Open A little break closed

Seren had been feeling anxious, as she worked on her homework and her classes. Her transition from being a mostly isolated child to suddenly being surrounded by literally hundreds of other children and the teachers was often overwhelming and she was just utterly tired. She decided to go outside, find herself a chance at some fresh air and maybe even a little sunshine. She considered, and then found the nearest door to take herself out of. She began to wander through the various courtyards that adorned the base of the Castle.

She found herself entering one with a lovely tree in it and she paused, smiling a little at the size of it and how it had made itself comfortable here. She could see the cracked stone at the base of it, and found herself wondering at the idea that they weren't keeping it controlled, in a neat circle, like the way trees on the sidewalks of London might be kept.

No one controlled this tree, and that was delightful. Could she grow to the point where she, too, could be fine with this much freedom? She had no idea, but she found the tree a little inspiring.

And then she noticed another girl sitting on the ground at the base of the tree. She was reading, so Seren considered not bothering her... But finally she decided to move to a bench nearby. After all, whoever this girl was, she was a reader too, and she wasn't a Ravenclaw. It would be easier to try to be friends with someone out of her house if they had something in common, right?

When it looked like the other girl was about done, Seren said, quietly, "What are you reading, there? Is it good?"

@Rachel Davis

@Seren Yong

Rachel was almost finished with 2 pages left to spare when she heard a very quiet voice asked her about the book that she was reading. Turning her head slightly to the sound, she saw a girl, who she assumes is a Ravenclaw. Smiling slightly to look more friendly, Rachel responded.

"Well, yeah its interesting. Its about mystical and mythical creatures that muggles have spotted or assumes is real. It also explains stuff in here for example, what does the merpeople look like, their abilities and all! Although their description sometimes isn't that accurate." Rachel grimaced while remembering a specific chapter she read about Hippogriffs and also about giants.

Catching herself, she cleared her throat and said, "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Rachel Davis, First Year Gryffindor. And you are...?" She said, now facing her while somewhat drawling the 'are'. While waiting for a response, she looked at the girl and listed her features.

The girl has wavy black hair that is about down to her waist and has rosy cheecks with bright blue eyes. She looks like a sweet, quiet type of girl Rachel observed. She also looks like Rachels age so she assumes that the girl is a first year.

Seren felt an immense wave of relief wash over her when the other young woman responded positively, and with some enthusiasm, even. Her blue eyes seemed to relax, and her posture became a lot less tense and stiff. She listened to the girl describe the book with interest, as she took in the details of the other young lady. She especially found herself admiring the dyed hair, and wondered for a moment if she could replicate that with her skills, some day. She did not INTEND to change her hair at that moment, but as she was splitting her attention between what the other young lady was saying, and her curious thoughts, she accidentally turned her hair purple.

Just for a moment, and it went back to its natural black basically almost instantly.

"So it's a book written by muggles? Are you..." She paused, and her expression went confused for a moment, as she was not sure how to ask the question she wanted to ask without sounding rude. It was clear the other girl wasn't a Muggleborn, but... "Do you have close Muggle relatives, or spend a lot of time in the Muggle world, to get books like that?"

Her tone went nervous again, because the LAST thing she wanted was to offend. In fact, she suddenly stuttered out "I...I...I... Suh...Sorry! I di...didn't mean to be r...rude, if I was... I just... My p...parents insisted on avoiding the Muggle world, so I n...never had a chance to access books like that!"

Her cheeks were now flaming red, and she was staring down at her feet. What if this girl was from a family that took offense to questions like that? Or what if she had misunderstood completely and the girl WAS a Muggleborn? Oh, Seren was afraid she had utterly messed up.

@Rachel Davis

@Seren Yong

Rachel stopped what she was doing before and stared at the girl in awed. She just turned her hair purple! Rachel knew of metamorphmagus and what they can do and Rachel found it fascinating. If only Rachel was a metamorphmagus, Rachel wouldn't need to dye her hair and just change it within seconds whenever she felt like it!

"Woah, did I just... Did you just- that is so cooool!" Rachel said, amazed. Honestly, she felt herself was really boring now. Other students possesses amazing abilities and race while she had none.

But then the girl asked an incomplete question which Rachel finished it in her mind. The girl then asked if Rachel has close muggle relatives or spend a lot of time in the muggle world. Rachel was about to answer when the girl became nervous and stuttered out an apology.

At first, Rachel was confused as to why she said an apology then she realized it. Her eyes grew wide. She wasn't at all offended by it. "No its alright! I'm a Pureblood but lives in a muggle neighborhood so I have some knowledge about the muggle world. Although I didnt get to explore much there."

"So... If I'm not too nosy, why don't your parents like the muggle world? You can ignore this question if you like! No need to answer." Rachel said, genuinely curious. Because she thought and never even have met wizards and witches who still have an issue towards muggles.

Seren stopped her nervousness to stare in confusion at the half-question, half-exclamation. "Did I just... What did I just do that was so cool? Sorry, did I change something?" Her nervousness returned, and doubled, because even if the other girl seemed positively excited about it, Seren was used to being told off for 'showing off' or whatever phrase her parents chose for the day, which gave her an almost instinctively worried reaction when she wasn't intending it.

If it had been intentional, she'd be a lot more confident these days. She'd taken to using it as a form of defiance, after all. But accidentally doing it was another issue entirely. "If so, it was an accident... I sometimes do it when distracted or nervous, and I think I was thinking about your hair and how lovely it looks, and if I would look nice with something like that... And accidentally colored my hair maybe?"

Her cheeks were pink at losing control, that was for sure.

"Oh, another Pureblood? I am too..." There was a bit of a disappointed sound in her voice for a moment. "I want to get to know Muggleborns and Half Bloods, I've only really... Well my parents aren't... very nice." And then the other girl asked about her parents, and Seren made a face that clearly expressed how awful she felt her parents were... Indeed, perhaps expressed it far more than she intended. "Let's just say my parents hold some VERY outdated views about Muggles, and I don't agree with them. I don't have a lot of choice about listening to them speak their nauseating opinions, but I have had to hear them far too many times."

She sighed, wistfully. "Our home in London is technically in a Muggle Neighborhood, but... It's one of THOSE homes, you know? Muggle Repelling charms over every inch, unplottable, and... I really am glad to be here. It's so different here."

@Rachel Davis

@Seren Yong

What Rachel said seemed to have made the girl confused for a moment and then doubled her nervousness the next. Rachel stared dumbfounded for a little while, she didn't meant to make the girl more nervous.

"Wait, aww you think my hair looks lovely? Thanks!" Rachel said and kinda teasingly grinning at what the girl said. Doing that when the girl was very nervous wasn't a good idea but Rachel couldn't help it. Once her playful side activates, she'll be like that for the rest of the conversation. "But I still find what you did so cool soooo..."

Once the other girl knew that Rachel is another pureblood like her, there was a hint of disappointment in there which Rachel, for some odd reason, found it amusing. Its not everyday Rachel finds someone who is disappointed at her for being a pureblood. With clearly a sarcastic and fake offended tone in her voice she said, "Ouch, sorry I wasn't born a half-blood or is a muggle born!"

Hearing the girls reason on why she wanted to know more about muggle-borns and half-bloods and her thoughts about her parents, Rachel felt bad for the girl. Rachel wouldn't stand a minute let alone her whole life hearing her parents talk their very wrong opinions about muggles and forcing their child to agree with them.

When the unnamed girl explained that she lives in one of those muggle neighborhood without any muggles, Rachel was baffled. "Why live in a muggle neighborhood if they don't like muggles?" She questioningly exclaimed.

Seren paused in the conversation... Took a good thirty second pause, in fact, to do some slow, deep breathing. She remembered, from the last time her father's parents had visited, that her Grandmother had advised she try deep breathing when she was getting upset, as a way to help her calm herself down. After those thirty seconds, her body relaxed, visibly, and her eyes showed signs of her having calmed down significantly. After that, she looked at the other girl and gave her a slight, but calm, smile. "Sorry, I haven't... Met a lot of people before coming here. Mostly my family, so sometimes I get a little overwhelmed, thinking I'm maybe breaking unspoken rules."

It was the best she could do to explain what was going on in her head, at the best without giving FAR more detail about her life and what her parents were like than she was comfortable with.

"And yes, I do think your hair looks lovely. No one in my family has any unnatural hair colors, outside of the rare ancestral portrait of a metamorphmagus, so it's really neat and new to me." Again, she hoped it was enough detail. "But thank you! I am still really learning to control my skills. I am hoping, someday, to be able to control them enough that I only change when I decide to do so, you know?"

And then she winced at the 'ouch' comment. "Sorry, I didn't meant it as an insult, truly. I just... Want to learn the truth about the world I haven't had any connection to, other than seeing it through a window."

She licked her lips at the 'why' question about the home her parents raised her in. Well, she should have expected it, really, in this situation, even if it was not something she actually wanted to discuss. "The basic answer is we live in a home that my father's parents own. They picked the location, not my parents. My father represents their businesses, here in the UK, so... He is expected to live where they select. My grandparents aren't like my parents. Nor were my mother's parents. I really don't understand how my grandparents on either side produced my parents, to be honest."

@Rachel Davis

@Seren Yong

Getting the hint of the girl not wanting to discuss her family history or parents any further, Rachel changed the subject. "Welllll, I mean, if you want, I could come with you in a search for muggle-born and half-blood friends here! And right on time, I need more friends since I'm lonely." Rachel said dragging the l at the beginning. She did have muggle-borns,half-bloods, and purebloods friends before Hogwarts but they are not with her right now.

"But firstly, you already know my name or you didn't catch it when you were looking at my gorgeous hair?" Again, Rachel was trying to joke around and was being playful since she doesn't want the other girl to feel uncomfortable around her or think that she likes to mind on other peoples business.

"And next, what's your name, nameless girl that I assume is a Ravenclaw?" Rachel said raising an eyebrow at her while smiling. At this point she had closed the book that she was reading and was now paying close attention to the other girl. Rachel was a little curious on her lineage, family, and about her life because she was giving the exact answers on Rachel's questions nothing less and nothing more.

Its not that she's actually nosy but whenever Rachel meets someone, she and them would share random facts about themselves to each other. And she has never met someone so mysterious. Rachel herself is kind of like an open book but only when she wants to be though.

Seren blinked in surprise at the offer to go find friends together, and then giggled, a rare sound from her. She had never laughed or giggled much before coming to Hogwarts, and she was finding out that these noises felt good to make. "I mean, that sounds good! And I don't mean to imply I don't want to be your friend, either... I do! So this sounds like a good idea, we can be friends and expand our friend group too."

Her blue eyes sparkled happily, pleased at the idea of a friend who wanted to help her make more friends... It would help, too, since she was finding it challenging to break out of her shell of nervousness. This new friend's book had helped her have the courage to approach, and ask, because she loved books so very much.

And then the comment about names, and houses, came up and Seren went still, eyes wide, as she mentally reviewed their conversation and realized she had not been polite enough to even introduce herself or ask the other girl's name. She blushed, a very deep red that almost seemed to glow on her pale peachy skin. "Oh! Oh I am sorry, I did not intend to keep my name a secret. I am Seren Yong, and, as you guessed, a Ravenclaw. I do not know your name... Might I ask what it is?"

Her cheeks remained a pinkish tone, the blush mostly faded but still gracing her cheeks. "I was not trying to be rude, either... I just got so focused...."

She felt like a right idiot, honestly, for this stupid failure.

@Rachel Davis