Fin Conservatory Confessions PV Willow Errand

Interacting with @Sylvain Indarys
Hex Code: #259986

When Willow heard that there was an errand where she could go clean up the greenhouse and not get in trouble for being in there alone? She absolutely leaped at the chance. The last time she had been in a greenhouse without adult supervision chaos ensued, and she still had a scar from it on her palm. So, hopefully this time wouldn't be so chaotic especially since she didn't have Flash to help her through any chaos this time. Herbology was one of her favorite classes, due to it's ties in her passions that already existed for muggle herbology. This was the perfect opportunity to get into Professor MacTavish's good graces and show just how much she loved and appreciated the class. Especially since prior to the errand being announced she had started to notice just how overgrown and messy it had become.

Since she knew if she went in her house robes they would be absolutely destroyed by the end she opted for some of her gardening clothes that she brought from home in case the situation ever arised. Dark green long overalls with a pale yellow shirt layered underneath was the perfect choice. The green overalls hid grass stains well, but not the dirt stains that permeated the knees from many hours knelt in in the dirt. She had her hair pulled up into a tight bun, wispy hairs held back with a dark green headband to match. Normally she never would wear clothes as dark as they were, but when the situation calls for it she has to oblige.

As she bounced down to the greenhouses she approached the only greenhouse she knew the first years were allowed in, the first one. A soft hum emerged from the thin glass walls and her heart was delighted. Getting the opportunity to work with someone else would make this go so much quicker and so much more fun at that. Gently she opened the door to avoid startling whoever was inside, and quickly the humming stopped as she entered. Crystal blue eyes met matching ones, a Ravenclaw she hadn't met before. A new friend to be made, in one of her favorite places. This was going to be a great day.

He had seemed to be well in the process of cleaning up, and she was already scanning the greenhouse for the stuff that still needed to be done. Foolishly almost forgetting to introduce herself. "Hi there! I'm Willow Anderson. I'm a first year Hufflepuff." By the way Sylvain talked he seemed like someone that was more polite and reserved than a lot of people she knew. It was a nice change of pace. Luckily she was continuing her scan of the greenhouse, finally coming in from the doorway so she missed the face of disgust that he made that would've surely sent her into a moment of overthinking.

He captured her wandering attention again when he spoke to her a second time, informing her of the current progress that he had made. She was fine with going along with the method that he preferred to use, not having any strong feelings about it herself. "I do indeed know the Reparo charm! I made sure to learn it after a previous incident I had in the greenhouse where a friend of mine, Flash if you know him, and I got a little... mixed up in stuff in another greenhouse. I still have a scar from one of the plant's beautiful defense mechanisms of particularly large thorns." She held up her right hand, showing a decently large scarred circle in the palm of her hand before pulling out her wand from her overall pockets.

Continuing her bouncing to the pile of broken pots, she spoke again to Sylvain, "What was that song you were singing? It sounded quite lovely." Standing in front of the pile now, she took a deep breath before doing the appropriate wand movement of an almost spiral, "Reparo!" She was a bit rusty, so the pieces of the pot shook for a moment before slowly collecting themselves into the pots they were before. She started to work on moving them to their proper storage areas in the greenhouse, still listening to Sylvain if he were to be speaking.

Word Count: 715 / 600, Word Count Complete

Response to Willow
Hex code: #507091

Sylvain silently went back to trimming the vines that encroached on the greenhouse space in the worst ways, delicately snipping each tendril in the exact places necessary to prevent this type of regrowth from happening again anytime soon. He had heard Willow proclaim her and Flash’s bond of friendship, and understood that the two shared a shady history. Sylvain elected to save that line of questioning for Flash later as Flash was someone he already trusted and was certain to share the truth with him. Not that Willow struck him as dishonest, just that perhaps Flash might want to know how open she was about their personal business and Sylvain didn’t care to tip her off. Regardless, she continued to talk to him, reminding him of how badly he wished to be home and alone right now.

As she continued to explain how she became injured, Sylvain spoke a simple “that stinks,” to the energetic huffle so she could continue speaking uninterrupted. His mind had already begun drifting back to the greenhouse at home, in his mother’s yard, back in Inverie Scotland, one of the most remote villages in the UK. He had nearly begun to tune the garrulous green-thumb out when she asked a question that felt like she had turned the pages of his journal back a year. It was all he could do to catch himself back up to her words, struggling to hear her over the sound of pottery clanking and shuffling itself back together.

“What was that song you were singing? It sounded lovely.”

So she had heard him humming. He thought this might have been the case when she rapped on the glass earlier. As Sylvain trimmed the last of the vines from the trellis he was currently working on, his vision turned back to Willow. His brow held something serious and intense, almost as if he might not want to share, but felt obligated to sing now.

He spoke up as Willow struggled to repair the pottery in front of her, “it’s a Scottish melody, my mother taught me. The song is called Loch Lomond, you may have heard of it before." Much to the world’s surprise, Sylvain found the strength to sing aloud easily, but only because he had wanted to sing the song already. “I can sing it for you if you promise to be respectful. It’s a song about two soldiers off to execution, so it’s no laughing matter.”

After a swift nod of reassurance from his errand assistant, Sylvain began singing Loch Lomond as his mother had taught him to do. The young Ravenclaw found it easier to do his work while he sang, so he grabbed up a broom and began to sweep up the trimmed detritus that had gathered from his recent clipping. He failed to notice that the Hufflepuff had stopped her task to watch him sing, and she might have noticed that as he sang tears gently rolled from his cheeks, but Sylvain couldn’t have been sure. Sylvain had finished sweeping up at the same time he had finished the song, the last push of his broom convincing thorn dirt and cobweb into a bin that he could take out later. He then turned around gently to assess what Willow thought of his singing.

“It reminds me of home,” he said near weepily, “I miss home.”

Interacting with @Sylvain Indarys

Willow was honestly incredibly surprised by Sylvain when he offered to sing it for her. Singing was something that could be incredibly vulnerable, especially when it was something that took you home in a way. Willow hadn't sang for anyone but her family, she had only recently painted in front of people at the talent show in March and that was incredibly nerve wracking for her. After confirming with a small nod that she would be respectful of the song, she was working on grabbing another stack of pots and started to walk over to put them away when Sylvain's bright and clear voice started to ring out through the greenhouse.

Slowly, she turned back to face him as if any noise she made would halt the beautiful singing he was doing. He continued to work, but she was entranced. Even though the pots started to weight heavy in her arms, she couldn't find herself minding the soreness she would probably experience tomorrow from it. As the sunshine illuminated the young boy as if it was a spotlight, she couldn't help but see the shine of a trail of tears streaming down his cheeks. This song must mean a lot to him if just singing it brings tears to his eyes.

She didn't have to wait long for confirmation of the reason he was crying. Homesickness. It was a familiar feeling to Willow. One that had been growing as the end of the year came closer despite the horrors that laid in the forest at home. She gently returned the pots back to the ground but stayed where she was to not invade Sylvain's space during such a vulnerable moment. "You have a beautiful song to remind you of home. When I'm in a greenhouse I can almost pretend that I'm at home, but it's not the same because when I turn around my mom isn't there. Pretend isn't the same as being home." She hadn't really talked about her homesickness, tears of her own beginning to prick up in her own eyes. This felt like the time to finally let go of a bit of that weight.

Thinking about the weight, she remembered that they do have a job to do and continued to put away the last of the pots before moving on to some plants that needed some obvious repotting into bigger homes to let their root systems breathe.

Response to Willow
Hexcode: #507091

"I grew up with a greenhouse! My mothers are botanists!" Sylvain said excitedly as he wiped empathetic tears from his cheeks. He could tell now that Willow felt the same homesick feelings that he'd kept packed away. Maybe they could heal each other?

He walked over to what she was doing, hoping to help make the process of re-potting go smoothly so as not to lose an excess of soil. He leaned in pretty close to her. He wanted to put a hand on her shoulder and comfort her, or give her a hug, but he assumed those feelings weren't very appropriate for two people who had only just met. Of course, neither was letting loose the entirety of Loch Lomond. The two were becoming quite an unusual pairing.

He decided it was time to break the silence. Time for the two to open up. He'd had enough of his own shyness for the day. "Do you think about home often? What do you miss the most?" He said cautiously. He was aware it might make her cry, but he wouldn't judge her for that. He felt much the same.

With an face of concern he turned his eyes to meet hers. They were a beautiful crystal blue, and the puffiness from beginning to cry made her all the more beautiful. He thought he would lean towards her, and hold out a hand for her to hold so she might have at least a little comfort.

Interacting with @Sylvain Indarys

Willow paused her work on repotting when Sylvain mentioned growing up with an entire greenhouse. Her parents had many gardens in their backyard, sure. But a personal greenhouse sounded amazing. Her eyes widened as she watched the Ravenclaw move to her side. "A whole greenhouse, just for your family? That sounds amazing. My family has a ton of gardens, but that sounds amazing. To grow up with botanists, I mean... being able to learn about plants must be limitless for you isn't it? They must be so excited for you to learn about new plants here!" She paused, realizing she didn't exactly know if Sylvain had access to magical plants before. "Uh.. I mean. Sorry, I didn't mean to make an assumption about you wizard status. I'm a muggle. So all of these new plants are really exciting for me."

She noticed Sylvain leaning close to her and took the opportunity as permission to hug him. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and gave him a small squeeze before releasing and returning to the plants. "I think we'll be best friends eventually. I can feel it." A wide smile grew on her face. Bonding over plants always created her strongest relationships, it's how she met Flash after all. There was a connection that could be made between people and nature that was unlike any other. The passion to take care of the Earth as it took care of them in return was incredibly compelling in who to choose as a friend.

He was the one to break the next silence, not that she didn't like silence but she wanted to get to know the bird that stood beside her to take care of plants. What did she miss most about home? It wasn't a thing, it was a person. Her grandma. She couldn't even go home to be with her, she was gone. Her soft hand held is, she would take comfort where she could take it. She hadn't talked about her grandma's death often. "I think about home everyday. Every time the breeze goes by, whenever I see a particularly beautiful flower, in the Great Hall I think about my mom's cooking, they're everywhere around me yet somehow nowhere near me." Silent tears began to stream down her face. Her hand gently released Sylvain's and moved to work on the plants. They were trained, skillful, she repotted with obvious ease without having to think much about it.

"Um, most of all I miss my grandma. She died over winter break, just a couple days before Yule, which is what my family celebrates. She was an amazing woman, I miss her so much. She was... everything to me." Willow choked back a sob, her hands pausing and curling up on the table. "Everything is changed now that she's gone. She was the one I was most excited to share all of this with. To tell her everything I've learned. She was the one that most wanted this for me. I just... Sylvain I miss her so much. She's gone forever and I can't get her back." Her voice broke, fully breaking down into sobs. Her eyes were trained on the table, her arms moved to wrap around herself as if she could protect herself from the pain of losing her. Something about the greenhouse, about nature, made her feel safe. Made her feel like she could open up no matter who was around. But something about Sylvain said he could be trusted too. Maybe that was a mistake, lately trusting people felt like a mistake. But she had the urge to continue to let people in, to continue to share the weight.

Hexcode= #507091

Sylvain smiled as Willow expanded on her feelings about Sylvain’s upbringing. “Actually, my mothers are both botanists.” He smiled beaming a toothy grin. “We’ve a couple of greenhouses back home. I’m just only allowed in the one.” She spoke quicker than he could keep up, but he did his best to keep himself as honest and open as she was being. It felt only fair to share what he could with her.

“Actually, they’re both muggles.” He left out the part of being adopted and not knowing who his real parents were. That topic was likely best left unapproached, Sylvain knew fairly little of the answers himself and had barely begun to think on it, let alone formulate any opinion to share and discuss.

As Willow wrapped her arms around him, Sylvain received both a surprise, and a huge wave of relief. He just realized hadn’t had a good hug in months! He was incredibly elated to be on the receiving end of her affection. Even if it was just a quick squeeze, it was clear how relaxed the hug had made him. It was almost as if Willow knocked down the wall that had unintentionally been placed between them. Willow was turning out to be quite special to him indeed.

"I think we'll be best friends eventually. I can feel it."

Sylvain nodded softly in agreement. He was beginning to be certain of it too. Being around Willow was less anxiety inducing than the other students before her, and she certainly didn’t make him feel insecure like the rest of his peers did. Perhaps it was their shared familiarity with horticulture, or just her acceptance of his homesickness. Regardless, she definitely had all the trappings of a good friend as described in his friendship research. Research that seemed to be paying dividends!

Then his little prying question took them both to a place he was quite prepared for. As Willow mourned the loss of her grandmother, Sylvain did his best to comfort her. He wrapped an arm around her and offered a hanky to wipe her quiet stream of morose mourning. She had already been so kind to comfort him. It was an easy task to be kind in return, he could tell they both had a gentle heart.

Then Sylvain had an idea. When he was sad, his mother would take him digging for nightcrawlers, and although the two rarely came back with more than a couple, Sylvain always felt better after digging. Digging was therapeutic, even if it was for worms. He wanted to share that with Willow, so he spoke up between her sobs. “Sometimes my mom would take me out digging for nightcrawlers. I noticed a patch of dirt yesterday that looked like a good place to go diggin, that is if you’d like to we could get up early sometime and go try our luck?”

@Willow Anderson

Interacting with @Sylvain Indarys

Willow's smile was matched with Sylvain, an easy connection despite the seemingly cold introduction. She almost wanted to ditch Hogwarts and go visit the botanist home that instant, but obviously she had to restrain herself. They had just met after all. But! She knew just what was great for meeting people. Her hand snaked into one of the pants-part pockets of the overalls and pulled out a pile of friendship bracelets. "Do you want one? I make them all by hand. If not, it's ok. I just wanted to offer." Her bright smile turned into one that was more shy. When she already cared about someone it felt a little more vulnerable to offer something that was so meaningful to her.

"I also come from a family of muggles. I mean, you could almost consider us purebloods of the muggle variety up until us, right?" A small giggle escaped her lips. The muggle vs pureblood dichotomy was always something that existed at the back of her mind. Wondering what the meant for her in terms of really getting her footing in Hogwarts as those who were pureblood always seemed to have a leg up. Luckily, summer was approaching over the horizon of the later spring months where she would be able to focus on purely muggle things again.

Willow could already tell that Sylvain was a sweetie in taking care of others, similar to how Flash would always take care of her through her tears. Although, she really had a goal for her next school year to be less tear filled. Over time, crying gets old. Willow was only 12! There was plenty of time to cry. Although, she refused to recognize how badly she needed this cry. To release the tears and sadness that had built up over time like a dam ready to explode with how little time she had taken to even think about her grandmother being dead, she hadn't even really begun to process it until this moment.

With the comforting sun rays seeping in through the windows to surround her and Sylvain, who had wrapped an arm around her and offered her a hanky. She took it gratefully, her eyes red, puffy, her face straining to replace the smile that had drifted off for the moment. "I'm sorry. I'm sure this totally isn't what you signed up for." With a delicate hand she started to gently wipe away her own tears as she listened to Sylvain's offer between her body's betrayal of continuing the mourning.

Surprisingly, this wasn't the first time she was offered worms in form of comfort. Ross had given Willow a worm when he told her that Flash wasn't all that bad. This felt different, this had a family connection. Well, she didn't know if Ross' worm situation had a family connection but she didn't really take the time to ask while yelling at him that night. Slowly she nodded with his offer, she was never one to turn down getting her hands dirty. "I'd like that. Usually I do a walk in the morning with Flash but if we plan on a day I can just let him know that it'll be a running day for him instead." She was getting her sobs under control. As her gaze moved and swept around the greenhouse, they had honestly done a decent amount of work for not a ton of time spent... not crying. "There's probably only a couple of things left to do before we're free to go."

There was a small pang of sadness as she didn't want her time with Sylvain to be ending, but a happiness afterwards as she remembered that the end of one fun greenhouse cleaning chapter didn't mean the ending of an entire story.