Being the Good Hufflepuff {Woodrow}

[Ally Ross H5]

She hadn’t actually been on this bench before. An odd thing to realise, perhaps – why did it honestly matter if she hadn’t placed her bottom on every bench in the courtyard, after all? To Ally it did matter. Not that this bench was special… it was just the same as the others – made of silver stone, simple yet oddly elegant like the castle it lay beneath, with a few words dedicated to someone long gone carved into the hard stone at the back. For a moment Ally fingered the smooth lettering, tracing each curve gently with the tip of her forefinger. Bridgette Floore. She wondered who it was, what Bridgette had done to earn her spot on the bench. Who decided whether or not dedications like this would be made? What did it mean, really? With a frown of thought creasing her freckled forehead, Ally lifted her finger sharply from the lettering and placed it where it had been before, neatly encased in the fingers of her other hand, lying patently in her lap.

Around Ally people were in groups – always with the groups. She disliked them. Ally Ross had never been in a group, never belonged to a clique like that. She saw them now – living up to people’s stereotypical views on them. And what was Ally? She often attempted to turn her own observant eyes on herself, but never got very far in knowing what others thought of her. She only knew what they thought from how they spoke; Slytherins often harshly, which made her realise more often than not how unaccepted she was. Ravenclaws as if she was an idiot, stupid, half-brained. Most likely true too. Gryffindors didn’t really talk to Ally all that much and when they did, it was with half an ear; she rarely had anything interesting to say. Ally enjoyed her own house much more than any of the others. Hufflepuffs were much more reliable. She knew exactly how they would respond to her when they did, and so was rarely upset or shocked by them. The other girls in her dorm generally gave her a fairly wide birth apart from May and two others. Ally didn’t know if she liked it that way; she had nothing to compare it with.

Crossing her legs beneath her she pushed the sounds around her from her mind, wanting silence. Ally loved silence. A strange thing, but she knew that you could truly listen to silence. It was not a fact, but an opinion. Ally didn’t know many facts – you had to be clever to speak about them with conviction. But everyone could give an opinion, have an opinion, and still be a little dim academically. Ally half-closed her eyes until she could only see blurred feet in front of her, smart black leather ones and comfortable green converse, old white trainers and stylish branded ballerina-pumps, leather boots and weathered doc martens. Still she pushed down the sounds until every pair of shoes that wandered past went by almost silently, giving the atmosphere an almost surreal aspect. But the peace wouldn’t last – it never did.

This time the lull was broken by a large ‘SLAP’ sound. The sound of a large object being dropped. Ally started and her legs shot out beneath her, her hand steadying herself against the bench arm. She always startled easily. Her eyes scoured around her and latched with a frown onto a boy a little younger than her, who was walking in the opposite direction – leaving behind a book he had dropped. Hadn't he heard it fall? How odd. Maybe he was listening to music of some sorts. Now I’ll probably have to be a good Hufflepuff and give it to him… Ally sighed inwardly. She glanced around, hopeful eyes waiting for someone to hand the book back before she had to. But no-one did so. There was always one person that picked dropped belongings up when no-one else wanted to, and it was normally Ally. Flexing her fingers nervously she lifted the book up swiftly and held it to her body, small enough to avoid being jostled by passing people. The boy was not too far away – she caught up with him in a few moments beside the fountain, and gently tapped him on the shoulder, instantly feeling awkward. When he turned, she offered the book slowly.

“You… you dropped this.” A pause. Her mind raced; she rarely started conversations but felt as if this was the time to do so, as if she and he should continue their greeting simply because she’d handed him a dropped book. Odd. “Right. Well.” For the first time her eyes peered down at the cover. She squinted and her frown creased her forehead again. Turning the book gently her way she studied the letters. Now she felt not only awkward, but dumb. “What does it say?” She could read. Of course she could. But the title was incredibly long and unusual and did not ring a single bell in her mind. Blushing slightly she glanced upwards into the boy’s eyes. Inwardly, she prayed he wasn’t a Slytherin – though perhaps a snooty Ravenclaw would be even worse.

[Woodrow Winchester R4]

'This is completely, inexplicably, horribly wrong.', thought Woodrow. He was in the Transfiguration classroom, working on the very spell that had troubled him earlier. He was supposed to be turning a tea cup into a turtle, but somehow it had ended up as an rat. Why was it that the only class he really had any trouble in was Transfiguration. Oh sure he could master the skills, but not with the ease and finesse that he displayed when in Charms or DADA. Shaking his head at yet another failed attempt, for he had just turned the tea cup into the turtle, finally, but it still had the same design on its shell as the cup. At least it was progress, and not another rat, he sighed in relief. Deciding he was done for the day, he turned the turtle back into the cup, which for some reason he had no trouble doing. Placing the cup back in its box, he thought that he really ought to head outside, get some fresh air. Stowing his wand in his pocket, and swing his bag over his shoulder, he proceeded out of the classroom.

Once out of the classroom, Woodrow contemplated on whether he really ought to go outside. He didn't really know a lot of people, apart from his teammates, he really didn't know anyone in or outside his own house. Pausing in his steps, he had a debate in his mind about what to do. He loved the outside, but wouldn't like it if a lot of people were in their little cliques, from which he was always extricately left out. Ah, but with a book, one might find an appealing escape from the world. The debate was over, his love of the outside, and the words that a book offered in return of utter attention, he proceeded once again to head for the courtyard.

As he was walking, he placed his hand in bag, pulling out, in his mind, the best book he had ever read. It was written in two different languages, latin and english. The title of it was ' The intricately exuberant world of counter curses and jinxes, as well as the confounding and underlying darkness of charms.', with everyother word of the title in latin. The book had cost seventeen galleons, but had been well worth it. He had already learned a lot from the expensive book, and even knew some charms that were usually only taught to fifth years. Holding it in his hand, he saw the exit to the courtyard ahead, and went outside.

Once outside, he proceeded torwards his favorite bench, but as he drew nearer, he saw that his usual spot was taken by an older girl. He felt his stomach lurch at the sight, for he was unnaturally shy around girls. He couldn't steel himself to sit next to her, for if he did, he was afraid he would be so nervous that he would sweat uncontrollably. Hastily putting his book back into his bag, he didn't notice that he had left it slightly hanging out of his bag. He gritted his teeth and proceeded to walk past the girl, not noticing the book falling from to the ground.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and wondered if it was perhaps one of his teammates. It was shock though that he was filled with as he turned around, for it was the very girl whom he had seen sitting in his usual spot. Almost to shocked to hear what she was saying, only slightly registering the fact that she was holding his book. He was, not for the first time, at a loss, for he had forgotten how to speak. His mouth opened, but no sound came out, and he quickly shut it. He seemed however to come out of his shock when she asked what the title said. With immense effort, he replied, " It says 'The intricately exuberant world of counter curses and jinxes, as well as the confounding and underlying darkness of charms'." He paused momentarily, and then with great effort said, " Thanks, I don't know what I would have done without it, it cost quite a bit just for me to lose it."

With a closer look at the girl, he marked her fiery red hair, and her freckles, but most of all, he noticed her eyes. They were a brilliant blue, and lying in them, he detected friendliness. She was very pretty, but he musn't let that get to him. She had after all just saved him another seventeen galleons. Holding out his hand for his book, he said " My name is Woodrow Winchester, Ravenclaw third year extraordinare, and you do not know the damage you have just saved my limited ammount of expenses." he said the last bit as a bit of a joke, hoping to seen as friendly and not what was usually seen of Ravenclaws.

[Ally Ross H5]

The moment he turned to face her Ally noticed that he was... well, a little different. She hadn't expected anything else of course - most people were either cold or nervous around her, usually nervous because they knew how others treated her and were unsure whether or not to do the same, or be nice. Rarely did they choose the latter. Ally preferred it when they ignored her really. When people, boys especially, forced out conversation with her, she felt completely and utterly out of place. As if it really was an effort to talk to her; she was that boring, or ugly, or otherwise. She knew she wasn't completely boring... and neither was she incredibly hideous. But there had to be a reason for the way people always avoided her and she could find no other in her head. As Al watched the boy's mouth move as if to speak, but almost correcting the error immediately afterwards, she sighed inwardly.

The sigh reflected outside as the boy read the title of the book to her - the frown on her forehead deepened. She turned the book her way once more and glanced at the words yet again. Weird. It seemed interesting, she supposed - to explore the mysteries of charms and all that... though the mention of darkness made her every so slightly suspicious of the boy. "No problem." She wondered for a moment why someone would spend such a fortune - he seemed to be suggesting a lot of money had gone into the book after all - but didn't venture on the topic. After going that far, Ally also didn't attempt to explore into the book's origins and title further; that was quite enough reading for her already. "So you're a Ravenclaw?" The words slipped from her quietly before she could reign them in, and instantly she bit her lip in irritation. Once glance at the proud blue emblem on his dark robe should have told her he was a Ravenclaw.

She further regretted her words when he introduced himself as a Raven, his tone friendly and welcoming. Instantly, Ally was wary. He seemed to her to be the normal nose-in-a-book Ravenclaw to her. And she could tell he was clever; most Ravenclaws tend to be. They made her feel stupid. In her first year at Hogwarts Ally had the impression that if a house had to be chosen to be the dimmest, it was hers. A ridiculous thought to her. Just and loyal... isn't that what most people said? Where did 'stupid' come into it? She knew that many witches and wizards in her house were very smart; just because they weren't thrown into Ravenclaw did not mean they couldn't be smart. And yet... Ally was not one of them. She liked to think, but pushing the limits of learning was not something that appealed to her or was even in her reach. Those limits were wrapped fairly tight around her too. And so when she came across people like Woodrow - a boy two years her junior - who would happily spend a lot of money on books, she felt dumb indeed. She didn't have a lot of money to spend herself, but what she did have she liked to save. The only 'sweets' she bought were polo mints back at home for horses, and she had no need for any clothes other than the ones she had.

"Right." A moment of silence wrapped around them once more, and Ally bit her lip again. "Well... I'm glad I could save you from the expense then." She risked a slight smile but it didn't reach her eyes properly. Not because she was cold or harsh, simply because she did not truly know why the comment required a smile. Ally then latched onto the fact that she had not introduced herself yet, and did so promptly, her quiet yet clear voice sounding out of place in her own ears. "I am Ally Ross, Hufflepuff... extraordinaire?" She played with the word on her tongue and frowned as it came out, wishing she could take that back too. It made her sound fake in her head - she wasn't extraordinary in the slightest. In fact she supposed she was quite the opposite; rather ordinary. "Fifth year." Ally added quickly. "And I can't say I know much about... the exuberant jinxed intricacy of the world and confounding dark curses?" Yet again the words sounded wrong on her tongue. She blushed in slight embarrassment for herself, the colour odd against her freckles and red hair. She attempted to gain back some control, her tone slightly hopeful. "But ask me about the different properties in Jobberknoll feathers and powdered Graphorn horn..." Nope - it didn't work. Although Ally knew perfectly well what the feathers and powdered horn could do, she failed in speaking about them to another person. With a sigh she giggled nervously, the sound making her seem younger instantly.

[Woodrow Winchester R4]

OOC: Oh god, oh god, I pressed the wrong button and my original post was deleted! It makes one want to cry.

IC: Why was it that he could fly through the air dodging bludgers that wished to destroy him, yet he could not erase nervousness around girls? It was an age old mystery that had stumped even the brightest minds, man and woman alike. He could unflinchingly look at an Hippogriff(which he had to do anyways), but his confidence would falter when confronted with the opposite sex, though admittedly it was only older girls that usually had that undesired effect. It was like waiting in line for an horror movie and when you walked in, you got punched in the face, yeah that about sums it up.

It was a both a curse and a blessing, his ability to ascertain the inner going ons of people by the slightest of tics, movements, and reactions. He had noticed her reaction to the title of his book, and sighed inwardly. It was an enticing book and was academically astounding, yet when anyone heard the name of the book, mainly the darker part, they reacted to him cooly. Really, how could he be blamed for the name of his book, it merely went over how Charms had been used for dark purposes in the past, yet even the darkest charms were actually equally as good if used in a different manner.

His nerves were steeling themselves, reverting back to his usual jovial self ever so slightly. Her reactions had been what he had needed to calm them. Taking his book, with gentle hands, he stashed it into his bag, taking care to make sure it was secure. He was not however ready to leave, he was only just getting to know someone outside of his own house. He heard her reply to his thanks, and caught the smile, yet it didn't quite reach her eyes, of that he was certain. Perhaps she had been unsure that a smile was appropriate, or perhaps she was cold, he however believed the first of the two. As she continued on, he found her faltering statement highly consolidating, possibly making up for his inability at speech from just a few moments ago. Her giggle was quite enticing, so had to ask, " What exactly does a Jobberknoll feather do?", ever so politely. His face finally held it's usual look once again, that friendly carefree grin of his displayed once more.