perspective [ophelia]

[Deleted]

december 27, 2024

Perspective. It was one thing that Jamie desperately needed right about now. A week of being back in the wizarding world and she had already seen her brothers and sister, as well as a few other familiar faces. She was happy, which was strange after the past six months of being almost happy, but not quite able to bring herself there. She still wondered if there was something missing, though - if there was a way she could be happier. That wasn't a question Jamie normally asked herself, but she was going to chalk it up to the year ending and the related ennui. Normally at the end of the year there were good things to look back on, but this year... maybe not as much. Elias had died, she had gotten her dream job only to have to quit, her mother got sick... It was all quite a mess. So, Jamie was seeking some perspective.

The flying carriage rides were rather ingenious. The Scottish landscape was beautiful even in the summertime, but in the winter it had a whole different air about it, and she was excited to see it - and maybe gain some of the perspective she was looking for. Jamie was led into the carriage and informed that they would take off as soon as they had another passenger. She didn't mind the wait, using it to spread a blanket across her lap and ramp up her excitement for what was to come.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia had read about the Winter Festival in the Daily Prophet, and after getting some lukewarm responses from her friends, decided to go on her own. The festival wouldn’t last forever after all, and she had always loved going to Winter Wonderland in London as a child with her mother. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to go back after she died though, and wasn’t really up to traveling to Germany or Denmark on her own to experience the markets first hand. So with a bright red scarf and woolly hat to match, Ophie apparated to the Winter Festival in Hogsmeade, determined to have an excellent time, and perhaps make a new friend or two.

Ophelia’s breath was momentarily taken away by the transformation of the Scottish landscape. They truly had outdone themselves preparing for this festival, and Ophelia was so glad she was able to see it. “Wish you were here mum,” she whispered softly, reaching a gloved hand up to the locket around her neck. Her father had given it to her shortly after her mother's’ passing; enclosed was a photo of her and her mother when she was a baby, and one just before she died. It was Ophelia’s greatest treasure, and she never took it off.

Hearing the whicker of horses, Ophie perked up and trotted over to the source of the noise. “Oh wow,” she breathed aloud. Flying carriage rides, how ingenious! She got right in line and was told there was a carriage prepared to depart, and was just waiting for one more passenger. The girl already in the carriage was blonde, and vaguely familiar. Perhaps she had been a Hufflepuff like Ophelia had been at Hogwarts. “Hello! Do you mind if I join you?” she asked the girl brightly, walking up to her carriage. She waited for the girl to accept or decline; she didn’t want to barge in on her space if she was waiting for someone in particular after all.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie didn’t have long to wait before someone else approached the carriage, which didn’t surprise her in the least. This was a once-a-year experience, and she thought people were rather foolish not to take advantage of it. Unless they were afraid of heights, in which case, Jamie could understand why they’d rather not be so high in the air. Fortunately for Jamie, she wasn’t afraid of heights, and she was used to being in the air. Brooms also had much fewer safety features than this carriage, all things considered, so she wasn’t at all bothered by what she was about to face.

“Not at all,” Jamie answered when the woman asked permission to join her in the carriage. Jamie moved closer to the far wall to make as much room for the newcomer as she could possibly need, rearranging the mass of blankets on her lap to allow for easier movement. “I’m Jamie.” The Hufflepuff stuck her hand out for a handshake, smiling all the while. Hopefully now that there were two of them the carriage could get up in the air and experience what they had come here for.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia smiled and shook Jamie's hand warmly. "Ophelia, lovely to meet you!" she said, before releasing the girls' hand and settling back in the carriage. As they waited to see if anyone else would join them, she looked around, taking in the scenery before they were lifted up into the air.  "May I confess something?" she asked, looking back over at Jamie.  "I'm not much of a flyer; when I was here my place was cheering my badgers on in the stands, on level ground."  She chuckled, and looked towards the winged horses.  "I made a promise to...a friend though.  He told me he'd get me to change my mind about flying.  Still waiting on him to come through on that promise of course, so I figured I'd get a headstart."  She folded her hands in her lap, not wanting to grab onto the edges just yet.

The person in charge of the rides made sure the pair were ready to go, and just like that - they were off!  Ophelia squealed, holding onto the edge of the carriage with one hand, and her other finding Jamie's, squeezing tight.  After liftoff though, her heart rate started returning to normal, and she glanced over at her companion.  "Er...sorry Jamie," she said, a bit breathless as she let go of her hand.  Now they were up in the air, Ophelia could see what Aaron was talking about.  "Wow, it's a whole new world up here isn't it?" she commented, delightedly looking around at the trees growing smaller as they flew higher.  

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie imprinted the woman’s name on her mind. Ophelia. It was a lovely name, and seemed to be attached to a lovely person, as well; her handshake was enthusiastic and her smile was bright, two things that Jamie always looked for in meeting new people. Ophelia confessed that she wasn’t much of a flyer, and Jamie made a sympathetic noise. Before she had taken up Quidditch she had been a bit afraid of flying herself. It was hard to stay afraid of something that she did so often. The more important information that Jamie pulled out from the statement, though, was that Ophelia had been a badger. “You were in Hufflepuff!? I graduated in May.” Maybe Ophelia had been in an upper year when Jamie was just entering school, though? “I was on the Quidditch team.” Jamie didn’t mention that she was captain – that just seemed rather self-absorbed, and not at all relevant to the conversation.

“A friend?” Jamie repeated, hint of amusement in her voice. She wasn’t sure whether Ophelia’s hesitation was indicative of her relationship being less than platonic or something else, but she was hoping the repetition might coax out more information. The flow of their conversation was interrupted by liftoff; Ophelia seemed rather nervous about all of it. Jamie just felt like she always did when she left the ground – like someone had taken a weight off her shoulders. “It really is,” Jamie agreed. “I’ve missed this,” she added as she peered down at the rapidly diminishing landscape.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia beamed as Jamie told her she too had been a Hufflepuff. Perhaps it was fate that they were riding this carriage together. “Oh how wonderful! I graduated in 2017, so I believe we shared that cozy Common Room in your first year,” she told her, hoping she got her math right. “You’re so brave, I was too scared in flying class to even consider that,” she added with a laugh.

Ophelia slowly felt less and less scared; it certainly helped that her new friend had the confidence level she lacked when it came to soaring up into the skies. If Jamie was as afraid as she was, this might have gone differently. Jamie teased her about the friend status, and she felt a light pink tinge creep up on her cheeks. “Well, he is just a friend right now, I suppose,” she started, shrugging a little. “He came in for a quick treatment at the hospital where I work and he took me out to dinner to thank me.” She paused, then laughed, covering her face for a moment. “Sorry! I just...well I felt a connection, so we’ll see,” she told her. She glanced out of the carriage, lost in a wondrous moment gazing at the landscapes. “I just got out of a serious relationship though, well, a few months ago now. We had something big...tragic happen, and he couldn’t handle it,” she admitted, turning back to face Jamie. She wasn’t sure why she was telling Jamie all this, but she seemed like a trustworthy, kind person who would listen and not judge.

@jamie