Underneath the Trees

[Lily Evans]

.

[Miela]

[Anything in italics is said in Japanese.]

Sanshi landed just right underneath some trees that hid her and Miela from view.

Miela slid off Sanshi and grabbed the bags of school supplies off her back, and waited as Sanshi melted into her, and know that Sanshi is done once her shadow turned darker than normal. Walking from out behind the trees, Miela realized she was famished, she hasn’t eaten anything all day, except for the sandwich that Madam Malkins had split with her, which she had given to Sanshi. Nevertheless, she was grateful to the woman for telling her all about Hogwarts, the Western Magical community, and thankful that the woman never enquired on how she gets to Diagon Alley during school days.

”I’m hungry.” whined Sanshi for the third time.

”Shh darling, I know, let’s go grab food in the kitchens now alright?”

Sanshi just gave a purr, while Miela smiled, and made her way toward the castle.

[Rose Weasley]

Rose walked over to a clearing of trees and sat down, trying to get a little shade. She was wearing her heart-shaped glasses with 'sexy' written across them which were not only terrible sunglasses but also hard to see through. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her battered old journal and a quill. Pausing only to push her glasses up on top of her head, she started writing.

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet was out exploring the grounds about Hogwarts, as she liked to do when she could get some free time outside. The sun was so hot though she had contemplated simply going back in until she saw a bit of shade beneath some trees. There was already another girl there, but that didn't bother her, it was just another chance for another friend. Approaching from the side, she offered a friendly smile. "Hi, mind if I join you? It's a little hotter out than I thought it would be."

[Rose Weasley]

Rose looked up to find that another girl had apparently had the same idea as her. She was a little suspicious at first, since the girl appeared to be a Slytherin, but she just shrugged and motioned to the spot beside her, "Yeah, take a seat." She offered the girl a smiled, "I'm Rose Wealsey. Sixth year." She hoped that they weren't in any of the same classes, otherwise her introduction would make her look either ignorant or stupid.

[Violet Lockwood]

"Thanks." Violet sat down next to her, but not too close in case she was weird about personal space. "Violet Lockwood, seventh," she replied, offering her a hand since that was how she was raised to greet new people. She nodded toward the girl's Ravenclaw colors. "Ravenclaw, huh? I hear you guys have a pretty view from your common room in the tower up there."

[Rose Weasley]

Rose grinned, instantly in a better mood at being given the chance to gush about her house. "We really do. It was one of the first things about Ravenclaw I fell in love with as a first year. I wish everyone could see it. But then again, it's one of the things that makes Ravenclaw special. Not that you guys don't have a good view or anything, right?" She hurried on, pointing to Violet's robes, "The lake, isn't it? Since you're in the Dungeons."

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet smiled listening to Rose speak about her common room. "Sounds awesome. Yeah, we're under the lake. We've got huge windows in the common room walls and in the ceiling too. It sets this really nice green glow on everything, and sometimes you can see the squid go by. And there's a group of kelpies that live near the windows of the girls dormitories. Bet you guys have a nice book collection up there, being Ravenclaw and all." She shrugged. "I wish ours was better. They added more over the summer, but it's still lacking a little."

[Rose Weasley]

Rose shrugged, "The book collection is decent. We have most of the books that the library has and some extra literature that I assume former students left behind. I guess I just prefer the library because it's a good studying environment, whereas it's hard to find a time when the common room is quiet." She smiled, "You wouldn't expect Ravenclaws to be rowdy with the opportunity to study, would you? But we actually have quite a few black sheep."

[Violet Lockwood]

Violet laughed. "That is surprising. I always imagined your common room like a mini library, with everyone all quiet and studying all the time. I guess there are always the ones who would rather be crazy in any house. We have our fair share of those sort, but the corner by all our bookshelves is pretty quiet. Plus us older kids can usually scare the younger ones into being quiet if we want to read anyway. It's a pretty huge common room, there's gobs of space to spread out."

[Rose Weasley]

Rose nodded, "I'd like to see all the other common rooms. I've only ever seen them in drawings and that just doesn't do it justice. It's not like I could just walk in, though." She shrugged, "I think our common room is fairly small, but that just makes it cozy. I don't spend very much time in it anyways. I'm always at the library, on the Quidditch pitch, or just out around the grounds." She smiled, "I prefer being outside."

[Violet Lockwood]

"It would be cool to get a peek into the others, I think. Seems like it wouldn't exactly be possible though, which sucks." Violet nodded thoughtfully. "I like it outside too. Hogwarts has such beautiful grounds and it's sad that so many people hardly even notice. Then again, we're here a lot during wintertime. And then it gets brutal out here. I'm just hoping to enjoy the warm sun as long as it will stay." She laughed, shaking her head. "I say that while hiding in the shade, it seems ironic."

[Rose Weasley]

"I know a girl that said says she can get into the other common rooms. She just wants to party in them, but still. I would be cool. I wonder if she actually can." Rose smiled, "I know, the beauty of it is one of the reasons why I love coming here so much. You must be sad that it's your final year. I'm already dreading leaving."

[Violet Lockwood]

"Really? Well that's pretty impressive if she can't. Can't say that I've seen anyone from another house sneaking into our common room before though." Violet shrugged, wondering who it was and how they managed that. Her curiosity to see the other common rooms made her want to do the same thing, but not to party. Just to explore. "I am definitely not looking forward to it. And my time here was so short anyway! I only started here last year, transferred in late. I was lucky they even let me, but two years at Hogwarts is brutally short. It's such a beautiful place."

[Rose Weasley]

"Transferred?" Rose asked, "From where?" Maybe that's why she hadn't recognized Violet. Then again, Rose was starting to realize she didn't pay a lot of attention to the people who weren't in her circle of friends. "Do you have any idea of what you might like to do once you leave Hogwarts?" She asked, twirling a piece of grass between her fingers.

I just realized they're both named after flowers, otherwise Rose would have joked about it earlier hehe

[Violet Lockwood]

"Homeschooled, sort of. Lived in a sort of Home for Young Witches, only the lady was sort of batshit crazy and wouldn't let me come here even though I got the letter when I was eleven. Left when I was fifteen and wrote Dumbledore, and we worked it out so I could come here for sixth and seventh year." Violet shrugged, realizing lots of people would be asking that question as she met more and more of them. She'd kept to herself all of last year, so it was like she was a brand new student despite it being her second year here. "Not sure. I've always wanted a job or something where I feel like I belong to something bigger than I could do on my own, so something with politics or administrative things." She hated to say the Death Eaters, but it was tempting. They were growing and powerful and had promised Violet lots of things, but she didn't tell just anyone that the Death Eaters was one of her options.

Hahaha I actually hadn't paid attention to that until now XD

[Rose Weasley]

"That's terrible!" About not being allowed to come to Hogwarts, that is. It's every child's dream. "But did they teach you there, or are you playing catch up now?" Rose figured that she would have learned some things, but Hogwarts has a pretty intensive curriculum. At least with her classes. She was surprised that she hadn't heard this story before now, usually the gossip came to her since she knew people from every house. She had been pretty lax in keeping up with it all recently, but this was pretty interesting stuff. "Administrative stuff, huh? Kinda like in the Ministry? I know quite a few people who want jobs in the Ministry, but no one ever seems to know what department they want to go into."

[Violet Lockwood]

"Oh yeah," Violet nodded. "I sulked for a few months after that. I even," she turned her voice down to a happy whisper and leaned closer, "I even spit in her plate of food when it was my turn to cook for everyone. Satisfying, and she never found out." Laughing, she sat up again. "They taught me some there, but I mostly taught myself. It was only because I did, that Dumbledore agreed to let me in. He tested me on what I knew and decided it was enough. Granted, I'm better in some things than others. Slughorn says I'm more advanced than NEWT level stuff for potions, but I know I'm totally rotten with transfiguration. I don't think McGonagall will have patience with me much longer. I kept to myself last year. Sort of lived in the library trying to play catch up. It's not so bad this year, at least not yet." She pondered on what Rose suggested with the Ministry, shrugging lightly. "Maybe. If I did go to the Ministry, the Department of Mysteries would be cool. That or maybe even part of the Wizengamot. Law's always been pretty interesting. I don't have the grades to be an Auror, even if I can duel like hell."

[Rose Weasley]

Sorry I took so long, my brain stopped working.

"You spit in her food?" Rose laughed, "That's classic. You must be so happy that you taught yourself magic. What about the other kids there? Did they learn anything, or was it kind of like a repressive home?" She was certain that no one would purposefully repress magical abilities but, as her grandparents always said, use it or lose it. "More advanced than NEWT?" Rose repeated, her inner nerd coming out, "That's impressive. I'm pretty good at potions, but it's definitely not my best, that's transfiguration. I could help you if you're ever in dire need." She smiled, "You can duel really well, can you? You should teach me some time. I want to finally be able to beat my cousins. Wouldn't it be cool if Hogwarts had a dueling club?"

[Violet Lockwood]

No worries at all!

Violet shrugged, still smiling from memories of spitting in the old lady's food. "I don't know. They did some magic but they were nowhere near as competent with it as kids here are. We had charms class, and a little bit of potions, and a little about magical creatures, but it was limited to those sorts of things. Basically they only wanted to teach us how to be housewives. Lots of cleaning charms and how to de-gnome a garden and make medicinal potions and stuff. Pretty lame. I studied a lot on my own, and I think that's the only reason Dumbledore let me in here." She grinned at Rose, her ego having been patted a little by the girl's reaction. "Yeah, thanks. I may actually come ask you about transfiguration things sometimes, if you don't care. We can trade lessons, dueling for transfiguration? We'll show your cousins who's the best for sure! I think that's the one thing we're missing here, a dueling club. Or at least a group of students who are interested in it, either already good or wanting to get better. Maybe you and I could figure something out after we get you trained up?" Violet tilted her head questioningly, an almost mischievous grin on her face at the idea of starting up a dueling club.

[Rose Weasley]

Rose nodded, suddenly understanding the purpose of this young witches house. She couldn't believe that the headmistress just wouldn't let her students go to Hogwarts and have a chance at a great life. Hogwarts should employee people to track places like this down and make sure the kids got their letters. "Dueling for transfiguration sounds wonderful! I'll be easy to teach, hopefully, because I know all the spells pretty well. It's the rest of it that gets me. The important stuff." She grinned, "I'm totally up for starting a dueling club! I know it'll be really popular, too, because lots of people are interested in that stuff. And it would definitely be allowed, since I heard there was one years ago."

[Violet Lockwood]

"Then we have an accord!" Violet stuck her hand out, ready to shake on the deal to trade lessons to each other. "I think we might just make a great team, Rose. And that dueling club idea, it's definitely something we should do. We'll get you taught and then we'll show the rest of 'em how to kick some ass as well." She laughed, her eyes practically glowing in excitement about the idea. "Your cousins won't know what happened when you knock them on their butts!"

[Rose Weasley]

Rose took Violets hand and shook it, grinning. "Sounds wonderful. I'll owl you about it, okay? I just have a class to catch soon." She started gathering up her things, a smile still visible on her face. She couldn't wait to become a better dueler. When she had everything in order, she stood up and looked down at Violet. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

[Violet Lockwood]

"Great!" Violet waved goodbye as the girl carried her things back toward the castle. "Talk to you later, Rose!" Staying there just a while longer to enjoy the sun and the view, Violet soon got up and headed back into the castle herself.

[Gwendolyn Pearce]

Gwen ambled around the grounds, it was a gorgeous fall day, the air was cool and crisp, but not so cool that one couldn't still sit outside. The grounds were bustling with their usual afternoon energy that always came from the large group of teenagers that had recently been released from a long day of classes. She tucked a stray lock of dark brown hair behind one ear and surveyed the grounds with her icy blue eyes. It was all quite peaceful and pleasant, but something was missing. She knew exactly what it was and she hoped that he would be there, but, there was no use in dwelling on a day like this. She sat down against a tree trunk, and looked out over the lake.

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