History Buddies for Life PV Landon Matthews Finished

History of Magic. Landon already knew that he would love this class. He had loved all of his history lessons as a child. His mom had a lot of trouble keeping up with how voracious of a learner Landon was when it came to the subject. Landon had definitely been looking forward to this class more than any other, even though he knew it wouldn't really use much magic. Landon was still really excited that he and his twin had magical abilities, but he couldn't help but look forward to learning more about the history of magic.

Landon was a little behind when he started to go to the classroom. He had misplaced his favorite pen and it had taken a little while to find it. And then he had lost his notebook that he wanted to take notes in. Clearly organization wasn't his strong suit. He smoothed his uniform before walking to class, realizing there weren't really any seats available except at one desk. It was a girl... Landon didn't have anything against girls, but they made him nervous because of his own sister being a bit intimidating.

He looked around at the classroom, studying the people there, before moving to sit down next to a nice looking Hufflepuff girl. He set his things down on the desk, getting them ready for the lesson, before turning to look at his desk mate. "H-Hello. I'm Landon," he said shyly, but held out his hand for her to shake. He smiled kindly at her as he waited for her introduction.

september 2nd 2022; interacting with @Landon Matthews

It was disheartening to see the seat next to her still empty even as everyone piled in and settled down. Everyone already established their seatmates before they even stepped into the classroom, so Alyssea felt a bit awkward.

The last student came in through the door; a Hufflepuff boy, specifically. Alyssea took a minute to look at him. Had she talked to him last night? Likely not. Most Hufflepuffs acquainted themselves last night, but Alyssea stuck to the girl she met on the train. It was a bit of a shame she wasn't also in this class, but it was a new year and that meant new friends.

The boy sat down in the empty seat next to her, and she offered him a smile. At least she wouldn't have to go through this class alone.

He turned to face her. "H-hello. I'm Landon."

Alyssea gave a nod. "Nice to meet you. I'm Alyssea."

She paused. What else could she say? Asking him about his first night at the castle was probably a safe choice, right?

"How was your first night in the Hufflepuff dorms?"

She wanted to continue and let the conversation happen, but she wanted to make sure Landon wasn't uncomfortable. After the stutter, he was likely a bit nervous.

Landon had been a little shy when it came to getting to know his housemates. He was a truly loyal friend, of course, but he was a little nervous about meeting a lot of new people at once. He had kept to the sides of the group of Hufflepuffs as they mingled and got to know each other. He would get to know people more slowly, on a one on one basis hopefully. Landon walked to a seat that was empty and he smiled shyly as he looked at the girl next to him.

Landon smiled shyly as she introduced herself. He spread his supplies out on the desk, not taking up more space than necessary. He got his favorite pen out and prepared for the class to begin. He was a little surprised when Alyssea asked him another question. He shouldn't have been surprised, but he was anyway. He was a little focused on the fact that class was going to start soon

"Um... It was good," he said. "I've never spent a night away from home before, so it was a little odd," he admitted. "But once I got used to sharing a room with the others, I was able to fall asleep," he added. "W-What about you?" he asked. He was trying hard not to stammer so he was talking a little slower to fight his anxiety about speaking to girls.

"D-Do you like history classes?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going. He didn't want to seem rude by being quiet, but he wasn't used to being around that many people. He tended to keep to himself a lot when he was at home even, and since he had been taught everything he knew by his mother, he didn't really get to socialize all that much with people outside his family.

september 2nd 2022; interacting with @Landon Matthews

Alyssea caught sight of the pen Landon picked up and raised an eyebrow. She left her pens back home, understanding that it would be hard to restock once they ran out. Quills made sense despite their difficulty; she would get the hang of it eventually.

Curious, she asked, "Where did you get that pen from?" She was expecting a generic answer like the stationery shop in London or something. Was Landon a half-blood? Or a Muggle-born? She didn't exactly think many pure-blood children would grow up to know what a pen is. Then again, it's the modern age and not the time to stereotype. The real question after would be, why a pen and not a quill?

Alyssea nodded as she listened to Landon's recount of the previous night. "Same here. Choosing a dorm took the most time for me, I'll admit, though," she chuckled. She was happy with her choice now; the Plant Palace was very relaxing to be in. "I'm trying to get to know my dormmates. They're quite busy people, though, so I hardly see them during the day."

The sudden chattiness surprised her, but she didn't take a minute to ponder it. Better to keep the conversation moving rather than leave awkward gaps between them.

Hearing Landon's question, Alyssea nodded. "It's one of my favourite subjects. Although, I know a lot more Muggle history than magical history aside from the popular stuff," she chuckled. "What about you? Do you like history?"

Landon knew immediately that she had noticed the pen that he had chosen to use instead of the typical quills that most wizards and witches chose to use. Everyone seemed to look fascinated by the pens. Even though Landon was a pureblood, he used them anyway. He knew it was weird, but he preferred them to quills. Landon shrugged a little as Alyssea asked him where he got his pen. "My mum bought it for me," he said. "S-She got tired of how b-bad my handwriting was with... with a quill and d-decided to try a pen since they are easier," he admitted shyly. His cheeks flushed a little. He had to explain this a lot so he wasn't surprised by it, but it was still a little embarrassing to be a pureblood and be unable to use the quills that purebloods preferred to use.

Landon nodded. He had taken a lot of time trying to choose a dorm himself, because neither of the boys' dormitories really called out to him. One was pretty much themed around magical creatures, and the other around Quidditch. Landon wasn't sure which one suited him... but then he found out about Hogsmeade Home. A dorm themed around historical times? That was just up his alley. He had never lived in a gender neutral sort of place, but he did share a room with Harper when they were little. So last night he had settled into his dorm, but he wasn't really all that social because he was a little shy about meeting new people and he was overwhelmed by everything going on. "I... I haven't really gotten to know my dormmates yet," he admitted shyly. He felt bad about it, especially being in a house that was all about friendship. "It was... a lot y-yesterday," he added in explanation.

Landon smiled and nodded as Alyssea asked if he liked history. "It's my favorite," he said with a grin. He looked more relaxed talking about history than he did talking about himself. "My mum used to just give me history books to read because she didn't know enough about history to teach me more than I already knew," he admitted. He was interested in most historical things and hadn't really found an era of history that fascinated him more.

september 2nd 2022; interacting with @Landon Matthews

Hearing the explanation from Landon cleared up some of her questions. Pens were definitely easier to write this; you didn't have to hold them and write at a specific angle for the ink to run, you could spend more time writing than dipping the tip in an ink bottle, and they required little to no maintenance. Alyssea opted for quills since they would be easier to stock up in their location; pens would take a while and her parents were busy people so they couldn't always make a trip to the shops. She was also picky about what type of pens she got.

"If you don't mind me asking," Alyssea began, "How will you keep a steady supply of pens? Depending on how you use them, they last about a month or two, right?"

Alyssea nodded when he said yesterday was a lot to take in. "Yeah. First, a long train ride, a boat ride to the castle, then a whole space to call home? Not to mention learning the directions to classes," she chuckled, "I hope we figure it out, soon."

She was glad that her seatmate for the year (that is, if he didn't move around as people began to settle friendships throughout the year) was also interested in history. She was not ready for dry conversations about the material; enlightening and mind-blowing conversations were where it was at.

"That's nice!" Alyssea smiled. "I was always travelling a lot, so I didn't get books. I would read whatever was on the internet, though, or the TV. What books have you read, though?"

She was interested to hear what he already knew.

Landon hummed a little at her curious questions about pens. "My mum sends them to me. She sends me a dozen a month, more if I ask for more," he explained. "I-I know it's not as efficient as a quill, but it makes it so my handwriting is more easily read," he said with a smile. He knew that as a pureblood it was weird for him to use Muggle pens, but they worked for him. He didn't mind answering questions about such things.

Landon grinned as she agreed. "B-But it was really cool," he said, his blue eyes sparkling with joy. He really loved Hogwarts so far and he even loved the train trip. "I'm sure I'll get lost on my way to classes a lot at first," he admitted. "But soon, I'll know my way around here. In fact, I'll probably memorize the way to this classroom rather quickly," he said with a small laugh. History was his favorite, so he knew that he would always look forward to coming to this class. Landon was a little amazed at how much he was talking to Alyssea. He tended to be shy around girls, but he already felt a bit more comfortable with her.

Landon looked at Alyssea and smiled. "I would have loved to travel more, but we tended to keep home most of the time," he explained. "We didn't have much access to the internet," he admitted. "It doesn't really work in pureblood homes," he added. He wished it would work, so he could send emails to his friends or something. Not that Landon would mind writing letters, but his handwriting was terrible. "Well, I've read Hogwarts: A History and A History of Magic, of course, but I don't have it memorized yet," he said with a laugh. "I'm always looking for new history books to read." Landon looked excited as he looked at her. "Did you know the History of Magic classes used to be taught by a ghost?" he asked, his eyes wide.

september 2nd 2022; interacting with @Landon Matthews

A dozen a month! How much money did Landon's family have? Nice pens were expensive in the Muggle economy and Alyssea would have only bought three every two months with the hope they would last longer than that. Sometimes, she would have to choose between a nice pen or a snack with her pocket money. A dozen alone would practically last Landon the entire year!

Alyssea gave a nod and let the topic come to a natural stop. And now it seemed her suspicions on his blood status were confirmed as he mentioned 'pureblood homes'. The wizarding world wouldn't have access to electrical technology, something Alyssea learned on the train here when her smartwatch stopped working altogether. A bummer, honestly, considering it kept her on time.

Upon hearing his little fact about the class, Alyssea's eyes widened. "I don't actually. Wouldn't the ghost have known he was dead? How did he keep teaching like nothing happened?" Truly a mystery to be determined. There were a lot of mysteries behind Hogwarts.

The room was beginning to quiet down and Alyssea knew that it was time to pay attention. She wanted to hear a bit more about whatever Landon knew about the school, but that could wait until after, she figured.

Before turning herself fully towards the teacher's desk, she quickly whispered, "Predicted grades for this year? I'm hoping for an O."

Landon sighed a little as he thought about the fact that magic interfered with Muggle technology. He wanted to be able to use computers and televisions and things like that. He knew a little about them, but he never got to really use them. It was a shame. Maybe one day someone would figure out how to make the technology and magic work together, but Landon wasn't interested in pursuing that for himself. He was more interested in learning as much as he could about history.

Landon grinned as they talked about the ghost professor. "His name was Professor Binns and... well, they say he just died and then got up as a ghost and went about his life as normal," he said, laughing a little. "I wonder how they finally got him to stop teaching classes here," he wondered curiously. "It would have been a little creepy learning from a ghost in our lessons." Landon glanced toward where the professor was standing. "Looks to me that we have a real living professor this year," he observed with a laugh.

Landon realized it was close to the start of the class and he fell silent for a moment. He didn't want to get into any trouble, especially not during his first class... and with that class being his favorite subject, he really didn't want to cause any issues. He turned his head when he heard Alyssea whisper. "I hope I get an O too!" he said with a smile. He really wanted to do really well in this class.