A Forced Meeting PV Isadora Everridge Finished

Dora had spent the whole morning getting ready to meet Ruby. Her grandmother had stressed to her how important it would be make a good impression for the sake of the family. And, in her words. "Start associating yourself with wizards of a higher caliber". So, Dora put on a neat and formal black dress her grandmother would approve of, and specifically neglected to wear any Hufflepuff identifiers. She can't show weakness like that.

On the inside, she's near panicked. She's never been good at these socializing games like her cousin, and she's afraid of what her family will think if Ruby ends up hating her. So, she takes a deep breath and goes over some rules as she makes her way to the library.

Be polite, and listen when spoken to. Keep impeccable posture. Do not offer unsolicited advice or opinions.

The walk is much too short, with Dora arriving at the library after what seems like no time at all. She straightens her spine and walks inside silently, her eyes scanning over the contents of the room. There aren't many people present, and going off the description of a fifth year Slytherin girl, as well as observing who isn't in a group, Dora zeroes in on a girl reading a book in an armchair. She approaches, creeping perhaps a bit too quietly for most people to detect, and stops beside her.

"Hello." She greets, trying her best to raise her voice out of her usual whisper, "Are you Ruby Cazares? I'm Isadora Everridge. How do you do?"

Dora extends a hand, fighting to keep a calm composure.

Reducio

Do you have a specific dialogue color you use? Just in case I quote you.

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Ruby ceased her reading when she heard a voice near her, rising out of her chair to properly greet the shorter girl in front of her. She would stand at full height, posture never anything less than perfect, just the way she had always been. Besides, she would never dream of having flaws in her physical presentation. Messy clothes or a slouched posture were indicative of carelessness, irresponsibility, and low self-esteem, and while this attitude would not be maintained when she had a friend who displayed those things, it was certainly a factor that would affect her judgment of strangers. She noted that the first year’s posture was good—but then again, she was being sent to Ruby via pureblood connections, so the Slytherin would have been shocked if it was poor.

As she rose from her chair, it would only take a second for Ruby to take in the girl’s appearance—refined, dressed up slightly, conventionally pretty—before she spoke, her hand reaching out to shake the other’s firmly. There would be just the right balance in her grip, and her hand was not so warm as to be sweaty, but not cool enough to be unpleasant either. She would release the handshake halfway through speaking. “Yes. Ruby Cazares, fifth year Slytherin. I am well today, thank you, and yourself?” Internally, she rolled her eyes, already bored out of her mind, although her face would not betray her feelings. Her voice was clear and audible, cool and measured. She would wait for a response out of courtesy before beginning again, “Well then, our families have insisted we spend some time together, so here we are. How shall we begin?”

If one listened carefully, slight hostility would be just barely detectable in her tone, a certain disdain that carried Ruby’s irritation at her time being demanded in this way, making her words sound ever so slightly mocking—just enough to make one question themselves. “Do you have any questions about Hogwarts thus far?” A trace of a grimace would dance briefly across her lips. Helpful to random people unworthy of her energy was not something she tended to be any longer. There was a reason she was no longer prefect, after all. But the first year in front of her would be spared most of her typical hostilities by virtue of her family—if Ruby had agreed to do this, she may as well commit to it.

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"I am well, thank you for asking. And thank you for your time."

Dora has the distinct impression that Ruby does not care for her one bit. Has the older girl already sensed Dora's complete inadequacy? Her remarks carry the subtle disdainful tone Dora's grandmother will use in public spaces. Nothing wholly impolite, but enough to send a message that the other is not happy with you. Or, maybe Dora is overthinking things again. Maybe.

It doesn't help how elegant and refined Ruby is, either. That presence seems to come so naturally to her whereas Dora has to constantly keep her poise in check. It's intimidating.

What should Dora respond with? Well, the safest route is to let her grandmother guide her. Just say what you're expected to say. And don't forget the flattery.

"Yes... Cazares is a noble name. My grandmother says you've done well at Hogwarts, and hopes you can offer me some wisdom. What are your study habits like?" Actually, what Dora suspects her grandmother actually wants is to strengthen ties with an affluent family. But Dora's never been reliable when it comes to climbing the social ladder, so she doesn't know why she's been given this task. She continues, desperately hoping deep down that she isn't failing whatever test her family sent her. "What do you recommend for achieving high marks?"

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At least the girl had the decency to thank Ruby for her time. It wasn’t like the Slytherin had a choice, anyway, but the gesture was still well-mannered and mildly appreciated. She would respond with a brief, gracious nod of acknowledgement. Ruby eyed the girl critically as she spoke, fully knowing that while they both may have been forced into this situation by their families, Ruby was the one with the power here. She could easily make or break Isadora’s family life temporarily, and there was always the standard fact that if she really tried, she could make someone’s life at Hogwarts hell. But Isadora had hardly done anything to deserve that ire just yet—Ruby simply liked the idea that she could toy with the Hufflepuff if she wished.

She listened to the other girl’s next words, which were targeting the academic side of things. Now that was something she excelled in. She was a straight-O student who could do nonverbal magic at the age of fifteen, and had so much control over her spells that they never backfired on her anymore (Perfectionist I & II). “Well, I personally study daily. I’m very committed to my academics. I would advise you to do the same—even if you can’t commit to it being a long time every day, just a couple of minutes can go far. I review old material, study new material, and practice casting the spells to have the practical element covered, too. If you have trouble focusing, find someone you can study with to keep you motivated and review together, or try changing your scenery. Getting stuck inside in one place isn’t beneficial either unless you’re very focused. If you struggle, go to other classmates or to your professors for help. Sometimes you can also find an older student willing to tutor you.” Her advice was actually genuine and good, with her comments about what to do in situations when one struggles or has trouble focusing surprisingly spoken without a passive aggressive tone. While sometimes she looked down on those who could not meet the same standard as her, she also understood that everyone struggled with some aspects of academia at some point, even her. Her gaze, however, would be unchanging, icy eyes seeming to stare into one’s soul.

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Dora is impressed. Sure, she'd known Ruby has top marks, but she's also so diligent. Maybe Dora had been expecting it all to come to her naturally, Ruby did have that aura about her. The advice seems genuine, as well, even though Ruby's cold gaze never wavers. For a moment, something about her voice felt lighter, or maybe Dora is just imagining it.

But she can't help but feel some frustration. She does study every day, and yet it's never enough. Certainly not to her grandmother. There's History of Magic, which she can't get over an E in, and then there's the problem of her focus. When she casts a spell in class, she can't stop thinking of it failing, and then it does. When Ruby suggests outside help, Dora's heart sinks a little. 'Does she think I'm too weak to do it on my own?'

"Oh." Dora replies, and tries not to show her disappointment on her face. "Of course. You must never need the help, though."

Self-conscious now, and afraid of failing this interaction, Dora fishes through her mind for the right thing to talk about. Something a polite pureblooded witch would say.

"So, do you plan to join a family business after graduation, or take suitors?" These are things she's heard the adults ask at parties. Dora assumes Ruby is going to join her family's ranks in the future, as she's supposed to.

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Ruby was entirely unbothered by how her little piece on academics may have made the other girl feel—whether it made her feel inferior, nervous, or anything else. Isadora’s problems and feelings were not Ruby’s issue to deal with. She was supposed to spend time with the first year for the afternoon, sure, but that was it. The “oh” may have been a clear sign of disappointment or other negative feelings, and maybe someone kinder would have asked about it or offered reassurance, but Ruby was not that person. The comment of “you must never need the help” showed that Isadora clearly did. The girl was pitiful, honestly, with that sad-sounding response.

Ruby would’ve sighed as she answered, but she did have some semblance of common decency left, so she just shrugged. “I haven’t needed it, per se, but I’ve participated in study groups before and talked to professors about the content. One puts oneself at a disadvantage if one seeks no resources beyond oneself.” Using “one” instead of “you” would undoubtedly come across as haughty—people seemed to view it that way nowadays—but Ruby’s intentions were only to be precise and accurate with her words, as she was not referring directly to Isadora but rather to students in general. She wasn’t seeking to further separate Isadora from herself in terms of their need for study resources, as she fully believed that people should seek out any and all resources necessary and then go beyond that. Why waste an education?

Then Isadora asked about joining a family business or taking suitors, and for a moment, Ruby’s sophistication and arrogance dropped, replaced by a brief flicker of a scowl. Before she could reply with something true to herself but impulsive, she stopped for a moment to think. Remember why you are here. If you ruin this “pureblood connection”, there will have been no point in wasting your day on this in the first place. So she took a calming breath, pulled herself together, and responded. “I suppose I may join the family business, although I rather think my brother will be the one handling that side of things since he is the heir.” She resisted the urge to blurt out that her family could go shove off, and that they very well knew that and had given up on their plans for her a long time ago to focus on her brother instead. She also didn’t mention that her interest was in the same gender, and that she hardly had the submissive temperament to go along with any plans for betrothal or any of that nonsense. “I’m aware you’re only a first year, but do you currently have any aspirations or other plans for your future?”

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Has Dora said the wrong thing? She panics for a moment when a frown crosses Ruby's features. Isn't this a normal topic of conversation? Dora's grandmother speaks of potential engagements often, and everyone's always asking Bradley if he's going to take over the family business one day. Ruby takes a breath and explains that her brother is the family heir, and Dora feels foolish. Of course, it was silly to assume she's first in line to take over the family business. Maybe she even harbors resentment over it, and Dora had to bring it up.

"Sorry." She says, her eyes darting to the floor shamefully. "I didn't mean to assume."

It's awkward for a moment, and then Ruby asks, "I’m aware you’re only a first year, but do you currently have any aspirations or other plans for your future?”

Plans for the future? Yes, Dora has plans, or rather, her grandmother has plans. "I hope to marry someone, a nice pureblood gentleman." She says, parroting the words. Dora can scarcely hope for a better way to serve her family. Sure, it might be nice to help Uncle Harris in the mortuary, but the job is meant for her cousin. In all honesty, Dora doesn't often think into the far future. She's more concerned with her current struggles. And anyways, she doesn't reckon she has much of a future outside her family. How could she? She's only half a witch.

Reducio

First time using a banner!

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As Isadora apologized for assuming Ruby would be taking up a family business, the Slytherin briefly wondered if she had given away something that could be used against her. She quickly realized that she should be in the clear—what would someone rumor about anyway? That she wasn’t the heir? That much was obvious, and not much could be spread about that assuming the individual didn’t know the history behind the siblings, which Isadora had no reason to know. The most Ruby’s words could possibly be distorted for the purpose of gossip was that she intended to go rogue and depart from her family’s wishes, which was technically true but nothing that she had said in this conversation would support that notion. She didn’t need her “noble name” to be tainted.

Isadora answered the question about aspirations with some nonsense about marrying a nice pureblood gentleman and Ruby was mildly disappointed. She shouldn’t have expected anything else, really. After all, there was a reason the two girls were meeting—pureblood relations, not by will or because they were similar. Still, it never ceased to disgust her how insistent pureblood families tended to be about impressing their beliefs onto younger generations. Isadora was, what, 11? She should be playing with friends, cultivating interests, barely starting to grow up, not thinking about marriage, forming relations for her family, or stressing about whatever other pressures her family was likely putting onto her. There was a flicker of sympathy for her before it faded, with Ruby reminding herself that she didn’t care about Isadora and just had to get this over with.

She nodded in reply, smiling thinly. “A good goal. That and putting hard work into your studies should set you up nicely,” she said, as if she placed any value on marriage. This was dull. “Do you have any questions about Hogwarts or events that have been going on here, anything like that?” she asked, keeping the conversation going. The only thing that would be worse than the conversation they had just been having was sitting in awkward silence with this girl instead. Besides, she was much more equipped to talk about Hogwarts than she was about pureblood nonsense. Well, she was prepared for that too, but it was significantly more taxing to talk about.

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Dora feels a spot of relief at what seems like Ruby's approval, nodding along agreeably when given study advice. She can't let her guard down, though. The conversation isn't over yet.

“Do you have any questions about Hogwarts or events that have been going on here, anything like that?”

Events? Like the Hexwizard Tournament? Dora doesn't need to ask about that, she already knows she's too busy to pay attention to it. That, and she was told pretty explicitly not to root for the Hogwarts champion. That does, however, stir a legitimate question in her mind. "I don't know about events, but..." She looks around cautiously and lowers her voice, "I... I have been somewhat worried since I've been here. I hear... stories... about violent students." Half-breeds. The things her grandmother and uncle have said, reports of rampaging part-giants and bloodthirsty dhampirs, of werewolves that can't control their instincts or refuse to be safely locked away on the full moon. Parts of Hogwarts are dangerous, and Dora wants to be sure to avoid them.

"Can you possibly advise me on how best to keep safe?" She asks hopefully. Maybe an older student like her will know how to spot warning signs, or have some self defense tips on the matter. Ruby seems like a formidable force to be reckoned with. It's part of why Dora wants so much to be liked by her.