Things To Come

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth idly chewed the end of her quill, glaring at the parchment in front of her. 'Stupid essay,' she thought, leaning back and stretching her aching arms. The blank parchment sat in front of her accusingly, and she laid quill to parchment again, determinedly. Unfortunately, her mind remained empty. Finally she gave up, and instead wrote, in her neat handwriting;

Dear Samuel,

It's been ages since I saw you, and I suppose this letter will be a shock. I did say I'd owl, but I've been very distracted lately. Anyway, how have you been? What school do you go to? I never did find out, but since I haven't seen you around Hogwarts I would guess it wasn't here in NZ.

Elspeth

She folded up the letter, frowning slightly at the abrupt ending, and and began climbing the the stairs to the owlery. She still wasn't sure if she should send the letter - what if he thought she was some idiot little girl? When she had chosen one of the school owls, a large, proud barn owl, and tied the letter to it's leg, she hesitated again, before shaking her head and letting the owl go before she could change her mind.

 

[Samuel Phillips]

It was just another boring school day in Samuel's eyes. His classes were the usual mediocre drone that he had grown to silently resent during the years he had been at school. Samuel did the minimum amount of work he could get away with that day, in the hope that it would speed up time so he could busk in the relaxation that his own personal dorm room gave him. He was so fortunate at times, since his parents were commended in a way at Durmstrang, as soon as Samuel was accepted into the institute his parents requested that he have his own room. This would normally be unusual, but it was lucky that they actually had an empty dorm room available. Even though Samuel had been given so much while he had been attending Durmstrang, he still loathed the dusty halls and the empty echo that that passed through them. As the Part-Veela returned to his room after dinner that evening, he was mildly impressed to receive a letter from a girl he had met once before named Elspeth. Samuel ignored his homework that night so he could reply. Anything to take his mind off of school really.

Elspeth,

I have been alive and well over the few weeks since we met. Nothing has happened really, it has just been boring. I attend Durmstrang, it's not that interesting. That is all I can say about my schooling really. The rest is up to you to find out. I never did ask you why you were on the cliff so late, it's somewhat odd for me to see anybody else out there. To take a page from your book, why were you out there? And how did you find the spot where I was? Those questions have been in the back of my mind since we met. Then again, most people have questions in the back of their mind they are too afraid or hesitant to ask. That is a major personality flaw of many of the people I have met. I can fortunately say I am not one of those people.

S.A.P

A self satisfied smirk appeared on Samuel's handsome face while he folded up his letter, he didn't really know why he had written the things in his letter, it didn't make much sense but he ignored this and sent his letter off to Elspeth with a grey barn owl that had a bit of an attitude. He chuckled at the thought the owl might bite Elspeth the same way it had bitten his index finger. It was ironic in a way, how something so insignificant could connect two people together, like a letter delivered by a surprisingly aggressive barn owl. Naturally, Samuel didn't expect a reply from Elspeth, he had other things to do anyway. Like paint another painting showing the little muse that Samuel had acquired from reading the letter she had sent. This was a new thing for him, gaining a form of inspiration from a person rather than a scene or situation. Never mind the way his muse had effortlessly appeared again, Samuel made the decision not to bother with painting anything, he just lay in his bed and slept a dreamless sleep, just knowing that he had actually made an effort to say anything back to her after what she was like the first time they had met was enough for him.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth woke to a persistant tapping at her dorm window. She yawned, stretched, and blinked blearily eyes, before shuffling to the window. The moment the latch clicked open, a gust of chilly wind swept through the tower room. Elspeth swore as the shock woke her tired mind, and slammed the window closed. This better be good, she thought, retrieving the letter from the haughty bird. She absently tossed it a few owl treats as she read the reply. The Ravenclaw reached under her bed for her spare parchment, and started writing.

Samuel,
Good to know you haven't died, then. What's Durmstrang like? It can't be that boring! That day, I was annoyed with my room mates, and to avoid seeing them I went into the woods. I found a path (which must be how you got there), and followed it. It led me to the clifftop. Unfortunately, one of my major character flaws is that I will ask questions without thinking about them, which has gotten me into plenty of trouble before.
Elspeth

She folded the letter and gave it to the owl. She was momentarily glad for the cold outside, for it seemed to be trying to keep itself warm, which meant it didn't bite her. She quickly tied the letter to it's leg and picked it up. She looked at the window, wondering if she was cruel enough to cast the frozen bird into the bitter winds and icy temperatures that it had just escaped from. Elspeth then opened the window and threw the bird outside again. Yes, it seemed she was. She collapsed back onto the warmth of her bed, and thought about the letter. Okay, so she had told a small fib, but saying that she had followed him wasn't exactly going to help. And what was with him writing so formally? She considered these thoughts for a while, before rolling over and returning to sleep.

 

[Samuel Phillips]

A very good morning indeed, Samuel had just indulged in a crack of dawn painting session, sure, he had been up all night, but that wouldn't stop the Durmstrang student from spending the rest of the day running errands and completing yet another pile of unneeded school work, he knew that those tasks would continue to be unfinished. But it was still morning and Samuel continued to paint. He was almost too sidetracked to notice the barn owl perching on his windowsill with a letter in its beak. Approaching the owl, keeping a safe distance as to avoid any further harm, Samuel retrieved the letter and started reading. He thought it was pretty comical, how the sarcastic vibe from the first sentence Elspeth had written seemed to pollute the rest of her letter. This wasn't a bad thing, after all, it made Samuel's day a little brighter, he had always found sarcasm funny. Samuel sat at his desk and started to write yet another reply.

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Elspeth,

My school, well, if I could elaborate on that more, I would. It is just like any other school, it has its dumb students and its smart students, its beautiful students and its ugly students. Your room mates sound irritable, I can't say I try to avoid my roommates because I don't have any. The cliff top is where I always go when I'm at home, I like to avoid my family as much as I can. They're the overbearing kind of people, they take everything literally. I choose to go there as it is moderately peaceful, that is if I am not disturbed by cute girls who decide to follow paths without knowing where they lead to. Has that curiosity of yours gotten you into any trouble as well?

S.A.P

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The Part Veela left his desk and continued to paint, he hadn't made the effort in folding it up just yet, he wanted to pay more attention to the owl before he bothered with sending it. Samuel wasn't being cautious with the owl anymore, he was beyond caring about getting hurt. He had more important things floating in the back of his racing mind. The sixteen year old sat next to the owl, he was a tad flabbergasted when the owl didn't react to his presence. Samuel chuckled quietly to himself as a small grin emerged on the pale white of his face, what was he going to do for the rest of the day? The answer was nothing, this was never a problem. Samuel advanced to the antique desk across his room and proceeded to fold up his newly written letter, the ink of his recently written words still fresh on the page. He then gave his letter to the owl and let it fly away quickly. All he had to do now was wait until Elspeth sent another letter back.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Elspeth sat in the Great Hall, sitting slightly apart from the rest of her house. Usually she would sit with Aimee, or rather, Aimee would sit near her at the Slytherin table and Elspeth at the Ravenclaw one, and they would talk, but Elspeth had arrived late to dinner that day, after taking a wrong turn and ending up in a part of the castle she'd never seen before. The dark haired young girl picked moodily at her food, not feeling very hungry, but unwilling to move, when the owl who had disrupted her sleep that morning landed square in the middle of her plate. She paused, taking in the situation for a moment, before shrugging and untying the letter. "Not like I was eating it anyway." She muttered as she pulled parchment out of her bag and shoved her glass away so she had room to write a reply.

Samuel,
My room mates aren't that bad, we just don't get along. Haven't since first year. You don't have any room mates? I'm jealous. I'm sorry if I disturbed you while you were trying to avoid other people - I know how that feels. And of course my curiosity has gotten me into trouble! Mostly that was when I was a little kid though. It doesn't help that I seem to have a fatal combination of curiosity and clumsiness. Well, I've got to go - dinner's almost over, and I don't want to be the last one in the Hall.

Elspeth

She folded up the letter and tied it to the owl's leg, glaring at it when it tried to bite her. Damn bird. Out of all the school birds in the owlery, she had to choose the one with penchant for human flesh. She watched the bird fly away, before picking up her bag and hurrying after the last few students departing the Great Hall.

 

[Samuel Phillips]

It had been a long day for Samuel, he had to tolerate another day of schooling with a brave face, he had thought about several things throughout his day in order to distract himself from the various assignments he had to complete, one of them was when he was going to get his next letter from Elspeth. Yes, that was what the adolescent thought about during his dreary day. This wasn't a cliche for the teen, it was quite unusual in fact. Even though Samuel's thoughts throughout the day had been of many things, the thought of Elspeth had been creeping its way into the back of his mind, it was still a placid surprise for him when he returned to his room, to find an owl sitting on the open window in his room again, he didn't even need to guess who it was from before he retrieved the letter and read it with yet another artificial smile plastered on his seemingly perfect lips. Writing a reply was Samuel's next instinct, a spare piece of parchment and a quill wasn't hard to find, now he just needed to write the words as they came to him.

Elspeth,
I have a great deal of pity towards you Elspeth, you have to deal with the tongue-tied socialisation that goes with having roommates and I don't have to bear that at all. But, there are some situations in which tongue-tied socialisation isn't such a bad thing. For example, if we decided to see each other again sometime. If so, when and where would suit a girl like you? I am pretty lenient with things like these, as long as you tell me what you want to happen, I can make it. Just let me know. I am expecting for you to say yes, nevertheless, I will accept a rejection from you. Enlighten me with your decision when you get the chance.
S.A.P

Had he really just asked Elspeth out? Even Samuel couldn't understand why he had asked a girl like Elspeth out, and so soon. Usually, Samuel was the one who was being asked out, asking someone out was a whole new field for him. Now he just had to sit and wait for what Elspeth would say next, Samuel had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that Elspeth would say yes, but he couldn't foretell what her exact reaction might be. Samuel sighed, his hair was in his eyes again, it was just as messy as it had been when he had woken up. It was rather significant, how the small things affect the big picture in ways somebody as unimportant as a young man like Samuel couldn't even imagine. The sixteen year old did hesitate in sending the letter, if Elspeth said no to his offer, Samuel would surely never speak to her again, what was the point in speaking to her when it wasn't going anywhere? Ignoring his self doubt, Samuel gave his letter to the owl and headed off for a walk, anything to pass the time.

 

[Elspeth Brookes]

Casually examining her nails, Elspeth sat cross-legged against Hogwart's wall, facing the Forest. She often came here to be alone, and the greenery on either side of her shielded her form from the gazes of passers-by. She was expecting a good hour of peace before it would be disturbed by the lunchtime rush. When she was shocked out of her reverie by a rather large owl landing in an undignified manner in her lap, her immediate response was to grab her wand. Relaxing when she saw the cause of her momentary panic, she prodded it with the tip of her wand. 'You're even clumsier than me, y'know that?" She untied the letter and read it. Then she read it again, not quite sure if she was reading it right. "Did he really just ask me out?" She asked the bird, not expecting answer. She pulled a spare sheet of parchment out of her bag, and scrawled reply.
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Samuel,
I would love to meet you again! Brightstone would obviously be best. What if we meet on the next Brightstone weekend (I'll owl you with the date), and go from there?
Elspeth

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She knew the letter was short, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. She sent the owl on it's way with the letter, and took a deep breath to calm herself. What if she had totally misread his intentions? What if he was just using her? She shook her head ruefully. Nope, deep breaths weren't working. She decided to go talk to Aimee about it, leaving out Samuel's name. She'd give good advice.