Should Have Reserved a Spot PV Bailey Glade F

Simon tried to think back to his first instance of magic. He had heard quite a few bring it up, especially muggleborns because it was such a highlight in their lives but he couldn't think of what it was. In reality, he always had difficulty sleeping and perhaps that was due to his dhampir nature. Even at a very young age, he would lay awake and little colored lights would appear around him and swirl around to help occupy his time. If his mother knew this existed, she would think it nothing strange as she too was from the wizarding world but unfortunately that first instance of magic, and any other information on the wizarding world, would fade with her when Simon was only three years old.

"Good she was around. I could see it turning into sixteenth Century with the town revolting with pitchforks and torches and forcing you to the madhouse," he said with a slight smile, just playing around with her but if he truly thought about it, that would have been awful.

"Looking forward to Summer?" He could see where the Ravenclawsw especially were not. This wasn't like normal school where you could go to the Library and learn stuff on your own over the break. Sure, one could order some books through owls or make some stops at Diagon Alley so it wasn't impossible to do independent learning, just more difficult.

@Simon Kincaid

When she asked Simon what his first instance of magic was, he seemed to be struggling to remember. I wonder… is it a bad memory and that is why he can’t think of it? I am not going to ask though- it could be sensitive.
With that, Bailey listened and laughed a little when he said that it was a good thing that the librarian was around, otherwise something could have happened that was… not to good.
“Yes I am lucky. She was really great to. I still send her the occasional owl, just to see how things are going. She is one of my only friends from the muggle world that I regularly contact.”
When Simon asked if she was looking forward for the summer, she smiled and said, “I am. I’m not going to the summer camp/ I am going to go home and then my mum, dad, my brothers and I will be going to Poland to go visit my mum’s parents, my grandparents that live there. I have done this every summer since I was a baby- it’s kinda a family tradition now. How about you? Are you excited for summer?”
Wondering what all summer camp would have to offer, Bailey did not regret the fact that she was not going. Family time was so much more important to her, and it would stay this way for the rest of her life.

Word count: 220 ish

"Yea, It'll be nice to be back in London for a couple months. You start to miss everything from family, friends, social gatherings, and just being there. I know I'll end up missing Hogwarts in those months though. Kind of crazy how you can love two places so much."

He thought about what she said about visiting Poland and found that to be quite impressive. Here was Simon, a boy who had never been out of England until coming to Hogwarts. Prior to getting his letter, the furthest he had been was the coastline of England. Poland seemed rather exciting and he figured that something there must be nice because they went back every year.

"Poland sounds cool. What's it like there?" Even just visiting family alone would make it worthwhile. Family was a concept that always appealed strongly to Simon and truthfully he wished he had more of it. He had his Aunt Maggie and she was absolutely amazing but that's where family for him began and that's where family with him ended.

"And what do you do while you're there?" Simon tried to think of what preconceived ideas he had of Poland and what it might be like there but he was coming up at a blank. Was it near Russia? Was it similar to Russia? He didn't know.

”Agreed! I mean, I miss my friends and training partners and family, but then I miss my friends here too, when I’m gone.
Them Simon asked how Poland was. And what she would do. Bailey smiled, happy to get to share this side of herself.
“It’s really nice. The mountains are breathtaking, especially covered in the wildflowers. And all of the families are so generous- because our ancestors, probably 10 generations back, we’re siblings means that I get a free meal and attention- they are so kind and accepting. And the food is so good!!
And things to do… besides visiting every single distant and close relative in the entire country, I often spend days a time just roaming the mountain that my grandparents live on. The forest is breathtaking, and so are the flowers. I can spend an entire day just by my self, exploring. It’s… I have so many memories there, I love getting to go back every summer.”
Taking a breath, Bailey realized that she had been rambling on. Deciding to turn the conversation back to Simon, she thought it was only right to ask what he did with his summers.
“What do you do with your summers? You live with your Aunt, right? Where do you live? London, right? Where in London? Sorry to pester you with questions, but I do train in a dojo in London.”
Sitting back, Bailey fidgeted with her book, wanting to know Simons answer to her questions.

The mountains and the forest and the flowers seemed tempting enough to make even a dhampir want to visit such a place. Simon enjoyed nature, he just didn't place himself out in it too often unless it was necessary. If friends wanted to kick around a ball on a sunny afternoon back in London, he would do it. If friends here wanted to go for a Saturday broom ride in the sun, he would do it. Otherwise, he reserved himself and saved his skin a little extra pain by keeping mainly indoors. "It sounds quite lovely there."

Simon had never tried martial arts before nor really known others that had so he wouldn't know off hand where any dojos were. "I live in South Kensington. It's the district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. That's where a loto f the great museums are - the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Musucum, the Science Museum, and the Royal Albert Hall. We've got Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace and also Imperial College London, the Royal College of Arts and the Royal College of Music." Okay, he just said FAR too much about South Kensington and still failed to mention his lovely townhouse, his amazing church, his awesome friends, and then some.

"I love South Kensingotn because of my home - it's cozy but has more than I need. I live there with Aunt Maggie, yea. She's the best. I wish everyone had an Aunt Maggie in their lives." She truly was, and he hoped to be like her with her generosity and kindness. "She's got this bookstore and bakery there too. It does really well. It's her passion."

"But yeah, I've got some great friends there that we still write. They think I'm going to this really neat boarding school and I hate having to lie but you know, Hogwarts is a pretty neat boarding school - with magic. We all go the same Church back home and we do a lot with it - volunteering and helping out. I also like swimming and ice hockey and football. I like skateboarding. Still, my most frequent passion is always music - whether it's practicing the guitar, the piano, listening to music, or writing music. I like to go to performances back in London as well."

"So Bailey, tell me....what is something you've wanted to get better at or something you want to learn? Maybe we can meet up sometime and I can help you somehow." Maybe she hadn't been to a certain part of the castle. Maybe it was something they could research in books. Maybe it was something they could make use of the Room of Requirement.

Word count: 381/200
Mentions:
@Simon Kincaid

For sure, Poland was one of the most beautiful places Bailey had been. She might be slightly biased, having family connections there, and memories spanning her entire life there as well.
“it really is…” bailey said, daydreaming about it.
Simon started talking out London, and the places near him, the museums and such.
"Those sound so cool! I will definitely have to check some of those out, next time I'm in London! i really haven't see much of London, besides the train station, and the couple blocks it takes me to walk to the dojo! Now that i have friends that live there, i might have to enlist you to show me around a bit!"
Simon then went off, talking about his Aunt Maggie. It was clear to see that he adored his aunt, well and truly loved her, and it was something that she liked to see.
"your aunt Maggie sounds delightful - I hope one day i have a chance to meet her! And to visit her bakery and bookshop, those are two of my favorite places to see, besides a library like this one, and for it to be run by someone i knows relative - I must visit!!"
Bailey was so excited now - she could only imagine what the bookshop and bakery was like. She defiantly would be dreaming of visiting it for week now.
"that's so cool! I'm glad youve been able to keep in touch, that good to hear. Which church do you go to? Is it a big one - I, with my family, have visited a few around London, for Christmas mass and such. For regular Sunday mass we usually stick to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church which is near our house."
Bailey smiled when Simon mentioned music, as it was something she loved dearly as well. "You play a lot of instruments - that's amazing - I could never do more than just piano. Oh, which shows have you seen? Do you have any you'd recommend me seeing?"
"i'd love to meet up again! I really haven't explored much of the castle that I don't need to see, to go to classes and such. Is there something you'd recommend that i'd see or know about? Maybe you could show me!"

Wrapping it up with @Bailey Glade

*This is a very old thread so I'm wrapping it up. However, it was wonderful writing with you and I'm always open for another thread and would love to expand Simon and Bailey's friendship!

Simon smiled. Talking of books and bookstores always seemed to cause a glimmer in a Ravenclaws eye. It was the house he had noticed seem most attuned to their characteristics. He remembered how he was shushed so rudely for tapping his quill against the tabletops in the Study Rooms during his first year by a Ravenclaw because he had interrupted their thoughts - unintentionally, of course! He now stayed clear of the place and any studying he had to do was done elsewhere.

"We go to the Westminster Cathedral Roman Catholic Church, not to be confused with Westminster Abbey. But yea, it's big. It's the largest Catholic Church in the UK and the 50th largest church in the world. It's very....striped brick neo-Byzantine architecture on the outside and breathtakingly beautiful on the inside. I love it there - it's my home away from home, at least, when back in London." Now, Hogwarts was that. "I spend a lot of my time there and all of my muggle friends are also members."

Simon thought about it. "Have you seen the Night Phlox that grows just outside the castle in the moonlight? Might be worth checking out sometime," and this was from someone who didn't particularly like flowers and nature all too much - but he thought Bailey might appreciate their sweet fragrance that resembled honey, almond, and vanilla.

"My favorite places in the castle are the Rehearsal Room and here in the Library and something tells me you've been to the Rehearsal Room as well." Bailey was a social girl, she had probably been everywhere. "So I can't really say of anywhere you probably haven't already been, but I'll tell you this much. I'll look forward to seeing you around," and with it getting pretty late, he knew he needed to start packing up his things to get back to the Common Room. "Good talking with you!"