The Enchanted Ceiling (OPEN)

After assisting Lady Gwen Moore with the students who still needed wands, Merrick reported back to the school to carry out his duty to Lady Helga Hufflepuff and enchant the ceiling of the Great Hall. It was a much larger area than he was used to enchanting, but he was relatively confident in his ability to do so with Lady Gwen's encouragement.

It took several tries to get the spacing right, but after some determination and hard work, the knight managed to recreate a perfect replica of the night sky among the vaulted ceiling. He paid particular attention to the constellations that would be readily visible tonight and sent it on a gentle rotation so that the stars would move as they did on a nightly basis.

This all was quite tricky and very precise magic, of which he wasn't exactly known for but he wanted to do something that would last and be remembered at the school. While they may not remember the name Sir Merrick Raine, they would remember the enchanted ceiling, he was sure of it. Once everything was set, he took a few steps back toward the door and took in his hard work. His wand dangled from his fingertips as he placed his hands on his hips and he looked up with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Tha'll do," he murmured to himself as he once again mentally checked the placement of the stars and watched as thin wisps of clouds gathered around the fringes. Slightly unexpected as it was supposed to depict a clear night, but magic could be temperamental at the best of times. He supposed it would be good enough for the Founder's approval and enough to impress the youngsters that would be learning beneath it.

Astrid was on her way to the gardens to give them one last look over per Lady Hufflepuff's request. Ok, maybe it was her request to the other woman to help ease some of her workload with the school's opening day. After her interaction with Godric in the infirmary she had taken some time putting everything back into order and cleaned up to her satisfaction. She still was going over the interaction she had with the dashing founder, unable to believe he hadn't questioned or resisted her more on her treatment of his injuries. Not to mention the brief glimpse of his nude body she had accidentally scene thanks to the adjusted mirror. That had been the first thing she had fixed in the room, fueled by her mind flashing her the image several more times as if she was some young adolescent girl that could be swayed and swooned by the sight of such a thing. No matter how good looking he was and how tempting he had made it to reach out to touch just to see if it was real.

Yea, some fresh air would do her a world of good for a while. At least help clear the thoughts from her mind that were technically about one of her employers. Astrid was making her way by the grand hall when she heard someone speak from the partially open door. A little curious she approached, wondering if it was a house elf doing some last minute repairs or work in the dining hall before dinner. She opened the door and took one step inside before she realized it was a person not a house elf who had spoke and they were looking up towards the ceiling with a sort of accomplished body pose. It took her a moment to recognize who it was, a little familiar with the rest of the school staff but not completely.

"My apologies Sir Raine. I heard you say something from the corridor and thought you were a house elf at first in need of some help in the dining hall." Astrid said as she realized she might have just walked in on him in the middle of a task. Not wanting to seem rude if she had, she offered a small bow before something above her drew her attention up to the ceiling where she caught sight of magnificent sight she hadn't expected. "oh minn lords ok rikki móðir" she whispered in norse without realizing it. The sight catching her a bit off guard and loosening her hold on her norse tongue enough to express her surprise in that language rather than english.

Merrick turned quickly at the voice, having not had the pleasure of actually meeting the matron of the infirmary in person, thus he was slightly startled. More so when he heard a touch of the Norse language slip from her lips causing his eyes to narrow slightly on instinct. It was likely a good thing it was him and not his brother who had heard her lest he start a small war against her.

His eyes widened back to normal as he noticed her gaze was drawn up in awe toward his handiwork. Slowly a smile spread across his face as he realized she was stunned by it. If it had this sort of effect on a trained witch then perhaps it would shock the students even more and perhaps surprise the Founders themselves. He looked up at the starry sky again and sighed.

"Tis nay ba' work, d'ye thin'?" he asked, wondering if she'd be able to form words in English that he might understand. A second pair of eyes might be beneficial in pointing out things that he might have missed, minor details and the like.

Shaking herself out of her stunned form, Astrid glanced at Merrick who was looking up at the ceiling too now after giving her a response thick in an Irish accent. Or was it Scottish? Sometimes she couldn't fully tell the part, not since her family had moved up into the mountains and no longer lived on board a ship where she came across a multitude of accents and cultures with every port they stopped at. 

It took her a moment to deconstruct his words, reassembling them into what she hoped was as closed to what he had asked her. "Its possibly about as close to the real thing as anyone could get. For a moment I couldn't tell the difference and I've made use of the night sky for travel several years or so" she said, looking back up at it. "Its amazing. Quite the marvel for sure. You did this all on your own?" 

"Aye," he said with his chest puffed up slightly in pride before looking back at the blonde lass. "Tis 'ow I planned on teachin' me class in the tower. Lady Moore suggested I de it on a bigger scale an' Lady 'ufflepuff though' tha' the Grea' 'all would be perfect. I 'ave te agree now tha' I see it."

Merrick looked back up at the ceiling, letting his eyes glide from one constellation to the next. He had even added slight swirls of stardust here and there that were barely visible to the eye as they would be on the clearest of nights. While he hoped the Founders, Lady Hufflepuff especially would be pleased, it was his sincerest hope that Lady Moore would enjoy the sight just as much. 

After all, it was her encouragement that led to this moment. If she hadn't given him the gentle push to do this, he would have never thought to accomplish such a feat.

Astrid took a little time looking over the grand sight above them. She spotted a few familiar constellations and stars she had taken note of during her travels. The night sky was indeed far too underrated in its appreciation. It had been a lesson growing up she had enjoyed as well as more when her family was living on boasts and she learned about the lunar cycle of certain healing plants. It was a lesson she was glad to pass on to her siblings along with a few others.

"I don't suppose it mimics the weather outside inside as well? For example if there is a thunderstorm going on outside is it mimicked up there with clouds and flashes of light or does it just show the clear sky?" she asked curiously. It would be interesting to see if Merrick's fascinating enchantment could recreate the weather as well as the sky minus the actual physical evidence. To see rain clouds mingling about or the larger plusher looking clouds they would see as they dumped snow on them.

"Well, erm, nay," he said, his smile dropping a bit into a slight frown. "Tis mean' te show the nigh' sky when the weather be bad. Though I seppose adjustmen's could be made."

Merrick looked thoughtful for a moment before regarding the ceiling once more. There were still wisps of clouds along the edges of the buttresses that he could expand upon, though it was a fairly clear evening. He tapped the pads of his fingertips and the end of his wand against his bottom lip as he considered the problem.

"D'ye really thin' tha' tis necessary?" he wondered out loud, still looking up. He was trying to rework the spell in his head to see what he could do to let it reflect outside. "Rainy days migh' be full o' melancholy fer the youngs'ers."

Astrid took note of the change in Merrick's tone of voice and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. It sounded interesting in her mind if it was possible, seeing a storm formation without having to stand in the downpour of rain or risk being struck by lightning but then thats what made it fun to go out in that sort of whether to begin with.

"No, I suppose not. I could see how it would be a little discouraging for the children to see the sky full of clouds outside only to come here and see the same thing up there. I may just be the weird one that would enjoy and find it interesting see the darker forms of weather as well as the clear and bright sky" she replied. It was for the best anyway, there was something special about going out in a storm that any kind of copy wouldn't be able to fully grasp. The kids could come inside and enjoy looking up at a clear sky, it was more storm for her to enjoy. "I think its great just as it is. You've done something rather amazing with it that I'm sure the children and everyone here is going to really enjoy." 

 Astrid took a few more seconds to look up at the ceiling then lower her head down and looked at Merrick. "Well, I should get out of your way in case you have more work to do. I just came to make sure no one needed help and I disturbed you plenty enough as it is. Congratulations Sir Raine on the magical marvel you did with the ceiling and I can't wait to come see it again later tonight during the welcome dinner feast" she said, giving the man a small polite smile then calmly turned and took her leave of the grand dining hall.

Godric was just coming down from leading his house members to their new home. He still had to get cleaned up and change his clothing again for the feast. A man had to be properly dressed for a good feast, after all. And he needed to be a proud representative of Gryffindor house in full regalia! If the students could wear proper robes, then he should probably wear the things his mother had made for this occasion as well.

He was going to head and check on last minute things before doing so but was distracted by the sounds of voices in the Great Hall. Technically, no one should be in there at this time. All students should be in their dorms, getting settled in. And he figured the teachers would be getting ready as he should be. While it could have been house elfs, they didn't sound elfish. In fact, one sounded very Irish and quite familiar.

Godric was just about to walk and investigate when a young woman came rushing out of the room, smack dab into his chest. He put his arms out to slow whomever was trying to escape, his foot going back to catch himself from falling. "Woah, slow down there a bit. No running..." He frowned as he realized it was the nurse. Again? Did he really have to face her twice in one day. Was not once enough.

Well, technically, he would be seeing her at dinner but he meant more like in social settings. It was just rather odd to see her out of her element. "Raine, what did you say to the lass to make her run off so quickly?" Godric mused, looking beyond the girl towards his old friend then back down at the young lady in question. Wow, she was a rather solid thing, rather unexpectedly.

"O' ye d'nay 'ave te leave," he said in surprise as he looked back at Astrid as she began to make her retreat only to run smack dab into Godric. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, giving the other man a shrug. "Te be 'onest, I d'nay know," he responded with a hopeless smile.

Clearly, his friend had yet to take notice of the ceiling, so he waited patiently for that moment. Hopefully, if it met with Godric's approval the other Founders would be impressed as well. The only problem was that the night sky sort of made the lighting in the Great Hall dim, so he was now trying to figure out how to brighten the room up enough for them to see their food when the time came.

Merrick watched as Godric righted the nurse and had a funny thought. They looked rather attractive together though he doubted his friend would ever settle down with anyone. He simply wasn't the type as far as he could tell, but the nurse seemed feisty enough to give him a run for his money. It was an amusing thought at least.