Closed Tree Climbing

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily had been surprised to find how she was afraid of heights. Her last flying lesson had been awful. Be that as it may, she was determined to get over it before her next lesson. After careful consideration she decided she could start by climbing trees. She'd never done that before. She'd been content to sit under them and read.

She wandered out to the lake. She was wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt so her arms weren't scratched. She had even braided her hair to keep it from getting tangled. She found a good, tall tree and set to work. It was harder than she had thought. She didn't really have the upper body strength. She kept grabbing the branches wrong. Her shoes slid on the bark.

She fell back to the ground again for what seemed like the hundredth time. Lily sighed. She was sure she was going to be bruised tomorrow. She sighed, dejected. Why was this so hard?

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper liked being outside, no matter what kind of weather there was. At home, he had often come back with mud all over him, which had only amused his dad. He had been lucky not to have any strict parents that would've scolded him, though he had sometimes wondered what his mother would say about all the stuff he got up to. But those kinds of thoughts made him sad, especially at Hogwarts. So he tried his best not to think them.

As he wandered the grounds, he had picked up a large stick to carry around. He had no real use for it, but he thought maybe he could find a use for it later. If all else failed, maybe he could throw it into the lake and see if anything reacted. He was still not convinced there weren't any monsters in there he could meet. With this vague notion in mind, Jasper made his way to the lake. As he approached, he saw a familiar figure trying to climb a tree. Jasper watched her try for a moment, then barked out a laugh as she fell back onto the ground. Thinking it would be funny, he walked up to her. "Wow Lily, that tree is definitely winning this fight." He said with a grin. "I bet I could climb up there in a few seconds." He added, always ready to boast.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily was already pouting when Jasper appeared out of nowhere. She sulked some more, blushing as he teased her and said he could do it. "I bet you could," She murmured, drawing her knees up to her chest. She was glad he didn't ask why she was trying to climb the tree. She didn't really want to admit to him that she was afraid of heights. She glanced up at the boy. "What are you doing out here?" She asked him a bit more sullenly than she meant to. This time, though, she didn't feel like apologizing.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper grinned when Lily said she bet he could do it, not noticing her bad mood at all as he looked up at the tree. He dropped the stick, no longer interested in throwing it in the lake. Her question made him shrug. "Just looking for something fun and interesting." He said, his voice indicating he hadn't found it yet. "So why were you climbing that tree? That doesn't seem like your sort of thing. You seem more like a read under the tree sort of person." He said, glancing down at her again.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Jasper's words hit closer to home than she had expected. She knew she wasn't any of those things. She stood quickly, tears pricking at her eyes. Why did she even bother with anything? She wouldn't ever be able to climb that stupid tree, or ride her broom without wanting to vomit. She shoved Jasper as he pointed out the obvious- this wasn't her thing. She shouldn't even try. "Why do you care?" She shouted, tears spilling from her eyes as her defeat overwhelmed her. "I'm not fun or interesting and I can't climb a stupid tree!" Her fists clenched at her side. She turned on her heel and started to run away, shame and anger roiling around in her gut. Maybe she didn't need to fly to feel like hurling.

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper hadn't expected Lily to get upset. After all, they had met each other WHILE she was reading under a tree, she clearly liked that! He took a small step back, alarmed by her years. "What? What does having a tree have to do with being fun or interesting?" He asked, confused. But he didn't think she heard him, as she turned and stormed off. Jasper scratched his head, then sighed. Girls were so weird. If she wanted to learn how to climb a tree, why didn't she ask? "Lily?" He called after her, but he figured he was probably too late for her to still hear him.