sorrow and I are hardly strangers.

[ tig moodboard ?/?? ]

“Well, technically no, but I’m still not sure what the point of it is if you’re going to go round again and again- where’s the excitement, the build up?” Sybill shakes her head, “oh, let’s not get into my opinions of the man within range of where he might hear me.”

-

tig pointed at the upper arch of the wheel. “I would say about there is the build up. since the top is the part right after. then it’s exciting every time!” she said with a big smile, but paused. her head turned curiously back to the side. “do you not like the princi- the uh, headmaster?” tig couldn’t say that she knew him very well. he did always seem to be thinking of other things, but then again, so did antigone. it wasn’t very off-putting to her anymore. she did consider the man certifiably crazy for making her a prefect, but her grandmother used to say the best people were the mad ones.

“I think I might be able to sway that decision in your favor.” Filch liked him as much as Filch could like anyone. King assumed it was because of the things he turned in to the caretaker that he had confiscated. (The things he didn’t deem worthy to bring for the prefect trades, at least.) “Mind if I ride with you?”

-

“kingsley!” tig greeted him with a bright smile on her face. kingsley was her guardian angel at hogwarts. he was always keen to make sure she knew her prefect rounds, her schedule, and how to get from point a to point b. if it hadn’t been for him, she was fairly certain that she would have spent the first three months at school far more lost than she already was. she might have never made it back up to ravenclaw tower, honestly. “of course you can ride with me! how was your break? did you have a nice holiday? are you excited for the new year?”

Mason had been to the beach many times with his parents, and his cousin, and one of the things he had loved the most was riding the ferris wheel to the top. He had already been up once with Mary that evening, and he had enjoyed the view and the ride, but he knew he would gladly take another ride up with Antigone. “We might be able to find some way to persuade him, though you can never tell with Filch. He’s not the biggest fan of students” Mason admitted with a frown. “I’m sure we could easily cast a spell to slow the wheel down though, if that fails. The view from the top is pretty cool. Shall we?”

-

back home, the triplets had often gone to fairs and carnivals. so much so that the first time she brewed amortentia properly, tig could smell the candy apples that she always bought over cotton candy or even funnel cakes. it felt a bit like home for the night, and despite her fears, she always tried to ride the ferris wheel at least once. “why would you take a job at a school if you don’t like students?” she asked, turning her head over to look at mason. it felt like so long since she’d last seen him, but it couldn’t be. time was always a little wonky for her anyway. “I’d love to!” tig smiled. “do you really think we’re able to do a spell like that though? I would have thought that they made it uncharmable.”

Dahey had been mulling around the grounds, keeping mostly to himself. He didn’t want to monopolize his friend’s time and, truthfully, he’d meant to spend the whole break alone but he wasn’t really feeling this event. It was just less trouble than catching a train somewhere else. 

The ferris wheel had stopped him, watching it as it went and trying to pretend he was far too mature for such things. “I suppose everything has it’s price, really. More a matter of what you’re willing to pay. It’s not the heights, I don’t think. But rather trusting the construction and that rocking basket to sit in. We’ve all done dumber things though.” 

-

tig shook her head. “nope. it’s definitely the heights.” it had always been the heights. she hated tall staircases, she hated balconies out to nothing, she hated airplanes, she hated brooms, and all because they gave her that same woozy feeling of being off her footing. admittedly, tig ventured up to the astronomy tower some mornings because of the view, but she could stay safely in the middle of the room when she did that. “but some things are just scary.” she turned her head to look at the student next to her. “do you want to go on it with me? it could be a lot of fun!”

[ tig moodboard ?/?? ]

[ tig moodboard ?/?? ]

[ tig moodboard ?/?? ]

coming to a stop in front of her, it takes a moment for her words to register, “ oh, no, sorry. i floo home, so i’ve never had to wake up for the train, but I needed to catch you and I, ah… thought I was too late. “ thought you’d be with your brothers and he’d have to run with his tail between his legs. thankfully, charlie had enough presence of mind to throw on a shirt and trainers before running out of the tower, but he’s is also aware he looks like a disaster that just rolled out of bed.

thankfully, tig changes the subject. holding it out to her with a sheepish smile, “ yeah, if that’s alright ?? ‘M sorry to ask when I haven’t got anything for you. “ which, even though him and tig aren’t bffs, is still a bit of a dick move. and because he’s embarrassed and a bit guilty, he goes on to explain: “ I was going to give it last night but I ah.. “ i lost my mind and snogged your brother. then he fucking ran like his arse was on fire, “ we’re…I mean, I think we’ve had a bit of a row. but i still thought he should have it, so. “ god damn it,  just say please and thank you, instead of going on like a bumbling idiot.  quickly looking around, trying to change the subject, “ are you… sorry, are you not bringing anything with you for break ?? “  

-

tig looked down and back up at charlie, smiling. “do you know that you’re wearing your pajama pants?” she asked with a small giggle. it wasn’t that she wanted to embarrass him or anything, but he would probably want to know before he ran around much longer, especially given how cold it was out.

she took the present from him with an eager nod. “don’t worry about it. I mean, why would you buy me anything? I’m just glad archie’s got someone like you around. do you want me to give it to him right away or wait until christmas?” tig paused, her brows knit together quickly. she didn’t want to pry, because archie hadn’t mentioned any of this to her. at the same time, sometimes archie was thick-headed. “whatever he said, he probably didn’t mean it. archie just-” she sighed. “he’s got a bit of a temper, and he’s not always great at talking about his emotions and stuff. it takes him a little more time. okay? don’t... don’t give up on him or anything, because I think he really likes you. just don’t say that I told you that.” she winked and looked over her shoulder again. “oh. no. archie and ajax had my things, but I was looking at a tree back there and then I got distracted. now, I’m not so sure where they’ve gotten off to. I’m sure I’ll find them though.”

Sybill was feeling a little lacklustre about all the celebrations going on. Frankly after weeks with little besides her parents for company most of the time it was a touch overwhelming to be back in a crowd of teenagers. She’d wandered alone most of the evening observing the fun. “The fun of the ferris wheel is that you only get to see the top for a moment.” She interjected with a small smile and shake of her head, “the headmaster is cheating, I think. You’re only supposed to get a glimpse.”

-

“I don’t think the ferris wheel is something that you can cheat at. it’s not like it’s a competition or anything. it’s just meant to be something enjoyed.” tig said with a smile. “besides, it was his idea to get it. I think he can enjoy it however he wants. don’t you?”

He had never been the best at comforting anyone, readily admitting that he was more often than not the guy who liked to make people laugh rather than take things seriously. He thought about his own mother for a moment, and how devastated he would be to lose her and wished he had not pushed Antigone to talk about it. Dropping her hand, he instead wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight for a moment. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made you talk about it. I should have realised. I can be tactless when I’m curious” he sighed, disappointed with himself. “For the record, your hair is lovely just the way it is”.

He decided he wouldn’t discuss the contents of their letters, as they were private between them unless Ajax decided to share, but he also made a mental note to always try and make Ajax feel welcome around him. “You did? Thank you. I guess that can happen, moving school in the middle of a term surrounded by people who have been friends for years already. He’s a good guy though, he’ll make plenty soon enough”. He chuckled, “no, no I have run into Archie a few times and he is definitely not shy”.

He ran a finger over his earring and shook his head. “You didn’t hurt me don’t worry, it’s healed” he assured her, while he checked the hoop. “I am pretty sure it was a regular tree as I had to help her down from it, and not a single branch slapped me out of the way. I can’t remember why she said she was up there now, but I know she had climbed it for a particular purpose… I need to ask her later or it’ll bug me” he murmured, annoyed that he couldn’t remember why Dorcas had been in the tree in the first place. “Well, thank you” he grinned down at her, “though I may look the part, my lack of musical talent would put a stop to that”.

He thought he might swoon as she burst out that she loved herbology as well. It was by far his favourite subject, the only subject he had ever gotten an Outstanding OWL in and he was very proud. “I love plants too, especially magical plants. They can be completely bizarre and beautiful at the same time, and some of them have the oddest personalities, though people tend to look at me oddly when I say things like that. I work a lot in greenhouse five with special permission from Professor Sprout, and I have been experimenting with hybrids” he rambled, excitedly. “That’s exactly how I feel. They make me happy… being around them brings me a sense of calm that I can’t quite put into words” he admitted softly, realising that he hadn’t even spoken to Gilderoy about those things before. “How are you liking them?” he asked, curiously. “Oh, we can go and ask him. He won’t mind and it might be easier than us guessing blindly”.

tig was surprised to feel mason’s hand pull way from hers and even more surprised when he wrapped her in a hug. “what? oh.” she wrapped her own arms around his waist and held on tight for a moment. antigone had always been the hugging sort, even if her brothers were not. her head rested against his chest. “oh. oh no. you didn’t do anything wrong. you just asked a question. besides, it’s nice to talk about them every now and then. my grandma always said that people like us can’t really live in the past, but it’s alright to visit every now and then, right? I just don’t want- I don’t want to forget them. you know?”

“I hope you don’t mind. maybe I should have asked first, but you’ve been so nice to me. well, I thought that you wouldn’t mind.” she nodded. “I hope he does. I think that maybe things would be easier for him if he had more people to talk to besides just us. he just gets in his own head and-” there was something in mason’s tone that caught her attention. she tilted her head up to look at him. “archie was nice though, right?”

with his reassurance, tig reached out again to touch the little metal loop in his ear. she liked it. a small pink blush brushed over her cheeks. she really liked him. “when you ask her, you’ll have to tell me why because you’ve gone and made me curious now. is she a gryffindor? that’s the house with all the brave ones right? like archie? they seem the most likely to get stuck in a tree, if that’s alright to say.” she giggled a bit, coming back to being grounded in the shop. her eyes clearing a bit as that otherness seemed to dissipate for the moment.

“Never had many rinks around when I was growing up. I tried on the pond we have, but… Didn’t end well,” they replied, nose scrunched as they remembered the moment - seeing the ice crack and running for their life. “Really? What’s there to be scared of? As long as you’re on the broom, you’re the one in control,” Gwenog said, the idea of never riding a broom seemingly preposterous. “As long as you don’t make fun of my for having the legs of a fawn.”

“it’s a lot harder to skate on a pond. there are a lot of little things that can knick your skates and send you sprawling. I used to love it back home, though.” she was itching to skate already. tig simply love it. it felt right to her. as if she were always meant to be gliding along instead of taking clunky steps here and there. “I get easily distracted, and being up that high.” tig shuddered. “I get dizzy just thinking about it.” flying was just about the opposite of skating. antigone avoided it at all costs. “oh I would never!”

antigone stared up at the ferris wheel in complete delight and wonder. it had been quite a while since she’d been able to get on one it seemed. “do you think if I asked really nicely and maybe gave them a galleon or two, they’d let me sit at the top of the ferris wheel for a while? I don’t think I have the headmaster’s stomach to go round and round and round, but if I could just sit at the very tippy top for a while. well, I think that would be really nice, don’t you? think about how much you could see. as long as it’s not too high up. that might give me the heebie jeebs.”

She chuckled as Antigone assured her she did not want her to fall on her ass, which Doris knew would happen at least once if she stepped out onto the ice rink. “Well, in that case…” she murmured, thoughtfully, biting her bottom lip before shaking her head. “Okay, why not? However, if I make a fool of myself I am one hundred percent blaming you, and I will pout about it, deal?” she asked, grinning. She would never blame Antigone for her decision, but if she fell there was a very good chance that she would pout.

-

tig nodded her head in a quick burst. those strawberry blonde curls bouncing in her ponytail. “great!” she grinned. “I’m pretty sure that you could never look like a fool, but I can agree to those terms. it’s a little bit like sliding around the house in your stocking feet. people fall down when they think they need to stop. just remember that you don’t need to stop. you need to just go with the flow. push forward. it’s still water even when it’s frozen. don’t fight the waves. okay?” without another word, tig was pulling her skates out of the bag on her back. “it’s going to be so fun!”

closed starter: @antigoneaway​​ where: inside the castle, on the way to hogsmeade station 

he’s breathless in a way he hasn’t been since he was thirteen, all gangly limbs and no muscle mass to speak of. to be fair, he’d been up all night tossing and turning, replaying his last conversation with archie until the sun had risen and he’d realized his trunk was still not yet packed.  he’s lucky enough that he can just floo home, doesn’t have to worry about boarding the train with everyone else. he’s unlucky in that the person he desperately needs to find will be. 

thankfully, charlie’s able to spot a distinct head of blonde hair, mercifully without her usual escorts at her side, “ tig !! “ he calls, giving hurried excuse me’s and pardon me’s and sorry mates as he squeezes through, clutching his precious cargo to his chest, “ antigone !! ” 

-

tig was lost. she’d gotten turned around at some point trying to leave the castle and had complete gotten separated from both archie and ajax... and they had all her stuff. as she was attempting to suss out which direction to start in tig heard her name being called. she turned quickly to the direction of the call. it was always weird to hear her full name called out. “hello charlie.” she said with a smile as he pushed through the crowds to her. it was a bit unexpected, but not anything worth complaining over. antigone quite liked charlie. he was nice and meant something to archie. besides, it was always nice to have another person around who liked to play the violin. “is everything alright? you’re out of breath.” the package in his hand drew her attention. she pointed at the wrapped up package.. “oh do you want me to give that to archie?”