Books and Bugs PV Honey Holliday Closed

✧ 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 ✧

September, 2023

"Ravenclaw!"

Applause from one side of the Great Hall, entirely of students under blue banners, erupted as Honey removed the Sorting Hat from her head (finally, too...it had fallen over her eyes to the point of being half-blinded) and shuffled toward the relevant tables. She heard a few "welcome"s and "this-is-the-best-house"s as she found a seat, smack-dab in the middle of a few other equally nervous first years and three or four older-looking students.

The lack of insect-themed houses in this school was disappointing, in Honey's opinion, but the opportunity to be sorted in a place that valued knowledge seemed to be a delightful alternative. Not that the other houses seemed bad - in fact, bravery, cunning, and loyalty were all traits that Honey felt were incredibly important - but she was excited to be somewhere where her desire to learn about everything and anything wouldn't be so...odd. Such it was at her last school, anyway. Besides, Ravenclaw's trademark deep blue was a lovely color. It reminded Honey of the peace in nighttime, of the ocean near her grandparents' house, of Blue Morphos...

Regardless of Honey's feelings on the matter, the night continued. More and more names, more and more cheering from their respective houses, and a speech from the Headmaster himself followed, though it was all a blur to Honey as she absorbed her surroundings: floating candles, pointy hats, and paintings that she swore moved (though with her already sub-par eyesight, they could've been just tricks her eyes were playing on her...right?).

At some point, the Headmaster must've announced that dinner was served, because the next time Honey managed to pull herself away from staring at the room's incredible decor, she saw plates upon plates of incredible-looking food in front of her, with several students already digging into it (a few quite literally).

Maybe the dinner staff popped out and I didn't notice, Honey thought to herself.

The meal was delicious, more than it already looked, and Honey was more than happy to try her share, though the loud chatter surrounding her almost made the act of eating difficult; she was always easily enough distracted, to begin with, and figured that perhaps there was a conversation she could invite herself into - after all, her mother had always taught her that the best way to make friends was to share common interests. And Honey was interested in magic and bugs, two things that surely the people at this school could relate to - er, well, at least the first one.

One fresh-faced student was talking to someone called a 'Prefect' about their dormitories; allegedly, they'd need to answer riddles anytime they entered their common room, a trait particular to Ravenclaw's. Magical, sure, but Honey wanted to discuss something more exciting.

So, she kept her ears perked, listening to whatever else near her was being debated. Two other first years were giggling about some cute Slytherin boy who was the last to be sorted. A few older students were gossiping about one of the Professors, unsure if they were secretly a dragon in disguise (apparently due to something related to their "hot, stinky breath"). After a few sentences of each conversation, Honey's mind would drift to another or look toward something else, hunting for something that piqued her particular interest.

And, soon, it found a worthy contender, though, it wasn't a conversation - not yet, anyway. A girl, perhaps another first year, was sitting directly across from her, silently reading a huge, blue book (Honey likes books!) about, according to its title, insects (Honey loves insects!); though, these bugs were quite strange. Even though she'd read every book her hometown's library had on bugs, she swore she'd never heard of a billywig or or an acromantula...and she knew she had to find out what they were. That. Very. Second.

Honey glanced around for a moment, perhaps to serve as a moment to gain some conversation-based confidence, then stood up to reach her arm across the table, lightly tapping her tiny pointer finger on the book to get the girl's attention, before asking, "Erm, excuse me, could ye tell me what an acromantula is? Is it anythin' like a Goliath Birdeater?"

@Lexi Medford

So caught up in trying to focus on her book and drown out the loud noises of the great hall, Lexi had barely been aware of her surroundings. Unfortunately for her (though fortunately for the student who was addressing her), it wasn't enough to block out all the noise. She let out a deep and heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose in silent frustration. Surely this whole ordeal would be over soon? Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by a tap on the back of her book and a question about spiders. It caught her off guard, though she was quick to recover. This was sure to be an interesting conversation.

Lexi lifted her head from her slouch and pulled her book forward to lay it face down. It was at this moment, with her book down and eyes up, that she realized what was happening around her; a feast. She quickly scanned over all of the different foods on the table, as she took a speedy mental note of what was up for grabs. Yeah... she would be eating well tonight. She silently shook her head to get herself to focus, looking to the inquisitive girl in front of her with a smile. Lexi was quick to notice the jarring visual difference between the two, specifically in how warm and earthy the girl looked compared to her own cold and solemn visage.

"Ah, hello! Erm..." Lexi started, quickly trying to scramble her thoughts together on the subject, "Acromantulas are these huge, and I mean huge... well, compared to the average spider at least... arachnids."

She placed her thumb and finger on her chin to scratch it thoughtfully, recalling what she could. "They originated from the magical part of the world, obviously. What else... Oh! They can even talk in human tongue, though from what I've read they also will not hesitate to eat us. They actually are social creatures, unlike most spiders, and live in these big colonies. It's kind of cool in its own freaky way."

A shiver was sent down Lexi's spine. Blimey, a ton of huge, man-eating spiders did not sound like an appealing sight. She had to admit, however, that it was quite interesting altogether. How did such beasts come to be?

"I'm not quite sure what the Goliath birdeater is like, but I don't think anything can really compare to these." She picked her book back up, speedily flipping through to a diagram of the monstrous spider. She then turned the book to show the other girl. "See?"

She took a moment to clear her throat. It felt quite dry, probably because she wasn't used to really talking that much. However, Lexi enjoyed this opportunity to discuss her book, so she really didn't mind. After placing the book back down on the table, she allowed herself to ask a question in return. "Are you interested in spiders? I think they're brilliant in their own ways, but a bit scary in person."

While awaiting a response, Lexi reached her arm out across the wooden table to grab a turkey leg, which she plopped down on the plate in front of her. It was plump, warm, and slightly crispy; just how she liked it! There was also a pitcher of water close to her, so she did herself the favor of pouring a cup. She clasped her hands together excitedly but knew better than to eat when in the middle of a conversation. It was just smarter to have it on her plate before it was taken.

@Honey Holliday