ᝰ𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌

Damaris gazed at the boy for a few seconds, unsure of what to do, until—moments later—she rested her head on her knees and reflected for a moment.
"Well... I'll read that edition another day, then..." she thought, feeling somewhat disheartened but determined to find another book. She stood up, brushed off her clothes, and began looking for something else to read during her spare time. As she searched the shelves, she ran her fingertips over the spines of the books in the mythology section. She moved to the shelf she had been leaning against earlier and browsed until another book caught her eye; it wasn't about mythology, but astronomy. Damaris wouldn't call herself an astronomy fanatic, but she had always found it enchanting to look at the stars at night—simply relaxing and watching them twinkle in the distance. Without much thought, she picked up the book and opened it, examining pages filled with images of constellations and their names; she was completely captivated by the stories behind each constellation and star. She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't even think about finding a table until she looked up and noticed other students sitting at tables near the windows. She started looking for a table, but—unluckily for her (it felt like a curse that day)—they were all occupied by large groups of students who were studying or just hanging out. The only relatively empty table was the one where the Ravenclaw boy was sitting. After a moment's hesitation, she seriously considered staying on the floor, though she knew she’d look a bit pathetic doing so—a thought that made her feel even more awkward. So, feeling somewhat self-conscious, she began walking toward the boy's table, silently hoping he would let her sit on the other side. When she arrived and noticed he didn't even look up, she felt even more embarrassed.
"He's really focused... I'd hate to be distracted while reading..." she said, before—a few seconds later—tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention, all while clutching her astronomy book against her chest with her other hand.
"Sorry... could I sit here too? The other tables... are taken..." she said shyly, waiting for the boy's response.

Damaris opened her eyes wide when she heard the boy speak so kindly to her, readily agreeing to let her sit at the table—something that surprised her, especially since he wanted her to sit right next to him. Shyly, she nodded and took the chair beside him, placing her Astronomy book on the table while tying her hair into a messy bun with the hair tie she always wore on her wrist; she knew herself well enough to know that, at some point in the day, she would want to put her hair up. "Thanks..." she murmured, feeling a bit shy about talking to someone new who was being so kind to her. If someone had told her at the start of the year that she’d be sitting next to a boy from another house—one who looked older than her, too—she wouldn't have believed it. Damaris snapped out of her thoughts when the boy suggested they read the book he had, The Odyssey, together. It took her by surprise, given that they barely knew each other, but she also found the gesture sweet. Before accepting—and she did truly want to accept the offer and read a different edition of a story she already knew almost by heart—she spoke up:
"You wouldn't mind? You're already reading The Odyssey, and I don't want to be a bother... I mean, asking to sit here was already a lot..." she said with a smile, then quickly added, "which I appreciate, seriously..." correcting herself so she wouldn't seem ungrateful after he’d agreed to let her join him at the table.
"But, well... if you don't mind... I see no reason not to reread the magnificent story of Odysseus and his countless attempts to return to Ithaca" she said, smiling; she was relaxed and visibly happy as she spoke about the story.
While waiting for the boy to answer, she took a moment to look at the cover of the astronomy book she had picked up; it was truly interesting and beautiful. Upon seeing the names of stars on the cover, she remembered something vital: she didn't know the boy's name. "Damn it..." she thought, closing her eyes for a moment before looking at him again and speaking.
"Sorry, but... I don't know your name..." she said with a small, slightly nervous smile—though she didn't know why she felt nervous, given it was her first time interacting with him. "How... what is your name? I'm Damaris... Damaris Vailmont," she introduced herself with a smile, hoping to make a good first impression.

Damaris chuckled softly at Damien’s comment about being "Nobody"—a clear reference to what Odysseus said in The Odyssey when facing the Cyclops Polyphemus. She listened as he introduced himself and couldn't hide her surprise upon learning that Damien’s middle name was Odysseus—literally Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. She was certain she looked like she’d seen a ghost, given the expression of surprise and almost tender amazement on her face—the kind her father used to say looked like a little girl tasting ice cream for the first time.
"Odysseus... is your name really Odysseus?" she asked with a smile, unable to conceal her excitement at the news. "I mean... you’re literally named after the King of Ithaca; that’s cool" she said excitedly, looking him in the face as she chatted away.
"It’s nice to meet you, Odysseus" she said with a smile, teasingly suggesting she might call him by his middle name instead of his first. When she realized she was speaking so openly with someone she’d just met—and who had just met her—she suddenly felt self-conscious, nervous that she had been, as she put it, a bit annoying. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be a bother; I just... got excited about your name. If it bothers you, I won't call you that again" she said, realizing she had likely taken him by surprise with the way she’d spoken to him—as if they had been friends since childhood.
Nervous and embarrassed, she glanced at the copy of the Odyssey he was holding, then at the astronomy book she had brought; she thought about putting it back on the shelf so they could read it together in peace.
"I'm going to... put this book back on the shelf, okay?" she said, picking up the astronomy book from the table, ready to return it. "I'll be right back, and... we can start reading" she said, then stood up with the book to put hers back where she had originally found it.