Closed Helping Hands

Herbology was a subject that Costanza would have loved if she hadn’t come to Hogwarts with any baggage. She was never a plant girl, but the thought of raising one to be strong and beautiful was always interesting. Unfortunately, she had lugged a trunk full of rocks to the school and instead of taking part in the things she was truly interested in, the honey badger preferred to hide in the safety of her covers. The inner turmoil from which she suffered only prevented her from trying the things she really wanted to. Hell, she was in a school for magic! For once, Costanza was going to take some initiative.

She hung back after Herbology, hoping to catch the professor. Sure, the witch had no idea what she would say or how she could even start a civil conversation with a woman whose class Costanza had constantly slept through or arrived late to all semester, but she supposed that saying “Hello!” or something like that would be a good start. Instead, the witch found two students, twin girls. It seemed like they were preparing to take care of some mandrakes and bouncing bulbs.

“Uhm… Need any help?” she asked quietly, tightly gripping her bag strap that hung off one shoulder. Costanza wasn’t sure how much attention they had given her before this. The Hufflepuff would probably know her as the housemate who talked to no one in the common room or the dorms, and they might both recognize her as someone who sat at the back of class, slacking off at every occasion and snidely responding when called upon. Whatever their preconceptions of her were, Costanza wondered how the twins would react to the wallflower before them.

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speech • #427c9a thoughts • italics others • #ffffff

march 29, 2024 • date herbology • location helping hands • thread

Ophelia sighed in frustration. She'd just finished another Herbology lesson outside on the fields of Hogwarts and was halfway back to the castle. She had a bit of free time next in her schedule, some time in which she planned to knock out most of her more gruelling homework, such as the essays. Of course, to do such a thing, she would need her bag, which had all the requirements for each homework assignment. And where was that extremely helpful bag?

Back in the Herbology greenhouse, she grumbled to herself. Not only would she have to walk all the way back to the greenhouse and find the bag, but she'd also have wasted a lot of her down time doing it. She'd only have around half an hour more, and some of that would be spent getting to the Ravenclaw tower. Maybe I should just head to the library, Ophelia thought as she turned around and began walking back the way she came. It might be full to the brim with studying students, but it's closer.

Practically jogging, Ophelia made it to the greenhouse quickly. She ducked into the first one, the only one that first years were permitted to enter, only to pause halfway. Class had ended a couple of minutes ago, but... were those voices that she heard? Was she sure that she wanted to go in there? None of the voices sounded familiar. If she went inside, she would have to say something, and that would just take up even more time. But she needed the bag to be able to do anything.

Making a split second decision, Ophelia walked inside. She needed the bag for her next class anyway, and she'd have to get it eventually. Plus, exchanging a few pleasantries with fellow students couldn't be too bad, right?

Inside, Ophelia found three girls. Out of them, she only sightly recognised one. The Ravenclaw blinked, grasping at her memories, trying to figure out where she'd seen one of the girls before. Oh! It had only been a few weeks ago. At the birthday party! The girl was Kaitlyn. And the girl closest to her, judging by her similar facial features, was someone related to her, Ophelia guessed. The one other girl in the room seemed to be distant from the other two, so probably a stranger to the girls who looked alike.

Ophelia raised a hand in greeting, rethinking her decision of coming inside. "Erm, hello. I'm Ophelia. I, uh, left my bag in here after class." As an afterthought, she added. "What are you all doing in here?"

interactions • @Kaitlyn Connor @Constanza Jewelweed mentions • @ stats • sta 6 | eva 5 | str 6 | wis 7 | arc 6 | acc 5

413 • word count ravenclaw robes • outfit perfectionist • abilities

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Interacting with : Reducio @Constanza Jewelweed, @Ophelia Northwell

Outfit: Reducio Kaitlyn and Abigail are in their impeccable Slytherin and Hufflepuff uniforms, respectively.[/url]

Notes: Reducio Kaitlyn: #3CB371 Thoughts: italics Abigail: #785700

Carefully … carefully … carefully. Kaitlyn slowly snipped away at the vine around the plant. She didn’t want to disrupt it so much that the bouncing bulbs attacked them, but she also wanted to snip it enough, so it looked well taken care of. She enjoyed working with magical plants. Technically, with all plants in general. She also liked to ask Abby to help her, considering their similar mindsets.

Kaitlyn looked up to say something to Abigail, when she noticed one of their classmates attempting to converse with them.

Hearing the girl’s voice, Abigail looked up from watering the mandrakes, recognizing this girl from the Hufflepuff Common Room. “Hi!” She greeted her, giving a small wave.

Kaitlyn smiled shyly at the girl. “H-hi. Um….” she trailed off, trying to think of something this girl could do, if she wanted to. Kaitlyn was of the mindset that she’d love the help. But, she wasn’t about to force anyone else to help her … other than her own sister. “…. How a-about getting another watering c-can, and water t-the honking daffodils?” She gestured to where the plants were.

Just as she was about to return to clipping away at the bouncing bulbs, Kaitlyn noticed another girl walk in. This one looked familiar to her … from Viva’s birthday party to be exact. “Hi Ophelia, i-it’s nice to meet you, a-again. I’m Kaitlyn, and t-this is my twin sister, Abigail,” she gestured to Abby.

Abigail looked up and waved to Ophelia. “It’s nice to meet you, as well, Ophelia,” she smiled.

Kaitlyn smiled at Abigail before looking back at Ophelia. “I d-decided to stay after class to help t-tend to the plants and asked my s-sister to help me,” she explained as to why the twins were there.

Reducio

Note: 295 words
Special Considerations: Kaitlyn was granted permission to tend to plants in the Greenhouse.
Abigail is Kaitlyn's twin sister, and my dNPC.
Time frame of this post: A little after a first-year Herbology class was dismissed.
Date: Friday, March 29th, early afternoon

After the end of Herbology class Diana chose to linger. Instead of following the majority of the students as they filed out of the greenhouse she hung back in a corner, observing the plant that happened to be next to her.

She wasn’t intending to hide. What would she be hiding from? Her common room? The thought nearly brought her to a giggle but she kept it inside. She was certainly not afraid of people, nor of exploring the castle. No way. The real reason was far more stupid.

As much as she wouldn’t admit it, Diana Saengkaew was missing something. To someone else it might appear like homesickness. That concept was foreign to her. Thailand had been her home for only 3 years of her life so how could she possibly be homesick? Still, Diana found herself missing her life there especially on cool days like this one. The warmth of the greenhouse and the wide variety of plants were something. Therefore, it was important that she stay inside a little bit longer. Diana wasn’t sure for what purpose. Class had ended and she ought to make a better use of her free time. After all, there was a stack of assignments from the day awaiting her in the library. If she didn’t complete them the day they were assigned tomorrow’s pile would be twice as high. Then, she wouldn’t be able to complete them all in time which would cause her to get behind. The mere thought was enough to make Diana flinch. She had to leave the greenhouse.

However, on her way out a group of girls caught her eye. Distracted, she wandered over to them. “What are you all doing here? Is this a club I didn’t know about?” Diana questioned, watching the others work with an interested glint in her eye.

Interacting with: @Kaitlyn Connor • @Ophelia Northwell • @Constanza Jewelweed

( 306 words )

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speech • #427c9a thoughts • italics others • #ffffff

march 29, 2024 • date herbology • location helping hands • thread

Ophelia nodded her head, interested. Herbology wasn't her favorite subject in any context, but since biology as a whole interested her, she somewhat enjoyed it. She was sure that she'd love Care of Magical Creatures much more once she was allowed to take it as a class, but animals weren't an interest for everyone. Some people, like Kaitlyn, Abigail, and the other girl, were into plants more, and Ophelia respected that. "Nice to meet you both as well," She murmured, loud enough so that they could hear but not so much so that they would feel compelled to answer with something else.

Smiling but feeling dismissed, Ophelia continued her way down the aisles and rows of plants, looking underneath the tables for where she may have left her bag. Her work table was on the other side, so she decided to start there, darting to the other side of the greenhouse without distracting the girls who were working on the plants.

Ophelia began scanning the ground, her neck craned. Only when she heard the sound of the greenhouse doors opening for another time did she look up, not too surprised to see another girl standing in the doorway. Having people in the greenhouse after class was a rarity, and seemed to attract the attention of passersby.

"What are you all doing here? Is this a club I didn't know about?" The girl asked, seemingly interested in the girls' work. Maybe she liked plants too, and wanted to help take care of them.

Ophelia stood up straight and answered. "It isn't a club, at least, I don't think so. I'm looking for my forgotten bag, and the others are tending to the plants, according to Kaitlyn." She nodded to the Slytherin girl so that the new girl could connect the name to a face, in case she'd never met her before.

interactions • @Kaitlyn Connor @Diana Saengkaew mentions • @Constanza Jewelweed stats • sta 6 | eva 5 | str 6 | wis 7 | arc 6 | acc 5

262 • word count ravenclaw robes • outfit perfectionist • abilities

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Elizabeth admired plants, especially flowers, and she tried to always take notes in class. She was almost up the castle stairs when she discovered that a plant had somehow entangled itself in her hair. Sighing, she turned around and made her way back to the Herbology house to put it back.

As soon as as she entered, she heard voices and made her way to the middle where she had been sitting. Surprised she saw that there were four other kids besides her, taking care of the plants and talking to each other. Suppressing laughter, she thought it funny and odd that someone from each house would be here.

Finding the plant's pot, she struggled to disentangle it from her hair. Groaning, she pulled to no avail. She would have to ask for help in releasing the plant from her hair and put it back in its pot.

"Um...can someone help me? The plant's stuck in my hair and I can't get it out. Please, can someone help me?" She asked, as her hands fell to her sides. How did the plant get attached to her? She would have to look it up in the library when she got to it.

Mentioning: @Kaitlyn Conner @Costanza Jewelweed @Ophelia Northwell @Diana Saengkaew

All of a sudden, things started moving too fast. Costanza typically had problems interacting with a single person, so she was basically braving the wilds by starting up a conversation with twins. But with the entrance of three more of her classmates, she simply couldn’t continue.

Something like recognition slid over the Hufflepuff twin’s face and Costanza braced herself for awkwardness that never came. The twin was bright despite saying only one word to her. Her sister - Costanza just barely remembered her name starting with a K - was a bit more talkative, though she seemed shy. The honey badger felt bad for intruding then, but was relieved to have been given a task.

She set her bag down, picked up a watering can, and then moved to the Honking Daffodils. Ready to perform her task in silence, she was unprepared for the arrival of a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor - both with names unfamiliar to her even after being in the same classes for about seven months.

Neither of them had offered to help with the plants, so it was Costanza’s hope that they all vacated quickly. But as each made their way into the exchange, she felt herself growing irritated. That bothered her. Who was she to feel vexed by others conversing in a normal manner? She was the only not-normal one here. Yet, as hard as she wanted to try, she knew being around this many people would only exasperate her and she would snap somehow, souring any opinion they had of her. She couldn’t do that to herself, or to those girls who were simply having a kind chat.

A third girl barged into the classroom too and it was Costanza’s natural instinct to drop what she was doing and take the girl’s red curls to see if she could gently untangle the plant stuck in her hair. But she didn’t want to be that kind. She didn’t want those connections. She wanted to leave this school and that kind of contact would just make her grow attached.

“Never mind,” she murmured, dropping the watering can next to the Honking Daffodils and retrieving her bag. Slinging the strap over her shoulder, she rushed out of the room, leaving the girls behind.

Interacting with : Reducio @Ophelia Northwell, @Diana Saengkaew, @Elizabeth Stonewall

Outfit: Reducio Kaitlyn and Abigail are in their impeccable Slytherin and Hufflepuff uniforms, respectively.[/url]

Notes: Reducio Kaitlyn: #3CB371 Thoughts: italics Abigail: #785700

Looking up at Ophelia, Kaitlyn and Abigail smiled at Ophelia, simultaneously.

Kaitlyn slowly trimmed the vine on the bouncing bulb plant. She smiled and stood up. Another girl came to the door of the greenhouse … asking if this group of girls was a club. A light flush bloomed on her cheeks. “A c-club? I’d love i-it if it were a club. No, s-sadly, it’s not. I was just given p-permission by Professor Toussaint to help out in the first-year g-greenhouse,” she replied.

Abigail returned to Kaitlyn’s side, carrying the watering can she just used to water the baby mandrakes. “I, as her wonderful twin sister, agreed to help her. My name is Abigail, and hers is Kaitlyn,” she introduced them both.

Kaitlyn smiled, as Abigail said her name. “And it’s n-nice to meet you,” she continued. She turned to Ophelia. “Would y-you like any help finding your b-bag?” She asked. While she was not entirely well acquainted with the Ravenclaw girl, she knew that Ophelia and Viva knew each other, which meant that she should also like Ophelia.

The door to the greenhouse opened again and another girl walked in with a plant in her hair. Before either girl could interact, the first girl that came in rushed out.

“Wait!” Kaitlyn called, but the girl left. She shared a concerned look with Abigail, before looking at the last girl that walked in. “Hi! O-ooh, that’s not fun to h-have a plant stuck in your h-hair. Abby?”

With a giggle, Abigail skipped over to the girl. “Hi, I’m Abigail, and my sister’s name is Kaitlyn. May I see your hair to untangle the plant? I’ll be careful,” she promised, a bright smile on her face.

Reducio

Note: 285 words
Special Considerations: Kaitlyn was granted permission to tend to plants in the Greenhouse.
Abigail is Kaitlyn's twin sister, and my dNPC.
Time frame of this post: A little after a first-year Herbology class was dismissed.
Date: Friday, March 29th, early afternoon

Prat couldn't help but overhear some girls from his year talking about a club after herbology class, this intrigued him,after class finished and he rushed out to see his other friends he came back and overheard them talking about a club

He had an interest in Herbology but no prior experience of such tasks

Prat loved plants,specially flowers, Rose(a muggle flower) being his mother's favorite which made him grow fondness of Rose too. Biology as a whole was to his liking,but human biology,due to his aunt being a surgeon in the muggle world.

"i Can't let this chance pass up,i should at the very least try to find out more about this club that i just overheard "Prat thinks to himself as he walks into the room


He walks in only to find a girl with her hair tangled in plants and some other girls helping her out

Hey were you guys talking about a clu- WOAh are you alright?your hair seems badly tangled ,Prat visibly flinches seeing her hair in a mess and imagining how it must feel without ever experiencing it

As if on instinct Prat walks towards the girl hoping to assist her in the task of de tangling her hair, but stops short when he sees several other girls already working on it,

Instead he opts to observe and standby if they require further assistance

"Do you guys need any more help with that?",asks while showing his hands forward to signal his availability.