This is a Crazy World

[J.T. Hunt]

It was just week one of the first semester, of the many semesters that JT was going to have in that school. A year ago he was struggling with mathematics and grammar, now he had to deal with spells and potions. The youngster didn't really enjoy changes in his life and this one was pretty huge. He always disliked boarding schools and even if there was magic here as some sort of sedation, Hogwarts was still a boarding school in his eyes. What have really pissed him off was the fact that technology wasn't working within the premises of the school. No phone calls, no Skype sessions with his best friends back in Albany, Auckland. He was already missing them while ha hadn't manage to make new friends yet. He was slightly intimidated by the fact that most of them seemed to know a lot about magic already while he had no clue. He didn't seem to be eager to learn as this morning he skipped his first class of History of Magic. He never was interested in muggle history, why bother about magical. Although it was cold outside, the sky was cloudless and the courtyard had acquired a nice golden hue. He found a bench and had a seat. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and examined it. How on earth was working this piece of wood?

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond Mandy was a rebel, kind of. He wanted more time to explore! It was this part of him that would have landed him in Gryffindor. Thankfully, he wasn't with the lions. He found snakes a lot more fascinating. Ray Ray wondered how all the founders got along when they were all so different. It puzzled him how they managed to work together and make a cool hat in the process! Raymond had managed to get out of the dungeons. When he was walking to his house he felt like he could hardly breathe. Raymond never liked dark places, and he liked sleeping with the lights on. He had never fully grown out of his childhood fears.

He knew Rayvnn was going to throw a fit when she found out he skipped class. But, that was only if she found out. He didn't have to tell her. It was hard not to tell Ray things. It was a habit. She always wrote things about him. He had pretended not to notice for her sake. That journal better not get in the wrong hands. He walked into the Courtyard. There was a boy playing with he wand. Raymond walked up to him."It's awesome right?" he asked pointing to the boys wand. Raymond pulled out his own to show the boy. "Mine is quite long. I wonder if that means I'm going to be tall!" he smiled. He hoped the boy didn't mind company.
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[J.T. Hunt]

JT flipped his wand in the air and caught it again from its tip. He did so a few more times while sitting on the bench, his bored gaze fixed on the fountain of the four houses. He looked at his feet with the same indifference when his wand fell down on the ground and signed before picking it up. He sat up straight when he heard someone talking and scanned the newcomer. The boy that approached him seemed to be a first year as well but he probably wasn't a Gryffindor. First year Gryffindors were his roommates and although he hadn't talked much with them, he couldn't recall this guy being one of them. His glassy stare turned back on his wand and wondered what exactly was awesome about a stick. "Erm...I suppose." his voice came out croaky and coughed once to clear his throat. He remained expressionless when the boy flourished his own wand but he noticed it was different from his own. He glanced back at his own which was knotted and slightly bigger than the other boy's. "Is that so?" he mused, not really wanting to become that tall. If he was going to get too tall, he wasn't going to be so flawless with his skateboard acrobatics. "Does the wood mean anything?" he asked curiously, although his voice's tone was still monotonous. He highly doubted that this boy was a muggle born like him so possibly new more about wands than JT.

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond wondered why the boy did not look excited about having a wand, especially by his careless behavior with it. He still continued to smile. Raymond would show him the true wonders of magic. Magic had no ends. It was just a matter of pushing through until the desired result is reached. Ray Ray shook his head. "The length of your wand has nothing to do with your height. You were supposed to laugh," he mumbled and turned his attention to his feet. Even Rayvnn had become more serious. He had to up his game so that his reputation wasn't ruined. Raymond took a seat next to the boy and nodded. "Of course. The wood is like the foundation of your wand," he began. "My wand is made from Ivy wood, and ivy is known for healing. It's also good for outgoing wizards." he informed the boy. Raymond didn't look like the type to read, but when it came to magic, he would do anything. "I was so excited to get a wand when I was younger, I read a huge book about them. They're fascinating because not one is exactly the same." Raymond had times when he rambled. It had not broken that habit yet.
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[J.T. Hunt]

JT felt stupid for not catching the boy's joke and awkwardly turned his attention at his wand. Wizard and witches had a quite different vocabulary from the one he was used to and it turned out they had also different kind of humor. The boy sat next to him and went on about the wands' wood importance by explaining what was his wand's wood quality. "I have no idea what mine is good for. I just know it is made of lime wood and inside has a hair of a creature called demi...something." he said and wondered if the guy knew anything about lime wood and in what it was going to be good at. JT also wondered if the boy had his wand for a longer time than him and knew to cast spells. "How long do you have yours?" he asked given the impression that he had it for a long time. "Do you know how to cast spells?" was his next question and he felt like he was bombarding the boy with too many questions. "I'm JT by the way." he introduced himself, hoping to learn the boy's name as well. He sounded like a genuinely friendly person but still JT was quite wary. It was in his nature.

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond listened to the other boy carefully. He wanted to make sure what he needed to look for in his head was correct. Silver lime and demiguise. When he put in enough effort, he was extremely bright. He knew a bit about wands. Probably more then a normal first year, but he needed to figure out where he needed to step next. He had to find out what he was worth. He could not do that by just sitting around. He had to try different things and become knowledgeable about many things. "Silver lime. It's good with magic that has to with the mind," he started, "and demiguise hair cores do not last very long, but when they are in their prime, they make a very distinguishable wand." he finished neatly. The next question made Raymond cock his head to the side. He was only a first year. He had not had his wand for very long. This person appeared to be a muggleborn. He did not know much about magic or the magical world. "I have not had it for very long. I'm only a first year." he spoke gently. Raymond became dedicated to his interests. If he wanted to know more about becoming a seer, he would raid the entire library looking for books. The Slytherin was finding a new part of him that he had never seen before. He had no idea he had so much inside him that was just growing, and now, he could hardly control his curiosities. Raymond shook his head. I only know this, Lumos." he spoke sternly and the tip of his wand lit up. "Nox," and the light went away. That was a basic one that many first years played around with once they got their wands. Raymond could feel that JT still wasn't fully comfortable. It was okay. "I am Raymond. I'm in Slytherin. What house are you in?" he asked. He had not seen JT at the House meeting, but he hadn't seen all the Slytherin's faces.
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[J.T. Hunt]

This boy knew a lot of information about wands. This made JT thought that he probably was a member of the house of Ravenclaw. He had overheard a few Gryffindor saying that the students with the raven crest on their chest were really studious. "I guess I'll have to buy a new one sooner than what I had expected." he chuckled in an attempt to break the ice. "What's in yours?" he gestured with his head at the boy's wand. JT then felt slightly more confident and comfortable when they boy told him that he just got his own wand as well. Maybe all first years had not previous experience with wands after all. His thoughts were confirmed when the boy told him that he only knew how to use a single spell and demonstrated it to JT. His usual dead eyes shined with a spark of excitement and he rushed to mimic the boy. "Lumos." he muttered and the tip of his wand illuminated with a small orb of light. He dropped his wand on the floor astonished by the sudden reaction and the light extinguished. "That was so cool." he commented dumbfounded and picked up his wand. It was his first time casting magic. He was only used to illusionist trick up to this point which he performed at his neighborhood's square for passers-by. He just then realized how many tricks he was going to learn and he was going to show to his muggle friends during the first break. It was the first time he was cracking a soft smile ever since he had arrived at this school. "Nice to meet you." he nodded when the boy introduced himself as Raymond. "I'm in Gryffindor." he replied right after Raymond revealing he was in Slytherin. JT remembered the snake mascot they had and that some people in his own house were calling them sly. Apparently, there was a big competition between his and Raymond's house but JT had no idea what was the fuss about. "Say, you seem to know a lot about...umm...everything." he didn't used the word magic for some reason. "How about Quidditch?" he referred correctly to word he had memorized after hearing it so many times from other students. He was aware it was some sort of sport played on brooms but he knew nothing about rules and how it was played. "What do you know about it?" he asked.

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond chuckled. It was nice to know that JT was not completely devoid of humor. "My wand's core is erumpent hide, and it makes it a bit upredicatable." He had been surprised that such a wand had chose him. However, his wand and himself were a lot alike. Ray Ray was social, but he was not as unpredictable as he was when he was younger. He silently observed JT perform the spell as well. He yelped when JT dropped the wand. This sealed his thought on the Gryffindor being a muggleborn. It made Raymond grateful to be born into magic. He could only imagine what it was like for JT at the moment. It was a terrifying feeling in his mind. Raymond shrugged. "It's my life. I was born into magic," he said quietly. Raymond used to think Gryffindor contained a bunch of Spartans, but after coming down from cloud nine, he realized that they just had different qualities than Slytherin did. He saw the lions as more emotional, and snakes as more logical. He thought that was the reason they often didn't get along. Raymond clapped his hands together when JT asked about Quidditch. "It is an absolutely amazing sport!" he exclaimed. "Each team has seven players. There are three Chasers, a Keeper, two Beaters, a Seeker," he started. "Then, there are four balls: Quaffle, two Blugers, and a Golden Snitch." He paused so that he could think of a way to explain it. It had introduced the subject in a horrible order. Normally it was the ball, players, and then the field. Unfortunately, Raymond had explained it wrong. He loved Qudditch. It was a lovely game, but he preferred to watch it. "The Keeper is the protector of the hoop so that the other team doesn't score. The Chasers use the Quaffle to throw through the hoops. There are three hoops that have different heights. Then, the Beaters use these really huge bats to hit the Bludgers, that are trying to injure the other players. Finally, the Seeker is looking for the Golden Snitch that flies around trying to hide itself. Once the Snitch it caught, the gave is over and 150 point are awarded!" he explained. He looked to JT to see if he had followed his words. He had be talking quite fast. The topic of Quidditch just got him excited!
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[J.T. Hunt]

JT remained silent as his new acquaintance talked about his wand. He should probably stop asking questions when for every answer he was getting, two more questions were popping in his head. He decided not to ask how exactly an erumpent looked like and sat cross-legged at his portion of the bench to be comfortable while listening to information about Quidditch. With each detail Raymond was adding, JT could imagine a match taking place in a large pitch. Players darting around like arrows to claim or deflect the appropriate balls. "Poor Seeker. Sounds like the weight of the world is placed on his shoulders." he mused when Ray finished his analytic description of the sport. JT took a moment to think in which of all these positions was suiting him the most. Definitely not a Seeker. He probably wouldn't be that fast compared to other players with much more experience and more years playing the game. Perhaps as a Keeper he could actually help his team the most. JT used to play football with his neighborhood's children and he was good as a goalkeeper. Keeper's job wasn't that different. Just three hoops to guard and all that above the ground on a broom. "What position would you play if you had the opportunity?" he asked Ray in order to see if they had the same preference or actually a different one.

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond nodded. The Seeker did have a lot of stress on their shoulders. That was why some games lasted months due to incompetent seekers. "Yeah. Some Qudditch games have lasted months because they could not find the Snitch." he told the boy. Raymond shrugged at JT's question. He had never thought of it. He always thought Quidditch was a game he preferred watching. "I guess I would be the Keeper. It's easy enough, and it's more one on one contact." he said. He was comfortable in the sky, he just really did not think it was his sport. But, Ray Ray did not know much about muggle sports. Perhaps he could ask JT. "What kind of sports to muggles play?" he asked. He had a feeling that the boy did not know the term "muggle, so he prepared himself to explain.
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[J.T. Hunt]

His eyes bulged when Ray mentioned that a Quidditch game could last months. More surprising was the way Ray referred to it. Like it was completely trivial. "For months?" he repeated and tried to imagine how exhausting that could be. He didn't dare to ask if they were playing unstoppably. That couldn't happen even with the assistance of magic. They were probably pausing the match for the players to rest and eat and then resume it until they got a winner. JT was tempted to ask if Hogwarts had ever hosted such a long Quidditch match but then he realized that Ray might knew a lot about the wizardry world but he still was a first year like him. JT was sharing the same preference for a Keeper with Ray, although he wasn't completely dismissing the idea of playing as a Chaser or as a Beater as well. "Exactly my thought." he nodded. "It's also fun to see the disappointment in your opponents' face when you block their attempts to score." he added what he would also like if he was ever going to play as a Keeper. Then, tables turned and it was Raymond's turn to be asking questions. JT slightly frowned when his new friend used the term 'muggles'. He had noticed many people using it at Diagon Alley when he went to purchase his school supplies. His mother had told him that wizards and witches were referring in this way to non-magical folks. "I guess there is a greater variety of sports that muggles are playing." he began saying, both unsure if there were more magical sports, other than Quidditch, and if it was right for him to use the term 'muggles'. "One of the most popular is football. It is played on grass terrain and the players can only kick the ball to score at the opposite teams goalposts. No flight is taking place of course. The players just run around." he described briefly and realized how lame it sounded next to Quidditch. "It's so popular that there exist several different championships around the world like the World Cup, several region cups and most countries have also their own championships." he added and decided it was time to ask himself a question. He wanted to learn more and Raymond looked like he had swallowed an encyclopedia or something. "Are there any Quidditch cups?" he asked, guessing that there should be while the game was so popular within the wizardry community.

 

[Raymond Mandy]

Raymond appreciated JT's reaction. He had never seen such wonder on the look of anyone before. The boy nodded to reassure the Gryffindor. Raymond laughed. That was very true. Hewould have done a little teasing as well, but he was rarely ever in a teasing mood. He was a half the sweetheart his sister was, which was enough for him to get a few things that he wanted. Raymond listened with great interest as JT explained a game called "football". It sounded boring. He rolled his eyes when Jt told him flying wasn't involved. Duh. How would there be? They should just call it kickball then. Why specifically 'foot'? It's not like you can kick with your hands!" he complained. Muggles did not make sense to him. They did weird things that Raymond could not imagine doing without the help of magic. However, they were at an advantage in a way. Without magic, wizards and witches would have a difficult time trying to survive. "Of course! We have one every four years! All the wizarding communities unite to show off their talent." he responded. Raymond did not mind answering all JT's questions. The was not from this world of magic, so he understood his curiosity. Raymond stood up. Sitting in this courtyard was getting pretty boring. He needed to move around. "Sitting here is boring. Is there anywhere you want to go?"
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[J.T. Hunt]

JT shrugged his shoulders when Raymond made an apposite remark. "I think there is another sport called kickball." he said reluctantly, not completely sure of what he was saying. "As I said, we have- I mean, muggles have a lot of sports and their variations. Without magic, you have to find more ways to entertain yourself." he made a wild guess of why muggles had so many sports. On the other hand, it seemed to him that wizards and witches were just enthusiastic about Quidditch. Even if there were more magical sports, they seemed to have been overshadowed by Quidditch or he hadn't still heard about them. Quidditch seemed to have also a World Cup. He certainly should find a book about the sport and learn more about the existing teams. If he was going to play for his house one day, he should also find a team to root for outside the school. JT found himself agreeing with his new friend about how boring was this courtyard. "I haven't' visited yet most of the school's facilities." he admitted and stood up. He checked his watch and remembered they were going to have soon another class. He was eager to skip it though for the shake of exploration. "Where would you go if you had the time to explore?" he asked, not sure if Raymond was also going to skip a class. In case he didn't, JT was going to visit the place he was going to tell him.