5 Oct 2020, 09:25
Picking Things Up
Date: September 2, 2020
Time: 8:34 AM
Mentioning: @Alexander Crow
Leonard was, admittedly, an easily stressed person. Even when his daily experiences didn't consist of potentially deadly plants and looking for vaguely Greek patterns in the stars, he had been quick to wake as though he was late to his own funeral, quick to answer as though he were a game show contestant vying for no prize in particular, and extremely quick to throw aside anybody who got in his way.
Luckily for all those who were in a twenty foot mile radius of the snake, doing such was not his top priority, as now he did have good reason to be stressed. It was his second day of being back, and his first day of classes. He wasn't one to eavesdrop, but from what he'd heard from the loud gossips in the halls of the new treacherous creatures waiting for him in the classroom and potions with side effects that could easily land you in the hospital should you dare even touch a drop, he soon learned preparation would be key. The only problem was that while he did have roughly sketched pieces of parchment in his pocket detailing all the escape plans should an explosion happen in any seat in the classroom, he once again had zero plans for social interactions. Or rather, he did have plans, it was just apparent they would fall apart as soon as he actually approached any living human being.
The Slytherin hurried himself as he walked along. No matter, he thought. He could avoid all people until he wished to, he thought, very well knowing that was not likely to happen. Hogwarts seemed to get a chuckle out of throwing wrenches in his plans, no matter how well crafted they were. From the moment he'd gotten onto the train to the moment he'd gotten back to his new dormitory, it had been pure chaos through and through. And while, indeed, some hadn't been all that bad (quite pleasant, a few were, actually, though he'd never admit that to himself), they had always been utterly nerve wracking. Even if there had been a script readied in his mind, the papers dropped immediately when within anybody's eyesight.
He shook his head, avoiding said eye contact with any of the passing students, though it was an unnecessary action and more due to habits. Most weren't rushing at all to their classes, since it was right in the middle of breakfast. Some hadn't even risen from their dens of silken blankets and pillows, but Leonard had been spending all his life not becoming a mere most or a some. He'd spent it in being as close to perfect as he could, and that included being early, at the very least.
In his rush to get to the empty classroom, one of the leather-bound, dusty books in his bag dropped out. One on transfiguration, though fortunately it wasn't his first class. The second-year didn't notice the weight literally lifted off his shoulder, but it seemed someone else did.
much to the detriment of leonard oaksworth’s mental health...
5 Oct 2020, 20:28
Picking Things Up
Despite his excitement for the day, Alexander had to tear himself from his bed this particular morning. He didn't quite understand why he was so tired; He had been thinking about his first day of classes for months. Soon, he would be able to shoot lightning from his wand, turn metal into gold, cast insane curses upon his enemies.
But, simply because of how comfortable his bed was, he genuinely couldn't be bothered.
After pulling on clothes and fumbling around with his cloak for a few seconds, he meandered out of his dormitory into the common room, and eventually into the halls. He considered getting breakfast, but decided against it. He was still full from the feast last night; one could only fill themselves with so many bowls of icecream. He wandered through the halls absentmindedly. Really, he should have his books with him, but classes wouldn't start for another while. He would have time to go back and get them, right? He could hardly get lost in a giant castle.
Even though he hadn't even been there for 24 hours, Alexander already felt that he was going to love Hogwarts. Even if he did get bored of the classes, even if other students were rude, even if a plethora of evil wizards came knocking, he believed he would never tire of how the castle felt. The moving, talking portraits, the winding staircases- He had barely seen any of the castle, but it was just thrilling.
The stairs, he had to admit, were a nuisance. Always turning to go somewhere you don't want, the fake steps that you could fall through, the were really quite a hazard.
To his misfortune, the stairs didn't seem to like him either. He found the one he was walking on swinging to a different corridor. While it hadn't really disrupted his intended route, as he didn't have one (or a destination for that matter), Alexander was still annoyed. It was a matter of principle.
Still, he might as well have a look and see whatever was in this direction. He didn't mind what lay ahead. He was ready for whatever adventure may be in store, as corny as that sounded. What lay
ahead wasn't exactly an adventure, more something that particularly grabbed his attention.
A leather bound book lay on the ground. He walked straight past it. He payed it no heed, but Io spoke up. "Transfiguration." He said, pointing to the title.
" excuse me?" Alexander said, turning to face the other.
"It's the subject we talked about, the important one." Io said, as Alexander stepped back towards the book. "It's not the same textbook that we have, though."
"yeah, you're right..." Alexander said, picking up the book and flicking through some of the pages. Transfiguration particularly interested him. Turning one thing into another seemed quite useful to Alex. However, having read through some of the spells in his own textbook, he wasn't particularly interested in any of them. Turning matches into needles was all well and good, but he was looking for something more...useful.
This textbook certainly had some interesting spells. Turning objects into birds, smoke into daggers, even a spell that changed your hair.
"do you reckon anyone will mind if we keep it?" asked Io, who was reading the book over Alexander's shoulder.
"uh, yes. We can't just keep this, someone probably needs it for their classes, or something. We should probably look for who owns it."
Alexander continued to make his way down the corridor, however he didn't stop reading the book. He wanted to get good at Transfiguration, and this seemed a perfect way to do so.
@ Leonard Oaksworth
STOP PROCRASTINATING! GO DO THAT THING YOU NEED TO DO!
7 Oct 2020, 06:53
Picking Things Up
Interacting w/ @Alexander Crow
Leonard continued to walk at the same briskness, avoiding looking at the weirdly judging stares of the portraits as he roamed the halls. He scoffed at them in disbelief, though he didn't pause his movement. As if they hadn't seen any other student walking around in the early morning. It was more of a hike than a walk, really, with the architecture and all. His family hadn't ever tried to pursue a career in home decor, as far as he knew, but it really was fascinating how it all came together. Though he'd walked through the same halls many times, and heard about them from the stories his father told many, many times, it had never lost its historical, wonderful charm, not from the thousandth repetition of the tales of brilliant pranks and not from the hundredth day of attending school. However, it also didn't lose its incredible ability to make someone annoyed through enchanted oil paintings over the summer.
There was one in particular, a farmer with a piece of straw in his mouth and a dancing carrot next to him. While the student did commend the work, taking note that yes, it was theoretically possible for him and a certain classmate of his to start a band of vegetables, the constant looks from the side were getting annoying.
"What in Merlin's beard are you looking at?" The snake snapped at the portrait. While the back of his mind told him that this was absolutely not the time to get into an argument with a literal painting, the rest of it encouraged him. At the very least, there was very little chance that the dots of pigment would win in a fistfight. It pointed at the leather messenger's bag he'd thrown over his shoulder.
Then, ink bottles, quills, and books came spilling out of his bag like Noah's flood, drowning all hopes of keeping his dignity had anyone been there to see it.
"Oh," he chuckled nervously, immediately leaning down to collect it all, hoping nobody would be able to trace back who'd left the tiny shard of glass and the ink stains. "Thank you for the warning, uh, Sir."
Leonard bowed stiffly, picking up the last of the fallen parchment and stacking it all up under his arm. While he did have an extra bag, it was back in the dormitory, and he still wasn't quite sure he'd mastered the mending charm to a point where he was certain it wouldn't be the later cause of an explosion. And something that only furthered his distress was the fact his transfiguration book was missing. It had never been his favourite subject, quite far from it, actually. He'd deemed it unnecessary long before his arrival at the place itself, but in any case, he needed to pass it.
He ran back the way he came from, scanning every inch of the polished wood for anything remotely the size, shape, or colour of the book. Nothing seemed to fit the profile, until he reached almost the beginning of his journey, when he found an unfamiliar redhead reading something that looked exactly like the textbook he was fairly sure he dropped.
"Hey, can I have a look at that? I think it might be mine."
much to the detriment of leonard oaksworth’s mental health...