Reminder

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Despite constantly feeling nervous that he would fail at speaking English and embarrass himself when he wasn't in the comfort of his home and around his siblings, Flavio was excited to be in the midst of the first semester of his second year at hogwarts. Especially so he could expand his horizons and more about magic and even so he could spend more time with his friends again. Amber was one of the friends in particular that he liked spending time with the most, because she was always kind to him and even helped him find an amazing flower to give to Kylie in his previous school year.

So during class that day, Flavio handed Amber a note which told her to meet with him at the lakefront that afternoon. It was perfect place and time for them to spend time and have fun outside of class. At least in Flavio's opinion. As soon as he was able to, he made his way down to the lakefront with a small paper bag filled with birdseed in his hands. While he waited for Amber to arrive, he threw small handfuls of the seed towards the ducks who lived in the lake, smiling as they quacked in intervals and picked the seeds from the water. Feeding ducks and talking to one of his friends would make his day all the more special and Flavio hoped Amber would arrive soon so she could feed the adorable ducks with him.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber had been surprised to be handed a note by Flavio during class, but it had made her smile. The feeling of having friends that actually wanted to spend time with her was still somewhat new to her, and she definitely enjoyed it. Flavio was a good friend, he was sweet and sort of shy but also very funny and smart. She liked how much he enjoyed feeding birds, it was a sweet thing to do.

She made her way to the lakefront with a skip in her step, eager to see Flavio. She spotted him at once, had he gotten taller? She beamed and called his name as she approached. "Flavio, hi!" She said, making her way to his side. "You wanted to meet me?" She wondered why. Did he have something to tell her? Or did he just want to do something fun together?

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio's attention moved from the group of ducks in the water and towards Amber as she greeted him. He looked up and smiled as she approached. "Hello, Amber!" He greeted her in return. Flavio wasn't sure if his friend had gotten shorter or if he had grown taller since they last hung out, but he was sure there was a new height difference between them. He continued to smile as she asked if he wanted to meet her, and nodded as a response before he said. "Yes, I wanted to see how you were because I think we should talk more and be better friends."

Flavio then held out the small paper bag of bird seed towards Amber. "Would you like to feed the ducks with me? I have seed instead of bread now which is healthier for the ducks." He was happy that Orwell had told him to feed the birds seed because he never wanted to intentionally hurt the birds and bread was apparently bad for them. He shuffled the bag slightly as he continued to hold it out towards Amber. Usually Flavio would be much more shy towards other people than he was in that moment, and would be constantly analyzing his English to a fault. But Amber was his friend and he felt comfortable around her and felt like she would understand his English even if he made a mistake, which he was incredibly thankful for. Some other students were yet to treat him with the same amount of kindness.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber was glad with Flavio's reason for asking her here, he wanted the same thing she did. "I'm doing well!" She said cheerfully. "I'd like to talk more and be friends too. How are you doing?" She asked as she moved over to him. Yes, he was definitely taller than he had been before, now she had to tilt her head back to even look into his eyes when they were side by side.

She took the bag from him and nodded in answer to his question. It was sweet how Flavio took care of these birds, and even though Amber didn't really like it when they got too close, she wanted to help him. "I didn't know it was healthier to use seeds." She said, looking at him. "You know a lot." She smiled. "Especially about birds." She threw some seed, making sure to spread it as far away from her feet as possible. The last thing she wanted was duck poop on her shoes. "So... how have you been? Do you like second year?" Amber asked, glancing at Flavio.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio was glad that Amber also wanted to be closer friends with him. He was also glad to hear that she was doing well and nodded before saying "I am okay, too." He then smiled and moved his hands into the pockets of his robes when she accepted the small bag of birdseed. "I only know what I read, and what Orwell tells me." He said, watching as Amber threw a handful of seeds, the ducks waddling closer and nipping where they landed in the water and on the shore in front of them. Flavio did not think he was a smart person, especially since his knowledge was always second hand, but he did think he was sorted into Ravenclaw for a reason, possibly being the way he soaked up new information like a sponge or simply because he wanted to be in the house so he could spend his first few years in school close to the comforting presence of his sister.

He shook his head and then looked from the ducks, back towards Amber as she asked how his second year was going. In response he shrugged, pausing for a moment before saying "It is not as good as before. I am too busy to spend as much of my time with the ducks anymore." The thought of seeing the ducks even less when exams started tugged on his heart strings more than he wanted to admit but he consoled himself, thinking that helping Rory study was worth the stress and lack of time with his feathered friends. "What about you? Do you like second year?" He asked in return, moving his hands from his pockets and holding them out so Amber could return the bag of seeds to him.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber shrugged. "You still read about it and learn things, that makes you smarter." She said cheerfully. "I'm sure the ducks are grateful that you know what's best for them and also take the time to take care of them."She beamed at him, hoping it would help him feel good. Flavio was always a bit quiet, but she hoped that didn't mean he was sad.

As he told her about how little time he had, though, her smile fell and her brow furrowed. She had also noticed a bit more homework and a bit less free time, but not as much as Flavio. He had different classes than her this year, did it make such a big difference? "Are you part of a club that keeps you busy?" She asked curiously. "Or is there a class that give you a lot of homework?" She hoped not, that would mean she'd have the same thing in the next semester. "My second year is going well, I've met a lot of new people as well as my old friends and I think I'm keeping up with classes pretty well too!" She handed the bag of seeds back to him, glad to let him feed the ducks as she talked.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio shook his head when Amber asked if it was a club that kept him busy. He was only part of the Wild Patch club which required tending to the gardens and taking care of the birds that lived there. It was a task, for sure, but it was fun for Flavio so he considered it to be a way he spent his free time, rather than something that kept him busy. What had taken up most of his time was doing Rory's homework in addition to the homework he was already given, both to keep his friend by his side and to keep his own grades from plummeting. He usually avoided talking about the work he put in for his friend so neither of them would get into trouble, and so word wouldn't eventually get back to Pia. She would surely have something to say about it which was the last thing Flavio wanted. All he did want was to finally have the guts to be independent for once and maintain friendships without anyone else to guide him.

Though Flavio did trust Amber, and figured it wouldn't hurt to at least vent to her about the stress of having so much work on his shoulders. He sighed before speaking, keeping his hands buried in his pockets. "The classes give me the same homework, but the problem is that my friend Rory wants me to do all of his homework for him. So I need to do his homework and mine. It's very difficult to write two essays and make them sound different when I do not think I am the best at English." When he finished speaking he shrugged again, taking the bag of seeds from Amber and scattering a handful in front of him. "I'm happy to hear you have met new people. All I really have is Rory, you, and the ducks." He said jokingly, in an attempt to keep the conversation light.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber was smiling pleasantly, listening to Rory talk as he fed the ducks. But her smile fell abruptly when he mentioned that Rory was making him do all his homework. She froze for a moment, startled by how casually he mentioned it. Was he joking? It didn't seem like it. She frowned and stepped closer to him. "What? Rory... you mean that Slytherin boy? He makes you do all his homework? Not just helping him do it? So he doesn't do anything at all himself?" The words left a bad taste in her mouth, this awful boy was taking advantage of sweet Flavio and she hated it. This couldn't be allowed.

"Flavio, that's not okay. We have to go tell a teacher, that's bullying. He's using you!" Her hands were shaking with her anger, this wasn't fair. No wonder Flavio was having trouble with his time if he was doing twice the normal amount of homework, and in a language he wasn't fluent in! Rory had classes Flavio didn't have at the moment, did he just make him do the extra studying for that? It made her blood boil. "I'm going to tell on him." She declared.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio bowed his head, defeated when Amber stepped closer to him. She was visibly bothered by his confession, and he didn't know how else to react besides absently digging one of his hands into the bag of bird seed as he listened to her speak. This was the first time Flavio had real friends that spoke to him in classes and sat with him during meals, and the first time he could have fun inside the castle without Pia holding his hand everywhere. He didn't want to lose the friends he had made, so he didn't think it was wrong to do all of the other boy's homework. He instead thought of it as a way to keep one of the friends he had made. A means to an end that gave him the autonomy he wanted that also kept Rory happy.

He wanted to open up to her about it, but he hadn't wanted her to get angry. It was a stupid thing for him to expect but he hadn't wanted any drama to come of this. He continued to listen to everything Amber said, not saying a word in response until she declared she was telling on him. Flavio's attention darted from the bag of seed to Amber immediately. "No! Do not tell on him! Then he will know I told someone." He pleaded. "He will hate me if you tell." He added, biting his lower lip and averting his gaze back to the bag of birdseed.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

It made Amber sad to see how Flavio reacted to her anger. She wasn't mad at him, did he think she was? "Flavio, I'm not mad at you... but what he's doing is wrong, you have to see that. Right? He's using you for his grades, that's not a thing friends do to each other. It's mean, it's not fair... You have to see that." She sighed, his distress quieting her anger, at least for the moment. "I... I won't tell." She said after thinking it over for a moment. She really wanted to tell and run to the nearest teacher to fix this, but if Flavio was this sad about it, she wouldn't. Not right away, at least. "But he should treat you better than this. If he hates you if you tell someone, that's not a friend. That's a bully, a mean one."

Flavio looked so uncomfortable and sad that Amber couldn't help it, she gave him a hug. "I'm sorry, please don't be sad. I just want you to be treated right... by a good friend. Someone that helps you and doesn't just ask things from you without giving anything in return. You're too nice to be treated so badly." She sighed. "But I won't tell a teacher if you don't want me to. I promise."

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Amber assured Flavio she wasn't angry at him and told him that everything Rory was doing was wrong, but he still couldn't help but believe otherwise. He was the one who agreed to write all of his friend's homework, and he was also the one who told Amber about the burden of all the work. In his mind all both the amount of work he needed to do and Amber's anger about the situation was entirely his fault. He realized he shouldn't have said anything as he frowned and continued to keep his gaze on the ground so he wouldn't have to look at Amber while she continued to speak. His shoulders visibly relaxed when she agreed not to tell but then tensed again when she continued to insist what Rory was doing was terrible, calling him a bully. Flavio immediately shook his head, denying that statement. "Rory is not a bully, he needs help in school and I want to keep him as a friend so I do the homework to keep him happy. I am worried that he will not want to be my friend if I say no." He explained.

Eventually Amber pulled him into a hug and Flavio had no choice but to return it and wrap his arms around her shoulders awkwardly due to their new height difference. He didn't know what else to do besides listen to the rest of the words she was saying. When they pulled away from the hug, he kicked the pebbles along the ground and muttered. "I do not think he treats me badly, but thank you for promising not to tell." The conversation still felt heavy but Flavio was endlessly relieved that Amber wouldn't get him in trouble for what he was doing for his friend. She was one of the kindest people he had ever met and he felt guilty for making her angry by opening up to her. He thought no one deserved to be stressed about the situation besides himself because he agreed to be part of it in the first place. "I'm sorry." He said, finally looking to his friend and hoping she would forgive him for telling her.
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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber could tell she wasn't really helping Flavio feel better, and she didn't really know how. As long as he couldn't see that Rory was using him in this way. There wasn't any way to help him as long as he didn't see it, but she continued to try. "If he doesn't want to be your friend anymore if you say no, then he's not a good friend." She said softly. "Helping someone is one thing, Flavio, but doing it all for him isn't really helping. It's just doing all the work and giving him more free time..." She sighed, pretty sure she wasn't getting through to him.

He still didn't think Rory treated him badly, and Amber knew better than to keep insisting. "I won't tell." She repeated. "But... if you ever need help with your workload, I'll help. I don't want you to be so busy you have no time for yourself. That would make me very sad as your friend." She smiled at him encouragingly. "And you don't have to say sorry, you didn't do anything wrong." She was going to have words with this Rory, Flavio deserved so much better than this.