Just a Bad Day

[Sapphira Blacklord]

The sky was grey with dark clouds rolling across, and heavy rain fell from them like an endless stream of tears, and as the bright, terrifying lightning bolts struck across the heavens with the loud, sharp crack of thunder, the young Durmstrang girl shivered. The girl wasn't sure whether she preferred it be rainy or sunny on this day, for this day, a normal terrible day at Durmstrang, marked an event that she would never in her life forget. It wasn't anniversary day that she would be out celebrating in the sun, but she couldn't help but wonder, as the rain pelted down onto the school grounds, if it was a sign for something. Like pain. Sapphira Blacklord had lost her favourite people in the entire world on this day two years ago, her loving parents, Janet and Tony Blacklord had been killed by a Death Eater, and the poor Durmstrang girl wondered whether the thunder and rain was a sign of her parents pain, or simply just another rainy day at Durmstrang Institute. She sat propped in a plush comfy chair near a window, with her legs drawn up close to her chest and her pale arms wrapped around them, and silently watched the sky, her thoughts roaming wild in her mind. The girl knew that, as a third year, she should have been studying, probably Care of Magical Creatures or Ancient Runes or something, but her mind just could not focus. Normally the 13-year-old wouldn't think of her parents with such sadness, normally Sapphira remembered their happy memories, but today she just could not stop thinking about what would have been if they were still alive.

The young girl shook her head, getting to her feet and leaving the Common Room, walked, with her hands stuffed deep in her hoodie's pockets, through the castle's halls and corridors, ignoring much of everything while her mind circled round and round. If Sapphira's parents hadn't died, they would had been there when she'd gotten her acceptance letter from Durmstrang, they would have seen her turn thirteen and hit her teen years, they would have bought her first wand with her, the one that was so much like her mother's, Olivander had said after the wand had already chosen her. But as Sapphira's best friend, Alice, had often said, you can't dawdle on what could have been, or else you'll miss out on what is. Sapphira missed Alice and her wise words as well, her bestfriend who had also died, only few years after her parents, Alice had always been there for Sapphira to talk to, like an older sister, even when Alice had gone to school they had still sent letters. The young girl had many friends, being the kind and sweet girl that she was, but she felt as if she were imposing on them by going to fetch them just to talk about her sadness, so she just roamed the castle, staying inside where it was warm, or warmer than outside would have been. She knew that Jace or Aleara, the teenagers that she'd grow up with the past few years, would listen to her and be there, but for some reason she didn't want to talk to them, and so she didn't even look. Sapphira just couldn't put her finger on what she wanted, someone to talk to, she knew, but not someone who has to listen to me, someone who will just talk about whatever and take my mind off things. But the girl didn't think that anyone would just randomly walk up and start talking to her, even though that might have helped take her mind off things, but she just didn't see it happening.

 

[Aleister Rainsworth]

Aleister was having a terribly bad day. While he didn't particularly hate the rain, he hated the idea of staying inside his room with nothing to do all day. He had never been the type to just sit around and wait for things to happen. He couldn't even sit still for a few minutes, he always needs to do something, no matter how crazy or silly that something might be. But because it was raining, his options were pretty limited. Added to that, the rain was making the atmosphere around the school a bit gloomy, not that Durmstrang was a happy place to begin with, but still, he felt queasy walking around the grounds with nothing but his shadow as his company. His footsteps echoed as he walked in the seemingly empty corridors. Perhaps the students were already in their rooms, trying to keep themselves warm or just resting. Which he could understand, the weather outside could just dampen anyone's mood.

The thirteen year old tucked his hands in his pockets, trying to look for something that could entertain him. He badly needed to do something, perhaps even talk to someone. He was getting terribly bored, and Merlin knows, nothing good happens when he was bored. The last time he was bored, he had tried to throw someone else's clothes into the lake! Not that he wouldn't do it again, but if given a chance, he wanted to do something else. He could swim, or just do something completely crazy and run under the rain. But he'd get sick, and he hated being sick. Being sick meant that he had to stay in his bed, and he didn't want that. Not at all. He walked and walked, and he was sure that he was bound to lose his sanity already when his attention was caught by a lone person standing a few meters away from him. He could recognize her as someone from his year but he never did took the time to get to know her more. He was the type to always look for something fun and he prefers to surround himself with fun people and she didn't really strike him as someone who's as fun-loving as he was. Like right now, she didn't look like the cheeriest person around, not like he expected her to jump around and celebrate when the weather outside was starting to get even worse. He doubted that the rain will ever stop soon. He stared at the girl, wondering whether she had noticed his presence or not, but just standing there and watching wouldn't answer his question. He had to check it himself. Besides, he had nothing else to do and the girl looked like she could use some company. He walked towards the girl, trying to act as stealthy as he could. The sound of thunder obscured the sound of his steps, which was good; he actually wanted to surprise the girl. "Hey!" he shouted, just as when he was near her, a huge goofy smile present on his face, his left hand raised about his head as if he was waving at someone standing far from where he was when in fact, he was waving at the girl near him. "Nice weather outside, no?," he told her, the smile still present on his face as he lowered his hand and stuffed them inside his pockets again. It was a lame starter for a conversation, but he couldn't be bothered about that.

Hope you don't mind me joining in ​

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[Sapphira Blacklord]

As The Durmstrang girl continued to wander through the halls, she happened to notice that there was no one around, everything was completely empty and silent. They were all probably in their dooms or in the Common Rooms, moping about by the fire, so Sapphira wasn't that surprised. But as she looked out a near window and saw the rain pouring down, she couldn't have blamed any of them. She too would have sat quietly by the fire, had her terrible thoughts left her alone, but they hadn't and that terribly dark feeling she got dwelled in her gut like a black, dark cloud. She endured the cold, it kept the anger and resentment at bay, maybe she would just run straight out into the freezing rain to stop her mind from running. Of course then she would probably get sick, and that would only leave more room for her to think. For some reason she stopped, just stopped and stared out of a window and watched as the rain fell. She didn't exactly know why she felt the need to just stop, but all of a sudden her mind had just gone completely dizzy and for a moment she'd thought she might fall, so she stopped and held onto the window sill, focusing on nothing in particular.

All of a sudden someone shouted from right near her, and Sapphira jump, he eyes flashing wide and steering straight to the person. It was a boy that she had seen in her classes, but she'd only knew his name from the Professors shouting at him to stop doing whatever silly and absurd thing he was doing, and by now she had forgotten it, something with an A she was positive. Sapphira raised a hand over her heart and tried to ease her shock. "Oh Merlin, what..." The boy had a big goofy grin on his face, that if she hadn't been in shock she would have though was adorable, and was raising his hand over his head to wave at her, as if The Durmstrang girl were far away. Sapphira timidly waved back, just barely raising her arm, and stared at him. What was he doing? She wondered, before he opened his mouth and spoke. Sapphira was again surprised as she looked out of the windows at the lightning and rain. Then it hit her that he was either joking or being sarcastic, either way she would play along seeming that he seemed nice. "Oh yes, wonderful day, " she replied with sarcasm and a small smile on her face. Maybe this is what she needed, by looking at him if this boy couldn't take her mind off things she didn't know what could.

No feel free, haha, glad you joined in!

 

[Aleister Rainsworth]

Upon closer look, Aleister was positive that the girl was indeed from his class. He couldn't really remember her name as he had never been good with names to begin with. Added to that, he swore that he had never even heard her talk, not that he ever paid any attention to whatever was happening around him. He was just too absorbed in his own world to care. But he did remember her as the girl who was always by herself, at least, he believed that she was always by herself. Which was odd. While Durmstrang students were not really the friendliest group around, he actually think that they were pretty nice. At least, in his standards, they were. At least they weren't like his mother who would constantly scold him every time he was in the same room as her. Most of the students he had met so far were pretty opinionated and had strong personalities, but they were pretty tolerable. The girl, however, was different. He didn't really know anything about her but she looked dead to the world. To him, she was, and that would never sit well with him. He believed that life was already too short to be down all the time. She had to know how to have some fun the way he does. Besides, the air around her reminded him too much of his grandmother, and he didn't like it. He didn't wish to see the same look on another person's face.

The thirteen year old grinned and raise his eyebrow at the girl's response. At least, she understands sarcasm unlike some of the people he knew. Some people just wouldn't understand it even if sarcasm was about to punch them in the face. "So you could talk, you should do that more often you know, your voice sounds nice," he told her, the smile ever present on his face. He meant no insult in his statement as it was the truth, he had never heard her talk before, or perhaps it's his own loud and boisterous voice's fault. Either way, it was nice to hear her talk. Though he didn't mind talking all by himself, it did feel nice to not be the only one doing all the talking all the time. While he love the sound of his own voice, this was a nice change. "Ah and that smile too. It's beautiful, though I think it'd be better if you make that bigger" he added, turning his attention to the window and everything that he saw was in contrast to his statement earlier, but he decided to play along. After all, it's what he does best. "And yes, seriously wonderful. Too wonderful that I wish it will not stop at all. Oh yes, I do not miss old mister sun at all. His brightness hurts my eyes. I do not miss playing outside and running until the air leave my lungs. Staying inside being perfectly bored is the life that I wanted. I can live like this forever," he replied overdramatically, couple with hand gestures and exaggerated facial expressions that even he thought was silly. And then he began laughing, clutching his stomach and wiping the tears that were slowly starting to form in his eyes. "I should probably stop saying that, who knows who'll hear me and make the rain follow me everywhere I go? I don't – " his wasn't able to finish his statement as a sudden realization hit him, "Now I shouldn't have said that too. My sister says that words were powerful. What if it does happen? Good riddance to bad rubbish, I should probably stop talking!" A frown was then etched on his face as he tapped the space between his eyebrows as if he was in deep thought. Then it hit him that he had not asked for the girl's name yet. "I'm Aleister. But that's too much of a mouthful; Call me Ali or whichever you want really. My younger brother even calls me poopy head, he denies it but I think it's his way of showing his affection for his awesome big brother. So what's your name?," he had realized that he was probably talking too much but being talkative was already in his nature. He just hoped that the girl wouldn't turn around and leave because of it.​

 

[Alleara Vendalwood]

don't worry about this

 

[Sapphira Blacklord]

The Durmstrang girl just could not stop staring at the boy. He was just so strange and cute, like a puppy or a small child that you wanted to coddle. Sapphira watched silently as he continued to grin at her and then look out the window. And then he started to talk, it was kind of little nervous talking, and maybe it was with the way that she was starting at him. He talked as if in a rush to get everything out, as if lightning were about strike him and these thing would be the last of his words. Of course when she properly listened, Sapphira could hear that he was complimenting her and then talking about his sister and then a little brother, but she just couldn't stop staring. It was so strange for a Durmstrang student to be like this, so cheery and easy-going. Sapphira thought it was great. If she were her normal self, and if this was a normal day, she would have really enjoyed this boy, and she could have bet that he was the type to do crazy fun silly things. And make her laugh. As soon as he said his name she knew it suited him, like a suit or shirt of something, Aleister was just a funny awesome unique sort of name. Sapphira soon found herself laughing, and it felt so good.

"Well, thank you Aleister, my name's Sapphira," she managed to get out between her laughter. He was now frowning at the thought of it always being rainy, and she couldn't have agreed more, after all she did normally love the sun. Sapphira looked out the window before walking over and sitting on the sill, looking at Aleister with a smile. "I suppose you think I'm a loner, but I'm not normally, today is just a bad day for me," She looked back out the window, up at the clouds, and remembered why it was such a bad day. But she pushed those thoughts away, she needed to think clearly. She just prayed that he wouldn't ask why it was a bad day. The thirteen year old turned back to Aleister, and smiled. "And if you want me to talk, I don't have any complaints. But that sister of yours sounds wise, and you'd totally be an awesome brother." She laughed again, not at him but at the thrill of how easy it was to talk and laugh with him. She'd love to have a friend like him, and hopefully she would.

Sorry about that ^^ I'm a dumbo!! haha

 

[Aleister Rainsworth]

It was strange to see the girl laughing. But it wasn't a bad, in fact, he quite liked it. She was actually capable of looking anything other than sad and gloomy, and he liked this side of her better. She was shining, and it reminded him of his sister, which was good. He missed the older and her crazy antics and wise words. Soon, he was laughing with her, laughing so hard until his stomach hurt and until he felt like he was running out of breath. Maybe the girl wasn't too bad after all; maybe his first impression about her was wrong. Perhaps, he had judged her too quickly. And he found himself wanting to know her more. Having a girl as a friend would be nice. Girls didn't like him that much, for them; he was either too loud or not sensitive enough. But he couldn't just change just to please them, so he gave up on trying.

"A pretty name for a pretty face. So I guess this is the part where I would say, nice meeting you?," the thirteen year old said, awkwardly holding out his hand for a handshake before withdrawing it after deciding that a handshake was too formal of a gesture. He had never been one for formality no matter how hard his mother tried to drill it on him. With his socioeconomic status, one might expect that he should be all gentlemanly and proper, but he wasn't. He's the kind of person who has his wings spread and doesn't mind the feathers getting a little ruffled. Some might say that he was too easy going, definitely unfit for the school that he was attending. But he'd just stuck his tongue at them and tell them to keep their opinions to themselves. The boy watched as the girl approached the window and sat on the sill. He would have done the same if only the space wasn't too small to accommodate both of them. Well if she would scoot over just a little, maybe he could squeeze in and sit beside her. He scratched the back of his head and gave the girl a sheepish grin upon hearing her statement. She was right, he did think that she was someone who preferred to be by herself. "You caught me. But since you're talking to me, I guess you weren't a loner after all. Unless the definition of being a loner had been changed without me knowing it," he shrugged, now deciding that he'd be sitting right next to her, unless she didn't want him to, if that's the case, then he just hoped that the floor wasn't too cold for him to sit on. "Think the sill can support both of us? I'm not that heavy, well, if my mother's claims that I’m too skinny should be believe, I'm not," he chatted on, his hands making gestures that even he himself wasn't aware of. "Bad day? Perhaps the weather outside was sympathizing with you then! Well if you needed someone to listen about it, I can be that person, but if you needed someone to take your mind off of things, then I'm definitely that man," he proclaimed, even jabbing his own chest and winking at the said girl. He might come off as too easy going and insensitive, but if the girl didn't like to talk about it, then he wouldn't push her to. He rather liked this girl, if she's fine with him being crazy and if she can keep up with him, he'd love to keep her as a friend. "I know right, I'm awesome, but you're awesomer for thinking that I’m awesome, if that’s even a word. But forget about it, you just have to know that you're awesome too."

It's fine ^^ and sorry if this reply's pretty lame~ will do better next time ​

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[Sapphira Blacklord]

Sapphira smirked again, laughing as Aleister laugh, and soon they were both laughing hard and loud. It felt so good to laugh and smile, and this boy seemed great at making her laugh and smile. There was just that easy going air around him that pretty much glowed. The Durmstrang girl wished she was more like that, instead or always worrying and thinking about things. She decided that it would be great to just laugh and always make light on things, instead of being gloomy. And just being around this boy was fun, and all they were doing was talking, it was fantastic. Her mind wonder a little as he spoke again, she had boys as friends but none of them were like Aleister, none of them could take her mind off some many things like he could, or make her laugh like he could. She smiled as he called her pretty and struck a little pose with her lip pouted. "Why thank you! You're pretty too," She giggled again, somehow knowing that he wouldn't take the small joke in offence. "And it depends whether you think it's nice to meet me, if not then you should actually say 'It's terrible to meet you, Sapphira!' But if not then I guess so." she smirk as he struck his hand out towards her timidly, and then withdrew it, thinking the same thing that she was, handshakes were too formal. She laughed along with him again, and wondered what he was doing out here all alone, surely someone would have loved to be hanging out with this boy, The Durmstrang girl knew she was. "Um, no, I don't think it has changed, loner still means someone who hardly talks to anyone and is publicly shy. Oh, wait, then maybe I really am a loner, hmm." She said joking, faking a serous think expression, before laughing again.

The Durmstrang girl was feeling happier and happier, though the dark thoughts still lingered on the edge of her mind, but she repeatedly pushed them back. When Aleister asked about the sill, Sapphira realised that he hadn't sat down because she was sitting right in the middle and there was barely any room. She quickly scooted over right to one side and patted the sill beside her. "Oh, Merlin...Sorry." Aleister waved it away, sitting down next to her and continued to talk, making Sapphira smile once again. The thirteen year old was completely engrossed like a child watching a magic show, she watched as his hands and face made wild gestures, and laughed whenever he said something funny, which was a lot, not that she minded. But she stopped at his next words, for they seemed to piece straight to her heart. She was truly touched by his offer to listen to her, or to simply just occupy her mind, and she had to look out a window across the hall for a moment to top herself from hugging the foolish, funny boy for being so kind. "Thank you, Aleister, that really means a lot, maybe later. For now, with this beautiful weather," She said sarcastically, smirking at him and nudging his shoulder with hers. "Let's just have some fun, ok?" The Durmstrang teen smiled, she had found the very person she was looking for to talk to, and she had made a good friend. At that she knew that wherever her parents were, whatever they were doing, they would be proud of her. She laughed again as Aleister whisked her out of her thoughts by calling her awesome and smirked widely. "Why thank you, I guess we'll just have to be awesome together."

Haha thanks! And it was fine, I liked it!

 

[Aleister Rainsworth]

Alesiter did enjoy hanging out with the girl. Now that he was actually talking to her, he couldn't understand why he hadn't paid her any attention before. He had been attending the school for almost three years now and this was the first time that he talked to her. If he knew that she was this fun to talk to, then he should've approached her the first time he did see her sitting in his class. But alas, he couldn't turn back time and all that he could do now was to enjoy the moment and hope that she'd be his friend for good. The thirteen year old put his hand on his chest in a dramatic gesture of being flattered, and tried to impersonate the way some of the girls he knew would act once complimented, "Oh you're flattering me too much, you're prettier," he said in a high pitched voice, pretending to fidget with his sleeves as if he was being embarrassed. He was taking back everything that he had thought about earlier, this girl was fun.

"You're a loner? No, no, no, the world will end!," he gasped over dramatically, faking a surprised expression as he clutched his chest, before laughing with her again. Maybe his statement didn't make any sense, but then again, he wasn't one for thinking too much, he probably didn't make sense most of the time but it suited him just fine. The boy climbed up the sill and sat next to the girl. Just like he thought, the space was just enough for them, just enough for them not to invade each other’s personal space, though he was actually a pretty clingy person who loved physical contact, he didn't know whether she'd like it or not. He did love to just slung his arms around his smaller friends shoulders, he would have done that with the girl too, but she might push him away and he'd end up with his bottom hitting the cold floor. That's mostly the reaction that he'd get whenever he does that to his cousins after all. He never understood why they were too stuck up and stuffy. They were of the same age, they should learn to loosen up a bit and not pretend like they were adults.

He laughed when the girl nudged him with her shoulder and he did the same. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and messed with her hair before giving her that goofy smile of his again. "I love having fun!," he exclaimed, his voice a little too loud than he intended, nodding too quickly like a little child that he hit his head on the window behind him. "Ouch, what, wait would you look at that?," he pointed at the lawn outside. The rain was still pouring heavily and scene outside looked ominous with the lightning striking every now and then and illuminating the usually crowded ground. It wasn't every day that the ground would be void of any soul. He squinted a little until the image that he had seen from earlier had gotten clearer. It was his favorite cap! He had been looking for it and was wondering where he had left it. He vaguely remember wearing it while sitting under the huge tree that had served as his resting place most of the time. "Hey that's mine!" he pointed, totally forgetting that they were inside and a window separated them. He then turned his attention to the girl again, a playful smirk on his face, "Hey Sapp, can I suggest something crazy?," he said, pausing as he glanced outside again, "How about going out and playing in the rain?," he had an expression on a little child on his face. He'd understand if the girl would decline, after all, he had second thoughts about getting sick too, but if he’d be having fun, and if she’d be able to enjoy too, then it would be fine.​

 

[Sapphira Blacklord]

Sapphira was completely forgetting the reasons why today was a bad day, other than the fact that it was raining, but with Aleister she completely forgot what this day marked and the feelings she had felt when she'd left the Common Room earlier. If this was what the cold got her, a good friend like Aleister, then she didn't mind. The Durmstrang teen sat on the sill, bumping each others shoulders and talking and joking, making the other laugh. Sapphira couldn't believe that she had never talked to Aleister, because at the moment it was so nice to have a friend to just chatter with, to just be herself with. She felt as if she could trust him already, and he barely even knew him, but she still felt it. Her mother had always said that when you meet a true friend you're already friends and you don't even notice when it happens, that was kinda true in this case, except Sapphira did notice, because she stopped feeling so along in the walls of Durmstrang, as the rain pelted down. She wished her mother could have met Aleister, Sapphira knew that her mother would have loved his spirit and joy, and would have loved to see Sapphira happy. Which is what Aleister made her, when he was with her she felt happy when she hadn't felt like that in a long time. Even if he was a little bit strange, but still, he was the lovable type. They continued to laugh and smile, using sarcasm and jokes around each other easily. "Oh, Aleister, I'm sorry but I just can't help it, your prettiness is just so...Radiant." Sapphira giggled as Aleister tugged act-nervously at his sleeve, before jumping up and clutching at his chest, proclaiming that the world would end. It mad no sense, except to Sapphira, who laughed and whipped at the tears that were gathering in her eyes. Before Aleister reared back and hit his head on the window, making her laugh so hard she clutched at her chest and felt as if she couldn't breathe. When she pulled herself together she sat up and place a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, are you ok?" There were still happy tears in her eyes and laughter in her voice, but when he smiled she knew he didn't blame her for laughing.

Suddenly he looked out a window and yelled, looking straight at a cape the had blown into the rain. Before he could even ask she knew what was going on, and what they would have to do to get his cap back, and excitement shot to her chest. She hadn't run and played in the rain in so long, and she felt the immense urge to run outside right now with Aleister running beside her. "Oh, I love doing crazy things! Let's do it!" Aleister waited, as if seeing whether she would come, as is she'd let him go off without her. The Durmstrang girl jumped off the window sill, turned back to pull Aleister off after her while laughing at what they were about to do, and began to run down the corridors to the entrance outside, Aleister following after her as her laughter trailed off behind her and got ready to have fun with her new friend.

Sorry if it's a bit meh, haha, i'll do better!

 

[Aleister Rainsworth]

The thirteen year old was pleasantly surprised when the girl had agreed with his suggestion. Now he was sure, he had definitely misjudged her. He could get used to having her around. He'd be able to do a lot of crazy things with her, and maybe she wouldn't mind getting herself dirty while running with him around the ground. They could do a lot of crazy stuff together. He could already imagine all the fun that he could do with her. He would often hear his sister talk about how the world would seem to be in slow motion every time she'd be with the person she liked, but he begged to differ, the world wasn't supposed to be in slow motion when you are surrounded with people you loved to hang out with, it was supposed to move so fast that you could already imagine how you'd spend tomorrow and the day after, then weeks, and perhaps the next years with them. And that's what he felt when he was with the girl. He was starting to be incredibly fond of the girl, which was probably to be expected as this was the first time that he had talked this long with someone of the opposite gender. But still, he was starting to like her a lot, not in the way that he'd be interested at her romantically because he was still too young and too absorbed in his own world to think about such things, but he was starting to honestly like her as a person. He wanted to find out all her little quirks and hug her when she's sad. He could probably listen to her talk all day and he'd never get bored. Which was saying something, as his interest on something could be as easily lost as it could be easily gained. But she was fun, and hearing her laugh made him laugh to. Not that he rarely laughs, for he always made it a point to laugh and have fun no matter how dire and gloomy the day was.

Aleister let himself be pulled by the girl, and then soon, they running, their steps echoing as they increased their pace. Their laughter filled the previously empty corridors. He was taller than Sapphira, and his legs longer, so it didn't take long before he was ahead of her. "Tag, you're 'IT'!," he called out to her as he tapped her shoulder, sticking his tongue out as he ran pass her. He spun on his heel and looked at where she was, running backwards as he was sure that he wouldn't bump into anything as he had been practically running around this corridor for almost three years now. "Come Sapp, the rain wouldn't wait for us, hurry before I go there and pick you up," he told her, though there was no hint of impatience in his tone. Again, he was just exaggerating. He doubted that the rain will go away anytime soon anyway. He continued to jog backwards, before he turned around again only to hit his face against the door leading outside. He was being terribly clumsy but he just laughed it off. He opened the door and a strong gust of wind blew against him, showering him with droplets of rain along with it. His shirt was almost wet and he felt himself shiver against the cold. But it was a nice feeling. He extended his hand outside to test how strong the downpour was before he turned to his companion and grabbed her hand, pulling her outside along with him. "Now this is what I'm saying when I said that this day's wonderful," he exclaimed, letting go of her hand and running after his cap that was blown by the wind away from him. He jumped and caught it just before it flew to the lake. He filled it with water and wore it, his usually curly hair sticking to his neck. He was drenched and he was cold but he didn't mind. He extended his arms sideways and spun around, his eyes close as he lifted up his head. He opened his eyes again, a playful smirk on his lips as he grabbed the girl's hands again and made him spin around with him. They looked silly, but he could care less. Then he was laughing, he spun until he could no longer keep his balance and he fell, the grass cushioning his fall so it didn't hurt a bit. His laughter didn't die, instead, it became louder. "Not a terribly bad day anymore, is it?," he told her with a toothy smile. He was aware that they might get sick after this, but perhaps, they wouldn't. And besides, even if they did, then at least, they had fun. Maybe they could even bond over their fever too.

it's fine~ ​

 

[Sapphira Blacklord]

Sapphira cursed being short as Aleister gained ahead of her, tapping her on the shoulder as he passed and naming her 'IT', but she couldn't be mad. She was still laughing, watching Aleister's face as he ran backwards, calling back to her that soon he would come to get her if she didn't hurry, and that gave her a small jolting boost. Sapphira was truly coming to care for the boy, it was amusing and fascinating, seeming as it had been a while since she'd actually talked to a complete stranger, let alone befriended one. She laughed, stopping and clutching at her gut as he bumped into the door, she knew that she should have been worried and made sure that he was ok, but by the sound of his laughter she had the clear sense that he was perfectly fine. Being with him was just some cheerful and filling, she could see their lives span out as if in a movie, they crazy things they would do together, the trouble they would get into. Sapphira didn't think of Aleister as any thing more than a friend, seeming that she was too young to care but also because relationships and that sort creeped her out at young ages. It just wasn't natural for thirteen years olds to kiss and thing like that, she'd save all that drama for late, for now she just wanted to have fun. And dance in the rain. "Come on, Aleister! Let's go! The rain might suddenly clear up! Then of course I'll except you to come jump in the lake with me!" She laughed again as the Durmstrang boy got to his feet and pushed open the door, getting wet immediately. Sapphira burst out laughing again at the shocked look on his face as the sudden rain pelted at him. Sapphira realised that after this she might very well get sick, and that had been what she'd been worried about in the first place, but now she could always turn to Aleister to take her mind off things. So she couldn't have really cared less. Aleister turned back to her, grabbed her hand and pulled her outside into the freezing wind. Instantly the Durmstrang girl was drenched, and shivering from the cold, but she didn't care. She ran around and jumped, and she danced. Watching as Aleister danced round and round to then fall to the ground on his bottom, she was sent off into hysterics again, laughing and clutching at her gut. The rain was freezing cold, and with the cool wind blowing the rain drops pelted down on a diagonal angle, and wet every part of Sapphira's body. She spread her arms out wide like wings and twirled around, And instantly she was taken back, back a long time ago. Her mind swallowing her whole, like a wave crashing upon the shore and taking the sand back with it, and everything slipped away, Aleister, the rain, and her laughter.

"Mum, watch me! Watch!" The small child yelled, dancing in the rain as it came from the sky. She loved the feel of it on her skin, wet and slippery. And the very sound of it coming from high above her. The little girl stopped, turning to look at her mother as she watched sternly from the veranda, Having been in the kitchen to come outside and find little Sapphira dancing and singing in the rain. But she couldn't stay mad at her daughter, with her little pale cheeks and ugh-boots on, as she twirled in the rain, Janet Blacklord ran out into the rain after her little Raindrop, and scooped her up into her arm, the both of them laughing and smiling despite the cold rain. "I love you, My little Raindrop, and I always will."

Then suddenly Sapphira was standing in the rain at Durmstrang once more, Hearing Aleister dancing around behind her, and looked up into the sky and softly whisper, so soft that only she could hear it. "I love you, Mum." Before smiling and turning back to Aleister, composing her smirk with a serous expression and placed her arms by her sides. "Aleister!" When he stopped and looked at her, his face surprised, The Durmstrang girl slowly marched over to him, all happiness gone from her face until she was right in front of him and her grin spread wide across her face. She quickly reach up and poke his shoulder. "You're IT!" She yelled and turned and ran as fast as she could, laughing and throwing her hands up in the air.

Haha Thanks-

 

[Aleister Rainsworth]

It was cold, and the the thirteen year old shivered as he rubbed his palms together. His clothes were now sticking to his body like second skin, and his shoulders would shake every now and then as he continued to try and make himself warm, at least, as warm as he could get while sitting outside with the rain pouring as hard as it was. Aleister was quite sure now that he'd get sick, or if not, that he'd get a cold. But he didn't care at all. Though he was a bit hesitant about playing in the rain earlier when he was alone, he was definitely enjoying now. Even the most stupid and outrageous things could be fun if one had a companion after all. And thus, despite the possible consequences of his actions, he didn't care. He was the type to live at the present, and at the moment, he was having too much fun to think about anything else. The durmstrang student pulled his knees closer to him, watching as the girl spread her arms like wings and danced around. She looked different than how she looked just a few minutes ago. Or perhaps it had been hours, he couldn't be too sure, for he had already lost track of time when he started engaging the girl into a conversation. He laughed as he watched her twirl around like a little girl and soon he found himself joining her again, standing up and doing silly dance moves. He jumped up and down, splashing water on his already wet body, spinning around and waving his hands up, shouting incoherent words that would just slip through his mouth because of how happy he was. And then he stopped, trying to catch his breath. Mentally telling himself that he needed to exercise more as his body seemed to be out of shape already considering how much he was panting. He leaned forward a bit, his hands on his knees, trying to stead himself. He raised his head a little to look at his companion, she seemed to be caught up on something, probably seeing things that he couldn't see, but before he could point it out, she turned around, a smirk on her face. The thirteen year old straightened his posture, there was a hint of surprise in his face as he saw the serious expression of the girl's. Was she mad at him? Had he done something wrong? He couldn't really think of anything that he had done that could have angered her. Though there had been a lot of times in the past that he had annoyed people off without him meaning to. Sometimes he'd apologize, but most of the times, he'd brush it off, call it being childish, but he couldn't just apologize when he didn't even know what he had done wrong in the first place. He gulped, unconsciously raising his hand to adjust his cap, a habit that he didn't know he did every time he was nervous or unsure. He didn't really want to anger the girl especially now that he was having a lot of fun with her, but he couldn't just blurt out an apology if she wouldn't say what was wrong too. He was about to raise a question when she started to walk towards him. He stepped back a bit, he wasn't really jumpy but the expression on her face send shivers to his body. And the she grinned and poked his shoulder, saying something along the line of him being an it and then running away as fast as he could. At first, he thought that she ran away because she didn't want to see him anymore, that she was calling him an object with the word that she used. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that she said that because they were playing a game of tag. The girl got him good. "I'm IT? Merlin, I'm IT!," he yelled, his face lighting up with the realization that the girl was just playing around earlier.

"Sapp, that's terrible! I'm distracted!," he shouted as he ran after her, a huge smile on his face, laughing as he tried to catch up. The girl was pretty fast, but that didn't mean that he would just let her get away. He ran, his laughter getting louder by the second though he soon realized that he should probably stop laughing as it would just tire him out more easily, so he stopped laughing, a determined expression taking over his face as he continued to pursue after the girl. Once he was only a few feet away from her, he jumped, trying to tackle her from behind. But it seemed that he jumped too early as he found himself face first on the ground. He was silent for a second before he erupted to another fit of laughter, mud partially covering his face and the front of his shirt. His cap had flown away from him again but he wasn't thinking about that now. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, but instead of getting himself rid of the mud, the opposite happened and his face got even dirtier than it was earlier. "Come here and share my woes Sapp," he said in mock despair, pointing at his face then at his shirt, then he extended his arms side ward, "Give me a hug." There was a playful smirk on his face as he stood up and run after the girl again.​

 

[Sapphira Blacklord]

The rain continued to pour and pour, but Sapphira didn't really care, she was having so much fun she practically lost track of everything, the weather, the time and anything else that may have been of importance. Aleister was standing in the same spot she had left him, looking stunned and confused. Sapphira was about to call out to him when a huge smirk filled his face and he shouted out, running after her. She screamed in surprise and continued to run, knowing that his legs were longer so he would probably catch up to her soon. So she pumped her legs as fast as the would go and swung her arms back and forth to gain speed, and continued to laugh. Sapphira noticed that Aleister's laugher had stopped, but she could tell that he was still chasing after her by the splash splash that followed behind her, and she was too scared of being court to turn around to see why he had stopped laughing. Probably to save his breath, she thought. It was only the fact that she hadn't yet stopped that her breath hadn't hitched, after all she was in alright shape, but not the best. Sapphira felt so light and happy, as if she would dance right off the very ground and fly through the air. She spread her arms out again, like the wings of a bird, and closed her eyes, hearing Aleister shout something from behind her. "I am distracted too, Aleister, distracted by being a bird! Watch me fly!" She twirled around and around, but stopped when she heard a strange wet sliding sound from Aleister's direction.

When the Durmstrang girl opened her eyes and looked at Aleister, he was lying, face first, on the ground. His hat had come off and now hovered over by her foot, where she picked it up, and even as he stood sapphire could see the mud oozing down his shirt and face. She stared, shocked, and wondered whether her friend was alright. His expression did looked shocked after all. But he was fine, she soon discovered, as he flung his arms out, getting to his feet, and talked of his 'woes' dramatically. Something he said court her attention, startling her, something about a hug. Sapphira didn't quite understand what he'd meant, why would he want a hug? She wondered, he doesn't look that hurt. Her trail of thoughts soon stopped when she saw the wide goofy smirk on his face and realisation hit her like a lightning bolt. The mud...he wanted a hug when he had mud everywhere...and the mud would get all over me too... Before she could think a second though after the mud, she screamed and ran away from him. Sapphira wasn't a real girly-girl who hated mud, but she still didn't want it all over her. When she got a fair enough way from him, she spun round and started to dance backwards, doing the moonwalk and all manner of absurd moves, and started to belt out a tune with her eyes closed. "La La Laaaaaaaaaa!"

Sapphira had never actually understood what people meant when they said that people change people, but now she did. She'd been with Aleister for minutes, or hours, and he had changed her. She didn't know how, but she could feel it. She didn't feel alone or sad with him, and she didn't feel the creeping darkness. She just felt happy.

 

[Aleister Rainsworth]

Being around Sapphira made Aleister feel happy, not that he wasn't happy all the time, but it was a different kind of happiness, like the one that you would feel when you are around someone who was enjoying just as much as you do. Who would have thought that the once lonely looking girl from earlier would have turned out to be as crazy as the one who he running after to? Merlin did he not think that he would find a companion that would make the seemingly terrible day into one of the most memorable days that he had at the school. While he was indeed looking for some form of entertainment while wandering around the corridors earlier, he didn't really expect to find her there, he didn't expect to find what he hoped now to be a life long friend. He laughed, his chest felt like it would burst, like his heart would jump out any moment to do the same silly dance that the girl was currently doing. His laughter died and was replaced by a fond smile directed at the girl belting out a tune that he couldn't recognize. He stopped a few feet away from her and did the same absurd movements that she did. He attempted some failed cartwheels and which made him land just right behind her. He got caught up in her rhythm and soon, he too belted out into a song, his voice cracking as he attempted to reach higher notes than her. And then he remembered that he was still the 'IT' in the game of tag that he had started, so he made his singing louder, it was more like shouting than singing really, but Aleister was not really born to be a singer, frogs would make a better singing sound than he did, but that didn't stop him from singing every now and then even if his voice could make someone run around the whole town just to get away from him and his terrible singing voice. He walked towards the girl, still singing, or shouting really, and hugged her from behind, effectively getting the girl's shirt dirty because of the mud on his shirt too. He chuckled before he let go, creating a careful distance between them just in case the girl decided to hit him in the head for hugging her. Most of his cousins did that, he didn't know what it was with them but it seemed that physical contact disgusted them in a way he couldn't understand. He then pointed at her, the same goofy smile from before decorating his face again, "Now you're IT," he proclaimed, stepping backwards before he bolted into another run. "Thank you for the hug!" he yelled too, gesturing to his shirt and to the girl's, then he run off towards the lake.

Aleister didn't wait for the girl to catch up to him. He slowed down his pace as he neared the edge of the lake, removing his shoes and tossing them aside, he then ran towards the shallow part of the water and turned to wave at his friend. They were already being crazy by playing in the rain, it wouldn't hurt that much if he decided to swim too. He waited for the girl and the way that she looked and her words from earlier played in his mind again. She was having a bad day He remembered his grandmother's face, she wore the same look that Sapphira was wearing, but unlike her, his grandmother wore it all th etime. Perhaps that was why he grew up to be as flashy and loud as he was, it was to make his grandmother smile even just a little, to ease her of the burden that he had no idea about. And maybe that is what he was doing to Sapphira too. The silly smile faded a bit and his hands fell to his side. Should he ask? He didn't really want to break the girl's happiness cause questions usually did that. One moment his grandmother would be smiling and once he asked what was wrong, the light would die from her eyes. He didn't want that to happen. But he still couldn't stop himself and had let the question slip out of his mouth, "What's wrong?," his breath caught in his throat, and the smile completely cracked with the realization that the question would break the happiness around them. "Sorry, I didn't mean.. I said I'd make you forget about it, even just for a minute, I just.." He unconsciously voiced out his thoughts, and just like his normal speeches, it made little sense. "Forget that I asked, don't say anything if you don't want to. Swim?," he didn't wait for an answer and dived straight into the lake before resurfacing again, the goofy smile returning to his face, like he hadn't said those words and hadn't reminded the girl about the reason why she was alone that day. He wanted to have fun, they were supposed to have fun, and they were having fun. He just wished that things could just stay like this for as long as he wanted.​

 

[Sapphira Blacklord]

They were singing, in the rain, freezing themselves out of their skins. But for reasons that we completely unknown to Sapphira, they were laughing and dancing and singing, or screaming was probably a better word for it, and they were having fun. With the 'IT' game forgotten and a tuneless song filling her head, the Durmstrang girl danced and twirled and did whatever she wanted to do. She honestly didn't care whether she got sick, or whether she would get in trouble for dancing in the rain, all she really cared about was keeping this wonderful moment for as long as she could. Things change so fast, she knew and constantly told herself, Things change and if you don't change with them you get left behind. She didn't want to get left behind, struggling for air, but she also didn't want thing to change just yet. It was like an enormous weight had been lifted off her chest, and now without that weight slowing her down she could run and jump and dance. Her clothes were completely soaked and sticking to her thin figure like another skin, one of her many layers, but she didn't feel cold at all, she felt warm and delirious from her new found happiness. Then sudden arm stretched around her and she felt the mud slide over her back as if it touch her bare skin. She yelped, knowing that Aleister was now getting mud all over her shirt, and laughing to. He stepped back and dodged her, thanking her for a hug which she had involuntarily given, and bolted off towards the lake. She smirked and chased after him, seeking the perfect opportunity to push him in. When she got to the Lake and stripped off her shoes, which were muddy and soaked as the resat of her clothes were, and looked back up at Aleister, he seemed quiet. Too quiet. And then he spoke, his eyes darting everywhere and his speech, for the first time, was nervous and unsteady. His question hit her like a blow to the gut, and she stopped, shivering. When she looked at Aleister's face her looked so guilty and nervous it broke her from whatever pain she might have been about to feel.

She waddled into the water, waiting until Aleister came back to the surface, and looked at him, her chin just above the water line. "Aleister...you don't have to feel bad or nervous for asking." Sapphira decided then that she was going to tell him, the first person at this school other than Jace and Alleara to actually know, and she was going to tell him because she truly trusted him. She looked up at the sky, and watched the clouds instead of his steady watchful eyes. "I was having a bad day, before you found me, because... today-today was...is..." She sighed and blinked her eyes hard against the tears that gathered there. The teenager hated crying, especially in front of people. She laughed, trying to clear her mind to get out what she was trying to say, and felt a tear slide down her cheek. "Today, two years again, my parents died." She said, and she was surprised by how steady and normal she sounded. And she was surprised that she had finally told someone. "My parents were Aurors, and this day, two years ago, they went out hunting a Death Eater. And I remember waiting all might in my bed, waiting for them to come home like they always did. But this time...they didn't come home." She didn't want to see Aleister's face, she knew what she'd find, Sympathy and nerves, and she couldn't bare to see her friend look at her like that. Like she was broken.

 

[Aleister Rainsworth]

The goofy smile that he tried to wear was quickly wiped off his face again, and Aleister wished that he could go back to the time before he raised that stupid question. He felt like he was drowning, like the lake was eating his whole body, making him unable to breath and utter a single word as he listened to Sapphira speak. She wasn't looking at him and it brought a sudden pain on his chest, like he had been stabbed there a thousand times. Great, he felt like he was drowning and now, he felt like an invisble knife was being buried into his chest with only seconds as an interval. The water suddenly began to feel cold against his skin, and he felt like some creatures residing in the lake was pulling him down, determined to let the lake swallow him, never to let him resurface again. But it was all in his mind he knew. He wasn't drowning, there wasn't a knife sticking on his chest, and there was definitely no creature pulling him down, it was just him, Sapphira, and the lake. He listened and again, she reminded him of his grandmother, the way she'd retell the same story over and over again, a story that he wasn't a part of, a story that he could barely understand in his young age. When he listens to his grandmother relive that moment in her life and sob as struggled to form the words she spoke so often in different ways that he had almost memorized them even without him knowing and fully understanding what they meant, it felt like he was not part of her world, that he was just a bystander, watching from the sidelines, unable to do something to correct the mistake that he did because of asking the same stupid question over and over again. A little voice in his head said that it wasn't his fault, that none of it was his fault and that he was just asking because he wanted to ease her of the pain she felt, that he asked because he wanted her to share her pain with him, but the better part of him told him that he was wrong, that he shouldn't have asked because it would just bring her more pain. He didn't know which voice spoke the truth. He swam until he reached the part of the lake where he could stand properly, the water reached his shoulder, and the girl still wasn't looking at him. She didn't want to see his face, like his grandmother, and then he would leave and give her some space, only to return when he knew that he could make her smile again. It was the same thing all over again. But he didn't want that. He didn't want to leave the girl alone now.

The thirteen year old exhaled, letting out the breath that he didn't know he was holding. He felt something stir inside him, it wasn't pity. He knew it wasn't pity, he didn't know what it was, sadness perhaps, but not pity. He couldn't let himself feel pity for her, for it would only hurt her more. No one wanted to be pitied, he knew she didn't want that. He couldn't find the right words to say for he knew that his words would do little help. What would he tell her? That it would be fine? That he knew how she felt? He couldn't say those words because he knew they weren't true. He didn't know what she was feeling. He wasn't good with words, he couldn't tell her that everything would be alright. He tried to make his mind work, tried to rack his brain to come up with something, but there was none. He wasn't good with thinking. He was someone who would act before he thinks. And so he did the only thing that he could, he scooped as much water as he could and splash them into the girl, trying to make him look at him. She needed to see. She needed to see that while he felt bad for her, he didn't pity her and didn't think that she was a fragile doll that could easily be broken by a single touch. She needed to look at him and see that he thought no different of her even after she told him her story. That he still thinks that she was a fun person to be around even if he originally thought that she was a loner. He splashed her some water again before he approached her and rested his hands on her shoulders, "I'm not going to say that I know what you are feeling, because I don't. I wouldn't say that it will be perfect again, cause I know that things will never be the same again. Maybe I really am a poopy head because I can't think of better words to say to you right now-" he started, his face serious for the first time that he could remember, "I'm not that smart, and I'm insensitive most of the time," he continued on, pulling at the girl's face, "But I want you to smile, you may not see them again, but I believe that they are out there, somewhere far from our reach, but I'm here. I'm not going to leave even if you push me and yell at me and pull my hair by its roots. I'm your friend now, ain't I?" And he tried to pull the girl's face into a smile before he let go and splashed the girl some water again. He hurriedly swam to the edge of the lake and fetched his shoes. He lifted his head up and noticed for the first time since the girl told him her story, that the once heavy rain was starting to let up a little. "Look Sapph, even the weather is telling you to smile!" he exclaimed, pointed up towards the once dark and moody clouds, the goofy smile returning on his face again. He put on his shoes and felt himself shiver again because of the cold. He brushed his fringed away from his eyes and looked at the girl, smiling cheekily as he beckoned her to come over. "And I'm kidding about me letting you pull on my hair, because that will definitely hurt, I'm also lying about that part of being not being smart and being insensitive," he chatted on, making those overly dramatic hand movements again as he stumbled on a small stone by the shore and landed on his bottom, "Alright, maybe the part about me not being smart is a little true, but Merlin, that doesn't make me any less awesome, does it?" He might be as insensitive as what his cousins would say, laughing despite the mood as dark and as sad as it was, but at least, he was trying to make people happy, be it that he be called insensitive, at least he was doing what he could.​

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[Sapphira Blacklord]

Sapphira was startled as she felt the water flashing at her face, and laughed at Aleister as he splashed more and more water at her. She knew that he was trying to lighten the mood, to make her laugh, and she was glad for it. She didn't want to be gloomy and sad, she wanted to keep having as much fun as she could, and Aleister was the person she wanted to have fun with. She watched as he walked back towards her and rested his hands on her shoulders, telling her that he wasn't going to lie to her and say that things would be alright like everyone else did. He reminded her of her Godfather by that, he too was the only one who had not pitied her. But she prayed that Aleister wouldn't turn out like her Godfather. Sapphira laughed again, and splashed water at him, following him up to the shore and grapping her shoes. Aleister was right, the weather was starting to lighten up, the rain beginning to cease. "Well, I guess that our fun in the rain's over." She said, smirking at Aleister. Knowing him, and she truly felt like she did know him, he would come up with something else fun to do.

"What now, Commander?" She did a little sault, laughing and pushing Aleister away from the lake and back up towards the Institute. Surely there was something else to do around the castle, there had to be, whether it was blowing up the Greenhouse or reeking havoc in the Great Hall, she didn't care, just as long as she was with Aleister it didn't matter what they did. "Come on, Poopy Head," She laughed and dodged out of the way as he playfully lunged at her. They walked slowly back towards the castle, and Sapphira smiled the whole way. Maybe this day wasn't such a bad day, and maybe Aleister was a sign. A sign telling her to be happy.

Sorry if its a bit meh and short, my head just isn't running properly :/ haha