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Post by Cressida Whitham on Dec 26, 2012 17:07:10 GMT
Cressida really hated being as short as she was. The worst thing about it was that she could't reach the book that she wanted to read. It looked... interesting, okay? Also, Adam had told her to read it. He said that he'd enjoyed it. And, well, the two had pretty similar tastes. If Adam enjoyed the book, surely Cressa would as well.
It just seemed like a bit of a peculiar book to read. Well, it was in Cressa's mind. She wouldn't normally go for the Victorian stuff. Dickens was a Victorian writer, wasn't he? Oh, Merlin, she hoped so. Or else she'd look like a complete and utter fool, maybe even more so than usual. She wondered how many times she'd be hexed for that mistake. Ten? Maybe five if she was lucky? She hoped it was the latter. That was, if she'd even made the mistake at all. Maybe she hadn't, and was just freaking out over nothing?
She still couldn't reach the book, whether she was blowing things out of proportion or not. She just started up at it pathetically, wishing she was just a few inches taller so that she could grab it. Wasn't happening. And she didn't know of a spell that she could use to make her any taller. So how was she meant to get this damn book down from its place on the shelf?
She looked around nervously, seeing if there was anyone who looked halfway nice enough and she thought could help her. But she had no such luck. Everyone looked frightening. She totally wasn't being a wimp at all. Nothing of the sort. Nope. Everyone really was scary. So what was she going to do?
She sighed to herself. She was just going to ask the nearest person that was tall enough to get the book. She surveyed the room again, and, sure enough, about five paces away was a tall, dark haired boy, no younger than 17. God, he was tall. It was kind of frightening. But, right now, he was the better option. She quietly cleared her throat, and walked over, tapping him on the shoulder when she was close enough (she totally didn't have to reach up all the way to do that), and softly spoke.
"Uh, 'scuse me?" she said, jumping back a tiny bit in case she got hexed. What? It was a possibility! "I can't... y'know..." She laughed at herself, pointing up to the book. "I can't reach. Could you... maybe possibly get it for me? Please?" Now she just had to hope that she'd picked someone who didn't know her/was nice enough to totally ignore who she was. Still, she tensed up, bracing herself in case a hex was thrown her way. |
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Post by Samson Caine on Dec 26, 2012 18:08:12 GMT
Samson as usual, found himself in the Library once again on the hunt for a good book he hadn’t already read or at least one of his favourites. He scanned the shelves, every now and again picking one he had already read a number of times and flipping through it to refresh his memory of the amazing stories within them. After seven years at Hogwarts and spending much of his time in the library he was very familiar with where each book was. After even longer of reading books, he had read several so many times that all he had to do is pick up the book and flip through it, and scan read the pages for the whole story to come flooding back to him in detail.
Then he laid eyes on that book. ‘A Brief History Of Time: From Big Band to Black Hole’ by Stephen Hawking. The very first Astronomy book he received from his mother but this one was a slightly newer and less worn out version of his cherished copy he had back in his dorm. He didn’t dare touch it, just like he didn’t dare pick up and read his own copy again. But it definitely brought back that fond memory of the day his mother gave him the book and he couldn’t help but smile, even though his smile had an underlying sense of melancholy to it.
It was then as he was momentarily lost in a little state of nostalgia, that someone gently tapped him on his shoulder. His smile faded to a neutral blank expression as he turned around and had to look down to see a small blonde haired Hufflepuff girl. Damn, she was tiny, she must’ve been no taller than five feet and to a young man that was exactly six foot that was really quite small. She looked skittish and scared- as if he was going to hurt her for just asking him for help. It made him wonder if she was one of those victims of the cruel bullying that went on here at Hogwarts and if she was, he pitied the poor girl.
He looked over and up at the book she seemed to want “Of course” he gave her a small smile before going over and reaching up to the book “This one?” he asked, touching on a book by the wonderful Charles Dickens that he recalled reading when he was seven; Oliver Twist, a brilliant book.
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Post by Cressida Whitham on Dec 26, 2012 18:35:31 GMT
The young witch's fingers were already grazing her wand, just in case she needed to do a quick reversal charm. Unless the hex that was coming her way was one of those horrible ones that could only be reversed by the caster. Ooh, she hated those so much; they made her feel weak and incapable. Which, of course, she wasn't. She might not have been the world's best sorceress, but she wasn't exactly weak either.
However, it turned out that, for the moment, she didn't need her wand. She'd seriously underestimated how tall this guy was though. Seriously. Underestimated. She had to look up quite a bit to meet a pair of blue eyes, which she found kind of... intimidating? She didn't know. Then again, this little Hufflepuff found quite a few things intimidating. So it wasn't exactly surprising that a tall person would freak her out a bit.
She waited for the wand in her face, the spell to be uttered, but... it never... actually... happened. She blinked in surprise for a moment. What? Well. She hadn't been expecting that, to say the least. It kind of threw her, actually. She'd forgotten how to respond to kindness, even a kindness as small as this. With a hex, she'd just reverse it, or go find a teacher to reverse it for her and say that it was practise gone wrong, which would earn her a lecture, but nothing serious. But the only thing she knew about kindness was how to give it.
She tilted her head to the side slightly as the boy gave her a small smile, and went to get the book she'd asked for. Her eyebrow was raised the smallest amount, and a smile played at her lips. She couldn't help but wonder why he'd actually accepted so readily. It was her. No one ever did things like this for her. Ever. So this? This was most likely a one off. An nice one off, but a one off all the same.
It took her a moment to register that he'd asked her a question; she'd been so lost in thought. "... Hmm? Oh. Yeah. Yeah, it's that one." she said, nodding a small bit and giving him a smile as she fiddled with the small hairpin in the shape of a daffodil in her hair. God, this was so weird. It was a... nice kind of weird, though. She knew not to get used to it, though, so yeah. Besides, there was probably still a way he could get some "fun" out of this. Hold it over her head and make her jump for it, maybe. He didn't seem like the type to do that, though. But then, it was possible. Cressida wasn't going to rule it out. |
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Post by Samson Caine on Dec 26, 2012 20:34:21 GMT
The surprise on the young girl’s face made it very clear that his previous wonderings were more than likely true. She was a victim of cruel bullying but now he was curious as to why. She seemed pretty, with long golden waves and icy blue eyes…she looked like the kind of girl that would be ‘popular’ and yet, there was a lingering sense of self-doubt and insecurity in those eyes. Samson’s mind whirled through the possible reasons but one stood out the most; that most students that received the worst bullying were either half-bloods or muggle-born. Not that it mattered to this Ravenclaw boy.
As he took down Oliver Twist and held it out for her with a smile, the young girl had a curious and strange look on her face, unfamiliarity, surprise and doubt all mixed together to form one expression that sat on her face with a sweet smile. He couldn’t help but chuckle lightly “Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked raising an eyebrow and a small crooked grin playing at his lips as he watched her fiddle with her small daffodil shaped hairpin.
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Post by Cressida Whitham on Dec 26, 2012 21:13:02 GMT
This... wasn't normal. By now, Cressida would have given up because, well, there was no way that she'd be able to reach that book on her own. Especially with that hex that she would have gotten from asking someone else. But, no. That hadn't happened this time. As the boy held the book out to her, with a smile on his face, she slowly, uncertainly, stretched out her hand to take it from him, expecting his hand to jerk back suddenly and for her to be left clutching at air. No, she could actually feel the hard cover under her fingers as she took it from him carefully.
She smiled at him, internally heaving a sigh of relief. This was a first. She hadn't been hexed or made to look like a fool. Well. She guessed that staring up at the book before would have made her look foolish, but that'd been of her own accord. No one had done anything to her that'd make her look stupid. A rarity for a young Cressida Whitham. A rarity that she welcomed. It was... a pleasant surprise, to say the least.
She caught the boy's words, and the smile faltered a little bit as her eyes went to the floor. She felt her cheeks begin to burn. Oh, Merlin, why? She'd completely forgotten that staring was rude for a minute back there. "... Am... Am I not allowed to look at you like that?" she asked quietly, letting a small, sheepish smile return somewhat as she looked up and saw a small, crooked grin on his face. "Sorry. It's just... ah, never mind. Not used to it, is all" She gave a casual roll of her shoulders, and then realized she'd forgotten something really important. She tapped the book with her nail, her smile becoming that little bit wider. "Thanks." |
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Post by Samson Caine on Dec 26, 2012 21:55:17 GMT
The girl had a lovely smile and as a moment of relief flickered in her eyes he knew she had clearly been expecting some form or cruelty or unfairness to him which made him feel a small stab of annoyance. She shouldn’t be so judgemental, not everyone in this school was an asshole.
But then, as she looked to the floor and blushed, her lack of confidence clear in the way she spoke he couldn’t hold onto that annoyance for too long. The bullying she received must’ve been quite bad and if she was already an insecure girl as it was it probably affected her much more than it would with people that were emotionally and mentally stronger.
He sighed and shook his head “That’s not really what I asked but...okay- and I don’t really care how you look at me.” then she apologised for some reason, she had nothing to apologise for, so why was she apologising to him? He frowned ever so slightly. She wasn’t used to it? Wasn’t used to what? Not being treated like shit? That made him feel sympathetic, maybe even a bit bad for being annoyed with her.
“It’s no problem at all” He waved his hand.
"Oliver Twist is a brilliant book, I'm sure you'll enjoy it." He gave her another smile, wishing her could portray a friendlier look and smile but he often found that if he forced expression like that it made him feel…creepy.
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Post by Cressida Whitham on Dec 26, 2012 22:30:26 GMT
What? Oh, lord, what had she done now? She'd noticed the small flicker of annoyance in his eyes, and, well, yeah. She genuinely thought she was for it now, although this didn't seem to be the case. Why did she have to be so skittish? Maybe if she wasn't, she wouldn't be a target. But, no... it seemed like it was all okay here, anyway. Wow. She'd honestly gotten away unscathed. This time. For now, she was safe. She didn't actually know quite what to do. She was grateful, in any case.
Well, she'd kind of figured that wasn't really what he'd asked. But she'd wanted to be sure. And, besides, she'd given an answer (of sorts) so... it was all good? It seemed so. She hoped so, anyway. She didn't really want to make a bad impression on yet another student. She figured this guy was relatively safe, though. He hadn't done anything to prove otherwise. She had no reason to be as nervous as she was.
"Yeah, yeah, my friend seems to think it is as well," she said with her regular smile returning after seeing that of the boy's. "I dunno... I guess I'll just have to have a peep, won't I?" She snickered lightly. She knew she would most probably enjoy it, as Adam had. And this young man seemed to have liked it, too. Well. Two positive reactions. Hers was bound to be a third.
She nodded once more at the boy with a grateful smile. "Thanks again. I doubt you came here to get books from high shelves for midgets, so.. I'll just leave you to what you were doing before?" She turned away, and took a few steps, not actually noticing the daffodil hairpin slide out of her hair and clatter to the ground. |
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Post by Samson Caine on Dec 27, 2012 0:09:58 GMT
“It seems so.” He smiled.
When she thanked him again and said something about not coming to the library to help midgets get books from high shelves he couldn’t stop the laughter from escaping his lips. He didn’t really know why it made him full on laugh like it did because it wasn’t really that funny, but even as she walked away he found that he still had a smile on his face.
He was just about to turn away as she decided to take her book and leave, but as she turned around her daffodil hairpin fell to the ground and when she continued walking off it was clear she hadn’t realized it had slipped out of her hair and onto the ground.
Samson, feeling morally obliged and knowing that now that he had seen it he couldn’t just leave it- plus, she might miss it. He went over and picked the actually rather simple, small accessory- that didn’t really look like anything special but it had a certain delicate beauty to it- from the floor and was about to call after the girl but then he realized…he never found out her name.
So instead he just called “Hey...Daffodil!” and followed after her, tapping her on the shoulder this time.
“Hey…you dropped your hairpin.” He stood holding it out for her.
“Sorry. I didn’t really what your name is?”
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Post by Cressida Whitham on Dec 27, 2012 0:30:52 GMT
Cressida was just headed for the library desk, still left slightly dazed from what had just happened. Well, she shouldn't count on that happening again. It was kind of obvious that it wouldn't happen again. Unless it was some kind of crazy day dream that she was in, in which case, this hadn't happened at all. But it had, though, that was the thing. It was weird. Extremely.
But, just as she was walking away, she heard someone call out across the library. Daffodil? It sounded like the boy she'd just spoken to. Quite a lot like him, actually. But he probably wasn't talking to her. He'd used the term--
Oh. Oh, he was. And... he was handing back... her... pin. The pin. That fucking pin. Cressida felt an almost instant rush of anger directed at herself. How could she have been so damn careless? If he hadn't of... oh, god, it could have gotten stolen. Or worse. She mentally slapped herself as she stared at the pin in his hand for a moment, feeling her eyes burn with tears that she fiercely blinked back.
She'd dropped her mother's pin. The last remnant of Cressida's parents having existed at all besides the young witch herself was that pin. And she'd let it fall carelessly to the floor, at the mercy of several different types of people. If that pin had gotten stolen or broken... Merlin, she didn't even want to think about how she'd react. That pin was her only link to her parents, besides her memories that would all too quickly fade.
It was only just becoming obvious to her that she'd been staring at the pin for a little too long now, and took it from him, placing a smile over her surely saddened expression. So what if it had a small note of sadness beneath it? It was a smile all the same. She wasn't going to let those thoughts overtake her now. Not now, of all times.
She slid the pin back into its rightful place in her hair, and directed her slightly melancholic smile back toward the boy. "Thank you." she said, finding her voice a tiny bit hoarse from... what was it? Was it an emotion that made her like that? Or something else? She didn't know.
Oh, and she'd just been asked her name. Now, this was the point that people usually started taking the mickey. Because, well, Cressida could be shortened to "cress". And, of course, Cress was a type of food. Hah. Yeah. She wondered if she should just pass him a fake name, but... he seemed like the type that'd know a falsehood in seconds. There was no point in trying to fool him, because she knew she'd just fail. Besides, she hated lying to people.
"It's... It's Cressida." she said softly, patting the pin back into place and lowering her hand once more, changing her unhappy smile into a genuine one. "Cressida Whitham. And... your name is?" |
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Post by Samson Caine on Dec 27, 2012 1:07:48 GMT
The girl just stared at the hairpin for a while as a range of emotions ran through her eyes and across her face. Anger, pain, sadness…it didn’t take a genius to realize that the hairpin clearly had some sentimental value to the girl and the way she looked at it…the way she smiled that sad smile at him as she took the item back and slid it into her hair. He knew that look all too well. She had lost a loved one, someone key and important in her life. The Sorting Hat’s words about those of Ravenclaw echoed in his mind; “Will always find their kind”. He knew the sorting hat didn’t mean this when it had said that but then again, it fit because they both seemed to have experienced a loss that had shaken their lives and now, they had crossed paths. He was fairly sure it was just coincidence that they had crossed paths but a small, part of him wondered if it was more than that. If it was…fate.
But he was quick to dismiss the idea because only hopeless fools blurred the lines between fate and coincidence.
“Beautiful name"
“Samson...Samson Caine.” He answered when she asked him his name.
“Again, no problem. It was nice meet you, Cressida” He gave his final smile to her, before turning back around and leaving before that part of him that recognized another soul broken from loss wanted to reach out to the girl. He couldn't be dealing with that kind of shit...it was dangerous just thinking of it.
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Post by Cressida Whitham on Dec 27, 2012 1:25:08 GMT
The blonde was still absolutely furious with herself because of that pin. She shouldn't have been so fucking stupid and let it just fall. What if it had broken when it hit the ground? What if someone had stepped on it? What if someone, maybe a first year, decided that they wanted that small piece of white gold for themselves? It would be worth nothing to most people. But, to her, it meant everything. It meant the girl that she was before everything came crashing down around her.
No. She was imagining that part. Her name was most certainly not beautiful. It had been the bane of her life for many years. Something that she was teased over. Not an object of beauty. She felt her cheeks darken slightly, and she ducked her head to try and hide that. It was stupid, really. She didn't know why she had a tendency to blush like she did; it just... didn't make sense. "Well... you'd be the first to think that" the witch admitted, shuffling her feet awkwardly, "But... thank you. "
Samson. Well, trust him to have a name like that. It wasn't like the usual Stevens and Ryans that she heard around Hufflepuff common. It was so interesting; something that she hadn't come across before. "That's... really cool," she said, a half smile twitching at her lips as she mentally facepalmed herself for not thinking of anything better to say.
Yeah, she'd figured that they'd probably part after this. So she nodded, and smiled. "Likewise, Samson." she called after him as he left, before turning back in the direction of the desk. She needed to think over what had just happened. Because that was, without a doubt, the strangest thing that had happened in her entire Hogwarts life. |
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