Beau

[Cavani Laskaris]

The cool morning sun was rising over the distant hills. It was barely nine in the morning, and yet the air was already warmer than it had been in the past few months It would appear that the cold winter which had just passed was finally leaving. It was clear to a certain Beauxbatons student that it would be a nice day. Not the kind she preferred, but one that made her less worried about living in New Zealand. Knowing in the back of her mind that the winters which awaited her down there would be a lot worse than the ones in the south of France. It was a Saturday, the weekend after February 14th, having spent a lot of that weekend looking up and wrapped up indoors. A short walk in the grounds was the perfect way to start this weekend. Cavani Laskaris was used to much warmer weather. She was a Southern kind of girl, and her winters for the past 6 years had been much warmer that this. She was used to more, and this had always been a struggle. Something that she was less than prepared to face, several thousand miles further south. Her family had already moved to New Zealand. Her sister transferred to the best university that her grades got her into, and her brother, to an international school, which was Greek. His english would get better down there, but her family was keen on it's roots. Keeping everything good. Just like Ava's own Spanish, Greek and Turkish. Though out of the three languages she spoke at home, and had learned in her home town the Turkish being the weakest. It was the one she used least. At Beauxbatons she had learned French. it had come fairly easy to her, being good at Spanish had allowed that. In the back of her mind, the next target was Italian, but she had little time for that, and surely five languages was more than enough. The young beauxbatons student was a fairly long way from the place she called home. However, she had lived in many places, so it had really never been much of an issue for her to switch to living in a new place. On that morning, the girl had been awoken by her owl tapping relentlessly at her window. A letter. The owl had traveled a very long way. Cavani wondered how the owl had made it. It took significantly long for her to get her letters. But, it was all in the name of speaking to her family. She had very soon learned upon arrival at school that the usual muggle items that worked with electricity didn't work in the magical world she'd stepped into.

After spending a few moments lying in her bed, curled up in the sheet, she had dragged herself out. Crawling out from within the sheets and wondering towards the showers. Taking with her everything for a good, and long shower. After taking her time with everything, there was little rush. It was after all a Saturday and she had the entire day ahead of her. However, this didn't mean she went too slowly. The young Greek knew that others would soon be getting up and she much preferred going about things alone from time to time. It gave her time to think. Time to read back through the letter her brother had sent her. One that was in Greek, though he was meant to be writing to her in English, so that they could both improve their english. Something that hadn't exactly worked. She was dressed simply. Skinny blue jeans, ankle socks, trainers and a simple loose fitting t-shirt with a picture of Paris. It had short sleeves, and had clearly been cut around the neck for a looser fit. She didn't add any make-up to this look, but instead just headed straight out the dorm room and to the grounds. She had a small skip in her step. She was holding her held up high and was smiling happily. Ava was a good, kindhearted person. And unlike most others didn't take much to heart. She just had a way of living that meant she didn't get bothered by things people said about her. She cared more about others than she did about herself. if she saw someone upset, there would be no stopping her from helping them. It was her natural instinct. She could do nothing else but help out. The grounds were quiet as she wondered around. She finally spotted, her usual little space on the grounds. A high point that had a view of the distant French hills. The sun, was high, the sky was getting gradually more and more blue. She took a seat and crossed her legs. Ava found herself smiling, she had a lot to think about. She had a lot to do over the coming months, and yet wasn't worried. In fact, she was taking in the beauty of the country she was in. Looking forward to the chances she would have in the months to come. Cavani was just happy to sit and watch the last of the sunrise onto this beautiful saturday morning.
​

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice had been at Beauxbatons for just over 2 months now, but it still felt like a desperately new place to her. The 15 year old had been horrified when her parents had announced that they were moving from Oxford, a place of calmness and familiarity, to the South of France. Alice spoke little French that she had picked up from regular visits, but none of those visits had prepared her for living there. Over the summer, they had aggressively debated her schooling in New Zealand. The fees of travel were adding up and Alice's mother was pining for her eldest daughter. Her father, as distant as always, felt no need for Alice to remain in New Zealand, when there was a perfectly acceptable school in France which she could 'refine her skills' in. The topic of magic and Alice being a so called 'witch', still shook up unnerving arguments between her father and her. Sadly, though her age had steadily climber, her height remained stubborn to be a small stature. These arguments resulted in Alice's father towering over her, trying to use height to match her wit. Her relationship with her father had greatly diminished into that of a family member who is compulsory to be around. Her mother, having become depressed with these battles, had intervened, writing to Hogwarts and requesting that Alice was able to be transferred at Christmas. So, 3 months later, when the Christmas holidays arrived, Alice said tearful goodbyes to her friends of 4 years, and made her journey home.
The transfer to Beauxbatons hadn't been as hard as one may have imagined, but Alice felt like a fish out of water, and lost in a world of a different language and society. Being of a more intelligent mind, Alice soon managed to pick up scraps to help her survive and go unnoticed, but on the inside, she felt lost, hurt and hard to any friendship. She had survived 2 months so far, and was counting down the days 'til her father's job would move them to New Zealand. Her education had remained unscathed, due to intense work from her part. Having hoped that studying to a new degree would not only distract her from the storms of homelife, Alice found that her intense level of study had separated her from a chance of getting to know people. Deciding that this was her fate, she had removed an bridges she had begun to build, and instead kept her eyes upon the goal of graduating with NEWTs that would return her to the best place on Earth - New Zealand.

Waking up on Saturday morning, she rolled over to see her clock tick over to 9:00am. The jet lag from one hemisphere to another had faded slowly, but the pang of loss didn't seem to die. Rolling back onto her back, she stared at the pale blue hangings surrounding her bed. It was a pretty castle, she would agree with that, and the lessons were useful and instructive, but no matter how good the school was, it wasn't her home. Sighing, she sat up bleary eyed. The dormitory was empty, apart from a girl who Alice recognised as Cavani. She was a beautiful girl, and Alice suspected she had Spanish blood. That was another issue with Beauxbatons, Alice felt inferior to everyone's beauty and manners. Supressing this pang of jealousy, she staggered into the showers after her and let the fresh, hot water soothe her pain. It was a weekend after Valentine's day, a day which in New Zealand, had been full of laughter and fun as her friends all trooped down to the local restaurant to celebrate together. She didn't have a love of her life, and she was fine with that - but friends were never forgotten and that pain still ached inside. Waiting until Cavani had left the room, Alice dived into a fluffy white towel left on the side. Wrapping it around herself, she ran a hand through her hair, trying to remove the morning knots. Strolling into the empty dormitory, she quickly dried and pulled on some old skinny jeans and a Ravenclaw t-shirt. It was a small act of definance which noone would notice, but it made her feel better. Picking up her wand, she muttered a spell to dry her hair and shook it out. Slipping a small rose into her dark curls, she grabbed some flipflops and left, book under arm.
The warm air greeted her as she left the castle, and wandering through the grounds, she spotted someone sitting in her favourite spot. Having not been at the school long enough to approach the stranger, she gritted her teeth and drifted over, hoping for another nearby spot to read in peace. Growing nearer, she slipped off her flipflops and settled on the crisp grass. Laying her book down beside her, she stretched out, ready to watch the sun ascend further into the sky. Reflecting on the last two months had become second nature to Alice, and as the sun rose, she felt a new idea stir in her. Maybe it was time to make a friend. Maybe it was time to open her heart to someone and embrace the change offered to her. Her heart ached for someone to make an effort with her, to want to be her friend. Glancing around to see the invader of her favourite spot. It was Cavani. Looking away quickly, she closed her eyes again, eliminating the possibility that someone like her could be Alice's friend. That was a joke.

 

[Cavani Laskaris]

A simple morning was what her mind really needed. None of the daily stresses that usually filled her thoughts. Overtook whatever good was left within them. But, this didn't mean, that during this she felt like her mind was clear. It was clearer. The problem with transferring, or trying to transfer was if she did not get into the school. That was the worry that would not go away. What then, what would she possibly do then. She could come back to Hogwarts, but so far from home was not desirable for her. She was a home body, and her home was wherever her family was. She loved her make shift family. She loved being with them, being so far from everything that she knew and that she loved wasn't fun for her. Nor, would a new school, but it would still be good. She could imagine, that Hogwarts would be a great place. It was a completely different but amazing school. She had no idea where she could be placed. Where she would be placed. Her mind was not at ease with it, but she also knew that no matter what she would be happy. Her being would be happy with wherever she might be place, in the event that she had been accepted. A small gust of the cool morning air, brushed the thin strands of her fringe into her face. Ava moved them away, while letting her the clear blue eyes flutter closed. She was wearing a small amount of make-up. Enough, to make her eye lashes appear longer, and a little on her lips to make them pinker. She frowned as the the hairs persisted against the incredibly light wind. Muttering a curse under her breathe in Greek, she was finally able to move it from her eyes. She reopened her eyes, and sighed happily, letting her eyes once again return to the hills of France. They were beautiful, stunning hills that she could watch everyday. Something that never got old. The clear blue eyes, followed the route she would take, that day she finally climbed to the top. To hold her arms out, tilt her head back and scream. Her joy at such achievement, and the scream so that the whole area would know of the joy she felt. But, Ava was not yet at that point. She wasn't even at the foot of the hill, she was at school and unable to do any of it. She loved school as much as anyone else, but she really wanted at times to do something else. Unfortunately for the young Beauxbatons student she had a bit of time before she was able to quit the school. Or graduate. For Cavani, school was important as anything, but she had to work hard in school, and at times her mind got sidetracked. Got put off the idea of another couple of years within the halls of a school, any school. It didn't matter where, or which language was spoken, another couple of years in school didn't exactly make the young brunette jump for joy.

Wondering to herself if she should've brought books down with her, the girl stretched out further. Stretching her legs in front of her, then leaning back and putting her hands on the grass to lean against. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it meant she could somewhat lie back, for a little bit. She knew that maybe taking a book out would've been a good idea, but Ava wasn't too interested in reading up about anything fiction or non fiction. It was early, and she had all day. Then, she remembered why she had actually come outside. Not just so she could sit watching the sun rise higher and higher into the sky, or to just watch the hills. In fact, she had that letter. The reason she had awoken and gotten up so early. From within her jeans pocket, she pulled out the letter. It was a nice little letter. She would of course not telling her parents of the lack of English, she also wouldn't tell him off for the lack of English, but for the young girl, reading a bit of greek was always nice. At Beauxbatons there were few Greeks, and fewer those who lived in Cyprus. Cavani had lived in many places, but she always struggled to meet people from where she was from. That and she longed to have someone to talk to about the much warmer winters. She missed those the most. As much as the young girl loved France, and knew that she would love New Zealand, the warm winters, summers, and just generally the entire year was something she missed greatly. It just wasn't as nice for her. The girl ran a hand through her hair, and let her eyes drift up to the clear sky. She could hear someone walking close by, and wondered if it was someone she knew. Ava was a nice person, and always tried to be nice, but she was shy. Her cheeks would go pink if she didn't know someone and they just weren't as nice in return. The blue eyes drifted over to where the sound was coming from. Her eyes fell upon the new girl, she hadn't been at Beauxbatons too long, and Cavani hadn't really had the chance to have any extended conversation with her. So, instead of writing a reply for the letter, which she knew she could do later Cavani got to her feet, and closed the distance between the two girls. Sitting herself down beside the girl, whose name, she was sure was Alice something. Cavani smiled at her, her usual warm and friendly smile. "Hey, hope you don't mind." She said, the tone lightly accented with Greek. An ever so slight accent barely noticeable unless on certain words, certain phrases. "Alice right?" She continued. She leaned in slightly, unsure if this girl was french, so as to if they had to do the French way of greeting, or if she wasn't, so it was barely noticeable that she had leaned in. "You're new, right?" Ava smiled at the girl, knowing it to be somewhat true.

"Beauxbatons is pretty amazing though, you will love it" As if they had known each other for a long while, Ava put her arm around the girl and gave her a small friendly one arm hug. "If you are not new, you probably love it anyway." She gave a small laugh, and then removed her arm, now giving the girl a proper chance to respond.
​

 

[Alice Hills]

For Alice, Hogwarts had been her home. It sounded cliche, but it was true. The air of New Zealand became her natural habitat, the place she felt most comfortable. Being in the French air was beautiful, and outside was better than inside, but it still felt odd. Closing her eyes, she began to work out the time difference from here to New Zealand. It meant it was around 9pm in New Zealand right now, and people would be in their common rooms, settling for the evening. She could see the scene now, George would be entertaining people, and others working. The Ravenclaw common room always had people working in. Whether the 1st years, trying to rush to get their homework done within the hour of it being set, or the third years, beginning to panic about the 13ft essay due the next day. The 5th years, working all hours to get grades that were incredibly impressive, intimidating the 4th years with the hours put into the work. The 6th years, relaxing in spare periods, playing cards when there is no work to be done, as a relaxation strategy, as they snigger at the efforts of the younger years. And the 7th years, working effortlessly on the essays to be completed, perfectly comfortable in their roles as older and experienced students, only studying their chosen subjects. The room would be littered with various leaflets regarding future careers, which the elder students would flick through, trying to act as if their future needed a carefree attitude. People would begin to lounge as the evening developed, but the atmosphere of work would still continue till the early hours of the morning. Alice smiled, breathing in the scent of parchment, watching the flames roar in the fireplace, with the air of home. Snuggling further into the couch, Alice put her book down, relaxing into the gentle chatter and warmth of the room. The Ravenclaws were competitive, but not horrible. They would help each other understand complicated potions. It was a brilliant house, and in Alice's opinion - the best. She heard rumours from her fellow yeargroup about the other houses: Slytherin - everyone worked for themselves, trying to rise above friends and enemies alike, Hufflepuff - people were friendly, and generally it was a nice house to be in, but many were seen as 'soft' and there was an atmosphere that was hard to pinpoint, and Gryffindor - a house where people were brave, and did things for the sake of courage alone, rather than with an element of wisdom as to the consequences. Gryffindors were famous; Harry Potter, the bravest wizard to live supposedly came from that house. But Alice felt differently. For her, Ravenclaw was home, the best place in the world.

Opening her eyes, she blinked at the sun's glare, her daydream interrupted by someone talking. Trying to catch the last moments of her vapourised dream, she blinked again, annoyed at the disturber. It was bad enough that she wasn't allowed to be at home, let alone being interrupted from escaping home. Sighing, she turned to see who had attempted to talk to her. It was Cavani. Smiling through her gritted teeth, she shook her head, trying to grasp what she had said. The girl began to talk, and Alice, deciding to be polite, replied shortly. "Yes, Alice." She looked up to see that Cavani had very blue eyes, a feature Alice hadn't noticed until now. Smiling genuinely as she began to understand how this girl truly was making an effort, she reflected upon her response. It was simple and could come across as rude, so she decided to expand. "Yes, I'm new here. I arrived at the beginning of the term, and I still don't know my way around. I go to..." Stuttering, she corrected herself. "I used to go to Hogwarts New Zealand. And I was in Ravenclaw." She gestured to her t-shirt, scrabbling for conversation. Her house used to be her identity, and she felt the need to enforce this principle again. She smiled weakly, and tried not to tense as the girl gave her a hug. She was usually a tactile person, but having removed all emotion from herself, she found this soft part of herself was less easy to access now. Laying back on her hands, she found herself speaking. "It's quite pretty." The sunrise blinked it's appreciation for her words and continued to climb in the sky, as if it was the most important day of its life. Alice looked at Cavani again, hoping for her to return some small conversation.

 

[Cavani Laskaris]

Being as friendly as she could was good for Ava. She wasn't the most confident person, but whenever she saw the opportunity to be nice and friendly, she took it. Not wasting a moments hesitation. Not spending a second think about what it really meant. She didn't think too much about things like that. It was simpler for her to just go ahead and do. Rather than stand and wait. What if the other girl was feeling lonely, and needed a friend. The brunette was more than happy to wonder over and just talk to her. But, Cavani wasn't thinking ahead so much. She figure the girl was new and needed someone to talk to. The girl was willing to be just that. For her, being elsewhere than the usual Beauxbatons wasn't nice. It didn't seem fun to her, she figured Alice felt the same. Since her family had moved, Ava had most definitely opened up to the idea of moving, and the switch. No longer did she think that Beauxbatons was the only place for a girl like her. If she was being honest she had to admit to sometimes feeling inferior to some of the other girls in her class. At times she could be a little weird. She giggled at the wrong times, didn't wear her hair right, and she really thought she was a lot less pretty than the girls of Beauxbatons. Since everyone at the school had a reputation for being the prettiest of the pretty. She felt like a small odd looking rock on a large, beautiful sandy beach. It was odd to talk about. She just knew that she was going to be better somewhere without that kind of a name. Ava smiled at the girl, she noticed now that she had maybe been a bit rushed about introducing herself. She could see that the girl was annoyed about something. Or seemed to be annoyed. Maybe Ava was just reading things wrong. But this didn't bother her. It was going to much less stop her. She had started something and she would be damned if she didn't give it her best shot. Her father was always telling her, if she tried her absolute hardest, then she couldn't be faulted. So she tried her best at everything. She knew five languages because of it. She had friends because of it. She could admit she was a little bit of a pushover, but that really meant nothing in the grander scheme of things. She saw it as doing small things to make others happy. If people were happy then it was easier for all.

Glad to know she had at least gotten the name right, Ava smiled. She thought about introducing herself, but figured that quite possibly the girl had a better memory than her. The young brunette continued to smile. Letting the girl be a little annoyed at her clear interruption. "So you're super smart then?" Cavani motioned to the t-shirt, knowing that Ravenclaw was the smart house. Where it was said everyone was trying to out do the other. Cavani didn't understand why they needed to be sorted. In Beauxbatons, everyone was sort of lumped together. She preferred it that way, she didn't think that she needed to try as hard. Of course that would change, if she got into Hogwarts. If not, then she would return to Beauxbatons and resume her normal life. She figured that the girl was super smart. Cavani thought she looked liked the kind of girl who was smart. The brunette didn't think of herself in that way. But, it was also true that she was fairly smart. "I guess France has a hard time competing with New Zealand." She said in response, keeping herself sitting up and straight. "Such a beautiful country" Ava nodded. She had never been but her brother was sending her pictures all the time, so she'd seen it. The clear blue eyes looked around them. Wondering what life would be like once she got to New Zealand, for the small holidays. "But, neither have anything on my home." Ava smiled looking back to Alice, the girl might not agree, but she for one loved her home above all else. "Beautiful people, language and food" Cavani said in rapid Greek. "Quite a big difference, Beauxbatons and Hogwarts?" Curious, since she was thinking about the switch.
​

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice smiled sweetly at Cavani. Super Smart… She toyed the words over in her mind, trying to think of the most humble and grateful reply possible. "Um not really, I guess I just worked really hard and found the work fairly easy. But supposedly it is the intelligent house… I guess?" Smiling at Cavani, she moved around to face her, and tucked her legs up underneath her. The sun was rising higher, and taking a moment to look at it, she blinked away the tears that sprang up at the thought of Hogwarts. She looked at Cavani, taking her in. She was a stunning girl, wearing a Paris t-shirt that made her look friendly and relaxed, as if she didn’t really mind what people thought of her, as long as she felt comfortable. Alice wished she could feel the same security – she felt that she always relied upon what others thought of her to define who she was and how she was seen. This depressed her, because she had had no attention since she had arrived at Beauxbatons. Obviously, on her first day, in her first week, she had been a bit of a wonder, but when people had realised that she wasn’t interested in friends, and the excitement of a newbie had died down, she had been demoted to the bottom. She wasn’t used to that. At Hogwarts, she was surrounded by friends. Friends. Friends who cared, and valued her opinion on situations. Friends who took her out shopping, who knew when she was down. 5 years of building those relationships up, for them to be torn away from under her nose. And now, she only had 2 and a half years remaining at Beauxbatons, so why bother making friends. That had been her mentality, but sitting before this beautiful girl, she found that hard to keep. She admired Cavani for coming forward to speak to her first, Alice realised that she had been cold and unfriendly towards the people in her dormitory and didn’t deserve this act of friendship. And so, because of that, she would reopen her heart and try to make this friendship work. If, if Cavani could prove that this was real. Alice sighed inwardly. Why did she have to be so doubtful? Why did she have to feel so unsure about everything? Surely this made her a horrible person? Battling inwardly with herself about what move to make, Alice took a leap of faith and hope and smiled at Cavani again. The brunette was speaking and Alice listened, paying close attention to the words she was saying.

“Have you ever been to New Zealand? I don’t think it has a rival anywhere in the world. But where are you from then?” Proud of this small conversation she made, she waited for an answer and continued to make a difference. “Hogwarts is better.” The words escaped her mouth before she could restrain them and she nibbled her lip. Perhaps this girl liked Beauxbatons as Alice liked Hogwarts. Ready to back track her words, she frowned as the girl rambled something in a foreign language. Alice hadn’t worked on her languages for a while, but knew that it wasn’t French, English and Italian. Looking at Cavani in a puzzled manner, “Sorry, what language was that?” She inquired, interested in the change of discussion. She was impressed, this girl had the ability to change language quickly, something that only fluents could do. Alice herself was learning French fairly rapidly, but always thought and returned to English. It was natural. It was right. It was who she was. But England brought back memories of Oxford, and Oxford brought back memories of receiving her letter. And that brought memories back of Hogwarts. Hogwarts. The place her thoughts always revolved to. How could her father have done this to her? How could her mother have let him? They had no idea. They had no idea what it meant to her. They had no idea how they had let her drift from them. They had NO idea. Feeling anger, resentment and hatred bubble up inside her, she smiled, trying to swallow the feelings.

 

[Cavani Laskaris]

The young girl didn't know too much about the houses in Hogwarts. She knew the basics, what each one was meant to mean, but that was all. She didn't need to know much else. It was pretty clear to her that she didn't need to know much more, unless there. If she got in, then she would be sorted, if not, what would it matter to her. Beauxbatons would always be her home. She was fairly sure that the other girl Alice, felt that way about Hogwarts rather than this school. Ava couldn't blame her, if you spend a certain time in a school, it becomes like a home away from home. It was simple for her to understand the feeling of missing a home. It wasn't necessarily far, but it felt like hundreds of miles. Ava felt like that some days with her family so far, but she was fairly good at pretending like it didn't bother her. She was good at being able to smile, and just go about her day. Not let it bother her as much as it maybe did. Alice seemed nice, she seemed a little overwhelmed with the differences of the school. Ava had never thought of Beauxbatons as anything other than perfect, but this girl wasn't used to it. It would take her a while to get used to everything. The French-ness, the people, the simply stunning people. She was used to it. She was the black sheep of her family, shorter, and rounder than her sister. And she was okay with that, just as long as her sister didn't remind her about it. Nor anyone else for that matter Ava nodded as she spoke. "I think you must be incredibly smart, my poor brain can barely focus for more than twenty minutes." She gave a light friendly laugh. "Brains and beauty, so unfair!" She acted falsely annoyed, reaching over and lightly squeezing the girl's shoulder. Cavani was a very friendly person given the chance. In some situations, she would curl away and say nothing, but not today. She was in a good mood, and desired to be kind for once. Truly and openly kind. Once she got to know someone Ava was always like this, but it took that first step before she was actually like that.

"Leaving poor Ava with nothing." Cavani giggled slightly again, and then shook her head to get out the little block she was at. She shook her head in response to the question, she hadn't been to New Zealand yet. She was going fairly soon, well come the end of term. Ava hardly wanted to bring that up considering the girl was from New Zealand, loved it and was clearly missing it a lot. "Well, I'm from a little everywhere. But, my home is Cyprus." She smiled, "It has no magical school, so it can't be compared to Hogwarts, but it is just as beautiful as New Zealand. And it has a lot more sunshine." The girl concluded easily. She didn't mind that the girl really did think that Hogwarts was better. She was happy to talk about. Ava's home however, was the most important place in the world. But, it was because she saw it as her home. "Oh, it's Greek. Not widely spoken anymore, but half my family are Greek so I speak it." She shrugged at her, as if it was very normal to speak it. She liked it as far as languages went. It was different with an odd looking alphabet and such. "I like it as a language, but when I first came here, it was awful. I kept doing my homework half in French, half in Greek." Ava was trying to lighten the mood as such. Get the other girl's mind well away from Hogwarts and everything like that. "The herbology teacher gave me three weeks worth of detention it annoyed him so much" It hadn't been too nice at the time, but she could look back on it now and just laugh. It was silly, and it was ridiculous, but it made her laugh. She knew that Alice wouldn't have that many issues with professors and such. Ava had just been young, and new. It had been a different situation.
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[Alice Hills]

Greece. Alice nodded in acknowlegdement. It made sense now, Ava's olive skin and beautiful hair. Alice snorted at her compliment about brains and beauty. "Well, you need your eyes testing if you think I got the beauty between us!" She giggled feeling more at ease than she ever had done before. Smiling at the compliment though, she felt a bubble of warmth rise up inside her. Maybe she was a little bit prettier than she thought. Letting the thought soak into her skin, she took a deep breath. The warm air had a crispness about it that she couldn't pinpoint. It was fresh, and clean, and, well, beautiful. Looking at the view, she felt her heart soften. Maybe Cavani was having this effect, maybe it was some sort of magic, maybe she was changing. But she didn't want to change, and she wasn't ready to. Sighing inwardly at her split decision, she turned back to face Ava. "New Zealand is breathtakingly, well normal. I mean, this is beautiful, but, it's not New Zealand. It's almost too surreal to be true. It's fake." Her voice carried much conviction as she began to convince herself with this lie. Alice laughed softly at Ava's story of her language confusion. "I make work for myself I think, I tend to write it all in English and then painfully translate it back into French before submitting it. But it keeps me busy." Blushing as she began to talk too much, Alice shut herself up. Ava looked lovely, and seemed exceptionally friendly, but you couldn't base a whole friendship on a single meeting. Ava would be a brilliant friend if she wanted to be friends, but Alice wasn't ready yet to throw all in. Maybe it was worth waiting until they met again. Glancing at her book, she smiled back at Ava, wondering if it was time to go and finish her ettiquette homework that was due in. Something on table layouts with French dining rooms. It was a stupid subject, Alice was convinced. She had no interest in being a 'proper' French lady. Being honest, she had no interest in any of it, the lessons here were different. Potions was taught differently, with less of a practical approach. But charms and transfiguration were taught well, if Alice liked the school more she might go to extent to say they were taught better. But not yet, that fact was not ready to be surfaced in her busy mind yet.

 

[Cavani Laskaris]

The girl just smiled, thinking that Alice was being silly, comparing them. Well, while Ava sort of had, it wasn't anything in her mind. She took the girl's shoulder in a friendly manner. "My eyes are wonderful!" Ava said "I had them test just before I started here." Cavani smiled at her. She was just like that. She didn't like others to feel down about themselves, and she could also see that the girl. Alice was incredibly pretty. Though she didn't know it yet. The girl would be pretty, so would be. Ava just hoped the same for herself. She knew that she wasn't ugly, but in her mind she was also far from being pretty. Far, Far from it. To her it was like she was a nice flower, in a rose garden. It was just a small hope that she would start getting prettier and prettier. She had grown a few inches, so she expected other things to follow shortly. Cavani wasn't exactly too bothered by it, she was a patient girl. She could wait for most things if she needed to. But, this was just something that was on her mind considering the school that she went to. Hopefully it might be easier once she had time to spend more time in sunshine. Her skin got a little darker, and it helped her grow. So, it would be a good thing. "You should go to Greece, or Cyprus then. Seriously, if you think this seems surreal, with the history just lying about everywhere. It's surreal." Ava said, smiling as she though of her own home. It was always nice to think about it. She knew that it wasn't really her home, since her family had moved, but she was happy to keep saying that it was. And in her heart, she felt like it was. Though her family was her home. So, it was complicated. The way Alice was talking about it, she had been doing so much more work than really needed to. Even though when Cavani had first arrived, she hadn't been too good at french, it was too much hassle to write it in greek, and then back into French. It was wasting time. "I guess, but if you need any extra help, just ask. My English isn't too great, but it's also not awful." Ava put her arm around the girl. "Beauxbatons are always happy to help, you just need to ask." Ava glanced down at the ground before, looking back towards the school. She knew she needed to write this letter, but she did feel sort of bad about leaving Alice. Ava looked and noticed the girl had a book. It was very likely she had other things to do. Cavani realised that this was time for her to leave. "Right, Alice, I have to go send a letter. I'll see you later, and it was lovely to finally properly meet you." Cavani gave the girl a quick hug, before getting to her feet and with a small wave, heading back towards the school.
​

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice giggled, a soft girly giggle at Cavani's insistence that the compliment must remain. Hoping that Ava would oneday realise how pretty she actually was, Alice decided to make it her mission to enforce this belief. She would do whatever it took to get Ava to see the truth. This was a small act of friendly niceness that Alice could do to prove to Ava that she was hopefully a good enough friend for her. Nodding at the mention of Greece, she mentally noted it on her list of places to travel when she had finished school. She planned to go on a world trip, which was made easier by the use of apparation and magic, before settling into a job. The savings had begun a few years ago, and enjoying the freedom that this plan allowed her, she smiled to herself. She had heard stuff about Greece's history before, and thought it would be a fantastic place to go. She enjoyed History now, and thought it would be fascinating to travel around looking and studying it. This comment from Ava made it possible now. Ava's words were true about Beaux being willing to help. She had heard it from other students, but she hadn't been brave enough to ask for it herself. In her strop of moving, she had decided that she would fend for herself from now on. Ava mentioned having to write a letter, and Alice smiled, returning the hug. She hadn't heard from any friends at Hogwarts yet, and this pebble of sadness inside of her stirred. Suppressing the feeling till Ava was out of shot, she said goodbye. "That's fine. I've got some work to do as well. Thanks for the chat, I'll see you around." And that was that. Ava was gone, and the sun was Alice's companion. Giving it some attention, she let her mind wander over their conversation. It had been pleasant, and lovely, and worth every second. Maybe this school offered some friends for Alice. Maybe she needed to give it a chance.

---

[September 2032]

It had been a while since Alice and Cavani had properly spoken. They had seen each other in passing, obviously, and had had some small chats in the dormitory and common room, but not a proper heart-to-heart chat that Alice needed. She needed to talk to Ava, about an offer she had received. It was about the rooms. Alice had been offered to move in with Meera Gupta and share her room for a while. It was a huge space, and Alice had fallen in love with the room on her first visit. Meera was lonely and had proven to Alice to be a good friend. So, Alice had accepted her offer but they had decided to wait to move until Alice had spoken to Ava, her only other friend. The half year had gone quickly at Beaux, and Alice had settled in fairly well. She had repeating her 5th year, which meant she was in the same year group at Meera and Ava now. That was fine, and it meant she had some friends, but she couldn't help but think of her friends at Hogwarts, who would be in their 6th year now. She had heard in passing that Kate Moon had been appointed as head girl, and Alice was delighted for her. A twinge of sadness hit her though, as she had always been told by friends that she would have been a likely candidate for a prefect or a head girl. Her openness and wisdom had set a way for her, and she had always wished to fulfil it. However, now being at Beaux, she would get neither the opportunity to be head girl or a prefect. She hadn't been at the school long enough, and assumed that they only would choose the best of the best who had been there since the beginning. Sighing the small niggle of sadness away, she turned to the time ahead of her. She was out on the grounds again, waiting for Ava. Having sent her a small note, Alice had decided that they should meet where they first met, and chat it over there. She wouldn't make any decisions without Ava agreeing, and she wanted this to go down well. Pulling a book out of her bag, she settled down and waited for Ava to come.

---

 

[Cavani Laskaris]

The year had started off well for the young girl. She was now in her fourth year, and she was very happy. After much convincing her father had persuaded her into thinking that despite how far it was, Beauxbatons was the better school for her. All her friends were there and she would be lost in a school, where the spoken language was one of her worst. It was nice to be back. Back in France, back at school. She'd spent the last week of the holiday living in Cannes, which was the closest town to the school. It wasn't a cheap place to live, but her father was earning quite a bit more in his current job, so it was in their price range. However, she was back at school, and she was happy. Ava had made some new friends this year, which had combined with her old friends. A group of people who were nice and kind, while also crazy and everything Ava had hoped for in friends. She hated being boring. There was an air of excitement that encircled her. She was just ready to face another year, and blow it's socks off. Cavani was finding the new term to be extremely rewarding. Something she was very glad of. It was nice to feel included in a certain group of a very popular nature. However, her mind did not drift away from that other friendship she had made. The new girl, the one from Hogwarts. Alice. The girl was nice, if a little shy. The hadn't spoken that often, just simple words in the corridors. Ava had always tried to say more, but time constraints prevented her from doing so. She was curiously when she received a letter from the girl in question. Gotten a letter requesting to meet. Young Ava thought that was a silly method to get in contact, surely it wouldn't be that hard to just physically find her, but it was maybe a Hogwarts way of doing something. She wasn't going to turn it down. She was just running a little late.

Standing in the bathroom's on the third floor, the young Beaux was fixing her make-up. She'd joined the Dramatic Arts Society and had mastered crying on command, however it did mean that her make was just about every where it wasn't supposed to be on her face. Giving a small smile to the reflection, she did one last inspection. Her blue skinny jeans, and yellow t-shirt (with a mustache on it) had managed to go unharmed in the crying process. She reapplied the little amount of make up she did regret wearing a little and headed towards where she was suppose to be meeting Alice. She had a small skip in her step and was smiling a lot. It had been a good session. She was enjoying the dramatic arts society. It was playful and fun. It was like nothing she'd ever done before. Which was nice. Something new to get her brain going. Finally after minutes of walking, fairly quickly through the halls of the school, she managed to make it to where she was meeting Alice. A smile was still plastered on her face, and hurried the last little bit over. Without much of a warning, she wrapped her arms around her and smiled. "Alice!" She said happily, and she upwrapped her arms and walked to sit in the little space in front of her. "What is up?" She asked with a slight Greek accent on her words. Something which happened every time she was back with her family, the accent came back for the first month, then went away again. "You look good Alice!" She brought her chair closer and then crossed her legs on it. Brushing a few stray strands of the long brown hair, which was in small loose waves. She kept smiling, and just waiting for Alice to talk.​

Sorry this took so long

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice had begun to doubt whether Ava would be turning up or not. She looked at her watch and hoped that Ava had got her message. Circling her feet on the ground, she looked up at the sky. It was beautiful. The colours were bouncing off each other, creating beautiful patterns. Alice loved the sky, it seemed to speak to her, speak of freedom and of beauty. It was art, art from God or nature, but art. And art that changed daily. Alice would paint it, if she thought she could do it justice. But she couldn't, so she wouldn't. Art like that needed to be left, to be preserved only by nature and to be appreciated by people. She smiled at the sky, before turning to look at the oncoming arrival. Ava ran up and gave her a huge hug, which Alice willingly returned. The young girl sat next to her, and Alice turned to face her. "How've you been? It's been ages! Sorry for the message, I just thought it would be nice to catch up properly. Did you have a good summer?" The questions flowed openly and she hoped that she wasn't overpowering her. "My French is beginning to improve!" She joked, secretly hoping that Cavani would be impressed. She didn't want to get into the niggly details of the meeting there and then, but wanted to spend time chatting, appreciating each other's company. Ava was going into her fourth year, and Alice retaking her fifth year, but the small age difference seemed to present no issues that Alice saw. She hoped Ava felt the same way, and smiled warmly at her, with a lot more confidence than their last meeting. She found she was more free with friendships, and more open to being chatty and well, her old self. Alice used to be a popular person who was always chatty. But this had changed back and forth since moving to Beauxbatons. She had gone shy for the first half a year, but when friends began to make an effort, she had loosened up again, resulting in being a much happier person.

 

[Cavani Laskaris]

The girl in front of Ava was a nice person. it was obvious to her that she was adjusting to the French way of life pretty well. It was simple, easy. That and she heard about Felix. Ava's new friends happened to be friends with the boy who had taken a shining to Alice. Which was surprising to her. Since she'd heard talking with the others in his group. He didn't really seem like the type of settled down that well. However, the young girl knew it was very likely to all be an act. It was likely that Ava was reading things wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, but she was glad to be able to sit and chat with Alice. It was hard to talk in the dorm room, while they were friends, they kept very different schedules. Which meant they had just been running past one another, not something more. Which was a pity, since Ava seemed to always find more time for the other members of her dorm. They just seemed to be around more often, which did suit her well. She could talk with those girls about the latest fashions, which she doubted that Alice wasn't too interested in. Her roommates said they liked her, but she was so quiet compared to the rest of them. The girl spoke first, acting with the same excitement that she was feeling internally. It was easy for Ava to get excited. She almost was. It was the new year, the excitement that it brought with it. A new year, with new opportunities, new people and better, harder classes, which was what she hoped for. All she had been hoping for. Ava was smart. She loved learning. She didn't say that, but it was something she really loved. Loved more than anything else. It was funny, because she never brought it up. Never told anyone that she was so interested in learning. Mostly because she had found it wasn't received as well as other things. So, she didn't talk about it, and people seemed impressed when she did very well in school. "Same to you Alice." She said with a smile. "I've been good. This year is shaping up quite well, and it's still early days, so, I'm happy." She said with a giggle. Smiling at the girl in front of her. She was happy with everything so far. Extremely happy that she hadn't gone to New Zealand. "How about you, how've you been?" She asked, before considered the other questions, "My summer was good. It was nice to see my family again, did you? And a catch up would be incredible." She smiled at the girl. It would be easy to catch up. She gave a little clap as she spoke french. "That's brilliant! Incredible" She said in her own, slightly more rapid french. "My offer still does stand." Which was the truth, even if they weren't close, Cavani would always be willing to help her out. It was in her nature to do something like that.
​

 

[Alice Hills]

Cavani looked even more beautiful than the last time they had spoken, and Alice smiled, reflecting that in the teen years, girls just continue to grow in beauty until they reach their peak, before slowly descending. She knew that some people tried to preserve their beauty, but Alice didn't think it looked good. It looked fake and silly. Everyone grew old, it was a part of life, and they needed to let their bodies grow old as well. But Cavani wasn't at that stage, and the rate she was going, it didn't look like she'd ever reach that stage! "Wow. You get prettier and prettier. So is there a lucky guy?" She asked, hoping Ava didn't mind the teasing and questioning. Alice laughed quietly, recalling seeing Ava being friendly with Felix. It was nice to see, and at Beaux, it was common for someone to act like that, but Alice wondered if there was anything extra there. She liked Felix a lot, he was a good friend, and she would be delighted for him to find a girl. But he had taken her out for a day, and although it was just as friends, she had a nervous feeling if he may like her. She didn't know for sure, but she didn't know otherwise either. That was the issue. Trying to suppress the feeling away, she listened to Cavani's brief description of her summer. "My summer was interesting. I tried to stay away from the house most of the time, but well, there is only a certain amount of avoiding you can do in a house." She laughed quietly, not wanting to think about her summer. There had been short bursts of argument in the house, but most of the time there had just been the awkward tension that she so hated. But that was the summer, and she had moved on now, suppressed the feeling of anger. She nodded in appreciation of the offer the girl gave and reminded of, and this brought her to the topic of why they were there. She needed to talk to Cavani, but she didn't know how to begin the topic. Gulping, she decided to just say it. She was building up to an anti-climax which she didn't need and so just carried on talking in her same calm manner. "Cavani, um well, I've had an offer of a room change. Meera Gupta, I don't know if you know her. She's in my year, well, 5th year." The whole year topic was strange and hard to articulate. Alice was a 6th year retaking her 5th year with a few 6th year classes, Meera was a 5th year and Cavani was a 4th year. "When I came here, with all the confusion over the year group, I was put into your room. And it's lovely. I love our dorm. But, well, I don't really know any of the other girls and I don't want to be in the way. My bed isn't really a proper bed in the room, it was just put there for me. I don't want to leave you, you're my first friend here! But, I think it would be better. Although, if you don't want me to leave, then I can stay. Meera said that's fine." She paused, taking a deep breath, trying to read the young Greek's expression. Taking her hands in her own, she smiled. "Is this alright with you?"

 

[Cavani Laskaris]

The summer had been kind to her, that was for sure. Her tan, that had faded during her time in the cold South of New Zealand had come back quickly as soon as she'd arrived back in France. A few days in the sun and Ava was back to the olive coloured skin she had. Olive coloured skin that she loved. It was simple, and matched often with bright colours. Ava loved bright colours. She didn't see the point in being dull, since there was little point. She gained nothing from darker colours no one liked. It was a lot easier for her, to just get a splash of colour and be herself. She blushed a deep pink however, when Alice complimented her, letting her eyes drop to the floor as she attempted to control herself. Attempted to look less like a red tomato. She took a few deep breaths, and once she was sure she was a little less pink in the face looked up at Alice, giving her head a small shake. She didn't see herself as pretty, all she saw was a girl who liked bright clothes, nothing else. Nothing more, nothing less. She smiled slightly, but it wasn't a smile that even remotely showed that she believed her. "Oh no. No guy. Look at me, not that pretty at all." She gave a small laugh. "But, there is a gorgeous guy in my year. Like stunning. I definitely wouldn't mind him" She continued just generally stating that she liked the guy that everyone else liked. She had no chance, but Ava was always happy to believe in silly things like that. She frowned slightly as Alice spoke of her summer. It didn't sound like the best summer to have had. Ava could definitely think of a few that she'd had that were ten times better than that. "Oh, Alice, I'm sorry" Ava put her arms around the girl. "Hopefully things will improve. If not, well, you're smart, you'll think of something." She said, removing her arms from around the girl, giving her a warm, I'll always be there, look. She was also just generally smiling. She was feeling pretty happy, and she knew that she could help make Alice feel a little better. What followed, Cavani didn't really expect.

Ava knew of Meera Gupta. She was jealous of the girl, the fact the boys just flocked to her, despite not being veela, that she was so perfect and poised and Ava was, well, Ava. She liked wearing bright skinny blue trousers, and dancing for no reason. She broke into song often, and was friends with people she doubted Meera would ever bother with. She didn't want her new friend to go, but she couldn't say no. In theory, she shouldn't have even had to tell her. Cavani appreciated the effort. Appreciated the kindness shown towards her by Alice. Ava, brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and smiled at Alice. Letting her blue eyes meet Alice's. She glanced at her hands, quickly removing them and then putting them around Alice once more. "Alice if you want to go, nothing I say should stop you." She smiled at the girl, "Of course it's alright with me! Your lucky, Meera seems like an amazing person, and you'll be at the very center of Beauxbatons. Not to mention, Meera is seriously so pretty. I'm so jealous of her, I'd give anything to be as beautiful as she is" Ava said with a laugh pulling away from Alice. "You're a good friend Alice," Ava put her arm around the other brunette girl. "Now, tell me all about you and Felix Garcia? Rumor is you guys went out on a date."
​

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice looked at Cavani, blinked and looked again. Sighing, she looked the younger girl in the eye and made sure she had her attention before speaking slowly. "Cavani Laskaris. Don't you ever say that you're not pretty. You are one of the most stunning people I have ever met. For goodness sake, you give some of these part-veelas a run for their money. And if this guy has eyes and can use them, he will see you for how beautiful you are. It's completely his loss if not." She let her message sink in before giggling in a girly fashion and winked. "But what's his name...?!" She hoped their friendship could always be like this, giggly, girly and close. It was lovely to know a friend's secrets and be able to share in them. She shrugged away the comment about her summer, not wanting to touch on the cold feelings that would surely follow. Alice watched her young friend as she took in the question about Meera. Trying to read her emotions, Alice began to doubt her question. She had been so excited when Meera had asked her, feeling accepted. But now, seeing Ava's thoughts reflect mildly on her face, Alice hesitated, unsure whether she was doing the right thing. She laughed quietly at Ava's comments abouut Meera. "You have no reason to be jealous of her. Yes, she is stunning, she is way above all of us in the league of beauty, but you yourself are high up there. When will you see this?!" She laughed softly, despairing inwardly at her friend's blindness. "Yeh, she is pretty popular it seems. Especially with the guys." She commented, trailing her fingers through the soft grass beneath her. Being honest, she wondered whether it was the right thing, being with Meera. The class that she was joining, the groups she would be involved with - well, it was just like something out of this world. Alice wasn't interested in being at the center of Beaux, but she felt unable to say this infront of Ava, who she could see would love to be in that position. "Hey, Meera says she would like for us all to hang out together sometime - the three of us." She smiled, hoping this might cheer Ava up. Hugging Cavani back, she smiled and looked up, laughing at the mention of Felix. "Rumor? You should get your facts straight! We went out to a small muggle town for a day, but it wasn't a date. It was two friends. You know Felix, he is just a friendly person." She shrugged, not outwardly bothered by the question. But why had it become a rumor? Had Felix started it? Had the day been misinterpreted by both of them? Alice smiled, but her thoughts were whirling, getting confused and troubled.

 

[Cavani Laskaris]

For the young Beaux girl, to her someone speak of her in such a sense was odd. With her sister, and all the other girls she barely spent any time on herself, or focusing on what she looked like over others. She didn't mind not being the prettiest in the room, or just not being the girl the guys liked. She was mostly okay with it. She thought she looked decent most of the time, and she liked her personal style. It was more casual, and it meant more to her than being the best looking. It was odd to hear, a girl she had only really had two or three real conversations with, call her beautiful. She couldn't help but blush a deep pink, and bow her head in an embarrassed fashion. She looked up when she asked what his name was. Too embarrassed to actually say, in the event that Alice maybe knew him, or knew his friends. Not that she would but, Ava was just like that, constantly nervous when it came to guys she sort of, kind of liked. "Well, he's called Florent." She admitted with a small smile. She knew she didn't have a chance, he only had eyes for this one girl. And it wasn't Ava. She could come to terms with that. She really could. It didn't bother her. She knew that her time would come, she'd get the right guy. She was happy for Alice, her being friends with Meera would be a good thing. It would be nice, someone closer to her age, someone who would be happy to make time to be friends. Ava had many friends in her own year, it was hard for her to keep up to date with everything. She smiled to herself. Looking over to Alice, with a small smile. "Maybe so, but she is quite literally the most stunning girl at this school. You should hear what the guys say of her." Ava just smiled at her friend, it was nice that someone else thought she was pretty. "You're pretty high up there. Plus, you got that smart thing going for you too." She smiled at her friend. Ava gave her friend a light pretend punch. She knew that if Alice thought she was high up, then Alice had to be too. The two looked fairly similar, bar skin colour and eyes. She couldn't help but light up at the sound of all them hanging out. While she was quite a bit young than them, it would help her immensely. Her social standing would rocket to be seen with one of the most popular girls in school. "I wouldn't mind that at all. Just Owl me, and I'll come!" She said "That way, if we all hang out, you won't forget about me" Ava gave a light laugh clearly showing that she was joking with her. And she couldn't help but laugh with Alice as she spoke of Felix. Ava had spoken with Felix's friends, she'd heard that he didn't take anyone there. None of them had been, they didn't even know where it was. It was his little secret. His little piece of heaven as he liked to say.She was also sure, that no matter what, that Alice at least found him attractive. "Felix is super friendly, but, from what I hear, which is from mine and Felix's mutual friends, that he's never taken anyone to that little muggle town. Won't let them even know the name of it." She shrugged slightly. "But, if you say, that your just friends, and you don't feel anything, or think he's at least attractive, I can help help set the rumors straight for you." She gave a small smile. "But, you are right, it's probably Felix just being friendly. However, I want to know all about it! So, spill!"
​

 

[Alice Hills]

Alice grinned in the way a girl did when finding out that her friend had a crush. "Florent..." She repeated, absentmindedly, trying out Cavani and Florent together, and seeing if they worked. It was such a girl thing to do and upon realising this, Alice was glad that she had found a friend who she could discuss this with. In her view, she didn't think that Meera would be desperately helpful in a conversation such as this, as the beautiful girl seemed far to above it. It saddened Alice to see that Meera didn't have many friendships with boys, as Alice found that they made some of the best friends ever. Alice nodded, listening to Ava's view on Meera. She agreed, thinking of the few veelas in the school and deciding that Meera challenged them as well. A laughed escaped her mouth when Ava complimented her as well, and she decided to let it pass rather than arguing pointlessly about it. She knew that there was probably truth in the smart thing - that confidence had come through being a successful Ravenclaw, but the pretty thing… well that was just pushing it in her opinion! A half smile played on her lips at the mention of ‘owling’… she had wondered if it was too Hogwarts style for Ava, and was pleased that it could now be a joke between them! The topic of Felix sparked intrigue in the younger girl, as it was bound to, and Alice smiled before turning her head to the side a little and pondering on her words. Ava said that no girl, wait, no person had been taken there before. The thought made her smile, and her heart race a little faster. Nothing had happened to suggest anything other than friendship, but still, the thought that she was special made her smile. ”Well, rumours say what rumours say, and nothing we can do can change that! But thank you for your concern. We’re just friends. Well, that’s how I see him anyway!" She paused, letting the information settle down before continuing. "He cycled us into the town, we wandered around this cute market for a while, had a drink and then went to this garden/park. It was really nice!" The story paused, waiting to see if her friend was interested enough to ask for more details, which Alice had ready to give, or whether it was enough for her. It was a small test of how interested someone actually was, and a test which had helped the Ravenclaw identify friends or close friends in the past.