27 Nov 2020, 15:40
It's destroying us.
Oliver Blackthorne was sitting in the library, supposed to be studying, but he couldn't focus. It wasn't hard for his thoughts to stray far, far, away from this school and it's magical halls to the house where he had lived all of his life, to his father, who had stood on the platform as the train had pulled off, probably wondering what would happen, his colossal fear that he would get 'mixed up' like his mother did, and end up sharing her terrible fate. His father always said that he was "A lot like his mother... maybe too much," and now... now he knew why.
So he closed his book with a dull thud that drew several people's sharp glares, and got up to get another one.
One, the History of Dark Organizations in the Americas, caught his eye.
Hmm...
Well, he took the book and plopped down at the table where he was previously sitting, opening the first page, and giving his brain a break by reading something interesting to him.
All of a sudden, two boys, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, by the look of them, got into an argument, which drew his attention, as it seemed to be getting pretty heated, something about illegitimate house points.
@Rose Moon
So he closed his book with a dull thud that drew several people's sharp glares, and got up to get another one.
One, the History of Dark Organizations in the Americas, caught his eye.
Hmm...
Well, he took the book and plopped down at the table where he was previously sitting, opening the first page, and giving his brain a break by reading something interesting to him.
All of a sudden, two boys, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, by the look of them, got into an argument, which drew his attention, as it seemed to be getting pretty heated, something about illegitimate house points.
@Rose Moon
I wish i lived in the present with the gift of my past mistakes
But the future keeps lurking in like a pack of snakes
27 Nov 2020, 16:15
It's destroying us.
After everything that had been going on recently, Rose was not in a good mood. She wasn’t necessarily in a bad mood, but there just seemed to be an absence of happiness inside Rose, even with the advent festivities beginning soon. So right now she was looking forward to some peaceful reading of her novel in the library. Normally she would be on the grounds, but it was really cold out today, and Rose didn’t feel like trying to go out there and end up freezing her toes off. She entered the library. There seemed to be more people there than usual, which wasn’t strange for this time of year- Rose hadn’t been the only one with this idea. She made her way back to her usual corner of the library, only to find two bickering boys in her way.
A Gryffindor and a Slytherin. At least, it looked that way by the way they were arguing, about house points and whether or not it was unfair the way that Gryffindors were idolized and favored by the teachers. Rose had always thought the teachers were fair, so maybe the Slytherin was just being a bad sport about house points. Or maybe he really was right- Gryffindor had always been seen as the best house by most people, the one everyone longed to get into, and the one that made you a better person than if you were in a different house. Ugh, and they were loud, too, earning shushes from other people actually trying to be productive. Rose narrowed her eyes and butted into the conversation. It hadn’t done this well when she had a tendency to do this, but someday, Rose knew, butting her nose into other people’s problems would work eventually. “Come on,” she growled exasperatedly, pushing the boys apart. “Break it up, break it up. You both make good points but it’s no use to fight about it like little kids over a toy.” She would then push through the middle of them and act like she was looking for a book somewhat near them. They seemed to shoot back their last arguments and then part ways, ridding the library of their loud presence. Usually she wasn't so snappy and rude like that, and a little voice in the back of her head told her that she shouldn't have phrased it that way, but it had seemed to work, so it had served its purpose. Rose let out a relieved sigh, whispering to herself, “I hate it when that happens. Why do the houses have to act like they’re so different anyway?” And then she would turn to her spot, only to find someone was there, only five or six feet away, and had been present for her entire dramatic slip in her own angst.
Blushing, Rose stammered, “Oh, I, uh, I’m sorry, I didn’t…” she cleared her throat awkwardly. “See you there.” Of course, this wasn’t just her spot in the library, other people were allowed to sit there, too.
4 Dec 2020, 19:00
It's destroying us.
Oliver shook his head, smiling, and closing his book.
"No, It's fine, you handled that well," he said, smiling. "They listened to you, anyways."
And she had, he thought, truthfully. As soon as she had noticed the problem, she had broken it up, albeit in a very... volatile manner. She had been authoritative, in her own way.
Oliver sighed. "I've noticed that. From the very moment I got here, I noticed that it's so..." Oliver trailed off, trying to find the right word. "... divided." And he had. So many people had been so scared to be in the wrong house, fearing backlash from their parents or being outcasts. It was even worse when he found out that these houses came from division of the house's founders themselves, which made sense. How could something that came out of division among the founders ever be united? The answer was - they couldn't. They were too divided. It's funny, he thought, that a school with such an impressive reputation could have an equally impressive problem. Gryffindors were coveted while Slytherins were shunned; Ravenclaws were smart, but Hufflepuffs were looked down upon, there were too many... stereotypes to have a healthy environment of learning.
"No, It's fine, you handled that well," he said, smiling. "They listened to you, anyways."
And she had, he thought, truthfully. As soon as she had noticed the problem, she had broken it up, albeit in a very... volatile manner. She had been authoritative, in her own way.
Oliver sighed. "I've noticed that. From the very moment I got here, I noticed that it's so..." Oliver trailed off, trying to find the right word. "... divided." And he had. So many people had been so scared to be in the wrong house, fearing backlash from their parents or being outcasts. It was even worse when he found out that these houses came from division of the house's founders themselves, which made sense. How could something that came out of division among the founders ever be united? The answer was - they couldn't. They were too divided. It's funny, he thought, that a school with such an impressive reputation could have an equally impressive problem. Gryffindors were coveted while Slytherins were shunned; Ravenclaws were smart, but Hufflepuffs were looked down upon, there were too many... stereotypes to have a healthy environment of learning.
I wish i lived in the present with the gift of my past mistakes
But the future keeps lurking in like a pack of snakes
4 Dec 2020, 19:19
It's destroying us.
Rose blushed a little more. "Thank you."
Then he agreed with her, talking about how the houses seemed so divided. Thankful at the change of subject, Rose nodded. "Exactly. I mean, I get it that there are too many students for us all to be together all the time, and they've got to split us up somehow, but giving each house a certain way they're supposed to be is restricting and can give us biases about our peers before we even get to know them enough to make those biases valid." Rose did realize she was rambling, but the guy didn't seem to mind. "It's messed up. Some people do stuff about it. Like some of out teachers, they purposefully put different houses together so they can work together."
Rose had never really understood why she was put in Gryffindor either, even though all of her friends could see it so clearly. She had never been explicitly brave, or saved anyone's life or anything- she was no hero like the regular Gryffindor was depicted. She felt like she would belong a lot better in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, flying under the radar in terms of houses instead of being the center of attention. "Houses are so part of our identity, too. It's one of the first things we ask in conversation with another student." Rose then realized she had been rambling without even introducing herself. "I'm sorry, I don't think I've seen you around. I'm Rose."