March 3, 1893 — Padmore Park

Aleksei had not yet made up their mind whether or not they would really be settling into Hogsmeade. Perhaps simply moving to the more magical side of London would suffice? They had a lot to think about. Aleksei had decided to spend some time in Hogsmeade to get an idea of what living there might be like. They had headed to Padmore Park and they had not been walking long when they were surprised by a swan that had swooped down out of nowhere. Weren't those birds supposed to migrate? "Are swans often in this park?" They couldn't help but ask of another visitor of the park.

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aleksei is non-binary. in ooc narrative, aleksei goes by they/them, IC people would percive them as he/him

There was nothing like a walk in the park to mull over his writing and mentally expand upon it. Natty knew Padmore like the back of his hand, and was perfectly content to be asked about it by another passer by. A delicate young boy, charmed (or confused) by the swans. "Sometimes, at this time of year. In fact, I'll do you one better", he pulled a hand from his pocket and pointed over to the far end of the water, towards where it met the Black Lake. "See that? Some early cygnets, there in the reeds."

  

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"So they don't migrate or they have just returned from migrating?" Aleksei asked since this rather handsome man (the man was so tall, so green eyed, sharp lined) seemed to know about this topic. They had taken Care of Magical Creatures but Hogwarts didn't tend to cover knowledge about the more mundane species shared with muggles, such as swans. Thus even with being a muggleborn, Aleksei knew little about the creature other than that they were beautiful.

Aleksei followed the mans pointing and let out a delighted, "Oh!" Little baby swans, gray in colour and following their mother in a sort of formation awaited his gaze.

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aleksei is non-binary. in ooc narrative, aleksei goes by they/them, IC people would percive them as he/him

"They've migrated early — at least these ones have", he explained. It was funny the sorts of things you pick up when writing books. Swans had played a particularly major role in a mystery story the ghost writer had penned a few years back. "Remember the unseasonal spate of heat we had recently? It triggered a bit of an early Spring for one or two animals. But they'll be okay", he reassured the young stranger.

Smiling slightly at the boy's reaction to the cygnets, Natty gestured that he come and join him in a walk along the bank for a closer look at the fluffy little things. For now, they were mostly hidden by the reeds.

  

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Aleksei nodded as the older man reminded them of the unseasonal bit of heat. It had even reached London for a spell. Aleksei could not help but be relieved when they were told that the animals would be okay despite having been thrown off schedule.

Aleksei followed the others gesture and joined him along the bank. "They're so fluffy and soft. They look like cotton," Aleksei could not help but muse.

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aleksei is non-binary. in ooc narrative, aleksei goes by they/them, IC people would percive them as he/him

Natty smiled, somewhat amused and endeared by the boy's comments. It was rare that he experienced the innocence of... well, a child? Or a young person, anyway. "Are you a student at the school?" he asked. He didn't know how holidays at Hogwarts worked — potentially the children had a few days off as Winter ebbed.

  

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Aleksei smiled at the other as the older man asked if they were a student at the school. "I was but I graduated last year," Aleksei informed the other. "I was a Hufflepuff." It still felt surreal even all these months later to not be a student anymore.

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aleksei is non-binary. in ooc narrative, aleksei goes by they/them, IC people would percive them as he/him

Graduated, hm? Not everyone could afford that feat. Natty nodded, impressed. "I was a Hufflepuff too. Ah — no, hang on, I wasn't. I was a Ravenclaw", he remembered, mentally kicking himself for forgetting what would have mattered a great deal to his eleven-year-old self. "I was only there for one year", he explained his lapse in memory.

  

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At the mention of the other man having been a Hufflepuff, Alekseis face lit up in excitement. Which was then dimmed somewhat by the man then recalling he had been in Ravenclaw. Aleksei couldn't help but giggle at that. "I suppose to you, the Houses don't mean much in that case," Aleksei mused when the man explained he had only been in Hogwarts for a year.

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aleksei is non-binary. in ooc narrative, aleksei goes by they/them, IC people would percive them as he/him

Natty smiled; the young person made a fair point. It did seem like the Hogwarts Houses meant nothing to him; but that wasn't true. "Quite the contrary; being sorted into Ravenclaw meant a great deal to me. So I suppose, out of respect for the student life I never had, it still means a lot to me."

  

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Alekseis cheeks flushed visibily in response to the others words. "I am sorry for my assumption." Oh but Aleksei wished they could just kick themself. What an ignorant thing to say! Aleksei hoped they had not offended the man but the other seemed to have taken things in stride. "I hope you enjoyed what time you were able to have there."

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aleksei is non-binary. in ooc narrative, aleksei goes by they/them, IC people would percive them as he/him

Natty raised a brief hand to dismiss the apology as the young man blushed. "No need to apologise. I enjoyed it greatly." And had long wished he'd been granted more than just one short year. It felt cruel, looking back, that an innocent eleven year old should discover the magic of Hogwarts only to be taken away from it so soon. But unfortunately that was the way of life.

"Did you?"

  

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Aleksei smiled to know that this man had enjoyed his time. It had been a mix of things but ultimately, Aleksei had also enjoyed it. "I very much did. I always believed magic was real," Aleksei mused. "I am a muggleborn so before Hogwarts, I was always told I had my head in the clouds for believing in things like magic." Granted, they were told the same thing now but for different reasons altogether.

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aleksei is non-binary. in ooc narrative, aleksei goes by they/them, IC people would percive them as he/him

Natty looked at the lad with interest — muggleborns were fascinating. No two tales of magical discovery were the same. "Do you recall your reaction? When you found out?"

  

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Aleksei nodded when they were asked if they remembered their reaction. "I remember feeling amazed, a sort of vindication and relief that it wasn't actually just all in my head. Most of all, excited. A magical school was something I could only ever dream about before then."

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aleksei is non-binary. in ooc narrative, aleksei goes by they/them, IC people would percive them as he/him

Natty listened to the petite youngster with great interest — and bittersweet empathy. The more he spoke to people about their experiences at Hogwarts, the more he realised the extent to which he'd missed out. But there was no going back.

"You should write your story down", he advised after a moment's thought.

  

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