Charmless Company PV Robin Lockett

Date October 2, 2025 Time (afternoon) Location Charms Classroom, Hogwarts Tags pv @Cassiel Ahlstrom

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.

After a month of Hogwarts education, Robin felt a very obvious improvement in his understanding of magic. Back home he only studied the theories, now that he had the authorization to cast spells, a whole new world was revealed to his ever-curious brain. With the start of his second month at this academy, Robin grew more familiar with this once unfamiliar territory.

It was a typical Charms class. Professor Townsend's instruction was engaging as always—sometimes a bit too engaging—but Robin also was more used to her methods now. Today they were learning Reparo, a quite basic first year spell to repair things. Robin had looked forward to mastering it, as he couldn't stand a ripped robe or crooked glasses. He hadn't broken anything yet, but having the charm in his head could be a lifesaver. Who knows when a bludgeoned Quidditch player would come crashing at his face and smash his specs to pieces?

With that oddly specific fear in mind, Robin paid extra attention to the class. Not that he normally slacks off, he's just even more focused today, eyes following every movement the professor makes.

Then came the practical part of this Charms class. Robin flinched as the students were told to detach the spines of their textbooks. Still, he did as he was told and took a deep breath as he violated the integrity of his book. Now came the only comforting part of this assignment—mending the damage he just did.

"Reparo." Robin firmly and clearly voiced the incantation as he swirled his wand around in a shape resembling a horizontally flipped letter "G". As expected, he succeeded in his first try. Don't get too gallus, it's just a basic mending charm. Robin humbled himself and turned to daydream briefly about all the magnificently advanced spells he would learn in the future. His imagination was disrupted by his desk partner, a Gryffindor boy who seemed to be struggling with his assignment.

After yelling out the incantation multiple times with no success, he glanced at Robin's perfectly bound textbook. "How are you doing that?" The green-eyed boy asked, with a mix of jealousy and frustration.

Robin didn't doubt the genuineness of the boy's inquiry. He had gotten a bit more used to talking and answering questions over the past few weeks, but it was still somewhat awkward, especially when the one asking questions was staring straight into your eyes.

"Well, uh . . . the incantation is 'reh-PAH-roh', emphasize the 'pah'. The wand movement is a bit weird so some people might find it more difficult, but it's easier to think of it as a flipped 'G' with more jagged edges. If you're familiar with the alphabet, anyways." With the pure desire of spreading knowledge and enhancing the overall intelligence and proficiency of his peers, Robin added another tip before the Gryffindor could respond: "Also, this is true for all spells, you need to concentrate on your intended outcome. That's the most basic rule. Spells are fueled by our thoughts, and emotions impact those thoughts. Having a clear mind is, therefore, very important."

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Just a tiny thing: I believe you meant to put "2, october 2025" instead of "2026"?

Also pure irrelevant ooc note:
I've been sleeping quite late for my past standards lately (around 2am) and now it's like 1am for me, but I loved your starter and immediately had a nerdy+unintentionally sarcastic or passive aggressive response (depending on Cassiel's interpretation) in mind, so I had to type it down before forgetting lol
I am the opposite of goody-two-shoes early-sleeper Robin

Date October 2, 2025 Time (afternoon) Location Charms Classroom, Hogwarts Tags pv @Cassiel Ahlstrom

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.

The boy failed again. Robin gazed wordlessly and rather expressionlessly too. He didn't think this as his own fault, as his instructions were pretty standard. He also didn't feel any sort of pride or looked down on the green-eyed boy, as everyone had their talents. The Gryffindor probably has some other skill he takes pride in instead of charms. Maybe he's a DADA person? Robin thought for a split second, but it didn't escape his mouth. No way he'd ask someone he met for the first time "hey, are you abnormally interested in the most scrutinized class of Hogwarts?" That's just pure idiocy.

"Are you some sort of prodigy?"

Robin narrowed his eyes slightly at that question. It was probably rhetorical or even accusatory according to the boy's tone, but he was on the verge of answering with a plain old "yes". Some people do refer to him as a prodigy, in some classes, anyway. Mostly those including spells and theory instead of potions or flying. He was fine with potions, never getting the process wrong or anything, but the occasionally vague instructions were torture for him. Flying, on the other hand, was literal hell. No way he'd play Quidditch or be a broom racer for extracurriculars.

Despite the solid answer he could give, Robin still decided to say silent. Even considering his limited familiarity with social situations, actually giving a response in this case would probably seem insulting or sarcastic even if it wasn't his intention. Robin didn't want to deal with the consequences.

Before he could turn his back on the Gryffindor and focus on reviewing the lesson or even previewing the next one, the boy with an unpleasant mood added another question, this time meaning for it to be answered: "Who was your tutor? Before Hogwarts, I mean."

Tutor? Ah, he is a pure-blood then. First of all, muggle families wouldn't know about magic and therefore wouldn't be able to access tutors pre-Hogwarts. That leaves only half-bloods and pure-bloods. Not that the wizard parent of the former aren't allowed to get tutors for their children, it just makes more sense in Robin's mind that the latter would be the ones to care about someone else's upbringing. Also, the fact that this boy was so fixated on success . . . well, Robin himself is too, but the boy seemed more aggressive about it. Like it's his purpose to "be good at things". Might be stereotypical, but that's more of a traditional pure-blood thing. Robin's maternal family was always strict on his mum when she was a kid, but at least she knew what she wanted and broke out of the cage.

What does this boy actually want out of life? Robin wondered for a brief moment. Maybe he genuinely wants to excel in magic, it didn't have anything to do with Robin, though. So he shrugged off his thoughts and continued the conversation with a careful politeness: "I didn't have a fixed tutor, lessons were mostly handled by my parents and occasionally our wizard neighbors. Self-study with the books I got from them and my mum's family was probably more helpful, to be honest."

Robin didn't look into the boy's pale green eyes. He felt like he said too little and too much at the same time—he revealed his "non-traditional" family, maybe his blood-status (or at least cast some doubt about it), and how he, with no proper tutor in youth, was likely a prodigy indeed. However, Robin didn't tell him the full story. His parents were both wizards despite one coming from a muggle family and the other pure-blood, but he didn't care a bit. The two gave him books and a rather pleasant childhood, and that was what mattered to him—personal comfort.

Hah, great if he leaves me alone, one less annoying person to deal with. Robin then mentally frowned, though he stayed expressionless externally. If he starts pestering me over this, on the other hand . . . it would be rather unideal.

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Date October 2, 2025 Time (afternoon) Location Charms Classroom, Hogwarts Tags pv @Cassiel Ahlstrom

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.

There goes whatever was left of their potentially neutral and mutually unbothered relationship.

Normally asking one's name is a polite gesture extended to people you hope to know or are forced to acquaint with. Even with the latter, it is usually for the convenience of a task both parties intend to proceed with. Either way, it's not too difficult for Robin to answer. He considers himself an introvert, but that mainly shows in his minimal expressions and reluctance to engage in physical touch, like handshakes.

This time, however, the situation was completely different. The Gryffindor boy clearly mixed some suspicion in his tone, further providing evidence for Robin's hypothesis that he's a pure-blood. A traditional one who probably examines blood status before socializing, one who remembers your full name before physical traits and talent or intellect.

"My name is Cassiel Ahlstrom." The boy introduced himself before Robin had a chance to respond.

Ahlstrom . . . nah, no point in trying to remember something that obviously doesn't exist in my memories. Robin didn't know much of "famous" wizard families. He'd only connect a surname with their blood status if it was taught in class or if he knows a specific individual from that family, usually a scholar he read the works of. Myrcelle was quite firm on not letting her son get entangled into family politics, so the Nightingale family to him is just "provider of occasional presents". Robin knows of his maternal family members, but he never met them. His grandparents and aunt supposedly visited when he was a few months old, but of course there's no memory of that.

The Lockett family, on the other hand, was more involved in Robin's life. His father Jeremy, a wizard born to muggle vets, maintained a close relationship with his parents. Emma and Arthur Lockett visited more often than the Nightingale packages. Robin liked his grandparents. They couldn't provide sustenance for his curious brain regarding magical subjects, but they were delightful company. Not as energetic as his mother, but more unserious compared to his father.

Robin rather liked his family, and would be willing to talk about them with friends in most circumstances. This is neither "with friends" or "most circumstances", but his response was required for the closure of the conversation. Judging by the flow of their dialogue and other contextual clues, the Gryffindor boy seems to be very confident in his knowledge of notable families, that he would be able to recognize any name thrown out there if it belongs to the blood status he favors.

Robin tensed up at the uncertainty of what this Cassiel Ahlstrom would do with the information, but he still answered quite quickly in response to the green-eyed boy: "Mine is Robin Lockett. Robin as in the bird, Lockett as in the necklace thing with two 't's." He debated whether or not to say "nice to meet you" and ultimately the "nay" side won. A slight head bow closer to a nod was enough. Robin hoped that he was completely wrong about this boy, that Cassiel was just . . . socially awkward and had no discriminative intent. If he was right about him though, the Gryffindor probably wouldn't be too thrilled to meet him anyways.

Their eyes hadn't met after Robin talked about his early education. Well, maybe the other boy looked at him, but Robin himself was still staring at the book placed on his desk.

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Date October 2, 2025 Time (afternoon) Location Charms Classroom, Hogwarts Tags pv @Cassiel Ahlstrom

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.

As Robin waited for a response, he began to rethink this interaction up to this point. Robin was somewhat nervous throughout the conversation, since he disliked trouble and preferred to live a comfortable and convenient life at Hogwarts. He loved to learn, and it had been quite fun, but Robin hoped this could last and not suddenly turn into a bitter soup with all the unnecessary spice mixed in.

Finally, Cassiel opened his mouth to produce a verbal reaction. He just repeated Robin's last name without any commentary for a second, then after a seemingly intended pause, said that he thought he had never heard of the name. Robin nodded at that, still expressionless as ever: "There's no reason you would have, unless you're a fan of magizoology and know my dad specifically." His father isn't even that famous, so there's honestly no way Cassiel would've heard of the last name "Lockett", at least in the context of Robin's family. Still, the boy doubted that anyone could remember all of the pure-blood families either. It seems like kids were trained to memorize them, but still, would they not have at least a few dropped? Or mixed up? Robin had a great memory, but even he wouldn't be confident in recalling every family name of the magical elites. If the boy next to him could, that's actually quite impressive, even if it was the "norm" of their status.

"Well, whoever's taught you should be proud."

A subtle sigh escaped Robin's lips. At least he tried to make it less obvious, but there was nonetheless a motion so he wasn't sure if Cassiel noticed. Not because he found the comment sarcastic or unpleasing to hear, it was just . . . true. "I think they are. A lot, actually." Robin adjusted his posture as he'd been sitting in that seat for some time and it's taking a toll on his back. The Ravenclaw still looked down, this time just staring at where his blue striped tie disappears into his robe. With some hesitation, he added an explanation to the "a lot" in attempt to make it sound less appealing, specifically less like he was bragging: "Her acquaintances are never spared from stories of a new milestone or embarrassing instance of mine. Embarrassing stories are the majority."

Whether he succeeded or not was unknown to Robin, but that didn't matter. Another statement was thrown to him and he needed to respond in some way. I clearly know what I'm doing? I mean, I suppose so? Robin nodded again, that was the only reply he could think of before a real response came to mind: "I guess so. I do have some goals and are actively working towards them, if that's what you're asking." He was a bit confused, the boy didn't know if the Gryffindor was talking about this particular lesson or on a broader scope, but answering more generally never hurts . . . or rarely, anyway.

Robin's gaze finally moved up. Not to meet Cassiel's though, just to look at the clock. He was waiting for the class to end now, as it seems like the only thing he'd been doing after successfully completing the activity was responding to Cassiel Ahlstrom's inquiries, and it's getting a little bit repetitive for his tastes. Not that the Gryffindor boy repeated anything, it's just that all he's saying means practically nothing to Robin, and zero equals zero, so it's all the same to him.

Robin had been raised to not care about blood status and upbringing, or rather the fact that pure-bloods aren't fundamentally better than anyone else. He won't say that to Cassiel's face, however. One, he's conflict avoidant; two, he just doesn't really care what others think as long as it doesn't directly impact him; three, he probably can't change what others think, so what's the point of trying?

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Date October 2, 2025 Time (afternoon) Location Charms Classroom, Hogwarts Tags pv @Cassiel Ahlstrom

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 nodded at Cassiel's revelation of not being particularly familiar with magizoology, that discipline isn't for everyone, after all. For the record, Robin likes nature when it's calming. He just wouldn't want to invest all his time into it; he didn't have the necessary passion to make something involving various living creatures his life's purpose. Aside from being traumatized by that deer, animals in general make the boy uneasy. Sometimes Robin thinks interacting with animals are simpler than with humans, but when he goes to face one, the young boy often realizes pretty quick that the "easy-going" creature in question doesn't even have an expression to read. Of course there's the more apparent language barrier, but the fundamental difference in species is the real wall.

"Parents," Cassiel said with a not quite well-shrouded annoyance. He almost spat the word out, yet it was still contained within the boy's innate instinct to veil his true emotions. "They thrive off our embarrassment, don't they?"

This seems personal, Robin thought. He already got the impression that this boy was quite . . . angry, at what he wasn't sure, maybe everything? But now the anger was apparent, instead of hiding behind some sort of obligation to be polite, if his previous attitude can be seen as such. "Yeah, they sure do." A straightforward affirmation of Cassiel's comment, entirely genuine on Robin's part. He isn't sure what type of embarrassment the other boy endured in his childhood, so they might not even be talking about something on the same level. Still, it felt wrong to ask, so agreeing made sense to Robin.

"What kind of goals? Planning to go into magizoology?"

That was the most positive Cassiel's tone had been in their encounter, he anticipates something. Robin thought that it made sense, most people would think that parental hobbies will influence what a child can come in contact with, therefore impacting their own passions. The boy looked to his side again, a bit hesitant to tell the full story. After enrolling in Hogwarts, he'd met more peers interested in less conventional methods, or more frowned-upon magic. Still, Robin isn't comfortable just telling anyone that he's interested in studying the Dark Arts unless the other party reveals that they like the idea first.

"Well," Robin took a deep breath, disguising it as merely another sign of his nervousness to interact with people. "I might've heard too much about magical creatures since I was a kid, which did the opposite of turning me into a potential Newt Scamander. Anyways, I'm more interested in magical theory and like, the development of, eh, certain types of magic? For example how . . . " Robin caught himself almost babbling on without a foreseeable end, so he cleared his throat and summarized the main idea, the truth with a bit of a twist: "History of magic, I guess."

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no problem! i'll also take some time to respond every time since my brain's been occupied by video games now that i'm with my gaming computer at home anyways take your time! love your writing it's so peak