So…We Meet Again PV Rory Hara Closed

September 7th, 2023
Muggle Studies Classroom

Rory stepped into the Muggle Studies classroom with a cautious enthusiasm. Although the boy wasn't sure what the whole year of Muggle Studies would entail, the course was rather easy for him thus far. At least one class would come easy to him among the many new subjects that he found vexing. It almost amazed him how different his childhood would have been if he came from a different family background. He, perhaps, didn't want to consider it.

Growing up in Muggle schools, and one of his fathers being one, his experience differed from many other young wizards and witches. From a young age, he was conscious of the presence of magic, and his own connection to it, but was never deeply involved in that aspect of his self. His half blood father, Lewis, had given up the wizarding world to have a lovely family in Birmingham. Magic came in rare glimpses, unlike the security Rory had in Muggle ways of living.

The boy studied the room intently, thoughtfully. He was searching for the best place to take a seat. Rory was a bit of a teacher's pet, typically sitting attentively in one of the fronts rows. He had found a suitable spot, and was about to claim it, when he saw a familiar face in the back of the classroom. The girl from Ravenclaw that had aided him in locating the library. His friend!

"Hey, Renelle!" He said rather loudly, projecting across the room, unaware of himself. He was waving one hand eagerly while holding supplies in the other. Rory quickly traveled across the room, weaving through a couple students to reach the back. How lucky, there was an open seat right next to the dark-haired girl!

He put down all of the academic supplies he was holding in his hand, before sitting down, one leg crossed over the other in a position that looked a bit uncomfortable. "It's great to see you again, it's been a while! But luckily, I haven't got lost since then!" He beamed, before retracting the smile and furrowing his eyebrows a bit. "Well, I haven't got lost trying to go to the library, at least."

His friendly face returned. "I can't wait for class. How about you?"

Private to @Renelle Dalton

What just happened?

Renelle had just been minding her own business in the back of the room, waiting for class to start, when an overly cheery voice yelled her name for the whole class to hear. That had been so awkward.

Rather annoyed, she searched for the culprit: her gaze fell upon a familiar small figure, with rosy checks and curly blonde hair. Rory Hara, the boy who lacked any sense of direction.

Rory was carrying all his supplies with what looked like to be some difficulty (why didn’t he just get a bag?), and manoeuvred his way through the classroom, stopping when he reached Renelle.

Sitting down rather uncomfortably, he beamed. Honestly, she wasn’t sure how she felt about seeing this boy again— last time, she had somehow been under the impression that they would never meet again after sending him to the library. Which was kind of stupid, now that she thought about it. The two were in the same year- of course they would bump into each other again sometime.

“Hey Rory.” she greeted back with significantly less enthusiasm than him.

Hearing how he hasn’t gotten lost since last time, Renelle nodded with what she hoped to be a proud expression. Then she immediately wanted to laugh at how he added that it was just the library.

Fighting to keep a straight face, the Ravenclaw replied,"Well, that’s nice to hear. And.. I can’t wait for class too.”

Interacting with @Rory Hara

September 7th, 2023
Muggle Studies Classroom

Rory was completely convinced in his mind that Renelle was equally as enthusiastic about seeing him. Through their limited interaction, the blonde-haired boy had come to form a somewhat misguided image of the dark-haired girl. To him, she was just a particularly reserved character. Rory expressed his delight in wide smiles, speaking loudly, and openly admitting his feelings; however, he was satisfied with the idea that Renelle expressed her delight in their friendship with a straight face, an even, almost uninterested, tone, and less straightforward admittance of these feelings.

So Rory had no reason to suspect that the Ravenclaw girl wasn't jubilant when he sat down next to her. Observing the girl, she looked much more relaxed and confident in the classroom setting. School supplies nestled in the bag beside her, sitting in a comfortable position.

"Hey Rory." She had greeted him back after he had settled in better. He flipped his notebook open, showing pages of messily written notes and tons of animal drawings in the margin. The Gryffindor boy soon settled on a new page, feeling prepared for the beginning of class.

Renelle congratulated him on not getting lost on the way to the library again! He suddenly straightened up again, feeling a bit proud at his navigational skills. Her face, although straight, seemed to be struggling to maintain neutrality. Was she fighting the urge to smile widely at him for his accomplishment?

True to his word, he was pleasantly surprised to see Renelle again. They were only first years, so it would have been inevitable to meet again, but it felt particularly special to meet again so soon. Sharing a class? How great! And it seemed that Renelle shared his sentiment as she couldn't wait for class either. Rory didn't need a lot of help in Muggle Studies, but perhaps they could collaborate if it was needed! Or maybe he could help her!

"I know you're really smart and I'm sure your marks are super high, but, you know, I was raised kinda like a Muggle. So, if you ever need help with this class I can probably help you! Just let me know, okay?"

Before Rory could continue his conversation, it seemed the class had begun. He diligently took notes, but occasionally peeked over at Renelle, looking as if he wanted to talk to her. Of course he wouldn't! They were in the middle of class, after all. But it was great enough to get to sit by a friend in class.

Private to @Renelle Dalton

For just about as long as she could remember, Renelle had had a little brother. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were only four years apart, but she could not remember a time without him. Which was a shame, because sometimes the girl wished she could. Not that she didn’t love Arien, of course— but no one could deny that it was extremely frustrating having a sibling at times, especially a younger one, whose side parents always seemed to take in an argument, with the same old excuse:' You’re the older sister, act like it.' Sorry, but she didn’t really see what age had to do with him throwing her stuffed animal out the window?

However, the Ravenclaw suspected that if her brother had been anything like Rory, she wouldn’t have minded. At all. Admiring, good-natured, appreciative— he was like the book-perfect version of her own brother. Though it was concerning how naïve he appeared to be, at least on the outside. Sure, they were only eleven, but still.

Suddenly, a jumble of words interrupted her thoughts. It was Rory. As he rambled on hopefully about how he could help her in this class although her marks were probably super high, Renelle had to suppress a grin again. For some unknown reason, just about everyone she met had assumed that she was some sort of ultra-genius bookworm or something. It was like they took one look at her, with her cold expression and few words, and decided ’Hey! That girl looks like she’s smart!’ Not that it was exactly a bad thing, of course, but they always seemed so shocked when she broke it to them that she was not, in fact, highly into academic studies.

“Not really,” she replied casually, turning to take out her textbooks. “If I have any trouble, I’ll ask you. Thanks.”

Too soon, class started. Sadly, it was just as boring as Renelle had feared, and she tuned out after a few minutes. Staring absentmindedly at the back of the head of the girl in front of her, she wondered what she would have for lunch. If there was one good thing about going to a boarding school like Hogwarts, it was the food. She could eat anything, with no dad around to chaste her for ‘eating unhealthily’.

There was only so long one could think about meals, however. Before long, Renelle’s mind and eyes were wandering again. She discreetly glanced at Rory. He was diligently taking notes like the perfect student. Of course. Her gaze strayed to his notebook, expecting to see pages filled up with neat handwriting. She blanched. The truth was far from that. The Gryffindor boy’s handwriting was the worst she had seen in her entire life- which was saying a lot- and doodled in the margins were various animal pictures- a duck, a pig, a horse.

Needless to say, Renelle was impressed. The good or bad way, she hadn’t decided yet. “Nice drawings.” she blurted out almost instinctively, then immediately regretted it. She hadn’t meant anything bad by that- the drawings really were nice.

Interacting with @Rory Hara

September 7th, 2023
Muggle Studies Classroom

Rory felt lucky that he had met Renelle so early into his time at Hogwarts. The boy might have been friendly, but he was painfully awkward around new people and introverted. So to, quite literally, stumble into another first year who accommodated his behavior was incredible. Not everyone he had met so far at the school was pleasant, so it was a relief to have someone to rely on to sit next to. Or help him around the enormous school.

“Not really,” she had started to reply to his offer, “If I have any trouble, I’ll ask you. Thanks.” It wasn't surprising to Rory that a seemingly confident and knowledgable Ravenclaw such as Renelle wouldn't need help in Muggle Studies. Or any class, really. But the response had satisfied Rory's need to offer help, at least. And she sounded a bit warmer than usual in her response, which was an added bonus. Perhaps, they truly were becoming great friends!

Class had begun. From Rory's occasional glances, he had deducted that Renelle wasn't really an active participant in class. She wasn't taking notes as the boy had suspected. In fact, it was like she was staring off into space. If it was someone else, Rory would have assumed that they weren't paying attention, but because it was her, he surmised that she was practicing an advanced technique of studying. Was she so beyond his intellectual capabilities that she was taking mental notes of the lecture? Or perhaps, this class was trivial to her because she already knew everything? Either way, he was impressed, but stuck to taking his own notes.

Of course, it wasn't always easy for Rory to diligently take notes. He had always had trouble sitting still for long periods of time, his mind tended to wander. If no action was taken, he could lose track and miss minutes of important teaching. So, Rory had taken to drawing instead. It allowed him to still focus on the presented information, but made the endeavor a bit more tolerable. Today, he chose to challenge himself with animals outside of his usual subjects. A duck (creatures which Rory adored feeding), a pig, and a horse. He was feeling rather impressed with the way the sketches had turned out, considering the lack of reference material and familiarity with drawing them.

It seemed that Renelle's focus had shifted to his notes. Maybe she was ensuring that he was noting the right information. After all, Rory tended to summarize the information instead of worrying over every minute detail.

Or maybe she was looking at his drawings! Apparently, everyone had some sort of opinion on the doodles in his notebook. From admiration of the cute creatures, to criticism of 'not focusing' on the teachings, to even mocking the drawings. Rory had faced a bullying problem in primary school, after all. And kids were known for being harsh towards 'babyish' behavior - whether it meant laughing at him or stealing his journals to gawk at.

Naturally, Rory had become embarrassed of people looking at his drawings. But it was Renelle, after all. Surely she would like the drawings! “Nice drawings," she had blurted aloud, in a manner that had made him regret his decision to draw them at all. He suddenly felt childish, once again, and embarrassed that someone mature like Renelle had seen his scribbles.

His rosy face turned even redder. He responded weakly, "Thanks", mostly because he hated talking during class and didn't know what else to say. Rory attempted to cover the drawings with his arm in a casual manner, as if he didn't even notice that's where his arm was placed, and went back to taking notes. And did not continue to draw.

Private to @Renelle Dalton

It appeared that Rory had, indeed, taken her words the wrong way. Upon her comment on his drawings, the boy had turned red and turned away, mumbling a half-hearted thanks. Then he’d attempted in vain to unnoticeably position his arm so that it was covering up his notebook and its animals.

Renelle was torn- on the one hand, she genuinely kind of liked this boy (or at least did not dislike him), and did not wish to leave him in this potential state of great dejection. However, she had never been one to apologise for anything if she was not entirely sure that the other person really was hurt by her words. It would look incredibly foolish if she gave out a heartfelt apology, only to find out later they were not even in the slightest bit thinking about whatever she said.

Then she thought back to how excited Rory had been upon seeing her earlier. That part the Ravenclaw didn’t get; she would have thought she had not given him a very positive impression of her from their previous interactions- sure, she had helped him avoid getting stuck in a broom closet, but she had been far from friendly as a whole.

Whatever the reason was, Renelle wished greatly to fix the problem which had surfaced in her carelessness. Since when have I cared so much about other people’s feelings? she marvelled. Don’t get her wrong, the girl was by no means some sort of heartless hag, but it was extremely out of character for her to simply care that much, as was definitely the case here. Hogwarts was certainly bribing out some interesting deeper aspects of her she did not even know existed.

Deciding to choose to stick with what was typical of her, Renelle stopped thinking about the boy next to her and his animal drawings, instead focusing on staring blankly at the board in front of her again instead. But it wasn’t long before her thoughts drifted away once more.

Ugh, to hell with it. Renelle spun back to Rory, albeit a bit suddenly. “I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said earlier.” Her voice came out sharper than intended. Attempting to tone it down, the Ravenclaw added, “Those really are nice drawings.”

And that was all she could come up with. Renelle turned back so that she was facing the board and professor once more, and tried to focus on a tiny spot right at the far right corner. Hopefully, she hadn’t made a mistake, which could cause things to be very awkward.

Interacting with @Rory Hara

September 7th, 2023
Muggle Studies Classroom

The interaction had left Rory feeling a bit gloomy. For as mature as he could be, he was still a child. And had his own occasional fits. In particular, the quiet boy was rather sensitive. Rory was eager to please, and any implication that he wasn't pleasing was hard for him to handle. It could lead to stubborn grudges, or tears shed.

He felt suddenly hopeless. Renelle seemed so great, but perhaps he was foolish to think she would like him. He acted like a baby, after all, and she was so mature. It was his fault for drawing in class. If only he thought before displaying his sketches so openly - they were like a waving flag of his childishness.

Renelle had shifted her focus away, seemingly. She was staring forward, at the board. Probably paying attention to class like the attentive student she was. Which is what he needed to do to. He tried to refocus on the class. It was disrespectful to the professor to not listen to the lecture. And it would've been interesting if he wasn't so distracted!

Suddenly, Renelle spun back to face him. It was so unexpected that he dropped his quill - it thudded on to the desk as he jumped slightly. He quickly recovered the writing device, preventing further mess.

“I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said earlier.” She said, and he winced slightly at the sharpness of her voice, not quite yet registering what the words meant. Then, the dark-haired girl added, albeit softer, “Those really are nice drawings.”

The blonde-haired boy paused, as if his brain couldn't process. Renelle... didn't hate his drawings? Or think he was a baby for doodling in his notes? Rory was quickly filled with immense relief, feeling grateful his new friendship hadn't been ruined. If he was a dog, his tail would be wagging.

Rory beamed, not minding that he was ignoring the lesson for a bit longer. It seemed to be wrapping up, anyway. He watched the Ravenclaw, who had turned back towards the board. She looked stiff, as if she felt as awkward as he had just a couple moments ago. Well, it didn't matter anymore. The conflict was over almost as quickly as it had begun. He almost wanted to reach out to hug her, but perhaps she wasn't the hugging type. And it would be a bit disruptive of the class.

"Thank you." He said, sounding greatly pleased. Rory forced himself to speak quietly, which was one of his weaknesses. "I'm so glad you like them. I thought you were annoyed by me. But that was silly of me to assume! We're good friends, after all."

He paused, adding quickly, "I'm so glad we're friends," before returning back to taking notes. He didn't want to miss any more of the end of the lesson, after all.

Private to @Renelle Dalton