Wicked ****ie Done Died

[Sapphire Bookchild]

Sapphire Clow loved many things at Hogwarts. She loved to work on her school work even though she wasn't very good at it, she loved to play Quidditch on the school team even though she could get hurt and she loved the view that one could get from the North Tower. There was just something about looking over the grounds from this height that made people want to stop and stare. For one Hufflepuff fourth year the view made her want to play. The melody coming out of her flute was Irish in nature though she didn't know where she got it from. She wondered if she hadn't come from Ireland before she had gotten to the house that she normally lived in but there was nothing to really prove it with.

Sapphire let the tune waver up and down knowing that no one was really listening to her except the wind and by the time the notes hit anyone's ears they would be to distorted by the distance to really make a difference. Still it was fun to play. She looked out at the world below as she sat on the window still and played as if she where not a cursed child, as if she where not going to go back to hell over the winter holiday, as if she where holding hands with a certain Ravenclaw Prefect not as friends but something much more special.

 

[Elizabeth Chang]

Due to the upcoming exams that were fast approaching, Lizzy had been spending a lot of time in the library trying to catch up on her studies. Unfortunately the library had been so congested with many students, lots of whom were only attempting to study and were instead just taking up valuable space, books, and were being too loud. Giving up, Lizzy had closed her books shut and was headed back up to Ravenclaw tower where the week before exams was appreciated yet also dangerous if one accidentally caused a disturbance in the common room. This was why Lizzy was instead heading for her dorm room rather than the common room.

The Ravenclaw girl had been humming a little song to herself, always having lyrics or new compositions in her head, when she found an unfamiliar tune interrupting her thoughts. This wasn't a tune that she was producing in her own head, it was one that someone was playing from a nearby area. Curious, Lizzy began looking around for the source and carefully followed it until she ended up in the North tower where she finally found the person who was playing it, they were playing a flute. It was an instrument that Lizzy did not know how to play but was on the top of her 'To Learn Next' list. Lizzy didn't know if the girl had noticed her enter but she complimented her anyway, "You play very nicely." She tried to keep her voice calm so as not to startle her.

 

[Sapphire Bookchild]

Sapphire turned to look at the person whom that soft voice belonged to. She saw a girl that she had seen in her classes but had never really talked to. She had also surmised that she had not been here years before but transferred in. It was curios was one could learn from blending into the background all the time. People tended to talk around one all the time not really knowing that the little bespectacled girl could be listening. Thank you Sapphire signed with a smile on her face.

Suddenly a thin ribbon like substance seemed to come out of her sleeve and formed the words she had just signed. It was something she was trying out for now. Sapphire knew that she could not carry around her notebook all the time but she also knew that not everyone knew now to read sign language. Not a year before she had found out about being able to write in the air with one's wand but this also seemed tidiose. With more research Sapphire had found spells to help the disabled. Sapphire had ended up giving herself 'subtitles' something that she was very proud of at the moment. What brings you up here? Sapphire signed. The ribbon had not dissapered from the last time but instead changed shape to ask the question that she had.

 

[Elizabeth Chang]

The Ravenclaw girl was glad she had not seemed to have startled the girl with her compliment. She had never seen her before but then again she had only been here since last year and she had mostly kept to herself. To be honest although she had been living in America for two years previously to her transfer and she knew she could speak English perfectly fine there were still times when she preferred not to make conversation simply out of fear that she'd mess up and be ridiculed. So when Lizzy noticed that the girl didn't speak and rather signed, something she didn't understand, she couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Although, Lizzy still had to wonder how she was possibly going to communicate with her, which brought her right back to where she was in the beginning.

To her surprise the brunette noticed a stream of ribbon shooting out of her wrist? and began to form what she seemed to have signed. For a moment Lizzy wanted to chuckle and make a Spiderman joke, not to ridicule her or anything, but either way she was too polite to say anything. She watched as the ribbons reformed themselves into a new sentence and the Ravenclaw girl couldn't help but smile at this amazing magic. Lizzy read the question and looked back up at the girl. It felt kind of odd replying to a question that hadn't been asked audibly but she smiled nonetheless and said, "I heard your song so I was curious," she shrugged lightly. "I've always wanted to play flute," she added to make conversation, even if it was seemingly one sided, at least audibly.

 

[Sapphire Bookchild]

The girl's voice had been so soft that Sapphire didn't jump this time. She could see where the girl was looking and pressed her hand against her lips to signal she was laughing. Just call me Spider woman. She signed which made the ribbon bend into the sentence she had signed. She was starting to thing that this was a better way of communicating because she could sign comfortably and have others understand her even though they didn't know the first thing about signing. Oh the flute is not as hard as it seems. You need a bit of lung power though if your going to hold a note for a long time like at the end of a solo or something. I could teach you some simple songs if you want. One of my favorets is Dance of the Sugar Plums Faeries. She signed.

The ribbon displayed once sentence at a time, giving anyone reading just long enough to read what she was saying and then reformed to display the next. Sapphire studying the effect of it liked it. It saved her a lot of quilling for one. Knowing that this was a little strange Sapphire moved her head from one side to the other then started to sign again. My name is Sapphire. I know this is a little strange but I have to express myself like this. You see a dog tore out my voice box when I was little and the healers could fix my throat but my voice is gone forever. If you don't mind I would like to know your name. Sapphire smiled at the girl and hoped that she wouldn't leave. There where more than a few that though Sapphire was a freak for not being able to talk but she couldn't help it.

 

[Elizabeth Chang]

When the girl put her hand up to her mouth Lizzy figured that she was laughing and smiled lightly. And as she said to call her Spiderwoman Lizzy's eyebrows went up in surprise, her smile growing wider. "You know about Spiderman?" she said with wonder; because she was Muggleborn many people she had talked to didn't, even those wizarding folk in the States were vaguely able to recall him.

Then the conversation moved on to the flute. It was an interesting experience for Lizzy, to watch the girl sign as the ribbon provided the subtitles. She felt as if she were learning a new language all over again and she had done exactly this to help her learn it; she had watched different television shows with subtitles to pick up the language. The Ravenclaw girl couldn't help but nod enthusiastically when the girl said she needed a lot of lung power for the flute and best of all that she could teach her some time. For a moment Lizzy furrowed her brows wondering how that would be possible with the...language barrier but knew that music didn't need to be a specific language to be understood, it was universal. "It'd like that a lot," she said to the girl gratefully.

Lizzy guessed that the girl thought it weird for the two to be conversing about their interests without knowing each other's names so she had introduced herself. "Oh I like your name," Lizzy complimented, before the girl's ribbons began reshaping themselves into new sentences. The brunette had assumed that Sapphire had simply been born mute, as she obviously wasn't deaf since she could understand her, or perhaps she was just really good at reading lips? Lizzy scratched that option out too once she remembered that she had entered quietly and complimented her so she had to have heard her, or her other senses were incredibly heightened. Either way Lizzy didn't have to wonder anymore since Sapphire was currently telling her of how she became to communicate this way. The fourteen year old couldn't help but clasp her hands over her mouth in shock as she found out how she had turned up this way and said, "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry," but she immediately regretted it thinking it was so rude of her. But the girl's final question was still suspended in the air, asking for her name, so Lizzy hastily replied, "I'm Lizzy by the way," and bit her lip, afraid that Sapphire would think her rude for gasping at her story.

 

[Sapphire Bookchild]

Sapphire nodded. I have a muggle born friend who loves to read comics. I've read some and liked them. That and I wanted to see what was so awesome that one of the boys that picks on me likes him. Spiderman's ok but Batman is better. Sapphire signed happily. She liked having friends that where muggle born because she love some of the things that muggles had. Not that Wizards didn't have comics too but there was just something about muggle comics that made them seem all the more special. Like they have more to dream since they don't have magic to give them almost anything they wanted.

Sapphire nodded happily when Elizabeth said that she wanted to learn. Cool then. We can see if we can't get you a flute around here. She signed thinking of one of the placed that could carry one. She could always owl post one but it would be best to have Elizabeth with her so she could choose. Sapphire smile wide when Lizzy gasped at her story. Sapphire was well practiced that this lie. She had the scare on her neck to prove her story true but it wasn't what took her voice. She remembered seeing them together. Her mother and Zeal, one of her brothers. She remembered her mother pinning her down and telling her that she should not be poking around. She remembered pain, a lot of pain. When she woke up she couldn't make a sound.

It was sad but it was how Sapphire's life went. Her sisters tortured her to no end, her brother was no help and poor Ruby was condemned to speak in riddles for the rest of her life. Sapphire focused on the complament that Lizzy had given her. She tapped under her eyes to point out her rich blue eyes. I was named after my eyes She explained. She then tilted her head. Short for Isabella? Sapphire asked. It was almost like talking having the ribbon shape everything that she was signing. It was almost as if she had a voice again.

 

[Elizabeth Chang]

Lizzy continued chewing on her bottom lip, unsure of whether or not Sapphire would be offended by her gasp but instead the girl across from her flashed her a wide smile. The Ravenclaw smiled back nervously, but relaxed more as Sapphire didn't seem affected by her comment and continued their conversation. She saw her point to her eyes and explain the meaning behind her name and Lizzy smiled. She was envious of her brightly colored eyes, as most Asians seemed to be of colored eyes, and said, "That's so pretty, I'm jealous," she giggled; she had meant both the color of her eyes and the fact that it was the meaning of her pretty name. Lizzy was just..Lizzy.

When Sapphire asked her if her name was short for Isabella she shook her head no, her bangs flying back and forth. "Short for Elizabeth," she said, rolling her eyes playfully at her full name. It sounded so...regal, and Lizzy was so, well, not. She was just Lizzy. She had also gone by Eliza, which she found cute, but only a few people called her that. She didn't really have a preference but people just usually chose to go with Lizzy. Turning the conversation back to flutes Lizzy said, "I'll have to buy a flute first before we can do lessons, but I'm sure I can get one soon," she smiled. In reality she didn't know if she could get a flute or not, but Christmas was coming up so she was going to ask her parents. She didn't think they'd say no, as they supported her learning more 'classical' instruments rather than loud, obnoxious ones like the drums, and either way they supported her love for the arts.