Quill Pals: Ciel & Guinevere PV Guinevere Bwye

saskia, ciel [pronounced seel]
she/her/hers
letter to @Guinevere Bwye

Gwyn

I think I know what you're talking about, the Animagus spell, right? I heard some of the upperclassmen talking about it in the Great Hall. Apparently, you've gotta be a super intelligent and strong wizard to complete the spell and get your animal form! If I can get my grade up in that class, maybe in a few years I'll try to become an Animagus too!
Oh- I wonder what my animal form would be! I mean, a horse is cool and all but there's gotta be something more elegant that I could be. Maybe like- um- a... Huh. I really don't know any cool animals. Maybe there are some magical ones that would fit me? Give me some ideas!
Horse riders are semi-common, they used to be a lot more popular back in the day, especially before cars were popular. Since it used to be that the poor owned horses and the rich owned cars, now it's switched! Owning a farm is expensive, and owning horses is even more expensive! But I'm following in my pops footsteps so I can be just like him!
I mean I kinda get why you'd think flying and horse-riding are similar but... flying is way more scary. I get so nervous even thinking about going to the class. It's so nerve-wracking! I think my talent is staying away from a broomstick, because that stuff is definitely not my cup of tea.
Also, now that I know more about the wizarding world, I'm like never EVER, gonna break a bone. Or do anything that could put my health at risk. If it feels like your bones are on fire just getting them to regrow, I would never ever do it!
I think the only time I've ever felt something as painful as a bone regrowing was when I got my hand cut open trying to saddle up Pottage. I forgot how sharp some of the metal is and accidently sliced my hand right up! Mama had to call an ambulance; it was like all the way from the tippy top of my palm to my forearm. She was so worried! After that, I started wearing gloves anytime I was dealing with sharp stuff. Definitely not risking that again.
You know what was worse? It was a few days before a big competition, and I had to miss it all out! I was looking forward to it all month and just like that, it was gone. Big bummer. There was another competition that came out like three weeks after my hand finished healing though, and I won it! No cheats, all fair and square.

Would not cut my hand again though!
Ciel

Ciel

Right! Animagi are very interesting to read about, but it's almost scary if you think about it, right? If someone could turn into, I don't know, a spider or something, they could spy on you and you'd never know! Still, imagine being able to turn into a cute little puppy or something. Aidan had a little dog named Butterball, and I would have given anything to be able to turn into a dog and chase Butterball around the fields!

Foxes are pretty elegant, aren't they? Plus, they eat chickens, so the rivalry is already there! As far as magical animals... I'm trying to think of some. Strangely, Mother insisted on raising me in a muggle environment for the most part, so I don't know very many magical creatures, and we can't take a class on them until our third year. Of course, there are the ones that even muggles know about. Hippogryphs are majestic and beautiful, but I don't know if Animagi are capable. It would be something though, huh?

You know, I've never been in a car before. I've read about them, certainly, but never been in one. Are they less scary than horses? Are horses even actually scary, or am I just inexperienced with them? The pictures make them look so beautiful and gallant, but approaching one seems terrifying, knowing what they're capable of. I suppose that's why experienced horse experts such as yourself are needed.

I could try to help you grow accustomed to flying some time, if you like! I'm not trying to brag - truly, I'm not - but I'm rather decent in Flying class. I enjoy the freedom of living briefly high in the air, above everything. Heights never bothered me, though. Do you have a fear of heights? Mother does. It's why we always travel by floo, and never by broomstick.

I don't know if Mother was being entirely honest about the pain of using Skele-Gro. I looked it up in the library out of curiosity, and it seems that it burns the throat when you swallow it, and the bone's regrowth is quite painful, but I'm not sure if the pain is a burning sensation. The taste is pretty bad, though.

It beats waiting months for it to heal, I think.

Do you have a scar on your arm? All of the best action novel protagonists have loads of scars! It's like you're some kind of super-strong hero who's seen it all, here to save this land from some unspeakable evil! Oh my!

I am sorry for the competition you had to miss, though. What happens at a competition? I can't picture what sorts of events there are for creatures that can't fly, but muggles are very creative, so I'm sure I'm simply overlooking the obvious!

I've been lucky enough to avoid any serious injuries for my entire life, but there have certainly been some close calls!

One time, my older cousin, Emma, was celebrating outgrowing the Trace, so she was casting every spell she was capable of. Mother did nothing to stop it, insisting that I would "do the same when I came of age as a witch." Emma levitated my whole piano in an attempt to impress me, but my pet canary (the one I told you about!) distracted her and the piano fell to the ground, almost landing on me! It was a close call, but I walked away without a single scratch!

If you manage to avoid any injuries, and there is a competition during the summertime, perhaps I could come and watch? It sounds very fun.

Thinking of horses and automobiles,

Gwyn

saskia, ciel [pronounced seel]
she/her/hers
letter to @Guinevere Bwye

Gwyn

Butterball is actually the cutest name I've ever heard! I wish I had a puppy so I could name it Butterball! My pops won't let me name the barn cats because if I do then he knows my mama will buy them collars and bowls with their names on it. I think he knows my mama a little too well, to be completely honest with you.
Foxes are always seen as sly and mischievous and unfortunately, I don't think I'm either of those traits, huh? Maybe if foxes were a little less intimidating, then I'd think more about it. Man, I think that I'd like my Animagus form to be a dragon, they're cool.
Also, cars aren't something to be afraid of. In fact, when I turn 16, my pop is gonna let me get my driver's license! I don't know how useful it'll be in the Wizard world, but if something happens then I'll have a second plan. We have this huge truck that we use to haul animals, but that's not normally the car we use to drive around town and stuff. My mama has this van that we use; it's a deep dark black so it gets super-hot in the summer. Super-duper yucky.
Y'know Gwyn, you should join the Quidditch team! Or the racing stuff! I'd come out and support you at every game, no doubt about it. And honestly, to level with you, I'm not too scared of heights, I just don't like riding a broom. It's not as stable as riding a horse, and you don't really have much of a connection with a broom- the same way you do with a horse.
Aw man, competitions are just the best. It kind of depends on what you're doing, but the one I do most often is racing and show riding. Usually though, you sign up for a certain event, and then wait until it's your turn. Then you go out in front of some judges and an audience and do whatever you signed up to do! Your score is based on how well your posture is, how well your horse listened to you, stuff like that. And whoever does the best, wins! They can get super dramatic though, especially when it's racing- which is why my dad says I'm not really ready for the big leagues yet.
I hope your canary was okay! I don't like birds, but a piano dropping must be kinda scary.

Ciel

Ciel

Butterball was simply adorable! His little ears always flop around as he runs. It's very fun to watch! From what Aidan told me, Butterball was also quite the hunter! He was a rabbit-hunter! I hate to think of the poor bunnies being killed, but nature is nature I suppose.

Peacocks and swans are very elegant, and I've never heard of them being described as 'intimidating.' Dragons, on the other hand, are terrifying. It would be good to have one on my side, though. I could introduce you as my dragon friend!

Most wizard families tend to use the Floo network or, once they mature, Apparition. Brooms function as an equivalent to muggle automobiles, though, but I'm not sure how common they are as a family. Of course, individuals use them for sport, but we never had a family broom. Is it true that every person had their very own automobile? They did in the books I read, but that didn't make sense. Brooms seat one person, so each person would need their own, but automobiles seat several.

Playing Quidditch would be very fun, I think! I've found that Flying class is quite enjoyable, but I'm only a first year. Mother told me that when she was at Hogwarts it was rare for first years to join sports teams. She herself didn't even try out for the duelling team until her fourth year or so. Would you ever consider joining? I know you wrote that brooms aren't quite as stable as horse-riding, but I'm sure with practice you could reach the same proficiency. We could even practice together!

Watching a horse-riding competition seems fun! I can only imagine the tricks the contestants are capable of! I can understand your father's reservations about races, though. Though I only know of broom racing, I cannot imagine that horse racing is any safer. In fact, I would imagine the added risk of trampling adds to the difficulty.

My canary was quite fine, luckily! Though, she had to fly outside to escape Mother's rage after distracting Emma. I argued that it was Emma's fault, but Mother wasn't very fond of my canary anyway. She wasn't fond of the messes, especially. We don't employ house elves, so we clean up our own messes.

Looking forward to hearing from you again,

Gwyn