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The Room of Requirement
message 901:
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Elena
(new)
Dec 15, 2014 04:55AM
"I think snow is beautiful, and I actually like the depressing weather. It's such a big change from the sunny country I'm from," she explained.
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"I'd prefer the sunny weather." He said.
She chuckled as the room changed back to the sunny Italy. "You'll have to come visit my family soon. They'd absolutely love you," she said happily.
"I know they will," she said confidently, "Especially my younger sister, Adriana. She's a social butterfly."
"If love to meet them sometime." He said smiling.
"She'll actually be coming to Hogwarts next year," she said, "you can come visit during break, or whenever you want to."
She sighed as the room unlocked the door and brought them back to the fireplace. "Well, I have to go to class now. Meet me in the Great Hall for lunch?" She asked him as she stood up.
"Sure." He said standing up as well.
She smiled up at him and kissed his lips softly.
He smiled and returned the kiss.
"See you later," she said warmly as she took her bag and wand then left.
He smiled and sat back down on the couch.
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Yellow looked slightly suprised, and Paige laughed. "You've been in here, right?" she chortled, and walked inside. The room looked amazing, it looked like the two were standing in the middle of a field, and there was an extremely large tree in the center, fantastic for climbing, and with a swing.
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This corner of her mind she visited regularly. It was quiet, peaceful and good for her mental condition. She laid her left palm on the tree and felt warmth spreading through her.
She began climbing it, and new branches would sprout if she needed a new foot hole. She looked down, and motioned for Yellow to join her in a comfortable flat branched nook.
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"So. What do you think?" she asked, wanting to share the magic of her place. The sun, though it was simply a figment of Paige's imagination, made Yellow look radiant.
Paige stared through the branches, seeing a small creek, shrouded in weeping willows burbling happily.
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"My brother always made it so there was absolutely no way for me to hurt myself. I had destructive thoughts though. But," she hurried as Yellow looked slightly disturbed, "I'm getting better. I come here. Having some place other than home to think about is good for me."
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(( Did you hear Rowling is releasing a new HP book??))
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Paige didn't follow but just grinned down at Yellow. A breeze lifted her hair and took it up into the air.
The sun was filtering through the trees, giving the clearing a golden glow.
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Paige did end up following suit, she slipped of of her branch, holding onto a lower limb and falling gracefully to the ground.
When she reached the ground, she froze.
"Oh. It's Friday isn't it?" receiving a nod from Yellow, she scrambled to pick up her bag and cloak. "I'm so sorry, I have to meet my brother for lunch."
Paige smiled, saying brightly, "It was lovely to meet you. We'll have to do this again sometime!"
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Paige smiled.
"This was nice. I don't have many friends, I'm glad I ran into you," she said, pulling her hair into a ponytail, then letting it fall back onto her shoulders.
"We'll come here again soon, okay?"
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To be quite honest, he didn't know why the Room of Requirement appeared in front of him that evening. And that is precisely the reason he entered. In his mind, the Unseen Corps were haunting him; so maybe the room contained something that would help him evade their prying into his life.
As he strolled however, he heard footsteps. HIs curious eyes wandered and then were fixated on a female figure that was surprisingly familiar to him.
Skylar Harlow. Despite their intense first meeting, only now could Nicolas really see her and observe her. Her blue eyes contradicted her tanned skin in the most harmonious way and her figure stood strong and athletic, as if she could run and sprint at a moment's notice.
"Enjoying a mystery?" asked Nicolas, with his conjuring and velvety voice back to normal. Compared to what Skylar saw the other day, Nicolas was now his perfect self, calm and calculating, poised and charming. He had refrained himself from getting too close though, or looking directly at her.
He withheld a bracelet of some kind in his hand, pretending to be staring at it, waiting for her response.
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"Nicolas, you scared me," She said with a slight chuckle and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was about to head over to the common room to drag you off flying like I promised to." She smiled warmly at him.
"Did you find something interesting?" She asked, walking over to him, looking at the bracelet.
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Even though these rational thoughts overwhelmed his mind, a small part of him felt something warm. As if he didn't completely avert to the idea of having someone taking care of him. Even in this small way.
As she got closer, Nicolas' tenses heightened and even though he didn't completely raise his head, he turned it towards her and looked at her smiling face from a lower angle.
"I would be interested to see how you would "drag" me out of the common room, that's not a common sight." he teased her.
At her glare of the bracelet he simply sited, "Oh this? It's nothing out of the ordinary. A silver bracelet embodied with parts of sapphire, crafted in the Medieval Ages for the Witch Duchess of Norwich, Francesca Lore."
He continued on with a sad tone in his voice. "She married a muggle and lost all of her wealth and social status overnight. This..." he said, this time turning around and facing Skylar, pointing the bracelet to the height of their chest.
"... was the first thing she pawned in order to buy a house for them to live in. They were later murdered by some noble-blood fanatics. Tragic story."
He waited for her response.
((I seriously made this up while writing, wow :P))
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He still wouldn't look her in the eye which she found strange. Had she done something wrong? She hoped not, she didn't want to loose her only friend, if Nicolas and her were even friends. She wasn't sure. She hoped so.
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He wandered what it was that Skylar read in his eyes but the thought was quickly discarded.
"Nothing special to someone whose from a long line of Nobles in this country. It symbolizes defiance and disobedience. An uproar to the order of things; a revolution. Things that always come at full circle." he said.
"Yet, if I dare to speak as an individual that wants to go through life unbounded, without the heavy load of his family name, I must say it is the most beautiful thing."
He gave Skylar a smile. "Not because it's simply beautiful and glorious, but it symbolizes freedom, sacrifice for a better life. Not better in wealth and social standing, but better in dignity and honour. "
His face darkened there. What was he saying? He was the complete opposite. A boy who wanted to be the man he was always expected to be.
He tossed the bracelet on the pile in front of him and took his eyes from Skylar.
"And why are you here Ms. Harlow?" he asked.
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She frowned slightly at his question and ran her fingers over a dresser. "I was looking for a place to hide." She said honestly. "I was tired of being ignored so I decided to go off alone so I had an excuse to be alone. Stupid, huh?" She said softly. He probably thought she was a freak now.
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No, that was not it. Nicolas scratched his mind but could not find a place to put her in; a category of people that she belonged to. That day on the pitch, Skylar was anything but that; she was full of fire and energy, ready to fly off to unexplored lands, ready to fight with passion.
She seemed simply to be waiting for someone or something.
As Nicolas was trying to read her, uncover her secret, he replied.
"You are anything but ignored Ms. Harlow." he said. He lifted his hands, gesturing at the room.
"Look where you are. This is the Room of Requirement. The most mysterious and hard place to find in this even more mysterious castle and it sought out for you and opened its door for you to step in."
What was so important in her that the Room would appear? Maybe she had a purpose here, that's why. What if she was the one the Room led to him. The thing that he required to defeat the Andersons.
Nicolas shook off the idea. How would an ordinary student help him defeat one of the most powerful American Families in London?
"But let's say you were ignored by the masses here. Why would you hide?" he said smiling. "Walk proudly among those that ignore and make them feel your presence."
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"Well, you know why I was hiding in here. Why are you here, Nicolas? If you don't mind my asking." She said, not wanting to over step her bounds.
Skylar could tell Nicolas was the kind of person who acted one way and pushed everyone away. He had secrets and layers and Skylar knew she had to be patient with him and learn more about him a little bit at a time.
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"That's a good question, Ms. Harlow." he said and slowly turned around to look at the vast room.
"Why am I here?" he whispered.
What could help him with his new challenge? Nicolas must have a clear mind in order to think this through. It wasn't the first time he was in danger and he was still alive; meaning, he had never lost before.
"I'm looking for something." he said. "Shall we take a stroll? I need to move around you see." he asked her and pointed the small path ahead of them.
As they took a few steps, Nicolas head didn't stop moving, his gaze was set upon object by object, looking for something that will ring a bell.
So why not enjoy this time?
"Tell me Ms. Harlow, why is it you find your accommodation here so...challenging? The students here, given the vast inter-nationality are generally welcoming." he asked.
He was curious about it, he could admit that to himself now. He didn't have many people to talk to, except these idiots back at Slytherin who followed him around like puppets, hoping to prove to their worth to their inferior parents and families.
((So sorry for being late!))
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She frowned slightly at her question but decided there was no harm in it. "I don't know. I think it's because of my house. I'm a Ravenclaw but back in Ilvermorny I was a Thunderbird which is the equivalent to a Gryffindor. I value knowledge but I value loyalty and kindness more. And at Ilvermorny you can be picked by all four houses. I was. I had to pick what house I went into and I chose Thunderbird. I find it hard that the houses here don't mix and share beliefs like at Ilvermorny." She told him honestly.
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Nicolas heard her story with devoted attention, not sure if he was finding the information she was providing him important or her herself was becoming someone he would listen to with attention.
Her wish was but a childish desire. "That is why Hogwarts is superior to Ilvermorny." he stated bluntly.
"Here, the Sorting Hat does pick the House for you based on some qualities of you character but that does not mean that the chosen House defines each individual. By harnessing some skills that you can only learn at you House however, you can discover new qualities about yourself.
That is why each House supposedly respects their differences. Were you in Gryffindor would you feel more welcomed? Maybe. But that is not for certain. You were chosen in Ravenclaw because you have to offer more than simple bravery to this school and to yourself.
Not everything is as easy as we hope it will be. Maybe you're still acting like a Thunderbird instead of a Ravenclaw."
Nicolas simply stated facts he believed in, were they offensive towards Skylar, he cared not. Reality should be accepted.
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She smiled softly at Nicolas. "Thank you." She told him genuinely. "I finally understand why I'm in the house I am. And I think I'll have an easier time understanding things at Hogwarts better." She said and smiled warmly, continuing to walk beside Nicolas.
"Did you know the founder of Ilvermorny was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin?" She told him, slipping into her habit of spewing out random facts. She blushed when she realized what she was doing and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sorry, that was kinda random and stupid." She said sheepishly.
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Any other would have already started talking back at him, accusing him of knowing nothing of their lives, and eventually leaving.
When she told him about Salazar Slytherin he could not help but smile, his perfectly shaped teeth shined whitely.
"Why are you apologizing? I gave you a full appraise of a simple bracelet out of the blue. And by now you should know that I'm utterly interested in all things... American." he said, a tone of mischief hindering behind his words.
"Tell me more, Ms. Harlow." Skylar was a good company, he admitted that. But he still could learn a lot from her; especially if that "lot" had to do with where the Anderson Family came from.
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"Back to last name basis, are we?" She said with a slight smirk before laughing slightly. "Well, Isolt, the founder of Ilvermorny, grew up in Ireland. Her parents were both pure bloods but didn't share old family prejudice and the secretly helped cute nearby No-Maj, I mean muggles, and their animals. Islot's aunt grew angry at this and burned their house, killing her sister and her brother in law and taking Isolt and raising her, telling her muggles had killed her parents. Isolt finally ran away from her Aunt, stealing her wand to do so, and disguised herself as a boy and went with the Pilgrims on the mayflower to Plymouth.
Isolt didn't know any other witches or wizards and wandered the wilderness alone. She was accompanied by a Pukwedgie she named William who's life shed saved and was indebted to her for it. Isolt later found two wounded wizard boys who's parents had been killed. Isolt took them in and healed them. When she went to bury their parents she met a muggle who had known the boys and their parents. He got injured trying to use a wand and Isolt took him in as well, planning to obliviate him once he healed. But they fell in love and later got married and adopted the two boys. Isolt turned their home into a school and taught her sons and any other witches or wizards nearby." Skylar said, stopping to give Nicolas and chance to process it all and to recall the rest of the story.
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"So how did they come up with the name? Or how were the criteria of Houses divided?" he asked, curiously.
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"As for how you're sorted, when you first arrive you stand on a symbol on the floor in the entry hall in front of the four giant wooden statues of each of the house creatures. If the Serpent wants you, it's jewel on it's forehead with glow. The Wampus will roar, the Thunderbird will beat it's wings, and the Pukwedgie raises it's arrow in the air. Multiple houses can pick one student and then it's up to the student. After you're sorted you get your wand." She explained to him and then thought for a moment.
"I don't know how they did it before the statues. My friend Mathew Anderson probably would. He knows all about the history of Ilvermorny." She said and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, which had become a impulsive habit of hers.
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Nicolas heard her story carefully. They way she was narrating took him back some years, when he would bury himself in books along with Ruby, trying to find out about secrets of Wizardry's History that they hadn't known before.
Since Ilvermorny was a magical school, there were some mentions by the Professors of its existence, but none had actually done a quality research on how the school operated.
"I'm amazed. It works so differently from our system yet it does make sense, I'll give Ilvermorny that justice." said Nicolas.
Then Nicolas' heart skipped a bit and his heart felt like sinking into a bottomless pit.
Matthew Anderson... he thought.
What were the chances? How was this possible? Even though Skylar Harlow was from America, the possibility of knowing the Andersons seemed extremely low to Nicolas.
His expression did not change. He maintained his charming smile, and he looked at her the same as before. He did not want to scare her away. A new spark was hindering in his grey eyes though, that was for certain.
"Oh... How would Matthew Anderson's story be any different than yours?" he asked discreetly. "Is it because he is still in Ilvermorny, learning more and more things about the institution?"
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"N-no... he's not at Ilvermorny. Not anymore." She told Nicolas. "I haven't seen Matthew in months, though I still get letters. The last time I saw him was at my brother Charlie's funeral. Afterwards he told me his father had gotten a new job in Europe and they moved a few months before we did. He didn't even finish the school year. In his letters he told me he's attending a school called Durmstrang. I guess it's true because, well, I don't have anything else to go on. I just hate the idea of him going to a school with such a reputation of dark magic, I guess." She said softly.
"His last letter was weeks ago, and I still haven't written back. It said he couldn't meet up during break like we'd planned." She said and then blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sorry, I'm rambling again." She apologized with a sigh.
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Had they sons, Nicolas could not remember young figures in that dark room three years ago. But this was a golden opportunity. Skylar Harlow had an Anderson as a childhood friend and from what she told Nicolas, her and him were yet unaware of his family's involvement in the Unseen.
Nicolas smiled kindly to Skylar. However it was not an honest smile. From this point it did not matter if Skylar was a good girl who had helped Nicolas. Skylar would be Nicolas' most significant pawn, he needed her more than ever in order to turn this situation around.
And he was prepared to do anything; from being her friend always there when she'd be in need to a companion to whom she sought to escape her loneliness.
"Do not worry, Ms. Harlow." he said, his velvety tone filling the air slowly. "I am certain that everything will work out fine. A new life at Durmstrang must be challenging so you must give him time and be patient. Your childhood friend needs you now, more than ever."
As they were still walking, Nicolas spotted a beautiful blue dress hanging on a pile just a few feet away from them. Then his eyes sparkled.
"On a much more lighter note, Ms. Harlow, have you yet a date to our Ball?" he asked politely, his poise emitting with every step.
((Fangirl! I got news! So, Grace had this wonderful idea of Nicolas asking Skylar to the Ball. Or it was the other way around but i think him asking her now is more appropriate, since he wants their relationship to be very close. Anyway, there they'll meet the others, Ruby/Dimitri and Eve's new character! And of course, Julian will be there to taunt them about the letter, and we can start the story again! What do you think?))
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Skylar's eyes widened and she blushed, looking down. "N-No. No one's asked me yet so I wasn't planning on going." She said quietly. For such a reserved boy, she was shocked he'd out of the blue asked her out to a dance where she figured millions of girls had been throwing themselves at him to be his date. Plus if he was as cool as he acted, she'd figured he'd go with the most popular and well brought up Slytherin girl.
Though Skylar couldn't deny she wanted to attend the ball. And she had to admit she was glad of all boys in Hogwarts it was Nicolas who MIGHT be asking her.
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Nicolas sighed. "I don't have one either." he said. "You must be aware of my reputation as a student. Many girls would love to be accompanied by me, yet none has anything special and intriguing."
He said, taking a few steps ahead, leaving her behind.
He approached the glamorous sky-blue dress. Blue silk that was tight around the wast and then dropped like rain until it reached the knee's length. After the knees, it would continue to fall diagonally until a small twirl of fabric was placed next to the ankles. Made of this luxurious fabric, it was delicately and exotically trimmed. The decorations on it were minimum, along the decollete neckline a few diamonds that later followed the dress' cut along the diagonal fall.
"I'm not looking to go with anyone that is not up to handling my, well, special behavior." he said and turned to face Skylar. He gave her a smile and covered the distance he had put between them.
"In other words, Ms. Harlow, accompany to the Blue Moon Waltz. The evening will be utterly boring without our entertaining conversations." He looked right in her blue eyes. His charm was emitting higher than any other time. He was certain that she'd come. Of course she would.
Deep down though he couldn't realize that everything that drove him into putting his charm to work wasn't his plan for Skylar. But his hope to see her once more.
