21 Dec 2020, 04:00
Almost A Snowman
December 19th
The Holiday season always caused there to be bliss over Hogwarts. Whether it was the Christmas trees that stood within the great hall or the cheerful attitude as boys and girls began to prepared to wrap up their studies and return to their families for Christmas for a small break, there seemed to always be a smile on people's face. Even Ross who was raised without a specific religion found himself adoring the Christmas traditions. The wrapping of gifts and the decorating of ornaments children would sneak onto the trees brought an extreme sense of thrill to him, yet he never found himself partaking in them. He had been happily content with watching them from the sidelines as a child, yet here he was feeling the slightest twinge of jealousy- no, the slightest twinge of motivation.
But how did one ask to be involved in the traditions of Hogwarts? They seemed to be practically everywhere, yet Ross found himself struggling to celebrate them. Perhaps it was how anxious he was to ask or he was simply too late- he only wished to join in.
So when Ross woke up on a crisp, Saturday morning and discovered it was snowing, his motivation finally kicked in. He downed a plate of toast and eggs, shoving a carrot within his pocket. He had dawned his warmest attire. He was more than grateful that it was not a school day, as he had no need to bother with robes of any sorts. Instead, he was able to put on a mustard yellow jacket with what he swore was the softest insides. Under it he wore his regular worn down sneakers and long, soft socks that he had snagged from home after regretting only having thin ones the year prior. They had a sheep pattern on them, reminding him so much of home every time he wore them. He also dawned a brown, winter cap that made him feel as if he was a pilot. He had learned his ears tended to become freezing if he did not go outside without some form of hat the year prior as well. He was about to rush out the door of his dorm until it dawned upon him he would be touching the snow. He hastily shoved on two gloves.
After he had tied his shoes, he had rushed past the courtyard and into the grounds. Just entering the outside world caused him to wish to shiver. Even the warmest of clothes could not match how intense the cold of Hogwarts was. His plan had been simple- roll three balls together and create a snowman. It seemed easy within the movies, and he had even brought his wand so he could cast a spell and create more snow if it was required. The first thing he did was proceed to get on his knees and attempt to roll the snow- until for it to end in him collapsing onto the snow as he screwed up his balance. This was going to be harder than he thought
Reducio
Interacting with @Piper Clark
Last edited by Ross Stephens on 31 Dec 2020, 22:48, edited 1 time in total.
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7
21 Dec 2020, 23:43
Almost A Snowman
@Ross Stephens @Opeila Winters
Back at home in London, Piper's Christmas was often small in size. Eleanor would invite over her sister and Piper's cousins, and they would spend Christmas Eve playing board games and drinking hot chocolate. There were sometimes warm snickerdoodles involved as well. Piper wasn't a fan of her cousins (they tended to be stuck-up), but her uncle was fun when he could make it.
This would be Piper's first holiday season at Hogwarts, though she planned on returning home as soon as possible on the twenty-third. For the first time since coming, Piper walked with a straight back and even an energetic step, eyes bright. At last, she could speak to her mother through something other than owls. There was so much to tell her! To top it all off, the snow (possibly Piper's favorite substance) was falling, and the castle glistened blindingly with frost. The chilly air felt refreshing, and the air of Christmas season manifested itself in titanic Christmas trees and the burden of homework was lightening after the huge stress of finals.
Piper appreciated Christmas trees and the season, but the issue was that everyone seemed to want to spend the season with a million other people rather than just a select few. Piper tended to be ignored anyway. She did appreciate that at Hogwarts the staff didn't push her to believe in Santa. Her mother always tried to get her to do that and it was so annoying. She was too smart for that trick, and the staff saw the simple pleasure in sweets and the smell of cinnamon. Glorious. As Piper waited to take the Express home, she simply went about her work quietly and seized the opportunity to do a bit of extra reading on the wizarding world.
The first-year Slytherin had returned from the breakfast hall (Hogwarts knew how to do a good breakfast) and curled up in her dormitory to read. However, she needed some fresh air outside of the dungeons and promptly bundled up, ready to take a brisk walk with her nose in A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch. As Piper walked up the stairs and on the grounds, she noticed someone: A boy who looked a bit older than her, who was wrapped up trying to roll snow. He was unsuccessful; Piper winced as he fell flat into a pile of freezing snow. She wondered what he could be trying to do. He was completely decked out in warm clothes, with hat, thick jacket and all. Ouch.
An idea slowly creeped into her head. Maybe she could help in whatever task he was hoping to accomplish. Piper wasn't usually one to help someone with that type of thing, but the boy looked so pathetic he appeared he could use some help. Folding her book back together with resignation, Piper walked over to the boy, sighing, "Hello...what are you doing? Maybe I could try and help." The last sentence was a statement but was emphasized as a question. After all, Piper wouldn't bother him if she wasn't wanted. She was well aware her face was neutral but didn't want to seem too eager, lest she wasn't wanted or the task was too difficult.
Outfit:
Reducio
Piper Clark (color=#4040FF)
"I do it because I can, I can because I want to, I want to because you said I couldn't."
22 Dec 2020, 01:00
Almost A Snowman
If nobody had witnessed his fall, there was a chance he would possibly just lay on the ground for awhile and allow the frozen moisture soak into his skin as he regretted his actions. At least falling in the snow was somewhat Christmas related. What was a good holiday without one's face being buried in the snow once or twice? There had been multiple times as a child where his father had thrown a snowball a little too hard and caused him to fall onto his back. It was practically a Christmas tradition at this point either way.
It was not until he heard a young girl's voice that his cheeks went red. Considering the amount of body warmth his sudden embarrassment was producing, it felt as if the snow should be melting away around him. It was certainly one for the nightly regret sessions. In order to spare himself embarrassment and the 'melting of the snow', he pushed himself off of the ground so that he was sitting. The bitter air hit his face, making it feel as if he was going to instantly freeze to death. It nearly made him nearly consider laying back down on the ground.
Using his forearm, he wiped his face of the freezing water that remained on his face. He proceeded to take off his glasses and check for any cracks. Once he decided he was safe from a hundred dollar bill request to his parents through Owl, he wiped them off with his jacket sleeve and put them back on his face. Only then did he look up at the girl in front of him and processed who she was.
He really just humiliated himself in front of a First Year, didn't he?
There was a mild frustration within him. He was an upper classmen- why did he keep messing up in front of the younger students? She was blonde and dressed lightly considering how harsh the weather could be. Perhaps he just did not grow up in a cold part of England, but he could never imagine wearing thin clothes on the school grounds. The snow was so consistently deep he never quite knew what to do with himself. Even his little collapse left quite the dent in the snow, considering at home it hardly left anything at all due to the lack of it.
"I.. I'm sorta attemptin' to make a snowman and all that.." he managed to force out, hiding the humiliation in his voice.
He reached inside of his yellow jacket pocket and pulled out a carrot, as if to show proof that his intent was not to fall in the snow.
"see? but i sorta.. made a snow angel instead, didn't I?" He joked a pathetic attempt at a recovery
Interacting with @Piper Clark
Last edited by Ross Stephens on 31 Dec 2020, 22:49, edited 1 time in total.
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7
29 Dec 2020, 00:18
Almost A Snowman
. @Ross Stephens @Opeila Winters
Sorry it's very short!Below Piper, the boy scrambled to his feet. Piper was fairly sure one could fry an egg on his cheeks as he checked his glasses and put them back on. "I.. I'm sorta attemptin' to make a snowman and all that.." he said. He pulled a carrot out of his pocket, clearly intended to be the snowman's nose. "See? But I sorta.. made a snow angel instead, didn't I?" Piper glanced down at the now second-year-shaped imprint in the snow. A snowman, was it? That cleared things up, at least. He had been attempting to roll snow into the balls.
Piper had always seen kids rolling snow into snowmen at home in the winter. Snow happened, but most often it was a lot of rain. When there was enough snow to play in, the kids took all the opportunity to play in it excitedly. Buttons, coal, sticks, scarves, carrots, hats, and all manner of other oddities were often put onto the snowmen to form clothing, physical features, and other things. However, Piper had never quite joined in on her peer's fun. The snowmen were ridiculous. Piper considered it a sign of maturity to move on from such childish indulgences. Rather, she enjoyed taking long walks and appreciating the beauty in the snow-covered buildings and trees.
It was rare that Piper got cold, though she overheated easily. The weather now was quite nice for her, but she imagined dryly that it wouldn't be much fun to fall into powdered ice like the boy had done. Well, now that she had offered to help, Piper couldn't back down. She would engage in building a snowman. Maybe it was fun. "Oh. Well. Yes, I can try to help. I've never built a snowman, though. What do we need to do? Roll a ball?" Seemed easy enough. Could the boy really not even stand straight while rolling a ball of snow?
Piper Clark (color=#4040FF)
"I do it because I can, I can because I want to, I want to because you said I couldn't."
29 Dec 2020, 00:47
Almost A Snowman
Ross sheepishly nodded. The snowball was of course one of three steps of a snowman, the next two also being to make a snowball. It always looked so easy when kids at Hogwarts would do it. It was as if it would magically roll itself into a ball. Part of Ross wondered if there was some form of spell that could fix his issue. Spells themselves came out like inventions; however, he always struggled to comprehend how they were made. Still, perhaps that would take part of the fun out of making the snowman. Normally the end creation hardly looked decent either way.
"I sorta hope so, or I dunno what i'm doin' at all." he joked, but every joke had a bit of truth to it.
He felt a bit of shame at her attempting to help, but he supposed that was the Christmas spirit: allowing people to help when they were clearly better than you. He reached down and picked up a chunk of snow. He rounded the snow within his hands, successfully making a small snowball: Possibly one of the worst weapons one could have during winter time at Hogwarts when people knew how to play with fire.
"Maybe if we make a bunch o' small ones we can get one big one." he remarked, attempting to think inventive.
He could not help but hope that possibly making snowmen was more difficult than he had prior assumed. Perhaps he could prove he was not a failure after all if they BOTH failed? Well no, wishing harm on others was not particularly in the Christmas spirit... or Hufflepuff spirit for that matter. He wondered at times how he ended up in Hufflepuff. Perhaps he just did not fit in any house, or maybe he was looking into it too much.
He gently placed the snowball on the ground and reached down to make another one. Once he succeeded his process, he put it on top of the snowball.
"... this'll take a bit." he sighed.
Interacting with @Piper Clark
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7
30 Dec 2020, 08:27
Almost A Snowman
@Ross Stephens
"Maybe if we make a bunch o' small ones we can get one big one."
The boy formed small snowballs, stacking them on top of one another. Piper, who still hadn't lifted a finger to help, stared at him. That way would take ages to finish. It honestly looked like a very sad attempt. There had to be a more efficient way. Thinking hard, Piper looked around.
"Well...that might fall apart fast. What if we just made a big pile of snow and then shaped it into a ball form by pushing the sides in for the bottom?" she suggested, breath puffing out visible air. That seemed like it would get more done, and faster. How hard could it be?
Piper gently placed her book in her bag and knelt in the snow, which felt cold on her knees. She patted the snow with her bare hands. Freezing. However, even if it was cold, the job had to be done. Piper burrowed her hands into the snow, pushing it up and over the snowballs the boy had made. I suppose I should find out his name, her brain muttered, though small talk sounded awful.
"So. I'm Piper. Piper Clark. What's your name?" she asked as she worked, trying to sound conversational.
Piper mainly succeeded in awkwardness. She wondered who the boy was. He seemed as awkward as she was (if not more so, she thought smugly). He was definitely not used to the cold, given his huge jacket. Piper would be sweating if she were him. She was getting a bit hot even now, using her arms to shove snow into a somewhat round pile. Insecurities and thought spirals bubbled beneath her surface, but she tried to force them down. The only thing was, she would officially have failed at snowman making if her idea didn't work.
This is why I don't do this stuff...
Piper Clark (color=#4040FF)
"I do it because I can, I can because I want to, I want to because you said I couldn't."
31 Dec 2020, 22:48
Almost A Snowman
A true detective was able to come up with a smart answer through experiences. Right now, he decided neither of them were true detectives. In fact, he would say they were both the people who got murdered in a story such as that. Both of them were two kids attempting to make a snowman from looks alone, but at the same time he considered the offer. It was smarter than what he was doing. It was likely their best option. She was right no matter how much it stung, after all.
"we could give it a shot." he shrugged, knowing any good detective would be open to trying something at least once.
Before he could do much of anything, he watched her get on her knees and begin to perform the attempt. He could hardly concentrate on her movements as he cringed at the thought of her wearing such thin clothes and touching the snow directly. He would never put himself through that torture willingly. Despite not having the greatest clothes for winter the year prior, he would never have tormented himself by forcing himself to go out within the snow and create snowballs. He noted it would be a wonderful device to use if he ever needed to get answers out of someone, but it was not something he would wish on a girl simply attempting to assist him.
As she started to gather the snow and push it up onto the pitiful attempt at a snowman he was making, he realized he could not take the thought of someone else having to suffer in the way she was. He took off one of his gloves and handed it out to her.
"Well, Piper, how 'bout an early Christmas gift- or more of a loan i guess- from Ross? Oh.. erm, that's correct! The name is Ross. Ross Stephens." he remarked, but only found himself cringing at how awkward he sounded.
Using his gloved hand, he attempted to join her in rounding it out. He kept in mind he could start snow whenever it was possible with a flick of his wand in case they ran out. It was freezing against his free hand, but it was better knowing she would not be horribly cold the entire time.
"I didn't bring much o' a jacket last year either. Had to skip out on all the snow stuff, just make sure to bring a better one next year!" he gave advice far happily than he should have.
Interacting with @Piper Clark
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7
10 Jan 2021, 00:36
Almost A Snowman
@Ross Stephens
Piper looked up as the second-year introduced himself (she stored the name Ross in her head) and offered her a glove. She couldn't help half-smiling at the attempt - it wasn't extremely efficient for both of them to wear a single glove. And the cold wasn't too bad. Did she really look that cold? She wasn't shivering at all, and she certainly felt nice. Given Ross's getup, though, he certainly ran cold and would have better use for the gloves than she did. However, he looked so eager to help that Piper accepted, slipping on the glove. "Thank you." What difference did it make?
"I didn't bring much o' a jacket last year either. Had to skip out on all the snow stuff, just make sure to bring a better one next year!" Piper couldn't help bristling at his comment. She faced the second-year, correcting him.
"Oh, I'm not cold at all...I like the cold a lot, actually. I just get hot really easily...I'm fine, really." She returned to her work, piling snow up onto the bottom of the growing lump. It was quite big by now, about the size of a medium-sized ball.
Honestly (though she'd never admit it), the snow piling was rather fun. Piper was able to slip into her thoughts while working meticulously - thoughts mainly on how much she hated her rivals, how she hated herbology, and the incantations of various charms. Also how excited she was to return home and spend Christmas with her mother. However, she stopped at one thought. It made her feel incompetent, but she had to clarify.
"How...how will we get the top part onto the bottom? Will we just pile it?"
She assumed that's what they would do, but she had learned that sometimes answers weren't too obvious.
The fact that she didn't know Ross's House also crossed her mind. She hadn't seen him in Slytherin (though she didn't pay much attention), and didn't think he would fit there either. Beyond that she had no idea, but his giant yellow jacket and selflessness with the glove seemed an indicator of Hufflepuff.
"What House are you in?"
Piper Clark (color=#4040FF)
"I do it because I can, I can because I want to, I want to because you said I couldn't."
10 Jan 2021, 03:10
Almost A Snowman
Ross smiled as she accepted the glove, feeling a sense of accomplishment. It was not as if he had been actively planning some form of evil thing. It was just something that had come across his mind, and he did not even hesitate to give it. A real, genuine smile was on his face. Whether it was the holiday spirit or just a bit of feeling more in control of his actions, it was nice.
As she remarked about the fact she was not cold, Ross could not help but roll his eyes as he took the opportunity to make a joke. "O' course you're not cold. You got my glove." he jokingly remarked before looking at her attire once more.
She was blatantly used to the cold from what he could tell. It was an amazing detective conclusion he had made prior when he had seen her thin clothes. While it could get rather cold in Crayford, Ross normally spent his hours inside. While the snow was nice aesthetically, he had never had a person to enjoy it with. It would have to be him alone, and to be frank that would be a horrendous experience. It was fun playing in the snow with his parents when he was a kid, but that simply only applied when he was a kid. It was nice to finally have someone to attempt it with, even if it was not much.
As he slipped in and out of his thoughts, he found himself looking at the first year. She seemed concentrated, and it brought a bit of joy to him. There was a difference between struggling alone and struggling with someone else. At least he knew they were both losers, even though to be frank he assumed she was far more confident than he was at this sort of thing.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a sudden question. A question even he didn't know the answer to. With his amazing detective skills, he had not really considered it.
"I dunno.. I guess? Dunno any other way." he remarked before pausing, bringing a finger up to his lip as if pondering. "I could cast the levitation charm so we don't screw up the bottom half or anythin'... say, you think if i used the mending charm on it it'd look more like a snowman after we're done?" he inquired, attempting to think of far more creative solutions to the issue.
Suddenly, a question popped up practically out of nowhere. His house? Oh! His house!
"Hufflepuff, but i dunno if i belong there." he confessed. "I haven't seen you around Hufflepuff or anythin' so... are you?" he returned the question back to her
Interacting with @Piper Clark
Stamina: 7 Evasion: 7 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 6 Arcane Power: 8 Accuracy: 7
18 Jan 2021, 05:49
Almost A Snowman
@Ross Stephens
Piper let a small laugh slip out at Ross's comment about his glove. Nice recovery. In any case, she felt happier than she had felt all month, finally having found something to do besides schoolwork. It wasn't that schoolwork wasn't fun; just that it got rather monotonous after one did enough of it.
Ross answered her first (admittedly stupid) question."I dunno.. I guess? Dunno any other way. I could cast the levitation charm so we don't screw up the bottom half or anythin'... say, you think if i used the mending charm on it it'd look more like a snowman after we're done?" Now this was an interesting thought. The Charms theory! Piper loved that sort of theoretical thinking but tried not to get too caught up in it. "It could work! I don't know if Reparo would fix it, but we could try." The idea of using magic to help with the snowman excited Piper more than she wanted to let on, and though she tried to sound nonchalant, she really sounded like an overeager child in a candy store.
Piper had to snort at Ross's response to her second question. "Hufflepuff, but i dunno if i belong there. I haven't seen you around Hufflepuff or anythin' so... are you?" She couldn't ever imagine herself in the House of the kind or the loyal. She had never been seen (even by herself) as either, and the thought of being surrounded by puffy, selfless, chivalrous people was both intriguing and foreign. But Ross seemed like he'd fit the part perfectly, what with his thinking of her. Most of the Slytherins she had seen around would have simply let her go without gloves if it was to their belief she was cold, as that would simply let Piper learn to bring gloves next time (the fact that she didn't need them was irrelevant.).
Piper probably would have done the same to anyone else, to be fair. How else did one learn? She was anything but soft - if you wanted something of hers, you would buy your own. Finishing this mental rant, Piper cleared her throat. "Nope, I'm a solid Slytherin. And proud of it, but I think I would have preferred to get into Ravenclaw. I'd never, ever fit into Hufflepuff. For the record, I think you fit in very well with the Hufflepuffs. You're...very nice and...huffle-y." She was surprised at herself for uttering this statement; she usually would not ever admit such a thing, especially to a stranger. But then again, nobody had really taken the time to be very nice to her in that sense. "Anyway. I think we should try to charm the snow; it might be fun!"
Piper Clark (color=#4040FF)
"I do it because I can, I can because I want to, I want to because you said I couldn't."