Our aspirations are wrapped up in books

[bookish_lioness]

WHO: Hermione Granger and Open!
WHAT: There's a new witch mage wandering around Skyhold. Come say hello?
WHEN: Backdated to her arrival near the end of Guardian and onward throughout Drakonis.
WHERE: The library. All over Skyhold. But mostly its library.
NOTES: Feel free to run into her pretty much anywhere, or have her run into you. And be prepared for all the questions about your character and Thedas/their homeworld and everything in between.

If not for the fact that Hermione had spent so many of her formative years in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Skyhold might have been overwhelming

As it was, the sprawling fortress was a little hard to get used to, since the academic environment that had given Hogwarts some sense of structure amidst the chaos wasn't present here. There was a library, thankfully, and she spent much of her time there, though it was so small that she was certain she'd end up reading every book in there in two weeks' time if she didn't actually go out and explore the rest of her surroundings.

And so every so often, she pried herself away from the cold little corner she'd set aside for herself and wander the rest of the area, though granted, she more often than not was carrying at least one book with her. Usually it was one of the books that had survived the trip through the Fade; anyone who might spot her in the garden or tavern or a safe distance away from the sparring going on in the training grounds might notice her engrossed in such unfamiliar titles as Hogwarts, A History or occasionally digging through Spellman's Syllabary in the vain hope of finding recognizable runes on various inscriptions throughout Skyhold.

After all, just because she was endlessly fascinated by all the new people and cultures and history and magic, it didn't mean she didn't occasionally need a bittersweet reminder of home. Especially when her other major reminder was her wand, which - despite the fact that she'd taken to finding the most solitary places she could find and practicing with it harder than she ever had the night before an exam - still wasn't behaving properly at all. Apologies to those of you who end up slipping on some wayward ice or getting sprayed with pebbles from a spell gone wrong.

Comments

[demonicbeauty]

"Well," Ariadne said, shrugging one shoulder up to her ear, "we seem to have nothing but time on our hands." She sat up straight, eagerly. "I could help you if you wanted. I mean, I don't know anything about magic, but I could find you books or ingredients or whatever you need for a spell. I'm very, very good at finding things."

She nodded enthusiastically.

If she were a puppy, her tail would be wagging.

[bookish_lioness]

Smiling a little at that enthusiasm, Hermione gently shook her head. "Thank you, but I really don't know what you'd be able to find here that would help me with my specific kind of magic. I have some books from home here, and I don't know that there are many ingredients for potions that could be found around here."

Shrugging a shoulder, she added, "But if you happen to come across any books that might relate to using magic without utilizing the Fade, I suppose that would be incredibly helpful. So long as it doesn't involve going out of your way."

[demonicbeauty]

"I'll look," Ariadne chirped, straightening her spine.

She knew next to nothing about magic. Only what she'd seen the Elf students studying in the mission school while she was relegated to a corner to read or do lines or solve arithmetic problems.

It all looked so interesting.

And more than that, Ariadne felt the need to be needed. She hated being useless in Thedas. It wasn't a color she understood.

[bookish_lioness]

"Thank you," Hermione replied, smiling a little. "Now that I mention it, though, maybe I should go do a bit more reading rather than attempt anymore practical magic. That's what happens when you end up in a world in which you've never read any of the books."

Moving to stand up, Hermione carefully scooped the little blue fire up in her hands, only to pause as she looked down at the other girl. "Are you cold? I don't know how long the flames will last, but if you're going to spend much time out here, you're welcome to them. They shouldn't spread, and they'll be warm when you hold them but shouldn't grow unbearably hot. If they do, I'd suggest dropping them and covering them up with dirt, since they're waterproof."

[demonicbeauty]

She smiled, but shook her head. It was a little cold, but she didn't want to risk taking the fire up into the trees with her. "I'll be fine, but thank you very much."

Ariadne rose to stand in one graceful movement, offering Hermione another bouncy, little curtsy.

"I'm glad to know you now, Hermione," she said. "I hope we can talk again soon."

[bookish_lioness]

Nodding in response, Hermione decided to keep the small fire with her, at least until she got back into Skyhold proper. She wouldn't want to cause a fire in the library, after all.

"Well, if you'd ever like to come look for me, I'm more often than not in the library. You're welcome to get in touch with me whenever you'd like."