A Friendship Bracelet Never Fails PV: Brionna

Brionna sat a bit away from the rest of the Ravenclaw's. The way she saw it, she wasn't invited, so they she wasn't wanted. That was alright with her though, as she had time to catch up on her current book. The Ravenclaw was looking for friends, don't get her wrong, but she was rather timid when it comes to socializing, never one to start the interaction, and always jumbling her words as her mouth and brain never seemed to coincide. Her mouth would go to say one thing and her brain would be thinking three topics in advanced- or even topics from prior conversations when something particularly bugged her.

Brionna was pulled from her stupor as someone sat directly in front of her. As the Ravenclaw absorbed the persons appearance, she began her analysis. It was a female, her robes giving her away as a Hufflepuff, and her small form made Brionna assume she was in her first year as well.

The brunette glanced the other females face as she opened her mouth, "Hi! I'm Willow.". Brionna hadn't assumed the girl was actually there to talk to her. So whenever their eyes met and the girl introduced herself, the first year jumped slightly. After realizing what she did, her face began to darken slightly, a small blush forming as she registered herself staring while analyzing the girl's appearance. It seemed Willow had not taken notice of the girl's embarrassment, as she turned away slightly to pull something from her pocket.

This piped the young girls curiosity, as she tilted her head slightly in curiosity. Willow withdrew her hand, and in it there was a few braided bracelets, neatly intertwined. The Hufflepuff held out the hand with the bracelets in an offering of sorts while saying, "Do you want a friendship bracelet? And maybe some company for lunch?" The other girl did not wait for Brionna's response, for she grabbed half a sandwich and began eating.

Brionna, slightly off-put by her forwardness, but heart-warmed by the notion nonetheless, decided it only polite to introduce herself. "Greetings Willow, my name is Brionna Wolf. Of course you may join me f-for... lunch- yes, lunch." Brionna, thoughts leaving her mouth once more caused her to slightly stutter as she forgot where they were. The brunette's mind was racing as she contemplated the meaning behind the girls offer of a bracelet. Did she wish to be friends? Or was she simply offering a gift? Why did she pick Brionna?

The girl seemed lovely, and Brionna was interested in getting to know her better, though she still could not think of a way to respond to the offer of a bracelet. After seeing the girl's bright smile, Brionna knew she would accept. "Um- I would love an bracelet, yours are adorable... That gray bracelet looks rather appealing to the eye, would you mind if I chose that one?" Brionna was surprised that such a bright, happy girl like Willow made a dull grey bracelet. Grey is Brionna's favorite color, and many find it odd, even some telling her it wasn't a real favorite color, to which she shrugged them off. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, after all.

@Willow Anderson

Brionna seemed startled by Willow's approach. Which was completely fair. She could definitely work on a more calm approach to making friends, especially if they don't see her coming in the first place. She noted that she may need to tone it down for this person to make them more comfortable, that was the most important thing to her after all. "I love your name! It's unique, it'll also be easy to remember. I can be bad at names sometimes." She paused letting the Ravenclaw pick her her bracelet out, and took the time to finish her sandwich that was in her hand, her eyes drifting to look at all the other tasty food that was set out, but she restrained herself for the time being.

She was surprised that the girl chose the plain gray one. It was a practice one for a new pattern, but to her that meant she put more love and effort into it. Maybe a sign for how this friendship will go. She put the other one's back in her pocket. "I'm running low, I should probably make some more later..." She thought to herself. "Can I tie it on for you? I feel like it helps solidy what the bracelets signify." If Brionna let her, she would reach over and carefully tie a knot that was secure but wasn't too tight or loose. If she didn't, she just handed it to her with no protest. "You know, gray symbolizes balance, contemplation, and elimination of negative influence? I've been waiting for someone to pick that one, I'm glad it finally has a home." She seemed genuinely happy that Brionna chose that one.

She turned her attention back to the food, and reached for a banana, she didn't like to eat a ton during lunch because it made her sluggish so she peeled into the banana, figuring that would be a decent enough lunch for her. "My family practices muggle magic, so that's where I got the color meaning from. But you don't have to think it actually signifies that if you don't want to." She paused, realizing she hadn't asked much about Brionna. "Are you a first year like me? How do you like your house? I haven't been able to get to know many people that are in Ravenclaw, so I'm glad I spotted you. Especially since I think our colors are really nice together." A small giggle came from Willow, as she held her yellow-lined robes up to Brionna's blue robes.

@Brionna Wolf

"I love your name! It's unique, it'll also be easy to remember. I can be bad at names sometimes." Willow exclaimed. Brionna's face flushed slightly, no one ever complimented her name, everyone simply thought it was strange how it was spelled. It was often the source of her wacky nicknames from her the few muggle friends she had. The Ravenclaw's heart swelled at someone appreciating her name.

"Willow is a pretty name as well. When talking about wand woods, Willow is rather uncommon, and holds healing power. Not that your a wand wood- it's just I read that in a book about wand woods- and your name reminded me of it. There was one part that talked about the beauty of the Willow wand wood appearance, and I just think the name itself is pretty- so- um- yeah..." Brionna trailed off her rant. What was she even saying at this point? Wand woods? Seriously? No one wants to know Ollivander's notes and theories behind wood. It was such a dull topic to bring up and the brunette was panicking trying to change the topic.

Thankfully, she did not have to, as the Hufflepuff offered to tie her bracelet on for her. In Brionna's internal worry, she failed to notice Willow put the other bracelets away, and the girls now outstretched hands. Brionna, smiling at how Willow confirmed the meaning of the bracelet being an offer of friendship, held out her arm that had two bracelets on it. "Yes, I think it would be a lovely symbolism of the start of a friendship." Brionna had two bracelets she always wore. One, from her friend who would be starting school at Hogwarts soon and that Brionna knew from diapers. The other came from a friend far older than herself, who when leaving school, and had given her the bracelet as a parting gift. Willow did not know, but the Ravenclaw was dedicated to wearing her friendship bracelets, because she felt it was right to honor and remember her friends in such a way.

Along with the black, orange, and white beaded bracelet and the white and blue loom bands bracelet, Brionna now had a gray woven bracelet to adorn her arm, The green eyed girl was beaming at the Hufflepuff. She had a possible friend!

After Willow finished putting it on, she told Brionna about the meaning of the color. "You know, gray symbolizes balance, contemplation, and elimination of negative influence? I've been waiting for someone to pick that one, I'm glad it finally has a home." Willow seemed so genuine in her words, that Brionna only felt happier with her decision.

"Gray is my favorite color. When people ask why such a dull color, I tell them that all people are gray. We try to see each other as black and white, when we are all just shades of gray. While the shade and tint may change, the hue is the same for all. Sorry- I like make really simple things, mind boggling..." the female blushed slightly. She hadn't meant to rant about her favorite color- it's just she put so much thought into it, and people usually don't.

Willow began eating a banana as she explained her family's muggle magic situation. Brionna found it fascinating, and marked it as a topic to research in her spare time. Then came the questions, "Are you a first year like me? How do you like your house? I haven't been able to get to know many people that are in Ravenclaw, so I'm glad I spotted you. Especially since I think our colors are really nice together." The now confirmed first year let out a giggle as she held their robs together. The yellow and the blue coming together in a rather appealing fashion, not that fashion was Brionna's strong suit.

Brionna smiled nodding in agreement as she answered Willow's questions. "I'm a first year as well, and I quite like Ravenclaw. I feel as though the hat decided what was right, even though all my extended wizard family are Gryffindor's. I'm a half-blood you see, so my knowledge of the wizarding world is limited, and I've only scratched the surface of it's wonders. There is so much to explore and see and- and learn!" When it came to learning, Brionna seemed to fill with life, as if she was a wind up toy, and the only way to wind her up was talking about the unknown. She didn't even think to question if Willow was muggle-born, half-blood, or pure-blood. Maybe if Willow knew just s little, they could explore together, or if she knew more, she could teach her.

@Willow Anderson

"This girl really is a Ravenclaw." She thought as the girl talked so much about willow wood. Now she was slightly upset that she had an alder wood wand. "I have an alder wand! I didn't even know willow was an option. That would've been so cool. Willow with a willow wand! I really like willow trees, which is probably silly. But, I've been told to stay away from the willow tree that's at Hogwarts it doesn't like visitors. Do you remember that book? I love learning about everything in the wild, so it'd be cool to know what my wand is strong in." She flipped her hair back, turned her shoulder and bat her eyelashes, "Do you think I'm as pretty as the famed willow wood?" She laughed, not being able to hold the act for very long.

As she tied the bracelet onto Brionna's hand she noted the other bracelets on her wrist, but felt like friendship bracelets were too personal to ask about especially on a first meeting. Those she knew back home would often 'misplace' her friendship bracelets that she would make, but maybe this would be different. They seemed to have great care taken of them, and one looked like it had been on her wrist for a great deal of time. A small smile came upon her face as she thought about the friends Brionna had that would make them for her. When she looked back up at Brionna, she had a huge smile on her face and honestly she couldn't ask for anything more. Friendship bracelets were absolutely magical.

She contemplated what Brionna said about the color gray, she never thought about it in relation to people and it was a new interesting perspective. "I like that explanation. We do really think about people as good and evil, maybe I'll start thinking about them as grey too." Willow was generally the kind of person to air on the side of people being good at their core, but throughout her life she seemed to have had that disproved to her. Maybe this would help her to stop be so disappointed by some of the people that would wrong her in life.

Her face lit up as the Ravenclaw mentioned that she had some muggle in her. It took everything in her to not interrupt. She had been looking for people that understood the muggle struggle, and maybe they could help each other through some of it. She was practically bouncing with excitement, as soon as she finished talking Willow burst, "I'm a muggle-born! That's so exciting that you can understand what it's like. Roaming the halls of the library I feel like there will never be enough time to read all the wizarding books it's amazing! Maybe I should've been a Ravenclaw?" She contemplated it for a moment before shaking her head, "Nah, I trust the sorting hat. As soon as I walked into the common room I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. It was an amazing feeling." She was giddy with joy that she finally found someone that she could talk about muggle things and activities with. Heck, the first person she made friendship bracelets with hadn't ever heard of them in the wizard world. She felt like this could be the start of a very beautiful friendship between two worlds.

Brionna was happy to talk for once. Truly- she wanted to talk more, and it was thanks to Willow. It was hard to hide in her shell when such a charismatic person was holding the conversation. Though when Willow mentioned her lack of familiarity with Wand Woods Brionna could not help but be slightly embarrassed. Brionna had found the book of Wand Woods in a great Aunt's bag when she was around 7 or 8. She read the first few pages before the book was taken from her, someone saying she "Ought to be outside playing." At the time she had shrugged it off, but after gaining her acceptance letter, the book was given to Brionna as a "congratulations" of sorts, though Brionna suspected the Aunt just wanted to get rid of it.

Brionna had spent a month going through the book, trying to memorize the different types of woods, what their owner's were like, what kind of magic they were strongest with, and so on. It was one of the only magic books she had ever been able to read, seeing as her mother kept the books far from the children. Brionna heard the Hufflepuff mention her wand was Alder wood. She seemed slightly disappointed in her outcome after the revelation of there being a Willow wood wand.

Brionna perked up at this, seeing a chance to confirm Alder wood as a positive as well, "Alder wood you say? Why I think that's quite fitting for you- based off of our short encounter of course." the Ravenclaw scratched at her cheek, a nervous habit of hers. "Alder wood is known for being unyielding, though according to Ollivander's notes, he says the ideal owner is not per-say 'stubborn'," Brionna paused to put finger quotes around stubborn, "but he thinks them to be more helpful, considerate of others, and overall more likable. It's said to be unique from other wands as it seeks people of almost opposite characteristics than itself, whereas most wands look for similarities..." Brionna trailed off her rant, thinking she would bore or scare Willow off with her wand talk.

"Oh- um- to answer your question, I think the title was simply "Wand Woods", though I can't seem to recall an author at the moment... Perhaps I could lend it to you- If your interested I mean! Don't feel obligated or pushed into it-" Brionna was falling- she needed to calm herself or she'd never stop yapping about everything. She thought of her brother's, so far away, and how she had to be quiet for their sake, and slowly she calmed her mind. After hearing Willow's interest in knowing her wands strengths, Brionna couldn't help but blurt out a direct quote from the book, "Alder wands are best suited for non-verbal magic, the text if I remember correctly- even quotes the users as being suitable only for "the most advanced witches and wizards"."

After the bracelet was placed with the rest on her right arm, Brionna listened to Willow talk about her "grey" speech. It was her favorite color, and she'd given the speech before, but most people laugh it off or neglect to comment. Willow on the other hand, commented and even showed interest in the thought put into the deceleration. It made the brunette happy that someone actually cared.

When Willow burst forth her confession of being a muggle-born and being new to the wizarding world as well, it took all of the green-eyed girls mental strength to not start jumping up and down right then and there. When she got to the part about being a possible Ravenclaw, Brionna let out a giggle. "I think you're a mighty fine Hufflepuff, but I'd declare you an honorary Ravenclaw any-day." Willow shook her head, saying she trusted the hat, recalling the feeling of belonging as she entered the common room for the first time. Brionna knew exactly what she meant, as she had that feeling as she entered the Ravenclaw tower. Brionna knew she was in the right place when she saw the shear amount of books and bookshelves in the room. It was love at first sight.

Brionna was glad she met Willow, for now she knew someone who she could explore the magic of the- well- magic world, along with still being able to relate to the muggle world. It had been so long since Brionna could get in a good game of football, (American Soccer) or been able to discuss her favorite muggle bands.

"Say Willow, do you have any favorite muggle bands?"

Brionna knew this was the start of something new, something... beautiful.

1) I actually read this a while ago and have been going off of memory, but here is the "Wand Woods" book link: https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing- ... wand-woods (I did end up re-checking my work- and I was mostly right low-key proud of myself)

2) Yes- that was a High School Musical reference- I'm a theatre geek I'm sorry- the temptation was too much.

3) Sorry for the long bits...

4) @Willow Anderson

Willow was glad that she approached Brionna for lunch, if felt like she had released a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding of trying to meet and connect with someone who also has muggle experience. But she felt that Brionna still wasn't letting herself just be herself, she kept cutting herself off, or letting herself slowly fade out. She liked what Brionna was saying, and she was learning so much in a short amount of time from the knowledge that the brilliant Ravenclaw was kindly passing onto her. She wondered what she could do to make her feel more comfortable. "I'd like to think that I'm the opposite of unyielding. I'm pretty kind and likeable I suppose, sometimes to a fault. I would definitely be interested in the book if you'd let me borrow it! I'm trying to stuff as much information as I can into my brain. It seems like you have a lot in yours already, it's impressive!" Willow meant it, for a first-year she seemed to have a ton of knowledge already about wizardry, it was enviable.

She was chuffed at being called an honorary Ravenclaw, grinning from ear to ear, "And I'd think Hufflepuff would like to have you as well. Something tells me these house lines aren't as rigid as they make them out to be." She felt like some part of her could fit into every house, but she couldn't deny that she was mostly had Hufflepuff qualities.

She was even more excited when Brionna asked her about muggle bands. "I miss all the new music. There's no way to access it here. My family listens to a lot of indie type people, but I like Rex Orange County, AJR, Conan Gray, mxmtoon, those type of bands. I can't pick a favorite though! They all make me feel so good at different times." For a second she could imagine she was at a muggle school again, sitting at a table with one of friends talking about the newest thing they were obsessed with. "This feels nice, it's been so long since I could talk about like.. non-magic things." While she was excited about all this new stuff, she also worried about losing a part of herself in the wizard world.

Brionna was easily flustered, so when Willow commented on her having lots of knowledge, her face and ears turned a few shades pink. "Thanks, but- I'm not actually that aware of the wizarding world... There is still so much to learn, and my only knowledge is based off of a couple books from my childhood. I only know a few odd tidbits here and there, like the wand knowledge. I'm still completely new to the world of potions, charms, wizard history, and the lot."

When Willow mentioned Hufflepuff would like the brunette just as well, she couldn't help but beam at the other girl. Brionna, unused to friendships and keeping relationships that weren't family in general, was unsure in most social situations. To be dubbed someone considered, a "quality" friend or pleasant person meant she was doing something right, which was all the first year could ask for.

No one could have stopped the words from the Ravenclaw's mouth after Willow finished her excitement about muggle music. Brionna, a low-key music lover, could rant for hours on a genre or specific artists or band. It was simply something that drives her to do better. She even read an article that mentioned in a study, that people who listened to music during their activity, performed 10% better than those who did not. She told as much to the Hufflepuff.

"New music is a bit of a hit or miss for me personally, though I do love AJR as well," smiling faintly, Brionna continued, "Honestly, I listen to a strange mix, from Broadway musicals, to 80's uppity music, to the fast pace yelling of Pop Punk. It's quite the funny transition between songs, and often makes for a humorous playlist combination." The green-eyed girl thought about Willow's comment on how the different bands made her feel different ways at different times. "I like your point on how music can feel different according to the situation or timing. When I'm feeling particularly down, I don't get into musical very much, because I don't feel in the mood to jump around and sing along or act out the scene." It took the girl a long moment to realize that she just admitted to acting out the scenes of musicals. "I-I-mean, just- it's hard n-not to get into it- especially cause you know- theatre kids are the first ones up and crew especially- we often know more words than actors- ha..." The nervous chuckle at the end made Brionna inwardly cringe at her awkwardness.

Brionna moved her hands to her cheeks, another nervous habit, often an unconscious attempt to hide her embarrassed blush. "It's nice to have someone to someone to talk to about non-magic stuff... To be completely honest- I haven't done much talking in general, but I miss being able to know what's going on around me..." Suddenly Brionna's nervousness seemed to vanish, for just a moment. "Hogwarts is a mass of unknowns, and soon-to-knows, and somethings will never be known, but I intend to embrace this world of new and explore all that I can. I want to learn all I can so that I can help if the time ever comes that I need to." The Ravenclaw sat up a little straighter, her tone determined. "A team is only as strong as it's weakest player, and I refuse to be that player. I want to be able to help if I'm needed."

@Willow Anderson

Despite their completely different personalities, it seemed like her and Brionna had a lot in common, and it brought a lot of comfort to Willow's heart. Being at Hogwarts had been stressful, playing wizard catchup with all the knowledge. She felt like she was constantly running and tumbling down a long hallway that never ended, and suddenly with Brionna there was a door she could go through to an outdoor field, with a bench for her and her new friend. A breath of fresh air, filled with everything she knew. She would have to return to the hallway, but for now she could breathe and remember her muggle-side that she was always afraid of losing within the walls of this castle.

"I'm not either. I'm glad I have someone like you to talk to about it. It can feel lonely." For the first time in the conversation, she looked a bit sad rather than fully happy. "It's really easy to forget where we came from here, surrounded by everything that's going on we don't get time to remember home. Which is good and bad, because it means we're less homesick I suppose." She shrugged it off, returning her normal happy mood. Sadness was fleeting for Willow because she didn't feel like there was a point in staying in the sad. There was one time she had a breakdown by the Great Lake, but since then she has been managing a lot better.

Willow listened to Brionna talk about about her favorite music, giggling a bit when she talked about dancing, singing, and acting along to the musicals. It reminded her of her family, often they would play music and dance in the living room together. Those were her favorite moments, of jumping, laughter, and pure delight floating through their house. "Maybe someday we can find a hidden room and sing some Broadway songs together! I know we don't have really anything to play music with, but if we know the words that's good enough. For solos one of us can be the background music too!" She filled herself with excitement just thinking about it. "That would be so much fun! I think we're going to be best friends. I'll have to make a bracelet that matches yours to make it official!" She really felt like her and Brionna would get along well in the long-run, and maybe Brionna's quiet manner would rub off on Willow to bring her down a couple notches because sometimes she would get carried away, and maybe Willow could bring her out of her shell just a bit more.

She listened intently to Brionna's struggles the most, because it was something she deeply related to. With someone tumbling down the hallway with her, maybe it would be a lot easier to get through it. She was slightly surprised at the determination at the end of her small speech, feeling like it was a call to action. "We should have study sessions together! A Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw must be a great pairing for studying. I can bring tea and snacks, I have quite a collection. You bring your intense skill with memory. We will never be the weakest link." Willow sat up taller, mirroring the Ravenclaw. "We'll be the best first year witches Hogwarts has ever seen!" That might have been an over exaggeration, but Willow felt like it could be true if they both put in the work for it.

Brionna was sure that when Willow first walked up, she was doomed to make a fool of herself. Instead, she was now in full conversation with the Hufflepuff, and actually enjoying it. Brionna was usually so off-put from others, and tried to avoid confrontation. Due to her shy and blunt nature, the combination led to a less favorable first meetings. Though when she spoke to Willow, Brionna felt an odd sense of ease. Like she could see clearly after a life in darkness, or was breathing regularly after a life underwater. It was... nice. Nice not feeling suffocated for once.

Brionna listened intently as Willow spoke of her feelings on their situation and new world. She related to the girls words, and sall the shift from slightly somber to happy. She wondered how the other female had such a strong spirit to simply push away the negative thoughts or feelings, and just looked for the light. It was something Brionna had always struggled with, as she worried endlessly. It was why Brionna wished to learn, so she could know of any potential dangers that posed threat to the ones she cared for, and she could fight against it... Though she was still working on the fighting back part.

When Willow brought up singing Broadways in a hidden room, the brunette could not help but light up at the idea. At the suggestion, it implied that Willow intended to spend more time with the Ravenclaw, which made her beyond excited. "Y-yeah! That sounds like a lot of fun." Brionna grinned at the Hufflepuff, her fidgets decreasing as her nerves calmed, showing that Willow really did set her at ease.

Willow next statement nearly sent the green eyed girl into silent shock, though her excitement brought her back. "Aw- I would love to have you as a best friend- and I'll have to make you a bracelet of my own design. Back in middle school, I was actually really into the loom bands, and still have some in my bag in the dorms. Then I can return the favor!" Brionna smiled brightly, excited at the idea of making something for someone else, something she thoroughly enjoyed.

After Brionna's little speech of determination, her face flushed and her hands once again covered her cheeks as she sunk into herself. Though her embarrassment was short lived as Willow spoke up about them studying together and being the finest witches Hogwarts had seen. This made Brionna peek back out and uncover her face as she peered at Willow. She admired the girls resolve and vigor, and her statement hit home with Brionna. "That would be great! I could bring some snacks as well and we could study whatever we need to. We can be the best- with the right work and effort!" Brionna smiled at Willow, and held a thumbs up, which was how Brionna often showed her agreement over verbal confirmation. Brionna felt the statements weight, and the impossibility of it, but she also could see how with Willow's spirit and with her own would make the distinction between a dream and a reality.