Open A Treasured Spot

[Alice Briar]

Alice had quickly realized last year that the Hogwarts gardens was her favorite place at Hogwarts. She could often be found there when the weather was nice, and today was such a day. She liked the greenhouses too, and enjoyed her time at the Wild Patch Club, but there was something so peaceful and nice about these gardens, and she could wander around for a long time without getting bored. The girl was glad it was becoming spring, her favorite season of all. She had never been a big fan of the winter, and was glad to leave it behind now. As she walked, she thought of what this year at Hogwarts would bring. It was nice not to be a first year anymore, though she would miss having flying classes with Grace. At the same time, she was sure her second year would have a lot of adventures too! She was excited to start working on actual potions, and had heard from her sister some of the other things she would be covering in her other classes. Alice sometimes wondered what it was like not to know that stuff in advance, and though she loved her sisters, she did think it would be nice not to know everything beforehand sometimes. But hearing about things and experiencing them yourself was still very different, so she didn't mind too much. Even after all the stories, Hogwarts had still been wonderfully surprising in many ways. Alice stopped to sit down on one of the benches, admiring a beautiful patch of red flowers for a moment. She let her thoughts wander as she rested her chin on her hands, enjoying the early spring sunshine as it shone through the trees.

 

[Elliot Briar]

The hacky sack had been his father’s idea, a way to pass time while he was at school. And while Elliot appreciated the gesture, he really didn’t know what to do with it. He knew the general idea of it, but it seemed it was a lot easier to keep the thing off the ground in theory than actual practice. He’d ended up out in the gardens, feeling a little too awkward practicing with it anywhere indoors. Especially after he’d nearly knocked over an inkwell onto Clifton’s robes in their dorm. Twice.

It was an added bonus that the gardens were in full bloom. It gave Elliot something nice to look at as he trailed after the dang hacky sack for the umpteenth time. So far, he’d only managed to get about three kicks in before losing it. This time, his fourth was a bit more forceful than he might have intended, arching over a bench before smacking gently into another student’s shin. “Oh, shoot, sorry,” Elliot hurried over as the hacky sack rolled to a gentle stop at the girl’s feet.

 

[Alice Briar]

The sunlight hitting the flowers really made for a beautiful sight, and Alice wondered if she could get Ava to paint with her here. Her friend was very talented, and Alice was sure she could help teach Alice how to paint some flowers. Maybe she could give the painting to her mum for in her office! Or would that be weird? She wasn't sure what sort of art would hang in the office of the Minister of Magic, but she was fairly sure hers wouldn't be on the list for any other minister. But her mother would like it, right?

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the feeling of something soft and small hitting her in the shin. Alice blinked in surprise, looking down at the thing before looking up to a boy hurrying over. The object looked like a small ball, and Alice picked it up curiously. "It's okay, that didn't hurt." She said with a smile. "Here." She held it out to him after a moment. "What were you doing? Is it a game?" Alice was always happy to meet someone new, and this boy was definitely new to her. "Are you a first year?" She added, curious. She was still getting used to not being the youngest at school anymore, and this boy definitely didn't look older than her.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot was relieved the last kick had been one of the gentler kinds, though he couldn't help feel a little embarrassed that he'd managed to somehow hit another person in the nearly empty gardens. "Thanks, I'm glad," he said, ducking his head a bit as he accepted the hacky sack back from the girl. He turned it over in his hands a few times as he spoke "It's a hacky sack you're suppose to uh, kick it. So it doesn't hit the ground," Elliot dropped it to his shoe before giving it a weak kick, watching as it landed back on the ground with a defeated splat. "I'm not very good at it though," he laughed, feeling embarrassed again before scooping it up again. Maybe he should ask his dad for something he's a bit better at. Like cards. Or a book..

The girl looked familiar, Elliot figured he'd probably seen her around the castle before, but not in any of his classes. "Yeah, I'm a first year. I'm Elliot, nice to meet you."

 

[Alice Briar]

Alice leaned forward slightly as the boy explained what the thing was for, and what he had been doing. She watched with a smile as he showed her, though he didn't keep it in the air for very long. "I see! That looks like fun!" Alice got to her feet, grinning. "Maybe I can try? Can we play together?" She asked, wondering if he would like that. She was a little older than him, but really not much. And the game sounded like a lot of fun. "It's nice to meet you too, Elliot. I'm Alice and I'm a second year Hufflepuff." She said with a friendly smile. "Can you show me how to play hacky sack?"

 

[Elliot Briar]

ooc: Sorry!!

The whole hacky sack thing was starting to feel kinda lame to Elliot, but Alice seemed sincere in her interest. Maybe he’d enjoy it more if someone else was involved. Or at least as terrible at it as he was.
Elliot perked up when Alice mentioned she was a Hufflepuff. “Oh, cool, I’m in Hufflepuff too,” He’d been clinging to his house pride a bit more lately to help stave off homesickness and it would be nice to know some of his housemates better. “Everyone seems really nice so far, which is a relief,”

He paused for a moment when Alice asked to play, not because he didn’t want to, but to see if he actually knew enough to teach someone else. “I think it’s kinda like catch..or soccer, but with a beanbag. You can’t drop it, and you can’t use your hands,” He gave the hacky sack another experimental kick, launching it up and barely catching it back on the side of his foot.
Glancing up at Alice, Elliot shared a surprised grin at his success before losing his balance, the hacky sack once again hitting the ground as he flailed. "Iiiit’s a work progress,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Want to give it a try?” Elliot offered, readying what he hoped would be an easy kick if Alice appeared ready.

 

[Alice Briar]

Alice smiled brightly when Elliot mentioned he was a Hufflepuff too. "Cool! Do you like it so far?" She asked him, curious what his impression of the house was so far. Alice had liked it from the start, even though that had partially been because it was only her house and not one she had to share with her sisters. Alice loved them very much, but it was nice to still be unique in some small way. "I think Hufflepuffs are generally nice, yes." She said with a nod. "Haven't met any that weren't yet." She added as she thought about it.
Alice listened with interest as Elliot explained how the game worked, frowning slightly i concentration as he explained. It was a little confusing how he first said it was like catch, but then said you couldn't use your hands, but once he showed her how to do it Alice understood the purpose. "I see! That looks difficult." She said, smiling. "Good job! So you have to kick it to keep it in the air?" She asked, to be sure she got it. She laughed gently when he lost balance and the hackey sack hit the ground. "Hey, don't worry. I bet I'll do a lot worse than that." She told him encouragingly. Then she nodded when he asked if she wanted to try. "Let's try it!"