Disoriented. (Tag Miss Diaz) on Library

Librarian DiAnna Diaz

June 27, 2011 4:41 PM

First years' library orientation by Librarian DiAnna Diaz

Considering quite how frequently younger students tended to get lost in the numerous and winding library shelves in the first portion of term, it seemed like a logical idea to arrange an orientation. So instead of attending class following breakfast one morning during the second week of term, the first year students were required to meet in the library, at DiAnna's desk near the entrance from the main school (the entrance to the Aladren commons was also concealed within the library, but that would be one landmark she would keep quiet from the rest of the students).

DiAnna herself was waiting to meet the students. Some of them - most notably the Aladrens - had probably seen her around already. Those who hadn't might not be prepared to discover their school librarian was a young woman of twenty-four years, who was perhaps the Muggle fairytale pictoral representation of a witch (minus the warts, of cause). DiAnna's long hair was dyed black, she always wore dark eye make-up, and further whitened her already pale skin. Her wardrobe was composed almost entirely of black, with occasional flashes of purple and red, and was largely made of velvet and lace. Her feet were encased in high-heeled boots, that helped to put her above the height of the younger students (though several of the older kids were still taller).

"Okay, everyone," DiAnna called attention to herself. She'd gotten a lot more confident with addressing large groups of people since she'd accidentally become divinations professor. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Miss Diaz, the librarian. This morning we're just going to have a look round the library, because it can be quite daunting when you don't know what you're doing. Before we start, you can take out as many books as you like from the library, as long as you're being sensible. They need renewing after a week or they've been charmed to find their way back to the library." how they did this had never been very clear to DiAnna, but they somehow all ended up on her desk without the students' involvement. "Obviously, if you keep having overdue books, you'll be allowed to borrow fewer at one time than someone who returns books promptly, which could get you into trouble at the end of the year when you need to study for exams. That said, you can stay and study in the librry until ten minutes before curfew, and use any of the books without borrowing them. When you want to check a book out, just find me or one of the library monitors." That was something else she needed to explain.

"The library monitors are student volunteers - the sign-up sheet is just over here," she pointed to the noticeboard, "and first years are welcome to sign up, too, as monitors or assistants." That was the basics covered; now for the books. "Okay, so if you could all stay together for the tour, that would be great." Walking round with the first years, DiAnna showed them where they could find all their subject-relevant textbooks and some age-appropriate fiction. She also pointed out the restricted section, and made it very clear that students were not allowed to enter without staff permission. At the end of the tour, she addressed the group once more. "Okay, now you're free to have a look round properly, and if you want to come and check some books out, or if you have any questions, I'll be at my desk."

(OOC: Remember to stick to site rules when you post. You will earn House points for posting here, just as you would in a class.)

Subthreads:

Books, lots of books by Jhonice Trevear with Cherry Bosko

*Yawn* Been there, done that. by David Kim [Aladren] with Kitty McLevy, David Kim

Lost in L-Space! Lost in L-Space! by Mellie Goodwin, Pecari with Michael Grosvenor

Disoriented. (Tag Miss Diaz) by Valerie Lennox, Crotalus with Miss Diaz, Renée Errant

Getting oriented by Paul Bennett, Crotalus with Linus Macaulay, Paul

0 Librarian DiAnna Diaz First years' library orientation 0 Librarian DiAnna Diaz 1 5

Jhonice Trevear

June 27, 2011 9:16 PM

Books, lots of books by Jhonice Trevear

Library orientation? Jhonice needed to check her schedule twice when she saw that. Really? It was a library, it has books. She knew what a library was, granted she wasn't one for spending much time in any, but she knew what they were. But, this was school, schools did like their books didn't they? The Pecari girl drug her feet as she approached the dreaded library. There were so many much funner places to be; she could be tossing random ingredients into a pot to see what potions she could make, she could be swishing her wand to make her classmate's hair glow, she could be wrangling the dreaded gnarl, she could... be doing magic. But no... they had to learn the doofy decimal system. She crossed the threshold and looked around at the huge, sprawling labyrinth of dusty books filled with knowledge.

"This is going to take forever..." she groaned to herself. Were they really going to go through every part of this place? It was huge! A woman called them all together, she was most definitely a witch. Jhonice recognized her from the opening feast, so she assumed the woman was the librarian. She introduced herself and confirmed Jhonice's assumption. The librarian talked, and talked. She guided them around the library, it did seem to take forever.

One bit sparked Jhonice's attention, there was a 'restricted' section. Oooo... what was in there? Maybe there was something interesting in this place after all. The entire rest of the orientation she couldn't wrest her thoughts from that area. What was considered restricted? Was it dangerous? The mystery intrigued the girl. She had to know, and she would know. Not today, no, that would be to obvious, she would have to be subtle and sneaky. Things she was very, very good at. Nobody tells her what is off limits and what isn't.

She began plotting, how could she get in there? At night would be best, when there was no one around. What kind of locks did it have? She'd have to go back and investigate. While thinking and walking, she bumped into someone. "Oops, sorry." she apologized. She had to cover her scheming, "I.. umm... was just... thinking how great this place is. Yes. The library isn't it... great?"

2 Jhonice Trevear Books, lots of books 209 Jhonice Trevear 0 5

Cherry Bosko

June 29, 2011 2:38 PM

There must be thousands of them at least by Cherry Bosko

Cherry had already been to the library to find a map of the school and come back to return the book after copying out said map. It had been quite a project involving several colors and an oversized sheet of paper (which was not a problem since she kept a big drawing pad under her bed). About halfway though the copying, she realized that there had been a map in their welcome packet, which all the other kids were using. So she'd used that map to update her map. Well, anyway, her map was more detailed. It had statues on it and even some portraits and other landmarks which had proven helpful in the last couple weeks. Like the welcome map, though, it didn't have any secret passages on it or common rooms. Cherry supposed if it did, they wouldn't be very secret.

Cherry was not particularly interested in books, but last time she was here, when she was returning the book she borrowed, she'd signed up to be a Library Assistant in order to learn her way around the library. She was, admittedly, a little disappointed that everyone got to learn their way around whether they were an assistant or not. She wondered if she should scratch her name off the list.

But that would look messy, and she didn't want the librarian to blame her for making her sheet look less pretty. No, she already signed up. She would do it.

And in order to do it right, she'd better learn about the library.

That decided, Cherry made sure to be near the front of the crowd as Miss Diaz led the first years from one shelf to another. It was also easier to admire how Miss Diaz walked in her heels without falling over from there. Cherry spent a lot of the lecture considering the librarian's wardrobe, her long black hair (was it naturally that dark?) and her skill at walking in platforms. Cherry decided she liked Miss Diaz best of the grown ups so far--so it would be good to be a Library Assistant. Maybe Miss Diaz would make her make big colorful signs to hang by each of the subject areas, each with a picture relating to the subject. That would be a lot easier to see than little itty bitty plaques. Maybe she could make a big library map for the entrance too.

Well, she'd make one for herself anyway to help her put books away because, honestly, this tour was not sticking.

After Miss Diaz was finished, Cherry pulled out one of her class books and started wandering around the shelves, trying to remember which part was which. She'd just gotten turned about and thinking that she'd marked potions on the wrong side when another girl bumped into her. She looked up, half expecting to see Perdita, who had knocked her clear over the first time she'd come in to the library, but it was a girl from Pecari not Aladren.

"Sorry," Cherry replied, even though she didn't really think it was her fault.

"I.. umm... was just... thinking how great this place is. Yes. The library isn't it... great?" the girl said.

"Yeah, sure," Cherry said. "If you like it that much, you should sign up to be a Library Assistant. Just watch out for the dog book. It probably bites. Do you know where Miss Diaz said the DADA books are?"

0 Cherry Bosko There must be thousands of them at least 0 Cherry Bosko 0 5

David Kim [Aladren]

June 29, 2011 8:42 PM

Yawn Been there, done that. by David Kim [Aladren]

David was not a stupid kid. He coudn't think of any time when he had ever been a stupid kid, and he found the 'library orientation' practically insulting. It was one thing to have required a preliminary tour to get used to the school's layout, but a tour of the library? David had been more than familiar with the Dewey Decimal system by the second grade, and that acclimation hadn't needed instruction either. He very much doubted that the magical folks could think up a system more convoluted or contrived than the DDS. His old librarian had tried to convince him of its efficiency and effectiveness, but David was still skeptical.

He frowned and stared at his shoes, the brown leather having been polished the night before. Diaz, looking nothing like a librarian, continued on, pointing out a section she described as restricted; David's interest was forcibly piqued. He tuned out for the remainder of the orientation and instead slowly edged toward the area, not daring to break the rules exactly, but nevertheless curious as to what sort of books teachers would consider dangerous. He could think of no other reason to prevent students from their immediate access. Then again, schools often censored materials that, with a few years' worth of hindsight, just seemed silly. He wondered briefly what the chances were that he might get to see the titles on those books by the year's end.

His frown deepened; slim, he imagined, very slim indeed. Still, David's dark head of hair craned upward slightly, his heels lifting in an attempt to see past the barriers that prevented the books' easy viewing. He must have over-stretched, though, because his feet tipped and he stumbled forward, one hand catching heavily on a shelf and the other grazing the shoulder of a classmate.

"Sorry," he said reflexively, his tone lacking any real sincerity. "Lost my balance."

0 David Kim [Aladren] *Yawn* Been there, done that. 0 David Kim [Aladren] 0 5

Kitty McLevy

June 29, 2011 9:06 PM

A lovely maze of books by Kitty McLevy

Libraries were, for reasons unknown, exempt to the directionally inept Kitty. She always felt that it had more to do with the fact that it was books, and subjects, and groupings that made it not so much about direction but about knowing where things are that helped her. She’d already spent a few hours just walking the stacks and getting comfortable in the room. Because of her overly friendly nature and apparent inability to sensor her thoughts many people would think that Kitty was a dull witted girl. In truth she was quite intelligent, and one of the reasons she aggravated people was simply to satisfy her endless curiosity.

She’d learned from a very young age that libraries were places that held many answers to the questions that were forever bouncing around in her head. And one of the few times that Kitty was ever really still was when she read. If Kitty wasn’t found outside playing, she could be found inside a library. This was the biggest library she’d ever been in before, Kitty still felt fairly comfortable in it already. She wasn’t bothered by doing an orientation though because then she’d get to know some more of her fellow first years.

A surprised grin lit Kitty’s face when she saw who the librarian was. She’d seen the gothic woman around but she hadn’t thought she was the librarian. It was interesting that the school would hire someone like her, she knew that in the regular world most Goths had a hard time getting jobs like that. She followed along, admiring the woman’s high heeled shoes, and feeling a bit jealous because she would have broken her ankle in about three steps if she’d tried to wear something like that.

Suddenly something brushed against Kitty’s shoulder and she turned to see a familiar face. A large smile lit her features as she recognized one of the people who had been unknowingly helping her find her way. This was one of the boys she preferred following, as he never seemed to lose his way. “No problem, I’m Kitty by the way. Have you ever seen a library this big?” She asked excitedly.

0 Kitty McLevy A lovely maze of books 0 Kitty McLevy 0 5

Mellie Goodwin, Pecari

June 30, 2011 2:48 PM

Lost in L-Space! Lost in L-Space! by Mellie Goodwin, Pecari

Mellie liked books – it was kind of a survival tactic, really, since she was surrounded at home by so many people who loved books; even her parents had two full shelves in the living room, and her old teacher had kept them stacked on more or less every available surface – but for some reason, like it being humongous and intimidating, she hadn’t found herself spending much, by which she meant any, time in the Sonora library. Hearing, therefore, that she was expected to skip a class to learn her way around it inspired feelings of both relief and dread – relief that maybe it would be enterable after today, and dread of doing something that she’d been putting off.

The first thing she noticed upon entering was not, however, the vast expanse of shelves she’d noticed the last time she’d stuck her nose through the door. Instead, it was who was running the show. She had seen the lady in the dramatic, old-fashioned-sorta clothes around school, and at the top table, but had thought she was the Divination professor, not the librarian. Librarians were people who looked a bit like Russell’s father but older, or maybe ladies like Mrs. Ballard. This lady…didn’t look like that.

The speech was short, though – which was in itself helpful; the longer someone talked, the more trouble Mellie had with following anything they were saying. She hated people who gave more than one example as part of a longer monologue intended to explain something with a passion, since by the end of the second example, she had no idea what the principle the little story was trying to illustrate had been – and didn’t end with any announcements of a practical joke, so apparently, young people who didn’t even dress like standard-issue old people could be librarians. Mellie decided she was okay with that. It was good when people could do what they wanted to, so long as what they wanted to do wasn’t designed to hurt someone else.

Now, though, they were to explore. She took a few tentative steps out into the stacks, her hands clasped in front of her chest, looking up. Some of the books were so high up that she couldn’t reach them, she’d have to use magic to float them down or else climb the shelves. She hoped they learned to make objects fly before she needed any of the books that were high up, because she didn’t think that even a young librarian would like finding her climbing around on the stacks. Plus, she didn’t want to fall and break her head open or anything. She didn’t have enough brains as it was.

She noticed that someone was with her, or at least in close proximity. “What do you think’s the most of all these – “ she made an expansive gesture, hoping to take in the whole library – “that one person’s ever read, like, in all seven years?” she asked.

16 Mellie Goodwin, Pecari Lost in L-Space! Lost in L-Space! 206 Mellie Goodwin, Pecari 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

June 30, 2011 5:17 PM

G is for Good Grief, Girl (A)Gain! (WotW) by Michael Grosvenor

Having grown up with computer catalogues, Michael was quite glad that someone was taking the time to explain to him how to find his way without one. He wasn't stupid and he could probably have figured it out but being saved that time was a bonus, in his eyes.

His attempts to extrapolate some meaning from the librarian's attire were largely inconclusive. His first thought was that she looked like a witch. But, given that he was surrounded by a range of eleven year old girls who were also witches, he supposed there wasn't really anything a witch typically looked like. She looked, he revised his idea, like a typical Muggle portrayal of a witch. Perhaps she came from one of those old families where everyone was magical and this was some traditional attire that her heritage gave her a right to wear. But he hadn't seen any other people here dressed like her. Even if it was only adults from the magical families who were allowed to dress that way, he was sure some of the other staff had to come from those too. So, at the other extreme, perhaps she was like him but had really got into the magic thing, in a very muggly way. He'd seen a kid in his year wearing a big pointy hat, and the kid had braces which might make him a Muggleborn... But he couldn't be sure. Perhaps she just liked dressing kinda scary. She seemed friendly enough though, and whether she was nice or not was more important to Michael than whatever weird clothes she was wearing, so he decided to brush the issue aside.

He followed her around the library, trying to take mental notes of where everything was. He wasn't sure one tour was going to cement in his memory forever but it was a good start. And it beat being in class. Not that he didn't like class but it could be pretty hectic. The library would probably be one of his favourite places purely on the grounds of being nice and quiet.

Once the tour had finished, he hung about near where they'd stopped. He wasn't uninterested in what the library had to offer but nor was he actively interested enough to go and get a book. He tried to look kind of like he was looking at what was in front of him, in case the librarian got annoyed with him for not doing anything but tried not to look like he was too into it, in case anyone thought he was a geek. He turned at the sound of someone next to him speaking.

“Dunno,” he shrugged. It wasn't a particularly helpful or interesting answer but it was the only reasonable response that sprung to his mind regarding her question. “I don't think I'll be breaking the record, whatever it is, though,” he added.

13 Michael Grosvenor G is for Good Grief, Girl (A)Gain! (WotW) 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

David Kim

July 01, 2011 11:07 PM

It's not a maze when you know the path! by David Kim

David knew who she was: another first year in his house, a girl who went by the name of Kitty instead of Katrina, which seemed like an altogether odd choice to David, but he supposed eccentricities were something expected of those sorted to Aladren. He had somehow managed to not trade any real words with his housemates, beyond that introductory encounter with Preston Stratford during the Welcoming Feast. But he couldn't help but notice that the dark-haired girl often seemed to trip after him. He had no real clues as to why, but had made it a point to not encourage conversation if she tried.

He found, though, that he could not quite ignore this direct of a question. "David Kim," he said briefly, a lingering twinge of weariness to his tone. "And yeah, I've been in libraries bigger than this."

It was just a school library after all. Just about every library he had been to in Boston had been larger-- multiple stories even! And once, his father had taken him to Harvard's Law School, and the library there might have housed thousands of books. David was not about to be overly impressed by a slightly larger than normal school library. Even if it did carry the sorts of books he wasn't about to find on Harvard's many campuses.

A moment's curiosity struck him, and he turned slightly to consider his housemate. "You really think this is all that large? Haven't you ever been to city library, or at a university?"

0 David Kim It's not a maze when you know the path! 0 David Kim 0 5

Kitty

July 03, 2011 12:20 AM

Or know someone who does by Kitty

“Well, we live in a small valley outside of Reno, Nevada and yeah the school has a library. But, well its way smaller than this. Mom said it would be a waste of time to go all the way into city just to go to the library, so she got me a Nook instead. I can get as many books as I want on it, but it’s not really the same as all this, you know?” Kitty chatted excitedly as she waved at rows upon rows of books. “And that doesn’t even work here.” She pouted, remembering how she’d taken out her Nook the other night and found the screen dark, and not a single plug in to charge it with.

“So you’re normal too? What do you think of all this? It’s pretty great, but I feel like I’m behind all the other people who knew about it sense they were born. It doesn’t seem fair that they get a leg up in everything, but I bet that it won’t take too long to catch up.” She said as she peered over at the restricted section that had caught the other Aladren’s attention earlier.

“What do you suppose they have in there? I bet it’s all sorts of black magic type stuff, or maybe books that are cursed.” Kitty stared at the forbidden area, her curiosity like a living thing demanding to know…why, why, why. Why were the books restricted, who decided that the material they contained was too dangerous for open access, who had access, when would she herself have access, what would happen if she tried to gain access before it was permitted.

0 Kitty Or know someone who does 0 Kitty 0 5

Valerie Lennox, Crotalus

July 03, 2011 3:45 AM

Disoriented. (Tag Miss Diaz) by Valerie Lennox, Crotalus

The morning of the library orientation, Valerie was feeling even worse than she had been. Although she was taking potions for her cough, especially at night so both she and others could sleep, the coughs would recur whenever the medication wore off. Plus, she felt extremely tired, achy and weak. Moreso than usual.

She knew she should go straight to the medic but Valerie had already been and was hoping this would just run its course. That it was just a cold. Except that it never ended up being just a cold with Valerie and she knew it. There were nearly always complications or at the very least it ended up being a bad cold that kept her in bed for weeks, not that Valerie was ever out of bed much to begin with. Last winter she had even developed pneumonia and almost died.

Still, Valerie didn't want to miss the orientation. She just wanted to appear normal and be like the rest of her classmates. Besides, she wanted to know where things were in the library so she could find books to read when she was stuck in bed. Though she usually went there while the others had flying lessons, Valerie was too intimidated to go exploring the library on her own. So after breakfast, which again she had not eaten much of, as her throat was pretty sore and it kind of hurt to swallow, she went to the library with the rest of her classmates.

As she followed them and Miss Diaz through the library, Valerie wondered if it was a mistake. She should have gone directly to the medic. The first year was getting rather dizzy walking around. And hot. Very very hot. Unbearbly hot. Like she would melt into a puddle right there.

Which meant she most likely had a fever. The Crotalus knew the feeling all too well, having experienced many in her eleven years. But she didn't want to interrupt Miss Diaz during her presentation. That would be rude and it was important to be polite. Her classmates might get annoyed and she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Valerie would wait until the librarian was done and then ask to go to the medic.

As soon as they were released, Valerie walked up to Miss Diaz and asked, her voice weak and shaky, "I don't feel so good, may I please go to the hospital wing?" The first year coughed miserably. She really just wanted to lie down and go to sleep.

11 Valerie Lennox, Crotalus Disoriented. (Tag Miss Diaz) 204 Valerie Lennox, Crotalus 0 5

Paul Bennett, Crotalus

July 03, 2011 12:46 PM

Getting oriented by Paul Bennett, Crotalus

He wasn't exactly a scholar, but Paul did like to read and learn more about things that interested him, so the reputation of the Sonora library had been an attraction of the school for him. After he'd seen a bit of it, so was the idea of having an orientation meeting.

At the end, he wasn't sure what he thought, though that was usual at first after something and he still wasn't going to complain too much about missing the class he normally had at this time, and he'd both made note of the restricted section and decided he was going to consider the assistant thing. On one hand, he'd have no clue what he was doing and little actual inclination to do it, but on the other hand, a minor bit of authority could do him good. At least he'd have a little bit of an edge. That, Father had tried his best to make Paul really believe and act on, was more important than comfort.

Paul liked comfort. He liked it a lot, actually, and being at school meant he had a good bit of it. No siblings running around, no routine trips to see Uncle Matthias, who was living in their house, or Uncle Roger, who was quite good, much better than the rest of them, at playing the game and making everything, unnecessarily to Paul's way of thinking, feel slightly dangerous and grand, no etiquette and dance lessons or Mother dragging him to formal teas...He'd hate to disturb that in any way. Father was often right, though, so he would have to consider all this.

He began to look around as instructed, not really focusing on anything. The shelves all stretched far above his head, and while he normally either didn't notice his height or felt defensive about it, he didn't compare himself to adult things, and it just made him feel a little overwhelmed and dizzy. He did catch himself before he could walk into someone, but only just; as soon as he did, he took a quick step back to stay out of the other person's space.

"Sorry," he apologized.

0 Paul Bennett, Crotalus Getting oriented 201 Paul Bennett, Crotalus 0 5

Jhonice

July 04, 2011 11:47 AM

and I am sure they are all terribly interesting by Jhonice

Hmmm... Jhonice thought to herself, she knew this girl. She was in classes with her. Her name is... a fruit. Yes, that was it. Apple? No. Pear? No. Pineapple? No way. Why did people have to give their kids such odd names? Anyway, it didn't matter. Jhonice smiled at her year mate, "Library assistant? First years can do that?" Her first reaction was 'no way', she wasn't really a library person. However, being an assistant would allow her freedom to roam about the place without people giving her a second thought. Hmm... that might be quite the advantage. She would have to think about it. What people used the library on a regular basis? "I may have to look into that, thank-you."

She looked around the portion of the library that she could see, but she had no idea where the librarian or that section of the books were. She wasn't even sure what section of the books she was standing in. The looking around was more to make sure she wasn't actually standing in the DADA section and the girl was asking her a trick question. They weren't, from a few of the titles she scanned very quickly it looked like they were in some plant section. "Sorry, I have no idea."

Another thought struck Jhonice. She would need allies and an information network, this girl might be the start of that. Even if she didn't know it. "I can help you look for them though." She said helpfully. "They have to be around here somewhere."

2 Jhonice and I am sure they are all terribly interesting 209 Jhonice 0 5

Mellie

July 07, 2011 9:40 AM

Re: G is for Good Grief, Girl (A)Gain! (WotW) by Mellie

Mellie laughed when the other first year expressed doubt about his chances of breaking the record. “Yeah, me, either,” she said. “I read but not, you know, like crazy.” She couldn’t usually focus that long, or else she got really into it and so on tenterhooks that she had to get up and move around for a while because of the action on the page. Either way, it wasn’t conducive to getting in huge page counts, even when she wasn’t dealing with very hard stuff. Since this was a library and the seventh years used it, too, she was pretty sure the majority of the stuff in here was not written completely at the easy level.

“I’m Mellie, by the way,” she said, realizing she didn’t think she and Teppenpaw Guy had met yet and feeling a little awkward about talking to someone without telling them a name to call her other than Pecari Girl. She didn’t mind if they called her that, but knew that some people might mind calling her that themselves, since she wasn’t too crazy about calling him just Teppenpaw Guy. There weren’t a lot of Teppenpaw guys, but there were enough that it was pretty non-indicative and not much use as a name, not to mention implying that some of them weren’t interesting enough to bother distinguishing from each other.

And that just wasn’t true. It had been a little overwhelming at first, but she’d decided that she liked getting to meet a lot of new people, because most people were interesting. Everyone had some kind of background not quite like hers, something she wasn’t familiar with, and it was fun to learn about that kind of thing. When it had originally been said, she hadn’t really understood what Dad meant about how easy it would be to lose the balance and start thinking school was more about meeting people and having friends than it was about learning, but it hadn’t taken her too long at Sonora to start to get it, at least a little. The variety of both at school was so much bigger than it was at home, it was hard to decide what to look at next most of the time.

She felt like she should say something else, but wasn't sure what, or even if she was right about it being the right thing to do. That was the bad thing about there being so many different people and stuff. She didn't have the familiar old beacons of habit to guide her anymore and let her know she was starting to annoy people in one way or another. She really hoped she mastered the Sonora version of the trick soon.

16 Mellie Re: G is for Good Grief, Girl (A)Gain! (WotW) 206 Mellie 0 5

Cherry Bosko

July 07, 2011 2:15 PM

They must be. by Cherry Bosko

Cherry considered this girl and wondered if she had been paying any attention at all during the librarian's lecture. Hadn't Ms. Diaz just said that first years could be assistants? Seriously. Cherry hadn't been paying a lot of attention herself, but she'd at least gotten the jist of everything. Seriously. Cherry didn't remember everything, but at least she'd have some sort of dull recollection if she heard it again... nevermind. It wasn't nice to be judgy. Besides, this girl might be a Library Assistant with her and if she was, it would be nice to not be the only clueless first year around.

Cherry was just about to dismiss her as useless when the other girl offered to help. Four eyes would be better than two, even if the brain behind the other two was apparently a bit spacey. That was probably why she had walked into Cherry in the first place. Off in her own little world....

Judgy again, Cherry berated herself.

"They have to be around here somewhere," the girl said.

"They must," Cherry agreed, making herself not say something snarky--like, Well, obviously, which the valley girl in her wanted to say so badly. There was a time she would have said it, too. But being in a new school without any friends yet to back you up was not the time. Besides, it was mean. Cherry didn't want to be a meanie--she already knew being a meanie made her feel icky inside.

But sometimes it was hard not to be.

But not too hard. Cherry held up her map for the other girl to see and explained, "I am trying to make a map of the different sections of the library, so that when I come back I'll know how to find everything. This," she pointed to the open area where they stood on the map, "is where we are now. This," she pointed to another area with red Xs in it, "is the restricted section. Which makes this one Magical Creatures and this one is Potions.... I think. I may have gotten that one wrong."

"You see?" she said lowering the map and looking the other girl, "I want to label the sections at least for each of the classes. So I still need DADA and Transfigurations and I need to check Potions."

"Oh, what was your name, again?" she winced a little because they'd been in classes together for a week or two now. They just hadn't crossed paths directly before. "I'm Cherry."

0 Cherry Bosko They must be. 0 Cherry Bosko 0 5

Miss Diaz

July 08, 2011 2:32 PM

Take it easy by Miss Diaz

Some of the first years seemed more interested in the tour than others, but that made sense, considering some would be less inclined to visit it, and some, at the other end of the scale, had already been to the library on several occasions by this point. One of the group, on the other hand, may have had her interest and enthusiasm in the tour dampened by poor health. The girl approached DiAnna at the end of the tour, and asked in a voice that didn't sound like the voice of a healthy person whether she could go to the hospital wing.

"Of course you can go, if you're not feeling well," DiAnna replied. She wasn't a professor and couldn't actually keep them in the library if they wanted to be elsewhere, anyway, seeing as she'd finished her tour. However even if that hadn't been the case she'd never stop someone from receiving medical attention. This girl seemed to be walking fine, but she didn't exactly look to be in the best of health, and she was coughing a little. besides, as the tour had finished at the students were free to leave, there would be no point at this stage in faking anything. "Can you make your way there yourself or would you like me to send someone with you?" she asked. She couldn't go herself just then because she was in charge of the rest of the yeargroup, but one of the other first years could accompany the girl, or maybe one of the monitors from last year was around to be helpful. "I'd feel more comfortable if I knew someone was looking after you," she stated her own preferences on the matter, but she wouldn't force the girl into taking someone with her if she felt well enough to make the way on her own - it wasn't far.

"What's your name?" DiAnna asked the girl as an after-thought. She really ought to know who she was letting out of her class, and could pass the message on to their next professor if necessary. She might not remember for the next time she saw the girl, though, unless she ended up coming into the library on a regular basis.

0 Miss Diaz Take it easy 0 Miss Diaz 0 5

Valerie

July 08, 2011 6:56 PM

I usually do by Valerie

Valerie shivered. Whereas just a few moments ago she had felt excrutiatingly hot, now she felt a chill and was absolutely freezing. This happened to her pretty much all the time and by now she knew it meant she was quite sick. Her ears were very very sore too and Valerie was starting to feel a little nauseous. She probably had an ear infection.

Relief washed over her when Miss Diaz gave her permission to go to the hospital wing. Valerie felt terrible and she wasn't sure how much longer she could even stand up. When she had a fever, she didn't function very well.Her thoughts became all distorted and she got disoriented. There had even been times when the first year had been downright delirious.

Fortunately, the Crotalus was not quite to that point yet but she definitely needed to lie down. "Thank you." Valerie replied weakly. She wanted to tell the librarian that she could make it on her own, in fact, some day Valerie expected that she would be able to find her way to the Hospital Wing in her sleep, and that she didn't want to put anyone out and be a burden. Her family never acted like she was when they were around her, but sometimes Valerie wondered how they, especially her mother, really felt about the whole situation.

Besides, her classmates were not her family. Well, there was one who was a distant cousin, but it wasn't as if Valerie knew her. She didn't know anyone outside her immediate family very well,because she was never able to attend family functions on those rare occasions when her parents went to begin with. In fact, the Crotalus sometimes felt that she didn't even know enough about her parents.

However, Valerie honestly didn't think she could make it alone at this point. She was feeling sort of dizzy yet-and very very hot again-and she was afraid she'd pass out on the way there. "I-I think that would be for the best." Valerie agreed with Miss Diaz.

She coughed. "Valerie Lennox." She quickly added. "of the St. Louis Lennoxes." Being ill was no excuse for forgetting her manners, to behave improperly, though Valerie decided to forgo the curtsey, due to the fact that the physical action might make her dizzier.

The temperature of the room changed again and Valerie drew her arms around herself as she began to start shivering once more and her ears felt like someone was poking them with sharp objects.

11 Valerie I usually do 204 Valerie 0 5

Jhonice

July 09, 2011 4:50 PM

Do they expect us to use them all? by Jhonice

Jhonice smiled at Cherry. She was nice. "Cherry is a cool name! Mine is just plain and boring, Jhonice. She was amazed at her new friend's map, it clearly showed that the best approach to the restricted section and still remain unseen was from the southwest. "That map is great. Come on, we have to complete it!" Jhonice could feel it already, this girl would be a great asset. She collected information, made maps, signs and who knows what else. Jhonice would help Cherry to the best of her ability, then hopefully Cherry would return the favor.

There were still blank areas on the map that needed to be filled in, and she didn't know how much time they had left before they would be forced off to their next assignment. "Come on!" She called out over her shoulder as she started to move into the unknown, "Let's get exploring!" Suddenly the shelves and shelves of books didn't look so ominous. They weren't archaic lore and meaningless knowledge anymore. They were a wild and untamed landscape, a mystical maze that needed to be solved. This library would be an adventure after all!

2 Jhonice Do they expect us to use them all? 209 Jhonice 0 5

David Kim

July 11, 2011 7:16 PM

This is also true. by David Kim

David nodded at the mention of a Nook, a slight twinge of envy hidden beneath the gesture. He was lucky to have his laptop at home; his father was a technophobe, believing that the slow but steady digital replacement for the physical was undermining American culture and creating a generation of socially disconnected, instant-gratification-driven mindless drones. Despite the extravagence invested by his parents in David's home and the some-what avant-garde aesthetic employed, the only modern conveniences to be found were in David's room and in the kitchen, where the Kims' housekeeper had firm command and final say in every thing.

David had his flat screen, a moderately sized 26 inch, his laptop, and his Xbox. When he had made overtures toward getting a digital reader as well, his father had thrown a fit, launching into a near hour long diatribe against the conspiracy of Amazon and its ilk to destroy the paper commodities. David hadn't asked a second time.

"Yeah, normal. . ." he answered, mouthing the words slowly, once the whirl-wind of rapid-fire questions/statements had finished. "I don't think it's called black magic, though. I overheard some seniors and they referred to it as 'dark' magic." David figured it was a progressive renaming of the term, most likely.

"But what you were saying before that--" David didn't want to lose the thread of thought, Kitty having brought up the very thing that had been pushing at his insecurities since the realization that 'Muggleborn' had certain social connotations depending upon the student spoken to. "-- just because they grew up around it, doesn't mean their magic is any better than ours. In fact, I would be surprised if we're more potent, kind of like an unpolluted source, yeah?"

OOC- Thanks for being patient! I'm back from the business trip!

0 David Kim This is also true. 0 David Kim 0 5

Kitty

July 11, 2011 11:45 PM

It’s good to have friends who know the way by Kitty

“But what you were saying before that, Just because they grew up around it, doesn’t mean their magic is any better than ours. In fact, I would be surprised if we’re more potent, kind of like an unpolluted source yeah?” David said. Kitty found it interesting that he didn’t have an accident. She gave a pleased smile at his statement.

“True. It could even be like dogs you know? I mean, how many of these magic families could there be? I figure it might be like dog breeds, the more purebred the animal the more problems and the weaker the blood becomes. Unlike mutts, who are usually way more healthy and often more intelligent.” Kitty said with a little giggle. She hadn’t run into any mean magical people yet, in fact everyone had been pretty nice to her. Though they did seem to be rather touchy, kind of prickly people that you had to handle with care or they’d get all riled up.

Even though they’d all been pretty nice, Kitty had noticed that little look they got in their eyes when they figured out she didn’t have a magical background. “Everyone’s been nice to me so far, anyway. So they certainly aren’t all bad.” Kitty decided to add. “Eh, there’s good and bad in every group of people, so just take the good and toss out the bad.” She finished. But his comment did cause her to think about the situation further, and how she might respond if one of the magical students got nasty about it.

OOC - Welcome back, I hope everything went well!

0 Kitty It’s good to have friends who know the way 0 Kitty 0 5

Michael

July 12, 2011 2:07 PM

We should be filed under M (WotW) by Michael

“I'm Michael,” said Michael. Well, that was that avenue of conversation exhausted. He could have padded it out for an extra two seconds by adding his surname but she hadn't given hers so that probably would have been weird. He smiled at her. He fiddled absent-mindedly with a loose piece of binding on the spine of a book near his hand. He half glanced at it and noticed the title was something about wars. He looked back to Mellie. He smiled. Continuing to thumb the edge of the book, he wondered what else to say.

“So...” he began, without any real idea of where he was going to go with that. He could state the obvious, that she was a Pecari, which he could see from her robes, but then she already knew that. He'd thought, for the last week, that he was actually surprisingly ok at talking to girls. It seemed to have gone well on his two previous exposures to the startlingly new situation. But they'd had class stuff to talk about and that was, apparently, what had saved him from sinking in the conversational quagmire. He rather felt he and Mellie had exhausted all there was to say about being in the library, having both expressed their limited interest in being there. The more he tried to think of anything to say, the more blank his mind went. And the gap had been too long now. Asking how she liked Sonora, or where she was from would probably have been ok, although boring, if he'd asked it at the outset. Commenting on her house was even starting to seem like a brilliant missed opportunity. However, the gap had been so long now that it would seem even lamer – putting it in after such a long pause would be like underlining and highlighting how rubbish a thing to say it was. After being silent for what felt like an age, he felt like what he came out with had to be pretty good to justify the amount of thinking time. And he couldn't think of anything.

OOC – sorry! I'm aware this is probably horrible to work with but he's not had much practice at chit-chat! Also, I managed to reply to myself with this initially... If someone could delete that, it'd be grand...

13 Michael We should be filed under M (WotW) 199 Michael 0 5

David Kim

July 12, 2011 8:51 PM

Just keep turning right. I think. by David Kim

David felt a touch wistful at the ease with which Kitty dismissed his concerns about the Purebloods. Either she had been hugely sheltered all of her life, or she really hadn't met the sorts of people David knew existed in that small town of hers. His experiences in school had taught him differently. The world was full of people who thrived off of making you feel small. For all that his private school had celebrated its high tuition and years of excellence in creating 'the leaders of tomorrow,' it had done a finer job in honing the sharp edges of a generation of bullies and tyrants.

He envied Kitty's seemingly matter-of-fact acceptance of this reality. He wasn't nearly so adaptable.

"That's good," he replied slowly, interest turning back toward the Restricted Section and the secrets hidden there. Perhaps there were books about dark magic in there; it would make sense. The school couldn't censor the material entirely, could it? But it could limit who had access, and through that same means, keep tabs on what was being read and by whom. David had a very healthy understanding of the way schools liked to think, and generally they took in loco parentis to mean 'censure and discriminate' when it came to knowledge. "I wonder if there's some other way to see what's in there. . ."

David considered the walls surrounding the Restricted Section. He had heard of hidden passageways, and after all, the entrances to the four houses were secreted away. Perhaps there was one such hidden entrance to the Restricted Section as well. He turned to Kitty. "The Gardens stretch on the other side of that wall, yeah? What are the chances, you think, that there's some other way to get into-" he lowered his voice, a finger pointed discretely toward the room in question, "-there from the Gardens?"

0 David Kim Just keep turning right. I think. 0 David Kim 0 5

Kitty

July 12, 2011 11:10 PM

Following the leader, in right turning circles by Kitty

Bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet as David spoke Kitty stared wide eyed at the restricted section. How in the world does he know where the Gardens are from in here? Kitty wondered in amazement. She’d really picked well when she’d decided that David was a great guide, she couldn’t even have pointed out the direction the Gardens were from in the library. They could have been on the far side of the moon, for all Kitty knew.

A grin pulled at the small girl’s lips. “Oh my gosh! I bet you’re right. I mean this is a really old place and all, and magic besides. There’s probably a bunch of secret passageways, and hidden paths.” She somehow managed to keep her voice to a soft excited whisper. Bright blue eyes flashed with the promise of adventure as she looked from the restricted section back to David. If anyone could find a hidden passage it would be him.

The restricted section. Who ever thought that putting it somewhere out in the open like that was a good idea might need to have their minds checked. It was practically a sirens call to the curious girl. Putting it right there, and telling her she could not look was rather mean in Kitty’s mind. If they wanted to keep stuff like that they shouldn’t waive it in the students faces if they didn’t expect the kids to try and get into it. Maybe that’s the point! It is restricted, unless you are clever enough or determined enough to find the way in. Kitty thought with delight. “We should see if we can find the back way in."

0 Kitty Following the leader, in right turning circles 0 Kitty 0 5

Cherry

July 13, 2011 2:13 PM

That would take AGES. by Cherry

Cherry didn't think Jhonice was exactly a plain and boring name. It was, in fact, a name she'd never heard before. She tried to think of a good rhyme to remember it by. Jhonice sounded sort of like "John is"... she could use that. Jhonice and John is... no, that wasn't grammatical. John is jumpy for Jhonice. Now if only there was a John around who seemed to like the girl. Jhonice jolts to the john? No. Johnice jogs in ice... No...

She'd figure it out later. Jhonice was running off towards a blank section of her map. Off to discover the unknown! Cherry grinned at Jhonice's sudden enthusiasm and followed at her heels into another section of books. It was a little like exploring, like Jhonice said. They passed the Monster Book of Monsters, which growled ferociously at them. And there was another book called Charms for Girls that nearly blinded them with its flashing lights and sparkly cover. (Charms section!)

It seemed strangely cold in the section where they finally stopped and Cherry looked around at the shelves and read aloud some of the covers she say. "Wolverton's Book of Werewolves, Lunar Legacies, Spells for Beastly Nights."

"DADA wasn't this creepy on the tour," Cherry looked over at Jhonice, "Was it?"

0 Cherry That would take AGES. 0 Cherry 0 5

Miss Diaz

July 15, 2011 11:47 AM

Good to hear it by Miss Diaz

DiAnna nodded as Valerie agreed to be escorted to see the medic, rather than to make her way on her own. DiAnna would feel much omre comfrotable with this version of the scenario, especially as she had spied one of those students who had signed up to be library helpers. It would be much better to send Valerie with an older student than with another first year, and so DiAnna wasted no time in waving to her helper - she had yet to post the list of who would be monitor or assistant because she'd wanted to wait until after this orientation was over to encourage first years to consider signing up - the gesture clearly indicating they should come over to where she was standing with the ill first year.

"I'll get one of my helpers to take you over," the librarian said to Valerie with what she hoped was a kind smile. Admittedly ferrying first years round the school wasn't one of the requirements of being a library monitor or assistant, but the descriptions had been left suitably vague for the roles to cover this scenario. "You'll be taken care of, don't worry." Once the poor girl was in the hospital wing than the medic would make her right, DiAnna was sure of it, while in the meantime the librarian could keep her eyes on the rest of the first years still miling around between the stacks.

"This is Valerie Lennox," DiAnna made the introduction to the student she'd called over, and then reversed it for Valerie's benefit. "She's not feeling well, I was hoping you could accompany her to the hospital wing for me while I'm watching the rest of the first years." It wasn't exactly stated as a question because it wasn't one as such; it was a request that DiAnna fully expected to be met without argument. "It would be a great help, thank you."

0 Miss Diaz Good to hear it 0 Miss Diaz 0 5

Renée Errant

July 15, 2011 4:40 PM

Avoiding Distractions by Renée Errant

Intending that for once she'd be good and not seek any distractions (so many shiny things in the common room, food was more interesting to consume than knowledge, it was impossible to try reading her textbook in bed without falling asleep in those soft sheets and warm covers...) Renée grabbed her Divination book and headed off toward the library. She would master this infuriating subject. School robes clung to her form as she entered the library, as always appreciating the attention her clothes got from her mother. The woman was infuriating but Renée had learned to accept that that didn't mean she couldn't allow herself to like the same things Marianna liked. And there was something about clothes that Renée really did like. The fascination of how different styles, materials, and colors could convey messages and demand its viewers to perceive it in different ways. 'Wonder if the library has a fashion section...' Distracted, she weaved through a few shelves, forgetting about her original purpose when suddenly she noticed a sizeable group of first years and the Librarian (and Divination professor - was that a sign of what?) seemingly waving toward her.

'Me?' She mouthed out the silent question, pointing to herself, and then looking around and behind her at anybody else Professor Diaz might have been gesturing at. Seeing no one, and now furiously running through the possible scenarios of her getting into trouble (it wasn't that far in the year yet, though, and any trouble she'd caused had been minor, undetected - she was innocent!) she walked toward her professor. "Yes, Professor?" She alternated in calling her Miss Diaz and Professor Diaz, always unsure which the woman preferred to be called. Dark brown eyes strayed from Miss Diaz to the odd sickly shivering pathetic looking little girl in front of her. "Oh." She said shortly. At least she wasn't in trouble. Smiling a little, she looked back up at Miss Diaz. "Happy to help, Professor. In fact, I think I predicted this would happen," She raised her textbook up meaningfully. "so you might want to consider extra credit or something, si?" She smiled confidently and then turned to Valerie.

"Okay, Valerie, can you walk alright?" She lightly placed her darkly tanned hand on the other girl's back, ready to take it away if the girl said. She hardly ever got sick herself, and perhaps only once as awful looking as this, when she was very little. "The Hospital Wing isn't too far, you'll be perfectly all right." Her voice adopted a calm tone, imitating David whenever her mother got upset and he had to calm her down. Her free hand adjusted the messenger bag that was slung over her shoulder, traveling up to sweep the long dark curls out of her face. Glancing over Valerie, she noticed the identical Crotalus symbol on her robes, before again surveying the poor girl's face. "Ready to start walking?" She asked patiently.

0 Renée Errant Avoiding Distractions 0 Renée Errant 0 5

Valerie

July 17, 2011 9:08 PM

I think I am one. by Valerie

The first year looked weakly at Miss Diaz. Valerie was feeling truly horrible and was going to argue with anything that helped her get to the medic sooner. She was just grateful for any help anyone was willing to give her. As awful as it sounded, Valerie was pretty dependent on others whether she wanted to be or not. Her parents had always treated her like she would break, like she was too weak and frail to be on her own...and Valerie was sure that it was true that she was. She certainly felt it all the time. It was something she just had to accept.

Suddenly, Valerie wished she were home again. With people who cared about her and were used to her condition. She hadn't really made friends at Sonora yet and she felt very alone, despite Miss Diaz's kind look.

The Crotalus barely even noticed the interaction between Miss Diaz and the older student she had called over. The whole world seemed rather surreal to her right now. Like something in between reality and a dream. Everything seemed muffled and Valerie was hot again, like someone had raised the temperature in the room had been raised to about 100 degrees. Or more. Valerie literally felt like she would burn up right there.

Her ears were killing her too and she felt a bit dizzy and nauseous. Like she would throw up had she eaten anything for breakfast. Valerie rarely had much appetite to begin with and the last few days she'd had even less of one. The first year had had most diseases before at some point, and pretty much knew by now what each felt like and she was certain she had an ear infection.

Valerie began shivering again as Renee was introduced to her. She nodded weakly even though to do so seemed to aggravate her ear pain and make her feel dizzy. "I guess so." She didn't see how she had a choice. Valerie wouldn't feel comfortable asking to be carried or levitated. That was too much to ask of someone she didn't know and it might attract more attention than she possibly was already. The first year might have wanted someone around to care about her but she certainly did not want everyone staring at her. Especially when she didn't feel or look her best. Valerie was certainly flushed from the fever and looked pretty sick, not the beautiful perfection a pureblood lady was supposed to exemplify. Sure, she could get away with not being so more than Melanie but she still felt ashamed.

"Yes, I'm ready." She spoke, her voice weak and barely audible. Valerie was more than ready. She needed to lie down now . Unfortunately, however there was something bothering her. She was queasy and thought she might throw up. "But I need to stop at the restroom on the way." Valerie was not going to vomit there in the library, it would just be too humiliating. Nobody would ever want to be friends with her then.

OOC-Do you want to post in the Hospital Wing first?

11 Valerie I think I am one. 204 Valerie 0 5

Mellie

July 18, 2011 4:58 PM

Or S, for Speechless. by Mellie

It seemed, Mellie noted with dismay, that she’d met someone with as little of a natural talent for making graceful, witty conversation at the drop of a hat as she had. The silence went on, then on a little further, until it became just slightly uncomfortable, both of them standing there smiling at each other without a clue what to do next.

Finally, Michael came up with something. It was one syllable long, but it wasn’t silence. Maybe it highlighted the silence a little, but it broke it at the same time, so that was good. Better than nothing, which was what she had come up with, anyway. She almost wondered if she should just excuse herself and run off and try not to be seen too much for the rest of the day, but they were going to be in classes together for the rest of their time at school, so that really wasn’t a good long-term strategy, and besides, it didn’t…work in another way, and how on earth was she this inarticulate with the parents she had? Dad was quiet, sure, so she guessed she could sort of blame him, but when he did talk, he was clear about it and made sense and all those really great things that she totally wasn’t doing right now, even in her stupid thoughts.

“So…yeah,” she said, with an awkward laugh she hoped was offset by a genuine smile. Why did she have to be so awkward? Yes, speaking meant risking making someone not like her or think she was crazy or something, but not saying anything was going to do the same thing, no risk involved, just fact. Why did that never process right in her stupid head?

She guessed she could make standard small talk – inquiries about his well-being, the day, the weather, all that stuff – but when she did that with people at random things her parents drug her to at home, it always felt a little unreal, and really stiff and uncomfortable, too. It was easier to be silent sometimes than to go through that. She didn’t want to do that. So she started babbling about the first thing that, finally, popped into her head.

“So, what do you think of these teachers? My cousin thinks that lesson of Fawcett’s, where we saw all the stuff that goes in potions before it’s, you know, all chopped up and dried and stuff, was to start, like, figuring out which ones he doesn’t want in his advanced class in…years from now. I thought it sounded crazy when Alison said it, but the more I’m here, I don’t really know…”

Okay, so it wasn’t brilliant, but maybe it was a start. She’d personalized it a little so it wasn’t as bad as pure chitchat, hadn’t she? So that was good. Still, she felt compelled to add, “Sorry, I really don’t get out enough. It really is good to meet you.” Wasn’t that what people said? And it was, she guessed, it just felt sort of weird coming out of her mouth….

OOC: Nah, it was fine! Likewise sorry for the title repeat up there - I really shouldn't post while half-awake.

16 Mellie Or S, for Speechless. 206 Mellie 0 5

Renée

July 19, 2011 6:37 PM

ooc: posted! (nm) by Renée

0 Renée ooc: posted! (nm) 0 Renée 0 5

Linus Macaulay

July 20, 2011 7:35 AM

Orient yourself in your own space by Linus Macaulay

As he'd already visited the library a couple of times only to be completely overwhelemed by the number of books it contained, and thwarted by its arrange,ment that had, at the time, seemed to hinder his progression in finding useful books, Linus couldn't help feeling that the orientation activity had been scheduled too late in the term. Then again, from what he'd understood having spoken with his fellow first years, he read more than the average Sonora student. He wasn't a geek or anything, but Linus like to be knowledgable where he could. Sonora, thus far, was not one of those places. His roomate had made it clear on the first night that Linus did not fit in with the majority of members of Crotalus House, and that those with whom he did not fit made it their business to know the business of others. Well at least on that second point he could remedy himself - he'd begin by learning what he could about the school, house, and his classes, and then, if he felt it appropriate, he might make that progression to learning what he could about his Housemates. As it currently stood, however, Linus was not in the least bit interested in learning about other Crotalus students. He doubted their lives would be as extraordinary as his own, and therefore the held no allure. Besides, there was no guarantee that his roomate had been right about antyhing at all; Paul Bennett's views were a product of his own life experiences, and nothing more.

"No apology necessary," Linus informed his roomate, who appeared in his immediate vision as suddenly as if Linus had summoned him there unintentionaly by thinking about him (and as that thought presented itself, Linus hoped it wasn't a scenario that magic had made possible, because that would be inconvenient to explain). It was much more likely that Paul had been distracted and walked into Linus' line of sight, and while he could perhaps focus his attention to rpevent this happening in the future, he hadn't actually collided with Linus, and therefore no apology was necessary.

Linus regarded his roomate for a moment. He hadn't yet had any objections to sharing his living space with this person, who seemed thus far to be agreeable, but they hadn't spent a great deal of time in each other's company while awake, either. He didn't even know yet whether Paul had any interest in better finding his way round the library. "Do you read a lot?" Linus asked him, initiating a conversation of the most logical topic considering the current circumstances.

0 Linus Macaulay Orient yourself in your own space 205 Linus Macaulay 0 5

Michael

July 20, 2011 11:43 AM

Or C for Can't Think of a Clever Title... by Michael

’So yeah…’ Well, Mellie wasn’t making a scornful remark and stalking off but for a horrible moment, Michael thought that she was going to leave things there. Not that he was judging her for that, seeing as he couldn’t do any better, but if they were both as hopeless as each other, this really wasn’t going to go anywhere. Luckily, Mellie hit upon something to say. Or rather a lot of things to say, actually. Her simple question seemed to open some kind of conversational floodgate as she began explaining the reasoning behind it.

“I don’t know,” said Michael, because he really didn’t. “I’m not really sure how much he’d be able to tell from watching us gather stuff up though. I mean, that’s quite a different skill from brewing Potions. I hope he wouldn’t be spying on us and deciding that/i> quickly. Seems a bit unfair,” but then, whoever had said life was going to be fair? He couldn’t recall anyone ever promising him that and, even if they had, he would have been thoroughly convinced by now that it was a lie. Plus Mellie had said her cousin had said so. “But your cousin might know better if she’s been here years already. Did she tell you much before you came?” he asked, curious to know what other useful survival tips were being passed around. “Like, did she say why she thought that about Fawcett? Is he really mean?

“That’s ok, my fault too,” he smiled sheepishly, as she apologised, he presumed for the awkward silence. “I don’t always know what to say either,” he wondered whether, if he was having that problem and Mellie had that problem, maybe everyone had that problem sometimes. But he’d always felt like it wasn’t very normal to not be good at talking to people and he was too scared that it was a stupid idea to try sharing it with Mellie, even though she was also a self-confessed awkward conversationalist. “But it’s nice to meet you too,” he finished instead.

13 Michael Or C for Can't Think of a Clever Title... 199 Michael 0 5

Mellie
July 20, 2011 1:01 PM

Mellie
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

Dial R for Reply? by Mellie
Mellie couldn’t help but smile broadly in relief when her abrupt, weird attempt at starting conversation seemed to work. Her positive feelings toward Michael, not completely absent to begin with, increased significantly. It had seemed entirely possible that his response to her ramble about the Potions professor would have been to tell her she was weird and then go off and laugh with the guys about it.

“I think she actually likes him,” Mellie said. “Sort of. But then, she’s taking seventh year Potions, so…” Mellie shrugged, not sure what, if any, effect that might have on Alison’s liking or disliking Fawcett. If Advanced classes were really as much harder than the lower ones as she’d been led to believe, having him for an Advanced professor seemed like a good reason to not like him in and of itself. “I don’t know. She didn’t really get to tell me too much, and plus, I think she was lying about half of it. I don’t really think the headmaster would let him and Professor Crosby run secret societies, do you? And I’ve got a sane friend from home in second year who never mentioned anything like that.”

Alison had always liked messing with her. Mellie was just glad that a long time of no contact hadn’t undone all the tiny amount of work she’d ever done toward becoming not gullible enough to believe all the weird things her cousin and others came up with. She was still more gullible than not, or at least evidence suggested she was, but she wasn’t quite ready to buy that her Potions teacher was grooming a new generation of politicians on the weekends or that her Transfiguration professor led a cult until she had something more than Alison’s word for it.

“I guess we’re good company, then,” Mellie said brightly when Michael acknowledged his own occasional problems with conversation. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

16 Mellie Dial R for Reply? 206 Mellie 0 5

Michael
July 20, 2011 3:14 PM

Michael
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Rhy

Age in Post: 11

L for Lesson Learnt by Michael
“I doubt it. Sounds like something out of a story,” Michael replied. “If that’s the kind of help she gave you, I think I’m rather glad I don’t have any cousins or anything here,” he grinned. He had wished repeatedly in the run up to Sonora and his first weeks here he’d had someone older to tell him what to expect but he’d never entertained the idea that that might have been a bad thing. Nat wasn’t the sort to wind him up and tell him stories but he was aware of that kind of sibling – or in Mellie’s case, cousin – from T.V. shows. “Who’s the second year you know and what houses are she and your cousin in?” he asked.

It was a little odd to think that two people who were inept at conversation trying to have one might be a good thing. It didn’t seem to be terribly sound logic. Perhaps it would lead to a more than average number of awkward moments but Michael supposed it was the not minding that mattered. It was definitely very nice to have someone not mind that you weren’t quite perfect. It would have been exceptionally useful to Michael had he been able to decompartmentalise that idea, removing it from being a possibility merely in the realm of having a conversation and apply it as a general principle. However, he failed to see the greater lesson to be learnt from the interaction, taking from it only that a conversation going wrong wasn’t always the end of the world.

“Yeah, it is,” he nodded at Mellie.

13 Michael L for Lesson Learnt 199 Michael 0 5

Paul
July 23, 2011 1:29 AM

Paul
Peripheral
Written by:

That's the plan by Paul
“Thank you,” Paul said when Linus assured him apologies weren’t necessary. “I should have been paying more attention, though, not looking up at how tall the shelves are.”

One of the things Paul really didn’t like having to do in etiquette lessons was run through a scenario where he was apologizing for something. It wasn’t impossible to find the fine line between being penitent enough and overdoing it, but it was really hard. He often ended up being too apologetic, or not apologetic enough, or apologetic to an extent that made it seem like a form of being over-proud by itself…It was complicated. He could only guess – maybe hope – that it all got easier to remember and use as you got older, because while he did well enough to fool people, he was sure he was nowhere near being a complete gentleman yet, any more than Lize, beneath her carefully crafted veneer she pulled up when she really needed it, was a true lady. They weren’t right on the insides.

He didn’t really care about that, of course, for its own sake. As long as things went all right, he was fine. But it seemed like it might be easier to behave as a gentleman and so not have the problems that came from not acting like a gentleman if he really was one, and if that wasn’t possible, at least being able to remember everything to act like one would be an improvement.

”Do you read a lot?” Linus asked, and Paul considered the question before deciding it was most likely just conversational, not an attempt to get something. With the reputation of the Aladren Quidditch team, it was hard to say that reading was a bad thing when they might hear about it and it was hard to say just who might be behind those shelves, and he thought it was usually all right to moderately read instead of frequently reading as long as you could, and sometimes did it just for pleasure. That wasn’t so bad.

“I read sometimes. I’m not sure I’d say a lot, but I like mysteries every now and then, and then there’s things my tutors set me. Classics and things. What about you?”

0 Paul That's the plan 0 Paul 0 5

Jhonice
July 23, 2011 11:07 AM

Jhonice
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Gami

Age in Post: 11

Maybe we could find the Cliff's Notes section by Jhonice
The atmosphere seemed to change around Jhonice as she made her way into the unknown. There was an unease in the air, she'd like to say it was dark and eerie, but it looked about the same as the other areas they had passed through. There was something strange about it though, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. The shelves towered over her, she could almost feel something or things watching her every move, as if the books themselves were...

"DADA wasn't this creepy on the tour, Was it?"

Jhonice was jolted out of her self narration and back to reality by Cherry's question. The section still did feel odd and a bit chilly, but not as dark and mysterious as she had been trying to make it. "No, not really." She replied. "I wonder if this is a specialized section and we just saw the 'general' books." She glanced over the titles near them. "Looks like these have to do with creatures, I wonder what kind of organizational system the library uses."

2 Jhonice Maybe we could find the Cliff's Notes section 209 Jhonice 0 5

Mellie
July 25, 2011 1:56 PM

Mellie
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

A is for Agreement by Mellie
“Yeah,” Mellie replied, smiling so he wouldn’t think she was offended, to the idea of it maybe being okay to not have relatives here. “Alison – my cousin’s – seventh year Pecari. Russell’s in Aladren.” She paused, then added, for the sake of completeness, “and there’s Topher, second year Crotalus, but…yeah, I’d believe Alison first.”

She thought about that for a second, then added, “I guess that makes you the first Teppenpaw I know. I mean, unless one of my grandparents was in there or something, but I don’t think any of Dad’s family has ever come here, and Mom’s a Muggleborn Pecari.” And when Mom had told her about Houses, she’d said that Dad would have been either a Crotalus or an Aladren right on the brink of being a Crotalus, since she didn’t seem to think of Aladren so much as a House in its own right as a place where people who were somewhere between being Crotali and Pecaris went.

Mom had been even vaguer on Teppenpaw, though. Dad fit into those House qualities – he was kind, he preferred diplomacy and consensus to a fight any day, he seemed to hold that everyone ought to improve themselves as far as they could – but he was, Mom had explained, just much more precise, detail-oriented, independent, and interested in how things worked. Those qualities were why he’d been promoted pretty regularly through his career, so that now, his knack for looking at plans and making them more water-tight could actually be put to use. It was a point of pride with him that he didn’t make mistakes on the job, that everything was done as quickly and efficiently as possible, with no disturbances and certainly no one noticing strange groups of men in gray suits the way they had in the bad old days….

But yeah. Mom didn’t know what a Teppenpaw was, just that none of them were, and Mellie didn’t really follow the extended family enough to know what was going on with it most of the time, much less what had gone on with it fifty years ago. Which meant, Mellie guessed, she’d have to figure out this one for herself.

“Is it nice, in Teppenpaw?” she asked.

She was relieved to hear that it was good that they were good company - a logical enough conclusion, she guessed, but she'd felt a little like she was walking out on a limb as soon as she'd said it. She didn't really know how to make friends, much less how to indicate that was what she was trying to do. "Also good to agree," she said.

16 Mellie A is for Agreement 206 Mellie 0 5

Michael
July 29, 2011 9:35 AM

Michael
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Rhy

Age in Post: 11

P is for Phew (haha, curve ball!) by Michael
“So do you know about Muggle stuff and Magic stuff?” Michael asked, as Mellie rattled off a list of friends and relations who’d been at the school, including a Muggle-born mother. He’d thought when Cherry had mentioned it that it must be really cool but it had been a bit tricky to talk out on the pitch. The library was much more conducive to conversation, so maybe he could find out a bit more from Mellie about it. “What’s it like? Do you get to have Muggle stuff like T.V. in your house or does the magic mean it won’t work?” He knew all too well the complications of trying to mix Magical and Muggle technology, having had to see a specialist to fit him with a pair of magical hearing aids before he started school.

“Teppenpaw seems nice,” he replied, “I think it’s meant to be the friendly house or something, and my roommates seem nice. One of them’s a Pureblood but he doesn’t seem to mind about me being Muggleborn, which apparently a lot of them do. I guess the ones that do don’t go into Teppenpaw so I haven’t really had to deal with any of them yet. Do you like it in Pecari?” he asked, as it seemed fair to return the question. Funny how they’d come back to this topic when he’d been so worried that it was boring that he’d clammed up instead of asking it. Life was annoying like that sometimes, he supposed.

13 Michael P is for Phew (haha, curve ball!) 199 Michael 0 5

Mellie
August 01, 2011 2:03 PM

Mellie
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

F is for Friends, then? by Mellie
“A little,” Mellie said when Michael asked if she knew about magic and Muggle things, and then felt like she’d still exaggerated when he started asking more questions and she had to stop to think for a second before she remembered what Mom said a TV was.

“No, we don’t have one of those,” she said. “I kind of wish we did every time Mom mentions it, but we’re really not that close to her parents.” Possibly because they lived several states over. Possibly. It wasn’t like Mom had ever mentioned not getting along with them. Honestly, she didn’t talk about them that much at all. “But they sound really interesting. Are they as cool as she makes them sound?” She figured they had to have something going for them, since Alison usually summed up time spent with her parents as “watched too much TV and played chess on Anthony’s e-reader.”

Mellie was glad Alison had finally explained what an “e-reader” was, because otherwise she was sure she would have either gone on a tangent right now that made her sound like an utter moron speculating about whether there really was something Muggles had to use to read the letter e or else asked Michael what one was out of a clear blue sky without any obvious connection to what they had been talking about. Someday, she was sure, she was going to annoy someone with that habit, which was another one she normally didn’t notice until it was too late to stop herself from doing it.

She half-shrugged, spreading her hands palms-up, when asked how she liked Pecari. “It’s pretty good, I guess. I’m still kind of getting used to sharing a room with so many other girls, you know? But everyone’s been cool so far, and I like Professor McKindy as Head of House..y person. I wish we had different House colors, though. Way too much brown, I guess since gold is so close to yellow and we share that with you guys…That would be kind of awkward during Quidditch, yeah? Do you play any sports?”

And there she went, with the things only loosely connected to the other things. And what did she know, maybe he did play Quidditch even though he was Muggleborn. Maybe Muggles had ground Quidditch or something, or he had learned since coming to school. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad, though, post-agreement.

16 Mellie F is for Friends, then? 206 Mellie 0 5

Michael
August 01, 2011 2:38 PM

Michael
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Rhy

Age in Post: 11

We don't seem to have a very good grasp of the alphabet... by Michael
“Erm… Well, I guess they are,” Michael realised, as Mellie asked about television. “I mean, it’s sort of weird to think of it as being amazing or special because literally everyone has one, so it just seems ordinary. And there’s loads of shows that are really rubbish, so you can waste your life watching stuff you don’t really want to see but do, just cos it’s there. But when you think about it or try to explain it to someone… Yeah, a box of moving pictures, telling you stories. It’s a pretty cool thing to have. And kind of odd that you guys don’t have it, seeing as even your photographs move…” He trailed off. The world was a funny place – both worlds were funny places, especially in what one had that the other didn’t. It didn’t seem to be an even cut off, like one was more behind than the other. They overlapped in odd areas, or one world had got further than the other in one thing but lagged behind in something seemingly related.

“No. Well, I dunno… I hadn’t really thought,” Michael quickly corrected himself as Mellie asked about sports. Boys were supposed to like sports. Deciding to skim around the lack of sporting experience he’d gained at Muggle school, owing to being picked last when it was compulsory, like in P.E., or left out all together at break times, he focussed on Quidditch. “I don’t really know much about Quidditch. If I was going to get a book out, it’d probably be one explaining the basics. I figure that other kids will have way more experience than me, but maybe I’ll try out in a few years or go for reserve or something,” this was almost entirely posturing. He possibly would go as far as taking a reserve position to save face, if he was actually put on the line but it would very hard to hide his hearing impairment out on the pitch, as he’d discovered in flying, so he had no burning desire to put himself forward. It seemed like a fast track to people Finding Out, and no one would take him seriously as a player once they knew, not to mention the rest of the hell that would follow. “Do you play?” he asked.

13 Michael We don't seem to have a very good grasp of the alphabet... 199 Michael 0 5

Linus
August 03, 2011 9:40 AM

Linus
Peripheral
Written by:

So stick to it by Linus
"Yes, I read sometimes," Linus claimed a similar frequency of the pasttime as much to fit in with social norms as it was true: he didn't read a lot but he did enjoy that which he did read. he did, however, seem to read more than some of his peers, if the Opening Feast and subsequent classes could be relied upon to be good indicators. "Classwork, obviously," he said, cunningly omitting that he read ahead in class, and extra reading round chapters he found particularly difficult or interesting, "and I read mysteries, too." He prefered the sort where you had to choose which path your adventurer would take, and turn to the right page, and so on, but he decided they counted under the broad heading of 'mysteries' that Paul had provided. "I have done a bit of reading about Sonora, and magic more generally," he admitted, because it was safe to do so to Paul who already knew of Linus' Muggle background, "you know, to better understand... everything." He couldn't think of anything more specific that quite fit what he was trying to say.

"At home I spent more time playing computer games," he boldly exclaimed in what sounded a little like a boast, "but obviously I can't do that at Sonora. What do you do for fun, then?" he asked Paul, who had probaly never played a computer game in his life if that stuff he'd read about electrical appliances not working round magic was true. "Besides reading and Quidditch, I mean." He wasn't sure how people survived without computers, consoles, and the like. his parents had played ancient games on their ancient consoles, and been generally more sporting, he supposed. He'd heard them talk about having spent some of their youth meeting friends in coffee shops and such, but Linus didn't think they'd only been eleven when they'd started doing that. There had to be some other activities available for young people that he hadn't yet considered - wizards didn't even watch television. Linus really was curious about how they spent their time outside of classes.

0 Linus So stick to it 0 Linus 0 5

Paul
August 05, 2011 5:08 PM

Paul
Peripheral
Written by:

Shall do. Do you have any plans? by Paul
Paul nodded when Linus said he had been reading about the magical world as well as classwork and mysteries. “That’s good,” he said, though he didn’t think there were enough books in this whole library, even if every one of them had been on United States magical history, politics, and culture, for anyone to understand everything. Just a few weeks at school had let him know that he knew almost nothing about people outside of his own social class, other than that they existed and that women’s lives were apparently more like men’s than they were like the lives of women like his mother and aunts.

He thought, though, that he should change that. The rest of the world, as his classmates had illustrated for him, was there. It had been there for a long time, and it didn’t seem likely to go away. If it did, it would be only a matter of time before his world collapsed. Father had always explained they should be civil to others both because it was convenient and because the privilege they knew was only possible for them because others did not have it. There wasn’t enough to go around, and it was just luck that Great-Grandfather had been in a position to grab some for them and someone else’s great-grandfather had not. If that one point had gone differently, Paul Bennett might have grown up the hopes of being a tailor instead of employing them.

Thoughts of class and privilege were washed away, though, by confusion when Linus said he played ‘computer games’ for fun at home. Those were things Paul had never heard of at all, so he was assuming they were Muggle, but he didn’t like not knowing something someone right in front of him did know.

“We play games as well,” he said when asked. “Father has me and Liza play chess against each other all the time, and games with a world map where we each start out with a country and its resources and have to govern it and deal with international things. He plays the other rulers, and decides when we have disasters or revolts or a Statute of Secrecy crisis or bad press or…something like that. Sometimes, he changes it to fit with what we’re learning in our lessons, with history or arithmetic or something.” He guessed the younger ones would get to play eventually, but the one attempt they’d made so far to include Gemma hadn’t gone well. “The girls have their sewing and their dolls, and sometimes our parents make us pretend to go to parties with them for practice, and there’s card games and building models…” He shrugged, the thought occurring to him that most of this was as much for life preparation as entertainment. “There’s lots of things, I guess. What do Muggles do for fun? What’s a computer game?”

0 Paul Shall do. Do you have any plans? 0 Paul 0 5

Linus
August 07, 2011 1:51 PM

Linus
Peripheral
Written by:

I plan to succeed by Linus
As Paul explained that he played chess with his sister, Linus felt his eyebrows raise ever so slightly to convey an expression of interest. His own father had taught him how to play chess, and while Jonah knew how to play, too, Linus could easily beat the second oldest of the macaulay children, and very few of his Muggle peers had known how to play, let alone been any good. He hadn't brought a chess set with him, but maybe they could find someone in their House who had a set they'd lend to Linus and Paul - they could perhaps share an activity other than silently completing homework. The other game Paul described sounded like many variations on Risk, a board game that Linus had tried a couple of times but he would admit to finding it confusing (all the more so when his siblings tried to play and the rules changed so much it wasn't even possible to call it the same game).

The rest of what Paul said, however, was alien to Linus' own upbringing. Pretening to go to parties, and card games? It was like something out of one of those painfully dull old fashioned movies his mom sometimes watched in the evenings. Happy Families and Snap were okay card games, Linus supposed, but somehow he didn't think Paul was referring to those. Linus had developed a theory, actually, that wizards placed a greater emphasis on preparing for adulthood, and Muggles on enjoying a childhood. He had yet to decide which approach he found most appropriate, but he was fairly certain his generalization was valid; everything Paul ever said contributed to supporting his theory.

"What do Muggles do for fun? What’s a computer game?" Paul asked next.

"Well a computer is a machine that allows you to type, like an electronic typewriter," he began, deciding that Paul couldn't understand the games without first understanding the computer, "and you can load pictures and movies, and go on the internet, and search for information on just about anything you want," he briefly explained. "Computer games you can play either on your computer or using a console on your television. It's like a movie you can interact with. So, like, you can drive cars, or shoot things, or make a monkey explore an island," he mentioned the first three examples that came to mind. "It's all on the screen, and you press buttons to make things happen. It tests your reflexes or lateral thinking, or aim or... well, that really depends on the game." Some of Daphne's dress-up doll games just involved dragging one picture onto another, but then Daphne was still quite young, so maybe it was developing dexterity. "plus they're fun," Linus thought he'd better add, in case that essential aspect had gotten lost in his explanation.

"Anything Muggles play can be turned into a computer game," he said. "There are chess games, too - I've played them because I've got nobody to play against at home. But since you play chess, I was thinking maybe would could try playing against each other, if we can borrow a set form someone.

0 Linus I plan to succeed 0 Linus 0 5

Mellie
August 08, 2011 9:35 PM

Mellie
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

Now I know my ZYXes.... by Mellie
“Photos don’t tell stories, though,” she said, biting her bottom lip a little. “Maybe if paintings put on a play…I don’t know if they’d want to, though, and it could only be somewhere like here, where there’s lots of money. Portraits aren’t super hugely common, they’re really expensive to have made and it’s supposed to be something crazy that makes them work, so most people never have them.” The only time she had ever seen a portrait before coming to Sonora was when she’d gone in to work with one of her parents, and that was rarer than portraits by far.

She smiled, though. “I guess I can understand, though, why it’s weird. It seems just as weird to think of magic being special. It’s just something everyone I’ve ever known had and used all the time.” All the adults, anyway. They kids had performed magic as often as they could get away with and manage it, or accidentally, but if it wasn’t always discouraged as firmly as the law might have liked, nor was it encouraged in them. People had, she knew, very different thoughts about that; though it was supposed to be almost impossible to get full control before age eleven and most people weren’t as strong as they were going to be until much later than that, there were some who felt children should be taught some control as soon as they started performing magic or got old enough to understand, depending on which came first. Her parents thought it was good to learn to do things by hand first, though, because it taught one not to be lazy.

Mellie nodded when Michael asked if she played Quidditch, trying to look modest. “I’m going to be a Chaser on the Pecari team,” she said. “Me and Jhonice – one of my roommates – are both Chasers, with the captain. But I think we’re playing Aladren first, and they’re all older than us, so…” She shrugged philosophically, not mentioning that Jhonice had trouble flying at all in front of a Teppenpaw because she thought it might be bad form more than because she thought Michael would go carrying stories to his team. “I’ve never been on a real team, or in front of lots of people, though. I have no idea how that part of it is going to go. I’m really a little nervous, to tell you the truth.”

16 Mellie Now I know my ZYXes.... 206 Mellie 0 5

Paul
August 12, 2011 1:29 AM

Paul
Peripheral
Written by:

I wish you the best of luck by Paul
There were a few pieces of Linus’ explanation of computers and the games that could be played on them that still meant approximately nothing to Paul. Typewriting, he supposed vaguely, was what was done to make printed books, but he thought only presses had such equipment. He knew that Mother had complained bitterly, if never in front of Father, about having to find a new printer she trusted to make her party invitations after they moved to Illinois, anyway. It was as important to know the person doing that kind of work would do it well as it was to have a good relationship with your seamstress or tailor, because everyone would judge the family based at least partially on their work. But ‘movies’ and ‘television’ were not things he knew.

Reflexes. Lateral thinking. Aim. Fun. “Those are important things,” he agreed, since there was no other use he could think of for making a monkey (which he thought, based on all this, wouldn’t be a real monkey, but who knew) explore an island. Monkeys were animals, so even putting one under Imperius and making it move around to explore didn’t seem to have much of a point. It couldn’t exactly report its findings.

He could, he thought as he remembered where he was, look it up later. This library was large enough that it had to have something about these things in it, or at least references to them in a glossary. Acting too bewildered would make him seem stupid and silly, a bit like a small child asking too many questions and seeking guidance, and he didn’t want anything to do with that. Paul went out of his way to never hear when anyone reminisced about his early childhood, most of which he didn’t remember, even the parts that were only a few years ago. He thought it was most likely a defense mechanism.

Linus mentioned the possibility of them playing chess against each other, then, and Paul found himself intrigued. “That could be fun,” he agreed. “It’s never as easy with chessmen that don’t know you, but that could do for now, and we could bring our own back after midterm. If mine survived Gemma and Leo and will speak to me again, anyway.” He was mostly joking, since they would do as ordered, if with complaints. It never occurred to him that he might sound crazy.

0 Paul I wish you the best of luck 0 Paul 0 5

Michael
August 15, 2011 10:37 AM

Michael
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Rhy

Age in Post: 11

It's as easy as.... x-ray specses? by Michael
Michael nodded along to what Mellie said about photos and paintings. He guessed it made sense if you thought about it that way.

“I like the idea of them putting on plays,” he smiled, “Or even just telling stories. They must know some interesting stuff.” He wondered how much they actually knew. Mellie had said the magic that made them work was ‘crazy,’ which he could well believe. They seemed so real but he wasn’t sure whether they could really think. Maybe they were kind of like robots, in that they could appear to think but were only capable of running the programmes they’d been given. He wasn’t going to ask. He was sure that was a debate that was way beyond him.

“I’m sure you’ll be really great,” he encouraged, when Mellie talked about her Quidditch debut. He could definitely see why flying in front of so many people was a scary prospect but he was going to be full of respect for anyone who was daring to take it on, and he was sure lots of other people would feel the same. “They chose you after all, and the people in the stands either didn’t get chosen or didn’t try. And I promise I’ll be cheering you on. I mean, if you’re not against Teppenpaw because I think my roommates are on the team and I’m probably supposed to be wanting us to win, but even if you are against us, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you too.”

13 Michael It's as easy as.... x-ray specses? 199 Michael 0 5