FINISHED Cold Night, Warm Quills PV Aaron J.

It was freezing cold as Aaron trudged up the spiral staircase of Hogwarts' West Tower. Thankfully, he was already wearing his winter cloak and gloves because he'd just come from a class outside. November had brought dropping temperatures and bone-chilling winds, but growing up in Wales meant he was used to the cold. Of course, he was used to a more wet chill rather than a cold chill. Cardiff was one of the rainiest cities in Wales, raining for almost half of the year. But it was home, and he missed it.

So, here he was climbing the stairs to the owlery with two letters clutched in his hands. Aaron had written them last night, and now he was taking advantage of the lunch break to send them. One was addressed to his parents - a letter just telling them about his day-to-day life and keeping them updated on his studies. He wrote them pretty often these first couple of months (about once a week), wanting them to know he was safe and healthy and happy, and loving the updates they gave him on his little sister. The other letter he had written was addressed to his twin brother Avery. They had their own little conversations apart from their parents. This was the longest he had ever been away from his twin, and it was a huge adjustment for him. The only thing that helped was writing his brother every other day or so.

As he reached the top of the stairs, Aaron wrinkled his nose at the mixture of owl droppings and dead mice on the floor. He had been up here several times, of course, but it was still not the most pleasant environment. As he took his first step onto the straw-covered stone, he quickly realized that he was not alone.

"Oh, hi!" he said, a friendly smile on his face as he looked at the girl on the floor. It wasn't hard to deduce that she was writing a letter. Aaron briefly wondered who it was for. Family? A friend? But as she turned to look at him, his smile faltered. She was wiping her eyes in a way that suggested tears. He also briefly recognized her as a Ravenclaw first year he had seen around the castle.

"Oh," he said, his voice losing its peppy quality as he took in the situation. Clearly, whatever letter she was writing was sensitive. Aaron walked over to her and got onto his knees a respectable distance away, but close enough for her to not feel alone. "Are you okay?" he asked, unable to think of anything else to say. His voice was much more somber now, expecting the worst. "Did you get bad news from home?"

@Breana Oliveire

@Aaron Jones

Breana jolted up out of shock, almost dropping her quill and ink. Thankfully, her reflexes knew better and saved the bottle quickly turning around as she heard a rather chipper voice behind her. She hasn't met him before, but she has seen him around in the usual classroom halls. Hufflepuff student, but she couldn't place his name... A-something or other. She never interacted with him before, so she doesn't know what his personality is.

What she did notice was his smile disappearing as she looked at him. "Oh no, did he see me cry?!" Breana quickly wiped her cheeks again, making sure nothing is on her face but she forgot about her puffy eyes. "I-- uh... h-hey..." She sniffed a little bit, trying to clear her throat. "S-sorry... is it a bad time? I can... uh, do my stuff elsewhere." Breana nodded, crossing her arms in a bit of a defensive position. Even if the boy greeted her politely, she still shouldn't keep her guard down. She is a bit emotional today, after all. "Yeah, n-no-- I-i mean, yeah, yeah... I'm fine... No bad news, just gotten..." She sighed heavily, her lips quivering for a moment as she remembered why she was crying in the first place: Her parents. "... Homesick, I guess... Never been this far from home before, let alone without Mom and Dad, so..." Breana stopped, shaking her head as she was about to stand. "Sorry, sorry... You must be busy, sending a letter or something... I'll go."

Homesick. That word struck a chord with eleven-year-old Aaron, and he felt a deep sympathy for this girl. He had never truly experienced homesickness until coming to Hogwarts. Even when he went off to summer camps, he always had Avery to keep him company and keep him connected to home. Here at Hogwarts, he was all alone. He wondered if that's how this Ravenclaw was feeling.

"Wait, don't go!" Aaron said, abruptly grabbing her hand when he realized she was about to stand and leave. A second passed before he realized the breach of personal space he had caused, and he immediately let her go. "Uh, s-sorry," he stammered out, putting his free hand back on his lap. He did not blush because he wasn't embarrassed, he was just caught off guard by her attempt to leave. "What I meant, was, you don't have to leave. You're not disturbing me at all.. to be honest, I've been feeling homesick, too," he admitted, and only now did color start to fill his cheeks. His blush came from thinking it might be a sign of weakness for a boy to admit this sorta thing, but here he was telling this girl he had never met before.

Aside from his friend Lydia, Aaron hadn't really told anyone else that he was feeling lonely. Even with her, they had only talked about it during the first week of school. She probably had no idea he was still feeling incredibly homesick here at Hogwarts. He was only talking about it now in an attempt to sympathize and make his fellow first year feel not so alone. Maybe it would be good to talk about it?

Aaron offered the girl a chagrined smile, hoping his cheeks would cool off faster because of the drafts in the room. "I have a twin brother, but he's a muggle so he couldn't come here with me. Sometimes I feel really lost without him," he admitted. "I miss my parents too, but this is the longest I've been without him. Writing letters helps sometimes, but other times it doesn't feel like enough." Aaron looked down at the letters in his other hand. The one on top was clearly marked with the name "Avery." After a second, he looked back at the Ravenclaw and offered another smile, this time a bit more confident, "By the way, I'm Aaron."

@Breana Oliveire

@Aaron Jones

She already had her writing equipment tucked under one arm and ready to head off the Owlery when she felt something stop her. Breana looked down, surprised that the boy held her hand so abruptly. Instinctively, she pulled her hand away as the Hufflepuff let go, though she does hope he doesn't take it personally. She was still sensitive after all, and having a random student just yank her hand isn't exactly the best thing that she wanted at the moment. "It... it's fine..." Breana said softly, rubbing her own hand.

She looked over at the boy for a moment, her face showing a sympathetic frown. "Y-yeah.... it's... it's feels the worst, heh..." She said, sitting back down on her legs and setting her writing supplies on her lap. "Thanks for letting me stay, though... Just felt like this was a quiet place to write stuff... even with the bird poop smell." Breana laughed a bit, trying to lighten the mood. Even with the odd start, Breana felt that it'd be nice to talk to someone that has the similar feeling that she's going through right now. Even if she has her own roommates, she thought that they're too invested into the world of Hogwarts that they won't feel homesick as badly as her, at least from how she's talked to them.

"Ah, you're a twin...?" She said bluntly. It took her a moment for her to realize what she said, holding up her hands to the Hufflepuff in defense. "I-i hope I didn't offend you with that! I-i just, er... I never interacted with someone that has a twin... I-i mean, there's my cousins, b-but..." Breana cleared her throat. "Huh... I guess the magic gene works in weird ways... It must be nice to have a brother, though. I'm an only child, so it's just me and my parents... it's for the best, really. Our home is too tiny for another person to stay in." She followed Aaron's eyes and looked down at the letter in his hand. Breana then looked back at him, nodding happily at his introduction. "Breana." She held out her hand to him. "Breana Oliveire." Breana then realized that her hand was stained from the ink bottle she's been holding, quickly trying to wipe it away using her robe before holding it out to him again.

Aaron took no offense when the girl snatched her hand away. It was a logical reaction to a strange boy grabbing it in the first place. But he was glad she didn't seem very upset by the action, even going so far as to stay here after all.

"Yeah, you'd think that the house elves would take better care of this place.. or maybe they don't like owls?" Aaron laughed a bit with her when she acknowledged the awful smell. He had only learned what house elves were last month, and the concept of them was crazy to him. Magical creatures whose whole purpose in life was to clean and do a wizard's bidding? It sounded like the very definition of slavery. But supposedly, they loved their job and they had taken care of Hogwarts for many many generations. Maybe they loved this castle like their own home, and that's why they loved cleaning it?

Aaron felt his uneasiness about sharing his loneliness melting away. The girl seemed very friendly, and he grinned when she bluntly talked about him being a twin. "I'm not offended," he reassured her. "I like being a twin. It's funny seeing people's reactions sometimes when me or my brother aren't together at first, and then we just appear, and people's faces are so funny sometimes," he rambled, recalling several such incidents. People's reactions ranged from shocked to genuinely curious. He knew that being a twin was something special that not everyone got to experience. "I have a little sister too, so there's three of us."

Hearing that this girl was an only child made Aaron a little sad. Of course, he had no idea what that felt like. From the moment he had entered this world, he'd had Avery by his side, but he imagined that being an only child must be super lonely. He heard other friends with siblings complaining and wishing to be an only child, but that desire never really crossed his mind. Maybe only children got extra love from their parents, though..

"Jones. My last name, I mean. Aaron Jones. And it's nice to meet you, Breana," Aaron said, stifling a laugh when she wiped away the ink on her hand. After shaking her ink-less hand, Aaron turned his attention to her letter. "So, are you writing home then? Your parents? They must miss you a lot if you're their only one," he reasoned. After a moment, he added, "And this might be a weird question, but if you could have a sibling, would you want a sister or a brother?" The question had just popped into his head, and he figured it might be a good conversation starter.

@Breana Oliveire

Interacting with @Aaron Jones

Breana laughed softly at Aaron's joke, looking over at the doorways where the elves would pop out in. She's read about elves in muggle books, how beautiful and regal they were supposed to be. When her mother told her that they'd be on your beck and call, she expected rather dainty beings, gracefully walking down the hallways. Now, seeing what they truly look like here in Hogwarts... She couldn't help but find the difference funny. "Nahhh... I think they're trying their best... It's just that the owls poop harder." Breana laughed, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "I don't know if I'd want a pet owl, considering how smelly this place is."

Breana smiled as the Hufflepuff boy started talking about his twin-- well, his siblings. the thought of having siblings never crossed her mind, but the way he talked to her about the fun he and his brother had did make the girl wonder. Her eyes lit up as a mischievous thought popped in her mind. "Oh! Wait wait wait, so did you two try the teleportation prank? Like, going into a mall and stuff, and then pranking random people that you teleported to the 2nd floor?" She asked, grinning as she imagined the prank unfolding in her brain.

She looked down at her letter, pursing her lip as she realized that she hasn't even started with it in the first place. "Ah, yeah I am... and I guess they do." She smiled, her expression slowly having a melancholic feel to it. She started to wonder what happens to her parents while she's gone, and also her bedroom being empty... Aaron brought her back to the ground as he asked her the sibling question. "Oh... a sibling...?" She looked up, squinting her eyes a bit in thought. "Hmm... well... I dunno... Never thought about that question before..." She looked back at Aaron. "I guess I'd want a sister... just so I can have those girl talks my mom has with her sister, my auntie of course."

Aaron laughed at Breana's expression of disgust. "Yeah, they seem like a lotta work.. If I had to choose one of the pets allowed here, I think I'd get a cat. My grandparents have two and they're really cool," he said with a nod. In truth, he didn't really want a pet at all. They seemed like a lot of work and responsibility. At least, that's what mum was always saying when Avery asked.

When Breana's face lit up, Aaron listened to her with rapt attention. His eyes widened at the prank she described, impressed by her idea! "No, I never thought of doing something like that! Avery's not a big pranker so I don't think he'd have gone along with it... The most we ever did was switch classes once when I had a test on European countries," he explained, feeling a little wistful. His brother had always been a goody-two-shoes. Convincing him to switch spots for that test had been a monumental task in itself. "He's super good at school. Totally unlike me."

The topic of conversation turned to Breana's letter, which he just now noticed was completely blank. He wondered briefly how often she wrote to them, but then she answered his question about siblings. "A sister, huh? My little sister - she's only six. But I can't wait to beat up all the guys that break her heart. Dad said I could," he said, laughing so she knew he was just joking around.

Aaron's eyes found Breana's letter this time, noticing now that it was blank. "So, what're you gonna write to them about?" he asked, gesturing to her blank parchment paper. He would've thought she'd finished her letter considering all the ink that had been on her hand. "My letters are pretty much just telling them I'm doing good in school and stuff like that..." he explained, holding up his letter to his parents. He had trailed off at the end because it was a lie that he was doing good in school. In fact, he was really struggling with magic and essays and the expectations of professors. But he didn't want his parents to know that.

"They like hearing about the friends I make and stuff, too," he added a few seconds later, looking at Breana with a small smile now.

@Breana Oliveire

@Aaron Jones

"Oh!" Breana smiled wide as the topic turned from bird poop to owning pets. She's heard of Hogwarts allowing owning pets, and she's excited to get enough money to have her own. "Oh, a cat sounds fun! They're super cute, but I don't think I can handle one..." She chuckled. "Now... What pet would I get? Hmm..." She said, pursing her lips in thought. "I think I'd get myself... Oh! A frog or a toad!" Breana chirped up happily. Even before her family discovered her magic, Breana had a sort of affinity with reptiles, especially frogs and toads. Her own bedroom back in the muggle world even had a few frog decorations. "I've seen them when the Frog Choir, and they look so cute, being so fat like that... I just wanna hug them!" She said, hugging herself trying to replicate her hugging a frog.

She smiled as Aaron talk about his brother, laughing as he told Breana about one of their mischievous adventures. "That must've been super hard to pull off though! I mean, did you guys got caught? Did your friends find out about it, or did they just kept it shush up 'til afterschool hours and stuff?" She asked, mostly because she's never talked to someone who's ever pulled a rather sneaky plan. Despite having a Slytherin mother that had a bit of an ambitious streak in her past, Breana wasn't one to do such pranks, at least ones that has a chance of her getting in serious trouble. So talking to someone that's done that, Breana was deeply curious on such a thought process. She frowned, however, as Aaron suddenly undermined him at the end. "I mean, I can't fully agree, since I just met ya and all, but maybe you're better at other stuff!"

Her eyes darted back down to her letter, still contemplating if she should give them an update so soon. She turned her attention back to Aaron as he continued talking about his other sibling now. Breana smiled and said, "All Dads say that, even mine! Though I dunno if I can see that now... I've only seen that stuff in fairy tale books, y'know? Happily ever after and all that..." She shrugged, thinking that it would be a long way before she'd want such things.

"Hm?" Breana blinked, looking back down at the letter. "Oh! R-right... well..." She slowly trailed off. As much as she missed her parents, Breana doesn't exactly have anything to talk to them about. "Honestly...? I just miss them, so... that's all I would write, I think..." She then looked back to Aaron, a sweet smile creeping in on her face. "Friends, huh? Well... I guess I know what else I would tell them about, then!" She chuckled softly, looking down at her quill, and started writing up something for her parents.

"Yeah, I don't think I could handle a cat either. I just think they're cool," Aaron explained with a small grin. He listened to Breana's argument for a pet, and he laughed as she hugged herself. Who knew girls could find frogs and toads cute? All the ones back in his muggle school freaked out when one of his friends brought a lizard to class.

As she expressed interest in his quiz scheme, Aaron's eyes lit up. It wasn't often that he could tell people this story for the first time. It was old news for all his Muggle friends. "Yeah, so, basically, no one knew before except us. The only hard part was changing clothes before and after. We went into a bathroom near the class and almost got caught by the vice principal! He came into the bathroom while we were in the handicapped stall changing! It was insane!" Aaron laughed at the memory and locked eyes with Breana as he finished the story. "We pulled it off, crazily enough. And when I told my friends after, they almost didn't believe me. That is, until I got back my quiz with an A minus." Thinking about that one incident kept a smile on his face, even when he put himself down.

"I'm really really good at flying!" Aaron told her, a huge smile on his face. He quickly realized he may have sounded a bit too excited and braggy about it, though, so he toned it down as he continued. "It's pretty much the only magic thing I'm good at," he explained with a more humbled expression.

As Breana went on to talk about her own dad saying the same thing as Aaron's, he grinned from ear-to-ear. Happily ever after, huh? Fairy tales were his sister's favorite things right now. She especially loved the Princess and the Frog movie. It made him think that his little sister might turn out like Breana, loving frogs and all that.

When Breana got around to starting on her letter, Aaron jumped to his feet. He was happy that he had been able to make a new acquaintance. If he was reading the situation right, they were actually on their way to becoming friends. His first Ravenclaw friend.

"I'll go get a couple owls," Aaron explained, turning away and climbing the stairs to a higher platform. He kept going until he found two owls sleeping side-by-side. He gently nudged them. "Could you help my friend and I? We'd like to send a couple of letters," he explained, smiling brightly at the sleepy owls. He wasn't an expert in owls, but he could tell they were two different kinds. One was a light brown and the other was almost black, and their faces looked quite different. Nevertheless, they were equally intelligent and hooted in agreement. With a ruffle of their feathers, they followed Aaron back down to the bottom of the tower to meet up with Breana.

"I bring respected messengers," Aaron announced, jumping down the last few steps for a grand entrance. The two birds took position by one of the drafty windows near Breana, where the letters could be attached and sent off. The black-haired eleven-year-old walked over to the light-colored owl and began attaching his two letters carefully to the bird.

@Breana Oliveire