The Beginning of an End PV Hjørdis J. Closed

An earthquake in the sky? What? Oh, no. Just Maya. Jumping on her bed. Hjørdis turned over, groaning into her pillow, "It's Nora. Noorrrrraaaaa now," She reminded her friend, who still insisted on calling her 'Hjørdis' despite the fact that she had changed her name a few years ago. But it was nice to hear her birth name from one of the few people who could actually pronounce it properly.

Hjørdis groaned as she stirred awake, rubbing her eyes, "Dear lord, it's like four AM, Maya, what do you wa-" She started, half asleep, sitting up before her eyes shot open. It was today. The day of the potions competition. She had been so excited about it that she struggled to actually sleep for hours - and that was why she was now oversleeping. It was past four, of course. It was closer to seven but Hjørdis shot up, as Maya lay down, "IT'S TODAY!" She squealed, a huge grin on her face as her face lit up - the sudden realisation evident on her face.

Of course they were going to win. Had she ever failed at potions? Not in the past few years, certainly! Hjørdis had spent far too much time practicing and researching to start failing. It was just not a thing that would happen. She had this in the bag, of course she did. She had spent years working towards this goal - winning each and every competition she entered. Potions was her specialty. Nothing and no one was allowed to get in the way of that. With the pairs aspect to this competition, she was pretty glad she got to work with one of her closest friends. It made the whole thing more fun and gave them a better chance of winning.

Climbing out of bed, she stretched. "I need clothes. Clothes of a winner!" She declared with a huge grin on her face. They were going to win and when they did, photos would be taken. And when they were, Hjørdis would be ready with her beautiful outfit, her stunning makeup and her gorgeous purple curls. Immediately, she began rooting through her trunk for something appropriate. She needed cute accessories. A fancy belt, a beautiful scarf or a hair clip. Yes.

Within a few minutes, she had thrown half her trunk onto her bed as she made a mess everywhere."Got it!" She grinned, showing off a beautiful long silver necklace that her father had bought her. It would work perfectly in place of a scarf. Hjørdis got ready in a beautiful black cloak and adjusted her witch's hat, mostly spending time on her hair and makeup. She left her long purple curls out, putting a spare hairclip in her bag. She would likely need it when she was brewing. Other than that, she could keep her hair out. Applying eyeliner took some time - she had to still get used to actually making both sides the same. She wanted twins, not sisters.

Before long, she was dressed and ready to go, bag packed and all. She grinned as she checked herself out on a mirror. Yup, she looked perfect. Looking over at her friend, she continued to grin, "Let's do this. We got this!" She encouraged, having full faith in their abilities and capabilities.

The amount of spark and excitement that Hjørdis shared when she became fully awake made Maya smile. "I've known you as Hjørdis and you will always be my Hjørdis!" she laughed.

Maya knew it was going to be the best day ever. They were going to win this competition that they had been practicing for ages on. Maya, who was good at her spell magic and Hjørdis who was brilliant at potions were going to wipe out any competitors out there. Maya began to think about the dynamic duo, Lucas Williamson and Safiya Kambo. They had won the competition two years in a row with a breeze. But this year, there was something different: there was both Hjørdis and Maya in the mix.

As Hjørdis was getting ready, Maya stayed laying down on her bed looking up at the pointy coned ceiling. She began to think of the "dynamic duo" of the school and couldn't keep her mind away from Lucas Williamson, Head Boy of their Uagadou. "Okay, be honest...," she said while sitting up, a smile appearing on her face. "What do you think of Lucas?" Maya asked, wondering if she had the same thoughts she did. Maya thought that Lucas was the best looking boy in the school. There were so many things about him that she was attracted to such as his face, his confidence, his kindness, his smartness and even his muscles. Maya was known to be very straightforward, but asking out a guy was not her forte. If she had the guts, though, she would have done it in a heartbeat during the beginning of the school year.

When Hjørdis was done getting ready and Maya approved her outfit with a nod. "יפה" she said, in Hebrew which translated to "pretty". Maya loved Hjørdis' style. It was very preppy and goth all at the same time. Maya was not as much into fashion as she was, but it never stopped her from enjoying her best friend's strength in fashion and beauty.

Rolling out of bed, Maya jumped up in excitement from Hjørdis' words of encouragement. "I'm beyond excited. I can't believe we made it to the finals. It's like a dream come true to be acknowledged for our greatness," she said while smoothing down her outfit.

Hjørdis laughed softly, shaking her head as Maya decided that she would always be 'Hjørdis' to her. She was fine with that, her father and grandparents still called her Hjørdis and she would have it no other way. She did not even bother to argue with Maya. If it confused any of their new friends, so be it.

Peering into the mirror closely, she applied her lipstick. Smacking her lips together once she was done, she glanced over to Maya with a quirked eyebrow as her friend mentioned Lucas Williamson. He was certainly the charmer. The cute, sexy athletic guy. He was big and strong and manly. There was no doubt that he was one of the most popular guys in school. "He's hella cute. But if he thinks that means I'm going easy on him, he's so wrong," Hjørdis replied, knowing full well that he would be entering the competition again this year. Attractive was one thing but potions? Potions was on another level. Hjørdis was going to win this. It would kick start her alchemy career, in the greatest way possible. Every single competition she found, every new potion she created, every opportunity for experience would only make her better at it. She needed every single chance to achieve her dreams. And whilst he was very cute, she was also far too competitive to just let him win.

Besides, she was pretty sure that he had no chance against her and Maya. The Lucas and Safiya duo might have won before but nope, not this year. Not this time - not when Maya and Hjørdis were working together. Hjørdis flashed a grin at her friend, "Takk!" She replied back in Norwegian. She had been learning over the years, though she was by no means an expert yet.

"It's about time, honestly!" She replied teasingly, fully aware of their arrogance. But they deserved the win. Both of them worked hard to get to where they were. Hjørdis did so much extra time studying, spending countless hours pouring over an alchemy textbook or practicing her potion skills. It was greatness that was earned through hardwork and determination, not just a natural talent. "Right, shall we?" She asked with a grin as she finished packing her handbag, zipping it shut and was ready to go.

It was known that every girl in the school had some crush on Lucas. He was the jock of the school. Anyone would kill just to have a few moments alone with him. Knowing that Safiya got to have alone time with him practicing their potions for the competition got many girls riled up. Not Maya though. She knew that them being together was strictly professional and solely for the competition. Well, at least she felt it had to be that way. She hoped for it to be that way.

@Hjørdis Jensen found Lucas to also be cute. Whether or not she had a crush on him, Maya could not tell. Maya and Hjørdis were very much alike aside from style. While Hjørdis dressed fashionably, Maya was very simple. She did not need extra accessories or layers of clothing to share her feelings like others. She just brought herself in whatever she felt like wearing. Often clothing that was preferably comfortable.

Her best friend was right though. No matter how beautiful this boy was, they were going to beat him in the competition. Today was the finals and no one is going to ruin their chances of winning.

Once Hjørdis was fully ready, Maya nodded and smiled. She led the way out of the dormitory and to the spiral stairs that spiraled all the way from the tower down to the foyer. "By the way, I don't mean to be gushy, but I'm really happy to have met you seven years ago. You're my best friend and I don't know what I would have done all these years without you. I'm glad that we're partners for this competition!" she said, while walking down the stairs, her smile genuine.

Maya found Hjørdis to be a blessing in her life. She never had someone her age to talk to the way she can talk to Hjørdis. She was the oldest in her family, making her more often take care of her siblings rather than have intellectual conversations with them. The only person prior to her magical studies was Professor Schine, a man who Maya became very close with in her town. He-- who was also magical but she did not know until she learned she was going to Uagadou-- would inspire her to study the muggle world and its many cultures. She would come by every time she had to pick up groceries at the nearby marketplace.

But to have another human being, and one that was her age, to be close with was what Maya needed. Professor Schine was a mentor. Hjørdis was more like a soulmate. There was something about their personalities that meshed together perfectly. There was a reason they instantly clicked so many years ago.

Entering into the foyer, Maya saw the hustle and bustle of students and Uagadou staff trying to get everything ready for the finals of the competition. Moving left and right, they were taking cauldrons, furniture and ingredients from one side of the foyer and into a room: the Grand Room. It was where the competition was to be held. Inside felt like an African palace. It was extremely large as if it was meant to hold at least 1,000 peoples. The ceilings were curved, connecting to the walls creating a cathedral-like effect. There were long, dark wooden beams that also connected across the ceilings as well for stable support as well as for aesthetics. Dark and light ferns decorated the walls throughout the entire hall from floor to ceiling. It felt like a jungle, but one that was introduced to the glamour of Westernization.

Straight ahead, further into the room, there were two large tables on a stage. Behind the table was an elongated table that seemed to be where all ingredients were to be obtained. Potion ingredients from frog legs to bat wings were spread across the table in a neat and orderly fashion. In front of the stage were a rows and rows of chairs. These were where students, faculty and even the Ministry and other professionals would sit, watching the finalists compete their heart out for gold.

"Is it me, or does it look much more intimidating now?" she asked Hjørdis quietly. Their last couple of rounds were located in the potions classroom which had multiple laboratory-like tables for the many competitors who had competed and lost. All the prior rounds that they went through felt informal. But this... This was as formal as it can get. This was it.

"It looks intense, huh?" A voice called out. Maya turned slightly behind her to see that it was Lucas (and Safiya) walking up towards them. They were also admiring the grand hall that was before them. Maya didn't know what to say. She couldn't form any words, so instead she smiled at him. "Hey Nora," he said, quickly looking at the fashionable seventh year with purple hair. His attention smoothed over to Maya, a sexy smile plastered on his face. "Hey Maya," he said, with a wink and walked past them. Maya's heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. O.M.G! Did he just wink at me? Taking a deep breath, Maya gave him another innocent smile as he walked by. When he left from view, she quickly linked arms with her best friend in shock.

"Oh my G-d, Hjørdis... Did you just see him wink at me?" she whispered, her voice getting giddy. Maya needed a brick or something to whack her across the head. She had to get her head back from cloud nine and into the competitive zone.

"TEN MINUTES EVERYONE," someone called out from the middle of the foyer. It was the creative director of the competition. She and a few others were in charge of handling the preparations of getting the competition ready. For her to yell out a time means that the competition was starting in literally ten minutes. Ten minutes until the moment they had been waiting for. This was it. It was going to be an experience that they would never forget.

Hjørdis tilted her head, wondering where Maya's sudden cringe was coming from. She chuckled softly, "I'm glad too, you numpty. What are you getting all sentimental for? We still have a few months before graduation and then literally the rest of our lives to chill," She replied, shaking her head. The huge grin on her face painted a different picture to her words though. Hjørdis was clearly very happy to hear the words - and pleased Maya had been around. They had been through a lot together. Time after time, her mother would irk the hell out of her. Maya was always there to help comfort her when Muirenn messed up yet again. Honestly, she should have been used to her mother's failings by now but for some reason, she kept trying. She just really wanted that special mother-daughter relationship she never really had.

The purple haired one walked beside her friend, skipping down the stairs with far more excitement than she had anticipated. She loved potions to a whole new level. It was one of those things that she never really expected to enjoy. Potions and alchemy required you to pick up the weirdest ingredients, crush them or cut them and experiment. It was usually kind of grim but there was just something so satisfying about them. When she found out about magic for the first time, she started to research into it and was more excited about the existence of dragons, unicorns, phoenixes or the fact that there were not just wizards and witches. There were also vampires, merpeople, centaurs... There was so much in this world. Things, creatures, beings that she never knew existed. People used brooms to fly instead of just mopping. People could teleport. The whole world changed for her.

Potions was never something she was fascinated by. She actually got frustrated when she failed. But the moment she learned what success left like, everything changed. There was a right or wrong, a definite answer. She liked that. It was a precise art, where even adding half of a berry in could change everything. It sung to the perfectionist within her.

"It looks beautiful..." She whispered softly in response to Maya, her voice clearly in awe of everything as she stepped forward and looked around. Hjørdis was unfazed by the grandness of everything. If anything, it made everything far more exciting for her. When they won this competition, they would get far more recognition. Given the venue, the competition was clearly far more prestigious than she might have anticipated.

She heard another voice, a male voice, calling out about it being intense. She ignored it, assuming he was talking to Maya. Hjørdis was far too busy staring at the architecture in awe. However, when Maya did not reply, Hjørdis looked over her shoulder to see what was going on. She spotted Lucas and Safiya walking towards them. Maya was quiet. "Hey there," She greeted back casually with her smile turning into a smirk, "Good luck out there. You'll need it". What was her friend even doing? The girl said nothing to him, despite the fact that she seemed to want to. She just gave him a very innocent looking smile, that made Hjørdis smirk a little.

After he left, she quickly returned back to normal. "Uh huh... You couldn't have just said hi?" She teased as she patted her friend's arm, which was now linked up to hers. "Well, it's time. Let's do this." Hjørdis replied as she led Maya in.

There was a signing in sheet, which she threw down both of their names, signing next to her own and handing the quill to Maya to sign her own. Next to their names, there was a table allocation. "Looks like it's over there," Hjørdis said after a few moments of looking around and trying to figure out the numbers of the nearby tables. She did not really bother to look at where everyone else was located or who was near them. Her focus was where they had to be, and what they had to do to actually win. Nothing else mattered. She had one goal: to win.

Hjørdis scanned the table numbers as she walked past each until she spotted theirs. Immediately, she pulled out the utensils that where under the table and started to examine them. She wanted to ensure that they were clean and safe to use before they started. They could get additional ingredients or utensils as required from the storerooms located around but each table was already set up with the basic equipment. However, the potioneer within her knew better than to use equipment without checking them. Unclean equipment was the bane of her existence.

Maya's cheeks blushed. Did she not say hi? Maya could have sworn she said hi. Maybe it was in her head and it never came out of her mouth... Ugh, I'm such an idiot she thought, thinking about how much of a bimbo she was in front of Lucas. He was beyond attractive and smart and now she looked like a complete dud.

Hjørdis got Maya out of her funk when she mentioned that it was time to get ready for the competition. This was the moment that they had been waiting for and they were seconds away from starting the finals. Maya smiled at her best friend who led them both into the room. It was beyond beautiful, it was gorgeous the way they decorated the room.

"Competitors, please check your ingredients prior to the start of the competition," a woman called out from the front where the stage was. Maya looked at @Hjørdis Jensen and grabbed her hand to squeeze it. "I'll go check it out," she said and Maya made her way to the stage.

There were two long, thick tables topped with many plates and bowls of ingredients. On one side there is everything Lucas and his team would need and on the other side was everything for Maya and Hjørdis to work on their potion. Maya had to make sure that everything was in tip top shape.

When Maya got up onto the stage, she saw that Lucas was already there looking at his table. He was awfully close to theirs but Maya didn't take that into consideration. She looked at her ingredients, but also eyed the hunk nearly next to her. Maya slowly made her way from the end of the table towards the other end which was near her opponents table. Lucas was already there and he shot Maya a smile.

"Hi...," she whispered, still looking at her ingredients. Maya looked at her final and important ingredient that was going to help them win: the Unicorn Hair. She saw that there was just enough hair strings that they needed for their potion. When she was finished, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"To the best Potioneer," he said cooly, while putting out his hand for Maya to shake. Maya smiled and took out her hand to meet his. Immediately he gave Maya a hug.

Maya blushed. What is happening?

Little did Maya, or anyone know, was that Lucas included an "extra" ingredient into the Unicorn Hair. What he added was horse hair that remarkably mimicked the Unicorn Hair.

"Um...," Maya said, when the embrace stopped. Lucas smiled and winked at Maya, walking away. Maya couldn't help but to hold her chest as her heart was beating fast. Did that just happen? Maya scanned the Unicorn hair, feeling like something was different but didn't think anything of it, and then went back to Hjørdis. "Everything looks good!"

"PLACES EVERYONE!" screamed the same woman from earlier. Now was the time. Maya and Hjørdis were going to begin the finals. Maya took Hjørdis' arm and made their way to the table where a clean and ready cauldron was waiting for them and behind them was their ingredients that Maya had just checked.