Professor Aaron McKindy
July 27, 2011 6:04 PM
Deck the Halls [Years I - III] by Professor Aaron McKindy
Admittedly, the last thing Aaron McKindy was feeling at the moment was festive. He had thoroughly decimated his life in the last year, and was staying at Sadi’s again for the upcoming holiday. Jessie and Jera were both currently studying at L'Academie de Român de Vrãjitorie in Romania, which meant his biological daughter had no intention of being home for Christmas – she would be much too busy playing with large, fire-breathing creatures that wanted to eat her. That was all well and good because a Christmas at Sadi’s wasn’t a Christmas alone, but the impending festivities really weren’t making the dark-haired Italian feel any better about his recent life decisions.That just meant he had all the more attention to focus into his classes. Or at least, that was how he had been coping of late.
With an irritable black cat batting at his ankles, Aaron flicked his wand and a ten-foot Christmas tree rose from a three-inch model that had been sitting on the floor in an empty corner of the classroom. The desks in the rest of the classroom had been Vanished for the day, with only the posters on the wall and his own personal desk, sitting on the raised dais in front of the classroom, remaining of the usual décor.
Just a few minutes later, the large, oaken door creaked open and the grey-green eyed man adjusted the large tophat made of pink bubbles that rested atop his head, preparing for the wave of students that would soon be arriving.
“Please feel free to help yourself to some punch and cookies!” Aaron said in greeting to the students who entered the classroom, gesturing at a long, thin table along the wall the door was on. There was a large bowl of crimson punch (out of which small stars leapt intermittently) and several trays of a variety of cookies. Once all of his younger years had entered the room, Aaron cleared his throat significantly and, when that failed to surmount the chattering of the gathered students, he decided to just start.
“Hey guys, I need your attention a moment,” the Pecari Head of House informed them. “Today is an easy class day, but just because you’ll all be sugar-high in the next five minutes doesn’t mean it’s a freebie.
“By the end of this class period, the tree over there,” the man gestured with one arm, long-sleeved olive shirt covering his arm to the wrist, “needs to be fully decorated. Obviously no ladders are provided, so I expect you to use your knowledge and skills at levitating charms to move ornaments up there. Extra credit to anybody who can make the Christmas gnome ornaments,” Aaron this time gestured to a cluster of small, Santa-colored gnomes on top of a bookcase, “sparkle. The spell is in your book.
“I’d also like to see some strings of lights on the tree,” the professor suggested. He intended for this to be a fun pre-Midterm celebration, but also a review of the significant concepts (namely of conjuring lights and basic movement) that the class had learned over the course of the previous half-term. “I’d suggest using the Coresco charm,” Aaron concentrated on the colour purple, flicked his wand, and suddenly had a ball of purple light floating in his left hand, “combined with the movement-chaining charm we learned just before Thanksgiving,” another flick of the wand, “Vinculo,” there were now a small chain of purple lights levitating just an inch above his hand, “But of course, you’re free to use whatever you’d like.” He waved his wand once more and the lights disappeared.
Slipping his wand into the back pocket of his jeans, Aaron smiled at the kids “Have fun! Full marks for all of you if you help decorate the tree – but for those of you who aren’t intending to, remember that I’m watching you.”
Instead of helping himself to a cookie, Aaron busied himself tidying the bookshelf at the back as the students began to trickle over to the tree. He hoped some of them needed help; it would keep his mind off things.
|OOC|
Minimum ten sentences, please! But the more you do, the more House Points your House gets. Be creative and have fun! Tag me in your subject line if your character needs Aaron. Feel free to be creative with the charms you use – check the Harry Potter Lexicon or Wiki if you want some ideas – but don’t forget to remain within realistic guidelines. Chances are, a first year will have more trouble performing these spells than a third year and a third year might be a bit bored with levitation charms by this point; that sort of thing.
Enjoy!
Subthreads: Confused as ever, but in a festive way by Ayita Bly [Pecari] with Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren, Ayita
Fa-la-la-la-la by Michael Grosvenor with Valerie Lennox, Crotalus
What did the halls ever do to me? by Paul Bennett, Crotalus
...Or not by Jenny Owens with Linus Macaulay
Looks like I'm more likely to <i>break</i> the halls. by David Wilkes, Aladren with James Owen
*Looks for holly-shaped cookies* by Arthur Carey, Aladren
Chipping in by Arnold Carey, Aladren
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Professor Aaron McKindy
Deck the Halls [Years I - III]
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Professor Aaron McKindy
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Ayita Bly [Pecari]
July 28, 2011 12:07 PM
Confused as ever, but in a festive way by Ayita Bly [Pecari]
Thus far, Ayita had been relatively quiet. In truth, it had nothing to do with shyness; instead, she was learning her surroundings, analyzing much deeper than she had the year before. It made so much more sense now, much more than her own silly customs had.There were still, of course, things that puzzled her. Such things were the holidays celebrated here. Thanksgiving, for example. It seemed somehow based, from what she had heard, on a coming together of the dark-skinned natives and the light-skinned “settlers”. It was similar to her own reality, she felt. Should not then every day be Thanksgiving?
Also, this Christmas thing seemed to be a big buzz. The grey-eyed Pecari had not heard the story of its origination, and it intrigued her curious nature. The whole tree part was equally confusing, which meant the Charms lesson which she was currently attending threw her mind into over-drive of wondering. She scanned the tree up and down. Professor McKindy wanted it decorated.
Eyes catching on shiny round objects with hooks on top, Ayita figured those might be the ornaments. “Wingardium Leviosa,” the second year incanted. With great care, she lifted the ornament up as high up on the tree as she could see it before gently moving it close enough for its hook to catch on a branch. Ayita smiled; maybe she didn’t know the origins of this holiday, but its customs were admirable.
She lifted up a couple more before turning to her neighbor. “Excuse me,” she said politely. Manners were valued everywhere. “What exactly is the purpose of Christmas? And what,” she added in afterthought, “is a Santa Claus?” She had heard of a Santa Claus somewhere but had no idea what it was.
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Ayita Bly [Pecari]
Confused as ever, but in a festive way
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Ayita Bly [Pecari]
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5
Michael Grosvenor
July 29, 2011 10:16 AM
Fa-la-la-la-la by Michael Grosvenor
Michael quite liked Charms. Admittedly, the kids with magical backgrounds had had practice at a few of them but he felt like that was going to be the case for everything. Charms wasn’t easy, per se, but it made sense. You wanted something, you did a spell to achieve that. There were set words and a set movement and you quickly knew whether you’d got it right or not. Potions, you could brew for a whole double period and not realise until the end that you’d made a mistake. And then you didn’t even know where – you could have gone wrong right at the first step. Add to that that today’s lesson sounded fun. Michael loved Christmas (who didn’t?) and getting to decorate the tree at school reminded him of all the fun he was going to have helping his family put theirs up when he got home. It was also nice to know that not everything was crazy and different in the wizarding world. They still had some of the same Christmas traditions.He eyed the delicate china ornaments. He was okay at levitating but he’d never really tried with anything breakable and he wasn’t sure his aim was good enough to get the little hook onto a branch so he didn’t exactly trust himself with that. The gnome ornaments were also looking a bit surly. He’d just about got used to the idea of what should be inanimate objects moving about but a frowning Christmas decoration was definitely off-putting and he certainly wasn’t about to start trying new spells on them, especially one that made them sparkle – he was almost sure that they’d be more annoyed by him getting it right than if he, say, melted their hats.
“Coresco,” he began, playing it safe by imitating Professor McKindy’s example and using a Charm they’d already had practice of in an earlier class. His light wasn’t as bright or as big as his Professor’s or some of those produced by older students but it was alright. “Locomotor… light?” he asked, beginning the spell before realising he wasn’t really sure what to call the object. It quivered in the air before fizzling out. Oh well, at least it was easy enough to start again and he was fairly sure where he’d gone wrong. Calling it a light with a more authoritative tone seemed to make it respond, although it stopped short of reaching the tree. Well, if you stood at certain angles, it maybe looked like it was up against the branches.
“Locomotor light,” he tried again, moving closer to the tree so that he wasn’t trying the spell over such a great distance. The light tucked itself in a little. Once he’d added a few lights around the tree, he began to fancy something a little different. He supposed he could try the sparkling spell on something other than one of the gnomes. Or he could see if there were any other Christmassy spells in the book. Pulling his textbook out, he flicked to the index and skimmed for all the festive words he could think of.
“Is there a spell for paper chains?” he asked the person next to him, having failed to find mention of them and thinking that it just wasn’t Christmas without them.
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Michael Grosvenor
Fa-la-la-la-la
199
Michael Grosvenor
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Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren
July 29, 2011 12:57 PM
Attempting to untangle the confusion by Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren
The sight of the large undecorated Christmas tree sitting in the Charms class room made Kitty almost dance with delight. Not only a tree but yummy snacks too, Kitty gave a small giggle as she tried to catch one of the small stars while getting a cup of punch. They were too fast but it was fun to try. She happily munched on one of the reindeer shaped sugar cookies as she listened to Mr. McKindy explain the lesson. It sounded like magnificent fun to the small girl and she bounced over to the ornaments and selected a medium sized green ball.She had the ball half way to the tree when the girl next to her spoke breaking the distractible Kitty’s attention. The ball fell to the ground shattering into a million little glass pieces, and Kitty glared at it. Now she’d have to clean up the mess, and glass always seemed to cut her no matter how careful she was when she tried to pick it up.
Giggling at the girl’s question Kitty wondered where to begin, well Santa first would be best, she decided. “Well, it isn’t a what, but a who. Santa is a person who lives in the North Pole and has a whole flock of elves that make toys. If your good during the year Santa will come to your house in his slay pulled by eight flying reindeer to give you presents. But if you’re bad you’ll only get coal. It isn’t real of course, just a story to make children be good during the year.” Kitty said mater of factly.
Believing in Santa was for babies, and with three older brothers Kitty had been told early on that he was just a myth. “Christmas is, well it is suppose to be the birthday of Jesus. But, even people who aren’t religious celebrate it. It’s a time to get together with family, and get presents, and drink eggnog.” Grinning she gestured towards the tree “And of coarse to decorate trees, and put all sorts of pretty lights on your house.” She finished with a satisfied grin.
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Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren
Attempting to untangle the confusion
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Katrina (Kitty) McLevy - Aladren
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5
Ayita
July 29, 2011 1:59 PM
Confusion is sort of my thing. by Ayita
Grey eyes merely blinked as the green ball fell from the other girl’s hands, not moved or seemingly startled by the crash at the bottom nor the short-distance shrapnel of glass. Perhaps Ayita had startled the girl. Even if she had not, the smaller girl seemed angry at the former orb.But then she was giggling. The second year found this strange, the quick change of mood. Was she giggling at Ayita’s questions? Perhaps to someone who grew up with the customs, yes, it was a silly question, but the brunette simply needed to know the answer. Ayita listened to the explanation of
The Pecari didn’t know who this Jesus person the girl mentioned was, but judging by the following part about “religious,” she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask. That was a whole other discussion. She also did not see what a thing called eggnog or a shiny tree had to do with a religious figure’s birthday, but again, she chose not to ask further detail. “I see….I think.”
Remembering that introductions were important, Ayita fumbled, “Er, by the way, my name is Ayita Bly. I am in Pecari, second year.” She still wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, but maybe making more friends would be a good idea. She liked Josephine just fine, but having friends seemed to be the norm. Really, she wanted nothing more now than to find a way to fit in. This culture seemed to be all about blending in.
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Ayita
Confusion is sort of my thing.
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Ayita
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Kitty
July 30, 2011 12:49 AM
Oh? Excitement is mine… by Kitty
Kitty could tell by the girl’s tone of voice that her explanation was perhaps not the best in the world. Explaining Christmas wasn’t something the small girl ever had to do before so she didn’t really know many of the whys behind the traditions. Because it was something she’d grown up with all her life, it didn’t strike her curiosity enough to find out. But now she did want to know, at least a bit. Where did the idea of Santa come from and how did that have to do with the whole baby Jesus thing? To her, after attempting to explain it seemed like there were two different sets of traditions going on at the same time. The first was the baby in the manger Jesus story, and the second was the be good children for Santa story. Both were rather unique and didn’t really overlap, so Kitty wondered how there came to be two different sets of ideals for Christmas. It was something to think on, and perhaps look up when she had the chance.“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Kitty…Katrina, but everyone just calls me Kitty.” She said happily. “I’m a first year Aladren, and I’m going to be the new keeper for the Quidditch team!” Kitty added with a small bounce, her face lightening up with enough joy that it rivaled the half decorated tree.
Kitty was just about to bend over and start picking up the mess when she straightened and gave Ayita a blinding smile. “Hay, isn’t there some kind of spell that can clean up this mess?” She questioned, sure that a second year would know.
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Kitty
Oh? Excitement is mine…
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Kitty
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Valerie Lennox, Crotalus
July 31, 2011 5:29 AM
La-la-la-la by Valerie Lennox, Crotalus
As usual, Valerie felt rather tired as she entered Charms. She was feeling better, her ears not quite so sore, her fever gone but she never really felt good . Like she was always either recovering from something or coming down with something if she wasn't actually sick.And Valerie was always worried about it, every single second of the day. She was always anticipating the next ailment. Especially right now, as it was cold and flu season. The Crotalus had a tendency to get both, every year. Sometimes multiple times.
She was especially worried about another bout of pneumonia. Valerie nearly died of it last year. They hadn't expected her to survive or recover and the latter had taken quite some time and had been met with more than one setback along the way.
Valerie managed a smile as Professor McKindy mentioned the lesson. She had never actually decorated a tree before, Valerie had always been too weak and of course, unable to do magic, having not learned it yet. Trees were always decorated by house elves and maybe Melanie.
She usually had a tree-fake, of course, because real trees were part of nature and nature brought germs into the house and those could potentially kill Valerie-in her bedroom and that was often where her family opened presents, rather than under the grand tree downstairs. The one Valerie rarely saw as she was rarely allowed to get out of bed. It was their way of including her and she was grateful for it.
The first year had to admit, she was pretty much looking forward to going to home for midterm. To be with her family who cared about her especially her sister and to sleep in her own bed. Valerie still felt kind of alone at Sonora. It was hard to make friends when she didn't feel up to socializing a good portion of the time. When lessons had to come first and then she needed to rest so she wouldn't get so ill again. Not getting enough sleep would put stress on Valerie's already poor immune system.
She looked over the tree, trying to decide what she could do to it. Valerie was about to try coresco when the person next to her spoke. "Pardon?" The Crotalus asked. "Paper chains?" Valerie wasn't aware of such a thing. They only had fancy,magical decorations on their trees at home.
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Valerie Lennox, Crotalus
La-la-la-la
204
Valerie Lennox, Crotalus
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5
Michael
July 31, 2011 6:51 AM
'Tis the season to be poorly? by Michael
From the quizzical note in his classmate's voice, Michael guessed that was one of the differences between a magical and a non-magical Christmas. He knew Valerie was in Crotalus and, if she had no idea what a paper chain was, she probably came from an all magical family. He wondered whether he was in risky territory here. Still, she hadn't said 'I've no idea what you mean, they must be a filthy Muggle thing, or 'No, and I don't wish to taint myself with such knowledge, so maybe she was an ok Pureblood who just happened to be in Crotalus. Cherry was in Crotalus and was neither Pureblood nor mean, so he figured there must be some other characteristics that got people sorted there.“Paper chains are made out of long strips of colourful paper. You make them into rings, each one joined up through the next so they make a chain,” he explained. It still felt a bit odd having to explain the most mundane of Muggle things but at least paper chains were a lot more straightforward than aeroplanes. He glanced up and was suddenly struck by how bulky and out of place a paper chain would look on the tree, which was glowing delicately with the light of real magic. “They probably sound kind of boring,” he said, worrying about how silly and primitive Valerie might think Muggles were if she thought they covered their trees in bits of paper. “But the real point is it's fun – you make them together, with your family. If you knew a charm to make the paper colourful and a cutting charm and a sticking charm we could use the paper out of my notebook... But I guess that's an awful lot of things we haven't covered yet, so it's probably not a very good idea.” Looking at the white paper he suddenly remembered something else he and Natalie made at Christmas, which would definitely require fewer steps. “But I have another idea,” he grinned, “How about I show you, and then you can tell me if you think there's a way to do it by magic?” he knew Valerie was in the same year as him but coming from a magical background, she was bound to know more than he did. Even if she just knew the Charm existed but was way above their level, that would be good to know. Pulling a page from his book, he folded it into eighths and cut the edge so it was curved. He then snipped random little nicks out of the paper, before unfolding it.
“It's a snowflake,” he grinned. “Hey, we could use the sparkling Charm on this!” He flicked through the book to find it. “Would you like to try first?” he offered, feeling like Valerie might be better at it than him. Professor McKindy had made it sound like it would be tricky to pull off.
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Michael
'Tis the season to be poorly?
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Michael
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Paul Bennett, Crotalus
July 31, 2011 10:46 PM
What did the halls ever do to me? by Paul Bennett, Crotalus
Paul had gotten used to things being a little strange at school, a little unpredictable, at least compared to home, even within the cycle of classes and Quidditch practices and such, but he still thought it was okay to be surprised when he walked into the Charms classroom and found a Christmas tree tall and fine enough to grace the front hall of his house and almost no other furniture. That was a little out of the ordinary even for the professor who wore a pink bubble hat.Still, the food held more interest for him, even if he did flinch back in the middle of reaching for the punch ladle when the stars came out of the bowl before he completed the gesture, and he was taking a bite of cookie when the circumstances of the room were explained to him. Paul’s expression was momentarily almost as startled as he was, but then he shrugged it off. If the professor wanted a pretty tree, Paul would do his part to make it the shiniest tree this side of the Cabinet line. He wanted to go home with good grades that would excite no comment from disapproving relatives. Avoiding disapproving relatives was something he considered key to a good life.
Of course, the poor tree, with so many people decorating it and who alone knew who half of them were and what their training in this area had been, was very likely to end up as such an offense to his sense of good taste that he could only hope the professor would choose to keep it displayed in his own quarters for the rest of the time left before midterm, but he tried to ignore the parts of him that spoke with his mother’s voice. It was just a matter of acting like a civilized being, in his opinion.
He finished the cookie and got another, not worrying too much about becoming sugar high. Sugar could provide a little more energy than he usually had, but not enough for him to act like an idiot the way Leo did. Once he’d finished that one, too, he took out his wand and decided to start by duplicating the professor’s feat, only not in purple. Instead, because it was seasonal and fit in with a little House pride, he conjured a ball of red light, replicated it, and scattered it on a section of tree which was still…comparatively bare. He hadn’t gotten to really bare because of the cookies.
He decided to add some silver, despite how displaying too much House pride was awkward, and frowned a little in concentration so he didn’t end up with gray as he said, “Coresco.” He had to try it again to get the shade right, but then replicated it and began stringing it as well, until one of his lights touched one of someone else’s decorations. “Whoops,” he said. “Sorry about that. You can have that branch.” He floated the offending light further down.
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Paul Bennett, Crotalus
What did the halls ever do to me?
201
Paul Bennett, Crotalus
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Ayita
August 02, 2011 6:11 PM
So I see. by Ayita
“It’s very nice to meet you, Kitty,” Ayita smiled at the younger girl. She was a bit surprised she had introduced herself with her Quidditch title. It seemed like the sport mattered to a lot of people, but the second year never really understood the objective. What was accomplished by zooming around throwing, catching, and hitting balls?“Hay, isn’t there some kind of spell that can clean up this mess?” The Pecari thought for a moment. “Um, I believe Reparo might work…” It was a rather tough spell for one her age, and she wasn’t sure she could do it, but she’d try.
“Reparo!” She incanted. The green shards began to shake on the ground before flinging together, piling up in not quite its original shape. Instead, the pieces simply stuck together in a shapeless pile. Ayita bent down and reached to pick it up, retracting her hand when her index finger was pricked by the edge of a sharp piece, accompanied by a little, “Ow!”
Again she reached down, much more carefully this time, and picked up the pointy pile. “Um, I don’t think this is right,” she confessed. “It was a lot more round before.” A little laugh escaped her before remembering the short pain in her finger, at which time she glanced at it and noticed it was bleeding slightly. She couldn’t help but stare at the red liquid slowly rolling down her hand. Never before had she been cut. “What is this?”
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Ayita
So I see.
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Ayita
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Kitty
August 02, 2011 8:56 PM
*Grins and bounces* by Kitty
Eyes widening with delight Kitty watched as Ayita performed a spell she hadn’t seen before. From the sound of the word, it should probably fix things, but the shards of the smashed ordainment just sort of came together into a prickly ball instead. It was still neat though and Kitty clapped. Her smile faded when the older girl reached down to pick up the sharp ordainment and cut her finger on one of the edges. “Oh! Are you okay?” Kitty asked as concern flashed through her bright blue eyes. Quickly she stepped forward to see the damage.But Ayita just gave a little laugh and pointed out that the ball had been more round before. Then Ayita noticed that the cut was bleeding, it wasn’t much but still. Her next words confused the small girl for a long moment “What is this?” Ayita asked as she stared at the bead of blood rolling down her finger. The idea of someone not knowing what blood was, was almost to foreign for Kitty to grasp hold of. How? How could she not know what blood is? I mean, even if she was locked in an ivory tower for her whole life surly she would have tripped, or got a paper cut, or pricked her finger on a spinning wheel…Something! Kitty thought still completely unable to believe that a person could live for more than 11 years without ever having bled, or even seen anyone else bleed.
With a slightly exasperated sigh Kitty pulled a paper napkin she’s been doodling on in the lunchroom from her pocket. A single sorrowful glance at the bouncing little cat and Kitty reached out to grab Ayita’s wrist lightly in her own. She pressed the napkin over the small cut and looked up with a reassuring smile. “No worries. Its..uh Well its blood. We’re all full of it ya know? If you get hurt or cut or whatever it comes out but just keep pressure on it for a bit and it’ll stop kay?” Trying to describe blood left Kitty floundering for perhaps the first time ever. She could explain the purpose of blood, that it carries oxygen and all that, but just having to explain what blood was threw her.
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Kitty
*Grins and bounces*
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Kitty
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Jenny Owens
August 03, 2011 4:24 PM
...Or not by Jenny Owens
The teacher – the Head of Pecari House – had clearly stated that the lesson wasn’t going to be easy, and that no one could skip it. Jenny wasn’t a disobedient child normally – she did as she was told when she was told to; as she had been raised. But surely, right now was different? Because she had mastered all the charms that were needed here. Her mother, in an anxious fit of worry that her child would show up the family by not getting good marks, had forced her to practice ever since her new wand had come. And, if there would be no benefit to her, should she not let people who needed or wanted the practice get to the tree and the ornaments?Having reassured herself that this was fine – even right – Jenny stepped away and slunk into a corner. It was always surprising to her that a girl who was larger than average could disappear so easily – the bigger you get shouldn’t it be the harder to hide. But she was good at being ignored, so was confident that if she spoke to no one no one would speak to her.
Christmas had never been a festive time back at her home - nor an enjoyable one. The tree, exactly the same breadth and height as it was every year, had the same plain decorations in the same places. Jenny was not permitted to touch the tree, to watch the decorations be put up (this was done by the elves, who she was not allowed to talk to) and, when presents were given from under it, it was with a forced civility that lacked warmth and joy. It hurt and shocked her to think it - but this was the closest to an actual Christmastime Celebration she had ever been to.
The crowd around the tree was blocking her view, so she hopped from a chair up onto the window sill. That was better.
She pulled her sketch pad from her denim bag and took a sharp pencil from her pocket. Tying up her masses of blonde hair so that it was out of her eyes with the ease that came from having done it often, she bent her head and got to work.
It was a lovely sight – the tall, majestic tree covered in dainty little lights and baubles. She could show the contrast between the two, capture the elegance and joy in the celebration. Her pencil flew across the paper – she preferred Muggle equipment to Wizarding when it came to her art, just the same as she preferred her drawings still.
As the tree came into life on the sheet she began to add in the people standing around its base – their different expressions and characteristics. It was incredible to her that even on paper you could see the bonds and relationships between them all – body language showed a lot more than most people thought.
Brushing a stray lock of hair behind one ear and taking a bite out of a cookie she became aware of someone stood next to her shoulder. At the same time, she realised that she had not gone to get any cookie from the table on the far side of the room. Glancing from the chocolate chips to the person beside her, her blue eyes widened. ‘Oops,’ she thought.
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Jenny Owens
...Or not
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Jenny Owens
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Valerie
August 04, 2011 5:32 AM
Poorly what? by Valerie
She listened to Michael's explanation of what a paper chain was. Valerie appreciated a great deal how polite and patient he was being with her. She still remembered David's rather cold reaction to being asked about films in Potions. The Crotalus honestly had not known what she'd done to offend him. It had been the first time anyone had ever spoken even remotely harshly to her.Maybe Valerie was being paranoid about the whole incident. After all, she was so used to people tiptoeing around her and trying not to upset her and treating her like a fragile piece of glass. Maybe she really was too sensitive.
Anyway, whether she was or not, Michael seemed considerably kinder and the Crotalus appreciated that. "No, they don't sound boring at all." Valerie replied. They sounded like something she could easily do for hours and hours on end, something she could do to pass time while she was stuck in bed, too weak to do too much but not sick enough to be completely out of it. Of course, she would still have to be careful of paper cuts.
"Your family makes them?" Valerie asked. She couldn't imagine sitting down making things together. Her and Melanie maybe, but her father was often busy with work things and she just couldn't see her proper pureblood socialite mother sitting down with them. Valerie's mom did not really spend that much time with her. When Valerie was in the hospital, she would visit and such and check on Valerie when she was ill but Tamara Lennox was not really much of a hands on mother. It wasn't the pureblood way.
The Crotalus was just glad for what time she did get to spend time with either of her parents. She knew they really did love her and try to include her, it was just that they didn't have a lot of time. Valerie doubted they would spend the time with her that they did if she weren't ill. Maybe her father when he could, but definitely not her mother. Valerie often felt like when her mother did spend time with her, that she was taking her mother away from something more important that she'd rather be doing.
The first year nodded. "I guess I really don't know too many of those spells." Valerie felt a little disappointed but brightened when Michael showed her how to make a snowflake. "Certainly." Valerie took the snowflake and cast the sparkling charm on it.
The paper snowflake began to twinkle and the fragile first year smiled. "It's lovely." She said. Valerie had managed to make it sparkle all on her own and that made her feel sort of good. Usually she felt so helpless and incapable.
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Valerie
Poorly what?
204
Valerie
0
5
Michael
August 05, 2011 5:44 AM
Poorly as in ill by Michael
Michael was pleased that Valerie wasn’t being sniffy about paper chains. So far, every kid he’d met from a magical background had seemed really interested in non-magical things.“Lots of non-magical families make them,” he nodded, just in case she was getting the idea that this was something special and rare that only happened in his family. He didn’t think that she might be questioning the idea of the family spending time on an activity together – after all, Christmas was a time for family.
“Wow!” Michael gaped, as Valerie managed the spell first time, “That was amazing! And look at it now! It looks so great. Well done. I guess I need to have a go now, don’t I?” he smiled, starting to trim a new snowflake out of his notebook. He reviewed the spell from the book. It was described as having a ‘delicate, shimmering wand motion.’ What on earth was that supposed to mean? How could you move shimmeringly?
“Spæcra!” he cast, wiggling his hand in a generally uncertain sort of way. He was impressed when a beam of light shot from his wand, having thought that nothing would happen at all. However, he was slightly less impressed when a singed smell met his nose. Looking down, he found he had a blackened snowflake in front of him.
“That’s a lot less festive than yours,” he observed, “I guess I might need quite a few to practice on…,” he noticed the person in front of them had helped themselves to snacks. He’d forgotten all about those. “Do you want to make a start on making me a pile of them whilst I get us some punch and cookies? Or the other way around,” he offered.
13
Michael
Poorly as in ill
199
Michael
0
5
Linus Macaulay
August 07, 2011 3:53 PM
You've got the assignment wrong by Linus Macaulay
There were cookies laid out for the students at the start of class. Linus had gotten used to a lot of very strange and unexpected occurances in his short time at Sonora, but even here at this peculiar magic school the professors didn't usually offer baked treats to their students. Hesitatntly, Linus took a cookie, half-expecting to be admonished for this at any moment. The scolding didn't come, however, so when there was a space at the punchbowl, he helped himself to a little of the fruity drink, too, before turning his attention to the class.They essentially had to decorate a tree, which Linus supposed was in keeping with the time of year, and it offered some credence to the presence of the cookies. He helped decorate the Christmas tree at home, along with the rest of his family. He and his siblings would watch while their mother decorated the tree in co-ordinating red and gold ribbons and bows, and little fir cones with gold glitter on the ridges. Then the children were allowed to add on a few painted wooden items - a pink rocking horse, a green nutcracker, a white snowman, amongst many others - to finish the tree. linus could remember a time when his father had placed the star on the top, but since he'd died they didn't have a star on the tree. There was an angel that Daphne had made at pre-school, and every year Mom lifted her up to place the angel on top. It bothered Linus that his father's star had been replaced, but Daphne didn't remember him, so she didn't understand.
Suddenly having an idea, Linus sought out a star from the various decorations Professor McKindy had provided. He struggled to raise the star high enough with the levitation charm, but eventually, with a great deal of effort on his part, he managed to hang the decoration on one of the highest branches on the immense tree. Just because his father wasn't around any more, it didn't mean that he couldn't still have a star hung on the tree. The first year admired his work with a fugacious pride, smothered only with the realization that his work here was only part done. There was still lighting to be created, and plenty more decorations to add.
However, that first task had been trying for the Crotalus student, both physcially and emotionally, and he was certain he'd earned another cookie. He went back to the table and selected a chocolate chipped treat, and placed it in a napkin. After a moment's consideration, he added a second cookie before returning back across the classroom. he'd been heading for the decorations, and to admire the tree from a distance, but then he saw one of his housemates not participating in the task, and, curious about her lack of effort, he took a detour. The girl, Jenny, was one of the other first years Linus had spoken to at the Opening Feast. Since then he'd seen her in classes and in the commons, but he hadn't spoken directly to her again; he remembered that she'd talked too much.
Not only was Jenny sketching rather than using her charms, but she was actually sitting on a windowsill. Torn over which of her misdemeanors he should point out first, Linus leaned in to look at her drawing when the girl took one of the cookies off his napkin and took a bite. He was rendered quite literally speechless, and simply looked at her in surprise.
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Linus Macaulay
You've got the assignment wrong
205
Linus Macaulay
0
5
Jenny Owens
August 07, 2011 4:28 PM
My mistake.. by Jenny Owens
The person who Jenny had - quite rudely, she knew, even if it was an accident - stolen a cookie from, turned out to be one of her fellow first year Crotalus house members. He was called Linus, and he was a muggleborn who wished to help others - that was all she knew about him; she hoped that desire would make him slightly less angry about her having eaten his food.'I'm really sorry!' She blurted to the boy, who stared at her with what she perceived to be indignant anger. 'I wasn't thinking, I'll go and get you another if you like.' She hopped down from the window hurriedly, looking around nervously for an adult who could no doubt discipline her more harshly that her fellow student.
In her haste to right her wrong, she dropped the paper she had been sketching on. Her drawing, part of the collection that was one of the few things she was proud of in her life, fluttered to the ground, and though she stretched out to grab it her poor sportswomanship skills failed her and she missed. Instead, it hit the dusty floor and, before she could do anything, a new student leapt backwards to avoid a collision with a set of lights and stepped on it. Oblivious to the destruction, they ran off.
The muddy mark crossed the corner of the sheet, obscuring the raised section of the tree (the part that was visible above everyone's excited heads). Automatically, forgetting to blend in as she wished, Jenny acted in the best interest of her work - she flicked her wand and vanished the stain. Looking up to see whether everything still matched up, she noticed a star that she had not drawn in.
Normally, she did not care for particular details. She drew the feeling of the tree, taking flaws and adding them to create a better image, but she liked the way that the light caught it and so, with a few deft strokes, she added it in.
Then, remembering her original task, she hurried to the other side of the room and levitated a cookie, turning to look for Linus again.
0
Jenny Owens
My mistake..
0
Jenny Owens
0
5
David Wilkes, Aladren
August 09, 2011 9:52 PM
Looks like I'm more likely to <i>break</i> the halls. by David Wilkes, Aladren
In Muggle school, David had never really known anything about the other people around him, which had lent him a sort of confidence in the abilities the teachers had told him he possessed. Thinking he was the smartest kid in the class had made it easier to act like the smartest kid in the class, and without comparing himself to anyone, his bubble had never really been punctured. It had been a surprise to have some actually fairly strong competition in the Accelerated Reader contest in fifth grade, the year before he’d left, but since that guy had been one those people who acted like an idiot for the sake of reputation outside of the contest, he hadn’t really been affected in his happy delusion of superiority.At Sonora, however, he was in a whole House full of people who were the smartest guy in the class, and while Aladren was a comparatively small House, where it was possible for there to be only two people in a year and for them to be of the same gender by the time those who decided they wanted to go to other schools finished leaving, it was still big enough for him to see that being smart enough for that to be a defining thing about a person was not that rare, and he had quickly realized he was not one of the higher men in the pack as far as it went. He had always suspected he was secretly lazy, just getting by doing work that was too easy for him without the motivation to go seek out opportunities for self-improvement instead of them just rarely existing where he was from, and seeing how some of the other Aladrens were had confirmed this for him.
He didn’t think he was happier for that knowledge, but it was in some ways a lifting of a burden. He tried still to force himself to do his best, because he was the one who was going to have to get by in a very class-weird place someday when he wasn’t from one of the old families who, if they didn’t really, certainly acted like they all but controlled the wizarding world, and because doing well was the only way to be ignored at home when the last thing he wanted ever was for his family to decide he really was one of them and stop dismissing him as an oddity, but there was no longer the need to act like the best, to be on top of everything at all times and feel bad when that often proved just not possible, or at least when he didn’t feel he’d really done anything good even if the teacher seemed pleased with his work. Here, he could lurk in the middle rows, do his work, make good grades, but still be essentially invisible, going about his own business without feeling the need to fit into an image for anyone else’s benefit.
Normally, anyway. Today, he couldn’t exactly be in the middle rows because the room was kind of conspicuously lacking in rows to be in the middle of. Feeling as though he were doing something he shouldn’t even though they had been given permission, he grabbed two cookies and got a cup of the punch, balancing it all precariously as he listened to how all he had to do for full marks today was…decorate a Christmas tree. He smiled a little even as he bit the arm off a gingerbread man. Today sounded like it was going to be a really good day, especially since it was a beginner lesson and he had an edge over a lot of the classroom with the spells because of his year.
He finished both cookies before doing anything, then took a drink of his punch and wandered over to the decorations, still holding the mostly full cup. Levitating and moving objects wasn’t too hard, but floating something to the very top of the tree and then hooking it on a branch might present more of a challenge, so he started with that.
Up, up, up…all along the length of the tree, brushing branches, on one occasion he had to engage in avoidance maneuvers to avoid a crash with someone else’s ornament…up to the hook…He squinted, concentrating, but the spell didn’t quite make it, and the ornament began plummeting down. For a split second, he stood frozen, his heart in his throat at the thought of shattering the teacher’s ornaments after familiarity with the reverence with which old ornaments were treated at home, but then he remembered he was a wizard and caught it with his wand.
“Whew,” he said, just louder than a mutter, more to himself than anyone. “That was a little too close for me to like.”
16
David Wilkes, Aladren
Looks like I'm more likely to <i>break</i> the halls.
169
David Wilkes, Aladren
0
5
Valerie
August 10, 2011 9:56 AM
Oh, well, it <i>is</i> flu season. by Valerie
"Really?" Apparently, non-magical people had quite different customs than magical ones. Valerie had heard they did, and it made sense, as they didn't have magic but she was quite surprised that they would just sit around making paper chains and snowflakes together. Didn't the men have to work and the women have social obligations?In her world, children were mostly taken care of by nannies and house-elves and in Valerie's specific case, a private nurse. She only really spent much time with the nurse and Melanie. Her sister liked to spend time with her and keep her company. Valerie missed the younger girl terribly and couldn't wait to go home for midterm and see her. She felt rather lonely here at Sonora.
Valerie flushed when Michael complimented her. "Thank you. I, um, actually practiced the spell before." She added. The first year sometimes tried to do spells on her own. Valerie felt like she had to compensate sometimes for being so weak and sickly so she wanted to do well on spellwork. Especially in Charms and Transfiguration, she didn't think she was really capable of the level of activity required for some DADA lessons and COMC was outside where there were a lot of germs.
Speaking of which, where was Valerie supposed to sit down since all the desks were gone? She couldn't sit on the floor because of the dirt and germs and it wasn't proper anyway. Valerie wasn't even supposed to sit on the floor in her own exceedingly clean room at home that very few people actually walked on, let alone one where probably every student at Sonora plus Professor McKindy had walked on.
And she couldn't stand up the entire time either. Valerie did not have that kind of stamina and she was feeling a little bit weak. Nor could she produce a chair out of thin air. A first year didn't have quite that level of magic and besides, it would probably just tire Valerie out more to do so.
"It's a good try." She assured Michael. Not everyone got everything right on the first try. The Crotalus hadn't gotten it the very first time she'd tried it either but she'd kept at it until she'd been too tired to try anymore, then, when Valerie had rested some, she tried again until she got it.
Valerie nodded. "Sure." She would much rather make the snowflakes while he got the snacks. "I'll make them. And just punch for me, thanks." The Crotalus didn't think she was allowed cookies. Even Melanie only got them on special occasions. She gazed from the two snowflakes to the floor again. Valerie really didn't know what to do with this situation. She hated to ask for special treatment but being ill was far worse.
The first year bit her lip. "Wait, do you think you can get Professor McKindy over here too so I can ask him for something to sit on? I sort of need to sit down and I can't on the floor." Not wanting to appear like she thought she was better than him, Valerie added. "Um, I'm sort of not allowed because floors are dirty and I could get really really sick." She looked down at the ground, completely embarassed, she hadn't wanted to tell people about her condition but the alternative, of him thinking she was stuck-up seemed worse.
Besides, people would probably figure something was wrong eventually, considering that Valerie had and probably would continue to miss a fair amount of classes. Not to mention being excused from flying. It wasn't as if Valerie could hide it for long. Staff probably knew already, between the Medic and her father's cousin and the aforementioned being excused from flying lessons.
11
Valerie
Oh, well, it <i>is</i> flu season.
204
Valerie
0
5
James Owen
August 11, 2011 11:08 AM
That's where <i>reparo</i> comes in handy. by James Owen
Finding the charms classroom in an unusual layout was, conversely, not that unusual. The professor who taught this class was the epitome of peculiar, and his bubble hat was fugaciously funny for the first few weeks of each new year, but at this point - midterm was practically on the metaphorical doorstep - it had fallen amongst the dull and mundane. That wasn't to say it was unappreciated; James would be most thrown if he came to class and this particular professor was sans hat. He liked routine - needed it, in fact - and unpredictability was one of life's greatest iritations. Luckily, as has been previously infered, the happenstance of the charms classroom being out of order was frequent enough for it to not cause James surprise nor discomfort.The food, admittedly, was a surprise, but as a growing teenaged boy who didn't often achieve surfeit at his family home due to limited funds attributed to the purchase of food, james wasn't going to argue. the third year Aladren wasted no time in consuming a handful of sugary treats and washing them down with a gulp or two of punch. This instantly served to put him in an exceptionally good mood, one which the task of decorating a Christmas tree wasn't likely to dampen. The Owen family did have a Christmas tree, but it was outside, because they needed to use the same one every year, so couldn't cut it down. Therefore the deocartions were heavily weathered, and certainly not the dainty glass kind that would be well protected indoors. The children worked with their parents to catch fairies, fireflies and glow worms to use to light the tree, and that was some fun festive activity that he could look forward to over midterm. Occasionally their tree had real snow, and that was about the best thing about having an outdoor tree.
Selecting one of the decorations the professor had laid out, James wanted to have a go at decorating a real indoor tree (his faily had an indoor tree too, but it wasn't real - it didn't even look real. It was a wooden scultpure that might be very pretty in its own right but it wasn't a real tree, and you couldn't decorate it). He charmed it to sit half-way up the tree (lots of people seemed to be eagerly aiming for the top), and was thankfully done by the time he was distracted by another decoration falling to shatter on the ground... well, without the shattering. It had been caught, and a look to his right identified the person responsible as his roomate, David. "Well caught," James offered light congratulations.
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James Owen
That's where <i>reparo</i> comes in handy.
168
James Owen
0
5
Linus
August 11, 2011 11:20 AM
It certainly is. by Linus
Still rendered speechless, Linus blinked as Jennifer apologized. He had managed to compose himself suitably to accept her apology and move on - there were, after all, plenty more cookies available where that one had come from - but Jenny had already hopped down from her perch to rectify the situation herself. "You don't have to -" Linus began, but she was already up.Then, in her haste, she dropped the picture she'd been working on, and it was trodden on instantaneously. That was a shame, Linus thought, but then it did serve her right for skethcing instead of doing the assigned tasks. Perhaps she'd learn from her error and would profit in the future. Still, Linus could understand her frustration at her picture being potentially damaged, and he took the couple of steps forward to join her where she seemed to be making an adjustment, but then she suddenly walked off again. Linus sighed in exasperation; could this girl not just stand still for more than a couple of seconds put together?
Reluctant to give up on someone who so obviously needed him to look out for her right now, Linus trudged over to the other side of the classrooms, following Jennifer's footsteps, and he nodded at her to catch her attention as she raised searchiing eyes, levitating a cookie. "It's not the cookies that are supposed to be floated," he explained to her gently. "We have to put decorations on the tree. You do seem to have mastered the spell, though," he commented. "Well done." He took the cookie she was levitating and took a bite out of. "And thank you for getting me another cookie, but I would have been perfectly capable of getting one for myself," he smiled at her, in what he assumed to be a chivalrous manner.
"I hope your picture didn't suffer too much damage," he told her sincerely - or with the appearance of sincerity, at any rate, which was about the same thing with girls. "Maybe next time you should do the class assignment before you begin your own work," he helpfully suggested.
0
Linus
It certainly is.
0
Linus
0
5
Arthur Carey, Aladren
August 12, 2011 1:44 AM
*Looks for holly-shaped cookies* by Arthur Carey, Aladren
Arthur was not exactly pleased to find the room devoid of furniture, since he didn’t enjoy standing for long periods of time, but he kept his expression smooth as he greeted the professor and progressed into the classroom. He was going to have to attend events where he’d be expected to stand and mingle for long periods of time for much of his life, and besides, it was weak to admit to discomfort. It was something to endure, just like dress robes, bad catering, and stupid people, all of which the world had in greater abundance, he thought, than it did unfurnished rooms.He expected to deal with all three over the holidays. A few days ago, Theresa had sent one of her increasingly infrequent letters and let him know that Aunt Gigi was planning to have a party. It was inevitable that he’d be expected to attend – he and Arnold would be thirteen in February, and while he’d heard it was more likely to be that way for girls than boys, he thought it wasn’t uncommon to start semi-regularly attending events at ten or eleven – and he wasn’t expecting his aunt to be even as much of a hostess as his mother.
At the moment, he was more interested in Professor McKindy’s catering, though. The sparks coming out of the punch didn’t faze him, but he was cautious about the cookies, and finally decided not to eat anything at all, at least not at the moment. He did collect a cookie, though, so he wouldn’t look out of place. Standing out wasn’t something he wanted to do at the moment, at least not in that way.
He ate the cookie once he heard the assignment, though the first bite was cautious to make sure it was good. There didn’t seem to be much alternative when he was going to need the use of his hands. Then he set to work.
Arthur didn’t need extra credit, but made two gnomes sparkle anyway before moving on. He didn’t like gnomes very much, especially as decoration. That done, he began to conjure a ball of light, white and bright. It wasn’t difficult for him, but he enjoyed conjuring lights.
He wondered if he could conjure two colors in the same chain, and began concentrating on blue and gold globes at the same time, trying to say the two spells as fast as possible. Instead of getting a chain of blue and gold lights, though, he got a chain of lights which were blue and gold at the same time, colors mixed in each light.
“I didn’t expect that,” he said mildly to a person who seemed to be looking. “I was trying for two colors in the same strand. I’m sure there must be a way to do it, but I can’t figure it out.” He smiled vaguely and trailed them along the center of the tree, over his head. He was tall for a second year, but it was just tall.
0
Arthur Carey, Aladren
*Looks for holly-shaped cookies*
0
Arthur Carey, Aladren
0
5
Arnold Carey, Aladren
August 12, 2011 1:46 AM
Chipping in by Arnold Carey, Aladren
Arnold did a bit of a double take when he found the Charms classroom empty except for a giant Christmas tree, but then heard that they could go for the refreshments and focused on that instead, figuring all would be revealed in Professor McKindy’s own time.A few feet away, a little too far for comfortable talking, Arthur was standing with a cookie, frowning slightly at it, as though he was not sure what it was, it annoying him, or itcontained the mysteries of life. Maybe all three. Arnold collected a few cookies himself, as well as some punch, and went to chat with someone who looked more agreeably disposed to talking at the moment, ending up hurriedly trying to finish a sentence once Professor McKindy’s time came around and he started calling their attention back to him. It seemed the staff had not decided to start hosting something similar to parties after all.
Or at least not entirely. Decorating the tree was work, but with the food and the moving around and the professor’s admitting that it wasn’t a serious work day, he thought there was still a bit of a party feel to the air. The big formal trees, the ones people visiting them for the season would see, were decorated by the elves, who were very well trained in that sort of thing and kept current on trends and all that, but Mother’s family had apparently always done their own trees, and in the sitting room attached to the room she shared with Father, she always put one up and had him and Arthur and Father and Anthony help her decorate it, usually around Thanksgiving, though last year she had put it off until the day after Arthur and Arnold came home and he was guessing she would do the same this year.
He made a gnome glitter just to prove he could, though it took two tries and enough concentration that he was glowering almost as much as his subject by the time he pulled it off, and then began hanging bulbs on the lower part of the tree with his wand, smiling a little to himself as he did so and continued to eat cookies, his drink precariously balanced in the same hand holding a cookie since the other was holding his wand. He thought it had been inevitable, really, when someone bumped his shoulder.
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Arnold Carey, Aladren
Chipping in
181
Arnold Carey, Aladren
0
5
Jenny Owens
August 12, 2011 5:55 AM
Ok, I'll be a good girl now.. by Jenny Owens
Once he had accepted the cookie, Jenny looked up into Linus' face and listened to him lecture gently about their assignment and her lack of interest and activity in it. She had known, of course, what they were supposed to be doing, and had simply chosen not to do it - but perhaps he hadn't known that. Or, a thought darkened her mind, perhaps he was one of those men who thought that girls were simple, and needed things explaining to them.She looked at him suspiciously, but then relaxed at his half-praise at her having mastered the spell and his worrying about her picture - she decided to ignore his second lecture, even though it was true.
'Right,' she nodded, less in agreement than as something to say. One hand rubbed her eyes automatically in tiredness and she blinked her blue eyes slowly, thankful that she had gotten up too late to put makeup on and that the recent action hadn't therefore smudged it all over her cheekbone.
'It's Linus, right? We met at the Welcoming Feast.' As she spoke, she decided to get on with the task - as he seemed to be one of the types who didn't appreciate slacking off. With a couple of flicks of her wrist, she got to the page in her textbook which dealt with lighting, and, glancing quickly at the spell, she charmed a lamp that a tiny fairy - which flittered around the tree when directed - to glow a bright red. The ornament reminded her of the decorations at home - except hers had been frozen in fear and had stayed a dull metalic silver. She wanted this fairy to capture some of the spirit of the Christmas she had always wished for.
The tiny creature left, doing a few quick whirls around the tree before falling in with a couple of others. Watching it, Jenny smiled softly. She twisted her blonde hair up off her face, wishing once again that she had the guts to cut the masses of it off, and levitated a few more bright objects on to the tree.
'So, where are you from?' She glanced to her left, looking for the boy. She had never been good at placing accents.
Making use of the fact that the had never left the food table's side, she levitated a beaker of squash over to her, taking it gingerl into her hand - even at slow speed she did not much like catching things, 'Would you like some?' She looked for Linus again, waiting for the answer to either of her questions.
0
Jenny Owens
Ok, I'll be a good girl now..
0
Jenny Owens
0
5
Michael
August 15, 2011 10:21 AM
I prefer 'festive season'... (Tag: Professor McKindy) by Michael
“Thanks,” Michael smiled, when Valerie called his charred wreck a ‘good try.’ He was fairly sure she was just being kind but he appreciated that. He was also glad to know that she’d been practising and wasn’t just some crazily gifted prodigy. It was bad enough having to play catch up with knowing about the magical world, without his classmates being gifted children.“Sure,” he nodded, as Valerie asked about getting their Professor to come over. She looked kind of awkward and embarrassed and he wanted to pat her on the arm or something to let her know it was ok because she looked exactly how he felt sometimes. However, he wasn’t really sure if it was ok to pat people, especially people who were terribly well-to-do and terribly frail. He wondered whether it was a Pureblood thing, that children were treated as being delicate. He’d vaguely heard something about Purebloods not liking girls to play Quidditch and it seemed to go with the general quaint, slightly story-bookish air of unreality that, for him, surrounded the way these people lived. “I’ll be right back,” he added, just because he wanted to try to say something normal sounding to let Valerie know he didn’t mind.
“Um, Professor?” he asked, approaching where the teacher was tidying books at the back of the room, “Could you go see Valerie?” he nodded to where his classmate was standing. He wasn’t sure how best to relay her message because he was worried it sounded like a slightly strange request so he just decided to tell the Professor what she had told him, “She says she needs to sit down but she’s not allowed to sit on the floor.”
Having delivered the message, he went to the refreshments table. He was about to pick up their snacks when he realised that he wouldn’t really have anywhere to rest them if he went back to Valerie, and it might be rude to butt into her conversation with Professor McKindy and to eat a cookie in front of her seeing as she wasn’t having one (and, as no one didn’t like cookies, he guessed that meant she wasn’t allowed). Instead, he decided to nibble his cookie at the table whilst Valerie sorted out her chair issue then he would take their glasses of punch over.
13
Michael
I prefer 'festive season'... (Tag: Professor McKindy)
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Michael
0
5