Cellists Read Books, Too! PV Mateo Closed

As much as Mateo loved the library (and an impressive one such as Hogwarts was no exception), it sometimes could feel a little... lonely. Yes, he may see numerous students pass through the grand doors on a day by day basis, and he would always treat them with the respect and friendliness deserved, but that was no replacement for a genuine friend. Many of those whom he'd left scattered across the world on his travels, and would only hear from via owl.

The day was quiet, and Mateo found himself dwelling on such matters as he added yet another letter to his growing collection in his desk, adding a note to his board to remind him to reply. He scanned his other tasks, many if not all of which were located in the library. He sighed. There would be some excuse to get out, mingle and meet others eventually, but this first month had been more taxing than he'd expected.

"Afternoon," A female's voice spoke, with what seemed like an American accent. "And nice to meet you."

Mateo looked up, with what was first surprise replaced by a warm smile to greet the newcomer. "A good afternoon to you too. Forgive me for sounding ignorant, but I assume you must be one of the new professors."

"I'm Sabine. Blumenthal. Care of Magical Creatures? I haven't been in a school library for... over fifteen years, you'll have to forgive me."

A small laugh escaped Mateo. "No worries, Ms Blumenthal. Or would you prefer Professor Blumenthal, given your new position? Regardless, the library is welcome to all, no matter the last time you last visited. I am Mateo Sáez, and always happy to lend a hand. Now, if you do not mind, may I look at the book you have in hand?"

From the size and width alone, Mateo could quite easily distinguish the variety of book.

"A musician?" he mused. "I must admit I am not the most well-versed in music myself, but I have great respect for those that have mastered the skill. Do you mind I ask what you play?"

Considering this was the closest he had been to making a new friend acquaintance at his job, it was understandable Mateo was reluctant to let the conversation end.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, you're an American, right? So can I assume you graduated from Ilvermorny? My, uh, mother studied there when she was a student..."

WC: 377 | Interaction: @Sabine Blumenthal

january 10, 2023.

The friendliness of the librarian was more than welcome. Sabine could sense a tiny seed of nervousness in him, a sort of reluctance to allow her to leave. She found herself quite pleased to acknowledge that she would rather stay for a little bit, too.

"Miss is fine. I'm only a stickler for 'professor' with students, just as a rule of thumb," she explained with an easy smile, shrugging as she elaborated. She didn't mind other professors forgoing the title, but students would be expected to address her as Professor Blumenthal and nothing else.

"Oh, yes! I play the cello," she nodded and leaned against the counter, the heel of her hand on the very edge, "and the piano. My parents were admittedly a little bit overboard with the musical education as a kid, but I suppose it's paid off." Perhaps not in the way they'd expected or hoped, as Sabine was now a teacher, but that could be brushed off.

Hogwarts, for its part, was wonderful! But Sabine couldn't lie when she figured that a pang of excitement raced through her when Mateo asked about Ilvermorny, her very own alma mater. "Oh, god, yes. Wampus graduate here! What house was your mother in?" The quickest way to get Sabine started on a rant was by asking her about Ilvermorny, which she did consider the best wizarding school. Obviously she was biased, but who wouldn't be? Most students seemed to hold their own school in highest regard, why shouldn't she? "Are you a Hogwarts graduate? Or also a foreigner, so to speak?"

@Mateo Sáez.

Mateo smiled, recalling the memories of when his parents, after discovering his enjoyment for reading in his final year, had bought what felt like an entire bookstore for him to enjoy, and wouldn't stop pestering him about those books until he'd finished them. It was all from a place of love, he realised now, but of course, it wasn't the same as an endless study of musical ability. "Well, as long as you still enjoy playing, that's the crucial thing, isn't it? And it'd be nice to hear you play sometime."

Seeing the new Professor's face light at the mention of her former school, Mateo breathed a slight of relief. Thank God, he thought to himself. He didn't want to have just offended her.

"Ah, the house of warriors," he recognised. His mother had told him her own stories of her time in education, and she had regularly mentioned the wild exploits of her friends in the Wampus House. It made him wonder if Ms Blumenthal had partaken in anything alike- but that would be a question for another time.

"My mother was in, I believe, Pukwudgie, the house of healers. And I suppose, considering what she would go on to do after her education, that choice does make sense."

Mateo shook his head in response to Ms Blumenthal's question, the smile on his face growing as he memories from his time at wizarding school flooded back. "Not from Hogwarts, no, though the school is incredible. I'm an alumnus of Castelbruxo myself. To me, it's incredible how much a school will impact you, no matter which school it is. Believe it or not, I wasn't much of a reader until my seventh year. Though I suppose some are just born with a natural talent in certain subjects. Am I safe to presume that was the case with you?"

WC: 308 | Interaction: @Sabine Blumenthal

january 10, 2023.

"I'll have to invite you to my office one day. Have some tea and I'll play the cello for a bit," Sabine shrugged with a smile. It felt nice to have someone to talk to, someone who was somewhat like-minded in their abilities and interests. Even if Mateo wasn't a musician himself, it was clear that he had a passion akin to her own. Where Mateo enjoyed books, Sabine liked music. And they weren't so different, now, were they?

Pukwudgie, though, was something that Sabine could likely speak about for hours on end. Her own best friend had been in Pukwudgie house: a man of tall stature and few words. She'd done most of the talking for him in their school years, but they'd been thick as thieves. Until, well, about three years ago now.

"You know, I've always wanted to pay Castelobruxo a visit. I've been to Uagadou, which is simply incredible, but I haven't had the opportunity to get a hand on other wizarding schools." In her own travels, Sabine often enjoyed the opportunity to visit wizarding communities to see how they operated, how they worked. That and to examine their own store of magical creatures and the treatment of them, obviously. "I guess you could call it a natural inclination if you wanted to. Maybe I do have a natural talent, or maybe my parents just put me in a bunch of musical programs when I was five." She joked, eyes crinkled at the corners in amusement. "Really, though, I do think I have some sort of magical talent, at least. Doing multiple instruments is no easy feat, let me tell you."

@Mateo Sáez.

Mateo smiled gratefully. "That'd be really nice." He wasn't going to let on just yet that this was the potential start of one his very few friendships. His former job hadn't provided him with many long-lasting friends. That'd likely scare her away, and he'd be incredibly frustrated if that happened.

"Castelobruxo is quite beautiful, yes. I don't suppose I appreciated the nature as much whilst I was there because I was constantly surrounded by it, but now I do find myself missing it. I'm sure Buddy misses it too, maybe more than I do. And I've heard about Uagadou, of course. It's supposed to be beautiful, I'd love to visit some time. And I'd love to hear about your time there."

Mateo nodded along. He obviously couldn't relate to being so talented. "I don't doubt it," he agreed. "Though I was referencing your ability with magical beasts. After all, there must be a reason you chose this path over a career in classical music?"

He smiled awkwardly. Now wasn't the time for him to bring up his past ambitions, they still haunted him ever so slightly. Though, despite it all, he had no regrets about the life he'd lived ultimately. He'd done more good for the world than he would've if he'd followed a different path. But this wasn't his conversation, it was Ms Blumenthal's. So he'd turn his attention back to her as she presumably answered the proposed question.

WC: 239| Interaction: @Sabine Blumenthal