A Beautiful Place

[Alice Holland]

Alice had heard many stories about Hogwarts but seeing it all herself was a completely different experience. Her imagination had been nothing compared to the real thing, and Alice greatly enjoyed spending her free time exploring. While it was still cold out, she was eager to go outside and explore there. Her older sister Rose had told her a lot about what she could find there, and she was eager to see what it would be like. The gardens had piqued her curiosity especially, as she loved flowers and was eager to see what the gardens would look like. As she walked over the lawn to the gardens, her roller skates dangled from her hand. Perhaps it was a little too optimistic to hope the gardens may have some paved paths she could skate on, but if they did she had at least brought them. She loved the feeling of the wind in her hair when she skated around, preferring it by far to taking to the air on a broom. But she wasn't really sure if there were many spots at Hogwarts where she would be able to use her skates. Unless she would be able to try it inside, but she had the feeling that wouldn't go over well with the professors.

But the sight of the garden made the thoughts of roller skating disappear from her mind. Immediately, she was distracted by the beautiful flowers all around. A smile spread over her face as she wandered around. Even though it was winter, the gardens were still beautiful. She wondered if there were spells that made the flowers last though the colder times, or maybe if these flowers specifically thrived in colder weather. Alice didn't know much about Herbology, but she would definitely ask Rose about this later. Stopping at a bench, Alice took a seat and just looked around at the nature around her. Already, she had the feeling this would be one of her favorite places on the grounds.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava hadn't had an idea in nearly a week, and it was driving her nuts. She hated being idle for long, and she was getting bored. She spent a few hours wondering the castle, her agitation putting her on edge. Finally, she went back to the dorm to grab what she needed and made her way out to the gardens. She was looking for some inspiration, and what better place to start than the gardens? With her papa's old camera in hand, she skipped out among the flowers. It was a beautiful place, and it was filling her with ideas. She took her sketchbook out of her bag and found the nearest bench, not bothering to look if anyone else was there. She began sketching out her ideas quickly, head bent to the page, intent on her work.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice was content to just sit here on her own, daydreaming, but apparently fate had other plans. Another girl joined her, though she seemed too preoccupied to notice Alice there. For a moment, Alice simply observed her. The girl looked vaguely familiar, and Alice was fairly sure she had been at the sorting ceremony as well. That meant she was a first-year like her. The girl had a camera with her and a sketchbook as well. Alice wondered if that meant she was an artist. Getting to her feet, she wandered over with her skates still in her hand. "Hello." She said, glancing at the sketches. "What are you doing?"

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava held up one finger when a voice asked what she was doing. She finished the portion of the sketch she was working on rather quickly, before looking up with a bright smile. "Hello! Sorry bout that. I'm just sketching some of this pretty garden." She waved at the flowers that surrounded them. She turned back to the other girl with sparkling eyes. "I'm Ava. Do you like rollerskating?" She asked, nodding at the skates the girl held.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice obediently waited to say more until the girl was done with her sketch. She grinned back at the blonde, looking over at the sketches again. "Hi! Your drawings are really nice!" She said, impressed by the beautiful flowers on the page. "Do you usually like drawing plants and flowers?"She asked curiously. Alice mostly drew small doodles in the margins of things if she got bored, but they were nothing like this. "I'm Alice, and I do! I haven't found a good spot for it yet here though." Sh smiled, nodding at the sketchbook. "I take it you like to draw?"

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

"Thanks!" Ava told her with a grin. "Your skates are pretty." She tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. "Actually, I like painting, but to get a good painting sometimes you have to draw it first." She told the girl, her blue eyes sparkling. "Alice is such a pretty name! I'm sure if we look around we could find a good place for you to skate. Maybe you can skate in the halls during lunch?" She offered, though she wasn't sure how helpful she was being.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice found it sweet that the girl complimented her right in return, even though her skates being pretty had nothing to do with her own skills unlike the girl's drawing. Alice was very interested in hearing about her hobby. "Painting is even more interesting! I'd love to see a painting sometime." She said cheerfully. "But only if you want to." She didn't want to pressure the girl, after all, it was possible that she was shy about her work. "I think Ava is a pretty name as well!" The girl's suggestion made her think for a moment. "I'll have to ask a professor if that's allowed, but I think I will! It'd be fun to skate inside the castle. And I'd be really careful!"

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava giggled happily. "Don't worry, I always have some project I'm working on. Right now I'm thinking of painting the garden. My papa needs to see every part of the school, and what better way than to show him the school through my eyes?" She grinned at Alice. "Maybe I could ask my Papa for some roller skates and you can show me how to rollerblade, that way you have someone to skate with," Ava offered. She knew that sometimes it was more fun when you had someone to share your hobby with.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice was excited to hear that the girl didn't seem to mind the idea of Alice seeing her paintings. "The garden would be fun! Perhaps we could paint together? I'm not very good, but it could be fun!" Maybe Ava could give her some tips? If nothing else, Alice would enjoy making something and sending it home, even if she wasn't very talented at it. "And if you do get roller skates, I will definitely teach you. It would be fun to do that together." She said with a grin. "Maybe we can learn things from each other!" This was exactly what Alice had been hoping for at Hogwarts, friends she could spend time with and learn from.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava smiled brightly at Alice. "I would really like that! We can trade! I'll ask papa for roller skates this Christmas," She grinned, knowing it wasn't too far off. "While we wait we can paint the garden!" Ava hopped up, clapping her hands together. "Do you want to come with me now or do you wanna do it another time? It'll take me a while to get it perfect anyway," She thought aloud, looking at the other girl with sparkling blue eyes.

 

[Alice Holland]

The blonde girl's enthusiasm was infecting, and Alice was happy she had made her acquaintance. "You can also borrow mine sometime, if you want to try first!" She said, not wanting the girl to ask for a present she might not like. "Maybe we can use a really empty corridor for it sometime! Maybe that would be okay?" She liked the idea of painting the garden in the meantime, smiling brightly at the girl. "I have nothing to do right now! But if it works better for you, we can do it later too." She said, nodding at her sketches. "You can perfect these first, and then teach me sometime later!" Even though she was happy about the idea, as they discussed it she was starting to realize it might be better to space it out a bit more. "What about next weekend?"

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava clapped her hands, smiling. Rollerskating sounded fun, if not a little bit dangerous. She couldn't wait to learn though so she could show Philip. Alice continued on, being perfectly rational about the whole thing. Ava listened to her intently. "Next weekend should work!" She told her new friend with a bright smile. "On Saturday we can paint and if you want on Sunday we can rollerskate! That way there aren't any classes and most everyone should be outside." She told her, trying to think it through. It was a bit odd for Ava to do so, but she had decided after the howler and the fight with Philip it might be best if she at least tried to think about what she was doing before she did it.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice was glad she had agreed to this plan with Ava. Now she would be able to teach a skill she liked and also learn something new! She couldn't wait to paint pictures for her sisters and friends, and maybe she would even paint one for that grumpy boy Elijah. "Next weekend it is!" She said happily. Hopefully, they wouldn't get a lot of homework to do or anything.The girl's idea sounded good, and she nodded in agreement. "And maybe we can do it during a meal, so the people that aren't outside are at least at lunch or something." She said, thinking out loud. "It's a deal!"