(Not) My Issue PV Ophelia

Nicandro speech hex code: #003d03
Word count: 491
Date: 9th January, 2026

When the cold crept through clothes and into bones, a person shouldn’t be resting outside unless they were trying to catch a cold. January came faster than expected. Time really did fly by here at Hogwarts. Maybe it was the classes, maybe the people one met there. Most of which were absolutely insufferable. Yes, Hogwarts was fascinating and all, but that was no reason to gape at everything like an idiot and ask a billion questions about whether turning a snail into a teapot caused pain to the snail, if it was ethically supportable and how exactly a spell worked scientifically. Sometimes, Nicandro was convinced they were purposely trying to annoy him and played dumb in order to hold everyone back and to evoke sympathy.

The Christmas Holidays were over, and almost everyone had started to settle back in. For some reason, the winter season always made Nicandro even sleepier, so it wasn’t too surprising that he barely noticed someone else standing in the courtyard. Personally, he had come here to calm himself after an infuriatingly stupid muggle-born had asked those even more stupid questions in a lesson all over again, and obviously, like usual, he had snapped at them. It wasn’t his fault his patience wasn’t endless and they couldn’t at least try to do better. He wondered if someday, they would actually manage to be useful or find their brain cells.

Snow was settling lightly on the ground around him, slowly designing a cozy, magical wonderland. Having to wrap himself up in that thick Slytherin scarf that he pulled tightly around the neck, he now at least automatically carried a mask around with him to pull over his nose whenever a person passed him in the halls. Some students should definitely care more about hygiene. Coughing into their hands and directly into other’s faces, spreading their colds to everyone else. Disgusting. Not only did they not have the ability to keep themselves safe, but they also had to share their misery.

Deeply absorbed by his thoughts, he drew little circles into the snow with his finger until his hands turned stiff and red. There was something so peaceful about finally being alone. Without the constant noise of conversations, the sneezing and interruptions of things people had no business with, there was nothing to roll his eyes at. Things felt so much lighter and easier. As shivers managed to crawl their ways through his body, he started to contemplate whether it was best to go back inside to warm himself up again, or if the peacefulness of the sparsely occupied Courtyard was worth the frost. Just then, the noise of footsteps tore him out of his thought and he instinctively looked over at the source. Just some insignificant girl. For a brief moment, he accidentally made eye-contact before quickly looking away. Hopefully, she wasn’t looking for company or conversation. Otherwise, he couldn’t guarantee that no one’s feelings got hurt.