Closed Being Friendly and Helpful

[Ezra Ito]

Ezra loved being back at Hogwarts, but it was a little annoying that his best friend in the world was in a different house than him. Mostly because he could never find Dorian when he needed him. He had been hoping to run into Dorian so they could have lunch together, but he didn’t see him anywhere. He decided to linger in the great hall, watching students pass him either on their way to the Great Hall or on their way from it. He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against a pillar, deciding to wait a few more minutes before giving up on his quest.

 

[Corn Seymour VII]

Cornelius knew he should be thrilled to be at Hogwarts. No. He was thrilled to be at Hogwarts. Definitely. Absolutely. No question. Shut up. This was his chance. It was all about him, his time to become the hero his father and grandfather and many fathers before them had been. He was going to get perfect grades, become a Prefect and Head Boy, uphold the family legacy, maybe even become the youngest Head Auror ever. Win a few medals of his own. His grandfather's medal hung heavy in his pocket at all times as he walked around the school, a constant reminder of what lay on his shoulders, the greatness that was guaranteed ahead. He was so distracted thinking about his upcoming greatness that he didn't pay enough attention to where he was going, stumbling over a stone that stuck out above the rest. "AUGK!" Cornelius yelped as he tripped and failed to catch himself, hitting the ground and bruising his knee. He cursed as he pulled himself up to sitting, face flushed with frustration, hoping nobody had seen that.

 

[Ezra Ito]

Ezra didn’t spot Dorian anywhere. He knew it was unlikely that the Ravenclaw was hanging out with some other friends, but he hoped that was the case anyway. He was just about to give up and head to the Great Hall, when he heard a yell. He turned, seeing a boy hitting the ground hard. It was a young boy, clearly a first year. Ezra headed over to him, frowning a bit as he offered his hand. “Uh, are you okay?”

 

[Corn Seymour VII]

Cornelius was not going to cry. He wasn't a baby. Unfortunately, no amount of telling himself that would make the scrape on his knee hurt any less. He struggled to fight the tears that had automatically sprung to his eyes at the bite of the cobblestones. Seymours did not cry. While he was trying to collect himself, to his horror an older boy noticed and came over. "I'm fine." Cornelius spat quickly, scrambling to his feet and trying to sneakily wipe his eyes while he did. "I just tripped. It's this floor. It's horribly designed."

 

[Ezra Ito]

Ezra looked at the boy as he looked like he might cry, feeling bad for him. It must be difficult to adjust to Hogwarts for some people, and this fall was pretty embarrassing. Ezra put his hand in his pocket as the boy didn’t take it. He decided nodding in agreement was the nicest thing to do. “Yeah, probably. Medieval designers weren’t known for being very good, I think.” He said with an easy smile.

 

[Corn Seymour VII]

Cornelius brushed himself off, squeezing back the tears that threatened. It was a relief that the other boy didn't try to push things, and he grabbed the chance to protect his ego. “Absolutely disgraceful.” He nodded in agreement. “Something really should be done. The school administration ought to be ashamed for letting such an egregious safety hazard linger.” He pulled himself up to his full height, nose in the air in defiance.

 

[Ezra Ito]

Ezra smiled easily and pretended not to notice the younger kid still seemed pretty upset. “Maybe you could tell your head of house.” He suggested lightly, though he doubted any of the teachers could really do anything about the architecture. But this seemed like the sort of person who enjoyed complaining. “Where were you going? I can walk with you.”