Courtyard Chat PV w/ Percival Rocier

Finally, class was over.

Percival was so glad to finally be out of Potions class because of its classroom, even if he did enjoy the subject. It was just that the stone corridors always felt so damp and old. But the moment he entered the courtyard, he was instead greeted by the warmth of the sun on his face, as well as a breeze of fresh air. He tilted his head back slightly and closed his eyes for just a second to enjoy it.

This was just the break he needed.

Other students were already scattered around the courtyard, too, some in groups and others alone to enjoy a mental break from all the studying. Percival’s eyes shifted around, trying to see if any of his friends were out there, until they stopped on a girl sitting by the fountain. A book rested open on her lap, and she seemed quite focused on it. He then hesitated because while she seemed completely absorbed in her book, he also wondered if she would even want company.

After another moment of consideration, he made his choice.

He adjusted the strap of his robes, took in a deep breath, and crossed the courtyard, doing his best not to look like he was second-guessing himself. When he reached the fountain, he offered her a friendly smile. “Hi,” he began, his voice a little more timid than he liked, “I’m Percival. Do you mind if I sit here?”

He then glanced at the book on her lap, tilting his head slightly. “What are you reading?”

@Aisling Doyle

Aisling jumped at Percival talking to her. The last thing she had anticipated was someone approaching her. Usually, most people her age ignored her. Not that she ever minded, she was almost always enthralled with something that didn't need an extra person. She shook her head. "Oh, uh, yeah, you're...you're grand." She scooted over so Percival could have a seat. She noticed the robes he was wearing, black and emerald green. A Slytherin!

Aisling admittedly didn't know much about Slytherins. Quite frankly, she probably only knew two things. Firstly, that's the house that Lord Voldemort came from (Aisling knew that the wizarding world would rather refer to him as "He Who Must Not Be Named", but that was wordy, and at this point, wasn't he dead already? She doubted that a dead man could get any power by his name being used) as well as many of the other Death Eaters. That's what it said in her Hogwarts history textbook, anyway. The second is that they may have a worse reputation than Hufflepuffs, if only because of the people who once came from there. When Aisling first learned about that on the ride to Hogwarts, it didn't sit with her right. It was just so assumptive. And already, Percival seemed different from the stereotypical Slytherin type that she had heard about.

"Hogwarts, A History," Aisling answered as she glanced back down into her book, "just uh, just brushing up a bit for my History of Magic class. You know, stay on top of things." There was a lull for a moment before she looked back at Percival. Maybe he could be a friend. Aisling remembered what her mum had said before she left for Hogwarts: find something you genuinely like about someone and compliment them on it; even small compliments can make someone's day brighter. "I like the green that, um, that Slytherin has," she muttered, "it...it suits you."

Percival smiled and lowered himself onto the edge of the fountain beside her. He then put down the stack of books still tucked under one arm so they would not topple over, and finally relaxed. “Hogwarts, A History, huh? That explains why it's such a thick book." He chuckled, but seemed almost as curious about its contents.

Her compliment caught him completely off guard, however.

He blinked, then felt heat creep up his neck and across his cheeks. As a result, for just a second or two, words failed him. “Oh. Uh, thank you,” he managed, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. “I’m still getting used to the green, to be honest." Being put in Slytherin had surprised him, but he was starting to get used to it.

He then glanced back out toward the courtyard, watching the groups of students passing by, before turning back to her with a curious tilt of his head. "You're a first year, too, right? What do you think of it, so far? Is it easy, or do you have a hard time keeping up?" He asked because he definitely felt like he was lagging behind a little. Some classes were fine, but some seemed impossibly complex.

And somehow, other students seemed to do just fine in them.

@Aisling Doyle

Aisling nodded. "Yeah, I...I am," she responded, "Hufflepuff, actually." She pursed her lips for a moment, as though she was contemplating something. "But I...I think the Sorting Hat...it might've got it wrong, though," she said, "about me." Aisling remembered when the Sorting Hat decided that she would be best suited for Hufflepuff. The only good thing about her being placed into Hufflepuff was that at least she wouldn't always be in the center of attention like Gryffindor. But Hufflepuffs, all the ones she seemed to meet were social butterfiles. Her meeting with some of her peers in the Hufflepuff Common Room were a testament to that.

"Uh, yeah, I'm a first year, too," Aisling said, "I...I guess most of my classes have been alright. Nothing too intense." This was true. She hadn't gone too far into her classes yet since the semester had only just started, but she already knew that Charms were her favorite class by far. Now if only she could take the Care for Magical Creatures class, but she'd have to wait until her third year to take that class. When she first heard that it was unavailable to first years, it was safe to say that Aisling was disappointed. But when she found out that she had to take Potions, a class that felt like virtually the exact of the class she wanted to take. Thankfully, she wasn't the one who had to extract the animal body parts for the potions, but using them at all was enough for her stomach to feel like it was in knots. "Don't like Potions," she murmured.

Percival tilted his head slightly when she mentioned that the Sorting Hat might have been wrong about her. He kind of felt the same way about his own sorting, so this got him extra curious about her, “What House did you think you’d be in?” he asked, genuinely interested. to hear her thoughts and maybe get to know her a little better. And if she had doubts about her own situation, maybe she would not think his own were silly.

She'd be able to relate.

When she admitted that she didn’t like Potions, Percival let out a chuckle, “Really? I don’t think it’s so bad.” He thought about the classroom, deciding it wasn't the most hospitable room at the castle, but it felt like something important. “Maybe it’s because I know I need to be good at it. My dad’s an Auror, and I want to be one too, someday." It was no secret that Aurors needed to perform well in that class, so he had his motivation.

He had already scored an outstanding on his first assignment, too!

He then shrugged, "It’s harder than I expected, though. I keep thinking I’m following the steps right, and then the whole thing turns out wrong anyway.” His mouth curved into a sheepish smile, and he shook his head. “So maybe I shouldn’t sound too confident. It’s a lot more complicated than it looks.”

Turning back to her, his expression softened. “Do you know what you'd like to become later already?"

@Aisling Doyle

Aisling shrugged. "I don't know," she said, "I...I think the closest, for me, would be Ravenclaw. I like learning." She paused for a moment. "Hufflepuff ... for me, Hufflepuff ... it just ... it just doesn't make sense." She frowned. "It," she chuckled, her voice trembling, "it was bad enough that I ... I kinda heard some stuff aboout Hufflepuff on ... on the Hog -- Hogwarts Express." She swallowed. "Not very nice stuff. I ... I think they were upperclassmen, but still." She frowned, remembering some of the insults that she overheard:

"They're dim."
"I can count on one hand the amount of Hufflepuffs that have done anything important."
"What are Hufflepuffs good for anyway? Friendship bracelets? At least Ravenclaws have some wits."

The last thing Aisling wanted to be seen as was dense. But considering how she struggled in Potions, maybe she had assumed so highly of herself when it came to her intelligence beforehand. To Aisling, smart people craved her learning, even when it was hard. But Potions was a different beast altogether. "I...I can understand the steps in Potions," she said, "I just ... I can't ..." She held back for a moment. Oh, what a bleeding heart she was about to come off as. Aisling took a deep breath. "I don't like how ... how Potions use ... animal ... animal parts." Her stomach turned at the thought. Just thinking about how she needed to crush up snake fangs and boil horned slugs alive for a Cure for Boils potion made her ill. "Or animals themselves," she murmured.

Percival frowned a little as she talked, though not at her. He just frowned at the awful things she had overheard on the train. It made his stomach twist and wish he was there to tell those people off. He shifted on the fountain’s edge, thinking carefully before leaning forward a little again. “You shouldn’t listen to people like that,” he said softly. “Hufflepuffs are great. My mum was one, and she’s an amazing witch. She’s smart, kind, and tougher than anyone gives her credit for. If you’re in the same House, then that says something about you, too.” He offered her an encouraging smile, hoping she would believe him.

Or, at least, brighten up a bit.

When she explained her problem with Potions, he sat back and thought about it for a moment. He had never really considered where the ingredients came from beyond what was written in the book or handed out in class. His brow furrowed slightly as he tried to picture it. “I get what you mean,” he admitted after a moment. “It’s kind of grim when you stop and think about it like that...” He rubbed at the back of his neck, still looking thoughtful. “Maybe the parts are just collected after animals pass away naturally? At least I hope so.”

His eyes softened as he studied her some more. She seemed genuinely bothered by the thought, and that told him something important! “You seem like someone who really cares about animals,” he said with a little smile. “That’s a good thing. It probably means you’d be brilliant when we get to learning about magical creatures.”

He tilted his head slightly, “Do you have pets at home? Or a favorite animal?”

@Aisling Doyle

Aisling smiled weakly at Percival. "You ... you think so?" she asked, "about me being a Hufflepuff?" She couldn't help but blush. Aisling hadn't considered the other facets of Hufflepuff. Granted, with her not finding out about her witch status until about a year ago, she only knew the bare bones about each house. Hence, her reading up on her Hogwarts, A History textbook. But even the textbook didn't help her understand each hose, except to draw assumptions. Considering how kind Percival came off as already, she knew the Slytherin assumption couldn't have been further from the truth. It's a shame some dark wizard a couple of decades ago had to tarnish a group of people who are essentially just resillient.

"And as for the potions conundrum sort of thing," Aisling said, her voice faintly stammering, "m ... maybe. I ... I know that sometimes the potions ... they like the ingredients ... they want them as fresh as possible. That ... that's what makes me ... feel so..." She shuddered at the thought. "With food, I guess, it's different, because I ... we, need it to live. But with ... with potions..." Aisling sighed. "It ... it just doesn't sit right with me." She paused for a moment. She felt that she must be a hypocrite for that one.

Percival’s smile grew when she blushed. “Yeah,” he said, “I think so. You’ll be an amazing witch, too. Just because the Hat put you in Hufflepuff doesn’t mean it’s a mistake. It probably saw something in you that you don’t see in yourself yet. That happens a lot, I think.” He leaned back slightly, still watching her with a smile on his face.

It had happened to him, too, he supposed.

When she shuddered about Potions again, his expression softened a little further. He could tell it really bothered her, and he didn’t want her to feel like she was wrong for thinking that way. “It’s alright that it doesn’t sit right with you,” he said. “Honestly, I never thought about it much before you said something. But I’m pretty sure no good witch or wizard would ever go around killing animals just to get potion ingredients. That wouldn’t make sense, right? Wizards are supposed to protect magical creatures, not harm them.”

Unless it was maybe to save even more lives? He frowned briefly as he tried to puzzle it out, but decided this moral issue was a little too complex for him.

Then, he smiled again, "It's great that you care so much about animals, though. Maybe that's why the hat sorted you into Hufflepuff, hm?" His Mom was also very kind to animals and cared deeply about nature, too. Maybe Aisling is similar, in a way? It made sense to his young brain.

@Aisling Doyle