Last seat PV Evan Bartlett Closed

Interacting with @Riley Arcite

Evan had journeyed into the library not long after becoming settled at Hogwarts. Despite being a half-blood, he didn't have the guidance other kids of his type had and he intended to learn the in's and out's of this place before it would land him in trouble. To anyone passing by, it would appear odd to see a first year pouring over newspapers, business ads and local pamphlets but it seemed to Evan to be the best way to get a feel of the local culture. The moving photos still shocked the boy as he studied them. It was an immense change from what he was used to in Duhonw, a town where VCR's still had a place in most homes and everyone still had landlines. Deep in study of local customs, Evan had barely realized that someone had approached his table and had only looked up as the girl began to introduce herself.

"No problem at all. I'm Evan." He smiled at the girl, pleased that she appeared to be around his age and judging from her blue clothes, he guessed she was in Ravenclaw... or was it Ravendor? The boy opened his mouth slightly, wondering if he should ask her what the correct name of the house was but decided against it. He was too afraid of appearing stupid. It was then that he took notice of her stack of books and watched her shake out her sore joints with slight concern.

Wow, that's a lot of reading. What's it all for? He pushed the local menu he was reading to the side, instantly forgetting how intrigued he was by the unique ingredient lists and rose himself up from his chair ever so slightly to get a glimpse of the topmost books title.

Interactions: @Evan Bartlett

"Evan. I think you're in one of my classes or something. I don't know I don't really pay attention to much of anything in my classes, though I probably should because I'm muggle-born so I know almost nothing about the wizarding world. That's why I've got all these books, so I can learn more about the history. She grinned at him and sat down. She grabbed the top book on the stack and put it in her lap. Hogwarts, A History. She was pretty sure this was one of her schoolbooks but she didn't want to have to go digging through her school bag. Seems like a good enough place to start, though her outgoing side had decided now was a good time to make a friend. Maybe. She'd probably end up just annoying him until he left.
"I'm in Ravenclaw, and you're in Hufflepuff, right? Do you know anything about the wizarding world? Are your parents wizards or muggles? My parents are muggles. They were so surprised when I got the letter, they didn't even know this stuff existed. Though isn't that kinda the point? To hide from muggles? She showered him with questions and rambled about random things
She finally caught herself "Woah, sorry, I kinda started rambling a bit there" Her face flushed a bright red.

Interaction with @Riley Arcite

Upon listening to her first few sentences, Evan's expression was quite eager. Riley seemed very friendly and if she was correct, they even had a class together. Being around so many peers for the first time in his life, Evan wasn't sure how'd he fit in but he was pleased that Riley seemed so welcoming. However, as Riley peppered him with questions, his expression shifted into something more unsure. Evan was traditionally a confident boy and rarely had any issues socially, even if most of his conversational partners were thirty or more years his senior. Hogwarts was showing Evan that perhaps, he wasn't as socially gifted as he once felt.

As Riley shared her history, he felt some comfort in the fact that she was so willing to admit how new she was to the wizarding world. Perhaps they would end up having a lot in common due to their seemingly similar experiences.

After taking a breath, Evan began to answer her questions, albeit hesitantly at first.

"Yeah, all of that seems correct. At the very least, I know Hufflepuffs wear yellow... well, I guess I don't know much more than that. I'm a half-blood, I think is the term but my dad, the wizard, wasn't around. I don't think I've ever met him, actually." He shrugged. It never seemed to be an issue for the boy. He had his Grandad, who was the best father figure Evan could think to ask for.

"I'm sort of brand new with all of this. The history books are a good place to start, I think. I didn't really consider them. I've been looking at uh.." he trailed off, looking back at his reading materials. He scanned the colourful pile before coming up with an archived copy of a 2014 newspaper. It's headline read "Manticore Gone Manic At Hogwarts!" with an accompanying picture of the fearsome beast, clawing it's toes into a Hufflepuff dorm room. "Well, the papers just seemed more exciting. I'm learning, I think" His face broke into a goofy smile as he shared his unconventional introduction into life at Hogwarts.

Interactions: @Evan Bartlett

She watched his expression as she talked, and it went from eager to unsure to comfortable. She smiled in relief. Maybe she would make a new friend.

"I'm a half-blood, I think is the term but my dad, the wizard, wasn't around. I don't think I've ever met him, actually."
"Oh wow, I'm sorry you've never met your dad. That has to suck. I can't even begin to imagine life without both of my parents" She gave him a sad-ish smile. She was glad to hear that he was also new to all of this. It sucked not knowing a single thing about any of this. It was also kinda scary.

"Well, the papers just seemed more exciting. I'm learning, I think" She laughed at that.
"I guess that does work! I just figured searching through the old dusty history books was the only option, I never thought about the papers. The papers are so cool though, like with the moving pictures! I didn't even know that was possible!" She smiled at him "I'm not going to lie, but I'm kinda glad that you're also not super familiar with any of this stuff. Somehow when I first got here I thought I was the only one without muggle parents. I'm so glad I'm not. It still kinda scares me though, like what if they got the wrong kid? Do you think they can do that?"

Evan was so pleased to have found another friendly face, especially one so talkative. As she admitted her condolences for Evan's absent parent, the boy felt a pang of emotion, what it was, he wasn't sure he could identify yet. A mix of frustration, and jealousy perhaps? He didn't like feeling pitied, or that idea that somehow believed him to be worse off for being raised just by his mother. He knew that Riley meant well and he certainly wouldn't hold her comment against her but he had to admit that it bothered him. Aside from his brown furrowing for a moment, an onlooker would likely not have picked up on Evan's change in tone.

He focused back in on his new friends words, trying hard to keep up. Evan grinned along with Riley, his freckles moving across his face as he did when she spoke about the wonderful moving images. She was right about how nice it was to have a peer in the same situation as he was. He felt comforted as she shared her concerns.

"Well, it's magic right? Like, the invites are magic?" His head tilted to the left slightly before deciding that his theory was likely correct. "I don't think magic can screw up like that. Besides, if they got the wrong kid, I'm sure me and you would've been out of here as soon as the train arrived. For better or worse, I think we might actually be wizards." Evan laughed, completely sure that he was going to wake up from a dream at any moment. "And that probably means I should get a start on my homework, even if I only understand two percent of it"

Interactions: @Evan Bartlett

She sighed at the thought of homework. "At least you can understand two percent! I can't understand any of it. I'm so not used to any of this magic stuff. It's so difficult. You should've seen my history essay earlier. It looked like a tornado!" She grinned. It was true though, the magic stuff was difficult, and her newly-made friend Jo had to help her. "And I guess that's true, about the invites. They are magic. I guess that means they can't get it wrong. Random question, have you heard about the ball? Have you asked anyone? I asked my friend Jo, we're going together. I'm so excited!" She then realized what she said, that he might take it the wrong way, that she and Jo are dating or something. She shrugged it off. If he had anything to say about it then honestly she wasn't sure she wanted to be his friend.

She examined the library. All of the students looking at books on the shelves, the older ones using their wands to get the book they wanted from their seats. Some of them sitting at the tables, leaning over a paper, scratching furiously with a quill, others sitting in the comfy chairs, reading a book or talking to friends.