Tale of Stone- Roleplay Roulette

[Minerva Khulik]

Minerva Khulik had made few friends in the past two weeks at Hogwarts but that was not in the least bit surprising. She rarely made friends because she rarely left her house or bothered to be very social when she did go out. Here at Hogwarts New Zealand however, she had no choice - she had to mingle or look as if she did. She had to bump against people or allow people to bump against her in the busy corridors. Everything just seemed too much of an effort here, except the lessons those were wonderful and she had already written home telling her family all about the things she had seen and done. She had even been tempted to write to the boy back at Ollivanders to say thank you for the wand that had finally chosen her, it felt wonderful in her hand and the more she held it the more she felt they belonged together.

She had read in one of the books in the library that some wizards actually named their wands but she genuinely wasn't sure what she should call hers or if it were pretentious to do so. Besides her wand, her cat Odin, her school books and her classes, Minerva had come to like a few of her professors and one of her housemates. She hadn't really given any of the others a chance yet but that was just the way she was. One person at a time was more than enough for her to deal with otherwise she felt conversations got all muddled up.

Odin scampered across the grass before her as if in hot pursuit of a mouse though Minerva certainly hadn't seen any. She didn't bother calling the cat but turned to smile at the young girl beside her. Vilhelmine had the bed next to Minerva's in Hufflepuff house and the two just seemed to get along. This was most unusual for Minerva but the other girl who was only slightly taller than her seemed to be just as quiet really and this was a pleasant relief.

They had arranged to walk through the garden together taking a well deserved break from homework. There were other students with the same idea in mind splashing over by the lake and many more walking about. Ahead of them Odin her Bombay cat had found himself a rock to sit upon and when Minerva approached she saw between the swishes of her cat's tail that it appeared to be some kind of memorial.
"Do they bury people here?" she glanced over at her friend, it really did feel nice to be able to say that and she genuinely hoped that Vilhelmine considered her a friend too - otherwise Minerva knew she'd feel rightly stupid for assuming.

 

[Vilhelmine Dahl]

There weren't many people whose company Vilhelmine enjoyed, much less that she sought out. Madison being an unusual exception, the Hufflepuff simply preferred to be alone; it was easier not to worry about what she looked like or the way she presented herself when there was nobody there to judge her about it. Her dorm-mates seemed OK, if a little intimidating, but still only one or two could claim to hold her interest, and one of those was Minerva.

As they strolled through the gardens together, Vil extended a hand to brush her palm across the tops of the flowers, drops of dew dampening her skin. There wasn't really any pressure to talk, making the silences that grew between them comfortable and nonthreatening. It was a kind of silence Vilhelmine hadn't heard before, and she liked it - so much so that when Minerva offered her a smile, she returned it with a rare one of her own.

After a little while they came across a large rock, brought to attention by Odin's choosing it as a vantage point. Vilhelmine frowned, reaching out to brush the side of it with her hand, as if this might reveal some inscription hitherto concealed beneath a layer of dirt. "Maybe," she said, brushing her hands together. "That would be sad." The thought that someone might have died here, and then been buried beneath the ground on which they stood, was a worrisome thought. Anywhere with magic was bound to be dangerous, but she'd been well assured that Hogwarts was a safe place to live. Suddenly she wasn't so sure.

 

[Merrill Piper]

Merrill was happy to be back at Hogwarts for her third year. It had been a surprisingly good break for her; having only spent the first two weeks with her parents. If every break could be like that her life would be a lot calmer. To add to her good mood it was a beautiful spring day. Merrill decided to celebrate by taking a walk along the lake side. Maybe she would even see some mermaids. The young Gryffindor was walking along the coast, and skipping rocks whenever she was a particularly skip-able one. It brought back memories of her brother teaching her how to do it when they were expected to keep themselves entertained. The two would spend hours in the woods getting up to all kinds of trouble. Until Rhys got older anyways. Then all he wanted to do was help their parents with their work, and she was left to herself.

Merrill found herself lost in thought, and hand't realized where she had wandered to until she heard voices. The girl stiffened before remembering that she was at school, and others voices were to be expected. As she headed towards them Merrill saw that it looked to be two first years. She wasn't familiar with them so they must not have been Gryffindor. When they asked if people were buried here she decided she better explain to them that they weren't. The school would be a lot scarier if they thought that. "Hi!" She called out to let them know of her approach. "No he isn't buried here, but he really liked the lake I guess." Merrill let them know. To be honest she didn't know much about the boy herself. She had only been a first year when he had died.​

 

[Minerva Khulik]

Sad! That would have been terrifying!
Minerva stared at the rock and wondered why on earth anyone would bury someone at a school and yet she had read that the Hogwarts in England had buried one of their headmasters at their school. Strange and creepy she found herself musing when another voice broke in on her reverie. Odin slinked down at the approach of someone new and strolled away to enjoy the sunlight in a more convenient and less human populated spot. He adored Minerva and had taken a shine to Vil but other than that the cat seemed to think other people were completely preposterous. Even at times she was certain, he thought she was there for his amusement alone.

Minerva turned after watching Odin move off and saw a blonde girl approaching them. Her next words sent a wave of relief flooding through her.
"Oh thank Merlin for that then" she exclaimed, "I'd never have been able to sleep a wink thinking there was a dead body here."

For a brief moment she inwardly panicked, it wasn't like her to just speak to strangers but the relief had obviously been too much for her to keep it inside.
"Was he very young?" she asked quietly, turning to look back at the memorial and starting to wonder about the person who liked rocks.

 

[Vilhelmine Dahl]

At the sound of another student's voice, Vilhelmine looked up, startled. It wasn't common to be approached by strangers in Denmark, and when you were, it was mostly considered either weird or terrifying. But Minerva didn't seem phased, and Vil was beginning to wonder if things worked differently in New Zealand. She looked at the rock again, relieved that nobody had been buried beneath it, but still sad to know that somebody had passed away at the school. Why commemorate him with a giant rock? It didn't even look much like a gravestone. She looked at Minerva, nodding as she asked the other question that was on her mind. Had he been a first year? Then again, even a seventh year, whilst to Vilhelmine comparatively old, was far too young to die.

 

[Merrill Piper]

Merrill nodded when one of the girl expressed her relief about the body, and how she wouldn't be able to sleep. The Gryffindor agreed heartily. With some of the ridiculous things other students had been known to do it felt like it would only be a matter of time before some unhinged person decided to try, and raise the dead. Merrill touched her hand to the memorial stone. The spring sun had warmed it up nicely. When one of the girls asked if he was young Merrill had to think for a second. He had been a 7th year, and that didn't seem young to her, but it was also no where near her parents age. "He was a 7th year, but from what I overheard other students saying he acted a little young." She finally answered. All the stories she had heard made Avie seem like a really nice guy, and it was a little disappointing she had never gotten to meet him. "It's surprising he wasn't in Gryffindor. You'd have to be really brave to hug Professor Styx." She said referencing the plaque on the stone. ​

Out of Character:

Sorry this took so long! Exams are coming up.

 

[Minerva Khulik]

Minerva looked from the stone to the two girls in succession, informed that he had been a 7th year Minerva wondered what year he had died, had she read about it in the newspaper? She wasn't being morbid but something like this would have been taken into serious consideration when deciding to come to Hogwarts. Well, really she hadn't had a choice, her letter had arrived and her parents were more excited than she and for a while she had gotten caught up in the excitement too but then again all her anxieties crept back until she thought she would have a heart attack before ever getting on the train.

"Which house was he in?" she asked before frowning, she had Professor Styx for History of Magic and she was positively wonderful. The woman was a font of information and was so passionate about her subject that Minerva felt compelled to adore the woman utterly but why would you have to be brave to hug her? Was there something she wasn't seeing in regard her history of magic professor? Glancing at Vil she hoped that she would bring it up instead.

 

[Vilhelmine Dahl]

Vilhelmine frowned in wonder at what 'acting young' meant, but in the end decided better than to ask. There were several explanations, and the Hufflepuff didn't particularly want to dwell on any of them. Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss.

Vil, like Minerva, looked briefly confused when Professor Styx was mentioned. She, too, initially assumed that Merrill was referring to their History of Magic teacher, who, while in the Hufflepuff's opinion a little boring, was nothing but lovely. Why would anybody be brave to hug her? She exchanged a perplexed look with her friend before it suddenly occurred to her that there were two Professor Styx's in the school - one was simply absent. She couldn't remember where she'd head of him, now, but she recalled that the regular Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was absolutely terrifying, standing over seven feet high and turning students' blood icy with his demeanour. Looking at Merrill, Vil said, "You mean, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Considering this knowledge alongside the remark about Avie hugging him, the Hufflepuff suddenly smiled. He must have been brave.

Out of Character:

So sorry!

 

[Merrill Piper]

Merrill could practically feel the one girl frown when she mentioned Professor Styx. He wasn't even here this semester so she didn't understand the response. Then it hit her that there was now another Professor Styx in the castle. She taught History of Magic, and seemed like a nice lady, but Merrill had never really took a shine to the class. History was important, but it was just so easy to space out during the dull hum of the lectures. "He was in Slytherin. He was on their quidditch team too. A really good seeker." Merrill told the girls. Merrill didn't know that Avie had just been drafted before she died, but she remembered watching his matches in her first year. "Yeah that Professor. You haven't had him yet, but he's really creepy. The head of Slytherin house." Merrill warned him. He was always looking over everyone looking like he wanted to curse you just for daring to be in the same room as him.​

 

[Minerva Khulik]

Minerva was glad that Vil looked just as confused as she did by the mention of Professor Styx but it was the older girls telling them that the boy was a seeker and had been on his houses quidditch team that had turned Minerva almost a whiter shade of pale. She had always known that sport was dangerous, was the worst flier or attempted flier in the wizarding world herself but now all her estimations of the sport and of the act of flying just seemed to be clarified ...unless of course... Minerva looked at the girl again.

"Was that how he died? He was playing quidditch?" this was getting more morbid by the second but as she looked again at the mound of rocks and grateful that her cat Odin was no longer intent on making it his perch, she couldn't help but wonder at a young person dying or being killed. She knew they did of course but thankfully no one she knew, though her brothers had come close to her wanting to kill them quite a few times!

She genuinely didn't like the sound of the professor, Defense against the Dark Arts ... she hadn't been sure what she felt about the subject to begin with but now she suddenly felt extremely anxious.

 

[Merrill Piper]

Merrill scrunched up her nose, and quickly shook her head when Minerva asked her if Avie had died playing quidditch. Honestly that Lennon boy was stirring up the younger students so much. Hardly anyone ever died playing quidditch. Yes there were injuries, but those are easily treated by the healers. It was a shame what had happened to Jean Snow, but it wasn't the norm. "No no nothing like that. He drowned while he was going for a swim in the lake." Merrill told them. "I think he was looking for rocks. He really liked them. That's why his memorial is a rock." Searching for rocks at the bottom of the lake seemed very silly to her, but it was still sad that he had died because of something he loved. She hoped he was at least happy before it happened. "Don't be worried about the lake though. Lots of people swim in the lake all the time. It was an accident that he drowned." The lake was such a nice place to hang out on hot days Merrill hoped the younger girls wouldn't be scared away from it. Not to mention there were so many amazing creatures, and mermaids swimming around in there.​