Skipping Stones

[Elliot Briar]

It had been threatening to rain all day, but the clouds had yet to break, looming over the lake in a dreary grey blanket. Elliot picked his way along the shore, scanning for the perfect rocks. Skipping stones had been one of the few things he and his father could do together easily. No awkward conversations about magic or how his mother was doing. He liked that he could get some peace like that out here at Hogwarts too. The smooth quiet of the lake helped make the castle and classes all seem a bit less intimidating.

Elliot spied a good rock, brushing some leaf litter from it as he picked it up and turned it over in his hands. He tested the weight carefully, switching it from palm to palm. Satisfied, Elliot turned towards the lake, exhaling before flicking his wrist, skimming the rock across the water. One. Two. Three hops. He frowned. Rock was probably a bit to heavy. Elliot shook his hand out and resumed combing shoreside.

 

[Jasper Michaels]

Jasper was taking a break from studying. It was tiring, truly, though he knew it would be worth it. He would be the best, no matter what it took. Still, that sort of determination could be exhausting. He had been walking the grounds, wandering aimlessly. It felt nice to be out in the fresh air every now and again. As he was walking, he thought he heard a splash. Curious, he followed the sound to find a boy his age at the lake. Debating on whiter or not he should stay, Jasper leaned against a nearby tree and waited.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot had his eyes trained on the ground as he wandered around the lake, still looking for good skipping stones. Spotting a promising candidate near the tree line, he crouched down to scoop it up before looking up. There was another boy watching him, leaning against a tree nearby. Elliot glanced from the rocks in his hand, to the lake, back to the boy before straightening up.

He debated whether he should say anything for a moment, running the rocks back and forth in his hand for a few moments before speaking. He felt a little awkward standing alone on the lakeshore, but maybe this would be a chance to make a friend."Can you skip stones? I can teach you."

 

[Jasper Michaels]

Jasper smiled as the boy noticed him. He seemed a little shy. He decided to try and be nice. "Hi." He greeted, walking over. "That is nice of you to offer. I know how to skip rocks." He told him. He held out his hands. "My name is Jasper Michaels." He tried to smile friendly. His sisters told him he could be a bit of a crank and he did wonder occasionally if they were right. His other goal was to make as many friends as possible- everyone else in his family seemed to be more of the loner type.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot straightened up as the other boy approached, returning his smile. Something about the way Jasper moved was almost calculating, but he seemed nice enough. "I'm Elliot, Elliot Briar," Elliot greeted, offering Jasper some of the rocks he'd picked up. "Want to see who can get the most skips?"

Elliot felt reasonably confident with his method, and it was making him feel a little bolder now that Jasper seemed to open to the idea. He wiped his hands on his jeans before carefully weighing a stone in his hand and winging it out across the lake.

 

[Jasper Michaels]

Jasper smiled. Elliot was a nice name. It fit the boy, he decided. He leaned down and gathered a few stones of his own. "I would like that very much." He told Elliot. A friendly competition was just as welcome as a rivalry. "You are a fellow first year, are you not?" He asked, flicking his first stone and counting the skips. Five. Very nice. "I am a first year Gryffindor." He told the other boy with a grin, turning to watch him skip his stone.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot watched Jasper's throw, impressed with how far out it got across the lake. He considered the collection of rocks in his hand as he spoke, "Yeah, I'm a first year too. Hufflepuff." He wondered if someone's house mattered much, it probably gave you at least a vague idea what someone was like. "Do you like Gryffindor?"
Elliot gave his next rock a little test toss in his palm before skimming it out across the lake. One..two..three..four skips, dang. "Shoot." Elliot shot Jasper a half-smile and shrug.

 

[Jasper Michaels]

Jasper attempted to hide his smile as Elliot's stone fell a bit shorter than his stone had. "That was still pretty good," He complimented the other boy before skipping another of his. He counted his as it skipped. Five. That was still good. "Gryffindor is alright. I am with my elder cousin." He smiled at the thought of it. "What about you? Do you like being in Hufflepuff?"

 

[Elliot Briar]

"Nice throw!" Elliot offered, counting Jasper's skips. He'd need to step it up a little bit. He picked through the rocks he'd collected as they talked. "Hufflepuff's nice, everyone's really friendly, which is nice. I'm still pretty homesick, really," Picking a rock, Elliot gave a quick flick of his wrist, managing just five skips. Much better. He turned to Jasper, "It must be nice to have family at school, it seems like lots of other kids have cousins or siblings here, I'm a little jealous." He wouldn't admit it out loud, but Elliot missed his mom. His Dad could probably come visit for the weekend, but it definitely wouldn't be the same. It'd certainly be nice to have one of his cousins around.