Keep Your Head Down

[Gabriella Tillington]

Gabriella's Christmas holidays had been... interesting. Odd. Well, truthfully they had pretty much been the same as they had been the past few years, but that was what was odd about it. She had expected it to be different now that her sister Francesca was back in their lives. Her father hadn't really talked about his other daughter much, though. He only mentioned that he hadn't known she would go to Hogwarts in New Zealand too, and had asked her curtly if she wanted to switch schools. Gabriella had said no. Getting used to a new school would be a hassle, and if she was completely honest with herself she didn't hate the idea of being at the same school as her long-lost sister. Sure, she had been cold to her on the first night and avoided her since, but Gabriella wasn't really good with change. Something as big and unexpected as running into the sister she hadn't seen for nearly her entire life wasn't something she knew how to deal with. Though now she wasn't sure if she should approach her sister or not. What did she have to say? Part of her hoped Francesca would come to her instead, but so far the two hadn't crossed paths in the new year yet.

That was part of the reason why Gabriella had decided to spend some time outside the common room. Maybe if she sat around somewhere reading, her sister would see her and approach. If not, maybe she would meet someone else this way. She wanted to make more friends, though she wasn't quite sure how to go about that. Her interactions with others tended to be formal and somewhat stilted, and she wasn't sure how to act more casual around other children. Right now she was reading a book in one of the windowsills, occasionally glancing around the hallway in between turning pages. So far she hadn't seen anyone she recognized, and she wondered if she shouldn't return to the common room after all.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Nixon's holidays spent not able to contact anyone had left him feeling more lonely and unsure than ever, worrying about all that he was missing. Though upon returning to school it meant he felt furthermore excited to see his friends again, to play games with them and hear about all of their amazing adventures. One of the friends Nixon wanted to see the most was Frankie. The same friend he asked to be his date to the yule ball and who he thought he spotted while strolling along the second floor, procrastinating returning to his common room after a visit to the great hall. "Frankie! Wait!" Nixon shouted, speeding his walk to a run to catch up with his friend. "I wanna play tag!" He shouted again, not realizing until he got closer that the girl wasn't his friend at all. Instead she was a girl who he hadn't spoken to at all despite recognizing her from being in his house and year.

Nixon would have felt embarrassed to mix the girl up with Frankie, no matter how similar the girl was to his friend in appearance, if he did not recognize the new opportunity he had to make a friend. He quickly said "Woops, wrong person, you sure do look like my friend though." as he caught his breath, recovering from the running. "Want to play tag with me, anyway?" He then asked, choosing to seize the opportunity to make a new friend and figuring that offering to play a game with this girl could be a fun way to get to know her.​

 

[Gabriella Tillington]

Gabriella was contemplating heading back to the Hufflepuff common room when her attention was caught by a voice calling her sisters name. Or, well, her nickname. Gabriella herself hated nicknames, and she would hate to be called 'Gabby'. Francesca seemed to respond to it, though, and Gabriella immediately looked around to see if she could spot her sister. She didn't see anyone but the boy, however, and her brow furrowed in confusion. Was he talking to her? "I'm not Francesca." She said with a frown. "And I am not interested in playing tag either." She added primly, though she closed the book. "You know Francesca? Or... Frankie, I guess." Being mistaken for her sister was a new experience for the young Hufflepuff, and she really didn't know what to make of it or how to feel about it. "She's... your friend?" She wasn't sure why she was so curious, but she was. The boy was someone she recognized from her own house, though she didn't know his name. "I'm Gabriella." She said, and she forced herself to smile at him a little. "Though I don't think tag is really my thing. I apologize."