Quote:
Originally Posted by
Presley Black 
As soon as Gwen agreed to pretend to be sympathetic, Presley launched into the whole thing, hoping that the little bugger hanging out with Gwen either didn't care, or wasn't listening. "You know that last year my father forced me to go to Beauxbatons Academy? Well I got into a huge fight about it, and ran away. I went to my brothers house, and he told me to grow up, but my father won't let me back until I apologize, which I'm not going to do. He cut off all of my funds, including dance lessons (which you know I can't live without). And Leo is getting married, so I won't even be able to beg him, because he has a fiance! So I had to spend the whole summer with my muggle aunt and her three bratty kids, and now Elliot is mad at me, and I'm going to despise the astronomy professor this term, and I still can't manage non-verbal spells!"
She gave Gwen the shortest version of her troubles, because she knew the other girl didn't want to listen to her complain, and was only doing it as a favor to Presley. "Okay, be sympathetic for me?" She asked. There. Short sweet, to the point, now go for it. At least it might give her a smile to watch Gwen try to be sympathetic.
Be sympathetic.
How hard could it be?
For some reason, Gwendolyn accepted to listen to the other Ravenclaw talk, and even TRY to be sympathetic. The fifth year tried to focus to what the girl was saying. Forced her to go to Beauxbatons? No. She had no idea. But Gwen thought she remembered having heard Presley complain about her father sometime…sometime during their second year? Her thoughts were soon interrupted by what Presley said next.
Ran away? She really ran away? Gwen just eyed the Ravenclaw for a moment.
*Blink*
Who was Leo? Probably her brother, yes?
Elliot? Elliot, the fourth year Ravenclaw? Mad?
What about the astronomy Professor? It was probably because of the points loss…
Somehow, Presley seemed to think that not being able to cast non-verbal spells was a calamity. Gwen felt a bit dizzy, after having heard the girl talk.
‘First of all, why did your father want you to go to Beauxbatons?’
Ughh. Trying to be sympathetic-
FAILED.
But that was it. Gwen was trying to be sympathetic, it really wasn’t her fault that she was reacting like that… it was all genetic.
‘You still do have your friends, and Elliot will surely come to her senses, although I don’t really understand why she is mad in the first place’ How could she be sympathetic if she didn’t know the problem, since Presley was giving only half pieces of information.
‘As for the spells, do remember that you are only a fifth year’ Gwen could cast a few non-verbal spells, but it seemed hard. Even though she had practiced with the easiest spells so far.
‘You just need to practice. Presley, I’m sure you will soon manage to cast the spells non-verbally’ And it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she wouldn’t succeed, but Gwen was confident that her housemate will do well.
‘You are a Ravenclaw for a reason’, she finished saying.
Well, that wasn't exactly what one would call sympathetic…
She tried. She really did, but she couldn’t help not being realistic about everything, and not just assure Presley that ‘everything will be fine in the end’. Because things needed to be better now, not in the end. That wouldn’t have encouraged Presley. Or at least Gwen thought so.
In the next moment, the fifth year found herself staring at the ground. She hadn’t been helpful, had she?
‘I’m sorry’, she finally told Presley, hoping that she just didn’t make things worse.