Post by Katherine Newcombe H4 on Feb 10, 2008 4:02:19 GMT
Katie lifted her cup to her lips, carefully hiding her curious eyes. Everyone at Hogwarts was fascinating. This was her third year at the school now, and although she didn’t know many of them, she still found all the students captivating, and often watched them in awed silence. On the other side of the Hufflepuff table where she sat was a young girl, possibly in her first year, who was conversing easily with a student who was probably three years older than she. While that in itself was not unusual, when Katie compared it to a first year and fifth year Slytherin she saw, she had to smile. They had been sitting across the table from one another for a while, and hadn’t even thought, in all the time they had been sitting there, to acknowledge one another. The school dynamics were so interesting, and even though Katie couldn’t remember ever being taught them, they were so clearly defined. It was just ingrained in her that Slytherins were not to be disturbed, Gryffindors were to be admired, Ravenclaws were to be respected, and Hufflepuffs were to…Katie paused. Were Hufflepuffs to befriend? She cringed when “take advantage of” came to her mind, and quickly dispelled the thought. In her time at Hogwarts she had met plenty of lovely Slytherins, and only a few had been unjust in her presence. Some had been unkind, perhaps even a little biased when they realised she was a Hufflepuff, but they had mainly left her alone. The rules of interaction were even more interesting, with each house treating the other members in a way specific to that house. It was when she thought of inter-house relations that Katie was thankful she was a Hufflepuff. She couldn’t imagine the challenges of being someone like her in Slytherin.
As she listened to the roar of the students around her, Katie let her eyes wander to the other students at her table. She had yet to speak to any of them, and briefly wondered if she should. The thought of opening a conversation no longer scared her, however she was still a bit intimidated at making the first move. As much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she was still the same shy, insecure girl she had been when she was living with her Aunt Edwina. Katie bit her lip, suppressing a sigh. She had worked so hard to build her confidence, and while she could now start conversations with relative ease, she still had a long way to go. Once the conversation had started, she found it difficult to continue thinking of new things to say, unless the other person was an especially good talker. She rested her chin on her hands, staring wistfully at the person next to her. How hard could it be to introduce herself? Really hard, she thought, making a face at her lunch. Taking another sip of her drink, Katie focused her attention on a student at the far end of her table. She didn’t know what year the girl was in, but there was something so appealing about her. She was laughing at something another girl sitting next to her had said, and Katie was amazed at how honest it seemed. When she laughed, it was as if she was actually amused with what had been said. Katie frowned. When she was told a funny story, she was often so lost with how she was supposed to react that she gave a funny honking noise that left the person she was talking to either deeply alarmed or smothering a smile. The memories brought a small smile to Katie’s lips, and she even let out a small, and she was pleased to note, natural, chuckle.
Another student suddenly caught Katie’s eye. The boy looked to be around her age, and was sitting by himself. Katie immediately wondered where his friends were. The student seemed like someone who should be surrounded by people, and the absence of such disturbed her slightly. Was he alone by choice, or had he been abandoned by those who had found something better to do? The expression on the boy’s face intrigued her, and Katie found herself leaning forward to study him more. The way his lip curled indicated, in her opinion, that while he was comfortable with being alone, he was annoyed that he was. His eyes stared solely at his food, and Katie wondered whether he was actually that interested in it, or was trying to avoid the eyes of people like her. Shocked, she drew herself back. Had she really just been staring at a stranger for the past few minutes? Finishing her drink, she sat in silence, trying to pretend she wasn’t still watching the boy. People like him invited the stares of others simply by having something inside them, and while Katie couldn’t define it, she knew what it was. Not very many people possessed it, and even though Katie wished more than anything that she did, she knew she didn’t. She wished that when people saw her, they saw past the shyness and awkwardness, and instead of watching other people during her lunch break, she wished somebody was watching her.
As she listened to the roar of the students around her, Katie let her eyes wander to the other students at her table. She had yet to speak to any of them, and briefly wondered if she should. The thought of opening a conversation no longer scared her, however she was still a bit intimidated at making the first move. As much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she was still the same shy, insecure girl she had been when she was living with her Aunt Edwina. Katie bit her lip, suppressing a sigh. She had worked so hard to build her confidence, and while she could now start conversations with relative ease, she still had a long way to go. Once the conversation had started, she found it difficult to continue thinking of new things to say, unless the other person was an especially good talker. She rested her chin on her hands, staring wistfully at the person next to her. How hard could it be to introduce herself? Really hard, she thought, making a face at her lunch. Taking another sip of her drink, Katie focused her attention on a student at the far end of her table. She didn’t know what year the girl was in, but there was something so appealing about her. She was laughing at something another girl sitting next to her had said, and Katie was amazed at how honest it seemed. When she laughed, it was as if she was actually amused with what had been said. Katie frowned. When she was told a funny story, she was often so lost with how she was supposed to react that she gave a funny honking noise that left the person she was talking to either deeply alarmed or smothering a smile. The memories brought a small smile to Katie’s lips, and she even let out a small, and she was pleased to note, natural, chuckle.
Another student suddenly caught Katie’s eye. The boy looked to be around her age, and was sitting by himself. Katie immediately wondered where his friends were. The student seemed like someone who should be surrounded by people, and the absence of such disturbed her slightly. Was he alone by choice, or had he been abandoned by those who had found something better to do? The expression on the boy’s face intrigued her, and Katie found herself leaning forward to study him more. The way his lip curled indicated, in her opinion, that while he was comfortable with being alone, he was annoyed that he was. His eyes stared solely at his food, and Katie wondered whether he was actually that interested in it, or was trying to avoid the eyes of people like her. Shocked, she drew herself back. Had she really just been staring at a stranger for the past few minutes? Finishing her drink, she sat in silence, trying to pretend she wasn’t still watching the boy. People like him invited the stares of others simply by having something inside them, and while Katie couldn’t define it, she knew what it was. Not very many people possessed it, and even though Katie wished more than anything that she did, she knew she didn’t. She wished that when people saw her, they saw past the shyness and awkwardness, and instead of watching other people during her lunch break, she wished somebody was watching her.
