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Kyra was still trying to distinguish the difference between a movie in a movie theater, something she had never attended herself, and moving portraits or pictures like any wizard would find on their walls or in the Daily Prophet. Moving images were nothing new, but ones made by muggles and without the use of magic baffled her and the concept of film, or having actors act out entire movies or animators draw up short films completely went over her head as she often found herself asking Elsie if she was positive they weren’t using enchantments like the ones on magical portraits or potions like those that turned photograph into short moving pictures. For everything question Kyra had, it seemed she was just met with questions from Elsie as she found herself trying to explain why portraits moved. It was beginning to seem like two people of different languages attempting to speak with each other.. both living worlds apart yet under the same roof. Kyra suggested that maybe several trips and long nights in the Hogwarts library may answer her questions, or even some of Kyra’s. It seemed the response she gave most often to Elsie was Cause its.. magic..{/i] as if that was a suitable answer for why things worked in their world. But to Kyra, that was just how things always were so she had troubles wrapping her head around the ways of muggles or trying to explain what magic was exactly and why it did what it did. Kyra was beginning to feel like a lousy Ravenclaw and pondered if perhaps she should have gotten the Sorting Hat to drop her where her mother wanted her, in with Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw was always known for wisdom, learning and wit and Kyra felt like she lacked all three.

”Mostly just the Library I think. I have a feeling we’ll be spending much of our time there so I may as well familiarize myself with it.” she replied in response to the question of if she wanted to do anything specific. Seeing about getting a map of Hogwarts wouldn’t be a bad idea either but she was unsure if teachers actually kept such a thing or passed them out for students. Maybe learning the layout by trial and error was supposed to be part of the learning process at Hogwarts… Kyra’s conversation and light nibbling of food was put to a sudden halt as one of the boys from their Herbology Class sat down next to Elsie and introduced himself as Taylor Rowe and proceeded to dive head long into a suit of white armor and proclaim himself their protector. The spoon that was being held in Kyra’s fingers slipped from her grasp and clanged against the bowl of soup she had been lunching on as she went suddenly quiet and froze for the slightest of moments. Kyra was well aware of the veela blood that pumped in her veins, as her mother had forewarned her of the effects it will have on other students in time, but as to date she had never caused any undesired attention her way because of what she was. Is he saying this because of me? Or is this boy just naturally like this?. Other thoughts passed quickly through her head before she shook away the doubts that were creeping into her mind. Everyone in class had seen the way her Mother punished her in Herbology. The boy must be taking pity on them and offering his help, even if unwanted. She didn’t quite like his choice of language, especially the ‘pretty little heads’ part but she would try to over look that. By the time Kyra turned her head to address Taylor it seemed Elsie was already replying to him, and even though they had known each other for such a short time she could easily tell that Elsie was trying hard not to snap at this boy. Kyra wasn’t sure what about him had set Elsie ablaze, or if it was just the ruinous start to the day, but she did find Elsies tone a tad unjust. Kyra laid a hand on Elsie’s arm to get her attention, and leaned forward to flash Taylor a pleasant smile. ”I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that Elsie..” she had hoped Elsie would have calmed but instead she just seemed to bristle more as she used language that left Kyra stunned ”Elsie?!” Kyra gasped, in response to the word ‘wanker’ but the girl had already gotten up, excused herself and departed, leaving Kyra embarrassed and blushing as she turned to Taylor and tried to stammer out an apology. ”I’m.. so.. sor.. very sorry. She.. just a little upset.. Its been a rough couple days.. sorry…I’m sure she didn’t mean to be so offensive.” She hoped the boy wouldn’t be taken aback too much by Elsie’s attitude or go off running to a teacher or something. Kyra extended a hand to Taylor and introduced herself, hoping she could distract him from the awkwardness. ”It is a pleasure to meet you, Taylor Rowe. My name is Kyra Hallow, she stated, masking some of her nervousness behind years of courtesy. Other students seemed to have briefly taken notice of the small bit of commotions, but those closest to the three just turned back to their friends and food, much to Kyra’s relief. She could still feel a slight redness in her cheeks and hoped that this Taylor wasn’t too offended. Kyra was glad for her mother to be absent from the Great Hall. Surely her hawkish eyes would have seen this and she wasn’t sure how’d she respond with Kyra befriending one with as little etiquette as Elsie.

Markelm had keen eyes and was watching Elsie before she had made her way up towards the teachers, but glanced away and down into a book as soon as she had risen and walked towards him. He didn’t want to seem as if he was spying but her welfare still concerned him and he knew that one of the only places he’d be able to observer how well she was getting along with the other students at Hogwarts would be during meal times. So far, he had observed mixed views as Elsie appeared to be chatting amicably enough with the silver haired girl she had come into the great hall with. Markelm wasn’t sure what was said after the Brown Haired Gryffndor kid had sat down but whatever he did seemed to spark some minor conflict which was now bringing Elsie up to the table. At the mention of his name, he placed the book down and glanced up at Elsie, feigning slight shock as if he wasn’t expecting her to be there. ”Yes? he replied as if discontent with being interrupted from the book he was pretending to read. He knew all to well from the look on her face that she was upset and struggled within himself to find a balanced way of handling the situation. He didn’t want to appear to the other teachers that he was playing favorites with his surrogate daughter, but he also didn’t want to push her away and make her feel more isolated in a world he knew was filled with darkness and secrets. None of the other teachers present had engaged him in conversation but he still knew their eyes were upon him. Some gave him mistrusting glances, others curious looks. Just how long it would take to earn the respect of the other teachers he was unsure. Markelm stood up and allowed the book to vanish beneath the folds of his robes as he stepped away from the table, excusing himself and motioning for Elsie to follow and out into the hall. The halls were relatively quiet with most students filling into the Great Hall or taking their free time outside to enjoy it under the shade of a tree or down by the lake. Once they turned into a deserted hall he stopped to face her, his face a mask of emotions as he continued to try to play the part of professor and father at the same time. ”Is everything alright?. He asked, hoping his voice didn’t come off as too icy.

Maybe he did mean it like that.. Kyra thought to herself as Taylor Rowe continued to talk as if Kyra and Elsie were porcelain dolls that were too fragile and needed careful handling. She thought better of frowning and mimicking Elsie’s behavior as she continued to smile sweetly, folding her hands into her lap. Your offer is too kind, Taylor but I do not believe I need anyone to look after me. I think I’m more than capable of taking myself and I believe the same goes for Elsie. If ever I do require protection though, I’ll keep you in mind.” she replied, thinking that was the best way to handle the situation. Not exactly blowing him off or blowing up at the boy the way Elsie had, but also not leaping into his arms and praising him for his bravery. It was no wonder he was placed in Gryffndor with his valiant and brave attitude. Maybe he exhibited too much of those properties that Gryffndor valued. Kyra wasn’t exactly smitten with his bragging but she did know his family name as a famous wizarding family and quidditch players and wasn’t surprised that he knew of hers also. A Slytherin and Hufflepuff wedding each other probably never went unnoticed but having a half-veela mother teaching at such an prestigious school such as Hogwarts and a father who worked in Ministry in The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would no doubt put her family in the upper echelon of wizarding families despite not being a pure-blood line. ”But no, we do not live nearby. My parents enjoy their privacy, especially during the summers when my mother isn’t teaching so we don’t get out as often as most wizarding families, so I am not surprised we aren’t mentioned often. My father takes his work very seriously though.. my mother oft compains he’s more married to his job than he is to her.. she tried to explain, but didn’t mention where she was from or speak much more about her family, even unsure why she even bothered to say that much about her father. Her home was located in Slovenia but her parents always seemed rather picky about who they invited over. Most of the time they went out, only entertaining guest for special occasions. Kyra didn’t feel like talking more about her family so she decided to give Taylor the chance to talk more about himself, something she felt he was very gifted at.. ”Will you be following your family legacy and try becoming a quidditch player yourself? she asked, taking a side ways glance toward her food. Her mother always scolded her for talking with her mouth full so she didn’t dare stuff her face with this boy here. With Elsie around it was easier since she could kinda guess the girl didn’t matter how proper or crude people were but Taylor’s upbringing seemed much closer to the one she had than the one the red haired girl did.

Markelm found himself frowning when Elsie told him she wasn’t meant to be here. Frowned even more when hearing about the tosser who knocked her over and frowned even deeper with narrowed eyes after hearing someone had copped a feel on his little Elsie. He had half a mind to interrogate her to find out what student had dared to be so shameless and curse the boy to oblivion but a voice in the back of his head was reminding him that he was now a teacher and it wouldn’t sit well to go around cursing little children who couldn’t defend themselves. He listened as she continued her rant, disappointed and saddened to hear how her first day of class had already played out in just such short few hours… even more so when part of it was his fault. Well, all of it really since he had ill prepared Elsie for the wizarding world and instead thrusting her headlong into a place that could only have been filled with uncertainty and confusion. The tears were the worst part and he sighed and glanced around again to make sure the hallway was empty. He could hear students about somewhere close and just a few steps away was a closed door. Markelm walked behind Elsie without saying anything and placed his hands on her shoulders and led her to the door, reaching over her shoulder and opening it before marching her inside. The room appeared to be an unused classroom with empty chairs and desks. He wasn’t sure if it was occupied at all this year since the walls were barren and desk at the head of the room didn’t contain anything to suggest otherwise. I’m not cut out for this fatherly stuff..he inwardly groaned as he closed the door behind them and stepped in front of Elsie, kneeling down and pulling her into a hug. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say to her as one of his hands patted her back soothingly. ”You’re a witch. Of course your meant to be here.. I know its all so confusing, and I know its mostly my fault but one bad day doesn’t mean the end of the world. And its not like my fiery little girl to cry and give up. Where’s that stubborn attitude of yours that’s caused me so much grief raising you? I know your more spunky than this.” He said, feeling like a failure at attempting to cheer her up.

”No offense taken. I do not plan on getting into any trouble while at Hogwarts. I wouldn’t want to anger my mother anymore than I already have.” she replied with shame as she glanced down at her hands as they began to grip into her skirt. Her mother hadn’t been as upset as she had anticipated at first, but it was still an embarrassment to show up late to her own mothers class on the first day. She hoped the rest of the year would go a bit better, she just had to plan time ahead so that she could account for any…. unfortunate accidents. As for Elsie.. Kyra couldn’t tell for sure how much trouble the girl would get into throughout the year, especially with such an.. such an vulgar mouth! Kyra had never met someone who was so loose with their tongue, but she couldn’t hide the fact that there was something very refreshing being around with someone who wasn’t concerned with rules and being proper and how they dressed or how they spoke. Taylor was more like the kind of student her mother would want her to associate with however so she continued to sit and talk with him, listening as he told her of where his family lived and talking about the English and the French. Kyra still didn’t divulge anything about where she lived and instead drew him off that topic of conversation with quidditch which was something he seemed very passionate about. Kyra was wondering which Ravenclaw student was his brother as she peered past him to look at the faces down the table, trying to decide if any of the older kids had any resemblance. ”Is he here now? She asked and then glanced back at Taylor’s own Gryffndor family to once more see if she could spot some of his brothers. ”I very much look forward to enjoy the quidditch matches as long as the teachers don’t pile too much homework on us.”

Clyde saw the opportunity, taking note of the red haired girls sudden absences as he glanced down the table. I didn’t see her depart.. wonder where she went. he pondered but did take note of the Gryffndor boy again, chatting with his fellow Ravenclaw, the silver haired girl. The girl on the other side of her had gotten up with another couple classmates to leave the great hall so Clyde figured he’d slip in and try to get to know more students. The ones who he had sat with talked a bit but they didn’t seem very interested in green troll boogies which he swore he had read in some paper saying they could cure blindness. Clyde lifted up his plate full of roast beef, casserole, bacon and some kidney pie and strutted over to where Kyra and Taylor were sitting. He unceremoniously plopped his plate down and sat straddling the bench, food particles flying off his plate to land on the table. ”This food is the bee’s knees isn’t it? Man, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so well in my life. Kyra right? And I don’t think I know any Gryffndor’s yet. The name is Clyde!” he introduced as he reached across Kyra and extended his hand out to Taylor. It wasn’t till he noticed that he had some casserole on his fingers that he retracted his hand and wiped it on his robe and extended it again.


Their conversation was suddenly cut short as a loud banging noise of a plate being dropped on the next to her forced her to turn her stop talking and turn to see who it was that was being so rude and was suddenly staring at the bane of her entire day. Clyde was all grins and smiles and she found herself suddenly caught between wanting to slap him or continuing to act proper. The better part of her won out and she gave him a false little smile before turning back to Taylor. Maybe if she just pretended he wasn’t there, he’d just vanish. It was clear by the look on her face that she didn’t want him to be there… Hopefully he and Taylor didn’t engage in any sort of conversation.

”Of course you belong here. It may not feel like home now but just give it some time and trust me, by the end of the year you won’t want to go home.” Markelm wasn’t sure which student was Kyra but he gave her another reassuring pat and let her step back. ”I can’t say anything about this Kyra girl. But if this Kyra doesn’t like you than she’s just barmy. There are a lot of students here and I’m sure you’ll find more than your fair share to make friends with.” He couldn’t help but chuckle as she went on a rant about the other kids and despite knowing that she shouldn’t use such language language he only grinned and let it pass with a small warning. ”No. No curses, boils and slapping anyone. And I’d be careful with that tongue of yours before it gets you into trouble. He did frown slightly at the mention of her wand sparking and held out his hand. ”Let me see your wand. And as I said.. I wouldn’t try too hard at making friends. Just let it come naturally and people will come to like you for who you are, unless you scare them away first.” he teased as he waited for her to fetch her wand so he could have a look at it. Markelm reflected back on his own lack of friends within the school and figured he could take his own advice. He knew the looks the other teachers were giving him and only a handful of them had even so much as introduced themselves to him. Professor Dumbledore seemed one of the more accommodating teachers he’d conversed with and despite Headmaster Dippits often sour and angry scowls the man himself gave his permission for Markelm to teach here so he felt little animosity between the two of them. The Defense Against Dark Arts teacher, Professor Shimpett was nothing but glares and angry grunts. He didn’t like the man and after years and years of surrounding himself with the less respectful sorts of wizards he’d gained a fairly good sense about people. Hopefully the mans sour and dark attitude didn’t reflect upon how he taught his students. Markelm let it slide that she hadn’t been calling him professor because they were alone in a classroom and hopefully she would remember her manners from now on out.

Kyra tried her best to follow Taylor's eyes as he scanned the tables for his siblings and glanced as he pointed out Riley. She could see the resemblance as her blue eyes went from Taylor and Riley and to Taylor again. Even though Riley was a bit further away she could still see it and made a note to keep her eyes open to see if she could spot his other two siblings around the halls. Clyde's interruption brought a halt to the conversation and she found herself frowning as the boy reached in front of her to extend his hand to Taylor, pull it back again to clean it, then extend it again. Taylor still did shake the boys hand though and soon enough she didn't have his arm in front of her. It was you who first interrupted Elsie and I.. She kept the thought to herself but nodded when Taylor so politely gave her an excuse to get away from the red haired walking disaster. Kyra would have preferred a reason to slip away from the both of them, but she knew that just getting up and blowing them both off would be overly rude and could even incite animosity between Clyde and Taylor if one or the other blamed them for her suddenly leaving. She didn’t want to incite any anger between house Ravenclaw and house Gryffndor though.. not on her first day. Kyra was still hungry.. most of her food untouched but she slipped her legs over the bench nonetheless and stood up anyway. "I would like that very much, Taylor Rowe." She replied, pointedly ignoring Clyde and not looking at him. Kyra reached down and pulled her bag up from the floor and slung it over her shoulder and waited for Taylor to stand and lead the way. Kyra brushed several strands of her silvery hair away from her face and gave one last longing look to her untouched food.. Maybe while walking she could find some suitable excuse that would allow her to go in a different direction but for now if she had to choose between the company of Clyde or Taylor, she'd pick Taylor. At the very least the boy was polite, even if he talked as if Kyra was a useless damsel in distress. ”I had been planning on checking out the Hogwarts library. Would you like to accompany me there?”

”I think if you really look at it, you’ll realize that some of these students are just as lost as you. There are other muggle born students in this school and most of them come into the school with as little knowledge of actually using magic as you. As for books, you’ve already got all the books you need, and the professors to teach you.” Markelm could see that Elsie still felt unsure, but there wasn’t anything he could do. Elsie would just have to try a little harder than some of the other students for the first year or so, but that was all art of growing up. He still didn’t like her thirst for vengeance though, vaguely wondering where she picked that up and inwardly knowing the answer to that question. ”No punishment. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you hope, but its better to just move on and not dwell on it. And no slapping any boys, and definitely no pushing them down the stairs. Goodness Elsie, are you looking to get yourself kicked out already? Just try to behave yourself.. The kids here are different than the gutter rats of London.” Markelm frowned upon the idea of Elsie exacting revenge.. but hopefully he had dissuaded her enough to keep her from physically hurting any of the kids. Back at home her toughness was a shield, but here in Hogwarts where the rules were different it might hinder her more than protect her. Maybe if she could surround herself with friends with more proper upbringings… Markelm let the train of thought end as she handed her wand for him to exam. Markelm took it and brought it up to his eyes as he ran his fingers along the length of it, answering her questions while he gave the wand a good once over. ”Cage? Why would you want a… cat? Eh, I don’t think the animals will have any issues with each other so I wouldn’t worry about it.” Markelm traced a finger along a part of the wand, feeling a small faint fracture where something had obviously landed or smashed into it. Markelm frowned and rubbed at the stubble on his chin. Was the wand like this when I got it…?. The wand itself came from a… less than reputable individual who sold stolen wizarding wands. Markelm wasn’t exactly welcomed in Ollivanders, which was regarded as the best wand making shop in Britain and possibly the wizarding world. Even some of the other more famed shops didn’t take kindly to having thieves and smugglers in their establishments so shopping in Nocturn Alley was the only way for him to get a decent wand without actually taking Elsie to a wand to get one fitted for her personally. Markelm hadn’t exactly given the wand a thorough glance over upon receiving it either so he knew it was very possible that it was already in this condition when he had bought it. ”Your.. wand has a small fracture in it. I probably should have noticed that earlier.” he finally stated, rubbing his hand along his chin some more as he handed it back and tried to think of a solution. ”Spending money… Maybe? But I’ll have to see about getting your wand fixed first.” He replied, then started to pace and mumble to himself about how expensive it’d be to either repair the wand or replace it. Markelm wasn’t by any means poor, just gave the illusion of it. He was far from rich though and didn’t want to dip into secret stashes of money that the Ministry never found out about. ”Anyway, lunch is about to end so I think you best get back to the great hall before you miss out. It may be a while before I can get your wand fixed so try not to stress it too much, but I’ll figure something out and let you know either in person or by owl.” Markelm walked to the door and opened it and waved her out, dismissing her.

Clyde shook the boys hand but found himself frowning when Taylor accused him of interrupting their conversation. He really just wanted to chat and make friends but even he wasn't that dense. He suddenly realized that he was unwanted, so he kept his mouth shut tightly as the girl and boy stood up to leave him alone. Despite how exciting the morning had been, with classes and not making it late to class he seemed to be utterly failing at making friends. Maybe I'm coming on too strong.. he thought as he watched the two of them walk away, then turned back to his food. Clyde picked up his fork and poked at his roast beef but suddenly he didn't feel so hungry as his shoulders slumped and he let out a long sigh. Everywhere he looked he saw students chatting with each other but every time he tried to approach people he only got strange gazes or cold shoulders. Its still just my first day though. I'm sure everyone's just nervous or something he told himself, hitching his shoulders back up and looking around the great hall.

Kyra walked slowly behind Taylor as they made their way from the great hall, thankful that he was tactful enough to match his pace to hers even though he was leading the way out. She felt a vague pang of guilt for just up and leaving Clyde but the boy had never given a sincere apology for his actions earlier in the morning which had led to her most public embarrassment with her mother and the point deduction for their house. She actually found herself feeling rather petty but decided to stubbornly ignore the feeling and continue to blame the boy for her earlier misfortunes even though she could hear her mothers voice telling her not to hold grudges and treat everyone with respect and kindness. Mentioning the library had worked far greater than she could ever imagine as Taylor seemed displeased by the prospect of being surrounded by books. It did seem a little strange to want to go to the library on the first day, and no doubt there wouldn’t be many a student there but none the less she would rather learn her way around the castle now than spend the rest of the day lounging in the sunlight. ”I know. But I’d prefer to acquaint myself with the library since I’m sure to be spending an abundance of time there.” she replied and added as an after thought ”I am a Ravenclaw, afterall.” Kyra never thought of herself as academically gifted as the students of Ravenclaw were famous for being but neither did she fail with her home studies and the tutoring she had received at home. And there were still her mother and father that expected the highest marks from her grades. ”I’m certain we’ll be seeing each other around.” Kyra bid Taylor farewell and turned the opposite, heading deeper into the school. Of course she had no idea where the library was but it only took stopping a older Ravenclaw student to get directions and she found herself climbing stairs towards the third floor, her shoes clicking softly against hard stone steps. The hallway here was near deserted with only a student here or there briskly making their way throughout the school as the young first year came upon the large arched intricately carved doors that led to the library. Kyra first peeked her pretty little head in and found her eyes almost disbelieving the view in front of her. She wasn’t even aware of her jaw opening or her feet slowly walking themselves further into large magnificent room. There had to be literally thousands and thousands of shelves stretching far back into the room on her left and right and contained on those shelves were tomes and books and scrolls of numbers her mind wasn’t even ready to comprehend. Kyra about lost her breath, having never seen such a large collection of books before. She had always considered her mothers library to be impressive but it was a mere speck of dust compared to what sprawled out before her. Down the middle row on which she stood were long tables with magically lit lamps to read by and each table was surrounded by identical wooden chairs. Unlit Candles floated about the large room, spaced few and far apart but illuminating enough for one to see enough to read the spines of dusty books or traverse along the winding passage ways that branched out from the walls on either side of her during the darker hours of the day. Each hall was lined with more shelves and more books creating a large maze like structure that wove out from the main room like the roots of a large old oak tree. Her eyes found themselves distracted as a book slowly floated over her head and vanished behind a shelf. She did her best to find where the book had come from and found herself looking at a large circular desk that sat to the side of the long carpeted middle isle. The desk was piled impossibly high with books and if there was a librarian sitting behind those walls of paper and letters she didn’t immediately see one. She couldn’t help but feel like a tiny ant as she against glanced up to the high ceiling, taking note of more faint candles that floated about above balconies and walkways that crisscrossed over her head. Everywhere her head turned she caught glimpses tables hidden behind and within the maze of shelves. The room smelled of old books, a smell she found very pleasant but different than the perfumed and incense halls of her own home. Kyra closed her eyes to take in a deep breath, and for how long she knew not as she breathed in the smell of history and knowledge. When her eyes opened there was a figure in front of her and she squeaked and stumbled back, tripping over her own long clumsy legs and falling on her butt. The world shook for a moment before her blue eyes regained focus. Kyra found a withered hand being extended to her and followed it up along the deep amber velvet sleeves to an even more withered face that was staring down at her with a slight smile that was nearly hidden beneath a big bushy white beard. The man’s eyes were almost completely hidden by thick bushy eyebrows and above that he appeared to be hiding aged baldness beneath a pointed red velvet wizards hat that was covered in silver and gold inlay.

”Oh dear me, child. I meant not to scare you. Oh no no no, I was merely curious as to who would trouble themselves on the first day with me and my books. Oh but I forget myself. My name is Mr. Wembel, this library’s librarian and protector of knowledge!.” The old man’s voice was whispy but strong, quiet but filled with heart as he introduced himself with a grand sweeping gesture after he had helped her up.

Kyra took the frail hand, doubtful of the strength its owner possessed to help her up but the frail looking wizard had naught for trouble pulling her to her feet. Kyra readjusted her bag and gave a polite curtsy in thanks. ”I.. I apologize but you startled me. I hope the library is open, I meant not to intrude. I was just overwhelmed, I think. There are more books than I thought there would be and I thought I’d just take a look… this place is so large.. I’ve never seen so many books before..”. she replied with a slight stammer but found her voice as she talked, though her words trailed as she was still caught up in how magnificent the room was. The man nodded and a silence settled over the two of them briefly before the man threw back his head and chuckled, his voice echoing through the library. She couldn’t help but imagine someone popping their head out from a bookshelf and telling him to be quiet, but he was the librarian and that was generally the person who did the telling. His chuckle died down and he clapped his hands together with a wry grin.

”A Ravenclaw. Oh yes, I should have suspected. Come seeking knowledge and wisdom, no doubt. You can be sure you’ll find much knowledge beneath the covers of these books and much much wisdom too. But do feel free to explore and excuse an old man. Just remember to stay out of the restricted books section and keep your voice down. There are frail books on these shelves and they do not take kindly to loud voices.

Kyra watched the old man shuffle away on soft slippers, returning to his fortress of books. Before he vanished she watched him produce a wand, wave it about and send another dozen or so books lifting into the air and flying off towards the shelves they called home. Kyra wasn’t sure what to make of the librarian but committed his words to memory as she let her feet carry her randomly through the large room. She found herself pacing around the edge of the room, peering into hallways that snaked out from the main building… and she wasn’t sure if all of them wound their way back somewhere else. After coming across a cramped stone staircase that wound upwards she found herself climbing up and up until at last she emerged on a small balcony overlooking the rest of the library. Across the room and to her right were several more similar balconies, some with pathways that connected one side with the other. Hers had no such walk way but it did contain a gnarled old table with a couple of chairs and a lamp that emitted no light. Kyra walked to the railing of the balcony and placed her hands on it as her head turned this way and that. Down below she saw another student nervously shuffle in and along one of the long arching walk ways she spied another student. Apart from the three students and the librarian, the rest of the library appeared empty of bodies. The large stained glass windows on 3 sides of the library did more than enough to provide light during the day, but she could imagine how dim the place would be with the few candles floating about with nothing but the lamps upon study tables to provide extra light for students to read by. She vaguely remembered seeing a sign stating the library was open till 8 p.m. That at least gave them a couple more weeks till the sun began setting at hours earlier than the library closed. Kyra soon found herself back downstairs, winding her way through the maze like labyrinth of books, her finger and hands running along the spines of books as she mumbled various titles to herself, more often than not having to stand up on her tippy toes to pull a book downward to get a glance at the title or use one of the stepping stools or ladders that were placed all along the shelves. Kyra never felt completely attracted to books, but the ones that her tutors had her read didn’t seem nearly as interesting as some of the titles contained within these walls. So engrossed in the books and exploration that Kyra wasn’t even aware of the eyes that had been following her around.

Fawn chewed on some of her hair as she moved like a wisp across a thick rug on the floor of the library, or at least she thought she was being quiet as she trailed after the unicorn girl (dubbed unicorn girl because of her silvery hair, and the regal way she held herself.. surely she wasn’t a witch, but a majestic unicorn in disguise!). For a second she got distracted by her shirt as it had somehow come out from the band of her skirt.. or did she do that herself. No.. no, yes. No. Fawn wasn’t sure but she did know her head of house had scolded her on her appearance early in the morning and for a short few hours she looked proper, or as proper as Fawn would get. Her parents often said her ability to look forever messy must have been a magical gift and even the most gifted ladies found it impossible to tame her deep black messy hair. At least, she thought she recalled her parents saying something along those lines.. Fawns hair was messy in part because Fawn often ran her fingers unceremoniously through her shaggy locks or even idly chewed or twirled and twisted them. She messed with her hair so often that she wasn’t even aware of doing it any longer and it even shocked herself sometimes when she passed by a mirror. But Fawn never gave much care to her appearance, even if others had. Her robes were two sizes too long, hammy downs from some random stranger. The robes had holes, now patched with off color pieces of fabric and the ends of her robes were frayed and coming apart. Her guardians had promised her a new set of robes next year but for now she had to make do with a mismatch of clothing of some random stranger that had worn to this school previous. At least the vest had the right house symbol on it, even if was plucked off a previous shirt and resewn onto this one. Fawn idly fingered the yellow and black winter scarf draped about her shoulder as she peeked around another bookshelf, realizing she had lost track of her prey. ”Troll boogers..” she whispered and picked up her pace as she passed by a few more bookshelves. Thankfully the silver haired witch moved as slow as a slug and made for easy tracking and in just a few moments she had found her again. Fawn stared down the isle, watched as the girl plucked a book from a shelf and then glanced her direction. With her heart pounding, she ducked back behind the shelf and pressed herself up against the wooden structure, pressing her palms against her mouth. That was close… she thought as she waited a few seconds and cautioned another glance down the narrow passageway of shelves. The girl had vanished again and a sly grin slipped across her lips. Slippery Unicorn girl…..

When Fawn caught sight of her obsession she knew the game was back on. The girl had slipped off into one of the branching hallways that webbed its way out from the main room. This hall was darker, with no stained glass windows to illuminate it with so the witch ahead of her had pulled out her wand and was using the light emitting from its end to randomly look at books, sliding them down from the shelves, often flipping idly through pages before returning them. The darkness gave Fawn easy cover to hide in as she prowled a safe distance away. So engrossed on stalking about and being a creeper that she scarce heard the approach of another student until the girl was almost right upon her. The short Gryffndor girl stood no chance as Fawn leaped out of the shadows as graceful as a cat as she bowled into the poor tiny Gryffndor girl, pushing her into the shelf of books behind her and pressing a hand to the girls mouth to keep her from squeaking or shouting or doing whatever surprised little girls do. ”Shhhhhhhhh.” Fawn whispered, unaware of how shocked or scared the girl was. Fawn pointed down the hall where her prey stood surrounded in a dim glow of light, flipping through the pages of yet another book. ”She must not see us.” Fawn hissed out, her dark almond shaped eyes boring into the girl with an intensity that promised retribution if she made any noise. Fawn had come too far to have all her creeping and stalking ruined by one little girl…

Clyde continue to sit by himself as the rest of the students about him ate and drank in merriment, or so it seemed to him as he looked left, then right at kids his own age engaged in conversation. A boy across the table from him had open some sort of book and was writing in it, a diary, it looked like so Clyde decided not to bother the boy with conversation but instead watched as he intently scribbled away. Clyde vaguely wondered what was being written.. maybe the kid was writing about how much fun he was having at Hogwarts or something. Soon enough he returned to his food but was getting pretty full pretty fast and his body was beginning to get the urge to run around and blow off all this energy his lunch was giving him. Somebody took a seat next to him and he gave a casual glance over before looking back down at his plate but then glanced over again, more quickly this time as he recognized the girl who had taken the seat as the very same girl he’d bumped into this morning and the one giving him the glares in Herbology class. He vaguely pondered where she had vanished off too earlier but figured it wasn’t important. Clyde thought about asking her for an apology for calling him a plonker earlier, but decided to let it drop since even he wasn’t thick enough to realize that words were exchanged hastily in anger. Maybe a clean slate would be best.. ”You missed your friend. She walked off that way with that Gryffndor kid, Taylor.” He said in an attempt to make small talk, pointing towards the entrance of the great hall to show which way the two of them had gone, even though that really was the only place they could have exited to.

Books tumbled down upon Fawn and her intruder, one clonking her on the head before he bounced to the floor, spilling open. Fawn didn’t even register that a book had hit her though, more concerned with being caught than anything else. She still had her hand over the girls mouth, dark eyes a mere inch from Thea’s. Fawn didn’t show any indication that she knew what her sudden surprise tackle had done as she raised her other hand to her mouth, pressing finger against the girls lips. ”Shhhhhh. We can’t let her know were here!” she whispered, unaware how harsh sounding the whisper came out or the fact that the girl seemed to be shaking. Fawn twisted her head about, her dark messy hair swishing about as she peered down the darkened isle of books. The unicorn girl had closed her book and seemed to be looking down this way.. it was hard to tell at this distance. Her head swiveled back to look again at her captive and after a moment more she removed her hand to see if the girl would squeal. She didn’t, that was good. In fact… She.. doesn’t seem to be breathing..” Fawn cocked her head to the side questioningly as she tried to solve this new puzzle of the unbreathing girl. Before her brain could get any further, her attention was taken by the unicorn girl who had closed the distance between them and had spoken in their direction. Fawn didn’t speak a word, and nor did the unbreathing one. We are invisible as long as we do not move. We are invisible as long as we do not move. We are invisible as long as we… NO WERE NOT! She told herself until the unicorn girl stepped forward again, her wand now bathing all three of them in light. I’ve been had!!!! was the last thing Fawn though before she jumped back, releasing Thea. She thought about dragging the girl along, but this was one of those ‘every man for himself’ situations and she wouldn’t have deadweight slowing her down in her retreat. ”ABORT!”. Fawn’s voice shattered the silence of the library as she turned on her heels and made for safety, not daring a glance back to see if the unicorn girl had fired any spells from her mystical horn. Fawn zipped into the main area, past the librarians desk, past the librarian who was shouting at her and straight to the door. Fawn didn’t slow at the shout and soon her feet could be heard disappearing along the hallway, becoming fainter and fainter until she was gone.

Kyra had forefinger and thumb gripping a thin old page of a book as she was about to flip another page over. A commotion down the path she had come from had taken her attention from the book ”Its all in the Wrist: A Instructional Guide to Wand Using for Young Witches and Wizards.”. She could have sworn she heard something crash into a bookshelf and or books falling to the ground and squinted her eyes to try to see but her eyes were only met with the darkness of the hallway she had veered down. Kyra shut the book with a thump and slipped it back up to the empty spot on the shelf as she turned and pointed her wand towards where the noise came from. She still couldn’t make anything out, and wondered if maybe her ears had played tricks on her, or maybe the librarian was walking around and she just hadn’t noticed. Kyra took several steps back the way she came, her wand held out in front of her. ”Hello? Excuse me, was someone there?” s?he asked the darkness but got no answer. Several steps more and her wand illuminated enough that she could see two dark shapes pressed up against each other against a bookshelf. Kyra gave a surprised squeak, thinking she had just run across two students snogging against some bookshelves and about stammered out an apology before some part of her mind gave her an uneasy feeling and that there was something else going on here than meets the eye. With another tentative step forward one of the faces turned towards her and Kyra saw dark eyes reflecting back her wand light but before Kyra could take another step or say anything the shape stepped back, shouted “ABORT!” and sprinted off in the other direction, robes and arms flapping madly about. Kyra stood dumbfounded for a moment as she listened to shoes hitting the floor fade away, the shout of the librarian telling someone there is no running in the library but then silence followed. It took a moment to remember there was a second person and after blinking herself back to awareness she realized whoever it was, was now on the floor against the bookshelf. Kyra’s eyes went wide as she covered the distance between them with uncharacteristic long strides, her wand bringing light to the figure of the girl. A flicker of recognition went through her as only hours earlier she remembered this girl from Herbology class. She could recall how shy and quiet the girl had been during class. It was obvious the girl terrified, even though Kyra had never seen someone have a panic attack before and her mind formed a blank space of vast nothingness as she tried to recall what you can be done to help. Kyra kneeled in front of the girl, accidentally dropped her wand as she too found herself suddenly panicking slightly but quickly picked it up and took a deep breath to calm herself. How could she calm her down if she too was panicking? ”Are you alright?” she asked first, to see if she could draw out a response. Kyra glanced at all the books on the floor, hoping one of them hadn’t hit the poor thing. ”Can you tell me your name?” She asked, trying to keep her voice calm, quiet and reassuring. Kyra wasn’t sure what the girls first name was but she did recall her mother calling her Ms. Hedman during class. Kyra knew she had to get the girl talking… and breathing.. before she would calm down. Kyra didn’t dare touch her though, afraid she might scare the girl more. The whole situation was creepy to her and she had no idea what the other girl was doing, or had done to her. Should I go to the Librarian? Or find my mother or another teacher to report this too? she wondered, along with a whole host of other thoughts. In the dim light of her wand, the girl looked unharmed, but it was impossible to tell without examining the girl.

Clyde was glad to see she just didn’t blatantly blow him off as he shrugged as if to answer the girls question. They may have mentioned something but he couldn’t recall where the two of them were headed. Maybe some place quiet to mock him so he couldn’t see. ”I’m not sure which way they went. It was a little bit ago though so I don’t think you could catch up to them. Don’t see why you would though. Rude little git, those two. Seems to me at least.” The silence that followed was deathly uncomfortable and he wondered if he shouldn’t have said that but after a bit more of a pause the girl finally spoke again. “Londoner. I am. But my parents came from Ireland..” he answered, his accent turning very Irish indeed, the word Ireland coming out more like Oireland. ”But since oi grew up in London, oi tend to speak mor like a city ratt den an oirelanderr.”. He explained but then dropped the Ireland accent after the last sentence. His Irish accent he picked up from hearing his parents talk but since he spent more time playing in the streets of the city growing up, he had gotten used to speaking like a Londoner. ”How about you? Where are you from?”

Markelm almost considered ducking away into another hallway or classroom when he noticed one of the professors approaching. He’d received his fair share of snide remarks and uneasy glances from several other teachers and wasn’t sure he wanted anyone else prying into his business, but Professor Gine seemed friendly enough upon frist appearance. A bit aged with gray and blonde hair but her casual appearance suggested she wasn’t strict or wouldn’t sneer at him so he didn’t duck away and merely waited for her to approach. Markelm took her hand and gave it a gentle shake, his grip wasn’t firm, but light and friendly. His other hand stayed casually in his pocket but he made no attempt at straightening his clothes or crooked tie that was hanging off to the left. It seemed no matter how often he tried appearing professional, his clothes always got rumpled some way or another so after class he hadn’t bothered straightening up. ”Professor.” He greeted but without a smile. ”Markelm Nicholais, aye. You are the potions teacher, correct? I’m glad to hear Elsie is making an attempt at being a model student. I honestly worry about how well she’ll fit in with the other kids, but its good to hear that.” He replied, taking note of Elsies involvement in her classes. The fact that she was active enough to participate was a good sign. It was better than having Elsie sit in the back of class, away from other students.

Kyra let out a relieved sigh as the girl spoke, answering her questions and on top of all that she seemed to be alright and there was no blood or anything that was evident by the dim light of her wand. She was still nervous and another deep breath on her part helped to steady her hand. "It.. it looks like you're fine, Thea Hedmen. My name is Kyra Hallow, we already had one class together. Do you recall?". She asked, glad the girl was talking. Kyra wanted to keep her talking though even if the worst of it seemed to be over already. She had no experience dealing with people having panic attacks but things seemed to be going better and not worst case. My mother would know just how to handle this situation... Her mother always seemed to know what to do and at exactly the right moment, a trait that Kyra seemed to lack, not knowing that it was something her mother developed with age and experience. The apology caught her by surprise and Kyra's hair flowed from side to side as she shook her head and let a reassuring and pleasant smile spread across her lips. "You've nothing to apologize for, Thea. Its that other girl that should apologize! Some nerve, I swear I'll find out who that girl was and tell my mother about this." Thea was still shaking pretty bad, but looked better with the color returning to her flesh. Kyra waved her wand around at the mess of books and again thought about involving the librarian but decided against it. Having the presence of teachers surrounding the girl may make things worse so instead Kyra just frowned and stood up, her head turning to look down the hall where the girl had made her hasty retreat. Suddenly Kyra felt flush with anger as her fingers curled tighter around her wand and she stomped one foot into the ground as a hrrrmmppphh sound erupted from deep within her throat. This whole first day was just getting more complicated and strange and unpleasant and the entirety of it made her just want to run after that girl, find her, and throttle her.. or at least shout at her and then drag her to her mother for a good lecture. Her mother was very good at lectures.. Kyra's shoulders slumped slightly though, realizing she'd know not where to look so she took another deep breath to let the rush of anger go and looked down at Thea, extending a delicate hand and offering the girl help up. "Can you stand? We should probably clean up this mess, but if you need another minute then just stay there and compose yourself. I can pick up the books if your not up to it." If Thea accepted the hand, she'd help her stand. Such a small girl.. she thought, knowing in her head that the girl had to be the same age as her, but she came off as a year or two younger. If Thea didn't accept her offer, or couldn't stand she'd begin picking up the books, by herself if Thea needed more time to recover, or with the girls help if she felt up to it. Kyra kneeled down and begin piling books into her arm, then standing and slipping each book carefully into its respective empty slot on the bookshelf.

"That would be correct. First time teaching though so I can only hope I'm not in over my head." Markelm replied evenly. If he sounded at all worried about the class it didn't show through though. The handling of magical beast was the easy part. Wrangling a bunch of kids and keeping them safe was the harder issue especially with feuds between houses or specific students, or just having unruly students in the first place. Thankfully he didn't have his own daughter to muck things up. She had a strange knack for getting into trouble with the muggles. Hopefully her temper wouldn't get the better of her in Hogwarts. "I don't think I need to be updated on how her grades are. I'd prefer to be as hands off with her as possible, it wouldn't do having me constantly check up on her and be destructive towards her building strong relationships with the other students. But if she gives you any problems, or isn't fitting in at all then let me know." Markelm would be busy, beside so the fewer distractions the better. His hands were full enough with planning and teaching his own classes that constantly keeping track of Elsie would only server to hurt his proficiency as a teacher and he felt that Elsie would better fit into the school if she didn't constantly track him down any time something went wrong, or have the other professors come to him anytime she failed a test or didn't turn in a homework assignment. "You'll have to excuse me now, I've got to get back to the grounds. It was a pleasure meeting you though." Markelm dismissed himself and walked past her towards the entrance hall. As an afterthought he stopped and turned back around. "I'll be making frequent trips into the forest. If you require any potion components that you think I'd be able to acquire for you, let me know and I'll see what I can do." He turned back towards the main arched doors and slipped outside, past a throng of students coming back from enjoying lunch beneath trees or on grassy hills beneath a warm sunny day.

"No." Clyde answered with a slight slump and frown. He had wanted to learn to speak Irish but his parents refused to teach him, saying that since he was growing up in London and going to Hogwarts, that he only needed to speak english. "Me mum and dad speak it, but says I won't have any need for it. I just think they don't want me to listen to their conversations or arguments." he further explained. He could pick out a few words here and there whenever his parents got into a tizzy. There were probably a lot of students from England, but since Elsie didn't elaborate he decided not to push the question any further as another uncomfortable silence ended that conversation. Lunch was coming to a end though as kids started heading outside or back to their common rooms or classes. First years had a large open free period until flying class so maybe a little walking around would be entertaining as Clyde stood. "I think I'm gonna head outside or something. Catch you later." Clyde picked up his things and left the great hall and went towards the entrance hall and then outside. At the very least the weather was good so he decided to poke about a bit to see if there were any interesting areas on the school grounds he could explore without getting into too much trouble.