˜”*°•DISHONOR YOUR FAMILY•°*”˜
Word Count: 345
| Date: September 13th, 2026 | Time: Evening | Location: Library, Hogwarts |
| Mentions: @Ginny Angel & @Bella Light | Participation: OPEN
Xio’s groans had been steadily growing louder the longer she sat there, until a few irritated students finally shushed her before returning to their own work."Ugggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
She was slumped hopelessly against the banister on the upper levels of the library, her head tipped back as she stared at the ceiling. In her lap rested the letter she had received right after dinner — from her parents, of course.
She had already made her way through most of her reply and was, by her own standards, making excellent progress. She had written about her first few days of classes, her new friends she had against their will collected, and how Hogwarts was even more wonderful than she had imagined. But then she had reached the part about her grades.
By and large, she was doing brilliantly.
Most of her lessons came to her almost effortlessly, no doubt because she had grown up hearing about so many of them from her siblings. The one subject she was currently agonizing over, however, was Transfiguration. Her last few reports had come back with less-than-ideal marks, and while they weren’t enough to threaten her overall education at Hogwarts, they were more than enough to make her nervous about how her parents would react.
In Xio’s family, enchanted and transfigured objects were not just a school subject — they were part of the family’s name. The Arcanas had founded their little shop, The Bumbling Trinket, nearly eight years ago, and since then they had worked tirelessly to become a trusted resource for their community. They repaired and improved enchanted objects, researched transfigured items, and generally took pride in the skill that had built their reputation. So the very idea of admitting to her parents, “Ma, Pa, I’m doing wonderfully in everything except the one thing our family is known for — hope you’re not too disappointed,” felt worse than throwing herself into the Great Lake and letting the Giant Squid have her for lunch.
She let out another long, miserable groan and dragged the mostly finished letter down over her eyes."Ugggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
OOC Notes: Help Xio return to her usual cheerfulness! The balance of the world depends on it! XD
˜”*°•DISHONOR YOUR FAMILY•°*”˜
@XioArcana
I push open the huge wooden doors and enter the library, armed with my Transfiguration homework. I've been in here once already, but the room never ceases to take my breath away. Shelves stretching further than I can see, the rows upon rows of books are as enticing as ever, and I have to pull myself away from them as I head into the library. I nod as I pass the librarian and run my fingers over the spines of tales of fantasy more magical than even the wizarding world can produce.
I tug my attention back to what I came here for: homework. I groan internally at the thought and make my way towards one of the wooden desks set out for student use. I sit and begin unpacking my school bag. I've just taken out my inkpot when I hear a sound. It sounds like a groan. I pause, listening closely, but don't hear anything. Shrugging, I turn to my homework and dip my quill into the thick black ink.
"Ugh..."
There! I set my quill down on the desk, careful not to drip ink on my parchment, and wait.
"Uugghh..."
Again! This time, it's louder and more drawn out. I itch to follow the noise, but I know I should get back to my work. After all, an essay on the Whistle to Watch spell isn't going to write itself. Turning back to my paper, I pick up my quill and begin to write.
"Uuuggghhh..."
I throw my quill down and climb to my feet. Homework is going to have to wait. I quickly pack my belongings back into my satchel and follow the sound deeper into the library.
The noise leads me up a ladder and onto the balcony surrounding the edges of the room. I gasp at the view from up here. You can see the whole room, shelves and books and couches and tables. Another loud groan tears me from my thoughts, and I look for the source of the sound. I spot a girl leaning on the banister, a quill and piece of parchment in hand. She appears to be my age, with messy dark hair and dressed in a Ravenclaw uniform.
I watch as she lifts the paper up so she can see it, scans the paper, and groans again.
"Excuse me," I call before I can stop myself. "Are you OK?"
I push open the huge wooden doors and enter the library, armed with my Transfiguration homework. I've been in here once already, but the room never ceases to take my breath away. Shelves stretching further than I can see, the rows upon rows of books are as enticing as ever, and I have to pull myself away from them as I head into the library. I nod as I pass the librarian and run my fingers over the spines of tales of fantasy more magical than even the wizarding world can produce.
I tug my attention back to what I came here for: homework. I groan internally at the thought and make my way towards one of the wooden desks set out for student use. I sit and begin unpacking my school bag. I've just taken out my inkpot when I hear a sound. It sounds like a groan. I pause, listening closely, but don't hear anything. Shrugging, I turn to my homework and dip my quill into the thick black ink.
"Ugh..."
There! I set my quill down on the desk, careful not to drip ink on my parchment, and wait.
"Uugghh..."
Again! This time, it's louder and more drawn out. I itch to follow the noise, but I know I should get back to my work. After all, an essay on the Whistle to Watch spell isn't going to write itself. Turning back to my paper, I pick up my quill and begin to write.
"Uuuggghhh..."
I throw my quill down and climb to my feet. Homework is going to have to wait. I quickly pack my belongings back into my satchel and follow the sound deeper into the library.
The noise leads me up a ladder and onto the balcony surrounding the edges of the room. I gasp at the view from up here. You can see the whole room, shelves and books and couches and tables. Another loud groan tears me from my thoughts, and I look for the source of the sound. I spot a girl leaning on the banister, a quill and piece of parchment in hand. She appears to be my age, with messy dark hair and dressed in a Ravenclaw uniform.
I watch as she lifts the paper up so she can see it, scans the paper, and groans again.
"Excuse me," I call before I can stop myself. "Are you OK?"
Last edited by Ginny Angel on 14 Sep 2026, 11:05, edited 1 time in total.
˜”*°•DISHONOR YOUR FAMILY•°*”˜
Word Count: 305
| Date: September 13th, 2026 | Time: Evening | Location: Library, Hogwarts |
| Mentions: @Ginny Angel & @Bella Light |
Xio glanced over at what seemed to be another first-year. Normally, she would have leapt up and bombarded the poor soul with a million questions before they could even get a single reply in, but she was fortunate enough to catch her on an off day. For once, Xio remained slumped against the banister instead of springing into motion.
Good job, Xio. Yet again, you’ve managed to make your woes everyone else’s problem. Truly a gift.
With obvious reluctance, and doing her very best not to sound sarcastic — though failing miserably — she said,
She threw one arm over her eyes in a dramatic gesture, then used the other to grip the banister and haul herself upright.“Okay? Well, ‘okay’ means many things. Some people say it means just enough, others say it means better than yesterday... and I, on the other hand...”
She finally hauled herself over the banister, pressing her stomach against the railing, allowing for all the world observing as though she lived in a reality where bones were optional. Xio stared down at the mostly finished letter in her hand, now even more crumpled from how often she had handled it. That meant she’d need a fresh sheet. She didn’t want her parents to think she was agonizing over it, even though she clearly was.“Am not... okay. I am trying to write back to my parents, and I am failing miserably...”
She let out a miserable sigh.“How does one explain disappointing news to one’s parents? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m used to not delivering ‘optimal’ news, considering I have seven older siblings to compete against, but...”
She said finally, as if her own last name haunted her.“Disappointing news is a new beast I have not encountered until today. I'm Xio, by the way, Xio Arcana.”
OOC Notes: N/A
˜”*°•DISHONOR YOUR FAMILY•°*”˜
"I'm Xio, by the way, Xio Arcana," the girl, Xio, says.
"Hi!" I say chirpily. "My name's Ginny Angel."
I give her a bright smile, rocking slightly on my heels. She seems a little dramatic, I think, but maybe she's just having an off day. After all, Mum always says to hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
"I'm sure your letter isn't that bad!" I tell her, leaning forward a little to get a better look at the crumpled parchment. "And besides, even if it is, there could be worse things. After all, you're at Hogwarts! You're a witch! You can do actual real-life magic!"
I gesture excitedly around us, as if the castle itself is proof of my argument.
"Think about it! We've got moving staircases, talking portraits, ghosts, and—" I lower my voice dramatically, eyes widening, "—actual spells! I mean, how could a disappointing letter possibly compete with that?"
I grin, then glance back at her letter.
"Unless you've accidentally set something on fire," I add, pausing thoughtfully. "Or turned someone into a ferret. Or maybe you've told your parents you've become best friends with a troll and now you have to explain that." I giggle, clearly amused by my own increasingly ridiculous examples. "But even then, I'm sure they'd have questions before they got properly disappointed!"
I shift closer, my expression softening just a little.
"But really, if it's something you're worried about, you don't have to make it sound perfect. You could just tell them what happened. Parents are supposed to love you even when things don't go exactly right, aren't they?"
Then, as quickly as the seriousness arrives, my smile returns.
"And if you need help writing it, I can help!" I announce brightly. "I'm very good at letters. Well—I'm good at talking about letters. And talking in general. Mum says I could probably talk to a brick wall if it looked like it might answer."
I laugh, then point at the parchment.
"We could start with something nice! 'Dear Mum and Dad, Hogwarts is wonderful, the food is brilliant, and I met a very interesting girl named Ginny who is absolutely amazing...'"
I pause, then beam at her.
"See? That's already a much better letter!"
"Hi!" I say chirpily. "My name's Ginny Angel."
I give her a bright smile, rocking slightly on my heels. She seems a little dramatic, I think, but maybe she's just having an off day. After all, Mum always says to hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
"I'm sure your letter isn't that bad!" I tell her, leaning forward a little to get a better look at the crumpled parchment. "And besides, even if it is, there could be worse things. After all, you're at Hogwarts! You're a witch! You can do actual real-life magic!"
I gesture excitedly around us, as if the castle itself is proof of my argument.
"Think about it! We've got moving staircases, talking portraits, ghosts, and—" I lower my voice dramatically, eyes widening, "—actual spells! I mean, how could a disappointing letter possibly compete with that?"
I grin, then glance back at her letter.
"Unless you've accidentally set something on fire," I add, pausing thoughtfully. "Or turned someone into a ferret. Or maybe you've told your parents you've become best friends with a troll and now you have to explain that." I giggle, clearly amused by my own increasingly ridiculous examples. "But even then, I'm sure they'd have questions before they got properly disappointed!"
I shift closer, my expression softening just a little.
"But really, if it's something you're worried about, you don't have to make it sound perfect. You could just tell them what happened. Parents are supposed to love you even when things don't go exactly right, aren't they?"
Then, as quickly as the seriousness arrives, my smile returns.
"And if you need help writing it, I can help!" I announce brightly. "I'm very good at letters. Well—I'm good at talking about letters. And talking in general. Mum says I could probably talk to a brick wall if it looked like it might answer."
I laugh, then point at the parchment.
"We could start with something nice! 'Dear Mum and Dad, Hogwarts is wonderful, the food is brilliant, and I met a very interesting girl named Ginny who is absolutely amazing...'"
I pause, then beam at her.
"See? That's already a much better letter!"
˜”*°•DISHONOR YOUR FAMILY•°*”˜
WC: 310
Mentions: @Ginny Angel, @Xio Arcana
OPEN TO INTERACTIONS
Bella Light was just entering the library when she heard groaning. Being a reader at heart, she was excited to enter the famed library her parents had taught her about. But as soon as she stepped a foot into the library, she heard a soft "ughh" coming from the shelves.
Curious and also slightly worried, she paused, wondering if it was her imagination. After a short while, she thought it probably was, so she went into the bookshelves, found an interesting book, and started reading. That was when it happened again. "Ughh..." she heard.
Frowning, she sighed and placed the book down with her bookmark in place. She heard a voice that she thought was really familiar, and another girl's voice that she remembered from a class.
Following the voices to their origin, Bella found the table where one of her closest friends, Xio, sat, along with another girl that she recognized. She was in Hufflepuff, though Bella couldn't recall her name, not exactly.
"My name is Ginny Angel," Bella heard the other girl say. Right, Ginny! That was her name!
"I'm sure your letter isn't that bad!" Bella heard Ginny tell Xio. "And besides, even if it is, there could be worse things. After all, you're at Hogwarts! You're a witch! You can do actual real-life magic!"
Bella cautiously stopped, wondering if she was entering a private conversation, before realizing that if it was private, she had already accidentally heard part of it. Might as well confess and see what's going on, right?
Bella stepped into view of the two girls, then waved.
"Hey Xio! And hi, umm, Ginny, right? I think you were in a class of mine before," Bella said, before turning to look at Xio who seemed upset. "What's wrong? What's going on? Is everything okay?
OOC Notes: Hope it's okay that I'm entering in here!
Mentions: @Ginny Angel, @Xio Arcana
OPEN TO INTERACTIONS
Bella Light was just entering the library when she heard groaning. Being a reader at heart, she was excited to enter the famed library her parents had taught her about. But as soon as she stepped a foot into the library, she heard a soft "ughh" coming from the shelves.
Curious and also slightly worried, she paused, wondering if it was her imagination. After a short while, she thought it probably was, so she went into the bookshelves, found an interesting book, and started reading. That was when it happened again. "Ughh..." she heard.
Frowning, she sighed and placed the book down with her bookmark in place. She heard a voice that she thought was really familiar, and another girl's voice that she remembered from a class.
Following the voices to their origin, Bella found the table where one of her closest friends, Xio, sat, along with another girl that she recognized. She was in Hufflepuff, though Bella couldn't recall her name, not exactly.
"My name is Ginny Angel," Bella heard the other girl say. Right, Ginny! That was her name!
"I'm sure your letter isn't that bad!" Bella heard Ginny tell Xio. "And besides, even if it is, there could be worse things. After all, you're at Hogwarts! You're a witch! You can do actual real-life magic!"
Bella cautiously stopped, wondering if she was entering a private conversation, before realizing that if it was private, she had already accidentally heard part of it. Might as well confess and see what's going on, right?
Bella stepped into view of the two girls, then waved.
"Hey Xio! And hi, umm, Ginny, right? I think you were in a class of mine before," Bella said, before turning to look at Xio who seemed upset. "What's wrong? What's going on? Is everything okay?
OOC Notes: Hope it's okay that I'm entering in here!
Bella Light