#01 [September 5, 2016: Monday, Week 1. It's Eliana and Luke's first day of class, in their first year at Hogwarts! There's been a lot of firsts today, and right now they're just finishing up their first Potions class. Both Luke and Eliana managed to successfully brew the Boil Cure potion with minimal fuss, and Slughorn even awarded Slytherin three points because Eliana made the best brewed (if not fastest) potion - Slughorn emphasized that when brewing potions, precision and timing, not speed, are what's truly important.] #01 [Eliana actually beamed when that happened, and she's been far more confident for the rest of class.] #01 [But now, class is letting out, and the kids are packing up! Barry in particular is having some trouble, as he managed to make a mild explosion and has goop all over the place. Slughorn fixed much of it with a quick scourgify spell, but still. Awkward.] #01 [Session Start!] #06* Luke smiled congratulations at Eliana for her potion, and now he's packing his things away just as tidily as he did after DADA this morning. #06* Luke slings his backpack over one shoulder when he's done and walks over to Eliana's desk. "Hey, congrats on your potion!" He smiles brightly at her some more. #06* Eliana looks up from wrestling with ink and quill to smile back at Luke. "Thanks." #01 I was kind of surprised. I thought it was pretty good, but I didn't think it was the best one in class. #06* Luke 's smile widens. "Told you you'd be good at stuff." #06* Eliana actually blushes a little and ducks her head, then lets out a small yelp as she gets ink on her hand. "Yuck!" She shakes said hand, but that doesn't help, and looks for something besides her robes to wipe it off on. #01 Why don't wizards use pens yet? #06* Luke tilts his head. "Um...I dunno what a pen is, so I dunno." He smiles a little self-consciously, blushing again. #06* Eliana stares at Luke, a lot like when he asked what chemistry is. "*Really?*" #06* Eliana gives up and wipes her hand on the black part of her robe before packing up more things. "I am going to get you a ballpoint pen," she decides as she packs. "It will change your life." #06* Luke blinks and pulls back just a bit from the stare, eyes widening. "Um...yeah? I mean...I just used a quill all my life..." #06* Eliana 's robe now has a shiny black stain on top of the dull black finish. #01 Or you'd be using pens instead! #06* Luke smiles hesitantly at her. "Thanks...? I don't know if I'd know how to use it..." #06* Eliana pushes her potions book into her bag. "It's easy. Non-magical people just use them to write things. I have a few in my room. I'll bring them to the library so you can see." #06* Luke nods. "Right, you have to go see the headmistress...I'm going to go find the library." He grins at her, brightening again in a moment. "I'll see you there in a bit!" #01 Okay! #06* Luke heads out! #06* Slughorn is puttering around the front of the classroom, tidying things up as his students leave, since not all of them were perfectly tidy. #06* Eliana carefully rolls up her parchment now that she's sure it's dry and shoves it in her muggle backpack, too, before zipping it up and shouldering it. She looks around - most of the students have left, except for a couple who are struggling more than she was. #06* Eliana wipes her palm on her robe a little more, in a different spot, before frowning down at the black stain on her hand. Oh well. She walks over to Slughorn. #01 Excuse me, Professor Slughorn? #06* Slughorn looks up as Eliana approaches, and his eyes light with recognition. "Ah! Eliana! That's right, we're going to speak to Headmistress McGonagall. Just let me..." He reaches up, slotting one last jar back into place, then turns back to her, smiling. "There! You're ready, then?" #06* Eliana nods, smiling nervously now. "Yes, Professor. Thank you." #06* Slughorn twinkles at her. "You're very welcome! Don't be nervous, now; the headmistress is strict, but she's really very kind. Come along!" And he leads her out of the Potions classroom, through the bewildering hallways of Hogwarts and up several even more bewildering flights of stairs, until they reach the Headmistress' office. #06* Eliana tags along, looking around and taking note of where they're going and how they're getting there (not that this will help her in the medium term). #06* Slughorn turns to Eliana. "Cover your ears, please, Miss Casale." #06* Eliana looks at Slughorn curiously, but she does so, putting both hands over her ears. #06* Slughorn turns back to the stone gargoyle and murmurs the password to the headmistress' office. It stands and walks aside, revealing the revolving stairwell leading upwards. He turns back to Eliana and gestures that she can uncover her ears now. #06* Eliana removes her hands. "Why is it a secret?" she asks, leaving an inky smear over her right ear. "Is it because students aren't allowed to see her without talking to another faculty member first?" #06* Slughorn shrugs and smiles, stepping onto the stairwell. "She didn't tell me to give you the password. One can always tell something later, but one cannot un- tell something. Of course, one can remove the memory in the other person...but the principle remains." #01 Remove... someone's memory? #06* Eliana frowns, working through that, and then replaces the frown with dawning horror. Kind of like when she realized her phone wouldn't work in Hogwarts, ever. #01 Why would someone *do* that? #06* Slughorn frowns at Eliana's upset. "...it's not *common*, and few people have the authority to do it. Generally it's done to protect someone, in fact." #06* Eliana still stands in front of the open stairwell, thinking. "So..." #01 Like... as a last resort? If someone knows something and... people will hurt them to find out about it? #06* Slughorn looks at her closely. She's clearly not exactly an ordinary eleven- year-old, after all. "Yes, that's one reason. Or if knowing something could hurt them in some other way. Tempt them to try some powerful magic beyond their skill, for example." Which is why it's important to be careful with what knowledge you spread. #06* Eliana nods, her expression clearing as she thinks from a more theoretical perspective. "Right, because that can result in some really awful consequences. Maybe like when the States used the atomic bomb before researching the long-term effects of nuclear radiation." And then she looks at Slughorn. "So it's mostly illegal, right?" #06* Slughorn blinks, but nods. "They're rarely used on wizards, yes. Mostly, they're used to make muggles forget when they see something they shouldn't." His voice drops to a murmur. "Though if people are *careful*, that shouldn't happen, either." #01 Well, yeah. #06* Eliana smiles a little. "I promise I'll try to be careful." This is marred a bit by the fact that she has ink on one ear and one hand, and a stain on her robes... but whatever! #06* Slughorn smiles back at her, twinkling once more. "Excellent! I'm glad to hear it. Now, let's go speak to the headmistress about your uniform, shall we?" #06* Eliana nods and goes to climb the stairs, after her professor! [The stairs start moving as soon as Eliana hops on, carrying them both upwards.] #06* Eliana laughs, delighted. It's like an escalator but different! #06* Slughorn frowns slightly at the ink on Eliana, and with flick of his wand and a murmured word, they're gone before the pair reaches the top of the stairwell. #06* Eliana hardly notices. She's too distracted by the stairs. #06* Slughorn tucks his wand away and raps smartly on the door. enter #06* Eliana snaps to attention at the rapping and tries to straighten her robe out, and that stupid skirt, and her hair OH GOD HER HAIR. #06* Eliana messes with her hair a little extra. #06* McGonagall is busy writing something and does not bother to look up. #06* Slughorn smiles encouragingly at Eliana. Then he opens the door. "Hello, Headmistress!" he says jovially. #01 [The door opens to an expansive office with high, high ceilings. There are bookshelves and tables filled with a great number of strange books, silvery objects, and numerous other things that must be magical - despite the strange nature of each one, they all look like they belong where they're placed. McGonagall herself sits behind a large desk made of gold and dark wood, with stacks of paper and a few other objects before her. Behind her, in an alcove before a window that gives a beautiful view of Hogwarts grounds below, sits the old and floppy sorting cap.] #01 [Various portraits decorate almost every free area of wallspace with wizards and witches who are largely sleeping; one of them, a man with sallow skin and greasy black hair, eyes her and Slughorn critically when they enter. Eliana, herself, can't quite keep from gaping as she looks around.] #06* McGonagall stops writing briefly, looking over the tops of her spectacles. "Professor Slughorn." Her eyes move to Eliana. "And who is this?" #06* Eliana forces herself to stop gaping and look back at McGonagall. A second of that and she's resisting the urge to hide behind her portly head of house. #06* Slughorn gestures Eliana forward with an encouraging twinkle until they're standing in front of the desk. "This is one of my new first-years, Eliana Casale." #06* Eliana is ushered forward, and she smiles the same nervous smile she gave to Professor Slughorn earlier. "Um. Hi." #06* Slughorn looks down at Eliana, notes her discomfort, and continues on for her for now. "She had a request about her uniform. I thought it was reasonable, but wanted to get your approval." #06* McGonagall glances at Eliana quickly, before returning her gaze to Slughorn. "Did she?" #06* Slughorn nods confirmation and glances down at Eliana again, checking her comfort level and whether he should continue speaking. #06* McGonagall sets the quill down and sits back in her chair. She removes her spectacles, letting them hang from the chain around her neck. "Go on," she says, folding her arms in her lap. #06* Eliana catches Slughorn's glance and visibly steels herself. Her back straightens as she forces all of the nervousness out of her. "Yes," she says, her smile from earlier gone. "I don't want to have to wear a skirt as part of the uniform. I don't like them." i see #01 At my old school - a non-magical school, I mean - we had skirts as part of the uniform, but they said it was okay if I wore pants instead, like the boys' uniform. #01 Professor Slughorn said that he doesn't see any reason why I couldn't do that here. #06* McGonagall looks at Eliana as she speaks, her stern expression unchanging. #06* McGonagall glances at Slughorn as Eliana mentions his name. #06* Slughorn does not wince at Eliana's directness at all. Well, the headmistress prefers directness, anyway... He gives Eliana an encouraging smile. And McGonagall the faintest of reproving frowns, when Eliana can't see. She's only eleven, Headmistress! #06* Slughorn clears his throat. "Yes. I thought that as long as she *was* wearing a uniform...it should be acceptable." #06* McGonagall looks at her visitors. She remains silent for a moment. Miss Casale #06* Eliana blinks. "Yes?" do you know why we have a uniform here at Hogwarts? #06* Eliana frowns a bit, thinking about that. "At my old school, we were told that it's to maintain unity. And I read that it also helps 'eliminate social and economic differences'. I'd guess it's the same at Hogwarts, right?" #06* McGonagall nods. "That is correct. It is also part of our tradition." #01 Right, but tradition doesn't *matter* if it doesn't work. #06* McGonagall raises an eyebrow. "does not work how?" #01 Maybe uniforms do eliminate differences, like keep kids from picking on each other as much, but they're mean to each other anyway. They just find something else. #01 And why do girls have to wear different uniforms from the boys, anyway? If you're trying to make everything equal, wouldn't you have boys wear skirts, or girls wear pants? #06* Slughorn blinks down at Eliana in surprise. And possibly mild trepidation. But he doesn't interrupt. Yet. #06* McGonagall stands up and walks out from behind her desk. She stops in front of Eliana and Slughorn. "and yet I have had no other complaints in the storied history of Hogwarts about girls wishing to wear trousers" there are a lot of things you will find here that you will and you must do whether you like to or not #06* Slughorn looks like he was about to say something, but he stops as the Headmistress continues. #06* Eliana glares up at the disapproving headmistress, not wavering and her eyes flashing. "Well *yeah*. But this is minor. Maybe the other students were too afraid. Or maybe they didn't care as much. Or maybe you just didn't hear about it." #01 I don't like skirts. If the other girls want to wear skirts, they should wear them. I'm not asking to not wear any uniform at all. there are a lot of things that we do for our safety and the safety of others... i cannot have my students picking which they choose to do or not do simply because they do not like to. #06* McGonagall frows at Eliana. #06* Slughorn clears his throat again and interrupts ostentatiously. #06* Eliana bristles at the frown and is about to say something, but Slughorn comes in with the save. #06* McGonagall looks at Professor Slughorn. But, Headmistress, she did not in fact simply do as she wished. She had a request, she asked the Head Boy whom to speak to about it, and she came to her Head of House to ask, as is proper and reasonable. #06* McGonagall nods. And I have had her in class already, and spoken to her on the way here; I'm certain she understands the importance of maintaining safety. However, she is right that it would not be unsafe in any way for her to simply wear the boys' uniform. It might be unusual, but... #06* Slughorn twinkles at McGonagall. "I expect, in your house, you are familiar with the unusual." #06* McGonagall looks back at Eliana. "certainly unorthodox" #06* Eliana now looks at McGonagall curiously, all of the bristle gone. But she keeps herself from asking (yet). yes, well... that time has passed. now i must look after all of my students. regardless of house. Oh, of course. I only meant to suggest that there is no harm in it. #06* McGonagall looks thoughtful for a moment. "has she the trousers then?" #06* Eliana shakes her head and lets Slughorn do the talking, as he's clearly better at this than she is. #06* Slughorn shakes his head in mirror of Eliana. "I'm afraid not. She knows she'll have to wear the skirt until she gets them - I discussed it with her - but she's planning to write to her family to ask them to send her the proper uniform pants." If you approve, of course. #06* McGonagall still regards Eliana with her usual stern face. "when she does, i would expect that her family gets ones proper for a young lady." a small smile crosses her face. #06* McGonagall turns and walks back behind her desk, stopping to nudge the rather large cat (or small tiger) from her chair before sitting down. She puts her spectacles back on. #06* Eliana makes a face at the 'young lady', but she does try to follow Slughorn's lead and say, "Uncle Nerius knows some stuff about Hogwarts. He won't send something that doesn't work in uniform." #01 And, um. If he does, I promise I won't wear it for classes. #06* Slughorn 's eyes flash with triumph behind the Headmistress' back, and his smile widens ever so slightly. #06* McGonagall nods. "i do not expect that this will go unnoticed by the other students and faculty." #06* Eliana nods. She fully expects that. "My backpack's already noticeable- oh! What's the policy on quills? Can I use pens for private note taking, as long as I use a quill for assignments that I hand in?" #06* Slughorn clears his throat again. "Yes, I expect you can, Miss Casale. Just now, however, we should probably leave the headmistress to her duties." The first day of classes is always quite busy. #06* McGonagall looks at Slughorn disapprovingly. "indeed. and now i expect that others will have similar requests." these can be handled by the heads of houses. inform the others. #06* Eliana nods up at Slughorn. "Okay." She hesitates for a moment, before looking at McGonagall. "Thank you." She very does not apologize for any snowball effect this may have, however. #06* Slughorn nods, and looks down at Eliana fondly. "Oh, I'm not so sure. I doubt many students will want to stand out quite so much. But I'll tell them. Thank you, Headmistress." He nods to McGonagall and turns to leave, beckoning Eliana with him. #06* McGonagall looks over the top of her spectacles at Eliana. "and Miss Casale..." #06* Eliana starts to follow Slughorn out, but when McGonagall calls her name, she stops and looks back. i would suggest that next time i find you in my office, you not make comparisons between the muggle world and our world. the same rules do not apply. #06* McGonagall picks up her quill. #06* Eliana blinks, and before she can stop herself, asks, "Why not?" #06* Slughorn restrains himself from rolling his eyes heavenward when the headmisstress can see it. #06* McGonagall looks at Eliana sternly. "if i need to answer that, perhaps you need more time at your studies." and not in my office #06* McGonagall looks at Slughorn. "Professor... if there is nothing else..." #06* Eliana bristles again, but instead of snapping at her, she just says, "Yes, ma'am." And storms out of the office, right by Professor Slughorn. #06* Slughorn nods at McGonagall. "No, no..." And he follows Eliana out, trying not to look harried. #06* Eliana is waiting for Professor Slughorn outside of the stairwell, which she took down two at a time. "What house was *she* in?" #06* Slughorn shuts the office door and hurries down the stairs. He looks at Eliana for a moment. "Gryffindor. Miss Casale, you should really learn to pick your battles." Then he smiles a little wryly. "But if you are going to pick a losing fight, doing it with a Gryffindor is not the worst choice. They'll respect you for it, at least." #06* Eliana makes a face. "Really?" And then she folds her arms, looking down at the floor. "Lots of stuff is stupid, or could be done better. I just... I didn't think wearing pants instead of skirts would be a big deal to someone else. Just me. I'm the one who has to do it." #01 It's a big deal to my mom, but my mom thinks almost everything I do is a big deal. #06* Slughorn watches Eliana closely. "Miss Casale...there are plenty of people who dislike changing tradition no matter who does it, or why. Some of those people have influence, and the Headmistress must take them into consideration." #06* Eliana looks up at Slughorn. "Yeah?" And she must run a school in which the students can cause all types of mayhem, if not properly disciplined. She has to maintain at least an appearance of strictness, for many reasons. #06* Slughorn smiles down at Eliana. "But. She respects both intelligence and courage. However she may act...I think you impressed her." #06* Eliana blinks, trying to work out what Slughorn's saying without saying, and her expression clears as she begins to understand. "Oh, so..." And she trails off, since reporting all findings is probably a bad idea right now, and then says, "Oh." #06* Slughorn smiles approvingly as he watches the gears turning in Eliana's head. "Now. Do you need help finding where you're going from here?" #01 Yes! Well, maybe. I'm going to my room to get some things, and then I'm going to meet Luke in the library, if that's okay. It's a free period for you. You can do what you like. Do you think you can find the dormitory? #01 Yeah! If I keep going down. The basement halls shift a lot less than the staircases. #06* Slughorn nods and smiles at her, twinkling. "Excellent! I'll see you in Potions class, then." #06* Eliana smiles. "Okay. Thanks, Professor!" And she heads off, a little skip in her step, for the closest staircase down.