Chords

[Analei Westwick]

It had been awhile since Analei had been to the Arts Room. It wasn't somewhere she ventured often, and the year so far had been a hectic one. She was beginning to regret taking all of the classes, though it had seemed like a good idea and she was grateful to be able to learn about all the subjects. Analei figured she'd visit her Head of House at the end of the year, and ask them exactly what she needed to become an Auror. She felt bad that she would be dropping some classes, but she'd rather be the best in the few things, than struggle with them all. This morning, however, she was taking a break. She had strolled around the castle a bit, not entirely sure what to do with herself, but knowing it needed to be something other than studying, Analei eventually found her way to the Arts room. The last time she was there, there was a boy that had played amazing music. The Hufflepuff made her way to the piano, and sat down in front of it, running her fingers over the keys, but having no idea what to do or where to start. How did one even learn to play such beautiful music? Analei pressed her finger on one of the keys, smiling as it played a sound. She tried all the different keys, listening to what each one sounded like, but wishing she could play a song instead. Analei knew that the notes were sometimes played together, so she tried a couple at the same time, wincing at the sound that came out.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

All the pieces of Edmund's world had fallen down around him, and nothing Edmund did felt real anymore. For the first time in his entire life, he was truly alone, walking in a bubble isolated from everything happening around him. The only thing left that brought Edmund any joy was the only thing he had never shared with his brother. Music was Edmund's home, and when all else had failed him, music was always there to return to. He had been spending more and more time in the arts room recently, his only sanctuary in this entire miserable school, and today, Edmund desperately needed it. He had knocked one of the pinboards of moths he had set up next to his new bed off the wall today, and it reminded him of the time running around the castle collecting insects with his brother. Edmund needed to escape that sorrow, needed to do something for himself. His heart sank, then, when he opened the arts room door to atonal plunking at the piano. Someone had beaten him here, and they had no idea what they were doing. Hoping it was some bored student he could just scare away, Edmund decided to press on into the room regardless, surprised when he saw who was sitting at the piano. He hadn't spoken to the girl he met here in a long time, but the meeting had left some impact on him. She had been interesting to talk to, and not afraid of him, unlike so many of his other peers. Deciding to take a chance, Edmund approached the piano slowly. "That's not quite how chords work." He commented by way of greeting. "I could show you, if you like." Piano lessons were certainly something Edmund could provide. If he was very lucky, perhaps he could walk out of today with a single, lone friend to call his own.

 

[Analei Westwick]

A voice made Analei look up, surprised to see someone else there. She smiled when she saw who it was, what a weird twist of fate that it was the same boy that she had met last time. Analei laughed at his first comment, nodding her head in agreement. Analei beamed, when the boy offered to show her how to properly "do" chords, shuffling over and gesturing for him to sit. "Well, you are the master!" Analei said, before offering her hand to him. "I'm Analei, by the way." She hoped that he would teach her, and have the patience to teach her. It would be great for her to learn something new, something outside of her studies.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund was relieved when the girl smiled at the sight of him, glad that she remembered him, and Theodore hadn't somehow managed to ruin this friendship for him as well. He took the seat she offered, a small surprised laugh escaping him. "I don't know about master." He said gently. Edmund took her hand a little nervously, moving three of her fingers to the keys and pressing them down together. "That's a C major, the notes are C, E, and G." He pointed out the keys as he spoke, pausing when the girl introduced herself. "I'm Edmund." He responded, then hesitated. As much as he would like to forget, Edmund didn't feel safe simply introducing himself anymore. "My brother is Theodore. We're identical, so... if we've spoken any time other than the last time you saw me playing, that wasn't me." As much as he didn't want to risk it, Edmund didn't want any more connections torn apart by Theodore sullying his name. Apparently they weren't as easy to tell apart as he had hoped, and Edmund didn't want to risk Theodore ruining anything else for him.

 

[Analei Westwick]

Analei smiled when the boy denied being a master. To her, he was! He had managed to play so well when they first met, even playing without looking at the keys. It was amazing. Analei felt her cheeks blush slightly when he lifted her hand, and moved them. Analei hadn't ever held hands with a boy, she was comfortable with Arvel, but other than that, touch was not a sense she was quite used to. She liked it. His name rung a bell...it took a moment before it clicked over in her head that this was the boy that dumped Diana. She had a moment of hesitation, before realizing she had no reason to not like this boy...she didn't have any ties or holds with Diana. But - what was she even thinking? She didn't like Edmund. Just because he touched her hand. Analei shook her head, happy though, that he remembered her from the last time they had met. "I didn't even know you had a twin - that's awesome! You guys must get mistaken for each other all the time." Analei replied with a smile, her hands still on the C Major chord.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund smiled, pleased that Analei had listened to him about the chord, and tried to think of something else easy to show her. He had been playing for so long now that it was difficult to remember what he had studied as a beginner, though he had heard dad teaching enough beginners to have a vague idea. Before Edmund could introduce any new ideas though, Analei responded to his comment about brothers, and her remark struck Edmund to his core, pulling his hand away quickly as though burned. "Sometimes." He said, tension in his voice as he looked away. "Theodore is... not a nice person." It wasn't worth mentioning that Edmund himself was probably not an especially nice person either. He was quite aware of this about himself, but perhaps to make a friend he would have to be less than truthful.

 

[Analei Westwick]

Edmund pulled his hand away, and Analei quickly looked at him, wondering what she had done wrong. Perhaps she was just overthinking it, maybe he was just giving her a chance to play the chord by herself. This one didn't seem too hard, but she wondered about some of the others, where she was sure her fingers didn't stretch that far. Edmund continued talking, though not looking at her. Analei bit her lip at the tone of his voice, looking back at the keyboard. "Sorry." Analei muttered, stretching to try to find something else to talk about. "Uhh - am I still doing this part right?"

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund was desperately relieved when Analei didn't ask any more questions about Theodore, looking down at her hand instead and nodding. "Good job." He said gently, looking over the piano as he tried to think of something else to talk about, anything to avoid thinking about his brother. "The notes repeat in sequences of eight as you move up the white keys, so as long as you're starting from the key to the left of the grouping of two black keys, this chord will always be the same, just in different octaves." He said, playing another C an octave down to demonstrate. "Generally, the left hand plays chords, and the right hand plays melody."

 

[Analei Westwick]

Analei grinned when he nodded and replied, grateful that she hadn't already mucked it up. She listened to him as he spoke, her eyes widening a tad, trying to let all the information sink in, but kind of making sense of it when he played the same chord as her, just further down. Analei nodded her head, showing she understood. "Okay, so left hand and right hand." She commented, wondering why she had even said that as soon as it came out of her mouth. She knew that. Duh. "Guess I'll have to learn to be co-ordinated." Analei tried to joke. "I might have to bring a notebook to the next practice session." Analei continued, before quickly looking at Edmund. "Oh, that is, if there will be another session. There doesn't have to be. I just assumed. But - yeah." Analei stumbled over her words, feeling her cheeks heat up again.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund nodded as she repeated what he had said, and laughed softly at her comment about coordination. It was the first time he had laughed since the breakup, and even under normal circumstances Edmund was hardly accustomed to laughing out of humour, rather than cruelty. He had always thought he had a rather weird laugh, when he wasn't chuckling at someone's misfortune, and he stifled himself quickly, listening as Analei went on. His amusement quickly turned to surprise though, as she started talking about next sessions. "Are you... asking me for piano lessons?" He asked slowly, trying to process this. It was an unexpected development, but thinking about it, not something Edmund was opposed to. He had spent enough time practicing with dad and listening to him give lessons that he ought to be prepared, right? And this would be a good way to guarantee a friend. "If you would like, I would be happy to teach you."

 

[Analei Westwick]

Analei smiled when Edmund laughed, glad that she hadn't completely embarrassed herself in front of him. But his question after her blabbering managed to get her breath hitched in her throat, he was going to think she was such a fool. Of course he wouldn't want to, she was just a Third Year and he a Fourth, he probably didn't have any time on his hands to teach someone like her anyway. The thoughts rushed through her head until Edmund spoke, saying he would teach her. "Only if you want - I mean, I would love that - but - only if you want." She finished lamely.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund hadn't expected anything like this to come of his day, but as he thought about it, he found he rather liked the idea of teaching someone piano. It would mean he would have a friend to himself, a reason to spend time sequestered in the art room without being lonely for it, and it would be a chance to see how much he had picked up from his father about teaching. When Analei asked again, he nodded more certainly this time. "It could be fun, I think." He said, with an attempt at what he hoped looked like a normal smile. "We can start with the basics and see how quickly you pick it up. I can ask my father to send me some of his beginners material as well."

 

[Analei Westwick]

Analei smiled at the boy as he smiled at her, agreeing to teach her. Spending more time with Edmund certainly wasn't a bad thing, and getting some music lessons out of it was just the silver lining - though she'd tell anyone else the opposite. Music was definitely the reason she was there. "That would be amazing - really? Thank you so much." Analei beamed, before looking back down at the piano. "I usually pick up things quickly, so hopefully it won't be too painful. I will bring a notebook next time though - so I can practice - when you are busy." She felt as if she was saying the obvious. Analei put her hand on what she thought was the chord again, looking back at Edmund. "This was it - right?"

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund was pleased when Analei thanked him, the unfamiliar smile on his face growing wider. He certainly had never expected himself to follow in his father's footsteps teaching music, but in this case he found he quite liked the idea. The obnoxious children father usually taught seemed a bit much to Edmund, but Analei was sensible, and eager to learn. Hopefully, this would be fun, and give him something to look forward to for the first time in a while. Edmund nodded when she said she would bring a notebook, thinking quickly about the state of his own trunk. "A notebook is a good idea. I have a blank music book you can have too, for writing down notation in. Learning to read music may take a while, but we'll work on it." He was pleased to hear that she was a quick learner, and willing to practice on her own too. Father often complained of children pretending they had practiced when they had clearly done no such thing. He watched as Analei demonstrated the chord again, nodding in approval. "Good memory." He smiled. "Shall we go through the keys in order to start with? How much do you already know about music?" It seemed most likely that she didn't play any instruments, but Edmund wanted to be certain of where they were starting from in terms of theory.

 

[Analei Westwick]

Analei beamed again when he mentioned that he had a blank music book for her, nodding her head when he said that they'll work on reading music. She was excited that he was getting into this as well, it definitely didn't feel like a one way agreement. Whether or not he liked her yet, she was sure she would soon win him around. Simon who?
When he praised her for her memory, Analei sat up a little straighter, feeling proud of herself. She nodded her head when he suggested they went through the keys, though feeling a blush again when he asked about what she knew, letting out a small chuckle. "It sounds....pretty? And this is the C Major Chord?" Analei offered, giving him a sly grin.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund found himself laughing again at her comment, the second sincere laugh he could remember in a long time. It threw into contrast how miserable he had been the last few months, how different simple happiness felt. "Both correct." Edmund smiled, then turned his attention to the keys. "This being a C major chord, the root key is C." He said, playing the C by itself. "So a C major scale goes C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. You start and end each octave on the same note." Edmund explained, demonstrating each note as he named it. "Learning the C major scale is a good way to learn which white key is which note, because there are no sharps or flats, so we don't have to worry about the black keys. Musical notes follow the alphabet from A to G and then repeat, so every time you get to G, the next note returns to the beginning at A. Does that make sense?" Edmund paused, remembering to leave her time to ask questions.

 

[Analei Westwick]

Analei grinned at Edmund's laugh. Why hadn't she gotten to know him earlier? Probably because he was with Diana - but she pushed that thought aside. Analei was happy to just get to know Edmund, and just be friends with him. She pushed herself to focus on what Edmund was saying, her eyes following as he showed each note. She found it weird that it was only A-G, and that each note didn't have a specific name, but it did make sense, and certainly made it easier for her to remember. Analei nodded her head when he asked if it made sense, and she played each note, saying the name of it as she went. She let her finger linger over one of the black keys. "So, this is a flat? Or sharp?" Analei asked, looking at Edmund.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund watched Analei repeat what he had taught her, nodding in approval. It seemed she had been accurate about being a fast learner, and Edmund was glad to hear it. He paused as she pressed one of the black keys, nodding as he explained. "That one is G sharp. Or A flat, technically, but nobody calls it that. Sharps and flats are extra half steps between some of the keys, but we won't worry about them for today. I'll teach you an easy song that just uses the white keys, to get used to playing them." Edmund rested his right hand on the keys, quickly remembering the simple melody he had been so fond of as a child. After some time of repeating the movements over and over again, before long he had Analei following along as they played 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider' together. "Very well done." Edmund said after he had lost count of the repetitions. "That's probably enough to learn for today..." He said hesitantly. The lesson had been surprisingly enjoyable, and he didn't really want it to end, but Edmund din't want to overload Analei either. "How was that?"

 

[Analei Westwick]

Analei nodded her head as an okay when Edmund told her they wouldn't worry about the black keys. She wanted to know everything, but tried to remind herself that things took time to learn. It was hard for her to learn about something that she had zero knowledge in, but this was why she was learning - right?
Analei followed Edmund's lead as he taught her to play a song. It was an amazing feeling when she finally got it right, when they played together and it sounded perfect. She grinned and looked at her teacher when he praised her. She was a bit disappointed that it was over, but she turned her body slightly anyway, to talk properly to him. "It was awesome - you're an amazing teacher." Analei said with a grin. "I'm sure I'll be playing - that - funeral song in no time." Analei said, not remembering what the song's name was. "Have you taught many people how to play?"

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund couldn't quite help but smile at the praise. He didn't think anyone had ever referred to anything he did as 'awesome' before, and though it wasn't a word he would choose himself, he found he rather liked it coming from Analei. He was surprised that she remembered what he had been playing when they last met, nodding. "Chopin's prelude in E-minor?" He asked, reaching forward to play the opening couple of bars for her. "It's not an easy piece, but not one of his most difficult ones either. I can teach you it once you're confident playing with both hands at once." Edmund removed his hands from the keys as he spoke, trying to remember when he had learned it. Analei's question distracted him though, and he shook his head. "Nobody, though I assisted my brother when we were younger. Our father is a piano teacher though, I've learned a lot from him."

 

[Analei Westwick]

Edmund said a name of a song, and Analei shrugged her shoulders. "Uh, sure!" She answered, before nodding her head when he played a few of the bars. She smiled as she watched him play for a bit, before focusing back on what he was saying. Playing with both hands at once seemed tricky, but she was determined to do it, and to do it well, and though she knew that it was because she liked to do everything well, this was mostly because of wanting to impress Edmund. "You might have to assist me as well." Analei said, before inwardly cringing at her words. How did people even flirt? She was awful. Analei quickly grasped at another topic to hide her awkwardness. "So, what does your mother do?"