Closed The Importance of Presentation

[Jenna Irons]

The Slytherin commons had become an even more uncomfortable place for Jenna this year, between her waste of space roommates and now her estranged brother, so she had taken to spending more and more time out and about around the school. Climbing a few flights of stairs was worth the peace of mind she gained from avoiding her least favourite people. Jenna had brought the latest stack of fashion magazines Mum had sent her, leafing through the pages to see the latest trends she was missing out on, stuck at school with a dreary uniform and last holiday's clothes. At least she could keep her hair and makeup on trend, and Jenna brushed her hair back as she read, wondering how purple eyeshadow might suit her.

 

[Celia Vu]

These days, Celia felt a lot like a ghost — doomed to drift back and forth in this miserable castle, forgotten by the world at large. All of her friends were back in Boston, returning to school after summer holidays spent roaming the city or relaxing at the Cape. Even her parents were probably off, jetting to different cities and having dinners with important people. But she was stuck here, on the other side of the world, completely alone. Unable to use her laptop or cell phone, she couldn't even contact anyone from her old life.

So between her scheming and attempts at self-learning magic, Celia had taken to wandering the castle. She'd spent a lot of time talking to the portraits — most of the people here were intolerable — and reading, and though she knew this was an objectively sad way to spend her time, there wasn't much else she could do. Her life now was an empty shell of the one she'd had just a few months ago.

Craving some actual human interaction, Celia had gone to the Student Lounge. She didn't have high hopes, and she certainly didn't want any friends, but maybe she'd find something interesting. As she passed by a coffee table, she had to pause when she spotted a stack of fashion magazines. She'd brought a couple to Hogwarts, but she'd read through them a dozen times by now. Turning to an older girl who was flicking through one, Celia put on her friendliest smile. "Hi, those are the latest issues, right? Where did you get them?" She'd already checked the library, but maybe there was a hidden corner with fashion periodicals that she'd missed.

 

[Jenna Irons]

Jenna wasn't surprised someone would think she was interesting enough to interrupt her reading time and she flicked the page of her magazine down, studying the younger girl for a long moment before giving the warmest smile her face would allow. Well groomed, good taste in magazines, this girl had potential. Finally. "Oh, my mum posts them to me." She smiled, lowering the magazine properly. "She knows I wanna stay on top of the trends, even if I'm stuck at Boringwarts." Jenna laughed lightly, gesturing to the pile. "You can totally read one, if you wanna. I'm Jenna, what's your name?"

 

[Celia Vu]

Celia tried to hide her disappointment when the girl mentioned that she'd gotten the magazines from her mother. Celia's own mother would never do the same for her. Her mom didn't even send regular letters (though to be fair Celia had never tried to write her). She did have to give a small laugh when the other girl described Hogwarts as boring. It was exhausting being around all the other first years who acted as if this was the greatest place in the world.

"Really? That would be great, thanks!" she said, giving the other girl a genuine smile as she took a magazine off the top of the stack. "I'm Celia." She sat down a respectful distance away from Jenna in case the older girl wanted to browse in peace, but close enough that they could still talk. The magazine's glossy pages were comforting, a reminder of her old life, and she started to flip through the pages. Celia stopped at a two-page spread of a model in a beautiful red dress strutting down a New York City street and sighed. In another universe, that would be her; she wouldn't be stuck in an old castle in the middle of nowhere. "Is Hogwarts always so boring?" she couldn't resist asking. The other girl looked older; maybe she would have useful information about the school.

 

[Jenna Irons]

Jenna smiled cheerfully when the younger girl joined her, putting on her nicest face. If she could get an ally out of this encounter, that would be ideal. "I'm Jenna, it's nice to meet you!" She said cheerfully, flicking a page in her magazine over as she spoke. She had never been one to let an opportunity pass her by, techniques learned from years of watching her mother's marketing strategies. "Uuugh, it kind of is." Jenna agreed in response to the girl's question. "There's like, basically no cool people, and they never do fun stuff. The dances are pretty cool, but you've gotta make sure you don't get stuck with a loser for a date. But yeah, basically the only way to get through it is to find cool people to hang out with." She said, giving Celia a bright grin. "So I guess you're lucky you met me!"