Closed Friendship in the New Year

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope was still working on her list of goals, but one she had definitely settled on was being more social. It didn't come easy to her, to be social and open to others. She was very shy and got nervous when trying to talk to strangers. But... her classmates weren't strangers, were they? They were just friends she hadn't befriended yet. She tried to keep that optimistic thought in her mind. She was wandering outside, glad for some fresh air. Penelope kind of wished she had brought her broom with her, she loved flying. Just when she started considering going back to get her broom, she spotted someone familiar. A classmate that was already sort of a friend. She still remembered how kind Liesel had been last year on the train, surely she could be a friend? Penelope picked up her pace to catch up with the Ravenclaw. "Hi Liesel." She said, just a little out of breath. She tucked her hair from her face as she smiled nervously. "How was your break?"

 

[Liesel Besemer]

Liesel was looking for the perfect spot on the grounds when she heard the gentle thump of footsteps catching up with her. "Hi Penelope," she said. She liked Penelope. Or at least, she didn't have any reason not to like Penelope, which, to someone with no real friends to speak of, was more or less the same thing. "It was good. No-one talked to me. And Pumpkin died. My rat." This was, in fact, the opposite of good, but she had more or less gotten over it. "They wouldn't let me bury him in the garden. I made this-" she pulled a cardboard headstone out of her pocket to show Penelope- "especially. But it's OK. I'm going to find somewhere to put it." Somewhere out of the way, where it wouldn't get trampled on by stupid boys. "Did you have a nice break?"

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope felt her confidence grow a little as Liesel greeted her in return. But once the Ravenclaw talked about her break, her confidence plummeted again. She blinked a few times, unsure what to make of the sentence. “I-… I’m sorry.” She said hesitantly, stammering a bit. She blinked a few more times at the headstone the girl showed her, trying to process what the girl was saying. Morbidly, she wondered what happened to the rat if Liesel hadn’t been allowed to bury it. She decided not to act. “Uh, yes.” She said as the girl asked about her break, even if it wasn’t strictly true. At least it sounded somehow better than Liesel’s break had been. She didn’t understand how the girl could talk about it all so casually.

 

[Liesel Besemer]

"Why?" Liesel asked. She didn't sound upset, did she? There was nothing to be sorry for if she wasn't upset. She put the headstone back in her pocket as they continued to walk. At least Penelope had had a nice break. She deserved it, after the stressful one she'd had last year. "Good. I'm glad you did," Liesel said. Suddenly she frowned. "Are you just saying that?"

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope blinked as Liesel asked her why she was sorry. This conversation was quickly turning bizarre. “Well, it’s… sad, isn’t it?” She asked hesitantly. “Losing a pet?” Penelope had never had a pet, but when she was younger she had often imagined she had a fluffy white cat. It wasn’t the same, but she was pretty sure she would have cried even if the imaginary cat had died. She grimaced as Liesel asked about her break again, seeing right through her. “I- it was alright?” She tried.

 

[Liesel Besemer]

As far as Liesel was concerned, they were having a perfectly ordinary conversation. "It was," she said. "But I'm not sad any more." She could have bought a new rat, but she'd decided not to after she'd realised they were supposed to be kept with others of their kind. Hm. Penelope's second attempt to tell her that he break had been fine was less convincing than the first. "You can talk to me about it, if you want. Or we could do something to take your mind off it. What would you like?"

 

[Penelope Marshall]

Penelope nodded reluctantly, wondering if she would ever get over a pet death that quickly. Probably not, so it was probably wise that she didn’t have one. She did still really want a cat, though. Penelope shrugged a bit. “I don’t think I want to talk about it.” She said honestly. “But I’m also not sure what I would like, sorry.” She added, running a hand through her hair nervously.