Closed Better Prepared

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy had been reluctant to go to tutoring at first, which had less to do with an unwillingness to learn and more to do with the fact that her parents had argued about it for days. They had tried to hide it from Ivy, but she had been able to hear every argument her mother made against it, all the while knowing her father would win in the end. Ivy's mother had been of the opinion that she would have to learn enough at Hogwarts when she went, so why not let her be a kid for a while longer? But Ivy knew her dad didn't agree. He wanted her to be the best in her class, and Ivy wanted that too. She just felt a little bad for her mother, who seemed to rarely win arguments when it came to Ivy. She had woken her up early every time, though, which had been frustrating, to make her look as nicely as possible for the tutoring session. As if Miss Farrow would care what her hair looked like. But her mother insisted, telling her that her appearance was as important an asset as her mind, as she did her hair and picked out perfect clothes. Ivy was just glad to learn a bit about magic, and she looked forward to knowing more than her classmates when she went to Hogwarts.

Miss Farrow only really went over very basic stuff, and without a wand it was all theoretical, but Ivy still thought it was very smart to know as much as possible before school. She also just enjoyed the lessons, as it almost felt like she went to Hogwarts already. There were a couple of other students, and Ivy enjoyed getting to know them. She'd met Brooke a while ago in a store, but now she thought they were pretty much friends. Delilah was a different case. Ivy thought she was pretty cool, but remembered that when she had mentioned her name at home, her dad had talked about the girl's family in a way that made it clear he didn't approve. But he did tell Ivy to be nice to her, so Ivy had invited her to sit with her and Brooke during their lunch break. Ivy chewed on a piece of apple thoughtfully. The weather was still nice, so they were eating outside. "What classes are you guys most excited for when we really go to Hogwarts?" She asked the two girls. These tutoring lessons were fine, but Ivy couldn't help but imagine lessons at Hogwarts would be ten times better. She looked at Brooke first, curious about her opinion.

 

[Brooke Townsend]

It had always frustrated Brooke that she wasn't allowed to go to Miss Farrow until closer to her start at Hogwarts. She was sure Miss Farrow had plenty she could learn earlier, but rules were rules and she could only watch in envy when Sydney had come home every day from her tutoring, ranting and raving about how pointless and unfair the whole thing was. Now that Brooke was finally allowed to attend the supplementary classes, she couldn't be more pleased, trying to soak up every lesson as best she could before school started.

There were other girls in her tutor class as well, and Brooke was happy to get the time to learn some more about her future peers. Ivy she had already met and while Brooke was aware she might be competition academically, she did enjoy the other girl's company. The more interesting addition was Delilah Thorne, who Brooke hadn't quite gotten a read on it. It remained to be seen if Delilah would be any sort of benefit to befriend, and the vague whispering she'd picked up about the Thorne family was intriguing to say the least.

Brushing a few crumbs from her sleeve, Brooke finished chewing as she considered Ivy's question about classes carefully. There might be a right or wrong answer in Ivy's mind, Brooke was certainly going to adjust her opinion of the others based on theirs, though Brooke was quite excited for all the lessons they might be covering. "I think Potions or Charms would prove the most useful and practical," She said. "Though Transfiguration is fascinating in theory. What about you, Delilah?" She asked, looking to the other girl.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah had a lot of mixed emotions about going to Miss Farrow’s for tutoring before Hogwarts. On one hand it was nice to get out of the house without her parents or her little brother around. But on the other she was now forced to be with people she was told explicitly to make nice with. That was something she had not missed about London. Back home it felt like she was constantly paraded around for her parent’s friends, to play a song on the piano or play with their children. Of course Simon was too busy making trouble at school and Caleb was still too young to have to talk to adults. It had been quiet since they moved and Delilah had grown to like it. But her parents insisted on the tutor. Simon had done something similar before he started school, not that it did him any good, and now her father was adamant that just because they were here Delilah would not miss out on the same opportunities. Her mother agreed but that didn’t stop her from talking constantly about how much better the tutors in London were.

But Delilah was stuck here and so far the other girls seemed nice enough but the way they watched her a little too closely made her nervous. They had no doubt heard about her and her family from their parents which just put even more pressure on her to make a good impression. When Ivy asked her to join her and Brooke for lunch she had smiled and accepted kindly, but it also came with a sinking sense of dread. Delilah took a measured bite of her lunch as Brooke answered Ivy’s question, giving her time to think about her own answer. “Potions sound interesting.” She agreed. “I’m kind of looking forward to what Defense Against the Dark Arts will be like. My brother doesn’t like the professor but I think the material would be interesting.” Delilah added, sitting up straighter. She wasn’t sure what the other girls would think of her answer but it was mostly truthful.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Brooke always seemed so composed to Ivy, something she had tried to copy a little. She automatically sat up a little straighter as she listened to her friend, who seemed sure of her answer. "Those do sound fun." She said, nodding in agreement about Potions or Charms. She wanted to talk more about what she thought, but Brooke first asked Delilah, which was the polite thing to do. Ivy turned to the other girl with a big smile, eager to hear her thoughts. "Oh, Defence Against the Dark Arts does seem fun too." She said with a nod. "But I wonder how likely it is that we would ever face actual Dark Arts" She said, emphasizing her final words with a spooky voice. "Why doesn't your brother like the professor? I'm so jealous of you both, you both have siblings at Hogwarts already to give you all the important information." She said with a sigh. "I think I would like Charms the best, but Defence would be good too." She said, thinking it over. "I just want to know cool spells, but I guess those are taught in transfiguration too..." She paused, then laughed. "I'm just excited for everything, I guess."

 

[Brooke Townsend]

"Don't be," Brooke said, shaking her head when Ivy expressed jealousy of her and Delilah already having siblings at school. While she couldn't speak for Delilah, Sydney was about as useful for information about school as a pile of tea leaves. "My sister seems to enjoy only telling us things about school that will make my parents mad," She said exasperatedly. "Though she did mention the Defense professor is very hands on, which she seems to like," Brooke had to agree with Ivy about just being excited for spells. Classes like History or Astronomy were bound to be interesting, but Brooke wanted to learn some real magic. "I'm so ready to move on from theory," She announced wistfully, glancing over to the window, hopeful Miss Farrow couldn't hear them from inside and come lecture them about the importance of a good foundation of knowledge. "I doubt I can wait for my first Charms lesson to try a few things out. Safely, of course," She added, still not totally sure Miss Farrow or the other girls wouldn't tell on her. Brooke had no intention of doing anything that could jeopardize her grades or her access to new magic, excitement or not.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah sighed, "Who knows? But I guess it would be nice to be at least prepared." she pointed out and shifted uncomfortably when Ivy asked about her brother. She wanted to roll her eyes but instead kept a neutral expression, who knew why Simon thought or did anything. “I do believe his exact words were,” she began and tried to recall what Simon had said when he had come home for the holidays, it had made their father furious. “He’s an insufferable old man that would rather scare children than teach them.” she continued, trying to imitate her brother's bored way of speaking before picking at her lunch some more. “Yes, don’t be.” Delilah agreed with Brooke's statement with a small laugh. She had been jealous of Simon for what felt like forever since he had gotten to go off to school. But now with her own time at Hogwarts fast approaching she was starting to get more nervous by the minute. “Besides, he is hardly a reliable source of information when he actually decides to talk to me.” she grumbled. "Guess it'll be here soon enough." she said to both girls with small smile. They both seemed so eager to learn but to her it just felt so daunting, but she still tried to seem excited with them.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy let out a slightly exasperated sigh as both girls told her not to be jealous of their siblings. That was easy for them to say. But Ivy wrinkled her nose at the description Delilah gave of the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, though it seemed like Brooke's sister had a different opinion of him. "I suppose we won't really know until we're there." She said hesitantly. She nodded eagerly in agreement with Brooke. "Me too! I have tried to practice wand movements with a stick, but I have no idea if I'm doing it right at all." She said, sighing softly. Ivy then grinned at them. "I hope we all have Charms together, I bet I can do the first spell we learn before you two." She caught Brooke's eye, as she had the feeling the other girl would be more likely to go along with her challenge. Ivy nodded at Delilah encouragingly. "It's not long now." She said, smiling brightly. "Before long, all three of us will be in the train on our way to becoming real witches. And we'll be on top of our class too!" She said with a laugh. "I bet we already know so much more than some of our classmates."

 

[Brooke Townsend]

Brooke laughed at Delilah's brother's description of one of their upcoming professors, eager to make her own impressions. "As long as he does his job he can be as scary as he likes," Brooke said, brushing her hair over her shoulder flippantly. "Besides, doubt he could be scarily than Miss Farrow," She said with a smirk, glancing again over her shoulder to check for their tutor. "I hear the movement's all in the wrist, so I've been practicing that," Brooke said when Ivy mentioned she'd been practicing her own wand movements with something as silly as a stick, lifting her hand off to do a graceful swish and flick. "Whether you can do it first doesn't matter, I'll master it first," Brooke added, giving Ivy a smug head tilt before looking to see if Delilah would weigh in. The newer girl hadn't shown much of a backbone for her and Ivy's sort of competition, but she'd at least been able to keep up well enough so far. "Oh, they don't stand a chance," She agreed with Ivy, eyes still on Delilah.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah was relieved when Brooke laughed at her comment. She was worried they wouldn't find it funny and it's not like she knew anything first hand and Simon could have easily just said that as an excuse for his bad grades. “True.” she said and nodded thoughtfully in agreement with both girls and she giggled at Brooke’s comment about Miss Farrow. Delilah didn’t think she was that scary but she definitely wasn’t nice either. Thankfully the subject changed quickly and Ivy brought up practicing wand movements. “I haven’t really tried.” she admitted. “But I’ve heard that too. The wrist thing.” she said thoughtfully and rolled her writs around in a few tight circles. “Me too.” she said a little too quickly. Delilah did not want to admit how grateful she would be to have familiar faces in lessons with her. She wasn't sure if she could call Ivy and Brooke friends but it was better then nothing. “But I guess that all depends on what house we end up in.” she pointed out. “Do you have any ideas of where you’ll end up?” Delilah asked. “Yes, but how long will that head start really last once we actually start lessons.” she pointed out to Ivy. They were reading theory books but it wasn't really as advanced as actual classes. "It feels arrogant to assume anything." she finished with a shrug and meet Brooke's gaze with a small smile.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy shrugged as Brooke said the professor could be as scary as he wanted if he did his job well. She wasn't sure if she agreed. Wasn't not being scary kind of part of being a teacher? But she giggled at the comment about Miss Farrow, casting a glance over her shoulder as well. But then Brooke started sounding a little superior, and Ivy had to put a stop to that quickly. "Well, obviously I've been practicing my wrist movements with a stick. "She said sharply. "After all, it's bound to feel different when holding something. I don't think there's a point in practicing wrist movements on their own." She pointed out. "And the person who does it first is also more likely to master it first, logically. So good luck with that." She scoffed, rolling her eyes a little. She turned her attention to Delilah, who spoke about houses. "I'm not sure." Ivy admitted. "My dad was in Slytherin, my mum went to a different school... so I guess Slytherin is likely?" She shrugged. But as the girl said it sounded arrogant and looked at Brooke, Ivy noticed. She raised her eyebrows a little, but decided to smooth it over, she had to admit she hadn't expected Delilah to stand up to Brooke, even subtly. "Well, yes..." She said thoughtfully. "But if we know the theory ahead of time, it we'll be ahead as long as we keep up with reading theory in advance, which I plan on doing."

 

[Brooke Townsend]

"It never hurts to get in the habit I supposed," She said sweetly to Ivy, pointedly ignoring her sharp tone much like she often did with Sydney. "I think a lot of wand movement is rather gestural, but it'll be easier to tell once we have our own wands, especially since we know the theory," She said, nodding when Delilah agreed with her. She was fairly familiar with how to push Ivy's buttons by now, or at least figured she had a good idea, but Delilah was still something of a mystery and Brooke was curious if she would be easy to sway one or another. She certainly seemed eager for their approval already. "I hope I can be with my sister in Slytherin, though my father was in Ravenclaw," She mused. Brooke didn't really want to admit how much she hoped to be with Sydney, it would reflect badly on her if she was too eager for one house and the hat decided differently.

Brooke was pleasantly surprised when Delilah held her own regarding her own class expectations, smiling down into her lunch as she picked at it some more. Perhaps Delilah would be more interesting after all, even if she was less competition directly like Ivy. "We'll have to work hard to not give up our lead then," She said brightly, smiling at the two girls, though it didn't quite meet her eyes.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah nodded along as Brooke and Ivy discussed hand and wrists movements some more. With a wand, without a wand, or a stick, if she was honest she didn't really care. They would get their wands and spend the next seven years learning how to use magic. There would be time to learn and she didn't feel like it had to be a race. But she looked like she was engaged regardless, and chuckled when they started talking about houses. "Funny, we all seem to have a Slytherin connection." She pointed out. "My father was in Slytherin, and so was my uncle, and my grandfather, and now my brother." she said, lazily counting the different members of her family on her fingers. "My mother was in Ravenclaw though." she added quickly and shrugged. "So I guess either house is likely." she said casually to hide how much the sorting process was already stressing her out. Delilah desperately wanted to be with her brother, not just because being with family would be nice but because it might be some kind of sign that she was on the right path. Delilah felt herself relax just a hair when Brooke smiled at her comment rather then glaring at her. "We will." she agreed just as sweetly.

 

[Ivy Ashworth]

Ivy sighed at Brooke's sweet tone, knowing by now that she wouldn't get a rise out of her easily. She had to control her own temper, or Brooke would win. "Yeah, I can't wait to get my wand." She said noncommittally . Brooke said she hoped to be in Slytherin, and Ivy couldn't help commenting. "Well, Slytherin would be good... but I do wonder if it won't get boring to live in the dungeons." She said, playing with her hair idly. She nodded with a smile as Delilah said they all had the Slytherin connection. "Maybe we'll all be together." She said, realizing as she said it that she really did hope they would all be together. It would be nice to have some friends at Hogwarts, and these girls at least understood the importance of preparation and hard work. "I hope we are." She said with a grin. "Between the three of us, I bet we'll get the most house points ever." She said, already imagining it. "Whatever house will get us, will be very lucky." She decided firmly.