16 May 2022, 15:00
The Scarlet Letter
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Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
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The second Monday, third week of school and Marius was still trying to get used to Hogwarts. It was not just because this was his first time going to a boarding school, but also because he was still attempting to grasp the custom and condition of the wizarding world in general. He did not mind not having a mobile phone, he was different from most youngsters in the Muggle world these days in regards of this, either way. But he did mind the lack of lights in the night and he missed talking with his family, like via a video call at least. Often, the wizarding world reminded Marius of an ancient society, full of wonder and primitivity all at the same time.
Letters and owls were among these magnificent stuff. There was nothing but words in ink on paper, no voice whatsoever, but the owls privately delivered each of them directly to the intended recipient; it was not exactly like letters in the Muggle world that were left in a letter-box or something similar. And, it was free! Except for the price of the ink and paper, of course.
Before leaving for Hogwarts, Marius and his family had promised to write to each other once a week, on Saturdays, unless something urgent came up. But today was Monday, which is why Marius felt a mixture of surprise and fear as he caught sight of an envelope on his table. Well, it was not really his table, but he was having breakfast on said table; he was just away for a minute to grab some fresh milk, and when he returned, there lay the letter in its scarlet envelope (this surprised him as well, usually his family would use the normal white).
"A letter for me!" he exclaimed, putting his milk on the table and tearing the envelope as soon as his hands reached it. What he forgot to do, naturally, was to read the name of the intended recipient written on the scarlet envelope.
Letters and owls were among these magnificent stuff. There was nothing but words in ink on paper, no voice whatsoever, but the owls privately delivered each of them directly to the intended recipient; it was not exactly like letters in the Muggle world that were left in a letter-box or something similar. And, it was free! Except for the price of the ink and paper, of course.
Before leaving for Hogwarts, Marius and his family had promised to write to each other once a week, on Saturdays, unless something urgent came up. But today was Monday, which is why Marius felt a mixture of surprise and fear as he caught sight of an envelope on his table. Well, it was not really his table, but he was having breakfast on said table; he was just away for a minute to grab some fresh milk, and when he returned, there lay the letter in its scarlet envelope (this surprised him as well, usually his family would use the normal white).
"A letter for me!" he exclaimed, putting his milk on the table and tearing the envelope as soon as his hands reached it. What he forgot to do, naturally, was to read the name of the intended recipient written on the scarlet envelope.
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Last edited by Marius Brown on 20 Sep 2022, 03:50, edited 1 time in total.
Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire - these are the things to fear.
17 May 2022, 15:51
The Scarlet Letter
Dear @Marius Brown,
xxxxxxxxHad Marius Brown exercised the tiniest bit of common courtesy and afforded Maggie the luxury of, like, not having her mail read, he would've known that this particular scarlet letter was a howler intended for someone else. A Slytherin student by the name of Maggie Hawkins, who had simply left the table in order to go and catch up with someone at the other end of the hall. Something or other. She'd sprung from her seat as the mail was being delivered, excitable in her quest to find someone to pester. In the end, she hadn't found a single person she knew in the incoming sea of students and returned to her seat in resolve. Or she would've been returning, with a relatively easy outlook had it not been for the sound of screaming that filled the cavernous Great Hall.
You see, Maggie didn't get in huge trouble at Hogwarts. She minded herself, mostly. However, the state of affairs and the disarray she'd left her room in was probably an issue. Plus, her mother was completely neurotic and concerned with issues she couldn't control. Like, perhaps, the fact that her daughter had signed up to join the Quidditch team. Maggie had mentioned it briefly in her last letter home, which she was sure sparked a rage in her mother unlike anything that she'd ever seen before.
"Margaret Joyce Hawkins!" The howler boomed. Curious. Maggie had left the letter unopened at her place seating to avoid this sort of embarrassment in front of the entire Great Hall. She began to scurry faster to get back to her seat. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times! You are not allowed to join that Quidditch team! I've half a mind to march up there and tell your headmaster to send home parental consent forms for these ridiculous endeavors, do you hear me?"
What Maggie saw stopped her cold in her tracks. Some Hufflepuff kid was sitting at her seat before the howler, which ripping him a new one.
"Excuse me? What the hell?" Maggie tried to ignore the screaming ramblings of the howler that still hung above them like the sadistic and twisted backing track to a movie. "Do you just go around opening everyone's mail?"
"--and that's why I'm thinking of coming down there myself and taking you right back home, do you understand? Of all the irresponsible, insolent things--"
Maggie squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the pitchy and screechy tambor of her mother's voice up above her head. Flecks of paper rained down on their heads like spittle, and Maggie groaned loudly. "Look what you did, stupid!"
I really value when people use violence for me, it's actually one of my love languages.
9 Jul 2022, 13:29
The Scarlet Letter
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The Hufflepuff was terribly surprised when the scarlet letter shrieked the moment his hands opened it. Because he was still in shock, he did not pay attention to a word it screamed. And he might continue being in such state if only a Slytherin had not shouted at his face.
Angrily, the black-haired girl accused him of opening "everyone's mail". That was when it dawned on Marius that it may be his mistake after all. No longer staring in surprise, the Chinese-English tween turned over the ripped envelope and put the pieces together. He read the name written on the red envelope and -
Oh, what a fool I am! It's Margaret, not Marius, and either way I didn't even read it at first place. I must apologise.
Standing up from the long, wooden seat, he politely gave the Slytherin girl a slight bow. "I am so sorry, Margaret. You see, my name is Marius, and at a glance our names might seem similar, especially when it is handwritten... and so..."
The first year boy smiled, his face dimpled with smiles. His soft brown eyes were naively big, inviting the other pupil to smile back upon a young innocent preteen's faux pas.
Angrily, the black-haired girl accused him of opening "everyone's mail". That was when it dawned on Marius that it may be his mistake after all. No longer staring in surprise, the Chinese-English tween turned over the ripped envelope and put the pieces together. He read the name written on the red envelope and -
Oh, what a fool I am! It's Margaret, not Marius, and either way I didn't even read it at first place. I must apologise.
Standing up from the long, wooden seat, he politely gave the Slytherin girl a slight bow. "I am so sorry, Margaret. You see, my name is Marius, and at a glance our names might seem similar, especially when it is handwritten... and so..."
The first year boy smiled, his face dimpled with smiles. His soft brown eyes were naively big, inviting the other pupil to smile back upon a young innocent preteen's faux pas.
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Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire - these are the things to fear.
11 Jul 2022, 09:32
The Scarlet Letter
Dear @Marius Brown,
xxxxxxxxMarius Brown was a criminal mastermind. He was trying to play Maggie like a fiddle, she could tell. How else could he explain why he was trying to make it out that he was totally not in the wrong. It was embarrassing! A howler. And this Marius decided to open her mail. Clearly, he had some sort of vendetta against her (which was odd, considering that Maggie had no idea who this guy was).
Marius was smiling at Maggie all innocently, a big, cheesy smile that showed off his dimples and made Maggie feel guilty for even considering being angry at him. Didn't make her any less angry, of course not, but it made her feel pretty bad for being angry. God, feelings were so confusing. To be angry or not to be angry, that was the question! What feeling was Maggie supposed to feel? Was there a specific allotted feeling that Maggie was supposed to feel right now?
Because it was anger. No question.
"Uh huh. Okay, first off, do not call me Margaret. It's Maggie, and that's that," she began, standing up right before Marius, holding her hand up and unfurling it so that she pointed at him with a waggling pointer finger. It was a silly little gesture that made her feel about forty years her senior, but it got the point across quite well, she thought. "Margaret and Marius are not even close to the same name. It's just, like, the same first three letters. And the same number of syllables, but that doesn't mean anything and you know it! Why are you trying to open my mail, dude, I don't even know you!"
I really value when people use violence for me, it's actually one of my love languages.
17 Aug 2022, 09:37
The Scarlet Letter
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Marius bit his lip and his colour rose: this Maggie kid was obviously "not amused", and in the Hufflepuff's opinion, the scariest professor at Hogwarts at their most disapproving moment could not possibly look more grim. Besides, he was not accustomed to have his apology received in this fashion; and, accustomed to or not, he absolutely did not like it.
"My bad, I really thought it was for me," the Chinese-English boy apologised to Maggie for the second time today. He tried to sound coolly nonchalant about the whole thing while actually blinking back tears. He could not understand why; it was just a simple misunderstanding anyone could make (all right, anyone careless enough not to read the name of a letter's intended recipient), and yet Marius felt deeply humiliated for this.
Perhaps it was because everything happened in the Great Hall where practically the entire school could watch. That, plus the fact that this issue took place during the breakfast hour, when the room was the fullest (definitely tied with lunch and supper hours). And let us not mention about what the terrible scarlet letter had done. With that volume on, Marius was certain it was audible not only for those in the Great Hall, but also for any living creature that was currently on the ground floor of the Hogwarts building.
"My bad, I really thought it was for me," the Chinese-English boy apologised to Maggie for the second time today. He tried to sound coolly nonchalant about the whole thing while actually blinking back tears. He could not understand why; it was just a simple misunderstanding anyone could make (all right, anyone careless enough not to read the name of a letter's intended recipient), and yet Marius felt deeply humiliated for this.
Perhaps it was because everything happened in the Great Hall where practically the entire school could watch. That, plus the fact that this issue took place during the breakfast hour, when the room was the fullest (definitely tied with lunch and supper hours). And let us not mention about what the terrible scarlet letter had done. With that volume on, Marius was certain it was audible not only for those in the Great Hall, but also for any living creature that was currently on the ground floor of the Hogwarts building.
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Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire - these are the things to fear.
28 Aug 2022, 09:01
The Scarlet Letter
Date. September 13, 2022 | Thread. Scarlet Letter. | Dialogue. #ff5757─────────────────────────── ⋆★⋆ ───────────────────────────xxxTruly, Maggie didn't know what this kid's deal was. Sure, he insisted that he had really thought it to be his, but 'Maggie Hawkins' was plainly printed on the red envelope. Plus, they weren't even in the same house! He had to have some sort of ulterior motive here--an issue with Maggie that she didn't even know about, considering she'd never even met this guy. This Marius.
Maggie wondered who his friends were. Was he acquainted with anyone who might have an issue? Paige Grant, or someone like that? Furthermore, even more worrying, did Maggie actually know him? Had she wronged this kid in some way and somehow forgotten the offense? That wouldn't actually surprise her, actually, considering her poor memory.
"I doubt it," she scoffed, crossing her arms and scooping up the letter. Half the great hall would be staring at them by now, watching their every move and motive. It was humiliating and ridiculous. A ridiculous situation to try and navigate.
Maggie didn't want to discuss it anymore. She didn't want to stand here, letting herself become a target for insults and ridicule because of the dumb mistake of some kid she hardly knew.
So, with a final huff, Maggie turned on her heel and stormed out of the great hall.─────────────────────────── ⋆★⋆ ───────────────────────────Unless stopped, Maggie will exit the thread.@Marius Brown
I really value when people use violence for me, it's actually one of my love languages.
19 Sep 2022, 10:34
The Scarlet Letter
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Normally hot-tempered, Marius still had difficulties trying to grasp what was going on with him. Instead of fighting and shouting back at this Maggie for rudely rejecting his apology, he felt publicly humiliated and had to blink back tears. Was he hurt? But if yes, why?
To be honest, the Hufflepuff was glad when the other student decided to drop the subject and left, even though she left angrily and still did not trust his words. With her leaving, he could let sleeping dogs lie. Maybe he would not even have to see her ever again; with the huge population of pupils at Hogwarts, surely this could be a possibility. Unless, of course, if they happened to share class - but Marius was not sure, as he did not even know whether this Maggie was a fellow first year.
It was quite a lot to think about, but fortunately, all of the thoughts appeared in his mind in just a split of seconds. There was no word, no picture, but his brain was managed to digest them all.
Not wanting to stand in public after all that had happened and risk being an embarrassing spectacle, the boy walked away, escaping the Great Hall as he tried not to attract more attention than he already had.
To be honest, the Hufflepuff was glad when the other student decided to drop the subject and left, even though she left angrily and still did not trust his words. With her leaving, he could let sleeping dogs lie. Maybe he would not even have to see her ever again; with the huge population of pupils at Hogwarts, surely this could be a possibility. Unless, of course, if they happened to share class - but Marius was not sure, as he did not even know whether this Maggie was a fellow first year.
It was quite a lot to think about, but fortunately, all of the thoughts appeared in his mind in just a split of seconds. There was no word, no picture, but his brain was managed to digest them all.
Not wanting to stand in public after all that had happened and risk being an embarrassing spectacle, the boy walked away, escaping the Great Hall as he tried not to attract more attention than he already had.
Marius left the thread
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Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire - these are the things to fear.