4 Oct 2021, 22:25
A History of Daydreams
With a blink Royce Greystone snapped back into reality. In the next several blinks, he acclimated himself to his surroundings once again. Students in their black robes fringed with House colors, the wizened wooden desks, the steady drone of quill scratching on parchment and hushed voices The classroom seemed dim to Royce, no matter how much light there was. He had dozed off in History of Magic class once more. What had started as a rarity the previous month had slowly developed into an occurrence multiple times a class. The young Ravenclaw felt fortunate that this time he was only in a study and review session instead of a lecture, meaning his daydreams weren't preventing him from keeping pace with the material. This time at least.
Royce wasn't sure how obvious his recurrent daydreaming was, but he knew he needed to get it under control or he'd start falling behind and getting in trouble. He felt a familiar pang of guilt. He was supposed to be in Ravenclaw. Shouldn't he be better than this? Even if it hadn't been his first choice, Royce was determined that he should make the honest effort to live up to whatever it was the Sorting Hat had seen in him when it had made its decision.
To that end he had tried delving more into reading and studying. It was a rough transition. His grades in Muggle school had been middling on average. At the time, he hadn't cared much for general learning. Why learn about biology and war history when you knew you'd be getting the letter form Hogwarts soon enough? Time in Muggle classes had largely been spent fantasizing about what Hogwarts would be like. Now he was there. As it turned out, Hogwarts also liked teaching about Biology and History as well, a hard realization for Royce.
While Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Potions were fascinating for their more hands-on applications, History of Magic was largely like any other history class, with the key difference being that Muggle classes didn't really focus subjects like gargoyle rebellions. Somehow, the atmosphere about the class would bring out Royce's daydreams. This coupled with the boy's attempts to read up and study as much as he could manage outside of class was quickly burning out his enthusiasm. That burnout was strongest in History of Magic.
He absentmindedly reached up and grasped the chord around his neck with his left hand, loosing the silver band he wore and fumbling with it as he thought. Even if it wasn't very exciting, he felt he needed to live up to the expectations of a Ravenclaw. That meant being studious. At least, Royce thought that's what it meant. Did Aurors have to research and study non-stop when not on the job? His mother didn't seem to be much of a bookworm, but it could have been something she did at the Ministry itself.
Thoughts of his mother began rising to the surface. She'd never given him any quarter on grades; insisting he develop proper habits and finish his coursework and get high marks. In hindsight, it was probably because she knew how much of an overlap there was between Muggle and Magical schools in terms of routine. It wasn't until after her passing that her son's daydreaming habit had begun to rear. His father, also affected by the tragedy, had done little to nothing to curb these habits, and they had festered for too long to be rooted easily.
With a blink, Royce again returned to reality. He had been engrossed in self examination, drifting off further to memories of his mother. His focus had broken again. He exhaled sharply through his nose, trying to hide his frustration. It was an honest effort, but anyone close by would notice his agitation. His quill which had long since stopped recording notrs on various castles suddenly slipped from his hand and clattered gently on the span of desk to his right. He briefly glanced over to the student seated next to him. A Ravenclaw girl with red hair, he suddenly became incredibly self-conscious that he was embarrassing himself in front of one of his peers by letting his frustration show.
"Sorry," he whispered quietly. "I don't- I'm not trying to be distracting." He quickly snatched back the quill, gripping it a tad too firmly and trying once again to focus on the volume on architecture in front of him.
Royce wasn't sure how obvious his recurrent daydreaming was, but he knew he needed to get it under control or he'd start falling behind and getting in trouble. He felt a familiar pang of guilt. He was supposed to be in Ravenclaw. Shouldn't he be better than this? Even if it hadn't been his first choice, Royce was determined that he should make the honest effort to live up to whatever it was the Sorting Hat had seen in him when it had made its decision.
To that end he had tried delving more into reading and studying. It was a rough transition. His grades in Muggle school had been middling on average. At the time, he hadn't cared much for general learning. Why learn about biology and war history when you knew you'd be getting the letter form Hogwarts soon enough? Time in Muggle classes had largely been spent fantasizing about what Hogwarts would be like. Now he was there. As it turned out, Hogwarts also liked teaching about Biology and History as well, a hard realization for Royce.
While Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Potions were fascinating for their more hands-on applications, History of Magic was largely like any other history class, with the key difference being that Muggle classes didn't really focus subjects like gargoyle rebellions. Somehow, the atmosphere about the class would bring out Royce's daydreams. This coupled with the boy's attempts to read up and study as much as he could manage outside of class was quickly burning out his enthusiasm. That burnout was strongest in History of Magic.
He absentmindedly reached up and grasped the chord around his neck with his left hand, loosing the silver band he wore and fumbling with it as he thought. Even if it wasn't very exciting, he felt he needed to live up to the expectations of a Ravenclaw. That meant being studious. At least, Royce thought that's what it meant. Did Aurors have to research and study non-stop when not on the job? His mother didn't seem to be much of a bookworm, but it could have been something she did at the Ministry itself.
Thoughts of his mother began rising to the surface. She'd never given him any quarter on grades; insisting he develop proper habits and finish his coursework and get high marks. In hindsight, it was probably because she knew how much of an overlap there was between Muggle and Magical schools in terms of routine. It wasn't until after her passing that her son's daydreaming habit had begun to rear. His father, also affected by the tragedy, had done little to nothing to curb these habits, and they had festered for too long to be rooted easily.
With a blink, Royce again returned to reality. He had been engrossed in self examination, drifting off further to memories of his mother. His focus had broken again. He exhaled sharply through his nose, trying to hide his frustration. It was an honest effort, but anyone close by would notice his agitation. His quill which had long since stopped recording notrs on various castles suddenly slipped from his hand and clattered gently on the span of desk to his right. He briefly glanced over to the student seated next to him. A Ravenclaw girl with red hair, he suddenly became incredibly self-conscious that he was embarrassing himself in front of one of his peers by letting his frustration show.
"Sorry," he whispered quietly. "I don't- I'm not trying to be distracting." He quickly snatched back the quill, gripping it a tad too firmly and trying once again to focus on the volume on architecture in front of him.
Last edited by Royce Greystone on 6 Oct 2021, 05:49, edited 3 times in total.
5 Oct 2021, 18:47
A History of Daydreams
Zylpha never had been the perfect girl for stuff like history. She liked some parts, from the Muggle History, that is. In elementary school, or muggle school, there were some interesting parts about the romans, the vikings and the celts. She also had an affinity for the 17th and 18th century. However, it was more the way of life that appealed to her, not necessarily the events. The same applied to History of Magic. Even though, the professor was very passionate as he told about the gargoyle rebellions, Zylpha had felt her thoughts drift elsewhere during lessons.Where: History of Magic Classroom
Setting: Study and Review Session - Students are working independently
Interacting with: @Royce Greystone
WC: 420
She thought of home, while she sat in her seat, absently writing down notes during this study and review session. She mostly thought of Holly. She felt guilt towards her best friend, for leaving without saying goodbye. She did not really have a choice, as she did not really have an explanation as to why she would leave. A fancy boarding school would not have been a believable lie on Zylpha's part, Holly would have known. Yet, the truth was not far off...
Zylpha once again came to her senses, and back to reality when she remembered that she was supposed to be working on her assignments like a proper Ravenclawer would do. She looked to her side, to the boy next to her. He was from Ravenclaw as well, and had dark hair. He looked rather friendly, if you'd ask Zylpha, yet, he also looked even more disinterested than her. His own disinterest seemed to bother him, and Zylpha could relate. She wanted to pay attention, be very interested and all that, be as enthousiastic as the professor, yet, she much rather did something practical. Preferably in a forest, that's were she always had spend most of her time...
Zylpha was startled by the boy next to her. He had let his quill had slipped from his hand. She saw his embarrassment, though Zylpha herself felt no need for him to feel embarrassed at all. She looked around, and saw, to her expectation, that no one really noticed. "Sorry," the boy whispered quietly. "I don't- I'm not trying to be distracting." He quickly snatched back the quill, and Zylpha stared at him as he tried to regain his focus. Zylpha could not help but chuckle softly at him. "No need to apologize," she whispered. "I was distracted long before you dropped your quill." She grinned at the boy, while carefully gazing at the professor, making sure he had not heard her whispers.
Scarborough - Firm and Fearless -- Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 6 | Wisdom: 8 | Arcane Power: 5 | Accuracy: 6
6 Oct 2021, 06:12
A History of Daydreams
"I was distracted long before you dropped your quill." Royce felt his embarrassment cut short by a flash of confusion. Had he been distracting her before the quill? Confusion flashed to panic to curiosity as he discounted the idea. He knew he hadn't done anything obnoxious leading up to this point. His eyes flashed around the room and his sense of the textbook beneath his fingers sharpen, as if the old volume was beckoning him to start reading again, but he decided to follow up on the girl's comments.
"What do you mean? Is something bothering you today?" His voice was also a low whisper. Whatever was distracting a true Ravenclaw was probably kind of a big deal and Royce wondered if it had anything to do with the gossip around the school over the mysterious events that had occurred in the last several years. Something had occurred over the summer leading up to the school year as well, but Royce hadn't found the courage to ask any of the older students for a clear explanation of what was going on at Hogwarts. This left his understanding to a vague notion that dangerous incidents had happened in school and that the staffing at Hogwarts wasn't exactly stable. Professor Zahid himself had addressed it in their first lesson. "Is something going on with the school again?"
His question was as vague as his understanding, but if she knew, she'd probably answer. If she didn't, then that would make two of them. Royce felt a faint pull to learn about the mysterious events at Hogwarts. If there was danger, then he wanted ot know more about it and maybe get involved if he was able to learn all of the spells he thought he'd need to know. His first Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons were focused primarily on signalling others to assist you. Not content with just being assisted, Royce had already started looking ahead in the lesson material to see if there were other spells he could master. It had proved unfruitful so far, but effort would win out... probably.
Suddenly self aware, he quickly stammered out "Sorry, if it's personal or difficult you don't have to answer." She could just be having a hard time with some of her peers or a family situation, there was no need to interrogate her. "I'm just- I was- I was hoping we'd be learning more about Wizarding Wars or famous Witches and Wizards and I'm just having some trouble adjusting. Muggle schools weren't this... thorough." He gestured to the tome he had been reading from, thicker than most textbooks he'd ever had to manage in school. What's more, the volume was only really relevant to the one subject they were currently working on in History of Magic. When they moved on to the next subject, the book would largely be irrelevant and a new oversized book would require studying. Hopefully, that half-truth would downplay that he was really just spacing out.
"What do you mean? Is something bothering you today?" His voice was also a low whisper. Whatever was distracting a true Ravenclaw was probably kind of a big deal and Royce wondered if it had anything to do with the gossip around the school over the mysterious events that had occurred in the last several years. Something had occurred over the summer leading up to the school year as well, but Royce hadn't found the courage to ask any of the older students for a clear explanation of what was going on at Hogwarts. This left his understanding to a vague notion that dangerous incidents had happened in school and that the staffing at Hogwarts wasn't exactly stable. Professor Zahid himself had addressed it in their first lesson. "Is something going on with the school again?"
His question was as vague as his understanding, but if she knew, she'd probably answer. If she didn't, then that would make two of them. Royce felt a faint pull to learn about the mysterious events at Hogwarts. If there was danger, then he wanted ot know more about it and maybe get involved if he was able to learn all of the spells he thought he'd need to know. His first Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons were focused primarily on signalling others to assist you. Not content with just being assisted, Royce had already started looking ahead in the lesson material to see if there were other spells he could master. It had proved unfruitful so far, but effort would win out... probably.
Suddenly self aware, he quickly stammered out "Sorry, if it's personal or difficult you don't have to answer." She could just be having a hard time with some of her peers or a family situation, there was no need to interrogate her. "I'm just- I was- I was hoping we'd be learning more about Wizarding Wars or famous Witches and Wizards and I'm just having some trouble adjusting. Muggle schools weren't this... thorough." He gestured to the tome he had been reading from, thicker than most textbooks he'd ever had to manage in school. What's more, the volume was only really relevant to the one subject they were currently working on in History of Magic. When they moved on to the next subject, the book would largely be irrelevant and a new oversized book would require studying. Hopefully, that half-truth would downplay that he was really just spacing out.
@Zylpha Scarborough
WC:499
6 Oct 2021, 19:52
A History of Daydreams
"What do you mean? Is something bothering you today? Is something going on with the school again?" The boy whispered to her. Zylpha chuckled, as he clearly did not understand her joke about just not being that interested in this particular class. Zylpha listened as he rambled on. "Sorry, if it's personal or difficult you don't have to answer. I'm just- I was- I was hoping we'd be learning more about Wizarding Wars or famous Witches and Wizards and I'm just having some trouble adjusting. Muggle schools weren't this... thorough."Where: History of Magic Classroom
Setting: Study and Review Session - Students are working independently
Interacting with: @Royce Greystone
WC: 399
Again, Zylpha could not supress the urge to chuckle. Indeed, Hogwarts was extremely thorough when it came to History of Magic. Zylpha surely could appreciate the humor of the boy. "Don't sweat it, nothing is wrong, really," she started. "I was distracted because, indeed, they are... very thorough... It's almost painful for someone from Ravenclaw to admit that they are not as thorough, don't you agree?" Zylpha grinned at the boy.
He was not entirely wrong, though. Of course, there was something wrong, but Zylpha thought that most first-years would be suffering in some way. The new scenery, the new life, so sudden, It could not be easy for anyone. Some might miss the warm nest of their parents, some might miss their old room, and some, like Zylpha herself, might miss their muggle best friend who could not join them at Hogwarts, or some, also like Zylpha, would miss their squib older brother who also could not join them at Hogwarts. However! That was not why she zoned out off History of Magic, that was simply because her interests lie elsewhere.
Some comment did catch her attention though... Still a true Ravenclaw, after all, never missing a thing, she thought. He spoke as if something had happened at school before, and as if there was a chance that something might be happening again. She looked at him and narrowed her eyes a bit. "However, I'm curious... What could be going on at school? You made it seem as if something had happened before, and could be happening again?" She started at him, and was suddenly shocked by her lack of manner. She never introduced herself, to a fellow Ravenclaw, who was suffering next to her in History of Magic! She coughed softly, clearing her throat. "My name is Zylpha, by the way..." And then grinned at him again.
Scarborough - Firm and Fearless -- Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 6 | Wisdom: 8 | Arcane Power: 5 | Accuracy: 6
7 Oct 2021, 06:19
A History of Daydreams
Royce felt a surprising amount of tension fall form his shoulders. This girl seemed to get what it was like to not embody what Ravenclaw was supposed to be at all times. He showed a small smile on his face as she commiserated with him. "...It's almost painful for someone from Ravenclaw to admit that they are not as thorough, don't you agree?" Royce gave a short quick nodding motion in response.
"To be honest, I'm really glad I'm not the only one." He whispered, his grin sliding into a somber frown. It was a brief moment after her last statement that her eyes began to narrow and Royce thought that he had fallen for some sort of Ravenclaw trap meant to weed out the fake Ravenclaws or something. Then she began to speak again and Royce read the expression differently. Could it be the same curiosity he felt?
"However, I'm curious... What could be going on at school? You made it seem as if something had happened before, and could be happening again?" She appeared to give a start, lightly coughed and introduced herself. [color=#2d2dffd]"My name is Zylpha, by the way..."[/color] The grin that showed on her face as she introduced herself convinced Royce that he may as well finish his thought. This may be the first person he had met at the school so far that he could probably talk about this kind of stuff without embarrassing himself.
"I'm Royce!" he whispered excitedly, rummaging in the bag he had next to him. "Royce Greystone! Nice to meet you Zylpha!" He looked into the bag he was searching and quickly seized a rolled up bundle of parchment. He carefully began unfurling it next to him, his textbook completely forgotten. "So when I was visiting the library during our first week of classes, I was looking for some Defense Against the Dark Arts handbooks or guides." He finished unfurling the stack, revealing a neatly organized stack of papers with stylized graphics and moving images. It was an issue of the Hogwarts Headliner. "And then I found this. There were actually a quite a few of them. It's a school newspaper. This issue is from last spring." He was beginning to speak at a faster pace. A grin formed on his mouth, growing wider with every other word he spoke. "Look at it. There's kidnappings, the students say they don't feel safe; that they don't trust the teachers. It's so weird. The article doesn't go into a lot of detail, but a lot of the students have been affected. Another issue, one that had a really handy list of dueling spells that I want to learn, talked about a Dark Arts Curse that spread around school." He looked up at Zylpha, eyes sparkling. "Zylpha there has to be a lot of strange things going on here. Stranger things than is usual for Hogwarts. I just wish I could talk to somebody that's been there for these incidents." He gave a frustrated sigh and the grin slipped into a thoughtful expression. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to ramble!" His cheeks flushed. Just because he decided to talk to her about this didn't mean he had to make a fool out of himself while doing so.
"To be honest, I'm really glad I'm not the only one." He whispered, his grin sliding into a somber frown. It was a brief moment after her last statement that her eyes began to narrow and Royce thought that he had fallen for some sort of Ravenclaw trap meant to weed out the fake Ravenclaws or something. Then she began to speak again and Royce read the expression differently. Could it be the same curiosity he felt?
"However, I'm curious... What could be going on at school? You made it seem as if something had happened before, and could be happening again?" She appeared to give a start, lightly coughed and introduced herself. [color=#2d2dffd]"My name is Zylpha, by the way..."[/color] The grin that showed on her face as she introduced herself convinced Royce that he may as well finish his thought. This may be the first person he had met at the school so far that he could probably talk about this kind of stuff without embarrassing himself.
"I'm Royce!" he whispered excitedly, rummaging in the bag he had next to him. "Royce Greystone! Nice to meet you Zylpha!" He looked into the bag he was searching and quickly seized a rolled up bundle of parchment. He carefully began unfurling it next to him, his textbook completely forgotten. "So when I was visiting the library during our first week of classes, I was looking for some Defense Against the Dark Arts handbooks or guides." He finished unfurling the stack, revealing a neatly organized stack of papers with stylized graphics and moving images. It was an issue of the Hogwarts Headliner. "And then I found this. There were actually a quite a few of them. It's a school newspaper. This issue is from last spring." He was beginning to speak at a faster pace. A grin formed on his mouth, growing wider with every other word he spoke. "Look at it. There's kidnappings, the students say they don't feel safe; that they don't trust the teachers. It's so weird. The article doesn't go into a lot of detail, but a lot of the students have been affected. Another issue, one that had a really handy list of dueling spells that I want to learn, talked about a Dark Arts Curse that spread around school." He looked up at Zylpha, eyes sparkling. "Zylpha there has to be a lot of strange things going on here. Stranger things than is usual for Hogwarts. I just wish I could talk to somebody that's been there for these incidents." He gave a frustrated sigh and the grin slipped into a thoughtful expression. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to ramble!" His cheeks flushed. Just because he decided to talk to her about this didn't mean he had to make a fool out of himself while doing so.
@Zylpha Scarborough
WC:544
10 Oct 2021, 15:17
A History of Daydreams
Zylpha smiled at Royce, as he introduced himself to her. Then she looked at his hands as he started to fumbled with stuff in his bag. A bundle of parchment appeared, and he carefully unfurled it. Zylpha recognized it immediately, an issue of the Hogwarts Headliner. He told her about his findings in an issue of last spring.
Where: History of Magic Classroom
Setting: Study and Review Session
Interacting with: @Royce Greystone
WC: 405Hex Codes
English - #4c00ff
Gaelic - #0091ff
Zylpha could easily see why Royce was selected for Ravenclaw. He may not be super interested in History of Magic, however, he was very thorough and he noticed the little things in his research. Zylpha was really impressed, and felt as if she could relate. Being thorough was something she had learned from her late grandfather, when she was learning to document wildlife. Looking at Royce, Zylpha could see him becoming an amazing auror one day, without knowing him all to well. Some character trades were simply very clear to Zylpha, after spending most of her youth studying behaviour.
Royce looked up at Zylpha, eyes sparkling. "Zylpha there has to be a lot of strange things going on here. Stranger things than is usual for Hogwarts. I just wish I could talk to somebody that's been there for these incidents." Zylpha heard Royce sigh in frustration, while his grin disappeared from his face. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to ramble!" Zylpha chuckled as his cheeks flushed.
"Don't worry, Royce," she whispered. "I've always adored rambling people." She took a thoughtful look at his research spread out on their little desk. "This is a lot, indeed. An unusual amount of stuff happening here, indeed. You would expect a school to be the safest space for us, young wizards and witches. However, that would also make it the most interesting place to strike, for someone with an evil mind, wouldn't you agree?" Zylpha looked at Royce for a moment. "I like your thought on talking to someone... Seems like a reasonable thing to do." She could feel herself drifting and questioning herself. What was she doing? Getting caught up in a little detective mission? Had she even time at all for stuff like that? But then other thoughts came to her mind. Why wouldn't she? If concerned her own safety as well. And it wasn't like she had no time at all to spare. Also, she didn't particularly protest the idea of hanging out with Royce either. Suddenly, she felt herself grinning again. "Where would we start?" She asked.
Scarborough - Firm and Fearless -- Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 6 | Wisdom: 8 | Arcane Power: 5 | Accuracy: 6
11 Oct 2021, 08:10
A History of Daydreams
"Where should we start?" The question hovered in the air between Royce and Zylpha as his brain worked its way to understanding the implications of what that meant. He looked back towards the newspaper he had produced, thinking. When he had started trying to uncover the secrets of the school's recent history, he was doing so out of a personal interest. His future at an Auror very likely be dangerous and the incidents at Hogwarts seemed like they'd be a perfect introduction to that danger, like a staging ground.
He had never considered the idea of other' helping him get involved. It seemed reckless, more reckless than what he was already trying to do. Did he want that responsibility? He had already pulled her towards the same mystery he wanted to solve, it might already be too late to make her back down. He narrowed his eyes, inwardly chastising himself for getting carried away at the first opportunity and potentially complicating things.
Then again, most of the victims of the school wide incidents were probably not planning on being involved. Caution was all well and good, but maybe it was better to let Zylpha in on the investigation he wanted to have rather than allow her to be taken unawares by the next threat to come along. All that besides, help was always nice.
"It's hard to know where to go next," he whispered carefully, eyes moving up from the newspaper and darting around the room before resting on Zylpha. "Even with what's published, it's hard to know the full story. Everything we have is secondhand, so maybe it would be better if someone gave a more direct explanation if that makes sense." He began to fumble with the ring dangling form his neck again as he continued speaking, betraying the anxiety he felt at essentially conspiring with another student. "I want to say we should ask a Prefect or an upper year student, but I don't want it to seem like we're looking for trouble, right? I mean, other than that it's just a matter of keeping our eyes out for anything suspicious going on and letting the other person know." If anything, an extra set of eyes would do perfectly fine.
He had never considered the idea of other' helping him get involved. It seemed reckless, more reckless than what he was already trying to do. Did he want that responsibility? He had already pulled her towards the same mystery he wanted to solve, it might already be too late to make her back down. He narrowed his eyes, inwardly chastising himself for getting carried away at the first opportunity and potentially complicating things.
Then again, most of the victims of the school wide incidents were probably not planning on being involved. Caution was all well and good, but maybe it was better to let Zylpha in on the investigation he wanted to have rather than allow her to be taken unawares by the next threat to come along. All that besides, help was always nice.
"It's hard to know where to go next," he whispered carefully, eyes moving up from the newspaper and darting around the room before resting on Zylpha. "Even with what's published, it's hard to know the full story. Everything we have is secondhand, so maybe it would be better if someone gave a more direct explanation if that makes sense." He began to fumble with the ring dangling form his neck again as he continued speaking, betraying the anxiety he felt at essentially conspiring with another student. "I want to say we should ask a Prefect or an upper year student, but I don't want it to seem like we're looking for trouble, right? I mean, other than that it's just a matter of keeping our eyes out for anything suspicious going on and letting the other person know." If anything, an extra set of eyes would do perfectly fine.
@Zylpha Scarborough
WC:373