Open System Shutdown

[Noelle Maxwell]

It had been the same routine for the Hufflepuff. Like an automated robot, he woke up, had his breakfast, went to classes, took his meals and holed up in the library until he was kicked out by either the librarian staff or prefect assigned to patrol the area. Thankfully, it was often Alexis who found him and even took the time to walk him back to his common room. Gone was the outgoing Noelle. He was back to being his own lone self. Come to think of it, it was Willow who inspired him to be confident and outgoing. Sure he had Joshua and Alexis but with Willow, it was different. Shaking his head, the Puff willed the thoughts to the back of his mind as he continued to blankly stare at the book opened on his table. ​

 

[Maggie Majors]

Maggie usually did quite a good job of avoiding the drama when it had nothing to do with her family, although this Christmas it had seemed to be all around her. After attended the Yule Ball with Ro, she’d witnessed a number of things take place with her classmates, and while she didn’t always have the full picture, it was clear that something had gone on with a number of couples. As a sixth year, Maggie thought it important she kept up with her studies even when they were in holiday, although as the Pufflehuff sat in the library, she spotted her housemate there too by himself. Recalling the recent events, she knew Noelle didn’t seem quite right since the Yule Ball. The sixth year picked up her book, shuffling a little closer to her classmate. She hadn’t spoken to him much before, but since they shared a house and year it wasn’t too intimidating to begin to. “Are you okay?” She started simply, wondering if he needed a friend since he was looking particularly glum.​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle was about to slam the book shut, frustrated that everything did not seem right to him anymore when a shuffle to his left was heard. He did not even realize that someone was there at the table with him. He purposely chose the farthest table from the door to avoid a certain person. He glanced to find Maggie, a fellow Puff in his year. A simple smile came to his face, not quite reaching his eyes. "Maggie, hi. I'm good, I guess.", he sighed, finally closing the book, this time slowly. "And you? Good holiday?", he asked in return. It seemed politeness was in him no matter what.​

 

[Maggie Majors]

Maggie watched as Noelle seemed.. perhaps not annoyed.. but disappointed that someone had joined him, although his next words told a different story. Perhaps she was just overthinking it. The sixth year watched him close his book, and she did hope she had disturbed him enough to leave, only then he asked about her holiday and she thought he probably wouldn’t have done that if he was headed for the door. “I think so,” she replied, thinking about what she’d done after the ball. “I stayed with my brother and his girlfriend. He has a museum now and I think he has many bananas, from all over the world, he tried to tell me about them but really I just wanted to eat them..” she trailed off, unsure whether Noelle had wanted that much detail but a smile creeping to her face as she recalled getting caught trying to eat a rare banana from Peru. “Did you?” She returned the question out of genuine interest.​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle was somehow glad for the distraction that Maggie brought. He could not believe that he paid attention to what another person was telling him. "So is it like a banana museum?", he asked amused, not by the story itself but by the reaction it brought his classmate. Asked about his holiday, he debated how to answer. He did not want to burden the girl with his problems. "It was... uneventful. Just stayed home, went out with Alexis and played quidditch games with her brothers." It was true but he left out the part where he was moping around and that the Ravenclaw almost had to drag him out of his room.​

 

[Maggie Majors]

Maggie herself wasn’t used to the reaction of others hearing that Chaser was the owner of a banana museum although she still tried to do her best and copy her brothers enthusiasm and confidence for such a strange venture. “Yes, he does. It is a little way out from here, near Brightstone. He has lots of different types from many places.” Her favourite area was the games room too but she didn’t feel like telling her brother that in case he thought she didn’t care about the rest of the effort he’d put in. “It was once a joke. He got a bananas as a gift and now he will not shut up about it,” she smiled at Noelle, glad that at least he seemed entertained by her story. The Pufflehuff listened as her housemate told her about staying with Alexis, which she could only assume was the older Ravenclaw prefect but she had no idea they were actually related or close or..whatever they were. “Do you like Quidditch?” She asked. Maggie didn’t follow the school quidditch enough to know who was on the team, although she knew Linnux played professionally. “I mean you must do if you played it in the holidays,” she chuckled lightly to herself, “Maybe you play it while you are here too?” She asked, tilting her head a little.​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle's attention was definitely caught by the idea of a banana museum. He was a reader and read almost everything, but a banana museum was entirely new. "Well, a first to everything. I would love to go see it. Your brother's very innovative." He was quite surprised at the idea of going somewhere with someone he did not really know. But then again, Maggie was not a stranger. They never just went past greetings along the corridor. ​

​

When their conversation went to Quidditch, he pondered the question. "I won't say I don't like it. Let's just say I am cool with it. Do you know Alexis and Joshua? They're both captains for Ravenclaw. They're my close friends, well, Alexis is a distant relative by marriage. I often help them practice for their games and they tend to drag me to small games." He chuckled as he recalled their so-called matches. "Then, there's my girl-", he stopped short. "Willow. She plays for Gryffindor.", he looked at the space above her head to avoid his gaze, clearing his throat to compose himself.​

 

[Maggie Majors]

When Noelle called her brothers museum innovative, she didn’t actually know what that word meant. She’d been learning English now for six years but some vocabulary was still difficult for the Korean. When he said he would have loved to see it though, the Pufflehuff could only imagine it had been something positive. Her eyes lit up as she smiled, “Well then I will take you,” it was a deal. Maggie listened intrigued as he began to talk about a few other players on the Ravenclaw team, although the sixth year shook her head. “No,” she didn’t try to pretend she knew who he was talking about. Joshua was a stranger to her, and while she was vaguely aware of someone called Willow in their year, she couldn’t say she really knew the girl. Hearing that he got dragged to them made Maggie think that it didn’t sound too fun actually. “And you do something for fun too?” She asked, wondering what his hobbies were, rather than his friends.​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle agreed and even gave Maggie a smile. "Thanks. Would it be okay with your brother though?" He did not want to impose on her and her brother. When she said that she did not know the two Ravenclaws, her brows furrowed. "That's strange. They're both prefects too.", he shrugged, "Well, not that it matters right?" he chuckled at his lame attempt of humor. He pushed his book aside and leaned back on his chair. Despite them talking in hushed voices, he must admit that he was enjoying it. "Well, I read. I don't know if you consider it fun. Skimming rocks at the lake," he slightly winced when he mentioned it for it was what brought him and Willow together. "Damn, I just realized I am not a fun person.", he laughed before he stopped himself. He did not want them thrown out of the library. "I don't exactly count Quidditch though.", he added with a cheeky smile.​

 

[Maggie Majors]

"Of course. He has a museum on purpose," Maggie gave the boy a strange confused glance, wondering why he thought Chaser would mind when the whole point of having the place to begin with was so that people would visit. Noelle seemed surprised that Maggie didn't know who the Ravenclaw's were. "But they are not Pufflehuff," she stated. She barely knew their own prefects, although she believed that was because she never got in trouble and never needed them to keep an eye on her, so had never really met them. She smiled when he mentioned he liked to read. "You like comics?" she knew that some people like to read their homework, but the sixth year personally preferred her graphic novels to anything else. Maggie didn't think that Noelle was very sure of himself, or confident, when he said that he wasn't a fun person. "I do not think that is true. Maybe you just have not tried some things you can find fun yet," she said, glancing down to see what he was reading. "If you do not really like Quidditch, then you help your friends and that is good, but you should do your fun too, when you find it." It was no good always trying to please other people besides.​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle chuckled. "Yeah. Forget why I said that." He nodded in understanding as to why Maggie did not know the prefects. Come to think of it, she was a quiet person to start off, which meant she rarely got into trouble. He was surprised when she mentioned comics. "Well, if you count Archie and Spiderman, then yes.", he chuckled in embarrassment. He had mostly spent his time with his books although he tried his best to take a trip to the comic store once in a while. He bent his head down on the table before turning to look at the girl. From where he was, she appeared sideways. "You think I'm a good person?", he asked.​

 

[Maggie Majors]

Maggie's eyes lit up when Noelle mentioned Spider-Man, it was one of her favourites, and she'd even done a few drawings herself of the character to put into her sketchbook. If she had it on her she would definitely have shown him, although she wasn't sure her random sketches and paintings were all that interesting to someone if they didn't also like art. "I can show you mine too," she smiled. She'd never really minded about telling people her hobbies. In first year she had hosted a Dungeons and Dragon game in the Great Hall which had gone down quite well, although she'd never gotten round to doing a second one. As he looked sideways at her, she was a little confused by his next question. "I.. I do not think I have a reason why you would not be?" As far as Maggie knew, Noelle was a good person, but just the fact that he felt the need to ask her made her question whether he didn't believe it himself. "Do you think you are?" she asked, pushing it just in case he had something on his mind.​

 

[Alexis Kramer]

Not again!!

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

If someone was to look at them and knew Noelle, they would never think he was heartbroken. His face lit up at the discovery of knowing someone who would be willing to share her comic books. Someone who thought he was a good person. Here was Maggie, seeing him in a different way. Different from how he saw himself. "Cool. If I get to bring mine, I can show them to you too.", he replied, enthusiasm in his voice. When asked about his own take, he sighed dejectedly. "I guess so.", he bumped his head on the table. "I don't know.", he groaned, wincing a bit at the sting from his head.

 

[Maggie Majors]

Maggie was nodding along when Noelle said he could show her his too. She liked that idea, especially because it would mean she could look at more designs as well as make closer friends. Suddenly the sixth year seemed to slump in his seat, resting his head on the table, and the Pufflehuff looked at him in concern. "Are you okay Noelle?" she asked, watching him and wondering if he would actually prefer to have been on his own. She didn't know what was going on in his personal life, much less so why he thought he may not have been a good person, and even if they weren't that close, Maggie still liked to believe she was someone who could sit and listen to someone if they needed an ear.​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle had spaced out when his mind was brought back to Yule Ball night. Then it fast-forwarded to the day they broke up. He was brought back to the present at Maggie's question. "Huh? Y-yeah... I guess.", he gave her a faint smile. He did not want to dump his troubles to the first new friend he had made. However, he could not stop but asked aloud. "If someone asks your hand for marriage right now, would you say yes?", he looked at her intensely before shaking his head. "No, no. You don't need to answer that. I'm sorry."​

 

[Maggie Majors]

Maggie could tell something was on his mind, although he didn't expect him to ask her about marriage. "What?" she asked, wondering if she'd actually even heard him correctly. Maybe it was a translation error. "You mean like getting married?" Maggie hadn't even thought of getting married, not that she had anyone to get married to. "No, not even my brother and he is much older and has a girlfriend called Aminia," Mini had actually come to the school but she didn't think Noelle would know who she was, "They have been together for a long time and they are not married. It would not change anything he says."​

 

[Noelle Maxwell]

Noelle nodded. "I mean not right away but someone proposed to you now. Say, he wants to marry you but not until you graduated and like get a career.", he explained. He looked at Maggie before taking a deep breath. "Was it wrong of me to propose to a girl I have loved so much?", he was starting to open up.

 

[Maggie Majors]

“Well why do you have to get engaged? The point of that is to get married, so if you are not going to get why do you not wait?” Maggie asked, wondering why he was asking. “Did you ask someone?” She added, leaning forward a little to talk more quietly. ​