Bidding Farewell

[Graeme Fergusson]

Graeme couldn't quite believe that it was all at an end, he was faced with this decision and following everything going absolutely right he was actually going to be going through with it, the teen had never expected to win the quidditch cup, he had never expect to beat the professor's at quidditch, he had never thought he'd done well on his OWLs, or on his exams this year, he'd never been the studious sort, but he had, and most of all, he managed to pass the only class which had held any importance to him during this semester and really the class to blame for his sudden but decisive decision to head home. The teen hadn't taken long to pack up his things, he had a lot of books and things of the sort, but he'd used magic to ensure that it would all fit into one rucksack, a lot of things he was leaving behind, like old school books he'd never use again, or that couldn't be replaced at home, and the teen had pretty much packed everything up and with a little sigh of farewell had walked out of his dorm, the end of year feast was just finishing and Graeme had left early wanting to put the final preparations on leaving in the morning, he had quite the journey and he was first stopping at the home he shared with his grandmother a last farewell to her too before he left this country behind.

Graeme was stood in the middle of the entrance hall, with a small smile on his face as he looked out to the courtyard and the coming night, he couldn't believe that after so long tomorrow he'd finally be home, that in two days he would wake up to the sights and sounds of Scotland rather than New Zealand, he couldn't wait to take a walk up to neist point and stand at the water's edge, jump between the rocks and likely slip more than once on the wave beaten rocks. Graeme had enjoyed his time in New Zealand a lot, though he had always thought he'd never found his place, it wasn't until become captain that he'd done anything of note to this school, but he was thankful for the people he'd met, for Maya whom he was sad to leave behind, they had been supposed to have another year together before he left, and to his friends in his year, like Clara and his team who he was leaving earlier than planned but he was sure he was leaving it in the capable hands of someone else. The teen hadn't even thought this would be hard, he suddenly felt a deep desire to stay, but he knew this was a fleeting moment that was just as the memories of this place crashed down upon him. He'd be going home to see his mother, to the place he loved, to the person he had missed most, to her home made food and the warmth of the living room fire. Graeme let out a long sigh but kept his gaze out at the world ahead of him, essentially thinking of this as the last occasion to say goodbye to all of the things he'd come to enjoy about this school.
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[Reuben Pendleton]

Reuben stuffed a grape into his mouth and sighed. He wasn't hungry any more - in fact, his stomach hurt, and every of his chicken flavoured burps served as miserable reminders of how much he'd eaten. Deciding nobody would notice if he slipped out early, Reuben swivelled around on the Hufflepuff bench and got wearily to his feet. As expected, nobody batted an eyelid as the young boy eased open the heavy door and stole out into the cool, dark hallway. The doors to the courtyard were open, allowing in a chilly breeze that was somewhat welcomed after the stuffy atmosphere in the great hall. In the middle of the foyer, a silhouette broke up the shower of moonlight against the stone floor. Even from behind, Reuben recognized him to be a Hufflepuff, and cautiously approached his side.

"Hey, you're missing the feast," said Reuben, who was prone to stating the obvious. He gave a shiver and crossed his arms across his chest. "We lost the cup. But Alex Carter won, like, five hundred points!" After he'd said it, Reuben realised just how meaningless it all sounded. Food. House Points. What did it matter, in the grand scheme of things? The Hufflepuff sighed again and looked out into the still courtyard, wondering why it was he didn't feel happier about the year coming to an end, and how he could feel so alone in a castle full of so many people.

 

[Graeme Fergusson]

Graeme could hear the faint sounds of the feast behind him, and the noise of so many people eating made him smile, it was a sound he would likely never hear again, he doubted he would ever been in a situation with that many people sitting around five tables, his last school had barely thirty kids in it, this was so very different but then again, in his mind all the sights he knew he'd miss in part their opposite when he got home were things he looked forward to. He missed his mother's cooking, he missed the smell of a good Scottish fry up, he missed haggis even, he missed riding his bike to Portree to pick up some fish and chips, the ice cream, the tablet, just all the good things that just weren't as good on this side of the world, and though he'd grown used to living without even irn bru, the teen was so looking forward to the copious bottles likely sitting in the pantry. There was just a nice finalty about this dinner about finally being able to say goodbye to this place, he knew he'd miss out on his own graduation an occasion to wear the full kilt attire, but he was more looking forward to this, to just leaving with only those in Hufflepuff knowing. With little fanfare and just the knowledge in a smile.

The soon to be former hufflepuff quidditch captain glanced at the younger voice which spoke to him, it was a small first year he'd seen around but definitely didn't know too well, despite it being the end of year feast the boy had forsake the food and the festivities to come out to the entrance hall and in the end join Graeme in the coolness of this entrance way, "He did, didn't he," he mused with a light chuckle, the faintness of his accent he knew would return, he still sounded much like how he'd first joined the school, though it was a lot less harsh, being amongst those who occasionally struggled to understand had given him no other choice in thinking about how he sounded. The teen glanced back out, "Ach, once I'd eaten I just wanted out," Graeme shrugged slightly, "And we might no have won the cup, but we won at quidditch and that's like a hundred times better," he told him with such certainty in his words he honestly believed it to be so, to Graeme winning the quidditch cup had been the greatest thing, and then winning against the professors, if all his life crumbled from here he could always claimed to have finished school on a quidditch high, "This school is great enjoy it while it lasts," Graeme met the eyes of the kid as he said this, though he had never thought he'd fitted in, Graeme thought highly of the school which had educated him, "I'm Graeme, by the way,"
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[Reuben Pendleton]

Reuben prised his gaze from the cool night to look up at the Hufflepuff chaser. He had a strange accent, and the most Reuben could decipher from it was that he must have lived a long way away from New York. The Quidditch cup wasn't of much interest to the young first year, whose idea of exercise was lifting pies to his mouth; but he could hear the importance it held to the elder student in the way he spoke about it, and so flashed a gentle and congratulatory smile his way. "I'm Reuben. Reuben Lagowski," he introduced himself proudly. "Not to be confused with Rudolf Lagowski, who's waay shorter than I am." Truthfully, Reuben didn't mind being mistaken for his twin brother any more. He had, not so long ago, but the events of the last year had given him a new found respect for the Gryffindor. He was smart - smarter than Reuben had given him credit for - but above all, he was brave. Brave enough to be himself, even when Reuben had teased him relentlessly for it.

The Hufflepuff frowned. In a way, Graeme was right - the school was great. Not even Reuben could deny that. His Professors were (for the most part) patient, kind, and eager to lend a helping hand; and, despite his best efforts not to, he'd learned a great deal that year. There was nothing more rewarding than watching a quill turn into a spoon before his very eyes. Yet still Reuben could not come to truly love the castle and its inhabitants. He wanted more. He wanted to be clever, just like Rudolf. He wanted best friends of his own. He wanted to make something of himself. Worst of all, he didn't even know any of it. All he knew was that behind his cocky, audacious outward disposition, there was a lingering inner sadness that followed him around like a shadow. "Eeh, it's OK," Reuben agreed half-heartedly, giving a solemn shrug and looking back out into the courtyard. He still felt a bit sick from eating too much. "I don't really see the big deal."

 

[Graeme Fergusson]

As the younger boy explained who he was Graeme couldn't help but shrug, he didn't know a Rudolf to confuse with this boy here in front of him, since all he did now know was this boy in front of him and really considering he was leaving the school pretty much the next day to never return he didn't know how much use it would be to even learn who this person was, "Is Rudolf your brother?" he asked despite his original thought process it seemed silly to not at least be polite with this kid, Rueben. Graeme's mind was racing face, he was glancing out at the courtyard feeling melancholy about leaving, perhaps it was just the immediateness of it, it was just a matter of the fact that rather than it being a distant thought, or a distant thing it was happening and though he knew he could change his mind that was just this moment leading him to thinking that this was the right decision for him, when he knew the moment he got home there was no going back.

At the boys words he could help the little chuckle that escaped his lips the boy sounded an awful like how he'd sounded when he had first arrived at the school, much like how he'd sounded during most of his time at the school. The big deal though he thought was quite a child like thing, he hadn't really had high hopes for the school, it hadn't been where he wanted to go, but it had been better than expected, "There is no big deal, really, after all it's just a school," Graeme shrugged "But it's a good school, I really enjoyed my time here when I think about it, didnae think I would, but I did and now it's over and I'm glad I came here rather than the Hogwarts near my home in Scotland," the teen smiled at the boy for the first time really ever expressing that he believed this school to be better than the other one.
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[Reuben Pendleton]

"Yeah," replied Reuben. "We're identical twins, except he's in Gryffindor. And shorter." The Hufflepuff emphasised this last point, as if it was of utmost importance that Graeme knew Reuben was the taller one. As he stood before the courtyard, he grew increasingly tempted to admit his envy for Rudolf's inherent abilities, or the ease with which he seemed to be able to make friends. It just wasn't fair how naturally everything came to him. If Rudolf had decided he wanted to be a painter, Reuben was sure he'd have been the next Picasso before the year was up. He sighed quietly, and his shoulders sunk a little with the exhalation of breath.

Fortunately, before he could humiliate himself with such confessions, Graeme spoke again. He listened politely, even though he could never imagine himself coming to truly enjoy his life at the school. There was just too much work, and not enough opportunities to have fun. And when those opportunities did make themselves present, they were certain to lose Hufflepuff a handful of House Points at best. Reuben didn't know what he wanted to do for a living, and this concern was currently a very distant one. He looked up at Graeme quizzically. "What did you enjoy the most?" he asked, finding himself genuinely curious for the elder student's situation. Perhaps there was some secret thing to do in the castle that nobody had let Reuben in on.

 

[Graeme Fergusson]

"You're the tall one," he repeated with a nod, clearly hearing from the boy's tone that this was the vital information that Graeme should take from what he was saying, but it didn't bother him who this boy was or who his brother was, he didn't care who was taller really but it seemed like the younger boy was trying to prove himself and in a school like this it would be hard enough, it would be tricky enough to stand out, that he could understand it, "Tall people make great Chasers, you should try out for the team next year," Graeme told Reuben with a small smile, he knew that he wasn't going to be there next year and he knew that he could do a little to help them by suggesting to certain people that they should definitely try out for the team. Graeme knew he would miss that team the most, though it had changed a lot from the time he'd arrived at the school and joined it till now, he was happy to have gone through that process with it, and he was so happy that he managed to lead them to victory.

The teen looked down at him and shrugged a little, "I don't know," he told him honestly with a small chuckle, "I'm not that studious so like I didnae enjoy classes," though he'd pulled his socks up in the last two years, Graeme really didn't like classes and his lack of interest in classes was part of the reason he was leaving. So the teen thought a little more about what he liked, "You know it's probably being a hufflepuff, I mean, all the other houses have these ideals of what their students should be, and Hufflepuf just doesnae," he replied, "It's like it didnae matter if I lost points or if I didnae do well, or if we didnae win, hufflepuff just always let us be us," he didn't know if he was explaining it well, he just sighed, "Hufflepuff's the best," Graeme grinned at him with a happy expression, clearly meaning what he said and sighing heavily at the fact he was leaving it behind. His eyes lingered on the boy and then looked back up out at the courtyard, "What do you like?"
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[Reuben Pendleton]

Reuben scrunched up his nose in disgust at the thought of doing anything that remotely resembled exercise. The only way the Hufflepuff could have been convinced to touch a broom was if it were made of solid chocolate. He managed to refrain from mentioning this, for Graeme was only being kind, and gave a quick shrug instead. Besides, whilst he was an inch taller than Rudolf, he still wasn't tall for his age. Even Ray was on par with his height, and she was a year his junior.

Reuben thought about what Graeme was telling him. He supposed Hufflepuff was quite a nice house. Unlike Rudolf, who was almost expected to be gallant and audacious, Reuben had nobody to please and nothing to prove. It was enough to be himself, and himself alone would have made Helga proud. But often the young boy wondered why he hadn't made Gryffindor. Until the hat had separated them, Reuben had assumed that he and Rudolf were twins on the inside as well as the outside. Had being placed in Hufflepuff alone caused him to feel so inadequate? It all made Reuben feel dizzy with confusion, until he ceased thinking about it and sighed. "I like..." he began, only realising he couldn't finish his sentence after he'd started it. "Reading," he lied eventually, because it was better than appearing as if he didn't have any interests besides eating and being a pain in the neck. Still, his chat with Graeme had shed some light on a few things, and when he walked away a little later that evening to head to his dormitory, it was not with a lack of things to think about.

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FIN​

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