Bleary eyed and having tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, Wolfric pulled his sheets away and rolled out of the four poster bed. Bare foot and stifling a yawn, the sleepy first year made his way out of the dorm. In the low light of the torches that lined the long corridor, he could make out sleeping students in the portraits, envying them as he walked passed.

The Common Room appeared empty as made his way to the back wall. Blinking slowly in the dim light Wolfie traced the scaly body of the long dark green snake and found that she was asleep. He sat down next to the low table and rested his chin on its surface, watching.. waiting for sleep to take him too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by qoil

Bleary eyed and having tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, Wolfric pulled his sheets away and rolled out of the four poster bed. Bare foot and stifling a yawn, the sleepy first year made his way out of the dorm. In the low light of the torches that lined the long corridor, he could make out sleeping students in the portraits, envying them as he walked passed.

The Common Room appeared empty as made his way to the back wall. Blinking slowly in the dim light Wolfie traced the scaly body of the long dark green snake and found that she was asleep. He sat down next to the low table and rested his chin on its surface, watching.. waiting for sleep to take him too.

Nerissa wasn't much of a night owl. In her carefully curated, scheduled life, her parents had always made sure she was little more than a child of, well, structure itself. This was meant to have carried her well enough throughout her time away from home--which is to say, at Hogwarts--but what they had never counted on--and what she'd never begun to consider--was the idea that she could get homesick.

And she was. Very much so.

She sported her favourite pajamas--very soft cotton, all white with golden spots--and was sort of pacing the empty common room, now and then spooking herself with the creatures she could see through the green tinted windows, swimming deep within the lake. Just when she was resolute to head back to her dormitory, however, and have an internal debate with herself about the concept of sleep and why it chose to avoid her, movement caught her attention. After a moment's worth of hesitation, she followed and found herself staring right at the house's pet snake. And then at the person in question. It was a fellow first year, one she'd not spoken to yet, and Nerissa, always out of sorts on how to approach strangers before they approached her first, merely tapped her fingers to the snake's glass case. To get his attention, of course, and get him to talk first.

The tap tap of fingers took a while to register in his mind. Wolfric's ears twitched slightly when he realised it wasn't his imagination and very slightly squinted when he turned to look at the very bright Slytherin. "I can't get used to the bed just yet", he had already begun explaining, a habit he loathed in himself but often caught in time. Unable to really focus with his horrible posture, he assumed the golden spots might be snitches. Straightening up, he gave the girl his full attention. Looking up at her, he must have seemed at a disadvantage, and it dawned on him fast that to anyone else watching he would look rather vulnerable.

Wolfie began to stand up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by qoil

The tap tap of fingers took a while to register in his mind. Wolfric's ears twitched slightly when he realised it wasn't his imagination and very slightly squinted when he turned to look at the very bright Slytherin. "I can't get used to the bed just yet", he had already begun explaining, a habit he loathed in himself but often caught in time. Unable to really focus with his horrible posture, he assumed the golden spots might be snitches. Straightening up, he gave the girl his full attention. Looking up at her, he must have seemed at a disadvantage, and it dawned on him fast that to anyone else watching he would look rather vulnerable.

Wolfie began to stand up.

She opened her mouth, the words almost out before stopping herself and shutting it close. Nerissa pursed her lips, as if by doing so she was making sure her I did not ask would not come pouring out. She remained quiet, a beat longer, looking at her fellow first year curiously. Or, scrutinized him. He'd already confessed to being unused to his new bed, a sentiment she could understand well.

But whether or not she was willing to share that was another matter entirely. Although she was remarkably more relaxed now that she'd been away from more than a month, well--it was still difficult. Eleven years of growing without people her own age to relate to could not be easily ignored. In the end, she settled for a brief nod. "I am not used to sharing my space with... others." Which was true, though not the reason why she was still awake. "You are Wolfric, yes?"

For all the good it did him, he was just about as tall as she was. Wolfric's imperceptible nod indicated that he was indeed Wolfric, but that was less important now. Looking at her, he mulled over the sharing of space with others. "I suppose I didn't really think about the others in the dorm", and as if to settle the matter more for his own benefit than anything else, "yes, it definitely is the bed".

Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw the house pet's tail quiver.

There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, his own brown eyes blinking once.. twice from behind glasses that suddenly pulled back gently, his ears once again atwitch. And there it was, his smile sudden. "I am Wolfric", he clarified. One of the few things he liked about himself was his name and for boys like him, specifically like him, there was special meaning to be found in the littlest of things.

He did not, however, extend his hand like muggles did, nor did he appear to make any further attempt at pleasantries. Instead, he looked expectantly at her, perhaps waiting for her to introduce herself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by qoil

For all the good it did him, he was just about as tall as she was. Wolfric's imperceptible nod indicated that he was indeed Wolfric, but that was less important now. Looking at her, he mulled over the sharing of space with others. "I suppose I didn't really think about the others in the dorm", and as if to settle the matter more for his own benefit than anything else, "yes, it definitely is the bed".

Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw the house pet's tail quiver.

There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, his own brown eyes blinking once.. twice from behind glasses that suddenly pulled back gently, his ears once again atwitch. And there it was, his smile sudden. "I am Wolfric", he clarified. One of the few things he liked about himself was his name and for boys like him, specifically like him, there was special meaning to be found in the littlest of things.

He did not, however, extend his hand like muggles did, nor did he appear to make any further attempt at pleasantries. Instead, he looked expectantly at her, perhaps waiting for her to introduce herself.

Bluntly: "It's all I think about." An exaggeration, to be clear. But it was true, nevertheless; the idea that her dorm-mates might go through her things while she was gone, or even so much as look at them was, well--unpleasant. No that any of Nerissa's things were particular special. But they were hers, completely. One of the few things in the castle that were.

She cut another full glance at him, missing the way the gopher snake's tail flicked. Her skinny arms folded about her chest, suddenly growing up aware of how her favourite pajamas might be deemed little more than ridiculous by others. She had seen the way one of her dorm-mates eyes rove over them, earlier, in a manner that was similar to how her mama watched her when she reached for an additional slice of cake, after dinner. "Nerissa." She supplied, looking at him curiously, extending her hand for him to shake the way she'd seen her papa do countless of times. "Nerissa Tate. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

His smile may have faltered, but only to the eagle-eyed. Wolfie extended one rather scrawny looking hand from within a sleeve that had been folded over several times: his night suit was quite old fashioned and far too large: his bare feet were hidden beneath several folds too. At least it would grow with him, albeit not magically but simply. His grip was scarily firm and bony, and his hand dreadfully cold.

Licking at his canines, he considered Nerissa for a moment. "If you're worried about your things, you should do what I do" he proclaimed proudly. "My mother charmed my backpack for me, I don't have a trunk. It only opens for me." A chill ran down his spine immediately: he had revealed too much but perhaps it was okay, she seemed unlikely to go through his things. Nevertheless, he fixed her with a piercing stare, as if she would confess immediately to her plan to pillage his things.

His mother's voice interrupted his wild accusation: 'don't push away anyone friendly, let them in and see what happens'. Realising he was still holding Nerissa's hand in a tight grip, he relaxed and sighed in defeat. "You can call me Wolfie, if you want."

Not wholly at ease but considerably more so than before, Nerissa allowed herself a moment to fully scrutinize the boy--Wolfric. Wolfric was his name. Mama would have hand plenty to say about his overly large choice of pajamas, to be sure; mama often had much to say about a great number of things, after all. But papa would have applauded his grip, cold as it was. It was firm. A gentleman's handshake, papa would have said. She let go, simply nodding at his words though privately displeased he hadn't caught the true meaning of her words. She was never comfortable with explaining herself; words could be embarrassing. Like lifting an additional layer of skin she hadn't known she had.

Not that he could have understood her meaning, of course. Wolfric was little more than a stranger, and even if he wasn;t, it was unlikely he could read minds. "Mama could not charm anything for me, she is a muggle." Which was not the point she was trying to make. And any case, her father could do it for her, surely--if she were to ask, if she caught him in a good mood. Nerissa wrung her hands for a moment. "But a charm wouldn't keep people's eyes--at bay. It's strange to think someone can just look at my things." And it shouldn't be strange, she knew that now, but it was. Such were the problems that came with growing up in a remote place in Swansea, rarely if ever in the company of anyone but her parents. Or au pair.

She eyed him. And his nickname. And wished he hadn't offered it because it was too familiar and frankly, ridiculous. She could not imagine willingly wanting anyone to call her that. Little Nessie had been bad enough. And her muggle grandparents loved it. "Wolfie. Alright." She couldn't very well confuse that she thought his nickname was anything less than acceptable. "But only if you call me Nessa." A nickname in exchange of another; it was the only way to bring their relationship back on equal footing.

He listened quietly, keenly when she said his name. This was important.. her pronunciation, the shape of her mouth, her wrung hands. Wolfric's eyes were dark and dilated, taking in every detail. "Hmm.." raising his nose slightly and with a sideways stare at her, he sighed and shook his head. "No, not yet." He knew right away she was uncomfortable with his nickname and so shrugged it off, not caring to elaborate.

Wolfric took his glasses off and began to rub them with a corner of his pajamas. "You know, without these I can barely see you." He spoke while looking directly at her, his hands rubbing the lens with avocado green cotton. "I like to believe they were charmed by muggles to help everyone see better." Wolfric had a secret, and it had something to do with muggles. "What is it about people's eyes that irk you, Nerissa?" he asked thoughtfully, putting his spec-free glasses back on.

She was not entirely aware of what Wolfric was doing, but she could feel his eyes on her. It was a strange feeling, this, which of course only served to further increase her discomfort, causing whatever easiness she'd previously acquire to evaporate. She wrung her hands some more, suddenly thankful and confused at his words. Glad she didn't have to call a stranger by a diminutive, confused that he'd dared to actually say it.

Nerissa blinked, trying to get her bearings again. She locked her hands behind her. "Muggles don't have any magic," She enthused, unnecessarily, for surely he knew that already. "But they have science. And my papa says magic and science are rather alike, sometimes." An interesting thing to come from a man who had covered their home with magic so completely. The only non-magical thing being her mother, and even then, Nerissa thought she heard her papa said once, in one of his rare moods, that her mama was magic. A statement that had confused her at the time, but that now, she thought she could maybe understand, a little bit.

She looked back up at him, sharply, as her eyes had trained themselves on his glasses and she lifted three fingers. Then lowered one. Then Added two more. "How many fingers can you see?" And she almost smiled. "I dislike the way they rove. When I don't want them to." She liked attention just fine, just not at all times.

"Magic and science, hmm" he wondered. "I suppose your dad's right. I always figured magic was just another bit of science that they didn't teach at school, perhaps because it was too advanced for us." It had started to dawn on him, albeit slowly.. that he hadn't really asked mum or dad about magic, about what it really was and where it came from and why dad couldn't use it but mum could. 'I suppose I've been taking it for granted all this time' Wolfric thought to himself.