Closed Copy Cat

[Jingyi Huang]

Jingyi had not done his homework, which really wasn't much of a surprise at this point. And, usually, he would just go and bother Xinyi to copy his. Unfortunately, he couldn't actually find his twin at that moment which did mean he was having to take some drastic measures. Which was why he found himself at the Ravenclaw table that morning, desperately searching for one of the other first years. That's when he spotted a girl, trying to smile as friendly as possible as he slipped into the empty seat next to her in the most casual manner possible. "Hiya!" he greeted cheerily like he was supposed to be there. "Did you have a good night? What class do you have this morning? I have Transfiguration. Didn't you guys have that last semester?" Maybe he was asking too many questions, but he didn't have time, he needed the answers.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia was back at Hogwarts, for better or worse, and all she could really do now was get used to that fact. Though changing seasons back and forth between her trip back to France for the holidays had thrown her off quite a bit, it was at least a comfort that English was coming easier and easier to her. Giulia still missed words from time to time, still struggled to say what she wanted to say, but at least she could communicate well enough now. And she wasn't struggling to understand her classmates, as long as they spoke slowly. A consideration she desperately wished for as a boy slid into a seat next to hers, babbling at lightning speed. Giulia stared at him in horror, face blank as she tried and failed to understand any of what he was saying. "I... euh... sorry?" She asked hesitantly, struggling to figure out what he had just asked. "You are... what are you saying?" She asked, flabbergasted by the sudden flurry of conversation.

 

[Jingyi Huang]

Jingyi blinked in confusion as the girl he had started asking all his questions just looked at him with an equally confused expression. Was he speaking in a foreign language or something? Sometimes he did start rambling in Chinese out of habit from when he went home and just didn't notice. Maybe he had done that. "Sorry, was I speaking Chinese again?" Another question as he smiled a little awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. That was embarrassing. No wonder the Ravenclaw girl couldn't understand him. It was sometimes hard to get back into the habit of speaking English all of the time after the holidays where he barely spoke a word of it. "I was just.. you know, asking how it was going? And stuff..." He'd been asking a little more than that, but it now seemed rather awkward to start asking about Transfiguration homework.

 

[Giulia Alcott]

Giulia flushed when the boy asked if he was speaking Chinese, wondering how that could happen without someone realising. "No, I just... my English is not very good, pardon me." She said, feeling the familiar embarrassment that curled through her every time she had to try and explain her troubles to someone. "I can't understand when people talk fast..." She relaxed slightly when the boy slowed down and explained what he had said. "Oh, I see. It is going fine, thank you. How are you?"

 

[Jingyi Huang]

There was a relief when it appeared he hadn't embarrassed himself by rambling in Chinese by accident. Instead, it just appeared the girl wasn't very good with English, something that Jingyi could understand. "Oh, are you foreign?" He asked, making sure to speak slowly so there wasn't a repeat of the last time he had opened his mouth. "Where are you from?" It still surprised him how diverse Hogwarts could be with their students. "But I'm good, thanks," he grinned at the girl, "I'm Jingyi, by the way. Jingyi Huang."