you're a mansion with a view (joe)

[Deleted]

Nov. 2024

Katherine was lounging on one of the common room couches, her legs swung over the arm on the side and her back on the cushions. It was late at night, probably time she be in bed. She was admiring the design of the ceiling, contemplating the maths that would have went into designing Hogwarts. Architecture was always fascinating to her, considering how much thought had to go into it. You had to consider building materials, weight, colors, dimension, etc. It was the perfect project for someone as scientifically and mathematically minded as she was.

She heard someone enter the room, and decided to break her focus to look toward the sound. Ah, Joe. It was pretty nice that her and Joe were actually in the same house here at Hogwarts, whereas in Ilvermorny they were not. She had been a Wampus, with her brother, and he was a Horned Serpent. He had gone from one snake-themed house to another, must have been nice for his wardrobe if he had any snake logos on anything.

"Sneaking out, or sneaking in?" she called over to him, not sure where he had come from.

@joseph

[Deleted]

SOMETIME IN NOVEMBER

Joe couldn't sleep. His mind was filled with anxieties that he couldn't seem to push aside at night, they consumed him. Seventh year was a lot more stressful than he ever thought it would be. Recently he had forced himself to study more than he ever had in his life. It made his eyes and body tired, but his mind was still going a hundred miles an hour after the sun went down. Joe didn't want to work an office job. His dream was to play quidditch professionally, but he wasn't a fool, he knew that was simply a childish pipedream. What Joe realistically saw himself doing was cooking, he wanted his own world class restaurants with an equisette array of cuisines for the palette.

This whole sleeping problem could also be blamed on his roommates. One of the huskier boys in his dorm would snore like a bear all night long. Joe frequently would throw pillows at his face, dangerously close to smothering him, but it never really worked, unfortunately. Tonight Joe finally gave up and figured he'd sit in the common room until he was too tired to keep his eyes open any longer. Joe was pleasantly surprised when he reached the bottom of the stairs and he could see the back of Katies head on the sofa, "Sup Katie" he greeted her, walking over to the sofa where she was sprawled out and collapsing next to her. "I guess this would be considered sneaking out." Joe yawned lazily, gazing into the fireplace for a moment. "What are you doin' out her all on your lonesome?" he asked her curiously, wondering if she had the same problem with seventh year sleeping woes.

@katie

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He greeted her and sat next to her. She pulled her feet back just a little, not much, to make some room. He said this could be considered sneaking 'out', and yawned. That made her start to yawn, and she reached a hand up to cover her mouth with the back of it. She turned toward the fireplace too, following his eyes. He asked what she was doing out here and she shrugged against the couch, "oh, just admiring the general splendor of this place." She said it sarcastically, even though that was exactly what she had been doing. No one needed to know that she actually had some respect for this godforsaken school.

She looked over at him again, "I suppose you're off to meet your flavor of the week?" she teased, moving her foot to nudge the side of his leg, raising an eyebrow at him. "Unless these brits just aren't doing it for you. I get that," she added. That was entirely true, too. She didn't like them or their country. Sure there were people from other countries here too, but Europe in general was just... yuck. She preferred Lance, born and bred American, thank you. That made her think, had Joseph even noticed her little romance with the Hufflepuff prefect?

@joseph

[Deleted]

SOMETIME IN NOVEMBER

As Joe sank into the sofa, he cocked his head to the side as she sarcastically stated that she was admiring the castles architecture. He rolled his eyes, unable to hide the disgust from his face. "Hmmmeh." The snake shrugged, shaking his head in disapproval. 

As Katherine accused him of meeting with his flavor of the week, he chuckled, "I truly wish that were the case, but alas, this school is full of bad teeth and accents I can barely understand." he stated harshly, attempting to shrug with no emotion. Hell, he didn't want to come off as homesick he really was. That would make him appear as weak.

"What do you really think of this place though, Katie?" he asked her, genuinely curious. Joe hated Hogwarts only because Ilvermorny was so...well, simply put - amazing. He felt like he practically ran the school, and it was all taken away from him with the blink of an eye. He wished he had known he wouldn't be going back to his Alma Mater after his sixth year so that he could get a proper last look of the place before saying 'goodbye'. Nope. Instead, everyone was shipped off to foreign schools, away from everything knew in the dark state of the world.

@katie

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He rolled his eyes, shaking his head and making a disapproving sound at the 'general splendor' comment. Katherine chuckled at that, glad he seemingly agreed with her that this place was... just... not home.

He said that he wished he was meeting someone, but that the school was full of bad teeth and accents that he could barely understand. She laughed one loud, "hah!" tossing her head back a little for a second. "A-Men-To-That," she agreed slowly.

He asked what she really thought of Hogwarts, his tone genuine. She bent her elbows to prop her self up on the couch, titling her head from side to side for a moment before answering. "I miss home," she admitted firmly. She didn't want to come off as too emotional, but she was always an honest and straightforward person. "It's impossible to appreciate a new place, even a nice castle, when it's just a replacement for somewhere you loved, you know?"

@joseph

[Deleted]

SOMETIME IN NOVEMBER

The pair shared a laugh, but Joe was more tickled by her laugh at his harsh joke, which caused him to laugh again, especially her throwing her head back to laugh at it. Katie always understood his harsh sense of humor because she was savage like him. They just simply didn't have filters, it was probably why they got along so well. Katie had been one of Joes friends for many years, a bit of a confidant at times, he really appreciated her company. 

It seemed that Katie felt the same way about Hogwarts, which was a relief, at least he wasn't overreacting. Ilvermorny is where their heart stood. He just couldn't wrap his mind around why they couldn't go back...it didn't take long to fix damages with magic. When Katie asked how he felt, his face already show it.  "I hate this place." He grumbled, sinking into the sofa a little deeper. Joe shrugged his shoulders, taking a breath in through his nostrils, deciding he should explain himself instead of being so vague. His green eyes flickered over to Katie, "I didn't realize how amazing Ilvermorny was until I was forced to come here. Everything is just...different. Even the people. None of these people can take a f*cking joke, they walk around like they have sticks up their ass constantly." Joe didn't mean to share so much, but the words just kind of flowed because he was comfortable around Katie. He was speaking genuinely about the matter. He then added, "It sucks that we're going to be graduating from here."

@katie

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Joe said he hated this place and Katherine nodded, frowning a little. Her brow furrowed as he took a deep breath and she titled her head to get a better look at him as he continued speaking. He said he didn't realizing how amazing Ilvermorny was until he was forced to come here. She nodded a little again, even though she had always felt a strong love for her old school, this definitely made it stronger. He spoke about how everything was different and the people can't take a joke, walking around with 'sticks up their ass constantly'. Katherine chuckled a little at that, but it was dry and humorless. This was the silly world they had to live in now. 

At the end he added that it sucked that they had to graduate there. "I agree on all fronts," she said with a nod, "I'm surprised the school doesn't have a scheduled break for 'tea time'," she rolled her eyes. "And... as for graduation..." she sighed sadly, turning her face toward the fireplace instead of looking at him, her hands finding themselves on top of her stomach and clasping together - harder than she meant to, "it feels like I'm betraying someone I care about, you know?"

@joseph

[Deleted]

SOMETIME IN NOVEMBER

When Katie joked about it being a surprise that they didn’t have tea time at Hogwarts, Joe shot Katie a funny look, cocking his head to the side slightly as he played along with her joke. ”Heh, they have tea time if you take that wack ass Divination class...” Joe snorted with an eye roll before continuing thoughtfully, ”...only this tea comes with weird looks and false prophecies.” Joe mused, allowing a chuckle to escape his lips. He didn't believe in that 'fake ass', 'wannabe witch crap'. Reading tea leaves that settled at the bottom of cups wasn't really his style. Tea wasn't his style.

Joe was glad that Katie agreed that Hogwarts sucked. He nodded agreeably when Katie said that graduating from Hogwarts felt like betraying someone she cared about. His expression softened slightly when he thought about it for a second. She was totally right. Joe sighed, or was that a yawn.. "Yeah, I definitely get that..we went to Ilvermorny for 6 years, but our diploma is coming from here...it's kind of stupid, but at least we will be out of here soon." he said with a hopeful shrug of the shoulders. It would be great if they could go back by the end of the year, but he wasn't an idiot, that wouldn't be happening. ”Is there anything you like about this place, or anyone?” Joe asked in a more friendly tone, trying to keep the conversation light in any way that he could. He liked talking with Katie and confiding in her, she had been someone he always got along easily with.

@katie

(wtf sorry for the delay dude i didn't realize this never got replied to!! ;__; )

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He suggested that Divination counted as tea time and she nodded, "oh yes, that... tea leaf reading. Ridiculous," Katherine actually thought that a lot of magical practices were a complete waste of time, but she didn't bother articulating that out loud very much. Someone would think that she was no maj obsessed, which she wasn't, she just thought wizards could be idiots too.

He said he understood what she meant about graduation, saying that it was stupid but at least they'd be out of their soon. She nodded, quite a bit, at that. Then he asked if there was anything he liked, or anyone. She shrugged, "there's a boy from South Carolina who has been going here because he moved to England. He's about the only new thing worth pursuing around here," she admitted. "And you?"

@joseph

[Deleted]

Joe sank back into the cushions, trying to allow himself to get tired. He never slept well at school, not even back home at Ilvermorny; there was something about communal living that made it hard. Too many bodies and mouth breathers.

Joe listened with interest when she shared her favorite part about Hogwarts. It sounded like she had the hots for someone. Good for her. Joe nodded his head in approval, always happy to get any details on personal life or gossip about people he cared about. Katie was one of those people. Joe smirked slightly, "Heh. South Carolina boy tried to get away from Ilvermorny, but Ilvermorny came back to him.." The snake said with a dry chuckle, finding it a bit amusing. "Sounds like you know how to pick 'em." Joe said confidently. When she asked him in return, Joe shrugged, trying to play it off as more nonchalant. "Ehh, not really. No one emotionally available at least." Joe stated with a snort, joking about it was surely a coping mechanism. It was unfortunate Kinsey was hung up on such a nerd like that Riley Fudge kid. 

@katie

[Deleted]

He suggested that Lance tried to get away from Ilvermorny but they came for him anyway and she chuckled too. She shrugged, "I know how to pick em and I know how to kick em," she suggested, joking... but also not. She always did the dumping. So far, Katherine Kowalski had never been dumped and she didn't plan to start. He said that there wasn't anyone emotionally available and she raised an eyebrow, "so there is someone, or someones, but they aren't available. Interesting," she mused, turning her attention back to the ceiling above and also settling more into the couch. "What's her name? Please tell me she isn't one of them... well, I guess if it was someone from our school we would have already talked about this."

@joseph

[Deleted]

"Don't hate the player, hate the game." Joe commented, still chuckling along with Katie at her comment about picking and kicking her boytoys. He gave her credit, it was hard work. Joe hadn't spent much time on an emotional relationship since he was back in America, at Ilvermorny. But he liked the idea of Kinsey a lot. He just knew that it wasn't going to happen. Maybe it was the challenge that attracted him...

"There's someone." he said, before adding, with a humorous dark chuckle. "She's one of them." he admitted, shrugging with a guilty expression. "Kinsey Bainbridge. She's kind of awkward...in our year, but...Ravenclaw. Do you know her?" he asked her expectantly. Already curious about Katie's view on the shy girl.

@katie

[Deleted]

Joe suggested that she hate the game not the players, and she laughed a little, shaking her head. She didn't say anything further about that. She actually rather liked the game even if sometimes it did make her a little bitter, but didn't it make everyone? There couldn't be even one person in the world who hadn't experienced some bitterness when it came to romance and things of the like.

He said that this girl, this unavailable girl, was indeed one of them. Katherine had expected that though. Like she had mentioned earlier, if it was someone from America she would know already. He said the girl's name, explaining that she was in their year. Katherine pursed her lips, "honestly I have no idea who that is," she said, maybe a slight hint of pride in her voice. "She must not make much of herself in public places?" Katherine guessed, otherwise she may have noticed the girl by now. But there was also the added issue of Katherine not bothering to waste her time getting to know people. "What's she like?"

@joseph

[Deleted]

Katherine asked him what Kinsey was like, and it took him a moment. He pursed his lips to scrunch his nose into a thinking expression as he considered the question. Joe should have expected Katie to ask a deeper question she since admitted to not knowing Kinsey. Joe shrugged at first, trying not to sound like too much of a ~softy. "Uh. She's a bit shy and timid, so that's probably why you haven't seen her. She doesn't really like to be noticed." Joe laughed with a shrug, before his face flickered with a thought,  "I smacked her with the Library door the first time I met her, and she didn't even get mad, so I guess that qualifies her for being patient too." Joe shared as matter of factly with a solid nod, a yawn slipping past his lips.

Turning toward the girl, he nudged her ever so slightly. "What house is Lover Boy in?" Joe teased nonchalantly, wanting to hear more information about her own possible love interest. "I have a feeling if he were in Slytherin, I doubt you'd be here talking with me right now." Joe cocked his head at her with a chuckle.

@katie

[Deleted]

Katherine waited patiently for his answer as to what the girl was like. Honestly, she wasn't sure she cared that much about some girl he met, but she did care about Josephs feelings so the girl had to be involved in the conversation. The shy and timid part was definitely not Katherines kind of person, so she grimaced a tiny bit at that. "She... didn't even get mad about you smacking her?" she questioned skeptically. The girl must be used to people walking all over her. Pathetic, but maybe she had some redeeming qualities. Ravenclaw seemed like a respectable house as far as Katie could see.

He yawned, and then nudged her as he asked about Lance. She frowned at the answer to the question, "Hufflepuff," she answered. Katherine chuckled a little, "you're probably right. It's a little hard to sneak around with someone not in your same house. And don't even ask about where we-"[b/] she paused, smirking. "Just saying, not a lot of comfortable places to fool around. You should find a girl in Slytherin instead."

@joseph