12 Aug 2018, 06:03
A (few years) late arrival
The more polite older students wouldn't be watching Arabella, but the younglings would be. She looked young enough to pass for a seventh year, but the absence of robes on her body gave her away as a staff member, and even worse, the absence of a wand at her side screamed squib louder than her adopted brother could, from the Hufflepuff table. Arabella knew he would scream out the dreadful truth soon from the smirk on his olive skinned face when she had chanced a grimace towards the table he lorded over. A great hufflepuff he was. Arabella had theories that her brother had tricked the sorting hat, so he could belong to the weaker house and torment the cowardly house of badgers, but what did she know?
As everyone in Arabella's family liked to remind her, she wasn't a wizard, and she knew nothing about Hogwarts, until now. She was at the Castle, wasn't she? A grin loosened it's self from Arabella's lips, as she turned to study the expanse of floating candles above her, and the horde of students setting up for the break hour to follow, as the lunch period wrapped up. The sorting ceremony had been last night, and Arabella had watched from the moving staircase, eyes rapt with attention at the sight of a talking hat sorting children into houses. When the sorting had ended, Arabella had left, eyes still full of awe.
Once, it would of hurt her that she couldn't be sorted, but Arabella was filled of childlike joy for those who could be sorted, blissful and self assured in the knowledge that she was finally at Hogwarts, and good things were going to happen. Maybe not just yet, but they would happen. Arabella had plans to enjoy her time at Hogwarts while it lasted, and to learn more about the wizarding world that she had been deprived from for so many years.
She was overjoyed at the chance to be at the school, even if she would only be the janitor, and wasn't being paid much for her troubles. Her job mattered little, but the fact she was at Hogwarts mattered. The huge castle was far lovely than the American boarding school Arabella had been cooped up in for years, and it smelled of magic, if that made any sense. The whole castle tingled with barely suppressed magic, from the starry ceiling to the swooping owls dropping packages in student's laps at their respective tables.
Sighing, Arabella clung to the cup of tea clutched in her hands, sipping from it dainty, as she watched the students run past from her corner on the wall. How small they were, and how lucky and secure in their magic. Arabella longed to join the ranks of children running with wands, but for now, she would content herself with the ability to teach the children humility, and to help them learn about squibs. Not all squibs were evil, and Arabella certainly was not evil, if anything, she was a little anti-social when she was tired, but that was all.
Pushing herself off the wall, Arabella smiled at the children that looked over at her, signaling that she was open for interaction, if anyone wanted to talk to the new member of staff. She really did hope that someone would talk to her, being dreadfully lonely, as per usual. Unlike many of the Hogwarts staff, Arabella had no problems with children, and loved their nativity and kindness. In fact, children were more pleasant company than adults, most of the time.
As everyone in Arabella's family liked to remind her, she wasn't a wizard, and she knew nothing about Hogwarts, until now. She was at the Castle, wasn't she? A grin loosened it's self from Arabella's lips, as she turned to study the expanse of floating candles above her, and the horde of students setting up for the break hour to follow, as the lunch period wrapped up. The sorting ceremony had been last night, and Arabella had watched from the moving staircase, eyes rapt with attention at the sight of a talking hat sorting children into houses. When the sorting had ended, Arabella had left, eyes still full of awe.
Once, it would of hurt her that she couldn't be sorted, but Arabella was filled of childlike joy for those who could be sorted, blissful and self assured in the knowledge that she was finally at Hogwarts, and good things were going to happen. Maybe not just yet, but they would happen. Arabella had plans to enjoy her time at Hogwarts while it lasted, and to learn more about the wizarding world that she had been deprived from for so many years.
She was overjoyed at the chance to be at the school, even if she would only be the janitor, and wasn't being paid much for her troubles. Her job mattered little, but the fact she was at Hogwarts mattered. The huge castle was far lovely than the American boarding school Arabella had been cooped up in for years, and it smelled of magic, if that made any sense. The whole castle tingled with barely suppressed magic, from the starry ceiling to the swooping owls dropping packages in student's laps at their respective tables.
Sighing, Arabella clung to the cup of tea clutched in her hands, sipping from it dainty, as she watched the students run past from her corner on the wall. How small they were, and how lucky and secure in their magic. Arabella longed to join the ranks of children running with wands, but for now, she would content herself with the ability to teach the children humility, and to help them learn about squibs. Not all squibs were evil, and Arabella certainly was not evil, if anything, she was a little anti-social when she was tired, but that was all.
Pushing herself off the wall, Arabella smiled at the children that looked over at her, signaling that she was open for interaction, if anyone wanted to talk to the new member of staff. She really did hope that someone would talk to her, being dreadfully lonely, as per usual. Unlike many of the Hogwarts staff, Arabella had no problems with children, and loved their nativity and kindness. In fact, children were more pleasant company than adults, most of the time.
Last edited by Arabella Noel Fontaine on 13 Aug 2018, 01:47, edited 1 time in total.
12 Aug 2018, 07:29
A (few years) late arrival
Luna always seemed to be able to sense the intent of those around her. Her intuition wasn't 100% accurate, but most of the time it didn't lead her astray. And, in her ignorance of the inner workings of the Wizarding World, she wouldn't even know what a squib was. Although she'd likely learn in time, at this moment, the janitor's ability to cast magic was irrelevant to her. What would be relevant was that this young woman was obviously part of the staff, yet she seemed more distant. That was fascinating, as Luna had learned that those people who received little attention often were amazing. That's what her foster mother had told her when she had found Luna and saved her from the streets. And so her personal philosophy drove her to find and befriend anyone who seemed like that to her.
Overcome with both her ethics and curiosity, she approached the young lady. She wasn't aggressive, nor was she timid in her approach. She walked with confidence, ready to at the very least make a new acquaintance. Luna had spent an entire year on manners and speech before coming to Hogwarts, now was the time to use them. Her voice was soft and airy, with an elegant tone, derived from hours upon hours of practice.
"Hello, my name is Luna, and I'm a member of Ravenclaw house. It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask your name? I was curious as to what you do here if you don't mind me asking?" She bowed her head as she greeted the young woman, something she was told was called deference. She raised her head back up, hoping her manners had been sufficient.
Overcome with both her ethics and curiosity, she approached the young lady. She wasn't aggressive, nor was she timid in her approach. She walked with confidence, ready to at the very least make a new acquaintance. Luna had spent an entire year on manners and speech before coming to Hogwarts, now was the time to use them. Her voice was soft and airy, with an elegant tone, derived from hours upon hours of practice.
"Hello, my name is Luna, and I'm a member of Ravenclaw house. It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask your name? I was curious as to what you do here if you don't mind me asking?" She bowed her head as she greeted the young woman, something she was told was called deference. She raised her head back up, hoping her manners had been sufficient.
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
12 Aug 2018, 10:19
A (few years) late arrival
Arabella was absolutely astute in her assumption that the more bold of the children would approach her for a conversation, and the fact that her assumption was correct made Arabella's small smile turn larger, as an extremely confident young lady nearly sauntered up to Arabella, dripping with poise that practically screamed pure blood. Or an intensely confident person who wasn't part of the upper class of elite snobs, that Arabella's family loved to dote over. They were always wistful, imagining galas and balls, while their scorned younger daughter sat in her room, attempting to control the magic that would not show it's self under her skin, try as she might.
The girl spoke with a posh voice, which made Arabella feel a bout of mild concern with her own unruly accent, which was a lilting mix of an American drawl and the typical Queen's English that most people in Godric's Hallows spoke, along with the rest of the population outside the small scarcely populated village.
Thoughts of accents vanished, as the small girl, Luna, bowed her head with a dutifulness that Arabella was unaccustomed to, and completely unused to. It felt rather nice, but even so, Arabella let out a snort of a giggle, calming herself, before the giggle could turn into a rousing fit of laughter.
"Oh my! What a delightfully acute set of manners. Impressive, really. That's quite the talent, Miss Luna." Arabella commented, beaming at Luna, with a face glittering with utmost delight and amusement at the simple start of a conversation.
When asked what her role at the castle was, Arabella's smile faltered, diminishing by a margin of an inch, but she pushed forward. Arabella was not ashamed of her role at the school, she was lucky to have been offered a job, after all. A simple job shouldn't of been so hard to admit, but the words burned a hole through Arabella's fragile self esteem, as the smile found it's way back to her face.
It wasn't Luna's fault that Arabella was a squib, and she did not deserve years of Arabella's sadness leaking out over a simple job, so when Arabella answered the girl's question, the smile still lingered on her face.
"I'm the janitor for the school. Strange isn't it, that the janitor isn't some old man? I promise I can clean, though." Arabella managed to joke, taking another sip from her blue teacup, as she waited for another onslaught of questions from the child. Ravenclaws were known for their wit, were they not?
12 Aug 2018, 14:49
A (few years) late arrival
[font=Times New Roman]The absence of school robes surprised Isabella. This girl surely had to be a student here, wasn't she? She definitely looked around the right age, but the missing school robes confused her. And, this confused her even more, upon closer inspection she discovered she was holding no wand. She, like most students, kept her wand in her hand at all times. So what made this one so different?
Isabella was not known for sitting around and letting things come to her. So naturally, she wasn't going to sit around and wait for rumours that may or may not be true to come whisper their secrets in her ears. The only way she would find out the truth, was from the source.
Walking over, she plastered a smile on her face and introduced herself in a happy voice. "Hello! I'm Isabella, Isabella Hills. But you can call me Bella for short. Are you a student here? Do you not have to wear your robes?"
The twelve year old gave off a bubbly and cheerful vibe that was obvious to see. She even threw a half smile in the other students direction. Her and the Ravenclaw that had been here before her did not get on at all, usually she'd probably make some snarky remark - but she wasn't stupid enough to try anything in front of an older student or adult.
If she could just keep herself civil towards the Ravenclaw she so disliked for a little bit, she'd be able to make a good impression on this unknown person and possibly get some answers.[/font]
You see? Even death has a heart.
12 Aug 2018, 17:02
A (few years) late arrival
The new adult present in the Great Hall has immediately brought Muriel to attention as she was the observant type. At least, she thought she was an adult. The lady seemed very young to be called such and could possibly slip by as a seventh year by some. However, her lack of robes made it more so that she was grown and not a student.
Normally, Muriel would mind her own business; there were already plenty of people to meet at her new house table already. However, the whole experience had been rather overwhelming to the 11-year-old, especially to one who’d never seen so many people in one place before. And so, with sudden decisiveness, she got up from her seat and slowly made her way towards the lady. It was a good idea to know the adults at Hogwarts, especially with the possibility of them being a professor or staff member.
But as Muriel made her way over to her, two other students seemed to arrive out of nowhere. Both of them were at least a year older than her by the looks of it, and one of them seemed to be from her table as well. With a new wave of timidness coming over her once again, the girl quietly stood behind the other students, wondering if she’d even be noticed due to their height differences.
“Umm... hi... Miss...Ma’am.” She softly spoke, giving an awkward wave of attempted friendliness. In all honestly, Muriel was terrified; what was she thinking by just strolling up to a bunch of strangers she’d never even met? “I-I’m Muriel...” She forced herself to say before dying off in fear.
Normally, Muriel would mind her own business; there were already plenty of people to meet at her new house table already. However, the whole experience had been rather overwhelming to the 11-year-old, especially to one who’d never seen so many people in one place before. And so, with sudden decisiveness, she got up from her seat and slowly made her way towards the lady. It was a good idea to know the adults at Hogwarts, especially with the possibility of them being a professor or staff member.
But as Muriel made her way over to her, two other students seemed to arrive out of nowhere. Both of them were at least a year older than her by the looks of it, and one of them seemed to be from her table as well. With a new wave of timidness coming over her once again, the girl quietly stood behind the other students, wondering if she’d even be noticed due to their height differences.
“Umm... hi... Miss...Ma’am.” She softly spoke, giving an awkward wave of attempted friendliness. In all honestly, Muriel was terrified; what was she thinking by just strolling up to a bunch of strangers she’d never even met? “I-I’m Muriel...” She forced herself to say before dying off in fear.
Stamina: 8; Agility: 8; Strength: 5; Control: 9
13 Aug 2018, 02:12
A (few years) late arrival
Two more children made their way up to the young woman, one in the feared house of Slytherin and another bright young Ravenclaw. They seemed young enough, perhaps also in their second and first years at Hogwarts. Obviously, the perils of society had not yet imprinted on the children, as they were confident enough to approach a stranger with their names. Hopefully their parents had caught them about stranger danger. Arabella did not want to be responsible for children sharing their information too soon, with an adult.
It was true, however, that Arabella was young for a member of staff and it was also true that she was not wearing robes, unlike everyone else at the school. Tugging self consciously at the fabric of her red dress, Arabella studied the children.
The first one was blunt with her words, but still carried a smile on her face. Maybe the hat had been wrong with it's house, and had meant to put the brunette in Ravenclaw, but what did Arabella know about sorting? As said eralier, she knew nothing.The bitter twang of her mother's reminders that Arabella knew nothing echoed in her head, but Araballa pushed away the familiar inner voice of her family's doubt.
"Hello Isabella! No, I am not a student, actually, so I don't have to wear robes. I'm one of the newer staff members, the janitor actually, helping to clean up the mess in this huge castle." Smiling back at Isabella, Arabella hardly caught the shy wave of a third girl, but waved at her, as the raven haired Muriel stuttered out an introduction.
"Hey Muriel, it's lovely to meet you. I'm Arabella, not Miss. It's lovely to see you join our little group." Arabella soothed, trying to show the girl that she was welcome in the group that was forming around her.
It was true, however, that Arabella was young for a member of staff and it was also true that she was not wearing robes, unlike everyone else at the school. Tugging self consciously at the fabric of her red dress, Arabella studied the children.
The first one was blunt with her words, but still carried a smile on her face. Maybe the hat had been wrong with it's house, and had meant to put the brunette in Ravenclaw, but what did Arabella know about sorting? As said eralier, she knew nothing.The bitter twang of her mother's reminders that Arabella knew nothing echoed in her head, but Araballa pushed away the familiar inner voice of her family's doubt.
"Hello Isabella! No, I am not a student, actually, so I don't have to wear robes. I'm one of the newer staff members, the janitor actually, helping to clean up the mess in this huge castle." Smiling back at Isabella, Arabella hardly caught the shy wave of a third girl, but waved at her, as the raven haired Muriel stuttered out an introduction.
"Hey Muriel, it's lovely to meet you. I'm Arabella, not Miss. It's lovely to see you join our little group." Arabella soothed, trying to show the girl that she was welcome in the group that was forming around her.
18 Aug 2018, 15:14
A (few years) late arrival
Reducio
Not sure if I was supposed to wait for the others to respond again, I’ll delete this if that’s so 
Muriel quietly stood with the group as the lady first addressed the Slytherin girl named Isabella. So she is a staff member, I knew it! But a janitor? Well... scratch that, she didn’t have any right to judge. Having a job at a magical school, even it was as custodian, was probably a lot better than any tedious job in the muggle world. Plus, even if the job sounded mundane, every building needed one; how else would the giant-looking castle stay nice and clean? How the lady was going to maintain such cleaning on a scale as large as this however was beyond her... oh wait, there’s magic. Of course.
As the lady then moved on to address her, Muriel stood up straighter and gave another timid smile. Arabella... that’s a nice name... she thought, relaxing a bit as she felt more welcome within the trio, now quartet. “I-It’s nice to meet you too... Miss Arabella...” She answered, still calling her ‘Miss’ out of habitual respect. The girl then looked the janitor over again, making a mental note of her face, before spotting another detail that caught her attention: she was lacking a wand.
“Umm, Miss Arabella... your wand is missing!” Muriel stated before looking down at the Great Hall’s floor; perhaps it slid out of her pocket and rolled off somewhere. She wandered a few feet from the group, determined to find the important lost item, even if she wasn’t exactly sure what it looked like. Every wand looked stick-like though... right?
Stamina: 8; Agility: 8; Strength: 5; Control: 9
30 Aug 2018, 22:05
A (few years) late arrival
A fellow Ravenclaw had approached, a first-year Luna didn't know yet. Luna flat out refused to acknowledge Bella's presence, preferring to keep everything on pleasant ground. No need to make a scene.
She had already deduced that Miss Arabella was a squib. It was the only thing that fit all the parameters presented. The fact she was a janitor. No sign of a wand anywhere. Her body language. Not that it really mattered to Luna. She'd grown up around Muggles and knew they had capabilities the Wizarding world discounted. Like effective communication. Therefore who knew what abilities and achievements Miss Arabella could accomplish. Luna never discredited anyone.
As she pondered all this, the first-year exclaimed something about finding Miss Arabella's wand. The girl scrambled off to find an object that didn't exist. At this point, Luna's logic began to conflict with her sense of respect. She wanted to tell the younger girl to just stop, as it was pointless. But, she also didn't want to put the new Janitor on the spot like that, it'd be rude. The resulting storm in her mind caused a mental paralysis, and as such, Luna did nothing. She simply waited to see what would happen without any interference.
She had already deduced that Miss Arabella was a squib. It was the only thing that fit all the parameters presented. The fact she was a janitor. No sign of a wand anywhere. Her body language. Not that it really mattered to Luna. She'd grown up around Muggles and knew they had capabilities the Wizarding world discounted. Like effective communication. Therefore who knew what abilities and achievements Miss Arabella could accomplish. Luna never discredited anyone.
As she pondered all this, the first-year exclaimed something about finding Miss Arabella's wand. The girl scrambled off to find an object that didn't exist. At this point, Luna's logic began to conflict with her sense of respect. She wanted to tell the younger girl to just stop, as it was pointless. But, she also didn't want to put the new Janitor on the spot like that, it'd be rude. The resulting storm in her mind caused a mental paralysis, and as such, Luna did nothing. She simply waited to see what would happen without any interference.
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
7 Sep 2018, 10:56
A (few years) late arrival
[font=Times New Roman]Isabella raised her eyebrow at the observation of the Ravenclaw. Surely she had figured it out by now? It was only a guess, but she had heard that Hogwarts usually hired, well, squib janitors. And the missing wand only made her guess more likely to be true. Most of the staff members, and students for that matter, kept their wands in their hands at all times - she knew that because she was one of those students.
Arabellas unconfirmed status of squib was not one that bothered that. She had been bullied enough throughout her childhood by pure blood brats because of how she was born to know that she could not help being born a squib, and that she should not judge her on that fact.
“Urm, Muriel?” She started, directed at the First Year. “I don’t think you need to look for a wand, because Arabella doesn’t have one.”
She half knew she could come off as rude, or thoughtless at the statement. But she didn’t mean too. Childhood ignorance was something she had not yet lost, despite how mature she could seem at times. And her next words only confirmed the fact that she was still a careless child every now and again.
“Are you a squib, Arabella? She questioned, turning to the older of the group. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. But you just don’t have a wand and, well...” She trailed off, staring at something behind the older girls shoulder.
While she had not meant to come off as rude, or careless, she knew she probably did. Tactful was something she wasn’t the best at being at times, and now was one of those moments. She knew she had probably offended Arabella by her question, and prepared herself for the scolding she deserved for her ignorance.
She was not worried about the telling off that loomed over her head, more perturbed about the presence of the Second Year Ravenclaw that she had had a, well, disagreement with in their First Year. A lot of people she disagreed with tended to gloat during her scoldings, and she felt sure that Miss ‘Perfect’ Luna Aurelius was no exception.[/font]
You see? Even death has a heart.