Black Spring Day

[Ksaafa Lowart]

Ksaafa had skipped class again. He didn't find school very interesting, especially since he'd found out that the girl he had a crush on liked JohnnybloodyMarsden. Johnny was a geek. Ksaafa skidded his bike to a stop on the gravel road he'd been travelling along and threw it angrily to the ground as he bounded over the tall grass at the side of the road to the soft white sand of the beach. In his bare feet, he ran straight for the water and dove in, school uniform and all. He knew he'd be in trouble if his mum found out, but right now he didn't care. He hadn't even told Cale he was planning on skipping that day. It was the first time he'd ever wagged without his twin. He wanted something different - something exciting to happen

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark was out and about. He needed to get away from school for a day or two and he decided that he would just pull a sicky. His dad woulndnt care or say anything so he was free of that prison for once. It seemed that Mark was getting in way over his head at the moment and he was struggling for air, all he wanted was a life jacket to keep him afloat and at the moment that didnt seem possible. All that bad things were happening to him not so it was depressing.

Mark got to some water and sat down at its edge. He looked to his side and saw a bike with no-one near it. He stood back up to investigate. When he got there he looked around and found noobdy. He turned to walk away when he saw a boy diving into the water. He walked over to watch. Mark had not been swimming in years. He sat on a rock and waited for the boy to come into ear shot. " I take it that thats your bike up there? Do you want me to bring it down here for you? It might get nicked if you leave it there."

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

When Ksaafa heard someone calling to him, he stood up in the gentle surf and waded towards the shore. He'd never worried about leaving his bike lying around before - he thought he knew everyone in the area. But then, he didn't know this guy. He looked a little older than himself, but that didn't bother Ksaafa. "Who are you, then?" he called. "Don't worry about the bike. Where are you from?" He obviously wasn't local.

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark looked back at the bike and shrugged. If it got nicked then it was his own fault. He looked back to the boy as he spoke to him again. Mark didnt know weather to say here or in Europe because that was where he spent most of his life, in school. " I live here and there. I go to school in Europe see but i live local." He shuffled around on the rock in which he sat to get comfy before speaking again. " What about you. Oh also to answer your other question im Mark." He didnt both to offer his hand to the boy now, he wasnt really in the mood for it. Maybe jumping in the deep part of the water with a few bricks on his legs would help. Maybe not

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

"Ok," Ksaafa wasn't about to doubt the guy. He just didn't recognise him was all. If he went to school overseas that would explain it. "I'm Ksaafa. I go to the district school in Collingwood. How come you go away for school if you live here?" Ksaafa decided to leave the water and walked up the beach, school uniform dripping. It wasn't often you met someone from out of town in these parts outside of the summer holidays. And school was still in, even if Ksaafa wasn't there.

Approaching Mark, he shook his head, sending salt spray flying everywhere. Ksaafa grinned sheepishly when he realised he'd done it a little too close to Mark. Ksaafa wasn't a great one for thinking things through. "Sorry mate. Where in Europe is your school? My sister was born in Spain."

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark sighed his eye brows and sighed. " Well i suppose i wanted to go somewhere exciting. Hogwarts sounded a bit plain and boring to me and durmmy is so much better." He watched him walk out the water and noticed he was in uniform, most probably a school uniform. Mark came up with the idea that he was brobably skiving for the day like he was doing aswell. " Its in belgium i think. Not too sure my geography isnt as good as it could be." He laughed. " So what is your school like?"

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

Ksaafa was interested the moment the boy said 'Hogwarts.' His mum had told him about the magical school just a year ago, and he hadn't had the chance to find out much about it yet. He didn't know anyone outside of his family who knew about magic, except for a few other shopkeepers from the mall where his mum worked. He smiled. "You're a wizard then? Awesome! I didn't know there were so many around here. I've heard of Hogwarts, but not your one. Durmy, is it? Cool. I go to muggle school. Mum teaches us magic at home. Our school's crap - that's why I'm not there right now. D'you have holidays now, then?" Ksaafa knew Cale would be jealous if he knew he'd met another wizard the one day he'd skipped school without him. He grinned. Finally, something to hold over his younger twin who seemed to be better than him at everything.

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark laughed at the boys enthusiasm about him being a wizard. " Yeah im a wizard. And the school is actually cal Durmstrang but every one calls it Durmy, its just easier. If you want any lessons on some magic then i can teach you but i can only teach you so much you know. Its not the holidays at the moment im just having a day off from it all. It does get very tedious after a while." He sighed then pulled out his wand in casse the younger boy wanted a lesson or just to watch a few spells.

 

[Lana Hayden]

Lanabug was riding her cousin bike when she came to a stop seeing to boy talking to each other. She was still in New Zealand, and had to leave back to Scotland again but making friends before she left wouldn't hurt. She began to pedal at a normal speed when she stop right in front of the wet boy. "Hey cool bike" she smiled at the both of them, her hair flowing so easily at her side before she started to talk up again. "You two from around here? I'm Lana.." she smiled already introducing herself so easily it came natural to meet someone new. She just wasn't like Malcolm, to give out to much information. She wonder if her friend's parents ever gave him the grownup talk.

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

Ksaafa was stoked when Mark offered to teach him some magic. He wondered where he'd left his wand. He wasn't allowed to take it to school with him, so it was either in his room (under all his clothes) or in the tree house. "Mate, that'd be awesome! I have a wand somewhere, not here though. Could you show me some stuff?"

Just then, a girl came cycling up and stopped right in front of them. He hoped she hadn't overheard them. He tried to silently tell Mark to put his wand away - it wouldn't do for a muggle to see it. He smiled at the girl. She had a cute British accent, and he wondered what she was doing in New Zealand. "Thanks, it's mine," he said when she commented on his bike. Then he frowned, "Don't even think about nicking it." It was strange to see two people he'd never met before on the same day in such an out-of-the-way part of New Zealand. He still wasn't used to the idea of witches and wizards being everywhere.

After the girl introduced herself, Ksaafa remembered his manners, "Hey, Lana. I'm Ksaafa, and this is Mark. Yeah, I live close by. My house is just up there," and he pointed up the long gravel road that seemed to disappear on the horizon, seemingly void of all human life. "Where are you from?"

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark was about to cast a spell when he heard a voice. He looked around quickly putting away his wand and smiling. The girl was cute so he could be his normal Marky self. " Hey there. Yeah like he just said im Mark." He jumped off the rock and walked out in front of her and took hold if her hand and kissed the top if it. " Nice to Meet you Lana." He winked and her letting go of her hand. " So whats a pretty girl like yourself doing here?" He said smiling at her. She seemed younger than him but he didnt mind unless they were way too young like 11 or 12.

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

Ksaafa couldn't believe the change in Mark. From a normal person, he seemed to change instantly at the sight of the girl, and became this... weird idiot. At least that's what Ksaafa thought. Kissing a girl's hand? Way over the top! And... was that a wink? What a doofus! Ksaafa couldn't help it, he laughed. Granted, he'd never had a girlfriend, but he was pretty sure that was not the way to go about impressing girls these days. Unless they did things completely differently in Europe... Ksaafa watched enough tv to know that wasn't true.

After a second though, he stopped laughing. This guy did go to a magic school after all, and he was bigger than Ksaafa. He hated to think what he might do to him if he made him angry. But even though he stifled his laughter, he still thought the guy was a doofus.

 

[Lana Hayden]

"Nicking it? Do you mean stealing it? I don't do that, not that type of girl" Lana said a little attitude towards the boy with the weird name. She even tried to sound it out in her mind but end up getting Kasfaassas. "Ummm nice name anything else you go by? And no I'm not from around here I'm actually from the U.S" they must not have many Americans here, or else why wouldn't he recognize her darling southern accent. Well middle south somewhere along the line. "However I moved to England and my cousin lives here, which is why I'm here" she explained it a lot slow for the boy with the weird name but oddly he was sure a looker, something she wasn't used to seeing. When the boy name Mark jumped in front of her and pressed his lips against her hand, Lana blushed highly than pulled back. She pretty much explained her doings about being here than cleared her throat, "I was bored but I might just ride around more" she rolled her back wheels a little back her toes of her shoes still touching the ground. She turn her handle and headed for another direction for now she was just going to ride her cousin bike, maybe later she would approach them again. The boy with the weird name was still staring when she started to pedal off.

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

Ksaafa grinned sheepishly at Lana when she said she wasn't the type to steal. He'd only said it because he didn't recognise her and Mark had mentioned the possibility of someone nicking the bike earlier. He laughed easily when she asked if he went by any other name. "Nah, just Ksaafa. It's not that hard to say."

He was disappointed when she said she was going to leave again. She looked like she might be fun to hang out with, and she obviously liked bike riding, which Ksaafa also did. "Oh well, see ya then," he looked after her as she rode off, and Ksaafa turned back to Mark.

"Mark! What was that, mate?" he asked, no longer able to hold back his laughter. "You scared her off!" He ran a hand through his wet hair and put on a fake poncey accent, "What's a pretty girl like you doing here?" He just managed to get to the end of the sentence before cracking up laughing again.

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark watched her rid away. She was a little too young for his taste. He turned to Ksaafa and laughed and pushed him away playfully. " Hey dont knock it. Im a chick magnet. They throw them selves at me ok. I have the whole school lining up for me ok." He said waling over t othe rock and sat back down on it. " Im geussing your not a lady man then." He laughed

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

Ksaafa was relieved when Mark reacted playfully to his teasing. He laughed and shoved Mark back. "Haha! Yeah, sure buddy," he joked. "Lining up for your slobber on the back of their hands!" He looked up at his bike to check everything was still there - his school bag and shoes had fallen off the back when he threw it on the ground, but everything seemed okay. "Nah, I don't need to try to impress girls. They're automatically stunned by my natural manliness."

He jumped up onto the rock Mark was sitting on and the sand that was stuck to his wet clothing started to blow off as the wind and sun dried him. "So let's see your wand again? I think mine's in my tree house. We could go up there," he suggested, indicating the long gravel road again. "What stuff do you know?"

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark laughed. This boy seemed very interested in magic. He thought of what spell he could use. He smiled when he thought of one. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at a large rock and flicked his wand. "Evanesco." He watched as the spell hit and turned the rock invisable. He had only really learnt tha one recently so was still practising but he thought it had worked just fine. He looked back to the younger boy with a proud smile. " Was that good for you?"

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

((Okay, maybe it's just my dirty mind, but I'm sensing some innuendo between these two... "let's see your wand"... "was that good for you?" ))

Ksaafa's jaw dropped when a rock that had been lying there just a moment ago disappeared. "Sweet!" he said as he looked around, "Where'd it go?" He looked at Mark and thought for a moment.

"Man, it must be so cool going to a magic school. Do you learn normal stuff like maths and English as well? It'd be great to spend more time on spells. My mum doesn't want us to go to Hogwarts, though." He wished he knew more wizards. He didn't even know there was such thing as a magic school until last year!

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark laughed and shrugged. " Its just invisable thats all. Well we do arthmany which is kind of like maths i think. Im not too sure they are muggle subjects so i dont know." Mark wasnt really an expert on muggles and all of that stuff so he couldnt really answer the question very well. He was better with magic than with the theory. " So why do you go to a muggle school in stead of a magic one?"

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

Ksaafa approached the place where the rock had been and reached out his hand. He felt the rock under his palm and realised Mark really had made it invisible. "That's great!"

He thought about what could be magic about maths, but came up with nothing. Then he laughed, "Muggle is such a funny word. Like I said, Mum won't let us go to Hogwarts. She wants us to have a normal education so we can get good jobs. She teaches us magic after school. I didn't know there were magic schools until just recently. It sounds like fun, but I think I'd miss sports; Mum says they don't have soccer or basketball at Hogwarts." He climbed onto the invisible rock and laughed. "Hey check it out, it looks like I'm flying!"

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark shrugged. " I suppose its what you class as a proper job. I mean i want to be an auror when i leave school. You need magic to go in there. i suppose i dont want to do anything muggle that much, maybe becasue i dont know about them." He laughed as he stood on the invisable rock. " You should buy a broom. You can fly them."

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

Ksaafa frowned at Mark's response. "What's an auror?" he asked. "I didn't know there were magical jobs... I guess I never thought about it. My mum's parents aren't magic, and she didn't go to a wizard school either, so I guess we only know what my Mum learned in books. We didn't really know any witches or wizards until Mākutu Mall opened over there." He indicated in the direction of Mākutu Mall by pointing his chin.

He jumped off the rock and curled into a ball to roll as he landed. When he stood up he had a stick in his hand and he flourished it like a wand. "A broom? Like, for sweeping? We have one at home." He laughed out loud then, "You mean you can fly a broom like witches in stories? Bullcrap, I don't believe you." He really thought Mark was pulling his leg.

Striding through the grass, Ksaafa reached the gravel road side and picked up his bike, carelessly shoving his shoes back into his backpack and trying to secure it on the back of the bicycle. "You wanna see my treehouse? You can stand on the back of my bike."

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark raised him eye brows. " Wow i have always known about witches and wizards. An auror is the person who fights the evil witches and wizards, death eaters they are called. I think its a good thing to do as they help people and make the streets more safe.." He said with a smile. He rolled his eyes at what he said. Of course he wouldnt really know about brooms if he was raised with a muggle like that but still there was no harm in showing him. " Well i could go there with you or we could come to my place and i could teach you a bit of magic if you get your wand and i could how you that you can fly a broom. There is a sport where you fly a broom. Its called quidditch. Im not much of a fan though so i dont follow it or know the rules that well." He said standing up and waiting for the boy to make his decision

 

[Ksaafa Lowart]

Ksaafa was stoked to be finding out all these things about wizardry that he hadn't known before. He wished Cale were here, too. Yeah, it's be great to show off to him when he got home later, but in the end it would be cooler to have him here with him. "Awesome! I'll have to go and get my wand, then we can go to yours. How far away is it?"

 

[Mark Stone]

Mark shrugged and looked behind him. " Well if your on your bike then its about ten minues." He said turning back to the younger boy in front of him. He liked being able to teach this kind of thing. It made him feel good, like he was kind of making a difference in someone's life. He needed more times like this with the past year he had been having. " Well lets go and get your wand then."