irregular-neptune
i never know whats goin on
lisandro valenciacastelobruxo champion
Lisβs stomach sank as he realized that heβd been caught by this professor β heβd tried to be so careful, why hadnβt he looked at where he was going? Hesitantly, he started walking β though it was impossible to know where his professor was at, for all he knew Cha-Cha was clear across the castle. He tried to come up with something β anything, honestly, that could get him out of this scot free, but he wasnβt confident in any of his spellcasting to get out of this. He definitely didnβt like her wand being out β instantly assuming his guilt and making him feel like a criminal. He wasnβt a criminal, was he?
Keeping an eye on her out of the corner of his eye, he took a deep breath and, as he turned a corner he casted the spells heβd been casting all night β the disillusionment charm and muffliato. He briskly walked down the hall and hid behind a statue until he could tell that the coast was clear (his spells were certainly not perfect, after all). He knew that the professor wasnβt stupid β heβd see her again, probably soon, and this interaction would likely come back to bite him, especially with the biting words she'd had about liars.
But for now, Lis, who had had a long night following orders he didnβt quite understand and then standing behind a statue for thirty minutes rubbed his exhausted eyes and hoped he could find his dorm soon. He didnβt want to bother anyone β certainly not at this late hour β but when he found a House Elf roaming the halls he nervously asked her to kindly show him where his room was. When he arrived, he didnβt even pay attention to the names written on the door, and the House Elf told him that the door would unlock at his behest (thank god, or he would have nervously stood outside of it, wondering if heβd forgotten some important key that Cha-Cha had given him earlier in the evening).
Upon entering, one of his roommates was there, busying himself with unpacking. It honestly startled Lisandro, expecting to have to creep in to make his bed and change his clothes (oh, new clothes sounded like a faraway dream), but what startled him the most was a giant king cobra atop the loft bed, staring down at him with his beady eyes. Lisandro shivered and looked to see if their other roommate was there (and what surprises he might have in store), but upon only seeing this Indian boy there he nodded at him.
βHello, Iβm Lisandro,β he said blankly, all of his social battery used up for the day. He didnβt want to give his roommate a bad impression, but he was thoroughly spent and didnβt even know if he could muster up changing clothes. He kept his eyes on the snake briefly but looked away, not wanting his roommate to think that he was judging him for his choice of pet. Of course, snakes were not his favorite, but he assumed this snake would at least not bite him in the nightβ¦
He selected the top bunk on the bunk bed just in case, wanting to put as many obstacles between him and the scaly creature. Plus, Lupe, his cat, preferred to perch on the highest spots in the room, so he might as well be sleeping on one of them. He didnβt want to disturb a roommate (if they had one?) with his cat sleeping on them.
First things first, was to change clothes. Lis dug in his suitcase and pulled out the first pajamas he could find, and his first dayβs outfit that heβd already picked out when heβd packed. He hung it on the back of his desk chair, hoping the wrinkles from traveling would fall out overnight. After putting on some soft plush pajama pants and a t-shirt, he got to making his bed, haphazardly tucking his sheets in and throwing the comforter on top. Typically, Lis would take more care in his space β and would have unpacked before the first day β but he was too tired and especially anxious to care.
All he managed to unpack was Lupe, feeding her and giving her some water before climbing into bed and turning his back on his night owl roommate, and passing out.
β
Though Lis had fallen asleep quickly, his sleep was restless. Flames licked at him in his dreams, Cha-Chaβs disappointed face, and the professor that heβd just barely juked whoβd seemed extremely strict β oh god, what if he had her class? He was in his dreams β and he was also expelled and put in prison for the fire, blamed for everything that he and Cha-Cha had done that evening.
Upon hearing Vasuβs alarm he almost groaned and pulled his covers up β he would just take a few more minutes to sleep, it would be fine. He drifted asleep again and actually felt like he was sleeping this time, the nightmares plaguing him last night had melted awayβ¦
Lis shot up in his bed and looked at the clock on Vasuβs desk and felt tears spring to his eyes. It was ten minutes before class was to start and he was still snuggled under his sheets. For only a brief moment did he consider skipping but he didnβt want his first day to start like this. He was usually very organized, waking up at least an hour before class and giving himself plenty of leisure time before his class started so he wouldnβt be stressed.
He did not get this luxury today. He sprung out of bed, thankful heβd laid his clothes out the night before and quickly tossed them on before checking himself in a mirror on the wall, smoothing a couple of wrinkles out of his multicolored striped shirt before running out of the door, grabbing his already-packed shoulder bag for class and his wand.
He didnβt even know where the classrooms were, and he already felt so late. He couldnβt believe this β why had he trusted himself to only sleep for a few more minutes? The panic welled up in his chest, regretting everything about his life before stopping an unassuming Ilvermorny student in the hallway and begging them for help.
They escorted him to class and patted him on the shoulder and, almost as if they could sense his ever growing panic, said. βYouβve got this dude, itβll be alright.β
Lis shrugged their hand off and said, βThanks,β disbelievingly before entering the classroom.
As he did, he glanced around nervously before taking a seat in the back, without asking his neighbor if it was okay or even looking at them, not wanting to have to make eye contact or make small talk. He wouldnβt normally do this, but he chose the first seat he laid his eyes on and his anxiety planted him there. It didnβt look like the professor β Einar, who he was somewhat familiar with due to his fatherβs obsession with aurors β had gotten very far if heβd even started. Lis made himself busy with getting things out of his messenger bag β a pencil and his notebook, his textbook. He lined all of this on the table in front of him and nervously strained to listen to what was going on around him.
location:the History of Magic classroom
interaction: OPEN
feeling:stressed, disappointed in himself
ramona bunkerilvermorny secondary
Ramona smiled as Mey babbled on, enjoying her company and finally glad that she wasnβt the one always filling up the silence β she wondered, if her and Mey ended up being friends, who would be the bigger yapper. Something told her it might be Mey, though sheβd hope to give her a run for her money.
βI donβt think youβre unladylike,β Ramona commented in between Meyβs thoughts. Though, Ramona mused, perhaps they werenβt the best measure of what ladylike was, though they often presented quite femininely, whoever thought Mey was unladylike would probably agree with that sentiment for Ramona as well.
She giggled at Mey mocking her mother and at her comments about the fig tree. βHmm, I feel like the figs are a bit of an unfair advantage, but I wonβt tell.β The thought of Mey showing her how to ride their tree-brooms was thrilling to Ramona β not only the promise of friendship but also an adventure.
She took a cup of tea on Meyβs insistence and enthusiastically told Mey that it was delicious. Though it wasnβt her favorite, she could see why Mey would like it β however, Ramona wasnβt really a tea drinker. She did finish her mug of it though, happy to please her new friend. With a belly full of warm liquid and a long day behind her, Ramona realized they were tired, and was very pleased when Mey suggested they go back to the dorms.
She smiled at Mey as they parted, βYouβre so welcome, Mey. I hope you sleep well!β
As Ramona returned to her room, she was glad to see it empty and began to unpack her belongings and say hello to her snake before inevitably passing out after barely changing into her pajamas.
β
Ramona had actually managed to wake up at a decent time that morning β she didnβt know if it was because of the promise of breakfast with Mey, or just the excitement of the bustle of new students. Either way, she was up and now, looking through her closet for what she should wear β she liked to be dressier on the first day, but her fashion sense lately had been leaning more to comfy and lazy than highly dressy. They decided to go with basics, throwing on a plain black t-shirt and red cargo pants, finishing the look off with a black belt and black hi tops.
Ramona tied a red bandana in her hair and threw on a couple of accessories, looking at themself in the mirror and nodding approvingly. They grabbed their canvas bag and slung it over her shoulder before leaving her dorm and going to grab breakfast.
She waited between their dorms for a few moments, but when Mey didnβt come outβ¦ Ramona wasnβt sure how to talk to her so she just left, hoping that Mey had already gone to the Great Hall. When she arrived, she scanned it and didnβt see or hear Mey so she settled down into a table by herself, wondering what interesting drama today would bring, excited to meet any of the new international students and hoping that she didnβt make a bad impression on anyone.
She was too excited and though the Great Hall had its usual wide spread β they headed towards the cereal and got themselves a small bowl of fruit loops, unable to eat anything else for fear it would be too much for their stomach. Assuming that yesterday hadnβt been very dramatic (Ramona had no idea what wild things had happened the previous night, and assumed everyoneβs night had been as peaceful as hers), today was sure to bring some amount of drama. Things didnβt go this easy any other year. Often, Ramona would wonder if she was cursed β the awful things in her life would always happen around the first day of school.
This would often make the first day of school very bittersweet for her, always the anniversary of terrible things (her mother would have died two weeks before school starting, four years ago, and her father left before her first day of third grade) and it always caused her to do some self reflecting on the beginning of the year. She wondered if her mother would be proud of her β she wasnβt a champion, but she *was* in the Tournament, and she was always friendly to anyone sheβd ever met.
A twinge of irritation entered Ramonaβs gut as she caught a glimpse of her ex, Hazel, walking not too far away in the Great Hall, and looked away before she made eye contact, begging Hazel to not come over. She did not want to see her, did not want to start this year off annoyed. Of course, all of her prayers couldnβt be answered and Hazel came over to sit down next to her, not even asking if she could join her.
βRamona,β Hazel said.
βHazel,β Ramona choked out. βWhat do you want?β
βI just wanted to say you looked really cute in your suit last night, and Iβm really proud of you for being chosen for the Tournament. I didnβt get to say that to you last y-β
βYou didnβt get to tell me because we arenβt on speaking terms, Hazel,β Ramona said icily. βBecause you seem to be on 'speaking terms' with half the school. What do you want from me?β
Hazel looked down at her tray and then back up at Ramona, lips pursed. βYou know, I donβt even know why I came over here. I should have known you couldnβt take a simple compliment. Hope you choke on your fruit loops,β she said as she got up and poured her orange juice on Ramona as she passed. βOops.β
Ramona almost cried, pushing out from the table and dabbing at her shirt with some paper towels anxiously trying to not mess her outfit up too much, but the more she dabbed the stickier her clothes got and mid-dab she paused and pulled out her wand, almost forgetting the very vital fact that she was literally a witch.
Tergeo, she cast on her shirt, magically wiping up the mess from her clothes and making them look brand new again. The stickiness stayed on her hands though, and she tried to wipe it up with the napkins left on the table before starting her trek to class. She didnβt want to be late and she didnβt want to let this ruin her day. Even when she passed by Hazel sitting with some of her old friends, all laughing together. Even if there were tears, they wouldnβt let them fall.
As Ramona made it to the Care of Magical Creatures area outside, she shaded her eyes with her hand and glanced around to see if she recognized any faces β she wasnβt sure what classes Gavy or any of the new people that sheβd met had, but either way, none of them had arrived yet, so she took a seat near the back so she could catch anyone she recognized and wouldnβt have to sit next to someone she didnβt know as well β she wasnβt feeling up to it yet this morning.
She sat for a few moments, observing their new professor β she didnβt look more than a couple years older than Ramona themself β as she set up, standing at the front of the class. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around with a start, nervous for who it was at first until she saw Meyβs familiar face and broke out into a smile. βOh Mey! Hi, howβs it going?β
She reached out to shake Vasuβs extended hand, vaguely remembering the boy from last night β Koldovstoretzβs champion, impressive so far and she was interested to see what else he had in store. She felt an uneasy air around the boy, but wanted him to feel comfortable, and wasn't trying to start drama with anyone new this morning yet. βPleasure to meet you as well. And of course!β
She waved them over onto the bench just as Angelique began to speak. Ramona was shocked when she started pulling out dragons on the first day. She didnβt know much about dragons, so she let her peers answer the questions as she observed the great beast as it loomed over the professor, curious that if this was the first lesson, exactly what this year had in store for them.
kazimir vinogradovkoldovstoretz professor
Kazimir hadnβt meant to leave so early in the evening so as to avoid all the excitement β and in fact, heβd intended to wonder out again before bed, to see if Einar or perhaps Cha-Cha had desired to share a nightcap. However, that wasnβt what was in store for Kaz that night. Pouring over his books, first a book on the history of the tournament, battered and heavily annotated to predict the forthcoming Tasks; then, a book on offensive charms (in case some kind of duel was involved); and finally, a book on Cross-Species Transfiguration.
With the last book, Kaz began to fall asleep on his desk, resting his head on his palm and nodding off every couple of seconds. The flashes of dreams between consciousness made his stomach twist. First, he saw Vasuβs trademark smirk, a flash of Vasu falling to the ground, a flash of Halime screaming, which morphed into the face of his ex-wife screaming. A regular scene from his nightmares β Sveta crouched and crying at a coffin that was far too small to be fair, his hand on her shoulder but their distance far greater than itβd ever been before.
Kaz awoke with a start, his head slipping off his palm and nearly smacking onto the desk. He wasnβt even sure what time it was as he rubbed his eyes deeply and glanced at a clock β 3 a.m. and heβd barely gotten through his workload of the night, not even to mention that he had barely socialized with anyone, which he hoped hadnβt been a bad look on Koldovstoretz. Heβd try to do better, break himself out of the antisocial slump heβd been in for quite some time.
But for now, it was time to turn in.
β
The next morning, Kaz had awoken nearly with the sun after a restless fit of sleeping that hadnβt gone much better than his dozing at his desk. He decided that this year, maybe he wouldnβt show up to class with his clothes all unkempt, perhaps heβd even take some pride in his presentation this year. It was a thought that occurred to him every year, and thus far heβd lasted about four days before picking clothes up off the floor and trying a sniff test before putting them on, so there wasnβt much hope for this year either.
And yet, Kaz pulled out an iron he was actually surprised he packed and found himself ironing his sweater and pants before even pouring himself his first cup of coffee. He tossed them on and didnβt even check himself in the mirror before leaving β a bad habit heβd picked up that unfortunately was going nowhere any time soon.
He pushed his long unkempt hair out of his eyes as he walked to the Great Hall, realizing heβd not put a comb through it. This was an unfortunate loss, but he wouldnβt be returning to his room before joining Angelique in her class, so it would be what it was. As he entered the Great Hall, he beelined for the coffee station, pouring himself a cup and adding a little sugar before bringing it to his lips. Ahh. It wasnβt his favorite, but coffee was coffee, and he was unfortunately burdened with a caffeine addiction from hell. It was surprising that his body was made of 70% water and not coffee at this point.
He grabbed a pastry off the pastry cart and began his walk to where Care of Magical Creatures would be hosted. He wasnβt sure how heβd be of service to Angelique, but he was always glad to help β or observe, whichever she preferred. He certainly wouldnβt step on her toes, as most animals were out of his league (heaven forbid he had to coach Vasu on how to deal with any of them, heβd probably have to ask Angelique for advice, if sheβd give it).
The other professor wasnβt there when he arrived, so he took a seat on the front bench, under the cheerful sunlight, and sipped on his coffee. He mused on what the professor might bring as the first Creature of the year β would she start big, or work her way up? Itβd been so long since heβd attended a Care of Magical Creatures class, he was almost excited.
As Angelique arrived, Kaz stood up to join her in the front of the class and keep his distance behind her, ready to help if necessary but otherwise fine to observe. He sat his now empty coffee cup on the ground, out of the way, and watched as students slowly began to file in. His eyes didnβt find his own students until Angelique had just begun to speak, Vasu and Mey finding their seats at the very back and top of the amphitheater-like classroom.
As Angelique began, Kaz could tell that the younger teacher had a flair for the dramatic β perhaps covering up for her lack of experience? Either way, the womanβs decisions were certainlyβ¦ impressive. Her first creature shot out of her bag like lightening and exploded into a great big flying dragon, before pulling out a tiny baby one. Kazβs heart almost melted over the small one β it was tiny enough to fit into Angeliqueβs hands, an incredible contrast to itβs mother, which hovered next to Angelique. As she told the story of the dragons, Kaz scanned the crowd to see their reactions β a mix of impressed looks and fearful ones, which was about what heβd expected.
He took a step back as the dragon landed, rattling the ground and standing a little too close to Kaz for comfort. He was impressed with Angelique β and wondered, if this was where theyβd began, what other impressive creatures would she show them this year.
