Connor Manning
Head Boy
Slytherin Seventh Year Quidditch Captain
something in the way
Posts: 737
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Post by Connor Manning on Jul 11, 2008 22:11:34 GMT -5
And just like that, the awkward moment was ( mostly ) gone. He felt a little less strange to be standing next to Celina, one of her fingers wrapped gently around his. The boy relaxed a little, knowing that the conversation would be forgotten for the most part in a couple minutes time. He tried his best to related to what she was telling him about her brother and not knowing things about him, but couldn't very well do that when he was glancing over the girl's shoulder, looking around for any sight of the man. He was intimidating and a bit scary, and Connor really didn't want to deal with him now. The coast was clear as far as he could tell, so he let his eyes slowly come to rest back onto Celina. " Oh.. well maybe there's nothing that he's keeping from you? " Connor didn't know the older Jedynak enough to guess if he had secrets to be keeping from his sister or not, but the Slytherin wasn't sure what else to say. He smiled slightly and gave a partial nod of his head at her next comment though. " Yeah? Like what kinds of things? " Again, the topic of family was still out there, and the boy's voice was slightly soft as he asked, his simple way of letting her know she didn't have to tell him. After all, it was her family.
Magic was magic. Connor knew it could change a human into a tea cup, send for something hundreds of yards away, or even do something as simple as enlarge a harp, and also shrink it back down to it's miniature size. He didn't know why the harp put him in a state of awe, it was just a harp after all. But he could feel it's importance to Celina, and that made him want to appreciate the instrument for more than just an instrument. It was obviously a part of the girl, as well, and Connor respected that as much as he could.
' I need it with me always… ' Connor looked back to the brown haired Ravenclaw girl, his curiosity pressing him to ask what she meant while the more patient side of him said to wait, that he would find out eventually. " Okay. " He said, satisfying his need for patience first. A slow, wide smile spread across his face at her question. He was tempted to answer with a slightly sarcastic remark. Possibly something along the lines of ' No, I just wanted to look at it, ' but decided against it at the last minute.
" You want to? "
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Celina Jedynak
Ravenclaw
Seventh year
Because it just took time, before a bird's wings could heal again.
Posts: 6
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Post by Celina Jedynak on Jul 13, 2008 23:28:07 GMT -5
As much as Celina wished that Connor were right, she knew that that would have been too good to be the truth. Alfonz had hid even something as small as the woman he was seeing, Shay Loire. Celina knew that there was more, but of course, what it could have been or if there was any, she knew of none of it. Smiling, nonetheless, she nodded and tightened her grasp on his finger with hers, just slightly. “Of course,” she nodded. “I’m sure.”
Celina thought a bit about what she would like to know more about her family. Why they lived in what seemed like a past state… why it was that she had to excel and yet, when she didn’t, what would happen… Celina worried about things, and when Connor asked her what she’d like to know, all she could do was shrug. “I guess I’d like to know just more about why my family lives the way it does…” she laughed a little and shook her head. “But, Alfonz takes care of me, so, I guess we’re not really living like our family all the time.” It was true. Alfonz was always her home away from home. He was saving her every day… Celina just didn’t know how much.
Celina nodded her head. She did want to play for him. “Of course,” she said lightly, her hand letting go of Connor’s as she rounded the instrument. “Hmmm…. I need a chair, though. I never can play standing very well…” Celina said, a soft giggle protruding from her vocals. “Do you think there’d be some in the room of requirement, or an open classroom or something that I can use?” she asked of the Slytherin Prefect.
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Connor Manning
Head Boy
Slytherin Seventh Year Quidditch Captain
something in the way
Posts: 737
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Post by Connor Manning on Jul 16, 2008 10:29:56 GMT -5
When it came to the topic of family, Connor was always willing to talk about it. His parents were great, a little strict at times, and his sister was great as well. Although he wanted to tell her about his family, he took it into consideration that Celina hardly ever talked about her family when she was around him, so he didn't want to ruin it by talking too much. That didn't stop his mind from wondering, he was trying to form a list of things he would want to know about his family that he didn't already, but nothing came to mind. There were little trivial things, like where did these traditions come from, why they did things a certain way, but nothing too big that would make him question his family.
He quirked his head to the side slightly, not really knowing what Celina meant. He tried his best to sort of understand, thinking about how she had alluded to her family being pretty old fashioned when it came to some things. He was unsure of what sort of things, because family was never a topic that they stuck to for long, mostly for Celina's sake. As she mentioned her brother, Connor tensed slightly, although this time he refrained from looking around. " That's kind of good, isn't it? " He asked with a small smile.
A chair was something he could do. He might not have all the answers or know all the right questions to ask, but a chair he could certainly manage without much trouble. " Oh, I'll find one. " He said with a small nod, walking to the door closest to them and opening it, peeking in at what appeared to be an empty classroom. " Celinaaaa... " He hissed down the hallway to her, leaning back to look at the Ravenclaw girl. " I think I found one. " He grinned at her before ducking into the room. There were a couple different chairs thrown about, and he grabbed one at random, turning and exiting the classroom.
" Okay, " He said, brushing the chair off so it wasn't dusty when she sat on it. He set it down next to the harp, but pushed it close to Celina so she could readjust it. He didn't know exactly where it was supposed to go for her to sit comfortably while playing the harp.
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Celina Jedynak
Ravenclaw
Seventh year
Because it just took time, before a bird's wings could heal again.
Posts: 6
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Post by Celina Jedynak on Jul 16, 2008 20:51:36 GMT -5
Celina nodded, smiling widely. It was good that Alfonz was there to always protect and take care of her. If it hadn’t been for him, she wouldn’t know where she would have ended up after the Deva came to Hogwarts. “I owe him…” Celina paused, looking for the right word. “…everything.” And she truly believed she did, for what had she without him? She couldn’t think of anything. “After…” Celina started, hesitating again, not really wanting to bring up bad times or bad mouth her friends. They were good to her, and the past was in the past… was it not? “...I mean, since Alfonz has started working here… I’ve never been alone.” Celina smiled again. Alone, she may not have been, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t ever lonely.
As Connor looked for a chair, she stood by her harp. Hissing her name to her, Celina giggled and nodded, watching as he disappeared into an empty classroom and brought forth a chair for her to sit upon, even dusting it off slightly for her. Celina smiled kindly, thinking about how nice that was of him, and as he set it down for her to do what she wanted to do with it she nodded her head. “Thank you,” she said to him kindly, taking the back of the chair in her hand and moving it so it was behind the harp.
When she sat down, the harp stratteled between her legs (as best as it could be with her skirt on) Celina put her hands out and looked nervously, and a bit bashful at Connor. “Ok, here I go,” she said in a whispered voice, giggling as she did so. Leaning her head up against the harp, she closed her eyes and began to play one of Alfonz’s favorite songs. It had a slow and relaxing melody, almost that of a lullaby, and it sounded as if it were something that would be played when a child was safe. It actually was a tune that Celina had played many times before… one that had been the Jedynak sibling’s song for tranquility as their father looked for them intently…
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Connor Manning
Head Boy
Slytherin Seventh Year Quidditch Captain
something in the way
Posts: 737
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Post by Connor Manning on Jul 16, 2008 22:57:01 GMT -5
The corners of Connor’s lips tugged up slightly into a small smile, an unsure smile, but a smile all the same. He was clueless when it came to Celina’s family, but felt particularly helpless when she talked about her brother. It was very evident to the Slytherin that she looked up to the man that he found to be intimidating and just a short step shy of terrifying. She thought he was wonderful, and honestly, it was hard to compete with that. Connor wasn’t sure why he felt like he had to compete with Alfonz, or what for, but as he thought about it he came to the conclusion that it was for her attention. He felt happy for the girl, that she had a family member so close to her that she trusted completely and wouldn’t leave her, but a slightly selfish part deep within the sixteen year old wanted Celina’s attention to be solely on him.
For now, though, he merely nodded his head as she talked, gently prodding her along as she paused, hesitation striking the girl, or so it seemed. “ That’s rather good… that you have someone you can depend on… “ He trailed off, pausing before bringing up his first ever meeting with the Jedynak man. “ He doesn’t… hate me or anything, does he? “ That hadn’t been what he planned on saying, but the words slipped easily off his tongue, too easily for him to take them back.” I mean… he just didn’t seem to like me much that last time, at the library. “
’ Thank you, ‘ The boy gave a small waving gesture of his hand, indicating that it really wasn’t a big deal. If she was going to play for him then the least he could do was get a chair for her to sit on while doing the playing. He took his place back against the wall, leaning against it just slightly, his hands sliding into his pockets as he did so. Her giggle, as per usual, brought a small grin to Connor’s face. “ I’m ready to be amazed. “ He said in the same hushed tone that she had used, although his words held a light teasing air to them. He thought of adding something else but decided not to as she actually started to play, as she said she was going to. The sound was soft and slow, reminding him of something his mother might have sung to him when he was a child. It had a natural calming affect about it, and he smiled a small smile at Celina, watching as her fingers plucked lightly at the harps strings.
“ Wow… “ He hardly realized that he had said it out loud, but it easily summed up all of his thoughts - she was great.
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Celina Jedynak
Ravenclaw
Seventh year
Because it just took time, before a bird's wings could heal again.
Posts: 6
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Post by Celina Jedynak on Jul 16, 2008 23:16:47 GMT -5
Celina looked away from Connor just slightly as he commented how it was good that she had someone that she could depend on. She nodded, still looking away, her eyes drifting toward the ground as she remembered everything, and yet denied it all at the same time. Oh yes, she had someone who’d do anything, including risk his life to save her from what evils he thought were attaching themselves to her. And she in return would do anything to protect and save him… hadn’t she proved that by giving up Felicity the way she had when Shaw threatened his life? “Yes, it’s wonderful,” she said, almost in a droll kind of tone, and not reassuringly at all. If it wasn’t for her…
As Connor spoke about Alfonz hating him, however, Celina looked up, her eyes filled with concern. Why would he think such things? Alfonz wouldn’t hate him… per say. “No! Of course not,” Celina said in a hushed, but somewhat surprised voice. She neared Connor taking his hand and leaning against him just slightly. “Why would you think such thi…” I mean… he just didn’t seem to like me much that last time, at the library. Celina sighed, remembering quite well what had happened and backed up slightly, still letting her hand linger in the Slytherins.
“He just doesn’t know you, Connor. He’s very protective…” Celina said her eyes traveling as she tried not to remember the times she’d gotten herself into a bit of hassle with guys whom were her age and older. “I’m just so very clumsy, and Alfonz hates to see anyone take advantage of that,” Celina admitted, her eyes finally darting over once and a while toward Connor. “He just doesn’t… I mean, not like you anything like the others… but…” Celina sighed. It wasn’t that Alfonz didn’t like Connor, it was that he didn’t know him. Looking directly in the boy’s eyes, Celina gave a small, but encouraging smile. “He’ll like you. He only has to get to know you first.”
Plucking away at the strings, she barely felt as if she were playing. Lost in the melody, the world was nothing around her, and she became lost in the rhythmic melodies of the notes. The song protected them, and her father’s yells had been drowned out so many times where Celina finally stopped listening for them… of course, she couldn’t hear her father this time because he wasn’t there. She was in a hallway, playing a lullaby to a boy whom she liked a lot… different than any of her friends, and yet, still, there was something about him that told Celina that she couldn’t become too close. What was it? Why couldn’t she tell or talk to anyone? Why was it that she still felt alone?!
Her playing stopped abruptly, and she backed away from her harp suddenly. Scared by her own thoughts, she shook her head and realized that her finger was bleeding just slightly. When she looked back to her harp, a string had broken… had that been what had startled her? “Oh… oh no…” she shook her head, holding her hand and slightly freaking out. “Those… those strings…” oh, shit… Celina thought to herself, holding in the curse fearing that it’d be unladylike. “My father’s not going to be pleased with me at all…” Celina whispered.
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Connor Manning
Head Boy
Slytherin Seventh Year Quidditch Captain
something in the way
Posts: 737
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Post by Connor Manning on Jul 17, 2008 0:15:55 GMT -5
In the seconds of silence that followed his statement, Connor reflected on a comment he at first hadn’t given much thought to. ’ I owe him everything ‘ she had said. But what exactly did that mean? His head tilted slightly in thought, and he stared off slightly at the ground. His inquisitive nature took over for a couple of seconds, although he did his best at reminding himself it might be rude to ask just what exactly the Ravenclaw had meant. Boundaries were something Connor had learned to grow wary of in terms of other people’s families, so Celina’s was no exception. It would be meddling to do so in the Slytherin’s mind, so he resisted the urge and withheld his comments to himself.
From the way her tone was perceived by Connor, it didn’t sound wonderful. But who was he to judge? He wasn’t sure exactly what to say, so he did what he did best, shrugged his shoulders and gave Celina a small smile.
Her tone of surprised at the idea of Alfonz not liking him was a little disbelieving. Had she been in the same library as him? Connor remembered the man’s tone all too well, and didn’t care to really be on the receiving end of the man’s growling voice any time soon. He supposed he could see where Alfonz was coming from, but being the person who the man’s aggression had been directed at, even for those few short moments, made Connor wary of him. He was intimidating, plain and simple. He might just be protective of his sister, but Connor still failed to see why. Celina could take care of herself… could she not?
’ “I’m just so very clumsy, and Alfonz hates to see anyone take advantage of that. ‘ A small frown befell the Slytherin’s face, and tried to catch her gaze before he replied. “ Celina, you must know that I would never take advantage of you in any way, right? “ His tone was slightly concerned, and inwardly he had the mind to be a bit offended. He didn’t take the comment personally, though, so all thoughts of taking offense were soon dropped. His hand gently squeezed Celina’s even as she pulled away from him slightly.
He only needed to get to know him. Connor let himself be taken in by Celina’s smile and he slowly nodded his head. Maybe she was right.
It took several short seconds for Connor to notice that the music had stopped, and he quickly turned his gaze onto Celina, hastily taking a few short steps forward and closing the distance between the two. He looked at the harp first, noticing a string laying limply where it had formerly been hanging taught, his gaze then crossed to Celina, noticing a light trickle of blood coming from one of her fingers. He was more concerned with her hand than the harp, but it was clear her concern was aimed in the opposite direction. His hands went up to her injured one, grasping it lightly.
“ Are you alright? What happened? “ He asked, wincing slightly for her, both at the idea of her father being upset with her and for her cut finger.
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Celina Jedynak
Ravenclaw
Seventh year
Because it just took time, before a bird's wings could heal again.
Posts: 6
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Post by Celina Jedynak on Jul 18, 2008 11:33:12 GMT -5
Connor was quiet while she spoke, and frankly, Celina couldn’t blame him. He was trying to understand a man who many had just blown off as being too complex, or just an arse. Celina gave Connor credit silently for trying to understand, but she knew that in time, not even she could understand fully her older brother, or his intents for his life and hers. All she had come to realize in her years of being the younger Jedynak sibling, was that he was her protector, and she… the little sister.
Celina, you must know that I would never take advantage of you in any way, right?
Celina looked at the Slytherin, the small concerned frown on her face stopped her speech quick as she thought about what he said. She wanted to say that he’d never take advantage of her, but what about leaving her? And not even in the classroom… for she knew that wasn’t what she meant, but just like Drew and Felicity had? No one understood her, so taking advantage of her was also a complex situation. She’d never say that Felicity or Drew did such things, but there was more to it than that. “Ta..take ad..advantage?” she paused shaking her head. “No…” she whispered looking away from Connor. She wasn’t afraid of Connor, or of anything he might do to her… after all, she was more than willing to help out friends…
“But… you…” what was she supposed to say? You leave a lot… she thought to herself, thinking of the lake when they told each other they liked each other and yet, the both of them were walking away mad. The classroom… she could only imagine where he was when she and Felicity were being tortured by Shaw… she looked away, leaning her head on her harp and sighing. “It doesn’t matter what I know, or what I think I know. Alfonz is always right in the end,” Celina shut her eyes, her tone was hushed as she knew she shouldn’t be saying anything but at the same time, wasn’t it the truth? Sooner or later, her friends did exactly what Alfonz said they’d do. She was only waiting for Connor to be the same…
Looking at her hand, Connor grasped it lightly and she tilted her head. Her concerned look was now at Connor, and the blood that came from a slight slit on her middle finger was trickling ever so slowly down her finger. At least it wasn’t deep. “The… the string, broke.” Celina hadn’t ever heard of dragonheart stings breaking before, but she imagined that with all the shrinking and enlarging, it was only a matter of time before they wore down. “They’re expensive. My father will be angry I broke one…” she looked back at the harp and sighed, not really even worried about her hand.
Shaking her head, Celina sighed. “It’s ok… everything’s fine,” her voice cooed as she turned her eyes back to Connor’s concerned ones. “I promise…” she said, shrugging and smiling softly. “Nothing a bandage and another string won’t fix in time.” Giggling softly she was glad to have someone so near to her… Alfonz couldn’t be right about Connor, too… not three out of three…
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Connor Manning
Head Boy
Slytherin Seventh Year Quidditch Captain
something in the way
Posts: 737
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Post by Connor Manning on Jul 18, 2008 17:04:45 GMT -5
There were a lot of things Connor didn't understand about Celina's family, even with the small amount of things he did know about the family questions always seemed to arise in the Slytherin's mind. He never asked, again because he didn't want to get too much into their business, and for another reason... Celina would tell him when she was ready to... right? He was convinced that this was true, at least, part of him was sure of it. He hoped that she would someday become comfortable with him at least to talk about her family a little bit more. Connor didn't think he needed to know every detail about the Jedynak family and he knew that Celina wouldn't be willing to divulge them, either.
Connor stared at Celina intently, his eyes catching onto hers. She did know that... didn't she? He hoped she did because it would break his heart a little to think that Celina just expected him to use her or take advantage of her in any way. ' Ta..take ad..advantage? ' He nodded his head slightly, lessening the intensity of his expression as he looked at her. As she just said ' no ' and looked away from him, the Slytherin found his hand instinctively reaching up to his lip ring, spinning it around slightly. It was his alternative to biting down lightly on the inside of his cheek as he normally would have done when he was either nervous or unsure of something.
His eyes dropped to Celina's harp, watching the way the strings glistened in the light as she played... He only looked back up to her when she said something more. ' But you... ' She stopped, though, leaving Connor to his own thoughts. He what? He avoided the slightly frantic feeling that was swelling up inside of him by glancing out of one of the windows, watching the snow fall. It was peaceful, and made Connor feel slightly cold just thinking about it.
" Alright.. " He said softly, again finding himself unsure of what he should say. He had almost forgotten that Alfonz had been the reason for this part of the discussion in the first place. Giving the situation a seconds thought, the Slytherin pulled his wand out of his pocket and accio'd his bag to him. The half full back pack landed with a soft ' thud ' on the ground at Connor's feet and he rummaged through it a bit before standing back up with a light green wash cloth in his hand. " I nicked this from the bathrooms this morning, thought I might need it to clean up whatever potion we made in class... " He looked up to Celina for a second and gave her a warm smile before returning his attention to her bleeding finger.
" Oh yeah? Well at least it didn't... cut off your finger. That would be bad. " He joked with her even though he took what she said about her father being angered seriously. It was a small cut, and he knew he was over-reacting a little bit, but Connor hated to see her hurt, even if it was just a light cut on her finger. He took the cloth and wiped the blood away gently until it had stopped bleeding for the most part. He tossed the cloth onto his bag once he was sure that he didn't need it anymore and smiled, though still examining her finger. " Well.. until you find a bandage, " he paused a few seconds before placing a light kiss on her injured finger. " See? All better. "
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Celina Jedynak
Ravenclaw
Seventh year
Because it just took time, before a bird's wings could heal again.
Posts: 6
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Post by Celina Jedynak on Aug 3, 2008 13:03:43 GMT -5
She felt guilty, but all the while she still felt right. Maybe it was just Alfonz's voice in the back of her mind, or the fact that Drew and Felicity had proven Alfonz right so many times where Celina just couldn't deny that, even with as much as she hoped and tried to convince herself that Connor was different, Celina just couldn't believe it fully. Yes, he was surely different than anyone the Raven girl had ever met before, but was he so different than the others to the point where he could prove Alfonz wrong? All people are the same, Celina...
...blood is thicker than water...
...fine, don't believe me. They'll show you their true colors sooner or later. Celina could only hope...even if that hope was somewhat limited. She smiled as reassuringly as she could at the Slytherin and cocked her head to the side slightly. There was no use worrying about it, or even worrying Connor. Why should she expect so much from him? ...and tell him that she did so willingly...? Alfonz's words echoed in her head, nonetheless, and it prevented her from trusting Connor with all of her heart as she wished she could. He was her friend, and as of late, he was becoming a closer friend than anyone she'd known at Hogwarts. It was a slow progression, but she was also shying from the possibilities. She'd become close to both Drew and Felicity so fast... maybe that was why everything that had happened between all of them had come to such ends as they were at then... friends, but with their own, reservations. Alright... For now, the subject would be dropped. Celina thought it the best, and could not think of anything better to do at that moment, though she could tell that Connor still wanted more from her. Celina couldn't give him what he wanted, and knew that ignoring the unsaid request was for the best. Watching him take a cloth from his bag, Celina's eyes turned back to her finger. The clotting had already begun, and the bleeding was slowing. She looked back at the Slytherin and returned his smile with one of her own, and a light laugh. He was so thoughtful and caring... Laughing at his joke, she nodded. "Yes, I think I'd e a bit more concerned if my finger wasn't attached any longer." She tried not to gag at the thought, and smiled all the while. That would be very bad in her opinion. Celina watched as he wiped her finger and she continue to smile a small and curious smile. "Look at that... a healer in the making," she whispered playfully and giggled softly again. What he did next however, the pale face of the girl reddened and she couldn't even stand to look at him out of her bashfulness. His lips gently touched her finger and she instantly felt the heat rise to her face, a giggle come out of nowhere and she nodded, still looking away. Did she see? Of course she saw... but what she felt was even more curious to the raven girl. Her stomach continued to tumble and do it's own thing as her mind raced with nonsense thoughts that the Ravenclaw could make no sense of. Turning back, she tried to contain her embarrassment with little to no luck at all. "It's never been better, I don't imagine..." Skipping Class... pretty pricy when it comes to stress..... Bumping into Connor... when it comes to medical bills, again, pricier yet.... Dragonheart string... oy vay, pricy when it comes to facing her father...
A healed cut from a person close to her heart with a light kiss to the finger...
--PRICELESS--
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Connor Manning
Head Boy
Slytherin Seventh Year Quidditch Captain
something in the way
Posts: 737
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Post by Connor Manning on Aug 6, 2008 6:37:54 GMT -5
What could he say? Connor was unsure if he was supposed to say anything at all, and as Celina didn’t bring up anything else on the more serious side of things, he guessed that maybe it was discussion to have at a later time. As much as he wanted to say something memorable or reassuring, his mind drew a blank. He glanced up briefly, wondering just what exactly was going through Celina Jedynak’s mind at that point. It was likely that he would never know. Connor scrunched up his nose just slightly in distaste at the very idea of anyone’s finger becoming detached. It didn’t sound anything fun or anything he’d like to see tried out soon. ’ Look at that... a healer in the making. ‘ Connor grinned slightly, shrugging his shoulders, thinking that maybe he just liked the idea of being able to take care of Celina. Either way, whether or not she knew it, Connor had recently been toying with the idea of training to become a Healer after graduating from Hogwarts. Lucky guess, perhaps. Surprisingly enough, Connor didn’t feel at all embarrassed about his small action, but he did notice Celina’s reaction to it. He tried his hardest to suppress his grin into a small smile as he nodded his head, saying, “ Good to hear… “ He dropped her hand slowly back down to where it had been before, turning away as he reached for his wand out of his pocket. “ I think we should get going, before either one of us gets too injured. “ He laughed softly as he performed ‘ reducio ‘ on Celina’s harp, handing it over to the girl before picking up both of their bags. He turned back to the Ravenclaw girl, reached for her hand and began to head off to the next class with her, smiling all the while. [ baboooom - DONE ]
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