Free time at the library Closed

Joseph was only too pleased to be sharing a table with someone. After all, he really hadn't found the courage to be able to speak so normally to someone for a long time, and he really needed someone he could call a friend at Hogwarts, someone he could trust, someone to cheer him up when he was down. Joseph hadn't realised until now, that perhaps the only thing he lacked at Hogwarts now was company.

In fact, the last time he had felt happy being with people was his last meeting with his best friends, Jacob and Astrid- Joseph felt a pang of guilt at the thought of his two muggle friends. He hadn't contacted them since his his last birthday, which had been a few days before his journey to Diagon Alley for school materials. In fact, they haven't even been notified he was a wizard or that he was now at a school of magic. Only God knows how worried they must be, thinking he had disappeared for a whole month! He had better send them an owl later.

"I don't mind staying a while longer," Joseph replied to Siobhan's invitation, grinning cheerfully. "And seriously, it wasn't your fault that I woke up. Even if it was... the library isn't a sleeping area, is it? I think there was a book I wanted to read before falling asleep. Something about a guy called Grindyword". Joseph beamed, recalling the peculiar blonde man he had seen on the book's cover moments before falling asleep. Funny how that had felt like five hundred years ago.

Searching through the aisles, his eyes lit up as they finally rested on the thick-laden book labelled, "The Rise of Grindelwald". Settling down, Joseph heaved the book up onto the table, a wide smile spread across his face.

Hogwarts had many amazing places. The Hufflepuff common room was splendid. The grounds and halls were equally lovely. But the library was simply heavenly, and nothing made the experience of being there better than the fact that there was someone reading by your side.

Siobhan happily followed Joseph back to their table and retook her spot in her chair. Having a friend to read with always made her feel more welcome, especially when they shared her interest for knowledge. None of the Gryffindors she had met so far had been as into reading as she was and she knew that many had likely labeled her as the bookworm. She didn't mind the nickname however. Worms eat apples and apples are always associated with knowledge right?

Before she kicked her feet back up to the spare chair next to her, she pulled out a new set of reading material. Of all the required materials she was obligated to have as a first year, Siobhan believed that "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" was her favorite.

The whole concept of a menagerie of magical animals existing in plain sight to her as a witch was fascinating. She loved the beautiful illustrations that Mr. Scamander had included in his book and his own notes that he would add in the margins, now accompanied by her own. She had littered her copy of the book with several sets of sticky notes and all sorts of colorful highlights following things she agreed with Mr. Scamander upon, and for certain creatures she wanted to scour the library for more information on. Specifically these creatures called Nifflers. They were black or brown marsupial looking things that had a penchant for gold and shiny objects.

They honestly reminded her of an opossum which she had many of back at home. She really missed her pets as well as her siblings.

Not wanting to seem rude, she looked over at Joseph and tried to understand the material of what he was reading, given only the title of the book.

"What is it you're reading there Joseph?"Siobhan asked as she settled herself back into the chair and pulled out her annotation kit. She had more questions about many of the creatures present in Mr. Scamander's written works and she wanted to have information available to her in case it came up in discussion.

Who's grinch-wart?" she followed up with equal confusion. The man on the cover of Joseph's book gave her an eerie and icy stare back which only caused her more unmitigated anxiety. While she condoned all forms of learning she was worried about the man on the cover of the book.

In short, the book was surprisingly fascinating considering the dark life this Grinchyvall (or was it Grindleclaw? Joseph had never been good at remembering names) had led. Apparently he had been one of the darkest wizards of his time, with the exception of a certain wizard, whose name even the author did not seem to have the guts to write down.

Hooked into the vivid world of Grinchyvall, Joseph found himself widening his eyes or raising his eyebrows at almost every piece of new information contained within the leather-bound book. For one, he had never known Hogwarts was not the only magic school, or that the deathly hallows had actually existed (does that mean Babbity Rabbity was real too?) However, nothing unsettled Joseph more than the fact that people like Grinchyvall had chosen to use magic for evil purposes. Why would anyone do such a thing? Were they even human at all? The mere thought of murdering someone with magic simply for personal gain sent a shiver down Joseph's spine.

"What is it you're reading there, Joseph?"

Startled, Joseph nearly jumped out of his seat in fright before realising that it was Siobhan, the girl that had spared him from a considerable amount of humiliation moments ago. Joseph peered at her from over the top of the book, looking slightly flustered. Having been lost in thought about Grinchyvall and his life, Joseph had momentarily forgotten about Siobhan's existence.

"Who's Grinch-wart?" Siobhan inquired, her voice remaining passively neutral, though from her expression he could tell Grinchyvall or Grinch-wart or whatever his name was's unnerving glare had shaken her to the core.

"A dark wizard apparently," Joseph replied, staring down at the creepy, scowling man on the book cover. "Not that I like what he did, of course," Joseph added hastily, before Siobhan got the idea he was into dark arts. He was quite the opposite, in fact. There wasn't a lesson he enjoyed more than Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"Scary isn't it?" Joseph stated in a hushed voice, a hint of fear in his voice, almost as though if he said it out loud a bunch of dark wizards like Grinchyvallwould pop out of nowhere around them. "As in... magic. I know it's useful and all... but... knowing what it can do... I almost think the world would be better off without it."

"A dark wizard apparently. Not that I like what he did of course," Joseph explained with a frantic add on to his comment. Siobhan wasn't worried, she knew he wasn't like that. No "evil wizard in the making" would let a random person help them and then agree to being their friend.

As Siobhan stared at the cover of Joseph's book, could feel an icy cold feeling deep within her magical core that whoever it was that he was reading about was bad news. Sure she understood that there are bad people in the world but everything in her entire being was telling her that this "Grinch-wart" was one of the worst.

"Scary isn't it?" Joseph said in a hushed voice. Just as well, there were several other students around him who might overhear them and begin to worry that the two of them were plotting something. Not that there was much a couple of first years could do what with their limited knowledge of spells and their inability to completely hold their wands correctly. Siobhan just swallowed slightly as she tried to come up with an agreement to Joseph's statement.

"Ach... some people just have bad souls. Someone who could use something so wondrous for such terrible things? Olc if you ask me..." Siobhan scoffed with a grimace. She hoped that in her life she would never run into a person such as the grey haired maniacal man that stared menacingly out of the cover of Joseph's book.

Siobhan shrugged her shoulders to herself as she hummed and returned to her own book. She was suddenly overcome with extreme happiness as the next page in her textbook read "Dragons."

"Cad é an! Dragons exist?!" Siobhan squealed lightly. Dragons were something that her mother would tell her stories of but she never thought they would actually exist. They were always described as beastly lizards who breathed fire and would rampage looking for their horde, and here right in front of her face was a beautifully illustrated one, -the name of which was identified as Antipode Opaleye, with its fire drawn so vibrant it was almost as if it was glowing off of the page. She was fascinated by dragons and their entire being. For so long she had only been able to imagine them but here one was! In the proverbial flesh.

"Dragons are amazing creatures aren't they? They're just... Marvelous! I thought they were just fairytale creatures!" Siobhan exclaimed as she started reading the chapter on dragons with fervor.

"Ach... some people just have bad souls. Someone who could use something so wondrous for such terrible things? Olc if you ask me..." Siobhan uttered indifferently, shrugging her shoulders like the matter was no big deal at all. Joseph raised his eyebrows, slightly bemused. Never had he heard anyone talk about dark wizards so nonchalantly, as if dark wizards were an existing reality they could do nothing about. Shaking the thought out of his mind, Joseph turned back down to his book, prep-

"Cad é an! Dragons exist?!" Siobhan exclaimed excitedly, causing Joseph to quickly whip around to make sure the librarian wasn't storming over to them to chase them out. "Yeah, they do," Joseph responded quietly, trying to keep a straight face. Dragons brought back nasty memories.

"Dragons are amazing creatures aren't they? They're just... Marvelous! I thought they were just fairytale creatures!" Siobhan cried enthusiastically, her eyes shining like a puppy upon uncovering a secret stash of dog treats. "They're kinda cool," Joseph admitted, forcing himself to focus on a dragon's sleek reptilian complexion instead of it's deadly blade-like fangs and fatal fiery breath.

"What're you reading?" Joseph enquired, genuinely curious, and perhaps hoping to change the subject to something slightly less disturbing, as he stole a glance at the small, crimson-red book left wide open on the table. There was hardly any point in his question though, for Joseph recognised it almost immediately. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!" Joseph exclaimed, answering his own question before Siobhan had the chance to speak. It was an amazing book, probably one of the only few required school books that weren't dull.

"I like the mooncalf best," Joseph uttered gleefully, glad to finally have someone to discuss a book with. "I hope I get to see one one day! It's cute, funny, interesting and harmless." Joseph continued, shivering in fear as he glanced down at the five Xs marked in ebony-black on the page describing dragons: the symbol meaning the creature was a known wizard killer.

She could sense the hesitation in Joseph's voice as he agreed with her about the dragons, but his response to his own question about the book she was reading only allowed her grin to grow. She decided against continuing with her excitement over the dragons as Joseph had become rather skittish upon seeing the image of the Antipode Opaleye breathing its fire across the pages. At the mention of the "mooncalf," Siobhan quickly turned the page to read more about it.

Of course, she'd already devoured this book four times and was now re-reading it for the fifth but it was always interesting to learn more about it.

"Aye! The mooncalf is an-gheloite! I would love to one day see it perform its moonlight dance! There are so many creatures I hope to meet that aren't muggle animals. You know like in a zoo? Wait- do you know what a zoo is? Siobhan rambled before coming to terms with the fact that she had no idea if this kid even knew what she was going on about. The last person she had brought up the concept of a zoo to had promptly looked at her as though she'd grown a separate head.

It's not that Siobhan was embarrassed by her muggle side, it's that she wasn't adjusting well with the non-muggle side of her classmates. Everyone seemed miles and piles ahead of her while she was still learning to grasp her wand correctly and to feel the magic coursing through her whenever a spell was expected from her. She didn't understand how this just "came naturally" to anyone. This might be why she enjoyed the magic that didn't involve her wand such as Herbology and the readings about Magical creatures. A kind fifth-year had been explaining to her at the dinner table a week or so ago that once she hit her third year she would be able to take classes revolving around the Care of Magical Creatures.

Siobhan wished that they would offer it to the first years... She'd love to see the creatures up close instead of watching from the hill closer to the Forbidden Forrest while the older students made their way to the pens. But she wasn't about to be caught sneaking into the forest. She refused to be known as a "points-loser" in the Gryffindor common room and she was vastly afraid of the school's detention stipulation.

Looking back at the mooncalf, Mr. Scamander's illustration made her giggle. The Mooncalf was similar to a bug-eyed alpaca in her opinion, only leaving it's burrow during the night of the full moon. Siobhan couldn't help but "aw" at its face.

"Oh cé chomh gleoite... They're just adorable." Siobhan cooed as she swiveled her book so that Joseph could look at it with her. She was so excited that he shared her passion for reading and her passion for magical creatures.

"Dragons are kind of scary but I think I'm most scared of the boggarts. But I don't know what my fear would be..." Siobhan confessed. Thankfully first year of Defense Against the Dark Arts only dealt with things such as imps and ghosts, and how to make the darkness disappear with the "Lumos" spell which she still hadn't mastered. All things that frightened her nonetheless, the dark arts just scared the muggle side of her.

A wide smile spread across Joseph's face as he peered curiously at the image of the furry, long-necked creature with orb-like eyes gazing innocently back at him. It was a pity they only came out at midnight. Perhaps after he graduated from Hogwarts he'd become a full-time Mooncalf researcher.

"Aye! The mooncalf is an-gheloite! I would love to one day see it perform its moonlight dance! There are so many creatures I hope to meet that aren't muggle animals. You know like in a zoo? Wait- do you know what a zoo is?" Siobhan spoke like a rapid-fire gun, stopping abruptly to catch her breath.

"I do know what a zoo is," Joseph replied, finding himself yet again thinking wistfully about his muggle friends, Jacob and Astrid. He could still clearly remember Jacob's seventh birthday, when Jacob's parents had finally agreed to allow Joseph and Astrid to tag along on their family trip to the zoo. It had been amusing to see muggle animals enclosed within cages, several of them hissing and growling in fury, but none quite as spine-chilling as a dragon.

"I wish there was a zoo for magical creatures," Joseph mused, "I guess I know why there isn't. Magical creatures are a lot harder to control, you know." Joseph winced, haunted by a vivid recollection of a dragon's dagger-like fangs tearing through charred flesh.

Deep in thought, Joseph was barely listening as Siobhan murmured something in a foreign language affectionately, gazing down at the image of the moon calf with a kind of gleam in her eyes.

"Dragons are kind of scary but I think I'm most scared of the boggarts. But I don't know what my fear would be..." Siobhan admitted, a tinge of fear in her tone, a while later. Joseph put a finger to his lips. Boggart. That rang a bell. Where had he heard that word?

"I'm sure there won't be any creature to fear once we get more competent," Joseph stated optimistically, gazing intently at the rows of shelves cramped with books around him. He still had much to learn, much more to understand.

There had to be thousands of books in this library, each overflowing with knowledge, itching to be devoured by hungry readers.

"What is life without knowledge?" Joseph muttered to himself under his breath, before stopping himself, chuckling. He had sounded like a Ravenclaw for a moment.

Siobhan nodded thoughtfully as Joseph spoke of his beliefs revolving around why there are no magical zoos. She couldn't say completely that she was disappointed but she kind of wished she could see a dragon. She noticed that Joseph still seemed on edge when she mentioned the word Dragon but she didn't think it appropriate to ask. She had just met him after all. But he did have a comment about the boggart and becoming competent. Now it was her turn to be uncomfortable...

She was plenty competent when it came to things that didn't involve her wand. That was the hardest part of her adjustment to the wizarding world. She had a terrible wand grip, and her ability to produce spells was low... She looked at her wand with an uncomfortable knot in her throat. It made her feel as though she wasn't good enough. But she was good at learning, and she was good with plants. If anything her ability to care for the flora and fauna around her reminded her that she was plenty worthy of being a witch.

"What is life without knowledge?" Joseph murmured under his breath. This shook Siobhan from her disgruntlement towards her wand. But she heavily agreed with his statement. What good was a world where you couldn't learn everything that it had to offer? The Hogwarts Library was extensive and Siobhan had only explored perhaps a small fraction of the library within her first week.

"When I was just a plain old muggle, I planned to work in a flower shop. But now that there's a whole new world to explore, I think I want to work with magical animal-er creatures." Siobhan mused as she and Joseph continued to pour over her book. She knew it wasn't the cleanest book. It was full of her muggle note-taking tactics, full of pen and sticky notes. Some of the students thought she was weird for this. But this was the only way that she was able to learn or add more information to her already vast mind.

"Are you a muggle-born Joseph?" Siobhan asked as she took out a new pad of sticky notes from her backpack to add more notes to the Mooncalf page. She scritched out new note to add to her pages of notes within. This note simply said "find a mooncalf. watch it dance."

"When I was just a plain old muggle, I planned to work in a flower shop. But now that there's a whole new world to explore, I think I want to work with magical animal-er creatures." Siobhan uttered thoughtfully, her eyes scanning quickly through the description of a mooncalf. Joseph took a while to ponder this piece of information. He had always appreciated nature itself, but had never quite actually considered working with flora and fauna as a career. To be fair though, Joseph hardly spent anytime thinking about his future.

"Are you a muggle-born Joseph?" Siobhan asked casually. Joseph raised an eyebrow, observing her as she scribbled down her thoughts on mooncalves on a small, squarish piece of paper identical to those plastered sloppily all over the book. Joseph didn't like talking about his family much, but after a moment's consideration he decided he could trust Siobhan with his family background considering how much about her life she had shared with him.

"No, but I wish I was," Joseph replied bitterly, fiddling with his quill. Joseph shuddered to think what his parents would think if they had heard him. He had been a disgrace to the family. A muggle-loving blood traitor, an utter disgrace. Joseph hardly dared imagine their reaction when they realised he had been sorted into Hufflepuff.

"I was the black sheep of the family," Joseph explained sorrowfully, his eyes fixed on the quill in his hand. "My parents, my siblings... everyone despised me." He couldn't explain it all. Was there even a word that could accurately describe the agony he'd been through?

"Well, they made life pretty difficult for me." Joseph concluded, sighing, finally raising his head to meet Siobhan's eyes. "Always made me wonder if it'd be better if I was raised in a muggle family." It was true; Joseph had always thought of muggles as happy-go-lucky, carefree people. What if he had been born into a muggle family and never came to Hogwarts? Would he trade his knowledge about the wizarding world for the loving family he had always yearned for?

"So... you're a muggle-born I suppose?" Joseph asked, pushing his past to the back of his head, hopefully not needing to deal with it for as long a time as possible.

Siobhan nodded in response to his question and felt shocked by his declaration of how his parents and siblings reacted to him. Even for a pure-blood Joseph explained that he would have rather been raised by muggles. Siobhan wished she could understand fully why he thought so but it seemed that the topic upset Joseph.

" I understand what it's like to be different from everyone in your family. It's- well all this-" Siobhan made a wide sweeping gesture as she tried to encompass the world they were a part of "-it's separated me from my family more than I thought it would. 5 siblings, not a lick of magic. I'm the only one and it's deacair- er difficult." Siobhan said correcting the slip of Gaelic that left her mouth. She could tell her bilingualism was confusing and she was trying to keep her English in the front of her mind but having been raised in both languages she was struggling on that end too.

"But if you're ever interested, I'll talk to you about the muggle world. And if you want you can tell me about the wizarding world?" Siobhan asked trying to bridge her curiosity without making her new found friend uncomfortable. She'd hate to accidentally chase him off because her curiosity got the better of her.

She saw Joseph looking at the way she took notes and giggled at his confusion with the sticky notes. She would whole-heartedly admit that the Wizarding world was far behind in terms of easy note taking. Twice now she had been chastised for using a pen in class, but she found the use of a quill having to re-ink it tedious. Why not just use pens to prevent this repeated, scratch scratch dip, scratch scratch dip, motion? Apparently it was too muggle. Siobhan felt guilty for using the pens... She didn't want to seem too muggle.

"It's called an-no-ta-ting." Siobhan said while enunciating the word. She always had a hard time with four syllable words in English because more often than not, the word translated to a two syllable word in Gaelic. Plus, the mix of English words and a thick Irish accent meant most of her English words got muddled and lost on the way to whatever it was she was trying to say anyway. This is why she only talked to her plants and her books. They wouldn't judge her for the way she spoke.

"Do you have a favorite thing about Hogwarts yet Joseph? I think I'm finding my home-away-from-home here in the Library. Or out on the grounds." Siobhan smiled trying to turn the subject into something light hearted.