Closed Distanced from the World

[Theodore Westwick]

Theodore had been lonely lately, and he hoped he would run into Zoe somewhere. She was the only person he really talked to these days, but she was often busy with her girlfriend or other friends. He had been hoping to run into her in the common room, but had felt awkward staying there when Edmund had walked in. His brother still ignored him completely, and Theodore did the same in turn. He had left the common room then, and had been hit with the urge to go outside. The weather was turning a bit colder, so he had put on a scarf. He decided to head to the courtyard, which would hopefully be a bit empty of students as everyone seemed to be busy studying. He still hoped he would see Zoe, but figured the odds were pretty low. He wandered out into the courtyard and found an empty bench in the shadows of the building. He sat down and grabbed a book out of his bag. Maybe he could spend some time here, until he could safely return to the common room again. It was nice to be outside for a bit, even if it wasn't anything like the adventures he used to have with his brother. He hadn't gone into the forest in a long time. It wasn't any fun without Edmund by his side. And in truth, it was also a lot more scary on his own. He glanced up from his book occasionally, looking at the students passing through. Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he were to talk to any of them, but then dismissed it. He sort of wanted to make a friend, a new friend, but also felt like it was too late for that. Besides, many people at Hogwarts were stupid anyway. Most of them, in fact. He was surely better off by himself.

 

[Madeline Kaimarama]

Maddy very much did not like the thought of the looming exams, so she was doing her best not to think about them. Today she had been studying, but she'd grown bored, so she'd come down from the stuffy library for some fresh air. Totara perched on her shoulder, as she'd trained him to do. Maddy had taken to keeping him with her while she studied, as part of his training and as a welcome source of distraction for her. She didn't usually take him outside without a lead, not entirely trusting him not to fly away just yet, but right now she needed to be outside. Her mimi dragon sniffed curiously at the breeze as she came out into the cool air, but did not shift from her shoulder. She reached up and scratched him under the chin in appreciation. Looking around, Maddy noticed an older boy reading a book in the shade. Curious, she went over to him. Maybe she could make a new friend today. It might be quite interesting to talk to an older student; she didn't really know anyone here older than her big brother, and he was only a second year. "Hi! I'm Maddy, what's your name? What are you reading?"

 

[Theodore Westwick]

Theodore tensed up as someone approached him, and he hunched his shoulders a little bit in an attempt to discourage the stranger from talking to him. It didn't seem to work, as the little girl started to talk to him. Even going as far as to introduce herself. Theodore frowned a bit, and glanced at her sideways. He wondered what it would be like to be like that, to be able to just go up to a stranger and start a conversation. It was weird, and definitely a bit unpleasant, but maybe it was the way everyone seemed to be making friends. He didn't particularly want to be friends with this young girl, though. "Why do you care?" He asked her sharply. "I don't know you."

 

[Madeline Kaimarama]

It didn't seem like this boy was very inclined to be friendly, but Maddy wasn't going to give up that easily. Maybe he was in a bad mood, maybe he could do with someone to be friendly to him. She knew that some people were shy, and sometimes they appreciated having someone else to start the conversation, even if they wouldn't admit it at first. Sebastian was like that sometimes, though she knew that more often than not he was grateful to have her and Wills forging the way into new friendships. "Why shouldn't I?" she replied cheerfully. "Of course you don't know me yet, that's how meeting new people happens. If you only talked to people you knew, you'd never get to know anyone."

 

[Theodore Westwick]

Theodore expected his words to scare the girl off, or at least make her lose interest. But she didn't even seem affected by it, which annoyed him. He glared at her more intensely, hoping it would make her falter. "What makes you think I want to know you? I don't." He said, scowling. "Leave me alone, you're just a little kid and I'm not interested." He crossed his arms. "So scram." He added, glowering at her. He didn't know what about him made people approach him, as he actually tried his best to be as unapproachable as possible. He nearly wanted to ask this kid just so he could avoid whatever it was he was doing to attract attention, but knew it would sound dumb. So he settled on glaring at her silently, wishing for her to go away.

 

[Madeline Kaimarama]

The boy seemed to be trying his hardest to be scary, but Maddy just thought that was kind of funny. "Well, you clearly need cheering up," she said, flopping down on the bench beside him. "What's the matter, grumpy-boots? Or do you not want to talk about it? We could talk about something fun instead, if you'd rather." She giggled as he told her to scram; such an old-fashioned word, like an old man would use. It sounded funny coming out of the mouth of a boy only a few years older than her. She was intrigued by him, and besides, he really did look like he could do with cheering up. Now she was sitting down, Totara crawled down her arm and onto her lap, where he licked impatiently at her hand.

 

[Theodore Westwick]

Theodore had really hoped his angry scowl would have scared the girl off. She was only a first year, it couldn't be that hard. But she clearly wasn't intimidated, which annoyed him. "I don't." He said shortly as she claimed he needed cheering up. "And there's nothing to talk about, especially not with a brat like you." He said coldly. Her giggle grated on him, and he shot her another glare. "Just go away, you surely have someone your own age to annoy instead." He said, making a small shooing motion with his hands in an attempt to make her leave. His attention was caught by the dragon that crawled on her arm, but he quickly averted his gaze as if that didn't interest him in the slightest. Nothing about this girl should seem interesting, as he definitely didn't want to invite anymore conversation with her.