A Happenstance in Silver PV Sophia <3 Closed

WC: 396 Hex: #433867

Date: September 9, 2021 Outfit: X

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

"Six o'clock sounds great," Gem replied. "I'm looking forward to it."
Suddenly, she felt a slight pressure on her shoulder. Sophia had drooped over, and her head lay squarely on Gemima's scarf-covered shoulder. The dark haired girl puffed out her still pink cheeks, and carefully moved so that Sophia was more comfortable. She could feel the other's hair tickling her neck. She felt tingly and warm all over, and her heart was racing, but she felt immensely happy, too.
This is nice.

"You have a comfy shoulder, by the way." Sophia said, her voice muffled by the wool. Gem detected the warm, languid tone of fatigue in her voice. It was getting rather late, wasn't it?
She was about to suggest that they move inside, but then Sophia piped up again.
"I was actually thinking of going home," she admitted. Gemima's eyes darted over to her.
Whatever could she mean?

"These classes are so hard, and I can't even cast a basic Repairo. And don't get me started on Flying class. I don't understand how the other students can make it all seem so easy. I can't even mount the broom without crying, and I got my first grade today for last week's performance: it was a 'D', which is just as bad as in the muggle world."

Gemima nodded sagely, making sure that she understood every word. She scooted around so that they were facing each other, and placed her hands on both of Sophia's shoulders. She took a deep breath, her eyes bright.
"It's perfectly fine that you aren't doing well in your classes!" She exclaimed, "Of course, grades are important and all, but I'm sure you're plenty smart in other places. That sort of thing shouldn't make you think that you're any less of a witch." She punctuated this statement with a reassuring squeeze. No friend of hers was going to feel bad about themselves--not on her watch!

Gem thought for a second, then tapped Sophia excitedly. "I have an idea! If you'd like, I could help you with the classes you're having trouble with. I'm sure all you need is practice."
She sighed and plopped back into her original position. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Sophia. It's only the first week of school, after all."
Gem flushed again and turned away to look at the clouds.
"And...I'd miss you if you went home so soon." she murmured.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

@Sophia Nelson

Sophia felt good, having vented a bit about her insecurities, and she was drifting off to a peaceful slumber on her friend when Gem shifted suddenly. Sophia whimpered as her makeshift pillow was torn from her, but her whining was interrupted as she found herself immobile, stuck in an entrapment of Gem's hands on each of her shoulders. In this position, she couldn't even look away from the taller girl's eyes. Those darn eyes were going to be the death of her.

Gem was offering Sophia words of encouragement. Saying she wasn't a less of a witch - it was still quite strange to think of herself as a witch, even given everything she'd seen - and that being bad in class wasn't the end of the world. She knew it was true, of course, but seeing those D's and T's in her classes still hurt her self esteem. But Gem was right, right? She had something she was good at.

"I-I, uh, I'm not bad a Potions, I guess," she said unsurely, needing to focus just to keep breathing under that intense gaze, "b-but my sp-spellcasting is awful. I'd bet you're amazing."

Then Gem released her shoulders and offered to help her with her classes, and she seemed quite excited about the concept. An image flashed in her mind of Gem holding a wand, confidently poised in front of her, a spell on the tip of her tongue. Her own personal bulwark against the threats that lurked about. She blushed, chastising herself for her stupid little daydream. Now wasn't the time. Especially when the target of her little daydream was sitting there, eyes glued to her own.

"I-I'd love to practice with you, but I'm pretty useless. You'd have your work cut out for you," she said with a self-deprecating smile. Gem returned to her shoulder-hold on Sophia, and the redhead had to focus intently on keeping her eyes from falling away. She could do this. She could look into Gem's eyes without falling into a Medusa-like curse. Though her heart begged her to look away, she didn't. Through sheer will, she maintained eye contact.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Sophia. It's only the first week of school, after all. And...I'd miss you if you went home so soon."

Sophia gulped. Her throat was dry and she knew she was sweating, despite the cold. If only she'd brought some water. Her hands were resting awkwardly in her lap, and she didn't know what to do with them. She felt like a gazelle trapped in the maw of a mountain lion. A super adorable mountain lion, killing her with kindness. Instead of struggling, as a gazelle in this simile would, she went with it, pulling Gem into a hug. Gem's arms were already halfway there anyway, so that was fine.

This embrace was different than the first hug they'd shared. The first hug was an automatic response to the moment. This hug was much more intentional. Gem's words had broken something inside of Sophia. They'd broken through the wall of her loneliness. Her only friends as a muggle had abandoned her after her parents died, and now, despite meeting a few people at Hogwarts, Sophia still felt like a burden. Like someone people hang out with out of obligation.

But then Gem had said those words.

...I'd miss you if you went home so soon.

The words acted as a brand, burning a place in Sophia's brain and her heart. She would never for the rest of her days forget this moment. It probably seemed like such a simple thing to most people. And it was, if she was honest to herself, but, to her, after years of loneliness and grief, she finally felt like someone wanted her around.

Sophia sniffled and blinked away tears as her head rested in the crook of Gem's neck. Her arms were wrapped around the girl's abdomen, and she was cherishing the closeness brought to them by the scarf. This moment was now one of Sophia's most precious memories, and she owed it all to Gem's kindness.

"Thank God for you, Gem," she whispered in her friend's ear.

Her friend. Sophia smiled, despite her crying.

@Gemima Sable

WC: 274 Hex: #433867

Date: September 9, 2021 Outfit: X

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

Sophia dismissed Gem's pep talk with a slew of self-deprecating remarks. Gemima sighed and patted the other girl's back reassuringly. She understood; she had her own moments of self-doubt quite often. The best thing to do was to just keep your head up high and try your best!

At least Sophia had admitted she was good at Potions. Gem puffed up in excitement again, ready to talk her new friend's ear off about the wonders of the subject. But as she turned to Sophia again, she felt a pair of arms around her waist.

"Oh."

And then her nose was in that bright red hair. Gemima carefully breathed out, then returned the hug with gusto. Her face was beginning to hurt with all the smiling she'd done today. Unlike their first encounter, which had left her dizzy with confusion, Gem felt safe and happy. Warm, too. The combined heat of the scarf and Sophia's skin against hers was comforting.

"Thank God for you, Gem." The redhead mumbled against her collar. She sniffled, and Gemima felt a sudden wetness spreading across her neck. She inhaled sharply. Was Sophia crying?

Her own eyes burned with tears, and something fluttered to life in her heart. Gem had no idea how to reply. She simply tightened her grip on Sophia. She felt a need to protect this girl, even if they hadn't known each other all that long. She was so sweet, funny, and kind--she had no reason to put herself down like she did!

Passersby would probably think the scene rather strange--two girls hugging fiercely, tears trailing silver rivulets down their cheeks. But Gemima honestly didn't care.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

@Sophia Nelson

Sophia broke the hug reluctantly. She didn't know what had gotten into her, breaking down like that, but the past week had been so, so hard on her. She had made friends, yes, and that was amazing, but she was quickly becoming overwhelmed by everything. It made sense that she would hit a point in which everything boiled over, and this was it.

She'd been close enough to that boiling point anyway after today's class, but she probably would have lasted longer had she kept things bottled up a bit more. Seeing Gem, though, threw a wrench in that plan. She couldn't keep things bottled up in front of this girl. This girl, who'd shown her such kindness. This girl, with the most disarming smile. This girl, who felt so, well, comforting just by her presence alone.

She let out a soft laugh as she pulled away, still held close by the scarf that bound them together.

"S-sorry about that,"she said, unsure how to explain why she'd just lost her composure like that, "I don't know what came over me."

With a gulp, she forced herself to meet Gem's eyes. That little bit of politeness was the least she could do, after throwing her problems onto the poor girl. Sophia lifted a thumb up to Gem's own face, wiping a stray tear from under her eye.

"I didn't mean to make you cry. It's just been a hard few years, and this school, and my old friends - I just - it's been really hard."

That explained nothing, and she kicked herself internally for wasting her breath - and Gem's time - on such a stupid string of words. But, despite her own inability to put to words the fact that she'd felt like she was constantly falling since her parents died, only to be caught by Gem in this moment, she did feel better. The pain was still there, as it had been since she was nine, but now there was something different with it: hope. Hope that one day she didn't have to be alone as she had in Ireland.

On a whim, she asked, "What's your family like?"

It was a vague question, and it was a blatant subject change, but she wanted to learn more. She wanted to learn everything she could about this girl who'd so selfishly listened to her venting and pulled her through (mostly) unscathed. She returned her head to Gem's shoulder as she listened to the taller girl's words.

@Gemima Sable

WC: 626 Hex: #433867

Date: September 9, 2021 Outfit: X

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

Finally, Sophia broke their embrace. "S-sorry about that," she murmured. "I don't know what came over me."
Gemima straightened up and sniffed several times. She suddenly felt extremely awkward. "It's fine!" she squeaked, her hands flapping around as she tried to gain her footing. "I think we were both a bit emotional, and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable--"

She stopped short as Sophia brought a hand up to her face. The other girl tenderly wiped away a tear Gem hadn't even known was there. The latter puffed out her cheeks and tried not to implode on the spot. The past several minutes had brought up a whole barrage of feelings that had done nothing but confuse and fluster her! She exhaled harshly and lightly slapped her face with both hands.

Get it together, Sable!!

"I didn't mean to make you cry. It's just been a hard few years, and this school, and my old friends - I just - it's been really hard." Sophia said.
Gem halted her self-made tizzy and scooted closer as they resumed their previous position. She mulled over Sophia's words. She hadn't given it much thought, but the past couple years of her own life hadn't been perfect either. How had she gotten by for so long without... friends?

Of course, Sophia's experience had probably been very different, but there was something in her classmate's voice that resonated with her.

"It's fine! I think we both needed that." she said quietly, a nervous giggle escaping her lips. "And, you know you can tell me anything, right? I'm a good listener." Then, she rested her head on top of Sophia's.
From what she could tell, the two of them were quite similar. Both were a bit socially stunted, awkward, and lonely. But maybe together, they could navigate this weird, confusing world.

"What's your family like?" Sophia asked suddenly.
Gemima perked up at that. She sniffed and re-positioned herself so that they could see each other better. Her mother did always say that eye contact was good for conversation, so she might as well get used to it.

"Well, I have a mum, dad, and older sister," she started. "Pretty standard family. Uh, my mum's name is Magdelena, although she goes by Maggie.”
“She’s a model, for department stores, magazines, and stuff. I’ve been dragged along to loads of her photoshoots, so I’ve been a part of the fashion world since I was tiny."
Gem gestured vaguely at her outfit, which she was sure stood out amongst the sea of uniforms and casual wear.

"And then my dad, Bowen, works at the Ministry, in the Department of International Magical Co-operation. That means lots of business trips, and fancy parties with all the important wizards he works with."
Said gatherings were usually stuffy and boring. The only good parts about them were the food, and the spacious mansions they were held in. It was a perfect romping ground for a young explorer, especially when she was so good at sneaking around!
"He's not around much these days," She continued, smiling sadly, "But that's fine. He always cooks the most delicious food when he is home, so I don't mind much."

Gem paused to take a breath. "And then there's my sister, Cath. She's actually a fourth year, in Gryffindor. She's really cool--she's a chaser on their quidditch team. She says she'll play professionally one day, too!" Gemima sighed. She hadn't seen Cath in a while, actually. Maybe she should track her down at breakfast sometime.

Finally, she wet her lips, deflating a bit as she realized just how much she had spoken about.
"Sorry, that was a lot," she giggled. "Did you...want to talk about yourself? I feel like I've been monopolizing the conversation."

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

@Sophia Nelson

Sophia felt funny when she felt Gem's head resting on her own. She felt lightheaded, but not in a bad way. It was a soothing sort of floaty feeling, as if she was relaxing on a cloud on a warm, rainy summer day. The closeness of just, well, cuddling with a friend was something she missed.

As a little girl, she'd loved physical signs of affection. She'd hugged her parents every time she saw them, she always cuddled with them during family movie time, and her old muggle friends were prime handholding targets. Sophia loved holding and being held. She loved the closeness of, for example, resting a head on a friend's shoulder. It was comforting.

Sophia felt Gem shift away as she began to talk about her family, but, to the redhead's horror, the other girl seemed intent on keeping eye contact with her.

While she would normally just look at conversation partners' noses to avoid looking into their eyes - especially Gem's eyes, which made her feel incapable of thought or movement - she couldn't manage that here. She usually wasn't so brutally aware of how close the nose was to the eyes, but with Gem's every word, her own eyes kept trying to wander up. So, instead she carefully watched the stone ground of the courtyard, or the gestures of Gem's hands as she spoke.

Despite her turmoil, Sophia drank in every word of Gem's, offering only light commentary. She'd rather listen to Gem talk than to speak herself. The girl's voice was soothing, and Sophia loved hearing about other peoples' families. It made her happy.

Her mother was a model with an absolutely beautiful name, and, if Sophia had to guess, the girl beside her probably looked just like her mother. Sophia absently began to rub the fabric of Gem's dress between her fingers, noting how expensive the fabric felt.

"Wow, that explains a lot. I didn't want to say anything and sound weird, or rude. I mean, you, and your clothes, are always just so, well - wow! I bet your mom is beautiful."

Her father was apparently the magical equivalent of a busy business man. Sophia had learned a bit of the 'Ministry' from History of Magic so far, but the year was young, and she was far from an expert, but the parties definitely sounded fun.

"What did you do at the parties? There can't be much for a kid at those fancy shindigs?"

Sophia's traitorous belly growled at the mention of Mr. Gem's delicious food, but she covered it up with a cough. Couldn't have her new friend thinking she was a glutton, after all!

Lastly, Gem had a sister. Sophia couldn't deny the slight bit of jealousy. She'd always wanted a sister too, after all. Or at the least, a brother, but her parents had always said 'no.' and that 'one of you is more than enough.'

"Is her name short for Catherine?" she asked curiously. "It's funny. My friends, Kim and Sage - you'd love them - are in Gryffindor. Your sister's in Gryffindor. Do you ever feel a bit lonely in Ravenclaw?"

It was a complaint of a spoiled child, she knew. She should be thankful, being in a house that cherished learning and creativity. And she was with Gem, so it wasn't all bad, but part of her still longed to be in the same house as all of her friends.

Sophia grinned and shook her head when Gem apologized for talking about her family. There was nothing too apologize for, and Sophia would have been perfectly happy if she'd kept going, if she was completely honest.

"Don't say you're sorry. I like hearing you talk."

Sophia traced a few shapes on the ground absentmindedly with her shoes. They were getting scuffed up, but if it became a big problem, she could just go to a teacher and have them magic her shoes better, so she didn't care much.

"My parents were so boring. They weren't models, or government agents or anything. They were just - well - my dad was an accountant, so he just did lots of math all day, I think? Mom was a teacher, though. She taught third grade. They didn't get to travel the world, or have fancy parties, but I still loved them, you know?"

She paused, looking back up at Gem with a grin.

"Dad was so funny, though. Sometimes, he'd take me to the movies and we'd watch movies that Mom didn't want me watching. He'd always say, 'If your mom asks...?', and I'd say, 'We went to the park.' Then he'd drive me to the park, and I'd just roll around in the dirt and grass so that Mom wouldn't know!"

Sophia started giggling at the memory. She hadn't let herself think much of her parents since they died, because the memories were so painful. But now, after a few years, it still hurt, but she could look back on the memories with a smile.

"A-and one time," she said between giggles. "M-my dad was coming home late from work, so me and Mom, we - we turned off all the lights in the house and hid behind the corner."

Her giggles spread to her belly and morphed into gleeful wheezing laughter.

"A-and then we j-jumped out as soon as he walked in the door. He screamed like a girl!"

Sophia put her hand on Gem's shoulder, partially because she missed the contact, and partially to keep herself from toppling over in laughter. She used her other hand to wipe a tear from her eye. She couldn't remember laughing so hard in a long time. As her laughter died down to a smattering of giggles once more, she sighed happily.

"He was out of the house faster than a hot knife through butter," she said, throwing a hand over her mouth at her little idiom. She hadn't spoken with 'southern' slang in years. That was embarrassing. She was careful to discard her southern accent once more when she spoke again.

"S-sorry," she said with a blush. "I just miss them, you know? Oh, what am I saying? Of course you know. You probably miss your family, too."

She grabbed Gem's hand and squeezed apologetically.

"Your family does sound amazing, though. I bet you guys did all kinds of crazy magic things growing up. Like, I had fun rolling around in dirt and playing with my dad, but you guys probably had broomsticks, and spells, and all kinds of cool stuff."

@Gemima Sable

WC: 456 Hex: #433867

Date: September 9, 2022 Outfit: X

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

"The parties are really posh and lavish; always full of mum and dad's famous colleagues. I'm pretty sure the editor in chief of Witch Weekly was there once," Gemima replied.
"Lots of fabulous outfits, and food too! But if I got bored, I could just slip away and explore the place on my own--like a spy or something!"

Gemima giggled slightly at that, as a couple of memories ran through her head. But she quieted down as Sophia began to speak about her own family.

Her friend's parents sounded pretty ordinary. They didn't sound like wizards, though--was Sophia muggleborn? Gem realized she hadn't directly asked about blood status yet. She packaged the thought away for later, since such things didn't matter to her. Wasn't it sufficient enough for someone to just be a decent person, magic or no? Maybe she should read up on the subject, just to get a sense of other perspectives.

Sophia's family sounded lovely either way. Gemima didn't think poorly of the fact that they were "boring."
There's comfort in normalcy, anyway. She thought. She grinned widely at the adventures that her friend had with her dad. She felt a slight pang of sadness for her own dad. He had been gone quite a long time, hadn't he? She'd have to ask him to take her and Cath to the cinema when he got home.

Gem brought her attention back to the redhead as she dissolved into a fit of laughter. She bent at the middle, grasping at the dark haired girl in her mirth.
Gem found herself snickering along with her. "That must have been so fun! I'll have to meet your parents someday."

Sophia seemed sheepish then, and settled down as she apologized for bringing up the topic. Gemima puffed and patted her shoulder, effectively shooshing her friend.
"We need to stop saying sorry to each other!" she chided. "I loved hearing about your family."

"I can think of one time, when Cath blew up half a toy store," she snorted. " She's always been the stubborn type, and when Mum wouldn't buy her a Pillow Pet, she literally exploded. I was pretty young, but I still remember the Barbie section catching on fire."
"That was her first instance of magic, too. My parents had their hands full with the Wizarding Secrecy people afterwards. I still tease her about it!"
"But I nearly drowned when I first used magic, so I suppose I can't talk." Gem finished, chuckling to herself.

One question still permeated her mind, however. "How did you end up at Hogwarts, by the way?" she wondered. She hadn't missed that southern twang earlier, and charming as it may have been, it was still an area of interest.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

@Sophia Nelson

"The parties are really posh and lavish; always full of mum and dad's famous colleagues. I'm pretty sure the editor in chief of Witch Weekly was there once. Lots of fabulous outfits, and food too! But if I got bored, I could just slip away and explore the place on my own--like a spy or something!"

"Those parties sound so fun. I always wanted to go to some kind of fancy to-dos, but the chance never really came up. I just went to stupid school dances where everyone did the 'Cha-Cha Slide' and 'Thriller' but no other actual dancing. It sounds so cool, though. Wearing a beautiful dress, grabbing a little drink with an umbrella in it from a guy walking by with a tray full of 'em, and being surrounded by fancy - and important - people to watch. Like, I don't even know what Witch Weekly is, but I bet the editor was very funny to watch. When I went to Mass as a little girl, Mom used to chastise me for 'people watching', but sometimes you can't help staring at someone."

Sophia sighed dreamily. She was probably romanticizing the parties a bit much based on the movies and video games she'd been exposed to, but it still sounded quite fun to attend one.

"Do wizard spies exist? I know we muggles have James Bond, Austin Powers and the like, but what do wizards have? Do they wear fancy wizard robes and carry a concealed wand or something?" she asked curiously. From what she'd noticed, movies weren't really a thing for wizards, but she had the strangest mental image of a Gandalf-like figure, sneaking into a wizard masquerade wielding a wand with a silencer on it. The image made her giggle.

"That must have been so fun! I'll have to meet your parents someday."

Sophia smiled longingly.

"Maybe someday?" she suggested tentatively. Obviously it wasn't going to happen, given her parents' state of not-being-alive, but she didn't want to be a Debbie Downer, especially when they were having such fun talking about fun things.

"We need to stop saying sorry to each other!"

Sophia laughed awkwardly, muttering a 'sorry' once more. She slapped her hand over her mouth as quickly as she'd said it, though, giggling as she nodded in affirmation.

"She blew up a toy store?" Sophia asked incredulously. She herself had essentially demolished an empty birthday party, but to blow up an entire toy store was amazing. Terrifying, but amazing.

"Those secrecy people sound scary. The scary man who gave my Mamaw my letter mentioned that magic is a secret, but if half the wizard cops are scary like him, I'd never want to get on their bad side. He looked like he could rip me in half with his bare hands, never mind what he could do with actual magic."

She shuddered at the thought. She wasn't as afraid of wizards as she had been when her letter arrived, but, to be fair, most witches and wizards she saw now were her own age, so that helped.

"How'd you manage to almost drown?" she asked casually, using the toes of her shoes to kick a small rock back and forth on the ground in front of her. "Can't swim?"

She certainly couldn't swim, so she wouldn't judge if Gem was incapable as well. Besides, it was so cold in the U.K., Sophia couldn't imagine swimming here anyway. Even in the U.S., when she'd simply splashed around in the lake with her parents, it was usually eighty to ninety degrees Fahrenheit, so the cold water was more or less a necessity in the summertime. Since coming to Ireland, though, the summers felt more like Spring or Autumn back home.

"How did you end up at Hogwarts, by the way?"

Sophia scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? Were there other ways to get to Hogwarts?

"Uh, th-the train?" she said, thoroughly confused. "It's, uh, it's called the Hogwarts Express - you know, like the Polar Express but for Hogwarts? - and it's big, and red. I didn't see you on it, now that you mention it. How'd you get to Hogwarts?"

@Gemima Sable

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

It's rather pleasant to be listened to. Gemima thought, as she watched Sophia's energetic, animate responses to her stories. She supposed that she had been deprived of such simple things back home, despite her loving family. She wondered how much of that loneliness could be attributed to her own fears and shortcomings. Maybe she should have tried talking to people much sooner.

Well, it doesn't matter. I'm here doing just that right now, aren't I?
Gem sighed and quickly shook the doubts away. She tried to focus back on Sophia instead, and chuckled at the girl's imaginative musings.
"I don't know if we have spies, exactly, but we do have the Aurors, and I've heard that they get to go on secret missions." She hummed wistfully and crossed one leg over the other. "I admit I don't know much about them, but I think it would be fun to learn more about what the career entails. But I am interested-- maybe I'll be one someday, who knows?"

"And I can swim," she replied, indignantly puffing out her cheeks. "I was seven at the time, and the water was deep! I actually just started swimming competitively back home."
Gem raised an eyebrow. "Can you swim?" she inquired. Of course, it wouldn't be a large problem if Sophia couldn't do so, but she couldn't resist lacing a bit of mischievous demanding into her voice.

The redhead seemed to miss the point of her last question. Gem snorted softly and gave her a playful smack on the shoulder.
"No, silly! I meant that you have a different accent than everyone else here." She tapped her chin in thought. "I can't quite place it, though. Where are you from, exactly?"
Gem coughed awkwardly and tried to shrug as nonchalantly as she could. "Uh, but of course you don't have to answer that if you don't want to. I didn't mean to be intrusive." She looked off to the side.
"Polar Express was a decent movie," she murmured. "Cath really likes the scene where they're on the frozen lake..."

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

@Sophia Nelson

"Orrors... Arrors... Auras..." Sophia made every attempt to pronounce the strange word Gem had told her about, but the word just wouldn't flow naturally from her American muggle mouth.

She tried to picture Gem as a super-cool spy, but it was hard given the girl's frankly adorable outfit. Though, to be fair, it could absolutely throw a secret villain off her trail...

Sophia tried to think of spy quote, intent on testing her theory that Gem could, in fact, be a good spy.

"Hmm," she mused. "Try saying 'Seriously? Who throws a shoe!?' or 'The name's Sable. Gem Sable.' I'm trying to picture it, but you're kind of adorable, so I don't know if it fits just yet..." she trailed off.

Part of Sophia vaguely began to wonder about other wizarding careers.

As a little girl, she'd had a lot of aspirations since she was a small child. There'd been a period when she was six that she'd changed what she wanted to do every week, it seemed. Musician, doctor, lawyer, nurse, chef, you name it. If there was a job that existed, Sophia'd at one point wanted to do it when she was older. She didn't have the slightest clue what careers she could look forward to now that she was a witch.

She didn't have to worry about it for now, though. Instead, they were turning to a subject that made her feel a bit more shy. Swimming. Sophia wasn't too terribly surprised that Gem was an accomplished swimmer, but she'd almost been selfishly hoping for a kindred spirit in her lack of swimming ability.

"Pfft, I can swim perfectly well. Like the most perfect swimmer in the entire world, I'd say. Just absolutely amazing at swimming," she bluffed, trying to ignore the blush on her cheeks as she prayed Gem wouldn't notice she wasn't being entirely honest. It was embarrassing, not being able to swim at eleven years old.

"I mean, second to you, probably! Competitive swimming? That sounds amazing. Not necessarily in the frozen heck-hole known as the United Kingdom, but otherwise it sounds amazing!" she gushed, attempting to shift attention back onto Gem's swimming exploits.

She shifted a bit closer to her friend once more - if that was even possible, since they'd already been quite close - for warmth. That hit the spot, alright. She didn't feel toasty, but she also didn't feel the awful embrace of hypothermia creeping up on her. Well, that was an exaggeration, but still. Stupid Scots and their stupid cold weather.

Gem's playful retort to Sophia's response about the Hogwarts Express made the redhead feel just the teensiest bit embarrassed at her misunderstanding, but at least the girl didn't make fun of her, right?

"I'm from Ireland, can't you tell?" she said in her natural Georgia accent, thickened just a hair for emphasis. The accent of the girl on the left!

Smiling playfully at Gem, Sophia didn't let the joke go on for too long.

"I'm, uh, actually American, but something happened and I had to move in with my Mamaw in Ireland. I've been there for almost two years now, I think? Where're you from? No offense, but a lot of you guys sound the same to me," she said with a shy chuckle.

"I've, uh, I've never actually seen Polar Express. I'm actually surprised that you know what it is. From what I'm starting to notice, most wizards and witches don't seem to know a lot about muggle stuff."

@Gemima Sable