A Courtyard Friendship

[Paul Skullebrew]

Life was turning out pretty good at Hogwarts. It was so far better than what Paul had expected. He had made no enemies so far, but friends. He was hoping to make many more and see where it would bring him. 'Anywhere the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me.' A quote that was told to him by his dad daily. Meaning just let things happen. They happen for a reason.

Paul was in the courtyard alone. Just kind of thinking. The place was great, it had everything Paul needed. Friends. Caring adults. Food. All that good stuff. There were a few other people in the courtyard. Some Slytherins grouped together. A couple of older Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. More Hufflepuffs. No Ravenclaws though.

 

[Ness Boone]

The fresh breeze. That was something Ness had been craving ever since she'd arrived at the castle with its huge looming stone walls. Well if anything, she felt safe in there. But the great outdoors was where the girl belonged. So as soon as things settled inside, she took the opportunity to get around the school grounds. She found herself in the courtyard, drawn to the flowers and beauties of nature. Smiling slightly to herself, she bent down to smooth the petals of an especially amusing purple flower. "You're a pretty one," she whispered. London didn't have much of these sorts of things, so Ness cherished the little things she found when she traveled.

A shadow passed over the girl, and she turned her head to see a young boy wearing robes matching hers, although his had blue designs on it in contrast to her yellow ones. He was alone, or at least he seemed like it, so Ness stood and made her way over with her loping gait. "Hullo," she said, putting her hand up in a sort of a wave. "Pretty flowers, aren't they?" She nodded at some of the plants along the pathway and the stones paving the center of the courtyard.

 

[Paul Skullebrew]

Out of Character:

It should probably be Red designs seeing as I'm a Gryffindor. Not a Ravenclaw.

Paul walked upon a girl whom greeted him. She was one of the younger looking Hufflepuffs. Perhaps she was his age. "Hello there. Yes, they are. They're more elegant here than back home." He said as he greeted her. She was quite friendly, just as pretty much all the people he had met had been to him. A gentle breeze flowed through his short hair and robe. It felt nice seeing as it wasn't one of those skin piercing cold breezes. Those were the very thing he detested. Although seeing as the courtyard was protected all around, huge winds couldn't access him.

"What's your name? I'm Paul. I'm from the house of Gryffindor. I'm only a first year." Paul stated. He had greeted her with as much friendliness as she had done to him. First impressions were key to life. Key to friendship. He wanted to make a good impression on her and not seem like a jerk. So he gave her a big smile. Although his smile was much to be desired, it showed he was friendly and a friend, not an enemy.

 

[Ness Boone]

((OOC: Oh man, sorry about that; I guess I'm kinda out of it today too ))

One of the flowers was white. That was the next detail Ness noticed about the bunches of flowers scattered about the area. The boy she greeted had begun talking, but Ness only heard half the conversation. Something about elegance, wasn't it? She couldn't help it; that white flower just stuck out to her, and she couldn't ignore it. She nodded slowly and lightly, murmuring an inaudible reply as she reached down and uprooted the poor thing before standing again.

She raised her head after a while. The boy, Paul - wasn't Paul his name? - was smiling widely at her, so she returned it with her own toothy grin. "Ahh yup, Gryffindor. I'd figured that, from the look of your robes. I'm Ness. Huffer, er...Hufflepuff. And it's also my first year here. I'm quite glad to be meeting you."

 

[Paul Skullebrew]

Out of Character:

Quite alright!

Clouds began forming into different shapes. He saw life in them as they twisted and turned. The sky always amazed Paul. Years before when he was back at home, not with his aunt. His father and him would stay out and just look at the clouds. At night they'd examine the stars. He was eager to start Astronomy because he already had a little bit of background knowledge on the matter. It was really interesting. He wondered if the girl was into that kind of stuff. His mom was, and so was Rebecca. He hoped he has Astronomy will Rebecca. She was so nice to him, even though she was just a Slytherin. It didn't seem to make a difference. Which excited him gladly.

"Ness huh? That's a pretty nice name. You're a first year too?! That's great! Perhaps we'll have some classes together! Or perhaps I'll see you again!" Paul exclaimed. "You certainly like flowers I see. And I'm also quite glad to meet you. Do you live around here?" Paul asked.

 

[Ness Boone]

He's said her name was nice. She'd never been told that before. Ness Annice Boone. At most, people told her that her middle name was pretty, and her first name was interesting. But then again, not many people knew her middle name. Ness personally thought her name was too abrupt, too out there, for her tastes. What if it were something like Gwendolyn? Angelina?

Ness liked the idea of having classes with people she'd already met, granted she hadn't met that many people yet. She smiled again. "Yes, they're especially beautiful around these areas. I guess New Zealand has the right weather for them." She smelled the delicate plant in her hand. "I'm from London, really, but my family's living in China now. We get to travel a lot. How about you?"

 

[Paul Skullebrew]

Paul sat down beside Ness. His legs were a little bit tired from out adventuring Hogwarts. He explored quite a bit. It was his hobby. It was honestly what made him a Gryffindor. That and he didn't have much fear. Not many things scared him. Including death. His philosophy on that was it just happens. It's natural. Ness was an interesting girl. She was nice and loved flowers. He could see why she fit into Hufflepuff.

"My family lives in Maryland. In the USA. I currently live with my Aunt whom is right here in New Zealand. She's a nice lady, but I miss my parents. Especially my father. He's the one who has basically taught me all that I know." Paul said with a slight smile. "How do you like it here?" He asked Ness.

 

[Ness Boone]

Ness looked up for a moment as Paul joined her, sitting on the ground. Then she turned her attention back to the flower, picking at the stamen and bending the petals backwards so that the plant was splayed open. "The United States...I was born there actually. Mum says it was upstate New York but I can't remember anything." Ness's earliest memories came from her time in England. Perhaps some of the green trees and glass-like lakes that sat in the depths of her mind were American memories, but the girl predominantly remembered the gloomy skies of London with bursts of color from other areas of the world she'd visited.

"So I suppose it must not be too lovely being so far from home. It's nice here though. Pretty. All nature-filled. I don't get to see places like this too often, especially not with a huge castle." Ness chuckled, the laugh coming out with a tinkling, bell-like feeling.