Blossoms of Ink PV Daniella

Somehow, Daniella had managed to do most of her homework in the weekend. There was one subject, however, that she kept putting off to the next day: Transfiguration.
Why would you give first years such a complicated subject?
But no matter how annoying it was, it had to be done. That was why Daniella decided to visit the study room today. She had gathered her quill, ink and parchment paper, and made her way to the second floor.

When entering the study room, Daniella immediately noticed how dull it was. The walls were plain, there were no paintings hanging off the walls, and there weren't even windows.
Well, at least I won't be distracted easily.
Lining one wall, there were shelves filled with books, although there weren't nearly as much books as in the library. Daniella recognized several copies of 'Alice in Wonderland', a book she had read many times during her childhood.

Contrary to her expectations, it was fairly quiet, and there were only a few other students. Most of them were sitting in small groups of two or three, but there was one girl sitting alone. She had long, dark hair, and was about eleven or twelve years old. The student was working quietly.

Daniella walked towards the dark-haired girl, and pulled our a chair next to her. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
She whispered the question, to avoid disturbing others with their work, and hoped she didn't startle the girl. Without waiting for an answer, she sat down on the chair, and took out her things.

Interacting-@Daniella Green
WC-210
Hex-#433687

─•••─

Gemima leaned even farther forward, nose deep in the textbook. Her quill scratched diligently on the parchment next to her. She had practiced writing without looking in order to take better notes in class, and she was proud to say she had gotten pretty good at it.
Suddenly, the telltale scraping sound of a chair being moved echoed next to her. Gem didn't fall out of her seat in shock--she considered herself well beyond that sort of thing now--but her quill jolted in her grasp, and fell onto the floor.

She sighed and bent over to retrieve it. When she sat back up, she found herself face to face with a girl.
She looked about Gemima's age. She had long dark blonde hair, sparkling brown eyes, and a cute dusting of freckles across her face.
"Do you mind if I sit here?"she asked.
"Sure. I don't see why not." Gemima replied. It was a public study room after all. One person next to her wouldn't cause much trouble. The girl was already taking out her things and laying them on the table. Gemima quietly turned back to her work. She wondered if she had seen this girl before. Maybe they had classes together? What house was she in?

─•••─

"Sure. I don't see why not." The girl replied, after looking at Daniella for a few seconds. A moment later she was already leaning over her work again, reading and writing at the same time. Daniella smiled, then opened her textbook to start her own work. No more slacking!
It was hard to stay focused. The more she tried to concentrate on her work, the louder the whispers around her seemed. The scratching from the other students' quills sounded more annoying than ever. It didn't quite help that Daniella only understood half of what she was reading.
Did I even pay attention during the lesson?
Probably not. But what was done couldn't be undone, unless you have a time-turner. Daniella had read about time-turners once, but she didn't remember where. They were fascinating, but also dangerous. Daniella sighed audibly. She was letting her mind wander again. This was useless, a waste of time. But if she didn't want to get a Troll grade, she had to try at least.

She absentmindedly gazed at the hardworking girl next to her, who didn't seem to have any trouble. Suddenly, Daniella noticed they both had the same textbook. That student was working on the same subject! A silly question came to Daniella's mind: Maybe she could tutor me? It would be extremely weird to ask: 'Um hi, I don't know you and all, but could you be my tutor?' Although Daniella could simply ask for help.

"I don't mean to disturb you..." Daniella nervously looked at the girl, "But, maybe, if you don't mind... Can you help me? We're working on the same subject you know. And I didn't- I'm kind of struggling." That came out way more desperate than expected, but it was the truth

Interacting-@Daniella Green
WC-263
Hex-#433687

─•••─

Gemima hummed fragments of a song under her breath. This was going well! She was making a good start on her homework, and it wasn’t even that late in the day yet. She reached for the ink pot and dipped her quill in. Just as she brought the tip back to the paper, someone started speaking next to her.

Oh, right! Gem had almost forgotten about the girl. She blinked a couple times as her mind gradually shifted to non-studying mode. She must have been more focused than she thought. She exhaled slightly and set her quill down as she directed her attention to the girl.
"..if you don't mind," the girl was saying. Her eyes had a rather nervous look to them. Gemima leaned in a little closer to properly hear her.
"Can you help me? We're working on the same subject, you know. And I didn't- I'm kind of struggling."Her voice twinged at the end in an almost pleading way. Gemima sniffed thoughtfully, then nodded. Why not? The opportunity to share what she'd learned with someone was exciting! Her focus was now fully shifted to the task at hand.

Gem cleared her throat and carefully leaned over to peer at the girl's textbook. "I'd be happy to! What exactly do you need help with?" she chirped, eyes shining.
Then, she sat back again. She didn't want to be too forward, or overwhelm her new acquaintance. "Uh, sorry. I mean, of course I can help you..." She squirmed awkwardly in her seat. Hopefully she wasn't coming off as too overbearing!

─•••─

Daniella kind of regretted asking that question. Panicking about homework wasn't really the best first impression, especially when the other person seemed to have no problem with their work. She wondered what house that girl was in. Ravenclaw maybe? Daniella didn't really like stereotypes, especially if you knew so little about someone, but she couldn't help but think about it.

The girl thought for a moment and then carefully leaned over Daniella's textbook. She smiled, her eyes shining. "I'd be happy to! What exactly do you need help with?" She excitedly chirped. Daniella grinned about her enthusiasm, then carefully thought about her question. The honest answer would be: I don't know, everything? I didn't pay attention. But that would certainly make a bad impression. "Uh, sorry. I mean, of course I can help you..." Daniella looked up. Why exactly did she say sorry? She had nothing to apologise for, right? "It's fine." Daniella said, still not exactly knowing what was fine. But that didn't matter: She was glad that the girl was so excited to help her.

"I need help with... Well, this." Daniella shoved her book slightly more towards the other girl and pointed at the pages. "It's about Gamp's law. I don't really understand." She looked to see the girl's reaction. Daniella hoped she wouldn't think of her as a dumb person.

Interacting-@Daniella Green
WC-256
Hex-#433687

─•••─

"I need help with... Well, this." The girl pushed her book so Gemima could see it, and pointed at the open page. "It's about Gamp's law. I don't really understand."
Gemima nodded. An explanation was already forming in her mind. "All right," she said slowly, pushing her own book aside. "Gamp's law is a bit vague sometimes, but it basically means that you can bend the laws of physics to do all the aspects of Transfiguration: Conjuration, Vanishment, Untransfiguration, and Transformation."
She twirled her quill in her fingers as she spoke. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she pulled the necessary details from her mind. "Of course, there are five exceptions, one of the most common being food. You can Vanish, Transform, and Untransfigure food, but you can't Conjure it. It's impossible to create food from nothing, but you can Transfigure it in all the other ways."

Gemima set the quill down and paused to wet her lips. Talking so much was still a little weird for her. She cleared her throat slightly. "I hope that was okay for you to understand," she said. "I can explain it another way, or draw it out for you if you want."Gem knew that different people learned in different ways, so she wouldn't blame this girl if what she had just said was too confusing. She picked up the quill and began fiddling with it again.
"Oh, what's your name, by the way?" she asked. She was feeling a bit more forward today, it seemed. "I'm Gemima."

─•••─

As the girl explained Gamp's law, calmly and non-judgmental, Daniella paid close attention to her words and wrote down some notes on her parchment. "... Of course, there are five exceptions, one of the most common being food. You can Vanish, Transform, and Untransfigure food, but you can't Conjure it. It's impossible to create food from nothing, but you can Transfigure it in all the other ways." At the end of the brief explanation, Daniella was both surprised and fascinated.

"I hope that was okay for you to understand. I can explain it another way, or draw it out for you if you want," the girl said. She picked up her quill and started fiddling with it.
"Oh. No, it's easier than I thought." Daniella nervously laughed, in a friendly way. Because she didn't know what to do next, she grabbed her own quill and turned it around in her hand.

"Oh, what's your name, by the way? I'm Gemima," the girl spoke, and she sounded a lot more confident than at the start of their conversation. Daniella put down her quill. "My name is Daniella. But everyone calls me Dani." She smiled. "Nice to meet you, Gemima. And thanks for helping me." She picked up her textbook and put it down in front of her. Now she had to concentrate on her essay for a few more minutes, and most of her stress would be gone. "Oh, and if you don't mind." Daniella turned to Gemima again, "Can we be, like, friends?"

Interacting-@Daniella Green
WC-274
Hex-#433687

─•••─

Gemima nodded proudly, and bent back over her own homework. It felt good to share what she'd learned with others. Maybe I should do that more in the future. she thought dreamily.
"Oh, and if you don't mind." Daniella started. Gemima hummed in reply. "Can we be, like, friends?"

Friends? Gemima's quill stopped just short of the parchment. She set it down, a whirlwind of thoughts already brewing in her head. Even after a couple of months at Hogwarts, a couple of months meeting all sorts of new people, she was still nervous when it came to making friends. Like now--her mouth had wired itself shut, and her brain hurt from all the overthinking. Just like that? What do I do? What do I say?

Gem took a deep breath. Why was she making such a big deal out of the situation? Daniella seemed like a perfectly nice person. In the brief time they'd known each other, Gemima could tell that she was very kind and considerate. And she seemed more outgoing, too. Maybe that would be a good thing for her, to have a more confident friend.
Gemima cleared her throat. She still felt a little frazzled, but she knew she would be okay in the end. She'd done this plenty of times before. "Sure," she said, giving Daniella a small smile. "I'd love to be friends."
Gemima turned back to her homework again, but this time she made sure to not get too sucked into her work. She wanted to keep talking to Daniella, and get to know her a little better.
"Oh, you can call me Gem, too, if you want."

─•••─

There was an awkward moment of silence. Daniella could tell her question had made Gemima nervous, which obviously wasn't her intention at all. The girl seemed very friendly, but also a little shy. Was the question too overwhelming? I can be so impulsive sometimes...

The girl next to her took a deep breath and cleared her throat.
"Sure. I'd love to be friends." She smiled as she said that. Relieved, Daniella gave her a warm smile in return and then attempted to focus on her work again. Just as she had re-read the first sentence of her essay, Gemima started speaking again.
"Oh, you can call me Gem, too, if you want."

Daniella looked up and again put down her quill. This was the first time the other girl initiated a conversation, and it seemed like she wanted to keep talking.
"I think Gem sounds sweet. I've never heard of your name before." Daniella wanted to continue the conversation as well. She hadn't had the time to talk a lot to other students yet, and this was a great chance to form a new friendship. Her homework would have to wait. "What house are you in?" she blurted out. It was something she had been curious about, but she didn't mean to ask it just like that. It could make her seem like she thought houses define your personality. But she didn't really regret the question, as it was a good conversation starter.