Autumn at the Black Lake PV: Lucian Wright

@Lucian Wright

The school term had started swiftly for Emmanuel. Going into his second year, he knew that classes would become slightly more challenging, and Em was abundantly excited. The Ravenclaw common room had become laden with scholars attempting to overachieve, and earn the highest marks.

As a Ravenclaw, Emmanuel definitely shared into that sentiment; focusing especially on his charms homework, and an essay for potions. However, he hit a streak of luck (likely fueled by an especially scrumptious lunch of pigeon pie, and buttery peas) and felt ahead in his schoolwork. Craving a break from having his nose stuffed into a book, and wanting some fresher air than the common room provided; Em decided to make his way down to the Black lake, hoping to stock up on leeches he could use in his potion crafting. Em collected a couple of empty jam jars, his wand, a rucksack containing a book on water plants of the Scottish Highlands, and a sketchbook. He stuffed an apple from a bowl in the common room into his mouth, and set out.

It was a slightly cold autumn afternoon, and the grounds were buzzing with students appreciating the weekend day. Em swallowed a few bites of the tart apple, and preemptively rolled up the sleeves on his uniform button down. His footsteps followed a familiar path, one he discovered in his first year, that lead to a small rocky bank where the water was knee deep, and leeches seemed to spawn.

As he took the final bend on the steep path toward the lakeside, Em saw up ahead a first year Gryffindor boy, with brown hair. Deciding he could collect the leeches, even with an audience, he slowly approached the boy, whose back was turned to him. Em took a step forward, intending to clear his throat to announce his arrival. However, a loose jar in his rucksack decided to come loose, fell from the bag, made a loud noise as it bounced off a flat black stone; before finally smashing to pieces a foot away from the boy.

“Ah, sorry about that. I guess I’m not as subtle as I thought,” Em sighed, pulling out his aspens wood wand, and pointing it at the broken jar. “I’m Em, by the way. Mind if I look for leeches? I’d hate to be a bother.”