Now how do we play this...

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda was enjoying the rare moment of sunshine that enveloped the school. The past few weeks seemed to have taken their toll on everyone. Today she was determined not to feel down about anything, she would have a smile for anyone that passed by. She lay sprawled on the grass under a tree opposite the one that hid her cavern. This tree was nice though, for beneath it lay a beautiful cluster of the yellow variety of wolfsbane or buttercups as she would have called them back home in Ireland. She picked one up and looking about her to make sure no one was around she giggled as she began to pick the pettles off of it. Later she would frown at the sheer waste of it but for now, the flower had a more serious purpose.
"He loves me..." a petal blew away on the gentle breeze, "he loves me not, he loves me..." each petal came away softly as she took her time removing them.

She of course didn't believe in such a childish game but it was frivolous and it simply felt good to be simply that after all the sadness that had caught everyone since Njords death. Andromeda had a secret and it felt great. Zuka didn't know, Brian didn't know - no one did and it was going to stay that way.
"He loves me not..." another petal blew gently away.

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

Brian walked across the grounds wearing a large blue knitted sweater. He would've liked to say that his mother knitted it for him in order to help keep him warm, heck he would've gladly have said his father had knitted it for him. Instead they had simply bought it at some store that made homemade clothes which was kinda ironic in Brian's opinion. Brian figured he'd go to the Quidditch Pitch and see how it was fairing, soemtimes it had some damages if there had been a nasty winter so Brian hoped that it would be okay since he played for the Ravenclaw team as their seeker and didn't want a bad pitch to play in since that could effect everything. Brian was passing the gardens when he saw Andromeda sitting by a tree.

Brian felt bad for the weirdness that had came since there meeting in the Tower, especially since Brian had eaten crazy plant number 9 and cracked his skull open in order to ensure that there wouldn't be anything to be weird about. Brian decided to pay Andromeda a visit and see how everthing was but unfortunately another rock was place between them. As Brian walked up to her he could here her playing a childhood game that little girl's often played when they had a crush. Brian's first instinct was to walk away but then again that wouldn't be right since he was trying to make things better, so he decided on plan B which was to make Andromeda more uncomfortable in the hopes that he would feel less uncomfortable. Brian walked around the tree and surprised her with a pop quiz "who loves you?" Brian asked with a bit of smirkishness that he had once been able to pull off so easily.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda got to the last petal a bit disgruntled, sure these silly little games didn't mean anything. Muggles believed that placing one of these under someones chin could tell you whether or not you liked butter, yet in the magical world if the under-chin of a person showed yellow then they were a werewolf. Bizarre and she shouldn't really hold any store by them as it meant she was a butter loving werewolf. She smiled knowing that this was in fact true. She picked up another flower and did the same again, almost determined to get it right this time but as she plucked away saying the usual lines, Brian popped out from behind the tree giving her the fright of a lifetime.
Quickly she tossed the flower then looked in the direction she had thrown it so she could pick it back up later.
"Hiya" she was doing her best to be all friendly like, which was daft considering they were best friends.
"who loves you... I mean who? what?" she stumbled trying to sit up properly, of all days he had to catch her off guard it would have to be today. She smiled when she saw his blue jumper, it was great sure but it just looked so damn adorable on him. Quickly she caught her thoughts again before they drifted and desperately grasped at some other tangent their conversation could go in.
"Where are you off to then?" sure it was vague but the alternative was just too embarressing.

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

Brian laughed she obviously hadn't expected that which made something in Brian's head happy. "I figured I'd practice my cheering charm on a few unsuspecting firsty's" Brian lied trying to sound like his old self, it wasn't too difficult but wasn't really what he wanted to do. "what about you?" Brian said sitting down next to Andromeda making sure to sit on the flower she had been messing with while making it appear as if he didn't notice. Some things had to be nipped in the bud, even if Zazuka could see the future and the future Zazuka had said everything would turn out fine with him and Andromeda together, Brian couldn't put all his eggs in that basket and had taken his time to formulate a plan, all he needed to do was act on it.

The first part of Brian's plan would be to forget the prophecy dream he had and pretend like he'd never seen it. The second part was to naturally destroy any chance that he and Andromeda might ever get together without damaging their friendship and thirdly to cut any hopes off for either girls to ever date Brian and likewise for him to date either of them by finding a replacement. It wasn't really right for Brian to go out with someone for that reason but he was being honest with himself, something Zazuka and Andromeda hadn't been for the past two years. Brian figured that his plan was 79.36589% fool proof with a margin of error only being about 10% which was more than acceptable for a thirteen year old. "Maybe I should test it on you again" Brian said with a slight smirk.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda smiled shaking her head at Brian wanting to practise the cheering charm on the first years.
"I think it's not cheering they want but more deflating... " she stopped mid sentence as he sat down where the flower was, her mouth hung open and her hand shot out to get him to stop. But it was too late, she could only stare for a moment at the spot where he sat and remembered briefly that change happened, whether it was for the best or not. This thought had been flitting through her thoughts with more frequency of late.
"I'm.. ehmm,not doing anything just relaxing. Taking a well needed time out from the books" she muttered, her fingers trailing over the other wolfsbane flowers at her side.
"Did you know that these are called buttercups in the muggle world but wolfsbane here? They're a big ingredient in my potion. I'm fine around them in this form but if I was the other thing, I'd be running a mile from them. These harmless little flowers, amazing isn't it?" she was rambling now but it was only to stop her mind from wandering to other things, to stop her eyes from focusing on his mouth. A sigh and she bit her own lip. No sighing! she chided herself, especially longing-to-recapture-the-moment-sighs.

Her head shot up when he suggested using the cheering charm on her again.
"NO!" she all but shouted it, the effect the last one had on her was enough to send her running for cover now. She was afraid incase she couldn't hold back this time and she would hug him or go a step further than that. "you can't seriously want to practise that on me".
She grinned pretending as if it didn't matter either way, but it so did!

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

Brian laughed again "I'm muggleborn, course I know these are buttercups" Brian replied looking at the flowers a bit disdainfully, yeah they were pretty but they were really just plants that were used in the wolfsbane potion. "I also read in one of the Herbology books that they were called Wolfbane in the Wizarding world and could guess that they were used in your potion" Brian said matter of factly. What he didn't know was that Andomeda liked them in her human form but hated them in her Wolf Form "I didn't know that, I thought it would make you calmer to be around these flowers" Brian said with a bit of a question mark at the end. It was kinda interesting to be around Andromeda again even if it was a bit weird to say the least now that he knew how she felt about him.

"I don't know about the cheering charms, someone was telling me in the Commonroom that by the time we reach our fifth year we'll be needing them at least once a week, some of us even more" Brian said thinking that the charm wasn't too bad, then again that was before his little trip up to the tower. Brian wondered what effects the charm might have on him now that everything had been said and done. People were alot more honest when they were happy so did that mean that Brian would say something that he would later regret under the effects of the simple little charm? "Maybe we should cast it on some Professors then and see if they give us less homework!" Brian suggested with a smile honestly wondering what Andromeda's opionion would be on that.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda had to laugh herself at that, there was something about Brian since the incident on the tower. He seemed to be more the self assured boy she had met on the train, the one who knew without a doubt that he had the intellect for Ravenclaw. If she were to think about it rationally herself she would have said that in all their arguments he had behaved as she would have, like a Gryffindor. Putting emotion and hot-headedness above logical thinking. Now he spoke as if his brain were kicking in again. She liked him like this and not in the 'I-want-to-kiss-you-again' kind of like either. Brian and Andromeda she felt had always had a connection somehow, whether that was to simply be the Ravenclaw brain and the Gryffindor heart out on adventures like they had once planned or whether they would be something more, she didn't know and with an enigmatic smile on her face she realised for the first time in ages, that she didn't mind which it was anymore. Once he was part of her life somehow.

"Sure of course you'd know what it was. It does make me calmer... look we're not arguing. How much calmer can a red haired Gryffindor get?" she winked playfully at him. She had pretty much heard the same thing herself about the cheering charms and other things as well, potions that students took to stay awake and study long into the night. It was amazing that muggle kids were doing similar things to help them get through study periods and exam time as well.
"Now Brian out of all your ideas that would be the best, but in the climate we're in at the moment it's probably not the greatest to do. All the pranks that have been played lately - I don't think as harmless as it is that the professors would appreciate it somehow. But if we're talking hypothetically?" she thought about it for a moment, "I suppose I would have to say slip it to Styx".
She laughed then after an image of the straight laced very serious professor under the effects of the cheering charm came to mind.

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

"No way Professor Styx!" Brian said looking like something very sour had been forced into his mouth "that guy's too weird to be given a cheering charm, he'd probably put toad slime all over the place while singing showtunes or something" Brian said as he began thinking about who he would place the Cheering Charm "guess I would place the Cheering charm on Professor King, I think it would be really funny to see him acting all chipper. Though I think Kailey and Professor Heimdall are the ones that really need it" Brian said being remided that they were probably not feeling very well. Perhaps Brian would suggest it to Kailey later on and see if she might be up for it, since the Cheering Charm had been used for people that were distraught over a loss of a loved one.

"I wonder who killed Njord" Brian said thinking about it. "I know it was probably an accident, but still the end result is the same they killed him and should confess" Brian said with grim resolution. He had promised Kailey he would find the person who did it and that was a promise he would keep, though he would do it by himself since he didn't want the culprit to know he was hunting them. "My first guess was a Slytherin but then I thought about it, the entire first year class had been pulling pranks all throughout the year and we kinda just let them" Brian said feeling a bit guilty though not enough to last as he knew it wasn't really his fault. "Whoever did it, was probably a first year but could've been in any of the houses... well maybe not Ravenclaw" Brian added since the data he'd collected around his house pointed that none of their first years had commited the act, they had all been quite angry and felt very sorry for Kailey.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda could only laugh at Brians interpretation of how Professor Styx would behave on the cheering charm, she nodded in agreement about Professor King. She liked her head of house very much, he was a decent and fair teacher and had been there for her and let her know that he would always be there for her if she needed his help or just to talk. Brian went on to mention how he thought Professor Heimdell and Kailey would need the cheering charm more than most and Andy shook her head vigorously.

"No Brian, mourning is a healing process they need to experience. They have to feel the pain to know that they will eventually come out of it" she looked down at the abundance of tiny yellow flowers, she missed her friend too and had grieved for him. She knew better than to lock those feelings away or alter them with a charm, it was good for the soul to be allowed to grieve. Even now three years later, she still missed her father so very much and her grandfather who had also passed away in her first year. She kept them alive by thinking about them often, the healing process may be slow but time really was a great healer.

She didn't want to think about who was responsible for his death either, life thew you curve balls and you had to deal with it. She had never attempted to find out who was responsible for her fathers death, change happened. Death happened, whether people wanted it too or not, it was one of the inevitables. The fact that Njord was so young made it harder to bear but she didn't want to go around with a vendetta against all the first years. There were some really nice ones and she knew there were none from her own house who had been involved. She wanted to change the subject to suit the day, the sun was out for a reason. Her first thought had been that Njord was where ever he believed he would be in the after life and he was smiling on them.

"Do you believe in destiny Brian?" she didn't know why she asked him this she had been thinking about her own options quite a bit lately and wondered if she hadn't become a werewolf would they be different.
"I mean, the future do you think it's mapped out for us already?"

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

"I believe in destiny" Brian said with a smile "but I don't believe it happens without use letting it happen, Otherwise we wouldn't get glimpses into the future" Brian said remebering his own glimpse into the future. "Perhaps that's a part of destiny, to show us how life can be yet giving us the option to go against it" Brian said with his own thought about whether or not to go against his own glimpse of the future. Brian hadn't yet decided whether or not the future he had seen was even one he wanted to be apart of, yet he had to admit the three of them had been happy in those woods, something they seemed to be lacking more of these days. "What about the Room, have you gotten any leads on it yet?" Brian asked trying to change the subject away from death and destiny.

Brian looked out over the sun, The whether was getting better these days which was great since Brian was looking forwards to Spring and Quidditch. Brian loved flying his Firebolt and felt as if he hadn't done so in ages, "Athena's been a bit cranky lately" Brian said absent mindedly without realizing how off the subject he was being. Brian should fly with Athena when the whether got better perhaps Andromeda would finally get back into the air with him since they hadn't flown together in quite sometime. "Quidditch season is almost back" Brian said with a smile "I should really be getting back to practicing catching the Snitch again" Brian said thinking about the small walnut shaped ball.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy looked at him with a smile playing on her face, realising just how truly different they really were.
"Well I don't believe in destiny anymore. I used to I think, I had it all mapped out what I wanted to do after school and everything but that's all changed now. No professional quidditch team would ever take a werewolf on and as soon as I apply for a job anywhere the ministry must be notified. Discrimination is bloody awful" she turned around and lay down on the grass, covering her eyes with one arm as she crossed her legs. Enjoying the light breeze that blew about her.
"I've been giving my future a lot of thought since recent events. I mean if Njords death has shown me anything then its that life is too short and we should grab what we can. So I had a long talk with Professor King about my options for after school and I've decided I'm going to follow in my uncles footsteps after all just not playing quidditch. I'm going to be a healer and hopefully get a job in a school like this one, so that I can also teach flying".

Andy had given her life a lot of thought, she didn't know if something else would get thrown at her so that even this future that she was trying to map out for herself would succeed but she had to try.
"I don't even know if you and Zuka and myself will still be friends. I mean I haven't once contacted the few friends I did have back in Ireland, so who's to say we'll still be in touch after school? I hope we will but you just never know." she moved her arm to look at him before picking a buttercup up and dangling it infront of her face.
"No, no leads yet but we haven't stopped trying either" she rolled over onto her stomach playing with the grass stalks with her fingers. She let him chat away about quidditch and practising, realising they hadn't mucked about on their brooms in a long time together.
"We should practise someday, I know I'm not on the team anymore but I still need to keep up my flying skills".

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

"I think Andromeda that's something destiny might make up, us not being friends in the future" Brian said looking at Andromeda closely "however I don't care if that's destiny's decision, I'll do what it takes to defy that" Brian said with a smile. It was something he took to heart, the future wasn't set in stone and he could change it if he really wanted to. If the future seemed like it wasn't going to be with Zazuka and Andromeda then he would do whatever it took to change it. The future had seemed so great, Brian and Andromeda kissed and Zazuka seemed more than happy to see that however after a long time Brian figured that even if that future was so great perhaps Brian should not take the chance.

"We should fly together, you can race me for the Snitch" Brian said with a smile as Andromeda finished talking about her prosepcts for the future after Hogwarts. Brian hadn't given it too much thought anymore. "I'm still not quite sure what I want to do after we graduate" Brian said thinking about it. "I don't think I want play Quidditch professionally, I'm not that good" Brian said thinking about it with some serious thought "I don't think I want to be an Auror either, the line's just too gray sometimes" Brian said knowing that those two seemed popular amonst graduating students "maybe I'll get a job at the ministry or the prophet" Brian said with a smile "or maybe I'll continue with my current plan and just travel the world like my..." Brian stopped in his sentence "maybe I will work for the Prophet" Brian siad closing his mouth.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda was touched by Brians defence of their friendship but thought for a Ravenclaw he could be very niave sometimes. It wasn't destiny in her eyes that dictated these things, a simple action by either of them could effect the outcome of their friendship and that was why she had chosen not to remind him of the events he had so clearly forgotten on the tower, why she couldn't tell Zuka. She hated keeping secrets from either of them but wanted to keep their friendship intact.
"Well if you're going to do all that it takes to defy destiny why believe that destiny plays any part at all? The future is a blank slate in my book. It changes everyday because we say and do things that alter it time and again, it's like you just the aurors to me that's the future, all grey. Nothing is clear and never really can be, why do you think I never took any of those divination classes and stuff. Just don't tell Zuka she said once that she could feel me when I was being bitten and that was just bizarre but everyone believes different things, right?"

She sat up again and stretched a little, she knew if she let her mind drift she would fall into the most glorious daydream of lying down on the grass with her head in his lap. Brian stroking her hair and the two of them just chatting and laughing. As the daydream nearly took full form in her head, she shook herself gently to snap out of it. No, these thoughts were not helping at all. She averted her gaze from him so that she would not be tempted to drift away again on a sea of hormonal wanderings. For that was surely all it was, her hormones kicking in big time.

Her heart went out to him when he stopped himself from mentioning his grandfather, he was obviously still very upset by the burning of the journal and had decided not to even mention his grandfather again even in passing. She knew he had once wanted to travel like him, it was the action of a friend tying to console when her hand very gently touched his arm. It was only a fleeting touch but she didn't think she needed to say anything, it was like a world of empathy in that touch a lone.

"You'll make a great reporter some day and who knows maybe even editor" she looked at him then, a slow gentle smile lit her face. She hoped that whatever he chose it would exactly what he wanted to do and not something he was merely settling for.

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

"well that's years from now, who knows what'll happen untill then" Brian said with a smile deciding that perhaps it was best not to think about such things "come on we should head back to the school" Brian said realizing that they had been given a ton of homework despite Njord's death. It might be best to stop these one on one's Brian seemed to be having with Andromeda and Zazuka. It really wasn't right for either of them and it made Brian feel like he was playing favorites and he really shouldn't do that. It made him feel guilty for a crime he didn't commit. Brian smiled at Andromeda "Exhilaro" Brian said pointing his wand at the daisy's which seemed to reach a bit higher for the sky "it's good to talk to flowers, cheers them up" Brian said as he looked down at the crushed daisy that he had sat on. "you shouldn't tear the petals off, It's like if someone came up to you and ripped out chuncks of your hair clumps at a time" Brian said as he began walking back up to the school.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

"Oh you head back if you want to, I'm going to enjoy the sunshine for another bit. I can pull an all nighter anyhow, if I begin to fall behind which surprisingly enough my theory is totally up to date but I seriously need to practise my spells more." she watched as he cast a cheering charm on the flowers and shook her head, "Brian talking to plants is not the same as casting cheering charms on them, no wonder herbology isn't your thing".

She smiled as he stood up and looked at the flower he had crushed.
"so now you're flower sensitive? Are you sure you're alright? I mean you're not still feeling any side effects from the alihotsy are you?" she was beginning to believe that he might be, he sure was acting peculiar. Andy had never ever planned on bringing that night up into conversation again but she did tend to worry about him, she couldn't help it. He was her bestfriend after all.