pandora's box

"Anyone can know, the point is to understand." Pandora Agatha Hopper. Sixth Year. Ravenclaw House.

[pandorahopper]

great hall [02.04.1977]

[lionhearted-macdonald]

There was safety in this monotony — at least, that’s what Mary was forcing herself to believe for the time being. It was either that or getting shitfaced in the middle of the Great Hall, a decision she wasn’t so willing to go through under such dire circumstances, no matter how much she — and perhaps a few others around her as well — needed it. She couldn’t even claim to be as bored as some others appeared to be, not really, not when her nerves were this far on edge. Any such reprieve remained out of her reach as she wandered the hall, occupying herself with any task that presented itself. Reading to first years, helping to hand out food, fetching others their necessities… anything, a n y t h i n g was better than allowing herself to dwell on the bad ( like how several of her housemates remained missing ).

Eventually, that very monotony won out and the Gryffindor found herself fresh out of distractions. Reluctantly, she conceded to seating herself in a sparsely populated table. Her cheek rested against her palm. The source of numbing relief stuffed inside her robes took on a new weight. Her hand gave a jittery twitch and she drew in a breath to calm herself. Relax. Mary looked up just as the girl in front of her moved her head to rest it against the table. She pressed her lips together. “… Next thing you know we’ll be subjected to watching the grass grow.” 

[pandorahopper]

    Pandora blew air through her nose in what was a weak version of a laugh. Being subjected to watching the grass grow was the equivalent of t o r t u r e in Pandora's opinion. She understood that the faculty wanted to keep them safe and she wasn't going to question the importance of that. But, she could hardly believe that stress that her brain was going through in trying to think of something that wouldn't cause her to want to ram her head into the nearest wall.                      "You think they'd at least make more comfortable arrangements for us."       She tilted her head to look more properly at the girl who had spoken to her. They were in the same year, but, not the same house. What was her name though... Mary? That sounded right. Pandora was never the best with names, though, so she couldn't be sure. 

[pandorahopper]

great hall [02.04.1977]

    Pandora was b o r e d. She was beyond bored, her mind being enclosed to the devices in the great hall was not something she found particularly enjoyable. No, she did not find it enjoyable at all. It was almost as if she were like an eagle being cages ( she knew the saying was a caged Lion but she didn't think of herself as a Gryffindor by any means ) so she sat off to the side out of the way of others staring into a cup of water.  This was driving her insane indeed-- as if others didn't already think that of her.     Letting out a sigh, Pandora flipped through the book she had been reading under her desk during class in hopes of the Professor not noticing she hadn't been paying attention. The class hadn't lasted quite long enough for her to test that... but being stuck around so many people in the great hall... perhaps she'd rather be in class. At least then she could do something, even if practicing the same old spells and studying the same old things weren't the top things that she wanted to do it was better than being stuck.      Finally, in defeat, she let her head rest on the table in front of her. There was no cure to boredom at a time like this, as much as she wished there to be. 

[destinededgarbones-deactivated2]

courtyard [ 2.2.77 ]

[destinededgarbones-deactivated2]

He blinked at the girl. Pandora Hopper was a confusing one indeed. She was definitely a character that could not be PINNED. If he thought her to be one way, he was sure she would  forever prove him wrong, over and over again.

             Running a hand through his hair,               he sighed and closed his eyes.              There was this urge to keep               debating——arguing——with her,              and yet, what could he argue about?              She had complimented him, hadn’t she?              He wasn’t supposed to lecture her about that.

                       ”I’ll keep it that way if you stay away                          the boundaries Headmaster Dumbledore                          set——if you keep from losing your awareness.”

       Cocking a brow, he added, “Deal?”

[pandorahopper]

Pandora rose an eyebrow. It seemed a fair trade-off, she  could stay away from the forest for him ( not for the teachers, for she could tell many of them were not as noble in their pursuits of authority. )           "Deal," she said with a grin.

[pandorahopper]

astronomy tower [01.28.1977]

[oseersybill-deactivated20141124]

She couldn’t do anything. Besides being overwhelmed by stressful situations, she didn’t know enough to go around and demand a time turner and explain what she wanted to do. Certainly she could attempt it, but there was no elaborate plan for her to execute, and she would be lost in the middle of the action if she was to thrust herself back there. There were too many risks, and too much at stake, for her to attempt to do it herself. Yet she had succeeded in making the atmosphere of the room tense and depressive. That was the last thing she had wanted. Indeed, part of her had been hoping that there would be no new information at all - that if she had a vision, it would be something she didn’t remember. But this would be something she recalled in great detail. And all she could think of - was if it came true. She didn’t want it to. Oh, Gods, she didn’t want to see that mark ever again, if she could help herself. Not that she wanted to remain neutral, but she didn’t want to be faced with the hard decisions. They would be around her soon enough. She didn’t want to face them even sooner than she had managed to internalise. As though she could fool herself into thinking procrastinating on making decisions would make them never come around. As though that’s how it worked. For a realist - Sybill tended to be quite the idealist. "Well —"  She started out nervously, and she tossed the crystal ball, basically, back into the satchel, where it landed with a royal thud. “I suppose since neither of us know, then nothing should be done. I mean, it’s better that way than running around like headless chickens, right?” She then began packing up her things, putting them back into their designated places, and there wasn’t as much care utilised this time. She was resentful against it. She wished things like this didn’t exist. “I’m sorry I completely ruined your reading time with this nonsense, Pandora.”

[pandorahopper]

[end]

[foundersofhogwarts]

founders & their common rooms - ravenclaw tower

[pandorahopper]

dungeons [01.23.1977]

[lorcanofdeath-deactivated202405]

Now this was a darling surprise; the smile that spread across her face was one he had never seen before. And was it because of what he said? That he had wanted to brew different ingredients and actually be a part of what she did?

Ah, it was good to see smiles, and even better to know it could be because of what he did. Sometimes, that was the motive behind what he and Fabian  did; it wasn’t just for them, but for others to have a chance at being cheery.

Waving a hand, he shrugged. “I frankly don’t care if you’re biased; you sound pretty thrilled about this, so that’s enough to let me know that I should be thrilled about it as well.” Already, the excitement was boiling in his veins and he was roaring to begin. It was difficult to reign in that storm thundering inside at this point, but he managed, as he always (most of the time) did.

"When should we start, partner?" he asked as he held out his hand.

[pandorahopper]

   Pandora couldn't help but continue to smile up at the boy who was being so generous in his offer to help her and-- even better-- actually seemed almost as thrilled as Pandora at the prospect of this project of hers. It was almost as if she were in a dream and she needed to pinch herself to make sure she weren't (metaphorically, of course, she wasn't actually going to pinch herself).      Someone actually paid attention to her input on her projects. Sure, they were her projects but that didn't really mean much to most people. The majority of people saw her as a madwoman trying the impossible and warning her that she was likely to kill herself in the process. "Well, I'm glad to see someone as excited as I am about all this," she replied.      When should we start, partner? When? When indeed. Well, first, Pandora would have to come up with some idea of how to make this work.  "Well, how about we start by brainstorming ideas for all this sometime in the near future?" She said, raising an eyebrow. With that she shook his hand and sealed the deal. She had now a partner and possibly a friend. 

[harrypotterdailly]

"Oh… Well…" she shrugged. "I think they think I’m a bit odd, you know. Some people call me ‘Loony’ Lovegood, actually.”

[destinededgarbones-deactivated2]

courtyard [ 2.2.77 ]

[destinededgarbones-deactivated2]

At this point, it was clear what Pandora’s opinion was. She didn’t like those in authority at all. She might relent some decency to certain people, but that didn’t mean she would ever adhere to rules implemented or rules given. If he still entertained this conversation, what would be the point? She didn’t want to hear him, and if she did, it wasn’t to really see if her opinion would change. To him, it seemed like she was asking to sate her curious mind of whether she was right.

                       Running his tongue over his teeth,                        he took another deep breath, letting                        the cool air fill his lungs. There was                        a lingering silence as he debated an                        answer, and he took his time in letting                        his opinion voice once more.

                                            “I did want to be Head Boy,” he confessed.                                             “But throughout the years, I’ve groomed myself                                              to be the best at whatever I did. It wasn’t to prove                                              that anyone was beneath me, but so I could                                              better myself. Even if I wasn’t offered the                                               position, I will most likely be in authority at some                                              point in my life. I have to be good at what I do.                                              No matter what it is.”

                 ” After all, the true measure of a man     is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”

[pandorahopper]

Pandora considered this, there was something about it that made her feel a tad more respectful for Edgar. Not that it was much more and not that it meant she would be following the rules he  enforced. Just that she liked his reasoning, to some extent.               She was exactly sure if she concurred with his last             statement. She wasn't all sure what determined one's             character anyway, but she didn't feel it was that.              She did however appreciate that he could at least come             up with some reason for taking such a position rather             than just that it was asked of him.                                                "Well, it sounds like you know your values then,                                            which is a good thing. Keep it that way." 

[theratheard-blog]

CORRIDOR || 1.31.77

[theratheard-blog]

And still she wished to speak. Peter stopped in his tracks to peer over his shoulder and look at her with narrowed eyes. He despised that, people who still felt as if they should say something. He frankly stopped caring about most other’s opinions long ago. He had no use for them in the long run, so at this point, he didn’t feel like suffering through the act of listening to them.

But at the mention of werewolves, his mind stopped running as well. Because it was Remus who popped up in his mind, not the pack. And while Pandora might think that everyone was burying their heads about the threat in the forest, he knew that there was a greater threat when it came to wolves; he knew people should be locking their doors and piling furniture against it if they had a chance.

Of course, they wouldn’t have to do that if the boys figured something out. 

       ( but he doubted they would figure it out in TIME )

"Subjective — right," he muttered, wiping his tongue over his teeth. "What’s not subjective either? Who’s to say what about anything and be right? Just makes the whole world tedious and menial in the end.”

[pandorahopper]

    Something she said  had made his facial expression change before he spoke. She wasn't sure what it was, but she noticed something change. And then as quickly as she saw it, it seemed to vanish from his face and he was back to exactly what he had been since she had found him talking to himself by the window.      Pandora let out a sigh. She wasn't really sure what to think of this conversation with the brooding Gryffindor. He wasn't exactly the most enjoyable company.  Negativity.  That was what Pandora saw in this boy, and she didn't need to be able to read his "aura" like Sybill Trelawney to be able to do that. It was very... uncharacteristic... of someone from his House. Pandora wondered why. It wasn't just that it didn't fit into the stereotype of a Gryffindor but it was almost the opposite.      Pandora was not one for House Stereotypes, but she knew there were reasons that everyone was placed into the house they were placed in. And there was also something to be said about the friends people had. Who you were around said a lot about you. Pandora didn't have many friends herself and perhaps that made it harder for people to judge exactly what she was like-- or perhaps it made it easier. She had not talked much to any of Peter's friends, but they always seemed so lighthearted, but this-- this --was a stark contrast to that.      She shook her head, it was none of her business.  She barely knew the boy, even if they were in the same year.      "That's not true though, there are some objective truths.      There are answers, to some things if not everything.      That's why I turn to science,"

[pandorahopper]

astronomy tower [01.28.1977]

[oseersybill-deactivated20141124]

Getting Dumbledore to check on things? She had considered it for a while, but weren’t there other more important matters for the headmaster to be looking at? Such as the imminent threats. No one would be thinking about the future. And the analytical mind in which she existed began to churn even faster. So then, that was the point, to keep them preoccupied with currents events so that they might not worry about what happened in the future, or what might happen. Unfortunately for them, the school had a seer on their side. One who was a little haphazard in her visions, but - a seer nonetheless. One who had a REAL vision. And it could happen again, perhaps if she willed it. She slid the fabric over the crystal ball so that the lights within and the slight droning noise wouldn’t detract from the conversation or add unnecessary distraction. “Oh, yes, there’s going to be much more of that.” Her voice didn’t quiver. She wasn’t uncertain - nor was she completely in her head. "It’s almost to be expected. Though I don’t think - no, the headmaster might have a time turner, but he wouldn’t lend it. Nor would a future threat be believed. I don’t think. Because - there’s too much going on now." The cloudiness faded, and replaced itself with fear. "Someone else would need to do it. But - oh, that could open up a new can of worms. Pandora - I don’t think I know quite what to do about all this."

[pandorahopper]

    Sybill was right. The Headmaster had enough to deal with right now as it were. What with wolves roaming the forest and edging up closer and closer on the castle with all of the students trapped inside. It was only a matter of time before something bad happened ( especially when some of the students in the castle were more d a n g e r o u s than the monsters they were all hiding from )  so Pandora knew the risks.      Dumbledore would only be trying to keep them safe, for now, and would have to adjust as things changed. There was no other practical way to do it, was there? Pandora realized there wasn't. Could the school take the risk of listening to Sybill's fortune-tellings. If she was wrong then it was obvious they couldn't. But something in the back of Pandora's mind told her that Sybill wasn't wrong. Not this time. Perhaps it was just a gut feeling, perhaps there was something else.      Whatever it was, Pandora did not like it one bit.      She tried to stay as neutral as possible about things like this. Sure, she was a half-blood, which to the main suspects in people's eyes ( those blood elitist Slytherins ) made her less than they were. But it couldn't be just the Slytherins behind all this, could it? Sure they were cunning-- it was came with the house colors, just like Ravenclaws were clever-- but she didn't think that made them evil. She was almost positive there had to be a few stray people from every house who enjoyed what was going on.       But, no matter who would be responsible for what was going to happen it didn't matter. Because whatever was going to happen would happen, and there wasn't any way to stop it. Even if they did have a time turner there was no telling that they would be able to stop this mess. What good what it do?                                      "I don't know either, Sybill."

[highrelease]

Visit Original Link

Phantogram | When I’m Small

[animalsnaps]

[wordsnquotes]

Science is no more than an investigation of a miracle we can never explain, and art is an interpretation of that miracle.

Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles

[destinededgarbones-deactivated2]

courtyard [ 2.2.77 ]

[destinededgarbones-deactivated2]

        With the question, his temper seemed to dissipate.         Not fully, and he was still burning HOT, but he had     c o o l e d .         Her misconception about his duties was not an          unfamiliar topic for him. Plenty of students thought         one thing about being Head Boy without realizing         just wrong they were about the position. 

"It’s not as if there are no perks," he began. "I have my own dorm, large bathroom, and some leniency when it comes to grades. But how would I be a decent Head Boy if I didn’t adhere to the rules I am enforcing? It’s hypocritical. And who would listen to a hypocrite?”

                                He already had a hard time not being listened to                                 just by being who he was. He didn’t need to add                                 even more problems to it if he did want to take                                 advantage of what his position offered.

                “I agreed to Head Boy because it was asked of me.                  Because there was no one better for the position.”

[pandorahopper]

         Pandora considered his question.          Who would listen to a hypocrite?          Well the obvious answer was probably          not the majority of people.  Pandora          wouldn't-- but that that didn't say much          as Pandora did not like to listen to anyone          she disagreed with ( especially if even they          didn't understand the things they believed. )                                   And she thought there were decent enough                                   perks in having one's own room. Solitude was                                   something to be treasured. If it were not for her                                   long nights spent doing experiments and a w a y                                   from her fellow housemates she was sure that she                                   would become insane.  But then she stopped when he gave her his reasoning. "That's silly," she  said, musing over it. "Just because it was asked of you? Just because Dumbledore thought you were best  for the job? It's not that being in a  position of authority--" the word came out a bit more sour than she meant "was something you wanted?"

[theratheard-blog]

CORRIDOR || 1.31.77

[theratheard-blog]

I observe. He sincerely hoped his face showed just how much he thought that statement as bullshite. Observations did not mean the truth; to him, they frankly showed more biased assumptions than anything. Nobody saw anybody with clear vision. Nobody. It would always be clouded with something; it didn’t matter what, just that it was true.

The girl before him could profess all she wanted that she was observing. But he had no doubt she was making calculating judgements. She was Pandora Hopper, after all; as a scientist, it was part of her nature to make judgements. 

"You’re right," he finally said after a few beats of silence. Pushing himself off the ledge, he drew close, adding, "It’s none of your business anyways, even when it comes to determining what is a normal display of annoyance. C’mon, Pandora, what is even normal in our world?"

Scoffing, he walked past her, shoving his hands in the pockets of his robes as he stomped away. Think it over. He already thought enough to give himself grief. He didn’t need to add to the burden.

[pandorahopper]

    Pandora pressed her lips together. N o r m a l, it was a silly idea really. Pandora was almost positive that in most instances normal just meant adhering to the pattern. If she mixed two things together over and over again exactly the same way in the exact same conditions, then the results should always be the same. And often they were, and that was what the school subjects were all about. Potions, especially, but even charms, transfiguration, and herbology.                                  People are not science experiments.                              Pandora almost had to force the thought.                          P e o p l e were not meant to be ingredients in a                       potions experiment or chemical r e a c t i o n. ( And if                      they were, she certainly didn't follow the pattern, anyway. )

   "Well," she said, choosing her words carefully. (She couldn't get it out her of her head that Peter was a ticking time bomb now, and so she had to be careful. She didn't want to be held responsible for the e x p l o s i o n.) "I guess, that's all subjective. And, even then, constantly changing." She let out a sigh. "Currently it seems to be burying our heads in the dirt as werewolves roam the forest..."

[pandorahopper]

astronomy tower [01.28.1977]

[oseersybill-deactivated20141124]

She rattled her nails against the surface of the ball and gnawed on her lower lip. She remembered once, when she had been teased mercilessly at the hands of those who considered themselves better, that she had been compared to a chipmunk. Or a beaver. Or something equally as rodent in nature, with the way that she tended to nibble at her own mouth and fiddle about with her hands, always nervous, always anxious and on edge. And when things like T H I S happened, well, could any of those blokes blame her? Of course they could, but the correct answer was that they shouldn’t. It was too much to ask of people around here to be understanding all of the time, but once in a while, it shouldn’t be that arduous of a task. Perhaps it was. She couldn’t see into their minds, after all. All she could see were their auras. Tangible things which were elastic and spastic, which stretched and confined themselves to small spaces or expanded outwards to greet the rest of the world with what one would call opened astral arms. When she glanced up at Pandora’s question, which was cautious, it was brief, but she managed to see the red, the blue, the black seeping at the background of her spine, right at the base, creeping upward. It wasn’t the darkness of evil, which was something that couldn’t be seen through, something that wasn’t transparent, thick like soup. Unable to have a hand put through it. Murky. Disgusting. This was distress. It was fuzzy, like the fog of a new morning. It was overwhelming whatever else she might’ve been feeling. Despite herself, she was both intrigued - and disturbed. Pandora, that is. Sybill Trelawney was always some form of d i s t u r b e d whenever she used the crystal. "I’m looking right at it." Her voice was still a perceived whisper. "I swear to Rowena, I’m not making it up. It’s stretching and it’s green and it’s coming from the centre of the forest. But I don’t know when. I don’t know when this would happen. And that’s what exasperates me.”  Clapping a hand over it, she blinked up at her housemate. "Perhaps a Time Turner would come in handy after all. So we could see if - when - this thing would happen. So there’d be confirmation. An actual warning given to others.”

[pandorahopper]

   Pandora did not by any means like the sound of what she was hearing. Was it possible that Sybill was making it up or crazy? Yes, entirely. Was it likely that she was telling the truth? Well, Pandora considered the events as of late. P a t t e r n s were something scientists looked for.  And lately the pattern had been not a very good one. Werewolves, whisperings inside the castle walls, everything had seemed to be going in the direction and so it was also entirely possible that Sybill was telling the truth.      The dark mark had already made an appearance twice at the Ministry, so it seemed to make sense that Hogwarts would be another target-- didn't it? The more Pandora thought about it, the more she didn't like the way the flow of logic was bringing her. But she considered the facts. If the dark mark were to appear, which seemed if not probable at least possible, then it would make sense that that implied... w h a t?       Nothing good. The last two sightings of the dark mark came with a dead and mutilated muggle-born.  So, if patterns were anything to go by then it would make sense that that was what would happen at Hogwarts.                    "Well, I'm not sure where we'd get our                    hands on one. Although, I hear Dumbledore                   has one. Perhaps, you could convince him                   to check on things since I highly doubt                    he'd just hand over something like that."                                                    "If it is true, and it does happen.. then,                                                    someone is probably going to die. Not                                                   just die, obviously, but be murdered." 

[pandorahopper]

greenhouses [02.01.1977]

[virtuetempted-deactivated201603]

The Hufflepuff stayed by the door, staring at the girl, taking in what she could about her unconsciously. Her mind did that. Quietly she studied those around her and then she adapted to the situation, never wanting to make an enemy and it worked so far. Emmeline was aware of most students, whispers of their habits and nature always entered her ear and in her mind she racked her brain for the girl who was sitting before her. Ravenclaw. Hooper she thought but not sure. She nodded a thank you and moved into the room taking a seat in front in one of the tamer plants, pulling out her supplies.

                                                     “Not rude, just busy. I wouldn’t want to interrupt some grand idea that you had been working on for sometime. But I promise I won’t be too long, I just need to run a few tests to conclude my essay.”

Her head tilted though at the comment she made about people being terrible company.

                                                        “Terrible company? As in they bother you or you just are not fond of them?

There was a panic that rose within her, she didn’t want to be terrible company, was she already terrible company. The dark haired girl chewed on her pencil, her foot shaking up and down, nervous habit. Questions, some people like to talk about what they were doing. She should ask the girl questions about why she was in here, perhaps there was some grand reason and talking about it would earn Emmeline brownie points. She stopped chewing on her pencil.

                                                  “Are you plant whisperer or is there some other reason you were intently focused on that plant?”

[pandorahopper]

    Pandora pouted down at the plant that seemed to refuse to grow at all. (How annoying, a plant that didn't want to do what plants were supposed to do. What was the point of magic if plants were going to be stubborn and grow at an infinitesimal pace?)  Pandora let out a sigh and looked up at the girl.                               "By all means, don't let me stop you from                              doing what you need to do. I'm just staring                              at a plant. No wonder people take me for                               a madwoman."                                                          "Well, it depends on the person, I guess.                                                         opinions on the types of company people                                                         make are generally subjective and that's not                                                         really my expertise."      Not that she didn't have thoughts on the matter. It could be said that Pandora, in general, did not like people. That was not necessarily true but, at the same time, it was not necessarily false either. She didn't l o v e people. She wasn't beside herself with joy at social events or in social situations. They didn't come naturally to her, as they seemed to do with so many others.  Yes, it was true she could talk to people, but if what they had to say bored her she was one to be up-front and straightforward about that.                              "Plant whisperer, indeed," Pandora replied                             rolling her eyes a bit. "No, I just don't have                              the patience to grow my own supplies, I guess.                             or maybe it has stage-fright and only wants                             to grow when I'm not looking."