Happy days.

[Liberty Kaelen]

Libby sat at the top of the North Tower. She had just written her letters from her and her brother, back to her family. They had moved house again. Now Libby lived in Italy, the country she was born in. It was were her sister was due to grow up, and soon attend her first pre-school years.
Since arriving at Hogwarts herself, Libby had known she'd grown up in many ways too. She was more independant and had quite alot of responsibities these days. Her job in Madam Malkins was proving interesting, and it was always fun to see what the customers wanted. She couldn't wait until her fifth year. She hoped to do well in her exams, and although she wasn't sure what she wanted to do for NEWTS, she had promised herself she would try-out for the Hufflepuff quidditch team. An alternative wasn't the most exciting player.

Libby stood up quickly, and held in a small yell when she almost smashed into another girl coming the other way. Larissa. She hadn't seen her all year.
"Hey" she gave her a small smile, stepping back. Maybe she'd changed too. Was she still interested in that guy who'd she brought to her party?

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Larissa looked gloomy as usual. She often wore this expression in the hope of masking her true feelings- something she didn't want anybody seeing. If people knew her then they could pick out her weaknesses. And in Larissa's book, having any sort of weakness was a failing. The weather was lovely and warm, the sun shone most days and Larissa found herself spending more and more time in the shade of the castle, sheltering her sour milk skin from the fiery skies. She had wandered up to the North tower to enjoy the cool, early evening breeze. Something, or rather, someone, she hadn't anticipated, however, was Liberty Barnett.

"Oof! Watch where your going, you-" Larissa blinked for a moment, forgetting the grumpy, miserable look that she wore. "Haven't seen you in a while." She stopped talking to glower at a first year, passing through, watching them. The first year seemed to move a lot faster. Larissa turned back to face Libby. "How are things? Haven't seen you since.. since.." And there he was, invading her thoughts again. She swore but her words were different to usual; Larissa was swearing in German. She hadn't realized this but still quickly attempted to change the subject. "I heard you are working, now.. How's that going? Met the ideal guy, yet?" Argh! Larissa wanted to slap herself. There she was, an opportunity to change the subject but yet again, her mind had drifted to him. She threw in a quick, 'joking' laugh.

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

Libby let Larissa waffle on about something or other, then picked up a word she started to say in German. So yes, Larissa had changed too. She raised her eyebrow at the girl before she had a chance to talk. "Um. I'm fine. Yes, i like my job too. Although it's creepy when old guys come in.." she said, cutting off with her next question. Had she met the ideal guy? "Yes." she replied simply. "I've only met him once, but we get on pretty well. He's a durmstrang fourth year, soon moving here" she smiled, remembering how he'd said he'd hoped they could hang out. She hadn't been anywere near a guy properly since Jake in her second year, and although she and Sam were getting on well for a while too, that had drifted off into another direction completly.
Libby wasn't going to stand talking about school, work and guys though. She seemed that was the only thing there ever was available to talk about anyway. "I hear the first years this year are a handful." she commented, refurring to the mess one of the Slytherins Cedric had talked about, who'd painted the walls...it reminded Libby of her first year..and she smiled slowly to herself.

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Larissa was thankful for the subject change. She was pleased for Libby to be moving on in life, growing up, but she couldn't help feeling that she was losing a friend. But her and Liberty hadn't hung out properly in.. well, years. She missed those golden summers, the long, hot afternoons, hanging around by the side of the lake, not a care in the world.. Larissa forced herself from these thoughts of the past and back into the present. She smiled slightly at Libby. "Oh yeah," she said, grinning, "Right bleedin' handful. You know, one actually tried talking back to me, the other day." She had put the foolish first year back in their place. Larissa didn't allow people like that to remain on their high-horse- she kicked them off of it.

"Your brother," Larissa said suddenly, almost randomly, "how is he doing? Struggling with lessons, yet? Swooning over girls?" She gave a slight laugh. What she would give to go back to the days of her true youth, to relieve them, to make all the right decisions..

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

Libby smiled at Larissa when she said what happened to one of them. She was right though, this year the newbie's did seem to be up-tight and in everybodies business. She couldn't understand why one year couldn't leave another alone.
"Cedric, he.." she hadn't actually got talking to her brother properly, and she knew her parents would probably asked her more about him later, "he stay's out of my way" didn't really surfice in the letter. "I guess he'd alright. He would have come to me if something was wrong." she said. Libby was due to go home over the summer holidays with Cedric, to see their sister and their new home. Libby had agreed they'd needed a bigger one for years now.
She stopped herself in time from asking about Larissa's own siblings, remembering what happened back in their first year. She wasn't sure what to say to that still. "How's..your mother?" she asked, picking a hopfully safe topic.

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Larissa wanted to laugh. Libby had asked how her mother was and at first, it was the desire to laugh at something random.. that soon changed, however, to wanting to laugh at Liberty's ignorance. Larissa hated her mother and had done since Christmas one year ago: She had lost her her father and now her step-father. He had been left to rot in Azkaban. She could never forgive her mother for what she had done. Larissa would make sure that her mother didn't go unpunished, the selfish witch.. "Mum is fine." Larissa said bluntly.

Larissa reached into one of her pockets, pulling out a small, yet highly well-known, packet. "Want one?" she offered, popping a purply-red Bertie Bott's bean into her mouth, chewing it for a moment before a disgusted look became etched onto her face. "Eurgh," she said, sticking out her tongue, "cabbage."

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

Libby was slightly confused. She and Larissa hadn't talked properly in years, but she didn't persist once she's said she was fine. Libby sniggered as Larissa pulled a face, she hadn't had a bertie bott for years ether. She used to carry them everywhere but recently they'd just been, forgotten. Libby helped herself and pulled out a dark grey bean. Glancing to Larissa she hoped for the best. She gave a shrug. It wasn't too bag. "Mushroom." she announced. She stopped chewing suddenly. Or was it? Libby looked around for a bin, before deciding the safest option would probably be the window. Removing the bean she flicked it out, and hoped whatever, or whoever it landed on wasn't looking up to see her. She grinned innocently to Larissa. "What?" she asked, wandering back over to her.

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Larissa missed the old days. Perhaps she should hang around with Liberty more often? No, she couldn't. Not if she wanted to achieve her life dream, anyway.. Larissa was considering going back to the past in her relationships. She almost screamed as the alarm bells rung in her head. She couldn't just turn her back now on a life she had worked so hard for. But then again, Larissa always looked so far into the future, planned so far ahead. Why couldn't she just enjoy what she had now and focus on the rest later? Because this was her life dream, because she had dedicated so many years to such a project, because if she changed now, vital connections would be severed and Larissa would lose contact with the outside world. Outside, that was, of her head.

"I.. I think I've got homework to do," Larissa said, hurriedly to Libby, "I really should go." She turned to leave but her feet were glued to the floor. She hadn't seen this girl in such a long time. She couldn't just abandon her for work that she knew she could do later! Larissa turned slowly back to Liberty. "I'm still angry at mum over what happened and I can't stop thinking about Mark," she paused, her eyes saying it all, pleading. "I just need something to take my mind off this stuff for a while." Help.

 

[Liberty Kaelen]

This was a first. Larissa needed to go for, homework? Rather than stay socializing? Libby was convinced she'd heard her wrong. Then she heard what else she had to say, and she was really convinced her ears were deceiving her.
"What happened with you mum?" she asked, she thought she'd just said everything was fine, and Libby cursed herself for being so arragant. Mark. He was the, man, she'd brough with her to her party, she knew it. She knew what she felt like to be needing a distraction, after the past few years it's what she'd been trying for all along. Maybe this was a chance for Libby to get back in Larissa's good books. "Fine." She'd picked up a few tips from Zavier since she'd met him, and open the bag that hung around her, looking for something she'd recently bought from the joke shop. Pulling up a small package she carfully unwrapped it. "I was saving this, but for nothing in particular so i guess i could use it now." she said. In her hand was a small squidgy ball, that looked as though it would explode any second, "It's a swamp" she explained, and grinned towards Larissa as she looked around for somewhere to set it off.

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Larissa thought Libby knew all about the situation with her mother but apparently she didn't. Larissa, however, found she needn't reiterate her words as Liberty played along and assisted in being a distraction. Larissa smiled down at the small squishy ball of glop; it had been such a very long time since she had last had some fun, played a few pranks. Perhaps after causing some trouble, they could go and dip their feet in the lake, maybe get a soaking from the giant squid before trundling back up to the castle, friends united once more as two dripping shadows in a golden summer haze.

But this was no dream world and Larissa knew that her pride could never allow her to truly re-befriend Liberty Barnett. For now, however, she would take this gesture of friendship and duly note such actions. Libby was back in her good books but again, Larissa's pride would never allow her to admit such a thing. Larissa spoke no words in reply to Liberty but simply pointed downwards, meaning, they should head down to the floor below. Well, it would be more fun if they had more victims. It was things like this that Larissa had missed. She liked Libby.