Time to Pretend

[Nixon Mercury]

The weather was finally warm and Nixon wanted to make the most of it before the seasons changed again, heading out to the great lawn with a camera hanging from his shoulder and the intent to practice his photography before the yule ball. Now being an official photographer for the school yearbook and a more active member of the Hogwarts Monthly, this seemed like a smart way for him to spend his time, given the sun was out and the added pressure on his shoulders to take photos that were timeless as well as eye catching. Winter and autumn were seasons with their own favorable qualities, long nights being one of the many things Nixon enjoyed in the colder months, but there was something special about summer that made it his favourite time of year, especially in regards to photographs. He wasn't sure what that special something was, whether it was the lighting being brighter or the general atmosphere being metaphorically as well as literally sunny, but he was happy that the weather was sometimes enough to put him in a good mood when nothing else was able to.

Nixon walked backwards on the great lawn, holding his hands up to make a rectangle while facing the castle as he walked so he could find the best view possible. When he was sure the castle would fit in his photographs and the view was as pretty as it could possibly be, he paused his steps and reached for his camera. Not wanting to waste another moment of his time Nixon quickly began to take photos of the castle in the distance. He never intended for any of his photos to be usable but was not about to let that keep him from taking the best shots, knowing that the more photos he took the better he would be when he began to take official yearbook photos at the ball.​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber was a studious girl, but even she found it hard to resist the call of the grounds when the weather was this nice. She had allowed herself a break from the exam revisions, if only because she felt like she was on top of things so far. The sixth year exams were daunting, but they weren't nearly as dense as the OWL's had been. The girl didn't look forward to next year, as the NEWTs would surely be worse. But for now she could take a walk outside, visit the garden, and know she would be able to get Os on her exams as long as she kept up with her studies.

Her walk was quite nice, and Amber had a smile on her face as she took in her surroundings. Spending some time outside was a great way to clear one's mind, especially if you managed to keep yourself from getting dirty in the process. Amber hated mud and dirt, so she tended to stay in when bad weather caused the ground to be muddy. Now was the perfect time to spend outside, in her opinion. There were a few students outside, but one in particular caught her eye. She noticed a younger boy taking photos of the castle. It was a boy she recognized from the Hufflepuff common room. Her curiosity piqued, Amber decided to head over. "Hello, may I ask what you're doing?" She asked him with a smile. "Are those pictures for the year book or the paper?"

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Nixon paused, looking away from his camera when a voice spoke to him. He turned his head and smiled when he noticed it was one of his house's prefects, someone who he felt comfortable talking to. Recently many of the fellow hufflepuffs he had ran into were related to the quidditch team somehow, which meant his interactions with his other house members were negative and few and far between. Nixon was certain this prefect, Amber, if he remembered correctly, wasn't on the team so he was sure she would be genuinely kind to him and not waste his time with fake niceties. "I'm taking photos of the castle. It's not really for anything other than practice, but I am taking photos for the yearbook at the yule ball." He answered, seeing no issue in being honest. As an idea appeared in his mind, Nixon looked away from Amber, to his camera, and then back to her before asking a question of his own. "Actually, would you mind posing for a few photos, for me? It might be better practice for the yule ball if I take photos of a person instead of just the castle, you know?" A blush crept onto his cheeks when he realized how forward his question was, or how creepy it might sound, so he quickly added "I'll let you keep the photos afterwards if that helps." with another smile in Amber's direction. Hopefully the promise of giving her the photos he did take made his question seem as genuine as he wanted it to be.​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber nodded as the boy explained he was simply taking photos of the castle to practice. She glanced up at the castle and then back at the camera, smiling a little. "I bet you're making beautiful photos. The castle is rather pretty isn't it? It's easy to forget when you've been living in it for some years." She could still remember how overwhelmed and amazed she had been when she had first set foot at Hogwarts. Now it felt familiar, comfortable. It made her sad to think of how soon she would have to leave it. The boy's question took her off guard, and she looked at him for a moment in surprise. "Oh! Really?" She asked, thinking it over. "Well, I suppose that makes sense." She said, hoping the boy didn't feel bad for asking. "If it will help you, sure." She said after a moment of consideration. She had no clue what she would do with a bunch of pictures of herself, but maybe she could figure that out later.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

The more Nixon thought about asking to take photos of Amber for practice, the more confident he felt it was a smart decision. At the yule ball people dressed their best and expected to be photographed their best in turn with their effort. Although taking photos of a castle in the distance was helpful in some ways, providing him a chance to practice framing images and focusing the camera lens efficiently, it was still inherently different to taking photos of a person. People weren't buildings; they were alive, with imperfections and they moved around of their own free will. Nixon smiled when Amber agreed to help him, happy for the opportunity to take a photo of something other than the castle's architecture. "Thanks so much!" He exclaimed, waving his hand in the direction he was taking photos previously. "If you stand over there somewhere, I can focus the camera on you, it should be pretty with the castle in the distance." Nixon turned to face the castle again, looking down at his camera for a moment to adjust a few of the settings.​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber had agreed to help the boy, but quickly realized she hadn't really thought it through. While she didn't mind posing for pictures, she did know it would probably be a little awkward. She smiled nervously at the younger boy and nodded at his instructions. "Alright... She headed over to the spot he indicated and turned to him, clasping her hands in front of her and smiling nervously. "Like this?" She asked him. Surely this wouldn't be a very interesting picture, but she wasn't a model and had no idea how to pose. At the yule ball it seemed easier because everyone was getting their pictures taken and they were all wearing beautiful clothes. Here she just stood in her uniform, wondering if she was supposed to be doing something else than just stand here. Hopefully the boy would inform her of it if she needed to do something else. He was the expert.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

When the settings on his camera were adjusted slightly, Nixon looked up, giving Amber a thumbs up to show she was doing well. "That's great!" He exclaimed, bringing his camera to his face and stepping to the left to make sure Amber was properly in frame, and the castle was behind her in the distance. He took a few landscape photos to include the castle, then flipped his camera sideways to take portraits. In turn he stepped to one side again to make sure Amber was still in frame. A few minutes passed as Nixon took photos, and when he felt confident enough that the photos he had taken were adequate he finally looked up from his camera, allowing it to hang from the strap hanging on his shoulder as he looked back over to Amber. "I think the shots look good." He said, smiling as he stepped closer to where Amber was standing. "I'll need to develop them though, is there a time I can find you in the common room to give you the photos?" Nixon hoped there was a time Amber would be in the common room as he wasn't sure where else he could find her in the castle otherwise.​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

The thumbs up the boy gave her reassured Amber a little, though she still felt a little silly standing and waiting to get her photo taken. The boy seemed busy trying to take a few different photos, and Amber decided to remain in the same pose unless told otherwise. She relaxed when he was done, self-consciously tucking some hair behind her ear. “Oh, I hope so.” She said when the boy told her the shots look good. “I’ll be in the common room tomorrow afternoon to study, I think. Would that work?” It was then that she realized she didn’t know his name. Embarrassed, she decided she had to ask. “Sorry, what’s your name? It’ll be easier to find each other if we know that. I’m Amber.” She said, an apologetic look on her face. She wished she knew every student in Hufflepuff, but there were a lot of them. Too many to keep track of.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Nixon nodded at Amber's suggestion to meet in the common room later. "That does work, I should have the photos ready by then." He confirmed, attention moving back to his camera for a moment before Amber's next words startled him. While being immersed in the task of practicing his photography and eager to take photos of a person rather than a landscape, he hadn't realized that while he already knew Amber's name as she was one of his house's prefects, she didn't know who he was in return, and that he should have introduced himself to her much earlier. "Oh, right!" He exclaimed, placing his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest in mock confidence as he introduced himself. "I'm Nixon Mercury, at your service for any photographic needs!" With a smile on his face, he held one of his hands out for Amber to shake. "It's nice to officially meet you, Amber." He added, wanting her first impression of him to be positive in spite of the fact he forgot to introduce himself until that moment.​

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber was glad the boy agreed with the timing, but also didn’t want him to rush to develop the pictures. “Alright, but if it’s later that’s okay too. You can find me in the common room pretty often.” Amber always enjoyed being in the common room. It was just such a nice and cozy space, and she got along with a lot of the people in her house. She giggled as the boy puffed out his chest and introduced himself in a funny and dramatic way. She definitely wouldn’t forget his name now. “Nice to meet you, Nixon! I’ll keep that in mind.” A photographer could be useful if they organized an event with Heta Omega. “It’s nice to meet you too. Thank you for taking my photo.” She said, even though he had asked her to pose. “I’ll head back up to the castle now. I’ll see you around later,” she gestured to his camera with a smile. “Good luck if you take any more photos today.”