True Magic

[Gabriella Tillington]

Gabriella had tried her best to research Hogwarts from te moment she knew she was going there. She had assumed she would go to Hogwarts in Scotland, but when her father had informed her she would go to the New Zealand branch instead, she had been relieved to find out the two schools were very similar. Her father had told her stories about his time at school, though not nearly enough to satisfy Gabriella's curiosity. It did mean already knew some things about both the way the school worked and the building itself, which is why she knew she wanted to find the library right away.

Her first night at Hogwarts had been an odd one. Not only was it weird to sleep in a new room with a bunch of girls she didn't know, but the news about her sister was constantly on her mind. She had written a letter to her father last night to ask about her and ask him what to do, but she hadn't mailed it yet. A part of her wanted to avoid the subject as long as she could, but even now as she walked through the corridor on the fourth floor her eyes kept darting around for her sister's blond hair. She wasn't sure if she hoped to run into her or not, but she ended up finding the library without seeing her anywhere.

After only a few steps into the large room, Gabriella had to stop to look around. Her eyes were wide, this library was gorgeous. She hadn't ever seen anything that came close to this, and any library she had seen before paled in comparison. It took her a moment to snap out of it, and then she had no idea where to start. She looked around, hoping no one had seen how amazed she had looked just now, it was a little embarrassing.

 

[Eva Reed]

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A tiny little figure was hunched over a rich wooden desk, thick in structure but upholding a small girl. The only way anyone could have noted that it was a girl was due to the long, cascading brown hair that dribbled over her shoulders like a bride's veil. When turning a page, the child flicked her hair over her shoulder and showed a face of deep interest and thought for just a few seconds. Her brow was scrunched into a firm set of lines, emitting vibes of deep concentration to all those around her (though many weren't interested in her - or even were in the library; they were admiring those flying on brooms outside). Eva was deeply overwhelmed by her surroundings. The magic she'd learnt was real was hitting her from all directions, whether it was a joking Locomotor Mortis curse placed on an unsuspecting passer-by from a particularly cruel second year, or the Draught Charm she'd seen cast by an older student when at the dining table. Eva couldn't quite believe her eyes, or any of her senses. She'd never heard of anyone magic, used the term "pureblood," or even knew that broomsticks were a thing. So, to quell her racing thoughts (and to stop getting laughed for not understanding wizarding terms), Eva had decided to go to one place which calmed her and had a little lesser magic (aside from the crazily-flying books, but she thought they were funny) - the library. The library was grandiose and made from deep, rich woods and shining metal decorative features. When entering half an hour before Gabriella, Eva had stared in wonder at her surroundings for a long time. She had made her way to a specific bookshelf after being guided by a particularly stern book keep, and pushed herself onto her "tippy-toes" to grasp a book on Charms. She wanted to know what on Earth was happening around her, and why such a normal girl was introduced to such a crazy, out-of-this-world... world.

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[Gabriella Tillington]

Gabriella let her eyes wander, though she had her expression in check now. The library really was quite grand, and it made her feel small, young. She saw some older students but not too many yet, considering how early in the term it still was. They probably didn't have much homework yet. Maybe some of the students that were here had fallen in love with the library as well and just wanted to spend their free time here, something Gabriella could completely understand. Or maybe she underestimated the workload for the upper years.

A movement caught her attention and she glanced to the side, where a small figure was sitting at a wooden desk, nearly hidden by her long hair. Gabriella had completely missed her as she had scanned her surroundings, and she could hardly blame herself as the girl wasn't very noticeable. It wasn't until the small girl moved her hair away from her face that Gabriella recognized her as the girl she had met on the train. The quiet one who had seemed somewhat overwhelmed by everything. Eva, she remembered. She knew the girl was in a different house than she was, Ravenclaw instead of Hufflepuff. It was a shame, but she was still glad to be in Hufflepuff.

After a moment of hesitation because the girl looked so engrossed in her reading, Gabriella decided to head over to her. She took a seat next to the girl and gave her a small smile. "Hi Eva. I hope I'm not interrupting." She said with a glance around them. "This library is probably the best part of this entire school, don't you think?" She hadn't seen even close to everything yet, but Gabriella had a hard time picturing something she would like more. She highly doubted there would be a pool anywhere, so this was probably as good as it got for her.

 

[Eva Reed]

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Eva's head raised so her eyes could lay upon the blonde girl. She, first, noted her house colours - as she had been taught to do by other students subconsciously. Apparently, the housing system was much more of a community focus than in normal schools. She wore yellow, which was different to Eva. That disappointed her a little. Eva wanted to at least know one person in her house, but she hadn't found the courage to approach anyone yet. Her mind snapped back to the focus, the yellow. She recalled that as the house 'Hufflepuff.' From what she'd read and heard, Hufflepuffs were very... nice. Not extraordinary, just... nice. But she could find the extraordinary in this girl, she was sure. That was key from her persona. Something wasn't quite as basic as it seemed to be. "N-no, I-I-I'm good. You're-... you're good. You can, uhm, s-sit with- with me. B-but only i-i-if you would like to." Now Eva could get a word in aside their train journey's loud counterpart, her stutter was unbearably obvious and noticeable. It took the patience of a saint to deal with her verbal slowness. "I, uhm, I really l-like it, b-b-because it's... it's-it's really big and pretty a-and full- filled with books." Eva could hear her mother's words in her ears, a fresh memory ever-laden in her brain. Hurry up and spit it out, girl! Her mouth closed after the short sentences, hair shielding her face, which now showed nervousness and concern. Eva was nervous that Gabriella wouldn't like her due to her stutter. A childish thought, but one nonetheless. Perhaps she should just go back to reading and forget the attempt of friends this time. It had never worked anyway. Not as Princeton, not at St Mary's, nor at Maple Oak. Forget it.

---

 

[Gabriella Tillington]

When Eva looked up, Gabriella actually grew worried she had bothered her and the girl was unhappy with her company. She looked like she was busy reading and Gabriella was half regretting her choice to talk to her, as she would have hated that herself. It seemed like Eva was a Ravenclaw, the house Gabriella had half expected to go herself. She had only decided at the last moment that she wouldn't want to be in the house with all the smartest students, as she would feel horrible comparing herself to them constantly, and it seemed like the hat had seen that somehow. Or maybe she hadn't been smart enough to go to Ravenclaw at all, she didn't know. But since they had classes with the other houses, it was likely she would be comparing herself to them regardless.

The girl's stutter surprised Gabriella, as she hadn't noticed it in the train. But she supposed Eva hadn't had much time to speak there. She wondered if the girl was nervous around her, she hoped not. "I would like to." She said, reassuring her with a small smile. "And I like it too, it's beautiful here." She looked around. "I don't think we shall be able to read every book here in the next seven years, even if we stop going to classes or sleeping to do it." She said with a small shrug. She looked over at the book the girl was holding. "Can I ask what you're reading?" She asked carefully, hoping it wouldn't be too intrusive to ask, she was very curious to what kind of books this library held.

 

[Eva Reed]

---

"It's-it's about 'charms'. A-a-apparent-... apparent-ly, they're... u-uhm, spells, that-..." Eva's sentence trailed off. Her eyes drifted up to the pretty child as she tried to grasp how she felt on the stutter that brutally stunted the poor child. Some Slytherins she'd met laughed at her for it. But, from what she knew about Hufflepuff... perhaps she wouldn't mind. As the girl ventured forward, Eva pulled out a chair for her with struggle. It barely moved due to her small amounts of strength, but the gesture was with kind intention. "They, uhm-... th-they, uh, add prop-err-tees to thin-things." Eva's accent was noted as she awkwardly pronounced words with care through her speech impediment. A British girl in New Zealand stuck out like a thumb that was stung by a bee. Bright and red.

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(OOC: I'm sorry it's short. I'm a little sick IRL so it's rubbish!

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[Gabriella Tillington]

Gabriella was patient with the other girl's stutter, knowing how awful it would be for the tiny Ravenclaw if she was laughed at or hurried along. As far as she knew, people couldn't help stuttering so saying anything about it wouldn't help her in any way. She was interested to hear about charms, as it was one of the subjects she was really looking forward to. Perhaps she would have it with the Ravenclaws? That would be nice, as she could sit with Eva, as she hadn't really connected to any of the girls in her own house yet. She helped the girl move the chair and then took a seat with a grateful nod, before replying to her. "That sounds very interesting, I look forward to charms." It was nice to talk to Eva, as her accent was familiar to Gabriella. Being from London herself, she felt more at home talking to the brunette Ravenclaw than most other people, including her own sister with her American accent. She brushed some of her hair off her shoulders. "Are you enjoying it here so far? How is Ravenclaw?" She asked her kindly. "I'm quite jealous of your house colours, blue is my favourite, though yellow isn't bad."