Closed Reading Up

[William Kaimarama]

William had never been the best at school, but this year he was going to make a change. He now had both of his younger siblings at Hogwarts, and he had to be better than them at something. There was no chance he was going to be more popular than Maddy, and there was no point even trying to be more creative than Seb. So William was gonna try something different. He was gonna make himself the smart sibling. It would probably take a bit of work, since he had never paid much attention to his grades before, but William had decided it was time for a chance. It was time to be the smart one. So he holed up in the library, surrounded by books on the only subject he had this semester that seemed worth a damn; Herbology. He had always liked learning about plants on their long tramping trips as a family, and magical plants weren't really that different to the natives William knew so well. He was absorbed in a passage on the cultivation of flutterby bushes, hunched slightly over the desk, enjoying feeling like he was in his own world for once.

 

[Sam Mackintosh]

It was another day in the library, something of a daily occurrence for Sam who was studious and had a thirst for knowledge, though she usually just enjoyed impressing her professors (and her father) and get outstanding grades. Granted, she wasn’t perfect, so couldn’t always get it right, but when she did, couldn’t help but feel smug about it. Sam had only left the library to go on a bathroom break for five minutes, but when she returned her space had been taken up. Her mouth open, she scoffed and packed her things, scolding the person who had clearly stolen her seat and when she realised all other tables in this section were occupied, she rolled her eyes, deciding to approach a random table. With someone who seemed much more approachable. "Uh- hi," she greeted to make her presence known. She was sure she had seen this boy somewhere in the common room...at some point. "Mind if I sit here? Some jerk stole my seat," she asked as politely as she could. She had a whole bunch of reading to do and no time to waste.​

 

[William Kaimarama]

William was just starting to really get absorbed in his book when he heard someone speaking, looking up in surprised. People often tended to just glaze over and look past him when he was in public, and he didn't quite know how to react to someone else addressing him first. The girl was very pretty though, and William sat up straighter out of nerves. "Oh... yeah, totally, feel free." He said quickly, gesturing to the other seat at his table. "I was just by myself, go ahead." Even William could hear how nervous he sounded in his own voice, but it was too late to go back now, and he decided to just carry on as if he was confident. "I'm William, you're in Slytherin too, right?"

 

[Sam Mackintosh]

Sam almost found it adorable how the boy seemed to have straightened up a bit when he realised she had spoken to him, which was amusing. She tried not to giggle at his reaction, though she kept a small smile on her features. "Thanks," she said politely, taking a seat next to him and already pulling out her Potions textbook so she could do the required reading. She opened it, but the boy spoke again, which annoyed the fifth year at first, but then she felt guilty for feeling annoyed at him. She didn't mind making a new friend and it was quickly clear to Sam that he was nervous. "Nice to meet you William, my name's Sam. Yeah, I'm in Slytherin too, I'm in fifth year." Which reminded her...OWLs. She was impressed he remembered her though. She didn't think she was that recognisable. "What are you studying?" she asked, curious. ​

 

[William Kaimarama]

William smiled nervously and looked down at his book when the girl sat next to him, trying not to seem weird. He wanted to be confident, but not creepy. He was relieved when she didn't seem unhappy to talk to him, nodding when she said which year she was in. William had had a feeling she was older, but never been sure how much. "That's cool. I'm in fourth." He glanced down at his book when she asked what he was studying, taking a moment to even remember. "Oh, uh, Herbology. It's pretty cool." He glanced at Sam's stack of work, wincing slightly. "OWL prep, right?"

 

[Sam Mackintosh]

Sam didn’t think she was all that scary or intimidating, she mused as she noticed how nervous the younger boy seemed around her. Unless someone really upset and angered her, she wasn’t a monster. He was only a year younger than her, but perhaps they could study together? Or well, not exactly together as Sam had already studied William’s coursework. But maybe she could help him. "Oh yeah, Herbology’s good," she agreed, not bothering to mention that all classes were fascinating. "Hmm yeah. I, uh, have a big syllabus to study," she said with a laugh. "I’m taking all the electives. I couldn’t decide." She glanced at his book. "Do you need some help?" He looked worried.​