Making Melodies PV Koko Riddle Closed

This Slytherin was lost. Being lost wasn't always such a bad thing, but in a castle with moving staircases it certainly seemed like the end of the world. Her caramel hair was pulled into a tight french braid which she let fall down her back, and her hazel, almost golden eyes glimmered with the fear she hardly ever showed. What if she couldn't find her way back to the Slytherin common room?

Her name was Koko. As she rounded another unfamiliar corner, she saw a door that opened to a room she'd been in before--the rehearsal room. Koko could hear someone speaking and strumming what sounded like a guitar coming from the room. While she didn't want to intrude, she was truly lost and needed a moment of familiarity. Koko reached her hand out and opened the door.

It was girl she'd seen before, in the Slytherin Dormitories. Sylvia... Silver... Sylvie... her name was something like that. Blonde hair, green eyes. "Hi, I think I remember you from before. If you don't remember my name, I'm Koko... And... I'm sorry, but I don't remember yours. I think it starts with an "s". Oh, by the way, you're really good at your guitar!" It was true. Koko hadn't ever heard someone play a guitar, but it sounded lovely. Koko could only play the piano well; she squeaked often on a clarinet and was just learning another instrument that she wasn't very good at. It wasn't in her right mind to fail, but it was bound to happen sometime... "Are you writing a song?" Koko asked after a moment.

Sylvie, that was the blonde girl's name. Koko decided to commit it to memory as she heard the other Slytherin say something else. "Oh, no, y-you don't have to leave!" Koko stammered, trying to seem as welcoming as an introvert possibly could. She wanted to explain that she was very familiar with this room, and that she had been lost in the large Scottish castle. "I wish I could p-play guitar," she whispered, trying to buy herself time to catch her breath. She sounded nervous, and in a way she was. Nervous that Sylvie didn't like her, nervous that she'd be turned away again.

"No, that's not why I'm in here at all, though it might be a good excuse," Koko began, her golden-hued eyes shifting up to the upper left. She wasn't lying; she was just carefully watching the words she spoke. Speaking was so much more difficult than writing; a sketchbook or notepad couldn't judge her, she could just write down her thoughts, but a person... That was one reason that the eleven-year-old didn't enjoy talking to people. Koko found that her braid had come partially undone, and she quickly tied it back again. "I... I got lost. It's close to my seventh month in the castle and I'm still getting lost." Koko was slowly regaining some form of confidence. It wasn't a very strong type, of course, but it was able to steady her fast-paced heartbeat, which had been thudding against her ribs. Koko strode over to sit at the piano bench in the room, her favourite seat in the castle. She hoped that Sylvie wouldn't mind. Sylvie hadn't broken eye contact with Koko, meaning that either she didn't hate her, had overwhelming confidence, or she at least wanted to seem like it. Koko hoped it was either the first option or the last--she didn't really need any overwhelming confidence!

"No matter how I got in here, writing a song does sound kind of fun. I-I'm not too bad at lyrics, and I do play t-the piano," Koko said softly. Oh, there's my stutter again! Koko thought, suddenly angry with her pestering problem. She only stammered in front of people whom she didn't know very well, and this was certainly one of those occurrences. "S-sorry about m-my stuttering a-and all," Koko apologised quickly. She'd have to speak slower around Sylvie if she didn't wish to embarrass herself. Koko forced a small smile across her nervous lips, careful not to say much else. She hoped to hear the other Slytherin's ideas on songwriting, and maybe take a few tips along the way. Koko would probably learn something.

Koko hoped that Sylvie would want to help Koko with writing a song. The only reason Koko hadn't written anything in her notepad full of staff paper was because she didn't have anyone to critique her--the problem with having hardly any friends. Hopefully, that would change. If it didn't, Koko would be devastated, but it wouldn't hold the ambitious soul back. She would just rebound and try again.

Koko analyzed the room, trying to find any possible exit if she did something stupid, and also trying to find more comfortable seats. She rested a hand on the keys of the upright piano that she sat at, relishing in the familiar touch of the ivory. Pianos were friends to her, even if her fellow humans weren't. How could an inanimate object yell at her, judge her, or annoy her? Well, scratch the last one; inanimate objects could be quite annoying. According to Koko, inanimate objects were even more annoying that humans and animals.

With a quick, nervous breath, Koko closed her eyes tightly to steady her heart rate even more. Her palms were beginning to sweat with nerves, and she finally stretched out her hands on the piano, playing a few chords to get all of the stiffness out. She hadn't played in a while; it felt wonderful to be back. Smiling a real, genuine smile, she rested her hands as she waited, now calmly, for Sylvie's reply.

"No, don't apologize. I really don't mind the stuttering."

Koko sat quietly, as silent as a mouse, and she listened as the other girl talked. She was talking rather a lot... Did she feel uncomfortable? In response to her question, Koko said, "I'd love to try writing a song with you. S-should I get on the piano? I have staff paper in my notebook." Koko extended her arm to offer Sylvie a piece. Koko was fine with lyrics, but truth be told, she preferred experimenting with possible chords on a piano. Lyrics were fun, though.

Because she couldn't decide which, she would let Sylvie decide. Yes, the indecisive person's safeguard--another person to shove the decision on top of. Koko smiled at Sylvie, her golden eyes alight with some form of... joy? Or was it a glint of the sadism she felt, which pushed her to force the awkward-ish Sylvie to make a decision. "I'm fine with either lyrics or melody. Whichever is fine with you. And, if you're wondering, I'm fine if you would like to give me piano lessons, but I'd rather not make you any more uncomfortable," said the first year, gesturing to the other Slytherin's slightly bewildered expression.

Sylvie had obviously been trying not to look nervous, but she was just doing to opposite, practically committing suicide by it. Koko couldn't help but giggle a tiny bit, and then she slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the noise. Koko's cheeks warmed as she realised that she had laughed aloud. "Sorry," she managed to choke out before another round of giggles. "Really, I'm not sure what's wrong with me." Her soft, sugarcoated English accent made the words sound much more innocent than they were. She did know what was wrong with her, oh yes, she knew the bloody issue. She'd known for years...

There was no change in the golden girl's composure; in fact, she seemed a little bit more at home now that she was laughing. She stopped the rhythmic sound as abruptly as it had begun, knowing that it had been unfathomably rude. Koko managed a rushed apology before her face reddened to the colour of her remembrall whenever she forgot something. She giggled once more, only because she was embarrassed, and she shook her head. "Merlin's beard, I shouldn't have laughed," she said to the other girl.

"I'd love to try writing a song with you. S-should I get on the piano? I have staff paper in my notebook."

“I shouldn’t have laughed”

"Okay. So... I guess I'll try and do a few possible melodies on the piano," she amended, walking over to the large instrument and playing a few notes in rapid succession. It didn't sound terrible, but... "What key should we use? Major or Minor?" Koko's personal favourite was F Minor, but she wasn't sure what the other girl would choose. She honestly didn't care.

"I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable, so we could always wait on guitar, though I'd love to hear you play." It was just a sentence, but she felt that it might be enough to make Sylvie feel a little more confident. Koko knew how hard it could be to gain confidence. "No, no, it's fine. Don't worry about any rambling - I do it, too." Koko took a deep breath and began to play a little more. Just a few chords on her left hand, a melody that wasn't too complicated on her right. The melody would have a tiny bit of a jazzy swing to it if one listened closely enough, and the chords helped compliment that. It wasn't what she was intending for their song to be, but it was a pretty good warm-up.

With a smile, she glanced over at Sylvie.

"I'm ready whenever you are."

 “What key should we use? Major or Minor?”

"My voice... It's not high, nor is it low. Kind of..." Koko wiggled her fingers. "You know. In the middle." Well, she could sing high, but she could also sing low. That was what she was trying to say.

"And yes, it would be amazing if you could play a little guitar. Maybe sets of chords... Just basic quarter notes, maybe a bit of repetition? Also, I think it would be somewhat easier to do one in a major key." A smile spread across Koko's face, and her eyes were alight at the prospect of being able to talk about music to someone. Music, one of her few passions. It was hard to bring it up to others, even if others took the time to even talk to her. Which most didn't do.

"I could do matching chords on piano," Koko added, almost giddily. How glad she was, to be finally doing this! Writing a song with someone else. The entire prospect made Koko's blood pump faster than usual. Maybe she would make a friend instead of an enemy this time.

It was actually turning out to be difficult to write a song with someone else. Koko didn't have any of the songwriting software that her adoptive father had bought her - and it wouldn't work here, the castle had no WiFi. So she would try and make flags on eighth notes look nice and pretty, make half notes look as if they were on real sheet music. "If you want it to be easier to play on an instrument, we could try the key of C major," Koko suggested after a moment of thought.