Testing Out An Old Relic (Open)

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars went up on top of the Astronomy Tower, toolbox in one hand and a telescope on the other. When he finally reached the top, he laid down his toolbox, opened it and took out a lens cleaner. He then placed the telescope on its stand and started polishing it.

He knew that tonight would be the best time to test out the telescope. However, this is not just any ordinary telescope. It was an old relic handed down through generations of the Stouner family. When it was passed down to him from his father, it had lots of cracks and dents on it. He spent the good part of his summer break fixing it and he was proud to say that he had done a remarkable job on it. He could still remember the look on his father's face when he saw the newly fixed telescope.

As he adjusted the magnification, he could see clearly the constellations, the moon and the north star laid out in front of him. It has been a long time since he went stargazing, yet doing this activity made him feel lonely. Probably he felt that it would be better if there would be someone else who he can talk about the stars; he believed that astronomy would be worth studying if more people get to appreciate the wonders of the stars in the night sky.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching his position. His instinct acted up and he quickly took out his wand, folded up the sleeves of his midnight blue dress shirt and pointed it towards the would be intruder. He was still thinking that it might be the prefects checking up or somebody else...

[Prudence Campbell]

Prudence Campbell had always been an organized person. Leaving her things all over school, or any place for that matter, was just not her. Early this morning, she left her favorite quill on top of her desk in Transfiguration. Later, at the back of the Charms classroom, she left her ink bottle. And, not an hour ago, she left her quill case, filled with all her school supplies, on the desk she occupied in the library. Luckily, she got everything back.

Everything fell into place by dinner. The food was great and it went so smoothly that she could say it was uneventful. All was well until she noticed her bare wrist just before she went to bed. Her right wrist had never been bare, it had always been the home by her grandmother’s bracelet… a silver bracelet that was being passed on their family since before her great great grandmother was even born.

The horrible feeling of losing something so important smacked her in the chest. She gasped and got up and did everything to find it. She looked under the bed; scanned the floor of her dorm; rummage through her clothes; and turned over her cushion. Nothing.

She felt her eyes start to sting and suppressed it. Crying was not going to help her find her bracelet. Think! Think! Think! She paced her room and decided to head to the Astronomy Tower since it was the last place she had been before she went to bed. Sweaty, panicky, desperate and hysterical, were the most accurate words to describe her after running up the spiral staircase. And, when a wand was suddenly pointed at her face, she shrieked.

[alariclarsstouner]

Much to Lars' surprise, the intruder that he was expecting turned out to be a girl. He could see that she was scared. What would be your expected reaction when a wand was suddenly pointed at your face? He was so surprised that he quickly withdrew his wand and placed it back into his wand holder.

He then surveyed her face. He could clearly see the look of horror across her face. Upon closer inspection, he realized that she was from the same house as his, only much younger. Judging from the frantic footsteps he had heard, it seemed that she was in a hurry to go up the tower. What could make her run up here like that? he thought.

He then went near her and took both of her shoulders gently. "I'm sorry I scared you like that. It's just that my instinct suddenly acted up on its own. I guess you'd better sit down, you're nearly out of breath." He then guided her to a stone bench by the balcony. He helped her sit then he sat beside her.

"Look I'm really sorry if I really made you freak out. By the way, you're from Raven claw also right? My name's Alaric Stouner. Just call me Lars though." he said as he offered his hand to her. "Just breathe easy, everything's going to be fine."

[Prudence Campbell]

Prudence let out a breath she did not even know she was holding when he withdrew his wand and stepped back. A male student pointing his wand randomly at her face was not the first thing she expected to find on top of the tower. She was hoping it would be a silver bracelet, on the floor, glinting in the darkness.

The student apologized and advised her to sit down. All she did was nod slowly before taking his advice and sitting down. Now that he had mentioned it, she felt really out of breath, which was not good. The last thing she needed now was an attack. She closed her eyes and counted up to five as she tried to calm herself… Taking deep breaths every now and then.

“I’m sorry…” Pause. “For freaking out…” Another pause. “Like that.” She opened her eyes to stare at him, feeling calmer. “And it’s okay. I’m just a little panicky that’s all… completely not your fault.” She rambled.

“Yes I’m from Ravenclaw. I’m Prudence Campbell. Do me a favor Lars, and just call me Prue.” She informed him calmly. “I would really appreciate it, you know… That way I would not have to be so prudent all the time just to live up to my name.” She joked, offering him a smile for the first time since they met. She really needed to calm down if she wanted to find that bracelet.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars was watching her with mixture of surprise and interest on his face. It seemed to him that she was in a rush to find something on the tower, though he did not know what it was. For someone who would just go stargazing would just take his or her time to walk up since it was a long climb. But here she is, panting like her life depended on it.

He noticed that she was having some sign of an asthma attack, so he just let her relax for a couple of minutes to calm her. "What brings you here to the top of this tower? Surely with you hurrying up like that, you didn't come here for sightseeing," he said.

He then turned his gaze on the telescope and sighed. "I guess I would have to gaze into the stars alone again. Surely you're not really fond of stars, aren't you?" he was merely saying this to keep her relaxed because he knew that whatever it is stressing her, it was bound to do something very distressing to her.

[Prudence Campbell]

Prue nodded. “I did not come rushing in here just to go sightseeing. I came here to find my bracelet.” She told him, taking her handkerchief out and wiping her sweaty face. She took one last calming breath and stood up. “Did you, by chance, see anything?” She asked, without really looking at him, as she walked slowly and started looking for it. She turned around to face him. “It’s silver…” She paused, thinking of a way to describe it. “Not anything out of ordinary. It has a number of hanging charms all over.”

In her haste to find her bracelet, she did not even see his telescope, which was out in plain sight. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She apologized, biting her lip as she turned her full attention back to him. “I hadn’t realized that you were in the middle of something.” Pause. “You don’t happen to have been waiting for something, do you?” She inquired, hoping he did not just missed a meteor shower or something.

Judging by his telescope and the way he talked about stars, she could tell that he was an Astronomy lover. She could not blame him, she too was fascinated by the stars and the planets. “As a matter of fact I am fond of them.” She told him. “They are fascinating. Especially Astrology… I could not stop trying to figure out what they want to tell me, you know. Sometimes, I go out here just to stare and admire at them.” She paused to scan the area again, trying to recall if she wore the bracelet prior to dinner. “You come here often?” She asked, averting her eyes from the ground, turning them back to him.

[alariclarsstouner]

As Prue told him the reason for her hurrying up to the tower, he realized that it now made sense. The bracelet she was looking seemed to be like an old relic, much like his telescope, judging from the way she was describing it to him. "It seems to me that this silver bracelet is much like this telescope of mine, which is an old relic also," he said as he watched her pace around the tower. "Is it that very important to you," he inquired.

He then laughed when she said that he might have missed some sort of astronomical phenomenon or something. "Nah, I haven't been waiting for anything. I just wanted to test this telescope out. I kind of fixed it up during the summer because my dad gave it to me like it was already meant for the junk shop."

He then stood up and moved towards her. He fixed his gaze on the sky and saw the stars twinkling in their entire splendor. "You said you love astrology right? So by any chance you believe in omens, in star alignments and stuff? I also believe in those stuff though and something tells me you'll find your bracelet here tonight," he said as he recalled something that will prove to be very significant to Prue.

[Prudence Campbell]

Again, she nodded. “Yes. It’s a family heirloom. One that had been with my family for generations... At least up until today.” She sighed, still trying to remember when she last saw it. She wanted to look for it someplace else already. But her intuition told her that she must not leave yet… like the bracelet was already near her. Knowing that her desperation might be blinding her, she decided to trust her intuition and keep looking.

She was glad that he did not miss anything. Never did she want to be an inconvenience. “Wow you did fix it.” She eyed him, amused. “That must have taken a lot of work,” She commented as she walked over to the telescope and admired it. “So you fix telescopes? Or just this one?” She asked, turning her attention back to him again.

“I do believe in omens and other things. I knew about them since I was a child. My grandmother taught me a lot.” She smiled, remembering one of the most beautiful people in the planet that she knew. “She was as great a grandmother as she was a teacher.” She told him, a small smile on her lips. When he said that he had a feeling that she would find her bracelet here tonight, she just nodded and smiled. “What made you say that?” She asked, although that was what her intuition had been telling her… she needed to ask.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars laughed as he looked at her surveying his telescope with interest. "Yeah, I can fix not only telescopes but also a lot of other stuff," he said. "But my expertise really is fixing watches and making them. In fact, I'm working on a new watch and I intend to give it to someone as a present," he then added as he went over and adjusted the lenses of the telescope.

He was right about the bracelet being a relic, a family heirloom at that. He crossed his arms and thought hard...surely he could recall seeing something shiny in the dark while he went up the tower...and his mind went into an AHA! mode. It was that weird looking silver bracelet that he was tinkering with back in the common room. He had been fixing it since some of the charms fell out of place and it had a hard time doing so that's why he went up to the tower quite late already. He felt that she needed to know what happened to it but...not yet?

He then looked through the telescope and smiled. "When I told you that you'll find your bracelet here, I wasn't kidding at all," he said. "I guess you have the right to know what happened to it though," he added, with his voice in a near whisper. Surely, this piece of news would delight her though.

[Prudence Campbell]

“That’s so great. You must be a very patient person.” She beamed at him, really impressed now. It took a lot of knowledge and experience to fix something, let alone make them. The fact that she could not do it made her appreciate his expertise more. Maybe she could learn but it would take a lot of time. Given that she knew all the ropes, she knew she still could not do it. She knew she could never be patient enough. “Wow, that’s really sweet.” She smiled. “May I ask who the lucky person is?” She raised an eyebrow, curious.

“Hey, do you mind if I take a look?” She asked, not wanting to touch it without permission. After all, he just told her it was a relic he just fixed. Then she did not know what happened next, her vision clouded over and everything went black. It was an impossibility since her eyes were wide open and she was awake. She gasped. Then, she blinked rapidly, and everything became perfectly clear again. What just happened?! She asked herself shakily. Just then, she heard him talk about her beloved bracelet.

“Oh Merlin! Did you just say you saw it?” She exclaimed, practically jogging up to get closer to him, leaving the telescope behind. “What do you mean I have the right to know what happened to it? You’re not telling me you tossed it in to the lake, are you?” She asked, worry devouring her whole. She could not imagine misplacing that bracelet that way. It was the only thing her grandmother gave her to take good care off.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars tried to suppress a laugh. but he could not do it and he ended up bursting into loud laughter. After all, he did make that watch project because he was sure that when he got back to Hogwarts, he would be able to find the right person to give the watch. After all, his watches were top quality, and only noble wizarding families can afford his works. That is how he earns for himself, aside from the allowance he receives from his parents, which was quite big also.

Hearing her praise actually made him feel ashamed of himself. In reality, he was not really a patient person. "You know, I'm not really as patient as you think. I only learned to be one because of my craft in making watches and fixing stuff. When I was just starting, I usually throw things around my workplace whenever I get frustrated," he said. When she commented on his being sweet and being curious about the recipient of his watch, he just sighed. "Maybe I haven't really found my recipient but soon I will."

He then saw that she stiffened a bit and about to faint. Just as he was going near her, she suddenly snapped back to normal. Then she literally ran towards him when she heard about the bracelet. He shuddered a bit when she said that he just thrown the bracelet across the lake.

"Nah, I wouldn't do something like that. In fact, I was going to tell you that..." he then reached to his pocket and pulled out a silver bracelet. It gleamed in the silvery moonlight. "I found this bracelet back on the stairs leading to the tower, but it was in pieces so I decided to find the charms and fixed it," he added. "Sorry about that."

[Prudence Campbell]

She just watched him laugh, astonished. The sound he made was loud. She never expected the person who pointed his wand at her face not long ago to laugh like that in front of her. It was just plain weird. She made a joke in front of him before and he did not laugh. She was just having a casual conversation with him and he cracked up. His unique behavior made her grin.

“But still, you learned to control your temper and actually be an expert and all.” She pointed out, shrugging off what he said about his impatience before. “I think that’s what is important.” She paused and grinned. “If you even have just a glimpse of me when I’m being impatient, you would be certainly not saying any of those things you just said.” She informed him, cringing as she remembered one of the many times that impatience got the best of her.

She was so relieved when he said that he did not tossed it somewhere or lost it. But his words still made her worry about its condition. Finding it in bad shape is better than not finding it at all. She told herself, gulping, as she watched him reach for it in his pocket. “Oh dear Merlin, thank you!” She exclaimed, hugging him. “You have no idea what you just did for me.” She said as she released him, a wide grin on her face. “I can never thank you enough.”

Just then, her vision blurred into black again. She had no idea what was happening but she knew it can’t be good. It was not normal to not see anything for a couple of seconds and see everything clearly the next. Am I going blind? She shuddered just by thinking about it. Focus… Focus. She told herself over and over. “May I have it please?” She asked him, extending her right arm. She did not know why she asked for the bracelet, all she knew was that she let herself be guided by her grandmother’s words…never take it off.

[alariclarsstouner]

"I guess it's just all in the training. I don't have a sibling that's why most of my time was spent reading instruction manuals and sports classes,"he said. Although he knew that he inherited his handyman skills from his mother, of all people, he mostly learned by himself but it was his father who taught him the art of watch making. I can only make fix watches but not anything else as his father used to say.

Lars was positively surprised when she suddenly hugged him. He knew that she did this because she was ecstatic over him finding her bracelet. But he had to admit, it's been awhile since someone last hugged him, and it was his mother. He turned red slightly, but shook the feeling away. This is not the right moment to feel that! he thought.

However, he was suddenly alerted by Prue's actions. It seemed to him that she suddenly blacked out, and she was reaching out her arm to him, as though she wanted to get the bracelet from him. Suddenly, he was horrified, something he haven't felt for years. Instinctively, he took her right arm, and quickly fastened the bracelet safely into her right wrist. He then let his other arm steady her body.

"I can't believe it...what just happened to you...was just like my mother's..." he finally said. "Now I understand how important that bracelet is for you. My mother had one, but it's a ring with a Lapiz Lazuli stone on it. She gets weak when she does not wear that ring so my father and I had to be on guard all the time." he then guided her back to the stone landing and let her sit.

"You're a seer, aren't you?"he then asked.

[Prudence Campbell]

She chuckled. “I know what you mean. Training could really play a big role in a lot of things. I almost think I can conclude that training can be a logical way of predicting ones future... of course, it can never be 100 percent accurate.” She bit her lip, trying to recall her Grandmother’s words. “The future always changes. It has to happen first for you to be sure.” She finished more to herself than to him.

Prudence felt the familiar chain being fastened back to her wrist. Thank Merlin Lars listened to her instead of panicking. The bracelet worked like a charm on her eyesight. All things were blurry at first but she could see all the lines and colors. She blinked a couple of times and everything was back to normal. “Thank you,” She said softly. Surprised, she eyed her bracelet. What the heck just happened? Was she a blind person for real? She freaked out. Maybe that was why her grandmother told her to never take it off. You know that is not it Prue… A calm voice told her. Focus.

She snapped out of it when he spoke. His words piqued her. The fact that he seemed familiar with all this comforted her. Maybe that was why she lost her bracelet here and he was the one to find it. There were no coincidences after all. “Gets weak? Weak like faint or sick?” She asked, letting herself be guided and hoping he would tell her more about his mother’s need for the ring.

His next question though was nothing like she expected. “A what?!” She exclaimed like it was the biggest accusation in the world and she was innocent. How weird is that? Seers are supposed to see the future not go blind without a bracelet.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars was taken aback when she bursted out on his question, as though she was being accused. After all, he seemed to just assumed it. What was I thinking? he thought. Man, she thought I'm accusing her. "Uh...I'm sorry to ask you that...I guess I was just assuming," he said. He was afraid that he might have hurt her feelings or something like that. He then stood up and went back to the telescope. He fingered the magnification knob but stopped.

"My mother, was from a family of seers," he began. "However, she was born with a weak body. When she makes predictions, she would usually pass out or worse, get sick. To prevent this, my grandfather, her father, crafted a ring with a Lapiz Lazuli stone. The stone will neutralize the negative energy that my mother has whenever she uses her seer abilities. However..." he gulped twice, "My father and I had to watch over her or else..." he stopped and sighed.

He then turned back to her. "So why do you seem to get weak when your bracelet was lost?" he asked. "I'm sorry, but I seem to be curious with it." he then shifted his gaze from her back to the sky.