrugged it off. What did she know about what counted as new among pure-bloods? 300 years seemed a long time to her, but maybe it barely made the cut to be called a pure-blood. She didn't know, and didn't really care to find out, either. Blood status had never mattered to her, her parents had made sure of that - almost all of her childhood friends had been Muggles, and they had been no less interesting or fun to spend time with than the wizarding children she had met since coming here.
"I haven't taken many trips, or seen many things," she admitted a bit mournfully. "The only vacation I've ever been on was to Ireland, two years ago. But I had plenty of fun with the Muggle kids in my neighbourhood, and I love the harbour in Whitehaven - me and the others stole a fishing boat once, but sadly didn't make it very far out before they got us and took us home." Dee grinned at the memory. "My parents were terribly mad at me, but we didn't do any harm, really. We only wanted to go explore that little island off the coast! I am still sure we would have found something cool there."
The class had finally started quieting down, so Dee lowered her voice accordingly, but still managed to huff disdainfully. "I'll let you know that Whitehaven is actually quite close to the Scottish border! We are definitely in the Northern half of the British Isles - if only barely." She grinned, the mock-offense clearing off her face like a cloud disappearing to let the sun shine through. "But I have to admit that the landscapes here are impressive. I love the lake, it's so pretty! And it's supposed to have Selkies, too, did you know?"
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
3 May 2020, 18:22
Wrong Foot
Alice took Dee's interest in Selkies as an invitation to go off about them, gathering speed as she talked about her greatest passion – magical creatures. "Well, yes. But nan used a bubble-head charm and we could easily go and see them. Not that the sea was warm at all, but it was worth it, they were so cool! The sea Selkies in Beauly Firth have blue coloring instead of the green coloring of the Selkies in the Black Lake," Alice informed Dee matter-of-factly, happy to share this small magical creature fact she happened to know. "It'll take a while before we'd be able to see them though, I think the bubble-head charm is only a sixth? Seventh? Year spell, and the Selkies in the Black Lake aren't all that friendly, my nan told me."
Listening to Dee's tale of her adventures with Muggle children, Alice found herself a little envious once again. Her parents had forbidden her to play with the Muggles, which Alice thought quite unfair. With Dee's tale of the harbour of Whitehaven and the fishing boat, Alice thought she and Dee would have gotten along well even as little kids. Getting into trouble adventures, after all, was Alice's expertise.
Alice grinned at Dee's huff as the class settled down. This was going great! "Psht, whatever, sassenach,"(Scottish, derogatory [adj., n.]: English, an English person) Alice quipped, the Scottish word skipping easily off of her tongue, her eyes sparkling with mirth to show she didn't actually mean any offense. She pulled the strand of hair she had been toying with all the way straight until letting it go, the curl springing back into its corkscrew again.
As class began, Alice took out her wand as instructed, fiddling with it in her fingers. She had immediately taken a liking to her walnut wood and rougarou hair wand, and while she had on first look thought it too long – some wands she had tried before this one had been shorter and she had thought them too long – somehow, her wand just… fit into her hand. Like it belonged as an extension of her body, just like her father had described it would when she found the right one. Rougarou hair was a typical wand core in her family, so her dad had been very proud when he found out what wand she had gotten. Alice was excited to get to use it and learn spells – two spells, the lesson plan said!
Listening to Dee's tale of her adventures with Muggle children, Alice found herself a little envious once again. Her parents had forbidden her to play with the Muggles, which Alice thought quite unfair. With Dee's tale of the harbour of Whitehaven and the fishing boat, Alice thought she and Dee would have gotten along well even as little kids. Getting into trouble adventures, after all, was Alice's expertise.
Alice grinned at Dee's huff as the class settled down. This was going great! "Psht, whatever, sassenach,"(Scottish, derogatory [adj., n.]: English, an English person) Alice quipped, the Scottish word skipping easily off of her tongue, her eyes sparkling with mirth to show she didn't actually mean any offense. She pulled the strand of hair she had been toying with all the way straight until letting it go, the curl springing back into its corkscrew again.
As class began, Alice took out her wand as instructed, fiddling with it in her fingers. She had immediately taken a liking to her walnut wood and rougarou hair wand, and while she had on first look thought it too long – some wands she had tried before this one had been shorter and she had thought them too long – somehow, her wand just… fit into her hand. Like it belonged as an extension of her body, just like her father had described it would when she found the right one. Rougarou hair was a typical wand core in her family, so her dad had been very proud when he found out what wand she had gotten. Alice was excited to get to use it and learn spells – two spells, the lesson plan said!
5 May 2020, 18:57
Wrong Foot
Dee had personally never heard of the Bubble-head Charm, but the general volume of conversations fell to a hush and then quieted completely, so she let it drop without asking. It did sound fascinating, though. Merpeople aside, the things to be found in an environment like the Great Lake! The possibilities were endless. Who even needed to steal a boat, when you could just walk underwater?
Their conversation too fell into a lull as Dee listened to the teacher's lecture, scribbling down notes in between, very much determined to absorb anything there was to be gathered from it. They were to learn two spells today - the Mending Charm, and the Dancing Feet Spell, which Dee dimly remembered to be a jinx. The Mending Charm seemed useful, at least, although she was not particularly prone to breaking things, and it could sadly not be used to fix people, and the Dancing Feet Spell... well. It wasn't like she could imagine no use for that one, depending on the situation. She wasn't going to start a fight for no reason, and didn't consider herself to be particularly hotheaded, either, but in the case she needed to defend herself?
When they were finally instructed to practice the spells by themselves and the noise level started rising accordingly, with all students yelling "Reparo!" or Tarantallegra!" while waving their wands, Dealla turned back to Alice. "So, how do you like Slytherin?" she asked, blue eyes sparkling inquisitively. Her friend Ileen had also be sorted into Slytherin, but Dealla was still curious about what other people thought. "I was so sure I'd go to Slytherin, it was my dad's house too, but then the Hat decided for some reason to put me in Ravenclaw." She scrunched up her nose. "Because it gives me more room to grow, or some weird reason like that. Ravenclaw's nice enough, though." She considered for a second. "I like that our common room is so high up. My dad said the Slytherins are in the basements, and that sounds cold."
Their conversation too fell into a lull as Dee listened to the teacher's lecture, scribbling down notes in between, very much determined to absorb anything there was to be gathered from it. They were to learn two spells today - the Mending Charm, and the Dancing Feet Spell, which Dee dimly remembered to be a jinx. The Mending Charm seemed useful, at least, although she was not particularly prone to breaking things, and it could sadly not be used to fix people, and the Dancing Feet Spell... well. It wasn't like she could imagine no use for that one, depending on the situation. She wasn't going to start a fight for no reason, and didn't consider herself to be particularly hotheaded, either, but in the case she needed to defend herself?
When they were finally instructed to practice the spells by themselves and the noise level started rising accordingly, with all students yelling "Reparo!" or Tarantallegra!" while waving their wands, Dealla turned back to Alice. "So, how do you like Slytherin?" she asked, blue eyes sparkling inquisitively. Her friend Ileen had also be sorted into Slytherin, but Dealla was still curious about what other people thought. "I was so sure I'd go to Slytherin, it was my dad's house too, but then the Hat decided for some reason to put me in Ravenclaw." She scrunched up her nose. "Because it gives me more room to grow, or some weird reason like that. Ravenclaw's nice enough, though." She considered for a second. "I like that our common room is so high up. My dad said the Slytherins are in the basements, and that sounds cold."
Mentioning Ileen Knight
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
28 May 2020, 18:35
Wrong Foot
Alice already knew she was going to be using the Mending charm a lot. She often got herself and her clothes dirty and tattered, and being able to charm any rips in her clothing away was definitely going to be useful. She had no one here who would be doing it for her, after all. It was really taking some getting used to, being away from her parents and household, everyone who had always looked out for her up until now. The Dancing Feet spell… Yeah, probably that would have its uses too, although probably not as innocent. Alice didn't know yet how things stood here at Hogwarts, but she had gotten in some smaller scuffles with other kids before, so it was good to know something harmless enough to defend herself with that didn't involve punching or biting.
"Oh, I expected either Ravenclaw or Slytherin, since that's what my parents were in. But I thought the sorting hat was kind of rude," Alice scrunched her nose, remembering it calling her self-centered. "Yeah, the common room is in the basement, but I don't think it's any colder than any other part of the castle… There's plenty of fires and rugs to keep everyone warm anyway. It's just a shame there's no windows. The views from the Ravenclaw tower must be amazing."
"Oh, I expected either Ravenclaw or Slytherin, since that's what my parents were in. But I thought the sorting hat was kind of rude," Alice scrunched her nose, remembering it calling her self-centered. "Yeah, the common room is in the basement, but I don't think it's any colder than any other part of the castle… There's plenty of fires and rugs to keep everyone warm anyway. It's just a shame there's no windows. The views from the Ravenclaw tower must be amazing."
6 Jun 2020, 12:50
Wrong Foot
Dealla picked up the skeleton key-chain that they were supposed to practice on, and tapped against one of its legs with the tip of her wand, making it swing and tinkle lightly. A few sparks flew from the tip at the contact.
At Alice's words, she looked up again, and made a face. "My parents were Slytherin and Hufflepuff, and I ended up in Ravenclaw," Dee said matter-of-factly. "I don't think the Hat really cares about your parents' houses. Although I still don't understand why it put me in Ravenclaw instead. And yes, it's rude! It told me I was self-absorbed, and arrogant!" She shook her head in righteous indignation. "Can you believe that? Like some random Hat would know me well enough to make judgements like that?"
Refocusing on her key-chain, Dealla looked at it critically, then raised her wand. The first ever spell she learned, and she would be certain to do it right.
"Tarantallegra!" she said, enunciating each syllable clearly, and drew the leg-shaped movement into the air carefully. There was a small flash of light, and the little skeleton's legs jerked wildly for a second, before settling down again.
She squinted at it doubtfully. She was pretty sure that was not all the spell was supposed to do.
"Oh, yeah!" she said in reply to Alice's words. "Apparently, we have the best view over the Grounds of the whole castle, except for maybe the Astronomy tower." Dee shrugged nonchalantly, not quite ready yet to admit that she was absolutely enchanted by both the view and the Common Room itself. The colours, the airy drapes, the fact that they had their own library? She was trying to tell herself that all of that wasn't that great, but truth was, she was in love.
"It would have been nice to get into one of my parents' houses," she noted absently, her thoughts already returning to the spells she was supposed to practice. "I don't think I'd be a very good Hufflepuff, but I thought I'd fit into Slytherin."
Now - time to make that skeleton dance properly.
At Alice's words, she looked up again, and made a face. "My parents were Slytherin and Hufflepuff, and I ended up in Ravenclaw," Dee said matter-of-factly. "I don't think the Hat really cares about your parents' houses. Although I still don't understand why it put me in Ravenclaw instead. And yes, it's rude! It told me I was self-absorbed, and arrogant!" She shook her head in righteous indignation. "Can you believe that? Like some random Hat would know me well enough to make judgements like that?"
Refocusing on her key-chain, Dealla looked at it critically, then raised her wand. The first ever spell she learned, and she would be certain to do it right.
"Tarantallegra!" she said, enunciating each syllable clearly, and drew the leg-shaped movement into the air carefully. There was a small flash of light, and the little skeleton's legs jerked wildly for a second, before settling down again.
She squinted at it doubtfully. She was pretty sure that was not all the spell was supposed to do.
"Oh, yeah!" she said in reply to Alice's words. "Apparently, we have the best view over the Grounds of the whole castle, except for maybe the Astronomy tower." Dee shrugged nonchalantly, not quite ready yet to admit that she was absolutely enchanted by both the view and the Common Room itself. The colours, the airy drapes, the fact that they had their own library? She was trying to tell herself that all of that wasn't that great, but truth was, she was in love.
"It would have been nice to get into one of my parents' houses," she noted absently, her thoughts already returning to the spells she was supposed to practice. "I don't think I'd be a very good Hufflepuff, but I thought I'd fit into Slytherin."
Now - time to make that skeleton dance properly.
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."