Hearing her chuckle, Lewis looked up quite suddenly to throw her a confused look, wondering what on Earth she could possibly find amusing about this conversation. Was it funny that he'd just agreed with her that he was an idiot? Was that it? He raised his eyebrows at her questioningly, still a little confused, but somehow the fact that she had laughed made him relax a little. It was...giving him hope somehow. Not all was bad. Or was going to be bad in the future.

Just seeing Selina like that made the corners of his lips turn upwards just the tiniest bit into a small - albeit rather sad - smile while he continued to shake his head. This was crazy. And just so confusing. But they could fix this. Somehow. There was a way out of this, a way that would mend Kurumi's broken heart and make her see the good things in life again. Lewis wasn't quite sure how all this was going to work but they would manage. Somehow they would.

Don't give up on her.

Those words had stuck with him. He wasn't going to. He wasn't planning on. Even though Kurumi was making this a lot harder than it should be. The fact that she didn't want to see him made him wonder if maybe Kurumi wanted him to give up on her. Not that that was her decision to make. He was going to decide that and he was not planning on giving up on here. Not now. Not like this. Not ever. And especially not after Selina had encouraged him not to give up either. That meant more to Lewis right now than the redhead probably knew.

Wait for her. Lewis had done so much waiting on her already. But this was definitely a lot worse than those past summer months. At least then they'd talked to each other - or written each other anyway. But this. This not even seeing or talking to each other was making his chest tighten. So much so that all he wanted to do right now was hug himself. This was living hell. He wasn't sure if he was going to survive not talking to Kurumi, not even seeing her apart from across the classroom during lessons. This was going to be so hard.

Only he didn't really have a choice.

So in the end Lewis just ended up nodding slowly in reply to her advice. "I just wish that there was something I could do to help, you know?" It wasn't really a question but a statement rather, though he was still looking at Selina as if expecting an answer from her. Maybe she would change her mind or something. Only deep down he knew he should just trust her judgement. She was probably right. Space was probably the best thing for him and Kurumi right now. Even if it was going to be extremely hard to stay away from her.

Selina seemed confused by his apology. Mirroring her confused look, Lewis frowned a little as he resumed his chewing on his lip. "W-well...because Kurumi is your best friend." And that was all the explanation the Quidditch Captain was going to get since in Lewis' eyes it was absolutely sufficiently understandable. Best friends always were involved somehow. Selina even more than usual, probably, what with her talking to him now and all. Therefore, she deserved some sympathy too.

Finally, the glass wall of delicate emotion cracked a little when Lewis smiled. It showed Selina that not only did this boy care about her best friend, but that he was capable of an emotion besides sadness and quietness. There was more to this boy than Selina knew and what he had already shown her in this conversation showed a deep level of maturity and understanding. Selina did not condone cheating, but she respected Lewis for the way he was handling his wrongs. Most boys would not behave in the way that Lewis was behaving. It took a lot of guts and compassion to be the type of person Lewis was being at the moment and his smile just magnified Selina's respect for him. Previous to this conversation she had a sour taste in her mouth toward the Hufflepuff Prefect because of his ill faith actions. Now, she still was not a fan of his past, but she had a feeling he could make right of his future.

The only thing about their conversation, though, that always made Selina nervous was the long stretches of silence. His deep train of thought was intense and the redhead was not sure what was going on in his mind. Selina was not accustomed to being out of the loop, especially with her ability. She was prone to knowing what was going on in her life almost all the time. He was still sort of a mystery to her, which made the fact that he was the ONLY one who would be able to save her best friend from herself a little scary. Selina knew when the time came and Kurumi had mended her heart enough to get out of bed without Selina's help, that Lewis was the only one who could really repair her. She did not know if she could trust him with such a huge endeavor, but she would have to trust him. There was no other choice.

It was an odd feeling. She trusted him to fix her, but she did not trust him to fix her. Maybe the whole situation had left Selina so jaded that she wanted Kurumi to just wake up tomorrow and be fine. Boys had always seemed to save Kurumi from some event in her life- Adam, Treyen, Jonathan, and now Lewis. Maybe it wasn't that she did not trust Lewis, maybe it was more that she wanted KURUMI to save herself. Her best friend needed to learn to heal without boys helping her along the way. It was something Selina always wanted for Kurumi, but a boy always gave her the extra push. Sometimes she was jealous that the extra push was never Selina, but that was just her summer jealously seeping into her thoughts.

Then she made a blatant statement. She was not sure if she should respond to the comment, however, she decided that she should reply. If she did not he might do something rash to try and help and that would only make things worse, "There is only one thing you can do- wait. Please. Look I know I don't know you well, but I am begging you to give her time and space. She is not just important to you." She was important to Selina too. Everyone seemed to forget in this whole situation that there were outside parties hurt by this break up. Selina had, in the course of a few days, lost her best friend to Kurumi's inner demons. Did you know what it was like to just watch your best friend disappear while you are standing right beside them? To see them and know that they are not really there.

And when he spoke again she shook her head and said, "No... that girl right now is not my best friend. She is just a shade of the real girl that is my sister down there. And I need her to surface because... well..." she paused, "I won't lose her to herself. It won't happen. I won't let her."

The smile was gone almost as quickly as it had come but it had definitely been there. Even if it had probably only just been there because his emotions were just all over the place, it somehow had calmed Lewis down a little. A little. He still didn't know what to think about all of this or how to feel but there was a part of him that still knew how to smile in a time like this one. And he was going to hold on to that part. It gave him hope. Hope that ultimately everything would be fine.

Wait.

There it was again. The word that made him cringe inwardly. So Selina hadn't changed her mind about what was best for Kurumi. Not that he had truly expected her to. No, she probably knew Kurumi best and would know what to do. Or at least what not to do. And it was quite obvious that Kurumi didn't want to see him right now. For reasons he did not quite understand or agree with but she was going to have to figure out how...downright crazy those reasons were by herself.

His eyes widened a little in surprise and he felt his chest tightening a little as Selina's words started to sink in. She was begging him to give her time and space. Begging him. He swallowed a couple of times to try and get rid of the lump that had formed in his throat, suddenly feeling quite awkward having this sort of conversation with a girl he barely knew. He hadn't really expected her to start talking about her feelings. Though now he realized that that had probably been quite selfish. That right there was proof that she was hurting too. How could she not? Seeing your best friend suffer like that couldn't not affect you. It was impossible.

Finally finding the strength to meet her gaze again, Lewis just nodded slowly at first to show her that yes, he was going to try and give Kurumi all the time and space she needed. Until she wanted to see him again. He could only hope that she would see reason soon and realize that not seeing him at all wasn't the solution to her problems either. This just wasn't the way they were going to end. And he didn't even think about what they were right now. He just wasn't going to let that happen. Them ending because of some crazy idea Kurumi had decided to believe. But no, he got a say in that too.

"I...I know, Selina." I know you care about her too. Or otherwise she wouldn't be here right now. Even though the way she was now talking about Kurumi made him barely resist the urge to shudder. Was it that bad? Now he wanted to see her even more but he bit his lip just in time to keep himself from voicing that thought. He'd just agreed that he was going to give her time after all. "She will be back. Just...just don't give up on her." Lewis ended up giving her her own advice which caused him to sigh a little sadly even though the small smile from before was back.

She will be back. Just...just don't give up on her. Selina cracked a smile at his repetition of her own advice. With a small glimmer of a smile in her voice she replied, "That is some excellent advice you got there Lewis. Whoever initially gave it to you was one smart person." Selina barely finished that thought without feeling tired. Her heart was so heavy with the weight of the conversation she had just had. As much as she loved Kurumi and was glad she could have helped her best friend avoid more pain, she could not shake the feeling that this was not her talk to have given. The words were not her own and so, to a degree, they felt false coming from her lips. She just felt dirty now that the conversation was winding down, but no amount of showers was going to wash this conversation from her skin. Telling someone that the person they cared about did not want to see them was a rough pill to swallow and she had to watch him fall apart after the news. True, he was a good person and had handled it as well as she could have hoped, but it was still not easy for her to do.

She never should have come. It was not her fight. Now that she was done with her piece and had done what she had promised she would do, all Selina wanted to do was drag herself up to her dorm room and inform Kurumi that is was done. It was not fair to her that this was asked of her. She would have done it a million times over if Kurumi asked her to do it, but it still did not make the actually action of doing the hurting any better. Today she had hurt someone, hurt someone she did not even know. That was something she would never forget. How could she forget it?

However, if one thing did come out of the day's events, she felt that she and Lewis had a better understanding of one another. She would not say that they were friends, how could they be after this experience, but she could say that they had mutual respect for one another. Perhaps one day, when this had all settled down and Lewis could see her as someone else besides the bearer of his worst news, the two of them could be friends. She really liked Lewis as a person, she could see why he and Kurumi had become friends. He was a nice kid, genuine. He was eventually going to be very good to Kurumi, she could tell.

But she was exhausted. The whole conversation had left her drained and she was ready to head back to her bed. For a day she was going to take a page out of Kurumi's book and retreat to her bed. She did not want to talk to anyone or eat anything. Solitude at the moment was the best option. For now she wanted to forget what she had just had to do. It was too awful for words.

With a small nod, she addressed Lewis one last time, "Look I hate to be rude, Lewis, but I have to go. I just... well you understand. Hopefully I see you around, and I really mean that." And then, just like she had arrived, she left. She needed her bed.

This girl cries a lot.

Something was clearly wrong, and Mordred can’t pinpoint what it was. His presence did upset Beezus all the time because of him showing the nasty side of a Slytherin, and she still is now even if he did not taunt her. Mordred restrained himself from giving her remarks about her crying, since it was out of the question. Sort of.

Beezus now asked him to tell what happened to him last term. It was some serious stuff that he intends to keep until everything was resolved, but then he realized that it is exactly doing what he did before. Mordred sighed, and found a table with little containers of pellets. He moved toward the table, cleared it and sat on it. Mordred looked at her then up to where Xchylar was. He was torn whether to tell her or not, since everything seemed very personal. “What will you do if someone close to your heart betrayed you?” he asked. He tried answering his own question but always end up picturing his cousins getting hurt. At the back of his head, he knew it was wrong—they were still his cousins. But for a fourteen year old, it seems that getting back at them physically was the only choice.

Beezus, still clutching the white handkerchief followed Mordred's movements as he went to sit on a table which he cleared of all the contents. She followed his gaze when he looked at his owl but his question forced her to look at his worn out features again.

“What will you do if someone close to your heart betrayed you?”

She blinked a couple of time before looking down at her shoes and without notice, she approached the large jug of water at the center of the owlery, grabbed a dipper, scooped a fair amount of water from it and walked towards her owl. As she faced Jordin's cage, Beezus' mind floated away,thinking what must've Mordred meant by his question. Did someone betray him? Someone close to him at that? If so, how did it happened? She wanted to ask him all that. But her dry throat was only able to give an answer to his first question.

With a shrug, she poured the water from the dipper into the small water container just outside Jordin's cage and mumbled out, "I..don't know. I'd feel bad most likely. I mean..if that person was important then that would hurt...being betrayed." She paused for a while, and continued, her back to him, "Did...did someone betray you? What really happened Mordred?"

The boy hung his head as he let the hooting of the owls drown his dark thoughts. He swallowed hard and rubbed the back of his neck, figuring out if he should tell her now or not. His trust was broken not just by one cousin, but all five of them. It was very obvious that he didn’t trust anybody easily now.

“But this is Hogwarts, Mordaunt. Your old friends accepted you wholly even after walking out on them.” A small voice in his head rang. That perfectly made sense, but Mordred felt afraid that he will be betrayed once more. Somehow, he knew he had to take risks in life—just like what he did last year, but this could be a lot different. He took a deep breath and stared at the floor. “Why don’t you sit beside me?” he asked Beezus. It was going to be the first time in so many years that he actually shared something with someone, and he intends it to be as honest as possible.

“I remember during my first year, I told Aurora that I wasn’t that excited to be in the Hogwarts Express going to Hogwarts, knowing that my cousins were on their way to Durmstrang.” He started as he placed his elbows on top of his knees and clasped his hands. “I have always wanted to be in that school, with my cousins. I never understood my parents why they had to send me in a different school, especially my dad who was a product of Durmstrang.” He hung his head again and closed his eyes tightly. “Let’s just say I got that wish last year, when my father got in an accident and had to be transferred to a specialist in the North East. Our family had to move, and I had to transfer school.” He paused as he swallowed hard regretting every single moment of that decision. “I was beyond happy when I learned that I will be in that institution. Who would’ve thought it will turn out as a year-long nightmare?” he said as he masked the pain he felt causing his face to turn pink. “Durmstrang, academic wise—exceeds my expectation, especially in Defense and the Dark Arts. But that school doesn’t know brotherhood.” He said and bit his tongue as the images of his cousins flashed before his eyes. “It was all about proving yourself to the school, to the other boys—even to your own family. My cousins, they—they…”he paused as he tried to find the right words to say, but he didn’t find any. “They..they had to prove themselves too and they traded me to be the laughing stock, the guinea pig, the entertainer of the school to prove their strength…and their worth.” He said as he clutched his right hand into a tight ball. “They are WORTHLESS! THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT TO BE CALLED A MORDAUNT!” he shouted at the empty space before him causing some of the owls to fly. He even caught an eagle owl almost faint. That one must belong to Oakey.

Mordred took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down as images of him being beaten by his own cousins flashed in his head. What kind of kin does that? All for the sake of having a name and reputation? Pssh. They should all be stripped from the family tree.


All of them.

Bored out of her mind, Morgan decided it might be time to visit her owl Apple Bloom. Her name really was quite adorable in her opinion, as her owl was quite the apple lover. As she walked into the owlery Morgan jaunted over to Apple Bloom and stroked her. They had been good friends, as far as human owl relations go. She missed all the time they normaly spent in holiday together, but it was good to see her again.

Silence. There was a long silence from him that all Beezus could hear was her own breathing and the soft hooting of the owls at the Owlery. Then he talked and said something. Sit beside him? He was suggesting that she sit beside him? After a sharp inhale of oxygen, the Ravenclaw turned, leaving the dipper on the nearest table she had passed as she listlessly walked to the table he was seated on.

Just as she had heaved herself up on the table beside him and placed his handkerchief beside her, his faraway voice had filled the room. She sat listening to him, nodding as he told her of his dream to be enrolled at Durmstrang and not Hogwarts. He had mentioned that his parents were Aurors, and with the school's reputation of producing outstanding Aurors, she couldn't really blame him if he thought and wanted badly to be in that Institution. Slowly, she raised her legs up into the table, bending it and moving it close to her chest, then she hugged her knees and stared at her owl at the far end of the room. She was going to let him talk and she didn't have any intention of interrupting until he was done.

He was at Durmstrang. That's why he wasn't at Hogwarts last term. That was why he didn't even write to them. It was as simple as that. He got his wish as he said...but.....what?

When he stammered a bit, Beezus' eyes swiftly found his face. He was almost shaking, his face's color changed, he was mad, she could tell that. She was listening intently, but there was a pounding on her chest, she...she was scared of him that when he shouted, she shut her eyes forcibly and swallowed real hard. Quickly, she penetrated through what he said and when she seemed to understood it, she hastily cupped his face. For what seemed like half a minute, she just stared blankly at his features...unable to say anything....more like, she didn't know what to say. She wanted to comfort him, she didn't want to see him mad like that. It was just.....she couldn't think of anything to say that would lessen his burdens.

"They hurt you?" asked Beezus calmly, but her eyes were starting to betray her, she could feel tears about to fall again so she bit her lower lip immediately. She hated his cousins now. After what he told her, she wanted to hex off those guys. Unable to hide a grimace, she went on, "Horrible. That was just horrible." She looked at again, and sighed before continuing, "You should never return to that place. Hogwarts is here for you. Your friends are here for you.."

A bead of tear traveled down her cheek. "I am here for you."

Michelle had had a long day. And she decided she didn't like Quidditch.
Actually, she wasn't really liking anything here at Hogwarts.
She had no friends.
She had trouble learning the things they taught here.
She missed Jake so much that it hurt to hold the tears back.

That is why she had come to visit her beautiful snowy owl, Snuggles. Did she want to get a load off her chest by talking to her?
No.
What she did want was to send her back to London and deliver her letter to Jake.

So here she was at the owlery, clutching her letter in her right hand. The moment she saw Snuggles, sitting in her cage, looking calm and peaceful and beautiful, she felt assured that she wasn't all alone here. She went up to Snuggles and stroked her head gently.

"Hey, girl. How're you doing? Do you like it here?" she said, smiling slightly.

At least Snuggles was having a good time. Chelle was probably the only person at Hogwarts who felt as miserable and out of place. Everyone else seemed to be having so much fun. She wanted to have fun, too. When she came here, that's what she had expected: fun. Every single day, away from her mother. Freedom. Independence. Happiness.

But the whole time, she kept wishing Jake was with her.

Mordred shook his head trying to calm himself more. It was unusual for the boy to speak his thoughts...but he was thankful that he did. He was too exhausted already to keep things inside him. This too was his fault. He knew he had to share things once in a while, because with his recent experience he was sure that he was already on the verge of going insane.

Then the most awkward thing happened.

He felt Beezus’ hands touch his face. He stared back at her as they shared a very awkward silence. It felt hours to Mordred just staring back at girl who was about to cry. He knows girls can be emotional, but not THAT emotional. He felt his face going numb. He felt himself like he was about to faint. He wasn’t a hugger, and was definitely not the one who wants to be hugged, and touchy acts really freak the hell out of him.

Trying not to be rude, he slowly pulled Beezus’ hands away from his face and nodded. “I will be fine, don’t worry.” He said looking away. “And yes, I will never go back to that place. But I will never forget it.” He said in a calm tone, still trying to hide his shock.

Mordred looked her way and smiled at her. He knew it was the right decision to come back. It wasn’t just in Slytherin that he will find his friends, but from the other houses as well—although of course he wouldn’t admit that out loud.

He then put his arm around Beezus shoulder when he saw a tear fall from her eye. “Thanks, applehead.” He replied with a grin. It has been a while since he last called her that. And it felt good to utter it once more, slowly filling the gap he left in their friendship.

When he pulled her hands and looked away, she did the same. It only came to her that time how awkward what she did was. She cupped his face, her fingers touched his face. Gaaaaah, why did her hands have a mind of their own and would just go on touching anybody's face like that anytime they want?

Trying to hide her frustration, she bit her lower lip again and said, "I know it's not easy to forget about that.." Especially since they were close to his heart. "But..you can always make great memories to replace the hurt you've felt in the past." That's what she was doing. Putting a barrier on the things that hurt her before by making new, memorable memories. Hence, why she was thankful of her friends, they always make her everyday worthwhile.

When she decided to look back at him, she found out he was doing the same and he was smiling. She did the same, however as she did this, a weird feeling filled her that she averted her eyes away quickly. It felt....strange.

Then Mordred was placing his arms around her. She shook slightly because of shock. She suddenly felt a loud hammering on her chest so she looked down and wiped the tear with the back of her hand.

Applehead. It sounded so familiar to her. She missed that nickname. She missed him calling her that. Smiling, she mumbled, "You're welcome..." Finally, she found the strength to look at him again. "...Mordred."

The hammering was getting louder. What was happening to her?

So, no Orangefeet? “That’s strange.” He said as he removed his arm around her and moved closer to her. “I was hoping you’d get back at me and call me Orangefeet.” He said with a grin. “She must have outgrown that attitude already.” He thought. Just like what they say, girls tend to mature faster than boys.

He propped his elbows on top of his thighs and clasped his hands in front of him once more. Mordred stayed silent as he digested what Beezus said. He has great memories, that’s true—and he will be making more of that in the years to come, but the betrayal he felt from his own cousins were too much. It may take years…or never at all to get over it. He hung his head and pondered on her words once more. Where did she get this advice anyway? Sure, she’s a Ravenclaw—smart and all that, but Beezus is way too young to have spoken such wise words. Right? Right.

“You sound like you’ve been to hell and back, yourself.” He said with closed eyes, taking in deep breaths. “What happened to you, then?” There must be something. Mordred’s Auror instincts were kicking in. She can’t just mutter those words if there was no basis at all. Unless she’s really gifted with a huge brain.

Mordred looked at her once more and he could swear that he plucked a string or two. She was sort of shocked and alarmed. What did he do now? “Er…are you okay?” he said as he narrowed his eyes. “You looked like someone petrified you…” he continued. Did Mordred opened an old wound? Bad memories…or was she simply cold?

Aspen had several letters to send. A card, a note, a letter. There were more in her bag, but she had was focused on the three on the window ledge. The owls were quietly hooting, probably dreaming owly dreams, and Aspen was letting them sleep.

She wasn't in any apparent hurry, but was, as usual, thinking deeply. Her eyes were focused intently on her letters.

A card, a note, a letter. Good, bad, and ugly.

Early November weather was Max's favorite. Brisk, but not quite cold enough for one's fingers to freeze through gloves. It was his... kind of normal time to owl home. He was a bit late, he knew, since he would be home for the holidays soon enough. His parents hadn't seemed to mind his lack of communication all that much though. In the middle of September, he received mail from his mum. It was just a typical I hope you're settling in nicely parental message - the kind Max had no idea how to answer, so he didn't. But now he had something to say.

An envelope in hand, Max jogged his way up the steps to the owlery. It was funny: two terms ago Max would have dragged his feet up the stairs with a couple stops to catch his breath along the way. It felt good to be in shape. As he went, he chanted, "OWL-ER-Y, OWL-ER-Y." He... wasn't quite yelling it, but he made no attempt to keep his voice down. He was just trying to keep momentum as it was a long way up. When he neared the top of the stairs, his stamina was faltering and he slowed his pace, trying not to sound as though he was having an asthma attack as his chanting grew quiet. Passing out in a potentially empty owlery was not a good plan.

Luckily, though, he found that it was not empty. He was greeted by the hooting of owls. Max loved animals, you know? His own father was a Magizoologist. But... birds. He was not much of a bird person. Gross feathers. Menacing, piercing beaks. Then they go airbourne and POOP on innocent people. He didn't believe anyone when they tried to tell him that owls were better than that.

Though he was not alone, Max acted as though he was. He didn't even look to see who was there, not wanting to exchange an awkward glance whether he knew the person or not. So, he rubbed the back of his neck with his glove and looked to the nearby school owls. He had no desire to approach any one of them. Every past term he wished he had done himself a favor and bought himself a dependable owl with a calm temperment. This term was no different.

He eyed them long and hard. When a light brown tawny owl stared back, Max quickly broke eye contact and looked away. His gaze fell upon the nearby girl. Ah, Aspen Odessa. He knew her name, of course - he was quite the people-watcher - but he had never talked to her. But she looked... contemplative? Perhaps a hint of sadness? Or maybe anger? He could have been overanalyzing her expression, he knew, but he was still concerned. He couldn't help but worry about everyone. Why was she just standing there? Was she about to have some sort of breakdown?

He paused. Mere hours ago he had made one of the hardest decisions of his life; as a result, the importance of love, friendship, and caring for others was fresh in his mind. He was not going to pass up an opportunity to be a friend to someone, so Max nervously cleared his throat. "Aspen...? Are... you okay?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grangerfn1

Early November weather was Max's favorite. Brisk, but not quite cold enough for one's fingers to freeze through gloves. It was his... kind of normal time to owl home. He was a bit late, he knew, since he would be home for the holidays soon enough. His parents hadn't seemed to mind his lack of communication all that much though. In the middle of September, he received mail from his mum. It was just a typical I hope you're settling in nicely parental message - the kind Max had no idea how to answer, so he didn't. But now he had something to say.

An envelope in hand, Max jogged his way up the steps to the owlery. It was funny: two terms ago Max would have dragged his feet up the stairs with a couple stops to catch his breath along the way. It felt good to be in shape. As he went, he chanted, "OWL-ER-Y, OWL-ER-Y." He... wasn't quite yelling it, but he made no attempt to keep his voice down. He was just trying to keep momentum as it was a long way up. When he neared the top of the stairs, his stamina was faltering and he slowed his pace, trying not to sound as though he was having an asthma attack as his chanting grew quiet. Passing out in a potentially empty owlery was not a good plan.

Luckily, though, he found that it was not empty. He was greeted by the hooting of owls. Max loved animals, you know? His own father was a Magizoologist. But... birds. He was not much of a bird person. Gross feathers. Menacing, piercing beaks. Then they go airbourne and POOP on innocent people. He didn't believe anyone when they tried to tell him that owls were better than that.

Though he was not alone, Max acted as though he was. He didn't even look to see who was there, not wanting to exchange an awkward glance whether he knew the person or not. So, he rubbed the back of his neck with his glove and looked to the nearby school owls. He had no desire to approach any one of them. Every past term he wished he had done himself a favor and bought himself a dependable owl with a calm temperment. This term was no different.

He eyed them long and hard. When a light brown tawny owl stared back, Max quickly broke eye contact and looked away. His gaze fell upon the nearby girl. Ah, Aspen Odessa. He knew her name, of course - he was quite the people-watcher - but he had never talked to her. But she looked... contemplative? Perhaps a hint of sadness? Or maybe anger? He could have been overanalyzing her expression, he knew, but he was still concerned. He couldn't help but worry about everyone. Why was she just standing there? Was she about to have some sort of breakdown?

He paused. Mere hours ago he had made one of the hardest decisions of his life; as a result, the importance of love, friendship, and caring for others was fresh in his mind. He was not going to pass up an opportunity to be a friend to someone, so Max nervously cleared his throat. "Aspen...? Are... you okay?"

OWL-ER-Y, OWL-ER-Y??

Aspen smiled to herself. Someone was cheery to be sending owls... And the someone was a fellow Claw, as it turned out. She welcomed his arrival, relieving her from her thoughts about her post. Aspen didn't make her presence known, though she was almost certain he'd noted her.

She didn't need to converse, but she watched him thoughtfully. He seemed to be having some issues with mail today too.

Just as she was going to leave him to it and return to her own decisions, the Ravenclaw turned his attention her way after all. And asked that question. Aspen hated that question. What did it even MEAN? What was OKAY? She frowned at the question, which could easily be interpreted as her frowning at him.

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "I have all my limbs and health though, if that's what you mean."

He watched her for a few moments. Aspen had always been one of those Ravenclaws he found extraordinarily interesting to watch in the common room, mostly because he struggled to figure her out. She was more complex than the average Ravenclaw, he thought. Kind of an odd one, too. He was fascinated.

"Oh," he replied, his eyebrows raising. "Okay. Well, I mean, that's good," he assured her. "I'm... glad you have your health. But I meant... you. Y'know, your heart, your mind...? The important things that make up your state of being. Limbs and health can often be remedied, but there are other things..."

His voice trailed off and he drew his gaze away from her. He was intruding, he felt it, but he wasn't sure how to apologize. He looked back to the brown owl. It was still watching him, its head tilted slightly to the side. Was it sizing him up? Eesh.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grangerfn1

He watched her for a few moments. Aspen had always been one of those Ravenclaws he found extraordinarily interesting to watch in the common room, mostly because he struggled to figure her out. She was more complex than the average Ravenclaw, he thought. Kind of an odd one, too. He was fascinated.

"Oh," he replied, his eyebrows raising. "Okay. Well, I mean, that's good," he assured her. "I'm... glad you have your health. But I meant... you. Y'know, your heart, your mind...? The important things that make up your state of being. Limbs and health can often be remedied, but there are other things..."

His voice trailed off and he drew his gaze away from her. He was intruding, he felt it, but he wasn't sure how to apologize. He looked back to the brown owl. It was still watching him, its head tilted slightly to the side. Was it sizing him up? Eesh.

Aspen didn't really react, her expression guarded like usual, but that she was perplexed was evident in that trademark head tilt.

She was thinking the same as him: those questions were sort of intrusive, assuming he meant them in the traditional sense and less in the literal sense.

...

...

"Before I attempt to answer... that question ... May I ask one of my own?" She went ahead, of course, "Why ARE you asking that question?" Why was her heart and mind being called into question? Was it the stupid Joao thing? Meh.

Max thought about approaching the owl that found particular interest in his presence, but if its intentions were malicious, he would rather it not come after him in front of Aspen. When she spoke again, Max turned back to her and cleared his throat in discomfort.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, his hands out in front of him. "I didn't mean to... pry or... invade your privacy. I just-... you looked kind of... pensive? But maybe not in a good way, I wondered? And I just figured... y'know... well, I care about people a lot... and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Or, err, if you needed someone, or a friend, I wanted to make sure... you had one?"

He rubbed at his eyebrow, his face contorting with anxiety. "Sorry," he said again.

Max wasn't good at talking.

Annabelle needed some fresh air. She decided to go visit her owl Charlene. She went up to the top of the owlery to find her. Belle knew Charlene loved heights. "Charl" she called as she whistled. The owl heard her and she flew down to her outstretched arm to land on. "Hey my pretty girl, how are you doing?" she asked. Charlene looked up to Belle with her golden eyes. She nuzzled next to her and was happy to see her. "I know i haven't seen you as much, but i am busy with all my classes and doing homework. OWL year stinks you know." she told her owl. "I have a letter for you to send home to mom and dad." as she held the letter out. "I know you will love the long journey." she smiled and tied the letter onto her leg. As Charlene was about to take off, Annabelle said "Now be careful and get there safe." Charlene nodded and bit her finger lightly to show she understood. As Charlene flew, her wing span was amazing and it was even more beautiful to see her fly into the sunset.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grangerfn1

Max thought about approaching the owl that found particular interest in his presence, but if its intentions were malicious, he would rather it not come after him in front of Aspen. When she spoke again, Max turned back to her and cleared his throat in discomfort.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, his hands out in front of him. "I didn't mean to... pry or... invade your privacy. I just-... you looked kind of... pensive? But maybe not in a good way, I wondered? And I just figured... y'know... well, I care about people a lot... and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Or, err, if you needed someone, or a friend, I wanted to make sure... you had one?"

He rubbed at his eyebrow, his face contorting with anxiety. "Sorry," he said again.

Max wasn't good at talking.

...

Aspen did not... understand. She had LOOKED pensive in a bad way? How could he be so certain that wasn't just her face? What was pensive in a good way?

...

He cared about people, and was using that "okay" word again, and then inquiring about her needs. It was really perplexing. No, really, Aspen was at a loss.

"I'm confused again. What are you sorry for exactly?" She paused, then added, "I think you'll be sorry if you stand there much longer. You're kind of in the bird-of-prey personal sleep space."

"I don't... know?" Max also didn't know why he replied as a question. "I'm sorry because... I didn't mean to press into your business or... make you uncomfortable. I just wanted to make sure you weren't sad or anything, but apparently you're fine so I'll just..." Go? He wasn't going to go until he sent his letter. He scrunched up his face. What a gross day.

"Sorry." Again. "You can just pretend like I'm not here. Or... I was never here. You're allowed to look as pensive as you want without anything being wrong," he nodded firmly. He was making a terrible first impression and actually felt bad for wasting her time. "You don't have to tell me anything."

In reality, Max was mostly projecting his own insecurities onto someone else. Was Aspen really upset? He had no idea. Of course he was truly concerned that she had been alone and intensely staring at a few letters while surrounded by owls, but he might not have asked if he wasn't overwhelmed with his own sorrow. He would have thought about asking without acting upon it, but today he needed to seek out some kind of distraction from his own problems.

But he did care - though right now, he wished he hadn't cared at all.

...Sleep space? Max turned back to look at the row of owls he had considered approaching. They were watching him curiously, so Max took another few steps backward. On a normal day, he made his way to the owlery and kept as far from the owls as he could before sending one off, then he would leave as soon as possible. He had never spent so much time in such a small space with owls before and he did not like it. At least Aspen was there as a witness if they turned on him. "Owls," he muttered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grangerfn1

"I don't... know?" Max also didn't know why he replied as a question. "I'm sorry because... I didn't mean to press into your business or... make you uncomfortable. I just wanted to make sure you weren't sad or anything, but apparently you're fine so I'll just..." Go? He wasn't going to go until he sent his letter. He scrunched up his face. What a gross day.

"Sorry." Again. "You can just pretend like I'm not here. Or... I was never here. You're allowed to look as pensive as you want without anything being wrong," he nodded firmly. He was making a terrible first impression and actually felt bad for wasting her time. "You don't have to tell me anything."

In reality, Max was mostly projecting his own insecurities onto someone else. Was Aspen really upset? He had no idea. Of course he was truly concerned that she had been alone and intensely staring at a few letters while surrounded by owls, but he might not have asked if he wasn't overwhelmed with his own sorrow. He would have thought about asking without acting upon it, but today he needed to seek out some kind of distraction from his own problems.

But he did care - though right now, he wished he hadn't cared at all.

...Sleep space? Max turned back to look at the row of owls he had considered approaching. They were watching him curiously, so Max took another few steps backward. On a normal day, he made his way to the owlery and kept as far from the owls as he could before sending one off, then he would leave as soon as possible. He had never spent so much time in such a small space with owls before and he did not like it. At least Aspen was there as a witness if they turned on him. "Owls," he muttered.

Hmmm.

Basically, Max couldn't stop talking. Instead of waiting for his mind to know things first, his mouth just spewed out words before his brain was ready for it. Aspen wondered how life with that ailment would be like? When you couldn't actively make decisions in what content you let out of your mouth. It probably made Max's life hard, but also... interesting.

She decided to help him. Aspen put her hand over her mouth, then motioned for Max to follow suit. You do this, too, Max. Cover your mouth. Shhh.

After a moment or two, she approached his side of the owlery and gently tugged his sleeve back another foot or so.

Still being shhhhhh. Aspen, mouth covered, turned her eyes up to the owls where she waited with endless patience for an owl to make a move.

Beezus sighed softly out of relief when finally, the Slytherin removed his arm around her. But talk about surprises, he suddenly moved closer to her, resulting to her edging away from him in a haste and almost falling off the table. "Merlin!" she mumbled as she grasped the edge of the table, pushing herself back to the center. "Well..." he wanted her to call him Orangefeet, eh? "Can you move away Orangefeet? I can't sit properly.." There. She called him. Plus, she was feeling too strange with him near.

Hell and back? The Ravenclaw couldn't help but snort. "I've been to hell, yes." She said, her eyes locked on the floor, but secretly eyeing him on the corner of her eyes. What was this?A counter-interrogation? "I mean..if you call having a dead father and sister a hell then, yeah." She wasn't really selfish in sharing her story. If people asked, she would say it.After all, she'd moved on. She was still hurt that her family's in ruins but she just gotta continue living.

Why was he looking at her again? It was making her feel strange. "I'm..I'm okay." Was he concerned in any way? She bit her lower lip before continuing. "Don't worry." The thought of him being concerned made her heart jump. Wait...her heart was jumping? Maybe because not all boys she knew ever get concerned for her. Yeap, that was it. At least, that's what she wanted to believe. She wasn't liking this. She was making up reasons. The exact same situation happened with Dylan at the Room of Requirement and it was making her feel warm, fuzzy and confused.

Because of Mordred’s fast reflexes, he was able to grab Beezus’ arm who almost fell off the table. Smirking, he stood up and faced her instead of moving away. “I missed that name.” He said with a grin. Beezus used to grate on his nerves, but things may have changed. He was certain that Durmstrang made him a better person. Mordred crossed his arms in front of him and listened to what Beezus was saying. His father and sister are dead? Why? “I’m sorry to hear that.” He said as he unfolded his arms and placed his hands in his trouser's pockets. “I hope you don’t mind me asking you why they’re gone?” he asked as he stared at her. “Are your father and sister a wizard and witch too?” he continued.

As he waited for her reply, Mordred contemplated about his own family. He hasn’t lost a family member, well almost lost his father—but it seems he is far more blessed than Beezus. He may go mad and evil if ever he lost his father. He was everything to him, and yet there he was hating the man for siding with his cousins. “Maybe father’s right. Maybe I should give my cousins a chance.” He thought to himself. He shouldn’t question his father’s love and loyalty, for Mordred is Aldrich’s only son; his only heir.

“Are you cold?” he asked as he unclasped his cloak and offered it to her. The wind was getting stronger up at the owlery.