Bird Feeding

[Rory Fergusson]

Rory was dealing with all the emotions that he had also felt in the loss of his sister, he hadn't believed it had happened, he couldn't believe it, and though this was different, it was also very much the same, he had lost his sister, and now he was sure he would've lost the pride of the family, and he'd started by feeling sorry for himself, but now he just felt angry, what was he supposed to tell his father, how could his sister have been so stupid to die which was why he was now the heir and the one who had to live up to the family name, the one who had to go to school so far away from his own and just deal with all the conflicting emotions, but Rory was no slytherin, it was simply a mistake. The only issue was, Rory knew that it wasn't a mistake and that it was very much something that was going to be his life, there was no unbecoming of a slytherin for him, this was set in stone, Rory was stuck. If he had been back at home, in Scotland he wouldn't have minded this house so much but it was just the horrid combination of both the different school and the house which made him feel utterly hopeless.

But, this morning his hopelessness had manifested itself in anger, he had at first failed to find porridge in amongst the rest of the cereals, and then when he had, he'd watched others use milk with it, and for him, finding the hot water he needed had been hopeless, and when he'd asked one of the other students to do it for him all he'd gotten was a brash response, but Rory didn't know how he was supposed to make his breakfast so instead the young slytherin had just grabbed a slice of toast and headed outside, he had wandered through the grounds until he reached the lakefront, and as he munched hungrily on the plain toast as he kicked the stones at the water front angrily, he just didn't like this one bit. He had his hood up on the thick pink jumper, just angrily muttering about how unfair this whole place was in his rapid and thick accent, he didn't like this place at all, and kicking the stones into the water definitely made him feel better, even though it wasn't much of a move and was just a little bit of entertainment for him.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Classes were yet to begin and Flavio, as a newly sorted Ravenclaw, was eager to learn. The change in environment and the notion he would be attending a real school, with real grades and a brand new set of opportunities had kept Flavio awake at night and more particularly made him wake up early in the morning without the screeching sound of an alarm. Part of it involved preparing himself for the hectic school year ahead of him by getting used to the early mornings, but the other, more important part involved Flavio wanting to make the most of the free time he had after breakfast and in between his other square meals of the day that would otherwise be filled with learning. Because although the boy loved learning and could not wait for his learning to begin, there was a lot of the castle that he needed to explore, discover and familiarize himself with before learning kept him from doing so. The previous day, Flavio was toured around the important parts of the castle by Pia and her friend Kylie but that day's agenda was different and more interesting as it involved standing by the lakeside with the tips of his shoes scraping the water as he waited for the sight of any of the ducks that lived there who he wanted to befriend.

So, immediately after filling his stomach with a hearty breakfast, Flavio had trudged his way to the lakefront with a bun in his hands and a soft yet determined expression on his face. Spring was upon him. The winter chill still caused a shiver to run down his spine but the season was still technically spring which meant it was also the season of ducklings. Ducklings that he expected to be swimming alongside their mother duck in the lake, and ducklings that he intended to feed. Though when the boy arrived to the lake to see it devoid of all bird life he frowned and resisted the urge to throw his bun to the ground and kick it to the water like another patron of the lakefront was doing with rocks. There were no ducks or a line of following ducklings in sight which was eerily creepy to Flavio. He had always seen ducks in ponds and lakes but this time it was different so as he walked along the lakeside he looked out to the water inquisitively and did not realize who the other boy at the lakefront was until he had walked closer to their vicinity. "Rory?" Flavio asked with uncertainty to his words as he questioned the other boy's name to confirm that the boy kicking rocks into the water was indeed the same boy he had met at Takarokaro Park and played with on the playground while their older siblings watched on.​

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[Rory Fergusson]

The voice beside him alerted that someone else was next to him, and not just that but that the voice was addressing him, Rory looked up at the boy who'd spoken and gave the boy a slightly strained smile, "Flavio," he greeted before just shrugged and in a burst of anger just kicking the stone at his feet hard, he didn't want to talk to Flavio, but he didn't mind the other boy's company, after hanging around with him at the park while their older siblings had talked the boy had found he quite liked the boy and he seemed like the kind of person whom he probably get to do what he wanted, but since they were just after sorting, and he was still angry from it, the boy didn't have much energy to do much else but express his anger by kicking the rocks, letting his anger out. This all added to the fact that the boy was pretty hungry, not quite managing to make his own breakfast had definitely put a negative spin on the day but he didn't want to scare away Flavio, he wanted to be his friend, he wanted to be friends with him, and he was sure that the other boy wouldn't want to be stood with Rory as he angrily kicked the rocks, but then Rory didn't actually want to talk to him, he didn't want to speak to Flavio more than a little.

Rory's words were as he found not often understood, and today he just wanted to try to get through the day without having to try too hard to be understood, so the boy had no plans to speak to anyone at all, all day, but Flavio was now with him. He tucked his hands back into his pockets and just sighed slightly, kicking another rock with an added sigh, "What you doin'" the boy asked Flavio actually looking up at him, maybe the boy had a plan or idea for the day and wouldn't mind if Rory just stuck along with him, maybe that would be a good way to spend the day, because the alternative to Rory was to just sit and be annoyed, kicked some stones angry, and just be by himself, but he didn't really want to be alone, he already was alone in a country so far from his home, and in a house he didn't want. His mood would've been far better if he'd just been in hufflepuff like he was supposed to be. The boy's thoughts centred on this for a moment, and with a little bit of an angry sigh he kicked another stone at his feet, he walked towards Flavio, and his anger was a little stronger, he had the intention of pushing the boy away, but he noticed the bread in his hand, and this stopped Rory, "Why've ye got the bread?" Rory pulled his hand out of his pocket and pointed at it.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio was reassured that the boy angrily kicking rocks into the lake was indeed Rory when they recognized him and said his name in return. Flavio nodded at his name and watched as Rory continued to kick rocks into the water. He couldn't understand the boy's frustration. It was such a calm morning and that in addition to the hearty breakfast in Flavio's belly was the perfect recipe for the good mood he was currently in. The only thing that could have made his mood even better would be if Pia were holding his hand as he walked around but she was unfortunately busy that morning and Flavio was left to his own devices. Not that he minded. It gave him the opportunity to feed the birds and that was another reason he was feeling so happy that morning. Rory seemed to be in an entirely different mood, however, and Flavio wanted to question why but he figured it would only make the other boy angrier so he held his tongue, not saying a word and standing idly by because he was unsure what else he could have done.

Flavio shrugged when Rory asked what he was doing, choosing not to answer the question properly until he was blatantly quizzed on why he was holding a bun. There was suddenly no way for him to avoid speaking so he reluctantly answered the question by saying "Feeding birds." as he began to pick at the bun. Though the lakefront seemed to be devoid of all bird life that morning, it didn't stop Flavio from wanting to feed the birds or at least wanting to begin a search to find them. Birds were the only friends he felt like he had sometimes. Especially ducks because they were so affectionate and never hesitated to eat out of his hands. He looked from his bun to Rory as their conversation hit a small lull. "Would you like to join?" Flavio asked, wondering if the other boy wanted to spend time with him again like they had when they first met and hoping that feeding birds would give Rory an opportunity to calm down. The sounds of the rocks being kicked into the water and the ripple effect they had on the surface could have been the reason that Flavio's beloved birds were nowhere to be found anyway, and distracting the other boy from doing so might have meant he could make friends with the resident ducks sooner rather than later.​

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[Rory Fergusson]

Rory was in a state of bitterness, at the school he was stuck at and the house he'd been placed in by the hat, but perhaps what annoyed him most about it was that he couldn't change any of it, the boy was stuck in the school, stuck there until he got the opportunity to leave when he was older and had learned all he could for now Rory didn't have a choice he had to stay at Hogwarts until the end of his schooling and likely not a moment before then and he was realising however bitterly that he was going to have to create friends at this school or else he was going to be alone for all of it. However Rory hadn't ever had to really make friends before, he had always just been able to play with the kids that came in and hang out with his cousins who lived in the same town as him he'd never had to actively make friends and in his experiences before school it had been somewhat tricky, he had yet to make one. Even this boy with him now Flavio, they had played together once under the watchful eye of their respective siblings that was it.

He didn't know if that foundation often built long lasting friendships, he really doubted that it did, Rory just knew he had to give it his best shot and hope for the best outcome, the boy he remembered from the park had been great fun to play with never a compliant from him over what Rory had decided they would do, it had been definitely nice and he was actually glad to have run into the boy again. He had no idea what they could do now and really all Rory wanted to do was kick rocks and be angry at the world but he could do that and was actually really glad when when Flavio then invited him to feed the birds, Rory had thrown bread at duck before but he'd never actively go out to feed the birds, but with a lack of other things to do and the fact he actually liked Flavio he was willing to tag along. So Rory nodded at the other boy, "Yeah, alright," Rory kicked one last stone before turning away from the lake and walking the few steps over to flavio's side, wondering where and how they were going to go about this, "Where exactly are the birds?" he wondered if there was a particular section of the school dedicated to birds, he did however trust Flavio and would follow him where he went, trusted him to find the birds he'd watch Flavio feed.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio managed a small smile when Rory agreed to feed the birds with him. He was glad to have a partner tag along on his adventures, and glad that it stopped the rocks being vigorously kicked into the water, possibly scaring the birds away which was also possibly the reason he needed to search for the birds in the first place. The Chilean boy held the bun safely between his hands and began walking further along the edge of the lake as he answered Rory's question, surprised at his own ability to understand the question. The boy's accent was heavy and his words would be completely unrecognizable if Flavio did not pay close attention to them. Luckily he had never faced problems when listening to others and he could understand Rory's unusual accent without too much of a strain on his ears and knowledge of the English language. It was less daunting than it was with the professors and older students he saw walking around, because Rory was his age and Flavio could easily consider him to be the first friend he made in New Zealand. In his eyes it was worth listening to Rory for those reasons and because he was not scared to respond to the boy in short, blunt sentences when he could unlike remaining completely silent as he did with nearly everyone else.

"I do not know where the birds are." He stated as he walked, keeping his sentences short and simple while glancing out do the lake and unconsciously beginning to pick at the bun in his hands again. Clearly a bit of an impatient habit of his because not once in his life had it taken him long to search for birds and with every one of his steps he felt his patience lessen. Birds, of any kind, were usually in plain sight along the edge of a lake and the Ravenclaw was unsure if their absence was normal for this country, if it was the temperature, or even the time of day that meant he was yet to see a single bird. However Flavio was still determined to feed ducks that day and kept his goal in mind as he stated it to Rory "I am searching for them." while continuing his steps along the pebbled shoreline. "Have you seen any birds?" He then asked the other boy, with hope such a question would aid his search and with hope that the reason Rory asked earlier where the birds were did not mean he had not seen any since arriving at the lakefront that morning.​

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[Rory Fergusson]

Rory felt eased that the boy didn't seem to really mind that Rory was tagging along, he was almost warmed by the action feeling more than anything grateful for the company, it was hard being at a new school with people he barely knew and in a new country that was so different from his own, and the young slytherin was trying to adapt as quickly as he could, but it was still early days and he was just spending this morning, and likely the first few days just being annoyed at the school, at just about everything, the hat had just not thought him worthy of Hufflepuff which was completely terrible, of course he was worthy of it, but the hat just hadn't seen that, and thus was his cycle of thought in the houses and the circle his head kept going round and round, he was trying his best to stay focused and not let it bother him overly much but that really was a lost cause, there was absolutely nothing that took his mind off it really, which was why anoyed as he was, he easily accepted to help or take part in the bird feeding that Flavio had said they'd be doing.

The boy walked over to Flavio, falling in just behind him as he listened, he didn't even know where the birds were, this kind of put a stump in their search, and Rory had to wrack his brain to even think of where one might see birds, of course he'd seen them a lot, but he'd never really paid attention to them. The fact that Flavio was ill-prepared for this bird feeding, in not knowing where the birds were he felt was almost typical of what this school had come to represent for him, he sighed a little but didn't say anything on the matter, instead looking up at the sky and letting his eyes glance around the sky above them, not quite spotting anything, not even when he squinted, "Ah havenae" the boy replied with a small shrug as if to apologise for that without having to say any words on the matter, "Maybe near the forest, birds like trees right?" Rory didn't actually know, but he was guessing and pointing in the direction of where there were a lot of trees, perhaps that would be where they were, or maybe not, the boy just didn't know, and he hoped that Flavio might be able to figure it out, not that as Rory thought about it that he minded much, he just needed a distraction.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio nodded at Rory's words to show he understood. From a first glance the lakefront was otherwise deserted that morning and though Flavio did not understand why it still did not stifle his determination. Sooner or later, whether it be on that same morning or on a completely different day he was sure he would find ducks somewhere. In the meantime he was glad to have company, and especially glad that the company happened to be Rory because Flavio could not imagine how awkward he would feel if the person walking with him was a stranger. He would feel uncomfortable, that was for sure. His mouth would also be sewn shut because talking to anyone other than Pia, Kylie and Rory was near impossible for him at such an early stage in the year. Flavio thought about this as he walked, not minding the silence that fell between him and Rory. He momentarily lost his thoughts while staring out to the lake and nearly zoned out to the point that such familiar, quacking sounds seemed to be coming from his imagination. His jaw dropped in surprise when he realized it wasn't in his head.

The ducks were there, hidden behind a tree half growing in the water, but they were there. Flavio halted his steps and held his arm out to keep Rory from stepping too far forward. The newly sorted Ravenclaw knew how to handle these things. That care and slow movements were what was most important to allow ducks to trust you so that was exactly what he did. Stepping slowly, inching closer to the small group of ducks, Flavio's smile grew and almost seemed to completely take over his features when he knelt down by the water's edge and pulled off a few pieces of his bun, dotting it along the pebbles and in the shallow water. The ducks noticed immediately and hesitantly waddled closer to the bread. They were yet to eat the bread but at least they noticed it was there. It was only a matter of time before one of the ducks were brave enough to eat the bread and Flavio was happy to wait patiently as he knelt on the pebbles. "Hello. I'm not going to hurt you. I would like to be your friend." Flavio said to the ducks in Spanish as he ripped another small piece of bread and threw it to the water. It floated, creating ripples and though the ducks moved slightly away from the bread due to the more sudden movement of it, they were yet to move away completely. Flavio then half-turned to Rory and offered him the bun he was holding in case the other boy wanted to have a turn throwing bread to the ducks.
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[Rory Fergusson]

Rory felt a little out of place as he followed the other boy, although just following what someone else was doing was not exactly a new thing for him it certainly was something he hadn't expected he would do with Flávio, but really if he was honest he was pretty happy to do it, there was nothing else on his mind other than his mis-sorting bout the fact he couldn't do anything about it frustrated him more and he was happy to be able to just forget about it and follow the other boy, looking for the ducks or birds that might be on Hogwarts grounds. Rory had assumed in his mind there would be, it seemed obvious that there would be such creatures but then he was also now that he was out on the grounds he was a little more unsure of it, there certainly should be animals but it was unclear if they actually did exist. Coupled with following this boy Flavio was a good amount of silence, Rory didn't feel the need to say anything, he knew conversations would just annoy him, and make him more angry so he was happy to just follow along in silence, looking around himself at the different things about him hoping to catch a glimpse of one.

Eventually Rory began hearing a quacking noise and he knew this was the ducks, so they had managed to find them, the young Slytherin moved round slightly so that he was stood next to the Ravenclaw to be able to see the small creatures. He found himself smiling at the little creatures, looking at them and just finding himself smiling, they all seemed very interested in the bits of bread that his friend was throwing towards them, and he just watched it, ignoring the odd language that his friend slipped into when addressing the little duck, he was perfectly content to just watch from his relative distance, letting the clearly far more interested boy do and marvel as he pleased. Rory glanced at the bun in his hand, and then took a little bit of it, handing the rest back to his Ravenclaw friend. He wanted more than anything to just aim for their heads, to through it at the little ducks head just to see the reaction, but instead and so as to not annoy his friend, he chose not to, instead breaking off small pieces and throwing them into the water at the ducks,surprised when they didn't seem to immediately go eat the bread, "Why aren't they eatin' the bread?" the boy asked his friend curious about why they weren't.
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[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio took the bun back as Rory handed it to him and answered the other boy's question promptly, ending his words with a nod. "They are cautious so they don't want to eat the bread yet." Flavio said before realizing he was speaking in Spanish. He shook his head and attempted to switch to English to say his words but wasn't sure how to translate the sentence properly. "They do not know the bread." He said, cringing inwardly when he realized how broken his English sounded. "They need to know it is safe." He corrected himself to the best of his ability as he continued to stare at the ducks in slight awe. After watching their reaction to the bread Rory threw, Flavio picked off another piece of the bun and threw it slightly further away. Watching in anticipation as one of the ducks, evidently a braver duck than the others, swam to the bread, nudging it slightly with its beak before picking the piece up and eating it.

Flavio felt his jaw gape open and a mix of excitement and happiness take over his body as the rest of the ducks followed the other's lead, swimming to the other floating pieces of bread and eating them, one by one. He nearly squealed as they ran out of pieces of bread to eat and gradually swam closer to the shore in search for more. He picked off a few more pieces of his bun and watched happily as the ducks ate the bread without hesitation this time. Once again he handed the bun towards Rory in case he wanted to throw some bread again because excluding his friend from such a fun experience would be cruel in Flavio's mind. "They are cute." He mused, remembering to keep his words in English this time so the other boy could understand. "Do you like ducks?" The thought to ask Rory such a question had not popped into Flavio's head until that moment. Flavio's mission for the day was now complete so he wouldn't be fussed if Rory did not like ducks, and also wasn't against changing his plans if Rory so desired.​

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