Among The Bound Pages PV Ruby Red Finished

"Yeah, I mean, it's really crazy to learn about all the stuff that can go on in this entire existence that I never even knew was here. Dark arts, defensive spells, werewolves, hags... but it does seem that the school has a good handle on it. Maybe that's why we DON'T know of it, you know? Maybe we don't know about it because there are wizards and witches that keep everything that's evil at bay and the rest of the nonmagic folk can be at peace?"

It was just a theory of his but one he liked. Maybe if there were wizards out there that protected others maybe he'd want to do something like that some day well after his Hogwarts' years. He'd have to think about what job he'd want eventually but it wasn't really something he needed to do right now. Before this, he always had thought of becoming something within the medical field perhaps but he wasn't even sure if wizards and witches had doctors. Well, they had to have something, didn't they? They still got injured and they still got sick. Besides, even the school had a Hospital Wing with a nurse on staff. Simon had heard some of the others in his dorm talk about it after some quidditch mishaps.

"Yeah, you're probably right! I mean, it all has to balance, right? If we keep magic hidden, the non-magical people can live with a peace of mind, I guess? Like, peace in not knowing. Because if they don't know magic exists, the only thing they have to worry about are normal stuff, like money and health. Not that we don't have those issues, but we can use magic to help us." What if we found a cure for cancer, would we share it? Ruby thought to herself. Would we do it, even if it meant exposing ourselves? "If the non-magical community doesn't know that there can be a super-powerful evil person with magic, then they don't worry about it, because they can't worry about what they don't know. They would continue with their daily lives, blissfully ignorant of the magical danger. I agree with you, there are probably witches and wizards who's jobs and livings are fighting evil and protecting both magic and non-magical people. That's kind of cool if you think about it, but also stressful, in my opinion. Like, if you're dueling this powerful and evil magic, you could be holding the fate of the entire world in your hands. That's probably why there's a lot, so it isn't weighing on one person's shoulders."

“Yeah but I think since I do have this apparent gift that I want to use it for good somehow. Not just for this world but the regular one as well,” he had heard some students talk at school about being pureblood and not having anything to do with muggles but that all seemed odd to him when the majority of the world was no magic.

There had to be a balance. He looked over the books before him and shut the one he had open. If there were werewolves for real, great. He hoped to meet one someday. But there really was no use reading about them compulsively because he thought they were strange. They were as normal as witches and wizards most likely.

He probably should put the books away but he wasn’t sure. “...The books in this place are interesting. One about toads snapped at me when I went to open it earlier.” Craziness! But that was magic for you. He never knew what to expect in this world around him but that’s part of what Hogwarts was about - to learn it all.

“Tell me, If I’m done reading about werewolves, what should my next topic of research be?”

Ruby thought for a second before replying. "Well, I guess that depends on what you want to learn about, because I'm fairly sure everything in this library is pretty much non-fiction. I guess that kind of rules out mystery, horror, and comedy, but I'm not sure. Anyways, if you want to continue reading about magical creatures, there is an entire book dedicated to them, and you could probably pick one from there. If you want to learn about the history of this world, I'm fairly sure there are a few shelves on that. Geez, I sound like an answering machine. Other than those two topics, I'm not really sure. I'm much more used to normal libraries. Well, normal for the non-magical community. With books that don't try and bite your hand off!"
Ruby knew that being here would be a big adjustment for her, and she would probably have to prepare a lot before telling her family about her magic schooling. Her sister, Violet, would probably be a little jealous of her learning magic, but Ruby hoped that it wouldn't ruin their bond. She couldn't wait to learn more about magic and eventually do it, even though that seemed a little far off. But that didn't stop her from being excited!

"The history would be interesting..." he said and his mind got to work. What did wizards do in situations like World War II? Were they apart of it? Did they leave muggles to sort out their own issues? It was something worth looking up. In fact, Simon was getting so many ideas on things he needed to research that he started to make a list of them and so he got a small spiral bound notebook from his bag and wrote that down. History.

It was pretty vague but more would come in time, he was sure. Yes, his curiousity could have made a pretty good fit for a Ravenclaw. "I wonder who the very first wizard was and if like...all wizards have derrived from that. I heard once that they claim all blue eyed people are related back to one common ancestor. Not really sure entirely how that works, but I remember hearing it discussed in science class back at my other school."

And he had found that rather interesting, even though he himself had green eyes. Green eyes that had pupils that easily grew in lesser light. Simon always thought he had quite impeccable night vision for someone. He rarely had to worry about things like turning on a light if he woke at night or had trouble sleeping.

"Hmm, maybe he was like this, really powerful being and he had to find some way to channel that magic, so he got a wand and used it. I don't know, but maybe it's somewhere here, in the library!" Ruby smiled, excited to see if that was true. If it was, she couldn't wait to explore and learn more! If it wasn't, well, she would do her best to learn as much as she could about the history of her new world.
"Wait, what if he wasn't born with powers like we are now, maybe he was gifted them by a higher magic! And then either he was the first pure-blood because there was someone else like him, or he was the first half-blood! From what I've read so far, a lot of spells are Latin-based. So if the first wizard made the first spells, he probably was Latin, or he was skilled in the language. Magic history is kind of simple once you break it down, but also so complex with all the different types of witches and wizards. Now that we're living in this world, it's going to be hard acting normal once we leave. I mean, we're probably going to learn so much while we stay here, and then leave for the summer. I don't know, I mean, we learn all about magic, and then hide it for our safety. It just seems like a big transition."

It was certainly something he wanted to research sometime but he decided to save it for another time. "I better put some of these back before the librarian comes over and starts heaving them at me for having so many out," he remarked playfully as he began to pace a few of the books in a small stack to return.

"So tell me, Rube, what else do you find yourself doing when not talking with Hufflepuffs in the library?" He liked to get to know people and it seemed there were lots of different types of students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Some liked to read, some played music, some did quidditch and followed the professional teams. Some liked to be artistic while others danced. There was the frog choir and gobstones and dueling and broom racing - lots to do.

For him it seemed that he knew a lot that liked to spend their time out at the Lake or to play along the grounds of the castle, something that he himself wasn't able to partake in. That was fine, as he had been used to it by now. He had found plenty of indoor activities to occupy his time and even had some goals in the future, like perhaps learn a foreign language or learn a new instrument to help pass the time.

"Um, normally just walk around the school and school grounds or read in here. I've used to play piano before coming here, but I'm pretty sure there isn't one here. I'm also fairly sure most wizards don't know about it. My sister also plays it, but she's less enthusiastic about it. She's more into drawing, mainly fantasy creatures. Well, fantasy for her, at least." Ruby smiled a little.
"When we were younger, she loved drawing dragons and mermaids, both separate phases. She drew normal non-magic mermaids, then made them darker, more... eviller, I should say. She made them scary, would probably be the right turn. After that, she started drawing dragons, and experimented with all kinds that she knew. She made some holding a crystal ball, small ones wrapped around a tree limb, sea dragons, she drew a variety. But I was always the one writing in the background, or playing a simplified version of Mozart on the family piano. I remember my mother always encouraging us to play because she never had the chance to learn, and she always loved music. I know that there is a choir and game clubs, but that's really it. I've never really been one for crowds, to be honest. I've always preferred being in a library than interacting with my sister's friends. What about you, what do you normally do besides reading and learning about werewolves?"

He thought about it for a moment before he answered. What DID he do with his time? He certainly had a lot of it. It was always indoors and he had a heck of a lot of free time on his hands. It was normal for him to only sleep about every three days and when he did it was only for 4-6 hours at a time; therefore he had more free time than the average person. Why? He didn't know. It just had always been this way.

"I too like music. I like listening to it. Some of my favorites are some of the older American stuff like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra - crooner type stuff. And I like Motown which again is from across the pond. Still, gotta like some of the British stuff like The Beatles. I play the saxophone and the guitar and the piano. I hope to learn more sometime."

"I also like to write, whether it's just planning things out and trying to organize out my thoughts or just put my feelings into words. Now I'd never actually let anyone SEE this writing," he smiled softly, "but yeah. Someday maybe I'll try to turn them into a song. I've attempted a couple of them but they were just too dang cliche and I had to stop."

"I enjoy chess and I heard there's something called wizarding chess but I haven't played it yet. I need to find a partner. Back at my school in London, I played Squash for the school team. And...yeah, I think that's about it," he ended.

"You said that there wasn't a piano here but I heard there's one somewhere on the fourth floor. Want to go investigate that tomorrow after supper?"

Ruby smiles and nods. "That would be great! Where would you like to meet?" She was excited to see if there was a piano, because she missed playing for her family, and just making music in general.

Before coming to Hogwarts, Ruby had always found comfort in playing music and reading books, choosing to play and read while her sister's friends chatted. Because of this, she quickly learned to play piano, and excelled in her musical lessons and studies, thanks to some of the books. Back at her home, she had always hid behind books because the other kids at her school made fun of her for keeping her nose in a book. But at Hogwarts, Ruby knew that she could climb out of her shell and meet people just like her, and make some friends.

Ruby tilted her head slightly in thought, wondering what else was possible at Hogwarts. Maybe they could learn how to fly without wings or any other physical object! That would be awesome, and her sister would be in awe if Ruby could grow flowers quickly or create more art supplies! But if that is possible, it's a long way off. For now, she decided she would focus on finding the piano.