Another Year, Another Corridor

[Mozelle Rios]

@'Handsome Whitledge'

Mozelle was most pleased to be back at Hogwarts once again. The day of classes had come to a close, though only just, and the fifth year was on her way back to her dormitory in Hufflepuff, hugging her books close to her chest. She'd spent the summer adapting to the restriction and rigidity of her new corsets, but it was still foreign to her, still just a bit uncomfortable. It is proper for a young lady of your status, her mother had insisted as her lady's maid, a wisp of a woman from her mother's homeland, laced her daughter into her first true corset.

The good news of it was that she was "a proper lady" now, in both of her parents' eyes. Her father insisted that he would find her a proper husband at some point, even if he had to hunt beyond the shores of England. And she knew he could. He'd done so for himself, he'd do it again.

As she made her way along, she caught sight of a familiar, Gryffindor face. "Mr. Whitledge!" she called, remembering their first major encounter. She did not want to embarrass herself again. "It is most agreeable to see you again. Have you settled in for the year?"

  

[Handsome Whitledge]

Handsome's generally friendly nature meant that there were few individuals he thought lowly of. Most of those he'd met had proved to be desirable acquaintances, save for a few half-breeds here and there and his sisters' — mainly Sweetie's — friends. The head boy had never had an issue with Miss Rios, finding her a suitable companion for hallway strolls (when, of course, Maddie wasn't around to keep him company). He brightened at the sight of the younger Hufflepuff and offered a wave in response to her greeting.

"Good morning, Miss Rios," greeted the Gryffindor, stopping so she could catch up with him. "Settling in has always been the least troublesome part of the school year," he responded. "—especially after all the drama this past summer brought. I do hope you and your family escaped the summer unharmed?"

  

[Mozelle Rios]

Moving to walk at the head boy's side, hugging her books just a bit tighter, Mozelle smiled, even as she was momentarily concerned by what he said. "It seems we both had quite eventful summers for different reasons," she said. "I've a brother now; the house wasn't quite as quiet since." She was still smiling, an almost wistful expression, as she walked along. "Congratulations are in order, I believe? Head boy is not something to scoff at."

She wasn't surprised that he'd been the one to earn the honor; Handsome Whitledge was probably one of the most level-headed boys at Hogwarts entirely. But, it wasn't in her nature to pry into his private life, so she wouldn't ask what had made his summer so dramatic. Not that she wasn't curious.

"Have you any advice for a fifth year?" she asked - implying the exams that approached at the year's end.

  

[Handsome Whitledge]

Handsome was glad to hear that Miss Rios' summer had included the beginning of life rather than the end of it. His own mother's death had brought turmoil into his household, and now the Gryffindor was living with his grandmother of all people. While he'd contacted her with the hope that she'd be able to assist him with the Sweetie problem, he didn't imagine she'd become his unofficial guardian by the time the summer was out! And now she was here at Hogwarts with him ... oh what a nightmare!

"Congratulations on the new brother," he said, mustering the most friendly tone he could manage. "Do you have any other brothers, or is this the first in the family?" he asked curiously, wondering if her parents had just now gotten around to popping out an heir!

  

[Mozelle Rios]

Mozelle honestly hadn't realized that what she said might be taken insensitively. But she went with it as she walked beside him, hugging her books a bit tighter out of mild insecurity. "No, he's the first," she said quietly. "They've had rotten luck, you see." She didn't know just how rotten - her mother didn't exactly talk with her about that yet. Mozelle expected that conversation would be coming sooner than later. "Or at least, I would expect that to be the case, as I was until summer their only child."

A moment passed, and she paused, turning to face him. She took a deep breath, and looked up at him. "I'm sorry. For what it may be worth." She hadn't endured that nightmare, thankfully, but she expected it would come one day. But to lose both parents? It was Mozelle's worst nightmare. Literally.

  

[Handsome Whitledge]

Handsome didn't know what she meant by that; perhaps there were fertility issues in her family? Handsome's mother had definitely not had those problems, for a child had been born almost every year since he was born until she was done. Hell, he might've ended up with more siblings if his parents had still been alive!

"No worries," he said quickly. His mother's death wasn't really a subject he was hoping to speak about since returning to school; in fact, school was the perfect getaway from it. He could remain in school robes and avoid the awful mourning outfits, and he could avoid the siblings that most brought back memories from the terrible summer. "There's nothing that can be done now. I can only move forward," he commented quietly.

  

[Mozelle Rios]

Mozelle sighed a little, nodding slightly. She could tell when someone didn't want to talk about something; she wasn't dense. So she decided to turn the topic to something far more normal for two teenagers at school. Classes.

"Are you worried, Mr. Whitledge?" she asked, "About NEWTs? I know I am nervous about my OWLs...thankfully next year I can trim my course load down!" A small, nervous laugh escaped her. She was currently hoping she hadn't upset him. She didn't like doing that, you see - upsetting her friends. It felt horrible.

  

[Handsome Whitledge]

NEWTS. He could talk about that. There was Charms and Care of Magical Creatures and Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts and Ghoul Studies — all classes he could talk about for extended periods of time. He smiled at his friend.

"I'm not too worried. The worst I could do is fail, and I don't imagine I'll be needing a career anytime soon." Though his grandmother would probably appreciate if he had some sort of career ambitions. "I do expect to do well in the practical sections; I'm most worried about Ghoul Studies and Transfiguration."

  

[Mozelle Rios]

Mozelle still had a moment of nerves, as she lifted a hand from her books to smooth out her robe somewhat. At least he was talking to her, right? Still, she smiled and nodded, listening to his explanations.

"I understand - Transfiguration isn't the easiest magic. I'm most excited for Arithmancy, though. It's unike the other classes - yes, it's a lot of book learning, but I'm not concerned with that, personally. What concerns me is actually the practical sections." In that, they seemed to be somewhat opposite. "I worry I might panic and mess up."

  

[Handsome Whitledge]

"Arithmancy? I wasn't brave enough to take that," he teased. "Seems like too much guesswork and numbers. Isn't it something like divination with numbers?" he asked as they walked. He'd taken Ancient Runes, which was a subject typically related to the one Miss Rios seemed to be taken, and that had turned out a nightmare. It was surprise he hadn't trolled it during his OWLs!

"My OWL electives were Ancient Rules, Care of Magical Creatures, and - obviously - Ghoul Studies. I kept Care of Magical Creatures and Ghoul Studies for my NEWTs, which might have been a careless decision," he admitted. "I doubt I really want to work in the field of magizoology or anything relating to it."

  

[Mozelle Rios]

"It's much less guesswork than Divination, at least," she said with a sage nod, her fingers tapping at the textbook for the subject. But she smiled as he spoke of his own class selections. "Well, at least with those subjects, you'll know what to do if, heaven forbid, a dragon attacks Hogsmeade or something. In the short term before someone from the Ministry comes and takes care of it." She laughed quietly. But, perhaps not the best way to suggest it, as she realized after a moment.

"I don't know what my future holds," Mozelle admitted. "I expect I'll debut after Hogwarts, unless Mother finds a magical finishing school she'd like me to attend, but I'd like to travel for a bit. See more of Italy, more of Spain. Maybe go to Greece for a while."

Mozelle was still, for now, the primary hope for her family, though they did have a son now. But best not to place all your eggs in one basket, after all. Luciano wasn't even a year old...

  

[Handsome Whitledge]

Miss Rios was like most young ladies: concerned about debuting, finishing school, and whoever they would marry. Coming from a family of young ladies who never found the idea of debuting and living the life of a young debutante that appealing, he didn't really either. Perhaps, though, he would have felt far less pressured to figure out his own life path if his sisters hadn't figured out what they wanted to pursue in life.

"I doubt my mediocre knowledge of dragons and dueling abilities will really help with a dragon. I've heard they're huge," he said with a teasing smile. "I envision there'd be far more suitable people to fend them off."

It seemed that, if there ever was an improbable dragon attack on Hogsmeade, Miss Rios wouldn't be there to see it. "I've never found the appeal of travel, if only because I haven't even seen all of the isles. Never been to Ireland or anything."

  

[Mozelle Rios]

Mr. Whitledge hadn't traveled even to Ireland, while Mozelle had been born in Spain, took an annual trip there, and had gone to Italy several times to visit her mother's family. If she had been a boy, she might've invited him to go along - but she was Mozelle Rios, a Hufflepuff girl of two years younger than he, and such a circumstance would be inappropriate.

"You'll at least know a spell or two that might make it think twice before it takes a bite out of someone, or burns a building to ash," she said with a smile. "Though you're probably right. There are likely others who'd be better suited to chasing off a dragon. But it's a nice thought, to envision the reactions of everyone when you've fended off a dragon single-handedly."

A moment passed, and she smiled. "Spain is lovely. We make it a point to go once every summer to my grandparents' house in Barcelona." Mozelle spun gently, before sliding back into the walking rhythm. "It's a wonderful chance to get away from all of the dreary rain of the isles."