Fading Shades of Rose

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo stood in the girls dormatories, staring at herself blankly in the mirror. Alone, she decided to try something she'd not done for years. It had been on her mind since she'd been sorted at Hogwarts, and while her pink hair had been a part of her for so long, it was time for her to make the transformation into adulthood. A personal battle she'd been fighting the past 13 months; There was now a difference between being known soley for being that one in pink and having fun with it, and she hoped her confidence would remain. She were no longer a child, and gradually, starting from the roots to the tips, the bright shade of pink that she'd spent so much time incorporating, washed out of her hair. Within seconds, she stared at herself in a way she'd never seen before. The soft natural blonde of the waves complemented her skin tone, emphasising the shape of her face. She'd begun the process of evolving into a woman a couple of year prior, and this phase was one of the last finishing touches to completing her new look.

She had decided that she would take up regular flying practise, in time for the next years Quidditch tryouts, and after the feeling of freedom that she was given from a simple hair recolouring, she collected her broom at headed out the castle towards the pitch. She was already dressed in simple flying gear, and to keep the wind from streaming the tears from her eyes, she tucked a pair of sunglasses onto her nose. Making her way across the grounds, her new hair bouncing on her shoulders, she felt liberated, as though nothing was going to bring her down.

 

[Vilhelmine Dahl]

Vilhelmine gazed out across the empty pitch and sighed, the gentle morning breeze ruffling her dark brown curls. It had been some time since she'd felt any sort of wind through her hair, and though the sensation was strange, she had missed it. The only downside to growing it that she could see was that she no longer appeared tough, stony, invincible. Nobody messed with her as a skinhead. Her glare had been intimidating and cold. But now that her hair was beginning to fall over her ears again, she looked soft, innocent, vulnerable. She looked the way she felt; and she was concerned her friends would see it too.

Sighing again, Vil craned to look up at the spectator stands, where she spent every Quidditch match watching her friends and housemates play with one another. Always on the sidelines. Always left behind. It was her own fault, of course; but this fact did not console her. If anything, she felt only worse for knowing that her own anxieties were holding her back.

When she grew tired of standing, Vilhelmine sat down on a bench near the entry gates, not quite ready to leave, but not quite compelled to mount her broom. She propped this up against the bench beside her and rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, as if waiting for something to happen. And after a while, it did. In her peripheral vision at first she saw a shadow; the shadow grew, and then at last connected at the base to a pair of feet, and legs, and the body of a blonde student Vilhelmine didn't immediately recognise. She was purposely avoiding looking; and the girl was wearing sunglasses that obscured a large amount of her face. Vilhelmine angled her head away and willed the girl not to notice her, so that she could slip away once she had walked past and avoid any sort of conversation.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Approaching the entrance to the Quidditch Pitch, Geo hurried on in a faster pace than what may have been considered natural, as she was eager to take flight. It was the first time she'd been on the pitch that year, given that their lessons had come to an end, and of all classes to be deemed redundant, Flying was certainly not one to the second year. Striding towards the gate, she spotted a familiar student sat, alone and seemingly in despair outside. Vil had also had an aesthetical change, and while she looked older than she had when she joined the school, Geo was set that looked better on her. Vil was one of the girls in her dormatory, and while they may not have gotten off to the best start last year, she awoke Geo's curiousity. Even spending time during classes with her, she still knew nothing about the Hufflepuff.

"Vil!" She smiled at the girl, pausing in her tracks to ensure she were content. The girl always seemed to be lurking by herself, and while she hadnt looked particuarly happy at their flying lessons, Geo would invite her if it meant she had some company. "Were you in the mood to give flying another shot?" She questioned. Near the Quidditch Pitch would have been the last place Geo would have gone if she were seeking her. She lifted her sunglasses onto her head, pulling her newly blonde hair back away from face in order to see the girl more clearly.

 

[Vilhelmine Dahl]

Hearing her name, Vil jerked her head up in surprise. She still wasn't sure who was talking to her until finally Geo removed her sunglasses, revealing her smiling face. "Oh," said Vilhelmine, startled at the girl's new appearance. "The hair is new. It looks pretty." Vil smiled a rare smile that quickly vanished as Geo asked if she wanted to try flying again. She glanced at her broomstick, still propped up against the bench, and then back at Geo again, shrugging. Sure, she wanted to give flying another go. That wasn't the issue. She could want it for all her life and never mount that broomstick, so long as her inhibitions held her back. She looked down at the grass, swinging her foot so that her toes grazed the green blades. "No. I am not good on a broom. You should fly, though. I will watch." Vil smiled again, squinting a bit as the sun reappeared from behind a cloud and shone directly into her eyes.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

No one started good on a broom, and Geo had barely seen Vil in the air at all. "Thanks. Yours too. You suit it longer, not that you didn't before" Her voice trailed off as she recalled her first encounter in the girls dorm. Her hand shot up to touch the ends of her hair as she became aware of it once again. Taking a strand in her fingers she looked down at the new shade of yellow "I doubt anyone will miss the pink" She said, unaware of whether anyone had told her of her abilities. She liked the old colour, and knew she'd had to get used to others commenting on it, but it was easy enough to flick through a rainbow at a moments thought. Geo watched as her roommate swung one of her feet, a sign perhaps of anxiety. At least if Vilhelmine made it to the pitch she may be convinced to try to fly. Geo hoped so, it would be strange to have someone just watching you practise. "Flying is relaxing when the wind is running through your hair" She smiled, trying to encourage her. She waved her hand, indicating she should follow. "Do you want to walk down?" She asked, nudging her head in the direction of the gate, a hundred feet or so away. "Prehaps we can race" Her voice had returned to its excited shrill, and she was almost bouncing on the spot ready to start running.

 

[Vilhelmine Dahl]

Vilhelmine blushed and looked down when Geo complimented her hair, feeling simultaneously touched and embarrassed. Nobody had ever said anything suited her before. The Hufflepuff looked up again to watch Geo examine a piece of her hair, wanting to object, but not sure whether she was supposed to. Did Geo want Vilhelmine to say the pink had suited her? Or should she agree that blonde was better? In the end, she said nothing.

Being so stubborn as Vil was, she was surprised to find her resolve wavering as Geo attempting to convince her to give flying another go. How would it feel to have the wind rushing through her hair? Liberating, Vilhelmine was sure of it. But... but what if she fell? Or made a fool of herself? She hesitated, wondering whether Geo would make fun of her if something went wrong. Surely not. The two girls hadn't conversed very much, but Vil had never seen Geo be mean to anyone.

At the suggestion of a race, her eyes widened. "Er - no," she said quickly, fighting the fear off her face. "I mean - I would lose. I will walk, though." Sliding off the bench, Vilhelmine took her broom, a sick feeling settling in her stomach. This couldn't end well.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

No matter how much energy Geo was showing, Vil seemed uninterested in what was going on. She didn't want to race down to the pitch. "Don't you like to run?" She asked, trying to keep the confusion out of her voice. It was her favourite thing to do asides from fly, and the closest anyone could get to such without a broom. Nevertheless she was glad Vil had decided to take a trip to the fields, considering how reluctant she was about the idea of actually riding.

Vilhelmine always seemed to keep herself to herself, even in lessons. She wasn't sure if something was troubling her dorm mate, or whether she was just that way herself inclined. "What.. do you like to do?" She asked, trying to understand what this girl spends all her time doing as they walked down the field. "You know, before he left me and Remy had started to build a treehouse. Do you like them?" She asked, hoping that on the off chance she did she'd finally be able to complete the project they'd started. "Or Charms? That's my favourite. We could practise some charms?" She added, realising she wasn't letting the girl get her own words out.