Closed (Un)Familiar Faces

[Professor Leif Odegard]

Leif couldn't believe how quickly the holidays had gone by. One second he was just kicking back at home with his younger sisters, the next he had already found himself back on the train to Hogwarts. What the boy also couldn't quite wrap his head around was how fast his years at the school seemed to fly by. It seemed like only yesterday that he had walked through the doors to the great hall and had nervously looked for his sister while getting sorted. Now he had started his fith year at the school and he didn't have his sister around anymore to ask for help or advice when he needed it. Classes had started as well, but the boy didn't feel like doing anything for them yet. So Leif had made his way into the great hall and startd walking along the tables, starting with that of his one house, searching for one or more familiar faces. ​

 

[Chante Harvelle-Ateara]

Chante used a fork to play around with the food on plate. She wasn't really hungry, her appetite wasn't strong enough to make her want to eat. The tall girl had a great time over her break and was glad to be back at Hogwarts. However, she was feeling a little off lately. She went through a drastic change in appearance and it seems to be having an effect on her, somewhat. It was a strange time to be living in her head. Chante couldn't make some sense of it, and to top it all off her mother is now teaching at Hogwarts. Reminded about the tall witch sitting nearby the staff table, Chante forced a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. The fourth year didn't want her mother to worry, knowing her mum she'd find any excuse to approach her. At the moment as she dug into a pile of corn kernels, Chante spotted prince charming walking by, "Leif? Hey?"

 

[Professor Leif Odegard]

Leif had been walking around the great hall for a bit, when he heard someone call his name as he was walking by. The boy turned around to look for the source of the voice, only to find a girl looking at him somewhat expectantly. Something about her seemed a bit familiar and he felt like he should know her, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out who the girl was and how he might know her. "Hi." Leif smiled at her, after which his features turned into a more apologetic look. "I'm sorry, do I know you? I mean I feel like I should, but I just.. don't know." He looked at her, waiting for a response and worrying if he might have hurt her by not remembering who she was, yet hoping he hadn't. ​

 

[Chante Harvelle-Ateara]

She came close to greeting the boy with a genuine smile, remembering their time in Hufflepuff's common room. Instead, a frown replaced the friendly expression of hers. A little taken back, Chante found it odd he was behaving that way. "It's me, Chante, we did that puzzle together? Remember, one of the pieces almost got away," she calls back really the only memory of them together. They had spent hours trying to complete that impossible, animated puzzle. It had been a challenge, but it was fun completing it together. "Are you okay? Do you need to see a healer?" The teen asked concern about the boy. She was thinking maybe he got struck on the head or something. "I can take you to the hospital wing if you need a healer, I don't mind," she volunteered.

 

[Professor Leif Odegard]

As the girl told her who she was the gears in Leifs head started working. "Right, hi!"Ofcourse he remembered that, the puzzle pieces had made their lives extremely difficult that day. What he didn't remember was Chante looking like she did now. Either he had gone mad, or she had changed a lot over the holidays. "No, no, I'm okay." The boy smiled when she asked him if she needed to take him to a healer. "I just didn't recognize you, I'm sorry. Ofcourse I remember that puzzle, it took ages to finish it!" Leif chuckled, hoping to make the fact that he didn't recognize her a little less awkward. ​

 

[Chante Harvelle-Ateara]

Lines on her forehead bunched up and wrinkled, she was unsure of his reaction. "Okay....," Chante trailed off. The worst things came to mind, like the obvious change of her appearance. So far, she was the only one who felt uncomfortable with it...Maybe she was jumping to conclusion to think he was too. Then he said it and a blush rose against her cheeks. "Oh yeah, I know....I look different don't I?" Chante scooted lower on her seat. "I had a growth spurt during the break..."

 

[Professor Leif Odegard]

Leif could notice that Chante didn't exactly seem to be at ease with whatever was going on with her. "You do." He replied when she noted that she looked different. "You look good, though." He smiled when he noticed her scooting lower. She was obviously uncomfortable with the change she had gone through and Leif felt like she needed some friendly reassurance that it really wasn't a bad thing. "Not that you didn't before," He chuckled, "It's just that it's not something you need to worry about, you know?"​

 

[Chante Harvelle-Ateara]

Her cheeks redden, the blush deepen from his words. "You're only saying that because you're my friend...or at least I like to think of you as my friend..," Chante bungled her words, somewhat. She bashfully admitted to thinking him as friend, and would go onto say she had a crush on some point last year. Chante wouldn't confess that now, not when Len sort of occupied her mind these days. It wouldn't make sense to confessing when someone else stole away her affection. "And not looking good doesn't worry me, it's the growing part that worries me, and a bit of the transformation. It just happened overnight..."