Open Can't Hold Us

[Sierra Woodlock]

"I will!" Sierra shouted in return to her parents, as they told her to be careful. She was already running towards the playground. A lot of kids her age didn't always enjoy the playground anymore, they definitely thought they were too old or too cool to be playing on the swings, but Sierra still loved it. Swinging on her stomach was the most fun, she could pretend she was flying. The weather was cooling down so her parents didn't take her out as much as they did in the summer, but she was driving them mental, and both Sierra, and her mother's arms and legs were covered with paint colorings and drawings before her dad decided it was high time to get the young girl out of the house before she went too stir crazy.
After spending a few moments pretending she was flying, Sierra attempted to actually fly off the swing from her stomach, but ended in an awkward tangle, doing a sort of forward roll off the swing. She laughed, before running to the next thing on her agenda - the monkey bars! They were the real test of strength. Instead of swinging from them, Sierra climbed up the outside of the bars, making her way to the middle so she could hang upside down.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper had never been a particularly patient boy, but it really seemed like time had slowed to a crawl lately. The closer September was, the slower time seemed to go. He was bored so often, and not even his dad could always cheer him up. He wanted to go to Hogwarts so badly! Why couldn’t he just go now? He could hang out with Rory and Sophia, and his other cousin Arkose would be there too. But nooooo he had to wait. It wasn’t fair. The boy was completely bored of his room and his toys, and even exploring the area around his house. So he had asked his dad if they could go somewhere, anywhere. And his dad had picked the park. It wasn’t as exciting a place as Jasper had been hoping for, but at least it was a change of scenery. And maybe he could find new friends. He had already met a few students he would be going to Hogwarts with next year. He waved at his dad before running off towards the playground. It wasn’t the most thrilling thing, but he was also aware that once he was a Hogwarts student he really couldn’t play on a playground anymore without looking silly, so maybe this was his last chance. As he approached, he noticed a girl falling off the swings in a weird way. He stared at her for a moment, and just as he wanted to ask if she was okay she ran off towards the monkey bars. “Hey, wait!” He called, running after her. He climbed up on the outside the way she did, but from the other side. “Hi.” He said, waving at her from atop the monkey bars. “How old are you?” Maybe it was a strange first question to ask, but the girl looked like she could be around his own age. Maybe she would be another future classmate.

 

[Sierra Woodlock]

Before managing to topple under the bars, a boy approached from the other side, climbing on the outside as well. Sierra grinned at him, excited that someone else was joining in on her game. When he asked how old she was, Sierra wondered if he was going to tell her she was too old to be playing on the playground, but he didn't look too much younger than her, so she wasn't sure. "I'm ten!" She replied proudly. "Why, how old are you?" Sierra asked back, before hooking her legs on the monkey bar and swinging under it, so she was hanging upside down. Perhaps he wasn't going to tell her off, perhaps he was going to be going to Hogwarts too! Sierra had been waiting to go to Hogwarts for a very long time, and her brothers had told her a lot about it. She had no idea what house she was going to be in yet, but she was looking forward to finding out, and making a ton of new friends.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper was glad he had caught up with the girl, though as he balanced on top of the monkey bars he wondered why she was up here, it really wasn’t very comfortable. When she said she was ten, Jasper grinned and puffed up slightly. “Really? Well, I’m eleven.” He boasted. “Have been for a while too.” He added. But as he watched her dangle upside down, he realized she couldn’t really see him like this. Besides, he wanted to talk to her more. After looking at how she was doing it, he copied her. It took a bit of effort, but before long he was dangling upside down and looking this stranger in the face. He grinned at her. “You know, if we do this too long all the blood will rush to our heads and our brains will explode.” He told her, though he didn’t really think that was true. Just the first part. But he wondered if something like that would scare her a bit, which could be funny. He knew it would scare his cousin Arkose, though he couldn’t imagine him hanging upside down on monkey bars in any case. “So if you’re ten, are you going to be at Hogwarts next year or the year after that? I’m going next year.” He said, glancing up at his own hair for a moment, though he couldn’t really see much of it. He wondered how it looked when he was hanging upside down. “I have two cousins at Hogwarts, so I know loads already.” He added. It was something he said to every new future classmate he met, though it had yet to really impress anyone.

 

[Sierra Woodlock]

Sierra grinned when the boy said he was eleven. Then he wasn't going to tell her off! It was cool to meet someone her age playing on the playground as well, rather than having to fight the five year olds for the slide. The boy joined her upside down, but when he said their brains would explode, her eyes narrowed slightly, not sure whether to believe him or not. He continued talking, and Sierra's eyes lit up when he said he was going to Hogwarts next year. "Me too! I turn eleven soon! I'll be going next year!" As he spoke about his cousins, Sierra pulled herself back up so she was sitting atop the bars. She hadn't forgotten about the exploding brains yet. "I have two brothers there! Do you know what House you want to be in?" She paused for a second, before rambling on. "Also, I've done the hanging upside down, like, tons of times, and my brain hasn't exploded yet!"

 

[Luna Blanchard]

At eleven years old, Luna barely had any chances to wander and explore by herself. She was far from being a secluded child whose parents are too overprotective to let her out of their sight, but at her young age, the young girl had taken on large responsibilities which had reduced her chances of enjoying what kids her age normally do - playing with her peers. It wasn't really a big deal for she enjoys the company of her younger siblings, and watching over them is becoming more of a hobby than an obligation, but it doesn't hurt to have these rare moments when she can just be a kid too. Today, her father had decided to take a day off from work to celebrate her soon to be enrollment to the most prestigious school in the entire wizarding world (her father's words, not hers), Hogwarts. She doesn't think that that is something to be celebrated, but she can't say anything once she saw the pride in her father's eyes and the excitement in her siblings' faces when their father declared that they'll have a little family outing.

That had been hours ago. In fact, they were supposed to go home already. But her father saw a former classmate and knowing her father, she knew that the small "how have you been's" would turn into hours of deep conversations. It's a good thing that there's a park nearby - she asked her father for permission, to which she received just a simple nod, and guided her younger brothers to the playground. There weren't a lot of children playing, it wouldn't be hard to spot her brothers, thus, the eleven years old decided that it wouldn't be bad if she would let herself enjoy the playground too. She sat at the nearest swing, still keeping an eye at her siblings. But a sudden voice from her left had surprised her. It was a boy, probably her age, running after the odd girl who had been swinging on her stomach just moments earlier. She watched as the two climbed up the monkey bars, hooked their legs on the bars, and hung upside down. She was amazed at how they can keep up a conversation at such an awkward position, but she had accepted a long time ago (exaggerating considering her age) that people are weird and does things that cannot be explained. Still, against better judgement, despite knowing that she should probably not interfere with other people's business, she approached the two. Looking up at where they were, she cleared her throat, it wasn't necessary but she wasn't sure how to capture their attention without appearing to be rude. "Isn't that dangerous? I'm not sure about your brain exploding from hanging upside down but I'm pretty sure that something close will happen if you somehow fall from up there." Her face held a neutral expression but her tone has a bit of worry in it. It's probably not a good idea to call people out, but hopefully, they wouldn't misunderstand her intentions. She's all for adventure and having fun, but she would rather that people have fun without getting hurt at all.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper logically understood that being older than this girl wasn’t something he should be proud of. He hadn’t really done anything for that, after all. But it didn’t stop him from feeling slightly superior over her, though he was still glad she wasn’t so young that they would be in different years at hogwarts. “Great! We’ll both be going at the same time. I already made a few friends in our year,” that was debatable at best but he continued, “and I bet I can help you make friends too.” He pulled himself back up the same way she did, glad his story about exploding brains had made her stop wanting to dangle upside down. It had been starting to make him feel a little dizzy and it was a relief to sit normally again. He was a little disappointed to hear the girl had two older brothers at Hogwarts already. That was definitely more impressive than two cousins. “Oh, cool. I wanna be a Gryffindor.” He said with a definite nod. “Just like my cousin. What about you? And you simply haven’t done it long enough yet, or maybe your brain already exploded and you didn’t notice.” He grinned at her, unable to resist the last comment.

He had vaguely noticed there were more kids at the playground, but somehow he hadn’t really paid close attention to them and hadn’t noticed one of the other kids was also close to his age. As he adjusted himself on top of the monkey bars, he looked down at the girl who had approached. He listened to her concerns, then shrugged. He looked at her for a moment wiggling one leg vaguely in her direction as it dangled down from where he was sitting on top of the monkey bars. “But we won’t fall,” he said, full of confidence. “One time I did fall but my accidental magic made me bounce. So I’m practically invincible.” He grinned even though he knew perfectly well it didn’t work like that. Accidental magic was unreliable and erratic, not something one could really rely on. “Besides, I think brain explosions are a much more imminent threat. It’s totally true.” He was going to double down on his story now that there were two girls who had heard him talk about it. It would be way too embarrassing to admit he lied now. After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed the side monkey bars and swung himself down, dropping down back onto the ground so he could look at the new girl at eye-level. “Are you going to Hogwarts next year too? We are.” He gestured to himself and the girl who was still on top of the monkey bars. “I’m Jasper and this is….” he paused, realizing immediately he didn’t know her name. He tilted his head back to look up at her. “Yo, what’s your name?”

 

[Sierra Woodlock]

Sierra's eyes lit up when the boy said that he made lots of friends already, and that he would help her make friends. That was so exciting! "Would you?!" She asked, enthusiastically. Sierra watched as the boy sat up and she nodded her head. "Gryffindor would be great I think, but I don't really mind what House I'm in, except maybe not Ravenclaw I don't think I'd suit that House very well, but you never know, the Sorting Hat has it's own mind ya know!" Sierra spieled on, giggling. Her eyes widened when the boy said he brain had already exploded. "You know what, you're probably right, I'm probably like, some zombie or something now and I don't even know it." She giggled, taking her arms out in front of her as a pretend zombie.
Sierra smiled at the new girl as she approached, biting her lip slightly when she expressed her concerns about falling. She was glad that she didn't think their brains would explode as well though. Sierra grinned when the boy said he was practically invincible. "Well, I've never fallen." Sierra boasted, feeling herself sitting a bit straighter, proud that she hadn't fallen before. She was happy that the boy introduced himself, she hadn't realized that she didn't know his name. "I'm Sierra!" She exclaimed, before jumping down next to the two. "I hope you're going as well! Then I'll have two friends!"

 

[Luna Blanchard]

Luna’s heart jumped a bit as she watched the boy wiggle his leg while sitting on top of the monkey bars. She crossed her arms and gave the two a firm stare, much like the ones often received by her younger brothers when she thought that they have crossed the line or when she wanted them to behave. “It doesn’t work like that. And besides no one’s invincible.” She said, a matter-of-factly. She was preparing to give a lecture on how she thinks magic worked but she stopped when she saw the grin on the boy’s face and happiness on the girl’s. These two aren’t her siblings, they weren’t obliged to listen to her. Besides, if she were on their shoes, she would want other people to mind their own business. She had voiced out her concerns, it’s no longer her fault if her worries were proven true since they decided not to listen to her. “You haven’t fallen . . . yet” She answered the girl, her tone growing softer and kinder with each word, as she had already given up on convincing them. The girl’s exuberance was quite contagious, she couldn’t bring herself to continuously rain on her parade. She couldn’t say that she felt the same towards the boy though. “No it’s not.” She half-whispered, arms still crossed, not wanting to say anything more than necessary. She didn’t want to make an enemy out of any of the two. And besides, she had always believed that she shouldn’t let first impressions ruin her relationship with people. The girl seemed to like the boy’s company, perhaps she should give him a chance too.

The eleven years old sighed as the boy swung himself down the monkey bars. She had never liked monkey bars, she didn't understand why kids loved them. Her eyes widened a little when the boy announced that they’d be going to Hogwarts. She refused to answer whether she’ll be going too or not. While she didn’t want to judge the boy prematurely, she wasn’t sure if she’d want to continue being associated with him. He’s uncontrollable and he seemed to do things as he pleased - and that means he’s dangerous. While she knew when to have fun and be a kid (mostly when she’s with her siblings), she loved order most of all. “My name’s Luna” She didn’t know if she should extend her hand for a handshake like most adults do when they’re introducing themselves, but she thought that such action is too formal for the situation they’re in. Which kids would shake hands in the middle of a playground anyway? “I am.” She paused, weighing and thinking of her next words, her previous hesitation about admitting her soon to be admission to Hogwarts already forgotten at the statement of the girl. She was a little biased, but she saw her siblings in the girl. “I’ll be glad to. It will be an honor to be your friend. . .I think.” She might regret this soon, but she had decided to give this possible friendship (even with the boy Jasper, she thought) a try.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper was a little surprised by how happy the girl seemed when he said he would help her make friends. She didn’t seem shy, and if she had two brothers at Hogwarts already it shouldn’t be too hard for her. Still, he nodded proudly. “Of course.” He said with a grin. “And yeah, Ravenclaw seems boring.” He agreed. Every other house seemed to be okay to him, but he would prefer to be in the same house as the cousin he admired most. Hufflepuff was probably kind of boring too, but at least they didn’t read books all day. The girl’s joke about being a zombie made him smile, though he didn’t really believe that she hadn’t fallen. As someone who fell off things a lot, that just didn’t seem very realistic. He simply didn’t consider that maybe she was just more careful than him. But he had lied about the brain exploding thing anyway, so he wouldn’t challenge her about this now. He was glad when Sierra said her name, and turned to the new girl to hear what she had to say in return. He frowned when she said the brain explosions weren’t true. How did she know? “You don’t know that, you’re not a brain scientist.” He told her with an air of superiority, as if he was a 'brain scientist'. The girl introduced herself as Luna and told them she would be going to Hogwarts too. Jasper wasn’t sure if he would like to be her friend, as she seemed sort of like a stick in the mud to him. He glanced at Sierra who had now dropped down onto the ground as well. She seemed like the type of person who got along with anyone, so she probably wasn’t going to reject this Luna girl. He decided to stick around for now, as it would be great to know some more people when he went to Hogwarts. “So, Luna. What house do you think you’ll want to be in?” He asked her after she said it was an honor to be Sierra’s (and his?) friend. It was a strange thing to say, in his opinion. Who said things were an honor besides old people? He bet this girl didn’t want to be a Gryffindor, which was good because as far as he was concerned, she wouldn’t be.