blossoming

The way little Bonnie squeaked and rolled made Aiden’s heart melt slightly. He had always loved animals and he’d read a fair amount after the little niffler kind in his times in the library. He knew that wizards should live in the harmony with the creatures that surrounded them and he also absolutely adored dogs. His father did too and when Aiden finally got to go home he’d be excited to see the three that the Gastrell family owned. 

When Bonnie was offered in his direction, he grinned at the woman and took the little niffler delicately in his hands. He held her securely against his chest, rubbing her belly in the way that he had seen Nari do. “You are very sweet, Bonnie.” He chuckled before nodding enthusiastically. “I know the breed and she sounds absolutely adorable. Funny how owls are so convenient for us, huh?”

Bonnie chirped again, rolling into a ball and poking at Aiden’s chest with her nose, and Nari couldn’t help but giggle and smile fondly at her pet. Bonnie could be a handful but it was moments like this that reminded her why she wouldn’t trade her for the world.

She nodded at his words. “Yeah...one of the perks of wizarding society is that they’ve become so integrated in our lives. Not just here but globally. Nearly ever part of the world has some sort of native owl habitat. Harnessing them to deliver our post and become our companions was genius. And they’re so loyal too,” she rambled.

Pom Nari ↳ Family as of January 1st 2024

Father: Pom Taeyeon, 45, wizard Tom Choi

Mother: Park Yuna, 42, witch Jeon DoYeon

Rosaline looked over at the other briefly as she sat. “I’m not sure what they’re doing with her,” she spoke, fingers still moving over it’s chest in what she hoped to be a soothing manner. “It’s my impression that they believe her to be… abnormal.” Rosaline finished, returning her gaze back to the other for a moment. “I think they may kill her.” Her eyebrows scrunched together, frown making it’s way onto her face. “What are you doing out here, anyway? It’s quite cold.” Rosaline made the observation offhandedly, as if it did not affect her, despite her nose and cheeks being tinged pink.

Nari couldn’t help but bite her lip, shaking her head in some sort of silent denial or protest at the hippogriff’s treatment and eventual fate. “That’s not right. Abnormal or not she deserves to be free. Hippogriffs are harmless when left alone. It’s when foolish wizards invade their spaces, treat them with disrespect, and force them to play a role in some ridiculous tournament that things start to happen. It’s barbaric.” She realized, belatedly that she’d ended up clenching her fists, her outburst surprising even her. Still, she accepted the change in topics gratefully. “Oh...I was looking at the lichen on the trees and rocks, and taking some samples. I find them fascinating,” she admitted. “Besides, you look colder  than I do. How long have you been here?”

     “True.” he said plainly before her question began to create wonderings in himself too. “Magic dear, magic makes most anything possible.” he waved his hand fantastically, his tone sounding like what muggles think comical wizards sound like. Ignacio rarely took things seriously and his laughter shortly after cut the seriousness in the conversation in two—”I know Gamp’s Law probably fucks up some of the more fun ideas you can do there but I don’t know. Let’s go and find out. Maybe we can create a blackhole or something.” 

Nari couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head. “You and I both know that’s not true. Everything has its limits.” She tilted her head up, meeting his eyes, and then sighed, a conceding smile taking over her face. “I really don’t think we’re going to be able to do that, and if we did, it would be bad, but sure, let’s go find this crazy room of yours and see what’s going on inside. I hope there are lizards or something.”

     “Oh you know, sometime away from the castle…or maybe in it.” he laughed, “Come on now chiquita, do you think I’d get you in trouble?” he might but at least it wouldn’t be on purpose, “I heard about this room here that can become practically anything you want it to be…sounds like fun just waiting to happen.”

She fixed him with a look. “You wouldn’t...not...get me into trouble,” she said, rather lamely. Her curiosity got the better of her however, and she tilted her head, wanting to know more. “Anything you want? How is that even possible?” She went quiet and then frowned. “What would happen if two people who wanted different things went inside at the same time?”

“Didn’t realise nifflers came at such a price.” He joked, observing Bonnie with a clearly affectionate look. He’d read all about the small creatures in library books and their actions fascinated him. But then again, most things in life that one could learn fascinated Aiden. “Hey, we’ve all gotta get excited about something, right? She can’t help it anyway. Can you, little one?” He practically cooed at her, softly continuing to stroke her tiny tummy.

“Do you have to chase her around a lot? Or was that the initial genius idea behind the leash?” He asked, genuinely curious. “It’s a Boreal Owl. It’s got these funny little eyes and he kinda refuses to fly when it’s not cold. He’s very temperamental. I wish I could say mine was well behaved like yours.”  

Nari nodded, relaxing a little more in his presence once she realized he wasn’t going to make fun of her. “She’s a pest sometimes but I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said, stroking behind Bonnie’s head, making the niffler squeak and roll. Bonnie nuzzled into Aiden’s hand once she was back on her feet and her tiny tongue poked out to lick his fingers.

“The leash was mostly to keep her from escaping, yeah. It was impossible to keep track of her without it,” she explained. Now that she’d managed to get the harness on a much calmer Bonnie, she held the end of the leash in one hand and then held the niffler out to the boy, offering her to him to hold. “That’s funny. Jia’s an Asian barred owlet. She’s a small, puffy little thing, but she’s quite calm.”

A wide smile spread across Asher’s face as he turned the corner, his eyes immediately landing on Nari. The girl’s position was one all too familiar to him, while nifflers made wonderful pets- there were times where they could be incredibly stubborn, and it seemed that today was one of those days for Bonnie. Fortunately for his sake, Clyde was resting quietly within the pocket of his robes, safe from trouble. 

“Need some help?” he called, letting out a small laugh as he approached his friend, his hand out stretched to gently stroke the niffler on the head as he looked at Nari. “Hello ladies- I couldn’t help but notice you’re having some trouble,” he said with a small laugh. “And I thought I might be able to help,” he added, realizing that he was coming off as rather intrusive but he figured Nari wouldn’t mind. 

Nari looked up, relief apparent on her face when she heard Asher’s familiar voice. She stood up when the boy approached. “Please,” she said, desperately, tossing him the leash and then wrapping both her arms around a squirming Bonnie to keep her from dashing away. “She’s just not having it right now,” the girl said.

She frowned down at her pet, but the stern expression cracked when the adorable creature pawed at her nose. She giggled and then looked back up, meeting Asher’s eyes once more. “I can tell Clyde isn’t giving you the same problem today.” She winced as Bonnie reached up high enough to pull at one of her earrings, reaching to gently take her paw off of the piece of jewelry. “I just wanted to take her outside for a bit, get her some fresh air. You boys are welcome to accompany us.”

“Bargaining with a niffler. That is an interesting tactic that I won’t dwell upon because I don’t quite know the normal outcome.” He said slowly, his grin growing enormously when the small animal flung itself in his direction. Looking down toward his hand, he caught the glint of his wristwatch and hastily tugged his sleeve over it. He didn’t want to give Bonnie any distractions that she couldn’t refuse. That was just mean. “Hey now, she’s just being thief friendly. If you can consider it that way….” He laughed and stepped closer to look at Bonnie. 

“She’s a little trouble maker isn’t she? Big personality for such a small thing.” He leant out and prodded her belly very softly. “I remember when I first got my owl he had an awful habit of pulling hair. He’d just be attracted to it and want to yank it with his beak. Took a few good talking tos before he stopped.”

“It normally works if you’re willing to sacrifice something,” she said, giggling despite herself. “But Bonnie is being particularly difficult today.” She nodded appreciatively when the boy covered up the watch on his wrist and Bonnie quieted down some. “Thanks. She really does mean well. It’s just in her nature to get excited about things that shine.” Bonnie let out a trilling noise at the gentle strokes to her stomach and finally seemed to settle a bit.

“Yeah...nifflers certainly have a lot more energy than you’d think based on how they look. She keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure.” She laughed at the idea of an owl pulling on his hair, and shook her head. “My owl hasn’t ever tried that luckily. Jia’s always been very well behaved. What breed of owl do you have?”

Aiden had chosen to wonder the cold grounds of the grand school that afternoon, a book tucked under his arm and a rhythmic pattern of spells flicking through his mind. He was loving how much the Hogwarts library had to offer (not that the Ilvermorny libraries were sub-par) but there was so many new things to learn! The history of Hogwarts. The ancestry of British Wizardy. It fascinated him alongside all the spells he knew he could one day master. 

He was just heading back to the castle when he spotted a small figure and an even tinier creature near the entrance. The conversation was muffled at first but as he got closer it grew louder and the sight of the girl trying to…..leash the niffler was more than amusing. He came to a stop and smiled down at Nari. “Not what it looks like? So you’re not blackmailing this sweet little creature here?” He gestured toward the harness. “Do they sell those? Are you meant to walk nifflers?”

Nari looked up, her cheeks going red. She finally managed to get the harness around Bonnie’s tiny frame and then stood up, hugging the niffler to her chest as she met the other student’s eyes, embarrassment blooming in her chest. “It isn’t blackmail. I’m just...bargaining. Negotiating. All the good politicians do it,” she said in a rush, squeaking a little as Bonnie tried to fling herself at the boy, he must’ve had some kind of shiny thing on him. “Bonnie stop,” she whispered, giving him a frazzled smile as she adjusted the squirming creature she was holding.

“This? No...it’s...I made it myself. They don’t need to be walked but it’s the only way I can let her out of my room without her making a scene or wreaking havoc. She’s usually okay with it but I guess she’s just being difficult today,” she admitted, tickling Bonnie on the belly in an attempt to get her to stop trying to escape.

“How much growth can there be if half the time people are dying or maimed through the tournament?” he scoffed. He was still rather bitter about the fact that he had chosen. Had he not been old enough? Had he not shown enough potential for growth? Whatever the cup measure, Zane wanted to know because he wanted to know exactly why the cup thought he wasn’t worthy. Zane straightened his back and lowered his voice down an octave before speaking, “As a matter of fact, Nari. He does. Inspiring everyone even with a simple task as eating breakfast or brushing his teeth.” He decided to let the latter part of their conversation go. He had forgotten her father was a sore spot. Both of their fathers were. The constant moving, the need for perfection, and the big shoes to fill were something they easily bonded over. It was hard to convey those subtleties to other students but she understood even without him having to explain. “So, h-how are you? Where has the grand adventures of Nari taken you to?”

Nari bit back a smile at the snark in the boy’s tone, amused by how offended he sounded. “I don’t know. I’m not the goblet. I’m just speculating here. I just don’t think what it wants is something simple enough for any of us to really understand.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, practically hearing Hondo’s voice in her head as Zane spoke. “Well he’s right you know. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and tooth decay is no joking matter,” she murmured. She shrugged loosely at his question, looking down at her shoes. How was she? That was a good question. Same old Nari, she supposed, but that answer didn’t sound particularly thrilling. Sometimes she wished she was less boring, less predictable. “Well dad’s stuff took us to China this year so I’m at Imperial now. Well not ‘at’ Imperial, since we’re all here but...that’s technically where I’m registered. It’s a shame…I would’ve liked to explore the Shishapangma mountains.”

He shivered as she mentioned the acromantulas. Despite being a beast himself, albeit one that could probably take on the acromantulas, Min hated spiders and related beasts. He found himself terrifying and he only had two legs. Eight legs? Forget it. “No, no I don’t mind,” he quickly assured her, “If anything it’s helpful so I can test my boyfriend later. How would you stop an acromantula though? Fire spells to keep them away? Or are they afraid of water?” He wondered how a girl with brains like hers hasn’t been coerced into a champion’s training group. It had become a common sight to see clusters of brainiacs gathering information to relay to their champions in the library. Everyone had a role in ensuring their school’s victory. 

Nari nodded, pleased that she wasn’t bothering him. It wasn’t often that she got to talk about animals and people actually listened. “Well they’re really afraid of basilisks...not like we have one of those handy though. Fire might work though but I think they’d be fine with water. They’re pretty big so it’s not easy to drown them.” She crossed her legs under the table, and took another bite of her food, before looking back over to him and shooting him a sympathetic smile though. She imagined it was probably stressful knowing someone he cared about was going to be in the forest. “I mean...this is all assuming we’re just dealing with the regular forest. For the first task of the last tournament, they brought in dragons from all over Europe. If they could do that then, I don’t see why they can’t import beasts now. It makes all this speculation rather pointless, don’t you think?”

     “I agree, I know for a fact the forest is more dangerous than people wanna believe….I’ve tried going out there once or twice myself, even in the day it’s wicked uncomfortable. I can’t imagine at night.” He glanced away, outwards some students writting down their coursework before the teacher arrived, but he couldn’t even think about notes when his mind was too lost in the games. “Who are you rooting for?” he smirked, “Since you’ve been to every school almost, so I’m curious.”

“I think....people just don’t understand the forest or the creatures in it. If we leave them alone, they’ll leave us alone. It’s when we go poking around their territory and annoying them when things get ugly. Encouraging people to go in there? It’s asking for something to go wrong,” she said, sighing to herself. She rested her head on her arms, shutting her textbook and then bit her lip at Axel’s question. “I’m not really rooting for anybody, specifically. I just want everyone to make it out if this thing alive, I’ll be honest. Are you rooting for Ambrose and his team then?”

Adelaide gasped audibly when she saw the creature in the cutest harness she had ever seen. She quickly recognize the niffler from her textbooks but she has never seen one in real life. Her father had always joked about having a ward specifically against nifflers due to the number of jeweled family heirlooms in their manor. “It looks like a concerned pet owner trying to convince their pet to listen but on the off chance that you’re trying to rob Hogwarts with that niffler, I want half the profits for not ratting you out,” she jested. “How does one get a niffler to listen?“

Nari looked up slowly, flushing, and then grabbed Bonnie, hugging the small creature to her chest as she got up from her spot on the floor. “Uh no...no robbing. I’m not exactly the criminal type,” she said, hesitantly. She looked down at Bonnie, still wriggling in her grasp, and shrugged. “It’s mostly a lot of bargaining. Sometimes negotiations work, and sometimes they don’t but...I try,” she admitted. She held out the niffler, cradling it in her palms, offering her to the stranger to pet. “This is Bonnie. She’s a hassle but I love her.”

“Bonnie,” she hissed. “We’ve been over this! You let yourself be harnessed and when we get back in my room you get to roll around in my coin collection. That’s the deal!” She froze, abruptly realizing someone was standing in front of her and that her rambling probably looked bizarre at best, and slowly looked up, an embarrassed smile taking over her face. “This is not...what it looks like.”