Open Sunshine, Shade and Sci-Fi

[Hugo Stark-West]

For Hugo Stark-West one of the advantages of seventh year was that he didnt have exams at the end of first semester. of course that advantage would come and bite him on the backside as next semester came around and he had twice the number of exams but for now he was content that he could take his time with study and enjoy a couple of hours sitting on the lawn enjoying the summer sun and a book from the shade of a tree. he was actually enjoying himself this semester. it sounded weird but he actually felt happy. it wasnt that he had been unhappy before but he hadn't realised there was so much space in the realm of happy that he just hadnt explored before. Before he would have said right where he was was happy. Sunshine, shade and a Sci-Fi or fantasy book but now he knew that while that was happy, happy could also be the growing feeling or confidence in him, or kissing teddy in some hidden corner of the school between classes (happy was definitely kissing Teddy), and spending time with him in the library as they did their homework. right now, Teddy was at quidditch practice, and they had plans to study together when he finished. Or more likely, Teddy would study and Hugo would revise whatever it was he was doing with him or keep reading his book. Hugo shifted his position, stretching out slightly before turning the page.

 

[Morrie Ayre]

Morrie didn't particularly like being in places where there weren't other people around in case Mikael turned up and she hated feeling like that, like she needed to look over her shoulder all the time. She wasn't frightened, at least not in the way she recognised as being frightened, but she did feel uneasy. She had decided to go outdoors because being in the open meant less opportunities to be cornered. That's where she saw Hugo and thought head boy was good protection if Mikael did show up, plus she had some questions about HM that she wanted to run by him if and now felt like a good time. She walked over and stopped near him, clearing her throat to get his attention. "Hugo" She said, sounding sharper than she meant to, but Morrie wasn’t great at softening her tone at the best of times, "You got a minute?"

 

[Hugo Stark-West]

hugo turned the page things were getting good. the other research team had just lost contact with the main team and things were starting to look very suspicious. he wondered what was going on and was looking forward to seeing what was going to happen on the expedition. he almost jumped when he heard his name from somewhere above him brought back to earth by morrie standing in front of him. "hey, yes, sure Morrie. What's up?" he said putting his bookmark between the pages and closing the book. Wondering what she wanted to talk to him about.

 

[Morrie Ayre]

Morrie took the acceptance as an invitation and plonked herself down near the head boy. She hadn't originally planned to bring it up so quickly, but she might as well now since she'd opened with it. "Well," Morrie started, glancing at the book Hugo was reading and thinking vaguely that it looked very nerdy. "I definitely received four submissions for my article. But when I came to write it up, there were only three." She explained, "I left them in the office, and I think one was stolen." Morrie looked at Hugo for his reaction and if he knew anything.

 

[Hugo Stark-West]

Hugo was slightly surprised when Morrie sat down beside him. She never gave him the impression of being a social type. Even if he knew she was talking paper, it was still outside of the offices, which was unusual. He listened as Morrie asked him about the Aunt Meg letters. "Ahh," he said, pausing anf feeling the now somewhat familiar feeling of his ears starting to warm up. He wasn't quite sure if Morrie was calling him out on writing a letter then chickening out on it or just genuinely unsure about the whereabouts of the letter. "Actually, I do know about that. the person who wrote it asked to redact it after he managed to work out the problem" he said deciding to go along with Morrie doesn't realise it was him unless she says otherwise though he had forgotten that in the letter he had been careful not to specify his or his 'friends' gender.
What had actually happened a couple of days after he had and Teddy had talked and made up and made out in the abandoned classroom, he had seen the letter on Morries desk and decided to remove it, putting it with a pile of other papers on his desk before he could decide if he wanted to dispose of it or save it for the memories but had since forgotten about it.

 

[Morrie Ayre]

Morrie nodded along with her arms folded and her jaw tight with annoyance. She was annoyed that a submission had been redacted without anyone asking her first. Maybe she would have preferred to keep it in, it was her article after all. "I mean, someone could have asked me," she muttered, “But okay, whatever." She didn't get up or move after that. She had Mikael stuck in her head and was more comfortable here than walking away on her own. So she stayed where she was, squinting out at the view around her until the article surfaced in her mind again. "I guess it was a pretty lame submission now I think about it,” she muttered, starting to run her hand over the grass and pull out a few of the blades. She made an oooh sound when she came across a tiny bug which she promptly squished with a blade of grass. Now she was feeling better.

 

[Hugo Stark-West]

Hugo nodded in acknowledgment as Morrie said that no one had asked her. "I appologise, i will make sure to let you know next time I redact a submission" he said. before they slipped into a companionable quiet. hugo was just wondering if he shouls say something or if he was okay to continue his adventures in space when morrie spoke up. he chuckled slightly still not sure if she knew it wass his letter that had been pulled, do you think so or is he just panicing when he wrrote it she asked

Spoiler: the letter in question

Dear aunt Meg.
I have this friend. We have been hanging out more this year.
I think he might have been flirting with me at Halloween. And I think I might have been unintentionally flirting, rather terribly, back. Some how we ended up kissing. Now I don’t know what to do. I’ve never liked anyone before but i cant stop thinking about him and halloween

 

[Morrie Ayre]

Morrie gave a firm nod in response when Hugo said he’d let her know next time. Good. At least he wasn’t arguing about it, which obviously meant he agreed with her that she should have been involved. Other people often disagreed with Morrie's opinion that it was refreshing to meet someone who thought the same as her. Then her brow furrowed at his next suggestion. “Who on earth panic writes to an agony aunt?” she asked with a scoff, because she thought that was a pathetic thing to do. “Anyway, what makes you so sure it was a he, or do you know who it is?"

 

[Hugo Stark-West]

hugo looked away from morrie becoming suddenly interested in admiring the view from where they sat trying hard not to be embaressed but struggling. he had had his reasons for writting the letter. maybe someone who is panicking and also someone who wants to make sure the agony aunt has some letters. or someone who wants to be clear enough that they hope the person who it is about would read it and realise the ghosting is because working stuff out and is uncomfortable though of course he would say none of that to morrie
"dont you write things down when you are stressed to try and get them to make sense?" he asked. maybe it was part that but also getting some outsider feedback as well" he added trying hard not to give too much away.
at morries next question he realised that he already had. "I thought he said he was a he in the letter?" he said though thinking back on it he realised he had been careful when he had written it not to give that information away. "maybe they didnt. anyway aunt Morrie Meg. what advice would you give the poor person?" he asked tryign to change the subject slightly.

 

[Morrie Ayre]

Morrie looked at Hugo with general disinterest as he defended the author. She huffed when he asked if she wrote down anything when she was stressed. She did, but not for anyone else to read, and it was also none of his business either way. "I prefer to hex people when I'm stressed," she replied breezily, sounding as though she were joking, but it turned out to be pretty much true if you looked back at her track record. Morrie actually couldn't confidently recall enough of what had been written on that note to be confident, so she would have to take Hugo's word on the gender. She was about to give her Aunt Morrie Meg advice when she stopped and scowled at Hugo, realising that she didn't remember enough about what it had said overall. "I will. But what did the letter say again?" She asked him. Hugo remembered the gender of the author so he must know what the note said too.

 

[Hugo Stark-West]

hugo bobbed his head somewhere between a nod and a shrug when morrie said that she usually hexed people when she was stressed."I guess that works to. but if possible try and hold off hexing my sister. otherwise i have to put up with her complaining he said trying to keep the tone joking. as much as he knew morrie and violet hated each other, he was fail sure they wouldnt hex each other, at least outside of duels but he would be a bad big brother if he didnt stand up for Vi.
As the topic went back to the letter, he frowned for a second, pretending to think of what it said, even though he knew first-hand about what it was. The main challenge was to try and make it sound like it wasn't him. "I'm paraphrasing, but it was along the lines of the me and my friend have been hanging out a lot" he started glancing quickly at the quiditch pitch though he couldnt tell if people were still training or not. "and at Halloween, he thinks the friend was flirting with him, and he unintentionally flirted back. then we kissed" he continued kickng himself for saying that the author was a guy. it would be so much easier to pretend it was like some young girl with her first crush on a boy. not a guy slowly realisng that he has a crush on another guy, but there was no way he was going to pretend teddy was a girl just to distract away from the fact that he was the author. "and now he is freaking out because he cant stop thinking about it and thinks he has he first crush" he said shrugging in a way that was trying to be nonchelant while really he was trying to keep his tone and expression as nutral as he could