Catching Up

[Hollie Ridley]

Hollie finally reached the third floor corridor.
"Much warmer down here," she said, laughing as she turned to Kate. "Those towers were freezing!" She sat down leaning against the wall. "So, as I was saying, I'm fine at the moment. How about you?" she smiled.

 

[Kate Johnson]

Kate smiled at Hollie and shivered with warmth. "Much better!" She smiled. "Yeh so i am fine at the moment!" She looked down, lost of what to say next.

 

[Hollie Ridley]

Hollie had expected Kate to talk a bit more, so she was thrown when her friend finished with a sentence. Lost as to what to say, she asked Kate what she was planning to wear for the yule ball.
"You are going, right?" she finished, just checking.
"And what you doing for the holidays?" there were plenty of questions to ask, things to catch up on, but she wanted to give Kate a chance to reply and she also wanted her friend to ask a few questions too.

 

[Kate Johnson]

Kate smiled at Hollie. "Sure i am, i couldn't cope with you and Pat down my neck all the time!" She grinned to show she was joking. "In the holidays i am going to Pat's. Yeh, thats all." She thought for a moment before remebering who she was talking to. "Hollie, ok then, sorry for me being out of here for a moment, i was just thinking. What are you doing in the holidays then?" She asked quickly.

 

[Hollie Ridley]

Hollie smiled in relief when Kate began talking again; she had wondered why her friend wasn't saying much, she was usually quite talkative. But it was ok now.
"Awesome, where abouts does Pat live? And is that for the whole holidays? Or just a little bit? Surely you're gonna go and see your dad, right?" Hollie had seen quite a lot of Kate's dad recently, having been working in his shop. It felt rather strange, Kate not being there.
"urm... just hanging out at home, spending a bit of time with the family, and mum wants me to visit, but I don't want to meet Henry - her new... true love." She bit her lip and wrinkled her nose. "He sounds like a berk. I don't know what to do, I need to see mum." She looked at her friend for advice.

 

[Kate Johnson]

Kate smiled at Hollie. "Her house is in Northern Ireland. Quite far so me and Pat are going by flew powder and Nat who is also coming is apparating with her aunt." She stopped and listened to Hollie's question before thinking. "Well, seeing as our house is so near the school i might go back for a few days pehaps but they don't mind." She smiled and listened to Hollie's issues. "Well, you shouldn't judge him on what you know your mum to be like and her boyfriends. Instead, be really nice to him and see how he is to you. I really don't know Hollie. Sorry, but my parents are still together." She smiled warmly at Hollie before giving her a hug. "Sorry i can't be much help, all i can say is give him a chance." She let go and sat back.

 

[Hollie Ridley]

Hollie smiled. "Cool," she said. Her eyes widened at apparating - that would be so cool! Hollie sighed as she realised she would have to wait for her seventeenth to pass any test like that.

At the mention of Henry, Hollie wrinkled her nose and sighed deeply. She listened to Kate's advice and leaned against the wall, gazing out into the darkness outside.
"yeah, but I've heard all about him. Not just from anyone, but from my brothers and sisters. And this is the guy who my mum has replaced my dad with. I can't just... I dunno, be nice!" She sighed again. "But thanks for the suggestion, I'm going to try and avoid him though. But when I see him I won't be rude, but I'm not going to go out of my way to be the perfect stepdaughter." She laughed. "He doesn't deserve that. He's already got Shelby and Nikki living with him and mum, I wouldn't be surprised if he hates me already!" She smiled wearily, shaking her head. "Anyway, enough on that, what have you been up to recently? Any undiscovered talents I haven't heard about?" It was random but Hollie was past the point of caring - the randomer, the better (y)

 

[Kate Johnson]

Kate smiled at Hollie. "Well, he must be out of his mind not to like you. No one can't like you, you are so likable!" She smiled at her friend again, hoping that she wasn't talking nonsense. "Well, I enjoy drawing and right now there are so many things for me to draw. The scenery, flowers blossoming and my friends who are patient enough to stand still for long enough!" She giggled, remebering when she had tried to draw Sam and he had gotten tired so sat down. "Oh Hollie, i nearly forgot, because i won't see you this holiday, i will give you your present now, before it grows." She added with a wink and ran up a flight of stairs to her dormitry. Pulling out her present draw she grabbed the light blue one and ran down the stairs panting. " Right, well here it is. I am sorry i couldn't get anything else but it was only sweets i could buy and the amount of sweets i have brought my friends in the past 2 years is enough to fill a shop!" She giggled and handed Hollie the minature light blue bean bag. She smiled and hoped Hollie wasn't too confused. "The shopkeeper put a shrinking charm on it for me so i could get them back to school easily. It will grow soon into a normal size and then you can use it, just make sure you don't put it in a draw other wise there might be problems!" She giggled at the thought of it. "Well, happy Christmas and i am sorry that it is early." She added.

 

[Hollie Ridley]

Hollie smiled at her friend's encouraging words and listened to Kate talking about her new hobby.
"Wow, you're an artist?" she said, genuinely surprised. "Wow, that's amazing!" She thought back to the picture Harri had drawn of her. "Hey, you could draw me!" and then Harri will have some real competition she added, thinking that she could host an art competition in which she would no participate. "Please?"

When Kate mentioned Hollie's present's growth, Hollie thought she was either joking or had bought her a plant, so she was quite surprised when Kate produced a small blue bean bag in her hand. "Oh my gosh, that's sooooo cute!" she gushed, looking at the miniture object. "Aww... how am I supposed to sit on it?" she was only joking - Hollie realised it was a shrinking charm - but she couldn't resist saying it.
"Thanks Kate, that's really kind of you. I really appreciate it." She smiled happily. "I can't wait to see it grow - that'll be interesting in itself! A growing bean bag - I hope it's still growing when I get home, that will really baffle Sam!" she laughed as she thought of her older brother's sceptical views about magic. "The moving chess pieces were almost too much!" Hollie had learnt wizard's chess at Kate's house and had taken it home to show her brother - it had been hilarious watching his face. She gave her friend a hug, murmuring 'thanks' again.

"Anyways, I have your pressie to... you can either have it now, or after Christmas. I know which one I'd choose..." she winked. "In fact, forget the choice, I'll go get it. Wait here... my house is a lot further than yours."
And she legged it to her dorm. Rumaging around in her trunk, she found the wrapped pressie. Smiling, she chose the purple one, remembering Kate liked lilac. She ran down again, until she was back on the third floor.
"Hey," she said, panting. "Sorry, stitch." Leaning over she waited until the pain had eased before straightening up again. "So... happy Christmas!" she handed Kate her present and waited for it to be opened. "It's a little unusual... but I thought you'd like it," she added, wincing as the pain in her side took up again. "I bought it at the general store - Pat served me!"




[[[sorry for the essay ]]]