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The faint trace of mint and toffee had already begun to fade — mercifully — leaving behind only the quieter, more manageable presence of the garden itself. Iris let that settle, her attention re-centering as Aurora spoke. Seeds. Books. Ancient runes. Familiar territory that was much more manageable. Her expression softened almost immediately, something more natural threading through it now as she adjusted her grip on the journal, thumb resting along the edge of the page she had very intentionally not returned to. "Did you?" she replied, a small note of genuine interest lifting her tone. "That's… a dangerous section to linger in if you're not careful." The faintest hint of a smile followed, warming her freckled features. "At least for me, always leave with more than intended." Especially recently. What had begun as a fairly contained line of inquiry had… shifted. She had gone in looking for connections between bindrunes and ancient cursework from the South American continent, but somewhere along the way the thread had pulled in a different direction. Toward markings that weren't simply inscribed onto objects… Her gaze dipped briefly to the journal in her lap, then back to Aurora... a quiet awareness beneath her blue eyes, as if something might recrudesce if she let her focus slip too far. "Were they more foundational texts, or…" she asked with a slight tilt of her head, "…something more specialized?" |
Ready to have a nice chat with her friend, Aurora set her bag down and then got comfortable beside Iris. That comment got a laugh. "I... definitely spent a lot more than I should, between books, plant things, and other necessities." But it was worth it. Besides, she tended to be careful with her money. She did indulge herself, but she always liked to make sure that she had more than enough to cover whatever was needed. "I have that same problem. And am very thankful that I have an extension charm on my bag, because otherwise I don't know how I would manage." Aurora did enjoy reading, about many different things, though she didn't know anyone who got lost in books the way Iris did. It was honestly impressive. And as far as texts... "I did get what I needed to for Seventh Year. But I also got a book on bind runes. And also one about how to encode secrets. Which... I don't know if I'd ever need to do that, but it sounded interesting." So why not? She supposed that if for whatever reason she needed to do that, at least she would be able to. So there was that. |
Iris listened, the soft curve of her expression lingering as Aurora spoke — the ease of it, the familiarity settling like something she could rest in without needing to overthink. "An extension charm does feel less like a luxury and more like a necessity at some point," she noted lightly, her gaze flicking toward Aurora's bag with quiet approval while her fingers idly traced the edge of her own journal. "I… lost access to both... too many books, too much research... it was deemed excessive and distracting." A faint breath of amusement followed. "It's only temporary and I suspect once mum and dad are back from vacation the ability will be reinstated." OWL's were over now, after all. Her attention returned as Aurora listed the books, something more focused settling behind her eyes at the mention of encoding secrets. "Bind runes can be incredibly useful once you understand how to layer them properly," she nodded, her thumb brushing along the seam of her bag where faint engravings had been worked in beside the stitching — subtle enough to pass unnoticed at a glance, but deliberate in their placement. "Though... I never took you as the sort to keep secrets at all." The faintest hint of a smile returned, touched with something almost fond. Her head tilted slightly, studying Aurora as though seeking to confirm a long-held conclusion. "Understanding how something is hidden does make it easier to recognize when it is." Her gaze drifted briefly toward the winding path, the garden, the quiet spaces between things. Secrets tended to behave less like locked boxes and more like… buried texts. Layered, obscured, rewritten over time until even the person keeping them isn't entirely certain where the truth begins or what is safe to share, what to trust others with... like an anoa in an unkindness. |
Aurora nodded. This was certainly true for her with what was coming up this term. ”It definitely will for me with my NEWTs. And I thought OWLs were stressful.” She ran a hand through her hair. She would be fine, she knew it. But it was also a really big deal. It could get a bit overwhelming, thinking about it. So she just… wouldn’t. Instead she would focus on the present moment, here with Iris. Oh. She could understand that. Aurora nodded again. ”So when are they coming back?” Hopefully her parents were having a good time. Aurora noticed Iris brushing her thumb against her bag as she talked about bind runes. Maybe she had bind runes of her own. Though she didn’t notice any, so maybe not. ”That was my thinking as well. It would be something that could really come in handy for me. I never know when I might need to use them for something or another. And if I need help with figuring it out, I can always ask you. Or your uncle.” She smiled. It was rather exciting. ”You’re right about that,” she agreed. Iris knew her well by now. Though, she supposed most people had some secrets. ”I’m not the secretive type. And I don’t know if I’d even need to encode a secret. I just bought it because it looked interesting.” She smiled. ”This is true. Though I don’t think there are any secrets around me.” At least as far as she was aware. And she wasn’t complaining. Aurora didn’t want to delve into other people’s secrets, it was invasive. |
OWLs had been... more taxing than she had anticipated — not for lack of preparation, but for a lapse in her usual discipline. She had, regrettably, allowed certain distractions to persist longer than was strategically advisable and her results reflected as much. An Acceptable in Divination and an Exceeds Expectations in Potions being particular deviations from her own standard. At least all her additional research had solidified an easy Outstanding in Ancient Runes. "Second to last week of summer, I think," she replied gently at the question of her parents. "Dad especially needed a long retreat away from the UK, and the timing was more than warranted." A faint trace of something warmer touched her expression at that, brief but genuine, before her attention shifted again. At the mention of asking her — or her uncle — for help, her fingers stilled momentarily against the seam of her bag, the smallest indication that she had registered more than just the words themselves. "You're welcome to," she nodded. "Though he would much prefer you refer to him as Professor." The man was an enigma in many ways, but allowing the spread of his familial relations was something he remained firm about. Thankfully, he had not learned about her slip in informing a certain younger Ravenclaw of the relationship ― something she suspected would come to light soon enough considering just who Cat was friends with ― and herself and Nyle were always very careful about not having the two concepts cross in conversation. "He's… quite particular about maintaining that distinction." But the next part — the absence of secrets — lingered uncomfortably in her chest. She didn’t respond immediately, her gaze drifting toward the phoenix at the center of the garden instead. The slow rotation of names. The quiet weight of them. Then back to Aurora, her fingers closing lightly over the edge of her journal. Some secrets weren't deliberate, at least not in the way of them being things people decide to keep without conditions and circumstances pushing them to do so. Parts of something that can't be fully understood all at once but sometimes surface in fragments instead ― sometimes even to the person living them. Her expression didn't change much — still calm, still measured — but there was a faint weight behind it now, something just beneath the surface. "Well, maybe not here," she said finally, pushing a muted laugh through her puckered lips. "But Hogwarts is surely full of them still, so perhaps you'll uncover something there upon our return." |
It was good to hear that she and Nyle would get to see their parents for a couple weeks before school started up again. Whenever her parents went away for a while, Aurora and her sisters were very happy to see them again. She smiled. ”I can understand that. It can be really nice to get away and see different parts of the world.” Vacations were a lot of fun. And as far as her uncle… ”I don’t think I could call him anything except Professor. Even when I’m not his student anymore.” And she definitely wouldn’t be doing that while at Hogwarts. Out of respect, obviously. But also because she didn’t want to risk getting on the man’s bad side. Aurora had grown to like him more over time, though she was still a little uncertain of him. In any case, she was glad that she could ask either him or Iris for help if she struggled with bind runes. She noticed Iris being thoughtful for a moment about the idea of secrets. Then brightened as Hogwarts was mentioned. ”That’s the kind of secrets I’m interested in. Something in the school. Or even in books.” Not the personal kind where she would be invading someone’s privacy. ”I can take it to school and see if I can discover anything new and exciting!” She thought of Cat, and decided to let her know about anything she came across. |
"Mmhm," she hummed in agreement, a small nod following. "There’s something to be said for movement. Different environments, cultures, and countries tend to… shift perspective, even if only temporarily." And, if she was being honest, she was getting a little too much perspective this summer. Her aunts were all lovely people, though more enthusiastic and lively than Iris often preferred ― she was quietly dreading the outdoor concert she and Nyle were being dragged to this weekend ― but she miss her bay window. She missed the quiet of their lakeside home and all her books. She missed... Aurora's enthusiasm, though, drew Iris, blessedly, out of her thoughts. "That does seem your sort of curiosity," Iris said gently. "Hidden passages, obscure marginalia..." Her head tilted slightly, considering... and wondering what But then, as she glanced at a random bit of stone in the path, Iris felt the shift of time pressing back in ― since when was the sun in that position!? "Oh gosh. Aurora, I'm so sorry," she said, her fingers closing lightly around her journal as she stood, smoothing it against her side. "I promised my aunt I'd meet her for lunch, and she's… shockingly less forgiving than Professor Cox when it comes to punctuality. Or at least more sing-song annoying about it." Always a jingle for something. A small, apologetic smile followed, though it lingered warmer at the edges. "But...it was really nice to run into you." Even more so that all that hadn't come up in conversation ― just ignore that moments and glances haunted her still. There was a.. brief pause — like she might say something more — but instead she simply inclined her head in a polite farewell. "I'll see you later." With that, Iris turned, stepping back onto the winding path — the garden's stillness folding in behind her as she made her way toward the exit, journal tucked close, and trying no to let her shoulders get too tight in anticipation for her aunt's irritating jingle. Early is excellent, right on time is sweet— But late little ducklings don’t get anything to eat! |
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