The After Effect (Open to all slytherins)

[Zara Hawkins]

Zara strode into the common room, after a long, rough night spent in the forest, under the full moon. Her body felt week. She never usually felt this week, then again, she didn't have her dad with her this time.

She sat down on one of the large, green lounge chairs and got out her moon phases book. She jotted down a few notes from last night, like what time she started to feel a change.

Afterwards, she lay down and relaxed for a bit. Suddenly, her owl landed on a table near her. She got up off the lounge and walked over to it. She noticed a letter in the owl's mouth, so she took and began reading it. It was from her dad regarding her first full moon without him. She decided to reply to him and tell him every little detail.

[Parker Emery]

Parker was making his way down the stairs from the boys dormitory, rubbing his eye sleepily. He'd not slept well and by the time morning had rolled around he deemed it useless to stay in bed any longer. He had a book checked out from the library and was going to sit and relax to read a while, but noticed another person up at this time, sitting and writing a letter.

He didn't want to disturb her, but he didn't want to go back up to his dorm either. So he quietly made his way to the couch, curling up on the side furthest from her as he tried to open the book quietly to start studying.

[Zara Hawkins]

Zara was thoroughly engaged in her letter that she hadn't even realised there was a boy at the other end of the couch she was sitting on.

She finished writing, sealed the letter up and sent it off to her dad. She let out a sigh and suddenly noticed the boy. She hadn't met him in person before but she did recognise him from some of her classes.

Zara wasn't usually one to keep quiet when in an awkward silence such as these. Although, she noticed he was reading and didn't want to be rude and interrupt. Oh what the hell, she thought to herself. She decided to speek up and introduce herself anyway. "Hi there. I'm Zara" she said, smiling at him.

[Parker Emery]

"Hi there. I'm Zara" Parker looked up, hearing the voice after a few long minutes of silence. Seeing her friendly smile, he gave a polite smile back. Not having talked to anyone new since last year when he made many of his friends, Parker nearly forgot how shy he felt when talking to new people. "Erm...hullo."

He took a breath and glanced down at the page in the textbook, mentally checking where he was realizing he didn't tell her his name yet. He looked back up at her, his Irish accent coming though a bit more now that he actually spoke. "Me name's Parker."

[Zara Hawkins]

As soon as the boy spoke, Zara realised he was Irish. "Nice to meet you, Parker" She said with a friendly smile. "From Ireland? I've never been there but it seems like a beautiful place" She said.

She was rather curious about the book he was reading. "So uhh....what book is that?" She asked, trying not to be too nosy.

[Parker Emery]

Parker nodded at her question about him being Irish and then shrugged and sighed a little, looking back down at the book in his lap. "I suppose some parts are. Other's are just the same as any other cities."

He looked back up when she asked what he was reading and he turned the book for her to see the cover. "I checked it from the library a few days back. About all sorts of plants and potions mostly..." his voice trailed off a bit and he then mused quietly to himself, "though I probably should be studying for History or something..."

He turned back to his page flipping to the next page and then back at her. "Your in some of me classes, aren't you?" Parker thought she looked familiar, though before now he'd never thought to speak to her. Knowing a few more pleasant people in this house wouldn't be a bad idea though.

[Zara Hawkins]

"Oh, I see" she said, shrugging her shoulders. It didn't bother her much about how Parker described Ireland. No matter what, Zara loved her home in London.

"Plants and potions" she said, acknowledging what Parker was saying. "Come to think of it, I haven't been studying much. Maybe I should find some time to visit the library"

Zara was happy that she was getting on quite well with Parker. She smiled as he seemed to become more comfortable talking to her. "Yeah. Actually I'm pretty sure you're in like all of my classes" she said, giggling.

[Parker Emery]

"You know...if you ever want help with studying, I'd be happy to. Or even just point you to some of the better books to check out." He smiled a little and then his cheeks reddened with embarrassment of not knowing they shared all the same classes.

"Oh? Really? I guess I don't pay attention to who's around me in class." He smiled feebly.

He looked down at the page in his book. "Well, since we share classes, maybe we can do homework together sometime, if you ever want to, that is."

[Zara Hawkins]

"Really? That'd be great help, thanks" she said, smiling. Zara didn't read much so it would be good if she had someone to guide her in the right direction.

Zara laughed. "Well, that just shows that you're focusing on the work in class" she told him. Although, Zara did notice a couple of times he was kind of focused on another Slytherin girl.

"Yeah, we should" she said.

[Parker Emery]

Parker smiled back, "Great. It makes things a bit easier with help. Especially since every year our work will only be getting harder." He shrugged a little, still feeling a bit embarrassed at being so oblivious. "Yeah, I suppose so. There's always something going on, and I don't want to miss a thing."

Parker yawned, raising his hand to cover his mouth. It was so early. Maybe a bit of Pxyis' morning person vibes were rubbing off on him. "Say, what're you doing up at this time anyway?"

[Zara Hawkins]

The reason Zara was up so early is because she didn't sleep at all. She never sleeps when its a full moon. She can't sleep because when she transforms, it's as if her wolf form has just awaken from a sleep. When she transforms back, she is wide awake.

She didn't want to lie to Parker. He was a nice enough guy. But she couldn't tell him thw entire truth. "I haven't been asleep at all" she started, hoping he wouldn't ask any further questions.

[Parker Emery]

Parker nodded when she explained she'd not been to sleep at all. "Oh, do you have sleeping problems? Back home me mum has some sleeping problems...stress related the doctors told her."

Parker though he could relate a little bit, not being able to fall asleep easily sometimes, with there being so much on his mind. Little did he know the real reasons behind her sleeplessness.

[Zara Hawkins]

Parker seemed to know exactly what Zara was going through. But really, he didn't know at all. "Uhh....yeah. That's it. I have sleeping problems......sometimes" She said, trying to sound convincing.

Zara was getting a little nervous in the situation. She was afraid that Parker might start to pick up on her secret. When she got nervous, it wasn't an entirely good thing to be around people. Although she was a confident girl, she's always had a fear of people finding out her secret by accident. Whenever she got nervous, her eyes would turn violet and start to glow slightly.

[Parker Emery]

Parker was content and convinced by her answer, being quite oblivious to any signs she gave. He looked down at his book, then at the watery windows. "Well, the only thing you can do is try not to fall asleep in class." He shrugged.

"There's really not all that much to do when you can't sleep I guess..." he paused for a moment, thinking and then looking down to the book in his lap. "Though I did read about sleeping potions, I'm sure Madam Henley would be fine with giving some to you to help"

[Zara Hawkins]

Zara laughed slightly. "Well, i can't promise anything. Some classes are pretty boring" she said, obviously joking around.

Zara wasn't sure about the idea of having sleeping potion. The last thing she wanted is to have the potion and then transform while she was asleep. The chances of that are very thin though. "I'll be alright for now. It's not like I've got sleeping problems every night. It just depends on what I do before I go to sleep" she said.

[Parker Emery]

Parker smiled. "I guess some can be when you don't have anything to keep your interest."

He nodded. "I see, well if it continues, you've always got options." He smiled at her, hoping he was being at least a little bit helpful to her. "Hmm, you know, in divination class, professor Slytherin has been teaching meditation. Maybe talking to her about learning how to do that might help you?" Sometimes unconventional methods worked better then the prescription ones, and Parker figured since it could relax and clear the mind, meditation would be beneficial.

[Zara Hawkins]

Zara appreciated the fact that Parker was trying to help her. "Thank you for the help, Parker. I think i'll be ok for now" she assured him.

"So what have you planned to do today?" She asked, trying to start a new topic.

[Parker Emery]

Parker looked down, a bit worried, he'd been too pressing about it. "Yeah, sorry..."

He sighed a little, and looked back up at her change in subject. He gave a small shrug, "Uhm..I don't know. I might go on a walk or go to the library. Or both. I-I don't really do much else, really." He did think needed to vary his hobbies or his schedule a bit but besides those and hanging out with Pxyis, not much else was too interesting.

"Hmm, though I have been wanting to watch a Quidditch match. I've not taken the time yet to see a game." Parker remembered first year, seeing some of the older kids flying around on their brooms. It looked exciting. as did Quidditch, but he was far too scared to even ride his broom when it came to flying class. He had run off when they were supposed to all fly around.

[Zara Hawkins]

Zara giggled. "Come on. You're not really going to hang around and study all day are you? You should go out and have some fun!" she said. It seemed a nice enough day to go out. Parker seemed like a smart enough kid, surely he'd studied enough for now.

Zara remembered she'd signed up for Quidditch. It was fun to watch, but she loved participating in things. "If you want to watch Quidditch, then go. No one's stopping you" she told him, with a smile. "You know, I signed up for Quidditch"

[Parker Emery]

Parker smiled a little and shrugs, his face getting a little red in embarrassment at his limited interests. "I suppose I could spend some more time outdoors on the grounds. I don't think I've explored nearly enough." He found he could always find a bit of comfort in the amazing views and landscapes here in the hidden mountains of Scotland. There was no place like it on earth.

Parker then looked down at his hands. "Well, I don't know...I never know when the practices or the games are taking place, and it'd be pretty pointless to walk all the way to the pitch and have no one be there." When she said she'd signed up, he looked up and smiled at her. "Really? Wow, that's great. A bit more reason to want to go then. Hopefully you get in, uhm, what position did you want to get?" he asked curiously. His first year he'd only looked up a little about the game. He didn't quite get it other then the snitch catching, and he like to imagine that if actually liked to fly and was good at it, then maybe he would be a seeker.

[Zara Hawkins]

"Well, if you go out then maybe you'll be able to find out when some games are on" Zara said.

"Chaser" she said. "Or beater. That was my second choice. I'd prefer chaser though because i suit it more. I'm fast and swift and that's what you need to be a chaser, i guess" she told him.

[Parker Emery]

"Hmm, yeah, I guess you"r right." he shrugged. "And even if there's nothing going on at the pitch I can take a look around the stands or something. They always did look really huge." He added with a small smile.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Wait, uhm, the Chaser is the one that guards the goals right? Oh- no wait, that's the keeper. And the beaters have the sticks?" He felt a bit embarrassed at his confusion but figured he could learn more about them when there's a game to watch.

He then nodded. "I think you'd make a good Chaser, you look like you'd be fast." he chucked a bit. "A lot faster then me anyways."

[Zara Hawkins]

Zara giggled. She knew every position and what they were permitted to do. "Ok. Well, You have three chasers on a team. They are to pass the quaffle down to the right end of the pitch, without letting it slip into the hands of the other team, and attempt to shoot it into one of the three hoops. The keeper protects the three hoops from letting the other team shoot. The beaters have wooden bats and need to make sure the bludger doesn't get in the way of their teammates, and if it does, they simply hit it out of the way with the bat. Then there's the seeker, which has to try and spot and catch the tiny golden snitch. I'm sure you've heard of the golden snitch right?" she explained to Parker, hoping she hadn't overloaded his brain with knowledge.

She chuckled a bit too. "Yeah. Well, I was kind of the fastest runner in my school back in London. Not to pat myself on the back or anything" she said.

[Parker Emery]

Parker perked up a bit, gladly listening as she explained the basics of the game. He certainly had a better idea of the game now. He smiled and nodded, "Yeah, catching the snitch was the only part I really understood before. Once it's caught the game's over, right?"

Parker raised his eyebrows, interested when Zara said she'd been the fasted runner at her school. "Oh, really? You went to a muggle school then, before??" His face was lit with a smile. There was actually another Slytherin that wasn't a pureblood, or at least raised fully pureblood?

[Zara Hawkins]

Zara could tell that Parker was interested a lot in quidditch since he was really listening in to what she was telling him. "Yeah. The team that catches the snitch first wins and the game is over" she said.

"Shhh!" she put her finger to her lips and looked around the room. "Don't tell anyone, but yes i did go to a muggle school. My dad didn't know where else to send me" she whispered.

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