Dewey Decimating Our Feelings PV Closed

Nova was, yet again, in the library, lost. She had gone in with her trusty little leather-bound notebook filled with graph paper from her muggle mother. She had only opened it once, very quickly, when she was in the trophy room and found an old picture of I think is Sirius Polaris, her father. She had scribbled down the other names of different Polarises in an effort to try and discover who they were, where they were, anything like that.

Nova slid her trusty fountain pen, also from her muggle mother, from her pocket and loosened the cap off. Opening her notebook, still while standing in a random aisle of the library, she scribbled down a few more notes of future things she wanted to look up.

1. Sirius Polaris - Vega, Andromeda, Orion, Altair, Denebola
2. Salazaar Slytherin
3. Second Wizarding War
4. Person Wizarding War is about

Nova did not want to write down Voldemort in case someone opened her notebook up, because even if she did not know quite who he was yet, everyone who had ever mentioned him whispered it in a hushed voice, most not even saying his name, just something cryptic like You-Know-Who.

Just then, a few elegantly folded slips of paper fell from the notebook's back. Nova picked them up and placed them back in the notebook, only keeping one in her palm to see what it is. Math problems? Nova looked at them, and sure enough, her mother had stashed slips of paper containing math problems in Nova's notebook. Nova giggled, feeling an urge to show her father so they could make fun of Maryam Hamidi's quirkiness together, then felt homesickness hit. Her parents were her best friends, and not having them around while she's discovering so much about herself hurt like shocks were splitting her heart to little pieces. Nova wiped a half-tear about to trail down her cheek, looking around to make sure no one was watching.

Almost serendipitously, from the aisle behind Nova, she overheard a large, heaping sob. Startled, Nova jumped back from the bookcase. The sobs continued, raising in crescendo slightly. Good grief, what has happened? Nova thought, running down her aisle and into the one the noise was coming from. There, she saw a boy seemingly her age, wrapped up in his own arms, crying on the ground.

Nova approached him slowly, not sure yet what he was crying about. "Um... it's... it's alright... you'll... you'll be okay," Nova tried as she bent down next to him.

No, no, no. This was all wrong.

Terry was going to be completely lost without Angelina! She was the one who had guided him as he tried to navigate the tricky waters of being both a teenager and the Loch Ness Monster. And she'd also gone up and straight-up stabbed his boyfriend in front of him, which- you know, not good on the whole mental stability thing.

The more his mind spiralled, the worse Piper felt. It was good, some part of his brain supplied, that he didn't have any shame, because he was starting to get awfully loud.

He was so wrapped up in his emotions that he didn't even jump when someone spoke up next to him.

"Um... it's... it's alright... you'll... you'll be okay,"

A lesser person may have wasted time wondering where this girl had come from or, indeed, who she was. Not Piper.

"Sure," he wailed, "I'll be okay. But what about Roxanne? What about- what about-"

Gosh, he couldn't even say it. He let a few more- mercifully quieter- sobs out, then turned to look at his new friend.

Something was wrong.

He blinked rapidly, banishing the blurriness from his vision in order to study her face. There was a crease in her brow, perhaps the result of some residual sadness, and her eyes looked a little wet.

"Hey, you look upset. What's wrong?"

He noticed the notebook she was clutching. Some mathematical thing was peeking our from the cover.

"Maths got you down? It's a bummer, for sure. You need some help?" He blinked at her, trying to forget about the small innocent family he'd just seen torn viciously apart and oh nope never mind the emotions are coming back come on get it together, Sanchez.

"Sure," he wailed, "I'll be okay. But what about Roxanne? What about- what about-"

Nova looked at him quizzically, wondering if these are names she's supposed to know. She racks her brain but then glances at the floor next to him and sees a book cast away, seemingly recently. Is-is he crying because of a book? Nova wondered, slightly puzzled. She could not contain a smile--really, trying to hold back a laugh--because she, who rarely ever cries in public, thought it was silly and sweet that a boy like him would be loudly sobbing on the ground, in public, about a book.

"Hey, you look upset. What's wrong?" the boy asked.

Nova refocused her attention to him, then shrugged.

"Me? No, nothing, I'm totally fine! What about you though? Or-or Roxanne?" She asked, realizing that thinking of him wailing because of a fictional story was silly enough to make her completely forget that she herself was almost about to cry a few moments ago.

Nova bent over to pick up the book, analyzing the title. She flipped a little bit through it, not reading it seriously but trying to deduce what the plot was about, and what could have been so upsetting.

"Maths got you down? It's a bummer, for sure. You need some help?" He asked, looking at her notebook.

Nova quickly shoved her mother's math problems back into the notebook and put it under her arm. She shook her head.

"Psh, no of course not, it's nothing," she said, hoping he wouldn't notice the slight fake tone she was putting on, trying to completely shrug it off. "I'd much rather learn what this book is about--if that is what was making you so upset," she said with a warm, slightly teasing smile.

"Me? No, nothing, I'm totally fine! What about you though? Or-or Roxanne?"

Ah dang, had he just accidentally pointed out someone's Resting Sad Face? Piper felt a little bad, though the girl- Slytherin, he noticed- didn't seem particularly perturbed by his words. He was convinced she hadn't looked nearly as happy as she should have in a library, but he wasn't going to push it. His throat closed up a little when she mentioned Roxanne. He did his best to ignore it.

"Nah, I'll be okay. Soon. There's just- it's kind of a lot to take in all at once, you know?

She actually picked up the cursed book, eyes flicking across the title ("Lochs and Keys", easily one of the weaker titles of the series) before she started to flip through a book skipping over crucial scenes in a series she hadn't even read the preceding works to.

He fought the urge to snatch the book back like a cat clawing at a string, instead managing to take it from her calmly and carefully.

"Psh, no of course not, it's nothing," she said, hoping he wouldn't notice the slight fake tone she was putting on, trying to completely shrug it off. "I'd much rather learn what this book is about--if that is what was making you so upset," she said with a warm, slightly teasing smile.

"Huh. Sure it is," he said, still sniffling slightly. Seemed like an overreaction, but he didn't want to ruin the conversation by pressing the girl to reveal all her secrets. Plus, then she started talking about the book, and, well. That was some good conversation material right there.

Piper's face lit up in a huge grin. "I hope you're serious about that, because I'm about to learn you four books' worth of drama, plot twists and romance spirals-turned-sword fights."

He sat cross-legged on a nearby desk and motioned for her to take a seat too. Just as he was about to launch into full lecture-mode, he faltered. "Oh, uh, what's your name, by the way? I'm Piper."

She answered, and then he was talking at the speed of light, rambling on about the Cursed Swimming Goggles this and Jerome's soaring character arch that and backtracking because oh darn if he doesn't include that one scene with the goats there is literally no point in even trying to understand this series.

Piper's face lit up in a huge grin. "I hope you're serious about that, because I'm about to learn you four books' worth of drama, plot twists and romance spirals-turned-sword fights."

Nova saw him motioning to take a seat, and she eagerly did with a huge grin on her face. She placed the book delicately on the desk, seeing him look at her incredulously for flipping through it so quickly, and wanted to be respectful.

The only thing Nova loves more than her parents are stories. Any type of story. For Nova, it isn't just the story itself, though that is a big part of it too, because Nova loves the drama and intrigue of hearing how someone else's tale unfolds. But it's mostly the light in the storyteller's eyes, the way their voice moves throughout the tale. She loves to observe how a person speaks about something they are so passionate about, and feels like she is getting a glimpse inside of who they are, no matter what kind of story they tell.

"Oh, uh, what's your name, by the way? I'm Piper," the boy asked.

Copying him, she sat cross-legged next to him and introduced herself. "I'm Nova," she said with an easy smile.

And so Nova watched him talk. His eyes lit up and seemed to make the entire room brighter, his voice racing so fast she felt as if her ears were running just to keep up with him. And halfway through his rambles, she realized she had actually read a few books in this series--a long time ago, and not the one he had just put down. But she didn't dare interrupt him to mention this, instead acting as if this was completely new to her, grinning at the level of detail in which he described even the most minor scenes, describing how important each individual line contributed to the greater theme of the story. She was impressed, even growing slightly jealous over how great his memory must be to capture such incredible detail, and smiled over how affected he was by this tale.

Piper was delighted to have found someone who seemed to appreciate the intricacies of a good story as much as he did. She laughed and smiled and gasped at all the right moments in the story. He felt his own sadness melting away as he got lost in the twists and turns of the narrative, reliving the happiest moments of these characters' lives, reminding himself that despite their failures. despite their tragedies and losses, they'd also had some good times.

"-and then," he finished, slightly out of breath, "the very last scene is just this roughly narrated snatch of dialogue, and the only character described in it is a woman with blue eyes conspiring against the Stone Eagle- who, of course, we now know is Dylan." He lets his voice get low and conspiratorial at that last bit, emphasising the drama of the scene.

He patted the book next to him. "And that brings you up to this book. Which you should definitely read. Although, uh, I couldn't actually bring myself to finish the last chapter, so maybe bring it back when you're done, yeah?"

The ticking of the clock suddenly snagged on his mind. He turned to look at it, brows lifting in surprise. "Oh, dang. It's gotten late." He tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "Hey, besides listening to my incredible narration, what were you doing in the library so late anyway?"

"-so maybe bring it back when you're done, yeah?" he finished.

Nova nodded quickly with an easy laugh. She wasn't so sure if she wanted to read this crazy story--well, she did, but she enjoyed Piper's narration of the series so much she doubt the actual book could live up to his own point of view.

"Hey, besides listening to my incredible narration, what were you doing in the library so late anyway?" Piper asked.

Nova's eyes widened, quickly looking at the clock down the aisle. God, it was late. I didn't even realize how fast the time flew by, Nova thought. Piper's that good of a narrator!
She shrugged, gathering her hair onto one side in a large twirl.

"Would you believe me if I said, studying?" Nova arched her brow coyly. She laughed to herself.

"I was trying to find out more about my family. I think that my father's surname is Polaris--he changed it to my mother's name Hamidi when he married--and refuses to tell me about his family or his past. And, he told me not to go looking for answers to who his family was or who he used to be. So, obviously I decide to do the opposite of what he asked me to, and am now here," Nova grinned cheekily. Maybe it was the story and Nova relating to Angelina in a strange way--betraying her best friends, but who could resist after finding out that she's part dragonfly? And her mother's ghost comes back to her in the form of spiders to tell her what she has to do to fulfill her fate? What is it about Angelina that I relate to so much? Am I just intrigued by villains?, but Nova was feeling particularly devious.

"Would you believe me if I said, studying?"

Piper laughed, and then he laughed some more. And then he blinked.

"Oh, you're serious?"

Luckily he didn't have to dwell in those particular conversational waters for too long, as Nova continued her explanation. Piper's eyes grew wider with every new detail she threw his way, and by the end he found himself returning her mischievous grin.

He threw a hand on his forehead dramatically. "Ah! Curse me for befriending such a rebel. For real, though- this is an actual mystery, just like the puzzles Jerome had to solve to unlock the secrets of goat-kind! We have to solve this. Like, right now."

He glanced around wildly, checking both to see if they were being tailed by any mysterious people in dark trench coats (they weren't) and if there were any visible clues nearby. Nothing immediately obvious, but then they were in the middle of a library so densely packed with books that if the room were a liquid, it would be like syrup. He started to head slowly towards the right of the library, scanning the shelves intently.

"Right. We don't have long, but I'm going to go ahead and make the assumption that you don't mind me diving into your family's secrets and potentially tragic history and start looking for the Wizard Yellow Pages. Hm. Polaroid. Unusual name." And then, because he couldn't resist the joke: "Oh man, I've solved it already- your dad invented the Polaroid camera, but the pressures of fame grew too much for him so he changed his name and turned to the humble life of a nomadic farmer. Case closed."

"We have to solve this. Like, right now," he said excitedly.

Nova felt her cheeks begin to hurt from smiling so much, and she began to laugh a bit more freely now. She loved his energy and enthusiasm.

"Hm. Polaroid. Unusual name,"

She was just about to correct him when he continued.

"Oh man, I've solved it already- your dad invented the Polaroid camera, but the pressures of fame grew too much for him so he changed his name and turned to the humble life of a nomadic farmer. Case closed."

Nova laughed heartily now.

"Wow, are you sure you're not a Ravenclaw? Because I've been dwelling on this for the past 11 years, more intensely for the past week. And nothing seemed to make sense! Until you! You cracked the code! You're definitely right, I mean, after inventing the Polaroid, too many people probably took polaroids of him, leaving him self-conscious and desperate for anonymity!" Nova laughed.

But then, she heard her own words. Polaris... isn't that... isn't that the North Star? She didn't know quite what the significance was of this, but did realize that she had to be correct in assuming her father's surname was Polaris. North Star... naming their children all after stars and constellations... Sirius... Nova... that definitely had to be significant.

She hurriedly grabbed Wizarding Families book from the shelf and began to flip through it. Feeling Piper's confused eyes on her, she explained. "But actually, you just gave me an idea. A sort-of idea. Or rather, an affirmation. I mean, my father said that his family always named their children after stars and constellations, you know, like my name, Nova. And Polaris is the name of the North Star! I mean, doesn't that kind of fit?" Nova looked a little crazed, speaking rapidly and eyes wide. She blinked and laughed, shaking her head. She must sound crazy.