I'll Go Wherever You Will Go

[Viviana Warrick]

Wow was the sun gorgeous, and was the grass green, and were the trees tall and lovely. Everything was so lovely and tall, and everything seemed very bright and even magical. With large, brown eyes trained on the lake, Viviana Nacht made her way across the grounds of Hogwarts. She had a bit of time before she actually started her first year, and she wanted to see every inch of the grounds. She hoped that she would be lucky enough to proudly show other people around when they got lost, and generally brighten their faces with a simple statement: "Yes, follow me." Viviana whispered the words to herself, and then giggled shortly after. She couldn't help but be a giddy school-girl, the eleven year old had never been in a more exciting situation. She felt as if she was on top of the world. Her mind buzzed as she finally reached the lake front, and looked across the calm waters. As it was just now spring in this country, it occurred to Viv that it wouldn't be intelligent to dip her feet in. instead she just stood, looking out over the water. She hoped that her parents didn't miss her too much, praying to Merlin that they were smiling every time they thought of their little girl at this wonderful school. It was soon after that thought passed through her brain, that the brunette gave a contented sigh. She couldn't be happier - well maybe if she had a friend to share this experience with.

Viviana, at the thought of being a companion, glanced around. A few feet off it seemed that there was someone standing, looking around briefly. She watched him begging to walk away, and happened to wonder if he too sought out a friendship. Viv had yet to actually talk to anyone since coming here, so perhaps this was her sign. She looked at the sky and gave a wink to the stars that were hidden by the sunlight. "Hey!" Viv called out to the boy, waving slightly as she jogged to catch up with him. It was obvious he was an inch or so taller than the already fairly tall Viviana. She was tall for her age, anyways, she thought. "I noticed you walking along the lake, want me to come along?" She offered her companionship, unsure where he was going, who he was, or what his motives for walking were. If he didn't want a companion she would gladly walk away from him with a smile and try to find someone else to hang out with. Viviana placed her hands behind her back, clasping fingers tightly together and spinning back and fourth. Her back cracked lightly as she did so, and she kept a pearly smile on her face as she did so. "I'm Viviana," She introduced herself to the boy, hoping that it would make him more inclined to accept her tagging alone for whatever adventure he was on. If he was on an adventure. If he wasn't then she would just like to join him on a calm walk. Either works, Viv was going to be happy no matter what she did. Viviana was always happy.

 

[Archie Renner]

Spending the winter break within a home Archie knew from head to toe was incomparable to a castle he had barely begun to scratch the surface of. So immediately after returning his feet on the grounds for a second year within the Hogwarts walls his self-driven task to discover every hidden passage, upturn every stone and ultimately explore every inch of the castle began exactly where he departed it. Through word of mouth the lakefront sounded a more so magical place than the rest of the grounds due to rumors of mermaids living beneath the water. And although none of the students he knew had seen one with their own eyes, Archie was determined to find one for himself. With hands buried in his pockets and hood drawn over his head, he made a bee-line jog from the castle and to the water's edge in an attempt to fight the early spring chill. If there was one thing Archie complained about most it was New Zealand's weather. The near constant feeling of freezing to death even in summer had become an inherent part of his personality at this point. During the school year he was never often found without a hoodie or thick sweater but even with an excessive amount of layering the cold always seemed to bite through. Archie's aversion to the cold could be simply put to an over dramatization, but as a proud Gryffindor he let no weather, be it snow, rain or thunder keep him from his goals. When he finally arrived at the lake and shot a glance to his surroundings he was surprised to notice he wasn't alone on such an early morning, and furthermore surprised that when he took a step away to pull his hood down the other person walked over to him.

Whoever the girl was, Archie didn't recognize her. The complete unfamiliarity of her face and lack of a name to put behind it forced him to believe she was not a third or second year, but rather a first year. What seemed an adventurous one at that if she was so willing to speak to an older student. "Archie." He chose to introduce himself before saying anything else. While he was more than excited at the prospect of some company, the company he did keep were thick skinned and willing to get their hands dirty and he had no idea if this Viviana girl was cut out for the adventures awaiting his day. She needed to qualify by his standards in order to tag along. "If you want to come with me you got to promise you won't chicken out." With an idea in mind he flipped his satchel open and dug a hand in to retrieve the bottle of water he packed earlier. "Promise?" He failed to wait for an answer before reaching over Viviana's head and emptying the bottle to soak her hair and outfit. There was no ounce of remorse sprawled across his features when he returned the empty bottle to his bag, however Archie eventually sympathized with the girl and pulled out a spare sweater which he offered to her in kind. "There. Now are you ready to follow me?"​

 

[Viviana Warrick]

In truth Viviana had no idea that Archie was an older student. The poor 'Puff didn't have a good judge of age, but it didn't mean that she wasn't going to be friendly. Her parents worried about her in that aspect, as she seemed to want to make friends with anyone and everyone that she could. Her hands were behind her back as she stood, smiling at his name. "Wow, that's a super fetch name!" She siad, giving him a compliment. Viviana always felt so good knowing she was giving out compliments. She always meant them too, as she could find something to love about everyone regardless on who they were or what they acted like. She looked out across the lake, the sun was halfway to the middle of the sky it seemed. She hadn't even thought to check time before she left the common room to explore. Tugging at the sleeves of her sweater she nodded eagerly at what he said. The blonde boy in front of her had piqued her interest relatively quickly. "I pro - oh!" Viviana had started to promise, when she noticed him unscrewing a water bottle. She hadn't been sure what he was doing, but she was now sure that she didn't like it. Her shirt became wet quickly, and her eyes closed. The makeup that she had been wearing now ran a bit down her face, causing her to almost look like she was crying. The brunette did not falter though. She used her black sweater to dry her face, the mascara she wore would not show up on it.

Finally, after a moment of silence, she nodded. "Promise. That was a weird initiation though!" She exclaimed, laughing. She wasn't hurt, he was just interacting in his own way. Maybe he did that to all of his friends, and maybe she was already considered a friend. She felt a slight chill in her bones and shivered only a moment before being handed a sweater to pop on over her own wet one. "Thank you! You are so nice!" She said with a smile, still using her sleeves to wipe at her eyes, hoping she had cleared most of the makeup. She hadn't, but what was left were flakes and smudges, that looked more like a black eye than tear strokes. She slipped the sweater on and nodded. "Where are we going?" She asked quickly, watching him curiously. "I'm a Hufflepuff by the way." She stated, feeling the need for him to know what house she was in. After all, most of the students introduced name and house, and she had been impolite thus far and only given her name. She didn't bother extending her hand, feeling as if what Archie had done was his way of shaking hands. She didn't want to be rude and shake hands again after all. Her smile didn't falter, and her wet hair was behind her ears now to keep it out of her face as she waited to begin their adventure.

 

[Archie Renner]

Archie expected Viviana to scream in or cover her screaming with sobs however as she posed no reaction to the water being tipped on her head his jaw dropped slightly in surprise. Her make-up was ruined, and her hair a dripping mess which Archie assumed would make anybody freak out from shock, but not her. Simply because this girl didn't freak out and instead seemed enthusiastic about the whole ordeal meant she passed his test with flying colours. Heck, even if she lost composure and let out a sob she would have still qualified for the adventures that laid ahead. The Gryffindor was comforted knowing his companion for the day had enough bravery to handle water. Cowardice was something Archie had no time for on his quest to find the mermaids so heavily spoken about, if she screamed or even flinched around water he would have ordered her to leave. Their quest involved water and whether it involved throwing stones or swallowing the cold to swim in the lake he was unsure. Though he was certain that if these mermaids existed he would discover them, and if they were merely rumors spread by a group of devious students that had been passed down through generations long graduated he was sure he would find something else during his search. Either way, Archie was serious and refused to leave the lakefront today without a story to haul with him.

"You're welcome." He said after she took his sweater and slipped it on. Lurking outside on a chilly morning with nothing but wet clothes on was something Archie would never wish on anyone. Until the sun warmed Vivian up she would undoubtedly feel a chill, though his sweater would have to do for the meantime. "We are going to look for mermaids!" He spoke enthusiastically, excited that the childish games were over and his search was finally underway. When Viviana said she was a 'puff he ignored her to step closer to the water's edge and retrieve a pebble from the blackened sand. He threw the pebble as hard as his arm would let him and watched it fly over the lake before falling in the water. "I don't know if you've heard about the mermaids, but I want to find one." His other friends were quick to catch on so he saw no reason to give Viviana an explanation for what he was doing, but opened his mouth to explain anyway. "We're going to throw stuff in the water to see if we can get one of them to come out." With a shrug, he took the satchel from his shoulder and threw it towards a nearby tree. If he was going to spend his time throwing rocks into water he didn't want his bag getting ruined in the process. "Oh, and I'm going to call you Viv, if that's cool." He smiled at the young Hufflepuff, not waiting a second before retrieving another pebble and throwing it.

sorry for the wait! >.<​

 

[Viviana Warrick]

Viviana was completely unaware of how she'd shocked Archie, though perhaps it was because she hadn't been able to see his face before clearing the makeup from her eyes. The petite brunette didn't mind the shower, she didn't mind pranks that seemed to make people smile, even if they were on her. After all, what kind of a person would she be if she yelled at someone for having fun or getting a good laugh in. A terrible person she had surmised. She pulled the sleeves of the sweater he'd lent her down on her short arms. Even though he was thin, the guys sweater was made bigger and less form-fitting than women's sweaters were, and hung loosely on her arm. Viviana seemed to always have that issue though, as she had bean-pole arms. Even the black sweater she was wearing under - when dry - was loose on her. Brown orbs scanned the lake for a brief moment, had she heard the water splash? She shrugged it off though, after all sometimes there were waves even when it seemed as if there shouldn't be. Turning her attention back to the older boy, Viv bounced on the balls of her feet for a moment, before offering a warm smile to the boy, glad to have companionship now.

"Mermaids! That sounds fun! I've never seen one but I've heard they are beautiful, but dangerous." Viviana smiled from ear to ear, her whites glinting a contrast from her semi-tan skin. She didn't even mind that he did not mention his house, as she was sure it didn't matter to him. At least it seemed not to since he didn't hate her already for being a Hufflepuff. The last girl she had spoken to, Saveli, had said that Hufflepuffs were the lowest house on the totem pole - but Viv didn't buy into that. She had only met nice and interesting people from her house, she loved every puff she'd met. She actually enjoyed every student she'd met - everyone at this school was so wonderful and unique. The brunette girl couldn't help but be star struck. After all, just being magical was enough to make a child's head spin. Especially a rather simple child's head spin. She turned to watch him toss his bag against the tree. Viviana didn't have a bag with her, but pulled her knit cap farther on her hair, and picked up a shiny, smooth rock. "I hope it doesn't upset the mermaids!" She said, giving her rock a swift flick of her wrist, she watched it skip two times before plunking into the murky waters of the lake. Searching for another one, she locked eyes briefly with the boy. "I don't mind at all! I actually like that! You could call me any nick name you want!" She offered. She wanted to make sure the boy was comfortable when speaking with her - even if that meant he called her something that wasn't even a variant of her name. "My dad calls me Ana sometimes even, but I like Viv a lot! I'd shorten your name but Archie is a pretty short name already." She said with a giggle.

 

[Avalon]

Avalon's scales shimmered beneath the waves as she did twists and turns, watching her tail move. She was beyond bored, and long ago had stopped dreaming of going home. She supposed the lake wasn't all bad though. There were plenty of other mermaids and creatures to play with, which was exciting most days. However, when Ava was alone, she couldn't even find pleasure in the simplest of things. Perhaps that was why she began swimming to the surface. She often peaked out in search of someone from land to talk to when she was by herself. Sometimes they would run, startled by the sudden emergence of something they weren't sure was real. Other times they stayed to speak with her about what the water was like. She was nearing the waters edge, she could tell. The sunlight came through more vibrantly, and the smell of flowers from the surface seemed to permeate the natural seaweed smell that clung to the oddly colored woman. She was about to break the surface of the water, when something rather hard thunked her on the head lightly. "Ughh." She responded, her slightly scaled hands rushing to her head.

Avalon remained just below the surface eyes on the two smaller students - male and female - the male had rocks in his hands. "Hey!" She exclaimed at them, her voice high and croaky. "You should watch where yer throwin' yer rocks!" Her accent was heavy - heavier than the accents of anyone in the lake. It was different from theirs, because of where she hailed from. Regardless she waded over to the edge of the water, breaking surface once she'd said her peace, and rested her arms on the surface. Her upper body, including parts of her arms were covered in decadent scales. The pink-gold shimmer glinting occasionally in the light from the sun. Her green-blue hair clung to her shoulders, almost permanently wet. Duking under the water for a moment she spoke, having had expirience that told her that was the only way they'd understand her. "Well aren't you going to say sorry?" She asked, breaking surface once more, her eyes darting from the boy to the overly stunned young woman.

 

[Archie Renner]

Archie paid half a mind to Viviana's ramble about nicknames and kept the majority of his focus on throwing pebbles into the lake. While he did see the Hufflepuff as a companion for the day, and so far believed her to be kind, cheerful and a generally good person to be around, he had yet to spend enough time around her to consider her a friend. Apart from the speculations he made in the few minutes they had been attempting to rouse a mermaid to visit them on shore he knew nothing about her and didn't intend to change that when he was so heavily determined to discover the mermaids he had heard so much about. Each pebble he threw broke the water's calm surface one after the other and with every small splash the Gryffindor gradually began to lose interest and attempted to conjure another way to get these so-called mermaids to show their faces. By the time he threw his tenth stone he had given up, so what happened next shocked him to his core but excited him to no end because it was living proof his simple (and considerably dumb) plan had worked.

His jaw felt as if it dropped to the ground, because he was not only bewildered that the rumors were true, but also because the shock of seeing a mermaid in the flesh had frozen him in place. It took a few moments for his brain to process what was happening but his mind continued to think itself in circles even as he attempted to wrap his head around the fact that something he once believed could only exist in the pages of fairytale books and rumors within school walls was indeed in front of his own two eyes. "I... I'm" Was the only thing he could muster as he still had yet to understand what was happening let alone realize this mermaid was irritated by the many pebbles he had thrown into the lake to bring them here. His eyes shot to his Hufflepuff companion and then back towards the mermaid countless times before he finally managed to apologize no matter how bewildered he still was at the reality of the situation. "I'm sorry?" He finally spoke a coherent although short sentence that sounded like more of a question than an honest apology, not because he had intent to question why the mermaid wanted him to apologize in the first place, but instead because he was questioning this entire moment and probably what came after.

i am the worst tbh​

 

[Viviana Warrick]

Viviana hadn't even noticed that Archie was less than attentive to her. The talkative young puff never seemed to notice anyways. She was frequently in her own world. It was entertaining enough for the brunette, as she could talk for hours. Not that she didn't love listening too, as Viv was known to be a great listener. She'd be a very good friend if only she could she could hold her tongue and not give advice where it needn't be given. Glancing back, Viv finished her small ramble and watched the blonde boy tossing some more stones into the water. She thought it looked like fun, and picked up her own to begin throwing. Her rocks didn't skip at all, and went a shorter distance than Archie's. She only threw one or two before watching the companion she had continue on. Viviana was about to ask what happens if they made the mermaid angry, when a figure broke the waters surface. The poor Hufflepuff couldn't help but let out a rather obnoxious shriek, and jumped to the side of her friend, grabbing his arm at first. She wasn't sure if Mermaids really existed or not, to see one pop through the waves in front of her was quite the shock.

Viv looked between Archie and the mermaid, before rushing to her side. She was beautiful from top to bottom, covered in scales of all colors and shapes. Viviana, knowing no boundaries what so ever, decided to grab the mermaids arm for a moment to look at the scales more closely. "Archie, she isn't slimy, come see!" She yelled back to her friend, who still seemed confused at the demand for an apology. "Oh Miss Mermaid, we are super sorry for disturbing you. I love your hair and your scales. What's it like down there? You look so pale so you must not get a lot of light, then again most fish don't. I can't believe you broke the surface for us. We should have brought picnic food, then again I don't even know if you would eat the food we have." Viviana's rambles didn't seem to impress the mermaid, but the brunette didn't care. To see something this extraordinary this soon in her career was awe-inspiring.

You misspelled "most amazing!" Because that's whatcha are.

 

[Avalon]

Now Avalon had met a few students here and there, scared some with her screeching and others just by coming out of the water unexpectedly. Regardless of how it went down, she had never met a student who would just approach her and touch her like this petite brunette. She looked around to see if there was anyone else seeing this girl touch her besides her companion. How strange humans were, albeit fascinating but strange. She allowed one to touch her, it was only for a moment before she dove back down under the murky water and then came up a few inches from shore. In a way it was a warning to the brunette not to keep touching her.

She once again submerged herself to speak. "Do ya always talk so much?" She addressed the girl before popping up at the shore line and leaning on the land once again. She raised an eyebrow, seeing that her question barely fazed the girl who kept talking rather excitedly about meeting a mermaid and how they could be friends. And why on earth would Avalon let her braid her hair? The mermaid much preferred the silent boy behind her to the rambling mess who was once again inching closer.

 

[Archie Renner]

Archie was still stunned in every aspect at the mermaid's existence. Earlier in the morning he was torn between whether or not mermaids were indeed real, and he remained optimistic the rumors circulating around school were more than just whispers passed down through generations of students, so in a way he expected them to be real however seeing a mermaid with his own eyes was a completely different experience he was in no way prepared for. The Gryffindor was very much awestruck and left alone to his thoughts while he quietly observed Viviana from afar as she fawned over the mermaid's appearance, complimenting the mermaid's hair and colorful scales. He stayed silent as she and the mermaid interacted, only posing some sort of reaction in the form of taking a step closer when the mermaid dove back under the water in what looked like a warning to his Hufflepuff companion. His brow furrowed in worry as he stepped closer again, because although both he and Viviana were surprised to discover a mermaid, Archie took a minute to remember mermaids were wild creatures that could be hostile, and might attack at any moment. "Wait Viv-" He started speaking as Viviana edged closer but before he could stop his friend from continuing to express her excitement, she crossed a line and touched the mermaid again, forcing it to let out a deafening screech while Archie lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Viviana's torso so he could pull her away from the water's edge before the mermaid submerged, disappearing completely and leaving them alone on the shore.

Archie finally opened his mouth to speak when he caught his breath and realized the mermaid was now nowhere to be found. "What the hell?!" He exclaimed partially in shock at the Hufflepuff for provoking the mermaid, but mostly at the entire situation because he had yet to get over the fact they saw a real mermaid in the first place, let alone the possibility said mermaid could have attacked them. He took another moment to breathe and take everything in, only now realizing he was more scared than he originally thought and had forgotten to free Viviana from his arms. "Sorry." He apologized, choosing not to admit to the Hufflepuff how truly frightened he was by the ordeal before he let her go and stepped away. "That was, um, interesting." Was all he could think of to say now that the mermaid had left them and he was dealing with the shock of it all.

blah blah blah​

 

[Viviana Warrick]

How was Viviana supposed to know what was going to happen upon touching the mermaid's scales one more time. She couldn't help that she found the woman beautiful. The way the water glittered on the multiple colors that scattered on her body made her smile and wish to be a mermaid for a day. Even if her skin would be pale, or a green color. Even if she startled people, she would make up for it after all. She hadn't even heard Archie attempting to break her concentration before her hand connected once again with the Mermaid's arm to feel the precious scales. Then this noise reached her ear that seemed to pierce any sort of dream she had about mermaids. In the moment that the mermaid was yelling and the mermaid was leaving, Vivana saw that the beauty hid something more. She no longer wanted to be a mermaid. The tears immediately came to her eyes and she felt herself being thrust backwards. She covered her face in the lurch, though her feet remained on the ground. She'd honestly expected to be thrown to the ground in all of it.

Viviana didn't generally cry, but the fright of all of it was too much for the 11 year old to handle. She was more confused than anything else, fear coming in second as a strong emotion. "Wh-what just happened?" She managed to squeak out, her breath having been knocked out of her. "I don't want to be here anymore, Archie." She said through tears. It seemed the boy was sympathetic to that, and they walked back to the castle together, the brunette catching eyes as she cried her way back silently. Viviana most likely wouldn't be back to the lake for a while, especially not to bother the mermaids. However, it was very evident that that day, she made a friend in Archie.

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FIN
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