Open Cake On The Cliffside

[Aine Thompson]

((shouldn't you get on replies, I remind myself as I post new threads anyway. should be later in the month but...inspiration.))

Aine was thankful she had some sort of technical family in the wizarding world. Not by blood, really, but Violet was kind of like the cool aunt she'd always wanted (not like her actual aunts, who were busy talking about home renovations and town gossip). And even though Noah was busy with ministry stuff and the pub, he'd always take time to chat and ask her questions about what she thought, especially about the muggle/magical divide. And he didn't even mind if she swore in her responses. They'd banded together to get her a small cake for her birthday, apparently made by the Florean Fortescue's owner and carefully packaged to arrive on time. Magic was good for some things, she had to admit. Her parents and siblings couldn't really send her anything. At least they'd indulged her desire for more books, and her mum and eldest sister had dragged her shopping when she'd offhand mentioned that they had dances in order to get her something to wear. It was funny, really, how it was only when the differences became far more stark between her and her family that this somehow brought them closer. Though it was probably more the age and behaviour. She'd never been the model child and kind of a disappointment, and yet now as a witch she was closer to being exactly the type of daughter that they'd wanted. At least her wizard "family" didn't make her ponder too much.

She'd only been back at school for a short while, but Aine was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Still, she reasoned, probably better that than bored. She knew she already had a bunch of work she should be doing, and she also knew she shouldn't be up on the cliffs, but she wanted to enjoy the fresh air and indulge herself for a moment. Fourteen felt weirdly monumental without actually being meaningful in the slightest. If anything, thirteen was the bigger milestone, or seventeen or eighteen. Aine stayed away from the edge, at least, looking down over the lake and letting the mix of chocolate and raspberry melt on her tongue. Things were difficult, but she'd get through this. She was doing terribly at the whole making friends thing, but at least she wasn't entirely alone.

 

[Ruto Vernier-Raison]

Ruto had been enjoying Hogwarts so far, and she had barely even been there for long. There was just so much to explore and discover and Roo didn't even know if the next seven years would even be enough time. She wished she knew some of the older students to ask them some secrets that they might know. It would definitely help her get further.

The Ravenclaw headed out of the castle this time, deciding to go exploring outside. She just kept walking, past the lake, past the gardens, and was waiting to see where her feet would take her. Soon enough, she had come across a cliff. The edge of the island. The edge of the world. There was just something about the cliff that was so wonderful in her eyes. It was the end, but it was also the beginning.

Ruto had barely noticed the other person that was also there, but when she finally saw her, she smiled. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she said, looking down at the lake as well.

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine knew that technically they weren't supposed to be up at the cliffs, but despite what the yearbook said she was actually pretty steady on her feet. She took another small spoonful, realizing belatedly that her desire to eat the cake had somehow allowed her to transfigure a quill into a spoon, though she couldn't remember how she was supposed to get it back. Or even doing the spell in the first place. Not that it mattered, she stubbornly used muggle pens to write anyway. Though now she'd have a spoon sitting in her bag with basically no use.

Aine was a little surprised to see a younger student join her at the cliffs, and smiled gently in agreement. "It really is. Pity the lake isn't the best for swimming, but it's better than nothing." She thought about what she'd seen, and the rumours of the fabled golden eel. She looked at the younger girl with a small smirk. "Technically, I'm supposed to probably tell you not to be here, but I'm not a prefect and not that much of a hypocrite."

 

[Ruto Vernier-Raison]

Ruto liked how well spoken the older girl was and smiled. "I can't imagine a lake with fish in it would be good to swim in anyway. Besides, I wouldn't wait to intrude into their territory." she said. She never thought about swimming in a lake. She was sure the fish wouldn't like it. As the older girl hinted that she shouldn't be there, Roo just shrugged. "Oh, rules are just for those that trust others too easily." She sighed, sitting down on the grass as she continued to look over the edge. "Sometimes it's worth risking it, don't you think?"

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine had to admit the younger girl had a point. Though ideally she wouldn't swim in the lake if she had another option, like a pool. She didn't like flying at all and wasn't too much of an athlete. But she didn't mind swimming. "There's allegedly mermaids, though I haven't seen any," she added, as though that was something necessary to the conversation. Even talking to younger students felt strange. She liked the younger girl's attitude, though. Although sitting that close to the edge was a little worrying. "Certainly true. I don't think anyone ever patrols up here. The forest, on the other hand, that's where they worry."

 

[Ruto Vernier-Raison]

Roo perked up a little as the older girl mentioned mermaids. "Oh, really?" she said, wondering why mermaids would want to live so close to school students. Perhaps she didn't know enough about them. It was definitely something for her to look into. "What else do they say lives in there?" She was curious now, mostly because she wanted to hear other people's theories and make her own. "See, I don't know why they worry so much about the forest. It's really odd if you ask me. Most of the creatures that live in the forest are probably more scared of us than we are of them." She chuckled a little, knowing very well that she did intend to explore the forest one day when she had the chance.

 

[Aine Thompson]

Aine felt weirdly gossipy about the whole thing, but it was a kind of weird sense of actually being an older student. Even if only a third year. Maybe the birthday thing was just getting to her, and she thoughtfully tapped her spoon against her lips. It felt weirdly feathery, but she pulled it away and looked and it was still quite plainly a spoon, not a quill. She rememberes being here a couple of years ago asking the same questions about mermaids, and despite it involving Cameron being awful, it was a strangely fond memory already. Fourteen was far too young to be so nostalgic, but at fourteen it already felt huge. "There's allegedly this giant eel," she added, not wanting to go too into conspiracy like she had with that older boy. That would've looked ridiculous. "I think I saw it at one point. It could have been a trick of the light," she added, a little meek. She was sure she had seen it, but she was too mature at the grand age of fourteen to get so carried away. Obviously.

Not too mature for gossip, though. Her lips curved into a bit of a smirk at the comment about the forest. "You're probably right. Though a couple of years ago, a student bred a basilisk in there," she explained. It wasn't as though she knew too much about basilisks, though. Just that they were dangerous. "Someone almost died," she added, a bit conspiatorial. It was part of the job at the paper to know a little about it, though they hadn't ended up really writing too much on it. She just remembered Celia bringing it up. It was a weird position at the paper sometimes. Celia had a good point about needing to talk about the big issues, but Estella was right too that they needed to be entertaining and fun as much as informative. "Though I don't think anyone would get away with that again. You'd hope, at least."