7 Aug 2022, 19:56
Pixie Perfect II
continued from: viewtopic.php?t=22285
Finnegan did not notice being lifted into one of the beds, did not feel the hands on him, did not hear the clever incantations that sealed the litany of shallow cuts and scrapes where the glass had cut through his robes and skin. By the time he regained consciousness, he had been changed out of his robes into a striped blue-and-white pyjama and gotten a bandage on his wand hand where sharp pixie teeth had dug into his flesh. Slow like the raindrops tracing down the castle windows, his mind tried to figure out where he was, who he was, and what time it was, roughly in that order.
For a while, he observed his environment through tiny eyeslits and concluded first that he was in a bed of sorts, and secondly that there was a bed next to his with all white linen, so it couldn't be his dorms.
Wherever he was, it was a peaceful, quiet place not unlike the school library, except considerably less dusty and seemingly deserted. The longer he thought on it, the more confident he became that he'd landed himself in the school's hospital somehow. He groaned while he wrecked his brain, trying to remember how he'd gotten there, but nothing came up.
It wasn't until his full senses returned that he realised he wasn't alone. There was someone at his bedside, and when he rolled over to his other side to look, he recognised the pink hair immediately.
"G-george?" he croaked out. "I think I really do have a head full of rocks," he added with something between a smile and a grimace on his face. For a moment he just stared vacantly at the Hufflepuff and tried not to move his head too much, which felt far too heavy anyway. The longer he stared at George, the more the boy came into focus. He looked a little worse for wear, but he wasn't in pyjamas, nor was he in bed.
A terrible wave of guilt for all the horrible things he'd said to the teenager and the many more things he'd thought about the young Hufflepuff washed over him until it became almost unbearable to look him in the eye. There were gaps in his recollection, but he remembered enough to know that George had made the pixies go away, so it had to be George who'd gotten him here.
Finnegan blinked lazily, his face half buried in his pillow. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. He would've liked to have said that he was sorry for his nasty comment about George's hair, that he was sorry for being so selfish when George had confided in him, that he was sorry for running away from him and that he was sorry for generally being an ungrateful, stupid little shit who wasn't worth saving. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't find the words for it. "I'm sorry," he repeated mournfully. The look of guilt and shame on his face spoke volumes.
Then, without warning, the low burning, flickering flame of his awareness flared up, and with a jolt, he suddenly jumped upright in bed. "My wand! Where's my wand? Not a second later he let out a sharp hiss, clutched his head with both hands and dropped back down onto his pillow like he'd been conked on the head again.
Last edited by Finnegan Connor on 8 Aug 2022, 14:24, edited 1 time in total.
"He's a dweeby chocolate bar lip smacking nerd" - Evelynn Decipio
7 Aug 2022, 21:37
Pixie Perfect II
"Yes- no, the pixies did not make my hair pink, you don't need to change it back," George hissed at the school nurse, trying to avoid disturbing the boy he had brought in for care. The new nurse seemed to be very concerned that George, too, had taken too many blows to the head to recall things correctly. He made himself clear enough that Nurse Frogge relented, however, leaving Finnegan and George on their own. "Yes. Yes on purpose..."
Finally, the young Hufflepuff was able to return to his sulking, looking down over the injured Finnegan. Poor, poor Finnegan. It was all his fault that this had happened. He should have insisted that Finnegan just wait outside instead of sending him in first, throwing him to the proverbial wolves. Even if the wolves were about six inches tall and relatively harmless, most of the time. By now the tears had already come and gone, and George only needed the occasional sniffle to express his distress.
The boy leaned forward in his chair when Finnegan began to groan, looking over him. Was that his last breath or something? It definitely sounded horrible! George looked around for the nurse, getting ready to scream before the boy said his name.
George stared down into Finnegan's eyes, whimpering as he heard him speak. "I'm sorry I said that," George said. While his head knew that this was probably only a concussion, his heart was treating it like Finnegan was on his death bed. The last thing he wanted for his friend to think he was stupid. He had never done anything wrong. Well, maybe some stuff, but that was past now, albeit recent past.
He shook his head as he heard the mumbled apologies from the boy. "It's okay. Don't worry about it," he assured him. How was he going to explain this to professor Fresnel? He was meant to be the adult in that situation. He had a responsibility to collect those pixies. Now all he had was a dustpan full of pixie ashes and a beat-up first year! He was beginning to regret not letting that cabinet just smush the two of them so he could be spared the embarrassment. "Please don't-"
Then the Finnegan that George remembered came back. George's chair creaked as he shot back in it, lifting his feet up off the ground as if he were getting ready to kick the hospital bed over if Finnegan got ready to pounce on him, or something. "Your wand?!" George repeated, looking around for it before he remembered that he was still carrying it. He reached into his pocket, feeling blindly around the two. The size was similar, but a wizard could always tell his wand apart from the others. "Here- er... actually, why don't we wait until you're done doing... whatever this is, and then you can have it back?"
He kept Finnegan's wand in hand, idly tapping it on his knee. It was really not a bad wand at all, and Finnegan hadn't had as many opportunities to beat it up as George had. No dog teeth marks, no bumps and scrapes. "Are you feeling alright? One of the pixies tried to knock the rocks out of your head with a candelabra," George informed him. He regretted saying it when it might have hurt his feelings, but now it was just a joke, so it was fine. "You did very well up until they tied our heads together. Maybe you're right about the pink hair... I should shave bald."
Finally, the young Hufflepuff was able to return to his sulking, looking down over the injured Finnegan. Poor, poor Finnegan. It was all his fault that this had happened. He should have insisted that Finnegan just wait outside instead of sending him in first, throwing him to the proverbial wolves. Even if the wolves were about six inches tall and relatively harmless, most of the time. By now the tears had already come and gone, and George only needed the occasional sniffle to express his distress.
The boy leaned forward in his chair when Finnegan began to groan, looking over him. Was that his last breath or something? It definitely sounded horrible! George looked around for the nurse, getting ready to scream before the boy said his name.
George stared down into Finnegan's eyes, whimpering as he heard him speak. "I'm sorry I said that," George said. While his head knew that this was probably only a concussion, his heart was treating it like Finnegan was on his death bed. The last thing he wanted for his friend to think he was stupid. He had never done anything wrong. Well, maybe some stuff, but that was past now, albeit recent past.
He shook his head as he heard the mumbled apologies from the boy. "It's okay. Don't worry about it," he assured him. How was he going to explain this to professor Fresnel? He was meant to be the adult in that situation. He had a responsibility to collect those pixies. Now all he had was a dustpan full of pixie ashes and a beat-up first year! He was beginning to regret not letting that cabinet just smush the two of them so he could be spared the embarrassment. "Please don't-"
Then the Finnegan that George remembered came back. George's chair creaked as he shot back in it, lifting his feet up off the ground as if he were getting ready to kick the hospital bed over if Finnegan got ready to pounce on him, or something. "Your wand?!" George repeated, looking around for it before he remembered that he was still carrying it. He reached into his pocket, feeling blindly around the two. The size was similar, but a wizard could always tell his wand apart from the others. "Here- er... actually, why don't we wait until you're done doing... whatever this is, and then you can have it back?"
He kept Finnegan's wand in hand, idly tapping it on his knee. It was really not a bad wand at all, and Finnegan hadn't had as many opportunities to beat it up as George had. No dog teeth marks, no bumps and scrapes. "Are you feeling alright? One of the pixies tried to knock the rocks out of your head with a candelabra," George informed him. He regretted saying it when it might have hurt his feelings, but now it was just a joke, so it was fine. "You did very well up until they tied our heads together. Maybe you're right about the pink hair... I should shave bald."
"outlandishly gay for boys"
Stamina: 10 / Evasion: 12 / Strength: 3 / Wisdom: 13 / Arcane Power: 7 / Accuracy: 12 [color: #632d0b]
24 Aug 2022, 04:46
Pixie Perfect II
It had been a relatively ordinary afternoon in her office as Zoë hyper fixated on a need to sort the various snacks, candy, and treats stored throughout her office. Upon pulling out all of the various hidden items, she had begun to feel a sudden kinship towards squirrels or other adorable rodents that stored food away for the winter. Part of her said that she probably had some sort of weird problem with how much hidden candy she was able to retrieve, but she quickly reassured herself that it was important to treat oneself. For the time being the office looked like absolute pandemonium and she hoped that no students would come by with such disarray.
So the eventual knock on her door sent a panicked rush of embarrassment and fear coursing through Zoë as she wondered who it could be. Things were everywhere and she wasn’t any closer to actually sorting any of the treats. She had instead gotten a bit distracted looking at some of the funny notes that she had taken from students in class. Children could be so funny… and there were so many secrets to learn… But having them only served as a perfect distraction to the easily amused and scatterbrained professor.
With a bit of luck, it hadn’t been a student or the Headmaster which would have been even more embarrassing. Could you imagine? The Headmaster checking in to find the esteemed Charms professor just snickering in her chair reading confiscated notes while snacking on a bar of chocolate in a room covered with various arrangements of snacks and sweets. She would have looked like a mad woman… But it turned out to be the ever-welcoming but still unfamiliar face of Polonius.
The two hadn’t really ever interacted despite her knowing who they were… So it seemed curious that they were stopping by but things quickly made sense after a very loud and unreciprocated greeting. Students in the hospital… Why were they always getting hurt?... Two of her students, of course, who had been given something of a little task to complete involving pixies… They were only pixies and George Henry was always strong in her class. Finnegan was still working on keeping up, which hadn’t been helped by the boy occasionally falling asleep in class. But with George, she had thought pixies should be relatively easy… Maybe these were like extra sneaky pixies… It would be quite like the school’s Groundskeeper to let some mischievous pixies loose in the school, saying something to the effect of, 'These little heathens will start the great revolution’...
Anyways… Zoë knew that she had to go see them as quickly as possible and it seemed like a great time to really get to know Polonius, like there was still so much to learn! But they hadn’t exactly been inclined to wait for the clearly animated and loud Professor. She knew nothing about what was going on and Polonius had vanished as soon as they arrived without leaving any specifics… Were they both hurt? How bad was it? How did they lose to pixies?... SO MANY! But they were gone and Zoë still had to make little get-well packages for her students.
She quickly scrambled to her array of sweets and procured two small empty boxes. After jotting down quick ‘Get Better Charmingly Well’ cards, Zoë filled the two small boxes with a small array of treats… What if they had allergies and they died… Nope, the intrusive thought left. The nurse was there, they would be fine… Armed with her two small get-well packages, Zoë hastily trotted out of her office and into the hallway.
It was a short walk through the dreary castle before getting to the Hospital Wing. Quickly pushing through the doors, Zoë’s eye’s rapidly scanned until leveling on the two familiar students who seemed to be talking to one another. "There you two are! What happened?" Zoë called out in a worried tone as she began to hurry over towards the students her heels sending hollowed clacks echoing off the walls. “Did you two forget to bring your wands? It was something for Charms class… You were allowed to bring wands… Why would you ever need to know how to wrestle pixies? I am rambling. Sorry… I just want to make sure you are both alright.”
Zoë levied a concerned smile towards the two as she clutched her two get-well packages tightly. This is why she didn’t send students to do things. They would invariably find a way to get hurt and then she would do nothing but worry. But at least they both seemed to be coherent…
OOTD:Reducio
#134f5c
Stamina: 5 / Evasion: 11 / Strength: 2 / Wisdom: 20 / ArcPower: 16 / Accuracy: 16
"Never be so politе you forget your power. Nevеr wield such power you forget to be polite."
10 Sep 2022, 00:48
Pixie Perfect II
A wizard without his wand was like a knight without his sword, disarmed and defenseless. He had half a mind to ask George to hand it over to him, but soon thought better of it. The Hufflepuff had kept it safe so far and could be trusted with it. Besides, it wasn't as if he was going to be casting any kind of spell. He'd yet to learn any kind of healing spells in his classes.
Eyes trained on the ceiling, the gaps in his memory and vision filled in bit by bit. He grimaced and cautiously reached for his temple when George reminded him how he'd gotten his throbbing headache.
He answered the boy's joke with a watery smile and a well-practiced eye-roll, the one he used whenever his mom packed him soggy bread with jam for lunch again (the jam was fine, but squished bread soaked in the stuff and left to fester for hours at the bottom of his schoolbag was not). "I don't think you should do that," he murmured softly, tactfully omitting the part where he declared how it would look considerably worse than the pink mistake. "I'm not so sure I did that well," he added, gesturing vaguely at his bed. "I'm in here and you're not, that's no accide-"
He jerked his head toward the entrance at the sound of high-heels fast approaching. For the briefest of moments he worried his mother would appear, wagging her finger at him for landing in hospital after mere days and then - worst of all - smothering him in hugs and wet kisses.
"Professor Fresnel?" Finnegan squeaked. He sat up in bed, eyes growing wide and his mouth half agape in astonishment. It wasn't her impeccable manner of dress that made him gawk, he had gotten used to her sense of fashion by now, but the fact of her presence. After all, he had become certain Fresnel disliked him, for which he had given her plenty of cause. Yet instead of observing him in mockery, there was genuine concern written on her face and laced through her voice.
"We, uh-" he started while he scratched the nape of his neck. "Well, we kind of, I mean I kind of incinerated a few of them, but there were a lot and George killed, I mean, fended off most of them. But we got near crushed by a cabinet and one of 'em hit me in the head and now I'm here and-" his voice trailed off. "Maybe it's better if you explain," he said, looking to George. For a second his gaze fell on the packages Fresnel was holding. Was that for them? "Are we... are we going to be expelled?"
The packages didn't exactly look like they contained expulsion letters, but looks could be deceiving in the wizarding world. But what if they'd just exterminated the last living pixies in all of England? And what about the countless treasures, trinkets and cabinets they had broken? Surely there was some kind of rule about damage to school property.
@George Henry
@Zoë Fresnel
Eyes trained on the ceiling, the gaps in his memory and vision filled in bit by bit. He grimaced and cautiously reached for his temple when George reminded him how he'd gotten his throbbing headache.
He answered the boy's joke with a watery smile and a well-practiced eye-roll, the one he used whenever his mom packed him soggy bread with jam for lunch again (the jam was fine, but squished bread soaked in the stuff and left to fester for hours at the bottom of his schoolbag was not). "I don't think you should do that," he murmured softly, tactfully omitting the part where he declared how it would look considerably worse than the pink mistake. "I'm not so sure I did that well," he added, gesturing vaguely at his bed. "I'm in here and you're not, that's no accide-"
He jerked his head toward the entrance at the sound of high-heels fast approaching. For the briefest of moments he worried his mother would appear, wagging her finger at him for landing in hospital after mere days and then - worst of all - smothering him in hugs and wet kisses.
"Professor Fresnel?" Finnegan squeaked. He sat up in bed, eyes growing wide and his mouth half agape in astonishment. It wasn't her impeccable manner of dress that made him gawk, he had gotten used to her sense of fashion by now, but the fact of her presence. After all, he had become certain Fresnel disliked him, for which he had given her plenty of cause. Yet instead of observing him in mockery, there was genuine concern written on her face and laced through her voice.
"We, uh-" he started while he scratched the nape of his neck. "Well, we kind of, I mean I kind of incinerated a few of them, but there were a lot and George killed, I mean, fended off most of them. But we got near crushed by a cabinet and one of 'em hit me in the head and now I'm here and-" his voice trailed off. "Maybe it's better if you explain," he said, looking to George. For a second his gaze fell on the packages Fresnel was holding. Was that for them? "Are we... are we going to be expelled?"
The packages didn't exactly look like they contained expulsion letters, but looks could be deceiving in the wizarding world. But what if they'd just exterminated the last living pixies in all of England? And what about the countless treasures, trinkets and cabinets they had broken? Surely there was some kind of rule about damage to school property.
@George Henry
@Zoë Fresnel
"He's a dweeby chocolate bar lip smacking nerd" - Evelynn Decipio
11 Sep 2022, 19:59
Pixie Perfect II
George bowed his head in shame as he heard to click of Zoe's heels heralding her arrival. He'd completely failed at both of his tasks. Well, sort of a partial success on both, considering the pixies were 'dealt with' and Finnegan was alive. He mustered the courage to look up at her as she asked what happened, turning a bit red-faced when she asked if they forgot to bring wands. He lifted up Finnegan's wand for a moment to show that they were on hand, though perhaps not used wisely. A brief glance was cast toward her get-well packages, but he had other concerns to attend to before he could get worried about their punishment.
Turning to Finnegan he said, he saw that the little lion had sat up, which earned him a glare from George. He might have thrown him back down onto the cot if Fresnel weren't here watching, worried that she might think less of him for the outburst. "You should lie down," he said, sounding much harsher than he intended.
He simply nodded along as Finnegan recounted the story, until the torch was passed to him, prompting him to look up to Fresnel again. Until Finnegan asked if they were going to be expelled. George reached over to give the younger boy a slap on the arm, unable to contain his outburst this time. "We're not going to be expelled, come off it," he hissed. The idea was ridiculous... but still terrifying to George. Hogwarts might as well have been the centre of the universe for him.
"I think that about covers it," said George with a solemn sigh, looking up to the professor. He shrugged, tucking Finnegan's wand into his pocket so that he could properly fidget with his hands. "They were a very violent sort of pixie - and there were a great deal of them - unfortunately they started going after Finnegan with some of the treasures from the trophy room, and some pixies were... harmed... in the ensuing conflict..."
George gripped his knees, bunching up his robes in his hands as he thought back to what he'd done. It might've been a bit overkill, but something about using incendio on all of them just felt... right, poetically. Besides, Finnegan had used it to great effect. "I didn't really... well, most of them are... sort of... you know, ash," he admitted. "Sorry, Professor Fresnel..."
He glanced back to Finnegan, searching for some reason to spin this whole situation as a positive. In fairness, it was definitely a learning experience. "Um... but Finnegan did very well with his spell work, he did two very good sparks spells, and- uh, the fire-creating spell, too..." George said, with a half-hearted smile. "So I think, um, we at least all learned something..."
"outlandishly gay for boys"
Stamina: 10 / Evasion: 12 / Strength: 3 / Wisdom: 13 / Arcane Power: 7 / Accuracy: 12 [color: #632d0b]
30 Oct 2022, 20:30
Pixie Perfect II
Even hearing Finnegan begin to talk helped to start putting Zoë at ease. The ability to talk was a good sign and even if the movements of the boy seemed a bit strained, at least he could move. Her mind tended to consider each of the worst possibilities before the more logical ones so Zoë was at least initially happy to see that none of the worst scenarios seemed to have happened. Although that didn’t quell the sense of responsibility still weighing on her about the entire situation.
Zoë made sure to patiently and attentively listen to each of Finnegan’s words as he tried to take her through the event. Part of her felt a bit of sadness that any of the pixies got completely eliminated or harmed, but she quickly reminded herself that the safety of the boys was far more important. Depending on the situation, Zoë knew that it was necessary at times to use more significant force and it would be warranted if the alternative was further injury to the boys. While she did feel bad for the pixies that were eliminated, she knew that things could have been far worse.
George’s comments only confirmed that things could have gotten even more out of hand. Zoë was quick to wave away any notions of expulsion or the apologies levied toward her for the way things turned out. “George is right. There is no need to worry about expulsion. I promise I did not come here to lecture or punish you. I just wanted to make sure that both of you were going to be okay. I feel terrible that I sent you to do something that turned into so much more than intended,” she said with a sincere and regretful tone.
Zoë took a deep breath and allowed her smile to return to her face. “I promise there is nothing you need to worry about for what happened. The absolute most important thing is that you are going to be okay. Everything else can be cleaned up, fixed…or it wasn’t needed,” Zoë said with a soft chuckle. “So please don’t apologize. You were both able to look out for each other a bit, even if things didn’t go exactly as planned.”
Zoë paused a moment as she tried to picture the scene but she reminded herself that it didn’t matter. Even if there were rather gruesome results, the students had effectively used the magic they learned to protect one another. It was still commendable in its own macabre way and she already decided she would not scold for them doing what they had to. “You are right George. Under the pressure of an attack, even if from pixies, you both were able to illustrate clear enough heads to cast useful and effective spells that were able to get you out of danger. You should be proud that you were able to. There is always room for growth but I am very happy to hear that you both were able to rely on your magic when you needed it most,” Zoë said with a warm smile and slight nod of her head.
Remembering that she was still nervously clutching the care packages, Zoë quickly reached out and gestured for the young students to go ahead and take them. “It isn’t much but I wanted to make sure you guys had a few nice treats while you are recovering so I made these for you. Just promise me that you two won’t find yourself in any new trouble for a while. I much prefer when my students don’t end up in the hospital wing,” Zoë teased with a smile. “And never forget. It is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from it. We never expect things to go perfectly as long as you do grow and I certainly hope this at least taught you to not underestimate some pixies,” she said with another quick nod.
OOTD:Reducio
#134f5c
Stamina: 5 / Evasion: 11 / Strength: 2 / Wisdom: 20 / ArcPower: 16 / Accuracy: 16
"Never be so politе you forget your power. Nevеr wield such power you forget to be polite."