Closed Quiet and Comfortable

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah had found herself spending a lot of time in the library this year. Partially due to what felt like a never ending list of essays she had to do for History of Magic but she also just liked the quiet atmosphere of the place. Compared to her over crowded dorm, it was heaven. She knew she should be doing better at socializing and getting to know her classmates but it all felt so overwhelming. There were so many people, so many faces and names to keep straight. She had to smile just right, laugh at their jokes, and be careful of what she said. But in the library they weren't supposed to talk, or at least talk much, and she felt like she could finally relax a bit here and pretend all she had to worry about were her school work and essays.

 

[Violette Holland]

Despite still being anxious a lot of the time, Violette realized that she was feeling slowly more at ease at Hogwarts. She was less nervous to walk through the crowded corridors, and actually spoke with a few of her classmates after class occasionally. But the Ravenclaw still kept mostly to herself, spending a lot of her free time reading. Because of that, the library was one of her favorite places. It was a wonderful collection of books, and even though most of them were textbooks Violette had little interest in, she still liked the atmosphere. Violette had just grabbed a large book of old stories, when she saw Delilah sitting by herself. Hesitating for only a moment, Violette then moved over to her table and sat down on the opposite side of her friend. "Hi." She said quietly. "Sorry if I'm disturbing you, but can I sit here?"

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah was staring at her history textbook willing the information into an intelligent thought for her essay when she heard a familiar voice. She looked up and was pleased to see Violette looking to join her. "No not at all." she said sincerely and a little too loudly for the library. She made an apologetic face and started to move some of her papers out of the way. "Take a seat." she said, and made sure to keep her voice down as she gestured to one of the chairs at the table. Delilah raised her eyebrows at the large book Violette was carrying. "Doing some light reading?" she asked quietly with a grin.

 

[Violette Holland]

Violette was relieved when Delilah told her to take a seat, even if she was a little louder than she should have been. Violette quickly sat down, placing the book down on the table. She smiled a little shyly and shrugged at the look Delilah gave her, pushing her hair behind her ear. "It's just stories." She said quietly. "It looks more impressive than it really is." She shrugged again, a small smile on her face. "Are you working on homework?" She then asked, looking over at the other girl's side of the table. Delilah seemed to be working on an essay, which made Violette feel a bit like a slacker in comparison.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah smiled politely when Violette insisted her book was ‘just stories’. As much as she liked to read, she wasn’t sure the school library would be her first stop in the search for something fun to read. “Well all history is just stories when you think about it.” she said lightly, hoping to earn another smile from her normally reserved roommate. “And you could have fooled me. It does look decidedly impressive.” she added, remembering the conversation from the house meeting. Violette was related to the minister of magic, distantly, but still. Delilah sat up straighter. “Yes, history actually. It feels like every week we get assigned a new essay.” she said with a sigh, unsure what to say next.

 

[Violette Holland]

Violette laughed softly as Delilah said history was all just stories. "True, but it's often a bit more boring than the stories I prefer." She admitted, speaking quietly and glancing around, as if worried the History of Magic professor was standing right behind her. She nodded as Delilah said she was working on history of magic, feeling a bit of guilt as she hadn't even gotten started yet. "It is a lot." She said with a small shrug. "I... hope it's not too difficult?" She said, mostly hoping because she still had to write it.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah sighed wistfully as Violette pointed out that stories were usually more interesting. “That’s true.” she said as she exhaled. She noticed that Violette seemed to get a little nervous when she mentioned the history essay, and she wanted to kick herself for bringing up homework. No one likes to talk about homework. “Oh, it’s not so bad.” Delilah added quickly and hesitated before speaking again. “I could always help you out, if you wanted.” she said tentatively, trying to choose her words carefully. But she still second guessed them anyways. “Not that I think you need help.” she blurted out. “But if you want it, I’d be happy to. Not that I’m all that smart but….you know.” Delilah said quickly before stopping short at the end and mumbling the rest. She could feel her face turning read and she tilted her head toward her books on the table hoping to hide her face even a little bit. Her plan to get on Violette's good side seemed to be going about as well as she expected. Poorly.

 

[Violette Holland]

Violette was a little relieved to hear Delilah didn't think the essay was that bad. Apparently her uneasiness with the homework was obvious, as Delilah offered to help her. "Oh, thank you." She said hesitantly. "You don't have to, but I would be grateful for any help." She said quietly. It seemed like Delilah was a little nervous as well, though Violette didn't know why. The offer to help was a nice thing to do. "You seem pretty smart." She said hesitantly. "In class."

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah was a little disappointed when Violette turned down her offer to help at first. “I would be glad to.” she insisted with a small smile. She was used to saying what she thought other people wanted to hear but she was being completely honest now. “Thanks.” she said shyly, not really sure how to take the compliment. She knew she was at least a little smart but she was so used to being compared to her friends that she never really considered herself to be that much above average. “I try.” she said with a shrug and decided to continue being honest. “My father puts a lot of pressure on us, and my brother….” she began but quickly trailed off, wondering how to explain the situation delicately. “Well he hasn't been doing as well as he should so he’s started to focus more on me.” she finished quickly and waved her hand as if to dismiss the whole thing, and questioned why she had even brought it up.

 

[Violette Holland]

Violette smiled when Delilah said she wanted to help her. She then nodded reluctantly, deciding to accept the offer. She listened as the other girl explained a bit more about her situation, saying her father put a lot of pressure on her and her brother. That sounded... familiar. Violette bit her lip. "I... kind of know what that's like." She admitted. "My father also puts a lot of pressure on us. My sister... she didn't really do what he wanted, so... he hopes I will." She said quietly, wondering if she should be sharing this.