Wait, What Time Is It? PV Maisie Gemmell Finished

Wait, wait, don't tell me. That's what was going through Maisie's mind as she scanned the pages of a DADA theory book. After all, she was smart—most of the time. There had to be something here she was missing—something that was lodged in her brain—that would help her get better at this silly sport. Somehow the idea that she'd just missed something rather than being repeatedly outmatched was more comforting; this way, if she was just stupid, she could correct for that. If things were just unfair, that was a problem of a different color.

So, the time went by as she embarked on a determined search—again. Mylo probably thought this was stupid. In some ways, Maisie thought it was stupid. But she was running out of ideas and the next match would be here before she knew it. She jostled between book and notebook like a machine.

Until the close of the day drew near and with it, the close of the library itself. As the other students started to close up their things and head out, Maisie was doing the same, ready to return another day. After slinging her satchel over her shoulder and quickly refreshing the side plait she so often wore, Maisie started to head to the exit, walking the length of the table.

That was when she noticed another girl about her age, who unlike everyone else, was not moving. Looking up, Maisie's brown eyes glanced around for the school librarian. Stopping for a moment, she waited. It sounded like she was breathing. Good. She reached for her shoulder gently, waited a moment, and then pulled out her wand. "Verdimillious," she cast softly across from the girl, hoping that the light and the crackle of the sparks would be enough to stir her. A kind of magical alarm, yeah, that was it: something that wasn't too in personal space of a stranger, effective (hopefully), and with a little bit of a creative flair.

"Sorry," she'd apologize at the first sign of movement, "They'll kick us out soon. Thought you ought to know."

@Lucille Rosenhart

date 04/09/25

word count 358

outfit ⁺₊ ☀︎ ⁺₊

speech #8C2626

mentions @Maisie Gemmell

notes xxx

She could see a dragon in front of her, feel the powerful beat of its wings as it came towards her. It seemed harmless, and Lucille was standing at the edge of the cliffside, ready to leap onto it and soar to a different mountain. She fixed her stance, putting one foot ahead of the other, ready to jump, when suddenly, the dragon opened its giant mouth, and blasted a green light in her face.

Lucille's eyes opened with a start, her dream having quickly turned into a nightmare, only to see that the dragon somehow remained. Bright green sparks flashed in front of her, and she scrambled to get up, legs getting caught in the chair. Lucille and the chair tilted sideways, falling. Thankfully, Lucille was able to grab onto the edge of the table, efficiently stopping herself. The chair, of course, had no such luck. It landed on the floor with a loud crash that echoed in the mostly empty library.

It was then that she noticed the girl who had caused the green light. She apologized, explaining they'd be kicked out soon. She looked familiar, and Lucille was sure they'd met before, but currently in her groggy, half asleep state, she couldn't place her. She wanted to thank her, or greet her, or say anything, but what came out of her mouth was: "You're no dragon." Perhaps saying just anything was ill advised.

Lucille rubbed her eyes, willing herself to wake up properly. "Sorry, I mean. Thank you," she added quickly, stifling a yawn. The girl was clearly still half engulfed in her dreams. She looked down at the chair laid horizontally by her feet, and got to work hoisting it up, if only to have something to do.

As her mind cleared, she was beginning to think that this was certainly an unconventional way to wake someone. Even back home, the most her siblings had ever done was cast a Lumos charm right in her eyes when trying to wake her up. She giggled a little at how silly the situation was, realizing how funny she must've looked crashing down from a harmless spark.

Crash. Her eyes widened as she heard the chair fall against the floor. The girl, however, seemed to be able to catch the edge of the table just in the nick of time. "Are you okay?" she asked the girl as she bent down to help her pick the chair up. A well placed levitation charm could have done the same thing, but she followed her lead. Sometimes the muggle way was faster.

"You're no dragon," the girl said as she stirred.

"Well, not yet," she said with a little laugh, "I'm not that good at Transfiguration, but it's a neat idea." And it was actually—her friends flying over Hogwarts one day as dragons! But it was probably really, really big magic.

"Sorry, I mean. Thank you," she continued with a yawn.

And as the moments passed, that was when Maisie recognized her. "You had the booth over the summer with the flowers!" she recalled, "I visited briefly. I'm Maisie, Ravenclaw second year." She imagined she had probably introduced herself then, but it seemed in good form to do that now too as some time had passed.

"Come on, I'll walk you out," she suggested with an outstretched hand in case it would be helpful if she held books or anything for the girl. After all, she nearly concussed her with her green sparks so making sure she was okay seemed like the least she could do.

@Lucille Rosenhart

date 04/09/25

word count 390

outfit ⁺₊ ☀︎ ⁺₊

speech #8C2626

mentions @Maisie Gemmell

notes xxx

Lucille slapped a hand to her forehead, finally recognizing Maisie, at her reminder, of course. "That's where I remember you from! Of course!" It seemed the sudden realization had given her the boost she needed to jolt herself awake. Lucille seemed more alert of her surroundings now, that strange realm in-between dreams and wakefulness now conquered.

"Sorry about the dragon bit. I guess it makes sense where my mind was," Lucille said, gesturing to the book that still lay open on the desk. Upon the page was a detailed illustration of the Hungarian Horntail, surrounded by a flurry of small text, giving way more information than one could process upon a first reading.

"Yes, I suppose it is getting late. I just need to put this back on the shelf," Lucille said, picking up the book. She hesitated for a second, looking at the girl's outstretched hand, as if trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. For a second, Lucille almost awkwardly gave the girl her hand, before suddenly realizing what she meant. "Oh, right. You can carry this, if you'd like," she said with a little laugh, handing her the book. She was left emptyhanded, and that made her feel strange, but she had been caught off guard for a second.

Lucille thought back to her booth. She was terrible at recalling faces, but names she was good at remembering. However, she knew most people often had the opposite experience, so she quickly spoke. "I'm Lucille, if you don't remember. I expect you might not, since we haven't exactly spoken much, have we? That will change, I hope!" She smiled brightly, and the words may have sounded disingenuous from anyone else, but Lucille's enthusiastic tone showed she truly meant it. "So, what brings you here at this late hour? And so early on in the year, too."

Lucille knew, of course, that the library was often frequented by the students; hardly ever empty, in fact. But, currently, it almost felt as if she and Maisie were the only people there, with very few students milling about, and mostly just to finish an assignment. Most of the students that had come here for some leisurely reading had left already, and Lucille would've been included in them, had the sandman not coaxed her into his land of dreams.

"Sorry about the dragon bit. I guess it makes sense where my mind was."

Nodding her head, she added, "Well, I hope it was a good dream as opposed to one where the dragon is chasing you, breathing fire at you or somesuch." Honestly, becoming one still seemed like a captivating idea that she'd want to run by Avis later. Dreams were often hard to recall so if Lucille remembered, hopefully it was a good one.

Taking the girl's book in hand, Maisie was happy to help move her along. (Surely, the librarian would appreciate that.) She walked in step with Lucille, who seemed happy to have someone to help and to chat with. Maisie smiled as the Gryffindor suggested they might talk more. After all, she seemed perfectly pleasant, and one could always use more friends at Hogwarts.

At the question of what she was doing here, well, Maisie could only offer the truth: "Research, personal research." But something so terse seemed impersonal. Lucille seemed kind; should take the fuller version, surely. "I'm, eh, trying to get better at duelling," she admitted (though not expressly stating how bad she was at it), "I thought some Defense Against the Dark Arts might help." Holding up her theory book for clarity, she then replaced it in her satchel for another day. If there was one thing she learned from Mylo, it was that these things took time. And she was willing to take any avenue to improve.

"You?" she asked.

@Lucille Rosenhart

date 04/09/25

word count 321

outfit ⁺₊ ☀︎ ⁺₊

speech #8C2626

mentions @Maisie Gemmell

notes xxx

Lucille giggled, remembering her dream but deciding not to tell Maisie that her dream had been perfectly pleasant until Maisie had cast her charm, and her dragon had turned on her. Lucille paused at a shelf, extending her hand towards Maisie to ask for the book. She had found the shelf she had gotten it from, and was ready to reshelve it.

She glanced at the book Maisie held up for help with dueling. "Well, I suppose time will tell if that's effective. I don't think I could ever duel. It sounds terrifying. I'd like to have a go at broom racing, though. It feels much less violent, although the spells people cast on each other might beg to differ." She offered a small smile at that. "Practice will make perfect for you, I'm sure. As for me, I simply like dragons." Lucille turned back to the shelf, eyes scanning the amount of books she had rejected upon her search. The shelf was full of books about different magical creatures, and the girl's longing expression showed how intrigued she was by the topic.

"I love reading, so I hope to be spending a lot of time here. I love magical creatures even more, so I've been trying to read up on them." Lucille reached up with her hand, running her index finger along the spines of the books like she had done so many hours ago.

Finally, turning around, she seemed to gain a newfound clarity, as if dismissing the notions of fantastical books from her mind. Her eyes met Maisie's, and she gestured to the book Maisie held. "I suppose our next stop is reshelving that? Or is that yours?" There was a brightness in Lucille's eyes as all signs of sleep began to fade. She sighed, knowing she would have trouble going back to sleep at night now. Hopefully, she'd be well-rested in the morning, despite her disastrous nap.

"Well, I suppose time will tell if that's effective."

No, not really. It's not effective because if it was effective, I wouldn't still be here. Maisie held those thoughts back as best she could as she walked alongside Lucille, who seemed both optimistic and yet also like she had a good head on her shoulders. She was, at least, astute: duelling was violent and Maisie had been on painful end of that, well, every time. Broomracing on the other hand—

"I think racing sounds really intriguing actually," she interjected, "I was in one last spring, unofficially, and it was great. We flew across this long tree line and over the viaduct." A small smile crossed her face as she remembered it and traced the path with her hand. In fact, the only unsettling thing about it was Alyss Gilmour and the way she looked at her still after she'd knocked her down in duelling months before. Hopefully, she'd quelled over the summer, but that remained to be seen.

"I suppose our next stop is reshelving that? Or is that yours?"

A small laugh escaped her. "I love reading too, but this one is not mine," she explained as she moved over to where she'd procured this defense theory book. "I like fiction, especially any kind of adventure. And if not that, I'm probably looking at a new pattern book. I sew, you see, my mum and I." In fact, she had to get to work on those dorm Halloween decorations in good time so a new pattern book was not a bad idea. Maybe she could find it if she swung back here tomorrow.

When they reached the shelf, she reached up to wedge the title between the others in the DADA section. Seems there was just enough time to squeak out of her before closing.

@Lucille Rosenhart

date 04/09/25

word count 327

outfit ⁺₊ ☀︎ ⁺₊

speech #8C2626

mentions @Maisie Gemmell

notes xxx

Lucille's eyes widened as Maisie spoke of her unofficial broom race. Of course, Maisie must have a bit more experience than her regarding events at Hogwarts, being a second year, so it was only natural she'd have stories of a race or two, but participating in one was even more intriguing, even in an unofficial capacity. "I'll be happy to compete in any race, honestly. Unofficial or not. But first I need to get some more experience on a broom." Lucille thought back fondly on the brooms she had seen through the window in a shop at Diagon Alley when she had been school shopping, Of course, she hadn't gotten one, hadn't even entered the shop. Her mother understandably didn't want to purchase an expensive broom for her when she hadn't even been on a school broom yet. Still, they had been lovely to admire from afar, and she had imagined how they would feel to ride.

Maisie was still talking, and her words broke through Lucille's memory. "Oh, I love fantasy books! Fairytales in particular." Lucille loved stories of fairies and princesses and dragons and knights. She always found them comforting, similar to how she felt about lullabies. "I can't say the same for sewing, though. I've never tried it, but I imagine it to be quite rewarding. Have you sewn any of your own clothes? I mean, have you made a dress or something for yourself before?" Lucille hurried to add the additional context, realizing Maisie had probably sewn a button or mended a tear on her clothes before, and so she attempted to clarify what she meant.

Soon, the girls reached the shelf Maisie had taken her book from. Now, both emptyhanded, Lucille looked around for a second, getting her bearings. The library was vast, the shelves identical enough that sometimes you felt a little lost. But, quickly, she identified the pathway they needed to take, and began leading the way to the door.

Lucille seemed so excited about racing, which was nice. In many ways Maisie had not yet grown out of that either. She too wanted to do anything and everything at this school, and ideally something she could excel at.

"But first I need to get some more experience on a broom."

"That," she started, "I might be able to help you with. I'm not on the team or anything, but I enjoy it and wouldn't mind doing some laps with you." With a smile, it occurred to her a young first year could likely find better mentors, but she was available, especially before the start of duelling season, and she had done well in both her unofficial broom races and quidditch matches. Still, she'd take no offence if Lucille said no.

"Fairytales as nice," she said as they walked. And they were—when she was about eight years old. At twelve, Maisie preferred to think of herself as an young adventurer on a treasure island or roaming the streets of London. Still, books were books and she'd always find kinship with someone else who enjoyed reading.

"Have you sewn any of your own clothes? I mean, have you made a dress or something for yourself before?"

"With my mum," she said proudly. Even if she was becoming increasingly more proficient, she loved and was proud of how her mum had taught her. "I had a booth in the summer, and I helped design Reyna Evergreen's dress for the last autumn ball," she explained. To this day, the Hufflepuff's dress had been one of her favorites with its black gloves and easy sparkles. She hoped she would have the chance to work on more pieces that were similar. "Do you have any fun hobbies?" she retuned the question.

With all that put away, there was no where left but the door as she easily followed Lucille that way. "I think this might be where I leave you, but it was nice to meet you! Maybe I'll see you here again?" she said as they approached.

@Lucille Rosenhart