A Little Homesick

[Alessio Benivieni]

After the summer break - winter in New Zealand - Alessio was ready for another year. However, he already missed the beach and the warm sun back home in Italy where he was most comfortable. Not necessarily at home anymore, but with his siblings, the one place they were not separated by houses or years. He wished Sara was a little older so she could have already started school with them where the twins and Leo could keep an eye on her, instead of being in a different continent with parents who watched her like hawks. It was intense. Despite the arguments here and there, it had been a wonderful break and Al already missed home. He wanted to relax a bit before the semester began so he wouldn't be overwhelmed and he could think about nothing. He decided today would be the perfect day to sit by the lake, there weren't a lot of students and Alessio liked it that way. He wouldn't mind it if the area was packed with learners but he honestly liked the quiet. It was nice. It was what he was used to, what he felt most comfortable with. Al smiled, closing his eyes a little and soaking in the sun.

Before he knew it his peace was interrupted by shouts and screams from students nearby and he sighed. It had been fun while it lasted. Getting up from his spot, Al squinted, noticing there were a few students here and there and he wondered where the noise had come from. The hufflepuff frowned, his eyes landing on someone who may have been too close to the lake but shrugged it off, whatever the case, the other person would probably know if they scooted an inch closer to the lake they'd fall in. Al was pondering whether he should go tell the student but decided against it. Maybe they chose to sit that close to the water. He wasn't surprised, a few students were in the lake swimming or pushing each other in. He had never been in favour of somebody else pushing him in and when he was almost dragged to the cold water he swallowed and kept walking backwards away from the crazy kids. They all seemed to be younger than him. Before he could help it he walked into the tree he was sitting against earlier and winced. "Ouch," he rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "That was unnecessary Al, congrats," he spoke to himself, not considering the idea that others might hear him talk to himself and think he was a complete whacko.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio was still surprised and furthermore annoyed at the lack of ducklings he had seen swimming in the lake. He trudged there every morning with a bun in his hand and optimism that filled him with determination to search and find the ducks he believed were there. But it was all to no avail and by the time the Ravenclaw was due to return to the castle for lunch his plans to feed the ducks were foiled. Students always showed up to the lake after lunch, shouting and pushing each other in the water and that day was no exception. When the lakefront was no longer practically deserted Flavio had as much hope of finding ducks as he had hope to find a needle in a haystack so he threw his bun into the water in a bout of frustration, watching it half float in the water before giving up completely and attempting to make his way back to the castle to find his older sister.

Flavio walked with heavy steps on the pebbles as he ignored the shouting students that were drawing all the attention in the lakefront to themselves. They had ruined his plans to find and befriend ducks that day with their obnoxious noise so he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of paying them the attention they no doubt wanted and continued walking along the lakefront. It was as he walked further away from the group of students when Flavio's ears felt less attacked by noise an he noticed someone nearby say a word he did not recognize in the slightest. It wasn't in his English vocabulary so he looked around inquisitively and saw another boy, not much older than him sitting against a tree and talking to himself. Flavio had never been the most social of people, neither was he the most likely to approach a stranger that could have easily been as crazy as the shouting students Flavio was trying to avoid, but he did want to better his English. Speaking English well was going to help him when classes eventually started so to Flavio it made sense to approach the boy and ask what this mysterious word meant. "What's ouch?" He asked as he stopped his steps near the boy and waited for a response. ​

<i></i>