it's good to be back // anastasiya viktorovna

Guest

Since Stephen entered Hogwarts and got sorted in Hufflepuff, he had never really made much use of the Common Room. During their breaks, he was often found by the Great Lake or at the art room, and on Hogsmeade weekends he had practically claimed a permanent spot at The Three Broomsticks. For his first weekend back at Hogwarts, however, Stephen decided to stay in the Common Room. Seated on one of the couches with his watercolours and sketchbook, he occasionally gazed around the room to capture its likeness on paper.

He was a fourth year now and he couldn't believe it. It felt like it was only yesterday when he was on the boat at the Great Lake, marvelling at how majestic his new home looked. Chewing on his lips, he stared at the castle while he pretended his heart wasn't beating much faster. The children all around him were doing the same, and as he looked at their faces, he couldn't help but wonder which ones he would end up looking forward to seeing everyday, and which ones he would remember to avoid.

And now, on his fourth year, Stephen still had a bad habit of chewing his lips, but instead of caring strongly about the faces around him, and whether they would scrunch up in mockery upon seeing him, Stephen now cared more about whether the faces he portrayed on paper were realistic and beautiful. Not beautiful in the Hollywood way, but beautiful because they captured life, emotion, and all those things that truly mattered.

His current painting, though, had no faces in them, since the Hufflepuff Common Room was practically deserted due to the older students being in Hogsmeade and the younger ones running around the grounds. The thought of his House mates enjoying life made Stephen smile, and he continued to do so as he worked on painting the room which he considered home.

Guest

Anya had thought that it would feel weird to come back to Hogwarts after being away for what seemed to have been such a long time, but it felt rather normal. Hogwarts had began to feel like more of a home to her than her home ever had. She had made quite a few friends here, even including some in her own house. She hadn't imagined that she would find friends here. She thought that it would simply be a lonely bubble that was far away from the lonely bubble in which she had grown up. Hogwarts hadn't been a lonely bubble. It had actually been a rather good experience for her.

As she entered the Hufflepuff common room, she saw a familiar face sitting on one of the couches and painting. She recognized Stephen from an encounter they had had at the Three Broomsticks. Stephen was a friendly face. He was a kind friend and he seemed to be genuinely interested in her poetry and in Anya as a person.

Smiling halfway, she walked over to Stephen and sat in the empty space beside him.
"What are you painting?" She asked, figuring that that was a nice way to begin a dialogue.

Guest

'Hey, Anya!' Stephen smiled at Anya as he looked up, remembering the conversation they had at The Three Broomsticks. With Anya taking the seat beside him, Stephen could already see the difference in her personality. She was much more reserved before, definitely not the sort to just walk up to someone and talk. To see her warming up to him gave Stephen a burst of energy and inspiration—he was glad to have made a new friend, and Anya never failed to pique his interest with her love of poetry.

'I'm just trying to paint the Common Room,' he continued, finishing up the glowing sunlight through the windows with a mix of yellow-white paint. 'I'm thinking of sending this to my cousin, to show her what the Hufflepuff room looks like.' Taking inspiration from Monet's style of Impressionism, Stephen lightly dabbed a very small amount of paint on the floor and couches in the painting, blending them well with the browns and the yellows of the wood and the fabrics. 'What about you? How come you didn't go to Hogsmeade today?'

Guest

"It's very pretty," she told him. Anya could not hide that she was impressed by the painting. The resemblance that it had to the room in which the two were sitting was amazing. She also thought that sending the piece of artwork to his cousin was a nice gesture. She couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy towards this, though. Anya saw people such as Stephen, who seemed to be close with their family, and she wanted what they had. If she were to send a poem or something like that to her father, he would not even hesitate to throw it away without opening it.
"I'm sure your cousin will love it," She told him.

"I guess I was feeling a bit homesick towards Hogwarts," she responded when he asked why she hadn't been in Hogsmeade. "I didn't need more time in Hogsmeade. I wanted to come back." She took another look around the room, glad to be back.

"How was your holiday?" She asked. "Mine was nothing special."

Guest

It was definitely understandable how Anya felt homesick for Hogwarts. Stephen had felt that way during the break, too, and perhaps that was why he had opted to stay in instead of going off to his favourite Hogsmeade places. The Hufflepuff Common Room, in particularly, was made so that the students can feel at home. Sometimes Stephen wondered if the other common rooms were as warm and cozy as theirs. 'Thank you, I'm glad you think it's pretty,' Stephen smiled at Anya before retouching some of the mistakes he had made with the shadows. 'And yes, I feel the same way. I would've gotten a Butterbeer at Three Broomsticks, but I missed the Common Room.'

Deciding to complete the painting later, he put it down and headed for the small mini-kitchen they had in the Common Room. What he loved the most about this room was the culture of sharing—students donated whatever food they can find to the cupboards, and some even brought tea and coffee makers for those who couldn't live without those drinks. He took a tin of lemon biscuits and looked for the tea boxes. 'I'm going to make myself some tea, would you like some?'

As he worked the tea maker, he thought about Anya's question. His holiday wasn't exactly too special, either, but he figured he could share some stories. 'It was uneventful,' he eventually said. 'I didn't go back to Korea. I met a girl in Diagon Alley, though. She's pretty, but I think I might have weirded her out.' He chuckled softly as he remembered that day at the tea shop, when just seeing her gave him so much inspiration for drawing. 'What about you? Did you stay here in the UK as well?'

Guest

Anya watched as Stephen put the painting down and made his way over to the kitchen area. Anya did not have much experience with using the kitchen. She usually only ate during meals, so there had never been much of a need for her to begin cooking for herself. The girl did not even make tea or coffee in the kitchen here. She had always had to cook and fend for herself when she was home in Russia, so Hogwarts was a nice change of pace in that regard.

When Stephen asked if she wanted any tea, she shook her head. She did not want to be bothersome to the boy. He was making tea for himself. Anya saw no need for him to have to make an extra cup.
"No thank you," she said, keeping her voice at a low volume and making sure to smile softly.

She listened as the boy described his holiday to her. She was not surprised to hear that he had met a possible girlfriend. Stephen was a very likeable person. She thought it impossible for someone to not like him. It seemed obvious that he would soon find a mate. As far as relationships went, Anya had had a few encounters with a boy named Arden Snow. Arden seemed like he may one day turn into something more for Anya.

"I spent some of the holiday with a relative in the UK," she told him. "I returned to Russia for the remainder. I did not do much. It was nice to relax, though." She thought about her stay in Russia. Severine had stopped by once. What a joy that had been. Other than Severine, she had not talked to anyone once she arrived home. She was glad to finally be back with familiar faces.

"So," She looked towards the boy, smiling. "Tell me more about this girl. Do you think you two will end up together?"

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