A Windy Situation
@Emmanuel Bourne
It was a breezy day when Emily was in Charms class today. Extremely breezy. The wind blew into the room like some unseen force was trying to break in. It was enough to make Emily think that a storm was coming, whether that be metaphorically or perhaps quite literally.
Emily loved Charms. Within a short amount of time it swiftly became her favourite subject on her timetable. Herbology was a close second and of course Potions would definitely cap off the top three. She hung around a bit after class to practice a little more on the Levitation Spell she had been learning along with the rest of the class. She took her quill from the desk and carefully placed it at the edge of it, moving around a couple of chairs just in case she bumped into things.
While she practiced her wand movements, the wind got even stronger. It was enough to make the candles hanging along the walls shiver in force and even the windows were rattling. Emily nearly jumped a few times when a few tree branches hit the glass every now and then while the wind raged on.
Emily pointed her wand at her quill, which still sat elegantly at the edge of her desk. She was about to call out the incantation until the window suddenly burst open. Emily sprung up like a startled cat and she was met with an impressive gust of wind to her face. The quill flew to the other side of the room, causing Emily to chase after it, but in the ensuing chase, her pink ribbon that had sat loosely in her hair all day blew off her hair.
Emily yelped in surprise and jumped to catch it, only to miss and watch it sail in the air before it got caught against one of the candle holders on the wall. And of course it had to be the highest one in the room.
Emily climbed up a desk and part of the ledge on the wall to shut the window before it hit her in the face. She locked it tight, preventing more gusty waves from breaking into the room. However, her ribbon was still far too high to reach.
"Aw nuts..."
At that moment, she heard a familiar voice behind her...
Word Count: 391
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
A Windy Situation
October was windy, and cold. A deep mist covered the grounds every morning; and the wind blew through the Scottish highlands continuously. By afternoon, it usually began to warm up; though the wind rarely subsided as of late. Students clung to their hats, and pulled their robes in close when moving through the courtyards. It was shaping up to be a brisk fall; the colors of the leaves had already changed. Orange and yellow specked through the deep green of the Forbidden Forest.
Em had formed a habit of sitting in the transfiguration courtyard to work on homework. Through September, it was mild and warm; perfectly comfortable to practice charms, and other spells for his classes. Today, however, his usual spot was not an option. Though the courtyard was empty (something Em preferred), you couldn't open a book without watching it try and fly away.
Em kept his Charms textbook under his left arm, and moved quickly through the halls trying to warm his farthest appendages. He rounded the corner, and approached the door to an empty classroom; usually used for studying on days where weather didn't hold out.
He pushed open the door with his back. As he did so, a vacuum was formed and a cold wind forced its way through the doors; past Em. A window whose latch was not fastened, or perhaps broken, flew open. The classroom was bathed in the autumn chill he was trying to escape.
Em's attention was drawn from the window, to the Hufflepuff girl standing in the room. Her pink bow had freed itself from her head, and followed a feather she was practicing on across the room; guided by the cold current.
"Erm, sorry about that Emily. It's blasted cold outside, and I need to work on some Transfiguration homework. Mind if I join you?"he asked, already setting down his stuff.
It had been a few weeks since he had seen his first friend at Hogwarts. Although they spoke occasionally during classes, Em had drowned himself in homework; trying to earn top marks.
"It's been awhile! What're you working on?" he asked, pulling a square of chocolate form his bag, splitting it in half, and walking over to Emily, offering her the first half. Honeydukes chocolate was a staple for Em. Always on his person; and always shared with a friend.
@Emily Shepherd
Em had formed a habit of sitting in the transfiguration courtyard to work on homework. Through September, it was mild and warm; perfectly comfortable to practice charms, and other spells for his classes. Today, however, his usual spot was not an option. Though the courtyard was empty (something Em preferred), you couldn't open a book without watching it try and fly away.
Em kept his Charms textbook under his left arm, and moved quickly through the halls trying to warm his farthest appendages. He rounded the corner, and approached the door to an empty classroom; usually used for studying on days where weather didn't hold out.
He pushed open the door with his back. As he did so, a vacuum was formed and a cold wind forced its way through the doors; past Em. A window whose latch was not fastened, or perhaps broken, flew open. The classroom was bathed in the autumn chill he was trying to escape.
Em's attention was drawn from the window, to the Hufflepuff girl standing in the room. Her pink bow had freed itself from her head, and followed a feather she was practicing on across the room; guided by the cold current.
"Erm, sorry about that Emily. It's blasted cold outside, and I need to work on some Transfiguration homework. Mind if I join you?"he asked, already setting down his stuff.
It had been a few weeks since he had seen his first friend at Hogwarts. Although they spoke occasionally during classes, Em had drowned himself in homework; trying to earn top marks.
"It's been awhile! What're you working on?" he asked, pulling a square of chocolate form his bag, splitting it in half, and walking over to Emily, offering her the first half. Honeydukes chocolate was a staple for Em. Always on his person; and always shared with a friend.
@Emily Shepherd
A Windy Situation
Interacting with @Emmanuel Bourne
Reducio
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Thoughts: Italics
Emily swiftly spun around the the voice that was directed at her. She had a feeling she knew who it was but her face instantly lit up when she saw Emmanuel with her own eyes. It had been a while since she was able to have a full conversation with him. While she knew and appreciated that he was busy studying, as were all students, she felt just as responsible for not making more of an effort to reach out to him. Being a Hufflepuff student while he was in Ravenclaw didn't really help either, as it felt like it was against all odds that they would be in similar classes for most of the timetable. Thankfully, there were at least a couple classes where they could catch up.
Emily beamed as Emmanuel stumbled in as he fought against the wind that continued to rage on outside. She spared a glance at her ribbon to make sure it wasn't going to move before hurrying back across the classroom to greet him.
"Emmanuel! Long time no see!" She graciously accepted a square of chocolate that always seemed to accompany him no matter where he went. "I was practicing the Levitation Charm before that damned window decided to let the forces of nature in. Any stronger and my ribbon would be long gone off the face of the grounds!"
She gestured to her ribbon that was still tightly wound around the candle holder far up the right wall near the back. As inconvenient as the whole scenario was, Emily still couldn't help the small chuckle that slipped out of her mouth. She always knew how to make light of situations without realising it.
"So, you say you're working on Transfiguration? How's that going for you?" She asked nicely, taking a quick peek at his textbook, with little bookmarks and cue cards attached near the front. She nibbled on the square of chocolate Emmanuel kindly handed to her as she did so.
Wow... He really has been working hard...!
She perched at the end of a table as their conversation continued, though every now and then Emily continued to make scathing glances at her ribbon, still rather miffed at what happened. But if anything could help ease her pettiness, it would be Emmanuel.
Word Count: 391
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
A Windy Situation
Emmanuel pushed himself off the desk, and moved away fromEmily. He decided that a demonstration may be the best way to update her on his progress.
Em walked back to his bag, grabbed something, and came back over to Emily. Em laid a silver whistle on her desk, and pulled out his aspen wood wand. He pointed the wand at the whistle, and gave his wand a twist, muttering an incantation under his breath.
The metal of the whistle quickly twisted itself, and the small noise it made was replaced by the sound of ticking. In an instant, there was a pocket watch sitting on the desk. It was the same shiny silver as the whistle previously. A white face, with black numbers, and gold hands ticking away.
Em shrugged and picked up the watch, inspecting it lazily. "It's going just fine, though I only received an E on my homework. Which is fine I suppose, but I feel I can do better. Though, I have come to realize that my forte is charms."
Em slid the watch into his pocket, and broke a corner off his chocolate, placing it in his mouth. The sweet cocoa melted on his tongue. "How about you? Want me to get that for you?" He asked, pointing at the ribbon with his wand. "We could practice together," he smirked, taking another small bite of chocolate.
@Emily Shepherd
Em walked back to his bag, grabbed something, and came back over to Emily. Em laid a silver whistle on her desk, and pulled out his aspen wood wand. He pointed the wand at the whistle, and gave his wand a twist, muttering an incantation under his breath.
The metal of the whistle quickly twisted itself, and the small noise it made was replaced by the sound of ticking. In an instant, there was a pocket watch sitting on the desk. It was the same shiny silver as the whistle previously. A white face, with black numbers, and gold hands ticking away.
Em shrugged and picked up the watch, inspecting it lazily. "It's going just fine, though I only received an E on my homework. Which is fine I suppose, but I feel I can do better. Though, I have come to realize that my forte is charms."
Em slid the watch into his pocket, and broke a corner off his chocolate, placing it in his mouth. The sweet cocoa melted on his tongue. "How about you? Want me to get that for you?" He asked, pointing at the ribbon with his wand. "We could practice together," he smirked, taking another small bite of chocolate.
@Emily Shepherd
A Windy Situation
Interacting with @Emmanuel Bourne
Reducio
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Thoughts: Italics
Emily clapped when Emmanuel performed the Whistle to Watch spell right in front of her. Her eyes were glued to the sight of the small silver whistle morphing into the intricately sculpted pocket watch that now sat ticking away on the desk.
"Wow, you've really been practicing!" She commented proudly. "And hey, even at a grade "E" you're still passing the class! I've racked up a few "E"s myself in Transfiguration. I can't really say it's a class I'm confident in." She laughed a little when she finished her sentence, knowing full well she wasn't keen on the subject. She found it fascinating, that was a fact, but much like science back home, it was a subject she just couldn't really grasp all that well. At least, not to the same extent as other subjects.
Emily followed Emmanuel's finger, leading her gaze back to her isolated ribbon on the candle holder. Upon being offered the help, Emily acknowledged him with an appreciative nod.
"I could do with the extra pair of hands. I can perform the spell fine, but I'm not sure if I can cast it when it's that far away." She took out her own aspen wood wand, holding it at the ready, still smiling at Emmanuel.
"Ready when you are!"
Word Count: 225
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
A Windy Situation
Em smiled, silently deciding to show Emily that she could do this all on her own; though she wouldn’t think so at first.
In the time Em had known Emily, which was not very long, he had concluded that she lacked confidence. There was still some residual confusion, it seemed, that she even belonged in the wizarding world. This was a sentiment Em found many muggle born students shared.
Although he tried to understand, it was difficult for him to totally comprehend. Being wizard born, magic wasn’t just a privilege; it was a biological right. He always felt at home around magic, and focused on mastery and skill versus ability.
More than anything, Em knew Emily would come to understand that she, and all muggle horns had a place in the magical world. Though, to ease the process, encouraging them on developing their confidence was key.
Em cleared his throat, and steadily pointed his wand at the ribbon, gesturing Emily to do the same. The light of the room reflected off the polish on his white wood wand; the chill in the air was momentarily unnoticed.
“Right, together now. Remember what Professor Fresnel says. Concentration is key. Keep your intention in your minds eye. And, on my mark, let’s swish and flick,” He instructed, slightly bouncing his wand with every word he spoke.
He cleared his throat again, really trying to sell it. “Alright. One… Two…,” he gave Emily a subtle wink, as he watched her more than the ribbon. “And Three!” Em swished his wand, and gave it a light flick, exclaiming the incantation Wingardium Leviosa! Though, his eyes never left Emily, nor was a spell conjured from his wand due to lack of concentration.
Em would allow Emily to think they both did it, when it was only her.
@Emily Shepherd
A Windy Situation
Interacting with @Emmanuel Bourne
Reducio
Speech: #cfa120
Emily could see the willingness in Emmanuel's eyes to help. She was already admirable of his magical talent and not quite for the simple reason that he was Wizard Born. It was more for the fact that he had such finesse and an air of optimism. It really put into perspective of how much more Emily should be more confident in her abilities. She knew her weaknesses, but she also needed to be reminded of her successes so far throughout the year. Her classes and homework were a sound representation of that.
With newfound energy, she stood alongside Emmanuel and held her wand firmly, angled in the direction of her ribbon. She was still looking at it like it owed her money, though still found the whole situation oddly entertaining. Not to mention that it was a miraculous moment to be reunited with Emmanuel and to bond with him like this.
Emily nodded at his instructions. "Alright, got it... On three...!"
They both exchanged glances and Emmanuel began counting down.
"Three!"
Emily kept her concentration as she stared down the ribbon, swishing her wand with the appropriate hand gestures to follow. An audibly surprised gasp escaped Emily's lips as her ribbon immediately fell off the candle holder and danced in the air before slowly climbing down across the room. When it was close enough to grab, Emily withdrew her wand and hurried to catch the ribbon while it was still in the air, hopping a little off the ground to reach it. Her brown hair glided and bounced behind her as she caught the ribbon.
Emily turned on her heel and looked back at Emmanuel with an exuberant smile. She came back over and grinned joyously.
"We did it! Oh thank you, Emmanuel! I knew I could count on you!" She was ready to hug him, but felt maybe she would be overstepping a boundary. Instead, she flashed an even bigger smile as she tied the ribbon back tightly in her hair. She maintained her cheerful expression as Emmanuel returned an impressed smile of his own, though she couldn't help but feel there was something else tucked away in his demeanour.
Word Count: 370
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
A Windy Situation
Em smiled and lazily set down his wand. The look of triumph on Emily’s face was entertaining, and brought some rosiness to his cheeks. Scratching the back of his head, Em returned her enthusiastic smile, and started to go in for a hug; but ultimately chickened out and sat back on the desk.
As Emily tied the ribbon into her hair, Em was acutely aware that the rosiness from his cheeks still hadn’t disappeared. He shook his head, trying to rattle his thoughts off of an inkling of a school-age crush on Emily. He had to be more focused on school, over anything else. Though, making friendships was both needed, and expected.
He cleared his throat quietly, and gave Emily a small dorky round of applause.
“Great job, Emily! That was all you,” he laughed, being more truthful than she knew. “Looks like I’ll have some competition for top marks in Charms this year!” he teased, deciding to drop into a chair, still facing Emily.
When he was around her, he realized just how fun learning magic could be. In the Ravenclaw common room, usually most people are either recuperating from studying and not particularly talkative, or are actively studying. It was nice to practice practically; and have fun while doing so.
“So, how are you getting along in Hufflepuff? I have to say, I was a little disappointed we weren’t sorted together,”he asked, honestly. Though, he knew that they’d be friends regardless after their train ride.
@Emily Shepherd
Wc:250
A Windy Situation
Interacting with @Emmanuel Bourne
Reducio
Speech: #cfa120
Emily calmed down from her rush of excitement as she tied her hair back with her rescued ribbon. She swished her long ponytail a couple times to ensure it was tightly knotted this time, for losing it again the the growing storm outside would be rather troublesome. She fitted her wand back to the inside of her robes as she re-joined Emmanuel at the desk where he leaned against.
She chuckled at Emmanuel's response. "Nevertheless, there's no doubt I'll know who to come to if I'm ever in a pickle like that again. Honestly, I really can't help but thank you again, Emmanuel. I wouldn't worry about competition though... I've got much to learn still!" She laughed again as she sat facing him. Her face felt warm with gratitude and noticed the faint dust of colour on Emmanuel's face. She couldn't help but continue smiling at him. She always had the feeling she'd get along swimmingly with Emmanuel ever since meeting him on the train right back at the start of the school year.
This was cemented indefinitely when Emmanuel asked her about her time in Hufflepuff. Her smile shrunk a little at the fact that she and him weren't in the same House. After discussing about it so much on the train, Emily was certain she would be housed in Ravenclaw given her magnitude for knowledge.
She sunk in her seat a little. "Me too... Well, Hufflepuff isn't bad. It's quite good actually. The other students seem nice but... I don't really talk much with them. They're all social butterflies and it would just be awkward if a nobody like me just interrupted their friendship groups like that." Emily's mind was swamped with memories of seeing the girls in her House being surrounded by nearly everybody in the Common Room. And then there was Emily, on the other side of the room and keeping to herself, because it was all she was used to.
It really put into perspective how often Emily talked to students outside of Hufflepuff. She had more acquaintances from Slytherin, which was a testament to how much she conversed with her own Hufflepuff associates. And then there was Emmanuel, whom she could confidently though silently come to the conclusion that he was the closest she had to a best friend. And he just had to be in Ravenclaw. Not that it was his fault of course.
"As long as we're both making the most of it, then I think we'll be okay," she said a little more hopefully. Her eyes suddenly fell to her bag where she saw something poke out of it. Smiling again, she went to her bag and hoked out a familiar object.
"That's right... Heh, does this look familiar?" She opened her hand up and revealed the lavendar ribbon Emmanuel had given to her on the train, with the same pink and golden daisies along its length. She felt her own cheeks flare, though whether it was out of shyness or something else, she hadn't the faintest conclusion. But she did know it was a good feeling.
"I've kept it with me ever since that day..."
Word Count: 535
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
A Windy Situation
A nobody like me… The statement left her mouth so easily, and sat heavily in Em’s mind. Hearing Emily talk about herself like that made his face scrunch up momentarily, like he had just tasted vinegar.
Em was a little surprised with himself, getting offended on Emily’s behalf for the way she described herself. To Em, his friend Emily was definitely not Nobody. He huffed quietly, deciding to let it pass without mention, though he took a mental note to evaluate his feelings toward Emily next time he was alone.
As Emily produced the decorative ribbon from her bag, Em’s cheeks went a deeper shade of red than before. A wide smile crossed his face.
“Oh ho! Well I’m glad you’ve kept it with you. I’m sure Chica would be touched that her gift was making its way around Hogwarts,” he jested, sitting a bit forward in his seat.
“You know, Ravenclaw isn’t much better. Most of them are a bit stuck up. I’ve only made one sort-of friend so far. But, you shouldn’t sell yourself short Emily. They’d be lucky to have you as a friend, I know I am,” the words came out smooth, and soft like butter. Em could be charming, he knew it, but this was genuine. He held Emily in great esteem.
“Honestly, Hogwarts is bigger, and busier than I expected. I always feel like I’m three steps behind,” he sat back again, and looked down a bit. “I’m sorry I haven’t said hi for awhile. I’ve seen you around the library, and of course classes, and that day by the lake. I guess I just got preoccupied.” or, really just nervous he thought, scratching the back of his head.
@Emily Shepherd