Open Muggleborn & Raised Support Group - Q&A/Interest Gauging

[Aine Thompson]

Thanks to @Callie Cardoso , Aine had been motivated to try again to get the muggleborn and raised support group going. She wasn't running it as a club, and hadn't done very much in the way of planning, but she figured she should at least make herself known outside the club fair, see if she could grab a couple of names so she could go out of her way to notify some lost younger students when they did have a support group meeting. Last time, it had turned a bit sad with a lot of people feeling sorry for themselves (and Aine was likely one of them). But this year, they'd be more practical. Helpful. She was about to turn seventeen and legally be considered an adult by wizarding standards, so she was going to have to balance her ability to use magic outside of school with her muggle home and family. She'd struggled a lot in getting used to managing the two worlds, but she felt like she had learned a bit and would be able to offer useful advice to the younger students. And maybe if some of the older students joined her, they could discuss what to do now they were going to have more freedom (and more responsibility).

She'd put up a small sign that read as follows:

New to magic? Got questions? We've got answers! - The Muggleborn & Raised Support Group

Now Aine would just have to wait and see if anyone had any interest. She knew she didn't actually have all the answers, wasn't foolish enough to believe that, but she could certainly at least try and be supportive and helpful.

 

[Callie Cardoso]

Callie had enjoyed the muggle support group from the previous year, it had been good to hear the echoes of others who were like her, who were new to this world, but she thought it was a bit limited. She had sought the leader of the meeting out, wanting to at least pitch the idea that the group could do more than be a spot for talking about the problems, but to support each other in learning and being in the magical world. Callie had felt at a disadvantage all previous year and even her first conversation with Dante had shown her she still had so much to learn. So when she spotted Aine doing what she had suggested, Callie walked over. "Can I help out?" she asked. "Though honestly, I might be more of a write anything down that needs a deeper search, I feel clueless about this world?"

 

[Kyousuke Kurosawa]

Kyousuke continued to investigate the courtyard stalls after signing up for his clubs. He was intrigued by one in particular, holding his ground for a moment, not sure whether to approach or not. He'd grown up in a muggle household, but did he want to admit that? Did he want to be open about that perceived weakness? He found himself in limbo, just hanging around some distance from the stall awkwardly. It looked like a younger and an older student were talking. He recognised the older student at least - she'd been around the history club sign ups. She'd seemed reasonable. He took a deep breath and approached. "So what sort of support do you offer exactly?" he asked, curious.

 

[Timothy Bledsoe]

Timothy had been passing through the courtyard when he saw a sign that piqued his interest however he hung back not making his interest known because he had heard that sometimes people weren't nice to muggle borns and he didn't know if this would end up mean or not. The first year sat down with his back against a pillar and opened a book that anyone with a keen eye would notice he was absolutely not reading. For one, the book was upside down and for two he was not flipping the pages at all. Instead he listened in, trying to gauge whether he could trust things or not. ​

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine gave Callie as reassuring a smile as she possibly could. "I dunno, you'll probably think up things I wouldn't have thought of. You're second year, you're probably an old hand at this sorta thing," she joked, but she was being honest. Everyone had different lives and backgrounds even in the muggle world, even though they all had a point of commonality now it didn't mean they would all have the same approach. Already a first year approached and Aine awkwardly cleared her throat, trying to remember the sales pitch. "Well, uh, we're all in the same kind of boat of being a little bit of a disadvantage in terms of what we know about the magical world, so, uh...we're hoping to just offer a safe space for people to ask questions and maybe get some tips from older students on getting used to the magical world and how to balance the two," she blathered. She wondered if she should maybe ask a couple of the professors to give some advice too, though maybe it was easier coming from students. "Super informal and all. Just hoping people don't feel like they're alone."

@Kyousuke Kurosawa @Callie Cardoso

 

[Callie Cardoso]

Callie gave a little smile, warmed by the encouragement from the older girl. There were a few people that joined them, and she smiled at both boys and Aine then went on to describe what exactly it was. "Yeah, it'll maybe be more a forum to share knowledge, and give tips about how to be in this world, or answer questions like: Are ghosts real," Callie tried to add, not sure if that was right or not. "Or just be a place to say you miss your phone,"

 

[Morrie Ayre]

Morrie noticed the sign that read "The Muggleborn & Raised Support Group." While she didn't see her muggleborn status as the sole cause of her troubles, it felt like a relevant starting point for her grievances, given the context. She approached the group, saying, "So, I take it you all come from the normal world too? This place is like it's stuck in the Dark Ages! I mean, it's 2060, and they're still using candles! And why do I need to involve a bird in sending letters to my mum?" Morrie's complaints interrupted the ongoing conversation.

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine felt that maybe she really was getting old (as though almost-17 was actually old, though by magic standards it might have been), as she felt a spark of pride when Callie spoke up. "That's pretty much it," she said, encouragingly, before being interrupted by a young redheaded girl. Aine wondered if this is how she'd come across to people before (or if she still did), unable to help a smile from crossing her face. Sure, as she'd been at Hogwarts she was starting to see the good side of magic. But she couldn't disagree with this girl's comments. "Sometimes I think they just hate progress. Muggle Studies class teaches you about tech from 2023." She made a face at that. "I feel like they could invent magical lights and a less feathery way of sending letters if they wanted to. But I'm sure we can come up with some good ideas." Aine was trying this new thing of being positive and constructive instead of seething and being jealous. She wasn't sure it would last, and it fell through very easily, but she was trying. That had to count for something.

 

[Morrie Ayre]

Morrie was taken aback that the older student didn't want to argue and instead agreed with her, a rare occurrence in this school. This made her reconsider whether her muggleborn status played a role in the issues she was facing and why she had trouble connecting with the witches in her dormitory. The agreement from the older student put Morrie at ease, and she snorted a laugh at the muggle studies comment. "Seriously? That's got to be the dumbest things I've heard so far," she quipped with a chuckle. "I'm Morrie, by the way. How can I sign up for this group?"

 

[Aine Thompson]

It did genuinely startle Aine to be on the other side of things. She remembered being a first year and some of the older students, like Harper, looking out for her when she was struggling to understand the magical world and feeling ill at ease with the whole thing. Now she was one of the older students who could try to look out for the first years. Truthfully, it was a realization she should have had last year, but it hadn't really sunk in. And even so, Aine didn't really think she was the best person to turn to. But she was one of the loudest, and even the sorting hat had honed in on her desire to bridge the gap when she'd been placed into Hufflepuff. "I know, right? Think I spent half the exams correcting the teachers," Aine admitted, glad that hadn't put the girl off entirely. "Hi Morrie, I'm Aine," she handed over a notebook and pen. There was no point in parchment and quills, not for this group. "Just put your name and house down here. I don't really have a grand plan or anything, but this way I can let you know when we are going to have a meeting so you don't miss out."

 

[Kyousuke Kurosawa]

Kyousuke thought the idea of the group sounded reasonable - and potentially interesting. He was about to reply when a red-headed girl interrupted with what Kyousuke thought were some pretty solid points. Why were they still using candles? What was with having to send a letter by an owl? There were far more efficient ways to light the place, and send messages. "Those are some good points. At least the bathrooms aren't stuck in the past," Kyousuke said, making a face and imagining what it'd be like if they'd reverted back to chamber pots or something equally anachronistic. "I'd like to sign up too," Kyousuke said, being patient and waiting for the other Slytherin to go first.

 

[Logan Lyle]

Logan had been excited about signing up for the school clubs and immersing himself in this new world, so he hadn't thought about the fact there'd be a club centered around his old world. If he struggled to make friends with the other magical students, it was nice to know there were at least plenty of other muggle-born or muggle-raised students he could get on with. "Hello!" He greeted cheerfully, after listening in to the brief explanation on the club's goal. "I'll join too. A lot of this is very new to me." He said. He was pleased to see he wasn't the only one in his year there, and it was nice to know other first-years were in the same boat.