40 replies to this topic

[Allison Cassidy Rose]

Allison sat down on a couch near the fire. Few people were in the common room and it was quiet aside from the low murmer of conversation. Christmas was coming to a close and the time to relax was almost over. Classes would be starting soon and most free time would be used for homework. Allison closed her eyes for a moment and thought of home. Realizing that it had been a while since she had written she pulled out a piece of spare parchment and began to write.

Dear Mum and Father,
Christmas here was lovely. Thank you for the sweets, I hope you enjoyed the gifts I sent home. I hope everyone is well. Send my regards to Aunt Ethel. I would love to hear from you.
Sincerly,
Allison Cassidy Rose

Allison read this over once before neatly folding it and setting it aside. She would need to remember to visit the owlery. Allison then looked at the fire and let her mind drift. It was odd that she wasn't on edge even though she was so neat the fire...

Edited by Allison Cassidy, 24 April 2011 - 07:25 PM.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

Joe sat quietly one of the armchairs in the common room, reflecting on the holiday that had only recently passed, and what the occasion had meant to him. All things considered, he had to admit that Christmas had been a more enjoyable experience than he expected it would be, especially once he had received the confirmation letter from home that told him that all was well on Wilkins Farm. The Secret Santa event on Christmas Day had been fun even if it had showed him just how inept he was when it came to playing anything resembling a musical instrument. The flute was currently resting in his pocket, but since receiving it as his gift, he had not as yet had occasion to practice. Perhaps the fact that he wasn't alone might have something to do with that particular decision.

Yes, Christmas had been fun but now it was all but over, once the final formality of the New Year celebration was also consined to history, it would surely be a matter of days before classes began again. Why did people celebrate the new year anyway? It almost always signalled the end of holidays and the recommencement of school life. Actually, when had he started to think of it in those terms? Back on the farm New Year's Day was just a date like any other, there was no less work after the event than there had been the day before. Only since he had started at Hogwarts had the year seemed to have been split up into a series of 'terms', had he really adjusted to the new regime that quickly? It had been over a year now of course that he had attended this school, but that was still not really all that long.

Of course, when the new school term did roll around, it wasn't like they would have to round up the students either. They were all here already. Would there be some kind of commencement feast to form an official transition between leisure and study time or would there simply be an announcement that classes would start again on a given date? Either way, it wouldn't be long before he found out and as always, thoughts of this nature always seemed to put a dampener on the final days of the holiday.

Trying to think of something to take his mind off the unwelcome prospect of returning to his studies, he glanced around the room and noticed a younger student on one of the nearby couches. He didn't know the girl all that well, but perhaps if he could start a conversation with her about recent events, he could forget for a moment that times were moving on. "Have you enjoyed Christmas this year?" he inquired, noting to himself as the words left his lips that he was already referring to the festive period in the past tense.

[Allison Cassidy Rose]

Allison was startled by the boy's voice. Allison thought aabout his question for a moment the replied, "It was wonderful! Probably the best Christmas I've ever had!" then to be polite she added, "And how were your holidays?"

Allison really had ebjoyed her Christmas. She only got two presents, sweets from her Mum and Father and a scarf from her Aunt Ethel, but in her opinion it was what made this year seem the best. She felt normal. She didn't wake up to find a mountain or two of gifts, all made of gold, silver, cashmere, or silk, that she would never wear or use in public. She had been so worried that on Christmas morning she would open her gifts to find the gold pendant her mum had been planning on giving her and recieve stares. Yes, her family had money and they had always felt the need to spend most of it on her despite her pleads. But then again, with this history, why didn't she recieve her normal Christmas gifts? Only one thing could be the answer in her mind. Why can't Mum and father accept that I'm a Huffflepuff? Allison shook off the thought and turned back to the boy.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

It appeared to Joe that he had shocked the girl a little, he saw the startled look on her face before she replied to him. Perhaps he should have said 'hello' to her before simply bombarding her with a random seeming question but he had wanted to take his mind off the gloomy business of the closing holiday season and she had been around when he was looking for someone with whom to keep the candle burning for a little while. At least it didn't look like he had been burned anyway, that was a relief.

He considered how to respond to her counter-query. What kind of Christmas had it been for him? It had seemed strange to him at first, a time filled with uncertainty and worry, even dread at times but as the tapestry of the season had unraveled he had discovered he was reasonably pleased with the pattern that had emerged. "It was better than I expected it to be" he admitted "initially I was worried about my family of course, so I couldn't really enjoy anything but I got a reply to a letter I sent home, telling me that everybody was safe and well, I could relax a little more after that."

He didn't want to sound like he was boasting about some incredible run of fortune or anything, and he sure as heck didn't want her to feel bad if she hadn't received any such news but that letter had been more welcome and far more significant to him than any of the material gifts he had received this year and by telling her her was reminding himself that they were indeed alright. He hadn't seen any of them since he had moved up into the second year, so that news didn't seem entirely real to him yet. "Have you heard from your folks?" be asked, hoping that she too had been escaped the epidemic that was apparently sweeping the country.

He then realised that he had started a conversation with this girl, and he wasn't even sure if she knew his name, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to introduce himself at this stage. "I'm Joe by the way" he informed her, wondering if she too would furnish him with a name. Perhaps if they got the formalities out of the way, it might help to make the conversation flow a little more freely.

[Allison Cassidy Rose]

He seems to be quite fond of his family, Allison thought. "I too heard that my family is well. Only a short letter from my Mum then another from my Aunt Ethel but at least they have been spared." Allison said thankfully. "Unfortunety, the fact that we had to stay at school over the holidays ruined my trip to London with my Aunt. But no matter, oh! And I'm Allison Cassidy. Or Allison. Or even Alice." Allison ended with a laugh. Allison was never the best with words. "Hmmm, Joe." Allison repeated, "That's a lovely name. Is it short for anything?" She wondered.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

Joe was pleased that the girl had also received good news "I am glad to hear that your family have also been spared" he remarked "at least then you could settle down and enjoy the adventure." And an adventure it had truly been, a venture into uncharted territory spending his first Christmas away from his family. All in all though it hadn't been all that bad, yet he didn't want the event to be seen as a precursor to things to come. He didn't feel any great desire to grow up just yet.

He suspected that, with everything taken into account, the trip to London that the girl spoke of might not have happened even if she had been allowed home over Christmas, there would have been far too much opportunity to mingle, socialise and spread all sorts of diseases had that been the case. "You never know, maybe that trip could be rescheduled for another year" he suggested "but with so many concerns over public health right now I suspect the thought of going to the big city would not have been your aunt's first choice anyway." Of course he didn't know the circumstances, did not know if the London trip would have had any particular symbolic significance or anything, but if it was just a holiday, then surely it could be rescheduled.

He nodded when the girl gave her name, but then she apparently offered a number of alternatives "Which one would you prefer that I call you?" he asked, feeling that it might be better if he addressed her in the manner of her own choosing. it surprised him a little that she couldn't work out his full name, there weren't all that many alternatives for a boy who named himself 'Joe' but he would of course help her out "My full name is Joseph" he explained "Joseph Wilkins."

[Allison Cassidy Rose]

"You are right, the trip probably would not have happened any way. Next year, hopefully, I will be able to go. I wonder how no owls have spread the epidemic to Hogwarts yet." she thought out loud. She had wondered at first, once the announcement was made that they were staying over Christmas, if they would not be allowed to send letters. Surely the owls would have picked up something. "I prefer Allison." she responded to the boy's question. She was slightly shocked by his question. Not often was it that she was asked which she preferred about anything. She listened as he gave his name. "Joseph, that was expected but one can never be sure. Always best to ask in my opinion. Wilkins was your last name you said? I have not heard that one before." She mused.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

As much as Joe had not considered whether or not smallpox could be passed on to animals, it seemed clear that no statement had been passed on from the Ministry or from the school staff advising people to keep their pets at home and the owlery had not been sealed at all. Maybe owls were immune to it or something, or maybe animals couldn't catch human ailments. "I haven't heard of any of the owls getting ill" he confessed "and the headmaster and staff don't seem to be giving the issue much consideration. Perhaps they can't get it."

Even back home, he had not known many cases of an illness being passed from humans to the livestock on the farm or vice versa, although there were some cases that could jump species they appeared few and far between. "Back home on the family farm we don't often hear of an illness passing between people and animals, but I think it can happen sometimes" he pointed out.

The fact remained that he really wasn't much of an expert on medical matters anyway, he knew what he had been told by his father and what he could observe with his own eyes but half of that was related to folklore and home remedies. From what he had observed though, most of the people who called themselves doctors were just as clueless, they seemed to be clutching at straws half the time and what was with this unwholesome obsession with leeches? "I don't think muggles know all that much about medicine anyway" he remarked "it all seems kind of hit and miss. I haven't met one yet who could accurately explain why people got ill. Maybe wizarding healers understand a little better, I'm not sure."

He simply nodded when she expressed her name preference, the question, and response seemed perfectly normal to him. He did wonder how popular the surname 'Wilkins' was, it didn't seem any less prevalent than 'Cassidy' although he knew a few more people who shared it. "The name is reasonably common where I come from" he pointed out "my parents both share it, and I am reliably informed that my grandparents did too, at least on one side of the family." He grinned a little as he explained this, clearly stating the obvious but trying to have a little fun with it at the same time.

Edited by Joseph Arthur Wilkins, 01 May 2011 - 04:27 PM.

[Allison Cassidy Rose]

Maybe the owls can't catch small pox, but perhaps just pass it on? I'll ask someone later or maybe do a bit of reading Allison thought as Joe spoke. Allison listened on as he expressed his views on muggle medicine. "I have never really concidered muggles having doctors...I mean, obviously they do I have just never heard talk of them. Muggles are interesting arn't they? Imagine life without magic! How strange that would be!" Allison listened as he explained his name. "Common? Really? Hmm, I wish I had a common last name. One whom no one instantly knew who you were once you said it. My last name is Rose by the way. Sorry I didn't give you my full name earlier, Allison Cassidy Rose just sounds too formal to me." She watched his face carefully at this, would he shy away? Would he be impressed? Would hearing who she was have no effect at all? Allison's father had taught her to always make sure her last name was known so she would gain respect, but Allison wasn't as comfortable doing so as he.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

Allison was speaking of muggles as a curiosity of some kind, but of course they weren't curious as far as Joe was concerned, it was the magical world that was the enigma, not the perfectly natural society from which he originated. "It doesn't seem all that strange to me" he pointed out "after all, I was deeply immersed in muggledom before I came bere not that I was aware of the term of course. Living without magic doesn't seem all that strange to them since they don't even know it exists. They have invented tools to help them carry out a number of everyday tasks which we might take for granted. Other than that one simple distinction though, they aren't really all that different." His voice was perfectly calm as he spoke these words, simply describing the people he grew up with, his own family and friends from back home. Allison had not spoken unkindly about Muggles, so there was no reason to be angry or defensive in any way.

Despite what he himself had remarked, he wasn't sure if his surname was exactly common, he had pulled her leg a little about it being hereditary, a point which she had perhaps missed but he didn't exactly have access to any kind of national statistics. The Wilkins Farm was more like a small community, the rest of the world didn't seem to pay the place much notice except for a few individuals who traded with them or passed on stories. "To be honest with you, I am not sure how common my surname is" he remarked, deciding to exchange his previous levity for brutal honesty, perhaps she would appreciate that a little more.

When Allison revealed her full name, he simply accepted her word although he did wonder why she had withheld that last part a moment ago. Was there some significance to the name 'Rose' that he wasn't aware of. It was just a surname to him, and therefore of no real significance. He had noticed that some purebloods took the issue of surnames quite seriously but he wasn't one of them and the whole idea seemed silly to him anyway. What difference did it make? Then she explained that she considered her full name  to be formal, and therefore answered his only real question "Fair enough" he responded, before paying no more attention to her surname. It wasn't like it mattered or anything.

[Allison Cassidy Rose]

Allison was shocked. He knew so much about muggles! She was intrigued and leaned closer, trying to take in every word he said. Tools, he said they make their own tools. He also said they aren't really that different from us...if that were true why did he parents despise them so? Maybe she should ask in her next letter. "So you are muggle born? she asked politely How interesting! Your letter must have been quite a shock for you!" He didn't react to her last name, which if he were muggle born made sense. How would he know? He wasn't reading the Daily Prophet three years ago...

He expressed that he wasn't really sure of how common his last name was and she nodded. A thought was bothering her though, and despite knowing it might be a sensitive subject she asked "Do people... treat you differently because you are muggle born?"

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

Joe was relieved that Allison took the question of his muggle heritage kindly, without any apparent hint of disdain. The latter would not have sat well with him at all but her polite and friendly manner was perfectly acceptable. "Yes, I am muggle born" he replied "my parents are farmers, they grow plants for food and keep animals such as cows, chickens and pigs. Most of what they produce they sell since they make far too much simply for our own purposes. It is through farming that muggles get most of their meat, vegetables and grains. Think of it kind of like a mixture between Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology but without the magic." He felt he needed to give a little bit of detail about what the work involved, since he felt sure that the practice would seem unusual to someone who had lived around magic for their entire life.

He thought back to the day he received his letter. "It was the biggest shock of my life, and more than a little frightening" he admitted "Aside from the fact that we thought at first it must be some kind of twisted joke, there was also the fact that muggle folklore also includes stories about witches and wizards but they are not treated kindly. To be counted among them in a letter is not the sort of thing most muggles would want to hear, not that any of them believe such beings really exist of course." If he had been much of a student of history back home he might have gone into detail about the witch trials and burnings that had taken place in years gone by but that wasn't something he head heard about until he came here and therefore had no affect on his initial reaction to the news that he himself was a wizard.

He considered her last remark, whilst it was true that some people at the school looked less than favourably upon muggleborns and either scorned him or ignored him completely when they learned of his origins, he had found the majority to be far more tolerant and accepting. "Some do" he nodded " but must are okay. If people choose to take that path then I don't pay any attention to them. They have made their choice, they don't care for me so why should I waste my time with them? I don't let it get me down though." He didn't see any point in getting upset about it all, what exactly would that prove? There were some people who would go to pieces when they heard terms such as 'mudblood' directed at them, but whatever for? It was just a word after all, and a rather pathetic word at that.

[Allison Cassidy Rose]

Allison was amazed. This boy knew all about muggles! Their world sounded so interesting, though the thought of witch trials and harsh punishment didn't sound like much fun. Allison could only imagin recieving a letter from Hogwarts in a life like that. Allison was further impressed by how he handled people like her parents. Allison wondered if he really just had the character to stand up to this or if the tolerance had been built up. Allison searched the boy's face for signs of past hardship, but as far as she could tell he just was a very brave and strong willed person. Allison sat there contemplating for a moment. She then broke the silence by asking a seemingly unusual question.

"Do you by chance own an owl?" Allison had sat with a perfect view of a window high on the wall that barley was visible as they were in a dungeon per say. An owls beaked face was poking at the window, searching for its owner.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

To Joe it appeared that Alison was lost in thought for a moment there, but he could understand her reasons. He had given her what might seem like an encyclopedic description of mugle society, but really he had done little more than talk about the people he was born do; people who to him were far more natural than the witches and wizards he had met in the last couple of years. He understood muggles simply because he was one or had been, it didn't make him seem special in any way. In fact, he had noticed that how people regarded him after discovering his heritage very much depended on how they regarded muggles in general and the people descended from them. It pleased him to see that Allison was more curious than anything else, but even so he didn't want her to feel overwhelmed by it all either. When she elected to change the subject, he felt it was only prudent to do likewise.

He did wonder about where he question about owls came from for a moment, then he glanced over at where she had been looking and noticed one of them tapping at the window. "No, I have a cat, a Siamese that I call Horace" he explained as he moved over to open the window. He would close it again momentarily of course, once the owl had lost interest in the room and flown off. He didn't want to let all the warmth in the room escape after all. "He is outside at the moment" he pointed out "hunting mice I'd expect." He then countered with the obvious reply "do you have a pet?"

[Allison Cassidy Rose]

Allison shrugged, "No, I don't have a pet. I never have. Owls seem...they are useful I suppose...if you need one for mail. My family has house elves for that though, and an owl from work is how my father would contact me here. Cats seem nice though, I suppose if I had ever really felt drawn to animals that would be my choice of pet." allison thought a moment. She had another question, though she hoped this wouldn't begin to feel like an interview. She bit her lip. To ask, or not to ask? "Is there a particular reason you chose the name Horace?" she asked after a short pause.

[Alistair Bauldaugh]

Having enjoyed a quick run about the grounds in the snow – not the easiest terrain to run in quite frankly but the challenge was most enjoyable on occasion – Alistair was on his way back to the Huffflepuff common room to sit before the fire and dry up the bottom of his slacks and shake the flakes of snow from his hair before their next meal. He tried to stomp most of the sticky white bits from himself before trekking too far into the castle; he didn’t want to make a mess for the care taker.

Usually the couches were all taken up by the older students who seemed to never have class or to make it to the room before the younger students. Such wasn’t really the case during vacations when the older students were almost nowhere to be found. Alistair quite liked the difference, particularly when he saw two people he knew somewhat well upon entering the common room. “Afternoon Allison and Joe,” he said nodding to each in turn.

He didn’t imagine it would be either appropriate or very comfortable to sit near them on the couches considering the snow powder on his clothes was beginning to turn to water from the warmth of the castle. Rather, Alistair moved to the fireplace and stood with his backside to the warmth. “Sorry if I’ve interrupted.” He apologized. Hopefully they wouldn’t mind and would, quite the contrary, invite him to join the conversation, as not doing so would be somewhat awkward for the boy.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

Joe nodded a little when he heard Allison talk about animals, he reasoned that she was probably right that the usefulness of an owl as a working animal was somewhat diminished if her father did indeed work in a place where they were commonplace. "What is it your father does exactly?" he inquired, feeling that he had talked a great deal about his own family and yet he knew very little about hers.

He wasn't entirely certain about where he fell on the subject of house elves though. He hadn't heard of them before coming to Hogwarts of course, but he had by now caught snatches of conversation here and there and had come to understand that they acted as servants in some wizarding households, even though they weren't paid for the work. This sounded like a form of slave labour to him, and wasn't it only a year or two ago that a man called Wilberforce had passed a bill before parliament calling for the abolition of slavery? Of course wizarding society had its own governing body, the ministry which it appeared was not accountable to muggle government but would they not want to take a similar line?

He also had to consider of course, that as a farming family, he too could be said to keep non-humans at his home and  whilst they were fed and given sheltered, they were not offered any monetary payment. Of course the animals on the farm couldn't be said to have minds of their own, but from what he had heard the house elves were an intelligent enough group. "Do they mind serving people like that?" he asked "these house elves of yours?" That was the main question of course, if they served willingly then that was of course their own choice, they weren't being forced into anything. If they did object however, that would be about the cruellest practice he had ever come across.

When she asked why he had chosen that particular name for his car, he wasn't quite sure how to respond. He had just been considering names, and somehow the name "Horace" had just popped into his head somehow. "I don't know" he admitted "he just seemed like a Horace. Sometimes you just get a name in your head and Horace kind-of suited him." That tended to be how most animals were named in his view, and living on a farm he had of course named several. You just keep thinking of them until one of them fits.

Just then Alistair came into the room and chose to sit somewhere apart from them, maybe the fact that he had clearly been outside in the snow might have had something to do with that decision. "Hey there, snowflake" he greeted the boy, opting to pull his leg a little about the clearly visible dusting of white on his clothing. He noted that Alistair seemed to think he had interrupted something, but so far as Joe was concerned their conversation wasn't exactly private. "You haven't on my account" he assured the other boy "how about you Allison?" He felt sure that the girl would agree with his assessment but it was only proper that she should speak for herself.

Edited by Joseph Arthur Wilkins, 04 May 2011 - 06:57 PM.

[Allison Cassidy Rose]

Allison smiled. "My Father is a wizarding lawyer. Best there is, they say. He can win any argument. He can sell any story too! Father is great at what he does." Allison's smile fell as he asked his next question. How stupid can I be? Allison thought to herself Saying that father can sell any story. How am I supposed to answer this? Honesty. I'll be honest. Allison looked away from the boy. There was no coincidence in the fact that her gaze was now on the fire, crackling before her. She took a deep breath before she started.

"Our house elves," she started "used to be so proud to work for the Rose family. We treated them well. They did not love working for us, but they were as happy as one can be whilst working. We fed them well, they had a nice place to sleep, and when Mum and Father were out they were my friends too." Allison's eyes watered up as she began on the next part of her tale. "One day though, an accident happend. My...well what happend isn't important. My Father, well, he is an important figure in the wizarding world. My family is well known. The Daily Prophet asked--Oh why do they always ask!?-- and Father, he...he said somethings." Allison was fighting back tears as she stared into the fire. In it she could see her brothers face, she could hear his screams. "Ever since, well...they hate us. The house elves, they are slaves more than ever. They sleep on hard floor, are only given scraps, Mum wont be in the room with one unless she's barking orders at one. Worst of all, they wont even look at me. These were my friends...disgusted now by whom I've become. It pains me to think of them. I was often left alone with them, well, alone except for Mum. I was ever so happy when I got my letter. I could finally excape."

Allison was embarrassed. She wiped the single tear that had spilled over. She was greatful when Alistair, a boy she new...sort of, walked in. "Nope!" Allison said, smiling now at his perfect timing. "You didn't interupt a thing!"

[Alistair Bauldaugh]

Snowflake… What an odd name. “I don’t believe I’ve ever been called that before.” Alistair confessed. Though, perhaps it was appropriate for the moment. The warmth of the fire felt good even through the damp cloth that clung to his calves. He didn’t need to worry about any of the flames getting to near for a moment or so – surely the fabric was too wet to catch fire. Besides, he was a safe distance away.

Allison’s voice had an odd ring to it, but Alistair couldn’t quite make out what it was. He didn’t want to say so for fear that it would seem rude, but he also had the distinct impression that he had walked in on some topic that they weren’t continuing to go one with, at least not right now. But it wasn’t his place to demand they speak at his will so he smiled cheerfully for a moment while thinking of a new direction to take their conversation that thus far consisted of hellos.

“Have either of you been watching the housepoint tally recently?” Alistair wasn’t normally competitive, but he was very proud, particularly when it came to his family. His house was like his family. “We are in third place again.” It was a little sad in Alistair’s opinion as he had acted rashly a few weeks back and made a bet with a Ravenclaw first year that the Huffles would wind up with more. “Do you suppose the upper years aren’t trying very hard?” That was perhaps a bad assumption to make, but he hadn’t heard of anyone in his year losing points recently.

[Joseph Arthur Wilkins]

Joe listened quietly as Allison related her tale, the revelation that her father worked in wizarding law was reasonable enough, his first guess might have been them inistry since she had said how easy it was for owls to pass in and out of his workplace, perhaps it still was as a great deal of work seemed to go on there. It was her next remarks though that really got him thinking.

It sounded like the house elves were not a slave race as he had feared, but something had happened in the past that had happened in the past, something which had soured their relationship somewhat. He wondered if this unfortunate incident, whatever it was, was tied in with the reason why she had first wondered that he might not approve of her last name. Had not only their house elves, but much of the wizarding world turned against them at that time.

Whatever had happened, one thing was abundantly clear to him. Allison was clearly ashamed of it, and by her own admission she had come to Hogwarts in order to get away from it all. What he considered unfair though, was the way that their treatment towards the house elves had apparently changed after the incident, yet Allison clearly did still feel compassion for them. Perhaps that was a start. "The accident aside" he suggested "is it right to punish the elves so? You say it was an accident, therefore it is nobody's fault, not even theirs. perhaps you could offer a kind word here and there, some extra food now and then. Let them know you do not blame them for what happened. It might help to start rebuilding a few bridges."

Joe recalled an incident that had taken place on the farm a few years back, when one of the horses had been spooked during a thunderstorm and had kicked his handler. The man had been hurt, quite badly by what happened but he had survived and no blame had been afforded to the horse. It would have been most unjust to have punish the animal for what happened, and they didn't. The horse had continued to live in relative comfort, the same as it had before.

He was relieved when Alistair changed the subject, the current argument had upset the girl and he had no desire to dig up old wounds and cause her further distress. The other boy went on to comment on the 'snowflake' name he had been given, not unkindly but Joe felt a desire to tweak it just a little further "You have never been so pearly white before" he jokingly pointed out.

When Alistair went on to discuss house points, he too felt a twinge of disappointment. "I know" he admitted "we really should do something about that. We all need to earn loads of house points, first years included." He gave Allison an encouraging smile when he said this, trying to show that he had not turned his back on her and hoping to raise her spirits a little.