| Quintaped
Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: in my head [GMT-6]
Posts: 58,903
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Amelia Adara
Graduated
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Emma Montmorency (#301199)
Hufflepuff Fifth Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Kartik Ishaan Joshi (#3112da)
Ravenclaw Sixth Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Kara Walsh (#aa1506)
Gryffindor First Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Tiffany Rose
Slytherin Third Year
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|  YesJess! | Captain Goggles | Mama Badger | Eva's Soul Sister | An OG™ | It's all in the Numbers
Quote:
Originally Posted by FireboltAvis88  Alyssa walked into Professor Hadley’s office when she was invited to do so. She didn’t know how to broach the subject of why she needed to speak with her Head of House. All she knew was that she had to or else it would always be in the back of her mind bothering her. She did know that this was a delicate subject and that at all cost, she had to remain respectful of Professor Hadley’s position as a staff of the school.
She didn’t dare look at the Professor but instead stared at her hands that were trembling. She took a couple of deep breaths and reminded herself to speak calmly…and that no matter what, she would not cry.
When she thought that she was ready to speak, she raised her head and spoke.
"Professor I had surgery during the summer. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to come back to Hogwarts. Even my parents wanted me to stay home just this term to rest."
"But all through my recovery, I received Owls from friends telling me that I needed to come back, that the House needed me, that I need to tryout for the Quidditch team this term again. Then more Owls arrived telling me that I might make Quidditch Captain or Prefect. I didn’t want to believe them, because I never believed that I was good enough to be either."
"But as more OWLS came in with the same rumors, I started to believe it. And so I started waiting for the OWL from Hogwarts to arrive. But they never came. That’s when I knew I shouldn’t have believed those rumors." Alyssa’s voice broke as she tried to hold back the tears.
"One week before school term was about to start, an OWL arrived with a note telling me that Nessie and Stephanie had been picked. I was happy for them because I knew that they deserved it. But I could see the disappointment on my family’s faces. And then I started to feel the disappointment too."
"I always thought I was doing everything right. I had attended all classes, completed all my homework, attended every possible Quidditch training session, but it seems that I was wrong. All my hard work was for nothing. Again, I hadn’t been good enough."
"To make my misery complete, an OWL arrived from Salem Institute. My eldest sister had been made Head Girl, while Cody, MY twin, had been made Quidditch captain.."
Alyssa couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. She looked up at Professor Hadley, tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Ever since I joined the school, I made sure that I didn't disappoint the school and my housemates. I didn’t want to be a disappointment to anyone here. But I must have done something wrong. Someone must not have liked what I was doing. What did I do wrong, Professor? Why wasn’t I good enough?"
"All this time I was worrying about the school and my friends, but now I know that the people I let down the most, is my family. I let my family down by being the first person to not make prefect or Quidditch Captain. They told me that it was okay. But I know they were saying that just to make me feel better."
She paused to take a breath trying to hold back the tears. "I’m a disappointment to my family like I knew I always would be and now I don’t know what to do. I feel like giving up and just be an average student because that seems to be what the school wants." and with those last words, Alyssa broke down and sobbed into her hands. Josephina wasn't sure what to expect or even who to expect, but a moment later, Alyssa Potter walked in and stared uncomfortably into her hands for a moment. And so Fina waited, not terribly long, as a few moments later, the fifth year began speaking. More than she thought any one student could speak.
And so Fina simply nodded, as the fifth year went on in her long-winded speech. Rumors and owls about a speedy recovery and not wanting to come back. But then, an owl about Nessie and Stephanie? Wait, who was Stephanie? There was no Stephanie in Hufflepuff. Obviously though, under the distress that Alyssa was feeling, her mental acuity was off.
Dropping her quill on her desk, she leaned forward, propping her elbow on her desk, her chin in hand. And waited for Alyssa to finish, before she rummaged through her top drawer. "Peppermint humbug, please? I insist." She handed the girl two, and then popped one in her own mouth, as she carefully formulated her reply.
"Being average, dear, is entirely overrated. But, being prefect or quidditch captain is not everything either. Life is like a roller coaster. It has it's ups and downs. It has its twists and turns."
"Yes, I understand your disappointment, and I'm sure you feel like you're not living up to the 'Potter expectations', but believe me when I tell you that having a badge or not, is not the end of the world. Your hard work is never in vain, unless you choose to believe it is. There are hundreds of students in this school. I, myself, never got to be prefect or captain. And yes, I wanted it so badly, as I felt, ever since I undermined the family name and was sorted into Hufflepuff, not Ravenclaw, that I was a disappointment. But I picked my feet up, and marched right on to achieve 9 OWLs and 6 NEWTs. I never gave up."
She paused, swallowing the small bit of peppermint that remained in her mouth, undissolved.
"So all I really am trying to say is that, yes, your disappointment is not entirely unwarranted. But I don't think you should let it get to you. I think that you, of anyone, have what it takes to keep marching on. To prove that the world doesn't rest on who was prefect. Because really, in the end, we all live, and we all die. And in twenty years, who is going to care whether you were prefect? What will matter is where you end up after Hogwarts, which contrary to popular belief, isn't dependent on a piece of metal. In my eyes, everyone is a prefect. Everyone is a leader."
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________________________________________Baby, maybe you're the problem ✯ |