Scarred are we??

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda knew it was still probably too cold for a swim, it was early spring after all but she had gotten the notion into her head that morning and just couldn't shake it. She left the castle while everyone was having breakfast and headed down to the lake front, she looked up and down for a few moments and decided that she needed a more secluded spot. It wasn't really that she was shy, she just didn't want a bunch of students jumping in after her or hiding her clothes or anything. She took her time walking around to the north side of the lake, where there was the smallest little beached area. There wasn't even the hint of a breeze as she undid the buttons of her blouse and shrugged it off placing it over the large boulder. Kicking off her trainers she smiled watching her toes wiggle before removing her jeans.

She wore a navy swimsuit, never being one for bikinis thinking they were just beyond impractical. As she looked out onto the lake she tossed her jeans ontop of her blouse then slowly made her way down to the waters edge. Andy didn't notice half the scars she had any more, it was like what Groundskeeper Willie had said. They were apart of her, who she was and the person she would become. The largest scar of all was the one across her left shoulder, where the werewolf had bitten into her, she also had a smaller bite scar around her right ankle. The newest though would have to be the scar that ran right around her left thigh, it was just a thin sliver of a scar that indicated some trauma but no-one would ever guess it was the result of the loss of one limb and the gaining of a charmed one.

As she stood looking out on the cool grey blue surface of the water, Andy began psyching herself up for the coldness of the water. She was hoping she could just have a swim and get her clothes back on before anyone spotted her. She may not notice her scars anymore but others surely would.

 

[Aries Centauri]

The cold seemed to seal a barrier around him as he strolled oblivious to it, down to the lake front. He had been used to stronger chills than this one, this almost invigorated him. Smiling he lengthened his stride as he began to circle the lake as much as he could, he had spent the morning writing to his mates about events at Hogwarts. How different everyone was here, how they were not so secretive or petty. How the girls were pretty and friendly. His thoughts went directly once more to Violet. He was convinced now that she had been a figment of his imagination, no matter where he had looked or where he had lurked he had never caught a glimpse of her again.

How many days had he spent hovering about outside of the Hufflepuff house, walking the corridor in the hopes of bumping into her. Instead he had been reprimanded by Professor Weiss for loitering. In these turbulent times when the pranksters had dealt their crushing blow, nobody was taking any chances.

He scuffed his boot against a stone and watched it sail ahead into a bush, when his gaze was distracted by a movement down near the waters edge. Turning in that direction he hoped he would come across Violet, instead his steps faltered as he took in the body that looked beautiful but ravaged all at the same time. He stared as she simply stood there looking out across the lake, his eyes were riveted to her. The huge scar on her shoulder was horrendous, his eyes trailed over the pale skin clad in a one piece swimsuit. Obviously her attempt at modesty, she was too tall and too slender for it to do that. She probably didn't realise just how breathtaking she was.

Aries drew, he loved drawing. Sketching and painting were some of his passions and he wished deeply now that he had some brushes or pencils with him. This was an artists dream, the lone figure of a tormented girl in the foreground of a deep blue green lake with the castle in the background. How more picturesque could a scene get. He made a sudden movement, scuttling some stones under foot. His gaze shot from them to her.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb you".

 

[Lexi Rodriguez]

[[EDITED ]]

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda daydreamed contently away, enjoying the breeze against her bare skin and as it tossled her hair. As she was about to wade into the lake a noise startled her and she spun around to see Aries standing there.
"You... what were you doing? Spying... gawking?" she couldn't get over this guy, ok so he explained about his part in Durmstrang and she had believed him but that didn't give him the right to creep about her like this.

"Let me guess Harrison also told you to keep an eye on me while I swim is it?" she was being a bit unfair but she didn't care, she had seen his face as he had looked at her. Not being able to tell whether it had been revulsion or pity or what but she wanted him to leave.
Feeling awfully self conscious as she stood before him in her swimsuit, she knew it was too late to make any attempt to hide her scars. Stubborn pride made her turn fully around to face him with her chin tilted up.

"Can I help you with something Aries?"

 

[Aries Centauri]

Embarrassment made him blush and hang his head, he couldn't believe he was upsetting her again. Was he ever going to learn, why hadn't he just walked on? But it had been too late and even now, the urge to just look at her was overwhelming. Lifting his head up again he let his shoe kick some stones on the ground. She really was lovely even though she was very pale, it suited her almost like she was of porcelain china. Her eyes were the strangest hue he had ever seen and yet they only added to her, enhanced every feature of her face by their strangeness. Even her red hair seemed to be on fire in this light, he couldn't take his eyes off of her again.

"I wasn't spying actually I just walked down here and there you were" he didn't mention that she was right about the gawking part, he was fifteen for heavens sake. Of course he was going to gawk at any girl he saw scantily clad but Andromeda at this hour of the morning, was like a breath of fresh air. Like manna from heaven. He couldn't believe he was thinking this way about the girl who months ago was huddled terrified in his old school dungeon. He had seen her in the most awful states imaginable and now here he was thinking other things when especially he had only been thinking about Violet only a short time ago.

He felt oddly torn somehow, he knew without a doubt that he liked Violet but he hadn't seen her, hadn't been able to find her anywhere and then there was Andromeda who life kept throwing in his path. What was a boy supposed to think? He took a step forward his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"It's lovely down here isn't it?" he would love to just be able to talk with her without her friends showing up and thinking she needed rescuing from him. Did she think she needed rescuing from him? He would love somehow to be the rescuer and wondered just where in the world that idea had come from.
"You know you shouldn't swim on your own, what if something happened? People have drowned in less water than that you know".

He smiled at her now, a hand went up to run through his short cropped hair.
'Please feel comfortable around me, please' he couldn't even begin to understand why this meant alot to him, he only knew that it did.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda looked at him and turned away as she looked about for her clothes. She couldn't very well stand around here in half nothing and she certainly didn't feel like swimming with him watching her. So he wasn't spying on her, what did that prove nothing? He had been staring though and she had noted how he hadn't mentioned the gawking part.

She went to the large rock where she had placed her blouse and jeans and began to pull them back on again.
"See I'm not swimming anymore, happy?" she was more than a little frustrated now, she had been so looking forward to having a swim but had no intention of doing so with him around. He could easily pull his wand out and drown her if the mode took him. But she knew he wasn't likely to do that and blamed the nugget of fear left over from her trials and tribulations in the dungeons that put such thoughts into her head. Maybe she should try to relax around him more but as of yet it was still hard.

Pulling on her jeans she looked at him before looking back out over the lake.
"It is beautiful" she felt speechless and very self conscience.

 

[Aries Centauri]

Aries admired how she was as stubborn and defiant, she had been the same at Durmstrang though it had done her no favours what so ever there. He walked down closer to the large rock and turning around leant his back against it, so his view now was the forest on the other side. He had yet to go into the forest, knowing it was forbidden and knowing it was so for a good reason. Aries was a Ravenclaw for plenty of reasons and being smart enough to know limitations and boundaries was one of them. He didn't look as she pulled on her clothes. Feeling bad that she would now forgoe the swim she had so obviously wanted.

"You know I did some lifeguard training last summer and the summer before, so you can feel save enough to swim when I'm around" he chanced a glance in her direction, it was almost as if he felt compelled to look at her. What he wouldn't give for even a piece of charcoal at that moment. There was just something about her that made you want to look at her, to simply stare at her or maybe that was just him.

He rattled his brain for some conversation that would be neutral and would hopefully cement in her head once and for all that he was a decent guy, intelligent, fun when the mood took him and could make a good friend if she simply tried.

"So what class are you finding the most interesting this year? It's third year you're in isn't it?"

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda smiled and turned her head to look down at him from her perch on the rock.
"Lifeguard huh?" she couldn't picture him in this role at all but didn't say so, "I didn't know you had any muggle connections. Why should I right. I guess I just presumed that the majority of Durmstrang were all purebloods or wanna-be PB's" she couldn't believe she had actually brought up the name herself of the horrible school but she certainly hadn't flinched or anything so maybe she was well and truly on the road to recovery.
"Not much to talk about so we're using school talk hmmm" this amused her no end but she was glad that he was trying to keep it somewhat neutral at least.

"would you believe this year the most interesting classes I've had are actually defense against the dark arts?" she laughed then, she seriously couldn't help herself. It had been Aries' third year DA class that had been used to show them just about everything they possibly could about werewolves, using her as the exhibit.

 

[Aries Centauri]

Aries laughed along with her, he couldn't believe how they both found this particularly funny considering how that particular class or a version of that class had nearly destroyed her.
"They're alot different here though aren't they? I mean here it's all about defence isn't it which is great and that's how it should be everywhere. So you don't think I have it in me to be a lifeguard?" he smiled turning around so that he was now leaning his own chin on his folded arms that leant against the rock.

The morning was progressing now, soon the other students would begin milling about and some might even venture down to the lake. Would she walk away from him then? He wanted to keep the conversation rolling some more, not quite willing just yet to have it end.
"I have a lot of friends who are from muggle families and my own mothers family have muggles down the line. My grandmother and grandfather actually, I spent a few summers with them and before boredom completely set in I took to doing some muggle classes to keep me occupied. They were such a laugh some of them" he smiled remembering the more bizarre classes that muggles took.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy moved over on the rock and patted the space beside her, there was plenty of room. If he was going to stay he might as well be comfortable.
"I think it has alot to do with the professor involved as well though. Professor King is the Gryffindor head of house as well, he's great really. Head and shoulders above Gouster any day" she turned to smile at him then, "If you say you're a lifeguard then someone out there obviously has faith in your skills, so who am I to doubt you."

Somewhere along the few minutes it had taken her to hurriedly pull on her clothes and for him to lean against the rock, Andy and Aries were chatting like they were old friends. She puzzled for a brief moment over this and then decided not to bother, she thought too much regarding her friendship and feelings for Brian all the time and look where that got her. No, it was nice to just be in the company of a boy and not have to worry about how you looked, what he was thinking, whether or not he would ever suspect her feelings for him. No, this was definitely nicer. More relaxed something she certainly hadn't been around Brian since the Charms class with the cheering charm.
"So what other classes have you taken?"
Intrigued she waited for him to answer.

 

[Aries Centauri]

Aries was amazed she even moved over for him but he was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Nimbly he climbed up and sat down beside her a few inches to spare. Gazing out across the wide expanse of lake he smiled. The sheer volume of the lake, the mountains in the distance, the pure poetry of the place left him breathless, so it was a moment before he spoke to her again.

"I think you're right. It always has a lot to do with the professor. A good teacher is hard to find, Professor Gouster was in no earthly way a good teacher" he broke off not sure if he should go any further and decided that no more needed really to be said on the subject.

"You mean like in my electives? Well I've opted for runes, arithmancy and divination. What about you?" he was curious now as to what she would have taken and what exactly she hoped to get out of it all when she left Hogwarts.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

"Wow you've chosen all the fairly hard ones and the ones that to me are probably the most pointless" she frowned, she really didn't get the whole fortune telling malarky anymore. It just wasn't possible unless of course you had a timeturner in your possession and could cheat like that. She used to be able to read tea-leaves when she was smaller but even doubted that now. Her father had always said she had a knack for it like his grand-aunt but she never held much store by it herself. Andy liked to live in the present, the here and now. The past was all well and good to take out on occassion and learn from the mistakes you had made or reminise on some lovely memory but trying to tell the future when it was all so grey, she just didn't believe it could be done.

"I've chosen Care of Magical creatures and Muggle studies. Neither of which will really help towards my ultimate goal but getting an extra 'O' compared to an 'E' is always more favourable".

 

[Aries Centauri]

Aries listened with interest wondering just what exactly her ultimate goal was, attempting to probe was quite another thing altogether though. Instead something popped into his head and he thought he should ask at any rate.
"Andy do you know any Hufflepuffs?" it wasn't exactly cool to be sitting beside one girl and ask about another but he hoped she'd understand. Sure he thought Andromeda was something to look at and he knew of course about her being a werewolf which was probably not in her favour but that didn't matter. He liked someone else and that was all there was too it.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda wondered where that came from all of a sudden, very much out of the blue. She simply nodded her head and smiled.
"Yeah about three or four of them I think why?" she was curiousn now to go from asking about her school subjects to that was some leap but she waited to hear what else he would ask. Boys were definitely strange to say the least.
She looked back over the lake thinking how she would really like that swim before she headed back to the school again. Glancing quickly at him, she cocked an eyebrow.
"Did you want to know about someone?" a girl perhaps she smiled to herself.

 

[Aries Centauri]

Aries shrugged and nodded a little self consciously.
"Was it that obvious?" he scratched his head then folded his arms over his legs, "I met a girl before, like back at the start of the school year and well, I haven't been able to see her or find her anywhere. She... um.."
he rattled his brain to say something else, so that she wouldn't know just how much Violet had been on his mind.
"She borrowed a book of mine, I lent it to her and well, it's a very special book. I just wanted to get it back".

Would that do? Would that be enough?

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy smiled knowingly, a book! Sure, whatever. Boys were just so silly sometimes, couldn't they just come right out and say exactly what it was they wanted to say.
"A book? Wow it must be a pretty special book or are we more talking about a pretty special girl? Go on what's her name I might know her" she smiled.
She was still craving a swim of course but sitting here with Aries was an alright alternative. It beat sitting alone and it was nice not to have to pretend to be anything other than what she was around him. It seemed like they had been sitting there only minutes but when Andy chanced to look at her watch she gasped and nearly fell off the rock in her haste to get down.
"Aries I am so sorry, I didn't realise the time at all. I have a class to get to. I have to change and everything before it. Look we'll talk again soon and ...l really have to go" she barely hung around for him to say goodbye but gathering her things ran off back to the school as if her life depended on it.