Open Spontaneous Dip

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel stared out across the black, mirror-like surface of the lake. The cold breeze on the back of his neck was an unfamiliar sensation, but not altogether unpleasant. It had been so long since he'd cut his hair that he'd forgotten how much lighter it made him feel. He had decided he would keep it this way. Not because his father wanted it short, but because he wanted it short.

Had it only been stubbornness and spite that had kept him from cutting it sooner? And if so, why had he wasted so much energy on something so stupid? He knew why: because it was the only thing in his life he'd ever had a say over. His parents could drag him to the other side of the world, split him up from his friends, deprive him of normal teenage things to do, but they couldn't make him cut his hair. He had been making a statement.

It hadn't been worth it.

Tiny ripples shimmered in the late-afternoon sunlight. He wondered how cold the water was, and suddenly had an urge to find out. When was the last time he'd done something spontaneous? He couldn't even remember. Without giving himself any time to think about it - or change his mind - he tugged his shirt over his head, dropped his wand on the grass next to it, and made a running leap off the bank. The shock of impact nearly made him inhale a lungful of icy water. He broke the surface a second later, cursing with abandon, pain spreading from his chest to his toes. This was definitely almost one of the worst ideas he'd had all week.

 

[Maggie Majors]

Spending her break with Chaser and Mini was as interesting as ever. She helped out at the banana museum where she could, helping to take stock and clean and take guests on tours, which really was helping her with her vocabulary. She had just one more year at school until she would have to find her own way, although unlike Chaser at her age, Maggie did have an idea of what she wanted to do, provided she worked hard enough for it now. ​

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It was still chilly outside although soon it would begin to warm up, and the seventh year had been roaming the gardens as a way to get inspiration for her next project. This would be her toughest year by far, and she wouldn’t get as much time to draw or sketch when her lessons began to get more intense. A sudden loud splash caught her attention, and for a moment she had a horrible sick feeling that perhaps a first year had fallen of a hippogryff from above, although after spotting the discarded clothes at the end, she realised it must have been intentional. She jogged over towards the edge of the lake, dressed in all black from head to toe, her skin these days was more artwork than anything else too, and peered into the water. She couldn’t really tell who was under there, but they better have popped up soon otherwise Maggie was going to have to go in after them. After a second the boy did come back up thankfully, and Maggie was shocked to see it was one of the prefects. “That is not a good role model! You are going to freeze Arvel!”​

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel was so blinded by adrenaline that he didn't notice Maggie standing on the bank until she called out to him. He shook the water from his hair and rubbed his eyes. "I'm - fine!" he said, though he was gasping for a proper breath. The shock, at least, was beginning to wear off. In fact the cold was quite invigorating. "I'm fine. S**t, it's freezing! Help me out." He crawled towards the bank and reached up in search of Maggie's hand.

 

[Maggie Majors]

Arvel sounded shocked that the water was cold, but what had he expected! "At least your clothes are dry," she noted, moving round in front of him to help drag him out of the lake. "Did you miss the time for the bath?" she joked, knowing the prefects got an entire bathroom to themselves which no doubt was much nicer than anything they had, or indeed a dirty smelly cold old lake. "You should not stay out here if you are wet," she took her wand out of her pocket when Arvel was on the grass, casting the spell to dry him off.​

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel had forgotten about his shirt. He pulled it on in a hurry, keeping his back to Maggie. By the time he turned around, he was completely dry, and Maggie was holding her wand. "Thanks," he said, dropping his head habitually before he realised he couldn't hide behind his hair any more. Though he was dry, he was shivering. He'd hardly said a word to Maggie since they'd played Dungeons and Dragons in their first year. He wondered if she thought of that when she looked at him, too. "I'm fine."

 

[Maggie Majors]

Maggie watched as Arvel just stood there, not really saying much at all. Maggie wasn't the chattiest Pufflehuff ever, but she at least knew how to make small talk. She frowned at him when he said he was fine. "I, did not say that you weren't." she stated, tucking her wand back into the pocket of her jeans. "Why did you go in there?" she asked, wondering if he was now regretting his decision. It didn't exactly look that appetising to her at least, so it didn't make sense. "Were you trying to be a Gryffindor?" she asked, thinking it was something they might do if they were really bored.​