7 Jan 2024, 20:07
Not The Same
It was the weekend. One week of school had passed since the holidays had ended. And Mahlioz was wandering the corridors aimlessly. She'd spent the morning in the library, trying to read. Usually it was never, ever a problem for her - reading came to her like breathing. But it was like she was underwater, now, and she couldn't concentrate on reading; her mind kept wandering to the holidays. The awful things they had brought with them.
Time: 14:42
Mentions: X
Thoughts
What'll France be like? she wondered, without much convinction. To be honest, she barely even paid attention to her thoughts anymore. She felt like she was watching herself meander through the castle from the outside, like a ghost.
She knew moving to France wouldn't change all that much for her. She had no friends in Aberdeen, and she spent most of her life at Hogwarts. None of that would change. But she had spent her whole childhood in Aberdeen. She didn't want to leave the house she loved so much. The neighbourhood. Her garden.
And what was worse was her family. Reltyl did have friends in Aberdeen, and they were being forced to leave them behind. Hyltwis... well, Mahlioz didn't know too much for Hyltwis. She was sort of in the same predicament as Mahlioz - she went to a boarding school too, Beauxbatons, so moving houses didn't change that much in the big picture. But Hyltwis was older than her two siblings, and she had more memories to leave behind. What would life be in a new home they did not know, surrounded by places and people they had never seen before?
Mahlioz had other things to do than just think about these things. Homework was back on again, more than ever, like the teachers were trying to make up for two weeks away from Hogwarts. There were her old friends to meet up with, who she hadn't seen in forever. But Mahlioz couldn't stop herself from walking slowly through the hallways. Slowly. Like nothing mattered. Because did it? This was such an insignificant change, right? So then why did she feel tears burning at the corners of her vision, as she tried to blink them away?
10 Jan 2024, 12:19
Not The Same
With @Mahlioz Evethisawe
Dean walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, his footsteps echoing softly against the ancient stone walls. The dimly lit passageways, illuminated only by the flickering light of torches mounted in iron sconces, made his skin crawl with anticipation. The stones underfoot, worn smooth by centuries of use, gave the corridors an old, timely feel, one he loved.
As he moved, the ever-shifting portraits that adorned the walls watched him with curious eyes. They whispered among themselves, a mix of voices that merged with the distant sounds of the castle. The paintings, each a frozen moment in time, depicted wizards and witches of long before, their expressions ranging from stern to jovial. He loved watching them and learning about their stories, either through their own words or while perusing the library when he had the time to.
The corridor twisted and turned, revealing its labyrinthine nature. Every now and then, a sudden draft would cause the flames in the torches to dance wildly, casting long, ghostly shadows that danced along the walls. Dean's eyes caught the rich tapestries that hung between the portraits, their threads telling epic tales of magical feats and legendary battles, the colours still vibrant despite their age. He'd seen many of them since his start at Hogwarts and yet, every single time, they made him think of his mother, of how much she'd love to see them.
Occasionally, he would pass a suit of armour, standing sentinel in a niche or at the corner of a corridor. Some clanked and creaked as if stirring to life, adding to the castle's enchanted but scary atmosphere. The faint hooting of an owl or the distant echo of laughter from some unseen part of the school reminded Dean that, despite its ancient facade, Hogwarts was very much alive.
The air was cool and slightly damp, a constant in the stone-walled passages of the school. The scent of parchment, candle wax, and a hint of potion ingredients lingered, the aromas of Hogwarts that Dean had come to find comforting.
A little deeper in the darkness of the hallway, Dean's eyes picked up on a shadowy silhouette very slowly making its way to him. He paused, thinking it'd be just another ghost wandering in the castle, but he was very pleasantly surprised when the silhouette finally came into the light. A girl, a little older than he was! He smiled, his steps quickening before stopping dead in his tracks.
She was crying.
Something akin to discomfort bloomed in his chest and he lightly hummed, letting her know he was here. "Hey, uh...you okay dude?" he asked, cocking a brow, shoving his hands in his pockets, a little awkwardly. He'd rarely ever had to comfort a girl before. There had been this one time, at school, where he'd tripped one over on accident, and she'd been crying like mad and he'd been so lost, but that was a little different than his current predicament. Smiling a little, he peeked at the girl's robes. "Oh! You're a Slytherin? That's so cool, honestly," he said, trying to spark up a small conversation, to hopefully take her mind off things.
Dean shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, the memory of the school incident flashing through his mind. "Yeah, so, about being a Slytherin," he began, trying to navigate the conversation into safer waters. Oh! Waters! "You guys have a really great common room, right? I mean, I've never been, but I hear it's under the lake. Do you, uh, ever get visits from the giant squid?" he grinned, hoping to see a smile on her face.
"Or, wait!" he continued, a light bulb going off in his head. "Do you guys have secret underwater Quidditch practices or something? Because that would be seriously awesome. Imagine a game where you have to dodge fish and seaweed!" Dean chuckled, hoping his lighthearted banter would help ease the tension. Dean's smile broadened as he warmed up to his rambling. "And hey, speaking of Quidditch, have you ever thought about how a game would be if we played it like Muggles? You know, without flying? Just running around with a broom between your legs, pretending to fly. I reckon it'd be hilarious!" He laughed, shaking his head a little.
"Also, I've always wondered," he continued, his thoughts rumbling out in a stream, "do you Slytherins actually have a secret handshake? Or maybe a secret password? Like 'Salazar says hello' or something?" Dean's hands came out of his pockets as he made an exaggerated, mysterious gesture as if unlocking a secret passage, like an anime character.
"And, oh! What about food? Do you guys have like, special Slytherin snacks? Green cookies, maybe? Every time I see those green robes, I can't help but think of mint chocolate. Which, by the way, is severely underrated as a dessert flavor." He nodded intensely, as if discussing a matter of great importance.
He paused, suddenly self-aware and slightly embarrassed by his rambling. "Sorry, I'm doing that thing where I talk a lot when I'm nervous. My mum always says I could chatter the ears off a Cornish pixie, even though she's never seen one, 'cause my mum's a muggle. But, uh, I just thought it might help, you know, lighten the mood a bit," he added with a sheepish but genuine smile. "But honestly if you want me to go I can, just you know, let me know," he suddenly mumbled, pointing behind him with his thumbs, already turning on his heels, anticipating.
Reducio
Hi, I'm so sorry, the mention from your message got drowned in my notifications and I just saw it 
Ency . Prodigal Charms Learner
12 Jan 2024, 00:41
Not The Same
How hadn't Mahlioz anticipated this? She was in Hogwarts for gods' sake - it was full of people, just waiting for her to run into them crying. She was thankful it had only been one, but that made it no less embarrassing. When the kid hummed, presumably to let her know how weird she was being, she jumped in surprise, turned red, and ran the sleeve of her robes across her face to get rid of the tears. Nothing had happened. Nothing had happened.
Time: 14:44
Mentions: @Colin McCoire, @Tesla Stone, @Irina Shevel
Thoughts
Obviously the boy had seen that something had happened, because the first thing he asked was whether she was okay. She nodded, not looking up, too embarrassed. He looked like a firstie, which made it even worse. She was supposed to be more grown-up and mature than them.
He didn't seem to want to delve into her problems too much, which she was thankful for - though that was probably for his own sake, because it was just as awkward for him as it was for her. He noticed her Slytherin robes and pointed them out, adding that he found them cool.
That was a first. Mahlioz knew there were quite the reactions to her house - snobby blood purists usually liked it, younger shy kids were usually scared of it - but 'that's so cool, honestly' was not exactly one of them. She could tell he was waiting for her to say something back, maybe make it less awkward, but she didn't know what to. Thankfully, he soon proved that he didn't need too much help with it; he delved right into the rumors he had heard about the Slytherin common room.
To be honest, Mahlioz had always found her common room pretty cool. Sure, it was dark, but that didn't mean it was gloomy. The green lighting, the warm fires, the statues and paintings and symbols of snakes that somehow found their way everywhere, and especially the few windows through which you could see the lake... it was quite a sight. So of course the boy's query brought a smile to her lips. "Well, not really," she said slowly, trying to get the tears out of her voice. "It seems to sense the activity and the scheming going on here. But I've caught glimpses of it before."
It wasn't long before she could barely catch up with his questions. All embarrassment over having, just a second ago, been crying, disappeared, replaced by curiosity and to be completely honest, awe at how quickly this boy was coming up with these things. "Er... I don't think so for the underwater Quidditch, although I wouldn't know, I don't usually look into those things." Though maybe it would be a good idea. If she could play Quidditch underwater, would she need to get over her fear of heights? Then again, she would rather not be playing a game in the territory of a giant squid.
"I'm sure someone has to have tried it out at some point," she said with a slight laugh when he suggested getting muggles to play Quidditch. "And uh... I don't think we do, no. Trust me, Slytherins are nowhere near as organised as we seem. There's gotta be a couple of friends who have come up with a handshake, but it's definitely not all of Slytherin." She couldn't help but burst out laughing at 'Salazar says hello'. Did this boy think they were necromancers or something, able to talk to the dead?
At the mention of Slytherin snacks, Mahlioz paused. "Er... well, there's another Slytherin who's quite well known, actually - Colin McCoire, don't know if you've heard of him (...or heard him howl) who happens to love chocolate, sausages and cheese, so that could potentially be our thing. Though I must say mint chocolate sounds a lot better." In that, the boy was right. It was indeed a severely underrated flavor.
All these questions made her wonder whether any of the other houses had these special particularities. The boy was wearing Hufflepuff robes (and, to be honest, had the very cheerful vibe of a Hufflepuff as well), so she asked, "What about Hufflepuff? I've heard your common room is amazing - all sun-lit and full of plants and everything. Do you guys have a secret handshake and food?" The first food that came to mind was cinnamon rolls, because, well, the only Hufflepuff she knew well was a cinnamon roll.
Suddenly the boy paused, a look on his face that Mahlioz knew all too well. He proceeded to apologize, and tried to explain his rambling, before adding that he could leave if she wanted him to. It was only then that Mahlioz realized how much he had taken her mind off of things, and how contagious his rambling was. She never spoke this much usually - the only times she did were with people she knew very, very well, like Reltyl and Rina. But he had this aura about him, and he was fun to talk to - that was insanely hard to find, for Mahlioz. She did not want him to go, not one bit.
"No, don't go, it's completely fine!" I'm enjoying this, and you have no idea how rare it is for me to enjoy talking to people. "I mean - unless you have to of course, I just- you're fine, I enjoy your company. Besides, you haven't even told me your name. I'm Mahlioz." She stuck her hand out in greeting out of habit.
Reducio
That's completely fine! Actually, funnily enough, the exact same thing happened to me! Hope you don't mind how long this is, I don't think I've ever done a post this long before lol
26 Jan 2024, 14:53
Not The Same
|
|
|
His slow turn stopped and Dean's smile sprouted right back up on his face. His eyes glittering with happiness, he nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Right! My name's Dean", he said proudly, holding his right hand out for a shake before tugging on his scarf a little. He looked around to the empty hallway and, without much care, hopped up on a window sill, his legs dangling from it. "The Hufflepuff common room?" he echoed, his eyes wide with joy. "Yeah! It's always nice and bright! There's always food on the tables and its so cozy," he explained. "I don't know if I can show you, I can't remember if that's allowed," he mumbled to himself before leaning back against the stone wall.
"It's my first year! I mean, you probably guessed, honestly, but that means I actually don't know much yet. And you know, I really try to listen but man, I just can't sometimes. Like, I'll listen and then it just goes right out a few minutes later, it's bonkers," he giggled before hopping off his perch.
"So uh...what brings you here?" he asked, cocking a brow. The underlying sadness he'd felt earlier was slowly dissipating and he wanted to keep the lightness going. "Me I was going to the kitchens for a snack but I'm pretty sure I got lost. This castle is huge, right? On my first week, I was late to so many classes because the stairs wouldn't stop moving when I was on them. I think they don't like me," he said very seriously before digging into his bag and pulling out a small plastic bag filled to the brim with potato chips.
"Do you want some?" he asked, opening the bag wide and holding it out for the Slytherin to take her pick. "I got them this morning from breakfast," he chuckled before handing her the bag and pulling out a small water bottle for himself. "My mom says I have to eat a lot if I want to grow big and honestly I believe her. I'm not very muscly yet but I want to get on the Quidditch team so I really gotta try to get a bit bulky like the older guys. Are you friends with a lot of people? It seems like you, you look like someone popular."
Reducio
Sorry for the smaller reply! I'm out of writing juice lol.
Reducio
Edited: under request by staff.
Ency . Prodigal Charms Learner
8 Feb 2024, 13:21
Not The Same
Mahlioz sort of wished she had met this guy at a different time, when she wasn't depressing about the move her parents were forcing upon her. He seemed incredibly interesting, and she would have liked not to have been almost-crying in their first encounter. But she'd take what she got. And after all, he had managed to cheer her up quite a bit, so that was a plus. "Dean," she repeated, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you."
Time: 14:45
Mentions: X
Thoughts
He proceeded to describe the Hufflepuff common room, which sounded like the opposite of the Slytherin one, though they both somehow seemed just as amazing as each other. And food on the tables all the time! Now she understood why her best friend had wanted to be a Hufflepuff so much. "No, unfortunately I don't think it is," she replied when he suggested showing her the common room. "But I appreciate the offer! It really sounds awesome."
Dean kept rambling, walking from one place to the next, sitting down at one point and then hopping back up, like the idea of staying still was unbearable. Mahlioz had her hyper moments, but she wondered whether he was always like this. Did he never lose energy? That was impressive.
Though she couldn't catch every word he said, she really did like listening to him. He'd apparently been going to the kitchens for a snack but got lost (she guessed the Hufflepuff common room hadn't been stocked enough for him). "Yeah, I don't think the stairs like anyone to be honest," the Slytherin said with a grin. "It's been a year and a half and if I'm not paying really close attention, they still trip me up all the time."
She wasn't sure what to reply to his earlier question, though. What did bring her here? Sadness? The will to get away from everything, for once? "I'm not sure, really," she admitted. "Er... I just like wandering sometimes, you know?" She hoped he would drop it - she really did not want to go into details about her holidays.
He somehow procured some potato chips - they came out of his bag, but with the speed he was doing everything at, it sort of felt like he'd transfigured them into existence - and handed them to her, asking whether she wanted some. Mahlioz gratefully took a few before giving the bag back to him. "You want to get on the quidditch team, huh?" She paused, reflecting. "Actually, I don't think you have to be too bulky, honestly. I know lots of really talented skinny players." Well, not that she'd seen them play, necessarily. She much preferred staying away from the quidditch scene.
When he told her she looked like someone popular, Mahlioz burst out laughing again. Gods, not five minutes ago she'd been on the verge of tears, and now here she was with a giant grin on her face. "Oh god no. I know a good few people, but I am quite possibly the furthest you can get from popular. I don't mind it, though... I prefer my books, hehe. What about you? You seem like you'd have loads of friends already, what with how much you have to say!"
ReducioYou're all good!Sorry for how long I took to get this post done, though. I know you were hoping for a faster-paced thread, so sorry about that.
6 Mar 2024, 12:48
Not The Same
|
|
|
Dean was used to being the bouncing ball of energy in conversations but for once, he had someone who could keep up with his chatter standing right in front of him. His smile grew and grew, like a balloon being blown and he puffed up a little proudly, happy to be able to keep her mind off things for some time. "Man, maybe I should like leave offerings on the stairs. You know, maybe they're just tired of everyone walking on them all the time? I know I'd be exhausted if that happened to me. Can you imagine? Your sole purpose being walked on to get to places?" he wondered out loud. Comically mimicking standing in the wind on a cold winter day, Dean hugged himself, shivering. "That's such a bad thought."
He shook his head, shaking it all off before bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, hands in his pockets. "Wandering is so cool. It's great when you kind of know where you're going, else you can get lost and that sucks the fun out of it," he hummed with a very serious nod. "I remember this one time, I was walking and walking and then I ended up in this really weird place and I couldn't find my way back to the dorms, it was actually pretty scary. But I honestly braved through it because, like, I'm not scared of anything really," he showed off, his chin high up, a little funnily given his height.
At the mention of Quidditch, and at her reassuring words, his whole bad boy demeanour melted off and he was left a pure puddle of sunshine. "Really?" he asked, his eyes wide, sparkly with excitement. "Maybe I should try out, yeah? I could be so good I think," he said, his mind already whirling with thoughts and images of his to-be near future. He already saw himself flying high, hair in the wind, hands around a quaffle, his broom taking him as quick as possible to the goals. The sound of the crowd, the cheers, the glory of his pretend life. Basking in his dreams for a minute, Dean was pulled back to reality by Mahlioz's voice and, with a little blush now covering his cheeks, he shrugged.
"You look cool, though. Like people in magazines, you know? Me personally, I don't know if I'm popular but I do have some friends so that's really neat. I get along with almost everyone so I can make friends like all the time, it's really cool. Though, when someone doesn't like me, it makes me want to get them to like me. Do you ever get that? Maybe it's because I'm a boy, I don't know. Honestly I get so confused sometimes. But my mom says I'm only twelve so it's normal. I'm scared I'll still be really confused at 20 though. How old are you? Are you a bit confused sometimes?"
Reducio
Apologies for the very long wait!
Ency . Prodigal Charms Learner
13 Mar 2024, 16:21
Not The Same
It looked like Dean was enjoying their conversation just as much as Mahlioz was, from the growing grin that would not leave his face. "Ohhh, you may be right! I'd never thought of it that way." Going around the school always having to check she was in the right place and cursing the stairs when they twisted her steps and brought her away from her destination made it hard to empathize with them. But Dean was right - it had to be hard, being walked on all the time. "Huh, I wonder what kinds of offerings they'd like? If they have a personality, d'you think they can eat too?"
Time: 14:45
Mentions: @Irina Shevel and @Renelle Dalton
Thoughts
For a kid so small and scrawny, Mahlioz had to wonder how on earth so many words fit inside him. Not only was he always moving, but so was his mouth, and she really had to catch on and hold on tight if she wanted to keep up with him. She had no clue where the really weird place he spoke of was, but she had no doubt Hogwarts had places like it. Hogwarts was... weird and mysterious, at times. As homely as it felt most days, sometimes it had this hint of something darker and colder behind.
Not that Dean wouldn't survive it, what with his being scared of nothing. "You sure you're not a Gryffindor?" she joked. "Usually it's them who are... naively brave." For lack of a better term. Not that Mahlioz didn't appreciate them. Actually, she was quite sure Irina and this boy would get along wonderfully.
Dean seemed as enamoured and invested in Quidditch as Mahlioz was in her books. And duelling, though that had been more recent. "Yeah, I'd say go for it!" The sparkles in his eyes showed that he was already soaring the airs in his mind. "I never thought I'd like any sport before I joined duelling, and now I've been proven wrong. And you're already enthusiastic about it, I'm sure they'd be lucky to have you on their team."
Once again, the Slytherin was left to pick up the pieces left behind by Dean's spiel. Trying her best to get to everything, she started, "I don't know about the magazines, but thank you?" She laughed. "But yeah, I feel you for wanting to be on good terms with everyone. I hate it when I feel like people don't like me. Especially if I don't know why." Renelle came to mind. Ugh, why couldn't they both just get over this??
"Oh - and I'm thirteen. But yeah, it sort of feels like the confusion just gets worse. I've heard it's because you become a teenager and your brain gets all muddled up? I don't know too much about it because I prefer reading about dragons over puberty, but... yeah, I'm definitely confused. But I don't think it'll last until you're twenty. At least, I hope not." Maybe she should do some research, as much as she didn't want to. It might clear the smoke that was more and more opaque in her mind these days.
ReducioSeriously, you're fine! I really don't mind waiting
