First year girls' dormitory on Pecari Commons

Josephine Owen

January 25, 2011 11:24 AM

First year girls' dormitory by Josephine Owen

The first night, Josephine had been too excited to do anything much after the meal. She'd come up to her room, said a quiet 'hello' to her roomates, unpacked her pyjamas and pretty much fallen right alseep, exhausted with all the new experiences of the day. The second night, however, she was wide awake in the evening, and she had every intention of getting to know her companions better. She's spoken to Ayita a little during the Opening Feast, but that was all.

So, even though she had already changed into her pjs, which were old blue cotton and quite clearly had been made for a boy (like everything Josephine owned, they had originally belonged to her older brother, James), and brushed her teeth, Samantha sat on top of her covers waiting for her roomates to come up and join her. She was braiding her long brown hair while she waited - she liked to tie it back while she slept to avoid it being so tangled in the morning.

It wasn't long before one of the other new Pecaris came in. Josephine was still braiding, but she turned her head to face the door and said, "Hello!" in a cheerful voice, her smile meeting her bright blue eyes. "What's your name again?" She couldn't even remember if the other girls had said their names, let alone recall the names that may or may not have been said.

Sharing a room was nothing new for her. As long as she could remember, Jospehine had shared a room with her younger sister, Jade, who broke all her toys and ruined all her clothes. It would be really nice to share a room with people who wouldn't do that. Before Jade was born, Jospehine's family had lived in a tiny house (even tinier than the one they had now) and Josephine had shared a room with her brother. Luckily neither of them had been old enough to really remember it.

0 Josephine Owen First year girls' dormitory 196 Josephine Owen 1 5

Demetra Mason

January 25, 2011 8:57 PM

Roommates. by Demetra Mason

Demetra entered the dormitory after a short adventure around the gardens. She had barely dodged missing curfew, and a bit of sweat plastered a few stray curls to her face. The first night, she'd crawled in to bed and fell asleep to avoid crying about Jeb. She brushed her hair off her forward, and smiled at the roommate in her room.

"I'm Demetra Mason, and hello to you, too!" She grinned her, heading over to her trunk and bed. Having procrastinated with her unpacking, she flipped open her trunk. The object on top was broom, that was charmed to have fit. When she pulled it out, it lengthened to its full size. It was a top of the line, Lightning Streak 380. Her brothers had joined together and bought it for her before she'd started school. She knew that Nick and Jake had used some of Jeb's money, but she couldn't be mad. Jeb had left a short letter before each mission of what to do if he disappeared. The top of every list had designated a broom model to buy her if he wasn't back before her first year.

Demetra propped it up against her bed post, before starting to pull her clothes out and put them away. Her robes were to be hung up carefully, and her other clothes were neatly folded. As she worked, she spoke to her roommate, "I apologize, but I can't seem to recall your name either."

0 Demetra Mason Roommates. 0 Demetra Mason 0 5

Josephine

January 27, 2011 6:49 AM

Getting to Know You by Josephine

"Demetra," Josephine repeated to herself, attemoting to commit the name to memory. It would look bad if she had to ask again. Tying off her braid with an old hair elastic on the point on breaking, Josephine watched as Demetra started to unpack. Josephine hadn't unpacked yet herself, and couldn't be bothered to do it right now, either, even though her roomate was being productive. Josephine's belongings would probably stay in her trunk until she needed to use them, and only then would they find a new home at Sonora. She supposed that way if there was anything still left in her trunk at midterm she'd know she didn't really need it.

She hated to admit it, but Josephine knew she was sort of lazy. She liked the things that had always come easily to her, and hated things that she had to work for. She simply couldn't wait until she was seventeen and could use magic outside of school. She could use it around the house to do her chores and her life would be so much sweeter. For now, she only cleaned when necessary (or instructed to by her mom), she only tidied up when she felt like it (or when she could no longer see the floor) and she never did things in advance - she knew that any homework assignments she would get at Sonora would be done the night before they needed to be submitted, not the night they were set. It wouldn't matter, because she would still get excellent grades, because she was smart. She could be even better, she supposed, but that would involve effort she was unwillingly to give.

Glancing at her roomate, Josephine couldn't help but see the amazing broomstick that was pulled from her trunk. She knew she was staring at it, but she couldn't help it. That was an amazing broom, the sort Josephine could only dream about owning as she saw it in a store window. Only the sound of Demetra's voice tore Josephine's attention away. "My name is Josephine Owen," she replied to the question. Then, without preamble, she asked, "Is that a Lightning Streak?" She didn't really play Quidditch herself, but Josephine liked to fly, and she played with her brother from time to time, just one-on-one. She owned her own broom, too, but it was so old an ancient, and had so many previous owners that it rarely did exactly what Josephine required of it. She hadn't bothered to bring it to school with her because the school brooms were in much better condition.

0 Josephine Getting to Know You 0 Josephine 0 5

Demetra

March 16, 2011 3:52 PM

Sorry for long... delay by Demetra

Demetra took the name to memory, knowing it would be helpful in the future. She moved to pull out a small stack of textbooks, and smiled at her roommate's question. "Sure is. My brother's bought it for me without my parents knowing. Mother found it as I was leaving, but she really had no choice. Not when Jeb had given in to me."

Demetra continued pulling out objects that she would need on a daily basis. All the stuff that she probably wouldn't remained cluttered at the bottom. She shoved her clothes in the dresser, not bothering to keep them neat. Her robes were already hung carefully, the Pecari crest decorating the side. She looked up as she continued to dig through her trunk, "Do you play Quidditch at all? Father doesn't like me playing, but once again, Jeb wanted differently."

Her parents didn't dare go against what Jeb had asked. He was their heir, and they really couldn't offend him. As long as Jeb got to make decisions when it came to her, Jeb would keep up the pureblood lifestyle when he was the family's patriarch. Father had debated disowning him, but he couldn't do it. He didn't want to embarrass the family or hurt his son like that. Jeb would be a good leader, as long as Demetra was treated fairly.

0 Demetra Sorry for long... delay 0 Demetra 0 5

Josephine

March 18, 2011 1:20 PM

It's okay, these things happen by Josephine

Demetra confirmed that it was, infact, a Lightening Streak broomstick, and that her brother had bought it for her. Josephine didn't think her brother had bought her anything in their entire lives, but even if he had it wouldn never be anything like a broomstick - even a really cheap second-hand one. She was starting to suspect that Demetra had a great deal more money than Josephine's own family. Josephine was used to people having more money than her, as even her school textbooks were hand-me-downs, but for a person to just buy a broomstick - a really good one - as a gift to someone else wasn't quite in her comprehension.

Her second clue that Demetra was from a differnt sort of family was when she referred to her Dad as 'Father.' Then there was the way she was carefully putting away all those new textbooks and expensive clothes. Josephine wandered what her roomate would think of her own battered belongings, her robes that her brother had worn last year, and Teddy, the stuffed hippo she took to bed with her every night.

"I play Quidditch at home," Josephine replied to the question, "but I'm not signing up for the school team. It's too violent here, we don't play with Bludgers at home." This was simply due to them not owning any Bludgers, nor any bats to hit them with. "Is Jeb your older brother?" she asked, making the assumption from what Demetra had already said. "I have an older brother. He's in the year above us, in Aladren," she expanded. "His name is James." At least they had brothers in common, if nothing else. Oh, and being in Pecari, of course. They had to share this room for the next seven years of their lives... Josephine really hoped they could get along.

0 Josephine It's okay, these things happen 0 Josephine 0 5

Demetra

March 20, 2011 4:12 PM

Talking and Ditching the Unpacking by Demetra

Demetra wanted to laugh when Josephine said she wouldn't play Quidditch because of the violence. Wasn't that the point? At least, it was for Demetra, a beater. She controlled the violence level in the game to an extent. "Bludgers are the best bit," she said with a grin, "They make the game exciting and unpredictable."

She nodded, "Yeah, he's the oldest. I've got three, Jeb, Nick, and Jake. All of them went to different schools. Father thought it would be good to let them see the world a little bit." It didn't seem like that long ago. In fact, it felt like yesterday.

Demetra was hoping that the two of them could get along. They would be in the same confined space often for the next seven years. She offered Josephine a smile, "Father wanted me to be in Crotalus or Aladren. I suppose you'll just have to suck it up and deal with it. The world is insistent on making me a rebel."

She didn't mention the fact that she wouldn't be in Aladren because she couldn't keep her grades up or pay attention while studying due to ADHD. Her adventurous spirit probably kicked her out of Crotalus. She was glad she had landed here thought. These were her kind of people.

0 Demetra Talking and Ditching the Unpacking 0 Demetra 0 5

Josephine

March 20, 2011 4:57 PM

Sounds like a plan by Josephine

She didn't agree with her roomate's assessment of Bludgers, but the brunette decided to keep those thoughts to herself, and besides she was distracted by the mention of Jeb, Nick, and Jake. "Three brothers?" Josephine repeated incredulously. "You poor thing. I've only got one and that's plenty." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of having another two siblings like James. She had a younger sister, too, and that was mostly okay. Josephine had shared a room with Jade for the past nine years or so, so she'd gotten used to having her around, even though she could be unbelievably annoying from time to time. For a start she broke all Josephine's toys and then blamed her whenever they got into a fight, so Josephine would get into trouble with their parents. Yes, she could be a pest, but it was much better than having another two brothers.

"Being in Pecari makes you a rebel?" Josephine asked, non-plussed by the comment. Admittedly she could accept that Pecari might be more prone to rebellion than Aladrens, but only individually; collectively Aladrens could probably cause a riot if they thought it would be worth their while. "Both my parents were in Pecari," Josephine told Demetra. "I'm sure they'll be proud that I ended up here, too." Not that they wouldn't have been proud if she'd ended up anywhere else - they were proud of James for making it to Aladren. It seemed odd that Demetra's parents actually had Houses picked out for preference. What did it matter what House you were in, anyway, so long as you did well in classes and made friends? Maybe people with lots of money had different priorities.

"So, what else do you like to do for fun?" Josephine asked, not wanting to distance her roomate because she really would like to be friends. "Aside from Quidditch, I mean. Do you have any other hobbies?"

0 Josephine Sounds like a plan 0 Josephine 0 5

Demetra

March 21, 2011 3:08 PM

I'm glad you agree. by Demetra

Demetra let out a laugh, "Yes, three, but I've got all of them wrapped around my finger. All it takes is a puppy dog face, well, except for Jake. He takes convincing." Or threatening, whichever came first. Nick could usually talk him into it, or maybe jinx him a little bit.

"Father thinks that Aladren and Crotalus are respectable houses. Pecari, the house of the daring and spontaneous, isn't exactly what he had in mind." She shrugged, not bothered by it. "It doesn't matter to me. I'd stick out like a sore thumb any where else. This is obviously where I belong." Her father would be furious when he got the letter, and Mother would be disappointed. They had been hoping that she'd at least make Crotalus, or even Teppenpaw. Pecari was a let down, even though they already knew that it was the obvious choice.

When asked if she had any hobbies, Demetra nodded, "Yes, actually. I play piano. My brothers are tons better, but I love it. I'm going to miss playing with them, that's for sure. What about you? What do you do for fun?"

0 Demetra I'm glad you agree. 0 Demetra 0 5

Josephine

March 21, 2011 4:54 PM

Here's to the next seven years! by Josephine

Josephine blinked a little at Demetra. Did she just actually say that? That her father thought only Aladren and Crotalus were respectable? What a moron. besides, Josephine had just said that her parents had both been in pecari. Was Demetra trying to imply that her parents weren't respectable? Who was she to judge? Good Merlin Josephine was going to start getting annoyed if she didn't shut up about her stupid father. He was probably one of those stypes of stupid people that laughed at her Dad for having to wear the same robes twice in one week to work. Robes were expensive and what did it matter if he wore them twice in one week, anyway? So long as he looked smart and didn't smell bad.

She was trying to be nice, but Josephine was finding it harder every time Demetra opened her mouth. She said she played the piano, practically rubbing it into Josephine's face that her family couldn't afford a piano. Admittedly Josephine and James had both learned a little when they were younger, but they'd had to sell the piano before Jade was old enough to play to pay for something more sensible like food or clothes or something. "What about you?" Demetra asked. "What do you do for fun?"

"I used to play the piano when I was younger," she said with a shrug. Now she had a wooden flute that she'd gotten pretty good at, but it had been handmade by her Grandpa, and Josephine loved it too much to mention it to Demtra only to have the other girl belittle it. "When I'm at home I play with sister, mostly," she said, "dressing up or hide and seek or sometimes we chase the chickens just for fun." Her Mom told them not to do that because she was worried it would stress the chickens out, but Josephine didn't thin the dumb birds had big enough brains to be too much traumatized. "I do some needlecraft too, tapestries, and sewing and stuff," she said with a shrug. "I'm going to design my own robes one day." Then she would sell them for loads of money to all the rich people who'd ever looked down on her, and they would pay her way to looking down on them, instead. Plus she was bored of wearing hand-me-down robes and couldn't wait to wear something new and original. She'd only have to be able to afford the fabric and she was sorted.

0 Josephine Here's to the next seven years! 0 Josephine 0 5

Demetra

March 21, 2011 6:05 PM

And all the fun we'll have! by Demetra

Demetra finished unpacking the important stuff before reaching in to her trunk one last time. She'd left in a couple of things, like some parchment, her Beater gear, and her personal books. She would pull them out when she needed them. The last thing that had to be unpacked right then was Jack. Her hand wrapped around the stuffed bear's arm, and she pulled him out. Great-Grandmother Mason has stitched him out of pieces of old quilts, and given it to her when she was born. She used to carry him everywhere, so he was quite battered. He had a tear under one arm, and the stuffing was sticking out of the seam on his back. Part of his left ear had been burnt off by a charm gone wrong, and what was left was black. She wasn't embarrassed by Jack at all. He was a piece of her history, and she had to bring him with her to Sonora.

Carefully setting him on the bed, she listened to Josephine. "That's awesome," she said in reply to the fact that she wanted to design her own robes, "I'm not very creative, can't even write a piece of music that's worth listening to. And I'm useless when it comes to sewing." She had tried to make her mother a scarf once, now Hera, their cook and maid, used it as a dish towel.

She sat down on her bed, and pulled Jack to her. Absentmindedly, she messed with his undamaged ear. She remember that Josephine said she had a sister and Demetra was jealous. She loved her brothers, she really did, but there was nothing like sisterhood. Jeb was missing, Nick was
often behind a book, and Jake got bored to easily. There was no sibling to just talk to. She supposed it was like when she and Hera stayed in the kitchens late at night, drinking hot chocolate or butterbeer. It was nice, but she'd bet having a sister would be better. "I wish I had a sister. My brothers are the best, but, well, I only see them occasionally, since they all go to different schools. It'd be nice to have someone who understood."

0 Demetra And all the fun we'll have! 0 Demetra 0 5

Josephine

March 23, 2011 6:52 PM

The friends we'll make! by Josephine

Josephine was beginning to feel the foundations of dislike for her roomate, but her regard softened a little when she saw Demetra bring out an old and battered stuffed bear. He was even tattier than Teddy, and the fact that her roomie could like sometihng so old and battered, and that she also still took a soft toy to bed, made Josephine feel a lot better. Surreptisiously she pulled Teddy from where he was concealed beneath her blanket and she put the hippo in her lap.

Josephine liked that Demetra said she was rubbish at sewing. It might not have actually been the case (lots of people seemed to say they were rubbish at something when actually they just hadn't tried it much) but Josephine liked having something that was just hers, and she would happily take praise if she made something beautiful that Demetra couldn't better. But then, if they did become friends, it was something that could be turned into a group activity. For example they could design the clothes together, or they could alter clothes they already had (though Demetra's clothes might already be so beautiful they probably wouldn't need any alterations - Josephine's were all too long or too short or boring or the wrong color or faded or her brother's old things).

"I wish I had a sister," Demetra said, and Jospehine felt smug for a moment. "It'd be nice to have someone who understood." Then Josephine laughed.

"Understood?" she repeated. "My sister breaks all my toys, snores so loud I can't sleep and hits me when she's grumpy," she explained. Though of course she was only mentioning the bad points - Josephine missed Jade already and the thought of spending a whole two years without her was enough to bring tears to her eyes. "But, um, she's okay most of the time," she added quietly, trying to think of another topic so she didn't actually start crying.

"I like your bear," she said, focusing on the worn toy Demetra was playing with. "It looks well-loved," she said with a smile. "This is Teddy," she held up her hippo for Demetra to see. "He's going to look after me while I'm here." She cuddled the large gray hippo to her, trying hard not to feel homesick.

0 Josephine The friends we'll make! 0 Josephine 0 5

Demetra

March 23, 2011 10:51 PM

The feasts we'll eat! by Demetra

Demetra could tell Josephine must be missing her baby sister when she spoke quietly. She couldn't be blamed, Dem missed her brothers like crazy already. She had gotten used to it a little bit, after Jake went three years ago, but nothing hurt like summer ending. Nick had been gone when she was five, and she had only been two the first time Jeb had left. She had adjusted to having strangers as brothers, but there was nothing like those summer nights together as a family for once. She smiled a little at her roommate, "I guess all siblings are that way. Jeb sounds like a freight train when he sleeps, and the wall between our room is a little too thin. Nick is the king of sarcasm and being a smart-alleck. And Jake is your all around pain in the butt. I guess you win some and you lose some with siblings." She shrugged.

When Josephine pulled out her stuffed hippo and complemented Jack, Demetra grinned brightly. She did her best not to feel like a little kid with Jack, but sometimes it was hard. It was nice to have a roommate who had a stuffed animal to sleep with to. Jack was the part of her life that never changed, and she didn't want to have to hide him under her pillow or blanket like Josephine had.

She continued fiddling with his ear, as she was introduced to Teddy. "He's Jack, and thanks. I like Teddy too. Hippos are much more original than bears." She grinned, "And while Teddy is going to look after you, Jack is going to continue to catch the nightmares and throw them out the window."

That's what her mother told her Jack was made for. She knew that the fabric the covered his back was a very important piece of great-grandmother's history. It was a handkerchief that had belonged to her father. Now a faded red, it was embroidered with a black D. Her fingers fluttered across it lightly, remembering how Nicholas the Third's wife used tell stories to her when she was little. She hadn't been nearly as proper as the rest of the family. In fact, she had been quite taken with Muggles. In her trunk, Demetra had hidden a fairytale book that had also been a gift. Demetra had looked up to the woman, and she would not forget her, even after she died. Jack was her constant reminder of her hero, especially his back. She loved her bear, more than any other possession she had packed.

0 Demetra The feasts we'll eat! 0 Demetra 0 5

Josephine

March 26, 2011 6:26 PM

The sights we'll see! by Josephine

Demetra introduced her bear, who was named Jack, and apparently caught nighmares and threw them out the window. Josephine thought that was a lovely idea. When she was a little younger, she'd had a large stuffed lion with a long tail, and when she was sleeping she'd wrapped its tail around her waist so nobody could steal her in the night. Now she was a little too chubbby for the tail so wrap all the way around her, and so she'd passed the lion on to some other kids who didn't have any money. She still had Teddy, and he would look after her. She wasn't so scared about someone stealing her anymore, but it was nice to have a feeling of protection against whatever was Out There.

Now she was feeling a lot better about her potential friendship with Demetra, Jospehine found herself begin to tire as she got more comfortable. She tried to stifle a ywan but it came out anyway. She put her hand over her mouth and looked over at Demetra with sleepy eyes. "I thought I was really wide awake," she said. "I didn't sleep very well last night - I never do when I'm in a place for the first time," she admitted. She yawned again and shook her head, her braid swinging behind her. "I might just curl up under the blankets," Jospehine said, and she tucked Teddy under one arm as she proceeded to crawl under the duvet and lay her hea don the pillow. It was cool and soft, and Josephine felt her eyelids grow heavy.

"We should have a midnight feast tomorrow," she suggested to Demetra. "I have some candy in my bag and we could bring up some cake from the Hall at dinnertime." She closed her eyes. Just to rest them for a while.

0 Josephine The sights we'll see! 0 Josephine 0 5