Books To Study With

[Stefan Archer]

The evening was slowly becoming night, and Stefan was at work much later than he normally was. Since it was exam time, he had to do a little more. Students were more careless with the books at this time of night. He was left with the late shift on that day and well, the man didn't mind. It was quiet and while there were a good number of students left over in the library it was not of huge concern to him. He was able to manage all he was doing. He was sat with a large pile of books in front of him, since students insisted on writing in the books every so often, he was left with the task of checking and getting rid of it. Some of the books had protection against such things, but not all of them. It didn't matter to him, Stefan was happy, he was smiling as he worked. There was nothing that could dampen his current good mood. There was literally nothing that could bring it down. He'd had a couple of nightmares over the past few days, but even those couldn't make him feel bad. He was sure that this constant good mood would eventually wear off, but he didn't see an end to it soon. He was happy, simply because he was marrying the girl he loved. Being engaged to Kate changed really nothing about them, or their relationship but goodness was he happy about it. He smiled more, and felt just happy. It was like knowing for certain that she loved him. He loved her so much and he just so happy to be growing up with her. This was why, even the menial tasks at his work could do nothing to ruin his good mood. He was just so happy. He found himself smiling so much that he was sure that some of the other librarians thought there was something wrong with him. He hadn't told anyone just yet, not even Ty or his family. It didn't seem right, for now, it was just about them. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell others, it was just it didn't seem like something he would do alone.

As he sat in the library a group of younger students passed his desk. He briefly looked up, and then in the direction they'd just come from. While he was doing one task, knowing that students weren't the tidiest for the most part Stefan decided to check, so he got up and made his way over. The task he had been doing was easy enough to go back to. Indeed, there were a good number of books just left on the table. They were from all the different subjects, and while none were open it was annoying that they hadn't tried to put some back. Still, the man continued to smile, he picked up half the books and then began carefully placing them back into the places they were meant to be. It took a bit of time, because all the books were from different sections, so he had to walk back and forth between the different book shelves, which he didn't actually overly mind. He actually quite enjoyed it. It woke up his mind slightly, and well, he was just happy anyway. Anything he was doing currently made him smile. It was actually quite a nice feeling. It wasn't one he'd felt much in his life, and he was embracing it a lot. With that thought, he continued to put the books back into their respective places, heading back to the table when he had finished with the first pile. It was then he noticed that at the far end of the table sat a young student. He wondered suddenly if perhaps she'd been using the books that had been out. It seemed that she was a little far from the books, and where the other students had sat. "You weren't using any of the books I just took away were you?" He asked, though he wasn't sure if the student had registered that he was even there. He wondered if this student had even been friends with the others, and why she had not left with them. Stefan wasn't overly involved in the lives of the students at Hogwarts, but he was at times curious. Maybe she was just the most studious of them.
​

 

[Clara Zhefarovich]

Exams were coming up soon and Clara was feeling stressed. It was only her second year, but it felt as if they were the most important exams of her life. The blonde wondered what happened if someone failed. Would she be kicked out of the school? Have to learn how to live like muggles? She shivered at the thought of what her parents would say to her. And if she was so stressed now, imagine how she would be when it was her OWLs or NEWTs! The young Hufflepuff had been sitting in the library for most of the afternoon; once she had been able to convince herself to get out of bed. Clara had discovered that staying in her Common Room, or Dorm Room was no help, because she'd either have the urge to fall asleep, or something distracting would be happening. She didn't trust herself to pass without doing any studying, so Clara hauled herself to the Library, to where she sat now, surrounded by books.
Clara barely noticed the day passing as she bored into the text in front of her. Although she had noticed some students coming in as study groups, she didn't see them leave. Clara wondered what it would be like to have a friend to study with. Though, she supposed she was boring enough, having to study with her would probably put any person to sleep. Besides, then she would be more stressed out trying to impress the said person, than actually studying. Her mind wandered to what the state of her hair probably looked like, and she sighed. Not only was she personally boring, but her looks were nothing to write home about either. She really had nothing going for her. The thought almost sent her into tears, but Clara took a deep breath and tried to focus more on the book in front of her. She was studying for Defence Against the Dark Arts, her worst subject. It wasn't though she didn't try. Clara did try to be good at her subjects. She studied where she could, did her best at her homework, and though she was late to a few classes because she had slept in, the blonde hadn't actually missed any classes. And Clara did try to be a more interesting person as well. It just wasn't in her to be 'cool'. She observed other students and tried to copy their persona, but she couldn't help but just be her boring self. Stupid...Boring...Ugly.... Clara knew she must be getting tired, as she wasn't able to combat any of her negative thoughts. But she had to keep studying, or she would be kicked out of school! Or held back a year - how embarrassing! Pushing the palms of her hands into her eyes, Clara tried to hold back the tears that were leaking. A voice broke through and Clara jumped from her stupor, her eyes still blurry but slowly adjusting to the figure standing in front of her. He had asked if she was using the books he put away, and Clara saw that it was the librarian. Clara quickly looked down, embarrassed of her appearance and the state she was in. She shook her head silently, but didn't say anything, keeping her eyes firmly on her book, using the back of her hand to wipe clean her face.

 

[Stefan Archer]

Stefan had not run into any problems in his work in the Hogwarts library. It rarely had any issues, most students didn't chose to stay in the library to either fight or be upset. He was a little glad of this, since Stefan wasn't overly good at this. He wasn't sure he'd be any good at dealing with it. He was still pretty young, he wondered if any of the students would even take him seriously. What did it matter really, there were more experienced staff fairly close, and new comer Stefan would most likely do no more than stand at the side to see how to deal with it in the future. In saying that, he didn't even interact with the students really. The odd showing of where something was, it was all about library things, and this pleased the man a lot. He was happy to be able to do his job, but he didn't feel like he should at all get involved with people. he didn't really even feel comfortable talking to most of them. Stefan was confident, much more than before, but he still didn't like it completely. He much rather spend his days mostly alone, he enjoyed his job and the work he did, conversations were a bonus if they happened. Plus, right now, he was just so happy that he knew nothing could bother him. He knew having pointless conversations with various people was not a great way to live, but he didn't mind in the slightest at this point. Which was why he was perfectly happy to be taking the books away from that table, and had been happy to say something to the young student that was sat alone. He generally wouldn't have, most days Stefan would've just continued taking them unless someone told him not to. Which most times never happened. As he stood he realised that he'd startled the student, he felt a little bad and then when she shook her head, he just grabbed the books and headed to where they would be placed. He would generally not think of that student again, but the girl had seemed really upset about something, and Stefan wanted to make sure that she was okay. However he had a task to do first. Placing these books away so he had a tidy library was a tad more important in his mind.

As Stefan continued putting the books away, he thought of that girl. He knew that he wanted to see if she was okay, but mentally he went through all the things which could be wrong with her. His first thought, considering how he'd been brought up was that she was having some very serious problems at home. But, she hadn't really looked physically hurt. Though considering he'd spent very little time with her, he couldn't be certain of anything. So, Stefan continued to place away the books until that was all done. He then headed to the library desk area, and after a little rummaging around found a small pack of tissues. He then grabbed the other books he'd been working on, removing all the pencil markings on them, and headed back to where the girl was sat, she looked pretty unhappy. But from where he stood he couldn't tell if she was hurt in anyway. Not that it would really matter, Stefan knew that it was tricky to be able to tell anyone, or for people to actually know. He coughed slightly, letting her know he was there, not wanting to overly startle her like a few minutes before, he then took a seat, a little bit away from her, so that there was enough distance. He place the books he was working on down in front of him, and opened the first one. Stefan didn't actually get started on the work straight away instead, he took the pack of tissues and pushed it down the table to where the other girl was sitting. Hopefully she'd notice them, because from the way the girl sat, he didn't think she was up to much conversation. He pulled the book so that it was in front of him, and then began to work. He didn't really glance over at the girl, the work he was doing required slightly more of his concentration, he didn't want to start the conversation with her. Maybe she didn't actually want to talk, this was also a library and libraries were quiet places. So instead he just continued working, and without even looking up to glance at the girl, "You okay?" he asked her. He spoke quietly, and while he didn't expect a full conversation to come from it, he was just asking to see if she was okay. And it didn't matter to him if she didn't respond or not, he would just continue working.
​

 

[Clara Zhefarovich]

Through her blurry vision, Clara could tell that the librarian had left. She tried to focus on the book, but with the tears tipping over, she couldn't make out the words. She curled her hands into fists, and clenched tightly, trying to stop her hands from shaking. What an idiot she was making of herself! Why did she even venture out of bed in the first place?! And the librarian probably took one look at her and ran away, who would want to deal with a messy, and emotional twelve year old? That was probably why she was always alone. She definitely didn't deserve any friends; what a drag she must be.
Uncurling her fists, Clara tried to slow her breath and calm herself down. This was not the place to be crying over nothing. She should be studying and focusing on Defence Against the Dark Arts. Especially since Clara felt a presence around her, and after hearing a cough, she knew that she wasn't alone. The blonde glanced up quickly before looking back at her book, and she saw that the librarian was back. She wondered if he wanted her to leave. Clara squirmed in her seat, feeling awkward. She couldn't leave just yet, then everyone would see her blotchy face, and wet eyes. So she was shocked, when a pack of tissues came sliding down the table. Clara looked up properly this time, her confused look growing into a tiny smile when she saw the librarian had passed it down. She wondered why he did that, hardly anyone in the world would care enough about her, only her older sister. Her brothers would definitely tell her to harden up. Taking out a tissue, Clara whispered a 'thank-you', before wiping her cheeks, and dabbing her eyes. A small thought came into her head, that maybe that was his way of telling her to not get his books wet and she quickly looked down to make sure she hadn't ruined anything. Thankfully, most of the tears had dribbled off of her face onto her shirt, but boy, that was embarrassing! Now she had a blotchy face, and she had ruined her shirt! She was sure it would take awhile to dry, and Clara was thankful that she hadn't caved in to wearing make-up yet, as she was sure it would be all over her shirt if she had. Clara took another tissue to wipe the wet on her shirt, though it was done in vein as nothing happened. Sighing, the young Hufflepuff used the tissue to wipe her nose instead. She looked around and saw she didn't really have a place to put the tissue. It was now just a gross and snotty wet piece and she didn't want to gross anyone out. Not sure what to do, Clara tucked it up her sleeve, thinking she could throw it away later.
Hearing a voice again, Clara's eyes found their way to the librarian again, who was sitting opposite her. He had asked if she was okay, but Clara didn't know what to say. She wasn't feeling okay. But why? She didn't know. How could she tell someone that she was always miserable for no certain reason? Try as she might, she just couldn't will herself to be happy. Clara didn't know how to be happy. Thinking of this made her eyes well up again, and Clara grabbed another tissue, thankful for them being there. She buried her face in the tissue, overcome. She couldn't respond, even if she wanted to. Clara hoped the ground would open up right now and take her away.

 

[Stefan Archer]

Stefan was new to the library and new to dealing with students. He didn't have to do much. Most students were respectful of the library, others would just act and then leaving running out. Which Stefan was happy with since, it meant they'd left and he could fix whatever they'd done in peace. The one thing he hadn't really had to deal with just yet was the crying. Stefan didn't know what to do about crying. He always felt quite panicked, and usually the boy thought it was himself who had caused the person to start crying, even if it wasn't possible for him to have done such a thing. It was why, when he'd seen the young girl who'd looked upset he had give her the tissues while finishing off whatever else he had to do. He had planned to sit with her for a while, but he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. She seemed quite upset, and Stefan was no professor, he was not good at dealing with tears, much less that of a student. He didn't really have a funny streak, Stefan knew he wasn't very good at cracking jokes and all that. He wasn't a good person when it came to cheering people up. But, as he took a seat beside this girl, he realised he might just have to. She seemed incredibly upset, and while Stefan had work to do, and he could just leave her so that he could get it done, a part of him didn't want to. It wasn't the nice thing to do. And, while Stefan wasn't sure if she was crying because of something at home, like his tears had normally been caused by, to not have someone try to help felt pretty bad, and the librarian didn't want her to feel like that.

At his question, the girl seemed to break down further into tears. He was startled. He glanced around him, wondering what he could've possibly said to have caused this further break down. He was also sort of hoping he might catch an actual professor who had more training in dealing with this kind of stuff than he did. But, it appeared to Stefan as if he would be alone in dealing with this poor crying girl. He wasn't sure how good he'd be at it, since he'd clearly already made it worse for her, but he could try again. So the man, moved slightly closer to the girl. He wasn't sure if she would be alright with a pat on the back, or a gentle touch, but he decided none of those were probably right. "Hey, it's okay. It'll be okay" He told her with a small smile, not sure if those words really were the words to use in this situation. He didn't know, honestly this was a minefield to him. It was all so new, that he was sure only eventually would he get better at it. Hopefully, since he was sure that this would be the first of many times someone would burst into tears in the library. "You want to give me a hand with my work?" He asked her, reaching back over to where he'd been sitting before, and then pulling the books towards them. "It might help get your mind off whatever it is that's upsetting you. Plus, it's super easy" Stefan gave her a small smile, monotonous tasks usually made the former slytherin feel better, no matter what he was feeling before. "See, pesky students like to write in the library books, mostly in pencil, so I have the task of erasing it, you just open a book, and flick through it, getting rid of any pencil markings." He pushed a book towards her as well as an eraser. Hoping that this distraction might help the girl.
​

 

[Clara Zhefarovich]

Unfortunately for the young Hufflepuff, hearing a voice made her realize that the ground had not opened up, and she was still in the library. Clara was so incredibly embarrassed that she was having a break down in the library. She didn't even have a reason for her breakdown, apart from maybe the stress of exams getting to her. But it wasn't just today she felt like this. Most days were miserable days, but Clara was doing pretty well at holding it in. However, today just seemed to be the day where everything that was bottled up decided to explode. She just wished that it happened in her Dorm, where she could hide away and wait the tears out. Clara felt bad for crying with no reason. She was sure there were so many worse things in the world, and that people had actual reasons to be upset. It didn't make her feel any better, however the soft voice that spoke calmed her down slightly and she peeked up to see the Librarian looking at her. Clara wasn't sure what to respond when he asked if she wanted to help him with his work. He gave his reasons and Clara nodded, thinking it was worth a try. The blonde wasn't sure why anyone would write in library books, it wasn't theirs to do so. It also made her think why there weren't any spells or charms that could prevent the books from being written on. She pondered on how long it usually took for the librarian to get this job done, and speculated on whether he was just using her to get it done faster. Nevertheless, not one to turn down someone when they needed help, Clara took the eraser and began flicking through the pages. Even if the librarian was just using her for faster work completion, Clara was starting to feel grateful for the company, and for her to have something else to think of. She wasn't cramming knowledge into her head, or thinking about what a useless person she was. The Hufflepuff didn't want to concern her family, not that they would think to much of it, but she wondered if she should write to her sister and let her know how she was feeling. Maybe Rosa would have some sort of insight on how to get better.
Noticing that she had stopped crying and her breathing had steadied, Clara looked up at the librarian again. She felt bad that he had to deal with a emotional twelve year old and she wondered if any one else had ever broken down in a library before. Feeling overwhelmed again, Clara tried to clear her head and looked up at the librarian. "Thanks for sitting with me. And for the tissues and - yeah." She said softly, a small, weak smile on her face.

 

[Stefan Archer]

Stefan had become pretty good at discovering ways of calming himself down when he was particularly stressed out or upset. Some ways worked better than others, but it was working, doing work in the library which Stefan found to be the best method by which he was able to calm down. It wasn't often he actually got to help others get calm, or less upset. Stefan knew that the girl probably didn't want to talk about it, or maybe didn't know how to put it into words, so Stefan knew that distraction was just the next best thing for most. Although, as Stefan did suggest it, and pushed a book closer to the girl, he wondered if maybe she would not be as interested in helping him out. Sometimes, admittedly Stefan could claim that some things would just make him want to stay in bed all day. Things that nothing else could solve. He was sure that this girl did not have that currently. But, only time would tell. And, as the former slytherin noticed that the girl was taking the book and the eraser, beginning to go through the book getting rid of all the markings, he couldn't help but smile about it. It was a slow and somewhat boring task. But, it still required attention, so it kept the attention away from the thing which had been troubling her before. As he actually had to work through it himself, Stefan also grabbed a book and began to rub out the markings on each of the pages which had been left by students.

It was as always the case that as he worked, his mind just zoned out. He was just concentrating so much on the task which he had in front of him that he wasn't even thinking about others. He just let his mind focus and forget about everything around him. He didn't even notice that the girl beside him seemed to be getting better, calmer. It was maybe at times a little overwhelming this place, Stefan had found Hogwarts overwhelming, though that had been for slightly different reasons. He was sure that even for a person with a much more normal upbringing that this school, the people, just everything could be overwhelming. He looked back up when the girl spoke. He just smiled at her, at her words, shaking his head slightly. "It's no problem. I'm happy for the company" he told her as he continued to work through. He still wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it, so he decided maybe a different approach might be best. "So, what house are you in?" he asked her, glancing up from his work. He gave her an encouraging smile, while also turning his attention back to the book. While it would be good to get her to feel better and get comfortable, he still technically had work to do. He knew it wasn't the most important task, but it was slightly important. He was sure that doing both at once would help the girl be more comfortable.
​

 

[Clara Zhefarovich]

The young hufflepuff wondered if the librarian's hands ever got sore from rubbing all the pencil marks out. There were thousands of books in the library, and she wasn't sure if this was a job that was ever finished. But Clara supposed that if no one ever did it, then their books would be fill of pencil marks, and it would definitely be harder to study. The blonde made a silent promise to herself to keep an eye out to see if anyone was writing on the books. If she did, she would politely ask them to stop, and if they didn't, she would clean it for the librarian. He was kind enough to sit with her, and make her feel better, it was the least she could do. Besides, what a frustrating job, to erase something only to have more to erase tomorrow. Perhaps Clara could ask Rosa in her letter that she was planning on writing, if their dad or someone knew how to put a protective spell on the books to prevent this. She was too scared to approach the Headmistress about it, or even her Head of House, but maybe she could help somehow.
Clara smiled at the man when he said he was happy for the company. She wondered if he ever felt lonely. He seemed to well held together, she was sure that the man never had any problems in his life. He was probably a popular boy at school, and even now. He probably had a wife and kids, he seemed like a really lovely guy who had it all together. Clara inwardly sighed, no he probably didn't feel lonely. He was just being kind, and was thankful for the help with the tedious task; though Clara would never tell him it was tedious. "Hufflepuff." Clara replied softly as the man gave her a smile, which she returned. She was pleased to notice that her voice, while quiet, wasn't as shaky as it was when she had previously spoken. The task had obviously calmed her down, and Clara wondered if the man had put some sort of charm on her to make her relax. Looking up, Clara eyed the man warily, not sure if she liked being charmed without her permission. She wouldn't confront him though. The blonde wasn't sure it was too bad of a thing to be cheered up, but he could have asked first. Though, maybe she could come here everytime she was feeling down, and he could make her feel better. Or show her how to do it. That would be nice. Pushing a stray hair behind her ear, Clara spoke again. "I'm Clara." She tried to speak confidently, like she wasn't someone who you could just charm or hex, but her voice was still soft; though at least it wasn't wobbly.

 

[Stefan Archer]

Stefan didn't mind this task, it admittedly was boring and dull. It wasn't nice on the fingers really, and he was sure there was a spell that could do it much quicker than he ever could, but it didn't really matter to Stefan. He actually quite liked doing it. It was fairly easy for him to forget everything else, and when he was having a bad day, like this girl appeared to be that was the right time to do something like that. He knew that sometimes things got really stressful, and taking your mind off it was the easiest thing that could be done. It wasn't like this had been what he had truly wanted to do with his life, erasing the markings of students in school books was not the thing that he really wanted to do with his life, but really working in the library made him happy, so he was just content with doing the little jobs that he perhaps didn't like so much. Happily the librarian returned the smile to the girl. Stefan could really tell that the girl was much calmer than when he'd first sat down. His ever so slight gamble had been right. He had always though that maybe it was only him who would be calmed by such a thing. He hadn't really thought that it would be the same for others. He couldn't help but feel proud and happy that he had clearly made her feel less stressed out and upset, so much so that she had replied to his question. A hufflepuff, that was a good house. Kate had been a Hufflepuff. Stefan had never really understood why they were sorted into houses. He knew that had it not been for his slytherin, things would've been entirely different for him. Slytherin was cold and distant, the other houses seemed much nicer and warmer. He couldn't have dealt with such a starch contrast between what he was used to at home.

"I was a slytherin, but my girlfriend, she was a hufflepuf" he told her, hoping that she would not mind that he had been a slytherin while at school. He wasn't much like others from his old house. Stefan had always thought that he was much kinder than those of his house. He had some issues of course, he had been selfish during school, looking out for himself mostly above others, and also quite rude at times. He'd been secretive. He'd been a slytherin, but Stefan was nicer than that, and having left school, he was much happier now than he had been. He couldn't help but feel happy when she then introduced herself to him. Clara. Stefan smiled warmly at her, as he finished the page he was working on. "It's lovely to meet you Clara" he said to her, putting down the eraser and extending his hand to her so that she could shake it. It was polite, but also he felt like a little bit of formality might really help Clara continue to feel less stressed and alright. Stefan was not bothered by the fact that the hand he had extended to her was his scarred hand. "I'm Stefan" he said to her, the scars on his hands were just old remnants of his old life. They were mostly old and fairly faded, and only when Stefan was having a bad day did he even spare a thought for them. Currently he didn't even realise they were there. "You have a lovely name Clara" he complimented before going back to his work in front of him. "How are you enjoying Hogwarts?" He said to her with a small smile, going back to his work. Sparing a glance back at her whenever he could, as he did continue with his work.
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[Clara Zhefarovich]

Uh oh. Was the immediate thought that fluttered through Clara's head. He was a Slytherin. That definitely meant she had a charm put on her. It was a weird choice that he had made. She wondered if it was some sort of manipulation. Like, I did this for you, now you have to do this for me. Clara shifted uncomfortably. The blonde had never met a nice Slytherin before. Each one she had met was nasty, and unforgiving. She wouldn't have picked this man in front of her as a Slytherin. He had seemed so nice. But Clara shouldn't be judging him for a House. She only hoped that he wouldn't make her do his work for him, or any chores. Though, if she felt better for it, was it really so wrong?
Besides, his girlfriend was a Hufflepuff. That had to mean that he was okay. But there were definitely lots of different types of Hufflepuffs too. Though, if there were different types of Hufflepuffs, then there were bound to be different types of Slytherins. Clara stared at the hand that the librarian had offered out. However, she felt a small sense of calm as he introduced himself with his name. She supposed it would be different if he had introduced himself with a Professor in front of it or something. Clara listened as the man named Stefan spoke. He didn't say much, and Clara appreciated it. Her mind was all over the place and she wasn't quite sure what she was even thinking, or how she felt about the man called Stefan. Clara swallowed and shook his hand quickly before glancing back down at her work, and continuing to erase pencil markings. She let the compliment of her name soar over her head. She didn't really do anything to get a nice name, Clara was unsure she even deserved it. The blonde was unsure what to respond when the librarian - Stefan - asked how she was enjoying Hogwarts. How was she enjoying Hogwarts? The Hufflepuff supposed it was going good, but she wasn't really making the most of it. She was too busy wallowing in self pity. A frown lingered on Clara's face. "It's, uh, it's, yes, I'm enjoying it." Clara rambled out, sneaking a peek at the Stefan man before quickly looking back down. "Did you, enjoy it?" She asked timidly.

 

[Stefan Archer]

The former Slytherin had never been like most people in his house. Not that that was a good or a bad thing. He had found a strange sort of home in Slytherin despite the way people there had disliked his blood being amongst them. Stefan had however found that Hogwarts, and Slytherin had honestly been the best option for him. At the time he had thought it strange, he had heard stuff about the house on the train coming to Hogwarts, but he had been surprised by it. In all his years as a Slytherin he had never once been bothered while in Slytherin. The house had essentially left him alone during all his years. He hadn't bothered with people and they hadn't bothered with him. He had been able to deal with his issues slowly and in his own time rather than dealing with them in a house like Gryffindor or Hufflepuff which might've had a much more hands approach to what Stefan had been dealing with during his time at Hogwarts. All in all, despite his early worries, and the amount of explaining he sometimes did to tell people he wasn't like the others in his house for Stefan, it had been the best fit. He had always believed that really at the end of the day, houses were the silliest thing that Hogwarts had. Splitting people up like that so young, depending on their personality. It was a strange system really. This young hufflepuff girl beside her, was perhaps dealing with something that her house couldn't understand. Couldn't have prepared for her.

Focusing on his work in front of him, Stefan offered a small smile to the girl every so often. Clara, as she was called, did have a lovely name. Stefan just smiled at her as the compliment appeared to go over her head. Not that it mattered really. It was all good to him. He was just trying to keep her calm. So that she would stop crying. He didn't like seeing people cry, his almost always jumped to the worst possible scenario, though this girl seemed to be fine. As in, not hurt. Though it was clear something had been wrong. Or was. He didn't know what, and Stefan figured he probably wouldn't ever really know what. Not that it mattered each person was dealing with their own amount of issues, and none were less important than anyone else's. Stefan looked up from what page he was working on as she spoke. She didn't seem too sure about it. She was almost frowning as she said this. But, it was no matter. He smiled warmly at her, when she looked up at him, encouraging her to tell him more if she wanted to. Of course the question was turned to him, and Stefan glanced down at his book. Hogwarts had been everything to Stefan. It had saved his life really. There was no easier way of putting it. Despite all the bad which had happened, and leaving, Hogwarts was still the best thing that had happened to him. However, this didn't mean that he had particularly enjoyed it. It had been good, he had made friends and had some good experiences but a lot had happened while he'd been at the school.

"Yes, and no" he started pausing from his work to think about how to follow that, looking at Clara and giving her a small smile. "I had fun while at school, I did enjoy it, but my life at home was tricky. Turbulent, even." he wanted to tell her, that it was okay to have some bad days. That not every day at the school would be perfect. It was okay to admit that you weren't having fun, or enjoying it as much as perhaps believing that you should be. "It made things difficult at school." Stefan didn't think that tell the girl anything more would help her, it seemed pointless. Not to mention he was sure she didn't really want to know about it. It was just good that one of the methods that he'd discovered which helped him calm down was one of the ways in which it help Clara also calm down. It was a method he used a lot more being outside of school rather than when he'd been in school. "If I've learned anything since graduating is that it's okay to admit to having not always enjoyed this place. It can be quite intense. Overwhelming." He told her as he finished the page, glancing over at her and smiling. Hoping that his words might provide some comfort to her. Stefan was always happy to help others, and he knew that he would always try and help Clara if she came back to the library at any point. Especially if she was upset.
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Admittedly this could've been better..