A Fine Winter Day ((Elina and Damien))

[Jaquin Prokenstien]

Jaquin strode out of the capacious Great Hall having finished his breakfast. He always marvelled at how adept the House Elves of the castle were at cooking and cleaning. There was not one instance where Jaquin had seen a student discontent with his or her food. However, Jaquin never liked to stay in the Great Hall for elongated periods of time because the younger students often annoyed him. Their rambunctiousness was exasperating, especially when they never ceased even after being told off by several Prefects and older students. Jaquin was heading up the marble staircase toward the Ravenclaw Common Room when it hit him. Third years and above were allowed to visit Hogsmeade that weekend. That was why the students in the school seemed to be constituted of the boisterous first and second years. Jaquin quickly went back to his dormitory to fetch one of his money bags in the trunk. Perhaps he would be able to find the text book he needed at Hogsmeade. After finding it and putting it into one of his pockets, Jaquin walked back down to the Entrance Hall. He glanced back toward the Great Hall and shook his head as one of the students used a spoon to launch some grapes at another student. Jaquin was glad to get out of the castle for the day. He pushed open the front doors and trudged down the sloping lawns and ended up right in front of one of the carriages heading toward Hogsmeade.

Jaquin looked out the window of the carriage as it bounced down the dirt road heading for Hogsemeade. The sky was a bright blue with a few cloud formations floating lazily across the sky and the sun seemed to shine in a euphoric manner. Once the carriage arrived at the gates into Hogsmeade, Jaquin got out and headed straight for one of the book stores. However, he did not linger long, as there was only one book he found that would be useful for his studies. He bought it and strode across the street and into The Three Broomsticks. There, Jaquin found a seat in a corner and sat down with his book, scanning its contents.

[elina]

Elina was rather busy lately, making preparations for her trip to Italy, and finalizing plans and things of the sort. Though she was busy with it - she was extremely excited with the idea that her Christmas holidays were to be spent in Italy with her grandparents and cousins whom she had never met. She had heard stories about them, many having to deal with putting holes into the walls of the cottage or doing something disastrous. Elina couldn't wait to be a part of that for a week or two, to be a part of the family she never really spent time with - yet she felt their blood in her veins. A shiver went up Elina's spine as she turned the page of her book. She wasn't necessarily reading it as she should have been, but her mind was a bit preoccupied at the moment on something totally different than the story of Alazaibel Cray.

The noise of the common room wasn't helping much either. Elina sighed and closed the book cover. She looked around at everyone chatting and laughing. Elina didn't hate the fact that people had friends. She hated the fact that people thought the common room to be the place to go to have an extremely loud conversation. Personally Elina enjoyed the comfort of books rather than the comfort of laughter. She enjoyed solitary reading rather than jokes and stories being told. She wasn't sour about the fact people had friends - she had friends, but sometimes she wanted quiet to read, write, or think. Elina decided maybe this wasn't the best place to ask for it. She gathered her bag and placed her book inside it, next to her notebook and pencil. She bundled herself up in her scarf and cloak and left the common room to head toward where the carriages waited to take students to Hogsmeade.

Elina tried to avoid Hogsmeade when she needn't be there, but right now seemed to be an appropriate time to spend some alone time in Hogsmeade. The carriage made it's way and a few moments later it pulled infront of the front entrance gate. Elina smiled and stepped out of the carriage, choosing her first destination. She made her way to the book shop, and sat down in an empty chair underneath a light that lit her page well. Reading now was perfectly suitable. She could concentrate on the story, not only because the noise was gone but also because her mind was off Italy. She finished the chapter, and found that she was rather hungry.

The Three Broomsticks was crowded as usual. The smell of butterbeer and various foods wafted around. Elina smiled at a few passing wizards who knew her mother. The place was overcrowded. There were usually a few empty tables, but tonight there seemed to be hardly any. Elina let her eyes travel over the place, and she couldn't seem to find one place to sit. Wait. There. Jaquin. He was in her house and in her year. Elina smiled, and started to make her way over to his table when she slammed into someone with a tray. Quickly, by pure reflex she pulled out her wand and muttered a word, the butterbeers stopped in mid-air and she smiled aplogetically at the witch; "I'm terribly sorry. Here," She picked up the butterbeer and handed it to the witch. Elina then continued over and made it there safely; "Can I sit here before I cause a disaster?" She asked in greeting.

[Jaquin Prokenstien]

((Do you think I should reply once before Damien posts?))

[elina]

((Yes. I think that best, don't you think? And if he posts - I don't think it will ruin the thread much, will it?))

[Jaquin Prokenstien]

((I am extremely sorry about the delay. It was a very busy week. ))
Jaquin's eyes were darting across his magibiology textbook when he heard a small commotion occur somewhere near the entrance of the Three Broomsticks. He looked up in time to see one of his fellow seventh year Ravenclaws save several butterbeer bottles from being smashed with skillful wand-work. It did not take Jaquin long to recognize the familiar face of Elina Hill. Like most Ravenclaws she was undoubtedly a intelligent and diligent student. Jaquin had seen her in many of his classes and knew that she was a very talented witch. He looked back toward his textbook and only got as far as reading five sentences before he heard Elina's voice next to him. Jaquin's eyes left the book and gazed upward at his classmate. Without hesitation, Jaquin answered her greeting, "Good day, Elina. Of course you can sit here! I have absolutely no objections." Jaquin moved his chair a little bit to give Elina more room before continuing, "So, have you been to the bookstore? I always find it a very good place to go if one cannot stand all the noise the younger students make up in the castle. Only a few seem very serious about their future.-Jaquin paused for a second as he bookmarked his textbook and meticulously placed it back into his bulging school bag.-Do you have any plans for what you might want to do after school? I'm hoping to do well at the muggle Universities I have enrolled in. Of course, I'm also doing this because it is part of the job requirement for magibiologists employed by the ministry."

Looking away for a moment, Jaquin stared out the closest window, lapsing into his own thoughts about the divergent career paths he could take. These thoughts appeared more and more frequently as the year passed and Jaquin hoped that he would have an adamantine decision by the end of Winter Break. He had always wanted to be some type of biologist ever since he had visited a labratory in Oxford University as a primary (elementary) school student; his father was a muggle and had wished for him to attend a muggle primary school before attending Hogwarts. Jaquin was intrigued by the work the scientists did and stunned by the discoveries made by earlier scientists. From then on, Jaquin had worked assiduously in school and took summer classes in muggle schools so that he would not be disadvantaged after Hogwarts.

Jaquin even asked one of his old friends, Perseus, to help him master Calculus. He succeeded two years ago, in his fifth year. However, during the summer after Jaquin's fith year, Perseus had turned his back on his non-pureblooded friends (Perseus was a Slytherin) and Jaquin was devastated. After thinking through the many paths he could take, Jaquin had made up his mind the summer before his seventh year to earn a Ph.D degree in biology, but to also become a magibiologist after graduating from Oxford University. The ministry employers always stressed that wizards hoping to become researchers needed to be able to interact with muggles. Of course, because Jaquin was half "muggle" he was well acquainted with muggle technologies and knew how to dress as a muggle. Quickly shaking his thoughts away, Jaquin returned to the present and turned back towards Elina, waiting for her response.

[elina]

Elina smiled warmly and sat down, placing her bag by her left ankle, and tucking her brown hair behind her ear. She then glanced around the Three Broomsticks as if she were expecting another bottle of butterbeer to come flying at her. It was truly hectic today. Jaquin was then asking her a question and she turned her attention to him, listening, "Oh, Jaquin, they're only kids. I didn't start thinking about my future until my fifth year. Let them enjoy their younger years before they get all serious and old like you." Elina teased with a twinkle in her eye, "But never the less, yes, I have visited the book shop. The common room was too noisy for me to stay in. And it wasn't just the younger years."

Jaquin then asked her about her plans after Hogwarts, and told her about his. She wasn't surprised much. Jaquin was one of the more intelligent students in Ravenclaw and it didn't surprise her he had his plans all made out and had his dreams in his reach. But Elina wasn't sure she wanted what he had. She didn't want to be able to reach her dreams. She wanted something she had to chase after. She didn't want safe. That's what her plans had been. Safe. And she didn't want that anymore. She wanted unpredictibility and adventure. But she couldn't get that with the plans she had.

"Plans? For after Hogwarts?" Elina sighed, "You would assume I do. But, well, the plans I wanted to pursue don't seem so appealing anymore. I suppose it's because of my upcoming trip that changed my mind. I always wanted to go straight into Muggle Uni, but now a gap year seems to be calling my name. After Uni, though, I was going to find something to do in the muggle world. There is no law that says a witch has to work in the magical world, and since I'm half-blooded I only see it fit that I live in the muggle world and take over the family restaurant according to my parents plans." She sighed again and sat back in her seat before continuing, "But now...well, I'm going to Italy for the Christmas holidays, and it's for this chef's course. Basically I need to take it if I want to take over the restaurant. And I have no objections to it, after all it is in Italy. I suppose I'm afraid it's going to change my mind on all my future plans. But I think if that happens, I'll just go with the flow."

She ran her fingers through her hair and looked down at the woodwork on the table. It didn't sound so bad as she had said it aloud. She seemed cool, and collected. While inside she was shaking from fear that it wouldn't work out and that she would end up careerless and not allowed into Uni. She had a mental image of her standing in front of one of the universities she applied to and the big iron gates closing on her face. Elina shuddered and pulled herself out of that though to reality. She smiled and asked; "Have you had your future planned since your first year?"

((No problem. I understand ))

[damien]

((Sorry it took so long...been busy with paper work))

Damien exited the school doors. He wasn't in the mood to go to Hogsmeade, but couldn't tolerate the restricting castle either. Maybe he'd run into Dominic, but then again maybe it was better if he didn't. Damien sighed loudly. He didn't know what to do about his brother anymore. Things just seemed to be spiraling out of control and there was nothing he could do to impede it. Damien kicked up some snow on the ground. He just needed to get a new book and read. It was his greatest stress reliever other than meditation. Some things were just too difficult to deal with sometimes and his brother was one of them. What was Damien going to tell Dominic about his future plans? Damien knew that Dominic would be upset...not upset, enraged, when he found out. It wasn’t like he wasn’t taking certain precautions. It’s just the fact that Dominic would hate him for not following after the revenge that motivates him. The truth was that Damien didn’t care to ever find his parents. It wasn’t that big of deal to him, but the fact was that his future job would turn him against Dominic and someday he might even have to watch his brother…

Damien shook his head quickly. He didn’t want to think of such things. He was going to help his brother not hurt him. He would not tell Dominic is future plans…he wouldn’t tell anyone what those plans were. He wasn’t going to chance them getting back to Dominic. Damien stopped in front of the bookstore and promptly entered from the icy air. Damien smiled hello to the woman behind the counter. She knew him by name and walked over to him. “We have some new books on Charms if you’d like to see them,” the woman said. “Thanks, same place as usual?” he asked. The woman nodded and he headed toward the far back wall. He new his way around that place and he always would. He pulled out one of the Charm books he had never seen before. “Charms for the Relentless Wizard.” Damien smiled at the book. He was relentless. It would be a perfect read for him. He sat down in the aisle and began to flip through the book. He glanced through the different spells and finally settled on the book after 10 minutes of reading. Getting to his feet he pulled out his money satchel and walked to the counter. The woman smiled and nodded, “Thought you’d like that one.” Damien nodded as she handed the book back to him and he gave her a few sickles.

Damien immediately opened the book and began to read as he walked toward The Three Broomsticks. He’s slide in for a drink and then back to the castle for a bit of homework and reading. He entered The Three Broomsticks with his nose stuck in his book. He didn’t bother looking up as he entered. He could tell by the noise level that it was packed. The smell greeted his nostrils and he smiled at the familiar musty smell. He put a finger in his place in the book and looked up as Madam Rosmerta asked him what he wanted. “I’ll just take a butterbeer,” he said. Madam Rosmerta smiled as she pulled out one of her chilled butterbeers. “Thanks,” Damien said as he handed her 7 sickles and took the cold bottle in his hand. He turned around and looked around the crowded pub. He spotted Jaquin and Elina in the back. They were both in Ravenclaw, though a year above him. He shrugged to himself and headed toward the table. “Mind if I sit?” Damien asked Elina and Jaquin.