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*Holmesian Feline* · #1 (**permalink**) 10-04-2023, 11:53 PM

While the Reading Nook is a normal feature within the library, Professor Gert had made a few adjustments for the evenings gathering. For one, she had felt the need to do an extra bit of cleaning, something she had taken to doing lately. Having not spent as much time in the main library in her previous two years of teaching, she hadn’t thought on how dusty the books and shelves could get in between whatever cleaning the house elves got to. Come to think of it, it had seemed a little dusky on her way to her post earlier.

And the comfy chairs seemed to have multiplied to allow for a larger group of people to gather, fluffy pillows and blankets scattered around for added options of seating and comfort. The torch lamps are all lit and the area is bathed in nice warm light. Even Hamish is taking part, having taken a perch in the rafter, the occasional soft friendly hoot adding to the evening atmosphere. The area around him growing cobwebs as it lay untouched by his human’s spells

The astronomy professor was just finishing up setting the charms she had set up around the perimeter of the gathering. For as she was offering hot chocolate and teas and goodies on a table off to one side, she was also protective of the books and such under her care. A few impervious spells would keep any potential spills away in case students wandered close to the various stacks that surrounded the area. As well as the assorted books she had gathered onto the coffee table in the center of the seating arrangements showing examples of tonight’s topic.

OOC: Hello and welcome to the book discussion. Let's have some fun but remember the rules as with any other group activity.

FearlessLeader19 · 10-05-2023, 12:19 AM

It was indeed dusty. Ary couldn’t help but notice this fact lately and it had him wondering what on earth was up with the House Elves. Had the professors noticed? Did they plan on having a talk with the dear little elves? Ary had so many questions. Maybe professor Gert would have some answers, should he decide to ask.

Clad in his signature button up shirt {which was left open} with a tee shirt beneath, jeans and trainers, the young Snake ~~slithered~~ made his way into the library. The setup looked so comfy that Ary wouldn’t be surprised if he or anyone else fell asleep during the meeting.

“Hi, Hamish!’’ There was a super enthusiastic greeting for the owl, as there usually was from him when a creature was involved. Spotting Gert, he gave her the usual two finger wiggle-wave greeting before surveying the snacks. Was there iced tea and sour patch kids?

*Nordic Witch* · 10-05-2023, 03:05 PM

Atchoo! There Emmie sneezed again. Was all the dust around the castle what made her sneeze more than usual? What was up with that? Had the house elves just up and decided to not clean at all for something? It was very weird the young eaglet thought as she headed into the library for the bookworms meeting clad in her favourite comfy pants, and sweater over a printed t-shirt.

"Good evening Professor Gert! Hi Aryan!" Emmie greeted the other people in attendance as she went over to grab herself a snack and some hot chocolate. Doing her best to not spill the hot chocolate, she then chose a fluffy pillow, and a blanket to wrap around her legs before taking a seat on the floor, to wait for everyone else to arrive.

MadMadamMalfoy · 10-06-2023, 09:21 PM

Being a bookworm ran in Desiree’s family. Her grand-mère was a retired librarian; her parents both loved books, and her brother was the biggest book nerd she’d ever known! She didn’t think she was quite as well-read as her family members, but still she was awfully curious about tonight’s meeting.

As soon as she saw the notice, she knew exactly what to bring and how to dress! It seemed only fitting to show up to a meeting of The Bookworms channeling the biggest bookworm in the DIsney universe - who just happened to be Desiree’s favorite character. She arrived dressed in a short yellow dress with ruffles, matching leggings with a rose pattern, and her hair in a half-up hairstyle like Belle’s. If the outfit wasn’t a clue to which story she brought, the thick book of fairytales under her arm was a dead giveaway!

“Hello, Professor!” she greeted, smiling and waving with her free hand. Ooh, look at all those fluffy pillows and blankets! They all looked so cozy! Then she noticed the table full of snacks and the owl sitting in the rafters. “Oh, hello, Hamish!” The owl got a little wave as well.

Cue more smiles and waves for the other students (Ary & Emmie). “Hi, everybody!” Desiree said as she spotted a fluffy pink pillow. She set her book on top of it to claim in, then beelined for the snack table. “Thank you for the refreshments, Professor!” she said, helping herself to a mug of hot chocolate and a few cookies.

Merlin, the house elves were certainly lying down on the job! Norman had never seen anything like this in his eight years teaching at Hogwarts, and he thought he’d seen it all. Stifling a sneeze, he made his way through the library to the reading nook for tonight’s gathering. While he didn’t have any books that lent themselves to bedtime stories in his office, he had always been something of a bookworm. It would be interesting to hear the students’ contributions to the discussion. “Hello, Mr. Atreyu-Rehman, Miss Vance, Miss Marchand!” He greeted the students already gathered upon his arrival.

Standing to one side, he greeted his colleague with a polite nod. “Good evening, Celeste… and Hamish.” His bluish-green eyes landing on the owl, he momentarily wondered if Hamish had seen Athena around. Last he saw his own northern white owl, she was napping in the owlery., but now was not the time to think about it. He glanced around the area at the refreshments, pillows, and blankets. This was quite the setup! “Need any help?” he asked his colleague.

*Holmesian Feline* · 10-06-2023, 09:43 PM

Hamish’s big eyes sought out the boy as he heard his name from below, a friendly head tilt from the familiar proceeded a specific friendly hoot in greeting. Celeste for her heart smiled at the banter, knowing her companion recognized the creature lover that Aryan was. “Guid evening, Mr. Atreyu-Rehman,” she greeted the boy with a nod, briefly noting his attention on what she had left out for them. No iced tea, but there were sure to be sours amongst the candy she had added last minute.

Oh dear, a sneeze.

Seems it wasn’t just her thought on the dustiness of the place. Celeste summoned a box of tissues to add to the coffee table for anyone to take who might feel the sniffles. “Guid evening, Ms. Vance,” she said, returning the greeting to the girl. The woman letting her be as Ravenclaw gathered her snacks, instead moving around the outskirts of the area with added cleaning spells just to see if it could help. Hopefully it wasn’t deterring anyone from joining them.

“Now my kids loved to hear bedtime stories growing up,” she mused aloud as they waited for others. She had too, but at least Gideon and Kacie were far closer in age to think on as kids like her students. Sometimes it was hard to visualize one’s professors at their own age. “Especially when it meant they could try to stay up later that then were supposed to.” A bemused expression crossing her face in memory…she could be a pushover if it meant they were reading.

Oh look...another student, this one positively getting into the spirit with her outfit. "Hello Ms. Marchand," she greeted with a smile. The owl above hooting in echo. "Ye are quite welcome." If there was anything she had learned years ago in teaching, refreshments could definitely help. A hungry student, especially a teen, might mean a distracted one. Even if the food itself could be a distraction. And there was her fellow Bookworm. "Guid evening Norman," she greeted as her colleague stepped up beside her. "I think we're okay Just waiting for a moment or two."

FearlessLeader19 · 10-06-2023, 11:54 PM

Ary was still deciding on his snacks when Emmie arrived. He gave her the finger wiggle-wave and when he did finally choose his snacks, went over to sit beside her. His pillow was bright orange but a blanket wasn’t selected. Not now anyway; the pillow would suffice. “How’s Laila?” The pygmy puff hadn’t wandered off for more adventures, had she?

Shortly after, Desiree, followed by Professor Carton made an appearance. Ary gave them a smile each but truly, his attention remained on those Sour Patch Kids he was contentedly consuming. He sincerely hoped Gert wouldn’t mind him going back for seconds or even thirds. When she addressed them, he willingly shared his focus with her. Bedtime stories had been his thing too, having grown up with both Wizarding World stories and Muggle fairy tales. Being read to had helped him fall asleep easily as a child, even when he was bursting with energy.

Yep. Stories were nice.

MadAlice · 10-10-2023, 03:00 AM

Hope had taken the 'comfy clothes' comment to heart and had showed up in an old smock that came to her knees with an old sweater thrown over it. This outfit had been completed by some striped knitted long socks and a pair of crocheted slippers that looked like rabbits. Hope's style of dress had definitely taken an eccentric turn in her third year. Hello, Professor Gert, thank you for having us," she said cheerfully before finding herself a comfy spot. Looking up, she spotted the owl and adde, "Hello, Hamish." Hope didn't believe in leaving anyone out, whether human or creature.

Tapio usually enjoyed spending his evenings in his new cozy cabin quarters, but on this occasion he thought he'd stop by and see how the library was doing since he'd left his post of school librarian. My, he thought to himself, it's actually gotten rather...dusty. He wondered if he should give Professor Gert a hint, but then thought better of it for the time being--he didn't like to criticize. And come to think of it. the castle as a whole seemed a bit run down lately. Tapio hadn't been spending much time here this term, except for meals, so he hadn't noticed before. He wondered if the elves were feeling quite well.

"Good evening, Celeste, Norman, Good evening, students. Well," he added as he settled his large frame into a chair that looked like it could hold him, "What literary treat are we sampling tonight?"

*Holmesian Feline* · 10-10-2023, 03:45 AM

There were plenty of treats to go around and the professor wasn’t paying much attention to consumption. Just as long as she wasn’t dealing with charges bouncing off the walls, she would be okay. “Hello Ms. Archard,” she greeted the latest student to arrive. “You are quite welcome.” The girl followed shortly by Tapio, the very colleague who had proceeded her in her current role as librarian. “Good evening,” she returned, “Bedtime stories…hence the cozy atmosphere.”

Albeit dusty.

Feeling she had left enough time and those around had had their fair share of goodies to start off with, Celeste moved to take a seat in the chair she had picked for herself earlier. Her copy of two particular story books already resting there to save it. “Now bedtime stories can come in many forms,” she began, calling for attention. “There are those read from a book in bed and those spoken around a campfire before lights out. Sweet stories to send your peacefully off to dream land or scary stories that could run the risk of nightmares.” Or not if that was your type of tale preference. "And even the stories told to prolong one’s life like Scheherazade in 1001 Arabian Nights.”“

Talk about trying to have one more story to stay up.

“Before we share our favorite individual stories or collections if you have one, how about we speak on what our likes or dislikes are in the way of types of stories. “ To each their own of course, but it would get the discussion going. "Feel free to share experiences if you wish. "

FearlessLeader19 · 10-10-2023, 11:34 PM

Ary offered DeVries a smile. There was no finger wiggle-wave as he was too busy separating the Sour Patch Kids by their colours. Don’t ask; it was just a thing he did sometimes. Full disclosure though: he was very much still paying attention to Gert. Now that he thought about it, Ary hadn’t registered the many ways in which bedtime stories came. He supposed reading The Standard Book of Spells - Grade One for homework purposes did not count as a bedtime story even if he and Drake ended up falling asleep soon after.

Likes or dislikes? Ary wasn’t sure he understood the question. Did Gert mean what they liked or disliked in terms of the stories or the places where they read their stories? Or was she referring to something else? The Slytherin opted to stay quiet for now. Just excuse him while he focused on quietly devouring the group of red Sour Patch Kids.

MadMadamMalfoy · 10-11-2023, 09:29 PM

Desiree returned Professor Gert’s smile with a small one of her own, and that smile nearly turned into a giggle at the hoot from Hamish. Taking care not to spill her hot chocolate, she moved her book to one side and sat on the fluffy pink pillow she’d claimed. She’d only just sat down when more people arrived after her. “Hi, Hope!” She greeted the younger student with a wave. Professors Devries and Carton were greeted with a warm smile. “Hello, Professors.”

She noticed Ary’s smile but didn’t say anything because he looked a bit preoccupied with his snacks. She was likewise busy nibbling a cookie when Professor Gert addressed the group. Schezerade? She knew that name! Why did she know it? Then she remembered she’d heard it referenced in a Disney song. She’d have to read that story someday!

For now her thoughts turned to the stories she already knew and enjoyed. Fairy tales, of course, but that answer seemed a bit basic. She thought of her favorite non-fairytale books such as Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. There was one thing they all had in common. She glanced around the room, waiting for someone else to speak first. Nobody was going to break the ice? Okay, then… “My favorite stories tend to involve romance,” she said, “or fantasy… or some combination of the two, like fairy tales.” As for her dislikes? “One type I don’t like is gross-out humor.” No thanks!

Norman nodded, trusting that Celeste would let him know if he could be of assistance later. He took a seat toward the back of the group so as not to distract the students, his bluish-green eyes scanning the room for more arrivals. He hadn’t been watching long when Archard joined them, followed shortly thereafter by Tapio. “Good evening, Tapio,” Norman returned his colleague’s greeting with a polite nod of acknowledgement. The other arrival likewise received a greeting. “Good evening, Miss Archard.”

He listened respectfully, his thoughts wondering to his favorite stories when he was a child. They tended to be adventure-oriented, and that preference had carried over into his adulthood. “I always liked adventure stories myself,” he said. He would gladly elaborate if asked, but he kept his contribution to the discussion brief for now to let the students have the floor.

MadAlice · 10-18-2023, 10:53 PM

Hope waved back to Desiree, pleased that the older girl had greeted her. She also smiled at the professors present, but was a little too shy to speak to them without being spoken to first.

And then they started talking about stories and she forgot any discomfort. "Oh, I like stories about animals!" she said enthusiastically. "Especially ones where they talk. And I don't like stories where anyone gets hurt."

Tapio had gotten himself a few snacks and sat considering Gert's question seriously as he munched, running through his head to try to remember the tales his parents had told him at bedtime so long ago. "I always liked funny stories," he finally said in between bites. "But not scary ones--not at bedtime, at any rate." He shuddered inwardly, remembering some of those really frightening Finnish stories his mother used to tell him.

*Holmesian Feline* · 10-19-2023, 03:17 AM

There were some who remained quiet, which Gert took as thinking or being unsure, or maybe liking all types. Or just preferring to listen. Which was okay too. Though she couldn’t help smiling at the answers she was given. “Ah aye, the happily ever after of a love story,” she mused in agreement at Desiree’s answer. Which given the girl’s feelings towards the world of a certain mouse she could understand. “They were a fav o’ my daughter as well.” Nowadays, Kasey might have expanded her preference, but the professor could admit that they hadn’t talked stories much lately. “And fantasy can be amusing too, given what muggle authors would deem as make-believe isn’t always from what we as witches and wizards know.”

And one strike against gross-out humor….check.

Adventure stories for Norman…interesting. Especially given the use of the world always as in still a favorite. “The escape from the mundane,” she nodded in agreement. And as a Gryffindor from a long line of Gryffindors, love of adventure was in the blood, even adventures on the page. As for Ms. Archard’s love of animal stories. “Am sure Hamish likes those too,” she mused, gaining a hoot at the sound of his name and a chuckle from the professor. “Not quite the talking she was talking about” she teased her familiar, gaining a playful stretch of his wings from above.

Finally Tapio rounded out the answers mentioning humor. Celeste highly suspected that didn’t include the gross-out humor brought up earlier. “Aye…the occasional scary story snuck into reading time in our hoose usually meant warm milk and the entire family in one room.” That and her and her family’s lives often were scarier than horror stories in the beginning, but the astronomy professor wasn’t going to turn the mood of the meeting in the wrong direction. Better to move them onto more pleasant thoughts.

“Noo how about your favorite stories…sometimes hard to pick I know.” Just like a favorite book for the avid reader, or the favorite creature for the animal love. “Even if you can’t chose, just share one with the group. Wan that maybe you begged for each night for a month when ye were six, or has a special meaning for ye. “

FearlessLeader19 · 10-22-2023, 02:22 AM

Ary only now understood the question but didn’t bother piping up as he was still too busy with those sours of his. He was paying attention still so no one should be fooled into thinking otherwise. The boy hadn’t a preference of stories; if it was interesting, then he was all ears. If not… well, he would simply doze off or be distracted by something else.

He left the sours alone long enough to raise his hand briefly for the next question. “I like Muggle fairy tales. The one where the wooden puppet came alive…” Ary gave Gert an uncertain look, trying to figure out if she was familiar with Muggle stories because he certainly didn’t think he wanted to talk too much by explaining this particular tale. “He was made into a real boy. Pinocchio. His nose grows whenever he lies.” If you asked this Slytherin, magic was involved and the tale was probably written by a witch or a wizard.

*PhoenixRising* · 10-22-2023, 03:40 AM

The struggle of being a full-time student was that Emma always found it difficult to find anytime for leisure reading. Opening a book was definitely one of the last things she wanted to do, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy the good fairytale and story. Especially when it came with hot chocolate. Holding a mug in her hands, she pondered at Professor Gert's questions.

"I think my favorite stories were the ones my daddy would make up... like I'm pretty sure they were based ones actually in print, but he always added his own spin on it. Changing the characters to be names we would recognize." She took a sip of hot cocoa, reflecting fondly and wondering what Princes Malachi and Ambrose were up to

MadAlice · 10-23-2023, 12:45 AM

"Freddy's Fabulous Frogs," giggled Hope. It's a silly story, but it's a tongue-twister and we liked to make my father say it over and over, to see if he could do it. He's pretty good, though, so it was hard to catch him." Hope suddenly missed hearing her father tell tall tales. Her aunt and uncle in London weren't much for storytelling; at their house, everybody just sat in a chair in the parlor and read their own book.

Tapio considered this--at his age, he'd heard, and also told, many a story and tale and it was hard to pick. "I think," he finally said, after thinking for a while, "that my very favorite story as a boy was the Finnish tale, [i]Longshanks, Girth, and Keen. It's about three strange serving men who help a young man win a princess and keep him from danger. I always like it because several of the servants were very tall or large, and yet they proved loyal and clever." Tapio remembered daydreaming about doing some great deed for the community himself and how everyone wouldn't care that he was large and funny-looking because he would be a great hero. He smiled to himself--in the end, it had just taken one woman who for some reason fell in love with him, funny-looking though he was, to give him confidence.

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