Independent Studies Open

Weekends were supposed to be a time for relaxation. Yes, homework had to be done, but there should always be time left afterwards to go outside or otherwise enjoy yourself.

Bridget, however, had forgotten the definition of a weekend, or at least her definition had changed. Here she was, Saturday afternoon, cramping from sitting so long, hidden behind a fortress of books. In fact, either the piles were so large or she was so small (most likely a combination of both), that the librarian had come over, huffing about people not putting their books away. The librarian had had quite a shock when she discovered Bridget there.

The library wasn't the warmest place in the school. It didn't have a fire, for obvious reasons, and the outside day was chilly. Bridget was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, the sort of thing she would dress in all the time in the Muggle world. Her brown hair was down to keep her neck warm, tucked behind her ears so it wouldn't be in the way.

Bridget was admittedly surprised how many Muggle books the Hogwarts library had available. It was certainly a help in her learning of French and math, along with other things she needed not only for her magical education but for the Muggle one her parents were requiring her to continue. Honestly, Bridget would likely be failing her Hogwarts classes without the library. There was so much she didn't know about that could be found in one of the books neatly lined upon the numerous shelves.

Her fingers cramped while she was furiously writing a paper on Pixies for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Dropping her quill, she shook out her fingers. "I'll never finish all this," she said miserably. She had meant to mutter it under her breath, but it came out a bit louder than she wanted. She peeked behind the mound of books to see if anyone had noticed and was sure she was fine (after all, the library was nearly empty), when a feminine voice spoke.

"Did you say something to me?" a girl asked from across the table. Bridget hadn't even realized she was there. With an effort, she pushed a stack of math textbooks to the side to catch a view of the speaker.

It turned out whoever had asked the question was just as busy as she was. Over the top of a book-fortress was a girl's head. The girl had dark brown hair tucked back into a bun, piercing ice blue eyes, pale skin, and was wearing a tell-tale green Slytherin sweater. Bridget recognized her from classes but couldn't put a finger on her name. This was unusual as she normally remembered people's names. Perhaps it was because she had too much other information swirling around inside her head to remember something so trivial as the name of a girl she'd never talked to.

Unlike Bridget, the Slytherin girl didn't seem to be doing classwork. All around her were books in one way or another related to werewolves, a subject they weren't to cover until late next year. Titles like 101 Things to Know About Werewolves, The Truth About Werewolves, and Full Moons--A Curse on Wizarding Kind were identified by her observant hazel eyes. She found herself wondering what could have sparked such an interest in the topic. Bridget understood wanting to know as much as possible about the magical world, but going so in depth into a topic had to mean more.

With a start, Bridget realized she had a question to answer. "Oh, no, sorry for interrupting you," Bridget said. Was she sounding too rude? Was she supposed to introduce herself?

"I was just wondering if I was ever going to finish all this work. I'm Bridget Collins, by the way."

Curiosity overtook her. She knew that the reason this girl was studying werewolves could be private, but she couldn't help but ask. "Er… not to be intrusive, or anything, but may I ask why you're studying werewolves?" she added in, apprehensive of how the girl would react. Worst case-scenario, they would just return to their own books, right?

Illowy's pale eyes flickered up and down the other for a moment, as though taking her in and trying to recall if she even knew the girl. She knew well enough that the other was from her house, but if they'd ever spoken before or if she even knew the other's name was escaping her completely; the trace of studying so hard still trying to lift itself from her mind.

Thankfully, the other stepped in to introduce herself before she could make a completely fool of herself, "Illowy Magnard." she replied simply, her eyes then flickering to Bridget's own pile of work waiting to be completed; the girl's fortress of books starting to rival her own, "I'm sure you'll be fine. There's still daylight and tomorrow." she assured, though her tone may have come across as slightly flat she blue hues dropped back down to her book. The pencil in her hand flicked back and forth a moment until she found where she left off and then it continued it's pattern of twirling itself through thin fingers, only for her concentration to be broken once more as the other spoke up.

The pencil stopped once more as Illowy looked up at her housemate. She hesitated. Certainly she wouldn't go about blabbing her cousin's secret to the entire school, but certainly she needed to find some kind of excuse to get her by. The girl made a motion as though to tuck some hair behind her ear, though it was all tied up neat and tight, "My aunt and uncle are Aurors and they've been telling me some of their stories about werewolves and I've just been wanting to know more..."

Probably not the strongest reason she could have come up with, but something was better then nothing, she figured.

The girl introduced herself as Illowy Magnard. Bridget was pretty sure she'd heard that name last year, perhaps at role-call. Illowy was a very interesting name, much prettier than her own. Bridget sounded like a name suited to a grandmother or something. Sure, the meaning was great (strong and protective; goddess of fire, wisdom, and poetry in Irish mythology)--she liked the 'strong and protective' part, as well as the part about wisdom. She couldn't really relate to the poetry part, as she hated poetry, but the fire was interesting.

Illowy hesitated before answering Bridget's question about why she was studying werewolves. She got the feeling Illowy wasn't being entirely truthful, but the question could have been personal. She knew people could be bitten by werewolves and from then on plagued with lycanthropy, so perhaps Illowy had a friend or something that was a werewolf.

Whatever the reason, Bridget decided not to ask any more about the subject, seeing as it could be rather private. She certainly wouldn't share anything personal with a stranger.

Illowy's aunt and uncle being Aurors was intriguing. Magical occupations were always fascinating to hear about as she hadn't grown up with them. She'd been introduced to Aurors at the Start-of-term feast last year, as a fellow Slytherin, Brynlee Sage, had been intending to become one.

Bridget was at a loss for what to say now. Her eyes, as they so often did when she was uncomfortable, drifted around. First, she took in how Illowy spun her pencil through her fingers. Then, she glanced at what looked like notebook of sorts balanced on the arm of Illowy's chair. She couldn't make out the words, but it was clear the fellow snake was taking loads of notes.

Something was gnawing at her. Illowy. She was positive she'd seen that name somewhere, but where was the question. She didn't think it as from role call...

Illowy Magnard. Now she remembered. Last week, a roll of parchment had been posted on their Common Room's bulletin board, announcing dueling pairs. Next Saturday, Bridget would be against Illowy and a third year, battling it out to determine the winner.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be dueling you next weekend," Bridget said. It wasn't the best conversation starter, but at the very least it pierced the uncomfortable silence that was settling in.

Illowy had yet to think much on what she wanted to do after she completed her education at Hogwarts. For now, her goals were simple; become the best dueler in the school, keep her high marks, and learn everything that could possibly be offered to her here. Alright, perhaps they weren't exactly simple, but Illowy did tend to be the type who would rather choke on greatness then nibble on mediocrity.

The conversation seemed to die for the time being, not that Illowy was complaining much. After all, one only had so much free time to do personal research. However, that silence was broken as the other girl piped up once more, mentioning the upcoming duel. Illowy took a moment to confirm it in her own memory before offering a small smile, "Right, you and Thora, the red head girl right? Against me and Alexx." the snake tucked a long tress behind her ear as her eyes fell back to her notes, "I'll warn you now, I don't go down without a good fight." she teased.

Illowy had always been competitive thanks to the constantly rivalry she'd had with her cousin all her life. The girl had no quit and she never learned the meaning of the word 'surrender'. Already it was in her mind that the only way she would be leaving that platform was on her feet.

Illowy's final comment about not going down without a fight sparked something that had been dormant. All of a sudden she was back at her old Muggle primary school, bantering with Lizzy over who was better at this, who would win that. While Jemima, never caring much for competition, watched, Bridget and Lizzy would go all out trying to best the other. The redhead usually won the physical contests, being taller and stronger, while the brunette would take the games of strategy and wit.

Now, at Hogwarts in the Library on a cool September day, Bridget felt that competitiveness return. She finally had someone to go up against. But who would win? Only time would tell for sure, but Illowy certainly wasn't Lizzy. Even with her brief time in the other girl's company that much was clear. On the most basic of levels, it was unlikely Lizzy would be caught dead in the library taking notes on her own time. And was a duel more of an intellectual fight or a physical one? The snake was leaning more towards intellectual, but skill and experience, even if not purely physical, were sure to play a major role.

All speculating aside, as long as Illowy wasn't extremely sensitive, this exchange, however short, could be fun. A smirk played on her lips. "Neither will I." And the moment the words were out, she knew it was true.

If Illowy's aunt and uncle were Aurors, certainly the other Slytherin had some knowledge of the wizarding world. More than Bridget at least. "Have you seen a duel before?" The words were out before she had entirely thought them through, but she did want to know. With any luck the answer would be a yes and she would have a better idea of what would go down next weekend.

A smirk crawled over her lips as the other reassured she was the same way. Hopefully that mean't that the competition would at least be interesting. After all, what was the fun if you were able to knock your opponent in just a couple of rounds? The snake wanted something exciting to remember her first duel by.

As her housemate asked if she'd ever seen a duel herself, the child nodded, "I've seen formal ones like in dueling club, but never, like, an actual real life duel." she explained, "My mother use to take me to them sometimes. When she was in school, she was one of the best duelers in her class; and I fancy to take after her." she informed. That had been what Illowy had been most excited for this school year was getting to start in dueling club. It was excellent real time practice and what better way to show off one's control, accuracy, and power?

Granted, one could get seriously hurt during the duels, but that was the way of most games in the wizarding world, wasn't it? Besides, it wasn't like there weren't teachers and upperclassmen supervising and making sure nothing got too out of control.

Illowy smirked at Bridget's promise of a fight. You'd think only someone who wanted to duel and was confident of their abilities would sign up, but you could never know for sure. Someone could overestimate themselves, something probably quite common among Slytherins, or they could let themselves be peer-pressured into taking part. Regardless, a wimpy opponent wouldn't be any fun.

The other snake had seen duels before, although none of the information she shared helped Bridget get a better picture of what to expect. But if Illowy's mom had been such a successful dueler, some of that prowess was likely to have passed down. And even if it hadn't, Illowy would at least have formulated some sort of strategy based off what she'd seen. Oh well. The small brunette's probability of winning wasn't too high, but at least she'd get to put the spells she'd been taught to good use.

"I'm sure you'll make your mother proud," Bridget said sincerely. Unable to think of anything to add, she went back to her studying.

The clock steadily ticked away. Finally the brunette gave up her efforts, replacing her book fortress on their respective shelves. She had gotten a lot done and there was always tomorrow. Besides, she simply couldn't resist the call of the outdoors any longer.

"Best of luck next weekend, Illowy," she called, all in the air of good sportsmanship, and with that she slung her satchel over her shoulder and left to find a good tree to climb.