Closed Let the Wild Come In

[Harper Alston]

For more than six years, Harper had attended ever single class without fail. It wasn't that difficult of a feat considering she lived at school and magic could cure most minor ailments. But that was going to change today. Inspired by old teen movies and a couple high school bucket lists on the internet, Harper had decided to add "skip classes for a day" to her own seventh year bucket list. After six yeas of perfect attendance, she figured she deserved a day off.

Then there was the matter of choosing what day to take off. Harper genuinely enjoyed most of her courses and didn't want to miss anything interesting. At the same time, picking a day during the last week of classes felt like a cop-out. In the end, she had decided to pick the first truly warm spring day. Harper was eager to spend most of it outside, and as she made her way down the castle, she ran into Delilah, who she convinced to skip DADA with her.

"Why does it feel like we're doing something illegal?" Harper joked as she took a seat by the cliff's edge. Despite her lighthearted tone, she was a little nervous about skipping class. She wasn't exactly a stranger to breaking rules, but for some reason missing class felt different. But with the sun warming her skin and the lake spread out before her, it was hard to feel that bad. "This is nice. A lot better than a lecture."

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah hadn't put up much of a fight when Harper suggested they skip class. She had almost perfect attendance over the years. Her splinching accident last year had knocked her off her feet for a couple days. But this year felt different. She didn't really feel like she need to prove herself in lessons anymore and was instead going through the motions. Sitting by the cliffs was a much better way to spend an afternoon anyways. Delilah leaned back slightly and faced the sun with her eyes closed enjoying the warmth. She hummed slightly when Harper asked a question. "How illegal?" she asked dreamily before laughing lightly. She was already in an off limits area why stop there? She nodded in agreement and opened her eyes and had to squint because it was so bright. "Defiantly. So what caused this streak of rebellion?" she asked curiously. She had her own reasons but Harper had always been a rule follower although less high strung than she had been.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper pretended to think about Delilah's question. "Like we'll be carted away to Azkaban at any moment," she said with a laugh. Truth be told, she had almost expected someone to stop them once they'd walked past the DADA classroom. But no one had, and now they were free to spend the entire afternoon in the sun. She almost wished she'd done this sooner.

Threading her fingers through the cool grass, Harper absentmindedly plucked out a few blades. She chuckled a little at the thought that this might be considered an act of rebellion. "I made a seventh year bucket list. I know it's a little cliché, but..." Harper trailed off, shrugging. But... she didn't care. It was kind of fun having a list of silly goals and tasks to complete before graduation. "I've never missed class before, so I figured it would be a good bucket list item."

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah laughed again but this time it was a real and genuine laugh. It wasn’t a sound she was used to hearing come out of her but she thought it was nice. “Oh yes, that definitely sounds about right.” she said, playing along. For a moment she thought of her father and his voice threatened to sneak into the back of her mind but she pushed it away quickly before it ever had the chance to ruin her mood. She was determined to enjoy today. Thankfully Harper provided a distraction she so desperately needed.

“A bucket list?” Delilah asked curiously. She wasn’t sure how cliche that kind of thing was among muggles but she had never heard of students at Hogwarts doing that kind of thing before. But maybe that was just the kind of thing she had missed out on when her head had been buried under books. “I’ve never missed one on purpose before.” she admitted in agreement. “But it kind of makes me feel like I could do anything.” she said with a laugh, knowing it sounded ridiculous. “Well what else is on your list?”

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper grinned when Delilah laughed at her dumb joke. She couldn't be sure, but she thought this might be the most relaxed she'd ever seen the Ravenclaw. She nodded at Delilah's question, wondering if the concept of a bucket list existed in the magical world. "Mmhmm, it's just a list of things I want to do before graduation." Harper laughed a little at the girl's next comment, knowing exactly what she meant. For some reason, it had never occurred to her that she could just not show up to class. What other rules could she break without anyone noticing? "We should've done this a lot earlier," she joked.

"Well a lot of it is Hogwarts stuff I never got around to doing, like joining a club, signing up to deliver roses, asking someone to a dance, that kind of stuff," Harper said. "There are also some school legends on there like finding the Room of Requirement and the giant eel. And then I've got stuff like throwing a party, crashing a party, and pulling an end-of-year prank." She glanced sidelong at Delilah. "That last one's a secret, of course," she said, giving the Ravenclaw a mock grave look that didn't last more than a few seconds before she broke.

 

[Delilah Thorne]

Delilah sat up a bit straighter and wiped off the dust and dirt that stuck to them. She kept staring at her hands but smiled at Harper's comment. "Yeah." she said in quiet agreement but was talking mostly to herself. Sometimes she hated that it took something awful happening for her to wake up and take control of her own life. But she also knew if things hadn't changed she wouldn't have been strong enough to take the first step on her own. The things she liked about herself now couldn't exist with who she was before and it was a hard thing to accept. So she just had to be thankful for where she was now, which included being here on the cliffs instead of in a lesson. Delilah had been so wrapped up in her head she almost missed what Harper was saying. She snorted at the mention of the giant eel. "You sound like my brother." she said with a laugh. "I don't know if I can help with the eel but I could maybe help with a party." she added thoughtfully. Delilah grinned as Harper laughed at herself. "A secret you say?" She hummed like she was trying to figure it out. "Highly suspicious. Is it Azkaban worthy?" she teased.

 

[Harper Alston]

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Harper said with a grin even though she suspected it wasn't. She vaguely remembered once trading stories about annoying little brothers with Delilah. The eel was perhaps a childish rumour, but she'd heard so much about it that she figured there had to be some truth behind it. "Are you offering to help me throw a party or crash one?" Harper asked, raising an eyebrow. She would gladly accept help either way as both goals would be much more fun with a co-conspirator. At Delilah's teasing, Harper laughed. "I hope so." she joked before pausing and shaking her head slightly. "No, I actually haven't decided what I'll do yet," she admitted. "I want to do something memorable, but I'm also not trying to get expelled, you know? I am a responsible prefect, after all," she added with a grin. She'd had the badge for over a year now, and she still sometimes wondered how she'd managed to get it. "But the fact that I'm planning one is a secret, so shhhh."