Teenage Satellites

Nixon Mercury

Freelance Writer | Emotionally Unavailable
 
Messages
472
OOC First Name
Anna
Blood Status
Mixed Blood
Relationship Status
Single
Sexual Orientation
Bisexual
Wand
Curly 10 Inch Sturdy Willow Wand with Meteorite Dust Core
Age
23
Set during the summer break of Y31.

Nixon never usually made plans during his holidays, so the opportunity to see one of his friends away from school was a welcomed change for him and something to look forward to. What made this plan furthermore exciting was that it was not only a plan to spend time with a new friend, but also to see the southern lights with his own two eyes. Throughout what was a lonely christmas period, seeing a phenomenon he had only read about or heard about from his parents, in person for the first time was everything Nixon needed to lift his spirits before his inevitable return to Hogwarts. Feeling like his time at home had been worth the toil was an experience Nixon never had before, but one he was happy for, believing that the feeling his holidays were fulfilling would translate to his energy to move forward with his classes and extracurriculars when the new semester began.

Ready for the night ahead, Nixon flooed to Stella's house with a bag slung over his shoulder containing his magical camera, a tripod, a few snacks, and an extra jacket in case the cold crept up on him. They promptly went over the plan they made one last time, then headed to where they would be be viewing the southern lights when they were sure everything was in order. Nixon, stepping foot on the grass, couldn't contain the wide smile taking over his features, completely excited for what was to come. After choosing a specific spot to view the southern lights when they started, Nixon placed his bag on the ground. "Are you excited? I'm excited." Nixon mused as he sifted through his bag, making conversation with his Ravenclaw friend as he found the tripod and began to set it up.​
 
Stella loved the Christmas holidays primarily for the opportunity to spend time with her family, but the opportunity to go out with a friend from Hogwarts was unprecedented and hugely exciting. It was a strange thing, to have two lives so far away from each other. Life at Hogwarts was more on Stella's mind than usual this summer, after what had happened at the Yule Ball; she hated having to leave Zoe so soon after such a fundamental change in their relationship, but at least it gave her time to tell her parents, and to think over what it meant for her. In the meantime, though, she was very happy to spend an evening with a new friend. Stella had seen the Southern Lights a couple of times before, with her family, and tonight was supposed to be a good night for it, though being summer they would be spending a later evening than Stella was used to. At least it probably wouldn't be too cold.

Stella was waiting by the fireplace when Nixon arrived, and she'd packed her galaxy-patterned backpack with a thermos of hot chocolate, some snacks, and a jacket. Stella wasn't much of a photographer, but Nixon was good enough for both of them, and it pleased her to know that even after tonight they'd be able to look back on his photos. Once they arrived at the spot they had chosen, Stella watched with interest as Nixon set up his camera equipment. She grinned. "I'm very excited. Look at all this!" She gestured widely up at the star-spangled sky. "It's gorgeous even without the lights. And when they come . . . this'll be truly spectacular. And I'm happy to get to watch it with you."
 
Nixon looked up from the tripod at Stella's words, smiling and staring up at the sky for a moment as she gestured to the stars. The night ahead was certainly going to be eventful and he wouldn't have chosen to spend it with anyone else but his stargaze friend who he knew would be just as in awe of the southern lights as he would be, if not more, if such a thing were possible. Though instead of returning this sentiment out loud, Nixon turned his attention back to the tripod to finish setting it up. When it seemed all put together he moved to shake it slightly to ensure it would stay in place.

Confident that it wouldn't fall over, he knelt down again, sifting through his bag a second time to retrieve the camera he brought with him. He then situated the camera onto the tripod, putting the setting on an automatic timer and stepping back when everything was set up. "Okay, now I just need to press the button to start taking photos when the lights start." He said, nodding to his friend. Magical cameras were so nifty, especially in the case of the southern lights as each photo would be moving along with the swirling colours. It was nice that he could sit back with his friend and watch the lights while the camera automatically took photos, too, meaning he could enjoy the experience of seeing the lights more than once and even forever if he looked after the photos properly. "How many photos do you want to keep from tonight?" He asked, more out of politeness than anything as he was sure he would give Stella at least half of them if she wanted.​
 
Stella smiled and nodded back; she didn't know much about photography, but she was pleased to share Nixon's enthusiasm. "So you don't need to do anything after you set it up? That's pretty cool." It was something of a relief to hear that Nixon wouldn't have to divide his attention between the camera and watching the lights; mostly for his own sake, as she was sure he'd pay as much rapt attention to the aurora as she would, but partially for hers as she hoped for interesting conversation. "Umm, I don't know. I'd like to keep a few, but obviously they're your photos. Maybe we could go over them later, and decide who wants to keep which ones?" There probably would be different individual photos that appealed more to each of them, and Stella didn't want to be greedy.

The pair sat in silence for a time, watching the star-spangled sky, waiting for the lights to appear. It was a pleasant companionship, Stella thought, just sitting together comfortably like this. Despite her excitement for what they had come to see, she was relaxed. Stella rummaged briefly in her bag, and pulled out the thermos and a couple of plastic cups. "Want some hot chocolate?" She glanced up again, and then, at last, she saw it: the first dainty blush of green light, faint at first but still startling against the blackness of the night. "Look," she breathed softly, pointing, energized all over again. "It's coming!"
 
Other than wanting keepsakes of memories from seeing the lights for the first time, knowing he wouldn't need to pay attention to his camera other than to press a button when the lights began was one of the reasons Nixon thought to take photos in the first place. The sheer convenience of being able to take photos without distracting himself from staring at the sky with his own eyes was too welcome to pass up. He nodded at Stella's suggestion they go over the photos afterwards, agreeing that was a much smarter idea than choosing which photos belonged to each of them before the photos were even taken. That way they could pick their favorites first from the bunch and decide what to do with the rest, if there were any left. Nixon had half a mind he would want to keep every photo from the night that Stella didn't want, since throwing any of them away would seem wasteful.​

Nixon nodded again when Stella offered him some hot chocolate, but was interrupted from that thought when she suddenly pointed to the sky and exclaimed the lights were starting. Rapidly Nixon pressed the button on his camera, only turning his attention to the sky when he was sure it was working. The green light his eyes were met with was mesmerizing, and he watched in awe at the phenomenon he'd read about so many times. His parents' minute descriptions from their journals had done little justice to what he was seeing now, and he almost couldn't believe that he really was standing with one of his friends, and seeing the southern lights in person. If it weren't for the night air sending a chill down his spine as he watched and the feeling that his shoes were firmly planted on the ground he knew he would question whether he was dreaming. "This is so cool." He mused, breaking the silence that had fallen. "It's not like what I expected, but in a good way. I hope my photos capture it properly." Nixon knew the photos would turn out okay in the very least, but now that he knew what the southern lights truly looked like, it seemed silly to expect that the way the sky looked in person could be recreated with his camera.​
 

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