It’s been years, but he’s still God damn salty. He swears that hat had an agenda. But once sorted, there was no take backs, no do overs.
Geoff Ramsey was a Hufflepuff. And he hated it.
The people in the house weren’t bad… but they gave him a wide berth. He exuded an air of ‘leave me alone’ and they took notice. Which left Geoff a rather lonely student in the common room. He’d made one friend- a Ravenclaw, who was pretty alright, but they didn’t exactly have a lot of time together. Separate class schedules and whatnot.
He was dreading this year like the others. Just. He was sick of being bored- class was fine, but there’s only so much homework a guy can do.
But sitting at the house table, at the start of the year, he wasn’t exactly looking forward to anything. At least watching the first years squirm was fun.
One by one, they sat on the stool, put on the hat, and got sectioned off. The additions to their house are pretty average. He watches with mild disinterest as a larger redhead in glasses, looking noticeably nervous. Geoff remembers being there, worried that something would go terribly wrong.
The Hat takes a few moments, before opening it’s brim and booming;
Poor kid. At least he probably won’t get much bullying in good old badger central. The kid looked lost as he approached the table, scanning up and down the benches-
Before locking eyes with Geoff.
Crap. He turns back to his plate, hoping that he didn’t draw attention to himself- but it’s too late. The kid’s slipped in between him and some 7th year Geoff doesn’t know the name of. He glances over to see the 1st year staring at him for a moment, before his attention is grabbed by the sorting. Sighing, Geoff goes back to ignoring it, getting through the Headmaster’s speech, and then getting to the bet part of the night; dinner.
It’s the usual- loud chatter, good food, and then they all head to the common rooms to unpack, get settled, chat and relax, maybe even prepare for classes. Geoff settles for reading and retires to bed at an early hour. He hates mornings, after all.
——————————————————————————————
The next few days are average, classes, homework, the usual. Geoff’s basically forgotten the first night.
That is, until, one night, when he’s tucked in a chair off to one side, finishing up some notes for Charms, when’s he’s interrupted by a voice.
Geoff looks up from his parchment, to see a familiar face- the kid from the Sorting Ceremony. Frankly, he’s surprised that the guy had the guts to come over like that. No one really approaches him when he’s in the dorm room.
“…Yeah?” he replies, raising an eyebrow.
The kid shuffles his feel, hesitating. Geoff almost feels bad. “…Is. That chair taken?” he eventually asks, gesturing to the empty chair on Geoff’s left.
Sighing, Geoff shrugs. “Nope. Go ahead, kid. I won’t stop you”.
The 1st year takes a seat, and pulls out his wand and a coin. Taking a moment to observe, Geoff stops the movement of his quill.
The kid sets it on the table next to them, pushes up his sleeves, and starts with a swish and a flick, whispering to himself.
Ahh. Of course. He should have figured. Rolling his eyes, he continues his notes, determined to get the work done and ignore his neighbor.
After a while, he’s finished with his notes, and is in the middle of packing his things away, when he glances over to see the kid still attempting to make a knut float.
Watching, he can see that frustration is becoming more and more present in the guy’s face, with a hint of something in his eyes. Doubt. Geoff wonders- if the kid’s muggleborn, he’s probably feeling the pressure, the anxiety. He knows exactly what that’s like- even if he comes from the opposite angle, being a pureblood.
Packing the last of his things away, Geoff looks over once more… and just. He can’t let the kid struggle. Not like this.
The redhead looks up from his wandtip. “…Uh. Yeah?”
He comes around to the side of the chair, and leans against it. “…You need to relax. Being so tense isn’t doing you favors”.
Geoff watches those shoulders slump, and the guy sighs. “…Is it that bad?”
“It’s noticeable, for sure”, Geoff admits. “I know it’s not easy. But half the battle is believing you can do it in the first place. Then it’s just like anything else. Practice”.
It’s kind of fulfilling to see some of that tension leave the kid’s form. “…Yeah. It’s just… I still can’t believe that I'm here and this is real. It’s unbelievable, and yet I’m here. And learning magic”.
Geoff laughs at that. “Yeah… you wouldn’t be the only one. We all kind of have that 'oh shit’ moment at least once. But it’ll pass. Trust me. …You want some pointers?” He’s not usually so… forthright, but… there’s something in the guy that leaves him curious.
The smile that breaks out on the little dude’s face is more than worth it; It could probably melt the Antarctic ice shelf. “Yes please”.
Offering his hand, Geoff smiles back. “…Alright. I’m Geoff. Welcome to Hogwarts, buddy”.
He takes Geoff’s hand- giving him time to notice he’s a lefty too- and nods. “I’m Jack. Thanks”.
Settling in, he starts with adjusting his positioning, and then working him through the finer points. They spend the evening practicing, and Geoff even shows Jack a few of the spells he’ll learn as he progresses through school. It’s a fun evening. And the start of a beautiful friendship.
——————————————————————————————-
I could write this AU forever okay
turnnoffyourmind
2087
origamiaround
jacobvanloon
blakekathryn
izzy806
areudirty
tangentwithtanner
stormborns
