Down The Rabbit Hole PV Thales

Date: April 14th
Corridors
Interacting with: @Thales Amaro

Humans, whether magically gifted or not, are adaptable little creatures, regardless of how strange the situation they’re put in is. And just as astronauts got used to the lack of gravity eventually, this disheveled little creature had gotten used to the sight of the stone walls and moving staircases which seemed so confusing and impossible back in September. There is no better way to say it: the novelty of the wizarding world had partially worn off.

That is not to say Nico found out everything there is to know, not at all. They still got amazed at the sheer amount and strangeness of existing spells, they had not learned all of the magic folk’s customs, nor seen every room of Hogwarts. However, before they blinked, a great chunk of their school year flew by and the sense of wonder they entered the school with had started fading. After all, it is quite difficult to be in awe of mandrakes and potions when you have a lengthy essay to write due the next day. And since Nico felt the need to strive to be on the top of their class, they focused on learning the material, not wasting energy on unnecessary excitement.

A growing consequence of those conditions was the increasing restlessness. Nico couldn’t stand boredom, and things had been getting a little stale recently. Sure, they could hang out with the other students and couldn’t call themselves particularly lonely - but they needed something truly thrilling to happen. Their approach to magic had changed a bit, but their personality had not. Just anything to be excited about, really, that’s all they wanted; whether it would be some big incident going on, or even a fight. At that point they’d rather be uncomfortable than bored.

Those feelings slowly swirled around Nico’s brain, sometimes increasing or decreasing in their intensity. That is why subconsciously, they were constantly on the lookout for potential fun. Thankfully, they did not have to search for long, as some higher power seemed to have heard their silent plead.

Nico happened to finish their classes earlier than usual, which was perfect as the sun outside was shining so brightly it would’ve been an utter waste spending the day stuck in the classroom. Other students must’ve thought so too, as the lucky ones who were not forced to sit through lectures grouped outside for some leisure time in the fresh grass. Nico had planned to join them, slowly making their way to the main entrance. They passed right by the school announcement board, but something about it made them stop and backtrack. A poster they had not seen before, perhaps it was put up when they were away or spring break, or they simply spaced out too much to notice it earlier. It read “Spring Ball 2026”, and right under it “RED QUEEN'S LABYRINTH”. Nico raised their eyebrow slightly. A ball, huh?

They were aware balls took place at the school, but to be frank, they weren’t initially that interested. They sounded like something boring, maybe something for the older students who went there with their dates or whatever those people did. Nico never cared for stuff like that, much less for ballroom dancing. But at the same time, it was a wizard event… Surely there had to be something about it that would make it more interesting. The longer they thought about it the pros seemed to outweigh the cons - they could learn about their parties, try all the fancy foods and possibly meet new people.

Still, the bottom announcement looked much more intriguing. What they assumed would be a labyrinth puzzle game was more up Nico’s alley and possibly closer to their actual interests; they’d always wanted to go to one of those escape rooms but never got the chance. There was one slight issue though - it was a group activity, and while Nico had no issue socialising, could they actually gather one? In the few months they spent at the school they did meet a number of people, but would they actually be interested? Perhaps finding just one person to go to the ball with would end up easier after all.

As they stared at the poster, a small wave of melancholy came over them. Had Sam been there she would’ve surely gone with them no questions asked, no matter whether it would be the ball or the game. It’s the one thing they missed, having her next to them, ready to go along with any adventure they came up with. A part of them had hoped that befriending their classmates would be enough to mend the pain from this annoying thorn, always reminding them of the blonde girl back home. Yet none of the friendships were quite like that, but that was to be expected - Sam couldn’t be replaced.

Nico took a deep breath and gently shook their head. No they thought, I can’t be thinking like that. Their cousin would’ve loved for them to enjoy their time here, and they knew that perfectly well. After all, they were hoping she’s having a great time too. They shall not bother themselves with such disheartening thoughts, and instead think of a plan - they could chase down every person they knew and ask if anyone would be down for any of the events. They could ask to be assigned to a group, they could just go to the ball alone and have a great time, maybe even perform some tricks. It’s not the end of the world!

They went back and forth in front of the board for a good few minutes trying to analyse all of their options, so lost in thought they lost track of time. The only thing they heard in the seemingly empty hallway was the sound of their own footsteps.

wc: 972