7 Oct 2020, 10:07
Another Question?!
September 2020
@Phel Atwood
Put simply Callie was a curious soul who found something to question in every nook and cranny. Phel just so happened to be the primary victim who Callie pestered with her questions. He was usually the first port of call whenever Callie found something to question about the wizarding world and unfortunately for Phel, Callie had little qualms about asking. The poor boy had been the victim of much of Callie's ramblings over the past year and that certainly wasn't about to change anytime soon. So after a summer spent separated from all things Hogwarts, Callie had a considerable amount of pestering to catch up on.
On this particular bright autumn morning Callie was significantly more excitable than usual. Despite it being barely past breakfast time she had yet to be quiet for longer than five minutes, likely to the annoyance of her housemates. Although she had good reason to be in such high spirits, after all she'd been accepted into the duelling team! A fact which she'd yet to stop freaking out about. "Gah, what if I accidentally make something EXPLODE?" Callie exclaimed as she wandered down the hallways with Phel likely not to far behind. "I wonder if Thomas is going to set anyone on fire again? I hope it's not me...it shouldn't be right? We're duelling partners!" She continued to ramble as she headed into the study room with every intention to get some actual work done.
However the sight of a painting depicting one of Hogwarts' carriages in the hallway quickly diverted Callie's thoughts. The very presence of the painting stopped Callie dead in her tracks as a question she'd meant to ask Phel a few weeks ago crossed into her mind. "Can I ask you something?" Callie asked in a rather quiet tone all of a sudden, her eyes not moving from the painting. "I don't know why I'm asking because you know I'll ask anyway but whatever!" She exclaimed in her usual bright tone all whilst turning to face Phel. "You know the weird horses that pull the carriages? The ones with the leathery wings and the weird reptile face? What are they? Why aren't they in the painting?"
Last edited by Callie Jensen on 10 Oct 2020, 11:31, edited 2 times in total.
7 Oct 2020, 11:36
Another Question?!
Phel's night of sleep had been long. Too long. When he woke up from it, he realised he was as exhausted as he was right before going to bed, which, naturally, made him a little grumpy. What was the point in sleeping for so long if you were not feeling refreshed and ready for another day of exhausting activities like eating or stargazing ? Sleeping was a time-consuming activity, and Phel hated to waste one's time. Especially his.
The boy was not sure why he had been so exhausted on the last few days, but something clearly had been going on inside him. There was something... different. Was it stress because of the start of the second year ? Some food from the kitchen he had not digested - he was especially suspicious of the pumpkins - or even the joy of finding his old friends back after a boring summer, especially Callie ? The three reasons raised here were mixing together, creating a superdense galaxy made of exhausting stars, stressful comets and exciting planets which was relentlessely spinning inside Phel's mind and inflicting on him unescapable moments of interrogation.
But, luckily for him, Callie was here to break the said moments.
Phel had been really happy to see that the little girl was back to school like him. Of course, there was no reason for her not to come back... but the fact that she came from a family of Muggle had been very worrying to Phel over the summer. Her parents, in the boy's mind, could totally have been capable of stopping her from coming back to Hogwarts after hearing what she had learned during her first year. If such a thing was to happen... Phel did not even want to think about it. The galaxy inside him would go crazy.
Following the girl in one of the school's corridor, Phel, lost in his thoughts, nearly bumped into her when she stopped in front of one of the paintings. Grunting, he started walking past her, but her voice catched his attention.
"You know the weird horses that pull the carriages? The ones with the leathery wings and the weird reptile face? What are they? Why aren't they in the painting?"
Phel had a quick glance at the painting, then, a more detailed one. There was, indeed, no 'weird horse' on the painting; the truth was that there was no weird horse pulling the carriages at the beginning of the year either.
Callie... is that one of your jokes again ? Are you going to try and make me believe the carriages have invisible horses dragging them to the castle ? I'm too tired for it.
The boy was not sure why he had been so exhausted on the last few days, but something clearly had been going on inside him. There was something... different. Was it stress because of the start of the second year ? Some food from the kitchen he had not digested - he was especially suspicious of the pumpkins - or even the joy of finding his old friends back after a boring summer, especially Callie ? The three reasons raised here were mixing together, creating a superdense galaxy made of exhausting stars, stressful comets and exciting planets which was relentlessely spinning inside Phel's mind and inflicting on him unescapable moments of interrogation.
But, luckily for him, Callie was here to break the said moments.
Phel had been really happy to see that the little girl was back to school like him. Of course, there was no reason for her not to come back... but the fact that she came from a family of Muggle had been very worrying to Phel over the summer. Her parents, in the boy's mind, could totally have been capable of stopping her from coming back to Hogwarts after hearing what she had learned during her first year. If such a thing was to happen... Phel did not even want to think about it. The galaxy inside him would go crazy.
Following the girl in one of the school's corridor, Phel, lost in his thoughts, nearly bumped into her when she stopped in front of one of the paintings. Grunting, he started walking past her, but her voice catched his attention.
"You know the weird horses that pull the carriages? The ones with the leathery wings and the weird reptile face? What are they? Why aren't they in the painting?"
Phel had a quick glance at the painting, then, a more detailed one. There was, indeed, no 'weird horse' on the painting; the truth was that there was no weird horse pulling the carriages at the beginning of the year either.
Callie... is that one of your jokes again ? Are you going to try and make me believe the carriages have invisible horses dragging them to the castle ? I'm too tired for it.
#3DFF9E is a bright colour, I'll agree, but that way I'm sure you pay attention
It's not about keeping Gryffindor around so we can save the school ; but about whether we should kick Slytherin out so we don't have to save the school.
7 Oct 2020, 11:52
Another Question?!
@Phel Atwood
Upon hearing that Phel wasn't at all aware of the horses Callie was so convinced she saw at the beginning of the year she couldn't help but think he was teasing her. Sure she wasn't entirely aware of the creatures a year ago but she put that down to her own excitment about going to Hogwarts for the first time. However this time around she was certain she saw the creatures as she spent most of the journey in stunned silence, watching the creatures do their work. They held a strange beauty to them even if their very appearance made Callie uneasy. "What, no I'm not joking!" Callie protested with a finger pointed directly at Phel's face. "You're teasing me again! I saw them Phel, I know I did! Quit lying!" Callie frowned slightly and looked back up to the painting.
"The carriages surely can't pull themselves, right? It makes sense there's horses! But these ones..they looked different. Like they had those weird leathery bat wings and you can see like every one of their bones! I haven't been able to get them entirely out of my head for WEEKS." Callie jabbed at the painting in an attempt to bring the horses into view only to be met with a stinking pile of failure. "Come on, quit lying to me! Is this because I stole some food from your plate when you weren't looking this morning?" Callie paused. Perhaps mentioning the various crimes she committed at breakfast directly wasn't a brilliant idea. So she quickly tried to change the subject away from her breakfast related antics. "Come on! What are those things called? I wonder why they didn't put them into the painting..that's quite strange."
9 Oct 2020, 13:42
Another Question?!
The disturbing look Callie gave Phel bothered him. It was an honest, innocent look showing the lack of understanding of the little girl. Was she actually... being serious ? Callie was a master in the art of mischief, and Phel often found himself to be one of the favourite victims of her friend, especially because of how naive and lost in his thoughts he could be sometimes. Seeing that she was sharing Phel's incomprehension was unusual.
He had another more, detailed look on the painting, as if this could magically solve the quid pro quo : unsurprisingly, it did not. The painting was representing carriages similar to those who brought the children to Hogwarts after they got off the Express; and no horses were pulling them in any direction. Especially not bat-horses with bones like Callie was describing them to Phel.
He always had heard adults around him mentioning how a child's imagination was so creative, but until today, Phel did not realise what this statement really meant. Callie was showing here a true display of skill of inventiveness for nightmarish creatures that would come and haunt Phel's starlit dreams. And he did not like it.
"No Callie, I'm not teasing you !" he answered, nearly vexed. The fact that Callie, the most mischievous person in the duo, was questioning the boy's integrity revealed how important this subject was to her eyes. Especially after she just mentioned stealing food from her plate this morning while he was busy - as usual - watching the starry sky of the Great Hall. He tried to soften his tone.
"I know that you're not from a magical background, but honestly, it makes sense to me that the carriages pull themselves around. Brooms can fly on their own, and they are not being carried by bat-reindeers in the sky like Santa's sled. And even if the carriages were to be dragged around by horses, they would not be... that..."
He was trying to find a word that would not offense Callie's imagination.
"...grotesque. Now come on, we're going to be late."
He turned back and walked, hoping the girl would follow him instead of staying in front of that now empty painting.
He had another more, detailed look on the painting, as if this could magically solve the quid pro quo : unsurprisingly, it did not. The painting was representing carriages similar to those who brought the children to Hogwarts after they got off the Express; and no horses were pulling them in any direction. Especially not bat-horses with bones like Callie was describing them to Phel.
He always had heard adults around him mentioning how a child's imagination was so creative, but until today, Phel did not realise what this statement really meant. Callie was showing here a true display of skill of inventiveness for nightmarish creatures that would come and haunt Phel's starlit dreams. And he did not like it.
"No Callie, I'm not teasing you !" he answered, nearly vexed. The fact that Callie, the most mischievous person in the duo, was questioning the boy's integrity revealed how important this subject was to her eyes. Especially after she just mentioned stealing food from her plate this morning while he was busy - as usual - watching the starry sky of the Great Hall. He tried to soften his tone.
"I know that you're not from a magical background, but honestly, it makes sense to me that the carriages pull themselves around. Brooms can fly on their own, and they are not being carried by bat-reindeers in the sky like Santa's sled. And even if the carriages were to be dragged around by horses, they would not be... that..."
He was trying to find a word that would not offense Callie's imagination.
"...grotesque. Now come on, we're going to be late."
He turned back and walked, hoping the girl would follow him instead of staying in front of that now empty painting.
#3DFF9E is a bright colour, I'll agree, but that way I'm sure you pay attention
It's not about keeping Gryffindor around so we can save the school ; but about whether we should kick Slytherin out so we don't have to save the school.
9 Oct 2020, 14:19
Another Question?!
@Phel Atwood
In truth it was a rare occasion for Callie to be entirely serious about something but something about those creatures had shaken the girl to her core. As if something about herself had changed entirely and developed a much deeper connection to something that wasn't quite there before. Yet the feeling itself was indescribable and a mystery she couldn't quite unravel. Callie preferred to deal with certainties yet everything about the creatures was so decidedly uncertain.
The entire thing didn't sit well with Callie, especially since Phel seemed so sure that the creatures didn't exist. The very fact that Phel even slightly raised his voice in defending himself against Callie's accusations of mischief was enough to make the girl sure of that. Phel didn't often raise his voice but it was how he continued that truly stuck Callie to her core. If it wasn't for Phel suddenly sofening his tone Callie may have walked off there and then. For a girl still so insecure about her muggle background Phel suddenly bringing it up dampened her mood. Perhaps it was simply a figment of her imagination? Afterall, Phel tended to know much more about these things...yet Callie was so sure of what she saw. So sure of the creatures that she couldn't shake from her head.
"Yes but brooms don't actually fly around on their own, do they? They're enchanted, the enchantments is what makes them so different from a regular broom." Callie eventually pointed out after standing in silence for a few moments staring at the strange painting. "Enchantments require maintenance, like if you start to notice splinters on a broom that doesn't get much use it's a sign the charms are wearing off. Enchanting all those carriages every year seems like a lot of work..surely using those horses would make much more sense, right?" Whilst she explained her reasoning further Callie ran to catch up with Phel, eventually walking alongside him with her usual distinct brand of enthusiasm. Clearly her previous insecure silence was something of the past, although to someone who knew Callie it certainly would not have gone unnoticed. Afterall it was a rather rare occasion when the girl was quiet for an extended period of time.
"If you're so certain they're not real and nothing pulls the carriages..there must be something special about them..right?" Callie continued as the pair continued to the study room, leaving the painting entirely. "Ooh! Or a disillusionment charm! They do look kind of scary, so trying to hide them not to scary everyone kind of makes sense. But how could they look after something they couldn't see? Gah, this hurts my brain!" Callie complained as she opened up the door to the study room, gesturing for Phel to enter before her. "I bet there's something special about them! There's bound to be a book on them somewhere! I'll prove you wrong Phel, watch me!" Callie beamed with a wide smile, seemingly more determined than ever.
9 Oct 2020, 16:38
Another Question?!
It clearly seemed that Phel had done something to Callie with his answer. The girl had followed him, leaving the painting behind them; however, she was not done with her hellish bat-horses. She answered to Phel's obvious lack of interest with a constructed, rational speech about his claims, which truly revealed why the Sorting Hat had sent her to Ravenclaw. Moments like these were not exactly rare, but they always produced their little effect. Usually prompt to speak, Phel's mouth remained shut the entire time, unable to articulate any sort of counter-argument to Callie's advocacy. He frowned.
"I don't know Callie... The truth is, I've never had to enchant a carriage before. It could be super easy or super hard to maintain and I would not know it. Even I don't know all the secrets of this school, and while I agree that there are a lot of them, I do not believe the carriages are subject to... what you are saying. People would speak about it. We would see the horses in the park, drinking water from the lake, or even flying around since they seem to have... wings. Also, as you mentioned, taking care of creatures you cannot see is literally impossible. No matter how strong your love for magical creatures can be."
While he only had been listening to Callie for a few minutes, Phel had already made up his mind about the scary bat-horses with visible bones. He did not want them to exist, and, should they be real, he did not want to meet one. Curiosity and bravery were two qualities that worked very well together; the Ravenclaw, however, had only been blessed by the first one. If he was to meet one of those scary creatures that Callie was pretending to be real, he would have to fight to hold back from running away.
How could Phel have missed such a horrendous creature at the beginning of the year ? Callie's description really underlined how unique - unreal - these bat-horses would have been to the human eye. Even in the dark, cold climate of Scotland in september, they would have been impossible to miss. And the carriage had lights, too. Phel had only seen the latter.
When Callie offered to prove Phel wrong, the boy smirked. Even though she seemed serious about it, there was no way that books, the most reliable instruments of truth, would offer Callie a chance at fact-checking her own invention. He gladly accepted, and offered that they meet in the library the same day after their classes.
"I can't wait to see you spend the night trying to look for a random creature that would ressemble your invention... Come on now, we're going to be late !" he said, accelerating the pace.
End of the thread for me here, see you in the library, liar
"I don't know Callie... The truth is, I've never had to enchant a carriage before. It could be super easy or super hard to maintain and I would not know it. Even I don't know all the secrets of this school, and while I agree that there are a lot of them, I do not believe the carriages are subject to... what you are saying. People would speak about it. We would see the horses in the park, drinking water from the lake, or even flying around since they seem to have... wings. Also, as you mentioned, taking care of creatures you cannot see is literally impossible. No matter how strong your love for magical creatures can be."
While he only had been listening to Callie for a few minutes, Phel had already made up his mind about the scary bat-horses with visible bones. He did not want them to exist, and, should they be real, he did not want to meet one. Curiosity and bravery were two qualities that worked very well together; the Ravenclaw, however, had only been blessed by the first one. If he was to meet one of those scary creatures that Callie was pretending to be real, he would have to fight to hold back from running away.
How could Phel have missed such a horrendous creature at the beginning of the year ? Callie's description really underlined how unique - unreal - these bat-horses would have been to the human eye. Even in the dark, cold climate of Scotland in september, they would have been impossible to miss. And the carriage had lights, too. Phel had only seen the latter.
When Callie offered to prove Phel wrong, the boy smirked. Even though she seemed serious about it, there was no way that books, the most reliable instruments of truth, would offer Callie a chance at fact-checking her own invention. He gladly accepted, and offered that they meet in the library the same day after their classes.
"I can't wait to see you spend the night trying to look for a random creature that would ressemble your invention... Come on now, we're going to be late !" he said, accelerating the pace.
End of the thread for me here, see you in the library, liar
#3DFF9E is a bright colour, I'll agree, but that way I'm sure you pay attention
It's not about keeping Gryffindor around so we can save the school ; but about whether we should kick Slytherin out so we don't have to save the school.
9 Oct 2020, 16:59
Another Question?!
@Phel Atwood
"My argument makes sense, doesn't it!" Callie chimed with a proud grin across her face, clearly revelling in Phel's response. It may have seemed unlikely for the creature to exist on first glance but Callie was convinced there had to be something deeper at work. Something significantly more complicated that explained how the creature was able to elude someone like Phel. In Callie's eyes the boy was knowledgable beyond his years since she pestered him with questions so often. Whenever there was something on her mind that Callie couldn't quite figure out her first port of call was usually Phel, so her finding something he knew very little about was a new and exciting challenge. Perhaps this time around it would be Callie answering Phel's questions for a change.
"There HAS to be a reason you and so many others can't see them. I bet it's super complicated..gah! I'm going to figure this out!" Callie seemed to speak with a renewed sense of determination hidden within her regular enthusiasm. "It's not an invention!" She defended whilst shoving Phel lightly on the shoulder to properly voice his discontent. "You'll see! I bet Miranda would know something about this! Her parents own a magical creatures farm, how cool is that? There's bound to be a book somewhere I've missed!" At the reminder of how late they were to what was intended to be a study session with a few others Callie let out a bright laugh. "Come on then slowpoke!" Callie taunted whilst taking hold of Phel's wrist, dragging him into the room to start the days work.
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