Library Proper

Subject: Library Proper Wed Mar 16, 2011 2:17 am

The Hogwarts library is an excellent resource for information not covered in your basic textbooks. Most professors will expect you to do a bit of outside reading to complete your assignments, so you can expect to pay regular visits here. Tables are provided to give you ample space to study. Please do keep it down, though. Your fellow students are trying to work and Madame Pince will not tolerate excessive noise.

Guest

Yao was in the library, flipping through a tome on Potions as he waited for Andrea. His chin was resting on his hand, and he seemed bored as he thumbed through the book. (He has read the same chapter twice, but some of it still didn't seem to stick with him, but that was probably because he couldn't figure out how the ingredients of the potion caused their effects.)

He glanced up, searching the library for a familiar face. He had made plans with Andrea to help her study, and while he may have gotten there early, he had still waited quite a while. But with where he was seated, she would spot him immediately when she walked in the doors.

Posts : 34 Join date : 2011-03-12

Andrea was late. It had been a very busy morning, and she had barely had any time to even eat anything. It was only in the middle of lunch that she remembered that she had agreed to meet her classmate, Yao Wang, later that afternoon. Her stomach was still complaining about having been filled so fast as she hurried down the halls, clutching the spot where it was starting to cramp. Not what I needed right now. At least she had remembered to feed Risa a snack before she had gone to lunch. The bird would hold a grudge if she forgot, and then she’d never hear the end of the macaw’s annoyed squawking.

The Ecuadorian finally burst into the library, a little too loudly, earning her looks from the other students and a frown from the librarian. Andrea bowed her head sheepishly and slunk over to where her classmate was sitting. She took the seat next to him and offered him a smile.

“Sorry, Wang,” she whispered. “Hope you didn’t wait too long…”

She had become fast friends with the Chinese boy, who was new this year. They had met in Divination class, a subject that always freaked the superstitious girl out, but that the other seventh year loved. Wang was very smart, and he had graciously agreed to help Andrea with the subjects she had trouble with. It wasn’t like Andrea was a bad student or anything, but since that time when she had let her marks drop down so low, she always felt more comfortable with a little extra support. Besides, it was no fun to study alone.

“I’m glad we're in so many of the same classes,” she grinned. “Thanks again for helping me out, amigo! It's very kind of you.”

She hoped that he didn't think calling themselves friends was strange. This was only the first time they had met outside of class, but Andrea already felt like they had known each other for longer than they had in actuality. It was rare for her to get along with purebloods, but Wang didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings towards Muggles or those born from them, so Andrea was comfortable around him. She also wanted to do whatever she could for him in return for his generous favor, and helping him settle in as well as being his friend seemed the best way to go about that.

Guest

Yao looked up at her, smiling slightly as he closed his Potions book. He nodded in greeting, reaching for his Divinations book. He had always had an interest in the study, and was glad that he could pursue it at Hogwarts.

He was also glad that he had met someone nice, even if he was a bit nervous meeting Andrea outside of class. "I haven't been waiting very long," he murmured, even though it was a lie. He didn't want the girl to feel bad, because he really didn't mind the wait. It gave him a chance to organize all his notes and sort out his homework.

He pushed around his books, trying to get rid of his nerves. Andrea seemed very nice, but he was still worried about being new and all that. He opened his Divination book, flipping to the chapter about cleromancy. "Is there anything in particular you need help with?" He glanced over the page, reaching for some parchment and his quill.

Posts : 34 Join date : 2011-03-12

Andrea was relieved to hear she hadn’t been too late, though she was sure the boy had gotten there early. These studious types always did. Hehe, I wouldn’t last one day as a Ravenclaw, the Ecuadorian mused. She began spreading out her books and notes on the table, not wasting any time making a mess of the area. It might have looked disorganized to someone else, but for her, everything was now in place to get some good studying done. Too bad it had to be a subject she hated.

She studied Weng’s face for a moment, noticing something was a bit off about her classmate. Did Divination scare him too? He did kind of seem like the superstitious type, but Andrea had a feeling that wasn’t quite it. What then? Hmm…She was a bit nervous herself now that she thought about it, but it wasn’t fear. She just wanted Weng to feel comfortable and not do anything to upset him and ruin what could potentially be a very nice (and convenient) friendship.

Andrea looked over at his book and opened her own to the same page. She remembered it all from class the moment she saw the text again and nerves started bundling in her stomach again, just like it had at that time. Cleromancy…Andrea didn’t like the idea of inanimate objects having so much power. It was just too unsettling. Of course, it was really the force behind them that held her in fear and awe. She hummed in response to her classmate’s question and frowned at the book.

“Can you tell me again about cleromancy in Eastern culture? It’s different from the West, right?”

Posts : 50 Join date : 2010-10-30

After a long day of classes, and having to deal with Gilbert all day, Hei found no greater joy than to escape to the library. It was nice, quiet place to get away from everyone else, and all the chatter that existed in most other places. He'd been favoring the lake lately, so if Gilbert was going to come looking for him, the lake would be his first stop. It would give him enough time to at least find a new book to read, before being discovered, and hopefully give him some time to start said new book.

Hei was on his way to the potions section - because even if he disliked Slughorn immensely, he had no plans of losing his spot in the slug club - when a head of black hair caught his eye. He kept looking at the shelf, but he angled himself slightly to see who exactly it was that was sitting there.

The other boy was facing away from him, his nose stuck in a book. He looked quite enamored by the text, which gave Hei more freedom to look at him without being caught staring. Why he was staring, was a mystery. Perhaps because he had never seen this student before? It could be that he was a first year, that was very possible because the other was rather small. There was also the fact that Hei had missed most of the opening ceremony, so he could have easily slipped in somewhere. But as Hei continued looking, he disregarded that thought. The potions book that the other was looking at, was not the first year book. In fact, it wasn't any of the books that Hei had used himself. This student was above him, a 6th or a 7th year, and Hei had not once noticed him before.

Hei liked to think he was rather observant of such things, so it irked him that he had no mental description of this student. Didn't even have a name! Looking at the back of the guy's head was not giving him any more information, so calmly, Hei move a little farther along the shelf, and stole another quick glance. He was Asian, no doubt about it. With that face structure, there was no mistaking it. His tie also gave him away as a Ravenclaw. How had he missed another Asian all these years? It didn't make any sense.

Irked by the situation, Hei turned back to the shelf, frowning. He glared at the shelf for a few seconds, before giving up on potions. He huffed lightly and moved on to the other side of the shelf.

Feeling a lot like a creep, Hei moved over a few books, so that he could still see through the shelf. Somehow, he couldn't let this drop yet. He kept looking for quite some time, until another person entered the scene. Jaramillo rushed into the area, waving hello and greeting the Asian warmly. She even uttered a name. Wang.

The name made his blood run cold. He remembered that name very well. Could this person be...no. Hei shook his head emphatically no. He turned away from the scene and walked a few shelves away, so that watching was no longer a temptation.

If Jaramillo was meeting this Wang, then he probably was a 7th year. Would that be right? Would the Wang he remember be that old already? Hei couldn't tell. He frowned and mentally berated himself. Wang was a very popular last name. It was juvenile of him to think that just because this other boy had that last name, that they were somehow related. No, it certainly could not be the case.

Hei grabbed a book at random, and headed out of the library, taking great care to not be in sight of Jaramillo and Wang. He checked out the book, and made his way back to the common room, trying his best not to worry about it at all.

Guest

Yao glanced around the library with a frown. He could feel eyes on him, but he couldn't see anyone out of the usual. He chewed his bottom lip, glancing back down to the book. "There isn't much on Eastern cleromancy in the book, aru."

He didn't notice Andrea's wariness. He couldn't understand how divination could make someone uneasy, because he found the subject absolutely fascinating. Imagine, being able to know things through sometimes extremely bizarre methods that you wouldn't know other wise. It was wonderful!

"I don't think it would be too different, aru. There's different tools used, but the basic principle is the same - sortition, casting, ways that are seemingly random but they aren't, aru." He glanced down at the book, skimming the pages. "A lot of people say Magic 8 Balls are a sort of cleromancy," he says with a snort.

Posts : 34 Join date : 2011-03-12

Andrea nodded in response to her classmate. It still gave her the chills to think about doing such magic, no matter how it was performed or what was used for it. She didn’t want the boy to think she was a coward, though, so she didn’t say anything. Wang himself didn’t really look fazed at all, though the girl could tell he had something else on his mind. Andrea wondered if her classmate really liked this stuff, and if so, why? Maybe I really am just a muggleborn, she thought miserably. Perhaps people who had grown up around magic all of their lives were more desensitized to these kinds of things. She didn’t see how though. There were many who were just as superstitious as her, if not more. It was a wonder how all of them didn’t go crazy.

“Magic 8 balls, huh?” she asked with a laugh. “Those are nothing but toys.”

The Ecuadorian kept her smirk for a moment and finally looked down at her notes and books, sighing. Well, she had come here to study, and this class wasn’t going to pass itself, so she might as well try to push herself through it. Her mind would have much rather been anywhere else besides this horrible subject, though, especially on the quidditch field or on Mary or…No! Focus.

“Alright, so what do you think the test will be like? Will we just need to write about some of the procedures used or-” she shuddered slightly, “-do you think we’ll have to actually perform them?”

Guest

Clara was good at more than one subject. This was a known fact. But what most people know is that she does not get the grades fair and square. The only subject she was truly good at was Potions since she was used to making and selling them back home (one cannot bribe the stoic Snape either.) The rest, so-so and a little bribery. She would get an average grade, do a little bargaining, sweet talk and a few favors here and there for her ‘favorite teachers’ and voila, a much higher than expected grade. This of course, only works for the nice teachers who did not want to ‘discourage’ the enthusiastic Filipina from succeeding in their subjects. This does not prove true for subjects she DOES fail and no amount of ‘good deeds’ could boost her grades high enough. Plus the teachers weren’t exactly the type to pity her either. Defense against the dark arts is too overwhelming and Transfiguration was just downright difficult. It left her no choice but to get a tutor who was fairly good at both.

And that was when she met the Portuguese pureblood, Gabriel, a gorgeous 2 years older than her student who didn’t seem to mind teaching a Half blood like her. She had her doubts but the Filipina soon found herself befriending the guy which soon enough developed into a very annoying crush by the end of her 3rd year. The Hufflepuff is usually very outspoken but she hardly ever tells anyone about this in fear that the rest of the house would discourage her to pursue such a stuck-up Slytherin and that was the last thing she needed.
They became quite close. Most of the time, the lessons would drift to just blabbering about nonsense. Perhaps it was her fault but that was how they truly got to know each other. One of the many things he would complain to her and the usual thing they talk about just had to be the most painful for her to listen to. The 7th year would complain about his unrequited love and how his annoying half brother always made him look stupid in front of her. She would listen intently, nod every now and then and just let him pour out all his frustrations. The 5th year would then give him a few tips every now and then. It was stupid really. She was helping him get the girl he was truly infatuated with. Not to mention that said object of his affection was mere rows and rows of tables from where she is now. And now she’s helping him fall for her even more. But what can she do? She was his friend. JUST his friend. That was why she never dared to confess. It’ll sever the only connection she had with him. She hated thinking about it. It was all so melodramatic. And drama is not good for one’s sleep patterns which would affect her perfectly stable business. Clara tried to forget about it all during summer, tried to find a new love life. It had almost worked but she had to leave for Hogwarts the next day so Hooray for a whole summer wasted.

It was time for one of the tutoring sessions again. Tutoring sessions she had lovingly labeled as Therapy sessions because really, sometimes that guy could get more melodramatic than she could, one of the many endearing traits he possessed. She smiled at the thought as she rested her cheek on her palm, tapping the quill thoughtfully on her cheek and staring blankly at the Transfiguration book. Perhaps this year sounded good for a confession? Her Horoscopes tell her so. She was starting to get used to risks, so why not wing it? Maybe this year. 5 is a lucky number right? Yes, this year seems perfect. But for now, discretely watch Gryffindor girl time.

Guest

Gabriel has a lot of acquaintances but he barely has friends. Friends that he can rant on or show his recent sketches of a certain individual (*cough*Ecuador*cough*). He detests Antonio and Raimundo would not even acknowledge his existence so his brothers are automatically out. But there is one person in the world that he can trust with some of his secrets. And that person is currently sitting beside him in the spacious Hogwarts library. Clara Santiago. He was very annoyed with the girl at first and also with the fact that he was forced to tutor the girl, a half-blood, and he was not happy. But over the time, that Clara girl proved herself to be an amazing student. She learns fast, she doesn't whine when his lecture is getting boring or when the lessons where tricky. She was the perfect student.

But today , his perfect student was day dreaming again. He snapped his fingers in front of the girl. "Hey you! are you listening to me?" He said, not bothering to hide the annoyed tone in his voice. "Are you having one of those day dreaming potions from the weasleys?"

Guest

The Hufflepuff stopped tapping the quill and sat up a bit. “The Weasleys? No way man. Their bargains are far too expensive. My allowance can only take so much. Besides, my prices are way better” She murmured the last part so only she can hear it and gave a light smirk. She then turned to her tutor with a half-smile on her face. “What? I’m just ‘pretending’ to listen like how you’re ‘pretending’ to teach me right now.” She stated in a voice above a whisper. “We both know why we’re REALLY here.” The Filipina then tilted her head towards the Ecuadorian 7th year. She chuckled lightly at that and put the quill down. “You better make a move soon. It’s your last year. I wonder how the great Gabriel Rivaldo would do it? But the real question is, can he do it?”She stifled a laugh. The Slytherin had a crush on that girl for how long? And he still did not make a successful confession. The Hufflepuff was also partially talking to herself. ’When are you going to confess, Santiago?’She was pretty good at acting like it didn’t matter to her. The day may come that it won’t matter to her at all. That thought wasn’t entirely unpleasant though.

“Come on. Lighten up a bit, won’t you?” Clara elbowed him playfully. “Take in the ‘sight’ and take the load off.” The 5th year sat back on her chair. “School just began so not much needs to be taught on either subject anyway.” She rocked the chair lightly and looked up at the ceiling. “So, how was the summer? Did you get to spend time with either of your brothers?” She inquired as she rested her head on both hands. Anything else but Transfiguration sounded good right now, even Gabriel’s complaints. She still has a bit of a hangover from the summer and she didn’t want to focus on the subjects just yet. This seemed like a good time to catch up. After all, she had missed him besides her efforts to replace him.

Guest

Gabriel flipped the textbook to where Clara had difficulty understanding. He glared at her as she talked. "Well sorry for actually caring about you." He retorted. "And for your information, I'm taken." He blushed as he recalled the events that happened earlier even the part where he passed out. He was dating Val and he still can't get over it... in a good way. He wonders what the hell did that girl see in him.

He then pushed the thick transfiguration textbook towards the filipina as he quickly change the subject. He really wants the Hufflepuff girl to get higher grades than her last year's average which was dreadful and not endanger his already delicate grades, not that he cared. "Now we should get back to studying and talk about this later."

Guest

Her heart skipped a beat at the ‘caring about you’ part and couldn’t help but smile. It actually got her hopes up that perhaps she’d be able to confess, that perhaps Gabriel may feel the same way, that maybe- "And for your information, I'm taken." At that, the silly smile plastered on her face faded. She felt something break and no it wasn’t just her heart. She looked down to see the quill in her hand broken in two. At any day, she would have whined at her carelessness for it’d make her buy a new quill which would make her spend some of her owned cash. But that day isn’t today, not by far. Her vision was fogging up. No. She wouldn’t cry. Why would she? It’s not like she just lost someone near and dear to- Oh wait. She just did. Maybe not literally but it was pretty much the same.
Clara bit her lip and braced up. She would not show how affected she was by those simple words in fear Gabriel would catch up on how she felt about him and avoid her altogether. The Hufflepuff then put on a fake smile and closed her eyes.

“W-wow. T-that’s great Gabby. Good for you.” She then patted him on the back rather harshly and laughed. “Didn’t know you had it in you! I’m sooo proud of you.” She then pinched his cheek and chuckled lightly. The more she spoke, the more convincing it seemed that she did not mind it at all. So much so that she was starting to believe it herself. The normally curious Filipina did not inquire further. Whoever it was wasn’t worth knowing. It’ll just burden her even more and make her feel even more insecure as if comparing herself to Andrea wasn’t bad enough. “That was quite a surprise you gave me there Gabs. Look, you made me break my quill.” She pouted as if that was the worst thing that happened today. “Lucky for you, I don’t bring extras. So I guess that means this concludes tonight’s lesson hm?” The 5th year got up and hurriedly gathered her things. Yes, it was a sorry excuse to stop the tutoring session but she can’t stand a few more minutes of this. She needed to vent. Her ink would run out tonight but it would be worth every drop if it meant it’ll make her feel better somehow.

Guest

Yao nodded, smiling at Andrea softly. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone had been watching him, but he couldn't think of any reason why. Yes, he was a transfer student, but...that didn't seem to be a good enough reason to warrant someone staring at him from afar. At least the feeling of eyes on him was gone, even though he still couldn't figure out why.

"Toys, but they're might be some use to them. If their predictions were ever right, aru."

He blinks at her sigh, chewing his bottom lip. What was wrong with her? Not knowing what to say, Yao shuffles through the papers before him. "We'll probably have to perform at least once, aru. Our professor is very hands on, after all."

Posts : 34 Join date : 2011-03-12

Andrea frowned, not liking the sound of that. She really hated this subject, and the thought of having to not only perform this terrifying magic but be graded for it too was enough to put her in a bad mood. She groaned and rested her chin on her hand, leaning forward on the table. The girl glared down at the books and notes before her, quickly losing her motivation to study. At the same time, however, she was stressed. The Ecuadorian had worked so hard to get her marks up the past few years that she refused to let one subject bring down her average. She was going to have to pass this regardless of how she felt about the subject matter.

“How do you grade someone on this kind of stuff anyway? Do we really only get good marks if our predictions come true? It just doesn’t seem fair.”

She thought the concept was amusing and horrifying at the same time. It seemed that their professor gave more approval to the worst of predictions, and Andrea, being an optimist, did not enjoy believing in those kinds of possibilities. A person’s fate should be decided by their own determination, not from the lots they cast or leaves in a tea cup. She flipped through the book in front of her idly, wondering where she should start to best get this done quickly.

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