(W.H.I.P.) Second Exploration: Hogwarts Library Finished

𝕽uth was back at the library, again, for the umpteenth time, scouring through books.

Yes, she should be out walking, doing what she loves, but something about the biting winter and freezing temperatures made Ruth hesitate. Was it the fact that she just couldn't get used to the winter wonderland? Back home, everyone's probably dry, She propped a book up on the table, then slumped. Yes, she did love taking in mouthfuls of information, but doing it everyday seemed...

Gah, she was just restless. Stretching, Ruth decided it was about time she walked around the school again. She hadn't done that in a while, besides getting to classes. Ruth wanted to start from the lowest floor she could go to to the far tops that she had access to. All that walking would surely wear her out, which excited the girl.

As she went back to return the books back to where she had last found them in (without needing the library elves. They are incredibly busy creatures) Ruth was about to walk back out to the entrance when she froze.

At a corner, stood the girl she had seen quite some time ago, when she and the other First Year Hufflepuffs were in conversation. She had tromped in, soaking wet. And rather haughtyily... Ruth added to herself, frowning at the strange sight of the girl, now squealing and happy, jotting down something furiously.

Watching the girl so engrossed in her line of work made Ruth hesitant to approach her, but you couldn't ever stop her curiosity. It was brimming, and though it was none of her business, she did want to know one thing -- why it stopped her from being moody.

Worth a try I suppose. Coming here, Ruth's blend-radar had been beeping incredibly low. Most of the time she did enjoy isolation, constantly using the time walking and in the library as a time for herself. That, however, is nothing compared to the time she ends up interacting with boundless people, making fond memories that increasingly begin to change Ruth's perspectives about needing to staying invisible to observe.

But enough about that.

Ruth breathed in, welcoming the scent of books, then walked forward carefully. Wait no, no can do. Knowing herself, she'd have been too quiet for the girl to notice. Thus, she made her presence known by tapping on the spines of books and pulling the texts out to read the blurbs before putting them back.

Then, slowly, Ruth spun around to gaze in the girl's direction, as if having not seen her in the first place. Grin, and wave. Ruth thought to herself as she smiles and held up a hand as a greeting. "Hey! You're the girl from the common room a while ago!" Ruth began, walking closer.

Holding out a hand for perhaps a shake, Ruth said, "I never got to ask for your name. You left rather quickly. What are you up to?" she cocked her head.

Interacting with @Aurelia Valentine

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DECEMBER 14 | 09:10 | Hogwarts Library | INTERACTING WITH: @Ruth Fairchild or @anyone, for that matter. Still open for interactions.

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𝕽uth's grin grew wider as the handshake became firm. "Ruth, Ruth Fairchild. Ah, you...May have seen me around in the common room,"Ruth masked a frown behind her smile. Perhaps Aurelia hadn't remembered the incident. Or perhaps she got the wrong girl.

No, probably not. The frizzy raven hair and left-sided freckles were hard to miss and mistake for another person. Seeing as though she was spending her time diving into the history of Hogwarts rather excitedly, Aurelia seemed to hold a scholarly status and couldn't be assumed as the type to forget things. Of course, Ruth did all that calculations in her head and she took the girl in. She kept quiet, though. It was the least she could do.

She released her grip, offering a cheeky smile. "Lovely name, by the way. I have read somewhere that the name 'Aurelia' is derived from Latin, meaning 'golden'. So...Golden Valentine." Such a romantic name. Ruth surely would have loved a graceful name as such, but perhaps her parents just desperately wanted her name to start with an R that they forgot any reason to give Ruth a meaningful name. Not that that is the case. Or is it?

Ruth rocked on her heels, wondering what to say next. She hadn't exactly been expecting her to be welcomed into Aurelia's space. So, she paused, gesturing to the famous textbook. "Ah, the history of Hogwarts. An interesting book, is it not?" she gazed upwards and around the library. "Not very up to date now, though. The castle has very much changed since the book was published. Pity Ms Bagshot is deceased because of..." she didn't continue.

@Aurelia Valentine

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DECEMBER 14 | 09:14 | Hogwarts Library
Conversing hesitantly with: @Ruth Fairchild

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Aurelia Valentine looked up at the girl with a scrutinising gaze. Ruth Fairchild. Of course, she had seen her before and had seen her around. Not because Ruth is a fellow First Year Hufflepuff, but because just like Aurelia, Ruth frequents the Hogwarts Library too. How does she know? Aurelia has this habit of looking around the location she was planning to spend her time at and always makes certain that her favourite Library corner is not being occupied. Her favourite corner had been far from the large hearth where students usually sit near as an invitation to whisper sneakily while the resident Librarian was busily dusting all the ancient tomes. “Lovely name, by the way. I have read somewhere that the name ‘Aurelia’ is derived from Latin, meaning ‘golden’. So...Golden Valentine.” Ruth said with a rather cheeky smile. Aurelia’s eyes widened slightly, completely unprepared by her statement. Because it is, her mother—as a writer—had been obsessed with the entirety of the Latin language. She labelled the drawers with the Latin translation of an object, which frustrated Aurelia greatly when she was a child. It had been her mother’s way for Aurelia to take up learning Latin; therein Aurelia had managed to snag a few Latin phrases and other pig Latins. “...Yes. Yes, it is,” Aurelia clarified, flushing slightly from the compliment, which she concealed as a scowl instead. She hoped it could be mistaken as her initial reaction to the winter cold. Thinking of a compliment, her brown eyes scoured her desk. Upon looking at her copy of Hogwarts: A History—which reminded her significantly of King James' version of the Bible, font-wise—the Hufflepuff witch looked up at Ruth. “Well, did you know that Ruth originated from the Hebrew language meaning “friend” or “compassionate friend”? Ruth had a book in the Bible too, showcasing her compassionate friendship with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Her loyalty and empathetic nature had prevailed, in spite of the fact that Naomi had driven her away several times after Ruth’s husband—Naomi’s son—had died, of course, to help Ruth preserve her dignity as a woman. Just to clarify, I don't believe in God; but I've read the Bible in its entirety.” Aurelia had accidentally babbled on, reddening slightly by the minute. The Hufflepuff witch huffed in frustration; it looks like her love for reading and the need to prattle about it have overcame her initial plan to remain mysterious. Aurelia must've sounded perplexing. She had no idea if Ruth had muggle heritage in her blood, but if she didn't, then she might've babbled for nothing. How embarrassing. The Hufflepuff witch resisted the urge to facepalm and run away as she gritted her teeth slightly. But she brightened again when Ruth implicated that she knew something about Hogwarts: A History. Despite being a required book to buy in their First Year, Hogwarts: A History being regarded as an optional read resulted in students who had not bothered to read it even the slightest bit. It had become a dilemma for Aurelia’s cause too, as hearing students gossiping about the school with falsified information did aggravate her remarkably. “Her death a collateral damage in the events of the Second Wizarding War, of course,” Aurelia finished with a hint of breathlessness, almost conspiratorially. Her face heated up again, trying so hard not to give in to her urge to babble again. And yet she did; her brown eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “Yes, it is very much outdated! I have just discovered it, of course, as I'm in a quest to explore the entirety of the Hogwarts castle and the Hogwarts grounds. This book has been my assistant all throughout the exploration; seeing as the locations had been moved significantly by a lot—I plan to rewrite the whole thing with necessary sources! Did you know that this discovery only proves that the castle is, in fact, sentient and cognisant? I've yet to unearth why it was so, but I have numerous theories juggling in my mind right now! However, of course, despite the fact that this copy has been—unfortunately—useless in navigating the location of particular places, nevertheless, it also serves as a noteworthy assistant for certain information of such places—” Aurelia rambled on in one breath before clamping her palm over her mouth to shut herself up. This young Hufflepuff witch really has to rein her enthusiasm sometimes.

𝕽uth smiled as Aurelia went on and on, surprising her with boundless information. Just as Ruth had observed, the Hufflepuff witch before her was a nerd (not that it was a bad thing, since Ruth was one too). She noted the redness in her company’s cheeks as she accepted Ruth’s compliment before firing one back herself, much to the girl’s surprise. She genuinely hadn’t known her name meant something. Then again, everything had to have a meaning, even if it was in a different language.

“No worries,” Ruth waved a hand at Aurelia’s clarification. “I understand. I’ll admit, I haven’t exactly invested myself to learn different religions yet. Though, I have heard from some people how interesting the bible is. Seeing as though you’ve read it ‘to its entirety’, I might give it a try.” She shrugged. It was a possibility, but it might not happen anytime soon. Religion in its essence was a global thing, not specifically restricted to the wizarding world. Ruth could learn about it sometime later. Right now, she had to seize the opportunity of stepping foot into the magic and taking in as much information from there instead.

Ruth jolted back to the conversation as Aurelia managed to factually tell her when exactly Bathilda had died (which Ruth was expecting from someone carrying a Hogwarts—A history book around) without mentioning the previously dark dark-lord. She watched as Aurelia burst into another set of rambles, this time giving Ruth the exact information needed to find out Aurelia’s purpose of having excitedly scribbling.

Curiosity fulfilled, another niggling question replaced her former one. Rewrite? The whole book? Ruth wasn’t too sure how she felt about that. Amazed, yes, but was that really the right thing to do? Well, nobody was stopping Aurelia, and Ruth didn’t plan to either. In fact, once she heard that the girl before her was on a quest to explore, Ruth was already set on the idea that she tagged along. It wouldn’t hurt asking.

Aurelia was still talking. Ruth couldn’t help but smile as she finally stopped, clamping her palm over her mouth simply to stop herself. Ruth shook her head, holding up a hand and chuckling softly. “No, it’s okay. I rather like it when people talk a lot about what they’re enthusiastic in. It’s really interesting. Say,” Ruth nonchalantly leaned on the wall, still looking down at the original copy of the book. “Mind if I tag along? I swear I won’t be too much of a bother.” Besides, Ruth could most definitely use this opportunity to find out more about the school, even discover some secret passages maybe! The thought made Ruth light up, but she concealed it.

Interacting with @Aurelia Valentine

OOC:

Reducio

On behalf of Ruth: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE x 142 (about the amount of stairs Hogwarts has)

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DECEMBER 14 | 09:16 | Hogwarts Library
Conversing with: @Ruth Fairchild

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Aurelia Valentine was thoughtful for a second. The Hufflepuff witch didn't read the Bible in its entirety just because she enjoyed it, but rather as a type of research—in a critical approach and in her critical eyes. Aurelia questioned the idea of theology and religion faith when she was 9, and therefore she indulged herself with books that people regarded as sacred and consecrated. Curiosity piqued; she had re-read it several times to analyse it very thoroughly. Her Grandmum had been ecstatic to see her read religious bits like that. In her opinion though—very honest, mind you—that if one were to gauge the Bible as literary fiction, then one will find the artistic expressions the writers had left in their words. One will revel in the beauty of that. However, if one analyses it in a rather evaluative and critical way, one will notice that such types of books are not meant to be read by nine-year-olds. As a huge humanitarian person, Aurelia was irked by the cruelty that the book had shown her. She understands that if one would practice empathy and compassion, one should embrace the excruciating process that it took to reach certain levels. People back then had experienced objectification and other forms of what-have-you; one would not be able to identify and categorise certain things, if one form is ethically right or wrong, if it hadn't transpired or occurred in the past. And Aurelia finds that ruthlessly beautiful and completely necessary, even supposing that it was, indeed, unfortunate. Relieved though that Ruth knew about the Bible, Aurelia didn't voice out her opinions regarding this matter. Again, if one were to find out, then they should analyse it with their own approach and not be corrupted with an outside perspective. Especially when one is not exactly thinking individually, oh, she had met some people like that. They only bear the opinion of others; they become vessels of words that others only convey. Shadows, around the world! But anyway. Aurelia's head snapped up when she heard that Ruth wanted to tag along in the exploration. She gave the other Hufflepuff witch a sceptical look before ducking briefly when stacks of books hovered in her direction to place them in the bookshelves behind her. Aurelia scanned Ruth's features, trying to identify some hint of fooling around. She wanted to tag along in this exploration. But why? Quirking an eyebrow, she looked at her copy of Hogwarts: A History. What is her goal, exactly, in this expedition? Of course, to unearth the secrets of the castle; discover its ancient magic; to update the Hogwarts: A History book and change some things, especially accommodating the fact that the school is the leading institution to accept half-breeds as their own students; to also put its dark history; to interview students and professors alike; to debunk the holistic view of the original book; to glorify the good things and to regard the dark truths that occurred within the confines of the castle. To achieve those goals, she has to explore, perhaps break and bend some rules, and write a lot. Would Ruth Fairchild actually enjoy that type of task? If Aurelia Valentine is a different person, she would've found this morbidly boring. “...Are you sure? This is only an exploration. Explore, jot down information, and our initial thoughts.” Aurelia's eyebrows were still creased in confusion as she looked at Ruth, like the witch had gone completely bonkers. She leaned down and looked around, as if checking if there was someone eavesdropping on their conversation. “This is exhaustingly boring too, mind if I tell you. Worst-case scenario: sometimes we'd have to bend some rules. Sneak around and all that nonsense.” The Hufflepuff witch's nose crinkled in slight indignation at the prospect of bending and breaking rules. Sneaking around? Aurelia judges other students when they scheme in front of her to sneak in Hogsmeade. Now, in pursuit of knowledge, she had become above the rules. Ugh, hypocrisy at its finest. Aurelia didn't mind someone tagging along, but what if Ruth had just joined to disturb her line of work? She squinted her eyes sceptically at the girl. She can't have that, she'd rather work alone than someone sabotaging her work. She needed the exploration done before January. Huh, she guessed it'd be fine if eventually the girl will go home for the holidays. But in all actuality, Ruth did not exude an air of constantly joking around; her resting meek expression did helped her case. However, Aurelia can't judge the book by its cover.

Reducio

OOC: Girl, you know you could tag along.

𝓐urelia’s hesitation made Ruth wonder if the girl somewhat doubted her. That would make sense, since she barely knew Ruth at all. Ruth’s frown deepened. “You got me at exploration. I doubt looking at every nook and cranny of the school would be entirely boring, maybe slightly exhausting. But I’m sure it’ll be worth it.” She spread her arms out, waving them to their surroundings. “Look at this place. It’s huge. Massive, huge, and also very interesting. To me, at least,” Ruth admitted “Perhaps if this was some other muggle school, I wouldn’t insist on tagging along.”

Aurelia still seemed sceptical. Wait, did she just say, “boring”? Ruth let out a chuckle, shaking her head. No way would exploring the castle and jotting down information be boring. Hell, it’d make familiarising it a lot easier. Before she could reply, though, the Hufflepuff witch before her mentioned bending a few rules. Ruth stopped, then pondered to herself. Breaking a few rules? Ruth had been planning to do that during the holidays already, what with going to Hogsmeade with Jan. She knew she shouldn’t and couldn’t, but something about this school riled her up. She…felt the need to bend them.

It couldn’t hurt too badly to bend a few more, especially since Aurelia seemed to have a valid excuse. If caught, Ruth would try the very best to persuade that that was the case, though her acquaintance would probably get to it first. They’d be fine.

Ruth was taken aback as Aurelia openly squinted at her. She was rather comical, this Aurelia, though she didn’t seem to notice it. Not so much as some people, but enough to make it look subtle. She didn’t comment on that. Instead, Ruth squared her shoulders, then scanned the library with a quiet intensity, before eventually landing on a small, unassuming shelf in the corner. It was a bit dustier than others, tucked partially behind a grander display of tomes on magical theory.

Voice steady and thoughtful, she pointed at it. “Look there— that shelf,” she began, a calm certainty in her tone. “See how the dust’s thicker on the edges but not in the center? That’s from someone brushing their hand over the spines recently, probably searching for something obscure but overlooked.

“It’s not just one book either—it’s the whole row. Someone’s interested in a series or topic there but doesn’t want anyone to notice. Judging by the placement, it’s not a popular section—it’s likely old, less catalogued magic or histories, probably pre-standardization, maybe experimental spells. But lookcloser—half the titles are muggle-influenced, theories about early magical coexistence. So whoever’s been here isn’t just searching for spellcraft; they’re searching for connections—magic intersecting with non-magical history.

“Quietly. Someone wants answers but doesn’t want to be seen asking questions.”

She straightened, glancing at Aurelia with the faintest hint of triumph in her eyes. “If I can spot that, I think I can handle a few dusty secrets on your exploration.” What she didn’t tell Aurelia, though, was the fact that she had been the someone looking through the shelf for answers. Answers she couldn’t seem to find. Ruth turned her gaze to the restricted section, wondering.

Interacting with @Aurelia Valentine!

credits to this banner from Almost Everything Shop by @Ruth Fairchild!

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DECEMBER 14 | 09:20 | HOGWARTS LIBRARY
Looking sceptically at @Ruth Fairchild

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Ruth Fairchild’s insistence to tag along continued on, stating that the exploration would not be inherently boring for her—slightly exhausting, yes—but the prospect of discovering certain secrets did intrigue her, all that while flailing her arms around. When Ruth mentioned that it was massive and huge, Aurelia also looked around. Huge would be an understatement; if she didn't know any better, she would have regarded this place as a cathedral. Who wouldn't be? In the second level of the Hogwarts Library—which is located in the First Floor, of course, as we can see now—the large windows there are designed to be kaleidoscopic; in the more drier season, sunlight streamed down and decorated the floors and the thousands and thousands of rows of bookshelves with assorted colours. In the Scottish Highlands, though, it was infrequent or sporadic for the sunlight to reach the castle because of the Highlands itself and the mist that submerges and envelops everything in its path. Oh, but when sunlight does reach the castle, one would appreciate how huge the Hogwarts Library is. The sunlight illuminated the sections one would have never noticed or seen before. Right. If this was a muggle school, Aurelia would have never bothered too. When Ruth gestured at the old shelves and mentioned discovering mysteries and secrets there—rightfully assuming, of course—it's not just because if you strained your ears or closed your eyes one would hear the slight hum and buzz of the ancient and immense magic that the Hogwarts Library rightfully owned. It was because this castle already dated back from centuries ago; it was never unoccupied too, and it's just understandable to assume that secrets did homed this place or part of Hogwarts. This is the main attraction of the castle. No one ever really became a student of Hogwarts and then never visited the Hogwarts Library at all. People before them must've squeezed something in here. Aurelia also noticed that Ruth was well-versed in that particular section, showcasing her knowledge about the tomes that homed the area. This is a good point too, because if she would let someone tag along, then she would have selected someone competent and valued information. Not a buffoon. Because, of course, the magical existence that only appears dated back from centuries ago is not exactly clarified. They are also clueless about the magical coexistence with muggle history, as it was the job the Department of Mysteries as well as the Department of International Magical Cooperation are working on and cracking on. Everyone is treading with theoretical assumptions. The Hufflepuff witch noticed Ruth glancing at the Restricted Section of the library. Aurelia hummed thoughtfully before standing up from her desk and facing Ruth. “You have defended your case very thoroughly, and I'm sincerely apologising at how this appears, since it must have felt like I was underestimating you,” Aurelia cleared her throat, before she offered a hand and continued on haughtily. “Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Aurelia Valentine, and I'm conducting research and exploration around Hogwarts as well as its grounds and... Bodies of water. This exploration is originally named Wintry Hogwarts' Informative Exploration, in acronym, W.H.I.P. ‘W-H-I-P’, not whip. If it is pronounced like that, then we are whipping boringness. I welcome you to the exploration, of course. But it will not be my responsibility if you feel like this is, indeed, mind-numbing. I'm warning you again. Feel free to tag along in some places, but if you don't feel like it, then that's entirely okay.” Aurelia also eyed the Restricted Section of the Library. The Hogwarts: A History copy of Bathilda Bagshot did not mention anything what books homed and contained this forbidden section. But whatever it is, she knows it's dangerous; it is already stated in Library Rule #3 too. The area was roped, plus if it is not mentioned in the book, then that means the author did not want to draw attention to this particular place. The Hufflepuff witch would not actually risk it; it's expulsion or death; Aurelia just has to pick.

Astute Auri

Reducio

OOC: Does the search Ruth did in the old bookshelf happened in History's Too Old? Just noticed that it happened the same day!

THIS ROLEPLAY IS FINISHED. COMPLEVIT. FINI. DONE. YADA, YADA, YADA.