There's no friend like the best

[Arianna Tipley]

Winter again... Arianna thought, as she walked slowly across the grounds, hands buried deep in the pockets of her jacket. Though she had enjoyed her summer back home in Canada, Arianna had missed the crisp air of winter. New Zealand winters were nothing like Canadian ones however, since there was no snow, apart from in the mountains, and the temperatures only got a few degrees below freezing. This first signs of spring were starting to appear in the grounds now thought, and Ari was careful not to step on any of the young plants popping up.

The reason for Ari coming out here, and walking very deliberately towards a certain willow near the Lake, was that she had sent a note to Vivienne this morning, asking her to meet her here. The fact that she hadn't actually really talked her best friend in months had been on her conscience for a while, and she had finally sent her a letter. Now that she was about to see her, Arianna realised how much she had missed Viv. Her last at Hogwarts had been dull and unpleasant, though Ari was attempting to make this year different, and she knew that seeing Viv more would help. Settling down against the trunk of the willow, Arianna instantly felt the winter dampness seep through her clothes, but didn't really care. She was just excited about seeing Viv again! She tapped her foot impatiently, even though she knew that she was early.

 

[Vivienne Esquire]

Vivienne had only been back at Hogwarts for a couple of days, after being over seas for nearly a year. She hadn't wanted to leave, but the Esquire's had worried greatly after finding out that their daughter had diabetes, and had demanded that she be homeschooled and travel with them for a while. As Vivienne's life had begun to seem normal again (the constant injections weren't really that hard), she had convinced her parents to let her return to Hogwarts. Now, inbetween classes and settling back in, she hadn't had a chance to catch up with her best friend Arianna, so she was delighted to recieve a note asking her to meet Ari at the lake. Vivienne had felt rather guilty for not seeing her friend as much as she would have liked, but luckily the two had been corresponding via owl, so they were still very close. Seeing Arianna in person, though, would make Vivienne far happier than simply receiving a piece of parchment with the occasional photo.

Smiling excitedly, Vivienne threw on a thick Winter coat, and danced off into the crisp air. It took for no time at all to reach to lake, and the Hufflepuff could soon see Arianna a little bit away from her. "Ariii!" Vivienne shrieked, running to greet her best friend. She laughed as she finally reached her, and gave her a big hug. What had once been a large height difference had diminished quite a bit, and now they were much closer height-wise. Despite a lot happening to Vivienne in the last year or so, she still seemed to be the same girl she had been in her first year. Just a little less naive, and I bit more wordly. She had a bit of a light tan though, after coming from a northern hemisphere Summer. Without yet noticing the ways in which Arianna had changed, Vivienne broke the hug and smiled at her friend.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

Arianna jumped up when she heard her name "VIV!" she returned, returning her ginormous hug. She squealed as they broke apart, and grinned hugely, looking her best friend up and down "Wow, you grew" she exclaimed. Ari immediatly noticed other, subtle differences in Viv, but didn't say anything out loud. Arianna knew that she herself had changed also, and that her best friend would notice. "I've missed you so much! Where have been?" Ari asked. Her last year had been incredibly lonely and dull, and Arianna now realised that the absence of Vivienne had played a huge part. After the incident with Ares, then their big trip around the world, she had needed somebody there.

"How have you been?" Where have you been?" she repeated, her eyes beginning to tear up "Where..." she couldn't hold it back anymore. After the past year of keeping everything bottled up inside, the sight of Vivienne made her want to cry harder than ever. She pushed it away however, grinning again at Viv "So. What kind of fun have you been having without me?" She asked, glad that her tone sounded light and happy, as she had meant it to.

 

[Vivienne Esquire]

Vivienne smiled widely as Arianna responded well to her arrival. It would have been so saddening if she'd shown up just to be shunned by an upset friend. "I did! I actually achieved what was once thought impossible; growing!" she laughed, motioning for Arianna to sit back down beneath the tree. Folding her legs as she sat down herself, Vivienne turned her attention back to what her friend was saying. She began to get a little bit worried by the tone of Ari's voice. Had she not gotten all the letters sent her way? "I've been with Mum's family, in France.. They've been monitoring me as I got used to the diabetes. I said all this in the letters," Vivienne laughed, thinking that it probably just slipped Arianna's mind or something.

Although Arianna was doing a good job of holding it in, Vivienne could still see tears welling up in her best friend's eyes. Her composure may have fooled others, but not someone as close as this. "Not too much fun, actually," Vivienne said with a small smile, trying to figure out why Arianna was on the verge of tears. "What's wrong, did something happen?" she questioned, trying to empathise, but unable to until she knew what the problem was.

 

[Arianna Tipley]

Arianna laughed too, and stood close to Viv, comparing their heights "Well, you're still only up to my nose" she said, grinning, and stepping back. Following Viv's example, and sitting down also, her jean clad legs sprawled in front of her on the wet grass. Arianna's eyes widened as Viv talked about France and... "Diabetes?!" she almost screeched "I didn't get these letters!" she said, eyes wide, and worried "You have diabetes? That's awful!" she said sympathetically "Does that mean you can't have any sugar at all?" she asked, before realising that he was probably bombarding her with questions that she'd had a million times before "Sorry" she said hurriedly, looking at Viv.

Arianna couldn't help but smile at her friend "There's nothing wrong. I'm just so happy to see you!" she said, tears gone, replaced by a huge grin. "So, how was France then? Do you speak French?" she asked, unsure if Viv had told her if spoke a different language.

Sorry I took so long If you want me to say that she did get the letters, I can edit Just thought it would be more interesting.