TERM 6 - Meeting By Chance - Corridors - Hunter VanDerberg, Sydney Hale

Sydney wandered down the empty hall with nowhere in particular to go. Classes were in session, but she wasn’t really feeling well. She could go to Madame Pomfrey, but she didn’t like hospitals in any way. And the Common Room would just be lonely and depressing. So she decided on aimlessly wandering the halls instead.
She turned a corner and saw a boy sitting by a window. Shouldn’t everyone be in class? What is he doing out here? She approached the boy and said, “Hey! What are you doing out here? You should be in class.” She crossed her arms confidently and raised an eyebrow at the young boy. He appeared to be a first year… second at the most.

Hunter was supposed to be in Transfiguration class. He had left the Gryffindor common room with every intention of attending class. His bag was heavy with his Transfiguration book to prove it. Then, he realized that he had forgotten to write his essay on transforming matchsticks to needles and had made the split decision to skip class. Admitting to Professor Dante that he hadn't done his homework was the other option, and he felt that it was better to play sick instead.

He found a wide window-ledge along a corridor and hopped up onto it. He pulled out a spare roll of parchment and a quill and began to write. If he was going to skip class, he might as well work on the homework in the meantime. He had gotten a few inches in when a voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up from his parchment to see an older blonde girl staring at him with her arms crossed. "I'm just..." Hunter trailed off. Maybe the girl was a prefect. Would she get him in trouble for skipping? Well, if so he was done for anyway. Might as well be honest. "I forgot to do my homework for Professor Dante," he admitted, shrugging.

Sydney uncrossed her arms and sat by the young boy, “You got Dante, huh? Tough break. He’s…. difficult sometimes.” She noticed the boy was nervous and she finally realized how she must look to a younger student. “No worries. I’m not gonna snitch on you.” She looked over at the boys parchment and saw he was writing an essay on turning matchsticks into needles. “Matchsticks to needles, eh? I remember doing that my first year. So you must be a firsty then?”

Hunter quickly slid his schoolbag closer to himself so that the blonde girl had more room to sit. At her words, he felt himself relax - he really didn't want to get into trouble so early in the year. "Thanks," he said earnestly, offering the girl a smile. He made a face at being called a firsty, but shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, I am. And I'm supposed to be able to turn a matchstick into a needle. Only I'm a bit of a failure at it - I'm muggleborn, so all of this stuff is still a little crazy to me. Here, watch."

Hunter quickly fished into his bag to retrieve a box of matchsticks that he had kept on him for practice. He plucked a match from the box and set it on his lap, and proceeded to point his wand at it and mutter the spell. He sighed in frustration as the matchstick morphed slightly into a sharp toothpick-like object. "See? I can make it sharp, but it always stays wooden instead of turning silver. Oh, and I'm Hunter by the way! Hunter VanDerberg."

Sydney smiled as the boy relaxed and started talking to her. "Im sydney. Sydney Devane, 5th year Ravenclaw. And I know how you feel with the whole magic thing. I'm a halfblood so I'm part muggle I guess. If you want I could help you." She reached out and grabbed a match stick from the boys lap. She reached down to her boot, where she kept her wand, and pulled it out. She pointed her wand at the match stick, muttered the spell and smiled as the little wooden match turned into a long silver needle. "It just takes practice. You'll get the hang of it, I promise." She smiled reassuringly at the boy and reached out and fluffed her hair like she did with Dean. "So your a muggle born, huh? How does it feel knowing you're all magical and stuff?"

"Do you like being in Ravenlcaw? I'm in Gryffindor!" Hunter watched enviously as the older girl transformed his matchstick into a perfect needle without a second thought. Why couldn't he do that? "Wish it was that easy for me," he muttered, taking the needle back from her and holding it up to look at it. It was perfect. "Thanks." When he was a fifth year, would he be able to do magic so easily? It sure didn't seem like it, at the rate he was going.

Sydney asked him about being muggleborn and he laughed in response, shrugging his shoulders. Hunter had contemplated that very same question every day since he'd arrived. "It kind of feels like I'm in a movie or something," he said. "Everything about this place is strange. Like using owls to send letters and flying broomsticks and writing with quills... and not having a phone." He still couldn't understand why he couldn't phone his family instead of using a bird to send them a message. "It doesn't feel like I'll ever get used to it."

Sydney let out a genuine laugh of pure amusement, which she hadn’t done in a long time. “I promise you, Hunter, you will get used to it. It just takes time and practice. And yes, I love being in Ravenclaw. My house mates really are like my family. This place is my home away from home.” She smiled and then said, “Do you need help with any other spells? I’d be glad to help you out if you ever need it. We can be like costars.” She said as she chuckled to herself, recalling his comment about feeling like being in a movie.

Hunter grinned as Sydney laughed, though he doubted he'd ever think of this place as normal. He nodded as she described being in Ravenclaw. "I hope Gryffindor's like that for me. I haven't really gotten to know anyone yet, except for Aoife." He grinned at the thought of the crazy red-headed girl that he'd befriended. "But I still don't really feel at home here, you know? I was home-schooled, so I've never been away from my family before." He shrugged. He wasn't miserable over it or anything, but he did miss his family.

Hunter smiled at Sydney when she offered to help him with his spells. "Really? You mean it?!" He beamed at her. "The needle one's the only one I'm having trouble with right now. But we're supposed to learn how to light things on fire in charms!" His eyes lit up at the thought, as any normal eleven year old boy's would. "I'm sure I'll need help with that one - well, I'll at least need someone to put out the fire if I mess up," he said sheepishly. "I can make my wand light up, though! Here, watch!" Gripping his wand tightly, he furrowed his brow in concentration and muttered "Lumos." A huge grin spread across his face when the tip of his wand lit up.

Sydney smiled when Hunter used to the correct spell to make his wand light up. “Excellent. Now do you know the spell to make it go dark?” Most students didn’t learn that one till second year for some reason. She raised her own wand and said, “Lumos.” After a few seconds, she said, “Nox.” And her wand went dark.

Hunter watched Sydney light her own wand and put it out, and he repeated the word. "Nox," he said confidently. His wand went out instantly and he grinned at her. "Cool." He grabbed another matchstick from the box and concentrated hard, muttering the spell once more. He sighed and tossed it aside as his attempt failed once again. "Hopefully I'll figure it out by the time of the exam."

“Im sure you will get the hang of it. And you have my help.” She smiled comfortingly at Hunter and nodded her head, “Now, do it again. Practice makes perfect, young one.” She performed the spell again and watched him copy her.

"Thanks," Hunter said, returning Sydney's smile. "All I can do is keep trying. I'm bound to get it eventually." He pulled one last matchstick from the box, concentrated hard, and aimed his wand at it. To his amazement, it not only sharpened, but took on a sheen that looked something like metal! It wasn't exactly a needle, but it was closer than before. "Hey, look!" he said, grinning and holding it up in front of his eyes. That was the farthest he'd ever gotten.

Sydney smiled proudly at Hunter and clapped her hands cheerfully. “Yay! That’s fantastic!” She took the semi needle from him and examined it. “That’s really close kid. Good job.” She nodded her head, which was her way of telling him to do it again. “We should try some other spells too.”

"Thanks! Hunter exclaimed, grinning. "There's one that I can do," he told Sydney eagerly. "Well, two actually. The locking and unlocking charms? I just learned them and I got the second one on my First try!" Hunter gripped his wand and pointed it at the closed door of a broom closet near them. "Alohamora!" He smiled proudly as the door swung open. He closed it again with the locking charm and looked to Sydney for her approval.

“Well then, that’s great! Theres some spells and charms that come easier to people than others. For example, I’m not very good at the Patronus charm. But I can change your hair color in a wink if you wanted me to. It depend son the person and the spell.” She pointed her want at the door and said, “Alohamora.” Then she put the locking charm back on it. “Now do it again. Keep at it.” She smiled and nodded at him and noticed he was looking at her in an admiring way, the way one might look at a professor or mentor. She felt personally responsible for this young wizards success here at Hogwarts now.

He happily repeated the spell when Sydney asked him to, since it was pretty much the only one he could perform correctly. The door popped open and clicked closed once more. Hunter nodded as she mentioned being better at certain kinds of magic. "I think I know what you mean. I'm awful at Transfiguration. And I don't think I'll be too good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, either. But I picked up Charms pretty quick, and Potions. Oh, and I love flying," he added, grinning at the thought of his first flying lesson. "I was the first one in the whole class to get their broom up, and I didn't even come close to falling. One of my friends, Willow, fell and broke her ankle, though." Hunter frowned as he remembered the girl slipping from her broom. He was glad Willow had gotten better so quickly.

Well then, everyone has their talents and their difficulties. You just gotta figure out what they are." Sydney heard the bell ring signaling that class was over and that it was time to go to next period. "Well, i better get going. You too. Hit me up if you wanna practice some more. Just come by the Ravenclaw Common room and tell someone to find me for you. Bye!" She ran off down the hall and turned the corner before he could reply.