|
Post by rebecca on Feb 23, 2007 13:58:10 GMT 10
Professor Rebecca Raeburne pushed open the grand doors to the library of Koalingo Academy. Taking a deep breath in, she sighed. Libraries, regardless of where they were, always made her feel at home.
She padded in and began to peruse the different bookshelves until she found a book that seems of interest. Rebecca pulled it off the shelf and made her way to an alcove that was surrounded by windows, her purple skirt swishing around her legs.
She plopped down into one of the cushy chairs and propped her feet up on the table in front of her. Having a good view of the grounds, she smiled. Nature was one of the things she really loved...And so were books. It was amazing that two of her favorite things could be so close together. Grinning, she opened the book she had chosen that was on her lap, and was just about to read when she heard a noise behind her. ~What was that?~
|
|
|
Post by Miss Evangeline Winters on Feb 23, 2007 22:58:45 GMT 10
“Oh, I am sorry Professor, I didn’t see you there!” Evangeline, the school’s librarian spoke from where she had just dropped a book while trying to carry a great many others to their appropriate shelves. Evangeline was a squib, and as such had absolutely no magical talent whatsoever, which was why she carried them in this fashion rather then utilising the wand she would have been given if she had not been declared totally incapable of performing magic, at the age of eleven when she did not receive a letter to school at Koalingo.
She was quite startled by the Professor’s presence in the library at a time when there were no classes booked here and no students were on study breaks. She had expected to be quite alone in the library and hastily gathered the books she had dropped trying to hide them as if ashamed of having dropped them in the first place.
”Sorry to have interrupted you,” she had said, and she really was sorry to have done so, she had not liked being caught out like that, having books to put away and bumping into someone she thought was not there. It was a little disappointing in her own abilities to not have sensed someone in her silent library. “Wait, you’re… aren’t you new around here?” she looked curiously at this woman, she didn’t know anything about her and found that to be odd. Surely someone might have mentioned it.
|
|
|
Post by rebecca on Feb 24, 2007 8:27:34 GMT 10
Rebecca turned around to see the librarian gathering books she assumed had been dropped back into her arms. Smiling, she responded. "Well, I try to remain as invisible as I can when I'm in a Library. I find it keeps the noise to a lovely minimum." Searching the woman's face, Rebecca saw she seemed to be a bit ashamed of dropping the books. ~How very odd. I drop things all the time, and I'm not generally embarrassed...what are the people at this school like?~
Shaking her head slightly at the prospect at having some very...interesting...coworkers, Rebecca stood, placing the book she had been beginning to read on the table as she did so. "It's quite all right. I was just getting ready to read. Something to do before I met people...but...now, seeing as you're here...I've met someone. Ergo, reading no longer seems to be the most important thing, talking seems to have replaced it."
She smiled again, a genuine smile. It was nice to finally meet someone...Rebecca had been a bit uneasy about meeting the first of her coworkers...but perhaps it wouldn't be too bad. When the woman asked if she was new, Rebecca gasped. "I'm sorry. How rude of me not to introduce myself. I'm Rebecca Raeburn, the Muggle Studies professor. And, yes, indeed, I am new. I just arrived a few hours ago. The Library was one of my first stops. It's nice to meet you!" Eying the large stack of books the woman was carrying, she continued. "Would you like a hand with that? You seem to have quite a bit of books there. I'd be happy to help!"
|
|
|
Post by Miss Evangeline Winters on Feb 24, 2007 11:03:49 GMT 10
“Invisible, if only,” she sighed and looked longingly out of the window as if staring into space, sometimes, especially growing up, she had hoped she could become invisible. She had in fact been saving up to purchase an invisibility cloak, until someone told her that it would only work on the back of someone who could power it with their own magical powers. Hence why the cloak was never invisible when it was not being warn, she had felt so let down and somewhat upset.
”Yes,” she said still seeming rather distance as she replied to the new professor, “Books are indeed a good way to pass time when you are trying to stay out of everyone’s way, or trying to get them to stay out of yours, though the latter does not always work so well,” she said staring out the window still, she looked quite vague when she did this, though never realised she had been.
“Oh!” she said shaking herself out of her reverie as she heard the Professor say that now Evangeline was here, she would finish her reading as she was really just waiting to meet someone, and now that would be her.
She looked about just to see whether anyone was watching, she seemed very alert and suspicions of the darkened gaps between the bookshelves where someone might be able to see her from hidden rows beyond her. Deciding she was safe she bowed slightly and smiled a twitching smile that did not last long though looked friendly enough, “Muggle studies? So you don’t teach magic?” she said. She was actually quite interested in magic, and knew very little about muggles, only that she didn’t like them, though not for anything they did, but because people had called her many names when they found out she was a squib, one of which was ’You good for nothing muggle,’ that was why she worked at Koalingo. Everyone here was so much more understanding about her condition, and she liked them all.
”NO!” She snapped when the Professor offered to take some of the books from her, she clutched onto them with the ferocity of a mother protecting her children, she faltered for a moment looking around frantically before saying “I am quite capable of doing my librarian duties, so if you don’t mind,”
|
|
|
Post by rebecca on Feb 26, 2007 10:31:21 GMT 10
"Occasionally, I find, books can work rather well to keep others from prying into your business. They're also a lovely way to act like you're doing something, when, in fact, you aren't. I simply adore them." Rebecca smiled, happy to finally meet someone who enjoyed books as much as she did, it was a rare thing.
Her brow furrowed slightly as the librarian bowed slightly. ~What a peculiar tradition...hmm...~ Not wanting to seem rude, Rebecca bowed just as slightly back, but actually smiling, finding the prospect of her bowing to be rather absurd..."Yes, Muggle Studies. As far as magic in the class goes...I suppose you wouldn't say I teach magic directly, but my class is more of the difference between the magical and nonmagical community. So, in order to understand the difference, there's quite a bit of basis on knowing the basics of magic..."
Rebecca was taken rather aback when the librarian shielded the books from her...she had just been offering to help. Rebecca didn't she how it could be taken wrongly. "Oh...I--I just thought that I could help while we talked. It seemed a bit unproductive to stand and talk, when we could both be putting away books. I-I'm quite sure you're highly capable of doing your librarian duties...I didn't mean to intrude..."
|
|
|
Post by Miss Evangeline Winters on Feb 27, 2007 15:40:39 GMT 10
“I am always doing things, I work very hard, a lot,” she added when the Professor mentioned trying to look busy when you are not, “The term for looking busy when you are actually not busy is referred to as boondoggling, were you aware of that?” she said, it seemed quite a random thing to say, but one who read as much as Evangeline did came to find she would develop an extensive vocabulary.
Evangeline saw the Professor bowing to her, she didn’t understand why she did this, it was odd behaviour for someone of the magical world to do to a squib, and so Evangeline merely bowed a second time, not wanting to seem rude of assuming. “So basically that’s like me, like you are teaching them what the difference are between me and a person who can perform magic?” She said wondering why on earth someone would want to know such a thing, she smiled a little, “But that is absurd, I can tell you the difference, it’s a pathetic life to lead; one without magic,”
Realising her outburst might have been a little scary, Evangeline’s composure became one of someone who deeply regretted her actions, she bowed yet again this time looking straight at the floor without even twitching, “I am sorry, I meant no disrespect,” she moved a little to the side and put a couple of books back at their positions in the bookshelf to her right, she seemed suddenly a lot more comfortable, “I didn’t mean for you to feel that you were the one being rude, it is in fact I who was rude, and I beg your forgiveness, but yes, if you would like to assist me, I would be happy for the help,”
|
|
|
Post by rebecca on Mar 2, 2007 14:24:40 GMT 10
"Boondoggling..." Rebecca tried the word. "I do believe I like it. And, no, I wasn't aware. I suppose you learn something new every day don't you?" She grinned. "I just adore words. I find them absolutely fascinating, don't you? Their ability to help and hurt...just with their meaning...it's amazing."
Rebecca raised her eyebrow when the Librarian bowed again. She bowed and as she did so she said, "You can either stop bowing to me, or we can continue this little ritual for the rest of the day. Everytime you bow, I shall...It's only polite."
Her brow furrowed as the librarian said something about telling the difference between her and a magical person. Wasn't she magical? Then, suddenly, it clicked. She was a squib...that would explain everything--the peculiar behaviors. Rebecca shook her head. "No, I'm afraid you misunderstood me. Actually, you didn't misunderstand me...I didn't say exactly what I meant. Allow me to try again. I believe that everyone possesses a magic of their own. I don't care if it is the kind of magic that allows one to transfigure or cast spells on objects, there is some magic. The pure ability to retain information, for example, is a magic within itself. In my class, I try not to teach how they are different, so much as how they are exactly the same...Were one completely void of magic, they would be a lethargic, lazy, unmotivated person who couldn't remember anything. It just depends on how you define 'magic.'" She tilted her head as the librarian said it was a pathetic life to lead without magic. "I must disagree with you there. I grew up not knowing I possessed any 'magical' abilities, or at least the kind of magical abilities you speak of, and I had a lovely childhood. For seven years, I lived in the magical community during school term, and immediately returned to my nonmagical community when school was out. I found solace there. It seems to me that it is one's view that makes their life what it is...the choices we make shape us in innumerable ways."
As the librarian bowed again, so did Rebecca. "No need to be sorry. I realize how protective I can be about books, it makes perfect sense for you to act the same. And I would love to assist you, but only if you feel comfortable with me doing so. I certainly wouldn't want to create any discomfort in the Library, Miss...oh, dear. Forgive me, I'm afraid I still don't know your name. Shall we remedy that? What is your name?"
|
|
|
Post by Miss Evangeline Winters on Mar 5, 2007 10:32:58 GMT 10
“EVANGELINE!” She shouted, accidentally of course. She lowered her voice at once and her face flushed with an embarrassed warmth. She often shouted her name when she introduced herself, this was because when she was young her mother always only ever addressed her by her name when she was being told off or yelled out. And so stemming from this, Evangeline always only ever said her own name with a heightened volume, enough to raise the tiles of the ancient castle. All the same though, she knew that she had yelled it, and it also always made her blush.
Her eyes suddenly went vague as she listened to the woman’s explanation about words and the power behind them… emotional reaction… Evangeline knew that this was a power behind words. So many times in her childhood, and so many more times since she discovered she was a squid; she found out the real power of words, the hurtfulness, the hatred, the dark and dreary disappointing view the world had of her.
“I’m sorry,” Evangeline bowed yet again out of habit and then immediately apologized again, “I mean, I am sorry for that I just… I don’t know… most witches and wizards prefer I bow to them when they find out I am a squib… I thought you might have known, everyone in the castle does, all the … children,” she spoke the final word as if she were trying to swallow a mouthful of vomit. She didn’t dislike the children, but someone who knew her might agree that she had a very unhealthy jealousy of their abilities when she had none, and that made her bitter. She would never let it show too much though; she might then lose her job.
Evangeline’s mind sort of phased out when the teacher spoke of being a muggle born herself and liking that aspect of her life. She didn’t really like how the woman seemed to think that everyone should have her opinion, ’what would she know… she didn’t grow up in the magical world never being able to perform it, she has magic, she was accepted both in magical and muggle society so I would thank her to keep her fat mouth shut on the topic,’ she thought these words in her mind, but she would never allow them to meet with her lips and her voice. She was a librarian, and this was a teacher, it was not her place.
”Its not that… its… well I don’t like people to think I cannot do my job, is all, you know, being a squib and all, I don’t really like it when someone thinks I cant do something when I can… as I cannot do some things some people think… believe I should be able to, but that is perfectly ok, I like to watch magic, you are more then welcome to…” she made a vague gesture with her hand as if magically willing the remaining books to be returned to where they should be.
|
|
|
Post by rebecca on Mar 9, 2007 10:47:56 GMT 10
Rebecca jumped as Evangeline shouted her name, but she soon noticed the woman blushing, and realized that she hadn't done it on purpose. ~Hmm. I wonder what makes her shout her name...Perhaps I should have studied psychology a bit when I lived in the muggle community....oh well.~
She shook her head in response to Evangeline appologizing for bowing, Rebecca bowing as she did so. "No need to be sorry, Evangeline. I'm just simply not important enough for you to bow to me."
She stopped as the woman said something about everyone knowing and preferring her to bow to them. "Oh. It's pure nonsense about everyone needing to bow. We're all people after all. As far as I'm concerned, you're my absolute equal. And if not, it's that you rank higher than me. You've been working here longer. So, perhaps, it is me who should be bowing to you." She shrugged, accepting the fact that wizards and witches held prejudices, but thinking they were ridiculous all the same.
"Oh, I understand. I didn't know it could be taken any other way than a friendly gesture when I offered. I didn't mean anything else, I assure you." She wondered briefly if she should use magic..."I'll use magic if you like, but I'd be just as happy to use my hands. I lived among muggles for the past year, so I haven't used much magic in a while..."
|
|
|
Post by Miss Evangeline Winters on Mar 9, 2007 18:47:03 GMT 10
Evangeline was a little worried that she was scaring the woman, and so she chose to stand and stay silent while it appeared the woman was calculating her, she wondered what she might be thinking, ‘Strange little squib, perhaps? Does she think I am unbalanced, addled in my mind? Should I trust her? I don’t know…’
”Oh no, but you are important, you are a teacher of Koalingo Academy, and I am just a squi- I mean – a librarian…” she said this looking down at the floor, she would not be caught making a teacher feel inferior to her, she had too much to lose. Her job… her life…
“But no, we are not all the same, why would you say something like that?” Evangeline scrunched up her face as if the teacher had slapped her. This hurt look didn’t last very long though and soon enough her look of being upset turned to being one of intense disgust and anger, “I think I have to get back to work now,” she said gathering the remaining books and walking away from the teacher. Walking away was all she could do not to demonstrate her anger and perhaps throw a book at the woman.
Some people just didn’t know why things the way they were at Koalingo, and some of them needed to get used to it and fast or they would not survive their very long.
|
|