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Post by lizzie on Sept 18, 2011 19:02:45 GMT -5
The air was pleasantly warm as Lizzie stood near the Whomping Willow, trying to get a certain charm down for a test in Charms class the next day. She wasn’t normally too fussed about tests, after-all most spellwork came naturally to her and she caught on to them right away, but for some reason this particular charm was alluding her. She felt it was a personal failing on her part, this inability to master the charm, and she wasn’t going to stop until she got it right.
A light breeze stirred the thin leaves of the Whomping Willow as Lizzie stood facing a solitary piece of parchment laying on the ground a safe distance from the swinging branches of the tree. Her face was screwed up in intense concentration as she absently tucked a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear with her right hand. Her other hand was extended out in front of her, tightly gripping her wand which was pointed straight at the center of the parchment . Normally she was actually pretty adept at Charms, so it was particularly vexing her that she couldn’t do it.
Due to her pressing need to get this right, she had decided against practicing in the common room. Not only were there too many distractions, it would be far too tempting for her housemates, who tended to pick on her anyway for being even more of an overachiever than the rest of them. The Willow seemed like the perfect place to go, most students avoided the nasty tree, though Lizzie had always found it to be quite endearing. She had a soft spot for things that couldn’t be explained easily with most magical laws, and she tended to sit here on a regular basis when she needed a bit of inspiration.
After concentrating on her desire to see the parchment surrounded by blue fire, a fire that burned but would not consume the paper, Lizzie rotated her wand in the proper clockwise fashion, then cast the charm. She held her breath expectantly, waiting for the parchment to cooperate, but after a full minute it merely twitched and went still not even a spark of blue appeared. Having failed again Lizzie plopped down onto the ground in frustration and rested her chin in her hands as she glared at the parchment. Why was she having such a hard time with this? It just wasn’t like her to fail, and the more she dwelt on it the more uptight she got. Lizzie let out a frustrated sigh, and sank back into the grass, where she sat watching the clouds roll by in the blue sky and tried to muster up the courage to try again.
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Post by briar.reeyne.michaels on Sept 18, 2011 20:33:47 GMT -5
BRIAR MICHAELS.
but at times i wondered
if i had not come a long way
to find that what i had been searching for
was something i left behind [/i][/size]
Briar probably should’ve been studying—but she’d already had a test in her own year yesterday, and felt like she personally deserved a break. So instead of doing her potions homework (she’d already done most of it yesterday anyways) the fourth-year had decided that she’d take a walk—and have fun while doing so, if possible.
It was crisp out, and the girl’s blond girls flapped around her face, and Briar irritably huffed as if to get them out of her eyes and continue forward. Hands just barely poking out of her one-size-too-long robe, Briar felt her wand shift around up her sleeve and plop into her hand as she flexed her arm and wrapped her fingers around the familiar wooden oak. Walking alone is rather boring, Briar thought dimly, rubbing her fingers against the bumpy decorated wood. Eager to expand on the idea, the girl let her wand slip between her fingers and caught it at the blunt end.
“Avis,” Briar whispered, brandishing the wand upward.
A loud crack, and a bit of smoke, and in result fluttering birds cooed loudly as the darted from the wand and into the air. Pleased, Briar watched them for a minute, letting them fly free without any direction from her wand, as they swooned and dived—leaving wisps of air and tiny feathers in their wake. It had taken her all four years of transfiguration to learn this one, as well as much of her freetime, ever since a friend of hers had shown off their own skills with the birds.
After watching their little aerial display for a minute, the girl continued her walk down the cobblestone path away from Hogwarts, not having a real destination in particular. The birds followed her with squeaks and calls to one another, always tempted back when they strayed to far with a flick of Briar’s dragon-heart string wand. She just wandered aimlessly for a while, thinking of nothing, staring at the sky and her companions. Finally, her enjoyable nothingness ended when her birds flew too high and ignored her calls and summoning charms (she had never been good at that one anyways).
Almost mournfully, Briar stared after them until they were no more than specks in the sky—and finally they merged into one big gust of wind to tell her that her birds had faded away until they were nothing but the musical whisper they were created with. Sighing, the girl peered around, wanting more companionship, but not eager to create more tiny birds.
Quite suddenly, the girl noticed someone else sitting off—not too far away—crouched by the Whomping Willow. Almost in concern, Briar sped up to a light jog and slipped up the hill, knowing very well that the tree was no joke (she’d had more than a few encounters with it herself) and concerned for that person’s wellbeing. As she got closer, Briar could tell that it was a girl, and she was crouched over some parchment with a purpose—and she didn’t seem to be bothered by the tree at all.
After a moment of debate, Briar looked up—brushing a stray curl from her face, “Are you alright up there?” Up there meaning, a few yards up the hill, and alright meaning sane (not in an offensive way) and not implying some new tactic of avoiding the tree by remaining perfectly still.
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Post by lizzie on Sept 23, 2011 20:31:59 GMT -5
Lizzie thought she heard the sound of birds chirping somewhere deep in her subconscious, though her mind refused to focus on anything other than her complete failure to master this charm. She continued to stare up into the beautiful blue sky above as she lay back in the grass with her wand held out to the side, when she noticed that there were actually birds fast approaching the Whomping Willow. As she watched from her plave in the grass, the branches swatted the tiny things and they shot off into sky, turning into small black dots until they disappeared.
It was rather odd, though Lizzie wasn't too concerned for the birds, for they appeared to have been enchanted anyway. They didn't share the same flight patterns as birds of nature, a subject she had done a paper on just last year, so she was fairly certain no actual birds had been harmed in the incident. Enchanted birds did most likely mean that there was another person around, but she wasn't too concerned, no one really ventured this close to Willow, which is why she often came here. Lizzie had calculated just how close she could get to the Willow and avoid the branches in her second year, so ever since she had used this as a retreat of sorts when she needed some alone time.
As she hoisted herself up and began to glare at the parchment, Lizzie heard footsteps off in the distance and turned to see a fourth year Hufflepuff with a sweet face and brilliant eyes approaching her. Lizzie smiled at the girl as she stopped just down the hill from her and called out, asking if she were alright. "Yes, I'm fine, I was just working on a charm and the enchanted tree often gives me inspiration when I'm stuck on something" Lizzie answered back, appreciating the fact that she most likely looked nutters sitting in the grass by herself so close to the Willow. "Was that your avis spell I saw fly by earlier, brilliant work that was, many students don't get it down until fifth or sixth years... I'm Lizzie by the way, Lizzie Brooks" Lizzie added, hoping that maybe the girl would join her since she wasn't having any luck with the spell anyway.
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Post by briar.reeyne.michaels on Sept 24, 2011 16:56:23 GMT -5
BRIAR MICHAELS.
but at times i wondered
if i had not come a long way
to find that what i had been searching for
was something i left behind [/i][/size]
Briar frowned, still eying the tree warily—deciding to take the girl’s word for it. The Whomping Willow ad Briar weren’t exactly on the best of terms since late in her first year, and it was typical of the girl to avoid it at all costs. Slowly, she scuttled the last few feet up the hill and stood about a foot or two away from the girl, with her arms crossed. Based on her robes—the girl looked to be Ravenclaw, and seemed friendly enough. Not that the fact would’ve bothered the girl anyways—“Glad to hear it,” Briar responded, looking slightly amused as she stared down the tree from a distance. Eyes returning to the older girl, Briar listened quietly as Lizzie introduced herself, responding with a cheerful, “Glad to meet you—I’m Briar. Briar Michaels.” A moments thought, then, smiling widely (pleased that someone had noticed), “It was my spell—but I can’t say it was brilliant. The birds never listen to me, and are rather… transparent at times. I’ve been working on it for ages now, before I even came to Hogwarts, and it still doesn’t work as well as I’d like it to.”
The willow groaned and creaked slightly, settling down since it’d last flung some poor birdies into the air—and with a curious tilt to her head, Briar asked, “How did you manage to get so close to the tree?” She plopped down on the grass, feeling awkward standing up and looking down at the girl (and wary to be knocked off her feet by a swinging branch) and looked genuinely impressed by the fact they were so close and not decapitated yet. “I usually just stay a good mile away from the thing, but were so close: twenty feet away!” She must have done some sort of spell for distance, and she must have done it frequently. No doubt the tree grew a few inches each centimeters each year, magical and all.
Then another question, Briar having nothing better to do, and rather bored without company, “What charm are you working on? My parents never let me buy the more advanced books—considering I just read about them and never try them—but it has always been so mind boggling on how many different spells are out there.” Yes, Briar had always liked charms and potions—finding them more useful and fun than the typical D.A.D.A. spells (not that she did not mind the occasional blowing up of things).
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Post by lizzie on Oct 2, 2011 13:53:55 GMT -5
Lizzie held her hand over her eyes like a visor to block out the sun as Briar carefully bounded up the hill the rest of the way, looking as if she were afraid of getting too close to the Whomping Willow. Lizzie supposed she couldn’t blame her, the tree was awfully dangerous, but the action was so cute that it brought a smile to Lizzie’s face. The young Hufflepuff stopped in front of Lizzie and crossed her arms, and Lizzie dropped her hand and smiled up at her. Lizzie noticed Briar glance over at the tree a few times, as if she were keeping an eye on it and the smile on her face broadened as she returned the introduction. “Briar, that’s a lovely name” she replied, having always been a fan of nature-based names in general. The clever Ravenclaw nodded when Briar said it was indeed her spell, liking the fact that Briar seemed rather proud of it. It was nice to see other’s taking pride in their accomplishments, Lizzie had noticed a general lack of this amongst other houses and it often bothered her.
“Well it was still rather advanced for your year, you’re about a fourth year right? By this time next year I bet you will be an expert” Lizzie replied kindly. Lizzie was pausing to glare at her parchment when Briar joined her in the grass, asking how she managed to get so close to the tree. “Oh that, yes, well a few years back I managed to chart the exact periphery around the willow differentiating between where it could reach and where if could not. So I am able to travel a perfect circuit around it without getting injured. I add in a variable every year that allows me to work out the rate of growth and such. I could share the chart with you if you like? It might help you to get over your fear of the tree” she answered, nodding her head over towards the Willow.
Lizzie smiled again when Briar showed interest in what Lizzie was working on, again, finding it refreshing to be talking to someone outside of her own house. “It’s a charm that makes blue fire, which gives off heat, but doesn’t consume the object it is cast on. It’s a really snazzy little charm, but it’s been giving me fits and I am getting really frustrated. Thing is though, I find myself incapable of giving up on things, so I may be out here all night trying to get it down” Lizzie answered, still glaring daggers at the parchment which refused to cooperate with her charm work. "How about you Briar? Do you like Charms? What's your favorite subject?" Lizzie always felt you could know a lot about a person from what their favorite subjects were in school.
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Post by briar.reeyne.michaels on Oct 2, 2011 14:38:32 GMT -5
BRIAR MICHAELS.
but at times i wondered
if i had not come a long way
to find that what i had been searching for
was something i left behind [/i][/size]
Briar nodded mutely when Lizzie called her year on the dot—rather pleased. Most people still thought she was in her third year at times (mainly her grandfather who’s mind was going)—and it was rather annoying, surely she didn’t look that young?—despite her being one of the older fourth years with a December birthday.
Then Lizzie complimented her name and pronounced it properly! Oh, Briar was already liking this girl. Grinning, Briar piped back a cheerful thank-you from her new position on the grass and crossed her legs—propping her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, listening to the girl intently as she explained how she avoided the tree. No doubtedly that took forever, but seemed extremely useful.
“I’m not scared of the tree,” Briar then protested mildly, not possessing the protective edge to her voice—sitting up straighter and raising her eyebrows slightly before letting them fall. “We just have a very cautious… mutal respect for one another. I’ve set it on fire, and it’s broken my arm (and my pride)—we prefer not to interact.” Another pause, in which Briar grinned to loosen the serious edge to her voice, “A chart would be helpful, though.”
Ooh, fancy. Briar listened intently to Lizzie’s explanation on the charm. That would be handy for exploring particularly dark corridors. And it was a charm. The younger girl racked her brain for a few moments, trying to think of what charm it was. Um, er, hm… Fladolore? No, that one caused some serious damage, and Lizzie said it didn’t hurt whatever it set aflame. Plus, Fladolore is a curse, not a charm.
Oh, then a question for her. It took a second or so to process it, as Briar was still lost in the world of spells and charms galore, before the girl quickly replied, “Potions are my forte—but I find spells to be the most fun and useful. So I’d have to say Charms class is the highlight of my week.” True that, true that. “What about you? Favorite class?”
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Post by lizzie on Oct 6, 2011 12:24:39 GMT -5
Lizzie merely smiled at Briar when she insisted that she wasn’t scared of the tree, sitting up straighter and doing her best to look indignant. Briar replied that they merely had a mutual agreement not to interact, and it was so precocious and endearing a statement that Lizzie felt she liked the girl already. She was funny, and obviously very intelligent, and when Briar said a chart would be helpful Lizzie nodded “Well, good then, I mean even though you aren’t scared, it does come in handy if you ever care to venture up here and want to make sure the tree minds its manners. I’ll draft a copy up for later then” she replied happily.
It also seemed that Briar was truly interested in the charm Lizzie was working on, so Lizzie hoped she would be able to perform it on the next go so Briar could see it in action. It really was a handy little thing, and it was driving Lizzie nutters that she was having such a hard time with it. “maybe I’ll try again and you can see it in action, it’s really giving me a hard time though, for some reason I just can’t get it right” she replied, looking back and forth between her wand and the parchment.
Briar replied eagerly that she was great at potions, but enjoyed charms quite a bit as well. It showed Lizzie that Briar had an eye for detail if she were good with potions, and had a good attention span when needed, and that she was also imaginative and adventurous, if she enjoyed charms. When Briar returned the question, Lizzie puzzled over it, as she always did when asked this question, because she loved all of her classes so dearly it was hard to pick just one or two out of the bunch.
Lizzie felt they all added their own unique contribution to her life, and she wouldn’t be the well-rounded person she was without each and every one of them. “Well, it’s always hard for me to pick just one, I enjoy all of them really. I guess it depends on my mood, or what we are studying, but I typically find that Transfiguration and Charms are my favorites… though right now Charms in being quite the pain in my neck” she replied, before deciding it was time to try again. “But I’m not going to let it get me down, I am going to do this charm if it kills me” she added, standing up and pointing her wand towards the parchment once again.
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Post by briar.reeyne.michaels on Oct 6, 2011 23:35:37 GMT -5
BRIAR MICHAELS.
but at times i wondered
if i had not come a long way
to find that what i had been searching for
was something i left behind [/i][/size]
Lizzie then agreed to give Briar a copy, the younger girl nodding her thanks with grin. Maybe now she could actually check out the tree properly without being swung upside down. Most trees she knew didn't come to life and attack the first thing it saw-- maybe it was some sort of vengeful and trapped nymph! Briar's eyes shone for a moment at the idea, already forming some sort of story in her head, (one that would no doubtingly remain in her head for weeks to come)-- before the witch jolted back to reality and concentrated on what Lizzie was actually saying here and now.
The older girl explained that she was going to try the spell again, pointing her wand at the slightly kindled sheet of paper-- Briar turning to watch expectantly. Dimly, she wondered (if the spell worked) what color flames would appear. Would it be the norm, simply lacking it's destructive power? Or something exotic and unusual, like a neon blue-- or dark purple? Possibly rainbow colored? Briar doubted the last one, but eyed the paper expectantly all the same, keeping one eye on Lizzie's wand grip to see how it was done.
Then, while working, Lizzie took it upon herself to answer Briar's counter question. Transfiguration, huh? Most Ravenclaws were quite good at the class, as it was typically more difficult and those Ravenclaws were such overachievers, and Briar wasn't surprised. Lizzie even seemed like the type of person to enjoy the class. If she was smart enough to figure out the proper distance to remain in possession of your head, then she was most definitely smart enough to figure out the complex aspects of Transfiguration. (In Brair's opinion, anyways). Then, of course, Lizzie declared that she enjoyed charms as well-- Briar nodding-- but seemed to be having difficulty with it at the moment. The forth-year, already deciding subconsciously that Lizzie must be a sort of genius, let her eyebrows raise for a moment as the older girl prepared for the charm. It really must be difficult one then.
"Well, don't do that," Briar laughed in response to her last word. "Then all the first-years would continue to be whacked to death by the Whomping Willow-- your genius is needed!" And subtly, subconsciously, as Lizzie raised her wand slightly to preform the spell, Briar scooted back ever so slightly to give her some room in case something went wrong.
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