strangeness & charm

rowan ollivander. sixteen. ravenclaw. ❝    do not shatter into pieces         trying to perfect yourself  you  do  not  need  to  be   glass  to  turn  light   into    r  a  i  n  b  o  w  s                ( you are a person                           not   their  prism )    ❞

[xrowanclaw-blog]

hugoweaslcy:

He probably looked like an utter prat, startled by Rowan’s appearance into his central line of vision. So much for appearing cool. He glanced to the extended butterbeer before going back to her face, shaking his head. “I don’t want to rob you of what has to be one of the last ones that haven’t been tainted.” He leaned against the wall more comfortably. “You not wanting to join in the festivities?” He waved his hand toward the pool where it appeared people were climbing on top of each other for a game of chicken. 

Rowan gave him a small, sly smile, “I COULD be convinced to share...” Her eyes widened----that was probably a bit presumptuous; some people were a bit finicky about germs, so she quickly tacked on, “If you want---I mean, I don’t, you know, backwash or anything----” Merlin. She suppressed a grimace and decided it was best to just go on, and so she answered his question, “I thought maybe a pool party would be---different, I don’t know, from other parties? But so far it’s just crowded and----really moist.” She laughed, shaking her head, “So maybe you’d be willing to share your corner for a little bit?”

[xrowanclaw-blog]

hugoweaslcy:

“If you’re going to ask me to join a game of Marco Polo, don’t even bother.” Hugo was perched in a corner, towel thrown over his legs, his hair still drenched from being thrown into the pool. His mood had been soured significantly, his voice irate and assuming. This was why he often avoided larger get togethers. Crowds were still hard for him to deal with. He didn’t have the patience for it. There was too much going on and he didn’t even know where to diver his attention to catch even small snippets of it. 

Rowan had been hoping Hugo would be here, but her lips turned downward into a frown as she noticed his mood----hoping no one had done anything to upset him (and that maybe she could somehow cheer him up), she sat down next to him, making sure to scoot into his line of vision. Holding out a bottle of butterbeer, she smiled at him, “Want one? It’s not even opened so there’s no chance anyone has gotten soap in it yet.”

[hugosweaslcy-blog]

“I’m sure I will.” Hugo always had a soft spot for magical creatures. Despite his last run in with dragons. It hadn’t been the dragon’s fault that it had been spooked, after all, nor had it meant to send Hugo flying. Things just sometimes happened that way and it was no one’s fault. It had taken him awhile to accept that, though. Accept this new version of him. But he thought he was there now and he was glad that this version could still make friends. At least, he thought it was fair to say he and Rowan were friends now. “Suit yourself. But don’t say I didn’t offer it then.” Turning his head back to glance at the nook before he focused back on her, “That’s probably a good idea. Need to grab my wand, too, so that I’ll be able to see.” Letting out a ‘hmmm’ sound of consideration once more, he relented, “Alright, I suppose I can give you a peak of the greatest Common Room there is.” Truthfully, it wasn’t much different than Ravenclaw’s, one that he had seen more than once since that’s where Rose was. “Wouldn’t want to leave you standing by yourself. Come on then.” He rolled his shoulder in indication to follow him, he tapped the barrels appropriately to open the room before heading over to his chair where he’d thrown his coat. “Next time, you’ll have to stay long enough to play a game with me, yeah?” He indicated to the chess set.

[xrowanclaw-blog]

Rowan beamed at him when he agreed to let her in to see the Hufflepuff common room--really, she'd been at the school for six years and hadn't seen it yet, she was almost ashamed of herself. But there had always been more interesting things to explore and well--it would've been awkward to snoop through another House just for the sake of it, probably.  "Well, you guys are closer to the kitchens, so as long as you don't tell the rest of my house, I might have to agree with you on that." She chirped, stepping into the common room after him. It was warm--not just in temperature, and somehow felt a bit homier than even her own common room did (although she felt perfectly at home there as well). She looked down at the chess set, mind immediately working as she took in all the pieces and possible moves that she could see. Reaching out, she moved a rook forward, taking a pawn and placing it on the side of the board. "I'm actually not that great at chess." She admitted with a laugh, glancing up to see if he was ready to go, "But I could be convinced if snacks were promised." She shook her head, "Anyway, let's hurry and try to beat the next prefect patrol." She took his hand, quickly making their way out of the common room and into the hallways--which, in this area of the castle, so far from the party, were fairly empty. It didn't take long until they'd reached the doors to the castle, and Rowan turned to him before they left the light of the castle, "I usually try to avoid using my wand until we're closer to the forest--just in case Hagrid's peeking out his window." She said with a laugh, "But once we get closer we can use some light, sound good?" She began down the well-memorized path to the forest, going a bit more slowly than she would've in the day, but when they got close she squeezed his hand and stopped pulling out her wand and casting a silent Lumos. "Ready to hunt for some unicorns?" She asked with a grin, before backtracking, "Obviously, you know, not actually hunt--just observe, really. We don't hunt unicorns, even for wands, we just gather the hair they leave behind, no matter what the Gregorovitch family says."

[hugosweaslcy-blog]

“So busy, you don’t even know,” Hugo lied through his teeth, grin growing on his face. “Playing chess against myself is serious business. I almost had myself this time.” When Rowan offered her suggestion, Hugo considered it. They had talked about that, after all. And she had seemed adamant then. Though she had also been a little out of sorts. So to speak. He hadn’t known whether to take her offer seriously or not, but apparently she had meant it. “You think so? It’d be rather cool to see them in their natural habitat, outside of the area Hagrid’s Hut. Poor thing looked so frightened.” It had made Hugo’s heart bleed for it. He understood how important it was to learn about them, but not all students were mature enough to handle the care of such majestic creatures. “Hmmm, let me think for a minute.” Stroking his chin and dragging out voicing his decision, as if he hadn’t already made up his mind, he signed as he spoke. A habit he fell into with someone he was comfortable with, no matter if they understood it or not. “I say that sounds like it would be a lot of fun. And I swear I’’ll stick by you. You can put a leash on me if you feel the need to. But I promise I’ll be on my best behavior. For the unicorns.”

[xrowanclaw-blog]

A smile crept over Rowan's face, mirroring the grin currently worn by Hugo, "Right--I can imagine it's a very important affair." She waited patiently while he thought over her proposal, but she was optimistic he'd say yes. He'd seemed interested in exploring the forest when they'd spoken about it before, and (as important as solo chess games were) it didn't seem like he had any pressing reason to say no. "Definitely. I've seen them in the wild a few times with my uncle, collecting hair for wands, you know--and they're so tranquil--beautiful, really. You'll love it." She said earnestly, because it really was a magnificent sight. She clasped her hands together, an excited grin breaking out across her face when he agreed to go with her, "Yes!" She laughed then, "We can try it without the leash first, okay? See if you can behave yourself." She teased gently, before looking him over, "D'you want to grab a cloak or anything before we go? It might get chilly. I could wait our here for you,” She began, unable to hide the curious glint in her eye, “Or you could let me come in and see your Common Room? You know, either way.”

[hugosweaslcy-blog]

Hugo wasn’t a party-goer himself. Too many people, too crowded, too dark, couldn’t read lips, couldn’t hear the music. He saw no point in going. So he’d curled up in the Common Room instead, one one of the chairs, playing a game of Wizard’s Chess against himself. Nerdy, yes, but Hugo owned up to that. He loved a good game and he knew that he had family like Lily and Albus who enjoyed it too, but they were in different Houses, so that made it a bit more difficult to play with them. He was bent over, hands together, brows furrowed in thought when someone slapped a hand on him. Turning his head, he couldn’t understand what his upperclassmate was saying. Given the way that they were swaying in place, it was safe to say that they had been at the party and were more than a little drunk. The slurred words made it near impossible for him to catch them but he did get the gestures, specifically the one that pointed out the door. Giving a nod and leaving his chess set, he assumed it was a relative looking for him. But when he emerged from the nook, he was surprised to find it was Rowan instead. Waving to her pleasantly with a smile, he greeted her, “Hey. What are you doing here?” 

[xrowanclaw-blog]

Rowan smiled shyly at him, "Hi! I--are you busy?" She asked, eyebrow furrowing in concern. Was it strange that she had come here? She didn’t think so, but maybe it was--but she didn’t think Hugo would be the type to mind, even if he were busy. "I just, well I was wondering if you weren't busy, if you wanted to come out to the forest with me?" She took a step forward before continuing, "I did promise you I'd show you my favorite spots and I think with the partying," And the fact that it wasn't a full moon, she'd checked, "We shouldn't really have to worry about running into anyone, and as long as we stick together we'll be safe. And maybe with most of the castle not sneaking around outside, the unicorns will be a bit more likely to want to make themselves seen." Rowan wasn't worried about what Hugo had mentioned to her last time, being his ears, he'd said. She was more than happy to do whatever necessary--she'd have a lot more fun going to the forest with Hugo than going alone. She wanted to show him the forest. She smiled, a bit of pleading in her tone as she asked, "So? What do you say?"

[xrowanclaw-blog]

She had heard about the party tonight, but Rowan wasn't usually one for parties. She wasn't against the partying itself, she just... wasn't as comfortable in front of large groups of people she didn't know very well. So parties really just weren't for her. Either way, the castle was eerily empty and she didn't have any homework to worry about--or she wasn't going to worry about the homework she did have--so Rowan had decided that it was time for her to make good on her promise to show Hugo around the forest, bringing her to her current destination: the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room, waiting for someone to either go in or come out. It had been a bit of a last-minute plan; for all Rowan knew, Hugo wasn't even around. Maybe he was at the party, or had other things to do. Finally, a stumbling 7th year approached her, and she smiled hopefully, "Can you see if Hugo Weasley is in there, please? And ask him to come out?" They nodded, and she leaned against the wall to wait, fiddling absent-mindedly with the buttons on her coat.

[lyscaman-blog]

“Look. We’ve went over this before and this is the last time I’ll say it. No discounts. Payments are okay but discounts are bad for business. Sorry, bruv.”

[xrowanclaw-blog]

“That’s what my uncle says too--businessmen.” She groaned, “Fine--how much do I owe you, again?”

[xrowanclaw-blog]

hugosweaslcy:

Throwing an incredulous look at Rowan, Hugo couldn’t deny that he liked the idea. “Going to the forest? At night? I meant to ask you this last time, but you do know what it would mean for you if you took me with you, right?” Shaking his head, he believed her considering her uncle had pulled one up on him when he’d gotten his wand. “My family has our own streak of mischief, so I think we’ll make for a good team. Come on, I’m sure we can get ourselves some pudding. The house elves always go out of their way to spoil me.” Bringing her along, he headed towards the kitchens.

Rowan couldn't help but smile at the look on his face, she wasn’t normally a big risk-taker, but certain parts of the forest she felt perfectly comfortable in, even at night. She was sure they’d be fine. "Why not? I mean, maybe not too far into the forest for tonight. Of course, there probably won't be any unicorns on the outskirts of the forest, but there’s still plenty to see..." She trailed off with a shrug, looking at him curiously, her mind moving a bit slower than normal. "It would mean that... I get to show you some of my favorite thinking spots?" She guessed, tapping her finger against her chin as she spoke, "We'll be careful, Hugo, whatever we need to do." Her smile returned then, rolling her eyes as she allowed him to lead her, "Streak of mischief is putting it lightly, I think." She teased, before brightening at his proposal, "You know, I've never been to the kitchens before.”

[xrowanclaw-blog]

hugosweaslcy:

“The more you know. Magical Creatures is one of my favorite courses but I didn’t remember that detail.” As he watched Rowan pull out brownies of all things out of his pocket, he had to hold back his laughter. He definitely would need to keep an eye on her. The softie that he was, he didn’t want to deny her, however. “You know,” he said, bumping shoulders with her to get her attention. “The Hufflepuff dorms are by the kitchen. You up for a little sneaky mission?”

“I can take you to them!” Rowan exclaimed, tugging at his hand, vaguely remembering that she had promised to explore the forest with him before, “There’s a herd in the forest! Sometimes I go there to gather stray unicorn hair to use when I’m practicing wand making.” But when he mentioned the kitchens, her mind immediately went back to the more pressing issue--her hunger. She beamed up at him, nodding, “Ollivanders can be very sneaky. It’s how my uncle creeps up on people in the shop without them having any idea. Which way?”

[xrowanclaw-blog]

hugosweaslcy:

Blinking rapidly at the touch, Hugo had to wonder the same thing himself. He had only meant to check for a fever, but it seemed like his intentions had been lost on Rowan. He noted that she was speaking slow and while that used to bother him, it was better than her words being lost on him. And he had a feeling part of the overcompensation was due to her not exactly being in the rightest of minds. “Um, thanks? I’ve never touched a unicorn, so I wouldn’t know what they felt like.” Posture stiff, he glanced about the hallway that they were in, determined to somehow get Rowan to inch their way to her dorms. “I don’t know? Guess it’s hard a long time to think of them though considering how old it is. It’s a bit of a prat though, don’t you think? It tends to talk in circles and that can be confusing for an eleven year old.”

“That’s because unicorns typically prefer the touch of girls and women.” Rowan explained, her gaze drifting to look around him absently. “I guess so... if I had all year to sit around and think I guess I’d be able to make something up too.” She focused on him again, smiling a bit before she yawned, “M’tired.” She said with a shake of her head, “And hungry.” She thought for a moment before shaking her head, “Wait... I have food.” She pulled a small package of brownies out of her pocket, looking at them with a small frown, “But I wanted pudding.” She said with a sigh, slumping against Hugo slightly.

[xrowanclaw-blog]

rxversals:

Nina sighed. “That’s why it’s a hat, Rowan. Not a person. A magical hat enchanted by the combination of magical cores of the four ancient founders of this school. I don’t think it plays around, though it would be fun to see half of Slytherin in Hufflepuff and vice versa.”

“But it was Gryffindor’s hat. Do you think it’s even a little biased?” Rowan held up her thumb and forefinger, a tiny amount of space between them as she spoke, “I don’t know if I’d like being in Slytherin. The dungeons are chilly and I have poor circulation.” She said solemnly, nodding her head, “But you’d look good in green.” She added as an afterthought.

[xrowanclaw-blog]

hugosweaslcy:

Eyes blown wide, the slurring of Rowan’s words making him unable to catch any of them, Hugo placed a hand on her forehead and the other found her shoulder, steadying her carefully. “You, uh, you need help back to your dorm?” When he found no sign of a fever, he let his one hand drop to his side. Was she drunk? No, there wasn’t strong enough of a smell around her for that.

Rowan stared up at Hugo in in a mixture of confusion and delight, "Hugo!" She said, putting her hands on either side of his face and staring at him intently as she said slowly, "Why... are we touching... each other's... faces?" She squinted a bit, looking thoughtful as she patted his face, "Your skin is very soft. Like a unicorn." She nodded before pulling her hands away, taking his hands in hers instead, "What do you think about the sorting hat? How does a hat think of such good rhymes?"

[xrowanclaw-blog]

“If you think about it, the fact that we’re sorted by a hat that quantifies our personality, and that sorting dictates our future for the next seven years is kind of wild. Does the hat ever feel mischievous? How can we trust it? Does it ever think ‘fuck it’ and put people into the wrong house just for laughs? I’d be pretty tempted to do that... I guess that’s why I’m not a Sorting Hat.”

[xrowanclaw-blog]

yasqveen:

❝ ♕; Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I, and let’s face it—who isn’t less fortunate than I? My tender heart tends to start to bleed… and when someone needs a makeover, I simply have to take over… so, this is me taking over. When do we start? ❞

“I--wait, what? Why... why do I need a makeover?”

[xrowanclaw-blog]

Rowan Ollivander  ♒  Moodboard

Being    s m a l l    and    with    shaky    hands,   and a heart that trembles a lot does not make you weak--               It means you understand the weight of every word that you speak. 

[forrestxdweller-blog]

“Wouldn’t have a clue why? Certainly wasn’t intense back there, at least not from my angle. Then, I am rather tall,” he tried to joke, offering her a small smile, half in self jest. “Though, being honest here, if you’re looking for air, Scotland just isn’t the place for it, lass. Ireland, that’s where the best air is at, crisp as a Sunday morning. Pay no attention to the accent, this has nothing to do with bias, just the truth,” he conveniently added in, words thick as always with his undeniable Irish drawl. “Nice t’formally meet ya, Rowan… Ollivander, aye?” His smile grew, then, wide and true as his always was. “Not at all, your uncle’s a right laugh.” Forrest dipped his hands into his pockets, “was actually looking round for a friend. But if she hasn’t found me yet there must be a reason for it, so I think I’m relieved of my duty for a few moments, at least.” In truth, Forrest could spend an entire day looking for Addaya if need be, but he didn’t particularly fancy the idea of leaving Rowan alone either. “Y’like it?” He asked, nodding to the forest off to their side. “Best be answering carefully, love. It is my name sake, after all,” he laughed, yet another attempt at humour.

[xrowanclaw-blog]

“Well it was a lot more stifling for those of us closer to the ground, believe me.” She said in reply, a quick smile lighting up her face. She laughed, Hogwarts was probably the freshest air she’d ever had access to on a regular basis, living in London, “I’ll take your word for it. And if I ever take a day off classes to go to Ireland, I’ll tell McGonagall that it was your suggestion.” She gave a wry grin before laughing at his description of her uncle, knowing there were a few frightened eleven-year-olds who would disagree. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to know someone appreciates his theatrics.” Rowan nodded, gesturing to the area around her, “Well I haven’t run into anyone else around here but I’m sure people will start leaving the lake soon if they haven’t already…” She trailed off, looking back at the crowd in the distance, her smile dimmed. She shook her head, looking back at him and cracking another smile, laughing softly, “I love the forest. Well, what I’ve seen, which isn’t too much–don’t want to run afoul any of the creatures that might want to eat me. I stay on the outskirts but it’s lovely.” She shrugged, “But I usually stick to daytime wandering. What about you? Does your name give you a keen insight into the workings of the forest? A mental map, maybe?”

[lukeavery-blog]

“Exactly.” Though Luke sounded confident, he felt small. Vile. Shaking on the inside, Luke knew that his actions reflected on him poorly. He hadn’t been able to physically hurt anyone during the test even though he had been expected to, but what did that matter? It would only be a matter of time before he did so. He could feel it in his bones. His hand wasn’t even being forced. This was what he’d chosen for himself, after all. A part of him had thought cynically that he ought to be the one in the casket instead of Leo. Leo was stronger than he was and a part of Luke wouldn’t do much have minded if that would have been the end of him. Eyes downcast, Luke nodded. “Worse before it gets better? Seems to be a terrible phrase in a situation like this.” Pursing his own lips, he longed for the muggle world full of its beauty and simplicity. Away from the horror of magic. If only he’d been born a squib…Eyes alight with fear at the question, Luke was never fast on his feet, so he answered simply at first. “No. I wasn’t.  I was one of the fortunate ones. They, uh.” He fidgeted uncomfortably. “They left me alone. Probably thought I didn’t know anything.” He should kick himself, he really should. “Which I didn’t, but…” Quick, Luke, quick. “What about you?”

[xrowanclaw-blog]

He was right. It was a terrible phrase to use, but probably not an inaccurate one. "Well, historically, wars don't tend to end after one... skirmish." She frowned, "So things probably aren't going to get better anytime soon. All we can hope is that the war stays away from Hogwarts after this, but even then..." It was a selfish thought--as if others outside of Hogwarts dying for this stupid fight wouldn't be just as horrific. "I wish there was something we could do--to help the people who get caught in the crossfire." Something she could do, without having to officially pick a side, even though her heart lay with the Order and those fighting with them.  She gave him a small smile, "I'm glad for you, then. Some people--they were pretty rough on some of us." She said, before quickly adding, "Not me--I wasn't really hassled much, just tied up and watched over. I guess wandmakers are in short supply, they didn't want to harm me too much just in case." She said, making a feeble attempt at humor considering the subject. Considering that maybe, he was one of the people wearing a mask... but no, that wasn't fair. It wasn't fair of her to assume that, and she wouldn't. He was being nice to her, after all. She looked back at the memorial still going on, "I--I'm probably going to take a walk--try to relax, you know?"