Charmed to Meet You PV Eira Finished

Participants: Eira Cravensworth|@Harvey Barrows

Outfit

The day was relatively slow, if Eira was being honest.

She had been planning to practice the new spells she had learned from Defense Against the Dark Arts and show them to Sadie. However, her Gryffindor friend apologetically said that she has a letter due for her family, which Eira empathized with.

She was able to adapt in her life at Hogwarts seamlessly; she memorized her class schedule within two days, cleverly used the hidden passages and corridors to get to classes sooner, and used their free time to practice proper incantations and wand movements.

Magic and learning spells was easy for her. Keeping a solid friendship who is in the same house as her?

Not so much. Which is quite something as the term is nearly over.

But self-pity is unbecoming of a Cravensworth so she focused on her academics instead if Sadie being unavailable. Eira supposed that if she can't have a good relationship with her housemates, the best thing is to claw her way on the top. A bit lonely, but at least there is a benefit in her solitude.

...She wishes she could bring Circe along.

Well, another Charms lesson has come to a close, a lesson that Eira found a bit tedious but quite useful in certain situations. Though she may have to look for another place to practice the spells before the year ends. The Cravenworth manor's doors will just lock and open itself for the family so it will be useless.

And of course the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery which her dad stauncly supported while Eira thinks it was nutters to be unable to pratice the spells she had learned over summer. It'll just be like private tutoring where all she gets to do is copy notes and memorize wand movements without actually doing them.

The class had ended some time ago while she was having her inner dialogue; a few students were remaining, some were talking to their seatmates, others were tidying up their parchment and quills. With a sigh, she picked up her wand and frowned when she saw a faint lining on the side with a bit of the wood poking out like a hanged nail.

She frowned, maybe she could have it looked at by Mr. Ollivander...

Looking to her right, her eyes met with her seatmate's dark-eyed gaze.

Huh, she hadn't really seen him before. Then again, she stopped focusing on other housemates and focused on her classes instead.

"Are you enjoying the coursework as well? Professor Fresnel has done a wonderful job so far if I do say so myself."

His question caught her off guard. The fact that he even paid attention to her was a surprise all on itself.

Snapping out of her brief astonishment, she gave a careful nod and answered.

"Yes, it's been a great subject so far, along with Defense Against the Dark Arts. My name is Eira Cravensworth by the way-"

She immediately stopped herself from curtsying as it usually earned her stares and sneers from others in Hogwarts and disguised her sudden movement as an awkward shift.

"Do you find other classes immersive as well? I've surprisingly grown fond with History of Magic when I first thought that it was rather dull. Potions and Herbology... I'm afraid I'm quite rubbish," she finished with a bit of a laugh. And she definitely won't be flying a broom anytime soon...

Realizing her manners, she gave a quiet gasp "Apologies! I droned on without even asking for your name."

@Eira Cravensworth

Harvey's ambition could often leave him with a rather solitary existence. While many students were joining sports teams, making friends or exploring all of the other extracurricular activities Hogwarts had to offer, the boy was more focused on excelling in his coursework. He of course made every effort to get to know his peers and to make connections with those he felt important enough to get to know, but a close knot group of friends was not something he had obtained yet. Especially among his fellow Slytherins. Perhaps it was his personality? Harvey was driven by success and had expectations from his family that he was not going to fail to meet. It seemed that this made him somewhat unreliable to many at Hogwarts, but surely there were others of like mind?

You never know unless you try they say. This impulse had driven Harvey to speak with the witch next to him and while you never knew what ly just beneath the surface, she carried herself in a way that just felt familiar. His question to her seemed to catch her off guard for a brief moment, but he smiled when she began to answer. "Harvey Barrows." The boy stated with a bow of his head that would have matched the curtsy had she chosen to follow that instinct. A clear indication of his formal upbringing. However, her somewhat long winded response and awkward shift of movement left him slightly perplexed.

Now, Harvey was never one for overly talkative people. It was often he found they just rambled on and on about this or that without really having much to say of importance. He craved meaningful conversation. However, it was clear that Eira was driven by academics and that intrigued him quite a bit. "That's fine." Harvey brushed off any offense and moved the conversation along. "I am enjoying many of the other classes as well, though I must admit I share your aversion to Herbology. Not my cup of tea." An understatement from the boy to say the least, but he withheld his harsh critique of the subject for now. "However, I too have a passion for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Do you have a favorite spell from the course?"

Her classmate's question made her pause. What is her favorite spell in Defense Against the Dark Arts? Circe, it's like asking her to pick her favorite pudding. A spell came to mind she immediately replied-

"Flipendo. The Knockback Jinx"

It felt natural for her to say it; it's been the spell that always comes naturally for her while practicing in the classroom (with the professor's permission). She gave a tentative grin towards Harvey, silently studying his form.

She definitely should have been paying more attention to her housemates; Harvey is shorter than most of the boys, a tad smaller than her, even. But despite his physical stature, he carried himself with confidence and an aura of someone brought up with nobility, something she had been familiar with.

Eira had a nagging suspicion that he's analyzing her with the way his dark eyes seemed to gleam like polished onyx, but she might be looking too much into it. After all, here is someone who is not afraid of showing manners and didn't deem her a snob.

A breath of fresh air indeed!

Feeling cautiously confident, she gently traced her wand's side, inwardly wincing she felt the small notch, "To be perfectly honest, I wanted to perfect the Smokescreen spell but for some reason I can't properly perform the defensive use of it. It is rather disheartening, especially when Mr. Ollivander said that my wand should be taken to defensive spells as kelpies do to lochs. Maybe I need to focus more on the intent of the spell, I guess."

Deciding to learn more about him, she sat back in the chair and turned to fully face him, offering her full attention as she straightened her posture.

"I'm glad that someone shared my aversion with Herbology. It's as if everyone is perplexed that I'm not able to fully bloom my Honking Daffodil, but I'm afraid I have scared my seatmate's plants every time we have to work together." She giggled a bit, "Enough about me, how about you? Any spells that you are incredibly fond of? Or subjects?"

@Eira Cravensworth

"Ah, Flipendo." Harvey agreed in a tone that made clear his admiration of the spell. The first time he had uttered that word of power and felt the buzz of energy coursing through his wand had left him almost feeling intoxicated. It was only a simple spell with a very practical application. Danger is in front of you, knock it away. However, the feeling that it gave him when he watched it happen was astounding. It was still hard to believe sometimes that the properties flowing through his blood could be control in a way to manipulate the very world around him. The boy had taken to it right away and if he remained as focused and as hardworking as he was now, time would mold him into a very capable caster.

Eira's perceptive nature would suit her well in life. Harvey had long ago shed any embarrassment for being shorter than most of his peers. It was simply a part of his nature and that was apparent by how he carried himself. He'd gladly stare up at the tallest student at Hogwarts without batting an eye and any insults or bullying directed his way for it rolled right off of his back. He was here to carve a path for himself in this life and being short wasn't going to stop him. In return however, Harvey did not suffer people that he felt could not live up to his standards. He was a snob and even worse he could care less about it. The boy studied his peers just as he was studying Eira now. To his surprise though he was taken by her confidence and was intrigued to know her more.

Harvey listened closely as Eira spoke of the Smokescreen spell. Again his fellow Slytherin was a little long winded in her explanation, but most of the first year students were content even if they could not master a spell. It was nice to meet another that wouldn't be satisfied until they had complete control over it. "The smokescreen spell is rather tricky. Great for defense, but it can so quickly backfire on you. Perhaps you will have better luck if you focus specifically on the defensive properties of it. We could practice sometime if you'd like." As much as he liked his solitude, especially when it came to studies, it would be nice to have someone there to help observe his form and offer critique.

Harvey nodded his head when Eira revealed she too couldn't stand Herbology. "Honking Daffodils will be the death of me. I still cant believe that it's a mandatory subject here. We can simply just buy ingredients when we need them." He finished with a roll of his eyes and potentially shown light on his snobbery. "Lets see. I've enjoyed getting to know the Curse of Bogies. A bit disgusting, but very effective in disabling your opponent. Besides Defense Against the Dark Arts, my next favorite course is Potions. I really enjoy the precision of it all. DO you care for it at all?" Harvey's expression slipped into a slight grin as he began to enjoy the conversation. It had been a while since he felt that click with another, so hopefully it would continue.

Oh dear, Potions.

Eira was quite nervous to anwer him. Harvey is definitely the academic sort and based on his replies, he'd appreciate a precise method. No wonder he is keen with Potions.

"Well, I can confidently say that I'm not going to pick Potioneer as my career of choice" Eira replied, "Not that I dislike the subject but it requires an eye for detail which, I must confess, sometimes escapes me".

She could still remember the faint smell of singed hair when her cauldron bubbled over and almost ruined her seatmate's own potion. Thank Morgana that it took just a simple Vanishing Spell from Professor Asmaralaya to empty the contents of the potion, but she still got a bad mark on the Muffling Draught.

But he was kind enough to offer his help with the Smokescreen Spell and one must not look a gift horse in the mouth especially if she will benefit from it,

"Then I humbly accept your offer then, good sir" she anwered with a sincere tone and slight bow as she dipped her head in appreciation. "And I am sure the kind professor would appreciate me not casting the spell too strong that it almost suffocated someone."

She mildly winced when she cast it during the lesson while having double Charms with Gryffindor. Granted the Gryffindor boy she was paired up with was a bit too gobby and felt some satifaction when he coughed out the smoke she had cast to his direction, but not casting a spell perfectly?

It simply won't do.

She leaned back on the chair and crossed her legs together by the ankle, copying her mum's form as she continued their conversation.

"And I understand the appeal of the Curse of the Bogies, or lack thereof. Not that I'm going to use it on anyone soon but a lot of great wizards and witches have said the best defense is a good offense. I think they got it from a Muggle who was in the military but it doesn't make it any less true" she said, "I think I'm going to try out for the Duelling Club. A good way to practise spellcasting and strategizing."

Carefullly caressing her wand, she looked to Harvey with a curious glint in her eye, "How about you Harvey Barrows? Are there any clubs you're currently intersted in? Or maybe even your future career?"

@Eira Cravensworth

It as true, Harvey did appreciate the level of detail that went into to proper potion brewing. He simply had the methodical mind necessary for it. The boy would get lost in the procedure of it all. The precise manipulation of the ingredients. The adherence to every detail of the recipe, whether it be timing or proper rotation of the stirs. Everything about the it spoke to him and the feeling of corking a successful brew was one that left him chasing for more. "It's not for everyone." Harvey replied matter-of-factly. His tone was often dry, but the boy did not put flare on his words for the sake of others unless he deemed it necessary to the situation. "I must admit I find myself lacking much the same when it comes to Transfiguration." It wasn't really his style to admit any shortcoming, but his interest was peaked by Eira and he yearned for a connection.

"Very good." Harvey was pleased that she had accepted his offer to work together on the Smokescreen spell. He had of coursed studied with others before, but it was often when he was forced to do so during class. It would be a nice change of pace to willingly do so with another that took their academics as seriously as he did. "Hm, perhaps Professor Lécuyer did appreciate it." Harvey offered. "I know I would. Sounds like you cast it perfectly." He appreciated the power that came with their magic and he didn't feel like it was something they should hold back on if they were to perfect their craft one day. Not to mention that a precisely cast spell by a first year was rather impressive and it only drew his attention more to Eira.

As impressed as he was by her, his brow did slowly rise again as she went on about some muggle in the military. A bit more needless description in his opinion, but he held his sharp tongue at bay for now. "Oh surely you must be able to think of someone that deserves a good cursing." Harvey's darker shade of humor became apparent as a smirk crossed his lips. "Never say never." The mention of dueling focused his mind back on the conversation. Club activity had turned him off as teamwork was not his forte, but the chance to use his magic in such a setting was rather tempting. "The dueling team is rather impressive. I think I would enjoy it, but my focus has been on my studies and I can risk slipping behind for extracurriculars. No way for all the galleons in the world would I be caught dead on a quidditch pitch, but perhaps some of the other clubs may have something to offer." He finished with a shrug.

However, the mention of future careers brought a flash of life to his eyes. "I think something in international trade would suit me." He answered without any hesitation. This was not the first time he had thought about it. "My grandfather works at Gringotts with the other goblins..." A hint at his nature if Eira was keen enough to pick up on it. "...but I don't want to follow in his footsteps." Not that the goblins would allow for it anyways. "I do hope to travel the world and establish business connections. Import, export, sourcing fine goods. That sort of thing. Any thoughts into your future career?"

'-with the other goblins'.

Well, that explains some things, Eira supposed. Mostly explaining some of his features but at the end of it, it doesn't matter to Eira. If anything, Harvey became even more impressive in her eyes. Especially after learning the tense relationship between humans and goblins.

"Well, I can definitely see you in that kind of career," she answered, "Someone with a high regard for the tiniest of details and shrewdness is needed to have a successful business after all. I for one hadn't thought much of my future career as of yet. When I was seven, I wanted to be an Auror, though that's because it was my tutor's job before he retired and became a private tutor instead," she explained.

The first time she had met Mr. Sheffield, the gruff man almost scared her to bits with his scarred face and a permanent limp on his left leg. But in no time at all, the girl admired the man's wisdom and his adventurous tales of being an Auror- A wizard who is out and about, keeping villains away and saving the day... til his partner flipped on them.

"Apart from that line of work, I'm also interested in being a Hit Witch or maybe just follow the Cravensworth family's footsteps of breeding and rearing kelpies for wand cores."

The words felt like ash in her mouth; no doubt, if she voiced them out in the next family reunion, her cousins would have more than enough to say about it. She didn't want to be rich layabout like some of her mum's friends, but maybe she could do some charity work and be a philanthropist. Merlin knows that the world needs more of them.

Eira gave a small laugh, "What I'm sure is, I'm not going to be a potioneer or herbologist. Who knows, maybe I might improve my skills in due time."

@Eira Cravensworth

It was rare, but Harvey wasn't paying much attention when he let slip that he came from goblin heritage. A quick flick of his eyes as he tried to read her expression was the only reaction on his part. Not that he was shy about letting people know he was a half-breed. The boy was proud of his ancestry and even more so of being a person of mixed race, but he was usually more careful with his words. Perhaps a testament to just naturally feeling comfortable around one such as Eira.

A slight upturn of the corner of Harvey's mouth was all that lead on to the pleasure he took in her compliment, but the courteous nod of his head gave the visual cue if needed. His stoic expression would shift however when Eira mentioned being tutored by an Auror. "Goodness, what an opportunity." Harvey's grandfather and a couple of teachers had seen to his tutelage and though they were very experienced it was nothing compared to that of a professional law enforcer. "No wonder you are casting powerful spells as a first year. It would be quite the feat to follow in their footsteps." The boy looked to Eira in a new light. Such ambition was just the character trait he was looking for in companions. "Breeding magical creatures is important work, but I'd say no harm in setting the bar a bit higher. We mustn't settle." The last words were just as much for him as they were for her.

It would be easy for Harvey to rely on his family legacy. Not that the name Barrows carried any, but his grandfather was a wealthy goblin. There was enough galleons in the family vault for generations to live comfortably. Yet the boy wanted nothing more to make his own mark in this world. Not that he wouldn't live a life of leisure built off of the back of his grandfather, but he was determined to surpass him one day. Eira would offer a small laugh at the expense of her skill in herbology and potions. "I'm sure with practice you would do just fine, but I think that brings up an important point. Our time here at school is to hone our skills of course, but as my grandfather says, making connections is just as important. Where I might lack in Transfiguration, perhaps you excel. With the right group of people, so much could be accomplished. Would you agree?"

It's certainly not the first time Eira wholeheartedly agreed to Harvey's words. Learning whom to rub shoulders with and knowing whom to approach on specific matters was something she learned ever since her parents had been hosting lavish dinner parties during the winter solstice.

Even something as trivial as her mum's tea parties, Eira would be in the company of well-known potioneers and herbologists. They are dreadful Exploding Snap teammates, but a lot of the time, her mum will be gifted with rare plants or potion ingredients in exchange for being invited.

A smile split her lips as she nodded, "That is a wise assessment. And I must confess, I was never a fan of a Jack of all trades. It feels like you're stretching yourself too thin. And whereas I had an advantage amongst our peers due to my tutelage from an Auror. I definitely won't settle for the mediocre, which is why I'm aiming to be the best spellcaster. A bit of a reach, I know... but if I don't aim high, then what's the point of having a goal?"

Her previous reluctance about exploring other endeavors and weakness in certain subjects seemed to vanish as Harvey explained his perception. It was refreshing to hear his thoughts, especially when he is someone who values hard work and sees the big picture. She can easily count the people she knows who can see beyond their nose with her hands, and her parents already occupied the first two.

She looked at the clock that was placed on top of the board, showing that it was nearly time for the next class, and she didn't want to be late.

Standing up with her book bag secured over her shoulder, Eira gave a proper curtsy this time and offered a sincere smile, "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Barrows. I am quite fortunate to have this talk with you; you have given me a lot of things to think about."

As she walked towards the doorway, she turned to him and said-

"You remind me of the snapdragon flower. Now, whether it's the positive or negative symbolism... the Quaffle is in your court."

And with that, she happily made her way to her History of Magic class, hoping to come across him soon.