One Less Lonely Girl

[Wendy Chaos]

Wendy was now a fourth year and only had three years left at Hogwarts. She had always said she wanted to be an Auror, but the more she struggled through school, the less likely that dream seemed. She knew she could just be the Muggle equivalent of an Auror, a police officer, just like her mother, but then all this schooling would be a waste. She tried not to worry about it too much though, she had three more years to turn things around and she really hoped she could do it.

On this beautiful spring day, Wendy wanted to be outdoors so she got dressed in an outfit that was a little more girly than her usual tomboy self, but it was an improvement. Since last year she was trying to dress better in an attempt to fit in, because everyone at Hogwarts seemed to be so obsessed with looks and social status. That was why Wendy didn't fit in, she didn't care about stuff like that.

Yeah, right. That was a big lie that she wished she could believe herself. In truth Wendy had become so self-conscious about her appearance, hence why she was now attempting to dress better. It still didn't seem to be up to the rest of the girls in school, but it was a start. It didn't help that her sister was some 'fashion icon', but it did benefit her sometimes. Whatever Isabella didn't want was given to her, which she was grateful for because her mom thought she was too young to be dressing so 'old'.

Wendy mulled over these miscellaneous thoughts that she shouldn't be concerning herself with as she strolled down to the great lawn. She found a nice grassy hill and placed a blanket down before she took a seat. Wendy leaned back on her elbows and looked out at everyone hanging out peacefully. She threw her dirty blonde hair back and let the sun hit her face, as if she needed more freckles.

 

[Dakota Cinellison]

As the weather was so beautiful, Dakota decided she could no longer remain cooped up in the common room, a book open in her lap. She was thankful that she had no lessons today. Yes, it was true that she loved learning but even Dakota needed a break sometimes. She slipped a small piece of paper inside her book to mark her place, before closing it and taking it up to her dorm room.

Dakota pushed the book beneath her pillow and out of site. In most houses, this was the sort of thing you would only do with money or jewelry or a diary, even. In Ravenclaw, however, if you had a book someone hadn't read that was on display, it would often 'disappear' until most of the house had read it and siphoned all the knowledge possible.

She pulled out a trunk from beneath her bed and took out a set of clothes. Dakota had all her 'outfits' set out like this. She didn't want to spend hours finding something other people would accept. It was much easier to spend the first day of each year back at Hogwarts, asking what clothes her dorm-mates thought worked well together. Not that Dakota honestly cared that much.

Having dressed, Dakota set off down from the Ravenclaw tower, to the Great Lawn. The sun warmed her back and she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the heat. Yet she could sense someone else nearby. Dakota opened her eyes and looked around; another girl near her seemed to be enjoying the sun also. Dakota smiled. She wasn't shy from conversation and so she walked over to the girl, sitting a short way from her. Her social skills were not amazing but she knew never to approach someone alone directly. "Beautiful day," she commented, looking up at the sky, "first time I've been able to sit outside in ages."

 

[Wendy Chaos]

Wendy had allowed her eyelids to shut lazily over her blue irises as she enjoyed the sun's warmth upon her, but she suddenly heard someone talking. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around for the source of the voice. Her eyes landed upon a girl whom she'd seen around the castle, but never spoken to. If she wasn't mistaken, they were in the same year, just not in the same House, that she was sure of.

Before all this subconsciousness took over, Wendy was quite the bubbly, friendly Gryffindor. Of course the lack of communication with anyone other than her family and Joceline, had seemed to suck most the charisma out of her so she felt she couldn't socialize properly with anyone anymore. Perhaps her social skills would just come back to her naturally - like riding a bike it was something you could never forget right?

Wendy attempted. She smiled over at the girl and nodded her head in agreement. "I know what you mean, I've pretty much locked myself up in a tower, I can't believe I'd been missing out on this," Wendy replied with a tone of jest. That wasn't so bad, right? she asked herself.

 

[Dakota Cinellison]

Dakota had vaguely recognized the girl. She smiled as the sun beat down merrily. The fact that this girl had replied was just the positive response Dakota needed to carry out a conversation. "I know what you mean," she said, though they could have deeper reasons behind the meanings. "I've been in the Ravenclaw common room or the dorm room or even the library just nestled into a corner, studying for exams." She had subtly dropped a piece of information about herself. It was something she had learnt to do in conversation and it gave the other person a chance to say their own piece and reveal a little of who they were.

"I can't believe how fast the years have flown by," Dakota added, eyes on the sky again. "Feels like only yesterday I was joining this place for the first time. I remember being so scared that I would fail my exams, that I'd never make anything of myself." She smiled, reminiscing, "But so far I've accomplished self understanding and a few okay grades. I'm sure that counts towards my future goals."

Dakota fell silent. She had no idea what she wanted to do as an occupation after she left Hogwarts. She had been a student for a long time and she hated to think of leaving her education behind. She would have to start looking into colleges and universities. Perhaps there was one for wizards? She had heard about a couple, one in England and one in America but they were focused on wizarding theatre and Quidditch. Not the sort of thing Dakota took great interest in.

 

[Wendy Chaos]

Wendy smiled once the girl continued the conversation, feeling glad that her first response hadn't gone wrong and made the girl not want to continue talking to her. Seriously, where had all her confidence gone? She took note of the fact that the girl revealed she was from Ravenclaw. "Ahh, no wonder we've never run into each other before, I'm in the opposite tower, Gryffindor," Wendy said with a playful tone. The thought of the two of them being in towers reminded her of the Muggle stories of princesses who were locked up in towers waiting for their prince to come save them. Even as a child Wendy had always thought she wouldn't be a damsel in distress who couldn't rescue herself.

Wendy listened to the girl talk of how fast the years flew by, and how she remembered what she was scared of when she first got to Hogwarts. "Indeed the years have gone by so fast I scarcely remember them," Wendy admitted with a sad tone. She felt like life at Hogwarts was passing her by and she wasn't doing anything to just live in the moment. "Though I do remember my first year," she shook her head with an embarrassed smile. "I just remember being so scared of not having what it took to do magic," Wendy decided to confess, since the girl was saying her own confessions. "Obviously I'm doing fine otherwise I wouldn't be a fourth year right now," the Gryffindor girl chuckled.

 

[Dakota Cinellison]

Dakota, being a Ravenclaw, was naturally a sponge for information and she instantly took in everything the girl was saying. This was, perhaps, Dakota's greatest talent. From what Dakota could perceive, neither of them seemed to have a strikingly interesting thing to discuss of themselves. Maybe they had both just floated through life so far?

Dakota had an almost sympathetic smile pasted across her face, though she was pleased not to have had all the trouble and issues as her ex-girlfriend had had. Then again, the lack of drama, though something to be thankful for, did mean that there was a lot less to do. Alright, it was nice not having to worry about such things but Dakota wanted more from life. She wanted a relationship with someone, other than being friends.

"Oh, I'm Dakota," Dakota said cheerfully, offering a hand to the girl. It was important to exchange certain pleasantries when seeking friendship. And that was exactly what Dakota hoped to find. She could do with someone to talk to about life, about anything. Alright, she had very little to speak of but when she eventually got something, it would be nice to have a friend to listen, perhaps a shoulder to cry on. "We have our O.W.Ls next year," She was a little worried about these examinations and hoped to pass them. Yet she had no need to worry- Dakota spent all of her spare time studying.

 

[Wendy Chaos]

Wendy couldn't help but notice that the girl hadn't been completely bored and turned off by everything she had said so far. Wendy smiled lightly to herself, feeling grateful for the girl's acceptance of her and especially her company. Even if Wendy had nothing to talk about (or at least nothing interesting) she was grateful for someone to listen to her for once.

"I'm Wendy, Wendy Chaos," she introduced herself in return, reaching across and taking the girls hand to shake in greeting. After all it made sense now that they had learned the basics about each other, their House and year, it was customary to know each other's names!

When Dakota mentioned their O.W.L.'s for the next year Wendy groaned playfully. "Oh don't remind me," she pouted. "I'm terrified of them" she admitted, feeling oddly comfortable with the Ravenclaw girl enough to say so. "I don't know if I'll be able to pass all the ones I need for what I wish to do in the future," Wendy stated.

 

[Dakota Cinellison]

Dakota felt she should recognize Wendy's name.. Her surname, at least. It was vaguely familiar but she had little time to care why she recognized the name- she wanted to learn more about Wendy. They were on the subject of academics, of futures. Dakota still was unsure about her future career but she put her own confusion aside to listen to Wendy's worries.

Dakota smiled softly. She was quite a comforting soul at times and she never held grudges. She was really rather laid back compared to most people. "Ah," she said with a bigger smile, "So you know what you want to do in the future? That's one better than me. I still have no idea what I want to do. Often, I have considered becoming a Professor but then, I like so many subjects, I could not choose." She shrugged
a little.

"Tell me Wendy," Dakota said, enjoying the beautiful weather. "What do you aspire to be? -I'm sure that whatever it is can be achieved with enough devotion." Dakota, naturally, was a strong believer in achieving the impossible. She also, however, believed a lot of the classic old fairy tales such as the Hopping Pot. A favourite of hers.

 

[Wendy Chaos]

Wendy was glad that if Dakota happened to know of her older sister, that she didn't bring her up or their relation or why her surname sounded familiar. And Wendy would be even happier if Dakota didn't even know of her sister at all! Either way, Wendy was happy that so far she was just Wendy to Dakota and smiled slightly to herself before focusing again on the beautiful girl she was having a conversation with.

"Well we're only fourth years, we've still got time to decide things," Wendy assured the Ravenclaw girl when she confessed she didn't know what she wanted to do yet. As Dakota spoke of her considerations in getting a Professor's position, but being unable to choose a subject, Wendy spoke up. "What if you were to be a Substitute Professor? That way you could teach all subjects?" she suggested. Of course the major downfall with that idea was that she wouldn't just be able to choose which subject she could teach and when so maybe that wasn't a good idea after all. Finding a good medium was tough.

As Dakota then asked her what she wanted to do, Wendy ruffled her messy dirty blonde hair and exhaled softly. "Well I always thought of being an Auror, but I don't think I have what it takes," she replied, revealing just how much self esteem she had lost while being at Hogwarts.

 

[Dakota Cinellison]

Dakota almost mentally slapped herself. How had she never thought of being a substitute Professor before Wendy had suggested it? Alright, there were some drawbacks but she wouldn't be restricted to one one subject. That had to have it's upsides in that she'd never get bored of teaching the same thing permanently.

And Wendy was right: They were only fourth years. They had three more years before they needed to get a job and two before Dakota should attempt some understanding of her ideal job.. But then again, Dakota had plans to attend college. She loved learning and wanted to expand her knowledge as much as possible- College seemed like the right step. In which case, Dakota would have to look up colleges and see what she needed.. But she forced this from her mind and focused on what Wendy was saying. She was important, right now.

Dakota smiled sympathetically. Everyone had a weakness and she felt that she had just discovered Wendy's. Had they known each other better, Dakota would have given the poor girl a hug, but that would probably have be inappropriate at that point in time. "You can be whatever you want to be, Wendy, as long as your heart is in it, you will find a way." Her words seemed to float. She believed that people were capable of anything.. She knew Larissa's desire and, though it saddened her, she had faith in the girl accomplishing her goal. However, though she was sure Larissa could become what she wanted, title-wise, she had her doubts that the girl could kill someone.

"If it's grades you're worried about," Dakota added to Wendy, "then don't. Aurors are handpicked for their alignment at heart. As long as you truly want to help out in the fight against dark magic, then I see no reason why you shouldn't scrape a place as an Auror: But I have faith in you getting the required grades and though it wont be easy, let me just say, I salute you." It was a little bit of a strange thing to say and especially to someone whom Dakota had just met. But she raised her hand to her forehead and performed a small salute, smiling.

 

[Wendy Chaos]

Wendy smiled gratefully as Dakota encouraged her and told her that she could do it if she had enough heart. Well, Wendy knew she didn't have much to offer but she definitely had heart, a lot of heart. It was one of the main reasons that had landed her in Gryffindor; aside from the typical bravery, Gryffindors were also passionate whether it be towards people, a certain thing they felt devoted to, or both. Wendy was a 'both' type of person. Another thing with having a lot of heart was having a lot of love to give out, sometimes to those who didn't deserve it or were careless with her heart. Over the summer she had met this boy that she had been smitten with, but in the end he disposed of Wendy as carelessly as a napkin; use once and throw away.

Wendy shook those thoughts out of her head as Dakota continued to encourage her, and even downright saluted her. A giggle escaped the Gryffindor girl's lips at Dakota's salute. Wendy placed a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, in fear of offending Dakota, which was not her intention at all. She was most definitely not laughing at her, but laughing with her, though technically Dakota wasn't laughing. "Sorry, I don't mean to offend you," Wendy voiced her thoughts aloud. "I just wanted to say thanks, for believing in me and supporting me," Wendy said with serious sincerity. "It means a lot because well, lately I haven't gotten that," she admitted. Dakota's words were now motivating her to try harder at school and prove everyone wrong, that she did have what it took to become an Auror.

 

[Dakota Cinellison]

Dakota found her cheeks redden slightly as Wendy laughed but thankfully, they only became slightly darker than her skin. She did not feel embarrassed for long though, as Wendy thanked her. It was her caring and loving element which almost got Dakota into Hufflepuff but her need to study, to gain knowledge, to learn, was vastly greater. She had always wondered if the hat had put her in the right house: Well, of course it must have. It had successfully sorted and placed many before her so why would it not get her right? What would make her so special that it could cloud the hat's judgement? No. Dakota was in the right house. The one she was placed in was the only one she wanted.

Dakota couldn't believe how fast the years had gone by, how close she was to finishing at Hogwarts and straying to the whole wide world. She could have a job, a house of her own, a life partner.. It was only at this point that the thought struck her. Dakota knew she was a lesbian. She had known for sure since her second year. However, she had only just realized, looking to Wendy, how beautiful a girl she was speaking to. Stop it, Dakota, she thought to herself, mentally shaking her head, she probably has a boyfriend. Still, Dakota couldn't help but smile.

"So," she said, quickly changing the subject in an attempt to distract herself. "Do you play Quidditch at all? I'm terrible at it but then again, I don't really want to play it. I constantly think about the risks." She shrugged slightly. "I have no objection to watching it, however." This was true but then Dakota would spend her time worrying about the players' safety. The number of people who had died in Quidditch related accidents were astounding. "Personally, I prefer to read about such things rather than play them, saying that, I am partial to exploding snap and wizard chess is a fantastic game." Oh, Dakota. Ever the lover of intellectual sport.

 

[Wendy Chaos]

Wendy was glad that Dakota hadn't taken offense to her laughter, as there was nothing to be offended by anyway. She liked that Dakota was so understanding, even when Wendy didn't have to explain anything to her, she just understood her. Wendy smiled lightly at the Ravenclaw girl's companion ship, ignoring any other feelings she was harboring for the girl because she felt them inappropriate.

As Dakota brought up the subject of Quidditch, Wendy wrinkled her nose in return. "I'm very afraid of heights," she admitted with a nervous laugh, as if admitting it would prove her weaker. "So that's why I prefer not to play it. But I do like watching it," she nodded. "I was even a cheerleader last year for the teams," she shared. Wendy felt a little embarrassed that she admitted she did cheerleading to a Ravenclaw, who probably thought there was better things to do with ones free time, but even though she had lost a lot of her self confidence, Wendy still wasn't one to be ashamed of what she liked.

"Oooh wizard chess, now that's a game I could get into," Wendy said with a small laugh. She liked playing regular chess with her mother all the time, but once she had been introduced to wizard chess, it was just not the same anymore. She even told her mother about wizard chess but she didn't get the difference, or the appeal.