Large Office

Large Office
sixth floor of hogwarts

The Large Office is rumored to have once belonged to Dolores Umbridge during her stay at Hogwarts, and no professor has wanted to inhabit it since. All the portraits of cats have since been taken down and there are only faint traces of pink left in the decor. Occasionally, students stumble across the room and make it their spot.

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

Hana waits patiently at the abandoned office for Ignaci, Squash sitting contentedly in her lap as she pets him from time to time. He is beginning to get quite large and Hana knows he will only get bigger (Squash is only a baby, after all), but she has already grown far too attached to the kneazle to care. She and Ignaci had to take care of the creature last semester and she managed to convince Professor Ibn-Yasmine to let them continue looking after him at least until the end of the school year. Hopefully, by the time graduation season comes around, Squash refuses to be parted from them and then they can just... keep him. The idea they may break up before June does not even cross her mind. Hana cracks a smile as the baby kneazle lets out a tiny purr, cooing at him while nobody else is around to see her.

Ignaci Castello

dragonology apprentice
ateleia

Ignaci is not sure about this. He loves Hana, but he is certain that he will be able to see her for ages to come and they can be a part while he is not feeling well. The thing is that he *loves* Hana and letting her down is not something he wants to do. It's not that he has been bullied into seeing her (because it is rather easy to convince him to see his girlfriend), but her stubbornness did contribute to his willingness to just cave in. Her stubbornness is often appealing to him. Hana is incredibly attractive in every ounce of her. "Hello," he announces his presence the moment the door is pushed ajar. He slips around it, closing it and pressing up against it as he surveys the room. Ignaci is a mess. His curls are all jumbled and it's clear he hasn't been grooming them as best he should. He even has a little bit of stubble where a mustache should be. He seems swollen too, and as if he hasn't slept even though he has been sleeping a lot. His whole dorm has kudos to March St. Pierre. His chest rises and falls, breathing a bit unsteady as he admires Hana. Catching his breath from the stairs, he smiles. "You are so beautiful." It's important to remind her. Ignaci shuffles to sit ten feet from her before his eyes bug. "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. *Whoa.*" Is that- No. "Squash?" He pouts, crouching down and reaching his arms out for the creature to come to him. "Han..." He sounds sad and so incredibly moved. He's been extra fragile the last couple of nights, so it's to be expected.

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

Hana stands to greet him but then he sits down so far away from her and she rolls her eyes. So he was serious. He does not look like he feels very well but he is still so attractive to her, as he always is. Squash immediately leaps from her lap onto the floor to go to Ignaci. "Traitor," she mumbles, though she does not seem too bothered by it. Squash has always liked Naci more. Hana understands. Ignaci is her favorite human too. "Naci..." she mimics his tone fondly. It is taking everything in her to not get up from where she is seated and to join the two on the floor. "I'm sorry for making you come here when you were feeling unwell." She did not realize how bad it would be. It's her first time being exposed to such a sickness. She's researched a bit more since the outbreak in Gryffindor Tower, and it seems that like most other sicknesses, it flourishes in the cold. Living in a tropical country seems to have its perks. "But Squash insisted." she says. "He has been trying to escape my dormitory for two days now, and he is smart enough to have figured it out eventually, I'm sure." Most kneazles are. She is about to continue talking before she lets out a sigh. "Must we really sit this far apart from each other?"

Ignaci Castello

dragonology apprentice
ateleia

"He loves his father," he coos in response to Hana's traitor comment. It amuses him how much Squash loves him in comparison to her because he doesn't quite understand it. Ignaci is aware he is great for many reasons, but he feels very reassured knowing that someone has blunt and opinionated as his girlfriend has believed it way before they started dating. He grins lazily as he engulfs the kneazle in a gentle embrace, kissing its head before scratching at its head. "Hm?" He squints, staring at her from a distance and frowning as he listens to her. Once she's finished, he shrugs and resumes petting Squash. "I don't want to harm you." His voice is quiet and he's clearly worried. If he wasn't feeling so out of it, he would have made some sort of offhand comment about what would Vilja do to him if he did? Except he can't be that witty because he is thoroughly concerned. A little reassurance is all he would truly need at least when it is coming from her because he trusts her judgement, but for the time being, he throws his hands past his head dramatically and quietly pulls a face of agony. "A few head scratches though...Han, I could melt." He's so dramatic, but being so close to her feels like God tempting him. This is unfair.

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

He's being ridiculous. Surely, whatever it is that's afflicted him is not going to take Hana down so easily and even if it does, she is more than capable of keeping up with her academics given how far ahead she is in terms of getting requirements done. She inches a bit closer to him, which is barely considering the large space between them. "He does." she agrees, responding to his comment about Squash. "Ibn-Yasmine said we can keep him until the end of the year, so if you like you can take him back to your dorm with you later. Maybe he can attack St. Pierre on my behalf." She does not sound like she's joking when she says the last part, very much annoyed with the boy who caused her boyfriend such grief and illness. "And you are not going to harm me." she insists, getting up to approach him. "It's just a kissing bug. I'll survive."

Ignaci Castello

dragonology apprentice
ateleia

Ignaci hardly notices that she is moving closer because he is focusing in on Squash and trying to ignore the temptation to cling to her and never let go. "We could steal him," he says confidently, smiling as the kneazle purrs against his hand. He loves cats and kneazles are essentially the Hana Fernandez of cats. Another reason he wonders why Squash would prefer him over her. Surely being around Hana is more stimulating to his mind and helps him develop more as a kneazle, but Ignaci *does* give him extra food. He does not tell his girlfriend about this. "We shouldn't call it that," he says, voice falling quiet again. He glances up at her, then noticing she's been getting closer though he doesn't acknowledge it. "I haven't kissed someone else. It feels wrong to imply I caught a kissing bug from someone else."

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

Hana does not notice any signs of objection so she gets closer before finally sitting on a piano stool near her boyfriend and their kneazle child. "I know you didn't." she tells him, "I'm just saying that it's nothing I won't be able to handle, if I even get sick in the first place." Hana is definitely bright, but she is cocky and arrogant enough to think that perhaps she will not get infected or at least it will affect her minimally. There was never a kissing bug at her old school. She does not think it could possibly be that terrible. "Besides, you said you got it from *March*. If you had to cheat on me with *anyone*, I'd be pretty offended if it was with someone notorious for being a bad kisser." Hana chuckles as she extends a hand to run her fingers through his hair. She combs through them as if to fix them and make the curls less unruly than they are now. She loves Squash, truly, but having Ignaci is already kind of like having a cat.

Ignaci Castello

dragonology apprentice
ateleia

His head not-so-subtly leans forward to bring her fingers further into his hair. Ignaci puts an elbow on his knee, then props his head up by leaning his face into his palm. His other hand continues to pet at Squash, but it slows as he starts to tire underneath Hana's touch. "The only cheating *I* do is on e- *xams*," he mumbles, not considering his target audience. It isn't true anyways. All of that had to stop when he came to Hogwarts and it occurred to him how important this all is. Ignaci laughs before shuffling forward off of the edge of the couch. "Would it be cheating if I travelled to the future, but it was just an older version of you?" It's stupid and he knows it, but his mind has had a lot of idle time lately. "Hypothetically. I bet you will still be *so* beautiful though." He almost said *hot*, but he catches himself.

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

Hana melts once she realizes how tired her boyfriend seems to be and continues playing with his hair so he can relax. The cheating on exams comment makes her frown, but she does not think Ignaci is the type to do such a thing. She understand though that a lot of their yearmates do. "You don't actually, do you?" she says, sounding a bit disappointed. "We could always study together more often so you wouldn't have to resort to cheating." She's quiet for a second, then bends her head down so she can kiss his forehead just so he knows that she isn't judging him for it, if ever. "The older version of me would be taken by the older version of you, though. You might have to fight him." she muses, "Speaking of the future... Have you been working on your applications to the programs you were looking at?" If Hana recalls correctly, the deadline should be a couple weeks from now. To Hana, that means that he should be finished by sometime this week so he can revise everything until the deadline until it's at perfection. She knows that other people tend to cram, though, and she is trying her hardest not to be overbearing about this.

Ignaci Castello

dragonology apprentice
ateleia

Ignaci grumbles something. "Used to," is made out somewhere in the mess. He doesn't cheat on his exams anymore even though he should have more motivation to do so now than ever before. He actually cares about his academics, yet is no smarter about it than he was before. Ignaci doesn't voice this opinion though because he knows Hana will frown at him over it. He barely feels the kiss and assumes she is disappointed. "Older me would understand the desire," he muses, laughing at himself. He even giggles before turning his head up, pulling her hand from within his hair. He sends her a kiss through the air and pulls a sly face before patting the couch to get her to come over. Now that she is so close, he might as well be allowed to actually rest his head down on her lap, right? It will be easier for her to play with his hair, too. He makes a little pleading noise before huffing and closing his eyes aggressively, eyes crinkling. "I have finished one. I have a couple of more to do...later though."

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

Ignaci is *such* a cat and it is extremely amusing to Hana that just a while ago he was swearing up and down that she must stay at least ten feet away from him, and now he is inviting her to sit next to him so she can play with his hair. She moves to sit beside him so he can rest his head on her lap, and smiles fondly when Squash follows her, curling up at her feet after she's positioned herself. She sinks her fingers into his curls and begins combing through them gently, then pauses when he mentions having finished – "Just one?" Hana bites her tongue immediately after. She reminds herself that surely, Ignaci will finish everything on time because that's important to him. "You should work on the others once you feel better." She wonders how long this bug will take to go away. A week maybe? That's a lot of lost time... "I can help you." she offers.

Ignaci Castello

dragonology apprentice
ateleia

He melts into her the moment his head touches her lap. Ignaci feels comfortable here and he lets out an almost *whine* the moment her hands regain their position within the mess of curls on top of his head. Hana is so good at sorting out what he wants and doing just that. It's as if she is some sort of mind reader. "One," he repeats, raising a hand to rest on one of her knees. He lets his thumb run across it gently, focusing on it before his eyes close. He sniffs in hard, which irritates the headache brewing. "I think you should focus on your applications," he says, not as snooty as his mind says it to himself. "I can handle mine." His words slur again, coming in and out of English before- "- not due soon anyways." They are. He has eleven days, but that does not seem to be as soon as it honestly is. Besides, he should not have Hana helping him when she has other things to do and they are *his* applications. He does not want to get accepted because he put something down that is embellished or aided by her.

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

The mention of *her* applications causes her to stop playing with his hair just for a couple of seconds, before realizing that she's paused and continuing. There are only two programs she's interested in anyway, and Deonte insisted to her that she has a very good shot of getting into both. Both are practically ready to be sent out; she works on them in her free time when she wants to get her mind off of studying, but she is not yet done with her third round of proofreading them. There is a part of her that tells her she should not care so much if she doesn't particularly *want* to get in anyway, but that would be lying to herself. The truth regarding what she wants to do with her life is becoming more and more apparent to herself and harder to ignore. "I'm done with mine." she admits to him quietly. She is stubborn and feels embarrassed for having once so vehemently opposed the idea. She gets the hint though that she should stop nagging. They're due in *eleven* days though... "I just want to help, especially if you're feeling ill."

Ignaci Castello

dragonology apprentice
ateleia

When she pauses, he pauses the motion of his thumb as if awaiting some sort of *comment*, but then she resumes and he does too. He's a bit more anxious, likely from the nausea. "Fantastic!" His enthusiasm is clear even if he's quiet. The word is quietly muffled from one side of his face being squished up against her legs. He turns his head to stare up at her, sending a kiss through the air and a cheesy, delirious grin. His head quickly falls to face forward again and he makes a small noise. "If you proofread for me, you will write it all over again, Han. And then it isn't *me*. It has to be me." He's worried enough about going to school for even longer, but let alone if he gets in somewhere where he realistically shouldn't be and then can't live up to their expectations. He frowns, staring ahead at the fire as his hand falls from her knee and over the edge of the couch to pet Squash.

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

"It *will* be you." Hana is almost offended at the notion that she would just rewrite the whole thing, then she remembers how that is how she operates in most pair works and group projects and realizes that he has the right to make such an assumption. Her boyfriend knows her so well. She smiles mostly because Ignaci seems so happy that she is actually giving this whole spellmaking thing a shot, and that serves to fuel her own excitement at the prospect of something other than just staying cooped up in a palace in Manila her whole life. She notices his face fall and she begins to frown as well, looking thoughtful. She already knows what he must be thinking about, so she does not bother asking what's wrong. "I'm very certain you're going to get in. And on your own merit." she reassures him, "You deserve it. And this is really what you're meant to be! I'm sure of it."

Ignaci Castello

dragonology apprentice
ateleia

His face seems to fall as he starts to get drowsier and he worries he will sleep. "Han, my head hurts..." he moans, bringing his hand to his face. His whole face feels wet. Is it tears or sweat? Or God forbid, he better not be getting snot on his girlfriend's clothes. He groans again, before sitting up and leaning to the side to try to cough. Nothing comes and he lies down again, letting his eyes drift closed. "Hm?" He tries to recall what she said. Even though he's listening, his headache is creating this buzzing inside his head that drowns everything out. "I don't know, Han. I don't deserve it. I- I fucked up and I can't forget that," he insists though it is quiet and wimpy. Ignaci recognizes that his record is not impressive and his essay submission will not be well written because that isn't his forte. It is completely possible that he is not accepted, and he knows that. It depresses him that she seems so confident because it means he could so easily disappoint her. While still shut, tears start to tug. "Is it my *tadhana*? Is that correct usage?" He grins, laughing at himself to try to collect everything again. This is not allowed to be depressing.

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

Hana knows her boyfriend well enough to tell when he is getting in his head about everything. She continues to play with his hair as he closes his eyes, trying to help him drift off to sleep. She pauses as she tries to think of words. She does not want to lie and say that nobody deserves it more than him, but it is what almost comes out. There can easily be someone that has been working for this their whole lives. Hana herself has worked so hard her entire life to be academically achieving that she is surprised she was really almost going to say it, but she does just love Ignaci so much that there is nothing more she wants than to see him happy. "You *do* deserve it." she says, because he does. She cannot think of anyone who will care for the dragons more. Those creatures will be in good hands, and Ignaci will be able to fulfill his dreams. It is a win-win situation. "You did not mess up." she tells him quietly, "You are doing so well now... Surely, whoever will be going over your application will recognize that this is your passion and that you are very serious about it." Hana smiles when he does, even if she knows that he is just trying to shift the mood. "Yes, that's how you use it." she tells him softly, "It is your *destiny*. I am certain."

Ignaci Castello

dragonology apprentice
ateleia

Ignaci seems quite smug with himself for getting it correct. He rolls over, so his face is lined up with her abdomen and a hand reaches up to hold her hip. His finger traces down it gently and he starts to grin again. "Thank you for believing in me," he says after a while. He is good at expressing himself and believing what she tells him in turn. Hana has been honest with him from the start. She's far too blunt, and he loves that about her. His girlfriend is also usually right, so her opinion holds a lot of water. Sometimes she is wrong such as with the spellmaking program, but she is coming around. The thought of that again turns him a bit smug. "Han, my head hurts..." He moans again, glancing up at her before shutting his eyes again. "Can you sing for me please?" His voice is purposefully pleading and he grins to himself. "In Filipino."

Hana Fernandez

lakambini ng namayan, spellmaking apprentice
paintedred

"Of course I believe in you." she tells him and frowns. How could he ever think otherwise? Her faith in him is unwavering. She sighs when he makes his request, but gives in. She has been dating Ignaci long enough for her to not be embarrassed about this sort of thing. "Only because you are sick." she says, "And only because I love you." She leans down to kiss his forehead continuing to weave her fingers through his hair as she begins to sing quietly, "*Di ko inakalang, darating din sa akin...*"