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Post by Cavan Mikal Weiss on Mar 15, 2008 9:20:21 GMT -5
Cavan smiled, glad that he was at the very least cheering his new friend. Grim expressions were for the dead, life was meant to be enjoyed as far he was concerned and he made it his mission to help everyone else enjoy it as well.
"What about your dad? Does he help you as well?"
"Not with the normal lessons, just Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures really. He studies the effects of different things on plants and creatures both magical and muggle. He lets us help when we're able and teaches us what we're doing and why. Pretty much, he includes us in his profession."
“Wait... you’ve learnt three languages in two lessons? That’s amazing, you must have such a good memory!”
Cavan found himself blushing at the surprised exclaimation, he didn't like to think of his achievements too much, he was glad that he could do them and didn't ponder over it overmuch. He figured everyone had a talent and his was learning, he supposed though that he did have a decent enough memory to be able to learn so quickly. "I guess so, I've never really thought about it though..."
He absently noticed that Tommy was rubbing his arm and again wondered what in the other boy's life had made him so skiddish. With a smile he put his unfounded worries to the side and continued on as if he weren't overly observant.
“I’ve lived in Hogsmeade for the last two years, but my mum was muggle. Don’t remember her though.”
Cavan, having forgotten about the 'Raisinets', suddenly remembered them and took a few, turning the box again to face Tommy when he was done. He couldn't imagine growing up without having or remembering one of his parents. He knew just how lucky he was to have his family. "Where did you live before Hogsmeade?"
“Electricity. Is that it? And yeah, it does come in handy. I guess we'll get into space at some point."
He nodded as Tommy pronounced the word correctly, glad that he was able to help. "Maybe you'll even be the first wizard to figure it out and go out there." He smiled encouragingly, if he could learn three languages in two lessons, there was no reason Tommy couldn't figure out, maybe with help, how to go into space like the muggles.
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Mar 15, 2008 19:14:41 GMT -5
Tommy was amazed by Cavan’s nonchalance when it came to his father actually letting him “help” with what sounded a very technical job. His own dad just worked in a shop in Hogsmeade, just about scraping together enough money to get himself and his family by... most of them, anyway. There had been days with only the one meal if his father was feeling very tight with money at that point in time.
"I guess so, I've never really thought about it though..."
“I wish I could learn that quickly...” Tommy murmured, more to himself although he made no attempt to keep it from Cavan. He smirked for a second, self-deprecatingly. “I wish I actually knew more than just English,” he admitted, eyes fixed on the strange symbols that this other boy could understand.
Finding the raisinets facing him again, Tommy reached out to take a few more. Apparently Cavan really did want to share them, if he was putting them in his reach again and again.
“Where did you live before Hogsmeade?" he heard Cavan ask, and he looked up from where he had been examining the open pages of Cavan’s book, trying and failing to make some sense of the hieroglyphs.
“Birmingham,” he replied shortly, not really knowing what else to say on the matter. Birmingham was just... Birmingham. No different in the small wizarding community there than in the muggle world.
"Maybe you'll even be the first wizard to figure it out and go out there."
Tommy shook his head. “No chance in hell,” he replied firmly. He’d convinced himself of that long ago. “You need wizards who are brave, and clever, and experienced, and powerful. I’m none of those things.” Sighing, he gazed down once more at the pictures in his own book. “It would be amazing, though,” he finished wistfully, thinking of all the places there would be to explore. Infinite possibilities... that he would never get to explore. “You’re clever, you’re more likely to do it than me.”
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Post by Cavan Mikal Weiss on Mar 20, 2008 19:20:12 GMT -5
“I wish I could learn that quickly... I wish I actually knew more than just English.
Cavan looked up from the page full of detailed pictures for words with a bright smile, “I could teach you, if you wanted. I don’t mind, I have lots of free time and I like to tutor…” He was suddenly very excited about the idea, something he could do that had absolutely nothing to do with ‘the war’, as he was thinking of it now.
“Birmingham.”
He thought he’d heard of such a place, but then again, he could easily be getting his American and English geography confused, there were so very many names that the colonists had taken with them and used several times over in America. “Is that where that big palace is?” He really needed to work on his geography, but it just wasn’t his favorite subject. He decided he’d have to study it a bit more, as it did go hand and hand with two of his favorite subjects, language and history.
“No chance in hell. You need wizards who are brave, and clever, and experienced, and powerful. I’m none of those things. It would be amazing, though. You’re clever, you’re more likely to do it than me.”
He giggled and shook his head, “I think it would take a little while, and a lot more than one or even two eleven year olds. Those kinds of things need all different types of people, working together for a common goal. I’m better with languages and history than charms, shields, or muggle science… But maybe together we could figure some of it out?” He didn’t like that Tommy seemed to have given up on his dream so easily, but Cavan had always been one to stir wishful thinking into dreams and action. He didn’t mind helping out with this one, not at all.
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Mar 21, 2008 17:56:24 GMT -5
Tommy was startled when Cavan suddenly looked up with a bright smile, and flinched back ever-so-slightly out of instinct.
“I could teach you, if you wanted. I don’t mind, I have lots of free time and I like to tutor…”
Tommy blinked in surprise at Cavan’s offer. It had crossed his mind earlier but he hadn’t wanted to ask and had thought that Cavan wouldn’t want to spend his time teaching someone with absolutely no knowledge of languages whatsoever. Yet here he was, actually offering to do such a thing. “Really?” Tommy asked incredulously. “That’d be great!” he grinned. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to take up much of your time so if you change your mind then don’t worry about it, of course, but what language could you teach?” Realising he might have been babbling again, Tommy closed his mouth and forced himself to stop talking.
“Is that where that big palace is?”
Tommy stared at Cavan for a few seconds. A palace? In Birmingham?! He couldn’t stop an amused grin spreading over his face. “No, no palaces,” he said, fighting the grin. He didn’t want to offend Cavan by laughing at him, even if the idea was highly humorous. “It’s a city, in the Midlands,” he tried to elaborate, not sure how else to describe it. The area he had lived in was hardly the best place in the world for children to grow up, especially when said children’s parents had no time to spend with them. He and his brothers had spent a great amount of time on the streets with their muggle neighbours, either playing football or hiding from rowdy teenagers. Had he stayed there, it would probably not have been too long before he was also hooked into those groups of teens staying out late and fighting. He had a feeling that that was why his step-mother had convinced his dad to move to Hogsmeade, although he couldn’t know for sure.
“I think it would take a little while, and a lot more than one or even two eleven year olds. Those kinds of things need all different types of people, working together for a common goal. I’m better with languages and history than charms, shields, or muggle science… But maybe together we could figure some of it out?”
Tommy nodded hesitantly. What Cavan was saying made sense, and he didn’t seem to be one of those people who said stupid things just to make you feel better. “Yeah, I guess...” he said softly, wondering if it really was possible for him to be a part of something like that. Cavan made it sound possible, even plausible.
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Post by Cavan Mikal Weiss on Mar 22, 2008 9:57:15 GMT -5
“Really? That’d be great! I mean, I wouldn’t want to take up much of your time so if you change your mind then don’t worry about it, of course, but what language could you teach?”
He nodded vigorously and smiled at the other boy, “Yeah, I can teach you, I don’t mind at all. Well, what language do you want to learn?” He loved helping people, making friends, learning, and to be able to do all three at once was a nice feeling. Cavan’s cheeks reddened as Tommy stared at him in sometime like disbelief. He noticed that after a few moments, Tommy’s eyes were smiling at him and knew the other boy was fighting a rather large smile, which made him blush a little deeper.
“No, no palaces. It’s a city, in the Midlands.”
“I think maybe I got the name confused… Birmingham sounds close to where I know there is a big palace though…” Birmingham, Buckingham… same difference. He wasn’t going to lie, he felt a bit silly, but that just proved that he needed to study his geography more. He was suddenly very glad that his mother wasn’t a professor at Hogwarts, as she would be giving him an unbelievable amount of extra work. Not to mention she’d be adamant in wanting to help with ‘the war’. He quickly shook those thoughts away.
“Yeah, I guess...”
He smiled, he could see the tiny spark his words had rekindled. He hadn’t ever really had any dreams, other than being able to study until the day he died. Not at least until D’rorah had put the flame under him to become a scribe. It was something he’d really already been doing, and to make a living doing it seemed ideal for him, that was his dream now. Now how to get Tommy’s dream going in the right direction? “I’ll owl my mom and see if she can’t get us books on muggle space travel and anything she might think would be helpful. She’s really smart, she could probably get us a long way just by finding the right books.” He grinned again, liking the idea more and more the more he thought about it.
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Mar 23, 2008 19:32:49 GMT -5
As Cavan confirmed that he would indeed teach him a language, Tommy’s grin widened, despite his efforts to control his facial muscles.
“Yeah, I can teach you, I don’t mind at all. Well, what language do you want to learn?”
“Thanks,” he smiled infectiously. “Um...” Now he was asked, he had no idea. Which languages did Cavan know? Which language did he want to know? “I don’t mind... whichever is easiest for you,” he said finally, unable to reach a decision. He honestly didn’t mind, he was just excited to be offered the chance to learn another language. Besides, there were so many to choose from, and surely Cavan, with his linguistic skills, would be able to choose better than him.
“I think maybe I got the name confused… Birmingham sounds close to where I know there is a big palace though…”
Seeing Cavan blush slightly as he tried to contain his giggles made him feel bad, and he tried even harder so that eventually his face was smooth, only a hint of humour seeping through his expression.
“Don’t worry, if you’re from America then why would you know about British geography?” Tommy questioned rhetorically, hoping his amusement hadn’t cost him what appeared to be a possible friendship. He’d hate for the other boy to feel bad because of the one thing he didn’t know, whereas there were likely a dozen things he himself didn’t know in comparison.
“I’ll owl my mom and see if she can’t get us books on muggle space travel and anything she might think would be helpful. She’s really smart, she could probably get us a long way just by finding the right books.”
“She... she wouldn’t think it was silly, would she?” Tommy asked, suddenly uncertain again at the possibility of someone new becoming involved in his little ambition. Especially when said person was a parent, who from his own experience weren’t the most reliable of people.
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Post by Cavan Mikal Weiss on Mar 29, 2008 8:17:47 GMT -5
((Sorry, I've had writer's block))
“Thanks. Um... I don’t mind... whichever is easiest for you."
Seeing Tommy's grin, his smile brightened glad to be able to cheer the other boy, "How about French? It's what I'm helping my siblings learn."
“Don’t worry, if you’re from America then why would you know about British geography?”
"You're right, I should probably work on it, but no worries if I get things confused now and again... I wonder what I was thinking of..." He shrugged it off, looking forward to both learning something new, even if it wasn't his favorite and also helping someone learning something new, and a language at that.
“She... she wouldn’t think it was silly, would she?”
Cavan shock his head, remembering some of the odd projects he'd tried to do as a child, including trying to make his pet rocks more like pets and less like rocks... "No, I think she'll find it an interesting subject. She's always encouraging us to learn new things and explore new ideas. She writes a lot of books, so I suppose that's why she's like that."
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Tommy Bryce
Gryffindor
[red]1st Year Gryffindor[/red]
You bend and you bruise me while you try to control me
Posts: 104
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Post by Tommy Bryce on Mar 30, 2008 11:35:57 GMT -5
((*cough* too many threads... must close some... sorry!))
Tommy nodded in a slightly excitable manner when Cavan suggested French, happy to be learning something new. Astronomy was interesting, but it didn’t take up all his time. When he’d been at home, it had become his lifeline; a distraction from everyday life. Hopefully now he was at Hogwarts he wouldn’t feel the need to be distracted quite so often, and when he did go home for holidays he would at least have something else to distract himself with. “Thank you,” he said genuinely, smiling and glancing around the library. It was slowly emptying as the sun grew lower in the skies you could see on the edges of the room through large windows.
"You're right, I should probably work on it, but no worries if I get things confused now and again... I wonder what I was thinking of..."
“I dunno what you were thinking of, but there’s definitely no palaces in Birmingham. London, yeah, but not Birmingham. Buckingham Palace is where the Queen lives, and that’s in London...” It took him a moment to realise the similarity between the two words. “Oh... Buckingham... Birmingham... I know where you got it from now,” he grinned, “I guess they are pretty similar.”
"No, I think she'll find it an interesting subject. She's always encouraging us to learn new things and explore new ideas. She writes a lot of books, so I suppose that's why she's like that."
Tommy nodded sceptically; still unsure that Cavan’s mother wouldn’t just dismiss the idea as nonsense. Seeing that the library was emptying of more and more people, he stood, pulling the thick astronomy book into his arms and smiling once more at Cavan. “Thanks for the raisinets,” he started, “and the teaching me French. I’ll see you around then, if you’ll be teaching me.” Stifling a yawn, he gave one last wave to his new friend and headed out of the library, stopping off at the check-out desk so he couldn’t be accused of trying to steal the tome he was carrying out.
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Post by Cavan Mikal Weiss on Mar 30, 2008 23:42:14 GMT -5
(No worries, I was worried about the same thing... ^_^)
“Thank you. I dunno what you were thinking of, but there’s definitely no palaces in Birmingham. London, yeah, but not Birmingham. Buckingham Palace is where the Queen lives, and that’s in London... Oh... Buckingham... Birmingham... I know where you got it from now. I guess they are pretty similar.”
Cavan smiled brightly and he absently started putting his books away. He wasn't actually conscious that his body was getting ready to leave as he was glad to be able to talk to someone closer to his own age. He was extremely excited about the idea of tutoring someone else on a new language, much like D'rorah was for him.
He nodded, realizing why he'd made the mistake, the two words were very much alike. He didn't feel as bad for making the mistake and smiled again. "I still feel silly, but oh well, what you going to do?"
He noticed the look on Tommy's face, he could see he didn't think his mom would be very supportive. He again found himself wondering what kind of home life his new friend must have to be so wary. Could it be that his parents weren't supportive? Was that even possible, for someone not to want their children to do well and be happy? He shrugged it off, it wasn't something he needed to worry about at the moment.
Cavan looked around when Tommy stood, loking ready to leave and realized it was nearly curfew. He moved to put his things away only to find he'd already done that.
“Thanks for the Raisinets, and the teaching me French. I’ll see you around then, if you’ll be teaching me.”
He stood and slung his bag over his shoulder, handing the rest of the box of Raisinets to Tommy. "You're welcome, really. Here you can have the rest, I'm full. I'll find you at lunch tomorrow and we'll talk some more. I'll see you." With that, not giving the other boy a chance to not take the candy, Cavan made his way out of the library, giving a little wave in return to Tommy and one to the librarian who he saw almost everyday. Right now, it was time to get back to his dorm room so he could study and finish his homework.
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