Strange Interests

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe liked studying, though not for the sake of grades. Grades only showed you were good at doing what teachers wanted or expected of you, not necessarily that you were smart. Phoebe chased information about things she cared about and found interesting, not things others thought she had to find interesting. So sometimes she picked up a random book at the library on a topic that had nothing to do with homework for any of her classes and started to read it. Today the subject was horned frogs, as she had a randomly picked a book about a creature. The only thing she had made sure of was that it was a creature they weren't covering in Care of Magical Creatures, as she really wanted to spend her free time studying for her own sake. It was perhaps strange, but later on she could annoy everyone with fun facts about horned frogs. She was curled up on a couch with the huge books, looking at the moving illustrations in between reading facts. She didn't get why so many books in the library were so rarely read, at least as far as she knew. This book had looked like it hadn't been checked out in decades. And while it was a bit old, it was still fairly interesting.

 

[Oswald Brigham]

Now that he'd finished his super-awesome dragon book (three times), Oswald needed something new to read. He was keen to learn more about the magical reptiles his dad took care of, so he found a promising leather-bound book and carried it to the student lounge to read. As he sat down, however, he realised that at a table just opposite his, Phoebe was studying, too. Quickly he headed over to join her, feeling as if it had been years since they'd last spoken. He still felt a bit embarrassed about her rejecting him as her boyfriend, but with a little time he'd sort of managed to understand what she meant about not liking boys. "Hi Phoebe!" he said, hoping there wouldn't be any tension between them. They were still friends, after all - right? "What're you reading? Is that a frog?"

 

[Daphne Dommino]

Daphne found that one of her favourite places in the school was the student lounge, but not because of the books. It was quiet and secluded and most people had more important things to do than gossip, allowing the Gryffindor to get on and do what she enjoyed without being disturbed. There were just so many people at Hogwarts, and everywhere she looked she rolled her eyes at their excited expressions as they read all about magic. It was so ridiculous, didn't they understand it was a pointless feat to get involved with? More than once Daphne had considered going to any length to get out of the school, but her dad would have been disappointed and she at least had to stick it out for him. The third year was painting her nails, trying to ignore the general hum of quieter chatter, wondering how much it would cost to own her own salon one day. As she was blowing her nails dry, her eyes scanned the room and caught sight of a couple of students talking about frogs. Shd scoffed loudly and umapologetically. What a waste of time.

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe was surprised by how interesting she found this book, and it kind of made her want to go find some of these frogs for herself. Though as far as she had read so far, none of them lived nearby. She wondered if they were used in potions, as she couldn't remember. She made a mental note to ask Professor Pendleton next time they had a potions lesson. As she turned the page, she saw Oswald approach. Even though she liked the boy, her stomach did a little nervous flip. They last time they had spoken hadn't gone all that well, and she worried he would hold a grudge against her for rejecting him. But as soon as he started talking, she relaxed. "Hi Oswald! Yes it is, look." She held up the book for him to see.

Some girl scoffed, apparently in reaction to their conversation, but Phoebe only spared her a glance. Clearly, that girl had other priorities than Phoebe did. Though if she made another sound like that or even a comment, Phoebe wouldn't be able to ignore her any longer. She recognized her vaguely from classes, though she didn't think the girl had ever participated in any lessons very enthusiastically.

 

[Oswald Brigham]

Oswald eagerly leaned in to take a look at the page. His dad didn't really like to own frogs, but he studied them alongside the creatures he cared for. "Cool!" he said. "Hah, look at that one! It's massive. People think frogs are ugly, but I think all animals should be treated the same. Right?" At that moment, Oswald heard a scoff nearby, and turned to see a girl from his year blowing all over her hands, for some reason. He shook his head and looked back at Phoebe. "Ignore her. Some people just have no idea how cool these animals are."

 

[Daphne Dommino]

Daphne didn't exactly expect them to notice her smirking, but the Gryffindor began giggling to herself when she overheard that Oswald actually thought frogs was pretty cool. There was nothing exciting, special, or unique about animals. This whole school seemed to be obsessed with things that were really unimportant for the grand scheme of things, and there were many students who thought magic was their entire world. They were blinded by the opportunities that lay outside of these walls, and Daphne couldn't be bothered to feel trapped by the closed minds of those she had to live and study with. She picked herself up from her seat, not wanting to be exposed to the ideas that some of the other kids had, briefly pausing beside the two students she'd been listening to. "You know, you need to actually make sure that humans are treated equally before you start worrying about some lake creatures. It's not like they can do anything useful." she said honestly. She didn't care if she offended anyone with her words. "Perhaps you need to spend more time with real people" she added, not directed to anyone in particular.

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe grinned as Oswald as he looked at the page. She was glad to have him as a friend, as he appreciated the same things she did. His curiosity could have made him a Ravenclaw like her, but he was clearly one of the smarter and better Gryffindors. Not like Rose's friends, and especially that Tomas. "Frogs wouldn't even care if you thought they were ugly, they just try to survive and look cool doing it." She said with a shrug. "That's the great thing about animals." Phoebe liked Oswald, but she completely ignored him when he told her to ignore the girl, turning in her seat to look at her. "Oh really? And painting your nails is your way of fighting for human equality issues?" She said with a bright smile. "I don't think it's working!" Her voice was fake cheerful, and she winked. "Maybe do something useful yourself before you tell others to, yeah?" Then she turned back to Oswald. "You're right, frogs are awesome. I wonder if there's magical ones we'll learn about."