3 Jul 2020, 20:27
When Robins Appear Loved Ones Are Near
@Zahid al-Benghazi ibn Masoud || @Hjørdis Jensen
Saskia made her way through the corridors with Nora in tow. Their next destination would be the library. The library was always a calm, quiet place where people could read without any interruptions from the chatter of other students. There was a specific charm to the place, whether it was the refined wooden furnishings that decorated the room, the rows of books fitting in the vast corridor of shelves, or the chandeliers softly glowing from above with the view of the Great Lake in plain sight. It was no wonder why it was a popular place for students to stay in.
The Hufflepuff Prefect, while usually talkative, decided to keep her mouth shut for the most part. She couldn’t completely keep herself quiet, especially when she was going to walk down several flights of stairs just to get to the library. But even then, most of what she said were something along the lines of, “Just a few more steps.” or “We’re almost there.” There wasn’t really much she could bring up when all she was doing was leading her to the next room while she may or may not have had a clue as to what was going on. She could save the conversation for later.
Once they finally reached the double wooden doors of the library, Saskia stood in front of Nora and pushed them open. What Nora would see next would be quite bewildering. At one glance, it might have seemed that there might have been a jinx gone wrong. Dozens upon dozens of paper birds darted through the air, all going in different directions. Oddly enough, they never crashed into each other or the furnishings, instead rebounding a few feet away if it was on the verge of crashing. In other circumstances, maybe Nora would have thought that the Hufflepuff had directed her to the library to clear the mess, but that wasn’t why she was here.
Taking one look at the mess, Saskia turned to Nora with a grin on her face. “Go ahead and read some of them,” were all the instructions she would give. The rest would be up to Nora to figure out.
It wouldn’t be too hard for someone as tall as Nora to reach the birds. Some of the ones that had been flying high above the ceiling may have descended closer to the ground. Regardless, if Nora had opened up the paper birds, she would have found words on the inside of these birds, many of which were small letters of appreciation. It would be common for her to find something around the lines of, “Thank you for being a great leader of Slytherin.” or “We appreciate you.” They were small tokens of appreciation, but it was enough to get their point across.
Meanwhile, Saskia would remain near the doorway, letting Professor Zahid have his moment with Nora.
Zahid was not completely sure whose idea this had been, but when Caradoc had asked him if he wanted to participate in doing something nice for their colleague together with their house’s students, there was not really a question whether or not he’d join. Nora was his friend, after all.
And so here he was, standing in the library, overseeing the small – and calm – storm of letters and appreciation notes, waiting for Miss Nicholson to lead Nora into the library. When they entered he would offer a simple greeting of “Hello.” and if Nora were to hesitate to pluck any of the notes out of the air to read, he would give an encouraging smile and a “Go on.”
He would give her some privacy to read the letter-birds in peace without him staring at her with nothing else to do and instead browsed over a nearby book shelf. He was not going to sit around and read but he believed that those notes were between Nora and the students. Once Nora had looked at the notes, he would hand her a handwritten letter he’d penned as part of this effort and the grey-teal coloured bracelet with the letter “O” attached that served as the next clue before pointing her toward the Small Hall.
ReducioDear Professor Jensen,
Like many of the students, I wanted to also show you some appreciation. We have known each other for little over a year, now, and I have considered you a friend for most of that time. I have very much enjoyed our occasional afternoons or evenings reading together. You have been a good friend and a good colleague in the time I have known you. Your work and your work ethic both are to be admired and I am glad that we have someone like you on staff that can keep a cool head even in these troubling times. To someone who knows you even a little it is quite visible that you care deeply about the well-being of both your students and your colleagues, even if they greatly annoy you at times, despite you not being the most demonstrative person – but I suppose that is what Caradoc is for. If we were all as exuberant, the school would devolve into complete chaos – more than it already does by virtue of being a magical school. Thank you for all your hard work. Thank you for being my friend.
Your little one is a credit to you and I am glad that, just as we have found a friend in each other, our kittens get along as well as they do. I believe Dot has been missing his friend again.
Regards,
Zahid
"Honestas ante honores."
Stam: 9 | Eva: 6 | Str: 7 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 6 | Acc: 8
Abilities: Fearless
4 Jul 2020, 03:02
When Robins Appear Loved Ones Are Near
Silence was the one thing she was odd at. In fact, some would even say that she excelled at it. Internalising seemed to be her forte, perhaps much to the frustration of a certain badger. The prefect seemed to be struggling with it, occasionally piping up with a few words here and there. Hjørdis could not help but smile a little. It was kind of sweet. She did not really expect the other to be quiet, just because she was used to it. In fact... if she were to judge the badgers by their head of house, quiet was the last thing she would have expected from any of them. The man spoke so much. She honestly did not understand how his throat did not ache constantly...
Levitating the box of belongings again, she walked silently besides her guide. She found herself outside the very familiar area of the Library. It was one of the few areas of Hogwarts that she really appreciated. But it was also perhaps the one she went to the least. It was a little further away than the potions room and it was far less necessary for her to go there at the present time. On occasion, she went to do research but reading for pleasure? That was almost a distant memory by now. Hjørdis could not recall the last time she sat down with a book to read, simply because she wanted to read it. The box was placed by the entrance as the doors were opened.
But never, not once, had she entered the library to see the sight that was in front of her now. Her breath got caught in her throat, her eyes widened slightly. Origami that looked like little paper birds flew around the library. Hjørdis took a few steps, looking around. Paper birds were flying around in every direction. She almost ducked, thinking one would hit her but it moved out of the way. She followed it. It rebounded from the shelf before it got close. It almost felt like being in nature but without having the risk of a bird pooping on your shoulder or the rain pouring down on your recently styled hair.
Hjørdis blinked. It was... beautiful. For some reason... it did not look like a mess. Not to her. They were kind of... cute? Her eyes fell onto Zahid, who she almost missed standing there until he greeted her. He... was going along with this? Whatever this was? About to question him when she heard Saskia speak.
"Mhm?" She started as she glanced back to the prefect, hearing her words, "They are-" notes. They were notes. She could read them? Right, of course. Why else would there be paper birds flying around? Glancing back at Zahid, she saw a smile on his face as he encouraged her to read them. She caught one floating by, carefully opening it up to prevent it from tearing. She expected a clue for the next room or something related to the story.
Her eyes widened a little as she read the words on the note. She looked back at Saskia, before looking at Zahid. They both had left her to read the notes. She took another one. Swallowing, her eyes started to water a little. A lot had happened over the months... Slytherins got hurt and they were still hurting. She blamed herself for a lot of it - and more often than not, they did too. A growing lump in her throat was the sensation that made her realise she was going to cry if she kept reading them. Exhaling softly, she looked up, looking at all of the birds. They were... all notes? There were dozens of them... Leaning against the edge of a table, she sat and watched them float for a few moments. Mostly because she was fighting back the urge to cry. It was highly unprofessional. Looking up and watching them held her to maintain her blank expression and silently fight back the tears that wanted to form.
This was sweet. Far too sweet. She stared at them, unsure of what she had even done to deserve this. Any of this. There were no words she could say. Not because she was choosing to be silent but rather... she felt speechless. It was hard to describe. It was just... so sweet. This whole thing, from the moment she opened her office door till now was just breaking her heart. In the kindest possible way.
After some time, she composed herself and managed to read a few more notes before the Historian came over. "Zahid..." She said softly, unsure of what else to really say. Hjørdis might not have spoken much but that was out of choice. Forcibly making her speechless was a hard thing to do and yet... their kindness seemed to have done the trick. It was far too undeserved. She took the letter and the bracelet. "I- R-right... Thanks..." She managed to mumble out, not entirely sure what more she could manage without actually ending up crying.
How in Merlin's name were they all so sweet?
The level of kindness they were showing her was unexpected and sweet and undeserved. She made her way to the exit. As she passed Saskia at the doorway, she paused and gently placed her hand on the prefect's head in a form of a pat. With a silent nod of gratitude, she stepped out of the door, picked up the box and made her way down the corridor. Turning a corner, and going out of sight, she paused for a moment. Leaning against the wall, she levitated the box and then opened the letter. Her eyes watered a little again. The tension breaking as a laugh escaped her lips as she read Zahid's words. The thought of more people 'as exuberant' as Caradoc was certainly nothing short of 'complete chaos'. She imagined the dancing in the Great Hall would not be a rare incident but rather a daily occurrence if that was the case.
Her hand covered her mouth as she laughed softly into it at the thought. One Caradoc was already far too much for her sanity to handle. She was not sure she could deal with more like him. Oh god... what if his entire family were exactly like him? There could be more like him... The thought was mildly terrifying. It was also a strange thought. Luckily, they were not here. She would not have to meet them. She folded the letter back into the envelope, resting her head on the cold wall and exhaled softly. Once she had managed to actually compose herself... She headed down to the small hall...
[THREAD FINISHED - Continued in Small Hall]
This is my former staff account.
I also play: Serena Towers (Graduated PC), Arjan Oberoi (Graduated iNPC), Xiomara Torres (Current Student)
I also play: Serena Towers (Graduated PC), Arjan Oberoi (Graduated iNPC), Xiomara Torres (Current Student)