Closed A Peculiar Pair

[Anastasie Vernier]

After having not received the best grades the year before, Ana wanted nothing more than to try her best this year considering it was the year she would take her OWL exams. The thought of it stressed her slightly. Classes had only just started which meant she didn't have very many assignments yet, and so Ana thought she would take the opportunity to relieve some of this stress through her violin. The Slytherin often found herself in the Conglomerated Art's room as it was a place where she could just be alone with her instrument. It was even more relaxing than at home as there weren't any children running around distracting her, and as the room was pretty much closed in, it was easier for her to play in peace.

As the fifth year entered the room, she took her violin out of its case before realising she should add more rosin to her bow. Playing for long periods of time often required the use of rosin and she always wanted the best for her violin. She did this carefully, taking out the block of rosin and gently applying it to the bow hair, moving it up and down. It was an easy process and soon enough Ana was done. She put the rosin back into her case and picked up her violin, ready to tune up and start playing.

 

[Emilia Manning]

Emilia was feeling overwhelmed this year. Between her problems with Derek, her new responsiblities in Heta Omega, and her OWLs looming on the horizon, she hadn't felt completely calm and relaxed since the moment she stepped onto the train. She was feeling like she was about to disappoint everyone in her life. Her parents with bad grades, her cousin Athena by not stepping down as Heta Omega president so she could do a better job, the Heta Omega members by not being a good leader... and she hadn't been a very good friend lately either. She hadn't spoken to Sapphire or Jacob in a while, too caught up in everything in her own life.

Something else Emilia had neglected a bit lately was her music. She used to play piano for hours and hours, and now she couldn't remember the last time she had played. So she had left her pile of homework in the common room and headed to the arts room to play. She needed it to relax, and maybe things would seem less bleak with some music. It always worked when she was younger. The urge to play was strong, and Emilia practically burst into the arts room, only to realize someone was already there. She blushed, but didn't back away. "Sorry." She told Anastasie, a Slytherin girl she knew from her year. "You were playing well. I wanted to play too. Could I?" Normally, she probably would have apologized and quickly left, or complimented the girl some more. But Emilia wasn't feeling like herself, and it felt freeing to be direct for once.

 

[Anastasie Vernier]

Ana never usually liked being disturbed from what she was doing. It always ruined her focus and made her do much less poorly than she already was. The Slytherin hadn't even fully tuned up yet before a Hufflepuff girl in her year, Emilia, had entered and asked if she could play with her. Luckily, Ana hadn't actually started playing her song yet and so she considered this for a moment. "Do you play the violin too?" she asked her bluntly, noticing that she wasn't even carrying one. She hadn't met a single person in the school who had played the violin yet and truthfully she liked it that way. However, if the girl did play the violin and she was good enough then maybe Ana wouldn't mind. After all, that way they could have something in common and Ana might be able to make a friend. "I mean, if you want to play with me, then sure. It just depends on what songs you know and what songs I know. Personally, I prefer composers like Tchaikovsky, but I haven't met a person yet who can relate with me." Anastasie told her matter-of-factly. It was purely up to the Hufflepuff whether or not she wanted to join her.

 

[Emilia Manning]

Emilia shook her head at Anastasie's question. "I play piano, actually." She said, wondering if Anastasie was going to say something about it. She didn't really know the Slytherin that well. Was she the type to feel superior for playing a different instrument? She supposed the violin was a bit more uncommon, though she did remember two people playing it at the talent show a few years ago. Emilia nodded as Anastasie mentioned Tchaikovsky, and smiled a little. "I know some of his work. I've played his set 'The Seasons,' in the past, it's twelve short pieces for the piano each based on a different month in the year." She told her, then moved to the piano and played a few notes of the song for January. She then glanced at Anastasie. "We can see if we have anything in common? Or else perhaps take turns playing a bit." She had never played along to anyone playing violin before, so she didn't know if it was easy to combine it with piano or not. But Emilia didn't want to wait until Anastasie was done with her violin before she got to play.