A Missing Sketchbook
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Date: Friday, 9 October 2026
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Making memories that last
A Missing Sketchbook
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WC: 430
Private thread with Elara Whitlock.
Note: So sorry it's late - had a bunch of stuff today + yesterday
________________________________________He continued to stare at the castle, a few memories from his first year that he could not forget played in his mind. He picked up a handful of orange leaves besides him that had fallen from the tree, and crumbled them in his hand as he recalled a few key moments. His mind came back to reality when Elara, who also dropped to sit besides the tree, spoke. "It was." He couldn't think of anyone he knew of who was truly happy to be at Hogwarts and not miss home during their first few weeks here. During the summer all the excitement builds up, but once you're separated from your family you realize that maybe it isn't so exciting. "I don't think it really felt real until my parents had left. After that, I kept wondering if I'd taken the wrong staircase or missed a turn somewhere." He couldn't help but smirk, he remembered how small and lost he felt in that giant castle last year. He continued listening to her experience as a new first year, and how navigating at first was difficult. "I've been here a year and sometimes I still take wrong turns." He spoke as he crumbled another handful of leaves, recounting the times he was late for a few classes because he took a wrong turn along the way. "I can see why you'd say that. I don't think I'm there yet. But... maybe I will be, eventually." From what Elara told him, he wouldn't have expected her to call Hogwarts home yet, it was much different from the quiet, peaceful life she seemed to have back at home. "It gets easier when you get used to everything. Sometimes I miss my parents, but at least I can still write to them and tell them all about what goes on here." Mentioning writing made him remember the letter he just received from them just a few moments ago before he came to return Elara's sketchbook. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter. "This one just came, it's not the same as seeing them, but it's something." He felt that he had taken up enough of Elara's time, and was thinking about leaving - since he had to write a response to send to his parents to send the next day. "Elara, do you mind if I see some more of your drawings? It would be cool to mention them in my response to my parents. They like hearing about... Well... Everything that goes on, the interesting stuff and the subtle stuff."
@Elara Whitlock
A Missing Sketchbook
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Date: Friday, 9 October 2026
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Making memories that last
A Missing Sketchbook
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WC: 489
Private thread with Elara Whitlock.
________________________________________"Sure. You can." Elara spoke and nodded before opening her sketchbook again. She opened it to the page with the drawing of the oak tree, path, and bench - the one she considered to be her favorite. With each page she turned, Josh would see a new drawing, each one looked like they were done recently. One was undoubtedly of the castle, Josh would recognize Hogwarts anywhere. Another was of the Great Lake, it didn't look completely finished. The next page had a drawing of a cat, Elara paused a bit longer to look at this one than the previous one's she flipped through. Maybe that's her pet he thought to himself. He didn't ask as much as he wanted to, he knew some topics could be very sensitive for some people, and he didn't want to seem like he was prying. "I was trying to remember this corridor." She suddenly spoke as she reached another page a bit further in her sketchbook. It looked like the corridor on the fifth floor that lead to the Transfiguration classroom. "I got distracted halfway through." Elara flipped through a few more drawings; some books, a candle, a quill and parchment. The drawings differed but they all had the same lively character stemming from the great amount of details. Next came a pair of shoes, a section of the library, and a few leaves and branches. "There are still a lot of places here that I haven't drawn yet." Elara spoke as she looked back at her sketchbook. "That's a good thing, isn't it? Hogwarts is so big, there's loads of inspiration in the castle and on the grounds." Again he looked back at the castle. His eyes landed on Ravenclaw Tower, where he was just relaxing a few minutes earlier. "Just don't laugh at the really ones. Some of them are pretty bad. Here." Elara held the sketchbook out to him, and he slowly took it and stared at the cover. He smiled, and opened towards the back of the book, where the drawings looked like they were done as recently as this week. "You know, maybe one day you could turn these into magical drawings and paintings that can move." His voice had slight amusement in it, but he was also very serious. He continued flipping through each page one by one, trying to be extremely careful. One of the pages he reached had a drawing of the same cat he briefly saw while Elara was looking through them. He decided to comment about it, even if his mind was telling him the opposite. "Is this your cat? She's got very... Shiny fur..?" His statement sounded much more like a question, he wasn't sure what else to say but it was obvious he should say something nice about it. Of all the things, shiny fur? he thought to himself. The cat did look adorable though, if only he said that.
@Elara Whitlock
A Missing Sketchbook
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Date: Friday, 9 October 2026
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Making memories that last
A Missing Sketchbook
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WC: 392
Private thread with Elara Whitlock.
Note: I'm so sorry it's late again, my free time was very unpredictable from Saturday to yesterday, but I'm much more available now!
________________________________________Elara glanced at the sketchbook when he asked her about the drawing of the cat. "Yes, that's Lumi. She's a silver mackerel tabby." If he didn't like owls so much he probably would have gotten himself a pet cat. They were intelligent, clean, and adorable. "Her fur does look a little shiny when the light catches it. I adopted her this summer." Somehow he felt a bit more embarrassed by her decision to comment on his awful compliment, it just made him realize how silly it sounded. Well, socializing was not his biggest strength regrettably, still he was doing good so far and he was actually managing to engage in a conversation. "That's cool, I got Columbus over the summer as well. Though sometimes I think about what having a cat instead would be like, I'm sure they're easier to handle." Who was he kidding, any pet would be easier to handle than Columbus, he would never admit that out loud though. Somehow he balanced Josh's introverted behavior with his extroverted and chaotic behavior, the thought made him smile. "She's quite fond of sunny spots. Though she doesn't stay still for very long." Her understood Elara, it was impossible for any animal to stay still for long. It's in animals nature, including humans, to want to be active and move around. "That's one thing our pets have in common," he amusingly added, as he glanced back at the drawing of Lumi. "I usually have better luck when she's asleep." He continued flipping through a few more pages in the sketchbook. What made them interesting was not all of them had the same story, some were regular items such as a goblet, some were of places in the castle, like one Josh thought looked like the Hufflepuff Common Room - he couldn't be sure because he had never been there. "I was almost sorted into Hufflepuff," he added as he looked at the drawing of the cozy room covered in root and decorated with plants. He mostly said it to himself, sometimes he spoke his thoughts out loud. "It's nice to meet you Elara," he spoke again as he looked back at her. "And thanks for letting me look at these. They're really interesting." He smiled, and looked back at the drawing for a few moments more, before handing it back to her.
@Elara Whitlock
A Missing Sketchbook
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Date: Friday, 9 October 2026
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Making memories that last
A Missing Sketchbook
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WC: 499
Private thread with Elara Whitlock.
________________________________________"You were almost sorted into Hufflepuff? I think you'd have liked it there." He didn't really expect Elara to comment on what he said, but he though about it. After all, each house had it's own unique and good traits that made it feel like home to it's members. "I actually think I would have as well. The sorting hat also considered Slytherin, but I'm happy with where I ended up." It was nice to reminisce about his sorting hat experience from last year. It was so nerveracking and exciting at the same time, followed by instant relief when the hat finally made a choice.
"It's nice to meet you too, Josh. And thank you for bringing it back. I really appreciate it." Elara said as she took her book back with a smile. "It's the least I could do, especially with how cool you've reacted to it being stolen... He nervously laughed, trying to forget about the whole ordeal. He doubted he would ever forget it, however he wasn't really sure it was something he could look back to and laugh at just yet. "I suppose I should probably head back soon," Elara said, her eyes studying her sketchbook in her hands. "I still have a few more drawings I haven't shown you. Maybe another time." He nodded, he wasn't actually sure if Elara and him would ever talk again, but he knew they probably would. Whether it was tomorrow, or next week, or even next year. "I should probably go too. He put the letter he received from his parents back into his pocket, and stood up, and gently dusted and neatened his robes. "I'll see you around, if we're lucky," he said jokingly. The afternoon didn't really feel relaxing anymore, it now felt drowsy. For good reason, he didn't really realize it but he must have spent quite some out here with Elara. All he intended to do was return a sketchbook, he never imagined meeting a new acquaintance. He wouldn't say he made a new friend just yet, but at least he now knew a new familiar face in the castle who he could occasionally greet and catch up with every now and then. Elara had also gotten up by now and spoke, "Hopefully without Columbus stealing anything next time." Her comment again reignited embarrassment within him, but he was glad she joked about it, it somehow made him more comfortable about the whole situation. He wasn't sure when, where or how, but he knew deep down Elara and him would probably find themselves talking for half an afternoon again, whether it was discussing drawings, pets, homework, or whatever else they had on their minds. "Alright, until then." He smiled one more time, and turned towards the castle and slowly made his way back to the door he exited earlier that afternoon, his mind shifting to to what he would say about her drawings in his reply he was going to write to his parents.
@Elara Whitlock