Eveline Ashcombe!
HOGWARTS | FIRST YEAR | SLYTHERIN | OUTFIT | 01.06.2026 | WC 521

Word Count: 677

The bell above the door chimed cheerfully as Taryn entered Flourish and Blotts alongside her mother and sister. There was soot on her dress, as always after travelling by use of the Floo network. Taryn still didn’t quite have her landing down. And besides, keeping her clothes clean had never really been one of her main priorities.
A smile brightened her features as she took in the rows upon rows of ceiling-high shelves stacked with books. There was something about bookstores that was simply magical—in the more subtle way of the word. There was magic in the potential of finding a book here with the ability to change her life. Books could do that—Taryn knew they could—and they did so without the need of any flashy magic.
She had been here on busier days. Today there were only a couple of customers—Hogwarts students, mostly, those who bought their school supplies early.
Taryn was not here today to do her school shopping. (She’d be doing that later this summer together with her friend @Gloria Shell. They were still exchanging owls in order to sort out the details and set a date.) Today, Taryn was here to choose a book to read over the summer months. Every year she and her sister were allowed to choose something to read from Flourish and Blotts at their parents’ expense. This could be anything they liked. A storybook, a novel, something informational, anything. Usually Taryn chose a novel, but last year she’d chosen a book on birds instead. For the entire summer she’d carried the book with her, taking it everywhere and looking up information about the different birds she spotted. Her fascination with the little creatures had been short-lived however, as she hadn’t picked up that book since.
Taryn wasn’t sure what she’d choose this year. Books on herbology and cooking they had plenty at home, so the chance she’d find a good, new book regarding either of those subjects wasn’t very big. A novel could be good, if she would be able to find a children’s novel that interested her enough. Or perhaps she would be able to find a book on crocheting. She’d been feeling crafty for a while now and crocheting seemed fun. How hard could it be, truly?
Taryn started browsing the bookshelves close to the entrance of the shop. It was mostly schoolbooks here. Brand-new copies of A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot and Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger lined the shelves.
Taryn would be getting some of the books that had previously belonged to her sister; her parents had kept them for her. Why buy something new when you have a perfectly fine copy already? But a few others she would actually be getting new.

Finding her way further into the shop, Taryn halted halfway down a narrow aisle that was dedicated to additional schoolbooks. She glanced at a shiny new copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and carefully took it from the shelf. They had this book at home, but as this was a newer edition, Taryn was curious to see if there were any major changes. She opened the book and was just about to check the index, when she felt something brush against the bottom of her skirt. She jumped and looked down, expecting it to be some kind of animal, only to find a book scurrying around on the floor, clearly trying the best it possibly could in its bookish existence to bite her. Taryn stumbled backwards. Never before had she encountered a book that seemed quite as aggressive as this one.
The book followed after her much quicker than Taryn had anticipated, and before she could prevent it, it snapped shut on the seam of her dress.

“Hey!” Taryn exclaimed indignantly. She pulled at the fabric of her skirt, just as the book opened again, sending her stumbling backwards. She collided with a bookshelf behind her and landed on the floor.
The book wasn’t done with her yet, chasing after her with even more vigour.

Out of Character Note:

Reducio

@Eveline Ashcombe, I hope it's alright I joined your roleplay. I think you're a very good writer and I really wanted to roleplay with you.

As Eveline watched the book, part of her wondered why such a book wouldn't be kept in a cage. Perhaps it had been well-tamed until she touched it, sure, but she still privately thought that some sort of protections ought to have been in place. Perhaps a cage? Oh, but if a book was in a cage, it could be quite the eyesore, she supposed. And not to mention the trouble of the clerks having to open the cage every time they grabbed it. Maybe keeping the single copy out on the shelves was for the best.

Then she saw @Taryn Atwood being snapped at by the book and fall to the floor. Eveline had no wand - not yet - and, even if she did, she knew no magic that could help. But still, helping was the right thing. It had to be. Mother had always insisted on the importance of public image, and Eveline was weighing whether it looked worse to be seen doing nothing while a potential classmate was in danger or to make a fool of oneself by diving after a monstrous book.

Feeling her mother's cool eyes upon her, Eveline made her decision. She lunged back at the book this time, landing on top of it and looking up to see the student. The girl was well-dressed. Clearly not a muggleborn, if Eveline's judgement was accurate. She didn't seem at all out of place in Flourish and Blotts, after all.

The book was struggling beneath Eveline, and she hadn't a clue how long she could keep this up.

"Any ideas?" Eveline asked, looking up at the girl.

Then the book bucked Eveline off of it, and she was knocked to the side. She scrambled up, crawling back away, kicking toward the book. Her back hit a bookshelf behind her. She had the book's attention for now, but the thing seemed fickle. It could probably go back to the other girl on a whim.

Reducio

OOC: Of course it's alright! I'm glad you decided to join!

Interacting with @Eveline Ashcombe
Word Count: 355

Taryn blinked in surprise when, out of nowhere, a girl—probably around her own age—came to the rescue, landing on top of the snapping book. The stranger had effectively trapped it. For now. It had not yet given up the fight; that much was clear from the way it struggled to get free.
Wanting to help, Taryn scrambled up into somewhat of a kneeling position. She placed her copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi to the side, sincerely hoping her fall hadn’t damaged it. Now, however, was not the time to check.
Taryn assessed the situation. They’d have to get the book immobile somehow. Tie it up or something. But where did one find a piece of rope in a bookshop?
The book managed to free itself from the other girl’s grasp and now turned on her, snapping angrily in her direction. It was Taryn’s turn to be the saviour now.
Moving closer, she reached out, trying to catch the book.

“Ouch!”
She hastily pulled her hand back when the book snapped shut on her fingers.
Right. So she’d have to be quicker than that.
Going in for a second try, Taryn lunged at the book and pinned it to the ground. Yes!
Just like before, the book was struggling to free itself. Taryn’s eye fell on the book’s shiny, golden clasp. That had to be it. If she secured the book, it wouldn’t be able to move any more.
Her trembling fingers and the wildly squirming book didn’t help, but after a few seconds of fumbling, Taryn ultimately managed to secure the book. It trembled with rage, but was no longer able to chomp and chase.
Taryn huffed out a somewhat relieved laugh, and looked up at the other girl. They really did seem to be around the same age. Would this girl also be going to Hogwarts for the first time in September?
The now restrained book tugged beneath her arm, Taryn got to her feet and held out her hand to help the other girl up.

“Hey, um, thank you for helping me out earlier,” she said with a warm smile.

Panting, Eveline let her head fall back against the bookshelf behind her. She was now seated on the ground in a position that she should have been humiliated to be in, but the relief of seeing the book secured and no longer snapping toward her feet left Eveline a bit less concerned with appearances. But only for a moment.

She caught her mother's expression. Her mother, who had seen the entire thing unfold. Who had watched Eveline getting involved to help this other girl. Who hadn't lifted her own wand to even pretend to care enough to help. Mother's eyes were calm, but Eveline knew she would get quite the lecture when she got home about appearances and risking herself for others.

Eveline accepted Taryn's hand, letting the girl pull her up.

"It's the least I could do," Eveline said, returning the smile with a polite one of her own. "If we can't count on our own sort to help each other, who can we count on?"

'Our own sort' being, to Eveline, pure-blooded magical families, of course. Eveline didn't know Taryn, but it was clear from the other girl's appearance that she certainly wasn't a muggle. She seemed to be walking in Flourish and Blotts with a familiarity no muggle could manage, Eveline decided.

"I'm Eveline Ashcombe. Of the Oxford Ashcombes, though you may have read of my cousins in France if you've an interest in the Hundred Years' War," Eveline said, working hard to hide her disgust at the mention of her cousins. Even her mother couldn't hide her distaste toward the flamboyant Ashcombes from France, though Eveline didn't know if her mother disliked them for their lack of tact or for their esteemed accomplishments in potion-making, which exceeded even the works of Eveline's grandparents.

"May I ask your name?" Eveline asked politely, adjusting her blouse and gray cloak to work the wrinkles which had resulted from her dive out as best she could.