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**Wilber Winterbottom** · #1 (**permalink**) 12-27-2022, 12:45 AM

Accessible from the castle via the Clock Tower, the courtyard is both a throughway, leading to the wooden bridge which spans the nearby ravine, and a popular area of the grounds in its own right.

Many students spend their free time here outside of classes, particularly during break or lunch. Between lessons, this area is usually crowded with students catching up with their friends, getting in a round of gobstones, or lingering under the pear tree while they wait to head to their next class. A covered cloister surrounds the paved courtyard, and stone benches are spaced throughout the covered area, as well as dotted around the courtyard itself. Much of the architecture is in the gothic style, from the arches to the gargoyle parapets.

In the middle of the courtyard is an ancient fountain flanked by stone eagle sculptures, their features somewhat worn away by the elements over the years. Feel free to make a wish and toss a coin into the fountain, but be aware that once it's gone, it's gone. Any attempts to retrieve it will be unsuccessful, as the coin will keep magically sinking out of reach. Do not try to jump into the fountain; staff will take pains to rescue you, but they're unlikely to be very impressed.

An addition to the courtyard as of 2104 is a bronze plaque, hanging on a restored pillar, its cracks and missing pieces clearly visible to those who take a good look. Both the pillar and its commemorative feature have now been charmed to prevent theft. The plaque reads:

Quote:

This marks the location of the duel to the death between the Neo-Alliance leader, Lucien Rosier, and the British Minister for Magic, Charles Hollingberry, which resulted in Rosier's death. Long Live Hollingberry! May 10, 2104.

NiallNIP · 01-09-2025, 11:56 AM

Of all the bustling spaces Maddox could be in the castle, the courtyard was probably his favorite. More so when it was quiet, of course, but when there were a lot of people around it was alright, too. He liked sitting in the archways of the cloister rather than on the benches—less people to sit next to that way. He'd gotten enough of being right next to people when he was in classes, and at meals, and in the hallways, and in the dorms. Any chance he had to be more than five feet away from someone, he took. It was getting late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set, a slight breeze was blowing leaves across the cobblestones and not many other people were around. So it was the perfect conditions for him, really.

He sat cross-legged across the piece of stone, just enough space to sit comfortably and shuffle his cards. He had been practicing every day the proper way to shuffle his tarot cards, splitting the deck evenly in half and bending them just enough so the ends would fwip down past his thumb and onto each other. It wasn't quite right every single time—sometimes the cards would lay unevenly and be a struggle to push back together into one stack, sometimes he would bend them too far and a couple would fly out—but he was getting more consistent with it. It was a semi-regular thing to see him doing in between classes or during down time next to the windows in the common room. Something about being next to an open expanse of darkness felt right when practicing cartomancy.

sweetpinkpixie · 01-13-2025, 05:34 AM

Calliope left the Slytherin common room, stepping into the dim, cool corridor that led out from the dungeons with a shudder. She couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose as she made her way toward the stairs up and out of the dungeons, the stone walls seemingly closing in around her. Being underground was never her favorite thing. It was too dark, too stuffy, and too far from the sun and open sky. The change in atmosphere was immediate as she emerged from the castle into the crisp autumn air, the courtyard bathed in warm, golden light, leaves swirling lazily around her feet as the wind picked up. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the sharp scent of fallen leaves and earth. There was something invigorating about the outdoors, especially after being underwater for at least 12 hours due to sleep and studying.

With a quick stretch of her arms, she started her jog, the familiar rhythm of her feet on the cobblestones helping to clear her mind. She was already thinking ahead - quidditch tryouts were coming up fast, and she wasn’t about to let anyone outpace her. Her confidence grew with every step as she spotted Maddox sitting in the cloister, surrounded by his tarot cards like he was on some kind of mystical mission. She smirked, shaking her head, and slowed her pace, smoothly altering her path as she veered away from the pathway toward her friend. "At it with the cards again, huh?" she called out, her voice dripping with amusement. "I mean, sure, if you’re trying to predict the weather, I guess you’re in the right spot." Or whatever.

She bounced on her heels, stretching her arms before starting to jog in place. "You know, I’m about to go get some real practice in for quidditch. That’s the kind of future I’m worried about right now." She gave him a teasing look. "But hey, if you need some guidance, maybe you could pull a card to see if I'll make the team. Or if you’ll ever get your shuffle right." Her smile was playful but affectionate—she liked Maddox well enough, even if she didn’t exactly take these sorts of practices seriously. She'd rather take a bludger to the head than take Divination.

NiallNIP · 01-13-2025, 08:32 AM

Maddox looked up as Calliope approached. His chats with her and hanging around her weren't anything special, not at all. Him sitting by her semifrequently in classes and at meals and in the common room and walking with her to class was purely out of convenience because he knew she wouldn't mind. If he smiled a little bit to himself it was for wholly unrelated reasons—her thoughts were a racket, after all. But he didn't mind her coming up and chatting with him while he was practicing, of all the people who could have.

"The place doesn't matter," he responded, "just the questions that are asked, and who's asking them." The cards didn't care about all that superfluous nonsense, which is partly why he appreciated them, because he didn't, either. He looked back to the cards as he cut the deck once more, bending them until they snapped downwards on top of one another. "But I could ask about the weather if I wanted to," he said with a shrug. Don't take him talking more than usual out of context. He was passionate about the cards.

He rolled his eyes at the mention of quidditch. A barbaric game. Who wants to be on brooms for so long? Uncomfortable things, they were. And to be worried about sports on top of it—eugh. Divination was much more useful, not to mention sophisticated. He fanned all the cards out facedown along the stone he was sitting on. "Better if you pick it, then. Your question, your answer." The cards work best when there's a physical connection to the person asking. The best way is to have the asker cut and shuffle the deck, but on short notice, picking the card is fine. Especially for such a low-stakes question. He'd entertain her, though, and he picked a card out of the deck for himself.. "Ten of wands, upright," he said as he showed the card to Calliope. "Perseverance and triumph." He flitted the card between his fingers, small smile creeping at his lips, as he waited for Calliope to pick her card.

sweetpinkpixie · 01-15-2025, 05:00 AM

Had Calliope noticed Maddox’s subtle shift towards actually enjoying her company? Of course she had. But in her mind, he’d just finally come to his senses and realized that she was, well, a total catch. Sure, he didn’t throw out compliments or make her laugh like some of the other boys (she could name a few, a specific blond one, but whatever) but he was decent enough. Trustworthy, at least. And that, she decided with a grin, was like the perfect snare drum to a pair of 5B's.the finishing touch that made everything else just slam.

“So,” she began, her voice light and teasing, “you’re really could be out here because you're trying to predict the weather?” She raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “Why not ask the cards when it’ll be cold enough for the lake to freeze over? I’ve been keen to get some ice skating in. Or maybe you could ask if we’ll get a sudden downpour of pumpkin juice...I'm sure that'd be just as useful.” Her skepticism was showing, could he tell?

She, obviously, caught his eyeroll and snorted in response. "Oi, I saw that, you know. Just because you’ve got the finesse of a troll when it comes to flying doesn't mean you've gotta knock it." Not hypocritical at all, for the record. Two very different topics they were insulting, quidditch and tarot cards. "It’s all about skill and speed, not… whatever this is,” she gestured vaguely at the cards, her smirk widening. “But sure, you keep working on your sophisticated divination while I train for tryouts. We’ll see who ends up with more notoriety in the long run.”

When he offered her the chance to pick a card, she glanced at it briefly, then shrugged, stepping forward. “Fiiiiiiiiiine. Let’s see what the cards have to say, then, but only because I'm humoring you and your Ten of Wands.” She reached out, her fingers brushing over the deck as she selected one with a little more care than she’d ever admit. Pulling it from the pile, she flipped it over. “The Fool, upside-down or whatever the actual term is,” she said dryly, showing him the card with a raised eyebrow. "What in the Blasting Curse does that mean?"

Calliope also noticed that. The small smile tugging at Maddox's lips as he fiddled with his cards like a muggle magicial. It wasn’t anything grand or over-the-top...just a subtle curve that made him look almost... whatever. She rolled her eyes internally, brushing off the brief flash of irritation.

NiallNIP · 01-15-2025, 09:57 AM

Maddox was not one for freely giving out compliments, sorry. Giving out too many compliments was people pleasing and disingenuous. When someone earned a compliment they would get one. So, not sorry, really. But that's exactly what made him trustworthy—he always said what he meant. Very directly, actually. But he appreciated how Calliope balanced him out, in certain ways. She was chatty and outgoing and funny, he was quiet and reserved and stoic. But he was funny, too.

Sometimes.

Just.

Differently.

"The lake is frozen right now, actually, if you want to skate. I know it looks normal but just jump out as far as you can, it'll hold." He delivered this like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. "And, I know you don't read, but if you flip to the fourth page of the Prophet there are some really pretty pictures that'll show you aaaaall about the weather." See? He could do it too, you know. When he wanted to. Which wasn't often. He didn't like joking. But he was alright doing it right now, for no particular reason. Maybe the smugness emanating in front of him was getting to him a little bit.

And, yes, maybe he wasn't the best on a broom, but they also were an extremely inconvenient and outdated mode of travel. Not like using one was ever necessary. And, okay, yes, Divination wasn't an essential skill, either, but it was more useful and unique than a broom. Wow, it floats. So does anything else you use the Levitation Charm on. "Just being able to anticipate the future, right. Nothing special there," he responded. "Not in it for notoriety. Just a love of the craft. Have fun, though, I'll be sure to visit you in the hospital wing when you break all your bones and have irreversible brain damage," he said, leaning forward on his hand with a smile, his normally flat eyes crinkling a bit at the sides. A bit of an exaggeration, sure, but Bludgers could really take you out if you weren't careful.

Okay, so maybe Maddox had a chatty side. Who knew? It was different for him, too. Don't expect it to be a common occurrence.

Maddox watched her hand as she picked out a card. He noticed it was very...delicate, almost? So maybe she didn't actually dislike the cards so much. She was warming up. He examined the card when she held it out to him. He hummed, cocking his head. "Reversed. Lack of commitment. Recklessness. Naïveté." He looked back up at her. "Doesn't bode well. But it's one of many possible futures, not set in stone. Just...the most likely outcome." He wouldn't sugarcoat it, but he wanted to make sure it wasn't a death sentence, either. He didn't like quidditch, but didn't want to dash all of her hopes and dreams.

He noted a flash of something strong. An emotion of some sort. Couldn't quite place it. He hadn't told Calliope yet about his ability—he wouldn't react, but he eyed her warily. Trying to glean some sort of info from her body language.

sweetpinkpixie · 01-18-2025, 01:09 AM

Calliope listened to Maddox’s response with a mix of amusement and mild skepticism. She raised an eyebrow at his comment about the lake, her lips twitching into a knowing smirk. Frozen, huh? Suuuuuuuure, Maddox, sure. She gave a casual glance toward the lake beyond, as if seriously considering the idea of just “jumping out” to test his theory. "Oh, right," she said, the hint of sarcasm clear in her voice. "I totally forgot that the lake freezes over in autumn and not winter here." She shot him a look, then sighed dramatically. "I'm sure all those ripples in the water right now are just grindylows waving because they would appreciate the company and not at all strangle me. But hey, if that is the case and I end up in the hospital wing, it will be a good place to look at those pretty pictures you were talking about."

Her smirk only deepened as he teased her back, not one to let his dry humor go unnoticed. She didn’t exactly appreciate the way he downplayed her Quidditch skills - again, for the record - but she couldn't help but admire his nonchalance. He was a hard one to shake, which was exactly why she liked having him around. It was... different, and maybe that’s why she kept pulling him into her orbit (hey there, Professor Burbage). But still, she didn’t let his humor pass without a little reciprocal jab.

"Well, I’m glad to know you’re just full of encouragement," she replied, her voice dripping with exaggerated sweetness. "I’ll be sure to keep your words of wisdom in mind next time I’m dodging a bludger." She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing in feigned concentration. "It’s a shame, really. I’ll have to settle for that whole ‘speed and skill’ thing."

When he finally addressed her card, she tried to mask the slight shift in her expression. Lack of commitment? Recklessness? The words stung more than she’d care to admit, and her stomach twisted for a moment. Of course, Maddox wouldn’t sugarcoat it. He never did. But the way he said it, like it was a warning and not just a casual read of the cards, made her feel... off and beyond agitated - and it showed. Her fingers flexed, brushing the edges of the card again as if the motion might ease the discomfort. "Reckless? Naïveté? A lack of commitment?" she grumbled, her voice was a touch sharper now, like she was using her words as a shield. "What is that even supposed to mean?" She glanced at him, and then, feeling her walls shift just a little, she gave him a half-smile that was more resigned than anything.

But she couldn’t quite shake the the ICK feeling, especially with the way his eyes lingered on her. So, she did what she always did in those moments: she deflected. "Pffffft, your cards are broken because they sure don't know me from a broomstick. If they did, they'd know commitment’s not really my issue. I just prefer to make sure it’s worth my time before I dive in and quidditch obviously has earned my attention." Her smile returned - sharp, playful, but laced with an edge she couldn’t quite suppress.

Stupid deck of glorified playing cards. She wasn’t about to let these overpriced scraps of paper tell her what to do or cast a shadow over her ambitions.

NiallNIP · 01-18-2025, 09:10 PM

Maddox chuckled a little bit at her response. If she did ever end up in the hospital wing, for whatever reason, he would bring her the paper. For nothing else besides the laugh. This kind of banter was...fun. Strangely. Maybe friends were...ugh. No. He wouldn't be running around joking and laughing, but...some people were alright.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you will," he said with faux resignation. How unfortunate for her. Ah, well, he'd always be the one with the cards. If she needed them, and he was feeling gracious, he'd give her a reading.

And then, even if he couldn't sense what Calliope was feeling, he would've been able to tell. He noticed her hands, how her smile turned into something more sharp. He wasn't sure, though, if he had done something wrong. His smile dropped and his face returned to the placid expression he usually adopted. He scooped his cards back up and began shuffling them again, intensely focused on it. He shrugged at her question. Reiterating that she might lose interest, find it boring, get frustrated and stop...he knew that wouldn't make whatever was going on any better. So he shut off.

"The cards aren't broken," he said, immediately jumping to the defense. "They don't break. Unless there's a missing card they give a true reading." And he knew one wasn't missing. He glanced up briefly, trying to gauge how she was feeling, but then went back to shuffling his cards. "But you should still do what you want to do." And he meant that genuinely. One thing that he's learned about cartomancy is that not everything they predict will come to pass. Sometimes you unintentionally skirt around whatever outcome they show you. The cards provide guidance and advice, not an unavoidable outcome.

sweetpinkpixie · Yesterday, 02:53 AM

Calliope raised an eyebrow, her arms crossing as she leaned back against a bit of stone, watching Maddox shuffle his cards with that same, annoyingly calm focus. She could feel her jaw tighten, the sharp edge of her earlier response still lingering. It wasn’t so much about the cards themselves per say and at this point she wasn't even sure she could wandpoint precisely what it was that was making her so ornery. It certainly irked her that he wasn’t backing down though.

"You know," she said, her voice light but laced with an edge, "I didn't come out here guidance anyway and nobody likes unsolicited advice. Besides, isn't there some saying or another that you really can't trust anything that you can't tell where it keeps its brain?" She shot him a pointed look before her gaze drifted toward the grounds - or rather the direction of the grounds and pitch since there was more courtyard stone blocking the view.

Her tone softened slightly as she added, almost offhand, "But thanks for the only actual useful advice you or your cards have offered. I will do what I want." Her smile returned, sharper this time, as she leaned into him slightly for a playful shoulder bump. Was she sorry she seemed to have upset him? Not really - had had started it with his stupid cards and if he could dish out bad vibes he ought to be able to handle receiving some. "And I still think your cards are broken. You sure someone didn't swap them with some Wizard Wheezes product? I mean, you are the perfect gullible target for that sort of thing."

NiallNIP · Yesterday, 08:28 AM

"Like a wand? Or a broom?" Maddox responded, still focused on his cards. That saying didn't hold much water when it came to magical objects. "The portraits in the stairwell? The Sorting Hat?" He wanted to really hammer home this point. Magic was fluid and mysterious, but they all chose to trust certain things about it. Divination, the cards, they were no different. "And you did ask." Because she had.

Maddox gave a small, awkward smile at the shoulder bump. He didn't pick that card for her—no reason to get so testy with him. But he'd let it go, for now, which to be clear was not something he did for people. "Gullible? I don't think," he said, giving Calliope a resentful look. She thought he, of all people, was gullible? She really mustn't know him all too well. Was that really what he seemed like? "You'd have to kill me for me to let these cards out of my sight." Besides, he knows what his own cards that he's had for years look like. The little creases and imperfections on them. Someone wouldn't be able to swamp them under his nose all too easily.

sweetpinkpixie · Today, 05:23 AM

Calliope's smirk deepened as she listened to Maddox, her eyes narrowing slightly in playful challenge. "So you're saying you trust the portraits at Hogwarts? You know they only know what they have been told and even portraits of actual people aren't actually reliable replicas. PLUS the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Hufflepuff before I informed it otherwise.” She shrugged, folding her arms haughtily across her front once again. "Pretty sure gullible has your picture next to it in the dictionary and thesaurus." Far too loyal to pieces of paper. "But hey, if it helps you sleep at night, I won’t judge too much."

Calliope raised an eyebrow, a sly grin tugging at her lips. "Well, good thing I don’t plan on doing that nor any ambitions to learn that particular Unforgivable," she said, her voice light as she leaned in just a little closer, her eyes sparkling with teasing amusement. "I was kind of thinking I might keep you around... even with your precious cards, since you’re so attached." Her smirk widened as she nudged him again, this time with a hint more softness behind the touch, as though to remind him that there was no malice behind her words. "Might even change my mind make you my personal fortune teller. Could be useful, eventually. Once they're not broken." She gave him a wink, already starting to feel the tension slip away. As much as she liked to rile him up, it was best not to push it too far - especially when a lot of jabs were being sad in jest. "You’re stuck with me."

NiallNIP · Today, 08:25 AM

Okay. Back to playful teasing. "I'd trust the portraits to give me accurate information on the castle or history than you any day," he jabbed back, trying to ease back into it. "And you're so sweet, you would've fit right in with the Hufflepuffs," he said as he finished with his shuffle. The small smile returned to his lips, glancing up at her. He was still a little trepidatious, but the back and forth wasn't what bothered her in the first place, so he wasn't too worried. "But at least we'd be close to each other in the dictionary since you'd be next to grating."

Maddox definitely took note of how close they were to each other. He had to fight the urge to put distance between himself and Calliope, even though he wasn't the most comfortable with physical closeness. He didn't want to be rude. And Calliope wasn't some random person. He could bear it. Even if it made him feel strange. "I don't belong to anyone, thanks," he said, nudging her back with a roll of his eyes. "I'll give you a reading if I feel like it. And I'll stick around with you if I feel like it. But you can follow me around like a lost puppy if you please," he shrugged nonchalantly, leaning towards her as a challenge. Like asserting himself to back up his words.

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