14 Feb 2018, 17:23
Skipping Stones
The Great Lake overshadowed the rest of the grounds, large and almost seemingly endless. The waters were unclear, dark in some ways. It seemed to hold secrets underneath it's murky shadow - maybe a whole new world. It sat still, yet the stillness seemed like it's own rage against everything else. It was it's own imposing presence, enveloping Hogwarts like a blanket - yet seemingly trapping it at the same time.
The strong smell of algae filled the air as anyone would get close, years and centuries of an untouched ecosystem underneath. Maybe one would see the still surface be disturbed, but by then - anyone would have ran for the Great Lake has another name, The Black Lake.
The strong smell of algae filled the air as anyone would get close, years and centuries of an untouched ecosystem underneath. Maybe one would see the still surface be disturbed, but by then - anyone would have ran for the Great Lake has another name, The Black Lake.
---
A few pebbles tumbled from his grip, falling on the other pebbles with a soft 'clack'. A soft breath escaped the student, eyes fixated on the vastness of the Great Lake. What secrets did it hold? Would he be able to know if he went in, yet dare he even consider. His head shakes in silent condemnation of the idea, he wouldn't even dare. Yet why was he even here in the first place? What drew him to the lake? There was something on his mind, he simply needed to confront.
Out of place, yes - it was the simple feeling of displacement. Others took it better than he did, maybe most of them were fine with this. He was too, but he wasn't at the same time. Home was where the heart was, at least it was for him. Still, his heart was back in Derby, England. He rapidly blinks from behind the lens of his reading glasses. Soft sighs accompany it, almost ragged with what he was trying to stop.
Reid rubbed his eyes with the black sleeve of his cardigan, clearing his throat to gain some composure. This feeling would go away, he knew it would. But his young mind couldn't exactly comprehend not missing home, but he supposed home would eventually where he felt most comfortable. He wanted to feel at home, he wanted to be happy with Hogwarts. Yet he was still too young to actually understand the reason of why he was sent away, let alone accept it.
His brows furrow as he picks a stone from his palm, drawing his arm back. With as much power he could muster from his frame, Reid flings the stone. It skips along the surface of the lake, leaving a trail till it finally sinks and disappears. He simply wished his worries would do the same, sink and disappear from sight.
"Trouble usually finds me."
14 Feb 2018, 17:50
Skipping Stones
Christy decided it was time for her to explore the grounds of the castle. This was going to be her home for the next seven years, so she might as well explore and get to know it. She was walking along the grass when she noticed the water - "Oh how I've missed seeing the water! I wonder if there are any animals living in the lake?" she wondered to herself.
She picked up her pace as she headed toward the still water. She stopped behind a tree when she noticed a rock skipping across what looked like a mirror atop the water. She looked closer and saw another student at the edge,apparently skipping rocks. She started to quietly walk toward him and she noticed he was wearing the same coloured robes as she was, "oh, he must be a Hufflepuff, too" she thought excitedly. She decided that it was time she had the courage to introduce herself to someone, especially someone in her house. "Hey!" she called out to the boy, "what are you doing way out here?" she asked him. She figured he was doing the same as she was, exploring his new home. She hoped she wasn't intruding.
She picked up her pace as she headed toward the still water. She stopped behind a tree when she noticed a rock skipping across what looked like a mirror atop the water. She looked closer and saw another student at the edge,apparently skipping rocks. She started to quietly walk toward him and she noticed he was wearing the same coloured robes as she was, "oh, he must be a Hufflepuff, too" she thought excitedly. She decided that it was time she had the courage to introduce herself to someone, especially someone in her house. "Hey!" she called out to the boy, "what are you doing way out here?" she asked him. She figured he was doing the same as she was, exploring his new home. She hoped she wasn't intruding.
14 Feb 2018, 22:21
Skipping Stones
The 'hey' made Reid's skipping stone flick fail, causing the rock to sink. He had turned around to see who was talking to him, her voice was familiar. The wizard turned around and stared at whoever was in the distance. "Christy?" he asked, with a few pebbles in each hand. This was the girl he met on his ride to Hogwarts, it was hard for him to forget a face. Reid casually shrugs with a light hearted smile, "Throwing stones, just biding my time."
The most of the pebbles in his hand dropped back to the soft ground. The petrichor smell was almost as strong as the algae from the lake. Reid brushed his hand against his trousers, some of the dirt came off his fingertips. He walked towards her, finally seeing the colors she donned on her robe. She was in the same house! It was a nice surprise! He stopped just a good distance from her, and sheepishly grinned, "Hufflepuff too! How're you liking our house?"
He himself was liking Hufflepuff, so far he's met some of the nicest people around the house. It wasn't enough to dispel whatever was ailing him, but the house kept him afloat. The common room was also quite a marvel itself, but it was too full for him today. He wanted to explore the grounds a little more, some of this was reminiscent of his time spent with his dad. That and he was always marveling at the Great Lake since he's come to Hogwarts.
He himself was liking Hufflepuff, so far he's met some of the nicest people around the house. It wasn't enough to dispel whatever was ailing him, but the house kept him afloat. The common room was also quite a marvel itself, but it was too full for him today. He wanted to explore the grounds a little more, some of this was reminiscent of his time spent with his dad. That and he was always marveling at the Great Lake since he's come to Hogwarts.
"Trouble usually finds me."
15 Feb 2018, 00:58
Skipping Stones
Christy's face lit up when she saw the familiar face. "Oh, hey! I didn't realize it was you. I'm liking it so far, though, I'm still pretty lost in my classes since I've no idea what anything really is or means. My family's not much help like most of the other students'." She stepped out from behind the tree she stopped at to see him in a better light. It was nice to start meeting more people in her house. They were supposed to be like her family eventually.
She thought back to when she first walked up and he skipped the rock beautifully across the lake. Christy had never been able to skip a rock before - "hey... how did you do that before? Skip the rock I mean. I've never had the luck to do it myself." She gave him a shy smile and felt her face flush, so she looked down at her feet and fiddled with her sleeves - she was always so embarrassed to tell people she couldn't do something. Hopefully he didn't think she was weird or something for not knowing how to even skip a rock - she's a witch for god's sake.
She thought back to when she first walked up and he skipped the rock beautifully across the lake. Christy had never been able to skip a rock before - "hey... how did you do that before? Skip the rock I mean. I've never had the luck to do it myself." She gave him a shy smile and felt her face flush, so she looked down at her feet and fiddled with her sleeves - she was always so embarrassed to tell people she couldn't do something. Hopefully he didn't think she was weird or something for not knowing how to even skip a rock - she's a witch for god's sake.
15 Feb 2018, 07:15
Skipping Stones
"Do what?" Then he realized what she meant and his features lit up like a candle. "Oh this!" The Hufflepuff beamed before shortly tossing her a pebble underhand-style. Maybe this is the one thing he could pass onto his peers, rock skipping. Sure it wasn't as cool as a charm or a defense spell, but it should earn him a tiny hairline of a house point. "It's a wrist thing, I used to do it back in Derby at the River Derwent."
He rolled a pebble between his hands and beckoned her to follow him back towards the Lake if she wanted. Reid rolls his wrist as he readies himself, watching the surface of the water. "Pinch your fingers like this and nestle the rock atop of it, like so." he instructed, showing it to her with his own hand. Reid did as he told her and drew his arm back, the boy then whipped his arm forwards. It sent the rock flying, skipping a bit before shortly sinking. Kovacs briefly smiled, glancing back at Christy as he did so, "Didn't go as far as I planned to, but you can't always get the result you want. Want to try?"
He rolled a pebble between his hands and beckoned her to follow him back towards the Lake if she wanted. Reid rolls his wrist as he readies himself, watching the surface of the water. "Pinch your fingers like this and nestle the rock atop of it, like so." he instructed, showing it to her with his own hand. Reid did as he told her and drew his arm back, the boy then whipped his arm forwards. It sent the rock flying, skipping a bit before shortly sinking. Kovacs briefly smiled, glancing back at Christy as he did so, "Didn't go as far as I planned to, but you can't always get the result you want. Want to try?"
"Trouble usually finds me."
15 Feb 2018, 15:06
Skipping Stones
Christy smiled as she followed the boy to the edge of the lake. She watched intently as he explained to her how to hold the rock and move her wrist, trying to mimic his movements as he showed her. He threw the rock and her face lit up in laughter as it skipped across the lake, “oh! That was amazing! I’d love to try!” She tried to copy the boy’s movements, sticking her tongue out a bit in concentration. Once she is satisfied with how the pebble feels in her hand, she takes a couple practice movements with her wrist before she pulls her arm back and, with as much effort as she could muster, she throws the rock out onto the water and... it instantly sinks into the dark mirror of the lake. Her eyes widen and her face flushes brightly, “oh, that wasn’t right...” She glances at the boy a few times nervously and starts to fidget with her hands a bit. “I thought I did just as you did, but I guess not. I’m not sure what went wrong.” She started to feel embarrassed, surely something like this would be easy for someone who’s supposed to be able to do magick.
16 Feb 2018, 01:16
Skipping Stones
Reid holds up the rock, flashing a slight smile. "Don't worry, it takes practice just like everything else." He holds it out to her again, maybe she wanted another try? He'd pull his hand back if she took the rock from his hand. "My dad always told me to be patient with myself because I'd always get frustrated with things I couldn't do." He drew his arm back and flicked the rock towards the lake, yet it sank this time instead. The young wizard clicked his tongue, glancing at Christy with an amused look. "See?"
He curled his fingers in the same way he showed her, rock atop. Reid drew his arm back, letting out a small grunt as he flicked the rock to skip across the water. It skimmed the top and he watched it eventually drop and sink. "What brought you to the grounds? Are your classes over?" he asked, looking back at his fellow Hufflepuff. He thought he took an obscure path to this part of the lake, but most of his paths were obscure anyway. This was one of those happy accidents. His books were lying on top of his robe, just a few feet away from where they stood.
He curled his fingers in the same way he showed her, rock atop. Reid drew his arm back, letting out a small grunt as he flicked the rock to skip across the water. It skimmed the top and he watched it eventually drop and sink. "What brought you to the grounds? Are your classes over?" he asked, looking back at his fellow Hufflepuff. He thought he took an obscure path to this part of the lake, but most of his paths were obscure anyway. This was one of those happy accidents. His books were lying on top of his robe, just a few feet away from where they stood.
"Trouble usually finds me."
17 Feb 2018, 23:01
Skipping Stones
Christy looked up at the boy and gave him a small smile for reassuring her. She reached out and gingerly took the rock from his hand. She didn't set herself up to throw it, though, because she didn't want to interrupt him. She watched as he threw the rock again, but this time a lot less focused, and it sunk in the water. She had a feeling he did it on purpose just to make her feel better - she really did appreciate it as she often felt she was inadequate at most tasks. He took another go at it and this time it skipped wonderfully. She let out an excited giggle as she really liked watching it - it reminded her of home, the simple things often did.
She pulled herself out of her thoughts of home as she realized he was speaking to her again. "Oh, yes. My classes are over for the day. I figured I should take a look around since this will be our home for the next seven years..." she responded as she looked out over the lake - it really was a beautiful place. "I noticed the lake as I was walking around. I absolutely love the water, so I instantly headed toward it, and that's when I noticed you skipping rocks and decided to head over."
She pulled herself out of her thoughts of home as she realized he was speaking to her again. "Oh, yes. My classes are over for the day. I figured I should take a look around since this will be our home for the next seven years..." she responded as she looked out over the lake - it really was a beautiful place. "I noticed the lake as I was walking around. I absolutely love the water, so I instantly headed toward it, and that's when I noticed you skipping rocks and decided to head over."
18 Feb 2018, 01:59
Skipping Stones
The mention of 'next seven years' never truly clocked into his mind till she said it. He fell silent as it finally dawned on him, would he be able to do such a thing? Could he survive seven years? It was doable, people graduated from this school of course. After some time, surely coming back here would just feel like clockwork to him and nothing else.
That's what frightened him, would he stop missing Derby? Not only that, he didn't even know what was life beyond Hogwarts. There wouldn't be much evenings spent skipping rocks anymore. The boy fell out of his stupor and glanced about for a second, tapping two pebbles together for a few seconds. "Seven years. It feels like this one is the longest, I suppose I'm still adjusting." he lightly chuckled, staring at the lake's horizon.
Reid turned his attention back to her, letting the rocks fall from his hands and down to the earth. He should stop being so down, it wasn't the worst thing that's happened to him. A smile briefly flashed on his features, "I just came here from the Owlery, my next lecture isn't until tomorrow. How're you liking your classes? Are you partial to any of them?" It wasn't so bad talking to the other students, he didn't need to worry about offending them.
Reid came into the wizarding world thinking he'd have to change how he spoke and acted, but it seemed to be standard 'muggle' talk and walk. It only became a problem in instances like these, where he was distracted by many things. Many of his thoughts flew at a hundred, but conversation seemed to remedy his nerves. His movement seemed detached, a little lost and sometimes almost delayed. Yet he masked his distance well, with a few smiles and verbal exchanges.
That's what frightened him, would he stop missing Derby? Not only that, he didn't even know what was life beyond Hogwarts. There wouldn't be much evenings spent skipping rocks anymore. The boy fell out of his stupor and glanced about for a second, tapping two pebbles together for a few seconds. "Seven years. It feels like this one is the longest, I suppose I'm still adjusting." he lightly chuckled, staring at the lake's horizon.
Reid turned his attention back to her, letting the rocks fall from his hands and down to the earth. He should stop being so down, it wasn't the worst thing that's happened to him. A smile briefly flashed on his features, "I just came here from the Owlery, my next lecture isn't until tomorrow. How're you liking your classes? Are you partial to any of them?" It wasn't so bad talking to the other students, he didn't need to worry about offending them.
Reid came into the wizarding world thinking he'd have to change how he spoke and acted, but it seemed to be standard 'muggle' talk and walk. It only became a problem in instances like these, where he was distracted by many things. Many of his thoughts flew at a hundred, but conversation seemed to remedy his nerves. His movement seemed detached, a little lost and sometimes almost delayed. Yet he masked his distance well, with a few smiles and verbal exchanges.
"Trouble usually finds me."
20 Feb 2018, 16:44
Skipping Stones
Christy watched the boy as he seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. He seemed nervous about being here for such a long time. She was empathetic to the boy as she was nervous to be away from her family as well in a world she knew nothing about. She also went deep in thought about her new life that she has just started at Hogwarts. She looked up at him as he spoke to her and touched his arm in hopes of comforting him, "It'll be alright. We're all in the same boat I suppose. I miss home quite a lot. I miss the mundane life I had... Not having to worry about magick, which, so far, I'm terrible at..." She looked down at the ground for a moment before looking up at him, offering a smile to try and comfort him, "But, hey, at least we have each other to talk to and to help each other out during this journey. Seven years is a long time, but, I think it'll feel much shorter once we find our places here."
Christy's face dropped a bit when he mentioned classes - unlike in the muggle world, Christy had been doing terribly so far, which she had mentioned briefly before, but hadn't really gone into what had been happening in her classes, "Oh, right, classes... I'm used to doing wonderfully in muggle subjects, but I've been doing awful... I have no control over my magick, I haven't even been able to levitate my quill yet..." she started to pick at her sleeves again as she felt upset about how bad she'd been doing in her classes, "Hopefully you've been doing better than I have?" she looked up at him hoping he was at least doing well.
Christy's face dropped a bit when he mentioned classes - unlike in the muggle world, Christy had been doing terribly so far, which she had mentioned briefly before, but hadn't really gone into what had been happening in her classes, "Oh, right, classes... I'm used to doing wonderfully in muggle subjects, but I've been doing awful... I have no control over my magick, I haven't even been able to levitate my quill yet..." she started to pick at her sleeves again as she felt upset about how bad she'd been doing in her classes, "Hopefully you've been doing better than I have?" she looked up at him hoping he was at least doing well.