Unexpected Corners of the Castle PV Sylvia Nightingale Closed

september 4th 2023; interacting with @Sylvia Nightingale

Alyssea shrugged. It was likely the Basilisk was already dead considering the last wizarding war was right on the school grounds. Probably used it as a weapon. But regardless, that was the least of her concerns. The only history she was concerned about was her mythology texts in History of Magic.

It was only the first full day back but the content was already insane. Not to mention the poor performance she had that drove her here.

When Sylvia mentioned her common room, she mentally applauded herself. She was a Slytherin! Her predictions were top-tier today despite her poor performance in class today. "So, you're a Slytherin?" Alyssea asked curiously. "What's the common room like? Or just, how is Slytherin House like? We're not supposed to be in other houses, of course, but I want to know what other houses are like. Hufflepuff is like nature inside the castle, so it always feels fresh and bright."

She smiled as she thought about her dorm. The Plant Palace definitely felt like a garden inside a hobbit home. She enjoyed being close to nature like that, even in such a large and old space. Some days, Alyssea wonders whether she should've moved to the Badger Bungalow considering the liveliness of the place, but she turned it down. The liveliness was the main reason she didn't choose it in the first place.

Sylvia then saw Alyssea's wand in her hand. Interested, Sylvia said, "Go ahead, I'd like to see what you can show me."

She considered a more extravagant spell than the one she first thought of when thinking of a spell to show Sylvia. Again, no sparks charms since they could blind her. Not Lumos since that was pretty basic.

Alyssea then came to a fun combination. She aimed her wand towards the sky and created a swirl with a long tail before saying, "Nix Facitur."

Soon enough, small snowflakes fell from the bathroom's ceiling and Alyssea raised her wand again as she said, "Pluvia Velo."

A magical umbrella appeared from above her. From the charms lesson, Professor Fresnel didn't know whether the charm could repel snow, but Alyssea reasoned that normal snowfall would be quite strong and hence, the charm couldn't cover the caster from it. Since the snowflakes she conjured up were magical and light, she figured the umbrella charm could work.

She smiled at Sylvia. "Cool, right? These are just two of the spells you'll learn in First Year. I'd show you some of the more flashy ones, but they're quite literally flashy."

“So, you're a Slytherin? What's the common room like? Or just, how is Slytherin House like?” Chuckling at Alyssea’s excitement of guessing her house correctly, Sylvia brought her mind back to all the time she has spent inside her common room since she arrived at Hogwarts. So far, the Slytherin house hasn’t turned out to be as terrible as her father used to say. Instead of being mean, she found that the majority of them purely enjoyed playing some not-so-harmful pranks on others, or take an interest in breaking school rules, something that she often enjoys doing as well.

As for the common room, the deep green color scheme definitely helps her calm down after a long day of classes (and chaos), whereas the dim lighting appeals to her more than flashy, bright lights. “It’s not as bad as many others think. I know that there are bullies in Slytherin, but most of them are just slightly more mischievous or ambitious than most.” She paused for a while before resuming her explanation, “As for the common room, I believe you can guess what color it is easily. I personally enjoy the dim lighting inside which creates a mysterious aura.” Sylvia realized that she was probably talking too much, and that Alyssea probably wasn’t asking for such a lengthy reply, so she asked the other girl instead, “What do you like most about the Hufflepuff common room?”

Witnessing Alyssea’s demonstration of creating a shower of small snowflakes and then conjuring an umbrella to cover herself, Sylvia has to admit that she was quite impressed indeed. While marveling at the trick Alyssea has just shown her, she limited the amount of awe shown in her voice: “Those two are definitely some cool spells, hope I can get the chance to learn them soon!” Hearing Alyssea mentioning more flashy spells that she could cast, Sylvia added, “Flashy? That would be entertaining to watch.”

Interacting with @Alyssea Brown

september 4th 2023; interacting with @Sylvia Nightingale

"What do I like about the Hufflepuff common room?"

Alyssea hummed as she pondered the idea. She liked her dorm, yes. She didn't hang out that much in the common room since she had things to do and places to be. It was her dorm room or nothing. But now that she'd come to the realization, she frowned. Maybe she needed to get out of her room more.

So, she shrugged. "The yellow is a bright, lively colour that really brings back energy after a long day. It also feels like a hobbit hole, so it's all really cute." She smiled.

Soon enough, the snowfall dissipated and her umbrella charm with it as she turned off her focus. "The snowfall charm is from Astronomy and the umbrella is from Charms class, if you're wondering where to expect them. As for the flashy spells, I can't do them or I might blind you," Alyssea chuckled. "You'll just have to wait for when you show up to DADA."

Alyssea pocketed her wand and looked at the book in the girl's hand. "Are you still going to attempt those? Because it wouldn't be wise, and I don't think we wanna stay here for too long." She motioned to her wet robes (gross). "Gonna have to let the house elves know they've got a robe to wash."

“The yellow is a bright, lively colour that really brings back energy after a long day. It also feels like a hobbit hole, so it's all really cute.” Sylvia laughed at the “hobbit hole” remark, even though she believed that it should be a rather accurate comment about the Hufflepuff common room. So, she’s read The Hobbit series before as well? Out of all the books that are popular among muggles, The Hobbit series has definitely been one of her favorite.

“I suppose I can imagine what it looks like now! How do you like The Hobbit series, or LoTR?” Sylvia, who can never resist a discussion about books, asked Alyssea with interest.

Hearing that the snowfall and umbrella charm came from Astronomy and Charms class respectively, Sylvia found her preferences toward these two subjects that she already preferred growing even more. As for Defense Against the Dark Arts, perhaps she’ll be able to judge how it is after the first class has taken place.

“Are you still going to attempt those? Because it wouldn't be wise, and I don't think we wanna stay here for too long.” Alyssea inquired, motioning to the book in Sylvia’s hand and then her own wet robes respectively. “Nope, I think I will save this book for myself to try again sometime later. Good thing that all students brought 3 robes to Hogwarts, or else it would be quite inconvenient for these occasions.” Sylvia wasn’t planning on lingering in such a place either, but decided to wait a bit longer and see if Alyssea has anything else to say before leaving.

Interacting with @Alyssea Brown

september 4th 2023; interacting with @Sylvia Nightingale

Alyssea shook her head. "I have never read the books, although my family has watched the movies. I was too young to remember watching them. My parents have pictures of me and my brother at the filming site. You know, in New Zealand? But yeah, don't remember it too much."

While she did love travelling the world, it did leave a lot of gaps in her memories. Too much moving and not enough time indulging in memories. That's what happens when your mum has a worldwide job, Alyssea figured.

She doesn't have the pictures with her since the photobooks were at home, but she could remember them. That day, it was slightly cloudy and her brother's shoes were awfully muddy after the rain. Alyssea, on the other hand, was still smiling cheerfully as their dad carried her.

Back to the original topic, Alyssea sighed in relief when Sylvia chose not to attempt the spells. It was only the first full day back in classes and she hadn't learned a single healing spell yet. The closest thing she had to healing knowledge was potions and she certainly didn't have the ingredients to brew one right now.

Alyssea chuckled at the comment about the robes. "Yeah, good thing we have spares."

"Anyways, I think I'll leave. I'll see you around, Sylvia. It was nice to chat with you." She offered the girl a smile.

Considering the girl decided to come in here one random Monday after classes, she might enjoy some adventure. She decided to hold off on her thoughts, leaving them for another time, and waved to Sylvia on her way out. The Hufflepuff commons were only a floor down, so she wouldn't have to spend too much time in wet and dirty robes.