ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀғʟʏ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ: ᴀ sɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴀ sᴇᴇᴍɪɴɢʟʏ ɪɴsɪɢɴɪғɪᴄᴀɴᴛ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴀs ᴜɴᴘʀᴇᴅɪᴄᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴇʀʀɪʙʟᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴇǫᴜᴇɴᴄᴇs ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ ᴏғ ᴛɪᴍᴇ

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Nicandro speech hex code: #003d03
Word count: 986
Date: 1st September, 2026

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If there was one thing that his parents had taught him, it was the following: to always be either too early and shape a room from the beginning to gain control, or to arrive way too late. Of course, it was important not to be the very last person to arrive, as that was both inconvenient and rude. The real art was to find that tiny window where every social dynamic had already been established and the room was easiest to read.

When Nicandro’s family had arrived at the train station and moved straight through the wall, entering platform 9 3/4, it was still early because their son had insisted on choosing the first option. Only a few families occupied the space with their children, checking if they really had everything in their trunks. The strategy was the same as last year: enter the train as soon as possible and this time, properly defend an empty compartment to claim it for himself.

With that in mind, Nicandro was understandably impatient to leave his parents behind, of which his father smoothed his son’s clothes for the third time and shook his head disappointedly at his mildly disheveled hair and the dark circles that marked the skin below narrowed, blurry eyes which were taking in the surroundings without much clarity.

“Merlin, Nicandro, you look like we are but torturing you. And you are not even put together properly. Have you seen yourself? This is not how a Henderson should present themselves. You’re going to make everyone question your upbringing! Could you not have put a little more effort into yourself? Stand still.”

There must’ve been some loose strands of dark hair, but it really wasn’t that much of a deal… Right? Nicandro looked down at his polished shoes. “Yes, father.”

Big hands fixed his posture. One on the back, one on his chest. Fingers under his chin, directing his head up. “Sure you do. Remember what you stand for.”

”Owen darling, stop being so critical with your son. Look at our capable boy. I am sure he knows exactly how to present himself. Isn’t that right?”

”Don’t torment my brother. Right. I’m off. You guys are insufferable.” And his sister was gone. Great. Ever since Nicandro had received his letter to Hogwarts last year, Anwen seemed to put extra hard work into avoiding her younger brother. Which, considering their closeness, was strange to witness. What origins this odd behaviour of hers might have was unclear to the younger Henderson heir, but one possible explanation Nicandro has slowly started to come to terms with was that she had simply grown ashamed of him. With tired eyes, he watched her disappear into the crowd, leaving him alone with their parents.

”Well then, shape your future well, Nicandro. Make us proud and study with vigour.”

His mother pressed a kiss to the top of his head, pulling him into a terrifyingly tight hug before shoving him away hard. “You’re already running out of time, dear. See that you get on the train and don’t forget to write us. We love you.”

“And restrain from doing anything stupid!” His father clasped his hands around his shoulders with a nod before turning away to search for a victim to start a conversation with.

Nicandro stood still for a while. By now, platform 9 3/4 had filled with children bursting with excitement, overly worried and tearful parents and calm, experienced students that had entered the train too many times to still be nervous. Anwen had promised him that the magic of it all would stay regardless of age. He wondered if it was the same for everyone.

There wasn’t a simpler task than to tell pure-bloods and muggle-borns apart on here, of which the latter stood in the middle of the platform with wide eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing and frightened by a world they were yet to discover and understand. Pointing excitedly at everything with mouths that hung open made them look absolutely ridiculous. The fact that they were going to ask all kinds of stupid questions about Hogwarts and magic in school like uneducated little house elves wasn’t even the worst thing about them yet. No, right now, they were apparently trying really hard to stand in Nicandro’s way to the Hogwarts Express. Maybe he should’ve shown up even earlier.

A glance at the growing crowd by the train doors told him that he’d do well to hurry and fight his way through the labyrinth of people if he wanted to have the slightest chance at a lone compartment. So, he did the only reasonable thing. With his head held high and eyes on his goal, he started to push his trunk in front of himself and forced the people out of his way with it. They could share the remaining space just fine, and it was their fault if they couldn’t manage to keep the path clear. Without really looking at who he was ramming out of his way, he made it quickly towards the train. A man hissed at him. And then there was a gaping first year. Their fault if they didn’t watch where they were going or could muster enough sense to stay clear.

Lastly, he collided hard with a brown-haired girl. He could’ve easily dodged her if the moron hadn’t chosen to step left the exact moment he had walked to the right. Their shoulders crashed together, legs tangled and Nicandro jammed straight into her before barely catching his footing. Barely avoiding hitting the floor face-first and being trampled over like an incapable fool.

“Look out, you idiot! Move it,” he cursed her out. With a quick hand, he brushed over his clothes and the strands of dark hair out of his eyes and back into place, while already steering his trunk around her. He was ready to continue like nothing happened, unbothered to check if she was fine or injured.

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Reducio TIME AND DAY 01/09/2026

Reducio MENTIONS @Nicandro Henderson

Reducio OUTFIT

Reducio WC 734 words

Reducio OOC NOTES

I was just this close to committing a hate crime, and it wasn't even 10:00 AM. Which was a record for me already.

Dad dropped me by in his way to work. He had already asked for free hours at work to have more time with me before leaving, so here I was, taking out my bags from the trunk of the car as he told me how my cat tried to eat his hand this morning.

It was getting cold, it was winding through my legs like knives. A week ago, Alys decided that my closet looked like her grandpa's, and took me to a "shopping day". I'm not very comfortable with the results, but she said I looked lovely. And, considering her great sense of fashion, I believed it.

Five minutes later, we were giving each other one last goodbye in front of the 9 ¾.

"You sure you got everything, M? School things, clothes? It's getting cold, do you have the gloves?"

I laughed.

"I'm ready, pa."

But there was someone missing. It's almost embarrassing how I got used to her presence all the time.

"Alys?"

Dad sighed.

"She's at the court today. A divorce and a... Custody? I don't know, she was talking fast last night."

Oh. So she's not here today. Good. At least I won't have to explain her why I'll walk into a wall to get to my train.

The bag hanging from me shoulder wiggled. Neko was, for once, behaving. Whether it's because of the cold or the fact that I fed him in the car and promised more treats in the train if he stayed still, was anybody's guess.

Dad seemed to remember something.

"Oh, speaking of... Alys kept saying that you're too nice and that you need something to defend yourself with."

I lifted an eyebrow.

"Yeah, my face was the same, but she insisted. And, honestly, I'm kinda terrified of her. She's a lawyer, don't look at me like that."

He reached over to me and, from behind my ear, he took out a small sachet with something inside. It still amazed me how he managed to do that kind of cheap tricks.

"From my days in college. Good memories, you know. Itching powder. Don't ask how I got it."

He winked as I placed the powder into my pocket. Maybe it'd be useful.

"Alright, leave. You'll be late. See you on Christmas or... I don't know, go."

With one last hug, I walked into the Platform.

It was... Just how I remembered it. Bustling with people, laughs and families.
A weird feeling hit my chest when I considered the fact that I'd never experience that. My dad would never be able to come with me to the 9¾ and my mom was dead. I was alone. Taking a deep sigh, I started walking towards the train.

The thing is that the place was, once again, overwhelming. I tried to avoid people as much as I could. Hopefully, I'd meet Sky in the train. I still had to explain her why I ignored her (and every other living human) all August.

I stepped to the left, apologizing for almost stepping over a snake, when something hit me.

Someone, specifically. Our legs tangled together and I almost hit my own trunk. I turned around, waiting for an apology for the clearly intended attack, when he spoke first.

“Look out, you idiot! Move it.”

Oh. So no apology. My jaw dropped in disbelief. How dared he? The bags under his eyes told me about some sleepless nights, and the way he was all well-dressed... Ugh.

And even worse, he had the guts to turn around and adjust himself. Of course, cause who cares about a simple girl?

So, calm as usual, I took a step forward, right in front of him.

"Excuse you? An apology would be nice."

I studied him, my eyes glancing up and down.

"Or did no one ever teach you manners at home?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, frowning.

Stamina: 8 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 7 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 8

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Nicandro speech hex code: #003d03
Word count: 596
Date: 1st September, 2026

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Nicandro had been wrong. If someone had told him this morning, after seeing that there was already a crowd too big for his plan to work out properly, that the day would still get worse, he wouldn’t have believed them. And now said "worse" stood in front of him, blocking his path. Crossed arms, looking him up and down with distain and annoyance.

"Excuse you? An apology would be nice."

What did she just say? He should apologize? A snort of disbelief escaped him and he glared at her. “Did I hear that correctly? It is really, really loud here and I don’t hear unimportant people. But if you just said that I should apologize, you’re horribly delusional. Are you okay? Should I get someone to check if you’re healthy or hallucinating?” He looked at her with feigned worry before hardening his expression. “Listen closely. You just stumbled into my path. It’s not my fault you can’t watch where you’re going or deal with your own incompetence. If there’s anyone who should apologize, it’s clearly you. Sorry, dear, for the reality check.”

“Did no one ever teach you manners at home?"

His patience had been thin already, but this did the rest. He shouldn’t have to justify himself in front of a rude little bug he had nothing to do with. This only cost him valuable time. Time he didn’t have to waste. “You should be careful talking about insufficient upbringings when you accuse strangers in the middle of an already stressed platform. For your information,” he continued coolly, unable to let it be, “my parents gave me very thorough lessons on etiquette.” His ego was attacked and he could not, under any circumstances, let that stand without defending his pride. “Making a scene is not part of it, so you’re clearly the one lacking them. I’m sure I could teach you a thing or two. One.” He leaned in, “you do not stand around in a crowd stupidly to burden people with your presence. Two: You do not annoy people any more than you have to. If you don’t mind.”

His eyes found the clock that seemed to run remarkably fast. He made another attempt to move past her, but apparently, fate had a different idea. His trunk caught on Mikaela’s, forcing Nicandro to stumble over his own feet again and grab onto the girl, only to miss her shoulder and catch hold of her bag instead which slipped down and dropped to the floor along with his trunk that jumped open, clothes spilling everywhere. Shoes trampled over them almost instantly. Nicandro wanted to cry. And yell. He actually felt the watering of his eyes, what the hell was wrong with him today, and bit his lower lip hard. This was absolutely disgusting, a catastrophe at the very best, and how on earth was he going to even catch the train with this? Completely overwhelmed, he did the first thing that came to mind. Unfortunately for her, Mikaela was his victim, the nearest thing he could blame. “My, do you see what you’re doing?! You completely ruin my day, thank you so very much! Because of you, everything is a mess, and the train won’t wait for us, you absolutely intolerable oaf.” The insult slipped from his mouth before he could suppress it. “Take your things and get out of my sight.” He waited expectantly. “Can you not hear? Get lost!” He squeezed his eyes shut. Instead of apologizing like a normal person, he crouched down to pick up her bag for her with sharp fingernails, clearly avoiding touching it more than necessary. But strangely enough, the bag was moving.

STATS. sta 8; eva 7; str 4; wis 7; arc 6; acc 8x───────────────────────────────────

────────────────────x❝I was good. I was really good.❞x────────────────────

Oh, I was definitely commiting a hate crime. I tried to be nice, really. But Mr. Ego right here decided to open his majestic mouth to say something that was definitely not an apology. He even had the balls to look offended. This was simply perfect.

So, in his god complex, I was the one who should apologize for... what, existing in the same timeline as his? That wasn't just stupid, that was downright ridiculous. What else did The King want? He also wanted me to kneel down and lick his stupid, polised shoes?

“You should be careful talking about insufficient upbringings when you accuse strangers in the middle of an already stressed platform. For your information, my parents gave me very thorough lessons on etiquette.”

"Oh, really?" I muttered under my breath, he didn't hear. Of course Mr. Ego didn't. He was too busy whining about a simple comment.

“Making a scene is not part of it, so you’re clearly the one lacking them. I’m sure I could teach you a thing or two. One.” I had to lean back. What kind of cologny was that? Who approved it? It stinked. “you do not stand around in a crowd stupidly to burden people with your presence. Two: You do not annoy people any more than you have to. If you don’t mind.”

"Ah, are you done now?"

If I thought he had balls before, it got even worse. He just thought he could call me annoying and stupid and leave. Of course, only he would think that's a compliment. He surely heard it enough at home to think of it as something good. And I was just about to tell him that and more, when the perfect chance arrived just in front of my eyes: Your Highness stumbled upon his own ego. About time. Now that's called Karma.

The thing here is that he didn't just fall with his great stupidity, but also with my cat. He took my bag, with Neko in it, during the fall. Something I didn't recommend, considering that Neko valued his sleeping time as a sacred thing. Good news: He also opened his trunk during the fall, so...

Well, if there's something it hurts me to accept, is the fact that Mr. Ego had style. If Alys were here, she would use him as a good fashion example. Bad thing the dust in my pocket thought otherwise.

I crouched down to help him for three reasons: One, we only had minutes to get into the train, and as much as I'd love to leave him here, humilliating himself, his fancy clothes spilled everywhere would block my way. Two, I needed to check Neko. As much as that demon annoyed me, I certainly didn't want him to be hurt just because of... that. Third, while Mr. Ego whined (again) about how I had ruined his day, he also called me an oaf. And I was just about to keep everything peaceful, but honestly, I also had a limit.

It all happened in the span of ten seconds. Neko walked out of the bag, hissing, being a perfect distraction. They seemed to be very busy with eachother to notice how I took the sachet out my pocket and spilled just a bit of powder into his clothes before carefully placing them back into his trunk. That would give him a problem.

I placed the sachet into my pocket just in time to see Neko jumping towards... that thing, that... demon who looked like a boy. And I was in no time for more problems, so with trained hands, I grabbed Neko right before he could bite him. Which was not my problem, honestly, Neko could do whatever he wanted to that thing and I'd still be proud.

"Neko, don't bother. That one was already licked by the devil." I took him in my arms, checking for any injuries. When I saw my cat was okay (obviously, Neko could go through a battlefield and come back hungry), I crouched down again, next to that kid.

"Do I need to call you a wambulance?" I pouted at him, my gaze drifting up and down with the same expression he had used with me just moments ago.

──────xABILITIES. 's grace; Evasive Maneuvers; ability three; ability four; ability five; ability six; ability seven