Never tried this before

[Estrella Drage]

Skipping class was not something Estrella had ever done. The very concept should be preposterous for a Ravenclaw, and the Head Girl at that. On top of that, the exams were not far away at all. She had to choose between definite failure and a test of her morality. The eighteen year old decided to go against the grain; embarrassing herself so badly in front of her peers had ebbed away at her confidence.

Instead of following her classmates into the Transfiguration classroom, she had walked right past it. She continued down the Fifth Floor Corridor and did not stop as she reached the stairs. It wasn't long before she found herself in the Entrance Hall and burst out of the front doors. The fresh air was very welcome. She swept across the lawn, glancing towards the far off Quidditch Pitch and dismissing it almost immediately. Flying wasn't what she needed. Her celebration of Ravenclaw's victory against Gryffindor was short lived as classes kicked her back into reality.

With little hesitation the Head Girl scaled the cliffs. She hadn't been here many times before. How had she forgotten the beautiful view? Estrella took a seat near the edge, crossing her legs Indian style and taking a deep breath. Her fellow seventh years would be learning something new today. Succeeding at something new. Common sense hollered at her to drop the class, but why bother so late in the year?

The solitude was nice. It wasn't long before Estrella realized that she needed something to occupy her time. She couldn't possibly fathom going over any more of her notes, and reading a book wasn't very appealing at the moment either. The girl reached into her robes and pulled out the oak essence of raven feather. If she were going to run from failure, she might as well work at something that she was good at.

Making the Patronus Charm work wasn't easy. This charm was on a whole level of its own, changing in quality depending on mood or situation. With the weight of her other classes, Estrella barely found enough time to practice. There wasn't any hurt in picking it up again. Bringing the wand to arm's length, she stated firmly, "Expecto Patronum." She managed to produce a silvery vapor as usual, but nothing else. It was mind boggling that most of her memories were laced with something negative. She knew that she wasn't trying hard enough, so she used Professor Rowann's advice and tried playing the memory like a movie in her head. The memory was fresh, from the North Tower after the Yule Ball, and it yielded much more successful results than the previous memories. She gripped her wand more tightly, cleared her throat and continued her attempts. Although she had made hardly any progress, she was quite glad that she had skipped out on Transfiguration today.

 

[James Potter]

James was known amongst his peers for skipping class, though he was still learning things from his Aunt and had to practice something he believed most of the falculty understood. James went out to the pitch wearing some old Gryffindor Quidditch Robes that fit him more snug then he cared to admit, not because he'd grown fat or anything but he had recieved more muscle. James enjoyed flying on his Canon Streak as he entered the pitch and took off to the sky with the quaffle in hand. James did a few practice laps around the pitch before he actually began his two hour long practice. It was during the school hours that James could practice fully unhindered as he didn't have to worry about people watching him or more importantly judging him. It also gave him a stronger sense of freedom that James didn't really feel anywhere else but in the sky.

James wrapped the red ball underneath his right arm as he flew around the pitch like some red, yellow, and black bullet. Flying closer towards the goals as if he was planning on a direct hit. James threw the ball in front of him then used his upperbody strength to life himself up and with his feet pushed forwards kicked the ball very hard as he landed back down on his broomstick. With the speed and force of the kick James saw the ball hit beneath the center hoop and rebound into the left hoop's center. James was sure that most of the student Keepers would probably be unable to block a goal like that however he knew in the Professional leagues such a block was more then possible, unless you had some luck on your side. James quickly flew down and caught the Quaffle heading towards the opposite side of the pitch.

The downside about practicing during school hours was that James wasn't allowed to bring the practice dummies out, not that James minded all that much as he continued practicing untill at last he felt a bit tired. James looked out over the Quidditch pitch and saw something that was truly incredible, someone else was ditching class and heading up the cliffs. James wondered for a brief instant why they had chosen to clime the large and dangerous cliffs when there were a few caves that could take them to the top. He decided to investigate as he flew over the Quidditch stands and closer to the girl who he recognised more to his surprise as Estrella Drage. He'd taken her to the Yule Ball and they'd shared a few kisses but other then that they seemed to have falling a bit apart. Not that James minded that much as they were both free agents.

James flew a bit closer and watched as he heard Estrella practice a charm, James quickly recognised it as the Patronus Charm. It wasn't perfect however and James had to wonder if she was concentrating on a happy enough memory. James knew how difficult it was to first conjure a corporeal Patronus however he also knew that once it was first learned it seemed easier to perform. James flew closer to Drage wondering what type of animal her patronus would take, probably an Eagle or some type of Lion. James knew that Drage was a pistol even if she did have a sweet side she seemed to conceal from everyone else. James was still a bit buzzed from his highspeed flying as he got closer and with a bit of a laugh James stated "If I was a Dementor, you'd be pretty easy pickings with a Patronus like that!" James said as he dismounted from his Broomstick and landed next to Drage.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Violently jarred out of concentration, Estrella did a double take and lost the silvery mass that she had been able to produce. How had anyone managed to sneak up on her, on the cliffs were she could see everything on the ground and beyond? She narrowed her eyes as she realized that it was James Potter on a broomstick. A warm grin slipped in among the confusion that took hold of most of her features. She had been the Gryffindor's date to the last Yule Ball, and had kissed him a few times but really nothing more had happened between them. The Ravenclaw felt a bit bad for not making an effort to talk to him over the course of the term, yet who could really blame her? She didn't even have the time to talk to Jaken with NEWTs looming so near.

"Good thing you aren't a dementor, then. Though you may be better at kissing if you were one," she joked, pocketing her wand. It was no wonder that James was skipping class, though she hadn't expected to run into him. Raising an eyebrow, she took a glance at his broom and Quidditch gear. "Is flying off of the pitch even allowed?" she asked curiously. She didn't want to be a hardass, yet the Head Girl in her kept her constantly inquisitive.

 

[James Potter]

"Ouch!" James said with a pinched face as he walked over to her "Perhaps, we should try to find a Dementor and test that theory out?" James said with a bit of amusement. "Or maybe I should kiss you again and see if I might be able to change you mind" James said a bit humorously without the actual intention of kissing her. If James had the intention then he probably would've already have done it. "Flying off the pitch is allowed Miss. Drage" James said indicating his broomstick "as long as you don't get caught" James said with a bit of a whisper. "So should I prep my detention now, or see if I can help you master this?" James asked as he pulled out his own wand and pointed it at nothing particular "Expecto Patronum" James said casually as a Silver Dog appeared from his wand and began looking expectently at Estrella as if hoping she had a friend for him to play with.

 

[Estrella Drage]

"I think I'll pass on the dementors, they're supposed to be frigid and would probably ruin this lovely fall afternoon." Estrella could only grin at James's suggestion of kissing her again. She wasn't sure what they were at this point- she would like to think that she and James were still friends- especially after the Yule Ball. The Ravenclaw was pretty sure, however, that she would not be voluntarily kissing the Gryffindor at any time in the recent future. She had Jaken back, and she couldn't imagine snogging anyone other than the Slytherin. Not that James was a bad kisser. Quite the contrary, in fact.

"Oh right, I suppose I forgot about that little loophole, Mr. Potter," the Head Girl chuckled as she rolled her eyes. Since she wasn't sure of any rule regarding flying off the pitch, she decided to let it drop. She didn't like making mountains out of molehills. "I think I'll let you escape detention this time, Merlin knows things are busy enough around here with NEWTs coming up..." Her voice trailed off as James managed to conjure an extremely corporeal Patronus. She observed the dog, wondering what significance it had to the person that had cast it. "Wow. How long have you been able to do that?"

 

[James Potter]

The Silver Dog barked a few times as it began running a bit, in order to catch it's tail. James looked at Siruis with a rather amused smirk. "Well I've been able to perform the charm for about a few years, but I mastered it about a year ago" James explained remebering how hard Aunt Hermione had pushed him in order to produce the fully Corporeal Patronus he now had. She had mentioned only once that his father had been able to do it since he was thirteen, something James had been quite annoyed in hearing at the time. "The spell is simple enough but getting it strong enough to produce the Corporeal form tends to be a bit more tricky, though once it's done it becomes alot easier to perform" James explained as Siruis turned towards him and began wagging his tail rather excitedly. James was actually a bit more surprised that Estrella hadn't already managed to perform the charm correctly, she seemed smart enough. "What memory are you using?" James asked as he quickly added "If you don't mind me asking"

 

[Estrella Drage]

I hate to be a nag, but are you sure Patronuses can actually make noise on their own? I know they can send messages...

Estrella kept her gaze trained on the dog as James explained. "A few years already? That's... impressive." Although she would never admit it, the Ravenclaw felt a tinge of envy. Always academically competitive, Estrella hated being shown up in any subject, especially Charms. Deciding that she was not going to get anywhere being frustrated with herself, she gave James a weak smile. She shifted a bit and pulled out her wand. A slight blush rose to her cheeks as she tapped the oak essence of raven feather against her leg nervously. "It's, uhm, a memory with a friend of mine," she said, wondering if James would get the drift of what she was implying. She was a bit too embarrassed to go into details, considering the memory wasn't just with the person she had kissed in the North Tower after the Yule Ball, it was that very incident. Upsetting or coming off as some sort of floozy to the Gryffindor was not in her immediate plans. "It's the happiest one I have," she added after quite the pause. "I just don't think I'm applying it right."

 

[James Potter]

"Happiest memory..." James said with a smile "with a friend?" James added with more of a smirk. "I can certaintly relate" James said raising his eyebrows a bit as he looked over at Siruis and waved his wand slightly as the silvery dog dissapeared. "So, what makes you wanna skip class and then practice a charm?" James said with a smile as he looked at her. "How do you think you should be applying it then?" James asked actually wondering exactly how you were supposed to apply a happy memory.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Nodding sheepishly, Estrella hugged her legs to her chest as a chilly breeze passed over the grounds of Hogwarts. It would be strange to move from Autumn to Summer come the end of the year. Deciding it would be best just to drop that altogether, she turned her focus back onto the Patronus, which dissipated.

"Why not skip class? It's just Transfiguration. I hate it," she said quietly. The Ravenclaw was considering skipping out on that particular NEWT. She'd rather not take it than have a bad mark follow her for the rest of her life. She twirled her wand through her fingers as she answered James's question. "Professor Rowann said that we should play it like a movie in our head. I just can't seem to get it right." It didn't help that she hadn't seen a movie in close up to three years. Though she was going to be living in the wizarding world for the rest of her life, she did miss some of the muggle inventions.

 

[James Potter]

"I don't know about playing it like a movie" James said as he looked at Estrella "that might work for some people but not everyone, I think you should use your memory as a starting point, then think about how happy you were and how happy your friend was" James explained "let the happiness overwhelm you until it shows without you even having to try and that's when you should be ready" James said not really sure if what he was saying was correct, though it had been useful when his Aunt and Uncle showed him the Patronus Charm. James figured that Estrella was a pretty talented witch so it shouldn't be too hard for her to manage it. "How do you think you'll do on your NEWTS?" James asked a bit factually as he looked off the cliff towards the school, it really was a nice place and even though James had only been here a year he had to admit he was probably going to miss it as much as he missed Scotland.

 

[Estrella Drage]

"That might work," Estrella murmured. At this point, she was more than willing to try out James's suggestion. She sat quiet for a moment, her wand at an arm's length. It wasn't difficult to call up the memory. The recollection itself was vivid, and with a flick she conjured a substantial stream of silvery vapor. It wasn't corporeal but she had gotten somewhere. With a grateful smile at James, she jammed the wand back in her pocket. Not that she minded his presence. This was just something she would probably need to practice on her own, without any distractions.

She shrugged as James inquired about NEWTs. At this point in the year, they were a rather hateful and unavoidable subject. "I think I'll do okay on most of them. I've been studying like crazy..." Her voice wandered off before she glanced back to James, and she shook her head as if to throw it all off. "I'm not expecting any Ts. And you, are you worried about them?" For someone who seemed to skip every class possible, James didn't seem hopeless in his studies.

 

[James Potter]

"Not too much" James said a bit casually deciding that he wasn't going to worry if she wasn't. "You take your NEWTS so you can get a good job" James explained, "I already have a good job" James said with a bit of an indifferent shrug. "I'm more or less taking them for fun and that's about it" James said as he looked at her with a cool air as though he really didn't care what he got on his NEWTS even though he kinda did. His Aunt Hermione had been helping him practice spells and sent him study notes for a long time and if he got T's on all of them he knew that she was going to be dissapointed. James knew that he was going to have to buckle down a bit before he took the tests but didn't want to miss out on too much fun. "So Drage, you going to miss being 'Head Girl?'" James as with a slight smirk.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella laughed a bit nervously. Did she feel a tinge of envy? "Taking them for fun? You're insane," she exclaimed, smirking lightly. It was near appalling how nonchalant someone could be about the exams that defined your life if you really wanted to get anywhere in the world. "Do you want to do anything besides Quidditch?" she asked curiously. Although she knew that professional athletes didn't have to worry about income, time usually brought them to the end of the road as far as their career was concerned.

"I'm going to miss a lot of things, Potter. I guess you can say I'll miss being able to throw whoever I please into detention..." She snickered, figuring that James knew she was just joking. "It's going to be interesting to find out who get Head Boy and Girl next year." The idea was foreign to her, strange to even think about. Someone else would wear the badge she had pinned to her chest for two school years straight.