Open First Steps in a New Place

[Lars van Houten]

Lars wasn't very good with change. He liked things the way they were, and often had to take some time to get used to new events or surroundings. Because of this, he had been dreading heading to Hogwarts in New Zealand a little. Of course he was excited to join his older sister at the school and start learning magic, but moving to a whole different country for most of the year was already giving him stress. His parents were aware of this trait of his, so they had tried to help him by telling him they would write him every week and reminding him that Fleur would be there for him. On top of that, they had decided to let him get a little taste of the country he would be living in and the school he would be attending by arranging a trip to Brightstone Village, a village near Hogwarts that Fleur had told him about before. Apparently students got to visit the village during certain weekends, so next year he would be able to visit here too. Now he was here with his mother while his father stayed home with his younger two sisters. The two had wandered around the village and surroundings, looking at the castle in the distance. But then his mother had needed something from one of the stores. At first, Lars had followed her inside but it had been crowded and boring, so he had asked if he could wait for her outside. She had agreed, seeming glad for this independent suggestion.

Now Lars was sitting on a bench near the stores, keeping an eye on the one his mother was shopping in. Once she got out, he would join her again but with how busy the store was it could take a while. He rifled through his bag until he pulled out a small sketchbook and a pencil. After glancing around to make sure no one was watching him too closely, Lars started to sketch. He preferred painting to drawing with pencil, but liked to make sketches beforehand. Looking at the village around him with many wizards and witches passing him by, he tried to capture the village's atmosphere and essence on the page. Somehow, he felt like if he succeeded in that, it would be easier to get used to being here. it was a bit silly, but the act of drawing his surroundings was comforting to the boy.

 

[Luna Blanchard]

It was Luna’s third trip to Brightstone Village in just month and if she’s going to be honest, she was growing tired of it. But really, the eleven year old had no choice. She would have stayed at home and played with her brothers but they’re at the daycare and their father, unfortunately, was in the mood to have some father-daughter bonding. While she loved her father to bits, she didn’t really need him hanging out with her every chance he got. She knew that he was doing it for her sake, this, after all, would be the first time that they’d be separated for months. But then, they wouldn’t be separated if only her father had listened to her about being home-schooled instead of attending Hogwarts. So really, this was partly his fault.​

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With a frustrated sigh, the girl scanned the place she’s at once more. She's currently inside a store, as her father, in the middle of telling her a story about her soon to be school, suddenly remembered something that he needed to buy. She could have helped him look for it, but he just disappeared from her sight before she could ask about it. She had tried to look for him, but the store was too packed and she wasn’t really comfortable being around too much people. Thus, instead of wasting energy looking for her father, she decided to exit the store and just wait for him outside. Her father knew her enough to realize that she would not stay inside such a crowded place. Besides, she would not stray too far from the place. She’d see him once he exit the store too. She looked for a place to sit while waiting for her father to finish. But every bench was occupied except for the one where a lone boy was sitting. He wouldn’t mind her taking the space next to him, would he? She quietly took the spot next to him, not wanting to disturb him from what he’s doing. But curiosity got that best of her and against better judgement, she took a quick glance at her seatmate. He was . . . drawing. He was pretty good, at least, in her opinion, he was. She could only hope to draw just like him. While she loved art, she wasn’t gifted in that area. She often console herself saying that she lacked practice only, but a part of her knew otherwise. It was frustrating, but she had learned to accept that she can’t get everything that she wanted. “That’s amazing.” She wasn’t aware that she had said that out loud and that she had moved a little closer as her whole attention was at the sketchbook on the other’s hands.​

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars tried to focus on the buildings and streets in his drawing of the village, the passing witches and wizards hardly more than impressions on the page. He would have liked to add more detail to them, but he was terrified someone would notice he was drawing them and that they would confront him about it. Shy and a little awkward, Lars had no idea what he would do if an adult got angry with him about his drawing. The flighty atmosphere the quick drawings made did add to the general busy feeling of the village, so he didn’t think it was too much of a problem. As he sketched, he was already thinking of which colors he would use to fill in the page. Warm tones, with yellows representing the sun and the general light and friendly atmosphere. He was a little biased, as he loved to use yellow in most of his art. It was just a color that seemed to brighten up anything, at least if it was used correctly. He was so busy trying to get the shape of one of the nearby buildings exactly right that he didn’t notice someone sitting down next to him. So when a girl spoke nearby, he jumped and dropped his pencil, shooting her a look of alarm. His face heated up, turning a spectacular shade of red it always took on when he was embarrassed. He put his hand on the drawing, then moved it away again as he realized she had said something nice about it and wasn’t making fun of him. Awkwardly, he smiled even as he averted his gaze. “Oh, thanks.” He muttered, bending down to pick up the pencil. He scratched his nose with it, unsure what to do now. Should he keep drawing when she was watching? That may be strange. He should probably say something else. He put the pencil behind his ear and turned to her, his expression a little unsure. “I’m glad you think it’s nice. I’m trying to draw the village…” He wasn’t sure how easy it was to tell that from his drawing. He shrugged uneasily and shuffled his feet. “Do you like to draw too?” He asked quietly, as it was the first question that popped into his head.

 

[Luna Blanchard]

Luna’s first response to the boy’s reaction was to immediately apologize and put a distance between them. She didn’t mean to disturb him. Moreover, it was not her intention to scare him. She was just trying to compliment him for being a really good artist, something which she knew, she couldn’t possibly be. She watched as the other covered his drawing, taking it as a signal that her attention was not welcomed. She was ready to just return to waiting for her father when the boy moved his hand away. A kind smile graced her features, grateful that the boy didn’t seem to be angry. However, although grateful that she was not being asked to leave, the eleven years old realized that she didn’t know what else to say. She wanted him to continue with what he had been doing before she carelessly interrupted as she wanted to watch him draw, but she couldn’t just say that, could she? Although usually direct with her words, she wasn’t as tactless as some people accuse her to be. She was quite disappointed when she realized that the boy would not continue drawing, but the disappointment was immediately replaced with excitement when the boy started to talk. Though not gifted with the talent to draw, Luna really loved art, and she was grateful for any opportunity to discuss it. No one in her family would understand her when she was in one of her episodes, so it was really nice to be able to talk to someone who shared the same appreciation of art as her. “Nice? It’s more than nice! I can tell.” Her voice was full of childlike glee as she smiled brightly at the boy. However, the boy’s question caught her off guard. “I love to draw,” she started in reply but she quickly shifted her gaze, looking at anywhere but the boy as she continued “but I’m not – maybe it’s not for me.” Her voice grew softer with each word. It was hard to admit that she wasn’t good at the thing that she loved the most, but she wasn’t going to lie. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, she wasn’t going to ruin the moment by being sad, and besides, she didn’t want the boy to feel bad for her. Life was never fair anyway, she just had to live with it. “Where did you learn to draw? Are you always this good?” She shifted her attention back to the boy's drawing, debating with herself whether her next request would be too forward. "May I?" She asked, unsure of whether the boy would be comfortable showing her his drawing and the rest of his sketchbook. She wasn’t usually this talkative, but she didn’t want to miss the chance to learn from the boy, even if she doubted that her drawing skills would improve at all.​

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars spun the pencil between his fingers as he glanced at the girl, feeling awkward about continuing to draw while they were talking and while she was watching him. He could tell the girl was nice, and he had to admit her compliments were really flattering. He felt his cheeks heat up when she told him his drawing was more than nice. That was very sweet of her to say, though Lars felt like his art lacked something until he had time to start painting it and could add colors. He glanced at the girl’s face, trying to guess her age. She seemed to be about as old as he was, did that mean she would be going to Hogwarts soon too? He wanted to ask, but decided to wait in case he was wrong. Her answer to his previous question made him frown slightly. “Why? If you love to do it, then doesn’t that mean it’s for you?” Lars had only ever started doing art because he had loved it even as a kid, though his mother’s influence had helped a lot. From a young age, he was around while she worked on children’s book illustrations for her job. It wasn’t long before he was joining her and trying to learn how to make his drawings look nicer. She had taught him a lot, which is what the girl asked him next. “I used to be less good.” He told her plainly. “But my mother taught me most of it. She’s an artist.” He shifted slightly, torn between elaborating and worrying he was rambling about information the girl wouldn’t care about. “She… illustrates children’s books.” He said eventually. Her request confused him for a moment, as he wasn’t sure what she was asking for. Did she want to add to the drawing? But then he realized she wanted to look at his sketches, and he felt indecision overtake him for a moment as he tried to remember the different sketches he had made in this sketchbook. None of them were weird, as far as he could remember, so he reluctantly nodded and handed the book over. “Okay.” He said, then blurted out the question he had been wondering about. “How old are you? Are you going to Hogwarts next year too?” He dropped the pencil again and grimaced slightly in embarrassment before picking it up. “I am.” He added, which was perhaps unnecessary.

 

[Luna Blanchard]

Luna merely shrugged at the boy’s statement. She knew he meant well, but she also knew that that’s not usually how the world works. If it did and if only love and effort was the solution to everything, then perhaps their mother would still be with them. Even so, she didn’t want to dampen the mood and it was not a subject that she was comfortable sharing with people. Besides, she doubted that the boy would care hearing about her family. He was there to draw, she wasn’t going to ruin his day. “I don’t know.” She responded shortly, deciding that it wouldn’t be wise to elaborate further. She listened as the boy told her how he learned how to draw. A part of her was a little jealous at the boy having his mother taught him how to develop his talent on the things that he loved to do. But she knew that it was unfair to feel that way towards the boy. He had been very nice to her. She shifted slightly on her seat, straightening her dress as she willed herself not to think about her mother. “She does? What books? I may have some in our house. I have two younger brothers so we have a lot of children’s book at home.” She turned her attention towards the boy, smiling slightly at the thought of her siblings. Her smile grew bigger, thoughts about her mother forgotten, as the boy handed her his sketchbook. She looked through his drawings, wondering about the story of each one. She used to frequent art galleries with her father before he got too busy trying to provide for their family, and she had always been amazed with the story behind each art piece. “I’m turning eleven.” She answered absently, her attention still at the book. “Too? Yes I am. Are you looking forward to it?” She wasn't surprised anymore when she learned that he would be attending the same school as her. She had the luck of meeting several kids her age who are also attending the school. She turned her attention briefly on the boy as he picked up his pencil again, he reminded her of her youngest brother, and her gaze soften. “What’s the story of this drawing?” She paused at one drawing in particular, showing it to the boy, hoping that the story wasn’t too personal to share.​

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars wasn't sure what the girl's answer meant, but got the feeling he shouldn't push on it. He thought it was good to do what you liked to do more than anything, but he also knew that sometimes you had to do things you didn't like. He smiled sheepishly when the girl asked about his mother's books, twirling the pencil in his grasp as he thought of how to answer. "Well, probably not." He said quietly. "We're from the Netherlands, so far she has only illustrated Dutch books." He smiled slightly, finding something else they could bond over. "I have two younger sisters. And one older one." He said, forcing himself to stop moving the pencil so much and stilling his hand. He didn't want the girl to think he was weird, though it may be too late. He gave the girl a shy smile when she said she was turning eleven and nodded when she asked if he was looking forward to it. "I am looking forward to it. Fleur, that's my sister, told me quite a bit about it. I'm a bit nervous too, though." He shrugged, not thinking that too embarrassing to admit. Going away from home for the first time was a big thing. He watched as the girl flipped through his sketchbook, a little surprised when she asked him about one of the drawings. It was one of a lake with a few ducks in it, they seemed to be about to fly away. Lars smiled slightly and touched the page with one finger. "I drew that when my family went to a lake for a day, even my dad though he's usually very busy on the farm. I liked looking at the ducks, but my younger sister scared them away." He paused. "I didn't draw her, she would have enjoyed that too much."