Year/Job
Dad
"I'm pretty major and I'll sing it out loud." |
Travis
Fox Bishop
Flourish and Blotts Employee IS OFFLINE
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Post by Fox Bishop on Nov 24, 2015 9:11:13 GMT -8
It wasn’t a well-kept secret, to anyone paying attention, that Abigail Chandler had been harboring feelings for Bryant Tannen. Most would probably overlook the two—Abbey wasn’t exactly a queen bee, and Bryant was…well, he was just all kinds of insignificant. Fox probably never would have noticed Abbey if it weren’t for her work on the Quidditch pitch. But Abbey had always been a decent player, when he thought back on it, so he shouldn’t have been as surprised at the start of the season when he checked the roster postings and saw “Chandler, Abigail” in gold—Hufflepuff’s new team captain. It was an honor that Fox had been denied, along with a much deserved prefect badge, and that was why he’d started the school year on a mission of revenge. They weren’t going to make him captain? Well, he was going to outshine every player on the Ravenclaw team.
Fox’s mission didn’t last long. After conceding forty points to Hufflepuff in the opening match of the season, Fox settled into a comfortable rhythm, and the offense followed. Ravenclaw scored an unanswered ninety points as the crowd began to cheer louder and louder for the Eagles. Fox could feel it: this was the start of the dream season. Ravenclaw was going to go on a championship run, sweeping through all of the other houses in the league, and at the end of it all, it would be Fox holding the trophy, not their team captain. And then the whistle blew. When Fox looked up to see his seeker, he saw that it was instead Hufflepuff’s unknown captain, Chandler, Abigail, grasping the golden snitch.
Fox hated losing, but for some reason he was happy for the young girl he’d only known as timid little Abbey. For the next few weeks, Fox couldn’t escape the girl. He would run into her in the great hall, notice her in classes, and at practice, when he sneak off to watch Abbey work with her team. How had he overlooked this girl for so long? She wasn’t just a natural seeker, she was a great leader, better than Fox could ever be most likely, and she was so…pretty? The more Fox thought about Abbey, the more he realized that it wasn’t just her Quidditch abilities that he was admiring. This was the same girl he’d bullied in first year for talking to plants, the same one who had been hanging around that chucklehead Bryant Tannen for six years.
It may seem weird that a guy with a track record like Fox (I mean, come on, Molly Weasley, man) would be nursing a crush on a girl like Abigail Chandler, but these things are often hard to explain. Fox wasn’t the type to keep crushes secret for long, though, and when he saw the disappointed look on Abbey’s face every time Bryant would run off to hit on some Slytherin girl, he knew that he had to make a move. It wasn’t a well-kept secret, to anyone paying attention, that Abigail Chandler had been harboring feelings for Bryant Tannen. But until now, no one seemed to care enough to do anything. A girl as talented and as beautiful as Abigail Chandler deserved better.
Bryant had left Abbey alone in the crowded great hall when Fox approached her. They’d shared a brief but friendly conversation: Fox complimented her on the work she’d done with the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and then he asked her if she’d like to do something. He told her that he’d be waiting for her out by the hippogriff stables at ten o’clock if she were interested. Fox wasn’t sure if Abbey would show up, being after curfew and everything, but nothing fun happens in the sunlight.
At night, after the doors had closed and all of the students had been rounded up into their common rooms, Fox snuck away from Ravenclaw Tower and out of the castle. It was 9:45 when he checked his watch by the stables, breathing heavily as he waited in nervous anticipation for Abbey.
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Year/Job
Herbology Professor
Find someone who grows flowers in the darkest parts of you. |
Steph
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Post by Abbey Chandler on Nov 24, 2015 23:22:42 GMT -8
She grew wild, wild but innocent [attr="class","em"]It wasn't like Abbey enjoyed running after Bryant Tannen. She knew deep inside that she was only hurting herself by waiting for him to come around. She couldn't blame Bryant for going for the kind of girls he did. In her eyes, Abbey was nothing more than a plain old Hufflepuff, and who would want that when they could have one of the Slytherin girls? Yes, she knew Bryant wasn't purposely trying to hurt her, but it did hurt. Every time she saw him running to someone else, she couldn't hide the disappointment across her face. Most of the time, no one took notice.
When Fox approached her, she offered him a smile and made small talk with him. Quidditch was her saving grace, she was good, better than anyone had expected. And though Bryant Tannen couldn't see it, other started to notice her after the first match of the season. She wasn't used to so many people paying attention to her, it made her a bit nervous. She could feel her face flush and it made her stutter. That's why when Fox Bishop asked her to meet him that night, she broke eye contact with him. Abbey wasn't able to give him an answer right then and there, not only because she wasn't sure, but her mind had drifted back to Bryant.
It wasn't as if Fox had waited for an answer either.
Abigail Chandler had never imagined herself sneaking out after curfew, it wasn't the kind of thing she did. However, the mere thought of leaving someone out in the dark was dreadful. What if Fox stayed out all night waiting for her? She couldn't live with the guilt. She somehow made it out of the castle. There was a sneaking suspicion that most of the prefects preferred to fool around while on patrol.
It should be noted that Abbey's reason for meeting Fox was not because she fancied him. In fact, she hardly knew anything about him. For all she knew, he could be playing a prank on her. He was, after all, the same boy who had made fun of her when she was a first year. She was only here to make sure something bad didn't happen. It was her instinct to make sure everything in the world was right.
As she approached the stables, she caught glance of a head full of curls. She raised her hand to give him a shy smile and wave. "Hello," she spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest. The night was too chilly for her liking. "Aren't you afraid of being out here at night?" [newclass=.next::-webkit-scrollbar]width: 1px;[/newclass][newclass=.next::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background: #000;[/newclass]
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Year/Job
Dad
"I'm pretty major and I'll sing it out loud." |
Travis
Fox Bishop
Flourish and Blotts Employee IS OFFLINE
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Post by Fox Bishop on Nov 25, 2015 0:37:26 GMT -8
Fox knew that if he let Abbey think it over too much, she would find a way to turn him down. That was how these unrequited things went; she would be too afraid to pursue any other option because, in her mind, it was always about Bryant. She would be betraying him just by meeting up with Fox. If you asked Fox, Bryant didn’t deserve that kind of loyalty. That was why Fox left the invitation there, but he didn’t make Abbey answer. He told her to consider it, and then he left. Of course it was a gamble, but she was too sweet of a girl to stand someone up. Would she be standing him up? Was this a date?
Fox didn’t have long to think it over before he spotted Abbey approaching the stables. He smiled as she said “hello,” her voice as soft and shy as it had sounded earlier that day. It was disarming in a way that Fox wasn’t used to. Most of the girls he’d chased had been more dominant personalities, so Abbey felt like new territory. It wasn’t exactly her disposition that had attracted Fox to Abbey, but the way she played Quidditch. It was like she was a different person on the pitch, and Fox suspected that all of those years doing Bryant’s homework had kept that part of Abbey locked away.
Abbey gave a little wave after greeting Fox, and then asked, “Aren’t you afraid of being out here at night?”
Fox smiled and replied, “There’s nothing in the night that isn’t in the day. That’s what my mum used to tell me when I was afraid of the dark anyway. I like it here at night. It’s quiet and peaceful, I get a lot done here.” If Fox wasn’t sneaking away from the stables to do schoolwork, it was simply just to think. “Not a lot of people come by here. It’s kind of sad, hippogriffs are a social animal,” Fox glanced at one of the hippogriffs asleep in their pen, then turned his attention back to Abbey. “You like animals, right? I wasn’t really sure if you would even want to come, so I tried to pick someplace you’d like, that way you’d at least get something out of it.” It was hard for Fox not to act awkward. He didn’t know Abbey that well—just that when she wasn’t kicking ass on the pitch, she was Hogwarts’ nature girl. But she did look pretty good standing there in the moonlight.
Standing there, arms hugging her chest.
“What’s wrong with me? You must be so cold,” Fox frowned. Most Muggle guys would probably offer their jackets, but they didn’t have the benefit of magic. Fox pulled out his wand, and moving slowly as if Abbey were a doe about to dart back into the shadows, he conjured a ball of fire which floated safely above the stable floor. Fox followed the fire as it inched toward Abbey, closing the gap between the two. There was a pause as he studied her face, now unburdened by shadows. He wondered what she was thinking, if she had any expectations for their meeting or if her mind was still on Bryant. “Does that feel better?” he asked.
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Year/Job
Herbology Professor
Find someone who grows flowers in the darkest parts of you. |
Steph
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Post by Abbey Chandler on Nov 27, 2015 23:50:15 GMT -8
She grew wild, wild but innocent [attr="class","em"] "Your mother sounds like a wise woman," Abbey's voice was still quiet, but she had relaxed her shoulders. Any smart girl would be weary of being out this late at night with a boy she hardly knew, but Abbey liked to believe everyone had good intentions at heart. Besides, she had her wand in her pocket, she was capable of defending herself if it ever came down to that.
Luckily, that wasn't the direction this night was heading. The talk of hippogriffs and animals brought a spark to her eyes, she absolutely loved them. Fox Bishop had obviously done his research, but Abbey was too oblivious to notice this yet. "I used to come by here quite often, but Quidditch has kept me busy this year. I feel a bit guilty for abandoning them, they're beautiful creatures."
There was a moment of silence before Fox ignited the flame. This took her by surprise, because no one had ever done this for her. She was usually the one running around trying to keep Bryant warm, or making sure he didn't get in to fights. But Fox had done this for her without her saying anything? Why?
She slowly nodded, then a smile spread across her face. "Thank you, you really didn't have to do that."
Abbey truly had no expectations for this meeting. Again, she didn't know much about Fox. How could she expect anything from someone she didn't know? But when his eyes searched her face, she felt a knot in her stomach. She couldn't explain what it was, it was something completely different than when Bryant looked her way, but it also felt nice. Her eyes stole glances at his face as well, studying it for something she wasn't sure of.
"Why... why did you ask to meet me?" she finally spoke up, her eyes looking away from him once again.
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Year/Job
Dad
"I'm pretty major and I'll sing it out loud." |
Travis
Fox Bishop
Flourish and Blotts Employee IS OFFLINE
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Post by Fox Bishop on Nov 28, 2015 20:27:28 GMT -8
A cynic might search for an ulterior motive in Fox’s meeting with Abbey, but it was nothing more to him than getting to know someone who interested him. How long had he known Abigail Chandler? Certainly they’d been crossing paths since her first year, but despite all of those years, there wasn’t much that he did know, and that was disappointing. Fox wasn’t above shallowness, and it took her spectacular play on the pitch to catch his attention, but now that she had, Fox couldn’t think about much else. It was true that he had done his research, even tapping into Hogwarts’ gossip network to get the latest news on the girl. It turned out that after their match, Abbey was trending like a holiday hashtag, but staring at her in the stable, seeing the way she carried herself, Fox could tell that she had no clue. Abbey could teach Fox a thing or two about modesty.
“I used to come by here quite often, but Quidditch has kept me busy this year. I feel a bit guilty for abandoning them, they're beautiful creatures.”
Fox smiled and assured Abbey, “I’m sure they don’t hold it against you. You’re here now, right?” And then he noticed the way she was holding herself. She seemed genuinely surprised when he lit the small fire for her, which made him wonder how often people went out of their way to accommodate her. From the way she was acting, he wanted to guess never—but how was that possible? How could a girl so sweet, beautiful, and talented be so neglected?
“Thank you,” she smiled. “You really didn't have to do that.”
“Of course I did,” Fox replied with slightly raised eyebrows. Was this really so rare? Guys were usually falling over themselves to impress a girl with kind gestures. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I was cold anyway.”
“Why... why did you ask to meet me?”
Why had Fox asked to meet Abbey? There were a hundred better places to get to know someone, a hundred better times, a hundred better opportunities. But he had asked her here, to the hippogriff stables after lights out, and it was all incredibly awkward. Why couldn’t he just catch up with her at breakfast, lunch, or dinner? In the hallways or the courtyards? The truth was, Fox had tried. He’d been trying since the match, but Abbey was a tough person to meet with her friend hanging around her every second. Frustrated, Fox decided that if he couldn’t find time with Abbey in the day, he’d make time with her at night. Of course it wasn’t ideal, but here they were.
“Well,” Fox had barely gotten a word out before a squawk from one of the pens drowned out his answer. “I wanted to get to know you,” he repeated, walking over to the pen and reaching into a bag at the side to grab out a handful of feed, which was mostly dried insects. Fox leaned over the gate and dropped the feed into the hippogriff’s trough. He continued speaking as he fed the animal. “What you did on the pitch…it was art. I’m not even mad Ravenclaw lost because you earned that win, and I don’t even think you realize it. Why is that?"
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Year/Job
Herbology Professor
Find someone who grows flowers in the darkest parts of you. |
Steph
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Post by Abbey Chandler on Nov 29, 2015 23:40:14 GMT -8
She grew wild, wild but innocent [attr="class","em"] Fox raised his eyebrows and Abbey knew something had to be wrong. What had she done now? Maybe she had assumed Fox had lit the fire for her when in reality it was for his own benefit. Of course, that had to be it, right? Maybe there was something on her face. She slowly raised her hand, placing it on her cheek but before she could ask, he spoke again. Lately, Abbey had noticed people were treating her differently. She wasn't so sure what had cause this change, but she made no big deal out of it.
She watched in silence as Fox started to feed the hippogriff and she stepped forward, placing a hand on the fence. She peered over his shoulder as he proceeded with the task. She felt the smile on her face grow more by the second. Had Fox Bishop always been like this? Her recent memories of him were clouded by the taunts he'd thrown her way when she was eleven years old.
"Quidditch is art, though. Isn't it?" she asked, mostly for her own benefit. Abbey's hand reached over to grab some insects as well, wanting to help. As the two of them fed the animals together, she realized how different talking to someone other than Bryant was. She was always under the impression that she'd be awkward, but she felt really comfortable. "I think Ravenclaw played a great game that day. I was really nervous, actually. You guys always come up with the best strategies."
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Year/Job
Dad
"I'm pretty major and I'll sing it out loud." |
Travis
Fox Bishop
Flourish and Blotts Employee IS OFFLINE
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Post by Fox Bishop on Dec 2, 2015 1:30:03 GMT -8
Not that Fox wasn’t a dumb teenager, but he had been an especially dumb kid back in the day. Magic had always come easy for him, and good grades naturally followed. His professors loved him, some fascinated by the natural talents of Muggleborn like himself, while others latched onto him like Brangelina and a humanitarian cause. Muggles were the it issue of the decade, and it benefitted witches and wizards of certain notoriety to be seen supporting them. Of course if Fox ever needed a professor’s validation it was only so he could antagonize the arrogant purebloods in his year, and his professors had help give him that power.
The point I guess I’m getting at here is that, since his first year, Fox had been a bully. Muggle life had never been easy, but being a Muggleborn at Hogwarts was a whole new experience, and from day one he’d had a chip on his shoulder. It wasn’t just the purebloods who were targets, Fox had been generally unpleasant to everyone. It was only with age that he calmed down and learned to discriminate. There were some, the most intolerable of Hogwarts’ pureblood elite, who were still targets for Fox’s torment. But Abigail Chandler…Fox would be shocked if she had ever said a mean thing to anyone in her life. He watched as Abbey joined him next to the fence, grabbing some feed of her own to drop into the trough, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty for those old days. He wanted to apologize, but a part of him hoped that Abbey had forgotten the whole thing. Bringing it up now would only ruin the moment.
But getting back on track now, Abbey asked Fox, “Quidditch is art, though. Isn’t it?” Which was probably the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard a girl say. “I think Ravenclaw played a great game that day. I was really nervous, actually. You guys always come up with the best strategies.”
Fox smiled a kind of embarrassed smile and said, “That’s just our reputation, being the nerds of Hogwarts and everything. Really, we have no business playing sports. We break easily.” Fox was only kind of joking: the only reason he was starting at keeper this season was because their first keeper had gone down the previous year, and no one else had tried out for the position. “It’s never been easy for me. I mean, I got wordless spells on the first day, but Quidditch…it’s the only thing I’ve ever had to work for..” Abbey had looked so confident out there on her broom, like she had taken the entire match into her control. Fox had never felt that kind of ease with the game before, and he wondered if she knew how special that was. “When I’m in a match, I feel vulnerable in this way that I’m really not used to, and it’s a rush. Do you know that feeling?”
This initial awkwardness of their meeting was wearing away, and the two had settled into a comfortable rhythm as they stood in front of the pen watching the hippogriff eat his late night meal. Whatever discomfort Abbey seemed to have had also eased away, but he couldn’t help but ask her the question: “You don’t do stuff like this very often, do you? Meet boys in the middle of the night, breaking curfew. Have you ever broken a rule?”
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