Closed Comics For Days

[Stan Beckett]

He had been the luckiest kid alive when he went to breakfast that morning. Not one or two or three owls delivered his mail that morning, but four, and all of them were carrying brown packages. It had been the comics he'd left at home. While Stanislaw was happy that his parents had sent him his most prized possessions, it hadn't come with a note. After talking with Allie about it, and coming to the conclusion that they probably hadn't received his letter yet, the boy's mind was put to ease. It had been difficult to concentrate on lessons that day, however, what with his mind being occupied with which comic he should read first now that he had all of them again. After he was dismissed from his last class, the Gryffindor practically ran his way up to the common room. He had chosen which comic to read first and knew just the place where he could do that. He found the Student Lounge on his first day when he went exploring the school with Allie, but with classes and homework hadn't had the chance to stop by and check the room out. With his issue of 'The Dark Knight Returns', and five other comic books, the boy entered the lounge and glanced around for a bit before settling himself in a chair close to the fireplace. He wouldn't leave this place until he had read at least all six of them.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas had been pretty amazed with the huge library at Hogwarst, and had immediately wanted to borrow all the different books on subjects he didn't know about yet. But he had soon gotten overwhelmed, in the end he'd just grabbed two he could carry and took them out of the library. He would return there later, but it was all a bit much. The boy ended up in the student lounge instead looking around for a spot to sit down and look through the two books he had brought. There was a boy sitting by himself, but what caught Lucas' eye was what the boy was reading. It was a comic book! Lucas approached with a shy smile, putting his books down. "I didn't know wizards read batman." He said excitedly. "Do the comics move in the wizarding world?!"

 

[Stan Beckett]

Stanislaw hadn't noticed the other boy until he spoke. It startled him a little, as he had forgotten all about where he was whilst he was reading, too engrossed in whatever was happening in the book. He shrugged at the boy's question and looked down at the one he was holding onto, not seeing any panels moving. He had seen that the pictures in the wizarding newspaper were moving, however, but not his comics, they only moved in his imagination. ''I do not know that,'' the Gryffindor said honestly, wondering if he looked hard enough that they might indeed move. ''I was not raised in this world,'' Stanislaw added for some clarification. ''Are you a... Muggle too?'' He still found himself having trouble remembering all those odd terms people here used daily but luckily he had his friend helping him out with this. ''You read Batman comics also?'' he asked, sitting up straight.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas looked at the comic the boy was reading, and was disappointed to see it all look the same as usual. He blinked as the boy said he didn't know. He then clarified he wasn't raised in this world. Lucas broke into a smile, feeling a sense of relief. "Me neither!" He said eagerly. "I mean, I'm not a muggle. I'm a wizard now." He said after a moment. "Isn't muggle kind of a weird word? I don't know if I like it." He mused as he sat down next to the boy. "I haven't read many, but I recognize it. I had a few spider man comics at home." He added as the boy asked him. "But I'm more into fantasy books. Like the Hobbit." He looked at the boy curiously. "What's your name? I'm Lucas."

 

[Stan Beckett]

Stanislaw continued to look down at his comic book every so often in the hope that, when he did, the panels would move. It made him wonder if the wizarding world had comics as well, comics that had their images move, and where he could buy such comics. Allie had told him that students were allowed to go shopping in the village near the castle, perhaps there would be a shop there that sold comics. He'd have to find out. He furrowed his brow when the other boy smiled, though immediately smiled himself when the boy clarified that he was a wizard now. Another person not raised in the wizarding world, that was good, he thought he was one of the only ones in their year. ''Is it not a nice word?'' the Gryffindor asked curiously. He hadn't thought it was when people explained it to him. He liked Spider-Man, so when the boy told him, Stanislaw smiled widely. He knew the Hobbit, his stepfather had tried to read it to him once, though without success as he kept falling asleep. ''Do you know the Witcher?'' Stanislaw asked, naming the first fantasy book that came to mind. ''My name is Stan,'' he added to it, smiling at the other boy. ''You are not in Gryffindor, are you? I have not seen you around.'' He tried to mask his accent as much as he could but it was difficult to do so with certain words.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas smiled at the other boy, glad to have someone else like him around. He shrugged at the question. "I'm sure it is, but it's a word for non wizards. We are wizards or we wouldn't be here." He told the Gryffindor firmly. "And ...well, it sounds a little silly. Right?" He wondered if it was just him. Lucas faltered at the boy's next question. "Uh, I think I've heard of it. But I don't think that's a book for our age." He said, vaguely remembering seeing it in the bookstore once. "Probably too difficult to understand." He added, though he was pretty curious now. "Do you think it's about the real magical world? Because it's called witcher?" He asked, the theory forming in his mind immediately. Maybe it had been some witch or wizard writing about the real magical world for muggles, as they wouldn't know it was all real. "No I'm not in Gryffindor. I'm in Hufflepuff." He said with a smile. "What's Gryffindor like?"

 

[Stan Beckett]

He nodded his head at the other boy's statement, the word sounded a little silly indeed. But he still wasn't convinced about whether or not it was a bad word. They were wizards, that much was true. Perhaps he should just ignore it from now on. ''It is very popular where I come from,'' the Gryffindor said. It was meant for people a bit older than him, but he had pleaded with his parents to buy the first book for him after he found out that people in his class were reading it also. He liked it, the fantasy aspect of the story was well thought out and the characters were really interesting. ''I can tell you about it if you don't want to read it, or I can give you my... eh... copy of the first book. It has some... naughty things in there but the monster fighting is really fun to read.'' Whether Stanislaw truly understood the books, well, he didn't really care about the political bits. ''It could be? My friend told me that this world has creatures in it also,'' he answered and started to wonder if the writer was like him also and if there were witchers in this world, too. Stanislaw thought so, as he hadn't seen Lucas amongst the other boys in the dormitory. ''Gryffindor is fun, the other boys are very friendly. Someone snores, that is not that fun. What if Hufflepuff like?'' he asked in return.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas nodded when the boy said it was very popular where he was from. Lucas remembered it was from... Europe, maybe? Which would make sense with the boy's accent. "Where are you from?" He asked curiously. His eyes widened when the boy said he'd read it, and he was a lot cooler in his mind now. Lucas beamed. "Would you let me borrow it?" He asked eagerly, always looking for more interesting fantasy stories to consume. He nodded when the boy said this world had creatures in it. "I know! The professor for transfiguration can turn into a dog, did you know?" He asked, still very much impressed by that occurrence in the lesson. He laughed as Stan talked about someone snoring in his house. He smiled, thinking of the cozy Hufflepuff common room and dormitory. "Hufflepuff is great, everyone's very nice and it's all like... yellow and cozy." He said, thinking. "I don't think anyone in my dorm snores, unless it's me..."

 

[Stan Beckett]

Stanislaw smiled when the other boy asked where he was from and proudly responded with, ''I am from Poland.'' He hadn't met anyone from Poland yet so until he did Stanislaw would happily represent his country in this unfamiliar country. ''Of course, if you promise to return it once you have read it.'' It had been one of the lasts gifts his parents had given him before they... well before they sent him on the Hogwarts Express, so in some way, he held his version of the first book dear to him. His eyes spread wide as Lucas told him that the transfiguration professor could turn himself into a dog. ''What? Really?! No way, you are joking!'' Stanislaw exclaimed. He had only heard of such abilities in books and movies, but to for that to actually exist in the world, this world, was absolutely mind-blowing. He continued to listen to the other boy as he went on about what his own house was like, but found it difficult to concentrate on anything else other than the transfiguration professor being able to turn himself into a dog. ''How do you know that he can turn himself into a dog? Did you see this in class? I haven't seen anyone doing that in class? Is transfiguration only for Hufflepuff, or will we get to see it too?'' he asked, all at once.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas smiled at the boy's statement. "Oh, that's cool." He said with a nod. "Pretty far away, right? I'm just from New Zealand." He thought it was pretty cool, but he also was fascinated by everyone from other countries. "Of course I will return it!" He said earnestly, nodding. He was happy that the boy was suitably impressed by the fact that they had a teacher that could turn into a dog. "I'm not joking!" He said with a laugh. "He did it in class. Like, we walked in and there was just a dog sitting in the classroom, and then he turned into the teacher and started teaching." He said, happy to be able to impress with this information. "I have Transfiguration with Ravenclaw now, so I think Gryffindor and Slytherin will have it next semester? I think that's how it works." Lucas didn't think some subjects were only for one house, though maybe that happened in the upper years?

 

[Stan Beckett]

He nodded when Lucas asked if it was pretty far away. It had taken them more than enough hours in a plane to get to New Zealand. ''It is nice here. I saw a lot of beautiful things when we were on the train.'' Stanislaw said in return. He would like to go and explore this foreign country at some point during the break in between years - maybe he could ask one of his Gryffindor friends to show him around sometime. It was settled then, he would give the other boy his version of the first book the next time he saw him. He sat there with his mouth ajar, listening attentively as the Hufflepuff was telling him how they found the Transfiguration professor as a dog and how the man had turned into a human and just started teaching them. He would have to see this for himself. Maybe Stanislaw could visit the professor's office and ask if he wanted to transform himself into a dog in front of the boy. It was crazy to know that such a thing actually existed in this world. It made him wonder which other straight-out-of-a-fantasy book things existed in this strange world. ''I hope that we have it next semester, it sounds awesome already! What do they teach you in Transfiguration?'' he asked curiously.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas nodded proudly when Stan said his country was beautiful. He had to agree, and thought it was cool that the Gryffindor got to experience a new country, it was like an adventure! While Lucas thought it was amazing this whole world and amazing school were in the same country he'd grown up in, he was a little bit envious about that part too. "Is Poland very different?" He asked curiously, wondering if the boy had needed a lot of time to adjust or not. He smiled as the boy seemed enthusiastic about Transfiguration, Lucas himself also thought it was really cool. "Yeah, I think so!" He said. "And we learn how to turn one thing into another, I think that's what Transfiguration means."

 

[Stan Beckett]

Stanislaw shrugged when Lucas asked him of Poland was different. ''I do not know this country well enough to say such a thing. But in Poland, the weather is not as nice some times,'' he answered. One thing that stood out was how green New Zealand seemed to be compared to Poland, or at least the places he had been to in Poland, which weren't that many come to think of it. ''Sorry, I did not know that was the meaning of the word.'' A little embarrassed by this, the Gryffindor moved onto another subject quickly. ''Do you have other classes that I do not have?'' He couldn't remember if he had ever seen Lucas in one of his classes before, though it was quite difficult to do so with so many of them in one classroom.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas nodded when the boy mentioned the weather being less nice in Poland. He guessed it was colder there, and snowier. That's how he pictured it, though he didn't really know that for sure. "Is it weird to have the opposite seasons here?" He asked Stan, as he remembered it was different in Europe. Lucas laughed a little. "I didn't know either!" He said, reassuring him. "I'm still not really sure." He added. "Uh, I have history, herbology, charms and flying. But you have flying for sure." He said. "And I think we have charms together?" He said, trying to think back to his classes.

 

[Stan Beckett]

''It is very hard to keep track of things like opposite seasons,'' the Gryffindor answered. ''But my friend is teaching me every difference between New Zealand and Poland.'' Which he was really happy about because there was no way that he could figure it all out by himself what with how busy they were with homework and such. He was visibly happy to hear that Lucas didn't know it either and that he still didn't know for sure. It was taking him some time to understand everything properly, though he was slowly starting to automatically translate some things to English in his head. ''Oh, I am sorry, now it sounds like I do not pay attention to my fellow students. The truth is that it all gets a little... too much at times. I feel like I am busier translating what the professors are saying than paying attention to what is happing.'' he told Lucas, hoping that the other boy would not be upset or whatever for not having noticed him in their shared classes before.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas smiled. "Oh, cool. Who is your friend?" He asked, trying not to think about Seb, his own best friend who he was very angry at now. It would have been great to ask him about all the things around here, but he wasn't going to talk to him now. Lucas hadn't meant to make the boy feel bad about not noticing him in class, and thought his reason for not paying attention to everyone was a very good one. He shook his head. "That's okay. I'm impressed you can follow the lectures." He said honestly. "If you have to translate it all." Lucas didn't speak any language but English and a bit of Maori, and he couldn't imagine having to translate everything in a lecture.

 

[Stan Beckett]

Stanislaw smiled when Lucas asked him who his friend was. ''Allison Beckett. She is that weird girl who sits next to me in classes. Do you know her?'' he asked, meaning the 'weird' part in the most positive form. He would not trade Allie for anything in the world, even if her odd relationship with her sister was starting to annoy him. He smiled again. ''It does help that the teachers do not mind any spelling mistakes I make in my homework assignments,'' he told the other boy. ''I do not think that I would have done half as well if they did.'' It would be a challenge for the professors to decipher his handwriting for sure, so he was glad that all of the professors who had taught him up until this point all seemed to be rather cool with it. He would have needed Allison to help him out even more, which he did not want as she was already helping him enough.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas wasn't sure why Stan called his friend weird, but he simply smiled and nodded. "Uh, yeah I think I do. Is it her sister that's in my house?" He remembered a very similar name in his own house, but thought she wasn't the girl that sat with Stan in classes. He nodded as the boy said teachers were lenient with spelling mistakes, he guessed that would be nice as it wasn't really air to give him a hard time about those. "It's not really about spelling anyway, it's about magic." He said with a grin. "I bet as long as you do that stuff right, it's totally fine." He greatly preferred Hogwarts to his old school, as basically everything that they were taught was a lot of fun.

 

[Stan Beckett]

''Yes, she is, and I think that their... cousin, yes, cousin, is as well.'' It was a weird family but they had shown him the ropes pretty much from day one and for that Stanislaw would be forever grateful. He nodded at Lucas' words and grinned too. Of course, it was all about the magic, but getting those extra house points to make up for those that he had lost would also be nice. Especially since the Gryffindor liked to break certain rules as well, having some extra points behind his name wouldn't hurt at all. He wondered for a moment if he should ask Lucas if he had broken any school rules already, he didn't really seem like the type to him that would do so, but mayhaps they could break them together in the future. ''Have you seen the school at night?'' Stanislaw asked carefully.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas took a moment to make the connection, but then he nodded. "Casper?" He asked, as he thought he remembered seeing them together too. "Okay." He was a little jealous of those who got to have family members at Hogwarts with them. That probably would have helped him feel less isolated. He frowned a little at Stan's question. "You mean at sorting?" He asked carefully. "I heard we get to have Astronomy at night." He added, wondering if that was what Stan meant.

 

[Stan Beckett]

Stanislaw nodded. ''Yes, Casper!'' He liked the Hufflepuff, he was very different from the twins. He was a breath of fresh air sometimes. If it wasn't for the Becketts, though, Stanislaw would probably be wandering around the school alone most of the time. He gave Lucas a questioning look before shaking his head, wondering if the other boy genuinely didn't catch what he was asking. ''I do not mean at sorting, I mean after the curfew. You know, when are supposed to be in bed and not outside of the common room.''

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas nodded when Stan confirmed it was Casper. He hadn't really made the connection between Casper and the twins yet until Stan had just pointed it out. He didn't really know the girls that well, but guessed they had to be nice. Lucas hadn't understood what Stan was asking, but now he did. He shook his head quickly. "No... I haven't done that." He said quietly, wondering if Stan would think of him as lame. He had never really thought to challenge the curfew rule. "Why? Have you?"

 

[Stan Beckett]

He smirked. ''Me? Oh, no! I could never do such a thing alone, I am too much of a coward,'' the Gryffindor told the other boy. ''That is why I think that you and my should do it together.'' Naturally, ever the rulebreaker, Stanislaw had already broken the curfew rule along with his best friend. But they hadn't managed to see everything they wanted to see yet, and so he was planning his next nightly adventure. ''Hogwarts is really pretty and quiet at night. It is something that you should, eh, what's the word... experience?'' he said. ''And I have not been caught by anyone, yet, so I would be a hundred percent sure that neither will we, if you will join me, of course.''

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas' eyes widened as Stan suggested going out past curfew together. "Oh. Uh." He said hesitantly. "I don't know." He said, shuffling his feet a little awkwardly. He wanted to be this boy's friend, and didn't want him to think he was lame, but... he didn't really see the point in this. Stan tried to convince him by telling him Hogwarts was really pretty and quiet at night, but to Lucas it just seemed like it would be kind of scary, a dark castle at night. "Wait, so you have gone before?" He asked, as Stan said he hadn't been caught yet. Hadn't he said earlier that he hadn't? Lucas frowned a bit, confused.

 

[Stan Beckett]

Ah, so it appeared that he misspoke himself in his attempt to convince Lucas to join him into walking around the castle at night. Well, nevermind, Stanislaw could still work with it. ''Alright, alright, I have gone before. Believe me, it is worth it. And it is not really that scary, it easy to avoid the people walking around if you know how to be quiet.'' He didn't actually know if that was the reason as to why he hadn't been caught by a Prefect yet, it was probably all just luck, but he wasn't going to tell Lucas that. ''All the big creatures live in the forest and we know Lumos, so there is nothing to worry about. It is not as scary as you might think it is. I promise.''