On The Edge - Studying

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Sophia Stark

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Kaela
Sophia’s life seemed to be in a bit of a jumble right now, but she had to admit she was pretty happy. Sure she had lit Bruin’s chair on fire and had to speak with Professor Manteia about her ability, but that had actually gone reasonably well. Unfortunately Sophia had yet to speak to Bruin since the incident, but she had spoken with Ford. He had apologized for overreacting and even asked her to the Yule Ball. It was to be her first Yule Ball and Sophia was quite excited to be able to wear the jewelry Valcan had sent her. She did not yet trust Valcan, but the jewelry had belonged to her grandmother Larkana, whom Sophia adored despite never having met. And besides, it matched her eyes.

With exams coming up soon and Sophia’s grades not being nearly as high as she would prefer, she had taken to studying. She preferred to avoid the Library, still a bit touchy about what had happened the last time she had been there. Instead Sophia had decided to brave the cold and study on the edge of the Forest, her back resting against a tree so that her profile was visible from the Lawn. Her messenger bag was beside her and she had her eyes glued to a book.
 
Bruin had finished studying for exams and decided to go for a walk, maybe even head down to the Quidditch Pitch for a little flying to relax before the flurry of writing ahead of him. He decided to take a shortcut along the forest's edge behind the greenhouses and was surprised to see a familiar figure propped up against a tree reading.

"Hey Sophia.", he called, hoping not to startle her. It had been a few weeks since the two of them had spoken and Bruin wondered what had happened between Sophia and Professor Manteia following the library incident. "Just getting a little last minute studying in before exams?", he asked as he stopped a few feet away from her.
 
[I was figuring this was a bit closer to the Library incident than that. Perhaps a week or so.]

Sophia looked up at the sound of the all-too-familiar voice calling to her. With her expression as blank as ever she nodded, closing her book on her thumb.

"Yes, just reading up on Muggle Studies actually. That class is more difficult than I could have imagined. Although I'm sure it is quite easy for you. Why are you even taking it?" Sophia had always wondered why Bruin would burden himself with the extra class when he already knew all of the material. The only reason that came to her mind was for the house points, and she had always wondered if it was true.
 
(Alright then, a week had passed :p )

"I actually thought it might be kind of good to remind myself about how many things that I grew up with that I take for granted. That summer you spent at my place sure opened up my eyes to just how different the two worlds are." Bruin replied truthfully. "Besides, it's an easy mark for the most part for me and, well, who knows, maybe I could even a teach a course like that in the future?"

Bruin felt bad for making it seems so easy when he knew that Sophia was probably struggling with it. "Is there anything in particular that you are confused about? I can be helpful when I want to be.", he said with a grin. "Oh, and I've been meaning to ask you. How'd things work out with Manteia after the library thing? I'm still trying to figure out exactly what happened."
 
Sophia was a bit ashamed of how difficult she found Muggle Studies and struggled to think of a question to ask Bruin. She was relieved when he changed the subject. "Oh, that," she began and gave a cursory glance around with her golden eyes. "You might want to sit down. Things went fine with Manteia actually, neither of us are in any trouble at all." Sophia looked to Bruin, waiting for him to sit before she continued with her explanation. She still remembered explaining herself to Ford, so she was sure it would be easier this time around.
 
"That's a relief.", Bruin replied as he sat down on the cold ground and began rubbing his hands together. "Kind of funny, I would actually welcome that burning chair right about now!", he joked as he watched his breath before assuming a more serious expression to show Sophia he was listening.
 
Sophia smiled softly at Bruin's little joke. "Yes, it is quite cold..." She paused, trying to gather up her courage to begin. It was harder than she had hoped it would be to explain herself to Bruin.

"Bruin, I have an ability called Pyrokinesis. It allows me to create fire, and works especially well when I am angry. The problem is, I do not yet have control over the ability, and it can...take over if I lose my temper." Sophia stared at Bruin blankly, waiting worriedly to see how he would respond to this.
 
Bruin looked puzzled. Couldn't they all create fire? He wondered thinking about Incendio!, but then realized that Sophia meant she could do so without a wand. "Wait, you mean like you just look at something and can set it on fire or something? Is that...is that why my chair lit on fire the other day?", Bruin asked and then began to realize what she had said about the power being difficult to control when she lost her temper.

"Oh, and I suppose I have this annoying habit of making you angry, eh?", he replied in a soft voice with an equal measure of humour and remorse. Bruin enjoyed his conversations with Sophia, but realized that he often teased her too much and felt bad for stepping over the line from time to time.
 
Sophia could not help but laugh when Bruin mentioned having a habit of angering her. "Yes, actually, you are the only person who has caused me to accidentally trigger the ability. That is precisely why your chair lit fire in the Library.

"And yes, I can just look at something and set it aflame. Well, that is the theory. I cannot control it at all really. I have not yet figured out how to trigger the ability without anger, and my only hope of not accidentally burning the castle down is to keep my emotions under control."

Sophia smiled at Bruin, feeling more at ease now than she had moments ago. There was something about Bruin that made her feel comfortable, most especially when no one else was around them. She could feel the smile strengthening as she stared at him, waiting for his reply.
 
Bruin sensed that Sophia was glad to have spoken to him about her ability and was happy to see a smile on her all to often rather stoic features. "Well, that's a pretty cool power to have I suppose, at least, once you get control over it. I suppose I'll have to make sure that I only tick you off when I'm near the lake from now on.", he added with a grin.

"So, got any plans for after exams?", Bruin asked, wondering if she was planning on going to the Yule Ball or to visit one of her parents for the holidays.
 
Sophia laughed at Bruin's comment about the lake, feeling unusually lighthearted for some reason. "I am visiting with my mother and uncle." A light suddenly came on in Sophia's mind and she held up her hand. "That reminds me." She turned and opened her messenger bag, digging through it for a moment before withdrawing a folded letter and handing it to Bruin.

"This is from my mother. I thought you might find it interesting." Sophia watched Bruin with her golden eyes as she waited for him to read the letter.
My Darling Sophia,

Yes of course I would love to have you over for your Winter Break.  I have spoken with Tristan and he will be taking Erik, so it will just me you, me, and your uncle Montague.  But do not worry, I am certain you will enjoy his company.

Sophia, I must be completely honest with you.  Yes, your memory has been tampered with.  I cannot possibly tell you what about and the like, but I will tell you it was your father's will that caused it to happen.  It is all very complicated and not something I wish I to discuss through owl.

Anyway, I hope your term is going well and I look forward to seeing you over the break.  Will Ford be joining you?

Looking forward to hearing back,
Your Mother
Click to expand...
 
Bruin couldn't recall ever seeing Sophia so relaxed and was intrigued when she handed him a letter. He read it over carefully and blew out a low whistle as he finished. "Wow... that's crazy! Are you, you know, a little nervous about finding out what they, uh, tampered with?", Bruin asked, hoping that he didn't put any negative thoughts in Sophia's head, particularly when she seemed so upbeat.
 
Sophia's face suddenly fell and she looked like a deer staring into headlights. "To be honest, I have not really thought much about it. So much has been going on lately that it was kind of the last thing on my mind. But now that you mention it, I am a bit nervous. What could my father possibly want to hide from me? Maybe it has something to do with him being a Death Eater?" Sophia shrugged and smiled weakly, unsure of what to think.
 
Bruin couldn't help but notice Sophia's change of expression and began to regret having asked his question. "I suppose whatever it is, it will be way better knowing than wondering.", he replied, trying to sound reassuring. "Is Ford going with you?"
 
"If my mother explains," Sophia said offhandedly. "I am not sure yet if Ford is coming with me yet. What are you doing over the break? Going home to Canada I assume?"
 
"That's the plan right now, although it seems kind of weird. I still can't believe that a year has passed since my grandparent's accident. I don't think that it'll be much of a celebration at Christmas time anymore, at least not for a few years.", Bruin replied. "I need a break from here though. This term has been pretty brutal."
 
Sophia frowned at Bruin, having forgotten about his grandparents' accident. It truly did not seem like just one year ago Sophia was upset because Bruin left school early, skipping the Yule Ball to go home to find out that news. Coincidentally enough it was in the Forbidden Forest where they had had that last fight.

"Yeah, this term was pretty rough on me too. Every year it gets more and more difficult." Sophia smiled weakly, wondering how the term could have possibly been brutal on Bruin. He was of course passing all of his classes with more than flying colors. It constantly amazed her how well Bruin did so much. Sophia felt like she was working constantly to get her grades and accomplishments.
 
"Yeah, even the Time Turners don't seem to really help. There just isn't enough time to get everything done. I was hoping to take all of the courses through OWL's, but I'm starting to think that it's time to drop a couple of electives.", Bruin mused.

"Anyways, enough talk about school work. Are you and, uh, Ford going to the Yule Ball together?" Bruin asked tentatively. "I know we didn't really talk much at the Halloween Feast and I'm sure that you still owe me a dance.", he joked, trying to mask his insecurity on the matter. The Yule Ball had been weighing on Bruin's mind for a while now and he still wasn't sure what to do about it. Part of him wanted to simply ask Sophia and see what happened, but then he knew that would not go over well with Ford and he risked being rejected. Why did girls have to make the world so confusing?
 
Sophia's honey eyes widened at Bruin. She had wanted so badly to go to the Yule Ball with him last year. Now she was back with Ford and her chance was gone to go with Bruin. But he at least seemed sorry about ditching her at the Halloween Feast, and he said she owed him a dance, so that must mean he wanted to dance with her, right?

"Oh, uh, yeah...Ford just asked me yesterday in fact," Sophia stammered sheepishly, looking down at the book setting in her lap. Why could not he have asked two days ago? she thought sadly. Sure, things were all right with Ford now, but in truth Sophia would much rather go to the Yule Ball with Bruin than Ford. As she stared at the book Sophia could feel the blush rising in her pale cheeks.
 
"Oh, well, that's good then.", Bruin managed to spit out. "I suppose that I'll see you there then.", he added as he glanced down at his watch, already wondering what he would do about finding a date on such short notice.

"I guess I should let you get back to your studying then. If I don't speak to you, uh, good luck on your exams." Bruin said weakly as he began to get up, anxious to return to the warmth of the Gryffindor Common Room.
 
Sophia frowned and looked up at Bruin, trying her best to keep her expression aloof rather than sad but failing. "Bruin," she began, hoping to stop him from leaving so soon. Her voice got caught in her throat and she could not find anymore words. Sophia found herself simply staring at Bruin, waiting for him to respond. She was suddenly very nervous, her cheeks a deep shade of pink.
 
Bruin looked down at Sophia, quickly noting her sad expression and the odd way that she spoke his name. A look of concern spread across his features and when he spoke it was in a soft and caring tone. "What is it? Is something wrong?", he stated, wondering what else might be on her mind.
 
Sophia bit her lower lip as she considered what to say to Bruin. Why is it I cannot control my emotions when it counts the most? "Bruin, will...will you save at least one dance for me? You said I owe you, and well, I want to give you at least one dance. That is, if you will let me."

Sophia was stammering, her words coming out jerkily instead of flowing in her normal cold voice. For some reason she really wanted to dance with Bruin. He was the only person she had ever danced with, and she knew she was comfortable enough with him to dance. Beyond that there was a desire to dance with Bruin that Sophia could not explain. She was sure that this was bad, but she could not help herself. She wanted it to happen, and she would make sure it did.
 
Bruin listened to Sophia's request and a warm smile formed on his face. "Of course, I will. I mean, I'm still really sorry about the way things worked out last year, so, uh definitely...it would be my honour." Bruin wasn't quite sure what this all meant and hoped that this didn't create any big problems for he and Ford, but it was only one dance, right?

Bruin smiled, trying to mask the feelings that were rushing through him at the moment. Happiness that he and Sophia were on good terms again. Confusion as to what this might mean for his friendship with Ford. And curious just how he was going to arrange for a date, dress clothes and everything else on such short notice. He finally found his voice and managed to add a few final, lame words to the conversation. "So, anything else I can do for you today?"
 
Sophia smiled instinctively when Bruin said it would be his honor to dance with her. Her cheeks were still a deep pink and she bit her lower lip. "Uh...no, I think that's it," Sophia said softly, unsure of what else to say. All thoughts had now exited her mind aside from the fact that Bruin had agreed to dance with her.
 
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