Whatever Did The Water Do? PV Closed

26 Jul 2018, 18:55

{ Serena Towers & Violet Henley }

Serena pouted at the lake, picking up a small pebble in her hand and flicking it across the water. She tried to skip stones but it didn't go very far before it fell in. But that was not why she was pouting or why she was aggressively attacking the water with the pebbles in the first place. She was specifically annoyed at something else: boys. Boys were very annoying. She did not like them. They were frustrating and weird. More specifically, boys had cooties but acted like girls were the ones that had them. Earlier, she had been in the Cabin with Professor Wright and the rest of the Phoenix members. A conversation came about from that, which had got her wondering and questioning what was wrong with members of the opposite sex. They were strange. But more than that, it made her remember a few incidents that she had wished to forget. Things that made her a combination of mad and sad. Serena was not sure which emotion was more intense but both were painful.

The Hufflepuff Prefect sat on the grounds, staring into the water as she aggressively through some rocks at it in an attempt to relief some of her stress. Her mind cast back on the memories of the year. So many things had happened. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that boys were the reason that she had been sad or angry or experienced any number of negative emotions. Not always, of course. Sometimes it was her own fault, other times it was because of her mother. However, she did have an unusually long list of injuries or emotional heartache that she had gone through at the hands of a boy.

Over the months, she had gotten accidentally hurt several times. More often than not, it was because of a boy. She had lost friendships, her trust had been broken and she had almost even lost her life. It had been an intense first year at Hogwarts and a part of her could not work out if she was looking forward to returning or would rather stay at home forever. Going home was another issue. Her brother would be incredibly irritating, she had no doubt about that. Serena just prayed that he did not know about all of the stuff that had happened over the months here. However, she also knew that her family had connections with many of the other pureblood families and there were rumours going around. Things would have probably reach their ears long before she got to London.

Serena sighed softly, laying back onto the grass beneath her. She stared up at the blue skies, with a few clouds dotted around. Picking up a rock, she threw it absentmindedly into the lake. Plonk! She could hear it hit the water and sink immediately. Raising a hand, she rubbed her nose a little. This year had been intense and long. So much had happened but... she had not brought herself to sit down and talk it out to someone. She had isolated herself from a lot of her friends after the camp out, burying her head into work instead. The girl threw herself into improving that she had not stopped for a moment to just talk about her feelings or openly admit them to people. Perhaps she should have done, rather than bottling it all up. But now, she took out her frustrations that were caused by those silly boys on the water instead. Whatever did the water do to her? Absolutely nothing to deserve the abuse it was getting from her. Poor lake... Hopefully there were no creatures in the water getting pelted by the rocks...

26 Jul 2018, 22:16

Causality was a curious thing to consider, and it was, in very many ways, the only thing that Violet Henley could think about, that particularly bright afternoon. Her mind stretched beyond occupancy, as she considered just why anyone would want to attack the students at Hogwarts... what motive would be required to do such a despicable thing...

Quillius brought nothing unfamiliar to the table, with news of the masked figure, terrorizing the students at Hogwarts, but the notions was nevertheless as unsettling coming from the Flying Professor as it had been coming from Ackerley, himself. It was distressing to hear that little was being done on the Ministry's part, and more distressing to know that despite every effort on the part of staff, the culprit had yet to be found.

It wasn't an idyllic start to the career she had dreamed of, since childhood. Little, though, could sully the concentrated sense of relief she felt, upon stepping out onto the grounds for a bit of air. The warmth of the sun danced across the shortly shorn grass, shadows ebbing from the castle stretching like fingertips down the hill, where the Black Lake, glistened, a radiant pool of refracting lights.

As a child, the lake had always frightened her. All bodies of water did, for a time... closely behind tightly enclosed spaces. She had overcome the former fear, at least, quite quickly, and saw now only serene beauty in the great, dark depths. And serenity was, if nothing else, something she craved in those moments of tumultuous thought...

Heading down the sloping path, she adjusted the hat she wore - a floppy straw thing, with a great flower atop it that matched the deep purple polkadots on her sundress. She'd only just removed her hands from the brim when, like the devilish tempest weather could sometimes be, a great gust of wind carried across the open field and tore chapeau from cheveux.

"Oh!" Reaching, Violet only just missed catching it and watched as the straw piece tumbled down, down, down... Down the path, coming to rest at the bottom of the hill, where the pathway branched out into flat shoreline, the purple peony waving battered petals at her from the great distance.

"Oh, fiddlesticks!" She muttered, and picking up her pace, hurried after it, "Hello?" She called, because at that moment, she noticed the small creature, huddled by the edge of the water, throwing stones into the surface to create ripples across the glassy waters, "Would you... Oh, would you be a dear and grab my hat??"

27 Jul 2018, 17:01

Despite being a Prefect, Serena really hated studying. With a passion. She actually set a bad example on other students at the start of the year, where she turned up late to class and mostly spent it sleeping in the back. As the months went on, she realised the importance of class firsthand from her own failings. This instantly made her a better role model and student. Simply by the fact that she attended classes, paid attention and tried to learn. Of course, she still hated it. That was true for pretty much all of her classes. All except Flying.

Flying was one of the few things in life that Serena adored. She always dreamt about playing Quidditch, ever since her father took her to her first Quidditch game a few years back. She could not remember who was playing who but in all honesty, she did not care. The teams and the score never mattered. It was the whole concept of the game that she adored. Her affection for the game made her train hard when it came to sports. She wanted to be a chaser, or perhaps a seeker. Both of these required precision in fast movements and catching. Countless hours had gone playing Quidditch, practicing her ability to catch quickly and all around improving herself to do this.

Although she had not made the Quidditch team yet, her training proved to be useful for once. Hearing a voice call out, Serena turned her head to see a woman hurrying towards her. She blinked for a moment in confusion, before processing her words. Her hat? Serena suddenly sat up as she noticed something moving not to far away from her. It flew past her. A hat. Oh!!

Reaching out, Serena tried to grab it but narrowly missed it. Promptly, she pushed herself up, turning her body as she did into a position that made her look like she was about to start a race. Pushing off with her feet, she quickly dived forward. The Hufflepuff fell onto the ground, rolling to a stop. The roll and the grass softened her blow, and it wasn't too high so it was not very painful. At most she got a little scrape here and there. Landing on the ground with a soft thud, Serena rolled into an upright position before standing up and brushing herself off with one hand. She probably had some grass stuck to her t-shirt or in her hair but she managed to brush off what she could see. She brought the hat that she had successfully grabbed out in front of her, presenting it to the woman. Walking forward to meet her, Serena held out the hat for her, "Here you go... uh Ma'am," Serena replied, a little awkwardly as she could not remember seeing this woman before.

Was she a Professor? One of the Healers? Maybe someone from Hogsmeade that had been invited specifically for the Summer Camp? Who knew... Being polite and calling her 'ma'am' seemed like the safest option at this point. Should she ask her who in Merlin's name she was? What if the lady was actually an intruder..? Although Hogwarts claimed to have a good security system, they did get attacked by random shadow creatures on this very ground not too long ago. Nothing was certain when it came to magic. But Serena had no idea what to say to her or how to ask the random woman who she was without being incredibly rude. So she stood there, awkwardly for a while before deciding to introduce herself, "Oh! I'm Serena, by the way... Uh I'm one of the uh Prefects here..." She awkwardly introduced to the lady, hoping that the woman would follow suit and introduce herself in return.

30 Jul 2018, 03:17

As the girl dove, rather intensely, for the hat, Violet's hands covered a gasp. She hadn't intended for the poor thing to get hurt! As she hurried down the path, her heels digging groves into the soft dirt path, she came to a halt just as the child righted herself, and as she handed over the hat, Violet smiled brilliantly, shaking her head.

"Goodness, me! I had no idea you would have to work so hard for it. I'm so sorry. You weren't hurt, were?" She asked, as she checked the girl over for any visible injuries. She seemed alright, however, and brushing off the hat, Violet moved to place it back on her head before decided it was better to hold it beneath her arm, "That was quite a move, young miss. I'm very impressed."

Violet had never been particularly athletic, herself. A bit of a wisp, herself, and rather short, it had never made very much sense for her to test those waters. And she had certainly never gone to such extremes for an inanimate object. But she nevertheless appreciated the girl's efforts greatly and it came as no surprise when she confessed to being one of Hogwarts's best and brightest.

"It's lovely to meet you, Serena. I can see why you were made a Prefect, if you put such care and authority into your work here at school. My name is Violet. Violet Henley. I've just been appointed as the new Charms professor." Smiling delicately, she glanced back at the school, "I don't start until next term, of course, but Headmaster Blackburn has allowed me to settle in a bit early to shake out some nerves and prepare for my lessons." Looking past the girl, to the lake, which had finally stilled against after the assault with the stones, her smile softened, "Are you sure you're alright? I do hope you didn't hurt yourself..."

30 Jul 2018, 17:58

The small Hufflepuff girl shook her head at the older lady's question. "No no, it was nothing, it's okay," She replied with a firm nod. Once the lady took the hat from her, Serena quickly scanned herself for the wound marks. There was no blood, as far as she could see, so she figured she was okay. Tomorrow, there may be a bruise or two in random places or on close inspection, she might find a few small scratches and scrapes but other than some grass marks on her knees, she seemed to be all well and healthy. The green knees was definitely a good look, though.

Glancing back at the lady, she observed her for a moment. The woman was only a few inches taller than she was! She was so small, perhaps of similar heights to several relatives in her own family. It was a small family, after all. "Ah, oh uh, thanks- It wasn't anything special though," She replied, dismissing her compliment. Serena was not one for compliments. She never really believed them and so, struggled to accept them. As far as she was concerned, her dive was nothing more than a small roll. In her own mind, she drastically needed to improve if she planned to get herself onto the Quidditch team. One of her dream jobs would actually be to play Quidditch professionally. She felt that that would be a dream that she could never see come to live but a girl could still dream about it. It would be amazing to play professionally for an England team. Any England team. Heck, perhaps even the Indian team would be an option. She was Indian too, after all, even though she was born and brought up in London.

Serena rubbed her nose with the back of her fingers awkwardly as the stranger complimented her on her care and duty. The truth of the matter was that she did not feel worthy enough to be a Prefect. She had contemplated stepping down several times, in fact. In her eyes, she had failed her house when it mattered most. For a brief moment, she looked down at the ground sadly and awkwardly. Looking away seemed to help prevent the tears that wanted to come out. She was a massive cry baby at times and being stressed did not help the matter.

Luckily her awkwardness was short-lived, which helped to reduce the sadness too and prevent the tears from ever occurring. The lady announced herself as a new Professor, taking over Charms from the headmaster. "Oh!" Serena exclaimed, feeling a bit more relieved that the woman was not a complete stranger. It made sense, she had heard the rumours of having a few new Professors join the school towards the end of the term so her story seemed to fit, "Well congratulations, Professor uh Henley." She continued with a nod, trying to figure out what her name was again, "It's nice to meet you too."

The Hufflepuff smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I think I'm alright. Well physically, anyway. I'm not bleeding, it seems," Serena continued, sighing softly with a light shrug of her shoulders. Perhaps she was well physically but mentally, she felt a bit frustrated and drained. "So uh are you looking forward to teaching here?" She asked the Professor, simply trying to be polite and not awkwardly ignore the lady.

30 Jul 2018, 18:40

It was something of a relief that the girl hadn't injured herself, after all. Violet would have felt terrible, particularly since, while she enjoyed her many hats, they were hardly of more cost in any sense of the word, than that of a student's personal safety. And what sort of impression would she have made, after all, if she'd bloodied up the poor child - a Prefect, no less - before she'd even begun to teach.

Relief touched her eyes, but for a moment, before concern filled them again. There was something beyond the girl's words that was marginally distressing - a sense of self deprecation that stemmed, it seemed, from more than just a typical preteen girl's sense of awareness... She seemed sad, the Hufflepuff. And it was a thought that carried even further, as her eyes darkened, lowering. Were those tears?

Serena interrupted Violet's thoughts, with an exclamation and smiling delicately, the Charms professor waved off the congratulations, "I'm honored, honestly. A please... Professor Vi. Professor Henley makes me feel as though I've got gray hairs, already. Perish the thought..." Her laugh was quick and gentle, but strained and chewing in thought at the inside of her cheek, she considered the girl standing before her.

"Immensely..." She answered with a nod, "It's been my dream since I was only a little older than you are, now. Hardly seems real, but here I am." Tipping her head just slightly, her smile softened, "...You're absolutely certain you're alright?" And this time, she wasn't asking for fear of any physical injuries... for she was positive she hadn't imagined the dampness in the girl's eyes before she'd looked away.

30 Jul 2018, 19:50

Serena nodded, grinning a little at the new Professor. There was something calm and smoothing about her presence. She seemed so kind and friendly that Serena felt like she knew her well already, even though knew next to nothing about her. Grinning at the older lady, she nodded, "Professor Vi it is then!" She said, laughing a little at the fact that the older lady was equally afraid of getting grey hairs as her mother was. But her mother was definitely older than the Professor, that was for sure. Maybe that was a concern that all old people had? It was a sign of old age, after all and apparently no one wanted to be old. This was still very weird to Serena. She really wanted to be old. She wanted to be an adult already, so she could do whatever she wanted and not have to live at home or listen to her mother. If she wanted to sleep all day, she could! No responsibilities as an adult, right?

"Your dream was to be a teacher?" Serena echoed, questioning that dream a little. She dreamt of leaving school and not having to study anymore. Classes were dull and boring, although she had recently learnt the importance of them. And yet, here was a woman who dreamt of returning to school before she had even left it! She claimed to have had this dream since she was a bit older than Serena was now, so perhaps when she was in second or third year. Maybe Serena would also figure out what she wanted to be around that time... Right now, she had a few ideas but none were teaching or returning to school, at all. Doing this once, was enough. "Why would you want to go back to school?" She questioned the Professor, not understanding why anyone would want to return to this madness. Her question was a little more blunt than she had intended for it to be.

The Professor questioned if she was alright for a third time. Serena blinked, "Yeah, I mean there's no blood-" She started to say automatically before realising that the woman was not deaf. She could hear her. She had already heard her previous answers and responded to them. And yet, she was asking again. Perhaps she meant more than just physically. She sighed softly and shrugged, "Eh, yeah, I guess so." She replied, dismissively. Allowing her mind to wander, she thought about whether or not she was really okay. It was hard to say, to be quite frank. Serena stayed silent for a few moments before suddenly having a thought, "Hey, Professor Vi, can I ask you something?" She waited a moment to give her the chance to say yes or no. Assuming the answer was affirmative, Serena continued, "Are... Are boys always stupid? Or is that just first year boys?" the Hufflepuff asked her out of the blue. She really wanted to know if things actually got better after first year. Maybe it was just these boys that were stupid. Professor Violet obviously enjoyed school in her older years, if she had decided to come back to the place from then. Maybe the boys become less... annoying, after a while.

30 Jul 2018, 20:21

[quote]A laugh escaped the Charms professor as she shook her head at Serena's disbelief. It must have seemed so odd to the child, someone willingly putting themselves through -more- school, when, in fact, most children could not wait until they were done, entirely. But Violet had been, by her own confession, hardly the definition of an ordinary child, and there was something to say for her ambition - So much so that on more than one occasion, she had been asked if she were a Slytherin.

Of course, ten minutes in the presence of the woman and it was quickly apparent what made her a Hufflepuff. Yet her goals had been clear to her from the moment they arose and she had clung to those goals, until they had come to fruition, "It was, indeed. Or, I suppose, to put it in a way that might make slightly more sense to you... my dream was... is... to be a part of shaping future minds. When I was younger, I went through something that changed the way I looked at the world. It was my Charms professor who taught me that life doesn't always go according to plan... but what we do with the life we're given is exceedingly important. Every aspect of what happens to us... good or bad... molds us into who were will someday be. But it our response to those circumstances - the way we choose to allow them to effect us that makes all the difference in who we are." Chuckling softly, her shoulders pinched in a shrug, "It was those very words that sparked in me and interest in being a teacher... and well, here we are. It is a bit strange, I'll admit, though, being back."

Turning to the water, she waited until the girl had gathered her confidence, and when she spoke again, Violet gave her a soft nod, listening to the question with a certain measure of amusement. When she spoke, however, the was only understanding in her voice, "Ah. Boys. Hm." With a small shake of her head, Violet sank down onto the grassy edge of the shoreline, patting the space beside her, "I wish I could say I fully understood them, but alas... they grow into nothing less complicated as men. That being said, I find individualizing them makes it a little easier to bear them. What's got you so frustrated? Tell me, and I'll see if I can't come up with a decent bit of advice..."

31 Jul 2018, 16:29

In all honesty, Serena did not actually expect a reply from the Professor. Perhaps just a 'it be this way' and that would be the end. But the Charms Professor did what she clearly did best: she taught the student. She imparted wisdom onto the younger female, who listened to the thought provoking words carefully. She stared at her a bit more, her eyes starting to well up. Life certainly did not go to plan. Did Serena anticipate seeing her friends burnt and covered in soot? No. Did she plan to have her bones broken, her lungs damaged and her skin marked with flesh wounds from the result of a random creature that they had accidentally created? No. Did she expect to spend several days in hospital being treated by various spells and potions until every last physical trace of her injuries was removed? No. She did not. A lot had happened in the past year. None of it was what she would call 'a plan'. It had shaped her, made her who she was today. The Hufflepuff Camp Out, although brutal, had taught her life lessons. In fact, school itself taught her a lot. All of the 'bad' that had happened made her stronger. The list of lessons learnt was endless...

One, love your friends and family. Value everyone's life and fill whatever days you spend with them with love, not hatred. Two, to protect those you love you need to be able to protect yourself. You need to be strong enough to protect yourself. Three, class may be boring but its importance is never to be underappreciated. Four, trust those around you and never break their trust. Having your trust broken hurt, more than absolutely anything else. Having your trust broken hurt more than all of the physical wounds could. Five, don't run in recklessly headfirst. Pause for a moment, think, try to analyse the situation - there may be a smarter way to achieve the same results. Six, do absolutely anything and everything for the people you care about and love. Seven, life is precious. It truly is. Eight, always prepare for the worst. Plan, prepare and anticipate what could go wrong so you are ready for it should the worst happen. Nine, you are always stronger together. 'Team work makes the dream work', after all. Ten, boys are gross.

Serena wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. There were many more things she had learnt over the past few months but just thinking about it all was making her emotional. Instead, she nodded, "You're right... I guess... that makes sense..." She replied to the Professor. "Those are... Those are very wise words, Professor," She continued with a nod, putting a smile on her face to look braver and happier than she actually felt, as she looked back to Violet.

The Professor sat down onto the grass, motioning for Serena to join her. Obediently, she sat down next to her and looked out towards the lake again. At least this time, she wasn't aggressively throwing stones at it. Frowning a little as she heard the lady's response, Serena looked at her, "So... boys always stink then?" She asked her. A lifetime of having to deal with boys and their silly problems sounded frustrating, to say the least. "Oh uh..." Serena started, unsure of how to continue. A lot had gotten her frustrated. She had not told anyone but it was building up inside of her. "Alright well... it's a few things. In fact, it's a long story. I uh... So there's this boy who I met recently. He's in my cabin. And I've met him before and he's just... he's very odd. I don't know. He keeps thinking that I- well that urm-" Serena fumbled over her words, taking long pauses between each sentence as she was unsure how to explain the whole situation. "I think he thinks I want to uh you know... ki- kiss him..." She whispered the last part, not wanting anyone to overhear. Serena also did not feel entirely comfortable saying the word, let alone even thinking about it. She rubbed her face with the back of her hand some more, rubbing both her eyes dry and her nose out of awkwardness. She really did not want to do that with anyone, let alone the random strange boy!