exceeds expectations pv evelynn Closed

The transition back to school life was easy enough. And welcomed, too. Evelynn had spent the holidays back home per usual. It had been a rather quiet affair, just her and her mum. Initially, at least. They'd had something of a blow-up towards the end of it, however, that had left the little lioness feeling more than a little sorry for herself. Home had felt hostile after that, and she'd wanted nothing more than to return to the castle to escape. with class back in session, she had poured herself into her studies with an even greater fervour than usual. By her logic, the more focused she was upon the curriculum, the less she would dwell upon the change that was to come.

Thus, it came as no surprise to any, that as soon as the professor had asked their most recent query, Evelynn's arm had lofted confidently into the air. It wouldn't be upon her that the teacher called, however, but rather her classmate, Bellamy, who happened to be seated just in front of her. Brows lofted as the girl shot to her feet. Evelynn couldn't see her face, but she could well imagine the wide eyes of a fawn caught in a sudden wash of light, frozen and faltering. Students around them began a hushed whisper, some smirking at the sight. In normal circumstances, while she had grace enough not to outright mock, the prefect might even have shared in their disdain of a student caught in a lapse of attention. This was a little different, though.

"I would be pleased to help her collect and hand out the cauldrons, professor," Evelynn offered, speaking up despite not being called on. Her gaze returned briefly to Bellamy as the girl cast her own around the room in a silent plea for help, then forward to the potions professor. "They can be quite heavy, after all; and I am not always certain I can manage them alone, either."

For one reason or another, Evelynn had felt the need to offer a tactful cover for her peer, and as she slipped from her stool, she waited for Bellamy to catch up before pacing towards the back of the class where the heavy pots were stored.

"Are you back at Hogwarts, then?" Evelynn wondered allowed when the two of them had relative privacy at the cupboards. "I had heard rumour that you had been expelled. That hardly seemed a likely story, however."

7 january, 2022. sorry for the wait!

Just when she thought all hope was lost, a voice came from behind her. Ivy turned her head and locked eyes with a pale-skinned redhead before emitting a soft sigh of relief. A grateful smile would be extended towards the girl - Evelynn, if she remembered correctly. "Thank you," she whispered as they made their way to the back of the classroom together. "First day back and I've already made a fool of myself. Maybe I ought to pay attention next time..."

Evelynn's next words elicited a quiet laugh out of her. Was that what was being said about her? "No, not expelled. My grandfather requested I continued my education at Beauxbatons, so my sister and I went overseas." It was not the full story, of course. Ivy was not inclined to share the intimate details of her family's economic status, not even with the person who'd saved her from embarrassing herself in front of the entire class. "I returned because of a family tragedy." She would not let herself dwell on it nor would she elaborate, instead picking up a stack of cauldrons from the cupboard, wincing at their weight. "These really haven't gotten lighter, have they?" Her explanation had perhaps caused more questions to arise than answers, but there was a time and place for sharing your life story with someone, and Potions class was not it.

"It's interesting to see how some thing have changed and others stay the same. Do you still play Quidditch?" Ivy remembered her brief stint as a Quidditch Player in first and second year. She wasn't able to play a game before her parents pulled her out of Hogwarts and shipped her off to France, which she'd always found quite disappointing. It'd be fun to start up again and finish what she'd started two years ago.

@evelynn decipio

It seemed the explanation had been met with little resistance, and the gratitude offered to Evelynn through the simple gesture of a relieved smile was waved away as though it weren't a trouble at all. Really, Evelynn was just as grateful to Bellamy for playing along with the explanation lest the spotlight of the situation be transitioned to Evelynn, a new scandal taking over the prior. But the two would head to the back of the class without missing a beat, as though dancing in tandem to a rhythm only they could hear. It was pleasant in a way. The rare moment of altruism almost left Evelynn feeling gratified.

"Mn.." A thoughtful hum reverberated in the prefect's throat as her counterpart began her explanation. It made sense, she supposed. While she hardly knew the girl, the only memories she had were that of a well put together young lady with what could have passed as a posh, or perhaps pureblood, upbringing. "I thought not, really," she shared as much. "You had never struck me as the sort to find yourself in trouble enough to warrant being expelled from the school."

As Ivy might have suspected, though, the explanation certainly had raised more questions than for which it had provided answers. Chief among those circulated around curiosity on what the education was like at the esteemed Institute of Beauxbatons, and what tragedy would have propelled them to abandon the transition so quickly and have them returned to right where they had started. It seemed a strange thing to Evelynn to go through the effort of uprooting someone from their home and familiar place of study only to undo it shortly thereafter. And in the middle of a school year, no less!

"I am sorry to hear about your family.." was all that she would be able to share on that, however, given the less than private circumstance of their quietly utte5red conversation. "I hope you will find the familiar surroundings healing.."

And there she would leave it. For now, at the very least. "I do, yes," Evelynn answered, picking up the cue of the change of subject. A heavy cauldron would thunk down upon a nearby table as she set it in front of a pair of their peers and she returned with Ivy to the cupboard once again after she had done the same. "D'Spacito remains captain of the team, and I the co-captain. We defeated Hufflepuff again in the first game of the season, and will have our second against Ravenclaw next week, in fact."

She prattled on matter-of-factly as though reporting the latest points of interest for an interview for the Headliner. Pausing, however, her expression would grow more contemplative before she went on to say, "Although I do anticipate a rather challenging game this year compared to last. Last year, Ravenclaw were rather underwhelming, but their roster has improved significantly and they've several key players who could very well turn the tides to their favour. Quinn and Moussa in particular."