Breath taking

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda needed some solitude and knew the only place for sure that she would get it was on the quidditch pitch, though when she arrived there were a number of the Hufflepuff team trying out. Walking up to the stands she sat and watched from her safe sanctuary. Time ticked on and soon there were only two left and after another ten minutes the place was her own. Knowing this fact helped her relax a bit more. The Hufflepuffs trying out had been good, really good and she hoped the Gryffindor team could actually take them this time around.

Lying back on the bench Andromeda closed her eyes, still wearing her uniform of short plaid skirt, tight fitted blouse, Gryffindor tie, knee high socks and black calf length boots she rested herself under the hot sun. Someday she might get used to this weather but it certainly wasn't going to be today. She had already lathered sun cream on herself but knew she would have to do so again, very very soon.

 

[Danny Boyd]

Daniel made his way down to the Quidditch Pitch early and secured a quiet, secluded vantage point to observe the Hufflepuff try-outs. He was not commited to the idea of actually trying out for the team himself, although he believed his skills might make him a reasonable candidate should he see the need at a later date to join. For now, he simply wanted to see what the rest of his house had to offer. He thumbed listlessly through a textbook, before discarding it to the bench beside him wondering what had posessed him to even bring it with him. It was far too nice a day to waste on something as trivial as school work.

As the try-outs drew to a close, Danny waited for a few moments to ensure the stadium had emptied before gathering up his book and begin the slow descent to the exits. As he did so, he noticed the Gryffindor girl who he had shared an uncomfortable cup of hot chocolate with early in the year was lounging in the sun in the stands below. He admired her from a distance for a moment, gaining an appreciation for why she was so "popular" with the other guys at the school and debated on whether he should say hello or not.

Danny was feeling at loose ends and began to wonder if he shouldn't hone his flirting skills a little, particularly as he felt like he was the only older boy in the school who hadn't found themselves on "good terms" with the girl at one point or another. Danny had been keeping a relatively low profile with the ladies up until this point, so he figured he might as well test himself a little as he might actually need to find a date to one of the school functions at some point. For now, he'd simply try and have a little fun and see if he couldn't light a little fire between himself and the already fiery redhead.

Danny stood on a bench a couple rows up and focused on the girl's boots and slowly traced his gaze up her legs towards her skirt before calling out. "Better be careful there Red. You might end up with an unfortunate set of tan lines if you lay out here much longer."

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

The voice was sudden and unexpected and the shock of it made her sit up but slide off the narrow bench at the same time. Bumping her knee on the next bench and smacking the palm of her right hand on the ground, Andromeda turned around to see the source of her new injuries. She sighed when she saw who it was. So far she had managed to ignore him in all their classes though he had attempted the odd smile, she wondered what the hell he was up to now sneaking up on her like that.

"I'll worry about my own tan lines thank you very much" standing up and brushing herself down, straightening the short skirt as best she could before sitting down on the bench and turning her back to him. She didn't know why he irked her so much, he simply just did and it certainly wasn't guilt from hitting the fool with a snow ball that was for sure. Hoping he might simply leave her alone if she chose to ignore him, Andromeda stared out at the pitch, wishing someone would fly as looking at the empty pitch was no fun at all.

 

[Danny Boyd]

Daniel winced slightly as the girl fell off the bench and was going to apologize for startling her when she snapped back at him and then promptly turned her back to him. He could not help wondering what the deal was with this girl. She seemed overly friendly to most guys that even gave her a second look and yet she refused to even acknowledge him when he made even subtle attempts to smile at her in the classes they took together. He had also witnessed a rather nasty argument she appeared to have with some girls in the Great Hall earlier in the term and figured she was simply a freak. Despite her rather tempting exterior, even Danny recognized when something simply wasn't worth the effort.

He continued his descent down the rows of benches, shaking his head and muttering loudly to himself as he did so. "With that sunny disposition, now I see why you are so popular..." Danny knew that he had spoken loud enough to be heard and wondered if she would respond. Either way, he wasn't going to let Little Miss Sunshine ruin what was otherwise a wonderful day.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

With her back now leaning against the bench behind her, Andromeda had pulled her leg up to look at her knee. Taking her wand out she used the minor healing spell on the few cuts and the red welt that was there. She didn't usually bruise so quickly but the whallop had been a hard one. As she did this she heard footsteps approaching and knew that Daniel had not left and the words he uttered were most definitely aimed at her. Sucking in a nasty retort she put her wand away again and lowered her leg before turning to look at him.

A bright crazy like smile played on her face, as she widened her eyes.
"Oh you mean this sunny disposition? The one reserved for normal, nice everyday students who don't make a nuisance of themselves?" she continued to smile and then suddenly dropped the act to all but glare at him, "I am not popular and if I was it is not a position I asked for. Nor did I ask for your company, there are other stands I'm sure you can take your smart assed self off to!.

She turned away once more, her hand rubbing the ache in her knee that would be there for another hour or so at least.

 

[Danny Boyd]

Daniel stopped walking and turned to look at the girl when she spoke, wishing quickly that he hadn't bothered. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, knowing that he hadn't helped the situation with his comment, but wondering why this girl always seemed so hostile towards him. Every word that she uttered in his direction seemed filled with sarcasm and malice and he simply wasn't used to people treating him this way, typically being able to charm the pants off just about everyone he met. He knew he should just walk away, but something compelled him to stay.

Danny sat down on the bench a couple rows ahead and stared off over the pitch. "Nah, I think me and my smart ass kind of like it here....and I don't really care what you asked for, I was here first anyways." he replied without giving her a second look. "

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda had expected him to leave the pitch and was bordering on furious to discover he had no intention of going anywhere. She fumed to see him sitting there a few rows in front and stood up. He could have the bloody stands to himself, what did she care one way or the other. She certainly wasn't going to enter into any stupid childish squabbling with him and yet she didn't understand why she couldn't just be civil to him. For a brief moment she paused and glanced over at him but thought the better of it as she began to walk to the end of the bench towards the steps that would lead her to the top of the stand where the long winding stairwell down was.

But she couldn't simply leave it there, as much as she had wanted too.
"You were far from here first, you're just a blow in and don't forget it" standing on the step at the end of the bench she cast him a look of contempt before turning away. She couldn't believe she had just been that rude to him, he had never actually done anything to her, not enough to incite this much animosity in her at any rate. Andromeda put it down to the emotional turmoil that she was experiencing and decided maybe some day if things weren't quite so crazy she might actually be nicer.

 

[Danny Boyd]

Daniel heard the girl, Andy or something if he recalled correctly, get up and begin to move away. He was surprised that she was proving not only to be terribly unfriendly, but also a bit of a coward as well. Danny had hoped for more from her and perhaps the opportunity to get beyond simply exchanging insults and nasty looks. He figured that there must be more to her than she was revealing at the moment, but couldn't for the life of him figure out why he cared.

When she stopped and finally did choose to toss yet another spiteful comment his way, he turned to look at her retreating figure. "Sweetheart, you don't know a thing about me so why don't you keep your ignorant opinions about me to yourself." he replied. "I'll be honest with you, I came down to talk to you because the rest of the guys at school seem to think you're something special. Shame about your attitude though, kind of ruins the whole look. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of glad to see you leave... it's a much nicer view than that sour look you've always got on your face."

Danny wasn't sure why he had chosen to talk back to her, but he didn't need reminding how hard it was to fit in, not by some little tart who only took her lips off some random bloke long enough to toss insults around.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda stopped dead at his words and the tone behind them. She took a deep breath wanting to just go on, but she couldn't this was her own fault and he was justified in everything he said to her. Refusing to let tears well up she turned around slowly to him, her amber eyes glistened she didn't know if the tears were of pure white anger or self loathing but she would have her say.

"I'm nothing special so you're already one up on all the other boys here, go advertise it Danny. Go on let them all know that Andromeda Fiorelli is nothing but a spiteful witch but you don't know me either, so if I happen to be sporting a "sour look" on my face it's not because I'm concerned about the latest fashion trends or the latest makeup on the market. It's because I will have a damn good reason for it. I am sorry I was rude, ok. It seems like every time we meet you catch me on my worst damn days but I am not ..." she bit back anything else she was going to say, looking away for a moment to take stock of all of this.

"You're new here and I should have been more... welcoming. Usually I would be, it's just been a bad year so far. Enjoy the stands" her voice had dropped, the defensive tone gone until all that was left was a voice as dead as the girl inside. She turned and began the long hike back up the steps again.

 

[Danny Boyd]

Daniel wanted to apologize the moment the words had left his lips, but couldn't pull them back. He knew there would likely be hell to pay and that he probably deserved whatever Andy chose to do to him. However, he wasn't prepared for the emotion and honesty of her reponse and the friendly and more caring part of him went out to her immediately. It was his turn now to apologize and he knew it.

"Wait! Andy please..." he called after her. "I'm sorry too... I haven't exactly been the easiest person to get to know and I'm sorry for how I've been acting. Maybe we can start fresh?" he offered hopefully. "Id rather enjoy the stands with a friend than alone."

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

She was beginning to feel like a yo-yo back and forth constantly, turning around to face him as he called to her to wait she sighed a little. This year had been manic, completely crazy. So far she had been cutting up her friends like they were pieces of meat on a slab, she had to put alot of wrongs to right but couldn't for the life of her figure out where to start, perhaps little steps like this was what she needed.

Slowly she made her way back down the steps to the bench he was at.
"Fresh start then?" she asked and extended her hand to him, "I'm Andromeda Fiorelli, but my friends call me Andy".
She smiled at him then, it wasn't her most dazzling but it was genuine.

 

[Danny Boyd]

Danny was pleased that his little olive branch had been accepted and shook Andy's hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you Andromeda. I'm Daniel Boyd, but most people call me Danny. I hope that one day you'd allow me to call you Andy." he replied with an alomost instinctual wink. "I could use a few friends as I'm still kind of new here."

"Beautiful day, huh?" Danny added as he gazed over the pitch, realizing that it had gotten appreciably more beautiful with her simple smile. He knew that talking about the weather was pretty lame, but sometimes easing a door open gently was much better than trying to kick one in.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda sat down on the bench and looked out across the pitch as well. She had to stop how she was beating herself up and being downright nasty to people. It wasn't her and deep down she knew this yet it seemed too hard to come back from the abyss she had fallen into. It was beautiful up here, it was possibly her favorite place in the entire school. The wind was picking up slightly but it felt good against the heat from the sun.
"You can start calling me Andy any time at all Danny" she told him in a quiet voice, willing her damned cursed wretched soul to quieten as well. Someday she would figure the whole evil thing out but until then she needed to try and maintain some sense of normality. Though what that was anymore was completely beyond her.

"Welcome to the school Danny" she glanced his way this time her smile reached her amber eyes, the hot sun reflected in them and for the briefest of moments it looked as if flames were there in those mysterious orbs of hers. Turning back to look out onto the pitch she leaned back slightly against the bench behind her and lifted her legs up on the bench infront. Comfortable enough she really began to just relax in his company.
"So what brought you here Danny? Not to the pitch but to this school, I know you're English I get the accent a mile away. We never actually covered that the day I ..." she smiled again turning to look at him and resting her chin on the palm of her hand, "sorry we're starting fresh, so ... why are you here?"

 

[Danny Boyd]

Daniel smiled when Andromeda replied and indicated that he could refer to her as Andy and remained quiet as she asked him why he had transferred to the school. His smile faltered for a moment as he thought about his father's death and the subsequent move to be near his mother's family that followed. It really wasn't the cheery conversation starter that he had hoped for, but everyone had their own tragedies to deal with and he was no different. He smiled warmly at Andy, allowing his eyes to focus on hers for a moment and almost become carried away, but turned to look back over the pitch before speaking. As much as he would have liked to continue looking at her, he knew that he would have difficulty doing so while responding.

"I didn't have much choice really. My dad died last year and my mom and I didn't have any other family in England. She needed her family around her and my aunt lives here, so we decided that moving here was our best option." he stated honestly. "Kind of sucks to have to switch schools, but when one door closes another opens and all that...". Danny knew that he'd be fine, especially if he had the chance to meet some people that he enjoyed hanging out with. "It's not too bad here and the people are actually alright once you get a chance to know them." Danny turned his gaze back to Andy for a moment, a hint of a smile on his face and a nervous pang in his stomach.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda gazed for a moment into his hazel eyes and was briefly reminded of someone else, her gaze flickered and she pulled it away to continue gazing across the pitch as some students began to walk out on to it. He started explaining his reasons for transferring and immediately she felt like the biggest heel ever. Why she simply couldn't learn to keep her mouth shut was beyond her. Tilting her head as she turned to look back at him again she bit her lip before saying anything. He was nice, he was terribly sweet in fact and had no business sitting here with a monster.

"I'm sorry to hear about your father. It can't have been easy. I know how you feel though, more than you know actually" she didn't elaborate any more than that but gently nudged him playfully, "yeah we're not a bad bunch really."
The wink she gave him was friendly and playful nothing flirtatious behind it at all and she was glad of this, it wasn't just that he was a Hufflepuff and it wasn't just that he had been willing to give her a second chance. Danny Boyd just seemed like a person she could become really good friends with and she liked that thought.

She leaned forward slightly to look at the students attempting to climb on to their brooms and realized that they were the first year class.
"Come on tis tradition, we get to make fun of the first years. Without them hearing of course" she grinned moving herself down to the front bench so she could rest her arms on the ledge of the stand, resting her chin on top again she smiled at them all. Besides looking like virtual ants from here, she found herself wishing to be that young and innocent again.
"Do you remember what you were like in first year?"

 

[Danny Boyd]

Daniel figured that Andy's comments about his father implied that she had experienced some personal loss as well, but didn't dwell on it and was pleased when she changed the subject and nudged him. He followed her down towards the front row, looking out at the children who were gathering nervously for a lesson or something. Having some fun at their expense seemed like a good idea to him.

"Not really actually, I can't believe that I was as small as them!" he said with a laugh. "I mean look at that one kid on the end, the broom is taller than him! Maybe I should go find him a small branch or something and suggest he start with something more his size?" Danny really did have trouble recalling what it was like to be that young, although he didn't suspect that his personality had changed all that much. Perhaps his interest in girls was somewhat more pronounced, but the rest of him was pretty much the same. "How about you? Have the years changed you much?"

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy looked over to the poor kid he indicated and seriously couldn't help but feel sorry for him though she managed to chuckle at the same time.
"I can remember some of my classmates being that small, I must have been about seven when I was that height" she grinned, knowing her 5'9" was taller than most girls her age about the school.
"That's just mean though, leave him some dignity just lob off the top of his broom or something" she turned and smiled at him when he posed his last question she all but spluttered and was glad she hadn't been drinking anything.

"Oh... you have no idea just how much I've changed. NOoooo idea" she looked back out across the pitch before standing up again and turning around, "should start heading down I guess it is getting close to lunch time. Are you staying or coming along?" Andromeda smiled at him hoping that her quick change of topic didn't cause any suspicions. Surely he'd simply think she grew too tall or changed her hair color or something. As he was now blocking her way to the path that led to the stairs she waited for him to stand, glancing out onto the pitch as she did so.

 

[Danny Boyd]

Danny smiled, quickly enjoying Andy's sense of humor. He wasn't totally prepared for her sudden desire to leave, but figured he should be going as well. "Uh sure, is that an invitation to join you or simply a polite way of saying move out of my way, I'm hungry?" Danny replied jokingly. He was hoping to spend some more time with Andy, but could wait until another opprotunity presented itself if need be.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

She couldn't help but chuckle as she moved to sidle past him, well if he wouldn't move she had to do the moving for herself. Her body had no other option but to brush against his as she passed, her usual scent of roses lingering.
"It means get out of the way, coz I'm going to beat you there" she smiled at him as she made it to the steps and winking at him managed to take them two at a time, until she had run to the top of the stands.
"Come on slow coach".

 

[Danny Boyd]

Daniel stood frozen as Andy brushed past him. The contact had been casual and innocent, at least he thought it had, but it still resulted in a rather unusual stirring within him. She smelled good, looked good and when smiling and joking, was rather nice to be around. He stood watching her mount the stairs, surprised at her athleticism given her school girl outfit. With a moment's hesitation followed by a little shake of his head he eventually sprung into action and followed her up the stairs, quite unsure of where these simple first steps might lead.

Danny didn't mind if Andy beat him there, he knew that the best races were ones that took time to run. He wasn't interested in sprinting to the finish line, preferring a slow and steady pace that might end with the satisfaction of a race well run. "I may be a little slow, but trust me...I'll get there eventually!" he called after her.