New friends, new fun

[Charlotte Owens]

As much as Charlotte hated to say it, Slytherin house wasn't really that bad after all. She had always thought it would have been full of mean bullies or unattractive ferrets but, in fact, those type of people were nowhere to be found at Hogwarts. Instead, most people at Hogwarts were nice to Charlotte and many people smiled at her as she walked by, not even knowing her name. She loved the kindness that Hogwarts brought and was glad that she had found such a place.

The sun shined brightly as Charlotte made her way onto the Hogwarts grounds. She still had so much more to explore outside the castle and today she was off to the cliffs to hopefully find something interesting to discover. Charlotte loved the open air and stood on the edge of the cliff as the wind blew her hair back. She felt free up there and wanted to stay there forever. Heights never scared Charlotte so it never really bothered her much. It made her feel as if she belonged there and that was her new home.

Taking a seat on the freshly grown grass, Charlotte's eyes didn't once leave the spectacular view that was in front of her. It was all too much to behold and the cliffs were a perfect place to just sit and relax. 'I really should've brought food with me.' she thought as her stomach started to rumble. Next time she came up here she was definitely bringing food with her.

 

[Madeline Walden]

The cliffs seemed like the perfect place for Maddie to unwind this afternoon. Classes were getting on top of her, they were interesting and fun but they were also getting really hard. Also the drama between Amy and James and herself was tiring her out. She thought she had at least another couple of years before all that stuff started. She decided she needed to branch out and meet more people as a result of this. Amy was her best friend of course and she always would be, but you can have more than one best friend... right?

She made her way to the cliffs and noticed that there was someone there already. A girl who looked around Maddie's own age. She looked quite familiar actually, the hair was a massive give away. Maddie creeped forward and shouted "BOO!" wondering if the girl would stir, she seemed to be at peace. The very feeling Maddie wanted to seek out here on the cliffs.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked the Slytherin girl, smiling, wondering if she would recognise Maddie.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte's sense of relaxation left as someone creeped up behind her and gave her a fright. She screamed in high pitch and almost fell over backwards. She wanted to shout at the person and tell them to leave her alone but when she turned around she reconsidered that option when she saw the familiar face. It was the Gryffindor girl that she helped hand her late homework in to Styx. Charlotte wondered if she remembered her too.

Smiling, she greeted her as the girl sat down next to Charlotte. "Hey! Are you the girl who had the late homework? I'm Charlotte!" she exclaimed, quite disappointed that they didn't know each other's names yet. She was such a nice girl and they hadn't even introduced each other yet! But Charlotte thought she'd never see her again and was actually quite relieved that she found someone she knew as she didn't really know that many people at Hogwarts yet. It was quite upsetting to have to admit that she didn't really know many people despite the large number of students that attended the school. Nonetheless, she was glad that someone still wanted to be her friend and was very excited to really get to know this new girl.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie giggled when the Slytherin girl jumped in surprise and nearly fell backwards. "Oops" sorry!" she said apologetically. She noticed the girl's facial expression change from rage to surprise to eventually cheery when she recognised Maddie. The Gryffindor nodded, looking a little sheepish and replied "Yes, that was me. I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble? It was a stupid thing to do anyway. Probably should think of a better strategy next time" she winked. "Nice to meet you Charlotte, i'm Maddie" she added. "We probably should have cleared the name thing earlier" she laughed. Maddie had always wanted to talk to the Slytherin girl again, she had helped Maddie when no one else would have. It was rare to find people like that so Maddie wanted to get to know Charlotte better.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte agreed when the Gryffindor suggested that they should think of a better strategy next time. 'Maybe just hand your homework in on time?' Charlotte thought, not trying to be rude. It was the most logical solution and Charlotte praised herself that she didn't say that out loud as she didn't want to lose yet another friend for something stupid that she decided she should say. The last time that happened the atmosphere suddenly changed from happy and cheerful to angry and frustrating so she was glad she didn't make that mistake again.

The girl introduced herself as Maddie. "Yeah, it's weird knowing a face but not having any name to it." Charlotte replied, laughing along with her. "I mean, you know the person but you just don't have any idea who they are if that makes sense. But talking to strangers is great and it's always a mystery on who they are if they never introduce themselves. At least now I don't have to refer to you as 'The girl who had late homework' or 'The Gryffindor with the long hair' because that could be referring to anyone, you know?" Charlotte nodded in agreement with herself. "Anyway, how have you been since I last saw you? It hasn't been long but surely you've been up to some great adventures!" Charlotte was lying on the grass now on her stomach, trying to get herself comfortable. She was looking forward to what Maddie had to say.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Leaning against a tree, Maddie smiled at Charlotte. This girl seemed nice, and Maddie loved meeting new people and making new friends. She wondered where this newly found relationship would go, she knew it was early but Maddie thought about these things a bit too much. She nodded at what Charlotte was saying while picking at the grass around her. "Yeah exactly, I mean i've seen you around and in classes after you helped me but I never knew your name so it's been hard trying to start conversations" Maddie explained. "So it's pretty lucky that we've seen each other here today. I had visions of just smiling at you in classes but never actually speaking for years to come!" she said laughing. Of course, Maddie would have spoken to Charlotte sooner rather than later, but this way it was more organic, it seemed to flow well. It wasn't forced like some conversations Maddie had been in.

"I've been well thank you, classes are finishing up now so there's a lot of studying for exams which I hate! she rolled her eyes, studying was the absolutely worst thing to do in Maddie's eyes. She hated it, she found it so boring. "Not many adventures, the middle of the semester has been pretty slow. Halloween was fun though... I danced with a Prince!" Maddie giggles, her eyes glistening. That was an interesting night for Maddie, it was a chance to be someone other than herself and she loved every minute of it. "How about you? How have you been? Any of your own adventures?" she asked.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte found it amazing how Maddie had wanted to talk to her but didn't know her name to say anything. It made her feel special and appreciated. She nodded at Maddie, agreeing with her. "Yeah! I don't really have a Gryffindor friend and my father was a Gryffindor so it's great that now we're finally talking after what happened!" Charlotte was glad that she had made a Gryffindor friend. She had always been jealous of the Gryffindors because they were known to always go on adventures and who wouldn't like to sleep at the very top of the castle? Charlotte was starting to feel very unusual sleeping underground in the cold dungeons and would do anything to sleep where the Gryffindors do.

When Maddie mentioned Halloween, it suddenly came to Charlotte that she hadn't even thought of going to the Halloween party that was on. Back at home Charlotte's family never celebrated Halloween as they hadn't really believed in it but Charlotte really wanted to celebrate it this year. She made a mental note to remember to go next year to see what it was like. Who cares if she didn't believe in it? At least she'll get to have some fun and maybe meet new friends.

"A prince!? From where!? Are you royalty now!?" Charlotte was extremely confused. Where did a prince come from? Was Charlotte in the same vicinity with royalty but didn't even know it? Does that mean Maddie is now going to be a queen when she becomes old enough? Maybe Charlotte really should have went to the party.

"Mostly I've just explored Hogwarts myself." Charlotte said, replying to Maddie's question. "It's good to go on adventures by yourself because you get to do things at your own pace. But it's also quite boring because you don't have anyone to share those adventures with. Back at home my cousins and I used to always go out exploring and we wouldn't ever come back until after supper. It never really bothered my parents but my aunty was never very happy when we came back. She used to tell us we weren't allowed back out the next day but we still did anyway." Charlotte chuckled. She missed her cousins dearly and didn't even know how she's almost survived a whole semester without them. She can't wait to see them again at Christmas.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie smiled sympathetically at Charlotte as she told her story. To be in a different house to your family must be hard, Maddie's own mother was in Gryffindor like her so she was lucky. She imagined Charlotte felt rather out of place being sorted into Slytherin. "I'm glad I have a friend in Slytherin, I haven't met many students from your house. Most of them seem to keep to themselves I find" she explained. "Although, Slytherin and Gryffindor are quite similar so it's not so bad that you got sorted into Slytherin. How are you finding it in that house?" Maddie asked Charlotte. "I'm glad we've started talking too!" she added, smiling.

Laughing at Charlotte's confusion Maddie decided to explain the situation. "Well... he wasn't a Prince exactly... Although he acted like he was. It was Halloween so that was his costume. It was pretty convincing actually!" she sighed at the memory. She wondered if she would recognise the boy around school. She knew his name of course, but she wouldn't know his face. After all, he had an extremely extravagant costume on, which completely changed his appearance.

"That's true" Maddie nodded to what Charlotte was saying. "I always find its more fun going on adventures with other people. By yourself can be a bit lonely sometimes" she said. Maddie laughed at the story her friend was telling, she could tell her family were close. Maddie's were too, but she was the oldest of her siblings so she always felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility that her siblings were free from.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

When Maddie asked how Charlotte was finding Slytherin house, she had to take time to think about it. Charlotte had never asked herself this question before and was quite unsure of the answer. How was she finding it? Being in a house different from her parents didn't really bother her but what was annoying was the fact that she felt her father was embarrassed by her being in such a horrible house. He loved Charlotte and Charlotte loved him but he still hadn't even told his parents the house that Charlotte had been sorted into. Their whole family line was full of Gryffindors and it made him scared what his parents would think which kind of made Charlotte angry about who she was in a way that was completely unfair. Nonetheless, Charlotte tried her best to keep what she was saying the truth.

"It's fine, I guess." she said, her eyes now looking straight at the ground. It wasn't fine at all but she didn't want Maddie to know that. "The people in Slytherin are OK but I don't like the atmosphere or the head of house especially. It gets really cold in the dungeons and I wish I was able to be in the basements or something where it's warm but I guess I'll get used to it. After all, I'm going to have to spend the next seven years here so I better get used to it eventually." She forced a smile to tell Maddie that it was OK. She didn't want anybody feeling sorry for her, especially when they were just finally talking. Picking up a rock from the ground, she threw it over the edge of the cliff. "I wonder where that's going to land." she thought aloud. "I think it's going to land in a pool of lava. Where do you think it's going to land?" She looked up at Maddie, waiting for an answer. She was starting to get bored of talking about herself and was eager to change the subject into something more interesting.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie could tell that Charlotte was feeling uncomfortable about talking about herself, so she decided to go along with the change in topic of conversation. Maddie didn't want to make her new friend uncomfortable, they had a long time to get to know each other anyway and she didn't want to push Charlotte to reveal more about herself than what she was comfortable with. Maddie took this for granted because she liked talking about herself to new people, again being selective with the information she gave out, but people wouldn't know that.

It was now obvious that Maddie had taken been sorted into a welcoming house for granted. Everyone was nice and the common room was very warm. She did feel sorry for Charlotte, but she was sure that given time she would get used to Slytherin House and be happy with it.

Charlotte through a rock over the edge of the cliff quite unexpectedly, Maddie was a little shocked. But understood why, she laughed at Charlotte's suggestion and jumped up to join her throwing rocks. "I think there's a portal to another world down there, and the rock is going to show up in some other universe!" she said giggling. It was an absurd idea, but fun to think of these impossible scenarios nevertheless.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte was glad that Maddie was playing along with her. She seemed like such an understanding person and Charlotte could already tell that they had many things in common. "A different universe!?" Charlotte exclaimed. "I wonder what type of things would be in a different kind of universe! Who knows? Maybe there are purple flying penguins there!" She laughed at her bizarre idea, holding onto her stomach. She imagined what they looked like in her head and couldn't get the picture out. The image was funny and terrifying at the same time.

She bent down on her knees and slightly leaned over the edge of the cliff, trying to see what was at the bottom but she couldn't see anything and was definitely not going to try to lean any further in case she fell. The only way she'd be able to see is if she jumped. "I can't see anything." Charlotte told Maddie, getting back up on her feet. She was really curious and was quite upset that she wasn't able to see what was at the bottom. Maybe if they found a rope or something and then they'd be able to get down? But where would they get a rope from? Charlotte knew it was a terrible idea and tried to brush it out of her mind. Today was definitely not the day that Charlotte wanted to die.

 

[Madeline Walden]

This was getting interesting, what Maddie thought would be an innocent getting to know you session turned into a fun exercise in how silly Maddie and Charlotte could be. Which was exactly what Maddie needed in a friend, she needed someone to joke around with, someone who understood her. She giggled at Charlotte's suggestion Purple flying penguins?!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "that and... Giraffes with short necks who bark like dogs!" she suggested laughing. "They'd be a cool pet!"

Wondering what Charlotte was up to, Maddie followed her to the edge of the cliff and tried to find the bottom. Raising her eyebrow, she searched for a solution. "Maybe if we lie on our stomachs and try and get as close to the edge as possible?" Maddie wondered out loud. She made a move to the edge of the cliff and saw that Charlotte was behind her, she waved her over. She crawled on her stomach as close to the edge of the cliff as she dared and tried to get a look down. She could see bit of the edge of the cliff but not the actual bottom. Maddie sighed and turned on her back to look out the clouds, wondering what the next solution could be.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte laughed loudly at the picture in her head of giraffes with short necks that bark like dogs. She was more of a cat person but still thought it was somewhat genius to think of. She wanted to suggest if the penguins could ride the giraffes but thought otherwise and kept it to herself. After all, Charlotte didn't think she was as creative as Maddie was and Maddie probably wouldn't like the idea.

She watched as Maddie lay down on her stomach to try and see what was at the bottom. Not soon after, Charlotte found herself doing the same thing. In all honesty, Charlotte was a bit frightened that she was going to fall and held onto the edge of the cliff as tightly as possible as she lay on her stomach to try and take a look at the bottom. Unfortunately, neither of the girls saw anything. It was almost as if there was magic that was stopping the bottom from being seen by anyone. Maybe the bottom was protected as there was some hidden treasure down there? The idea made Charlotte even more motivated to see what exactly was at the bottom.

"Maybe if we throw down a camera or something?" Charlotte thought aloud. But then how would they get it back up? And where would they get the camera from in the first place? The whole idea was stupid and it was starting to frustrate Charlotte. "I've got it!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air excitedly. "What if we steal a broom from the shed at the Quidditch pitch - the brooms we use when we take our flying lessons - and try and fly down? It's worth a shot." She smirked at her magnificent idea. All they had to figure out was how to unlock the shed.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie was glad she could make Charlotte laugh, one of her best qualities was being funny (in her opinion). They could have probably continued this back and forth for ages, they both seemed to have incredible imaginations. However, they had a real unknown situation that they needed to figure out and Charlotte was quite right to change the focus of the conversation.

Looking down at the cliffs on their stomach hadn't achieved anything, there was nothing to see. Or maybe the school didn't want them to see what was down there. Maddie shrugged at Charlotte's suggestion "We aren't allowed things like that here though, I'm not sure where we would get one" she explained. Maddie pondered what to do for a while, there didn't seem to be a solution but she wouldn't give up. Suddenly, Charlotte shouted out a solution. She grinned and almost jumped up and down with excitement. "YES! That is what we should do!" Maddie started pacing, wondering how they could get their hands on some broomsticks. "Hmm.. how would we get the broomsticks though? There must be some just lying around" she thought out loud.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte was quite proud of herself that she had come up with a very smart solution. She had never really come up with something that incredible before and was very happy with her efforts. Maddie seemed quite keen on the idea and looked almost as excited as Charlotte did. Charlotte really hoped the idea was going to work and crossed her fingers that it would.

"We need to figure out how to get into the shed at the Quidditch Pitch but it's probably not going to be that easy." she said, trying to plan something up in her head. "Remember when we tried to break into Styx's office? Nothing that we tried had worked. But I think that trying to break into the shed would be much easier because who would want to break into an old shed with crappy broomsticks? We just need to figure out a way that we could either break down the door or climb through a window. Any ideas?" She turned to Maddie, hoping that she'd be able to suggest another genius idea. If they were really going to do this then it was going to be the most fun Charlotte has ever had.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie nodded at what Charlotte was saying and she already started to think about practical ways in which they could get these brooms. You're right! We underestimated something like this before. We won't be able to just walk in and get them" she said to her friend. "I think climbing through the window would be a good idea... But then again the Professor would know someone had broken into his shed... But I don't see any other way" she reasoned. "Unless we take someone's broom and hope they don't notice?" Maddie asked Charlotte hoping her friend would offer some good advice. It was a tricky situation, but if they pulled it off, it would be incredible.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

Maddie was right in saying that climbing through the window would give away too much. It had its perks and would definitely leave some evidence for the professor if they did try and do it. "Yeah, I guess we could try and steal someone's broom." Charlotte said when Maddie suggested they take someone's broom and hope they don't notice. "But who's would we steal? How would we get away with it that easily?" Charlotte was always one for asking questions but she couldn't think of any other idea. She didn't know anyone in any of the older years and was unsure if the idea would work but it was definitely worth a shot. Charlotte just had to hope that Maddie knew exactly what she was doing.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Whatever Maddie wanted to do always seemed to be problematic. The ideas Charlotte and Maddie floated around were almost impossible. How did they always find themselves in tricky situations? "There's nothing else for it! Maddie exclaimed "We're going to have to break into the shed. I can't see any other way!" she finished, crossing her arms against her chest. Maddie had an idea of someone who could help them, however, they were not on the best of terms at the moment. But he could be essential to this plan succeeding. Although, he might want to join in the adventure with the two girls and Maddie wasn't sure if she wanted to share this friend with him like Amy. Therefore, she decided not to voice this idea to Charlotte until she was sure about it. They would just have to risk getting caught breaking into the shed. "Shall we go?" she asked Charlotte.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

Charlotte was very excited about their plan. Maddie was true in saying that there was no other way and Charlotte couldn't find any faults in their plan. It was simply an old shed and she was sure that no one would ever suspect a thing. "Let's go!" Charlotte exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot. Hopefully they'd be able to get into it easily and they'd be able to get it over and done with. Charlotte became more curious as to what was at the bottom of the cliff as each second passed and she really hoped they were able to quickly get a broom fast. After all, Charlotte hated putting all her time and effort into things and not getting anything out of it. She led the way, trying her best not to look suspicious and soon they made their way to the quidditch pitch. This was definitely going to be the best thing Charlotte had ever done.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie appreciated how enthusiastic Charlotte was at their plan. She was so happy they were becoming fast friends, they seemed to almost be the same person and Maddie loved it. She followed Charlotte all the way to the Quidditch Pitch where they had their flying lessons. They had been one of Maddie's favourite lessons of the semester. She loved being outside and feeling a sense of freedom as she flew around the pitch. They creeped along the side of the pitch till they came to the old shed where Maddie knew they kept the brooms for the flying lessons. She walked around the edges of the shed inspecting it for ways to get in. As they suspected it was locked so they could definitely not get in that way. Maddie put her hand on her hip and turned to Charlotte "this is going to be tricky."

 

[Charlotte Owens]

The shed was quite small and there weren't many ways two first years would be able to enter it while it's locked. "Yeah, but there must be a way! I mean, what if they lost the keys or something? Apart from using magic, how would they get in then?" Charlotte thought aloud, trying to come up with a plan in her head. They could always see if they were able to steal the keys from the professor somehow but there were so many problems with that idea that Charlotte would feel stupid if she suggested it aloud. "Is there anywhere else we'd be able to get a broom?" Charlotte asked. "I mean, do you think they'd keep all the other special brooms in a hidden place that no one knows about? What about the people that play quidditch? Do they know where the special brooms are hidden?" Maddie was indeed right that this situation was going to be tricky but Charlotte was especially determined to find a way and she was not going to give up.

 

[Madeline Walden]

Maddie thought about what Charlotte was saying "yeah, I guess so" she reasoned. She just wished she knew a way that they could get in. "I think I know someone who could help us but I wouldn't know where to find him" Maddie explained. In truth, she didn't especially want to find him but the urge to find out what was at the bottom of the cliffs was far more intriguing. "There has to be brooms lying about somewhere. Its just a case of finding them." Maddie began to pace the Quidditch Pitch trying to find a way around this.

 

[Professor James Cade]

It had not been a good start to the season for Gryffindor, losses to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had brought their season to an abrupt end even with a game left. James hoped that with nothing left to play for he might get a chance at some game time. With that hope in mind the first year decided to head to the Quidditch pitch to get in some more flying practice before the first game of the new semester. James headed into the changing rooms to change into a set of practice robes before heading out onto the pitch. James slung his school broom over his shoulder and headed out onto the pitch where he saw the last person he expected to see. "Maddie? What are you doing here," He asked walking over to her and the a girl he recognised from some of his classes.

 

[Charlotte Owens]

The fact that they might actually have a chance to find a way to get a broom to fly down to the bottom of the cliff excited Charlotte to the point where she felt extremely jitterish. She wanted to get it over and done with quickly so she could properly see what was at the bottom and was willing to try anything to find a broom. If it meant that they were going to have to get other people in on their plans then so be it.

"Who do you know? Where is he? Do you trust him?" Charlotte asked, hoping that it wasn't someone as important as a prefect that could get them into trouble. She really didn't feel like telling anyone else about what they were doing just in case they were to tell a professor and she wanted to know who the person was before going along with it. Charlotte had never been in too much trouble yet at Hogwarts and most of the time Charlotte had gotten away with everything she had done and she hoped that this would be one of them.

Charlotte watched as Maddie paced up and down the pitch in thought. But before Charlotte could suggest another idea, she spotted a boy in quidditch robes walking towards them. She gulped and looked quickly towards Maddie, hoping that they weren't going to get into any trouble. She tried to think up an excuse quickly on why two first years were standing on the quidditch pitch alone but was taken aback when the boy seemed to know who Maddie was. Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows at her, waiting for an explanation. Who was this guy and how did they know each other?

 

[Madeline Walden]

Busy pacing, Maddie didn't see James walk up to her and so she was startled by the sound of his voice. She quickly looked at Charlotte who look confused, and a little bit scared. Maddie couldn't blame her, she probably thought James was a prefect or something. She rolled her eyes at him and said "Not that it's any of your business but we're looking for brooms" she looked over to Charlotte and motioned her to come over. "James, Charlotte. Charlotte, James" she said hurriedly. Maddie didn't particularly want to hang around, they were in a hurry after all. But if they wanted to enlist James' help, Maddie had to be at least civil with him. Nothing else seemed to be working, this was the only way. "He's a first year like us, we can trust him..." she said to Charlotte reluctantly.