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(HP) A Girl and Her Book

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[x] (Topic) Let them lead the conversation. If they ask you if you know magic,
-[x] Demonstrate a spell.

[x] (Friendship) Beth Squire
[X] (Friendship) Helen Prince
 
[X] (Topic) Let them lead the conversation. If they ask you if you know magic,
-[X] Demonstrate a spell.

[X] (Friendship) Helen Prince
 
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[X] (Topic) Let them lead the conversation. If they ask you if you know magic,
-[X] Demonstrate a spell.

[X] (Friendship) Eurig Cadwallader
 
[X] (Topic) Let them lead the conversation. If they ask you if you know magic,
-[X] Demonstrate a spell.
[X] (Friendship) Arjun Balaji

I liked Arjun, and he possibly leans into our interests in non European magical traditions.
 
Ehhhhhh Arjun is a bit much ngl

He doesn't seem to get when to stop lol
 
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WhoTheHeckity said:
@Guiding Bolt So who did the other wands belong to?
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Bellatrix Lestrange (Walnut), Sirius Black's original wand (Blackthorn), Morfin Gaunt (Yew), Alice Longbottom (Apple).

There's a bit at play with Bella, Sirius and Alice's wands that may come into relevance later on, but I am willing to share some more details/clarifications as wanted on them. The choice of words on Sirius's first wand as "if nothing else, human" (a motto that Sirius presumably never agreed with, but that the Black Family certainly did agree with) turns his second wand's engraving of "more or less human" into something of a sarcastic call back.
 
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[X] (Topic) Let them lead the conversation. If they ask you if you know magic,
-[X] Demonstrate a spell.

[X] (Friendship) Helen Prince
 
I wonder if Helen's part of that Prince family. It'll be interesting seeing how Snape interacts with her.
 
[X] (Friendship) Try to befriend everyone equally.

...I wanted to vote for multiple of them so might as well go with this one. As for chiming in I'm not really sure about what to choose for that one.
 
[X] (Topic) Let them lead the conversation. If they ask you if you know magic,
-[X] Demonstrate a spell.
[X] (Friendship) Arjun Balaji
 
I think we are all ignoring the most important information in the update
Guiding Bolt said:
You turn your wand over. "Did you get yours from Ollivander's?"

Luna shakes her head.

"No, he's too involved with the Shi'ar Conspiracy. Dad says he's been spreading phoenix propaganda to impressionable witches and wizards for too long.
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What is Ollivander involved in, I always knew it was suspicious from where he gets all his phoenix feathers, aren't phoenix supposed to be rare?
 
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[x] (Topic) Let them lead the conversation. If they ask you if you know magic,
-[x] Demonstrate a spell.

[x] (Friendship) Beth Squire

Luna is always best girl and i'm already feeling dubious about our wand.
 
I wish we picked the Apple wand. It would've given us an interesting in with Neville.
 
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Ginny, 0.8: "Sparks Fly"
  • Threadmarks
    • [x] (Topic) Let them lead the conversation. If they ask you if you know magic,
    -[x] Demonstrate a spell.
    [x] (Friendship) Helen Prince


    A GIRL AND HER BOOK, "Sparks Fly"
    1 September, 1992 ○ 11:12 AM GMT



    Eurig, Ruby and Beth laugh together at Beth's shield charm experience. Beth and Ruby's eyes fall on Eurig, the most social in the group yet to share, and at first he dodges away from the question. He shrugs back, but when their eyes don't move away from him, he turns his gaze pointedly away and makes eye contact with you. It isn't an explicit ask for you to show your magic, but it is an ask for help that you can answer.

    "I know a few spells too," you chime in, pulling the attention away from a grateful Eurig. "I haven't learned a Shielding Charm yet, but I'd really like to. I'm trying to work my way through The Standard Book of Spells, so I can…" impress Harry Potter, but you weren't going to say that. "…make my family proud."

    Helen's eyes refocus in the window, and she turns her attention slightly, to watch your reflection instead of staring out aimlessly. Ruby, across Beth from you, coos in interest.

    "Well, up for showing us any, Ginny?" Ruby's all smiles as she asks. The rest of the compartment is interested as well, giving you their full attentions.

    You pull your wand from your pocket, twirling it in your fingers as you pull it out. You want to call it a she, for some reason, but you don't know if that's a connection between you and your wand starting to form or just an idle thought.

    "You might not want to look directly at my wand," you say, giving a careful warning. Ruby stares intently at your wand's tip. Beth exhales and readies herself. Of the others, Arjun is the only one who changes their position to follow your advice, looking instead at the compartment door.

    You swish your wand through the air, flicking your wrist upward as you incant the spell's word of power: "Vermillious."

    In an instant, red sparks shower out from your wand, rising in a fountain towards the compartment's roof. The bright light of the sparks permeates each corner of the room, illuminating every surface with a radiant red glow. Ruby's pale face turns to scarlet wonder, with open-mouthed awe lasting long after the spark's lose color. Eurig, in the flare-light gleam, grunts in approval and leans in, reaching out to catch falling sparks of light; Helen turns away from the window, eyeing you with newfound attention and curiosity.

    The sparks fade out across the floor of the room, turning to ash and then to air. Your wand thrums with energy and excitement in your hand, deeply pleased to show off to those present.

    "Wow," Ruby starts, before rubbing her at her eyes. You think she might've stared too closely at the sparks.

    "Is that a first-year spell? Cool," Beth asks. You nod in response, so she continues. "Did you take lessons?"

    "No, um, not really. My oldest brother helped out a bit, but it was mostly just general advice, since he's off in Egypt now." Beth's satisfied with your response, but Ruby's hooked immediately at the mention of a foreign country.

    "Woah, he's in Egypt? Are you from there?"

    "No, he just works there. He's a curse-breaker," you explain, smiling. Bill's job is so cool. Ruby nods along, but the look in her eyes has you questioning if she knows what a curse-breaker even is.

    Helen clears her throat, taking the group's attention. "Is it okay if I show a spell too?" Nobody in the room objects, so Helen removes her wand from its holster on her skirt's belt and puts it out in front of her. She takes a breath and steadies herself, before swirling her wand in a clockwise pattern and incanting: "Fumos."

    Gray smoke gathers around Helen's wand and arm, covering and concealing those areas almost entirely. While the haze stops you from seeing color or detail, you can still clearly see her outline. After a moment of appreciating the gathered smoke, Helen smiles. Pleased with herself, she leans forward and blows on her wand's tip, causing the gathered smoke to lose shape and fade back to air.

    Ruby claps for Helen, before frowning and thwacking herself in the face. "Ugh—I mean, sorry, Helen—just how far behind are we, Beth?" The two laugh. You smile, only a little sheepish at the whole thing. You and Helen make eye contact; Helen smiles confidently before she breaks the look, returning her fir wand to its leather holster and then returning to her stare out the window.

    Arjun laughs with Ruby. "It is all well, my friend, they teach muggleborns here. Everyone has to start from somewhere and I am sure you and I will catch up to our beautiful friends in no time at all!"

    Ruby, more confidently, nods after that. She turns to Eurig, the only one in the group who still hasn't shared. Eurig scratches at the left side of his face before taking a deep breath and starting to share.

    "Well, I haven't really tried anything in the books, or any of that yet. I'm uh, more of a flyer myself. Quidditch, I mean," Eurig stumbles over his words, likely intimidated at being turned to follow up after your and Helen's shows of direct magic, "not that other stuff. I like it when it's just a man and the sky, uh, makes me feel like the whole world is my snitch."

    You raise an eyebrow. Helen starts to mouth something to the window, but twitches and ends up just shaking her head at it.

    "Oh, yeah, flying's great," Ruby agrees easily. "I'm so stoked for my first lessons. Dad says there's too many muggles around where my family lives so I've never had the chance."

    Arjun laughs at that. "Why should he care if muggles see, Ruby Jukes! We pay the utility tax each year, is your dad trying to put our good obliviators out of work?"

    Beth frowns at that. Ruby's eyes flick across the room for help, making eye contact with Eurig for just a moment before he breaks and looks away. Helen, if she reacts at all, keeps it subtle. You're about to speak up, but Ruby starts before you can.

    "Well, um, no, he just doesn't want to be a nuisance, I think," Ruby says, all of her words coming out in a speedy jumble. "And, plus, my Mum knows some of them, and there's a lot of stories about obliviators going bad, and I, um, would just really hate to see Mrs. Leander or Old Sue have one of those happen to her, it's just an unneeded risk really, when we could just wait or go somewhere else to practice, but we're not trying to put anyone out of business, or take away anyone's work,"

    Beth puts a hand on Ruby's leg to steady her friend. They must know each other from before the train. Arjun, for his part, looks guilty.

    "It is not like that, my friend," Arjun says once Ruby has stopped, with sincere contrition in his voice. "It was only meant as a joke, not as a harm. How you treat your muggles is no concern of mine,"

    Beth glares at him, while Ruby works to calm down. "My dad's a muggle, Arjun. They're people too." You hope you didn't just see Helen rolling her eyes at that. Arjun looks for a second like he's going to argue with Beth, but instead he lifts his hands up to the air in surrender.

    "It would be a good joke in my family but I don't think my humor translated. I am sorry that I caused offense, Beth, Ruby," Arjun continues, his hands still in the air. Beth continues to scowl, but Ruby speaks up before she can say anything back to him.

    "It's okay," Ruby says, before she offers him a hand for a reconciliatory high-five. You think. It's all a little weird to you. "Still friends?" Arjun gives her the little high-five she was looking for and Beth does her best to swallow her scowl and move on.

    Eurig speaks to break the silence forming. "Hey, do you think that sound in the hallway is the trolley coming?" And sure enough, it is.





    Good to her word, Helen bought a round of treats from the trolley cart for everyone present. The rejoicing and eating that followed provided a temporary reprieve from the awkwardness that lingered in the compartment air, and when the group came close to finishing their food, Beth pointed out it would be a good idea for you all to start getting changed into your robes. A collective effort between you, Ruby and Beth shooed the boys out of the compartment while you each changed; afterward, Eurig and Arjun returned for only a minute, with Eurig mentioning he had recognized some friends further down the train that he and Arjun were going to head over and sit with. You wonder if Eurig really is close with some group from further down the train or if he was just acting to avoid more conflict in the compartment.

    The four of you weren't going to complain about the new space in the compartment. You switched sides to take advantage of that new space, placing yourself next to Helen and across from Beth. The conversations from that point on were less exciting. You learned that Beth and Ruby were friends since childhood, both from Godric's Hollow, while Helen's family lives in one of the boroughs of Magical London. All three of the other girls in the room are half-bloods; Ruby and Helen both have muggle mums, while Beth's dad is a muggle. Helen says she doesn't like talking about family, and you help steer the conversation away from that topic and into other areas. Eventually, the conversation moves on fairly quick to the subject of houses.

    Ruby and Beth both want to end up in Gryffindor while Helen is more interested in Slytherin.

    Which house are you interested in and why?

    [] (House) Gryffindor
    [] (House) Hufflepuff
    [] (House) Ravenclaw
    [] (House) Slytherin

    [] (Motivation) Write-in.

    All responses to this vote will be incorporated into Ginny's internal thoughts on the Houses, not just the winning response. Ginny's build and chosen character traits will also factor in to the Sorting Hat's decision. The winner of the vote is not necessarily the House that Ginny will be sorted into, but the arguments and motivations involved will have significant impact on which house she ends up in. Thoughts such as "I want to become a dark wizard or witch someday" will be contextualized as Ginny wanting to be in a position of power to make changes in the world or as Ginny wanting to be part of a revolution against her personal issues.

    If there are questions, as always, feel free to ask me in thread or on discord. I was short on time writing today, so there won't be a second part attached with this update.
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  • Threadmarks
    • [x] (House) Ravenclaw
    [x] (Motivation) Partly for Luna, partly because the Magic Nerd' plan won and that'd fit Ravenclaw the most, and partly because its the best House to get some learning done.

    Also because that Pottermore Quiz sorted me into Ravenclaw
     
    Guiding Bolt said:
    Arjun looks for a second like he's going to argue with Beth, but instead he lifts his hands up to the air in surrender.

    "It would be a good joke in my family but I don't think my humor translated.
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    Very glad we didn't befriend him. Big yikes.

    [X] (House) Ravenclaw

    [X] (Motivation) A large part of it is that you want to learn as much as you can and you want to be around people who feel similarly (for once) and a tiiiiny part of it is that, well, you want to see the look on your brothers' faces when they see a Weasley get sorted outside Gryffindor.
     
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    [X] (House) Ravenclaw
    [X] (Motivation) A large part of it is that you want to learn as much as you can and you want to be around people who feel similarly (for once) and a tiiiiny part of it is that, well, you want to see the look on your brothers' faces when they see a Weasley get sorted outside Gryffindor.
    -[X] For Luna too

    Luna is a valid reason; the sorting goes alphabetical so she gets sorted before Ginny.
     
    [X] (House) Ravenclaw
    [X] (Motivation) A large part of it is that you want to learn as much as you can and you want to be around people who feel similarly (for once) and a tiiiiny part of it is that, well, you want to see the look on your brothers' faces when they see a Weasley get sorted outside Gryffindor.
    -[X] For Luna too
     
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