Taking Root in Change PV Willow A. Finished

Since coming here, Willow had felt especially disconnected from her family and their constant presence in nature and just outdoors in general. Often at home she would spend her afternoons after school outside, even if it was too cold her family had an outside covered area that kind of looked like an igloo that they always set up right before winter started. She missed it. The carefree attitude and light to her family felt lost in the dark halls of Hogwarts. Though, the house she was in was lovely and bright it just wasn't the same as being home. Not to mention the fact that she had to wear black robes all the time which was the opposite of how she liked to dress. Everything felt stifling even thought it was supposed to be such a liberating and fun experience of learning this different magic.

There were days where she could pretend though. The days where she could wear her normal clothes, and be outside. If it was super nice outside she could practice her home witchcraft that was completely unlike the Hogwarts magic she had been learning. It was almost spring, which was her favorite season where she felt the most powerful and joyful. She decided she would dress warmly today, and spend some time outside. She stopped at the Great Hall to grab a quick snack and say hi to a couple of her friends before heading out to the Courtyard.

As she exited into the Courtyard she paused, closed her eyes, and let the sun hit her face. The warmth had it's own unique feeling that couldn't be matched by anything else. Someone bumped her in the shoulder as they were trying to exit into the Courtyard, knocking her out of her moment. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She moved out of the doorway, with her head in the clouds that kind of interaction happened multiple times a day. She, quite literally, spun into the middle of the Courtyard, regaining a type of energy that she hadn't felt in awhile. She was giddy. She was so ready for winter to end and spring to begin. While she lived in the Plant Palace dorm in Hufflepuff, nothing really quite was the same.

Once she finally calmed down and actually surveyed the Courtyard to see if she knew anyone that was currently outside, she found that it was pretty much empty. She figured most students still wouldn't want to spend a ton of time outside currently. Then she spotted someone sitting on the fountain. When people were able to dress freely it was hard to decipher anyone's house. But, she was really pretty. Willow couldn't tell if she was sad, or just thinking about something really intensely. Maybe the book she was reading? Is she a Ravenclaw, they like... reading. But so does everyone else. That's not a unique trait just to Ravenclaw's. Willow's mind was racing a mile a minute, and she couldn't figure out why. It was just another student, just another potential friend to be made. But how does she interact when she's reading a book.

She decided just to walk over and say hi, what could go wrong? A lot could, but she tried not to think about it. "Hi there! I'm Willow. It's a nice day isn't it?" She paused, feeling like she should say more, "Can I sit next to you?" Looking at her close up she seemed so regal and formal. It was a little intimidating compared to how Willow carried herself, she absentmindedly tried to straighten out her back and her hands moved to be clasped in front of her so they don't fidget as much as they normally would.

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interactions @Willow Anderson
word count 656 | text colour #274E13
abilities terrible presence
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Astrea was brooding too much. Thinking over a few simple sentences and projecting too many little nuances of her own life to the character. As wonderfully similar the two were, the Slytherin was sure it was not what the muggle writer had meant to do.

She had to physically force herself to avoid reading back over, to reread the confession and let it sink in. Thankfully, it seemed that the main character of the book had no trouble trying to look into her words, brushing past the sentences that so deeply affected Astrea with ease the aristocrat only dreamed to have. The page continuing in small ink-smudged letters, of singing robins and doorless gardens, trees and digging men.

To her surprise the surly old weather-beaten face actually changed its expression. A slow smile spread over it and the gardener looked quite different. It made her think that it was curious how much nicer a person looked when he smiled. She had not thought of it before.

Her reading was abruptly cut off at the tail end of the last sentence of the paragraph, the meaning of the part having no time to be taken apart when the sound of footsteps neared her. Astrea's head tilted up slightly, gaze trained on observing her intruder with suprised intrigue as the other came closer.

The first thing she noticed was the boots- blush and soft white, with nicely corded lavender-pink laces spun round in a neat bow. They seemed completely out of place walking around on the drearily monochrome and uneven cobblestone of the courtyard. Ivory socks peeked out of the top of them, matching in both colour and texture to the oversized sweater that was paired with them, the bottom half of them tucked into a pair of shorts pale blue enough to resemble the early spring sky. Dirty blonde locks and pale blue eyes- at least they weren't green, Astrea had recently been acquainted with a sudden overload of green-eyed children the past few weeks.

"Hi, there! I'm Willow. It's a nice day isn't it?" The girl paused for a solid second, staring at Astrea cheerily as if desiring to say something else. Willow seemed overly energetic. Giddy, as if desiring to do something, anything, to pass the time out of sheer excitement. Astrea stared blankly for a second at the soft-looking girl, caught off guard by the sudden address. How to- respond to such energy? The blueblood was only half wondering if the jitteriness was going to be annoying in the middle of such a peaceful- though admittedly overthought- silence, or if it was going to be enjoyable; perhaps a welcome distraction?

She was taking over half a second since the girl had spoken, over a second now of no response. Best to keep polite, see how things ended. Improvisation- after all, adapting to human unpredictability was one of her few good features. She blinked, comprehension catching on by the time she had opened her eyes again, and a polite smile graced her expression.

“Astrea. Pleasure.” Her gaze flicked upwards toward the cloud bearing sky to check at the weather, more so a habit than reassurance of the blue sky. "It is indeed. It seems spring is coming, considering the past few months of cold."

"Can I sit next to you?"

The Neptune-Chou took a short glance toward where she had sat, square in the middle and surely quite an awkward feat if she were to force the random girl to go around her, one finger pressing down near the binding to save her spot. She scooted over to the right to make room for her newfound companion, the sun drenching her swaying hair deep hickory and paling the dark stone of the fountain's rim where she had previously shaded. The cool underside of the stone fountain was smooth against her bare legs as she settled them once again crossed at the ankle.

"If you would like."

Willow felt more like she was talking to an adult at one of her schools rather than someone else that was her age. She wondered how she was raised to make her speak so formally. In school she was always someone that was incredibly respectful to the adults around her, but with her friends she could be deemed 'un-ladylike' but Willow hated that concept. She was a lady, but her own type of weird lady. She had always grown up outside of what was normal, so she had ditched the idea of normal at a very young age. She couldn't stand people putting themselves higher above others just because they were more 'polite' or 'formal'. She hoped Astrea wouldn't be like that.

She sat herself next to Astrea, She pulled herself onto the bench to sit criss-cross, being careful to note invade Astrea's personal space. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your reading. You just are..." 'really pretty, and seem like a super cool person to be friends with so I just came over and started a conversation without any plan of how to go further.' she thought to herself, but there was no way that she could say that. "Um, you seemed sad or worried. You had a super intense look on your face for someone my age and I wanted to make sure that you're ok."

She felt so awkward, maybe it's because she was super intimidated by Astrea and her presence or her sudden inability to speak. "I mean, if you don't want to talk about it that's also cool too. I was in the courtyard anyway..." She was kicking herself in her head, it's not abnormal for students to be in the courtyard. This isn't weird for her to be here. To help steady her thoughts she pulled out a worn leather journal from her bag that had a muggle pen tucked into the middle of the pages. The front was designed with flowers forming into a heart, and the pages had obviously been through a lot. She flipped to an open page and started sketching the scene in front of her of the courtyard. She took particular care in the plants that were around the courtyard, leaving the various benches, building structures, and man-made objects with bare minimum effort.

The sound of the pen against the paper, and the method of drawing the plants made her mind go calm. She had a separate herbology journal for taking notes on plants that she had learned about in class. But this one was for drawing. Sometimes she would sketch people or animals, but man-made structures she didn't enjoy that much. She felt there was a lot more energy in life in the natural parts of the world, and she tried to translate that into her drawings.

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interactions @Willow Anderson
word count 596 | text colour #274E13
abilities terrible presence
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Astrea's eyes tracked Willow's form as the other sat crisscrossed on the stone rim next to her gingerly, dirty blonde hair bleached pale under the sun swaying with her movements. The other seemed careful to keep a solid distance between them, not out of fear as many people usually did, but of general politeness. It was a mild surprise, not exactly unwelcome but interesting all the same.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted your reading. You just are..." Willow's voice drifted off thoughtfully as she attempted to word the rest of the sentence.

One of Astrea's eyebrows raised in question, something shadowed blooming in her chest like prickled roses. She- was not entirely sure if she was liking how the conversation was going already. Perhaps she was wrong, to venture into a conversation with an unknown, however nice they seemed. A lurking part of her brain whispered malicious possibilities to the ending of Willow's sentence, stiflingly saccharine and suspiciously familiar. And this was why the Lady Chou had fussed about the Sparkless blooded or lower classes, they would never understand. They didn’t share a culture unique to the isolated aristocratic pureblood, didn’t indulge in the same customs and relations with each other, were divided by word and sound.

"Um, you seemed sad or worried. You had a super intense look on your face for someone my age and I wanted to make sure that you're ok."

Oh. Her lips parted in surprise, mouth suddenly bone dry and throat like sandpaper as she averted her eyes down toward the familiar weight of her book in a flustered motion. Who was this child- strangely troubled with the whims of others and The tips of Astrea's ears felt warm with a heat that hadn't been there before- had the sun become stronger in the span of a minute or was she being fooled?

"Hn- I'm well. Thank you for your concern, though it isn't necessary."

"I mean, if you don't want to talk about it that's also cool too. I was in the courtyard anyway..." Willow rambled, a hint of nervousness tinting her words. How quaint. How cute.

“I see.” Willow was quite endearing and unusually puppy like, anxiously energetic and outwardly expressive in a way Astrea could never be. “Well, I’m glad you were here anyways.“ Her attention trailed back sweetly toward the flustered blue-eyed, quickly enamoured. “My name is Astrea. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

The girl reached toward the handbag that sat near her to retrieve a strapped worn leather booklet with a floral heart stamped into the leather that bulged in the middle with a peculiar instrument lodged inside. Her reading utterly forgotten, the Neptune-Chou could only stare as cream fingers flipped through the well-loved pages filled with wonderful sketchings that Astrea could only admire briefly before Willow settled upon a blank piece of parchment- paper? Astrea wasn't sure by this point.

When Willow has uncapped her strange instrument of ink with a strangely satisfying pop and started to sketch the courtyard in deep concentration, the young heir could see both how strangely rounded the thing was compared to her father’s fancy nibbed fountain pen and how wonderful the images created by said item could be in gifted hands. And how gifted they were- Willow’s depiction of the fauna that decorated the courtyard were wonderfully detailed and flowing even as the man-made objects came through in minimum effort moves.

“I enjoy how you drew the coiling branches on that pillar there. Very beautiful, flowing.” The compliment was lightly said, fascination heavy and sincere.

Willow was so surprised at the continuous formality. She had never met anyone like this girl. It couldn't just be the formal air, there must be something else about her that feels different, though Willow couldn't figure it out just yet. There was time to get to know her, such as what house she was in. She couldn't be Hufflepuff as she's never seen her in the common room before. She looked at her more closely, but that didn't reveal anymore as she was immediately distracted by the elegance of energy she could feel through the air from her. If Willow were to try and draw her, there would be no way to truly capture the beauty that she embodied. She looked down to her paper, sketching in the fountain quickly before starting to imitate the scene she was experiencing with both of them perched on the edge.

“Well, I’m glad you were here anyways." Willow's head quickly looked up and over to the girl, even more surprised that the newly introduced Astrea wanted her around. A lot of times she was worried about being a nuisance in people's lives but often tried to ignore the thoughts and stay in the moment with those she was around. "Astrea is a really beautiful name, and please the pleasure is all mine." A blush quickly spread across Willow's cheeks, as she shyly looked back down to her paper. "Just curious, what house are you in? I'm a Hufflepuff which is probably easy to tell. But with you I haven't been able to figure it out, usually I'm really good at figuring it out. But you're a mystery." She looked up at her again, tapping her pen to her chin before returning to her drawing. "Honestly you could fit in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin with how much I know about you currently... which is basically nothing. So not a good reference point." She felt herself rambling but she couldn't help it.

She did mean the mystery comment in more ways than one. She didn't know how to act around Astrea, whether she should mimic the formality. Willow knew she could never do that and come across as believable. The idea of formality and nobility-esque behavior was something that she had little to no knowledge in. She was a local dirt gremlin as she liked to call herself back home, wrecking careful havoc and usually coming home needing a shower right away. Her mind wandered as she put careful detail into drawing Astrea, her hand almost moving for her. Willow was also taking occasional glances to make sure she was capturing her effectively.

She paused her drawing when a compliment came from Astrea, she couldn't hide the fact that she was drawing but she was always embarrassed when it came to compliments about her skill. She started twirling the muggle pen around her fingers, a nervous habit she developed for when she did have a pen in her hand. It was much harder and messier to do with a quill. "Thank you. You should see my herbology journal, this is not as detailed as that if you'd believe it. Growing up I practiced muggle witchcraft, specifically green witchery. Which as you can probably guess by the name involves plants and nature. I spent most of my time drawing different plants to catalog them for my family, which is why I have so little experience with drawing other things. I didn't really ever take time to learn anything but landscapes." She felt more comfortable outside and in nature, which was starting to calm her as she remembered where she was, hopefully making the rest of the conversation go smoother than the disaster she perceived she was making.

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interactions @Willow Anderson
word count 752 | text colour #274E13
abilities terrible presence
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Willow's hand drew in fluid strokes upon the parchment, the familiar structure of the fountain loosely sketched out with experienced motions. Busying herself in truly closing her copy of The Secret Garden instead of merely warping the spine into the form of her finger, she fished through the pockets of her cardigan to take out a royal blue ribbon that had accompanied her last letter from Sauron, the edges still crimped from where they were bowtied. Her sweater was soft under her fingers and the book's pages nearly the same as she marked her page.

"Astrea is a really beautiful name, and please the pleasure is all mine." A blush blossomed on Willow's face, ivory skin flushing a pretty pink and horizon blue eyes drifting shyly downwards toward her booklet. Endearing. A lurking part of Astrea's mind wanted to see Willow more, even if only to envoke more reactions and get to know her.

"Thank you." The politely pleasant smile shifted a bit more genuine, her tepid mood warming up from the good company. Hm, perhaps socializing wasn't so bad, if it was with another like Willow.

"Just curious, what house are you in? I'm a Hufflepuff which is probably easy to tell. But with you I haven't been able to figure it out, usually I'm really good at figuring it out. But you're a mystery." The blonde's gaze trailed back up to Astrea, ink instrument tapping at her chin thoughtfully.

"Your house fits you. Hufflepuff, of the kind." The words spilt from her mouth before she realised what she said, and yet a large part of her did not regret it. They were true. Astrea could never see the other in Slytherin, with its lavish dormitories and green-lit stone walls, drafty and chillingly cold on the worst of nights. The 'mystery' part of Willow's words were less of a surprise than they probably should have been, even after properly acquainting with others she had often overheard the gossip about how cryptic the Four Bloodlines were. Seems like their penchant for reservedness had been passed down to her too.

"Honestly you could fit in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin with how much I know about you currently... which is basically nothing. So not a good reference point." The other rambled on, a pleasant buzz of noise whose talk made a cynical part of Astrea laugh inside. Turning her head up toward the azure sky, the Neptune-Chou took few moments to ponder over what exactly was so grimly amusing about the possibilities.

Ravenclaw, Gryffindor. As if. She could never imagine herself in any other house than Slytherin, the house of the cunning and shrewd, the house of her family bloodlines for centuries. Ombrelune, Slytherin- all the same. Ravenclaw was an alright house to be sorted into in the eyes of her elders, yet certainly not ideal and by this point, Astrea was prided as the perfect little heiress.

"Hm. I'm in Slytherin." To be sorted into Gryffindor- what a disaster that would have been. Even without the outrage, she would never fit with the brave and boisterous. She was not brave and yet she was not foolish, but she was on that specific side of different in terms of heritage that would surely cause more than her fair share of tension from the lion house. She was too proper, too aloof, too old-fashioned. For the progressive Wizarding World, this was a beacon of formality, a neon sign that she had been raised alongside the more genteel and snide.

"Thank you. You should see my herbology journal, this is not as detailed as that if you'd believe it. Growing up I practised muggle witchcraft, specifically green witchery." Astrea's interest piqued, her eyes sharpened with mild surprise as they focused again on the pen-twirling Willow. How interesting, both as a piece of information about Willow and Sparkless-blooded. Muggle witchery? If they lacked the proper magical flair that was desired in order to conduct true magic, how were they supposed to imitate it without seeing it? Hm. Something to look into privately. "Which as you can probably guess by the name involves plants and nature. I spent most of my time drawing different plants to catalogue them for my family, which is why I have so little experience with drawing other things. I didn't really ever take time to learn anything but landscapes."

"Ah, I see. Well, to imitate nature is a very wonderful thing nevertheless and you are skilled. I commend you, do you enjoy it?"

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Astrea closed her book. She instantly worried if she had bothered her too much and she was about to leave. She wouldn't be the first to do that, and certainly not the last. There was a nagging want to have her to stay though, despite the formality there was also an ease of talking to her once she got into it. She seemed kind and interesting as well, despite the intimidating air she had around her. She wasn't the first person Willow had ever been worried about approaching, but she was glad that she did in the first place. Especially since she was able to get some free drawing done which she hadn't been able to do as much recently.

Willow wasn't surprised when Astrea said that her house fit her. She was a Hufflepuff through and through now that she was knowledgeable in what they stood for. "Thank you, I take a lot of pride in my house. I don't think I could fit in anywhere else honestly, especially in Gryffindor... sometimes they're just... a lot." She realized that this girl might be a Gryffindor and she just talked badly about them, but she honestly didn't think it was too far from the truth. It took awhile to develop an understanding of the houses, and she still didn't know a ton about them. She felt like everyone she met fulfilled some and defied some of their house characteristics. The system seemed to simple for her, how could some people be sorted into a single house? But, this system was not for her to question since she didn't have nearly enough information.

Her eyes finally traveled up to look Astrea in her eyes for more than a brief second as she mentioned her house. She ended up nodding slightly as she thought about the answer. "I can see that. I bet you look great in the emerald green robes." She paused, her blush growing more furious by the second. Did she really just say that? She stumbled through her next words, "Just because, c-color theory... Of course. You skin tone, and u-uh... your eyes go well with the color green." She nodded reassuring herself that she had recovered from the blunder she made, slowly moving her eyes back to her page. She was so embarrassed. This girl sitting next to her somehow completely melted Willow, making her incapable of speaking. On the other hand, she didn't necessarily regret what she said. What's the point of regret if it's already out in the world anyway.

Willow took a pause on her current drawing, flipping through the worn pages of her art journal to show Astrea the other one's of plants she's done that she was much more proud of. Some were outlined, some were full colored scenes of lavender fields and forests of green. Flowers seemed to be the main subject, and there was an obvious shift from when she was home to when she moved to Hogwarts as the plants became more fantastical in nature. She handed her notebook over to her, "You can look through it if you want, it's mostly plants. A couple self-portraits are thrown in there but those aren't anything special." She laughed lightly, her self-portraits were more interpretive than anything. Flowers growing out of her face, or her hair as branches of leaves. Normally she wouldn't turn her journal over, but she didn't feel like Astrea would make a joke out of it.

"Drawing relaxes me, especially when nature is the subject. With the witchcraft I mentioned we base a lot of it in our relationship with the elements; earth, fire, water, air. We focus mainly on how different herbs and plants have different magical qualities about them. It's like the herbology we have here, just with the mundane and we put them into spellwork like potions and everything. Plants just make me feel alive, and taken care of in a way." As Astrea was looking through her journal she closed her eyes and tilted her head to the sky and took a deep breath to center herself in the moment, whenever she talked about this kind of stuff she couldn't help but pause an take a moment to truly appreciate the life blooming around her. After about a minute of soaking in the sun and the cool breeze she opened her eyes and looked back at Astrea.

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interactions @Willow Anderson
word count 758 | text colour #274E13
abilities terrible presence
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Willow didn’t seem very surprised at Astrea’s offhand comment, apparently already comfortable with the placement. It had taken a lifetime of ruling and careful breeding that made Astrea feel welcome into the house of green, feel like she could have never belonged elsewhere. “Thank you, I take a lot of pride in my house. I don't think I could fit in anywhere else honestly, especially in Gryffindor... sometimes they're just... a lot."

A short laugh escaped Astrea, bubblegum sweet and genuine before it faded out into a light smile. “That’s true. Gryffindor is quite- Hm, interesting at best and overwhelming at worst.” It was true. While most of her interactions with the house of red were quite positive and casual, she had seen how some of the Gryffindor were- loud, shameless, and thoroughly all of what their house claimed. If she had been sorted into their house- as much as it would have been a slander against her family reputation- Astrea would have never survived. Perhaps Willow would have more than her, but the title of ‘Hufflepuff’ matched with the young blonde in front of her more than anything.

"I can see that. I bet you look great in the emerald green robes." Willow took a pause, the carnation blush that had spread across the other’s cheeks intensifying as she seemed to physically backtrack. Astrea could feel her own ears flushing, breath caught warm and fuzzy in her throat at the surprising compliment. “Hn- Thank you.” Her thanks was underlaid thick with the same flustered surprise that coloured porcelain skin.

“Just because, c-color theory... Of course. You skin tone, and u-uh... your eyes go well with the color green." The Hufflepuff nodded, the action looking more of assurance to herself than anything, and lowered blue eyes toward the pages drawn with ink and skill.

Willow abandoned the half-finished drawing in her lap to slowly flip through pages and pages of sketches, some popping with tones of purple and green and almost all with the subject of nature. Some magical and mundane images Astrea could recognize from the manor grounds and textbooks, looking all the more interesting when remembering that it was by someone's- Willow's- hand that the pictures had been created meticulously.

"You can look through it if you want, it's mostly plants. A couple self-portraits are thrown in there but those aren't anything special." Willow let out a light laugh as she held the sketchbook out, Astrea's hands coming up to cradle the booklet carefully with a nod of gratitude. As Willow relaxed next to her from where she sat, Astrea took the time to gingerly observe the drawings. Partway through the book, Astrea could clearly tell when Willow had been introduced to the wizarding world of flora, things the young Slytherin had seen time and time again in labelled jars lining her mother's potion brewery.

"Drawing relaxes me, especially when nature is the subject." Astrea hummed in understanding as she stared intently down, remembering days riding her horse with the other heirs of the Four Bloodlines backlit with the scent of wildflowers and the evening sun. A self-portrait of Willow stared back up at her, peaceful even as beautifully detailed flowers bloomed from her face and crawled up toward leafy hair. From first glance, a spark of uneasiness had sparked in Astrea's mind- the idea of hanahaki nudging at her like a distant thought from some old fantasy book she had read once in the family library- and yet the more she stared at it, the look was more calming than anything. She flipped the page with a slow blink, gazing over the next page before closing it and placing it on the fountain rim between Willow and her.

"With the witchcraft I mentioned we base a lot of it in our relationship with the elements; earth, fire, water, air. We focus mainly on how different herbs and plants have different magical qualities about them. It's like the herbology we have here, just with the mundane and we put them into spellwork like potions and everything. Plants just make me feel alive, and taken care of in a way."

Stormy eyes looked up toward Willow's form as Astrea shifted her upper body, a puzzle piece of knowledge about Sparkless'witchcraft' fitting into place like a foreign jigsaw puzzle. The elements, hm? "I see. That sounds quite interesting. If you wouldn't mind, what are some of the-" Astrea cleared her throat, her eyes flicking down to the sketchbook sitting innocently on the stone. "-'magical' qualities some flora have?"

Interacting with @Astrea Soleil Neptune

Willow's eyes shot up and over to Astrea as she laughed, it was short-lived but it just as quick a smile lit up Willow's face since she was the once that caused the laugh. Watching the happiness bloom onto her face was probably equal to the bloom of the greatest flower she had seen. She noted the moment in her head, wanting to keep it saved in her head. She wished for the smile never to fade, it looked like it belonged on her face.

She could tell Astrea was someone of very little words, or maybe Willow was just taking over the whole conversation. Her words seem to continue to jump out of her mouth with a second thought, something she did anyway but it seemed particularly bad with the Slytherin sitting next to her. Something about her pulled Willow in, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe it was just an intense desire to be close to Astrea, to learn more about her and become close friends. She seemed like someone that would balance out Willow well, helping to ground Willow in a reality that she often didn't spend a ton of time in.

Willow was surprised when she glanced over to Astrea after letting a compliment fall out of her mouth, seeing the same pink brushed across her skin. She seemed like someone where nothing could phase her, but obviously her compliment meant something to the girl. It was another tug at her heart of wanting to continue to help Astrea smile and laugh, to break the hard exterior and find the soft behind the walls.

As the journal passed between hands, Willow took notice of how carefully Astrea cradled it in her hands. Treating it with way more value than expected for someone just browsing through Willow's heart poured out onto the pages. There was a nervous feeling that bubbled up again as Astrea spent an extra moment on a self-portrait that Willow made, it was one of her more vulnerable pieces of art. A breath that was unknowingly held came out as she turned to the next page, then being closed and placed between them. Her hand came to idly rest on it, as if protecting if from any other gaze that could look upon it besides those she trusted it with. But why did she trust Astrea with it? She couldn't find a reason.

As Astrea continued to surprise her, she asked more questions about her home witchcraft. When she mentioned it, people were always curious because of the novelty of it. Astrea seemed interested in the meaning of it, which was a new experience. She turned her body to fully be facing Astrea at this point. "Oh, um... I guess I could start with the basics. Rosemary is a pretty good herb to have because it's kind of all purpose. If you don't have a specific herb for a spell rosemary can be used as a replacement. You can also burn rosemary to cleanse spaces. Chamomile is lovely, not only for tea readings but it's really good for health spells and it's associated with the sun. Lavender is another basic one, it has a lot of purposes revolving around calming energy. Mint is another kind of all-purpose herb like rosemary. Basil is good for protection or purification. Rose is lovely because it's not only beautiful but the thorns can be used for protection and negative energy, and the flower is used in love spells. Except, I don't do love spells because I think that love can't come from a spell it has to come from the person." She felt bad for rambling, but it was easy to get off on tangents with this kind of stuff.

She wanted to learn about the other girl so badly, so she decided to pass a question onto her, a simple one that she asked a lot of people at Hogwarts since everyone came from such different wizarding experience background. "What about you? Did you grow up knowing about Hogwarts or are you a muggle too?" She avoided using the word pureblood, it seemed elitist to her as if those that grew up with the magic already were superior when she didn't necessarily share that sentiment. Her eyes held a genuine curiosity as she looked at Astrea.