PV Simon Tilia Stars and Smiles Completed

When Irina had asked him to meet her in the Owlery, he was not too excited about it. He had only been to the Owlery once or twice. It had a particular smell, not necessarily unpleasant, but not pleasant either. Morever, it was a bit of a walk from the castle and after an unusually warm September, the weather had quickly changed and dropped several degrees. It was clear that the summer was over and the autumn was coming.

It was nearly dark outside when he closed the wooden gate behind him. When he crossed the grounds and was embraced by the stillness of the night, he felt a sense of calmness. The familiar murmur and chatter from the common room was nowhere to be found out here. In fact, he found himself enjoying getting out of the castle to meet Irina somewhere else then the usual spots.

When he entered the tower, prepared to go all the way up to the top, a door under the staircase opened and he saw Irina peeking out through the doorway (he had not even noticed there was a door there). Her dark-brown hair was as frizzy as ever and her eyes had that never-dying glance of anticipation, as if life was just one big playground for her. He always found Irina's company to be invigorating.

"Simon!", she whispered.

"Hey there!", said Simon with a smile on his lips and walked up to her.

She presented the room with a hand gesture. "Whaddya think?"

The room was small (surprisingly small) and he wondered what it was used for. It had a desk, a chair and a railing with a spectacular view over the hills and the starry night sky. It did not have the same smell as the top of the tower either. Just a fresh scent of the humid air which he had always enjoyed so much, growing up on the Scottish countryside, surrounded by deep forests.

"Wow. I think it's... perfect. I mean, it's just perfect. No other students around, and if someone enters, you would probably hear them coming. This would be a perfect place to meet and talk, away from prying eyes and nosy ears." Simon chuckled. "Is that why we are here?"

Interacting with @Irina Shevel

"Wow. I think it's... perfect. I mean, it's just perfect. No other students around, and if someone enters, you would probably hear them coming. This would be a perfect place to meet and talk, away from prying eyes and nosy ears. Is that why we are here?"

Irina moved over to the table, hopping onto it to sit on the edge and offering Simon the chair. "I'll be honest - that wasn't the first thing that came to my head. I was thinking 'Oo! Secret room! Exploring!' But what you said sounds a lot smarter."
She grinned and chuckled slightly. "That was a classic Gryffindor, Ravenclaw moment."

As Simon sat down on the chair, Irina looked over the railing at the hills. The smell of night air and the cool breeze against her face brought back memories of just a few weeks ago - her first adventure with Simon. It had struck her in the weeks that followed, that they had never got to know each other super well. Their bond was still strong (you can rarely escape death with someone and not have a strong bond afterwards) but she wanted to know more about him.

She turned back to Simon. "I figured we should properly get to know one and other. I mean, we talk in and after classes 'nd stuff, but considering the fact we escaped a murderous tree together, I reckon we should learn more about each other." She pulled her legs onto the table and sat cross-legged, trying to find a comfortable position.

Simon had intrigued her from the moment she met him in the greenhouse. He had seemed eager to accept challenges and willing to open up (even if he did seem pretty nervous about it). Irina knew a little about his family, but she liked him and trusted him . . . and when she liked and trusted someone, her curiosity grew and questions had to be answered.

Simon sat down in the chair and put his legs on the table beside Irina with his hands in the pockets of his dark grey hoodie.

"I'll be honest - that wasn't the first thing that came to my head. I was thinking 'Oo! Secret room! Exploring!' But what you said sounds a lot smarter." Irina paused for a moment and chuckled. "That was a classic Gryffindor, Ravenclaw moment."

Simon burst out laughing so heavily he was almost rocking the chair.

"It was for sure", he said. "Although I would probably have reacted the same way as you when I first saw it. The analyzing part usually comes afterwards. Sometimes too late, as you may know already."

There was a moment of silence between them. Not an awkward silence – Simon was never sensitive about those things, especially not with friends. But during that silence, he realized that he was not used of being alone with Irina. Sure, they had fought a whomping tree together and been stuck in a pitch black tunnel, but that was different. In school there were always people around them but here there were no Mandrakes or Dugbogs to occupy them... So what now? Then Irina, as so often happened, broke the silence:

"I figured we should properly get to know one and other. I mean, we talk in and after classes 'nd stuff, but considering the fact we escaped a murderous tree together, I reckon we should learn more about each other."

"I guess you are right", said Simon. It sounded a bit silly when she said it like that. And there was a lot of things he was curious about since they spoke on their way back from their last excursion to the Whomping Willow. "Do you wanna start or should I start? I mean, you already know some things about me. But I guess I haven't talked so much about myself... Okay, I'll go first. Starting with the basics – my mom is a Muggle, as you know. Her name is Mette. She's Norwegian. We have a big house outside Edinburgh that we've inherited. It's surrounded by these really big lime trees. You would have loved them if you like tree climbing. Oh, and that's how I got my surname, by the way. Tilia is latin. My grandfather was a tradesmen in exotic wood materials, and he loved those lime trees so, so much, having grown up around them, so he took the name Tilia. And now I'm climbing the same trees as him..."

Simon paused with his eyes fixed on a distant star over Irina's shoulder. Then he met her eyes and quickly considered whether he should continue or not. But instead of being like a closed book (which was probably impossible anyway with Irina's sensibility for other people's emotions) he decided to open up and explain himself:

"He died when I was 5. My grandpa. There was a fire in his shop. He was upstairs and sleeping so... He never got out. Unfortunately I don't have too many memories of him. But he was the sweetest grandpa imaginable, that much I remember... But anyway. That's where I grew up! And I guess it's fair to say that I was kind of an outdoor kid. Whenever I got tired of reading, I went outside to explore the deep forests around our home... Holy moly", said Simon, realizing how much he had been talking. "Anyway, that's a little something about me that you perhaps didn't know. Or that very few knows."

Interacting with @Irina Shevel

Irina listened intently once more, pleasantly surprised to find how willing Simon was to talk. He looked very relaxed, legs on the table, hands in pockets. Irina absorbed everything Simon said, trying as hard as she could to remember every detail. Memory wasn't her strong point, no matter how much she cared for someone, so she made every effort to store away every bit of information.

'Mette . . . that's a beautiful name,' she thought. Upon hearing that they had inherited a large house, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Her family had a house too! Well, her Dad's Uncle owned the house, she hadn't even seen it before. At the mention of tree climbing, a grin spread across her face. Simon liked tree climbing! Probably not as much as her (her parents told her she could have been a bowtruckle) but that small detail caused her to warm to him even more. "That's the best way ever to make a surname. I think Shevel means 'to twist words' or something." She grimaced quickly before grinning once more. "It's an old name that only carries meaning and importance with my Dad's Uncle and his family . . . who happens to own the family estate! Similar to yours I guess."

The grin slid from her face however as Simon said, "He died when I was 5. My grandpa. There was a fire in his shop. He was upstairs and sleeping so... He never got out. Without thinking she uncurled herself and climbed off of the table, placing a hand on Simon's arm. "I'm so, so sorry. I know nothing anyone can say can even begin to soothe grief but I'm sorry. I know it's hard to lose someone. It . . . it must have been hard."
She clenched her jaw, repressing the swell of memories and emotions that flooded her. She didn't think she could relive the pain just yet.

She sat back on the table, swinging her legs absent-mindedly and trying to distract herself with the not so surprising news that Simon was an outdoorsy kid. She raised an eyebrow, leaning back on her arms. "Wooow, the guy I found being deafened by a mandrake and then murdered by a tree? Outdoorsy? Pff, never." She winked cheekily.

"Your family is so cool! And I love your Mum's name - it's gorgeous! My parents are both half-blood. My Mum's side hasn't been pureblood for generations and none of them really care. My Dad's side on the other hand . . . well, my great-grandma was a complete blood purist. 2 of her kids (my grandpa included) didn't care, but her youngest married a pureblood and continued her finatic beliefs." Irina wrinkled her brow in disgust. "She removed her 2 kids and all their descendents from her will unless they had a child with metamorphmagus abilities." She looked up and smiled shyly. "Oh yeah, the Shevel family have an untrackable gene of metamorphmagus. No one knows when or who it will pop up for. But great-grandma thought it only appeared in purebloods, hence the pureblood mania."
Irina stood from the table, feeling fidgety. She was a distractable and active kid, not able to stay still for long periods of time. She moved over to the railing saying over her shoulder, "Anyway, there's been a huge bust up cause we haven't been added into the will again despite the fact Idy is a metamorphmagus."

"Wooow, the guy I found being deafened by a mandrake and then murdered by a tree? Outdoorsy? Pff, never."

"Hey", he said, smiling with a raised eyebrow. "I'm just pointing out that despite being a Ravenclaw, life is not all about books and parchment to me. But I guess you, if anyone, should know that already."

"Your family is so cool! And I love your Mum's name - it's gorgeous! My parents are both half-blood", said Irina and began telling him more about her family.

Simon did not expect that Irina's family had blood purists among them. Since he was not so well
integrated in the wizarding world, there was much he did not yet know or fully understand, but he had heard whispers and rumors in the school corridors about present day blood purists. Apparently, they were still around despite the fact that the Battle of Hogwarts was over 20 years ago. Had the wizarding community learned nothing?

Irina moved over to the reiling. "... Anyway, there's been a huge bust up cause we haven't been added into the will again despite the fact Idy is a metamorphmagus."

"Yeah, I remember you told me that your sister was a metamorphmagus. And I'm sorry to hear about the pureblood mania. I think it's pretty clear that you don't agree with them. I just hope you don't feel ashamed or anything. Right? I mean, it's not your fault, and that is not you, Irina. While metamorphmagi may be genetic, your values and world view is not. You are free in shaping the future of the Shevels family according to your own rules – and I like your surname, by the way." Simon stretched his back. "Besides, your family is not the only one. Honestly, I'm surprised how many families that still have blood purists among them. I know that even some students share those ideas. When I left my primary school in Edinburgh, I thought I was leaving all the racism, bullying, harassment and intolerance behind me. A lot has been going on in the Muggle world lately. It's a little bit sad to find that here at Hogwarts as well..." As Simon leaned back in his chair again, he felt the wrapped chocolate he had in his pocket. He picked up two chocolate bars and said to Irina: "Here!" to catch her attention and threw one of them to her before unwrapping his. "Speaking of your metamorphmagi gene... Isn't there a possibility that you will have that ability too?"

Interacting with @Irina Shevel

@Simon Tilia

Staring back over her shoulder from the railing, Irina listened to Simon, a small smile on her face. She didn't think he gave himself enough credit for how wise he could be. It had never been a problem for her, that some of her family were blood purists. Her parents had always answered any questions she had, and there had been a few instances where her family morals had affected her life. But the fact that Simon was sincerely telling her that she was her own person, that their views didn't make her, was very comforting. She found herself in a deja-vu moment, back to when Simon and Irina had first met, and she was telling him to carve his own path. It was funny to realise just how much their roles had been changed in this moment. The smile widened slightly.

While metamorphmagi may be genetic, your values and world view is not. You are free in shaping the future of the Shevels family according to your own rules.
Irina turned from the railing and laughed slightly. "That's a good line mate! Quote: Simon Tilia, wierd room under the Owlery."

She turned her back on the grounds, leaning her elbows behind her and looking at Simon with a sigh. "I know - it's a shame that a world full of magic doesn't have the power to change human nature. I mean, who cares if someone is born of muggle or born of pureblood! Why should it matter! She scowled, forgetting how murderous she looked when she got angry. It infuriated her that discrimination and sexism followed them into the wizarding world. But it heartened her to know that Simon thought so too.
Luckily, she was distracted from a possible half hour rant about unjustice when Simon threw a chocolate bar at her face. Well, he threw it to her, but she hadn't been paying attention so it hit her in the face.
She pretended to reel back, clutching her face and wailing in an overly dramatic voice, "Aaaagh, thy hath grievously wounded me! Mine heart hath been stabbed and mine face hath been - ooo, chocolate!" Dropping the act, she scrabbled around on the floor, picking up the chocolate. In Irina's books, nothing was better than free food. Well . . . maybe a few things.
"Thanks Simon!" she said happily as she picked it up and tore off the wrappers.
She sat down, her back still to the railing as Simon said, "Speaking of your metamorphmagi gene... Isn't there a possibility that you will have that ability too?"

She shook her head, struggling to speak through a mouthful of chocolate frog. "Mm-mm. If it didn't show a' birf ven is no' vere." She swallowed and tried again, eyes twinkling. "If the signs aren't there at birth, you don't have it. It's kinda a shame, cause it would have been so insanely cool to be able to change your appearance. I mean, I might have been able to actually tame my hair for once!"

She perked up as an idea popped into her head and she hastily stood up, running back to the table. "I have a game we can play! It's called Boggart, Patronus, Potion. Me and my siblings invented it. You say what you think your boggart would be, and how you get rid of it. Then you say what you think your patronus would be. Then you say what you think your love potion would smell like! It's kinda short but then it's fun to discuss the results. And sometimes we try and guess what the other person would say."

"If the signs aren't there at birth, you don't have it. It's kinda a shame, cause it would have been so insanely cool to be able to change your appearance. I mean, I might have been able to actually tame my hair for once!"

"Hmm, that's unfortunate", said Simon with the usual deep thinking look on his face, processing every thought that passed through his head, before realizing what he had just said: "The ability, I mean. There's nothing wrong with your hair." And now it sounded like he was complimenting her. Simon was usually very generous with compliments, but with Irina it always felt a little... weird. And he was always afraid that she was going to answer him with some cheeky comment that only made him feel silly or ridiculous. As a save, he added: "Well, not now at least. It's not like that time when we escaped the Whomping Willow. Back then your hair really looked like a bird nest."

He took another bite of his chocolate. Simon was a sucker for chocolate, but he was surprised to find that he had met his match with Irina: hers was gone before he had even finished half of his.

"I have a game we can play! It's called Boggart, Patronus, Potion. Me and my siblings invented it. You say what you think your boggart would be, and how you get rid of it. Then you say what you think your patronus would be. Then you say what you think your love potion would smell like! It's kinda short but then it's fun to discuss the results. And sometimes we try and guess what the other person would say."

"Hey, that sounds like a fun game", said Simon and moved to sit on the table instead. "Okay, I'll start..." A couple of seconds passed as he prepared his answers. This was exactly that type of game that Simon enjoyed but usually was overthinking. "Man, this is harder than I thought... Erhm... Okay. I guess my Boggart would be a shark. When using the proper spell, it would probably do some silly Saturday Night Fever dance. My Patronus... Hmm... Jeez, I really don't know. An eagle maybe? And my love potion –" He hesitated for a moment. "– would probably smell like a dugbog!" He started laughing. "Okay, okay, seriously..." As Irina observed him, he could feel a slight blush spreading across his cheeks. He did not understand why he was blushing but he could not help it either. He just hoped that she did not notice it because of the darkness. "I don't know. Like some nice shampoo or fabric conditioner, in the smell of... some nice... fruit." Jesus Christ, I'm being pathetic. "Okay, your turn", he said, relieved to hand over the talking stick.

Interacting with @Irina Shevel

@Simon Tilia

"Hmm, that's unfortunate,", said Simon, looking into space as his mind wandered down unseen thought paths. Then he seemed to snap back to reality, a look of realisation on his face. "The ability, I mean. There's nothing wrong with your hair." He suddenly seemed very awkward at the compliment and it was clear he was thinking wildly of some way to redeem himself. Irina didn't see why he needed too - she felt warm inside when he had complimented her. She loved almost everything about herself, her hair being part of that love. Uncontrollable and messy, similar to herself. Normally, she would get jibes and cruel comments, so it was nice to recieve a compliment about it for once.
"Well, not now at least. It's not like that time when we escaped the Whomping Willow. Back then your hair really looked like a bird nest."
She laughed, thinking back to that near-death adeventure. "Yeah I must have been a sight - clothes ripped and covered in mud, blood dripping down my face, hair so bushy it looked like I'd been struck by lightning." She grinned reminiscently. "You didn't look so good either," she said cheekily, hoping Simon would hear her joking tone.

"Oooo, you're scared of sharks! Why's that? I've swam with sharks before and they were gorgeous. But I gotta say," she giggled, I don't think I've ever seen a shark doing the Saturday Fever dance. That would be brilliant. She realised in hindsight that she may have sounded dissmissive or condescending of Simon's fear, but she didn't mean that at all! She completely understood why people were scared of sharks and didn't think it was anything to laugh at. But what if Simon thought she was? "Just so you know," she said hastily, stopping her laughter and trying to sound sincere, "I don't think it's stupid to be scared of sharks. They're pretty terrifying."

She considered his suggestion of an eagle. "That's interesting . . . what makes you think an eagle? I would have said . . . haha, you're right it is hard . . . errr, I would have said a parrot. Cause they're really smart and also really inquisitive at trying out new things!"
Irina giggled as he blustered on about his love potion. She watched him intently, realising he was actually feeling slightly awkward about it. Deciding not to comment on his unspecific potion, she sat up straighter, sitting on top of the table again and recrossing her legs.
"Okay, okay, okay," she said to herself, looking to the ceiling for inspiration. "Well, I don't really know what my boggart would be. I don't like the idea of a world where there are no adventures . . . but how would a boggart show that? Oh no wait, wait, wait, I got it! A howler from my parents." She grimaced at the thought. "Losing my reputation (not that I have much of one) as well as being humiliated in front of my friends! Not to mention that fact that my parents are dissapointed in me. Ugh." She shuddered half joking. "But then I'd combat it by making it choke on it's words and start coughing up paper. Patronus . . . I'd have to say a bowtruckle. And then love potion. Well, it depends what you want to know. Is the question 'what do you smell when you see the potion' or is it 'what do people smell in their potion when they love you?' Cause they're very different. What do you wanna know?"

"You didn't look so good either."

He smiled in silence, enjoying the jargon between them.

"Oooo, you're scared of sharks! Why's that? I've swam with sharks before and they were gorgeous." (Of course she has, he thought.) "... Just so you know. I don't think it's stupid to be scared of sharks. They're pretty terrifying."

“Yeah, I mean, I know that shark attacks are extremely rare but there is something with the thought of splashing around in a deep blue ocean when a shark suddenly appears and starts circling you… I can’t say that I’m afraid of much. I’m not afraid of the dark, of monsters, snakes, spiders or serial killers... But I guess that sharks would be the one thing that frightens me.” It was easier to admit it then to play it down.

"... What makes you think an eagle? I would have said . . . haha, you're right it is hard . . . errr, I would have said a parrot. Cause they're really smart and also really inquisitive at trying out new things!"

Simon laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment then! Well, it might seem like a cliché since I’m in Ravenclaw. But the eagle is such a powerful bird. A top predator with extraordinary eyesight, and I'd like to think that I'm very observant and careful with details. And there is something with their eyes. I met a tame eagle once. When we looked at each other it was like it starred into my very soul. A bit creepy, but mostly cool. They are very beautiful birds, in my opinion."

When it was Irina's turn, Simon changed his position, almost mimicking her, with his arms around his crossed legs. He was curious to hear Irina's answers and her answers did not disappoint. The howler thing was very creative. Why didn't I think of something like that?

“That’s a good one actually", said Simon. "Although I have a hard time imagining my parents sending a howler. They are too forgiving, especially my mom. Okay, continue!"

"Patronus . . . I'd have to say a bowtruckle. And then love potion. Well, it depends what you want to know. Is the question 'what do you smell when you see the potion' or is it 'what do people smell in their potion when they love you?' Cause they're very different. What do you wanna know?"

"Hmm…" Simon thought about it for a couple of seconds. "Answer both! And why bowtruckle? I think this is like fifth time you’ve mentioned bowtruckles. Is that your favorite magical creature or something?"

Interacting with @Irina Shevel