An active, character-driven Hogwarts experience set in the early 2000s. Unique items, plots, and features. Non-canon; this isn't Harry Potter's story, it's ours.
Post by Sophia Rhynhart on Dec 1, 2022 0:21:35 GMT 10
Sophia was kind of mad at Lucky for suggesting the Savannah. Well, okay, maybe she'd suggested it, technically, but he'd given her the idea so that was still his fault in her mind. The Savannah, seriously? All. That. Walking... after having barely made it out alive from her OWLs? And by the terrifying lake, of all places? She truly had gone mad today.
Her hair was still its beautiful, natural brown. Sophia finally noticed it, as she'd headed to her dorm for a shower to wash off the stress of her exams. Given how hot it was today, she'd removed her robes and vest. She smelled of honey and roses, having accidentally spilled her new shampoo on herself. She'd left her hair as it was though, too mentally drained still to bother morphing it -- except to make it a little shorter.
Puffing to the top of the slope, Sophia shook her head in disbelief. Cancelling Quidditch was not good for her health. She should sue. Damn, she might need to take up running or something. Maybe if she had Jake and Lucky dress up and chase her, she'd get in shape easy.
Okay, it was kind of worth it. Sophia smiled, her back to the lake. It was the perfect spot. She got things out of her backpack, including a picnic rug and lots of snacks. More snacks than they needed, but they'd just been through exam Hell. She was the queen of snack reserves, after all, so it only made sense she'd bring the supplies. Lots of chocolate, but sandwiches too.
And jars of juice. Look, it was a container, okay? She needed secure lids.
Everything was ready, and she had no one to share it with. Lucky and Martha were the only ones invited, as Sophia just wanted to chill with her house buddies. And she knew Jake was off pranking the life out of everyone to make up for having to sit his exams, as if some crime had been committed against him. She didn't fancy getting goo out of her hair now she'd washed it.
All that was left to do was wait.
And sneak some chocolates because waiting was boring.
Post by Martha Twiggs on Dec 1, 2022 0:32:46 GMT 10
After her last exam, Martha had been in a kind of daze.
All that preparation and studying and it was all over, just like that? It was hard for her to believe. The hard part, as her dad would say, was behind her now but there was still the worry there about failing. It didn't help that Martha was still undecided about the career she wanted to pick for her future so getting as many good grades as possible would help keep her options open.
But her daze couldn't last too long.
Sophia had caught up with her before their first exam and asked Martha to join her and Lucky with a post-exam celebration picnic. It was hard for her to say no and she promised she would come along, after all it would be something to look forward to. This was why she was trudging along the Savannah to find Sophia and Lucky. She felt drained after all the mental stress of exams so this would be a perfect pick-me-up.
Martha grinned as she caught sight of Sophia by the lake and felt her room-mate had picked the perfect spot. She didn't see Lucky yet but knew he couldn't be too far behind. Martha arrived at the picnic a little out of breath and gave her friend a wave as she needed a moment to catch her breath.
While doing that, she noticed all the amazing things Sophia had brought along for their picnic, praising the other girl between breaths, "You went all out!"
She hadn't thought to bring anything and had rushed here after her last exam so she felt a little bad. Hopefully Sophia wouldn't mind, it seemed like she had got everything covered anyway.
They were going to have a feast and an amazing time just chilling. Martha sat on the rug and shrugged off her robes, using them as a cushion. This was exactly what she needed, a break from worrying about her future. If anyone could help distract her, it would be Sophia and Lucky.
"Thank you for inviting me. I need this." She leaned into her friend for a moment, hoping she wouldn't mind the half hug she gave.
Last Edit: Dec 1, 2022 0:36:03 GMT 10 by Martha Twiggs
Post by Luckett Langford on Dec 1, 2022 1:29:19 GMT 10
Exams were done and over with, and now, the summer beckoned.
It was almost like flying, the rush of adrenaline that coursed through his body as he sprinted out onto the grounds. Luckett felt free, unshackled by the agony of studying. He liked the way castle drifted behind him, the way the trees disappeared around him, how they became a continuous blur of white, blue, and green as the clear sky of the afternoon appeared as if in a portrait, captured forever, as he ran underneath it but could never leave it behind. It was pretty.
He'd been able to spot Sophia and Martha a mile away, but not even that was enough to slow the momentum he'd gained from his sprint. It took an abrupt motion to slow his pace, determined to at least stumble into a spot beside them instead of falling completely -- but it was more of a crash landing, as he toppled forward into Sophia and knocked around some of their snacks.
'We bloody freaking did it! We finished our exams!' He grinned wide, running a hand through his newly-windswept hair to try and neaten it again as he smiled at the girls. 'We've got the whole summer to look forward to now -- no more classes, no more studying!'
Lucky breathed heavy, labored breaths as he reached for a sandwich. He hadn't eaten much at breakfast, too tired to even raise a fork to his mouth. It was a good thing that everything Sophia brought for them to enjoy at the picnic looked delicious, and he couldn't wait to try all of it while spending the afternoon with two of his coolest housemates. What better way to end the year?
'By the way, d'you reckon your whole family is going to the Cup, Martha?' He hungrily bit into his sandwich, glancing at the girl sitting across from him. 'I can't imagine Amy and Toby missing it. I know I don't want to miss it. I want to be there for the whole thing.'
Post by Sophia Rhynhart on Dec 1, 2022 2:18:21 GMT 10
Stuffing three chocolates in her mouth, Sophia waved happily as her friends finally arrived. How dare Lucky have the stamina to sprint right now.
'Of course.' She scoffed, as Martha said she'd gone all out. 'We nearly died in there, for Merlin's sake. We need subsidence.'
Sophia leaned back, enjoying the shade of the Beech tree. She nodded at Martha's thanks, smiling warmly as of course she was going to invite her. She yelped as Lucky crashed into her, even knocking the snacks -- which, honestly, was worse.
'Gerroff, ya big sod.' Sophia lightly shoved him. Why was she blushing? It really was hot out here, huh. Summer was not her favourite season, by any means.
She nodded at what Lucky said, but could hardly sit still. Her grin only widened further, resisting it but no... there was no way she could keep it to herself. Fixing the snacks he'd disrespected, Sophia hurriedly dove through her bag and brandished a torn letter.
'Lucky. Hey, sorry, but I can't... Lucky, you're not gonna believe this.' Sophia waved the parchment in his face, as if that would magically help him know what was on it. 'I wrote to my parents, y'know after the Quidditch World Cup news and all that. Oh, crap. I didn't think to ask you... well, anyway.'
She shook her head. Whatever. Details.
'I asked if we were going this year, and guess what? I got this on the way here and...' Sophia shrieked with excitement. 'We are! Not only that, but Mum decided to stay home so we could have an extra ticket. They finally said I could bring a friend for the summer. And so, do you wanna? C'mon, come to the World Cup with me! You can spend all summer with us, no problem.'
She quickly looked to Martha, despite knowing the Twiggs typically went anyway. Not that Martha was particularly interested in Quiddittch, somehow.
'I could ask if I could bring another friend? I mean, if you have your own ticket you could totally stay with us too...' She winced, not at all confident her parents would let her but was worried about excluding her. 'I could try, really.'
Then she squealed at Lucky again, unable to calm down now she was free of exams and could finally... after five years of shameless begging, have a friend over. Going to the World Cup with Lucky? Bonus.
Post by Martha Twiggs on Dec 1, 2022 6:55:37 GMT 10
Martha had started to eat a chocolate biscuit when Lucky crashed into Sophia and she laughed behind her hand. Their antics were always amusing (and dare she think it, cute). Martha watched the two of them happily, nibbling away at the biscuit. Normally she would lick the chocolate off first and then eat the biscuit but that felt more like a 'do at home around family' kind of habit.
Even if she felt like Sophia and Lucky were two of her closest friends at school.
"You that excited about being done?" She asked Lucky when he finally settled and nodded at his question.
"Every time, I don't think we've missed a single one even when we were kids. Tobias is going to be an extra handful this year..." After all, he was on a Quidditch team too along with Amelia. It made sense that he would be extra-hyped up about watching the game.
When the conversation shifted towards Quidditch Martha kind of clocked out. She still listened but she paid more attention to their snacks and setting things back up that Lucky might have knocked over. Martha had just finished straightening the jars of drinks when she glanced at Sophia, realizing her friend had directed the conversation to her and she stilled for a moment.
"Oh, uh, well you know my family are going anyway. My dad makes a big deal about it and how we can bond while camping together." She shrugged but smiled - because she liked her dad and knew how much it meant to him that they would go together as a family. Even if being stuck in the same cramped space as Tobias was never exactly her idea of fun.
"I can meet up with you guys there, for a bit, if you like?" She fiddled with a bag of crisps but didn't open them yet. She wanted to suggest a sleepover at Sophia's tent for one night or even that they could sit together for a match or two but Martha worried that would be asking too much.
Martha felt like that being invited to hang out with Sophia and Lucky was brilliant already so she didn't want to overstep the invitation and assume things. She had a feeling maybe the two of them would want to spend more time together alone, as a twosome.
Post by Luckett Langford on Dec 1, 2022 11:13:47 GMT 10
Lucky munched happily on his sandwich, cheeks still rosy from the sprint, as he tossed a couple of crisps into his mouth for good measure. He was in high spirits, as ready to talk and laugh as ever; the total opposite of how he'd been earlier this morning. If he had it his way, he'd never have to feel that way ever again. Unfortunately, he still had two more years of Hogwarts.
But hey, at least his education would help him to professionally play Quidditch, right?
He gave an elated hum about his excitement over being done for the rest of the year, crunching and swallowing his mouthful of food as he nodded at Martha. Wasn't she happy about being done too? Sometimes he wondered what was wrong with her, especially since she didn't seem to have the same passion for Quiddy as the majority of her siblings -- but he still liked her all the same.
Suddenly, his golden brown eyes widened, attention shifting to the parchment being waved in front of his face. Lucky couldn't catch a single written word, rolling his eyes in playful frustration as he made a grab for it. But it wasn't his inability to snatch it that gave him immediate pause, but instead what Sophia said. Had she just.. no.. was she joking? He had a ticket to the Cup?
'Are you being serious, Soph?' He blinked at her, dropping his half-eaten sandwich onto the picnic rug. 'You're going to have me feeling like a super wet wipe, mate! Did you really get us tickets to the World Cup? You know how much I've been wanting to go!'
The tenor of his voice heightened with his emotions as he sprung to his feet, overcome with his moment of happiness. He wanted to scream, shout at the top of his lungs, and give Sophia the biggest kiss. Okay, well, maybe not the last part.. at least not here, or ever, if it made things weird -- but that was a head-scratcher the teenager would save to figure out on another day.
Lucky was too happy right now to sink into the complicated, confusing world of girls.
'I can spend the summer at your place too?' His mouth dropped a little, a smile pulling at his blushing cheeks and shining eyes. 'I'm so chuffed, I don't even know what to say.. but yes, I want to go! There's nothing else I want to do more than go to the Quidditch World Cup.. and going with one of my best friends is a bonus! Yes, a million times, yes!'
He fell to his knees, taking up his spot on the rug again. His hands were shaking from the excitement, the smile never leaving his face, as he quickly reached for Sophia. He wanted to embrace her in his big arms, hold her tight, and squeeze her until she popped confetti.
'Yeah, we could all hit the merch booths and other offerings they have, right?' He nodded enthusiastically at Martha's offer, hoping she hadn't felt left out of Sophia's good news. 'Might be cool to do each other up before the match too! I can get us some paint.'
Post by Sophia Rhynhart on Dec 1, 2022 18:33:39 GMT 10
Sophia laughed at Lucky's reaction, though her chest felt tight -- not in a bad way, but as if his happiness surpassed even her own. Seeing him grin like that... the sunshine even elevated his handsome features. Wait, handsome? What happened to her goofy, dorky best friend? Well, he was still that. The lighting worked in his favour today, that's all.
She couldn't speak for a moment, her cheeks hurting from how wide she grinned. That made it even more worth it, just to see how happy it made him. And she was excited! It was going to be the best summer ever.
'Of course.' Sophia laughed again. 'I would never lie to you about something that important.'
She gave him an affectionate nudge, brandishing the letter again as if it proved her point. How cruel would someone have to be to pull a prank like that or make it up? But he was just surprised, that's all. Sophia admired his composure; she'd have screamed so loud if that happened to her, that someone from the castle might come running.
And she did know how much he wanted to go. Sophia always went, but knew that wasn't an option for everyone. Not just money, but getting there and the camping etc. It took up a lot of the summer too. Some people's parents worked too much. She was glad her dad always made sure they could go. Speaking of...
'My parents sold some of dad's Quidditch memorabilia, to make all of this happen,' Sophia added. 'So yeah, we've got you covered. And he even bought a new tent, which is a bloody miracle because our old one leaked.'
She choked up a bit, as it really was an incredible gift. Her parents said they knew she'd worked hard this year. Her grades had sucked over the years, but this time she'd really put the effort in and somehow they knew that. Probably because she complained about studying every time she wrote? Either way, she hit OWL year and did give it her best.
Wait. Did that mean studying actually had good things about it? Nah, this was probably a fluke.
'And you totally have to come sleepover at some point,' Sophia eagerly added to Martha. 'It's a long event, so I'm sure we can find somewhere in the schedule to just hang out before everything kicks off. Dad and I have this s'mores tradition with some coloured marshmallows that's just so fun.'
She made a delighted sound of surprise as Lucky embraced her in one of his big hugs, which she loved even if she got a bit squished in the process. Sophia hugged him back, chin on his shoulder as she thought about all the fun they were going to have. It warmed her so much that she'd made him this happy. Lucky was happy in general, but this was special.
Sophia made mental note to give her parents the biggest hugs ever too, for making all of this happen. It was a dream come true.
'They're finally letting me have a friend stay over,' Sophia added, reluctantly freeing herself in favor of breathing. 'I can't wait to show you my room. I cleaned it before term and everything.'
She gasped at the idea of getting dressed up, nodding along to it. Her dad would totally support that, as he let her paint her face if she wanted to. She wanted to go over everything, and ask what Martha's team was, but she was still trying to sit still from the excitement.
Sophia jumped up, moving away from the picnic to not give Martha more things to fix.
'We're going to the Quidditch World Cup,' she yelled to the landscape, arms spread as if she expected to just float away.
Post by Martha Twiggs on Dec 1, 2022 18:46:02 GMT 10
Lucky's happiness at the news Sophia gave him was infectious. Martha found herself grinning like an idiot too, just glad to see her two friends so happy. This year hadn't been easy for any of them. The stress of OWLs had loomed over them for a long time and she knew even study shy kids had worried and cracked down with reading a book or two.
Sophia deserved this too. Martha watched the two of them, feeling like she was watching something important shift a little but she couldn't quite put her finger on it yet. They were still Sophia and Lucky. Not that she felt left out at all - she was happy because they were happy.
"Painting our faces sounds fun! You can do bats for Sophia!" She grinned, knowing her room-mate was a fan of that team. Martha had never been pressured to pick a team to support so she picked the one her dad liked. It was the easy choice.
"A sleepover would be fun - as long as Lucky doesn't snore too loud." Martha teased him with a cheeky hint to her smile. The longer she sat in their company, the more she was able to relax and be more like her normal, regular self. A lot of people probably didn't expect her to have a playful side but that was only because she reserved it for those she felt close to.
So family and a few select friends - like these two.
She picked at the crisps she had opened and ate a few, "We should meet up for shopping at Diagon Alley too, if you're down for that? We need to make sure Sophia manages to complete her list - might save her dad some stress?"
Another tease but hopefully Sophia would pick up on her being playful and know she wasn't trying to be rude or mean. Martha knew she normally wouldn't but with tensions after exams she probably had to be careful. The last thing she wanted was to say the wrong thing and ruin their picnic together.
Last Edit: Dec 1, 2022 18:50:30 GMT 10 by Martha Twiggs
Post by Luckett Langford on Dec 2, 2022 11:08:01 GMT 10
His smile broadened at the sound of her words, offering her a firm nod. He never believed Sophia would lie to him -- at least not about something as serious as Quidditch. The sport was far too important to not only him, but to her too. Plus, their whole friendship was originally built on their mutual love for the fast, dangerous and exciting game. Lying about something like that would be in bad taste.. maybe even unforgivable too? He didn't know, but hoped he never found out.
Lucky felt a pang of guilt when she mentioned her father selling off some of his Quidditch memorabilia in order to get tickets. That had to be hard, right? He couldn't imagine giving up some of his favorite items.. but he supposed things like that happened when a parent embraced their child with selfless love and care. Must've been nice having a mother and father like that.
'Your parents sound like real nice folks, Soph.' His eyes suddenly dropped, his fingers fidgeting with the wrapper of a chocolate. 'I don't know how I'll ever thank them properly, but I'll start by thanking them a million and one times over our fun-filled summer.'
He smiled that smile again, turning to glance at his metamorphic friend. It was a smile that had always contained a touch of mischief, stretching from cheekbone to cheekbone and exposing the pearly white teeth that sat inside his mouth. He could be charming, maybe even irresistible to some -- but only if they could bypass his cheeky sense of humor and brash cheerfulness.
Humming merrily, he snacked on a couple more crisps until he suddenly paused. All the girls' talk about new tents, sleepovers and their bedrooms forced a very real realization to cross his mind. Sophia's parents were okay with having a boy stay the summer? Sophia was a girl, a fifteen year old girl; a pretty girl too, an attractive girl, a girl with.. you know, new womanly features and..
'Wait, sorry.' Lucky leaned forward, straightening his posture, not realizing he might've interrupted his friends' conversation. 'Did you say your parents were okay with me staying at your house this summer? They know I'm a boy, right? You're not going to make me drink multiple Polyjuce Potions a day to change my appearance, are you?' He blinked.
He couldn't panic. He couldn't make this a big deal. He and Sophia were only friends, weren't they? Lucky needed to remain straight-faced and briefly looked to Martha for moral support, but swallowed hard when he didn't find what he was looking for. The silence was suffocating him and he couldn't handle it. Then it all came out, his string of consciousness, like word vomit.
'Not that I wouldn't not do that. I mean, I would. It's for Quiddy, innit? I'd do anything to witness the World Cup.' He nodded rapidly in succession, as if he were trying to convince himself that it'd work. 'Then we can all go to Diagon Alley together like Martha said. Three best girlfriends, a whole bunch of shopping bags. Everyone would fall for it.. right?'
Post by Sophia Rhynhart on Dec 3, 2022 0:57:35 GMT 10
Elated, Sophia let herself fall backwards onto the rug. She sprawled out, hand tucked under her head, and watched the sky. Her other hand sought chocolates, but found Lucky's hand instead. A little further... ah, there they were.
'Oh no... I hope not.' Sophia grimaced, after stuffing chocolates in her mouth. She shot Lucky a suspicious look. 'You don't snore, do you?'
She should probably know this by now, but OWLs had removed anything of value from her brain to make room for a bunch of boring facts and dates. She hadn't had to smother him with his own pillow that night they fell asleep together on his bed, so that was promising.
'Oi.' She shot Martha an offended look, then shrugged as she actually had a point. 'Dad's been experimenting with sticking charms, so I dread to think. But yes, we totally have to go shopping together. Martha, please owl us when your parents decide to go and we'll come meet up with you.'
Sophia didn't want to do it the other way around, as it felt kind of mean. Martha's family had lots of kids, and one or both of her parents worked, right? It wouldn't be fair for her and Lucky to pick a random day and expect them to rearrange things to meet it just so Martha could hang out with them. It was way less effort on her part. The Twiggs might not have done it anyway.
Sitting up to eat some sandwiches (to avoid the choking hazard she'd once learned of the hard way), still famished after using her remaining strength on her OWLs, Sophia gave Lucky a confused look at his questions. Then he was babbling. Since when did he babble? What was going on?
'I don't understand,' she said, squinting at him.
What did...? oh.
OH.
Sophia blushed, fussing with her sandwich to buy herself time. Composure, please.
'Sad as I am to not get to witness the vast improvement of your appearance under the Polyjuice...' she said teasingly, giving Lucky's leg a playful kick. 'Nah. It's fine. I mean, what if you were a girl and I was into girls? Same thing, right?'
Sophia shrugged. It probably wasn't the same thing, but that was not something she allowed her mind to wander down the mysterious and non-ventured alley of right now. Who knew where she'd end up? Picturing her and Lucky... NOPE.
'Uh. They, y'know, trust me.' She took a big bite of her sandwich, taking a while to chew it so she didn't end up spraying her poor friends with crumbs and bits. 'It's fine. I mean, it's not like we'd... Or that we're...'
Sophia shook her head, ears pink but thankfully her hair remained its natural colour and didn't give herself away. She kicked Lucky again, though not enough to actually hurt him, but damn him for making her think of... things.
'I don't think it's a big deal.' She shrugged again. 'We share all the time, anyway. My parents know you're my best friend. They'll have rules, probably, but we'll be at the World Cup most of the time and Dad'll be around. But ugh, no -- facts, please: they're not nice. They're... weird. Like, embarrassingly weird.'
She rolled her eyes at any praise sent their way. Her parents were ridiculous. Clearly she got all the functional humour genes in the family. Her dad and his weird hobbies and even weirder jokes, or her mum and her obsession with over-decorating anything she bakes -- and of course her weird hobbies too. Ugh. She was going to subject poor Lucky to them. She only hoped they didn't try to "be cool with the kids" or she'd simply die on the spot.
'Do you gotta owl your parents and ask or whatever?'Sophia asked him, reaching for another slice of sandwich. Come to think of it, she didn't really know much about his home or family. 'Will they be cool with you staying with me, sharing my room, and going to the World Cup with us? I mean, my parents said you could spend the whole summer so.'
She shrugged again, now very interested in watching the grass move with the breeze. Her ears were still a bit pink.
'Do you want to sit with us on the train?' Sophia asked Martha, glancing her way. 'Or, I s'pose you might want to sit with Amy or one of those lot? I think we're gonna get a middle compartment, but furthest from Snakeville carriage.'
She pulled a face at the idea of being near Seabrook and her demons. Sophia quickly looked to Lucky for confirmation.
Post by Martha Twiggs on Dec 3, 2022 3:23:56 GMT 10
Martha put a sleeved hand over her mouth to giggle into it, watching Sophia and Lucky. Sophia's disgust that he could possibly snore and Lucky's insistence that he would need to use Polyjuice potion to hang out over the summer.
It seemed Martha figured out what Lucky was getting at before Sophia and she thought that was kind of cute. But only kinda of.
At Sophia's question, Martha nodded as she cleaned crisp grease from her fingertips and reached for a drink. "Yeah, definitely. I know my mum will have everything carefully scheduled in an attempt to get on top of things again. I think she wouldn't mind if I broke off to shop with you two, as long as I get everything on my list."
And she was sensible with her money - which, it was rare for Martha to be insensible with her money. Not unless her twin could convince her to spend something at a sweet shop or something.
"Though, a girl Luckett... Luckette...? would have even nicer hair, surely?" Martha wasn't willing to let go of teasing Lucky that easily and hopefully Sophia would join in. She sipped at the drink she had chosen and smiled to herself until the topic of the train came up.
Martha had worried about that. She put her drink down and screwed the lid back on so it wouldn't spill and then found a loose thread in her jumper to pluck at. She thought about her options - Amelia (who'd no doubt have Kassia along), Jaxen (but would he sit with his siblings?), Tobias (and the gremlins? No, thanks) and then Sophia and Lucky.
She couldn't tell if Lucky was on board with that or not and Martha was worried about being in the way. What way? Well, she still didn't know what that was but there was a kind of vibe here. Maybe she would figure it out before the train journey home.
"Amelia will probably sit with her new bestie, Kassia." She glanced at Sophia and raised her brows - a silent invitation for Sophia to spill anything she knew about the Slytherin. If she knew anything. Martha had been so preoccupied with studying from Christmas until now that she had neglected her sister. Which was completely her fault but it didn't make having to hang with Kassia any easier.
There was something about her that Martha didn't quite like, or perhaps trust, and she wondered what she wanted with Amelia.
"Or I suppose I could use it as a chance to catch up with Jax..." She suggested with a shrug. Not that she didn't want to sit with Sophia or Lucky but she didn't want to see desperate either, like she had no other friends.
Why was picking a seat on a train suddenly so complicated? And why were things changing, dragging Martha along for the ride she didn't sign up for, shifting between friends in small but significant ways.
She might have to wait for the answers but Martha didn't like not knowing.
Last Edit: Dec 4, 2022 10:32:56 GMT 10 by Martha Twiggs
Post by Luckett Langford on Dec 4, 2022 7:00:17 GMT 10
He cleared his throat and his cheeks turned pink, almost choking on the chocolate truffle he'd tossed into his mouth. What if Sophia was only interested in girls? It was something he'd never considered -- and why hadn't he? Not that it mattered, or he had a say, anyway. Sophia was allowed to fancy who she wanted and be attracted to whoever she wanted to be attracted to.
But there was no way she was being serious, right? Sophia Rhynhart liked boys. Lucky felt like he would've known if she didn't, either by her telling him or him figuring it out himself. But the real question was.. why was this new possibility bothering him so much? They were only friends.
'Tch! It would be Lucinda, thank you very much!' He feigned offense at Martha's name suggestions, his words spoken around a laugh. 'But I'd be a pretty cracking girl, I think. We all might have to actually try my idea and see what it's like being each other. We could switch places, see how we all live. I'll bet it's a whole different world for girls, innit?'
It was food for thought, and a welcome change of conversation. He'd originally been turning all shades of pink, his cheeks burning with each rambling word from Sophia. But now, with the chat steering in the direction of mailing his family about summer, he had something else to babble about -- and thank Merlin too. Lucky didn't know if he could've stayed composed much longer.
'I'll shoot my parents a letter today, but it shouldn't be a problem. I'll reckon they prefer I not come home for summer anyway. If anything, you're saving them the trouble of putting up with me for a couple months!' He chuckled to hide the pain, not wanting to ruin their good spirits. 'My sister will be gutted.. but I'll make it up to her.'
Lucky's sister was the only reason he ever went home. If she hadn't been around, he would've found ways to not go back. His relationship with his parents was strained to say the least; his father was domineering and cold, his mother both distracted and unbothered. It wasn't all bad though. Lucky was financially taken care of and he had everything he needed to succeed -- but a parent's unconditional love? That was something he never knew as a kid, but wished he had.
'And I'll have you know I happen to enjoy weird people. I'm friends with you two, aren't I?' He grinned at the girls, dimples pooling in his cheeks. 'But seriously.. your parents sound brill, Soph. They got you tickets to the Cup for Merlin's sake -- and any dad that has loads of Quiddy memorabilia is wicked cool in my book.' He shrugged, nodding.
Tilting his bag of crisps forward, Lucky frowned when he realized there was none left. Had he really eaten all of them already? Dropping it to the picnic rug, he gave a big stretch with his back nearly cracking. The girls' talk of the train ride home grabbed his attention, and he chimed in after discreetly wiping his greasy crisp-covered right hand on the front of his trousers.
Hey, it was easier than a napkin -- and did Sophia even pack those for the picnic?
'Yeah, you're more than welcome to sit with us! Don't feel like you have to.. but if you want to have fun then it's pretty much your only option, innit?' He chuckled, then shook his head at Martha. 'No part of sitting with Saenz sounds fun. She's a jumped up, nasty piece of work, isn't she? I never understood why Ames was friends with that girl.'
Post by Sophia Rhynhart on Dec 4, 2022 14:34:07 GMT 10
Sophia hadn't thought of napkins, discreetly wiping her own hands on the rug while deciding if she wanted another sandwich. Apparently exams made her feel like a starved hermit who'd lived off berries and mushrooms for the past year, and had just been reintroduced to modern living.
She laughed with her friends, completely relaxed despite shooting the lake a wary glance now and again. She hated being so close to it. Merlin, imagine if she was in Slytherin? Sophia shuddered at the mere thought of their common room. Or what she'd heard of it, anyway.
Speaking of Slytherins...
'Ugh.' She frowned, good mood vanishing at the mention of Kassia. She recoiled into herself a bit, avoiding eye contact. Yeah. The hurt was still there. 'Amy straight up ignored me in Charms once, cuz of that... and a few other times, too. I don't know what I did wrong.'
She huffed, crossing her arms. It wasn't fair. Amy was her friend first, then this snake just showed up and took her friend away. And it wasn't the normal stuff... like, when people got new friends that was fine. She didn't need to be the focus all the time, and had a lot of casual friends. But Amy didn't even acknowledge her, and seems so absorbed with Kassia nowadays Sophia couldn't even remember the last time they hung out.
'It's weird,' she added. 'Like, how did they even become friends? Kassia is mean, and a bully. Have you heard the things she's said to Jaxen? And others? They can't possibly have anything in common, right? I don't understand it either. But I feel like I can't even talk to Amy anymore.'
She sighed, wrapping arms around herself. Sophia felt like she was losing, or perhaps had already lost, a good friend. And to a stinky Slytherin, of all people. She was biased in that aspect, but it still didn't make sense. Amy was a Gryffindor too. Just... how did all this come about? Was Amy okay?
She rolled her eyes at Lucky's comments, relaxing back into the rug. A part of her didn't want this picnic to ever end, while another wished things would hurry up so she could just go home and have a fun summer with Lucky and Quidditch. What could possibly be better than that?
'I wonder if I could transfigure more, if I can get better at all this,' Sophia gestured to her natural hair, referring to her ability, on the topic of Lucky trying out being a girl. 'I know it's a super rare, genetic ability... but like, I wonder if there's some training out there? Someone like me?'
She frowned, having never really thought about it before. Her parents always just treated it like anything else -- their daughter had a big heart, or was a Quidditch star, or could turn her nose into a snout at will. They normalised it, and she would always be thankful for that.
Okay, maybe Lucky had a point; her parents were pretty cool. But what kind of teenager would she be if she admitted that aloud?
Though she did smile fondly at the idea of Lucky asking to see her dad's Quidditch stuff, because that would mean the absolute world to her father -- to have someone to show it all off too, who would actually appreciate it. He ws so proud of it, but they didn't get visitors and some old family friends used to criticise his hobbies. Sophia and her mother tried to hype it up, but they'd seen it all a hundred times so it wasn't the same.
'Jax is kinda cute.' Sophia nodded to Martha, popping some grapes in her mouth. She always had a thing for Ravenclaws, which is why deviating thoughts lately were so confusing.
Probably didn't mean anything, right?
'But Martha, for real, you should totally sit with us. We're way more fun. That snake would probably suck the joy out of everything if you sat with them,' she pleaded earnestly to her friend. 'And you'll have all summer to hang out with Amy.'
Sophia couldn't look at Martha in that moment, as a part of her realised that the hurt was indeed stronger than she'd thought. She hadn't tried to seek Amy out anymore, not seeing the point, but now she thought of Martha sitting with them. Her friend... she didn't like it. But why? Was it because it might feel like being ignored all over again?
Unaware of it, as that insecurity rose, Sophia shifted closer to Lucky as if afraid he might decide to go sit with them too. Sophia had a horrible thought of sitting all alone in her compartment. No, surely not? There was Jake, right? Well, no, he tended to go on a prank spree... or sat with Amy. She had a lot of friends, but only a few she was close to.
It was all so confusing. Sophia sighed, no longer hungry. She set aside her remaining grapes and just hugged her knees, watching the sky as if the answers would fall from the few tiny whispers of fluffy clouds. Why couldn't she just go back to laughing about Lucinda, and Quidditch, and being thankful exams were over?
Post by Martha Twiggs on Dec 5, 2022 0:05:55 GMT 10
"Lucinda, right, of course. How silly of me to assume otherwise." Martha shot back with a cheeky smile, poking her tongue out at Lucky. She liked how playful and easygoing he was - well, unless it came to Quidditch. He was still playful but he took the sport rather seriously.
The mental image of Lucky with long hair, make-up and swapped into some of Sophia's clothing did being Martha to a fit of giggling. It was hard to shake the picture from her imagination once she started and she tried to hide it behind a sandwich. Which failed, as her shoulders continued to bounce. Being called weird didn't break her from her giggles as she playfully threw some crust at Lucky for his remark.
What did sober her up, however, was talking about Kassia.
Martha didn't mean to bring the mood down but it was hard to ignore the reality of the situation either. Amelia was picking Kassia over Sophia (and maybe even Martha too) and for some off reason, Kassia wanted to be friends with Amelia too. It didn't sit right with Martha and she thought back to the look exchanged between herself and their dad. Something told her, her parents weren't on board either.
Lucky's remark made her widen her eyes and then Sophia confirmed what she had heard about, but didn't want to believe, her tone sharp with annoyance at the truth being confirmed, "Are you serious?"
Her temper flared for a moment unable to stop herself, "Amelia really just sat there and let Kassia bully Jaxen? Jaxen, of all people, who wouldn't hurt a fly?"
It was one thing to befriend Kassia Saenz but to let her pick on a friend of theirs? Martha balled her hands into fists, accidentally crushing the last bite of sandwich. "Oh! What a— a— a—"
She couldn't think of the right word and then just blurted out the first one that came to mind, "Cow!"
Swearing wasn't her thing and it was the worst thing to she could think to call Kassia at the moment. Her cheeks red with anger now and Martha knew she needed to pull Amelia on this.
The sky began to darken, as the day drew to a close. It was quite a walk back to the castle, and night would have surely fallen by then. The sky was a bit weird, though -- cloudy, but something felt a bit off. Either way, they should pack up and get moving or else risk being late to dinner.
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