A Clumsy Mishap PV Simon Kincaid Closed

"My mom used to mention secret passages when she talked about Hogwarts.
I don't believe she ever did find any herself but people would talk about them all the time. On occasion my mom said she and her friends would look for them but I suppose they eventually give up," Maverick told the Hufflepuff boy, racking his brain for any more of his mother's stories about secret passages. Nothing else came to mind though so he started to try and remember the other stories his mother used to tell him.

" Well besides the passages they used to explore the grounds mostly. They would try and find out about the rumors they had heard or look for creatures that had been sited there before. One time they had gone exploring out and around the Great Lake because they had heard stories about the giant squid that lived there and wanted to see it with their own eyes. They waited for hours trying to catch a glimpse of it but never saw anything. One of them did end up falling into the lake though, which had been less then ideal but she said they laughed it off after they had pulled them back in. They never did see the squid but they didn't care. It was the memories that really mattered to them, at least that's what she has always said," Maverick finished, smiling fondly at the memory of his mother getting super excited whenever she told her stories.

Maverick realized though that he had been going on and on about it for a while now. "Sorry, that was a lot," he laughed nervously, he looked down at the ground because he knew his face had gone read out of embarrassment. "I've always really liked my mum's stories so when I get to talk about them I kind of get distracted."

@Simon Kincaid

"No, I bet they're really fun to hear about...but you know what? Maybe you should have some stories to share with her?" he shrugged his shoulders. It was sort of just a suggestion but then he paused. Was it a suggestion? No, it was more like an invitation.

"No, you should have some stories of your own to share with her! She would love that! What do you say? Books away, assignments can wait, and you and I go look around at what this castle perhaps has to offer?" Would they find any hidden passageways? Eh, maybe. Odds were against their favor but that didn't mean they couldn't at least try.

"And then I'll have some of my own to tell my aunt when I see her." Simon's Aunt Maggie already thought most of this Hogwarts stuff was amazing as it was. "Something is telling me that if there is any sort of hidden passages and whatnot, they won't be in plain sight. They'll be somewhere that's not heavily trafficked. I say we start with the second or third floor corridors."

And he threw the suggestion out there as if the Ravenclaw boy with him was already committed to going on the adventure. Sure, he could turn it down. Simon wouldn't be upset...but perhaps there was an adventure to be had.

The Hufflepuff boy spoke about how the two should have their own adventure and try and find a passage. The boy seemed extremely excited about the whole idea, almost as though he had been planning to do it for a while. Maverick would be lying if he said he wasn't interested, the idea was extremely exciting to him as well. He had always heard all of these stories from his mother, the idea of him having his own stories to tell to her was so cool. He would love to finally share a story of his own with his mother.

" You know what, you have yourself a deal," Maverick smiled slightly at Simon, excited to see where this would lead. " I've read about what people have said about the passages and have heard these stories for years, I think your right that maybe I should put my books down and finally have an actual adventure," he said, looking down at his book bag thinking back to all of the stories. He had always thought about having his own adventures but was always to nervous to do it. The fact that he may actually get to have one now was thrilling.

Simon mentioned where they should probably be looking. " It would make sense that they would be away from the busier parts of the castle, that way people would be less likely to find them," Maverick agreed, thinking about any other places. "You know, I'm really glad I got to meet you today. Even if it was because I literally ran into you. I think this is going to be a lot of fun," he told Simon, truly meaning every word.

@Simon Kincaid

"Me too, man, me too," he said, speaking of their meeting and was also appreciative. "Come, let's start on the corridors of the Second Floor." The Ground Floor just seemed to have too much traffic to place a secret passage - or maybe Hogwarts would trick them and that was exactly the place to find one - but no, that would be another theory for another day. Today's theory was - they are to be found somewhere not easily trafficked. Stick to one theory at a time.

Going along with this particular one, there was too many students at many times of the day on the Ground Floor. Going out to the grounds, the courtyard,the library, the Great Hall, gathering in the Small Hall to discuss current happenings - no. The Ground Floor was out.

By this notion the First Floor was out as well. Not only did it house his Common Room and Dormitories but also some of the main classrooms: that of Muggle Studies, History of Magic, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Simon walked slowly up the stairs, much slower than his normal speed which always seemed just slightly faster than everyone else. He had gotten pretty used to this normal speed for now, as he often liked to talk with friends as he walked in the corridors.

"So tell me about yourself, Mav. Where are you from? What's your family like?" Simon was pretty sure he picked up on a Scottish accent but he wasn't going to assume.

Maverick followed alongside Simon as they made their way up the stairs. They were on their way to the second floor when Simon asked where he was from and what his family was like. Maverick realized they hadn't talked about those topics yet and decided he might as well tell him.

" Well, I'm from Glasgow in Scotland which is where I've always lived," Maverick started, moving on to his family which was the complicated part of the two questions. " Family wise, I only really know my mum. I've never really known my dad, because he travels a lot for work. If I was lucky, he would come home for holidays but even then it was never guaranteed. I never had the chance to meet my dad's parents and my mum lost contact with her's after she married. It's always pretty much just been me and my mum," he told the Hufflepuff boy, thinking about what else to say. It was true, he barely knew anything about the rest of his family. His mother disliked talking about her side and she didn't really know his father's family, so he was left in the dark.

" My mom is great though, a little over protective sometimes, but I know she just worries," he continued, playing with the strap of his book bag to help him think, " The few people who do know my parents have always said I take after my mother which may also be the reason why we get along so well."

" Anyway, what about you, if you don't mind me asking," Maverick asked, his attention now on Simon.

@Simon Kincaid

"From London, born and raised," he said. There wasn't all too much beyond that. While England might be relatively small compared to Europe as a whole, he hadn't really done much traveling. His mother and his aunt tried to take him to the beach along the coastline once after he had just begun to walk but that had turned into a disaster - the boy just didn't like to be out in the sun.

"At least you two can have a strong bond, you and your mum. That's how it is here. It's me and my aunt Maggie." That was all. Also a one person support system at home but they were very close. "She's the best, I couldn't ask for better," he smiled.''

But the boy had described why there was absence of other family on his behalf and Simon felt he sort of owed it to the Ravenclaw to do the same. Besides, he wasn't ashamed of anything. "Shortly after graduating from Hogwarts, my mum's parents were involved in an accident and died. She then had to be on her own and raise her then 14 year old sister. As she was figuring all of this new life out, she was in a relationship but it felt off and she decided to end it."

"Found out about me after the breakup. Never told him. So sort of in the same boat as you, mate. I don't know my grandparents or my father. Not even his name."

"My mum, she fell ill and cancer took her when I was three. I've got photos with her and all but sadly the memories aren't there. I've got stories though and know she was an incredible person who had to do impossible things. I'll always admire her. But yeah, it's just me and Aunt Maggie at home but she's great. I'm lucky to have someone like her."

Maverick listened intently to the Hufflepuff boy as he talked about his own family situation. He couldn't imagine going through that, he couldn't imagine what would of happened if he had lost his own mother. He supposed he may have gone to live with his grandparents but he doubted they would have taken him in. He was glad though that the boy beside him still had his aunt and could live with her.

"I'm sorry to hear that, especially about your mother. She sounded lovely though, I'm sure she'd be extremely proud of you," he told the boy beside him, hoping that wasn't weird. The last thing he wanted to do was make things awkward. "At least you have your aunt though, she also seems lovely," he told him, smiling slightly.

He looked down at his feet as he walked, unsure of what to say next. Conversations had never been his strong suit so the fact they had gone on this long was amazing. "You're a really nice guy, you know that Simon," he stated, looking back up to the Hufflepuff boy. "I don't think I've ever had a conversation this long, it's kind of cool," he told Simon, smiling slightly until he realized that it kinda sounded weird. "Sorry, that sounds weird doesn't it," he looked back at the ground, embarrassed once again.

@Simon Kincaid

Simon appreciated the comment and gave a small smile. Back home in London, he had quite a few guy friends and was able to keep those friendships strong. Some of them were the strongest friendships he had. "I don't think it sounds weird at all," he said honestly. "It's a good thing. Conversation leads to getting to know someone and getting to know someone and that's when you can have someone to rely on, to depend on."

The best friends were that way. "Okay, next question," he said as he paused, looking at the way a frame on one of the portraits seemed a little crooked. Was it crooked because it was covering the opening to a hidden passage? He moved it gently, causing the portrait to grumble a little and he apologized. No, just the stone corridor walls behind it.

"Sorry, so next question..when you were back home in Scotland, what did you spend most of your time doing?" One could get a fairly good feel for someone's personality based on their hobbies and interests. That, and it was always good if friends had similar interests although that wasn't an absolute requirement for a friendship to be built upon.

Simon had never been to Scotland, and the mention of where Maverick grew up also made him wonder what it was like there. He had heard good things though.

Maverick listened to what the boy next to him said. They stopped walking for the Hufflepuff boy to check a painting but continued on soon after. Simon asked what he did back home, which made him think for a second. He didn't do anything super exciting back home but was happy to answer.

"Well this probably won't surprise you, but I mostly just read," he said, smiling slightly, "Other than that I would spend most of my time outside exploring. Climbing trees, finding things, looking for animals, and reading." It was true, when he wasn't stuck at home he would spend all his time outside. The few friends he had would hang out with him as well when he went out. "The few friends I had I would hang out with me and come with me when I went exploring. They didn't usually really understand why I wanted to read and look for animals but they would come along any way," he smiled slightly at the thought, wondering what they were all up to now.

"When I wasn't out or reading though, I would usually help my mum out, work on things for school, or sketch. I'm not really good at drawing but it's a way to pass the time," he explained, looking up to the Hufflepuff boy, "What about you? What did you spend your time doing?

@Simon Kincaid

"Oh, there's quite a few things I do to occupy my time. I like reading too...mainly classics to try and figure out if I think they're worthy of being called a classic and try to connect to why they were relevant at the time they were written. I also belonged to the teen book club back at the main library in London."

"I also like to ice skate, write a little, sing, and I played squash for my school team back at my muggle school and in the church's children's choir. That would be my main thing, music."

Music. It was what he loved best.

"I sing," he wouldn't mention the part about a little bit of dancing he learned from his aunt, "I play the piano and the guitar and the saxophone. I like to listen to music too. My favorites are the croonies like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and then I also like jazz - Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller." A loot of it was American stuff although he was British born and bred.

"The American oldies are pretty neat too, and the motown stuff." He preferred some of that music to the current ones, but he still liked some of the current groups as well.