All Folks Are Damaged Goods (closed)

This includes the forest, lake, quidditch pitch, and anything else within reasonable walking distance from the school.
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Cana Havich
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Cana Havich » Tue Sep 04, 2018 3:14 am

Angela was very sweet, trying to be comforting. He tried to keep his happy face on and not think of Gabe.

"I hope he can as well. We've known each other since we were. Well toddlers really. A lot has happened between us," he said.

"Fire and blood." Gabe had said of them. Bonded forever in fire and blood, after what had happened to their respective sisters. It was still a close cut for both of them, after what had happened.

He smiled as she described her time as Hogwarts. He thought he might have detected a slight lie somewhere, but he wasn't about to call her on it. He'd told quite a few lies of omission to this poor girl as it was. He wasn't about to take away her security.

"Hogwarts is very different from Gammla Uppsala. The castle is beautiful and the grounds are, as well. I'm not so sure about these magic stairs. But you're right, everyone seems very dedicated to academics, and generally happy to be here." Unlike him. " Gammla Uppsala is in Sweden. Back home it's all long-houses. There are nine long houses to hold all the classes and dorms. The nine represent the nine realms of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and each building it names for a realm. Nine is very important to the Norse religion. Also, every ninth year, the old people would come to Gammla Uppsala and sacrifice in nines to Odin. Instead of a great lake there are lots of mountains. There is a bay into a river that goes to the lake Madlren, but it is hidden by magic. Lots of creatures live there; very different ones than live here. I had never heard of a giant squid outside of the ocean till I came to Hogwarts," he said. "The mountains are beautiful. There are pines trees everywhere, and they get blanketed by snow most of the year. We aren't far north enough to see the Lights, but sometimes in winter, the Professors will apparate us up to the Arctic Circle to see them and see the stars without light pollution. It's...a lot simpler there, I feel, but it was better in some ways. I'm sure Hogwarts is better in some ways as well," he finished.

No one seemed to know what he did for one. That was a big plus.
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Angela Deville
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Angela Deville » Wed Sep 05, 2018 12:16 am

Angela listened with rapt attention at Cana’s description of Gammla Uppsala. Nine houses?! She wondered if that meant there were more students there compared to Hogwarts who had many in total, but dispersed between houses and years, in the end she only had a scattering of housemates in her year. Magical beings depended much on numbers. She had never heard of the number nine being a principle number for a magical religion until Cana explained the Norse religion. She had heard of the number seven being deemed as powerful in magic and three being stable. She wondered if she should share what she knew but she was immediately caught back up in Cana’s description of the flora and fauna of Sweden.

“The lights?” Angela asked, not fully understanding what he was talking about. Was he talking about the stars or the light of the moon? She thought they could see stars pretty well in England, although when she was near muggle parts of the country, transiently passing by, she was sure with the thick smog formed from the smoke of nearby factories, the muggles may not be able to do the same.

Angela had often been side-along apparated by her mother, with her father taking her other two siblings. They had never ventured so far as the Arctic Circle, which she had heard was far, far north from anywhere she had been to. It was already pretty cold for her at Hogwarts, with the summer already faded away and the cool autumn breeze slowly drifting in. She was sure there would be immense amounts of snow this coming November, or even October. At least she was not attending Durmstrang, where James had always carried with him thick fur coats and fur-lined cloaks.

“It sounds wonderful there,” Angela murmured, her voice content as she imagined the entire scape of the almost story-like school. And she felt in Cana’s voice, that he missed going there as well. Did he not like Hogwarts very much? Was it too much to ask him such a question? "Do you like Hogwarts too?" she asked, her voice soft and lined with hope. Although Cana was much older than her, he too was new to this castle and the grounds and everything else that made Hogwarts, Hogwarts. Angela had felt so isolated from everything around her, scared to venture out and meet new people. Maybe Cana was the same. He too, was almost a first year here.
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Cana Havich
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Cana Havich » Wed Sep 05, 2018 12:44 am

"The Northern Lights," Cana replied, softly. He was remembering them now, all blues and greens and purples shining up in the night sky. "They're beautiful. It is wonderful there." He'd snuck away with Gabe, and they'd kissed under them. It was probably the most romantic moment of his life.

He was brought back to his attention by Angela's plaintively hopeful question.

Cana sighed and thought, running a hand through his long hair.

"Well," he smiled at her, "there are some very good people here. I've made friends. It was...complicated by a lot back home. Pureblood drama," he brushed it off, lying about a good deal by omission. "It really can suck when your families have known each other for literally hundreds of years. Especially if your family has a reputation for," blood magic, "not being so nice all the time."

There was no nice way to tell a child that your family had a Dark history. But that's all there was to it. The Havichs were known for many things around the world: philanthropy, innovation, industriousness. But back home, all it was was blood magic this and Dark artifacts that. And there was no good way to bring that up. While they had never followed a Dark Lord, the Havichs were Dark enough on their own for anyone's liking.

"Um," he tried to recatch his train of thought, "I'm not entirely sure about the House system, but I suppose it build camaraderie. And I do like Quidditch. We didn't have a team at Gammla Uppsala. We had a bunch of more traditional sports: archery, boat racing, wrestling, things like that. Which was really fun," he grinned lightly. "But no broom sports. So this is new and interesting. I don't think I'd try out for the team. A few people said I'd be a great Beater though. Not great at that height though. I've got too much to hit the ground," he snickered.
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Angela Deville
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Angela Deville » Wed Sep 05, 2018 1:28 am

As Cana explained briefly his family drama, or pureblood drama, as he named it, Angela was reminded of how Cana was from Slytherin house. She knew that there were many other characteristics that made the house, what it was. Her entire family was from Slytherin. She knew how many families still adhered to the pureblood ways of old. How many still thought muggleborn children should not be accepted into both Hogwarts, as well as into the wizarding society. She, herself had been schooled to think this way by her family, but the pureblood supremacy way of thinking never stuck with her. She just liked to read, and she didn’t really think anyone was much different from her, whether they be from a wizarding family or a muggle family. She was surprised by the many half-blood students at Hogwarts. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to fully reason with a muggle about the concept of magic and she thought to herself, that she would never be able to understand a way of life without it.

Angela agreed with the idea of a House system allowing students to be friendly with each other beforehand, but she herself was unable to use that to her advantage so it only seemed to make her feel more lonely. She hadn’t met up with any Ravenclaws outside of the common room or during meal times, and the only time she really said anything to anyone was up in the dormitories where she whispered a low ‘Good night,’ to her peers. She never heard an answer back, although to be fair, they probably hadn’t even heard her say a word.

She hadn’t watched a Hogwarts Quidditch game yet, but she heard rumors that the house team was soon looking for new members and that there would be try outs for a few positions. She wasn’t much interested in the sporty aspects of the game, but she thought she might enjoy watching the game from afar. She agreed that the heights were scary. She wasn’t sure she had ever been so high up, nor was she willing to try in the near future.

Angela imagined Cana as a Quidditch player. “I think you would be good at Quidditch.” She had seen how large a tree he had used as exercise, and she was sure a Beater’s bat would look tiny in comparison. And she would definitely cheer for him if he played, unless the Slytherin team was against Ravenclaw. She knew house loyalty was important in Quidditch and she was sure that the only time most Ravenclaws brought their books down was during Quidditch matches.

“I’ve never played before, and I haven’t ever ridden on a broom, but I’ve been to a few professional Quidditch matches before. Um, my family doesn’t really follow a team, but my father goes because of politics,” Angela shared. Her father went because all other important political members went, and they all stood talking about the ministry and the happenings of the wizarding world.
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Cana Havich
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Cana Havich » Wed Sep 05, 2018 2:52 am

Politics was something Cana understood all too well. His family had been embroiled in them long enough. He grinned at Angela.

"Tell me about it. You have no idea how many functions I been dragged to over the years in the name of politics and business. How many things have you been shoved into fancy dress clothes for? I can't count that high anymore."

Cana hated the fancy parties that were thrown by the family corporation. His mother lived for the chance to show off the kids though, even Kristian. The boys got shoved into fancy suits, and the girls into little dresses, and they got shoved into the limelight against their will.

Food was good though. There was always that.

'What does your family do, if you don't mind me asking? Mine does business with the Muggle world. We--well, my family--works with potions and spells and how they can be modified for use by Muggles without violating the Statute of Secrecy. It's made...quite a few other pureblood families angry. Not that I'm actually a pureblood," he said, rolling his eyes a bit at the term. "Mom is a Muggle and an American. It was quite the scandal. Same when Aunt Jetta married and American Muggle, as well. Aunt Thorunn broke the streak though. She married a Norwegian Muggle," he grinned.

"It was all pioneered by my grandfather though, of course." Sigurd Havich was simultaneously one of the most brilliant men in existence and most terrifying. Cana wanted to be just like him when he grew up.
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Angela Deville
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Angela Deville » Wed Sep 05, 2018 3:29 am

Angela nodded vigorously as she finished her meal. She was sure eating Cana’s food had made her appetite spoiled and she wouldn’t be able to have more than a few bites of dinner in the dining hall, back at the castle. She contemplated whether she should just go straight back to the Ravenclaw castle, or whether she should still go to dinner. She decided that she would go to dinner, if only to take up a snack for later. The early Indian dinner she just had would probably not allow her to be full until she fell asleep later.

Angela too, had been to many functions. She didn’t go to most of them when she was too little to stray from her mother, but she had been to a few of the larger ones before coming to Hogwarts. She was sure she would have to attend a few more during the Christmas holidays, and already she felt anxious at the idea of having to meet new people there. Thankfully, not many people took an interest in her. They were more interested in James, who in a few years time, would have to take over the family business. This thought process led to Angela answering Cana’s question about her family.

“My family, or more so my father, used to work in the Ministry. He was in the Department concerning foreign relations.” Angela paused slightly. “I think it was called the Department of… The Department of International Magical Cooperation. He used to travel a lot, mostly by portkey.” Her father, Thomas Deville, had traveled much when Angela was younger. She had rarely seen him at home. But he soon left his job, not really needing it except as a means to meet with higher level executives, and now only stayed at home managing the Deville estate and attending functions. The Deville family was not extremely rich, and certainly not rich enough to be frivolous in their spendings, but they were well off due to the inheritance left by generations of Devilles. Angela’s mother, was the only child of the Fontaines, which left her with the entire estate as well. Managing their main estate took much effort and smaller estates provided to other wizards gave them a steady income as well.

Angela thought Cana’s family was definitely beyond the norm. Although they seemed like an old family of magic, they did business with muggles and married them as well. Angela had never met someone with such a diverse background. She wondered inwardly whether she had ever met any of the Havich family before at any functions, but judging by the age difference between her and Cana, she probably would not have. Maybe James had met Cana before, but she didn’t converse with James in matters like these. James was so private in his social life, she would have been surprised if James even mentioned anyone he met or was friends with at Durmstrang or at functions.

Cana spoke of his grandfather, and Angela could sense a hint of reverence in his voice. Was his grandfather his role model? Angela had never heard of him before but she said, “I think he was very smart to provide muggles with things they need from the magic world. They have a much larger population so it might be better business than with wizards and witches. And many magical families brew their own potions at home.” Which was the case of Angela’s home although they rarely had a need for particular potions.
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Cana Havich
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Cana Havich » Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:00 am

"Ah, the Ministry," Cana said. "I'm afraid I'm woefully over my head with that. I don't think I even know who the current Minister is. It's terrible of me, I know, but we actually don't have a branch in the UK, so I've never had to meet them. That sounds like a wonderful department though. So many magical communities are very insular. It must be interesting to learn about all the different cultures."

"My mother loathes Portkeys," he added. "Always has, according to father. They knock her right off her high heels."

She actually preferred private jets, he kept himself from saying. It would be very rude of him to say as such though, and thus he refrained. Cana's family had enough money for it to be vulgar to discuss, at least according to mother. But Cana was proud they'd made it that far. Sigurd's father--Cana's great-grandfather--had more or less bankrupted the family. It was Sigurd's ingenuity that turned them into what they were.

"Grandfather is a genius. He also doesn't mind saying that," Cana laughed. "He was always a brilliant potions master, but when he started researching Muggle medicine, he had a great breakthrough! So much of what Muggles use had variables that could be duplicated or improved by magic. And illegal ingredients that can't be used on Muggles can be artifically replicated using Muggle technology! Take Ashwinder Eggs--" he continued babbling excitedly, "--you can't use them on Muggles obviously, But what you can use is other snake eggs infuses with certain Muggle chemicals! The properties are all there!"

Cana stilled.

"Oh...sorry. Just. Potions is my favorite subject," he shrugged. "But you have other subjects to worry about I'm sure. Is there any other subject you need help with? I'd be glad to do so."
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Angela Deville
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Angela Deville » Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:34 am

“It must be interesting to learn about all the different cultures." Angela hummed lightly. She had learned a lot about other magical communities, but not through her father. She heard snippets of his important conversations or through eavesdropping accidentally on his floo calls. (The fireplace was in the library where Angela resided almost all of her time.) She was particularly interested in Asian relations, but her father left the department as soon as she was interested. Instead, any further knowledge came from the extensive collection of books at the Deville library. Nobody in their family was interested in reading any of them, only collecting rare tomes.

Angela giggled at Cana’s quip about his mother. She herself hated portkeys as well. They made her stomach turn over and afterwards, it took a while for it to get right side up again. "I would hate them too, if they did that to me!" she laughed.

Cana explained exactly what his grandfather had done. He seemed like a genius in Angela’s mind. She thought Muggle medicine would be much behind magical medicine. Wizarding medicine had various hard to find ingredients. Angela had been to St. Mungo’s hospital before to check up on her younger brother before and she had drifted to the fourth floor spell damage ward. She hadn’t made it far until found by her mother, but the ailments she had observed there was forever left in her mind. There was a man being devoured by a magical cloak, only thankfully the cloak took time to digest so the healers were quickly able to help the man out, but he had lost a good few bites of his shoulder. And that was what Angela had unfortunately run upon.

"He sounds absolutely brilliant," she sighed. Cana's family all seemed so very amazing, especially as a wizarding family. Even stories of them seem to teem with magic.

Angela yawned, right as she was asked by Cana if there was any other subject she needed help with. She was starting to get a little sleepy. It was most likely because of the full meal she had just shared with Cana. That and talking with someone else for so long was something she had never done before and it was taking a slight toll on her energy levels. But she hated to have the conversation stop. She had never had so much fun, nor had she ever been able to look up to someone like she now did Cana.

“I don’t think so, thank you," she said while slightly smiling at Cana. She had had the most trouble in Transfigurations, which thanks to Cana, she felt more confident in than ever. She had been able to lightly lift the feather in Charms although it was almost like the wind had helped her, and she was doing well in Potions because all she had to do was follow instructions, something she easily did.

Angela looked at the sky. The afternoon light blue had turned to a magnificent orange red blaze as if signaling the two students that it was going to darken soon. Angela was full from Cana’s delicious food but she knew that it would soon be meal time in the Great Hall and she was thinking about at least sitting down to try a few bites, and maybe, after all this conversation with a perfect stranger who she now felt closer to than most anyone else, she would be able to reach out to a housemate to start talking as well. She asked the boy in front of her, “Are you going to go to the Great Hall?”
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Cana Havich
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Cana Havich » Thu Sep 06, 2018 12:51 am

Cana nodded, happy someone else thought his role model was brilliant. It was difficult to convince people at times that his grandfather was anything other than stark raving mad. It was getting nearly as bad with his father, he could tell. But neither of them were anywhere close to mad. They were just utterly brilliant. Even his mom was too in her own way. But Sigurd was Cana's role model first and foremost. It was Sigurd, he knew, that had really managed to get Cana into Hogwarts after what happened to Gabe.

It wasn't until Angela pointed out the sky, that Cana noticed how long they'd been speaking. Poor thing, he thought, getting caught up in his ramblings. He slowly and carefully extricated himself from the tangled sitting position he'd gotten himself in and stood. Offering a hand up to Angela, he smiled.

"I suppose I should get going, that's true. A few people will look for me if I'm missing I suppose. Would you like an escort into the castle?"

Cana held out a hand as his elbow might have been too high for her to reach.

"It has been an absolute pleasure to meet you, Angela. If you ever need help with anything--and I mean anything--just let me know, and I will be there," he promised.
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Re: All Folks Are Damaged Goods [open]

Post by Angela Deville » Thu Sep 06, 2018 1:52 am

Cana stood up and Angela followed. She collected her books and blanket and the rest of the containers, handing them to Cana. She had fun sitting with and listening to Cana and his different and awe striking family. She could now confidently turn her matches to silver, and hopefully with more practice, into an actual needle. Angela took a hold of Cana’s hand, which was a feat all in itself, considering the size difference between her hand and his. They made their way towards the castle. Angela was going to go to the Ravenclaw common room to quickly put away her things before making her way down to the Great Hall. Thankfully the common room was not far from the dining hall.

Angela turned towards Cana as he said, “It has been an absolute pleasure to meet you, Angela. If you ever need help with anything--and I mean anything--just let me know, and I will be there."

Angela smiled widely and hugged Cana with as much force that she could manage. He had helped her when she had been so confused and worried and even though Cana had so many troubles himself, he didn’t shy away from helping with hers.

“Thank you Cana. You’ve helped me so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Angela repeated with fervent gratefulness in her voice.

Today had been her first memorable day at Hogwarts besides her classes. She finally found a friendly figure here and she knew that should she ever need it, she would be able to find Cana again. She extracted herself from Cana, her eyes slightly teary again as she waved at him with her small hand and then made her way up the stairs to the common room.
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