Hopefully a new start

[Lilith Patil]

Lilith could not believe that she was really doing this. For the very first time in her life she was stepping out of the shadow of her sister and becoming her own person. After many talks with her parents and a lot of soul searching. Lilith had packed her bags and walked out of Hogwarts without a look back. She had passed up the school where the rest of the family was attending. Beauxbatons had been her choice and she had to do a lot of begging. But here she was and Lilith was happy to be away from everyone and everything. "Wow this place is so wonderful." Lilith said softly her voice full of wonderment.

 

[Francine Fleming]

Francine was just walking out of her dormitory when she saw someone that had never seen around before. This was strange for the Beauxbaton because one way or another Francine made herself known to everyone. There people that loved her because of her attitude and people that hated her because of her style since and sometimes sharp comebacks either way they knew her. "You must be new here. Francine Fleming at your service." She said extending a hand to her. "Finding everything alright? Have you been cornered yet?" She asked almost all at once. It was not often that someone was a new face around here and Francine made it point to be nice to the new ones. That was until her enemies got a hold of them and the friends suddenly started calling her a freak. Francine had her ways of getting even though.

 

[Lilith Patil]

Lilith turned to face the voice. So many things where being said all at once and Lilith didn't know which one to respond to first. "I am Lilith Koshiba, I just transfered here from Hogwarts. Truthfully I haven't started to look for anything so everything is okay in that sense as for being cornered. Not yet and I hope that I wont be seeing as I can't run in these heels." Lilith looked at the girls outfit. It was very pretty more in place than Lilith's but since this was the first student she had ever met here Lilith still did not know what was normal and what was not.

 

[Francine Fleming]

Francine stopped for a moment as if she where thinking. "Which one? There are two Hogwarts castles if I remember correctly." She said looking up for a bit then back down with a smile. "Anyway it wouldn't a physical attack. Some of the girls like to test the new ones by ripping on them. Did my fair share of that when I was a Zombie Slave to the cliques. Now I tend to float." She said nodding. Francine could tell that this girl was some what sweet. Someone that she and Vivi would like to hang around. She looked at the girl's outfit too. It was your normal everyday wizarding boring but it wasn't Stripped Stocking Special either. Over all Francine had to approve. Anyone that was bold enough to go against the grain here was more then welcome in Francine's company. "Oh well it take skill to run in heels but I know someone who can. Then again I do think that she also has a few talents that she's not telling anyone about." She said with a laugh.

 

[Lilith Patil]

Lilith stopped for a moment. "Oh sorry I forget. I'm from Hogwarts New Zealand. I was in Slytherin." Lilith said a bit sheepishly. She hated admitting that she had been sorted into that house. She was not that kind of person. As a matter of fact. Lilith knew she should have been placed into another house but somehow she had ended up there. Lilith listened as the girl explained everything to her. "Oh that makes sense. I hope they don't do that to me cause I may rip back." Lilith said thinking about all the teasing she had lived with being yet anther Koshiba girl sorted into Slytherin. "My sister Eden can do it and I think Hoshi can as well. But as for me I am just getting into heels and I must say I do like them." Lilith said and than blushed as she realized she was babbling on about people who this girl had never heard of.

 

[Francine Fleming]

"Magnifique. As most would say around here. We could use a bit of green sass around here." Francine said with a wide smile on her face. She had heard of the Slythiren house before from others but didn't find Lilith to be anything of the sort. "Then you want to stay away from a girl named Nicolett. Part Veela and mean as all you can think of. If she thinks your odd then your pretty much out not that anyone really cares what she thinks or at least anyone in my circle." She said shaking her head. It was sad to Francine that there where even circles among the Beauxbaton girls but they existed. Francine seemed to be the only one that made sure that she treated everyone the same. Well the same as she would treat the anyone that was insulting her behind her back. Sometimes being Neo Victorian was a hard thing. "Don't worry it's common to talk of people you know in a new place." She said with a smile. Francine had caught Lilith blushing and wanted to make things as easy for her as possible. "If you would like I can show you around when your ready." She said again smiling wide.

 

[Lilith Patil]

Lilith let out a giggle. "To be truthful I am nothing like other Slytherin's. They put me in there by mistake I am sure of it." Lilith let herself lean against the wall. "I will keep that name in mind. I don't like people that are mean for the sake of being mean. It is just so pointless. I mean we are already different and the muggles have already tried to hunt us down and destroy us shouldn't we all just stick together?" Lilith said thoughtfully. Lilith was just a different sort of person all together. She was a dreamer who just wanted everyone to get along. "I am used to people talking about me but hopefully they wont hate me here because of my sisters. I am nothing like them and can't wait to prove that to everyone." Lilith said with a smile on her face. It was a really nice sort of day. "You know Francine I think I would like that a lot. So what are the gardens like here?" Lilith was an outdoor person by nature. She would spend all day and night outdoors without realizing it.

 

[Francine Fleming]

Francine nodded a bit. "I doubt that anyone here knows that you have sisters really. I didn't but then I assume that they are this Hoshi and Eden that you where talking about. They sound like you've been trying to have people notice you for too long." She said as she started to walk. She made a gesture over her should which meant that Lilith was meant to follow her. It wasn't anything arrogant of her it was just a habit. Francine often felt like she was born in the wrong era. If she had been born in the Victorian days she would have fit right in. Even then women made clothes and being the way she was she would have had no problems finding herself a lord who would marry her.

Alas she lived here and now. Men though she was odd but it was all the same to her. Francine didn't really care one way or another. "Names are made here by how you are really. Though there is a bit of a division right now between the Stripped Stocking Society and the avrage witch but then we never had an intention of being a clique when all this started. We just like to dress the way we dress and don't care what people say about us." She said shaking her head. "If your nice you can make friends easy and you know that people are going to be nice back. Well most anyway." She said thinking of her arch rival. Francine walked down two sets of stairs and out an arch before reaching what looked like a platform filled to the brim with roses even in the frost of winter. They where white because of the time of year she would wait until spring came for Lilith to find out the secret of the roses.

"This is the rose garden. You can find people here studying. Whether that be actual class or the study of Anatomy depends on the time of the year." She said with a laugh. "Beauxbatons has three gardens in total and a green house. There's the Rose Garden. On the other side of the school there is the Potions Garden and the third is the Magic Garden where plants that are not used for potions but are not found in the muggle world are found. Each has it's own beauty but this is where you can find me most of the time. Mainly because of this." She said leading Lilith to one of the walls of the platform. Blue roses where growing on the other side of the wall. "Made by a former student and left here as a gift to everyone. She will be sourly missed." She said putting bowing her head a little bit.

 

[Lilith Patil]

"Yes Hoshi and Eden are my sisters. They got the looks and the smarts and Eden is a Seer to boot. What did I get? I got to be a shadow." Lilith said softly. It seemed like even here miles away from them in a place where they have never stepped foot. They where still very close and putting her in the shadows. Watching the girl who was fast becoming her friend. Lilith saw the hand motion and fall into step behind her. Realizing what she was doing Lilith took a extra step and put herself side by side with the girl. That's better Lilith thought.

Lilith could not stop looking at what Francine was wearing. It was so very different than what she had ever seen before. Lilith could not believe how cool this girl was. It seemed like nothing could touch her. "Stripped Stocking Society?" Lilith asked kindly. She had never heard of anything like that. What could that be about? Walking outside into a garden. Lilith stopped in her tracks so many roses. They where all so pretty and pure white. It was just so lovely. "Oh wow." Lilith said softly.

"That's just how the rose garden at Hogwarts is. Thou I didn't go there to often." Lilith muttered. Listening as Francine told her about the gardens. Lilith could not believe how lucky she was to have gotten to go here. It had taken a lot of talking and ever more begging but Lilith in the end had won. It was all worth it to her to have this moment. Looking at the blue roses Lilith wanted to reach out and touch them but there seemed to be something different about them. Something special about them. Lowering her head when Francine mentioned that the giver of these roses would be missed. Lilith lowered her head. She didn't know the girl but she could give respect at least.

 

[Francine Fleming]

Francine lifted her head after a second and looked at Lilith. "You must rise dear. You must express who you are inside. Only then can you say that you truly know yourself." She said then Francine stepped on to one of the benches and tapped the end of her parasol on the ground. "The Stripped Stocking Society." She said as she cleared her voice. Francine was done this once when it had first started the Society. It had been a revaluation then when the wicked Queen B had almost stripped all self-esteem away from the Beauxbatons girls.

Francine had seen how wrong this was when she went into Japan and all the diverse styles there. "Believe that we should not judge what a girl is waring but rather the girl who is waring the clothes. Even the most style challenged girl shines if she can hold her head up high and say 'This Is Me!" with that Francine slammed her parasol on the ground again to put force behind her words. "We that bare the striped stockings shall not tolerate bullying, fussing or name calling because of clothes, color or blood type. We believe that beauty is not defined in what you have on but what ware in your heart!" Francine cried puffing up like a proud lady. "Those that ware accept the Striped Stockings must hold these ideals true and ware the stocking proudly so we can have a more beautiful world to live in! We the Striped Stocking Society and we are not afraid!" She cried again and smiled at a few people that where staring at her now. One girl that was waring glasses that really over shadowed her face clapped for her.

Francine had seen her before. A shy character really but once she got the courage to talk to them she knew that she would be a most devout Striped Stocking. For now she would let her lurk around looking at the others. "Well that's what we're all about. I created the Striped Stocking Society when I was in the fourth year after I had seen Japan and how they dressed. All the colors and outrages hair made me realize that there isn't only one way of styling yourself. There are many and to make someone fell bad about how they dress is wrong. I came back and realize that the girl I was following, the Queen B at the time, was wrong. Those that followed her felt so bad about themselves that I suspected that a few of them where having problems trying to conform to her standards. So I started to work against her." She said with a nod.

 

[Lilith Patil]

Lilith felt herself get swept up in Francine speech. The longer she walked the hall of Beauxbatons the more she felt like she belonged. "You know Francine you are right. Forget my sisters and feeling like I am not good enough. I am going to be my own person!" Lilith burst out when Francine was done. Looking at the girl with the bog glasses. Lilith walked over to her. Removing a white rose from a bush. Lilith removed the thorns and placed it in the girls hair. Walking back over to her new friend. Linking her arm with Francie's, Lilith led them around the garden. "So how does one become part of this Society?" Lilith asked as they toured the gardens.

As she thought about it she knew that instead of being the cheerleader for her sisters and everyone else she wanted to be the one that was being cheered for. How could she do that? Realizing that she finally free of the burden of being a Koshiba girl Lilith giggled. "I do believe I am going to love this place. Do you play quidditch?" Lilith asked as they made it back to the hallway so Lilith could see more of the castle.