⤻ * HENRIETTA HAD LONG AGO LEARNED THE LANGUAGE OF LOSS —— words trailing off mid-sentence & smiles that never quite came from the heart , despite how deceptively bright they glimmered in the hue of ones eyes . BEAUTIFUL PRETENCE that masked lonely woes & quiet sorrows ; henrietta recognised the language of loss within eglantine’s manner ( kindred , lonely , perhaps not alone any longer ) , and so with a smile , she softened impossibly . “ oh , while i adore the concept of stars whisperin’ to me a whole array of enigmas ; the message they’ve delivered to me t’night is no secret , tina —— ” leaning forward , balancing precariously upon the very edge of the hut’s roof , henrietta focused her gaze clemently upon the sight of the hufflepuff who stood below ; her ruby red lips flooding with the warmth and softness of thousands of stars . “ for they’ve told me that —— even when beholdin’ a sky filled to the brim with millions of speckles of celestial light —— you , ms . eglantine puffet , are still the most remarkable thing in sight . ”
lips to the glassy rim of a bottle of firewhiskey , henrietta quirked a soft brow at the badger’s reply & question , grinning her cheshire grin as she gently challenged —— “ how’s about you hop up here en’ join me atop this mighty , kingly roof , and i’ll tell you all you’d like to know about my dreams ? ”
HENRIETTA’S WORDS HAD HER GIGGLING. the thought of the stars themselves speaking of her was ridiculous , but then it was that time of night where everything ridiculous just seemed possible. “ you’re going to fall if you’re not careful. ” she says , amusement lining her tone as she watched the other lean forward on the roof. “ that firewhiskey will be the end of you ! ” then , the slytherin asked ( like a generous king ) for tina to come share her throne of stars.
hesitance flared within her , though she tried her hardest not to let it show. “ how do i even get up — there ? wait , non , don’t tell me. ” and so , in a show of confidence that would have had her mother fainting if she saw her , tina ran off & out of sight to climb her way up the roof. finally , tina was up , practically crawling over to henrietta , fearing a fall. “ this was not fun ! ” pout plumped her lips. “ i think i have discovered a new fear — heights. ”
❛ are you cold ? ❜ the question suddenly serious and stark against his usual manner. after all, there was no sense in freezing for no bloody reason, or even the sake of a jest. he studied her for signs of chill before nodding in acknowledgment of her curiosity. ❛ nothing good. ❜ he promised too quickly to be anything but joking, his feet hesitated then shuffled into a slow pace. his own gaze followed her, a silent encouragement to join him as he set out in the opposite direction of the castle. ❛ are you sure you’d believe anything i said anyways ? if you haven’t figured it out, i’m not to be trusted. ❜
“ oh, me ? well, it’s impossible not to be. but. still good ! ” she lifted her hand, waving her fingers around as if to validate herself. his words intriguing her, she quickly set off to follow, stuffing her hands back in her pockets as she moved to walk next to him. “ i’d believe it. we are magic ! i’d believe anything. ” i’m not to be trusted. she laughed. “ ah, i’m sorry. you’re silly. if you’re not to be trusted then why are you telling me so ? ”
briony could not make heads or tail’s of this infallible logic and was momentarily caught speechless and flustered. her least favorite combination of emotions. even from these few sparse moments of interaction, briony could sense the two of them were frighteningly different. her bright eyes blinked disbelieving at words mumbled through a snack. ❛ you just arrive ? ❜ her tone betraying horror, briony took a moment to find a steadying breath and put her knee-jerk, very dramatic, and unbecoming reaction back where it belonged. hidden. ❛ tina… . ❜ she resisted the urge to brush a few crumbs from the other girl’s hand before settling to fixing her perfectly neat uniform and the strap of her bag. ❛ i’ve been wandering for nearly half an hour. surely, i’d have arrived by now. are you saying you haven’t seen anything familiar either ? ❜
the horror in the other’s tone made her giggle, a little nod accompanying it. “ isn’t that what we all do ? ” closing her bag, she held it close to her chest, looking at the other curiously. “ well, you’re familiar, right ? ” tina held a finger to her chin, nose scrunching up as if she was in deep thought. “ hm. well, you seem to have a much better sense of direction than i. so i think that, perhaps, if you’re having so much trouble figuring out where you are, it’s hopeless for me to help. ”
regulus was enduring yet another sleepless night. after spending hours laying in bed, staring at the ceiling and unable to close his eyes, he finally decided to give up on sleep, as it clearly was not going to happen. grabbing a small flask full of whiskey, regulus exited the castle and headed towards one of his favourite places - the shore of the great lake. the moon was shining its light on the calm surface waters; it was silent and peaceful – regulus found solace at this place. he brought the flask up to his lips and took a few gulps. the black rarely drank enough to get drunk, just enough to relax. lately, he’d been feeling even more anxious than usual – as if something bad was about to happen.. suddenly, the sound of footsteps approaching took regulus out of his thoughts. without bothering to turn around and see who it was, he spoke “ not in the mood for company and i came here first, so fuck off. “
the night was, once more, when the dreamy girl found herself wandering through the school like a phantom under the guise of prefect duties. she was rounding the corner of the great lake’s shore when she was met face-to-back with another figure ( & if how he spoke was any indication, not a very friendly one ). “ actually, i have passed by here two times tonight and it’s the first i see of you. so i was here first. ” the words aren’t spoken harshly ; simply fact. curious eyes kept staring at the back faced towards her. “ are you alright ?”
⤻ * QUIETLY KIND BROWN HUES shape into mirthful crescents that gleam in the dark , a smile blooming in full as a warm little laugh falls from the slytherin’s curved lips . “ oh , me ? i’m sittin’ atop good ol’ ogg’s hut as i find it t’ be a place of perfect equilibrium . sat here , i am in the world of stars , of forest darkness , ‘en of the castle’s light . ” like a queen surveying her country , henri’s hues wander —— taking in the sight of the trees that tremble , the stars above , and the lights of the castle that seem to glow ( warm on the dark horizon ) , her gaze then falling to focus on the hufflepuff prefect who stood beflow . “ i’d like t’ hear more of these dreams of yours though , eglantine . tell me , are they very sad ? or quite serene ? ”
THE WARMTH OF THE OTHER elicits her own in response , her smile widening. “ you know , my— ” and she stops , suddenly, the word mother catching on her throat. clearing it , she shakes the horrible feeling of dread off , forcing herself to continue as if nothing happened. “ my friend used to say that the stars hold secrets we can only hear when we’re as high up as they are. perhaps it is atop, ah, good ol’ ogg’s hut, ” her own accent makes it difficult to try & mimic the girl’s tone , but she carries on , “ that they are trying to communicate something to you. ”
her dreams. did she have any of use , anymore ? were they really anything but colors that she’d tried to decipher into images , pleading to see her family in them once more ? “ tina ! eglantine is too long , yes ? but i’ll tell you , i wish my dreams were like this— airy and quiet. mine are more forged in fire , whatever a sword is before it’s a sword , with the potential to be more but never quite reaching it. ” eglantine let out an airy laugh. “ ah , i’m being silly. it’s the time of night. what about you , henrietta ? do you dream ? ”
⤻ * “ YOU THERE . off y’ pop ; back to the castle before y’ get into TROUBLE . ” henrietta’s voice rang clearly & kindly enough through the silent night air —— the slytherin herself situated up upon the roof of ogg’s hut ; hues having been avidly taking in the stars before she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps . TYPICAL henrietta figg —— quick to make sure others would be avoiding trouble whilst wading waist-deep through trouble , herself . “ —— it’s an awful ungodly hour past curfew , y’ know ? y’ shouldn’t be wanderin’ ‘round all the way out here by yourself . ” legs swinging idly off the rooftop ledge , the serpent quirked a gentle brow at her fellow trespasser ; a small little smile bloomed upon her rose-coloured , firewhiskey painted lips to show that she meant no harm .
small body JUMPS at the sudden voice catching her off guard , the jolt so high she nearly topples over. righting herself , tina glances up towards the slytherin looking down on her. “ shouldn’t i say the same to YOU ? ” the hufflepuff uses her prefect voice , crossing her arms & offering the other a pout. “ i like this time of night. feels like you’re wandering through a DREAM. maybe it’s the sleep deprivation speaking. ” rocking on her heels , she offers the slytherin a bright smile. “ what about you ? why are you up there ? ”
rabastan shoved his hands further into his pockets, chin rising as he studied the slight girl down the length of his nose. his gestures were carefree, downright rude at the best of times. yet there was something forgivable in the lift of his smile and unflinching study of her features. ❛ immune to jests and the cold ? ❜ pale fingers found the bridge of his nose and the slytherin rubbed at the corner of his eye, enough to drop eye contact. his attention shifted, a small reprieve while he glanced over their dreary surroundings. ❛ tough girl… . i’m sure you’ll find it in you to take it as a compliment. ❜
warm hues shone as the other looked at her. where most others would feel offended speaking to one who was, in a way, looking down at them, she remained unfazed & sunny. “ i wish i was immune to the cold. then i’d get to enjoy lovely weather without getting frostbite ! ” was eglantine’s immediate, dreamy answer, her accent thickening her words. " of course i’m tough. there’s a reason the word rhymes with hufflepuff. ” a laugh racked her body at her joke. “ i wonder what brings you out here ? not love for the weather, surely ? ”
for fuck’s sake. briony grumbled as she turned yet another unfamiliar corner. feet fast and decisions quicker, she was plowing ahead, action girl. was she only becoming lost further? probably. and yet she trudged forward, whirling only at a barely audible snicker that followed her and wriggled its way into her red hot ear. the frustrated ravenclaw eyed the empty portraits in search of the culprit with a look that was bristling with indignation. of course, walking pell mell for nowhere without looking forward is a poor choice. that lesson learned in the next moment when she slammed into another student with a vengeance, items flying, briony sputtering, the wind knocked from her chest. her tongue was sharp, tone furious despite her own very large part to play. she rounded on them, all pretense of being pleasant abandoned. ( save that small & stubborn relief at having found someone else in this immense castle ) ❛ what on earth are you doing plowing into people ? you’re lucky we have all our limbs. I suppose you’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached and— speaking of … ❜ as she spoke, her tumbling words lost their bite. her expression folding with something like embarrassment. ❛ you wouldn’t happen to know if this is the fourth or the fifth floor ? would you ? ❜
it wasn’t tina’s fault she couldn’t see where she was going. well, technically she could, but she was much more preoccupied with getting another tart out of the bag she’d half-stolen half-borrowed from the kitchens. still, having a student nearly slam into her ( and almost let her bag fall to the ground ! ) & then proceed to nearly bite her head off made her pout. “ well, if my head wasn’t attached then i wouldn’t need it, and so what does it matter if i lost something i don’t need ? ” she quickly shoved another tart in her mouth, words muffled as she spoke through her food while trying not to open her mouth too much. “ oh, i never know where i’m going or where i’m at ━ i just arrive, somehow. ”
it was far too cold for anyone to be out of doors, and yet here rabastan was, casually trudging through the grass regardless of icy winds and clouds threatening rain. gaze steady and far off as he crested the last hill before the lake, he was almost too preoccupied to notice the other ( foolish ) soul braving the weather. feet falling into a jilted stop, his chin rose and he eyed the individual. ❛ what’s this ? ❜ he called, a smile saturated in smugness threatening the curve of his lips ❛ no one sane out today, s’that it ? ❜
the cold had always made tina feel better ; the further away she was from blistering heat, the better. now, she walked through the frigid grounds, pointedly ignoring the wind nipping at her nose, enjoying the ( presumable ) loneliness, until a voice rang out, making her jump. “ oh ! ” her mouth dramatically forming an ‘o’, she turned to face the other. “ hello there. it is, ah, not very nice, is it, to call yourself insane. ” she grinned brightly. “ still━━ maybe you’ve been called worse ? i have. ”
hey , hi , hello friends ! it’s mars finally back at it again with my second & somehow even messier bab y , TINA ! now , forgive me in advance bc this intro may or may not be super long , just bc there’s so much less canon info on her than on rita & that got my creative juices flowin’ a little TOO much ; there’s definitely a lot i want to get out ! if u wanna plot then hmu or smash that ♡ & i’ll come to you ! without further ado ━━ MY SECOND CHILD !
* ╰ ( JENNIE KIM )┋have you met ( EGLANTINE PUFFETT ) ? ( she ) reminds me of ( sometimes a war can be fought inside yourself and no victor comes out ; beams of light find their way out of your body through your smile, but don’t get too close, don’t reach out and touch —— girl burns just like the sun & the illusion of a good thing always fades out once you feel the smoke in your lungs ; eyes like a warzone after the battle’s ended, girl has always been empty / hopeful, cacophony incarnate ; girl is a match unlit, capable of beauty & destruction —— who can tell the difference? not girl / not anyone ; girl takes the form of phoenix and rises from the ashes in a mockery of a rebirth but a rebirth nonetheless ). a ( twenty one ) year old ( tenth ) year ( hufflepuff ), the ( illusory ) is known to be ( sanguine & quixotic ), yet ( selcouth & vexatious ). that explains why they’re majoring in ( spell creation ). rumour has it, ( tina ) is siding with ( the order ) in the solemn war that blazes just beyond the horizon.
⧼ ❀ ⧽ ONCE UPON A TIME . . .
a long time ago , there was no one named eglantine puffett. long , long before she’d take up her final name , a baby was dropped off in a wizarding orphanage with a note containing her very first one ━━ kyung - mi. no last name.
later on , at age three , she would be adopted by a kind chinese wizarding couple , who’d been on the hunt for another child , having already adopted one. going to all kinds of orphanages until they found her. returning to china , she gained her second name , effectively erasing baby kyung - mi from existence ━━ and breathing life into toddler zhou yuyan.
yuyan loved her parents & her new older brother , and though they changed her name , they still encouraged her to learn things about korean wizarding culture / korean culture itself mixed with their chinese wizarding traditions. for a while , they were happy !
here’s the thing , though. a war was brewing in wizarding china , much faster than anything in europe , something which made yuyan’s parents fearful. when one of the biggest chinese wizarding schools got attacked during the beginning of the school year , her parents panicked , shipping their children far away , off to beauxbatons ━━ with the promise that they’d send for their return as soon as it was safe.
it was here yuyan met her future namesake , as both her & her brother were taken in by their parents’ friends , eglantine & corvus astier , who taught the children french & helped them fit in to their new situation better.
yuyan always thought she’d go back , & made this opinion very clear , refusing to make many friends & focus more on her studies to impress her parents once she’d return. but her parents never did. eventually , a letter came ; the war was finished , and it took her parents with her.
refusing to come to terms with their deaths , yuyan took off , leaving her brother & the astiers behind ; she began her final transformation , shedding behind the life she’d had as zhou yuyan , becoming eglantine puffett & adopting an entire new life , all lies sprinkled with the truth ━━ she , a poor beauxbatons student who’s parents had gone missing , come to finish her education at hogwarts after needing a change of scenery.
N E WAY , she got sorted into hufflepuff & she’s been here ever since , trying to forget her past ! and u can BET im hitting up that wc form for her brother who she hasn’t seen in FOREVER !
⧼ ❀ ⧽ NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT . . .
umm this is just gonna be some tidbits & extra info i think is cute / important !
in case u haven’t noticed , tina’s a liar. she lies. have u ever seen her without the eglantine puffet lie on ? MZMMXMX
prefers to be called TINA & will fight everyone over this.
spell making is her major & she’s especially interested in creating spells that’ll make housework easier.
knows french , mandarin chinese , korean & english , though she has a p distinct french accent after all her years at beauxbatons !
technically , tina has no idea whether she’s a pureblood or a halfblood or maybe even a muggleborn born to a squib ! she doesn’t really care , either. everyone thinks it’s this big mystery & she refuses to say the truth just to keep them on their toes , but she truly Does Not Know !
despite all her troubles , she really tries to be a lil ray of sunshine !
v dreamy & kind of otherworldly ? a lot like luna lovegood in that regard , where she’s just kind of in her own world most of the time & everyone else just happens to be living in a different one.
being ruled more by emotions than anything else , tina’s magic is very unpredictable. she’s prone to accidental magic at any spike of emotion ; once , during her first kiss , she was filled with so much emotion a lantern near them shattered !
