Open Come on Out Fishies!

[Molly Burke]

Molly's break had been okay. She was excited to see her parents and her younger siblings. But there wasn't much magic or mythical creatures that she could see at home. Her younger brother had shown her his shells that he had recently collected for his shell collection and her sister was too busy getting dirty. Her older brother wasn't helpful either. He was moody and bossy.

Molly had decided to make her way to the lake and explore. She hadn't really explored or been to the lake before and that was going to change. The Irish girl took off her socks and shoes, as well as lifting up her skirt, as she slowly walked into the lake. "Cold, Cold Cold" Molly muttered to herself. The water had been a little colder than her liking, but it didn't bother her that much now. Molly looked down into the water. The water wasn't that clear but clear enough that she could see a few things in the water. "Come out, come out fishes! I wanna see your cute faces and colours!" Molly says with a giggle, as she gently splashes around the water. Hoping the little fishes would come out to play with her.

 

[Gwen Goodwin]

Gwen had enjoyed her break, it was nice to be home for a bit. Her parents had gotten her a bunch of gifts and Gwen could tell they had missed her when she was at Hogwarts. The only part she hadn't liked much was having to practice the flute a lot. She hadn't really practiced at Hogwarts, and had lied at home that there hadn't been any time. She figured her mother had bought it, as she had seemed to think letting Gwen practice as uch as she wanted was some sort of favor to her.

But now it was time to return to Hogwarts for her second semester. Last semester, Gwen had gotten to know the girls in her year a bit better. They hadn't been all that impressive. Out of all the girls that had attended the sleepover, Gwen knew she could dismiss Giulia and Niamh from her potential friend list. Both were a bit weird, and seemed only happy to talk to each other. Molly had also come, and Gwen knew she was the best person she had for a friend. The girl was a bit wacky, but most of the time Gwen thought it was in a charming way. But today, as Gwen was taking a walk outside to enjoy the nice weather, she frowned at the sight of Molly in the lake, her socks and shoes abandoned on the shore. Gwen glanced around, then approached. "What are you doing?" She asked, wrinkling her nose a bit at the sight of Molly's feet in the water. "You're going to get sick."

 

[Molly Burke]

Molly turned around when she heard a voice and grinned when she saw a familiar face. "Hi, Gwen!" Molly says with a smile and a wave. Molly thought that Gwen was a nice person and that she was somewhat great company. Though, Molly didn't know that Gwen that well but considered her a friend. She considered everyone she met her friend. "I'm just putting my feet into the water and looking for cute fishes or for any interesting mythical creatures!" Molly says with a small smile and shrug, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, ignoring the scrunch of Gwen's nose. "I think I'll be fine. It's just a little fun! Do you wanna join in?" Molly says, moving her hand in a dismissive gesture.

 

[Gwen Goodwin]

Gwen smiled at Molly and waved, though it was a bit of a weak smile. She doubted Molly noticed, she was so busy with the weird thing she was doing. She sighed when Molly explained exactly what that was. She liked the girl, but she was such a baby sometimes. Gwen paused and counted to five in her head so she didn't say the first thing that came to mind. She forced a smile. "Oh, that's a cool idea. But isn't it cold? And a bit dangerous? Maybe that's more something to do with Care of Magical Creatures Class in a few years." She suggested though Gwen knew she would rather die than take that class herself. She couldn't entirely hide the disgust on her face as Molly asked if she wanted to join. "Uh, no thanks. It looks a little dirty." She admitted, looking at the mud and plants near the water.

 

[Molly Burke]

Molly shrugged a little, it did feel a bit gold when she had gotten in earlier, but not so much now. "It's a little bit cold I guess," Molly says quietly with a small smile. She didn't really think about the dangerous aspect of it all. She now realised that it was a possibility of it being dangerous and was having second thoughts about her decision of being in the water. Molly's smile slowly deflated, as she noticed the small disgust look on her friend's face. "It's okay, I get it," Molly says with a shrug. She had felt slightly embarrassed with her decision of being in the water and thought she should've known better. She then decided to get out of the lake and went back to where she had placed her shoes and socks, along with a towel she had brought with her. She dries her feet with the towel. "So, what are you up to?"

 

[Gwen Goodwin]

Gwen didn't want to tell Molly that what she was doing was gross and a bit weird, but it seemed like the girl picked up on Gwen's feelings without her having to spell it out. That was a welcome surprise, she had thought Molly was a bit more oblivious than that. She smiled at the girl, nodding in approval. She approached her as she dried her feet, glancing at the lake again. "I'm just concerned for you." She said, frowning a bit. "You know, there could be Grindylows in there. I heard they grab your ankles and make you drown." She shuddered. "I'm not doing much, just taking a walk." She added cheerfully. "I'm honestly glad to run into you, Molly. I was bored, and you're one of the nicest girls in our year."

 

[Molly Burke]

Molly smiles a little as Gwen expresses her concern. "That's nice of you," Molly says with a small smile. She guessed that she was glad that she had a friend that was concerned for her wellbeing. She didn't really have many friends around her either. She listens as Gwen tells her that there could be some Grindylows down below in the lake. She pulls a face of slight disgust. She had seen some photos in a book about mythical creatures that her dad had been showing her. "Yuck," Molly says as she once again pulled a face of disgust. Even though she liked mythical creatures, she wasn't gonna lie, she had found Grindylows both disgusting and terrifying. Molly nodded when Gwen had explained that she was only just going out for a walk. She guessed that walks were relaxing. "Oh, that's nice of you to say! You're a nice girl yourself. How was your break?"

 

[Finn Millar]

Finn was out exploring the grounds, the first time since he first arrived at the castle. It was weird to think he was already in the second term. He was wandering around the Lake edge, seeing how far he could make it before he got tired or it was time for lunch. There were a few people out on the lawn or the lake edge today, since the weather was nice out. Finn half-avoided big groups, not wanting to get into conversation. Though he was feeling more relaxed since he first got to the castle, Finn still found small talk hard work and could never think of the right thing to say. Especially with girls. He didn't know how to get around the giggling, or how to say something clever. It wasn't that he liked any of them like that, that would be weird. They were just... harder to talk to than boys.

Lost in his thoughts, Finn kicked a pebble along the shore as he trekked around the lake. Too late, he realised he had walked right up to a couple of people in conversation, without even realising. Uh no, girls. But he was now too close to start walking in the opposite direction. Finn was relieved to see that they were about his age, and he might have even had some classes with them. Older girls would be way worse "Um- hi" he said, feeling lame and like he was interrupting them. He gave the pebble once last kick with his toe, and winced as it almost hit one of them. What on earth would they think of him now.

 

[Gwen Goodwin]

Gwen nodded in agreement when Molly at least had an appropriate reaction to the Grindylows that were likely lurking in the lake. The Hufflepuff was really lucky Gwen was here to tell her what to do, she clearly hadn't thought things through. "Thanks!" She said brightly. "My break was alright, it was nice to see my parents again. But I missed Hogwarts." She sighed. "I don't have any siblings so it's a bit lonely. Do you have siblings?" She asked Molly curiously. She had been so busy talking to Molly that she didn't notice the boy who approchaed them. She looked up and gave him a bright smile automatically. She recognized him from classes and was pretty sure he was in Gryffindor. "Hi!" She said, wondering why he was approaching them. She pretended to ignore the pebble that almost hit her leg, though she frowned slightly for a moment before clearing her expression and smiling again. "You're in Gryffindor, right? In our year?" Gwen felt like she should know his name, but she couldn't remember. She hoped he would introduce himself so she wouldn't look silly having to ask.

 

[Molly Burke]

Molly nodded understandingly at what Gwen had said about her parents and missing Hogwarts. She did miss her parents and younger siblings, so it was nice seeing them, but she had also missed Hogwarts. She had made many friends here and it had made her a bit sad and missed Hogwarts a bit, during her break. "Lucky" Molly grumbled a little when Gwen had mentioned how she didn't have any siblings. "I have three other siblings. An older brother, a younger brother and a little sister" Molly explained with a small shrug. Don't get her wrong, she loves her siblings, but there were times where they were really annoying and wished that she was an only child. She was going to explain further but noticed when a boy around their age had made his way towards them. She smiled brightly at the boy and waved a little, with slight excitement. "Hiya!" Molly says with a big smile at the boy. Molly kept quiet when Gwen had asked him questions, but smiled a little at him.