Time to Talk

"Strangely enough, I remember that pretty well myself.", Bruin replied with a smile. "You, uh, didn't have any strange accidents as a child did you? Maybe, bang your head or something? I mean, you're still pretty and all so you probably didn't hit your face, but maybe you bumped it and lost some of your early memories?", Bruin said, grasping at straws a little now.
 
Sophia blinked her tear-filled golden eyes at Bruin, momentarily forgetting about the absence of her childhood memories. "You...you think I'm pretty?" Sophia was a bit surprised by this. She had never thought of herself as pretty or beautiful. Sophia had really never focused much on her looks at all, being much more preoccupied with reading and such.
 
Bruin hadn't thought much about his comment until Sophia responded and then suddenly realized that he had no idea how to respond. "Um, well, yeah...I suppose I do.", he said matter-of-factly. "Although, I kind of thought it was obvious. You do have a mirror, don't you?" he joked, retreating behind humour as he feared what he might say if he remained serious.
 
Sophia could feel her cheeks turning red and it her lower lip for a few moments before answering. "Actually, to be honest, I do not have a mirror in my dorm room. There is one in the wash closet, but it is just a tiny one and I usually pay it no mind." She stopped this train of thought, feeling as if she were babbling and looked at the floor, biting her lip again. At a complete loss for words she merely sat and thought to herself he thinks I'm pretty.
 
Bruin had noticed the softening of Sophia's features and what he could only assume to be a blushing expression on her face at his words, although he began to question the wisdom behind revealing what he just had. Aren't things complicated enough?, he thought to himself. "Oh, uh, then I suppose you'll just have to take my word for it then.", he stated, completely at a loss for what direction to take the conversation from here.
 
Sophia released her lip from her teeth and looked up at Bruin, her expression one of confusion. What am I doing? she thought suddenly. I cannot like Bruin anymore, I moved on. I am with Ford. But, do I really like Ford? Unsure of what to do and not liking the direction her thoughts were taking her Sophia coughed into her right hand.

"Anyway, no, I do not believe I had an accident. I can still remember being young, I just cannot find any solid memories. Everything I have is like a generalization of what my childhood was like, instead of th individual events that made it up." Sophia was a bit nervous for reasons she could not imagine, and it showed in her shaky voice and still red cheeks.
 
Part of Bruin was relieved that the conversation had turned back to Sophia's childhood and memories, although in some respects he wished, and not for the first time, that he had less sense and more courage when it came to Sophia. However, once again he retreated behind the veil of friendship and followed Sophia's lead in a safer direction.

"You said that you can't remember anything vividly before the age of nine. What's your first vivid memory? Was there anything unusual about things that happened that year? Did you move or anything?", Bruin asked, losing himself in the details of the little mystery that Sophia was revealing. "Sorry for all the questions, I'm sure you've already thought about these things...I guess I've just always liked to try solving problems...", Bruin added apologetically.
 
"I never had moved until Stark Manor was destroyed. And technically I still have not really moved, per se." Sophia frowned, trying to think of the first vivid memory she had, looking away from Bruin so that he could not distract her from her search.

"It was summer and my parents took me to Diagon Alley. I remember my mother fretting the entire time and looking worried and...sad." Sophia frowned and looked at Bruin. "They kept arguing, but their arguments did not make any sense to me. My father would not like my mother finish her sentences and kept cutting her off and telling her to be quiet. I do not really remember them fighting like that before.

"I remember looking at the brooms and asking my father if I could have one. He said yes at the same time as my mother said no." Sophia frowned at the memory. "My mother just stared at my father, and he stared back, and he went inside and bought just bought the broom from the display. My mother was furious. As soon as we got home she threw a potion on the broom and it just...dissolved. Then of course my parents started yelling at each other and I was sent to my room."

Sophia frowned, not very pleased with her memory. It was not a pleasant day, she remembered that, and was not excited to be reliving the experience in her mind. She sighed slightly and looked at her shoes, wondering what Bruin would say about her memory.
 
Bruin listened with interest to Sophia's story, although he found it somewhat odd that she was choosing not to look at him as she spoke. He began to wonder if she was hiding something from him. Why won't she look at me? She wouldn't lie to me, would she? After listening to her story, Bruin did not get the sense that Sophia was lying to him. If she were, she certainly wouldn't reveal something quite so disturbing about her parents.

"I wonder if something bad happened between your parents about that time and they didn't want you to know about it. Maybe they were fighting about it? I mean, wizards can erase the memories of muggles when they see something they shouldn't, can't they?", Bruin said without much conviction.
 
Sophia looked up at Bruin, not looking at all happy with this idea. "Erased memories?" She had to admit this his idea made some sense. "But, what would have happened that they wanted to erase from my memory?"
 
Bruin was somewhat surprised that she was considering his thought as valid. "Uh, I don't know, but I suppose if you can't remember anything specific before the age of nine that it must have been something big." Bruin began to think about things. Maybe they weren't really her parents? Maybe they had lived somewhere that they didn't want her to remember? Maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about?
 
Sophia considered Bruin's words for a moment before letting out a long sigh. She wiped her cheeks off with the back of her sleeve and looked around at the room. The sky outside the window was darkening. How long have Bruin and I been talking?

"Well...I...I really should be studying." Sophia stood awkwardly and looked around for her bag for a moment before finding it. Picking it up she slung it over her right shoulder and across her torso. "Thank you Bruin, for talking with me." She looked at him with her golden eyes, smiling weakly.
 
Bruin watched as Sophia got up to leave and stood up as well, almost losing his balance in the process. "Oh, yeah...me too!", Bruin replied as he stepped forward to give Sophia a warm hug just as she turned to look for her bag. Bruin quickly stepped back, abandoning the hug and hoping that Sophia hadn't seen his awkward movement. "No, no problem...I, uh, hope it helped.", he added as he moved towards the door.
 
Sophia had seen Bruin make an odd movement out of the corner of her eye, and it confused her greatly. Smiling strangely she followed him to the door. "It did, help," she said quite eagerly, immediately blushing. Sophia stared at Bruin as she waited for him to open the door.
 
Bruin stepped forward to hold the door open for Sophia, feeling a little better that they were at least on the same page about that aspect of appropriate behaviour. He paused for a moment grasping the handle and then stopped. Bruin turned and faced Sophia, looking at her closely. "Wait. There's just on thing I need to do...", he said dramatically.
 
Sophia watched as Bruin grasped the door handle and then turned back to look at her, a bit confused. His words and tone were odd for him and she narrowed her eyes. "Yes?" she asked, wondering just what he had to do.
 
Bruin looked at Sophia, a little twinkle in his eye, and then knelt down. "I almost made a big mistake.", he said seriously. "Wouldn't want to leave this behind.", he added as he quickly picked up his Sneak-o-Scope, rose up and opened the door for Sophia.
 
Sophia watched in confusion as Bruin knelt down. What is he doing? When he picked up is Sneak-o-Scope and returned to his feet once more she wondered if he had been so dramatic on purpose, to make her believe he was going to do something else.

Sophia's thought then began to race. Did I want him to do something else? With a nervous smile she stepped through the open door, feeling and looking a bit awkward. Her fingers fiddled with the strap on her messenger bag an her golden eyes stared at the floor as she entered the corridor and stood, pondering.
 
Bruin was glad that he and Sophia had talked, but wondered why he felt kind of cowardlike at the moment. It seemed more and more obvious to him that the only times that he didn't really feel all of that confident and sure of himself were when he was with her. The really strange thing is that he liked the feeling.

Bruin thought about what his recent divination lesson had revealed to him about needing to re-evaluate his friendships. He didn't have many close friends and despite their occasional problems, Sophia was one of the closest. He also recalled that the cards had warned him to build his future romantic relationships around a foundation of friendship or else he was destined to marry early and have not one, but two failed marriages. Either way, it would have been foolhardy for him to have acted on impulse as he almost had.

"So, I guess this is where we part company, eh?", Bruin said, assuming that Sophia was heading to the dungeons while he headed off to Gryffindor.
 
[Two failed marriages? Talk about a grim future.]

Sophia looked up at Bruin and smiled weakly. "Yes, I suppose it is. Thanks again." She looked at Bruin, considering trying to hug him but wondering if that was a bad idea. At times she felt completely and utterly comfortable with him, as she had never felt with another person before, however at other times she felt more awkward than ever before. Unsure of herself and what to do Sophia merely stared at Bruin, waiting for him to make a move.
 
Bruin looked at Sophia and wondered what he was supposed to do. He wanted to give her a hug and let her know that he cared about her, but worried that she might not appreciate it given her relationship with Ford and what had happened to her with Athene's uncle. Bruin began to recall how he had stood stiffly the one and only time that they had hugged and... Aw screw it!!!, Bruin thought to himself as he stepped forward quickly and wrapped his arms around Sophia. "No thanks needed...", he whispered. "I just want you to know that you don't have to deal with all of this stuff alone."

Bruin eased the intensity of his hug a little, but didn't totally let go, leaving it up to Sophia to push him away or ease out of the hug when she wanted to.
 
Sophia's golden eyes widened in happy surprise when Bruin stepped forward and grasped her in a hug. Wrapping her arms around him Sophia smiled, enjoying the warmth of the hug. Shivers ran down her spine when Bruin whispered into her ear; not cold, uncomfortable shivers but instead fluttery ones that made Sophia's pale cheek blush once more.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear. Bruin was only a few inches taller than Sophia and her chin rested comfortable on his shoulder. She held Bruin in his hug for a few minutes before letting go and looking up with a genuinely bright smile.
 
Bruin sensed from Sophia's response and softly spoken words that he had done the right thing and was happy to see a smile on Sophia's face upon their release. He returned her smile with a warm one of his own and then spoke with his typical eloquence when in such situations. "Alright then. That was good.", he said with all of the poise and tact of a dumbfounded teenage boy. "I'll see you later then...", he added weakly as he began to back up the corridor towards Gryffindor, bumping clumsily into a suit of armor, but still not turning his back to her.

Bruin had no idea what this all meant and it suddenly occurred to him that it likely meant nothing at all, but he would enjoy the moment anyways.
 
Sophia could not help but giggle softly when bruin ran into the suit of armor. Silly boy she thought to herself and turned to walk the opposite way down the corridor. Her spirit was elated as she made her way to the Dungeons, wondering what it all meant. Shaking the thoughts from her head Sophia returned her expression to a stony one and removed all emotion from her eyes, so as not to have anyone asking any questions.
 

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