Remembrance

[Liir Goodwitch]

Durmstrang Lounge

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Liir sat in an oversize armchair next to one of the many roaring fires with in the school as he thumbed through a rather uninteresting book about bowtruckles as part of a rather uneventful care of magical creature’s class. His class was learning about wand crafting and bowtruckles who often nest in magical woods of quality which allows wand crafters to discern which tree's to use and which still needed more maturity or care. The whole ordeal was rather bland in terms of what he would have like from care of magical creatures but beggars cannot be chooser at least not at this point in time. Closing the book he crossed one leg over the other as he stared intently into the fire allowing his surroundings to fade into obscurity. The year had been rather uneventful as a whole which was shocking given that it was O.W.L. year for many fifth years in Europe and the surrounding areas. O.W.L.s determined which classes fifth years were able to take in their following years which in turn determined which class a student could take N.E.W.ts all of which determined what jobs one could apply for within a ministry. If Liir wanted to someday become a minister he would have to do well and as a consequence he had spent a great deal of his free time studying.

Most fifth years had their nose buried in a book or writing several feet of parchment for one class or another, he however had decided to take a small break to allow his mind to recover from the amount of knowledge he had been uploading over the last couple of weeks. His mind wandered to a faraway place as he allowed himself a moment to wonder about his mother and his father. His father was off living his life in the southern part of the united states as a potioneer in Louisiana while his mother off vacationing in the north of Germany with her latest husband of the year. His father and mother met and had a wild summer one year that ended with his conception. Of course being broke at the time his mother had decided to not inform his father of her pregnancy as she whisked herself away to her family estates deep in the foothills of Feldberg Mountains. There she gave birth to her only child and was off to travel the world and look for a potential husband. Liir was left in the care of the families servants and once he was of proper age he was sent off to learn under private tutors prior to being accepted to one of the many magical schools in the area. His family on his mother side was a prestigious bloodline of the old world while his father was nothing more than a beautiful mistake.

Joseph Goodwitch, was a rather unique individual who he had stumbled upon some years ago after his curiosity into who his father was built up into a fever pitch of need and desire. Every child wanted to know who their parents were even if that meant discovering that the people who created them were less than one expected. Such was the case of his father whose southern charm was his only contribution to the world outside of his uncanny skills in potion making. Able to whip a potion for about anything his father was an outstanding if not the best potion master that he had ever encountered. His tricks and instincts were unmatched which was something that he was glad he inherited as his mother only provided him with the unique ability to be cold and almost analytical at times. To hear everything had an explanation and a function that gave it a value. If that object, or person for that matter, did not fit into her life in a way that benefited her in a significant way then it was deemed unnecessary and tossed aside. Liir had no doubt that his mother believed she loved him, he rarely ever saw her long enough to full gauge who deep that love went. So for the better part of summer prior to him attending Durmstrang he spent a bit of time with his father much to his mother’s dismay and disapproval. However being the future of the family’s name he was given a birth of power over here thanks to his grandfather who was a creature of a very different kind that made both his parents seem like parent of the year.

Long hot summers spent exploring and spending time at smoke clubs and fancy parties, his father lived a rather fast paced life. His skills as potioneer while multitudes more valuable to those indeed such as the sick and dying, was spent on the wealth elite all of whom used his concoctions for various purposes in their everyday life. Paying a rather large denominal fee for such services made his father no better than a magical potion dealer in fancy clothes. Liir however so rare moment of himself in his father who seemed more interested in him then his mother ever was but whose inexperience with a teenage son left him unsure who to proceed without offending his son in some way or another. Joseph was always looking for acceptance and was his greatest weakness as he almost needed to survive. All in all for some reason or another he could not help but wonder who the man and woman were doing now as he often displayed more maturity than both of them combined. He had no doubt that both where thinking of anything and everything than their son who was approaching a pivotal point in his life.

 

[Diego Lesley]

It was Diego's fifth year, and the teen was really trying to knuckle down and hit the books. He was not the brightest student in the school, and he knew this. He knew that he often just let his mind wander in class, often deciding that talking to other students in class was more important than taking notes. However, he managed to get good grades, and that was the important thing. His parents could not fault him if he was bringing home the grades they wanted him to. He studied. In fact, he loved to study because he was able to do so in the quiet of the castle. Sometimes he would be approached by first years or something, or sometimes he would just waste the time by talking to friends all the time, but he still did enough to pass and kept the grades he needed in order to not be berated by his father, especially. As probably the only one of his siblings that cared about whether he graduated with enough qualifications to do anything, Diego found that, whenever his father spoke of the future and his children, he would be brought in. His older sister was still unmarried to her boyfriend and had children with him, so she was not exactly in the position to better herself, while his older brother was far too caught up in matters of love to think about his future. Dexter was much too young and boisterous to think about his future while the twins were... well, none too bright. It seemed that Diego was his parents' only hope.

Diego entered the student lounge, well, one of them. It was rather cold outside, and while this beautiful country was his home, it did not mean that the boy fancied frostbite. He dropped his books on the table, being sure to not disturb people. They too were probably trying to study, and who was he to rain on their parade? He was going to try and focus on the two subjects he had the most problems with, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Both courses he picked, and while he did not regret the choices, he was really starting to loose hair from these. While Ancient Runes wasn't too bad, Arithmancy was almost worth throwing his face into a wall. The main problem he had with Ancient Runes was a lack of people to study and practice on. The amount of weird looks he was given when he just asked someone if he could read their runes would be comical if it were not a serious question. He was sick of having to constantly read the runes of himself, those of his friends that took Ancient Runes, and his professor. Sure, there were a few other people in the class besides his friends, but he felt weird just asking to read runes. He liked runes, and really enjoyed crafting his own runes for the purpose of the class - as well as making a bag for them. But still, not everyone liked Ancient Runes, finding his strong belief in them to be stupid.

The blond plucked the bag of runes from atop his stack of books, and began fiddling with the string. In order to stop the runes from falling out if he dropped that bag - which was ridiculously common for him - he made sure to tie the leather straps tightly. Unfortunately, this also made opening the bag quite a difficult task, one that often required patience. Unfortunately, while not in a bad mood, Diego was not in an especially calm mood, as he needed to study for an in class test soon and he had to do well. And in order to do that, studying had to be accomplished. He pulled strongly on the leather straps, and winced automatically as the leather gave way, causing the bag to split open on one side, and making his runes go everywhere. He groaned quietly to himself, and began gathering them all on the table in little stacks. It was fortunate that he remembered all their names, otherwise this would have been one million times harder than it already was. After collecting the majority of them, Diego realised that he need to find one more, Wunjo. His personal favourite rune as it was so positive in spirit and certainly one he enjoyed pulling out whenever he read runes.

Diego silently walked around the room, trying desperately not to bother anyone. Most seemed fine with his kerfuffle just a moment ago and he did not notice anyone giving him trouble - perhaps because he runes had failed to smack anyone. But Wunjo was gone, and as his favourtie and one of a set, he really needed to find it. He could not simply craft another Wunjo, he would have to craft a new set, otherwise their collective spiritual energy just would not work. He grinned as he spotted Wunjo near a fellow students feet, and quickly moved over to fetch the rune. He was grateful it didn't look in bad shape or anything. However, in order to get Wunjo, he would be intruding on the guy's space, and he seemed in deep thought. So, Diego decided to take the polite route. "Umm... hey," he greeted, poking the blond in the arm just in case he failed to hear him. "So... can I get Wunjo - my rune? It's just there."
​

 

[Liir Goodwitch]

Blinking out of his mental haze he vaguely heard someone nearby say something before poking him in the arm. Taking a moment he blinked a few times before turning to see a somewhat familiar face. Being a fifth year meant that he was well versed in the names and faces of his peers more than any other year grouping with in the school. Rumors, gossip, and classes meant that most at least had heard of everyone in their class at least once over the past five years. However when forced to recall a name he could not place one to the man's face as he looked down at him with a questioning stare which called his mind to piece together what he wanted or was looking for. Wunjo. It was a rune of course though few in his class had signed up with the out of date class when prompted to pick electives some years back. However being a purist he had decided that if he did not look up the class then how could he turn it down without much more than a second thought. What he found was a connection to the old world. Old magic that should have been respected more rather than tossed aside with the rest of the magical fades that plagued the community today.

Much like clothing spells and practices with in the magical community came and went with the wind as trend setters and famous celebrities picked and choose what they wanted to represent them for a year or less. Last year there were several charms that allowed users to coat their wands in sparkling glitter that was all the rage in Tokyo, while pygmy puffs made a sudden returned in France. All in all like clothes magic was ever changing and being retrofired to fit the whims of the masses. Runes had once held its appeal and for that reason, he had decided to take the class as well. Bending over Liir snagged the piece up from the floor and rolled the rune in his fingers as a smirked swept across his face. "Wunjo. A fascinating rune but out of all the ruins I find that Uruz speaks to me more. Oddly enough both Wunjo and Uruz can complement each other in the right light. My name is Liir, and you are?" Liir asked ultimately as he handed the boys run away rune to him before offering a warm hand for the kid to shake. If the boy had any interest in light conversation then he could use the distraction after all his mind was about through with thinking of his parents for the time being. It was an exhausting thing to do, wonder about his parents and all, that he could not dedicate much of his energy to it unless he let his mind to rot behind his thick skull and bring piercing eyes. The path of ambition was a long grueling one that often left him on his own and so, from time to time, he enjoyed the company of a bright mind and friendly smile.

Motioning for the boy to sit down to his right he waited to see if the boy had the minute to spare. He did not want to be a burden or a distraction with O.w.l.s looming over everyone mind but maybe like himself the boy was tired of the constant state of study. While his invitation and question lingered in the space between him and the familiar stranger he took the time to size the man up as he did with most on proper first acquaintances. The boy was healthy in size, not to fragile that a good stiff wind could sweep off to distant lands, but not so thick that he could not be moved if pressed. A simple friendly look with a modern hair cut meant that he was not one to walk on the wild side but the sparkle in his eyes also said that he was not up for a little trouble from time to time. All in All he was classically handsome in his own way which was enough to keep Liir's interest sated. A name however would keep him full engaged as the boy could come from a well-connected family whose proximity could help further inflate his status. Future heirs were the best play things that anyone could have so long as you took care not to break them. A political career meant that money and friends were valued assets in maneuvering the public into an aspiring minister’s court way before the race began. Of course a genuine friend and partner would be the most welcome thing in his life at the moment as his solitary exile had become rather lonely all of a sudden.

 

[Diego Lesley]

Diego smiled slightly as the fellow fifth year seemed to take the interruption rather well, very well, actually. While the name of this boy was still a distant thought, at least the blonde knew that this would be rather easy. He was not prepare to have an argument with anyone right now. Especially not here, there were far too many people to bare witness. Talk would go around, and rumors were not welcomed by the Diego. He had a good repertoire with his professors, including his father, and he did not fancy screwing that up like his sister. He watched as his rune was plucked from the ground and played with. He seemed to have an extensive knowledge of runes, which Diego liked. Too many people thought rune reading was boring, when it was actually quite fascinating. "Quite right," Diego replied, agreeing with him whole-heartedly. There was little that Uruz could not positively influence, as it was a very determined rune, and determination was needed in everything. As a spiritual boy, Diego could not help but think that ones favourite rune spoke more about the person than originally thought. And he found that he was often correct with this assumption, so he wondering if this boy - named Liir - was as determined as his rune. Time would certainly tell.

Diego accepted his rune, and placed it in the pocket of his robes for safe keeping. He shook Liir's extended hand, and replied, "Diego Lesley. Good to finally learn your name, Liir." He liked it, the name. It was simple, and easily remembered. One of the worst insults was to have someone forget your name, or mistake it for another name. Having so many siblings all with names starting with D, this commonly occurred in the Lesley household. The part-veela watched as room was made for him. He looked back at his books, and shrugged. Who in their right mind would steal or otherwise harm study books? That would be completely absurd. With O.W.Ls steadily knocking, he doubted anyone wanted to be reminded of the exams, considering failure virtually meant that they failed life. It was a scary, high dramatized thought, but he could not help it. He sat down carefully, sitting on an angle to help him keep eye-contact with his new companion without straining his neck muscles. He seemed a little stoic, and coming from a family that tended to have a flair for the dramatic, this was a little foreign to Diego, even if an unusual majority of the student body behaved as if they had no emotions. He doubted such things were true though, otherwise there was a serious problem with the school.

Unfortunately, while friendly, Diego ultimately a quiet person. And so, while he enjoyed the silence shared between him and his current companion, it would soon turn odd if they persisted in staring at each other. Being stared at was not something he liked very much. "I'm sorry, that I never spoke to you in Ancient Runes - you do take that, yes?" He gestured to his runes belongs on the table. "You have a pretty good working knowledge of them."​

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