Among the Books
In the Library with @Celeste Wetherstead
On that Sunday afternoon in mid-May, most Hogwarts students were outdoors, enjoying the mild climate that Spring offered. It was a sunny day, close to 55 degrees Fahrenheit/13 degrees Celsius, with just a soft breeze blowing in, as it normally did in the Scottish Highlands. At least, that's what Simon had overheard from his fellow Hufflepuffs at breakfast that morning in the Great Hall and here and there in the Common Room earlier.
It was rare that he did frequent the school grounds and when words like sunny were thrown around, he wouldn't even consider it. Even there in the Library he could see the bright light through the windows.
He didn't mind. Simon enjoyed the Library. It was probably his favorite place in the entire castle. Not only was it warm and welcoming but it offered a wealth of knowledge, far beyond what he would ever be able to consume in just the seven year span of his schooling there.
Before coming to Hogwarts, he knew nothing of this magical world. It was something in fictional stories that were filled with once thought mythical creatures and here it was - truth behind it, truth that was wilder than anything he could possibly imagine or invent. It was wondrous and he loved nothing more than researching various topics within the wizarding world to educate himself on it all. He would have made a proper Ravenclaw but he was also a Hufflepuff through and through.
In fact when a blonde girl approached as he scanned the shelf in front of him for a new book to read came into the same aisle, he greeted her first with a smile and then said, "Hi there! Anything I can help you find?" Friendly. Helpful.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
Celeste Wetherstead
Among the Books
Reducio
Interacting with @Simon Kincaid
Truth be told, when she was tottering on her way to the library in order to make proper use of the lovely Sunday afternoon, Celeste had not expected that socialising with actual living people would come into it.
And yet, here she stood, blinking up at a tall Hufflepuff boy, who was offering to help her find a book. Now this was highly peculiar. She would know, being somewhat of a peculiar thing herself. Indeed, anybody who kept sand in their pocket as a standard practice was more or less a pariah in Muggle communities, and her social life was only marginally better in Hogwarts. Oh, that reminded her—she turned a full three-sixty, her chin to her chest, checking for any fallen bits of sand. Satisfied that it was all safely inside her pocket, she turned back to the boy. Dark-haired, muscular, no clue who he was.
"Well yes," she said after a moment. "That would be nice. But I don't know you."
Celeste paused, carefully smoothing down her fringe.
"My name's Celeste," she added.
Another pause.
"I dropped a paper clip earlier," she said, remembering his question. "It was around here. I'm not quite sure where it went to."
She pulled a slender volume from a nearby shelf, nodded thoughtfully at the leather-bound cover, and put it back. "It was a nice paper clip. Very bendy."
Among the Books
Beginning the search with @Celeste Wetherstead
He smiled when she said that she didn't know him. It wasn't like this was the vastly populated city of London where there might be odd strangers lurking about, approaching girls. This was Simon Kincaid, a fellow first year student and probably one of the nicest people that someone could ever meet.
"Pleasure to meet you, Celeste," he said. It was a nice name and he couldn't place ever meeting a Celeste before. It made him think of the Solar System and Celestial objects - in a good way. "I'm Simon. Simon Kincaid." He watched as she smoothed back her hair and mentioned losing a clip and at first he thought she meant a hair clip but then when she spoke again he realized he heard wrong and it was a paper clip - and a bendy one at that.
"Oh," he said, not expecting that but it also didn't diminish his want to help aid in her search. So they weren't looking for a certain book title but a rather bendy paper clip. "Well, let's see...let's think, where would a paper clip like to go?" he asked, thinking for a moment.
"My first thought would be to see if it attached itself accidentally to any of your belongings. Let's check your school bag and then look over your uniform."
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)