Invisible Ink

[Matthew Harper]

Returning to Hogwarts gave Matthew a lot of mixed feelings. In some ways it was more a home to him than Ilvermorny had been, feeling like this was his own choice instead of an attempt to follow in his father's footsteps. The people here were very friendly and he was starting to get used to the New Zealand seasons, as well as the accents. On the other hand, he was still new here and didn't know all that many people, especially now that Reuben had transferred out of the school. He also missed Leah dreadfully while he was here, especially after their encounter during the holidays. He really couldn't wait to see her again, and decided to write her a letter pretty much as soon as he got to the castle, though there wasn't that much to write about yet.

But Matthew wasn't much of a writer anyway. He preferred to show things through photography, which is why he had spent the better part of the morning taking pictures of the castle and surrounding grounds. He had sent Leah a ton of pictures like that last year, and hoped she wasn't sick of them yet. It was fun to photograph things with a purpose, with the idea that others would see it and feel certain things. He hoped Leah would see the pictures and feel the way he did, that his pictures could convey the conflicted feelings he had about Hogwarts. It was silly to think a picture of the staircase could do that, perhaps, but he still liked the idea of showing her.

He was sitting in the Student Lounge, preferring it to the Common Room today as there was a group of loud younger students there making a lot of noise. He had hurriedly packed his photos along with a roll of parchment. He had spread out the photographs on a table to pick out which ones he wanted to send, and when he had made his selection he decided to get started on the letter, though the leftover photos were still scattered over the table.

He dug into his bag for a quill, his mind still on Leah and what he wanted to say to her. Because he was so distracted it took him a while to realize there was no quill in his bag, no pen and not even a pencil. In his haste to escape the noisy common room he had apparently forgotten to bring something to write with as he had left to write a letter. He ran a hand through his hair, he was so distracted lately. Not feeling like walking back to the Hufflepuff common room, he looked around until his gaze fell on a vaguely familiar girl. He thought she might be in his year, though he certainly had never talked to her before. He waved to catch her attention and gave her an awkward smile. "Uh, hey there. I hope I'm not disturbing you in your work or anything but I seem to have forgotten a quill. Could I borrow one?"

 

[Dahlia Beauregard]

Dahlia sat in the corner of the student lounge, sifting through the pages of a book on defense spells. Her messenger bag was propped up on her chair' s leg, and she gave a contented sigh as she turned to the next page. The Slytherin had recently made the lounge one of her usual stops throughout the day. It was a nice place to unwind, and she found it a bit more warm and welcoming than the dungeons.

Dahlia thought herself the only one there until she heard something and lowered her book from her face. There was a boy, maybe near her age not far from where she sat, and he waved to get her attention. She watched him with a wariness in his eyes, but then curiously as she didn't recall seeing him before. He asked to borrow a quill from her and the girl thought it over in her head a moment.

It was an innocent enough sounding request, and since she didn't remember seeing him anywhere prior, she sat her book to the side and picked up her bag. Dahlia promptly retrieved her quill, a small thing with the initials "D.B" engraved above the nib. The slytherin lifted her wand from her robes, and with a small wave accompanied by a whisper she had it floating over to him.

"I'd like to have it back when you're finished." She eventually spoke up, though truly doubting she'd ever see the quill again. With that, she slowly reopened her book, but not before glancing over the table he was at, noticing the photographs scattered on it.

 

[Matthew Harper]

As Matthew looked at the blond girl, he was sure she was in his year though he really didn't recall ever hearing her name. The worst part about transferring to a new school was constantly wondering if you were supposed to know someone or not. He grinned and caught the quill as she floated it over to him. He looked at it, noting her initials with a slight raise of his eyebrows. "Fancy." He said with a small smile. "Of course you're getting it back." He said with a grin her way. "I asked to borrow it, not to steal it. I just need to write a letter to my ..." He faltered. "Uh, to my best friend in America. I'm apparently the sort of idiot that leaves to write a letter and forgets to bring a quill." He was aware of his southern accent as he always was at school, it definitely stood out in New Zealand. He started to write, but soon got distracted and glanced her way. "I think we're in the same year but I'm not entirely sure." He admitted, hoping she didn't mind that he kept the conversation going. As much as he wanted to write to Leah, part of him really had no idea what to put in the letter. So avoiding it for a moment longer felt easier. "Fifth--, no wait sixth year. Right?" His mind was still catching up with the new school year it seemed. "I'm in Hufflepuff, only transferred last year. Matthew Harper." The girl didn't seem completely open for conversation, but she had been friendly enough to let him borrow a quill so he guessed she was nice to talk to. If not he would just go back to this letter and shut up.

 

[Dahlia Beauregard]

Dahlia lowered her book again as she heard the boy's remark on her quill. 'I try.' She said in response, rather wishing she hadn't let him lend the thing. He seemed like the conversational type, and she knew he'd eventually discover to be a snooty, proud, Slytherin. That's how everyone else saw her, and she didn't see the point of trying to change that opinion as it wasn't possible.

She looked down to try and hide her smirk after what he said next. Dahlia was sure if she'd met him prior she would've remembered him. Transfer, She presumed. Has to be from America. The Slytherin figured as he continued to talk. She didn't say anything, hoping his letter would eventually draw his attention away from her, but then he spoke up again.

Dahlia nodded her head as he guessed sixth year, and slipped a ribbon in her book to hold it's place. She set it aside for now, obviously the boy wasn't going to stop talking to her anytime soon, and she wasn't mad about it. She actually found it nice that someone wanted to talk to her. It was rare that anyone ever dod, and since he didn't really know her, perhaps she had a chance of presenting a better image of herself for someone to witness.

"That's nice. Are you liking it here?" She asked. Dahlia figured she didn't need to elaborate on her house as she was wearing the house colors.

 

[Matthew Harper]

Matthew was glad the girl didn't seem completely opposed to his chatter. Now that his best friend had transferred he had less people to talk to, though he had made more friends last year than he had at Ilvermorny in the four years before that. He could tell she was a little amused by him, at least he hoped he was reading her expression correctly. Matthew's sense of humor wasn't always appreciated so every half-smile he managed to coax out of someone was a victory in his eyes. As she set her book aside, he figured he probably wouldn't finish his letter right now too. Though he held onto the quill for now, as when he gave it back the girl might leave or feel like she had no more reason to talk to him. He could tell she was in Slytherin, he didn't know many of the people in that house yet, if you didn't count his half-sister. And really, he didn't know her very well at all. The only other person he knew from that house was his friend Cairo. He nodded in response to her question. "I am, it's been fun so far. The people here are very friendly and I love the castle and surroundings." He nodded to the photos he still had spread out in front of him. "There's a lot of different spots I have managed to take nice photos at, it's more varied, especially around the school with the lake and the garden. Ilvermorny is on a mountain, which gets a little boring to take pictures of after a while." He smiled. "I've been probably boring my best friend with them for nearly a year now, but I mostly just enjoy taking them."