Closed Study Sessions and Awkward Conversations

[Charles Abberline]

Exams were now closer than they appeared with only a month left on the calendar and Charlie found himself spending more time in the library than usual, taking notes and studying whenever he had time to do so. He had done well on his Ordinary Wizarding Levels but knew that he needed to do even better this time around if he wanted to become a Hit Wizard just like his father used to be. It was late in the evening when Charlie looked up from his books and parchment and put down his quill to take a moment of rest. He had been here for several hours by the looks of it, as there were only a handful of students left in the library. He was sitting at one of the long tables with a girl he recognised. He'd seen the girl walking the corridors of the school before but never really bothered to have a conversation with her as she looked occupied with something else most of the time. Charlie knew, however, that his attitude towards his fellow seventh years needed to change. All of them were graduating soon and he had not tried once to have a conversation with any of them - he felt like an outsider at this school still even though he had been here for two years now. Finding the courage to at last introduce himself properly to one of his classmates, Charlie cleared his throat and said, ''Which subject are you studying?'' hoping that it was a subject he was good at so he could carry the conversation from there on talking about that.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember had been really engrossed in her music lately. She had been writing a lot of songs, though not all of them were very good. She had taken to the library earlier that afternoon. She didn't always write lyrics. She also took down the life experiences that meant the most to her. The summer on the ocean she'd spent with her dad before coming to school, the family trip to their mother's hometown in Ireland. She'd even included her brief relationship with Luca, the drama that was Alikin, everything that mattered to her in life. She even had a song for Damien and his quidditch girlfriend. She was currently attempting to figure out the relationship between her and her younger siblings, jotting down all her thoughts on Amaya and Jasper, when she heard a voice nearby speak up. She looked up, blond hair falling into her eyes. "I'm not," She responded simply, "Even if I should probably study something. I'm working on my music." She answered him, tapping her quill as she thought. She recognized the guy from somewhere but hadn't met him. That didn't surprise her.

 

[Charles Abberline]

He chuckled softly when she said that she should probably be studying and agreed with her given the fact that the upcoming exams were no joke. He did not know much about writing music or just music in general as he didn't really listen to music that much, so his hopes to have an easy conversation with the girl could be flushed down the drain. That wasn't going to stop the Ravenclaw from attempting to have a proper conversation, however. He bend over the table a little to see what she had been working on instead of studying and asked, ''Do you write your own songs or do you compose music?'' He had never really been a creative type himself so anyone who could write their own songs or compose their own music was very much a genius in his eyes. ''You're in my year, aren't you? I think I've seen you before in classes.'' Charlie added. He thought that it was stupid of him how little effort he had put into making friends at the school, as he was now forced to start with awkward conversations instead.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember shrugged. "Both. I'm not very good at either yet, but I'm working on it." She looked over at his books. "What are you studying?" She was a bit curious as to what he was putting off now that he'd brought it to her attention. She turned to him as he asked if she was in his year. "Maybe. I'm in Seventh. I don't really pay attention to much." She held out her hand. "Ember Michaels. Who are you?" She wondered briefly if that sounded rude, but it wasn't like she would take it back. It had already been said, why bother?

 

[Charles Abberline]

''I'm sure you're not terrible at it either,'' Charlie told her, not really know what else to say. If only he had known a bit more about music himself, he would've been able to have a proper conversation with the girl about it. ''Me too,'' the Ravenclaw replied and reached for the girl's hand to shake it. ''Charlie Abberline.'' He figured that she would not know who he was as he had been keeping to himself for the past two years. ''I transferred from Hogwarts New Zealand about two years ago.'' Although it was definitely interesting to finally see the original castle in real life rather than his Dad's many stories, it just did not feel like home to the boy. ''I never really bothered making friends here, though.'' It made him sound a bit pathetic, to be honest.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember nodded as he introduced himself. "Eh, I've been here since first year." She told him. "And I still only talk to a couple of people. Like... three." She held up three fingers to prove her point. "Hnz, huh?" She tilted her head to the side. "I have two cousins and both my siblings over there." She shrugged. "Eh, friendships tend to fade anyway." She leaned back in her seat. "Nothing is really permanent. I wouldn't stress over it too much." She told him bluntly.

 

[Charles Abberline]

He frowned when she told him that she had family at Hogwarts and wondered why she herself wasn't attending the other wizarding school. ''You do? Perhaps I know them?'' Charlie asked, curious to find out whether he knew Ember's relatives or not. It was a big school, however, so wouldn't be surprised if he did not know them though. Yet, it was exciting to know that someone here had family going to Hogwarts. He shrugged at her comment of friendships fading away over time. ''It still kind of nice to know that at least I put some effort into making friends here, you know?'' the Ravenclaw replied.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember shrugged. "Probably not. They're all several years younger. The twins are fourth years now." She listened as he explained himself. "I suppose," She conceded. "It could be better than not trying at all." She shrugged. "I guess we could be friends if you wanted." She offered. "You don't seem to know much about music. What does interest you?" She asked, making an effort to find some common ground with the boy.

 

[Charles Abberline]

Charlie shook his head and said. ''No, I don't reckon I'll know them then.'' And with that his excitement about whether or not he would've known the girl's relatives vanished. He tilted his head at Ember's reaction. She didn't really seem to be convinced of his way of thinking, yet it also seemed as if she sort of agreed with him. He smiled at her, not really sure what to say next. It therefore surprised him that she went on to tell that they could be friends. ''I'd love to be friends with you,'' the Ravenclaw replied happily. At this point, he'd be happy to have even the grumpiest kid at Hogwarts as his friend. He shrugged at the question. ''I like chess and books,'' Charlie started, ''I'm aiming to become a Hit Wizard for the Ministry of Magic so I guess you could say that I like high-risk situations and stuff like that.'' Although Charlie had known for some time that he'd most like pursue the same career as his parents, it took him a convincing conversation with his new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and head of house to be sure of it. ''What about you? What does interest you besides music,'' he asked in return.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember smirked a little when he said he'd love to be friends. Of course he would. She nodded when he said what he liked. "I actually play chess with my dad a lot. And I'm not big on all books, but I do like good adventure stories. Like Lord of the Rings or Narnia," She told him. She raised a brow when he said he wanted to be a hit wizard. "That's pretty ambitious. And kinda dangerous. Think you'd be up for it?" She questioned honestly. He asked what interested her besides music. "Sailing," She replied honestly. "My dad takes us all out on his old sloop. It's smaller, but he takes us out on the ocean a lot. It's fun." She told him with a sparkle in her eyes.